A Red Rose in a Garden of White.
Syne-chan.
Disclaimer thingy: Nope, don't own the Marauders. Thanks for the reviews, I love this story and I'll update as quick as I can!
Let's conspirate about the fanart I promised!
From here onwards, the plot starts to kick in.
His whole life was falling apart from what he believed was nothing more than a bunch of doubts and self-pity. Burying his face on both palms, he sighed, not paying attention to the task at hand -the potions asignment due tomorrow could wait a bit, since his head felt as if it was going to explode any minute now. His body could not take the kind of torture it'd been through the last couple of weeks: his eyes were red and itchy; his lips dry and hurting; his stomach made funny noises and his hair definitely was not cooperating with him.
James appeared out of nowhere, contemplating the scene from afar, unnoticed by the young werewolf who sighed once again.
-I wonder if it's because his last transformation was two days ago. He didn't look that bad around those days, but now...-
Just when he was about to approach the sickly pale werewolf, he saw a familiar red head running off in hopes of passing by unbothered. Anything else fled his thoughts, leaving him grining like a fool and chasing the girl, yelling,
"Evans, come on! I'll run after someone else if you blow me off"
Lily just sped up and closed the door to the girls' dormitory with a slam.
"Why don't you go to the Infirmary? I bet they'll make you feel better." -said the lover-boy, who sported a nice red spot from being hit by that Evans girl yesterday this morning.
Remus sighed. He played with his food for a while before leaving it, waiting for it to go cold. "No, I don't think I need to." He averted his eyes, looking for Sirius before adding, after noticing the absence of the charming one. "I'm just tired, that's all."-sighing again.
Peter was also missing -none of the Gryffindors knew if he was dead or anything since nobody cared. James rambled on and on about how his plans in getting Evans to go with him to the Halloween Dance were nothing compared to the pranks they'd pull this year the morning after All Hallow's Eve. The sighing blond just sat there, nodding with a forced sad smile until he felt someone tug lightly on his long ponytail. He growled exasperated and angrily turned to the boy who wouldn't leave him alone.
"Sirius Black, I'd appreciate if you quit bothering me once and for all"
The charmer just stared at him with a smile plastered all across his handsome and young face. "Moony, don't be like that, I'm going to cry..."
The werewolf stood up and said through clenched teeth as he turned to leave, in a cold manner. "You have no heart, Black."
Sirius flinched visibly, but said nothing. His mood was finally and unchangeably sour. "What did I ever do to him"-he spat while stabbing a piece of sausage and egg tortilla.
James rolled his eyes before hitting the black haired boy in the eye with a big toast crumb. He ignored Sirius' cry of pain and spoke"Everyday for this past two months you've been more than eager to bully him and"
"Whoa whoa whoa James! School just started barely a month ago"
James threw another bread crumb at his friend. "Yeah, but all summer break I'd had to listen to all your corny plans to get him"
Sirius blushed and dismissed that thought. "You mean, get to him."
James smiled. "Right, I meant that." He noticed the nearly invisible tint on the dog's cheeks."Hey..."
Sirius stood up and mumbled something that sounded like an excuse for leaving there quickly, and proceeded out of the dining room before the boy with the glasses could object.
The young Gryffindor seeker smirked and began plotting evil ways to find out if he was certain or not about those two.
He just lay there, on the grounds of the Forbidden Forest, waiting for something to happen or someone to come and help him. He remembered that outside was freezing. The sky held heavy clouds laden with snow. The grass felt cool and wet to his heaving chest; the blood giving off a red color to the thin emerald leaves. One of his eyes could see the world through a haze, and the other just saw scarlet.
He also recalled thinking-Oh please God, don't let me have taken my left eye out.
The werewolf started coughing up the vital liquid. Blood blood everywhere.
His ears sensed movement, and soon they also heard surprised gasps before he passed out.
The next morning at the Infirmary would be one full of confusion and gratefulness.
Three boys watched him as he woke up slowly on a soft and white bed. Their eyes shone with concern at the multiple bandages that covered all of the hurting spots.
"Remus Lupin, I thought we were friends." -stated the too familiar voice of Potter.
He swallowed before replying with some difficulty."I still think so, though I'd understand if"
It'd been Sirius' turn to speak. "Do not even think what you're thinking."
"And I'm thinking what, Black" Reality had hit him in the face the minute he'd known they'd followed him and watched him as the beast.
"We're still friends, if you believed otherwise." -he added with a smile, the seriousness of the whole deal gone"We worry about you, Remus."
If the fresh scars hadn't gotten in the way of showing approval, he'd have smiled.
Remus woke up feeling a bit flustered, and on time too; one more second of dozing off would have cost him detention. He straightened his uniform and fixed his hair so as to stop giving the rest the image of a just-awakened Remus. The Transformations teacher directed him an odd look. She knew there was something fishy about the usually perky but shy know-it-all. The teacher dismissed that thought quickly as she gave instruction for a new asignment in pairs. They assisted to classes co-existing with Slytherins, so he was eager to find someone from his House. He looked around, resigned to his fate -working with a Slytherin couldn't be so bad, right?
Just then he felt someone tugging on his ponytail, stealing the scrunchie and leaving his long hair be at peace.
"Sirius? Aren't you"
"James dissapeared and left me all alone, Moony. I was hoping maybe..."
"I could forgive you for being so mean to me"
The animagus grinned. "You've read my mind. So, will you"
"Give me the scrunchie back and then apologize."
Sirius laughed and placed said object on the table. "The scrunchie part I can promise."
"Hey"-they both laughed as Remus moved his hair out of the way and affectionately pushed Sirius back an inch or two. "Well I suppose it's fine, for now."
"Deal."
He figured he'd tell Remus what was on his mind sometime later; definitely as soon as this project was over and maybe during one of the Hogsmeade excursions.
"You think she'll blow me off if I ask her to"
Sirius, Remus and other guys in the Gryffindor common room all said at the same time"Yes, James, she will."
Everybody was going nuts about the Halloween Dance that was to be held that night. Excitement filled the room as the guys talked about the pranks they were going to pull and their future behaviour with the girls.
A Gryffindor blonde friend of Lily stopped to ask the boys a question. "Anyone seen Potter"
The Marauders Remus and Sirius -who were playing wizard's chess- paused their game to point at James, who lay by them on the floor, with a gigantic paper that looked like a maquiavellic plan to get Lily to go out with him. The victim looked up from his plan as the girl knelt next to him.
"Lily is a tad disappointed that you have given up on her, but don't tell her I said that to you"
James laughed and motioned the girl to come closer so that she'd listen to his secret.
The blonde looked surprised and a bit sad. "Oh my God, really"
"Yup, you can tell her I'm quite busy with my sweetheart if you want."
Everyone's jaws dropped. The blonde stood up and ran up the stairs. "That's too bad James"-she yelled, before disappearing.
Remus swallowed, still shocked by the sudden revelation. "B-but you've been going mad because of this girl and"
"I found someone else, Moony. Get over it, all of you! Lily included"
"But then, what are all of those plans about"
James swiftly stood and ran out of the common room taking the papers with him. "That you'll never know"
Sirius was staring at Remus once again, and that was making the young werewolf uncomfortable. He paid close attention to their game, ignoring the handsome teen who sat opposed to him and that continued to stare at him for some odd and unknown reason.
"Check mate, Padfoot."
Said boy yelped as his King was beheaded. Remus added not much later"You'd have been paying more attention to your King. What on earth were you doing"
The blond chuckled as he saw his friend blush profusely. The dark haired boy popped the question he'd been meaning to ask his buddy. "So furry, any plans for tonight"
Remus didn't even look up from cleaning the mess and replied with a monotone voice. "I thought we were going to pull something on the Slytherins." He knew Sirius wasn't asking about that, but still he chose to ignore it and see where it would end up in.
"No, I meant"
"No Padfoot, I won't. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got things to do." And with that he left.