✓ | EPISKEY → remus lupin [ discontinued ]

Chapter Twenty

Once they arrived at the Harpshire home, Joanne pulled Alanna aside into the oldest sister's room. When Alanna went to cry out, Joanne placed her hand over her sister's mouth.

"Hush, sister dearest," Joanne said with a sly smirk. Alanna let out a sigh of relief when Joanne released her. Joanne moved to lock her bedroom door and leaned against it to prevent anyone from entering.

"So ..." Joanne began, taunting her sister by dragging it out. Alanna sighed, perching herself on the end of Joanne's bed.

"What d'you want, Jo? I haven't got all day. You know Mum and Dad want to ask me how everything's been going at school and about my friends and--"

"You kissed that boy," Joanne cut her sister off. Alanna stopped, and to say she was surprised was an understatement.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," Alanna said, eyes wide as she tried to cover it up. Joanne moved across the room and knelt down in front of her sister. Alanna tried to keep it together, but it just wasn't her strength. "Okay, so I kissed Remus, so what?!"

"Ha! I knew it!" Joanne said as she jumped up. She began doing what Alanna could only assume was a victory dance. Alanna bit her lip.

"Are you going to tell Dad?" she asked in a small voice. Joanne stopped dancing and knelt down in front of Alanna again.

"Hey," she said softly, bringing Alanna's blue gaze to focus on her. "Not if you don't want me to."

Alanna gave Joanne a small smile and nodded. "That'd be nice, thanks."

Joanne smirked. "But still. I won!"

Alanna frowned. "You won what?"

The smirk faded from Joanne's face. "Oops ..."

Alanna stood up. "Joanne ... did you bet on this?"

"Guilty as charged," Joanne said quietly. Alanna glared at her older sister.

"Why would you do that?! Jo, this stuff is private!"

"It wasn't my idea, if that helps!" Joanne defended, not wanting to be at her younger sister's wrath. "It was Mel's idea! She bet me first!"

Alanna thought for a moment, a frown on her face. "How much did you bet?"

Joanne grinned. "Ten pounds."

Alanna glanced at her sister, thinking it over in her head for a few seconds. "Alright, I'll let this slide."

Joanne pumped her fist in the air.

"But I get half the profit," Alanna concluded, crossing her arms with a smug smirk on her face.

"And there's the catch," Joanne said, lowering her fist. "Why are you so mean?"

"Hey, I want what I want. Five pounds it enough to get me some nice food."

"Why do you want nice food when you can just get Mum to do the shopping for you?"

"Because Mum doesn't buy nice food," Alanna said in a 'duh' tone. "That's what mums do. They buy the gross healthy stuff and feed it to their kids while they go out with their husbands and buy all of this expensive restaurant dinner stuff. We get the crap food!"

Joanne laughed. "The younger ones get the gross food," she corrected her sister. "Emily complains all the time. See, Mel and I have this thing called a job. We earn money from it so we can--"

"I know what a job does!" Alanna snapped. She sighed in irritation.

"I think you need some sleep," Joanne murmured. "Go get some rest. I'll tell Mum and Dad that you were really tired from the train ride and you need to sleep it off."