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Remus’s Valentine


The notice went up early in the morning, four days before Valentine’s Day. Gryffindor common room was crowded with people from every year bustling about before the notice board, jostling and fighting to see. “Now is when it would come in handy to be a bird,” James hissed to Sirius as they tried to get to the board.

The arrival of the Ilvermorny Quidditch Team will be heralded with a feast in the Great Hall on the first of April, the parchment read, In addition to the introduction to Ilvermorny’s team, the Hogwarts Quidditch Team players shall also be honored at the feast. All current house team players are welcome to try out on the pitch on Friday afternoon, at 18:00 sharp.

“There you are, Potter,” said Sirius, excitedly clapping him on the back.

Lily slipped past them to see the notice board, “Is it about the tourney, then?” she asked, on her tiptoes to read the board. She grinned, “Excellent.” She turned to the boys, “I’m very excited to meet the Americans, aren’t you? I wonder what they’re like.”

“They have funny accents, for one,” said Sirius.

Lily laughed.

Remus and Peter, who had waited outside of the cluster of students for James and Sirius to tell them what the notice said, were standing by the portrait hole, ready to go down to breakfast. Lily joined them as they went down the corridor, discussing the news of the Ilvermorny team’s imminent arrival. “It ought to be a lovely feast,” said Lily dreamily, “Dumbledore will wish to impress the American minister for magic.”

“He’s called a president in America,” Remus said.

They were still talking about the Americans when they reached the Great Hall. “I’ve heard Americans can be pretty rude,” said Peter nervously, “You don’t think they’ll be bullies, do you?” He looked about at the others as they took their seats at the table.

Derek Bell leaned in, having overheard Peter’s worries, “I’ve been writing their captain all term - Jack Scout’s his name. He plays Keeper and he’s a good egg. Been playing Quidditch since he was a wee one. I don’t think you’ll be needing to worry about him bullying anybody.”

“See, Peter, you’re worrying for nothing,” said Sirius.

“It’s not for nothing,” Peter argued, “What if he has some Slytherins on his team?”

Bilius spoke up this time, “Ilverymorny houses are named differently, you dunderhead.”

“They are?” James looked up, interestedly.

“Of course,” Bilius replied, “Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff are only named as such because of the school’s founders. Ilvermorny’s are named after magical beasts. Horned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird, and Pukwudgie.”

Sirius made a face. “Oi, imagine being in Pukwudgie.”

“I’d rather not,” James answered.

Lily gave them a stern face, “Don’t you be judging them for their culture. The United States has a lot of funny names based on old Native American culture. I think it’s brilliant they carried that over to the Magical Community as well.”

“I do, too,” said Remus, nodding.

“But still -- Pukwudgie, mate,” James said, “There’s loads of magical creatures they could’ve used instead.”

Lily sighed, “You’re impossible, Potter,” she snapped. “You’re as bad as the Slytherins.”

That riled James up right quick, “Oi!” he shouted, looking deeply offended. Several Ravenclaws turned raised eyebrows on the Gryffindor table when he yelled.

Lily shrugged, “I’m sorry, but if you’re going to act like a prat, that’s what you get.”

“Hey, I thought you didn’t think the Slytherins were all bad?” Sirius asked with a smirk. “What happened? Did ol’ Snivelly get under your skin?”

“Don’t call him that!” Lily snarled, turning on Sirius like a leopard in the jungle.

Quickly, Sirius tossed his hands up in surrender, “Merlin’s beard!” he exclaimed, eyes quite wide in surprise from the attack. “Note to self, don’t anger Evans!”

“Don’t know why you’re so defensive of him anyway,” James said, looking over at the Slytherin table, where Severus Snape was talking with some of the bigger, meaner boys of the house, “He is the one that’s a prat. A perfect example of a Slytherin.”

Lily stood up, clearly displeased, and left the table.

“Evans! Oi, come back,” Sirius called after her.

“Yeah!” James called, “Come back, we’ll stop telling the truth about Snivelly.”

Remus rolled his eyes at them as Lily’s back disappeared through the doors of the Great Hall. “Really, you two can be idiots,” he said. He picked up his egg sandwich and Lily’s and turned away, rushing after her. Lily was in the entranceway, half up the stairs, when Remus caught up to her. “Lily, wait,” he said, “Wait. I’ve brought your breakfast. Let’s go sit somewhere and we’ll eat together.”

“Okay.” He saw there were tears in her eyes when she stopped and turned to answer him.

“Hey don’t be crying,” he said gently, “James is just talking out his arse, he doesn’t mean all the foolish rubbish he says.” Honestly, Remus wasn’t entirely sure what exactly had upset her so about the things James had said. Severus really did seem to be a bit of a prat, the way he’d talked to Lily the day he’d stalked outside of Gryffindor Tower had been enough for Remus to think that. Yet Lily seemed not to think so and she was very protective of Severus Snape. Why, Remus did not know either, but if it upset her so to hear such things about Snape, then Remus would make an effort not to say them again. He’d never thought it necessary, really, though Sirius, James, and Peter certainly seemed to think it was. Severus generally left them along so long as they left him alone, after all.

Carefully, Remus led Lily along the second floor to a little empty classroom and they sat on some benches near the window with their sandwiches. “I’m sorry I got all emotional,” Lily said quietly once they’d been sitting in silence for a few moments, eating. She ripped the crusts from her sandwich, piling them on the bench between them, “I know it’s silly…”

“It isn’t silly,” Remus answered, shaking his head, “You’re just standing up for your friend and I respect that. I don’t particularly like Severus Snape myself, just because of how he’s treated you before, but I don’t really know him much, either. Not like you do.”

Lily sniffled, “Nobody knows Severus like I do. Or like I did. He’s changed, but I think deep down he might be the same boy that I used to know. Maybe. I don’t know. I just hate thinking that he’s not the same. You know?”

Remus nodded, his throat tight. “Do you - do you love him?”

“No,” Lily answered quickly. “I mean - no, I do as a friend, but that’s it. Nothing else.” She paused, studying her sandwich. “I have feelings for someone else now.” She was blushing.

Remus watched her and his palms got sweaty again as they had last time the topic had come up. “Lily, they’re having Valentine’s Day soon.”

She looked up, “Yes?”

“Well I was thinking,” he said nervously, “That perhaps… perhaps you’d be my Valentine?”

Lily smiled, her cheeks still flushed, “Of course, Remus.”

He smiled back. “Good. Brilliant.” He chomped into his sandwich for a distraction while a million butterflies seemed to be fluttering about all over the interior of his body, their wings touching the inside edges of his belly and getting caught in his throat.

“Brilliant,” Lily echoed.




Remus walked Lily back to Gryffindor common room after breakfast and she said that she was going to clean up and have a bit of a nap to clear up the remnants of the tears she’d said. She thanked him before going up to her dorm. Remus watched her go, then went up to the second year boys’ room. James and Sirius were jumping on their beds, taking it in turns to capture the snitch that James kept captive in his nightstand drawer while Peter played Wizard Chess against himself on the floor. Remus cleared his throat and they all paused in what they were doing to look at him. The snitch eluded Sirius’s fingers and James snatched it quickly before it could get too far away.

“How’s Evans?” asked James, “Is she still angry with me?”

“She’s alright,” Remus said, “But you know, there’s a pretty simple solution to keep her from getting angry at you again…”

“If you’re going to say be friends with Severus Snape then you can save your breath,” James interrupted him, “Because that will never happen.”

Sirius high-fived him.

Remus sighed, “Well, all I know is Lily was crying about it.” He turned to his desk and started sorting through his textbooks.

“She was crying?” asked James, his voice edgy.

“Stupid girls,” muttered Peter, thinking this would impress James and Sirius. He held up his palm, seeking a high-five, too, but none came.

“What was she crying for?” James pressed as Peter lowered his rejected palm.

Remus shrugged, “Perhaps the opinions of her friends matter to her.” James sat down on his bed, still clutching the stitch. Remus noticed out of the corner of his eye, as he carried his Potions text to his bed, that there was a hint of guiltiness in James’s eye. “She’s a peacemaker, James. She just doesn’t want anybody to be fighting is all and you lot have a go at Severus Snape rather frequently.”

“I s’pose,” muttered James.

“He usually has asked for it,” said Sirius, defensively.

Peter added, “And he’s got a greasy head!”

“Shut up, Peter,” James said.

Peter frowned. “What? You lot say that all the time,” he complained. “Are we going to just stop making fun of Snivellus Snape, just because Evans has gone a bit weepy?”

Remus climbed up on his bed and opened his textbook up across his knees, his head propped up on the pillow. “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t hurt to get along with Evans better… especially as seeing that she’s going to be my Valentine.” He grinned into the book.

“What?!” Sirius exploded off his bed, springing over onto James’s and Peter’s beds to land on top of Remus, knocking the book to the floor. “You asked Evans to be your Valentine?” He punched him playfully in the shoulders. “You dog! Or wolf, rather! Blimey, are you going to be snogging off in the common room now?”

Remus’s face reddened, even as he fended off Sirius’s boisterous punches off, “I’m not going to be snogging anyone -” he laughed. He gave Sirius a good heave, sending him sprawling off to the other end of the bed and scrambled up himself quickly, “At least not in public anyway.” He grinned, a twinkle in his eyes.

“You can’t have a Valentine as pretty as Lily Evans and not snog her,” said Peter. His watery eyes looked up at Remus hopefully, “And you can’t snog a girl like Lily Evans and not tell the rest of us less fortunate boys about it.”

Sirius waved a hand dismissively. “Peter - please, a good man doesn’t snog and tell. It’s not proper.”

“Like you’ve ever snogged a girl,” James snorted.

Sirius rounded ‘bout to look at him, “Course I have!”

“Who have you snogged then, pray tell?” James demanded, a smirk playing over his lips.

“That’s the point I’m trying to make, isn’t it?” Sirius said, “A man never snogs and tells!”

James grinned to the other two, “Or else a man’s never snogged and so there’s nothing to tell.”

Peter snickered and Remus smiled down at his book, which he’d fished off the floor, refusing to look up at Sirius’s flabbergasted expression.