Remus Lupin

Remus hauled himself to his feet, groggily getting out of bed. He was a night person, but wasn't a morning person either. Still, he would always force himself to rise at dawn to prepare for the day. He passed by the rows of beds, descending the stairs as he yawned. Remus apparently loved to torture himself.

After getting ready, Remus headed out of the Gryffindor House, saying good morning to the Fat Lady. He held all his textbooks in his hands, stiffly keeping his posture, not wanting to drop any of them. As he walked in the corridor, trying to remember which class he signed up for early mornings, he accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry—" He paused, realizing who it was. "Magdelena. Morning," he said flatly.

Lena Flynn nodded curtly in response. "Remus."

They weren't too fond of each other, academic rivals and all. Remus strived to be at the top of his classes, but Lena matched his stride. They knew each other; they both studied in the Library while trying not to peek at each other's essays. Purely, Remus saw her as a competitor, and competitor only.

He narrowed his eyes. "What did you get on your Potions finals?"

"It's the second day of school."

"I suspect you took summer courses by some stroke of luck," Remus said, eyeing her carefully. Lena cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck. He knew it, goddamnit, he knew it. She was the reason why he couldn't find extra material to study over the summer. "I heard you're still the prefect of Ravenclaw."

"Yes, I am, I don't know why you'd have reason to think they gave my position to another Ravenclaw," Lena replied indignantly, almost to defend herself. She crossed her arms. "You're the prefect for Gryffindor this year, no?" She glanced at his prefect badge that said P. "Well done."

Remus was wary. "Thank you...?"

"Take a compliment once in a while, Lupin."

Awkwardly, they stood stiffly there for a split second. Lena Flynn was a dark-skinned Ravenclaw student—yes, Ravenclaw, the smartest out of the smartest, which made Remus more academically challenged—whose curls were tied back, though one strand was left untucked. It irked him, though James once joked Remus probably had OCD, but Remus was starting to believe him. He gestured to her head. "There's a piece of hair... No, the other side. Not there, like near your ear. Damnit, just hold my books."

Remus shoved his books in Lena's hand, tucking back the loose curl of hair for her. There, now she looked much more presentable. Not that Remus cared about her looks! Or Lena in general, of course. Yes, he did not care about Lena Flynn at all, because that idea was totally unbelievable and foreign...

"I'll see you in Charms, good day," Remus said, grabbing his books and sped past a rather confused Lena. He was feeling quite flighty around her lately, yet he couldn't find a source of the strange flutters in his stomach. Believe him, Remus had checked every medical textbook in Hogwarts.

So what was this odd feeling?"

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Sirius Black

"Tails," Sirius called as Cerise threw the coin in the air. Once it landed back on the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, it was heads. Sirius cursed as Cerise laughed victoriously. "Hold on, I think I have a few muggle quarters in here that Kreacher found for me..."

Corvinne wandered over with a tray of mush in hand. "Ugh, she fooled you with the coin trick too? Also, who bets on a coin? That's a new kind of dumb for you, Sirius." Coin trick? Sirius swiped the coin, seeing that both sides were only heads. Are you kidding me? Cerise grinned while he stuck up the middle finger. "Oh, piss off, Lavoie."

"Well, this is a delightful way to start the second day of Hogwarts," Corvinne snorted, stabbing her breakfast with a half-broken fork. She tossed the fork aside, bored and exhausted. "Do you ever feel like the days are slowly becoming more mind-numbing? Like, I can't even do anything without being bored."

"Seasonal depression," Cerise reported back.

"Ugh," Corvinne kicked up her legs on the table, leaning back. "We need something fun. Hey, I heard that Lacey's having a party up in the Hufflepuff House soon enough. We should go, it'll cure my seasonal depression." She put her hands together and stuck her bottom lip forward, showcasing her very best puppy eyes. "Please? For me?"

"Lacey's a bitch," Sirius said simply, "so yeah, I'll go. She always manages to shake things up, it's entertaining."

Cerise snorted. "Very convincing, but I'll pass. Trust me when I say you don't want to see the best or worst of Lacey Locke. She's like a grizzly bear, ready to maul you alive!" She stirred her spoon in her bowl of porridge boredly. "She'd be the death of me, you know."

"Ugh, you've such a slacker!" Corvinne playfully smacked Cerise's arm, while she spotted a head of fiery ginger hair. It was no secret that she fancied women, and frankly, she acted on impulse. Apparently, a Sable Starwood had piqued her interest. "Excuse me for a sec."

"It's going to be way more than a second," Sirius said as soon as Corvinne left the Gryffindor Table. Cerise laughed at his remark as James and Peter finally arrived for breakfast. "Oh look at our sleepy heads," he cooed sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, shut your trap." Peter sat down, rubbing his tired eyes. He didn't get much sleep last night, Sirius reckon, neither did James. It was like an invisible cloud of bad luck hung over them. Peter glanced at Cerise, asking, "You're in Ravenclaw, correct?"

"I'd never be caught dead around other houses," she replied primly.

"What do you know about Calypso Starling?"

James rolled his eyes. "For Merlin's Beard, you're still wondering about the curse?"

"I feel bad, that's all," Peter admitted. "Do you, Cerise?"

"Quiet girl, sticks to herself. Mildly smart, does average in her homework. No friends, no boyfriend or girlfriend, no connections." Cerise took a sip of her water before saying, "Wait, are you inquiring about the Starling Curse? I heard about it once or twice, I always thought it was another of Lacey's ill-tempered rumours."

"It's real," Sirius confirmed, glancing at Peter. "Why are you so interested?"

"I dunno', I feel like we owe her after she helped us escape detention."

"We don't owe her anything," James cut Peter off. Ah, James' kindness and loyalty was reserved for only a handful of people, used sparingly too. He flexed his fingers, glancing around the table. "Calypso's not very useful, I reckon."

"She could be," Cerise murmured, "I'm tired of being the only girl in your boys' club."

"A club you're not a part of to begin with," James snapped back.

"Oh, shut up, Potter!"

And another regular Tuesday...

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Calypso Starling

Calypso sat at the library, flipping through the contents of a textbook she didn't quite understand. She was average in school, books weren't people, they were objects she couldn't observe and draw conclusions from. She pushed her research papers away from her, bringing a leatherbound notebook that was so small that it fitted in her cloak's pockets. A few tables away from her was James Potter and his three friends. They were an odd group, but that's what made Calypso curious.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Calypso had rather a... difficult time connecting with people, it was better to study them like how Papa did with his clients. She wouldn't call it stalking, it was mere observation. Like any good psych evaluation, it was good to jot down things.

Journal Entry #1—James Potter.

James Potter is a troublemaking student who stands out amidst the crowd of pureblood wizards. He is mildly handsome and many seek his attention—most likely romantic affection—but it's no secret that he only has eyes for Lily Evans. Based on prior events, it's clear that Potter would rather hide his feelings than confront them. No movement to speak out to Evans nor Snape, but he still makes time to prank others with his friends. He seems to possess some potential narcissistic traits, bullying other students to make himself appeal better.

He likes to shift blame, I noticed, when fault comes to him. He believes he owes everyone nothing, other than his close ones. If he ever grows out of his ignorance, I doubt he would be willing to talk about his emotions. Perhaps Lily Evans managed to get there, but Potter must have felt betrayal once she "chose" Snape over him. Funny choice of words—"chose." I see no sign of reconnecting, though Evans seems eager to speak to him. If someone were to crack his egoistical shell, there may be some point of return.

"Calypso." James' voice startled her so much that she immediately slammed her journal shut, worried that he had seen what she was writing. Much to her relief, he hadn't and stood next to her table with his other buddies. "Have you pranked before?"

"Pardon?"

"Never mind, this whole thing was a joke." He turned to leave.

"I can help you," she blurted out. James stopped, glancing at her. Good, I have his interest now, maybe then he'd listen. You see, while Calypso stuck to herself, she did recently discover how utterly lonely she was. That led to desperation of new friendships and fellowships. "I have a proposal; I can read emotions and faces, which can help you get back whoever you'd like."

"Like that's useful," James scowled.

Remus held up his hand. "Wait, Jamie, she has a point. Remember how the janitor nearly wet his pants once Calypso mentioned his ex-wife? Wouldn't it be good to have someone like that?"

James rolled his eyes. "This is our fifth year, we pull big pranks."

"Right because you're the Marauders."

Pure silence filled the library; Peter's hands were sweaty, Sirius' mouth fell open, Remus blinked blankly, and James resorted to anger. "Excuse me?" he said snappishly. "How do you know that?"

"I was going on a whim, but you've confirmed it now."

"Oh? So you're playing coy now?"

"Not at all!" Calypso added quickly, flustered and embarrassed. You're shit at making friends, she told herself. "I heard rumours from Lacey, no doubt, and pieced it together. You've an unlikely group, but you've made a name for yourself. There's word of people wanting to join the Marauders, you know, to spice things up. Students are bored of rules and order, they want to cause trouble."

"The Marauders are four people only," Sirius said flatly.

Calypso's head whirled with a dozen ideas. "But creating a new group isn't." She flipped to a fresh page of her notebook, letting the boys peer at it. She feverishly outlined her idea, ink smudging against her palm. "You wanted a big bang for your fifth year, correct? While things have been boring, so why don't you open pranking to everyone else? Give them a piece of paradise?" She held up her notebook to James' face. "You want to cause a wildfire, I am assuming, so let others create the spark. Piss off Hogwarts for all I care, because the truth is that the Marauders are four people that can't do everything by themselves. You need efficiency and manpower."

"So a pranking group?" Peter asked, bewildered.

"No, a society. Secret society, actually."

"Why are you giving us this idea?" James asked at last.

"Because if I'm going to sink into this wasteland of a life, then I want to add a hint of chaos to it." Calypso's eyes glinted and she allowed a tiny smile. You have to put yourself out there, her father told her once. Or you'll never reach the stars. "The Stars Society."