(no subject)

[for_his_friends]

It's Easter Break at Hogwarts, which means Remus saw his friends (and most of his fellow students) off this morning with a mostly faked cheer. He himself never goes home for Easter. He says it's because he has to catch up on all the work he's let his friends distract him into being behind on since Christmas, and in six years, no one has ever questioned that explanation.

(Which, when you think about it, says a lot about the Marauders' reputations.)

The school's not deserted, exactly. There are always people who stay for breaks, and more for Easter than Christmas. But it's decidedly quiet, especially for a person who is used to sharing a room with James Potter and Sirius Black. (Not, of course, that James and Sirius are really speaking to each other these days, but that's a whole other problem.)

It's not, therefore, really a difficult decision to go looking for Milliways this evening. It's something to do, aside from actually revising for his exams or staring at the walls of the nearly empty common room or his completely empty dorm room.

So, one slightly pensive Gryffindor (not currently in uniform), watching people go past.

Botherable.

[OOC: Please see note about the whole werewolf thing here. Thanks!]

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[golden_lyre]

Orpheus is looking far too pleased with himself as he comes into the bar from out back, his guitar strapped across his back as usual. He pulls the instrument from his back and leans it against the bar with a smile.

"Surprise me, lovely," he says, and laughs as a pink lemonade appears. "Well, if you say so."

[for_his_friends]

Should Orpheus choose to turn attention around the bar, he might spot Remus, who has stopped a waitrat to order pumpkin juice.

(It's tempting, of course, to order something stronger, but probably not advisable.)

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus, as it happens, has never had pumpkin juice. (He's had butterbeer, but not pumpkin juice.) When he sees the interaction, he laughs again.

"See," he says, ostensibly to Bar. "Now that would have been a surprise. I can get pink lemonade just about anywhere, but pumpkin juice..."

[for_his_friends]

Surprise, then.

Because the glass on the bar now contains pumpkin juice.

It could, of course, be Lady Bar's doing.

Or not.

She's not the only one in the room who learned a trick or two from Sirius Black, after all. And you don't room with James Potter for six years without picking up a good bit of Transfiguration. (And one potable liquid for another, that's not even all that difficult.)

[golden_lyre]

As far as Orpheus has experienced, Bar is not in the habit of changing drinks on him, certainly not to something he asks for when she's feeling mischievous, as the pink lemonade would seem to indicate she is.

So he raises his glass in the direction of the young stranger with a smile. "Thank you. This does, of course, prompt me to ask if the change is only in appearance and it's still going to taste just like lemonade."

[for_his_friends]

Remus might color a little at having been caught, but the boy is a Marauder, so there's also a smile.

"Simple enough way to find out."

It shouldn't still taste like lemonade, though.

It's been Transfigured into pumpkin juice, not just Charmed to a new appearance.

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus is almost completely unfamiliar with the type of magic Remus performs. Magic in his world is completely different.

"Yes, I suppose there is." He grins in return and takes a contemplative sip.

"Well," he says after some serious (and overdramatized) thought, "I don't know what pumpkin juice is meant to taste like, but that's definitely not lemonade."

[sees_them_too]

He may suddenly find himself without a salt shaker on his table.

Or a pepper shaker.

Or a napkin holder.

A girl (very much in a Hogwarts uniform) is sitting cross-legged on a nearby table, practicing her Accio charm.

She's amassing quite a collection.

[for_his_friends]

The salt shaker isn't a problem. Nor the pepper, nor even the napkin holder.

Remus wasn't using them.

It's when his mug of pumpkin juice goes zipping across the bar that he decides its time to do something about it.

(He'll give the unknown Ravenclaw this, though. She doesn't spill a drop.)

"Er, sorry, but I think that's mine?"

[sees_them_too]

Luna smiles back at him. She doesn't look particularly abashed or embarrassed.

"Sorry," she says. "Just give me one moment."

With a well-practiced flick of her wrist, the mug begins its return flight. Not unlike a ceramic homing pigeon.

"Are you a wizard?" she adds. "I only ask because I noticed that your mug is full of pumpkin juice, and I don't know of many people who aren't witches and wizards who drink pumpkin juice."

A lot of people who haven't grown up on it seem to find the idea unappetizing.

[for_his_friends]

"Thanks," Remus says, as the mug settles back on his table.

"And, yeah. Remus Lupin. Gryffindor. 1977.

"And you're Ravenclaw."

Even without the blue on her uniform, he'd guess that.

She talks like one.

[sees_them_too]

"Yes, I am."

She's looking at him with frank and open curiosity now.

Because, yes. It is him. Younger (though he still looks older than he should) and with less grey in his hair, but it is Lupin, without a doubt. You don't easily forget one of your best teachers.

At least not if you're a Ravenclaw.

"I'm Luna Lovegood. I'm from 1996."

"It's very nice to meet you," she adds, with a bit more sincerity than regular politeness might call for.

[for_his_friends]

"It's nice to meet you, too, Luna," Remus says.

At least, he thinks it is.

She's looking at him a bit like his hair's gone green or something.

(And Remus is not fan of being looked at too closely. It's one of the fringe benefits of hanging around with Sirius and James; it's very easy to fade into the background.)

But since politeness dictate he say something, after several too long seconds, he says, "So I guess that don't redesign the uniform much in the next twenty years."

[sees_them_too]

The silence doesn't perturb her. (It doesn't stop her staring, either.)

Although she does automatically look down at her uniform at the comment.

"Not at all as far as I know," she replies.

"I suppose that's how you knew I was a Ravenclaw."

He might have just been a very good guesser, of course, but the tell-tale blue is a bit of a give-away.

[missginnytonic]

On other Gryffindor is near by, currently in uniform as she works on her Charms she frowns slightly as she tries to wash the dirty cup. Mostly she's failing.

[for_his_friends]

Well, if she looks up from her Charms, she might see Remus, over at his table, watching the traffic in and out of the door.

[missginnytonic]

She then looks up with a smile and a slight wave and frowns when it seems the dirty spots on her glass multiply.

[for_his_friends]

Remus, as is pretty much his habit when a someone he doesn't know waves in his general direction, turns to see who's standing behind him.

(It's usually Sirius. Especially if the waver is a girl who looks to be about his age.)

Huh.

He's not sure who she's waving at, then.

[missginnytonic]

She smiles at him.

"Hello."

She said softly he looks about her age and seems familiar.

[themysciran_diana]

Diana smiles as she approaches Remus' position, her expression softening faintly at the signs of his pensive mood.

Then --

"Remus, it's good to see you. Things are going well, I hope?"

[for_his_friends]

"Hello, Diana," Remus says.

"And things are ... well, Lily didn't kill me, when I talked to her. Or even try to. So I suppose that at least is better than when last I saw you.

"How're you?"

[themysciran_diana]

"I'm glad to hear you're not dead, in that case."

Her smile broadens a fraction.

"As for myself, I'm quite well. Things have been quiet. I can't say I'm complaining."

[for_his_friends]

"I could complain. For all it would make me sound ungrateful.

"I always find myself thinking it would be nice to have more quiet. And then as soon as I get any significant amount, I'm ... bored."

[themysciran_diana]

"Gratitude has its place, certainly. But there's something to be said for airing grievances, as well. Provided that that's not all you do."

She smiles crookedly, pushing her dark hair back over one shoulder.

(It tends to be a little more unruly after flying.)

"One of the tricks for boredom is to find enjoyable company that also prefers silence, at least some of the time. It's more rewarding than some might think."

[for_his_friends]

"I can't say my closest friends are great believers in the charms of silence.

"It's more of an offensive maneuver, really, the way they use it," he adds, looking down for a moment.

"Besides," he continues, a little briskly, "there're four of us in the room, so it's never really silent. And now they've gone home for Easter break, and it's very quiet."