On Saturday, Remus was a little nervous, but he was also staying positive. He was going to give an honest effort to get to know Mary and see if he liked her at all. In the worst case scenario, they would simply go their separate ways. In the best, maybe he would be on his way to that true love that Sirius had talked about.
Since Mary was meeting him at the Three Broomsticks, Remus walked down to the snowy village with his friends. "Are you sure you don't want us to sit nearby under the cloak?" James asked. "You never know when you'll need a wingman."
"I think I can handle this on my own, Prongs," Remus assured him.
James shrugged. "If you're sure. But just in case, we'll be in Zonkos getting supplies, so you can always tell her you need the loo and sneak out to talk to us."
Remus smiled fondly. "I appreciate it, but it's just a date. All we're going to be doing is talking."
"Maybe not. Especially if you walk her back to the castle," James said, waggling his eyebrows.
"You really think that Moony will get a kiss?" Peter asked.
James shrugged. "I don't see why not. Mary's obviously way into him. She's probably been dying to get her lips on him for weeks." He puckered up and made kissing sounds.
"Prongs, please." Remus pinched James's lips between his fingers to stop him. "It's a first date. No one kisses on the first date."
Sirius, who had otherwise been quiet thus far, made a sound between a sniff and a scoff. He was still miffed that Remus was even going on this date. One minute he was completely uninterested in Mary and even annoyed that she was constantly ogling him, and the next he was agreeing to have butterbeer with her. He should have been coming with them to Zonkos to work on the prank that he came up with.
Remus noticed the look of irritation on Sirius's face. "Pads, are you okay?" he asked, lightly touching his shoulder. The other boy shrugged him off.
"M'fine. Just cold," he lied, stuffing his hands deeper into his robe pockets. Remus's hand stayed raised for a moment before it fell back to his side. Sirius's mood had been fluctuating at random for a few days. He supposed he'd caught him in a downswing.
When they reached Hogsmeade, the group split up, James giving Remus an encouraging wink, Peter wishing him luck, and Sirius just turning away so they could head to the joke shop. The werewolf let out a whoosh of breath, the visible puff disappearing quickly in the cold air, and then he headed for the pub in the opposite direction.
He stepped inside the warm building, rubbing his hands together as he scanned the tables. Mary wasn't there yet as far as he could tell. Before he could grab a table, the door opened behind him and a gust of cold air hit his back. "Hello, Remus," a familiar voice said.
Turning around, Remus found himself face to face with Anjanette and Regulus. "Oh. Hey." He stepped back so they could come further inside.
"You're here for a date," Anjanette stated. Remus opened his mouth to ask how she knew but she spoke first. "You're alone for once. Seems the only logical explanation."
Remus flushed lightly. "Mary MacDonald," he said with a little smile.
"She's nice. Pretty." The Ravenclaw grinned at him, violet eyes oddly amused. "Hopefully it works out."
"Yeah. Hopefully," Remus repeated. A short silence followed before he cleared his throat. "Well, I have to wait but you two…"
Anjanette nodded. "I'll talk to you later." Regulus gave him a little nod as well, and then the two of them headed to a table towards the back of the pub.
Remus watched them for just a moment, curiously. They looked like they were on a date themselves, though there were no specific signs of this being more than a platonic outing. He didn't have much time to think about this, however, before the door opened again. This time, Mary stepped in, hair dusted with snow, and she beamed upon seeing him waiting nearby. "Hi!"
"Hello, Mary." Remus smiled back. They stood wordlessly for a moment, before he gestured to the tables. "Let's go sit."
"Yeah, okay," Mary said, and they walked to a table in the middle of the floor. The pair sat across from each other and shed their outer layers just as Madam Rosmerta arrived to take their order. Remus asked for two butterbeers and the busty waitress left to grab their drinks.
Again, they were quiet, both unsure where to start exactly. Remus almost wished that James and the others were there under the cloak to help him out. Almost. But Madam Rosmerta was quick to bring back their mugs, and the warm drink gave them something to occupy themselves with while they thought of what to say.
As Remus lowered his mug to the table, licking some foam from his mouth, he decided that he might as well say something, or they'd wind up sitting here awkwardly all afternoon. "You have a bit of foam on your lip."
He could almost hear his friends making fun of him.
Mary blushed, grabbing a napkin and wiping it away quickly. "That's a great way to start off, right?" They both chuckled a little. She seemed a lot more relaxed than when she'd first asked him out, but whether that was the influence of the drink or the fact that she didn't have to worry about being rejected, Remus didn't know.
"It happens. You should see the foam mustaches Peter comes out with, the way he guzzles down these things." Again they laughed.
"I have seen it, actually. You're always hanging around with him and James and Sirius so…I've paid a bit of attention to all of you," Mary admitted. "I hope that's not weird. And I don't mean that I'm, you know, into all of you. I definitely like you best. You seem like the nicest out of the bunch, and the most level-headed." She looked down at the table, tracing a scratch in the wood. "Sorry, I'm rambling."
Remus just grinned. "Don't worry about it. And I don't generally like to brag about anything, but you're probably right. Of course anyone would look level-headed compared to my friends."
Mary peeked up, smiling shyly. "Lily's said to me once or twice that she doesn't understand why you are friends. The way she describes James's attitude, I wonder myself."
Well, I guess you're getting your wish after all, Prongs, Remus thought. Though while he wasn't going to bad mouth his friend, he felt he had to be as honest as possible. "James is not actually as bad as he seems through Lily's eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that he and Severus don't get along, then she probably wouldn't be as down on him. Then again, James flirts very aggressively so she would probably still find him annoying."
Mary giggled, and as it faded away she scrunched her nose up a bit. She leaned forward across the table. "Between you and me, I don't know why Lily and Snape are friends. He's really not all that much nicer than James, and certainly is worse looking."
Remus shrugged. "Lily must see something in him that's good. Maybe he just has a rough exterior." He glanced to the table where Anjanette and Regulus were sitting. Both of them were friends with Severus as well, so that had to mean that he had some positive qualities.
"That's really sweet," Mary said with a smile and Remus turned back to her. "You try to see the good in everyone."
"I wouldn't say that, exactly. I believe there are some people who don't have any good in them at all," he said, thinking of one person in particular that made his eyes glint gold. "But I can tell when someone has good in them. Call it an instinct." He sipped his butterbeer again.
Mary's smile turned a bit sly. "I'm guessing you see something good in me?"
Remus looked over the girl across from him and grinned in return. So far, things were actually going smoothly. Mary was easy to talk to and seemed genuine, and he was actually enjoying himself. He nodded. "I definitely do."
.:~I~S~S~:.
After a good few hours of talking, Remus and Mary walked back up to the castle together and parted ways once they were inside the Tower. As he'd planned, they didn't kiss, or really touch at all, but for now that was alright. He found he did quite like her, as she was nice, smart, and had a good sense of humor, so he figured the rest would come with time. Once he was back inside the dorm, the evening was dedicated to discussing the details of the date, where James did most of the interrogation. Peter listened intently, and Sirius had decided to actually work on some homework.
That being the case, they didn't get a chance to discuss their Zonkos run until the next morning at breakfast. The boys sat two by two across the table, each loading up a plate with food.
"So, we got two more boxes of Spyballs and ten bottles of love potion," James told Remus as they ate. "They're big enough that we should have plenty for a good spread of statues in the castle."
"Did you find anything arrow-like?" Remus asked.
"Sort of."
"They're more like darts," Peter said. "They're kind of hollow so we can fill them with potion, but I don't see how they're going to make the potion absorb into people's bodies."
"Wormy, you're not thinking fourth-dimensionally!" James said, patting his back. "We just need a special spell that charms the darts into helping the potion seep in once they make contact. There was a whole book of Christmas charms out there so I'm sure there's a similar one for Valentine's Day."
"What about Valentine's Day?" a new voice asked, and the Marauders looked up to see Mary approaching. She sat down next to Remus and grinned. "We've only been out once and you're already thinking three months ahead? You're too sweet."
"Good morning, Mary," Remus said, though his smile back at her wasn't as strong. He hadn't expected that she'd join them at meals now that they'd been on a date. Then again, this was the first time he was dating someone and he didn't know all the ins and outs just yet.
"Morning. And good morning to all of you, too," she said, nodding to each of the other boys. They were polite, but Sirius pouted in silent complaint about the interruption of their prank planning. "So, what are you planning to do today?" she asked Remus.
"I thought I'd study a little. The Professors are ramping up now that we're halfway to the holidays."
"We can go to the library together!" Mary suggested eagerly. Then she reigned herself in. "I mean, if you want to. I don't know if you prefer to study alone or not."
"I was planning on helping Peter out too," Remus said, wanting to be clear. "Do you mind if he goes with us?"
Mary shook her head. "Not at all. It'll be nice to get to know your friends." Peter gave her an appreciative look, having worried for a moment that he might lose out on valuable study time. She smiled in return and then started to load up her plate.
At this point Sirius stood. "I'm going for a fly," he said, leaving his half-eaten bowl of porridge behind as he disappeared from the Great Hall. Remus frowned as he watched him go, and even Mary looked concerned.
"Does Sirius not like me?" she asked, looking to Remus disappointedly.
"No, of course not," James said, but then amended the statement. "What I mean is, he totally likes you. He's just been really moody lately. I blame it on the hormones."
"He might have been a little upset that you came in while we were talking about our big prank for the year," Peter added, but then flushed, realizing his mistake when James swatted at his arm. "Sorry. Forget I said that."
"Oh. I hadn't realized that I was interrupting," Mary said, looking down at her plate.
"You weren't," Remus insisted, though Peter had inadvertently stumbled upon a reason for Sirius's sour attitude since Mary had come around. She'd asked him out when they were working on the map, and their date had taken precedence over going to Zonko's. Remus was surprised that Sirius would react so immaturely but-
Actually, he wasn't.
"Sirius is just a drama queen," he concluded out loud to Mary. He put a hand over hers and gave her a smile. "Don't worry. I'll talk to him."
.:~I~S~S~:.
Sirius stormed up the stairs towards the Gryffindor Tower, feeling his anger bubbling to the surface. He couldn't believe Mary would just sit down like that as if she were invited, as if she had the right after only being out on one date with Remus. She couldn't just waltz in and act like she belonged there, getting in the way of their plans. What nerve.
He'd been holding back on complaining about this whole Mary and Remus situation for a few days now, but it was getting harder to contain. Unfortunately, the people he usually would have talked to were unavailable; obviously he couldn't say anything to Remus, James was one hundred percent supportive, and Peter was going along as usual. He wanted to scream, he was so frustrated. Why didn't he have more friends?
Oh wait. He did.
He made a quick turn and went towards the opposite end of the castle, forgetting about his plans to fly. Right now what he really needed was a good vent.
.:~I~S~S~:.
The Ravenclaw common room tended to be quiet on a Sunday morning. Being that most of the bright students had their homework done well in advance of the weekend, they spent the days relaxing or sleeping in. Anjanette was lounging in a chair near the fireplace, Harlie purring in her lap and a book in her hands. There were a few others around the common room, enjoying the lazy atmosphere and the view of the wintery morning out the large windows.
Then there was a knock.
Every head in the room turned to look at door, astonished. No one, not even a Ravenclaw who had been struggling on a puzzle for hours, had ever knocked. This could only mean the person on the other side of the doorway was not one of them.
They nervously exchanged glances wondering who could possibly be trying to get in. Anjanette, however, got up from her place and opened the door. There was no reason to think that anyone dangerous was on the other side; they wouldn't want to make their presence known if they were trying to sneak in. She was proven correct when she found Sirius, poised to knock again.
"Why can't you have a bloody password like every other house?" The Gryffindor asked in a huff.
Anjanette gave him an amused smirk. "What was the riddle?"
"Why is a raven like a writing desk? As if anyone could answer that." Sirius threw his hands into the air in frustration as he walked into the common room. Harlie coiled around his legs and he bent to scratch her head.
"Actually there are quite a few answers for that one. Because Poe wrote on both of them, because they both have inky quills, because-"
"Okay, okay, I'm stupid. I need to talk to you." The urgency evident in his tone and the fact that he was actually coming to her instead of one of the boys was intriguing.
"I'm assuming this is something serious, Sirius?" The Gryffindor's lips only twitched briefly at the pun, and he nodded. "Alright. Come on then." The rest of the Ravenclaws watched warily as she brought Sirius up the stairs to the girl's dorms. They knew of his reputation as a Marauder, and so it was not surprising that they were suspicious of his motives for being there, but no one made a comment. Harlie trailed after the pair, weaving in and out of their legs. Anjanette's room was empty when they reached it and so she sat on her bed, her feline friend hopping up into her lap again once she was seated.
Sirius remained standing, arms crossed over his chest and expression agitated. Anjanette suddenly wondered if maybe Remus had mentioned seeing her and Regulus at the pub. Not that there was anything odd about them going for a butterbeer. Just a very good pair of friends that happened to be a boy and a girl. "Remus was on a date yesterday with Mary MacDonald," he started.
"It's not what you think."
Sirius's annoyance momentarily transformed into confusion. "What do you mean? Mary literally asked him on a date."
"Oh. Of course." The rare misfire had Anjanette even more curious about what exactly Sirius was doing here. "And?"
Sirius was still slightly perplexed but was quick to return to the problem at hand. "And Mary decided to just sit down with us at breakfast today!"
They both waited wordlessly, Anjanette for Sirius to elaborate on what made this an issue, and Sirius expecting her to already know. "Well?" the Gryffindor finally said.
"Well what?"
"You don't think there's a problem here?"
She shook her head. "Do you?"
Sirius opened his mouth, letting out a few barks of laughter, before he spread his arms and clapped them to his sides. "Yeah I do. We were in the middle of talking about this year's prank when she so rudely planted herself right next to Remus. She's getting in the way already and it's only been one day!"
"Maybe you shouldn't be talking about your secret plans at breakfast," Anjanette countered.
"That's not the point," Sirius said, starting to pace the floor. "I just don't want some girl, who Remus had absolutely no interest in a few days ago by the way, to start thinking she can just tag along with us when we have important business to take care of. I mean, we can't tell her about pretty much anything we do, so that means that we can't get anything done if she's around. You know, the prank this year was Remus's idea and he didn't even come to Zonkos with us!"
"You should be talking to Remus about this," Anjanette told him. But the Gryffindor continued walking back and forth between the beds.
"I can't do that. Obviously he must have found something appealing in her yesterday. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try to make my best mate's girlfriend feel included?"
"James and Peter don't feel the same," she assumed.
Sirius nodded. "James is in 'wingman' mode and nothing bothers Pete as long as he's not getting in trouble. That's why I came to talk to you in the first place. You were my last resort."
"Nice to see where I fall on your list of friends," Anjanette said dryly.
"You know what I mean. You were the last person I could talk to that might understand." He covered his face in his hands and groaned. "I know I really shouldn't be getting mad if Remus is happy, but I can already see where this will go," he said, voice muffled in his palms. "Soon he's going to start choosing Madam Puddifoot's over Honeydukes, snogging sessions over Exploding Snap, and…and Mary instead of the Marauders."
Anjanette's violet eyes took on an amused glint. "You're jealous."
Sirius's hands dropped from his face, which instantly went scarlet. "I am most certainly not jealous!" he said indignantly. The Ravenclaw just looked at him silently, one eyebrow quirked. "Oh, come on. There's no reason for me to be. I know that Remus wouldn't really stop hanging out with us just because he has a girlfriend. And the only other reason I'd be jealous was if I…" he trailed off, as what he had planned to end his sentence with became the engine in a new train of thought. Could he be jealous? What else would cause such anger and annoyance over something that he should have been happy about? And if he was jealous... "…I fancy Remus."
The revelation hit Sirius like a Bludger to the face. Things that seemed like disjointed instances and odd thoughts suddenly had a common thread running through them; his lack of interest in girls, his 'observations' of Remus's flattering growth spurt, his annoyance with Remus's new relationship…
Anjanette blinked. She hadn't been implying that, but it seemed Sirius was now coming to his own conclusions. He dropped onto the bed across from hers, eyes hazy as he stared at the opposite wall. "I fancy Remus," he said again, quieter, but with certainty. He looked at Anjanette suddenly, nervous, but she didn't seem fazed by the fact that he was basically telling her he was gay (oh, wasn't that a nice addition to the list of reasons why he was a horrible heir for a pureblood family). "What am I going to do?"
Anjanette was still silent, unsure what advice she could offer. The fact that Sirius was interested in another boy was enough of a problem in itself, being that there were likely very few other boys in the castle that went that way. On top of that, Remus was currently with someone, and a girl no less, which gave slim to absolutely no chance of him ever feeling the same way about his friend. But she didn't want to say any of this to Sirius. As long as she'd known the boys, it had been clear that Sirius and Remus had a special bond, and throughout the years she'd seen proof of the former's devotion to the latter. His feelings ran deeper than he might even realize, and hearing that the situation was hopeless would only be painful.
One of the benefits of her reputation for wordlessness was that she didn't have to try to find the right thing to say. She stood from her bed and moved to sit next to the Gryffindor, doing the only thing she could think of to comfort him by wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The silent gesture was enough to convey what was left unspoken, confirming what Sirius had been thinking himself. He felt his chest clench and his shoulders droop, and he let himself lean into the touch. Merlin only knew how much he needed it.
.:~I~S~S~:.
Sirius stayed for a bit with Anjanette before deciding to go flying after all, just to try to clear his head. Coming to terms with his feelings for Remus opened up an endless flood of thoughts that had apparently been dying to escape from his subconscious for who knew how long. He had thought, for only a miniscule moment, that maybe he was misjudging his reaction to Remus and Mary's relationship. But as he continued to look back at the past three years of his friendship with the werewolf, he only found further confirmation of the truth. It was a wonder he hadn't realized it on his own long ago, but now that he had, it was as if he'd known for ages.
By the evening, he was feeling a bit better, though no more hopeful than before. One particular aspect of this development that he'd put a chunk of flight time towards was how he was going to deal with watching Remus doing everything that Sirius wanted to do with him, with someone else. It was going to hurt, he knew, but he couldn't let it show. He'd decided that no one else could know about his feelings, especially not the object of his affections himself. It would ruin their friendship, and he had no intentions of letting that happen. If he couldn't have Remus the way he wanted him, he would savor every bit of what he could have.
He was just coming back from the Great Hall after a late dinner, heading up the moving staircases, when he heard someone call down to him. "Pads!" Sirius looked up and saw Remus peering over one of the railings a few floors up, and his heart thumped hard in his chest. "Stay right there," Remus said, and started down the stairs towards him, so Sirius didn't move from his spot. A minute later the werewolf was standing in front of him, smiling somewhat hesitantly. "I'm glad I caught you. I think we need to talk."
Sirius immediately was stricken with fear, thinking that somehow Remus had discovered his secret. But then he remembered how he'd come to figuring out that secret himself and realized what it was his friend wanted to discuss. "If it's about breakfast, you don't have to say anything. I know it was wrong of me to act that way."
Remus blinked, then relaxed considerably, and touched Sirius's shoulder. That saved him a lecture. "Having Mary around isn't going to change anything," he promised. "We'll just have to make sure we set aside specific time for talking about pranks and the map and such."
"Yeah," Sirius said on a sigh. If only that was his actual problem.
Always perceptive of his mood, Remus's head tilted in concern. "Everything alright?"
Had Remus's honey-sweet eyes always looked so beautiful? Was his brow always so perfectly bunched while he waited for an answer? Did his lips always look so soft and unbitten? Yes, they must have, but he just hadn't noticed until now. The more important question was, why had it taken him this long to realize it?
Sirius shook himself from his thoughts, and forced on a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."
Remus's eyes scanned over him quickly, but then he grinned back, giving Sirius's upper arm a quick rub, without realizing that it caused both content and pain. "Let's get to bed then."
