A Similar Kind of Loneliness

"I..."

Lupin's voice trembled slightly.

"I really don't know how to thank you. Even when we were training in Godric's Hollow... such effort, for someone like me..."

Lucretia looked at him. "I believe you wouldn't hurt anyone. That day in the corridor, even though the circumstances were... unusual, you still did everything you could to control yourself."

Lupin took a deep breath, his fingers tapping lightly against his knee.

After a long pause, he said, "You guessed right. I am... My condition... it has been this way ever since I was bitten as a child."

After saying that, he turned his head to look at Lucretia.

His expression was complicated, as though he wanted to see understanding but was afraid of seeing fear.

"Dumbledore arranged safety measures for me. The Shrieking Shack... was prepared for me. Every Full Moon, I would be taken there to transform. That day was just... I was too embarrassed to refuse Professor Sinistra's request, especially when Gryffindor's first-years also had Astronomy class."

He cleared his throat and continued.

"I promise you, I have never hurt anyone. That night, I was careless. I thought no one would be passing through that path..."

Lucretia nodded and met his eyes. Her answer came without the slightest hesitation. "I believe you. If you were the kind of person who would hurt others, Headmaster Dumbledore wouldn't have allowed you to enroll."

Lupin's shoulders relaxed at once, as though a heavy burden had suddenly vanished.

Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, James turned to Sirius and silently mouthed, See? His expression was proud.

As if he were saying, I knew our good student would say that.

Sirius nodded lightly, the corners of his lips curling upward.

Lupin's eyes grew slightly damp. "Other than the Headmaster, only a few true friends know about my condition, yet they still stand by my side."

Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, James and Sirius both straightened.

The two exchanged a glance, their playful expressions fading.

They understood that warmth too—the warmth of being completely accepted by friends.

Lupin's voice was low. "They accepted the real me. Without them, I'm not sure I could have held on."

Lucretia looked toward the lake, her gaze turning distant.

The lake water swayed gently in the breeze, while her fingers unconsciously brushed the Crouch family crest pinned to her chest.

A faint warmth came from it, as though reminding her of something.

She knew that kind of loneliness.

The pain of wanting to help others, only to be treated as a threat.

Her voice was soft. "People are always afraid of things that are unusual. Sometimes, that fear turns into hatred."

Ripples spread across the lake, and several ducks glided over the water in the distance.

She avoided Lupin's gaze and looked toward Emma and Luna in the distance.

"I once read in history books that, during the Middle Ages... many people who merely understood how to treat others with herbs were seen as outsiders, even as dangerous..."

She did not say the word, but the meaning was clear enough.

Lupin nodded in agreement. "Yes. Sometimes, even the desire to help others can be misunderstood."

Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Sirius listened to every word she said with near-total focus, even unconsciously quieting his breathing.

Lupin remained silent for a long time before speaking. "Your understanding of these things... is profound. Can you tell me what spell you used that day? I've never heard a spell like that before."

Lucretia sat up a little straighter, weighing how much she should say.

In the end, she said, "It was an ancient Wolf Repelling Charm, not the sort of standard spell you learn from books."

Lupin nodded, waiting for her to continue.

Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Sirius and James both leaned closer without meaning to.

Lucretia took a deep breath and softly repeated, "By the power of nature, in the name of life. I stand guard here and drive away the wolves."

The moment she spoke those words, Lupin's entire body stiffened, as though something had struck him.

That feeling returned.

A burning pain, yet at the same time, an odd sense of calm.

Even though it was not a Full Moon, those words still awakened some memory within him.

He unconsciously touched his arm. "It's astonishing. Even now, I can feel its power. That night... it was like an invisible wall, forcing even the Werewolf's instincts back."

His sincerity allowed Lucretia to relax slightly.

Lupin looked at her and asked gently, "A spell like that... where did you learn it?"

A quiet atmosphere of trust formed between them.

He did not press her, merely waited with sincere curiosity.

Lucretia looked into his eyes. There was no fear or any other unpleasant emotion there, only understanding and a similar kind of loneliness.

The words slipped out before she abruptly stopped. "It was my mo..."

Her voice broke off in the air, as though something had forcibly cut it short.

Lucretia bit her lower lip and lowered her head, her fingers brushing over the grass by the lakeshore. The tender green blades trembled beneath her fingertips.

Blood rushed to her cheeks, dyeing them with a faint blush.

Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Sirius watched her profile.

Memories of the cinema flooded back.

She had shared popcorn with a strange large Black Dog, seriously discussing Michael and Fredo's story, wearing an expression that was both mature and innocent.

Now, she was doing the same thing again.

Taking the initiative to reach out and offer understanding.

Lucretia forcibly suppressed the emotions surging within her, raised her head, and faced Lupin again.

"It was someone very important to me. She taught me many things."

Sirius moved one foot forward.

He wanted to tell her that she did not need to be afraid of speaking her secrets, wanted to...

James swiftly grabbed his sleeve and gave it a hard tug.

His eyes widened as he silently shook his head and pointed at the Invisibility Cloak covering them.

Sirius froze for a moment, realizing he had nearly exposed them.

He forced himself to take half a step back, but his gaze still could not leave her.

Lupin noticed the change in her mood and nodded. "I think she must have been a very wise person."

He did not ask for details, instead guiding the conversation back to the spell itself.

"This spell isn't simply for driving something away or causing harm, is it? It's more like a... balance. It soothes at the same time."

Gratefully picking up Lupin's thread, Lucretia's voice gradually steadied. "Yes. It isn't meant to harm, but to protect both sides. It's like setting a boundary and telling the other side that this is as far as they can go."

She raised her head toward the lake, shimmering reflections dancing across her face.

"I think that calming potion follows a similar principle. It doesn't forcibly suppress the transformation, but instead chooses to ease the pain and confusion within it."

"Like a bridge, between man and wolf. Not opposition, but..."

Lupin paused for a long time, his voice becoming even softer.

"Reconciliation."

Lucretia looked at him in surprise. "That's exactly what I meant."

Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, James's eyes widened as he silently mouthed at Sirius.

"Lucretia is incredible! She completely understands how Moony feels!"

Sirius nodded along, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

Seeing his friend like that, James almost burst out laughing.

He made an exaggerated lovestruck expression, covered his chest with both hands, and silently mimed blushing and a racing heartbeat.

Then he used his finger to draw a beating heart over his chest.

Sirius's face immediately turned red. Embarrassed and annoyed, he jabbed James with his elbow.

James had not expected the sudden blow. He staggered and took half a step backward.

A crisp crack sounded beneath his foot.

The sound was especially clear by the quiet lakeshore, like someone coughing loudly in a silent library.

The two people talking both turned alertly toward the source of the sound.

Lucretia stood up and frowned at the empty grass. "What was that sound?"

Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Sirius swiftly covered James's mouth while viciously stomping on his foot with his heel.

James's face twisted from both suppressed laughter and pain. He rolled his eyes and pretended he was about to faint against Sirius.

Lupin hurriedly explained, his pitch much higher than usual. "Maybe it was a squirrel, or... there are always lots of small animals around the lake. Some of them are hard for us to notice with the naked eye. Like... like Invisibility Rabbits? And... um..."

But as he went on, his voice grew quieter and quieter.

Even he realized how absurd that explanation was.

Invisibility Rabbits?

Really?

His cheeks began to burn, reddening from his ears all the way down to his neck.