23. IT JUST ISN'T LIKE ROMY

                                    

                                          
𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖙 𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕲𝡣𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖓
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March 1995
Andromeda Lupin wasn't able to sleep at all the night of their detention. Her head was flooded with thoughts all more negative than the other.
There was fear. Because she never could stand the dark, and she had a scary encounter in a forest no student in their right mind wanted to wander in. Without the lantern in her hand, it felt like she would just need to close her eyes to see Bellatrix Lestrange reaching to grab her.
There was guilt, because seven other people found themselves in detention all because of her. Because she had randomly gotten violent, and they were all willing to take the fall for her.
And there was anger. So much anger. Because they were all punished for the wrongdoing of another. He didn't even get in trouble. But it's not like she could blame Juliet either, because her mother didn't know what happened.
So the next morning, when they were all making their way to their classes after breakfast, Romy had caught up to the group of Slytherins, and tapped on Cassius Warrington's shoulder who was snickering with his friends.
His nose seemed healed, probably thanks to the matron that had repaired the broken bone.
"Ah, Lupin. Come to apologize, are we?" He mocked, turning to face her.
Andromeda was already unhappy when she made her way there, now she was just purely annoyed, but she showed nothing.
"No, I think you're the one who should apologize."
"Me? You hit me!" He pointed at her, getting defensive.
"She did? Mate, you said Diggory hit you." Adrian Pucey smirked. He was very amused by how the boy seemed embarrassed for being hit by a girl.
"Not to me. To her." Romy nodded towards Lola who was watching them from across the hallway. "You touched her without her consent, it's not right."
This had Cassius' flustered expression turn back into a malevolent one. "Why? It's not like she didn't like it. Girls like her are begging for attention anyway. Girls like... you."
It was like Romy's whole world crumbled. She had noticed it once, when Cedric made a mockery out of her in first year, how it was almost primordial instinct for boys to put girls down. To see them as prey. To make them feel inferior, like an object.
"Begging for attention?" She asked, her voice trembling.
Cassius who thought that he had led her to tears, was smiling triumphantly, nodding his head. "Yeah. A slag is what we call it."
But Romy was not crying, she wasn't trembling of embarrassment. It was pure rage.
Her hand acted before her mind could, she threw her own bag at his face, the force of it knocking him back and causing her books to fall out. Yet she didn't stop there, she had gotten her hands on her book and she started to use it as a weapon.
"SAY THAT AGAIN!?" She screamed, continuing to hit him, despite his friends getting up to try and stop her. She would just hit them too, so they would back off before hitting Cassius again, furiously screaming bloody murder all the while.
Then Graham Montague got a hold of her, he had grabbed her by the waist, and carried her a few steps back, with her struggling against him. She was enraged and being held like that had just made it worse.
Three Professors, McGonagall, Lupin and Potter, happened to witness it all as they were making their way to their classes behind the students and had heard the commotion. They were of course attempting to make their way through, especially the parents, except the commotion around the few students that were surrounding the fighters were making it impossible.
The first person that was able to reach Andromeda was her brother, Teddy, who had pushed everyone out of his way the second he heard that his sister was fighting someone, before jumping on Graham's back and hitting him on the head.
"Don't touch my sister!" The Gryffindor boy yelled, as Graham let go of the blonde girl, now trying to pry off the kid hanging onto him like a koala.
Romy was disoriented. As she stood in the middle of the chaos she had caused, trembling with all the pent up anger she felt over the years, until she suddenly felt a void. A complete switch from the hystric trance she was in but a moment before. The sounds all around her seemed to fade as she looked around, watching the students that had been around cheer on the fight and gasp at every punch. It was entertainment to them.
Her eyes eventually met with Lola's, who just looked like she carried all the burden in the world. Who looked like she felt as though this was all her fault. And it made her more angry.
For a second there, Andromeda was scared, because she felt as though she was losing her mind.
Juliet Potter, who had seen it all go down, got inspired by her own son and pushed the kids out of her way before prying her son off Montague. Her presence had quieted down the majority of students, yet the moment she was about to open her mouth to yell at the children, her daughter had thrown the book to the ground, allowing the sound to echo.
"You don't get to kill her spirit and walk away proud of what you've done." Romy told Cassius, who laid on the floor, his nose broken once more, face bloody, watching her fearfully.
"Andromeda Hope Lupin, you better have a good explanation for this." Juliet's voice was low and threatening as she glared at her daughter, grabbing her arm and trying to drag her out of there.
However, Andromeda was angry enough with the whole world to forcefully pull out of her mother's grip after she had only managed to take a few steps away from the crowd.
As she looked in her mother's eyes, she saw the way she always feared she was seen. Her mother seemed both angry and disappointed with her.
Neither of them said anything. Not even when Remus came over to them after having told Adrian Pucey to get his friend to the Hospital Wing and telling his own son he would get an earful later. He stood between them, staring at his wife with a look that pleaded with her to calm down.
"We will talk about this later, young lady." He turned to his daughter.
"Allow me." Professor McGonagall stepped in their little family moment and with a nod to the parents, she led the blonde girl away, in the direction of her own office, under everyone's watchful eyes.
Remus, Juliet and Teddy watched her go, all three of them being more confused than anything else. It just wasn't like Romy to act this way.
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I wrote such a cringe monologue initially, and that's why it took me so long to update, I thought it over for days, and finally I thought, the lesser words, the better feels.