TW AND CW: light to heavy cursing, light mentions of violence

Remus knocked on the door of Ana's dorm.

"Password," she yelled out. 

"What password?" asked Remus through the door. 

"Oh, it's you, come on in," said Ana in a muffled voice.

Remus swung open the door. "What was that about?"

"Safety measures," Ana said simply, laying on the fuzzy carpet, book in hand. "With all this going on, Ivy, Sage, and I agreed to do something about our safety. The password is Water Tastes Fuckin' Exquisite, by the way.

Remus nodded in appreciation. "I can confirm. Sirius and James and Peter always tell me water has no taste, but I always tell them that they have no taste."

"They're so bland, even Helga Hufflepuff would throw up," said Ana, putting down her book. "And Helga is pretty bland. We have a portrait of her downstairs in the common room. Her roasts mainly involve being beheaded by a guillotine and wearing the wrong color Victorian dress to a wedding."

Remus blinked. "I need to meet this woman."

"You don't want to," said Ana darkly. "Anyways, I got your gift." She pulled out a dusty yellow ochre box from underneath her bed. "I was going to get it for you on your last birthday, but me and my mom were kinda in a tight financial situation, so..."

She didn't continue.

Remus knew the story.

He was the only one, actually.

Ana's father had left when her mother was pregnant because he didn't like the idea of helping take care of a child.

And he also owned the key to their bank account.

So their money left with him.

It explained Ana's very broken-down home and lack of financial support.

Remus had tried his best to convince Ana to let him chip in a little, but she and her mother had always refused.

"Go on, open it," said Ana eagerly.

Remus dusted it off. It was a shoebox which Ana had tried her best to decorate, with paintings of vibrant flowers and animals.

"It looks beautiful," said Remus in awe at it's beauty.

"That's not the present, you idiot," sighed Ana. "Look inside it."

Remus pulled open the lid and saw a polaroid camera laying in there on top of a small, leather-covered book.

"It's for photos," Ana clarified. "I had to go to the Muggle Studies classroom to find out how Muggle money works, but I finally got it figured out and went and got this. You can put all the photos you like in it."

A/n: is the photo album scene overused? Yes. Am i gonna use it? Yes.

Remus simply stared at it.

"I know it's a bit cheap," Ana said quickly, now scratching her neck in nervousness. "But-"

"I love it," said Remus in a breathless tone. "It's so thoughtful."

He pulled Ana into a tight hug and Ana hugged back, until the two of them broke apart, red and flustered.

"Thanks," said Remus. "So much."

"Happy 15th, Rem," said Ana, still a little red, but grinning widely, nonetheless. 

Remus picked up the camera and turned it around so the lens was facing him.

He then squeezed next to Ana and clicked the button on the top.

A polaroid emerged from the bottom of the camera. Remus pulled out a pen from his bag and scribbled on the bottom, 'First picture with my first friend - Remus, 1985.'

Sorry for the short chapter :(

But thanks for all the reads! Here's a little polaroid I made myself:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFa_6kjuGs/BaZBDsbteEtE_aHVX32NmA/view?utm_content=DAFa_6kjuGs&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :)

Love, Jui W.