Remus had already grown accustomed to your silent presence around them; you never got involved in problems and didn't talk much, possessing a certain judgmental gaze that always made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. Unlike Sirius, you were deeply cold, even a bit apathetic, but he readily said that was an act on your part to anyone who questioned him — he knew you all too well, but Remus still had a hard time believing that you weren't at all like you appeared to be. In a way, you had a personality similar to Regulus's, the difference being that he was even less grumpy than you.

You didn't get involved in all the Slytherin bullshit; they had a certain fondness for picking on the Gryffindors, but you did even worse than insult them — you ignored them like they were tiny ants. Your brothers were among the few you didn't ignore, but you didn't do so because you didn't have much of a choice; Sirius would pull your hair until you listened to him or threaten to put a spell on him... And he loved it when you threatened him with a bit of fun. Remus found this terrifying, especially with how your eyes could kill someone.

Even so, you weren't completely bad; you'd never been rude to him — probably because you barely spoke to him — and on the few occasions you were near each other, you even held the castle doors open for him to pass through, as if he were some lady. He wasn't exactly complaining about that though.

“I don't want to go.” He protested before Sirius threw a shirt at his face. There was no way any of them could leave Remus out of this — it was a party, he should go, whether he wanted to or not. How depressed did he have to be to want to be alone with a book on a Saturday night?

“Come on,” James rolled his eyes, throwing himself onto the bed next to Remus while pulling him back with his arm around his neck. A groan of disapproval escaped Remus, who tried to elbow his friend before James started messing up his hair. “It's just a party. Have a drink, relax, and then you can go back to your... Well, beloved books.”

The words didn't convince him, but Remus knew perfectly well that it was pointless and they'd take him to the party even if he had to be dragged there. He didn't say anything for a moment as if he were angry, he just stood up and sighed, picking up the shirt Sirius had thrown at him. “Fine.” The smug smirks on his friends' lips were immediate, damn Potter and Black.

After twenty minutes of music, the smell of alcohol, and teenagers screaming and giggling everywhere — starting with his own friends — Remus was already tired as hell. He was alone, in the back, leaning against the wall with a cheap-tasting drink in his hand, watching. Sirius and James looked like two stupid clowns, Peter was trying to hit on the Ravenclaw girl he spent hours talking about, from lunch to dinner, and Remus? He wanted to go to sleep.

However, his sleepiness vanished the second he felt someone leaning against the wall beside him. Slowly, he looked to the side, hoping it was anyone... But you. He swallowed hard, looking away again as he sipped his drink, until he heard your voice timidly. “Hey.” If Remus had been a bit more clumsy, he would've choked.

He smiled, somewhat awkward, turning back to look at you without seeming completely bewildered by the interaction, his eyes going to the cigarette between your fingers and then, back to your face. “Hey.” Of all the things that could happen that night, you talking to him was the last thing he imagined.