𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸, remus lupin

˗ˋ 34

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH PANDORA ARRIVES
IN THE STANDS

. . .

Pandora stared up at the Quidditch pitch and surrounding stands, coloured cloth reflecting back in the blue eyes. All around her, other students either in red and gold or green and silver surging around her to try and get the best seats they could manage.

She was still regretting accepting, or even letting Remus think that he could ask if she would come with him. It had gone too far. She was merely entertaining his suggestions, never thought that she would end up taking them.

Because there was no way in hell that this was a good idea. Pandora, even after being submerged in the life of a student at Hogwarts for almost two months now, had never gotten used to the sheer mass of the student body at the school, and seeing them all attempt to get into the stands was quite plainly overwhelming. 

"Pandora - come on." Remus appeared by her side again, having walked with James, Sirius and Peter over to the changing room doors. Pandora wasn't in the least interested in Quidditch, but she knew that the Potter boy was the captain and chaser for the team - and probably who she should be supporting during the game. If she hadn't overheard so many of his conversations with his friends, then perhaps she would have chosen to support Gryffindor.

"How high up do you go?" She asked as she followed him towards where the majority of those wearing scarlet and gold were flooding to. Remus met her eyes. "It's just a question, Wolfy." 

"Don't call me that." Remus swallowed, watching as the girl raised her eyebrows, making her way up onto the first of many rickety wooden stairs. "But it's not too high up. So don't worry."

"No need, I wasn't." Pandora chirped, continuing up the staircase with the Lupin boy following quickly behind her. "Is this where Sirius and Peter are?" She asked as they came to an opening in the patterned fabric that covered the wooden frame that formed the surroundings of the pitch.

"Yeah, they should be right through there." Remus nodded. He was yet to inform his friends that there was an extra person joining them to watch the first match of the season, but he could clearly imagine what it would go like. "Let me go first."

He eased past her, stepping out onto the planks and looking around, glad to see that someone had managed to get places in the middle. They were as good of seats as you could get - the front ones you could feel the pressure of all those behind, and at the back, it felt as if you could fall off any second.

"Remus - good, you're here." Sirius looked towards where the werewolf was stood, before looking back towards the pitch, trying to see whether the team had approached the entrance to the pitch yet. "We were thinking you might have decided to commentate again and-" Sirius spotted Pandora behind him. "Moony what the hell are you doing?"

"She's come to watch the match, Sirius." Remus wasn't actually going to plead with his best friends to let Pandora stay, this was one thing he actually had his heart set on - a feeling almost as strongly as he had been against the three boys becoming animagi and coming out with him on full moons, terrified that he would hurt them. "You don't have to talk to her, because I can do that perfectly fine myself."

Pandora followed him over, peering past Sirius and Remus to their other friends; Peter looked scared out his mind as he rose his hand to wave, and after days of hearing Remus relay a small amount of details over his interactions with Pandora, the girls seemed to have changed at least some of their opinions on the Slytherin, and even offered smiles. 

"Hm. How pretty." Pandora's voice cuut through whatever point Sirius was tyring to make, and his gaze turned towards her. "Hello Sirius." Her tone changed completely, almost diplomatic as she conversed with her distance relative. "Parents still 'just fine'." 

"Parents still dead?" Sirius retorted, words replicas of their first interactions after her introduction to the school as the newest member of the student body. 

"Alright, calm down." Remus placed his hand on Sirius's shoulder and manouvered him back to where he was stood previous, much more careful with his actions to Pandora as he moved her so that he was inbetween the feuding relatives - he was much more liable to an accident if Pandora got annoyed.

Cheers echoed as the Gryffindor team appeared in the centre of the pitch, Slytherins getting a complete opposite reaction. Remus glanced around, seeing Pandora looking conflicted, hands moving slowly as they clapped for either team, neither specified. All around them, people were hazarding glances in her directions, scared, or questioning why she was there at all. 

Remus decided to make up her mind for her; he pulled the Gryffindor scarf from around his neck and turned to her, hand on either end as he lifted it around her neck. It wasn't just the colours, a stark contrast to what she was usually seen in, that made her seem that little bit more vibrant as the match began with the piercing sound of Madam Hooch's whistle.

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