“I can’t believe your sister is engaged to that knucklehead!” Leela Rai exclaimed as she began unpacking her Quidditch gear from her trunk and storing them under her bed.
“I can’t believe she decided the best time to share that was two seconds after you found out you were Head Girl,” said Alice Bristow. She was sitting on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chin as if she were a five year old watching a particularly interesting show.
“Well, I can’t believe you didn’t bring me a slice of that cake,” snapped Aimee Holcombe. She placed a perfectly manicured hand to her tiny stomach as if she knew just where that cake would have sat. Lily laughed.
“Can you stop thinking about your stomach for once?” Leela asked, rolling her dark brown eyes in Aimee’s direction. “Didn’t you just eat five slices of pumpkin pie at the feast?” Lily stifled a smile at Leela’s irritation and chucked another chocolate frog at Aimee.
“Happy?” she asked. Aimee grinned back and ripped open the package. Turning to the rest of her friends, Lily continued, “I’m not even sure she really is engaged. Mum and Dad weren’t able to get another word out of her while I was there.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if she was lying,” Alice admitted. “She’s done this kind of stuff before, hasn’t she?”
“Never as bad as this,” Lily reminisced, leaning back against her pillows.
“Aimee,” Leela said, unable to pull her disgusted gaze away from her brilliantly blond friend. “How do you manage to stay so unbelievably skinny even after all the horrible food you eat?”
“Genetics,” Aimee said wisely, considering the chocolate frog in front of her as if she didn’t know where to start. “That’s what Gran says anyway.”
“I wish I had your genes, then,” Alice said enviously, pulling her slightly chubbier body closer to her.
“Oh hush,” Lily said, giving her brunette friend a loyal smile. “You’re fine just the way you are.”
“Yeah, Aimee’s just a freak,” Leela said, turning back to her Quidditch gear. Aimee shot Leela a nasty look.
“Well forget about me,” Aimee said. She gestured in Lily’s direction. “I want to hear about your Head Girl duties. How much more power do you have now?”
“How much more can we get away with, you mean,” Alice corrected.
“I don’t know yet,” Lily realized suddenly. “I was so distracted by Petunia’s tantrum that I forgot to read the actual letter, and the Head Boy didn’t even show up to the Prefect meeting today on the train.”
“Do you know who Head Boy is?” Alice asked.
“It’s not Frank?” Lily said, surprised. “I assumed it’d be either him or Remus.”
“No, I got an owl twenty inches long from him four days ago that detailed every aspect of his despair about it. He definitely isn’t Head Boy,” Alice confirmed, shaking her head at the memory.
“It must be Remus then,” Lily said. “I wonder why he didn’t make it to the meeting.”
“Speaking of,” Aimee began with a teasing smile as she stretched out belly-down on her bed and licked the tips of her fingers. “What’s going on with you two?”
“There’s something going on between you and Remus Lupin?” Leela asked, her brown eyes alight with new gossip. “Why haven’t I heard this before?”
“Relax, Lee. There’s nothing going on,” Alice defended, giving Lily a warm, supportive smile. “They’re just friends.”
“Oh, please. You can’t honestly tell me nothing happened during all those long Prefect walks you two took together,” Aimee prodded. She winked suggestively and Lily rolled her green eyes instinctively.
“I’m not you, Aimee,” Lily pointed out as Alice started laughing. “We really are just friends.”
“That’s what you said about Severus, too,” Aimee said, raising her eyebrows and sharing a look with Leela. Lily’s face suddenly turned to stone. There was a beat of silence.
“Stop that, Aimee,” Alice snapped immediately as she looked at Lily warily. Lily’s gaze was focused on her perfectly painted toes. Aimee faltered, her eyebrows furrowing as she realized she said something wrong. She looked at Lily cautiously and then looked to Alice for help.
“I’m sorry,” Aimee apologized quickly. “I was just trying to make a point.”
“Remus and I are just friends,” Lily said, attempting a smile. She let out a nervous laugh. “I’d trust him with my life.”
“If you say so,” Leela said in a sing-song voice, trying hard to clear the tension in the room. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
“The lady what?” Aimee asked.
“It’s Shakespeare,” Alice explained to her only pure-blooded friend. “A muggle playwright.”
“Well I’m tired. I’m calling it a night,” Aimee announced and she climbed under her covers after a hesitant smile. Lily recognized it as Aimee’s hasty way of ending a conversation she was afraid she had spoiled. A chorus of goodnights followed as each of the girls got settled into their beds and turned out their lamps. Within minutes, it seemed, all the girls were fast asleep. Everyone, that is, except a certain redhead, whose brilliant green eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling above her. For some reason, she was having trouble falling asleep.
Almost an hour later and still just as sleepless, Lily slipped out from under her covers and pulled a red silk robe on over her black nightgown. Taking a quick look at her roommates to make sure they were still asleep, she made her way down the spiral staircase to the Gryffindor common room. When she got there, however, she was surprised to see someone was already there.
“Remus!” Lily said happily. “What are you doing here?”
Remus looked up from his book and grinned. “Lily, hey,” he greeted, setting down his book and standing up to give her a hug.
“Isn’t it a little late to be up?” Lily asked as they pulled away. Remus led her to the sofa and they both sat down in front of the fire.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he said, shrugging. “I hear you’re Head Girl. Congratulations.”
“That must mean you’re Head Boy!” Lily said. “I was hoping it’d be you. Why didn’t you come to the Prefect meeting today?”
“Lily,” Remus interrupted shortly, cocking his head to the side and looking at Lily in confusion. “Didn’t you read your Head Girl letter?”
“Actually, no, it’s a long story,” Lily said, rolling her emerald eyes toward the ceiling.
“You probably should have read it,” Remus muttered, looking away awkwardly.
“Why?”
“It mentions who Head Boy is…”
“Well, now I know it’s you,” Lily said with a shrug. “Do you know when our meeting with Professor Dumbledore is?”
“Lily, I…” Remus began. He took a deep breath. “Your meeting is tomorrow morning, followed by training for the rest of the day.”
“The whole day?” Lily asked. She shook her head in relief. “At least it’s you I’m spending it with.”
Remus just laughed nervously.
“Right,” he said under his voice. He turned to see Lily’s green eyes watching the fireplace calmly. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap and her ankles were crossed. Always the lady. Her red tresses that normally hung down to mid-back were in a loose up-do, a look Remus had seen often on their Prefect walks. Clearing his throat, Remus turned to look at the warm crackling fire, too.
“Excited to be back at Hogwarts?” Lily asked absently. Remus nodded slowly.
“I’ve missed the Whomping Willow,” he said quietly, looking around the common room cautiously.
“I’m sorry things were so hard over the summer. You said you accidentally injured yourself a few times?” Lily asked, giving Remus a once-over to see if there were any visible scars.
“Nothing too serious,” he assured her, “but transformations are always harder during the summer.”
“Because there’s nothing to scratch?”
Remus nodded again, looking down at his hands.
“You know, there was an article in the Daily Prophet a few weeks ago claiming that some wizard has created a potion that might help,” Lily said. “I was going to owl you the clipping but I wasn’t sure it would be safe. You know, in case anyone intercepted it.”
“I’ve heard of the potion,” Remus said. “I wanted to try it, but apparently it’s still in its initial stages. Side effects include growing a permanent snout.” A shadow of a smile broke his otherwise disappointed expression. “Something tells me that’d attract even more suspicion than monthly screaming from the Shrieking Shack.”
“Probably,” Lily smiled. Her green eyes glistened and Remus paused for a split-second, looking at her. Just as quickly, he grabbed his book and stood up.
“I should go,” he said, gesturing to the staircase that took him to the boys’ dormitory. “I’m feeling a little sleepy now.”
“Goodnight, Remus,” Lily said, trying not to read too much into his hasty goodbye. She stood up and gave him another hug. “I’m glad we were able to talk. I missed you this summer!”
“I missed you, too,” Remus replied with a genuine smile. “Goodnight.”
As he made his way up the staircase, Remus absently wondered how his friend would react when she showed up at Dumbledore’s office the next day. A hint of a smile played on his lips as he opened his dormitory door to find his friends still playing Exploding Snap.
“Lily doesn’t know,” Remus said, walking in and setting his book on his trunk.
“Doesn’t know what?” Peter Pettigrew asked. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, staring at his friends’ Exploding Snap game with immense concentration. Below him, on the floor, Sirius Black and James Potter were heavily engrossed in their favorite game.
“She thinks I’m Head Boy,” Remus explained, heading into the washroom. At this, James Potter’s hazel eyes glanced upward. A second later, he was focused on his game again.
“She didn’t read the Head Girl letter?” he asked casually.
“Apparently not.” Remus’ voice echoed from the doorway. Sirius Black’s mouth lifted itself into a smirk.
“Well tomorrow should be interesting,” he said smugly. He glanced at James, who still had his gaze fixed on the cards, perhaps with a little too much concentration. A second later James dove out of the way, and Sirius was left with half an eyebrow. Peter started guffawing from above.
“Shut it, Wormtail,” Sirius said through gritted teeth, his eyebrow singeing. He glared at James, who was laughing as well.
“I win, Padfoot,” James said with a smile, picking himself up off the ground and heading to his bed. “You get to do my Charms homework for the rest of the year.”
“You two were betting on who has to do Charms work?” Remus asked, walking out of the washroom and looking at them disapprovingly. “I suppose you already know I’m going to say that’s incredibly unethical.”
“Moony,” James pointed out as he pulled his shirt off over his head. “I think I know what’s ethical and what’s not. I’m Head Boy, aren’t I?”
Remus scowled as he lay in bed. “I don’t think that reflects your moral compass.”
“I wasn’t aware Prongs had a moral compass,” Peter said.
“He doesn’t,” Sirius said proudly. James tousled his hair with a grin and climbed into bed.
“I was thinking after Head Boy training tomorrow, we could grab some Butterbeers from Hogsmeade and celebrate,” James offered.
“Cheers,” Sirius agreed happily. Remus groaned.
“Yes,” he said sarcastically. “That’s a wonderful way to inaugurate your new position. Let’s break some rules and sneak out.”
“Knew you’d come around, Moony,” Sirius said. “Glad to have you onboard.”
Remus just rolled his eyes.