Chapter Three; Dilly Divines

Brightness overwhelmed Ophelia as she opened her eyes, bewildered as to where she was. She was lay in the middle of a four poster mahogany bed which was draped in a white cotton canopy, decorated finely with similar white bed sheets. Ophelia felt the softness of the material against her throbbing face; she rubbed her forehead and adjusted herself slowly, grunting in pain as she moved. She tried to groan but her voice croaked. She moved the sheets which tucked her in, and noticed she was wearing a pink nightdress. Quietly pulling back the covers, Ophelia sat up and grimaced in pain as the sudden rush forced her head to pulsate. Not quite brave enough to stand, she noticed her brother sleeping in an emerald green, winged armchair at the foot of the bed. He was snoring rather deafeningly, which made Ophelia smile. Sirius had dark circles around his eyes, which indicated she may have been here longer than just one evening, since he certainly didn't have those at the party. The shadow of a bruise was placed on the left side of his face, to which Ophelia frowned. She wondered what happened, but didn't want to disturb him. Sirius always took care of his skin, more so than his sister, which always made him the butt of the jokes. He even produced potions which made him look revitalised, healthy and can even bring you back from the worst hang over's, which were a huge hit at Hogwarts, especially when you try to hide a hangover in Slughorn's classes. It seemed as though Sirius had really been neglecting himself. He was wearing a white top and a pair of muggle sweatpants, grey in colour. Endless questions entered her mind, but she shook them off, for now at least. She desperately tried to remember how she got here, or where she was but she hadn't the foggiest; she was with her brother, she thought, so she knew that she was safe.

She plucked up the nerve to stand up, and a crushing urge to vomit overcame her. Upon noticing a jug of water on the bedside cabinet, she poured herself two glasses of water before the feeling of nausea subsided. She put the jug down, along with the glass and noticed a picture of a family; a happy family. A tall man with half moon glasses and short jet black hair was smiling with his arm around his wife. She was beautiful, and she looked rather radiant. Though she noticed the woman had a single tear on her cheek, but she was smiling. Ophelia tried to remember a time when she had been so happy that she cried, but sadly she couldn't. The woman had black hair too, shoulder length. She was cradling a young child in her arms and the couple couldn't have looked more content. She placed the photo frame back onto the drawers, Ophelia's whisper echoed around the air, "The Potters."

She had always admired The Potters, and held the utmost admiration for them at all times. Ophelia longed for a family just like them, an affectionate, kind and loyal family who didn't force their children into the pureblood mania. They let their son, James, choose his own path in life. Not to mention they spoilt him rotten. But Ophelia didn't crave material things, the only thing she wanted to feel was acceptance; something her parents never gave her or her twin. Sirius had given up caring about his parents and what they wanted a long time ago. She too, acted as though she didn't mind what they thought... But deep within Ophelia, she truly cared. She cared too much, forever dreaming for the day her parents would welcome her home from Hogwarts with open arms, fussing over her. As she had spent years witnessing all the other parents do and wishing hers would do the same. She knew this was never going to happen. She didn't express those feelings to anyone; especially her twin as he would just insist he was all she needed. True, she loved him, deeply. But she wanted more, she wanted a normal family. Not a home where she was frightened to voice her opinion, or where she was punished for being different. A home isn't a home when you do not feel love.

The effects of their childhood left more affects on them than they realised. Sirius was a very temperamental person but he was always seen with the famous Sirius grin plastered across his face, and most people knew him as the Hogwarts Heartbreaker; a rebel. But everyone seemed to love him, especially the females. The girls fawned over him. Playing pranks, jokes and laughing his way through most situations, Ophelia always joked that Sirius never really acted very serious. The notorious Black twins were known for being stubborn, and he was almost as hard headed as his sister, which often resulted in him masking his feelings with humour and jokes. He was extremely protective over his sister, and people knew not to push their luck with him. Third year, he found out she was being bullied by two older Slytherin's. Sirius carelessly hexed them, which caused them to spend the weekend in the hospital wing. Nobody bothered her since, Slytherin's avoided her and Ophelia preferred it that way. Trouble always found him in school, constantly spending his evenings in detention for pushing his luck with teachers and students. He sometimes had outbursts where he flew off the rails, to which only Ophelia knew how to control. He would never hurt anyone though; he just didn't know how to control his temper.

Ophelia on the other hand, felt things too deeply. She always had. She has a sharp tongue and a fierce sarcastic, stubborn streak. Clumsy and careless with her words and her actions, trouble often manages to find her. With a deep need for acceptance, she often felt lost and alone during her younger years. She was an honest person who tried to do the right thing, no matter how hard it was. She was loyal deeply to those she loved, but heartless to those who didn't matter to her. In attempt to protect herself, she pushes people away except her those she loves. She hasn't many friends; she only needs a few who are loyal to her. Quick witted and a hunger for knowledge, she was a Hat-Stall, between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Though, the hat decided on Slytherin, despite her begging and pleading for anywhere else.

Ophelia made her way across the room, and something startled her on the way past. She squealed and threw her hands up to her mouth, forgetting about a sleeping Sirius. She looked over and luckily he only shifted in his sleep, once she noticed his breathing returned to a heavy sequence, she turned back and observed the frightful sight. A reflection, her reflection, except it wasn't the one she knew. She stood in front of a medium sized mirror which hung on the wall and stared longingly into the eyes of a bruised and beaten girl. Her face wasn't that bad, she tried to convince herself, it could be simply hidden by a concealment charm. A bruise curved down her cheek, and continued down her neck, round to her back. Touching the bandage that was wrapped around her head, she grimaced. She poked and prodded the multicoloured bruises, which ranged from brown to yellow in places. Her eye was a little raised too, but not obvious unless scanned up close. All the bruising on the right side of her neck could luckily be hidden by her hair. She trailed down her arms and noticed a very dark bruise on her wrist, which was most likely from the incident with her father before they left Grimmauld place. She felt sick, again. She always bruised like a peach, but this was ridiculous, even for her standards. She grasped her arm and her eyes filled with tears; choking back the urge to let out a huge cry. Mentally kicking herself, she decided she would look for her wand, in attempt to conceal this mess when she heard Sirius' voice full of concern, "You're awake."

She wiped away the tears prickling her eyes before she turned to face her brother; she forced a smile and beamed at him. He quickly moved towards her and gave her a bear hug, squeezing her a little too hard and in response she squealed. He let her go and gave her a stern look, "Ophelia I was so worried about you, what the hell were you thinking?!"

"Calm down Sirius, I'm fine." She lied. "Why do you look so worried? You look as though you haven't slept in weeks." She watched her brother pour himself a glass of water.

"Not many people taunt Bellatrix Black and live to tell the tale Ophelia. I don't think you understand how much danger you put yourself in, not to mention how irresponsible you were. What you did back there wasn't only foolish, but totally brainless. Once again you failed to listen to me, and look what happened. You need to grow up and realise the dangers you put yourself in. When will you learn to start listening to me? When will you learn to control your mouth?!" He shouted towards his sister, angrily.

"I'll learn to control my mouth the moment you control your temper Sirius Orion Black."

"Don't call me that!" Sirius spat, "I thought I was too late, you are lucky to be alive. You are fortunate she didn't murder you, especially with the comment about her precious master. You know she is crazy for him, what were you thinking, playing with fire? She isn't forgiving at the best of times." Sirius had a dark look in his eyes and the seriousness of his voice pierced through the room like a knife.

"Oh enough!" Ophelia shouted, and she stared at her brother's stunned face. "Enough of the lectures. Stop attempting to scold me without taking a minute to understand how I'm feeling, you're starting to sound like father." She knew she went too far. Immediately Sirius shot an evil look at her and she quickly continued, "I know you have probably spent hour's reciting this speech on how to make me feel bad, well trust me Sirius, there is nothing more you can say to make me feel worse than I already do. I haven't the patience for another of your brotherly rants. I'm sorry that I defended one of the people I care about most. I'm sorry I took an Unforgivable Curse shielding one of my best friends from exposure. I'm sorry I disappointed you. Is that what you wish to hear?! Because I'm not sorry. I'd do it all over again if it meant she never spoke badly of Remus. Bella infuriated me, I guess I just didn't realise what I was saying when I mentioned You Know Who."

His eyes were a pool of sorrow and pity which quickly turned into anger. He clenched his fists, frowned and suddenly burst into a fit of rage. He violently kicked over an arm chair and threw the glass he was holding. It shattered into pieces and Ophelia was mortified. She had never seen her brother this angry before. Sirius frenzied in rage. He approached Ophelia and grasped her shoulders, shaking her slightly as he spoke, "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? How worried we have all been?! Do you? You stupid, stubborn, insolent girl! You could have died and you excuse it because you didn't realise what you was saying'" He screamed, "And what the hell would I have done if you had died? Eh? What would I do without you Ophelia?" His voice croaked. Tears appeared in his eyes, "I cannot lose you." He turned away quickly, releasing her from his grasp. For which she was thankful as it started to hurt. His words ricocheted around the walls and an uncomfortable tension surfaced.

Sirius threw himself down onto the bed and held his head tightly in his hands. Suddenly, realisation hit her hard as to how much he was hurting; how upset he really was. He had never yelled at her like that before, she was pretty sure the whole house had heard that performance. Ophelia was hurt, physically and emotionally. She was angry, upset and humiliated, but she also felt a pang of distress, and an enormous sadness for the stress she had caused her brother to feel. But she never intended for any of this to happen. She approached her brother with caution, knowing far better than to push her luck when he was in one of his moods. She perched herself next to him and mustered up the courage to speak, though she found herself incapable. The two sat in silence for a few moments, until it was broke by Ophelia clearing her throat. Sirius didn't move, to which she rolled her eyes. She didn't know what to say, but she couldn't bare the uncomfortable silence any longer. "Sirius, I'm sorry. Please, look at me." When he didn't move, she stood, "I'm pretty sure Mr & Mrs Potter won't be very happy to discover their room like this, help me will you?" She knelt down on the floor to pick the glass shards up, ignoring the sharp twinges of pain in her head as she bent. He didn't move, or say a word. Anger resurfaced inside her like a volcano erupting. She cannot stand this any longer. "Sirius! Please!" Ophelia cried.

A very cross looking Sirius stood up, and walked towards the door. He paused when he reached the doorway. Not bothering to look at his sister as he said in very plain, firm voice, "The house elf will be in soon to clear the mess and she will administer your potions. I would suggest you rest, but you never listen to what I say, do you?" He left, slamming the door behind him. There was a painful silence as he left her sat on the floor; silence which consumed her. She started to sob silently on the floor of The Potters spare bedroom.

Shortly after, Ophelia managed to put most of her emotion aside and began to tidy up the residue of their fight. She was angry at her brother. She tried desperately to understand why he was so irritated, but she couldn't piece it together. She didn't think defending their best friend would make him so angry. A small knock at the door interrupted her train of thought. "Come in."

"Good morning ma'am, lovely to meet you! I'm Dyra, The Potter's elf." She squeaked in a high pitched voice. The small elf scurried into the room with a huge smile on her face and placed a tray on the table, with a pink teapot, two cups and saucers and a plate of biscuits. The elf handed Ophelia a purple sparkling potion. "Mr Potter instructed you to take this now you are awake; he hopes it will make you feel a little better. Your bandage can be taken off today too." She moved towards Ophelia, removing the bandage carefully. "Yes, much better. All healed, your bruises will go soon. How are you feeling? Oh" she stopped and looked at Ophelia. "You've been crying Miss. Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine, don't worry. My head hurts a little."

"As to be expected Miss Black, the potion will help." She smiled as Ophelia drank the potion, which tasted extremely good. "Master Black said it was your favourite, Apple pie, I hope it pleases you?" She looked longingly at her, awaiting Ophelia's approval.

She nodded in response. It truly tasted rather scrumptious. "Please, call me Ophelia, or Phi for short. This is the best tasting potion I've ever had, it's a shame I can only have it when I've had a bump to the head." Ophelia laughed, "Thank you Miss Dyra. I hope I haven't been too much of a problem."

"If you are sure, Ophelia..." She hesitated upon saying her name. "Dyra is always happy to help friends of the Potters." She scuttled around the room and clicked her fingers. The remains of glass disappeared, and the armchair was put back into position again.

"Uhm, Dyra, do you know where my bag is? And my wand? I feel a little lost without it." Ophelia asked while looking at the floor.

"Of course Miss! One second." The elf disappeared with a loud CRACK. Ophelia was left smiling; she strode towards the bed and started to flatten the sheets when the elf returned with another loud CRACK. "Here it is Miss." The elf passed her the bag and her wand.

"Thank you very much Dyra." She smiled, she felt so much better knowing she had her wand back. Suddenly there was a sharp knock at the door and it creaked open. A handsome face peered round, and a friendly voice spoke, "Safe to come in?"

Ophelia's face lit up with joy. Happiness radiated off her. She ran and pounced onto him a little too hard, totally ignoring her throbbing head. He grunted and lifted her up into a tight embrace. He was a very tall man, so Ophelia's feet couldn't touch the floor. She wrapped her body around him and squealed in happiness. She placed her hands around his neckline and embraced him tightly, a little too firmly but he didn't seem to care.

"Remus." She whispered in his ear, which sent a shiver down his spine. "I'm so happy to see you." She started to weep into his shoulder. He didn't say anything; he just held her closely while running his hand through her curls. Dyra looked at the couple and smiled, she quickly left without either one of them noticing.

Neither of them wanted the embrace to end; they stood in the doorway for several minutes. Ophelia had missed him terribly, everything felt complete when he was around. She ran her fingers through his hair and twirled separate strands, pinching them. She thought about how nice he smelt, and how soft his hair was beneath her fingers. She blushed as Remus' cough brought her back from her thoughts, "Though I would like to stay like this all day," he laughed, "I think both of us could do with some tea." He walked over to the armchairs, and placed her into the seat. She noticed he walked with a limp which she thought was unusual. She observed the man before her, and admired how handsome he was. Maybe the feeling was amplified due to not seeing him all summer, she thought. He wore a baggy jumper which was mustard colour, with a white t-shirt underneath. The colour suited him well; it really complimented his hazel eyes and light brown hair. His outfit was matched with dark blue muggle jeans and a pair of big brown boots.

Remus started to pour two cups of tea. She noted hers was made just how she liked it; two sugars and lots of milk. She admired how fine-looking he really was; he was a rugged man, with three scars down his face due to trouble with his furry little problem, and she could tell he hadn't shaved in a few days as there was slight stubble. But she thought he was strikingly handsome. She noticed two new large cuts which were being covered up by his collar, but revealed as he bent to pour the tea. They looked red and fresh, on the left side of his neck and she started to wonder how he got those this time. Remus looked at her and smiled, she felt herself getting lost in his eyes, as she does each time she looks at him. Ophelia started mentally praying that he wasn't a secret Legillimens as she felt a blush grace her face.

"A knut for your thoughts?" Remus grinned as he ran his hand through his hair. She hated it when he did that. It always made him look so irresistible.

"Uhm. I was just wondering how this month treated you." She took the cup of tea from Remus' outstretched hand and took a mouthful which burnt her mouth. She scowled as she soon realised the tea was far too hot. Placing the cup back onto the tray, she attempted to hide her embarrassment with a smile.

He laughed and sat down in the armchair next to her. "I feel fine." He took her hand and observed the bruise on her wrist, running his fingers over her skin. "Never mind me, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I wish everyone would stop looking so worried."

Remus observed the girl sat before him. He quietly watched her eat a biscuit which she picked from the tray, dropping crumbs down her chest. He smiled, he missed her clumsiness. Remus looked her up and down in appreciation, and noticed she was still wearing her nightdress. His eyes wandered to places a best friend shouldn't be admiring and he mentally scolded himself. She's Sirius' sister, he would kill him if he found out he had any sort of feelings toward his twin. He eyed the bruises on her face, to which he attempted to hide his grimace. He couldn't stand to see her like this. "Remus, please; I hate it when you stare. Say something, and please don't shout I really can't be doing with another lecture." She said, looking at her feet rather sheepishly.

He laughed. "I'm not going to yell, I heard that's more Sirius' job. And from his outburst earlier, I can tell he upset you deeply." He pointed at her bloodshot red eyes.

"You heard that then?" She didn't realise who was in the house at the time of the argument. The feeling of utter humiliation came flooding back and her face started to heat up. She couldn't manage to look Remus in the eyes, so she continued to stare at the floor.

"Yes, but don't worry. James and I scolded him as soon as he came downstairs. I don't condone his temper, I never have... But I can sympathise with him this time Ophelia." Observing her curious look he quickly pressed on. "You don't understand. Neither of us have seen him like this before, he hasn't eaten at all since he arrived. He barely slept. He doesn't speak much either, he spent every day by your side and he wouldn't leave you. We had to slip him a sleeping potion just to get him to nap."

"Wait a second. Days? How long exactly have I been here? Remus, what day is it?" she glared at him, his words resonated.

"It's Tuesday." He looked at her sympathetically while reaching into his pocket, "Chocolate?" He grinned. After noting her un-amused stare, he quickly carried on, "Maybe not then. Well, I only got here yesterday. Full moon, recovery took a little longer than usual. But you've been here four days. Sirius sent James his Patronus on Friday around 10.30pm, telling him you were in critical condition, and that he floo'd you into their chimney while he went to collect some stuff from Grimmauld place. He begged him to help you, he was frantic. He had to send you through floo because apparition would have splinched you, it was slower as he had to break into an old muggle house to use their chimney, but it was safer. James found you in a heap, covered in blood and soot. Of course James, Mr & Mrs Potter came to your aid. They fixed you up the best they could, but it wasn't looking good. They waited for Sirius, but he didn't show for about two hours. They didn't know what to do." He sighed and took a sip from his cup.

"And Sirius?"

"He returned to Grimmauld place... And while he was trying to leave, your father showed up. He's not told us what happened, in detail. He won't talk about it." Remus told her, Ophelia's eyes widening in horror. "All he told us was that he couldn't go back; that your father burnt him off the family tapestry and he was disowned. Sirius left Bella and Lucius in a pretty bad state." He laughed, which turned into a frown. "No doubt she twisted the truth to your father, obviously resulting in Sirius being disowned. He came back from there looking in a bad way, but he was just focussed on seeing you. He wouldn't leave you; it took Mrs Potter two hours to persuade him to let her see to his cuts. Sirius said that you were left on the tapestry, but he didn't know if he wanted you to go back there."

Her mind rolled into overdrive, thoughts ran around her mind. She was thinking of what father must have done to him. She felt a surge of sorrow as she choked back the urge to cry. "I need to speak to him. No wonder he hates me." She rose from the chair and Remus grabbed her hand, pulling her into his lap.

"Soon, you need to listen. When Mr & Mrs Potter stabilised you, you wouldn't wake up. Sirius was distraught. There was no sign of improvement for days, your condition was deteriorating. By the time you arrived, you had already lost so much blood from the injury to your head, which was accelerated by the Cruciatus Curse. The problem was your body was rejecting all forms of magic. Potions, charms, everything they tried failed. They thought you wouldn't make it. Sirius was going crazy, James couldn't leave him in case he went looking for Bella, or Lucius, and did something stupid." Remus ruffled his hair and carried on. "I received an owl on Sunday morning. I came over as soon as I could. I arrived around 1pm, and they explained everything... I always knew you were a powerful witch Phi but I never imagined anything like this." He stared into her eyes. Ophelia shifted in his lap as he gazed into her eyes. She whispered, "What do you mea-"

"Your magic protected you, I think. We are all still figuring out the details. But when I arrived, I sat beside you on the bed and I started to read you those muggle stories you love. Peter pan,if I remember correctly it's your favourite." They smiled together. "Once I finished, I held your hand and as soon as my hand touched yours, magic radiated off you. I felt it. It was a fuzzy feeling with a warm sensation. A white orb surrounded you for around two minutes, and you levitated into the air. I shouted for help and they came running. I was amazed, as soon as you landed back onto the bed, slowly, you started to look better. Immediately, there was colour in your face again; redness in your lips. You no longer had the extreme, deathly paleness in your skin. You were still badly bruised, but they weren't as black as they once were. You started to respond to potions, slowly. It was what muggles call, a miracle."

She didn't know what to think, or even say. Until she let out a small laugh and said, "Is this a well planned prank my brother bribed you into playing? Because if it is Remus, believe me now, even a big handsome werewolf like yourself will be running away frightened from what I will do to you." She challenged him with a wink.

He couldn't hold back his amusement at her threat. "I'd like to see you try." He laughed. "But no, it isn't a prank. I'm being Serious."

"I'm pretty sure you aren't my brother." She joked.

Laughter filled the room, and the two smiled at each other. "Phi, I'm telling you the truth. We didn't know why at the time, and we still don't know for sure. You really are extraordinary Ophelia. I've never known anyone able to do that, your magic protected you. It's not normal for ordinary magic to act of its own accord to heal itself like that. It developed and brought you back from a near death experience. Which is bloody brilliant. But the only issue now is your magic is protecting you from charms, and other forms of magic, like I said before. Which mea-"

"Which means, no concealment charms?" Realization dawned upon her as Remus nodded. They were due to board the Hogwarts express tomorrow, what would everyone think when they saw her like this? She shifted and noticed Remus pulled her closer which made her smile.

"At least until your magic is under control again. It's like a sort of defence mechanism I guess. The potions are starting to help, but as you can see, it's not working fully yet because your bruises haven't disappeared. Mr Potter has organised for you to speak to Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn once we return to Hogwarts about this. He said he would come with you, if you wanted." He explained.

"I think I'll take some of that chocolate now please, Moony."

Smiling, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. Dilly Divines, it was a thin bar of white chocolate which melted in your mouth; her favourite. Something she adored about Remus was his excellent attention to detail; he remembered everything and took his time to make everything perfect. She took a bite from the chocolate, and realised how hungry she really was. Remus laughed aloud when she finished the bar within a minute. She remembered it was usually her bringing him the chocolate for his recovery, as a non-spoken agreement, whenever one of them happened to be ill, they brought chocolate. Which brought the topic back to his furry little problem. "The letter; I wrote you a letter, but I lost it. I'm sorry we couldn't be there for you this month Remus. Imagining you all alone during the change upsets me. I wish I could have been there."

"I read it." Remus continued as he saw her confused facial expression. "Sirius gave it to me... He also told me what you did for me Phi'. While I appreciate what you did, it wasn't wise. I don't want you putting yourself in danger again for a werewolf, do you understand?" He sounded very stern, which was unusual for him.

"I would defend you against You Know Who himself if I must. You-"

"Then you are a fool."

She bolted upright in his lap and gave him a stern look. "Remus John Lupin! You will find it wise not to call me a fool!" She growled and his mouth curled into a slight smirk. She dropped her tone and continued. "As I was saying, you are a rather extraordinary man, Moony, and I won't have anyone tarring your name because of the wolf in you. I personally, love you the way you are. You are my best friend. I would face a hundred of Bella's Crucio's if it meant she never spoke ill of you again." There was a strange silence in the room, and the two stared longingly into each other's eyes. He sighed in defeat and they smiled as one. He placed his hand on her face and kissed her forehead; she leant against him and nuzzled into his neck. He caressed her face and they just embraced each other, thoroughly enjoying their company. The feeling of his jumper against her face was soft, with the aroma of coconuts and cocoa. She wished she could just stay here forever, and forget about the chaotic world which seemed to unravel around them. The sound of his heartbeat against her head soothed her. She started to drift off to sleep when Remus' voice disturbed her, "Phi?"

"Hmm?" She grunted, snuggling into him more.

"You know, seeing you in that state made me realise how much I don't want to lose you. You mean a great deal to me Miss Black; don't scare a wolf like that again."

She opened her eyes and observed the man she was curled into. "I won't. I promise."

Ophelia met his gaze, their eyes locked and she smiled sweetly at him. She noticed his eyes flicker to her lips then quickly back to her eyes. Ophelia tried to calm her racing heart but it was pointless, she was utterly infatuated with the man in front of her. He placed his hand on the side of her face, moved into her, and planted a kiss on her cheek. Ophelia looked at him and assembled all the courage she could. Putting her hands around his neck, she slowly kissed him on the lips. She pulled away for a second and thought perhaps he was angry, but before she could ponder it any further Remus pulled her into him, and kissed her passionately. His mouth was warm, and the touch of his lips on hers was softer than she could have imagined. The euphoria in the room was almost palpable. Ophelia wondered if he too felt a burning ache of desire which resided deep within the soul. As the kiss deepened, Ophelia found herself running her hands through his hair, he kissed her neck and she let out a little giggle as his stubble touched her skin. "It tickles." He laughed and quickly planted a kiss on her lips once more; Ophelia placed her head back onto his chest and snuggled into him, falling soundly asleep.

She woke abruptly to the door swinging open and observed a happy looking James throwing himself onto the bed, which was opposite the couple sitting in the armchair. "Well, hello sleepy head. It's nice of you to awaken from your slumber." He winked, and then he acknowledged that Ophelia was curled into Remus dressed in nothing but a nightdress and a silk robe. He gave a strange look, "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"Yes, a nap." Ophelia rolled her eyes and stood up yawning.

"You know, you really do look like crap Ophelia. Didn't I tell you Remus, it would be nothing but trouble letting a snake into the lion den." He laughed.

"Nice to see you too Prongs. Get your feet off my bed." Ophelia smiled and pulled James' legs from the bed and he stood up. He wasn't much taller than her, he was average in height. He wore a casual shirt and jeans, with round shaped glasses. His hair was jet black, and like his fathers, it was known for being unruly. It stuck up in all directions, as it always did.

He quickly picked her up and swung her in a circle, hugging her tightly as he stopped. "She's not even been here a week and she's moved in, anyone would think you were pining after me Miss Black." He joked. Ophelia looked over James' shoulder and noticed Remus rolling his eyes, and she laughed at his un-amused look.

"Either that or she was almost killed, Prongs." Remus added.

"Cheer up Moony; you can't get rid of the famous Ophelia Black that easily." He turned to look at Ophelia, and gave her a sincere look. "You dare to scare us like that again and I will kill you myself, do you understand?" He winked and hugged her again.

"I've missed you Prongs."

"Ditto, now stop flirting and get dressed." He joked. "It's almost 11 o'clock and you are still dressed in pyjama's you lazy little urchin. My mum bought you some clothes, they are in the drawers. Come downstairs when you've finished, she's making pancakes!" Dancing his way out of the room like a young adolescent child, leaving laughter behind him. "C'mon then Remus," he bobbed his head round the door, "I'm sure she doesn't need any assistance getting undressed... Do you? 'Cause I'm sure I could be more of a help than Moony." He laughed.

Ophelia threw a pillow at James playfully, "Get out! Before Sirius puts you in St Mungo's."

James erupted in fits of sarcastic laughter, "Oh I'd like to see him try, we all know I'm the stronger, more handsome marauder." He joked while exiting through the door; Remus rolled his eyes and made his way towards the door. Ophelia always admired James, and he truly was one of her closest friends. He didn't jump into fits of rage with her, shout or whine when she messed up, which happened to be a lot. He just made light of every situation, and that's what Ophelia needed. She desperately required humour, especially when her brother was in one of his moods. Ophelia was pulled from her thoughts as Remus paused at the door and smiled at her before he left. Ophelia couldn't suppress the overwhelming feeling of happiness that spread across her face, a fresh blush rose to her cheeks. She sensed the feeling of butterfly's playing eagerly in her stomach. Dancing across the room to collect the pillow from the floor, she reminisced about the kiss she shared with Remus earlier.