In Perpetuum

Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Vince tuum daemonia

A blaze of red curls approached the table containing Sirius, Hermione and James.

Lily herself had spent a considerable amount of time in the library on this relatively warm Saturday morning and was curious as to why Sirius and James especially were in the library instead of outside enjoying the grounds.

Perhaps they were planning something involving Severus or herself? They never lost an opportunity to hex Severus.

“Can someone tell me why you guys have spent the last few hours camped out in here?”

Without looking up from her essay, Hermione replied, “Because the common room is, for lack of a better word, occupied.”

Lily’s eyebrows converged in confusion.

“Occupied? By what?”

Sirius replied this time, looking up at Lily, “Remus and Estrella.”

This did nothing to diminish Lily’s bewilderment.

“Remus and Estrella what?”

“Probably snogging their brains out by now,” said James, matter-of-factly.

“WHAT!?!”

“I know what you mean, took them long enough. James, could you pass that book that is sticking out of the shelf behind you?”

James passed her the book.

The news had finally registered in Lily’s brain and she sat down heavily on the extra seat at the table.

“So, Remus and Estrella, eh?”

“Yeah, that just leaves me all alone...” said James, wiggling his eyebrows at Lily.

“Eurgh James. I would never go out with you. Even if you were the last human being left on the face of the Earth.”

“I will win you over one day my fair maiden.”

“In your dreams,” she replied to James before turning her back to him and talking Hermione instead, “Do you think it would be safe to go back up to the Common Room after lunch?”

“We’ll have to see if they come down for lunch. If they come down to eat, I think it would be quite safe. Although, we cannot say anything about what we saw. If they want us to know, they will tell us in their own time. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” the others echoed.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The small group of friends walked to the Great Hall for lunch with a mixture of excitement and slight apprehension at the prospect of having to face Remus and Estrella.

Walking down the marble staircase, hand in hand with Sirius, Hermione thought about whether this latest development in Remus’ life had occurred the first time around. If it had happened occurred, why had Remus never spoken of her? Granted, she and Remus were not that close, and much of the time they had spent together had been as teacher and student.

They walked through the vast, oak doors and pointed their feet in the direction of Gryffindor table. Before they had even gotten close to where Estrella and Remus were sitting, another shocking sight befell them.

Peter was sitting, deep in conversation with none other than Ayemeric Goyle at the Slytherin table. Hermione had previously established this to be Gregory Goyle’s father. He was a couple of years above Hermione, but his oversized physique made him appear much older that what he really was, thus creating a contradiction to his bovine intelligence.