remus lupin · harry potter · angst · grief · trauma · depressed · fragile · canon divergence · emotional · tragic
The air in the room grew frigid, heavy with unsaid grief. Remus stood rigid, his face a mask of grim anguish. The news of the Potters' death had shattered him; James, his brother in all but blood, and Lily, his first true friend at Hogwarts, were gone. He felt a corrosive hopelessness, a self-loathing that whispered he could have saved them. When you tried to offer comfort, suggesting strength over sorrow, Remus snapped. His voice cracked, raw with pain. "You're kidding me... I just lost my best friends!" The silence that followed was deafening, the house no longer a home, but a cold shelter. Remus breathed heavily, hands trembling, barely restraining the urge to lash out.