Brightest ✯ Sirius Black

✯nine✯

"With this smile, I could get away with anything"

Remus had been spending a significant amount of time avoiding Cleo the past couple of weeks, which wasn't necessarily hard. With all of his prefect duties, classes, and the other thing, he was getting along just fine.

Cleo, consequently, had been spending a significant amount of time with Luna over the last few weeks, in the hopes that she could get some information out of her regarding her feelings towards Remus, the very reason he was avoiding her in the first place. She figured that if anything could take her mind off of her crumbling, corruptive family, it was putting "Loony" into action, a name that her and James gave the two.

The two girls sat in the Great Hall together while Cleo studied for her Astronomy test.

"So, Luna," Cleo started, the blonde girl looking up from her potions essay with a smile. "We haven't really had any good girl to girl talks recently, is there anything new that you want to share with me?" she asked, feigning curious innocence. Luna squinted at her.

"What is it now?" she asked, seeing right past Cleo's act.

"What is what?" Cleo exclaimed. "Is it so bad for me to want to know things about you Luna?"

"Not if it's completely and totally innocent, but I know yours isn't. What do you want to know?" Cleo mentally cursed for thinking she could trick the smartest Ravenclaw in their year.

She decided to just cut to the chase. "What are your thoughts on a certain Gryffindor with oversized sweaters and an addiction to chocolate?" Cleo inquired.

"I think Remus is a wonderful human being, I quite enjoy his company," Luna said simply, shrugging and returning to writing her essay. Cleo reached over and covered the parchment with her hand.

"Okay but, what else?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Have you ever thought of him as anything besides... that?"

Luna examined her friend's smirking face and wiggling eyebrows before she asked a question of her own. "How about you answer me a question now."

"Actually, I quite enjoyed interrogating you-"

"When are you going to make a move on Sirius?" Luna asked bluntly.

"As soon as Indie shaves her head and jumps in the Black Lake," she muttered, thinking back to the conversation a few weeks prior about her getting hotter.

"What?" Luna asked, very obviously confused.

"How about never," Cleo answered. The thought of actually doing something about her very obvious infatuation with her best friend sounded like a direct ticket right to the gates of hell.

Luna just looked at her with her big grey eyes, causing Cleo to roll her own. "Don't look at me like that, you know I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because he doesn't feel the same!"

"How do you know?" Luna inquired. She was too much of a Ravenclaw for her own good. Cleo scoffed.

"It's very obvious that I am absolutely nothing but a friend," she said. "I liked it when we were talking about you," she mumbled, staring down at her notes.

"Sweetheart, we're going on five years of me watching you pine silently over him, you are never going to know unless you try," she said. "And maybe, if he does end up not reciprocating, maybe it'll help you get over him, and get on with your life."

Cleo thought about it for a few moments. "I hate how smart you are, sometimes," she said.

"I'm only trying to help," Luna said, looking back down to her essay.

"Fine, then help me," Cleo started. "But, I'll only do something about Sirius and I," she paused, "if you finally admit your feelings for Remus." Luna looked up at her and they stared at each other for a few moments. Luna had a look of something Cleo couldn't decipher, while Cleo had a very mischievous grin on her face.

"You spend too much time with them," she muttered. The clock chimed loudly, ripping Luna out of her staring contest with Cleo. "Oh shoot," she hissed, gathering up her books. "I forgot I was supposed to tutor a second year in the common room at six."

Cleo laughed. "Now you're avoiding," she chuckled.

"So what if I am?" Luna grinned, throwing her blue bag over her shoulder and flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Cleo gasped and Luna only laughed before waving goodbye and walking away.

Cleo sat for a few minutes alone, laughing to herself as she stared at the wall in front of her.

"Wow, fancy seeing you here," a voice broke her out of her thoughts. She jumped, looking up at the face standing in front of her.

"Skander!" She exclaimed, her hand to her chest trying to calm her heart rate down from being scared like that.

"Didn't mean to frighten you," he chuckled, sliding into the seat across from her previously occupied by Luna. "Might I ask why you're laughing to yourself in the middle of the Great Hall tonight?"

"Oh," she blushed, embarrassed about being caught like that. "Just something my friend said."

"Would this be the friends that dragged you away on the train?" he asked.

"No, a different friend," she chuckled. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"I don't think they cared for me very much," he laughed at the memory. It was strange to think that had already been almost 2 months ago.

"Don't take it too personally, they're just protective," she rolled her eyes. He smiled at her, somewhat oddly, making Cleo's cheeks redden again.

"What are you studying for?" he nodded to her books after a somewhat awkward silence.

"Astronomy," she rushed out. "I have a test tomorrow on Jupiter's moons."

"Wait wait wait," he grew confused, "you're only a fifth year?" Cleo nodded.

"You aren't?" she asked, confused as well.

"No, I'm a sixth year," he chuckled. "I can't believe I didn't know," he said incredulously, leaning back casually with his arms crossed over his chest. Cleo shrugged.

"Guess that's why we hadn't recognized each other before," she pointed out, thinking back to their first meeting on the train.

"Yeah, I suppose so," he said quietly, nodding. "You're a lot more mature for your age," he joked.

"I'm only a year younger than you!" she laughed.

"Ah, well." And the two continued to joke around in the library for another hour or so. 

told you he'd be back

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE

the gif above is Luna ain't she pretty

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