Chocolate Toast, Remus Lupin

Houses

 Avery sat in the prefect common room and looked over the blueprints. A week ago the girls had gone through the whole third floor as well as the fourth. The classrooms were all different and only a couple were truly empty. Avery thought back to what she and Lily had been discussing, "Maybe after OWLS we can keep looking, but right now we all need to focus." Avery had agreed at the time but now she was regretting it, she didn't need to study.

"Hey." Avery looked up as she heard Remus.

"Hey," She hid the papers under her arithmancy book. "Ready to study?"

"Yup, are you though? You've seemed a bit distracted this past week."

"I'm good, just have a couple other things on my mind."

"If you need to talk, I'm here Avery."

"I don't, I'm fine. Let's start." Remus gave the girl a concerned look but started his homework.

Remus handed Avery his sheet, "I really don't think you need me to tutor you, you're doing great in arithmancy now."

"I just don't want to fail this OWL."

"You'll do great Remus." Avery leaned back in her chair. "If you weren't so, Gryffindor, I would say you'd be a great Ravenclaw."

"So Gryffindor?"

"I can't explain it, but, you just give off Gryffindor. I know Hufflepuffs are supposed to be loyal but so are Gryffindors. You, James, Peter, Sirius. You're all loyal to a fault, it's scary how far you'd all go for each other. It's stupid, really."

"So you wouldn't do anything for your friends?"

"No, I would. I just wouldn't do it so, openly. I wouldn't let outsiders see how important they are to me. You can't show a weakness like that."

"Very Slytherin."

Avery took in a breath. "I guess."

"I didn't mean it like that Avery." Remus laid his head on the table, Avery followed so they were eye to eye. "Each house is told they fit qualities. Gryffindors are brave, courageous, chivalrous. Ravenclaws are creative, intelligent, witty. Hufflepuff is loyal, patient, and hard-working. Slytherin is cunning, ambitious, and resourceful." Remus paused and watched the girl. "You're a little bit of everything, Avery. You're brave, intelligent, hard-working, and ambitious. But what you said just then, it was something I'd expect Adam or Maggie to say."

"I know, I know you didn't mean badly about it." Avery closed her eyes. "It just still hurts, it really fucking hurts."

"It was less than a month ago Avery, of course, it's going to hurt." Avery opened her eyes and stared at Remus. "It's okay to feel emotions, Avery."

"I know, it's just hard." Avery moved her hand and traced one of Remus' scars. "I'm sorry you have to go through this."

Remus closed his eyes. "It's okay, it's not your fault."

"I know." Avery watched him for a minute, "I think you fit a little bit of each house too. You're courageous and witty, you're patient too. I don't think you fit a Slytherin trait though."

"I think I do deep down, I think everyone has a little bit of each house."

"I think, the whole house thing is stupid. I think, the hat puts us in the house that has the same values as we do. I was taught to favor intelligence and wit. With your childhood, you were probably told you were extremely brave and courageous so you grew to those values more."

"That's a good theory." Remus sounded tired and Avery could tell. She let her hand fall but kept it close, she closed her eyes.

"I think, if the hat really chose based on personality then you'd be in Ravenclaw as well as Lily, I'd be in Slytherin, James, and Pete would be Hufflepuff, Sirius would probably stay in Gryffindor."

"Tell James you think he'd be in Hufflepuff. He'd go ballistic."

"I will, I'll tell him at dinner."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Oscar watched Remus and Avery from the couch, Lily sat next to him doing the same. "I'm going to say by the end of next year."

Oscar shook his head, "I'll say the beginning of seventh. They're both too oblivious to see it."

"True." Lily turned to the boy. "Mary goes around saying she can tell when two people are meant for each other. She said she knew it for Mar and Dorcas, that Peter and Piper will get together, me and James, Avery and Remus. She says that it's a third sense and she knows it will happen."

"Maybe I can ask her who I'm supposed to be with."

"I don't think you want to know who you're supposed to be with."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Lily laughed, "I'll tell you who if you win this little bet about those two."

"That's so far! Please, Lily! I'm dying to know."

Lily smiled, "It's a Slytherin."

Oscar started to bite one of his nails. "There's so many possibilities!"

"Then use your Ravenclaw brains and figure it out."

"Whatever, I will figure it out and I'll do it just to spite you."

"Okay, Oscar, okay."