The Girl Who Cried Wolf || Remus Lupin

CHAPTER 8

'Today was mental, mate.' Sirius spoke to James as he flopped back onto his bed in their dorm room.

'Yeah but I think we might've messed up just a bit with both of the girls this time,' James replied while running his hands down his face, taking his glasses off which dropped onto his own bed.

'Yeah right, Astrid will forgive you in time as long as she sticks to Moony's side like glue and if Lily's away from Snivellous you might actually have a chance.'

A smile grew across James' face and he looked up to meet Sirius' eyes, 'you think so?'

'Sure, mate, just don't abandon me like Astrid and Remus.'

'Don't even joke like that, they'd never abandon us. Maybe they're being all touchy feely because it's a wolf thing?' James began to theorise.

'Probably, they weren't as close before all of this happened.' Thoughts began to run through Sirius' head as well.

'I don't know about that,' James chuckled to himself, 'it's pretty obvious that Moony has had a crush on her for a while.'

'What?How did I not notice?'

'Absolutely no clue, mate, he used to stare and smile at her in this weird way and any time she would touch him, he would turn into a tomato.' Sirius let out a laugh in reply as he imagined Remus turned bright red.

'Do you think he's only acting on it now because they're both wolfy?'

'Probably, you know he's always never been with a girl for more than a night because of his wolfiness.'

'I know he's our best friend but if he hurts her I'll kill him.'

James chuckled at Sirius' overprotectiveness, 'it's Moony,he wouldn't hurt a fly, calm down.'

James was right in saying Remus wouldn't hurt a fly, he wouldn't hurt Astrid either. Hurting people was one of the things he was most afraid of, especially hurting someone as beautiful as he thought Astrid was. Right now, her palm was warm in his as they walked hand in hand towards the Gryffindor common room. Astrid had been touching him a lot lately now that he thought about it, or was he touching her?

Astrid wasn't so sure about what was going on either, it was like the two were drawn to each other by an invisible bond that made them so clingy towards each other. She began to wonder if it was just as obvious to everyone else, even Remus. Sirius had noticed already, even going so far as to think she had replaced him with Remus, but that was far from the truth.

Sirius felt like a brother, Remus didn't.

'You look worried,' Remus noticed a weird look gracing Astrid's face. 'Is it the full moon?' He asked.

'Nah, I think I'm more worried about that Slug Club party,' she replied sarcastically and began to swing their arms back and forth in a childish way to which Remus chuckled.

'Well, I suppose that is coming up first. So... who are you going with this time, Sirius?'

'No, I'm going with this boy that turns into a wolf once a month, maybe you know him?'

Remus raised his eyebrows in mock surprise (which was sort of real, but he didn't show the emotion in his eyes at Astrid's sudden bluntness.) 'Has this boy asked you or are you just assuming?'

'No, I think he's going to ask me soon.'

'Well... Astrid Fawley, will you go to this stupid party with me?'

'Of course, Remus Lupin, so gentlemanly of you to ask.'

Their laughter and chat ceased when they came across Snape standing outside the Gryffindor common room with a forlorn look on his face.

'Snape,' Astrid greeted while Remus stayed silent as they stopped in front of them, standing tall behind Astrid, hand still tightly gripped in hers. He didn't like that suspicious look Snape gave him whenever they passed each other.

'Fawley,' Snape replied, looking slightly frightened at the presence of the people he suspected to be werewolves. Well, he mostly suspected Remus but he spotted a rather suspicious looking scar on Astrid's neck one day in Potions and hadn't been able to get it out of his mind since. It did not look like a hickey.

'What are you doing here?'

'Waiting for Lily, can you tell her to come out and speak to me?' Snape said in a pained voice. Remus let out a scoff but covered it up with a cough from behind Astrid. She elbowed him swiftly and gave him a pointed look, leave. He got the message and groaned, looking down at their entwined hands.

'You're going to have to let my hand go first,' Remus told her and she looked from his smirking face to their hands before letting go with a not-so-subtle sigh.

When the portrait hole was closed Astrid finally looked back at Snape again who looked slightly incredulous at what had just happened, he had always thought that perhaps it was the eldest black and Fawley that had a thing going on but apparently not. The thought would've made Astrid's skin scrawl. 'Okay, Severus, I hate to be the one to break this to you... actually something tells me you already know but Lily does not want to see you right now. I'd give it two weeks before you even so much as look in her direction for the shitty thing you called her.'

Usually Astrid wasn't confrontational unless she was joking with one of her friends but no one would mess with her friends apart from her.

Astrid continued, 'one day, maybe, Lily will forgive you but that is not today so I suggest you go back to your room and wait until the thought of you doesn't make her sick to her stomach.' Snape's face was slowly turning to one of anger. Astrid's was turning to go through the portrait hole to get back to Remus but Snape's voice made her stop in her tracks.

'I know you and Lupin are hiding something.'

'Nah,' she pretended to think deeply, 'doesn't sound like us.'

'I'm going to find out what it is!' His voice called from behind her as she flipped him off, walking through the portrait hole as fast as she could.

Little did she know Snape would find out.