Hey, Princess

"Hey, Princess," Remus said, dropping his books onto the table where Lily sat. He got a stern look from Madam Pince, but she didn't reprimand him. She seemed to have a soft spot for the two Gryffindors now huddled in the back corner. Well, as soft a spot as the strict librarian could.

"Y'know, it doesn't sound so creepy coming from you," Lily replied, never looking up from her work. James had used the same greeting on her that morning at breakfast. Lily was not amused.

"Glad to hear it… I think," Remus answered, pulling a roll of parchment to him. They had a Vanishing spells essay due the next day and he had been too busy to even start, so he flipped through Intermediate Transfiguration, trying to find the right pages.

Beside him, Lily's quill scratched away at what seemed to be her own potions recipe; it certainly wasn't anything out of their textbook. A long list of ingredients had more scratched out entries than not, and the instructions that hadn't been scribbled out were squished into tiny margins.

The pair worked in silence for nearly three hours, not a word passing between them. Remus got through his Transfiguration essay, two Charms essays, and half a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay on werewolves by the time Lily put her quill down and held up her parchment to admire her work. A few more notes were added, and Remus had finished his essay on himself before Lily stood and stretched.

"Nice Chuck Taylors," Remus couldn't help but notice. Lily smiled.

"Thanks."

They gathered up their things and began the trek back to Gryffindor Tower. Not all of Remus's books and parchments fit back into his bag, and he carried a star chart and a fictional book about werewolves in his left arm.

As they neared the Fat Lady, he turned to Lily. "Say… what if all the stars aligned? Could I ever make you mine?"

Lily's gorgeous green eyes widened, and Remus hurried to hold up his star chart, nearly dropping the werewolf book in the process. "Astronomy." This meant nothing to her. "Uh, it was, er, I mean, I'm holding a star chart." Still seeing that wide-eyed shock on her face, he stumbled through the rest of his explanation. "I mean, it's a… b-bad joke, that's all," he muttered.

Was that a flash of disappointment he saw in her eyes, before he lowered his own? He didn't have a chance to figure it out, because when he glanced up again, Lily was smiling. She kissed him on the cheek. "You're crazy, you know that?" she told him with a laugh. Apparently accepting his lame excuse, she gave the Fat Lady the current password (dittany) and clambered through the portrait hole.

Looking around, Remus understood James' joke earlier. "Hey, Princess," he called after Lily.

She turned to look at him, a vague look of amusement on her face. "I know. I live in a castle tower. James isn't entirely an idiot." Waving good night, she headed upstairs to the girl's dorms. Remus made his way to his own, a small smile spreading over his face as he felt her kiss on his cheek. It was a start.

Not Your Birthday

"C'mon Lily, please?" Remus pleaded.

"No, I don't want to, can I please stay here?"

"Staying here on your birthday is why we're doing this! It's for you!"

"It's not even my birthday, that was ages ago!" Lily responded.

"And we didn't celebrate," Remus insisted. "Come on, please? Sirius and James got food and decorations and everything!"

"It's not my birthday," Lily replied vehemently.

"So party like it's not your birthday!" Remus exclaimed, desperation creeping into his voice. "I know you've been stressed out lately, and I know you have homework to get done, but you come here every night! Take one off, please? Just this one. It will help you relax! You can't do your best on your work if you're overstressed!"

"You're really not going to give up, are you?" Lily sighed, looking up at her friend rocking on his feet. He had been trying to get her back to Gryffindor Tower for nearly an hour now, and she wasn't getting much work done anyway. He was right; she couldn't concentrate even before he showed up, always thinking about one subject while she worked on another.

She began to pack up her things. The young werewolf rushed to help, insisted on carrying her bag, and practically bounced his way out of the library.

"Why are you so excited about a party, Remus? Normally you sit in the corner and do your homework."

He shrugged, his smiling bright enough to take your attention away from the scars and the fresh gouge on his left cheek. "Come on, come on!" He took off, and Lily had to break into a sprint to catch up with his longer strides.

They stumbled through the portrait hole, both panting from the rush back to the tower. A huge cheer went up and hands grabbed their robes, dragging them into the crowded common room. Lily could dimly hear music coming from the radio in the corner, under a huge "Happy Birthday Lily Evans" banner that was strung across the back wall.

Lily couldn't help but laugh and allow herself to be pulled into the thick of the party. She knew the boys would have thrown a party anyway, but she appreciated the pretense that it was for her birthday. Remus was right, this was going to be a fun and relaxing night.

Remus brought Lily's books to the back of the room and dropped the bag on a chair at his preferred table, being unable to bring them up to her room himself. Sirius and James joined him there, greeting him with high fives. They had been looking for an excuse to throw a party, and it had been Remus's idea to use Lily's birthday, nearly two weeks ago, as an excuse. She'd spent the entire night in the library surrounded by essays and snapping at anyone who came near - even Remus, who had brought her chocolate frogs (hiding them carefully so as not to be yelled at for having food in the library). Watching Lily and her friends dig into the chocolate cake - her favorite - he knew that had made a great choice. She needed the break.

As people began filtering out of the common room for bed, those left moved the couches and armchairs aside to form a makeshift dance floor in the middle of the room. Lily even danced next to - though not quite with - James for some time. When the radio began a slow song, however, it was Remus she held a hand out to. Surprised, he took it and stood up from the couch, where he had been amusing himself watching Sirius and a sixth year silently fight for a girl's attention with increasingly ridiculous dance moves.

"Uh, I'm not much of a dancer," Remus admitted, going a bit pink.

"Neither am I," Lily lied, "but I've mastered the art of the fake slow-dance-for-people-who-can't-dance." She lead Remus to turn in a circle, swaying side to side. It suited him just fine.

"How's the party going?" he asked, very conscious of how close their faces were.

Lily's smile grew bigger. "Like it's not my birthday," she teased. "We should do this again sometime."

It was Remus's turn to grin. "We do, you're just cooped up in the library and don't notice."

The song ended and Lily went to fill her cup with punch (and no, it wasn't spiked). Sirius and James, looking beat, had collapsed on a couch nearby. The party was winding down. Remus glanced out the window and was surprised to see the slightest glow of sun at the horizon.

"I think it's bedtime for me," he said, heading to the stairs and saying goodnight to Lily as they crossed paths. James and Sirius groaned and didn't move; Remus would find them sound asleep on the couch the next morning, despite the half-full common room around them.

Dance Forever

The Great Hall was filled to bursting with Jack o' Lanterns, while live bats fluttered below the enchanted ceiling. The only two sources of light were the ceiling (when the half-moon wasn't hiding behind a cloud) and the candles in the carved pumpkins. Remus found his. Instead of a face, he had carved a crude werewolf into it. To one side was a blob with a tail that he knew was supposed to be Padfoot, and a sloppy rat with an extra ear. On the other side was a rather majestic looking stag with one less leg than it should have had and one antler twice the size of the other. Not far from the Marauders' pumpkins was an intricately carved flower that put the boys' Jack o' Lanterns to shame (not that it was hard).

The Halloween Ball was already in full swing as James led the Marauders, Lily, Marlene McKinnon (Sirius's date), and Mary McDonald (whom James had pestered until she finally caved and said yes; this reinforced his idea that the same tactic may yet work on Lily, should she and Remus stop hanging out so much) to the table nearest their pumpkins. Peter hadn't found a date, something that had gotten him a lot of jokes from James ("If anyone should go stag, it's me! Not that I ever would").

Remus stared at the menu for a while, debating what to get for several minutes before deciding on a rare steak. The moon wouldn't be full for a while yet, and the wolf was curled up inside him quite content, but it couldn't hurt to appease it more. The boys and Lily, used to his odd choices of food, didn't bat an eye at the red juices flowing from his steak, but Mary and Marlene looked slightly disgusted.

He had hardly finished his dinner when Lily grabbed his arm and dragged him upright. "Remus get up! You're in dress robes, you're going to put them to good use," she told him as she marched him onto the dance floor. James looked on jealously while Mary rolled her eyes behind him.

As he and Lily danced away their Saturday, Remus couldn't help but feel another set of eyes on him. Off in a dark corner with a pack of Slytherins sat Severus Snape, glaring hard at Remus. The werewolf swallowed, closed his eyes, and spun Lily around.

"I could dance all night, Remus!" Lily exclaimed breathlessly, and indeed they had been dancing for several hours already with little in the way of breaks. Sirius and James had long ago joined them on the floor, and Peter flitted between dance floor seventh wheel and dinner table loner.

The candles in the pumpkins were burning low, and many a Jack o' Lantern had gone dark. "We'll dance forever if it's what you want to do," Remus told her, looking into her beautifully bright green eyes, reflecting what little light was left. Lily smiled at him and leaned into his chest. They swayed to the music together, and while they didn't quite dance forever, it was three in the morning before either fell asleep, the memory of soft lips leading to sweet dreams.

Come Down With Love

"Moony, you do know you're in Charms, right?" Sirius asked, poking the Potions book Remus had just put on the desk.

"Of course I know this is Arithmancy," Remus responded, looking at neither Sirius nor the book as he put it away, pulling out his Transfiguration book instead. It didn't seem to occur to him that Sirius wouldn't be in Arithmancy with him, or that he would be sitting next to Lily. Sirius watched his friend for a moment, then snorted and gave up. Remus paid him no mind, staring across the room at where Lily sat with her friends. Mary was looking rather crossly at James; he had just told her before class that he had only been "interested" in her so as to have a passably attractive alternative to Lily at the ball. Marlene and Sirius were at least friendly, though no one quite knew if they were dating or not.

Class passed without Remus paying attention to, well, any of it. The only time he paid less attention was when he wasn't in class at all. As they were practicing non-verbal spells, this went largely unnoticed by Professor Flitwick.

It did not, however, go unnoticed by the Marauders.

At dinner that night, Remus had cracked open a lobster claw and had the meat halfway to his mouth before Peter could stop him and remind him that he was allergic. "Does he know his Prefect badge has been on upside down all day?" Wormtail asked Sirius, trading plates with Remus. James heaped the lobster-free plate with potatoes, corn, and chicken. Remus hummed merrily to himself as he dug into this new food. Sirius shook his head, laughing.

"He hasn't got a clue."

"What's wrong with him anyway?" Peter asked. "Is he sick?"

"He's come down with something alright," Sirius responded, as the boys watched Remus's face light up as Lily came and joined them. James hid his disappointment as Sirius told Peter, "He's been bit by the bug. There's no cure for his disease."

This made no sense to the other Gryffindor. "What bug? Is this 'cause of his furry little problem?"

Sirius shushed him and leaned away from Lily and Moony, who were chattering away happily about homework. "Wormtail, our dear Moony has come down with love."

James (Never Change)

Remus stepped aside to let yet another new female face leave his dormitory as he tried to enter. Even if James hadn't been the only one there, it would have been obvious who she had been visiting, as Sirius and Marlene had been going steady for a while now. The thought a girl could be visiting Peter didn't even cross his mind.

"Hey Moony," James said, grabbing his bathrobe and towel. Remus couldn't help but notice that there was a chair next to the bed, and the sheets didn't look as crumpled as normal. He shuddered and pushed those thoughts aside.

"Hey Prongs. No need to leave on my account."

"Got a date! I need to clean up a bit."

Remus tried to pretend he hadn't heard that after what he was pretty sure he had nearly walked in on. "Everybody's on a date with my buddy James," he sighed, dropping his bag and lying down on his bed. Kind of funny, he thought, since a lot of the guys at Hogwarts were always saying that James had no game - just a name everyone in school knew. He just does it his own way, but it works. James even got dates with the "babes" (his word) he didn't try for.

That's what Remus was afraid of. James had stopped trying for Lily. And it's not like Moony was dating her. She was available. What if - no, she wouldn't. She hates James. Still, Remus had a nagging voice in his head that told him he should go find Lily. He ignored it. She wouldn't.

Mr. Wonderful

Remus walked across the grass towards the lake, where the giant squid basked in the sun, Lily at his side and a bookbag slung over his shoulder.

Lily spread her books out in the grass near the water, in the shade of a large beech tree. By the time she noticed Remus hadn't done the same, he already had a large mug of hot tea ready. He added a large amount of honey, just how she liked it, and handed it to her. "Mango," he told her, handing her the mug. Her favorite.

"Remus, that's so thoughtful!" She loved a nice drink while she studied, but since she tended to spend her time in the library, she wasn't able to have anything to eat or drink. He put a chocolate frog on her book, too. "Thank you!" She took a careful sip of the hot beverage, her eyes closing in appreciation. "You're so sweet! How could I ever repay you for everything you do for me?"

"Don't go falling in love with Mr. Wonderful," Remus told her, only half joking, as he gestured to where his friends sat under another tree not far away.

Lily's smile became rather fixed, it seemed. "Lily?" Remus watched her watching James, and reached out to cup her face in his hands. She flinched at his touch, though out of fear, surprise, or guilt, he wasn't sure. He withdrew his hands. "Lily, did you…"

She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"It's too late, isn't it? I've never gone around with any other girls, but you've already fallen for, for… Mr. Wonderful." This time he spit out the name bitterly, snatching his bag off the grass and turning back towards the castle. He could hear a voice calling his name, soon joined by others as he picked up speed and sprinted back to the castle. He paid them no mind as he lost himself in the many secret passageways of the castle.

Sorry...

He could hear the ellipses after every sorry she said. "Sorry (dot dot dot)."

Lily had cornered him in the common room and had been telling him she was sorry (dot dot dot) for the past hour.

"Why're you still bugging me? Maybe if you'd told me beforehand this wouldn't matter," he told her, angrily wishing she would shut up and leave him alone. Lily, strong Lily, brave Lily, had given in to James. After all these years… "I gave you my world."

"You n-never asked m-me," Lily stammered, tears sliding down her smooth cheeks. Remus wanted so much to hold her close and tell her it was okay. But he couldn't. It wasn't. "Please, I miss you!"

"Then why are you dating him? And besides, I told you why I wouldn't. You knew exactly why I couldn't." He crossed his arms, his nails leaving marks in his biceps.

"Then what d-did you expect?" Lily sniffed.

Remus stared at her for a solid minute before choking out, "I never said you couldn't ask me. I used to trust you (dot dot dot). I've got things to do tonight, let's just go our separate ways." Remus brushed past her and made his way up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, but not fast enough to miss her last, "Sorry (dot dot dot)."

Author's Note: For some reason I've recently decided Lily and Remus would be cute together (though obviously they don't end up together here). *shrug* Not quite a song fic, but quotes are taken from Allstar Weekend songs and each section is super loosely based on one (title of the song being the title of a section, if you'd like to check them out). Hope you enjoyed it!

And, of course, I do not own the characters, the songs, or the quotes.