Immortal Memories -part one-

Chapter 2: Muse

During the feast, they finally got news of the two, who apparently the whole school knew about already, save the first years of course.

"Turns out they're exchange students from the Russian magic school," Molly was telling them. "What's it called again?"

"St. Petersburg ," Remus said. "So who are they exchanging with?"

"Clarissa Chang from Ravenclaw and Blake Maurgin from Hufflepuff."

"Blake Maurgin? Isn't he the one who set fire to the boy's bathroom on the second floor?" Sirius asked.

Molly laughed. "One and the same. Frankly, I'm surprised it wasn't one of you two." She pointed at Sirius and James.

"You do us injustice Molly," Remus said. "Peter and I are perfectly capable of causing equal if not more trouble than they are."

In a mock hurt voice, Peter put in, "Just because we have a kindhearted outward appearance doesn't mean we're like that on the inside."

Said, a fellow Gryffindor, though a year ahead of them, leaned over to join the conversation. "Truthfully, the lot of you could do with piping down on the mischief. Including you, Molly."

"Me?" the girl exclaimed. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's true dear, you do cause about as much trouble as us, albeit in a completely different way," Peter confirmed. "Nothing to be ashamed of though."

"Yep, you're all just a little gang of troublemakers," the older boy said. "You and those Slytherin brats." He glanced up at the table at the far end of the great hall.

Molly, Sirius and Remus looked up while James and Peter turned around. The mystery girl was sitting at the Slytherin table and had already seemed to have made friends with a few people. The boy however, was rather quiet at his table: Ravenclaw. When the girl looked over at him and noticed this, she got up and went to him, taking him in her arms. She apparently invited him to sit with her, because a second later she made room for him on the bench next to her and they both sat down. From this point on, he seemed a lot happier.

They must have been siblings, probably twins. His hair was a slightly darker auburn than hers and they had about the same body frame. Of course, she being a girl, hers was a little smaller. And though she seemed to be the more outgoing and braver of the two, the love they had for each other was such that it was as if one couldn't live without the other.

"There's something really strange about those two, something not right," Said was muttering. He ran his hand through his dark hair. "They defy all logic in more ways than one."

He sighed. "Lucius, you've got to calm down and stop obsessing over her. She has her brother."

"What does that mean?" the blonde asked severely.

"I think they're...well, you know," Severus replied.

Lucius slid down the wall, head in hands, repeatedly muttering what sounded like "oh my god."

"Look, there's a lot more of these cases than you'd think. Like that couple in Ravenclaw." Though it didn't have much effect, he was only trying to make his friend feel better.

"They're not sisters," Lucius said, slightly surprised. "They don't even look alike."

Severus laughed briefly before responding. "It's in their eyes, the way they move. I thought you would have noticed, you who knows all."

The blonde glared at him. "Obviously I don't know all, and I'm going through a crisis here; you don't have to rub it in."

The other boy leaned against the doorframe of the boys' dormitory. "I'm not trying to. It's not my fault you have issues. I mean, seriously dude, you just met her. Has it occurred to you that no one even knows her name?"

"Who cares? She's in our house as far as I can tell, so we'll be having classes together and we'll find out eventually."

"Or you could just ask her." He looked up at the wall; the entrance had just slid open and she came through...followed by her brother. "She's back."

Lucius turned around in time to see the two of them go over near the tables. She hugged the boy, who appeared to be crying, and held him close, whispering to him.

"But we hardly have any classes together," he was saying.

"We will get through this, Viktor, we will, I promise," she answered as calmly as she could. She was crying too.

The boy sniffed and buried his face in his sister's shoulder, who noticed the two boys watching them.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped. Then to Viktor she whispered, "Come on." With her arm around his shoulders, she led him past Severus, who she glared at, to her dormitory, and shut the door behind her.

Lucius sighed, annoyed. "So much for asking her. This is your fault, you know."

"My fault? She just has a bad temper, that's all. Not to mention they're both upset, so shove off."

"You're the one she's mad at."

"Whatever. I'm going to get breakfast; you should too." He waved his hand over his shoulder as he walked out of the entrance.

Lucius slapped his forehead. Team meeting today. Idiot! He ran into his dorm to get his wand, then ran out the entrance toward the great hall, passing his friend on the way. By the time Severus got there, Lucius was walking out of the hall with a piece of toast in hand. A brief good luck and thanks were muttered before the blonde was running down to the Quidditch pitch.

"Finally, Lucius, what took you so long?" the captain, Alicia Franklin, asked.

"Slept in," he replied between breaths.

The girl's sister, Heather, smiled. "Sure you did. You were dreaming about the new girl weren't you?" Lucius tried and failed to repress a blush. "Well then, I've got good news for you."

"Heather, please," Alicia said.

The boy was shocked. "You're kidding. You've got to be kidding. Oh my god." He looked like he was going to faint. "Well then, why isn't she here?"

"She's already been informed of the details," Alicia explained. "Said she had to do something important. Why? What's it to you?"

"I know where she is, and what she's doing. Important huh? We'll just see about that."

"What?"

"She's back at the dorm with her brother. I don't know what they're doing now, but when they came in they were crying...and come to mention it, she looked kinda pale..."

Peter slammed his fist on the table, alarming several nearby first years and Madame Pince. "I can't work like this! The first day of class and Bayberry already gave us homework!"

"Be grateful we don't have class with the Slytherins," James pointed out.

"This particular bunch of Ravenclaws isn’t much better though," Remus muttered absently, his nose still in his book.

"At least we don't have Potions again this week," James said.

Peter smiled lightly. "I guess we got lucky this term. Potions once a week, Transfiguration twice, and double Herbology on Fridays. Best luck in five years."

"Yeah," Remus said quietly, still from behind his book. "Just hope next term we get as good; knock on wood. Say, Sirius, you're awfully quiet, what's up?"

He looked up at the other boy, who was sitting before an open book, arms crossed, staring down at the pages intently as if concentrating, though he hadn't turned them for at least an hour. He hadn't moved at all for at least that long. He'd only blinked, not very often, but he did.

"Something," he whispered ever so quietly. "It's just not right; it doesn't make sense. None of it." Now he looked up, startling the others. "Why now?"

"Why what, Sirius?" James asked. "What are you talking about?"

Ignoring him, the boy looked at Remus. "Can't you tell? I would have thought you could. It's her, I can smell it."

Remus shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

At this, Sirius stood up. "You know damn well what I'm talking about."

James went around behind him and grabbed him by the shoulders. When Sirius tried to shake him off, he moved his arms around the boy's waist so he couldn't move. "What's gotten into you, Sirius? What's wrong?!"

And through all this, Remus remained perfectly calm...