Written for:
The Houses Competition Forum
Gryffindor Prefect, part-time student,
Practice Round Drabble: trope - mutual pining

Also written for Hogwarts Forum where I'm a Ravenclaw:
Hogwarts May Monthly We're All Tortured Poets Here: Down Bad — (dialogue) "It makes no difference."
Hogwarts May Monthly Comic Craze: 22. Dark Victory: (dialogue) "You haven't even given me a chance!"
Hogwarts May Writing Club Nifty & Swiftie: gold rush - (action) blushing

Words: 806

Almost

Remus sat in the Hogwarts Common Room watching Sirius and James play a game of Wizard's Chess, but he wasn't paying attention. He kept glancing over at the group of girls sitting by the fire, distracted every time they laughed or moved.

"We can't both fancy Lily, Moony," James said, bringing Remus' attention back to his friends.

"It's not that," he said as he blushed.

"It's not her, you mean," Sirius said with a grin. "Who are you looking at?"

"No one."

James and Sirius shook their heads in unison.

"You haven't heard a word of what we've been saying for the last ten minutes at least," Sirius said. "Who is it?"

Remus blushed even deeper at this line of questioning.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "It makes no difference. I'm too dangerous."

James rolled his eyes with a sigh. "We're not suggesting dates at midnight on a full moon. Bloody hell, Moony."

"Shhhh!" Remus admonished his friend, who held his hands up in mock-surrender.

He looked over at the girls again, at the one girl he was pining over. Marlene McKinnon sat beside Lily, her long blonde hair trailing down her back. She sat with perfect grace in Remus' eyes - but that was the problem. She was too perfect. He would ruin her.

"Are you looking at Marlene?" Sirius asked.

Remus sighed. "Don't say anything, please. There's no use."

"Fine," Sirius replied. "But just so you know, you're missing out."

.o(0)o.

Marlene sat next to her best friend Lily Evans, listening to Lily ramble on about their latest Potions assignment to Mary McDonald. Except Marlene wasn't listening at all. She could feel her skin prickle as if someone was watching her. Pulling out her compact as if to check her face, she used the small mirror to look around the room.

Remus Lupin was staring at her. Again.

Marlene felt the heat rising in her cheeks as she blushed. She had fancied Remus for so long, but he never seemed to notice she existed before now. She'd caught him staring at her a couple of times, but then in Charms today she'd said hello to him and he'd walked straight past her, bashing her shoulder and making her drop her books as if she'd been invisible.

"Who are you looking at?" Mary asked Marlene.

Marlene sighed. "Remus," she said. "He's staring at me."

"Didn't he walk into you today?" Lily asked.

"That's what I don't understand. He's cute and smart and everything, but sometimes he's horrible." Marlene looked at Lily with a sulk.

Lily smiled. "He's never horrible to me. Maybe he likes you and he doesn't know how to show it."

"Be a Gryffindor," Mary said with a grin. "Ask him out!"

"Merlin, no! I couldn't! I can't even tell if he does like me! I can't ask him out if he can't be clear about it!"

Lily sighed. "That's fair. It's a shame though. You're missing out."

.o(0)o.

Remus was one of the first ones up the next morning, so he made his way down to the Common Room to read in peace and quiet. As he reached the bottom of the staircase, though, he saw the space he'd assumed would be empty wasn't. She was there.

"Hi," he said, smiling tentatively.

She looked up, startled. "Oh, hi."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said as he approached her.

She was sitting in one of the corner booths by the windows. Remus pulled a stool over to sit nearby.

"It's fine, I just didn't expect anyone else to be up this early," she replied.

Remus said nothing as he took his seat, looking around the room.

"The other day…" Marlene began, "I thought I might have caught you staring at me."

Remus blushed. "I wasn't… I mean… Sorry. I didn't mean to." He stammered over his words like he'd never talked to a girl before.

"I just… it confused me," Marlene said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Because yesterday morning you walked into me in class like I wasn't even there."

Remus sighed. "I did. I'm sorry. I just… I think you're really pretty, and clever, and funny. But I can't do anything about that and I'm not handling it very well."

"What do you mean? You haven't even given me a chance!" Marlene said, incredulous.

"It's not you, it's… Oh, Merlin, what am I even saying?" Remus dragged his hand through his hair in frustration. "I would be bad for you. I mean it. There's just things you don't know."

"It's not fair of you to not even give us a chance," Marlene replied.

"I know. I'm sorry. But that's my choice," Remus nodded.

Marlene closed her book as she nodded. "Mutual pining it is, then," she said as she stood to leave.

"I'm sorry," he said as she walked away.