Title: Unfairly Judged
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Remus/Lily
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 809
Summary: Remus has unfairly judged Lily.
Notes:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Ancient Runes – Write about someone who has realized they've done something wrong, and how they can fix their mistake
Twister Challenge: Prompt Used – Remus/Lily
"I thought you would think I was a disgusting monster," Remus murmured contritely.
Lily's eyes flashed. "You thought what?!" she asked dangerously.
Remus gulped. All of the sudden, he realized that he has made a grave mistake. "I... I thought –"
"You thought I wouldn't accept you," Lily interrupted. Her fists were clenched at her side and her posture was rigid. "How could you think so little of me? I thought you knew me better than that," she whispered hoarsely, tears gathering in her eyes.
"Lily," Remus began, hesitantly reaching out to her. He wanted to pull her close and shield her from the obvious pain she felt. Unfortunately, she was feeling the pain because of him.
"No!" Lily shook her head, her ponytail flying all around her. "I've been called a mudblood since I started here. I haven't been completely accepted just because of who my parents are. I know what it feels to be discriminated again for a no-good reason. How could you believe I wouldn't accept you for who you are?"
"Being a Muggleborn is different than being a werewolf," Remus retorted, his normal gentle features twisted in revulsion. The revulsion wasn't aimed at her of course. It would never be aimed at her. It was aimed at himself.
Lily stepped forward and rested a hand on his cheek. "You change three nights each month. It's a change you can't control. The rest of the time, you are a sweet, intelligent man that I fell in love with. It hurts that you think I would actually turn away from you because of something you can't help." She swallowed. "And if you really think so little of me, maybe we shouldn't be together anymore." She dropped her hand and turned away, closing her heart to his wide and heartbroken eyes. "Goodbye, Remus," she whispered and walked away.
Remus tried to read in the Gryffindor common. Normally, it would be the noise distracting him, but that day, it was actually the fact that he lost the best thing that happened to him. Lily.
Their relationship definitely wasn't always easy, especially where James was concerned. Eventually though, if James came to accept that Lily and Remus were truly in love. And in a moment of insecure stupidity, Remus had lost it all.
Hopefully, his letter would fix things. Until Lily came to him though, he had no idea if he made the right choice about writing it and slipping into her textbook, a place he knew she would see it.
He kept doing his best to focus on his textbook when a piece of parchment was gently placed on top of his open book. His breath caught when he recognized it, and he hesitantly lifted his eyes, amber ones meeting emerald ones. "Hi, Lily."
"The note was beautiful. I bet you spent a lot of time on it."
"I did." He nervously swallowed. She was talking to him, and he took that as a good sign. "Lily, I tried to explain everything I felt in the note, the reason behind my doubting you. When someone has been turned away for years, over and over again, because they're a dark creature, you begin believing everyone will turn you away."
"Remus –"
Remus hurried on, cutting Lily off. "I felt the same way about the Marauders when they first found out the truth, and it took me over a month before I accepted the fact they weren't going to abandon me because of my affliction."
Lily tried again. "Remus –"
Again, he cut her off. "My doubts had nothing to do with you as a person. I know how warm and accepting you are. When I was a child, though, even the most accepting turned away from me in disgust. I'm so, so sorry."
"Remus!" Lily yelled and then glared when the other Gryffindors looked at them after her outburst. Quieter, she continued, "Remus, I understand now. I took it personally, but your letter made me see there hadn't been anything personal about it. How you felt was born from experience. I was hurt because I felt like the one person who should have trusted my feelings didn't. I see now though, that I made it all about me instead of trying to understand it from your point of view."
"When you told me goodbye, I felt like I couldn't breathe. It was the worst feeling I have ever experienced," Remus admitted.
Lily's eyes were soft. "I'm so sorry I hurt you like that." She reached for his cheek and gently stroked it.
He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, savoring what he thought he'd never have again. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and hesitantly asked, "Are we going to be okay?"
There was no hesitation when she answered, "Yes, I think we will be."