forty-two

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        "How will Ivy be getting here?" Sirius asked Remus as he sat down on the couch, grabbing a magazine from the coffee table in front of them.

        "She said she'll get here by apparition at five o'clock," Remus said with a nod as James walked out of the guest room, humming a song merrily.

        "Well, she should be here soon then. How did your parents take the news about you two?" James asked, looking out the window like that would help her come faster.

        "They're more excited than me, I think. They want to meet her really bad. I hope they aren't over the top with it," Remus said with the roll of his eyes as a loud crack sound rang out. They all turned to look at the door, where Ivy knocked politely.

         Sirius jumped up to get it, almost falling with how happy he was to see her. "Ivy! You're here!"

        He wrapped her in a hug. After a few seconds, the other three gave her short hugs.

        Remus's parents decided to make an appearance, causing Remus to look away as they greeted Ivy enthusiastically.

"It's so great to meet you! We've heard so much!" His mother said with a warm smile, shaking her hand. Ivy smiled. Ivy wasn't charming in the intimidating way Chloe, or Marlene, or even Sirius was. She looked much more friendly, which her short stature helped with quite a bit, but her large vocabulary and use of long sentences scared people with her knowledge anyway.

        The previous day, Remus's parents asked all the questions there were to ask about Ivy. They now knew what her Hogwarts house was, her blood type, her height, her hobbies, all the way to things like her zodiac sign.

        They chatted for a few more minutes. It seemed to be going fine, so the boys migrated away until their conversation was over. Once it was done, they decided to take a trip to Hogsmeade.

        "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, Ivy," Sirius began, obviously trying to tease her. She glared at him. "They seemed to love you. What did you say to be liked so much?"

"I just used my natural charm, that's all," Ivy said with a smile and a shrug as they walked through the streets of Hogsmeade, turning into Honeydukes and looking around.

Remus stood behind Ivy, looking at what she was.

"Fizzing Whizbees. Have you ever had them?" Ivy asked, looking behind her shoulder at him.

"Yes. Once. I wasn't a very big fan," Remus said with a small nod, recalling the memory where Sirius forced him to try it because he loved them so much.

"Me neither," Ivy said as she crossed her arms across her chest, sighing. "Do you think your parents liked me?"

That question seemed rather sudden and out of the blue, so Remus kind of stared at her for a second as he thought of a response. "Yes. They really seemed to like you. Because you're smart and kind and just a good person overall."

Ivy turned around to look at him, adjusting the thin jacket she had on. "There you go again with the flattery."

He grinned, causing a small smile to slip onto her face before she walked away to where the other three were talking, Remus trailing after her.

They paid after a few minutes, getting their candy and sweets, then walking to the three broomsticks and ordering Butterbeer.

"Are you guys nervous about the N.E.W.T. results?" James said with a raise of his eyebrows as he looked around at the group.

"Sort of. I mean, there isn't much I can do now," Ivy said with a small roll of her eyes as she leaned forward.

After they were done at Hogsmeade, they went back to Remus's house, piling up in his room. The problem with where who would be sleeping came up.

"...Couldn't Ivy and Remus just sleep in the same bed? To make more room? They are dating," Peter said slowly and logically.

"Wormtail, you'll make Ivy explode," James said in a quiet voice as Ivy and Remus both stared at Peter.

"You guys will watch us and make jokes," Remus deadpanned, causing Sirius to laugh quietly.

"Couldn't Sirius and James sleep in the same bed then?" Peter asked, looking at the two.

"He will kick me off in the middle of the night," Sirius said, motioning to James. "James is too lanky. He sleeps in a starfish position and I have to spoon him to fit on the bed."

"Are you saying you don't enjoy our spoon time, Padfoot?"

"No, I'm always the big spoon. Maybe if we could switch every once in a while it'd be more enjoyable, but you'll throw a fit."

"You guys are so weird," Ivy said with a laugh as she looked between the two. "There are three beds in total. Five of us. I think the best option we have is for James to sleep alone, I can sleep on the couch, Peter and Sirius could sleep in the same bed, and Remus can sleep alone."

"But Peter snores."

"It's that or you'll have to endure James kicking you off accidentally."

"Wait, should Ivy really be sleeping on the couch?" James interjected, holding his hand up like this was unacceptable. She shrugged.

"Yeah. I'm the shortest, it makes the most sense."

"But it's not as comfortable as a bed," Remus said as he furrowed his eyebrows, taking this very seriously.

"I'll be fine!"

"No no! Maybe Sirius and Remus could sleep in the same bed, Ivy could sleep alone, and Peter and I could sleep together! Or one of us could sleep on the couch!" James said, clapping his hands when he was finished like this was the best plan they had come up with yet.

"... Sirius talks in his sleep."

"I do not!" Sirius shouted, whipping around to glare at Remus, who smiled sarcastically.

"Yes, you do. And you're very loud about it," Remus said as he sat up in his chair, doing the classic stretch and then wrapping an arm around Ivy's shoulders, who was sitting beside him.

"You two make me sick," James said as he glared at the happy couple. Remus shrugged with a shit-eating grin.

"Why can't I just sleep on the couch," Ivy said with a shake of her head. They all shouted at her.

"No! That is uncomfortable for you!" Sirius yelled.

"Or, Ivy and Remus could just sleep in the same bed!" Peter repeated, waving his arms around.

"Now we're back where we started!" Sirius said with a laugh as he laid down on Remus's bed, burying his face in the pillow.

It was quiet for a few seconds as they thought about it.

"...Someone could sleep on the floor...?" James offered, falling quiet when everyone stared at him incredulously.

"Okay. This is what we'll do. Since Ivy and Remus both sleep normally, no snoring or kicking people off or anything, they can sleep together. And they're dating, so it makes sense. Peter can sleep on the couch since he snores, and that will be far enough away for no one to hear him. That leaves James and me to sleep alone. Does that sound good?" Sirius said, solving the puzzle they had spent so long on.

They all thought about it before shrugging.

"Sounds good to me," James said with a nod, looking at the group.

"Okay then. Perfect," Sirius nodded as he grabbed a towel, walking out of the room. "I'm taking the first shower."

James yawned and groaned, bored out of his mind without Sirius to entertain him.

"What is it, James," Ivy said in a bored voice, looking up from the book she and Remus were reading.

        "I am bored. I'm putting on Celestina Warbeck," He said hastily as he walked over to the radio, tuning it to a popular music station. Her unique voice blared through.

        "Ah, now that's good music," James said, half sarcastically. They laughed, listening to her songs.

        Eventually, after everyone was ready for bed, they went their separate ways to their rooms, about to go to sleep. Ivy walked back into his room, grabbing something from her bag.

"Ivy, you're comfortable with us sharing a bed, right? If not, then I can sleep with Sirius or James," Remus asked, causing Ivy to turn around and look at him.

She hadn't given it much thought. It just now struck her that they'd be sharing a bed. Which wasn't a big deal, when you think about it. To be honest, if you had told her she had to be sharing a bed with Remus five months ago, she probably would have spontaneously exploded, like how James said she would earlier. "Yeah, I'm good."

Remus smiled slightly as he walked to the bathroom, muttering a small goodbye. Leaving Ivy alone with her thoughts.

She climbed into the bed timidly, wrapping herself up under the covers. She laid on her back, staring at the ceiling. Laying alone, in Remus's bed, made her realize she was a little bit nervous. Intimacy was scary, and relatively new to her.

Remus was back after a few minutes. He turned off the light and switched on the small lamp next to his bed. It didn't emit much light, but it made it a little easier for the time being.

He climbed into the bed, causing Ivy to turn to lay on her side to face him. He did the same.

"How are you feeling about N.E.W.T. results? Last year you were really nervous," Remus said quietly.

"I don't know. It doesn't feel real to me. I just... I just hope it will be good enough. Last year I got all O's, so I was nervous taking the N.E.W.T's this year," Ivy said, looking up from where her eyes were so transfixed on the wall. He was already looking at her intently. "What about you?"

        "I think I did good enough. I don't know if I got perfect scores, like Ms. Smarty-Pants over here," Remus said playfully, causing Ivy to scoff.

        "Shut up."

        Remus stared at her, his eyes roaming around her face. He leaned in, gently pressing his lips against hers. She cupped his face with her hand while he rested his on her waist. This continued for quite a while more until Remus pulled back.

        "You're so pretty."

         Ivy rolled her eyes. Remus already knew this would be her response, but still said it anyway. "I hate you. Be quiet. I look anything but pretty right now."

         "I'm serious! You're really pretty," Remus said with a laugh. Ivy smiled, running a hand through his hair gently.

        "Thanks, Remus," Ivy said quietly. He gave her a small kiss on the forehead before she laid her head on the top part of his chest, wrapping herself around him. He turned off the lamp next to the bed.

        "Goodnight, Ivy."

"Goodnight."

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