𝑠𝑖𝑥𝑡𝑦.

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The last month of summer flew by in a haze full of Exploding Snap tournaments, late night walks, and a seemingly endless amount of laughter that made the Lupin and Potter parents realize that Hollis had barely made it out in time. On their last day of freedom before they transferred their mischief from Lupin Cottage to Hogwarts, Remus walked into the kitchen with a large yawn that made Hollis giggle.

"What?" he asked, leaning against the counter next to her and taking a sip of the hot chocolate Hope had made with the notice of the slight autumn chill in the air that symbolized the end of the last heavenly month the four of them would spend in the forest. 

"What were you two doing last night that made you get so little sleep?" Sirius asked mischievously, tugging a shirt over his head as he walked into the kitchen. "I didn't enjoy you kicking us out of your room, you know. As gorgeous as I look sleeping on the floor, it's not as comfortable as it seems."

Instead of the usual clever retort, Hollis was awkwardly silent as she took a long sit of the rich, brown liquid.

Sirius crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, slowly glancing between his two soundless friends whose cheeks had both darkened as they avoided eye contact.

"Okay, sure, just don't tell your best friend," Sirius grumbled as he walked out of the room dramatically.

Watching him leave with their mugs raised at the bend in their elbows, Hollis and Remus were still quiet until the instant he got out of eyesight. They both burst out into laughter, knowing that Sirius was definitely going to pop back in and realize any moment now.

"How long do you think it's going to take for him to come back?" Hollis asked, leaning her shoulders against Remus's chest and looking up at him with a grin. 

"I would give it a few sec-"

"WAIT," Sirius shouted, tripping back into the room with a slide in his obnoxiously pink fuzzy socks he and Hollis had enchanted to change colors based on how many times James said something about Lily in a day, much to the Potter's annoyance. 

Hollis and Remus instantly wiped the laughter off their faces and gave him theatrically neutral expressions in response.

"What is it Pads?" Hollis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'M TELLING JAMES!"

In less than an minute, James also came sprinting in the room breathlessly.

"MERLIN, WE WERE ALL THINKING IT WAS JUST ABOUT TIME," he shouted. "LILY SAID THAT-"

Sirius's socks changed to orange at the his first mention of the redhead of the day.

"Why did you guys make that enchantment?" James groaned, holding his hands out in exasperation to Sirius's socks.

"Documentation," Hollis replied smoothly, rinisng out her cup in the sink. 

"Okay, but for real, did you two really-"

"Morning, my all grown up seventh years!" Euphemia exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen, giving all of them a hug in turn. "I'm so proud of you four!"

Sirius immediately cut of his statement with her presence, coughing uncomfortably. Mia was still completely oblivious to what had just been being discussed before she walked in the room.

"We need to make a stop in Diagon Alley as soon as we get your lists," she declared, pouring herself a cup of hot water from the blue painted teapot. "They should be coming any moment now."

Right on cue as Euphemia was sinking her chamomile tea bag into the steaming water, the Lupin's owl perched on the window with four letters in its talons.

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