Chapter One
“Remus!”
The voice knocked the boy from his studies, making him jump. He had been engrossed in a charms book he could barely make sense of. The full moon was right around the corner and Remus’s focus was waning.
“Holly? What are you doing here? Hufflepuffs have herbology at this hour you know.”
“Oh trust me, I know. Sprout wrote me up a slip to have a look around the restricted section. They’re covering vervain, simple stuff. No, what’s actually interesting is what I found in there.” Holly lowered her tone, gesturing discreetly to the restricted area of the library. Moving slowly, she hovered over Remus’s shoulder plopping down a heavy book in front of him. The book was opened to a very interesting page indeed. On the aged paper was an intricate illustration. Thin green stems arched upwards to cradle faint yellow petals with black centers. The very top of the page read “Henbane”. As Remus continued to read, Holly explained her thought process.
“Henbane causes hallucinations, and it’s pretty adaptable if brewed correctly! You could make anyone see whatever you like! And the side effects wear off fairly quickly, so really it's no harm no foul right? For example if you, let’s say, mixed henbane and something else to make certain students see snakes around the castle....” The girl’s voice trailed off and she stared at Remus with a mischievous grin. He opened his mouth to respond, a bit frightened by Holly’s mind, when a voice interrupted him.
“Oi, Moony! Who’s your friend?” Both students turned to face the newcomer, a scowl falling onto Holly’s face.
“Ugh, Black,” She muttered too quietly for anyone but Remus to hear. Turning back to him she gave him a tiny smile, just as Sirius and James made it to the table. “I’ll catch you later Remus, don’t forget the rules alright?”
“Woah love, you don’t need to-” Sirius started, but Holly brushed past him leaving the boy promptly ignored. All three watched her leave, a small smirk on Remus’s face.
“What was that about?” James asked, genuinely confused.
“She doesn’t like people much, especially people who yell across quiet libraries.” Sensing the disturbance his friends were bound to cause, Remus began to pack his bag.
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Sirius pouted, “She’s right fit though. Why haven’t we ever met her before Moons?” James nodded in agreement and Remus snorted.
“That’s why.”