Every wolf needs a moon
By Talia-Rose
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter so don't sue me. This story is set during the Marauders time at Hogwarts.
Chapter Seven: The visitors arrive.
When she returned to the dormitories, Sonya found a long leather thong that she could use to wear the crystal. It was long enough to wear at all times with the cold stone nestled between her breasts. She would do anything to stop the nightmares and this seemed like an easy way to do it.
"Sonya?" Lily's voice came ringing through the dorm room and Sonya jumped nervously. "When did you get up here? We thought you would still be talking to Professor Dumbledore. The whole school's rife with rumors about the impending visit from another school."
She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and cringed at the dark shadows under her eyes. Perhaps she would be able to catch a couple of hours of sleep before lunch. "Lily, do you think it would be alright if I had a little nap? Professor Dumbledore gave me something that should block out the nightmares and I was wondering if it worked."
Lily gave her a look, "But what about school work and all that? What about this visit?"
"I think recovering my energy is a little more important. Hopefully this fix will work and I'll be able to rest normally." She yawned and grinned at her bed. "On second thoughts, I'm just going to have a nap anyway. Tell the guys where I am and what I'm doing if they're looking for me."
Pulling the curtains shut around her bed, Sonya curled up on top of the sheets and easily drifted off to sleep. She slept soundly for about five and a half hours before Lily came back to wake her up because she was worried that Sonya wouldn't sleep that night. The other reason was because they were all planning to sit down and help her finish her homework.
"Come on Sonya, Remus is waiting for you. We're going to get your charms and history of Magic essays finished before dinnertime." Lily waited for her to brush her hair and wash her face.
Trudging down the stairs after Lily, Sonya yawned a few times, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. She had truly slept well for the first time in ages and the crystal that was pressed against her skin seemed warm now instead of cold. Remus looked up at her, smiling warmly while James and Sirius were dealing with Peter and the rest of their fan club.
As much as she liked James, Sirius and Remus, Sonya couldn't bring herself to warm up to Peter and so, he was left out of a lot of things that dealt with her. Sitting down at the table beside Remus, she pulled out her potions essay and with his and Lily's help, finished it quickly. Reading it over, Sonya still thought that it didn't make sense but both Remus and Lily assured her that it was very good.
"Now charms." Remus chuckled at the expression of agony on her face. "Oh come on Sonya, its really not that bad. Trust me."
They worked through the charms essay with her, Lily explaining everything to her as they went while Remus looked through the books for the information and references that she needed to back up her essay. When they were finished with that one, they took a short break and munched on a pile of chocolate frogs that Sirius and James had supplied.
"I can't wait for tonight." She muttered. "Professor Dumbledore said that they're arriving before dinner."
"Who is arriving before dinner?" Sirius came over to the table to join them, his eyes glittering with amusement.
She clapped a hand to her head and grinned. "Oh I forgot to tell you! You know how I saw Professor Dumbledore this morning? Well, he told me about this visit that's being made by a group of eight students escorted by one teacher from another school. You'll never guess which school they're from."
Lily rolled her eyes, "I think we can all guess in one which school they're from. Saint Luthors. Eight students you say? Do you know if you know any of them?"
"Nathan and Andre are two of them and they're the two who Gryffindor will be hosting which means that you boys have to be nice. Very nice. I don't want you guys to be nasty to my friends because if you are, I will make sure you suffer for eternity." Sonya met each of their eyes before coming to rest on Remus and Sirius as if to say 'you two especially.'
Resting his elbows on the table, Sirius leant forward. "So your beloved Nathan and Andre are coming to Hogwarts along with six other Saint Luthors students and a Saint Luthors professor and the two of them are going to be staying in Gryffindor tower. What about the rest of them?"
"Two to each house. It will be my job to show them around the school and to basically serve as a guide."
Remus shook his head. "Sirius, stop fishing for a fight. How many times does she have to remind you that she's related to Nathan? And Sonya, how can you serve as a guide when you still get lost wandering around the castle?"
Grinning, Sonya shrugged. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. But you lot are going to help me… aren't you? I will need it. I will need what ever help I can get over the next week."
"From what you told me about Andre, I'll be helping you." Lily giggled, remembering the photos that she had seen of the young Frenchman.
When he heard her say that, James looked upset. "But what about me Evans? Have you forgotten my unwavering love that I have been laying in front of you for the last few years?"
She arched an eyebrow at him and coughed, "Whatever you say Potter. Besides, I don't think it's any of your business who I find attractive."
Sonya looked stunned, "You think Andre is attractive?" She paused for a moment and thought about it. "I guess I've never really looked at Andre or Nathan in that way because they're both related to me and because they're both my close friends."
"You've never looked at them in that way?" Padfoot was onto the case. "But if you didn't look at them that way, how many other male friends did you have to hang around with at your old school?"
Leaning forward, Sonya flicked his nose. "Wouldn't you like to know Sirius Black? Are you worried that I might discover that someone I liked is among the group coming here tonight and forget about dear Remus?"
"Actually, I was more worried that you would forget about me." He replied, flicking her nose in return.
Remus kicked him under the table and smiled innocently at Sonya. "Come on, let's get your history essay written. It should be easier than charms and potions to do since it's about the Vampire and werewolf wars in Transylvania. You're bound to know more about that topic than anyone else here since you went to Saint Luthors."
Settling down, Sonya was able to write the essay easily, pulling most of the information from the back of her mind – some of which amazed Remus and Lily. It was obvious that areas of history like that were covered in detail in Saint Luthors and Remus knew exactly why even if Lily didn't.
When they were finished – Sonya wrote the essay mostly on her own without much help – Remus leant over and gave her a hug. Standing up, Lily rubbed her eyes and smiled, muttering that she felt like doing what her friend had done earlier.
"You know Lily, I've been wondering what I would look like with longer hair." Sonya murmured in her friends' ear.
Lily grinned and nodded, helping her pack up her books. "Come on, I have the perfect spell for that. You'll look great."
"Perfect spell for what Lily? Sonya? What are you two going to do?" Remus looked confused and Sirius snickered.
"You'll see later." Lily chuckled, ushering Sonya up the stairs.
Putting her books down on her bed, Sonya turned around to look at Lily thoughtfully. "How long do you think it should be?"
Turning Sonya around, in front of a mirror, Lily pulled out her wand and thought for a moment. Tapping the tip of the wand against the back of Sonya's head, Lily spoke the spell out. Moments later, Sonya's short hair started to grow longer and eventually stopped growing when it reached mid-way down her back.
"Long enough?" She asked, holding her wand still in her hand. "That's how long I thought it should be when I said the spell."
Studying her reflection in the mirror, Sonya had to agree with her friend. The length of her hair was perfect for her and going over to her trunk, she pulled out a skirt, silk blouse and a corset all in the gypsy style she was used to wearing at Saint Luthors. With Lily's help, she dressed and secured her hair back in ringlets. To her, this was a normal way of dressing but to Lily, it all seemed rather fancy.
Grabbing her school cloak, she pulled it on over the top of what she was wearing and hugged Lily. "I can't believe that Nathan and Andre are going to be staying here at Hogwarts for a week. A whole week! Isn't that just wonderful?"
"Yea, great. You know Sonya, Sirius Black is mad about you…."
Pausing in her actions, Sonya turned her head to look at Lily, several ringlets falling over her face. "I know Lily, it's a bit hard to notice. But Remus…."
Lily sat down on the edge of her bed and studied the other girl, "Remus. Do you honestly like Remus or are you trying to stay with what you know? What you are used to?"
"Actually yes, I do like Remus. I feel safe in his company, I feel accepted, and I feel like I can be myself when I'm with him. He's so understanding of everything and when you get to know him, you discover that he's got a great sense of humor. He's honest about what he feels and thinks, he's romantic… what more could a girl want."
"True love."
Snorting back laughter, Sonya arched an eyebrow at Lily. "Like you love James even though you won't admit it. We're too young to know true love yet Lily but if we weren't to young, I probably would be in love with Remus Lupin."
Rising to her feet, Lily shrugged and headed towards the stairs. "Just don't be blind to what's in front of you Sonya. Sirius Black would probably throw away his bad boy flirt image for you if you asked him to."
Following her down, Sonya realized that it was almost time for dinner and she quickly rushed out of the Gryffindor tower, telling her friends that she had to meet Dumbledore at the great hall. Remus blinked before turning to Lily to ask:
"By Merlin, what did you do to her hair?"
"Ah Miss Delcot, there you are!" Professor Dumbledore smiled at her as she hurriedly entered the hall. "And dressed like any good student from Saint Luthors would be, I see."
Blushing, Sonya tugged at her Hogwarts cloak and replied. "I hope I'm not to late Professor Dumbledore."
"Miss Delcot, I have missed your charming wit in my class since last school year." A familiar voice rung out across the great hall and commanded Sonya's attention immediately. "I hope that your new transfiguration professor realizes what a treasure she has in her class."
"Professor Sliskovitch!" She curtsied.
The tall woman walked towards her, eight well-dressed students following her. She glanced at her ex-student and shook her head, "Get rid of that dreadful cloak. Black isn't your color."
Glancing at Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, Sonya shrugged the Hogwarts cloak off, her instilled obedience to Professor Sliskovitch overwriting their curious expressions. "Of course Professor."
"And you must be Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall?" Professor Edita Sliskovitch turned to the headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "Dorian Valmont has told me a lot about you. It is an honor to meet you both."
Professor Dumbledore meet Sonya's gaze over the top of his glasses. "Yes, I'm sure it is. Miss Delcot, I trust you can look after the Saint Luthors students while Professor Sliskovitch and I talk in private? Minerva, give the girl that list detailing which house each student will be staying in while they're here. Professor, if you would follow me please?"
Taking the list from Professor McGonagall, Sonya waited until the three teachers had disappeared before turning to grin at the eight students from Saint Luthors. There were four boys and four girls, each of them people she was familiar with. At the front of the group stood Nathan and Andre, waiting for her to say something.
"Nathan!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed both his cheeks before turning to Andre, "Andre!" He received the same. "Welcome to Hogwarts, the school I once thought came from the darkest place in hell."
"Once thought but no longer?" Andre asked, his French accent calling the attention of the on looking students and several of the girls started chattering.
Turning to the rest, Sonya greeted each one by name. "Melanie, Catalina, Tuathal, Zackariah, Danielle, Leo. It's so wonderful to see you all again. I've missed being at Saint Luthors but I'm sure that you all know the reason why I had to change to Hogwarts."
The pretty girl called Catalina smiled coldly at Sonya, "The full moon hasn't been as fun without you Sonya. Poor Nathan here has been quite desolate."
"I hope you've all be warned about talking about those things here. It's important that you don't reveal any secrets otherwise a lot of bad things could happen… you know, pitchforks and torches. We're not in the Balkans anymore, werewolves and Vampires aren't common here." She turned around to look for Lily and waved the red-haired girl over.
Lily came over, smiling brightly. Behind her, Remus, Sirius and James followed at a slower pace. "Welcome to Hogwarts, my name is Lily Evans."
Sonya read over the list and pointed to each in turn. "Melanie and Danielle. Lily, can you take them over to your friend in Ravenclaw? They're staying with them."
Melanie and Danielle smiled warmly to Lily and introduced themselves to her. She nodded and took them over to the Ravenclaw table where her friend Cassandra was watching. Turning to James, Sonya fluttered her eyelashes and held her hands in a prayer position in front of her.
"Catalina and Tuathal, this is James Potter. James, Catalina and Tuathal. They're staying with the Slytherins…."
"Come on, I'll introduce you two to Wilham. He's the seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team." James grinned, leading the boy and girl over to the far table.
"What about us?" Leo asked.
Looking at Sirius, Sonya giggled. "Well good old Sirius Black here has some friends in Hufflepuff and you, Leo, as well as his nibs, Zack, are going to be staying there."
Groaning, Sirius shrugged and started walking with them over to the Hufflepuff table with the intention of introducing the boy and girl to his friends there. Turning to Andre and Nathan, Sonya hugged them both again before they went over to the Gryffindor table with Remus.
When Lily, James and Sirius returned to the Gryffindor table, Sonya was sitting between Remus and Nathan while Andre was being surrounded by the Gryffindor girls who found him irresistible. Lily took one look at the expressions on James and Sirius' faces before sitting down next to Nathan.
"So you're Nathan?" Sirius sat down opposite them. "We've heard a lot about you."
Nathan arched an eyebrow and looked at Sonya. "Have you indeed? Well I must say that your reputation precedes you Sirius Black. Our Wolfie has said a lot about you."
Hearing him speak caught Lily's attention away from Andre. He had a strong Romanian accent that was slightly affected by French. She turned to him and smiled. "You are Sonya's cousin and yet your accent is very Romanian while hers is more of an English accent that is influenced by Romanian."
"Well the Delcot family has lived in Romania for many years now. I was born there but Sonya was born in England. Our two halves of the family are quite different… in more ways than one." He smiled back at her, his large yellow-green eyes appearing wolfish to her.
Remus shook his head and wondered what the other boy meant. "Well Wolfie has told me that we have a lot in common. Perhaps she'll finally tell me what it is now that you are here."
She grinned and shrugged, turning so that she could see where the three Professors were sitting. "Every wolf needs a moon and every eagle needs the wind under her wings."