"Hey!" she said, approaching him rapidly.

Remus smiled with a corner of his mouth. Lily. Their relationship was indeed a bit weird, but in a good way. But so was any kind of his relationships with anyone. Anyway, what else could a relationship between a bloke and his friend's girlfriend be? If everything's within the law of course. He moved so she could sit next to him.

"Hi," he replied.

Lily sat down and started looking at the lake, mesmerized. The thing about them was that they didn't need words. Unlike James and Sirius who were always talking, talking, talking... James wasn't talking only when he was pining for Lily, that's a good influence of Lily's, Remus thought.

After minutes, hours, weeks or years? Of silence she finally said:

"What's the craic?"

Remus laughed. Sometimes he forgot that Lily was Irish, and that side of hers showed itself at the most unexpected moments.

"Not much of it, to be honest, how about you?"

She smiled, passed her hand over her ginger hair and answered:

"James asked me on a date!"

"Really?"

I thought it'd never happen, he thought to himself. Seriously, James, who was famous for being reckless and agog, couldn't ask a girl on a date! Not mentioning that the said girl was the love of his life and all that. But still!

"Yes," she nodded, looking at Remus in the most serious way. "Do you think I should accept?"

Remus chocked. He aways started nervously coughing in uncomfortable situations, when he was younger he was catching bronchitis all the time. It didn't pass without consequences.

When Lily's glance became really worried, he managed to say:

"I'm alright," in a really hoarsely voice.

A couple of moments later he added:

"It just was a really strange question, I'm sorry."

"Oh stop apologizing! It's a rather annoying trait of yours."

Remus swallowed. He knew that, just couldn't stop himself. And Lily was always so painfully honest.

"I know that's a strange question to ask, especially to you," she added, turning to him.

He nodded. He didn't want to risk with saying something again.

"But I don't have anyone else to turn to! You're his friend, you know him much better than any girl friend that I have," she looked him right in the eyes. "Do you think it's good for me? Do you think it'll be worth it?"

Remus mused. He knew what she was hinting on. On James's temper. On his recklessness. On him being unmerciful sometimes. Remus knew all James's flaws. Although he didn't judge him. And not only because he knew all his positive traits. He tried to choose the right words, it was hard. And not only because of the bronchitis.

"Lily," a good start, he thought. "I know James for five years. I won't lie to you and say that he's perfect. I doubt anyone in this sinful world is. The only thing that I know is that he's madly in love with you since the first year. As madly as a first-year can be of course," Remus laughed. "And I'm sure that nobody who loves with that kind of love is capable of hurting the one they love. Severus could."

Lily blushed.

"So you know about him?"

Remus rolled his eyes a bit.

"Of course I know and so does everybody else! You see, James, can hurt anyone but you. And Severus could hurt everyone including you. That's the difference."

Lily nodded. She was nervously winding up a strand of her hair, a common habit of hers. She did that when she felt nervous.

"Thanks."

Remus nodded.

"Thanks to you for turning to me."

They both smiled irresolutely.

Remus recieved a letter. It was a very decent and maybe even pretty letter, the envelope was tied with a red ribbon.

He opened it, carefully taking out the letter itself.

Dear Remus,

It was worth. Wait, what I am even writing, it is worth it. Thank you so much. I'm not sure if I'd be this happy without your advice back then!

Love, Lily.

P.S. Remus if you're really reading it and not just throwing it out in some box called "read later" and immediately forgetting, come to dinner with us today! At eight.

April, 1979.