The Potions classroom was a dark, dank place with a pungent odour that never seemed to fade. All eyes turned as Snape and I walked in and took our seats on the second row, but I did my best to ignore them. The only eyes I noticed were grassy green and full of shame; I especially avoided contact with those for the entirety of the lesson.
"Ah, time's up! Everyone enjoy your evening!" chuckled the always-cheerful Professor Slughorn. "Oh, before I forget, may I see… I left a list here somewhere… Aha! Mr Black, Miss Evans, Mr Lupin, Mr Potter, Miss Smith and Mr Snape." Severus and I looked at each other questioningly but walked towards the front desk anyway.
"Now, you six are my top performers in Potions, and so I'd be delighted if you'd all come to my dinner party tomorrow night. You can each bring a date, if you'd like, or not, if you'd prefer! I'll be glad to see you all there!" He beamed, and as much as I disliked the idea of joining his 'Slug Club' as it was dubbed, I couldn't help but smile at the man's enthusiasm for his subject and his students.
"Of course, Professor. I'd love to come." I said politely, and the others followed suit. As we walked out of the room, I grabbed Severus by the sleeve.
"Sev, I was thinking, given that – if it wasn't for you I'd be failing Potions - you might be my 'date' for tomorrow." I said, doing little bunny-ear quotation marks with my fingers when I said "date". "Only as friends, like, but I'd be happy to sit with you, if that's OK?" I raised my eyebrows hopefully. The same miniscule smile from before graced his face.
"Of course, I'd be honoured Smith." He bowed mockingly and added frilly airs and graces, making me laugh.
"Perhaps, my dear sir," I replied, forcing my accent to sound posh and queen-like, "you might endeavour to address me by my first name, not last." I barely finished the sentence without laughing.
"Of course, milady, Star it is." He said, chuckling along, then bowing again. "Till morrow, then."
I curtseyed. "Till morrow."
….
I was in the library writing my Ancient Runes essay, when I felt a tap on the shoulder, timid as a raindrop in summer.
"Star?" whispered the tall boy behind me. I didn't turn around.
"What do you want, Remus?" I responded coolly, my quill in my hand, hovering over the parchment.
"To apologise. About earlier, you were right. We should leave Snape alone." I could hear the guilt dripping through his deep voice, but I wasn't going to be swayed by words. Words can be false; words can lie.
"Have you said this to Sev?" I lifted my head and turned in my seat to look up at him. In the dim lamplight, I could see the three scars that ran from his right eyebrow, over the bridge of his nose and down to the left of his chin more clearly: they looked red and raw. He tilted his grassy eyes down to the wooden floor.
"No, not yet. But I will, I promise." His head and shoulders slumped in shame, he raised his eyes to meet mine with a hopeful glint coating them.
"Actions speak louder than words, Lupin. Apologise to him, leave him alone, and maybe I'll think about being friends." I collected my books and headed back to the Common Room.
….
I devoured a book in bed that night, twinkly lights twined around the bedframe. I rose and looked out of the window: stars shone on a palette of deep blues and purples swirling into one another, like pearls floating in dark waters. Trees swayed gently, coloured leaves turned black in the darkness, and the occasional leaf drooped and fell – a feather drifting through the sky. Clear nights like these always made me miss home; Arlo loved the stars, and they make me feel close to him, even though I'm not.
I nudged Tybalt, waking him, and pulled on a jumper from the floor, floppy and red, hiding my t shirt and denim shorts. It looked as though I was wearing only the jumper, but I wasn't particularly bothered: it wasn't as though I was going to see anyone this far past curfew. The wooden floors creaked softly under my feet as I slipped through the corridors and out the passageway.
I smiled breathlessly when I emerged from the ground, taking in the scene before me. It was one I'd seen a thousand times, but it never failed to amaze me just how gorgeous the landscape of Hogwarts was at night. Students slept, but nature woke: rabbits and foxes sprinted around the lake; owls swooped low, looking for prey; occasionally even the centaurs would venture out of the forest, though I'd only met them once in my five years at Hogwarts. Majestic creatures, they were proud and certain, but also respectful and hold the strong belief that all creatures and people are equal. I like that philosophy.
Suddenly tired, I collapsed to the floor by the lake, stretching my legs out to dip my toes in the cold, crystal waters. I lay back, head on my hands, and sighed contentedly. I was so entranced by the sky that I felt as though I was a muggle astronaut, floating weightlessly in the sky, surrounded by serenity. I could feel a smile set softly on my face, and I could hear the autumn leaves crinkling in the wind: September was nearly over now, meaning the cool, dark evenings and crisp, chilly mornings would soon be commonplace. It also meant the full moon was fast approaching – a week tomorrow, Tuesday the first of October. I pushed that into the furthest corner of my mind and built an unbreakable brick wall around it; I wouldn't let those thoughts seep back into me, poisoning my every waking moment as well as my dreams.
The dreams had been more common lately – I assumed because with the events of last month I'd struggled to push lycanthropy out of my head… The feeling that used to rent the pit of my stomach one night a month had now moved in full time, leaving me in a constant state of suspended apprehension. It scared me that (with Lupin's secret burdened on me too) I no longer had the escape from lycanthropy that I had these past few months. Karma's a bitch, I suppose.
"Who's a bitch?" came a voice from behind me, causing me to snap my eyes open and sit bolt upright. I hadn't realised I'd been chanting it out loud. A boy came to sit beside me, rolling his trouser legs up and removing his shoes and socks to join me with his feet in the lake.
"Y'know they say a giant squid will eat anyone who touches the water at night?" chuckled Sirius, reclining back onto his forearms.
"Believable story." I muttered, looking out across the vast expanse of gleaming water.
"That's Remus' jumper." Black said, nodding towards my body with his dark brows raised. I sighed.
"I know. It was next to my bed." Seeing the look in Black's eyes, I hurriedly corrected myself. "He lent it to me when he found me out here last week. Not what's going through your dirty mind, Black." I tried to keep a straight face but ended up mindlessly giggling with Sirius, until we faded into silence.
"I'm sorry, about what we did to Snape. Wasn't cool." His voice shattered through the thin veil of quiet. "We apologised to him, called a truce. Remus' idea."
I turned to look Black in the eye. "Good. I hope you're a man of your word." I replied sternly. He nodded once and lay his head down on the grass. I followed suit.
"He likes you, y'know." Sirius kept his head pointed to the sky as I turned mine to face him. "He'll never admit it, but he thinks you're pretty far out."
"I'd like to think all my friends think I'm far out." I smirked, cockiness not something people expect from me, even as a joke. Black turned to face me, one eyebrow raised.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." He said quietly. I sighed, setting my jaw slightly.
"Can't we just, like, not talk about it? Can't we just watch the stars for a while?"
And so we did, until the sun rose and a new day dawned.
Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since the last upload - I've been so busy with school, but I'll always try my best to upload frequently.
Special thanks to Raven That Flies at Night for your continual support and reviews - I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! Everyone keep favouriting, following and reviewing; it really helps me see whether people want to read this or not, and helps me plan how long this might get, that all depends on you guys!
So, is Sirius being honest? Will Sev forgive them? How will the Slug Club meeting go? Find out in the next chapter!
Love as always, Daughter of Orion xox
