adjective; subject to sudden changes in mood or mind.
Alice was perplexed.
The book was Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, and according to Madam Pince (who gave her a very interesting look when Alice pushed into the library to ask about it) it was located in the Muggle Literature section. As if Alice hadn't been able to guess that. Now, the section was small, but Alice suffered from a severe illness called ineptitude and could not find the goddamn book anywhere.
She didn't know how to navigate by the muggle system of libraries, and she had always been too scared to ask, so she mainly just coasted by the seat of her trousers whenever she snuck off to one in the summertime. Here in the Hogwarts library though, it was organized in a different method, something combining topic and date published. Of course, for the muggle literature area, there weren't enough books covering enough varieties of interest for it to be organized the same way. Did Alice know how it was organized? No. Did she think there was any method present in the colorful, spiny wall she was staring at? Yes. Was Alice going to ask for help? Merlin no, Pince frightened the heebie-jeebies out of her.
Alice stood up from the squat she had been in, pressed her hands to her lower back and attempted to discreetly flatten her skirt. One of these days she was going to just buy the boys trousers, she swore it. She had nothing against skirts or dresses (in fact, she boasted quite the collection) but she certainly wouldn't mind a little diversity in her wardrobe or not having to fear the wind every time she attended an outside class. She had just finished her Herbology class, her bag was still with her and the dirt was still present under her fingernails, and had made a beeline for the library where she has been for the last five minutes, though it felt like ages longer.
Giving herself a small slap and shaking her head, she took a few small steps back, trying to shake that blurry feeling from her eyes. Was she just being dumb? Probably. Maybe Madam Pince harbored some kind of secret hatred against her and was pulling her leg, the book wasn't here- YES. There it was, thank Merlin. I'm not a total failure. It was just higher up than she expected, and the spine was dark and not eye-catching like so many of the other books around her.
Alice reached for the book, pressing one hand against the bookshelf as the other extended upwards. She was suddenly grateful for her unproportionally long arms, for though none of her sweaters fully covered them, the book was in her grasp. Everything was fine. Except for the feeling of someone against her back, a shadow over her shoulder.
UGHARGHEEEEK.
Alice made some kind of an unholy noise, jerking backwards, the hand with the book defying the rest of her to slap the person who had crept up on her. The victim was Remus Lupin, and he was laughing. Alice stared at him. She could feel her heart hammering, thumping against her chest with the brisk gate of a show horse. Lupin was slightly bent over, still laughing.
"Christ, Alice, I'm so sorry. I just saw you and figured you needed some help, I didn't mean to make you...scream? Was that even a scream? It sounded more animalistic than that." He had straightened up, but the blood that had rushed to his face was still there.
"I could have reached it, you wanker. I literally had it in my hand before you sidled up to me and frightened the living shit out of me. Lupin, I'm not that much shorter than you, what in Christ possessed you to think that you needed to do that? Did your heroic nature need some exercise?" she injected some harshness into her voice, but her heart wasn't in it. She could hear her ugly laugh creeping into her voice, it was kinda funny. Lupin raised his hands in a what was I supposed to do gesture.
"Okay, first off, I do not have a heroic nature. That's a load of baloney, Merlin, you sounded like Black."
"Don't compare me with Black," she laughed, awkwardly moving backwards a few steps. Lupin was fine, she just didn't really know him. He was more of Diana's friend than hers, even more of a friend of Diana's friends. They were acquaintances, two moons in the orbit of planets in the same solar system.
"You know, he's still upset about the whole "beck-and-call" thing. He's nagging me about it, asking me about where my loyalties lie," Lupin laughed, hand going to the back of his neck in the way that every single teenage boy seemed to do every time they had the chance.
Alice paused from pulling her backpack strap over her shoulder. She hated conflict. "Is he really?"
Lupin seemed to notice the apprehension in her voice, and he was quick to backtrack. "No no, of course not. He's just being annoying for annoyance's sake. Thinks it's fun or something," Lupin said, eyes on the bookshelf. "Don't worry about potions being put in your shampoo or anything."
"I'd like to see him try," Alice mocked, flipping over the book to read the back. They used to have this book in the study at home, but it had been gone for a few years now. Lupin heard and turned to face her. "Don't give him any ideas, much less challenge him. He's not a particularly determined person, but he never turns down a bet. Wait, is that Rebecca?"
Alice glanced back up at him. He was bending awkwardly, trying to see the cover of the book. Alice snorted.
"Yes. Have you read it?"
"No, but I was looking for it too. I take it you're joining the book club?" he smiled, and her heart rate climbed another digit.
"Yeah, I'm excited. I quite like muggle literature. Do you want to check it out first" She refrained from mentioning the fact that it was essentially the only thing she read, much less the preferring-children's-books aspect of it. It probably wouldn't help whatever little respect he still had for her.
"It is really great, and no that's alright," he said quickly. "So do you mind if I read it after you, or if you tell me when you're finished so I can come get it?" Alice considered for a second, slipping the book into her bag as they made their way out of the section and up to the circulation desk. Come on, be bold.
"Or if you'd like, we could trade off, each reading a bit over a few days? I just don't know how fast I'll go, so at least you could read as much as you wanted," she asked. The book's spine was digging into her palm, so handing it over to Pince to record her name down was a relief.
"Sure thing, sounds fun," he smiled, and the air went out of Alice's lungs in a silent woosh. "Come find me when you finish the first chapter, yeah?" They were nearing the door now, and Alice knew he'd probably go left to Gryffindor Tower while she'd go right for the Ravenclaw common room. She felt a bit sad about it, then quashed the thought. She had no right to his time. They barely knew each other.
"Yeah," Alice confirmed, hitching her bag further over her shoulder. "Bye, then," she gave a small wave and turned to leave. The stone halls were empty now, most students doing homework or other after school activities. Diana would be on the pitch now.
"Bye Alice- wait a second," Alice turned to see him giving her a confused look. Alice felt nervous. "I didn't know your name was actually Florence. How didn't I know that?"
Alice shrugged. "Should I be offended?" she mocked. "We've only known each other for six years." Lupin tried to interject. "No, I know. We're not very close, Lupin. The real question would be if you did know it. Frankly, I'd be a bit concerned," Alice laughed, and he joined, but there was an odd expression on his face. "It's nothing personal, I swear," she rushed to add, "It's just how it is."
Lupin gave her a smile, "Yeah, you're right. It's just how it is," he gave her a wave. "Bye then."
"Bye." It felt awkward now, stiff, and Alice cursed herself.
A week later, Alice stood with her back pressed to the wall of the owlrey, weighing her options. In one hand was a letter from her mother that had arrived earlier in the week. In the other was the letter she had written this morning for her sister.
The former contained the typical phrases, well-wishes and reminders among other things. However, threaded amongst the light words was worry. For Rosalind. Her mother had noticed. Apparently Rosalind was gone for two nights and had brushed it off when she had finally came home to her frantic mother, claiming she had been at a friend's house. Apparently, she had been almost rude about it.
Rosalind, the most genuinely charming and sweet person Alice knew.
Alice was beginning to worry. What the hell was going on with her?
The second letter was for Rosalind herself. Alice had tried to express her concerns as gently as possible, throwing in some funny stories from school (such as the Slytherin girl who managed to knock an entire tart onto the floor because Tabby had been standing behind her and startled her, or the unfortunate Ravenclaw bloke who had attempted to rather uncomfortably flirt with Diana and had ended up obliterated by the full force of her glare) around the the gentle askings about her whereabouts. Alice also requested for her to send the Divination textbook with the old poetry in it. She would have asked her mother, but she didn't want her poking around her shelves. That would be awkward. Plus, it would be much harder for Rosalind to avoid such a specific request.
She gently tied the letter to Laurie's claw, and with a piece of a dinner roll she had snagged from the Great Hall, he was off. Alice made her way out to the platform connecting to the steps and watched his figure shrink smaller and smaller in the crisp air. Merlin, I hope she responds.
Aaaaannnndddd plot really begins. Very exciting.
Two questions:
Who's your favorite Marauder? Guess mine lol.
And a bit of trivia
What is Dumbledore's full name? Don't look it up!
REMEMBER: YOU ARE A LOVELY HUMAN BEING REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING YOU'VE DONE THAT YOU REGRET, YOU DESERVE LOVE AND RESPECT, DON'T LISTEN TO ANYONE TRYING TO TELL YOU OTHERWISE.