Someone to Hold On to
It was the last train ride to Hogwarts. Ever. Our seventh year was finally upon us; and it was a sad and scary time. There was a powerful wizard among us, and we had no power to stop him. Most are scared to speak his name, but oh no, not me. I speak it, not with fear, but with hatred and rage. But you see, a time would soon come, when the level of rage in my voice as his name escaped my lips would triple, and something else would enter: a vow of revenge.
So, it was a dark and difficult time; yet we students managed to make the most of it. You see, Remus Lupin and I had been made Head Boy and Head Girl, and were determined to control our prank-minded friends. His friends, which I loved dearly (not in a romantic kind of way, mind you, but as siblings), were very dear to me: James, the ever charming Seeker; Peter, the slow but funny follower; and last but certainly not least (oh yes, he made sure of that), Sirius: the ever-witty, always-scheming hottie that most girls fell for. But me, I'm not into looks. Yes, they are important to some degree; for instance: I like boys with relatively long hair, a cute face, and deep eyes. But looks aren't everything. No, in fact, they matter very little. His disposition, intelligence, and his ability to love are far more important.
I was sitting in my compartment with my best friends, reading. I had been working on a difficult project all summer, ever since I found out. I was very close to a breakthrough, and needed all the concentration I could get. This wasn't an easy task. I knew I would be interrupted. Low and behold, interruption came upon me. But I'd never known interruption to be so sweet. "Hey, mind if we join you?" floated the voice of the Head boy and his friends. "No," I said impatiently. "Ah, so what has put you in such a foul mood, Miss Lukan?" Sirius asked, grinning. "Nothing," I snapped, "But you lot will have to shut up; I'm working on something very important. "Ah, if you're going to be that way," Sirius pouted, "we'll have to cheer you up!" I groaned inwardly.
"I think a little game of Truth or Dare is in order!" Sirius announced. All in the compartment cheered, albeit Remus and I. Both of us exchanged looks and I attempted to hide behind my book and continue with my note-taking and researching. "Ah, ah, ah! You, Rebekkah, are the reason we're starting this! Now put your book away!" I ignored him so he snatched my book. "The Art of Advanced Medical Potions," James read, "What on earth would you need that for?" "Nothing!" I said, in a rather high-pitched voice, attempting to grab my book. I saw Sirius' and James' eyes scanning the pages, including my side-notes in the margins. I finally succeeded in my task, but after that James and Sirius kept shooting me odd glances. I wanted to steer their attention away from my book, so I forfeited and played Truth or Dare.
"Excellent! A wise choice, Bekkah," Sirius grinned. A vicious game of Truth or Dare ensued, culminating in James running down the hallway topless cursing Sirius. When we were settled back in the compartment, that is to say the Marauders and, well, 'the Marauderettes', Sirius said, "How about a little Spin the Bottle?" "Sirius," I said, groaning, "please, I've already been cheered up enough." "I don't think so," James said, grinning. "Oh, I assure you I have." "Well, I still say we should play it. All in favor?" James said, gesturing that those in favor emit sparks from the ends of their wands. 6 excited hands shot up. "Ouch! Sorry, Moony, Star. Majority rules!" Sirius said smugly. He and James high-fived each other. I didn't know who looked more miserable: Me, or Remus. "Star, conjure up a bottle for us, will ya?" Katie asked. She's one of my best friends. I waved my wand in a tricky little motion, and an empty bottle appeared out of thin air in front of me, and then landed lightly on the ground n the middle of our little circle. I looked up, satisfied with myself, to several awed looks. "How'd you do that?" James asked. "Uh, I waved my wand and thought the incantation, and there it was," I replied. He still looked confused, so I added, "Nonverbal spells, learned it last year. Of course, you are an under-achiever, so I wouldn't expect you to know." I grinned broadly, and he punched me playfully on the arm. I pretended to look hurt, but ended up laughing along with him.
"Alright now, time to start the game. But first, a few rules: No slash, femmeslash or otherwise. No kisses longer than 5 minutes unless you're in a relationship with that person. Everyone agree?" Lily said. "Yeah," we all said in unison. "All right then, let's get this party started! "Ladies first," Sirius grinned malevolently. "Ok," Katie said, "As the leader of the Marauderettes, as we've so appropriately named ourselves, I will go first." Lily glared at her, and said, "And who declared you the leader?" 'Well, I did!" Katie retorted. "Nuh-uh!" Lily said. "Yeah huh!" Katie replied. "Guys!" I yelled, "how about you're both the leaders?" I looked to our other friend, Trisha, to see if she minded, and she looked excited for Lils and Kat, and that she wouldn't be called on for decisions.
With the leaders proclaimed, Katie spun the bottle. It spun round and round, until it landed on-gasp-James. Katie looked disgruntled, but leaned forward and kissed him swiftly on the lips. She started to kiss his cheek, but Trisha said it had to be on the lips. Lily's expression was unfazed, but I saw a bit of disgruntlement and jealousy in her deep green eyes. I decided to keep that to myself. "Alright, your turn James," Remus said. James nodded and spun the bottle. It landed on Lily. She made disgusted expression, but after he kissed her I could see she was satisfied. Then Lily spun. The first time she got Trisha, but thank God for the anti-slash rule. She spun again and got Sirius. She groaned and kissed him lightly on the lips. Katie looked a little jealous at this, and I decided I'd keep both of my friends' secrets. Now it was Sirius's turn. He spun and got me. I tried not to look too disgusted for the sake of his feelings, but didn't want to look like I wanted him to kiss me either. I knew Katie liked him, and I would never, ever, steal Katie's guy. Or any of my friends' boyfriends, for that matter.
Sirius kissed me quickly; and then it was my turn. I grabbed the bottle and, with trembling hands, spun it. It spun round and round. It seemed to me like time was standing still. And then, quite abruptly, it stopped. Right on Remus. I gasped quietly. I didn't want to look up, to meet his eyes. If I had I would've seen joy mixed with apprehension; hesitation mixed with elation. But I didn't look up. I didn't, because just then the whistle blew. The train stopped. We were here. And I was… disappointed.