Joanna and Regulus were sitting by the Great Lake finishing their Transfiguration paper on cross-species switches using transforming spells. They decided a change of scenery from the library was much needed especially on such a lovely day at Hogwarts.
"And done! Beat you. Again," Regulus taunted with satisfaction.
Jo justified, "Oi! I have two more paragraphs than you so shut it!"
"Quality over quantity, Potter. You know McGonagall doesn't care if you write 5 more pages if they're just rubbish," he teased.
Feigning hurt, Jo replied, "I am severely offended, Black. I can't believe you repay my generosity like this."
He playfully bowed down to her, "Oh no, how could I set things right? Your wish is my command."
After a moment of pondering possible pranks to pull on Reg, Jo came up with an idea since they were working just along the very edge of the lake.
"Ok then. Stand up and move over here," she shepherded him to the exact spot, "Right. Now close your eyes."
Keeping his arms stretched out for balance, Reg warned, "Don't do anything too stupid, Potter. You can't outshine James, can you?"
"I just might!" she shouted the instant she pushed Regulus into the lake.
After a couple of seconds, Jo noticed Reg did not come up for air. She was just about to ask for help when he came out splashing her with water and laughing at her trickery. She hunched over in laughter and contentment.
However once she calmed down, Regulus continued laughing. Or she thought he was laughing until she walked closer to the edge to see him crying for help.
"Just hold my hand, Reg. I'll get you out," she frantically advised.
Even though he did manage to hold her, Jo was unable to get him out of the water. That's when she heard snickering and felt the glares of students looking on at the commotion.
"Help! Please!" she uttered.
No one did anything but stare so she urged, "Don't just stand there, help me!"
She kept on pulling Regulus to no avail and his gasping for air persisted. At that point, her classmates started laughing at her and mocking her desperate plea for aid.
"James!" she called out for her brother, trying to find him in the crowd.
But when she returned her gaze on Regulus, a few meters away in the lake, bodies had appeared. They were floating on the surface of the water, motionless and pale. She shrieked as she made out the faces of the corpses - Sirius, James, Lily, and her parents were lying there lifeless.
She jumped back and let go of Regulus's hand that had strangely stopped moving as well.
"Help! Help! Someone call for help!" she screamed at the crowd.
The incessant sound of the schoolchildren's giggles was driving her mad.
She practically begged as tears ran down her face, "Stop it! This isn't funny!"
Joanna woke up in a cold sweat to find Sirius sleeping next to her. It had only been a nightmare, yet she placed her finger under his nose to verify he was still alive. She sighed in relief as she felt warm air pass around her finger and saw his chest move up and down continuously. Carefully, she got out of bed and tiptoed out of the room for a drink to calm her nerves. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest when she heard shuffling in the kitchen. Fortunately, she came face to face with Remus Lupin.
She placed her hands on her chest, "Merlin, Rem you scared the life out of me!"
Slightly amused he responded, "Sorry. Though your face was priceless..."
She reasoned, "Hey, I thought we had a home intruder!"
"Raiding your tea bags?" he asked.
She could not back down from her point, "Well I- I don't know maybe they were running short of their supply?" They both giggled at that.
He questioned, "So to what do I owe the pleasure of this little midnight rendezvous?"
"Bad dream. Thought I could quietly and safely make myself a cup before getting frightened in the kitchen," she reprimanded.
He noted, "I am truly sorry about making some tea... in my own kitchen... in my flat..."
"Apology accepted," she firmly stated.
He handed over a mug of the warm drink he had just made before putting more water on the kettle for himself.
"Your scars are barely visible now," Remus observed.
Her hands started to trace the marks on her neck, "They won't disappear, though."
"You'll just have to learn to live with them," he pointed out.
"With the constant reminder of my stupidity," she muttered.
Remus corrected, "With the constant reminder of your strength."
She laughed bitterly in response.
He clarified, "You can't blame yourself for what that... monster did to you"
"I should've tried harder. I shouldn't have made it so easy for him," she spoke with a regretful tone.
He warmly looked at her, knowing self-deprecation all too well, "You couldn't have known what was going to happen, Jo. And I'm sure you put up a good fight."
"I could have been more careful, but I wasn't. I was stupid, Remus," she repeated.
He mentioned, "You let your emotions guide you into deciding to meet Regulus. But that doesn't mean you deserved any of it, Joanna."
"I could have... done something. I shouldn't have let them do that. I shouldn't have put you all in danger trying to rescue me," her voice small and timid.
"Joanna, you have always been there for me during my worst moments, during my most painful transformations, during my most stressful times. We would never leave you behind no matter what," he walked across the kitchen to hug her.
She softly spoke, "You're a great friend, Rem. I can't thank you enough."
"And I, you," he whispered.
A/N: I know it's fluff, but I wanted to include a sort-of nice "memory" of Jo and Reg after his death (and a lil Jo and Remus moment). XX lovelies!
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The Other One | Sirius Black
Fanfiction"I'm sorry, I just... remembered something," she muttered as her fingers traced the scars on her throat. He placed his hands on her shoulders before whispering, "It's just me." "It's just you," she sighed. ...
