Written for Round Twelve of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season Nine.

Keeper

Chudley Cannons

Prompt: An arrow on your wrist points in the direction of your soulmate, like a compass.

W/C: 1864

Summary: Platonic Remus/Lily Soulmate!AU

*.*.*

Secrets

1971. First year.

That is when the slim, elegant arrow drawn like a tattoo on Remus' wrist, the one that always points towards the centre of his palm, begins to deflect.

It is strange, considering the soulmate thing hasn't started for anyone else he knows. Except for James, of course. That boy bit more than fancies the quiet redhead that was Lily Evans. Sirius thinks it is sad and hilarious, because Lily despises James.

Remus is a bit young for this to start, he thinks one night as he lay awake in bed and stared at his wrist. He is only eleven years old. Most people's probably start when they are at least sixteen or seventeen, right?

No matter, he tells himself. It has started now, and he will have to deal with it. What will he achieve by wasting any more time staring at the sign? After all, most people would leave if they knew his secret.

What is the big deal with soulmates, anyway?

One could only imagine his surprise when he comes to realise that the arrow only deflected more and more when he is around the one he least expects. Lily Evans.

His mind can deny it all it wants, but it is plain as day. He and Lily are alone in the library, not one other soul in sight except for the librarian, and he is pretty sure old Madam Cook is not his soulmate. She is married, and she is older than his father, for goodness' sake!

It is definitely Lily. It only happens around her. The arrow will spin, and swiftly come to rest in a direction pointing towards his red-haired friend.

"Shut up," he mumbles under his breath to nobody in particular, slapping his other hand over the blasted sign. He and Lily are alone again, and she isn't going to notice it if Remus could afford it.

Besides, from what James has told him, his arrow would spin around Lily, too. Can two people have the same soulmate? Is that even allowed? How is Lily his soulmate when Remus is pretty sure he does not fancy her? She us kind, and smart. He likes her, and he likes to talk about books and history and plants with her, but that is all. She is a good friend.

Remus presses a thumb to his temple. What has his life come to? He is only eleven, and he is a werewolf in secret, and his soulmate is apparently the same person one of his best friends goes moon-eyed for.

His head is going to start throbbing now. Remus sighs and pulls the covers over his head until he is engulfed in complete darkness, willing his mind to shut down.

It is probably midnight, he has Double Potions tomorrow and he would like to keep up his good reputation with his Professor, thank you very much.

*.*.*

1972; second year.

It is Lily who finds his secret out first. Remus never intends it to. But clearly, Lily Evans is a genius (which comes as a surprise to no one), but Remus is still a little dumbfounded when she corners him in the library.

"Remus."

He has to slap the whizzing tattoo on his wrist.

"Um, yes?"

"I — um," Lily twirls her fingers together. "I have something to ask you. Promise me you won't be angry?"

"My mum says I don't get angry quickly, and it's a good trait to have. You're fine."

"I know, Rem," Lily says. "But this might make you actually angry."

"What's it about?"

"Uh — about, um, how you disappear for a few days every time?"

Remus froze.

"Yeah?"

Lily bit her lip and looked at her nails. "It's not something to do with your mum, is it?" she asks in a small voice.

Remus doesn't know what to say, or do. He stands there quietly, his back to the shelves, for a few seconds, while Lily looks at him nervously.

"I'm sorry," she says quickly when he doesn't respond. "I shouldn't have — I'm sorry, Rem — "

"No," Remus cuts her off. "Don't. It's alright. And you're right. It's not my mum. She's not sick."

Lily remains quiet. Remus looks at her worn, bitten nails and grins internally because she is adorable.

"I'm a werewolf," he says quietly, frankly. "I was bitten when I was four."

Lily swallowed, and nodded, her eyes large. It is obvious that she knew. And now he'd confirmed it for her. It hits him then that she is the first person since his parents to know about his secret, and his stomach sinks. There it goes, his first friendship. He couldn't even keep a stupid secret for a longer time.

"Oh, Remus!"

Lily throws her arms around his shoulders, and Remus is taken aback because of all the things he had expected, a hug was not one.

"You were worried, weren't you?" she says, her voice shaky. "I swear, you don't have to worry about anyone else knowing. I didn't mean to find out, and if you're angry — "

"I'm not angry, Lily," Remus whispers. And then, because he cannot help it, he asks, "you're not freaking out?"

Lily draws back and fixes him with a look.

"There's nothing to freak out about, Remus. It's not your fault. You're just like the rest of us, if I am being honest."

Remus sighs, feeling a certain weight leave him.

"Thanks," he breathes, then gives her a genuine smile that she returns. They go back to their studying, and Remus doesn't show it, but inside he feels like he could actually fly.

*.*.*

1973; third year. They — Remus, James, Sirius and Peter — start calling themselves the 'Marauders', and everyone knows them as the group of four cool kids. Well, James and Sirius are the cool ones. Remus is quiet and bookish, and Peter is James and Sirius' number one cheerleader.

But Lily is also his best friend. When he's not with James, Sirius and Peter, Remus is with Lily. It's good, because his mind is often buzzing with thoughts and he likes to talk about those with her. He doesn't think about the arrow too much. He wears his cloak most of the time and remembers to keep his hand covered.

It is on an afternoon in February that he notices something about Lily is off. It is their Divination class, and they are the first to arrive.

"Hey," he nudges her shoulder, "what's wrong?"

Lily looks at him, as if she's wondering if she should tell him, and then she sighs.

"Look at this," she huffs, putting her hand palm upwards on the desk. And Remus immediately sees the small black arrow, spinning against her skin and coming to rest, pointing right at him. His eyes widen and he looks back at her, then at the arrow.

"This — "

Lily purses her lips. "It happens only when I'm around you."

Remus nods, and pulls his hand out from under his cloak and shows his own arrow to her.

Lily's mouth falls open.

"Sorry I didn't tell you earlier," he mumbles sheepishly.

"Soulmates," Lily says.

"Mhm."

"Well," Lily sighs and sits back, taking her hand away, "I feel better now that I've told you. You're my best friend, Remus, and I think you're quite good-looking, but I don't fancy you."

"And you're my best friend, Lily. You're very pretty, but I don't fancy you either," Remus chuckles.

"Good." Lily grins. "You'll let me know if that changes, right?"

"Yep." Remus grins back.

"Thank Merlin," Lily breathes. "It was giving me so many sleepless nights, and I don't even know why I was so troubled."

"Oh, Lily," Remus laughs. "If only you knew."

*.*.*

1975, fifth year.

If someone asks Remus to define his and Lily's relationship, he won't be able to put a finger on it. They're best friends, of course. But they are also more. Even siblings doesn't quite do them justice. They don't fancy each other either, not even a little.

They really don't need to, Remus thinks as Lily scours the Potions section of the library, looking for more information on this plant called Wolfsbane that's supposed to be good for werewolves. They do almost everything together nowadays, especially with their OWLs coming up.

And when they are not studying, they'll talk for hours about anything imaginable. They also pick up a new hobby. Remus' mother taught him knitting over the summer, and Lily begs him to teach her as well. They make scarves and hats for James, Sirius, Peter and Lily's cat. Lily's are always lopsided and with big holes in them, and it makes Remus laugh, and the expression on her face after that makes him laugh even more.

"I'm sorry," he wheezes. "It's cute!"

She's there for Remus when he begins to realise that he fancies Sirius and when he's scared that people will shun him even more than before now because he likes boys.

He's there for Lily every time she sends her older sister a letter, and it comes back untouched, intact.

Remus has realised by now that soulmates can definitely be platonic too, and he's very glad about that.

So when James asks him if he and Lily are going out, Remus answers him easily.

*.*.*

Autumn of 1981.

A sudden coldness fills Remus, spreading from his stomach and to the tips of his toes. His ears fill with a strange buzzing, and he's too shocked to move except to reach out and put his hand on the tabletop, letting his arm support half his weight.

"Is it — ? Sirius? It's not true, right?"

Sirius sits in the lone armchair, his head in the palm of his hands.

"I wish it wasn't, Remus," he replies in a choked voice.

It is true. Lily is dead, and so is James, and all Remus can think of is about that time three months ago when Lily asked him to be the Potters' Secret Keeper, and how he'd refused because he wanted them to give Peter a chance because he didn't trust himself. He'd asked them to trust Peter instead. Peter, who had gone and betrayed them.

Sirius stands up and walks over to him, and wraps his arms around Remus.

"I can't believe it," Remus whispers, his eyes stinging when he hears Sirius sniffle. "I can't believe they're gone."

He looks down at his wrist, and watches as the arrow, once so dark and distinct against his pale skin, starts to fade until it isn't there any more. It's gone, and Remus knows for sure that he's just lost a part of his soul forever.

He himself is to blame, and he doesn't think he can ever forgive himself for it.