Author's Note: Hey, everyone! So, I keep forgetting to put these in my other chapters, so I'm doing it now. I know this chapter is short, and maybe I'll eventually make it longer, but in the mean time here it is. PLEASE review me! I lovelovelove reviews like chocolate-covered goodness! Anyway, on to the fanfic! (Btw, I own nothing to do with Harry Potter. All you, J.K., all you.)

Chapter Seven: Dirty Little Secrets

We didn't stop running until we had put three floors between us and Severus. Breathing hard, Remus leaned against the wall next to a portrait of a witch riding a unicorn, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

"Some- Gryffindors- we- are." He gasped.

"He looked as if he were about to do you in, Remus." I panted as I doubled over, my hands on my knees. "And knowing Severus, it was a very real possibility."

Remus closed his eyes and nodded, running one hand through his dirty blonde hair that was tinged with grey despite his age. After a minute, when I was finally able to breathe without sounding like a dog, I spoke to him.

"Remus, thanks for walking in like that. I have no idea what could have happened had you not saved me."

He opened his eyes and gazed at me, looking completely exhausted. "No problem, but I doubt that Severus would ever harm you."

I smiled at him. "Yeah, but who knows what I would do to him."

Remus blinked and gave a weak chuckle. "You do cast a mean Furnunculus."

"That I do. Should we head back to the common room?"

"Sure." Remus said as he pushed himself off of the wall. We walked for a few minutes in a comfortable silence before Remus broke it.

"Lily?"

"Yeah?" I looked over at him as we went through a passage behind a tapestry. His grey eyes flicked over to mine.

"Thanks for sticking up for me back there. You know, when Severus said I was a..." He trailed off, looking to the floor, his cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink.

"Oh, you heard that?" I asked nervously, brushing my hair behind my ear.

"Yeah," he admitted, still looking at the ground, "Before I turned the corner."

I clapped a hand to his shoulder and he unwillingly looked up at me. "Don't worry about it, Remus. Even if you were a werewolf, you're still a person, and a good one at that. You don't deserve any of that shit."

Remus smiled, but his eyes remained worried.

"Honestly." I assured him. "Forget it."

"You're a good mate, Lily. No wonder-" He stopped short and cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"Er, thanks?" I said, looking at him questioningly. Remus put a hand over his eyes and shook his head. When he looked back down at me his expression was very strange.

"I can trust you, right Lily?" He asked me. His voice sounded solemn and his face was unsmiling.

"Yeah, of course."

Remus quickly grabbed my arm and dragged me into a nearby classroom. It was one of those rooms that wasn't used often, except for a quick snog or, in our case, a private word. After locking the door and making sure that Peeves wasn't there, Remus gave me a strained look and sat on top of a nearby desk, putting his face in his hands.

"I've been meaning to tell you for so long, but now that the time has come..."

I sat on the desk next to him, swinging my legs slowly back and forth. I didn't really know what to say to him, or whether to be concerned or not.

"Er, well, it's alright." I awkwardly replied.

Remus slowly shook his head. "No, it's not." He looked at me, his face pale, his eyes full or terror, "Lily, I am so scared that you'll hate me." He whispered.

"Remus!" I exclaimed, "Hey, no, I'm not going to hate you!" I turned his face toward mine and put an arm around his shoulders. "I swear it! You've done nothing to ever make me hate you!"

"You can't promise that." He sighed as he closed his eyes. "And you've got no idea how much I need you."

"Remus," I gently said. "Whatever it is I can handle it, you know."
He inhaled deeply, opening his eyes upon exhaling. "Alright then."

Remus stood up and walked away from me. When he was a few paces away he turned, opening his mouth, but couldn't seem to get the words out. He turned his back to me again and spoke.

"Look at me, I'm acting like an idiot. What would Prongs say? Or Padfoot, or Wormtail?" With his arms behind his back he spun to face me, the fear in his eyes replaced with determination. "I'm scared to death, Lily, but now I've figured that Prongs is right; If someone can't accept me they're not worth it. I hope to God you are. Lily, I'm- I'm a..."

"Yes?" I eagerly asked, glad that he wasn't on the verge of tears anymore.

"I'm- I'm- I'm-"

"What, Remus?" I said, becoming a little annoyed, "What are you? A murderer? A thief? Gay?"

"What?" He exclaimed, his eyes growing wide with horror. "Woah woah woah, what the bloody hell-"

"Well, it's not like you're actually telling me anything, besides the fact that you're something-"

"-are you saying? I am very much attracted to women, thank you! No, what I'm trying to tell you, Lily, is that I'm-"

"-so just spit it out already!"

"-a werewolf."

Everything went quiet. It was like someone had put a silencing charm on both of us. I just stared at him, my mouth open, my hands frozen in midair where I had been wildly gesticulating. I'd never been Stunned before, but I was pretty sure that it would feel quite similar to what I was feeling at that moment.

Remus gazed at me, his mouth slightly open with the corners turned down, his hands spread open at his sides as if he were trying to show me that he wasn't carrying a weapon.

"Please say something, Lily." He begged me, taking the tiniest of steps in my direction. "Anything. Just- just tell me what you're thinking."

"I would if I was thinking anything, but I think my brain just took a holiday or something." I honestly replied, my voice sounding too high-pitched.

"What?" Remus said, giving a nervous chuckle, his eyes darting to the left then back to mine. "Well, what does that mean?"

"Remus, I couldn't tell you."

He squeezed his eyes closed and put a hand to his forehead. "Wait, so is this a good reaction or a bad one? Like, are you going to hate me for all of eternity and tease me about my "time of the month" now, or are you okay with this?"

I blinked. "Uhmm-"

"God, you have to think about it?" Remus exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air.

"No!" I protested, "It's- it's fine, Remus! I could never hate you for all of eternity. Although..."

"What?" Remus asked, sounding like he was going to regret it.

I gave him a impish grin. "You really shouldn't of told me that "time of the month joke"."

"Fan-bloody-tastic." He moaned, "I swear, Lily-"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist!" I teased him, "I promise to say it no more than five times per day."

He looked at me apprehensively. "Awesome. But please, Lily, you can't tell anyone. Not even Alice, or Macy, or especially Ariel. Okay?"

I smiled at him assuredly. "You're secret's safe with me, boysie."

He smiled, looking relieved. "Good. Obviously Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail know, but besides them, Dumbledore and Madame P you're the only person here who knows."

I stood up as he walked towards the door. "I'll keep it that way."
"Thanks very much, Lily. It feels good to know that I can trust you with this." Remus held the door open for me. "And don't worry, you can trust me too. I mean, I'll never tell anyone your secret."

I stopped short, causing Remus to bump into me as he made to leave the room.

"What secret?" I asked, fighting to sound casual and unaffected.

"Oh, you know." He replied with a wink.

I grabbed him arm. "Um, no actually, I don't. Would you like to illuminate me?"

"You fancy James, Lily. It's perfectly obvious, though, if you don't mind me saying."
"I certainly do mind!" I said as I dragged Remus right back into the classroom we had just vacated. "Why in the name of Roxanna's skimpy knickers do you think I fancy James? Because I don't. Didn't you just hear me have this conversation with Severus?"

Remus frowned at me and folded his arms across his chest.

"I can't believe it! You're actually lying to me when I just told you my deepest, darkest secret!"

I ran a hand through my thick red hair. "Remus, it's complicated-"

"I haven't told him, Lily." He quietly said.

"Oh." I said, taken aback at this. "Why not?"

"Well," he admitted with a small smile, "believe it or not, I know quite a few things about dirty little secrets, having a large one myself. And I know that some secrets are simply not mine to tell." Remus grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Fine!" I confessed, rolling my eyes, "I fancy James! Satisfied? But how did you know?"

"I really like to people watch. It's actually very informative. That's how I know about you fancying James, Macy fancying Sirius, Mary fancying Prometheus and how Robbie Shield from Ravenclaw is gay. It's all from the art of observation."

"Robbie Shields is gay?" I asked, quite shocked. "Really? I'd never think that. How d'you- Oh right, 'the art of observation'. I might have to give that a try."

Remus laughed.

"Remus, now you swear that you're not going to tell him-"

"Lily, like I said, it's not my secret to tell." He insisted.

As we walked back out into the corridor I put my arm around him. "Well, you're quite the mate, Remus J, Lupin. You might even score an invite to the next Girl's Night."

He gave me a one-armed hug and sighed. "Er, please don't. You just have to keep quiet about my furry little problem."

It was my turn to laugh. "As long as you keep quiet about the identity of the sex-god, we'll be like two secretive peas in a far out pod."