serendipity - r. lupin

THIRTY FOUR

While Remus watched Peter become more undone by the second, he noticed how easily the conversation had been steered away from his original question.

What on earth were they whispering about?

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

"Please tell me you cursed Petunia at least once." Was the first thing Genevieve said to Lily as she plopped herself down in the seat next to her at the Gryffindor table.

A hand rose to Lily's mouth as she let out a harmonious laugh, causing a slight chuckle to emerge from Genevieve as well.

That was something Gen had noticed about Lily during their first year – her laugh was more contagious then any deadly disease she could think of.

"I wish I could say I did," Lily confessed regretfully with a long sigh following her sentence.

Genevieve didn't try to conceal her child-like 'awh' of disappointment. "I'm surprised you didn't make her bark like a dog for an hour or something."

"I nearly did! Petunia has got a new boyfriend, Vernon." Her face contorted into a disgusted scowl-like expression. "I was closer to hexing him than I was her."

"What's he like?" Genevieve asked cautiously.

Lily's expression only deepened into an even further distasteful scowl. "He's so obsessed with himself, Gen. He's worse than Potter!"

Genevieve raised her eyebrows. "Worse than James?" She repeated challengingly.

Lily nodded. "Worse than James."

"Then you definitely should have hexed him."

"Then the Ministry would have been after me."

Genevieve scoffed and waved Lily's comment off dismissively. "The Ministry have bigger issues to deal with than you hexing Perfect Petunia and her boyfriend."

"Ah." Lily took an awkward sip of her pumpkin juice, peering at Gen over the top of her goblet. "So you've seen the papers?"

"Only the muggle ones," Genevieve confirmed, her eyebrows drawing together.

Lily leant closer to her. "In the Daily Prophet it kept going on about a dark wizard on the rise," she said quietly, but not quietly enough.

As Marlene joined them, she managed to pick up the end of Lily's sentence. The smirk that naturally rested on her face disappeared as she let out a groan.

"Not a fan of the recent headlines?" Genevieve asked amusedly.

Marlene sat herself down across from them. "It's all everyone keeps banging on about. I bored of it."

"That makes two of us," Lily agreed.

"Make that three," Genevieve muttered lowly just as Dumbledore stood up and gathered everyones attention to start his speech.

Students either shrinked or beamed under his gaze, the slight twinkle in his eyes peering so intensely at everyone. While he was only looking over them all, it felt like he was studying them all individually, spending a second to analyse who they were and who they would be.