You belong with me - Chap. 31

After her first week at the castle, Lily was the same as always; classes had been the distraction she needed to stop thinking about the events that had took place during summer, and the support and company of her friends had made her cheerful and sweet personality to come back to surface. She even was getting along with Sirius! She wasn't sure about how it had happened, but apparently, the marauders and her friends didn't hate each other anymore; instead, they seemed to be part of the same gang now, and it hadn't been forced at all, but natural instead. They weren't together all the time, but it was usual to chat with them during the meals or at the Common Room, and the arguments between Becca or Sam and Black or Potter had not reduced, but they did seem to have always a trace of humor or sympathy in them. That, and the stupid truth or dare game that apparently had started on the train and Rebecca, Potter and Black seemed to be enjoying so much.
When she thought about it, Lily realized that actually she got along with them too, even when they could be so irritating some times. However, she wouldn't give in about the James issue. At first, her friends seemed quite surprised at how cold and rude she was with Potter, but Eli seemed to understand her reasons immediately, and she suspected Remus did too, despite neither one of them had mentioned anything about it. Maybe she was being too harsh; after all, Potter did appear to have lost a tad of his bigheadedness, but when she reminded how she had felt months before erased any good feeling she might have for the boy.
James, on the other hand, was simply frustrated and didn't know what else he could do to attract the redhead's attention. He hadn't dated anyone in months, he didn't hex people just to have fun anymore – or at least he tried not to, he had stopped messing around all the time, he just did what he had to to attract her attention, including asking her out every time he had a chance. But the truth was that her coldness and being ignored were really discouraging him. However, that afternoon, profesor Hopkins would announce something that would cheer him up again.
Last week, they had started with a series of mostly theoretical lessons on non-verbal spells (the new Defense Agains the Dark Arts teachers liked talking a lot; too much in Sirius, James and Becca's opinión), but today, they would be starting with the practical lessons.
"Which means," said Eli in a low voice while the teacher was still talking "he'll pair us up." Some seventh-year Ravenclaws who had already had many clases with Hopkins had commented to Eli and Becca that the man loved pairing or teaming up the students.
"Now, choose a partner and get to work." He announced immediately after. The three Gryffindors and the two Ravenclaws looked at each other.
"We're an odd number." Sam said, stating the obvious. "Toss for it?" Everyone nodded.
"Blue, red or green." Eli said; they were used to doing it that way, everyone took out their wand and whoever was the only one to make a certain colour of sparks was the one who had to look for another partner. If more than two people picked the same colour, they just did it again.
"I guess it's me this time," said Lily when blue sparks only came out of her wand. "I'll wait to see who has no partner."
Behind them, James and Sirius argued childishly.
"Come on Padfoot! It's my chance!" Potter was saying, gesticulating staring at the redhead.
"I can't believe you wanna leave me for a girl, Prongs." Sirius said dramatically. It was hard to tell if he was joking or nor, but Remus and Peter laughed anyway.
"It's my chance!" James repeated. Sirius folded his arms.
"First, Jamie, you're a wimp. Second, the ice queen gives you the cold shoulder, what makes you think she'll want to be your partner? And third, if she agrees, she'll just do it to have an excuse to send you to the Hospital Wing." That made Peter and Remus laugh even more, and James gave them a withering look.
"The four of you," called them Hopkins, startling them: the teacher had stealthily approached them. The marauders looked up and stared at him with their best 'I didn't do anything' face. "Pettigrew, go over there with McDonald; Lupin, with Mulroney, and you, Barker, don't pull that face, I won't leave you without a partner; go with Black. Mr. Potter, I think miss Evans doesn't have a partner yet."
James looked as if he had gotten his Christmas presents early. Not even Lily's grimace (the expression of someone who had just taken a long gulp of sour milk) could erase the wide smile that parted his face, literally from ear to ear. While the teacher talked, James stood up and cheerfully sat next to the redhead, dropping his books on the desk almost with pride, as if the fact that profesor Hopkins had paired them up was product of some twisted plan thought up by himself.J Lily seemed to suspect something like that, as she looked at him with suspicion out of the corner of her eye, but didn't say a thing.
"And you better make an effort," the professor was saying, "All of you; because if one of you has some trouble, it'll be your partner's responsibility to help  you achieve the wanted results, even if that means you'll have to practice after classes."
'At least that jerk of Potter is good with spells," the redhead thought. 'That way I won't have to stand him overtime.'
Hopkins' words, however, provoked a different effect on James, whose mind started to conceive what he would consider a brilliant plan.
"Hey," he told her once the teacher asked them to begin working. Lily looked at him, at first with annoyance and then with resignation, thought the only thing James could think about were her beautiful green eyes.
"Let's just get to work," she said, taking out her wand and getting up of her place. Potter followed her, still smiling. "You attack, I defend myself." James nodded and they positioned as in a duel; Lily held her wand uo and waited…and waited, and waited, but the attack never came. She lowered her wand and stared at him, slightly disconcerted.
"What's wrong?" She asked, frowning in an adorable way. James felt like approaching to her and kissing her between the eyebrows, but instead, he pulled an innocent face and shrugged his shoulders.
"Seems like I'm not that good with non-verbal spells." He said. Lily narrowed her eyes with mistrust.
"Fine," she said, raising her eyebrows. "I attack, you defend yourself." She was sure James was playing the fool; if he had to defend himself, he would stop behaving like an idiot and just do it.
Only that he didn't: Potter's wand flew throught the air at Lily's second attempt with the disarming spell. The girl looked at him, slightly frowning again, but James looked at her with the same expression than before. However, she still had doubts, so she decided to give it a try with Rictusempra.
Although Potter raised his wand, the spell hit him right on his chest and he started laughing like a maniac, stopping only when Lily pronounced the counter-spell. Potter was definitely not getting the non-verbal spells technique.
"If you don't improve this week, Potter, I'm afraid miss Evans will have to help you after classes," Lily looked at him like a child who is about to throw a tantrum, and the teacher smiled. "Unless your partner improves." He told her.
Once the teacher left, James looked at Lily and smiled sideways, nodding at her and leaving the room.
"You're a genius, Prongsie," Sirius told him as soon as he reached them after the class. "A bloody genius." Remus looked at him raising an eyebrow.
"Seriously?" he said skeptically; only his friends could think that that was a 'master plan', if it even could be called a plan. Peter, however, encouraged him eagerly.
"I'll be a peabrain for the whole weak and get some overtime alone with Lily" James said as if that was the most brilliant thing someone had thought of in centuries..
"It shouldn't be hard for you," Sirius joked, "Whenever you're near the redhead, you act like a peabrain."
……
"Please, kill me," Lily said teatrically, shaking Eli with fake desperation. The Ravenclaw made her let the front of his robes go by grabbing her wrists and moving her away while laughing.
"Don't you think you're being a little exaggerated?" he asked, puting his arma round her shoulders while they walked towards the Arithmancy class. "Potter isn't that bad. He's quite nice, in fact; and you've heard Remus, he says he's a good bloke."
Lily snorted and mumbled a pretty unintelligible 'Yeah, right'
"Oh, come on, Lils, you can't really believe he is that bad," Eli insisted. As they were alone, he had decided it was time to talk about it. "I know what he did last year was… in terrible taste, to say it softly. He behaved like a pig to Snape, though we should agree that he is no saint either. But you know him, he adores being in the spotlight, but you also must have realized that there's more behind that, even if what he did to Snape was -"
"You don't get it, Eli," Lily interrupted him, sitting on her seat in the empty classroom. Her friend looked at her intrigued; in the redhead's tone there was a tint of sadness that he couldn't understand. The Gryffindor looked back at him and realized he wouldn't let it go. "It's just… It's not only that I hated what he did to Snape, but…" she was having a hard time expressing how she had felt, but Eli was still staring at her in silence, waiting for the explanation. Lily snorted again, frustrated. "I was beginning to trust him, Eli." She said, looking away. The Ravenclaw wasn't expecting that, and he wasn't quick enough to disguise his surprise. "I… I really thought he had changed, grown up; more than that, I thought I had misjudged him for a long time: I -" Lily bit her tongue before admitting she had been about to give him a chance; before confessing she had felt something for him. Or that maybe she still did, and she couldn't let those feelings emerge again, because she didn't want to be hurt again. "I just can't trust him again." She said. Eli nodded and they remained silent while the rest of the students entered the classroom.
"By the way, where's Remys?" he asked when the boy didn't appear. Lily was surprised that the boy hadn't showed up, but then she remembered that night was full moon… It was still early, but she wasn't sure about how it all worked, maybe he was exhausted and had decided to go to the Hospital Wing, or maybe Madame Pomfrey  needed to give him something before he transformed, she wasn't sure.
"He's probably getting into trouble with his friends." She answered, making the Ravenclaw laugh.
……
 Halfway to the Arithmnacy class, Remus decided to skip it and go to the Hospital Wing: he didn't know why, but today he was aching a lot; that night was going to be a rough one. Maybe Madame Pomfrey would give him something for the pain, so that he wouldn't have to skip the rest of the lessons. While he walked there, he couldn't help feeling eager and a bit excited thinking about the 'adventure' they had planned for that night. It was incredible that he felt that way, when before the full moons only meant pain and suffering for him. But since he had met his friends, everything had changed: he not only had fun during his transformations, but he also didn't feel the shame he used to feel for being what he was. However, there was a feeling that, even if he tried to suppress it, overcame him after every full moon, after every adventure. Guilt. Knowing that professor Dumbledore trusted him, knowing that he had accepted him when no one else would have, and knowing the way he was betraying him made him feel so guilty that many times he had taken the decision of telling him the whole truth. But no, he would drag his friends with him too; and it was all his fault. His friends were illegal Animagi because of him. The only thing he could do was stop doing it, stop going out with them every full moon… but he just couldn't. He was selfish and weak, and he couldn't give up to it.
"Bunking off, Lupin?" the voice really startled him; even with his excellent hearing, he hadn't heard her arrive. The girl laughed, and her laughter bounced on the castle's stone walls. "Sorry I scared you." She said. Remus laughed.
"No, you're not." He said, and Becca laughed again, looking at him sassily.
"Busted," she said, shaking her long, blonde mane. "I love scaring you." Lupin smiled sideways. "So this is another one of your secrets, Moony? The perfect prefect skives off every once in a while?"
"Well it seems to me you're doing exactly the same," he answered, raising his eyebrows. "I'm not surprised, though; it fits your profile" That made Rebecca laugh again and Remus smiled: he loved the sound of her laughter.
"I am a really good student!" sh exclaimed, pretending to be surprised.
"Right. I don't doubt you have great marks, but not because you're dedicated," he said. "It's because you're smart. Anyway, I meant it fits your profile because apparently you adore breaking rules." Becca smiled.
"Well, it seems Mr. Moony knows me better than I know him, even when it's not him the one trying to uncover my secrets," she said, raising an eyebrow. She was seductive even when she didn't mean to, Remus thought.
"Like you've already told me, I appear to be good at 'reading' people." The boy answered. Then Rebecca smiled mischievously and took his hand.
"Come on," she told him, pulling him by his arm. Lupin laughed.
"Are you kidnapping me?" he asked, but he followed her. Rebecca looked at him with her catlike eyes.
"You have anything better to do?"
"And where are you taking me?" he inquired, amused.
"First you'll show me where are the kitchens, then we'll take something (chocolate, I know you need your daily dosis), and then we'll go to the Astronomy tower to eat it in peace and laugh at how bored the rest of the crew must be at class." She answered, making him laugh. That woman was really something.
Once they had in their hands two big pieces of chocolate cake, they comfortably sat on the Astronomy tower floor. Remus carefully observed her while she was distracted devouring her cake. Her posture reflected her personality; carelessly leant with her back on the wall, one leg stretched on the floor, the other one slightly flexed. With her voluptuous curves, her full mouth and her long and blonde wavy hair, she was the pure definition fo femininity, and her catlike brown eyes were a mirror of her sassiness, intelligence, and kind heart.
The girl looked up and caught him staring at her, making him blush to the roots of his hair. However, she seemed to blush to, though she concealed it quite well.
"Well, Moony, now that you're high on chocolate, will you reveal me one of your secrets?" Remus smiled enigmatically. Becca loved that smile; it gave an almost dangerous touch to that boy with sweet honey eyes.
"I thought you had said you wanted to discover them on your own" he answered with a bit smugly. Rebecca folded her arms, raising an eyebrow.
"Bribbing you with chocolate is one of my tactics to do so," she said, smiling. Remus raised an eyebrow, mimicking her expression.
"Well it won't be that easy" he said
"Fine," said Becca, standing up and making the empty dishes disspear with a flick of her wand while Remus stood up too. "Then I'll tell you one of mine," When the blonde approached to his ear, her fragrant flowery perfume invaded his nose. "I like you, Moony." She whispered, and then went away with that delicate swinging of her hips, stopping by the door only for a second to say "Though, of course, that wasn't really a secret anymore, was it?"
Remus didn't know for how long he stood there, observing the door, still dazed by her perfume and with a silly smile on his face. But when his bones started aching again, his smiled dissapear and his face darkened. He was a werewolf. He couldn't and shouldn't fall in love.
……
"Come on, Bree; you are being just as Lily on her first flying lesson." Sam said, banging the bathroom door. She had her long black hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing the team's uniform.
"Thanks for that," Lily complained, also trying to open the door. Finally, Bree went out of the bathroom, pale as ever and with her large, round eyes wide.
"You gotta do it," Samantha said, pulling her arm and puting a broom on her hand. "We need good players like you if we want to win the cup this year."
"Besides," Lily added, smiling encouragingly "Didn't you promise it to Black?" They hadn't spoke about Bree's crush since that time she had received his Christmas present almost a year ago, but all of her friends knew she was still head over hills for him. And that only made her more nervous.
They managed to get her out of the room and drag her to the grounds; they arrived there at exactly six o' clock, and the Quidditch field was already crowded with students eager to try out. Sitting on the bleachers they could see Eli and Becca, who waved at the, thumbs up and smiling at Brianna.
"I'll go up there with them," said Lily, giving her a brief hug. "Good luck. You'll be great."
"I should go help Potter, he seems like he needs it" Sam said with a smile, patting Bree on her back and going to help the captain who, besides looking exhausted seemed to be having trouble to organize the Gryffindors.
Nervous, Bree looked at the bleachers again and she could see Pettigrew and Lupin with her friends. What could have happened that Sirius wasn't there?
"Boo!" said a voice behind her, making her scream and give an involuntary jumo. The boy burst out laughing, (though it sounded more like barks), and Bree looked at him frowning, though she was relieved that he was there. He seemed tired, but he smiled widely, taking his silky dark hair out of his handsome, aristocratic face.
"It wasn't funny." She said, trying not to smile.
"Yeah, it was," Sirius answered, winking "Good luck, Bree, though you don't need it." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and running to the bleachers, turning halfway to raise both thumbs.
Bree approached the group of students who would be trying out, standing right where Sam told her. When he saw her, James gave her an encouraging smile that the brunette had a hard time giving back. She didn't remember being that nervous ever, and she couldn't believe they had convinced her to do it. Why was she trying out!? Being in the spotlight had always made her anxious, but having to fly in front of all that people made her uneasiness worse. She had a knot in her stomach and her mouth was dry, and her heart raced as the students who were before her tried out for the chaser's spot. When James said her name she heard it as if she was underwater, and her legs trembled as she walked towards the center of the field, but all of that went away when she kicked the floor and her broom took flight.
When she was in the air, Bree felt freer than ever, and the way she felt when the adrenaline ran through her veins when she flied with the Quaffle in her hands was indescribable.
Later, she wouldn't remember a thing of that try out, but everyone assured her that the moment she took flight, it was obvious who was going to be the next chaser of the Gryffindor's Quidditch Team.
"Congratulations, Nana," said Sirius, going down the bleachers and approaching to Brianna once the tryouts were over. When he reached her, he smiled widely and gave her a warm hug. "I know you could do it." Bree smiled too, her face buried into the marauder's chest. Sirius kissed her curls and let her go, looking at her with pride.
"Thank you, Sirius," said Bree, tucking a curl behind her ear. "I… I wouldn't have tried out without you. Thank you." The boy smiled, but before he could say anything else, three women got there running and leapt on the tiny girl. All of them were talking at the same time and it was impossible to understand them, but once they let her fo, Bree thank them, pleased. Eli congratulated her as well, with the same fervour but a little more decency, and James approached to them and puta n arm around Sirius shoulders, looking at the four girls with a smile that even Lily gave him back.
"It'll be great to have you on the team, Bree. You're an excellent player, you really kept that to yourself!. Bree thanked him, thrilled, and said goodbye to them with a smile as her friends dragged her to the castle.
"Sirius!" she called him, turning around. "See you later at the Common Room, I need to talk to you," Sirius nodded and the girl smiled again, following her friends.
Sirius watched her walk away with a half smile on his face; he had never met anyone like Bree.
"You know she liked you, right?" James asked, looking at the girl.
"Huh? Whatcha talking 'bout, Prongs?" asked Sirius, slightly disconcerted, still looking at Bree walk away.
"And you know you like her, right?" his friend ask again. This time Sirius did look at him, frowning in an extremely funny way. James smiled innocently and patted his back, heading to the bleachers, were Remus and Peter were waiting for them.