Disclaimer: See Prologue

The next photograph depicted a blushing Peter Pettigrew. He stood beside a young woman who was a good head shorter than him, no mean feat when Peter stood at a mere five feet and six inches. She wasn't what many might call classically pretty but she was attractive…far too attractive to be seen with Peter surely.

And yet, he appeared to be trying to take her hand. Poor Anna.

"What the hell?" asked Harry, watching the small, rat-faced traitor fluster and blush ever more furiously.

"Well remember that dance James told us all we were going to?" asked Sirius, beaming in a manner that only a truly intoxicated person can quite manage.

"Only too clearly." mutter Lupin, bitterly.

"She was his last resort. He tried asking some nutcases in the year below but not even they would go with him."

Lupin rolled his eyes but refused to comment.

1975

Peter bit his lip. Everyone else now had a date. Sirius had taken his pick from what was almost a queue. Kitty Verona had accepted James without even a moment's hesitation. Lily had agreed to go with Remus, so long as he refused to let James make any attempt to dance with her. So they all had someone. All except him. He and a few girls who were either undesirable, (Anna Lovett), idiotic (Scarlett Maguire) or perverted (Aggie Chambers). And Alice…wonderful Alice. The girl he had met in Charms who he did not even know the surname of, but Lily had called her Alice.

"Face it Peter, she's out of your league." Sirius told him, watching Peter squirm at the thought of being the only person left.

"Yeah." said James, catching on and smirking. "Your best bet is to pick someone no-one with any sense wants to take out. Why don't you ask the fat one?"

Lupin's hold on his book tightened but he did not respond to these antagonistic remarks. They would be bored soon if he did not react.

Sirius agreed. "You know, the plain one. Bit odd looking."

They heard Lupin hiss out a breath and grinned at one another, trying to contain their laughter. His entire body was now tense as he gripped the book, trying his best not to rise to their bait.

"I think it's your best bet Peter." said Sirius, glancing over at Lupin. "What do you think Moony?"

Lupin mumbled a non-committal response.

"Alright, she probably doesn't have a date either, does she?"

That was when Lupin finally snapped. "Why ever would you think that?"

"Because she's-"

"What, Peter? She's what?!"

Peter bit his lip. Sirius and James averted their eyes and Lupin returned to his book, cursing himself for opening his mouth. He didn't want to hear Peter's answer.

"Hey!"

Anna Lovett looked up from her Transfiguration homework and glared at Sirius. It was bad enough that he had sat so close to her let alone blatantly insulted her in front of all his friends. Her blood boiled. Oh how she hated him.

"What Black?"

Sirius's grin contorted into an expression of pain. He clutched his heart and blinked back false tears.

"Anna, that hurts."

"Shut up."

Lupin laughed quietly to himself behind the safety of his book. This would at least be entertaining. He didn't want her going with Peter though and if that was the outcome, he would rather not bare witness.

"Anyway," he eventually said, closing his book. "Um…I'm off to bed because you know, it's getting late."

"Remus, it's half past six." said Anna, staring at him, faintly amused.

Lupin froze. He was now faced with one of two choices. He could sit down, tell them he thought it was later and appear to be normal or he could bluff it out and mope in the dormitory. Slowly he opened his mouth and closed it again.

"Is it?" he asked, shifting his weight onto his right leg and placing his hand just below his hairline; tell tale signs of his discomfort. "Gosh, it's later than I thought."

Anna raised her eyebrows and smiled, understanding now. Lupin watched her nod her head just once, to show him that she knew and he felt quite sick. What if she really knew? What if she knew he needed his rest for the next three days? What if she knew she was the focus of his daydreaming? What if she knew he was having absurd dreams that felt so absolutely real, staring her and a large bar of chocolate? Resisting the urge to have a panic attack, Lupin headed towards the stairs.

"Bring your camera back down with you." said James, grinning.

As soon as Lupin had left, James and Sirius got to their feet and made hurried excuses, winking at Peter as they followed their friend upstairs.

That left Peter and Anna. The latter returned to her homework and Peter bit his nails, anxiously hoping for some divine intervention. He would have to ask her now if he was going to ask her at all. James and Sirius had made themselves scarce, he presumed, so that it would look like less of a joke.

"Anna?"

Anna mumbled a response intended to encourage Peter but did not look up from her parchment. Her head bobbed as she wrote and a tiny flicker of tongue licked her lips as she concentrated hard. Her brow furrowed and her chocolate brown eyes glinted. For that moment, Peter could see what Lupin saw.

"Um…I was wondering if you were going on Friday?"

"Going?" she asked, dotting her 'i' elaborately and rolling up her parchment. "Going where?"

"To Hogsmeade."

"On a Friday?"

Peter coughed nervously. "Valentine's Day."

"Oh." Anna laughed heartily, throwing her head back and almost cackling. "Me? Valentine? Yeah, okay that's believable."

Peter looked up and saw the other three returning, Sirius and James looking incredibly guilty and Lupin, equally disgruntled. He would have to do it now if he was ever going to do it.

"Anna, I was wondering…"

Peter leaned in closer and gestured for her to stand. For once, he was taller than the girl in question, only because she was so short at only five feet tall but he was going to make the most of it. He took a deep breath and reached for her hand.

CLICK!

She hurriedly withdrew it.

"What the hell?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me."

Lupin seethed quietly. If she went with Peter, she would be tarnished for life because she would break Peter's heart. Every girl ended up breaking Peter's heart. As Peter's friend, he couldn't possibly be seen out with her. Not that he would ever be seen out with her anyway. She really was perfect and he refused to ruin her. So really, what did he expect? Eventually she would have boyfriends and presumably she would eventually marry and have children and set up a life for herself, but hopefully miles away from him.

"Peter, I'm sorry."

Lupin visibly relaxed.

"I'm already going with someone."

And the world came crashing around his ears.

"Going with someone?"

"Peter, I have a boyfriend."

By this time, both Lupin and Peter wished that the earth would swallow them up. In Lupin's case, never to spit him out. This was going to be so embarrassing. Sirius wouldn't let the matter drop. James would declare them both 'in the same boat' and Peter would mope when he ought to be moping.

"Okay, well this is really awkward. I'm so sorry Pete. Oh Remus, you're back. Super. Would you mind helping me with my Charms? I just can't seem to grasp it."

Lupin nodded, mutely. Anna beamed her thanks and his heart snapped clean in two.

"But you said you didn't have a Valentine. You said, 'that's believable' really sarcastically."

Anna bit her lip. "Peter, I just meant that I didn't go in for all that sappy stuff. I'd forgotten the date and I just think Colin will want to take me."

"Colin?" asked Sirius, mentally listing the possible candidates so that he could mortally wound them for Remus. "Colin McCormack?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Nothing. I just wondered."

Perfect. He could knock him off his broom at the next Quidditch match. Sure, it would mean they didn't have a Keeper but they were playing Hufflepuff; they didn't need one.

She turned back to Peter, grabbing her wand and Lupin's arm. "Tell you what Peter, I know a really nice girl and she doesn't have anyone to go with. I'll ask her for you."

Peter attempted to smile. "If it's Aggie Chambers, don't."

"Why?" snapped Anna, defensive of her friend. "Because she's a little different?"

"Because she's already said no."

"Oh. Well it's not, it's Alice. You know, hangs around with Lily?" Peter fell back onto the sofa, a dreamy smile gracing his rat-like features, and the silence was so awkward that she felt compelled to fill it. "Okay, Remus. I know a really old classroom just round the corner, we can use that. Are you sure you don't mind? You don't look very happy."