Chapter Fifteen: Prefect Duty, and Another Shock for Sirius
"So, Bethan's pretty pleased about that Marley guy, I gather," Remus commented when he and Lily had been patrolling the fourth floor for about ten minutes, keeping a sharp eye for trouble-makers.
"God, yeah, definitely!" Lily agreed, grinning. "Wouldn't you be?" At Remus' raised eyebrows, she quickly corrected herself. "I meant – I would be."
"Okay." Remus gave her a funny look before asking with a grin, "Is he a bit of a stud, then?"
"Have you seen him?" Lily replied vehemently. Remus thought about it. He had seen Marley Branson, and pictured him now. He was about average height, but very sturdy with muscles everywhere and a moody, brooding look to his dark face.
"I thought you didn't like big, muscelly guys," Remus said, remembering a conversation the girls had had a while ago, which the Marauders had listened to.
"Yeah, but he's not disgustingly muscelly, he's... perfectly muscelly," Lily answered in Marley's defence. "And those eyes, so deep and brooding..." she saw Remus' face and snapped back. "Oh sorry, you're lovely too!" she added.
Remus laughed. "The sympathy vote," he commented amiably, then thought about it and said, "I don't know, he sounds too much like a Muggle reggae singer to me."
Before Lily could answer, he changed the subject, remarking, "The hallways are quiet this evening. It's not like Hogwarts to be so devoid of trouble- makers."
"I'm sure the Marauders have something up their sleeves," Lily said darkly. "The calm before the storm."
"I hadn't heard them discussing anything," Remus replied. "Anyway, they wouldn't do anything too fun without me..."
He trailed off as they reached the stairs going down to the third floor, and Lily was about to make a smart answer when a wall of stench hit them, making them step back the way they had come.
"That would be why no one's around," Remus said, his voice muffled from his sleeve that he held over his face in an effort to block the smell. Lily nodded in agreement, as she coughed into her own cloak sleeve.
A roar of rage made them look fearfully at each other, and they realised Filch was on the hunt.
"Come on!" Remus grabbed her arm and ran back the other way, away from Filch's coarse yelling. They stopped running when they reached the library, which they thought was a safe enough distance away, and tried to catch their breath, bent over with hands on knees.
"Why – did you – run away?" Lily gasped eventually.
Remus stared at her. "Did you not hear him?" he asked in amazement. "He would have skinned us alive!"
"But we didn't do anything," she protested. "We're prefects!"
"It doesn't matter to Filch, and student is his enemy," Remus told her. "And besides, you may have a clean slate, but I'm a Marauder."
"Oh, like you're an integral part of the group!" Lily teased. "We all know it's Sirius and James who – ooh, I bet it was James who let that stink bomb off!" she realised. "If it was him, I'll –"
"Do what?" Remus asked, wanting to get her back for saying he wasn't important to the Marauders. "Cover him in pumpkin juice again? He'll see it coming this time."
Lily laughed. "It was good for a one-time thing, though," she said, "the look on his face, I'll never forget it! He was so surprised that someone dared to upset his perfect face!"
She sat down on a chair outside the library doors. They had both recovered from the dash from Filch now.
"Why do you hate him so much, anyway?" Remus asked.
"I don't hate him," Lily answered. "I hate the way he is, and what he represents, I suppose. All that arrogance, thinking he can do whatever he wants. I mean, I am by no means a fan of Snape, but he doesn't deserve all the crap you guys give him."
"You know what? I agree," Remus told her, feeling guilty and useless. "But I'm too much of a pansy to make them stop."
"You're not a pansy, you're just..." She stopped and he waited, eyebrows raised. "You have some sense of decency, at least," she finished, grinning.
Remus sat down against the wall next to her chair. He found himself disappointed with this answer, but made himself smile up at her, and he asked, "What should I tell James, then? You're obviously not impressed, even by the standards of his party-throwing skills. What do you want?"
"What do I want?" she repeated in surprise, leaning forward on her elbows as she thought about it. "That's a serious question, Remus."
He looked up at her. "You may as well answer, now that I've asked," he said evenly.
"I suppose I want someone who doesn't rate himself higher than he deserves, someone who's kind, funny, a good friend, easy to get along with... I want James Potter to be taken down a peg or two," she finished on a more humorous note.
"That's a long list," Remus said quietly. "Do you think you'll be able to find someone to fit that criteria?"
"I can think of one person," she answered even more quietly, slipping down off the chair to sit next to him. He glanced down and put a hand on her arm; she touched his face, bringing him closer. Just before they kissed she looked deep into his eyes, and noticed all the colours there. Brown, green, blue, grey; like the sea after a storm...
In the Gryffindor common room, Sirius was getting into his work for once, and was putting a lot of effort into his Charms essay. Next to him James was finishing a game of chess with Peter. He was winning, as usual, but this time Peter's excuse was that Adriana kept smiling at him from across the room, where she was sitting with the other girls.
"I need a book from the library," Sirius announced, moving his feet from where they had been resting on the table in front of him, while he wrote his essay using his knees as support.
"Alright, Padfoot, but," James looked up at him anxiously, "Do you know where it is?"
Smiling maliciously, Sirius whispered a winning move in Peter's ear and left the room, his grin widening as he heard Peter crowing with victory and James cursing.
He walked quickly in the direction of the library, wanting to get this essay over with. He only needed the book for a few extra details, but he had been told by Professor Swift that if he didn't put a lot more effort into his work, then he wouldn't be doing himself justice and his NEWTs next year could suffer badly. Sirius knew how important those exams were, and felt he could deal with James' teasing that he had become a nerd.
As he rounded the last corner, his step faltered a bit when he saw a couple sitting right at the bottom of the library door, necking for England. As he hesitated, not sure whether to interrupt or not, he recognised Remus, and with a devilish grin silently stepped closer, wanting to see which lucky lady Moony had picked up. As the couple parted and Remus moved his head away, Sirius gave a very audible gasp, which alerted them to his presence. Without delay he turned on his heel and went straight back to the common room, completely forgetting about the library.
He, James, Peter and the girls were the only ones who had been up when he'd left, and when he got back, they had all gone to bed, leaving a clear common room. Sirius paced for a bit, dwelling on what he had just seen and wondering what to think about it. After a few minutes the portrait hole opened and Remus entered, looking worried.
He stood where he was by the door and waited for Sirius to say something. Sirius, waiting for Remus to say something, decided he would break the silence and asked, "Where is she?"
"She went to the library," Remus said apologetically. "Sirius, I..."
Sirius interrupted. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Moony? What will James think when he finds out you've been fooling about with the love of his life?"
"No, it's not like that." Remus sighed and closed his eyes briefly before looking up with a pained expression and saying, "Sirius, I – I think I love Lily."
"So, Bethan's pretty pleased about that Marley guy, I gather," Remus commented when he and Lily had been patrolling the fourth floor for about ten minutes, keeping a sharp eye for trouble-makers.
"God, yeah, definitely!" Lily agreed, grinning. "Wouldn't you be?" At Remus' raised eyebrows, she quickly corrected herself. "I meant – I would be."
"Okay." Remus gave her a funny look before asking with a grin, "Is he a bit of a stud, then?"
"Have you seen him?" Lily replied vehemently. Remus thought about it. He had seen Marley Branson, and pictured him now. He was about average height, but very sturdy with muscles everywhere and a moody, brooding look to his dark face.
"I thought you didn't like big, muscelly guys," Remus said, remembering a conversation the girls had had a while ago, which the Marauders had listened to.
"Yeah, but he's not disgustingly muscelly, he's... perfectly muscelly," Lily answered in Marley's defence. "And those eyes, so deep and brooding..." she saw Remus' face and snapped back. "Oh sorry, you're lovely too!" she added.
Remus laughed. "The sympathy vote," he commented amiably, then thought about it and said, "I don't know, he sounds too much like a Muggle reggae singer to me."
Before Lily could answer, he changed the subject, remarking, "The hallways are quiet this evening. It's not like Hogwarts to be so devoid of trouble- makers."
"I'm sure the Marauders have something up their sleeves," Lily said darkly. "The calm before the storm."
"I hadn't heard them discussing anything," Remus replied. "Anyway, they wouldn't do anything too fun without me..."
He trailed off as they reached the stairs going down to the third floor, and Lily was about to make a smart answer when a wall of stench hit them, making them step back the way they had come.
"That would be why no one's around," Remus said, his voice muffled from his sleeve that he held over his face in an effort to block the smell. Lily nodded in agreement, as she coughed into her own cloak sleeve.
A roar of rage made them look fearfully at each other, and they realised Filch was on the hunt.
"Come on!" Remus grabbed her arm and ran back the other way, away from Filch's coarse yelling. They stopped running when they reached the library, which they thought was a safe enough distance away, and tried to catch their breath, bent over with hands on knees.
"Why – did you – run away?" Lily gasped eventually.
Remus stared at her. "Did you not hear him?" he asked in amazement. "He would have skinned us alive!"
"But we didn't do anything," she protested. "We're prefects!"
"It doesn't matter to Filch, and student is his enemy," Remus told her. "And besides, you may have a clean slate, but I'm a Marauder."
"Oh, like you're an integral part of the group!" Lily teased. "We all know it's Sirius and James who – ooh, I bet it was James who let that stink bomb off!" she realised. "If it was him, I'll –"
"Do what?" Remus asked, wanting to get her back for saying he wasn't important to the Marauders. "Cover him in pumpkin juice again? He'll see it coming this time."
Lily laughed. "It was good for a one-time thing, though," she said, "the look on his face, I'll never forget it! He was so surprised that someone dared to upset his perfect face!"
She sat down on a chair outside the library doors. They had both recovered from the dash from Filch now.
"Why do you hate him so much, anyway?" Remus asked.
"I don't hate him," Lily answered. "I hate the way he is, and what he represents, I suppose. All that arrogance, thinking he can do whatever he wants. I mean, I am by no means a fan of Snape, but he doesn't deserve all the crap you guys give him."
"You know what? I agree," Remus told her, feeling guilty and useless. "But I'm too much of a pansy to make them stop."
"You're not a pansy, you're just..." She stopped and he waited, eyebrows raised. "You have some sense of decency, at least," she finished, grinning.
Remus sat down against the wall next to her chair. He found himself disappointed with this answer, but made himself smile up at her, and he asked, "What should I tell James, then? You're obviously not impressed, even by the standards of his party-throwing skills. What do you want?"
"What do I want?" she repeated in surprise, leaning forward on her elbows as she thought about it. "That's a serious question, Remus."
He looked up at her. "You may as well answer, now that I've asked," he said evenly.
"I suppose I want someone who doesn't rate himself higher than he deserves, someone who's kind, funny, a good friend, easy to get along with... I want James Potter to be taken down a peg or two," she finished on a more humorous note.
"That's a long list," Remus said quietly. "Do you think you'll be able to find someone to fit that criteria?"
"I can think of one person," she answered even more quietly, slipping down off the chair to sit next to him. He glanced down and put a hand on her arm; she touched his face, bringing him closer. Just before they kissed she looked deep into his eyes, and noticed all the colours there. Brown, green, blue, grey; like the sea after a storm...
In the Gryffindor common room, Sirius was getting into his work for once, and was putting a lot of effort into his Charms essay. Next to him James was finishing a game of chess with Peter. He was winning, as usual, but this time Peter's excuse was that Adriana kept smiling at him from across the room, where she was sitting with the other girls.
"I need a book from the library," Sirius announced, moving his feet from where they had been resting on the table in front of him, while he wrote his essay using his knees as support.
"Alright, Padfoot, but," James looked up at him anxiously, "Do you know where it is?"
Smiling maliciously, Sirius whispered a winning move in Peter's ear and left the room, his grin widening as he heard Peter crowing with victory and James cursing.
He walked quickly in the direction of the library, wanting to get this essay over with. He only needed the book for a few extra details, but he had been told by Professor Swift that if he didn't put a lot more effort into his work, then he wouldn't be doing himself justice and his NEWTs next year could suffer badly. Sirius knew how important those exams were, and felt he could deal with James' teasing that he had become a nerd.
As he rounded the last corner, his step faltered a bit when he saw a couple sitting right at the bottom of the library door, necking for England. As he hesitated, not sure whether to interrupt or not, he recognised Remus, and with a devilish grin silently stepped closer, wanting to see which lucky lady Moony had picked up. As the couple parted and Remus moved his head away, Sirius gave a very audible gasp, which alerted them to his presence. Without delay he turned on his heel and went straight back to the common room, completely forgetting about the library.
He, James, Peter and the girls were the only ones who had been up when he'd left, and when he got back, they had all gone to bed, leaving a clear common room. Sirius paced for a bit, dwelling on what he had just seen and wondering what to think about it. After a few minutes the portrait hole opened and Remus entered, looking worried.
He stood where he was by the door and waited for Sirius to say something. Sirius, waiting for Remus to say something, decided he would break the silence and asked, "Where is she?"
"She went to the library," Remus said apologetically. "Sirius, I..."
Sirius interrupted. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Moony? What will James think when he finds out you've been fooling about with the love of his life?"
"No, it's not like that." Remus sighed and closed his eyes briefly before looking up with a pained expression and saying, "Sirius, I – I think I love Lily."