McKinnon

| CHAPTER SIXTEEN |

     "I've always loved looking at the stars." Michael said dreamily, as the two sat in the astronomy tower.
    Michael had brought the small blue and bronze blanket he had lent snuffles long ago, Along with a small basket filled with sandwiches and pastries. Undoubtedly, he'd made a visit to the kitchens before his lunch date with Sarai. They looked up at the bright blue sky, as the sun shone brightly down on them. The cool winter breeze was still in the air, and the sun was a rare sight to see in january. Sarai definitely appreciated it beating down upon them.
     "My dad and I used to track the constellations every night on the boat, when I was just a lad." He explained to Sarai, before biting into a crumpet.
     Sarai smiled as she looked up at the clouds. She hummed softly as a fairy flew by, attracted by the smell of sweets from their basket.
   "You guys own a boat?" She asked before laying down on the soft blanket, fiddling with a peanut butter sandwich.
     "We used to," Michael said, leaning back into the blanket to join her. He turned his head to the left to face her. "It was a sailboat. We had on the lake next to our house. But it got destroyed back in first-year."
     Sarai frowned, looking into his shining lime eyes. "What happened to it?"
      Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as a pained expression fell upon his face. "Fenrir Greyback. " He said before opening his eyes again. "He had gone on a rampage near my family's village. Wreaked all sorts of havoc during the full-moon."
        Fenrir Greyback. Sarai had heard of him before, he was the reason Uncle Remus got turned into a werewolf himself. She scowled at the thought of the monster. "He should have been locked up a long time ago." She said bitterly, as one of her curls fell onto her face.
      "Forget it," Michael said giving her a smile, before quickly moving to brush the strand of hair from her face. Her face tingled from where his hands brushed against her cheek. Sarai blushed and looked at the sky, "What about you? You and your uncle do anything special growing up?"
     She shrugged, "Honestly, not too much." She admitted sheepishly. "We didn't really have much growing up. Uncle Rem always tried to make ends meet, but it was hard." She said before looking back into michael's eyes again. "He refused to use any of the money my mum left before she died. He said it was for my school supplies and for when I was older and such."
           Michael paused, carefully listening to Sarai. "I tried really hard, but he wouldn't let me pay for anything. Even when we barely had anything to eat. He'd always use mum's money to pay for my food, my clothes, my books. But he'd rather starve than take anything for himself. It was a miracle he let me buy him new robes this christmas from the money I randomly got in the post."
        "One time," Sarai said before looking back up at sky again, "He sent me to live with my grandad, for a summer. We spent the entire time trying to learn how to cook." She giggled at the thought. "Apparently Hope, Uncle Rem's mom was the only one who had a knack for it in our family."
        Michael chuckled softly, "I'm actually really good at cooking." He said. "I can teach you if you'd like."
      Sarai smiled and nodded, "Please." She said before giggling again, "Though it might be a lost cause. Us Lupin's aren't exactly known for our culinary arts."
     "It'll be our next date." Michael promised while sliding an arm underneath her head, causing her smile to widen. She snuggled in closer to him, while fighting the butterflies in her stomach.
"Deal."

         The rest of the week was seeming to breeze by for Sarai, as she enjoyed the cheery mood she had from her date with Michael. He'd taken to walking her to her classes, after their shared ones together, and they'd often find time to meet in between classes themselves. Thursday evening, she had taken the evening after classes, however, to go visit Snuffles. She had spent the entire time, talking about Michael and how well their situationship was forming.
       "And you better be nice to him, Snuffles." Sarai warned him, as she ran her hand through Snuffles fur. "He's been nothing but a downright gentleman, and has been keen on keeping you happy to." She said pointedly raising an eyebrow at her dog.
      Snuffles let out a mix between a growl and a whine. He definitely wasn't a fan of anyone else getting Sarai's attention.           "I'm serious." She said, earning a snort-like noise from him. "Play nice."