The sky was darkening after the first Gryffindor Quidditch match of the season, and all who wore scarves of red and gold were in high spirits. Gryffindor had one the match against Ravenclaw and, seeing as Slytherin had beaten Hufflepuff not two weeks earlier, they only had to worry about Slytherin standing in the way of Gryffindor winning the Quidditch cup.
The Gryffindor team's glorious stars, James Potter and Sirius Black, were swaggering up to the common room with their brooms slung over their shoulders and their eyes roaming over the present and willing females. Needless to say, there was going to be one hell of a party in the common room tonight.
Walking along behind the Gryffindor team and its procession of fans was one Remus Lupin, as shy and quite as ever, with just a touch of jealousy for all of the pretty girls swarming around his best of friends. Remus was even farther behind in the convoy than Peter, but he simply couldn't help it. The closer he was to his friends and their prostrating fans, the more hurt and anguish he felt.
It was a hapless cycle that Remus half-heartedly blamed on the nearness of the full moon.
"Fool moon, more likely," Remus thought to himself as the staircase shifted and he trailed even farther behind his friends and housemates.
With a long, withering sigh Remus decided that he would turn in early, if he ever made it back to the common room at all.
Remus passed by a painting of Christmas carolers, who were kind enough to only sing during the winter, singing Adeste Fideles. The gorgeous song was one of Remus' favorites, and he found himself singing along. Remus loved to sing, and sorely missed choir at the Roman Catholic Church, which he attended everyday when in his hometown.
He sang his heart out, as well as his breath, and was panting at the end of the song.
The painting's occupants clapped for Remus and thanked him for joining in and, "Spreading the Christmas cheer!"
Remus smiled and replied, "Thank you for letting me," with a gracious smile upon his face.
"Could you tell me how to get to Gryffindor tower from here?" Remus then asked, his smile turning shy and embarrassed.
"I can show you," said a very familiar voice in Remus' ear.
"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed as he turned to face his friend, "Why aren't you in the common room?"
"I could ask the same of you," Sirius replied, giving Remus several looks of varying intensity and meaning. Remus blushed— his face turning a harsh pink— and he tried to cover his embarrassment up by play-punching Sirius upon the shoulder and saying, "You should be there, with all the partying going on."
Sirius laughed and clapped his hand against Remus' back a few times as he collected himself to retort. Opening his mouth, Sirius attempted to say some things intelligently, but all that came out were strange, guttural noises and dog-like whines.
Naturally, Sirius paused in his retort. Not so naturally, he gave Remus a long, hard look, as though probing for an answer. Ostensibly discerning a suitable finale, Sirius smiled attractively and said,
"It's no fun partying without you there," before he leaned his gently puckered lips towards Remus' boyishly smiling ones.
