Later that night in the Slytherin common room, Diana was brutally attacked by Layla's screams and squeals of happiness after receiving the news, meanwhile Regulus only grinned to himself knowingly. Although Layla certainly spared no expense in mocking Diana.

     "Oh, I don't see myself ever settling down with anyone! I don't see myself in a relationship with any human being!" Layla kept on going in a high and lofty voice and moved her hands dramatically as she spoke, before looking at Diana. "That was you last year."

Diana smiled bitterly. "Are you done?"

"Yup." Layla nodded.

"Good." Diana then kicked her in the foot as they were sitting around a table in the common room.

"Ouch!" Layla cried out in pain, holding her knee as she glared at Diana. "Violence isn't always the answer, you know."

"Oh, I know. Violence is the question, and the answer is yes." Diana winked at her, making Regulus snigger.

"What are you so cheerful about?" Layla turned to face him sharply. "I thought you hated Lupin. While I've been here saying they would make a cute couple, you told me that you didn't trust him because there is a reason he hangs around with your brother and James Potter and Peter Pettigrew."

"Wait, when did you two have a conversation about me and him?" Diana questioned in surprise.

"Last year. When you two had gone to Hogsmeade together on Valentine's day." Layla shrugged coolly.

"I didn't trust Lupin. I still don't. But I know he likes her a lot, and so does she," Regulus explained, flipping through the pages of his Herbology book. "That's all that should matter, shouldn't it?"

Grinning, Diana nudged him playfully with her elbow. "Since when did you become such an understanding and romantic human being?"

"I'm not a romantic, and I've always been understanding," Regulus said defensively.

"If you say so," Layla said with a teasing smirk.

"So..." Diana started after a short pause, while Regulus was busy glaring at Layla's grinning face. "Do you two think this whole thing is a good idea?"

"Of course it is!" Layla exclaimed loudly, causing a few heads in the common room turn in their direction curiously. "Oh, come on, Diana! This is the best thing that could ever happen! And we only want the best things for our brother."

Diana chuckled as Layla ruffled up her hair. "You're right, you're right. Nothing bad's gonna happen. I mean, what would happen when sassy meets sarcastic?"

"The world will come to an end, that's what," Regulus said with a little grin, making them laugh.

***

Another autumn rain had marked the day as Diana and Layla spent their free period in the library the next morning to catch up with their many essays, while Regulus was in class.

      The two Slytherin girls were sitting at a table by the library's window with many books propped open in front of them that a knocking at the window's glass caught their attention.

      "It's an owl," Layla said with surprise, quickly standing to her feet to open the window and letting the owl inside. Diana looked around worriedly, making sure Madam Pince wasn't in sight to see the bird in her library.

     The brown owl landed on the table right in front of Diana and stuck out his leg for her, to which a small envelope was tied. As soon as Diana freed the owl from the letter, the bird flopped his wings and flew out the window again. Layla closed the window while Diana started opening the envelope, so the bitter cold wind wouldn't blow inside.

      "Ooh, who's it from?" Layla wiggled her eyebrows as she sat back down, already knowing the answer.

      "Oh, shut up," Diana mumbled with a little grin, a blush descending on her freckled cheeks as she recognized the neat cursive handwriting.

      Layla watched her friend curiously, but then she became confused when Diana tucked the letter in her pocket after reading it and quickly got to her feet.

      "What are you doing?" Layla mused as Diana began to thrust her books and parchments into her backpack before throwing it over her shoulder.

     "I'm enjoying life! Isn't that what you've always been bugging me to do?" Diana said with a happy laugh, turning around to make a run for the library's doors.

     "Yeah, but can't you enjoy life and explain what you're up to!?" Layla called after her loudly, but it was too late. Diana was already gone, and Madam Pince had turned the corner to glare at Layla warningly for talking loudly in the library.

***

With her smile accompanying her all the way out of the castle, Diana came to a stop when she finally reached the courtyard, empty except for a tall boy with sandy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes who was wearing an overlarge sweater as always, waiting for her on one of the benches there.

     "Hey," Diana called out to him as she approached him. At her sight, the shimmer in his eyes brightened the way it always did whenever he saw her.

      "Hi." Remus smiled nervously, watching her as she sat down beside him.

The rain wasn't too heavy, but the humidity and dampness had certainly made Diana's curly blonde hair slightly wizzy.

      "So," Diana started, taking her backpack off her shoulder and placing it down on her lap, "why did you want to meet up? A naked dwarf isn't going to Apparate in front of us out of thin air, is it?"

     "No." Remus shook his head before grinning. "But that's only because no one can Apparate inside the grounds of Hogwarts."

      "Oh, thank Merlin." Diana let out a sigh of relief in a playful manner, making him chuckle. "Then why did you wanna meet up here?"

      "I-I really wanted to see you," said Remus, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly the way he always did, the way Diana always adored. "Being in different Houses, we don't get much alone time together, I guess. And there's still a few weeks left to the next Hogsmeade trip, so we can't really go on a proper date till then."

     "Well, we're alone now." Diana shrugged with a teasing grin. "Besides, who said the only possible way of going on a date is to be in Hogsmeade? We can make a date out of today."

Remus chuckled, secretly admiring the new positive spirit about her. It was almost hard to believe that this was the same moody and grumpy girl that she was last year.

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Remus asked, mirroring her cheerful smile.

Diana paused for a few seconds as she pondered the matter. She then pointed at his bag on the ground, saying, "What books do you have in there?"

"Um... Charms and Transfigurations, I think. Why?"

"Great! I've got Transfigurations with me, too. We can make a study date out of it," she suggested with a proud and excited grin.

"Yeah, okay. Sure." Remus smiled heartily. "But should we go inside to our usual spot for studying? The rain's not too heavy now, but it might get worse."

"All right." Diana nodded, rising from the bench along with Remus as they both grabbed their bags to leave. But just as they were walking back toward the castle, the rain began to grow heavier and heavier, until it was showering down on them.

Diana squealed as she laughed along with him, running the rest of the way as fast as they could until they finally reached the castle.

"Great. Now we're both wet this time." Diana scoffed, looking down at her soaking clothes and hair. Remus, too, was soaked from head to toe. "Don't you know any drying spells?"

"No. I don't the incantation for it. But speaking of which — you still haven't returned my sweater," he said in a playful tone, narrowing his eyes down at her.

"I thought you said you had a lot of dorky sweaters!"

Remus lifted an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Does that mean you're never going to return it?"

"Yup. I'm keeping it." Diana nodded firmly with a confident smile. "I suggest you pay your condolences to your old sweater and move on. I love it too much to give it back now."

Remus let out a small laughter before bringing her into a hug without warning, catching her off guard. After planting a small kiss on the top of her head, he slightly pulled back and gently held onto either side of her face, placing his hands on her cold cheeks as he looked deep into her blue eyes.

"You can have it if you really want. It looks better on you, anyway," Remus whispered softly, smiling uncontrollably at how close he could now hold her to him.

"It also goes well with my woolly socks!" she said excitedly, making him laugh again.

This time, it was her turn to surprise him as she went on her tiptoes and connected their lips together, kissing him softly with the rain still pouring against the hallway's windows.

Once they pulled away, both their faces were flushed with a bright color of red as they looked away from each other, goofy grins playing on both of their faces.

"So, should we go up and study now?" Diana asked, but Remus shook his head.

"There's something I want to do first," he said, grinning mischievously.