Starman

16th of September 1971

"Happy birthday!" Mary sat up in bed, her eyes wide with surprise. "Awww, thanks, you guys!" she exclaimed, her smile stretching from ear to ear. Her friends were gathered around her bed, each holding a gift.

"Open mine first," said Amalia, thrusting out a little black velvet box adorned with a red bow. Mary tore off the bow and flipped open the box eagerly. Inside was a delicate bracelet, adorned with tiny, sparkling jewels. "Thank you so much! It's perfect," she gushed, enveloping Amalia in a big hug.

Lily was next, handing over a beautifully wrapped makeup kit. Mary squealed with delight as she inspected the array of colors and brushes. Marlene followed, presenting her with the latest T. Rex album Electric Warrior, which elicited an excited gasp. They quickly dressed and headed to breakfast, where Mary found an array of presents her parents sent from home waiting for her at the table including a jumper her grandma knitted for her, some money from her parents and a light brown teddy bear.

Once they finished breakfast, they all got up to go to their respective classes.

"Remember, come to the Transfiguration classroom at break," Lily said with a sly wink.

•••

In Potions class, Slughorn had rearranged the seating, separating the boys to curb their usual mischief. Remus ended up sitting with Amalia and Lily.

they took turns adding ingredients to the cauldron it was Remus’ turn and he had been staring at his book for five minutes not moving a muscle and a tension hung in the air. "Come on, Lupin, hurry up," Severus sneered from across the table.

Remus glanced up, his expression irritated. "What? Can't you read?" Severus asked in a mocking tone.

Without warning, Remus lunged across the table at Severus. They tumbled to the floor, grappling and throwing punches.
Amalia and Lily jumped up, stepping back in shock.

"Both of you! Up now!" Slughorn's voice boomed across the room. "Detention, both of you! Twenty points from Slytherin and Gryffindor." Severus and Remus stood, avoiding each other's eyes, glaring at their shoes their chests heaving up and down.

“Mr lupin you can join mr potter for the rest of the class mr Snape please take your usual seat” said Slughorn sternly

•••

At break, they headed to the Transfiguration classroom as planned. Lily had decorated the room with floating candles and streamers. A cake sat in the middle of a table, and the smell of chocolate filled the air. "Surprise!" Lily, Amalia, and Marlene shouted in unison.
Mary's eyes filled with tears of joy. "You guys are the best!" she said, hugging each of them tightly.

Lily recounted the incident in potions to Mary and Marlene. "You should have seen it. They were rolling on the floor, and Severus ended up with a nosebleed."

"I can't believe Remus would do that," Mary said, shaking her head.

"Neither can I," Lily agreed, though Amalia suspected she knew the reason. Despite the drama, they managed to enjoy their break, eating cauldron cake and laughing.

That evening, the girls sat on the floor in their dormitory, a deck of cards discarded to the side. Marlene was meticulously braiding Lily's hair while Amalia crafted a paper crown for Mary.

"So, how was your birthday?" Lily asked, glancing at Mary.

"It was perfect," Mary replied, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "Thank you guys."

Amalia secured the paper crown on Mary's head, adjusting it until it sat just right. "A queen deserves a crown," she said with a grin.

Mary touched the crown lightly, her heart full. "This is the best birthday ever," she said, looking around at her friends.

As they chatted and laughed late into the night, the earlier tensions of the day seemed to melt away. They were just four girls, enjoying each other's company. The worries and conflicts of the day were forgotten in the warmth of their dormitory, and as Mary drifted off to sleep that night, she felt truly content.

17th of September 1971

The next day, the girls woke up early to the sound of chirping birds outside their window. At breakfast, the Great Hall buzzed with chatter about the fight between Remus and Severus. Mary couldn't help but notice the curious glances directed at their table.

"Ignore them," Mary said firmly, buttering her toast. "People will move on to the next piece of gossip soon enough."

After breakfast, they had Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Merrythought was introducing a new spell, and the room was filled with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Amalia couldn't focus; her mind kept drifting back to Remus. She caught his eye once during the lesson, and he gave her a small, tired smile.

"Remus, wait!" she called out, catching up to him in the corridor.

He turned, looking weary. "Hey, Amalia."

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, just a bit tired. Sorry about what happened in Potions."

"It's okay. I just wanted to check on you," she said, her voice full of concern.

"Thanks," he said, managing a small smile. "I appreciate it."

They walked to their next class together in silence. Amalia wanted to ask if he needed anything but he didn’t seem like he wanted to talk.

•••

Lily and Amalia were sitting in the common room by the fire, working on their homework. The crackling of the fire and the soft murmur of conversations giving the common room a cozy feel. "And done!" Lily sighed with relief, stretching her arms above her head as she glanced at the clock on the mantel. "God, I think I'm gonna go to bed," she said with a yawn. "You coming?"

Amalia looked up from her book, her eyes still focused on the last few lines she was reading. "No, I've still got a bit of work to do. I'll be up in a bit," she replied.

As Lily packed up her things and headed upstairs, Amalia's attention was drawn to the corner of the room where Remus and Sirius were engaged in an intense chess match. She put her books away, took a deep breath, and walked over to them. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, looking directly at Remus.

Sirius glanced up, clearly annoyed by the interruption. "We're kind of in the middle of something," he said, his tone sharp.

Amalia gave him a deadly stare that could have frozen fire. She then turned her attention back to Remus. "Umm, yeah, okay," Remus said, standing up and giving Sirius an apologetic look before following Amalia to a nearby sofa by the fire.

Sirius rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, clearly frustrated but deciding not to push the issue further. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, curious.

Remus sat down next to Amalia, looking slightly puzzled. "So, what's up?" he asked.

"I was just wondering if... uh... well," Amalia began, her uncertainty evident.

"You alright, Amalia?" Remus asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amalia assured him. She took a deep breath before continuing, "I just wanted to ask, and don't be embarrassed or anything, but can you read?"

Remus's face flushed a deep red. He looked down at his feet, clearly uncomfortable. "No, I can't," he admitted quietly, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

"Don't be embarrassed," Amalia said gently. "I was just wondering if maybe you wanted any help?"

Remus looked up, surprise and hope flickering in his eyes. "What, you mean like you teach me?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean if you want," Amalia replied with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, uh, that would be great. Thanks," Remus said, still awkward but visibly relieved.

"Okay, great. How about we meet in the library on Friday evenings before dinner?" suggested Amalia.

"Yeah, okay, deal," Remus agreed, returning her smile.

"Okay, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow," Amalia said, standing up and heading towards the stairs. As she climbed up to the girls' dormitory, Sirius's curiosity got the better of him.

"What was that about?" he asked when Remus returned to their chess game.

"Nothing, just homework stuff," Remus said, hoping to deflect Sirius's probing.

Sirius narrowed his eyes but decided not to push further. Instead, he moved his knight, refocusing on their game. As the fire crackled and the night grew deeper, the common room slowly emptied, leaving only the echoes of whispered conversations and the quiet rustle of turning pages.