turning page | A REMUS LUPIN STORY

vi. HEAVENLY

The next few hours went by in a blur. Dumbledore had announced that everybody would remain in the Great Hall to sleep, and so the party they were so excited for was unofficially postponed. There would be no opportunity to leave, with teachers and prefects standing guard on the door, and everybody was either scared or disappointed. Somehow, Sirius Black had escaped the clutches of the Dementors of Azkaban yet again. But Adeline wasn't upset about that. She had their conversation on repeat in her head.

Alexander slept peacefully by her side, Oliver beside him. They both had fussed over Adeline, who lied with ease and said she never saw the man, only heard the Fat Lady's screams. Both had looked relieved. When they'd fallen asleep, however, she rolled over to Margo, who was already staring at her with a face of clear worry. 

"You did see him, didn't you?" Margo was her closest friend in the entire world. There wasn't a day that would go by where they didn't speak, even for a second, and they had no secrets. She knew when Adeline was lying. "I can tell."

There was a nod passed between them, and their voices were low. "Yes. He spoke to me."

Margo shuffled closer, and the two girls were nose to nose, so that only each other could hear. "And you're still alive to tell the tale?" A small smile, but the concern remained.

Adeline sighed. "He didn't even try to hurt me. He didn't seem like a murderer." She paused in thought for a second. Their conversation had been the most peculiar. "He said I looked familiar to him. It was very odd. Asked me my name and everything."

Her best friend's eyes widened. "You didn't give it to him, did you?"

"Only my first name." They both went quiet as Percy Weasley drifted pass them, eager to shout at somebody for being awake. Adeline opened her eyes again as he left, and Margo did the same.

She frowned. "I wonder who he thought you were."

The auburn-haired girl rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. It had been bewitched to look like a sea of stars, and she looked for her favourite constellations. Margo settled down beside her. "I'm not sure." It was a question fresh in her head. Sirius Black stared at her like Remus Lupin did. Like she was a familiar face in an unfamiliar crowd: it was confusing. "He told me he was innocent."

She heard a scoff beside her. "Of course he did. He's not going to admit guilt, is he?" Margo's head turned to look over at Adeline. "Do you think he's really a murderer?"

A pause. Did she? "I'm not so sure anymore. Don't tell anyone else."

"Of course not." A pinky finger reached to hook the others, and they smiled at each other.

It went quiet again, and a few moments later Adeline felt her friend fast asleep by her side. Her eyes drifted up at the stars, following Orion's Belt towards the brightest star in the sky. The Sirius star.

The next day when by in a blur. People were still incredibly anxious about the events the night before, but the chance for a reprieve of stress in the evening was too delicious to deny. Halloween would be delayed by a day, but it would be worth it. A party on a Sunday night wasn't ideal - turning up to Defense Against the Dark Arts first thing on a Monday morning with a wicked hangover sounded exhausting. Even worse when Potions came afterwards. Regardless, Adeline was more than eager to enjoy herself in the Ravenclaw common room after coming face to face with Sirius Black. She still felt entirely on edge.

The two Gryffindor girls sat in their dorms as they began to get ready. Their costumes were generic but fitting: Margo Mathers-Lee would stun in her red Devil costume, and Adeline would match, but in white, as an Angel. They wore identical outfits that differed in colour, satin slip dresses with lace detailing around the bust. Adeline had a fluffy white halo atop her head, and dainty little wings on her back. Margo would have a red tail and devil horns. They looked the perfect pair.