metanoia

Chapter Sixteen

Waiting for Remus and Alex in the Gryffindor Common Room was their friends and teammates. Not only were their friends there but many of the Fifth years and older filled the Common Room for another one of Sirius and James' post-Quidditch parties. The circular maroon and gold room was abundant and alive with loud conversation and music as they celebrated the Gryffindor Team's victory over Slytherin. 

Remus watched his companion leave his side and maneuver her way through the room filled with bodies, trying to avoid touching the room's occupants as she made her way right to her best friend, burying her face into her shoulder, murmuring something into each other's ears as their teammates clapped each other on the back, loudly congratulating each other on their first game of the season. 

Finding Sirius near their friends, they had a conversation using only their eyes regarding Alex being in on their secrets. Taking the hint that Remus wanted them to talk, Sirius cleared his throat, raising his voice to be heard over the Muggle Rock music he'd put on, "Hey Letti, you mind if we steal Alex really quickly and talk to her alone?"

Lisette looked down at the closest thing she has ever had to a sister, concerned as to why they requested to speak to her privately in the middle of the party that they were throwing. Alex meets Remus' eye, knowing that they wanted to talk about her knowing their secret. She pushes her best friend in the direction of her boyfriend and Eddie Bones, "Star, I'm alright. Go have fun, it's a party. I'll be right back."

"You better, you're the reason we're celebrating Ms. Seeker. So you're not allowed to skip this one. Oh, and Black, this music sucks," she laughs, turning to jump onto Fabian's back as he and Eddie talked about guitars. 

"You just have no taste. Queen rocks and everyone knows it," Sirius countered, taking up the rear as he, Alex, Remus and James ascended the spiral staircase towards their dormitory.

The four sat in complete silence for a few minutes, staring at each other as they heard the faint sounds of the party downstairs. No one dared to say anything. Remus was the one to break the silence, shrugging stiffly as he leaned against the doorframe and jabbed his thumb in the only girl's direction, "She figured it out."

"Figured what out, Remus?" James inquired, cocking an eyebrow at the blonde as she dryly chuckled at how blunt Remus was about telling the two illegal Animagi that someone knew their secret.

"What do you think? That you are unregistered Animagi. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, Bambi."

"Who's Bambi?" James asked in confusion, never having heard that name before.

Sirius was dumbfounded by how nonchalant she was about telling them that she knew, stuttering as he ran his hand through his hair, "I need a drink."

"Oh, come on Charles, you did it to yourself. Why can't you give me one too?" Marlene loudly groaned into her cup, slumping down in her chair beside Emmeline Vance.

Emmeline took the small bottle out of Charlie's hand, narrowing her dark eyes at the Hufflepuff in a challenging manner, "All we're asking for is small and simple. Come on, Charlie, you know how to do it, so you should do it because if you don't we'll just do it ourselves and get it infected."

"Okay, fine, I'll do it! Geez, just give me the ink before you spill it," Charlie sighed, extending her hand to take the ink from the slightly tipsy Ravenclaw Fifth year.

Remus lingered in front of the scene, confused by the conversation he'd walked into and curious to understand the context, "What's going on? What are you doing, Charlie?"

Emmeline rolled up the sleeves of her black and white flannel shirt, exposing the inside of her wrist and thrusted it to Charlie, "She's going to give me and Marlene stick and poke tattoos. And before you freak out, Lupin, she totally knows what she's doing. She gave herself one on her finger and her brother Luke is a tattoo artist, so she knows how to do it."

"Does your brother know you're doing this, Emmy?" 

Emmeline glowered at the wild haired boy in front of her, "One, I thought I told you to never call me that. And, two, do you honestly think I care what my brother thinks about me getting a stick and poke, Black? Now run along and get drunk like you normally do."

"God, I hate parties," Alex sighed, walking away from that group and over to Gideon and Eddie. When she joined the pair, she'd finally noticed why they were so distanced from Letti and Fabian. The couple were making out in the corner, unphased by the amount of people in the room witnessing it.

"Lex! Oh my goodness, Lex! Where have you been? I've- I've been looking all over for you."

Alex laughed at how obviously drunk the younger twin was, rolling her eyes as he pulled her close to his side, "I've been with James, Sirius and Remus in their room talking. How much have you had to drink?"

"Enough for me to want to tell Charlie how I feel," Eddie answered, looking across the room at the dark skinned girl as she focused intensely on the design she was permanently etching into the skin of Emmeline Vance. 

The blonde's eyes widened at the comment, understanding that the two in front of her were absolutely plastered. She grabbed the brunette by the wrist and led him and Gideon out of the portrait hole, "Oh no, you don't need to be telling her anything right now because you're not gonna remember any of this tomorrow morning. So let's get you two some air and try to sober you up."

Behind them the portrait hole swung open and out climbed Benji Fenwick, one of Eddie's best friends, smiling at the blonde as he pulled his long dark hair in a low ponytail. Alex smiled at the Fifth year, nodding her head in the direction of the drunk Hufflepuff leaning against the wall, "Hey, it's Benji right? Do you mind taking Eddie down to the kitchens and sober him up? Water, coffee, something because he's gonna be regretting drinking tomorrow."

"Totally. Come on, Bonesy, lets get some food in you."

"Thank you, Benji. I appreciate it."

Gideon watched the pair of Hufflepuffs make their way down the many moving staircases, mesmerized by the movement of Benji's hair as it swayed behind him with every step. The redhead rested his chin on top of the blonde's head, wrapping his arms around her, "He has pretty hair."

"He does."

After a few minutes of trying to keep Gideon hydrated and walking about the seventh floor, Alex cracked her knuckles and slid herself down the wall to sit on the floor, "You feeling any better, Gid?"

Gideon nodded, stumbling slightly over his feet as he crossed the hall to seat himself beside her, "Yeah, I'm just hungry now. And I have to pee...  Hey, I've got to tell you something."

"Okay? What is it?"

"I love y-"

Interrupting Gideon was the opening of the Gryffindor portrait hole, the first person leaving being Lily as she held the door open and yelled at the exiting party goers, "Alright, everyone out. Get back to your dormitories. The party's over, there's lessons tomorrow. Everyone try and get themselves sober."

Alex pushed herself off the ground, then helped her significantly taller companion to his feet as well, "Come on kid, let's get you to bed. Whatever you wanted to tell me can wait until tomorrow."