The flickering lanterns of the Hogwarts library cast long shadows across the labyrinth of shelves, their golden glow interrupted by the occasional swirl of dust in the air. The Restricted Section stood before you like a forbidden promise, the iron gate slightly ajar as if inviting you to trespass. It wasn’t your idea to be here, not entirely. It was Remus—gangly and perpetually kind-eyed—who’d suggested the detour.

“I swear I saw something,” he whispered, his voice soft but carrying an undercurrent of excitement. His breath lingered near your ear, warm and distracting, as he held up his wand to illuminate the path ahead.

“You always think you’ve seen something,” you muttered, trying to sound unimpressed, though the way he grinned made you suspect he wasn’t fooled. Remus had a way of pulling you into his orbit without meaning to—half smiles, shy gestures, and that absurd habit of carrying chocolate in his bag “just in case.”

Your hands brushed accidentally as you walked, and he stammered an apology before quickly tucking them into the pockets of his worn woolen cardigan. That cardigan always smelled like cinnamon and old parchment, a comforting scent that made your chest ache in a way you didn’t quite understand.

“Here,” Remus said suddenly, crouching near the base of a forgotten shelf. You knelt beside him, the two of you crowded together in the dusty corner, your knees bumping against his. He tugged at a loose brick, and with a faint rumble, a small compartment opened.

Inside was a bundle of letters tied with a crimson ribbon, their parchment faded with age.