Moonlight Sonata
Chapter Two:
Chapter Two:
The classroom was buzzing with the low jabbering of the seventh year students. The four Gryffindor's made it into the classroom just as the bell rang. They took their seats unfortunately in the bottom row, knowing full well no one else wanted to sit in the front, for fear of Flitwicks sudden charms. A hush came over the room as the small Professor entered the room from his office.
"Well isn't this a surprise! The four of you are on time." Flitwick sent a pointed glance at them. "Now today we're going to…" By that time most of the class had zoned out already. Monday's in Flitwicks class usually meant a lot of lecturing and writing notes. Which basically meant you didn't have to pay that much attention.
On the other side of the room, a certain Slytherin was scribbling vigorously in his old ratty Potion's book. Remus' brow furrowed as he unconsciously watched. Why was Severus writing in his Potion's book when it was Charm's class?
Severus caught Remus' eye, and sent him a glare of all glares. He hated the Marauders, but James and Sirius specifically. They incessantly picked on him ever since first year. Well, Remus had always tried to stop it, because his ethical side would never shut up, but James and Sirius never seemed to care.
Quickly the class ended, leaving the afternoon free for the Marauders. They originally wanted to go outside and enjoy it, but the sounds of thunder and heavy rain made that decision for them. They would have to be cooped up in the common room with nothing to do but homework. Joy. They trudged quietly back to the common room, where most of the house was.
Once they entered the warmth of the common room, Remus immediately sat on the squishiest couch by the fire and started homework. Better to do it now instead of later, he reminded himself. He looked over at his friends who were enjoying themselves in a game of exploding snap.
After he finished his paper from Potions, he looked up from his parchment at his friends.
"So, about Hogsmeade," he began casually.
"Don't worry Moony, we're going." Sirius answered before he could finish his train of thought.
Remus looked at him curiously and continued his homework. Well, that settles everything, he thought contently to himself.
For Remus the week zoomed on by before he could even think about what he was going to do at Hogsmeade. For the other Marauders it was a sluggish pace from Monday to Saturday.
The Marauders were already at the courtyard where all the Hogsmeade students were to meet before walking down to the village. They stood huddled together with a few other Gryffindors in the brisk October air. Sirius and James were already in a conversation with one of the other Quidditch players but Remus was searching the crowd for Octavia. He saw a flash of red hair and zeroed in on it. It was Lily talking to Octavia and a few other Ravenclaws.
But he turned to his right after smelling cheap perfume.
"James darling, how are you?" said Bellatrix Lestrange, a whorish Slytherin who had been after James for a number of years. She was Sirius' cousin, along with her equally whorish sister Narcissa.
James groaned and turned around at the dark haired Slytherin, "What do you want Bellatrix?"
"Oh, call me Bella, everybody else does." She giggled softly. James was the only person outside of Slytherin that she could actually stand. Well, besides Sirius of course, but they didn't like mentioning that they were related so they stayed away from each other.
He rolled his eyes, "What do you want?"
"I was wondering if you could go to the tea house with me? Just you and me…and then maybe after we get back from Hogsmeade we can find a much, quieter, place." She looked at him suggestively, and put her hand on his chest.
The thought of him and 'Bella' finding a quiet place almost made James' face turn green. He quietly removed her hand from him, "Bellatrix," he refused to call her by her nickname, "I would rather eat owl dung than find a quiet place with you."
Her face contorted with anger and annoyance. No one turned down Bella. No one. She turned on her heal and stalked off to her sister and her sisters boy friend Lucius. It was no secret that the platinum blonde couple was promised to each other for marriage immediately after they left school.
James sighed with relief and ran his hand through his messy black hair.
"Don't worry Prongs she'll find the next good shag and forget all about you." Sirius said reassuringly.
"That's what you said last time she came on to me," He swiveled his head over to Padfoot.
"Well, I was wrong, but you really rejected her this time. I'd say she's given up." Sirius nodded to convince himself of this.
"Yeah. Ok." James replied dryly.
Octavia and Lily strolled on over to the Marauders.
"Wow Potter you can't keep them off of you." Lily said sarcastically. Octavia remained silent, and glanced at the blushing Remus for a brief second.
"Why do you care Evans? Jealous?" He spat back.
Lily laughed loudly, "Why would I be jealous of you? You're all messy hair and no substance. I'm missing out on so much." She rolled her eyes, "Honestly you'd be better off if you didn't try to impress girls by the fact that you need a comb. Because to some girls, it's not impressive at all."
Prof. McGonagall stepped out of the thick oak doors and made an announcement, "Now Mr. Filch and I will escort you all to Hogsmeade and I want you all on your best behavior. And please do not try to get into the Shrieking Shack, it is strictly out of bounds and those caught will serve a week of detention with Ime/I."
Remus dipped his head knowing what really went on in the Shrieking Shack. Octavia noticed his reaction, but shrugged it off.
The students were led down into the village and they sprawled out into their separate ways. Lily and Octavia headed directly to the sweets shop and began buying several candies to satisfy their sweet tooth's. James dragged the boys to the Quidditch shop and bought his cleaning supplies. When they were finished he saw that the girls were almost finished at Honeydukes. The Marauders made their way over to them with James leading.
"Lily, would you fancy going to the tea shop with me?" Everybody looked at James as if he'd lost his mind, especially Lily.
"What the bloody…" James swooped down and whispered something into her ear. She arched an eyebrow. "Umm…Sure."
James gave Sirius a look before walking away with Lily.
"Wormtail, I believe that Honeydukes has just set out one of their newest pastries. You should probably go check them out since you love them so much." Peter nodded and went straight for the sweets shop. "I haven't been to Zonkos yet, I'll see you later Remus, Octavia." He gave her a nod before leaving the two of them alone.
Octavia was the first to speak, "Umm…That was strange…"
"Yeah it was." He scratched the back of his head nervously. Why did his friends do this to him?
"It almost seemed planned…" Octavia was very intuitive, being a Ravenclaw and all. "I wonder if Lily is having fun with James?"
"You owe me big time Potter!" Lily hissed across the table at the teashop.
"Relax I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for Moony. He obviously fancies Octavia and I figured it would be a good way to break the ice." James reasoned in a calm voice. The scene of Lily Evans and James Potter sitting at a table alone in a teashop was silly in itself, and if anyone were going to look like an idiot, it would be Lily according to James.
Lily sat back in her chair still fuming, "How do you figure?"
"He's been muttering about this girl in his Ancient Runes class for weeks and how smart and pretty she is. Well the other day when you two were talking at the Ravenclaw table Remus let's it slip that Octavia was in his Ancient Runes class. I thought it would be nice for them to get to know each other with out any distractions. Like us." He explained his master plan very thoroughly.
"Octavia did mention Remus once or twice." Lily said still unsure of James.
"See maybe she likes him as well. Maybe they'll begin dating, then walking in on them snogging, then a white wedding, then maybe a few kids or,"
"Quit while you're ahead Potter. She may very well fancy him but it's probably pretty awkward standing there alone with somebody you don't know." Lily explained.
"Well that's the point Evans. They'll get to know each other." He said slowly so she'd get it this time.
"I never pictured you as a matchmaker Potter." Lily said with her tone softening.
James smirked, "I'm more than just messy hair and a pretty face." Ha. Touché.
Meanwhile, back with Moony and Miss Reede, the awkwardness was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Remus gulped, and decided to start a topic of conversation. A big step for him.
"You're in my Ancient Runes class right?" He had heard Sirius say once that if you play ignorant it makes things easier.
Octavia nodded, "Yeah I sit in the back."
"Why do you sit all the way back there?" Remus asked curiously.
"I find that I can concentrate better back there. I don't have to worry about disturbing people behind me when I stretch in my seat or worry about being in someone's way." She explained.
"But surely you can't see as good from back there. Especially with Ancient Runes." He replied in disbelief.
"Well I sit in an aisle seat so I can lean to my left or right to see better. You should try it sometime." She suggested.
Remus shook his head. "I'm not too keen on change."
"Really? Change can be good. Doing the same routine everyday will make life dull and boring. Eventually you get this feeling of having no reason to live because it's so dull." She said.
Remus thought for a minute. He liked his routine. It never failed him, unlike most of the adults who had given up on him and his lycanthropic condition. "Yes but routine reassures you that everything is ok and everything's normal."
"Reassures you? Or blinds you from what's really happening out there?"
Her words floored him.
She continued, "You get so caught up with what's supposed to happen that you forget about the things that you strive for and want."
"Wow…I never thought about it that way."
"There are bad changes, and good changes. You have to stop focusing on the bad and think about the good."
She spoke to him as if she knew him, and his hate for change. The worst change of his life was when he was a little boy and a rogue werewolf by a lake bit him near his house. He had been playing with a toy boat and never saw it coming. He shuddered at the intense memory.
"Are you alright?" She lightly touched his arm. His eyes had lost focus for a moment, thinking about something that disturbed him, guessing by his shudder.
"I'm fine. Just remembering a 'bad change'."
"Hey let's go to the Shrieking Shack," shouted a third year that was running down the street.
His friend who was with him yelled back, "yeah I heard it was haunted buy his horrific monster!" The two bolted down to the end of the street where the shack stood just up the hill.
Remus cast his eyes to the ground. He was in fact a horrific, snarling monster that went to the Shrieking Shack every month under the full moon he despised. Octavia didn't deserve a bloke like him. She needed a bloke that was stable and didn't have the emotional baggage.
"You would think that they would get tired of that rumor after a while. I honestly don't think it's true." The Ravenclaw said as she watched the third year boys run down the street.
"You'd be surprised at what's true and what's not." Moony said vaguely.
Octavia looked at him strangely not knowing what to make of it. He was staring off into space, not making a sound or moving a muscle. What was this 'bad change', she wondered. He definitely didn't want to talk about it she gathered and glanced around her thinking of a new subject.
"There's a Yule Ball coming up this winter." She blurted out clumsily.
He blinked a few times to get out of his daze, "I'm sure you've got many offers."
"Only one."
Remus looked at her surprised, "only one? May I ask who it is?"
Octavia answered sheepishly, "Adrian Lovegood." Remus looked away defeated. Adrian was in Ravenclaw with Octavia and in her year. He obviously would have spent more time with her than Remus did. "He asked me last Tuesday."
"Did you say yes?" He said a little to quickly.
"No, but I didn't say no either. I told him I'd think about it. He's a nice boy, but I'm not sure what he wants. I think he wants to date him afterwards. He's fancied me for ages and I've just kind of ignored it until now. I guess it's because it's nice to have someone fancy you. You know?" She turned to Remus, but he was walking away towards Sirius who just walked out of Zonkos.
"Moony why'd you leave her?"
"I just want to get back to the castle."
Sirius sighed, "Ok. Let me got get Prongs." Sirius walked over to the teashop across the street and came out with James in toe. Lily didn't look pleased when Sirius started talking and saw Octavia standing in the street trying to find her. The red head stormed down the street and headed back to the castle with the blonde.
When they Marauders got back to the Gryffindor common room, Remus slung himself into the nearest over stuffed chair.
"What the hell happened?" James asked sitting next to him on the couch.
"She's already been asked to the ball. By Adrian Lovegood no less." Remus said, wounded.
"Adrian? That oddball? She didn't say yes did she?" James was mighty curious on this possible suitor. Adrian had been notorious at telling stories about creatures that didn't exist for attention. And apparently girls liked it. He was always scribbling stuff down on parchment during meals. No one ever knew what he was writing.
"No, she said she'd think about it." Moony mumbled.
James chuckled, "Why Remus don't give up now! You need to sweep her off her feet and make her realize that Lovegood is just a stupid wanker who isn't worth her time. You need to make her aware they you are worth her time."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
Sirius joined them and sat in front of Remus, "Well, I've seen some people compete in class, trying to see who can answer the most questions." Remus nodded. "I've never done it myself, my dashing good looks usually do all the work." He added as an after thought.
"Well she's in my Ancient Runes class and she answers loads of questions each day." Remus was getting hopeful with their propositions.
"Do you answer any, Remus?"
"Well no, only unless I'm called."
"This is your chance at showing her how smart you are! She probably knows you're intelligent. I mean you take Ancient Runes, and only smart people take that class." Sirius concluded. James gave him a mock insulted look.
"Thanks…I think."
"I think you should rest up for Monday. It's going to be a big day for young Moony."
