Birthday
9th March 1978
Remus noticed straight away that Solana’s ring was back on her finger. He didn’t say anything and she hadn’t spoken about Antonin to him as much as we would like to pry he wouldn’t force it.
She seemed quieter during their sessions, she wouldn’t say little passing comments like she normally would and he hadn’t seen her smile in weeks.
It was nearing the end of their session, and she had only said hello, before she sat down and opened her book.
He cleared his throat and Solana looked up at him.
“I was… um,” he began, now it seemed like he couldn’t speak. “It’s… it’s my birthday tomorrow and the boys are throwing a party in the Gryffindor Common room, and I just wanted to invite you… if you wanted to come, obviously you’re not being forced but–”
“Remus,” Solana began, finally a smile etched across her face. “I would love to come to your party,”
“You would?” Remus asked, he tried his best to hide his excitement.
“Of course, we’re friends aren’t we?” she said, checking the time then piling her books. “What’s your middle name?”
“My middle name?”
Solana nodded.
He looked unsure. “John?”
“Are you asking me?” she furrowed her brows.
“My middle name is John,” he nodded.
“John?”
“Yes.”
“Remus John Lupin?”
“I’m named John after my Grandad,” he said, shifting his arms around.
“Okay,” Solana nodded, putting her books in her bag and putting it around her shoulder, luckily Remus didn’t see her wince as the strap dug into a bruise she had received a few days prior, Antonin had stayed true to his word about him doing anything to her.
“Why do you need my middle name?”
“That would spoil your birthday present. See you tomorrow.” she smiled, walking out of the library.
He had missed her smile.
☾
10th March 1978
16:34
“Okay, why are the balloons maroon? I especially asked for SCARLET! SCAR-LET! Does this look like Scarlet to you, McKinnon?” James Potter walked around with a clipboard and a quill behind his ear as he examined the balloon.
“Remus, do you care what colour the balloons are?” Marlene called over the Common room.
“No,”
“See, Remus doesn’t even care–”
“Oh my god!” James gasped, you would have thought he had been shot but of course he was just being dramatic. “This is canary! I wanted TUSCAN SUN– TUSCAN SUN–”
“Prongs, I really don’t care what colour the balloons are,” Remus shook his head, he was helping Peter put up the bunting. “I just want to get drunk,”
“You may not care but I care– I also expect the level for my birthday which is in seventeen days, just to remind you all,”
“I’m busy that day,” Sirius said, as he lounged on the sofa.
“Black, get your arse up now and help me change the colour of these balloons,”
Sirius let out a loud groan, “This looks like Tuscan sun,” he said, kicking a balloon up in the air.
“Have you ever seen a Tuscan sun?” James asked.
“It’s just like every other sun, no?”
“Evans! I need your help! Sirius is utter shit,” James called out.
Lily came from round the corner, her red hair covered in golden tinsel. “For the record I’ve never seen a Tuscan sun either.”
☾
10th March 1978
22:56
The party was in full swing, James had made sure all balloons were the appropriate colour not that anyone seemed to notice just like Remus thought. He watched as his friends danced in the middle, James with Lily twirling her around to the Bowie song that was playing at the moment.
Remus was sitting on the sofa, despite him turning eighteen his body felt at least forty, he looked down at the Marauder’s map, glancing at Solana’s name, she was still in her dorm, he hadn’t told her a time to come, she probably wouldn’t be there until later, she probably didn’t want people watching her.
“Who are you looking for?” Sirius said, handing him a glass of mysterious liquid.
“Huh?” Remus said, quickly tucking the map into his lap, but Sirius grabbed it before he could fully close it.
“Why are you looking at the Slytherin common room?” Sirius asked, looking at it.
“No reason–”
“Come on, tell me, I’m your best friend! Who’d you invite,” Sirius waggled his brows then he furrowed them looking back at the map. “Wait, did you– you invited Solana?”
Remus shrugged, “She’s nice when you get to know her–”
Sirius had a look of betrayal on his face. “Get to know her? She’s my bloody cousin for Merlin's sake, I have known her my entire life– why the hell would you invite her?”
Remus sighed. “Because Sirius, you think everyone in your family is evil–”
“Solana is evil–”
“No she isn’t–”
“She share’s the exact DNA as Bellatrix, she is evil–”
“That means she shares the same DNA as Andromeda, no?” Remus said, his voice began to rise but not so loud over the music.
“Why are you defending her?”
“Because–” Remus began, what was he going to say? It’s not like he could confide in Sirius with his problems.
“Does she know about you?” Sirius asked, his voice lowered.
“Of course not.”
“You can’t ever tell her, she won’t… she’s not like us Remus, she’ll tell everyone–”
“I don’t think she would,”
“Remus,”
“I’m not going to tell her,”
Sirius shook his head. “I told you from the start these tutoring sessions weren’t good. She’s getting into your head.”
Those were the exact words he had said months prior.
“Sirius,” Remus sighed. “You don’t know her–”
“I do, is she even going to come?” Sirius raised his brows, pointing at the map.
“She said she would,”
He nodded sarcastically. “Yeah, she says a lot of things, but none of it is true,”
“Okay, can you stop,” Remus said, annoyed.
“Just don’t get your hopes up, okay. She probably won’t turn up.” Sirius said, standing up.
“Okay,” Remus crossed his arms.
Sirius looked at his friend before standing up, “Also it’s your party so at some point you have to start enjoying it.”
“Okay,”
Sirius knew Remus was mad at him but he didn’t care, he knew exactly what Solana was like. Remus was just too blinded to see that. He walked away watching his friend look back down at the mad, and he shook his head, walking over to Dorcas and Marlene.
“Can you believe he invited Solana?” He screwed up his face.
“He did?” Dorcas asked, there seemed to be a little more excitement in her voice, even Marlene noticed it. “What? I think she’s actually quite nice, also that Dolohov guy has been pretty awful to her the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen the way he’s been talking to her recently.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “You’re all mental,” he took a swig of his drink, and walked away from them.
Remus looked at the map, Solana had made her way from her dorm towards the exit of the common room, he folded it up and put it in his pocket. He didn’t want it to seem like he was stalking her… even though that’s exactly what he was doing.
He waited, and waited, his eyes fixed on the Gryffindor common room door, waiting for her to open the door but she never came. At half eleven he looked at the map, he searched for her name on every route from the Gryffindor common room back to the Slytherin common room, but then he caught sight of her… and Antonin’s name was next to her.
It seemed she had found her way back to the dormitory, Sirius was right. She wasn’t coming. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an already rolled joint which he had planned to share with her later that night, he rolled his eyes as he took a puff.
Of course only he would have a crush on a girl who would never like him back.