written in the stars | sirius black | remus lupin

2

Charlotte knelt towards her boot, propped up on the final stair to the common room, tying it quickly. The sun outside of the window was finally over the trees, sending streams of golden light across the carpeting.

Her roommates were still sleeping, where she so desperately wished she could be as well. But after staying up with the Marauders last night when she had planned to finish her transfiguration, she forced herself out of bed to get to the library before class.

She had just straightened up, looping her bag over her shoulder, when a noise like a stampede came crashing down the boys staircase, James Potter jumping over the last two steps and looking back, waiting.

"Oh, hey Char! What are you doing up so early?" He asked, bright eyed.

"Have to finish my essay for McGonagall before class. Figured I could use the silent libra...ry." She stammered as Remus stepped from the stairs, joining them in the common room.

"Oi, look Remus, she's a mini you." James nudged the boy in his rib cage lightly and nodded for Charlotte to come with them as they started towards the hallway. "Remus is headed there too."

"You're behind on homework?" She asked, sounding skeptical.

Remus shook his head once, not meeting her eye until silence over took the three of them and he realized they were waiting for an actual response.

"I'm working ahead. Probably going to have a busy weekend."

Charlotte nodded, wondering why the boy usually at the top of their class had in fact dropped half of his OWL classes. Still, as she was quickly learning, Remus didn't like to share.

"You have practice, I assume?" Charlotte changed her focus to James, who even at this hour was more talkative than anyone she could imagine.

"Morning practice. We'll have night practice as well. Morning is optional, but so far everyone's made it to almost all of them-"

"Because they know you'll pester them if they skip." Remus explained, humor filling his eyes for a moment as he looked at Charlotte.

"I'm not pestering them. I'm empowering them. I'm a leader." James replied, sounding as if he had explained this to his friends before.

"You're something." Remus said, taking a sharp turn towards the library as they hit the first floor at last. Charlotte looked over, watching the tall boy gain distance between the two Gryffindors with every step.

"Remus, will you wait for her?" James called, Remus slowing at once and turning back, a confused look on his face as if he hadn't realized they were no longer with him.

"Have a good practice, then." Charlotte nodded towards James, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt as she hurried to catch up to Remus.

The two of them walked in silence, Charlotte's legs stepping extra fast as she tried to keep up with the brunette.

"You always wake up this early?" She asked at last, not being able to stand the silence another second.

He shrugged, pulling the library door open and letting her in first, the room silent and empty aside from Madam Pince who looked up as they entered, deeming them tolerable students and returning to her work.

"I don't really sleep that well. Makes it easy to get out of bed." He explained, pulling a chair out at a table near the back of the library, the restricted section roped off a few aisles away.

"That sounds backwards." Charlotte laughed, controlling her voice so they wouldn't anger the librarian so soon after they had arrived.

"How do you mean?" Remus asked, his eyes on his bag as he pulled out his textbook.