𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 [𝐑. 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧]

𝐀 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐎

"You're a royal asshole, Claire." Regulus sighed, making the girl laugh. She bent down slightly and pushed the hair falling in his eyes away.

"Seemed pretty fond of me a few moments back, Reggie."

"Still am, but this time I recognize that you're disturbed." The boy acknowledged, letting out a sigh. Callisto shrugged and got up, throwing the book on his chest. Regulus groaned as the heavy book hit him roughly and rubbed his eyes, internally coming to terms with his impending doom.

"Well come on, little Black." She urged. "This potions' essay isn't going to write itself."

~ ~ ~

People usually like to say that someone's going in the lion's den when referring to a dangerous situation, but in our case, it's more like the snake's hole. However, Gryffindors are supposed to be brave and that's exactly what Remus Lupin told himself as he skimmed over the contents of the letter for the 15th time this morning. His plate was long empty with Peter's and Lily's help and his pumpkin juice had been downed by an overly thirsty and as always dramatic Sirius, who was too bored to reach for the bottle a few centimeters away.

"Just give it to her, Rem." Lily urged him, spreading a thin layer of honey on her toasted bread.

"That's what we say, but in a metaphorical sense." Sirius chimed in, getting slapped in the back of the head from their fellow Gryffindor and friend, Marlene McKinnon. "Jesus Christ, woman! I'm saving this head for science!"

"They don't need buttheads like you in their experiments, Black." She sneered, taking a sip from her crystal goblet. A bit of the juice spilled on the white linen tablecloth, leaving a red stain behind and the girl cursed, muttering a cleaning spell under her breath. "Who's the letter from again?"

"A friend of hers." Remus answered skeptically. "Her name is Antonia and she's thanking her for her help with something. From what I gathered, it's important."

"You shouldn't have read it but looking past that, you really need to return it." Lily insisted, disappointment behind her words. No matter how difficult Callisto could be as a person, she really didn't need her privacy being invaded like this, especially from one of the people she considered friends at her new school. At least that's what the redhead deemed at the moment.

"You must be completely insane to think that I'm going to go over there on my own in broad daylight." Remus whined, furrowing his eyebrows. "Unless..."

"Fuck you, Lupin!" Lily exclaimed, dropping the knife on her plate with a clatter. Remus smiled innocently at her and stood up, waiting for Lily. "Marlene, I need your emotional support right now."

"Only because you said she's hot." Marlene sighed, getting up and following the two Gryffindors to the other side of the Great Hall. Remus stopped right on his tracks and looked back at Marlene who was dragging her feet on the marble floor.

"Wait a minute; I never said she's hot."

Lily's cheeks flared a deep red color that could only rival the one of her hair and badge. "Okay, that was me. But come on, Rem! Just admit it already!"

"Yes, she's beautiful." He mumbled, hastily turning to the front so that the two Gryffindors wouldn't notice the blush spreading on his face. He mentally scolded himself for saying "beautiful" instead of "hot", something that would definitely not slide past the 16-year-old Cupids walking right behind him. Thankfully, Remus was saved by the bell or rather, saved by the table, because they were just a few steps away from Callisto and there was no way anyone would comment on that.

Just as he had predicted, glances and glares were thrown their way as the red was now trying to survive in a sea of green, but the three friends pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside. Remus finally spotted Callisto sitting opposite from Regulus and Narcissa Black and nudged Lily. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, exposing her long, delicate neck and the robes were tossed aside on the table, leaving her only in the inner layer of the uniform.