Lunar: A Marauders novel

Chapter 46

The week wasn't as academically focused as Remus would have expected, but considering they were two weeks away from the ball and barely any of the students knew how to dance, he supposed it wasn't too odd.

Most of their classes were interrupted by Professor McGonagall taking them out to the classroom Dysis had emptied of furniture, and they practiced dance after dance, again and again until the students fell into chairs and refused to get up.

Remus noticed with some confusion that Dysis didn't come to any of the classes. At all. He had asked her about it once and she had merely shrugged and said she spent her time practicing the songs she would be playing.

That was true, he knew, because sometimes Sirius and a few others from the music class would be called out by Professor Flitwick.

Still, Remus wasn't complaining about missing out on classes, and he didn't particularly mind the dancing either. It was relaxing, really, the rhythmic, steady steps and music.

He could most certainly get used to not having to do homework every single evening.

Right now he was enjoying the extra time by reading on his bed, listening to the soft strum of Dysis's electric guitar as she tried to figure out the notes of a tune she had listened to in class as snow began fluttering down outside.

She was sitting by the desk, frowning down at the guitar with a quill and parchment laying on the desk, little musical notes scrawled elegantly. She hummed quietly and repositioned her fingers on the guitar before playing a little tune. She nodded to herself and reached for the quill, scribbling whatever she had done down.

"Snuffles, does this sound right?" she asked and began a slow yet hard tune. She only played for a few seconds, then looked up at Sirius, who was looking at her with a contemplative look.

"Sounds exactly like Flitwick's one," he noted and frowned. "How do you do that anyway? Werewolf hearing?"

Dysis shrugged and ran a finger along one of the strings, drawing a very quiet thrum from it. "Not really. It just comes with practice. I can make out the different notes, although sometimes it's difficult and takes a lot of trial and error."

Sirius nodded understandingly and went back to whatever he was drawing as Dysis went back to her music. Remus went back to his book, but was soon interrupted as the door to the dorm burst open and James strode in, holding a very pale Peter upright.

"Merlin's Beard! What happened?" Sirius exclaimed and he and Remus hopped up, but Peter was already sinking down onto Remus's bed, so Remus sat back down as Sirius and Dysis followed.

"Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?" Dysis asked and reached for Peter's hand. No black lines appeared, thankfully, but Peter gripped her hand like a life support.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Peter breathed, his eyes wide in his sickly pale face. "I just—I don't....Merlin I just...she was just..."

"What happened?" Sirius demanded and placed his hand on Peter's forehead.

"He asked Holly to the Yule Ball," James said with a grin. "I don't think he was planning on it, and it was quite a shock to the system, I think."

"Well what did she say?!" Sirius exclaimed and Peter looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I don't know. I-I...well I blanked. I didn't hear her...." Peter blinked, and his face paled even more. "Oh Merlin I'm going to have to ask her again," he wailed and flopped down onto the bed, dragging a pillow over his face. "I'm going to look like such a fool. Asking twice because I don't know what she said."