Corrupted Souls | remus lupin

fleeting moments of youth

"Something like that," she played along, smiling up at him. "What about Ravenclaw parties? Do you guys spike your tea with whiskey at book club?"

"Touché," Alder snorted. "You ladies did a nice job with decorating, the place looks great! We had Binns together in second year, y'know. You sat right over there -" Alder pointed to a place where a couple was now fervently snogging. "And I sat right near where Pettigrew is standing."

"How do you remember that?" Neoma shook her head in disbelief. "I can barely remember what I ate for dinner last night."

"My head's full of useless stuff," he shrugged, taking a sip from his cup. "You look nice tonight, by the way."

"Oh - thanks." Neoma blushed awkwardly, running a hand along the hem of her skirt self-consciously. "Thought I'd actually try with my appearance for once."

"Well it always looks like you're trying to me," Alder gave her a lopsided grin. "You're very pretty, y'know."

Neoma didn't know how long Alder had been at the party, but he was clearly intoxicated enough to have more confidence than usual. Not used to blatant flirting, Neoma's face continued to burn a faint pink as she thanked him. 

They continued to chat, trying to remember the classes they'd shared in the past. Neoma had to admit that she was rather enjoying the conversation; not only was she starting to feel a bit tipsy thanks to the rapid pace she was drinking, but she was also thankful to have something to occupy her time.

Remus glanced around the room, a few buttons on his shirt undone as he downed the last couple drops of his third beer. His mind was starting to feel pleasantly fuzzy as he meandered his way over toward the bar for a re-fill, keeping an eye out for anyone he'd want to speak to. 

Neoma caught his attention almost immediately, who was laughing at something Alder Korbin said. He couldn't help but give a longer-than-normal stare at her legs, which looked very ...nice thanks to her choice of skirt. 

Ah yes. Remus was certainly tipsy. 

He'd be lying if he said it didn't bother him that Neoma looked happy to be chatting with Alder, especially since he knew the Ravenclaw's intentions. Alder Korbin was smart, yet incredibly simple and boring. Neoma had much more depth to her - she could do a lot better. 

His body began walking toward the pair whether he wanted to or not, and he couldn't help but grin as Alder's face fell momentarily before he forced a smile. "Lupin!"

"Hi Remus!" Neoma beamed, picking herself up from the wall she was leaning on. Her cheeks were flushed as a result of the alcohol in her system, which made Remus's grin stretch even wider. She really was adorable. 

"I'm happy to see you didn't ditch us!" Remus glanced toward her apologetically, knowing that this party was entirely out of Neoma's comfort zone. "Looks like you've got Korbin keeping you company, though."

"We were just chatting about fifth year potions. D'you remember when Lucius turned his nose green for a month?"

"Best month of my life!" Remus reminisced. "You're so nerdy, Neems. Talking about potions at a party."

"I brought it up actually -"

Remus almost rolled his eyes. Alder was such a buzzkill. 

"Korbin, I'm sure you've been enjoying this chat but I promised Miss Nott here ten minutes of my time on the dancefloor."

"Ten minutes? I was promised twenty!" Neoma joked. "At least you could fit me into your schedule."

"It's a busy schedule! Padfoot and I have a steamy grinding session lined up for eleven. Make sure to be on the lookout for it."