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Truthfully Remus wasn't very pleased at the thought of Hermione attending the Halloween Ball with Hogwarts' biggest womanizer.
It wasn't that he didn't particularly trust Sirius, or Hermione for that matter, but the question continued to niggle at his mind of why the horny male, fasted tracked on his way to Witches Weekly's 'hottest piece of wizard-arse' yearly top 100 list – a position in the top 10 almost guaranteed to him post-graduation, would choose to take the only girlfriend of his best friends? He was of no doubt that Sirius could choose to take any witch he would deign to ask. But, no. He had to take the one witch for whom he should not be asking. His witch.
Remus' inner wolf growled in appreciation of this thought. His.
Packing the few things he would be taking with him to his monthly refuge, a rundown shack in Hogsmeade, Remus reflected that the last few days had been the most peaceful pre-transformation days he had endured in… well, in his entire memory. The only change he could deem accountable to this drastic improvement in a period that had more often than not had him confined to bed rest, extending his period of inactivity to nearly a week each month, was the presence of, a one, Hermione Granger.
Perhaps it was for this reason that he just couldn't bring himself to correct his boundary stepping friend when he knew Hermione had been so looking forward to her first Hogwarts event (having overheard her talking to Lily over breakfast in a fast paced discussion of dresses). After all it gave him no comfort to picture Hermione sitting alone in her dormitory; in contrast, he suspected that the guilt would only be an added extra pain to his tremor wracked body as his transformation would shake his bones to the point of incomprehensible strain.
He was just placing two bars of his dwindling chocolate supply on to the top of his small pack when there was a sharp rap on the boys' dormitory door. It was still early in the day, the sun barely peaking over the mountain peaks and so the rest of his dorm mates were still asleep as Professor McGonagall entered the quiet dorm. The noise however must have been enough to have awakened Prongs as he abruptly sat up straight in his bed. The sudden movement made his covers slip down into his lap, revealing his naked chest. Upon discovering his female Head of House standing in the middle of the dormitory he let out a rather feminine squeak and fumbled to pull the fallen sheets up to under his chin. Not all the boys must have been as soundly asleep as Remus had assumed because in response to James display the room was filled with a muffled but distinct deep laugh. James timidly reached out one bare arm and pushed, rather forcefully, the shaking lump that lay on the bed next to his own.
Sirius, unaware to the attack, fell ungracefully out of his bed, legs still tangled into the sheets and naked back hitting the cold stone floor. Without access to the protection of the sheets he lay sprawled on the floor in only a pair of red silk boxers.
"Not so funny now, hey?" joked James apprehensively, eyes peering over the top of his high drawn covers.
Professor McGonagall picked up Remus' bag with one hand, placing the other wearily over her eyes. Leading Remus out of the door her mumbles could be distinctly heard as she retreated down the stairs, questioning 'whatever happened to pyjamas these days?'
…
"So what do you think?" Lily asked admits a demonstrative twirl.
"Oh Lily!" was all Emily could apparently say as she gushed over the dolled-up red head.
Hermione, although not shocked into illiteracy, had to admit that if not for her new found hair-confidence, she would have currently been reconsidering walking into the ball with such gorgeous competition.
On that thought, Hermione happily corrected herself that there was no competition tonight for her, knowing her own boyfriend was locked away from all the pretty girls parading their assets to the Hogwarts male population that night.
Still she wanted to like nice for her 'date' with Sirius. Her hair was let out, the graceful dark chocolate curls resting upon the low back line of the soft borrowed turquoise dress robes.
For once she was actually happy with her appearance, but modest enough to admit that Lily truly did look stunning in comparison.
Lily's pink dress (a thought fashion faux pas in itself for a red head) was amazingly striking with Lily's soft features. The material hung in perfect waves from her small curves and her brilliant green eyes for which she was so remembered for shone like bright emeralds, drawing attention like no piece of jewellery every could.
Excited for her friend and the possibilities, at least for Lily, that the new night could hold Hermione made her way down to the common room the three girls linked through at the elbows.
The remaining Marauders met the girls, as all gentlemen should, at the bottom of the staircase allowing them the cliché female entrance. And even though the gasps and exertions of surprise and amazement may have been slightly over exaggerated, particularly in the case of Sirius feinting over backwards and collapsing over one of the lounge chairs after which he had to be fanned back into consciousness by an attending James, the girls chose to accept it, taking it into their stride and walking with their chins poised high.
Lily hadn't ended up accepting any of James' invitations of accompaniment for the night but nevertheless she switched Emily's arm for James' with the appearance of eased practice as they headed out of the portrait hole and down towards the Great Hall.
Sirius smirking knowingly at the couple in front of them, gallantly offered Hermione his hand in an exaggerated imitation of James and she took it giggling.
Emily's date, a tall dark haired Ravenclaw met them outside of the Gryffindor entrance and Peter scurried off to meet his Hufflepuff date.
Emily hung back to greet her date, and Sirius and Hermione continued to follow James and Lily who Hermione suspected where completely oblivious to their dwindling group.
The Hall had been decorated as was usual for a Halloween feast, floating pumpkins providing illumination in replace of the normal floating candles. Live swarms of bats flew in clusters across the clear night sky that shone through the enchanted ceiling. The Hogwarts ghosts glowed iridescently in the dimmed lighting, fitting perfectly with the theme. The long house tables had been replaced once again with the smaller round tables that had been used for the Yule Ball.
The Hall was already almost full and a band Hermione didn't recognise was situated in one corner where a space had been cleared of tables in anticipation of dance space, although they hadn't started to play yet.
Sirius led Hermione through the throng of people crowded in the Hall to find an empty table. People seemed to leap away, honoured to provide space for Sirius Black to walk pass and the girls seemed to jump back just as quickly into Hermione's way as soon as Sirius had passed, a glare on their faces as she was pulled through by Sirius' guiding tug on her hand.
After tugging her through the closing path for the third time, Sirius stopped in his step, waiting for her to make up the small gap between them. He smirked at her frustration and continued their path to the back section with his hand around her waist not allowing the jealous females to obstruct her path again.
Sure enough the crowd thinned and they found an empty table.
Sirius held out a chair for Hermione and Hermione took the seat placing her small bag upon the table.
"You really do look ravishing tonight My," he whispered into her ear as he slipped into the seat next to her.
She blushed, but accepted the compliment, as Lily and James emerged from the crowd, spotting them and altering their path to their procured table.
The remaining places at the table were filled by some other Gryffindor couples that Hermione vaguely recognised and dinner was served fairly quickly.
Lily had sat next to her and the two girls whispered and conversed about the curious couplings that had emerged for the ball and some of the horrendous robes that witches thought attractive.
When dinner had cleared the band started playing and Dumbledore immediately led out a pink-faced McGonagall onto the dance floor and swung her around in a waltz.
Not a minute later Sirius had stood up and moved in front of Hermione's line of vision.
"Would milady care for a dance?" he smiled at her dazzlingly as he extended his hand in a small bow.
"How could I refuse?" she replied, slipping her small hand into his much larger one as daintily as the lady he was referring to.
Once standing out of her chair, he swept her out onto the cleared floor next to the dancing Professors and twirled her into his embrace.
She met his twirl with grace, placing her hand upon his shoulder to stop her from bodily greeting him.
He raised an eyebrow, sure that she would have faltered and disappointed as to not have felt her body pressed upon his.
He quickly stepped into the practiced movements of a ballroom dance, eager to impress. He was known to do this with all the ladies, impressing them with his dancing skills, that had been impressed upon him from the time he could walk as was custom for a pureblood child. Alerting the lady to his expertise he would then graciously slow down and simplify his dance motions to a workable level for them and allow them to melt into his suave arms. Although Hermione wasn't technically his to impress, he reasoned that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy a dance with her. Did it?
What he wasn't expecting however was for Hermione to meet him step for step. Which she did. Perfectly. Surprised but determined, he sped up his movements and complicity. Sharp turns were met with a proficiency denied the possibility of an amateur who knew how to follow a lead.
Three full dances they flied through until finally he stopped for rest. He hadn't realised how much energy he had spent until he noticed Hermione panting for air, resting a tired hand upon his chest to steady herself.
"Satisfied… yet?" she panted breathlessly.
Hermione had taken dance lessons as a small girl. Her parents worried at her 'unhealthy' obsession with books had enrolled her in the local dance school to hopefully encourage her to make friends.
She hadn't made any friends but she did enjoy the dancing, a hobby she continued on her summer vacations from Hogwarts.
"Sorry," he panted, breathless too. "Got a bit carried away, I guess."
She laughed and then suddenly conscious of the hand on his chest she removed it.
"I'll go get us drinks. Meet you back at the table?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah, sure," she replied with a small smile.
She started to walk back across the room, but the dancing had made her cheeks flushed with heat and the enticement of the open doors was too much to pass up and so she silently slipped outside, content that Sirius would find another dance partner without her.
The air was chilly but the garden had been lit for partygoers to linger outside. A dark lone shape moved against a light and Hermione, for a moment, regretted her venture outside alone. But as he turned to see the newcomer the light passed across his features and she sighed in relief. Severus.
It was oddly reminiscent of the older Snape she knew, who would spend his balls out in the gardens blowing apart rose bushes, with fiery curses.
"You shouldn't be out here alone," he said to her dispassionately, turning back to stare at something in the dark she could not see.
"I'm not alone," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "You're here."
He laughed mirthlessly. "Exactly," he said.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" she spoke louder, anger overcoming any other feelings.
He turned to her, a horrible sneer upon his face. "Go back inside to your Black," he spat the name at her with distaste.
"He's not my Black," she whispered only for something to say, not quite sure what had changed in her friend.
He laughed again, that same empty hollow sound. "Oh that's right," he amended, "your Lupin's bitch."
Her jaw twitched in anger, but she reminded herself that he didn't mean it, she knew … that deep down he didn't mean these words.
"You know what he is, don't you?" he asked omnisciently, looking back into the darkness.
And that's when she realised that he wasn't looking at something in the darkness, but rather something shining through it. A bright lit orb, full and round, hovering low on the horizon.
"Don't," she reprimanded shaking her head back and forth, "just – don't."
She turned away and walked the short distance back into the shelter of the castle, she didn't want to hear any more.