Life choices (Remus Lupin Marauders era)

Chapter 16

Imogen's POV

I wait for the owl post to come through and my dress to arrive. The others are talking excitedly about how Frank asked Alice to the dance. So sweet and normal-ish, nothing OTT or fancy, exactly how it should be in my opinion.

"So Immy, any suitors so far?" Mary smirks and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

Of course not. What about you?

"Maybe. But I do know a certain redhead has been asked by her favourite marauder. And big surprise, she turned him down."

We all turn to look at Lily who is blushing and trying to hide behind her hair.

"I will never go out with Potter." She says defiantly.

I don't believe her. She will eventually succumb to his ways. I can feel it.

Finally the Owls start flocking in and two swoop down towards our table, carrying my parcel between them. I immediately pick it up and take it back to my room before anyone can ask what it is. I grab the rest of my school stuff and head straight down to the morning lessons.

Mother-fudging potions.

I skip along to Slughorns classroom and only just make it in before the lesson starts. He gives me a cold stare before beginning to speak to everyone. Needles to say, I'm not in the slug club.

"Ok, so today you will all be working towards making a hiccoughing solution. I will partner you up with suitable person, no choosing them yourselves."

I stand there and pick at my nails absentmindedly. I am not planning on passing my potions OWL. I do not care about it in the slightest. I plan on continuing herbology, growing the ingredients for potions instead of making them.

"Imogen, you're going to have to go with Remus."

Could this day get any worse.

"Oh sorry, I meant Sirius."

Yes. Yes it definitely could.

Sirius gives me one of the meanest glares and storms off to where we have to work. He sits down on one of the stools and looks pointedly up at me as I perch on the stool next to him.

"I'm not doing any of the work." Sirius scoffs. "You can do it, or we'll fail."

Take a leap into the unknown, as my sister would tell me, you never know what could be waiting for you.

Then I guess we're failing. I try to hold back the laughter at his expression.

He looks up at me in shock. "What?"

We'll just have to fail then. I don't care about potions, never had and probably never will. We can either fail whilst still trying, or fail by doing nothing. Your choice. Either way is fine for me.

I hear laughter coming from across the bench and see Alice working with Remus, both of them laughing about us two.

"Believe me Black. She'll be happy to get a Dreadful in her owls, she's just hoping to not get a Troll." Alice laughs and drops something into her cauldron.

So are we going to do something or just sit here? I ask and look down at him.

He mumbles something incoherent and starts getting out the ingredients. I flick through the pages to the right recipe and start sorting out the right amounts.

We work in silence, only offering the occasional insult and suggestion to each other. Slughorn doesn't seem too impressed when he comes around to test ours and Sirius especially isn't overcome with happiness when it gets tested on him. He's practically shaking with the intensity of hiccups that have hit him. It's so bad that it looks like he's going to be sick.

Slughorn gives him a remedy and they instantly subside. We fail, of course, and Black gives me a hateful stare. I feel a familiar sensation of fear prickle in me and I immediately start to worry about what is going to happen to me.

We finish up the class and I race out to avoid any confrontation with him again. I head straight into transfiguration and take my usual seat at the back, waiting for Ali to take her place next to me.

We start practicing transfiguring our animals into pure gold goblets. My rat died just before I came here and so I haven't been able to buy a new pet yet. I'm really hoping for either a cat or an owl.

Thankfully I have a free period next lesson and I'm able to complete some of my work. I generally work during free lessons and relax during the evenings, instead of the other way around.

When I get back up to the house the girls are in a flap about something in the dorm. I tap Mary on the shoulder and she squeaks, pulling on my arm and bringing me around to face my bed.

"You didn't tell us you had a secret admirer you cheeky little bitch." She says happily and picks up the ornately decorated envelope with my name on it in cursive script. "Go on, open it."

I give them all a strange look before carefully pulling the envelope open. Inside there's a folded piece of parchment and some rose petals. My heart melts a little and I open up the piece of paper. The girls lean over my shoulder, reading it for themselves.

Dearest Imogen.
You may not have noticed me, but I've always noticed you. I see much more than the front you show everyone. It would be an honour for you to attend the Yule ball with me. If you would like to, please meet me in the greenhouse before the ball starts.
Love, a secret admirer.

Oh my god.

"Ohmigod!" Mary squeals. "This is bloody brilliant! I'm so excited for you!" She pulls me in for a hug and they all join in.

"Imogen's got an admirer! Imogen's got an admirer!" They chant happily.

"My little girls growing up." Alice says, wiping away an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye.

Things might just be looking up.