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      “Remus!” 

      The voice knocked the boy from his studies, making him jump. He had been engrossed in a charms book he could barely make sense of. The full moon was right around the corner and Remus’s focus was waning. 

      “Holly? What are you doing here? Hufflepuffs have herbology at this hour you know.”

      “Oh trust me, I know. Sprout wrote me up a slip to have a look around the restricted section. They’re covering vervain, simple stuff. No, what’s actually interesting is what I found in there.” Holly lowered her tone, gesturing discreetly to the restricted area of the library. Moving slowly, she hovered over Remus’s shoulder plopping down a heavy book in front of him. The book was opened to a very interesting page indeed.  On the aged paper was an intricate illustration. Thin green stems arched upwards to cradle faint yellow petals with black centers. The very top of the page read “Henbane”. As Remus continued to read, Holly explained her thought process. 

     “Henbane causes hallucinations, and it’s pretty adaptable if brewed correctly! You could make anyone see whatever you like! And the side effects wear off fairly quickly, so really it's no harm no foul right?  For example if you, let’s say, mixed henbane and something else to make certain students see snakes around the castle....” The girl’s voice trailed off and she stared at Remus with a mischievous grin. He opened his mouth to respond, a bit frightened by Holly’s mind, when a voice interrupted him. 

     “Oi, Moony! Who’s your friend?” Both students turned to face the newcomer, a scowl falling onto Holly’s face. 

     “Ugh, Black,” She muttered too quietly for anyone but Remus to hear. Turning back to him she gave him a tiny smile, just as Sirius and James made it to the table. “I’ll catch you later Remus, don’t forget the rules alright?” 

     “Woah love, you don’t need to-” Sirius started, but Holly brushed past him leaving the boy promptly ignored. All three watched her leave, a small smirk on Remus’s face. 

     “What was that about?” James asked, genuinely confused. 

     “She doesn’t like people much, especially people who yell across quiet libraries.” Sensing the disturbance his friends were bound to cause, Remus began to pack his bag. 

     “I didn’t mean anything by it,” Sirius pouted, “She’s right fit though. Why haven’t we ever met her before Moons?” James nodded in agreement and Remus snorted. 

     “That’s why.” 

Chapter Text

    The boys began their trip out of the library slowly making their way to the Great Hall. 

    “You know, when we were walking over I heard Elwood say something about rules?” James questioned, both him and Sirius watching their friend intently. Remus didn’t speak for a moment. His friends were much too observant for their own good. Finally he spoke, not looking at either of them as they approached Peter’s class to collect the boy.

    “You caught that, did you?” He said carefully not looking at either of his friends. 

    “‘Course we did, she wasn’t quiet about it.” Sirius scoffed. 

    “Alright, guess I had to come clean at some point.” Remus stalls in front of the door to Peter’s class and leans against the wall. “Sometimes, when I bring an idea to you for pranks it isn’t my idea.” The two boys stared at their friend, eyes wide in twin expressions of shock. 

    “What in Merlin’s name are you talking about?” 

    “Sometimes, when Holly- Elwood- has a good idea or plan for a prank she comes to me with them. It’s an….arrangement we’ve had since her first year.” 

    James and Sirius looked at Remus with wide eyes and opened mouths. 

    “So all these years-”

    “You mean all your plans-”

    “Our pranks-” 

    “Merlin,” Remus groaned. “I didn’t tell you because she made me swear not to. She doesn’t want any part in it, and she has rules if we use her ideas. One of those being that we keep her out of them.” 

    “What are the other ones?” James asked curiously, just as Peter’s class began to filter out of the room. Before they continued the conversation they grabbed their blonde friend and filled him in on the situation, the explanation punctuated with multiple eye rolls from Remus. 

    “Well we can’t use the things she tells me to cause any kind of lasting harm. Nothing that sticks around for more than 24 hours.” Sirius’ nose crinkled at that

    “What about-”

    “No exceptions.” Sirius huffed and crossed his arms, pouting.

    Remus spent the rest of the walk to the dining hall explaining him and Holly’s agreement. No harm, No targeting specific houses every time, and no harassing or truly bullying anyone. The pranks were meant to make people laugh, not upset them or make them feel like targets. He explained how strict Holly was with said rules. Once, he had broken them (mostly by accident) and she hadn’t spoken to him for 2 months. They didn’t talk everyday to begin with, but by the end of the first month Remus was all too aware of her absence from his life and began apologizing. By the time the boys reached the Great Hall, they had decided it was time that Holly talked to all of them, rather than just Remus. Remus, of course, knew that this was a bad idea. 

Chapter Text

     Holly, despite her run in with the less favorable marauders, was having a good evening. She had gotten a new book on herbology and botany, dinner was good, and she didn’t have a first period tomorrow meaning she was able to stay up later reading. She had also gotten to give Remus (someone she’d consider a good acquaintance at least) an idea for the boy’s next prank which would undoubtedly be entertaining and put everyone in a good mood. Over all, a successful evening if she did say so herself. As she sat at the Hufflepuff table reading her book she was suddenly made very aware of a disturbance in her enjoyable night. A boy was squeezing into the bench next to her, and three others were forcing themselves down across the table. 

     This wouldn’t really be that strange, except that each of the four wore a ties of red and gold. Not black and yellow like the rest of the Hufflepuffs. As she looked up from her book she saw who it was and registered the silence that had settled around the hall as the boy’s began serving themselves food. Her mouth fell open as she stared at them. 

     “Absolutely not.”

     The one who had decided to plop himself next to her looked over, a crooked grin covering his face. James fucking Potter. 

     “What love? I thought Hufflepuff’s were welcoming and all that.”  Holly narrowed her eyes at him in a startlingly effective glare. 

     “Not this one. Remus, I’m never speaking to you again.” The boy in question shrunk back and winced. 

     “You know that’s not fair. They were going to find out some day, they overheard you in the library.” Holly shifted her glare from James to Remus who seemed to shrink even more. 

     “So this is my fault?” She asked, quirking an eyebrow, daring Lupin to say so.

     “No, Merlin, of course not.” 

     Sirius, who had been wolfing down his food, finally spoke up waving his fork at the girl across from him. “Come on Holls, we know now and we want in! Or- ah- more in I guess. You can tell all of us your secrets instead of just Moony!” The boy didn’t seem to notice the eyes of the Great Hall on them, but Holly certainly did. Sharpening her glare she settled it on Sirius. 

     “Firstly, Black , do not call me that. Secondly, this conversation, if we have to have one, is not happening here. Go back to your table and leave me alone.” 

     None of the boys moved and she groaned, slamming down her book. Of course this just brought more attention to her situation. Her classmates began to whisper shooting looks at her and she shrunk in on herself. The marauders were eating their dinner, as casual as ever, minus Remus who had the decency to look just a little guilty. 

     “Alright fine,” She grumbled, settling back into her seat. “What do you want?” 

     Grinning, Potter through an arm over her shoulder. “I knew you’d come around!” He said happily. She continued to glare at Remus and shook the arm off. “Basically, we know you’ve been feeding ideas to Moony, and we wanna be included. Any friend of Remus is a friend of ours!”

     Holly laughed sharply. “I don’t know if I’d say friends,” She spat. “But regardless, we definitely aren’t. I just happen to like planning things, and more importantly seeing them executed from a safe distance.” 

     “We’ll keep you safe,” Black jumped in, “no one will know you have anything to do with anything.” 

     Holly stared at him blankly, and then gestured around them. Most of the hall had gone back to their own conversations, but they were still getting curious glances. Black grimaced.
     “We’ll do our best.” 

     Holly stared at the boys around her. They looked as comfortable as they would at their own table, eating contentedly and waiting for her response. She looked over to Lupin, who wore a sheepish smile. Holly sighed loudly. 

     “I’m not going to be able to say no, am I?” 

     “Nope.” 

Chapter Text

    After her mildly traumatizing conversation with the Marauders, Holly had gotten up and excused herself. The boys had only let her go after she promised they’d all talk again, perhaps somewhere more private. She really didn’t know what to do with herself. She was no longer safe in her room, the questions and harassments from her dorm mates unavoidable. Her wonderful evening of diner and a good book had been thoroughly tarnished. She racked her brain as she wandered the hall and finally decided to set course for the library. Technically it was ‘closed’ now, but the doors were never locked and she figured it was better than continuing her stroll through the halls past curfew. 

    Pushing open the heavy wooden doors, she breathed a sigh of relief when they didn’t creak. Thank Merlin for magic. She walked back towards a corner of the huge room. A small alcove sat tucked between bookshelves, a cushion pushed into the shelf created by a large window sill. This was one of her favorite places in the castle, though she rarely came here at this late. She never particularly had a reason to be out of her room after curfew, until tonight of course. The stained glass window had small holes that allowed her to see outside despite the coloring and she settled herself into the seat with a sigh. The moon shone through one of these holes, bright and very nearly full. She looked at it for quite a while, just collecting her thoughts. Could she really be angry with Remus- Lupin, she corrected- for telling his friends about their arrangement? He had kept the secret for nearly 5 years after all. She sighed again. Five years was a very long time, and those boys were closer than anyone she had ever met. They were practically attached. 

   No, she wasn’t mad. She couldn’t really be, she liked Remus too much for that. They were only a year apart, but something about him reminded her of her brother. She’d have to talk to him and apologize for how she reacted, maybe this would make planning pranks easier anyways. 

   Holly sat with her chin on her knees as she continued to think, staring at the moon. She didn’t notice the door opening silently. In fact, she didn’t notice anything amiss until a throat cleared next to her. 

   “Jesus Christ!” She yelped, nearly falling out of her seat. She had not been expecting company. Looking up she took in the boy who had scared the shit out of her. He was tall, lean, and had sharp, pale features. His eyes looked impossibly light in the candles, though they seemed colorless. Black hair fell over his forehead and a perfect eyebrow was arched as he stared at her. A green tie poked out of his sweater collar. 

   “You’re in my spot.” 

   His voice was soft, but not kind. Condescending. Aloof. She knew exactly who this was (she had been sitting across from his counterpart not long ago) and she felt her blood chill in her veins. Regulus Black. 

   “I uh- your spot?” She squeaked out, her voice coming across much higher than she would have liked. His eyes narrowed at her. 

   “Yes. My spot. I sit there. You need to move.” 

   His tone did not sit well with Holly and she scowled. Her mother had always told her she had no self preservation skills, and the bit of fear she had felt was quickly fading into something more dangerous. 

   “Well I don’t see your name on it.” 

   Black looked about like he wanted to strangle her and she bit down a shiver and an apology. Hufflepuffs were nothing if not stubborn. 

   “If you don’t move….” He threatened and she scoffed now thoroughly irate. Who did he think he was? Well other than pureblood royalty that is. He didn't seem to like her scoffing at him and his grip on his bag tightened. “Move.” He bit out. 

   “No.” 

   He seemed surprised, he really did. Holly guessed people didn’t tell the boy ‘no’ often. Or enough. She wasn’t going to back down though, the seat being the best in the library by far. Besides, he didn’t get to just claim anything he wanted. 

   “I’m a prefect,” He tried, scowling. “I’ll give you detention.” Holly laughed, which seemed to irk Black further, as his face began to flush a bit. 

   “No you won’t. If you could you would have led with that. I’m willing to bet you’re not supposed to be out about now either. I wonder how the head boy would feel about your abuse of power…” She trailed off. She knew full well that James Potter would only care because Black was a Slytherin. Besides, he kind of owed her at the moment. Holly watched Black’s face carefully. His fists were balled at his side, his lip curled, and his eyes glowing. He was the perfect picture of rage. Something in her felt a little guilty, not wanting to make him so upset over something so trivial, but she reminded herself what an arsehole he had been only a moment ago and her guilt faded. Finally the boy evened his expression and leveled her with a cold look. 

   “Fine then,” He said, his tone as even as ever. And then he sat next to her.

Chapter Text

    “What in Godric’s name are you doing?” Holly asked, thoroughly confused. When he had said ‘fine’ she had assumed he was relenting, however that did not seem to be the case. 

    “I’m sitting.” 

    “Well I can see that, I mean why are you sitting? Why are you sitting here?” 

    Regulus shot her a look like she was stupid. 

    “You refused to move. I wanted to sit here. I am sitting.” 

    Ah, so this was his plan. Annoy her out of her seat. Touche Slytherin, but two can play at this game. Holly shifted over to allow Black more room, and then gave him a slightly sarcastic smile. 

    "I’m so glad we could reach a compromise,” she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. Regulus Black just stared at her for another moment before turning to look out the window. He was stubborn, but Holly knew she was worse. They both sat in silence for sometime, before she took her book out of her bag, wanting to prove she was truly unbothered. She was bothered, of course, but Black certainly didn’t need to know that. 

    As she read, she could feel his gaze on her, though she refused to look up and meet it. She tried to bury herself in the words on the page, but she wasn’t retaining any of what she read. Her mind was firmly stuck on the boy next to her. Regulus Black was her age, a fifth year. As she snuck looks at him, she was startled by his resemblance to his brother. They had the same face shape, all sharp angles and pale skin. Their hair was also the same in color. A dark black that seemed to absorb the light around it. Sirius Black’s eyes were darker, she thought, brown instead of this strange pale grey. And Sirius had long hair, reaching closer to his shoulders. Regulus had shorter hair, curling just at his ears. He was also a bit taller than Sirius it seemed, though she’d need to see them together to be sure. Holly was confident they would never be mistaken as strangers. The boys really did look the same. 

    Regulus had taken to staring out the window, allowing her to observe him freely now, as she assumed he had been doing to her moments ago. She wondered idly if he recognized her, knew who she was. They had shared classes for nearly 5 years now, and she surely knew him. 

    “You know,” Black drawled, startling Holly so badly she almost dropped her book, “staring is a nasty habit.” 

    Holly scoffed, trying to hide her surprise. She hadn't been subtle with her looks she knew, but she hadn't expected him to mention it. That was another thing the Black brothers had in common it seemed, speaking freely. “So is inviting yourself to sit somewhere, but here we are Black.” The boy raised an eyebrow at her harsh tone but smirked regardless. 

    “You know, I expected you to scurry off by now.”

    “You’ll have to keep waiting, I'm afraid. Us Hufflepuffs are quite stubborn.” 

    He snorted at this, finally adjusting his perfect posture to relax, if only a minuscule amount. 

    “Yes I suppose you are. What are you doing here past curfew anyways? Hufflepuffs aren’t known rule breakers.”  

    “That’s just because we don’t get caught. I was feeling claustrophobic in my room I suppose. Why are you down here?” 

    Black pursed his lips thinking for a moment. He didn’t seem as awful as the rumors had made him out to be. He was sitting here, carrying out casual conversation after all.

    “I suppose you could say I also felt confined in my room.” 

    Holly stared at him, but didn’t pry. She had always considered herself good at reading people. In fact, her friends often commented that they’d never play any bluffing games with her. She had always had a habit of just knowing things. Regulus Black was different though. His face was a mask of emotion he chose to let others see. Not completely closed off, but not open either. Dishonest, deceiving, strategic. She was impossibly curious as she continued to study him. She stared for another moment before returning to her book, actually able to read this time. She was more relaxed then she ever thought she could be with someone like Black, though she certainly wasn’t letting her guard down. 

    They sat in a slightly awkward, but mostly comfortable silence, for a while. Holly was unsure how long, but she was able to read almost two chapters of her book. Finally Regulus Black stood. He picked up his bag and began to walk away before pausing, his back still facing her. 

    “Get back to your dorm. The Prefects patrol here soon,” then after a moment he added, “Have a good night Elwood.” Before walking away and out of the library. 

    Huh. So he did know her name. 

Chapter Text

    Holly recognized she was awake before she opened her eyes. She was suddenly aware of the sheets tangled around her feet, the feeling of her hair plastered to her face, and the vague sensation that she was forgetting something. She was also aware that someone- or someones- were watching her. 

    “You know,” She said, not opening her eyes, “there’s a joke to be made about watching me while I sleep.” 

    She heard a bit of scrambling and when she opened her eyes her dorm mates were gathered around her bed. 

    “Holly, don’t start. A series of very very weird events happened yesterday and then you didn’t even come back to tell us about them! Why in Merlin’s name would the marauders sit with you at dinner? And why were you out past curfew?” 

    Holly groaned and rolled back over. Good God she did not want to deal with this right now. 

    “Mia I quite literally just woke up.” 

    “So what? We deserve answers.” Her other dorm mate, Tilly, chimed in. Both girls had long hair but that was the end of their similarities. Tilly’s hair was a strange blonde almost white color, and more frizzy than anything else creating something of a halo around her. She had large, owlish eyes that were an unusual brown shade catching the light to seem almost yellow. Mia was almost her polar opposite. Where Tilly’s hair was frizzy, Mia's was like silk. Where Tilly’s eyes were round and wide, Mia’s were slitted, her gaze always icy. Despite their differences from one another, they got on incredibly well. The three of them had met on the train in their first year, and had been inseparable ever since. 

    Now Holly couldn’t wish for anything but some separation. As she buried her face further in her pillow she decided she had really not wanted to have this conversation and certainly not so early in the morning. 

    “Girls,” She said her voice muffled by fabric, “I will explain everything I swear, but for fuck’s sake, can it wait? Until I put pants on at least.” 

    In response her blankets were ripped from her body and cold air covered her bare legs. She didn’t move from her position face down in her pillow, but she groaned again. 

    “You’ve got ten minutes to be ready for breakfast, where you will tell us everything Elwood. Come on Til.” Then Mia and Tilly turned and left her alone. 

    Holly loved her friends. She loved her friends, but god they could be persistent. Mia especially. She had no idea where her friend got the confidence, but she had always walked around like she owned the school. Tilly was just happy to follow her around. Holly, now basking in her silent dorm room, finally rolled out of bed. 

    Her hair was a tangled mess, the ashy brown strands sticking to her face. Merlin, she must have been drooling. As she picked up her outfit for the day (her uniform, though she took pride in her interesting sock choices) she studied herself in the mirror that hung on the back of their bathroom door. Her hair was short, falling a bit below her chin, and shockingly straight. She had bangs, framing thick eyebrows. Her eyes were close-set, and a dark brown shade catching an almost red tint in the light. She had full lips, and buck front teeth that squared off. Some freckles decorated her skin, but more obviously was the small patches of acne that could be seen on her forehead and chin. Wizard skin care was more advanced than the muggle stuff, but Holly could never maintain a clear complexion for more than a few months. 

    Overall, she thought she was pretty. Cute, more accurately. Mia was hot, smoking if you asked the boys in their year, and Tilly was a strange kind of ethereal. She was just cute. Frowning, she turned from her analysis and began to get changed. 

    It only took her a few minutes to get ready, her makeup consisting of some blush and mascara for now. If she had more than her allotted ten minutes she might do more, but for now this would suffice. Clipping some of her hair out of her face she sighed and took another look in the mirror. Good enough. Trying to gather her courage she made her way down the stairs to face her friends.

Chapter Text

    As Holly bounded down the last few stairs she was immediately greeted with expectant looks. She sighed, and approached her friends.

    “Alright. You know about the Remus deal right? The prank thing?”

    Both girls nodded.

    “Okay well the other ‘ marauders’ found out about it, and decided the best way to ask questions was at our dinner table in the Great Hall. As for wondering after curfew… Well, I knew you’d both be nosy and I didn’t care much to explain just then. My plan for last night got totally ruined and I needed some alone time to think.” 

    “For one I resent the label ‘nosy’. I prefer, interested in my friends’ lives. And secondly, if you wanted space you could’ve just said so. You never know who’s out there wandering the halls at night.” Holly’s mind involuntarily flashed to her encounter with Black. Mia, despite her cool girl attitude, was extremely protective and motherly. If she discovered the late night rendezvous with pureblooded Regulus Black, she’d be concerned at least. 

    Holly shook her head trying to clear the thoughts from her mind. It isn’t like they had met up on purpose, her and Black. She was tiptoeing around her friends like she had done something wrong, when really she had just been in the library minding her own business. It wasn’t her fault that the boy had sat with her. 

    The trio entered the Great Hall still chatting absently about the previous day's events. They sat down and began serving themselves breakfast. The spread of food was always large, including traditional European foods, and some from other cultures as well. Holly helped herself to some toast and a cup of coffee. While she had gotten strange looks from her classmates originally, her morning ritual was common now. Holly had always preferred coffee to tea, and she was ecstatic to find it was available during most times of day- if you knew where to look. 

    Same as every morning owls flew into the Great Hall, delivering mail and packages. Holly did not receive mail. Holly never received mail, and that is how her mornings always went. When a great grey owl positioned himself in front of  her, she paid it no mind. She never got any parcels after all, and this bird had a small box wrapped around its ankle. It wasn’t until the bird nipped at her hand and looked at her with large yellow eyes (eerily similar to Tilly’s) that she acknowledged it. 

    “Hello,” She said carefully, “Is this for me?” 

    She was met with a gentle coo that she interpreted as a yes, so she gently removed the post from the owl’s leg and rewarded it with a bit of her toast. Warily, she turned the small box over in her hands before opening it. Inside was a chocolate bar, and a note. Skeptically, she reached for the torn parchment and read it. 

    Dear Elwood,

Please do us the great honor of meeting us in the library to discuss your magnificent brain and also that prank you mentioned. 

   P.S.- The chocolate is from Mooney so you don’t “Kill us in our sleep” or something. 

Yours mischievously, 

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus. 

    Holly held the note in her hands for a second, before turning to face the Gryffindor table. Almost as if they were waiting for it, the four Marauders began waving at her aggressively. 

    “You know Holls, maybe you should accept your fate.” Tilly said, stealing her last piece of toast. “It doesn’t seem like they’re gonna give up.” 

    Holly groaned and allowed her head to fall forwards, intending to hit the table. She was met instead with Mia’s hand. The girl looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 

    “Finish your food, then get going. I don’t want them coming over here and ruining my morning.” 

    Holly groaned again. 

    After finishing her coffee, Holly stood up and began her trek to the library. As she walked she took the chocolate from her pocket, and looked at it. It was the nice kind in any case. The fancy brand that muggles liked. Unwrapping it she took a bite, and sighed. Shit, it was good. Remus knew her too well, she couldn’t be mad while eating chocolate. 

    The trip to the library was short enough and she walked in claiming her usual window seat, trying not to let thoughts of the previous night cloud her mind. She wondered if he came here often, if while she claimed this seat in the day it was his after curfew. She wondered if maybe he would be there again tonight. 

    As she waited, she pulled out her book. The last 24 hours had been something of a disaster as far as her plan went. The Marauders interrupted her dinner, she couldn’t read like she wanted, and she was woken up much too early considering she didn’t have class. Hopefully by the end of the day her life would be back in balance. As she read, Holly noticed a streak of red hair darting around bookshelves, and sat forwards.

    “Lily?” The girl in question peeked around a corner, smiling wide. 

    “Holly! Oh my god, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” Lily bounded over to where she was sitting, her arms full of different books. “How have you been? Are your classes hard this year? Are you doing alright in all of them?” She fretted, ever the motherly friend. Lily had always been warm, oftentimes making sure all of her friends had eaten that day. Holly supposed it was what made her so popular among the other students. She was a kind girl. 

    “I’ve been good! I’m bummed we don’t have many classes together this year, I could really use a hand with Defense against the Dark Arts.” Lily laughed and patted Holly’s head gently. 

   “You know I’d be happy to help you out. Would you like to schedule a time to study together? We need to catch up, and I could use a hand with Herbology.” 

    Holly nodded, and they discussed times and days that worked for them. Both girls were busy, taking on more classes then some of their peers and having exams. This year was the O.W.L.s for Holly and she was terrified, despite Lily reassuring her she’d do fine. As they spoke, Holly momentarily forgot why she had been in the library in the first place. That is, until a loud voice called over to them. 

    “Lily flower!”

Chapter Text

    James’ voice rang out through the near silent library, and Lily’s face tightened. Holly noticed however, a slight blush fell over her cheeks. Huh. 

    “I’ve gotta run,” Lily murmured, rolling her eyes. “I’ll talk to you soon about that study session okay?” Pressing a firm kiss to the top of her head, she took off weaving her way through the bookshelves to lose the Potter boy. 

    James bounded up to Holly with an excited grin on his face. He looked lovesick and Holly rolled her eyes. She got the sense she would be doing that a lot in the marauders presence. 

    “Elwood!” James exclaimed coming to stand in front of her, “You know my Lily? Are you two friends?” 

    Friends was a strange way to describe what she and Lily shared. They were bonded, definitely, and very similar, but Lily seemed more like a caretaker than a friend at times. Regardless, she wasn’t keen on explaining this to James Potter and his squad of boys. 

    “I suppose so. We walked to class together last year a lot because we shared classes, and… well, you know.” 

    The group of boys (minus Remus) looked at her stupidly. 

    “The- well the whole Dark lord thing? Muggleborns being targeted?” 

    Realization seemed to set in for Peter, but Potter and Black still looked lost. She refused to believe that they didn’t know what was happening in the world, certainly not with Black’s family being who they were. And honestly, could they be that oblivious? 

    “Why did you walk to class together? Why didn’t I notice you with my Lily?” James asked, his eyes wide and innocent. He really did just want to know, unfortunately he just seemed to be a bit dull. 

    “Prongs,” Remus butted in, “Perhaps, it's because you don’t notice anything but Lily? Ever? And they walked together because there’s safety in numbers.” 

    Holly opened her mouth to corroborate the story, but was cut off by Black who was looking at her with a new understanding. 

    “Oh.” He said, “You’re Muggleborn.” 

    Holly couldn’t help the way that her blood turned to ice, or the fear that crept into her veins at his words. She knew about Black's disownment last year, as did the rest of the school. But she also knew his family, who they were, what they did . She couldn’t help but remember what he was, a pureblood. Holly was confident in the fact Remus wouldn’t be friends with someone who was blood prejudice, but the difference was still there. She was a Muggleborn. The marauders were a mix of halfbloods and purebloods. Was she safe? Could she ever be sure? 

    Sirius Black seemed to catch on to the strange tilt of his words and grinned at her taking a barely noticeable step back. 

    “Well no matter, if you need us to walk you to classes we’d be happy to. No one around here messes with us.” He smirked confidently and Potter clapped his shoulder. 

    “That’s right, we’re the Marauders.” 

    Holly looked at them all a bit surprised at their willingness to take her to and from classes. She knew it was probably an empty promise, but it was a kind gesture nonetheless and she smiled to herself. 

    “I think I’ll be alright,” She said, “But I’ll be sure to extend your offer to Lily.” She smirked as Potter’s face lit up.

    “Really? Do you think she’d take it? Do you know her well, the stuff she likes I mean? I could bring her things she likes when I see her-” 

    “You want to Pavlov her?” Remus asked with a snort, and Potter stared at him blankly. Holly supposed there wasn’t much of a curriculum for psychology here. 

    “Lily doesn’t really like things, like material items. Sure she likes gifts, but she doesn’t want to be showered in fancy things all the time. You’d be better off with a different plan.” Holly said, cracking her book open again. She knew they were here to talk about a prank, but maybe she could ignore them away. Truly she was exhausted, her sleep plagued with nightmares the night before and the sooner they left the sooner she could go back to her room and nap. 

    Potter was staring at her with wide excited eyes. 

    “Holly Elwood. Holly, Holly please. I have a wonderful idea.” 

    Holly stared up at James Potter with a sinking feeling in her stomach, and looked at Remus, who just laughed and shook his head. 

    “Will you help me win Lily’s heart? You help us plan pranks, you could help me plan my way into her heart! It’ll be fun!” 

    “.....Don’t use those puppy-dog eyes on me Potter.” 

    “Is that a yes?”

    “...”

Chapter Text

   If you had asked Holly Elwood a year ago what she was doing on a Tuesday evening she would not have said taking notes on Lily Evans. In fact, she likely would have looked at you like you went a bit mad. However, that was a year ago, and now she had been given a task. Find out more about Lily and help James Potter win her heart. Of course, she had no intention of helping the boy out of the goodness of her own soul, but Lily was her friend and in the short time she had seen the two interact she had noticed something. Lily liked James a bit more than she was letting on, and if the twat made her friend happy, Holly felt she had a bit of an obligation to help her out. Maybe all the couple needed was a bit of intervention. 

   That’s how she found herself sitting in the Gryffindor common room, despite it being close to curfew and despite the black and gold that decorated her robes. She had let Mia and Tilly in on her plans this time around, thinking that they might be helpful. The girls shared a class or two with Lily, and importantly, with her friends. They might be able to get some useful information, and in any case they would probably pester her less. A win-win if she did say so herself. 

   Despite herself, Holly’s mind slipped back to a certain Black boy. Regulus had been a constant topic of thinking for her since their late night encounter, whether she liked it or not.  She had even been dreaming about him much to her horror. She could never remember the dreams in the morning, but sometimes she’d get flashes of them through the day. She caught his eye during potions and suddenly she wasn’t seeing her classroom, but rather a dark room and a boy hunched in a corner. She saw Tilly reach for something and suddenly she wasn’t in the library with her friends, but rather was looking at a pale forearm. A dark tattoo stood starkly against the skin, a skull with a snake wrapped around it. The skin was red and irritated, the brand was fresh. She knew, instinctively, it was Regulus. 

   A loud voice drew her from her thoughts and she looked up to see Mary McDonald grinning at her. 

   “Oi Lils! Snuck in a stowaway huh?”

   She plopped down on the couch next to Marlene and threw her arm around the girl, another of Lily’s friends. Holly smiled, and the girls made introductions. Despite her ulterior motives (as good as the intention is) she found herself enjoying the company of the group. They made easy conversation between one another, and were sure to include her in any discussion. They all began a game of Exploding Snap, with a promise to murder someone from Marlene if her eyebrows were burnt off. Lily promised she would only have singed bangs by the end of the game and Marlene threw a bit of candy at her. 

   Mary didn’t play the game herself, rather watching Marlene’s hand and whispering strategy into her ear (which both Holly and Lily claimed was cheating). The tension rose, and finally Lily played the winning card. To the surprise of no one, Marlene’s bangs were in fact singed by the end.  The girls laughed, and debated playing another game (to which Marlene protested saying her hair couldn’t take it) when a voice caught their attention. 

   “Do you girls need some more players?”

   Looking up they saw no one but the marauders and Lily groaned, burying her head into Holly’s shoulder.

   “Make them leave,” she grumbled quietly. Holly laughed, giving her head a reassuring pat. 

   “We could use some more players,” Marlene said, throwing down her cards. “My eyebrows are next, I can feel it.” Mary laughed again as the boys settled themselves around them. The Gryffindor common room was nice, and Holly admired it. The colors were calming, and the fireplaces were cozy. Her own common room was equally as nice, but people didn’t hang out in there as often as it seemed the Gryffindors did. Currently the group was spread out in front of a fireplace towards the front of the room. Three sofas sat in a U shape, with two chairs filling in the gaps. Holly and Lily were sitting on one couch with Marlene and Mary across from them. A small coffee table was between them, which is where they were playing the game. James sat on the chair closest to Lily, while Peter settled into the one by Mary. They began discussing some kind of homework, while Sirius and Remus took their seats across from the fireplace, on the final couch. 

   Potter looked to Holly, as Lily ignored him, with wide pleading eyes. She didn’t know how, as she had thought she developed an immunity to begging eyes from Tilly, but something about his kicked puppy demeanor melted her a bit and she stood up stretching with a sigh. 

   “You know I should probably get going anyways, Potter you can sit with Lily and play.”  As soon as she stood James leapt up and sat next to Lily, who immediately whined and begged her not to go. 

   “You should stay,” Sirius said with a small smile as she moved to pass him. “You don’t have to play, just sit and hang out with us.” 

   Holly stared at the boy and then looked to the rest of the group, all of who were nodding in agreement. 

   “I- Okay. I’ll just stay for a little while.” 

   She looked at all the people around and sat on the chair James had been in. Where these her friends now? Remus always had been, though their companionship started through mutual benefits. Lily and her had been friends last year, but it had also come from a mutually beneficial relationship. The others though… The marauders were around as business partners, but business partners didn’t like spending time together outside of work right? And Black had been the one to stop her. Marlene and Mary had no reason to be friends with her, but they seemed happy to have her sitting with them and appeared to enjoy her company. 

   Shaking her head she tried to clear her mind. Holly had never been very good at making friends, or forming any kinds of relationships really. She had been alone through most of her childhood, until she was offered a place at hogwarts. Then she had met Tilly and Mia and she’d never really needed more. She had a hard time reading the room, understanding what people were thinking or trying to say when they didn’t actually want to say it. Social cues had never been her strong suit, so people her age (and those who were not) often found her strange or a bit odd. That didn’t help the whole friendship thing, but Tilly and Mia embraced it. It seemed, though she couldn’t tell completely, that she may have found others who could embrace her too. 

   Holly smiled to herself.

Chapter Text

    As the group played their games, and chatter filled the Gryffindor common room, Holly found herself sitting not on the outskirts of the group but rather on the floor in front of Remus. She had no idea how she had gotten there, and truthfully she might never have noticed the move if Remus hadn’t reached forwards to begin playing with her hair. He had been quiet, nearly silent, the entire time they had been sitting together. The other boys didn’t seem worried, but they kept shooting him glances as if to say, ‘You still okay?’. Holly had wondered if maybe he was sick, as his eyes seemed a bit more sunken in and tired than usual and his hands shook just the tiniest bit when he held them out. If Remus was sick why wouldn’t he visit Madam Pomfrey? She didn’t have a clue, and as the night went on she made an effort to ignore whatever was going on with Remus. His sightless stare out the window, his shaky hands, she decided to ignore it all for now. He wouldn’t want her to say anything in front of everyone, and she knew he got sick often. Weak immune system or something, he had told her once. However, as the group continued chatting and playing games (They had moved on from Exploding Snaps to a riveting Wizards Chess tournament) Holly had just about forgotten Remus was sitting behind her entirely. Until he leaned forwards and snagged a strand of her hair between his fingers. 

     She froze immediately, her breath catching in her throat. Holly was not a fan of being touched. Casual bumps or hand grazes were fine, but being touched intentionally immediately had her gasping and shaking in a small corner somewhere. It’s like her entire nervous system and brain shut down every time. Remus, who was now twisting a small braid into her hair, didn’t notice. He didn’t seem to notice the way her entire body tensed, or the fact that she had stopped breathing. She was blinking rapidly, tears pricking her eyes, choking her. She was going to lose it in front of all of her new friends and they would never speak to her again. Her breathing started coming again, heavily, and she tried to close her eyes but was unable to. She couldn’t move, or think or breathe- God why wasn’t she breathing? 

    “Darling,” A voice cut through the haze in her mind and her eyes snapped to the side where Black was looking at her. His eyes were intense, and shockingly understanding. Absently, her brain compared them to Regulus’. “Darling, why aren’t you playing with my hair?” Sirius batted his eyes and shoved his head onto Remus’ lap making the boy chuckle. 

    “Can’t go three seconds without all eyes on you, huh Pads?” Remus said, but Holly could hear the smile in his voice as he detangled his hands from her hair and moved on to Blacks’. Her eyes fluttered closed for just a second in relief. Had Black seen her panic? Had he noticed what she tried so hard to hide? And more importantly, had he intentionally helped her without causing a scene? The thoughts plagued her as she opened her eyes again only to be met with the intense gaze of James Potter. He was looking at her, concerned, as if he had noticed too. Had everyone? Holly looked around, but the rest of her friends seemed to be as casual as ever. They were playing their game and chatting, not one of them studying her the way Potter and Black were. 

    She felt the headache coming and closed her eyes tightly. She’d have dreams again tonight, she was sure of it. She always did when this kind of thing happened. Standing she faked a yawn. 

    “Sorry guys, I really should get back now. I have Astronomy tomorrow night, and I’m exhausted. Besides, the later I’m out the more likely I am to get caught by Filch and his rat.” 

    The group chuckled a bit at that and James stood, shooting Sirius a look. 

    “I can help with that part at least,” He said, turning back to her with a grin. “I’ll walk you to your dorm.” 

    “Potter that isn’t really-” But he was already on the move grabbing a cloak of some kind out of his bag and waltzing towards the door. With a final wave over her shoulder, Holly took a deep breath and followed him. 

    “Potter,” She called as she caught up to him. “This really isn’t necessary. I can manage the castle on my own.” 

    The boy in question grinned at her, a warmth radiating off of him. It seemed to her that James Potter was always warm. 

    “Don’t be ridiculous, I don’t mind. Besides, everyone wants you to get back safely and they’d feel horrible if you got detention or something.”
Holly hummed in response as they began their trek to the Hufflepuff dorms. James had the cloak he had grabbed tucked under his arm, as they walked and she studied it for a moment. Why had he grabbed it? They continued walking in silence for a few minutes, before he finally spoke.

    “So. You don’t like people playing with your hair then?” 

    Holly tried not to freeze up, she knew this was going to happen. Taking a deep breath she looked at him and narrowed her eyes.
“I’m not fond of being touched. Especially when I don’t expect it.” Her voice wavered slightly, but the judgment she had been expecting never came. Instead, James smiled and looked at her reassuringly. 

    “I understand,” He said, “Padfoot used to be like that too, and my family is very touchy. Lots of hugs ya know? He’s more adjusted now, but sometimes he still gets uncomfortable like you did.” 

    Holly tried not to let anything show on her face. She couldn’t think of too many reasons someone might “get uncomfortable” like she did when being touched, and when thinking of how Black had looked at her with understanding earlier, and the news of his disownment last year, a knot began to form in her stomach. And with the way James was looking at her now the knot tightened. To his credit, he didn’t pry. Instead he began moving forwards again, leading her to the Hufflepuff dorms. He didn’t say anything, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. A certain warmth radiated off of James Potter. She struggled for a moment to think of a situation where she could feel uncomfortable with him. The longer they were near one another, the more Holly realized how perfect James actually was for Lily. 

    They arrived at her door with no encounters from the staff. She hesitated and looked at him, not quite meeting his eyes. 

    “Ah- thank Potter. For… you know.” 

    “Anytime Elwood. I’m here if you ever need anything alright? Anything.” 

    His words traveled through her like an electric shock. She nodded, opening the door to the common room. After walking in, she sat in the entry for a moment and processed. James Potter was a good friend. He treated it like a job almost, always knowing what to say, or do. She was confident, given the chance, he would be good to Lily. This made Holly feel a bit better about the whole “getting him and Lily together” plan. 

    After collecting her thoughts for another second, Holly walked down the short hallway that led to the Hufflepuff common room. While the Gryffindor common room was nice, the Hufflepuff one was spectacular. It truly was the perfect common room for her and her housemates. The room was round, with low ceilings covered in different kinds of foliage. Tiny yellow flowers decorated the vines that wrapped around the exposed beams and lights tangled into them as well, providing a soft, twinkling hue. The room’s floor was a grey stone, however plush and mix-matched rugs covered the space, creating a warm, homey feeling. To go with the rugs, mix-matched armchairs (that were criminally overstuffed and comfortable) were scattered around, some patched with black or gold. Hufflepuffs were not big on needless waste, and to combat this, often had second hand things like chairs and rugs. Her favorite spot in the room was a large mustard colored armchair. It was big enough for two people (or one to spread out on) and sat just next to the large fireplace. The mantle was a honey colored wood, with badgers and vegetation carved into it. On it sat a few framed photos, some moving, some not, and some plants in copper pots. 

    The plants of the common room seemed to be their own entity. They were often exotic or interesting gifts from Professor Sprout, or things that had been planted long ago. Nearly every available space of the large room had something growing on it, with the walls being covered in vines, and flowers on every table. No one was quite sure how they all stayed alive, but students would care for them from time to time if they noticed anything that needed to be done. 

    While Holly loved her common room, she was exhausted and chose to head to her dorm room. All the dorms’ doors were a light wood in a circular shape. They were embedded in the walls, and a bit difficult to find if you weren’t sure where to look. The vines covered every entrance and to get to her own room, she tugged on a large iron loop in the center of the door. 

    Inside of the dorm there were three bedsteads, made of copper and polished, caramel colored wood. Each of the beds had patchwork quilts all of which were incredibly soft. Her own bed had a small stuffed bear on it and a large pillow with a muted yellow pillowcase. Holly stumbled forward to her bed, and after pulling her off her pants and tie. Then she collapsed with a deep sigh. She closed her eyes, burying her face in the pillow, but before she could drift off to sleep a voice sounded out in the quiet room. 

    “Glad you made it home, Holls,” Mia murmured. 

    “Did you wait up for me?” 

    Mia ignored her and rolled over, the blankets ruffling around her. “Go to bed.” 

    Nothing else was said, and Holly sighed. She had quite a few more classes tomorrow then she did today and she was already dreading it.

Chapter Text

    The world around her was hazy with moonlight, and the air was cold against her skin. She was outside somewhere. Grass was wet on her feet and she looked down to see she didn’t have shoes on. Holly knew what this was and she choked back a gag. In the distance a howl shattered the silence of the night, and a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold ran down her spine. Looking to her left she saw what she assumed was the place the howl came from, a run down shack. Against her better judgment she began to walk towards it. Something about the howl made Holly feel bad. It felt pained, agonized, closer to a human scream then she would have liked. The creature, whatever it was, seemed to need help. Curse her and her Hufflepuff nature. 

    Just as she began making her way closer to the shack she was met with the feeling she was being watched. Looking towards the trees, she saw a stag. It was a large animal, but she wasn’t afraid. She took a step closer. 

    Holly woke up in a cold sweat, shooting up in bed so fast she felt instantly nauseous. It was dark in their dorm still, and she got the sense she hadn’t been sleeping terribly long. The Hufflepuff rooms had a lot of windows, though no one could really tell if they were real or not. They felt real enough, summer breezes flowing through them when they were open, but no one really knew what parts of the castle grounds they faced. Or how they existed considering their dorms were in the basement. The students of Hogwarts were long used to not questioning the workings of the castle. 

    Pulling a muggle watch from her bedside table, Holly checked the time. 4:30 AM. She in fact had not slept long, but she knew going to bed again would be impossible. Wisps of the dream she had had floated around her head, intangible. When she first woke up she never remembered her dreams, though she hoped this one would come back to her. Something about this was familiar, but she couldn’t figure out how. She needed to remember it, it was important that she remembered.  

    Pushing the thought from her head for now, she pulled her trunk out from under her bed. Sifting through it she chose a skirt, and a yellow and black striped sweater. Now that Autumn seemed to be picking up the castle was getting colder. Her socks, purple things with constellations decorating them, and her tie were the last bits of her ensemble. Moving to the bathroom, she debated taking a shower. The warm water seemed like it would be nice, but it wasn’t worth the possibility of waking up her friends. Sighing, she moved to the mirror. 

    Her eyes stared back at her, but she didn’t feel like she was really seeing anything. She was still caught in the fog of sleep. Her hair, a mess as always, went into a little half up half down bun. It was too short to do much else. She debated doing some makeup, but ultimately decided she was exhausted and didn’t have the energy for it. She washed her face, and got dressed, calling it a day. It was about five by the time she was ready, and slipping on her watch, she snuck out the door with her book bag.

    Holly had not been expecting to appear at the doors of the library. They were closed, but she knew they were unlocked and pushed her way in. Really she hadn’t meant to end up here. Her feet had carried her to the doors, subconsciously as she didn't have much of a destination in mind herself. Her feet continued to carry her now, but she knew where she was going this time, and she chewed her lip nervously. 

    Coming around the end of a large shelf, Holly was met with a sight she had only half wanted to see. Regulus Black sat in the window alcove they both seemed to have claimed. Steeling herself, and deciding she was in fact mad from lack of sleep, she made her way over.

Chapter Text

    Holly approached the window sill silently and Black didn’t look up from his book. She considered clearing her throat, asking to sit with him, but to her surprise he moved over on his own. No words passed between them, and she was decently confident that he hadn’t even looked at her. Throwing all rational thought out the window, she sat next to him, pulled out her book, and began to read as well. 

    The pair sat in silence for a while, and Holly felt strangely comfortable observing Black from the corner of her eye. He looked much like he always did, his black curls falling loosely over his forehead, his uniform pressed and pristine. His colorless eyes scanned over his book quickly, and his brow was pulled low over his eyes. He seemed concentrated, and curiously she peaked at his book. The cover was one she recognized easily. The Herbology Guide to O.W.L.s . It was one of the required exams for the O.W.L.s, and one she had helped Lily study for last year. 

    “I love that book,” Holly murmured looking back to her own. She didn’t want to startle the boy, like he was a wild dog she was approaching in the forest. One wrong move and she might scare him into attack. He let out a huff and closed the book with a snap, though his frustration didn’t seem directed at her. 

    “You would, Hufflepuff. It doesn’t make any sense, this Herbology nonsense. It’s useless.” 

    Holly’s face scrunched up and she shut her own book, looking at Black. He was running a tired hand down his face, and she noticed now just how tired he seemed to be. Had he slept at all? 

    “Herbology is necessary and you know it. Just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean it’s unimportant,” Then, idiotically, she said, “If you need help with studying I’d be happy to tutor you.” 

    Regulus’ head shot up and he narrowed his eyes at her. They were sharp, a suspicious look on his face. 

    “Why in Merlin’s name would you do that? We are not friends.” 

    Holly, taken aback, blinked at him. “Because you need help? And I’m about the only person in this school who might be willing to help you.”

    Silence reigned around them as the two stared at each other. Then with a heavy sigh Black stood up, his eyes never quite leaving Holly’s. Without another word, he walked away. 

    “The gall of that boy!” She huffed to herself. He had a massive attitude problem, though given his status she should have assumed as much. She half regretted offering her help to him, no matter how little he wanted it, but the other half of her was fascinated. Holly was good at reading people. She knew what they were thinking, often. Regulus Black however was an enigma. He seemed to like, or at least tolerate her, and even allowed her to sit with him twice. All in spite of her blood status. But, then he acted like that? Rude and dismissive? She had no idea what to think about the heir of the house of Black. 

Chapter Text

    Holly’s first class was mostly boring, as was her next one. It wasn’t until her second to last class of the day that anything of note truly happened. Hufflepuffs may not have been renowned for their prowess in potion-making, but for her, potions were a passion. Herbology was her favorite, of course, however the two classes were much more intertwined than some may think. Most potions used different magical plants, and knowing your ingredients was the best way to know a potion. The delicate art of brewing magical concoctions spoke to her, and Holly was excited as she took her seat. 

    Quicker than she would have liked, her excitement turned to dread, curling in the pit of her stomach. Assigned seating. They shared the class with the Slytherins, and this didn’t bother Holly until she discovered she may now need to sit with one. Slughorn had claimed that inter-house relations were “lacking”, and that he wanted them to all practice working with new people. Her eyes darted involuntarily to the Black boy in the front row who was grinding his teeth, demeanor much colder then it had been in the library. 

    Tilly, who had arrived in the room just a moment after Holly, sighed next to her. 

    “Wonderful,” She whispered, “Leave it to Slughorn to put Fifth years into assigned seats like we’re children.” 

    Holly’s friend rested her head on her chin as she spoke, annoyance radiating off of her. Tilly hated Slughorn, thinking his “trophy students”  and "Slugclub" were ridiculous. His unclear position on the war brimming outside the castle also seemed to set her on edge. The girls sat quietly as the man began creating his seating chart, randomly assigned by magic. A student's belongings would fly to one seat or the other, and that’s where they would be from now on.  Holly watched in apprehension as Regulus’ belongings soared to a table in the third row. There was no way they’d end up sitting by each other. Right? 

    Tilly was placed next to another Hufflepuff, of which she seemed content enough. Mildly displeased sure, but content. Soon enough Holly’s own things moved, darting around the class for a moment before settling neatly at an occupied table. An occupied table in the third row.

Chapter Text

    As Holly moved to sit in her newly assigned seat, she tried to calm her nerves. Every experience she had had with the Black boy thus far had been alright, why should she think this would go any differently? Her eyes met Regulus’ and she was reminded exactly why.

    His gaze was hard, and she was startled to find it laced with disgust. His lip was curled and he shifted in his seat, attempting to move as far from her as the desk would allow. A pit formed in Holly’s stomach and her eyes stung. At the end of the day, school children or not, everything came back to the difference between them. His blood was pure, hers was not. 

    She looked around the rest of the room and shrunk when she found eyes burning into her back. Barty Crouch Jr, Evan Rosier, the Lestrange brothers. All of them were staring, snickering, and whispering to one another. She felt her stomach roll and frowned, turning away to look at Tilly. The girl was seated next to a halfblood boy, and didn’t seem upset about her arrangement. As she looked at Holly she seemed worried. 

    Holly took a breath. Regulus Black was a powerful, teenage boy but nothing more than that. She was not going to let him or any other entitled pureblood ruin a class she loved. Turning in her seat, she faced her new table mate and smiled. 

    “Black,” She said through her teeth, “how are you today?” 

    He seemed surprised and stared at her blankly, his face void of most emotion. 

    “Excuse me?” He said, his voice matching his expression. 

    “How are you? You know, how was your day, how are you doing?” 

     Silence surrounded the both of them and eventually he just turned to the front of the room. Holly sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head on her hand. Kill them with kindness. She thought to herself. He had been so normal the other times they’d spoken. Maybe he hadn’t known what she was? Maybe he’d found out? She couldn't help the nausea pooling in her stomach. 

    Eventually, Slughorn started the actual lesson. Just note-taking today, though their next lesson would involve them brewing a potion. In pairs, of course. Holly and the Black boy sat an uncomfortable distance from one another, and in complete silence. She pulled her hair forward to cover her face and attempted to ignore him. Soon enough her studies pulled her mind from what was next to her, and by the time class was over she had almost forgotten the situation. That is until she moved to leave, and tripped over something. No, not something, someone. Barty Crouch Jr was staring down at her and snickering, Rosier next to him rolling his eyes.  Grinding her teeth she began picking up her things. Tilly was at her side in an instant, mumbling thinly veiled threats and curses at the two boys. She looked up and caught Regulus’ eye. His lip curled and with no further action, he and his friends left. The nauseous feeling got worse.

Chapter Text

    Tilly grilled Holly for details about the class period, but the girl didn’t have much to say as they made their way to the dining hall. She found she was having a hard time looking up from her feet, and tried to push the hurt down. Normal teenage boys were annoying, and they often were foolish too. Now teenage boys who were essentially royalty? Those were a whole different breed, and something about their cruelty hurt just a little more. 

     Once the two had made it to the dining hall Tilly took to filling in Mia with all the exaggerated details, as she forced Holly to eat some food. She found she really wasn’t all that hungry, but had a few bites to calm her maternal friend anyways. She caught the eye of the Marauders across the dining hall and was reminded of their seeming friendship when Peter waved happily at her. This, of course drew the rest of their eyes, and soon she had a gaggle of boys grinning and waving at her. Smiling, she gave a small wave back. 

    “Hey, maybe you should talk to Black about his arsehole brother.” Mia interjected, watching the interaction. Holly shook her head immediately. 

    “Sirius and Regulus don’t talk. I think they’ve got some issues.” 

    “Yeah who wouldn’t, coming from that family,” Tilly huffed, grabbing the pumpkin juice from in front of Holly.

    Mia and Holly nodded their agreements, and the girls ate the rest of their dinner with friendly conversation. When they finished, Holly began to head up to the astronomy tower, her last class of the day. It didn’t begin until midnight, but she enjoyed being in the tower to read or draw. She made conversation with the portraits as she moved up the stairs, happily letting them regale her with tales from their time. She traded them stories of her own, just little bits about the modern world, but they seemed entertained. 

    Finally she made it to the top of the tower where the class would be held in just a few hours. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a tablet of drawing paper, and some muggle style art supplies. Try as she might, Holly was horrible with a quill and ink, and hated writing (or drawing) with them. 

    Settling herself in a nice corner by the edge of the tower, she let her pencil trace mindlessly over the paper. She thought back to the dreams she’d been having recently. Each night seemed to bring new, vivid images to the forefront of her mind. She had always had strange dreams, but they were typically fuzzy and didn’t happen nearly as frequently as they seemed to now. 

    As she let her pencil wander mindlessly, she watched the shape appear. The curve of an ear, the softness of some kind of fur. She studied the drawing as she went, with curiosity. This was from her dream from the other night, when she had been in the forest. She continued to sketch messily and finally realized what she had drawn. Holly traced the werewolf on her page with a finger. As a Hufflepuff she liked animals, but she was much more in tune with plants then she had ever been with creatures; magical or otherwise. Still, she knew enough about them, and couldn’t help her confusion. Why would she be drawing- or dreaming about- werewolves? She wasn’t sure she’d ever thought much about the creatures before now. 

    She continued like that, lost in her thoughts and graphite, for what seemed like forever. A few students had filtered in at this point but she didn’t look up. That is until someone cleared their throat next to her. 

Chapter Text

     On nothing more than instinct, Holly flipped to a blank page in her book before looking up at the person who had attempted to get her attention. Polished shoes led to pressed pants and a crisp cloak rimmed with green. Her eyes met familiar grey, and she blinked in surprise. After his cruelty earlier she couldn’t understand why he’d be trying to get her attention now. After a moment of eye contact and strange silence, she spoke. 

     “Can I help you with something Black?” She was almost a little proud of the emotionless quality of her voice, glad the hurt she had buried was staying that way.

     Regulus’ face was much more open, more friendly, than it had been before. It reflected more of how he looked the few times they had been together in the library more than how he seemed in potions. 

     “I don’t know anyone in this lesson.” He offered. Without waiting for any kind of response from Holly, he sat next to her. Far enough that they could be strangers, but close enough to possibly be friends. Something in the back of Holly’s mind flickered. 

     “You don’t know me,” She shot back, but didn’t move to get away from him. He shrugged the faintest smirk on his face as he held out a hand. 

     “Regulus Arcturus Black. Heir to the House of Black, it’s a pleasure.” 

      Holly stared at his outstretched hand. His fingers were long and pale, and she couldn’t help but notice what appeared to be pale, thin, scars along his fingertips. After a moment’s hesitation she put her hand in his, almost pulling away at the shockingly cold state of him. 

     “Holly Elwood. Pleasure.” 

     Regulus’ smirk seemed to grow just barley. “There. Now we know one another.” Holly raised an eyebrow. 

     “That’s not how knowing people works, Black,” She said, rolling her eyes. If she saw his nose wrinkle at the use of his last name, surely she was imagining it. “Knowing people means knowing things about them. All you know is my name.” 

     “That isn’t true,” He scoffed, “I know plenty.” 

     She waited for him to continue. Regulus’ face went from nearly white to just having a tinge of pink along his cheeks. 

     “Well, you’re a Hufflepuff for starters.” He gestured to her tie. “And you get to classes early.” 

     “That’s barely anything! My robes gave me away and you’re just guessing on the class thing because I got here before you.” She couldn’t help the laugh that punctuated her sentence, but stopped when she saw Regulus frowning. 

     “Then tell me something.” 

     Holly paused. The light-hearted feeling of the conversation had changed into something- different. Something serious, something deeper. He wanted to know her. But why? Why would someone like him, who had bullied her mere hours ago, want anything to do with her now? Regardless of knowing her judgment was poor she leaned forwards and rested her head against her palm. 

     “My favorite color is green.” 

     Regulus’ eyes met her and the ghost of a smirk was back, but this time something about it was more genuine. More of a smile. 

     “Orange.”