Coiled (Book 1 of 2)

Detention

Monday morning, and I arrive for breakfast with James and Remus. We hit the tail end of the breakfast rush, and so the Great Hall is relatively quiet. Together the three of us make ourselves comfortable at the far end of the table and hungrily reach for the assortment of breakfast pastries that appear before us.

Cradling a cup of steaming tea in his hands, Remus glances between James and I, "So, ready for another week?"

I take a bite out of an apple pastry, savouring the warmth as the buttery flakes melt on my tongue. Beside me, James nods, "More or less. I've got a Charms exam on Thursday. You?"

Bringing his cup to his lips, Remus blows a layer of steam off the tea, "Mine's pretty normal, but then again ..."

At this, I quickly lean in and whisper, "... The full moon on Friday."

"You remembered."

"Of course. You know we always mark our calendars."

James chimes in, "Absolutely always. We'll be with you throughout. You'll never shake us, Moony."

Remus flashes us both an appreciative smile, "Let me say for the millionth time: my friends are the greatest friends in existence."

Reaching for a brioche roll, James winks, "You can say it a million more. We rather like the way it sounds, don't we?"

Laughing at this, I pop the last bit of pastry into my mouth, "We sure do."

Taking a small sip of his tea, Remus's eyes meet mine, "By the way, we didn't properly debrief after last week. How'd your sessions with Regulus go? No problems, I hope?"

Clearing my throat, I reach for an orange, "Ah, right -"

How did it go?

The complete truth, absolutely out of the question, though I felt a pang of treacherous guilt at that.

"You see boys, it seems as though I'm developing quite a crush on one of our declared enemies..."

No, I don't think so.

Aiming for nonchalance and hitting the mark brilliantly, I shrug, "It was fine. Honestly there's nothing to say."

James scoffs incredulously at this, "What, really? So this is a 'no news is good news' scenario?"

"I mean, yes. Quite so."

My eyes dart from James to Remus as I begin peeling the orange, "It's all rather boring, really. We began our project work, and he seems focused on that."

Despite my reassurances, Remus still narrows his eyes, "He'd better be, if he has any sense at all. But if there's any sign of trouble, or he says anything that makes you feel uncomfortable -"

Setting the orange peel down on my plate, I wave my fingers, "- Let me guess, the four of you will pitch him off the Astronomy Tower."

"Damn right we will," James snorts, "Count on it."

I've absolutely no doubt.

Remus begins buttering a bit of toast now, "So he's been civil, then?"

"Oh, yes. Extremely so."

"Very well. As long as he minds his tongue. And just like Prongs said, rest assured..."

James leans forward to finish Remus's thought, "... If he puts even a toe out of line, our wands will be on him quicker than a Niffler on a necklace."

I giggle at this, a combination of nerves over discussing Reggie and because it's a funny mental image, "Thanks, guys. I'll certainly keep that in mind."