CHOCOLATE [1] | r. lupin

― 02 | CREEPY STARING

REMUS LUPIN COULDN'T GET THE BUBBLY HUFFLEPUFF GIRL from the train out of his head. After their carriage ride to Hogwarts, the girl had disappeared from the Marauders in the sea of students, blending into the crowd quite well for a girl with a skip in her step and bright yellow robes. The second the Marauders walked into the Great Hall, Remus's eyes scanned to the opposite side of the room from the Gryffindor table to see the daydreaming Hufflepuff. She was sitting alone, her short legs swinging as she read the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Her green eyes looked up and almost instantly met his chocolatey brown eyes. She sent him a small but enthusiastic wave and he sent her back a shy wave, his cheeks flushing as he turned away from her and went to the Gryffindor table with his friends.

"She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Sirius spoke up as the four of them sat down, Remus and Peter sitting across the table from James and Sirius. "Seems sort of all over the place though, wouldn't you say?" 

James and Peter nodded while Remus just shrugged. Sure, he thought that Cameron was a pretty girl and the topics of any conversation she had with any of the boys seemed to hop from topic to topic rather quickly, but he wouldn't describe her as 'all over the place'. Just, enthusiastic.

"Poor girl is sitting by herself," James nodded towards the Hufflepuff table, causing all four Marauders to look at their new acquaintance. Cameron was twirling a strand od loos hair from her ponytail, her eyes scanning the pages of the book in front of her. None of the Hufflepuffs around her seemed to acknowledge her existence but it didn't seem to bother her.

"I feel kinda bad," Peter sighed when he saw Cameron sitting alone. "She's too nice not to have any friends."

"I heard her only friends are her siblings," James continued, all of their gazes still on the girl. "All four of them are in different houses, which must make their home life an awful mess. I'd hate to share a house with a Slytherin."

"I heard her sister is rather nice," Remus defended, but his comment didn't seem to go noticed.

"We should probably stop staring," Sirius spoke up. "Before it looks creepy."

"Too late."

All four boys jumped and turned to see a tall, light brown haired boy who was a year above them. His long hair was pulled out of his face in a low ponytail and his arms were crossed over his chest as he frowned down at the four troublemaking boys. Nathan Flores was not a Gryffindor you wanted to be on the bad side of. He was known for a nasty right hook and had threatened many male students for comments or even looking at his little sister. They heard a story that Lucius Malfoy had stated that no matter how attractive he found Cameron Flores, he wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole unless Fire Whiskey was involved. This led Malfoy in the Hospital Wing with a black eye, broken nose, and a busted lip. Nathan walked away with barely a scratch.

"So," Nathan raised an eyebrow and his usually bright green eyes were dark and challenging. "What are you lot doing looking at my sister?"

The boys sputtered out different excuses, the only one staying quiet being Remus. Once James, Sirius, and Peter all came up with three very different but equally pathetic excuses, Remus spoke up and explained how she sat on the train and carriage with them and they thought she was a nice girl. Nathan, still not looking impressed, eyed all four boys before looking over at his little sister. The four boys followed his gaze to see Cameron looking at the five of them in confusion. When she realized she was caught watching them, her cheeks flushed bright red and she sent the group an enthusiastic smile and wave. All five boys matched her action before turning back to look at each other.