Remus reached across the breakfast table, snatching a piece of toast off of the towering pile. He ate it slowly, watching people sleepily stumble towards their respective tables. Muted morning sun filtered in through the tall windows, obscured by thick, dark clouds that hung low in the sky. Wind blasted the windows, but the Great Hall was cozy and warm from the fires that were roaring in almost every classroom.
They were planning to visit Hogsmeade today, and everyone was preparing to rough the cold. All around them, people were sheltered underneath layers of scarves and hats. It was unnaturally cold for November, but most people were so desperate to get out of the castle that they were willing to brave it.
Beside Remus, the rest of the Gryffindor boys were having a heated discussion about Gryffindor's last Quidditch match against Slytherin. Gryffindor had won by 200 points, due to Slytherin's loss of their famous Seeker, Regulus Black. Regulus had mysteriously disappeared at the beginning of his sixth year, and it wasn't hard for Remus to infer where he was.
"And when James fouled Lucinda Talkalot. . ." Peter said, mimicking Lucinda's terrified expression.
Sirius and Frank chuckled, but James was too preoccupied to notice. Lily and Alice had just come through the main doors, both bundled up against the chill. They proceeded down the table, laughing and smiling as they talked. Lily flopped down in the seat next to James, not bothering to look for a different seat. Things were changing for James and Lily's relationship- their obsessive fighting was a thing of the past. Ever since they had been forced to work together for the last three months, Lily seemed much more tolerant to James's personality, including the fact that they now called each other by their first names. (Remus also thought that the fact that James had matured a bit over the summer might have helped his case.)
Alice slid into the seat next to Frank, and he immediately kissed her on the cheek. She blushed, but didn't protest. Alice and Frank had started dating at the end of their sixth year, and their relationship had survived the summer and the beginning of school. Remus wasn't surprised; the two had been cautiously flirting since third year.
Lily said something quietly to Sirius, and James let out peal of laughter at Lily's words. She gave him a look, and it made him laugh harder.
Remus turned back to his plate, striking up a conversation with Marlene McKinnon. Sirius was hanging on to her every word, a fixed expression on his face. Remus suspected that Sirius's playboy image was about to be shattered by Marlene's kindness and beauty. The three of them chatted mindlessly about Transfiguration, but eventually they got up to join the mass of people headed towards the door. Marlene jogged to keep up with Lily and Alice, with Remus, Peter, James, and Sirius close behind.
James bit his lip, seemingly considering something important. He reached up to ruffle his hair, making the black mop even messier. As a second thought, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Lily!" James called, his voice deep and nervous.
She turned, a slightly confused look on her face. Her red hair clashed with the scarlet of her Gryffindor scarf, but her emerald eyes evened the colors out. She glanced at him expectantly, prompting him to speak.
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" James asked, now close enough to speak normally without yelling.
She pursed her lips, weighing her options. She looked at Remus, her eyes displaying an unfamiliar look. With a sigh, she responded.
"Sure, James." She said, stopping so he could catch up with her.
"Really?" James said breathlessly, sounding surprised, but happy.
Lily nodded, smiling slightly. He walked towards her, a grin on his face that was getting bigger and bigger every moment that she looked at him. They walked ahead of the group, out into the blowing wind.
The rest of the group walked in silence, astounded that Lily had finally agreed. Alice and Marlene were whispering to each other, which Remus only caught pieces off. Marlene guessed that Lily had only consented to get it over with, but Alice thought something else was going on.
Far in front of them, Lily laughed loudly at something James said, clutching her sides. She gripped James's arm as she hunched over, shaking with laugher. James threw an excited look at them over his shoulder, his hazel eyes glowing. When Lily resurfaced, they continued, but Remus could hear Lily hiccupping occasionally.
Remus stared, a thought forming in the back of his head. It was obvious that James was flirting with Lily, but was Lily returning the affection? Was Alice right about Lily's agreements?
Lily and James turned the corner, disappearing into the village. Marlene and Sirius made a beeline for Honeydukes, and Peter walked off with a mumbled excuse of meeting with a friend. As he walked off, Peter kept looking over his shoulder at Remus, as if he was checking to make sure Remus wasn't following him. Within a matter of seconds, Remus was completely alone.
Remus walked through the village, sharp wind piercing his cheeks. He could tell that his cheeks were bright red from the cold. As he turned the corner, he caught full view into Madam Pudfoot's teashop. Couples sat around little tea tables, most of them in liplock. They didn't stop to notice him, so Remus continued on, feeling uncomfortable. While Sirius and James joked that Remus was afraid of girls, that wasn't completely true. Sure, he had kissed Felicity Edgecombe once or twice, but he had quickly broken it off before it could get too serious.
Pushing that thought from his head, Remus walked into the Three Broomsticks, shivering from the cold. Inside, it was warm and loud, the sound of chatter filling the space. All around him, people sat in booths, laughing and talking. Remus felt rather stupid, just standing in the doorway, and was preparing to turn around and leave when he heard someone call his name.
"Remus!" Frank called from one of the booths. Remus turned to see Alice waving frantically at him, gesturing for Remus to join them. He gratefully smiled at them, glad for the company. He slid into the seat across from them, and almost immediately, Alice threw herself whole-heartedly into describing her and Frank's trip to Zonko's. Remus ordered himself a butterbeer, and watched as Frank slipped an arm around Alice's shoulders, and helped her with the finer details.
An hour later, and two butterbeers later, the Marauders stumbled down the street, their cheeks bright red from the biting wind. The sun had set, bathing Hogsmeade in a warm orange light.
Remus had met up with Peter and Sirius about twenty minutes before, and they had found James inside Honeyduke's, buying Peppermint Imps. He claimed that he was buying them for his mum, and so they let him pay before dragging him away to return to the castle. As they walked, they laughed at James's dumbstruck expression.
"So, how'd it go, Prongs?" Remus said, raising his eyebrows as James blushed from recalling the memory.
"It was- it was-'' James started, trying to find a way to phrase it, but Sirius jumped in before James was able to.
"Lily!" Sirius shrieked, throwing his head back, doing an impression of James's voice. "Somebody hold me!"
They burst into laughter, and even James succumbed to the impersonation's bizarreness. Remus had to admit; Sirius had actually been pretty close.
James reached over and pulled Sirius's hat down over his eyes, but Sirius flung an arm out and upset James's robes. Underneath the black fabric, James had on a white jumper with a stag pattern across it. This sent them into a wild fit of laughter, and James tugged his cloak around his body.
"Shut up, Mum knit me this. . . It's cold, and all of my other sweaters were dirty!" James said, but a giggle destroyed his attempt at being serious.
Above them, the sky was now dark, and the holiday lights were coming to life within the village. Remus's stomach hurt from laughing so hard.
Remus sat up in his chair, hoping that James would come through the portrait hole. Sirius, Lily, and Peter all perked up at the sound of a voice outside of the portrait hole.
During afternoon Charms that day, Professor McGonagall had pulled James from class. McGonagall hadn't said why; she had just told James to bring all of his things and come with her. James had given them a confused look as he packed up his bag and followed McGonagall out of the classroom. Remus knew that James didn't have the faintest idea what was going on, and neither did Sirius or Peter.
After class had gotten out, they expected to see James in the hallway, waiting for them before proceeding on to the next class, but James was nowhere to be found. They had finished the day's lessons, and gone to the common room, but he wasn't there either.
At dinner, McGonagall had ignored Sirius's questions about him when asked, and they were dismissed to the common room. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were practically buried with homework, and Lily had offered to help them with their essays. She, of course, had finished them weeks ago.
Things had been different between Lily and the Marauders since Hogsmeade. The outing had been two weekends ago, and ever since then, James and Lily had spent an increasing amount of time together. James seemed to have a permanent grin on his face.
As the night had worn on, the others had gone up to bed, leaving only Sirius, Lily, Peter, and Remus in the common room. Up until moments ago, it had been dead silent.
The voice outside the common room was loud, and slightly high-pitched, but clearly belonged to James. The portrait hole swung open, and James walked drunkenly through the opening, a goofy smile on his face. His hair was even messier than usual, and there was a long stain down the front of his white-collard shirt. With a start, Remus realized exactly where James had been.
He'd dipped into the kitchen's supply of firewhiskey.
Remus looked around at Sirius and Lily's dumbstruck faces. None of them had ever seen James act so... un-put together. He was clearly tipsy. James walked over to one of the chairs, and collapsed into it. His cheery expression faded as he stared into the fire, turning sober and sad.
"My mum died," he said thickly, tripping over his words. "Of dragonpox. Dad's sick, too. He'll be next. That's why McGonagall took me out... I found Animal, though! What a nice fellow, that house-elf..." James said, taking long breaks in-between words. A tear slipped down his face, but James made no move to brush it away. It seemed as though the combination of all the firewhiskey and the grief had washed him into a coma of sadness.
Remus felt his stomach plunge. Dorea Potter, dead? The bright, smiling mother who had hugged him everyday, gone?
Remus made to get up to aid James, but Peter sent him a warning glance, and Remus sat back down. Lily was looking at James with a heartbroken expression on her face, and she twisted her hands in her lap before getting up.
"It's alright. I'll take care of him. Just go up to bed, alright?" Lily said, crossing over to sit by James on the couch. He stirred feebly.
"Lily!" He cried, grabbing her arm. "So glad you're here." He looked up at her lovingly, his eyelashes dark with moisture.
Remus exchanged a look with Lily, but she nodded up towards the boy's dormitory. With a sigh, the boys climbed to their feet. Remus knew that James wouldn't be violent or rough with Lily, just weak and sad. He was in good hands, though Lily probably would only doze tonight. They climbed the stairs, each reflecting sadly on their summers with the Potters. Remus could only imagine how James's dad felt.
Remus fell into bed, his heart heavy with James's loss.
The next morning, they dressed in silence, James's empty bed drawing attention. Remus guessed that James didn't come up to bed last night. Peter, Sirius, and Remus walked down the stairs, the early morning sun illuminating the common room.
There, laying on the couch, was James and Lily. His head was leaned against her shoulder, with an arm thrown protectively over her shoulders. Her head lay on top of his, and they both had peaceful expressions on their faces. Sirius had a gleeful smile on his face, but didn't say anything.
James and Lily slept on.
I'm sorry to have to do this to you guys... At least the beginning was happy, right? Major Jily fluff, haha. I actually really like this chapter, and I hope everyone else does too.
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bandeall