lux, remus lupin¹ ✔

XIII. HOGSMEADE, 1973

"What's this?" The boy questioned, taking it in his hands.

"When I noticed you had fallen asleep, I thought I'd write down notes for you, too." Holland admitted with a blush.

"Well, thank you," Remus grinned, "This is much neater than I could ever do."

"No problem." Holland smiled back, before leaving the classroom and catching up to her friends.

***

Handing in their signed permission slips, Holland, Bronwyn and Maxine smiled, saying goodbye to Regulus, before linking arms and excitedly making their way to their first trip to Hogsmeade.

"I thought you'd be spending today with Mulciber," Bronwyn teased the raven-haired girl.

Holland shook her head, "No, I told him I wanted to go to Hogsmeade for the first time with my friends. He and I are going together next week, instead."

"Awww." Her friends teased, making her chuckle.

"How are you two going, anyway?" Maxine questioned.

"Alright, I guess," Holland shrugged, "I mean I've never had a boyfriend before, but I don't think it's going to last."

"You need someone as incredible as you are," Bronwyn told the girl, making her blush, "And Mulciber isn't exactly all that."

The three walked in silence for a few minutes, grinning when Hogsmeade came into view.

"Narcissa told me that the first place to go is Honeydukes." Maxine informed her friends with a big smile.

"I miss Narcissa." Bronwyn said.

"Yeah, it was sad when she finished school," Holland agreed, pushing her glasses further up her face, "Heard she's now engaged to that Malfoy fella."

"Malfoy?" Bronwyn asked.

"Lucius Malfoy," Holland clarified, "You know, that cocky guy with long, blonde hair in the year above Cissa. The one who comes to all the Godawful family balls we have."

"Oh." Bronwyn muttered in realisation.

"I happen to enjoy those balls." The redhead spoke up.

"Well of course you would, fairy princess." Bronwyn smirked, nudging her best friend - who shook her head with a laugh as they stopped in front of Honeydukes.

"Come on." Holland grinned, dragging her friends into the sweet shop.

The girls smiled, looking around at all delicious looking sweets that lined the shelves, as Bronwyn rushed off to find something to send to her sister, Maxine following, leaving Holland to look at the sweets at the front of the shop, alone. The girl smiled, picking up and looking at some 'Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans'.

"I had an earthworm flavour once." A voice from beside Holland said, making the girl jump slightly.

"Appetising." The Slytherin hum, making both her and Remus chuckle.

"I just wanted to say thank you for the other day. Your notes really helped. Very detailed." The boy told her, picking up a chocolate frog.

"Yeah, I sometimes go into too much details with my notes," Holland nodding, blushing slightly, "Something I need to work on."

"No, no, I do that too." Remus told her shaking his head.

"Holland!" Bronwyn's voice called out, making the girl turn around to see her friends at the counter, ready to pay.

"Just a minute!" She called back.

"Uh, if you ever need anything, notes or class wise, I'd be happy to repay you." Remus said.

"I'll keep that in mind," Holland nodded, "See you in class." She told him, before walking over to her friends at the counter, picking up some liquorice wands along the way.

"See you in class." Remus smiled, before he was approached by his shaggy-haired friend.

"I want to go to The Three Broomsticks." Bronwyn declared as the young Slytherins walked out of Honeydukes.

"Cissa said they have the best Butterbeer." Maxine nodded in agreement, as the trio turned a corner, following a sign that was pointing to the pub.

"Cissa said this, Cissa said that." Holland mimicked with a smirk, adjusting the glasses on her face.

"Shut up." The oldest of the girls laughed, "She's really nice. Helps that I grew up next to her."

"Hm, you're lucky," Holland told the curly-haired redhead, "Meanwhile, I grew up near a wizarding village in Ireland in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by hills and sheep." She chuckled.

"I just grew up in London." Bronwyn shrugged, making her friends snort in laughter as they entered The Three Broomsticks.

"Three Butterbeers, please." Maxine told the waitress, as the three third years sat down in a booth.

"It's lovely in here, isn't it?" Holland grinned, looking around as she took off her coat, the other two doing the same, "Lovely ambiance."

Bronwyn and Maxine laughed at the girl, as three butterbeers were placed in front of them and Severus came storming up to them.

"Lux, I need to talk to you," He said, eyeing her friends, "Alone."

"Um, okay," Holland nodded, standing up, before turning back to her dormmates, "Don't touch my Butterbeer."

"No promises." Bronwyn smirked, making Holland glare playfully at her, before she followed Severus outside.

"What's up?" The Irish girl asked the greasy-haired boy, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep herself warm, as she had left her coat inside, "Is this about the Defence Against the Dark Arts essay?"

"No, Lux. This isn't about a bloody essay." Severus hissed.

Holland furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Then what is this about?"

"I saw you." He told her.

"Severus, you've seen me almost everyday since we were eleven." Holland said.

"No!" Severus said, frustrated, "You and Lupin. The other day in Ancient Runes, and then again at Honeydukes."

"Okay, I don't know whether to be creeped out by that or not." Holland said with a chuckle.

"Holland!" Snape snapped, shutting the slightly younger girl up, "You can't be friends with him."

"What?" She asked, "Besides we're not even friends, we're just classmates."

"Well you can't be 'just classmates' with him either." Severus told her.

"What are you talking about, Severus?" Holland asked, shaking her head slightly.

"He's a blood traitor," Severus seethed, "He consorts with Mudbloods and Muggle-Borns. He likes muggles and think they're our equals."

"So?"

"So, if you consort with him, then that makes you a blood traitor," Severus informed the girl, making her frown in understanding, as she pushed her glasses further up her nose, "You don't want to be like Regulus' brother, Sirius. He's lucky his parents have even kept him. You could be disowned, Holland." He said, before swooping away, back to the direction of Hogsmeade.

Holland sighed sadly, knowing what her fellow Slytherin had said was true, re-entering The Three Broomsticks with a frown on her face, quickly turning it into a fake smile as she re-joined her friends.

"What was all that about?" Maxine questioned.

"Just asking some questions about the Defence Against the Darks essay." Holland mumbled, sitting down.

"Oh, bugger," Bronwyn muttered, as Holland's head turned to the direction of the door, where a group of boys walked in, "I totally forgot about. And it's due tomorrow." She groaned, putting her head in her hands.

"It's okay," Holland told her, softly, as Remus sent her a friendly smile, sitting down at a booth, "You can copy mine." She said, before turning away from Remus, making him frown, before the three girls each took a sip of their Butterbeer, laughing as the foam on the beverage left them all with identical, frothy, white moustaches.