Remus Lupin was drunk. He usually did not take part when his friends drank, and if he did, he only had a single Butterbeer or sip of Firewhiskey. Tonight, however, seemed an acceptable occasion for celebration: the Ancient Runes test that had been stressing him out for the previous two weeks had taken place today, and he was thankful that it was over and he could finally stop worrying. Therefore, when James and Sirius revealed their stash of drinks this Friday night, he was happy to grab one (or two… or three…) and join in the festivities.
A few hours had passed since the evening began, and Remus was feeling particularly giddy. The only thing tainting the fun was the fact that Sirius had his arm draped around some blonde sixth year girl. He was speaking quietly to her as she leaned into him, giggling. Remus wrinkled his nose and lifted his bottle of Firewhiskey.
A short while later, Sirius grabbed a nearby empty bottle and set it in the center of the circle of Gryffindors. "Let's play spin the bottle!" Two girls who had been sitting in nearby armchairs discreetly joined the gathering as James spun the bottle first. A series of moans ensued as it stopped, pointing at Lily, who sat right next to James. Everyone was accustomed to viewing James and Lily kiss at all hours of the day, so it was a rather usual sight and not very interesting to watch. They began to snog until Lily broke off, laughing.
"Your turn," Sirius said, nodding at Lily.
She seemed slightly taken aback at this, and James argued, "She's already had her go."
But Sirius shook his head, wagging his finger back and forth. "Nope. She's got to spin it now."
James glared at his friend threateningly, but before they could argue anymore, Lily leaned forward and spun the bottle.
The illumination from the nearby fireplace reflected off of the glass bottle, and sparkles danced in Remus's vision, making him feel dizzy. He shut his eyes to escape this sensation. A few seconds passed, and then someone nudged him. He opened his eyes to see Peter Pettigrew, sitting to his left, looking at him expectantly. Then Remus noticed that the bottle was pointing at him. His eyes widened and he looked up to see that James's menacing glare was now directed at him.
"You don't have to do it, Lily," James told her.
She looked torn. "But it's the game, James." She touched his shoulder. "Just play along."
He frowned. "Play along? No, Lily, I'm not going to let you snog one of my best friends!" She had started to crawl across the circle, and he grabbed her arm.
Remus sat there helplessly, watching this play out.
"Honestly, James!" yelped Lily, and she wrenched her arm away from him and continued across the circle.
She stopped in front of Remus, and he looked first into her smiling eyes, then beyond her at James's hostile ones. Lily leaned forward to initiate the kiss, a short peck on the lips, and then backed off. Remus's eyes instinctively darted to Sirius, who glanced away from him and then said emotionlessly, "Your turn, Moony."
Oh. Remus had forgotten this part. He would have to kiss yet another person. He leaned forward and, after a few missed attempts, grabbed the bottle and sent it spinning. Again the sparkles mystified him and confused his vision, but he kept his eyes open this time. After a long while, the bottle stopped. His heart jumped when he saw that it pointed to Sirius, the person he would like to kiss most in the room, though certainly not under these circumstances. He stayed rooted to the spot.
One of the younger girls who had joined the game at the last moment pushed him out of a sitting position, giggling to her friend. Somehow Remus found himself kneeling in front of Sirius. He stared uncomfortably into Sirius's grey eyes, not able to shake the fact that countless other pairs of eyes were watching him. There was surprising silence in the room. After a few moments, Sirius disentangled his hand from the blonde girl's and used it to pull Remus's neck towards him. Their lips met gently, though much more fully than the peck Remus had just shared with Lily. The kiss lasted no more than two seconds, but somehow Remus's face managed to turn deep red during it. He backed into his old spot in the circle sheepishly and looked at the floor so the others wouldn't see his rosy face. The game continued in the background. Sirius's spin landed on the girl who had pushed Remus forward, and she was delighted by this, making the most of her opportunity. Remus tried his best not to look.
Eventually the evening died down and people began leaving to their dormitories. Feeling extraordinarily tired, Remus waited until a sufficient amount had gone so that he wouldn't appear to be a child going to bed early. He stood up and headed to bed, glancing back to where only James, Lily, Sirius, and a collection of girls remained.
His heart sunk. He had imagined that kissing Sirius would be wonderful, and it had been, sort of. But there was a nagging feeling in his mind that constantly reminded him it hadn't been for real. If only…