Remus was shuffling awkwardly in front of his five best mates. Lily was glaring furiously at Remus, James by her side looking confused, Marlene was on Lily's other side tugging distractedly at the ends of her hair and chewing on her lip in agitation. Sirius was scuffing his shoes off the ground, feeling at odds with the tense atmosphere. Peter was glancing between Lily and Remus wondering what was going on.
It was only Lily and Remus who knew what was going on and Remus sincerely wished that it was anyone other than his hot-tempered, red-headed best friend. Though Lily was the one he would confide in all he time, Remus hated it when she figured something out and confronted him about it. She always ended up furious that he hadn't trusted her enough to tell her.
"Well Rem," Lily spat, "Cat got your tongue?"
James took her hand in his but she shook it off; when she was this angry even the slightest touch could infuriate her beyond sanity. Remus hung his head.
"I was afraid you wouldn't accept me."
The words echoed around the room, sending Lily reeling and the others to glare at Lily as if she hadn't accepted him. James merely took her hand in his, keeping her strong with his show of support.
Lily wasn't angry any longer. As a matter of fact, she felt guilty. Remus hadn't told them that was true but she shouldn't have automatically jumped to the conclusion that he didn't trust them. This was a huge secret and she felt disgusted that someone had dared inflict such pain on her sweet, caring Remus.
Lily dropped James' hand and gathered Remus in her arms. "You could never do something that would cause me not to accept you," she whispered thickly in his ear. She squeezed harder, "Understand?" Remus nodded tears trailing down his cheeks.
"Guys?" Sirius asked looking between his two friends.
"How long?" Lily asked him finally, ignoring Sirius and concentrating on Remus.
"Since we were seven." Remus replied, nervously pulling on his nose. Lily grinned, "That's why you never came to any sleepovers since then. Well ones thatt were around your time of the month."
Sirius guffawed, "Remus is a girl?"
Lily chuckled, "No Sirius, you'll have to just admit you're gay for him. Remus is fully male."
Sirius raised an eyebrow, his face disgusted, "I'm not gay. Though I might be for you darling." Lily stuck her tongue out at Sirius, not at all bothered by his slight on her femininity. She stood by Remus' side, holding the boy's hand and raising her chin defiantly.
"Tell them then, Rem. Just let them try to reject you." Lily sneered at her friends, allowing them to see the fiercely protective side of her that didn't have a need to surface very often. Apparently this was serious. Should a single one of their friends even show the slightest bit of revulsion over Remus' secret, she would disown them with the drop of a wand.
Remus took a deep breath, tightened his hold imperceptibly on her hand and straightened his body into a proud stance. "I was bitten by a werewolf when I was seven."
It was almost a shock to him when his mates looked at him as if to say Is that is? Lily smiled at them, her eyes twinkling with happiness. James found himself falling for her at that moment; her eyes were bright and she radiated happiness at her friends' loyalty.
Sirius winked, "Thought you were going to tell us you were gay, Rem. I have no problem with gay men but you didn't know that!"
Lily gave Sirius a warning glare and they all sat in a loose circle, Remus telling them the entire story.
"Remus, you better run off and finish your Charms essay. I need to have a little talk to our friends." Lily said smiling widely at Remus. While Remus hadn't caught anyone looking at him any differently than usual, he wasn't about to disagree with Lily if she had and wanted to stick up for him. "Sure Lils."
The rest were looking around, trying to find out just which of them were about to bear the brunt of Lily's temper.
"You know what guys," Lily began, speaking with a maddeningly nonchalant air, "I have a brilliant idea. Something that will help our Remus."
There was a collective expelling of breaths. Lily wasn't angry. The boys were slightly ashamed that they were afraid of her anger but that was quickly replaced by shock. Lily's idea was crazy. Crazy but perhaps just that crazy that it might have to work.
-oOo-
Lily was ever so excited. They were leaving for their fourth year of Hogwarts that morning and both she and James had barely slept a wink all night.
"Lily?" James whispered from somewhere to her left.
She pretended to be asleep and listened as James quietly got out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. She snuggled deeper into the blankets letting her thoughts roam to James. She had been spending an inordinate amount of time daydreaming about her best friend lately. She blamed it on the fact she was just heading into her teenage years and starting to take an interest in guys. The only hole in that deduction was that, though she had noticed that Sirius and Remus were all right looking, she only ever thought of James.
James had that thick black hair and twinkling brown eyes. He had his tanned skin and outgoing attitude. He had all that but he wasn't in anyway as good looking as Sirius. He might be on the same level as Remus but James wasn't as hot as Sirius. However it seemed James was the one who had captured her heart. She sighed and stiffened as she felt James getting back onto the bed.
James burrowed into the covers and slipped his arms around Lily's waist. "Wake up Lily," he murmured in her ear, his breath tickling her neck. Lily convulsed, James knew that was her most ticklish spot and used that knowledge frequently.
"We're going into fourth year Lils!" James breathed in her ear and Lily giggled.
"Yes James," she said turning over and facing him, "We established that last night." James smiled staring into the very green eyes that made his stomach flip. She had no idea just how beautiful she was. Sure she wasn't conventionally beautiful like his cousin, she had that untameable red hair but her eyes took your breath away. She was amazingly kind hearted, brave and smart. Her personality was something that just drew you in and you couldn't help but like her. And she was just so incredibly selfless.
-oOo-
"Well Moony?" James said swaggering up to his mate and giving him a loose hug. "Furry problem under control?"
Remus rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Yes, Prongs. Under control. You speak to your problem yet?"
James glared at him whilst Lily peered at him curiously. "You've got a problem, James?"
James ignored her as Remus grinned, "Seemingly not."
Lily looked from James to Remus and back before it clicked. "I'm your problem?" When James didn't answer she huffed and hissed, "Right. I'll talk to you later Moony."
Remus grinned, watching her stalk off. "See you later, Damma."
James threw Remus a dirty look and said, "Now I'm going to have to apologise and she'll be mad at me for ages. Moony, I hate you. You're such a git." Remus merely laughed and made space for Sirius who was running towards them and scowling ferociously.
"Mother dearest had to misplace my trunk. I nearly missed the train!" Sirius said to them, ushering them onto the train and checking his watch.
James grinned, well accustomed to Mrs Black's notorious hate of her eldest son. "Where did she send it?"
Reluctantly Sirius have a half smile. "The Vatican. She had no idea I had a tracking charm on it so that's the only reason I got it back." He looked around and his expression turned confused. "Where's Damma, Wormtail and Bandit?"
James frowned and Remus chuckled. "Wormtail went to the train to go to the toilet, Damma ran off and I'll bet any money Bandit's gone with Damma."
Sirius nodded slowly. "And Damma ran off because?"
They settled into one of the compartments and James answered him. "Well Moony decided it would be a great idea to mention 'talking to my problem' in front of Lily. And when she asked if I had a problem he said "Evidently not." Lily's ignoring me now I reckon."
Sirius sniggered and Remus butted in, "I actually said 'seemingly not' not evidently not." He shut up after the glare James sent him.
-oOo-
"It feels weird not having Lily and Marlene here." Peter said after an odd silence settled over their compartment.
"You know Damma and Bandit," Remus said, "They're the most stubborn of people I've ever met. Lily even more so and if James doesn't go and apologise, they won't come back and talk to us."
James sighed, "You think a half an hour is long enough for Lils to have calmed down?" Their dubious looks spoke louder than words. He groaned, ran a hand through his hair and picked himself up to go to talk to Lily.
"At least we're only in fourth year," James mumbled to Sirius who had decided to accompany him, "She could give me a detention if we were in fifth year. There's no doubt she'll get made prefect."
Sirius laughed, "Chin up mate, I reckon she fancies you back. No need to get all pissy."
James cast him a disbelieving look until he spotted Lily.
She stood with Marlene, sneering at James like she hated him. "You couldn't have told me you fancied some bint? You really think that low of me? Why would I care that you fancy someone, Potter? Why should that bother me?"
James immediately went on the defence, "Potter? Why the hell are you calling me Potter? You woke up in my bed this morning and now you call me Potter?"
Lily's green eyes became slits and she looked absolutely furious. "Yes James, I called you Potter. You call me your best friend but you don't bloody bother telling me when you fancy a girl."
James threw the packet of Drooble's gum away and stepped forward. He had been meaning to give it to Lily as a peace offering but that plan was about to go down the drain. "That's because it's you, you bloody idiot!" Lily's suddenly trembling hand dropped her wand and it clattered to the floor. James turned his head away from the surprise in Lily's face.
"You never made a single move to show me this thing wasn't one-sided so I never said anything," James whispered hoarsely. Despite his low voice his words seemed loud with the deafening silence that was Lily Evans.
Lily opened her mouth to say something - anything - but shut it with a snap when her mind stayed blank. James went to turn away from her with a snort when she grabbed his hand and blurted out the first thing that came into her mind. "I told you I'd marry you!"
James turned back around slowly, his eyes wide and disbelieving. Lily was looking him straight in the eyes, her green ones drowning with insecurities. Her face was blushed a deep red and he knew that it was because she hated saying such private things in front of their friends. James took a shaking step forward. Lily flinched slightly but held her ground. Her eyes were still unsure and she was unable to believe he was still standing there.
"Lils?" James said, grinning now, "That was when we were like five. Forgive me if that doesn't really count in my book."
Lily's eyes twinkled, feeling more comfortable with the joking James than the serious one. "Well maybe I don't like you that way any more," she sniffed. James pulled her into a backbreaking hug and smiled into her eyes. "Well I might just have to test that little theory of yours." With that he pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss.
Lily slipped her hands up to wrap them around her neck.
"James?" she asked, her face becoming deathly serious. "Are you eating that packet of Drooble's chewing gum?"
James laughed loudly and summoned it with a quick accio. "You can have it if you give me a kiss," he teased, holding the gum above his head.
Lily grinned wickedly. "I was hoping you'd say that," she said and kneed him in the balls. As soon as his hands dropped, she snatched the gum, pressed a quick kiss to his temple.
"Moony," she said, nonchalantly, leaving James on the ground whimpering. "Reckon the trolley has gone by yet? I'm absolutely starved!"