The girls sat down, smiling at the food waiting for them. Maura loaded up her plate and began to eat happily, Lisa doing the same.
"So, Halloween is Hogsmeade, Huh? On the full moon, at that!" Lisa said happily, looking at some papers she had.
"Oh! Yeah!" Maura smiled. "That is going to be so much fun!" She sat up a bit. "What are you going to do?"
"Matt and I are going to go to the cafe," Lisa blushed. "He asked me during class..."
Maura smiled happily at her friend. "Oh! Good for you! You go have fun with that!" She chirped and rubbed her friend's back. Maura had known Matt was planning on asking Lisa out for a while and was glad he finally got around to it. It was a little way out, but it wasn't wrong to plan ahead.
Lisa laughed and relaxed happily. She hummed a bit and ate again, blushing happily. She seemed to enjoy her fantasies of her up and coming date. She had fallen silent, and Maura didn't mind.
Maura smiled, and the two were soon on their way to the greenhouse after she shook Lisa from her mind. She let Lisa have her space as Matt caught up with them looking like he wanted to talk. She laughed, looking at the new couple. They would start studying together, which Maura hoped would make them happy. She figured she could find someone to play games with while Lisa and Matt hung out. Her mind drifted to the boys for a moment, before she decided that the idea was asking for trouble.
"Oh? What's got you so happy?" A snide female voice came from behind Maura, making her jump. She turned around and frowned at seeing her least favorite gang. "Just because Black decided to help doesn't mean you are special," she told Maura.
"No... I was happy for my friend. Why should I think I am special at all?" Maura said easily. "After all, I am not pretty, or special, or good at magic."
The girls glared and kept walking as Professor Sprout bustled over. Maura relaxed and found her way to her pot, enjoying the break from the loud lessons and snide comments. Everyone was too busy caring for their plants to care much, though Maura smiled at Lisa's giggles when Matt spoke to her. She couldn't help but check on the four boys here and there, as they tried to impress the girls around them. Once or twice they caught her looking, and threw winks at her. Maura looked down quickly each time, not wanting any more unwanted attention cast at her. She relaxed slowly and soon finished her work for the day. She looked around, thinking of her next classes. Nothing would be too complicated that day, just History of Magic with Ravenclaw.
...
It was at lunch that Maura's day continued to get better. A beautiful barn owl fluttered down to her table, a letter in its beak. Maura beamed at the creature in front of her and patted it softly. Across the front of the envelope was the familiar handwriting of her oldest brother, Dayton. He had been part of the war effort, an uncommonly strong wizard for Maura's family.
"Oh! Dayton's writing to you?" Lisa asked as she glanced over at Maura, the question seeming to be asked before she could read the writing.
"Yeah, he is!" Maura smiled happily as she blindly opened the letter. She glanced at the writing and could only think of how worried she had been the past few weeks. Dayton had been unable to write or even think about getting paper the past few weeks. He had been overrun with dark wizards and had been working tirelessly to fight them. Maura had started to believe the worst had happened to him.
My little Ra-Ra!
The letter started with Dayton's most exciting handwriting, making Maura giggle at the thought of the other's goofy grin he always held when telling one of his favorite stories. His crooked nose sent into a further tilt than usual with the pulled muscles.
You will never guess what happened! You will love this, because I may or may not have pet a dragon last week.
"Woah!" Lisa's eyes lit up as much as Maura's had.
The girls pressed together a little tighter on the bench to read more. Both seemed to hold their breath as they read. It had happened that while uncovering a hideout of some dark wizards, they stumbled across a juvenile Short Snout. It was asleep, hurt, and it appeared to be starved. Dayton had helped move the poor creature with some specialists from the ministry.
"He is so lucky," Maura sighed as she finished the letter.
"That will be you one day," Lisa assured.
"Fighting crazy people who like casting curses, I think I will pass, thanks," Maura shook her head as she spoke. "I think I'll just find a nice, small, and cozy house to take care of some small creatures as I can."
"Maura, you always think so small!" Lisa pouted. "Come on; you'll be a big name one day! Maybe you'll write a second book to that Fantastic Beasts book!"
"Oh dear, I could never do that!" Maura shook her head again. "Mr. Scamander spent more years researching than I could ever catch up to."
Lisa sighed and sat back, eating her lunch as Maura read over the letter a few more times. She felt more like she was in another world as she thought of her family. She questioned silently if anyone else had received word from Dayton. He was forgetful at times, rarely wrote more than one of them at a time. She knew she would have to let her brother, Scipio, know about the letter at some point that day.
Chancing her luck, Maura looked up toward the Ravenclaw table. Her eyes scanned it over once, twice, and on the third scan, she saw her brother, talking to a younger student, scolding them. She watched him and as his eyes met her's, Maura waved the letter at Scipio, mouthing Dayton's name.
Scipio smiled at the action and gave Maura a happy thumbs up. He nodded knowingly and soon sat to eat. Maura, taking his example, finally turned back to her own food.
...
The final bell of the day rang, and Maura wandered outside with Lisa before dinner. The sun was out and shining happily on everyone. It was a perfect day to relax, much better than the tempted rain from the day before. Maura was laughing lightly at Lisa as she chatted happily about her planned date late that month. Maura let her, just glad her friend was having fun. Maura had managed to smuggle her pet from their dorm. While she listened, she pet her small ferret, Demon, who laid on on her shoulders.
Demon was a dark-colored Ferret, behaved enough to stay still in classes when Maura needed, but chaotic enough to eat any and all of Maura's snack storage. He was a good pet though, perfect for sending notes back and forth when Maura needed. Thanks to him, she knew Matt had been planning on talking to Lisa since the week before and had been trying to give Lisa space so he could.
"Demon!" Lisa smiled as the small Ferret tried to wiggle over to her as he woke up. She took the tiny creature and let him curl around her neck.
Maura laughed and watched the pair. "He loves you so much," she said.
"He loves you too," Lisa smiled.
Maura shrugged and looked around them as they started to slow. There was some commotion starting up not too far away, loud jeering and laughter rang through the grounds. She noticed the four boys harassing Severus. She watched silently, not sure what to think of the scene. Neither party was ever innocent in these fights, after all. The pair glanced at one another, and Maura led Lisa a little more away, hearing Lily Evans start yelling at both parties. The last thing Maura wanted was to get caught in the fight. She had looked away hardly a moment before stomping came up to her.
"Out of my way, filth," Severus's voice snapped in Maura's ears. She jumped and moved before Severus walked over her. Maura frowned and Lisa looked offended.
"Filth?" Lisa looked at Maura. "Is he on the blood thing?" She asked.
"Yes," Maura sighed. "Always. Come on, let's just go sit by the lake."
Lisa nodded and continued to pet Demon as they found a place to sit. Maura laid back, opening a book about a daring flyer and all of the places he went. She began to read happily, smiling as she enjoyed her adventure novel wishing she could fly. It was quiet, warm, and every bit of a perfect day she could want. She had finally done well in a class.
Maura smiled more to herself and turned her eyes to the clouds. For as much chaos as the boys caused, they weren't all bad. Remus seemed to keep a good leash on them, at least some of the time. Sirius was a bit rough around the edges, though seemed fine enough. James was confident, but far from cruel. Then there was Peter, picked on but having found a place in a strong group. Maybe that was why Maura wasn't as looked down upon? She had no better guesses than that.
Maura had barely gotten back to her book when Demon hopped onto her stomach. He held a note happily, looking at her, waiting for her to take it. Maura blinked at looked at Lisa, who seemed all too proud of herself.
Maura frowned and took the note.
Maura,
We didn't know you had the Ferret! We see Demon all the time running around with notes. Brilliant!
Sorry about Herbology, we didn't know you'd get those dirty looks.
Don't worry, the girls won't do anything. We got their minds somewhere else.
If you ever want to talk, don't be afraid of sending Demon.
If the girls bug you, we can teach you some hexes.
If you get bothered, you and Lisa can come and hang out with us.
And teach you both hexes! That sounds fun!
The Marauders
Maura blinked at the note. Each statement seemed to had been written by a different hand, swiped away, and even the last part looked like someone had tried to scratch it out, write something else, and then was taken again. She read it over a few times before smiling. She relaxed and looked at Lisa. "What did you write them?" She asked.
"Oh... I introduced them to Demon and told them he could send notes, since they seemed to like you," Lisa shrugged slowly.
Maura nodded and relaxed again, letting Demon curl up on her stomach. "Okay, Thanks," She said. There was no point in arguing with Lisa, she was only trying to help, and it wasn't like Demon running more notes around would hurt anyone.
Lisa beamed and nodded.
Maura relaxed and decided to write them back.
Marauders,
Demon likes to work for chips and may nip if you do not give him payment. Just a warning. Demon also needs to be kept a secret. He was supposed to be gone last year, but I like the convenience of having him when I need little things or notes sent.
Thank you for your offers. I will keep them in mind. I am not a big fan of hexes, though. Perhaps we can find another solution?
Maura handed the paper to Demon who bounded off again, looking more excited than he had been in a long time.
Maura watched James pick up the Ferret and Remus take the note. He read it for the others, who seemed to be amused watching Demon crawl around James, looking for a snack. She smiled as Peter pulled some food out and gave it to Demon, who plopped himself right into James's pocket to eat. The boys laughed, and Sirius tried to hold the small creature next, though Demon was already looking at Remus for the return note.
Maura relaxed and looked away. Demon was safe with them, she decided. They obviously enjoyed the small creature, and Maura didn't care much past that. So long as Demon never came back hurt, she was comfortable with them keeping him around.
Demon returned after a few minutes, another note held in his mouth, a cookie balanced on top, extra payment.
Maura laughed and took the note, happily letting Demon eat.
I am sure we will think of something, Maura. For now, we should focus on just getting you more confident with your spells. Please enjoy the rest of your day.
The Marauders.
Maura smiled and relaxed, petting Demon as he finished his treat. She looked at Lisa, who was still smiling proudly, though attempting to cover it with her book. Maura rolled her eyes and fell back against the grass, deciding to watch the clouds as they lazily floated far overhead. She listened as the area slowly emptied and Lisa soon sat up, stirring Maura from her thoughts.
"Let's go eat," Lisa said, and both girls headed inside. Neither minded the full moon behind them, hanging low and creeping into the sky, the girls just looked for something to eat. They decided to sit outside with some dessert after that, looking at the sky as they sat just barely inside the Hogwarts walls.
A bone-chilling howl broke the air, and Maura sat up. "Huh," She said, looking around. "Hey, Lisa," she looked at her friend, who was also looking for the source. "I think that was our queue to head back in before it gets too late," she explained.
Lisa nodded and stood. Maura let Lisa in first, believing she saw something move just out of sight. She didn't wait around to see, not wanting to tempt any fate.
The girls headed in, and soon were back in their common room, pulling out their homework for the night.
Friday morning rolled around, and Maura shuffled her way into the Great Hall. She saw much of the early crowd there, yawning, or getting last minute studying in. The one person she didn't expect, however, was Remus, looking worse than the day before. Maura didn't think twice, walking directly over to the male.
"Remus?" Maura said gently.
Remus looked at her, bags under his eyes. "Good morning, Maura," he said.
"Remus, you... you look awful," Maura frowned. "Do you want me to help you to the hospital wing?"
Remus smiled at her. "That is very kind of you," he said before thinking. "And you know, I think I will take you up on that offer. Yes." He smiled at Maura, who helped him to his feet.
Maura hadn't realized just how tall Remus had been until he was leaning on her that morning. It was awkward, helping the teen walk out of the Great Hall while she tried to keep him standing despite their height difference. She said nothing, however, and made it to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomphry looked startled at Remus's state.
"Oh dear, what happened to you?" She asked.
"Just feeling a bit under the weather," Remus answered. "Maura, I guess, saw that I was looking worse than I felt."
"Well, if you felt how you looked, I would think you dead," the healer said and took Remus from Maura. "Thank you very much, dear."
Maura nodded.
"Tell the others where I am, Okay?" Remus asked Maura.
"Of course, I'll see you at lunch." Maura waved to the other before leaving to the Great Hall again, looking for the other three.
The other three marauders didn't look much better than Remus had, though they only looked tired rather than sick. Maura wasn't sure what to make of it, but walked over anyway, ignoring the looks from curious Gryffindor students. James was the first to see Maura and waved a bit to her.
"Long night of studying?" Maura decided to guess.
"Something like that," Sirius muttered.
"Everything all right?" James tried to smile.
"I helped Remus to the hospital wing this morning. He looked dreadful... Is he... has he been getting that sick often?" Maura frowned.
"He... well, sometimes," James shrugged. "Thanks for letting us know, we were wondering where he was. We have a test today, and I know he didn't want to miss it."
Maura nodded. "Well, I think his health is more important. By the way, do you know what kind of illness this is? So I know what I can bring him to help him feel better?"
"Ah, don't worry about what it is," Sirius said, sounding irritated from being so tired. "Just bring him whatever, he is just happy for the company."
Maura smiled and nodded. "Okay," she said kindly. "Oh, uh, good luck on your tests today, by the way," she added.
"We don't need luck... Well, at least I don't, Peter might," Sirius yawned as he spoke.
"Still," Maura shrugged. "I hope you all pass."
James nodded. "Good luck today with whatever you have," he said.
"Thanks," Maura nodded before leaving them to their breakfast, finding a place to wait for Lisa and Matt as she started to eat.
Maura only half listened through Study of Ancient Runes as the double period rambled on. Her mind stayed on Remus in the hospital wing, wondering just what had caught him to make him so sick. She remembered watching him get slowly worse through the week and felt slightly guilty in not speaking her concern before. She would have to get him something he could enjoy while he was there. Her mind went to her fancy chocolate again, as he had seemed to like that before. Class ended abruptly as Maura was shaken from her thoughts by Lisa.
"Study hall," Lisa told Maura.
"Oh, yeah... Actually, I need to get something first," Maura stood quickly. Lisa looked surprised but could say nothing as Maura left quickly.
Without pausing to talk to anyone, Maura ducked in and out of her dormitory and was striding down the hallway happily when she saw all four Marauders walking, slowly, out of the hospital wing. She paused, and relaxed a bit, seeing Remus looking better than before. She didn't feel very confident suddenly, seeing all four of them having a place to go. She was about to leave when she saw Peter wave to her, causing the others to look over.
Maura paused a moment before she waved back lightly and walked over. "Hey," She said softly.
"What are you doing down here, Maura?" Remus asked before seeing the chocolate box in her hands. "More chocolate?" He chucked.
"I... I don't know what else you like. No one told me," Maura defended herself slightly. "You seemed to like the chocolate before, so I figured you might like it again... my mom always gives me way too much, and I'm not the biggest chocolate fan. I like it, but not this much."
"You know," Remus smiled. "I do enjoy chocolate quite a bit," he continued. "This is quite thoughtful of you."
Maura smiled at him and offered him the box. "I am glad you are feeling better," she said.
"I am too. Thank you for taking me here. I would have never gone myself."
Maura nodded and let Remus take the box from her before she looked at the others.
"That is some really nice chocolate... imported from some other country, right?" James asked.
"Brazil," Maura nodded. "My dad has connections out there and gets this sort of stuff a lot. Or we visit on holiday."
"Must be nice," Remus nodded.
Maura paused and looked down. "Look, I am really not trying to show off or anything, I wanted to give you something that might help make you feel better. I'm sorry, I should have just stayed quiet," she said sadly.
"What? No, it sounds really nice. I am glad you can go to those places," Remus smiled.
Maura smiled a bit and nodded lightly. "I'm glad I can share the stuff with people. I hate keeping all of it for myself."
"Mind sparing some gold then?" Sirius asked jokingly, only to get an elbow from James.
Maura smiled. "I can't do much on the sharing money side, sorry," she said kindly. "I do only have a set allowance. Enough for a Hogsmeade trip and nothing else."
They nodded.
"Well, we have got to get to class," James said.
"Thank you again," Remus smiled and left with the others.
Maura let them and left to finish her day as well.
The next week, Maura met with the Marauders for the practice lesson. She smiled as she saw the four, who she had been getting notes from, and sending notes to all that weekend and start of the week. It helped her feel a bit more comfortable about meeting with them again, if nothing else, having gotten to know them a bit better.
"What's up, Maura?" James smiled happily.
"Not much. How was your day?" Maura asked the boys.
"You know, filled with trouble, adventure, and dealing with morons," Sirius shrugged.
"It was good," Remus said simply. "You seemed to have had a good day."
"Oh, yes, my mother got a salon job at Hogsmeade. I was planning to see her on our next visit," Maura shrugged. "Uh, but that isn't very important. Sorry..."
James shrugged. "It's something that happened, it's fine," he said.
"Your mother does hair?" Peter blinked.
"Yeah, which is why mine is a bit more... uh... like this. It was a spell gone wrong; it makes it a little too puffy. I don't mind. She had fun, and I can handle it."
"That explains why you might be not as great at spells. Sounds like a family thing," Sirius said dumbly.
"You know... yeah," Maura smiled. "Yeah... it might be, honestly. But, I am learning, finally. Between my brother and me, we can change that... Maybe."
Remus nodded a bit. "You are doing just fine. Well, let's get going, shall we?" He asked.
Maura nodded and began to walk with the Marauders, letting them all talk and joke.
It had only been a week ago she had started speaking to them, and although still slightly alienated, she felt more comfortable with the boys. She smiled at them, glad they were having fun. Once again she offered snacks and began to work with Remus on spells. She worked hard to keep up with him, wishing she were quicker on counter hex uptake. It wasn't long that Sirius and James were correcting her stance, again.
"Here," Sirius said, finally getting up and walking over to Maura. He pushed her in a more confident stance and gave her a slight push.
Maura blinked and noticed she didn't stumble as much as usual, and Sirius smiled. "All right, there you go! That will help."
Maura nodded a bit. "Thanks," She said. "I'll try to do this-"
"And every time I have to correct you here, or in class, you owe me," Sirius smiled.
"Owe you... what?" Maura blinked.
Sirius sat back down and thought for a moment. "Depending on how many times you mess up, let's just start with butterbeer."
Maura blinked but nodded. She relaxed a bit and sighed. She set herself back up and looked at Remus. Remus smiled at her, and the lesson continued. Maura was careful not to mess up her stance, doing everything she could to at least look confident, as she noticed it did seem to help a little more than fear.
The teens soon were sitting together, eating happily. Maura smiled as she enjoyed the treats, laughing as Peter talked excitedly on some topic or another. Everyone had a turn at chatting, James about his upcoming Quidditch match with Slytherin, Sirius about something interesting he had found around the castle, Remus about some of the new music his mother had sent that he wanted everyone to listen to, though he wasn't sure how to get a record player there. Maura had chimed in at that part.
"Why not make our own?" Maura suggested. "They aren't too terribly hard, and if your parents can send some of the smaller parts, I bet I can find some stuff for the larger stuff. Er, my grandparents have a very nice record player, it runs on magic, and they showed me how it worked. I haven't heard anything new though."
"Really?" Remus smiled at her.
"Now he's started," Sirius muttered to James.
Maura didn't mind and nodded. "It might be fun! Maybe other people can enjoy it, too?" Maura said, making Remus beam more.
"That would be nice," Remus nodded thoughtfully.
"Can't you listen to it any other way than some weird build thing?" James asked.
"Not easily," Remus shook his head. "The records are very fragile; even the needle scratches them sometimes."
"Needle? Like the thing that goes into your arm?" Sirius looked disturbed.
"No, Well, yes, but the wrong kind of needle. This one uses the record to play sound," Remus tried to explain helplessly.
"You guys will just have to see when we get it," Maura said happily.
"And are you going to put the charm on it?" Sirius asked skeptically.
"I... I can try," Maura mumbled. "If not... I was going to ask you for help."
"Me?" Sirius laughed a bit. "Why me?"
Maura knew she only had one shot at making Sirius say yes, and quickly figured out something her brother would have said. "Because I know you could easily pull off a charm that takes such skill and talent. You are so smart, and good at magic. I am really jealous... and a part of me thinks that maybe watching such a skilled wizard might help me learn, too... plus it would make so many people happy, including all of those girls you want to show off too," Maura spoke what she hoped were clever words. She figured that appeasing Sirius would work best, and judging by James and Remus's faces, they agreed.
Sirius smirked at Maura as she finished talking. "Well, I can see why your brother is in Ravenclaw. Do you both talk like that?" He asked.
"That depends; did it work?" Maura smiled shyly at the other.
Sirius thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, it worked."
Maura and Remus shared a smiled. All of them soon relaxed, eating once again. Maura only stopped as she felt small claws on her back. She barely had time to look back before she saw a note drop on her lap, Demon having scaled her robes to her shoulder. She picked up the note, petting the small Ferret and frowned at the one like written across it hurriedly.
Maura! Do not walk back alone! Just trust me!
"What's that?" James looked over.
"Probably just my impending doom... a lot of girls don't like me hanging out with you guys. They are starting to get mad, and I know they are. Apparently, they are going to wait for me. They know I'm here. It happens," Maura sighed.
The boys looked at her.
"Would you like one of us to walk you back?" Remus asked, a little surprised at how accepting Maura was of this.
"Oh, what?" Maura sat up suddenly, looking surprised. "No, no. Don't bother yourselves with this. Really! This is normal. We are young; this happens all of the time. Jealousy happens. Lisa is taking care of it." Maura gave the boys a smile.
The marauders frowned in thought. Maura watched them. They barely knew her, though she figured they took enough pity on her to decide that they had to help, if not just a bit. Her insides turned with guilt. She wasn't so useless; she knew how to get away if needed. She was rarely seriously hurt by the girls or guys that decided to bother her.
"You said before they have done worse to you..." James said.
Maura shrugged. "They catch me when they can. I am just an easy target for them because I don't fight back anymore. There's no point. I'm no good at a lot of classes, but I am good with magical creatures. Half of the time they just think I'm half something or another. I don't try to mess with them, and they don't like it. They get mad. It happens. I've only been seriously hurt once, and that was back in first year. Don't worry," Maura had known she was rambling and silenced herself at that. They didn't need to know her life story.
The four looked shocked at her. Maura frowned, feeling more guilt than before. She didn't mean to upset them.
"Oh please, it really is nothing, nothing at all. People get upset over the smallest of things. It can be funny sometimes," Maura laughed. "Really. Throwing me into the air, making my bag split open, trying to burning me, it all happens at this place to everyone at least once..." She trailed off, seeing them looking at her. "Don't you all do the same to that Slytherin?"
Remus spoke up first, despite Sirius and James opening their mouths. "There is a difference there, seeing as you don't fight back. At all..."
"Snivilis also deserves it," Sirius said. "He's rude to everyone just because he can be and-"
"Not now," Remus sighed. "Look, Maura, how about we help too?" He offered.
"I don't want to be a burden," Maura frowned.
"Hey, you're helping us with the illegal Quidditch, we don't mind," James said cheerily. "Gotta keep you safe for that."
Maura nodded slowly. "Thanks," She said.
"Shall we start going now?" Peter asked softly.
The others nodded and got up, Maura packing up and standing with them as well. She relaxed and began to walk with them. She blinked feeling Remus place his hand on her shoulder.
"One last thing," Remus said softly. "Being that they tease you about being a half breed, even if it is false... what are your opinions of half breeds and things of that nature?" He seemed almost stared of the question, while Maura thought the answer was easy.
"I don't mind them in the slightest," Maura said. "I actually want to work with magical creatures, half breeds, and things like that when I leave school. A lot of them are pretty mistreated and judged unfairly. I've met more creatures who will accept different things than I have people with the same mentality. I want to find ways to help all of them, maybe integrate them into our everyday lives. I don't know though... that will be a lot for one person," she continued, smiling a bit as she did.
Remus looked at her, looking like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Do not be outside during the full moons, Okay?" He told her very suddenly. "Even if you are trying to avoid someone bothering you... I saw you last full moon with Lisa, and... it's in your best interest..."
Maura looked at him, and suddenly something dawned on her. "Oh, okay," she smiled kindly. "Thank you." She felt her fear come and go quickly, and even relaxed under his hand. She figured knew Remus well enough by that point, he wanted her and others safe. He wasn't dangerous, and if he was, she would have been dead day one of their lessons. Or when her hair tie hit his ear, or that previous Thursday night. She was quite alive, and that was enough for her.
Remus looked like he had seen her understanding and smiled, though worried looking. "You are welcome," he said softly.
Maura could feel the others looking at her, and still didn't react. "Don't be so worried, please," she told the group. "None of you are bad people. Why should that worry me?"
The four looked at her before smiling and nodding.
Maura smiled brightly and relaxed more before she saw the gang of girls waiting in the hall. She took a steadying breath before Lisa ran up with a few teachers.
Lisa looked amazed but relieved at seeing the five altogether. The teachers looked around and decided to talk to the gang of girls first. Maura relaxed more before blinking as Sirius patted her back.
"Well, looks like this isn't going to get messy, see you later," Sirius bid.
"Be good," James smiled.
"Thank you for being accepting, Maura," Remus said kindly.
Maura nodded and waved as the boys left before Lisa hugged her tightly. She hugged Lisa back and smiled, letting her friend worry over her. She didn't mind, explaining that nothing happened.
"How... How was your lesson?" Lisa finally asked.
"Good," Maura smiled. "I have an incentive not to screw up," she explained watching the teachers leave with the girls.
"Oh? What is that?" Lisa asked.
"I owe them drinks if I screw up in class or during those little spare lessons," Maura shrugged, though smiled. She walked with Lisa back to the Great Hall, sitting with her as they continued to chat happily.
Maura relaxed and ate happily with Lisa, listening to the hall silently. Lisa did the same, both girls enjoying the noises and laughter around them. The girls relaxed and Demon slowly got onto the table, carefully taking his food from Maura's plate.
"I'm so glad he found you," Lisa smiled. "I heard them planning on getting you to leave the boys alone... I didn't want to know how they were going to do that..."
Maura nodded. "Thank you for the note," she said. "The guys are kind of shocked people are that mean to me... honestly. It was surprising, but nice that they cared enough to decide to walk me back. They are really kind when they want to be."
Lisa nodded and smiled. "They seem to like being around you, too. I guess it helps that our house is notorious for being friendly..."
"You know, I am sure that is a factor, but I don't mind. I'm getting help, and it's starting to pay off." Maura sat up a bit, making Lisa swell a bit in pride for her friend. It had been ages since she saw any confidence in her best friend. Maura didn't notice, eating her dinner happily. The next day would be an easy day, even despite her classes. She was looking forward to it, for once, it felt different but good.