Determination|| Remus lupin

Chapter ten

Ariana yawned. Her day had been full of lessons, and many, many things she didn't understand. She was currently sat on the sofa beside Remus, trying to understand the homework Professor McGonagall had given them.

"Why do we have to write an essay?" She moaned, causing Remus to look at her in amusement.

"Because we're getting closer to our OWLs and she wants us to do well." Remus answered, going back to his own essay.

"But I do not understand any of it!" Ariana sighed and flipped back against the back of the sofa. "Why must we do Owls?" Remus just laughed and paused in the middle of writing a sentence.

"Pass it here." He told her.  "OWLs are the qualification that will help us go further in whatever work we want to do." She smiled at him and gave him the piece of parchment, which was covered in her messy handwriting.

The two were silent as Remus made sense of what the girl had written.
"This is good. You just need to finish it." He told her, she nodded and smiled at him.

"You really think so?" She asked him. He nodded.

"Yeah, you picked this up really quickly." Remus turned back to his own essay and the two fell into silence for a few minutes.

"So what do you wish to do when you leave?" She asked him. He put down his quill and looked at her thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure, maybe teaching." He mused, she nodded.

"You would certainly be good at that." She told him. He smiled at her.

"What about you? Do you know what you want to do?" He asked back.

"No, I haven't given it much thought." She answered, the two lapsed into silence again.

That silence was soon broken by the arrival of Sirius, James and Peter.
"There you are!"

Sirius sat himself down beside Ariana, in between the girl and Remus, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "How's it going m'dear?" He asked. She laughed at him.

"It's going good Sirius, how are  you good sir?" She answered.

"I'm fine and dandy my dear." Sirius responded, the two laughing at each other. Remus sighed, he hated that she liked James and Sirius more then him, the three were unbelievably close, she trusted them above everyone. Strangely, she also seemed to trust Peter, not as much, but Remus was convinced she liked Peter more then him, he shouldn't be jealous by this fact, but he couldn't help it.

Suddenly, Ariana frowned.

"What's wrong?" James asked her, knowing that by the confused and scared expression on her face, it couldn't be something good.

"James, I do believe there is an elf on the shelf." She muttered, gesturing to the corner of the room, where a house elf was sheepishly stood on the shelf, watching them.

"That's weird." James nodded, following Ariana as she got up and walked towards it.

The elf apologised to them as they approached and disappeared as suddenly as the girl had noticed it.

"How strange." Ariana mused. James nodded.

"Come on, I'm not sure what we're meant to do for the homework, I need a hand." James started to walk back to the group, the girl following him.

"What was it?" Sirius asked when they arrived back and sat down.

"It was watching me." Ariana frowned.

"Why?" Peter squeaked. She looked at him and shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Maybe it thinks you're famous, I mean it looked generally flattered that you were talking to it." James pointed out. The girl shook her head.

"Me? Famous? I don't think those words should ever be used in the same sentence, you lot, perhaps, but me, never." She said as she looked through her essay once more.

"Awe Arie, you flatter us all." James looked like he was about to cry, or he was pretending to do so at least. She patted him gently on the head.

"It's ok James, and anyway, I'd better go to bed." Ariana began to get up, but Sirius pulled her back down, wrapping his arms around her, tears in his eyes.

"Don't abandon us Arie, please? We need you!" He said dramatically. She hugged him back, wiping his tears with her sleeve.

"I suppose I could stay, only for you though." She smiled at him.

"Oh Arie! You're too good for this world!" Sirius exclaimed. She laughed.

"Let's not go that far Sirius." She told him, before placing her stuff back down on the table.

"But I believe it to be true." Sirius said. Ariana shrugged.

"You have a good soul Sirius."she told him, gently patting his arm. He smiled at her.

"I knew you wouldn't abandon us Arie." He stated.

"You are rather strange Sirius." She told him, he laughed.

"As are you Ariana." He responded. Remus got up.

"I'll see you guys later, he said, sounding strangely void of emotion,  and began to stride away.

"Remus where are you going?" She asked him worriedly, he sighed.

"Prefect duties." He explained, before leaving the common room.

"And what do they entail?" She questioned James, who shrugged.

"I never asked." He answered.

"Patrolling the corridors, making sure no one is running around school at night, that sort of thing." Peter explained, earning a smile from the girl and a confused look from the other two boys.

"Thank you Peter." Ariana stated.

"How the hell d'you know that?" James asked. Peter shrugged.

"I asked him." He answered.

"See! I don't know how you don't think Peter is smart, he's the only one who thinks to as questions!" Ariana exclaimed, earning a grin from Peter.

"Thanks Ariana." He mumbled, looking slightly embarrassed.

"So, what are you doing in the holidays?" James asked. Ariana shrugged.

"I haven't thought about it." She shrugged.

"You have to spend Christmas with us! We're all going to my house for the second week, you could come too. My mum wants to meet you." James told her.

"Okay." Ariana agreed at once.

"You can come for the entire holidays if you like." He added. She nodded with a smile.

"I would like that." He smiled back and gave her a one-armed hug.

"Jay will be glad to see you too." He whispered. Her smile widened, she was curious about him.

"Oh all the time we get to spend with you, and on your first official Christmas as well!" Sirius wiped away a few fake tears, causing Ariana to hand him a tissue. He had not heard the short exchange.

"I rather think you're being very dramatic Sirius dear." She told him gently. He sighed loudly.

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right, now if you'll excuse me, I am rather tired."

"Good night Ariana darling!" Sirius yelled after her, she laughed and shook her head at him, before skipping up the stairs towards her dormitory.