Hi all! Summer's finally here, and YES I am aware that I haven't published any Sirius/Remus goddies in entirely too long a time! It's been awful being more busy during summer break than when in school, hardly getting any time to write at all! But now, to make up for it, I've taken the time to start working on - amongst several crappy all-dialogue oneshots - an actual chapter fic for once - of course dedicated to the two pups we all love! :D Sadly this here is just the extremely short preface to it, but I will update it soon, I promise!

This work is production not only for the love I feel in general towards the RL/SB pairing, but also my love for all my fabulous readers and reviewers out there, and as this is an unfinished chapter-fic I hope you'll be happy to hear that I'll listen out for your opinions and ideas a lot more since they mean extra much to me this time! :) So, hopefully you will review and tell me what you're missing!

Disclaimer (of course): I still own no rights whatsoever to the Harry Potter series or the characters within it - though I do own the plot and that should count as something...

What's the deal?

Preface

"You really do love him, don't you?"

The sweet, gentle and caring voice of Lily Evans was rarely heard by any of the Marauders. Remus Lupin being the exception, of course. The two of them were good friends, even if they rarely met up of reasons not involving study. Right now, however, it seemed that Remus hardly wished for her company.

"I don't know what you're talking about", he murmured, shocked at hearing that she had possibly realised what he'd been trying to hide from everyone for so long. Everyone, including himself.

"Oh, don't you go there with me, Remus Lupin", she warned, firmly and softly at the same time. "You know very well what I'm talking about."

She took a seat next to Remus at the floor, where he'd positioned himself after running off from his place in the couch down in the common room; his place where Sirius had plumped down, his arm casually thrown across the lycanthrope's shoulders next to him only moments earlier. This was the first time Lily had stepped inside the boys' dorms, but she didn't have time to feel uncomfortable as she only focused on Remus right now.

"I'm talking about what Sirius did just now down there as he sat, laying his arm around you", Lily clarified as to make him talk.

"I-I don't mind", Remus lied weakly. "We're friends."

"You wouldn't have gotten up and away from there if you wouldn't have minded", Lily pointed out perceptively. "Because you're right: you are friends.

"I have work to do, History of Magic", Remus mumbled denying.

Lily smiled weakly. "You're friends…" she continued, "but you're scared because you've realised you don't feel just friendly towards him when he touches you", she said insightful. "Because you love him."

Remus swallowed and sighed all at once, close to tears, and Lily spelled the door shut and cast a silencing spell towards it so that they wouldn't have unwanted eavesdroppers in this intense moment.

"Why am I always so stupid?" Remus let out in an upset whisper. "Why must I always complicate things? I don't- I don't want to love him, because there's no way he'll love me back. I don't… I don't deserve his love."

"Don't be like that, Remus; you know it isn't true, any of it", Lily said supportively, but Remus snorted doubtfully. "This isn't your fault, and as much as I don't understand what you see in him, I'm still convinced that you're wrong: I think he does feel the same about you-"

"Lily, stop it", Remus interrupted. "Really, it's not helping when I know you're saying this only to make me feel better."

"Remus Lupin, have you completely lost your faith and judgement of people? You know I'd do no such thing; I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't believe it to be true", Lily assured him. "But I see the way he looks at you; the way he smiles when he spots you walking towards him. And don't you dare go and say that you don't deserve it, because then I'm afraid I'll have to spell your mouth permanently shut!" Lily added, trying to awake some sort of amusement within her friend. "If anyone deserves to be loved and happy, then it's you."

Remus smiled slightly only to let her know that he was grateful for her words, however unreasonable he found them to be. Though he was still not fully happy; he would probably never be during his remaining time at Hogwarts or even after that. Because there was no denying it anymore: he had fallen for his best friend – fallen hard and landed flat and hard on his back. Fate apparently enjoyed being particularly cruel to him; making him not only a werewolf, but a gay, very miserably in love werewolf on top of that! He sniffed and sighed, hating to wallow in self-pity and trying desperately to pull himself together.

"Oh, Remus", Lily said pityingly while putting an arm around him to hold him comfortingly. "You know, this is exactly like when I told you I'd figured out that you were a werewolf", she reminded him: "You denied it at first, terrified that I'd judge you or tell people about it. But as you understood I'd do nothing of it, you allowed me to comfort and help you."

"I'm sorry Lily", Remus sighed remorsefully – albeit still very grateful for his friend's attempt at making him feel better – "but this time there's really nothing you can say or do to help me."

They sat in silence for a moment as Lily thought this over. Stubborn as she always was, she refused to just let it go.

"Maybe there is", she said thoughtfully.

Remus arched an eyebrow at her, not particularly hopeful but somewhat curious and slightly worried as he saw her grow more determined by the second.

"I still believe that he loves you back that way, Remus", she said with a certainty he had no energy to argue against. "And I'll help you with this; there's simply no way I'm leaving you to deal with this on your own, because I happen to know you that you just won't deal with it at all."

"Lily…" he tried to interrupt her, but she ignored his attempt.

"Just bare with me for now, Remus", she asked of him. "Because in some way or another, I will come up with some way of helping you", she solemnly swore.

Okay, I know this is very short, but it's only the preface after all and things will actually happen if you look out for the next chapter!

But still tell me what you think of it, and advices of what you think I should write in future chapters will be gladly welcomed, even though this'll turn in a completely different direction. ;p Thanks for reading!