Sanctuary

Chapter 21

Sunday, 31st October 1971, 12:15 pm

The Marauders spent every spare moment of the two weeks following the potion disaster perfecting their plans, practising the spells and brewing a new potion which his friends had ordered Remus to stay away from. Something he had been more than happy to do. During the last week, they had taken it in turns to sneak down to the Great Hall in pairs during the night and cast the required spells. Remus had requested Sirius be his partner for the night missions, as he was more comfortable sharing the cloak with him than the others, leaving James to work with Peter.

The big day had finally arrived, and they were all feeling antsy and restless, anxious for everything to go off without a hitch. Remus, though, was suffering the effects of the coming moon on top. He'd woken that morning with a deep ache in his bones, and his senses were already heightened.

To make matters worse, his friends would not stop bugging him about being in the Great Hall for the feast.

'You have to be there, you put so much work into it,' Sirius pleaded.

'Yeah. You can sit at the end with Sirius next to you and us opposite. We'll make sure no one gets close to you,' Peter said.

Remus shook his head. 'I don't know, guys. It's going to be so crowded.'

'What if you come for lunch? Try it out and see how you feel?' James said.

That actually sounded like a reasonable idea. It wouldn't be as busy at lunch, especially on a Sunday. Everyone went at different times during the hour that food was made available. So he would be able to get an idea of whether it would be bearable without getting overwhelmed.

'Alright, I'll come for lunch, but I'm not making any promises about attending the feast.'

The three Marauders grinned at him in victory, and Sirius whooped for good measure.

Lunch went well. As promised, they sat at the far end of Gryffindor's table, furthest from the teachers and from the entrance, and Sirius sat on his right. Sirius was right-handed and Remus was left-handed, so that seating arrangement meant neither of them had to move the arm that was next to the other, minimising the chance of accidental touch. The hall was such a cavernous space that Remus even found the noise level bearable, and the food smells masked the scent of Sirius enough for him to focus.

Someone, probably Hagrid, had decorated the Hall for Halloween with fake spiderwebs, pumpkins, and orange and black streamers. Thankfully, none of the school's decorations would interfere with the Marauder's plans for the evening's entertainment, but they looked around with interest, making notes for the next year.

'We could definitely use those pumpkins for something,' James said, leaning over the table and pointing.

Sirius nodded. 'The streamers too. Even the spider webs have potential.'

At that moment, Remus spotted Lily approaching. 'Let's discuss this later. We have company,' he said, nodding at her.

'Hi, Remus. It's good to see you in the Hall for a change.'

'I thought it was about time. My friends promised to keep me safe,' he said, offering her a smile.

'Hmm,' she said, eyeing the other boys. 'Well, if you ever want a break from them, you're welcome to sit with me and my friends.'

'Why would he want a break from us, Evans?' Sirius asked. 'We're his best mates.'

'You can sit with us too if you want?' James said.

'Urgh, no, thank you. I'd rather sit alone.' She turned back to Remus. 'I'll talk to you in Defence tomorrow.' And with a toss of her hair, she returned to her friends.