The Astronomy Tower || Marauders Era

0.2

AMELIA

The sun was bright, warming my skin as it rose higher in the sky. I watched as the light flooded the courtyard below, spilling through the windows of Hogwarts as I continued to lean against the railing of the Astronomy Tower. The school grounds were still quiet, many students still sleeping but a fair few preferred to wake early to get some study done before heading off into Hogsmeade. Leaning against the large pillar, I closed my eyes enjoying the warmth of the sun as it spread over the Tower, enjoying the silence as well. Unfortunately my peace was interrupted soon enough, an angry and annoyed voice shouting from the doorway. "Comment as-tu pu être aussi stupide?" The French threw me off for a second, not expecting to be yelled at in french. I knew exactly who it was though. My eyes opened and I turned my head, spotting a somewhat angry Sirius stalking towards me. How could you be so stupid? He had said. As children we were made to learn French by our families so growing up it was the main language that he, Regulus Black and I spoke to each other. I rolled my eyes and stood up from my spot on the ground so he wasn't completely towering over me.

"Stupid? I clearly wasn't expecting Remus Lupin to be a werewolf when I followed him. I didn't even know it was him to begin with; I just wanted to make sure they were okay." I told him, my arms crossing over my chest as I leant back against the pillar once more. My eyes traveled over Sirius's outfit. He was dressed in ripped black jeans, a band shirt and leather jacket. He completed his look with a pair of doc martens. I noticed a few pins littered in a section of the jacket and chains hanging from the belt hooks on the jeans. His hair was also pulled up into a messy looking bun. A small smile crossed my face as I thought about Sirius spending more time in the bathroom than anyone else, getting ready for the day. "Why are you just following random people in the dark anyway? Seriously, Mimi, use your brain!" He said, clearly frustrated with the whole situation. He let out a long sigh and leant against the railing. He raised an eyebrow at me, gesturing to my outfit. I suddenly became aware of what I was wearing; I was still dressed in my pajamas, having spent the night up here in the Tower, not wanting to return to my dorm room just in case anyone asked any questions. "Oh... I slept up here. Didn't want to disturb any of the girls by going back to the dorms." I explained shrugging slightly.

Sirius didn't question it. I'm sure he just assumed I had my reasons. I also didn't want to risk Remus following me further into the castle; Sirius said he wouldn't but I had to be sure myself. "Come on, let's go get you dressed. James, Remus and Peter want to talk to you.." He trailed off, holding a hand out towards me. Clearly they wanted to speak about last night. Immediately I felt nauseous, I couldn't imagine how Remus was feeling after the whole situation and I felt bad about the role I played in it. I hesitated when I grabbed ahold of Sirius outstretched hand but he didn't seem to notice, interlocking his fingers with mine and directing us out of the Astronomy Tower and into the main areas of the castle. The whole situation was weird. I hadn't spoken to Sirius properly for almost a year and a half. When I first started at Hogwarts he was very welcoming and acted the way we did as kids but the last year and a bit he's been different. We hardly spoke or interacted. I guess sharing a dorm room with a group of his friends meant that we were going to cross paths more whether we liked it or that. It's not that I didn't dislike Sirius, I loved him. He has always been one of my greatest friends, as was his brother, but I just wished he never tried to distance himself from me.

***

He waited for me as I got ready for the day. As I entered the Gryffindor common room, I spotted him sitting in one of the arm chairs, tapping his fingers against the fabric. I couldn't tell if he was nervous for what was going to happen or if he was just impatient. "Ready." I said, stopping in front of him. He looked up at me, nodding his head in approval. My long coat covered most of my outfit but it was much better than wearing pajamas into Hogsmeade. "Better, let's go." He said and we headed off, out of the castle and started the walk to Hogsmeade. The walk to the village wasn't a long one, it was roughly a 20 minute walk from the castle and one I enjoyed doing often. I like the walk, it was calming and Sirius had remained quiet most of the walk. Soon enough we found ourselves in the center of the village, standing outside the door of the Three Broomsticks. Sirius pushed open the door and gestured for me to enter first. Always the gentleman.

I waited as he entered behind me, the door shutting behind him as he guided me towards the table his friends were sitting at. For some reason I was expecting all the girls to be there as well but it dawned on me that maybe Lily, Marlene, Mary and Dorcas didn't know about Remus' werewolf state, even though they had been friends with each other for years. As Sirius and I reached the table, James and Remus sat up more, one of them hitting Peter so he'd do the same. James cleared his throat. "Uh- Hey, Amelia. Thank you so much for joining us." He said and Sirius sat down next to Remus as I sat next to Peter. James was the clear leader of this group, he took charge of the situation now, looking straight at me. It didn't go unnoticed that Remus hadn't looked at me once or the fact that we were squished in the corner, away from the other tables that were littered with people. I nodded slightly. "Yeah, all good. Sirius didn't really give me too much of a choice and I'm pretty sure I know what this is all about." I said, glancing over at Lupin who remained quiet in his seat. I didn't give anyone else a chance to say anything before speaking again. "Look, can I just say how sorry I am? I really had no idea and wasn't trying to put you in the position I did. I am really sorry." I apologized profusely, wanting nothing more for Remus to understand how much I meant it.

"We know, Sirius said something similar last night and we all understand that you wouldn't have done it on purpose. We just want you to understand how dangerous last night was." James explained and it was hard to ignore the way he was talking to me. He was speaking to me as if I was a small child who didn't understand the consequences. I understood more than he knew. I shrugged it off and nodded once more. "I understand, I do. More than anything. And I know you're going to ask... I am not going to say anything to anyone. Your secret is very safe with me, Remus." I said, directing the last statement right at him. He didn't say anything as he turned to look at me finally. I gave him a small reassuring smile and he nodded, believing that I would do everything to keep it safe. All three boys seemed to be satisfied with my answer. I was glad. "Now that we've got that sorted out? Why don't we go meet up with the girls at the quill shop? I think I remember Lily and Mary saying something 'bout needing new quills and ink." James said as he stood up, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair and pulling it on. Peter followed him, much like a little puppy would follow their owner. Sirius was next to get up, following them through the room as they headed towards the door, chatting. Remus was next, he stopped a few feet away from the table I still sat at, raising an eyebrow. "Are you coming?" He asked and it took me a few seconds to respond. "Oh, uh- yeah." I replied, not realizing I was joining them. I didn't think they wanted me with them. Remus waited as I stood up, following as I made my way towards the door as well, the other three boys waiting at the entrance for us.

We started the journey to the quill shop, wondering what the girls would think then they saw me with the boys. I didn't want to think about it too much as I trailed behind the group of boys in front of me. I noticed Remus trailing a little bit behind them so I quickened by pace and slowed down next to him. "Remus, I want you to know that I am extremely sorry. I didn't realize it was you, I was just making sure everyone was okay. I had no idea and I'm sorry I put you in that position. I cannot imagine how that made you feel." I said once more, linking my arm with his as we walked behind the rest of the, He stayed silent for a while and I just waited for him to answer in his own time, not wanting to push him any further. After many quiet moments, he spoke. "I don't want to talk about all of it out here in public, but I accept your apology. I know you didn't mean for what happened to happen. We'll talk about everything later." He said and I nodded. I would make sure we spoke about it no matter what.