Chapter 2
It was lunch time and Remus was sitting with a bunch of people he didn't know. Lily introduced one by one, beginning with a very pretty girl with an amazing hair called Mary. She looked like a very sweet girl and Lily told him that she was her best friend and the person Who she spent more time with. Then, in a pack of two, there was a couple of two girls that seemed like total opposites. Marlene, one of the girls had a very punk style and every single thing in her screamed a crazy fun and weird energy. The other girl, Dorcas, looked more elegante preppy and much more sensible. Despite how different they were, they looked like they were really united, also, according to Lily, the both of them were captains of the soccer team. The second couple were Alice and Frank. They have been a thing since seventh grade, and have been inseparable ever since, they were really cute. It seems like a really nice group. He knows there wasn't a better person to be with than Lily. Her, her friends, her reputation, it was fantastic. Maybe Remus will have that peaceful year he so desperately needed.
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"And, yeah, that would the "alternative" wannabe kids, the confronted pixie manic girls, oh, and those are the chess club boys, they are kinda cool, and, and-"
"I think I'm going to talk to her."
James really appreciated that Peter put him under his wing, but he didn't think he was getting a very objective look at the people around him. Besides, Lily was sitting at a table with a lot of people, laughing, moving her beautiful hair, smiling very prettily and simply breathing and existing. That was making James mad.
"C'mon, you don't even know her." Peter complained.
"I don't know you either." James answered. "I mean, don't get me wrong, there is just something about her…"
Peter sighed.
"Ok, ok. I'll help you."
James turned to look at him with hopeful eyes.
"Really?"
Before Peter could answer James was embracing him in a hug. Peter laughed a little.
"Look, see that girl on Lily's left? That is Mary. I'm friends with her and sometimes we like to, you know, gossip and exchange some bits and pieces. Other than Mary, that group is untouchable. Marlene and Dorcas, Frank and Alice, and of course then, there is Lily. You know? They are kind of like the Cullens in Twilight."
James nodded slowly, annotating everything mentally.
"Then there's this guy-"
Peter stopped and frowned.
"Wait, who is this guy?"
Peter looked at James urgently and James shrugged.
"You don't understand, what if he is their new recruit, maybe is their Bella Swan?"
James, first of all, hasn't watched Twilight. And second of all, who the hell is a Bella Swan?
ººº
Remus listened to the conversations around him without really trying to participate in them. He was looking around. This school was much better than some in which he has been in. Of course they have jerks, like in every place. The typical jocks and the class clown that genuinely thought they were funny, but there were a lot of interesting people, in a lot of different groups and even clubs (half of them, founded or directed by Lily).
Maybe there was someone that had specially caught his eye. There was this boy, in the corner of the cafeteria. Long dark hair falling in his (in fact) good-looking face, a face that was facing something that was in his hands.
Was he rolling a cigarette?
Remus had been staring for a while and Mary, who was watching, called him.
-What are you looking at?-Mary asked as they were sharing a secret.-Or should I say, who?
Remus was embarrassed that he had been caught looking at that other boy, it was his first and he didn't want people to have preconceived ideas about him.
Mary decided to continue with her secretive voice and kept talking to him.
-That is Sirius, his image and the rumors about him precede him. There are people who say that he killed his own parents.
Lily realized what they were talking about and decided to intervene.
-That's ridiculous. He couldn't be here if he had killed his parents.
Then Frank chimed in as well.
-I've heard that your parents are cousins.
Everyone went quiet.
-Frank, that's horrible.
Alice chided him.
-Don't look at me, that's what they told me.
So the group began to debate whether to believe everything they tell you out there or not. Frank defended his position, he said "what if people could believe that they had killed their parents, why not believe that they are cousins."
-Guys, what I think is that what you shouldn't do is comment on people's lives, much less without knowing them.
Remus knew that Lily was absolutely right, but he also knows that there's a reason he's so offended by rumors about people.
The year before Remus left the town, there had been some very strong rumors about Lily.
The rumors were about her and a boy named Severus.
Severus was a boy one year older than them who had had very bad influences since he was very young. From there the rumors were formed, which were spread by word of mouth and created problems with Lily´s parents, her friends and even with their teachers. Of course these rumors were ridiculous, considering that Lily was only a twelve years old girl then, and as always, the perfect student and the perfect daughter. However, even to this day the rumors cause her great discomfort. What happened to her still hurts and Remus couldn't regret more leaving the village and his friend behind.
-Lily is right. Who knows? Maybe that dude lives with his grandma, loves My Little Pony and has a trillion cats.
Remus´ comment made everyone in the table laugh a little and Lily dedicated him a tender smile.
Ten seconds later everyone was talking about another arbitrary theme.
Remus turned to see Sirius again. He was gone. Whatever is not they were going to get to know each other any time soon.
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Here was Sirius, last year of high school. Another year at school doing absolutely nothing. Well almost nothing apart from constantly daring the authority and being one of the best students Hogwarts could ever wish for. Academically of course. It was exhausting if they'd asked him, but nothing could overcome his great facade of this genius charmer.
I know, he sounds like any girl´s or boy´s with daddy issues dream.
Sirius had gained his reputation, not a very good one if you´d ask teachers. A reputation that was built based on a year of good (and really bad) pranks he liked to pull. Is not like he was an antisocial person, but he wasn't really interested in knowing people. Besides, he knows everyone says things and spreads rumors without barely knowing anything about him, that didn't really motivate him to befriend no one. It would be nice though.
Now, he was in the cafeteria, making firecrackers with some really old matches. Typical, but infallible.
I mean, he was doing his thing, like he has always. Maybe, sometimes, he got lonely. But like he said before, people here were total assholes and yes maybe he himself was a bit too.
Sirius looked up, a few tables away he could see one of the newcomers. Poor guy, if he only knew.
Well at least he seemed decent. Also, unlike him, he seemed friendlier, more affable with his shy smile, or so it seemed to Sirius. Even his discomfort, that didn't seem so unusual for his long figure, was welcoming.
Before he could keep looking at the boy, a teacher came to his table.
-McGonagall wants to see you.- Professor Flitwick announced.
Sirius was a little confused.
-Already? I just got here. I must have broken a record or something.
Flitwick ignored him and just waited for him to gather his things and follow him.
McGonagall was sitting behind her desk, tall, elegant, impeccable as always. She looked at Sirius with a stoic look while he sat just in front of her. Sirius liked McGonagall, he would never admit it out loud, but he could sometimes picture her as a maternal figure. It happened after lots of visits to the principal office, a lots of hours copying in the black board “Students shall come to school to study a not to behave as baboons" multiple times after class. He always managed to get away after only writing a few sentences, because Minerva had a soft spot for him.
-What's up, Minnie? How was your trip to Europe this summer?
Sirius just relaxed in his chair, a chair that could perfectly have the form of his arse at this point, his chair.
McGonagall just muttered something of how the hell did he know she had been in Europe this summer but then she focused again on Sirius.
-Sirius, we are here to talk about your class assistance.
Sirius pretended to think very hard about it.
-Yeah, no, why don't we talk about Europe?
-This year, every absence, or little rest as you like to call it, I will be taking into account. No more sneaking out of your literature classes, no more explosions in your chemistry classes and don't even think of smoking under the grades, understood?
Sirius nodded, still acting like a very preoccupied student.
-I'm being serious.
-You can't be. I already am.
McGonagall, who had been having a really neutral expression on her face, changed to a worried frown.
-I'm worried about you…
And she really looked like she did. That did something to Sirius' heart.
- I've talked to your parents, well they've talked to me. Look, I don't want you to get in trouble, but if you keep up like last year, well, the council said we're going to have to impose a permanent expulsion of the school.
The look of indifference on Sirius' face changed slightly, so fast that if you blinked you'd miss it. A mixture of fear and insecurity.
But as it arrived it left.
-Just...be careful, ok?
This felt really uncomfortable and Sirius just wanted to get out of there. He felt as if he had been caught doing something bad. Not like a prank, but as he had hurt someone he loved.
Of course that was silly, it was just that he couldn't name what he was feeling right now. It's just that the mention of his parents at school made him sick.
McGonagall went back to her original posture.
-Now, go to class, I believe you have science with Sprout, right?
Sirius got up very fast.
-Yep, see you around Minnie.
And with that he exited the principal's office and shut the door.