WILD & WICKED / © yllwjckts
027  ⸻ Icebreakers

My team is losing, battered and bruising
I see the high fives between the bad guys
Leave with my head hung, you are the only one
Who seems to care
American stories burning before me
I'm feeling helpless, the damsels are depressed
Boys will be boys then, where are the wise men?
Darling, I'm scared

— "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince", Taylor Swift

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───

December 4th, 1977 ✦ Hogwarts

"I heard you're coming to my place for the holidays."

Lux turned around, slowing her pace upon the path she trekked, headed in the direction of Hogsmeade Village. Behind her, James was rushing up towards her, abandoning his Marauders, though his words weren't directed at Lily, but Lux.

Lily, who was at her left, turned to face Lux with her eyebrows lifted. "You're going to the Potter's for Christmas? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think it was important," Lux admitted with a shrug, frowning as she glanced at James. "Took Sirius long enough to tell Potter, I take it."

Sirius, who was mid conversation with Peter, gesturing wildly into the air while going on about something Quidditch related, jumped at the mention of his name. "What did I do this time?"

"Be annoying," Remus said, nudging him with his elbow.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him. "You know you love me."

He flushed red.

"Right, so where are we headed?" Lily asked, clapping her hands together. Though before anyone could answer her, she was putting out another question. "And has anyone seen Marlene? She was out of the dorm when I woke up this morning."

"I wouldn't worry. She's probably with her mystery lover," James teased, followed by a pair of ooo's from Sirius and Peter.

Remus, on the other hand, was rolling his eyes, arms folded over his chest as drops of snow began to fall across his face, dotting the bridge of his nose like a spray of freckles. Amidst the scar that stretched from the corner of his eye to the middle of his lip, it looked almost portrait-esque, too beautiful to exist in such an ugly world.

Lux gulped, turning away.

"I don't know about you lot, but Luxie, Moony and I have got a date planned."

"A date?" Lux, Remus, Lily and James all said in unison, head snapping towards Sirius with varying expressions. Lux and Lily's confusion, James's a peaked sort of amusement, and Remus's one of pure, utter panic, as though he'd just discovered the end of the world was in sight.

"A friendly date, of course," Sirius clarified, and James deflated. "I've been meaning to go ice skating on the pond down by the Shrieking Shack for years, and apparently, Remus has never been."

"I fail to see the appeal in flying around on chunks of ice until we're sore from falling over every other minute." Though he left it out, Lux could see the hidden meaning in his words. Remus had enough scars as it was, he lacked the desire to add to them.

"You can't go to the Shrieking Shack," Lily said, paling at the mere mention of the place. "It's haunted, is it not? I mean, everyone hears screams coming from it all the time — what if something inside gets you?"

Lux didn't miss how Remus's posture stiffened, inhaling a sharp breath. Who would've guessed Remus Lupin was of ghosts, she thought to herself with a soft laugh.

But Sirius was as carefree as always when he said, "Sounds like fun. I'm in the mood to ghost hunt."

Lily rolled her eyes, glancing over at Lux with a look that said can you believe these two? "Boys, honestly."

Despite the grin that had wormed itself onto her face, Lux had to agree. There was something about Sirius she doubted she'd ever be able to understand, though perhaps she liked it like that, a mystery she didn't have to solve, didn't need to tear apart for means of her own survival. Sirius was an unknown, yes, but never a danger. None of the people that currently surrounded her posed a threat to her, not even James Potter, who held onto the depths of her heart like the knowledge of a pot of gold, given away at any moment. If he intended to spill what he'd read in those letters, that the letters even existed, he would have by that point in time.

She may not trust him, but it was no longer something exclusive to him. He hated her, sure, but she could rely on that hatred remaining tucked away with the rest of James's secrets. Something told her that he knew an abundance of things he ought not to, entrusted with words scarcely shared elsewhere.

"Have you ever gone ice skating?" Lily asked Lux, who nodded, gulping at the memories that injected themselves into her mind.

"My father and I sometimes would. In the winters, there was a pond by our home. We'd mess about on it if we had nothing better to do, if it wasn't too cold or too warm to worry about falling through."

Despite it all, despite the permanent wall she'd built between the two, refering to Fulk as her father still came to her with ease. She hated it with every fibre of her being.

"Sounds fun!" Lily enthused. "James and I would love to join you, but—"

"We've got other commitments," James finished for her, rushing to speak. Lily frowned, but allowed him to continue. Looking mostly at Remus, he flashed a bright grin. "You three have fun though, yeah?"

"Oh, we will," Sirius insisted, using an arm to grab onto Remus's, entwining their grips so their elbows were locked with each other. Remus glanced around, flinching at the contact for a brief moment, quick enough that Lux was certain only she picked up on it, before melting into his grip.

"You know, you should probably ask people if they'd like to do certain things before just...volunteering us for the task," Remus said when they separated from Lily and James, taking a left in the fork that had formed in the path, headed towards this apparent Shrieking Shack.

"Merlin, Moony, we're ice skating, I haven't sent you off to war." Sirius turned to Lux, head tilted to the side. "Besides, Luxie doesn't mind, does she now?"

She shrugged, hoping it didn't give away anything regarding the thoughts she'd been swimming in. While the two had bickered like an old married couple, her mind had drifted to the memory of Fulk, of one of their few pastimes. They'd spend hours on the pond, sometimes until they physically could not remain outside for longer as the sun threatened to rise, collapsing in their cabin with rosy cheeks and grins to last for days.

A simpler time. A time where the only thing between them was the honesty they rarely delved into, yet committed themselves to upholding. Never webs of lies, never games played, just Lux and her tongue tied in knots. Silence was not a fib, and their twenty years together had formed on the foundation of such a mantra.

She remembered what he'd said in one of their fights, that back then, she'd only say what he wanted to hear. Perhaps that was the case, but he had been no different, allusive in a way that kept their trust on a fine line, rather than the labyrinth they now delved into. She preferred the straight, albeit narrow path they had managed to the current twists and turns.

"She doesn't mind," Sirius concluded with a hopeful grin. "Bloody hell, I'm excited for the holidays. Aren't you?"

It was Remus's turn to give the all too allusive shrug. "Suppose so."

He turned to Lux. "Remus is coming to James's too. I dunno if I told you that."

"I assumed as much."

"It'll be a blast," Sirius insisted with an enthused smile, one of a boy who had been let down so many times yet still clung to hope in a way Lux once again knew she would never understand. Much like Remus, Sirius Black had layers to him, ones she'd only just noticed. He'd done a better job at hiding them, but enough chipping had revealed them. "Just us three — and James and Pete of course, and Effie and Monty, all around a Christmas tree. You celebrate Christmas, right Luxie? Or are you Jewish? Or Muslim? Or something else?"

"I don't believe in God." It was a simple answer, one she hadn't meant to give. That hadn't been the question, after all.

Remus released a breath, a half laugh that got caught in his throat. "That makes two of us."

"Three," Sirius added. "Suppose there could be one, but not sure which."

Remus shook his head, but didn't add further to the subject. Lux could, if pressed enough. Could explain that she'd prayed long enough and hard enough during her time in the Coven that she should've been heard — by all means, a God would've heard her among the masses.

Yet the skin she wore was still tainted by Philip's touch. Elias's blood had still stained that apartment floor. God, as if.

The pond, when they reached it, failed to impress Lux. About twenty yards in diameter, a thick layer of ice spread across it, with a fresh layer of snow brushed over the top that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight Lux shouldn't have been able to see. It should've been beautiful, but all she could think about was how she wasn't meant to be there.

The ring on her finger, an everlasting reminder of her limits, seemed to burn against her skin.

Sirius was rushing atop it, skidding to a stop once he was hovering on the ice. Grinning ear to ear, he gestured wildly for the two to join.

Remus tucked his wand into his pocket, rolling his eyes, yet still obeying. Lux watched as he took a hesitant step atop the ice, nearly slipping over as he did, struggling to maintain his balance as he slid about.

"Are you coming?" Remus called over to Lux, who watched on the sidelines with her arms crossed.

"It looks dangerous," she said, eyeing the ice.

"Aww, Luxie, don't tell me you're scared," Sirius teased, skating over towards her. Well, attempting to skate — the boots he wore had little use like actual ice skates would've, but he didn't seem to mind, and Remus seemed to find comfort in his more balanced shoes.

"I'm not scared," she insisted, finding it wasn't a lie. At first, she couldn't tell what it was that kept her from going atop the ice — she wasn't scared, not really, nor did she think it looked anything but fun. But there was a boundary she knew obeying Sirius would break, not just with them, but with Remus too.

Lux wasn't sure if she was ready to break the ice between them quite yet, shatter any final barriers holding them apart

But more so, she worried about missing out. So, with shaky steps, she moved onto the ice, mustering a small smile as she did.

Sirius burst into a round of applause. "Brilliant!"

"Stop that," she yelled at him over his loud clapping, though she was grinning despite it. "It's bloody patronizing."

"It's me cheering you on," he whined as Remus joined in on the clapping, if only to annoy Lux.

"I hate you two," she murmured, glaring at them.

"You love us," Sirius insisted, flinging an arm over her shoulder as she slid towards him. Her instinct was to lean into him, the warmth radiating off of his body that she sought so deeply, not just due to the harsh winds from the winter around them.

She didn't deny his words this time.

Her silence earned a bright red blush from Remus, though she supposed it could be excused by the cold slapping against his cheeks. Muttering something under his breath, he slid away from them, aiming more towards the middle of the pond.

"Be careful! It gets less safe in the middle. We can't have you falling through the ice," Sirius shouted towards him, releasing Lux and moving in Remus's direction. Without his arm engulfing her, the warmth dissipated, though as it did, she realized she hadn't been fully warm in the first place. To have been, Remus would've needed to hold her too, heat up the places Sirius couldn't reach.

Remus stopped his skating, turning around. Under his breath, he said something to Sirius that Lux couldn't pick up on, only saw the slight shift of Sirius's jaw as an indicator he had spoken at all. Then, both of them skated back towards Lux.

"Let's play a game," Sirius said, earning an odd stare from Remus, and the lift of Lux's eyebrow.

"A game?" Lux clarified.

"A game," Sirius confirmed.

"Why?" Remus asked, voice gone a bit dry.

"Icebreakers!" Sirius declared. "Getting to know each other more. I mean, sure, we've all snogged at one point or another, been locked in a closet together, but I don't know Luxie's favorite color, and I doubt she knows either of ours."

Lux paused. Snogged each other? Had Remus and Sirius—

"I know your favorite color. It's blue," Remus pointed out, derailing her train of thought. Intentionally, she thought it might have been, considering the nature of what his friend had so brazenly stated.

Sirius waved a dismissive hand, which was covered in a Gryffindor red mitten. "That's besides the point. I've known you for seven years, I got a head start."

"Luxie, truth or truth?"

She frowned. "Isn't it truth or dare?"

"Yes, but we're playing differently. No dares, and no truth serum. Everything said is said out of free will and under the presumption of trust and honesty, yeah?"

Lux gulped, glancing between the two. Sirius seemed to know her well enough to tell when she was lying, and without the option of a dare, there wouldn't be a way out if either of them were to ask something she couldn't provide an answer to. "What if I don't want to answer?"

Sirius thought for a moment. "You've got to do a lap around the lake, then. I'll transform our boots into actual skates too, for good measure."

Remus tilted his head back and groaned. "Do we have to, mate? It's fucking cold out."

"I agree," Lux added, rubbing her arms with her hands for good measure. "Can't we do this when we aren't outside?"

"Nope," Sirius said simply, and one glance at Remus told Lux there was no use arguing with the Black boy. They both knew as much. "Who wants to go first?"

Neither spoke.

"Fine, boring. I'll go. Remus, truth or truth?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Wow, what a hard choice. Which shall I choose, Lux?"

She mimicked his sarcasm, placing an exaggerated finger on her chin and tapping. "I'm not sure, Lupin. It's quite a difficult decision. Our lives are really on the line with this one."

"Oi, enough of your snark," Sirius said through a laugh. "Remus, my icebreaker question for you is...if you could have four hands or four feet, which would you want?"

"What kind of—oh, never mind. Bloody nutcase, this one." Pausing for a moment, air clouded around his parted mouth before he said, "I'll go with four hands. Get more done that way."

"Yes, but if you had four feet, you could walk faster. Arrive at places quicker."

Remus shrugged. "You've got my answer."

"Right," Sirius released a breath, a cloud following. "Moony, you've got to ask Lux something. Then she asks me. Then we go in reverse, me to her, her to you, you to me! It's fun, yeah?"

"Not the F word I was thinking of," Remus muttered, earning a soft laugh from Lux. "Right, Lux, what is your favorite food?"

"Objection!" Sirius interjected.

"For Merlin's sake, what did I do wrong this time?"

"Nothing!" Sirius insisted, a little too fast. "But we all know she doesn't eat."

"If I didn't eat, how would I be alive?" Lux countered with a glare. "I just...choose to eat in more private places, that's all."

"That's a lie," Sirius said. "James told me that Lily told him that you don't eat in your dorms."

"Why is Lily speaking to James about my dietary habits?"

Sirius gave her a look. "Because she's your friend and therefore worried when you refuse meal after meal? Seriously, I'm getting worried as well, and it's hard to get me to be anything of the sorts. It's so—"

"Sirius," Lux cut him off, though the moment she did, she realized she hadn't a clue what to say next. Anything to get him to stop talking.

"Yes?"

"Would you rather walk around in your underpants on a really cold day, or all bundled up on a really hot day?"

He blinked, amusement flickering on his expression, before it shifted back to the serious one as prior. "I see what you're doing, Luxie. Don't think I'm not aware of your tricks. That'll be one lap around the lake for you, since you won't answer the question."

"Bloody hell, do I have to?"

"It's the rules," Remus said with the nudge of his elbow at her and a sort of appeased grin, unique to this very moment. If Lux had a way to capture the moment, the look on his face, the way his scar seemed to emphasize his shit-eating smile, she would've saved it forever. Instead, a memory would have to make do.

"Fine," she sighed, if only to make the two happy.

With the wave of Sirius's wand, Lux was nearly toppling over, realizing that her boots had indeed been transformed into skates as the Black boy had threatened earlier, a full punishment for refusing the answer. She supposed, as she began to skate away from the boys, she could've come up with a lie quickly and prevented the current situation, but they'd promised honesty, and something in her wanted to stick to it.

She nearly fell over a total of five times as she slid across the pond, swearing up a storm as she did, but on her way back, Lux found her scowl had morphed into a grin. Any thoughts of hesitancy, any ruminations she'd had swarming about in her mind were gone. Now, her attention was fixed solely on the present.

"I'm doing it!" She called over to Remus and Sirius as she was halfway returned to them, stumbling about the ice in a way she never had with Fulk. They'd never had ice skates — or nearly as much fun.

It went by in seconds. First, the odd sound that emitted from beneath her. Then, the shift in expressions on the boys, from fondness to panic. Remus calling out her name.

Then, the frigid cold that engulfed her as the ice shattered out from beneath her.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───

Everything hurt.

Something akin to the cruel bite of a flame was ensnared around Lux's body, marring her flesh, burning down to the bone.

She opened her mouth, preparing to scream, but all that came up with an array of fluids as a pressure on her chest seemed to force it out of her, a lever effect of sorts. With every push, more liquid came out in a similar fashion to vomit might, until she was coughing and choking on it, finally strong enough to open her watery eyes.

There were no flames. Just snow, and two boys looming over her.

"Stop, Sirius, stop! She's awake!" A familiar voice ripped the hands that had been pushing down on her chest away, leaving a burning ache behind, worse than the rest of her body.

"Fuck..." Lux murmured, voice raw and raspy. Leaning to the side, she was stopped from pushing herself upwards by two steady hands.

"Lux," Remus said, soft but firm and tone laced with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy. What happened?" Her vision had cleared up, the area around her otherwise vacant of people, just her and Remus and Sirius, piled in a clump of snow just next to a mostly iced over pond, the sun shining so bright on it that it hurt her eyes to look at.

"You fell through the ice," Sirius answered after a moment of hesitation.

She blinked, memories coming back in bits and pieces, much like when Snape would force himself into her mind. "I'm not dead, right?"

That would be a shitty way to go, she thought. After three hundred years, she didn't want to die from a failed ice skating attempt, at the whims of two boys she'd only known for months.

Remus let out a wet laugh, causing her head to pivot towards him. Had he been crying?

He had, she realized, his eyes rimmed red.

She kept her mouth shut.

"You're not dead," he assured her, making no attempts to hide the tremble in his voice, the fright her near death experience must have caused him. With a grimace, he added, "But Sirius broke your ribs, I reckon."

At this, Lux attempted to sit up, only to let out a groan at the movement. Glaring at Sirius, she asked with a whine, "What would you do that for?"

"Would you rather have drowned? I needed to do CPR. I also cast a drying spell on your clothes, so you're welcome for not freezing to death."

"It hurts," she groaned in protest, well aware how childish she sounded as she did.

"I've got to see the damages. It'll determine if I can fix it, or if we should bring her to Pomfrey," Remus said, a hand pausing at the hem of her jumper. "May I?"

"You can heal broken bones? Isn't that...hard?" Was all Lux could think to say in response, mouth dry at the idea of her chest being revealed to him once again. With the situation at hand and Sirius lurking in the background, observing the two like a dog, nothing would happen, making it all the more tense.

He nodded, pace rapid with the intended purpose of brushing over the subject. "Lux, seriously. Can I take a look, or would you rather we bring you to Pomfrey? I won't be offended, really."

"It's nothing he hasn't seen before," Sirius added with an almost chipper tone.

"What are you all happy about? I've nearly just drowned!" Lux shot at him, before wincing at the pain that shot through her chest.

"You're alive," he answered with a shrug. "Why wouldn't I be over the moon? Now up with your shirt. Come on, you've got great tits, nothing to be ashamed about."

"Sirius!" Remus jerked at him with his elbow, the former only just dodging being hit in the side. "Can you be serious for one fucking second?"

"I'm always Sirius."

Lux groaned, though this time, it had nothing to do with the pain. "If I say yes, will you two stop behaving like primary school children?"

Remus wasted no time, lifting her jumper and revealing her bare stomach. She leaned upwards, peering down the moment her bra came into sight, wincing at the sight — her upper chest was somehow already riddled with bruises, purple and blue hues that seemed to go straight through her flesh and directly to the bone.

"They're not awful," Remus said after a moment of observation. Sirius released a breath, and Lux wondered through waves of pain what could possibly be worse. "I can heal them, if that's fine with you?"

She nodded.

"Right, it's going to hurt for a second. Sirius, could you spare a hand?"

Sirius extended an arm, eager and ready as always. Remus grabbed onto it, forcing his grip down onto Lux's left hand. When both of them looked at Remus in confusion, he said, "Hold down on him, yeah?"

Lux gulped, but did as he said, holding down tight onto Sirius's hand, entwining her fingers with his and squeezing down. She quickly understood the point of such an action — Remus had pulled his wand out of his pocket, and with a spell muttered under his breath, a deep pain was shooting through her ribcage.

"Holy shit," she wheezed, the breath ripped out from within her as she held onto Sirius for dear life. The pain ebbed away within moments, dulling to a simple ache, one easy enough to ignore.

"You've got a mean grip," Sirius said as he tugged his hand away from her, flapping it about in the air to gain feeling back in his bones.

She winced as Remus moved her jumper back down to fully cover her again. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she observed Sirius's hand, which had gone white from the hard grip she'd enforced on him. "Sorry."

He flashed her a grin. "Nothing to be sorry about. Suppose we should go back to the castle, then?"

Remus nodded as he rose to his feet, before leaning down and helping Lux up as well, despite her protesting under her breath that she was perfectly capable of walking on her own. It was not enough of a fight to get him to let go of her, which part of her found relief in. Something about being cared for in such a way had warmth creeping into her, despite the chill in the air.

"We need to make sure she doesn't get hypothermia," Remus said, a hand still holding onto her, as if she might fall right over if he didn't. "Get her into a shower as quick as possible. Alone, of course."

Lux's cheeks went red.

Sirius didn't seem convinced, nose twitching as they begun to walk down the path the way they'd came, headed towards the school. "What if she falls again? Clearly she's got no survival instincts."

"I'm right here, you know," she snapped, though it lacked the desired affect, as a shiver ran through her halfway through her statement. Running a hand through her hair, brushing the snow out of her blonde curls, she continued, "And you two don't have to come with me. I don't want to ruin your time at Hogsmeade."

Sirius waved a dismissive hand. "Please, we can come here whenever we want."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean—" He began, but one look from Remus had his mouth closed like a toddler who knew he was in trouble. "Nothing. We just know how to sneak out, that's all. It's more fun to come here when we're not supposed to, anyways."

Lux didn't look convinced.

"It's not a big deal, really," Remus assured her with an uncharacteristically gentle sort of smile, one that had that warmth returning. "Besides, we'll have the castle almost entirely to ourselves. That'll be fun too. More fun than playing truth or truth in the freezing cold."

Sirius clasped a hand to his heart in a dramatic appearance of the upmost offense. "Arsehole! I was proud of that game!"

"A child could've come up with something better."

"You wound me, Moony."

Lux bit down on her lip to prevent a smile.

After a long silence accompanied only by the crunching of the snow beneath their feet, Sirius turned to Remus. "Say Moony, James gave you the code to the Prefect's bathroom, didn't he? For when you...get sick, right?"

"He did," Remus nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Why?"

"We could bring Lux there. Give her a nice bath, so she doesn't freeze to death or whatever you were going on about. Much better than a lame old shower, wouldn't you say?"

Her head snapped up. "I am not letting you two bathe me. I'm not a child, I can care for myself."

"The Prefect's bathroom is different than your typical tub, Luxie," Sirius said as he flung an arm over her shoulder. "Trust us."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───

As much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, Sirius was right.

The Prefect's bathroom was perhaps the most grand thing Lux had seen in her life, with a bath the size of a swimming pool, tiles in intricate shapes, and stained glass windows which reflected colors from the shining sun across the oval room. Bubbles floated up from an unknown source, an array of colors, and the scent of soap had Lux wanting to melt into the water the moment she shut the door behind her.

Remus and Sirius were with her. She couldn't shake them, no matter how many times she'd told them she was fine, she didn't need a babysitter, she wasn't even that cold, she knew how to bathe herself.

The three of them had come up with a compromise just as they reached the end of the hallway. They'd all keep on their underthings, and the bubbles that floated above the water would be enough to conceal anything that needed concealing, should something go awry.

"You've got to turn around," Lux told the men, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm not stripping down while you look."

"That's a shame," Sirius said with a sigh, earning a glare from both her and Remus, who seemed equally as uncertain about this whole thing as she was.

It had been Sirius insisting they all bathe together, lest she somehow drown herself, with Remus on the fence as his best mate rambled on about how they needed to, how Lux might die if they didn't, and did Remus want her to die, because that was certainly what was going to happen.

Somehow, his nonsense had worked. Remus seemed more shaken up about Lux's venture to the bottom of the pond than she had been, checking in on her every five minutes, asking how she was, making sure she felt alright, if she needed anything.

When the two had their backs to her and began tugging off their own shirts, she did the same, looking away from them and pulling off her jumper. They wouldn't be able to see her scars through the bubbles, she reminded herself firmly when her fingers grazed the imprints in her skin, those disgusting marks marring her. Branding her.

Part of her wondered if that had been Philip's intention, rather than to just hurt her. To prove that no matter where she went, how far away she got from him, she could never escape him. Not truly.

"Are you ready?" Sirius called out.

"No," Lux responded, shifting her jeans out from around her waist. Her bra and underwear didn't match, the latter being a frumpy, ugly looking thing that were meant for days where she was certain no one would be peaking beneath her clothes, something she now bitterly regretted.

"Hurry up then, I'm cold!"

She rolled her eyes, moving towards the bath, before lowering herself into it and hissing at the sensation. The heat was just right, not too hot that it burned her skin, not enough to remind her of the time she'd been tied to that pyre, but not too cold either. Enough that she could feel the remaining ice that clung to her melt away.

"You can come now," she said after a long pause, having momentarily forgotten she wasn't alone.

A shift in the water signalled someone else had entered — Remus, she realized, because the following cannonball done into the middle of the bath couldn't have been anyone but Sirius. Water shot out from beneath him as he dove in, splashing against her and drenching her hair. A scream ripped out from her lips before she could stop it, followed by a booming laugh as Remus turned towards her.

Their eyes met, and for a brief second, there had never been anything to ever happen before that moment. There was no Philip, no Coven, no Fulk or scars on her back. They'd never fought before — in fact, she didn't even know him, she'd never encountered Remus Lupin before. All she knew about him was how he had those light brown eyes of his, and gently parted lips and how badly she wanted them on her.

"You're staring at Moony," Sirius said as he burst out from beneath the water, hair drenched and grinning ear to ear.

Lux looked away, a blush rushing across her face, all thoughts of his lips and eyes and a universe in which nothing ever happened vanishing. "Sorry. I didn't...sorry."

Sirius released a soft laugh. "I don't think he minds."

Glancing upwards, her gaze settled on the two boys just in time to see Remus roll his eyes. "Always speaking for others, Pads." He turned his attention back to Lux. "How are you feeling? Is the water helping?"

She nodded, sending ripples through the water, bubbles flying up towards the ceiling at even the gentlest of movements.

"It's nice. Thanks."

It was up to the base of her neck — and thus a little lower for Remus and Sirius, who were both several inches taller than her. Even so, it felt all consuming in a way she found she didn't mind. Typically, anything of the sorts would've overwhelmed her — the heat of the water, being practically naked with two men, the uncertainty of what was happening between them and why her own heart beat so fast — but instead, all she felt was a relaxation she'd yet to experience in her life. Maybe it had something to do with once again being in the ever looming grasp of death, only to escape with her life still firmly intact.

Sirius approached her first, slowly making his way through the water. Remus was behind him, appearing hesitant, biting down on his lip and those eyes of his darting around, though they finally settled on Lux, and didn't leave.

Then without warning, Remus burst into tears.

"Remus?" Lux paused, not quite sure she knew what she was seeing, not quite believing it even when she fully processed it. "Remus...are you okay?"

He shook his head, bringing a hand to his face. "I thought you were dead! How could that be okay?"

"She's alive, though," Sirius pointed out, entirely unhelpful, as Remus's shoulders began to shake.

An odd sort of smirk slid onto Lux's lips, both amused and reassuring, despite the ache in her heart that the boy's distress caused her. She doubted Remus Lupin was the type to cry even on the most sorrowful of occasions. He seemed the kind of man who let it build and build until there was nothing but pressure in a can.

She extended a hand, placing it on his shoulder. Moving her thumb about on his skin, she told him, "Trust me, it'll take a lot more than some ice to get rid of me."

A weak smile broke out across his face.

"Who knew Moony had a heart?" Sirius exclaimed, pretending to wipe fake tears away from the corners of his eyes. "This is a monumental day, Luxie. Truly. You got his heart of stone to crack ever so slightly."

She had a feeling he wasn't entirely joking.

"I've been a right arsehole," Remus sniffed. "I'm sorry. Both of you, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made things so hard."

Lux shook her head. "I've been an arse too. It's not just on you."

"I've been quite kind, I'd like to think," Sirius added, earning a swat at his shoulder from Lux.

"You both..." Remus sucked in a breath, words momentarily trailing off. When he spoke again, it was just above a whisper, eyes fixed on the water below and voice shaking. "You both make me feel ways I don't think I should."

Lux's hand, which rested on his shoulder still, moved downwards in the water before she quite knew what she was doing. She stopped when her hand met his own, pulling it out of the water and searching for the tattoo on his wrist that matched her own.

Silently, she rubbed her thumb atop the mark, taking it in. A little moon, to match her sun and Sirius's stars. They'd have never been complete, she began to understand. She and Sirius, they wouldn't work on their own. There was too much passion between both of them, not enough reason, no voice to tell them when to calm down and how to do as much. No one to slow them down.

She and Remus wouldn't work on their own either, that was more than obvious. Neither of them knew how to do anything but draw blood in an argument, which there were bound to be plenty of. Sirius was the only person who knew how to settle them down, send them to their corners, communicate when neither of them truly knew how.

But the three of them together...was that even possible? How would such a relationship work?

Her mouth went dry. There was only one way to find out, she supposed.

"I wrote you two letters," Lux began, deciding to take the plunge. She had once already that day, down to the bottom of a pond, and it had turned out well for her in the end. Who was to say this time would be any different?

"What?" Sirius frowned.

"I...I was going to leave. I told you that already. Both of you, I know you know that. My father and I were going to leave, and I wanted to say goodbye without having to say it to your faces. I left them under your door, but when I found out we couldn't leave after all, I went back to get them. But Potter got to them first."

She watched as both Remus and Sirius lifted their eyebrows.

"What did he say about them?" Sirius eventually asked.

Lux continued rubbing on Remus's tattoo with her thumb, the only thing grounding her in the moment. "He was upset. He said I shouldn't have even thought about leaving. That it was cruel of me."

"Why did you want to leave?" Remus asked.

She shook her head. "It's a lot. I just...I couldn't handle it anymore. All of the drama. Not understanding how people work. It's difficult, having not been to a school before, suddenly being forced into an environment like this. It's hard to know who to trust."

"You can trust us," Sirius said, reaching out a hand to place over the one she held onto Remus with. "Both of you can trust me. I know it's hard, and I haven't always been worthy of it, but you can. I promise you."

The last bit, she noticed, was spoken with a glance towards Remus.

"I know," Lux said, finding that she meant it. Maybe not with everything, not with what she was and what she'd been through, but the fact of the matter was they could've let her drown. It would've been more than easy, claim it was an accident.

But they'd saved her, and that was proof enough to her.

"I'm glad you're alive," Remus announced as though he could read her thoughts, gently pulling himself out of her grip and moving his hand not to his side, but up towards her hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "And I'm glad you didn't leave."

"So am I," she admitted. Despite it all, despite Fulk and the Coven and Dumbledore and all she knew was coming to a head, it was the truth, bare and plain and simple.

"Truth or truth?" Sirius interjected, a curious sort of look on his face.

Lux rolled her eyes, holding back a laugh. "We're back on this again? Right, okay. Truth."

He didn't waste a moment, the question sliding from his lips with ease. "Do you still fancy Evans?"

She didn't bother denying that those feelings once lingered within her, not this time. Instead, she simply shook her head. "That was just a fantasy. I thought she was pretty, and I liked the attention she gave me. But...she's happy with James, and I'm happy for her."

Sirius smiled.

She turned to Remus. "Remus, truth or truth?"

He too rolled his eyes. "You pick for me."

"Right. What's something you haven't told me?"

He frowned, glancing between her and Sirius. "In regards to what?"

She shrugged against the bubbles that rode on her shoulder. "Anything. Just...I want to know you better."

"Right," he exhaled a breath, then grinned in a way reminiscent to Sirius before he said something flirty towards her. "Well, something I've never told you before is that I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

Lux bit down on her lip.

Remus didn't give her more than a few seconds to react, before he was turning towards the other boy. "Sirius, truth or truth?"

"Truth, obviously."

"Yes, obviously," Remus rolled his eyes. "If you could shag one person in the school, who would it be?"

"Present company excluded?"

Remus thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Good, because I'm not picking between you two," he proclaimed, then added before either of them could speak, "I've got to go with Benjy Fenwick. He's got nice abs, from what I've seen."

"I don't think Dorcas will be happy with that," Lux pointed out, hoping she didn't come off as flustered as she felt.

"Dorcas is hot too," Sirius thought. "Can I pick both of them?"

"It's your game, mate," Remus nudged him with his shoulder, the hint of a scar peaking out from beneath the bubbles. Lux had never seen Remus without a shirt before, and suddenly she found herself aching for the knowledge of what resided beneath his clothes, what sort of scars he had and how similar they were to her own.

"It is, isn't it?" He seemed pleased by this, as he turned to Lux. "Truth or truth?"

"Too difficult of a choice. You pick for me."

At her sarcasm, the size of his grin expanded. "Who's the best snogger you've ever been with?"

"Elias," Lux said without hesitation, unsure if it was a lie or not. It was, she determined as she thought on it for a moment, but one she didn't feel guilt in telling, finding amusement in their reactions.

Elias would be happy for her, she thought. He'd enjoy her using his memory to mess about with boys feelings, probably make a pun about it, how she could knock anyone off their feet, drive men mad. Something far too sweet for her to deserve, but something he'd mean with his whole heart.

"Who's Elias?" Remus asked with a frown.

"The boy she's shagged," Sirius answered for her, recalling the night in which she'd shared this information with him. They'd been in that cupboard together, his hand in between her thighs—

She shifted, pushing her legs together.

Remus's nose twitched. "I figured you—"

Whatever it was Remus figured, Lux would never find out, as the door to the bathroom suddenly swung open, revealing two people, both wearing Gryffindor robes and one nearly falling over with every step they took.

"I know I left them in here!" The boy was saying, gesturing wildly to the girl. Lux squinted, vision not able to fully take the pair in from the distance, but she was certain she knew that voice...

"Prongs?" Sirius frowned. "What are you doing in here?"

"Shit, sorry!" The girl — Lily, Lux realized, swore loudly as she turned towards them out of instinct, then away again, concealing her eyes with her hands. Keeping herself faced opposite of them, she spouted frequent, frantic apologies, the panic in her voice evident. "Sorry, sorry! Holy shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't see anything, I swear it. We're just looking for James's glasses. Have you seen them?"

"No," Remus answered, this time causing James's head to snap up.

"Wait, who's all in here?" He asked, squinting as he searched the room. "Padfoot and Moony and who else?"

Lux held her breath, certain if she kept very, very quiet, perhaps he wouldn't notice her.

Remus and Sirius exchanged a glance.

"Just Luxie," Sirius answered after a silence, flashing her a cheeky grin. Moving her hand out of the water, she responded by flipping him off.

"Oh, brilliant!" James exclaimed. "Well, if any of you come across my glasses, do let me know, yeah? I kind of need them."

"Course we will, mate," Remus assured him, his face having gone red.

"You three have fun!" James said, reaching over and grabbing onto Lily's hand, before practically dragging her out of the bathroom.

Lux was the first to start laughing, just as the door closed. Sirius followed in suit, a roar ripping from his lips and bouncing off of the echoing tile walls.

"Suppose that's our sign to get going?" Remus exhaled a breath, running a hand through his hair.

Lux hated to admit it, but he was right. It was best not to get too carried away. They'd likely overstayed their welcome as it was. Even so, her mind seemed to drift off into uncharted territories as she stepped out of the water and pulled her clothes back over her body, as did her heart.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───

a bit of a filler chapter tbh but some really nice development for the three imo :)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───