Chapter 9

Marlene and Sirius decided to keep a low profile; only their friends knew about their relationship. They wanted to see how things will continue, like Lily and James. The next morning, Marlene and Sirius were holding hands under the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Sirius indeed surprised his friends when he kissed her; to him, it was the right way to show her how he felt.

Remus asked Dorcas "Would you like to study with me in the library? I mean, after classes." Obviously the Marauders knew about the necklace and were waiting silently for her response. Marlene and Lily had no idea and thought it was a casual question. Dorcas, who saw a look of desperation in his eyes, swallowed her food and replied "Sure, why not?"

After a tiring day, they had a couple of hours until dinner. Dorcas and Remus met up and walked to the library. "We need to talk." Remus said unexpectedly, not looking at her.

Dorcas nodded "Yes, we do." They entered the library, and found themselves a vacant area. They removed their bags from their backs and sat down on wooden chairs.

There was a pause before Remus initiated the conversation "I saw the message behind the necklace."

He pulled out the necklace underneath his shirt and asked "What's the meaning of this?"

She eyed the pendent and replied quietly "Exactly what it says. I like you, Remus. I know we don't know much about each other, but I know I want to be with you. There's more to you than meets the eye, and that's what I like."

"You can say that again." He muttered to himself. There was a slight pause.

"Do you mind telling me about your 'furry little problem'?" Dorcas asked.

"Where did you hear this?" Remus paled a bit. Dorcas found his reaction a bit odd.

"I overheard you in the common room."

"I'm a bit hairy, so we like to call it a 'furry little problem'." He thought fast.

"I see." Another awkward pause.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know if I feel the same way. I mean, we barely know one another." Remus could almost hear her heart breaking in front of him, but she tried her best to cover it up.

"You're making excuses. We can always get to know each other. Or maybe you just don't want to give it a chance?" She said angrily.

Remus shook his head "I want to, but I don't want to hurt you. I'm not good for you."

"Don't you tell me what's good for me and what isn't!" She retorted. He has never seen her angry like this before. She got up from her chair, collected her bag and said "Keep the damn necklace." She left him alone and speechless.

'I'm clearly an idiot', he thought to himself. He found himself walking back alone to the common room. 'I just wanted to make a point, and instead I made her get upset with me'. Did he really mean it when he said he wasn't good for her? He was a werewolf! What kind of life would he give her? A life with nightmares and injuries? No. He wouldn't do that to her. She seemed to him as a nice girl who shouldn't be with someone like him. He was in a rather gloomy mood.

Remus entered the common room to see his friends waiting for him. "Well, how was studying with Dorcas?" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows.

James' grin faded when he saw his friend was upset "What happened?" Remus sat beside them.

"I told her that I wasn't sure I felt the same way. I added that I wasn't good for her." Remus shared.

"Merlin, and I thought I was stupid." Sirius said after smacking his forehead. Remus got up furiously "What was I supposed to say, Sirius? 'Hey Dorcas, let's be together and love me as a werewolf?' No! No girl would ever accept that. I have to face my fate."

"You don't have to! Give it a shot, Moony. You'd get to know her while you're seeing her." James advised him. Remus shook his head; he was very confused.

After a couple of dates, James and Lily were closer. After a patrol as Heads, Lily and James were snogging. She was leaning on a wall as James pressed his body on hers, causing her to moan. She had her right leg wrapped around James' hip, which made his hand crawl up her skirt. She slapped his hand away and lowered her leg to the floor. "That's enough." She said sternly, startling James.

"I'm sorry. I know I crossed the line." He apologized. She noticed her tone of voice was harsh and immediately apologized.

"Don't. You're right, as usual. It's good that we're taking this slow." James gave her a soft smile.

Changing the subject, Lily asked "What's wrong with Remus lately? Is he ill?" James was quiet; he knew that in a few days, there would be a full moon.

"He's a bit sick, yes. He'll feel better soon, don't worry." He smiled at her. Her smile faded when she heard people coming closer.

"Potter, Evans." Jessica Lane addressed them as she smirked at them. "Lane…Mark?" Lily asked in surprise.

Mark was stunned "Hi, Lily. Potter." He nodded curtly to James.

"You're outside after curfew. We need to report this." James stated, pulling out a piece of parchment.

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter. We can settle this between us." Jessica said while wrapping her arm around Mark's waist.

"Afraid not." James said. "You don't want to do that, trust me. Should you do, I'll tell Lily a little secret." Jessica grinned evilly.

Mark pleaded in a whisper "Jess, don't." Jessica snorted "Where are your balls, Mark? Did you lose them?" Mark was silent.

James was about to write their names when Jessica said quickly "He and Mark had a deal, Evans."

"Lane, don't go there." James, who now understood what she meant, ordered her.

"What deal?" Lily inquired, looking at James. James ripped the parchment, making Jessica smile sweetly and drag Mark away from there. Lily was curious and upset: What was James hiding from her?

James was quiet; he didn't want to talk about anything at the moment, and yet, he didn't want Lily to suspect. He piped out "How was it, seeing Mark?"

Lily shrugged replied shortly "I couldn't care less. What was Lane talking about?" "She was just joking." He laughed a nervous laugh, making her unconvinced. They remained silent until they finished their rounds.

"James is hiding something from me. What do you think?" She told her friends what happened with Jessica and Mark.

"You should trust him. Maybe she really was joking." Dorcas wondered.

Marlene shook her head "I smell something fishy. I say, talk to him about it. I mean, he's hardly even nervous about anything." Lily didn't know what to do. She wanted to read in the common room, so she grabbed her book and exited her room. As she went down the staircase, she heard someone throw something, causing it to break on the floor. S

he peeked from the wall to see James' face redden "I can't lose Lily!" James exclaimed.

"Why would you lose her? I thought everything was fine." Remus asked.

"Things couldn't be better, Moony." James replied, making Lily's heart soar.

"What's up, Prongs?" She heard Sirius ask. She leaned on the wall before someone would see her.

"I didn't tell you guys before, but I made a deal with Valentine." James confessed. "Who?" Peter asked.

"Lily's ex-boyfriend." James answered.

"What exactly was the deal?" Remus inquired. "That if I wouldn't tell her that he cheated on her, he would break up with her." James said sadly. There was a deafening silence. Lily was surprised; she had never expected him to pull a stunt like that. He tricked her into falling for him. Her puzzlement caused her to drop her book accidently, causing it to collide on the floor and make noise. She was about to grab her book, when she saw that someone already picked it up. She looked up to see Sirius. He handed it to her. She quickly grabbed it, walked over to James and hit him with the book with all her might. James, stunned to see her, also didn't expect to get hit by a book.

"I deserved that." James muttered. "How dare you lie to me? Why did you do it?" Lily seethed.

"It's not what you think! I protected your honor! Would you have rather heard it from him, or see him messing around with someone else?" James defended himself. Lily let out an airy laugh "My honor? Don't be absurd! What would you know about honor? Clearly, you have no respect for me. You made that deal so that it would be easier for you to get me. And yes, I would've rather hear the truth from him than lies from you. James Potter, you disgust me." She gave him a disgusted look and went up to her room.

"Lily! I'm so sorry, Lily!" He tried to run after her, but it was useless; the staircase would transform into a slide if he were to go after her. Instead, he kneeled down at the stairs and wept "I'm an idiot." Sirius helped him up and sat him down on one of the chairs.