I own nothing that you recognize! This is my first story, so I hope you like it at least a little. Please review! Also, I'm looking for a beta, so… speak up if you're interested.
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This boy would not give up. I sat on a couch in the Gryffindor common room and stared at him impatiently.
"Well, see Layla, I was … uh … I mean, you know how much I like you, and…"
"Jake," I interrupted softly, "I really don't think you should finish that sentence."
He continued stuttering through his proposition and I sighed, looking away. Ah, yes, of course, Sirius sat by the windows playing chess with Remus. Barely able to contain his laughter, he proceeded to silently imitate Jake behind his back. See, for some awkward reason unknown to the rest of us, Jake Walker took an interest in me about year ago when we were fifth years and has refused to let it go. I glared at Sirius with a "shut it!" look, worried that Jake would see.
Logically, I should just say yes and get it over with. Sure, going out with him for a few months has got to be less painful than these pursuits of his… right? Ugh. This just has to stop.
I looked back at Jake, shifting in my seat but being careful not to brush up against him in any way. I focused back in on what he was saying. "… just think that maybe if you gave it a chance it could really be grea-"
"Jake. Stop. It wouldn't be fair. I don't see you that way you see me, and any attempted relationship would be unfair to both of us." Why does no one understand the logic behind this argument of mine? James thinks I'm making excuses. So what if I am?
He ambushed me after class one day. "Heard about Jakie's latest attempt. Still denying him, there, Layla?"
"Oi, Prongs, he's not much worse than you are with Lily so I suggest you just shove it up your arse."
"Fiesty, eh? Aw, Lay, we all know why you can't bare to look at any other bloke in our year."
"Any other bloke?"
"Oh come on don't pretend you don't know. Everyone does. Except maybe Moony. Which is proving to be a problem for you, isn't it"
I had kicked him in the shins and stormed off down the hall. Am I really that transparent?
Right, back to Jake. See, he's a … for lack of a better word, he's a gentleman. He's nice, he compliments me, he doesn't curse in my presence, he would never harm a girl, he doesn't talk in class, he holds doors open for me, he carries my books, he takes notes, hands in his work on time, never gets detentions… I can't stand it. Consider me brainwashed by these four boys I spend time with, fine. Growing up with the Marauders does tend to put the Angel Boys in your bad book. Yes, I just called Jake an Angel Boy. Deal with it. I mean, that's not to say I've got my eye on any prankster like Prongs or Padfoot, but… I don't know, the Marauders aren't all that bad once you get to know them. Not that I had a choice in the getting-to-know-them matter. I live in a flat in London right near James, and … well, let's just say I never get bored in the summer.
What was happening? Oh, right. Glancing back at Sirius I saw that he had turned his attention to the chess game in front of him, having had his queen taken by Moony while he was so busy laughing at me. Moony, on the other hand, leaned back in his chair and smirked at me. What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Alright, I had let Jake ramble on long enough. "Okay, well, look Jake. I just don't think it's a good idea." I stood up and stretched, letting the blanket I had been covered in fall to the floor as Jake stumbled over more words and I ignored him.
I surveyed the room. Moony and Sirius playing chess, Prongs doing his homework suspiciously close to Lily, and Wormtail lying in a chair by the fire half asleep.
"I, my friends, am going to bed," I declared. No one cared. Well, Sirius sort of nodded in my direction without actually looking at me, and I thought I heard Jake ramble on about dreams and peaceful sleep but I can't say I was listening. Whatever.
Pausing at the bottom of the girls' stairs, I glanced back at Moony. He looked up from the chess game just in time to catch my eye and smiled. More of a smirk, but can you really blame him after that display of unreciprocated affection that just took place in the middle of the common room?
"'Night, Layla," he called quietly, and I smiled before turning up the stairs to head to bed.
--
I promise I'm not usually such a horrible person. It's just that when it comes to Jake, my patience has sort of diminished over the course of a year. AN ENTIRE YEAR. Some people just don't get it, do they?
The Marauders have always found it funny, though – his pursuits. Poor Jake, they just won't let him be. Seeing as he won't let me be, though, I think I'm quite alright with them bugging him all they want.
I live in London with my older sister. She's 22 and she works at St Mungo's as a healer. Our parents split up when we were younger and Dad moved to the states, so I stayed at the flat with Mum. There was a complex couple months of who-owns-the-flat-and-who-lives-in-it, but now I live there with my sister Safia and Mum lives in Australia, at least for now. But that's all beside the point. The Potters have quite a lot of cash, and they own an entire floor of the building, so on vacations, Pete, Moony, and Sirius always come to visit… and somewhere along the way I got swept up in the madness.
Back to the dorm. No one was on their way to bed, yet, everyone was still down in the common room, so I had the bathroom to myself. I walked in to brush my teeth, pulling my hair back into a pony tail. It's long, past my shoulders, but not too long, and it's dark dark brown with the tips dyed blue. The blue was sort of a mistake, but … hey, that's ok, I don't mind it. As for the rest of me, I've got my ears pierced multiple times, my nails are always a different color and I've got bunches of bracelets and anklets. I'm short, about 5'4", and not incredibly skinny. I mean, I'm not fat, not even chubby, I'm just… me. I'm an avid fan of sweatpants, jeans, and sweatshirts. Yay for comfort. Nay for school uniforms… ugh.
Teeth brushed, face washed, bladder emptied.
I stepped out of the bathroom and looked around to make sure none of my dorm mates had come up yet. Look left, look right, all clear. I sprinted over to my bed and jumped (catapulted myself) onto it, landing spread out flat on my stomach. I squirmed around and got under the covers, rolled over, and fell asleep before I could decide what homework to work on. I guess I was tired.
--
I woke up in the middle of the night sweating. Bad dreams. Sitting up I noticed that everyone was in their proper bed, sleeping soundly. Well, all except Kayleigh. She's probably my closest female friend, which really doesn't say much. She sat in her bed writing a letter. I climbed out of my covers and walked quietly over to her, sitting on the edge of her bed and wrapping my arms around my legs.
"Whatcha writing?"
"To my brother. To get him to tell my other brother that my other brothers are misbehaving and need to be shut up, but that they won't listen to me." Kayleigh has a lot of brothers.
"Ah, yes, naturally. I can't sleep."
She didn't respond, and I rolled my eyes as her quill flew frantically over the parchment. "Yes, well, I know you're just so sympathetic to my lack of sleep, but I think I'm going to go downstairs for a bit. Don't write through that paper, there."
"Hah, hah," was her only response.
I walked down the stairs in my sweatpants and old t-shirt, expecting to see no one. There was a figure on the couch by the fire, and upon closer inspection I saw that it was Remus. Walking up quietly, I sat down next to him.
"Layla," he said, "you're up late."
I shrugged and stretched out my arms and legs. He stopped reading whatever he was reading and put it on the table in front of us, turning towards me. He was so close… I could smell him. The perfect mix of deodorant, woods, and campfires. I don't know why he smells like that, but all I know is that it's amazing. Yes, I agree, I think I'm going crazy.
I smiled at him. "And you're not?"
He laughed quietly. He's usually up late for a few days before the full moon. Something about his body cycle changing to prepare itself for the full change. Yes, I am aware of the fact that one of my best mates is a werewolf, and yes, Pete, Sirius, James, and I are all anamagi. They let me learn how to change with them but they won't let me go out with them on the full moon. It's the one thing they won't let me do with them (well, besides sleep, pee, and other… male things) and it's sort of a compromise I have to deal with. It was hard in the beginning, and I tried not to listen to them and just go anyway, but it turns out werewolves aren't exactly super friendly with cats. I don't think my left foot ever completely healed…
I'm up late a lot too, because of the nightmares. So we meet, Remus and I, in the common room a lot. We don't really talk about why we're there, since it's not exactly a fun topic on either of our parts, but he always manages to calm me down and get me to sleep again.
"So I haven't seen you in a while," he said.
"I just saw you tonight … after dinner?"
"Well yeah but I can't exactly talk to my best mate when she's being verbally mauled by a hopeful boyfriend."
I gave him a look. "Jake will never be my boyfriend."
"I doubt he'd agree with that statement." He put his arm on the back of the couch and his feet on the table in front of us. I shifted to face forward, too, and ended up with his arm around me. What is wrong with me? Remus and I are close to each other all the time. Why is this so significant?
I sighed. "I don't know how to get rid of him."
"Aw, come on, he's not that bad. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt if you said yes."
My heart sank. Ok, so not only does Moony not want to be with me, but he wants me to be with other boys instead. Other boys who are really no fun at all. Wonderful.
"Don't go there," I warned, as I shifted closer to him and let my head rest on his shoulder, closing my eyes. He stayed quiet, his breathing even. I felt myself drifting off to sleep. That's just what he does to me… he makes me feel whole, and I can relax with him. Two minutes later, I was fast asleep.