𝕿he shining stars hung high in the sky outside my bedroom at the Potter's. I sat on my window seat, my knees tucked up to my chest as I stared at the sky, more specifically the crescent moon. I've never actually seen a full moon in real life, I've always been busy breaking every bone in my body and turning into a fully fledged monster. I hummed softly, bringing the cuffs of James' sweatshirt over my hands, continuing to look out the window.
There was a soft knock at the door, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. It was half one in the morning, everyone should be asleep. I sat up off the seat, walking to the door and opening it, my eyes laced with concern at the scene in front of me.
"Hey, what's up?" I whispered, bringing him into my room, taking his shaking hands into mine, and placing him down on the bed after closing the door.
"I don't know, i've got that feeling" He mumbled, looking down at his shaking hands. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed you I-"
"Peter, you know you can always come to me" I cut him off softly, wrapping my arms around him. Over the years, I had had a few times like this with Peter, he had quite bad anxiety about things and got overwhelmed from his thoughts. I knew exactly how he was feeling, so we went through it together, "Have you had a glass of water?"
"No"
"Let's start with that then" I decided, standing up and leading him over to the door, my hand still in his. We tiptoed down to the kitchen, pouring two glasses of freezing water whilst he sat there, his head in his hands, "Tell my your thoughts"
"I don't know exactly what it is, but i'm worried about the war and what's going to happen. What if we loose someone? What if someone leaves and it will never be the same again? What if he takes over the world and we have to do as he says? And then there's that feeling that I'm going to be left alone, you're with James, Sirius and Remus are denying their feelings for each other, i'm the one that's left out. I don't want to be the one that's left out, Mel"
"Wormy, we'll never leave you out, okay? We aren't the Marauders without you, we aren't whole without you. So try and think about that when you think about being left out. We'll always make time for the five of us, always. As for the war, I don't know what's going to be happen, but we will stick together and fight for everything we have and want, for a future that we all deserve to have. Dumbledore is going to go up against him, no one is more powerful than Dumbledore" I reassured him, taking his hands into mine to try and comfort him.
"Okay" He nodded, smiling half heartedly and drinking his water, "Do you think we'll make it through this war?"
"We're lions, we can do anything when we put our minds to it. Brave, courageous and strong. We've got this, Wormy"
"We've got this, Luna"
"There we go" I grinned at him, "Do you think you'll be able to get some sleep now?"
"I think so, thank you Mel. I don't know what i'd do without you" He whispered, kissing the top of my head, "Are you coming?"
"I'll go soon" I told him, "Night, Wormy. You know where to find me if you need me"
"Night, Luna. Don't stay up too late" He nodded, walking out of the room, back up to his bedroom hopefully to get some sleep. I stood up, pouring the rest of the water down the sink, leaning on my hands on the counters and staring out of the window at the moon and the stars again.
I felt arms wrap around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder, kissing my cheek, "What are you still doing up?"
"What are you still doing up?"
"I asked you first" I mumbled, turning around to face him, the moonlight reflecting off his glasses, his hair as messy as always.
"I was already up, couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake you. Wormy saw my light was on and told me you would be down here" He whispered, reaching down and wrapping my legs around his torso, walking us into the living room and placing us down on the couch. I cuddled into him, resting my head in the crook of his neck, his finger tips brushing up and down my back, "Why are you up?"
"I don't know, I talked to Wormy for a while but I sent him to bed when he felt better" I murmured, the warmth radiating off his chest onto mine. "I've never seen a full moon"
"What do you mean?" He muttered, closing his eyes briefly, feeling comforted and reassured by having me in his arms, just like I did.
"I don't remember what a full moon looks like and i'll never see one"
"Crescent moons are much prettier than full moons, like the ones in your eyes. Like a shimmering, golden smiley face, one that lights up the darkness in the sky and helping the stars to brighten up the world. An ethereal glow surrounding it, enhancing its beauty" He described quietly, my heart warming in my chest. He really liked the moon, he was really passionate about it.
"I wish I could see the beauty of it" I whispered, lifting my head up and resting my forehead against his, "You really really like the moon"
"I really really like you, Lunes. You're my little moon" He replied, his hot breath fanning over my face, butterflies in my stomach, "Go to sleep, love, I'm with you"
"Okay, night James" I murmured, pecking his lips before snuggling into his body again, my head in the crook of his neck. I closed my eyes, drifting off into sleep, feeling the most secure and protected i've ever felt.
James rested in the living room of his house with the girl cuddled on top of him, making him feel the warmest and safest he's ever felt in his life. She did that to him, it was only a feeling she could make him feel. He listened to her soft breaths as she fell into a deep slumber. He smiled to himself, resting his head on top of hers, closing his eyes and drifting off into his own sleep.
•••
"This has got to be one of the cutest things i've ever seen" Mia whispered out loud to no one in particular after walking down the stairs early the following morning, her heart leaping in her chest at the sight. She looked at her son and the girl she saw as a daughter, cuddled together on the couch, her head nestled into his neck, his face leaning towards her, holding her close to him, "Monty get the camera"
"Mia?" Monty mumbled, walking down the stairs into the living room, the camera in his hand, "Oh. Awh, that's sweet"
"I remember when we were like that, young love is the best" Mia reminisced, taking photographs of the pair whilst they were sleeping, ones to add to James' scrapbook.
"Hm yes, it was better back then"
"Fleamont" The witch scolded, swatting him on the shoulder for his comment. Sirius walked down the stairs, standing in between the Potter couple, looking at his two best friends.
"I can't believe he's cheating on me again. I thought he never would have done this after the last time. Was I not good enough for him? I'm done. I'm done, we're through. I can't even look at his face" He cried dramatically, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye, Mia chuckling and ruffling his hair, "Mia, I love you but do not touch the hair"
"Who touched Padfoot's hair? Big mistake" Remus and Peter quizzed, walking down the stairs to the living room, joining the three, looking down at the couple.
Remus grinned, picking up a marker pen and heading towards them.
"Remus Lupin, what are you doing?" Mia whispered harshly as he lifted their heads gently, writing across their foreheads before letting them fall back down, still in a deep sleep. Mia tutted, walking into the kitchen, her husband following her.
"What did you write Moony?"
"You'll see" He smirked, throwing the marker up in the air and catching it before strolling off into the kitchen.
"Padfoot, you've got a little drool, right there"
"Shove off, Wormy" He grumbled, wiping his mouth anyway and following the mousy haired boy, Peter on his tail.
I shifted in my sleep, not being able to move much from being held in place. I came to my senses, realising I was still on top of James and that the night before we fell asleep on the couch together. I yawned, brushing my lips over his neck, before carefully unwrapping his arms around me and placing a pillow there instead. He snuggled back into the pillow, a small frown on his face.
"I didn't give you permission to leave me" He mumbled in a low, morning voice, not opening his eyes.
"That's funny, I don't remember asking for permission"
"I let you sleep on me all night, and this is how you repay me?!"
"Somehow, I think you'll get over it" I called back to him, walking into the kitchen, everyone already in there eating breakfast. I noticed Remus' smirk as he sipped his coffee, Sirius dropping his knife and fork before starting to laugh and Peter choking on his drink. Monty peered up from his newspaper, shaking his head despite the smile on his face, Mia just looking at me and tutting at the boys. I furrowed my eyebrows, backing away from them.
James walked in passed me, sitting at the table, taking a bowl of porridge and beginning to eat it. The boy's reactions only increased, my jaw dropping when I realised.
"Rem, you fucking idiot" I hit my brother on the arm, Mia scolding my for my language, "I'm so getting you back for this"
"Getting him back for what?" James questioned cluelessly, eating a spoonful of porridge before looking up at me and spitting it back out.
"That was disgusting" I uttered, wrinkling my face up at him.
"Who are you deerly in love with, M? Is it anyone we know?" Sirius piped up, nudging James in the ribs. So he wrote on my forehead too.
"Prongs? Are you fur really in love?" Peter burst out, James knitting his eyebrows together before realising and wiping his forehead, turning to Remus.
"Why do you assume it was me?"
"Because you're the least innocent out of us all.....and the marker is next to you"
"Remus you're the mastermind, how did you forget to move the marker?" Monty chimed in, shaking his head at my twin.
"He's not the mastermind, I am!" Sirius scoffed, forcefully eating his pancakes up and glaring at Remus.
•••
I sighed, exiting the kitchen to my bathroom attached to my bedroom, washing my face. Deerly in love. Was I in love? I couldn't be, it was too soon and no one could ever actually fall in love with me, James could never fall in love with me. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, trailing over my scars with my finger tips.
"El" Remus sighed, leaning against the door frame, watching as I traced my fingers over my scars, "You're pretty inside and out"
"Do you believe that yourself, Rem?"
"I try to, when I think about them, I think about you. About how perfect you look with scars, how they make you unique and different. That helps me because then I get to be like my twin sister, in another way" He replied, walking in and sitting on the edge of the closed toilet, "You are you, El. Our scars make us the Lupins, we wouldn't be the same without them"
"I know" I whispered, "I know, Remmy"
"I'll let that slide just this once because I love you" He warned, taking my small frame into his arms and kissing the top of my head.
"I love you" I returned, "Connected for eternity" I recalled, holding him tight to me, remembering the phrase we've always said since we were young.
"Connected for eternity"
•2078 words•