ᴇᴠᴇ, ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ → sɪʀɪᴜs ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ

― SIX: EVE, IT'S NOTHING

WHEN EVE WASN'T IN THE library studying, she usually did by a tree near the Black Lake. No one usually went there so imagine her surprise when she sees Remus Lupin reading as he sat under the tree, Peter Pettigrew as he munched away on chocolate frogs, and James Potter as he played catch with an enormous black dog.

          Eve was meant to turn around when the dog itself spotted her and barked. It ran to her and started licking her hand. She giggled and leaned down, dropping her book to the ground and scratching the dogs neck. "Hey there, boy."

          This had caught James attention. "Oh, Eve."

          Eve looked up and blushed before picking her book up and standing up. "I'm sorry if I touched your dog. He ran up to me."

          James grinned. "Oh, don't be. He seems to be fond of you."

         And as James pointed to the black dog, Eve diverted her eyes to it only to see it rubbing its head on her leg. James rolled his eyes. "Too fond, rather."

         Eve just smiled and was about to bid farewell when James spoke again. "I wanted to apologize for the poor way I behaved the other day. I didn't mean to force Remus or Sirius to leave you."

         "Oh," Eve was surprised. Truthfully, she didn't take what happened the other day to heart but she felt good when James was apologizing. "It was okay. My original plan was to drink alone anyway."

         "Still, I'm sorry. I was just so into the prank, I wanted to take it seriously."

         Eve wanted to ask how can you take a joke seriously but decided not to, seeing as pranking seemed to be a very important thing to James. So instead, she smiled. "You are forgiven."

         "Oh, Eve, you're here," Remus acknowledged, arriving to the conversation. He was previously sat under the tree when he noticed the exchange. Peter, of course, followed on suite.

          "Just passing through," she said with a small smile. "But I'll be off now. I'll see you."

         The dog whimpered as if he understood Eve and started circling around her. Eve giggled at that and patted the dog's head. "I gotta go, boy. I need to study."

         "You can study with me," offered Remus. "There's so much room by the tree. And I know Snuffles here would love it."

         The dog growled at Remus, not liking the name given, to which Remus only chuckled at. Eve, however, felt uneasy. She shuffled her feet and hang a loose strand of her hair. "I don't know . . . I don't want to intrude."

          James rolled his eyes and grabbed Eve by her wrist and dragged her to the tree and forced her to sit down. A chuckling Remus sat down beside her and smiled slyly. Snuffles the dog then propped himself on her thighs and lied himself there. James sat down in front of them as Peter passed everyone a chocolate frog.

         There was a different feeling in Eve's heart — a strange feeling she haven't felt in a while. She felt accepted. She looked around the Marauders, Hogwarts' coolest four, and found herself asking. "Why are you all suddenly talking to me?"

          The three looked at each other. James eyed the dog who was sound asleep on Eve's thighs before smirking and answering. "We'd like to get to know our possible future sister in law."

          Eve's eyes caught Remus' — who was faintly grinning — and blushed. "And what do you mean by that?"

          James chuckled. "You really are entertaining."

          "Eve, it's nothing," assured Remus. "They're just messing with you."

          But as she eyed Remus, she didn't feel like it was nothing.