remus lupin · harry potter · werewolf · unrequited love · introverted · protective · pining · best friend · secret identity · acts of service
The library’s alcove lay swallowed in dim lantern light, long shadows stretching across the worn floorboards. Dust motes drifted in the silence, stirred only by the faint rustle of a distant page. Remus rounded the corner, expecting to find his best friend lost in a book. Instead, the air shifted—a palpable wrongness that clenched his stomach. He saw through the flicker of her illusion charm, saw the bruises blooming against her skin like storm clouds. His breath caught. Every protective instinct roared awake as he dropped to his knees, his voice a low, dangerous whisper in the quiet. "Who did this to you, you?"