Chapter 27

Chapter 28/Ch 27 Pt. 2

Marianela knelt by her trunk and carefully placed its contents beside it on the floor. It contained mostly clothes, but there were also various books, notebooks, jewelry, and other random items. Most of it had been safeguarded during her stay in the Ravenclaw tower and she had not removed much other than her school robes, the Muggle television her father had altered, and the occasional magical record. She had recently thrown out the tele after much contemplation, but today she was ready to go through her other things: the only things she had left from her home.

Her mother had not realized what Marianela would wear at Hogwarts beneath her black robe; while more casual wear such as pants were allowed in this castle, her old school insisted on more formal attire. Marianela pulled out each dress and set of robes carefully; everything had been wrapped in tissue paper for protection, but she wanted to examine the contents carefully: after rifling through them for less "odd-looking" clothes and money for more plain black robes, she had left the contents as her mother had originally packed them. She had decided not to wear her flamenco dress because of how odd it would seem, and Runa was ready to pounce on her as soon as she finished with Hermione. There were three hours before the feast, four until the dance, and Marianela hadn't a clue what to wear. She was briefly distracted by some ceramic tiles, but soon delved into the search again.

"What are you doing?" Ginny demanded behind her, interrupting the girl's reverie.

"Searching," Marianela responded after a moment; she had been thinking in Spanish and had to find the proper language to answer.

"Searching for what?" Ginny wanted to know. "Runa says she will be finished torturing- fixing up- Hermione in five to ten minutes and that you had better be ready. Bring your dress with you," she added, rolling her eyes.

"I will once I find one suitable," Marianela replied.

"Oh, bugger," Ginny grumbled. "Look, we may have some prestigious guest- the reason for the idiotic Valentines Day Ball- but you should be… look at this!" she exclaimed as she saw one of Marianela's besequined dresses. "Any of these should be fine. What was your family like, anyway?" she demanded. "A lot richer than mine, that's for sure."

"Pick one out, then," Marianela snapped, moody from Dumbledore's earlier announcement. Ginny shrugged, although Marianela was not facing her.

"As you wish, my lady. Oh, these robes are a horrid shade of green!" she said gleefully. "I think they're perfect."

"That was my last school's color," Marianela replied, slightly amused in spite of her mood.

"Yuck! It looks like puke."

"Find another one, then."

"You're not upset about earlier, are you?" Ginny demanded.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Marianela retorted, finally looking at Ginny. "My parents and family are dead, my brother is somehow alive, and now I am considered dead. Moreover, I have to go to visit my homeland and watch for assassins or the like just to do business and hopefully see a brother who may or may not believe me dead."

"And moping will help?" Ginny challenged her. "Look, I may be being too tough, but you are going to find a bloody dress and have a jolly good time or I won't be the only one to strangle you." Marianela sighed. "If I can cheer up Harry Potter in a bad mood, I can cheer up anyone-- besides Voldemort and Percy, of course."

"Who is this Percy?" Marianela asked, choosing not to be annoyed with this comment.

"My pompous brother," Ginny replied. "The one that broke Mum's heart."

"Oh," Marianela muttered. "So, the shatter-chatter- chartreuse robes?" she asked Ginny teasingly. "Or is there something else you see?" Ginny surveyed the dresses Marianela had laid aside before picking up a yellow formal.

"Does this one fit?" she asked. Marianela glanced at it.

"Oh, it was my mother's! I don't know," she admitted.

"Try it on, then," Ginny demanded. Marianela shrugged, rose, grabbed the dress, and ordered Ginny to turn around. Soon she had the dress on.

"You may turn around," Marianela informed her friend. Ginny smiled.

"Okay, it fits, you look nice, and it works," Ginny told her. They heard a scream from the bathroom.

"NOOOO!! GET THAT CONTRAPTION AWAY FROM ME!" Hermione shrieked.

"IT'S AN EYELASH CURLER! IT WON'T KILL YOU," Runa responded in kind.

"DOESN'T THE WIZARDING WORLD HAVE-"

"Ay," Marianela grumbled, then sighed. "Shall we see what the problem is?" Ginny grinned.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked as the shouting continued. "It sounds like Hermione needs rescuing, though. SECUESTRADORAS TO THE RESCUE!" she called as she ran to the bathroom and opened the door. Marianela soon followed, gathering her full skirt in her hands. She took a step back at the scene. The sink area was covered in all kinds of beauty arsenal from both the Muggle and wizarding worlds; all were nonelectronic and therefore would still work well in Hogwarts. There was a strange contraption in Runa's hand that reminded her of a torture mechanism; it had prongs that were connected by a semicircle. Hermione, strapped into her seat somehow, had shut her eyes tightly.

"You'll wrinkle the eyeshadow," Runa was worrying, a look of annoyance on her face. "Honestly, have you ever seen such ungratefulness?" she demanded of the sixth year girls.

"If you can call it that," Ginny replied. "It looks like terror to me. What on earth is that thing in your hand?"

"It's an eyelash curler. See, you use it like this," Runa explained, demonstrating.

"Parvati almost put her eye out with one of those. Don't ask me how she got one because I don't know."

"I know what I am doing," Runa protested. "I got this from Lily last summer and I have been using it ever since." Hermione's eyes flew open with surprise. Runa noticed this and moved the eyelash curler toward her eyes, but Hermione closed them just in time.

"It's unsanitary," Hermione sniffed. "So is using another person's mascara."

"Mascara?" Ginny questioned.

"That black stuff one puts on eyelashes," Marianela explained.

"Oh, that stuff."
"Yes, that stuff," Runa responded. "Hermione Jane Granger, open your eyes right now."

"Not unless you give up on curling my eyelashes," Hermione responded, her eyes still shut tight.

"All right," Runa agreed with a sigh. "Fine. I'll finish with your hair and makeup without that and then you're free." Hermione obliged her by opening her eyes.

"See you later," Ginny said cheerfully as she dragged Marianela out of the bathroom.

#

There were four hours until the blasted ball, Sirius knew, and those Ravenclaw girls still hadn't been punished properly for abusing his friends. Oh, he would leave the others well enough alone; they were slimeballs but they had been trying to impress girls and everyone knew that would deter anyone from behaving sensibly, even Sirius- or, perhaps especially me, he admitted to himself. Perhaps this wasn't rational; Merlin knew how stupid he had been when he wrote the note that brought Snape to the bloody Whomping Willow. Still, by Merlin he was avenging his friend. She was more of Runa's friend than his, but nobody attacked someone under Marauder protection and got away with it, even girls; especially girls.

He looked at the Ravenclaw tower on the Marauder's Map. There was much hustle and bustle going on, especially on the girls' side. Their common room was practically empty except for a dozen or so boys playing some sort of game plus Marianela's friend Sara. Free passage, he thought. Especially with Prongs's cloak.
Grabbing a box he had prepared, he slipped under the invisibility cloak, checked to make sure the passage was clear, and left.

He needn't have checked this time; the hallways were almost completely empty. All he had to do in the main hallways was keep from bumping into people, and the hall outside the Ravenclaw tower was empty. He set the box down on the ground, knocked on the door, and stepped backwards. Momentarily a 5th year boy opened the door.

"What's this?" he asked himself, picking up the box and reading the note on top. "To: Rosa Gunther with love from her secret admirer. P.S. I can't wait to see your lovely face tonight. Please save me a dance. Yuck!" he exclaimed, opening the box. "Those are sugar-free peppermint toads." He sighed and returned to the common room.

"Hurray for Padfoot," Sirius muttered to himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh, crud," Harry grumbled as he straightened out his dress robes, which had been lying in his trunk. "I forgot about the bloody corsage."

"The what?" Ron questioned. "What's a kersmage?" Harry glanced at him.

"Didn't we get corsages for, um, well you know…" Harry's voice trailed off. "Back in fourth year at the ball."

"I don't remember that," Ron protested. "I certainly didn't buy anything for my date. Padfoot, what's a kersmage?"

"Dunno," Sirius replied, having returned to their room a half hour before looking rather smug. "It sounds like something Muggle, and you remember where I grew up." Ron nodded.

"Hermione told you already, but a corsage is, well, flowers," Harry explained. "You pin them to a girl's dress robes. I wanted to know what color Ginny was wearing so I could get her one, but no one told me and I forgot to ask again."

"Oh," Ron replied. "Do we really need them?" he asked, alarmed.

"Don't see why we do," Sirius replied, straightening out his own robes. "Flowers make me sneeze." Just before Sirius finished speaking, the boys heard a tap on the door. Harry opened it cautiously to find Lily's owl at the door.

"Hi," he said to the owl. "What are you doing here?" The owl flew in, landed on one of Sirius's bedposts, stared at Harry, and held out its leg.

"Oh, you've got a letter." Harry sighed and walked over to Sirius's bed. He opened the mail pouch, which looked like it was hastily conjured (definitely something Lily had done in a hurry), and removed the letter. "Thanks," he added. "Anyone got a nut or something?" he asked his friends. Ron sighed, removed a peanut from his pocket, and tossed it to Harry, who caught it. "Thanks, Ron," he said again before handing the owl the nut and placing a knut in its sack. The owl started chattering, but soon realized that no one could understand it. It made a motion to take off, and Ron opened the door for it; soon it was gone.

"Too bad we don't have a window," Ron grumbled as he slammed the door. "What's in that letter?"

"I haven't opened it yet," hereplied absently while ripping the envelope open.

"Well, read it," Sirius demanded. Remus approached just then, haing just vacated the shower.

"What is he supposed to read?" Remus asked.

"A note from Mum," Harry replied. "Just let me read it. It says,

'Dear Harry,

I suppose this is a bit late but this is the best I can do. The other week you asked about dress colors for corsages- specifically with Ginny in mind. So, here is the information for everyone if it is necessary.'" Harry stopped reading. "This is pointless," he grumbled.

"Do I have to get 'Mione a corsage?" Ron asked.

"Well, if Ginny's getting one, I'd suggest it," Harry replied exasperatedly. "However, I don't know how I am supposed to- Moony! Do you still remember how to transfigure flowers? Dad will help, I swear."

"Sure he will," Remus replied sarcastically before grinning. "I'll try; I have nothing else to do," he added with a sigh. He glanced at Sirius. "Padfoot, why do you appear to be so pleased with yourself?"

"Because I am," he replied. "You'll see. Any actual information in Lily's letter?" Harry rolled his eyes.

"Not much. She does say Brenna's expecting a visit from her Dad any day now." Remus winced.

"Great," he muttered.

"Way to make him nervous," Sirius cheered. "Moony li-ikes Bren-na, but Daddy's gon-na kill him!"

"Libriwasi!" Remus pointed his wand at Sirius's head as he said the spell, and his History of Magic book collided with Sirius's head with a thud.

"Ow," Sirius complained while Ron and Harry laughed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"There you go," Runa told Brenna as she brushed a bit more eyeshadow on her friend's eyelids. "I'm almost done."

"Good," Brenna grumbled. "I'm sick of sitting here. I need to owl my father again; I haven't heard from him since I sent the last message."

"That was only a week ago," Runa reminded her. "You don't even know where he is."

"Yes, but owls do well locating people."

"Perhaps he is going to visit instead of writing," Runa suggested. "He may not trust the mail." Brenna opened her eyes.

"Oh, no," she whispered. "What if… what if he comes today?" she asked, horrified. "What if he meets Remus and judges him before… before I can talk to him?" she worried.

"You really are ridiculous," Runa informed her. "I doubt werewolves can look at each other and recognize lycanthropic traits."

"Probably not," Brenna agreed. "One cannot apparate into Hogwarts, so he could not enter without being admitted. Are you sure my hair will stay up?"

"Of course," Runa replied before raising her wand and muttering a charm. "It should stay until midnight," she added. They heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Um, Brenna?" Lily's voice said. "You have a visitor in Dumbledore's office." Brenna jumped up from the seat, knocking Runa off balance.

"Oof," Runa muttered as she caught her balance. At the same time, Brenna was trying without success to open the door and put on her shoes as she shook.

"Don't be nervous. It's probably just your father," Runa reminded her, opening the door. Brenna nodded and tried to put on her shoes while standing up.

"I know," she replied, still jittery. Someone rapped on the head girl's room door, where Runa had been messing with the makeup. Ginny rushed to answer it.

"Remus," Ginny said in surprise. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to Brenna," he explained. Brenna, already in her dark blue and gold dress, blushed.

"Hi Remus," she said, rushing over to him in spite of her heels and hugging him. "I have a visitor in Dumbledore's office. It might be my father," she added, forgetting to let go.
"Your father?" he questioned. "Bren, what's wrong? Why-" She sniffled.

"Don't you dare ruin your makeup," Runa warned. "She sent him an owl a few days ago about a matter that did and didn't concern you." Remus looked even more confused. Brenna finally pulled away.

"Sorry, Remus," she sniffled. "There's no reason to be nervous, it's just that…" she sighed. "I'll see you later, okay?" She squeezed his hand.

"Do you want me to meet your father?" he asked.

"I… yes, I suppose," she sighed. "I need to speak with him first, though."

"He'll object if you tell him-"

"He'd better not," Brenna growled. "If he does, it's too bad. I'm of age."

"All right," he sighed. "Umm… I brought you something." Sure enough, in the hand Brenna hadn't squeezed was a wrist corsage with a few red roses on it. She smiled.

"Thanks, Moony," she said as he tied it on. "I'll try to bring my father up later to introduce to everyone," she added, emphasizing the last word. With one last nervous smile she rushed down the hallway as quickly as she could in heels. When she finally reached Dumbledore's office, she was out of breath and her feet ached. She didn't know the current password, so she rapped on the door. It soon opened at the headmaster's command.

"Professor Dumbledore," she gasped. "I heard I had a visitor- DADDY!" she said as she saw the tired figure standing next to him.

"Hello, Brens," he greeted her, coming over to give her a hug. "Let me look at you," he added, pulling back. "Why so dressy?" he asked. "Why are there flowers on your wrist?"

"Th-there's a ball tonight," she replied. "My, er, escort gave me the flowers." He raised his eyebrows.

"My little Brenna's growing up," he stated. "You're just like your mother- that is, if you add a few of my features," he added with a grin.

"Stop acting so fatherly," she laughed. "Oh, Daddy," she sighed. "Professor?" she asked, seeing that Dumbledore had moved aside so that they could have some privacy. "Would there be a place where my father and I could converse in safety without being overheard?"

"Certainly," the professor replied. "Two doors to the right of my office, as a matter of fact," he replied.

"Thank you, sir," she replied gratefully. "Daddy?"

"Let's find the place, then," her father replied. "Thank you, headmaster Dumbledore."

"You are welcome. Feel free to come to the feast and stay overnight," he suggested.

"I may take you up on your offer," Mr. O'Brien replied as Brenna led him from Dumbledore's office.

"So, Bren, what's this about silver jewelry?" he asked her as soon as she had shut and locked the door to the room Dumbledore had suggested. "You seemed rather worried."

"Yes," she admitted. "I-- that is, I was worried. For one thing, I had a chance to review some past memories and realize something I hadn't before." He looked a bit nervous at this.

"Brenna Maureen O'Brien, what exactly do you think you've uncovered?" he asked her directly. She stared up into his eyes lovingly.

"There is more than one way to become a werewolf, isn't there?" she asked him. "I had no clue what those spells meant back then, but I do now." He looked down at her.

"What exactly are you implying, Brenna? Do you really think that I'm … a werewolf?" he asked.

"Yes," Brenna replied. "You had monthly business trips, and there was that expression on your face…" she sighed. "Father, I love you. Please tell me the truth."

"And why should I?" he challenged her. "Is it not enough that I want to protect you?"

"No," she replied. "Because you can't. Not forever, at least," she amended. He stared at her; she stared back, not daring to blink.

"Fine," he sighed. "Yes, you are correct in your assumption that I am… a werewolf," he growled. "Even without having been bitten. You are also correct about the jewelry. I found a way to make a werewolf invincible to silver and then destroyed my research."

"Wise idea," Brenna murmured. "Do you remember it?" He searched her eyes. "Who gave you those flowers?"

"A wonderful person whom I met years ago named Remus," she replied. "You'll love him if you let yourself," she added. "I cared for him years before I knew… and I still care for him." She blushed.

"Dating a werewolf?" he questioned.

"Dating Remus John Lupin, bitten by Fenrir Greyback at a young age," Brenna corrected him. Her father flinched at the name.

"Brenna, this really isn't safe," he warned her.

"You were made a werewolf by an evil person; you're not bad," she reasoned. "I've attended school with Remus for seven years; for several of those I have conversed with him via radio." Her father grew paler.

"You're entranced," he breathed. "My daughter's in love." He sighed. "How did you find out I was a werewolf?"

"Veritas Durmiendi potion," she replied. "We made it in potions class recently and our professor forced us to drink it. Except for Malfoy and Lestrange, of course," she added. "Somehow Malfoy managed to glue a basket to his hands and, er, he had a bit trouble making the potion."

"He's a prankster, isn't he?" her father groaned.

"Malfoy? He's a pureblood git," she replied.

"No, this Remus person; I already knew about Malfoy."

"He's studious, but yes, he is a prankster. That wasn't his doing, though. I believe Sirius and Runa may have had something to do with that." Her eyes twinkled.

"Don't they loathe each other?"

"Who knows?" she sighed. "Would you like to ask my professors about Remus? I am sure that our potions master disapproves, but Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall surely wouldn't mind him. He is a prefect, after all."

"All right," he agreed. "I believe I will accept the headmaster's invitation to dinner, and I will be sitting with the staff." He grinned. "So, shall I meet these crazy friends of yours?"

"Will you tell me the secret about the silver?" Brenna pressed.

"Let me meet him first," her father replied. "Now, who are these new friends you referred to in your letter? How can anyone 'sort of' be an exchange student?"

"Well, they seem like they have been at Hogwarts for as long as I have," Brenna replied. Perhaps because they have, she thought. "So, where have you been for the past few months?"

"Germany, Ireland, Spain, and half a dozen other places," he replied.

"Wow! Why do you get to do so much travelling?" she asked shyly.

"Dark times," he replied. "I'm expendible. I have gotten to do some sightseeing, though," he added. "I found you a necklace in Spain," he added. "I was in this armory shop, see. The owner wanted me to get something to Dumbledore and gave me the necklace as payment. I see you're not wearing one," he added.

"Well, I certainly don't want to wear silver," she replied, bemused.

"It'll make Remus keep his distance," he teased her. She rolled her eyes.

"Precisely," she replied, winking.

"Don't worry, the necklace is gold," he told her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Peppermint Toads, the sugarless ones?" Annie questioned Rosa. "How nice of the person! And you really don't know who sent them?"

"No," Rosa admitted. "It was sweet, though; he knows I don't like to eat chocolate or sugary stuff. And he said to save him a dance! I don't think I will, though," she sniffed. "It could be Snape or someone equally horrid! Imagine," she giggled.

"True. I plan to be busy with Amos," Annie admitted. "Unless, of course, one of the Marauders asks me to dance; the exchange students are something to speak of as well." They giggled together. "So, who is your date?"

"I don't have one," Rosa admitted. "I turned down Snape and a Hufflepuff lad; you know our boys don't want anything to do with us after that incident with the Spaniard in Hogsmeade."

"They did get punished rather harshly," Annie sniffed. "Us, too; it's so unfair that we can only stay for half the dance."

"And cleaning bedpans," Rosa shuddered. "To think that Flitwick agreed to this, and condoned it. Well, he is part goblin somewhere, I bet. We should have gone to Beauxbaton."

"Definitely," Annie agreed. "Well, shall we sample your peppermint toads?" she asked. "I hate to say this, but I am hungry."

"A peppermint toad it is." She opened the box and removed two carefully before handing one to Annie.

"One, two, three, go!" she counted before the two of them took a dainty bite at the toad's nose.

"Delicious," Annie decided. "Well, as delicious as a sugar-free sweet can be," she amended. She took a larger bite, as did her friend.

"Oh, what the heck; the boys aren't around, nor is that horrid Sara," Rosa decided before they finished off their toads with huge bites. She sniffled. "I feel odd," she said suddenly. Annie sneezed.

"Do you think there was something in the toads?" she worried.

"Of course not," Rosa protested. "Who would have sent it?" She sneezed. "It's not like we have any enemies worth worrying about. We're-- we're us."

"Still, we'd better quit munching; I don't want my dress to stop fitting." She broke into a coughing fit. "Ugh. Let's go see Madame Waxley." She sneezed again.

"Madame Waxley won't do anything," Rosa grumbled, now coughing herself. "Perfect timing," she added sarcastically.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brenna and her father arrived at the head suite only to find Sara waiting patiently outside the main door.

"Hey, Sara," Brenna greeted her. "You look nice." Indeed, she did; one of the fifth-year Ravenclaw girls had agreed to do her hair, and the girl was wearing more makeup than she usually did. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Only a minute," she replied. "It's a bit too loud for them to hear me, I suppose," she sighed.

"I don't hear any noise," her father commented. "Does the headmaster know that you have developed a sound shield for your rooms?"

"I'm not sure," Brenna replied. "Shall I go in first to see if it's safe?" she asked Sara and her father.

"No, I think it will be all right," Sara replied. Brenna looked at her father, who nodded.

"I want to see why you need those charms," he explained, amused for a reason that Brenna could not quite ascertain.

"There may not be any arguments," Brenna warned him. "Argelfraster." The door opened; immediately they heard shouting and shrill screams, which caused Mr. O'Brien and Sara to cover their ears with their hands. Angry and flushing with embarrassment because of bickering, Brenna pulled out her wand and pointed it toward herself. "Sonorus," she muttered.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "NOT ONLY HAVE YOU LEFT A FRIEND AT THE DOOR WAITING FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG BECAUSE YOU CAN'T STOP BICKERING ON A BLOODY HOLIDAY, BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE FOOLS OF YOURSELVES AND ME IN FRONT OF MY FATHER!!" She paused for a moment, then, forgetting about the sonorus charm, began to shriek. "WELL, I WON'T STAND FOR THIS!!" The others had put their hands over their ears as soon as she raised her voice. Noticing this, she screamed even louder.

"LISTEN UP, YOU PRA – oops," she said in a more "normal" tone of voice as she remembered she had used the sonorus charm; her face reddened once more, but this time it was in embarrassment. She pointed her wand at herself again and reversed the charm before looking over at her father, who was laughing quietly.

"What?" she demanded.

"I haven't seen such a display of your temper for years," he explained, still chuckling. "Why don't you introduce them?"

"Oh, er, sure," she replied. "Of course, Daddy. That's Lily over there, and James, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Runa, Sirius, and Nela," she said, pointing at them in turn. You've already met Sara. Where's Remus?" she asked Sirius.

"How should I know?" he asked.

"Find out," she replied. The door into the guys' section opened slowly.

"Oh, good, it's safe," Remus said.

"That all depends on what you consider 'safe,'" Brenna replied.

"Of course. How silly of me to forget," he replied, stepping into the main room. "Hello, Mr. O'Brien. It's a pleasure to meet you," he added politely. Mr. O'Brien held out his hand. Remus walked towards him and accepted it.

"I assume you are simply being polite," he replied. "However, indeed it is a pleasure. Remus Lupin, I assume?" He nodded. "I have heard much about you." Brenna groaned. Please be nice, please be nice, she pleaded mentally.

"What about us?" Sirius asked. He smiled.

"Let's see. You're Sirius Black, the renegade who hangs out with muggleborns and wreaks havoc over the school with his friends, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Mortal enemy of Severus Snape and Runa Soleine…" Runa blushed at this while Sirius shrugged his shoulders.

"What is it?" Remus asked him. "Has Sirius Black become modest?" he teased.

"That'll be the day Snivellus washes his hair," he replied, grinning.

"So, Mr. Lupin, what exactly have you done to my daughter?" Mr. O'Brien asked gruffly.

"Um, Daddy?" Brenna interrupted cautiously. "Perhaps we should discuss something else."

"Of course, Brens," he apologized. "It's been a long day; a long month, actually." She took his hand and squeezed it. "It was a pleasure meeting all of you. Enjoy your evening; I'll be eating with the professors." With a small smile, he hugged Brenna one more time and left the room. Brenna plopped onto a chair and put her head in her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she muttered. "He's not normally like that, really. I overwhelmed him." Remus came over and placed a hand over her shoulder.

"You're fine. He needed to know about me."

"It wasn't just that," she replied. She put her hands down and sat straight up. "You know what? This doesn't matter now. Let's just go to dinner and the dance and enjoy ourselves." Remus smiled and stroked her cheek, but she could sense apprehensiveness in his touch.

"Moony, I told you he'll come around," she reminded him. "Even if he doesn't, I will be of age soon. I can't tell any of you what we were talking about; it doesn't matter tonight. He'll be in a better mood tomorrow, most likely."

"What were you fighting about?" Sara interrupted. "Sirius? Runa?"

"Nothing," they both replied quickly, turning red.

"Okay, I'll ask someone else, then," she decided. "Nela?"

"I don't know; they were talking too fast," she explained. She was decent with English, but she still had trouble understanding when people were speaking rapidly and in high-pitched voices. "Ron and Hermione were shouting as well."

"I can keep asking or you can tell me," Sara informed them. "Runes, who is your escort?"

"No one," she replied quickly while Sirius said, "Davies."

"They've been irritating the lot of us," James explained.

"It's his fault," Runa protested. "He's making presumptions of all sorts and making an idiot of himself! And then Ron and Hermione-" Runa was interrupted by her aforementioned friends.

"Hey! Don't blame us!"

"We're just trying to help," Hermione added. "And then Ron comes in and-"

"I come in and what?" Ron demanded. "If you weren't such a-" Remus cleared his throat.

"I beg you all, speak sensibly in nonaccusatory tones. Padfoot, you first. Then Runa. Then, if necessary, Hermione, and then Ron. Padfoot?"

"Runes refused my kersmage, and said that I was an immature prick for playing a harmless little prank on those horrid twits in Ravenclaw," Sirius complained.

"Well of course I would, when Nela told you she didn't want you to get revenge," Runa defended herself.

"Nuh-uh, she said revenge was best cold and I gave them colds," Sirius replied. Marianela turned red.

"Remus, Brenna, me permite- may I speak?" she asked.

"Of course," Remus replied. She took in a deep breath.

"Sirius, you had no right to seek revenge; it was me they harmed," she pleaded passionately. "I thank you for your concern, but do not hurt to help me, and Runa, Hermione, Ron, please do not argue." Hermione pressed her lips together; Ron and Sirius opened their mouths and shut them again. Marianela sniffled. "Uy! What a night for this!" Everyone in the room felt somber from this business; the silence after this felt horrible, but no one wanted to break it. Finally Runa spoke.

"At least we get to hear Professor Plieth recite poetry." She grinned at their surprised looks. "You'd forgotten?" The others nodded.

"I hope it'll be Shakespeare," Harry said fervently, scuffing his shoes against the carpet. "He wrote some pretty stupid stuff." Hermione and Lily glanced at each other, not sure if they wanted to agree or disagree with him on the caliber of his works; they had enjoyed some of his plays, but some of the sonnets were a bit, well… ridiculously flowery. Those without the knowledge of Muggle literature merely looked confused.

"Um, let's forget about the shaky weapons and get to dinner," Sirius finally suggested. "I'm starving."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The group entered the dining hall of Hogwarts in pairs, awed by the decorations; having saved money by having the house elves cook the food, they had hired an outside company to decorate the dining hall. The sky had been charmed to appear like a cloudless night sky, but the moon was just a waning crescent. The chandeliers still hung with well-lit candles, and instead of the normal tables there were round ones all over the room covered with linen tablecloths, which had a pattern incorporating the various houses' colors. There were more candles on each table, along with freshly cut flowers (Sirius, who had allergies, started sneezing almost immediately before Runa cast a charm over them). Folded pieces of paper lay on top of each plate.

The Marauders and Sequestradoras took up two tables next to each other and sat down with their respective dates; Marianela and Sara sat with Ginny and Harry.

"What are these papers for?" Sirius asked randomly, looking at the menus the prefects had made up.

"They're menus," Ron replied helpfully, pronouncing it 'men-ooze.' "Muggles use them to order food at restaurants."

"They're menus," Hermione corrected. "That was a wonderful idea, allowing a wide but limited selection, mimicking that in restaurants."

"Yes, well, that way there are not as many complaints," Lily explained as she scanned the menu. Seconds later, the others at the table also started scanning their menus; they were glad to find a distraction from nervousness.

--

Marianela fiddled with her wrist corsage as she listened to her friends' chatter. She was feeling lonely tonight despite her company—lonely for her family. She missed her mother's kind words, her father's hugs, and even the teasing remarks her siblings always made and, while she appreciated the flowers the boys had given her, she still felt slightly left out. She glanced over at Sara to see how she fared; Sara was chatting with Ginny, who was trying not to look at her date. Marianela smiled slightly at Ginny before resuming her thoughts about her family. However, she was soon interrupted.

"Aren't you going to eat, Marianela?" Harry asked her. Marianela started.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"Aren't you hungry?" She smiled faintly in response.

"Thank you, I… not really," she admitted. Ginny and Sara now glanced up.

"Oh, Nela, we're sorry for neglecting you," Ginny apologized. "I just—I—" Marianela smiled again; this time it lingered for a few seconds before disappearing again.

"I was just thinking about my family," she whispered quietly. "However, I do not wish to bother."

"You're not," Harry replied. Sara nodded her head in agreement.
"What do you think of Brenna's father?" Sara asked, trying to change the subject.

"He seems nice enough," Ginny replied, "although he doesn't seem sure about Moony." Marianela started to return to her reverie, but Ginny noticed.

"What?" she asked Marianela.

"Pardon me?" Marianela responded.

"What are you thinking about?" Ginny clarified, remembering for once that English was her friend's second language.

"The necklace Brenna is wearing—it is a design of my father's."

"Are you certain?" Sara asked.

"Quite. Either my father or brother made it."

"Your father was a jeweler?" Harry asked. "That's … different."
"I suppose it is," she sighed, "But that is what I wish to be as well."

"Would you want a shop on Diagon Alley?" Ginny asked. "That way you would be close to England."
"Or you could join me in Italy," Sara added eagerly. Marianela shrugged.

"I have not decided anything."

"How does one become a jeweler?" Harry asked. Marianela smiled.

"Well, one has an apprenticeship for approximately two years; I have studied under my father for the past seven summers and have studied in school during my spare time."

"What do you need to know? Don't you just have to bend metal and cut gems?" Ginny asked interestedly. Marianela smiled at her friend's sudden interest and wondered privately whether nervousness about Harry or concern for Marianela's welfare prompted Ginny's sudden interest in jewelry making. However, she proceeded to describe some of the things she had studied, being careful not to bore them with the intricate details of the trade.

……………………………………..

My sincerest apologies—between writer's block and etc. I have no time to write except for essays… but here is a bit more. Thank you for your reviews, and I hope you have enjoyed this much.

-Auramistealia