In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter CXXVII: A Bit Lighter

LUCY:

Sirius flew backwards out of the fireplace with a startled look on his face.

"What is it?" I asked. "Is everything alright?"

He blinked, staring at the fire in silence for a moment before speaking again. "Yeah, I think so. I don't think we can use the Floo network to communicate anymore, though, so I suppose you'll have to wait until tomorrow to talk to your friends."

"What happened?"

"Someone tried to grab me," he said. Then he grinned. "And I escaped." With that, he threw his head back and laughed.

Professor Lupin cracked a grin. "You've always loved a good escape story."

"My own record gets better and better with time," Sirius quipped back, pushing himself up and taking a seat at the table across from Professor Lupin. He propped his feet on the table and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but that was better than no communication at all with those three."

"What all did they have to say?" Professor Lupin asked, since he had only walked in ten seconds before Sirius was so rudely interrupted by who I was assuming was Umbridge.

"Well, I passed along Molly's message," he muttered. He glanced at me. "I'm guessing she already tried to talk to you?"

I nodded. "Saturday night. I, er, well, I genuinely appreciate the concern. She said it wasn't my fight. But, well... I think it is." I paused for a second, shrugging. I turned to Professor Lupin. "It sounded like Harry and Ron and Hermione all shared that same opinion."

"I also mentioned that Dung was the witch under the veil," Sirius informed him with a grin. "Harry seemed a bit put out by the fact that he's still being followed, but I reckon he'll get over it soon enough. I'm sure he'll find the disguise hilarious come morning. Oh, and the first words out of Harry's mouth? 'Hi, how's Lucy?'"

"I told you he worries too much about me," I mumbled.

"I'm not surprised. He really is just like James in that regard," Professor Lupin said with a sad smile in the direction of Sirius.

"Really?" I asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Oh, certainly," Sirius agreed. "He had a talent for making sure people were as safe and happy as possible. Merlin, he was a nightmare sometimes, always making sure we were drinking enough water and getting enough sleep. I can't even begin to tell you how many times he tried to slip me sleeping potion. I was quite the insomniac, you see, and he often disapproved of my late-night escapades around the castle with Marlene McKinnon seeing as we often returned with a new bruise or scrape or two."

"Er... late-night escapades?" I asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Oh! Not like that," he chuckled. "No, no, we never dated. She was far too smitten with Dorcas Meadowes to so much as glance in my direction. Her loss, really. But anyway, yeah, the two of us often slipped out at night and had adventures."

"One time, they 'borrowed' a wheelchair from the Hospital Wing and smashed into a statue," Professor Lupin said with a grin. "And then they fell down a flight of stairs trying to escape Filch a couple days later."

"So many bruises that week. So many bruises." Sirius shook his head. "It was worth it, though, and James didn't need to worry about the sleep I lost having fun. I got all caught up in Transfiguration class."

"Transfiguration?" I repeated incredulously.

Professor Lupin glanced at Sirius out of the corner of his eye, his grin growing more mischievous by the second. "Oh yes. Transfiguration, and Charms, and History of Magic, and-"