A long one-shot that I did for the "Just A Dream" challenge in the Harry Potter Challenge Forum! :D. Thanks to all those reviewers for Secrets of a Seventh Year. Remus/OC, long and confusing (this one, not Secrets of a Seventh Year). This story's dedicated to the people in Hogwarts Regenerated, the forum!

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Tara was at the library table, reading a book. The words kept sliding in and out of the page, and finally, she slammed it down and massaged her forehead.

Laughter floated to her head and she looked down the table to see the Marauders. She scowled. Why couldn't they ever just be quiet for a while? Here she was, trying to study, and they were pretty much ruining her chances.

Remus was with them, laughing along.

Tara's gaze slid over to him, and she bit her lip and looked down. As much as she detested the Marauders, she felt something like comradeship towards Remus in particular. Maybe it was because when they were in first year, when Remus had just become friends with the Marauders, she had fallen and tripped. Everyone had laughed at her, except for a quiet boy with sandy hair and warm brown eyes (Remus), who had knelt to the ground to help her, a lowly Ravenclaw.

There was a clatter, and Tara looked up to see James Potter lurching towards her with a lopsided smile on his face. "You know," he said in a slight slur, and she cringed from his loud voice, "we're hosting a party in Gryffindor tomorrow, and Ravenclaws are invited."

Tara stared at him coldly. "I'll pass," she said. "As much as I like hanging out with self-conceited toerags- no offense, Remus- they simply disgust me. Lily's right about you."

"Lily-flower?" James asked with a cocky grin. "Ah. That explains the flattering description. She secretly loves me, you know."

"In your dream," Tara said. "Your breath is starting to make me dizzy."

James grinned. "I have that affect on a lot of women."

"Except for Lily," Tara countered.

The grin slid off his face. "She lovers me secretly," he said, but seemed to be trying to convince himself more than her.

"Of course," Tara said severely. "And muggles can do magic. Again, in your dreams."

James scoffed. "Well, I can see that there's no use inviting prudes like you to the party," he said. "They just insult the men and go back to reading."

"Prat," Tara spat.

James stood up, and languidly walked out of the library. Sirius and Peter, the worshipper, followed after him. Remus lingered though, and looked at Tara. "They don't mean it, you know," he said. "They're just a little iffy."

"Of course," Tara said.

And suddenly, Remus was snogging her and she was stiff with surprise, and then relaxed and went into it and-

Tara woke up with a gasp.

She had been dreaming the memory of yesterday. But then at the end, there was a twist. Remus was snogging her.

And she had enjoyed it.

"Remus and I are just friends," she said huffily to herself.

There was only the gentle snoring of her friends, so she checked her watch. It was 5:30.

The dream had seemed so realistic. It was amazing how much detail had been put in it, so amazing that Tara shivered. So she went back to sleep, and drifted in the floating blackness, until 6, when her friends shook her awake. Then, she went to breakfast.

James saw her and a smile curved his face. "Hey Tara," he said, weaving through the crowd to meet her. "How does it feel to be branded a prude?"

"What?" Tara asked unbelievingly.

James' smile was mocking, and he escorted her to the Great Hall. Remus trailed after her and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry Tara, I tried to stop them...but..."

Tara looked at Remus, confused, and then she entered the Great Hall. There, in the smack middle, was a picture of herself reading a book. And over it were the words, "Tara, the biggest prude and bookworm in this school, rejecting a party."

And then there was her laconic voice, saying, "As much as I enjoy spending time around self-conceited toe-rags" over and over again.

Tara flushed.

And then, she turned to James and hexed him with a spell that she had found in a book, a spell that she was fairly sure nobody had heard of. Within minutes, he was turning green, and tufted hair was growing out of his ears. His nose was getting bigger, and he was growing thinner and thinner until he was a mixture between a bowtruckle and a house-elf.

"That's what you get when you mess with a girl who spends half of her time reading books about jinxes," Tara hissed and kicked him where it really hurts. Then she walked out proudly, her head held high, and a book swinging from her hand. She skipped breakfast and spent it in the library. There, she was finally forgetting her problems in a book.

Tara looked up when Remus entered the library.

"Thought I'd find you here," he said with a small grin.

"Get the hell outta here," Tara hissed at him. "I don't want to see you. I don't want to talk to you, at all. Get out of my sight."

"I tried to stop them but..." Remus said. "Tara, please. I told you, I tried to. But you insulted James and Sirius, and they were mad and I didn't have a choice but to let them walk by."

Tara held her head up high. "Everyone has a choice," she said stiffly. "You just made the wrong one."

"Tara? Wait-TARA!"

But Tara was gone.

"A prude!" Tara said. She was pacing the room. All her roommates had wisely opted to stay in the common room. "I'll show them not precisely slag-but not prude."

Slowly, she raised her hand to her hair and released it from its ponytail.

"Fairy Tails," she told the portrait later that night.

The Fat Lady looked at her. "Say, you look like that girl that Potter was making fun of-Tara. You know her?"

"I am her," Tara said stiffly. "Please open."

The door swung open.

The party was in full swing by the time she reached it. She went over to a red-haired girl and sat next to her.

"Excuse me?" Lily said politely. "Do I know you?"

"Lily-flower, I'm the giant prat that stalks you around. Didn't you know that?"

Lily gaped. "Tara?"

Tara knew that she looked different. Indeed, there was a mirror and she saw that she looked completely un-Tara-ish. Her long dark hair was perfectly waved and framing her face in dark curls. Her glasses were temporarily abandoned in favor for contacts, and made her gray-blue eyes look more blue than normal. Makeup highlighted her face dramatically, enunciating her high cheekbones, and making her eyes bigger and her eyelashes lusher. Soft red lips smiled over white teeth that Tara had always had, but never really showed off. And her clothes were even more un-Tara-ish than her face. It was a silvery shirt that glittered silvery-blue and draped over her shoulders, with long jeans.

"Yep," Tara said. "It's only for today. To show Potter that I'm not a freaking prude."

Just then Sirius walked up. "Lily dear and...oh...I don't know you...but I would like to." He smirked seductively at Tara.

"I'm surprised. After all, you were making fun of me this very morning," Tara said, turning towards him. "Are you that forgetful?"

The expression that Sirius had was not unlike a fish's face. Gaping, big-eyed, and then it disappeared and was replaced by another seductive look as he scanned her up and down. "You clean up nice, Tara."

"I see that you didn't bother to clean up at all," Tara said, disgusted.

"Dance?" Sirius asked.

"No way!" Tara said. "Don't you dare think for a single second that your 'you clean up nice' act will make me forget about that stunt that you pulled at breakfast today, you arrogant prat. I'm surprised that you didn't slip girls love potions, seeing how they're falling over on their knees for you. I know that anyone smart wouldn't date you."

Sirius seemed unperturbed and instead, winked and walked away. Tara watched him with narrowed eyes. "He's planning something," she told Lily.

"Yep," Lily said. "He definitely is."

Sirius sauntered over to the rest of the Marauders. "Guess who showed up?"

"Britney Spears?"

"A bunch of bikini models?"

"Regulus?"

"No, no, and WHAT?" Sirius said. "Nope, Tara."

James sniggered. "What is she wearing?"

"You'll be surprised," Sirius said. "She looks hot."

"She does?" James asked, looking surprised.

"What?" Peter said.

"Eh?" Remus said.

"Yes," Sirius said. "Moony, your girlfriend looks amazing and sexy. You've gotta check her out."

Remus turned red. "She's not my girlfriend!"

James was busy craning his neck to see through the crowd. "Who's that girl with the nice bod who's next to Lily?"

"That's Tara."

"WHAT?" James' shriek was loud.

Remus frowned and looked over the crowd to see what everyone was exclaiming about. His eyes landed on a girl with a beautiful face, a silver shirt that draped over her perfectly, and long dark hair. His eyes widened as he recognized her.

Tara.

Sirius grinned. "Go ask her to dance, Moony."

"Wait-what? No!"

"I dare you on the Marauder's honor," James said evilly. "In fact, we'll even turn on some special music for you."

Suddenly, Remus found himself being shoved towards Tara, who turned towards him.

"Remus?" she said.

"Ah," Remus said, lost for words. "Um...dance?"

Tara's mouth twisted as she thought for a minute. "Alright," she said. "If only to talk for a few minutes about choices."

Heads turned as people looked at the girl that they never seen before...apparently. "Who is she?" a popular girl said. "I dunno," another one said, "but I would have been friends with her."

A slow song started up, and Remus inwardly facepalmed. So that was what James meant by 'special music.'

He was going to kill him. First he was going to hang James, and then eat him on the full moon.

"Hellooo? Remus?" Tara was trying to get his attention.

"What?" Remus said.

"I was asking you if you actually wanted to dance, seeing as everyone around us is dancing and you're staring off into the distance," Tara said, sounding amused. This was quite possibly the most girly clothing that Remus had ever seen her in, and he hadn't even realized that she knew how to put on makeup (and boy, she put it on nicely).

"Right," Remus said quickly. "Erm, I don't know how to dance to slow songs."

Tara threw back her head and laughed, something that Remus had seen her do many times before, but never really thought of. "Okay, first, I put my arms around your neck." She reached up and locked her arms around Remus' neck. He would think that it would be choking, but her touch was gentle. "Now, you put your hands on my waist."

He hesitated.

Tara laughed again. "Remus, everyone else is doing that. If you feel awkward doing that, just lock your arms around my waist. It's basically the same thing."

"Oh," Remus said and then put his arms around her waist. She was thin.

"Now, we just sway back and forth to the music, I guess," Tara said.

"Listen, Tara, I'm sorry about this morning..." Remus said. "My friends were inconsiderate, and cruel, and I gave them a good tongue-lashing after school."

Tara smiled. "I know that."

"You-you do?" Remus said, frowning.

"Well, taking time away from being a prude leads to thinking more deeply," Tara said, shrugging her sun-tanned shoulders. "Which made me realize that when they want to be, James and Sirius can be utter prats about getting what they want, and it isn't your fault if they decide not to listen to you."

"You're not a prude," Remus said weakly.

Tara gave him a disbelieving look. "Well, at least I'm not a slag."

"True," Remus said.

The music slowed down so much that they were pretty much just standing there, swaying softly from side to side, and Remus felt the overwhelming urge to lean down and kiss his friend. And because he was slightly drunk (Sirius had slipped him spiked butterbeer early on in the party before Remus realized that the butterbeer tasted funny) and she looked extremely pretty, he let that urge come over him.

And he actually kissed her.

Her head fell back a bit on her neck and he leaned forward, but then Tara leapt back, tearing her mouth away from his. Her dark brown hair was a bit disheveled now and her eyes, which were so recently sparkling gray-blue, were dimming. "Why'd you do that?" she whispered.

And Remus gaped at her. "I-I'm sorry, Tara. It just came over me."

And she, Tara, just shook her head at him. "Choices, Remus, choices."

Then she walked out of the common room.

"Choices, Remus, choices?" Tara thought furiously to herself. "What kind of an idiot am I?"

Again, she was pacing, but this time in the library. The librarian loved her, for some reason, and didn't comment about it. So she paced some more, in front of a kid, who soon moved away with an ugly look at her. Flattering.

And then Sirius and James appeared.

"What the...what the hell are you doing here?" Tara snapped. "I don't want to see you. Get out of my sight."

"Ah, this is the Tara we know and love," Sirius said. "Fantastically snappish and a total brat to deal with too."

"What do you want?" Tara asked.

"We want you to follow us," James said, and then dragged her out of the library when the librarian was busy yelling at some poor unsuspecting guy.

"WHAT? NO!" She started kicking, but they were too strong, and finally, she just decided to walk with her arms crossed tightly over her arms. Finally, they reached a bowl, where some silvery substance was in it.

"Pensieve?" Tara said, raising an eyebrow.

Sirius grabbed her arm and touched the tip of it to the Pensieve, and suddenly, she was rocketing into it. The colors were muted by a bit, but every detail was there. She was in the Gryffindor boy's dorm (the fact made her shudder) and the boys were talking. The real Sirius and James were there next to her too.

"Why the hell did you bring me here?" Tara snapped.

"Because..." Sirius said. "You'll see."

Tara grumbled, but stayed put.

"So, Remus, what's wrong?" the memory Sirius said.

"I dunno," Remus said in the memory. "I just feel weird."

James chortled and slapped Remus on the back. "Come on, Remus, we can always tell if one of the Marauders are troubled. Like, this morning, Sirius had constipation, and I knew that he was troubled. Partly because of the giant groans from the bathroom, and partly because he's my brother."

"Really?" Peter squeaked.

James sighed. "Peter, how many times do I have to go over this? You, Remus and Sirius are my brothers in the metaphorical sense. Anyway, what's wrong, Moony?"

"Prongs, it's nothing to worry about," Remus said. "I-I'm in love."

James leaned in. "Like, as in me and Lily love? The love that is mutual?"

"I don't think so," Remus said. "And Lily is not in love with you, just so you know."

"She is," the James in real life said. "She just hasn't realized it yet."

"Of course she does!" the memory James said. "She just doesn't know it, or want to realize it."

"I can see why," Sirius scoffed.

Tara scowled and tightly crossed her arms on her chest.

"Who are you in love with?" Sirius asked, eyes glittering.

"I-I think I'm in love with Tara."

Tara gasped.

"Why?" James asked as Sirius and Peter walked around gagging.

"Shut up guys," Remus said. "Because she's so smart, and when she's talking about something passionately her eyes glitter in that way. And the way that she's so beautiful even when she's not trying. And her eyes, they're a perfect shade of blue-gray." He said this in such a miserable tone that Tara cringed. "But she'll never love me back?"

Sirius and Peter stopped their zombie-walk. "Why wouldn't she?" Sirius asked. "You're a total hottie!"

"Thanks Sirius," Remus said. "I think. Is it a compliment to be called a hottie by one of your male best friends if you're a male yourself?"

James snickered.

"That's enough," Sirius in real life said and grasped Tara and James' shoulders, and they rose into the air.

"What was that?" Tara snapped.

"That was the truth," James said.

Tara swayed. "If...if that's true...then I just crushed Remus," she said softly. "One of my friends."

Sirius winked. "The password to the Gryffindor Tower is Dragon Tails." As Tara turned to go, Sirius grabbed her by the shoulder. "Wait! Do you like him back?"

Tara stared at him.

Did she? Tara grimaced. "That's an unfair question," she said in a defensive tone. "I mean, I love him as a friend..."

"I'm sorry, but if you break Moony's heart, we're going to have to take drastic measures," James said threateningly.

"Alright!" Tara exclaimed. "I had a dream about him."

James winked, just like Sirius. "Shagging?"

"No," Tara snapped. "Snogging. I'm not that perverted."

"Then go," James said. "I think that you do."

"Wait!" Sirius said again, and then whirled her around. "Moony likes it when you let your hair down," he said and then took her clip.

"Whatever," Tara said, although she was secretly pleased that Remus did. She fled to the portrait, where she gasped out the password. As the picture whipped open, she ran up the stairs and burst into the dorm.

"Leave me alone, Sirius," Remus said. He was the picture of misery on his bed, curled up and back facing her.

"Remus?"

Remus turned around, eyes widening in shock, then they dulled. "Oh. Tara."

Tara grinned at him half-heartedly. "In the flesh."

"What?" Remus asked. "Why? I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to?"

"Oh really?" Tara said. "Then I guess I don't mean to do this." With that, she kissed Remus.

When she pulled back, Remus' eyes were wide. "Wait, so does this mean-"

"Yes," Tara said. "It does."

And when he leaned forward to kiss her, she didn't move.

The best thing about this was that it wasn't a dream.

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