The Sun and Her Moon- Remus Lupin

The Minds A Dangerous Thing

James seemed quite down, especially as he snagged Remus's vodka next, downing it as it as water without even much as a flinch.

"I take it things aren't going well with Lily?" Remus changed the subject, a bit worried by james behaviour.

James scoffed, "Couldn't possibly be getting any worse. At least Aveline most certainly has feelings for you back, Lily looks at me like I'm some trash on the street."

"She doesn't think that James. Lily is just used to seeing the eccentric version of you that tries to impress her. It's going to take a while for her to separate that version of you, with the actual person you are. You can't expect it to happen over night," he told his friend.

Remus was always good at giving advice because he gave it bluntly and honestly. He didn't try to sugar coat it, and tell James he was some sort of hunk and that Lily was an idiot for not seeing it, he told it how it is. Which was ironically exactly what James needed to hear the most.

"You didn't answer my question, how did you know your in love with Aveline?" James asked again, his hazel eyes watching his friends face closely.

It was surprising that James had noticed. In his day to day life James always seemed so oblivious— living in his own little world of fancy hair gel and thinking of different ways to ask Lily Evans out. But that was the thing about James, he always acted happy no matter what, because he couldn't possibly picture himself being the reason someone was upset or sad. If he just always acted happy, then no one would ever be sad because of him.

At first Remus wasn't going to answer. He didn't particularly love talking about his feelings, but maybe it was the alcohol that made it seem not so scary.

"I think probably when it started to hurt," Remus simply answered.

"What hurt?"

Remus took a breath, running his hands through his hair as if he really was trying to procrastinate answering.

"It's just like—" he began but trailed off, picking at the concrete beside him. "When your someone like me, you try not to let yourself care for people that much. That way you can't get attached and no one get hurts. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it not. Like with you guys, I didn't want to be friends at first because who would want to be friends with a werewolf?"

James looked already about ready to cry, reaching over and patting his friend on the shoulder. James Potter had the heart the size of a lake, filled with empathy to the very brim, to the point it couldn't help but overflow very often.

"But then, the more I saw the rest of you guys become close, it started to hurt."

For someone who read so much Remus had never been very good with words, so merely just pointed to his heart, to show exactly where it hurt.

"When I became friends with all of you guys the hurt went away," Remus said softly, his brown eyes staring into the distance.

James watched, as Remus rubbed his hands down his face, not wanting to say anything but yet. Sometimes all someone needed was someone to listen too.

"With Aveline though, the hurt never away."

Roughly, James grabbed Remus by the shoulders, turning the tall boy to look into his eyes.

"Remus John Lupin I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me you are worthy of love," James demanded.

"James.." Remus sighed, shaking his head in a way that very much said you-are-an-idiot.

"Don't give me that attitude young man!" James chided, and Remus felt a chuckle escape his lips. "Sometimes I feel like you don't feel like you deserve love. But you do man, your fucking awesome, werewolf or not."