Silvia and the Rising Moon [EDITING]

A Night to Remember

     Silvia stared at the boy standing before her. "Sirius, no. I will not go to this silly ball with you. You're only asking me because Sienna doesn't want to go with you."
     "Please, Silvia. It would mean so much to me." He held a handful of wilted flowers picked from outside.
     "It would mean so much to you?" Silvia snapped. "Why don't you go with someone hot, like Calypso or even Blaire now that she's lost so much weight?"
     Sirius sighed. "I don't want Sienna, I don't want Calypso. I don't even want to go with Blaire, even though she's totally hot now. She's thick in all the right places. She's so beautiful, and..." He trailed off thinking about Blaire. "But, James is already going with her. I don't want to go with her. I really like you, Silvia. It would be my honor to take you to the ball.
     "Take me to the ball," Silvia scoffed. "Get bent! Just like James said: Who would ever really like Remus Lupin's kid sister?" She stormed away, yelling, "I won't let you prank me like this, Sirius Black!"

"You said no?" Sienna asked as the two walked in to their Russian Language class.
     "Of course. He's a prick, Sienna. You said so yourself." She turned to the Bearstrength teacher as he wrote a new set of symbols on the chalkboard. "Honestly, I don't understand Russian at all."
     "It's kind of easy. я наслаждаюсь слоновой ногой," Sienna said.
     "Wow," Silvia replied, in awe. "Sienna, that was amazing. You sounded just like the teacher. What did you say?"
     "I said, 'I enjoy his presence'."
     The teacher, having heard the girls's conversation, merely shook his head in disappointment.
     "If he asks you again, you should say yes."
     Silvia gagged. "Sienna, I told you before and I'll tell you again. I want nothing to do with Remus's friends... not after what happened with Peter."
     "Who thinks friends snog at dances?" Sienna crinkled her nose.
     "To his defense," Silvia explained, "he did it because he saw you snogging Sirius."
     Suddenly, the classroom door flew open revealing Blaire, who had decided to make a grand entrance after arriving ten minutes late to class. Grand it was. As if it had been caused by magic, Blaire had transformed over the summer from a chubby wannabe to a curvy flirt without losing a single pound. Silvia couldn't help but feel jealous of yet another friend of hers. Of course James was attracted to her, of course Sirius was attracted to Sienna. Silvia was just another plain Jane. Most of the time, she was completely okay with it. Although, sometimes the fact that she was already 5'6" and towered over her friends embarrassed her. The only people she knew that were taller than her were Remus and James.
     "Oi," Blaire said as she sauntered over to the two girls. Silvia noticed she was wearing bright blue eye shadow and orange lipstick. It was atrocious, but it was the 70's. "I heard you rejected Sirius Black. Are you kidding me?"
     Silvia rolled her eyes. "Yes, I did. I'm not letting him use me and I'm not getting involved in any of Remus's friends again."
     "Yesh," Blaire said. "You kissed Peter, not me."
     "I did not kiss Peter!"
     The teacher shushed them in Russian.
     Blaire turned to Silvia, her voice now a sharp whisper. "I swear to God, Silvia Lupin, this may be the best guy you're ever going to get, so you better just stop being a whiny little wrackspurt and go to the ball with Sirius."
     "What's a wrackspurt?" Sienna asked.
     "I don't know. Pandora was talking about it with Xenophilius Lovegood. They're so weird."
     "Fine," Silvia said. "I'll go with Sirius, but only if he asks me again. Chances are he already asked another girl."
     "Less talking, more Russian," the Russian teacher said, this time in English.
     "Ten more minutes, and I can be out of this godawful class," Silvia muttered, scanning the textbook.

This time, he held an even larger bundle of wilted flowers. "I didn't want to ask you again, but James does this all the time to Lily."
     "And James is an absolute prick, Sirius. Do you see why she always rejects him?" They were standing in an empty stairwell. She stood over him, two steps ahead.
     Sirius sat down on the step and patted the spot next to him with his hand, looking up at Silvia. She sat down as far away from him as possible. "Look," he said. "I understand James doesn't always do the best things. I know he's misguided and privileged and does things that you and I wouldn't be able to get away with. Hell, I live with Regulus. Do you know how much my prick parents would like me if I didn't always do what James does?"
     Silvia nodded. "So why do you hex first years and pick on Severus Snape if it means that Regulus will always be the favorite?"
     "My parents are absolute morons. They act like their way is the best and only way. Don'y you remember what they did to Andromeda after she married Ted Tonks?"
     Silvia nodded again.
     "I idolize James because he can be wild and have fun and mess with Snavely and still be loved and adored by his parents."
     "Because he's a spoiled brat."
     "Because he's everything I want to be," Sirius said, correcting her. "What Remus wants to be too."
     "What?"
     "Silvia," he began, turning toward her. "I know Remus has a secret."
     Her heart pounded. "You do?"
     "Yeah. I don't know what it is, but I know it eats him up alive sometimes. I think maybe he wishes that he can let loose every once in a while and be more like James is."

     "I suppose so," Silvia said softly.
     He sighed. "I have a class to go to." He stood up. "I'm glad we had this talk. Please, take the flowers. You don't have to go to the ball with me, I understand."
     "No," she said, quickly standing up. "I'll go with you."
     His face lit up. "Do you mean it?"
     "Yes," she replied, smiling. "Thank you for opening up to me. We can talk more if you want at the ball." She winked before walking away, leaving Sirius to hurry to his next class.

The ballroom was decked out in gold and red. Soviet flags hung all around the room. Four giant posters were displayed at the back of the room: portraits of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Leonid Brezhnev, and Headmaster Pietro Romanislav.
     Silvia was dressed in a maroon gown with a matching shawl. Sirius was on her arm wearing robes matching hers. James and Blaire were walking next to them. However, Blaire was giving her attention more to other boys who cat-called her and made an attempt to dance with her to a Jackson 5 song.
     Suddenly, Silvia heard a voice from behind call her name. She spun around quickly to see Sienna standing in a flattering orange gown. Sienna shrieked in excitement, "you look so good, Silvia!"
     Silvia blinked back in confusion. "Sienna, you look amazing!" she said. "Did you come here alone?"
     Sienna laughed. "No, actually. Funny story, Remus asked me last night."
     "Remus?" she gasped.
     "Yes-"
     "Remus as in Remus John Lupin, my brother?"
     "Yes, Silvia, he asked me and I said yes," Sienna giggled nervously
     "Why?"
     "He's kind of cute."
     "Kind of cute? W-wha-a." She spotted Remus talking to James and marched toward him. "Remus John, what do you think you're doing."
     "What's the problem?" he asked casually.
     "You asked Sienna to the ball."
     "Yes, I like Sienna very much."
     Silvia stomped her foot. "But, she's my friend."
     "You two can still be friends."
     Sirius appeared behind Silvia. "Hey, how about we dance. Would you like to do that instead?"
     She gave Remus a warning glance. "Sure," she said, offering her hand out to Sirius. They walked out into the middle of the room and began to recite the dance that the school had drilled into their heads. "You're good at this," Silvia noticed.
     "Thanks." He smiled before immediately scoffing. "Regulus is dancing with that half blood girl, Selene Coldwater."
     "They're a cute couple, Sirius," Silvia reassured him.
     "I can see mum's face now as she watches her precious Reggie dance with some half blood scum." He grimaced.
     "I'm half blood, Sirius," she reminded him.
     "Yes, but I'm not a self-entitled prick like him."
     "Or are you?"
     No Matter What by Badfinger began to play. Everyone hurried on the dance floor to jump around and dance.
     "My mum loves this song," Silvia said, swaying back and forth.
     "I love it too," Sirius said, dancing closer to her. She was surprised by her lacking of discomfort in a previously discomforting situation.
Knock down the old grey wall,
     Be a part of it all.
     Silvia could see Remus enjoying himself nearby. She thought about what Sirius had said a few days prior.
I think maybe he wishes that he can let loose every once in a while and be more like James is.
     The song faded out. True Love Ways by Buddy Holly played.
     "I assume your mum loves this song too?" Sirius grinned.
     "Yes, actually. It's one of her favorites. She was a huge Buddy Holly fan. The song was released after Remus was born. It was like he never left the world. She told me it was 'almost like magic' to hear his voice for the first time since his death."
     "Wow," Sirius commented. "She sounds like a wonderful woman."
     A smile spread across Silvia's lips. "She truly is."
     The song faded out, but Silvia and Sirius stayed still.
When a moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore.
     Sirius dropped his arms and sighed. "You've gotta be kidding me. This song?"
     Silvia laughed, taking his hands. "It's a classic Italian masterpiece!" she laughed
     "Fine, I'll dance to this song, but only for Mr. Rispoli. He's the best Italian man I have ever met in my entire life."
When the stars make you drool just like pasta e fasule, that's amore.
     "I suppose I am getting hungry for some pasta e fasule," Sirius said as they swayed back and forth.
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, you're in love.
     The two laughed together as Silvia missed a step to trip over her shoe and step on Sirius's shoe.
When you walk in a dream but you're not dreaming, signore.
     They suddenly noticed each other, realizing that there was something more between them. To Sirius, Silvia was more than Remus's kid sister. To Silvia, Sirius was more than Remus's friend
Scusa mi, but you see, back in old Napoli-
     Their eyes connected.
That's-
     Lips became entwined.
     Amore.