"Chapter 14: Oh how the tables have turned"

December 1976

"Anna could you get me some cake from the kitchens?"

The boy pulled the saddest face he could and looked up at Annabelladonna through his thick eye lashes

"No."

"Pretty pleaseeee."

"No."

"Pretty please with cherries on top?"

"Peter why don't you get the cake yourself."

"The house elf's like you better, they always give you bigger slices than me."

"Oh fine, but you're coming with me you lazy ass bitch."

"Thank youuuu."

"Hey guys I'm taking Peter to the kitchens, try not to miss us too much while we're gone." Annabelladonna got up from where she was sitting on Sirius's bed. He was behind her just finishing braiding her hair so he let out a small sound of protest as he watched the braids unravel and she stood.

"I don't think that will be a problem." Sirius said with a soft chuckle to let the girl know he wasn't serious. Bella just made a face at him and stuck out her tongue. Ever since James had spoken some sense into Sirius the two twins got along rather well. Annabelladonna was still rather cautious around him though, she was never quite sure if he was actually going to stay around. After so many years of burned letters and anger the dark haired girl developed some abandonment issues. Of course she'd never tell the messy haired loser how much his absence or judgment worries her.

"Hey can I come, I wanna get some cake too." Remus said, stretching his arms above his head and leaving part of his stomach exposed.

"Uhh yeah sure Remus, you can come." The boy still instilled butterflies in Bella's stomach, those hyper little fuckers made her nervous beyond belief. She hated the way he made her knees weak and that she always felt lightheaded when he was around.

"I wanna go too, Padfoot you in?"

"I guess I will, Prongs are we taking your cloak?"

"I mean I don't think we're all gonna fit but we could try." And Try they did as they all squeezed together under the piece of fabric, packed like a can of sardines. Thanks to the taller members of the group (Remus and James) the cloak couldn't reach the ground and their feet were still exposed. Oh what a sight it would be if someone caught them. Five pairs of feet scuttling down the ever so frustrating moving stairs.

"Has anyone tried to send a slinky down these stairs?"

"Yeah Anna, it was a waste of time. It kept falling off."

"Reckon I could do it Remus?"

"I mean you could always try, doesn't mean you'll get it though."

Remus was pressed against her back, their close proximity due to the need to be covered by the cloak but it still made blood rush to her cheeks. His hands were resting gently on her hips, just trying to get a grip on the world as they descended into the increasingly dark hallways. Bella was pressed into James's back and for the first few minutes she just awkwardly held her hands to her stomach not knowing where to put them. She figured gripping James's broad shoulders would be enough of a way to keep her upright if she suddenly tripped so she just settled for that. Remus's hands soon slid off from her hips, meeting each other in front of her stomach and fingers laced together. His arms were wrapped around her.

Remus fucking Lupin's arms were wrapped around her.

"Don't let your mind wander, he's just your friend. Well maybe a friend? Are we friends? Should I ask? Oh shit did I just brush against him. Did I really do that, fucking idiot." Annabelladonna's thoughts were going wild as they reached the kitchens. Once Peter tickled the pear and the group trickled in Remus let go of the girls waist. No one heard the almost inaudible sigh that Annabelladonna let out when the warmth left her body, when the butterflies were shot down, and when her knees regained strength. The girl knew she shouldn't get her hopes up but she couldn't stop the small stream of happy thoughts that fought their way into her mind.

"Miss Black!! Mazie was hoping you'd visit her soon! Oh what do you want today Miss Black? cheesecake? hot chocolate? biscuits? Oh you must try the biscuits. Go on, have a biscuit Miss Black."

"Oh thank you Mazie it's delicious, can we please get five slices of chocolate cake and some hot chocolate." Annabelladonna didn't even bother trying to get Mazie to call her by her first name anymore, she had told her almost daily for a month and at this point she was simply too tired to.

"Right away miss Black." Mazie scampered off to make their cake as the boys all settled into seats. It seems that they were one chair short. Bella just kinda awkwardly stood by the table for a second, looking around for anywhere to sit until James pulled her down onto his lap. She was sitting with her body perpendicular to his and their legs crossed over each other's. She was surprised by the his sudden movement but eventually relaxed against him.

Cuddling was something that they'd done before with both of them being single and lonely and in need of physical affection. But it was something that the others had not known them to do so the boys were quite stunned at how they both seemed to be comfortable. Sirius was narrowing his eyes, as if he were trying to see through James, or make him disappear. It was one of the two. Peter was awkwardly resting his chin in his palm, tapping a steady beat against his cheek. Peter always wanted someone to be that close to. He wanted a friend that stood above the rest, he wanted the bond shared between two best friends. Peter had three best friends, and while he loved them to death he knew that they would always place each other before him. If something happened he would be the first one to go, he knew that. Somewhere deep in the back of the boys minds they knew it too, yet they all chose to ignore it leaving Peter starving for the connection the other boys shared. People will always have a favorite person out of a group, it's natural to. It doesn't make you a bad person. That's why Peter never got mad that he wasn't the favorite, he just watched from a far.

Remus observed James and Bella with some unknown emotion dancing through his eyes. He blamed his sudden mood change on puberty and chalked the foreign feeling in his stomach up to his uneasiness surrounding her background. His mind still drifted every time he found himself mentally mapping out the scars on her face. He was curious beyond belief about what happened, if she was like him, if she hated his kind. He wanted to find out.

"So Annabelladonna, how did you get those scars?"
Smooth Remus, smooth.

"There was an accident and I ended up being attacked. How did you get yours?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Oh well. Here's some advice, if you yourself wouldn't answer a question don't ask it to others. It can make you come off as quite rude. Now if you boys will excuse me I'm going to go check on the cake."  And check on the cake she did. Minutes later the girl returned with the cake whilst Mazie carried two of the drinks, Bella helped her with the rest and then sat down like nothing happened, she was laughing and joking with the boys. Though the tables between Remus and Bella had turned, this time it was him desperately trying to catch her eye and her ignoring him.

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