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Story Name: Devil's Snare
Author: Tor Petty
Rating: PG13 +
Synopsis: Lily is upset and she finds friendship -maybe more?- in an unlikely place.
Send replies via: PMing is fine, or you can reply to the response thread.

I have to ask you not to reply to this thread because, hopefully, I can continue adding on until the story is completed to my satisfaction.

Thanks!

Having just finished with a refreshing bath in the prefect bathroom, a sandy-haired sixth year stumbled through the Gryffindor portrait hole into the common room.

It was late, and he expected it to be deserted. To his surprise, however, there was a certain red-haired someone sitting by the fire. Tightening his robe more, he cautiously approached her. He ran his left hand through his wet hair, and used his right hand to lightly touch her shoulder.

As her head whipped around, he immediately noticed tear streaks. “Lily?”

“Oh, Remus!” Because they were prefects, Remus had spent considerably more time with Lily Evans than had the other marauders. Even more so than James --- the obsessed. Because of that, Lily was very comfortable when talking with Remus.

Lily sniffled at Remus’s bewildered look, and wiped her face. “Er, Lily, what’s the matter?” Remus asked, nervously toying with the belt of his robe. He’d never had much experience with crying girls, even though he was the “sensible” marauder.

“Well,” Lily snuffed, “I know I’ve never let on that I liked Potter, In fact, I’ve always been downright horrible to him. It’s just…” Lily trailed off.

Remus sat down and waited in silence for her to finish.

“I do like him. I’ve never fully realized until now.”

Remus smiled. He knew how much James obsessed over her. “What’s the problem? Ask him out!”

Lily burst into tears. Through her sobs, Remus deciphered the word’s “can’t”, “snogging”, and “horrible Layla Burke.” Apparently Remus had missed much while he had been in the library and the prefect bathroom.

As he thought this, Lily put her head into her hands and heaved an enormous sigh. Remus scooted close to her and awkwardly patted her back.

***

Remus woke up the next morning to a small fluttering on his nose. He opened his eyes and saw a small paper butterfly hovering over his face.

He felt bewilderment as he snatched the butterfly and unfolded it. Lily always was good with charms, Remus thought as he read a message written in small uniform writing:

Remus. Thanks. I needed it.
I feel much better.
Lily
PS Don’t tell James that I was upset.

Remus smiled, but stuffed the letter into his pillowcase as he heard the other marauders stirring.

He silently pulled a shirt on and got ready for his day.

“Remus? That you?” Sirius mumbled groggily, hair askew.

“Yar,” Remus replied.

“Where were you last night, Moony?” James’s voice echoed from the other side of the dorm.

“Took a bath,” Remus replied in a monotone. He definitely didn’t need these questions so early in the day.

James sat up in his bed with a wide grin.

“You look happy, mate,” Remus said, knowing that that was what James wanted him to say.

“You missed it, Moon. James made out with Layla Burke last night,” Padfoot interrupted.

“What about Lil---,” Remus said but stopped, remembering the note.

“She’s never given me a second thought. It was wasted heartbreak,” James said, losing his grin and ruffling his hair.

“Okay.” Remus said, dropping the subject.

***

After classes that afternoon, the marauders were back in the common room. James had his face seemingly tangled in Layla Burke’s, and Sirius and Peter were playing exploding snap. Having exhausted all pranks for the day, the marauders were having down time. Remus, however, was restless.

“What is it, mate? Want to play?” Sirius asked as Peter’s eyebrows disappeared. Remus charmed them back and said, “Nah, Padfoot. I’m a little restless about that Potions essay. I’m gonna run to the library. Be back in a bit.”

Sirius sighed. “Alright Moony.” As Remus stumbled out the door, he added under his breath, “But you’ve gotta be bloody insane.” He flipped his lengthy black hair and continued to play.

***

Remus Lupin meandered through the hall, not knowing where to go. He finished in the library, but did not want to return to the snogging James and the messing-around Sirius and Peter. Always the martyr, Remus needed some alone time.

Rounding a corner, he ran into Lily, whom he had not seen today, and knocked her down. Papers flew everywhere, and Remus’s face reddened. “I’m so sorry!” He exclaimed, giving her a hand.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lily smiled, picking up papers.

Once everything had been straightened out, Lily asked, “Did you get my note this morning?”

Remus smiled and nodded. “You’re amazing at charms.”

“You haven’t told James about last night, have you? I know that you two are close,” Lily said, ignoring Remus’s last comment.

“ ‘Last night’? You act as if it were an affair!” Remus chuckled. “Oh, and I haven’t said anything to James.”

Lily laughed. “Thank you, Remus. You’re a great friend.”

James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in a circle on James’s bed. They were plotting a way to prank Severus Snape without it being completely obvious who did it. Unfortunately, they had to abandon the plan. Why? Because the only people that pranked Severus on a daily basis was them.

Remus got up, nodding at the time. The marauders saw that it was early evening, and Remus had to go to a prefect meeting.

“Ah, Remus, must you depart? We were having so much fun!” Sirius said in a playfully pained voice.

“My dear marauder, I must. Although I will think of you all during every waking moment that we are apart,” Remus answered in a voice that matched.

James scrunched up his face. “Liar.”

“A bit,” Remus admitted. “But I’ll catch you later, anyway,” he added, dropping the voice and leaving the dormitory.

***

This prefect meeting happened to be in Professor McGonagall’s classroom. Mainly, the prefects didn’t do too much. Once in a while, though, they would organize special events in their respective houses or reinforce some rules.

This time, however, was one of those days they didn’t discuss a thing. Remus supposed that it was just good practice to have ritual meetings even though there was naught to talk about.

He entered the room to find that Lily and a handful of other prefects were already there. Remus examined an invisible spot on his robe and perched himself on a desk to wait for McGonagall.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Lily approaching him. Turning, he greeted her with a grin.

“Hey,” she replied, returning a smile.

“I haven’t seen you since the match,” Remus suddenly noticed aloud.

“Aye, nor have I you,” Lily replied.

“How are you, er, feeling?”

“Can’t complain, my graying friend,” Lily said, reaching out to finger his one prematurely colorless lock of hair.

“Hey! I’m sensitive about that!” Remus joked. But really, he did not mind her hand being in his hair at all. When he realized that, he was almost horrified. That talk with James was not really a talk. He hadn’t fancied Lily at the time. At least, he hadn’t thought so.

“Okay, Mr. Sensitive,” Lily replied, letting her hand fall as McGonagall entered the room.

***

James picked up a pillow from his bed shortly after Moony had left and tossed it at Sirius’s face. Hitting him with an audible ‘thump’, it fell toward the floor. Sirius blindly grabbed it and lobbed it back in James’s direction. When it missed, Sirius yelled, “Damnit Jim!”

“You know I don’t like to be called Jim,” James replied, grabbing the pillow and advancing toward Sirius.

“Exactly, Jimmy-boy, I knew exactly that you don’t like to be called Jim,” Sirius replied with a glint of warfare in his mischievous gray eyes. He jumped up onto Remus’s bed, bounced once, and dive-bombed James in one graceful arc.

“WORMTAIL!” James yelled across the dorm. “You wanna come join the pillowfight before it gets nasty?”

“James. I think I’m gonna refrain,” Peter replied, chewing on his thumb. He squeaked and disappeared from the room.

James heard a “JIMMY!” before feeling a massive blow on the back of his head from Sirius’s pillow.

“Alright, Snuffles. It’s on!” James retorted, twisting the end of his pillow so that he could use it as a flail.

As the battle ensued, they wound up on Remus’s bed. James felt a few well-strategized blows from Sirius, and began to fall, perfectly landing on Remus’s pillow.

“AH HA,” Sirius exclaimed. “I think that I am the winner!”

“Wait a minute, Padfoot. Shush for a second,” James replied urgently, having heard an odd sound in the pillow.

“What is it, Prongs,” Sirius whispered, suddenly interested in what James was trying to say.

James cautiously pulled a small paper butterfly from inside the pillowcase that he had just landed on.

“James. Don’t open it. It’s Remus’s,” Sirius requested, not wanting to impede on Remus’s friendship. “He doesn’t barge in on our private things.”

“But, Padfoot. I’ve seen one of these before. Lily uses them to send messages,” James replied. “Why is it in his pillow?”

“James, it’s none of our business. Whatever Moony does with Lily doesn’t concern us. You’re with Layla, remember?” Sirius’s tone was almost one of pleading.

“Why, though, is it in his pillow?” James repeated, mesmerized by the tiny butterfly.

“James, drop it,” Sirius commanded, although unable to stop his friend. James already had it open.

Sirius watched helplessly as James was mouthing the words. “What did she mean by ‘don’t tell James I was upset’?” James wondered. “And what did he help her with?”

Sirius, assuming the damage could not be undone, read the note. “No idea, mate. But it’s not for us to know, anyway.”

“I’m asking him, Padfoot.”

“Damnit Jim!”

Remus pulled on a loose, patched, v-neck sweater over his class robes. It was beginning to get chilly inside the castle.

Noticing that the rest of the marauders were already at breakfast, he made his way to the prefect bathroom on the floor below. Once he got there, he dully noted his pale reflection in the mirror. He was not looking well… a bit peaky, actually. Wait! He thought. What day is it? Do I feel crappy for a reason?

Once he was done rinsing his face, he made his way back to the dorm. Rummaging desperately through his trunk, he finally laid his hands on his moon calendar. Sure enough, tonight was the night of the full moon. He wondered why he had not felt it coming already.

He threw it in his trunk, and made his way downstairs.

***

“Moony, do you realize what day it is?” James asked in a whisper during Charms class.

“Yes, James. I do,” Remus said slightly more impatiently than he normally would have.

“We have to start thinking about tonight, Remus,” Sirius whispered sternly.

“I know,” Remus sighed.

***

In order to get to the Whomping Willow before dark, Remus and the marauders were rushing up to the dormitory to get the Invisibility Cloak after their classes had ended. James was smacking himself in the head for forgetting it, Sirius was nursing a cramp, and Peter was wheezing. As they rounded the corner, however, Remus ran into Lily Evans. Again.

With her pages flying everywhere, Remus called to the hurrying marauders, “I’ll just meet you at the… er… place that we were… er… going.”

“Okay, Moony,” James called, halfway down the corridor already.

“Where are you guys going so fast?” Lily laughed.

“Um, it’s a secret,” Remus replied, gathering some of her things from the floor.

“I see. Marauder secrets,” Lily smiled, knowingly.

“Almost. But more of a Remus secret that the rest of the marauders found out,” Remus said, making sure to give nothing away.

“I see. When are you going to tell me, Remus Lupin?” Lily playfully asked with a bat of her eyelashes.

“Dunno, Lils, but I should really get going,” Remus replied with a shake of his head. She was being too cute, but he could not tell her about his ‘condition’ for fear of how she would react.

“Alright,” Lily said, a little disappointed. “Will I be able to catch up to you tomorrow?”

“I don’t think so, Lily,” Remus replied, all too truthfully. “I’m going to have to take a sick day.”

“Oh! Why? It’s nothing serious?” Lily responded, frightened.

“No, of course not,” he reassured her.

“Well, you look fine, now,” she pointed out.

“I know. It’s a long story, though. I’ll catch you later, okay?” And with that, Remus turned and proceeded to the Whomping Willow.

***

Sirius, Peter, Remus, and James were all sitting in the living room of the Shrieking Shack in human form. So far, the moon had not yet appeared, but Remus was getting peakier by the second.

Sirius was chatting with James about Layla Burke, Peter was fidgeting with his hands, and Remus was laying with his head against the wall, dreading the transformation.

A couple minutes later, he stood straight up, his pupils getting wider. His mouth opened and he groaned. The other three marauders jumped up from their seats and transformed.

Sirius bounded up to him and pushed him with his enormous paws, pinning him to the wall of the Shrieking Shack. They had found in the past that this relieved some of the pain of transforming because Remus was unable to struggle.

Remus’s clothes began to rip and fur began sprouting on his arms and legs. Breathing hard, he began to groan and make howling-like sounds. He was clearly in pain.

James cautiously approached, his hooves echoing on the wooden floors. He watched as Remus’s limbs lengthened and his clothes fell to the floor. Claws were beginning to emerge from Remus’s fingertips and nails. Soon, all of his skin would be invisible through a thick layer of werewolf fur.

When Remus’s transformation was over, Sirius the dog stepped back. Panting, he was exhausted from restraining Remus during the transformation.

Remus looked through his lupine eyes at his three friends: the dog, the stag, and the rat. He, then, collapsed onto the floor.

Sirius barked.

***

Later that morning, the three marauders were napping in Remus’s section of the hospital wing. As always after a full moon, Remus was confined to a cot with the drapes pulled around him.

This particular transformation had been a particularly painful one, and it reflected in how deep Remus was sleeping. The worried marauders had not left his bedside, as was ritual after the night of a full moon.

Remus opened his eyes and felt his arms and face. Sure enough, there were scratches. But, they weren’t as bad as those he had inflicted upon himself when Sirius, James, and Peter had been absent. There was, however, one long gash down the side of his cheek. He’d have a bother covering that one up.

Sirius stirred. Opening one eye, he said, “Moony… you’re up.”

“Yes, Padfoot,” Remus replied with a bit of strain.

“I thought you’d sleep all day because of last night. Do you remember any of it?”

“This time, sadly, I don’t,” Remus replied, thinking about the events leading to the transformation.

By this time, the other two marauders were awake, and the school nurse ushered them from his bedside. “He’ll be fine now! Let him be and go to class!”

Remus smiled and sank back into his covers, letting her straighten the bed sheets and fluff the pillow under his head.

***

Remus made his way back to the common room later that evening, exhausted, but ready to be back to class the next day. For such a straining night such as the last one, he usually didn’t recover as fast.

Muttering the password to the fat lady, Remus entered through the portrait hole, hoping to get to the dormitory before anybody saw him.

“Remus!” He heard from behind. He was foiled.

Turning, he saw a familiar red-head. “I thought I wasn’t going to be able to see you today,” Lily said. “Oh, my. What happened to your face?”

“Long story,” Remus said, returning her smile. “I really must go up to rest; see you tomorrow?”

“Is it okay if I come with for a second?” Lily asked, looking thoroughly concerned.

Remus shrugged and led her up to the dormitory. The marauders weren’t there, yet.

Remus sat down on his bed, and Lily followed suit. She looked at his scratch and winced. “It must have hurt,” she whispered, reaching up to touch it.

Remus closed his eyes, feeling her fingers lightly touch the soon-to-be scar on his face.

“It’s definitely more ruggedly attractive than this zit that I have on my nose,” Lily laughed, trying to brighten Remus’s expression. He opened his eyes, and her hand fell to her lap.

Remus smiled and pulled out his wand. Muttering a small incantation, the tiny bit of acne that Lily had been referring to disappeared. “Mind you, only potions can really remove acne,” Remus said. “The charm I just performed only made it invisible until it goes away.”

Touching her face, Lily looked impressed at the useful spell, and rolled up her sleeves. I know one for you, she said. With a wave of her wand, the scratch shrunk in size until it was a minor cut. Remus knew, feeling with his fingers, that it would heal over in a couple days.

He smiled and looked into her green eyes. “Thanks.”

Lily blushed but said nothing. It was then that James and Sirius walked into the dorm.

“Erm. I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Sirius said, stopping dead at the doorway with the sight of Remus and Lily.

“Um, no. Er, I’m glad you’re back, Remus,” Lily said, turning and leaving.

Sirius gave Remus a look and chuckled. James didn’t say anything, but made a pouty face. Remus rolled his eyes and turned out his bedside lamp.

It was lunch. The marauders had a lovely stretch of time before returning to their studies.

Remus was prodding Sirius with his wand, trying to make milk come from his nose. His wand fell to the floor with a clutter, however, when Lily walked by.

Remus pretended that nothing happened and retrieved it. Sirius, however, did not fall for Remus’s feign.

With a smirk, Sirius said, “so you do fancy her, then…”

“Who?” Remus asked, looking at the chicken sandwich on his plate.

“You know perfectly well who,” James muttered, frowning. “What is going on between you two?”

“Nothing,” Remus replied, poking his sandwich with a fork. “I already told you guys that.”

“Ah, Remus, m’boy,” Sirius replied. “That was before what we saw last night. Remember?”

“Yeah! What was she doing in our dorm?” James piped up.

“What do you guys care? Padfoot: no, I am not getting any. Prongs: nothing is going on between us. She’s way too good for me. Drop it, okay?”

Padfoot looked crestfallen and Prongs looked embarrassed.

“I’ve been a git, mate, and I’m sorry. I’ve had a rough time forgetting that girl,” James admitted. “I don’t mind if you fancy Lily. I’m still with Layla, and Lily has nothing to do with my life. I’m not going to bother you anymore.”

“Thanks,” Remus replied gratefully.

Sirius, however, still looked crestfallen at the news that Remus wasn’t getting any. Remus chuckled.

***

“You look much healthier,” Lily remarked after Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

“Thanks,” Remus replied. “How are you?”

“I’m okay; you?”

“Feeling better,” Remus said, enjoying the small talk that was leading them in conversational circles.

“May I ask you a personal question?” Lily asked, changing topic.

“Matters what it is, I guess, but shoot, anyway,” Remus answered, grinning.

“What do those infamous marauder nicknames mean?”

“Ah. Those. It seems you have a taste for marauder secrets, Lils.”

“Nah, the last one was just a Remus secret that the marauders happened to find out,” Lily recited.

Remus laughed heartily. “Well, if I told you, you’d not stick around, anymore, to ask me about my secrets.”

“Oh, Remus. I must insist that if I knew every one of your secrets, I’d still stick around, asking you questions,” Lily remarked, but then regretted and blushed.

Remus grinned broadly. “Where are you heading, Lily? I’ll walk you,” Remus said, one-hundred percent the gentleman.

“Common room,” Lily replied, her cheeks almost scarlet.

“I was heading there myself, anyway,” Remus lied. He then gave her a winning, one-of-a-kind smile.

***

Remus smiled at me today, and I don’t know what it meant. That gesture was so warm and genuine that it made me melt from the tips of my hair to my toes in the very shoes I was wearing. Sirius has a nice smile, but it seems so thin and shallow: almost like he practices in the mirror to use it on unexpecting girls in the hallway --- never to requite their adoration. Remus’s smile, though, is incomparable. He uses it when he wants to show real feeling without words. Ah, how I love it; so unlike Sirius’s above mentioned untouchable smile, or James’s smirk, or Peter Pettigrew’s grin. Remus is different from the rest of the marauders, and not just in his smile… perhaps, I have a different feeling reserved for him. I really hope the smile that he gave me today meant something.

"Prongs, what are you doing, today?" Sirius asked, getting his left leg stuck in his jeans.

"Layla and I are going to Hogsmeade," James replied, watching Sirius fal to the floor with a 'thump'.

Sirius swore, and straightened himself up. "Gah, ditching me fore her, again?"

"Don't be a baby, Black," James teased.

"Shut up, Potter," Sirius retorted before turning to Peter. "Wormtail, what are you doing today?"

"I've got some work to do," Peter replied, avoiding Sirius's gaze.

"Well, now what? My three best friends don't have the time for me!" Sirius exclaimed before noticing Remus.

Remus was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his shirt half-on, and a totally different shirt in his hand.

"What's the matter, Rem? You unable to dress yourself?" Sirius asked jokingly.

Remus blinked at the mention of his name and frowned. Then, he pulled the rest of his shirt on and folded his arms.

James raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Remus replied, moments later.

"I think he's still in shock," Sirius muttered to an amused James.

***

Remus descended the stairs into the common room. Spotting her by the fire, he walked over and cleared his throat.

Lily turned around and smiled. She, too, looked nervous, but Remus was too stunned by her appearance to take notice. Her brilliant red hair was pulled up, with two or three ringlets that had escaped the bun, elegantly framing her face. She was wearing slim blue jeans with black boots, a silver form-fit sweater, and had --- draped over her arm --- a thick, black, knee-length cloak for the cold.

Remus gulped. "You, er, you look amazing, Lils," Remus said, as they both simultaneously turned scarlet.

"Thanks, Remus," Lily replied, putting on her cloak. "You do, too. You ready?"

Remus nodded and gestured toward the portrait hole.

***

Small flakes of snow were falling lightly on the stone steps of the castle. It was too warm, however, for the snow to build up. The castle grounds would've seen an inch already, but the snow melted before being joined with more.

Remus observed this for a second, with a bemused expression, before stepping out from the protection of the castle walls. It was chilly, but not freezing.

Remus smiled at Lily. "Where to?" He asked, nervously putting his hand behind his head.

"Do you want to take a walk?" Lily asked, biting her lip.

"Sure," Remus replied with a shrug. "That way?" He added before taking her arm on impulse.

She smiled and pulled closer to him, and they proceeded down the stone steps.

***

"I'm bored," Sirius Black whined. He was alone in the dormitory; cleaning of all things! Sirius could not believe that he was resorting to doing chores on this fine winter day.

James was off galavanting with his idea of a girlfriend, and Remus was romantacizing with Lily somewhere. Who knew where Peter was; he never really did stick around.

Sirius sighed. Either he needed to get himself a girl, or find something to do. Since he wasn't really interested in the girls that flocked around him, trying to woo, Sirius would have to resort to the latter.

After straightening his bedspread, he started laughing. An idea had just struck him. .

***

As Remus and Lily walked together, arms linked, all tension that they had been feeling melted away. Being less uncomfortable, the pair was able to enjoy their afternoon.

The two of them walked down the middle of the chipped cobblestone road. Up ahead, they spotted a small merchant's cart.

As they approached, it was easy to see the contents of it.

Remus smiled as he saw Lily's vibrant green eyes scan the ample amount of fruit. He could almost see her mouth beginning to salivate at the green apples.

A tapping on his shoulder interrupted his observations. Remus spun around and noticed the seller: he was a stout, seedy man with long gray hair tied back with some twine.

Remus motioned to the apples and asked, "how much?"

The man somberly looked at the fruit in which Remus was pointing and tapped a jar. Its label read 'five for a galleon'.

"Why isn't he speaking?" Lily whispered, clutching his arm.

"More than likely, he's a mute," Remus replied.

Lily held her breath as Remus started signing with his hands. He was truly impressive.

"I had a deaf-mute grandmother once," Remus explained, giving the merchant a galleon, and ceasing the sign language.

The merchant put the galleon in the jar, and left them alone to pick the five apples of thier choice.

Remus put the apples in a bag, and bid the man good day.

***

Farther up the road, there was considerably less dwellings and shops. This was because --- Remus noted with displeasure --- the Shrieking Shack was nearby, sitting on a lonely hill.

Noticing his distant expression, Lily asked, "Remus? You okay?"

"Yeah, just fine," he answered with a shrug. He turned to her and handed her an apple from the bag.

Lily smiled and bit into it. It tasted delicious and, combined with the chilly air, smelled like heaven.

"Enjoying that, much?" Remus playfully asked, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"Yum!" Lily replied. "You didn't have to treat me, though."

Remus shrugged. "Really, Lily, I'd look for any excuse to please you." As he said this, he slowly turned the shade of Lily's hair.

Not the nerves, again, Remus thought. "Sorry," he mumbled after a few moments of silence.

"You're sorry for saying one of the nicest things that I've ever heard?" Lily asked, tilting her head.

Remus sighed in relief and smiled. He, then, reached for her hand. "It's chilly," he remarked, holding it between his two larger ones.

"Yeah... chilly..." Lily replied, looking into his warm, hazel eyes.

"Are you warm enough?" Remus asked, using his other hand to pull her cloak --- and her --- closer to him. He was marvelling at his daring move.

"Not quite," Lily answered, her face only inches away from his.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Remus whispered, feeling her breath on his chin, and the heartbeat in his chest.

"Perhaps," she replied, leaning in for the kiss.

Remus felt her lips begin to touch his when a loud bark erupted from the silence, echoing in the still air.

Both Remus and Lily jumped, whirling around to see an enormous black stray, bounding over to great them.

Foiled, Remus wanted to glare, but instead rolled his eyes.

Remus walked up the steps to the dormitory. It was evening, and he had just bidden Lily good night. Instead of going down to the Great Hall for dinner, Remus was reflecting on the events of the day.

He sighed. He was confused. Happy, of course, but confused nonetheless. Where does it go from here? Are we together? Oh, God; I can still feel her on my lips! He touched them timidly.

“Now what?” Remus vocalized thoughtfully.

“What?” echoed two familiar voices from the doorway.

“Nothing,” Remus replied, not even looking up. “By the way, Sirius Orion Black, that was a dirty rotten thing you did today.”

“Uh, oh. He’s giving me the middle-name treatment,” Sirius muttered to the grinning James.

“Yep,” Remus replied.

“Aw, I know you’re not mad,” Sirius said, pulling his puppy dog face. “There was no harm done!”

Remus growled, and pounced. Of course, he wasn’t really mad, but he had been wanting an excuse to own Sirius at wrestling again without compromising his ‘responsible marauder’ image.

Two minutes later, a very bored James was sitting on the bed watching a red-faced Sirius trying to wiggle out of a headlock. Yes, owned. Perhaps it came from being a werewolf, but, for some reason, Remus was far stronger than he looked. He was also the only one who could beat Sirius at wrestling.

As Sirius gave up and both boys ascended to the bed, James asked, “So what was that all about?”

Remus opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius cut him off. “I was bored, so… I decided to visit one of my favorite people during the Hogsmeade trip…”

James looked from him to Remus; Remus looked pointedly at Sirius.

“In dog form…” Sirius finished, trying to suppress a grin.

“Yeah, it was a right barrel of laughs,” Remus said in a voice tinged with sarcasm.

James laughed out loud. “He interrupted something, didn’t he?”

“Ah, Prongs my friend, Remus John Lupin never kisses and tells.”

“I think you just did, mate,” James replied, keeling over with the giggles.

***

Remus was lying in his bed, reading. All the lamps were extinguished except his own which dully burned on the nightstand beside him. Besides Peter’s meek snores, all was quiet; the rest of the marauders were fast asleep.

Remus heard the door move ever-so-slightly, and looked up to see a pair of tentative green eyes staring from the open space beyond it.

Remus put a finger up to show that he need a minute, and closed his book. He pulled a shirt on and brightened his lamp’s light up a bit. With that, he invited her inside.

Lily came in quietly, not wishing to disturb the other three marauders, and crossed the room. She lightly sat on the edge of the bed and turned to him.

“Hi,” she said breathily.

“Hey,” Remus replied with a raised eyebrow. “What’s up, Lily?”

“I came to talk…” Lily answered, pausing to look at the boys’ dorm, “about today.”

Remus’s smile perked slightly and he could feel his pulse quicken. Here it comes, he thought.

“I was wondering the same,” Remus replied, looking into her face with earnest.

“This afternoon, I had a lot of fun,” Lily began, her voice beginning to hint. “I would like to do it again…”

Remus grinned; here was his cue. “Lily. The kiss. If it meant anything to you, I want to start something more.”

Lily flushed scarlet and smiled, looking away. “It meant more to me than you know,” she replied.

“Well? Lily, what if we were to go out?” Remus asked, fingering one of his belt loops.

“Remus, are you asking me out?” Lily asked, taken aback.

“Yeah, I guess I am. Lily Evans, do you want to go steady with me?” Remus said, finally dropping the question.

Lily looked back into his face. He knew right then what she would say.

“Remus, I’d love to.”

She, then, stood up and planted a kiss on his cheek. She smiled warmly before saying goodnight and returning to her dormitory.

Remus laid back in bed and dimmed the light, watching her leave the room. He thoughtfully glanced toward the window.

“Way to go, mate,” Sirius whispered rolling over to look at Remus from the next bed over.

“I thought you were asleep,” Remus murmured.

“I know. But if you’d known I was awake, you never would’ve asked her,” Sirius replied with a knowing smile.

Their conversation was then pierced with a sudden mumbling snore from James, so the two fell silent in their beds to fall asleep.

Remus kept his eyes on her the whole time that they were eating breakfast, under the delusion that she would vanish the moment he looked away. Although this was a fictional thought, Remus nonetheless humored it.

He couldn’t complain, though. He had an excuse to stare at the most beautiful girl in Hogwarts – now, his girl.

Remus did his best to act in the most appropriate ways – holding her hand when she wanted to, not showing her off like some trophy, and giving her his sweater when she got cold.

By the end of breakfast, Lily had not only donned Remus’s sweater, but his arm around her shoulders and a glowing smile, as well. Seeing her happy made him happy, as cliché as it sounded, and Remus was able to forget everything horrible when those emerald eyes gazed into his.

The first class of the day began after breakfast. Together, the two of them walked down to the dungeons for Potions. When Slughorn saw Lily’s hand clasped in Remus’s, he gave a disgustingly conspicuous wink to the boy. Remus just smiled softly, resisting the urge to vomit.

Sirius didn’t even pout when Remus made to join Lily during the partner exercise. In fact, he made a ‘shoo’-ing motion, all in good spirits.

Remus was feeling pretty golden, indeed.

***

After dinner, Remus finally talked Lily (after endless pleading) into playing a game of Gobstones with the marauders.

It must’ve been the most fun he’d had in years. Sirius had summoned a house elf to bring food from the kitchen, and James laughed heartily every time someone was squirted in the face.

Lily was, at first, disapproving of James and Sirius’s behavior, but was able to relax as time passed. She did not fail, however, to roll her brilliant green eyes every time one of them acted in an outlandish way.

The five of them made sure to keep their food away from the table, not wanting it to be ruined by somebody’s faulty move – those gobstones were extremely touchy.

After a few moments, the common room fell silent as the latest move began to unfold. It seemed that most of the Gryffindor students had stopped their conversations in order to watch for a few minutes. There was a tense feeling in the air before…

Squelch! The gobstone had released its juices all over Peter’s nose and mouth.

As James leaned over to smear it on Peter’s lower lip (good-naturedly, of course), Sirius caught the conspirator off guard, making sure James’s nose was pressed firmly onto the slick board. James lifted his head to reveal a bright blue mark smack dab in the middle of his face.

Lily laughed her amazing laugh as she and Remus began backing away from the three boys, each of them with murder in his eyes – James and Peter’s lacking the amusement that Sirius’s held.

Sirius barked a laugh and chucked one of the game pieces in Peter’s direction. As Peter advanced upon the boy, he tripped over the common room’s sofa. James pounced over Peter, tackling Sirius in the effort.

“Let’s get out of here,” Remus mumbled, stepping back.

“How about I tuck you in,” Lily suggested, needing an excuse to get out of dodge.

“Agreed.”