𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸, remus lupin

˗ˋ 23

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH IT'S
HOGSMEADE DAY

. . .

It had, admittedly, been rather suprisingly smooth-sailing the second time around. 

And Pandora couldn't have been more happy with how it was going. Her days seemed brighter, although the weather outside was growing slowly the opposite. The end of October was approaching after all, and they were lost - or rather, located - somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. 

But it was getting darker earlier, colder around the grounds and Pandora had been practically shivering under the cape so tightly wound around her shoulders as she stood by the Devil's Snare plants in the back of Greenhouse Six for her Herbology lesson.

She had been oddly friendly with it, and it was acting as if it was a pet, Lily reported after overseeing the entire thing. Seriously - Pandora had been stroking the stem as if it were a domesticated animal and it seemed to purr like a cat constantly - and the Evans girl could've sworn it even nuzzled her at some point.

This was enough for Sirius to flip his shit and start worrying about Remus being her friend again - because really, Devil's Snare could choke it's prey in a singular swift movement and she was treating it as if it was the cat that hung around the Potter household in summers for scraps off of the bacon. 

Remus had asked about it, and Pandora assumed it was only the enchanted cape around her shoulders. A family heirloom, no less, that had hundreds of spells cast upon it to do a variety of things. Of course, she had been using it for it's primal use, to keep her warm. 

And it was the very same cape that Pandora was carefully arranging over her shoulders, tying the dark green ribbon into a bow around her neck. 

As it was the end of October and the heat of summer had fully worn away at this point, it meant that the first Hogsmeade visit was upon them. And she was planning on taking full advantage of it. 

So she had woken up early to join the rest of the crowd, showered and even washed her hair, carefully drying it and curling it to perfection, twisting strands into a complicated plait. She had chosen an outfit that consisted of mostly dark colours; a dark green shirt under a sheer organza blouse in the same shade tucked into a pleated skirt of plain black, stockings that ended just by the hemline decorated in black lace that oddly resembled spiders.

The puffed sleeves of her blouse were decorated in embroidered snakes, and that wasn't the only time the creature showed up. Her earrings, long and short all seemed to appear the same, her necklace held a serpent, the on the sole of her heeled boots had a snake imprint. 

It was a very Slytherin-esque look, something that a Rosier would wear. 

And considering she didn't know the full capablities of the cape and how much warmth and protection it did provide her, Pandora had decided to take that with her. And after applying her usual makeup she tied it around her neck, leather bag swinging from her shoulder and the clinking of golden galleons echoing around the inside as she stepped out from her dorm and joined the rest of the Slytherins - third year and upwards - in making their way to Hogsmeade.

Remus, on the other hand, was never too bothered about what he looked like on Hogsmeade days. Especially on the first two visits in autumn and winter, all he would really be doing is sat in the Three Broomsticks with James, Peter and Sirius, maybe going to one of the many shops within the village every so often. 

So, dressed casually with his usual jacket pulled tight around him, Remus had joined his bestfriends as they travelled down the slightly lengthy path down to Hogsmeade. 

They were nearing the village when the Lupin boy's attention was drawn away from his friends for the first time that morning. Not at breakfast or during the journey down had he even thought about letting his focus waver - it didn't need to anyway, this was the time that they always had to blow off steam and so what was the use in wasting it.

But they were on the outskirts now, passing past the first couple of houses and coming up to the first shop. And Remus had let his attentiveness waver. 

Because he had spotted a very familar figure, standing all by herself, leaning against the wall and staring down at the ground, hands clutching a rather ornate bag and every so often pushing her feet down into the ground beneath her, rather interested in what he saw. 

She looked lost. 

He knew that she didn't really have any friends at Hogwarts, mostly relying on him and those god-awful butterflies for any attention. But he hadn't expected to feel his heart tighten slightly when he saw that loneliness outside of the castle walls.

And as Sirius and Peter cracked up at something James had said, Remus took his first step away from the group, inexplicably drawn to the sight in a way that he couldn't explain or even understand. 

But Pandora Rosier was good at doing that, good at interesting you and keeping you on your toes, waiting for her next move. It wasn't even a concious thing, but somehow she kept Remus Lupin right by her side.

It was almost like she was expecting this, the smile on her face too ready when she saw Remus appear. 

It was eerie yet innocent. 

And somehow Remus didn't hear the calls from his best friends asking what the living hell he was doing as he stopped in front of her, ruining the pattern of imprinted snakes.

"Pandora, have you ever had Butterbeer before?"

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