Disorder
When the food appeared magically on the table, Remus stared at it in awe, his wide eyes following the dishes that had arrived. But despite whining about being hungry for the past three hours, he only grabbed a piece of toast, nibbling at the corner.
“Remus, mate, why don’t you eat more?” James asked, his voice soft but laced with concern as he rested a hand on his back.
“I don’t… I don’t want it to go away,” Remus whispered, his gaze fixed on the toast as if it might vanish any second.
“Go away?” Lily questioned gently, her brow furrowed. “Remus, darling, what do you mean by ‘go away’?”
“Sorry, Mum,” Remus mumbled, his voice quiet, “I just mean… well, the food at St. Eddy’s... It was usually just beans on toast for the whole day.”
The group froze, gasps echoing around the table, while James muttered something under his breath that was far too dark to repeat.
“Remus, mate, you should still eat. Not just nibbles,” Sirius added, his voice tight with concern as he recovered from the shock.
But Remus didn’t respond—either he didn’t hear him or simply didn’t care. He just sat there, staring down at the toast, his fingers lingering over the crust.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” he said, his voice small and distant, the toast half untouched on his plate.
“Mate, you really should eat more,” James suggested, his voice gentle but insistent.
Remus didn’t even look up at him. Instead, he stared at the food as though it was a puzzle he didn’t want to solve. His tone shifted, dark and almost defensive. “Grant,” he muttered, a frown pulling at his brow. “You know I can’t eat much… with the disorder.”
James blinked, his confusion clear. “What disorder?”
Remus blinked at him, then shrugged, as if the question wasn’t worth the energy. “Healer Ellie said it was something like... Ani... Ano... Anorex...” He paused, brow furrowed, trying to recall the word. “Anorexia... Anorexia…”
Lily, brow furrowed, quietly suggested, “Anorexia Nervosa?”
Remus’s face lit up with a small, hesitant smile, as if he’d solved the puzzle in his head. “That’s it.”
The room fell silent. Even though the word hung heavy in the air, the weight of it barely seemed to register with Remus. But for the others, the revelation sent a ripple of shock through them all—silent but deep.
James couldn’t quite mask his shock, his gaze flickering between Remus and the untouched toast. “Remus, why… why didn’t you tell us?” he whispered, his voice thick with hurt.
But Remus didn’t respond, his attention already elsewhere. “Grant, you promised we could play after breakfast. Jamie? Da’? Mum? Do you wanna play too?” He grinned toothily
And just like that, the conversation shifted—like the pieces of a puzzle slipping away from his grasp. The rest of the group exchanged uncertain glances, all of them painfully aware that the boy they knew was slipping further away.