maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

14. trick or treat?

"CAN I SIT HERE?" Mary, the girl that Claudia had helped when her brother insulted her, asked the brunette who sat at the Ravenclaw table right before the Halloween feast would begin. She was alone, despite having spent her entire day with her friends after her panic attack, because her friends still didn't feel well.

Claudia was in all honesty not feeling well either, but a delicious meal would for sure help her mind away from the guilt she felt over people having to help her - especially Remus - as well as the embarrassment she felt over the very public moment of panic.

"Of course!" Claudia said with a small smile, and the younger girl sat down, with a few of her friends by her side.

"Why are you sitting alone?" Mary asked curiously, since Claudia always had at least one friend by her side.

"Oh, they're all ill. Madam Pomfrey gave them a potion but it hasn't given any effects yet", Claudia explained.

"Oh", Mary said. "Well, then I get to spend some more time with my new friend!" She said happily, to which Claudia flaunted a big smile.

Dumbledore then spoke a few words as the food appeared on the long house tables. It was the perfect setting, pumpkins lighting up the hall, and thunder roaming outside as if on cue for the spooky holiday.

"Let's raise a toast for another lovely Hallowe'en feast here at Hogwarts", Dumbledore said as he picked up his goblet of pumpkin juice, the entire hall doing the same.

Claudia turned her head as she brought the goblet to her lips, only to meet eyes with Remus, who shook his head as he slowly placed his goblet back down without drinking any of its contents. Claudia frowned at the sight, until she understood that he was trying to tell her to not take a sip.

"Don't drink it", Claudia warned Mary, who was also about a second from drinking the cold juice.

"Why?" Mary asked with a raise of her eyebrows.

"No idea, just don't drink it", she said with a confused tone as she kept her eyes on Remus, who nodded with a small smile as he mouthed an "are you okay?", which she nodded to.

Claudia noticed that none of the Marauders had drunk from the goblets.

Mary noticed how Claudia and Remus looked at each other.

Suddenly, the hall was no longer filled with a wide range of students, teachers and staff members.

Because suddenly, Nolan Clarke was Sirius Black.

Lily Evans was James Potter.

Evan Rosier was Peter Pettigrew.

Professor McGonagall was Remus Lupin.

And Severus Snape was James Potter. He was not only James Potter, he was also fuming.

Loud laughter filled the air as students and teachers turned into different members of the Marauders, with the exceptions of Claudia, Mary, Dumbledore, and the boys themselves.