matching hearts ━ r. lupin

Chapter 11

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏
*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Aria and Sirius were attacking each other.

Remus watched with some amusement and some concern.

Aria was a chaser. She's always been a chaser. She was sharp and fast both physically and mentally. It's just how things were.

But when Sirius nearly split her in half with a bludger she was quick to request a position change break during a timeout.

So now she sported a beater's bat and a vendetta against a nuisance named Sirius.

While she didn't have the most obvious build, she remained quite strong with toned arms from throwing around a quaffle weekly. She was strong. Strong enough to engage in the two-minute—and going—spar with Sirius.

The audience, players on the pitch, and poor Madame Hooch all kept their heads swiveling as Aria and Sirius hit the iron ball back and forth.

Even the Hufflepuff captain Elanora Sink had stopped with the quaffle in hand, delighted to watch the battle while buying her seeker more time to catch the snitch.

In the end that's exactly what happened. The newly appointed second-year Hufflepuff seeker swooped down and caught the snitch that was, funnily enough, right by Sirius' ear.

"Funny game huh," Remus looked to the girl standing by his side. Lex Foster. Gryffindor. Sixth year.

He nodded sending her a polite smile. "Yeah, it was."

They were both trying to exit the stands but with the massive amount of students in front of them, it would likely take ages.

She blushed. She had dark hair—a bit like Aria's, Remus thought, but straighter and sleeker, no hidden curl in sight—and dark brown eyes.

Remus quite liked Lex. They had done a transfiguration project together a while back. She was easy to work with and funny at times. They'd gotten along.

"Lexie," One of her friends stood on her other side. Remus glanced around and realized he was surrounded by a gaggle of fifth and sixth-year Gryffindors, all with the same 'I'm holding back the biggest giggle right now' look.

Remus was worried.

"Ignore them," Lex rolled her eyes. "Look I came to ask if you'd be my date to the Slug club thing."

Remus gulped and stalled. "I didn't know invitations went out already."

"He's already told me I'm invited," She said and Remus silently cursed. "Would you go with me? You're the only person I could think of."

Remus internally winced. He was surrounded. Lex was next to him and her friends were on all of his sides. The girls peered at him, waiting for an answer.

"Mhm," Remus hummed, his throat dry and his answer high-pitched. In a last helpless moment, he hoped Lex was the type of person who didn't take unsure hums as yeses.

"Great!" Lex said and her friends all smiled at Remus, satisfied with his response.

"Mhm," Remus hummed again.

***

Aria glided across the ice with grace only one of the three boys beside her seemed to be capable of replicating.

The bottoms of her school shoes had been transformed into skates suitable for moving across the black lake that froze overnight. It was a frosty December afternoon.

The castle had only been on the receiving end of heavy rain and sludgy half-melted snow for a dreadful two months. But today beautiful snowflakes fell and landed on her, Regulus', James', and Peter's noses as they enjoyed their day on the frozen water. A bit of an odd group.