Chapter Eight
Regulus POV
Iris leads me expertly through the forest until we finally arrive in a clearing where the herd of thestrals is grazing. She had tod me this morning that we were going on an outing, no questions asked. Apparently this was it. She explains how the half giant helped her train the Thestral that apparently she has named Suri.
It’s astonishing how affectionate the two are. Iris murmurs to her, calling this ugly creature beautiful and gently petting its muzzle. It’s clear how much she cares about it and by the way Suri nudges Iris’s hand, the feeling is mutual. She demonstrates how to call her with a whistle from her hands and how to mount and ride.
Then to my surprise, asks if I want to join them. I ask if the creature will mind but she just says that as long she’s with me, Suri will be fine. I don’t know what causes me to accept, maybe the hopeful way she looks at me. And maybe because, even though animals are filthy and stupid, this one gives off a certain air of majesty and wonder.
So I climb on and almost before I’m fully seated, Iris grabs onto Suri’s neck and she takes off into the air. Because I have no other choice but to fall to my death, I desperately wrap my arms around her waist as we soar through the sky.
Suri clucks gleefully and then swoops down, brushing the tops of the trees with her wings making me feel like my stomach is about to fall out of my nose. I love flying on my Nimbus, but riding a broom is a swift and smooth feeling, one where you’re the only brain involved and are completely in control. Riding a beast is much more jerky and you have to trust it not to go insane and kill you.
Despite this, Iris is laughing and crooning to Suri. Who knew she would act like such a gryffindor? I have to admit I did not imagine her to be an adrenaline junkie but it’s kind of endearing.
She looks over her shoulder at me, grinning and yells, “What do you think?” She looks wild and windblown, bordering on delirious. I’ve never seen her like this before. During prefect duty and the few classes I’ve seen her in, she always seems cheerful and hardworking but contained. This is completely different.
“I think you’re insane!” I yelled back.
“I think you’d be right,” she laughed, and whooped again as we dive.
We flew over the lake and Iris held Suri’s protruding spine with one hand and leaned down so that the other is skimming the water. I yelped and grab Suri’s spine myself, just in time to prevent soaking myself in the Black Lake.
Thankfully, Iris righted herself and led Suri towards the castle. As we swished into sharp turns she laughed again and I could feel her rib cage shaking beneath my hands and am amazed by her.
We skimmed the surface of the water by a castle wall and she shouted, “We’re right above your common room,” pointing down.
Then she pointed her feet and sticks her shoes into the lake, water spraying everywhere. And all of a sudden, instead of it being terrifying, it was thrilling.
I pictured the common room and my dorm hundreds of feet below us, the water pressing against it and stick my feet into the lake too.
Out of nowhere a laugh bubbled up inside me, so unexpected that I didn’t have time to repress it, and realized I didn’t want to.
Iris POV
To my surprise, Regulus laughed and stuck his feet in the water as well. It was the first time I’ve ever heard him laugh and it’s tenor and warm and intoxicating. I felt as if I’d won something, the same way I did whenever he smiled.
We circled back towards the forest, landed, and dismounted.
Regulus looked just as exhilarated and happy as I felt, his normally neat waves adorably tousled, his usually tidy robes disheveled. His eyes were sparkling, his grin bright enough to light up all of hogwarts. He looked completely boyish, all facades down and Merlin, I wished I could see him like this everyday for the rest of my life.
We grin at each other until Suri nudged me and I tear my gaze away from Regulus.
“Oh you were brilliant,” I said, stroking her neck, then I produce a handful of snap peas from my book bag and hold out a few for Regulus to give to her.
“Want to feed her?”
“Sure!” he said enthusiastically. Suri eyes him warily but then gives in to the temptation. It ends up being one of the best days of my semester.
Lyla POV
I tied the yellow bow into my ponytail and tossed my head, sending my hair swinging behind me.
“I can’t believe you’re going,” Amanda said from her bed where she was painting a picture of sandy dunes and cacti. “I mean it’s freezing.”
“Then why are you painting a desert?” I retort, throwing one of Iris’s Hufflepuff scarves over my Ravenclaw one. Hypothermia was not on my to do list, and I was throughly sick of being sick.
“I’m protesting,” Amanda said stubbornly, flicking her paintbrush into the bright orange on her palet. “The sheer beauty of the painting will drive away the cold.”
Amanda had found a job restoring the paintings at Hogwarts, and it had become a personal goal of hers to get one of her own to hang on the school walls.
Amanda set her bottom lip in a thin line. “You’re going to get sick!” She scolded.
“I’ll be fine.” Quidditch, while I didn’t enjoy playing, was great fun to watch. I loved attending every game even if Ravenclaw wasn’t competing. “I’ll see you later. And try not to catch the curtains on fire with that sheer beauty!” Amanda stuck out her tongue as I left.
I headed down flights of stairs and out into the bitter cold. I realized I was traveling next to someone, a Gryffindor, who the Hufflepuffs were playing against in this match. I turned my head, which was no small feat considering the scarves, and recognized the face.
“Remus!” I said, waving although it wasn’t necessary considering we were five feet apart. Oh why did I do that? He looked up, thankfully seeming to not notice my awkwardness. I gasped softly. There was no easy way to put it; he looked like death. There were dark rings around his eyes and he seemed pale, his face drawn.
“Lyla,” Remus greeted. It came out like a croak.
“Oh my! You look terrible!” I cried, and then winced. That came out wrong. However, Remus only chuckled lightly. “Are you sure you should come to the game?” I asked.
“Yes,” Remus replied. His tone wasn’t harsh, but it left no room for argument. I decided not to push it. Instead I tugged off my Ravenclaw scarf and threw it at him.
“Here. You don’t have nearly enough layers on.” Besides, I had plenty more scarves.
“I can’t.”
“You can and will.” It was my turn to be stubborn. Sighing, Remus wrapped the scarf around his neck. “I like the niffler prank. It was very entertaining.”
“Thanks,” Remus smiled at me. He tilted his head. “Why are you watching the game? Ravenclaw isn’t playing.”
“My sister’s best friend is the Hufflepuff keeper,” I explained. “I enjoy watching the Puffs destroy Gryffindor.”
“Oh!” Remus cried good-naturedly. “That’s so untrue. Gryffindor will be sending Hufflepuff home crying!”
“Oh really?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Last time I checked, Gryffindor didn’t have Mel Karkoff as a keeper.”
“Yeah? Well Hufflepuffs don’t have Black or Potter!”
“You lions are far too cocky! That’ll be your downfall!”
“The badgers can’t take a hit!”
“Oh yeah? How about when Roger Davidson cracked his skull? He played for the rest of the game!”
“James broke his arm and he still managed to score!”
“And how did it brake, hmmm?”
“Oh you’re going down that road are you?” By now the two of us had reached the stadium and were climbing up to a high seat.
“Haven’t you heard?” I asked Remus, voice dripping with teasing superiority. Ravenclaws are always right. Whatever I say goes.”
“Ha!” Remus grinned. “Who’s the cocky one now?”
“It’s not egotistical if it’s true,” I claim. Remus had led us to the Gryffindor section of the crowd, and he gestured to the redhead next to him.
“This is my best friend Lily,” he introduced. The girl smiled and waved at me. “Lily this is Lyla.”
“Hi!” I waved back.
“I’m sorry about my boyfriend. He’s the one that poised you.” I blushed but she continued. “You’re muggleborn, right? I am too. If you ever need anything or are in trouble or even just need to talk, come to me. I’m Head Girl girl so I can actually get things done.” She winked at me.
“Thank you,” I said, grateful. I noticed Lily’s eyes slide to my scarf on Remus and smirk. Looking very smug she turned back to the game. I wondered how many times I could blush in five minutes.
The game held its usual amount of energy and excitement, but I found myself distracted. I was hyper aware of every time Remus brushed against me and every teasing taunt he sent my way.
Stupid. Stupid. I thought to myself. Remus was way out of my league. I knew fully well that practically every girl at Hogwarts had gone through a crushing-on-Remus-Lupin faze, especially after his glow-up his fourth year. Every marauder was crushed on too. Way out of my league. The seventh year was probably only being kind because he felt guilty. I shook myself. It wasn’t uncommon for me to have a crush, but that was all it ever was. This would be no different.
“I guess you were right,” Remus admitted.
“Huh?” Nice, Lyla. Very intelligent.
“Ravenclaws are always right.” I looked focus on the field again and found that Hufflepuff had won.
“Of course,” I smiled.
Remus gestured to Lily. “We should probably go see Sirius and James. They get testy when their ego is hurt.”
“Of course,” I said again. “I need to congratulate Mel. It was fun seeing you again!” I turned tail and hurried off the stands. On the way back to my dorm I busied myself with creating a list of the homework I needed to complete. Crushes came and went, but the pursuit of knowledge was a constant thing.