lovesick || r. lupin

²¹welcome to the party

"What are you even dressed up as?" Grace asked Ayla as the two girls made their way to the Gryffindor common room. The halls of Hogwarts were scattered with decorations; bats hung from the ceiling, pumpkins replaced knights heads, and somehow, someone (Ayla had a hunch of who) had dyed Miss Norris black so she was a black cat instead of the usual musty brown.

Ayla cracked a grin and flicked up her pink cowgirl hat, "An American!"

"An American..." Grace repeated, giving Ayla an unimpressed stare.

Ayla nodded and pointed down to the cowboy boots that were on her feet.

"You do know that not all American's are cowboys right...?"

"Yeah, because there's got to be some cowgirls," Ayla joked.

Grace rolled her eyes but smirked as they finally made it in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, waiting for Remus to come and retrieve them for the party.

Ayla poked Grace's rib, "Anyway, what are you supposed to be? It looks like you didn't even dress up," Ayla stated.

Grace was wearing a pair of denim bell bottoms with a flowy blue top while her hair was in its usual waves though two braids hung on either side of her head, framing her face. Grace shrugged and leaned against the wall beside the portrait, "I am dressed up."

"As what?"

"A blueberry."

Ayla paused and stared at her friend, trying to detect if she was making a joke or not. Grace seemed to be completely serious. "A blueberry...? How come?"

"Didn't want to look stupid being all dressed up but I also didn't want to have to explain that I wasn't dressed up for a Halloween party so here I am. A blueberry."

"Oh, that's a-" Ayla began to reply but suddenly the Fat Lady's portrait flew up and Remus's head popped out, looking around for the two girls. His eyes landed on them and he smiled lightly. His hair was slightly slicked back but his curls poked up though the gel that was used. He wore a long black and red cape with a dramatic collar and his school uniforms white button up shirt and black trousers.

"Hey! Come in, come in!" Remus insisted, stepping out of the way so Grace and Ayla could make their way into the common room.

Cozy was the first word that Ayla thought of when she walked into the Gryffindor common room. It was warm and comfy, carrying a good amount of soft armchairs and couches beside a fireplace, tables, and a large bulletin board to the side of the room that held a handful of notices and ad's. The tables were filled with punch and other treats that must have been knicked from the kitchens and under a blanket in the corner of the room, Ayla could just make out the edge of a box of firewhiskey and butterbeer. The walls and ceilings held tons of decorations and streamers that were themed for Halloween. It wasn't very crowded yet but a good amount of people were socializing, mainly the Gryffindor's. It surely was different from the Hufflepuff common room. The Hufflepuff's was much more bright and open than this but Ayla didn't really mind. She kind of liked the difference.

"Must be your first time in the common room," Remus affirmed, still having the soft smile on his face.

"It's brilliant..." Ayla murmured in awe, still scanning the room. "But of course it could never be nearly as good as the Hufflepuff common room... Guess this could be a close second," Ayla joked lightheartedly.

Remus chuckled, "I highly doubt that."

"I'll show you one day. You'll apologize for not believing me."

"Don't worry, I wont," Remus replied sarcastically.

"...Not a bad place..." Ayla heard Grace's voice whisper as the darker haired girl stared around the room in wonder, her deep brown eyes wide. Then, her eyes slowly lowered and landed on the three boy's that were walking their way.