A/N: Hey, y'all! This was written for the Hogwarts Eastern Funfair for the Ferris Wheel. My prompt: (relationship) angel/human

Word Count: 3142

Quick warning: This one is unbeta'ed. I did my best to catch everything, but… please PM me if there are any mistakes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.

Enjoy!

"Did it hurt?" a deep, male voice asked. He sounded like he was right in front of her, but she didn't look up from her book.

"Did what hurt?" she asked.

"When you fell from heaven."

Lily Evans snorted. "Wow, Romeo. If you're gonna use cheesy pickup lines, at least make them original."

"What?" The voice sounded caught off guard. "I made that up centuries ago! Are you telling me someone took it?"

Lily looked up, ready to tell this boy to sod off. The words died on her lips when she saw what he was wearing.

She resisted the urge to smile. "Nice wings."

The boy's hazel eyes, partially covered by his glasses, seemed pleased. "You like them? I like to keep them at their best. You should see my best mate, Sirius'— his feathers are all out of place. It's a wonder Remus— his human— sees anything in him, honestly."

Lily blinked. "His human?"

She was sitting on a small wooden bench in a park near her house. The plan had been to read for a few hours and then go home, but then this (admittedly handsome) boy had begun flirting with her.

The boy nodded, his messy, jet-black hair flapping. "Yes, his human. Sorry, that's what they call each other. Remus calls Sirius his angel— but he only does it sarcastically after Sirius calls him his human. Obviously, I've been spending way too much time with them."

Lily really hoped that this boy wasn't talking about the Remus she knew, but how many Remuses could there be in the world? "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

The boy grinned crookedly, and Lily briefly wondered how his wings were staying on— she couldn't see any straps. "Oh, I'm James. James Potter if you want a surname. But angels don't typically bother with those."

Lily nodded slowly. "Well, I'm Lily Evans… Tell me, why are you dressed as an angel?"

James blinked, confused, before realization dawned on him. "Oh, I'm sorry— I forgot that Sirius said humans don't usually know about angels. This isn't pretend. See?"

James spread out his arms, and as he did so, his wings opened up and flapped a bit.

"Very funny," Lily said, but her mouth was dry. "How are you doing that, really?"

James sighed. "Need more proof? Here—" He waved his hand at a clump of wilted flowers. Lily watches as they slowly began to brighten and perk up.

Her eyes bugged out. Magic. He had just… right in front of her…

She stood up quickly, swaying slightly. "An angel, huh?" she asked in a high-pitched voice very unlike her own. "That's… excuse me while I…"

She grabbed her book and left quickly, unable to properly process what she'd just witnessed.

She'd just seen an angel.

The next day at school, Lily was exhausted. She'd hardly slept all night; she'd been busy scoring the internet for anything that might explain what had happened in the park. She kept dozing off in class, and was just thankful that she didn't have any tests that day. After what felt like an eternity, it was lunch time.

This year she didn't have the same lunch period as her friends, so she ate alone, usually with a book to entertain her. Today, however, someone plopped down beside her, uninvited: Remus Lupin. She shared a few classes with him and knew him to be a good student and a kind, though secretive, person. Other than that, though, she didn't know much about him, so it seemed odd that he approached her now.

Remus shot her a smile, his amber eyes warm and comforting. "Hello, Lily."

She blinked, then set down the apple she had yet to bite into. "Hi, Remus. Is there something I can do for you?"

Remus took a bite of his sandwich. "Actually, I was under the impression that I could do something for you."

Lily frowned. "No, I think I'm good."

Remus shook his head. "Lily. I'm here to talk to you about angels."

Lily choked on her water. How did Remus—

And then she remembered. It's a wonder Remus— his human— sees anything in him, honestly.

She pointed at Remus, her green eyes wild. "You're— you are the Remus he was talking about! You're the one who's dating— oh my gosh, you're dating an angel."

Remus looked a little startled at her outburst. But he cleared his throat and said, pleasantly enough, "Well, I guess James mentioned me. I'll have to have a talk with him about mentioning my private life to strangers, though. But, you do believe he's an angel, right?"

Lily couldn't believe she was having this conversation with him. It was bizarre; he was the last person she'd have thought believed in angels. She was sure she was going mad, but she nodded.

Remus seemed pleased. "Good. That makes my job a bit easier. Er… any questions before we get into the really heavy stuff?"

Lily stared at him in disbelief. "Yesterday this guy started flirting with me, showed me his wings, made some flowers come back to life, then told me he was an angel. Nothing about that makes sense!"

Remus smiled apologetically. He pushed a lock of brown hair out of his face. "I know it's a lot to take in. Believe me, I've been there."

Normally Lily would insist that nobody could know how she was feeling because they hadn't been in the same situation, but she realized that Remus had been in her shoes before. She bit her lip. "James said… he said you were Sirius' human. What—"

"Couple names," Remus blurted out, blushing furiously. "I can't believe James— we just call each other… yeah."

Lily shifted a bit in her seat. "Yes, that's what he said. But that's unique to the two of you, right?"

Remus nodded in understanding. "Oh, yeah. If you and James, for example, were to begin dating, you could call him whatever you wanted. As long as he was okay with it."

Lily nodded. Then she smirked. "You call him your angel? Aww, you two are so cute."

Remus scowled. "Very funny. Do you want me to fill you in or not?"

Lily held her hands up in surrender. "All right, all right. Begin."

Remus thought for a moment, then launched into his story.

"Let's start simply: there are angels who watch over us. There's a different… realm of sorts way up in our atmosphere, but only angels can access it; that's why our planes have never accidentally flown into it. That's where angels reside. See, sometimes humans need an intervention of sorts. Angels have a kind of intuition— they know when someone's business is unfinished, but not what is left undone. Occasionally they save lives, but they most often protect us from harm. They might send a voice in your head telling you not to go down that street today, or not to trust the guy next to you. It's up to you whether or not you listen.

"Other times, intervention is more drastic. Angels who are more meddlesome might make you late for work so you cross paths with the person the angel thinks would make a good match for you. Some disguise themselves as citizens or firemen and help out in huge tragedies. They might briefly stem the flow of blood in the mortally wounded so they stay alive long enough to get to a hospital, or keep your heart beating for a few seconds extra. Then of course, there are those who just guide our spirits to the next life. Just like with humans, they have free will, and can do with their powers what they wish."

Lily was speechless. This was so much to take in, but she could tell by the look on Remus' face that he had barely scratched the surface.

He continued. "There are some angels that believe that humans and angels should never interact. That's the family Sirius comes from. Obviously, he disagrees with him. But James comes from a more progressive family."

Lily cocked her head to the side. "Why would angels want to be around humans? Aren't they… divine?"

Remus considered her question for a moment. "These angels… they're not the same sort you read about in religious texts. They are simply guardians, guides. They aren't divine. I don't know if there are other angels, but— if you're religious— there's only one truly divine being in the universe— or more than one, depending on your religion. And if you're not religious, then there aren't any divine beings. Simple as that."

Lily snorted. "Yeah. Simple." She tucked a strand of dark red hair behind her ear. "You're dating an angel. How… why are angels attracted to us?"

Remus shrugged. "Why am I attracted to men? They just do. They like who we are."

Lily frowned. "But James doesn't even know me."

Remus reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry about that. James was initially attracted to you for your looks, yeah, but he engaged you because he wants to get to know you. He's not the sort to stick around unpleasant people."

Lily smiled, comforted. All of a sudden, two thoughts struck her. "Remus? How did you know that I knew about James?"

Remus looked both sad and amused. "James burst into my apartment at around two in the morning, going on about how he'd ruined the best thing to ever happen to him. I managed to get the story out of him."

Lily nodded, guilty at having hurt James. "Another thing… you being gay— is that a secret?"

Remus nodded slowly. "Yes. A lot of things have happened in my life, and... I'm not ready to come out yet."

For the first time, Lily wondered about the scars on his jaw and collarbone— and those were only the ones she could see. But she decided not to pry. "Of course. It doesn't bother me, just so you know."

Remus' smile was relieved. "I figured as much. But… thanks."

Lily patted his shoulder. "One last thing… how does the whole angel-human relationship work?"

Remus' expression turned serious. "Because we're mortal, and they're not, right?"

Lily nodded, her brow furrowing.

Remus answered promptly, as though he'd been expected this question all along. "Angel-human relationships— romantic ones— aren't exactly common. That's not to say they aren't unheard of, but throughout the last few centuries there have only really been a few dozen cases. You see, when an angel has lived a long time— normally around seven to ten centuries— they might decide that they want to the next plane of existence; the same our souls go to when they die. They simply… fade out. That's why there are angel families. So, if they engage in a lasting relationship with a human, they might give up their immortality and die early."

Lily's eyes were wide. "So they... choose when they die?"

Remus nodded slowly. "Yes, but... no one is content to stay on this earth forever. Eventually, you tire of watching your friends and family leave you."

Just then, the bell rang. Lily scrambled to get her things together and almost missed what Remus said next.

"After our last class, wait for me. I'll take you to my apartment."

As Lily followed Remus in her car, she wondered just what, exactly, she was getting herself into.

An angel. Did she even like this guy? Would he smite her if she didn't? Remus had seemed so confident that all would go well, and though he seemed like an optimistic person, the only thing she'd ever seen him confident about was his performance in school. Lily sighed. She didn't know how this would go, but she knew that she would try.

A part of her wondered about that. She was putting all her faith in two boys she hardly knew. Remus had had an answer for everything, but that didn't mean he wasn't lying. James' magic was harder to explain. If she was being honest, she wanted this to be real. She wanted to believe the world was, at least a little bit, magic.

She parked her car and followed Remus up into his apartment. They were both eighteen, but Lily had decided to stay with her parents until she started university. Remus, it seemed, had moved out immediately.

The apartment was small, and the furniture was sparse. It seemed very Remus-like in the sense that there were only the necessities. Lily walked farther inside, comforted by the atmosphere. It seemed that the few luxuries Remus allowed himself were much-loved.

There was a rustling in the kitchen, and then a head peeked out of the doorway. "Er— hullo, Remus! You're back early."

Remus slowly raised a single brow, a skill that Lily envied. "Actually, I'm running late. Please tell me the kitchen is still intact, Sirius."

Lily's gaze snapped back to Sirius, surprised. The man had long black hair and handsome grey eyes, but he lacked the wings she had assumed he'd have.

Sirius emerged from the kitchen, and Lily decided that his grin was very, very guilty. "It isn't broken, if that's what you mean," he tried. "It's just a bit… splattered."

Remus groaned. "Sirius, you know you're not supposed to play with the egg beater."

Sirius looked disappointed. "But I wanted to see if—"

Remus held up a hand to stop him. "I don't want to know. Clean it up and get Lily something to drink. I'm going to go get James."

He left, and Sirius turned to Lily, looking as though he'd only just noticed her. "So you're the little heartbreaker, huh?"

Lily felt another pang of guilt, and was immediately on the defensive. "Well, I'm sorry he's upset, but you all just turned my entire world upside down. I'm allowed some space to work through it all."

Sirius barked out a laugh. "Calm down, Red. He came on too strong; James has a habit of doing that. Besides, you handled it better than Remus did— he threw a book at me and then took a million buses to this tiny coffee shop. But I followed him." Sirius seemed proud of this fact. "At least James didn't do that."

Lily was comforted by this, but she still bristled and glared at Sirius. "Don't call me Red. My name is Lily Evans. You're not getting off just because you're an angel."

Sirius grinned, looking delighted. "Got some fire in you, don't you, Evans? Maybe ol' Jamesey was right about you."

Unsure how to respond, Lily asked a question. "Where are your wings?"

Sirius waved his hand in an oh, you know gesture. "You only see them if I want you to. Would you like to see them?"

Lily was about to decline— she really wasn't sure if she could handle that right now— but when she blinked again, there they were. She looked at them closely. James had been exaggerating when he said the feathers were all over the place. They were just a bit scruffy at the bottom, that was all. Artfully tousled, if you will, like his hair.

Just then, Remus re-entered the room, James in tow. He stopped and stared when he saw Lily, who stared at her shoes.

"Well," Remus began, clapping his hands together. "Sirius and I are going out for pizza. I really hope the kitchen is clean," he added, glancing at his boyfriend. At that, Sirius hastily snapped his fingers, which did not escape Remus' notice. The brown-haired boy continued. "James, why don't you keep Lily company? We'll be back in two hours, tops."

James blinked. "Two hours for pizza?"

Sirius shrugged. "What Remus says, goes."

The two left, and James and Lily found themselves alone. Lily awkwardly shuffled her feet. Her hair fell in front of her face and she pulled it away irritatedly. It shouldn't be this difficult to talk to him— talking to Sirius had been just like talking to any other boy. So why was talking to James so hard?

"I didn't— I'm sorry I ran away," she began quietly. "It was just— a lot to process."

James looked startled. "What— no, I should be apologizing to you," he insisted. "It's been a while since I've interacted much with humans, and I came on too strongly. I'm sorry about that."

His words surprised Lily. It seemed that under the goofiness and mild arrogance was a maturity that Lily would not have expected from him. She already liked him more than she had in the park.

James crossed the room and sat down on the couch. Lily lowered herself down next to him. She laughed lightly. "We're quite a mess, aren't we? Tell you what, James. I want to get to know you, so… why don't we start over?"

His face lit up, and Lily felt a warmth around her heart. "Yes! Okay— I'll go over here, you stay here and pretend to read your book—"

Lily laughingly obliged, and tried not to smile as James walked over. He cleared his throat and she looked up. He stuck out a hand.

"I'm James Potter, and I just so happen to be an angel. Are things too weird yet?"

Lily snorted. "A little. But I think I've come to like weird. I'm Lily Evans, and I am most definitely not an angel."

James snapped his fingers. "Damn. And I was so sure you'd fallen from heaven."

Lily laughed and rolled her eyes. "Very funny." The silence that followed was comfortable as Lily thought about what to say next.

Abandoning their silly game, she turned to James. "We should hang out sometime. As friends. Just to get to know each other— would that be okay?"

James smiled softly. "Yeah." Then his hazel eyes turned wicked. "We should start by crashing Remus and Sirius' pizza date."

Lily grinned. "I like the sound of that."

It had been a year since Lily and James had first met, and three months since they had begun dating. Life was great— she and James went on double dates with Sirius and Remus all the time, and she had grown very comfortable around the three boys. She had learned of Remus' two biggest secrets, and she had learned that angels were very protective of their partners.

Or maybe that was just James and Sirius.

As great as life was, six months later it got even better. In his sleep, James murmured three words that would change her life forever.

"I love you."

Lily's heart pounded pleasantly as she gently pulled off his glasses and kissed his forehead. "I love you, too."

And she did. The past two years had been the best of her life, and she owed it all to the angel in her arms.

The two drifted off to sleep, in their very own apartment, content to just be together.

A/N: Also: if you guys would like the WolfStar backstory (which will be longer and possibly darker than this) please let me know!