Disclaimer: All content of the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowlings.
- Two Beds, No Sleep -
I can't get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications
"Overkill", Colin Hay
Kim startled when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. A shiver ran down her spine, caused by the touch. She turned her head and looked right into a pair of beautiful amber-coloured eyes in which the moonlight was reflected. The moon was waning but still bright enough that she could easily make out the eye colour. Kim enjoyed coming to the North Tower and watching the moonlit grounds of Hogwarts. Even the creatures of the Forbidden Forest seemed to enjoy the moonlight and on full moon the strangest animals left the forest to take a stroll around the grounds. Once she even believed she had seen a stag in the darkness. Kim still couldn't tear herself away from the beautiful eyes in front of her. She was so shocked that she couldn't even bring herself to try and recognise to whom they belonged.
The owner of the eyes finally cleared his throat, suddenly becoming aware of the amount of time they had spent staring into each other's eyes. Kim ashamedly snapped out of her trance and was surprised to see a certain Gryffindor on the balcony. "Remus, what are you doing here?"
He smiled shyly. "I could ask you the same question."
"I needed some fresh air – to clear my head, and get away from my beloved Slytherin classmates." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and Remus gave her a crooked smile.
"I couldn't sleep – too many things on my mind." Remus had removed his hand from her shoulder and now leaned against the balustrade. "Do you often come up here?"
Kim considered lying to him but what did she have to lose? Besides, she felt like she could trust the boy despite that she had only known him for a few hours.
"Yes I do. To be honest, I come here almost every night. I can't bear being in the Slytherin dormitories. I share a room with Bella, you know."
"Is it difficult...?" He trailed off, afraid he might be overstepping. He had only known her for a very short time after all.
Kim, however, thought that she had been acting out of character anyway and that she might as well give it a try and confide in the boy. There was something comforting about the fact that Remus Lupin had no connection to her live whatsoever, it made her feel like she did not have to be afraid of judgement since he hardly knew enough about her to be able to judge.
"Sometimes – it's just that I don't feel like I belong there. I'm not one of them. I have accepted the fact that I'll never find friends in Slytherin and I'm fully aware that I won't find any in the other houses either." Her voice was calm and strong. She suppressed the bitterness in her words. But she couldn't look him in the eyes so she lowered her head to stare at her hands lying on the balustrade.
Remus was overwhelmed by the trust that she had in him who was practically a stranger. In a blunt move he put one finger under her chin and forced her to look at him.
"That's not true. I would love to be your friend." He looked at her shyly, but sincerely and she blushed. He quickly drew his hand away and turned to look at the grounds, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks as well.
Kim didn't know how long they had stood there just gazing into the dark of the night. Suddenly she felt a cold breeze sweeping around her body and she shivered.
"Are you cold?" Remus asked concerned. Kim nodded.
He cast a spell that produced a small ball of flames in front of them that danced over the balustrade.
"So James made Head Boy, huh?" Said Kim in an attempt to break the silence that had suddenly become awkward.
"Yes, I know, we're shocked too," Remus laughed. "He didn't know what to do with it at first but he's been delighted since he met the Head Girl."
"Oh, let me guess, it's Lily!" Of course Lily Evans had been made Head Girls, her grades were extraordinarily good, her record flawless. Kim laughed at the thought of the two of them being Head Boy and Head Girl – Dumbledore finally must have lost his sanity.
"You should have seen them in the common room. They've been working together for one day and Lily has already found fault with him. She knocked the stuffing out of him in front of the whole common room."
Kim felt sorry for James. Lily had been turning him down since their fourth year although James truly had improved. But maybe she was biased because she secretly enjoyed the encounters that the Marauders frequently had with her fellow Slytherins. The four boys were the only ones that were not intimidated by Bella and her undeniable talent when it came to Dark Magic.
"I highly doubt that she hates him as much as she makes everyone believe. James is a good guy and she knows it. I wonder how long it will take until she finally gives in and goes out with him."
Remus groaned at this. "I hope it won't take long, he's driving us insane with his permanent moaning about why she hates him so much."
Kim chuckled. James Potter, Captain and star player of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, heart-throb and leader of the Marauders was rejected by a girl that, believe it or not, he really liked. Kim couldn't help but laugh but Remus' smile looked more like a grimace.
"Actually it's not funny at all. You should see him after he's been turned down once again – he's always devastated."
"I'll wager that she will have given in by Christmas," Kim said with a provocative smile.
"What do you want to bet?" Remus accepted with a playful grin.
Kim thought about it a few moments before she gave her response. "If they're not together by the Yule Ball, you'll have to go swimming in Hogwarts Lake – if they are" – she shuddered to think – "I'll go." He put out his hand and she took it to seal it. For a couple of minutes they stood next to each other once again in silence. Kim was internally wondering what had hit her that day, this cheerful side was something that normally only her parents ever got to see.
"So Kim, what have you been up to all summer?" Remus finally broke the silence, keen to keep their conversation going.
Kim's face instantly lit up at the memories of her summer. It had been wonderful to get away with her parents and she had somehow managed to block out the thought of them as Death Eaters and see them for what they were to her: loving parents.
"I've been to Egypt with my parents for two weeks; we visited some of the Egyptian tombs. Hundreds of years ago, Egyptian wizards placed curses on the tombs that mostly even Gringotts Curse Breakers can't break." Kim continued to narrate the adventures of her stay in Egypt and Remus listened attentively. When she finished her narrative, she asked. "And you? What have you been doing all summer?"
"The first two weeks I spent at home with my family and the rest of the summer I spent at Potter Manor with Sirius and James. We –"
"Wait, Sirius still spends his holiday with James? My parents told me that he broke with his family last summer. I didn't know that he still hadn't returned. Mrs Black must be furious."
Kim had met the head of the Black family only once and she could just picture what terrifying a furious Mrs Black must be like.
Remus smiled weakly.
"Furious is a huge understatement. She went mental when he went off to stay with the Potters for the summer. Only the fact that that half of the wizarding community was right there on Platform Nine and Three Quarters prevented her from hexing him into the next century right there and then. She sent him countless Howlers – James said it was scary at first but after a few days the tirades didn't bother them anymore."
Kim chuckled when she imagined the two boys sitting at the table eating breakfast and loudly talking to drown out the sound of Mrs Black's voice coming from a red letter.
"However, after about a week she gave up and as far as I know she has never said a word about Sirius since then."
Kim remained silent for a few minutes, lost in thought about Sirius' way to deal with the different opinions his family had. But she knew that she was neither brave enough nor did she actually want to break with her family.
They both stood on the balcony in silence. Dark clouds had gathered and the bright light of the moon was overcast by the oppressive darkness of the clouds. The rain beat against the roof of the North Tower creating a calming noise. A chill stole over Kim's body and she held her hands up to the little fireball, rubbing them firmly.
"Weren't your parents sad when you left home after only two weeks of holiday?" Kim took up their conversation again.
Remus hesitated with his answer. "My family has some problems you know ... family stuff ... so I guess they were glad I didn't stay that long ..."
Kim immediately noticed that Remus felt uncomfortable talking about his family and made a mental note not to touch the subject again.
"James' parents must be very kind to welcome you and Sirius into their family for the whole summer."
Remus couldn't help but smile at the thought of the hospitality Mr and Mrs Potter had shown towards him.
"They are great. You have seen James and Sirius in action at Hogwarts. Now imagine what they get up to when they have two months of free time – no school, no homework, no Slytherins to hex. His parents really have to endure much. I tried to prevent the worst from happening but you can imagine how much success I had with that."
Kim chuckled at the thought of the two biggest mischief-makers Hogwarts has ever seen doing their best to drive James' parents mad and Remus in the middle of the mess trying to clean it up.
"Thankfully, Potter Manor is huge. There is a forest and even a little lake on the property. We spent most of the summer messing around in the lake trying to get away from the heat. I also had to endure the occasional Quidditch game. Sirius gave up his position as a Beater and they both acted as Chasers which left them in need of a Keeper."
Remus' agonised expression suggested that he didn't actually have the time of his life playing Keeper for the two Quidditch stars of Gryffindor's house team.
It was raining harder now and all of a sudden a gust of wind blew the raindrops onto the balcony. Remus and Kim gasped when a splash of water hit their faces. Remus backed away from the balustrade, pressing his body against the cold wall of the tower.
Kim, however, had not moved from her spot and Remus watched how her face was getting wetter by the minute. Her eyes were closed and little raindrops got caught in her eyelashes. The rain dripped from her hair onto her cheeks and her Hogwarts uniform was already quite damp.
"You know, it's getting pretty late," Kim spoke up, her eyes still closed, "we should probably head back to our dormitories now."
Remus nodded half-heartedly and they silently made their way down the spiral staircase that led to the North Tower. They passed the Divination classroom and various portraits whose occupants were currently asleep due to the late hour. Coming to a stop at the top of the great marble staircase where they had to go separate ways, they awkwardly stood in front of each other when Remus finally spoke.
"I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." Kim just nodded shyly and descended the stairs.
When they both were in their beds – one in Gryffindor, one in Slytherin – they both couldn't sleep; too many things were on their minds.
To Anja and Sam – I have no idea why.
Thank you so much for reading and also a big thank you to the people who reviewed/favourited/alerted. I always thought it sounded a bit cheesy when authors said this but it really is one of the most exciting feelings ever=).
