A/N Hi, all! Hmmm...I have to admit I haven't read a lot of Harry Potter fanfiction lately, but evidently I'm not the only one to be writing a fic about the Marauders at school. Whoops. Ah well. Hopefully people will still be interested in reading mine! Thanks to anyone who does. In this chapter I've finally gained something resembling (gasp) a plot??? A random plot, but still, a plot! Hooray!
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, Remus and Tonks would have gotten more mention at the end of Deathly Hallows.
Chapter Two - In which the plot takes a random turn, and Lily Evans makes dinner awkward
Remus closed his Charms textbook and stood up to head down to the Great Hall for dinner. Upon exiting the portrait hole, he bumped straight into his friend Peter Pettigrew.
"Ouch - oh, sorry, Remus!" Peter rubbed his head and blinked up at him with small watery eyes.
"Hello, Peter," Remus said. "Seen Sirius and James?"
"No, not since they went and hid in that secret passageway behind the tapestry on the seventh floor - Professor McGonagall found out about them charming all those Stinkpellets to follow Snape around - "
"Yes, I heard about that," Remus cut in, smiling faintly. "Why didn't you hide with them?"
"Oh, I didn't actually charm the Stinkpellets," Peter continued. "That was all James and Sirius. I just - er, watched," he finished lamely.
Remus wasn't surprised. Peter had never been quite as good a wizard as Sirius or James. Little though he liked to admit it, Remus was often impressed by their spellwork. "Well, I'd still be careful, Wormtail," Remus warned as they set off to the Great Hall. "McGonagall could still get on you for not stopping them."
"I don't think she even knows I was there, to tell the truth," Peter admitted, shrugging. "Wonder if they'll get off without detention again?"
"A little detention would serve them right once in awhile," Remus muttered. "Though, knowing them, they could easily get away without it..." He pushed opened the doors of the Great Hall and he and Peter took their seats at the Gryffindor table. Sirius and James sat down across from them moments later.
"I suppose the two of you are pleased?" Remus said, helping himself to a chicken leg.
"Very," agreed James, pouring pumpkin juice into two goblets and shoving one toward Sirius. "Should've been there, Moony...one of our most excellent escapes yet, I'd say."
A loud tut greeted these words and the four boys looked over at the redhaired girl sitting several seats away from Sirius.
"If you've got something to say, Evans, might as well say it now," Sirius said condescendingly.
James jabbed him with a fork. "Don't take that tone with her!" He raised his eyebrows and leaned past Sirius to look at Lily Evans. "Sorry, Evans, what was that?"
"I just think you're being a little arrogant," Lily said loftily. "I'm a prefect - I could put you in detention myself for what you did to Severus - "
"Oh, but you won't," James guessed with a smile.
"No," Lily answered with dignity. "But only because I don't want a reputation as a snitch - "
"You've already got quite a reputation, Evans," Sirius said, frowning. "For having a temper..."
"That's right." She tossed her fiery hair over her shoulders and slid down the bench so she could talk to them more easily. Sirius edged away as though touching her might burn his skin. "Look, the lot of you are nothing but bullies - well, the two of you are," she amended, looking at James and Sirius.
"C'mon, Evans, it wasn't even that bad!" James protested, looking at her hopefully.
"That's not the point," Lily snapped at him. "The point is that you're awful to Severus every time you see him - "
"What in Merlin's name are you doing defending him?" Sirius looked bewildered. "That slimy git - "
"She's friends with him, Sirius," Peter reminded him.
"Ugh! What does she see in him, James?" Sirius demanded.
Lily's eyes flashed. "I'll thank you not to talk about me as if I'm not here, Black!" she snapped. "But Pettigrew is right - Sev is my friend, you can't expect me not to defend him...let's say someone came along and..." She paused as if thinking. "Say someone started - attacking Remus like the two of you do Severus - " Remus jumped at the mention of his name; he hadn't really been paying attention. "Wouldn't you defend him like I do for Severus?"
"Of course we would!" Sirius looked scandalized at the very notion. "But see, Remus hasn't done anything to deserve an attack - whereas Snivellus..."
"Don't call him that!" Lily snarled.
"All right, all right, Snape then - it's not like he misses a chance to jinx us, does he?" Sirius raised his eyebrows and grinned, certain he'd won.
Lily appeared to be at a loss for words. "But Sev - "
"Oh, so it's okay for Snape to hex us, but not for us to hex him, that right?"
"It's because she likes Snape," James said disgustedly.
"The lot of you are worse than Severus anyway!" Lily finally said, outraged. "The only one who might amount to anything is Remus, and even that's chancy at best because he just sits by and watches while the two of you jinx everyone who gets in your way!" Lily glared at Remus.
He recognized the truth in her words and deliberately looked away.
"That's because Remus is a good friend." Sirius reached across the table and clapped Remus on the shoulder. "Right, Moony?"
Lily rolled her eyes irritably. "And that's another thing that gets on my nerves - the four of you and your stupid little nicknames. You think you're so cool - !"
"Evans, my dear," James finally interjected. "I do believe you are merely jealous of our greatness."
Lily laughed. "Jealous? Of you, Potter?"
"Well, you must admit you admire us a little." James bit into a piece of bread and grinned at her. "Or you wouldn't even be here talking to us."
Lily snorted and said nothing. James nodded knowingly. "I'm right, then, aren't I?" He smirked and leaned back in his chair. "Want to come into Hogsmeade with me this weekend, Evans?"
"Not on your life, Potter," she answered, reverting to the bored tone she used each time she turned James down.
"You know, you could say yes for a change - "
"Remus," Lily said abruptly, reaching over and grabbing him by the wrist. "D'you want to do me a favor?"
Remus looked up from his plate in surprise. "What?" he asked warily.
"You know prefects are supposed to help patrol the hallways this weekend - after the Hogsmeade visit, I mean? To make sure no one - " Here she shot a meaningful glance at James and Sirius, " - is taking advantage of their new Zonko's toys or anything?"
"Yes," Remus answered, just as cautiously.
"I'm supposed to be doing that Saturday evening, but I've got another commitment - "
"With what?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Studying?"
"No, Charms Club," Lily answered severely. "Remus, please will you switch shifts with me? I'll take over yours."
"Er...yeah, I suppose so," Remus said, still a little bewildered by the sudden change of subject from Snape to prefect duties.
Lily smiled widely. "Thanks so much!" She stood, seemed to consider something, then leaned over and kissed Remus on the cheek. She glared at James, then walked off to join her friends down the table.
Remus stared after her in a state of complete shock.
"Remus." Sirius snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Come out of it, mate."
James was staring at Remus as though he might quite like to hit him. "What the bloody hell was that?"
Remus blinked slowly. "I - I have no idea."
"Since when does Lily Evans fancy Moony?" Sirius demanded, looking suspiciously over his shoulder at her.
"I thought she hated the lot of us!" Peter chimed in.
"She must have some ulterior motive." James looked nervous. "Mates....we might have a situation."
A/N Reviews are appreciated!