Alone on Valentine's Day
Oh Don't Let me Be Alone
"I'm sorry that I don't fit your concept of romance Lily," Remus growled, a scowl plastered across his usual tranquil face. Lily Evans sat there, dumbfounded and some-what awestruck. She was glad that they were hidden in a far corner in the school Library; somewhere far away from James Potter and his favourite companion Sirius Black.
Lily's fire red hair willowed around her alabaster skin lightly in the small breeze issued from the open nearby window. Her emerald green eyes were flecked with shock; did she hear correctly? "Excuse me?" She whispered uncertainly; her eyes never straying from the Charms book she was reading for her homework that Professor Flitwick had set earlier that day, "We have more in common than you and Prongs do, so, pray tell me, why you're with him?" Remus asked. It was out of curiosity more than anything.
Lily's eyes dated to Remus' face, and she opened and closed her mouth for a few moments, intending on replying to Remus' question; but no sound came out. "Well," She managed to say after a couple of minutes of looking like a pet goldfish, "I'd never consider you, Remus Lupin, to be the jealous type," Remus looked up from the Potions book he was reading to stare at Lily. His mouth was gaping open: now it was his turn to look like the pet goldfish.
"Pardon? I'll have to correct that false observation you've made there Lily. I am not jealous, merely curious," Remus replied surly, a sour look now contaminated his good-looking face. "Doesn't sound like it Remus, it sounds like you're jealous." Lily stated curtly, her emerald green eyes boring into his.
For the rest of the study session, all Remus could do was stare oddly at the girl he was in love with.
The warm colours of red and gold embraced Remus as he entered the Common Room miserably. If only he hadn't said anything. But, a small voice chided at the back of his mind, if you hadn't said anything, then your good friend Mister Prongs would stalk off with the beautifully talented Lily Evans without her knowing anything; without giving your feelings a second glance and you didn't want that, did you?
Shaking his head vigorously to get rid of his stupidly useless thoughts, Remus dragged his feet over to the armchairs near the fire; waiting for his friends' arrivals. Falling for you best friends girl, Remus thought dejectedly, was a stupid thing to do Moony ol' boy. Though she's trying to deny the chemistry we have between us, there's nothing I can do to change her mind now. I should have seen this coming! Remus sighed angrily, pounding his fists on the arms of the chair.
"R-remus?" A familiar timid voice murmured, pulling Remus out of his thoughts, "Hello Peter," He smiled half-heartedly, brushing away his recent thoughts of Lily. "How are you?"
Peter Pettigrew was a little lump of a boy, not very good at academics and his loyalties wavered. He was still, however, a perfectly good friend and Remus was happy to oblige help to his poor blundering fool of a friend, "I'm good thank you Remus, yourself?" Peter replied, gaining a small bit of confidence. He always seemed at ease when talking to Remus, like he knew how to be himself more, "Never better," Remus retorted, lying nastily between his teeth. "What's the date? My mother wanted me to send her something at a specific time, and I've forgotten..." Peter trailed off, and Remus shook his head lightly, chuckling at Peters' hopelessness. "February 12th," Remus replied, and it suddenly dawned on him.
Two days until Valentine's Day; two more days until another depressing celebration of being a lonely werewolf on Valentine's Day, "Perfect," Remus muttered under his breath. "Just what I needed to remember to brighten up my worthlessly wretched day,"
"Here Ye', Here Ye'!" James Potter screeched as he entered the Gryffindor Common Room, his hand entwined with Lily's. Remus turned his head unwillingly towards his best friend; what on Earth did he have to say now? If it's another proclamation about his love for Lily I'm going to bed, Remus thought dismally, fed up of the fact that Lily didn't feel the same way he did. "Hogwarts is holding a ball for the declaration day of love!" James chorused, releasing Lily's hand to prance around the Common Room like a fairy princess.
"You mean Valentine's day Prongs?" Remus enquired, his tone bored and lacking his normal amount of emotion. "Exactly that Moony: Valentine's day! The declaration day of love! There will be a ball held in the Great Hall from 7pm 'til the wee hours of the morning!" James announced animatedly, his enthusiasm for the event insanely exaggerated.
"So all you young Gryffindors need to start preparing immediately; there's not a lot of time left to get dresses and tuxes etcetera, etcetera!" With James' conclusion, Remus just stood up and went to bed, ignoring James as much as possible.
This is it! Remus thought, my time to 'wow' Lily at this ball; oh dear Merlin please let this work.
Two days flew by like a soaring cleansweep seven, and the ball for 'the declaration of love' was soon upon the Marauders and their friends. Remus stood in the centre of his dorm, applying last minute touches to his tux. Unlike many of the males in his year, Remus had ditched the traditional dress robes idea and went with the simple muggle idea of a tuxedo.
Quickly muttering some more 'touch-up' incantations to make his tux look more appeaseable, Remus sighed nervously; his stomach doing frightened little flips. What if Lily just laughed in his face? Nonsense you fool, Remus thought idly, tying his red and gold tie round his neck; Lily isn't like that and you know it. It's the reason why you started to fall in love with her in the first place you idiot: She's understanding and reasonable and loving...GAH! Shut up Moony! He thought, smacking his palms on his forehead.
Remus left his dorm with Sirius and Peter flanking him at both sides, "Is this really a good idea?" Peter asked, running to catch up with his friends, "Of course this is a good idea Wormtail!" Sirius groaned, shaking his head at Peters' idiocy, "There will be girls with curves in pretty dresses! Did you really want to pass up an opportunity like this?" Neither Remus nor Peter replied to what they thought was a rhetorical question. Rolling his eyes dramatically, Sirius quickened his pace, eager to get to the Great Hall. "Is James with Lily?" Remus called out to the swashbuckling Sirius Black, "Obviously, he never leaves her side," Sirius replied, humour and amusement in his voice.
The Great Hall was littered with splashes of bright pink and a pale red: the colours of Love. "WOW!" James spluttered as he ran over to his friends who had just walked through the large doors leading to the hall, "This pink," He said, pointing at the colour to indicate the right one, "Is amazing!" Remus just laughed airily at him, "Well it does make a change to the red and gold..." he murmured, his voice trailing off theatrically. "Padfoot I want to re-paint our room!"
"What? Why?" Sirius asked, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Because this pink colour is beautiful! I want our room to be this colour," James smiled, excitement etched across his child-like face. "Huh? No!" Sirius moaned, shaking his head, "Why not?"
"Because...because...because..." Sirius stammered, ruffling his hair as he thought of a decent reason to why they were not allowed to paint their bedroom PINK. "Because what, Padfoot?" Remus asked, raising a delicate eyebrow, "Because I said no!" Sirius answered finally, exasperated.
"What's he saying no to?" Lily asked as she waltzed over, looking absolutely stunning in her ball gown. "Painting our room pink," James sighed melodramatically, "He won't let me paint it pink! Lily, tell him we have to paint it pink, please!" He whined un-necessarily, "Dearest James, I am not getting involved," Lily laughed, clearly amused at her boyfriends' fascination with pink.
Remus edged closer and closer to Lily, "You look lovely," he whispered to her, "Thank you?" Lily replied, unsure whether she should be happy that he complimented her or not, "Will you do me a favour?" Remus asked her, his voice almost noiseless, "S-sure," Lily stammered, realising how close he really was, "Save me the last dance," he said; and Remus turned round walking off into the middle of the hall.
Music continued to echo round the Great Hall melodically, and the dance floor was filled with Hogwartians alike; young, old, Gryffindor; Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Teachers began to sway as the clock chimed 12am. Remus was sitting at a table with the snoring Peter; he hadn't danced with anyone, he was waiting for Lily. Maybe I should cut in? No...No I can't do that; it's rude, Remus thought, GAH! I'm fighting a loosing battle here, it's now or never. Okay Moony breathe, you can do this, you can do this, he told himself as he stood up.
It's now or never
"M-mind if I um, cut in?" Remus stammered, feeling idiotic, "Sure Moony, go right a head," James replied cheerily, "Where's Sirius, mate?"
Remus rolled his eyes, "Where else? Either in a really dark corner with a pretty girl with the 'right' curves, or in a broom cupboard," he answered with a light shrug.
"Yeah...that does sound like him," and James stalked off in search for his best friend. Remus smiled as he took Lily's hands and they began to dance, "You really do look stunning in your ball gown tonight Lily," He told her honestly. Lily was wearing a floor-length lilac coloured gown; with a sweetheart neckline that was embedded with sparkly diamonds: something she'd created herself.
"Um, thank you Remus; you clean up well yourself," Lily murmured as they began to twirl around the dance floor. As Remus spun Lily round he began to mutter insanely to himself, "Falling for your best friends girl...well, there's not much I can do now is there?"
"I'm sorry?" Lily blinked, "Oh Lily please! Cut the theatrics love, you know exactly how I feel," Remus sighed, twirling her round again, "Do you realise how lonely it is being a werewolf on Valentine's Day?" He asked, lowering his voice so only she could hear him, "I can only imagine," Lily answered shortly. "I'm sorry for not being the perfect romance Lily!" Remus cried, infuriated with her simple-mindedness. "I played the good kid whilst Prongs managed mischief, a fat lot of good that did; being as you only had eyes for him," he continued, the pair of them still twirling and swirling around the Great Hall.
"Remus I..." Lily began but Remus cut across her abruptly, "I don't want to be alone, not this year. So please Lily, don't let me be alone,"
My one-shot about Remus' undenying love for Lily! imafeckingstarr xx
I got the idea from the song 'Alone on Valentine's Day' By The Remus Lupins. A beautiful song written and performed by Alex Carpenter :')
Read and Review please!