"Hello," I said.
Severus eyed me cautiously across the table. I cleared my throat, and flicked through the book I had gotten from one of the shelves. Severus slowly turned the page of his book, narrowing his eyes at me.
"There are so many books in here, aren't there?" I said cheerfully, beaming at Severus.
"Well, yes," said Severus. "It is a library."
I nodded, and turned another page. "What's this, Sevvy?" I pointed to a picture in the book.
He sighed. "It's a horoscope."
"Oh."
Severus studied me for a moment, before saying, "You're reading one of the old Divination textbooks."
I frowned and shut the book, looking at the cover. "Am I?"
"Yes."
"Oh," I said, and opened up the book again to the page I was previously reading. "Cool."
"Maisie, what do you want?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Can't I sit with you?"
"I'm not saying that -"
"MISS POTTER!"
I looked up from my book and stared at Severus. "What?"
"That wasn't me."
"MISS POTTTER!"
"See?"
"But -" there was a tugging at my robes. I looked down, and raised my eyebrow.
"Hello short person, what are you doing here?"
"Sorry has been told to give Miss Potter a message," said Sorry, hopping onto the table and sitting cross legged in front of me.
"Who's the message from?"
"Mr Lupin."
I rolled my eyes, and slammed my book shut. We hadn't talked properly since we had our argument, and that was weeks ago.
"And what does his lordship have to say?"
Sorry jumped on the table, cleared her throat, and dramatically recited the message using over-dramatised hand gestures and a weird accent.
"Meet me at the Black Lake, we need to talk."
I blinked. "Wow."
Sorry leapt off the table and into my lap, causing me to jump in surprise, which made the chair fall back and come crashing to the floor, us with it. Severus snorted.
"Ow."
"So?" Sorry said excitedly, and scuttled up to my face. "Will you go??"
I rolled my eyes. "I suppose."
But inside I was smiling.
*
We sat by the lake in silence. I picked absentmindedly at the grass, twirling the blades between my fingers. Remus sighed deeply, and turned his head to look at me, biting his lip.
"Maisie."
I ignored him, waving my wand at the daisies in the ground. The daisies were gently plucked from their roots, and hovered together in the air in front of me, before I waved my wand again and they tangled together, tying themselves in a chain which landed gracefully in my lap.
"Maisie, we haven't talked for weeks."
I picked up the daisy chain and placed it on my head, fitting there perfectly.
"Maisie, come on. The Halloween Ball's tomorrow, and if we're going to try and work something out, you're going to have to talk to me."
I readjusted the daisy chain on my head, before replying.
"Work what out?"
Remus shrugged. "I don't know, the others thought some sort of prank to divert the attention so we could head to the Shrieking Shack in time -"
"A prank?" I scoffed. "So you're willing to have a prank, even though they are 'silly' and would 'ruin' your precious ball?" I rolled my eyes, and lay back on the grass, my arm flung across my forehead to block out the sun.
Remus sighed, and twiddled a blade of grass between his fingers. "Maisie -"
"No," I said. "Anyway, I thought you were going to change the times."
"It's already been changed," said Remus. "Last week. I thought about what you said before, and it made sense."
"Well, it doesn't always happen, but occasionally I do say something helpful."
"You know, I was actually thinking of, um -"
"Oh, what now?" I snapped.
"Oh, it - it doesn't matter. But Sirius, James, Peter and I can't come up with a suitable idea that would actually work, and I was wondering if - well because you're so good at planning things like this -"
"You want me to help you?" I sighed, and got back up to a sitting position. "What a sudden change of heart."
Remus groaned. "Oh come on, Maisie! Lily's been saying how you've been getting bored of her company -"
"Since when did I say that?"
"You didn't, she can just tell. Lily knows you love her, but she said you love us too, and we're more - I don't know how to put it - exciting?"
"Don't flatter yourself too much. Please, we're not all as marvellous as you. Well," I admitted. "I'm pretty marvellous, I suppose."
"Yes, you are brilliantly marvellous."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you just saying that so I will agree and help you?"
Remus considered this for a moment, before nodding. "Yes."
"Then bye," I said, and got up to leave, but Remus shot up after me and grabbed my arm.
"I've been a total idiot, Maisie, I know that."
I smiled. "Glad you've realised. Well done."
"I miss you, Roary."
I sniffed. "Cool."
"Maisie, for goodness sake!" Remus grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. "What else do you want me to say? Do tell me, because I have no idea."
I bit my lip. "I don't know."
"Then what's the issue?" Remus shook his head. "I'm not the only one who's missed you, you know - the others have too."
I frowned. "I've still been talking to them though."
"Not as much - you're never with us anymore."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine."
"What?"
I sighed, internally fighting with myself. I chewed my lip for a few seconds, before abruptly wrapping my arms around his neck, standing on my tiptoes. Remus froze in surprise, before gently hugging me back.
"AWWWWWW GUYS." Our heads shot up to see Sirius, James and Peter grinning from the tree we were standing metres away from.
"FUCK OFF," I yelled and threw my shoe at them.
Remus chuckled, nudging me with his shoulder. "Weirdo."
*
"Oi!" I went up to Lily, threateningly pointing my finger at her. She rolled her eyes, shutting her book closed, her face flickering with the light from the fire.
"What have I done this time?"
"You said I thought you were boring!"
Lily smirked. "Remus talked to you then?"
"Yes he did!"
"And?"
"And what? He begged for my forgiveness and insisted that I help him EXTREMELY SHORT NOTICE to plan a prank for tomorrow."
Her smile faltered. "Nothing else? He didn't say anything else?"
"No?"
"Oh, okay," she frowned for a second, before grinning back up at me again. "So?"
"So..?"
"So what did you say?"
"Well, after begging and begging and begging, I said yes. I mean, he was annoying me with his constant pleading."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Fine, pretend you didn't want to forgive him, and that your argument hasn't been on your mind ever since it happened. Okay, you do that." Lily raised her hands up in defeat. "Fine by me."
"I'm meeting them to talk about the prank, so I'll see you later," I said, ignoring her previous comments. She rolled her eyes again.
"Yeah, whatever, bye."
*
"GUESS WHAT I FOUND," James yelled, racing into the room, waving a book in his hand. Remus, Sirius, Peter and I were all in the boys' dormitory, sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, pages and various prancing equipment scattered around us.
"Yes, James?" Remus sighed, rearranging a pile of papers in front of him.
"I was in the library -"
"Huh?" I sat bolt upright, scaring Peter who was sat next to me, causing him to jump and the bucket of glitter he was holding left his hands and fell all over Sirius sitting opposite.
"What?" James asked innocently. "Oh, and by the way, Sirius, you have a bit of glitter on you."
Sirius, with his hair, clothes and face painted with silver glitter, slowly looked up at James, and glared. I snorted, and Remus clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter, while Peter didn't even bother.
James grinned. "Anyway, back to me. I was in the library -"
"Yeah, about that," I interjected. "You haven't been to the library since your detention in second year."
"So?" James shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
I raised my eyebrow, and just shook my head, sighing.
"Anyway," said James, and flopped down beside Remus. "I was looking in this book thing and found this." James threw the open book down in the middle of the circle, and we all leaned forward to read it.
"Hair Charm Bombs?" Sirius read. "Is that really what they're called?"
"Well I'm assuming so, seeing as that's what it says," said James.
"It's a bit of a disappointing name, isn't it? Whoever wrote this could have done so much better."
"It's pitiful," I said.
James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well the name might be a let down, but just read it. I thought we could use the Gryffindor colours and throw it at unexpected Slytherins."
My eyes flickered across the page before I leant back, nodding. "Sounds good. How long will it take to make? We only have until tomorrow night."
"Well if you read it properly, you would have seen it takes 15-25 minutes, depending on how good you are."
"Get over yourself."
"No."
"Does anyone have any red and gold paint, or hair dye?" asked Remus.
"I know where we could get some," I said, ran out of the room and down to the common room. There was no one down there, seeing as it was four in the morning.
"Sorry," I hissed, and a little head popped out from under one of the sofas.
"Hello, Miss Potter."
I cocked my head to one side in curiousity. "What are you doing under there?"
"Looking for rats."
I nodded, not really knowing what to say to that.
"Does Miss Potter require Sorry's assistance?" Sorry asked.
"Yes, actually. Can you please find me some red and gold paint, or hair dye?"
"Of course," said Sorry, and slithered back under the sofa.
*
"We've done it," Sirius mumbled under his breath as he took his seat next to me in Ancient Runes.
"What?"
"Made the things with the stupid name."
I rolled my eyes. "You could have just said the stupid name."
"I didn't want to give it away, in case someone was listening."
"How practical of you."
"Thanks."
"Oi." Sirius and I turned around in our seats to be faced with a smirking Sadie Shitface.
Her smirk was instantly wiped off to be replaced with a look of shock and pure horror.
"Wow, no wonder..."
I sighed irritably. "What now, Sadie?"
"You look crap."
I raised my eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"You've really let yourself go. I was just saying, I mean, now I know why Remus isn't talking to you anymore. It's no surprise, really."
Sirius snorted, and I grinned. "Um, sorry to disappoint, but I was the one to stop talking to him, and we're friends again now anyway? But I appreciate your concern. I must say, I'm touched."
Sirius and I shared a grin before turning back round in our seats.
"I guess you don't know, then," Sadie said loudly, and I let out a deep breath before twisting back round to look at her.
"Don't know what?"
"I've heard Remus is planning to ask Jessie to the ball tonight."
"Jessie? Jessie Malloy?" Sirius spluttered, turning round in his seat in horror. "He would never."
"That's where you're wrong, Sirius." Sadie looked me up and down, before saying slyly, "I guess he moved on. It probably wasn't that hard."
"I hope you're not suggesting - you think Remus fancied me?" I bit my lip to stop myself from bursting into fits of laughter. "That is absolutely ridiculous."
Sadie rolled her eyes. "Yes, he did. I guess you were too busy looking at him with those puppy dog eyes to notice."
"Oh dear," I said, and took one look at Sirius before we both cracked up.
"I don't, and never will, fancy Remus, and the same goes for him about me."
Sadie rolled her eyes. "Right, you keep telling yourself that."
"Yeah, I will. Goodbye."
At lunch, Remus and I sat together on the grass near Hagrid's hut, our Charms essays spread out on the ground in front of us. Oh yeah, I care about my studies. (Actually, he bullied me into it.)
"Are you going to ask Jessica Malloy to the ball?" I asked Remus casually.
"No?" Remus frowned. "Where did you get that from?"
I shrugged. "It doesn't matter."
"Why Jessica?"
"I don't - well Sadie said you like her and -"
"I don't like Jessica," Remus frowned. "I think she's annoying, and her chin is too big."
I snorted.
"And anyway, I'm not asking anyone. I can't, I'm leaving before it's even been half way through the night, so what's the point?"
"If you could ask someone though, who would you choose?"
Remus shrugged. "I don't really know. What about you, are you going with anyone?"
"Nah. Like you said, I'm leaving before it's even been half way through the night anyway."
Remus rolled his eyes. "You don't have to. Actually, I'm not going to let you. Stay at the ball, have some fun."
"With who?" I scoffed. "If you haven't noticed, I don't really have many friends. Which is surprising, seeing as I'm so hot."
"You have Lily, and Severus," Remus pointed out. "I'm sure they'd like you to join them."
"And be a third wheel? Haha no thanks. Just deal with it Remus, I'm coming with you guys."