Just a short note from me, the author! I'm glad people are enjoying my story so far and I'm sorry if I haven't really been moving it along quickly enough, I just really wanted to set up my character dynamics and backgrounds properly before I did anything slashy!
Just to clarify - I'm not JK Rowling and I don't own the universe or any of the characters (accept for the one's I made up)
"Remus?" Lily stuck her head round the door of his dormitory. Douglas Bell was picking up a few books for his lessons after lunch
"Hi Douglas, have you seen Remus anywhere?"
"Erm no... I heard he's a fag though" Lily scowled at him
"Ugly Gob-Shite" she mumbled under her breath, as she descended the boy's stair case, she'd already checked every dark nook and cranny of common room for him; not being able to catch Remus up after he'd fled from the Great Hall ,she'd just assume he'd head straight for Gryffindor tower. She began to check boy's toilets and any broom cupboard she stumbled upon, but after an hour had been unsuccessful
*
"Remus?" James checked stuck his head round the door of Remus's dormitory. Douglas Bell and Roman Child were sniggering so hard, they appeared to have dropped a stack of books on the floor
"Doug, Roman, have you seen Remus anywhere?"
"You mean "Fruit Lupe"!?" Doug doubled over with laughter as Roman spat this at James, clearly expecting him to join in the laughter
"No, I mean Remus" James glowered at them as menacingly as he could
"Oh..." they calmed down a little "no, he hasn't been here since this morning" said Roman still shaking with laughter
"He's joking if thinks he's coming back to do anything other than pack up his things" said Douglas wiping a tear of laughter from his eye
"What do you mean Douglas?" asked James, no longer wishing to have any friendly informality with such a massive wanker
"Well you know... he's... bent" said Roman, his lip curled
"So?"
"So!? He might try and like... do stuff... to us or he might fancy one of us, we're going to put a complaint in with McGonagall" Said Douglas, with genuine fear in his voice, James scoffed
"Are you joking? Him! Fancy either of you? You, Douglas are fuck ugly and Roman, well, you're just extremely fat aren't you" James stormed out of the room
"Any luck?" asked Sirius, bored and twirling a lock of his long dark hair round his finger
"I don't understand why we're doing this" pouted Peter "I've never even spoken to him properly, I held a door for him once and he said "Thanks... er... whiny rotund boy" He's always on his own and he's scary and... And... I don't even think he'd care if anyone went looking for him or not"
"Stop bitching Peter, the boy needs help" Said Sirius, with a sudden, new found, enthusiasm
"We'll just try toilets and broom cupboards and other places like that, someone would've caught him if he'd tried to leave the grounds"
*
Half way through her second hour of searching and Lily was in awe of just how many bathrooms Hogwarts had. And at how many toilet cubicles you could fit into said bathrooms. It suddenly hit her that lunch time had finished about 20 minutes ago and that for the first time she was skipping a lesson.
"Oh well, only Herbology this afternoon" she said aloud to herself, "this is far more important." She'd have to be careful not get caught now. It was around 10 minutes later that she bumped into Potter, Black and oh... what was his name.... the fat one.
"What are you doing skipping a lesson Evans? And in the boy's toilets for that matter, waiting for me?" Potter said mockingly, messing up his hair
"I'm looking for Remus; I don't suppose you saw what happened in the hall"
"Yeah we saw..."
"I didn't" said the fat one quietly, Black gave him a cold look that plainly translated as "shut up, no one cares"
"...We're looking for him as well actually" Lily was shocked by James's thoughtfulness
"What? Why? You better not be going to do anything to him"
"Of course not Evans you foolish girl" Black cut in "James simply wishes to confirm the safety and emotional state of his new cuddle bunny"
"He's not my cuddle bunny" James sighed, Black nodded comedically, the fat one giggled.
"Well we might as well look together" she said, ignoring Black "Where've you been so far?"
"We've checked the common room, his dorm, all first floor toilets and cupboards, the ones on the second floor and this is our first room on the third floor" Said James, a bit sadly
"Brilliant, after I checked the common room and his dorm, I started on the fifth floor and I've been working my way down, we can do this floor together, and then we can split up to check the towers"
"Sounds like a plan baby" said James, worming his arms round Lily's shoulders
"Please don't touch me Potter"
"Harsh" said Black, sniggering; James punched him on the arm "Ouch! Mummy James is hitting me!"
"Let's go" snarled Lily.
They spent the next 20 minutes searching until they reached toilets right in the corner of the third floor corridor.
*
Remus had been locked in his cubicle for about 2 hours, no one ever really used this bathroom, so he'd found it quite relaxing sitting in it. The cold porcelain was very soothing against his face, which had been flushed red (well, as red as his paper white skin could get) since lunchtime. After having time to gather his thoughts, he began to compile a list of his problems and some potential solutions and had written them in the air with his wand, he stared across at the glowing gold letters, which read:
1. Problem – I'm gay.
Solution- none, rats
2. Problem - Everyone knows.
Solution – none, they'd have to deal with it
3. Problem - Lots of people are going to start picking on me again.
Solution – none, harassment for RJL is unavoidable
4. Problem – My budding friendship with JP could be over
Solution – none, bollocks
5. Problem – LE will be asking me if I'm alright none stop and telling me things are fine for the next few weeks
Solution – None, sympathy is unavoidable, Lily is too nice and in too many lessons to ignore
6. Problem – My list of problems and solutions is really shit
Solution – Stop writing it
He waved his wand, clearing his list away. His ears pricked up – his excellent hearing was a strange side effect of his Lycanthropy – he heard footsteps and voices. Lily's voice... James voice... and the voices of his friends.
"Come on, it's just this one last block of toilets, then you and Sirius can leave and Lily and I'll start checking the towers" said James exasperated
"But he won't be in here! No one ever is!" said a whining voice – presumably the fat boy
"Oh Peter will you just shut the fuck up! James, I'd rather help search the towers than spend the afternoon alone with him" snapped the boy Remus assumed was Sirius. Was Sirius the long haired boy who'd had a go at James for talking to him? He heard the creak of the old door and the sound of footsteps.
"Remus?" called Lily "Remus? Are you in here? It's okay, nobody cares you know... We only want to see if you're okay... Remus?" He had intended to keep quiet; he didn't feel he was quite ready to leave his cubicle yet, unfortunately some part of him wanted Remus to be discovered. He sneezed. Loud.
"Remus?" asked Lily again
"Is that you mate?" piped James. Remus sighed; there was no point in pretending he wasn't here now
"Yes, I suppose it is" he said. He heard several pairs of feet rush to the cubicle he was in, Lily knocked softly on the door
"Would you unlock this please Remus, we want to speak to you" Remus could hear the sympathetic half smile on her voice. He picked up his wand and used it to turn the lock, he then used it to guide the door open. Lily rushed in and hugged him; she scooped him up like he was an injured baby bird and then practically dragged him out of his cubicle.
"It's alright Remus, no one wants to hurt you" She was stroking his hair "we're all here to help"
"Lily..."
"Remus, don't worry James and I have no problem with you being gay, we don't do we James?" her voice cracked a little
"Yeah mate, we really couldn't care less" he patted Remus's shoulder
"Lily, please..."
"It's fine; we won't let anyone say a word to you"
"No, Lily, you're hurting me" She released him and blushed
"Sorry" she beamed at him, but her face dropped a little "oh... Er... You have a problem Remus"
"I... know" perhaps Lily wasn't as clever as Remus had thought if she was pointing out obvious stuff like that. James stepped forward a little; his mouth was screwed up, suggesting he had some fairly unpleasant news for Remus
"You know the guys you share a room with? Roman, Doug and Jason?"
"Yes, Fatty, Ugly Gob-Shite and Ginger" replied Remus, a little confused as to why they mattered
"Well er... They don't want you in their room any more... they're putting a complaint in with McGonagall" James looked down to the floor "Sorry mate"
"Oh... but then I'll have nowhere to... live, well... I suppose I could sleep in a corridor" Remus deadpanned, disguising his fury well, he knew his EX-dorm mates were twats but it's not like he was going to try it on with any of them, which was obviously the reason they were having him chucked out. James looked guilty and panicked, his mouth still screwed up, he looked over to his friends, who looked sympathetic, but evidently were not listening.
"Look, Remus, I'm hardly going to stand here and let you sleep in a corridor when our dorm is the only one with a spare bed, am I? We'll go back up to Gryffindor tower, you can pack up your stuff and you can move in with me, Sirius and Peter" At first, Remus was dumbstruck by this. He couldn't believe someone would actually do something so nice for him.
"Oh James" said Lily, her eyes sparkling "That is so sweet of you" she placed a hand on his shoulder, James looked like someone had just told him Mrs. Norris had just been eaten by hippogriff.
"What? What was so sweet of him?" Sirius asked
"Weren't you listening?" snapped James, Sirius shook his head "Remus's roommates are planning on throwing him out and I said he can move in with us, considering we have a spare bed"
"But... But... surely, there are other room's with spare beds!" said Sirius irritably
"Yes, Sirius, I'm sure there are, but Remus is my friend and I would like him to stay with us" James raised one eyebrow, daring Sirius to question him.
"Honestly, James, thank you for the offer, but if... is it Sirius?" He nodded "if Sirius and...Erm..."
"Peter!"
"Thanks, if Sirius and Peter don't want me, I'll just go..." James cut Remus off mid sentence, staring furiously at Sirius
"NO! Remus, you're staying with us. That's final" Remus would've continued to politely turn him down, but he was far too frightened. James had one of the scariest glares he'd ever seen.
"Okay... if you insist" Remus forced a smile.
Sirius exhaled noisily, nothing good could come from living with Loony Lupin
