#ayt

What girl from school was coming to see him? He didn’t really know any girls, let alone any that wanted to come out on a hot August day to see him. Unless… unless it was a cruel joke to get a picture of him, the freak, the broken, scarred mons-

“Hello, Remus.”

She was a girl, small and redheaded with a face full of dense freckles, like a fawn, or a lion cub… He recognised her somewhat—was pretty sure he knew her from school, a little, but not in his class. A memory tugged at him, but the painkillers made it slip away like silk. Oh well.

“I’m Lily Evans,” she continued, her voice gentle and sweet. Kind, not pitying. She glanced at his parents before stepping into the living room fully. With the light on her proper, Remus couldn’t help but notice how vividly green her eyes were. Like summer grass, the kind that’s pillowy, puppy-ear soft and somehow cool underfoot. She held a small wrapped box in her hands. “I’ve brought you this. It’s not… anything special, but they always make me feel better when I’m poorly.”

She handed him the box, but Remus struggled with the ribbon and wrapping, his wrists and hands still quite clumsy after—after. From the corner of his eye, Remus caught the shadow of his dad starting to move forward to help, but Lily quickly took action and helped Remus peel away the tape and paper with a kind smile. Underneath was a new box of Jaffa cakes (and not the store brand!)—his absolute favourite.

“I love these,” he whispered, barely above an exhale, and couldn’t stop a smile from growing, though it hurt and tugged at his tender skin. “They’re my favourite.”