The Moon Looks Brighter Than the Sun

Elise Wilkes woke up bright and early, anxious for the new term and all the work they may get. It is O.W.L year after all. She dressed in her uniform, everything perfect just the way she liked it. She didn’t do much with her hair, just left it down in its normal waves. She left the dormitory as the other girls began to wake up and went down to the common room. Mostly the first years were awake, nervous about their first day at Hogwarts. Elise smiled warmly towards the small lot. “It will be okay, first years, you’ll find everything okay and the teachers here are very nice.”

Remus Lupin sat on a chair waiting for his friends to come back from their first day of term prank. He heard Elise Wilkes beautiful voice ring through his ears. His head shot up towards her, talking to a group of first years, and his heart hammered away in his chest. His jaw dropped slightly. How did he go four years not noticing this girl? He swallowed, watching Elise leave the common room. Remus sank back in his chair and sighed. He’ll never get the guts to talk to her.

James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew walked back from the kitchens laughing to themselves. They knew that it would be a bad idea to drink the pumpkin juice. They had put a charm on it that anyone who drank it would have quite a hard time talking today. Every time the victim would talk, a bubble would form and no sound would happen. Unless the bubble popped but James Potter knew, that popping would be too easy. So he had made the bubbles unable to be popped. That was only one part of their master prank.

Before going to the kitchens, James and Sirius had gone to the dungeons and decorated the Slytherin common room entrance with various traps. Again, it was child’s play but every Slytherin leaving their common room would end up with green skin for the rest of the day, no matter how hard they tried to get past the traps. The Slytherins always got the worst of the first day of term pranks by the Gryffindor boys.

“This is going to be hilarious. They’re going to look like that Muggle movie witch that Remus told us about.” James had giggled slightly, laughing at his own idea. Remus had given him the idea without meaning to, the fact made James laugh.

“Oh yeah!” Said Sirius, laughing more, “Ox or something?” He turned to Peter, hoping the small lumpy boy would remember the name of the movie. The one of the witch, the girl with the ruby slippers and flying monkeys.

“No, Sirius, it was the Wizard of Oz.” Peter wheezed, smiling up to the boy he looks up to. Peter always trailed Sirius and James. He wanted to be just like them. He could never really think for himself and he’s rather terrible at magic, unlike the two other boys.

“Whatever,” Sirius shrugged before noticing Elise Wilkes walking near them. “Oi, Wilkes!” He called to the girl, smirking as the girl looked at him with wide eyes. “Don’t drink the pumpkin juice.”

Elise narrowed her eyes at the three boys, walking up to them and pursed her lips. “What did you three do?” Sure, she’s not a prefect or head girl but she had a mind to know what they were up to. She liked to stay clear of their pranks ever since third year.

James laughed, “oh you know, spiked the pumpkin juice with a little charm and made the Slytherins a bit green,” there was no point in lying to the girl. Elise would find out soon enough and she wouldn’t do anything about it. With a groan, Elise shook her head at the boys and walked away.

“And you want to set her up with Moony?” Sirius spoke staring at James, laughing slightly. James shrugged.

“She’s perfect for him, mate, you’re just daft.” James laughed as he nudged his best mate. They returned to Gryffindor and to Remus. Remus didn’t ask them what they did but nodded to their warning not to drink the pumpkin juice. The four of them then walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast, which Lily Evans had did the same walking in front of the group. James stared at the girl, Sirius made a joke about his imaginary drooling and Remus ignored them all. He thought about Elise and wondered if she took a drink of the pumpkin juice. His heart sped up more than normal at the thought.

“Wait, did you tell Elise about the pumpkin juice?” He asked in a hurried voice, Sirius raised his eyebrows and looked at his friend. James tried to stifle a laugh.

“Yeah, I did, why?” Sirius smirked slightly, looking over to James with the same smirk. Remus did like Elise, he could tell.

Remus tried to shrug it off, “I think she should know what you three were up to.” James and Sirius began to laugh, quite loudly, causing the boy to blush.

“You love her,” they cooed and mocked, making the blush on Remus’s face grow to a deeper shade of red. He wouldn’t tell them to stop. Instead, he walked into the Great Hall feeling embarrassed. He noticed Elise out of anyone else in the room. She was talking with Marlene McKinnon, smiling from ear to ear as they caught up about the summer holiday. Remus followed his friends as they sat down, near the two girls and James had made Remus sit next to Elise. He stiffened up as he could smell her, the smell being intoxicating and he looked to James like a deer in headlights. His eyes wide, his mouth slightly opened as if he was trying to tell James how scared he was.

“Morning, Remus,” Elise smiled to the boy and he sucked in a breath, almost choking on it.

“M-morning,” he stammered, the blush still on his face as Elise giggled slightly. She turned back to Marlene and Remus started to eat his food quietly.

James and Sirius mumbled to each other, looking at Remus from time to time and Lily stared at them, irritated from in front of them. “Oi,” she whispered, “will you two shut it? It’s the bloody morning and I’m already pissed with you.” Lily could be a morning person when she didn’t stay up late planning with the two blokes in front of her. The two boys stared at her but smirked.

“Don’t you think that Remus and Elise look lovely sitting next to each other?” James asked in a hushed voice, leaning over the table and looking a few people down to where Remus and Elise sat. Lily looked with an eyebrow raised. They did, despite not talking to each other and Remus staring at his food. But Lily wouldn’t dream of giving James Potter that satisfaction.

“They’re not even talking,” she stated, shaking her head, “you’re blood in it if you want them together.” She went to pour herself some pumpkin juice and James quickly yelled for her to stop and knocked the cup out of her hands. Everyone at the Gryffindor table turned to them but Lily glared, her face going red as pumpkin juice seeped through her clothes.

“I’m so sorry, Evans, here let me dry you up,” he told her, a rare blush coming to his face as he pulled out his wand. Lily slapped his hand.

“No,” she said, getting up from the table and walking up to Elise, “please help me.” She also gave pleading eyes to Marlene and the three girls got up from the table.

“See you in class, Remus,” Elise told the shy boy softly as she got up from the table. “Shall we get our schedules first then clean you up?” Elise asked, looking at Lily with a small smile.

“Yes,” she breathed, trying to keep her composure. The three girls walked up to Professor McGonagall and Lily put on a wide smile, “Morning Professor. I had a bit of an accident and I would like to be cleaned up but we need our schedules.” The Transfiguration teacher stared at the girls before smiling softly; she nodded before pulling out the three schedules and handing them to the girls.

“And tell Potter if he feels like spilling pumpkin juice again, he can spend his free periods cleaning the whole Great Hall.” Professor McGonagall smiled as she made the girls smile and giggle. They walked away from the teacher table; Lily passed James Potter and told him, verbatim, what McGonagall said. She held a triumphant smirk on her lips as James’s smile faded.

“It was an accident, Evans, honest,” but she didn’t listen to him. The three girls left the Great Hall and went straight to a bathroom.

Marlene looked over their classes, Lily and Elise used various different spells to clean up Lily’s clothing. “Well,” Marlene started, “today we have History of Magic, then Potions and double Defense. Elise you have Runes after Potions, I have a break and Lily you Muggle Studies.” Elise giggled.

“What are you giggling at?” Lily asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re Muggle-born and taking Muggle Studies. Easy pass, then?” Lily laughed along with Elise before nodding. “Alright go on, Mar,” Elise smiled towards her other friend.

“Tomorrow we have double Charms followed by double Transfiguration. Oh kill me,” said Marlene overdramatically before giggling with her friends. “Then Care for Magical Creatures followed by Herbology. I don’t like Tuesdays already.” The three girls giggled then Marlene went on. “Wednesday we have Arithmancy which is a double, then Transfiguration, double Herbology, Care for Magical Creatures and Astronomy in the evening. Oh I don’t like this either.” More giggles from the girls.

“Fifth year is terrible and it’s only the first day!” Lily stated, laughing as she did so and Elise shrugged.

“Take it as after this year, we have two more years.” Marlene and Lily nodded along with Elise’s logic before Marlene went on with their schedules.

“Oh, Elise you have Runes first on Thursdays. Then History of Magic, double Potions and Lily you have a double of Muggle Studies after. Fridays we have Arithmancy, then Elise has Runes, I have a break and Lily has Muggle studies then we end with a double of Defense. Yes, I officially hate this year.” All three girls giggled before leaving the bathroom to go back to Gryffindor to get their things for the day.

Elise walked ahead of the two other girls as they walked to History of Magic. Lily turned to Marlene slightly and smiled. “You and I need to sit next to each other. James and Sirius are going to try and get Remus and Elise together,” Lily rolled her eyes, “sadly I’m in their little plan also.” Marlene giggled.

“I’m down, they’d look adorable together.” Then a few Slytherins passed the two girls, all with bright green skin. Both girls looked to each other with wide eyes and dropped jaws. “What?”

“You can thank Potter, Black and Pettigrew,” Elise told the girls as she looked back at them, a small giggle escaping her lips. Both Lily and Marlene rolled their eyes, catching up with their friend.

“That’s terrible but kind of funny,” Marlene told with a small shrug, Lily rolled her eyes.

“I should report them but I’d rather get them in deep trouble when they actually do something worse than a harmless prank.” Lily smiled a little to herself, slowly remembering that she is a prefect and she can have that power over the troublemaking boys.

“Oh, Lils, lighten up.” Elise teased as they entered the History of Magic classroom. Lily and Marlene took a seat together; Elise furrowed her brow as she took the only other opened seat next to Remus Lupin. He stiffened as she sat down and she blushed.

“Hello, Remus,” she spoke softly and he nodded in reply. “Are you alright?” She asked as she watched his hand clench and Remus nodded.

“I-I’m f-f-fine,” he stammered and dared to shoot a smile towards Elise.

“Oh-oh okay.” She gave him a small smile before turning towards Professor Binns.

James slapped his forehead to his palm, Sirius groaned and Lily stared at her two friends with her mouth ajar. The three of them knew they had a lot to work on to get rid of awkward moments just like the one that just happened.