SUMMARY: AU. No matter what he did, James couldn't get Remus to help him in the pursuit of Lily Evans. He begged, he pleaded, he bribed, but Remus just flat out refused to help. Why? Well, would you help someone break the heart of YOUR sister?
DISCLAIMER: As you all know, everything is J.K. Rowling and I am insanely envious.
Chapter 2: Compare and Contrast
Lily ran her fingers through her hair, trying absently to tame it. She was dressed in a black and white polka-dotted dress that went down to about her knees and a black sweater over it, in case it got chilly. Her favorite part of this outfit was the way the dress spun as she twirled, amusing her to no end. She had her hair down and flying all over the place in the wind. Her eyes were lined with black eyeliner, the rest of her pale face bare of any makeup, aside from clear lipgloss.
Compared to Remus, Lily looked much more mismatched than she actually was, but she didn't care too much about what other people thought. There were too many rules involved with the way some people thought, and Lily didn't care for any of this stereotypical mumbo-jumbo-crap. Really, Lily just liked the way it all looked, it wasn't who she was or how she defined herself. Remus was often telling her the "message" she sent with her clothing, and Lily was often telling him she didn't care. It was how she dressed. But Remus thought that everyone was judging her based on her looks. Which was true, but they would do that anyway, so why change?
Of course, he was practically the poster child for the slogan "Dress For Success". He was the guy any girl would bring home to her parents, who would automatically love him, just from the sensible, gentlemanly way he was dressed. He was put together quite nicely, with his shirt pressed and a pair of comfortable jeans, his sneakers white and nice. He was the "perfect package", while Lily's clothes...well... spoke for themselves and never really made sense to anyone but herself.
It was curious how messy she looked compared to Remus. But, it didn't bother her how all over the place she was, it just let her get more things done. At least, that's what she insisted. She wasn't nearly as organized (or as productive) as Remus, but what fun would that be? It's not like anyone really compared her and Remus anyways. They were such opposites in the eyes of ...well, just about everyone.
She doubted whether anyone even knew they were related...they all probably just assumed they had met in first year and become friends, opposites attract and all that. Lily inwardly shrugged (because to shrug outwardly while talking to no one would lead to a few unnecessary questions), she didn't really mind if no one knew. What difference did it make? Just because people didn't know didn't mean she was any less related to Remus, so she didn't really care.
They arrived at the station at 10:35, which was lucky because Lily was suddenly reminded of their prefect's meeting (which they had missed the year before...and the year before that). After saying their goodbyes to Harry, the two teens casually walked through the barrier. Platform 10 and 3/4 materialized before their eyes.
"Help me get my trunk up, would you?" Lily asked Remus. The two of them managed to get both trunks on the train in a matter of seconds. The pair then walked to the Prefect's compartment, neither wanting to wait on the practically empty Platform. To their surprise, only the Head Boy and Girl were in the compartment, both looking quite bored.
"When does everyone get here?" Lily asked, waking the pair from their stupor.
"Oh, well, normally, all the prefects are here by around 5 till 11." The Head Boy replied.
"See, we didn't miss nothing these last two years, just four minutes. So, being late was no big deal." She stuck her tongue out at Remus.
"Didn't miss anything, Lily. At least get your grammer right." Remus corrected her, smiling smugly
"Shut up. I'll say it whichever way I'd like to." Lily said in mock haughtiness and sat down, taking out a book from her bag.
"Whatcha got there?" Remus asked, curious. They had gone shopping for school supplies a week earlier, but he hadn't seen that one.
"Just a muggle book, by some woman named JK Rowling. Ever heard of her?" Lily asked curiously. The book had been a random find at a muggle book store when she had gone shopping with Marie a few weeks back.
"Nope, can't say that I have. What does she write?" Remus asked, intrigued.
"Muggle fantasy. You'd be amazed at some of the things she comes up with! Nothing even close to real magic. It's quite funny, actually." Lily said, settling down a bit to read.
"Can I borrow it when you're done?"
"Of course. Just remind me. This woman's got some imagination, I haven't been able to put this book down!" Lily pushed the hair out of her face and began to read. The Head Boy and Girl fell back into their daydreams, leaving Remus alone and quite bored.
"I'm going to go look around a bit and see who's here." Remus stood up and stretched a bit.
"Okay, well, be back by 5 to 11. Wouldn't want to miss another meeting, would you?" Lily teased her brother, who just stuck his tongue out at her and left the compartment. Settling herself back in her seat, Lily began to read the curiously imaginatively book.
Remus stepped off the train and almost immdiately saw three of his best mates, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. They waved him over and he thread his way through the small crowd. James Potter was around 6' 2'', just a hair taller than Sirius. He had dark hair that was absolutely unmanagable, and it drove the girls absolutely wild when he mussed it up even more. Sirius, with hair darker than James' and much easier to control, was leaning against a wall while he spoke to James, occasionally stopping to wink at a girl passing by. Peter was sitting on his trunk, a small boy with beady eyes and a face resembling a rat, staring up at his friends adoringly.
"What are you doing here so early, usually, you jump on the train just as it begins to pull out." James teased, a smirk on his face.
"Didn't want to miss the prefect meeting, I've never actually made it early enough to catch the beginning." Remus shrugged.
"Oh. Whaddya doin' out 'ere, then?" Sirius asked, his mouth full with half of a pumpkin pastie.
"No one was there, except Lily and the Head students, who said that everyone shows up around 5 til 11, so I don't really have to worry for a bit." Remus leaned against a near-by wall, looking down slightly at the ground. Bringing up Lily never slipped by unnoticed.
"Evans, eh? Trust her to show up early. Probably's been there since 9:00, knowing her." James joked. Remus chuckled, but only because of how wrong James was and how little James really knew her. Lily was hardly on time for anything, except class, of course. She wouldn't have even been awake by nine if Remus hadn't woken her up.
"Hey, Prongsie, you think you'll finally catch her this year?" Sirius asked James, his tone challenging. Remus stiffened a bit. He hated when they talked about Lily like this. Since the middle of their fifth year, ever since Sirius had dared James to ask out Lily, James has been pestering her nonstop for a date. Remus knew all too well that James was just asking her out because she refused to go out with him, which is exactly what he told Lily.
If he knew James had any real feelings for her, Remus would have helped him out a bit, with a few clues here, a push or shove there, but it was all a big game to James. Remus knew that when Lily got involved with someone, whether it was a friendship or a relationship or anything, she was extremely heartfelt and passionate and genuine. She'd be loyal and loving, and she'd get crushed when he dumped her a week later.
He didn't want her to get hurt, so he asked her not to date him, for his own sake. He didn't have to worry, though. His very stubborn sister already decided she did NOT like arrogant, bullying toerags which is exactly how James acted around girls he wanted to make swoon), so there was nothing to worry about. Not that James wasn't a great guy, because he was the best friend anyone could ask for. Remus just knew James was a very horrible boyfriend to the girls he deemed worthy to date him. Easier this way, than to let James play with her heart when he really couldn't care less about her.
"You know I will." James said smugly, ruffling his hair and winking at a few girls nearby. Remus just rolled his eyes.
"What, you don't think he will, Moony?" Sirius asked, having caught the eye-roll.
"Nope, I think her mind is made up." Remus shrugged. James sighed a deep, elaborate, exaggerated sigh.
"Well, maybe if a certain someone, who has had prefect duty with her and has been her friend since first year didn't refuse to help me at ALL, maybe I could change her mind." James retorted casually.
"I will not help you, as I've said before, because I think it's wrong to use my friendship with her to your advantage, when you really don't fancy her anyway." Remus said just as calmly, arms crossed in front of him.
"Hey! That's a low blow! Who says I don't fancy her?" James said, pretending to be more offended that he actually was. Remus raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"It just so happens I am head over heels in love with Miss Evans." James stated, matter-of-factly.
"We've had this arguement before James. You have no real feelings for her, I'm not going to help you break her heart, end of story, ok?"
"That's a bit unfair, isn't it? Look, I just want one date, is all!"
"And why is that? Why do you want her to give you a chance so badly?"
"Because after he snogs her, he'd've snogged every girl in 5th, 6th and 7th, excluding Slytherins, of course." Sirius interupted, finally finished with his pastie.
"Shut up, Padfoot." James muttered, shoving Sirius backwards. Remus just looked at James knowingly, then glanced at the clock.
"Oh, gotta go. Prefect meeting." Remus said and walked back onto the train, waving to a few people here and there. After he left, and Sirius manged to get most of the dirt off his pants, James leaned over and asked,
"Why do ya reckon he's so protective of Evans?" Sirius shrugged.
"Maybe he fancies her or something..." James shook his head.
"No, he'd tell us. Besides, he knows that if I knew he fancied her, I'd back off." Though as James said it, he knew it wasn't true. The compulsion to date that girl was far too strong- he knew he couldn't give up now. He knew he really did fancy her now. There was something special about her that James could just not get enough of and it drove him crazy how much she seemed to hate him.
"Well, do ya think it's because they're real close friends or something? I mean, they study together sometimes and have prefect stuff together. And, you know that she's been his friend a bit longer than even we have." James shrugged. For some reason, it irked him that Lily would be willing to study with Remus, to talk to Remus, and to even become friends with Remus, but hated the every sight of himself. Couldn't he catch a break?
"You reckon she's told Remus if she hates me?" James asked suddenly, his voice thoughtful.
"Dunno mate, but if she did, Remus isn't one to go spilling out her secrets and the like. Besides, if she hated you, she'd've said it to your face. She's a bit outspoken, in case you hadn't realized." Grabbing his trunk, he followed James to load the trunks on the train, with Peter trailing behind.
"Yeah, I suppose so.." James said uncertainly as he watched Sirius load his trunk. Then, James helped Peter with his.
"C'mon, lets get to our compartment before anyone else takes it." That made Sirius laugh, his laugh sounding more like a bark.
"Who would dare sit in our compartment. I mean, we are the Marauders, aren't we?" That made James' smile widen. The three of them walked to the end of the train and made themselves comfortable in the last compartment, their compartment. At exactly 11 o'clock, the train began to move, pulling away from the Platform with a few last goodbyes from various students.
The prefect meeting, in reality, couldn't have been more boring. Lily assumed it might have been more interesting, had they not known everything that was being said already. The meeting was more for the 5th year prefects who didn't know what was going on. Remus was just as bored, though he would never admit it to Lily. All summer, he complained how much they had missed at this meeting and how he did not want to miss it again, only to find it was completely uninformative. He knew all the rules and rights and all the rubbish that the Head Boy and Girl kept going over.
After twenty extremely painful minutes passed, they were dismissed, all with patrolling assigments. Lily and Remus only had to patrol for an hour or two, but not until after the snack trolley finished it's rounds. After leaving the Prefect's compartment, Lily and Remus seperated, Remus to find the other Marauders and Lily to find Izzy, who usually sat somewhere in the middle of the train, along with the other girls.
"Oi! REMUS!" Lily doubled back and called after her brother, who was halfway down the corridor. He made his way back to her.
"What?" He asked, exhaustion in his voice. Lily's smile faded, replaced with a look of concern.
"Are you alright? You'll make sure to sleep on the train a bit, won't you?" Lily asked, worried he might push his strength, like he had done a few times before, and end up collapsing or something.
"Yes, mum, I will." Remus reassured her, his voice teasing. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Anyways, I almost forgot to give you this." She handed him a small sack of money. "Mum had given me it, said that her ickle Remmi-diddums had forgotten it. Apparently, you left it on the counter and Mum had to drive it over here. I had gotten off the train to stretch my legs and she spotted me." Lily smiled broadly at Remus, who hardly ever left anything anywhere... that was usually Lily's job.
"Thanks ever so much. Why didn't she just give it to me?" Remus asked as he pocketed the money. "I was outside, too."
"I dunno, she must not have seen you. There were a lot of people on the platform, you know." Lily shrugged. "So, I'll see you later, Rem. I'm going to go find Izzy and the rest of them."
"Why don't you two come sit with me and the guys? I know you don't want to spend such a long time with those girls." Remus offered, feeling bad that Lily felt she couldn't hang out with him.
"Shut up, those girls happen to be the girls I live with. And Izzy's my best friend, right along with you! Besides, I'd rather spend it with those girls than with those guys; those girls don't hate me!" Lily protested, trying to defend her friend and roommates, while being careful not to insult the Marauders. Remus may be calm, but he was also VERY loyal to his loved ones. Remus rolled his eyes yet again.
"They don't bloody hate you, Lily, and you know it! They just don't know you, is all. All they know is the person you present them with, which happens to be a-"
"Scary, school-obsessed bookworm who doesn't know how to dress herself to please the young men? Yeah, well, I don't care what they think of me. I am going to go sit with people who actually know ME and don't judge me. The girls know I'm not some freak, or any of those other charming names I know people whisper behind my back." Inside, Lily knew that wasn't quite true, but she wasn't about to let Remus know that. With her hands on her hips, she ready to start a full-on debate with Remus. He held up his hands in surrender.
"Look, I just didn't want to make you feel...I don't know, left out or something. We just seem more distant in school." Remus shrugged and looked at the floor, in an attempt to look humble and hurt.
"Cut the crap. I'm sorry I got all defensive, alright? And I don't feel like I can't hang out with you, it's just it would be weird for me to hang out with your friends a whole lot, and you know it." Lily said, a smile on her face and arms now crossed in front of her chest.
"Not true. You're more than welcome to hang out with us, whenever you want. They wouldn't think it was weird at all!" Remus said, indignant.
"Bulloks! You and I both know it'd be some sort of sibling space invasion, though they wouldn't know it." Lily said, skeptic at the idea of her even sitting with those boys being seen as "normal".
"Whad'dya mean by that?" Remus asked, confused.
"Do they know we're related?" Lily asked. Remus' look of confusion was replaced by one of guilt.
"Well, there hasn't really been an appropriate time-" Lily cut him off
"No excuses necesary. It's not like either of us are flaunting it, or hiding it for that matter. It's actually easier that not that many people know, could you imagine how many girls would pester me until I got them a date or something with you? I know of so many girls that are crushing on you, it's actually quite creepy. Thank Merlin that Izzy doesn't!" Lily said, pretending to wipe off her forehead, as if she had been nervous or something.
"Wait, Isabel knows?" Remus asked, shock evident in his voice.
"Well, yeah. It's not that big of a deal. We were just talking about families and stuff, and she asked if I had any siblings, and I had said I have a sister, Petty, and that you were my stepbrother. She didn't like faint or anything. It's not like we discussed in detail every aspect of my life, but we've been best mates since year one. It was bound to come up." Lily said, shrugging. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, Lily raised her eyebrows at Remus.
"You okay? You're staring out into space." Remus shook his head, awakening from his daydream.
"Um, yeah, I was just trying to picture a situation where it would be so casual to say that. I wonder how the boys would react..." Remus tilted his head, thinking.
"Oooookay... It's not some big deal or anything, and why would they care? The only time I talk with any of them is if we have to for class, or me telling Potter to go away and stop pretending like he wants to go out with me or whatever his issue is."
"I dunno. It's just a bit odd, to know someone for so long, then find out they've had stepsisters all this time... it would just be weird."
"Okay, well, whatever. You have the money, I gave it to you, right?" Remus nodded. "Alright, then, I'm going to go find Izzy before you get all philosophical and stuff. I don't want a headache just yet. I'll see you after the trolley comes around, because we have to patrol. Don't forget... you don't want to have to depend on my memory, now do you?" Smiling, Lily walked in the opposite direction to find her friends. Remus turned around and strolled to the very last compartment, where James and Sirius were currently playing Exploding Snap as Peter watched.
"Remus! Look who finally decided to join us! We haven't seen you for ages!" Sirius through up some Exploding Snap cards in "celebration". In retrospect, not the smartest thing he could have done. After the smoke cleared, Sirius was left with one eyebrow and Peter tried to douse the fire which had started on top of his head. As James put out Pete's fire, Sirius cast a spell to fix his eyebrows. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Please, I was gone for 25 minutes, 30 at most." As they began to set up for another game, Remus pulled out a book from his bag. James looked up at him, a curious look on his face.
"Hey, Moony, by any chance did you see Lily in the meeting?" He asked, trying to be casual. Both of Remus' eyebrow rose.
"Yes..." Remus answered, hesitantly. "Why?" James shrugged.
"Did she mention our widdle Jamsie-wamsie, by any chance?" Sirius asked, as James' cheeks captured a slightly pink tint. Remus relaxed a bit. James wouldn't ask him about her now that Sirius has teased him about it.
"No. But I only spoke to her for a few minutes anyways. We are patrolling later, though, so I'll make sure to mention Jamsie here said hi..." Remus grinned evilly at James, who's blush got a bit brighter and he tried to hide behind a textbook.