(Whew, I'm on chapter 17! This is getting to be a long story!)
Lily stumbled down the hallway after Remus, having shooed the rest of the group back to the tower. The sounds of her footsteps rang clearly through the hall, and she could hear the faint sound of another set of footsteps some ways in front of her.
"Remus! Slow your bloody arse down! I'm at a bit of a disadvantage, speed-wise!" She called, the faintest trace of laughter in her tone. After a minute or two, Lily stopped. There was no corresponding set of footsteps anymore. Slowly, she moved a few more paces, and reached out to touch the handle of a door.
She turned the doorknob and stepped into what appeared to be meant as a teacher's lounge, but had obviously been in disuse. "Remus?" She called softly, hesitant to break the tomb-like silence of the room.
Lily ventured further into the room, and found Remus curled in upon himself in a dusty armchair next to the only window in the room. Gingerly, Lily sat in the armchair across from him, her emerald eyes exhibiting her confusion as to what to say. "Remus…it's all right…" She said slowly, focusing on the elfin face in front of her.
"No!" Remus snapped. "It isn't! I could have killed you! Would have killed you…" Remus' voice shook, and wavered into silence.
Lily reached forward and took Remus' hand into her own. "But you didn't. I'm still here, I'm not going to die."
"I wish everyone would stop risking their lives to help me! I've been a werewolf since I was four! That's been over a decade! Over a decade of full moons and pain and scratching and biting without everyone coming to 'rescue' me. I'm not made of glass, I can make it through the full moon alone. Every day since the first time James, Peter, and Sirius transformed I've been haunted with the dread that I'll hurt them! That I'll tear into their soft flesh and maul them until they can no longer scream." Remus turned a suddenly blazing amber gaze to her, and growled. "Last night I almost did."
Lily was suddenly angry. SHE had been the one who was hurt, not Remus. She had had about enough of his tough act. "Listen, Lupin. I knew before I went in there what the risks were. I knew that, if you wanted to, you could kill me mid-heartbeat. We know that you can make it on your own. We hate it that you have to. And now you don't have to. So don't give me all this shite about how no one understands the risks. We do. And we still come. And we will always come."
Remus looked slightly taken aback at her outburst. "But should you?" He asked quietly.
"Doesn't matter. Doesn't make a bit of difference. We will always be there. Always. And I don't blame you for what happened to me. Not one single bit. It wasn't your fault. I want you to scream, cry, do the fragging hokey-pokey or whatever it is that you need to do to get passed this, and get passed it. It isn't your back that's bleeding, it's mine. And as long as it is my back, we're fine." Lily said vehemently.
Remus stared at the floor in front of him, and neither he nor Lily made a sound. Slowly, he looked out of the corner of his eye at Lily. The faintest ghost of a smile graced his face and he said, "The hokey pokey, Tiger Lily?" And the pair laughed.
Back in Gryffindor Tower, the Marauders and Kaleb were sitting in a circle on James' bed, waiting. The silence was becoming deafening, and Peter shifted uncomfortably.
"I hope Remus is ok." Kaleb said, at last.
James looked up, startled. "You hope Remus is ok? What about Lily! You're her best friend! And Remus wasn't the one who got a bite taken out of him!" James' voice had not gone up in volume, but had steadily increased in intensity.
"Lily knew the risks when she went in there. She may not have known that it would happen that way, but she knew it could. Besides, she's fine. She'll be sore for a while, and she'll have a cool scar to show off at parties. Remus is the one that is going to be emotionally scarred after this. Besides, are you telling me you blame Remus for what happened?" Kaleb asked, arching a brow. Her gaze was cold and dangerous, and extremely threatening.
"Of course I don't. Not really. I just…she was laying there and there was so much blood and she was in so much pain…I…it was horrible." James said, gesturing uselessly in an attempt to convey his meaning.
Kaleb stared at him for a while, an odd look on her face.
"What?" James asked after a few minutes, unnerved.
"Oh…nothing." Kaleb said absently, and fingered the pattern on the quilt.
Just then Lily and Remus burst into the dorm. They were nearly breathless from laughter, and both of them were flushed.
"Hey, what's with all the gloom and doom faces?" Lily asked, giggling.
"I know what'll cheer everyone up!" Remus said triumphantly.
"What?" Lily asked, already expecting a joke.
"We could do the HOKEY POKEY!" That started another bout of side-grasping laughter, during which Peter, James, Sirius, and Kaleb simply stared.
"Are you two drunk?" Sirius asked, after the pair flopped onto the bed that the rest of the group was on as well.
"Oh! That would have been a good idea!" Lily said, poking Remus in his side. "Pity we didn't think of it."
Remus, returned the poke and then addressed his friends. "Nah, we went down to the kitchens and loaded up on sugar. Yup, this is me and Lils, ala Sugar High."
Kaleb groaned. "When you crash, Lils, you had better be in your bed. I am not carrying you to our dorm."
The next few weeks flew by with business as usual, and the group of friends grew exceedingly closer. We look back in on them on a Friday evening, just before they go into the Great Hall for supper. Lily had taken to predicting what the meal would be before they entered the hall, and more often than not, she was right.
"I'd say…roast beef with carrots and potatoes…and…cherry tart for dessert." Lily announced, holding a hand over her eyes dramatically.
The group entered the hall and sat together at the end of the Gryffindor table. The groupies that flocked around the Marauders hadn't given up on them, however, and sat as close to the objects of affection as they could.
When the food appeared on the table, Lily laughed triumphantly. "Ha! I told you! Am I good, or am I good?" Her grin was contagious, and soon the entire group was concurring. Remus however, bit his lip, and worried about things that had never before occurred to him.
Lily and Kaleb were sitting in the Gryffindor Common room on Saturday morning, waiting for the Marauders to wake up and come downstairs.
Kaleb tossed a sofa-cushion at her scarlet-haired friend. "Just do it, already! Since when are you nervous about this stuff?" She arched a perfectly formed brow, and awaited her friend's response.
"I'm not, I'm not. I just…I don't want to ask him, and then have it make everything awkward. If it was just me and someone I hardly know, it would be no big deal. Even with him being a close friend, I could go back to normal, but I don't think he would. Things would get strained and weird and I don't want that to happen." Lily explained rapidly, as she clutched the cushion to her chest.
"Lily, you're acting like such a girl." Kaleb said, rolling her sapphire eyes.
(A/N Did that seem too short? Well, it would have been up sooner, but ff.net was being a butt-monkey, so I couldn't upload it. The next chapter should be up fairly soon)
Lily stumbled down the hallway after Remus, having shooed the rest of the group back to the tower. The sounds of her footsteps rang clearly through the hall, and she could hear the faint sound of another set of footsteps some ways in front of her.
"Remus! Slow your bloody arse down! I'm at a bit of a disadvantage, speed-wise!" She called, the faintest trace of laughter in her tone. After a minute or two, Lily stopped. There was no corresponding set of footsteps anymore. Slowly, she moved a few more paces, and reached out to touch the handle of a door.
She turned the doorknob and stepped into what appeared to be meant as a teacher's lounge, but had obviously been in disuse. "Remus?" She called softly, hesitant to break the tomb-like silence of the room.
Lily ventured further into the room, and found Remus curled in upon himself in a dusty armchair next to the only window in the room. Gingerly, Lily sat in the armchair across from him, her emerald eyes exhibiting her confusion as to what to say. "Remus…it's all right…" She said slowly, focusing on the elfin face in front of her.
"No!" Remus snapped. "It isn't! I could have killed you! Would have killed you…" Remus' voice shook, and wavered into silence.
Lily reached forward and took Remus' hand into her own. "But you didn't. I'm still here, I'm not going to die."
"I wish everyone would stop risking their lives to help me! I've been a werewolf since I was four! That's been over a decade! Over a decade of full moons and pain and scratching and biting without everyone coming to 'rescue' me. I'm not made of glass, I can make it through the full moon alone. Every day since the first time James, Peter, and Sirius transformed I've been haunted with the dread that I'll hurt them! That I'll tear into their soft flesh and maul them until they can no longer scream." Remus turned a suddenly blazing amber gaze to her, and growled. "Last night I almost did."
Lily was suddenly angry. SHE had been the one who was hurt, not Remus. She had had about enough of his tough act. "Listen, Lupin. I knew before I went in there what the risks were. I knew that, if you wanted to, you could kill me mid-heartbeat. We know that you can make it on your own. We hate it that you have to. And now you don't have to. So don't give me all this shite about how no one understands the risks. We do. And we still come. And we will always come."
Remus looked slightly taken aback at her outburst. "But should you?" He asked quietly.
"Doesn't matter. Doesn't make a bit of difference. We will always be there. Always. And I don't blame you for what happened to me. Not one single bit. It wasn't your fault. I want you to scream, cry, do the fragging hokey-pokey or whatever it is that you need to do to get passed this, and get passed it. It isn't your back that's bleeding, it's mine. And as long as it is my back, we're fine." Lily said vehemently.
Remus stared at the floor in front of him, and neither he nor Lily made a sound. Slowly, he looked out of the corner of his eye at Lily. The faintest ghost of a smile graced his face and he said, "The hokey pokey, Tiger Lily?" And the pair laughed.
Back in Gryffindor Tower, the Marauders and Kaleb were sitting in a circle on James' bed, waiting. The silence was becoming deafening, and Peter shifted uncomfortably.
"I hope Remus is ok." Kaleb said, at last.
James looked up, startled. "You hope Remus is ok? What about Lily! You're her best friend! And Remus wasn't the one who got a bite taken out of him!" James' voice had not gone up in volume, but had steadily increased in intensity.
"Lily knew the risks when she went in there. She may not have known that it would happen that way, but she knew it could. Besides, she's fine. She'll be sore for a while, and she'll have a cool scar to show off at parties. Remus is the one that is going to be emotionally scarred after this. Besides, are you telling me you blame Remus for what happened?" Kaleb asked, arching a brow. Her gaze was cold and dangerous, and extremely threatening.
"Of course I don't. Not really. I just…she was laying there and there was so much blood and she was in so much pain…I…it was horrible." James said, gesturing uselessly in an attempt to convey his meaning.
Kaleb stared at him for a while, an odd look on her face.
"What?" James asked after a few minutes, unnerved.
"Oh…nothing." Kaleb said absently, and fingered the pattern on the quilt.
Just then Lily and Remus burst into the dorm. They were nearly breathless from laughter, and both of them were flushed.
"Hey, what's with all the gloom and doom faces?" Lily asked, giggling.
"I know what'll cheer everyone up!" Remus said triumphantly.
"What?" Lily asked, already expecting a joke.
"We could do the HOKEY POKEY!" That started another bout of side-grasping laughter, during which Peter, James, Sirius, and Kaleb simply stared.
"Are you two drunk?" Sirius asked, after the pair flopped onto the bed that the rest of the group was on as well.
"Oh! That would have been a good idea!" Lily said, poking Remus in his side. "Pity we didn't think of it."
Remus, returned the poke and then addressed his friends. "Nah, we went down to the kitchens and loaded up on sugar. Yup, this is me and Lils, ala Sugar High."
Kaleb groaned. "When you crash, Lils, you had better be in your bed. I am not carrying you to our dorm."
The next few weeks flew by with business as usual, and the group of friends grew exceedingly closer. We look back in on them on a Friday evening, just before they go into the Great Hall for supper. Lily had taken to predicting what the meal would be before they entered the hall, and more often than not, she was right.
"I'd say…roast beef with carrots and potatoes…and…cherry tart for dessert." Lily announced, holding a hand over her eyes dramatically.
The group entered the hall and sat together at the end of the Gryffindor table. The groupies that flocked around the Marauders hadn't given up on them, however, and sat as close to the objects of affection as they could.
When the food appeared on the table, Lily laughed triumphantly. "Ha! I told you! Am I good, or am I good?" Her grin was contagious, and soon the entire group was concurring. Remus however, bit his lip, and worried about things that had never before occurred to him.
Lily and Kaleb were sitting in the Gryffindor Common room on Saturday morning, waiting for the Marauders to wake up and come downstairs.
Kaleb tossed a sofa-cushion at her scarlet-haired friend. "Just do it, already! Since when are you nervous about this stuff?" She arched a perfectly formed brow, and awaited her friend's response.
"I'm not, I'm not. I just…I don't want to ask him, and then have it make everything awkward. If it was just me and someone I hardly know, it would be no big deal. Even with him being a close friend, I could go back to normal, but I don't think he would. Things would get strained and weird and I don't want that to happen." Lily explained rapidly, as she clutched the cushion to her chest.
"Lily, you're acting like such a girl." Kaleb said, rolling her sapphire eyes.
(A/N Did that seem too short? Well, it would have been up sooner, but ff.net was being a butt-monkey, so I couldn't upload it. The next chapter should be up fairly soon)