Pairing: Remus/Lily

Word Count: 1,303

Prompt: "Well, I guess we're going to pretend."

A/N: I'm just going to say it right now: I have no clue how relationships work. This is a one shot that I wrote a while ago, but I like it. I don't profit and am not J.K. Rowling.

"Are we doing study club today?" Remus inquired, sitting next to Lily at the Gryffindor table.

"Ah, yeah, but we can't do it in the library. I have a week long ban from Professor McGonnagall and Madam Pince," Lily sighed. The tips of Remus's lips quirked up.

"What did Head Girl Evans do this time?" Remus asked teasingly.

"You make it sound as though I get into trouble often. This is the first time in seven years of schooling," Lily rolled her eyes, "But, if you insist on knowing, I called James Potter a bleeping bleep bleep garbage bleep human. I may have yelled it. In the middle of the Library." Remus's eyes widened, and then he doubled over laughing.

"He deserves that and more for what he did to Mary Macdonald!" Lily said indignantly.

This shut Remus up. He composed himself, and then asked, "And what exactly did James do?"

"He-"

"Hello Remus, good friend! And could it be a certain Miss Evans?" James Potter asked slyly. He had somehow made it all the way to the table without making a sound, attracted by hearing his name said by Lily.

"Goodbye Potter," Lily huffed, "By the lake at five, Remus." Lily then stalked off to Charms. After Lily left, James turned to Remus in desperation.

"What did you do to Mary?" Remus asked calmly.

"Erm, I sort of cast a swelling charm on her head," James said sheepishly, "But why isn't Lily talking to me?"

"Now, my friend, that is exactly why Lily isn't talking to you," Remus sighed. James could be so big headed. Remus looked at his watch and jumped.

"I'm going to be late!" Remus yelped, and then ran out of the Great Hall.

Later that day, Remus approached Lily, who was sitting under the beech tree. She had her hair tied up in a messy knot and was reading a very thick Arithmancy volume. When Remus sat down next to her, Lily looked up.

"So, I was thinking that we should start with some Ancient Runes homework. Professor Babbling gave our us so much. At least, our class. I don't know about your's," Lily suggested.

"Yeah, our class, too. Maybe we should start with number eight of lesson twenty-nine. It looks hardest," Remus confirmed. They flipped to the page implied and got to work. They finished translating the Runes with a quarter of an hour with only a bit of chatter between them. The pair then began to brainstorm ideas for the partnered create-your-own potion project.

"But shouldn't we do an antidote? We have much more experience with that subject, as we had that entire week of poison lessons in sixth year," Remus reasoned. Lily sighed and rolled her eyes.

"This is Horace Slughorn we're talking about. This needs to blow his socks off or we'll get nothing above an EE," Lily explained.

"Well, an EE is not necessarily a bad grade," Remus countered.

"I like to aim for an O, oh come on!" Lily swore. Remus noticed that she was looking over his shoulder. He turned around and saw James marching towards the beech tree the twosomes study group sat under. Lily appeared to be contemplating something. She then tilted her head towards Remus with a look of determination on her face.

"Lupin, I'm about to do something that is absolutely insane, but please don't look at me any different for it," Lily asked calmly. Remus looked at her, thoroughly bewildered. Lily seemed to be waiting for James to come closer. As soon as he was within twenty yards of the pair, Lily leaned over, and kissed him.

It was a very passionate kiss, and lasted for a couple seconds before Lily broke away and stared dramatically into Remus's eyes. She then turned to look at James.

"Didn't see you there, Potter," Lily said icily, before gathering her school supplies and stalking off. James stared a Remus for a long time.

"Y-you a-and Lily Evans are d-dating?" James asked shakily, "H-how long has this been going o-on? I thought you knew that I l-liked her!" Remus ignored the accusations that kept on coming from James and packed up his school bag. He then turned to a still spluttering James.

"Bleep you," Remus swore, and then left a very confused James standing in the afternoon sun.

...

Remus found Lily the first place he looked: The Shrieking Shack. Remus hated the place, but needed somebody to assure him that what just happened didn't. When he finished crawling through the tunnel and made his way to the second floor, where he found Lily sitting on the overstuffed armchair. It had several bite and scratch marks, and Remus suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Sorry about that. I just needed to get Potter off my back. You know how much of a... frustrating person he is, and he just won't leave me alone," Lily said thickly, avoiding Remus's eyes.

"James is my best friend, but yeah," Remus agreed, sitting down on the musty bed, "And just so you know, he's had a crush on you for forever. He actually got kind of upset after you left just now. But he'll get over it."

Lily shifted on the armchair. "Could I ask you a huge favor Remus?" She asked nervously. Remus nodded warily. "Will you pretend to be my boyfriend for a while to communicate to James that it's never going to happen?"

This caught Remus by surprise. But this couldn't go too terribly wrong. He also wanted to get James off his back, even if only until exams are over. But date Lily Evans, even if it was staged? He surprised himself by agreeing.

Lily flashed him a huge grin. "Thank you so much Remus. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this with anybody else!" She then ran out of the Shrieking Shack to fulfill her Head Girl duties.

"Well, I guess we're going to pretend," Remus sighed.

...

A month and a half later, Lily and Remus were still keeping up the act. They would meet every morning at 6:00 in the middle of the Gryffindor common room and would give each other a gentle kiss. Then, they would walk hand in hand to the Great Hall, chatting idly. They would sit next to each other during all three meals and giggle while making small talk. They partnered on every single partner project and Lily would even sometimes come up to the seventh year Gryffindor boys dormitory, sit on Remus's bed, and talk with him. And, to be honest, Remus found himself growing attracted to Lily Evans. He enjoyed their quiet chats and gentle kisses, but constantly reminded himself that this was all an act to get James off of Lily's back. Speaking of James...

James was incredibly upset at Remus, who knew that he had a crush on Lily since second year, when she hexed him in return for hexing Severus. Sirius tried to make James see sense (It's never going to happen) but James would not relent. Secretly, Remus thought that it was good for James to have some rejection, but losing his friend was incredibly frustrating. But that didn't stop him from imagining what it would be like if he and Lily were actually together.

One Hogsmeade trip, Lily and Remus were having yet another staged date in the Three Broomsticks. Suddenly, Remus got a stroke of passion.

"Lily?" He asked nervously, "I know that our entire relationship was a hoax, but I was wondering if you would want to make it real." Lily looked up from her butterbeer slowly, then smiled.

"Well, of course, you idiot!" She screamed, startling almost everybody in the room. She then wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. Remus, for the first time, felt unstoppable.