Remus was two and a half months older then little Lily Evans from three streets over, so he'd hit eleven long ago. She, however, was only hours away from this particular birthday.
"What's up Lilypilly?" he asked, flopping down next to her on the lawn in front of her house where he'd found her. They were closer to each other then they were to their respective families a lot of the time, not exactly friends but more like kindred spirits.
"'Tunia was teasing me before. Saying I'm in love with you." Lily's voice was full of sarcastic annoyance.
"Wouldn't be so bad. You'd be Lily Lupin then, a real flower child." Remus pointed out with a smirk. Lily laughed.
"Yeah, peace man." she raised two fingers in the peace sign, then sighed again. "I turn eleven tomorrow." her voice was so melodramatic it was almost comical.
"I fail to see the unhappiness." Remus admitted. "You'll get lots of presents."
"But not what I want." Now she was speaking so despondently it was almost heartbreaking. When Remus had shown her the letter that had arrived for him on his eleventh birthday, she thought she'd turn as green as the ink on the envelope with envy.
"You never know." he said encouragingly. "I certainly didn't expect to get one, and you've done a lot more magic stuff by accident then me."
"I don't know why you always say you were surprised to get one. Your parents are both so loopy it's a wonder nobody notices. The loopy Lupins." Lily said with a smile. "Do you have some horrible secret or something?"
"'Course not." he smiled back, but the smile was sad somehow.
"I'm going to be a stupid Muggle my whole life." Lily said with a despairing kind of finality. "You're going to go off and learn all kinds of amazing things."
"I keep telling you, kids from families just like yours get accepted all the time. You turned my yoghurt into icecream yesterday."
"Not on purpose." Lily refused to see the upside, to hold any hope.
"I hope you're just being a wet blanket." Remus offered by way of comfort.
~
Even her mother telling her that she had mail the following morning didn't excite Lily. It was, just as she expected, cards from her aunt in Austria and cousins in Dublin. Underneath these, however, was a sturdy letter of parchment, sealed with a familiar crest.
Running out of her front room dressed in her pyjamas and dressing gown, holding the letter in her hand as if it was solid gold, Lily ran through the streets to her friend's home.
"What's up Lilypilly?" he asked, flopping down next to her on the lawn in front of her house where he'd found her. They were closer to each other then they were to their respective families a lot of the time, not exactly friends but more like kindred spirits.
"'Tunia was teasing me before. Saying I'm in love with you." Lily's voice was full of sarcastic annoyance.
"Wouldn't be so bad. You'd be Lily Lupin then, a real flower child." Remus pointed out with a smirk. Lily laughed.
"Yeah, peace man." she raised two fingers in the peace sign, then sighed again. "I turn eleven tomorrow." her voice was so melodramatic it was almost comical.
"I fail to see the unhappiness." Remus admitted. "You'll get lots of presents."
"But not what I want." Now she was speaking so despondently it was almost heartbreaking. When Remus had shown her the letter that had arrived for him on his eleventh birthday, she thought she'd turn as green as the ink on the envelope with envy.
"You never know." he said encouragingly. "I certainly didn't expect to get one, and you've done a lot more magic stuff by accident then me."
"I don't know why you always say you were surprised to get one. Your parents are both so loopy it's a wonder nobody notices. The loopy Lupins." Lily said with a smile. "Do you have some horrible secret or something?"
"'Course not." he smiled back, but the smile was sad somehow.
"I'm going to be a stupid Muggle my whole life." Lily said with a despairing kind of finality. "You're going to go off and learn all kinds of amazing things."
"I keep telling you, kids from families just like yours get accepted all the time. You turned my yoghurt into icecream yesterday."
"Not on purpose." Lily refused to see the upside, to hold any hope.
"I hope you're just being a wet blanket." Remus offered by way of comfort.
~
Even her mother telling her that she had mail the following morning didn't excite Lily. It was, just as she expected, cards from her aunt in Austria and cousins in Dublin. Underneath these, however, was a sturdy letter of parchment, sealed with a familiar crest.
Running out of her front room dressed in her pyjamas and dressing gown, holding the letter in her hand as if it was solid gold, Lily ran through the streets to her friend's home.