"What are you so happy about?" Mina's roommate, Carly Davids, was sitting on her bed, eyeing Mina.
"Oh, nothing."
"Mina, I know you. You're never happy about nothing."
"Ok, in that case, I'll let you in on a little secret," She said. Carly grinned at this.
"I'm listening." Mina sat propped up against her pillows.
"I have a boyfriend, and you'll never be able to guess who it is, so don't try."
"Oh god, not again. This one better be good, Mina," said Carly.
"Excuse me? Again? I've only had one boyfriend before- that prick, Lucius Malfoy, who only dated me so he could meet my cousin, Narcissa," said Mina.
"What I'm saying is: don't make the same mistake twice."
"I won't, because this one's a Gryffindor."
"Oh, you poor thing! You're so desperate that you're dating a Gryffindor?" Carly joked. Mina threw a pillow at the girl.
"His name's Remus Lupin and he's really sweet," Mina explained.
"Boy, I've never heard that one before," said Carly sarcastically.
"What? I never said that Lucius was sweet when I dated him," said Mina.
"I'm just joking, Mina. You seem to really fancy this boy and it's not my decision who you date or what you do, so go out and do whatever you like."
"You're right. I do want to hear people's opinions, but... maybe I should run my own life. From now on, I do whatever the hell I want." Carly laughed.
"Good for you." Mina smiled at the Slytherin and went into the bathroom to fix her hair. It had been bothering her all day, so she let it down and brushed it out. She decided to change into something nicer, too. She put on a black tee with a frilly blue-gray skirt that fell just above her knees. She was not the prissy type, but that didn't mean she didn't own any skirts.
Mina went out into the hallway, figuring she would go find Lily, or someone to talk to. Snape was not the person she was looking for, but he cornered her in the hallway.
"You owe me a date for walking out on me," he said with a malevolent smile on his lips.
"I never said it was a date," Mina protested. He walked toward her.
"That's too bad." He had her up against the wall now and he leaned his tall body on hers. Mina was scared now.
"What do you think you're doing? Get off me," she said. Snape stepped back and laughed.
"You should've seen the look on your face! You thought I was going to make a move on you!" he said.
"Hmph! You wouldn't be so brave enough to try."
"One of these days, Mina," he said, reaching up a hand to stroke her long chestnut hair, "I will hold your heart in my hands." He smiled deviously.
"You are too weird," Mina shook her head at him.
"I thought that was why you were friends with me," he grinned.
"I'm friends with you, Severus, because you are one of the few Slytherins who is not a jackass, you're a 5th year like me, and I have to see you every bloody day," she said.
"That's good to know. So where're you going?"
"Away from here."
"Can I come with you?" Mina eyed Snape suspiciously. What in the world was he up to?
"As long as you keep your distance," she said. Snape put his hands up in defense.
"Hey, I'm just looking to spend some time with you like we always do. I won't harass you, don't worry," he said with a sense of sincerity.
"Ok, I trust you." They continued walking in silence.
"Where are we going?" Mina finally asked.
"I don't know, I was following you. It looks like we're heading for Gryffindor Tower, though." Mina frowned. She did not want to go there, yet had she been subconsciously leading Snape there?
Lily walked down the hall at that time, and a smile lit up her face when she saw Mina. Mina was relieved to see her and not Lupin. Was there a reason she didn't want Snape to know about Lupin? Perhaps it was because it is unthinkable for a Gryffindor and a Slytherin to be dating, or maybe because she didn't want Snape to be jealous.
"Hey Mina, how'd your date with Remus go?" Brilliant, thought Mina. Her cover was blown. Thank you, Lily Evans.
"Remus Lupin? Isn't he a Gryffindor?" asked Snape.
"Oh, it wasn't a date," said Mina.
"Are you sure?" asked Lily, grinning.
"Mina wouldn't lie," Remus seemed to almost appear out of nowhere. Did he just defend her?
"Remus, hi," Mina gave him an awkward smile as he stepped next to her.
"So what is going on with you two?" asked Lily.
"Yes, please tell," said Snape. Mina looked at Remus, searching his eyes for an answer. He smiled.
"There's nothing going on. Are you jealous?" he asked. Snape studied him for a moment.
"No," he said serenely. Mina blinked. Were the two guys who liked her denying their feelings?
"Actually, Sev, Remus and I are sort of seeing each other since this morning, but it's no big deal. Unless it is to you?" she turned to look at Remus.
"No big deal," he agreed.
"I should hope not," said Snape. Snape and Remus were staring at each other. Mina felt awkward.
"I should go," said Lily.
"No Lily, please stay," Mina begged her friend. Lily nodded at her and waited. Remus then slid his arm around Mina's waist possessively. She looked at Lily, then at Snape, and then down at her feet. This indeed was very awkward.
"Well this is an adorable seen!" Phoebe was at the other side of the hallway, staring at the couple.
"Phoebs," said Mina, suddenly very happy to see her, "where did you come from?"
"I was on my way to see you guys. But I guess you're all busy?"
"Not at all." Mina slid out of Remus' grip and walked over to her Ravenclaw friend.
"How was Hogsmeade?" she asked.
"First tell me how was your date?" said Phoebe.
"Mina says it wasn't a date," said Lily. Snape and Remus looked at each other realizing that the three had now engaged in 'girl' conversation, and both walked away in opposite directions.
"Really? Well, how'd it go anyways?"
"First answer my question. How was your time at Hogsmeade?" Mina asked, trying to avoid Phoebe's interrogation.
"Good, but I wanted to hang out there with you. Do you wanna go to Honeydukes with me?" asked Phoebe. Lily and Mina exchanged glances, a glint in both of their eyes. They nodded in unison. They all then headed back to Hogsmeade together.
"Honeydukes was really busy this morning, but I see it's empty now," said Phoebe when they entered the candy shop.
"I guess so. So, Mina, you never told us what happened with Remus," said Lily with eagerness in her voice.
"Well," she began, the two of them listening intently, "I got to the 3 broomsticks, and-"
"Ooh! Chocolate!" Phoebe's attention was diverted as she spotted her favorite thing in the whole world, like a hawk spotting it's prey. She grabbed for a chocolate frog, took out five sickles, and paid for it, before slowly devouring it. Lily and Mina laughed. There was nothing funnier then to see Phoebe chowing down on chocolate.
"Anyway," Mina continued, "we didn't talk for long. We ordered some butterbeer, and most of the time was spent just staring into each other's eyes. God, I wish I could just reach out to him. He seems so frightened, but I can't figure out what it is. It's like there's something bothering him and he can't get it off his back to tell me."
"Maybe you need to talk to him a little more," said Phoebe, re-entering the conversation.
"Maybe." Mina reached into her bag and took out a tissue.
"You have a little chocolate on your face, Phoebe," she said, handing her the tissue. The Asian girl blushed in embarrassment.
"Thanks." She wiped her face.
"I think he's just afraid to open up to you. You only just started going out with him. I'm sure if you give it a little time, it'll be fine," said Lily.
"Yeah, you're right." Mina sighed and took a look at the large selection of candy and chocolates in front of her. After a while she grabbed a bag of Bertie Bott's every flavor beans, 2 sugar quills, and a chocolate frog and put them on the counter.
"2 galleons," said the man behind the counter. Mina paid for her candy and he put it in a little baggie for her. "Have a nice day."
"Lily, aren't you getting anything?" asked Mina.
"No, that's alright. Let's go to Zonko's," she said. A smile formed on Mina and Phoebe's faces. They knew Lily was up to something when she passed up candy and wanted to go to the joke shop.
"Going to play another little prank on Potter?" Mina asked. Lily nodded and smiled mischievously. They all headed out to Zonko's joke shop to search for a new prank.
There were all sorts of jokes to get, but one in particular caught Lily's eye, and Phoebe and Mina both knew there was no arguing with her.
"Doc's Bag of Tricks," said Lily, holding up a small orange bag.
"What does it do? What does it do?" asked Phoebe. It was probably the chocolate that made her so hyper all of a sudden.
"This bag can be charmed to look like anything's in it, but in fact, it is really empty. Then, when somebody sticks their hand inside, they'll be getting a real shock."
"Ooh! What's going to happen?" Phoebe chirped.
"That's exactly what'll happen. A shock, as in an electric shock," Lily couldn't help giggling with glee at the thought of James being shocked.
"That's perfect! I can't wait to see the look on Potter's face!" exclaimed Mina.
"His face? I can't wait to see his hair after he gets bolted! It'll be so funny looking," said Lily. Phoebe giggled.
"Ladies, victory shall be ours," said Mina confidently. Then all three paraded back to the castle proudly, where an oblivious James Potter was waiting.
Back in the Gryffindor common room, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were studying for a charms quiz. Not one of them was brilliant at Charms, except Remus, and none of them liked the subject, either, but they all figured they should put in some hours.
Remus still couldn't get his thoughts off of Mina, however. He had honestly never felt that way before about a girl, and he couldn't describe the feeling, but he knew it was a good one and that he didn't want to lose her. Especially not to a git like Snape. He and his friends despised Severus Snape because he was such a loser and easy to pick on. Mina was kind to him still, and that didn't make Remus feel any better.
"Hey boys." James stared up into the face of the girl he loved, the one girl in all of Gryffindor who didn't like him: Lily Evans. She seemed especially happy today. Must be up to her old tricks. James would have to remember to hex her or something later.
"Why are you so happy?" asked Sirius Black.
"No reason. Girls, come on in; don't be nervous." Phoebe and Mina peeked their heads over from behind the door.
"You let in two girls who aren't in Gryffindor?" James remarked.
"You let in a Slytherin?" Peter said in shock.
"You let in my cousin?" Sirius was angry.
"This is a violation of my privacy," said James.
"What's so private that I can't see?" asked Mina. She stared down at the book in his lap. "Oh no, not your Charms textbook! I can't believe what I just saw!" The three girls giggled.
"Out! Out! Out! Get the bloody hell out of here!" Sirius demanded.
"Relax, dear cousin, I won't stay for long. We're just visiting." Mina said with a grin. She looked over at Remus and winked.
"Are you guys hungry?" asked Lily.
"Starved," said James. He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
"We brought some Bertie Bott's beans back from Honeydukes," said Lily, holding up that little orange bag.
"Peter, be a mate and have one of Lily's beans," said James.
"Aw, do I gotta?" asked Peter.
"What's wrong, James? Afraid of a little jellybean? You can handle a big bad vomit-flavored bean, can't you? Or a dirt-flavored bean? That's not so bad, is it?" Lily tempted him.
"It's not the flavor of the bean I'm worried about. It's what the bean will do to me if I eat it."
"Well, in that case, take a bean out of the bag and give it to Peter for him, okay?" James eyed her, but then gave in and stuck his hand in the bag.
"YOW!" a bolt of electricity struck through James' entire body, sending him to the floor. The girls began laughing hysterically, and Peter even gave a giggle until he noticed James staring at him.
"Why couldn't you do it?" He said through clenched teeth.
"Oh, you poor baby," said Lily teasingly. James could not take the mockery much longer. He grabbed Lily's ankle and she fell on top of him. He grinned.
"I like you much better in this position," he said. Lily slapped him.
"Pervert!" she got up and brushed herself off.
"You're such a jerk, Potter!" Mina hissed.
"Wait a minute! I've had enough of this! You electrocute James and he's the jerk?" Remus defended.
"That was funny. That comment he made was disgusting," said Mina.
"You know James. He's like that a lot. But you three don't have to be effing bitches all the time!" said Sirius.
"Who you calling a bitch?" asked Phoebe defensively.
"Ok, I don't know you're name, so I'll call you cutie for now, but you are not the bitch. It's your little friends who are," said Sirius.
"Cutie? Where'd you come up with that one?"
"Because you're cute," said Sirius.
"Really? You think I am?" Phoebe was so gullible sometimes.
"Don't listen to him, Phoebe. He's just flirting with you so you'll join his side," said Mina.
"For your information, Mina, I do think she's cute. And nice. You don't deserve her friendship," said Sirius.
"See, Phoebe, he's turning you against me!"
"Enough of this foolishness," said Remus. Everyone stopped and looked at him. His arms were crossed and he seemed really pissed off.
"You are all acting like a bunch of 7-year-olds. I want you all to stop bickering this moment. Lily, enough with the pranks. That goes for you, too, James. Phoebe, Mina, I want you to go back to your own common rooms now," said Remus.
"Yes sir," Phoebe said, saluting him and marching off like a soldier.
"Remus, I'm staying here. I'm not a kid, okay?" said Mina. He gave her a long look.
"Go to the library, then," he said. He winked at her and she got the picture and headed off to the library.
"Lily, do you have something to do?" Remus asked.
"I guess I could go study for tomorrow's quiz." She headed off to her own dormitory.
"Sirius, James, stop acting like idiots and leave those girls alone, okay?" Sirius and James nodded, both knowing that this would never happen.
"I have something I need to do now," said Remus as he headed out for the library where Mina was waiting for him patiently. She seemed very pleased.
"You put on a good show, Mr. Lupin," she said. He smiled.
"Why thank you, Ms. Gray." He put his arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her on the lips. She returned the kiss eagerly, her left hand sliding around his neck and her right running through his sandy hair. He was shorter than Snape, but taller than her, for Mina was only 5'3". He had to lean down a little to enjoy the full length of the kiss. It seemed to last for ages, and he wished it would last for all of eternity, but she pulled away from their embrace.
"I'm glad I met you," she said. He beamed at her.
"Me too." She loved his smile, because it made her warm inside. She seemed to melt as she felt his lips on hers once again. Snape wouldn't be able to get a hold of her heart now, for it seemed to belong to Remus Lupin. She had longed for somebody to capture her heart and she never could've imagined it would be a Gryffindor prefect, but she loved the feeling of being in his arms and she knew that none other could have her now.
"You're amazing," said Remus as he stared deep into her gray eyes. He really did love her eyes, as he had told her on their "date" earlier. He felt he could stare at them forever. He held her in his arms placing kisses on her cheek and neck now. He had found the one thing he had most desired, and he wanted to never let her out of his sight. He would always be there for her. Or would he? Thoughts flooded his mind of the time when the full moon would come and she'd be all alone in the dark. He would not be able to help her. He would not be able to save her from the monster inside of him.
"What are you thinking about?" Mina's voice shattered the bad thoughts.
"You, of course," he said, kissing her on the nose.
"What about me?" she asked. He did not answer, but just kept caressing her.
"Did you tell anyone else about us?" Mina asked.
"Not a soul. Do you want to keep it a secret?"
"Well I don't think Lily, Phoebe or Snape will tell anyone. I told my roommate but she won't spill either."
"So is that a yes or a no?"
"It's a 'until we're ready to let the rest of Hogwarts know'," said Mina.
"That's good enough for me. I'm just happy I found you, Angel," he said deeply.
"Angel?"
"That's what you are to me. An angel," he stared at her, wondering if she was ok about the nickname he gave her. She nodded, as if reading his mind. Suddenly, a chime from the library clock sounded, telling them it was dinnertime.
I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as i did writing it!!! I think this is my longest chapter yet, and I can't guarantee the others will be longer, but I'll try. To my reviewers:
Bebe 11-24- well, Bianca, I'm glad that romance excites you. And if you keep reading and reviewing, then I'll keep writing. A girl's gotta have her motivation, am I right? And that's where the loyal fans come in. Okay, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. I'll shut up now.
PaulC- I'm glad, too. All I know about Snape is he becomes a double agent for Dumbledore, it doesn't say how or when.
Thanks for reviewing guys! I love you all! All 2 of you!
Ciao!