CHAPTER ONE. IF STARING WAS A SPORT.

Despite it being September, it's a rather nice day. Warm enough to go out without a jacket and spend time by the lake. It's what Sirius was doing, watching his group of friends laugh and joke with each other while he watched from afar. That was, until, someone sneaks up behind him.

"You're staring."

Sirius startles, dropping the book that was in his hands into his lap. Rosemary collapses down on the grass beside him, a cheeky smile on her face making him grumble, "Was not."

"It's unbecoming, especially for the heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."

"I wasn't staring."

"Oh, really? So you're just reading. . ." She tilts her head to get a better look at the title, ". . . A Collection of Above Three Hundred Receipts in Cookery, Physick and Surgery for fun. . . and upside down?"

He huffs, arms folding over his chest, chin raised indignantly, apparently extremely dedicated to his poorly put-together lie. Rosemary snorts with a shake of her head, shifting to move the book and wiggle down to lie her head in his lap.

"Sirius, you don't even take Potions— you hate it!"

"Yeah, well, I like to. . . to read in my spare time."

Rosemary raises an eyebrow, "No, you absolutely don't."

"I— oh, fuck off."

She laughs, a lovely melodic tune, and Sirius can't help but grin down at her. Rosemary's laugh is contagious like that. Enticing, like a siren's song.

"My loves! Did I tell you Lily Evans gave me a piece of parchment today in Transfig?" James drops down on the other side of Sirius who cannot refrain from rolling his eyes. James leans over Sirius's lap to look down at Rosemary with a grin that could, if she's quite honest, light up the whole sky.

"James, you're pathetic." She muses lightly, lifting a hand and patting his cheek pitifully. James's mood doesn't change.

"What've you two been up to, then?" James probes, leaning heavily into Sirius's side, almost toppling them all over in a heap on the grass. Sirius slaps the side of his head, but James's previous grin doesn't waver.

"Let's just say, if staring was a sport, Sirius would get gold." Rosemary teases, and he glares down at her as James gasps mockingly, "Oh? Is it, by any chance. . . a certain hufflepuff that we know and love?"

"Why yes, dearest, it is." Rosemary confirms. Sirius looks just about ready to kill the both of them.

"Ah," James nods in understanding, "Then he'd definitely be getting gold— they might even make a special medal, just for him!"

"I'm going to murder the both of you," Sirius declares, his glare extending to James, "No magic, just with my bare hands."

Rosemary rolls over his legs, jabbing her elbows in painfully as she does, to situate herself behind James. She hooks her chin over his shoulder, "If you kill us, Padfoot, who would put up with you then?"

"What's this about murder?" Mary questions, trudging up to the trio.

"I'm willing to help, so long as I know who does the killing and who burying the body?" Sabrina adds, huffing as she loosens the yellow tie around her neck

Sirius is too set in thinking of interesting ways to kill his two best friends to really notice her arrival, "Bodies. More than one— the deaths of tweedle dee and tweedle dum over here."

He jabs an accusing finger at the two beside him. James has his arms folded over his chest and Rosemary's still leaning against his back, eyebrows raised.

"That's a muggle saying, Sirius," Sabrina acknowledges, "I'm impressed."

"Yeah, well. . ." He trails off as he looks up. Sabrina smiles down at him. Sirius shrugs and gives her a grin. James nudges Rosemary repeatedly with his elbow to witness the interaction. She rolls her eyes, swatting his arm away.

"Although, if anyone's gonna be tweedle dee and tweedle dum," She wags a finger between Sirius and James, "It's gonna be you two."

"Don't group me together with this brute." James mocks. Rosemary dives to the side, narrowly missing Sirius hurling at James in attempt to put him in a headlock.

Sabrina laughs at the two whilst she steps forward and holds out a hand for Rosemary. She takes it gratefully, allowing Sabrina to pull her arm. Mary waves her wand at her, specks of dirt tumbling from her skirt— Rosemary smiles at her in thanks.

"Who do you think's gonna roll into the lake first?" Mary grins, looping an arm around Rosemary's.

"The lake's over there." Sabrina point to the large body of water that is a good distance away from them.

"It's James and Sirius we're talking about, SJ," Rosemary reminds her, nudging her friend, "I'm surprised they're not already swimming in it the way they're going."

"True." Sabrina hums.

The boys wrestle on the ground, squabbling and rolling further and further away from the girls and closer to the water. Rosemary shakes her head with a smile. Mary tugs her away from the boys and the lake, but not before Rosemary reaches behind her to grasp Sabrina's hand.

They begin their slow walk up to the castle, leaving James and Sirius to themselves.

***

Later, Rosemary finds herself curled up against one side of the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, watching Peter wipe the floor with James at wizarding chess. Sirius also watches from beside James, taunting and throwing him off whilst Remus sits next to Rosemary, his nose buried in a book. On his other side is Mary who practically forces Marlene to sit on the floor between her legs so she can braid her hair. Lily's perched on the armrest alongside Mary, talking elaborately with the two girls.

Remus peers over his book and notices Rosemary's unusual lack of engagement. He nudges her softly, and she turns to him, her eyebrows drawn together. He raises one of his own. What's up?

"I'm fine, Remus," She dismisses lightly, "Just. . . tired."

"You can go up, if you want." Remus reminds her, his voice soft.

Rosemary, unlike her friends, wasn't much of a night owl. Sometimes she could hack it, but others she felt like her head would fall off because of how heavy it sudden become. More often than not, Rosemary's the first one to fall asleep. But recently, sleep's been a lot harder to come by.

"No, I'm fine." She shuffles a little closer to Remus, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So, if you close your eyes right now, you're telling me you won't fall asleep on my shoulder?"

"Having been doing much of that recently, so I think you're safe." Rosemary jests, but Remus frowns in reply. She groans, shaking her head, "None of that, please— I told you, I'm fine, okay? I've just been a bit restless lately. I get enough interrogation from SJ as it is— what's this you're reading? It looks like one of Lily's books."

"It is," He affirms, turning the leather-bound book in his hands, "She wanted me to read Persuasion by Jane Austen."

"Oh, she made me read that," Rosemary nods, "I enjoyed it."

He glances down at her briefly, "Yeah?"

"Mhmm," She hums, "One of my favourites, actually."

"And why's that?" Remus questions. Rosemary grins at him, "What! Would I be turned back from doing a thing that I had determined to do, and that I knew to be right, by the airs and interference of such a person, or any person I may say? No, I have no idea of being so easily persuaded. When I have made up my mind, I have made it— I like that quote, I need to get a copy so I can highlight it."

Remus blinks, and then a laugh bubbles and leaves his lips. He shakes his head fondly. Rosemary always has had a sharp memory, but sometimes her volume of knowledge throws him off-kilter.

"Sounds like you— she's quite stubborn." He comments. Rosemary shakes her head, "I'm more. . . determined, shall we say, rather than stubborn."

He sighs, putting on a show of being exasperated, "Whatever you say, Sunny."

Rosemary smiles, flicking his ear, and Remus turns back to the book in his hands.

Fifteen minutes later, when Remus is engrossed in his book, Peter's won the chess match and Mary's finished braiding Marlene's hair and now starting on Lily's, Rosemary's eyes flutter closed. The noise fades into the background, and her head rolls forwards, almost falling from Remus's shoulder.

Instead, his hand flies upwards, her forehead in his palm as he pushes her back to rest in the dip of his shoulder. She exhales softly, warm air tickling the sensitive skin of Remus's neck.

His eyes never leave the book and his hand stays next to his shoulder, palm facing up. Just incase.

ASTERIA'S NOTES!
SURPRISE!!!!!!!!! CHAPTER ONE IS OUT!!!!!!!!
this is like a little birthday present to myself, considering i've been waiting forever to get a chapter out, and now it's finally been done!! listen, i know this isn't a great chapter, tbh i don't actually think it makes much sense and is probably a bit all over the place but. like. i've been struggling with writing a first chapter of this book for SO LONG that i think this will just suffice.

however, this is only to get the book started. it's like a pilot episode to a new tv series, boring but it sort of (kind of?) sets the scene. i didn't want to have too much going on in the first chapter, so there's only two scenes. this used to be massive, like, this chapter used to be 3k so. i didn't want to throw you all into a huge first chapter. i wanted to ease you in gradually. there will be bigger chapters than this, eventually.

anyway, i hope you enjoyed!!
please let me know what you think!!
lots of love, asteria x