Her.

The next morning Sienna woke up extremely early. She woke up before any of her dorm mates. She didn’t know why she woke up so early. Maybe she was nervous because of the classes. Maybe the wind woke her up. She didn’t have a reason.

Sienna tried going back to sleep but failed, and decided to just get started on her day early. She stood up from her bed, stretched, and made a B-line straight towards the bathroom.

She splashed some cold water in her face which woke her up completely, then brushed her teeth, took her hair out of the plaits, brushed it and left it down. She changed into the school uniform, only she didn’t wear the robe, she only wore the white shirt and black skirt. And she couldn’t be bothered to tie up her tie so she just left it hanging on her neck undone.

She walked back out into the dorm, grabbed her school bag and wand and went downstairs into the common room.

“Oh, hey Remmy.” She greeted her brother as she walked down the stairs. Remus was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, reading. He was always reading. “You also couldn’t sleep?”

“Yeah.” Remus nodded, “The moon is tomorrow night.”

Sienna tilted her head, picking over her brother’s words. Usually, he couldn’t sleep a day before the full moon, but maybe this moon was different. Or maybe he was just nervous about his first moon at Hogwarts. Sienna landed on the second presumption.

“You nervous?” She asked, placing her bag down beside the couch and plopping herself onto the couch opposite Remus.

“Yeah,” Remus nodded again.

“How did your talk go with McGonnagall last night?”

“T’was fine. She said I’ll be going into an abandoned house for the moons. Said she’ll show me where on the actual day.”

“Ah, alright. And did you talk to the nurse?”

“Madam Pomfrey? Yeah, I did. She didn’t say much. Though, I don’t reckon she knows much, either.”

Sienna nodded, soaking up the new information. Remus put his book down.

“Sie, d’you think they’ll let you stay with me for the start and end like back home?” He asked. His expression was unreadable, but something flashed
in his eyes. Hope.

“Oh, I dunno, Rem. Maybe. We’ll have to ask.” Sienna sighed. “Though I suppose if you’re to be staying in some abandoned house they’ll have spells and enchantments for safety. Maybe me being there might break them.”

“Oh. Maybe.”

“I’m not saying I won’t try, though.” Sienna smiled at her brother and nudged him with her elbow. “C’mon, breakfast is in 10 minutes. If we start walking now we’ll make it there just in time, and there won’t be any crowds.”

Remus nodded, put down his book and they made their way out of the portrait hole and along the hallways. Remus lead the way — for some reason he seemed to know the castle better than Sienna, even though they were here for the same amount of time.

They made it to the Great Hall only 5 minutes after breakfast had started. There were a few students already sitting there, only four or five on each table.

On the Gryffindor table, Alice and another prefect, Frank, were there, along with James.

“G’morning.” Sienna nodded to James as she sat down across from him. Remus sat beside James and started heaving eggs onto his plate.

“Morning! How’d you sleep?” James chirped energetically. He seemed to be addressing Remus, so Sienna didn’t answer. Instead she focused on buttering her toast silently.

“Fine. You?” Remus replied, his mouth full. Sienna knew he was only asking out of politeness. It’s not like he didn’t care, she just knew he would rather not talk during meal times. But he seemed to be really trying for his new friends.

“Great! I wanted to go out to the pitch this morning to fly, but apparently I was too early or something.” James ranted as he slopped porridge into his bowl.

“Flying?” Sienna exclaimed. “Already? I thought first years aren’t allowed on the Quidditch team.”

“They aren’t.” Frank the prefect added from a few seats down. “I’m captain.”

“Yes! Frankie-boy here is captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Frankie-boy is going to let me on the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year, because Frankie-boy loves me.” James exclaimed.

“Yeah, don’t get your hopes up, Potter. And please don’t call me that.” Frank sighed.

“I like it.” Alice smiled. “Frankie-boy.”

“Triumph.” James grinned, and leaned back in his seat proudly. Frank rolled his eyes, stuffed his last bit of toast in his mouth and he and Alice strode out the hall, hand in hand.

Sienna looked at them leave, and smiled.

James eyed Remus wearily, because Remus was already onto his second serving of eggs, sausages and toast, while James hadn’t even started his first. Remus noticed James glancing at him.

“Er, fast metabolism.” Remus explained. “I get hungry.”

“Oh, right.” James replied, nodding uncertainly.

Sirius and Peter walked through the Great Hall’s doors and sat down on James and Remus’s side.

“G’morning sleepyheads.” James snorted at them.

“Ugh, don’t call us that.” Sirius groaned as he poured himself some pumpkin juice. “Why did you get up so early on the first day anyway?”

“Flying practice!” James responded with a grin.

“You’re crazy, Potter.” Sirius chuckled.

“Why do you care so much about Quidditch?” Peter piped up. James’s face lit up.

“Uh-oh.” Grumbled Remus quietly. “Here it comes.”

“Well, my dear Peter, Quidditch is only one of the best and most popular wizard sports since…”

Sienna tuned James out. And thankfully, Marlene, Lily and Mary walked in a few seconds later to save Sienna (and the rest of the Gryffindor table) from James’s rambling.

Lily plopped herself down beside Sienna and immediately rolled her eyes at James. Mary sat down on the other side of Sienna, and Marlene sat beside Sirius.

Sienna was finished her breakfast by then, but the rest of her friends were only starting.

“Hey guys?” Sienna addressed the girls, “I’m going to go to the library, I’ll meet you in front of the Charms class.”

“Okay!” Marlene chirped. “See you, Sie.”

The rest of Sienna’s friends mumbled a quick ‘goodbye’ and she left. She had been wanting to go to the library since she got to Hogwarts, she’d heard from her father that Hogwarts had one of the biggest libraries in the wizard world.

She walked silently out of the hall, and took out the map they gave first years of the whole school. She finally made it to the library after getting lost three times and getting stuck in fake stairs more times than was probably usual. When she got to the library she only had ten minutes before her first class. And if she wouldn’t start moving now she’d be late.

Sienna grumbled loudly and turned back around from the library’s doors. She was busy cursing this stupid school for having so many rooms and hallways when she bumped into a boy with Slytherin robes.

“What where you’re going, Mudblood.” He snarled.

“Okay, first of all, rude. Second, I’m half-blood, thanks.” Sienna smiled at the boy, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“How dare you talk back to me?” The boy spat. He had shoulder length, greasy black hair, deep set eyes and a long nose. Sienna supposed for a moment he could be Lily’s Slytherin friend that got her in a spat with Mary on the first day but she couldn’t be sure.

After all, how many greasy haired and long nosed Slytherin boys are there?

“I’m sorry, ‘talk back to you’?” Sienna snorted. “Isn’t that how humans have conversations?”

The boy rolled his eyes and huffed, but Sienna could see she got to him.

“Move, Mudblood.” He pushed his shoulder against Sienna’s and strode away towards the library.

Sienna stared at his back before sighing, rolling her eyes, and setting off to her first class.

***

“Hey. How was the library?” Marlene asked when Sienna came up to the rest of the Gryffindors waiting outside the Charms classroom.

“Never made it.” Sienna replied. “Lily, is your Slytherin friend very rude and really big on blood purity?”

“Oh!” Lily seemed to be caught off guard and Sienna couldn’t blame her. “Er, I guess. I mean he is in Slytherin so I suppose. But I dunno, he’s half-blood himself.”

The Charms professor opened the doors and students started pouring in.

“What?!” Exclaimed Sienna, as they made their way to some empty desks. “And he gives me shit for being half-blood when he’s one himself?!”

“Yeah, that sounds like good old Severus.” Lily laughed nervously.

“Sie, can I sit with you?” Marlene asked.

“Sure.” Sienna smiled and gestured to the empty seat beside her. Marlene sat down and started taking out her books.

“Evans! Fancy meeting you here!” James exclaimed walking up to Lily and Mary’s desk as if he had just spotted them.

“No shit, Potter, we’re in the same house.” Lily rolled her eyes.

“Oi!” Sirius shouted from his own desk a couple tables down. “Don’t diss my man.”

Lily rolled her eyes again, Mary shooed James away, Marlene batted her eyelashes at Sirius who ignored her, and Sienna tried to catch Remus’s eye to see how he was doing.

She finally did, and raised her eyebrows at him. He responded with a slight smile and a small shrug. Sienna smiled back. They’ve had silent conversations since they were five, and now could pretty much have entire discussions without uttering a single word.

“Well, hello students!” The professor squeaked, and the lesson started.

***

“Oh my god, you’d think they’d go easy on us, seeing as we’re first years and all.” Mary ranted as she sat down beside Sienna on the Gryffindor table for dinner. “I mean, homework in every class, and it’s only our first day!”

“Tell me about it.” Marlene groaned from across Sienna.

“I’m actually really excited about that Potions homework.” Lily chirped, slopping mashed potatoes onto her plate.

“You’re excited about every piece of homework, Lily.” Mary rolled her eyes, biting into a piece of chicken.

“I agree with Lily, I don’t mind it.” Sienna shrugged.

Marlene and Mary glared at her.

“What? I don’t!” Sienna put her hands up defensively. “I like reading, and magic is really fascinating.”

“Oh of course, you’re practically the same as your brother. You can never catch him without a book in his hand.” Marlene snorts.

“Lay off, McKinnon.” Sienna warned. She knew Marlene wasn’t saying anything particularly mean, but she didn’t appreciate the tone. And when you spend half your life making sure your brother isn’t being bullied, it’s kind of reflex.

Marlene mumbled a quick “sorry” before stuffing her mouth with pasta. Sienna looked over at Remus. Him and his new friends were sitting a few seats down from the girls, and seemed to be having a lot of fun. They were all laughing, even Remus. Sienna smiled. Good, she thought, Remus trusts them.

***

“Well first day sure was a blast. What with classes and all that.” Sienna snorted sarcastically finishing up her Defense Against the Dark Arts homework and setting it aside.

Her and her friends were sitting in the common room in front on the fireplace. Sienna was on the armchair, lying across it, legs spread over one of the arms, her homework in her lap. Mary was sitting on the couch sideways, her legs in Lily’s lap who was sitting upright and scribbling something down frantically on a piece of parchment. Marlene was lying on her stomach on the rug in front of the fire, flipping through her Herbology book.

“Ha, sure was.” Marlene laughed.

“Alright, I’m going to head up.” Mary sighed, and stood up. That was when Lily looked up.

“Oh alright.” She said. “I’m staying down here a little longer, I want to look through our Potions book.”

“I’m heading up too.” Marlene announced, standing up and stretching. “Sie, you coming?”

“Yeah, sure.” Sienna smiled and the three of them walked upstairs up to their dorm.

Marlene opened the door to the dorm and they all walked it. Mary immediately flopped on her bed and bid everyone “goodnight”, covering up her curtains.

Sienna side-glanced at Marlene and smirked when Mary started snoring.

“Wow, she’s tired.” Marlene snorted.

“Ha, yeah.” Sienna agreed.

“Alright, I’m going to go freshen up.” Announced Marlene and walked into the bathroom. Sienna sighed. She was tired, but she wasn’t tired tired. Maybe she’ll go on a walk around the school. She sighed again. Then stood up, walked up to the bathroom door and knocked.

“Hey Marls?” She called inside. “I’m going on a walk, don’t wait up.”

“Okay! G’night, Sie.” Marlene called back.

“Night.”

Sienna opened the dorm door to see Lily making her way up the stairs.

“Oh hi Sienna! You okay?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, I’m just going on a walk. Good night, Lils.” Sienna replied smiling politely. She pushed through Lily and walked downstairs and out into the common room.

Sienna made sure she had her wand, and set off through the portrait hole. She stood outside the portrait hole for a moment, not sure what direction to go. She decided on going left, and strode off into the hallway.

She had been walking for a few minutes, admiring the paintings on the walls, and the magic radiating off of the stone when she bumped into her own brother.

“Remus? What’re you doing here?” Sienna asked.

“On a walk.” He responded.

“Oh, me too! Twin brain.” Sienna laughed and Remus laughed with her. Then Sienna noticed something in Remus’s hands. “Hey, what’s that?”

“Oh, just, erm, the map they gave us yesterday.”

“Smart, I forgot mine.”

“Er, actually, I brought it to make improvements.”

“What do you mean?”

Remus lifted the map up to Sienna’s face. He was right, he was making improvements. Nearly all the stairs had weird symbols and little drawings on them, all colour coded. And in places there were little drawings that looked like doors, which Sienna guessed was for secret rooms.

“Woah.” Sienna breathed.

“Thanks.” Remus grinned.

“How long have you been at this?” Sienna asked.

“Since last night. I didn’t have much time, it’s not finished.”

“How did you find all these secret rooms?”

“I dunno. I just walked, and I checked every painting, every tapestry, every statue”

“Woah.” Sienna breathed again.

“Thanks.” Remus grinned again. “Don’t say anything to Sirius, James or Peter, though. They’ll just want to use it for pranks.”

Sienna nodded and pretended to lock her lips and then throw away the key. Remus smiled. Sienna smiled back. Then,

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING OUT HERE AFTER CURFEW?!” Came the shriek of Filch’s voice.

“Uh-oh.” Sienna muttered, before yelling “Run!” to Remus, grabbing his hand and booking it back to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Sienna and Remus fell through the portrait hole in their hurry, and both burst out laughing right on the floor of the common room.

“What were you two up to?” Sienna looked up to see Sirius sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace.

“Walk. Then Filch found us.” Sienna grinned. Remus nodded beside her.

There was a minute of awkward silence where Sirius was staring at Remus and Remus was staring at Sirius and Sienna was trying to figure out what could’ve happened between them in one day, when finally she was the one to break the silence,

“Okay, well, I’m going to go up now. G’night Remmy. Er…goodnight Sirius.” Then she turned to face her brother properly and lowered her voice so that Sirius couldn’t hear her, “Make sure to sleep tonight, okay?”

Remus nodded, “Yeah, I will, thanks. Goodnight, Sie.”

Sienna smiled, turned and walked over to the stairway up to her dorm, and before entering gave a quick wave to Sirius and was gone.