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▎ COUNTING STARS  ▎
»»————-　act one. young, wild & free
ELEVEB ━━ remus the godsend guardian angel

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♯ ❝DO TROLLS HAVE MATING CALLS?! ❞
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AS ANNABELLE HAS ALWAYS KNOWN, (ALWAYS AS IN SINCE SHE WAS ELEVEN) POTIONS CLASS DID NOT AGREE WITH HER, NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT, and as an aspiring healer that sucked, major. Because she needed to excel in it to even get the right qualifications. And an E sounded so farfetched at this point, she might as well start applying at her mother's gardening store.

But Remus Lupin, her Potions godsend guardian angel brought upon her by Merlin, was at least helping her enough to at least slowly but surely start to remember simple potions by heart thanks to his help. With him she had a better chance at not ending in a cold cardboard box under a bridge in the middle of London where she would slowly wither away and feed stray cats instead of herself.

Of course, fifth year—her O.W.L year, the year was not making it easier for Annabelle, and Slughorn only seemed to be getting giddier as the difficulty of the curriculum grew. And his lesson on the properties of the Moonstone, a milky coloured gemstone that shone just as brightly as the sun, funnily enough, was again hard for the girl to comprehend.

"Fun fact." Slughorn smiled widely as he waggled between two sets of tables with the jar containing the shining gem, "Moonstone gems were actually one of the gemstones placed in Rowena Ravenclaw's missing diadem."

How anyone knew what was on a missing, keyword; missing diadem was beyond her, but then again, she did live in a magical world. And word of mouth should hopefully hold some truth when it was told by freaking ghosts! And she, for a fact knew that the Grey Lady from Ravenclaw Tower was the daughter of the famous Hogwarts founder. Ghosts should know stuff like that right, especially ghosts whose mother's diadem went missing? Their History of Magic teachers wasn't a ghost for no reason, right?

Unlike Annabelle, who would have rather seen Potions dropped from the curriculum, it seemed that almost all the fifth year students were enthralled by the sight of the glowing stone as they hung on the every syllable falling from Professor Slughorn's lips.

"With other ingredients, Moonstone is used regularly in several love potions as well as Draught of Peace, however, it is normally used in powdered form." While Slughorn went further in the abilities of the stone, most students started to whisper about love potions the moment they had been mentioned.

"I don't know what's so special about love potions." Lily huffed, but even Annabelle could detect a hint of curiosity in her emerald eyes. "I mean it doesn't create real love right? Just the illusion of it, an if you're smart enough to brew a complicated potion like that, you should be able to differentiate between real love an fake love."

Annabelle nodded in agreement. "I guess just the idea of real love fools a lot of people. They don't say love makes blind for no reason Lily."

Julia turned around in her seat, short brown hair brushing her chin. "Sometimes people crave love Lily and they'll take every chance they get to have it. I wouldn't put it passed my older brother Leo, that nutter probably used it on half the girls he used to date."

Annabelle shuddered at the thought. "It's just sad that people believe they need a bloody potion to find it, I mean it only creates an obsession."

The girls did not say anything else, before they turned back around and looked at their books when Slughorn glanced in their direction when they laughed a little too loudly—the brunette even noticed Severus Snape's dead glare set upon them, with the exception of Lily.

How the two of them managed to be friends was still beyond her, but then again, who was she to judge.

....She did in fact judge Severus, though—whoops.

When Slughorn finally looked away again, droning on about the properties and usages of the gemstone, Lily peered up at Annabelle. "Although, I have to admit, I am interested in one specific love potion."

Annabelle looked up from her parchment, where she was attempting to write as much down as possible to not immediately fall behind. "Which one?"

"Amortentia." Lily replied dreamily.

Julia's eyes widened when she heard the redhead speak, "Who are you planning on using that one on? You know it is the strongest love potion out there."

"No you silly." Lily laughed softly at Annabelle and Julia's flabbergasted expressions. "I want to smell it."

Annabelle, blinked slowly, exchanging wary glances with her friend behind her before repeating Lily's words as if to make sure she heard her right, "You... You want smell it?"

Lily chuckled when she saw Annabelle's bizarre look and tilted head. She quickly covered her mouth before the professor noticed. "I'm guessing you don't know what happens when you smell it, do you?" She inquired knowingly before sneakily changing the pages of her advanced potions book to show the page where the Amortentia potion was explained.

Annabelle shook her head. "Lily it is potions, I never liked potions." She shrugged. "I do however love Transfiguration." She added as an afterthought.

"Well good for you. " Lily rolled her eyes, though she could not help the fond smile that appeared.

"Thank you." Annabelle smiled sweetly.

"Well back to the point." Lily whispered, eyes flickering up to see if Slughorn noticed that they weren't following his les plans anymore before pointing to a specific paragraph on the page, "If you smell Amortentia they say the aroma someone smells is different for everyone. Whatever you smell is supposed to remind you what you find attractive."

"How did they manage that?" Julia furrowed her eyebrows, before her expression brightened, "Can you imagine the inventor arguing with other people about how it is supposed to smell. That must have been awfully confusing."

"I wonder what it smells like for trolls" Annabelle piped up suddenly, gaining strange looks from her friends. "What? It should work for them right? Or not? Do we know if Trolls can fall in love?"

"I wonder how they would court another troll?" Julia queried.

"Mating calls? Do trolls have mating calls?" Annabelle gasped, "I wonder how that would sound."

"I wouldn't know either miss Rose, maybe that's a question better saved for your Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

Annabelle shoulders tensed when she heard Professor Slughorn's voice behind her and she sheepishly looked up at the man, "Would you believe me if I said this conversation started with a discussion about Amortentia?"

His eyes flickered between the three girls, eyes lingering on Lily, probably looking to see if Annabelle was indeed telling the truth before finally sighing when he could not detect a lie. "How admirable it might be to talk about advanced Potions girls, I rather you follow the actual subject of today's lesson."

"Sorry Professor." The trio chorused, Annabelle catching Remus' gaze where he sat with Sirius, the dark haired boy holding his laughter and she narrowed her eyes at him.

When Slughorn finally assigned them something to do, Annabelle dutifully followed after Lily with Julia, the redhead the only one capable enough to get the right ingredients from the cupboard.

"Do I even want to know why you were talking about trolls Anna?" Sirius popped up behind her, "Don't think about taking one home for a the holidays do you?"

Annabelle glanced at the tall boy from the corner of her eye, "Even if I was, I wouldn't tell you." She told him matter-of-factly.

He sighed over-exaggeratedly, leaning against her, "That hurts Anna."

"That was the plan."

"Children, would you please behave." James jested, popping his head between the pair with Remus and Peter trailing after them.

"Tell him to mind his own business." Annabelle jeered, looking at Remus with pleading eyes, but the lanky boy just shrugged.

"No one can tell me to behave." Sirius stated with crossed arms, quirking an eyebrow.

"You're name is literally Sirius, you should try to live up to it more." Annabelle argued, tilting her head up to face him better. "You know, be more serious."

He had the audacity to look offended by her statement as he leaned down with an aggravated expression, "It also means brightest star, and if I am being modest—" He flipped his hair, "I am pretty bright."

"Mod—modest?" She stuttered out, "Are you out of your mind you blundering baboon."

"Let's all just get to work." Remus cut in, grabbing Annabelle's arm to drag her off to their normal table at the back of the class before things could get out of hand.

Annabelle, however, remained fuming as she stormed after the dark blonde boy, "He is insufferable, I don't get it Remus. What is so nice about that boastful boy?"

"He's a good friend Belle," Remus turned to look at her, "He really is, I promise." He stressed.

She didn't look like she believed a single word that fell from his lips, but she at least had the common decency to drop the subject and instead turn to face the cauldron ahead of her, "Let's just get this over with Rem."

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REMUS LUPIN, IN ALL HIS SIX FEET GLORY, HAD SEEN SIRIUS BLACK IN VARIOUS STATES OF OBSESSION. HE HAD SEEN HIM RAMBLING ABOUT MUGGLE RECORDS AS if they were gospel from Merlin's lips, heard him go on and on and on about motorcycles—even going as far as decorating his part of the dorm with posters and buying a miniature motorcycle snow globe last Christmas and currently, Sirius was in his leather jacket phase, which to his credits had been longer than his average four weeks of fixation, but if all boys could completely agree on one thing, it was that Sirius Black was irrevocable infatuated with bugging the living daylights out of Annabelle Rose.

And while the pranks had always remained innocent enough, with the exception of the seaweed cat incident that resulted in a nice shiner, Sirius was slowly becoming a bit much with how he constantly seemed to find the Rose girl and hold her in a conversation long enough to turn her words into poison and her face beet red in anger.

And while Peter and James remained utterly oblivious, it was as clear as day to Remus; Sirius Black was irreversibly in love with Annabelle. Of course Remus didn't speak of his conclusion to the boy.

Remus wasn't stupid.

If he even suggested the idea, Sirius in his very Sirius-like manners would shut that shit down as fast as he could. Thank you love-filled homelife!

Feelings were not something Sirius ever did. He repressed, and repressed until he would burst, mostly in a spurt of anger or reclusion where he would sulk for a week.

So he teased and jested and sometimes became just plain rude, which to Annabelle's credits was a legit reason to not like him. The amount of times Remus had the urge to bang his head against the wall when he was in the company of the two was far too high to be considered healthy.

"Would it hurt not to annoy my friend for once?" Remus knocked his shoulder against Sirius' in a friendly manner, his tone teasing.

"I don't annoy people Remus." He gasped in shock, "I charm them."

"Don't kid yourself mate, even I can see the urge to hit you in Annabelle's eyes." James cut in.

"That's true." Peter agreed hastily, "she's really nice—she gave me a chocolate frog as a get-well gift, and I don't like to see you all fighting."

"She got you a gift?" Sirius face scrunched up, "when?"

Remus had to hold back his laughter when he could detect a hint of jealousy in his voice that both Peter and James remained oblivious to.

"Yesterday evening, I came down to get something to eat from the kitchen when I ran into her." Peter grinned before reaching in his pocket to show them something. "Look" He held the Chocolate frog card up in the air, "I finally got Bertie Bott!"

"That's—erh, great."

"I know right!" He enthused, almost skipping next to his friends as he held the card close to his chest.

"See where being nice gets you Padfoot." Remus teased as they started to walk towards the Great Hall for dinner, the laughter of Peeves the Poltergeist echoing down the hallways, followed by the shrill shrieks of a group of Hufflepuff students.

"Nice is overrated then." Sirius concluded, tugging on his tie to loosen it.

"Keep that up, and Belle will add another shiner to that pretty face of yours." James baited with a mischievous grin.

Sirius smile broadened as he clasped his hands together, "Aw, you think I'm pretty!"

"In that trollish-kind-of-way."

"You take that back you bastard!"

Peter and Remus could only watch as Sirius started to pursue after a laughing James, the two Gryffindors dashing like a couple madmen down the corridor.

"So that makes your collection complete then?" Remus turned back to face Peter who was already making his way down the corridor towards the Great Hall.

"I wish, I still haven't gotten Godric Gryffindor." He pouted, "No clue why though. I mean I have Helga and Rowena like three times each, and don't get me started on Slytherin, that man seems to haunt me. I could start a business selling those."

Remus roared with laughter as they entered the Great Hall where most students were already gathered feasting on the dinner the House Elves had prepared that evening.

"Mr. Lupin, Mr Pettigrew." Both boys looked up to face the stern face of Professor McGonagall, "It seemed that both Mr. Potter and Mr. Black found themselves having a bit too much fun this evening, if you two would be so kind as to retrieve them from terrorising the school halls it would be very much appreciated."

Remus wondered how their Head of House had even seen the two run down the corridor—but then again, McGonagall seemed to know everything, very much like Dumbledore did.

"Will do Professor." Peter squeaked .

"Thank you Mr. Pettigrew."

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OCTOBER HAD TURNED INTO NOVEMBER BEFORE ANNABELLE COULD BLINK, AND WITH THE END OF THE MONTH, CAME A NEW ASTRONOMY ASSIGNMENT, much to Annabelle's dismay. She had been bunkered down in the Library since last period, opting to eat after she had finished her 12-iches essay about Jupiter. She should have known beforehand that finishing it at a decent time was out of the question, but then again, she never had been very good at managing her time. In Lily's words she was a pure disaster when it came to her punctuality.

She gotten that little trait from her father.

But she was still hunched over her half-done parchment, and if she was right, going by the fact that she and only two other students remained in the library, curfew was almost upon them. But she was determined to finish her work, and the fact that Madam Pinch had fallen asleep at her desk. What a miracle! She could probably get away with staying out a little later.

The moons of Jupiter—Merlin knows what all those suckers are called, and Annabelle didn't want to risk waking the librarian in her search of a book to assist her. She scrunched her eyes close, trying to muster up some memories about the latest lesson she had.

"Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Lo, Europa... and Gany, no gamede, no—ugh."

"Ganymede, Callisto, Themisto, Ledo, Himalia."

She almost fell from her chair in surprise when the person spoke close behind her and she whirled around to face the familiar grey eyes of Sirius Black, who was proudly smiling at her.

She blinked unsurely staring at the boy, "Uh thanks, I guess." She mumbled before scribbling down the remaining moons on her parchment.

"What are you doing?" Sirius inquired, no teasing tone anywhere to be found as he sat down next to her, surprisingly.

"Astronomy." She answered after a bout of silence, "Hence Jupiter's many, many moons."

Sirius chuckled, "Touché"

"You know which one is the biggest moon?" Annabelle inquired after silence enveloped them again.

"Ganymede." He replied instantly not even looking away from the window he was staring at.

"Smallest?"

"Europa."

"How in Merlin's beard do you just know that?" Annabelle inquired in surprise.

Sirius just shrugged, "I find Astronomy easy to learn—I mean beside all the pureblood preaching, stars play a pretty significant role in my house. Hence the name Sirius."

"Touché" she mumbled, flinching at Sirius' bitter tone, deciding to leave the subject and not dig any deeper. "Well I find it bloody hard." She instead said.  "Wish I found it easy." She muttered

"I can help you if you want?" He offered hesitantly, the earlier words of Remus echoing in his head. "No joking, I promise."

Annabelle thought about it for a moment, noting that Sirius actually looked serious for once in his life, and back at her half-done parchment and all the questions she had to answer and didn't know the answer of. "I'd like that." She nodded.

Sirius grinned pulling his stool closer Annabelle.

"Okay so—there are actually 79 known moons but even Professor Sinistra isn't so cruel to have us memorise them all. But I do know he likes it when we add more than he wants in the essays. It butters him up pretty well. So let's see what you do have already..."

Annabelle chuckled softly when Sirius went into a enthusiastic spiel about how he once added a specific story about Orion's belt and how Sinistra had gushed about him to some other students who had done the bare minimum.

"He was all like oh Mr. Black did this, oh look at what Mr. Black wrote, look how nice he worded that!"

"It sounds like you're his prized student." Annabelle smiled, for what felt like the first time in his direction—and Sirius, he could not place the funny feeling in his stomach when she did.

"You should hear how Sprout talks about you!" Sirius teased, "Look everyone! Annabelle has managed to put her Mandrake in a new pot!" He imitated Sprout, making his voice as high as he could.

"She does not!" Annabelle denied fiercely.

Was she actually having a nice conversation with Sirius Black! Was she dreaming!

"She totally does! You single-handedly won so much house points in that class, it was almost unfair towards all the other students."

"Okay, so maybe she likes me." Annabelle admitted with a grin, "But Herbology is so easy, it's hard not to get any points."

"Says you." Sirius scoffed, an strange idea forming in his head. "I find it terrible confusing."

"Really?" She frowned unsurely, not remembering the boy ever struggling with any subject, much to her chagrin.

Sirius hummed, "Yeah, totally. Can't grasp it for the life of me."

Annabelle bit her lip, contemplating her next words carefully, "I find it only fair to help you with Herbology now."

Sirius eyes lit up, like he had wanted to hear those words from her mouth. "Are you sure?"

"I'm serious." She nodded.

"No, I'm Sirius."

"Sirius!" James suddenly appeared, looking quite rushed as he stared at his friend. "We were waiting on you."

Annabelle blinked as realisation suddenly dawned on Sirius' face and he stood up quickly. "Sorry! Got to go!" He glanced at her, "I'll talk to you later about the Herbology tutoring!" He rushed out with James hot on his heels.

"Alright." She said, but both boys were already gone.

"What was she talking about?" James wondered when he and Sirius rounded the corner.

"She's gonna tutor me in Herbology. " Sirius told him smugly.

"What?" James frowned, "You don't need tutoring in Herbology."

Curfew had already passed when Annabelle scribbled down her last answer, completely her 12-inches parchment with a relieved sigh escaping her lips. It had been almost twenty minutes since James had all but hauled Sirius away from the library for Godric knows what.

She silently rolled her parchment up, stuffing it away in her bookbag with her other supplies before she tiptoed out of the library and passed a, luckily still slumbering, Madame Pinch.

The corridors were dark already, only a faint orange glow from lit torches on the wall illuminated her path, when out of nowhere a very familiar cat appeared a little while away.

Annabelle frowned as she spotted Dot casually strolling down the abandoned corridor. Normally the cat would already be napping away on her four poster bed, curled up right next to her pillow.

"Dot." She hissed as she rushed to catch up the rebellious cat. "Dot, time to go to bed buddy."

Like he didn't even hear her, Dot darted down another corridor and Annabelle picked up her pace to keep up with her feline companion.

"Dot, come back." She whispered harshly when he decided to walk into the courtyard leading towards the Hogwarts Grounds. 

Thinking she had spotted her cat, she swiftly scooped the bugger from the ground, only to find that instead of Dot, she stared at the creepy eyes of Mrs. Norris.

Startled she dropped the cat back down on the ground, who in return started to hiss before darting off, likely going to get Filch.

"Bollocks." She cursed under her breath, when to her relief she spotted Dot in the distance. She ducked just in time behind a stone wall when an excited voice could be heard close by.

"What is it sweets?" She heard Filch ask.

She closed her eyes when she heard footsteps close by but after a moment, they faded away again and she could breathe again.

She quickly stood back up, eyes flicker towards where she saw her cat last and she swiftly shuffled down the cobblestone path.

Glancing around her, she sighed heavily when she couldn't find him anywhere.

Ready to abandon her search, she turned around only to come face to face with a purring Dot peering up at her. She bend down to grab him, only for him to scurry away just as quickly

"Dot." She hissed.

She rushed after him further onto the grounds

The only light support, the shining light of the full moon.

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