Diana wasn't sure if Layla would like hanging around with Lily Evans, because Layla was an incredibly compatible girl and Evans was an exceptionally bright witch; certainly smarter than Layla. But as it turned out, Layla enjoyed being around the two Gryffindor girls as well.
"Why? Why do we have to study this rubbish!" Marlene cried out, banging her forehead down on the table in misery.
"Mar, keep your voice down or Madam Pince would kick us out of the library again," Lily scolded her quietly, looking around her nervously for any sign of the librarian.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do," Marlene said grumpily, her forehead still resting against the table.
"Every time." Lily sighed to herself, shaking her head. "Why do I keep coming to the library with you, even after all these six years? It's like I never learn."
Marlene looked up at her with a frown. "You don't keep coming with me to the library. You drag me into the library with you!"
"Well, sorry for wanting to help you get better grades!"
Marlene smirked. "Apology accepted."
"You know," Layla started, turning to face Marlene, "I'm actually done with my assignments. I can help you with your Charms' essay, if you want. I heard Professor Flitwick saying that you were falling a little behind."
"You — I mean — yeah, sure. Thanks," Marlene mumbled, taking a few spare pieces of parchments out of her bag.
Although it went unnoticed by the other girls how a blush descended on Marlene's cheeks when Layla pulled her chair closer to the blonde girl.
***
The next day, Diana walked up to the Divination classroom like she did once a week, meeting up with Professor Tenebris — the strange Divination teacher — for her private lessons. But each time she went there, she left the class more disappointed than the time before.
It had been a long while since the last time she'd been able to see anything in the crystal orb or make a simple prediction like she had done before. She was starting to think that maybe she had no powers to begin with, and that her past predictions weren't actually real. Maybe she had been hallucinating because of her terrible sleeping schedule at the time.
When she mentioned this to Professor Tenebris, his only response was, "It is Professor Dumbledore's orders that you should continue these lessons. He's a man wiser than the rest of us, no matter his intentions."
Diana felt confused by the answer. She couldn't understand why the headmaster insisted on continuing her Divination lesson when they were all useless, but she was way past the point of complaining and backing out of it.
I'll wait till the end of the year. If nothing happens until then, I'll tell Dumbledore that I don't want the lessons anymore, Diana thought to herself firmly as she left the dim and overly-warm Divination classroom.
***
On Valentine's day, Diana woke up to the giddy giggles of her roommates, running around and getting ready for their Hogsmeade trip with their dates, leaving the dorm one by one.
"Why are you still in bed?" Layla asked Diana while she stood in front of the mirror, magically curling her dark hair with the use of her wand. "Don't you have to get ready for your date with Lupin?"
"We're not going on a date today," Diana said through a yawn, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Layla turned to look at her with a raised brow. "What? Why not?"
"He's feeling a little sick," Diana lied casually, although it was true enough.
There was a full moon the previous night, and Remus was currently staying in hospital wings, too weak to move after the rough night of his transformation.
"You know, Lupin has been getting sick pretty often lately," said Layla as she picked up a big vile of scented potion from her trunk, pouring a few drops of it on her fingers and dabbing it across her neck.
Layla had learnt in her Muggle Studies class that instead of a scented potion, Muggles had something called a perfume, although the difference was that a perfume wears off very quickly, which Layla thought made it completely useless.
"Not that often," said Diana, getting out of bed and stretching out her arms and legs. Remus didn't want anyone to find out about his condition, and Diana wanted to help him keep it that way. "Madam Pomfrey apparently told him that he has a weak immune system. He gets sick easily. Besides, we're in the cold season. Getting sick is common."
"Yeah, that makes sense, I suppose." Layla shrugged as she walked over her bed where she had laid down her coat, picking it up and wearing it. "Anyway, I should better get going."
"Who are you going out with?"
"No one this year," said Layla, wearing her coat. "I'm just hanging out with Regulus. You can come with us, you know. Because Lupin's sick and all."
"Yeah, sure." Diana shrugged almost carelessly as she let out another yawn, but just then, her eyes fell upon a little red box on her nightstand.
With a little frown, she walked over the nightstand and picked up the box, opening it to see what it contained. Inside of it, there was note that read,
Sorry about today.
I hope this makes up for a little part of it
After removing the note, Diana smiled when she saw that the box was full of chocolates, which were made in the shape of tiny socks.
"Layla," Diana said absently, her eyes fixed on the little box as she smiled to herself, "I think I'm going to skip Hogsmeade today."
***
The full moon last night had left Remus in terrible pain that morning, and even though he hadn't scratched himself much this time, his whole body still ached after the transformation. Having to break every bone in his body each time he turned into a wolf was barely fun.
He had tried convincing Madam Pomfrey early that morning that he was feeling fine, but she knew him too well.
"Remus John Lupin, I've been taking care of you every month for six years now. You think I can't tell when you're lying?" Madam Pomfrey had said as she was healing the small wound across his cheek. "You just want to go to Hogsmeade. Well, let me tell you right now: you can't."
"I'm honestly not feeling that bad —"
"Don't make me lock you up inside the hospital wing, mister!" she had said firmly, forcefully handing him a potion to drink for his pain.
As much as Remus wanted to spend the day with Diana, he was in too much pain to even move out of his bed in the hospital wing.
Remus was the only one in the infirmary that day, and Madam Pomfrey was outside in her office, leaving him all alone in the quiet ward.
With his head laying on the pillow, Remus was just resting his eyes that he heard the ward's door slowly opening. At first he thought it was Madam Pomfrey, here to check on him again. But then, through the the fringes of his eyelids, he saw a girl with curly blonde hair walking inside.
His eyes shot open and his heart leaped when he realized that it was Diana, closing the door behind her with a little smile planted on her lips.
"Hey," she said with a little wave, moving toward him. "How are you doing?"
"Good." Remus smiled as he tried to sit up, but he winced in pain.
"That doesn't look 'good' to me." She chuckled. "Here, let me help you," Diana said softly, helping him up until his back was leaning against the bed's headboard.
"Thanks," Remus said breathlessly, trying to hold on to his smile. "Why are you here? You should be in Hogsmeade right now."
Diana shook her head bitterly. "I'm never going to Hogsmeade on Valentine's day ever again. Last year scarred me for life! I still cringe whenever I see a Dwarf or the color pink."
Remus laughed, but then he had to hold his ribs as he felt a sharp pain in them. "Yeah, I guess I ruined Valentine for you forever. That's on me."
Diana grinned. "Anyway... now that we're on the subject..." Her voice trailed off as she took her backpack and opened it, trying to dig something out of it.
"Please tell me you don't have a poem-reading dwarf in there," Remus said as he watched her worriedly, making her laugh.
"No, you idiot! I've got you a gift!" Diana grinned, taking a beautifully wrapped gift out of it and handing it to him.
"A book?" Remus's face brightened in excitement as he began to open it, and Diana pulled a chair closer to his bed and sat down beside him. When he tore the wrappings away, he smiled in amusement, reading the book's title, "The Light Against the Dark, by Catullus Spangle."
"I know that Defense Against the Dark Arts is your favorite subject, so I thought I would buy you a book on the subject. Although, I guess it's a little more advanced than our N.E.W.T levels."
"Thank you so much. I love it." Remus smiled, reaching out his arm and holding her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. But when he pulled his hand away, a sad look fell upon his expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't spend today with you."
"You don't have to apologize for it, Remus. I understand," she said with a reassuring smile, before turning it into a mischievous smirk. "Besides, I like it more here. We have more privacy."
Remus blushed at those words. "I-I would've loved to do that, but I don't — I don't think I'm able to move right now."
Diana's eyes widened. "For Merlin's sake! Why do boys only think with their penis?"
Remus laughed. "What?"
"I didn't mean it like that!" Diana rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Not every privacy has to lead to those stuff."
"Oh..." Remus pursed his lips together, looking slightly disappointed.
"I would've smacked you in the arm if you weren't in pain, Lupin." Diana shook her at him with a grin.
She then dug into her bag and took out her own book, as well as the box of chocolate which Remus had sent her that morning. With that, she hopped on the bed beside him and leaned her back against the headboard, putting the box of chocolates between them on the bed.
"I like the way your mind works." Remus chuckled, leaning down to place a small kiss on top of her head. He then opened his book and began to read it along with her, taking a bite of one of the chocolates.