GOSSIP GIRL. ( remus lupin )

ᴄʜᴀᴘɪᴛʀᴇ ϙᴜɪɴᴢᴇ

        WORDS. NO SUCH THING could ever make a person feel so shocked that they could hardly think except those little inscriptions humans read and write on a daily basis. And Estelle Devereaux became a worthy victim of such things.

As the said girl sat blankly in a tree in the grassy courtyard, blocking out all the merry laughter and wild talking coming from her fellow students, she tried to focus her attention on the book sitting open on her lap. Instead, her proactive mind began dawdling, and her absent-minded finger began tracing the small printed words on the crisp open page of the book.

Lily was sitting opposite of the brunette, and unlike her best friend, was actually focusing on what she was doing. Occasionally the red-head would glance worriedly at the French girl, before quickly glancing back down at her book.

Lily was quite concerned, as it was obviously shown, about her friend's suddenly strange behavior. And the main reason for Estelle's concerns was none other than the boy with shiny black hair sitting a few meters away along with his numerous group of friends, Sebastian Aguillar. He had his back turned to her and, from time to time, his shoulders would slump and shook with loud laughter causing Estelle to stare at him heatedly.

She couldn't understand Sebastian's ways, his twisted ways ━ involuntarily, he pretty much made it known he knew about her secret persona, yet he decided to help her. Estelle's mind was filled by multiple questions: 'why' and 'how' were the main ones that preoccupied her brain. And to make matters worse, she wasn't sure what the Marauders even remembered ━ a night prior, Sebastian was quick to push her behind a pillar and then disappear himself in the shadows.

She wished she had someone to confide in, but who? Lily didn't know that she was the Gossip Girl or even why she was suddenly hanging around the Marauders at a constant interval. And the Marauders themselves had no idea what Sebastian had "revealed" — the said boy's memory charm had obviously worked. She was the only one who knew of Sebastian's strange actions and therefore she was the only one who could mull over them.

But there was one question that made her brain cells freeze. How on earth did Sebastian know she was the Gossip Girl? She was quite positive she had kept everything under the closest wraps she could. Even Lily didn't know ━ and the red-head was one of the most inquisitive people Estelle knew.

Her brown eyes darkened. Perhaps she didn't do as proficiently as she thought she did. As her eyes flicked up from their previously glazed look, she looked down at Aguillar and tried to put herself in his shoes of observance.

If she had been an ever-normal student roaming the corridors of the dark castle, she too, she would have to admit, be most intrigued by the "Gossip Girl". And wouldn't she, being the always-observant person she is, try to discover the Gossip Girl? Yes, she admitted to herself grudgingly, she would.

And if she had any suspicions, it would most likely be a person who maintains the preference of retreating into the shadows and had a strange personality ━ it would be the strange girl who is the best friend of one of the most popular girls in the entire school, but for some reason dislikes the crowd. And, Estelle suddenly realized, if she were to really go after this mysterious suspect, it would make sense to believe it once this person is at the scene of the crime more than once.

She swore under her breath, slamming the book shut harshly, biting back another curse when Lily's gaze latched onto hers. But before she could ask what was wrong, a sickeningly familiar voice cut through the already tense atmosphere.

"Oi, Lilyflower!"

Lily jumped precariously, causing the whole branch to shake and her to nearly topple off to the grass. Her bright green eyes, suddenly overcome with panic, whipped around everywhere. "Quick! Hide me!"