Year Five, Day Twenty-Six
Remus smiled, dropping into the chair beside her and laughing as she spoke, not even looking to see who it was. "Hello prefect partner."
"What're you reading, Cela?"
"Some muggle book Lily leant me. Actually, her dad leant it to me. It's by a Russian guy. It's really good."
"Tolstoy?"
Celaeno's eyes flashed and she smiled. "Impressive, you know Tolstoy. No, Dostoyevsky. It's the third book of his that I've read."
"If you spent as much time doing work as you do reading you would be a genius."
"If you lot spent as much time studying as you do pranking you would be more powerful than Dumbledore."
Laughing again, Remus shook his head. "You're funny, Cela."
"I know. When I want to be. Are we going to work on that Potions paper?"
"Merlin, I love you. You know I'm awful at Potions."
Celaeno laughed. "You don't love me. You love that I'm willing to help you."
"Maybe. But I love you sounds better."
She nodded, her laughter tinkling out over the common room as she leaned over to help Remus. The days of the Marauders approaching Celaeno, Lily, and Alice with idle conversation were over. But that didn't mean Remus Lupin would follow those rules.
"What the hell is he doing?"
"Mmm?"
Rolling his eyes, James threw a pillow at Sirius and motioned to where Remus was sitting, laughing, beside Mira Celaeno. "You're a bloody idiot, Padfoot. Over there."
Blinking groggily, Sirius pretended he wasn't dying of exhaustion. "Moony and Venatici? Yeah, she's tutoring him in Potions. It was either her or Snivellus, Evans is already tutoring people for Charms. Obvious choice there."
"But he doesn't have to look so damn happy about it."
Yawning, Sirius shrugged, "I feel the same way about your obsession with Evans, you don't see me shoving it in your face. Venatici's not bad, he may as well enjoy himself. It is Potions after all, let him be happy. You know he hates the subject."
"But it's Venatici."
"He fancies her, Prongs. Sod off."
Paling, James stared at his best friend in horror. "He what?"
"Look at him, dumb ass. He fancies her. So bugger off, he won't want to hear it from you."
"But she's, she's –"
"What? Related to you? Evans' best friend? Quirke's best friend? A bloody genius if she ever took her nose out of a book? She's a fit bird too, I don't blame him for fancying her. Don't worry about him. If she does anything, we can just have her meet him for a romantic walk under the full moon."
"She doesn't deserve even that."
Sirius frowned. "You're a bloody wanker, Prongs."
"I am not!"
"Yes you are! Look at you, sitting there cursing Venatici because Moony fancies her. Stop being such a prat. She's a nice person, so her helping him may be because of that, not because she fancies him too."
"Or because she's cozying up to him."
"Prongs. She's sixteen and has never been on a date. Merlin knows she's had the opportunity. Do you really think she's the kind of person to cozy up to anyone? Especially Moony!"
James grumbled, falling silent as Lily and Alice walked by, leaping into chairs to watch Celaeno and Remus. "Oh, isn't it obvious that he fancies her?"
"She fancies him too, right Lily?"
"Hasn't said anything to me about it, but I think so. You know how she is."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The whole favouritism thing."
"Can you blame her?" Lily's green eyes were sparkling, her gaze darting between her two best friends. "I think it's sweet and very heroic of her. Her father's a bastard to her and an angel to Vega, so she says she's never going to treat anyone differently. No matter what she thinks of them. Of course, she's human and she'll admit that it doesn't work all the time. But the intention's so selfless."
"The cute Ravenclaw prefect asked her to Hogsmeade."
"The seventh year? Oh, she turned him down, didn't she?"
"Uh-huh. No boyfriends, remember. That's her falling, because she doesn't want to have kids, just to spite her father. But she loves kids, and she wants to get married and have kids so badly. She's just torn."
Lily melted a little, looking over at where Celaeno and Remus were laughing at something. "Oh, Alice! What was it she said, just the other night?"
The two girls looked at each other and all but squealed. Neither James nor Sirius knew the words spoken, but they flittered through the air between Alice and Lily. I think I'm falling for someone. Enough to break my own rules. Lily's eyes returned to Remus, the emerald gaze molten as she sighed. "Oh, she does fancy him. The lucky one that Cela fancies."
"Lily, you're so funny!"
"Stoppit, Alice, you know I'm right. She's a doll, she'll die for the people she cares about, can you imagine what she'll be to the right man?"
"Remus is sixteen, hardly a man."
"He's more of one than the boys he's friends with."
"Now, now, Lily. I grew up with James and he's still a close family friend."
"And Black and Pettigrew? For all of how idiotic Black can be, at least he's less self righteous. And he's nicer to us. Potter's a prat, even to you sometimes, and you're supposed to be his friend since forever ago. Don't defend them to me. Let them prove themselves. Remus has, and I think if there's anyone in this school that Cela deserves it's him. Nobody else has enough of my respect."
"So prejudice, Lily!"
"That's what Cela would say. And I don't care. She deserves the best."
"You and James would have an interesting conversation about that."
Both Alice and Lily froze, as did James. When did Sirius Black get over there? "What do you want, Black?"
"Nothing, just interested in your little conversation. I'll admit I was eavesdropping, but you were talking about one of my best mates, I couldn't help myself. You say Venatici fancies him?"
"Maybe."
Sirius flashed a dazzling grin at both girls. "Well, then, that's a very good thing. Because, you see, he fancies her."
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Next Up: Mudbloods and Just Deserts
