Author's Note: Peter Pettigrew doesn't exist in this universe. I can't stand him, honestly.
"Prongs, Padfoot." Remus Lupin spoke up suddenly. "I need to ask you something."
The seventh year boys had finished their Transfiguration & DADA essays and were lounging about in the Gryffindor Common Room, drinking Butterbeer that James & Sirius had nicked from Hogsmeade and eating Honeydukes best chocolate.
James Potter & Sirius Black looked up at Remus in surprise, before they both exchanged knowing grins and plopped themselves down in front of Remus, identical smirks on their faces. Remus groaned inwardly. Since first year, he had learnt quickly that those smirks of his best mates' faces often meant that they weren't up to anything good.
"Do tell, Moony." Sirius said. Remus sighed, and ran a hand through his sandy-brown hair.
"There's... there's..." Remus swallowed thickly, before saying, in barely a whisper, "there's a girl."
"What's that? I don't think I quite heard you, Moony." James said, cupping his ear, and sounding far too innocent for Remus's liking.
"There's a girl." Remus said louder this time. He was slightly unnerved when both James and Sirius let out identical Cheshire-cat grins that split across their entire faces.
"It's happened..." Sirius began.
"...Our little Moony..." James continued.
"...has finally noticed..."
"...girls!" Both James & Sirius finished, their eyes twinkling with glee. Remus groaned inwardly once more. What had he done to deserve these two absolute mischief-makers as best mates? But then, he thought to himself, with a mixture of fondness and exasperation, he couldn't have asked for two funnier, braver and more loyal & loving best friends.
"Yes, I have." Remus said, smiling wistfully.
"So, who is it?" James asked. Remus's face turned a bit pale, and he developed a sudden interest in his feet.
"Come on, Remus, tell us." Sirius said. His face took on a much more serious tone, though his voice still had some portion of glee inside it.
Remus gulped, still looking at anywhere but them. He felt a surge of anger & hatred towards his own cowardice. He was a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake. Yet he couldn't even be courageous enough to tell his best friends, who never left his side even after finding out he was a werewolf and never judged him or thought any less of him. Surely he would've known better by now. Steeling his nerves he spoke.
"It's Dorcas." He said. "Dorcas Meadowes."
There was a moment of stunned silence, before both James & Sirius erupted in deafening, excited cheers. They pumped their fists in the air before they began pounding Remus mercilessly on the back.
"Moony this is brilliant!" James exclaimed.
"Well done, Remus, well done!" Sirius said.
Remus wiggled away from his two best mates, a sheepish grin on his face. "Yeah, yeah, okay." But his face fell.
"What's wrong?" James asked, scuttling away to him with Sirius.
"I want to ask her out, but..." He swallowed. James & Sirius waited patiently.
"It's your furry problem, isn't it?" James asked quietly. Remus nodded. Sirius sighed.
"Honestly, Moony. Just go and do it. The girl clearly likes you back, and she knows you're a werewolf." Remus blanched.
"S-she does?"
James rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Moony, practically everyone in our year knows. Lily figured it out in third year, then she told Marlene & Dorcas & Alice & Mary. Even Frank knows. But has that stopped them from being friendly and welcoming towards you?"
"Okay..." Remus said, not sounding particularly convinced. "But you sure she likes me back?"
Sirius huffed. "Moony, eveidently you haven't noticed the times she stared at you, subconsciously licking her lips, no doubt thinking about how delicious kissing you would be..." He guffawed, dodging the cushion Remus threw at him.
"Also, Remus, have you realized that you are saying exactly what we said to you, when you told me that Lily liked me, or when you told Sirius that Marlene fancied him? We didn't believe you then, thinking it was too good to be true. And look where we are now." James said, smirking at Remus. Remus stared back at him incredulously, before sighing in defeat.
"I suppose you're right."
James placed a comforting arm on Remus's shoulder. He looked at Remus with that incredibly serious, earnest expression on his face and in his hazel eyes – it was why Sirius and Remus were so loyal to James, because he was so unfailingly loyal to them.
"Go and ask Dorcas out, Remus. We want you to be happy."
"Yep," Sirius nodded, an equally serious expression on his face. "Go get her, Moony."
Remus looked at both of them, awestruck. "You both serious, aren't you?" He kicked himself inwardly when he realized what he had just said.
"Oh no, I'm Sirius. He's James." Sirius grinned like a maniac, and the three of them burst out laughing at the age-old joke.
"But really, Remus, go for it. If anyone deserves to be happy, to us at least, it's you." Sirius said, adopting his serious demeanor once more.
James nodded. "Go get your girl, wolf. The Map says she's in the library."
Remus glared playfully at him at the usage of 'wolf', before nodding gratefully and stepping out of the Common Room.
He found the girl he was looking in the library, just as James and Sirius had told him. She was concentrating on finishing her essay, sitting with Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon & Mary MacDonald. He guessed that Alice Fortescue, the fifth member of their circle of friends, was currently snogging with her boyfriend Frank Longbottom in some unknown broom closet. Swallowing, he tried his best to push away the fear and anxiety that was gnawing away at his insides, and made his way towards them.
"Um, Dorcas?" She raised her head, her eyes widening in surprise and... pleasure? at the sight of Remus. Her skin was a shade darker than the pale white skin of her friends of Lily and Marlene, and her chocolate-brown hair was tied up in a long ponytail.
"Um...could I talk to you? In private?" Dorcas nodded, looking puzzled.
"Actually..." The two turned to see Lily, smiling at them. "Remus, do you know if James and Sirius are in the Common Room?"
"Yes, they are."
Lily turned to Marlene & Mary and exchanged knowing looks with them.
"Well, I've just finished my essay, so I'll go find James."
"Me too!" Mary quipped.
"Me three. I wanna find Sirius as well." Marlene grinned. "Have a good talk you guys." Before Dorcas could protest, Lily, Marlene & Mary had packed up their books and left the library. Neither Remus nor Dorcas exchanged the knowing grins that the three girls exchanged.
Dorcas huffed, miffed at how her three best mates suddenly ditched her like that, but motioned for Remus to sit.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" She asked. Remus felt his throat go dry.
"I... uh, I..." Remus stammered, blushing furiously. Dorcas bit back a giggle, he looked so adorable with his stutter. She had always found Remus attractive; not that James & Sirius weren't handsome, they were very handsome, but Remus's quiet and bookish demeanor somehow appealed to her so much. Possibly because she knew underneath his meekness, Remus was as brave and honorable as his other fellow Marauders.
"Wouldyouliketogooutwithme?" Remus blurted out.
"I'm sorry?" Dorcas asked, raising an eyebrow. Remus took in a deep breath.
"Would you like to go out with me?" Remus said, breathing heavily. Dorcas's jaw dropped. He ran a hand through his hair again, somehow he managed to pick that annoying habit from James, and he rambled, "The thing is, I've liked you since third year, and I... it's our seventh year, and I may not see you again after we graduate, so..."
"I'd love to." Dorcas said, grinning at Remus, her eyes shining.
"W-w-what?" Remus said, not daring to believe his ears.
"I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you. I've been waiting for you to ask me that in forever." Dorcas laughed, and Remus thought he had never heard anything more beautiful and pleasant.
"Wow..." Remus said, chuckling to himself. "That's... that's so great."
The two of them inched closer to each other, their eyes locked with each other, before Remus closed the distance between them. Their lips met in a tender kiss. Dorcas leaned into Remus once they had ended the kiss, and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, and she did the same, the two of them basking in each other's company.
They later reached the Common Room, holding hands. Remus turned to Dorcas.
"Good night, Doe."
"Good night." She smiled and they kissed slowly, again, before Dorcas turned and made her way into the girls' dormitory. Smiling to himself, he turned to made his way to the boys' dormitory.
Little did he know, under the Invisibility Cloak, four pairs of eyes had seen the whole thing. Marlene silenced Sirius's excited whoop with a celebratory kiss, whilst James & Lily chuckled at their antics before they also kissed in celebration. All in all, it was a tremendously good night for these three young couples.