Remus had wanted to stay angry. He really did. He knew he was justified in his anger, if only because Rita meant so much to him. But that was also his problem - the people that he wanted to stay angry at the most were the ones he cared about. Rita was just another person in a long list and just hearing her talk and he could feel the anger ebb away, being slowly replaced by old heartache.
Afterall, maybe it would be someone that was other that understood him best. His father wasn’t a screamer; he never raised his voice at Remus but he honestly didn’t have to. He had other methods to ensure that Remus quietly retreated to his room, curling up and away from sight.
But before he could even think to lean in to cover her hand with his, Rita was startling a surprised laugh out of him - her blithe comment snapping him out of the ache he was feeling. “I wish I had the control you think I have, mon chou, but trust me, the fear is justified. There’s a reason my kind are hunted and killed so please don’t argue with me over this,” he said, his smile soft despite the resignation in his voice.
Yet that same resignation didn’t stop his gaze from snapping back up to hers, eyes searching hers as he tried to not hope too deeply.
“Veela charm or not, you always knew I thought you were the most captivating girl I'd ever met,” he said, throwing his own reservations away as he met her gaze headlong. “You didn’t have to resort to manipulation, Rita, not with me,” and he couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped him as he pulled away, “but you can’t expect me not to second guess everything we had.”
“If you think I won’t argue with you, Remus, then you clearly don’t know me as well as you think.” She lived to argue, mostly for her own fun, though occasionally she actually found herself angry and putting more effort into what she was saying. “Your kind —” she made sure to convey exactly how she felt about his phrasing there
“ — are hunted and killed not because control is what’s lacking on their end but because understanding and acceptance is lacking on the hunters’ end. Because prejudice is driven by fear of what they don’t know and can’t control.” In the end, she shrugged, as if to say you won’t convince me otherwise.
If her own species wasn’t so widely regarded as beautiful and captivating, if their charm wasn’t so influential on people, instead of being captivating, they’d be captive. But no one ever thought twice about veelas, because they weren’t a dangerous kind of species in a sense. People found them beautiful and nonthreatening. And if they weren’t charming, their beauty would be seen as something to be won, a trophy. Because it all came back around to humans as the pinnacle. If you weren’t like them, you would be forced to hide it in fear or to become a trophy for them.
Slowly, she nodded. “I get that. I don’t blame you for second guessing it. To not know what was real and what wasn’t? That would kill me.” As she thought on her words, she chewed her lip, eventually letting out a sigh. “I ... was lonely. And I wanted a sure thing. And it was you. I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to apologize enough.”