The Love Game
△▽△▽△
ONCE THE TRAIN ARRIVED AT HOGSMEADE STATION, the students began to climb down and take their trunks out with them as they made their way quickly to where the carriages were stationed.
Remus, along with his friends got off the train, with their luggage being drag behind them. Sirius and James were snickering about a new prank they thought about commencing this year, while Remus walks behind them quietly, with Peter beside him - drooling about the upcoming meals that would be served at dinner later for their welcome feast.
"Wait up, you guys!" Peter exclaimed as he tries to catch up with Sirius and James who had awfully long legs as they stride their way to the carriages.
The two of them looks back, "Hurry up, mates!"
Peter was running after them, Remus didn't bother as he keeps pushing his trunk forward, careful not to hit some random students on the way.
"Ah!" someone crashes into Remus's shoulder.
Remus looked to his side, opening his mouth as he was about to apologize...
"Sorry!" they said at the same time, but everything seems to freeze when the person glances up and caught Remus's gaze.
Only did they realize that the voice belongs to the person they were both anticipated to meet, just yet.
Aurora pauses as Remus's eyes stared into her.
It took him a double take. Just to make sure he's looking at the right person, because...
Her complexion was a little... different.
Beautiful, still. But with more glamour, and style. Sirius wasn't lying, Aurora did glow. A glow that grew a lump on Remus's throat and a tiniest flush across his cheeks.
"...Remus."
"...Rory."
They both breathed at the same time which made them pause again.
Remus didn't know what else was to say. The beauty that stood before him was making him speechless. And nothing ever makes Remus Lupin speechless.
He didn't expect to see her. And Aurora, too, wasn't expecting to be seeing him a lot sooner.
Simply because she was not ready. She doesn't know how to face him just yet. Or whether what to say to him. Not now, not yet.
She cleared her throat, "..Good to see you well, Remus. I should get going.." she made that as an excuse to make her exit.
Aurora was two steps away when her wrist was gently grabbed, stopping her in place. She stiffened.
She turns around to see Remus looking at her with knitted brows and a completely perplexed face.
"I-" he started, but the next words didn't come out his mouth. It stopped at the very tip of his twists tongue.
You rejected her, the voice in his head whispered.
Let her go...
Feeling that burden, the hold of his hand on her wrist loosened a bit, until her hand completely slipped out his grasp.
Right. He had chose this...
"Uh... Good to see you well too." he muttered, smiling faintly at her,
Aurora pursed her lips and walk away, leaving Remus to sigh frustratingly.
This was what he wanted. So why? Why does it hurt so much? These past months, he came to discover a feeling he was not so familiar with...
Regret.
It was rare for someone like Remus Lupin to feel regret. He was a wise man who always made the right decisions. At least everyone and himself believed to. Yet, what he decided between Aurora Violet and him... he came to regret it all.
Things are better this way, he thought.
He only thought.
~****~
"Moony, what took you so long?" James questioned as the fourth marauder finally arrived at their carriage. They had been shooing away students who tries to find their spot on their students.
As Sirius stated back in third year; "The marauders carriage shall be strictly their own, that is our privilege."
No one takes notice of his downcast look, as Remus approached them.
"Sorry, I couldn't find where you lots are.." he replied,
Neither do they take notice when his eyes travels towards the side, where on the distance, was Aurora laughing at something Marlene said as she climbs their own carriage.
No one sees the painful glint in those eyes as well when he gazes back down his trunk. No once except...
Peter wonders why he did that. Why he looked at Aurora as if he's longing for her? Wormtail had never been one to be very observant. Its just that... well... he isn't so engage in the talk of new pranks like James and Sirius is, and certainly wasn't as busy discussing it as they were, that they failed to notice Remus's sad look.
Plus, Moony gives out the most vulnerable energy right now that it's getting harder to just ignore it.
Peter also wonders what to do with this new information. I mean, he could be wrong... like in previous situations. He'll keep this to himself for now.
"Hop on, lads! The castle's waiting!" Sirius exclaimed, flashing a grin with the other marauders. They had finally came to the discussion of pranks they would be using in this year's semester.
Remus listened as James gave them an insight if this discussion. There were also not-so subtle changes in the marauders appearance.
Sirius and James grew a tad bit muscular, Remus taller, Peter also seems to loosen a bit from those sweets. And they look as charming as ever. The marauders never lack when it comes to the whole general topic of appearance.
They are rowdy boys who are gifted with attractive features, and knowledgeable mind in which they don't often show.
Sixth years would be a new journey unfolding for them.
Along with them, a carriage a little behind them was where Aurora sat in with her friends. The girls had been gushing around about how Aurora glowed throughout the summer and complimented her multiple times than she could count.
Aurora talks excitedly with them, apparently the letters they had been sending back and forth through the summer wasn't enough to insight all the fun they've experienced.
But there was a little different with their ride. Marlene, Lily, Alice and Mary were all aware of this, they had been flashing knowing grins at each other ever since then. They all notice, except Aurora herself.
Unbeknownst to the platinum blonde girl, in every carriage that passes by theirs, she was being stared at by every males with swooning eyes and even females who stared enviously at her.
The way her hair curls down to her back and her icy blue irises glints whenever she talks with her friends. And her sense of fashion makes everybody's attention dart to her body and eventually notice the curve of her waist.
Her physical appearance drastically changed through the summer.
The ride to the Hogwarts castle ended shortly, Aurora steps off the carriage carrying her trunk inside the castle and placing it by the entrance hall (where the house elves magically apparates our things into the students respective dorms.)
"Hey Violet!" a seventh year fellow Gryffindor yelled as Aurora's group passes by theirs.
Considering there were many students walking on the sane corridor heading towards the Great Hall for the Welcome Feast, other students nearby turned to see what is about to happen, including the marauders who are walking a little far ahead,
Aurora turns to catch the Gryffindor boy's eye and slightly raise an eyebrow, "What?"
"Looking lovely.." he winks then snickers with his group of friends,
Aurora rolls her eyes, "Piss off, Weston."
Marlene sniggered and high five Aurora.
"She's getting quite famous, isn't she?" James murmured to Sirius after watching the interaction that had just taken place,
"It's the change, Prongs. And maybe her new aura too..." Padfoot gives a toothy grin back,
Remus looks at Aurora who was snickering with Marlene then at the amount of guys that was currently staring at her, some checking her out. But he tears his gaze away afraid he looked for too long.
Peter wonders, not for the first time that day, why he did that?
Remus couldn't possibly fancy Aurora, right? Right, that's just crazy.
The welcoming feast that night was usual. The first years were sorted, everyone reunited with their friends, gushing about the others summer or just asking comments about what they think of Dumbledore's new set of robes (those flashy purple ones.)
The foods were served after what was announced (Aurora really didn't pay enough attention), and everyone dig in.
Aurora was leaning on the table a bit ahead the Gryffindor table, talking and occasionally laughing with what Lily was indignantly explaining (something about Marlene and Mary wasting out the feathers of the pillows during their pillow fight and how the red head had to clean it afterwards - which is suspected to be during their sleepover).
The marauders, on the other hand, sat at the end of the table. Sirius was trying to fit all kinds of food on the table in his mouth, with Peter helping him place grapes on the very corner of his mouth. Remus was eating (normally). James, well -
"I'm certain you lads. I think this year would be the very year I'm going to catch Lilyflower's attention." he states confidently.
This speech is probably announced more to them during every Welcome feast, than Dumbledore's are.
"You said that last time, Prongs. In the beginning might I add." Remus comments sarcastically,
"But this time's different!" James intercepted, "I can feel it! Lilyflower is going to fall for me, and then we'll date, propose to her after graduation, move in together, get married, have kids and basically spend our life till old age!"
The boys looks at him,
"...You thought that out." Moony remarks,
"But Lily hates you Prongs, I think you are still far of making her love you." Peter said,
Sirius snorted but the sound almost came out as a choke seeing at the amount of food in his mouth, but then he - impossibly - swallowed it all down and look at his best friend.
"There's more years to pass, Prongs." Padfoot teased, "But if by chance you can't win her heart, just so you know, you can live with me and we can be bachelors forever until old age. How's that sound?"
James crinkles his nose, pushing his glass up.
"That's terrible. I can't even see how my offsprings would look like!" he protests.
"Well..." Sirius shrugs, "It can also be by chance that you can win Lily over. But that's far off. Evans is probably going to marry a well informed man, with a good job and a kind personality who can take good care of her. Then they'd get married, and you can see their babies!"
James eyes widen in mortification.
"Oi! I'm a well informed man and kind personality! I am also certain I'd get a good job in the future that would pay me well," James nods to himself, "And I can take good care of Evans!"
Sirius opens his mouth to a witty reply, but someone cut him off.
"Pretty sure you can't, Potter!"
All the marauders turns to look at Marlene who just shouted that remark from the table ahead. The girls snickered to themselves as James gapes at that comment.
His eyes trails over to Lily, who was glaring at him then turns around to stab a fork at her mashed potato.
"I can take care of you, Marls!" Sirius yells,
Alice and Mary teasingly nudges Marlene - who rolled her eyes and went back to her conversation with Aurora.
Padfoot snickers as he looks over at James, who pouted...
"It's a long road down that attempt, my dear ol' friend." Sirius pats him at the back, "But whatever happens, my offer will always stay on the table."
"Oh piss off, Padfoot."
Padfoot laughs as James pushes him away playfully, and covering his ears as Sirius starts to discuss topics about possible places they could settle in together as the best friend bachelors till old age as Sirius quoted it.
James has no plan on staying a bachelor his whole life. Sirius might've, but he doesn't. He wants to settle in with a family, and see what his childrens looks like.
On the contrary though, Peter was left to confuse his thoughts.
Why is Moony staring at Aurora longingly again?
↔↔↔↔✉↔↔↔↔
author's note:
observant peter, well that's not what you see everyday. Also pete is not all shy and cowardly, he was a marauder for a reason and whatever happened to him when he grew as a man is a whole different opposite to his character as a teen.
also, tell me what u think? And what you want to see on the very next chapters!
Thank you all sm, and have a great day!♡
love lots,
pearlyy xx