Author's note: I just really love Remus and Lily's friendship, and I often think about all the Muggle music and culture they'd be able to share while the rest of their Pureblood friends sat there without understanding a damned word. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

Hogwarts: Assignment 9, Ghost Hunting Task: #2: Write about a stubborn or determined person

Content Warnings: NA

Something Was Different

Remus hummed along to the song as he put away the dishes, clearing the counter space as he always did before getting into the monstrously big breakfast he cooked every Sunday morning. Sirius monopolized the radio back in their flat so when he was in Godric's Hollow, he always liked tuning into the Muggle music stations Lily had their radio tuned to. It was nice, even if she usually distracted him from his cooking by trying to pull him into a dance. He was going to burn the bacon one of these days, that would show her.

But this particular Sunday she came down with still-damp hair, wearing a chunky periwinkle sweater that really brought out the emerald of her eyes, humming along to ABBA.

"Good morning," she said with a smile. She wrapped an arm around him and kissed his cheek, her usual good morning.

"Good morning," Remus said. "You just missed James, he went out for a run."

"I know, I had to kick him out of the bathroom," she said.

"What was he even doing in the bathroom before a run?" Remus asked.

Lily rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"I don't question everything he does," she said. "I live with him, you know. It would be a full time job."

"I lived with him," Remus said. "Believe me, I know."

That made her laugh and Remus smiled, because it was always nice to get that laugh out of Lily Evans Potter—especially with the war getting so increasingly brutal and James' parents passing so recently.

"Coffee?" Remus offered. It was more of a formality than a real question, and he reached for a mug as he asked.

"No thank you," she said as she

His hands froze in place at this anomaly in their usual morning routine. He put the mug down.

"Tea, then?" Remus asked. "There's Earl Grey here."

"No thank you love, too caffeinated," she said.

Remus frowned.

"Orange juice?"

"No, I'm okay," Lily promised. She laughed. "Remus, this is my house. If I need something, I'll help myself."

"Alright," Remus said, still unconvinced. "Well, you're the first one up. Sirius and Peter are still passed out in the living room, so you get to decide what we're having for breakfast."

"Oh," Lily said. "I… I don't know what I want. You pick."

Remus frowned some more. If he knew something about Lily Evans Potter, it was that she had strong opinions about breakfast. He had vivid memories of he and Lily eating massive breakfasts at Hogwarts, knowing that they might not have time for lunch between all their prefect duties and study groups and various activities around the castle. Two weeks ago, she'd essentially threatened to leave James for suggesting that waffles couldn't be both sweet and savoury.

"It can be anything, there's tons to work with," Remus said, popping the fridge open. "There's bacon and sausage. I could bake some beans, get a full English breakfast going."

"Mmm. That sounds too heavy," Lily said.

This was never a complaint he'd heard from her before. But alright.

"Well, I could make breakfast sandwiches then—or eggs benedict, I think there are English muffins in the freezer from the other day," Remus said.

Maybe the fact that he knew this showed how much time he spent in this house along with the other Marauders, eating their food and curling up on their sofas, but this was the pace they'd settled in now that they were meant to be grown-ups being grown-ups in the grown-up world—even if it was objectively awful and falling to pieces all around them. Remus couldn't do much, his condition limited his options and bound his hands in a dozen different ways. He wasn't much of a provider, he spent weeks frail and tired and sick, and he shrouded himself in secrets that the others had to shoulder too. But every Sunday he cooked the best, most extravagant breakfast for his friends: that was what he could do, that was his job in their little ecosystem, and nothing would stand in his way.

"I know I made pancakes last week, but nobody ever objects to pancakes," Remus offered instead when Lily didn't seem enthused.

"If you want," Lily said.

Remus didn't know what to do with this information.

"I could bake," he said. "Cinnamon buns?"

Lily's usual favourite—perfect. He was reaching for the bag of flour in the baking drawer when she said, "That sounds too sweet, but I'm sure the other boys would enjoy that."

"Forget the other boys," Remus said. "What about scones? I could make those strawberry ones you like."

"I'm not really hungry," Lily promised.

"But you have to eat," Remus said. "What if I just cut up some fruit?"

"I'm alright, I promise," Lily said. That wasn't good enough for Remus; he twisted a dish towel in his hands nervously.

"Will you get hungry later? What about French toast? I even think there's heavy cream in here that we could whip up… Omelets? You liked that swiss cheese and mushroom one, right?" Remus offered.

Lily turned a little green when he said that. A hand covered her nose nearly instinctually, before she could stop herself.

"Oh no, please don't cook mushrooms," she said.

Remus's eyes widened as the realization came crashing down on him to the sound of Elton John singing.

"Lily Evans Potter are you pregnant?" he asked before he could stop himself from asking—or stop his jaw from dropping. Lily's green eyes widened and she turned to him.

"Remus!" she said.

"Sorry," Remus said. "But… you…"

"Hush, you'll wake up Sirius and Peter," Lily said.

"Wait, am I right?" Remus asked, jaw dropping again.

"Well you're the one who said it!" Lily said.

Remus just stared at her.

"Oh Merlin, please tell me James knows," Remus said.

"Yes James knows," Lily said, stifling a laugh. "We just weren't going to tell anyone so early. How did you guess?"

"The caffeine and the… I know how to feed you, Lily. I know all your favourite foods, your little habits. Something was different."

Lily looked at him from her perch on the counter with her lips slightly parted, genuinely touched.

"You… you noticed all that? That's… that's so sweet," Lily said.

"Of course," Remus said. "You're my friend, Lily."

Her lower lip trembled for a second and then she hid her face in her hands.

"Oh no," Remus said. "Oh Lily, don't cry. Hey…"

Remus tossed aside the dish towel he was holding and immediately went to go wrap his arms around her. Lily laughed some more and then leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Congratulations," he managed to say into her hair.

"Thank you," she said. "It… Life finds a way, I suppose. it's a surprise, but a good one, we think. I think."

"Of course it is," Remus promised. "Merlin, Lily, how are you feeling?"

"Mostly alright," Lily said. "Slightly terrified of having a baby in the middle of a war."

Remus wrapped his arms around her even tighter.

"It'll be okay," Remus said.

"I know," Lily said. "We've already got the village we need to raise a baby, you know?"

"You do," Remus promised.

As he held her, the Muggle radio announcer made a joke about going somewhere warm this winter and reggae poured out from the speakers, Bob Marley's voice making promises about birds and everything being alright. Lily relaxed in his arms. The back door swung open then, letting in a burst of cold air, and James jogged in, glasses foggy and snowflakes dusting his shoulder.

"Good… morning?" he asked, pausing as he looked over them. Remus didn't let go of Lily.

"I think we need to tell your friends, James," Lily said. Her hand brushed Remus's hair. "This one's too smart and too good to keep secrets from."

"Yeah, I thought that might end up happening," he sighed.