✓ | EPISKEY → remus lupin [ discontinued ]

Chapter Twenty Eight

Alanna spent the rest of her study period with Carl in the library. They shared a few words here and there, but it was mostly silent and diligent work. For a shy and stuttering Hufflepuff, Alanna thought that Carl did quite well on his assignments. She shared only Herbology and Astronomy with the boy, so she didn't know him too well, but he was good company. Alanna helped him out with his Potions essay, because he seemed to be doing below average in that class. She figured he could help her with her Herbology homework, since he was already an expert on the subject and it was a fair trade; Potions for Herbology.

The next morning, Alanna was seated at the Ravenclaw table as she and Tiffany waited on the twins to show up. They were headed to the first Quidditch match of the season. Tiffany seemed to be super excited while Alanna was certainly curious. She'd heard of the game, and it had been explained to her once by Luke, but she'd never seen it in action. This would be her first time.

"Those boys better hurry up or we're going to be late!" Tiffany growled, stamping her foot angrily. The two were bundled up with their scarves and beanies, plus warm winter boots to keep out the cold that had yet to fade.

"Finally!" Tiffany said in exasperation as the twins arrived. "I honestly thought you two were never going to show up."

"Sorry," Leonard yawned, "but we're not morning people, Tiffy. It's hard for us to wake up this early." He glanced at Alanna. "Why are you already up? You sleep until mid-morning at least."

Alanna gave Tiffany and sidewards glare. "I didn't have a choice," she growled. Tiffany turned and started walking to the Quidditch pitch, Luke following her. Leonard and Alanna took their time, dabbling along behind the two.

"So are you going to tell me about your dream or am I going to have to fish it out of you?" Leonard asked casually as they stepped outside. They weren't the only ones out there; some students had decided to skip the Quidditch game, obviously not that interested in the sport. Instead, they were having snowball fights or building igloos. Alanna knew that one of her dorm mates had decided to stay behind, in the warmth of the castle.

"Damn," Alanna cursed under her breath. She'd hoped that he had forgotten about her 'dream'. She didn't really want to tell anyone; she figured that she saw it for a reason and it would eventually come in handy at some stage in life.

"Think I'd forget, did you?" Leonard said smugly. "I never forget a thing."

"Ever?" Alanna asked in surprise.

Leonard shook his head. "Never have. I still remember this one time when me and Luke were climbing a tree and our sister wanted to join in, but Luke said no so I started yelling at him and he started yelling at me and long story short, we both ended up at our sister's feet."

"You have a sister?" Alanna asked, hoping he'd forget about her dream for now.

Leonard shrugged, waving his hand a little. "Kind of. See, our dad's been with a few women in his life; our birth mother and then three other women. At the moment, he's with this really young girl who'd be only a few years older than me and Luke."

Alanna raised her eyebrows. "Your dad knows how to get around."

Leonard made a face. "That's one way of putting it. Anyway, the first woman he got with after our mother was a single mum of three, which made five in the house. Two of them were girls, one older sister and a younger one, and then there was an older brother as well."

Alanna chuckled. "Now you know how I feel with three sisters."

Leonard chuckled. "So yeah, that's where the little sister came from. The second woman that our father got with was this middle-aged woman. No kids. She was more of a, um ... 'friend with benefits', if you know what I mean." He grimaced. Alanna frowned.