Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Just the plot.
Chapter - Breakfast and Swear Words
My eyes opened of their own accord, while my mind protested that it wanted some more sleep. So as a compromise I lay like that for some time just staring at the ceiling as I mused over my dream or rather the memory that had sneaked into my sleep in the form of a dream.
It had been an experience that left me wary of wandering in the dungeons alone, in fact, even now six and a half years later, I only traversed the dungeons with some company. That was also the first time I had met Sirius Black and the last time I had had a proper conversation with him. After the initial greeting he had informed me that I was actually standing right outside the Slytherin common room and then accompanied me to my own one. How he had known the afore-mentioned locations by the second day of school I had never thought to ask.
On the way to the common room he had asked me facts about myself and I had told him with the candidness that only two children can share right after their first meeting, about my muggle-born heritage to my parents distrust of the wizarding world and about my pet dog Brownie.
He had listened attentively and asked a lot of questions as he accompanied me till the portrait of fruits near the barrels that lead to the Hufflepuff common room. And then with a smirk and a cheesy salute he left. I stood there watching his retreating back till he turned a corner. It was only as I was lying safely ensconced under my patchwork quilt that I realised that I had not learned anything about him other than his name and house.
We hadn't talked much after that. Had exchanged the occasional smiles and nods during the first year but even that had become tinged with awkwardness and we had lost all contact even though we shared a lot of classes and resided in the same castle for the better part of an year.
So now I wondered, why did I have the dream about him? Was it a sign? Was he also staying back for the Christmas break? Maybe we would get the chance to rekindle our acquaintance...
I sighed at my day-dreams, the lack of any kind of love-life was making me desperate, I thought bitterly. Sirius Black was just a childhood acquaintance and nothing more. With a shake of my head to clear all the sleepiness I got up and started getting ready for the day.
Leisurely I made my way towards the empty Hufflepuff table and glanced towards the other tables to see who else had stayed back and no I didn't wish that Sirius had. Not at all. There were two younger Ravenclaw students and a seventh year Slytherin already eating breakfast but no one was present at the Gryffindor table. I did not heave a sigh of disappointment..
I was on my second piece of buttered toast when I was pulled out of my perusal of the day's Daily Profit by the sound of someone clearing their throat. I looked up to see Remus Lupin standing in front of me, a shy smile on his face.
"Hey Audrey, mind if I sit with you?"
I stared dumbly at him, you have to understand that this was far from a normal occurrence for me and left me mute for a minute.
Remus started to fidget minutely under my stare and hurried to explain, "There is no one else of our batch who is staying back you see and I thought, you know... that we could, umm.. sit together...?"
"Uhhm yeah sure, why not, of course.." Okay, feel free to shut up anytime now stupid mouth.
I spread all the stuff that i had placed within hand's reach more evenly around the table so that he could reach it just as well, and to busy my hands too.
He settled down opposite me and reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice, there was an awkward silence as we both fumbled around for a topic of conversation.
"Soooo..." I stretched the 'o' for an unnecessarily long time, just to fill the silence with some noise but it tapered off and left me looking everywhere than at him in embarrassment.
Suddenly I heard a chuckle and I looked up to see Remus covering his mouth with a hand, presumably to hide a grin. "I am sorry", he raised his hands, palms up with a sheepish grin when I raised my eyebrows at him," but I am not good at breaking-the-ice conversations and I am just relieved that neither are you. No offence," he added.
I tried but couldn't keep the grin off my face. I shook my head in amusement, "None taken."
We grinned at each other, the non ice-breaking conversation leaving the ice broken.
"So," this time it was him, "have you started on any of the holiday homework?"
I shook my head, "Nu-uh, though I am hoping to finish it before Christmas." After a slight pause I added, "There really is no chance of that happening, however. I know deep down that I will only finish it a day or so before the holidays end."
He chuckled, "I could help you if you like, though I have to warn you that I suc- ahem- that i am not very good at potions."
I snorted at his quick change of words, "you don't have to censor yourself around me Remus, we live in a co-ed boarding school, there is hardly anything that I haven't heard."
Remus made a face as he paused in spreading a copious amount of jam on his toast, "Oh don't worry it's not you, I just try to cut down on the swearing during the holidays, since God knows I do enough of it during the rest of the year. Being around James and Sirius... It just comes naturally, you know?"
My ears had perked up at a certain someone's name but at his words and the rather wry expression on his face, a laugh escaped from my throat.
"Oh I bet, in fact I think that before graduation they will make even McGonagall curse. In public." We grinned.
He adopted a mock horrified expression on his face, "Please don't ever give them this idea or we'll have a raging competition on our hands. I can just imagine what will happen," and clearing is throat he started to impersonate a cheery voice, "'Who can make McGonagall swear the most?!" Then in a deeper voice, he continued, "The loser will give the winner a butterbeer if its muttered," back to the cheery voice, "A firewhisky if its aloud but in private", the deeper one, "And a whole party if it is aloud and in public.'"
He shook his head at the scenario while I buried my head in my hands as I laughed long and hard because even though I didn't know the two too well but from their antics over the years I could very well imagine them doing something like this.
He was finished with breakfast by the time I managed to control my laughter, I got the feeling that it wasn't even that funny but I think the presence of Remus and the attention he was paying me had resulted in a ticklish sensation in my stomach and a giddy feeling which made me laugh extra hard. I was pretty sure that some latent embarrassment would creep up on me late at night and make me bury my head in a pillow, but right now I didn't care. I was in the presence of a cute boy and we were getting along surprisingly well.
"So", he smiled at me, his chocolate coloured eyes exuding warmth, "what shall we do now?"
He had just finished a sentence when an owl swooped down from the ceiling and dropped a scarlet letter on the table in front of us and rapidly took flight. Remus and I stared first at the owl and then down at the letter, both paling rapidly as we realised just what it was.
A/N: So, here's the first chapter, in one week, as promised! I get points for my punctuality, right? Though I feel that I made Remus a bit OOC here, however since he was a teenager at that time and was in constant company of the other Marauders, they must have rubbed off on him a little, right?
Do Review! Please, please, please?