Book Club: Red Rising

Prompt:

(word) hierarchy

Word Count: 1746

Groups have an unspoken hierarchy in place. At times, it's subtle, and at other times, it's not. The Marauders hierarchy was very unsubtle.

Anyone who looked at them knew James was the alpha male of the quartet, the one who could easily get all the girls he wanted just because he was overly confident, financially stable, and had a powerful personality. He thrived on conflict and fighting. The moment he walked into the room, people would stop and look at him. His presence commanded people's attention, and he lived for it.

Sirius was the beta. With his glorious black curls and striking grey eyes, he was just as charming as James, but he didn't have the same kind of swagger in his walk. He was prone to boasting about his conquests, but it wasn't as much as James. He easily got attractive women, but he didn't need to engage in all the risk-taking and fighting that James participated in. Sirius knew his life was good—even though he often played second fiddle to James.

Remus, on the other hand, was what people call a Delta. Although he was an intelligent young man, he wasn't anything special to look at. Even though his lifestyle wasn't as glamorous as James' and Sirius', he had a pretty happy existence as he was happy with his lot. He didn't have a lot of luck with women as he was quite introverted, but he didn't mind it so much. He often ended up putting women on a pedestal, which his past lovers had hated.

And poor Peter. He was the Gamma. He believed himself to be worthy of praise and adulation by others, but he was often disappointed by people's reactions. He seemed to live a life of dishonesty with himself and others. He wished to have a better life—a life like James' in which he would be surrounded by beautiful women and money. He was intelligent, of course, but it was wasted on petty things like pranks and jokes.

Lily had always been interested in sociology and learning more about the world. When she had arrived at Hogwarts for the first time, she had been shocked to learn that they wouldn't be studying any Muggle subjects. Despite her hectic schedule, Lily had done her best to read more about the society she lived in. And that was how, in her fifth year at Hogwarts, she came across a book about hierarchies.

After quickly deducing the Marauder's obvious social order, Lily decided it was time to shake things up a bit. She did her research and figured out exactly where to strike. Lily knew Severus would be incredibly proud of her, but he would also be annoyed that he hadn't given her the idea himself.

That very evening, when Lily entered the common room, James made a beeline for her. He smirked and ran his fingers through his messy black hair, winking at her. "Say, Evans. You, me, and a glass of Butterbeer this weekend? I'll make it worth your while."

Usually when James asked her out, Lily would sneer at him and rudely tell him to shove it, but at that moment, she began to set her plan in motion. She leaned back and looked him up and down, pursing her lips. It was a universal gesture of a person being unimpressed by what they saw, and James seemed to recognise the look. Still, he puffed his chest out in order to change her mind, but her face remained indifferent.

"No, I'm not interested in you," Lily said as politely as she could. She did her best to silence her laughter from bubbling out of her throat, and fortunately, it worked. She waved offhandedly at him and said, "You're not my type."

She walked off, leaving James to gawk at her back in utter disbelief. As she stepped onto the stairs that led to her dorm room, she allowed herself to grin deviously. Step one. Check.

And now… for step two.

Lily kept her eyes trained on Remus as he walked down the aisle towards the Gryffindor table. She knew James was watching her—when was he not?—and she waited for Remus to pass by before she said loudly, "Hey, Remus, would you like to sit with me?"

Remus stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at Lily, surprise evident on his face. "What?" he stammered, his eyes widening.

"Come, sit with me," Lily said, patting the empty spot next to her. She offered him a smile and gestured for him to sit.

Remus looked over at James, who was mouthing 'no' and shaking his head profusely, but when Remus looked at Lily's inviting smile, he knew he couldn't refuse her. Hesitantly, he sat down beside her, and Lily beamed as her plan continued to come together.

She made small talk with him, giving him her full attention. Remus' shoulders began to relax instinctively as Lily chatted and asked him questions about his hobbies. When he said something particularly witty, Lily threw her head back and laughed, placing her hand on Remus' arm to steady herself.

"Oh, Remus, you're so funny!" she exclaimed, wiping tears from her eyes. She noticed James stiffening where he sat a couple of seats down, and she laughed even harder.

Remus' face brightened at her words, and he ducked his head as his cheeks reddened. "T-Thanks for asking me to sit here, Lily."

"No problem, Remus. I think you're wonderful," Lily said, smiling at him. It wasn't a lie. She truly did think Remus was a good person; she didn't have to pretend to like him for her little prank. She saw James stabbing his plate with his fork, glaring in their direction, and Lily bit her tongue to keep herself from smiling at his reaction.

Step two, check.

Over the next few days, Lily noticed James and Remus arguing more often than not, and she couldn't help but rub her hands gleefully. She knew she should feel guilty about her actions, but it was just too entertaining messing with James. Whenever James was around, Lily made sure to talk to Remus, taking any chances she had to touch the brunet's shoulder or arm. She loved watching James bristling with indignation every time she shot him down and paid more attention to Remus.

Severus began to understand her plan, and to her delight, he agreed to help her. Every time he had an altercation with the Marauders in the hallways, he started to taunt James about his failed attempts at charming Lily. And just because he was enjoying himself, he even gave Remus a polite nod and said, "At least you're not as bad as Potter. No wonder Lily likes you more."

His continued ridicule of James and indirect approval of Remus caused the Marauders to reassess their roles in the group. James tried to pick fights with Remus in the corridors, almost challenging him to give Lily up. Remus would remind him that he wasn't even interested in Lily that way, but James believed he was out to steal the redhead from him. Meanwhile, Sirius didn't know what to do either. He was stuck in between his two arguing friends, wondering who to support. At the same time, he had to think of why Lily wasn't interested in him.

A week after she had set her plan in motion, Lily waited for James to ask her out again. She didn't have to wait too long.

Like clockwork, the moment James caught sight of her walking through the portrait hole, he hastened to get to her side before she could go up to her room. He offered her a charming smile, knowing that all the girls adored it, but he hadn't realised by then that Lily wasn't like the others.

"Hey, Evans, are you free this weekend? We could go to Hogsmeade together, and I'll treat you to some good ol' Butterbeer," James said, leaning against the wall beside her.

Lily looked around the common room and found Remus sitting on the couch doing his homework. She looked back at James, who looked so hopeful, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I already have a date."

"What? With who?"

"With whom," Lily corrected him with a smirk, and James scowled. He crossed his arms and waited for a reply. Lily said, "Well, it isn't official yet, but…"

"But what? You're going out with someone? Who is it?" James demanded, glaring at her.

"You'll see." Lily smiled before she turned around and walked over to Remus. The fire crackled softly behind him, illuminating the scars on his face, but Lily had never thought too much about them. She could feel James' gaze poking a hole in her head, and she couldn't stop smiling.

Remus looked up at her when he felt her presence and said, "Uh, hi, Lily?"

Lily plopped down next to him and said, "Are you free this weekend, Remus? I'd like to go to Hogsmeade with you."

Remus' eyes widened and he shot James' a terrified look, which caused Lily's lips to twitch in amusement. Remus looked back at her and stammered, "I'm sorry, but… I'm not—"

Lily winked at him and said, "Come on, Remus, please. Go out with me this weekend."

Remus seemed to understand what she was up to, and he groaned under his breath. He didn't want to be dragged into the mess, but Lily had always been nice to him. If she wanted him to act along, he decided he would. Still, he thought she should have told him her plan earlier.

Remus took a deep breath in and said, "Okay, but it's going to be only one date."

"Thanks, Remus! You're the best!" And with that, Lily leaned forward, cupped Remus' face, and gave him a loud smooch on his cheek. She pulled away from a terrified Remus and stood up, a wide smile on her face. She turned around and waved her fingers gracefully at James, whose mouth was wide open and his hand was on his chest. "See you later, Potter!"

While she was striding past James, she stopped in her tracks and reached her hand up to shut James' mouth. "You'll catch a fly if you're not careful," she teased before she walked off, her hips swaying from side to side.

As she walked up the stairs, she heard James scream, "Remus Lupin! I'm going to kill you!"

Hook, line, and sinker.