Silver Lining

Chapter 9

"Watch your wand work, we don't want to blow anything up like last week," Remus chuckled, avoiding my wildly waving wand as he tried to read the notes in his textbook.

"Hey, I didn't blow anything up last time! That was the time before," I laughed, ducking as someone's rogue spell shot over my head. Judging by the angle, it was probably Peter's, and after a while I'd become very good at dodging his spells ever since he took the seat behind me.

October had disappeared in a flash, leaving me with the November full moon to deal with all of a sudden. I had been spending quite a bit more time with Remus, who - along with his efforts to regain my friendship - was attempting the same process between his friends and I. I suppose it was working - less glares were exchanged and our insults had begun to turn into friendly banter, but I was afraid Lily was getting suspicious. She hadn't stopped interrogating me about last month's disappearance, and our time in the Common Room that afternoon was no exception.

"Lily, it's been a month now, why does it bother you so much?"

"Come on, Vi! You stay out really late, and from then on you're all chummy with the... Marauders." She said the term like it was a bad word.

"We're not chummy, Remus and I-"

"Aha! See, you're on first name basis now! What happened that night?" She squinted at me, and I could feel my face heat up as I searched for an adequate lie. 

"We're... partners in Charms, remember?" I burst out. "We were doing homework late at night, that's all. There's nothing going on." I tried to hold a steady gaze, hoping Lily's suspicions had been subdued for now.

"Hmm. Alright." she sat back, and I let out a small sigh of relief - but the relief didn't last long. "Speak of the devil," Lily muttered as the four Gryffindor boys strolled through the portrait hole. I watched them warily as they scanned the room, meeting Sirius' gaze for only a second. His eyes glinted with mischief, and I wanted to bang my head on the table just thinking about what he had planned.

"Violet!" he called, strolling over to where Lily and I were sitting. This wasn't a good sign - he never called me Violet, although Remus had attempting to get us all on first name basis. I think  it reminded him of how much he'd messed up our friendship to hear them call me by my last name. Part of me thought it served him right, but another part did want to try and get to know these boys better. I felt bad about how quickly I had judged them purely because of my own grudges, and I felt the need to give them a second chance. Right now, all efforts of being friendly were forgotten, and my original opinions of Sirius Black were making their way back into my mind. I could feel Sirius' presence behind me as he leant over the couch, grinning broadly and making me feel extremely uneasy. "Evans," he nodded to Lily. "How's it going?"

"I would be much better if you got on with whatever you have to say," Lily shot him a look that could kill. He smirked slightly and turned to me.

"See you later, then," he said quietly, just loud enough for Lily to hear clearly. I shot him a glare as his eyes glinted in satisfaction at what he knew he had achieved, pushing himself off the couch and swaggering off with the other three.

"What the heck was that?!" Lily hissed, and I winced, the only thought in my mind how I would get him back for this later on.

---

I was awake when the Marauders returned that night. I was so lost in thought, staring out into the darkened grounds, that they almost caught me by surprise.

"Morning!" I grinned at their exhausted faces - I'd had a particularly good sleep (despite being awake at four in the morning), and as much as I tried to be nice to them, seeing them so tired when I felt so awake gave me just a tiny bit of satisfaction.