INSTEAD, james potter [1]

Chapter Thirty-Four

Lyra couldn't deny that she was excited for Slughorn's introductory Slug Club supper for Sixth years. She had been itching to turn on some charm, and to eat a good meal. The Hogwarts food was always good, but she was craving something extraordinary. It wouldn't surprise her if a few famed chefs had been a part of the club before her. 

Her and Rabastan were on their way there, talking excitedly about unimportant things. It made her feel happy, knowing there were still things they could talk about that weren't about becoming Death Eaters. Sometimes two friends could talk about which type of pasta tasted better. The one thing they agreed on was that it had to be authentic Italian. 

As she was putting her final argument for tortellini into the discussion, she noticed James and Remus laughing in a corner. She supposed the Potter boy had been on his way to the same supper as them. 

Lyra didn't pay attention to Rabastan's counterargument as James looked over at her. If this was a month or two ago, he would have smiled and winked at her in some obnoxious way. This time was different. His gaze hardened and he looked away, making it obvious he hadn't forgiven her for her treatment of Remus yet. 

The Slytherin girl frowned at this. There were many times she used to hope that James would start leaving her alone, but now she couldn't help but miss the times he would annoy her and talk about how much he fancied her. 

Rabastan had finally finished talking when she turned back to him, faking a smile. She was sure he hadn't spotten either Remus or James, so she was safe. "I have to go to the bathroom, you should go ahead."

The Lestrange boy raised an eyebrow, which made it clear he didn't really want to go to the supper alone. "Are you sure? I can wait for you if you want. Can't risk losing a seat next to you."

"Just save me a seat, you'll be fine. And I can go to the bathroom on my own. You don't have to be afraid that I'll fall in or something. If I do, I've got my wand." Playfully, she pushed him forth. "Now go! You don't want to be late."

Rabastan rolled his eyes, but still smiled brightly at his close friend as he started walking away, but still calling back to her. "Fine. I'll see you soon!"

The blonde waited until he was out of eye sight before moving, only waving to him in case he turned around. When he was gone, she looked to the corner, finding that James and Remus were still there, acting like they hadn't noticed her.

"Hey, James, Remus," she greeted them both brightly. James raised an eyebrow at her while Remus's eyes widened in surprise. That wasn't the first thing she noticed about him, though. 

He looked incredibly pale, and she supposed maybe the past month had taken its toll on him. He hadn't heard a word from Lyra, and he still hadn't talked to Sirius. Then again, it could also be because the full moon was approaching.

She came over her initial shock at his horrible state and forced a bright smile on her face again. She didn't think telling him he looked bad was a good way to start the conversation.  "Eh, Remus, I was wondering if I could ask you a small favor?"

The werewolf quickly nodded, a bit too eagerly perhaps. He wasn't even sure what favor she would ask, but he knew that he would do almost anything for her, even after everything. "Sure, of course. I'll do whatever."

Lyra ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, you know how Dowson's always assigning us new essays. I'm writing the new one on Dementors. I've got a lot of information on it, but I'm not sure if it's all right. Would you mind looking over it when it's finished?"

"Yeah, definitely. Just tell me whenever you're done with it and I'll definitely look over it." He would have been prepared to do a lot more than that, but if such an easy request could help rekindle their friendship, he would do it without second thought.