Headdesking - Remus Lupin/OC

Chapter 7: The Gryffindor Common Room

The Marauders were sprawled out over some chairs and a sofa in their common room waiting for Hazel to make her arrival.

All except Remus. He was laying with his back to the floor and knees in the air, having pulled his scrappy converse up to almost meet with his tailbone. He was out of his Hogwarts uniform and into some worn out jeans and a washed out hoodie. With the hood up he lay resting with his head on top of a book. His eyes were shut, almost in protest of the whirlwind inside him, and his teeth were gnawing the already torn up rim of his sleeve.

"How are we meant to act in front of her when she gets here? Now that we know what we know." Sirius asked.

"What do you mean?" came Peter.

"Am I meant to be extra nice to her now? Or am I meant to act aloof? Or perhaps I should be extra mean to throw her off the scent?"

James looked at Sirius as though he'd lost his mind.

Everyone had an idea of what he was referring to, but neither James nor Peter wanted to explicitly say it. Remus looked almost peaceful, or as peaceful as he could get at the moment. They didn't want to rock the boat.

"Definitely don't be mean to her. Just treat her how you treat most people." he suggested, moving his lips as little as possible as he spoke, like bad ventriloquism.

"Except Slytherins." Peter added.

"Slytherins are not most people, Peter." James argued.

"Neither is she!" Sirius burst. "She made this one finally wake up to his hormones." He pointed with his whole hand at Remus. "She's no longer 'most people.'"

Both Peter and James groaned loudly, knowing perfectly well what was coming next.

Remus sat up, hood falling off his head as he did so, revealing his at the moment less than stellar well-being. He had his usual shadows beneath his eyes, but was unusually pale and had several recent scratch marks on his cheek and one on his lip. But what really stood out was the unfriendly expression he wore.

"It's not a crush!" he growled between his teeth.

It was the same conversation that had repeated itself several times since they had all found out about Remus' crush, or according to himself lack thereof.

This time however, a new element introduced itself.

"So then you won't mind if I hit on her?" Sirius challenged with a plastered-on innocence.

Remus went silent. He glowered at Sirius like the dementor that he was.

"At least then he'll definitely know how to act." Peter muttered under his breath.

"She's not your type." Remus declared after a moment's hesitation.

Sirius leaned back and stretched out his arms and legs, taking up far too much of the sofa than what was necessary. "She's cute. Don't you think so?" he sounded out with that same air of innocence as before.

Remus opened his mouth, but closed it again and blushed.

A smirk spread across Sirius' face, feeling that he had just received the confirmation he wanted.

"Do whatever you want." Remus said, but his voice had lost its ardour.

"It's not like she'd look at you twice either way." James teased Sirius, then leaned over and slapped him across the top of his head for even suggesting it.

Remus comforted himself with the fact that it was most definitely true. Yet he still couldn't shake the feeling that it would hurt to see his friend even go about it, and sincerely hoped that he wouldn't actually try.