As always, Meadow was more excited than I was about events that were occurring in my life and not hers. She'd been rooting through my closet (and hers, and the other girls' in our dorms, and even one of the fourth years') obsessing over what I would wear, and how we would style my hair, and how we would do my makeup. It was very much a "we" thing.
"Meadow!" I exclaimed, exasperated. "It's a Slug Club meeting, not a ball! Does it really matter? I could go in a potato sack and no one would notice." She narrowed her eyes at me.
"No one except, oh, I don't know, your new Gryffindor friends? Come on Star, wouldn't it be nice if we could be popular just for a while?" She stuck her bottom lip out and blinked her widened eyes. I sighed, trying not to laugh.
"Fine. I will let you dress me up like your own human mannequin, but you owe me a chocolate frog next Hogsmeade trip." I concluded with a giggle.
"Deal." Smiled Meadow, and she dived back into the pile of fabrics on the floor. I shook my head, laughing.
….
I checked the gold watch wrapped bulkily around my wrist to see that it was quarter to six. Knowing I had only fifteen minutes to find Severus and get to the meeting, I thanked Meadow and dashed out of the Tower. I sprinted through the bustling corridors until I saw Sev, reclined on a battered wooden bench. He stood when he saw me, straightening his black suit – no, not black, I realised as I neared him. It was the darkest blue I'd ever seen; it reminded me of clear winter nights, when the sky was clear and dark. He smiled at me and held out his arm. Wordlessly I took it, and we sauntered through the halls until we arrived outside Slughorn's door.
"Ready?" I asked, putting on a smile. I still wasn't entirely sure why I hadn't just declined the Professor's invite in the first place, but at least I was here with a friend. Severus nodded, jaw set and teeth gritted, and together we strode through the door.
In front of us was a large dining table with mismatched chairs scattered around the edges, very tightly packed next to one another. An ornamental pot sat in the middle, soup bubbling inside, and small bread rolls circling it. Various plates of cold meat and pastries littered the stained tablecloth, with the occasional vegetable dotted in between the chaos of food. Oddly, the setup reminded me of home: my mother's 'organised mess' as she called it covered my house in colourful (though rarely matching) bits and bobs. Severus and I sat down at the table, next to a few sixth years.
A loud rumpus sounded the arrival of the Marauders, just as I'd expected. Sirius, then Remus, then James came clattering through the door and collapsed breathlessly into their seats, shirts un-tucked and suit jackets crumpled. Lily, calm and collected as always, followed daintily, her light green tea-dress complementing her flame-red hair perfectly.
Lily was one of those girls who was just effortlessly gorgeous, but in a smiley, friendly way. Her personality was even prettier than her face (and that was a difficult feat) and so really, it was no wonder that Potter had been obsessed with her since first year. Everyone knew, just like everyone knew that she not-so-secretly liked him back, though she was too stubborn to ever admit it. However, it seemed he'd convinced her to come with him tonight, as she sat herself on his right, and offered a warm smile in his direction.
After a brief speech, Slughorn invited us all to dig in, and so plates were passed, and portions exchanged until we'd all had our fair share of the feast. After, he disappeared into a cupboard for a considerable amount of time and reappeared dragging a small mahogany trolley with a muggle record player sat on top. He played a record that I recognised to be David Bowie, and we all danced.
I looked up at Sev as we danced, about to say something, when I realised he wasn't looking at me. Rather, he was discreetly looking over my shoulder at the person behind me. Lily. I coughed softly, bringing his gaze back over to me, and said something about going to grab another glass of punch. He didn't follow. My eyes glued over my shoulder, I didn't notice Remus in front of me until I walked directly into him. We'd silently called a truce in DADA today, seeing as he'd apologised and began to make it up to Severus.
"Oh, I'm really sorry. Clumsy and distracted, I guess." I murmured, looking at the ground.
"It's all right, no harm done." He smiled as I lifted my face upwards. Sev walked over to join us, apparently broken from his Lily-trance. Remus continued, "You look beautiful tonight, by the way." I laughed.
"Meadow. She bribed me." His eyes creased into a smile.
"With what, may I ask?" he guffawed, and I bit my lip, embarrassed.
"Chocolate. It's my guilty pleasure." As I spoke, Remus' eyes lit up.
"Mine too!" A cough from behind ended our conversation abruptly. Sev held out his arm.
"Care to dance?" he asked politely, eyeing Remus with suspicion. I nodded, and took his hand, letting him lead me in a slow waltz. Even now, his eyes traced her movements instead of mine. I tried to remember that I'd told him this was as friends, and therefore I had no right to be possessive, but still. I'd come with him, she'd come with James, couldn't we leave it that way, just for tonight?
….
"Come on, I'll walk you back to your common room." Severus held out his arm. I took it, and together we walked out into the courtyard. The stars glistened like tiny pearls sewn onto some midnight fabric, embroidering the sky with gentle light. I sighed contentedly, looking up.
"They're so serene, aren't they?" I smiled, turning towards Sev. His eyes were locked with mine.
"Yes, they are." He breathed. Softly, Sev encased my lips within his, two fingers gently tilting my chin upwards towards his. His other hand hovered over the small of my back; as he brought it closer, I pulled away.
"Sev…" I whispered. "We can't do this." I looked up at his solemn face, eyebrows drawing together, but understanding in his eyes. "I've seen how you look at her… Lily. She's the one you want." He gave a tiny nod.
"And you?" He said, looking me in the eye. "It's Lupin for you, isn't it?" I shrugged, a miniscule smile tugging at my lips.
"I don't know. All I know is that I want to be friends with you, no matter what." I held my hand out to shake his. He took it in his, leant over and kissed the back of it whilst bowing.
"Of course, my lady." He smiled, and a small laugh escaped my lips. I curtseyed, and – side by side – we began walking back to Ravenclaw Tower.
So, she's practically admitted it now – but will she have the guts to tell Remus?
THANK YOU FOR 1000 READS! Never thought I'd get that many in under a month! Sorry about being so slow with this update, I had a lot of coursework to catch up on, and (as much as I wish it could be the other way around) my school work comes before my fanfic-writing.
That said, reviews, favourites and follows are great motivators as it lets me know people are enjoying the story, and can give me fresh ideas to use for future chapters. It'd be great if \i could get at least two or three before I update again.
Happy reading, Daughter of Orion xox
