Eunoia | Sirius Black

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Hogwarts, Scotland Higlands, 1978
June 7th, blazing hot

I tapped my fingers against the wood of my table. 

Turning around, I could see Sirius as he straightened up, put down his quill, and pulled his roll of parchment toward him so as to reread what he had written.

Four seats ahead of him James yawned hugely and rumpled up his hair, making it even messier than it had been. Then, with a glance toward Professor Flitwick, he turned in his seat and grinned at the raven-haired boy.

With a sigh, I see Sirius give James the thumbs-up. Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. Her breath caught in her throat when the chair nearly fell but then he rocked it back ahead with a smirk.

He was magnificent. 

His dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither James's nor Remus's could ever have achieved, and a Slytherin sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didn't seem to have noticed. And two seats along from this girl was Remus Lupin. He looked rather pale and peaky.

She made a mental note to brew him his monthly potions right away after the exam. Lupin reread his answers he scratched his chin with the end of his quill, frowning slightly.

A row beside Remus was Peter, his pointed nose sniffing with the common cold he seemed to have gotten out of nowhere. Wormtail looked anxious; he was chewing his fingernails, staring down at his paper, scuffing the ground with his toes. Every now and then he glanced hopefully at his neighbour's paper. 

"Quills down, please!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Hawkins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"

More than a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backward off his feet. Several people laughed. 

Lily and Dorcas got up, took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows, and lifted him onto his feet again.

"Thank you . . . thank you," panted Professor Flitwick. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

Elena sighed, her heart feeling rather melancholic on the last day of her school. There was to be no graduation ceremony this year due to the death-eaters wreaking havoc. Dumbledore wanted to take no risks. 

Feeling a burning sensation on my left, I felt someone's eyes on me. 

Round-shouldered yet angular, Snape walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, his oily hair swinging about his face while his crow-like eyes stared at me unabashedly.

A gang of chattering girls separated Snape from James and Sirius, and by planting himself in the midst of this group, I managed to keep Snape in sight whilst also protecting myself from the stampede of students who were way too excited to leave.

Tuning out Lily's giggles as she happily announced her success and her estimated number of owls, I walked a few steps ahead of my girl friends. 

For no reason other than my heavy heart which did not want to leave this world behind. Ella was standing beside a rather pissed-looking Parkinson, who was glaring holes in my head also. What was with the Slytherins today?

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as we emerged into the entrance hall as a massive group.

"Loved it," said Lupin briskly. "'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in tones of mock concern.

"Think I did," said Lupin seriously, as we joined the crowd thronging around the front doors eager to get out into the sunlit grounds. "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin . . .'"