A/N: Thank you so much to everyone that's reading! And an extra thanks to those who take the time to comment! I really, really appreciate it
Chapter 5:
Lily yawned loudly as she wandered slowly down to the Great Hall to get some breakfast before classes started for the day. She ran her fingers hurriedly through her long red hair and wiped her face with her hands as though this would help any traces of her utter exhaustion disappear. It'd been a few weeks since she and Remus had started to their journey into coupledom, and Lily felt comfortable enough with their relationship that she wasn't putting an extreme amount of effort into her appearance, though, admittedly, it's not as though she was ever putting all that much effort into her physical looks. Remus, however, didn't seem to mind that Lily never fussed over her looks like some sort of witch off the cover of a fashion magazine.
"G'morning, everyone," she muttered sleepily as she sat down beside Remus at the table.
"Look alive, Evans," James proclaimed as he threw a biscuit at her. Lily, of course, was much too tired to process things this quickly and the biscuit hit her square between the eyebrows and bounced onto the table. Her tired green eyes moved slowly towards where the biscuit had landed and she shrugged before picking it up nonchalantly and beginning to take large, unladylike bites from it.
"Goodness, Lily, you're acting like a starved wolf," James announced. "Don't you ever eat?"
"I like food," Lily stated simply through a mouthful of half-chewed biscuit. Remus patted Lily on the back sympathetically. He knew her well enough to realize that when Lily first woke up, she wasn't the most rational or responsive person in the world.
"Good morning, Jamesy," Constance announced in a sickeningly-sweet tone as she sat on the bench next to James. She ran one of her hands through his messy black hair to straighten it and then turned to look at Lily rather triumphantly. James cringed and shrank away from Constance like a young child shrinks away from its mother when she tries to clean its face.
"Stooop," James whined. "My hair's fine. I just got it the way I like it."
"Jamesy, I'm just trying to help," Constance cooed.
"Well, help, Sirius. I'm sure his hair needs combing, too," James complained. As if on cue, Sirius took the seat next to Constance and shot her a large grin.
"Constance, my dear, you look lovely," he announced as he put his arm around her shoulders. Constance looked slightly annoyed, but much to everyone's surprise, she allowed his arm to stay there and didn't shrug it off immediately.
"Are we witnessing a love triangle from some sort of alternative universe?" Lily leaned over to whisper in Remus's ear.
"I guess Sirius is finally wearing her down," Remus whispered back as he reached for Lily's hand under the table and held it gently. Lily smiled at Remus with delight and the two held each other's gaze as though they were sharing a special secret between just the pair of them.
"Sirius! Get your hand off of my thigh," Constance shouted angrily, bringing Lily and Remus quickly back to reality. "You're such a pervert!" Sirius stared back at her like a guilty puppy dog who'd just chewed up his master's shoes.
"Oh, sorry, I—uh, meant to grab your hand," Sirius explained with a small smile. Constance rolled her eyes and shook her head before getting up and walking away to join another table.
"Smooth, Sirius. Well done, mate," James critiqued his friend.
"It was worth a try," Sirius replied with a shrug.
"You're pathetic," Lily added in.
"What? I can clearly see Remus is holding your hand beneath the table now and you two are sitting there very smugly acting rather pleased with yourselves. You think no one can tell you're holding hands and acting all nauseatingly affectionate? Oh, we're very well aware. And I, for one, do not appreciate what Remus is doing, because it makes girls expect certain things. For example, when I touched Constance's thigh she became all offended because she wanted me to go and do a silly thing like hold her hand. You're ruining it for the rest of us, Remus. I mean, honestly," Sirius lectured with conviction.
"I can't help the fact that you're a total pervert," Remus responded with a grin.
"I'm not a pervert! I just have healthy hormones! For the love of Merlin."
"Class. Now," James announced. He'd been rather quiet throughout the whole ordeal and had just sat looking at Remus and Lily rather sullenly from across the table.
"You're particularly articulate today, Potter," Lily pointed out as she rose from the table, dropping Remus's hand. "Remind me to buy you a word-a-day calendar for your birthday."
"I'm tired, and Constance won't leave me alone," James complained as he moved to walk next to Lily. Remus took the textbooks Lily was carrying from her hands and carried them with his own in a sort of old-fashioned gesture of courtship.
"Remus," Lily turned to lecture him, "I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own books."
"I know you are," Remus returned, "but I'd rather carry them for you and save you the trouble." Lily smiled appreciatively at Remus and kissed his cheek quickly. James rolled his eyes as he moved to the side to walk with Peter instead. Lily was walking with Remus, smiling like a completely happy idiot when suddenly someone grabbed her elbow and dragged her to the side.
"Ouch," Lily protested as she rubbed her elbow. She turned to see who had accosted her so suddenly and was surprised when her gaze met the big blue eyes of Alice. "Alice, what's your problem?" Remus looked back at the pair of friends with concern.
"We'll be along in a moment, Remus. Don't worry!" Alice pulled Lily further away and then shot her an impatient look. "Lily, you and Remus have been going out for a few weeks now, right?"
"Yes," Lily replied hesitantly, wondering where Alice was going with this.
"Well, I heard that, you haven't," Alice lowered her voice suddenly, an urgent look on her face, "I heard you haven't kissed yet." Lily looked extremely taken aback.
"You heard? As in, the school is taking note of my kissing habits in extreme detail?"
"Well, I just wanted to ask you about it, Lily. I mean, you really should have kissed him by now."
"Alice, your concern is noted, but Remus and I will kiss when we feel the time is right, not when the rest of Hogwarts deems it appropriate," Lily explained patiently, not believing she was having this conversation. "Meanwhile, I'd appreciate it if the whole of Hogwarts stopped examining my life as though I were a paramecium underneath a microscope."
"Lily, I'm just concerned. Hasn't he ever tried to kiss you before? You probably hurt his feelings if you didn't let him," Alice went on.
"Alice, please!" Lily shot her an irritated look.
"I'm sorry, you're right. Just kiss him soon for Merlin's sake!"
"You kiss him if you're so concerned," Lily replied childishly. Both she and Alice couldn't help but giggle a little at what Lily had just said.
"Go walk with him, I've got to meet Frank," Alice urged her friend.
"Make sure you snog him then," Lily yelled out over her shoulder as she went to rejoin Remus. "You know, since physical affection is clearly of the utmost importance to you." Alice blushed a bright scarlet as she stared murderously at Lily.
"What was that all about?" Remus shifted his books and Lily's from one arm to the other so that he could take Lily's hand in his own.
"Nothing, really," Lily answered honestly. The whole group reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and found a large number of seats together.
"I was thinking," Sirius announced suddenly to Remus, "that perhaps I might change my goal."
"I'll probably be sorry I asked," Remus began cautiously, "but what do you mean?"
"Well, after I conquer Constance—and I'm reaching that goal more and more by the day—I've decided to move on to another."
"How lovely of you," Lily replied with disgust. "And I suppose you've got the next one all lined up before you've even dated or broken up with Constance?"
"Now, Lily, you make me seem like some sort of awful boy who plays with women's hearts and then discards them when he's tired of them," Sirius scolded sternly.
"Well," Lily sat in silence for a moment. "If the shoe fits—"
"Evans!" Sirius interrupted with a feigned look of shock. "I am nothing but a gentleman!"
"The day you're a gentleman, Sirius, I will gladly marry Potter," Lily vowed.
"I'll be sure to let him know then to start planning your wedding—not that he hasn't started already."
"Luckily for me, I doubt the day will ever come that you are a gentleman, Sirius," Remus acknowledged with a smile.
"You two underestimate me," Sirius complained as he pouted.
"Prove it," Lily dared him.
"If I feel like it, I will."
"Who's your next prospect, out of curiosity?" Lily questioned. Sirius grinned mischievously.
"Remember how you mentioned that girl earlier, Remus? The one who you said seems to be head over heels for me?"
"Sarah?" Remus asked hesitantly.
"Yes, that's the one. Well, see, I figured after I was done with Constance, who proved to be more of a challenge than usual, I could use a rather easy one to have a go at."
"Sirius," Remus began to admonish, "Sarah really likes you. It's not fair to play around with her emotions like that."
"What! She likes me, she'll be thrilled to have her turn with me!"
"You make yourself sound like an amusement ride," Lily pointed out disapprovingly.
"Well, I am one heck of a roller coaster," Sirius replied with a wink.
"That didn't even make sense you idiot," Lily replied with a roll of her eyes.
"You get my point."
"Class, class, if you would be so kind as to grant me an actual moment of your attention, I'd be ever so pleased," a jovial looking man with thick, straw-colored hair announced from the front of the class. The whole of the class turned to face him reluctantly.
"I've been asked to discuss some of the recent occurrences with you all," the man explained, in an almost cheerful manner.
"Professor Slughorn, I heard there's some sort of dark leader behind all the current murders," a red-haired student called out from the back of the class. "Is it true? Who could be that powerful?" The professor's cheeks seemed to gain a tinge of red as he looked at the student for a moment before smiling weakly.
"I'm sure I have no idea," Slughorn concluded with a nervous laugh. "But worry not," he continued waving his hand dismissively through the air. "I'm sure that it's all just a bunch of hoodlums who got carried away with a bit of power."
"But, Professor," Remus began with concern, "they've already killed so many people and caused so much terror. What's more, I heard they're getting even more organized in their efforts. It seems that a never-ending amount of people are turning to the dark side. Shouldn't we be at all concerned?" Professor Slughorn looked at Remus disapprovingly as he shook his head.
"Now, Mr. Lupin, let's not get carried away with ourselves. I'm sure everything will be fine in a bit. We've got a lot of people in the Ministry working on this."
"Yes, but, they haven't got many leads it seems. No one even knows who their leader could be. They just know he appears to be extremely powerful," James chimed in as he ran a hand apprehensively through his unkempt black hair.
"Mr. Potter, please, I think I'd know if there was any real danger. I'm very well-informed of these things," Slughorn scolded him. "Now then," he continued with an air of nonchalance, "I think I've said enough. Be careful and all that. I wouldn't want to lose any of my students to this temporarily dangerous situation. Let's get back to potions then, shall we?" Remus and James exchanged irritated looks as the Professor began to prattle on about some potion of little importance in the grand scheme of things. Meanwhile, the Gryffindor students couldn't help but notice that the Slytherins in class were exchanging rather pleased looks with each other.
"That was absolutely ridiculous," James declared in frustration after class had ended and they were safely out the door. "Clearly there's a very large problem at hand here, and clearly the Slytherins, stupid prejudiced gits that they are, are very pleased with the whole of it."
"I would say they likely have something to do with it," Remus mused.
"Or at least their parents, of course," Lily added.
"We're all in danger. Maybe not us—Hogwarts is fairly safe—but certainly our families!" James declared rather indignantly. "How can he deny that? Things have only gotten much worse the past few weeks!"
"You know how Slughorn is, he's always in denial that there could be anything wrong with the world as long as an overabundance of rich chocolates are available to him," Sirius added in as he caught up with the rest of his friends.
"I don't think there's anything to worry about," Peter muttered sullenly.
"Stuff it, Pettigrew," James shot back authoritatively. "There's something wrong here." Peter cast his eyes to the floor resentfully.
"Dumbledore will know, of course," Remus pointed out thoughtfully. "I just hope our families stay safe."
"Yes, and us," James stated as he glanced anxiously at Lily.
"Well, let's all calm down a bit and go get some work done," Remus suggested. "There's nothing we can do about it right now. We'll need to find out more information." James's whole body was still tensed in anger, but he allowed his shoulders to relax a bit as he thought this over.
"I suppose you're right, Remus. Alright, let's go work on our charms assignment."
"We'll catch up in a few minutes. You three go ahead," he stated as he nodded at James, Sirius, and Peter. He then turned to Lily who looked rather shaken by their conversation. "Do you want to go take a quick trip down to the lake and talk a bit? Get a chance to relax, maybe?" Lily nodded silently. Remus placed his arm protectively around Lily's shoulders. Her big green eyes looked at him gratefully as they walked away together. James bit his lip, a mixture of sorrow and resentment marked clearly on his face.
"She'll be alright, mate," Sirius said softly. "He'll take good care of her."
"I want her safe," James declared urgently. "I want her safe, and I want to be the one to protect her." Sirius sighed as he shifted his books and quills from one arm to another.
"James," he began hesitantly. "Maybe it's time to give it a go with another girl. You've been hung up on Evans for so long—"
"I don't want any other girl," James stated stubbornly as he folded his arms across his chest. "I want Lily." Sirius heaved a deep sigh once more.
"You should tell her Remus is a werewolf," Peter chimed in. "That might help. Then she might drop him."
"She doesn't know?" James asked, suddenly alarmed. "I thought he told her. He should tell her!"
"I'm sure he will in time," Sirius responded quietly, trying to calm James.
"It's a dangerous situation, Padfoot! She should already know!"
"Prongs, please! I'm sure he'd never put her in danger." James's eyes flashed with rage as he furrowed his brows together. "It's not up to you," Sirius added softly. "It's his business and his decision."
"She needs to know," James stated resolutely.
"And she will eventually."
Remus kept his arm around Lily's shoulders as they sat at the edge of the lake. The water shone brightly in the mid-morning sun. Little ripples formed in various places as mermaids, grindylows, and an assortment of other creatures swam beneath the unsettled surface.
"Are you alright, Lily?" Remus asked as he stared at her intently, worry apparent in his eyes.
"I'm worried, Remus," she admitted quietly, not meeting his gaze. "Look at all these awful things happening all around us. What if one of our families is next? What if one of us is next?" Remus raised his free hand to stroke Lily's vibrant red hair tenderly.
"Lily, don't worry," Remus whispered. "I'm here for you. I'll protect you." Lily allowed herself to smile softly at him. She caught his hand in her own and squeezed it gently.
"Thanks," she replied as she gazed into his eyes. She felt protected, as though nothing could harm her. She leaned in towards Remus more closely as the morning breeze danced gently on her face.
"I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," Remus vowed as he drew Lily into an embrace. Lily allowed herself to be held for a few moments but then pulled away to meet his gaze. Remus placed a hand gently beneath Lily's chin and tilted her head upwards. Lily closed her eyes expectantly as Remus placed his lips softly on her own. Lily's heart quickened at his touch and all thoughts of danger flew from her mind immediately. She was safe, she was cared for, and in that moment, that was all that mattered.
"I love you," she whispered as he ended their first kiss. She hadn't meant to let those words escape her, but she'd been so overcome with sudden affection for Remus that she couldn't keep the feeling trapped inside her. A grin exploded onto Remus's lips as his eyes lit up with delight.
"I love you, too, Lily," he responded as he leaned in to kiss her once more. Lily's stomach fluttered a bit. She was glad they had waited to kiss, despite all the scrutiny, until such a perfect moment.