September 14
I was I the library today, minding my own business, when the chair beside me was pulled out. Severus Snape sat down in it and stared deeply into my eyes. "I don't find what you're doing funny," he snarled.
I looked down at my Transfiguration book. "I'm with you there," I retorted. "I actually find Transfiguration rather boring."
He rolled his eyes. "Not that," he said, menace dripping from his voice. "I mean hanging around with Potter's crowd. Just because your dotty friend is getting mixed up with them doesn't mean you have to as well." He clicked his tongue. "I always thought you were brighter than that."
I recoiled in anger. "I beg your pardon?" I sniffed. "What is it to you that I hang around with my friends?" I put emphasis on the last word and Snape's grin only grew more.
"Friends, eh?" he asked. "Don't be too quick to bet the farm on that one."
"Am I interrupting something?"
I looked up gratefully to see Remus Lupin standing above us. Without a second to spare, Snape fled his seat, leaving nothing short of a trail of dust behind him. Remus laughed. "Was it something I said?"
I grinned. "Have a seat," I said, gesturing to Snape's abandoned chair. "One seems to have come free." When he sat, I found the air around us rather stifling and I began to worry. Why was it we had nothing to say? I continued to study my Transfiguration book, grumbling about the upcoming test.
"I can help you if you'd like," Remus offered. When I looked up, his face had gone a deep shade of red. "If you need it, that is. If not I'll completely understand."
Well imagine my joy! Finally I would have someone able to break down each step of Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was a wonderful teacher but she had a tendency to skip through certain steps and fail to repeat them. Okay, well maybe she didn't skip steps. Maybe I just chose not to listen.
"I would be thrilled if you would be patient enough to put up with me," I joked happily.
Remus shook his head sweetly. "I have nothing but time and patience," he replied. "You need not worry in that area."
I raised my eyebrows. "You haven't worked with me yet, have you?"
Lily nearly fainted when I told her the new arrangement. "This is great!" she said excitedly. "I'll date James. You date Remus. We'll find two girls for Sirius and Peter and we can all go...quadruple dating! How exciting!"
I raised my hands in protest. "Oh no," I said before she got too carried away. "Remus and I aren't dating. He's helping me with homework. That's all."
Lily wore a completely look of skepticism in her eyes. "Do you think we all haven't noticed the way he looks at you?" she asked.
"What?"
"Oh, Abby, you can be so dense sometimes! Remus totally has a crush on you!"
I folded my arms across my chest and sat back in my chair. "What's your proof?" I asked vehemently.
Lily rolled her green eyes. "Come on, Abby, quit denying it. How can you miss the not-so-subtle glances he gives you during classes? And how he stares at you in the library? And the way he smiles when you walk into a room? And the way he laughs when you tell a joke? And the way..."
Her voice trailed off and I glanced to where her eyes had darted. Sirius, James, Peter and Remus had just entered the common room. "Hey baby girl!" James called, heading in our direction. Naturally his friends followed. He wrapped Lily in a tight embrace and kissed her neck.
"Get a room," Sirius grumped, flopping down in the chair across from me. Remus sat in the one beside me and Peter stood awkwardly by the fireplace. James had taken over Lily's seat and she was seated in his lap. "I mean, really now. You guys should just get married and get it over with." He shook his head. "I still find it hard to believe that all this came about over two months."
Lily blushed and I gasped. "Traitor!" I hissed jokingly and threw the pillow behind my back at her. "You two had started something last year, didn't you?"
James laughed aloud. "You don't miss a thing, do you?" he said. "Of course it started last year. Well, for me it started over five years ago. You were such a cute little second-year," he said teasingly to Lily, who giggled girlishly.
I felt something brush my hand and looked down to see Remus' hand not far from mine. His face was turned in Lily and James' direction, but I could see his eyes darting in mine. I took a deep breath. It's all in your imagination, I repeated silently. Lily has gotten you all worked up and worried about it, that's all.
"Sickening," Sirius muttered to himself, referring to James and Lily's behavior. "Is anyone going to Hogsmeade on Halloween?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Um, yeah," Remus retorted. "All of us, remember?"
Sirius shot him a glance. "I know we're going, dummy," he retorted. "I was talking about the girls." He turned to me. "So are you going?"
I grinned. "Halloween isn't for another month and a bit. How on earth did you learn about the trip already?"
"Yeah, it hasn't even been posted," Lily chimed in.
Sirius grinned bashfully. "We have our ways," he said mysteriously, examining his nails.
James grimaced. "He's lying," he informed Lily and me. "We sneaked into Filch's office and saw the notice."
Lily's mouth dropped open. "But—you could have gotten caught!" she cried in shock. "Are you all insane?"
"Not all of us," Remus piped up, looking unusually smug. "Just some of us." Once again I felt his hand brush against mine and I suddenly felt as if the room was absolutely stifling.
"I'm going for a quick walk before we have to be in for the night," I said, standing from my chair and stretching. Half of me expected Remus to join me and that very same half was petrified. But when he remained silent, the other half became wildly upset. I left the common room alone, but it didn't take Lily long to find me and gloat.
"I saw his hand reaching for yours twice!" she squealed happily. "I told you he liked you!"
"Lily, my friend, I think you need a hobby," I retorted as we left the castle and headed out onto the grounds. "Our chairs were pressed together and there wasn't much room; of course his hand was going to touch mine."
She just grinned at me.
Your frustrated friend,
Abby
I was I the library today, minding my own business, when the chair beside me was pulled out. Severus Snape sat down in it and stared deeply into my eyes. "I don't find what you're doing funny," he snarled.
I looked down at my Transfiguration book. "I'm with you there," I retorted. "I actually find Transfiguration rather boring."
He rolled his eyes. "Not that," he said, menace dripping from his voice. "I mean hanging around with Potter's crowd. Just because your dotty friend is getting mixed up with them doesn't mean you have to as well." He clicked his tongue. "I always thought you were brighter than that."
I recoiled in anger. "I beg your pardon?" I sniffed. "What is it to you that I hang around with my friends?" I put emphasis on the last word and Snape's grin only grew more.
"Friends, eh?" he asked. "Don't be too quick to bet the farm on that one."
"Am I interrupting something?"
I looked up gratefully to see Remus Lupin standing above us. Without a second to spare, Snape fled his seat, leaving nothing short of a trail of dust behind him. Remus laughed. "Was it something I said?"
I grinned. "Have a seat," I said, gesturing to Snape's abandoned chair. "One seems to have come free." When he sat, I found the air around us rather stifling and I began to worry. Why was it we had nothing to say? I continued to study my Transfiguration book, grumbling about the upcoming test.
"I can help you if you'd like," Remus offered. When I looked up, his face had gone a deep shade of red. "If you need it, that is. If not I'll completely understand."
Well imagine my joy! Finally I would have someone able to break down each step of Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was a wonderful teacher but she had a tendency to skip through certain steps and fail to repeat them. Okay, well maybe she didn't skip steps. Maybe I just chose not to listen.
"I would be thrilled if you would be patient enough to put up with me," I joked happily.
Remus shook his head sweetly. "I have nothing but time and patience," he replied. "You need not worry in that area."
I raised my eyebrows. "You haven't worked with me yet, have you?"
Lily nearly fainted when I told her the new arrangement. "This is great!" she said excitedly. "I'll date James. You date Remus. We'll find two girls for Sirius and Peter and we can all go...quadruple dating! How exciting!"
I raised my hands in protest. "Oh no," I said before she got too carried away. "Remus and I aren't dating. He's helping me with homework. That's all."
Lily wore a completely look of skepticism in her eyes. "Do you think we all haven't noticed the way he looks at you?" she asked.
"What?"
"Oh, Abby, you can be so dense sometimes! Remus totally has a crush on you!"
I folded my arms across my chest and sat back in my chair. "What's your proof?" I asked vehemently.
Lily rolled her green eyes. "Come on, Abby, quit denying it. How can you miss the not-so-subtle glances he gives you during classes? And how he stares at you in the library? And the way he smiles when you walk into a room? And the way he laughs when you tell a joke? And the way..."
Her voice trailed off and I glanced to where her eyes had darted. Sirius, James, Peter and Remus had just entered the common room. "Hey baby girl!" James called, heading in our direction. Naturally his friends followed. He wrapped Lily in a tight embrace and kissed her neck.
"Get a room," Sirius grumped, flopping down in the chair across from me. Remus sat in the one beside me and Peter stood awkwardly by the fireplace. James had taken over Lily's seat and she was seated in his lap. "I mean, really now. You guys should just get married and get it over with." He shook his head. "I still find it hard to believe that all this came about over two months."
Lily blushed and I gasped. "Traitor!" I hissed jokingly and threw the pillow behind my back at her. "You two had started something last year, didn't you?"
James laughed aloud. "You don't miss a thing, do you?" he said. "Of course it started last year. Well, for me it started over five years ago. You were such a cute little second-year," he said teasingly to Lily, who giggled girlishly.
I felt something brush my hand and looked down to see Remus' hand not far from mine. His face was turned in Lily and James' direction, but I could see his eyes darting in mine. I took a deep breath. It's all in your imagination, I repeated silently. Lily has gotten you all worked up and worried about it, that's all.
"Sickening," Sirius muttered to himself, referring to James and Lily's behavior. "Is anyone going to Hogsmeade on Halloween?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Um, yeah," Remus retorted. "All of us, remember?"
Sirius shot him a glance. "I know we're going, dummy," he retorted. "I was talking about the girls." He turned to me. "So are you going?"
I grinned. "Halloween isn't for another month and a bit. How on earth did you learn about the trip already?"
"Yeah, it hasn't even been posted," Lily chimed in.
Sirius grinned bashfully. "We have our ways," he said mysteriously, examining his nails.
James grimaced. "He's lying," he informed Lily and me. "We sneaked into Filch's office and saw the notice."
Lily's mouth dropped open. "But—you could have gotten caught!" she cried in shock. "Are you all insane?"
"Not all of us," Remus piped up, looking unusually smug. "Just some of us." Once again I felt his hand brush against mine and I suddenly felt as if the room was absolutely stifling.
"I'm going for a quick walk before we have to be in for the night," I said, standing from my chair and stretching. Half of me expected Remus to join me and that very same half was petrified. But when he remained silent, the other half became wildly upset. I left the common room alone, but it didn't take Lily long to find me and gloat.
"I saw his hand reaching for yours twice!" she squealed happily. "I told you he liked you!"
"Lily, my friend, I think you need a hobby," I retorted as we left the castle and headed out onto the grounds. "Our chairs were pressed together and there wasn't much room; of course his hand was going to touch mine."
She just grinned at me.
Your frustrated friend,
Abby