The Collision Theory | Remus Lupin

05. Patience is Key

"You good now?" Remus asks, still holding me by the shoulders.

"Did you see me?" I grin- I don't know why but I can't help it- and elbow my sister, "Holy shit I totally stood up for us!"

"Yeah right..." Miriam rolls her eyes, muttering under her breath.

"How did you even get into the creepiest street in London?" Sirius frowns.

"Some idiot pushed us." I shrug, "Wait, why the Hell were you there?!"

"Just passing by." Sirius says in an oddly strained voice.

Remus adds quickly, "Where were you going?"

"Well we were going to Flourish and Botts."

"We'd best get you there in one piece then." Remus smirks.

*

There's something about tall people and their magical ability to part through crowds, because not once did I get bumped by anyone when I was following the two boys.
I could get used to this chauffeuring.
They seem nicer, not as annoying as last time, but I'm still going to keep my distance, especially from Black.
I know from the last five years that those four boys are trouble.

We enter the shop, and immediately two bickering voices stand out from the others. One shrill voice which belongs to none other than Lily Evans, my roommate and friend. The other, rather unfortunately, is James Potter.

"You can't possibly be grade seven in potions!"

"I am!"

"You have to be able to make polyjuice for that!" Lily's face is as red as her hair.

"How do you know I haven't?" James crosses his arms defensively.

"Because I'm better than you and even I don't know how to make it!" Lily slams a copy of Standard Book Of Potions back onto a pile. I have no idea how this argument happened but it sure has escalated quickly. She sees me out of the corner of her eye, "Lin! Miriam!"

"Hey Lily!" I cough, surprised by the second tightest hug I've gotten in the last week.

She frowns as she sees the scratches from my little fireplace accident, "Ooh that's a nasty cut, how d'you get it?"

"Tell you later." I say under my breath, aware of the Marauders' presence. I pull back, smiling, "What are you doing here?"

"I was feeling a bit bored, since y'know..." Oh I know. Since she hasn't spoken to Severus because he called her a mudblood and never apologised. They used to hang out twenty-four seven. She shrugs, "So I thought it would be fun to come down here. Until I came across the epitome of stupid."

"Hey!" James frowns, "Just because I know how to make polyjuice potion!"

"You really don't." Sirius laughs.

"Everyone knows that Novak is top in Potions, well in Gryffindor anyway." Lily smirked, nudging me slightly. That's my strength in school, that and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Everything else I deem passable (well more like quite bad), "Well, I'm going to steal my friends away from you lunatics."

"See you on the train." Remus waves awkwardly.

"Don't forget the agreement." James winks, leaning into a grinning Sirius.

"How could I?"

*

"Explain Novak." Lily's red curls seem to glow in the sunlight, highlighting her impatience. She practically dragged me to Florean Fortesque's ice-cream parlour demanding answers. Miriam said she wanted to hang back in the bookshop.
Weird.
Ten minutes later we're sitting at one of the outside tables with sundaes. I got the brownie one and I am in no way feeling bad about it.