A/N: This is the Seeker from Montrose Magpies writing for QLFC Round 1.

Prompt: "The LumberJack Song". Best lyric? "I cut down trees, I wear high heels. Suspendies and a bra. I wish I'd been a girlie, just like my dear Mama." Write about a transgender character.

Thanks to my team for looking through it!

Word Count: 1235

Disclaimer: I have no intentions of making money from this story, so all the recognisable stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Accepted

He read the plaque on the door, his gaze settling upon his name.

Remus.

He hated it. It was a Roman name, a name for men that were rough and tough, nothing like he was at all. He hated that he had to answer to it, to pretend to be a man. Ma had argued that he couldn't share a dorm with girls — she said that he wasn't a woman, and it would be unethical. But he wasn't entirely a man, either. Wasn't it also unfair on him? If anyone ever cared, they didn't voice it.

And deep inside, he knew he was a girl at heart. His gaze always lingered on the pretty dresses worn by mannequins in shop windows, unreachable, yet so close. He'd press his hands against the glass and feel the warmth seeping from his palms. He wanted to be beautiful; he wanted to be himself.

He wished he could throw away the leather army boots his dad had purchased for him, just before he had come to this school. Instead, he wanted to get those powder-blue heels he had seen his cousin wear at his aunt's wedding the summer before, clicking as she walked. He longed for the poise he'd seen in the delicate arch of her neck and the lithe gait she'd mastered that would make his hips sway.

It wasn't just about the materialistic things, though. He wanted the world to see him as a girl. He wanted to not wear the baggy clothes that his Ma forced upon him, to hide the curves that were just forming. He… he couldn't put what he wanted in words. He just wanted to live freely.

He hated how he referred to himself as 'he', even inside his head. It had been ingrained in him so strong that he had to present to the world as a boy, and he knew that if he ever came to accept himself as what he was — she was — he would never be able to go back to being seen as a man.

It was easier to simply pretend, as much as it hurt him. The alternative would be ridicule and rejection at best. At worst… Remus refused to think about that.

Remus shook the thoughts away and entered the dorm that would be his home for the duration of his time in boarding school.

He would live here with three boys. He had no idea how he was going to manage if he was going to be able to cope. At home, he was safe, cocooned away from the rest of the world — but it had failed to turn him into a butterfly.

Remus couldn't help but snort. No — he was a moth.

"What's so funny?"

The speaker was sprawled on one of the beds, grey eyes squinting up at him, an eyebrow raised. He had long hair. Remus hated him instantly — his mother wouldn't let him grow his hair beyond a couple of inches, claiming it would be too feminine. It didn't look feminine on hair-guy, not in the slightest.

"Nothing," Remus mumbled, looking around. Two of the beds were already taken, one by the boy, another by a box tipped on its side, clothes and sports equipment spilling out.

"I'm Sirius." He stood and extended a hand to shake. "James — he's that guy," Sirius pointed to the other bed with a box on it, "he's in the bathroom. He has a bit of a hair problem."

He snickered. Remus felt a small smile forming on his face and ducked his head. Hadn't he just told himself he hated Siri—the hair-guy?

"There's a Peter," Sirius carried on, "and I'm not expecting much of him. Peters always are boring. Do you have some boxes to bring up?" Remus nodded. "Awesome! Where to?"

Remus dumped the few things he had on the free bed next to Sirius and made a follow-me gesture, leading him to the parking lot where his Ma was waiting. He realised things wouldn't be boring with Sirius around, and he had an inkling he would have no privacy, either.

He grinned as Sirius began babbling about this James's alleged hair disaster. For some reason, he was okay with that.

It had been three months since Remus had moved in. He had become friends with all three of the guys, and he'd kept up his male facade really well.

Sirius was loud and obnoxious, having no sense of personal space. James loved pulling pranks and was an incorrigible flirt. Peter was quiet and usually simply trailed after them, but he was a good conversationalist.

He had friends, and though he wasn't living as himself, entirely, Remus felt more content than he ever had.

Of course, he jinxed himself as soon as he thought that.

He entered the quiet dorm, books tucked under his arm. It had been a tiring afternoon, and Remus was glad for the silence. He loved the guys, but they were by no means peaceful.

Only, the dorm wasn't empty. Sirius was sitting on his bed, looking unusually still and thoughtful. Sirius never sat still, and Remus couldn't help but worry.

Sirius's eyes snapped to his as Remus took another step into the dorm.

"Are you okay, Sirius?"

"Yeah. Yeah," Sirius's voice cracked, and Remus was concerned. Before he could ask another question, though, Sirius spoke again. "Are you hiding something from us? Me?"

Remus froze. Surely… But when he looked into Sirius's eyes, he could tell that Sirius knew. He wasn't sure what exactly Sirius knew, or how he knew it, but he did. Perhaps he'd found one of the books Remus had been reading… Remus swallowed. Perhaps he'd even found Remus's journal.

"I-I'll pack my things," Remus mumbled, staring at his boots, the very ones that he hated. He heard Sirius stand up and flinched, not sure what would happen. What he didn't expect was arms to snake around his torso.

"You're not going anywhere, you idiot."

Remus wasn't sure what to think, but he let Sirius guide him to a bed. He listened as Sirius told him how he had stumbled on the diary, and how he had read it, and… Remus blanked out the rest.

He was started out of his thoughts as Sirius poked him. "Now it's your turn. Talk, and don't you dare hide anything from me. You're my best friend, and I accept you, however you are."

With a deep breath, Remus talked.

"You should have told us," Sirius said quietly once Remus had exhausted himself talking. "We're your friends. But I don't blame." Remus wiped the wetness on his cheeks and gave Sirius a small smile. "And I know James and Peter will understand, too."

Remus nodded, but he couldn't get rid of the fear that suddenly gripped him, that the other two would kick him out.

The door opened, then, smacking loudly into the wall, as it usually did when James entered, and Remus felt his heartbeat speed up. Peter trailed in behind and gave Sirius and him a questioning look. Remus ducked his head even as Sirius turned to face them.

"James, Peter" Sirius started, his voice resolute. "Meet my friend Remy. She's a nerd, but she's a good nerd. And she lives here. With us."

There was a long silence. Remy finally dared to look up, wanting to be done with the rejection. But there was only understanding and acceptance in her friends' eyes, and for the first time, she felt at home.