"Get off me, Sirius!"
Remus J. Lupin, who had stretched out on one of the best Gryffindor couches only minutes before, was just sat on by his best friend. Black came out of nowhere, the sly dog. He crept into the Common Room, wearing his signature arrogant smile, and threw himself over the back of the couch. His bottom hit Remus directly in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Sirius' elbow narrowly missed his face while his knee knocked his companion's book to the floor, page number unmarked.
"Really," wheezed Remus, "I can't breathe."
"Say it," said Sirius casually, pretending to inspect his fingernails.
"No," he breathed, feigning actual effort to push Sirius off. It wasn't that Remus couldn't force him off, he could. He just didn't want to step too far and try. Sirius was always in a better mood when you went along with his games.
But Remus' prefect badge was digging into his chest too painfully to go along with it much longer.
"Alright, alright. I'll do your Potions homework," said Moony, lowering his voice so only he could hear. "Now get off!"
Sirius leaned over and ruffled Remus' hair, jumping off of his best friend to go and lounge in an armchair that he scared a first year into surrendering. He shook his head as he watched Padfoot, trying to smooth his hair back over his forehead. A nasty scar was healing there.
"Where's James?" he asked as he pulled out a fresh roll of parchment and some ink from his bag.
"Quidditch practice. It's running late today," Sirius hissed bitterly. He would've been out on the field too if he hadn't been suspended for two weeks. Black had gotten into a tussle with a Slytherin on his way back to the Common Room, knocking the boy's teeth out with the stick end of his broom.
"Don't moan about it, Sirius. It's your own fault you got suspended." Remus didn't look up to catch the slightly venomous look that Padfoot threw his way. But he did manage to catch the expression fading back into an arrogant smirk.
"He deserved it though."
"You knocked his teeth out and then set his own bogey's to attack him," Remus reminded exasperatedly, beginning Sirius' Potion essay about the effects of the Draught of Peace. To this day it amazes Sirius how well Moony can imitate his handwriting.
Just as Padfoot was about to give another shrewd comment, a commotion erupted from somewhere behind them. Sirius tore his eyes away from a 6th year girl who had walked by and swept her blonde hair back for him and watched the short and round figure of Wormtail race towards them. His nose was bleeding from where he tripped and landed on his face. Blood was seeping through his fingers as he tried to babble out what he had to say.
"Slow down, Peter, I don't understand a word you're saying," said Sirius, a slightly amused look in his dark eyes. Remus, feeling bad for Peter because he put a show on back there for the rest of the Common Room, raised his wand and flourished it. Instantly the bleeding stopped and the red stains were cleaned away from his face and the collar of his shirt.
Peter barely nodded a thanks before he started stammering again. Remus shook his head, returning to Sirius' homework. Just as Wormtail was about to spill what he was nearly bursting to say, James plopped down beside Remus, making an ugly splotch of ink appear on the parchment.
"Sorry, Moony. Wait—that's Sirius' homework, isn't it? It's alright then, the teachers know his material is never spotless anyway." James flashed a tired grin at his best mate who laughed dryly, throwing Remus' book at him.
"Guys, that's not mine. Be careful with it," he warned. The others instantly jumped into prefect remarks as Remus bent back over Sirius' paper to finish. He could barely contain his smile.
"James!" squeaked Peter. "I'm glad you're here! I have something to tell you and Sirius." His beady eyes nearly shivered with excitement as he once again launched into his story. Remus vaguely listened. He was tired and wanted to finish this essay soon so he could drop by the library before curfew.
He had just finished the conclusion when both James and Sirius roared with laughter.
"Wait, hold on, Peter. So you're telling me," Padfoot stopped to give another hearty chuckle, "that these Slytherin bullies, gorilla sized Slytherins, were about to gang up on you when you said that me and Prongs are your best friends. And they simply walked away without another word?" Sirius slapped his knee as he continued to laugh, James smiling triumphantly as he leaned back against the couch. Of course they would be thrilled that their very names were enough to strike the pair with caution.
Remus rolled his eyes. Getting up, without being noticed, Moony walked around the couch and slipped the essay into Sirius' book bag. He was still too engulfed by the ongoing conversation to notice. So without a thank you, Remus gathered his things and left his friends still talking and laughing, and headed to the library.
James watched the retreating back of his best friend with a sad look.
"Hello, Remus," said Lily Evans, peering into the aisle, her green eyes ablaze under the light of a lit lantern above her.
In a clumsy tumble of paper and spinal bindings, the armful of books in Remus' hands went toppling to the floor. He stammered a hello and bent down to pick up the things he had dropped, very aware that his hands started shaking when she knelt beside him. The tips of her long red hair brushed over his arm as she reached over and removed a book from under the shelf. He had to remind himself to breathe.
"I'm almost sure we don't have this much homework," Lily said, watching Remus as he shakily piled his belongings back into a stack, shifting them in his arms to stand. She gracefully stretched up beside him, a little smile still on her lips.
Remus didn't want to be caught staring so he walked past her to one of the empty work tables. To his delight he heard her footsteps echoing against the floor behind him as she followed. He tilted the books, and they slid out of his arms and onto the surface. Lily had taken the seat across from him and began to read through the titles he had chosen.
"I thought you already finished the essay about Red Caps? You got the best score in our class." She looked at him curiously for he had ducked his head and pretended to read a paragraph when his eyes weren't moving.
He had already finished. And besides Lily, he had gotten the best score. But James hadn't finished his for weeks and it was really starting to bring him down. The boy had Quidditch practices that stretched almost all night. Without being asked to, Remus had taken it upon himself to finish it for him. It's not like he was doing the whole thing. Prongs had gotten through half the required length of parchment.
Lily often scolded him for doing their work. 'They need to fail on their own,' is what she liked to say. But Remus didn't want to see him fail so he muttered something about extra credit research for DADA.
Really, Moony? Extra credit? You're pathetic, he reprimanded himself.
She shrugged and let it go, talking with Remus for, to his satisfaction, half an hour. They discussed homework, Gryffindor's Quidditch chances for the Cup, and how Hufflepuff's Damian Chance had melted his cauldron in Potions once again. She laughed at the lame joke he had about Slughorn's resemblance to a flat slug when he accidentally splashed some Swelling Solution on his face.
"It looks like we have a shy visitor," said Lily, nodding her head to point behind him. Remus looked over his shoulder to see Arabella Reed disappearing into the aisle. He only caught the whip of her brown hair but it was enough to see the red in her cheeks.
"Very shy," he agreed, thinking that was quite odd. Arabella never hesitated to say hi before.
"She fancies you, Remus," whispered Lily, leaning in closer so that no one nearby could hear. Lily's hair smelt of strawberries. He wanted to inhale while she was this close but that would be a rather creepy thing to do.
It was awhile before he remembered he was supposed to say something.
"Oh, re—wait what? She likes me? I highly doubt it, Lily." Remus chuckled, suddenly self conscious as he thought about all the reasons why Arabella wouldn't like him. He was tall and a bit gangly, with long legs. His face was constantly healing some kind of injury, hence why he always wore long sleeves. And his hair was a strange mixture of dirty blonde and brown, lengthy with defiant waves in random places.
Even his blue eyes seemed to give off a weird glint that he didn't like. It was like the sea, always changing, always adapting to different shades of blue and blue greens. He hated the constant instability.
Lily gaped at his reply. But she did it in an elegant way, flipping her hair over her shoulder so she could lean in closer to him, her words like a conspiracy passing from her lips.
No, don't stare at her mouth, you idiot.
"Why wouldn't she? You're wonderful, Rem!"
His face instantly deepened into a red that was too obvious to hide. Lily glanced at his blushing cheeks and smiled sweetly. His heart gave a lurch.
"She's not the only one in our year who has a thing for you. I just can't give names. Don't like to gossip," said Lily as she gave a playful wink just as that vulture of a librarian told them quite harshly to get a move on back to their dorms.
"Lily," called a voice he recognized as Iris Clough. He turned to see her beckoning to her friend, pale features a little anxious as she clutched her books to her chest. She was a Gryffindor too but he didn't talk to her much. Remus gave a small smile and she looked startled for a moment and gawked at him. Suddenly, as if remembering her manners, she gave a wave and looked back to Lily who was approaching her, bag slung on her shoulder.
"I'll see you later, Rem!" she called back as she was towed out the doors, red hair swinging behind her. He gave a shy smile and watched the space that she just occupied.
The faint scent of strawberries was still on the air when he got his stuff together to leave, grinning all the way back to Gryffindor Common Room.