HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLE! I hope you had a great new year celebration. This chapter is mainly told from Remus' point of view since I've neglected him a bit lately. I hope you like it!
Keep your cool deer!
James bit his lip while he tried to calm down his beating heart. It felt like it was about to burst out of his ribcage any second now. 'Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes!' repeated his mind while the female in front of him lifted her gaze. "I-I need to think about it. But I'll let you know by dinner tomorrow, OK?" told Lily with an apologetic voice. "Right. See you tomorrow then" muttered the male. He felt a bit down because she had not said yes. "What happened to your glasses James?" inquired the girl with a quizzical look at her face. "Oh. I'm testing out a potion that will give you good eyesight for 24 hours. I thought I should wear it for the duel lessons. Merlin knows how many times I've gotten my glasses whipped off my face" laughed the Gryffindor. One thing he despised about wearing glasses was how dependent he was of them. Needless to say, the "oculus reparo" charm was one of his most valuable charms.
"You don't look very bad without them" told the other Gryffindor with a sincere smile. The inky-haired male felt a blush creep up his face. "I-I have to go back up to my room. See you Lily" muttered the male before they split ways. He went up to his room while he wondered what her reply would be. 'Keep cool James. She did not say no. There is still hope' told the teen to himself as he entered the bedroom.
"Good morning mister Lupin. How are you feeling?" inquired the woman as she pulled away the curtains from the nearby window. "Not so bad madam Pomfrey. I'm happy this full moon fell on a Friday" told the male. "How are you going to manage during the Christmas holiday? The next full moon will be right before the holidays" told madam Pomfrey after checking the calendar. "I've spoken to my father as well as the headmaster. The headmaster is going to let me use the oven in the Hogwarts kitchen. I will floo to the Leaky Cauldron. My father would pay for the train ticket back home. I am going to go back to London on the Hogwarts express" replied Remus. Dumbledore had opened up some of the ovens in the Hogwarts for the students to use in order to get back home. This was mainly to do with safety. Death eaters could hijack the train after all. The only downside was that he did not like travelling via the floo network that much.
"Let me check your injuries please" told the older female. He handed her his wrist before he removed his duvet. She removed the bandages with gentle fingers. "Could you move your wrist as well as your ankle for me?" inquired the nurse. "Yes" answered the guy. He waved his hand and rotated his ankle. His muscles felt slightly strained, but there was no pain. "Looks like you are good to go. I just have to put on some support bandage. You have to wear that for the rest of the day. Mister Black was kind enough to bring some clean clothes yesterday. I will go and get them" informed the woman. "Thank you" replied the Gryffindor with a smile.
He appreciated that his friends showed concern for him. A somewhat odd disadvantage about his condition was the wardrobe malfunctions. It was all right in the summer when he could just wear shorts. Winter transformations however were a different story. "Here are your clothes. I'll get your vitamin elixir" told madam Pomfrey. She left her patient alone so he could change. The male put on the clothes his friend had given him. The outfit consisted of a pair of medium blue jeans, a camel brown T-shirt plus a beige knitted sweater. On his feet were gray socks in a wool mix plus his trusty leather shoes. Perfect for a day where he just wanted to stay comfortable.
Remus checked himself in the mirror. The healing potion had made the wounds go away. Furthermore, the circles under his eyes were almost gone. 'Better put on some eau de cologne when I get back to the Gryffindor tower. A shave wouldn't be too bad either' decided the guy. The older female appeared with a glass. It contained some fizzing yellow liquid. "Here's your elixir. Bottoms up" ordered the female. "Cheers" muttered the guy as he emptied the glass. It tasted a bit like foul lemonade, but it was not a huge amount of liquid. "Thanks for taking care of me madam Pomfrey. I'll come back if I feel faint or dizzy" told the auburn-haired male. "You're welcome" replied the nurse with a smile.
He picked up his belongings and left the hospital ward. The castle was not so crowded since it was a Sunday. Most of the students were probably doing homework, playing in the snow or visiting their friends who lived in other houses. 'I should probably revise my astronomy homework first. Next is my defense homework. I can't really remember that much from Friday. Better read the chapter again' decided the male.
The teenager went towards the library to get started. On his way in, he passed two giggling Slytherin girls. "I can't believe he said yes!" whispered one of them. "You're SO LUCKY! He's a really great dancer from what I've heard" replied the other. The dance part hit the guy like a ton of bricks. He had COMPLETELY forgotten about the event!
'OK…don't panic Remus. Just try to think of someone you can ask out' thought the teenager. He already knew that Sirius had asked out one of the Gryffindor girls. Most of the Slytherin girls were out of the question due to the Valentine's card prank. A part of him wanted to go with Lily. She was quite a nice girl. She would probably understand that the teen actually liked dancing. Suddenly, he remembered James dancing lessons with Sirius. 'No. James is trying to learn how to dance so he can ask her out. I can't ask her' recalled the male.
'Come to think of it, I doubt many of the seventh year Gryffindor girls are available. James told me that three of his Quidditch team members had Gryffindor partners. Half of the sixth year girls are girls I probably won't get along with. However...I have not asked any of the girls from Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Maybe I should try to ask some of them. That's it! I'll ask some of the girls from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I'll go alone if none of them are available' decided Remus. He then entered the library in the search of a book for his defense against the dark arts lesson. There were a couple more people than usual since it was Sunday. A majority of them were doing assignments or practicing on silent spells.
Green eyes scanned the shelves for the book he was looking for. 'Duffy…Duke. Duel studies by Tommy Duke' read the guy when he saw the book. He was about to reach for it when he felt someone poke his shoulder. The auburn-haired male turned around to see who it was. It turned out to be a blond girl at his age. She wore a slate gray knitted sweater plus a pair of dark blue jeans. "Excuse me, could you please give me the tarot predictions book?" inquired the female. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders. No wonder she could not reach it. "Sure. Is it this one?" inquired the male as he pointed at a book to his left. It was named 'Tarot for intermediates' and was written by Lucy Dwight. The blonde nodded with a smile on her face. 'Why do I feel that I've seen her before?' pondered the teen. He would have known her if she was from Gryffindor. 'Maybe she is in one of my classes?' thought the guy as he kicked his mind into gaer. Were there any girls looking like her in any of his classes? "Thanks" told the girl, her voice shaking his out of his reverie. She was putting her book into a messenger bag with a clan tartan.
'NOW I KNOW! She's in my charms classes!' realized Remus. Flitwick had used school bags last year to demonstrate the colovaria charm. Her bag was one of the 'victims'. There was something off about her face though. "What are you looking at? Do I have something at my face?" asked the other teen. "Well…I just try to remember who you are. I know you're in my charm classes. Aren't you Allie from Ravenclaw?" inquired the male. He cursed himself a little for how stupid he must have sounded. "My full name is Alice Henderson. But you're right about the house. I am from Ravenclaw. I usually wear glasses, hence why I look a bit odd" informed Alice.
"Oooh. That's why I couldn't recognize you at once. Sorry about that" admitted the Gryffindor. "That's fine. I know you're one of the Marauders from Gryffindor. Wasn't your name Remus or something?" recalled the girl. "Yes" replied the guy. "Are you going to that event by any chance Remus?" inquired the blonde. There a curious look at her face. He nodded. "Uhm…would you…like to go with me? At the event I mean. I don't have a partner" admitted the female. He blinked. Had he just been asked out by a GIRL? "I-I don't have a partner either. So I suppose I can go with you" replied the auburn-haired guy hastily. "Great! See you there Remus! I'm looking forward to it" told the Ravenclaw. The bright smile at her face made him smile as well. "Ehm - me too. See you Alice" told the guy. The girl left the library and disappeared around the corner.
'OK. What just happened? I got asked by a girl to accompany me to an event. She was not a Slytherin who seemed vengeful. Neither was she one of the gossipy girls from Ravenclaw. Which means…'. "YES!" muttered the teenager while he did a small fist pump. He was not going to the event on his own! A girl had actually asked him out for once! A huge smile formed at his face as he went to the desks at the other side of the library. It was time to hit the books.
"So…have you decided yet Lily?" inquired the girl as they went up to the castle again. The small friend group had decided to do some ice-skating. Said activity did wonders for their minds. They were now clear, and ready for more work. "I am still a little unsure. James HAS matured during the summer. He's been more responsible as well" told the female. 'Not to mention that his eyes look so gorgeous without those glasses' added Lily while they walked towards the castle entrance. "What's holding you up then?" asked Mary. Her curious face made her friend think.
The other girl bit her lip as she thought about the answer. What WAS holding her back from saying yes to James? 'Well, he has been pestering me for years. Bullying Sirius does not win him any points either. The cockiness he has caps it all. In a negative way' concluded the Gryffindor. "I think I know what's been holding me up Mary. James has been rude to Severus on so many occasions. That's not exactly a plus. Same goes for that cocky attitude of his" replied the female.
"Really now? Do you think he's still the idiot he was back then? I saw him reading a book about astronomy yesterday. The only times I've seen him read a book is when he's thinking out new pranks. Or when the exams are coming up. I don't think he's as cocky as he used to be. Especially compared to last year" stated the female. "How so?" asked the redhead while she pushed open one of the doors.
"Do you remember when Gryffindor won that Quidditch match against Hufflepuff? He wasn't bragging as much about the victory. Let's not forget he caught the snitch without a hitch" recalled the brunette. What the female said made the girl question her thoughts about the Potter. 'Mary has a point there about the match. I can't really deny that. Maybe I should say yes. I can probably choose another partner if we don't get along' thought the teenager. "I'm going to the Ravenclaw common room to finish my runes project. See you later Lily" told the other girl. "See you later Mary" replied the female.
She walked up to the Gryffindor tower. 'All right. I need to tell my answer to James' decided Lily as she went onto the staircase. The girl walked up to the portrait of the fat woman. She was currently eating some grapes. "Oh, pafford?" inquired the painted female. "Spruce wood" answered the female. The painting swung aside and she entered the Gryffindor common room. "Hello Lily" called Remus from the sofa. He was reading a book about astronomy. The teenager was apparently catching up with his homework. "Hello Remus. Have you seen James?" inquired the Gryffindor. "Uhm…he said something about playing in the snow. He should be back soon though. He promised to do some homework with me at 2 PM. How come?" replied the male. "I-I just have to ask him about something. Do you have a partner for the event?" asked the girl. "Yeah. I'm going with-".
They were interrupted by two people who entered the common room. One of them turned out to be a somewhat soaked James. "Ha ha! Did you see the face of those sixth-year Slytherins when we hexed that snowman?" laughed Sirius. "I did! They looked-". The other male stopped talking when he saw the redhead. "Hi James" greeted the female. "Hi. How are you doing Lily?" replied the now bespectacled male. 'All right Lily. Time to tell him' decided the female. "I'm doing well, thanks for asking. Listen, I thought about the question you asked me a couple days ago. My answer is yes. As long as you behave yourself that is" told Lily. For some strange reason, her heart was beating louder than usual. It felt odd to her since the girl rarely had confidence issues.
"Really!?" exclaimed the male with a somewhat surprised look at his face. "Yes" confirmed the girl with a smile. "THANK YOU LILY! You're the best! I promise I won't let you down" assured the black-haired guy. "Good to hear that. I'm afraid I have to read some transfiguration theory. See you later" told the teen before she left the common room.
"Care to fill me in James?" inquired the guy who sat in the sofa. "I asked Lily if she wanted to go with me at the event. She said she wanted a couple days to think. I got her answer just now" informed the other male with a huge grin. He had not felt this happy in a really long time. The girl he had a crush on wanted to be his event partner! "Great. Now, you just need to sharpen up your defense skills. Don't forget your dance moves either. I'm available to help you with the latter one" told the Black. "Which reminds me…didn't you promise me to help me with my astronomy work James?" inquired the brunette. "Oh, that's right. Sorry about that. Let me just fetch my notes Remus" laughed the Gryffindor.
This chapter was a little hard to write since I tried to keep the relationship between Remus and the OC on a friendship level. I hope the chapter was a good read. Please read and review!