Assignment #8: Celtic Studies—Celtic Deities
Task #6: Write about a charismatic character.
A/N: This story is set in a universe where Voldemort did not exist, and hence the fear of the oncoming First War isn't present. Personally, I think that this version of events could not happen in any 'verse where the threat of war existed, since Lily is characteristically pragmatic and her first priority is towards protecting her family. She wouldn't risk a friendship with Severus for fear of being vulnerable.
Written for multiple challenges on the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry forum.
Thanks as always to Ari (arcane illusions) for betaing the whole thing for me (at cost to her precious computer, I might add :p) Thank you for all the comma support and the hyphenations, and the 78 Grammarly errors that are definitely not errors. And thank you for being you.
Quick shoutout to Bex (DobbyRocksSocks) who has been converted to the dark side with this fic. We have Severus and Lily and you like it ;) Thank you for that perfect title, because I am now giggling to myself every time I see it.
Word count: 11051 words
Warnings: Language. (Read on and you'll get it)
"So as I was saying," Lily ends, "Potter's been looking really smug lately, and he and Black have been acting really sketchy. And it's the end of the year to boot. I think they're planning something big."
"Mm-hmm."
"Are you listening to me?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Severus?" she tries, staring hard at her companion.
"Hmm?"
"How many Levitating spells do you think we'd need to get a pink elephant to fly at cloud level?"
A page turns. "Uh-huh."
"I think it'd take a lot of spells. Might be a better idea to get the elephant some strong wings, don't you think? Maybe splice some hippogriff wings onto its back?"
"Mhm."
"Okay, that's it." Lily Evans frowns hard at the boy opposite her at the library table. Reaching out, she shoves Severus' potions book closed with an annoyed snap. "You do this every time! It wouldn't hurt to pay attention to me once in a while, Sev."
A sigh. "I don't know why they think I'm in love with you," Severus Snape says with an unimpressed face, "You chatter far too much."
Lily blinks and waves it away. "Pshh, you love me."
"That may be," Severus counters instantly, "But I am certainly not in love with you."
She cocks her head at the undercurrent of exasperation in his tone. "Avery and Mulciber bothering you again?"
Severus' face turns sour. "What makes you think that?"
"You're being uncommonly quiet, Sev, even for you." She raises a brow. "You're only like this when you're contemplating something self-sacrificial, like that time in third year you refused to be seen around me because you heard those Slytherins fifth-years talking about doing something to me or some such rubbish. It's stupid."
His eyes narrow like they always do when she brings it up, black eyes turning even darker against the shadows from the candlelight. "They were planning to corner you, Lily. Do you know what those goons were capable of? Who knows what they'd do to you for associating with me! We were third years; I had no means to protect you back then."
"And if you think I'll let you protect me now, you've got another thing coming," she fires back. "I can take care of myself and you know it."
He deflates at her warning look. "Why must you be so stubborn?"
"Someone has to be when they're friends with the likes of you. I love you, Sev, but if it were up to you, there'd be a lot more drama to this friendship."
He rears up, undoubtedly ready to defend himself, but she quells him with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. He falls back into his seat, lips pursed and glaring ineffectively.
"Think about it," she continues. "First year, we were thick as thieves. Then second year, there was that shit with Potter and Black—"
"Language."
"—there was that shit with Potter and Black, and you tried to push me away. Third year, we were sneaking around being friends in secret for months because of those rat-faced snakes you overheard talking one time. Once, Sev. Then fourth year with Lucius Malfoy—remember that?"
He can't muster the courage to glare at her, choosing instead to stare moodily at the flickering flames of the candle they set to the side on their table.
She grins. "What was it he said? I forget. Was it something about Slytherins being loyal only to the ones they fell in love with?" His sallow face slowly starts to turn pink, colour blooming in his cheeks at her needling. Merlin, she's enjoying this.
"Cue Severus Snape's year-long soul-searching angst, as he deliberates over the pains of true love. Is what he feels for the fair Lily Evans nothing more than the pure affection of close friendship? Or praise be to Merlin, is he in love with her?"
"Shut up, Lily."
"Well to be fair, Sev, I'm very easy to fall in love with," she teases with a wink. His embarrassed face is enough to make her laugh.
"Not right now you're not," he mutters, glaring at a dust mote wafting in the light of the candle.
"Pshh, you love me," she says, as she is wont to do. Over the years, it has practically become a tradition.
"But I'm not in love with you," he stresses a little desperately.
Her grin softens, and she reaches out to place a hand over his. "I know," she murmurs, waiting for his tight stance to acknowledge her admission before she goes back to teasing him. "Besides, Sev, pretty sure falling in love with the likes of me would go against every bone in your body. Your mind would be horrified. You are partial to Egyptian mummies, after all."
"Merlin, Lily, you're incorrigible," he groans, rolling his eyes as he pulls his hand away. A lock of his lanky black hair falls into his eyes. "Just because I occasionally prefer a little silence to your incessant jabbering—"
"Please. Your life would be dull and meaningless without my so-called jabbering," she declares passionately. "And I still say the world would rot in silence."
"You would," he says, "because you thrive among people. I don't."
"You thrive around me," she shrugs, "And that's good enough for now. We'll get you warmed up to the rest of the world soon enough, Sev, don't worry."
"When you tell me not to worry, woman," he mutters to himself, "I worry even more."
"Oh look, you can shut up now!" she exclaims in faux-delight, her eyes flicking up to their intruder, "Remus is here."
Severus looks up.
Remus strides the rest of the way to their table, pulling out the seat between her and Severus. "Severus," he acknowledges with an inscrutable expression.
"Lupin," Severus counters with a poker face to rival his.
Remus' features smoothen into something more natural, and he turns to Lily with a pleasant smile and nod. "Lily."
"Hey, Remus!" she greets back. "Sev was being quiet again, so we were talking about all the drama we've had over the years. Well, I was talking about it. He was busy getting his face to turn all red."
"Quiet, hmm?" Remus asks Severus with a little smile that speaks of both amusement and worry. "Those Slytherins been giving you trouble again?"
Severus lets out a harsh breath through his nose. "Sometimes, Lupin, I wonder if you share a brain with her."
She rolls her eyes.
"While we have been known to make similar comments by chance sometimes," Remus answers with a chuckle, "this is not one of them. We all know what it means when you're quiet, Severus."
Severus huffs and crosses his arms, glaring at the rows of Magical History books shelved in a convenient dark corner.
"Did they follow you?" she asks Remus as part of their introductory tradition. She has a lot of traditions.
"Left Sirius and James in our common room. Last I checked, they were arguing about something. Peter's still in our dorm with James' Transfiguration book copying notes for himself."
She scrunches her face. "Why would he use Potter's book? He never takes any notes."
"Well, he sometimes does," Remus replies, "But they're hardly ever understandable. And almost never legible."
"Then why?" she asks, resigned and already anticipating his answer.
"Beats me," Remus shrugs. "It's Peter and James. When have either of them ever made sense?"
"I both expect what you say and dread when you say it. Every time. It happens every time."
"Then why do you ask?"
She lets out a sigh.
"I will never know why you continue to associate with those insipid fools," Severus says out of nowhere, his gaze still on the bookshelves.
Remus turns to him, both brows raised in amusement. "I'll give you three reasons. One, they're my friends. Two, they need someone to make sure they don't get hurt or in too much trouble. Three, they're my friends."
"Repetitions don't count."
"They do when the recurring point happens to be 'they're my friends'. You can check the rule-book for these things, it's there."
Severus turns to look him up and down. "The people who think you're not one of them have clearly never seen this side of you."
"But you have," Remus grins innocently, "So youknow. Do you feel lucky?"
"Not in the slightest," Severus sniffs, but he doesn't look away again.
Lily has to fight a grin at Severus' attitude. "Okay, if you're done, we have bigger things to talk about."
"What is it?" Remus asks, a little frown forming on his face. Severus' eyes widen almost imperceptibly, and he is quick to try and stop her from talking, but she is quicker to say it. She's had a lot of practice, after all.
"Potter," she gets out before her best friend's hand can cover her mouth, "James Putah izz am athehoe."
She has to glare at Severus for a whole forty seconds before he pulls his hand away. She turns to glare at Remus for good measure. "James Potter is an arsehole. Do you know what he said today?"
Severus and Remus both groan and trade resigned looks as she keeps talking, but soon enough, they settle down and listen to her as they're supposed to.
On mornings like this, when they're out in the sunshine taking shade under the very tree that was witness to one of the worst moments of both hers and her best friend's life, Lily wonders how she and Severus are still friends.
The Incident is something that has haunted the edge of her memories since that day in fifth year when it took place. They never speak of it. The topic is forbidden. The mistakes have been forgiven, but no amount of forgiveness can deny its incidence.
It is The Incident. The day when Severus called her that horrible word.
Mudblood.
The night it happened, they had a fight in an abandoned hallway of the school. Severus kept apologising, but it would never be enough for her as long as he continued to associate with them. Severus thought he was protecting her by getting in his fellow Slytherins' good graces, and he thought he was garnering them both safety by inserting himself into their group.
Lily, however, saw right through that group of his. They were nothing but spoiled rich pureblood brats with no direction. All big talk, nothing to show for it. She wouldn't be surprised if they were all part of some weird little cult against those they deemed mudbloods and blood traitors, but that's the most they had going for them.
It didn't take long for Severus himself to see that they had no real clout and they weren't going to take him anywhere. Unless they enslaved themselves to some textbook megalomaniac with a questionably stupid agenda like "purifying the magical world" thus leaving no room for common sense, Severus' all-powerful pureblood Slytherin group had nothing to give.
And in one fell swoop, all his plans for power and protection for Lily and himself were cut down with a vicious knife, and he had nothing.
Lily hadn't intended to run into him. In fact, she had gotten quite good at avoiding him. It was utter irony that she came across his little hidden arrangement in the depths of the library—she was simply looking for the quietest place to hide, and of course, her childhood best friend, who'd been able to read her mind for years, had already claimed her idea. But luckily for her, he was willing to share, and over time she's come to think of that moment with fondness instead of cursing fate's cruelty.
It had been nearly a month of silence in that dusty, dark corner of the library, walled in on either end by fat history books and fatter tomes on runic arrangements. No one bothered to frequent their section. Well, no one except Remus.
Lily could have almost called their silence soothing. Severus was the only person on earth who could get her to calm down and stay silent for a while, and she had missed that. But it was only when Remus came in that she realised how awkward their silence really was, and it was only once Remus fixed their friendship that she realised how much she needed Sev in her life.
Remus is the biggest history buff she's ever met, and she and Severus are the only two who know this closely guarded secret. It never stops being a thrill to her to know something about Remus Lupin that James Potter doesn't. She still doesn't know why Remus took a month to wander into their section with his soft humming and intense concentration, when he's come in at least thrice a week since. But in a way, she's grateful that she got that month to get used to being around Sev again.
And now here they are. She has to keep reminding Severus that The Incident is a forbidden topic they do not talk about because he forgets and still apologises every once in a while. She confessed to him once that the Severus she made up with was the eight-year-old who stuck up for her when she was different, and not the fifteen-year-old who tried to cause her pain in his humiliation. And she still believes what she said that day because no matter what Severus could say and do to her, she knows that there would always be some of that quiet boy from Spinner's End still in him.
"What are you thinking about?" Severus' voice comes from beside her. "You have that look on your face."
She brushes absentmindedly shredded blades of grass off the book in her lap before glancing at him. "Nothing, Sev. It's nothing."
Severus huffs but rolls his eyes fondly. "Well, you have to stop thinking about nothing because he's coming our way. Two o'clock."
She aims a casual look in the direction mentioned by him and groans at what she sees. "Dammit, I was hoping to go a day without him."
"You and me both," Severus mutters.
"Oi, Evans!" James Potter calls out when he's feet away from where they're sitting. Black and Pettigrew trail along beside him, with Remus a little way behind. "You. Me. Hogsmeade. This weekend?"
Pasting a fake smile on her face, she looks up. "You. Me. Hogsmeade. Never. Works for you?"
Potter looks dejected for a split second before that stupid cocky grin graces his features yet again. "Oh come on, Evans. You know you want me."
"I didn't know that, actually," she retorts with a hot glare. "But I know I want you to leave."
Merlin, she hates Potter. She never wants to see his face again. She wants to skip to the part where he walks off so she can meet up with Severus and Remus in the library to complain about him. He's wearing his tie thrown over his shoulder again. She hates it so much.
"Don't be like that, Evans," Sirius Black butts in, throwing a casual arm over Potter's shoulder. It nudges the tie, causing it to fall back in place down his shirt. She hates that stupid tie. "Even I've noticed you staring at Jamie every now and then. You're interested." Peter Pettigrew nods, looking at Potter and Black worshipfully like the lackey he is.
Lily splutters ineffectually, scrambling for a response. Merlin, she doesn't like the git! She loathes him. She really does.
Remus, of course, is silent. No one knows that Remus is friends with Lily and Severus but Remus, Lily, and Severus. And that's the way it needs to stay—for now, at least. There would be chaos if either Potter or Black found out.
Luckily, Severus is there to save her.
"You're blocking the light, Potter," he murmurs without looking up from his book, "So kindly piss off."
Potter blinks as if it's the first time he's noticed Severus sitting there. His brown eyes flick once between Severus and Lily, and he runs a hand through his stupid black curls and adjusts his stupid glasses.
"Fine."
And now it's Lily's turn to blink and stare, because it's not the first time Potter has given in at Severus' insistence. It's wholly out of character for him, and she doesn't think she'll ever get used to it. Every time she brings it up around Severus and Remus, they grow quiet and act all shifty and she doesn't like it.
It's almost like James Potter is being… nice.
She turns to him the second Potter and his gang of misfits are out of earshot. "Okay seriously, you have to tell me. Did something happen between you and Potter? Why does he listen to you now? What happened, dammit?"
Severus gives her a look. "I told you, Lily, I can't talk about it."
"But why not?" she persists, bordering on a whine. It sounds childish, but Severus has been avoiding the topic for far too long now and it's been driving her mad.
"Because," Severus looks at her, really looks at her, and sighs heavily. She stares at him some more, waiting for the tell-tale sign that he's going to acquiescence. "It is not my secret to tell," he finally says, pinching his nose.
Lily's eyes widen. "Is it Potter's secret then?"
"Lily."
"Fine, fine," she sits back, resting against the tree trunk once again, "At least you told me something. I'll drop it… for now."
"That's all I ask," Severus retorts dryly, and she gives his shoulder a playful shove. He throws her a glare once he rights himself, but even Severus Snape, master of all things expressionless, couldn't keep the ghost of a smile off his thin lips.
James Potter can try to confuse her as much as he damn well likes—but as long as she can still read Severus Snape like a book, she's content.
"Lupin."
"Severus. I got your note."
Lupin looks tired, reminding Severus that the last full moon was just two nights ago. The wooden, blank look falls off his scarred features as he comes closer, and when Severus pulls the other boy further into safety behind the tall stacks of books, Lupin's lips curve up into a small smile.
"Important conversation?" The library is quiet at this time of day, and his soft murmur sounds loud among the wooden bookshelves.
"Yes," Severus responds with seriousness, "and not a pleasant one either."
The smile on Lupin's face morphs into worry. "What's wrong?"
"Before we get into it," Severus starts, "Lily's been getting more and more curious about Potter's new attitude around me. And you know what she's like when she's curious."
"New attitude?" Lupin frowns, thinking. "Oh wait, you mean since the time you—"
"Stopped Avery and Mulciber from running into a deadly werewolf and his magical animal forest friends, yes," Severus finishes dryly. "I should have let you eat those two buffoons, I swear to Merlin. Wasn't worth all this trouble."
Lupin flinches at "eat them," but otherwise spares him a soft smile. "I'm still grateful for it, by the way. I know you were scared of my wolf ever since the… um, Shrieking Shack incident."
"You mean like any sane man would be?" Severus retorts with a raised brow. "I only wake up in cold sweat thinking about your canines tearing into my throat three nights a week, nothing too harsh."
Lupin winces. "I know I've said it enough, but I really am sorry about that night—"
Severus puts out a hand to stop him. "Oh, spare me, you overgrown mutt."
Lupin turns a bit pink.
"You have nothing to be sorry for; it's Black's fault. I've made my peace with it. Just… think about telling Lily about your big secret soon, yes? She also wants to know about the rumours that Potter saved my life that night—which is ridiculous, and I dare you to contradict me on this," Lupin stays appeasingly silent, "because I can very well take care of myself—but all these little incidents are adding up, and you know what she's like where Potter's concerned."
Lupin's wry smile speaks his mind for him.
"I can't hold her off for much longer," Severus finishes.
Looking thoughtful, Lupin stays silent for a few more seconds. "I suppose I should tell her sometime," he acquiesces with a sigh. "I just… worry about how she will take it, I suppose."
Severus purses his lips. Lupin looks like a small child, hunched over and scuffing his left foot on the tile, and Severus' hand itches to clasp him by the shoulder and give it a comforting squeeze. He fights the urge; he doesn't do comfort. "It's Lily," he murmurs instead, "when has she ever bothered with sticking to norms? You'll likely have to fight her off while she plays twenty questions with you."
Lupin snorts softly. "Well, that's true. I can picture it. Can you see colours, Remus? Do you have dog vision? Do you remember any of your wolf memories, Remus? Does your wolf have a name, Remus? We should give him a name. What about food, Remus? Does your wolf get hungry? Thirsty? Can he drink pumpkin juice? Can he—"
"Oh dear Merlin, stop, please," Severus interrupts him. Lupin looked like he was really getting into it—but his foot had stopped trying to rub off the tile's polish, which makes Severus feel better. "We're going to get enough of it once she finds out. I feel a headache coming along at the very thought."
"Fine, fine, I'll delay your suffering," Lupin chuckles. "You're probably right, it might be fine. Just my nerves making me dread the conversation."
"Nerves tend to do that," Severus shrugs, "You just have to acknowledge them and push forward. Nerves are irrational; but in your heart, you know the truth."
Even in his head, he knows he sounds cliche, but the words have already been spoken.
Lupin looks up and smiles. "When did you start to advocate about courage and following your heart so openly?"
He snorts. "I'd say the day I turned into one of you Gryffindors and lost my damn mind."
Lupin raises a brow, the left corner of his mouth twitching. "You have to give me more than that, Severus."
"Well, it's why I called you here. I've decided—" Looking into Remus' inquisitive brown eyes, he gives up all attempts to conceal that he's been delaying the conversation. "Fuck it."
A second eyebrow joins the first, Lupin's sandy hair hiding them both beneath messy curls. "Wow, Severus. Language."
"Oh, stuff it," Severus snaps. His mouth tastes sour, like he'd sucked on a lemon. "You're not the one who's about to make the worst mistake of his life."
"Well if you don't stop dawdling in the next minute, you're not the only one who's about to make a mistake."
Severus pauses to look him up and down. "And I'm the cruel bastard who supposedly makes all the threats around here."
"Severus, you know the limits of my patience. I just invented an excuse I'll likely regret to ditch Sirius and Peter and ran halfway across the school to make it here. If this note was for something trivial I swear to Merlin and Morgana—"
"Relax," Severus calms him. "You Gryffindors, always so quick to rise to your tempers." Remus' features vary not a twitch but for the slight narrowing of his eyes. "It's about Lily and Potter."
Remus' stance loosens before he can blink.
"What about Lily and James? Did something happen? Did she say something to you about him?"
"It's been getting on my nerves, is all," Severus starts, "Lily has been going on about Potter for years. She may say she hates him—"
"Vehemently."
"—but she's still fixated on him. Intrigue, I presume, though why she would be fascinated by an arrogant, spineless, bullheaded toerag—"
"Got it, go on."
"Right. And well, we all know that Potter is obsessed with Lily," Severus continues dryly.
"But a healthy obsession, not an obsessive obsession," Remus interrupts to point out.
His face scrunches up. "What on earth does that mean?"
Remus shrugs. "Oh you know, no pictures of her under his pillow, no shrine dedicated to her smile…" he trails off at the look on Severus' face. "What?"
Severus blinks. "Merlin, you Gryffindors are crazy."
Remus makes a face.
"I know entirely too many of you people," he continues, mildly horrified.
"You said it, not me," Remus rolls his eyes cheekily, "but come on, continue. There must be some point to this whole thing."
"Right, right," he gets back on track. "I propose we do something about it, you and I."
"You mean, we matchmake them or something?"
"Merlin, no!" he exclaims in disgust, "Why would we want to do that?"
"But you just said—"
"I meant we should set them up to be around each other more, so that they could come to learn about each other and let go of this fascination they seem to hold for the other. Not matchmaking, Lupin. What are we, prepubescent little girls?"
Remus blinks. "Uh, Severus, you know I can't speak for either of them but… you do realise that having them get to know each other might not achieve your goal of them losing interest? They're actually quite well-suited together if you think about it, and they might find that out for themselves."
"Potter is an idiot."
"He… has his moments," Remus says with a wince. "But he's a smart bloke."
Severus stares, lips pursed.
"We," Remus says slowly and clearly, "are going to be matchmakers."
"No."
"There is no way around it."
"No."
"You're the one who suggested it."
"No, Lupin."
"Fine, but you'll have to accept it sometime."
"Never."
"So what are we doing? Locking them in a closet? Abandoned classroom?"
"Heavens, why?" Severus asks, disgusted. "Do we want them to shag? No, we don't want them to shag," he adds before Lupin can nod in the affirmative. "We want them to get to know each other, and if they ever decide to shag later we want to have to never know about it."
"Well, fair," Lupin shrugs. "So I suppose you have a plan? It sounds like you're thinking something long-term, and you have that look about you."
"As a matter of fact, Lupin, I do. I have one word for you. Potions."
Lupin runs a hand through his hair. "Okay, but you'll have to give me more words later because that by itself makes no sense to me."
Severus shakes his head at him. Gryffindors. Always have to explain everything to them.
"Fine, but first I need to do something. Because I'm not giving Potter permission to get near Lily—whether he knows it or not—without first instilling the fear of Salazar in him."
Lupin sighs like he expected Severus to say it. "No spells, Sev."
Severus knows the look on his face is ominous, but he doesn't even make an effort to conceal his anticipating grin.
"No spells, only words. They will be enough."
"And the look on Keller's face, Pads, it was priceless—oh, Snape! What are you doing here?"
Severus stares down the two lumbering idiots who almost run into him with his best patented blank face, arms crossed menacingly across his chest. "Potter, Black."
Sirius Black assesses him with a ridiculous-looking questioning look, staring him up and down. "What are you doing in this part of the castle? You'd never be caught dead here."
It was true. Everyone knew that this part of the floor was the lions' den, and the portrait entrance to the common room was right around the corner—not that Potter and Black knew that Severus knew this crucial piece of information.
"I was waiting for two dysfunctional dolts to come my way, obviously. Now that they're here, I can do what I came here to do and be on my way."
"Oh," Black says. "So you're waiting for Evans? Merlin, you're not shagging, are you?" He makes a face. "We don't need that much information, Snivellous. I'd rather you didn't address who you were 'doing.'"
Potter's eyes go wide and panicked behind his owlish glasses. "Wait, you're with Evans? My Evans?"
Severus stares.
"How much of an unmitigated fool can you both be?" he finally exclaims. "I literally just told you that I'm here to talk to you!" Potter and Black share a perplexed look. "Merlin, Lily's right, I'm too self-sacrificing for my own good. I never should have decided to do this." His eyes narrow as he recalls the last part of James Potter's sentence. "And Lily is not yours," he ends with a finger in Potter's chest, "Not yet, anyway."
"What's going on?" Black asks Potter, looking wildly out of the loop. A small part of Severus inwardly cheers at confounding his hated enemies so thoroughly. He should have these diva moments more often. Outwardly, though, he has to be his normal acerbic self.
"Black, kindly do us all a favour and shut up."
"Hey, don't talk to Sirius that way!" Potter jumps in as always, defending his idiot friend. "Better start talking, Snape. You're making no sense so far. I thought you were waiting for Lily?"
Severus stares again.
"No, Potter," he says with utter exasperation, "I'm here to confess my secret and undying infatuation with you and Black and request the pleasure of your company in a nice, satisfying orgy we can hold tonight in the moonlight. I want all four of you there, Pettigrew included. Yes or no?"
The bafflement and disgust warring for prominence on both the Gryffindors' faces delights him far too much for him to be anything but Slytherin. It's priceless, truly.
"Er, Snape, we're very flattered but—"
"No, we're not!" Black interjects.
"Right, so we're actually far from flattered, but—"
"Oh, stop that," he shuts them up when he's bored of watching them fumble. What Lily sees in Potter he has no idea. The Gryffindor is far too half-witted for his taste. What dunderhead couldn't catch sarcasm that thick? "Merlin, you're both idiots."
Black looks offended, so he hastens to shut him up again. "I'm not partial to wasting more of my time around you both," he says, moving his hand to draw their attention to the wand he'd tucked within his crossed arms and turning his attention to Potter, "so I'll make it quick. Lily."
"What about Lily?" Potter asks, eyes still on his wand.
He twirls his wand between deft fingers. "I've proved that I would do anything for Lily," he murmurs, making sure Potter is focused on his words, "I protected her, let her protect herself, joined a cult for her, left a cult for her. She knows I would do anything for her. But you, Potter," he steps forward aggressively, forcing the other boy to walk backward, "have yet to prove yourself." Potter's back hits a wall. Severus corners him.
"Oi, get away from him, you filthy snake!"
He raises his voice without looking away from Potter's shocked gaze. "I told you to shut up, Black. You're not part of this." He hears no further sound from behind him. Black is silent.
He feels powerful like this, looking into Potter's hazel eyes and seeing the Gryffindor's recognition of the threat before him. The same sullen boy Potter has bullied for nearly six years now has fire in his own eyes and a wand to press at his neck, and James fucking Potter is very, very lucky that Severus has decided to abuse this power for good because it would be so very easy to do something bad without his self-control to hold him back.
"I may have left Avery's and Mulciber's little group," Severus hisses in Potter's ear, "but don't for one second think that I've forgotten any of the tricks I picked up from them. I could finish you off right here and kick your meagre remains out the window if I felt like it."
"S—Snape," Potter struggles against his hold, "What are you—"
"You're getting a chance, Potter. Be grateful. But step one toe out of line, and a gutted fish would pity your death."
Potter swallows. Hard.
"With Lily," Severus decides to clarify, because he wouldn't put it past Potter to not know what exactly the threat is for, "You get a chance with Lily." The way Potter perks up like a child is almost shameful and tells Severus that he was right in assuming that Potter had no clue what this conversation had been about.
"But this obsessive stalker persona stops right here, Potter," he continues threateningly, tightening his hold on the other boy's throat. "You will not follow her around like a puppy, or pester her for a date. Have some dignity."
Potter's eyes widen at his glare.
"Now for the love of Salazar, act normally. She doesn't even know you, and this arrogant side you're showing her of yourself isn't endearing in the slightest. You clearly do not know a lick of who Lily Evans really is if you think grandstanding like this is going to get you on her good side. So get to know her before you decide that she is your bloody soulmate. Understood?"
Potter nods quickly.
"Good," Severus huffs, taking a step back. Potter hastens to adjust his glasses, blinking owlishly. "See that you don't disappoint. I know that there's some common sense hiding in that Gryffindor-addled brain of yours; it's about time you start showing it."
He turns around to walk off, coming face-to-face with Sirius Black. Black's grey eyes are firmly fixed on Potter behind him. "What did you say to him?" Black asks angrily.
"Nothing he didn't desperately need to hear," Severus assures, not very reassuringly. "And just for the record, I still hate you very much, Black." With that, he stomps off in the direction of the staircase at the other end of the floor.
Remus materialises once he turns round the corner, matching his pace in long strides. "So. What did you say to him?"
"Please," Severus retorts, "Like you didn't use the Sub-Ausculto Charm to overhear every word."
Remus grins. "You caught me."
"I know you," Severus counters, rolling his eyes. "There's a difference."
"Mmm, so I don't have to pretend that I don't know you gave James dating advice."
"What—I did not give him dating advice!" he exclaims, offended. "I threatened him into acting less like a pig and more like a human being!"
"You say it was threatening him out of pig-like qualities," Remus murmurs happily, "I say it was sound dating advice."
"Well, you say wrong."
"Whatever, Severus, but now you can't deny that we're playing matchmaker. You've officially joined the boat."
"Stop talking, Lupin."
"Sure, once you admit what you did back there."
Severus stops, the staircase to blessed relief and silence mere feet from reach. "We are never, ever telling Lily what I just did."
Lupin starts to smile, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Never."
He lets out a breath of relief.
"So, that was admittance."
"It was not."
"Give up, Severus; for you, that was as close to admittance as it gets."
"Was not, Lupin, will you shut up?"
"Alright everyone, settle down, settle down," Professor Slughorn raises his hands to call for attention. Remus looks up from his graded essay, still giddy over the Outstanding clearly marked on the paper in brilliant scarlet ink.
"Now as you know, I let the class switch partners to whoever they'd like to work with every year at the halfway mark, and it's that time of year again! So switch up, switch up, everybody! Choose wisely, for this year your sixth-year thesis is going to account for a big chunk of your grades—and you have to work closely with your partner to complete your project. Come on now, who's the first one up?"
The excited whispering pauses when Mary Macdonald's tiny frame stands up and crosses the room to the other end, seating herself beside Reginald Cattermole with a shy grin. Reginald, also a fellow Gryffindor, brightens at her presence, sparing not a glance for his previous partner, Crabbe, who lumbers off to find his mate Goyle. One by one, everyone gets up and hurries over to whoever they'd earlier decided to partner with, and the room is thrown into chaos with Professor Slughorn grinning happily at its very centre.
Next to him, Sirius smiles proudly.
James turns around in his seat to face Remus and Sirius. "We'll wait till everyone's done till we switch, yeah?"
"Good plan," Sirius agrees with a smirk, leaning forward on the bench. "You and Remus, and me and Pete. This'll be good."
Peter, who's currently sitting directly in front of Remus, also turns around. "Thanks for agreeing to partner with me, Sirius—"
Sirius stops him, waving it off. "Stop thanking me, you big lug, we do this every year."
"Still, you could have partnered with James instead—"
"Oh, shut up, Pete," James says good-naturedly, "We have an agreement—worst with the best. You and Moony are terrible at Potions; you need us. And we take care of our own," he ends with a wink at Sirius.
Remus smiles at his friends, feeling a little guilty for what he's about to soon do. This is for James, though, and he knows Prongs will thank him later.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Severus beckoning Lily over. Lily makes a face at sitting so close to the Marauders but gamely sits next to Severus with a warm smile.
Once the chaos starts to die down, Remus taps Peter's shoulder and indicates that they should switch. Sitting next to James in the front gets him closer to Severus and Lily's table.
James aims him a cheery grin beside him, clapping him on the shoulder in welcome. Remus leans into the one-armed hug, his eyes quietly roving to seek out Severus'. When they meet, Severus gives an almost imperceptible nod and straightens, and Remus readies himself for a lot of stares.
Severus had spent quite a few hours convincing him that this was the best way to initiate their plan, and he'd also promised that he had a way to handle it so they wouldn't face any particular backlash, but he's still not sure how he feels about their friendship being yet revealed. He hopes it's worth it.
"Oh wait, sir," Severus calls to Professor Slughorn, "I had promised Lupin to tutor him for the rest of the year in Potions since his knowledge and aptitude of the subject is so utterly abysmal. Something about inter-house unity." He punctures his sentence with an eye-roll, and everyone stares at him with astonishment and at Remus with horror. Remus resolutely does not look at James' face and ignores the two shocked gazes boring into his back. "Should I be sitting with Lupin instead? I feel that it would require less effort on my part if I were to nip any accidents in the bud."
Professor Slughorn positively beams, his portly belly bouncing in his excitement. "Oh, of course, of course! How good of you to offer to tutor Mr Lupin, Severus! Yes, I do think it would be beneficial for you both to sit together; you'll find it easier to help him understand the theory while you work together in a practical setting. Inter-house unity, how wonderful!"
"What the hell are you doing, Remus?" James hisses in his ear. He shushes the boy silently without looking away from the professor, urging him to listen on. Merlin, only a little longer, just a few more seconds…
Looking at Lily, Professor Slughorn runs a hand over his bald, shiny head. "Miss Evans, why don't you sit with Mr Potter instead? I'm sure you'll work well together."
Remus lets out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding all this while. He turns to James, letting only the slightest of smiles show on his face. James doesn't notice, his eyes wide as he stares at Lily's shocked face.
He rushes to gather his things, walking over to Severus' desk nearby. He looks at Lily first, taking in her wide, betrayed green eyes in amusement. "Go," he encourages with a soft jerk of his head.
Lily glances at Severus, who echoes Remus's directive. With a huff and a mild glare, she tosses back her long red hair, grabs her books, and stomps towards her newly assigned partner, visibly wincing at James' gleeful expression. James, of course, hardly notices.
"I hope you know, Lupin, that I will not tolerate any blunders or miscalculations," Severus intones beside him when he sits down, loud enough to garner looks of disgust from all the nearby Gryffindors. "I expect utmost concentration, and I expect utmost respect. You will call me Sir."
Mary gazes at Remus with sympathy, who gives her a tremulous smile in return. Her lips quirk up in commiseration.
"So this is how you planned to handle the reveal," Remus mutters through his pitiful look out of the corner of his mouth. "Sounds like a fun five months for you, Severus."
"I think you meant to call me Sir," Severus counters in a low voice, looking into the depths of their black cauldron. Remus can hear the wry humour in his tone.
"Ha bloody ha," is his witty response, glancing at a very unimpressed-looking Lily who grumpily mouths "traitor" at them.
"Language."
Seconds later, James looks up from Lily Evans' face to aim a very confused, very excited wordless "thank you" at him. Lily staunchly reads the cover of her textbook, ignoring the two goofy thumbs up James gives him over her head. Remus is shaking his head at Prongs' over-the-top happiness when the other boy's face freezes, the smile slowly falling off his face before he gulps and turns, facing ahead with a straight face.
Remus twists over to look at Severus suspiciously. The Slytherin simply has his wand in his hands, which he twirls casually between his fingers. Remus wonders what Severus had mouthed to James that had gotten him so alarmed. His raised brow, however, yields nothing from Severus' pressed lips.
"What?" Severus asks, feigning ignorance. "Stop staring and focus on the professor, Lupin. And you wonder why all your potions come out the way they do. We'll really have to work on your habits."
Remus rolls his eyes and stares ahead at Slughorn, with one ear alert to pick up whatever snatches of conversation he could hear from Lily's and James' table. "Don't get too into your character, Severus," he murmurs, amused. "We don't want to set back your progress as a human being."
"Doubtful," Severus shoots back, "and it's Sir to you."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
Professor Slughorn's class feels like it goes on forever. They're getting an introduction to their thesis topic, with the professor explaining all the project's requirements to them one by one, and Remus is bored out of his mind. He loves his classes—even History of Magic, though Professor Binns has yet to teach on any topic not involving goblin revolutions—but Potions is something he just cannot focus on. Severus is going to have a tough time tutoring him on the subject, because Remus knows him and he knows that Severus wouldn't be content until he took his missions to the finish line.
And right now, Severus has two missions. Matchmaking Lily and James—though he still hasn't explicitly admitted to it—and boosting Remus' grades in Potions by the end of the year.
Tall tasks, but Severus is nothing if not determined. And by extension, so is Remus.
Remus may have had his doubts about Severus' idea for Potions class at the start, but he sees now how well it works out. Professor Slughorn has them doing a simple ingredient preparation exercise once his explanation for their thesis is done, and while Remus was worried that there'd be an uncommon amount of explosions and accidents at Lily's and James' table, the way they're working together suggests otherwise.
Lily is meticulous in her work ethic. All her ingredients laid out in perfect order, instructions written down in her notes, each stir precise and by-the-book. James, on the other hand, is organised chaos and flailing motions—his work is so uncoordinated that the surety with which he minces the beetle eyes could almost go unnoticed. James knows what he's doing, he just doesn't care sometimes.
Lily has to stop him before he aims a Wingardium Leviosa at the mugwort on her side of the table—magic doesn't mix with potion ingredients, Potter, you nut—and she frequently aims looks of disgust at his chaotic workspace, and Remus is quite sure that James is purposely making it messier just to wind her up.
But as Remus and Severus quietly watch them, they start to form a rhythm, working together more in sync. Soon enough, they are wordlessly exchanging potion knives as needed, handing each other the ingredients they need at exactly the right times, and the frequency of Lily's disgusted looks at James' side of the table reduces to none. They are the first pair to finish in class, and the Manegro potion they have made to test their ingredient prep turns out a perfect lilac.
Professor Slughorn looks thrilled.
"Step one complete," Severus murmurs low as he stops Remus from adding the wrong ingredient into their own cauldron. "We just bought them five months of being paired up for Potions class."
"Think they'll work just as well together on their thesis as they did today?" he questions as he adds the lacewing flies sheepishly. Severus nods with approval.
"If today's any indication, they should," Severus replies. "Besides, this is just step one. We still have more ways to go to get them more time with each other. If our plan doesn't get them in gear, nothing will."
"That is true, your plan is very… thorough," he replies, grinning. It is breathtaking how much thinking Severus put into forming his strategies to get James and Lily together over this year and the next, and Remus really does not know how Severus can still deny playing matchmaker for them after that.
Severus eyes him suspiciously. "Are you mocking my plan?"
He laughs to himself. "Why would I? It's comprehensive and well-thought-out. You've outdone yourself, Severus."
Severus huffs, appeased, before he aims Remus a look out of the corner of his eye. "It's still Potions class, you nitwit. What did I say about calling me Sir?"
Remus looks at him assessingly. "Fine," he says at length, "I will. But only if you call me Remus."
Severus pauses, then looks him up and down assessingly. "I suppose that would be justifiable," he says at length, "Remus."
Remus smiles.
"That is wonderful to hear, sir."
Severus laughs softly, looking smug.
His lips tilt upwards further in response, before he looks around, hoping for a change of subject before things get awkward. He stops at Sirius' gaping face, the other boy staring wide-eyed at James and Lily's perfect potion. Seemingly, Remus wasn't the only one who expected explosions and madness.
"I'll have a lot of explaining to do," Remus says, looking at Sirius and Peter.
"Any regrets?" comes Severus' low voice at his side.
"Nah," he responds, gazing at Lily's relaxed look as she shows James how she sterilises her knives, "It'll be worth it."
"Hey, I thought of another question."
Remus sighs. "Lily, it's been nine months since you were let in on this; how do you never run out of questions?"
"It's a gift?" Lily shrugs, grimacing. Remus gives her a look, which she ignores. "No, come on, tell me. Do you have dog vision?"
He snorts, remembering an old conversation he'd had with Severus oh so long ago.
"It's a serious question! Dogs see only in yellow and blue; does that mean you can also see only in those colours when you're… y'know, him?"
"Well I don't really remember enough of his memories to know that, do I?" he answers on a chuckle, "All I know is when I shift, my vision gets more muted."
"Muted," she hums. "Greyscale?"
"Not really," he shakes his head.
She huffs. "You are so unhelpful."
"And you are so inquisitive," he retorts, "but I still indulge you, don't I?"
"Pshh, you love me," she says loftily.
"That doesn't work on me, just so you know," he idly comments, and she huffs again.
"Yes, because he's more of a pushover than you are." They both grin, exchanging glances. "Don't tell Sev I said that."
"I'd like to keep all the skin on my face, thank you," he replies, laughing.
"Oi, you wanker! Hurry up!" James' voice comes from ahead of them. They both look up to see him waving his arms at them madly. The librarian shoots them both a chilling look.
"Sorry, Madam Pince," Remus murmurs as they near her desk, "I had no choice but to leave him here. Had to get Lily."
"Next time, make the Potter boy wait somewhere else," Madam Pince snaps, glaring icily. "He causes far too much disturbance in my library."
Lily winces. "It's my fault, Madam Pince. I took too long with Professor McGonagall. We'll go get him now."
"You do that," she replies haughtily and turns away. They exchange glances again, rolling their eyes together as they walk towards James.
"What did you do," Remus asks flatly as soon as he is within whispering distance of James Potter. James, however, is more focused on Lily.
"What did you bring her for?"
James backtracks at the unamused look on his girlfriend's face. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, Lils, because believe me, I always am—but I thought you had something to show me, Remus?"
"I do, but—"
"But I'm kind of relevant to the plot here, Potter," Lily interrupts him, arms crossed, "so he needs me."
"Oh, of course then, Lily-flower," James agrees with an easy smile, and she visibly softens at his gentling expression. Remus doesn't know how he does it—calms Lily down from a raging inferno to the soft warmth of a fireplace—when he is such a natural at pissing off every other person in existence. Severus would say that he's turned Lily to the dark side.
Looking at them together, however, Remus feels a wonderful sense of achievement. And well, he's seen the look in Severus' dark eyes when they listen to Lily prattle on about her now-boyfriend, and he knows that Severus feels the same.
"Come on," he says to them, leading them away from Madam Pince's incensed glares and into the depths of the library. Lily smiles and slips her hand into James', and silently, James follows.
He looks back at the couple, grinning to himself at the matching Head Boy and Head Girl badges gleaming on their chests. It was Severus' idea for Remus to step down as Prefect last year, and he was only too happy to do it. He loved carrying out his Prefect duties with Lily, but they all knew that he would have been a candidate for Head Boy, and with his werewolf problem, he didn't want the added attention that came with it.
He had recommended James to Professor McGonagall when he had turned in his badge, and the teachers ate up his turn-a-bad-boy-good-by-giving-him-responsibility narrative. He had a talk with James himself, and when the time came James exceeded his expectations, being firm and fair and most of all, responsible. Needless to say, Lily saw a different side of James Potter from that point on.
Severus had predicted Dumbledore well, because the eccentric man jumped at the chance to appoint the Head Boy badge to a reckless troublemaker who had been an—albeit, fantastic—Prefect for only a few months. And, as Severus had sourly added, had the convenience of being a Gryffindor.
And that was only part three of Severus' seven-step plan to get "these adolescent dunderheads" to get their acts together. Severus and Remus had really gone all out, and they made good co-conspirators. Remus could only wait for the day he could let slip to Lily the lengths Severus had gone through to get her what she truly wanted.
He looks back again, taking in the smile on James' face. He likes knowing that after all James Potter has done for him over their many years of friendship, he's finally managed to repay him in some respect.
Although, he could argue that putting up with James and his antics is repayment in itself. He makes a mental note to find out later what exactly James did while he waited near the librarian's desk, so he'll know how exactly he should apologise to Madam Pince on behalf of him.
"So, where are we going?" James addresses Remus, but Lily answers for him.
"You'll see."
James is silent but full of buzzing energy, and the constant glances he aims at both of them alternatively makes Remus share an exasperated look with Lily. "We decided you're ready," he comments to James when he gets tired of the silent questioning, still leading them as he makes his way through the maze of bookshelves.
"Ready for what?"
"To meet the people you've been dying to meet all this time," Remus answers, ignoring Lily's quizzical look at his cryptic words.
James' eyes widen. "From… from your thing? Your secret thing?"
"Uh-huh."
"That you said you'd introduce us to when you were ready for it to not be a secret anymore?"
"Yes, that one."
"Wow," James says, sounding shocked. "And you're ready now?"
"No, you're ready," Remus counters with a chuckle, "To know who it is."
"I have no clue what secret you're talking about," Lily interrupts, frowning. "Should I be worried or jealous? Is it one of your Marauder things?"
At that, Remus can't help but blush. "N-no," he stutters on the first word, "It's nothing. Nothing, really."
Lily raises one thin red eyebrow and pulls James forward, marching on ahead of him. As she brushes by his side, she whispers, "You're an awful liar." He turns redder.
He rolls his eyes at her subsequent amusement, shouldering James aside gently to keep astride their pace as they round the final corner and head left to where their table stands.
And stop.
"Rule one."
Severus is lazily reclined in his straight-backed wooden chair, untangling his steepled fingers to toy with the wand resting on the table. "No talking, jumping, exclaiming, yelling, or running around like a hooligan or you're out. Rule two." He nudges the end of the wand to point to James, who's standing in the middle beside Remus. "If you say something I don't like, you're out. If you do something I don't like, you're out. If you think something I don't like, you're out."
Lily's sigh is an audible one.
"Rule three." Severus picks up his wand between two long fingers. "If you ever, ever, ever call me Snivellous, start to call me Snivellous, or look like you're about to call me Snivellous, I will throw you out so fast your glasses will crack from the air pressure."
James squeaks softly.
"Rule four. I don't like you. If you forget that, well… surely even you must be getting it, Potter."
James clears his throat audibly. "I'm out?"
"Got it in one."
It's Remus' turn to sigh.
"Really, Severus?" he asks, shaking his head. "Was all this really necessary?"
Severus raises a dark brow.
"For the love of Merlin, straighten your back, Sev," Lily chimes in with an exasperated look of her own. "You'll hurt yourself."
"Please, Lily, I'm fine," Severus answers with a roll of his eyes, shifting with a well-concealed wince.
Lily, of course, isn't fooled. "Do you mean to tell me that the backrest isn't digging into the top of your spine right now?"
Wordlessly, Severus sits up straight.
"Thought so," Remus hears her murmur smugly.
James, meanwhile, looks utterly flabbergasted. "Y-you—you—S-Snape—Snape—"
"Careful," Severus murmurs warningly. "You look like you're about to break rule two."
James' mouth clicks shut.
Remus leads the way to their table and sits down beside Severus, closing his eyes and praying to himself that James doesn't inadvertently embarrass him. From his new vantage point, he can clearly see the warring frustration and enjoyment from Lily's expression. He doesn't fault her—James does look hilarious as a gaping fish, and while Severus can be trying in moments like these, Remus cannot deny that his flair for drama is amusing.
He aims a mild glare in Severus' direction but doesn't deny him his fun. Severus, being himself, is far too busy smirking at James' pain to notice the look. Oh, well.
"Sit down, you two," he calls to the couple, and Lily pulls James to their table to take a seat. James looks very reluctant.
Remus indicates the seat next to him for James to occupy, and has the secret pleasure of watching the other boy gulp when he comes face to face with Severus' glare on the opposite end of the four-seater table.
James' opinion of the Slytherin had altered drastically once he prevented Remus' werewolf-ness from being discovered by Avery and Mulciber, and realising how dangerous Severus could be by witnessing him take on Avery and Mulciber had James both in awe and mild fear of him. James knew exactly what Severus could do, both with and without his wand.
"James, I'd like you to meet Severus," he keeps his tone even, "He and Lily have been close friends of mine for a little more than a year now."
James blinks silently, then swivels his head to look at Remus. "More than a year? But you've been Potions partners only since Slughorn's sixth year switch!"
Remus chuckles a little nervously, feeling the anxiety set in once again. "We… may have been meeting here in secret for a while now."
"Oh," is James' response. "Wow."
Silence.
"Well?" Lily says impatiently after a while, "That's it? Where's the classic James Potter righteous fury?"
James blinks at her. "Fury. Yes."
"I think we broke him," Severus comments idly when James' posture doesn't shift. Remus is inclined to agree.
"Nah, one sec," Lily says, holding out a finger at them before she leans over the table towards James, cupping a hand over his ear as she whispers something to her boyfriend.
James startles and comes alive, focusing on Severus with eyes slightly wild. "Mate! Hi!"
Lily sits back, smug.
Severus, on the other hand, looks horrified, and his "hello" sounds more wry than welcoming. James grins maniacally, oblivious to the lukewarm response.
Remus feels just a little bit dirty, knowing on some level the kind of things one of his best friends whispered to his other best friend and dorm-mate. He prays he never hears of the details. Prongs' gushing can be a tad… enthusiastic.
Lily winks at him while James and Severus hold their awkward small-talk, James carrying the conversation more than Severus. The Slytherin's arms are crossed defensively, but he responds to each of James' questions with an acceptable handful of words, and things are going as well as they could go.
"Sooo," James speaks up after a while, "when are we telling Sirius about this little development?"
"When we think he's ready," Lily answers.
"When we're sure Severus won't kill him," Remus answers.
James stares between them till Severus follows up with a shrug, saying, "Well, they're both certainly right."
And then stares at Severus.
"You agreed with them!"
Severus looks confused. So does Lily. And Remus wishes he were confused as well, because he thinks he knows what James is about to say.
"You don't agree with people, Snape!" James exclaims, pointing accusingly at him.
Severus blinks. "Why would I not agree with someone who is obviously right?"
"Because—because you're Snape!"
Remus sighs. Trust James to put his foot in his mouth right when he was making things good for himself. "No killing," he says to an offended-looking Severus.
"But Merlin, he's such an idiot," Severus counters in defence.
"No killing," Lily backs him up, and Severus sighs in defeat.
"Fine, Potter, you're spared."
"But why? What'd I do?" James asks, looking confused, and Remus has to pinch his nose and breathe.
Severus stares at Lily with accusation, and she throws her hands up defensively. "Don't look at me, you were the ones to set me up with him."
"Well, we didn't hand you the bloody knife, did we? You could have used the opportunity to get over him and we could be done with this, but no."
"Actually, Severus," Remus stops him, thinking, "We kind of did hand her the knife. I mean, we literally created opportunities for them to do things together and let them make what they would of it, and we know what they chose so—"
Lily and Severus look like they're about to protest.
"I feel like I'm missing something," James punctuates, bewildered, "I'm so lost."
"You're fine, Prongs," Remus comforts him with a weary smile since he knows no one else will, "We were just messing around." He continues hastily at James' raised eyebrow before his dumbass friend can make things worse, "Yes, I know you think we're uptight, but we are capable of having fun."
If anything, Severus looks even surlier.
Lily looks over at Remus, silently asking if they made a mistake and brought James into the fold too soon. Remus shakes his head as reassuringly as he can—he knows Severus, and he knows James. They'll find common ground. The rest of them just have to wait these two out.
Digging around in the pockets of his robes, he brings out a handful of the mini chocolate bars Sirius had gotten him from Honeydukes for his last full moon. Chocolate makes everything better.
"Chocolate?" he asks them all, laying out his bounty in the centre of the table. James picks one out immediately, and after a second of hesitation, Severus reaches out for one of his own with a challenging glance at James. Of course, James being James, he doesn't notice at all. Lily shrugs and grabs the third. And Remus, for once in his life, decides to forgo the chocolate.
"So," James clears his throat once he's three-quarters of the way through his chocolate bar, glancing at Remus to break the silent awkwardness, "this is your secret book club?"
Remus' eyes widen. And to think he had nearly gotten away with keeping his embarrassment silent.
"Your what now?" Lily pounces on James' words, staring at Remus in incredulous glee. Severus looks at him calculatingly, his black eyes looking decidedly evil. Remus bites his lip and fights the urge to bury his face in his hands.
"Did I say something?" James asks, looking around confused.
"Oh no, James, it's nothing bad," Lily pats his arm comfortingly, green eyes maddeningly giddy. "No, no, no, I'd say you're finally pulling your weight here. Don't you think, Sev?"
"I… suppose bringing him in has its merits after all," Severus acquiesces. A slow smirk takes over his pale features. "Potter, we've finally found value in you."
"What's the big deal? What did I say?" James looks around at each of them.
"Well," Lily says cheekily, cupping her chin with the hand resting on the table, "Let's just say that we've been bugging Remus for a while to know what excuse he uses with you blokes to cover up his frequent visits here. No wonder he never wanted to tell us! Book club, Remus? Really?"
"Lily."
"We might need to authenticate this prize-worthy excuse," Severus adds, "I think we could start with a book or two on good lying tactics."
"Oh, stop it," Remus exclaims, giving in to the urge to hide his face. His voice comes out muffled. "Do you know how hard it is to come up with something on the spot that isn't the truth? I saw a magical theory book on my bed and… well…"
Lily and James burst out in raucous laughter, James clapping him heartily on the back. From his left, Remus hears soft snuffling noises that are unmistakably Severus trying to muffle his own laughs.
"It just happened, okay!" he temporarily comes out of hiding to exclaim, and he is met with even more laughter. "I hate you all."
"We love you, Rem," Lily says to him, toning down her amusement to chuckles, "But you can't lie worth shit."
"Language!" Severus squawks, and this time when they laugh, Remus joins in.
He rolls his eyes, but smiles. James looks a lot more comfortable to be here, and Severus has loosened up some more. Lily grins brightly, and when Severus remarks yet again on his lying abilities, driving James to comment on it, Lily takes the opportunity to shoot Remus a low thumbs up—a habit she's recently picked up from her boyfriend. Remus rolls his eyes again, but gives her a thumbs up of his own.
This time, James chooses to regale them with an exaggerated retelling of Remus' most recent mishap, recounting the way he had tripped over his trunk and face-planted into his bed at seven in the morning with enthusiastic facial expressions and vigorous hand movements. Severus looks delighted at all the new blackmail material James is handing him, and Remus sighs internally at his impending doom.
But as he looks around at Severus' attentive face and Lily's happy delight, the shining silver badges on her chest and James' and the little adoring glances he shoots her every now and then, he realises that it is all worth it. He doesn't mind Severus and James teaming up against him when the two archenemies get along so well. He doesn't mind Lily's sly green eyes, because seeing her happiness brings him joy. He doesn't mind the mischief hiding behind the lines of James' face, because it is just so good to see his usually judgemental best mate so earnestly trying to fit in here in his safe space.
And as always, it brings Remus a thrill to see himself having friends. His friends are always worth everything.
He smiles to himself. Sixth year was a good year for him, but today, the future looks brighter. Maybe the rest of seventh year would be even better. It makes him eager to find out.
But first, he has to ensure that Sirius doesn't kill them all for being the last in the know. Merlin help them all.
Spring Funfair:
Cocktail Bar: Tequila - (Dialogue) "You know you want me."
Dog Show: Movement/Gait - (Plot point) Making a mistake
Lily Pads: (C5) - (Action) Shaking your head at someone
Milkshake Bar: (Chocolate) Kinder Bueno - Trope: Idiots to Lovers
Spring Fling: Sunny - Boney M
Cherry Blossoms: Shogetsu (theme) Polar Opposites
Urban Safari Checklist: Hippo - (trait) intimidating
Wingardium Levi-Kart Racing: Floo Goblet - 2. Reacting to everyone staring at them
Paint a Rainbow: Orange - James Potter
Tree Planting: Dogwood - (genre) Humor
Teddy Bears Picnic: Sausage rolls - (genre) Friendship
Birdhouse Building: Step 3 - (emotion) Pride
Spring Petting Zoo: Alpacas - (trait) friendly
Bunny Races: (Remus Lupin) 11051 words
Egg & Spoon Race: (main character) Severus Snape; (supporting character) Remus Lupin
Egg Hunt: Stripey Egg - She Used to Be Mine by Waitress [It's not what I asked for/Sometimes life just slips in through a back door/And carves out a person/And makes you believe it's all true/And now I've got you]
Spring Parade: Hundred Acre Wood Float - (Scenario) Reuniting with childhood friends.
Spring Seasonal
Days of the Year & Important Religious Events: April 12th - Library Workers Day Write a fic set in a library.
Aquarium Month: Tank - Write about someone who feels trapped.
Library Week: Romance
Karaoke Week: Love Shack - B-52
World Theatre Day: 4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!AU - alt: 'Please strike that, reverse it!'
Crayon Day: Shadow
Children's Book Day: Willy Wonka - (object) Chocolate bar
World Autism Day: Write about someone happy in their comfort zone
Zoo Lover's Day: Brown Bear - Write about a 'mama bear.'
National Teacher's Day: Horace Slughorn
Space Day: Moon - Trope: Idiots in love
Spring Colours: Lilac Spring Flowers: Allium - "To what do we owe the honour?"
Crystals & Gemstones: Ruby - (emotion) Sympathy
Hufflepuff OTPs: James/Lily
Hufflepuff Challenge: Tornado – Little Big Town - Prompt: write about a person with temper, someone hotheaded
April Writing Club
Twisted Tropes: Everyone is Gay - Everyone is Straight
Record Collection: What Is Love, Empire Cast Ft V Bozeman - Write about someone doubting someone else.
Written in the Stars: (character) James Potter
Book Club: Janine - (color) red, (genre) romance, (emotion) pity
Showtime: Somewhere - (word) Forgive
Lizzy's Loft: (trait) Selfless
Elizabeth's Empire: True Love - P!nk (ft. Lily Allen) - (trope) enemies to lovers
Liza's Loves: Ginny - [plot point] having a crush (BONUS)
Sophie's Serial Killers: [scenario] turning down advances
Angel's Archive: Complimenting your partner(s)
Scamander's Case: (object) cauldron
Film Festival: (word) Misfit
Marvel Appreciation: Spidey's webbing - Write about someone getting 'wrapped up' in something.
Lyric Alley: You made me a, you made me a believer, believer.
TV Spree: (Trait) Determined
The Forecast Says: 7th: Sunny with clouds - Excited
EnTitled: The Killer - (item) candle
Gen's World Tour: Sable - Write about something luxurious
Resolution Evolution (Writing): Write a fic including Manegro (Causes hair on drinker's head to grow out rapidly)
[Spring] Quarterly: Leaving On A Jet Plane: Tel Aviv - (Pairing) JamesLily
[April] Fortnightlies:
What's Your Sign? - Write about learning something
Switch Off - Take a Picture with Isabelle - (Genre) Friendship
[April] Would You Rather?
Write about the Marauders OR write about Fred, George and Lee?