↪️↪️ FlashBack ↪️↪️
'Just talk to her' Marlene said.
'I am not sure.' Remus muttered.

They were sitting underneath a tree in a forest.

'Not sure about what?'
'That I should talk to her. All she has done is caused me pain.'

'You know I am right about this.' Marlene said.

Remus didn't reply.

'What's the deal with the room anyways?' Marlene asked. 'Suddenly appearing like that when I asked for it.'

'Happened last time too. I wished for a place where I could be separated from the world and it threw me into darkness.'

'Why did you want to be separated from the world?'

'Oh that's nothing. Just boredom.'

It was more than that.
It had happened when he had found about the kiss.

When he had a fleeting moment of despair.

'This is too solemn. Care for a drink?' Remus asked.
***
[Present]
'Remus, where the hell have you been?' James asked munching on some bread.

Sirius who was flicking a stone towards Peter took a 180- turn and sharply faced Remus.

'Brother.' Sirius hugged Remus.

'Uhm okay.' Remus awkwardly patted him.

Remus communicated with James mouthing words.

What's with him?

He heard you and Marlene talking last night

Oh god

Why were you sneaking out anyway with her?

Everybody else had better things to do

'Thats enough, Sirius. Let go.' Remus pulled himself aside.

Remus sat down next to Peter, a considerable distance away from Sirius.

Across a few seats, his eyes followed Mary who was sitting with Dorcas.

For a brief moment Mary looked at him.
Then looked down.

He sighed.

'-- the final invites—' Remus interrupted James as he was saying something.

'Invites for what?'
'For what? For what you ask? God, Remus I thought you were a nice guy and you- you have proved yourself. Go fuck yourself.' Sirius said.

'Uhm sorry? It's just a lot of things have been going on in my life.' Remus said.

'Dude, it's my birthday we are talking about. Surely, you aren't busy enough to forget about that?'

'I was just playing you.' Remus faked a grin.
Sirius grinned back.
***
~ 2 days later ~
'So when is his birthday?' Remus casually asked James.
'I knew you didn't know. It's today, moron.'

'Wh-at? Today's the 3rd?'
'Uh huh. Me and Sirius are throwing a party at ten in the common room.'
***

As the final class of the day ended, Remus's mind drifted off to the party that day.
Within a moment's time, he found himself staring at he wall, relaxing on a couch when he heard the clock struck eight.

The question 'So what are you gifting him?' woke him up from his trance taken by his guilty messed up conscience.

And within a few minutes he was looking for something to buy with James by his side.

'It's Sirius. What should I buy him? Some pranking kit of some sort? What are you going to give him?'

'Something which will inspire him during his low times and give him a new start.'

'James.' Remus narrowed his eyes. 'Are you talking about the magazines?'
'What else could I be talking about?'

'You can't gift somebody that on his birthday. That is gross.'
'Yeah but you are missing the point. It's Sirius.'

'Shit. How could I have forgotten that..'
***
↪️↪️FlashForward↪↪

Remus was trying his level best to avoid both Dorcas and Mary.

He was at the corner trying not to enter into the hustle and bustle of the party, slowly drinking a glass of some kind of red wine.

'Are we on talking terms yet?' Dorcas asked.

'Y-yeah. This wine tastes good, you must try this.' Remus said.

'Wait, you are not angry anymore?'

'Noo. We are friends who forgive each other for each other's mistakes. That's what's friend's do right?'

'I guess. Uh okay.' She said sipping the wine then spitting it out. 'This does not taste good. How long have you been drinking it?'

'For half an hour.' Remus said.
'This isn't wine. This is something much stronger.'

'Uh wh- whut?' Remus asked. It did make sense. His head had stared hurting and his vision would blur in middle for a few seconds.

And suddenly out of the blue, he had a flashback.

↩↩ FlashBack ↩↩

'Yeah, they both are drunk.' Lily confirmed.

'Come on, guys. Party's over.' James said.

It seemed like the pair couldn't even hear what was going on.

For a split second, James's wand started glowing.

'Shit.' He cursed. 'Hey could, you bring him back to the dorm?' He asked Mary.

Before waiting for an answer he ran off.

Lily opened the door supporting Marlene and kept the door waiting with her foot.

'You coming?'
'You go. I will have a drink.'

Lily sighed. 'Just one. We have classes tomorrow. Can't be drunk like these two.'

'Yeah.'

'Can you hear me, Remus?'

'Ki. Nd. Of.'

He said the words with an abrupt pause.

'What were you drinking anyway?'
Not getting an answer she ordered the drink.

The drink was a blood-red shade vampire special strong drink of some kind.

'Ar. U. Go. Na. Dr. In. K. The. At.' Remus managed to ask.

'Yeah. Just a little.'

But it wasn't a little. The drink was way addictive than it should have been and she ended up drinking a lot. Had she followed lily's advice the night would not have gone that way.

[Present]
'I will be fine on my own.' Remus muttered.

The familiar red drink laid half finished on the table.

'You sure, boozy?' Dorcas asked.

'Yeah.' Remus managed to mutter.

After a few seconds or it might have been minutes- the alcohol made him lose sense of time, Mary came next to him.

'I remembered everything.' She said.
'Same.' Remus said.

'It's all my fault.' Mary said.

'Don't say that. The fault was the drink's.'

'You are a nice guy, Remus and I shouldn't have done this.'

'Its not your fault, I insist. What about Dorcas? Should we just say the truth? Or hide it by building a web of manipulative lies?'

'It doesn't sound nice when you phrase it like that but we most definitely can't tell her that.'

'Why not? Did it mean anything to you?' Remus asked.

'No. I am Dorcas's best friend. Why would it mean anything to me?'

'Forget Dorcas for a moment. Did it mean anything to you?'

And the last words before he had a hazy long blur were

'I can see it going either way.'
***