Her Single Rose (Remus Lupin)

Fifty-Two

Aries sat in a compartment with Marlene, Rose Parkinson, Roses friend Jess, and Aries couldn't have been more out of it.

"I don't understand how mudbloods could even look at me, disgusting rats, that's what they are." Jess spat.

"I know, they shouldn't let any witch or wizard at Hogwarts unless they're pure blood, like us." Rose hissed.

"Well what do you expect from Dumbledore? Plus, we go to Hogwarts." Jess argued.

"Yes, Hogwarts is supposed to be the most prestigious wizarding school in the world." Rose rolled her eyes.

"It's hardly prestigious when people lower than us even attend." Jess shook her head.

"Agreed, what about you two girls, have any to add?" Rose looked to Aries and Marlene.

Marlene, having her head against the window dozing off simply lifted her head in acknowledgment.

Aries, who was reading about charms and DADA in both her hands, lifted a brow showing she was listening.

"I may or may not have caught a virus last week and it's still sitting with me." Marlene answered.

"I might have it as well, actually. Do you two mind grabbing a few candies from the trolley? I heard they managed to put more on the cart." Aries agreed.

Rose and Jess only made a face, gathering their own belongings and 'getting candy from the trolley'.

"How long do you think they'll be gone for?" Marlene asked as she placed her head back on the window.

"It's Parkinson and Linthron, they won't be back." Aries hid her devious smirk, though Marlene showed hers proudly as they fist bumped without glancing at the other.

Ever since Rose and Jess's parents, plus Marlenes and Aries, decided the four would be a great friend group, Aries and Marlene had made sure to disgust the other two out of the compartment.

They came up with dozens of fake illnesses and reasons for Rose and Jess to leave without moving an inch and sounding believable.

But what made Marlene curious, was how Rose and Jess never second guessed the illnesses or tried to even make an effort to come back later.

Then again, Aries and Marlene weren't complaining.

"So, tell me, how do you two always manage to freak out Rose and Jess out of their wits and always come running to my compartment?" Regulus asked as he opened up their compartment door and leaned against it with his hands in his pockets.

Aries rolled her eyes at Marlenes thoughts and looked back to her brother with a smirk. "Sorry, brother. But I'm not exactly keen on someone else using our ideas." She told him simply.

"So you did that talking thing, the rambling and scared them with the facts." Regulus chuckled lowly at Marlene.

Her face flushed as she looked up at him through her lashes, a small smirk spreading over Aries face as she figured out what Marlene was about to do.

"Well, Regulus..." she started and stood up, her skirt rising a bit as she brushed a piece of her hair behind ear and folded her hands behind her back.

Regulus eyed her quickly, and shifted his position.

"...we actually just started talking about how sad it was when sea creatures die in the ocean from not having enough oxygen, and from there it kind of drifted to the topics of what would we say or do if we only had one last breath to live on Earth and then that got us talking to what would happen when us girls die and if we did during our menstrual cycle, if we kept bleeding out or-"