WATER FOUNTAIN; Remus Lupin

Chapter III

Chapter III: Minor crush

DURING the welcoming feast, Apollo was faintly surprised when Lily Evans plopped into the seat next to her. Since Rielle and Mairu were in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff respectively, they had to sit in their houses for today. Otherwise they would usually be at Rielle's table together.

So it was a shock when the redhead asked if she could sit by her. Lily and Apollo hadn't interacted much, apart from the odd borrowed quill or help with homework. But the witches were acquainted enough that it wasn't awkward to hold a conversation. The flow was light and laid-back as they chatted over dinner.

On the other table, Rielle had raised a questioning brow, but she was secretly pleased her friend had someone to sit next to.

In response the blonde shrugged and smiled then tilted her head towards Mairu's concealed face.

Both girls turned to see their small introverted friend hiding behind her mass of purple hair and sketching instead of eating. It was a bad habit Mairu had acquired, becoming too engrossed in sketching or painting to remember to take care of herself.

As if in sync, Rielle and Apollo sighed in fondness. The Gryffindor knew what to do next.

Apollo called for her cat, Nyx, under her breath and the silky black cat appeared by the girl's leg. Leaning down she picked up Nyx and placed him on her lap, and stroked his fur.

Nyx seemed to favour Mairu, most likely because she didn't try to dress him up in ribbons and bows (courtesy of Rielle) or make him do odd errands that had him running all around the castle (Apollo, his annoying but sweet owner, could be quite bossy). Instead Mairu kept to herself like always and sat still sketching—this made her the perfect spot for Nyx's daily naps.

It seemed the ball of fur knew what he was called for and he lightly butted his head on Apollo's hovering hand, as if he was protesting against being woken up for another silly errand.

Either way Nyx slinked between many students' feet and trotted towards the purple haired girl.

Once he was there he gently leapt onto Mairu's lap. The sudden weight shocked the girl, and the end of her hair momentarily flashed a light cherry hue.

She quickly calmed down and softly patted Nyx's head and resumed her sketching. It appeared that didn't please the little black cat.

He pawed Mairu's hand that held her pencil and nudged it towards her fork. Getting his gesture, Mairu put her pencil down and nibbled at her now cold food, silently thanking Apollo for sending the cat. Nyx curled up once more on the girl's lap, now satisfied.

Witnessing the ordeal, Rielle shot Apollo a thumbs up and continued eating her own meal, chatting to her housemates with large hand gestures and exaggerated facial expressions.

Back at her own table, Lily had asked Apollo about her summer and she readily recounted last month's events. The ginger seemed a little preoccupied, occasionally casting glances to someone over Apollo's shoulder; yet when she tried to sneak a glance at who or what Lily was looking at, nothing seemed to stand out. It was just her fellow Gryffindors.

In a lapse of concentration, Apollo allowed herself to discreetly zone out of Lily's light timbre and peered around the Great Hall.

Many students were having lively conversations, while others were more toned down. Some were content in their own company and others seemed to thrive in numbers.

The girl spotted the infamous quartet of Gryffindors sitting at the opposite end of the table.

Apollo had heard of their long list of successful pranks and secretly enjoyed the chaos they created. However, she had never got to know the pranksters personally, only knowing them from their reputation around school.