Among The Stars --- Remus Lupin

•ten•

Ara was excited for Halloween. Her friends had been bragging about Hogwart's amazing Halloween feast for weeks. Her mouth watered at the mention of beef stew, corn on the cob, glazed carrots, pumpkin pie, and all the treacle tarts you could eat.

"Don't even get me started on the Great Hall," Lily mused. "They grow giant pumpkins to display around the tables and Dumbledore enchants live bats to fly around the students. Ooh and the ceiling always looks spooky! The ghosts sit at the tables and tell scary stories. Ara it's amazing, I can't wait for you to see it."

The students could hardly sit through their classes on Halloween in excitement for the feast. The teachers seemed to go easy on them, they too seemed antsy for a night of no stress.

Ara stopped by the library right before the feast. She really wanted a book about unicorn blood that she had seen someone reading earlier. She asked the librarian who informed her that they were currently all checked out.

"One of the ghosts checked it out a few weeks back. I think he left his copy in the empty classroom by the troll statue if you want to borrow it," Madam Pince smiled.

Ara thanked her and made her way towards the classroom. On her way out of the library, she bumped into Remus.

"I've been sent to find you," Remus announced.

"Oh yeah? By who?" Ara asked.

"Lily. She said something about how you'd lose track of time and then turn into a bookshelf. You know how she can be."

Ara laughed. Lily had been trying to get Remus and Ara alone together since the quidditch game. She always abandoned her in the hallway so Ara and Remus could walk together.

"I have to go get a book about unicorn blood out of a classroom. You're welcome to tag along," Ara said, slightly hoping that he would.

"I don't think I've got anywhere else to be. Which classroom?"

"The empty one by the troll statue."

"I know exactly the one."

Remus led her through the halls until they reached the room. As she was looking for the book in a desk, Peeves soared into the room and threw several hourglasses onto the floor. Glass shattered and sand covered the ground.

"You guys are running out of time to get to the feast! Better hurry!" he snickered. Then he flew out of the room and hurried down the hallway.

"Shut the door so the teachers don't see. I'll repair them," Remus instructed calmly. He had obviously dealt with Peeves' shenanigans before.

Ara shut the door and Remus knelt on the floor, muttering 'Reparo' under his breath. When all of the hourglasses were put back together, Ara gathered them up and stored them in an empty cabinet.

"Good as new," she praised.

Remus checked his watch, "We better hurry if we want to hear Dumbledore's opening speech."

"Wait! My book!" she exclaimed.

"I think the Bloody Baron normally keeps things--" Remus opened a desk drawer and peered inside, "--here. There it is!"

He pulled out the book and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she grinned, feeling giddy for no reason.

Ara made to open the door, but the handle wouldn't twist. She jiggled it, thinking it must be stuck. Remus tried the doorknob next, but it wouldn't budge.

"No worries," she said, pulling out her wand. "Alohomora."

The door stayed shut. Remus tried, but to no avail.

Remus looked at Ara and she burst out laughing, it was either that or cry. In fact, she laughed until she did start to cry.

"I really wanted to go to the feast. Of course we get stuck here!" she wailed.

Remus looked at her dumbstruck, as smart as he was he didn't seem to know how to react to her outburst. Ara threw herself down into a seat.

"We might as well be productive if we're going to be stuck here. Can we go over Ancient Runes?"

So that's what they did. Remus would draw a symbol on the chalk board and Ara would tell its meaning. After every ten symbols they would try to open the door again.

About 30 minutes into this they got bored. The hopelessness of their situation had sunk in. Ara put her head in her hands.

"I'm so hungry," she groaned.

"Some friends we have. They're probably too busy stuffing their faces to wonder where we are," Remus grumbled.

"Do you have any riddles?" Ara asked.

"You're such a nerd."

"And you're not? I'd love to hear another idea to pass the time."

"Alright, alright. Let's see... What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment---"

"The letter m. Give me a good one."

Remus kept asking riddles and Ara answered them before he could even finish. At some point he got frustrated.

"There's no way you can know all of these! How are you getting them so quickly?"

Ara shrugged, "I like riddles."

"You're reading my mind, aren't you?"

"Something like that," she grinned.

They played tic-tac-toe and hangman on the chalkboard. When that got old, they sat beneath the dripping candles and just talked. About anything, really. Books, classes, friends, family.

"Shh!" Ara hushed. "I hear footsteps!"

As the footsteps got closer the two banged on the door and shouted for help. Professor Slughorn opened the door.

"Ms. Jones? Mr. Lupin? What are you doing? The feast ended nearly an hour ago! You should be in your common room!"

"We got locked in," Ara explained.

"Of course you did! Mr. Lupin, surely you remember. This is the classroom we don't use anymore for that exact reason!"

Remus looked down in shame.

"Well, off to your common rooms."

They walked down the halls and Ara elbowed him.

"Couldn't bother to remember we were in a jinxed classroom?" she teased.

He looked at her apologetically.

"I'm kidding. I'm only a little mad."

They laughed and gave the Portrait Hole lady the password.

Lily, Mary, James, Sirius, and Peter were all gathered around the fireplace.

"Where were you?" Lily demanded.

"We thought you had finally confessed your love for one another and were off snogging somewhere," Sirius joked.

"We were stuck in the jinxed classroom thanks to Peeves," Ara snapped.

"So... no snogging?"

Remus lightly punched him.

"I'm sorry," Lily sympathized. "You missed some great food."

"Thanks," Ara said dryly.

"Being the great friend I am, though, I brought you dessert."

Ara hugged her friends in thanks and devoured a treacle tart.

"I want to hear every detail later," Lily whispered.

"There's not much to tell."

"Are you still a maybe?"

"Maybe."

~~~~~

A/N: I originally wanted to publish this on Halloween, but I'm too impatient.

Thanks for reading! :)