"Come on, Remus!"

Lily looked up sharply, recognising that voice somewhat. A fairly petite girl for a fourteen year old, she sat with her elbows resting on the Quidditch pitch rails, red hair falling forwards to hide the fact that, no matter how much she was nodding and 'mm'ing, she wasn't actually paying any attention whatsoever to her friends empty chatter.

"…so I was all, like, wow! I can't believe that of you! I mean, she seems such an innocent person, you know?"

"Uh-huh," muttered Lily, squinting into the bright, white clouds. Two people were flying over there, two dark spots against the sky. Why weren't they playing? Frowning, she strained her eyes, holding a hand to shade her vision. The sun was bright today; though cold as it was October. She shivered slightly, huddling further into her cloak.

"…so I said, "You have to be kidding me!" but Emma was like, no, no joke, and now I just can't wait until I meet him!"

"Mmm." Lily leant further over the rails, just as a vicious wind blew, mixing her vivid hair into what was sure to be knots. Irritably, she held it back, now looking down at the pitch. There was someone down there as well, she noted in surprise, someone with what could only be a broom. So why weren't they flying?

She slumped back in her seat. Her friends words were melding into a nice, background noise amid the wind, giving her time to think. Slowly she turned, looking her in the face, smiling and nodding but still not listening.

Why am I up here anyway? She frowned, twisting one tangled piece of hair round her finger, eyes glazed. Her friend continued to talk, gesturing excitedly.

Oh yeah. I remember now, she found me here.

Lily shook her head, sighing. It was so hard to find peace these days, somewhere to be away from her gossiping, laughing friends. Yet, no matter where she went, they always sought her out. Today she had thought the Quidditch stadium was safe enough, but no, Hannah had found her. Again.

With an abrupt movement she stood up, shaking out the creases in her robes. "Sorry Hannah, I have to go. Homework, you know." The charming smile on her face faded as Hannah continued to talk to the air, eyes fixed on the flying figures in front of her. Tentatively, Lily started walking away, glancing behind her as she went.

Her friend carried on talking to herself, now laughing at some joke she had just made. Shrugging, Lily left her to it and started down the stairs.

0o0

Remus was starting to get pissed off.

James and Sirius were hovering expectantly in the air, talking and occasionally tossing the ball between them. And yet, he stood, this broom clenched between his knees, looking like such a fool he was surprised the trees hadn't started sniggering at him yet.

"Come on," he snarled at the wood clenched in his sweaty hands, "Fly, damn you!"

He might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

Remus took a deep breath. Maybe he wasn't taking the right attitude with it.

"Alright, how about this," he started determinedly, "You fly for me, and I'll polish your handle. How about that? Sound tempting?"

Clearly, the broom wasn't impressed. Remus felt his temper start to rise.

"FOR GODS SAKE," he yelled, grasping the handle in a death grip, "Why won't you just FLY!"

The effect was instantaneous. The broom sprang to life as though it had been poked with a cattle prod, gave huge bucking leap and soared into air.

Without Remus.

He stared at the now empty place between his thighs, feeling completely bemused. Then he heard the giggling.

Face flaming red, he whipped round and saw a girl standing there; hand clamped over her mouth, but was unable to stop the snorts of laughter bursting out.

"I – I'm so sorry!" she choked out, lips quivering dangerously, "I know I shouldn't laugh, oh but it was so funny!" And with that, she was off again, peals of laughter echoing around Remus until he thought his head would explode with all the blood rushing to it.

Foolishly he stood there, waiting for her giggles to subside.

With an obvious effort, she pulled herself back together. "I really am sorry," she said, coming over him, unable to keep the smile from her lips, "It was very rude of me. I would have been mortified if it were me!"

She bit her lip, restraining another giggle.

Remus felt himself smile in spite of himself, but remained silent.

The girl held her hand out, eyes glowing warmly. She had very green eyes, Remus noticed suddenly. Almost the colour of the grass around them.

"Lily Evans," she smiled, and he shook her hand.

"R-Remus Lupin," he replied, tripping shyly on his words.

There was a moment of silence as they took each other in. Then she smiled again, white teeth showing.

"I was just heading to the library. Only homework stuff, very boring. Er, d'you want to come? Seeing as you haven't had much success flying?" Her eyes sparkled with laughter.

He hesitated, looking upwards. Sirius and James, tired of waiting had started without him, and judging from the shouts and swears coming from above had forgotten all about him. What did he have to lose?

"Yes, thanks," he murmured, and the two of them walked together off the pitch.

Two hours later found Lily and Remus in the library, heads bent over their books in simultaneous work. Mostly they just sat in silence, quills scrabbling away on parchment, but Remus preferred it that way, and he sensed Lily did as well.

He glanced at her over the top of his books. She was quite pretty in her own way, he thought, but what was more attractive was the way she completely lost herself in her books, in her writing. The way she bit her lip slightly in concentration, a small frown creasing her brow. From what he had seen of Lily Evans before, he had known her to be one of the large, gossiping groups of girls that circled the Gryffindor common room, feeding on any information they picked up, thriving on rumours. Remus didn't care much for people like that, as he had been on the butt end of many cruel rumours himself, but it was clear Lily, on her own, was quite different.

She felt his gaze, and looked up. He jumped and looked down guiltily, speeding up his writing. 'People don't like to be stared at' he reminded himself sternly, feeling his face grow hot.

Silence fell again, only as he worked, feeling his face slowly drain back to normal. Only…it wasn't just quiet. There was a definite background noise. Remus looked up sharply, a strange feeling of de' ja vu' swooping over him.

Not again.

Remus looked round, twisting in his seat, just as the library doors crashed open with extreme force, and James and Sirius, predictably, came striding in.

He sighed. It seemed he would never be able to hide from them.

Sirius looked round the room, quick eyes seeking him out instantly. "Reeeeeemmmuuuuus!" he called, bounding over. "What are you doing in here?"

On the other side of the table, Lily looked up, keeping a watchful silence.

"Homework," muttered Remus, looking down at his hands as James slid into the place beside him. Sirius remained standing, an astonished look on his face.

"But it's Friday!"

"No, duh," Remus thought, but said nothing. James and Sirius were looking at him as though he had sprouted an extra arm.

Lily cleared her throat slightly. "Friends of yours, Remus?"

Remus sensed James stiffen slightly. A slight sneer on his face, he looked across the table, and Lily looked straight back a him, the merest trace of a frown on her face.

"Yes, we are," James said, with the hint of a snap in his voice, "What's it to you?"

Lily looked at Remus, obviously waiting for him to introduce her. Nervously, he licked his lips and opened his mouth, but Sirius beat him to it.

"Hey, it's Evans, right? From our Charms class?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

Sirius shrugged carelessly. "Heard your name from Flitwick once."

"Oh." For a moment, they all stared at each other, Remus agitatedly gnawing at a fingernail. Out the corner of his eye, he saw James's hand absent-mindedly ruffle up his hair.

"So…" Sirius turned back to Remus, light of a sudden memory in his eyes, "Why didn't you come up to us when we were flying? We were waiting for you!"

Opposite them, Lily gave a tiny giggle, and Remus felt his cheeks flare up. James bristled at once, glaring at her.

"Something funny, Evans?"

"No," Lily snapped, and abruptly stood up, gathering up her things. "Well, I'm going." She looked directly at Remus. "Nice talking to you, Remus."

"And you," Remus just about had the courage to mumble, only Lily had already gone, door thumping closed behind her.

"Whew! Thank Merlin!" Sirius shook his head, frowning. "Where on earth did you pick her up, Remus?"

"I didn't pick her up," corrected Remus, feeling his cheeks colour again. "We were just talking."

"Oh, sure you were," James said sarcastically, and he stood up. "Come on, lets get out of here, Si."

Sirius looked down at Remus. "Coming?"

Remus hesitated. James was giving him a very odd look, and for a moment he doubted whether he would be welcome to tag along. But then James nodded as well.

"Yeah, come on Remus. You've got the whole weekend for homework."

Feeling incredibly confused, he obediently stood up and followed them out. While James and Sirius walked on either side of him, chatting nonchalantly of other things, he maintained a cautious silence.

There was something very strange happening here. Something to do with James.

Yet he couldn't for the life of him put his finger on it.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0