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The Lovely Tea


“Well aren’t you just a picture of sophistication!” Sirius was grinning from ear-to-ear as he lounged across his bed, his eyes twinkling with amusement at Remus.

Remus turned red and shook a too-long sleeve-covered finger at Sirius, “Don’t you dare make fun of me.”

Sirius’s eyes were still sparkling with all the evil things he wished to say, but he bit his tongue.

“Here, let me shorten your sleeves up a bit, mate,” suggested James and he quickly performed a shrinking spell on them until they were to size at Remus’s wrists. “Still. Not much can be done about that pattern, I suppose.”

“What’s wrong with the pattern?” Remus asked, looking down at the brown plaid, flecked with bits of purpley-lavender. He sighed, “Oh Merlin, it’s hideous, isn’t it?”

“‘Fraid so, mate,” replied Sirius.

Remus looked desperate. “Someone go and tell Lily I can’t go to tea with her because I’m a mess.”

For Valentine’s Day, it was announced in the morning that there would be an afternoon tea for the school’s couples in the Great Hall. Notes had been passed by gnomes, bewitched to fly about the school as little ugly cupids, inviting people to the tea. It was that tea to which Remus was taking Lily - his Valentine. James had joked about asking Sirius to be his Valentine just to embarrass his mate in the middle of Potions, but he’d decided against it as they were in with the Slytherins and he figured neither of them would ever live it down…

Besides, he had better things to worry about besides teas and Valentines Day gnomes - it was a Wednesday. Wednesday was Quidditch Practice day - the last one before the tourney try outs, too, and James was eager to get onto the pitch one more time. Which was why he’d been devastated to find Derek cancelled the practice. “How could you?” James demanded, seeing the notice early on Wednesday morning, finding Derek in the chair by the fire, flipping through a dusty old book by a muggle named Shakespeare.

“There are more important things in life than Quidditch, Potter,” Derek declared absently.

“More important than -- oi, Bell, do you hear yourself? Are you ill?” James asked, wide-eyed, “You’ve clearly lost the plot, mate.”

Derek only smiled, “Trust me, Potter. You’ll understand one day.” He winked.

Remus seemed to be thinking more along those same lines as Derek. As soon as he’d heard about the tea, and Lily had said yes, she’d like to go with him to it, Remus had written home to his dad and told him all about it and Lyall Lupin had sent back the suit. The Suit was the supposedly quite-in-fashion-at-the-time muggle three piecer that he’d worn when he met Remus’s mum, way back in the day. It was a time that Remus always thought of as being in black and white, like the old fashioned telly shows were. He supposed The Suit might’ve been more fashionable in black and white. At least that would’ve done away with the awful lavender stripes throughout the field of browns.

“You’re going with Lily, don’t be barmy,” Sirius said.

“But this suit is awful,” Remus said.

“Yes,” Sirius agreed truthfully, “It certainly is.”

“Perhaps the pattern will make her go blind and she won’t be able to see it after the first couple seconds,” suggested Peter.

Remus smacked his palms to his face, “Oi. No. I can’t do this.”

James was still doing up Remus’s tie for him. “Sure you can.” He pushed Remus’s hands out of his face. “You don’t look that awful, anyway. I mean, sure, a bit outdated, and it’s muggle clothes, so - it’s not exactly a sharp set of dress robes but - but… I mean... it’s got a great - er -“ He took a step back and stared Remus up and down, trying to think of something good to say about The Suit. Several long moments passed.

“You can’t even make something up?” Remus asked, hopeless.

“Well it’s got pockets at anyrate,” James said, shrugging.

Sirius rolled over onto his back on his bed, “Like James said, it’s not that awful, Rey. I’d be more worried about the snogging than the suit.”

Remus shook his head, “I already told you,” he said, turning a bit red around the neck, “I’m not going to be snogging her, in public.”

“Well there’s loads of private places to go,” Sirius pointed out. “You want James’s invisibility cloak? You lot can sneak off and snog just about any place with that.”

James glared at Sirius and backed off, finished fixing Remus’s tie. “There will be no snogging beneath the Invisibility Cloak.”

“As if you won’t use it for snogging one day!” scoffed Sirius.

“I won’t,” said James, “I swear it. The cloak should be sacred, kept clean from such things as snogging. I mean what if she’s a real sloppy kisser and you end up with spittle all over the cloak?” He made a face. “It just won’t do. No, the cloak is for us - for mischief and adventure.”

“You should have to take an oath or something,” Sirius said. He looked about and saw the parchment of the map they’d been working on of the castle. “Here. Put your hand on here. This is a sacred document, you realize, a symbol of all our friendships.” He grinned and snatched James’s palm and pressed it onto the parchment. “Now. Repeat after me. I, James Potter --”

“I, James Potter --”

“-- do so solemnly swear --”

“Do so solemnly swear,” James echoed.

“-- that I will not ever snog or otherwise engage with anybody else beneath the invisibility cloak.”

Peter’s voice echoed from the floor, “Or otherwise engage with? What’s that supposed to mean?” he looked around at them.

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. “You know.”

Peter looked utterly lost.

“Well, if you don’t know, then I’m not going to be the one to explain it, either,” Sirius said. He turned to James. “You know, though, yeah?”

“Of course I do,” James rolled his eyes, then repeated what Sirius had said, “That I will not ever snog or otherwise engage with anybody else beneath the invisibility cloak.” He punched Sirius in the shoulder, “There. Are you happy?”

Sirius grinned, “Happier than I was just a mo’ ago. And don’t think I won’t figure it out one day if you’ve done it.”

“You’ll have done it long before I ever do, I’m sure,” James said.

Sirius’s smile only deepened, “I’m sure I will, but I didn’t swear an oath I wouldn’t, either.”

Remus cleared his throat. They both turned to look at him, just before James was about to jump a top Sirius and wrestle him down. “I’m pretty sure you lot are supposed to be helping me? Hello? Werewolf on a date over here?”

“We’ve done helped you, Rey,” said Sirius, “There ain’t much else we can do. The Suit is awful but I’m afraid we’ve reached the limits.”
Remus took a deep breath, “Alright, then.”

And so Remus so declared they back away as he take the first step toward the tea and the lovely girl waiting his hand to walk her down to the Valentine Tea. His belly was a great nauseated mess of butterflies clanging about, though, he thought, the lump in his throat rising up. Never before had the stairs from the boys dormitory seemed to last so long as this. But then he turned corner to where he could see the common room below and his eyes scanned over everyone. Several of the girls were dressed up nicely, waiting for their corresponding boys… and there were boys lounging about in dress robes and hair neatened. And then, by the portrait hole, was Lily.

Her hair was up in a knot on top her head and she wore a simple pink sundress with a little blue cardigan. She looked absolutely beautiful. Remus felt the butterflies seem to triple as Lily turned, spotted him on the steps and smiled. She didn’t cringe at The Suit or run off upon spotting him, so Remus took it as a good sign. Perhaps his dad’s suit was a good choice after all, he reckoned. After all, it had brought his parents together, Lyall claimed. It’s the perfect suit for a first date, he had written in the note he’d sent with it.

Remus went over to Lily. “Hullo,” he said thickly, his voice sticking in his throat.

“Hello,” Lily answered.

“You look very lovely,” Remus said.

“So do you,” Lily answered. She blushed and Remus laughed as she scrambled, “Well - handsome, I mean.”

“Thank you,” Remus replied.

“Excuse me, Lupin,” said Bilius Weasley. He had a sixth year girl on his elbow, and a grin upon his face as he passed by, headed for the portrait hole. He grinned at Remus and Lily and winked as he and his date went out to the corridor.

“Shall we?” Remus asked, motioning for them to follow Bilius.

Lily nodded and they climbed on through the portrait hole together. They were both silent and nervous walking through the castle to the Great Hall. Remus felt as though he had swimming pools in his palms as the sweat built up in the lines of them. He shivered. They made their way downstairs and into the Hall. It had been decorated nauseatingly frilly, with lacey white paper hearts floating about the room like odd stars. The long house tables had been replaced with smaller, personal sized tables covered with dark red cloths. The cupid gnomes floated about, tossing little bits of confetti about. They found a little table in a corner, near where the Gryffindor table usually stood, and took their seats awkwardly. Remus smiled at Lily, and she smiled back, but neither was sure exactly what to say, so they stayed silent still.

They were both quite relieved when a hot pot of tea, two cups and a plate of little jelly-filled cakes appeared on the table from the House Elves below. Lily reached for the pot at the same time as Remus and their hands bumped in mid air and both withdrew. “I’ve got it,” Remus called it this time, reaching once again for the pot. He quickly poured Lily’s cup and then his own.

“Then I’ve got the cakes,” she said, reaching and putting one of them onto Remus’s saucer.

“Raspberry,” he commented.

Lily laughed, “How do you know? You haven’t tasted it yet.”

Remus tapped the side of his nose, “One of the perks of my, er, condition. I can smell exceptionally well.” He lifted his cake. “Isn’t raspberry your favorite?”

Lily smiled, “You remembered?”

Remus nodded, “Oh yes. I remember everything you’ve told me about yourself,” he said solemnly.

From that point on, they got a lot more comfortable, and they started chatting over their tea, passing cakes about and thoroughly enjoying the tea. One by one, the tables around them began to empty as students went off in pairs together. Some hand-in-hand, others seemed to be rushing as though to escape the other’s company. Remus and Lily were too busy talking to notice the Great Hall was emptying around them until Bilius stopped by and nudged Remus’s shoulder. “Mr. Filch is waiting to clean up,” he said, nodding to the dark form of the caretaker in the corner of the Hall.

“Blimey, has it been that long?” Remus glanced about, seeing the deserted tables around them for the first time. “I completely lost track of time.”

“So did I,” Lily said.

Remus stood up and offered her a hand and helped her stand as well. The last two out of the room, they heard Filch muttering unhappily about the gnomes and their confetti as they passed him on their way out the door. They walked slowly across the entrance hall, reluctant for it all to end. Lily looked over at Remus and became profoundly aware of how dry her mouth and lips were, despite having just drank an entire pot of tea with him. What if he kissed her? She wondered, what then? Having dry lips would never do… She turned her head a little and licked them, desperate for some moisture to return to them.

Remus, meanwhile, was trying to discreetly check the scent of his breath, pretending to cough into his palm. He wasn’t sure if what he smelled was his breath or the sweat of his palm, though, and his nervousness only increased.

They were nearly to the sixth floor and Lily’s eyes were upturned to the stairs ahead of them. She felt her heart pounding some place behind her collarbone. Nearly there, she thought, nearly there.

Remus was giving himself a silent pep talk.

They reached the portrait hole corridor and stopped a ways away from the door. They stood awkwardly, each hesitant to make the first move, but neither wanting it to end. Lily’s lips turned in a nervous smiling-grimace, and Remus’s did the same as he shifted foot-to-foot. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer and he took the two quick steps between them and pressed his mouth against hers in the quickest peck of a kiss one could ever see.

Lily had blinked and it was over. Just like that. She shook her head, “No, no,” she said, taking hold on his tie and pulling him back. “Like this.” She tugged him to her and gently kissed him. It still wasn’t record-breakingly long or anything, but it was more than the peck that Remus had delivered - but no less awkward. She released his tie and he pulled back and neither knew what to say. Lily was as pink as her dress.

“Blimey,” muttered Remus, “This is awkward. Is it supposed to be this awkward?”

“Dunno,” Lily answered, shrugging. “But it certainly is.” She was glad he’d said it, not her.

Remus laughed nervously, shakily.

“Maybe we take a break and try again another time?” Lily suggested.

“Yeah,” Remus nodded.

She hesitated, looking about, unsure what to do next. In the movies, the guy always left to go home at this part, she thought. But they both lived in the same common room. There wasn’t anywhere to go except inside, back to their regular lives. But they’d kissed, so nothing was regular anymore. It was the first time she’d kissed a boy. Or rather a werewolf. Not everyone could say they’d kissed a werewolf.

“I had a lovely time,” she said.

“So did I,” Remus agreed.

Lily looked at the portrait of the Fat Lady. “Shall we - er - go in then?” she asked.

“Yeah, alright,” Remus agreed. They walked over to the portrait hole and Lily gave the password and they climbed through into the common room. Things in the room were equally awkward. Younger students were doing the same awkward end-of-date talking as Lily and Remus had just done, and older ones were still paired off talking comfortably. In one corner, in a big oversized chair, sat Alex Tinnamin and his girlfriend - Bilius’s guide to getting girls having obviously been at least a little worth the cost he’d paid.

Lily and Remus stood at the foot of the girl’s stairs. “I’m going to - er - wash my face and take down my hair. Did you want to study tonight, like usual?” she asked.

Remus nodded, “Okay.”

“Okay. I’ll see you, then.” Lily said, and she quickly turned and ran up the stairs.

Remus went back to the boys dormitory, expecting the utter mess and chaos that he usually returned to after having left the other three alone but when he pushed open the door of the room, he was surprised to find all three of them gathered around a book on James’s bed. He looked shocked, “You’re -- you’re studying?” he asked.

“Yes,” said James. “For, uh, Transfiguration.”

“How was your date?” Sirius asked eagerly.

“It was good,” Remus answered.

“Did you kiss her?” Peter asked eagerly.

Remus smiled. “A man never snogs and tells,” he replied.

Sirius’s grin was wide. “You dog.”