Fire Whiskey in the Moonlight (Remus Lupin)

Chapter Twenty-One: New Semester, New Beginning

Remus headed back to Hogwarts on New Year's Day, something about having to help Professor Sprout with a strange batch of plants that each had to consume five gallons of water during a full moon. Although I was disappointed that I wouldn't get to spend more time with my new boyfriend while we were away from Hogwarts, it gave me a chance to spend some time with my family.

Unfortunately, like most breaks from school it was over all too quickly and before I knew it, I was sitting across from my friends at the Gryffindor table waiting for the new semester feast to start. Katie had run over and given me a huge hug when she had seen me, "Viv! I have so much to tell you! I had the most amazing break!"

"So you had fun with your family then?" I assumed.

"Oh ya, uh they were cool, but Eric and I spent New Years together and it was so romantic," she was practically swooning as she spoke.

"I can't wait to hear every detail!" I smiled though I felt a slight bitterness that I wouldn't be able to talk to her about my romantic New Years. I glanced up towards the head table and caught Remus's eye, he smiled at me but it faded quickly into a scowl. I wasn't sure why until two seconds later when someone grabbed my hand and spun me around.

"Happy New Year Vivian!" Tyler said with his usual 'charm, mixed with slight cockiness'. "I gotta say, I found myself missing you a lot more than I thought I would over break."

"You didn't miss me, you missed having an audience for your shenanigans." I said as nicely as possible as I pulled back from him.

"Me? Shenanigans? Never!" He smiled, turning to Katie and giving her a quick peck on the check, "Happy New Year Katie."

Before she could respond, Eric's voice rang down the aisle "Hey! Are you trying to move in on my girl!?" His serious tone quickly devolved into laughter as he approached us. "Watch it Ty or I might have to fight you."

Tyler pulled up two fists and the two started playfully jabbing each other, during which a Ravenclaw girl walk by and rolled her eyes muttering something about Gryffindors under her breath.

Katie turned to me, "He doesn't even say hello."

She had purposely said it loud enough so that her boyfriend would hear, but much to her dismay he just yelled a quick hello to her and continued play-fighting with Tyler.

I laughed as I sat down at the table, "Don't worry, they'll have to quit soon if they don't want McGonagall coming down here."

"How was your break?" Katie said sitting next to me.

"The beginning was pretty good, then my parents found out that about the whole Sirius Black incident on Halloween."

"Oh no! How?"

"I guess Mcgonagall sent them a letter that they had just received, you know my parents and owl post," I lied. "Anyway, I was able to calm them down initially with some white lies, but after New Years I was basically on house arrest. They hardly even let me leave to come back, I just had to keep telling them that Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen."

"It's harsh, but you can't really blame them, all things considered."

"Ya, I know."

"Did Annie reach out at all during break? It's so weird that you guys aren't talking."

"No, she's too stubborn to apologize, or even realize she's in the wrong. And honestly after everything she said about Trish and about Sirus Black attacking me, I don't know if I'd forgive her anyway."

"I honestly didn't think Hufflepuffs were even capable of being mean, let alone to their friends. Isn't their whole thing like loyalty or something?"