Beauty and the Beast
Not all fairytales end happily ever after. Featuring Lily as the Beauty, and Remus as the Beast.
Disclaimed;; I don't own Lily, Remus, James, or Beauty and the Beast. And if you think I do, I'm afraid I didn't get the memo.
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Fairytales, as a definition, have good endings. If it had a sad ending, would it be a fairytale? No, it wouldn't. It would be just a story, at best, or a tragic tale of two lovers who aren't meant to be. Was that me and Lily? Believing ourselves to be living in a fairytale, up until the point reality kicked in? Fairytales, as a definition, are not reality.
Let me explain.
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She was Lily Potter. She was beautiful, responsible, top of our class. She was this sort of mystery to most- not one of those shy girls people weren't aware existed, but nobody really knew anything about her. They knew she was one of the two Gryffindor prefects, and that whenever a teacher had praised a student in class, it was probably her. They knew she had a temper, and they knew James Potter had a soft spot for her.
But that was all, really. Nobody knew who her friends were, where she came from, what she was like. She was different from us, close and yet distant. She was almost aloof, the way she kept away from people in general, but she wasn't. Maybe it was shyness, maybe simply the understanding that she would never fit in, so why even bother? She simply stayed away, untouchable, taking the spotlight when it was required of her, but preferring to stay away from it. In short, everything we weren't.
And we were? The Fearsome Foursome, as Sirius had once said. Or the gang more commonly known as the Marauders. We were just as untouchable as her, in a way. But in a way, nothing like it. We were the cool guys, we had the run of the school. Every guy wanted to be us, every gal wanted to be with us. Or so, at least, Sirius once put it.
There was James, the strong one, the leader. Good looking, renowned Chaser, humorous and an arrogant toerag to boot. Then there was Sirius, James's right and left hand, in the role of best buddy and the one who had recently broken the Hogwarts record of 'Most Girlfriends in a Week'. He, of course, protested, claiming none of the eleven girls had ever been his girlfriend. And there was Peter, as well, a bit of a nerd and a lot of a wimp, but a Marauder, nonetheless.
They might not sound like much, but they were everything for me. My friends, my brothers, and everything a beast like me could ask for.
Yes, I was a beast. Any one of the few who knew my secret would immediately protest, claiming loudly that I was by no means a beast, but simply an ordinary sixteen year old wizard who happened to have a 'furry little problem'. But I was a beast, and if I had ever doubted it, she taught me differently.
Back to the story. We, the Marauders, we were practically family. Maybe to everybody else we were just four cool guys, who coincidentally shared a dorm, so it was simply most convenient to band up, but we knew differently. The bonds between us were strong and deep- we were much more than just a group of friends.
There were certain rules to being a Marauder. It wasn't the kind of rules you wrote down and pinned on the dorm wall, like Sirius said the seventh year girls had on their wall (I think he was bluffing, trying to impress us by the fact that he had gotten into the girls' dorms), but a sort of mutual understanding, things a person felt were right or wrong without being told so.
For example, a Marauder was never the only Marauder to get detention. If one went down, we all went down, or at least two of us. Even if there was only one of us who deserved it, though that was rarely the case, somebody else shared the blame. Because that was us, the Marauders, always there for each other.
That was the great thing about us. We really were always there for each other. Whether it was Peter's mum catching dragon pox, or Sirius running away from home, or just losing a Quidditch game, you knew there was somebody out there to have your back. Same goes, of course, for me and my monthly illness.
It was in second year they found out, or maybe even towards the end of first year; whenever it was, I remember the night they confronted me well, too well.
"Remus," I was in our dorm, packing, for Christmas was in a few days. All three of them came in together, James and Sirius side by side, Peter hiding behind them. It was obvious they had a purpose, and if it hadn't been, you could easily tell by the look on their faces. But I suspected nothing.
"We- we need to ask you something," It was Sirius this time. It was then I realized something was up, but I still had no idea what. It couldn't be anything too serious, right? And yet, the graveness in Sirius's voice didn't sound encouraging.
"Anything."
"Are- are you- a, y'know-" James faltered, hesitating, not knowing how to say it. It was one word, two syllables, but it was a word that could ruin your life for good. Who would know, if not I? It was Peter, surprisingly, who relieved the tension.
"Are you a werewolf?"
I don't remember why I did what I did. Looking back, I should have simply run, as fast as I could, to Dumbledore, and begged him to let me leave. It would have saved me a whole lot of heartache and agony. But then again, I would never have discovered friendship, and how far friends will go for you.
"Yes, I am," It was awkward, saying so, though at that age, not having yet realized the full meaning of my condition, I felt no shame. "And, well, I really hope you're ok with it. Dumbledore says it doesn't matter, and he's arranged it so I'm away from the school when I transform, which is where I've been going every month, obviously, so I don't see that you shouldn't be ok with it. But, well, if there is a problem, I could ask him- Dumbledore, I mean- about different dorm arrangements. He did say some people might not take it so well if they found out, which is why I didn't tell you guys. But I hope you're not mad, are you? Please, I hope you're not mad."
And Sirius just laughed. James joined in too, and together they laughed until tears were running out their eyes and they were clutching their stomach. I can picture myself, sitting on the bed, flustered, worried, though not sure about what, staring at these two laughing boys, not sure if their laughter was a good sign, or a bad one.
"Remus, don't be silly," said James, once he managed to stop laughing, "You actually think we're going to ask you to change dorms?" I stared at him, still unsure of his meaning. Perhaps he meant that I should leave Hogwarts altogether? But I said nothing, unwilling to make more a fool of myself than I already felt.
"We figured it out ages ago," explained Sirius, "We've been in the library, we looked it up and stuff. And we've found a way to help you."
I was still staring, trying to comprehend his words. Certainly, I hadn't really been expecting them to ask me to leave Hogwarts; I knew them well enough to know that, at least. But help me?
"There's nothing you can do to help," I mumbled, and then realized how ungrateful it sounded, "I mean, I really appreciate it and all, yeah? But I'm a werewolf and I'm going to stay a werewolf forever, and there's nothing you guys can do about it."
"You're right, you're going to have to stay a werewolf," James went on, a twinkle in his eye, "But we figured, since we can't keep you company as humans, we'd keep you company as animals."
I blinked once, twice, my brain working slower than ever. Did he mean- no, he couldn't. And yet-
"Animagus!" Peter squealed, unable to keep it in anymore.
And it was my turn to laugh. I laughed, and laughed, and laughed, probably more than James and Sirius put together. But, well, first full moon of fifth year, there we were, a wolf, a stag, a dog and a rat, running together across the lawns, racing each other to the nearest tree. If not for those monthly adventures, perhaps our friendship wouldn't have survived the ordeals that came in our sixth year. But those nightly wandering were living proof to what I always knew- Marauders were always there for each other.
A/N;; There you have it! It's just this sort of introductory first chapter, I really hope you like it. If you did, be sure to tell me so with a little review! And if you didn't, review and tell me what I can improve!