serendipity - r. lupin

FIFTY ONE

"Annoying as ever, Potter," she retorted but tried to hide her smile at the fact he had taken the new nickname into account.

"Prefect duties?" Genevieve asked and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Lily almost never came over to this group of friends unless it was to tell them to shut up or nag at them about some kind of prefect duty.

"Um— no. I was hoping to actually speak to Remus," answered Lily, shuffling her weight from one foot to another awkwardly. She tried to lock her eyes with the said boy, but he was too busy avoiding her gaze.

A silence dropped over them. Of course they knew what she wanted to talk to him about. After what Snape had said on the train, about the full moon, it really wasn't that hard to catch on. Someone as smart as Lily could easily piece two and two together and come to the realisation that maybe, just maybe, kind and warm-hearted Remus Lupin had been suffering with lycanthropy his whole life.

Everyone turned to Remus. They watched as he reluctantly, and very slowly, raised his eyes from his book to Lily. It was hard to miss the pained gleam in them and the downward tug oh his lips.

"Is this about.." he almost inaudibly whispered and turned to Genevieve.

He had known about what Snape had said, how could he have not? It was the first thing his friends had told him the minute he came back from the prefects carriage. They had left out the whole 'feelings' part, though, under Genevieve's order.

Remus had hoped that Lily had payed no attention to the comment, but now he was plagued with worry. What else could the girl want him for? He dreaded what she might say and tried to push down these thoughts, focusing on the comforting hand Genevieve had laid on his thigh instead.

"Speak to him about what?" Peter questioned, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"It's private."

"You can do it here," Sirius tested.

"Moons will end up telling us anyway," said James. "We come as a pack, you see, Evans's. Nothing goes unsaid between us."

"It really is important," Lily sighed, becoming slightly anxious under all the warning glances they were sending her.

"Stop tormenting her. It's ok, I'll go with you," Remus murmured and shot his friends a glare that almost dared them to protest against this. The boy closed the book, rose from his chair, frown etched upon his forehead, and then followed Lily out of the common room.

The friends sat in an intense silence as they waited for their friends return. Sirius had suggested they all follow them to make sure Remus would be ok, but Genevieve told them to stay put. She had full faith that Lily didn't own a single prejudiced bone in her body, and so did James.

It wasn't long till Remus and Lily trailed back through the common room, the air surrounding them a lot less tense as it had been before. Genevieve felt her shoulders relax when she couldn't detect a trace of sadness on the boys features. The others seemed to do this as well. While Remus came to instantly sit back with them, Lily made her way back up to the dormitories.

"So? How did it go?" Peter asked instantly as Remus dropped back down beside Gen.

"She didn't say anything bad did she?" Sirius quizzed as well.

Remus shook his head as he lifted Genevieve's legs to place them back on top of his to make more space. "Not at all," he said, his voice lowered significantly. "She was very accepting of it all, said 'it didn't define me as a person' and that she 'still thinks I'm one of the best people she's ever had the pleasure of meeting.' She promised not to tell anyone."