aquila ▶ marauders era {EDITING}

20.

WITH FOOD AND DRINK TAKEN FROM THE KITCHENS and the Room of Requirement decorated to the group's needs, a small party for those still at Hogwarts was ready in minutes. They all gathered in the room and Aquila was surprised at the crowd that was there. Lily Evans (who had finally given into James' constant pestering and agreed to go out with him) was snuggled up next to the messy haired boy on a couch. Sirius was by the drinks' table chatting it up with Dorcas Meadowes (a Hufflepuff in the Marauders' year) and Peter was surprisingly dancing with Marlene McKinnon (who had had a change of heart after Eliza's death and apologized to Aquila profusely while tears ran down her pretty blonde face; Aquila had yet to accept said apology).

Meanwhile, Remus stood next to Aquila, his eyes fixated on everything but her. The last time the two had been alone in a setting like this, she had kissed him and rejected in less than five minutes. Anxiety bubbled ferociously in the pit of his stomach as he remembered how her soft lips felt against his in those few seconds.

"Remus," Aquila said, bringing the boy out of his thoughts, "Do you want to get out of here? I can barely hear myself think over the music."

The boy's heart skipped a beat at the prospect of being alone with her but he nodded, following the girl as they left the Room. Aquila offered him her hand to hold and ignoring the tingles that flushed his system, he let her drag him all the way to the Astronomy Tower. The duo lay down under the night sky, side by side with her head snuggled in the crook of his neck, as they watched the constellations above them. The moon hung over them, reminding Remus that the full moon was quickly approaching, due to come on Christmas night. He imagined that while all the students who had stayed at Hogwarts would be enjoying the feast, he would be down in the Shrieking Shack, ready to tear himself apart.

"Rem, can you hear me?" Aquila said, interrupting his blood-filled thoughts. He looked down at her, her gray eyes watching up at him worriedly.

Remus nodded, "Sorry, just a bit preoccupied mentally."

She smiled and his heart warmed, "It's alright. I was just wondering what your opinion would be if I dyed my hair. Eliza had mentioned it once and she said I'd look good with purple."

The boy contemplated the color before answering, "You would. Then again, you could shave your head bald and you'd still look perfect to me."

Aquila flushed, a rare reaction, and said, "Complimenting me? Are you coming onto me, Lupin?"

He leaned forward. The two shots of firewhiskey that Sirius had given him earlier on was burning in his veins, giving the werewolf the liquid courage to do things he would have never done normally. "I've been doing it for years, you're just now noticing."

"How un-Ravenclaw of me," she said, her breath warm on his face. It was minty, tinted with the smell of butterbeer and it intoxicated him.

"Remus," Aquila said, her breathing shallow. The boy murmured, "Yes."

"Kiss me."

The boy complied, dipping his head low to meet her lips in a ferocious tangle. It had started off slow, the two just testing the waters, but soon grew into a kiss so intense, Remus' chest had started to burn like he was drowning himself in firewhiskey.

She threw a leg over him, straddling the boy as her hands made their way to his hair, tugging at it. As her hands moved up, his moved down her sides, choosing to settle at her hips. He pulled her closer as if to make their two bodies into one and she let him because at this moment, she wanted nothing more than to feel close to him.

"Are you sure?" he asked her as she pulled her lips off of his to remove her shirt. She sat up and her hair fell on her shoulders, cascading down to her mid-back and framing her face perfectly. The moonlight that cursed Remus seemed to bless Aquila, giving her the glow of a goddess. The boy raised slightly, using his hands to balance him as he mentally documented every detail of the moment. The way her body curved flawlessly and seemed to fit like a puzzle piece against his. The way he craved her soft touch that made his entire body shiver. The way her gray eyes, that usually shone brightly, was clouded with desire.

Desire for him.

Their lips reconnected once again and this time, it was different because the entire world seemed to melt away. There was no impending war in their futures, Aquila had no family problems to deal with and Remus' lycanthropy was nothing but a bad dream. They had no worries and no sorrows.

They were just him and her. They were nothing more than Remus and Aquila; and that was perfect.