If Only I Knew by Lily Weasley
Chapter Notes: In this chapter, we see the events that unfold under the light of the first Full Moon, the night Lily and Remus are scheduled to patrol, during the Marauders' fifth-year at Hogwarts.
Holly thrust open the door to the fifth year girls’ dormitory and yelled, “That damn Black! If I get ONE more cauldron cake laced with Amortencia, which he knows I’m allergic to, I’m going to neuter that son of a bitch!”
Lily, quite amused, lifted her head from her charms book and tried to stifle a laugh as she muttered, “You have no idea…”
“Wait, I thought you had rounds with Remus tonight,” Holly responded. “Oh, do you remember that we’re going to bust Black’s little arse tonight? I can’t believe the idiot started talking about his prank right in front of us. Who does that?”
“Black, apparently,” Lily responded. “Actually, I’m on my way out. How about we meet in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait after I’m done with rounds? Eleven o’clock? Is that good for you?”
“Perfect, Prefect! I’ll see you at eleven sharp! Don’t be late!” Holly shouted as Lily walked out of the room and started her descent down the stairs.
When Lily finally entered the common room, she spotted Remus sitting on the couch in front of the fire, looking very pensive. “Pensieve for your thoughts?” Lily asked jokingly.
Remus looked up nervously and simply shot her a goofy grin. Lily raised a solitary eyebrow and said, “Are you ready for patrols?”
“I was born ready! You should know that by now, Evans,” her partner replied, flashing her a cocky smirk. With that, they walked out of the portrait hole and made their way towards the kitchens, the first place to catch delinquents in search of a panacea for their midnight munchies. Lily noted that Remus was unusually silent, as if not trusting himself to speak.
“Remus, good friend of mine, after all of these years of giving me advice about avoiding Potter, I’d think that you’d be able to compose a simple sentence in my presence. Man, the full moon certainly does funny things to people, wouldn’t you agree?” Lily inquired.
Coughing slightly, Remus stated, “Yeah, I mean, I haven’t even touched my homework yet. That is SO unlike me. I can’t even think of anything more unlike me.”
Lily, noticing his awkward manner, looked at him quizzically, and said, “Remus, you know that we never discuss our schoolwork unless we’re in the library. Does this look like the library to you? I don’t like thinking about my homework any more than I have to, and right now, I really don’t have to, so let’s not even go there.”
“So, um, let’s talk about something that we do talk about then,” Remus uncomfortably responded.
“Well, Cradle-Robber, how’s everything going with Anne Bowlynne?” Lily asked with a smile.
“What? Why would I care about Anne Bowlynne? She’s a second-year. I hardly ever talk to her, and I can’t even recognize her easily because her hair color changes so often. Does anyone actually know what her natural color is? Is it brown? Is it black? Is it blonde? Is it red? I don’t know!”
“Um, you’ve only had a crush on her since the end of last year. You were the one who told me her natural hair color was brown! Silly, Remus!” Lily laughed.
“Of course, I did. I liked her in her first year when I was a fourth year. That’s not weird or awkward at all. No, it’s the new ‘in’ thing. I’m down with that,” Remus said shifting his eyes from left to right in quick succession.
“Well, I’m glad that you’re coming to see that age is just a number, after all. I remember dating a seventh year, Amos Diggory, when I was a second-year. We even made-out under the Whomping Willow. I’ve told you that danger excites me!”
“Wait… WHAT?!” Remus yelled, turning an unflattering shade of tomato red. “You made-out with Amos? He wasn’t even a Gryffindor! He’s not brave! How did you get him to go near that tree?”
“I have my ways, and I’ll just leave it there. You already know the rest of the story, anyways. Oh, look, we’re at the painting of the fruit bowl! Care to tickle the pear?” Lily asked, temporarily distracting her partner.
“Uh, sure. Let’s change the subject, shall we? Would you care for a butterbeer while we’re in here?” Remus questioned.
“Really, Remus, recite The Prefects Code of Honor, Article III, Section V, Clause II. I’ll say it with you.” Lily started, “'On my honor, I will try, to serve Dumbledore and my school, to help students at all times (unless they’re going against our sacred laws), and to not drink alcoholic beverages while on patrol.' Remus, I would’ve expected better from you! Are the other Marauders rubbing off on you a little too much?”
Luckily, as if saved by the bell, a student came towards them wearing a ponytail and what looked like a green face mask that matched perfectly with their Slytherin pajama pants. Remus, trying desperately to impress Lily with his authoritative skills, whipped out his wand and yelled “Stop, Madam. We’re going to need you to come here and explain what you are doing out of your common room after hours.”
As the student came nearer, Lily said, “Severus, I thought that you were supposed to put on your avocado conditioning facemask before nine o’clock.”
“You know I wouldn’t dare risk showing my face, like this, to Potter and his precious Black. I don’t know of any other way that I could ruin my life in one swift blow,” Snape drawled.
“I must agree that Mr. Potter is not the most sensitive of the male gender, but nonetheless, you have broken school rules. Remus, what do you think we should do about this?” Lily queried as she turned to her fellow prefect.
“Nothing. I think that we should let Sniv- Snape go with a mere warning. Don’t do it again, Severus, or we will take away points. Consider this your last and final warning,” Remus stated.
“Thank you, Remus. It won’t happen again, at least not on your watch. Have a… night!” Snape called as he exited the kitchen.
Left standing alone, Lily and Remus remained silent for a few moments. Finally, breaking the silence, Lily turned to him and said, “You know, your friends never would’ve been so kind to Severus. I think that’s why I like you, Remus.”
Remus, looking a little uncomfortable, ran a hand through his slightly unruly hair and grunted, “Well, it’s getting close to eleven, Evans. We should probably get back to the common room.”
Lily laughed and playfully swatted at Remus’s hand ruffling his hair. “You’re becoming more and more like James every minute!” She then smiled up at him and said, “I have to wait out here a minute, so I guess I’ll see you later!” With that, the pair parted, and as Remus walked into his own dormitory, he scrounged around for his glasses and faced the mirror, watching his transformation back into James Potter.