AN: Yes I know this chapter's a bit long. The next one will be shorter, I promise. Oh, and thanks for reviewing. It's because of the two of you I got this chapter up at all!

Chapter 12: The Glorious Obsession

The world seemed to have stopped turning as Emily began to read over Snape's shoulder:

My Dearest Emily,

I wish that I could understand this strange feeling that seems to come to the pit of my stomach every time I see your sweet face. I can't explain it exactly, but it's almost like walking outside into the warm air when you've been locked in a cold dark room your entire life. Like walking into the sunshine, that's what it felt like the first time I saw you. The first time your eyes blinked open underneath that tree.

Emily nearly allowed a squeal of delight to escape her lips before she remembered that she wasn't Technicaly "supposed" to be there. Quickly she covered her mouth and continued to read over Snape's shoulder.

I didn't know what it was then, I still can't exactly pin point it. I thought that it would go away after a while, but it hasn't. I still feel that way every time I see you. Even if it is just a few minuets after lunch or before dinner. And every time it's never enough. I want to be with you, talk to you, see you every minuet of every day

She knew exactly how he felt. His meal time visits had become, in fact the highlight of her day. She had reasoned, before the letter that she simply enjoyed talking to someone whom she didn't have to teach or scold as she did with James and Sirius. But if she was honest with herself it was something a bit deeper than that.

I'm still not exactly sure what this is but, I have a feeling of what it might be. I suppose it's safe to say it here, with this quill, on this parchment. Yes, it is safe here since I will never let you read this letter. Not even in thirty or forty years when we're already married with three children and two dogs and... I'm fantasizing again.

The way he was talking it was almost as if... but no. They had only known each other for two weeks. It was far too early for...that. Wasn't it?

All right. The point that I'm trying to make is, I think I'm in love with you.

Apparently he didn't think it was too early for...that. And at that precise moment it didn't matter. In fact nothing seemed to matter anymore. The rest of the world's joys and problems and concerns seemed to pale in comparison to the last sentence she had read on that little piece of parchment.

He loved her! Remus Lupin was in love with her! Emily held her hand over her mouth to keep herself from shouting so that every one in the world would be able to hear her.

(That would certainly silence Severus Snape who was now openly sniggering at the same sentence. Men just didn't get it.)

The letter went on, but before she could read any further...

"Playing hide and seek Snivelus?"

Emily and Snape both turned around to find that Sirius Black had penetrated the dark corner, his wand out and pointed directly at Snape. Remus Lupin, who was currently wearing a rather panicked expression as his eyes darted to the parchment in Severus's hands, followed Sirius.

"Can we play?" Sirius's eyes darkened maliciously

Snape pulled out his wand faster than she had time to blink, but apparently it wasn't soon enough.

"Expeliarmus." Sirius said almost lazily. Instantly Snape's wand flew out of his hand and at least three feet into the air.

Emily watched in awe as Sirius caught it deftly with his left hand, while his own wand in his right hand was still pointed at Snape.

"Now, I believe you've got something that belongs to my mate here." Sirius indicated the bag, but Emily couldn't help but notice that Remus seemed much more interested in the parchment currently in Snape's hands.

Of course he wouldn't want anyone to know how he felt about her, he didn't even want her to know how he felt about her. Why were men always so embarrassed about this kind of thing?

"If it's so important to him, why doesn't he get it himself?" Snape retorted. He too seemed to have realized that what really mattered to Remus was the parchment, because he was now waving it slightly in his hand and giving Remus a defiant sneer.

Hesitancy and indecision played on Remus's face, indeed his expression looked almost pained.

He had told her rather early on that magic was not allowed in the halls. And magic, Emily was willing to bet, would be the only way to get those pieces of parchment out of Snape's hands. Yet, in all the time she had been following him, she had never known Remus to break a rule. No matter how small or insignificant.

"Unless of course you'd rather have Black fight your battles for you Lupin..."

What a greasy little git! Forcing Remus to make such a decision was sinking to a new low.

Apparently Sirius (for once) felt the same as Emily. He raised his wand to Snape's throat a look of fury on his face. He opened his mouth to say something before Remus stopped him.

"Si-sirius, please. I can handle this."

Remus first took two steps toward Severus and made a grab for the parchment. Snape quickly jumped out of the way, his sneer broadening into an evil grin.

"Alright then" Remus muttered almost to himself.

Still looking quite hesitant, yet oddly determined, he slowly began to take his wand out.

Emily couldn't believe it. Remus Lupin, prefect, near perfect student, was going to break a firmly set school rule. And for what? For a letter! And, sort of... for her.

Well, not if she could help it. She didn't need him landing himself in trouble on her account. She wasn't worth it. (Oh, God! Emily thought, she was even beginning to think like a clichéd romance novel).

So, before Remus could lift his wand another centimeter, Emily stuck her foot out and swung it swiftly beneath Snape's legs, causing him to fall flat on his face. The four pieces of parchment that had once been clenched firmly in his hands scattered out across the floor.

Remus, apparently quite relieved, hurried to pick them up.

Sirius forcefully pulled Snape's head up by his long greasy black hair in order to look him in the eye.

"Watch yourself Snivelus," He whispered threateningly as Severus struggled to his feet.

"Next time I won't be so forgiving." Sirius lowered his wand, grabbed a hold of Severus's robes and shoved him out of the corner.

With one last defiant sneer, Snape grabbed hold of his own bag and disappeared down the corridor.

"You got lucky with that one moony." Sirius said as he watched Snape leave.

"I thought for a second that the perfect little prefect would've had to break a school rule."

Remus made an indistinct sound as he moved to pick up the second piece of parchment that had landed next about a foot away from his bag.

"What I can't understand is what that slimy little greasball wanted with this stuff in the first place." Sirius said in a casually perplexed tone as he picked up two of the pieces of parchment that were lying next to his foot.

One of them she realized, contained the first part of the letter Remus had written to her. The other...Emily moved closer to get a better look.

From what she could see the other parchment Sirius had picked up had a drawing on it of a pair of, rather large, rather heavy lidded, rather familiar eyes.

Emily nearly let out a sigh again. Remus had taken the time to draw her eyes.

Wait a minuet, she thought suddenly. Just her eyes? What was wrong with the rest of her body? Sure her eyes were her best asset, but the rest wasn't that bad. Was it?

She quickly chastised herself. She was being selfish. Besides poor Remus would no doubt have to endure all manner of teasing for the sake of her eyes. She could at least be grateful.

"What is this Moony?" Sirius asked in a half amused half disgusted voice.

Remus turned around too late to see Sirius starring alternately at his doodle and his letter.

"Oh," He said attempting to control the red in his ears from continiuing down to his face. "Just a doodle." He reached over to grab the two stray pieces in Sirius's grasp, but Sirius tugged his hand away as he continued looking at the parchment.

"Really?" He said sneering broadly. "Then why do these eyes look so familiar?" Remus looked down to his bag attempting to hide the fact that his face was now completely scarlet.

"Let me guess this other piece has the exact same eyes drawn all over it..." Sirius still grinning playfully, was becoming increasingly amused at the panicked look on Remus's face. He slowly began to look at the second page in his hand, the page that contained the letter.

"Oh, looks like I was wrong." Sirius's eyes were now gleaming as he looked over the letter.

"My Dearest Emily," He began to read aloud.

Stupid prat. It was enough that the letter had been stolen in the first place with out his friends taunting him about it to. Still, from the likes of Sirius Black, she should have expected as much.

"Give it back, Padfoot, please?" Remus said frantically as he once again reached for the letter.

"I want to be with you, talk to you, see you every minuet of everyday. You know Moony, normal people would call this an obsession." Sirius said looking over the letter as he kept it out of his friend's reach.

"Sirius please!" Remus implored once again. Finally Sirius looked ready to relent.

"Alright alright, here." He said handing the parchment back to Remus, who slowly, almost lovingly folded the two pieces in turn and put them back into his bag.

"But honestly, if I were you mate, I would just go shag the girl and get it over with." Sirius said as they turned out of the corner and headed back towards the charms class room.

Emily and Remus's mouths both dropped open.

Well, that was it! The new height of male chauvinism in todays society. When did men begin to get the idea that they could just go and 'shag' (one of the most horrid expressions in the English language in Emily's opinion.) anyone they wanted?

"You would do that?" Remus sounded as disgusted as Emily felt.

"Yeah, in a heart beat." Sirius said casually.

Emily nearly stumbled over the cloak and had to hold herself up to keep her balance.

It was part of this sick attraction she had to Sirius Black that he could make her fall all over herself and turn completely red at the thought that he would be willing to "Shag" her. And in a heart beat, no less.

Remus threw him a reproachful look.

"Well, thank god I'm not you." He said as they neared the class room where Peter appeared to be waiting for them. "I have a bit more respect for her than that."

She was glad at leas that the boy who had fallen in love with her (At the very thought she was nearly tempted to dance a jig.), was a gentlemen unlike the other men that surrounded him.

"suit yourself. I'm just saying, she's already in your bed..."

"Did you get it?" Peter asked almost excitedly as they aproached him.

"Yes wormtail, we got it." Remus said giving a strange look to Sirius as he showed Peter the bag

"Wow. What happened?" Asked Peter. He sounded very much like a child eager to hear a story.

Sirius and Remus related the entire event to Peter who seemed to be listening with rapped attention.

"You almost performed magic in the corridor?" Peter asked amazed. They had reached the point in the story before the revelation of the letter, but after Snape's dramatic exit.

"Looks that way." Remus answered. His ears began to turn red with the knowledge of what was coming next.

"Why?" Peter asked perplexed. Yet it was Sirius who answered as Remus began to fix his eyes on the floor.

"Oh, no special reason. Moony here was just protecting his interests." Sirius said smiling amusedly at Remus who's face was turning pink.

"What does that mean?" Peter asked anxiously.

"It means that Padfoot was being a nosy prat." Remus muttered defensively.

Sirius appeared not to have heard him as he continued to answer Peter

"It means that Snape found some rather...er... personal articles in moony's bag relating to his obsession..."

"Would you quit calling it that ?"

"Well that's what it is."

Remus gave Sirius a death glare, which Emily realized with pride, was somewhat reminiscent of her own.

"OK." Sirius conceded, looking rather alarmed. (No doubt he had noticed the resemblance also.) "...that related to his ...er...interest in a certain item currently being contained in our dorm room."

"You mean Gardner?" Peter finally caught on after a rather muddled pause.

"Shh. Not so loud." Remus whispered, looking frantically at the passing students.

"Oh, don't be so jumpy." Sirius was in contrast louder and more boisterous than ever. Reckless idiot, Emily thought savagely. "No one knows what we're talking about anyway."

"Including me, what are we talking about?" James caught up with the other three at a near run as they headed closer to the great hall.

"If someone wasn't busy chasing after Lilly Evans they'd know wouldn't they?" Sirius said in an almost sullen voice.

"Before we know it you'll be writing little love letters, like Moony here." Sirius abruptly regained his enthusiasm for teasing Remus.

"A love letter?" James said grinning maliciously.

"Well, I was bored... I'd finished with the work ...and...and...what else was there to do?" Remus stuttered in a failed attempt to defend himself.

He was really quite cute when he got all flustered like that, Emily decided.

"And to whom was this letter addressed?" James asked, with a malicious grin

"Three guesses." Sirius said

"Ah, Emily." James said with a newfound understanding.

"Would you quit shouting it?" Remus whispered once again quite frantically. As he pulled the doors open to the great hall.

As much as Emily would have liked to continue to follow them through dinner, she and James had both agreed that she would be back in the dorm room as soon as lessons were over. So, grudgingly, with one last look at the group as they began to join the que for dinner, she headed up the stairs to the common room.

As she mounted the stair well, she couldn't help feeling that finding out about Remus's obsession was the most worthwhile discovery she'd come upon in the past two weeks.

A sweet, handsome, chivalrous, genleman was in love with her! And she knew, the moment before her reading of the letter had been so rudely interrupted by Sirius Black's now infamous bad timing, she was quickly falling in love herself.

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