Lily, Celeste, and the other fifth year girls woke up on Christmas morning with a real sense of anticipation. The Yule Ball was that very evening. "Oi, Happy Christmas everyone!" Coral called as she dove into the pile of presents at the foot of her bed.
Celeste was almost afraid to look at the foot of the bed. She so rarely had much for Christmas that she actually dreaded Christmas morning. To her surprise, there was a mountain of presents wrapped in bright paper waiting for her. She sat up and dove into her presents with the same delight as the rest of the girls.
"Oh, thank you, Lily," Celeste said, holding up a pair of shoes that matched her new dress robes. "I knew that I had forgotten to get something."
"Not a problem, Celeste," Lily said with a smile.
Celeste returned to her presents. She ended up with the shoes from Lily; an owl brooch from Remus; a box of Honeydukes sweets from Peter; a book on the discoveries of various potions from Sirius; a new winter cloak from Abigail, the Squib who was technically taking care of the twins; and a little gold and sapphire bracelet from James. Then she opened her final package. She gasped and pulled out her favorite lavender dress, completely purged of the ink and the hateful comments. A note fell out.
"'Celeste, the other teachers and I felt that you deserved a little bit of a treat. First, here is your dress, fresh and clean. Professors Flitwick and Slughorn managed to figure out what the girls did to it and were able to reverse it. Second, I know that you are aware of the fact that we are going to permit you to sit your O.W.L.s this year. We also have a waiver from the Ministry of Magic which, upon your graduation, will permit you to function in our society without the fear of reprisals from the Ministry when you use magic, as you will only be sixteen. Have a lovely Christmas. Sincerely, Professor McGonagall.'" She hugged the dress to her, her heart soaring.
"Hey, isn't that your dress, Celeste?" Saidie asked.
Celeste nodded. "Professors Flitwick and Slughorn, they found the way to fix my dress to the way it was before the others did ruin it." She shook her head. "Sorry. My English gets bad when I am excited or nervous."
"Don't worry about it, mate," Coral said brightly. "We understood you well enough."
Once the presents were all opened and the treasures therein were stashed, the girls went down for a quick breakfast. Then it was back up to the tower for a bath. After that, it was time to start getting ready.
Everyone agreed Celeste's knee length hair would take the longest to get ready. "I will just wear it in a braid, as I usually do," Celeste protested.
"No you won't," Coral said firmly.
"If you're going to a party, you need to look the part," Nora agreed. "Hey Lily, what do you think?"
"I think simplicity suits her better," Lily said. "But I do agree that a simple braid just isn't right."
"How about the herring bone?" Saidie asked.
"Not with how long her hair is," Lily said. "I'm thinking something a little different."
"What is it you want to do?" Celeste asked. She was getting a little nervous with all the girls standing around her.
Lily pulled out her wand. With a flick of her wrist, she cast a curling charm on Celeste's hair. "First, we're going to put ringlets in the bottom three feet of your hair." She shook her head. "How you can carry that much hair around without getting a headache is beyond me."
"I am used to it," Celeste said.
"Obviously," Lily said with a smile. "This is going to take a few minutes. Celeste, just sit still. I don't want the charm to be disrupted."
"Yes, Lily," Celeste sighed.
Lily helped Nora with her hair before returning to Celeste. "Ok. Now, let's get the rest of this done." She took Celeste's hair and began braiding the part that she didn't have curled. When she got down to the beginning of the curls, she wrapped a ribbon around the braid. She then twisted the braid up onto Celeste's head and, with some help from Coral and Saidie, pinned the braid to the back of Celeste's head.
Lily then separated the curls out a bit to give Celeste a softer look. "There," Lily said finally. "What do you think?"
Celeste looked into the mirror. "C'est magnifique!" she said happily. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Lily said, smiling. "Now, to make sure it stays up all day." She waved her wand again. She charmed Celeste's hair into staying in place. "Now, let's get everyone else's hair done."
"I don't think we should go to lunch," Saidie said suddenly. "I mean, we want to surprise the boys, don't we?"
"Yeah," Nora said. "Hey, Coral. Why don't you run down to the great hall and nick us some food?"
"Sure," Coral said. She headed out of the dormitory. Celeste helped Lily with Saidie's hair. When Coral returned, the girls snacked on the food while doing Lily and Coral's hair.
"Ok, now for the cosmetics," Lily said. "Celeste, you need to wear some."
"Yes, I know," Celeste said calmly. "I am too pale without it." She dug around in her trunk and pulled out her cosmetics bag. "I have some that my Squib guardian got for me." She shook out the products. "See?"
"That's some expensive stuff," Nora said appreciatively. "My mum always wears cosmetics and she buys that every chance she gets."
It didn't take Celeste very long to do her face. She never used very much, but it always made a big difference. "You know, you should wear this stuff more often," Saidie said. "You look so much better with a bit of color in your face."
"I do not like the feeling of this on my face," Celeste told her. "That is why I do not wear it all the time."
"Ah," said Coral.
"Don't forget to charm it in place, Celeste," Lily said. "You don't want it to come off when you put on your dress robes."
"This is true," said Celeste. She pointed her wand at her own face and cast the charm. She felt a slight tingle in her skin as the spell took effect. "There."
Once the girls were set, they relaxed in their room until closer to the time of the ball. Half an hour before the dance, the girls all pulled on their dress robes and headed down to meet their dates in the common room.
Celeste paused just out of sight, wanting to get a look at Remus before she actually walked down. Lily stopped with her. Remus moved into their line of sight. He was dressed in a set of dark gold dress robes. His usually shaggy brown hair was combed back and contained in a ponytail. "He looks pretty good," Lily commented.
"Yes he does," Celeste said.
Lily could see the warning signs. "So do you, Celeste," she said. "You two will make a stunning couple."
"You think so?" Celeste asked anxiously.
"Yes I do," Lily said. "Let's go down."
Remus paced nervously around the common room. "Moony, will you please calm down?" Sirius asked. "If she sees you pacing like that, she's going to think you don't want to go with her."
Remus stopped. He opened his mouth to reply, but his attention was captured by an angelic vision descending from the girls' dormitory. Lily came down dressed in emerald green dress robes, her dark red hair curled and pulled up so only a splash of red brushed against her shoulder as she tossed what was loose over her left side. He only spared her a passing glance, however. His attention was riveted on the young lady with her.
Celeste wore a set of turquoise dress robes that looked more like a dress than actual robes. Her long white hair was done in such a way that she seemed to be surrounded by a halo of light. The robes fell off her shoulders, giving her the vague look of a beautiful creature rising up from the sea. She didn't seem to be as pale as she usually was, and her light silver eyes seemed to glow as she walked down the steps. Her face lit up as she caught sight of him, putting the perfect finishing touch on her already angelic beauty.
"Hi," he said, as she came down to his side.
"Hello," she said shyly. He offered her his arm, and she took it.
"You look absolutely stunning, Celeste," Remus told her.
"You do too," Celeste said.
"Shall we go?" Remus asked.
"All right." Remus led her over to the portrait hole and helped her out. Neither of them saw the stunned looks on Sirius and Peter's faces, or the slightly triumphant looks on James and Lily's.
"Remus, I was wondering," she began. "Did you like the present I gave you?"
Remus looked at her with an incredulous smile on his face. "Celeste, I loved it," he said. "You know how much of a bookworm I am. I've never read any of those, and they're all books I've wanted to read. I think that you're about the only other person I know who would even want to read books that old."
"Lily remembered that you had said you would like some new books," Celeste said, blushing. "I wanted a special gift for you, because –." She turned bright red and stopped.
Remus didn't notice. He seemed very interested in one of the suits of armor. "So, did you like your gift?" he asked. "I know that the owl is your favorite bird." He lowered his voice. "And I know that it was you watching me in the Shrieking Shack this last time, when no one else was there. You know, the day you got that detention."
Celeste froze. "Dites-moi s'il vous plaît que vous n'avez dit personne d'autre, Remus. Dites-moi s'il vous plaît que personne ne sait. Je ne suis pas - je ne suis pas censé être capable de le faire," she breathed, her face as white as her hair beneath the thin layer of cosmetics. (Please tell me you haven't told anyone else, Remus. Please tell me no one knows. I'm not - I'm not supposed to be able to do it.)
Remus turned and took her trembling face in his hands. "Celeste, écoutez et croyez-moi. Je n'ai jamais dit personne de James et les autres. Je ne dirais jamais personne de vous non plus. Vous êtes plus précieux à moi qu'à peu près quelqu'un je sais. Et je ferais n'importe quoi et tout dans mon pouvoir de vous protéger," he told her. His accent was atrocious, but his words were well chosen. (Celeste, listen and believe me. I've never told anyone about James and the others. I'd never tell anyone about you either. You're more precious to me than just about anyone I know. And I would do anything and everything in my power to protect you.)
"Merci, Remus. Vous n'avez aucune idée que cela me signifie," Celeste said. (Thank you, Remus. You have no idea how much that means to me.) She smiled, and Remus felt his heart lurch in his chest. "Perhaps we should go into the ball now. We do not want to attract too much attention."
"Right," Remus said. He took her hand and the two of them started through the large double doors, but were stopped by a very palpable barrier. The two of them looked around in confusion.
"Bien, n'est pas cela une jolie vue. Vous ne saviez pas que vous devez embrasser votre partenaire sous le gui, Celeste? C'est la seule façon de traverser les portes. Je crois que c'est assez amusant. Vous ?" Catherine and Severus were standing just beyond the door, smirking at the now frozen pair. (Well, isn't this a pretty sight. Didn't you know that you have to kiss your partner under the mistletoe, Celeste? That's the only way to get through the doors. I think it's rather amusing. Don't you?)
"Will you please stick to English?" Severus snapped impatiently. Catherine blushed a little.
"You think she's right?" Remus asked.
"She has no reason to lie," Celeste said. "It will be funnier to her if we kiss." She looked up and saw the enchanted mistletoe gleaming above them.
Remus was able to turn and pull her close. Celeste tilted her face up, her heart pounding in her chest. Remus gave her a sweet but loving kiss and they both felt the bindings release. They hurried forward into the room.
A few minutes later, James and Lily were forced into the same predicament. Shortly after them, Sirius and Peter and their dates were also caught by the mistletoe. James and Lily gave the school a show, while Peter and Sirius kept their kisses short and sweet.
Remus and Celeste joined their friends. "I wonder whose bright idea that was," Lily muttered mutinously as she pointed to the enchanted plants hanging all across the top of the double doors.
"Either Slughorn or Dumbledore," Sirius said. "That's more like their senses of humor."
"It would have been Flitwick who charmed them though," Remus said. "He's the best at charms, after all."
"Well, let's go find seats at one of the tables," Lily said.
"It looks like we can get four to a table," Sirius said. James, Lily, Remus, and Celeste took over one table. Peter, Sirius, and their dates took over the other one.
The tables were set with the familiar golden plates and crystal goblets. Little menus on gilded paper rested on top of each plate. The teachers took their places at the high table, which was the only one of the usual long tables that hadn't been removed from the Great Hall. Dumbledore took his place in the huge, golden chair and lifted up his menu. "Salmon," he said firmly. "Baked potato. Spinach salad. Elf made wine." All of these things appeared on his plate and in his glass.
Celeste lifted up her menu, frowning a little in thought. Beside her, Remus had already decided what he wanted. "Steak, baked potato, steamed vegetables, and pumpkin juice," he said. The food appeared on his plate.
"What are you having, Celeste?" Lily asked. James also already had his food. The two young men were obviously waiting for the ladies to order as well.
"It all looks so good," Celeste said. She skimmed through the menu once more. "I think, yes, I want Salmon, baked potato, mushrooms, and pomegranate juice." The food appeared on her plate.
"That looks good," Lily said. "I think I feel like seafood today as well." She paused again as she made her final decisions. "Salmon, Caesar salad, baked potato, and pomegranate juice." Her food appeared as well. The four of them settled down to their meal.
When everyone was finished eating, the tables vanished. Those still seated at the tables got to their feet and the chairs vanished, only to reappear along the sides of the room. "Would all prefects, and our Head Boy and Head Girl please bring their partners into the center of the room?" Dumbledore called.
"What?" Celeste asked. Remus looked as confused as she was.
"Oh no," Lily whispered. "I'm so sorry. I forgot about this. All the prefects and the Head Boy and Girl have to start the dancing."
"Well, let's get this over with," Remus said with a sigh. Celeste nodded. He offered her his hand and she took it. The two of them joined the other nine couples. The music started, and Remus led Celeste into the first dance.
Celeste turned out to be a very skilled dancer, and Remus found he rather enjoyed dancing with her. The first song ended, but neither of them made any move to leave the dance floor. It was a need to catch their breaths that finally drove them to the chairs at the edge of the room.
"You sit here for a moment," Remus said, leaving her next to Sirius. "I'll go get us a couple of drinks."
"All right," Celeste said.
Sirius irritated his date by waiting until Remus returned before taking her back out onto the dance floor. "Here you are," he said, handing her a glass of punch.
"Remus, is that not a Slytherin girl Sirius is dancing with?" Celeste asked curiously.
"Yes it is," Remus said calmly. "Her name is Raven. She's actually really very nice. It was a shock to everyone when she was placed in Slytherin. She's a conniver, and very sneaky. She's also one of the cleverest witches in my year." He paused. "She's also very deeply in love with Sirius, though she won't admit it."
"You can see that," Celeste said. "If you have eyes to see it." She switched to French to keep the people around her from understanding her. "Sirius aime-t-il le Raven? Je veux dire, il semble qu'il fasse." (Does Sirius love Raven? I mean, he looks like he does.)
"Il est amoureux très beaucoup d'elle. Ils ne finissent pas passer trop de temps ensemble à cause de la querelle en cours entre Gryffindor et Slytherin. Mais je sais vraiment que sur le jour férié d'été ils planifient en accomplissement ensemble. Le fait de parler du jour férié d'été, qu'allez-vous faire?" Remus switched over to French as well. (He's very much in love with her. They don't get to spend too much time together because of the ongoing feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin. But I do know that over the summer holiday they're planning on getting together. Speaking of the summer holiday, what are you going to be doing?)
"Je retourne à Abigail. Il est où je suis censé être pendant tout l'été. Catherine ira fort probablement passent l'été avec Narcissa et Bellatrix," Celeste told him. (I'm going back to Abigail. It's where I'm supposed to be over the summer. Catherine will most likely go spend the summer with Narcissa and Bellatrix.)
"Je vais rester avec James pour l'été. Je sais que Sirius sera là aussi. Voudriez-vous peut-être venir nous rejoignent depuis un jour ou deux?" Remus asked. "Je sais que le Lily planifiait en arrivée aussi." (I am going to stay with James for summer. I know that Sirius will be also there. Would you perhaps like to come join us for day or two? I know that Lily planned on coming over too.)
"J'aimerais à. Je demanderai au Lily quand elle va ainsi je peux venir en même temps," Celeste said. (I'd love to. I'll ask Lily when she's going so I can come over at the same time.)
"What were you going to ask me?" Lily asked breathlessly as she dropped into the chair next to her.
"When you're going to the Potters' house," Celeste said.
"Oh, are you going to be there too, Remus?" Lily asked.
"James offered to let me spend the summer with him and Sirius," Remus said. "His parents don't mind, and I'm really not welcome at home. I'd rather be somewhere that I'm liked rather than somewhere I'm merely tolerated."
"I should be over around the middle of July. I'm going to spend a couple weeks there," Lily said. "My parents will be thrilled to know I'm not going to be the only girl there."
"Abigail will be fine with my staying there if I am not the only girl," Celeste said.
"Then it's settled," James said, handing Lily a glass of punch. "I'll let my parents know we're going to have a full house this summer. They'll love it. They adore kids, and since I'm an only child, it'll give them the chance to spoil all of my friends too."
"You think Abigail will let you come?" Lily asked.
Celeste shrugged. "Even if she does not, I will still be there," she said matter-of-factly. "You may think this wrong, but neither Catherine nor I have ever really paid much attention to what Abigail has said."
"Oh?" Remus asked.
Celeste sighed. "Abigail is a Squib, and she has always been bitterly jealous of anyone with magical power. She hates us because we represent something that she can never be. She tries to keep us from our books and our wands, and she tries to make us act as Muggles all summer. Catherine escapes to be with Narcissa and Bellatrix. I can escape for part of the summer to be with you."
"Celeste, I'll have to write my parents," Lily began slowly. "But how would you like to spend your summer with me?"
"Didn't you tell me your sister hates our world?" James asked.
"She's going away to camp this summer," Lily said. "I won't have to deal with her except for the first and last weeks of summer."
"If your parents do not mind, then I will tell Abigail she does not need to come to Kings Cross Station," Celeste said. "She will be happy about that. She doesn't like coming to where there are a lot of witches and wizards around."
"I'll send them an owl in the morning," Lily promised. Another slow song started, and James and Lily drifted back into the dancing. Sirius and Raven drifted off the floor over to the other side of the room.
Remus looked over at Celeste. She was beginning to droop. Social situations were never any fun for her, and the little trick with the mistletoe had to have been harder on her than it was on him. "Celeste, how about one more dance and then we make our escape?" he whispered. Celeste nodded, and the two of them got to their feet.
As the song changed into yet another slow song, the two of them rejoined those on the floor. As the words of the song rang out over the students, Celeste felt they fit her and Remus perfectly.
At the end of the song, the two of them left the great hall. They made their way back up the marble staircase hand in hand, murmuring to each other about the upcoming summer's delights. They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was drinking merrily with her friend Violet. "Flibbertigibbet," Remus said.
"Same to you," the Fat Lady said, hiccupping. She swung open to let them into the warmly lit Common Room. Professor McGonagall, at the request of a couple of the other teachers and Celeste, had finally relaxed and allowed the fourth years to attend the Ball. Those not attending the ball had gone home for the Christmas holiday. The room was completely empty.
"I think I'm going to go upstairs and change," Celeste said. "I am not tired enough to sleep, though."
"Come back down when you're through," Remus said. "I'm not ready to go to bed either."
"All right." Celeste went up to her room and quickly changed into her newly restored lavender dress. She removed the charm on her face and washed off the cosmetics. She even shook loose her hair and removed the curls. She decided not to braid it, but instead used a ribbon to keep her hair out of her face. Celeste hurried back down the stairs.
Remus had also changed, and was waiting for her. He looked up. "This is the first time I've seen you with your hair down," he commented.
"It takes too long to braid it," Celeste said. "I did not feel like taking so long to do my hair."
"That's ok," Remus said. "I think it looks lovely down. I'll bet it'll be a pain to brush out later, though."
Celeste shook her head. She tapped her hair with her wand and murmured something under her breath. "I have a charm that will keep it from tangling," she said. "It was one of the few things I learned from my mother." Her voice held a faint note of bitterness.
Remus sat down on one of the couches and motioned for her to sit next to him. She settled down beside him. "If you don't mind my asking, Celeste, what were your parents like? I mean, you know more about me – us – than we do about you."
"There is not much to tell," Celeste said. "I was born in Calais. My parents were fond of their parties and their comforts. They had never even entertained the thought of children. We put a stop to their more flamboyant parties for a while because my mother was too ill to do much. When she recovered, Catherine and I were dumped into the care of House Elves while my parents went back to their usual pursuits." Remus hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders.
"You and your sister had different names then, didn't you?" he asked gently.
"Mon nom est des Celestiel Hivers. Le nom de Catherine est des Cythendra Hivers. Le nom de ma mère était Marie et le nom de mon père était Jean-Marc. Je peux d'habitude pardonner aux gens n'importe quoi, mais je ne peux jamais et je ne pardonnerai jamais à mes parents pour qu'ils ont fait à ma soeur et moi," Celeste said, reverting to French once more. Remus knew from experience that talking about distressing things was always easier for her in her native tongue. (My name is Celestiel Winters. Catherine's name is Cythendra Winters. My mother's name was Marie, and my father's name was Jean-Marc. I can usually forgive people anything, but I can never and I will never forgive my parents for what they've done to my sister and me.)
"Celestiel," he repeated. "That's a lovely name."
"Je suppose que ma pensée de parents en m'appelant pour un ange ferait des choses mieux entre nous. Mais la vérité de la question est ils nous ont détestés. Ils ne nous ont jamais voulus. Nous étions juste un fardeau à eux comme les bébés et quand nous sommes devenus assez vieux pour être un peu utiles, nous étions des poupées simplement dégénérées, être agrémentés et faits étalage devant les sorcières sans nombre et les sorciers pour montrer comment parfait mes parents pitoyables ont été censés être," Celeste said bitterly. (I suppose my parents thought naming me for an angel would make things better between us. But the truth of the matter is they hated us. They never wanted us. We were just a burden to them as infants, and when we got old enough to be of some use, we were merely overgrown dolls, to be dressed up and paraded in front of countless witches and wizards to show how perfect my pathetic parents were supposed to be.)
"I'm sorry," Remus said. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Celeste blinked. "Ce n'est pas votre faute, Remus. Mes parents ne comprennent pas toujours tout qu'ils nous ont fait. Ce qui est plus mauvais, ils ne croient pas qu'ils aient fait n'importe quoi mal. Je crois que c'est ce qui me fait mal le plus. Mais je suis heureux ici en Angleterre. J'ai des amis qui se soucient de moi et je vais à une école qui est le meilleur en Europe. Ici j'ai tout que je voulais jamais, à part une famille qui m'aime. Et avec vous et les autres, je même vraiment n'en ai pas besoin," Celeste told him. She leaned her head against his shoulder. (It's not your fault, Remus. My parents still don't understand everything they've done to us. What's worse, they don't think they've done anything wrong. I think that's what hurts me the most. But I am happy here in England. I have friends who care about me, and I'm going to a school that is the best in Europe. Here I have everything I ever wanted, except for a family that loves me. And with you and the others, I don't even really need that.)
"We're your family now, Celeste," Remus told her firmly. "We'll be here for you no matter what. I know I can speak for the others in this because they feel the same way about you as I do."
A little of the light died in Celeste's eyes. "Je suis - je suis heureux pour cela," she said softly. (I'm - I'm glad for that.)
Remus hadn't missed the shift in her mood. "Celeste, m'aimez-vous?" he blurted, slipping into French as well. (Celeste, do you love me?)
Celeste turned almost as red as the couch they were sitting on. "Oui, Remus. Je crois que je vous ai aimés depuis ma première année ici à Hogwarts," she admitted. (Yes, Remus. I think I've loved you since my very first year here at Hogwarts.)3
Remus tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "Je vous aime, Celeste," he whispered, his golden eyes locked with her pale silver ones. (I love you, Celeste.) "Je ne l'ai jamais eu l'impression d'être d'une autre personne dans ma vie entière. Vous êtes la personne la plus spéciale que je connais et je ne peux pas penser aux dépenses de ma vie sans vous à mon côté." (I've never felt like this about another person in my entire life. You are the most special person I know, and I can't think of spending my life without you at my side.)
Celeste burst into tears. Remus saw the smile behind them, though, and pulled her closer. He tilted his face down and hesitantly placed his lips against hers. She returned his kiss with the same hesitancy. Soon, their kiss deepened and for a moment, they shut out the entire world and existed only for each other. Finally, they broke apart. Just in time too, because the portrait hole swung open and Sirius wandered into the common room.
"You two bugged out early too?" he asked in a determinedly cheerful voice.
"Yes," Remus said. "Neither of us is really big on parties. You know that. Are you ok, Padfoot?"
"I'm fine," Sirius said. "Why?"
"You do not look fine," Celeste said bluntly.
"Some Slytherins made their opinions very well known about a Gryffindor boy dating a Slytherin girl. Raven ended up getting dragged off by Slughorn. I didn't see where she went, so I just left," Sirius said bitterly.
"See if James is willing to ask his parents if she can also join us this summer," Remus suggested.
"Good idea," Sirius said. "I'll catch him when he comes up to the dorm." Sirius vanished up the stairs to the boys rooms.
Celeste leaned her head back against Remus' shoulder. The two of them no longer felt the need to talk. They simply stared into the fire, taking delight in each other's company. Finally, worn out by the day's excitement, the two of them drifted off to sleep.
James and Lily entered the common room along with several of the other Gryffindors. "Aw, how cute," Terrilee sneered as she caught sight of Celeste and Remus dozing on the couch. "McGonagall will love the fact that her pet prefect and his stupid bitch girlfriend are sleeping together."
Before anyone could blink, Terrilee found herself tossed halfway across the room by a hex. "If you so much as breathe a word of your sick, pathetic lies to Professor McGonagall, you'll seriously regret it," Lily snapped. The other fifth year girls also had their wands out. "You and your lot have made her life a living hell for the past three years. It ends now."
"You can't do anything to us," Regina began.
"You wanna bet?" Coral snapped. "We can do a great deal to you, and even if you try to tell McGonagall, she won't believe you."
James and Peter also drew out their wands. "You know why she won't believe you?" James asked conversationally. "Because we'll all vouch for the fact that you attacked us first."
"She'd know you were lying," Esther protested.
"Would she?" Peter asked nastily.
"If you don't mind, there are people trying to sleep around here," an irritated voice said from behind them. "Oh hell. What are you idiots up to this time?" Sirius had emerged from the boys' wing. His wand was out and pointed at the fourth year girls.
"They're threatening to tell McGonagall that Remus and Celeste were sleeping together in the Common Room," Lily said.
Sirius cast a quick glance at Remus and Celeste. "I suppose in a technical sense they are," he said reasonably. Then his face darkened. "But you'd infer something far more disgusting, wouldn't you, Terrilee?" Sirius brushed his long hair out of his face. "You know, we still owe you and your brother for what he and his friends did to James. We also owe you for what you girls have done to Celeste."
"If you lot wake her up, full moon or not I'll rip all of you new assholes," Remus growled, opening his eyes. They were practically glowing gold. "Also, if I don't see ALL those wands disappear, every last one of you will end up in detentions." All wands disappeared very quickly. "Lily, Nora, will you two help Celeste up to bed?"
"Sure," Lily said. Celeste stirred, but it was obvious she wasn't really awake. Lily and Nora took her upstairs to their room.
Remus stood up. "I suggest you all go to bed," he said. "Right now." Everyone scattered to their dormitories. Remus waited until everyone was out of the common room before heading up to bed himself.