Hey there...been a while... .; I'm terribly sorry that it's taken so long for me to get an update up. *sad face* You've all been very patient, and I'm grateful for that. School and just life in general have been kicking my butt lately, as they have BondSlave's, but we're still working on our writing, of course!
So much for getting the Christmas chapters up near Christmas...heh. But it's cool to read Christmas stuff all year 'round, right? :D
NemosDadwasNemosMom: Oh wow! *sparkly happy eyes* Thank you so very much! Well, we came up with this after seeing DHp2 and having a very sleepless weekend where we lived on pizza, chips and bean dip, and fuji apple Sobe water. And viola, this story was born! haha We're thrilled that you like it so much! Thank you, thank you! That means so much! :D
Alright, on with the show~
-VI. Day Off-
In which a handsome stranger strolls into town.
Kelsey awoke the next morning to a splitting headache and the urge to throw up the entire contents of her stomach—which she vaguely knew consisted of plenty of candy and lots of fluids. She groaned and sat up, putting her hand to her head. She realized that she was still in her costume and looked down at herself, confused.
"Oh, you're up," Lucinda said. "Are you alright?"
Kelsey looked at her groggily. "What happened?"
"Seems someone at the party last night spiked the punch," she answered. "You...got a little drunk."
Her eyes widened as she stared at her fellow Ravenclaw. "Wh..." She pressed her palms against her face. "Oh no!" She threw her hands down and looked desperately at the other girl. "Please tell me I didn't do anything too awful."
Lucinda thought for a moment. "No, not really. You were stumbling around calling Remus 'Sirius', and you tried to convince a couple of girls that Remus was a werewolf..."
Kelsey's face paled and she looked at her hands in her lap. Oh no! What did I try to do? !
Lucinda chuckled. "Honestly, you were so drunk, you thought he was a real wolf."
She gave a half-hearted chuckle, then looked at her again. "How did I get back here?"
"Remus brought you back," Lucinda said. "And you laid on your bed for at least an hour, giggling about how the curtains are blue."
"Oh, brilliant," Kelsey said dryly, pushing herself to her feet.
"You want some coffee or something?"
Kelsey chuckled. "I'm not that desperate." She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "If anyone needs me...I'll be showering and trying not to throw up."
;;;;;
Alisha woke up when a few of her fellow Slytherins ran through the common room, laughing loudly. She groaned and sat up on the couch, rubbing her eyes.
"Finally awake," Lucius commented.
Alisha tried to get her eyes to focus on him. "Wha' happened?" she asked tiredly.
"Oh, you and Severus came stumbling to the door last night, both of you out of your minds and obviously drunk."
"Drunk?" Alisha thought for a moment, and that was all it took for her to recall her memories. She gasped loudly. "Oh my god, I—" She slapped her hands over her mouth.
"What was that?" Lucius asked.
"Nothing," Alisha said, pushing herself up from the couch. Before he could ask anything more of her, she rushed off towards the girls' dorm. On the way up, she ran into Severus.
They stared at each other for a few moments, the memories of the night before swirling through Alisha's frazzled mind.
"You should take a shower," Severus said. "It helps stave off the hangover." And he walked away without another word.
Alisha looked after him curiously. It took all of her willpower not to rush after him and demand to know what he remembered. Did he remember at all? Had he forgotten? Had she dreamt the whole thing? No, she was sure it had happened.
Then a horrifying thought struck her. If she'd only been buzzed and had allowed herself to make out with Severus...what on earth had happened with Kelsey?
She rushed through a shower (trying her best not to throw up), got dressed, and ran down to the Great Hall. She quickly spotted Remus sitting with James, Sirius, and Peter. She ran as fast as she could toward them. They saw her coming, but... Well...
Alisha grabbed Remus' shirtfront and yanked him away from his breakfast. "What happened?" she asked firmly, her voice not quiet, but not at the level of shouting either.
Remus blinked at her. "Uh..."
She shook him. "With Kelsey, idiot! What happened? !" She stared at him. "You didn't..."
Remus blushed and stared at her.
Sirius grinned. "Well now—"
Remus flung his hand back and whacked Sirius in the middle of his chest. "Of course I didn't!"
Alisha raised an eyebrow. "You promise?"
"I swear," he said. "When I left, she was on her bed, laughing about the curtains or something. Nothing happened."
She breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't release him. "Good. That's good. Thank you."
"Uh... Alisha, why were you just shaking Remus like he'd done something horrible?"
They all looked at Kelsey, who had approached a moment before.
Alisha let go of Remus and laughed nervously. "Oh, hi!" she said. "How's your head?"
Kelsey blinked at her. "Feels like it weighs twenty pounds."
"Yeah, sounds about right," Alisha said. She laughed loudly. "I am so out of it!" She started backing away. "I'll, uh... I'll see you guys!" And she shuffled away to the Slytherin table. Now that she knew Kelsey had made it back without incident, she was free to stew over her own problems.
Kelsey watched her friend go, an eyebrow raised curiously, but her head was pouding too much for her to even consider asking questions. With a mumbled, "See you guys", she shuffled off to the Ravenclaw table to try to force down some breakfast.
Remus looked after her, glad that she was looking better than she had last night. Or, more sober, anyway.
"Y'know, I think Edwards had it wrong," Sirius commented.
"What d'ya mean?" James asked through a moutful of eggs.
"When she asked Alisha why she was shaking Moony like he'd done something horrible," Sirius explained. "If he had done anything, it wouldn't have been anything horrible." He grinned. "He would've done something—or someone—utterly beauti—"
Remus tackled Sirius from his seat in a flustered fit. "Shut up, Padfoot!"
Sirius only laughed loudly in reply, thoroughly amused at his friend's embarassment. But he wasn't through yet. "Oh? So you disagree?"
"Disagree with what?" Remus snapped, grabbing Sirius' shirtfront and shaking him slightly. His face was still bright red as he tried not to think too much about what Sirius had said.
Sirius smirked. "You don't think Edwards is beautiful?"
Remus' glare fell from his face, but the blood did not. In fact, he turned even more red, if that was possible.
Sirius, James, and Peter just blinked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer to Sirius' perfectly rational question.
Remus cleared his throat and let go of Sirius, then got up and sat back in his seat. "I really don't think this is the appropriate time or place to talk about that," he said quietly, his tone doing nothing at all to hide the fact that he was completely and totally flustered.
Sirius and the other Marauders also knew from his tone what his answer was. And it only made them grin at him more.
"You won't even concede to say that she's pretty?" James asked teasingly.
"Or cute?" Peter asked with a grin.
"How 'bout attractive?" Sirius asked.
"Good-looking?" James tried.
"Appealing?" Peter suggested.
"Fetching," Sirius said with a grin.
"Charming," Peter tried.
"Foxy," James said, smirking.
Remus stared down at his breakfast through this banter that was starting to sound more and more like a recital from a thesaurus. "Like I said, not the time or place." And if one of you says, "sexy," I'll knock you out, he straightened up a little, still looking down at his plate, as if telepathically daring them to say it. "Besides, I don't feel it's right to talk about Kelsey behind her back."
"Well, then I'll call her over here!" Sirius said in a "I'd be only too happy to do it" tone. He stood as Remus stared at him in horror. "Hey, Edwa—!"
Remus yanked him back down into his seat, shaking him furiously. "Shadduuuuuup!"
The Marauders laughed, but the subject was dropped from that particular morning conversation. Remus soon calmed down and was talking to them all again without any embarrassment or hesitation. But just because the subject had been dropped didn't mean that they all weren't thinking about it. Or, in Sirius' case, thinking about ways to only make Remus' flustered fits worse and, by proxy, that much more enjoyable.
;;;;;
Breakfast was oddly awkward between Alisha and Severus. Alisha felt horrible for having made out with Severus and enjoying it so much, and Severus felt out-of-place because Alisha was acting so oddly. He attempted conversation once or twice, but never got it to go anywhere, so he eventually just gave up and continued nibbling on his toast.
;;
Remus, who was sitting by Peter, looked over at the shorter boy and smiled. "How you feeling, Wormtail?" he asked warmly, as if the previous conversation hadn't happened.
The smaller boy looked paler than usual and had dark circles under his eyes, but seemed otherwise whole. "I'm feeling better. Just sad I didn't get to go to the party with you guys."
Remus nodded as he cut into his fried eggs. "Yeah, really was a pity. You did miss some interesting scenes. But don't worry, there's always the next party," he said as he patted Peter on the back.
"Yes!" Sirius said as he thrust his fork, sausage skewered on it and all, towards the small blonde boy seated across from him. "The next party will be even cooler and you will be there!" he said enthusiastically, which caused Peter to smile.
James nudged him. "We did miss you last night. Missed that little awkward dance, chicken-looking thing you do," he said with a laugh. "I tried getting Moony to do it at one point, but his limbs are too long."
Remus blushed and chuckled slightly.
Peter was glad he'd been missed but, from what the others had told him, he was very sad that he'd been sick. He would have given anything to see a drunk Kelsey and Snape. He didn't doubt it would have been absolutely hilarious. "What are we doing today?" he asked. "Since it's Saturday."
James looked thoughtful. "You know, I'm not sure." He looked over his glasses at the smaller boy. "What do you want to do today, Wormtail?" he asked.
Sirius perked up. "Yeah! Today can be all about you! You did miss a good party and we didn't really hang out with you much while you were ill. We can all hang out today and do whatever it is you want!"
Remus nodded, setting his fork down and wrapping an arm around the other's shoulders. "Name it."
;;
Kelsey poked at her breakfast, completely uninterested. Everything looked good and smelled good, but she was sure anything she swallowed would try and climb back up her throat. Which was quite a pity, since her eggs looked delicious.
"You really ought to eat, you know."
Kelsey blinked and looked up at the seventh-year boy talking to her. "Huh?"
He pointed to her plate. "You'll feel better once you've eaten something. Even if it's only toast."
Kelsey blinked. She had seen the boy before, but she couldn't place his name. Which she found rather sad since they were in the same house.
He was tall and lean with a sturdy frame, short black hair, bright blue eyes and a smooth, pale complexion.
"Oh, um, thanks, uh..."
"Ethan," he stated simply.
"Oh! You're a chaser on the Quidditch team!" she said, her own voice ringing in her ears, causing her to wince.
He chuckled and handed her a goblet of water. "Yep," he stated with a smile as he took a bite of his own toast.
;;;;;
After breakfast, the Marauders collected Alisha and Kelsey from their tables and pulled them out of the Great Hall and towards the door that lead to the outside.
"This may sound like a frivilous question," Kelsey said, "but what the crumpet are you doing?"
"Bringing you along, clearly," Sirius said, grinning. As with the night before, no one responded to the odd, seemingly unrelated word shoved into Kelsey's question. She did this often and no one questioned it anymore, as they were all used to it.
Alisha rolled her eyes. "Yes, we can see that. But where are we going?"
"To play Quidditch!" Peter said excitedly.
"But we don't play Quidditch," Kelsey pointed out.
"Which is precisely why we're going to teach you," James said.
Alisha and Kelsey looked at each other, eyes wide. "You're serious, aren't you?" Alisha asked.
"James may joke about many things," Remus said, "but he never jokes about Quidditch."
James grinned. "Besides, two on two isn't a real game, now is it?"
;;
So they got some brooms and headed out to a large grassy courtyard near the tower that housed the professors' offices. (It was usually used for the first-years' broom-flying lessons.) Remus and Sirius were carrying the trunk that contained the Quidditch balls, and they set it down when they reached the center of their field. It was decided that, since it was to be a three-on-three match, no bludgers would be used. But there would be seekers, and then two chasers who would also act as keepers.
Now, it wasn't that Alisha and Kelsey didn't know how to fly or didn't know the rules of Quidditch. They just weren't players on the house teams, so they weren't as...confident in their athletic abilities.
"We'll start off easy," James said, picking up two brooms. "These are called brooms. We fly around on them."
"Anyone knows that," Alisha snapped as she and Kelsey each took a broom.
"Now then, teams..." James looked around at the group for a moment. "How 'bout...Remus, Alisha, and I versus Peter, Sirius, and Kelsey?"
"Sounds good to me," Sirius agreed, getting the quaffle out of the trunk.
"Then let's break off and decide who the seekers will be," James said.
Alisha and Kelsey shrugged at each other, then followed their respective team members away.
"Alright, Peter," Sirius said. "Which one of us do you think is most qualified to be the seeker?"
Peter looked frantic for a moment at the attention being placed on him, but then stopped and thought. "Well...Kelsey is the smallest. No offense," he added quickly.
Kelsey nodded. She knew she was small; she wasn't offended by his stating of the obvious.
"And I know she can be pretty fast on a broom. Would you mind, Kelsey?"
She smiled. "No, of course not. I'd be happy to!"
"Right then," Sirius said. "Then Peter and I will be the chasers and keepers." He peeked over at the other team. "Who do you suspect they'll pick as their seeker?"
"Hmm..." Kelsey hummed, thinking. "My first guess... I'd say Remus."
"Why?" Peter asked.
"Only because, whenever Alisha and I have attempted to play Quidditch, she can never spot the snitch until after I've got it. The reason James wouldn't be the seeker is obvious as well, since he's a chaser. Even though he could easily make a good seeker, he's a better chaser. They'll play to their strenghts. Like letting Alisha focus on the ball that's as big as a watermelon."
Peter and Sirius nodded in understanding.
The two teams then went over some game plans, strategy and such, then reassumed their positions at the center of the field. James mapped out the field, showing where the goals would be, and where out-of-bounds was. And, with that, the players straddled their brooms and floated up into the air.
Peter took a position under James and Sirius, quaffle in hand. James and Sirius nodded, then Peter threw the quaffle up into the air as hard as he could, starting the game. Peter quickly mounted his broom and joined his teammates in the air.
Kelsey and Remus watched the game from higher above, keeping an extra eye out for the snitch that was flitting somewhere around the field.
Sirius got hold of the quaffle, and he and Peter managed to score a goal in the first five minutes, much to James' chagrin.
Kelsey cheered and clapped her hands, congratulating her teammates.
Remus chuckled. "You seem to be getting competitive already," he commented.
"Oh, believe me," she said, wincing when James intercepted one of Sirius' passes. "I am actually very competitive."
"Is that so?"
She smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Indeed."
"Just be careful you don't fall off your broom," he joked.
She laughed. "With my luck, I would." Something gold flitted across her vision, and she smirked again when she realized that Remus hadn't seen. "But it would seem luck is on my side today."
"What?"
Kelsey turned her broom and headed off after the snitch, calling, "See ya!"
Remus, obviously realizing that she'd spotted the snitch, went after her. The two weaved in and out of their teammates, going after the little winged orb. Meanwhile, the game continued on. More points were scored and more passes intercepted. Threats were yelled across the field, and high-fives and slaps on the back were given all around.
Kelsey never took her eyes off the snitch, ignoring James' attempts to taunt her and make her lose focus. She almost ran into Peter at one point, but he managed to move his broom out of the way in time. Remus easily kept up with her, but the snitch only flitted in and out of his vision. He couldn't focus on it quite as well.
"Still back there, Remus?" Kelsey called.
"Naturally," he replied. "Can't give up without a fight, can I?"
"Wouldn't expect you to!"
Alisha cheered as James flew back to their side of the field, another goal scored. Now their team was leading Peter's by at least thiry points.
"Faster, Edwards!" Sirius called. "Anyone can outfly Remus!"
"You can do it!" Peter chimed in.
Kelsey leaned forward more, pushing her broom to go faster.
Suddenly, the snitch took a dive, headed for the grass below. Kelsey followed, pulling up before she hit the ground and looking down at the snitch below her. She reached a hand out and tried to grab it. It zoomed through her fingers and back up into the air, where Remus was already following it.
This battle went on for over an hour, Kelsey pulling ahead, and then Remus pulling ahead, the other players below still battling it out for the victory.
Finally—finally—, the moment of truth came. Kelsey used one little last push of speed, stretched her arm out as far as it would reach, and...
"She got it!" Peter cheered, nearly falling off his broom.
Kelsey slowed her broom and smiled widely at the little golden ball in her hand.
"WE WON!" Sirius shouted. "IN YOUR FACE, JAMES!"
Remus chuckled and shook his head. "That's the last time I underestimate you."
Kelsey smirked. "You better believe it," she said, and they both laughed.
The players landed down on the grass, where James and Sirius started going at each other, one bragging about the victory and the other making excuses for the loss. Either way, it had been a pretty evenly-matched game. It could've gone on much longer with no clear winner, had the snitch not been caught.
"Nice catch, Kelsey!" Peter said, smiling.
She smiled back. "Thanks, Peter. And good call on making me the seeker."
The six of them played a few more rounds, skipping lunch altogether in the process, and Peter's team was the one to come out on top. James complained that it wasn't fair, and that he would've picked Kelsey for his team had he known she could actually play Quidditch. Kelsey then hit James for indirectly insulting Alisha, claiming that he was calling her a bad Quidditch player (when she wasn't half-bad, really...), and Alisha joined in on the abuse. (Any reason to hit James, really...)
The boys had gone to put the Quidditch balls away, and the girls were going to return the brooms to the storage room. They were laughing about James' same sour expression every time Kelsey had caught the snitch, when Kelsey stopped in the hallway and looked up at the sound of a voice.
"Well, that was really quite impressive." It was Ethan, the boy she'd spoken to earlier at breakfast.
Alisha looked at Kelsey curiously, but Kelsey didn't really get a chance to answer her silent question.
Kelsey blushed, her streak turning amber. "Oh, uh... What was, exactly?"
He smiled. "Your seeker skills. It's a wonder you didn't make the house team, really."
She blushed more. "Oh, n-no," she said. "I actually never tried out. I figured I wouldn't have enough time to study or anything. B-Besides, I'm not all that athletic anyway, and I've never played sports before—ever, much less wizard sports, and so... I'm rambling, so I'll just stop now..."
Alisha wanted to grab her and shake her. Didn't she know she turned totally cute when she started rambling like that? ! No guy could resist the rambling!
Ethan chuckled. "Regardless of your excuses, you really do have talent." He smiled. "You should come hang out at our practice sometime. Our current seeker could learn a thing or two from you."
Kelsey just smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, yeah." She stared. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She gestured to Alisha. "This is my best friend, Alisha. Alisha, this is Ethan. He's a chaser on our house team."
"A pleasure," Ethan said with a cordial smile.
"Likewise, I'm sure," Alisha replied, wondering what on earth was going on here. "I hate to break up this little chat, but we'd best be getting on to dinner." She grabbed Kelsey's arm. "Quidditch kept us from lunch today. So you understand."
"Oh, yes, of course," Ethan said, sounding worried for a moment. "Perhaps I'll see you there, Kelsey."
Kelsey smiled. "Maybe, yes. See you."
"See you," he replied.
Alisha practically dragged Kelsey away, shoving her around the corner. "Who in the bloody hell was that?" she demanded, her voice low so only Kelsey could hear.
Kelsey blushed. "No one! Just a seventh-year on the Quidditch team who just happened to talk to me this morning at breakfast. He'd noticed that I wasn't looking well, and told me to eat so I'd feel better."
Alisha gaped at her.
"What?" Kelsey asked innocently.
Alisha shook her head furiously. "Never mind." She started pulling Kelsey along again. "Let's just get to dinner. Come on."
;;;;;
Alisha sat stabbing her baked potato with a knife, hazel eyes narrowed as she gazed down at the vegetable that was gradually starting to resemble mashed potatoes rather than a baked potato.
Severus, who had been cutting up his food, sat frozen, leaning off to one side slightly as he eyed her. His dark gaze traveled from the food she was killing up to her face. He was beginning to seriously worry about her mental health. "Alisha...are you okay?" he asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice.
Alisha's head snapped up and she glared in his direction as she brought the knife down once again to stab at her food.
He would have flinched, had he been any lesser man.
"No, I am not alright!" she snapped.
He blinked as she turned her attention back to her food, which no longer resembled what had orignally been on her plate.
"I am so confused! I don't get what's going on and how things are becoming so messed-up and IT'S MAKING ME MAD!"
Severus leaned forward and snatched the knife from her. "Please don't do anything rash," he stated as he set the knife down on his left side, as far away from her as he could. He looked back at her. "So, what's wrong?"
Alisha looked over at him. "A lot of things." She sighed. She so desperatly wanted to know if he remembered anything from the previous night. She so badly wanted him to that it physically hurt. But she knew, deep down, he didn't and even if he did remember, he obviously didn't want to, since he'd said nothing about it. She sighed again. "It's just... I thought Remus and Kelsey were getting along so well."
He groaned. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about the Marauder, but he was willing to suffer just so Alisha would stop acting like a psycho.
"But now this stupid Ravenclaw Quidditch player's come into the picture and— UGH!"
Severus awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. "Well, umm... I'm sure everything will work out in the end. After all, everything happens for a reason."
;;
Peter sat between Sirius and Remus, James across from them eating dinner, famished like the rest since they'd skipped lunch. Peter swallowed the bite of food in his mouth before glancing back over towards the Ravenclaw table, where Kelsey was talking to some handsome seventh-year. He frowned and looked back at his friends. "Hey, who is that Edwards is talking to?"
James glanced up from his food, and both Sirius and Remus turned to look over their shoulders. James frowned and Sirius' brow furrowed as he turned back and looked at James. "Hey, isn't that that chaser guy from Ravenclaw? The one who got hit in the shoulder by a bludger last match against Slytherin?"
The bespectacled wizard nodded solemnly.
Remus, brow furrowed, turned to look back at his food. He knew it was stupid—stupid to feel so jealous just because Kelsey was talking to another guy. They technically (or otherwise, really) weren't together and thus she could talk to anyone she wanted to, and, even if they were together, he didn't think he was the type to be obsessive and freak out every time a guy looked at her the wrong way. But something deep down in his stomach made him feel nauseated. Like he'd eaten a den of snakes and they were squirming and twisting within his gut. Or like a monster was clawing at his insides, screaming to be let out—screaming to hurt the other boy for talking to her.
"She's just talking to him. It's no big deal. They're in the same house. They're probably friends," Remus stated as he pushed his broccoli around on his plate.
"I don't know," Sirius said as he glanced back over his shoulder. "I've never seen them talking before."
Remus than proceeded to stab his broccoli.
;;;;;
Kelsey hummed to herself as she left dinner that night, thumbing through a book that contained a homework assignment that was due Monday.
"Hey, Kelsey, wait up."
She looked up at the sound of her name, and turned to see Remus jogging towards her. "What is it?" She smirked. "Didn't get enough on the Quidditch field?" she asked, playfully teasing him.
He chuckled softly. "No, no, that's not it. I just..." He looked at her.
She blinked at him. "Just...what?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.
He inhaled, trying not to choke on his breath. "I was just wondering, um..." But he chickened out. "Have you finished the Potions assignment for Monday?"
"Oh," she said, "yes, as a matter of fact. I finished it the other night. Did you want some help, or...?"
"Oh, no, no," he said, "I was just curious. I mean, I would've offered to help if you'd needed it, but of course you didn't need it, as usual, and..."
She smiled knowingly and apologetically. "Remus. You're failing potions."
He hung his head. "I know..."
She laughed a little and patted him on the shoulder. "You know I'm always here to help, right?"
He raised his head and smiled at her. "Yeah. Thanks, Kelsey."
She nodded, then blushed. "Oh, um..." She stepped a little closer, lowering her voice. "And, um...I just wanted to thank you for getting me back to my dorm last night. I honestly don't know what I would've done without you." She chuckled. "I don't even remember what I did or said, or who I talked to..." She took a breath and started on a mini-rant. "Except I guess I told some girls that you're a werewolf and I don't think they believed me because I was drunk, but I'm really really sorry and—" She cut herself off, realizing that she felt like crying all of a sudden. She realized that she'd been impaired at the time, but how could she have betrayed Remus' trust (and the rest of the Marauders' trust, for that matter) like that?
Remus put his hands on her shoulders. "Kelsey, calm down." He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Like you said, I'm sure they didn't believe you. And it's not like you meant to do it."
She nodded and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Remus." She thought for a moment. "Y'know, we should play Quidditch again sometime. That was a lot of fun."
He grinned, letting his hands fall from her shoulders. "Are you just saying that because you beat me into the bloody dirt?"
Kelsey smirked. "Maaaybe!"
They laughed.
Kelsey looked at him. "Remus, I...didn't say anything...really off-the-wall last night...did I?"
Remus thought about that for a moment. Had she? "No, you didn't."
"Good," she said, relieved.
"You headed up to bed already?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said. "I've got some studying I need to do. ...And I should probably take some asprin and get some more sleep."
"Still feeling out-of-it?"
"A little," she replied. She sighed. "I am so glad tomorrow is Sunday and we don't have classes."
"You're telling me," he chuckled.
"Still feeling under the weather, Kelsey?" Ethan asked as he walked up.
"Oh, just a little," Kelsey replied, slightly surprised at his sudden appearance.
Remus was surprised to find that he actually had to control his expression. Every thought in his head at that moment was screaming at him to glare at the older Quidditch player.
"Who's your friend?" Ethan asked, nodding to Remus.
"Oh, this is—"
"Remus Lupin," Remus cut in, putting his hand out.
Ethan looked mildly surprised, but put his hand out as well, shaking Remus'. "Ethan Parkinson. Nice to meet you."
"You as well," Remus replied.
Kelsey glanced between the two of them, sensing the awkward (and somewhat strange) tension in the air. She cleared her throat. "Well, um...I think I'll just be going now. Night, Remus. See you in the morning. Oh, and thank you again." She turned and started away.
"Wait up," Ethan said. "I'll go with you. I was headed back to the common room anyway." He smiled. "Can't have you wandering around on your own, after all."
Remus was tempted to storm over there and knock Ethan onto the floor, but he just clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging into his palms, and held his ground.
Ethan smiled at Remus. "Don't worry, Lupin. I'll make sure she gets back okay."
Remus gave a tight nod.
"See you," Ethan said, turning.
"See you, Parkinson," Remus replied, then turned and headed off for his own common room, taking a different way than the main staircase.
Sirius, James, and Peter soon caught up with him. "What's wrong, Moony?" Peter asked.
"Nothing," Remus replied, trying to unclench his fists.
Silence fell around them for a moment.
"Is it that Quidditch player that was talking to Edwards?" James asked.
Remus clenched his fists again. "No. I have nothing to say about that. Trust me. I'm fine." His clipped words made it clear that he wasn't fine, but his fellow Marauders didn't really know what to do. And, in Sirius' case, anything they did think about saying would've only made things worse. (Like possibly bringing up their "discussion" from breakfast...)
Remus was usually a pretty easygoing guy—easy to get along with, didn't really have a temper—a nice guy. But now he seemed to be resembling his canine form, and his friends knew that setting him off would've been the worst thing to do when he was like this.
Still...even though they were near-totally positive that Remus had feelings for Kelsey (since he'd told them about it the year before), they had to wonder why he was getting so worked-up. A fellow Ravenclaw was talking to her. ...But it just so happened that that fellow Ravenclaw was an attractive, athletic, older, charming Quidditch player.
Sirius thought for a moment. "Well, look at it this way, mate. He's a seventh-year. He'll be gone soon, right?"
James looked at him in angry shock, and Peter just in shock. "Are you mad?" Peter snapped. "In a year, they could fall in love, and then get married once she's out of school, and—"
James smacked a hand over Peter's mouth as Remus shot them all a look. "Both you idiots, shut up!" James hissed.
Remus tugged a chocolate bar from his pocket and unwrapped it, taking a bite and chewing. He mulled over his friends' comments for a moment. "Yeah," he said between chews. "Right."
;;;;
Remus had retired early, leaving the other three Marauders sitting around the fire. Peter was sitting on the floor rolling marbles back and forth, while Sirius and James sat in two of the fluffy chairs not really doing anything.
The short blonde boy looked up at the darker-haired boys. "So...if Remus is so upset about this Parkinson guy, why doesn't he just ask Edwards out and get it over with? If they're going out, then she can't go out with Parkinson, right?"
"Usually, that would be the idea," Sirius said somberly, his mood dark due to the trouble with his friend. Sirius may have played himself off as a carefree, playboy jerk who didn't get much if it wasn't wrapped in a skirt, but he really wasn't an idiot. He cared for Remus deeply—he cared for all of his friends, and he hated seeing any of them so obviously upset. "But Remus isn't like me or Prongs. I mean, I would go for it just to get an answer—yes or no. James would be persistent regardless of a negative answer. But Remus...he's never had a girlfriend," he stated simply. "He's never been in love; he's always kept those feelings hidden away. I mean...he's probably just as innocent as Kelsey is. And just as oblivious too."
James nodded in agreement.
"And to top it off, Remus isn't just another hormonal guy like us. His condition complicates things. For one thing, he's afraid of getting close to people. I mean, he didn't even tell us about it! We had to find out on our own!"
"So true," James muttered.
Sirius lowered his voice. "I mean, you see Remus a week before the full moon. Moony starts fighting for control, wearing Remus out before the moon has even risen. He gets moody, aggressive, emotional... It's like his hormones are on maximum overdrive. I mean, you see me and James—we can be totally aggressive twats. Multiply that by ten, and you'd get Remus. He has a lot to deal with."
Peter nodded in understanding. "So, he's scared?"
"Not scared, mate. Terrified."
;;
Remus lay in bed, his tattered, old cotton pajamas hanging loosely on his body. He'd closed the drapes around his bed and let the darkness wrap around him. He could hear the chatter of students in the common room downstairs, but it didn't bother him. He was too weary and mentally exhausted to let it bother him.
You shouldn't let that boy near her.
'They were just talking.'
Don't fool yourself, Remus. He was courting her AND CHALLENGING YOU!
'She isn't interested in him that way.'
Now you delude yourself? You really are a fool. Do you not desire the girl? Do you not wish to be with her? Don't you want her to be yours?
'That's just it! She isn't mine! I have no reason to be so overly obsessive! She's free to make her own choices. I want her to be happy.'
So you want her happiness? Are you sure that is all you want?
Remus scrunched his eyes closed and hid his face in the crook of his arm as he squirmed against the sheets slightly. He could feel that coiling in his gut and the scratching of his insides again, and it was making him feel panicky.
'Yes,' he thought, and even his inner voice sounded pathetically unsure.
You are a liar. You don't want her happiness. No, what you want is far more twisted than you are willing to admit. You do want her. You want her so badly it is almost like a physical injury. And aching injury you can't seem to get to heal.
'You're wrong.'
You want to possess her! You want to rip that boy apart for even looking at her! And every other boy that goes near her. You want to feel her. To hold her down, to possess every last inch of her—
"NO!" Remus screamed as he sat straight up, clutching at his head. "No...no, I don't. I don't, I don't," he sobbed out between deep breaths as he shook his head. "I don't. I swear, I don't. I don't want that. I want her to be happy, that's all!" he whimpered as he fell back down and rolled onto his side, his hands holding firmly to the sides of his head. "I just want her to be happy, that's all I want. Happy. That's it. Her happiness. That's all."
You can lie to yourelf all you want...but I know the truth. I know what you really want to do to her