A/N: Spoilers for season three of Buffy. Also, yeah, another time bending one. I'm not familiar enough with popular books and movies of the time to reference something historically accurate, and I figure that you should always take the opportunity to reference Buffy if it presents itself, so…

"And then you have Oz," Gigi gushed, pretending to swoon onto the loungebeside Sirius'. Sprawled out, she stared up at Lily, trying to look solemn despite her position. "He's, like, so hot. He's sweet and deep and philosophical, and he's the lead guitarist in a band, and…"

Lily pushed her friend's feet off the cushions so she could fit in next to her, but Gigi merely shot her a reproachful look before swinging her legs back up defiantly so they rested in the redhead's lap. Rolling her eyes, Lily replied, "So you're saying I should watch it for the cute boys."

"Totally," she joked, twisting a strand of hair around her fingertips sardonically. "The amazing friendships and snappy dialogue and meaningful plotlines are, like, totally secondary."

"Point taken. So tell me more about this Oz person."

"He's introduced as a love interest for Willow, which is so perfect because she has this major crush on Xander, who just sees her as a friend, and it helps her to… not get over it, really, but to grow as a person separate to him. And everything's going really well, you know? Oz is helping them research and he and Willow are so obviously going to end up together and everything is perfect."

"And then?"

"And then he realises that he's a werewolf."

A loud spluttering sound cut through their conversation. Glancing up, Lily's eyes were greeted with the sight of Remus seeming to actually convulse as he spat out a mouthful of water. Her face paled as she realised what had caught his attention – and what would likely come of it. "What?" he demanded incredulously.

"Gross, Remus," another seventh year boy named Anthony, who had been captivated by Gigi's story, reprimanded him as he swiftly evaporated the water. "How does he just 'find out'? Isn't that something you'd already know?"

"Yeah. What happened next?" Lily asked, almost desperately, trying to divert attention away from the lycanthrope who, realising that his little display had attracted the attention of everyone in the common room, was starting to blush in fierce embarrassment.

"It was when he woke up in the forest the next morning, I think. His little cousin bit him, so he didn't know until then," Gigi said hurriedly before twisting her upper body around so that she could face Remus. "What do you mean, 'What?'?"

"Yeah, Moo – Remus," Peter teased, trying to look innocent. "What do you mean?"

Remus shot him a filthy glare. "Just that… I didn't expect that twist, that's all. It just… Werewolves, you know. You never expect werewolves."

"We didn't either," Anthony replied, still eyeing him suspiciously. "Yet you didn't see any of uschoking onour drinks."

"Not to cut in," James said, smoothly doing exactly that, "but I need to head out, so this seems to be as good a time as any to… ah... Well." He bounded over to their lounge and dropped into place in front of Lily, kneeling at her feet. "Lily, my dear, you are the reason I breathe. I love you more than life itself. Will you do me the honour of accompanying me to Hogsmeade this fine weekend?"

His face looked so earnest that it pulled a started laugh from Lily. While she would have once been annoyed by such an excessive display, particularly when she had made her own feelings abundantly clear, the last few months of tentative friendship had softened her towards it. Melodrama was, it appeared, what James Potter did. So, while she expected him to tone it down while he was around her, she had come to tolerate it. His blatant attempt to distract the others, however…

"Seriously," Gigi intoned, her gaze still fixed on Remus. "That was weird, man."

Lily frowned as she realised that James' ploy hadn't worked. Their friends were, it seemed, so used to their dynamics that it no longer warranted notice. They all knew how it would have played out last year: James publicly asks Lily out, Lily feels humiliated and says no, James hexes someone in a misguided attempt to manage his anger. And they expected it to go down the same way then as well.

"James," Lily said sweetly, raising her voice loud enough for it to carry without appearing staged, "I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you this weekend."

Then she knocked Gigi's legs aside and flung herself off the lounge and into his arms, knocking them both onto the common room floor. He let out a surprised grunt as he hit the carpet, but that in no way dimmed his beaming smile as his arms came up to wrap around her.

"Oops," Lily said, forcing out a giggle as she adjusted herself in his arms. "Sorry."

Silence spread across the room like mist, starting with those closest to them but continuing until not a sound was uttered by any of the room's inhabitants.

"It sounds like it worked," Lily whispered to James.

"Thanks for going along with it," he muttered back. "I was terrified they'd work it out."

"Me too."

"You do realise we'll actually have to go to Hogsmeade together now, though, right? So no one realises – "

"I know. I was planning to ask you out tomorrow, anyway." She rolled off him and sat up, grinning broadly. A faint blush spread across her face as she noticed Remus gazing at her intently. Remus, who knew that her feelings for James had turned romantic weeks ago, but who also knew that public announcements weren't really her thing. Remus, who knew exactly what she had just done for him.

Laughing, James pushed himself up off the floor until he was sitting beside her, his arm looped around her shoulders. "She said yes!"

Gigi cheered. As the whole room – barring Remus, who just smiled at her gratefully – followed suit, Gigi shot Lily a congratulatory wink.

We've got this, Lily thought as she looked back at James. Mission accomplished. Both missions accomplished.

A/N: My friend April (apriljunemay on FFN; you should check out her HP/Twilight crossover The Keeper's Lament, which is linked from my profile) and I were discussing how hilariously bad Remus is at keeping his cool when lycanthropy comes up in conversation, and she suggested that some of Sirius' and James' antics might have simply been an attempt to cover for him. Like: Remus is acting suss in public again; time to jinx a random Ravenclaw! Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to have Lily get in on the distraction action as well.