"It's obvious isn't it?!" Astrid exclaimed.

"It is?" Remus wondered. Unlike Padfoot, he was a little lost on these matters. With a smile, she leaned in to whisper.

Astrid had cornered him after classes had ended to come up with a plan to get Sirius and Jones talking - or even fighting. Anything was better than Astrid having to listen to Kelsey whine about how Sirius could ignore her for all she cared.

"And you're sure that will work?" he sounded unsure.

Astrid nodded eagerly and thought about something else. "Will you be alright though?" she asked. "So close to the full moon, I mean.."

Remus wiped his hand over his face and took a seat. Astrid followed.

A few days after the Prongs had told him that Kelsey had found out about the cloak, Remus had confronted her and come clean about his condition. Rather than run away she had hugged him tightly before stammering and running away embarrassed again.

Remus could smell a hint of forest and wild daisies. Just like his own Amortentia. Luckily he didn't have to announce it in class thanks to the Sirius incident.

"It'll be fine." He sent her a small smile. She held his hand in comfort.

Ϟ

"Hey, Sirius," Astrid sang as Remus walked over with his mate on that Friday morning. This was Phase 1 of her plan. Watching Kelsey plot her 'not-so-obsessive' revenge on Black had taught her a few tricks.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" she asked sweetly, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

Kelsey almost got whiplash from the speed at which she watched Sirius fumble for words before nodding awkwardly.

"You two should come too!" Astrid offered, shifting between Kelsey and Remus. "Ooh - it'll be like a double date. I know Lily is off with James-"

"She is?!" Kelsey exclaimed. How had that happened? The last time she checked, pigs weren't flying yet.

Kelsey looked funny at Astrid hoping their best-friend telepathy worked:

I thought you liked Remus? Kelsey thought.

Just come with us on the date would you, Astrid silently conveyed. Kelsey saw Sirius give Astrid a weird look as well. There were a lot of looks going around.

Astrid nodded giving Remus a look. He coughed and began. "I mean- yes, I'm up for it if you are. I could always fill up on more Honeydukes," he offered.

"Now that you say it, I could do with that too," Kelsey suddenly beamed at him. "You know the funniest thing happened that day. I smelled chocolates in my Amortentia," she said.

Sirius frowned at that revelation.

"Is that all?" Remus asked.

Sirius watched from the corner of his eye as Kelsey sent Lupin a shy smile. He saw the tip of her ears get a little pink and she mumbled something.

"I'm sorry?" Remus asked.

"I couldn't place the other two," she said.

"I bet," Remus winked at her mischievously highlighting her embarrassment even more.

Sirius scoffed next to them.

"What was that Pads?" he asked straight-faced.

"I said: save some flirting for your date would you," he spat.

"Don't mind if I do," Remus coolly replied, which only got on his nerves more.

Ϟ

Kelsey slapped both her cheeks at breakfast the next morning to alert herself.

It was still early for a Saturday and students were still filling in for breakfast excitedly talking about the second Hogsmeade trip of the year. She saw Sirius Black sitting alone at the Gryffindor table glaring at the food on his plate in silence. Looks like she wasn't the only one feeling nervous.

She didn't even know how she had been pulled into this. Surely she would have noticed Astrid gushing over Black in secret. The thought alone sent a wave of guilt through her on top of the fact that she was supposed to be Remus' date.

She only agreed because she didn't want to leave Black alone with Astrid. She didn't trust him. Astrid was too good for him.

"Okay rule number 1," Kelsey sat down in the empty seat next to Black.

"No touching her."

He gave her a confused look.

"I mean it Black. If I get even a hint of you trying to grope her, I will personally hex your family jewels."

"Jealous much?" His sour mood was gone, feeling lighter at the thought.

"Rule number 2: No kissing.."

"What? Why?!"

Because she likes Remus, you dolt! Of course, Kelsey didn't reveal that. She had matured from the Daddy incident.

She also had no idea what Astrid was up to with this whole double-date. But if her best friend wanted a date with the boy, Kelsey would make sure it was the best date she had. Even if sent a pang of dread through her.

"Because Astrid is a precious soul who must be protected and I literally saw you drag Dorcas into a broom closet this week.."

An unreadable expression fell over his face but she moved on. "Plus I don't want her catching whatever you have. We share a dorm."

"And number 3-"

"There's more?" Sirius was starting to reconsider this double date. He'd only agreed after he saw Jones almost break her neck and glare at him when Astrid had asked him out. Getting on Jones' nerves was his favorite past time. He still needed to find a when and where to let Astrid down gently though.

"If you make her cry or so help me Helg-"

"There you are!" Astrid walked up to them. "Kels why'd you get up so quick. You rushed out before I even finished getting ready."

"Oh just laying down some ground rules with lover boy here. To make sure he behaves if he wants to keep all his appendages come sunset," she sent him a warning look.

Instead of acting shy, Astrid was simply amused. Kelsey didn't understand it. Astrid always got shy and stammer-y near her crushes.

"Morning ladies. Looking lovely, as usual," Remus had arrived and started piling food on his plate. Kelsey noticed the bags under his eyes. He looked stretched thin. She almost felt bad for agreeing to go on this date just to keep tabs on Black.

Remus smiled at the girls, stopping at Astrid for a little too long. Astrid noticed and turned her face away to hide a blush.

Shy - just like that! Kelsey narrowed her eyes at her friend.

After breakfast, they walked towards the main gate with Sirius and Astrid lagging a little behind. Sirius tugged his leather jacket a little closer as the chilly November breeze blew.

Ahead of them, Kelsey, in her red dress, smoothened it down a little feeling cold, and pulled her thick cardigan closer. He noticed that she had tied her hair up for the day as opposed to when she left it in curls. He had also noticed a slight touch of makeup on her eyes. Why was she putting in so much effort? It was just Moony.

As they climbed into a carriage Sirius beelined to enter second after Kelsey. Much to her annoyance, he made himself cosy in the seat next to hers.

"Do you mind?" she said rudely, eyeing the empty ones opposite them.

"Why, yes I do," he was pleased when Remus had to sit next to Astrid.

"Sirius, behave," his friend drawled. With a shrug, Sirius looked out the small window as the carriage lurched forward towards the town.

Ϟ

"She smelled chocolate," Sirius muttered to Astrid. They were walking around Honeydukes stuffing their baskets with small sweets.

"I know," Astrid said with a grin. She watched Sirius narrow his eyes at the couple from a distance.

"Moony loves chocolate," Sirius was watching Remus and Jones argue over which type of Cauldron Cake was better. The discussion was getting a little intense as Jones dragged Remus to a different aisle. Astrid's own gaze wavered for a second when she saw Kelsey casually grab Remus by the hand.

Pushing himself off the wall of the store, Sirius strode over to where they had disappeared.

Sirius Black hated being left out of things. He arrived just in time to see Remus hold out a new line of chocolates the store offered which Jones excitedly grabbed and munched into.

"OH Good," she closed her eyes and moaned. "This stuff is like the opposite of Kryptonite. It gives me life," she said.

"What's that?"Remus looked confused.

"Like from Superman.." she started but was only met with more confusion.

"The buff bloke from her muggle books, Moony," Sirius piped up happily, for some reason feeling the need to please her with that information. She hadn't looked at him since getting off the carriage. He was losing patience. He forgot that he had Astrid right beside to whom he should have been paying attention.

She was shocked, her mouth left hanging open at the revelation that Sirius Black paid enough attention to her muggle stuff.

Sirius had observed her around the school with that particular issue around ever since Prongs had been threatened into buying it for her. He clicked his tongue.

A while after stocking up on Honeydukes, the four were walking to the Three Broomsticks. Kelsey found herself remembering her last experience at the joint. But she wasn't going to give in and give him the satisfaction of her attention.

He had been getting on her nerves the entire day. He was currently busy retelling a Marauders story from fourth year when Astrid suddenly squealed in delight and double over in laughter coming to a stop in the middle of the street.

"NOO!!!" she cried.

"Yeah," Sirius grinned at her, happy that someone found his story hilarious while Remus walked along with a small smile recalling that day.

They saw the newspaper that was lying on the empty table at The Three Broomsticks as they went to settle down.

"That's messed up," Kelsey grumbled picking it up.

'Whinging attack: 4 muggle-borns in critical condition at Mungos and 2 werewolves dead' read the headline.

She made a disgusted sound.

Opposite her, Remus paled. She missed the look that Sirius and Astrid shared as they carefully gauged Moony's reaction.

"I heard he's started infiltrating the Ministry," Astrid said, leaning over. "His followers are everywhere."

"Including Hogwarts," Sirius mentioned. Kelsey shared a dark look with him thinking back to the Slytherins who had cornered her. She suddenly felt nauseous. Sure she had planned to join the Muggle relations department after graduation. The question was: Would there even be one come August?

"Like - look at this!" she gestured at the gruesome images of the dead werewolves on the front page. "That's barbaric. To think people would do such a thing!"

"So the thought of werewolves in society doesn't appall you?" Remus brought up.

"They're still people aren't they?" Kelsey said, doing a swift read of the article. "From what I've read in books, I mean other than the 'monthlies' - it's almost like us girls on our periods.." Remus choked on his Butterbeer as it ran down the wrong pipe. No one in his twelve years had described it that way.

"..it's kind of the same: Temperamental mood swings, looking like a downright mess, chocolate cravings, occasional blood..The only difference is it happens near the full..." she stopped talking.

With a gasp, she shot out of her chair and stumbled a few steps back. Everyone looked at her in shock. Through tunnel vision, she gaped at Remus while Sirius and Astrid now started to panic.

"You!" She pointed at him. "Moony," she rasped his nickname.

The manner in which Remus' eyes widened in fright confirmed her theory. Her brain was still processing the new information when she felt someone move behind her all of a sudden.

"Sorry Jones," the whisper was gruff and low.

"Sirius no!" In front of her, she saw Remus lunging in her direction in alarm.

She felt the tip of a wand on her neck and the whisper of a soft Stupefy that knocked her out gently.

She fell limp in Sirius Black's arms, asleep to the world.

Ϟ

GIF #1: Found on bowiehunts tumblr