Remus and Branwen made an effort to avoid each other for the rest of the week, which proved to be more difficult than either of them had thought. Between passing each other in halls, eating meals, and sharing a common room, there was no chance for physical distance. And thanks to James' brilliant new plan for a prank (turning the Slytherin Prefects' hair pink), they were forced to speak to one another, though they tried to limit their interactions to simple Yes's and No's.
Thursday morning at the breakfast table, though, Remus' attitude seemed to have done a complete turn. He stared almost continually at Branwen over his plate piled high with bacon, ham, sausage, and eggs. His fingers drummed on the wooden table and his leg bounced uncontrollably.
"Remus," Peter grabbed his friend by the shoulder, "you gotta stop!"
"He's right," Sirius pointed his fork at him, "what are you all worked up about anyway? We don't have a test today. Do we?" His hand flew to his chest in a dramatic panic.
"No, Siri, no test," James patted his shoulder. "But maybe our nervous-Nelly is just excited to see Professor Babbling again," he winked.
Branwen's eyes widened. "Who's she?"
"James...." Remus squeezed his fork so hard it bent in his hand.
But James laughed and continued, "She's the Ancient Runes professor. That one there," he nodded to the table at the head of the Great Hall. The witch he indicated seemed young for a professor. She was dark-skinned with polished, sweeping features and a lithe figure beneath purple-embroidered robes. "Rem ran into her in the library yesterday and now he's trying to sell us on the idea of taking her class next year. I think – Ow!" James yelped when he received sharp kick to the shin under the table.
Branwen, still upset with Remus for his behaviour during their last conversation, couldn't understand the twinge of disappointment that bit into her chest.
"Well, no Babbling this morning. Just the every-lovely, always-enchanting Professor Binns," Sirius tossed back his goblet of pumpkin juice and the five of them rose and followed the crowd of students exiting the Hall.
Before they had gone far past the doors, though, Branwen felt herself being yanked into a dark alcove. "What the – "
"Sh," Remus held a finger to his lips. His grip on her forearm was so tight, she wondered if there would be bruises there later. He leaned down and hissed in her ear, "Meet me near the greenhouses at three o'clock."
Branwen almost wasn't sure the incident had really happened. Remus was already racing to catch up to his friends, his robes billowing out behind him. But she smiled. Was it possible? Remus must have changed his mind. Tonight was the full moon and he was going to let her come with him.
She was too excited to even attend her Potions class that afternoon, skipping class for the first time in her life. Instead of heading for the dungeons, she ran back to Gryffindor tower. In her room she grabbed a canvas bag and stuffed anything and everything she might need into it: a pillow, a blanket, a book, at least half of her snack stash. When she finished, she left wait in the shadow of Greenhouse 4 a full forty-five minutes before their appointed meeting time.
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During the time that Branwen should have been in Potions, James and the other boys were in the Astronomy Tower for their last class of the day. The panorama view provided by the classroom's circular structure was just too much for Sirius' attention span. He leaned back in his chair and watched anything but the professor.
The castle grounds were a spotless white after the snow of the night before. An enormous black raven stood out in sharp contrast as it made a wheeling course through the sky. It flew low over the greenhouses before soaring back up toward the Forbidden Forest.
Sirius' chair dropped back the floor with a sharp rap. The professor paused a moment to give him a reproachful glare. When he turned his back on the class to resume his lecture, Sirius elbowed James in the ribs. "Mate. Isn't that Bran?"
James squinted in the direction his friend pointed. "Yeah, it is."
"What's she doing down there?"
James shrugged. "Helping Sprout with something? Would be just like her to get a note out of one class just to help with another."
A few minutes later, Remus raised his hand. His friends expected him to ask something like the clarification of the degrees needed to chart the path of Venus but, instead, he simply asked to be dismissed to use the restroom.
Sirius, now more bored than ever, kept glancing back at Branwen. She had begun pacing in the snow, leaving a muddy track, but she didn't seem to be going anywhere or doing anything of any importance. Then he saw them.
Not even bothering with subtly, Sirius jabbed James as hard as he could and pointed toward the greenhouses.
Peter craned his neck to see what had his friends so excited. He followed the trajectory of Sirius' pointing finger. Two figures were shuffling through the snow away from the castle. Peter squinted. "Who is it?"
"It's Branwen! And Remus! Where the hell are they headed off to?"
"Let's find out!" Sirius jumped up.
"Mr. Black!" the professor shouted. "Would you like a detention for yourself and your friends?"
"Sure, but can't make it tonight. See you at seven tomorrow?" Without waiting for a response, he and the boys began racing down the stairs. The sound of "One hundred points from Gryffindor!" echoed behind them.