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marauder-misprint · 2 months ago

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Little Corvid

Remus Lupin x Potter!reader

13.2k words

cw: lil angst, fluff, pining, minor uses of Y/N, reluctantly accepting feelings

There were a few things that came with being James’ little sister at Hogwarts.

You discovered the first one within the first month of your first year. You weren’t Potter. You were a Potter, but it rarely meant you.

A professor hollered, “POTTER!” down a corridor full of students. You stopped and looked at the professor with terror in your eyes. You had no clue what you did wrong, not seeing James weaving through the crowd to get away from said professor. “Sorry, not you, Miss Potter. JAMES!”

You trained yourself not to respond to Potter. ‘Miss Potter’ was still a stretch. “It’s too similar to Mister Potter,” you told several professors when you didn’t respond right away. Eventually, the professors learned to call you by your first name and save Potter for James.

You also learned that your brother had set quite the precedent in his one year at Hogwarts without you. Despite being in a different house than James, professors took one look at your surname and assumed you’d be trouble. You were sat in the front of every class. You noticed that another boy was also sat in the front in every class but always on the opposite side of the row than you. Regulus Black, brother of your brother’s best friend.

At least you weren’t alone in being immediately compared to your sibling.

The third thing that came with being related to James developed the older you got: hearing everyone’s opinions about your brother and his friends. It felt like most people could only feel one of two things about them: love or hate. The first time you heard someone describe James as a ‘dreamboat,’ you gagged. Even worse, it was one of your roommates. You thought she’d have the decency to talk about James when you weren’t in the room, but you were wrong. It only got worse for you as you got to know James’ friends. It became nauseating.

The hate they received was easier to ignore. It almost felt refreshing to hear compared to the unearned compliments sent their way. You sometimes felt the need to defend the boys, but that was only when something truly heinous was said. If they could handle the adoring fans they somehow accrued, they could handle the haters that came with them.

You managed to find a handful of students who were more neutral to the boys. They didn’t praise the ground they walked on nor did they wish them immediate, painful deaths. Just disinterest. It was easier to ignore your brother, his friends and everything related to them when you were with your friends.

That didn’t mean you completely avoided your brother and his friends. They were everywhere after all. You could chuckle at the occasional harmless prank. You cheered for James when he dominated quidditch match after quidditch match. On the rare occurrence that none of your friends could help, you went to James and his friends for help on homework. You’d try to bum a galleon or two off James before Hogsmeade weekend. And you’d sometimes have to seek James out when writing or receiving a letter from home.

As much as you tried to stay out of the Marauders’ way, you still liked them. Your brother could’ve chosen much worse people for his friends. The other three found their way to Potter Manor during the holidays, sometimes all together and other times separately. You tried to keep out of their way more or less when they were around. But you could hold a conversation with them. You didn’t feel weirded out if one of them struck a conversation with you when James wasn’t around. You knew that you were James’ little sister and they were being polite.

---

The summer before your fifth year, Sirius came to live with your family. No one would tell you the whole story, but your parents treated the situation with utmost caution. You could remember the way Sirius practically passed out into James’ arms the moment he answered the door. You couldn’t unhear the panic in your brother’s voice as he yelled for your parents and told you to get the healing potions from the bathroom.

You didn’t have time to process the sight in front of you. You ran to grab the collection of vials, not knowing which ones Sirius might need nor how much. You grabbed it all. The rest of the night went by in a blur with your parents fussing over Sirius and asking you and James to grab things or to clean up the guest room for Sirius.

Sirius never left after that night. He stayed with your family for the rest of the summer and you knew he’d be staying and he and James graduated from Hogwarts and got a place of their own. A week or so after he arrived, Peter and Remus came to visit. Their visit felt strategically planned, just enough time for Sirius to get settled but not too long after. It was the perfect time for Sirius to be surrounded by the people who loved him the most.

“Hey, Little Corvid! Where’s your brother at?” Remus asked as soon as he arrived.

Little Corvid was a nickname reserved solely for Remus. He gave it to you during your first year, having been freshly sorted into Ravenclaw. You had sought James out to see if he wanted to say anything in your letter home.

Remus had said, “Fun fact, ravens are corvids. Same family as crows and jackdaws.”

You had given him a confused look and said, “The Ravenclaw mascot is an eagle.”

He had laughed, “I see why she’s a Ravenclaw.”

And from then on, you were Little Corvid to him. He was one of the few people who had a nickname for you.

You looked up from your spot on the couch. Remus was smiling at you from just inside the front door. It wasn’t unusual for the boys to let themselves in when they arrived.

“Upstairs. Maybe Sirius’ room?” you said before returning your attention to your book.

“Thanks!”

You heard his bags hit the ground and then the thundering of his footsteps up the stairs. You rolled your eyes. He was going to be sleeping in either James or Sirius’ room, so why didn’t he just bring his bags up now? Peter had shown up earlier that morning and his things were already upstairs. You knew it was going to be hectic with all four of them here; it always was, but now that Sirius was living here, you assumed it would be worse. Like always, you planned on not imposing too much on them. But if you got bored, you might tag along.

“Corvid!” Remus called up the stairs later in the week. “We’re going to the shore. Need anything?”

“Yeah, give me a sec!” you hollered back.

You adjusted your hair tie and hurried down the stairs. James groaned and rolled his eyes as you slid on your shoes.

“We were offering to grab it for you, not for you to come along,” James mumbled.

“Oh…” You began to peel your shoes back off, trying to not look disheartened.

“Shove off, Prongs. She can come,” Sirius said, giving you a smile. “We don’t mind.”

Sirius had been extra polite to you since he arrived. He constantly worried that he was intruding on your life, suddenly being at your house for the rest of summer and he was James’ friend and only sort of yours. Remus nodded along with Sirius’ statement. He didn’t mind that you were coming.

“Looks like she’s coming,” Peter said. He was simply indifferent and led the group out of the front door.

James grabbed the back of your shirt and hissed, “Don’t embarrass me.”

“Not trying to,” you replied.

You didn’t say much as you walked with the boys to the store. You figured that was the least embarrassing thing you could do. Can’t say anything wrong if you don’t say anything at all, but you still laughed at their stupid jokes. At some point, Remus ended up walking next to you with Peter on his other side while James and Sirius tried to do some kind of stunts ahead of the group. You wouldn’t be surprised if they’d need a bone put back together before you got home.

“What d’you need from the store?” Remus asked you casually.

“Just some snacks and a book. I’m on the last chapter of my current one.”

“They sell books in the corner store?” Remus asked.

You shook your head. “No. There’s a muggle bookstore just a block over. Figured I’d nip over there while you lot get whatever you need from the store. If you leave without me, you leave without me.”

Peter laughed, earning himself confused looks from you and Remus.

“What? You just told Moony there’s a bookstore nearby. He’s going with you. Ain’t no way we’re leaving without you.”

“I mean, if you don’t mind me coming with you,” Remus said with a chuckle.

“I don’t mind.”

James gave Remus a curious look as he followed you down the block to the bookstore. He hadn’t heard the discussion as he and Sirius were attempting to do flips. Peter explained as the remaining three entered the cornershop.

Inside the bookstore, Remus continued to follow you as you browsed the titles. You didn’t expect him to stay glued to your side the whole time you were in that store, but he did. You ended up getting three books – it was a series, you couldn’t help yourself – and Remus got a book himself. What shocked you even more was when he offered to pay.

“No, Remus. I can afford my books. Thank you though.”

He shrugged and let you pay for yourself. You had half a mind to pay for Remus’ book; you had quite the book allowance for the summer. Remus asked you about the book you were finishing up as you walked back to the corner store. The rest of the boys were still inside, debating how many bags of crisps they wanted, when you arrived. You grabbed your usual snacks and then lingered in the crisp aisle as Remus tried to get the boys to make a decision.

When you got back to the house, the boys dropped their snacks in the kitchen before going back outside. You heard them say something about getting the brooms out. You planned on following them out, but you would not be getting on a broom. Instead, you grabbed a glass of lemonade, your almost finished book and the first of your new series. You reclined on a sunchair near the house. The boys had started a game of ‘monkey in the middle’ with a quaffle. James was currently in the middle. You smirked to yourself, knowing that he wouldn’t be for long.

You were right. It only took two more throws before James caught it and Sirius was sent into the middle. The boys were rotating fairly often, not that you were keeping track. They were just loud.

“Oi! Heads up!” Sirius yelled as the quaffle he’d just thrown soared through Peter’s outstretched hands.

You shrieked as the ball hit you. You bolted up out of the chair. You lost your spot in your book, but frankly, you were more concerned about keeping it dry as the ricocheted ball knocked over your cup and drenched your shirt with lemonade. You swore under your breath. The boys slowly descended from their positions in the sky. You kicked the quaffle toward them, still holding your arms up. You left the book on the small table your cup had been on as you went inside to clean up.

You completely missed how Peter elbowed Remus, who had gone slack jawed at the sight of your shirt clinging to your body. It took Remus a minute to regain his composure, staring at the door you disappeared behind. It was impressive that James didn’t notice. The boys, minus James, would be lying if they said they didn’t notice how you’d grown up. Sirius and Peter were just more discreet when they checked you out.

The rest of the week goes by without incident. You give the boys their space, opting to spend your time by yourself or with your mother. You helped bake desserts and cook dinner. You read your books and worked on your summer crochet project. And when it was nice, you’d lay out in the sun, without a book and with your drink at a small distance to avoid another mishap.

One of the evenings you’re sitting on the couch with Remus. You’ve got your back propped up with a pillow on the armrest with your legs bent so that your feet rested just before Remus’ thigh. You were both reading. It was the night before the full moon so Remus was taking it easy while the rest of the boys were messing around elsewhere in the house.

You laughed softly at your book and Remus looked up from his. A smile tugged at his lips when he saw the happy look on your face and the soft smile that adorned your lips. He watched you read for a few minutes before turning back to his own book. You somehow didn’t notice him staring. You were too deep into your book.

You were a little sad to see Remus leave a few days later. He was your favorite out of James’ friends. Without him and Peter, the house did become a little quieter. James and Sirius were still rowdy, but it was on a lesser level. The end of summer was approaching and the three of you remember that you did have some summer homework to finish before you went back to Hogwarts. That took up a decent amount of your time.

---

You separated from your parents and the boys the moment you were through the barrier at King’s Cross Station. Yes, you’d miss your parents, but you felt that you would explode if you spent one more second with James and Sirius. They had been talking nonstop since breakfast. It was driving you mad.

“Love you, see you in a few months!” you called as you bolted away.

You scanned the crowd as you moved toward the train, trying to spot your friends.

“There she is!” Marissa, one of your friends, said with a grin when you spotted her.

Marissa was standing with some of your roommates and friends from other houses. The rest of the group greeted you as well. It didn’t take long for you to move onto the train and find a compartment. Turns out the group was just waiting for you.

“Right, so anything happen over the summer?” Elias, another friend, asked you once everyone was settled.

“The usual Marauders gathering,” you answered with disinterest. “Sirius moved in so we’re stuck with him more than usual.”

Lindsey, one of your roommates, perked up. “Sirius Black moved into your house?”

You nodded.

“Oh. My. Merlin. What’s it like?” she asked eagerly, leaning forward. “Did you get any? You know, since you have easy access?”

You made a disgusted face, drawing laughter from your better friends. They knew how you felt about Sirius – platonic if you could even call it that.

“I most certainly did not get any. Bloody hell. I will never get any from him.” You shuttered. “But overall, a bit chaotic. I thought living with one James was a lot and now there’s two.”

“Wait, why has Sirius moved into your house?” Marissa asked.

“I’m… not exactly sure? He just showed up and never left.”

“Odd,” she muttered, giving you a confused look.

You shrugged. You had nothing else to say. It seemed insensitive to tell them how horrible he looked when you arrived. It wasn’t their business especially if your parents wouldn’t tell even you why he was staying.

“Elias, did you have a good summer?” you asked, trying to get the conversation off of your summer.

You got comfortable in your seat as Elias started recounting his summer. His family traveled a lot so he had stories. You listened to the conversation as it shifted from Elias’ summer to Martin’s new quidditch broom to the latest gossip that Lucy heard. It was relaxing to be in the company of your friends again. And as long as the conversation didn’t drift to the Marauders, Lindsey and Alison were tolerable.

Soon enough, you were back at Hogwarts. You fell back into the rhythm of school fairly quickly. With O.W.L.s looming at the end of the year, the professors took no mercy on you. Homework was ramped up with ungodly expectations. You knew it was coming, everyone did. Fifth year was notoriously hell and now you were living it. This meant spending plenty of time in the library because as great as the Ravenclaw Common Room was, it wasn’t the library.

Your increased time in the library brought something to your attention: Remus was often there. Sometimes he was alone, others with the Marauders or other Gryffindors. You make eye contact a few times as you look for an open table. He’d give you a warm smile that you’d return. You’d tell yourself that the flip your stomach did when Remus smiled at you meant nothing. He was just your favorite of James’ friends, that’s all, and he was just being polite.

A few weeks passed and you were in the library just after sunrise on a Saturday. There was no quidditch and no scheduled visits to Hogsmeade, so you decided you would crank out as much work as you could. You piled up a collection of books on your table and got to work. Students slowly drifted into the library as the morning progressed. Among those students was Remus. You didn’t notice him until he was standing right next to your table.

“Mind if I sit here, Little Corvid?” he asked, gesturing to the seat across from you.

“Feel free.”

He gave you that warm smile and sat down, getting straight to work. Before returning to your work, you look around the library. There are still plenty of tables open and Remus asked if he could sit at your table. You bite your lip, sending him a quick glance before bringing your attention back to your essay. Maybe Remus saw you as more than James’ little sister. You can’t imagine Sirius or Peter, or James even, choosing to sit next to you when there were open tables.

Your thinking is only reinforced. It felt like every time you were in the library before him and he was alone, he’d sit with you. You took that as an invitation to sit with him when he got there first. If he was with someone else or one of your friends came with you, the two of you would still exchange smiles, but that would be it.

You didn’t mind this increased friendship with Remus. It grew to waving to each other in the corridors and talking a bit more. Alison saw you talking with Remus outside of the History of Magic classroom in between classes and she whined about you getting close with “the wrong Marauder.” You rolled your eyes at her. You didn’t see why you couldn’t have a friendship of your own with Remus without it being tied to James. Well, you did know why but you liked to think that even if you weren’t a Potter or if Remus hadn’t been friends with James, you still would’ve become friends at some point.

“Hey Potter!” a male voice called down the corridor a few days later.

You were standing with Lucy, but neither of you looked up, carrying on with your conversation. Everything about it screamed that Potter was referring to James.

“Potterrrrr,” the voice said again, drawing out your surname.

You still gave no acknowledgement.

“Potter, hi.”

The speaker was now standing in front of you. Connor Darby, a Hufflepuff and roommate of Elias.

“Oh, hi Connor,” you said.

“Did you get a surname change or something?”

“No,” you sighed, giving Lucy a sideways glance. “But Potter being yelled down the corridor usually means James.”

“Right, right. Erm, could we talk in private?”

“Yeah, I suppose. Lucy, I’ll see you later.” Lucy walked away and then Connor reached out for your elbow to guide you into an ever-so-slightly more secluded area of the corridor. “What’s up?”

“I was… Ahem, I was wondering if you’d like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?”

“Oh,” you said, a bit startled. You hadn’t been expecting that; you didn’t really know Connor all that well. “Okay, sure. I’ll go to Hogsmeade with you.”

Connor’s face lit up. “That’s brilliant! I’ll meet you around 11 outside the Great Hall!”

Connor gave your arm a gentle squeeze before leaving you to go to his friends. You smiled to yourself as you watched his friends clap him on the back. You headed to your next class, where you sat next to Elias.

“Did Connor talk to you?” you asked after sitting down.

Elias grinned at you. “Possibly. Did he finally grow a pair and talk to you?”

“Finally? What do you all know about this?”

“He’s my roommate, of course I know about this. He’s had an eye on you since the start of term. I’ve been telling him you’d give him a chance.”

“Yeah? What gives you that impression?”

“I mean, I was right, wasn’t I?”

You rolled your eyes. He was.

“Come on, Darby’s not bad looking. He’s an alright bloke. You’re single and fit and are too nice to turn someone down.”

“You think I’m fit?” you laughed.

Elias put his hands up in front of him in defense. “Just stating a fact.”

For the rest of the week, your roommates and female friends talked about your upcoming date. They teased you about it. It was your first real date. It was like they were more excited about it than you were, but in your defense, you were nervous. You weren’t close with Connor; you had no clue what to expect.

By the end of Saturday, you learned that your nervousness wasn’t warranted. The date was fine. You met Connor outside the Great Hall, walked to Hogsmeade and spent some time in the enchanted garden there. You talked, basic stuff. You were going to get butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks, but you caught a glimpse of your brother inside and steered Connor away. He seemed a little disappointed that you were ending the date early, but you were not going to parade your first date in front of your brother, especially when you weren’t sure if you wanted a second.

“What do you mean you don’t want a second date? Connor’s a cutie!” Lindsey said when you got back to your dorm. “What kind of guy are you looking for? You don’t like Sirius Black. You don’t like Connor Darby. Do you need younger? Older?”

“I’ll know him when I see him,” you said, sounding a bit more testy than you meant to.

“You’re a Potter. You could have any bloke in this bloody school. You do know that, right?” Alison asked.

“I said I’ll know when I see him.”

The girls exchanged disbelieving looks. You never talked boys with them, unless you were telling them how you weren’t interested in a particular one. You always had the same excuse of knowing him when you see him. The girls joked that you must be blind. A whole school of boys and you were simply disinterested.

You had talked about it more with Marissa. Sure, boys were pretty and sometimes funny, but you needed to feel something. You had yet to feel something substantial. You certainly didn’t feel enough for Connor to justify another date. The date itself hadn’t been exceptionally riveting. Elias ended up talking to you about Connor later. Connor told him that he had a good time but wasn’t sure if you felt the same. You told Elias that it was fine, but there wouldn’t be a second date.

There was a plus side to not knowing Connor all that well: avoiding him was easy. A downside to being you: your brother heard all gossip about you.

“You had a date?” James asked, sitting down next to you at lunch.

You hummed, stabbing your fork at some food on your plate.

“And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m your brother. I need to know these things.”

“Do you?”

“What about you, James?” Lindsey asked from across the table with a saccharine smile. “You go on any dates recently?”

“Erm, no…” James answered, barely sparing her a glance. “I need to know when you go on dates.”

“Well, you can relax. I’m not going on a second one with him.”

“Why not?”

You shrugged. “Not my type.”

“Next time, tell me before you go off with some sketchy bloke, yeah?”

“Whatever,” you said dryly with absolutely no intention of telling James about your next date, whenever that would be.

James looked from you to Lindsey. He gave her a polite nod before getting up from the table and leaving you alone. You rolled your eyes. From across the hall you could feel the eyes of the Marauders, and various others since James didn’t visit you at the Ravenclaw table all that often – it was usually you visiting the Gryffindor table. You didn’t expect James to be the “protective” older brother type, given how little he seemed to want to associate with you.

As the rest of the week passed, you swore that eyes seemed to follow you more than usual. You didn’t understand why. The only thing that changed is you had now gone on a date. Was that really enough to bring attention to you? Or was it because the date was enough to bring James to your table?

You tried your best to ignore it. But it wasn’t long until James’ next visit to the Ravenclaw table. Saturday morning, already dressed in his quidditch uniform, James strolled over to you and placed a generic Gryffindor jersey in front of you.

“What’s this?” you asked.

“What’s that? That’s what you’re wearing to the match.”

“Did you hit your head or something during practice? I’ve never worn Gryffindor stuff.” You moved the jersey away from your plate.

“If you’re going on dates now, you’re wearing Gryffindor to my matches. Remind people that you’re my sister.”

“Right, because that’s so important?”

“You know that if someone breaks your heart, I’m breaking their face.” He put the jersey back in front of you again. “Wear it.”

As he walked away, you mocked, “Wear it.”

You did change into the jersey, which caught eyes as you walked to the pitch with your friends. Elias gave you a scandalized look. (“They’re playing Hufflepuff!”) You called it ‘all good fun.’ Elias knew you cheered for your brother, rather than Gryffindor as a whole, and the only time you didn’t cheer for him was when he was facing Ravenclaw. Still, your new jersey stuck out among your friends’ more generic outfits.

The match was intense as always. James dominated the sky. The Hufflepuff team didn’t bother him as he flew circles around them. Elias was exceptionally vocal with every foul and point scored. Marissa, also in Hufflepuff, wasn’t quite as loud, but then again, no one in your group was as loud as Elias. He was passionate about the sport. Before long, Elias was slamming his hands down on the railing with anguished shouts as the Gryffindor team took a victory lap before descending.

You left your friends to find James to congratulate him, as you always do when he wins. It takes a little bit of effort to actually get to him. Both friends and fans have flocked to his side to tell him how well he played. You managed to get up to James and offer him a quick ‘good job’ before someone puts their body between you and your brother. You take a few steps back. You flinched as an arm was slung over your shoulder.

“Jus’ me,” Remus said, leaning a little more weight on you as you relaxed at the sound of his voice. “They sure do like attention…”

Peter, Sirius and James had started a Gryffindor chant as the Hufflepuff players were still leaving the pitch. All of Gryffindor’s fans were getting louder and rowdier. Remus pulled you another step back.

“You should come to the party later, Little Corvid,” Remus said with a casual tone.

You snorted. “A Gryffindor party? Because that’s so my scene.”

“They’re not all that bad. You can hang out with me.”

You met his eyes and saw the kind and hopeful smile he was giving you; your stomach did that flip you’ve started to ignore. Hanging out with Remus didn’t sound too bad, even if you were going to be surrounded by obnoxious Gryffindors.

“I’ll think about it. What’s the password?”

You didn’t bother to tell your roommates where you were going. They might’ve begged you to come along. A party with the Marauders? Lindsey and Alison would’ve loved to be there. Instead, only your footsteps echoed in the corridor as you made your way to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

From the moment you stepped into the common room, you were met with the heat of bodies, the pounding music and the stench of sweat and alcohol. Within seconds, someone handed you a cup filled with something. You held it close to your chest as you scanned the room. Where was Remus? You spotted him leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

You started heading his way when someone stepped in front of you and placed their hands on both your shoulders. You look up with a shocked expression. Sirius.

“Baby Potter showed up!” he said louder than necessary. “Oi! Prongs, you see this?”

You cringed internally at his immediate bringing your presence up to James. First you wore a Gryffindor jersey to the match and now you were at their party. Yes, James had insisted that you wear the jersey, but he might see your coming to the party as an intrusion. It wasn’t like you had spent excessive time with them ever.

James, looking over at you and Sirius, now with his arm over your shoulder, just waved at you and turned back to the girl he was talking to.

“How much has he had to drink?” you asked Sirius.

“What convinced you to join the fun crowd?” Sirius asked, completely ignoring your question.

“That’d be me,” Remus said, walking up to you and Sirius and moving to remove Sirius’ arm. “Figured it’s about time Little Corvid experiences a real party.”

Sirius let out a low whistle. “Make good choices, you two.”

Remus gave Sirius an annoyed look, which he responded with wiggling his eyebrows. Still, you let Remus guide you back to where he had been standing before.

“What makes you think I haven’t been to a real party?” you asked Remus.

“Ah, Little Corvid, you’re a fifth year Ravenclaw. You haven’t been to something like this.”

“Certainly never smelled anything like this.”

You and Remus chuckled. From the side of the room, you’re able to see the room better. Drinks were being passed around, students were dancing together, a few students gathered near an open window passing around a cigarette. Sirius was with that last group. James was still talking to that girl and Peter was dancing with someone else. Students from your year were mainly dancing or lounging on the sofas scattered across the room. You weren’t sure where the music was coming from.

“It’s not too far off from Ravenclaw parties,” you told Remus, tilting your head up to look at him.

You were a bit shocked to see that he was already looking at you with a slight smirk on his face.

“What?” you asked.

“You said this wouldn’t be your scene.”

You turned your gaze back to the room, but Remus kept looking at you.

“Because it’s here,” you said, waving your hand in front of you. “And James is over there looking like he’s about to start snogging that girl.”

“Oh, he won’t. She’s not Lily.”

“He’s still trying to win her over? How many times does the poor girl have to say no?”

“Three million four hundred twenty seven and counting.”

You laughed softly before taking a sip from your cup. You gagged.

“Merlin, this is awful!”

“What? Don’t they serve jungle juice at your corvid parties?”

You shook your head with a grimace. “‘M usually handed a bottle.”

“Ah, because you’re a Potter.”

You rolled your eyes.

“What does that mean?”

“You’re a smart bird, Little Corvid. You get a little something-something for being James’ sister.”

“Great. He’ll think I owe him,” you said dryly. You braced yourself before taking another sip. You gagged again and handed Remus the cup. “Nope. I can’t. That isn’t drinkable.”

Remus immediately downed the rest of your cup and stacked it inside of his.

“And you can drink that?”

“I’ve drank worse,” he said casually. “This one makes me feel good though.”

“Merlin… How many have you had?”

‘Not enough to give me the courage I need,’ Remus thought before saying out loud, “A few.”

“So, I’ll be the sober one in the room. Didn’t think I was being invited to be a chaperone.”

“Eh, I’m usually alright. It’s the other three you may have to worry about.”

“I’d rather not think about what James does when he drinks.”

“You did come to a Gryffindor party after a quidditch game. Did you expect him to be sober?”

“I’m not sure what I expected…”

“If it gets to be too much, we can go upstairs. I have plenty of books or cards or whatever.”

You laughed and nudged Remus with your shoulder. “Inviting me up to your dorm? How scandalous,” you teased.

Remus blushed and looked away from you. He hadn’t meant to imply that, but it wasn’t like he had never imagined it. It was one of the things the boys never discussed; James was always involved in those types of conversations and to mention his sister would’ve been suicide.

“Figured it smells nicer and is quieter than down here,” he mumbled.

You chuckled and leaned back against the wall. You stood there in silence for maybe a minute as you watched the party. Then you slid down the wall until you were sitting on the ground with crossed legs. Remus looked down at you.

“Alright, love?” he asked, blushing again when he realized he called you ‘love’ rather than his usual ‘Little Corvid.’

“Yeah, yeah. Jus’ don’t want to stand the whole night.”

Remus nodded and sat down as well. He stretched his legs out in front of him, creating a tripping hazard for his peers. He took a sip of his drink. If he could, he would’ve willed his heart to stop pounding in his chest and for his hands to feel less clammy. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so nervous as he sat next to you; he’d been next to you before, held conversations with you, studied with you for hours in the library.

You thought Remus looked a little stiff next to you. Stiff but pretty as ever. You couldn’t explain the urge you had to touch Remus. Just be in physical contact with him, not grope. You could lean your shoulder up against his or rest your head on his shoulder. If you were feeling exceptionally bold, you could drop your hand from your knee to the ground next to you and then slowly move it over until you reached his hand. You, however, were not bold. Being in Gryffindor Tower was a bold enough act for you right now.

You wouldn’t admit it outloud but Remus’ invitation to read in his dorm was slowly beginning to sound more tempting as the night went on. The smell, the sound, the constant movement of people around you – it was a lot. Every once in a while someone stopped by and refilled Remus’ cup. Once he grabbed one of their forearms and said something to them in a low voice. You couldn’t hear what he said, but within a minute, you had a bottle of butterbeer in your hand.

“Your doing?” you asked, clinking your bottle against his cup.

“You looked a bit parched.”

You snorted as you took a sip and immediately started coughing. Remus hit your back in an attempt to help.

“I… I looked parched?” you managed to gasp out in between coughs.

“It’s a party and you had no drink. Can’t be having that now, can we?”

You took another sip and swallowed before saying, “Thank you.”

“Anything for my Little Corvid.”

‘My.’

“You ever dance?” you asked Remus, tilting your bottle to where students were dancing and pressing their bodies against each other. You spotted a few students from your year.

“James ‘n’ Sirius dragged me out during third year. I fear I’m more suited for the couch… or floor.”

“Maybe you just need a better dance partner,” you said with a soft laugh. “If that, what’d you call it? Juicy juice wasn’t so bloody awful, I’d be game.”

“Jungle juice…” Remus said, trying not to look at you.

You just said you’d dance with him if you had a better drink in your hand. Remus knew that it was more for getting you to dance rather than for dancing with him. The more time that Remus spent with you, the more he thought he might have a chance with you. He was beginning to think that getting James to not murder him for asking you out would be a bigger challenge than you saying yes.

The rest of the night passed like that. Small bits of conversation littered with thickly-veiled flirting. Neither of you were confident enough to make a move. The most that happened was Remus used your shoulder as a pillow after a few more drinks.

“Comfortable?” you asked him.

He hummed in response, letting his eyelids flutter shut. You chuckled softly. It was a sweet moment that made your heart beat faster. He was close enough now that you could barely smell his cologne over the room’s stench. And there was the flipping in your stomach. That didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t mean anything. This was one of James’ best friends.

As it got later, Remus eventually started to nod off. He sat up, stretched and said it was probably time for him to turn in. You watched him get up and head to the dorms. You stayed seated until you finished your current bottle of butterbeer before leaving the party yourself. You took the longer route back to Ravenclaw Tower. You needed the coolness of the stone corridor to settle yourself and think.

There was a little gossip about you going to the Gryffindor party, but apparently James’ nonchalance about it at the party extended to after as he didn’t confront you about it. Because you only sat with Remus for the entire night and you left alone, the gossip cycle spit you out pretty quickly. Suddenly your entrance into the more social scene was old news. You faded back into being the younger Potter. Just the way you liked it.

You still studied with Remus in the library. Things more or less felt the same; the main difference was now you stole more glances at him. He still gave you those warm, kind smiles that did things to your stomach. You still had small conversations, although they usually pertained to your assignments. Your favorite conversations were the ones that drifted. Talking with Remus about life was easy and titillating.

---

You were sitting in study hall, working on an assignment for Defense Against the Dark Art. There was a low murmur around you as you worked. The professor supervising wasn’t too strict as they graded assignments at the front of the room.

“Potter.”

You flipped a page in your textbook.

“Oi – pretty Potter?”

You retraced over the last word you wrote, making the ink darker and continuous. You sighed and scanned the open page of your book with your quill hovering over your parchment. You had no idea what to write next. Then a wad of parchment hit you in the face and fell in front of you. You slowly reached for it and uncrumpled it. There was nothing written on it. You frowned. What’s the point of throwing parchment at someone without a nate? You looked up and immediately locked eyes with Sirius.

“What?” you hissed at him.

“About time. You going to the dance?” he whispered.

You made a face and shook your head, turning back to your assignment. The upcoming winter ball was for sixth and seventh years and their dates. You’re a fifth year. You were able form half a sentence in your brain before Sirius scooted down on the bench until he was right across from you. He reached his arms across the table and blocked your paper with his hands.

“What?” you repeated yourself.

“Do you want to go?”

“What?” This time you asked it in shock rather than irritation.

“Is there an echo in here or something? Do you want to go to the dance, Potter?”

“Uh, are you asking me to go with you? As your date?” you replied in disbelief.

He rolled his eyes. “Duh. You wanna go or not?”

“Don’t you have a list of girls who’d die to go with you?”

“Probably,” he said with a shrug. “But I’m not asking them. I’m asking you.”

“Why?”

“You know Prongs managed to get Lily to go with him.”

You nodded. You had heard that from the whispers around Hogwarts. And James’ ecstatic declarations throughout multiple corridors various times a day for the past week since she said yes.

“And he’s been so… so… so ugh?” he said with a disgruntled flourish of his hands.

“I believe the phrase you’re looking for is ‘over the moon’ or even, happy?” you laughed before sending a glance toward the professor at the front of the room. They were still engrossed in their grading.

“Whatever. He’ll be with her. So I figured I’d ask my second favorite Potter to help me survive the night.”

Your amused smile twisted into something more wicked. “I’m your second favorite? I rank above Mum? I’m so telling!”

Sirius gasped. He took his hands off your assignment to grab your wrists.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Calling me your second favorite above the woman who oh-so-graciously let you into her home, into her family,” you teased with a subtle shake of your head. “It’s a disgrace, Sirius.”

“Let me backtrack and correct myself.”

“Okay.”

“Would my second favorite Potter who is currently attending Hogwarts like to go to the dance with me?”

You chuckled and pulled your hands from his grip. “Nice save.”

He sat there, staring at you. You gave him a curious look.

“Well?”

“What?”

“Godric, Potter, the dance. Will you go with me?”

“Oh, you’re being serious.”

“I’m always Sirius.”

You slapped his arm, which was still ersting halfway across the table. There was a beat of silence where he stared at you again. It’s clear that he’s not leaving you alone until he got an answer.

“Sure. I’ll go with your sorry arse.” Sirius smiled at your answer. “Who are the others with?”

“Wormtail’s asked Mary. Marlene got asked by Dorcas. Pandora Rosier’s going with Lovegood. Oh, um, Junior in your year is going with her brother. Stebbins is going with Vance… Uh, that’s all I know.”

You tilted your head curiously. “Remus?”

Sirius matched your head tilt. “Hasn’t asked anyone yet.”

“Yet?”

“Prongs is insistenting that we all ask someone. If he has a date, apparently we all need one.”

You hummed, looking down at your assignment. You don’t want Sirius to see the slight disappointment on your face as you considered what he said. Was it actually nice to get asked to the dance when you weren’t expecting to go? Yes. Was Sirius an attractive bloke? Also yes, but he wasn’t your type and was bordering on being a brother to you. The latter was heightened with his moving in over the summer. You would’ve much rather said yes to going with Remus. Then Sirius could’ve gone with one of the girls who drooled over him.

“So, you’re a definite yes?” Sirius asked, bringing your attention back to you.

“Yes, Black. Now, leave me alone. I gotta finish this for Professor Ceriffine.”

Sirius nodded and slid back down to where he had been sitting with Peter, Mary and Dorcas.

“Padfoot! Got a date yet?” James called across the common room after study hall.

“Asked her in study,” Sirius answered, walking toward him with Peter in tow.

“Who’d you ask?” Remus asked, briefly looking up from his book.

“Little Corvid,” he said with a lazy grin.

“What?” James and Remus gasped at the same time.

“You asked my sister without asking me first?” James continued as Remus fell silent, gripping his book more intensely.

Remus didn’t listen to Sirius’ defense or James’ continued berating. Remus hadn’t told anyone but he had planned on asking you himself once he plucked up the courage. For the briefest of moments, he’s glad he didn’t because of the look on James’ face, but the feeling passed as quickly as it arrived. Remus tried to swallow the sudden resentment he was feeling for Sirius. Sirius had tens of girls who’d be more than happy to go with him. Hell, more than half of them would ask Sirius themselves if they heard Sirius was actively searching for a date. Remus on the other hand, well, he wasn’t sure who else to ask. Peter had already asked Mary and Emmeline got asked too. Remus made a mental note to compare the moon cycle to the dance; maybe it would be too close to a full moon and he could get out of it.

“So that just leaves our Moony!” James said, clamping a hand on Remus’ shoulder, causing him to jump in his seat. “Got your sights set on anyone?”

“No,” he grumbled as he trained his eyes on the pages.

“Well, you got to ask someone. You’re the only one with a date now,” James said, although his tone said he wasn’t okay with Sirius’ date being you, but he would tolerate it.

At dinner, you told Marissa, Lucy, Elias and Martin what happened during study hall. They all seemed surprised.

“I would’ve bet on Remus asking you,” Lucy said. “Given how much time you’ve been spending together.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you asked.

“Oh, please. You spend more time in the library studying with him than you spend doing anything with us,” Marissa said with a smile. “Like you say, you’ll know it when you see him.”

“What does she know?” Martin asked.

“Nothing. I know absolutely nothing,” you said with a warning tone and look toward Lucy and Marissa.

Yes, you had talked to Elias about Connor, but that was only because they were close. Martin and Elias didn’t need to know much about your potential relationships. The two boys watched as you had a silent conversation with the girls. Lucy and Marissa were fairly certain that you finally had a substantial crush, but you were still coming to terms with it.

“Anyways, I’ll need help deciding on a dress. Boys, you’re welcome to come with if you want,” you said.

Martin snorted a laugh. “Right, because that’s how I want to spend an evening.”

“You don’t want them there. They’d be no help whatsoever,” Marissa said pointedly, reaching for her cup. “You’ve seen what they wear on the weekends.”

You and the girls laughed while the boys attempted to defend their fashion choices.

Remus now had the problem of finding a new girl to ask and working up the courage to ask her. He had checked the moon cycle and the dance was too far away from a full moon to use his furry little problem as an excuse not to go. As Remus went through his day, he’d decide a girl might be alright, ask one of the boys if said girl had a date already and then sigh when they said yes. He debated telling James that he would just go stag – all the girls he’d tolerate an evening with already had dates.

Then he went to Herbology with Peter, their last lesson of the day. Remus scanned the room, almost certain they had already had a class with everyone in the room. Then Remus nudged Peter.

“Tara McMahon. She have a date?” he muttered, trying not to get his hopes up over the Hufflepuff.

Peter pursed his lips and tilted his head as he thought about it. Then he shook his head. “Don’t think so.”

“Right. Cool. Yeah.” Remus told himself that he needed to use class to prepare himself and just ask Tara after the lesson ended.

The worst she could do is say no, right? No. The worst she could do is laugh in Remus’ face, but he didn’t think she would do that. If she already had a date, she’d let Remus down easy. She was a nice girl. He would’ve rather gone on James or Sirius’ word that Tara didn’t have a date yet, but alas, they dropped Herbology the first chance they got.

As soon as the class ended, Remus hurriedly packed up his things and made his way to Tara. If he hesitated, he’d lose all his nerve.

“Hey, Tara! Got a second?”

She looked up from putting her things away. “Remus, hi.”

“Would you like to go to the dance with me?”

Blunt. Straight to the point. Very romantic. Just how every girl dreams of being asked.

“Yeah, I’d love to,” she said with a sweet smile. She appeared to mean it.

“Great. Thanks.”

There, he’d done it. He got himself a date, even if it wasn’t his first choice. He hated that you were going with Sirius instead of him. He was the one you sat with in the library. He was the one who invited you to the Gryffindor party and then sat with you all night. He was the one who called you Little Corvid. But it was one night. Remus could survive one night with you on Sirius’ arm, even if it killed him inside.

---

As you walked down the corridor toward the Great Hall, you pulled uncomfortably at your dress. You don’t remember picking it out or even trying it on. If you liked it in the store, you certainly hated it now. It’s uncomfortable. It’s itchy. It’s too tight. Something poking you in the side. You saw Sirius waiting for you outside the hall. He smiled when he saw you, taking your hand to lead you inside. You don’t even recognize the Great Hall or half the people around you. As if the dress wasn’t enough, the music is too, the bass vibrating your brain and bones. Suddenly, you’re chest to chest with Sirius in the middle of the dance floor. The music shifted into something intense with strings. Your arms were around his neck with his hands on your waist. You were swaying in time to the slow song. Then Sirius started to lean in. He pressed his lips to yours. You wanted to move, to back up, to get away from it, but you’re frozen. You can’t even scream. All you could do was wait for it to end, but his lips picked up speed and ferocity. You wished you could bring your hands down from around his neck to push his chest away from you. Just as he began to pull back-

You sat up in your bed in a cold sweat. It was the middle of the night. You couldn’t catch your breath. It wasn’t real. You tried to slow your breathing, or at least make it quieter so you don’t wake your roommates. When you’ve calmed yourself, you relaxed a bit more; it had only been a dream. A weird and uncomfortable dream.

As much as you tried, you couldn’t fall back asleep. You tossed and turned and eventually settled for staring at the canopy above your bed until morning. You knew you were going to be a zombie all day. From barely eating anything at breakfast to nearly falling asleep in Transfiguration, you’re so out of it. The few times a professor called on you during class, you answered their questions wrong, even if you knew the correct answer in your bones. Focusing and being present weren’t things you could do. Getting through the day was tough enough without professors expecting you to learn.

You went to the library after classes like usual. Maybe some quiet was what you needed. Then you spotted Remus. You’ve never been quite so glad that he was alone. His presence could be what you needed to focus. You approached his table and took the spot across from him, like you’ve done many times before. Except you realize, before you even take out your things, that you need to talk. That dream really struck a nerve. You didn’t bother bringing it up to any of your friends. Even if they didn’t care too much about the Marauders, Marissa and Lucy would tell you that they were wrong about Remus and that you actually liked Sirius. Lucy was already coming around to that idea – because why else would you have said yes to him?

Remus looked up from his book and gave you a warm smile. Your stomach most definitely did not flip. Nope, that would be silly. Why would a smile make you feel weak in the knees? That wasn’t rational.

“Remus, do you know how to interpret dreams?” you asked, voice sounding more weak than you had expected.

He chuckled softly. “Don’t take Divination, but I can try if something’s bugging you, Little Corvid. How hard can it be?”

You rubbed your temples gently. It was really, really bugging you.

“It was about the winter ball. There was a slow dance and Sirius kissed me-”

“Maybe you should ask one of your friends ‘bout it?” Remus interrupted you. “One of them must take Divination, right?”

“Oh, um, I mean they do but…”

Great, you thought, Remus can’t help. Remus felt miserable as he watched you. He didn’t understand your expression. You had said yes to Sirius and were now dreaming about kissing him. Were you expecting Remus to be a wingman for you? You already had the date.

“I’ll, uh, see you later, Lupin,” you muttered, standing up and hurrying away from him.

That hadn’t gone how you wanted it to. You really thought Remus would’ve listened to you longer and given some advice. Your breathing was uneven as you returned to Ravenclaw Tower. Your roommates watched you move through the common room and head straight to your dorm; they swore you had just left for the library and didn’t expect you back until late, like usual. Did they say or do anything? No. Their trivial gossip was more important to them.

Remus didn’t stay much longer in the library after you left. Your expression was burned into his brain. It baffled him. He couldn’t stop thinking about you and your dream. He knew he probably didn’t handle it the best, but what was he supposed to say? He was sitting in his dorm alone, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, when Sirius entered. Remus regretted asking Sirius about it before he even did.

“You know much ‘bout dream?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

“Probably as much as you. Why?” Sirius responded, loosening his tie and tossing it in his trunk.

“What does it mean if you have a dream about kissing someone?”

Sirius snorted a laugh as he undid his shirt buttons. “Usually means you want to kiss that person.”

Remus’ stomach twisted but he tried not to show his reaction on his face. Sirius had gotten to you first and now you wanted to kiss him. Remus lost his chance.

“So,” Sirius started to say with a grin on his face, “who do you want to kiss?”

“Wasn’t my dream.”

Sirius’ eyes went wide. Now Remus really had his attention. Sirius moved to lean against Remus’ bedpost.

“Whose was it?”

Remus didn’t answer right away. He knew he shouldn’t tell Sirius since it was about him.

“Y/N,” he said quietly, staring at the floor.

That got Sirius invested. He watched Remus with a curious expression.

“Who does she want to kiss?”

Remus knew he’d ask that.

“You,” he said with an eye roll. All girls want to kiss Sirius. “I guess she had a dream about the dance. Real romantic, eh?”

“Yeah… Romantic…” Sirius muttered, more to himself than Remus.

Sirius was silent as he moved to his bed, collapsing on top of it. He ran a hand through his hair. His mind was spinning. He had asked you platonically to the dance. He meant it when he said that he wanted a Potter to hang out with at the dance. If James was going to be distracted by Lily all night, he wanted a girl he could joke around with. But you wanted to kiss him. He hadn’t been expecting that.

---

Marissa and Lucy went with you to find a dress. The dresses you picked out looked better on the mannequins than they did on you. It was a bit disheartening. But that’s why you brought the girls with. You knew they’d be able to help you. You gave them your minimum requirements and set them loose. Within minutes, they had more dresses for you to try on. And you tried them on until you were happy.

It fit right. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It wasn’t itchy. There was nothing to poke you in the side.

Were you trying to avoid the situation from your dream? Maybe. But the girls said you looked gorgeous in the dress and that Sirius’ jaw was going to drop when he saw you. You reminded them that that wasn’t the intention, but you still wanted to look good. They assured you even more that you did.

Then the evening of the winter ball, the girls helped you get ready. Once again, you offered Martin and Elias to come hang out while the girls did your hair and you did your makeup, but they said they’d take a shower in gobstone goo. You thought they were being a tad dramatic. A simple ‘no thanks’ would have sufficed.

The night started to feel like deja vu. Walking down the corridor toward the Great Hall, except the corridor wasn’t eerily empty. Sirius waiting for you outside the hall and smiling when he sees you. At least you felt confident and comfortable in your dress. Sirius took your hand in his and lifted it to place a kiss on your knuckles.

“You look lovely,” he said with a smile.

“And you don’t look half bad yourself.”

“There’s the energy I need for tonight,” he replied with a cheeky smile.

It was already better than the dream. He led you inside the hall, which was more recognizable than in your dream. It was decorated with extravagant ice sculptures, gigantic icicles hanging from the buttresses and false snow falling from the ceiling without actually reaching the ground. The entire room seemed to shimmer. It was beautiful.

Also unlike your dream, you recognized the people around you. Seventh years you never talked to, sixth years who barely spared you a second glance most of the time, a handful of fifth years who got invited like you, and the Marauders, their friends and dates. Lily, Marlene, Mary and Dorcas were having a lively conversation while James and Peter stood near them. You didn’t see Remus.

“Oh my Merlin!” Marlene exclaimed when you and Sirius approached the group. “Y/N, you look beautiful!”

You blushed. “Thank you. You look fantastic!”

Sirius let you talk with the girls, going to stand with James and Peter. You wanted to ask the girls if they’d seen Remus, but you didn’t know if it was your place to ask. Surely he had gotten a date for himself and was off with her somewhere. You just wanted to see him. For him to see you all dressed. You wouldn’t let yourself linger too long on why you wanted him to see you all dressed up.

The girls take your hands and drag you out onto the dance floor. The boys followed, not wanting to stray too far from their dates. Especially James who placed himself right next to Lily. You were grateful the other girls were there; they made it feel less like imposing on the Marauders. After a few songs, Remus appeared with a girl you didn’t know. You thought she maybe was a Hufflepuff? Maybe you’d seen Lucy or Elias talking to her, or you’ve sat near her when you’ve been at their table?

When you made eye contact with Remus, you exchanged your usual smiles, but Remus’ didn’t feel as warm as they did in the library. It pained your heart slightly, but you knew better than to dwell on that right now. You were at a dance. You were supposed to have fun at dances.

The song shifted to something slower, romantic with strings. The feeling of deja vu returned. The group split into couples, and Sirius pulled you close. Chest to chest. It hit you that you’ve never actually been this close to Sirius. His hands rested on your waist and your arms were around his neck – just like your dream, except you felt more relaxed. You knew this was real. Plus, you knew that Sirius wouldn’t actually kiss you. You were James’ little sister. Certainly James would’ve had a talk with Sirius and told him that he was dead if tried anything. Right?

Then it happened all too quickly. Sirius was gazing down at you with a soft expression. Your chest tightened with panic as you realized he’s leaning in. Unlike your dream, you aren’t frozen. Your arms came down from his neck and gently pushed his chest as you took a step back. Then another step back. You weren’t focused on what your face was saying, but you’re sure it’s something akin to surprise and astonishment and freaking out. Sirius looked utterly confused. You didn’t know what to do so you did the only thing that felt right: you ran.

You turned and ran out of the Great Hall. You knew that you must’ve attracted a ton of eyes in doing so, but you needed to get out of there. You ran until you made it outside, breathing in the cold winter air. Each breath you took felt like a lifeline, but you were still freaking out.

As soon as you left the hall, Sirius, with his mouth gaping, gave Remus an accusatory look. Sirius thought that Remus told him about a fake dream so that he would make a fool of himself. Remus wasn't looking at Sirius though; he was turned toward the door before deciding to leave his date and follow you out.

That left Peter, and the girls, to wrangle James, keeping him off of Sirius.

As Remus left the hall, he could hear echoes of “That’s my goddamn sister, you git!” and “What the bloody hell were you thinking?” and “Stay away from her!” There were also “I thought she wanted it!” and “Prongs/James, calm down!” SIrius tried to not feel bad about using Peter as a human shield, but he knew that James wouldn’t murder Peter. He couldn’t say the same about himself right now.

Remus looked in various closets and empty classrooms as he passed them in his search for you. Luckily for him, the door you slipped out of didn’t close fully behind you.

“Corvid?” he called as he stepped outside.

He scanned the area immediately beyond the door. He didn’t see you right away. You had stepped off to the side, sitting on the wall ledge with your head in your hands. You weren’t crying, but you still felt like you couldn’t breathe. Your mind was reeling from your dream essentially coming true.

“Corvid!” Remus repeated when he spotted you.

He ran up to you. He didn’t touch you when he realized the state you were in. Instead, he crouched down and tentatively rested his hands on your knees to help balance himself. You gave a shuttered breath and looked at him. He couldn’t help but think about how beautiful you looked with your cheeks rosied up from the cold.

“It happened, Remus. Like my dream…” you said with a weak voice. “Except this time, I could move… Thank Merlin…”

He furrowed his brows and tilted his head.

“You ran away before he could kiss you, darling,” he reminded you, obviously confused at your state. Wasn’t that what you wanted? “That’s the, um, ‘thank Merlin’ part?” you said slowly, appearing just as confused as the boy in front of you. “I… I don’t want to kiss him.”

The color drained from Remus’ face despite the hope now building inside of him. So, Sirius might murder him, but you didn’t like Sirius like that.

“You don’t? But… your dream?” He tried to put as much emphasis on the last word as he could. Dreams were good things, right?

You shook your head. “No, Remus… Perhaps it’s better phrased as a nightmare? I mean, it wasn’t scary, but certainly not something I wanted to happen. The whole dream was uncomfortable… As was that, but at least I could move. I could stop it from actually happening.”

Yes, Sirius was going to kill Remus.

You took another shaky breath and immediately followed it with a groan.

“The whole school’s going to be talking about this, aren’t they?” you whined. “Baby Potter gets asked by the Sirius Black to the dance and then she runs away when he tries to kiss her? Godric, it’s so much drama…”

Remus chuckled as he stood up and offered you his hand. You took it. As soon as you were up, he pulled you into a hug. You don’t think you’ve ever been hugged by Remus before. His body warmed you instantly and his smell flooded your nostrils. Your breath got caught in your throat. The feeling of his arms around you sent butterflies to your stomach, taking you by surprise. The butterflies were more intense than the simple flipping of your stomach.

“If it’s any comfort, you didn’t get a choice in the drama…” Remus muttered.

You pulled back ever so slightly from the hug.

“If I had said no to coming-” you started to say.

“Then the whole castle would be talking about how James’ sister turned his best friend down.”

‘And then I would’ve asked you,’ Remus finished in his head.

You sighed, understanding what Remus meant. “I didn’t choose the drama… James did.”

“I mean, I wasn’t going to point fingers, but… yeah. James, Sirius, Peter and me. Big ol’ dramatic bunch that you’re related to.”

“Damned by association and blood,” you said louder than Remus expected but there’s a smile on your face again.

“Let’s get you inside. It’s damn cold. … And we can see if there’s a bit of your date remaining since you left with James with only Peter as protection.”

You laughed. “Black can handle himself against James. Certainly more than Pete can.”

By the time you got back to the Great Hall, James was over by the drink table with Lily, still looking heated. Sirius, Peter and the rest of the girls were on the other side of the hall. You and Remus approached the latter group first.

“Erm, I’m sorry,” Sirius said as soon as he saw you. “I thought-”

“Don’t worry about it,” you said. You glanced toward James. “We good to have it not happen again?”

“Yes. Heard. Won’t be trying to kiss you as long as I value my life.”

You nodded and headed over to James. Remus watched you walk away until Sirius hit his shoulder aggressively.

“What the fuck, Moony?” he hissed.

“Apparently, Little Corvid didn’t tell me everything.”

“Really?” Sirius asked in mock disbelief.

“She called it a dream the first time and now she’s telling me it was a nightmare.”

Sirius hit his shoulder again. “A fucking nightmare? I’m going to end you.”

Marlene moved in between the two boys.

“Nope. We already stopped one homicide tonight. We don’t need to stop a second.”

“James,” you said, bringing his attention from Lily to you.

“Y/N,” he breathed. “Are you okay?”

He put his hands on both of your shoulders, looking you in the eyes.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Sirius and I, we’re good.” You paused. “Are you good?”

“The wanker tried to kiss you!”

“James.”

“First he asks you out without talking to me first and then he tries to make a move on you? I-”

“James,” you said more forcefully. “He’s already promised to never try to kiss me again. We’re good. And if it’s worth anything, he’s not my type.”

“Who is your type then?” Lily asked, moving to stand right next to James.

You flushed. “Unimportant. Just tell me you’ll forgive Sirius.”

James stared at you with a hardened expression. “Fine,” he grumbled out after a few seconds.

“Good. I think we can still enjoy the rest of tonight, yeah?”

“Yes!” Lily exclaimed, grabbing your hand and pulling you from James’ hands.

She brought you to the dance floor with the rest of the group following close behind. James was still giving Sirius warning glances while Sirius sent glares toward Remus. Peter was the only boy in the circle able to relax and have a good time. He had done nothing wrong.

You were right that running away from Sirius’ kiss attempt would spread like wildfire in the world of gossip, but you were more or less saved from it by the incoming Christmas holiday. Before you knew it, you were on the train heading home. And you were more than ready to leave your dorm. Lindsey and Alison were unbearable in the aftermath of the dance. They didn’t understand why you ran and they reminded you of their bafflement every second they could.

You had your own bafflement when you found your parents at the station. James, Sirius and Remus flanked them. And then all three of them went through the barrier with you and your parents following. No one mentioned to you that Remus would be joining you for Christmas. He would later tell you that his parents decided to go to the States for Christmas and his mother insisted on traveling muggle-style, which for some reason meant he couldn’t go with. And, of course, the Potters were always happy to host their children’s friends. You asked about Peter and apparently he begged his parents to visit one of his sisters for Christmas so he could join the party, but no success.

There seemed to be a silent agreement among the four of you that no one would bring up the incident to your parents. Some things they didn’t need to know. Just like over the summer, you tried your best to give the boys space. You didn’t want to mess up their dynamic anymore than you already had. You spent as much time with your mother as you could, which meant spending endless hours in the kitchen baking Christmas desserts.

“We expect to come back to an intact house,” your father said, looking at the boys. “I do not want to find the fire department outside. Do you hear me?”

The boys nodded.

“Great. Then we’re off. Be good.”

Your parents stepped into the fireplace and used floo powder to go to a Christmas party. It was going to be just you and the boys in the house until like 2 a.m. Your plans involved “borrowing” a bottle of elvish wine and settling on the couch with your latest book. You didn’t really care what the boys got up to as long as they left you alone.

You relit the fire and sat down on the couch. The atmosphere in the room was perfect, relaxing, calm. Christmas-y. The tree in the corner of the room seemed to glitter with the dancing light from the fire. You weren’t sure where the boys had gone while you prepared for your evening, but then James and Sirius bounded down the stairs with an ungodly amount of noise.

“Fancy a snowball fight?” James offered as he pulled on his boots.

You made a face and gestured to the fire. “No.”

“Ah, you and Moony… bunch of flobberworms,” Sirius said before pushing James out the front door.

So Remus wasn’t going to join their snowball fight. You wondered if he was going to sit upstairs all night. You wouldn’t mind if he decided he wanted to hang out with you on the couch, maybe reading his own book and enjoying the warm atmosphere you had created. You had barely uncorked the wine bottle and opened your book when Remus appeared at the stop of the stairs.

“Do, erm, do you mind if I sit with you?” he asked. You could see that he did have a book with him.

“Only if you drink with me,” you said with a cheeky smile as you raised the bottle for him to see.

He chuckled and came down the stairs. He sat down next to you and got comfortable, draping a blanket over his legs. He reached over to grab the bottle and took a swig.

“Your mum let you have this?” he asked.

“Guess we’ll find out if she throws a fit tomorrow or not.”

Remus smirked at you and took another swig before handing you the bottle back. You read in a comfortable silence for a while, handing the bottle back and forth. The only noise was the crackle of the fire and muffled yells from James and Sirius. You peered at Remus over the top of your book, appreciating how the fire accentuated his features in the best ways. He wasn’t even doing anything and yet your heart started to race.

“Can I tell you something?” Remus asked after taking a swig of the bottle and handing it to you.

“Yeah.” You placed a bookmark to save your spot and closed your book, giving Remus your full attention.

“I was going to ask you to the dance.”

You stared at Remus with wide eyes and now your heart was most definitely pounding. You had wished it was Remus who asked you. That was only increased by the incident.

“Why didn’t you?” you asked in a soft voice, your throat feeling tight.

“Sirius got to you first,” Remus said, throwing his head against the back of the couch. “I was working up the courage to ask you and he comes back to the common room announcing that he’s already asked you.”

You pressed your lips together, taking in Remus. “I wish you had asked me.”

Remus sat up straighter and turned his body to face you.

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

You stared at each other in a thick silence for a few moments. You were both trying to figure out what the other meant.

“Wouldn’t’ve had that awkward almost-kissing incident,” you said with an awkward chuckle. You immediately regretted saying it, because why on earth would you say that?

“What if… what if I had tried to kiss you?” Remus asked in a low voice, looking toward the fire so he didn’t have to see your reaction, as if rejection would sting less if he only had to hear it.

“It wouldn’t have been an almost.”

His gaze snapped back to you. “It wouldn’t have been an almost?”

You put the bottle of wine on the side table along with your book and scooted closer to Remus so you could move his book from his lap. You could barely think with your heart beating as loud as it was; Remus could barely breathe with what you said and what you just did.

“I wouldn’t have ran away,” you said, not breaking eye contact with Remus.

“You wouldn’t have…” Remus’ voice died in this throat.

He frantically patted his pants and pulled his wand out of his pocket. He gave it a quick wave. A sprig of mistletoe suddenly appeared above you, floating precariously. You looked up at it in awe and let out a small giggle.

“Oh, would you look at that,” you said in a soft voice that was laced with mirth.

“It’s tradition, you know,” he said, matching your volume and leaning just slightly forward.

“It’d be a shame to ignore tradition.”

“Right.”

A beat passed. Neither of you moved, yet you continued to stare at each other.

“Just kiss me already, Remus,” you said. You honestly felt that you might combust if he waited any longer.

Remus swallowed, wet his lips and leaned forward, meeting you halfway. It was soft and tentative, barely a brush of lips, but it was enough to send fireworks through you. You both pulled back, feeling shaky and blushing like crazy. Remus looked at you nervously until you broke into a wide smile. You shifted so you were sitting even closer to him. You looked up again at the mistletoe.

“Huh, it’s still there,” you mused. “Must mean we need to try again.”

Remus let out a shaky chuckle. “Yeah, yeah. Try again.”

This time you leaned into him. The second kiss was more confident. It was lips slotted together and movement. You were each applying pressure to the kiss, like you were fueled by a hunger for the other. Remus brought a hand up to cup your face as the other rested comfortably on your waist. You had one hand supporting yourself on the couch and the other on his chest. It was only a hair short of being considered a snog.

For your first and second kisses, you were quite pleased. When you inevitably told Marissa and Lucy about it when you got back to school, you would describe it as magical. Cheesy, but, Merlin, it was. Remus made you feel something. All those times you said you’d know him when you saw him, you didn’t realize that you just needed to see him in a new light.

And then the front door opened.

“Moony, what the actual fuck?” James’ voice boomed through the room.

You and Remus broke apart. You were both bright red, panting and wearing matching grins. James looked furious. Behind him, Sirius had an unreadable expression on his face. This would explain why you didn’t want to kiss him at the ball; he was the wrong Marauder.

You pointed to the green plant still floating above you and Remus.

“Mistletoe,” you said casually, as if your brother hadn’t just walked in on one of his best friends making out with his little sister.

tags: @navs-bhat

#marauders #marauders fic #marauder-misprint #remus lupin fic #remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x you #potter!reader #remus lupin fluff

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yasministration · 5 months ago

Note

hi, this is the first time I'm writing a request on tumblr but I really like your writing (and unfortunately I'm very picky about writing styles🫣) I have tons of ideas for one shots in the back of my head so I'm coming to you with this rather simple one: reader x remus

Remus & reader are sth like friends, they have a secret crush on each other; remus is the casanova of gryffindor tower and all the girls (and probably boys) are crushing on him, Remus isn't quiet aware of the impact he has, reader reveals it to him in a convo (maybe while studying?) they're having that everyone finds him attractive and he asks if reader does aswell and so onnnn...

honestly, do with it what you want, I'm sure you will slay it! in case you hate the idea pls just ignore my request haha!⭐️

What about you? - Remus Lupin

summary: despite having a whole fanbase of girls who want him as their boyfriend, remus is only interested in your opinion wc: 1k

The giggles you heard as you walked past a group of girls with Remus had you rolling your eyes, cutting off the middle of your conversation. You couldn’t even have a single trip back from the library without a group of Remus’ fangirls making a big deal over him, but the boy didn’t notice them, only taking note of your unusual reaction.

Remus brushed a hand to the back of your arm, his soft touch stealing your attention from the group of insolent girls. “You alright?” Remus asked, carefully watching your expression change from one of annoyance to empathy. “They don’t bother you?” Remus’s eyebrows furrowed, a crease forming between them “Who?” You glanced around the hallway, looking for another group of Remus’s fans. Finally, at the sight of some third year girls huddled around in the corner of the hallway, nervously glancing towards you both, you nodded your head in their direction, softly elbowing Remus in his side. “You know, your little fanbase of girls?” Remus stopped in his tracks, making you look back at his when you realised his disappearance.

“My little what?” You laughed at the shock in his voice, repeating “Fanbase. Honestly Rem, it shocks me every time that you don’t have a new girl in your bed every day. You could have the entire school lined up to have a turn with you.” Remus stammered, finally picking up his pace, hooking his arm with yours to drag you back to the common room with him. “You need to start over, you’ve lost me.” He said, coming to a stop in front of the fat lady’s portrait to mumble the password.

“I’m surprised you don’t know.” “Sweetheart, just give it to me straight.” He begged, slumping down on the couch in front of the fireplace and patting the spot next to him. You didn’t fail to take notice of the jealous eyes following your figure as you sat close to Remus. You felt your chest swell with pride, and almost wanted to call out ‘Yes, I’m closer to him than you’ll ever be. Cry about it.’ But there were pros and cons to being Remus’s best friend. Pro: you were Remus Lupin’s best friend. Con: you were only Remus Lupin’s best friend. And you feared that with the discovery of all the girls who wanted to have him as their boyfriend, all you’d ever be was his best friend.

“There’s nothing much to it. You know, apart from the fact that every girl in the castle wants you as their boyfriend.” Remus was silent as he processed the information, blinking slowly. “You know, it’s just always been this way. I think people started realising that you’re more than just a pretty face.” “Pretty face?” He mumbled. “Wait. Every girl in the castle?” You shrugged, replying “More or less. I mean, I can assure you that Lily isn’t one of them.” You both laughed at the comment, an image of the infatuated couple displaying in your head. Remus slid his hand into yours, squeezing it softly. “Well, what about you?” You felt your face immediately heat up at his question, trying your hardest to maintain eye contact with the boy, but you couldn’t help the way your gaze dipped down to look at the way Remus held your hand.

You gulped. This was not the first time you and Remus held hands, not at all. But you’d never held hands in this context, with the boy asking if you wanted him to be your boyfriend. “What about me?” You echoed, returning your gaze to Remus’s eyes. The boy seemed to suddenly get nervous, his face flushing as he began to stumble over his words, voice quieting down significantly. “You said every girl in the castle wants me as their boyfriend. Does that apply to you?”

You were very aware that Remus could probably hear the fast thumping of your heart, and you could too. You only wished you had a trick to know how he was feeling too. “It’s fine if not!” He announced at the same time you said “Only if you want it to!” A painful silence settled between you. You cleared your throat, watching as Remus opened and shut his mouth. He didn’t make a move to say anything, forcing you to speak up. “It’s fine if not…” You started, “Does that mean you want it to apply to me?”

“I mean, it would be pretty nice if the girl I like wants me to be her boyfriend. But if she doesn’t, I guess it’s…” Remus’s words trailed off as he saw a wide grin on your face. He swallowed thickly, forcing his face to cool down, but that wasn’t possible. Not when you were cupping his cheeks and leaning forward to press a bold kiss on his lips. Remus’s hand curled around the nape of your neck to keep your lips pressed against his, only pulling away when he deemed himself ready. “Let’s go out!” He announced the second your lips parted, standing up abruptly.

You blinked quickly, looking up at the tall boy and asking “Now?” Remus nodded, holding his hands out for you to take. “Yeah, let’s go out now. On a date.” You took Remus’s hands, letting him pull you off the couch. He let go of one of your hands, the other one sneakily intertwining his fingers with yours, leading you out of the common room. Remus led you onto the Hogwarts grounds to spend time together, but it was impossible to have a conversation when neither of you could take your eyes off the other’s lips. Instead, your first date was spent chasing each other for kisses by the black lake, where watchful eyes allowed the news of your relationship to be spread all around hogwarts by the time you got to the great hall for dinner.

taglist:

@ravisinghs-wife, @amatoanima, @starry-remus, @pain-in-the-ashe, @hiireadstuff, @superlegend216, @treefairy-28, @superlegend216, @kitkatkl

#rainydayathogwarts #harry potter #hogwarts #marauders era #gryffindor #marauders #remus lupin fanfiction #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin x you #remus lupin smut #remus lupin angst #remus lupin fluff #remus x reader #marauders x reader #remus x you #remus x y/n

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evermoreness · 4 months ago

Text

moonlight and mending pt. 3 | remus lupin

pairing: remus lupin x reader

summary: remus is letting himself be taken care of, only if it's you the one taking care of him.

obs: this is the third part of a series. here's part one and part four.

masterlist

The morning sunlight was filtering softly through the high windows of the hospital wing, casting a warm golden hue over everything. It had been a couple hours since you first arrived, since you had carefully patched Remus up and watched over him as he drifted into sleep.

Now, it was time for you to leave.

You glanced at the clock. Classes would be starting soon, and though you would have gladly stayed with him longer, you knew you had to go.

Still, you wanted to check on him one last time.

Remus was sprawled out in the hospital bed, his breaths even and deep. His face, which had been tense with pain just hours before, was now relaxed. The fever had finally broken. He wasn’t shivering anymore, wasn’t wincing in his sleep every time he moved.

You let out a quiet breath of relief.

He was okay.

With a soft smile, you leaned down and gently ran your fingers through his hair, smoothing out the messy strands that had been damp with sweat hours ago.

"Much better," you murmured.

He didn’t stir. He was completely lost to sleep, exhausted beyond belief.

You hesitated for a moment, then, before you could second-guess yourself, you pressed the lightest of kisses to his cheek.

"Rest well, Remus," you whispered against his skin.

And then, with one last fond glance at him, you turned and left for class.

You stopped by your dorm, quickly changing into your uniform. You skipped breakfast since you had less than ten minutes to get into your Charms class.

You had barely made it halfway down the corridor when a familiar group of boys practically ambushed you.

"There she is!" Sirius Black announced dramatically, spreading his arms as if you were some kind of long-lost hero.

"Finally!" James Potter added, crossing his arms. "We’ve been waiting for you!"

Peter Pettigrew, standing slightly behind them, waved awkwardly. "Uh… morning!"

You raised an amused eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"

"That depends," James said, looking at you seriously. "How’s Remus?"

Sirius leaned in, eyes scanning your face like he could read the answer before you even said it. "Is he alright? Did he wake up yet? Did Pomfrey give you the scary 'No Marauders Allowed' speech again?"

You let out a soft laugh, shaking your head. "Remus is okay, I promise. He’s still sleeping, but his fever is gone, and he’s not looking half-dead anymore."

The tension in the air immediately eased. James let out a relieved sigh, running a hand through his already-messy hair. Sirius dramatically clutched his chest. "Oh, thank Merlin—I was prepared to cause a scene!"

Peter smiled, looking genuinely relieved. "That’s good… he was in bad shape last night."

Your smile softened. "Yeah. But he’s strong."

James grinned. "He is. But we still want to see him."

You gave them a knowing look. "You do remember that you lot are banned from the hospital wing, right?"

Sirius scoffed. "Banned is a strong word."

James nodded. "I prefer… restricted."

"Madam Pomfrey literally threatened to hex us out last time," Peter reminded them.

Sirius huffed. "Well, maybe she should consider that we love Remus and just want to check on him!"

You laughed, shaking your head. "I don’t make the rules, boys. And Pomfrey was already giving me looks for staying there all morning."

Sirius gave you an exaggerated gasp. "You stayed all morning?"

James waggled his eyebrows. "Oh, Moony’s gonna love that when he wakes up."

You felt warmth creep up your cheeks. "I was just taking care of him! It’s my job, remember?"

Sirius smirked. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Totally professional."

"Still," James added, his gaze unusually soft, "it means a lot. He—Remus doesn’t let people take care of him easily. You must be special."

You shrugged, suddenly feeling a little flustered. "It’s what I do."

James nudged your shoulder playfully. "Did you at least tell him how wonderful and heroic we are while he was half-conscious?"

You rolled your eyes. "Oh, absolutely. The first thing I did was sing your praises."

Sirius gasped dramatically. "You mock us!"

Peter giggled, while James just grinned. "Alright, fair enough."

You nodded. "Well, I can assure you Rem is okay. Still exhausted, though."

"Not that we don’t completely trust Madam Pomfrey," James started, rubbing the back of his neck, "but we also know she likes to keep us from seeing him after—"

"After he gets sick," Sirius finished quickly, cutting James off.

You raised an eyebrow at that.

Sick. Right.

That was the excuse they were going with.

You had long accepted that whatever happened to Remus on those nights was something none of them wanted to talk about. He had given you some vague excuse about a "chronic illness," and the Marauders never elaborated.

You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could say anything, the bell rang loudly in the distance, signaling the start of the first class.

You glanced at the clock down the hall. "Well, I have class to get to, and so do you."

Sirius groaned. "Ugh, don’t remind me."

James sighed. "Fine, fine. But you’ll let us know when Moony wakes up, yeah?"

You smiled. "Of course."

"Good," James said. "We’d love to see our dear friend—"

"—even though Madam Pomfrey doesn’t love us," Sirius added with a wink.

Peter nodded. "Just tell him we asked about him, okay?"

You nodded. "I will. I promise."

And with that, you waved them off and hurried to your first class—your heart just a little lighter knowing how loved Remus truly was.

And by lunchtime, your mind was still circling back to him.

No matter how hard you tried to focus on your classes, your quill twirling mindlessly between your fingers, your thoughts always drifted back to the way you had left him that morning—still asleep, his breathing even, looking far too pale for your liking.

And, more than anything, you couldn't shake the unease in you chest.

Because this was the second time.

And the second time was no coincidence.

You sat in the Great Hall, your plate barely touched, thoughts still tangled in worry when the Marauders slid into their usual seats near you.

"Oi, looking a bit lost in thought there, love," Sirius quipped, nudging you with his shoulder as he plopped down beside you.

You blinked, snapping out of your daze. "Just thinking."

"Thinking about a certain sickly, scarred, and ridiculously stubborn friend of ours?" James asked knowingly, raising an eyebrow as he tore into a piece of bread.

You huffed. "Maybe."

Sirius smirked. "Knew it."

You turned to face them fully, your arms crossing over your chest. "Speaking of which… what exactly happened to him?"

The boys stilled for half a second. Not enough for anyone else to notice, but you did.

James, of course, was the first to recover. "Ah, well, you know Remus. Always finding himself in a bit of trouble."

You narrowed your eyes. "Remus doesn’t get in trouble."

"Sure he does!" Sirius cut in smoothly. "He, uh, wandered too close to the Whomping Willow, didn’t he, James?"

"Yep! Whomping Willow. Terrible thing. Nearly ate him." James nodded, voice far too casual.

You gave them a deadpan stare. "The Whomping Willow?"

"Yep," Sirius confirmed.

Peter, sitting across from you, fidgeted slightly. "Not the first time either," he mumbled under his breath.

Your ears perked. "What?"

James and Sirius immediately kicked him under the table.

Peter let out a small squeak and shot them a guilty look before shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth as if that would help.

Your eyes narrowed further. "Not the first time?" You repeated, gaze now locked onto James and Sirius.

"Ah—what Peter meant to say," James said quickly, "is that, you know, Remus does tend to have bad luck. Falls down stairs all the time."

You scoffed. "Falls down stairs?"

"Oh, all the time," Sirius added, nodding rapidly. "Absolute menace to himself, that one."

"And yet, I’ve never seen him trip over anything in my life." You raised an eyebrow.

"He's very good at hiding it," James shot back.

You folded your arms. "And this always happens in the early morning?"

The three of them stiffened.

Peter suddenly found his soup very interesting.

James was pretending to be fascinated by a piece of lettuce.

Sirius, to his credit, managed to keep his smirk, though you could see the flicker of hesitation in his eyes. "Well, you see, mornings are dangerous. Whole castle is a death trap, really."

You let out a frustrated sigh. "Do you lot think I’m stupid?"

James, Sirius, and Peter all quickly shook their heads.

"Then why are you feeding me the most ridiculous excuses I’ve ever heard?"

James coughed. "Because they’re not excuses."

"They are," you shot back. "Remus never gets in trouble, he doesn’t just fall down the stairs or pick fights with the Whomping Willow, and this is the second time I’ve seen him like that." You leaned forward, voice softer now, but still insistent. "You’re hiding something. I know you are."

The three of them exchanged glances.

And for a moment, you thought—just maybe—they might crack.

But then Sirius leaned back, throwing an arm lazily over the back of the bench. "Listen, love, I get it. You care about him."

Your expression softened just a fraction.

"But," he continued, tone firmer now, "Remus is very good at taking care of himself. If there was something really wrong, don’t you think he’d tell you?"

You frowned. "I don’t know."

Sirius’ smirk twitched slightly. "Exactly."

You hesitated.

Because that was true, wasn’t it? If Remus wanted to tell you, wouldn’t he have done so by now?

After a long moment, you exhaled slowly, rubbing your temples.

"Fine," you muttered. "I won’t push."

James looked relieved. "That’s all we ask."

Sirius grinned. "Good girl."

You rolled your eyes but didn’t argue.

Still…

You weren't stupid.

They were hiding something.

And if they wouldn’t tell you, you would just have to figure it out yourself.

The second you had a free moment after lunch, you ran to the hospital wing.

It wasn’t that you didn’t believe the Marauders when they said Remus would be fine, but—well, actually, no, you didn’t believe them. Because how could you? They were clearly hiding something. And besides, you had left Remus in the early hours of the morning looking absolutely wrecked. Even if magic worked wonders, you needed to see for yourself that he was okay.

You burst through the doors of the hospital wing, slightly out of breath, your heart pounding in your ears.

And there he was.

Sitting up in bed, very much awake, staring horrified at a steaming bowl of something thick and greyish that Madam Pomfrey had placed in front of him. His hair was damp and he already had another set of clothes on. Which meant Madam Pomfrey made him take a shower in the hospital wing just moments before you got there.

You bit your lip to stifle a laugh.

Remus immediately perked up when he saw you. His tired amber eyes brightened just a bit, and his shoulders, which had been tense, visibly relaxed.

"You're back," he said, voice still a little hoarse but significantly better than before.

"Of course I am," you said with a small smile, walking over to his bedside. "You didn’t think I’d leave you to suffer alone, did you?"

Remus glanced pointedly at the bowl. "Clearly, you should have."

You did laugh this time. "That bad?"

He lowered his voice into a dramatic whisper. "Worse."

You peered into the bowl. "Oh."

"Oh?" Remus echoed. "That’s all you have to say? Not even mentioning how Madam Pomfrey wants to poison me?"

You raised an eyebrow. "It’s food, Remus."

He scowled. "That’s debatable."

Madam Pomfrey bustled over before you could respond. "Ah, good, you’re here," she said to you. "Make sure he eats all of it, will you?"

Remus gaped at you. "That’s cruel and unusual punishment."

Madam Pomfrey ignored him. "He needs the strength."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," you said obediently, though you were trying very hard not to grin.

The moment Madam Pomfrey turned her back, Remus pouted at you. Actually pouted.

"You like this, don’t you?" he accused.

You smirked. "A little."

"I thought you were supposed to be the nice one," he muttered.

"I am nice," you said sweetly. "Which is why I’m making sure you eat."

Remus groaned. "But this looks deadly..."

"You’re not going to die, Remus."

"I might," he argued.

"You won’t," you assured him. "Now, come on, open up."

He stared at you. "Are you actually going to feed me?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Would that make it better or worse?"

Remus sighed heavily, picked up the spoon, and dipped it into the soup-like substance. "I just want you to know that I’m doing this only because you’re here," he said before taking a reluctant bite.

You beamed. "Good."

Remus scrunched his face. "Merlin’s beard," he muttered, forcing himself to swallow. "That’s horrific."

You giggled. "But you’re eating it, which means it’s working."

"Debatable," he grumbled.

You sat down beside him, crossing your legs. "How are you feeling, though? Really."

Remus glanced at you.

You looked genuinely concerned, your brows slightly furrowed, your lips pressed together in worry.

And Merlin, if he didn’t already adore you before, he certainly did now.

He cleared his throat. "Better than this morning, thanks to you."

You huffed. "I knew you weren’t fine when I left."

Remus shook his head. "No, I mean it. You—you helped a lot." He hesitated. "You always do."

You softened. "Well, I like helping you."

That threw him off guard. "You do?"

"Of course." You smiled. "I like seeing you get better. I like knowing you’re okay. And besides, I think you make an excellent patient."

Remus let out a short laugh. "Liar."

"Alright, maybe you’re a bit difficult," you admitted playfully. "But still. You’re still my favorite one."

Remus paused.

Something in his chest warmed at that.

He swallowed thickly and tried not to let it show. Instead, he rolled his eyes, lifting his spoon again. "Flattery won’t make this taste better, you know."

"Just eat, Rem."

He smirked. "Yes, captain"

And as he took another begrudging bite, he thought—not for the first time—that you were the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Despite his very vocal complaints, Remus had somehow managed to eat every last bite of the meal Madam Pomfrey had given him. He looked a little put out about it, but you couldn't help feeling proud of him.

"There," you said, setting his empty bowl aside. "See? That wasn't so bad."

Remus gave her a deadpan look. "I suffered, and you enjoyed it."

You giggled. "I did not enjoy your suffering, Rem."

"Could've fooled me," he muttered, but there was a small, fond smile tugging at his lips.

You sighed and checked the time. Your heart sank a little. "I have to go."

Immediately, Remus’ expression shifted.

It was subtle—he didn't frown exactly, but the warmth in his eyes dimmed just a little, and his shoulders tensed.

"You do?" he asked, like he was hoping you would say you were joking.

"I do," you said regretfully. "I have more classes."

Remus exhaled through his nose, looking down at his hands in his lap. "Right. Of course."

He was quiet for a moment. He wasn't the type to ask for things—not affection, not attention—but the way he hesitated, the way his fingers idly picked at the blanket on his lap, the way he didn’t immediately say goodbye… It was the closest thing to asking you to stay that you had ever seen from him.

You softened.

"I’ll be back," you promised. "As soon as my last class ends, I’m coming straight here."

Remus glanced up at you, his eyes searching yours. "You will?"

You smiled. "I will."

His shoulders relaxed slightly. "...Alright."

"And," you added, "if you’re feeling better by then, I’ll personally escort you out of here. And—" you leaned in conspiratorially, "—I’ll even help you escape from Madam Pomfrey if she tries to keep you longer."

That earned her a quiet chuckle. "You’re going to help me break out?"

"Only if you're well enough," you teased. "Otherwise, I'll just keep forcing you to eat terrible food."

Remus smirked. "That's cruel."

"Mm," you hummed, standing up. "And effective."

He huffed a laugh but didn’t argue.

You swung your bag over your shoulder, getting ready to leave, when you suddenly paused. A thought popped into your mind, and you quickly rummaged through your bag.

Remus watched curiously as you searched. "What are you doing?"

"Ah-ha!" You exclaimed, pulling out a book.

Remus blinked. "You carry books around in your bag?"

"Of course I do," you said, handing it to him. "You never know when you'll have a free moment to read."

Remus took the book carefully, eyeing the cover. His eyebrows lifted in surprise. "I’ve been meaning to read this."

"I knew you’d like it," you said proudly.

"You knew?"

"Of course," you said easily. "I pay attention, you know."

Remus looked at you then—really looked at you.

You paid attention to him. You noticed what he liked, what he didn’t, what he needed before he even realized it himself. You saw him.

And Merlin, if that didn’t make his heart ache in the best way possible.

He cleared his throat, trying to keep his emotions in check. "...Thank you."

You smiled. "You're welcome."

He hesitated, then glanced at you through his lashes. "I'll, um... I'll be waiting, then."

"For me to come back?" You asked, amused.

Remus flushed slightly but nodded. "Yeah."

You grinned. "Then I’ll make sure to be back as soon as possible."

With that, you gave him one last glance—one last reassuring smile—before finally turning toward the door.

As you left, Remus stared down at the book in his hands, running his fingers along the worn edges.

He thought he couldn’t like you any more than he already did.

He was wrong.

Coming back to you.

The moment your last class ended, you all but sprinted toward the hospital wing, and you weren't alone.

"You know," Sirius drawled lazily as he strolled beside you, hands tucked into his pockets, "some might say you're a little too invested in our dear Moony’s well-being."

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. "And some might say you’re jealous because I actually care about your friend."

James gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Sirius, she’s onto us."

Peter snickered. "What will we do?"

Sirius huffed. "I do care about Moony, thank you very much. I just prefer to express my concern in a cooler way."

"By getting banned from the hospital wing?" You teased.

"Exactly," Sirius said, as if it were obvious.

They all laughed, and James nudged you with his elbow. "But seriously, you're always looking after him. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like him."

You arched a brow. "Maybe I just like helping people, James."

"Mm-hmm," Sirius hummed. "And maybe you just like Remus specifically."

You didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, you quickened your pace, eager to reach the hospital wing. The boys exchanged knowing smirks but let you go.

By the time they arrived, James, Sirius, and Peter stopped at the door.

"This is as far as we go," James sighed dramatically, leaning against the doorframe. "Oh, how cruel the world is, to keep us from our dear friend."

"You literally got banned for setting off dungbombs in here," you reminded him.

"Technicalities," Sirius said, waving a hand dismissively. "Go on, go rescue Moony."

"Tell him we say hi!" Peter added.

You rolled your eyes fondly and stepped inside.

Remus looked much better than he had that morning.

When she walked in, he was already sitting up, leaning back against his pillows, flipping through the book you had given him.

The moment he saw you, he visibly brightened, a small smile on his lips. "You’re back."

She smiled. "Of course I am. I keep my promises."

He looked relieved, and the sight of it made your heart clench. Had he actually thought you wouldn’t come back?

You made your way over, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "How are you feeling?"

Remus closed the book and stretched slightly. "Better. Not great, but better."

Your eyes drifted over him, your hand touching his forehead slightly, then tucking away a strand of his hair, the faint exhaustion still lingering in his expression. "You look better," you said softly. "Fewer shivers, better color. No fever."

He chuckled. "Been inspecting me again, have you?"

"Of course," you teased. "I take my job very seriously."

He smirked but didn’t argue.

You clapped your hands together. "Alright, Rem. Time to get you out of here."

Remus blinked. "Really?"

"Really." You grinned. "I did promise, didn’t I?"

His shoulders sagged in visible relief. "Thank Merlin."

You laughed. "Hold on, don’t celebrate yet. You still have to get dressed."

Remus groaned. "Right."

You turned to grab his neatly folded uniform from the bedside table and placed it in his lap.

He hesitated. "...You’re not going to—?"

"Help you?" You teased, smirking. "Do you want me to?"

Remus’ face flushed, and he immediately shook his head. "I can manage, thanks."

You laughed, turning around to give him some privacy.

From the hallway, you could hear Sirius whispering way too loudly.

"Do you think she’s helping him put his pants on?"

"Shut up, Sirius," James hissed, though he was clearly holding back laughter.

"Maybe we should help him," Peter added, snickering.

Remus let out a deep sigh from behind you. "I hate them."

You giggled. "They love you, really."

"Unfortunately."

When he was finally dressed, you turned back around, only to see him struggling to get his tie right.

"Here, let me," you said, stepping closer.

Remus swallowed hard as you reached up, your fingers brushing against the fabric of his collar. You expertly fixed his tie, smoothing it out when you were done.

"There," you murmured, looking up at him. "Perfect."

Remus held your gaze, and for a moment, he didn’t move.

"Thanks," he finally said, his voice a little hoarse.

You nodded, stepping back. "Ready?"

Remus took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."

With that, you led him toward the door, where the Marauders immediately started cheering dramatically.

"Our hero returns!" Sirius declared, throwing his arms up.

James smirked. "It’s a miracle. We thought we’d lost you forever."

Peter wiped away an imaginary tear. "Such a tragedy averted."

Remus rolled his eyes, but you could see the fondness in his expression.

"Alright, alright," you said, shaking your head. "Let’s get out of here before Madam Pomfrey changes her mind."

And with that, they left the hospital wing together—Remus, finally free, and you, right by his side.

And as they walked down the hall, talking, laughing, teasing each other, Remus couldn’t stop thinking:

He was so glad to have her in his life.

They finally got into the Great Hall, it was already filled with the warm hum of conversation and the clatter of plates when they arrived. Long tables stretched across the vast room, glowing under the floating candles above. The moment they stepped inside, the Marauders beelined for their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, dragging you along with them.

Remus, still a little sore but determined to act like he was fine, slid into his seat beside you.

"Alright," Sirius declared as he dropped onto the bench across from you, grabbing a goblet. "Let me catch you up, Moony, on everything you missed during your tragic and untimely absence—"

"Tragic and untimely?" Remus repeated, a small smile on his lips.

"Absolutely," James confirmed, stealing a roll from Peter’s plate.

"You were literally gone for a day," you pointed out, amused.

"And yet, it felt like a lifetime," Sirius said dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "But fear not! We survived. Barely."

Remus snorted. "Go on, then. Enlighten me."

Sirius smirked. "Well, first of all, we had the privilege of sitting through Binns' lecture on the Goblin Rebellions—"

"Again," James added with a groan. "He said the exact same thing he’s said every single year since first year."

"Word for word," Peter said, shaking his head.

Sirius leaned forward. "You owe me, Moony. I had to keep James awake for you."

James gave a sheepish grin. "I may have… dozed off a bit."

"A bit?" Sirius scoffed. "You face-planted into your desk."

You giggled, and James pointed at you. "See? She gets it. Binns is unbearable."

"He really is," you admitted.

Remus smirked. "I actually don’t mind him."

Sirius sighed dramatically. "Of course you don’t. You’re an old man trapped in a seventeen-year-old's body."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Says the one who goes to bed at eight whenever it’s raining outside."

"That’s different," Sirius insisted. "Rain naps are sacred."

You chuckled, shaking your head.

The conversation naturally shifted from missed lessons to something else entirely—something much more relevant to their seventh year.

"Anyway," James said, stretching out. "The real excitement is this new stupid rule that we all have to help in the area we plan to work in after Hogwarts. Absolute nightmare."

"Not for me," Remus said. "I already do my job as a Prefect. And Defense Against the Dark Arts is hardly something to complain about."

"Of course you’d be in Defense," Sirius said. "Classic."

You turned to Remus, intrigued. "You want to be a Defense professor?"

Remus hesitated. "Maybe. If, you know… things work out."

You tilted your head, noticing the slight shift in his voice, but before she could question it, James jumped in.

"As for me," James said proudly, "I’m working in Quidditch Training."

Sirius groaned. "As if he needed an excuse to spend more time on a broom."

"Oi," James shot back, grinning. "I like Quidditch. And McGonagall practically forced me into it. Said I needed ‘structure’ or whatever."

Peter looked nervous. "I got put in Herbology Assistance, but I don’t know if I’m cut out for it."

"You’ll be fine," Remus assured him. "You’re better at Herbology than you think."

Sirius took a long sip of his pumpkin juice. "I, personally, refuse to be tied down by such nonsense."

You raised an eyebrow. "So… you’re doing nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing," Sirius confirmed proudly. "No one needs me anywhere."

Remus sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don’t need to help out anywhere. I already know what I’m doing after Hogwarts."

James snickered. "Ah, yes. A life of crime."

You giggled. "Is that really your plan?"

Sirius smirked. "Nah. But I do plan to be wildly successful at something. No clue what yet, but I refuse to do anything boring."

"You could always be my assistant," James joked. "I'll be a professional Quidditch player, and you can be my personal hype man."

Sirius gasped. "Brilliant. I’ll stand on the sidelines with a banner that says, ‘GO, PRONGS, GO!’"

James grinned. "Now that’s friendship."

They all laughed, and for a while, you just sat there, listening to them bicker and joke, enjoying the energy they always carried.

But Remus noticed something.

You were listening, only listening. You hadn't really talked about your day.

And that didn’t sit right with him.

He nudged you gently with his knee under the table. "You’ve been quiet," he murmured.

You blinked, surprised. "Have I?"

Remus tilted his head. "Yes." His voice was softer now, more thoughtful. "How was your day?"

And just like that, your heart fluttered.

It was such a simple question, but the way he said it—the way he meant it—made your chest tighten.

He cared.

You hesitated for only a moment before smiling. "Tiring," you admitted. "Long. But... not bad."

He studied you, like he was making sure you were telling the truth. "Classes alright?"

Your eyes met, and for a moment, everything else seemed to fade.

You nodded. "Yeah. Potions was awful, as usual. Slughorn paired me with a Slytherin who exploded our cauldron."

Remus chuckled. "Again?"

You groaned. "Again."

He smirked. "You attract chaos."

"You're one to talk, Mister Hospital Regular," you shot back playfully.

He laughed—an actual, genuine laugh.

And Merlin, you loved that sound.

"Alright, lovebirds," Sirius cut in, smirking. "Wrap it up before I vomit into my pudding."

You and Remus immediately turned red, and James and Peter howled with laughter.

Remus groaned. "I hate you all."

Sirius just winked. "No, you love us."

James grinned, ruffling Remus’ hair. "Feeling better now, Moony?"

Remus sighed, glancing at you for just a second before looking back at James.

"Yeah," he murmured. "I think I am."

You kept talking about your day as Remus listened attentively, with a smile on his lips.

James and Sirius were still joking around, Peter was still stuffing his face, and the Great Hall was still buzzing with life—but for a second, it felt like it was just the two of you.

While paying attention to you, Remus was actually eating for the first time since the full moon. And that was a rare sight. Usually, after a transformation, his appetite would take a while to come back, but here he was, finishing a plate of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and even some vegetables.

You watched, satisfied. "Eating isn't so bad, is it?"

Remus huffed. "I was going to eat anyway, you know."

Sirius scoffed. "No, you weren’t. You hate eating after full moons."

Remus shot him a look, but before he could argue, James leaned forward, smirking. "But now, suddenly, you’re finishing your whole plate? Hmm, wonder what could have possibly changed."

Sirius gasped dramatically, slamming a hand against the table. "Oh, I know! Could it be our lovely, caring, sweet friend here, who gently forced him to eat earlier?"

Peter grinned. "Definitely that."

You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms. "Oh, please. As if making him eat is some impossible miracle."

"It is," Sirius said seriously. "You have no idea how many times we’ve begged him to eat after full moons."

James nodded. "We practically have to force-feed him."

"Not true," Remus muttered, stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork.

"It is very true," Peter insisted.

"And yet," Sirius said, tilting his head dramatically. "One bat of her eyelashes, and suddenly, Moony is devouring his dinner."

Remus sighed, setting down his fork. "You lot are insufferable."

James smirked. "But we’re right, aren’t we?"

Remus didn’t answer, which only made them laugh more.

You, on the other hand, was still watching Remus, a small smile tugging at your lips. "I am proud of you for eating properly, though."

Remus glanced at you, something soft flickering in his expression. "Thanks."

James clutched his chest dramatically. "Merlin, did you hear that? That was the softest ‘thanks’ I’ve ever heard!"

Sirius gasped. "He's gone, Prongs. Completely gone."

"Absolutely pathetic," James agreed.

You turned to them, raising an eyebrow. "Are you two really the ones to talk?"

James and Sirius exchanged a look.

"Good point," Peter mumbled.

"Hey!" Sirius frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

You smirked. "Just that you both turn into a pile of mush for the right person."

James turned red. "That’s—that’s—not—"

Sirius grinned. "Oh, she’s got you there, mate."

James cleared his throat. "Moving on!" He turned to Remus. "Since you’re all healed up, you’re joining us tomorrow, right?"

Remus sighed. "Depends on what ‘joining you’ actually means."

Sirius smirked. "We may have a small plan involving Filch’s office, dungbombs, and a very detailed map—"

"No," Remus said immediately.

"Moony," James groaned. "Come on."

Remus shook his head. "I just got out of the hospital wing. I am not risking detention because you two are bored."

Peter turned to her. "You should come too!"

You laughed. "Do I look like someone who would help with dungbombs?"

Sirius grinned. "No. But you do look like someone who could distract Filch while we do it."

You scoffed. "Absolutely not. I have actual responsibilities."

Remus smirked. "See? Someone reasonable."

James sighed dramatically. "You two are so boring."

Sirius leaned in, smirking at Remus. "And yet, Moony, you love being around her. Don’t think we haven’t noticed."

Remus choked on his pumpkin juice. "I—"

You raised an eyebrow at Sirius, amused. "And what exactly have you noticed?"

Sirius grinned, glancing between them. "Oh, just that our dear Moony seems much happier lately. Coincidentally, right around the time he started spending all his time in the hospital wing with you."

Remus sighed. "Merlin’s sake."

James nudged him. "Just admit it, mate. You like having her around."

Remus rolled his eyes, but he didn’t deny it.

You smirked. "And I like having him around. What of it?"

The Marauders gasped.

Sirius placed a hand on his chest. "Moony, she likes having you around. Did you hear that?"

James grinned. "What a revelation!"

Peter nodded sagely. "Truly groundbreaking."

Remus groaned. "Merlin, help me."

You laughed, nudging him gently. "Come on, Rem, admit it. You like me too."

Remus hesitated, but then he sighed, shaking his head with a small, soft smile. "...Fine. Maybe a little."

The Marauders howled with laughter.

James pounded the table. "We got him!"

Sirius leaned back, smirking. "That’s it, boys. Moony’s done for."

Peter grinned. "Absolutely pathetic."

You just smiled at Remus, amused. "That wasn’t so hard, was it?"

Remus sighed. "I regret everything."

Sirius clapped him on the back. "Too late, Moony. We all heard it."

Remus just groaned again, but despite the teasing, despite the laughter, despite everything—he still stole a glance at you, his expression softer than he probably meant for it to be.

And you noticed.

And maybe—just maybe—you liked it.

Just the two of us.

After dinner, the sounds of laughter and hurried footsteps filled the corridors as students scattered, eager to enjoy what little free time they had before curfew. James was already scheming to sneak into the girls’ dorm to see Lily, while Sirius and Peter had run off in the opposite direction, cackling about some new prank they planned to pull on Snape.

You, however, stayed behind with your own Marauder.

Remus walked beside you through the dimly lit hallways, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his pants, his pace slow and unhurried. The castle felt calmer now, quieter, and you both seemed to enjoy the peacefulness that settled between you.

It was always like this with him. Comfortable. Warm.

Remus liked listening to you talk, liked the way your voice filled the silence without demanding anything from him. You told him about your day, every little detail, even giving him a quick summary of all your classes. And though he wasn’t much of a talker himself, he liked that you never seemed to mind. You just talked to him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He wasn’t used to this—having someone care so much, someone who paid attention to him in ways that weren’t just surface-level.

His hands fidgeted slightly in his pockets. He wasn’t sure why.

“And then,” you continued, walking a little closer to him, “Professor McGonagall gave us an extra assignment—oh, and you won’t believe this, but I managed to turn my book into a cactus instead of a flower.”

Remus chuckled softly, glancing at you. “A cactus?”

“Yeah,” you said, laughing. “I have no idea how it happened. Maybe I have some subconscious aggression I need to work through.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” he teased, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smirk.

You nudged him playfully with your shoulder, and he barely had time to react before your hand brushed against his. It was brief, accidental, but you didn’t pull away. Neither did he.

It just... happened.

Neither of you acknowledged it, but as your fingers slowly curled around his, your hands now intertwined, there was an unspoken agreement between you. Neither of you would let go.

Remus’ heart was hammering in his chest, but he did his best to keep his expression neutral. If he said something—if he even so much as looked down at your hands—he was afraid you’d let go. And he didn’t want that.

Not even a little.

“Thanks,” Remus said suddenly, his voice quieter, more thoughtful.

“For what?” You tilted your head slightly, glancing up at him.

“For... always taking care of me,” he admitted, his thumb brushing absently over the back of your hand. “Especially after... you know, when I’m not feeling great.”

“Of course,” you said softly. “I’ll always take care of you, Remus.”

His breath hitched slightly, and the blush that crept up his neck was almost immediate.

You grinned. “You’re blushing.”

“I am not,” he muttered, but the deepening color on his face betrayed him.

“You are,” you teased, squeezing his hand slightly. “It’s adorable.”

His face went completely red. “You— I— I am not adorable.”

“You so are,” you said, grinning as you looked up at him. “It’s actually kind of unfair. You’re all tall and broody, and then you go and get all flustered, and suddenly you’re just the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Remus groaned, tilting his head back slightly. “Merlin, help me.”

He huffed, shaking his head, but there was no real frustration behind it. In fact, he kind of liked it—the way you teased him, the way you looked at him like he was something special, like he was worth your attention.

You giggled, and Remus swore he felt his heart stutter.

The two of you reached a window where the moonlight streamed through, casting a soft glow across your faces. It was only a sliver of a moon tonight, nothing like the full moon that always left him battered and exhausted.

You turned to face him fully now, your hands still clasped together between you. “You know, I like this,” you said softly.

Remus swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. “Like what?”

“This.” You gestured vaguely between the two of you. “Spending time with you. Just... being with you.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that without making a complete fool of himself. He could feel his ears burning, and he was certain that if James or Sirius were here, they’d be relentless with their teasing.

But they weren’t here.

It was just you and him.

And he liked that.

“I, uh—” He cleared his throat, attempting to compose himself. “I like it too.”

You smiled, tilting your head slightly. “You’re nervous.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“I—” He sighed, closing his eyes for a brief second before opening them again. “Okay, maybe a little.”

You let out a soft laugh, your thumb brushing over the back of his hand absentmindedly. “It’s okay. I’ll try not to make fun of you... too much.”

He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. “Thanks, i guess.”

There was a beat of silence, but it wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful, like the two of you could just exist in each other’s presence without the need for words.

Remus knew he should say something else, maybe tease you back or change the subject before his feelings betrayed him any further. But before he could even think of what to say, you shifted closer, leaning your head against his shoulder.

His entire body tensed for half a second before forcing himself to relax. He wasn’t used to this kind of affection, wasn’t used to the gentle intimacy of it all.

But with you?

With you, he wanted to get used to it.

His free hand hesitated before slowly resting on top of yours, his fingers barely grazing your skin.

You hummed in contentment. “See? Not so bad, right?”

Remus let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “No,” he admitted. “Not bad at all.”

—— 🌙 ——

A message from the author:

Hello, lovelies. I hope you loved reading this part as much as i loved writing it.

Thank you for all your love in this series, your comments always make my day! 🤍

The next part will be totally fluff, promise! No wounded and sick Moony. Our boy needs a little bit of love.

Here's to all the people that asked me to tag them (or were just waiting for the next part): @iloveremmy @jjamjamie @breakawayfromeveryday @oursweetmoony @whimsical-mistakes @froggiedragon @sophie-0012 @deathmybride @mischievousmoony

If you want to be tagged in the next ones, just let me know! 🤍

See you guys soon!

#marauders era #fanfic #x reader #marauders #x yn #remus lupin #harry potter #sirius black #james potter #remus lupin x you #remus lupin x reader

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lionizingheathen · 7 months ago

Text

Need - R.L

Remus Lupin x Fem!Reader

Fucking your boyfriend at a party

Warnings: Penetrative Sex, fingering, unprotected sex, dirty talk, spanking, nipple play, multiple orgasms, smut

Smut under the cut

Your boyfriend had never looked bad not a single day in his life, but something about today was just making you feel feral… Maybe it was the new haircut, the rolled up sweater sleeves exposing his forearms and hands… All you knew was that you could only think about him stretching you out as you stood silently in the corner, rubbing your thighs together…

Fuck it. You cleared your throat, walking over to where he was caught in a heated debate with Sirius, and tapped him on the shoulder, seeing a wide, warm grin on his face the second he looked up at you.

“Hey, I need some help with something in my room, do you wanna come with me?” You asked, and Remus looked up at you frowning as he furrowed his brows, taking your outstretched hand with care.

“Of course. You alright?” He asked, and you nodded, squeezing his hand with a wide grin.

“Yeah, I just need you for something.” You said, leading him down the hallway silently. He seemed nervous, and you didn’t want him to be, but you also wanted this to be a surprise… Well, not a surprise, but you did want it to only be brought up in private because otherwise you were sure that your friends would never let the two of you hear the end of it.

“What’s up?” He asked, tucking his hands into his jeans as you locked your bedroom door behind you before you turned to kiss him, catching his lips in a harsh, warm one, sending him stumbling back as he caught you around the waist, holding you close… You’d been together since you were teenagers, and he still acted like each kiss was the first one.

“I need you to fuck me, Lupin.” You mumbled against his lips, hearing him gasp as he pulled back, eyes wide… But you could already feel him getting hard against your stomach. He wanted you just as bad.

“Wha… I… Right now?” You nodded as he swallowed heavily, glancing behind him towards the door. “Our friends are right out there-.” You cut him off, shaking your head as you walked over to your desk, facing the wall.

You knew a surefire way to get his head off of your friends and into the gutter.

“And if you’re quiet there’s gonna be nothing to worry about, but I really need you inside me right now.” You rested your hands on your desk, sticking your ass out a bit as you looked behind you, smiling softly at the way that his eyes were locked there, his cock showing through his pants as he shifted around. “Is that something you can help me with, baby?” You asked softly, and he nodded quickly.

“Mhm, I mean…Yes. Mhm, no problem.” You bit back a grin at the way that his voice cracked, your heart racing a bit in your chest. “No… Problem at all…” You heard him walk closer, heard his belt unbuckle and his pants unzip. Once he was behind you, you reached back, blindly pushing his pants and boxers down, feeling his cock in your hand as your mouth watered… God, he was so fucking big.

It was gonna feel amazing to be stretched out around him again.

“Good boy.” You felt him lift your skirt up and move your panties to the side, letting out a low moan as he spread your cunt, your face burning as you felt his fingers trace over your clit before he carefully slid two inside you, pulling a whine from you. “Oh… Fuck…” You groaned, your head hanging forward as he curled his fingers deep inside you, making your eyes roll back with each thrust as he kissed the back of your neck, his other hand groping your clothed chest frantically… You knew he needed this as badly as you did, he was just better at hiding it… But all you wanted was for him to fuck you senseless right now.

“You’re so wet.” He mumbled, and you whimpered, resting your forehead against the wall as he slid a third finger inside you, making you shiver as you thrust your hips back against him… You didn’t need him to do this, you wanted to take his cock even though his fingers felt like their own special breed of heaven.

“Well, you look fucking sexy tonight�� It was… Taking everything in me not to… Jerk you off.” You whimpered, hearing him let out a dark chuckle as he slid his hand from under your shirt to over, letting out an appreciative groan at the fact that you didn't have a bra on... You'd meant for that to be a surprise for later, after everyone was gone and it was just the two of you, but you couldn't help yourself around him.

Plans always fell to the wayside.

“In front of everyone? Really?” He asked, and you nodded, unsure of why he would even be surprised by that… You’d literally done that a few times before under tables, it always led to some of your hottest sex the second that doors were closed, you loved how hot he got at the fact that you needed him in front of everyone else.

“Mhm.” He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the side of your neck before he licked up the side of it, making you shiver... He always did the filthiest things before he fucking ruined you, it was one of the best fucking things about him.

“You must’ve really needed me.” Obviously. Who wouldn’t need him?

“Still do.” You hung your head forward as you thrusted back again, hearing him bite back a moan, his nails digging into your breast before it slid down, gripping her hips. “Please?” You asked, and he groaned, fingers still fucking lazily in and out of you at a pace that was absolutely maddening.

“Baby, I’m warming you up-.” You shook your head. You didn’t need to be warmed up anymore, you needed to fucked senseless. “I don’t need to be warmed up, I need to take your cock now, Lupin.” You said, feeling his fingers leave you as you whimpered at the loss, hearing him moan behind you before you glanced back again, blushing at the way that he cleaned his fingers off with a grin on his face.

“Merlin, you taste good.” He sighed, gripping hard onto your with one hand as he lined himself up with your entrance, rubbing his cock up and down your slit in a way that made you whimper as you tried your best not to thrust back on him, but it was inevitable. You felt a sting on your ass as he slapped it hard. “Behave, I’m getting to it.” He said firmly and you swallowed back a moan, trying to speak even though you felt too fucking crazy to speak right now… You had to push through that.

“Can’t help it… Need you so fucking bad.” You moaned, and he chuckled darkly, slamming his cock into you in one fluid movement, making you choke on air as you arched your back, shivering against him, feeling so pleasantly full that you could hardly even think straight.

This was perfection, he was perfection.

“Shit... God, you took me like that was nothing." He groaned, thrusting into you at a pace that was punishable, making you feel like your brain was gonna melt out of your fucking skull, a grin settling across your face.

This was exactly what you'd been looking for.

“Made... For you." You whimpered, spreading your legs further as you relished in the full feeling.

“Fucking hell..." Remus mumbled, tugging on your hair before he pushed your head down, your nails scratching against the unforgiving texture of the desk.

There was no reprieve from the pleasure that you were feeling right now.

“Oh Remus, harder! Harder, please.” You groaned, feeling his large hand press your cheek down against the chest as he snapped his hips quicker, your thighs trembling at his brutal pace as he grunted, his free hand slapping your ass hard.

“Fuck, you’re so fucking filthy, babe… Take my cock so well.” He mumbled, and you nodded, tears stinging the corners of your eyes as you gasped, the hand that had been on your ass snaking around to rub at your clit, all of your common sense leaving you as you let out a loud moan, feeling yourself hurdle towards your orgasm.

“Remus… Baby… I…” You gasped, feeling him tigthen his teeth on your shoulder, his arms wrapping tight around your waist to fuck into you even harder, pushing your breath out of you each time, holding you up as you fought the urge to collapse.

“You gonna cum, princess?” You nodded frantically, nails digging down your wall as you swallowed back a cream. “Cum all over my cock.” That was all it took for you to cum, trembling and shaking, all over him.

He didn’t slow down for a second.

It was perfect.

“Oh… Fucking hell… Ah…” You let out a breath of relief, seeing a calculated look in Remus's eyes... You weren't done. “Remus-.” He scooped you up, tossing you down on your back on the bed before he nudged your thighs open again, thrusting deep inside you again, the change of angle making you tremble. “Fuck.”

“I’m not done with you yet, still gotta fill you up.” He grunted, pressing your wrists against the bed as he fucked quickly into you, your legs over his shoulders as you arched your back, swallowing heavily as you tried to fight against the urge to scream his name, body awash with overstimulation, not that he seemed to care.

You loved when he got like this, when he was so focused on his orgasm that you became nothing but a cocksleeve for him to fuck. You let out a cry, feeling his hand tighten over your mouth before he dropped it again

“Shut up, someone could hear… Just take my cock.” He mumbled, and you nodded mindlessly, mouth dropped open as he pushed your top up, grinning cruelly as he rolled one of your nipples between his fingers, making you let out a high moan as you tried to fight the touch but failed.

When had he even lifted his hand in the first place? Your brain was not working.

“Yes… Sir… Fuck….” You moaned, your breath leaving you in heavy gasps, shuddering as you felt yourself nearing another orgasm.

“Fuck, you feel so good.” He groaned, and you nodded, a smile settling on your face as you dug your nails into his back, urging him to go faster.

“You… Too…” His expression shifted slightly as he furrowed his brows, his jaw dropping open.

Close?

“Gonna… Gonna cum.” He grunted, and you nodded... You were right behind him, and you needed to cum with him.

“Please-.” His pace increased impossibly, turning your words into a shriek that he couldn't have covered even if he wanted to... There was no way that everyone didn't know what the two of you were doing right now, but you didn't care.

“Take it, fucking take it.” His pace became erratic, hard and fast and uneven before he paused deep inside you, making you whimper. Cum in me. Please. “Fuck… Shit…” You came wordlessly as you felt his cock fill you up, the perfect end to a perfect session.

“Fucking hell…” You gasped, coming down from your orgasm as he slowly pulled out of you, collapsing next to you.

“That was fucking perfect.” He pressed a soft kiss to your lips, pulling you into his arms for a moment. “You are perfect.” He said, letting you go when you squirmed away to get more breath.

You wanted to be in his arms, but you needed to recover first.

“Mmm… You too…” You worked hard to get your breath under control before you rolled over to look at him, placing your hand on his lower stomach... People were probably wondering where you guys were by now. “We should get back out there.” You said, and he frowned, shrugging.

“Why don’t we just take a couple more minutes?” He asked, and you smiled softly, tracing over the scars on his cheek as you did... Your handsome boy.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He pulled you in with a sigh, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as you burrowed into him.

Perfect.

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underoospeterparker · 16 days ago

Note

🪸 CORALS with best friends to lovers!remus

one year late but better late than never!!

bestfriend!remus lupin x reader, eventual romantic!remus lupin x reader, 1.8k words, implied fem!reader but can be read as gn!reader if you wish <3

cw: a bit of angst, love confession at the end!

Remus Lupin had been your best friend since you'd sat on the Hogwarts Express together, shoulders squished in the tight carriage, both incredibly shy and worried if you'd fit in. He'd offered you a piece of the chocolate slab he'd stolen from his Mum and stashed in his jacket pocket and you'd been enamoured ever since.

You were his first friend, and his yours, Sirius and James only came later, when he watched with sad eyes as you were sorted into Hufflepuff and him into Gryffindor. Nevertheless, you had a similar timetable, with Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts together, and you were attached at the hip from eleven years old.

Second and third year brought its challenges. Remus curled in on himself a bit more, burrowed himself in his studies in the Library, flanked by James and Sirius, who were much too loud for quiet Remus, in your opinion. But you stayed close. You were there for his transformations, you were there to reassure him that he was beautiful, despite his scars making you want to cry.

Fourth year was odd. Pandora seemed to hang around Remus more often, twirling her hair and giggling whenever he even spared a glance at her. You bit back a feeling of jealousy when you watched her and Remus. He was supposed to be your best friend, not hers. You caught Remus watching you, quietly, when he was supposed to be listening to Pandora, a hint of something you could never read in his expression. You brushed it off. He was allowed to like other girls. Wasn't he?

In fifth year, James and Sirius became animagi to help Remus with his transformations, followed quickly by you. James was a red stag, Sirius a black dog, and you, a white cat, Remus's favourite. You grew even closer, if that was possible. It was either you, hanging onto Remus's side, or Remus, trailing after you like a lost puppy. Neither of you wanted to be apart from each other, it seemed.

You and Remus have been best friends for six years now, though it feels like you know him like the inside of your palm. You could tell when a headache was forming by the way his eyebrows furrowed, his forehead lines becoming slightly more prominent, but it never made him any less handsome. You could tell when the full moon was arriving without looking up at the sky because Remus would grow more lethargic, limbs aching under the slightest touch.

He sits, now, resting lazily on a seat in the Great Hall when you arrive, his hair tousled from sleep, but his eyes do soften when you enter and take your usual seat next to him. "Hi, dove," he greets, a lopsided grin already tilting his lips upwards. You try not to notice his dimples and the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles, and instead focus your gaze on his eyes, returning the smile. "Hi, Rem. Sleep well?"

"Okay," he lies, and you recognise it instantly. He's never been able to fool you. Concern furrows your brows, and Remus's heart squeezes a little in his chest at the worry, clear as day, on your face. He redirects the conversation to the homework essay for Transfiguration, and you're half paying attention and half looking him over worriedly. He's a little pale, his eye bags a little darker.

Remus is perceptive, though, and he notices your silent fretting. "I'm fine, dove. Don't worry," he placates easily. "Just tired."

You frown up at him, but at the look on his face, you don't protest. Just sigh. "You've been working too hard," you murmur. "Not to mention the full moon's soon, and your body needs rest, Rem." You tilt your head at him. "If you don't sleep for a full ten hours tonight, Remus, I'm ringing up your Mum."

He laughs, amused. "Oh, you wouldn't dare." He notices the serious look on your expression, and his eyes widen slightly. "You're not joking?"

You scoff quietly. "I don't joke about your health, Remus. It's important that you take care of yourself." You pick at the sausages on your plate, appetite suddenly gone. "You have a lot of people who care about you, Rem. We just want you to be okay."

He softens, slinging an arm around your neck. "I'll sleep," he promises softly, pressing a fond kiss to your temple. "I swear. If it makes you feel better, I'll sleep." And he knows, in that moment, if you'd asked him for anything, he'd have said yes, with absolutely no hesitation.

You soften, and he feels it against his side, smiling against your hair. It's probably too close to be friendly, but you can't bring yourself to pull away, and Remus can't bring himself to let go of you. He's too selfish to let you be anywhere but right by his side, where he wants you, all the time.

The full moon arrives three days later. Remus is aching everywhere, and he's a little more irritable, but you can't bring yourself to care in the slightest. He's slouched over in the Library when you find him the night after the plenilune.

Your hands are gentle as they reach for his shoulders, but he startles anyway, relaxing a fraction when he realises it's just you. He's still tense, you can feel it in the tightness of his neck, the frown permanently fixed on his lips. "You got out of bed too quickly, Rem,” you murmur quietly, dropping a fond kiss into his hair. "Should've rested more. Even Pompfrey said so."

Remus sighs quietly, feels a little well of irritation bubble in his chest. "I couldn't miss classes," he replies. "I've missed far too much already." He pauses for a second, before adding, tone a little colder than what you're used to, "And I'm fine. I don't need you worrying about me. You're not my Mum, and you're not my girlfriend."

"I'm still your best friend," you offer quietly, trying not to wince at his harsh words. You know not to take him seriously after a full moon, but your heart doesn't care. Your hands are still gentle in their pressing of his shoulders. "You can lean on me a little, you know. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

The irritation bubbles over. "I don't need you," he snaps, pulling away from your touch. He regrets it instantly in the way you flinch, your eyes falling to the ground, downcast. He can't take it back now, can't take back the way he hurt you, but he hates the way you withdraw from him. Everything in Remus's body begs him to reach out to you, and he stands up. "Wait-"

You shake your head, swallowing past the lump in your throat. "It's okay. I'll leave you alone, then." Your eyes flicker up to his, sad, for a second, before you turn and walk away, leaving him standing there, feeling worse than when you'd arrived. Remus stares at the spot where you'd stood for seconds, which stretch into minutes, before he packs up his books and heads up to his dormitory.

It's two agonising days before Remus sees you again, walking with Lily. You look tired, worn out, sad, and it makes his heart ache. He wants to talk to you, wants to make it better, wants you to be by his side like you're supposed to be. You're his, he thinks.

"Dove," he coaxes, stepping in front of you. "Let's talk. Please." You've never been able to refuse him, so you nod meekly. Lily squeezes your arm, a quiet support, before she leaves. Remus's big hand on your elbow is gentle as he tugs you into an empty classroom. He doesn't let go until you pull away, and even then, he looks miserable at the loss of contact.

"What do you want to talk about?" You mumble, eyes not meeting his. His heart squeezes in his chest at the disconnect, but he's too afraid to reach out again. Remus has always been a bit of a coward.

He sighs quietly, fingers twitching at his sides. "You know what." He swallows, careful. "I didn't mean what I said. I'm an idiot for talking to you like that. I'm sorry, and I'm an arse." He doesn't give the full moon as an excuse, and that makes the ache in your chest melt a little.

You reach out, hesitant, for his hand. "It's okay," you murmur quietly. "You were just... lashing out. I get it. You were in pain." His hand wraps around yours, thumb brushing the back of your palm in swipes that calm your heart, too intimate to be friendly. "I forgive you, anyways."

Remus tugs you closer, and your eyes drift up to meet his. His breath catches at your closeness, the way your eyes are soft and gentle and compassionate, and all he can think is that he doesn't deserve you and he never will. You're too kind for a messed up lycanthrope like him, and he knows that whatever he does, you'll forgive him. "You shouldn't," he murmurs. "You're much too good for me."

His arms are iron bands around you, keeping you tucked against his chest like you're treasure, something precious for him to protect. "If there's one thing you are, Remus, it's good," you counter softly, and his head is spinning with your soft words and the way you feel against him, like you're two puzzle pieces being slot together...

"I love you," he admits quietly. The room stills for a second as you pull away, just a centimetre, to process what he's just said.

When you do, your breath hitches, and his heart beats painfully fast in his chest at the expression on your face. "I've loved you since I met you. It took me far too long to realise it, and longer to stop being a coward and spit it out, but I'm in love with you." He rests his forehead against yours, breathless. "Please say something, sweetheart. You're killing me here."

Your mouth opens, then closes, then opens again. "I love you, too," you manage to whisper out, and Remus is beaming at you like you hung the sun for him, cupping your cheeks in his big, warm hands. "You're it for me, Rem. Knew it the second you broke off a piece of your precious chocolate for me."

He lets out a surprised laugh, thumbs brushing against your cheekbones. "I'll give you anything you want," he breathes softly, and you know that he's being completely serious. "I'd give you the whole world if you asked for it."

With your heartbeat much too fast to be considered normal, you murmur, "just kiss me already, Lupin." He gives you a lopsided grin, eyes crinkling at the edges, as he leans in, his hands framing your face. He's sure to make it the best kiss of your life. And when you leave that classroom, tucked against his side, you've never felt more loved. And neither has he.

#remus lupin imagine #remus lupin fic #remus lupin fanfiction #remus lupin x reader #remus fluff #remus angst #remus lupin x you #remus lupin x y/n #remus lupin x shy!reader #remus x reader #remus lupin #remus lupin drabble #hp fanfic #hp marauders #harry potter fanfiction #marauders era #the marauders #the marauders era #remus lupin x fem!reader

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baileypie-writes · 1 year ago

Note

Can you do Lupin III x people pleaser reader? -gender netural

A/N ~ Sure! By the way, I’m not a people pleaser myself, so please let me know if anything’s inaccurate. Hope you enjoy!

~Lupin III with a People Pleaser S/O~

Fandom: Lupin III: The First

Fanfic Type: Headcanons

Reader: Gender Neutral

Relationship: Romantic

Genre: Fluff

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mentions of Reader’s kindness being taken advantage of.

Disclaimer: I have only seen the 2019 film, and Castle of Cagliostro. I have not yet seen the series. So if anything is inaccurate, I apologize.

~~~🎩~~~🎩~~~🎩~~~

~ Lupin thinks it’s so endearing how you put others needs before your own. Him and the gang can be the complete opposite at times, caring more about themselves. So he finds it so cute how you go out of your way to help others.

“Hey (name)! ‘What am I doing’? The dishes. Lemme guess, you wanna help? Sure! Thanks cutie.~”

~ He tends to let you do your thing most of the time. It makes you happy to help, so why stop you? He doesn’t complain when you want to help him either. In fact, he’s all for it! Less work for him!

“Pops just wouldn’t let up today! He caused us so much trouble. We got pretty roughed up. Even ripped my coat pretty bad.”

“I can sew it up for you!”

“Really? Aww, thanks (name)! You’re a gem!”

~ However, if you start to not may enough attention to yourself, that’s where he draws the line. Putting your own health behind others isn’t okay. He’ll switch roles on you; making himself do everything for you. You’re not allowed to complain either!

“This is the fifth time in a row you’ve done the laundry. We’re supposed to take turns! I’m doing it this time.”

“Oh no, that’s okay-“

“Nope! You’re obviously tired today. You go relax, I’ll take care of this.”

~ Lupin is a sneaky guy. So he can trick you into relaxing without you realizing it! He’ll ask you to help him with something, and tell you to wait on the couch for him. You’ll lay down, and he won’t come back. It’ll take at least thirty minutes to realize you’ve been bamboozled. He always promises he won’t do it again, but we both know he’s a big fat liar…

~ Some people may try to take advantage of the fact that you’re a people pleaser. It’s hard to come to the fact that they’re using you, because you just want to help. But Lupin is smart. He knows people’s true intentions. So he’ll lead you away from them, not telling you exactly why as to not hurt your feelings. He won’t let your kindness be taken advantage of!

“They need help again? Oh, I’m sure they’ll be fine on their own! C’mon babe, I actually have something we can do together!”

~ Lupin is constantly reminding you that you don’t need to help all the time to be liked. He loves you no matter what! He lets you know that it’s okay to relax, and to ask for help for yourself.

~~~🎩~~~🎩~~~🎩~~~

~~baileypie-writes

#baileypie-writes #lupin the third #lupin the third x reader #lupin iii #lupin iii x reader #lupin the third: the first #lupin the third: the first x reader #arsene lupin iii #arsene lupin iii x reader

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mischievousmoony · 9 months ago

Text

𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

⟢ remus lupin x fem!reader ⟢ when james and sirius prank you guys after your third date, you just have to prank them back ⊹ 1.1k ⟢ warnings/tags: no warnings i think, muggle au probably ⟢ requested

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Remus leads you into his flat by your hand, briefly dropping it only to lock the door behind you. Meanwhile, you take in the space, trying not to look like you're snooping as you strain your eyes to look at the kitchen through your peripheral vision.

You wander deeper into the flat. It's neither small nor large, and you soon come upon the living room, where you find two boys on the couch snickering to themselves. They straighten out when they notice you and clamp their mouths shut.

"Oh! Hello," you greet them.

Remus rushes up behind you. "Uh, hey guys," he says, sounding airy with nerves. "Um, this is James. And Sirius," he says, pointing to each of his roommates as he introduces you to them.

You shoot them a small wave as Remus introduces you to them.

"It's nice to meet you both," you say politely.

"Likewise," the one with longer hair, Sirius, says.

"Charmed," James, the one with glasses, says at the same time.

"Anyway, we'll be going now!" Remus' voice is up an octave, and he wastes no time to lead you away with a hand pressing against your lower back.

You wave goodbye to the boys, and your eyebrows draw together when they suddenly erupt in a fit of quiet laughter.

"So, I thought we could watch a movie," Remus says as he leads you down the hall. "I remember on our first date you told me your favorite movie was- oh no."

Remus stops in his tracks as he swings open his door. For a moment, the two of you stand immobile in his doorway.

You stare at his bed, which is scattered with red rose petals. In the center of a carefully laid heart, the petals spell out "B MY GF." And on his nightstand, an array of candles burn, filling the room with a sweet aroma.

"This- this-" Remus stammers as he steps further into his room.

You follow, and the door shuts behind you.

"I didn't- this isn't- this is-" Remus is shaking his head as he manages to rip his eyes away from the display on his bed. He holds his hands up in front of him, a sign of innocence.

You bite your lower lip to withhold the smile that's fighting its way onto your lips. "Remus," you try to interrupt, but to no avail.

"I did not put this here. I promise. I- I-"

"Remus!" you exclaim, grabbing his shoulders.

This finally shuts him up. You've never seen him look so worried. Granted, you've only been on three dates with him. Still, he looks riddled with apologetic concern.

You feel desperate to ease his nerves, and you find yourself pushing up on to the tips of your toes and leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. It's slow and sweet, and when he finally recovers from his initial surprise, it's even sweeter as he kisses back.

It's everything you hoped your first kiss with Remus would be.

When you pull away, you notice the nervous look in his eyes has been replaced by a fond, albeit confused, expression.

"I know it wasn't you," you explain. "And if the giggles that came out of the peanut gallery in your living room is any indication, I think I know who did."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about them. About all of this. I- I would never-"

"I know," you assure him. "Our dates so far are proof that you're far more romantic than this," you snort, looking at the tacky display on his bed.

"Yeah?" he smirks, one of his hands raising to trace up your arm.

"Mhm. And however you do end up asking me to be your girlfriend, I'm sure it will be much more romantic than that."

Remus' eyebrows shoot up, and his momentary confidence fades as he begins to feel flustered under your gaze. "You think so?"

"Oh yeah. So romantic I can almost guarantee I'll say yes."

Remus swallows hard as a blush peppers his cheeks. "You sure are putting a lot of pressure on me, you know?" he says playfully.

"I'm sure you'll manage to impress me."

Remus exhales slowly to expel his nerves. He lets his hand trail down your arm and laces his fingers with yours. "How about we start that movie?" He tugs you deeper into his room, but you don't budge.

"Actually," you say, dragging out the word, your tone laced with mischief. "What do you say we get back at those roommates of yours?"

A grin tugs at the corner of Remus' lips. "What did you have in mind?"

"Just chase after me, and follow my lead," you instruct. Remus nods, and then you storm out of his room, letting his door crash into the wall as you go.

"I mean that's so distasteful! Did you honestly think I'd say yes!?" you shout loud enough for the boys in the living room to hear you.

Remus stifles a laugh as he calls after you.

You stomp down the hall with Remus following closely behind, doing his best to make his begging for you to wait sound genuine.

When you make it to the living room, you spin on your heels.

"Come on. Rose petals on your bed? Candles? Did you think I was going to have sex with you or something!? After only three dates!? God, I really thought you were different!"

"Please, just hear me out," Remus pleads, and you're impressed by his acting.

"Just forget it. I'm out of here!" You sell your act by letting your voice waver, as if you're tearing up.

Finally, you storm out of the flat and let the front door slam behind you. Snickering to yourself, you lean against the wall just outside their door, and begin to count down in your head.

Three... two...

The door swings open, and Remus' roommates rush out.

One.

"Wait! Please wait!"

"It wasn't him!"

The two boys are geared up to run down the corridor. But when they notice you waiting, nonchalantly leaning against the wall, they trip over their own two feet. James runs right into Sirius, and the pair take several moments to untangle themselves from each other.

You can't help but cackle at the sight of them. Soon Remus appears in the doorway, his own laughter mingling with yours.

James and Sirius look between the two of you, perplexed.

"Seriously? You thought I would fall for that?"

James sputters, still confused, but a smirk slowly works its way onto Sirius' face as he begins to understand that he's been bested.

"Oh, I see," you continue. "You didn't think you'd get away with that without being pranked back, did you?"

James puffs out a laugh. "I've got to hand it to you, that was a good one."

Sirius claps Remus on the shoulder. "Oh, mate. She's a keeper."

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

#remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x fem!reader #remus lupin #remus lupin fanfic #remus lupin fanfiction #remus lupin drabble #remus lupin oneshot #remus lupin blurb #remus lupin one shot #remus lupin fluff #remus lupin fic #fluff #fem!reader #remus lupin imagine #remus x reader #remus john lupin

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knight-hiccup · 10 days ago

Text

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒 | F.W x fem!reader

This is the prologue to this F.W series -> Masterlist here. Next Chapter

Summary: As a spirited Gryffindor, you embody the mischievous legacy of your father, Remus Lupin, mirroring his sharp intellect and prankish charm from his Marauder days. Alongside your best friends, Fred and George Weasley, you dive into your Hogwarts years, concocting clever schemes, crafting innovative creations, and savoring the thrill of blossoming friendships and budding romances. Yet, from your third year, a sinister presence stirs within the castle’s ancient walls—dark magic weaves through the corridors, and long-hidden secrets emerge from the shadows, challenging your courage and loyalty. Through this growing menace, your Lupin heritage of resilience and bravery shines, your journey a vivid testament to the enduring power of friendship and love, even as darkness looms.

Pairing: F. Weasley x fem!reader Genre: slow burn, romance, fantasy, suspense, drama, angst, dark, vioIence, friends to lovers, dark themes, heavy lore, magic, canon divergence Word count: 588 Warnings: This will have the lore of the films + books but with much darker themes. Gore/blood, mentions of death, more realistic scenarios, cursing and mature themes, so, ofc NSFW. Any other warnings will be properly tagged upon story progression. A/N: Reader & readers mom appearance descriptions are not described besides the clothing, so only your dad (Remus) is white (don't like it, keep scrolling)

It was a grim twilight evening. With only the sound of tall blades of grass rippling like water under the cool breeze and the chirping of crickets breaking through the silence. The kitchen floor was littered with shattered glass—glinting in the full moonlight—Its gleam engulfing the small cottage where the Lupins' lived on the edge of an enchanted forest. Agonized cries and desperate pleas echoed through the home as Remus, having missed his Wolfsbane Potion, succumbed to his werewolf transformation, his human mind lost to the beast. Hidden in the cramped, charmed wine cellar down below in the back garden—stocked with a small bed, food, water, and toiletries for such emergencies—you huddled, heart pounding, as your father’s howls of pain tore through the night and tears traced down your delicate face. Remus had always told you that if no one could watch you during a full moon week, you would be forced to hide in there for your protection. That morning, he had placed you there, warning you to stay for a few days—Then as the night arrived and the moon came out and greeted the stars, you had experienced hearing your father's curse for the first time. So, when he broke free of the cottage and vanished into the forest, you spent three days alone in quiet, reading or playing with your Bowtruckle friend to keep the fear at bay. On the final day, you cautiously emerged—Seeing no immediate danger then gently clutched your tiny companion, and darted inside, locking doors and closing shutters before retreating to your room up the stairs—hiding under your blankets, one eye fixed on the door for what felt like hours. It was hunger that eventually drew you to venture downstairs, where you quietly descended the creaking steps and found a disheveled man wrapped in a brown wool blanket at the dinner table—His head rested in his palms, and his hair was a mess. He remained still until you reached the last step, which groaned under your toes. At the creak of the final step, he spoke softly, “Dear, come eat some breakfast,” and you ran to embrace him, his faint chuckle masking his soreness as he held your small shoulders. “Was everything alright? Did you eat enough?” he asked gently. “Yes, papa—I’m alright. I missed you!” you said in the softest tone, voice cracking as you hid your face in the wool blanket hugging him tightly. Remus, hugged you back tightly in his fatherly embrace with tears threatening to spill over. “My darling, I’m so sorry. I’m so—so sorry you had to witness that. I’ll never let you go through it again as long as I can help it,” Remus apologized repeatedly. With a flick of his wand, he conjured your favorite crepes with strawberries and honey syrup that assembled themselves into a freshly baked heaven, and you shared a quiet meal, the grim nights fading like a bad dream. Yet, deep within, Remus trembled with fear—he had nearly reached you in the cellar, thwarted only by protective enchantments he had placed all over it, and with your nanny’s last-minute absence—which led to leaving him without a plan to keep you safe on the full moon, he swore to never again risk your safety. He swore to himself he’d do better for his daughter. Knowing he’d never forgive himself if harm came to you.

This is the prologue to this F.W series -> Masterlist here. Next Chapter

This series belongs to @alec-volturi aka leaky-cauldron (sili) and I am her co-writer for it! We agreed to post it here, any questions please feel free to ask. Thank you for reading ♡

#prologue of the series Persimmons #persimmons #harry potter #fred weasley #george weasley #fred x reader #fred weasley x reader #fred #weasley #george #ron weasley #ginny weasley #bill weasley #charlie weasley #harry potter fanfic #hp fanfic #weasley twins #weasleys wizard wheezes

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mysticalx · 2 months ago

Text

Attraction

pairing : harry james potter x fem! reader [coz i love him ;)] warnings : none that i could think of. but there is lots of fluff! a/n : hello! wc : 0.9k nav : series masterlist

A certain inexplicable gravity one feels towards the other. It is often subtle and steady.

“Sorry for being late, Professor.” The doors of their Potions classrooms bellowed open and closed with the same crash. The culprit in question was a fellow classmate visibly out of breath and definitely out of luck as parchments of her book begin spilling out, ruining her already soiled day. Ten points were taken from Gryffindor that day and despite Harry mentally groaning at the 12-year -old girl like any other student who was late, their was something inexplicable about that particular eve which stuck in his mind.

It wasn’t until the October of their third year that Harry saw the girl again, only this time she was a part of the Quidditch team. A keeper. She had changed quite a lot - both in demeanor and appearance, Harry noted. Primarily, she was exceptionally perceptive and agile, dodging the quaffles with extreme swiftness so much so that the absence of the injured Oliver wasn’t felt much. It was as if any hint of her prior clumsiness was wiped off. Apart from the subtle hello and exchange of pleasantries, there wasn’t any noteworthy moment between the two. And though Harry wanted to talk to her, their interactions were limited to slight acknowledgements and nods in the Great Hall. He didn’t mind it though.

“Harry!!” Her voice was the last thing he heard after the terrible memory of his mother’s screaming as he fell off his broom and plunged into unconsciousness. The next time he sees her, it isn’t just a simple nod and smile, instead her expression morphs into that of worry as she moves in line to walk along him.

“How have you been? It doesn’t hurt much does it?”

“I wasn’t injured thankfully. Pretty tough isn’t it?” He tries to shrug it off with his signature sass but her frown deepens.

“I am not talking about the fall silly. It’s the dementors. Apparently they suck all the good memories out of a person and I can’t even imagine how it must have been to face them. Not once but twice.” They had talked about the match loss, his broom breaking, his physical injuries and some had even mocked him for being the lone person to have fainted on the train. No one had yet talked about how emotionally shaken he was and had ever so conveniently downplayed his trauma.

“I heard from Professor Lupin that this helps.” And so when she passed him a chocolate bar, some sort of dam broke. He didn’t want the girl to see him cry in their first conversation and so while accepting the chocolate with unstable hands, he quickly muttered a small “Thank you” and just like that disappeared in the sea of students. It was much later that he realized how dumbfounded she must have been and ever so deeply wished that she had heard his meek appreciation. He thanked her properly the next time they met.

“Was she dancing?” The thought was incredulous but not entirely unbelievable for the footsteps marked with her name moved in great harmony at the same spot in the corridor. He was planning to use the secret passage to sneak into Hogsmeade but upon spotting her name inside the castle, he decided to meet her first. Upon reaching the corridor, he realized she wasn’t dancing but rather pacing back and forth furiously as if racking her brain hard enough to figure something out.

Upon seeing him, she brightened for a second but then dejectedly dragged her feet towards him.

“I forgot to get the slip signed.” She whined eliciting a laugh out of him which he later regretted when his foot got stomped.

“Why don’t you contact your parents and get it signed then?” He said while trying to soothe his leg. He wasn’t finding her that much likable anymore.

“Do you think it’s that easy? They are aurors and sometimes it’s weeks before I get to talk to them again. Welp I don’t think we can help it now, let’s just enjoy the chocolates they get us.”

“What if I tell you there is a way we can go?” He would neither forget the way her eyes lighted up nor the bone crushing hug he was later engulfed into. She was likable, he concluded.

“Even the lovesick look mirrors James.” Siris said amused as Harry handed over the Butterbeer to her.

“It's like watching him spring back to life.” Remus agreed. Harry was now flaunting the froth moustache as she laughed hysterically.

“Five galleons they get married.” Sirius sneered.

“I am not betting against them.”

“Tsk tsk. Such a spoilsport. Well since you are here, buy me some firewhisky.” Sirius muttered.

“No.”

“I cannot possibly go as a dog.” Sirius was exasperated.

“Then go as Sirius Black.” Remus was now walking away.

“I can see the chirp in your feet.”

“Yes you can.”

to be continued....

#harry potter x reader #harry potter series #harry james potter #hp fandom #hp fanfic #hjp #no beta we die like fred #no use of y/n #golden trio era #harry potter #harry james potter x reader

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fandomlit · 11 months ago

Text

academic affair, prologue (remus lupin x reader)

series summary being a professor at hogwarts always brought you an interesting day, but your past starts to reappear in odd ways: in the son of one of your former best friends, a dog you can't stop seeing, and an old crush getting the cursed job the school. it all looks to mean one thing--it's time to stop running from the things you tried hard not to think about.

warning none

a/n if you all are interested in seeing this continue as a series please please let me know!! im loving this concept :)

gif cred belongs to @rxmuz

harry, hermione, and ron were gathered in the empty classroom you were to begin a lesson in after your snack break--a habit they had grown into shortly after meeting you their first year. your feet were propped up on your desk as you ate your salad, watching harry pace and complain about his third-year classes already, despite only being a few days into the term.

"i think they're all riveting so far," hermione spoke bossily, shaking her head at the complaining boys.

"how would you know? you weren't even in potions today!" ron accused. you winked at hermione as her face flushed slightly. you knew her little time turner secret--it was a fate few students endured, but you had been one of the professors to recommend her for the honor when dumbledore inquired.

"i was there! we learned about the benefits of frog liver in healing potions!"

ron and harry looked to each other. "I actually don't know if that's true or not."

you let out a laugh before speaking, "it's just the second week, harry. it'll get better! patience is key."

harry huffed as he flopped into one of the chairs in the front row. "why can't i just take your class already?"

you shrugged. "i'll let you in." his head piped up. "if you can read my leaves from my old cup of tea for me." he sunk back down into the chair as you tutted, "have to know divination to take theory, harry. sad, but true."

he sulked for another moment before admitting, "i do like the new defense against the dark arts professor. lupin seems good."

the other two agreed and began to chat about it as you froze mid-chew.

when you heard remus lupin was taking the dark arts position, a rush of old, buried emotions came flooding back to you. your stupid schoolgirl crush seemed to take up space in your heart once again before you had even seen him again, and you cursed yourself for letting it happen. but remus was one of your best friends in your hogwarts days, and you had always wondered what could have been if you had ever had the guts to pursue something with him..

" .. professor? y/n!"

you snapped back into the moment, swallowing your bite as you gave your attention back to the trio. "sorry. got lost in thought. what's up?"

"did you know lupin when you went to hogwarts?"

your heart jumped unwillingly. "oh--yeah, of course. i don't want to air out his business for him if he hasn't said.. but he was very close to your parents, as well, harry." harry blinked in surprise. "but again, not my place to say without knowing if he wants all that to be said." the trio nodded.

"has he always had those scars?" ron asked, waving to his face.

you smiled a little. "yes. not those, specifically, but he always had a knack for getting new wounds back in our hogwarts days. never without a scratch."

"sounds like-"

"professor l/n?" all four of you looked to the open door of the classroom to see professor lupin himself standing with one hand on the frame, as if he had been summoned when you began to talk about him. your heart skipped while he swept his gaze to the students, lifting a hand in greeting, "hello harry, miss granger, mister weasley." they greeted him in return before he looked back to you as you swung your feet to the ground a little clumsily. you prayed your face wasn't as hot as it felt. "have you all seen a toad hopping about? had a student say he lost sight of him after charms this morning."

"oh, neville?" you laughed softly and the other three chuckled. lupin nodded. "no, we haven't seen trevor. we'll be sure to inform the owner if he's spotted, however."

lupin gave you a nod. "thanks." he paused for a moment in the doorway, looking like he was going to say something more, before patting the doorframe and moving away. after a moment you cleared your throat, swinging your feet back onto your desk and shuffling your fork through your salad.

"so, what were we saying before all that? something about divination?"

"you totally fancy professor lupin!" hermione scoffed. it was the first time you had seen her gaze properly off of her homework all afternoon. and she looked delighted about it, too.

now you knew your face was bright red. "you're loony, hermione. i'm thirty-five years old--i don't 'fancy' people."

"oh, what do you call it then?" harry grinned. "a crush? taking a liking too? or do we skip straight to pining at your age?" he dodged when your shoe came flying at him, but he was laughing the whole way. ron was chortling just as loudly.

"you three have lost it!" you declared, standing unevenly from your desk. "remus and i were good friends back in the day--nothing more, nothing less."

"remus, is it?" harry gawked, making the other two laugh and tease again while you stripped off your other shoe. the warning bell rang just then.

"you've been saved, you have!" you called as they scrambled to get their things together. "teasing a professor like a student--rotten children!"

"and yet, you keep inviting us around!"

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marauder-misprint · 4 months ago

Note

Hi,

I like your writings very much, so I came with a story request.

I was thinking of something between the fem!reader x Sirius in the Marauders alternate universe. I leave the gaps to you of course, what I have in mind is something like this:

The reader is in the Syltherin building during Hogwarts and in the years before she graduated she was in love with Sirius and they were together a few times. but she was never liked or appreciated by the marauders because of her house and friends. Then there was a death eater. But she never went to Azkaban. She has close relations with the Malfoy family, they are like family. (the reader could be Draco's godmother etc.)

Voldemort may not return in this time period, so Sirius and Lupin are still alive and everything is fine at Hogwarts; For example, Harry stays with Sirius during the summer vacations (some good things) **But there is a new transfer to the school. The reader's son arrives late at school and enters the Syltherine (he comes from Beauxbatons or Durmstang because his mother, the reader, has business in another country. Obviously the detail here is not very important :D)

I've given a lot of background details, but what I really want to read from you is that after the reader's son arrives at Hogwarts, there will be a parent-teacher meeting or a ball or whatever you can think of that will bring all the parents back to school. No one knows who the father of the reader's son is (except the Malfoys), but Sirius and Lupin suspect Rosier or Crouch, but the boy's jet-black hair and slanted eyes tell a different story. - I think Remus would be the first one who would have something in his head when he saw the boy for the first time. I would also like to see the reader x Sirius encounter who hid this forbidden relationship child for years.

I wrote too long but I think we needed a background story, I would be happy if you write it. I'm excited to read it as soon as possible.

Much much love.

Hi! Thank you so much for this request! I hope I did it justice. ❤︎ I really really like this concept and enjoyed writing it

'He looks like his father'

part two

Sirius Black x fem!Slytherin!reader

3.6k words

cw: mention of war, y/n y/l/n, angst if you squint?

Your son often asked about his father. You understood his curiosity about the man he never met and whose identity few knew. When he asked about his father’s name, you told him it was irrelevant as his father was dead; you actually had no idea about Sirius’ status, but the lie was the easiest thing. As for your son’s other questions, you kept things vague. There were some things that were just so definitive of him.

After telling him a story about Sirius and the better parts of him, you would let your thoughts linger on your past.

Your parents were friendly with select pure blood families, including the Blacks. At parties, you’d be put in a room with the other children. Narcissa and Andromeda Black took a liking to you. Those parties were your first interactions with Sirius, although he didn’t give you much attention then. As you got older, you were more friendly, but you still stayed mostly with the girls.

A lot of that friendliness vanished the moment you were sorted into Slytherin and Sirius into Gryffindor. You knew there had to be some residual amicability between you as you fell victim to the Marauders’ pranks far less than other Slytherins. By third year, you and Sirius were consistently getting into loud arguments in the corridors and the occasional duel. And then something changed in fifth year. There was a heated debate and harsh words were exchanged, yet somehow you ended up in a broom closet with Sirius.

You had thought the rest would be history. But that wasn’t how life worked out. It was an on-and-off relationship filled with petty breakups and crawling back with half-assed apologies. You knew his friends had more influence over your relationship than you would’ve liked, but they were Sirius’ chosen family and you were a reminder of his birth family. His friends were never particularly nice to you. They judged you for your pride and hated you for your friends. They acted like you personally chose your house and family name.

Right out of Hogwarts, you became a Death Eater at the urging of your parents and friends. You followed along with the rules and fought when requested. But as soon as you found out you were pregnant, you ran. In a foreign country, you burned your arm until the dark mark was indiscernible, although the magic within it still burned. You covered the burn with new tattoos.

You lived in various countries throughout Europe with your son, naming him Perseus after the constellation. It was the only Black tradition you carried on.

Your work as a curse breaker required you to visit England. You weren’t sure what possessed you to do it, but you reached out to Narcissa. She was ecstatic to hear from you and immediately invited you to the Malfoy Manor. You accepted on the condition that your son also be welcome. She was delighted to find out that you had a son, telling you she had one as well.

“Dear, it’s so lovely to see you!” Narcissa exclaimed as you arrived at Malfoy Manor with Percy holding your hand. “This is Draco.”

Her son was standing at her leg, clutching her robes with a death grip.

“Hello, Draco,” you said, addressing the small white-blonde child. “This is Percy. I think you two will be friends.”

Your dark haired son extended a hand to Draco, who looked up at his mother for assurance. Narcissa nodded. Then Draco let go of her and took Percy’s hand. Then they were running off somewhere to play.

“Would you like some tea?” Narcissa offered.

“That would be lovely,” you answered, following her through her home.

Over tea, you caught up on everything that had happened since you disappeared, including the downfall of Voldemort, the death of the Potters and the Malfoys’ avoidance of Azkaban.

“Enough of that heavy stuff. I must know. Is there a man in your life?” Narcissa asked, slowly stirring her tea.

You laughed. “No, Cissa. I travel too much for work.”

“Then, pray tell, who is little Percy’s father?”

You gave her a pointed look. “If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone. Percy doesn’t know and thinks that he is dead.”

Narcissa leaned over the table, more intrigued than ever.

“I won’t even tell Lucius. Who?”

“Your cousin. Sirius.”

She gasped. “No!”

“Please, you must’ve thought it as soon as you saw him,” you teased. Percy shared many of his father’s looks, including his signature dark curls.

“That means that Draco and Percy are practically cousins! Oh, you must visit more often, dear. You’re literally family!”

You smiled. She had taken the news better than you expected and this first visit was the beginning of a tradition. Although your work kept you traveling around Europe, you would visit Malfoy Manor for Christmas and periodically throughout the summer. Because your work kept you around eastern Europe, you enrolled Percy in Durmstrang when he came of age. You were sad to cut his dark curls to fit the uniform, but you knew he needed an education and the firm hand that Durmstrang was known for.

Then opportunity presented itself: a job offer that would settle you in England for a few years. You discussed it with Percy. It would mean transferring to Hogwarts and leaving all of his friends.

“But I’d get to go to school with Draco?” he asked excitedly.

You nodded and it was quickly decided. He would transfer. You wrote to Albus Dumbledore to make it all official. You started telling Percy more stories about your time at Hogwarts, how you were in Slytherin, just like Draco is and as Lucius and Narcissa were, and how his father was in Gryffindor. You told him about Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest.

“Our rule stays the same, Percy. If you’re going to break school rules, don’t get caught.”

Percy laughed and ran a hand through his chin-length hair.

“Can I grow my hair out? What’s their uniform?” he asked, sounding hopeful at the potential of keeping his curls.

“Grow it as long as you’d like. But for the love of Merlin, wash it and take care of it. I won’t be having you look like a ghoul.”

---

After James and Lily died and Sirius arrived at their house, he found Harry and didn’t let go. He took the boy and went to Remus; it was all he could think to do. As beyond furious at Peter and ruined as he was, saving his godson was his priority. He and Remus agreed to raise Harry together. The boy with the lightning shaped scar grew up knowing love, knowing of his parents’ story and knowing of the magical world.

“Did you read Harry’s letter?” Remus asked, walking into the kitchen.

He had read it when it arrived earlier that morning and left it on the table for Sirius. It was the first one after sending Harry off to Hogwarts that fall.

“What’d he say?” Sirius replied, not looking up from the Daily Prophet he was reading.

“There’s a transfer student from Durmstrang. Apparently he’s close to the Malfoys.”

Sirius hummed. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in a transfer student. They were pretty rare among the wizarding schools. The student being close to the Malfoys, although a point of interest, wasn’t something he cared for.

But after a minute, he asked, “Well, what’s the boy’s name?”

He knew that Remus wouldn’t have brought up the boy unless there was something more intriguing about him.

“Percy… Y/L/N.”

Sirius slowly set down the paper and looked at Remus with a stony expression.

“Oh. She has a kid then.” He cleared his throat. “Makes sense that he’s close with the Malfoys then. Death Eaters, the bunch of ‘em.”

“Who do you suppose is the father?” Remus mused. He knew he should tread lightly on the topic, but he was genuinely curious about what Sirius thought of his Hogwarts fling having a kid.

“Dunno. Junior?” Sirius offered without much conviction.

“I was thinking maybe Rosier… Suppose they both have that idiot recklessness that she likes.”

Sirius frowned at Remus, knowing that dig was aimed at him as well. He was one who returned to you time and time again, despite what his friends convinced him was his better judgment.

“When was the last time you saw her?” Remus asked as he put a kettle on the stovetop.

Sirius froze for a moment. There had been a night a year after they graduated when they ran into each other at a bar. The combination of residual feelings, alcohol and stress of war brought them together for the night. Sirius hadn’t told anyone about it and planned on taking it to the grave.

“Not since graduation. Now that you mention it, I think she was getting cozy with Rosier back then,” Sirius said, picking his paper back up.

“Would be a shame if it was him though.”

“Why’s that, Moony?” There was an edge to his voice.

“Moody took care of him pretty quick, didn’t he? Probably didn’t even know he was going to be a dad. And the boy’s grown up without a father.”

Sirius scoffed. “Better no father than him.”

---

Sirius and Remus were usual supporters of the Gryffindor quidditch team, especially since Harry was seeker. They attended every match Gryffindor played, apparating into Hogsmeade and walking to the pitch. The Malfoys also regularly attended games to support Draco. When Narcissa insisted that you come to a match with them, she didn’t consider that Sirius might be there.

You were greatly enjoying yourself. Quidditch was always entertaining and it was nice to see some of your old teachers. You would’ve been lying if being back at school didn’t raise various feelings, but it wasn’t something you were going to deal with right away. After Slytherin’s win, you followed the Malfoys down to the ground to greet Draco. You didn’t even notice when you passed Sirius and Remus, who were waiting for Harry to find them.

“Huh… looks like she’s here,” Remus muttered, nudging Sirius and jutting his chin in the direction you were walking.

Sirius didn’t say anything. He hadn’t expected to see you. He was also taken aback by how good you looked; he was rendered speechless.

Then a boy pushed between the men.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, turning to give them a brief smile. Then he started to run again. “Oi! Mum!” he called.

As Sirius watched you pull the boy decked in Slytherin gear into a hug, Remus had to take a double take. The dark curls, the striking grey eyes, the smile. There was one thing on Remus’ mind: that was not Evan Rosier’s son.

“Percy!” you exclaimed. “Oh, your hair!”

“Looks good, don’t it?”

You gave Narcissa an amused look before saying, “Just like your father’s.”

“Aunt Cissa, Uncle Lucius! Hey!” Percy said, breaking out of your hug. “Wasn’t Draco brilliant?”

As Percy talked with the Malfoys, you spotted Remus and Sirius over his head. Your breath hitched at the sight. With them was James Potter? Or that’s what you thought. Except this James was still 15 and very much not dead. You looked away from them, trying to listen to the conversation happening around you. Your mind, however, drifted to Sirius and the fact that he was here. It was the closest Percy had been to his father ever. And this was not the moment for Percy to find out his dad was, in fact, not dead.

“Butterbeers in Hogsmeade?” Narcissa offered the group, which was slowly growing as more of the Slytherin team and their parents gathered.

The group eagerly agreed. For some reason, you glanced back at Sirius and Remus. The James-boy had disappeared and they were both looking at you. You reached for Narcissa’s arm.

“I’ll meet you there. I have to talk to some people first.”

She followed your gaze to Remus and Sirius. She nodded and ushered the group ahead, including Percy. You walked toward the former Gryffindors.

“Didn’t expect to see you two here,” you said dryly.

“My godson invited us,” Sirius said firmly. Now that you were standing in front of him, he had conflicting feelings.

“Your godson?”

“James and Lily’s son. Harry,” Remus explained.

He assumed you knew of the Potters’ passing. Everyone did. It was what ended the war.

You nodded. “James 2.0 from the looks of it.”

Sirius laughed, “Yeah, he gets that a lot.” He paused, giving you a once over. “So, you’re here.”

“Yeah,” you said, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Cissa invited me to watch Draco-” Sirius made a face. “-and I thought it would be good to see my son.”

“Your son? You have a kid?” Remus asked, pretending as if he and Sirius hadn’t known about this through Harry’s letters.

“Is that so hard to believe, Lupin? Potters’ had a kid. Why can’t I?” you asked defensively.

“So, erm, your husband stay home then?” Sirius asked, not letting Remus respond.

“Don’t have one.”

“Boyfriend?” Sirius furrowed his brows.

“No.”

“No father-figure in your son’s life then?” Remus asked with his arms crossed.

“He went to Durmstrang. Got plenty of guidance there. He’s fine. Plus, there’s… Lucius. If he even counts,” you said with a sigh. “How have you two been? Raising Harry as exhausting as Percy’s been?”

“Percy?” Sirius repeated.

“Merlin, Black, my son. Perseus.”

“Like the myth?”

“Like the constellation.”

That was an interesting tidbit of information, Remus thought.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who’s his father then? I don’t recall you having a boyfriend when we graduated,” Remus inquired, feigning his curiosity. At this point, he was 90% sure that he was standing with both parents right now.

He got the confirmation he needed as your face immediately dropped into something cold.

“That’s a rather personal question, Lupin.”

“Well?” Sirius followed up. “Who is it?”

You didn’t answer. You opted to keep the cold expression on your face until one of them changed the topic. Remus wasn’t going to drop it though.

“He looks like his father, doesn’t he? Bit uncanny. Just like how Harry looks like James.”

You clenched your jaw, narrowing your eyes at Remus. Seeing your son once, Remus picked up what Lucius and countless others missed.

“Who does he look like?” Sirius asked Remus, making Remus laugh.

Of course Sirius didn’t see himself in Percy. You never can see how someone looks like you, but to Remus, they were incredibly similar. It didn’t help that when Percy had ran past them, Sirius had been paying more attention to you than your child.

“You,” you breathed. You didn’t want Remus to be the one who told Sirius.

Sirius coughed, turning back to you.

“Excuse me?” he croaked.

“Percy looks like you,” you clarified as you looked him in the eyes.

“He looks like his father?” Sirius whispered to himself as he slowly pieced it all together. “I have a son?”

You nodded, returning your expression to its previous coldness.

“Which I don’t understand. Pads, you told you two haven’t seen each other since graduation and if he’s Harry’s age…” Remus said.

“Pads lied to you, Lupin,” you chuckled.

“Just like how you lied to me?” Sirius asked you, taking a step forward.

“I didn’t lie. I just never told you.”

“Same thing!” he exclaimed.

“I’m… going to find Harry… or something. I’ll find you later, Sirius,” Remus said before walking away. This was obviously a conversation you two needed to have without an audience.

“You never told me you were pregnant!” Sirius continued. “In the past sixteen years, not a single letter about this?”

You shook your head in disbelief. “What would you have done if I had? It was one night of a rekindled school flame that didn’t even see the sun rise. It wasn’t like I was expecting a relationship from you.”

“You didn’t give me a chance!”

“Would you have? Would you have dropped everything for me and him?”

He didn’t answer right away and it drew a cold laugh from your lips.

“Exactly, Sirius. Remember who we were sixteen years ago. Remember what was going on. I knew you wouldn’t come so I didn’t call. And, trust me, I’m not asking you now. I’m still not calling. We are doing just fine without you.”

“What is ‘just fine’? Socializing with the Malfoys?” he spat.

“They’re family.”

“Through me. They are family, through me.”

“I’ve always been close with Cissa. She’s just married now.”

“Yeah, sure.”

There’s a beat of silence. You crossed your arms across your chest as you looked briefly in the direction of Hogsmeade.

“Well, I told them I’d meet ‘em in the village so…” you said, preparing yourself for the walk.

“Can I meet him?” Sirius asked softly.

You didn’t answer. Every part of you was screaming to say no, to reiterate that he wasn’t to be a father to your Percy.

“I want to meet my son.”

“Sirius,” you warned.

He took another step toward you and reached for your hand. He had a soft look in his eyes.

“Please, if he’s really my son, I want to meet him. You hid him from me for sixteen years and probably would’ve for more if Remus hadn’t called you out.”

“What would I even introduce you as?” You couldn’t believe that you were even considering this. Too bad you still have that damn soft spot for Sirius.

“His father?”

You laughed. “Fuck no. Not only has he never heard your name, I told him his dad is dead. To introduce you as his not-dead dad in the middle of the school year? No. Plus, there’s no reason to introduce you now for you to never interact with him again.”

“Why would I never interact with him again? He’s my son.”

“No, he’s my son. You’re basically a sperm donor.”

“What if I want to be in his life?”

You pulled your hand out of his and stepped away from him.

“That’s not an option, Sirius.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because we are fine without you. We have our life and it’s good. I don’t need you coming and ruining it. You’ll just disappear when someone reminds you how vile I actually am.”

“I won’t disappear,” he tried to convince you, taking a step forward every time you took a step back. “Now that I know I have a son, I can’t walk away from this. I won’t.”

You scoff at him. “But you could walk away from me time and time again when we were here? You could walk away from me after a quick reunion shag? You have more loyalty to a boy you haven’t even properly met.”

“I was younger then. Stupid. Give me a chance to stay in your life, his life. I promise I won’t walk away this time.”

He looked at you with pleading eyes; how you love those grey eyes and cherished that Percy had inherited them.

“Introduce me as an old school friend. Please.”

You sighed. You couldn’t say no to him.

“Fine.”

You turned and started walking. Sirius quickly fell in step with you. You walked in silence and you felt like you were sixteen again on a date with Sirius. Except you weren’t kids anymore. You were adults and you had a kid together. A kid you didn’t tell him about.

“You, erm, you look good,” Sirius said after a while.

Your face flushed as it would have years ago. Some things never changed.

“Thanks. You’re not too bad yourself.”

He smiled and nudged your shoulder with his. Then he let curiosity get the best of him.

“So, I, ah, obviously, I know you took the mark. What happened with all that?”

You tensed. It wasn’t your favorite subject to talk about, but you knew why Sirius was asking it. If he was serious about being in your and Percy’s lives, he needed to know what he was walking into. You pulled up your left sleeve to reveal the various tattoos that covered the burned skin.

“I took care of it. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I was out. I wasn’t going to put my kid in the way of a war so I went east. Made a name for myself in the curse breaker industry.”

Sirius nodded. “I fought. Looked for you behind every mask, hoping I would never find you. I didn’t want to see you dead or going to Azkaban.”

“So, erm, what do you do now? Got a job?”

“Raise Harry and help Remus with whatever project he’s working on. Got that Black fortune to fund everything else.”

“Course you do,” you said.

Silence fell over you as you continued down the path. You didn’t know what else to say to Sirius at the moment. You didn’t know if you should be telling him all about Percy and everything you’ve told the boy about him. You decided to see how things played out between the boys before rehashing your entire life to Sirius. Leaves rustled in the wind as the path became more inclined, a signal you were almost at Hogsmeade.

“Where does… where does this leave us?” Sirius asked as you reached the entrance to the village.

“What do you mean?”

“Us. You and me.”

“Us…”

“I meant when I said I want to be in your life, in Percy’s. So, I was thinking I’d like to give us another chance. Maybe we’ll get it right this time.”

You pressed your lips together as you studied Sirius’ face. His offer sounded genuine.

“We’ll see how this goes,” you answer, gesturing to the Three Broomsticks. “Meet your son. Play nice with the Malfoys. And we can talk about it later.”

#marauders #marauders fic #marauder-misprint #sirius black #sirius black x reader #sirius black x you #slytherin!reader #request

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