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I have to admit, I'm nervous as we approach the Great Hall.
We've been wandering around the castle for nearly an hour, talking and laughing and, you guessed it, kissing, so it's nearly eight.
I can't believe that I've never noticed how amazing James Potter is.
I squeeze his hand as we walk through the door, and then we walk quickly over to the Gryffindor table. James sits down next to Sirius, and I settle down next to him, pouring myself a goblet of pumpkin juice and passing it to him, nudging his leg under the table.
It's only then that I notice that our end of the table has gone silent, so I look up, gulping down my mouthful of juice. Sirius is goggling at us, Alice's mouth is hanging open slightly, and Remus' eyebrows are raised.
"What?"
Alice raises one eyebrow and stares pointedly at James, then back at me, so I decide to tease her.
"What?"
She huffs. "Are you..."
James looks up and grins, grabbing my hand under the table, and replies cockily. "I don't know what you're talking about."
There's a moment of silence and then Sirius blurts out. "Did you snog?"
I blush violently, and James rubs the back of his neck, looking down at the table, and Sirius grins so broadly that I'm surprised that his face doesn't split in two. "I knew it! I KNEW IT!" Alice cries, so loudly that people turn to look at us, and I blush even harder.
"Go on then!" Sirius claps his hands excitedly, looking just like a little kid.
"Excuse me?"
"Snog her, Prongs."
James looks outraged. "Look, Padfoot, I'm sure Lily doesn't want to-"
Turns out, kissing James Potter is an excellent way to shut him up.
Someone wolf-whistles and when we break apart, dizzy from that kiss, the Gryffindor table erupts into applause. Professor McGonagall has a rare smile on her usually stern face, and Professor Dumbledore raises his goblet to us, his blue eyes twinkling. James slips his arm and I lean into him as the Hall quietens around us.
Across the Hall, the Slytherins are scowling.
Alice starts gushing to no one in particular are about how cute we are and Sirius starts grilling James for the details.
-so cute, I mean, think about the babies!"
"-mad at you? Did she slap you? She seems to do that a lot."
I look over at Remus, who's watching them with a smile on his face. He looks pale and tired, and there's a bandage on his arm.
How did I never notice this before?
I know the answer, though.
I never looked.
He looks up at me, smiling, and I mouth at him. "Thank you."
"Anytime."
I can't keep it from him.
"Can I talk to you, Remus?"
"Sure." I get up and whisper in James' ear.
"I'm going to tell Remus I know, okay?"
He nods, and kisses my cheek, so I rub his head, messing up his hair even more, and follow Remus out of the Hall, into an empty classroom set up for Charms.
"What's up Lily?"
"I know." The effect is instantaneous; he steps back and pales, running his hand through his hair.
"You know that..."
"You have a furry little problem. Yeah."
"Did James-"
"No. I do have brains, you know."
He grins nervously. "Yeah. I know. But you're okay with it?"
"Of course I am! You're still Remus, just a bit...different sometimes, that's all."
He looks so relieved, I lean forward and hug him tightly.
"I'm here for you, okay Remus? No matter what."
We exit the classroom just as Diggory and his cronies pass, and I swear under my breath as he stops in front of me, looking smug.
"Playing the field, are we, babe? Flirting with me, going out with Potter, and now snogging Lupin. You really know how to get around..."
I stiffen, tensing, and my hand drifts subconsciously towards my pocket where I stowed my wand as Remus steps forward so that he's front of me. He speaks quietly, calmly, but his fists are clenched behind his back. "Move out of the way, Diggory. We need to get to class."
The boy laughs.
"Is that what they're calling broom cupboards these days? Class...but you're not exactly sophisticated are you, babe? Muggle-born and all..."
Then Sirius comes down the corridor, laughing and joking with Peter and-thank Merlin-James. I'm bristling with anger and I'm pretty sure Remus is too. The next minute, my wand is pointed at Diggory's chest and he's laughing.
"What's the Head Girl gonna do? Give me detention?"
I feel a hand on the small of my back, and relax slightly. James.
"What's going on?"
"You see, Potter, I'm just revealing some secrets about Evans here. She's supposed to be going out with you, mate, but she's snogging me on the side. Not such a good girl after all, huh, babe?" He leers down at me and I recoil.
I feel James stiffen, and silently will him not to retort.
He can't afford to get in a fight.
Not now.
"Lily wouldn't lower herself to someone like you." James sneers, fingering his wand as I put mine away.
"She wouldn't lower herself, perhaps, but you? You're so desperate you'll snog the first Mudblood that throws herself at you."
Forget what I said before.
There's no time to get my wand.
My hand connects with his face, as I slap him, hard, so he stumbles backwards, reeling. James steps forward, a murderous look on his face, and points his wand directly between the boy's eyes, who goes cross-eyed trying to focus on it.
"If you EVER... call her that again, I will personally ensure that you don't see graduation. Understood?"
His cheek swelling rapidly, the shorter boy nods dumbly and scurries nervously away with his pathetic friends, a bruise in the shape of my handprint blossoming on the side of his face.
Sirius yells after them, and so do I.
"At least Evans has personality! Tell me, what's it like, snogging a chick without enough brains to fill an egg cup?"
"I thought I told you not to call me 'babe'!"
I grab James' hand and squeeze it lightly.
"You okay, Porcupine?"
"I'm fine Petal." He doesn't sound fine.
"Are you sure, James?"
"I'm fine, Lily. Promise."
He smiles down at me, and we walk down to Potions, Sirius yelling abuse after Diggory and sunlight streaming through the windows.
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She-who-loves-fanfiction xx
