Celeste || Sirius Black

Chapter 10: The Talk of the Devilish Saint

The quiet girl of Hufflepuff standing up to the star kid of Gryffindor was fast to spread around the castle of Hogwarts. Everyone seemed to be giving more of the silent attention to the Marauders while leaving out Celeste, which was exactly what she wanted.

But there was something that was definitely going on between Sirius and the Rajput. Had he finally lost his mind about going with girls that wanted to go out with him? Or was there a scandal of some sorts involved. The talk of how he had come to the Hufflepuff Common Rooms to meet her spread around silently, careful not to reach the ears of the people involved in the discussion. Because if Celeste or Sirius had heard them, they would have put a stop to it.

Sirius was worried about her. He had never seen her so angry before. Even when he stopped her back at the power, she was more shaken up than angry. And when he met her the next day, she only wanted him to leave her alone. So why couldn't he?

"I don't need you to swoop in and try to solve things when you clearly don't care about anyone but yourself!" That was what she thought of him. That was what everyone thought of him because it was easier to be the fun playboy than the miserable person that he really was. His own brother would not talk to him because of Sirius being a traitor to the Black family, which was why he spent every holiday with James. His parents were Sirius' parents too and he wouldn't have it any other way. But the thought of patching things up with Regulus was really tempting.

"Earth to Padfoot!" Shouted James against the crackle of the firewood in the common room after calling for Sirius five times.

The four of them had gathered to come up with a plan to forget their transfiguration and actually become animagi for the first time. It would be a tough process but they were willing to walk the roads of Hell for Remus. So far, they had only come up with a way to help Moony's transformation, not taking over his mind like it always did with a potion that they had collectively prepared.

"Has someone caught his attention? James asked Remus, who sighed and looked at Sirius coming back to reality.

"Is this about Celeste?" Remus asked.

James' eyes widened as he looked at Sirius brushing his fingers through his hair. "Is it!" After the way she had acted towards him more than a week back, James did not see what Lily saw in that girl. And now, Sirius.

But Sirius' silence said it all. "I think you should leave her alone," said Remus. "I have classes with her, and Professor Slughorn has made her my partner for the rest of the year. And probably even the next few years because we work together well. I don't want anything to happen to her....you understand?"

Sirius swung his legs from the top of the sofa and rested it on the ground, with his arms resting on top of his thighs as he leant forward. His face was illuminated against the light from the fireplace and showed his true emotions. "I'm not thinking about any harm to her, Moony. I'm not trying to make her fall for me or something. I'm....concerned." The word seemed strange when he said it for someone other than the four of them.

"Concerned, eh Sirius?" James made fun of him. He had never known Sirius to be the one to talk about girls. Sure, he had been out with a few of them, but never had he used the word 'concern' to describe any of them. This was certainly a strange change.

Remus shook his head. This was going in the wrong direction. He couldn't allow them to make fun of her, not after he was trying to become her friend. "She has her own baggage to deal with. We cannot judge her so easily." James raised his eyebrows at him. "Don't look at me like that, Prongs. She and I are not that different. When I started losing concentration in studies, I always had the three of you. She doesn't have anyone. So don't judge her for defending Lily."

James rolled his eyes and stared into the hearth of the fire, contemplating his wise friend's words. Were Remus and Celeste so similar that he had been blind enough by his ego to notice that? Should he talk to Lily about it? Ha! That seemed unlikely. He couldn't talk to her for normal things. How was he supposed to know if he could be of any help?

"So we're all turning tonight," started Peter, getting back to the topic.

"Yes we are, Wormtail," said Sirius. "We have to. This may be our final chance before exams are upon us. And we all know how Remus can get when it comes to his OWLs and NEWTs." He winked at Remus, who simply smiled and leaned his head against the sofa's head.

"The next full moon is tomorrow," said Remus, feeling his body growing tired and hungry by the second. He always hated the day before and after more than the actual day of the transformation. "You know you three don't have to-"

"We've been through this," said James.

"We will be there with you," said Peter.

"We're all up to no good," quoted Sirius.

Remus looked around the room. He had been defeated ever since he had revealed that he was a werewolf. James, Sirius and Peter were not only his friends. They were family. He had meant what he had told Celeste when he called them his brothers. Growing up, he didn't have anyone, until he met them.

"Mischief Managed," he said.

The next night was going to be a game changer, not only because the Marauders would successfully become one blood-thirsty werewolf and three animagi, they would also find the truth behind the person of the topic.

The next night was going to change their lives at Hogwarts.