nine valentine's day
🧣
SHE KNEW SHE should have kissed him. Here she was, almost a month later, and the mere idea of it had been playing on her mind the entire time.
There never seemed to be a moment where she didn't think about him. She'd often sit on the windowsill in the common room to do her work only to find herself daydreaming about what could have happened if she had just stayed where she was that night for two more seconds.
At the party the gang threw for Lily's birthday, she followed him around the common room like a sheep which, apparently, was a common thing for her to do, because no one was confused by it.
In Quidditch training, she got hit square in the face by the Quaffle because she distracted herself by watching him do his reading in the spectators' stands. Yet, she found herself not feeling any pain as the blood trickled out of her nose because they way he lay flat on his back holding his book an arm's length above his head was just so darn cute.
After the full moon, she stayed with him in the hospital wing and stroked his hair until he went to sleep, much to Sirius' apparently glee. [y/n] was confused by the reaction, but she found herself not caring when he left to tell James and Peter because she was too busy looking after him.
Just the other day, she caught herself focussing her concentration on the way he could take two steps at a time coming up the staircase to the boys' dorm instead of practicing the colour-change charm with James, accidentally turning the spectacled boy's hair green.
[y/n] knew that it was bound to happen eventually. Everyone fancied their best friend for a brief moment of time at some point in their lives, right? She liked James once upon a time back in first year – Merlin, she had already liked Remus in third year – but, like on those occasions, the feelings would go away eventually. It's not like they would have another opportunity like the Celestial Ball for a moment that intimate to happen again, so she had the chance to forget about it and pretend that the returning thoughts she'd been having the last few months never occurred.
Unfortunately, Valentine's Day had other ideas.
'I just don't get the point,' [y/n] huffed on the morning of February fourteenth. 'It's just the corporations' way of making money off people's unnecessary need to show that they love their significant other on one day more than any of the others. If every day isn't like Valentine's Day in a relationship, then how can you say you really love each other?'
'You're starting to sound like Mum,' Remus said, waving a chocolate croissant around. 'She says that every year before Dad presents her with some flowers.'
'Well, your mum is right.'
'And I can't say I disagree with her.'
'You two really are ever so romantic,' Peter commented from the opposite side of the table. 'It's any wonder neither of you haven't got together with anyone yet.'
'Godric, Moony, what have you done?' [y/n] replied.
'I know,' Remus said with a raised eyebrow. 'Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Wormtail.'
'Are my implications wrong, though?' Peter threw back, tilting his head.
'Shut up,' said [y/n], catapulting a forkful of scrambled eggs at the boy.
'Oh, please,' Peter groaned, shaking the food off him. 'I have Care of Magical Creatures first, I really don't fancy being eaten by anything because I smell of eggs.'
'Honestly, I would rather be eaten alive than have to go to Potions later,' Sirius contributed to the conversation.
'Good morning to you, too,' Remus said, nonchalantly.
'I got a bit bored of third-wheeling Prongs and Evans,' Sirius explained, nodding his head behind him as he stirred his cereal. 'Look at them. It's disgusting what she's done to him. He prioritises her.'
'Oi!' [y/n] shouted down the table, startling the couple. 'Can we keep the snogging down to a minimum here? I'd like to eat my breakfast without throwing it back up!'
James looked immediately embarrassed and ran a hand through his hair, messing-up the back like he always did when he felt awkward about his romance problems. Lily bit back on [y/n]'s comment, however.
'Well, Black, you'd be fine if it was you and –'
Saved by the bell. [y/n] immediately grabbed her bag from under the table and whipped the last of her toast off her plate. She said a quick goodbye to her friends and marched out of the Great Hall to make her way to Muggle Studies before Lily could say one more word.
How Lily knew, [y/n] had no idea, but the girl wasn't stupid – she was quite observant and had probably noticed all the little things [y/n] had done when she flustered in Remus' presence. But that didn't matter, because she didn't actually fancy him, it was just a phase and she was going to get over it. But, then again, they did go to the Celestial Ball together; but that was just as friends, right? Yet, she couldn't bare to imagine what could have happened if Lily had said what she was going to in front of the boys. James would be trying to set them up and Sirius would find the whole scenario hilarious. Peter would pack them off with little picnics for their library dates – no, not dates – and Remus would probably die on the spot.
Oh, Godric. What would Remus think? He'd definitely find it weird; they'd been best friends for so long – if he wanted something different, he would have surely done something by now. [y/n] remembered that time in fourth-year when one of the Ravenclaw girls, Jennifer Monroe, confessed to him that she fancied him. He still hadn't spoken to her since the incident.
As [y/n] concluded once she had sat down at the back of the Muggle Studies classroom: Remus must never find out. He'd hate her for it.
[y/n] was dreading Potions. Now that James had ditched her to work with with his girlfriend, she and Lily had done a partner swap so that she worked with Remus. She didn't mind at the time – she loved working with him, he did everything for her – but the feeling of impending doom returned when Slughorn announced that as it was Valentine's Day, the Slytherin and Gryffindor N.E.W.T. class would be studying and brewing Amortentia.
'It should be banned,' [y/n] muttered to Remus frustratedly as they sat down. 'It's basically a legal drug.'
Slughorn made his way to the front of the classroom and explained how the two-hour session would work: they were to take notes from their textbooks on Amortentia in preparation for writing a review on the potion as homework. Then, in the second hour, they would work in pairs to brew it. Slughorn also emphasised, thank Merlin, that no creations could be taken out of the classroom.
The first hour went by quickly. Slughorn had a very odd habit of constantly referring to his textbooks whenever he lectured which was something that [y/n] thought shouldn't happen when you were a teacher, because you should be completely passionate about your subject if you're going to make it your life. Then, [y/n] remembered, Dumbledore seemingly employed people off the street to teach Defence every year, so it would fit the trend if Slughorn was one of those people.
Anyway.
The second hour began and the class were allowed to talk again. [y/n] greatly appreciated Slughorn's decision to rename the ingredients after animals and to have pre-weighed them, so that the students didn't know the quantities of the mystery components in order to make their own batch of the love potion outside of the classroom.
'Snivellus must be disappointed,' Remus muttered as he placed their cauldron over the fire.
'Because Lily is working with Prongs when we're doing Amortentia or because he can't whip up is own bottle of it to get her back?' [y/n] asked.
'I was thinking more of the fact that we're not making some shampoo that he can use, but those are good suggestions too.'
[y/n] pulled her bottom lip into her mouth but it couldn't stop her smirking. She pulled the recipe sheet that Slughorn had passed around the class in front of them and read through the instructions.
'Right, it still surprises me but I know you have some morals, so would you like to do the stirring and I'll do the actual making,' Remus offered, handing [y/n] the ladle.
'You know me well,' [y/n] grinned. 'Now, you need to put half of the snake in immediately followed by a third of the eagle.'
'Pass them over,' Remus requested, sticking his hand out.
'When you've done that –'
'Hang on, you're going too fast.' Remus concentrated on adding the contents to the cauldron. 'Right, what next?'
'All of the lion,' [y/n] answered. 'Is there any badger?' she asked aloud, lifting the vials and inspecting the labels. 'There's no badger ... this is Hufflepuff erasure –'
'Paws, the potion,' Remus reminded her.
'Right, of course, yeah. Two thirds of the goldfish. Wait, are those ashwinder eggs?'
'I thought you had to stir before doing that,' Remus responded, leaning into [y/n] and peering at the instructions over her shoulder.
[y/n] stiffened. 'Sorry, I do. Four times, clockwise.'
Like always, the lesson followed in that fashion. [y/n] always liked to feel that she was in charge but she became so distracted by everything that it was really Remus that took over the operation. She just couldn't concentrate. She started to feel dizzy the closer they got to completing their Amortentia, and she wasn't really sure whether that was a feature of it because she didn't exactly pay attention when she was meant to be taking notes.
'Stir twelve times, anti-clockwise, followed by three times, clockwise, then another seven times, anti-clockwise,' [y/n] read from the instructions. 'Merlin, help me with the counting, I'm already confused.'
One ... two ... three ... four ... [y/n] counted in her head as she watched the potion turn shimmery under the dim torchlight of the dungeon. There were several strong smells coming from the fumes the cauldron produced, all of which she recognised.
Fresh parchment. That definitely had to be her love of books. Dog fur. Sirius, without a doubt. Mown grass. Days out in the fields of Potter Manor, or was that the smell of James' muddy Quidditch robes? Cheese –
'Twelve,' Remus announced, bringing [y/n] out of her thoughts.
'No, that was ten,' [y/n] countered, holding the ladle still.
'It was definitely twelve,' Remus reinforced. 'Don't mess this up now, Paws, we're so close to the end.'
'You don't have to be such an arsehole,' [y/n] spat. Remus withdrew himself slightly. 'Stop correcting me all the time.'
'Well, stop being wrong,' Remus retorted. 'And if you actually concentrated properly, we wouldn't have to argue over it.'
'Well I'm ever so sorry,' [y/n] apologised sarcastically, stirring the concoction clockwise. 'Quite frankly, Remus, it's a bit hard to concentrate with the overpowering smell of your aftershave.'
'You're a fine one to talk!' Remus exclaimed. 'Did you have a bath in your perfume this morning or something? Yet here I am, concentrating perfectly.'
Lily and James started giggling uncontrollably across the workbench.
'What?' [y/n] snapped at them.
'Nothing,' James said quickly.
'Fancy coming to the library later, [y/n]?' Lily asked in an attempt to change the subject. 'Girls' study trip.'
'Sure,' [y/n] replied. She turned to Remus and rolled her eyes at his expression. 'All right, I'm sorry.'
'An apology?' Remus gasped, holding a hands to his chest. 'From [y/n] Black?'
'Accept it or I'm taking it back.'
Remus smiled. 'I'm sorry, too.'
[y/n] and Remus were the first to hand over a vial of their Amortentia to the front of the class, much to Lily's disappointment. It could have been completely wrong for all they knew but according to a Slughorn, it was perfect, and he wanted them to continue working together until the exams. They smirked and stuck their tongues out at James and Lily as they returned to their seats.
Unfortunately for [y/n], the girls' study trip did not go as planned. Madam Pince asked the six Gryffindors to leave, mainly due to [y/n]'s grunts and cries of frustration, but she liked to think that Marlene's biscuit crumbs scattering in the creases of the open library books had a part to play.
In the girls' dorm, it was quiet except for the scratching of quills to parchment, Mary's sniffling because of her blocked sinuses, Marlene crunching on her custard creams and, of course, [y/n]'s continued groaning.
[y/n] sighed deeply a dropped backwards on her bed, letting her head hit the wall. She banged it a couple of times for good measure.
'Merlin, Black, you all right?' Marlene queried with a raised eyebrow.
'I – can't – concentrate!'
'We can go back to library if you want ...' Dorcas offered, sharing a concerned look with the other girls.
'Well, it's clearly illegal to vent all my frustration out,' [y/n] groaned.
'What's on your mind?' Alice asked, taking her work off her lap and leaning forward.
'Nothing.' Remus.
'Come on, spit it out.'
'I can't,' [y/n] breathed. It's Remus.
''Course you can!' Marlene said. 'We need a bit of good gossip, Hogwarts has been getting boring over the last few months.'
'It's just –' [y/n] glanced at Mary and immediately felt guilty. I fancy Remus. 'No, I can't.'
'Why not?' Mary pushed.
'Oh, I think I know what this is,' Lily smirked, shuffling to the end of her bed. 'You can tell us anything, [y/n]. We won't care.'
'I –' [y/n] took a deep breath and buried her head in her hands in embarrassment. I like my best friend. 'Oh, Mary, I'm so sorry.'
'Sorry?' Mary repeated. 'Sorry for what?'
'It's Remus,' [y/n] muttered in a barely-audible whisper.
'You what?' said Dorcas.
[y/n] threw her arms in the air. 'It's Remus, all right? I like him. I really, really like him.'
The girls stopped and watched each other's smirks growing on their faces.
'It worked!' Mary yelled.
'What?'
'We're geniuses!' Dorcas cried, throwing her arms around Marlene.
'I'm so confused.'
'I can't believe it took you so long,' Alice grinned.
'Please explain,' [y/n] begged.
'You really think we didn't know you fancied Lupin?' Marlene snorted. 'Merlin, Black, we clearly worked it out years before you did.'
'I never liked Remus,' Mary scoffed. 'It was just a plan to get you a bit jealous so you'd realise that you did!'
'It obviously worked at the Ball,' Lily chuckled with a wink.
'Yeah, well, thanks for that,' said [y/n]. 'Now I'm stuck fancying someone who doesn't like me back.'
'Godric, Black, you really are thick,' Dorcas commented.
'He always helps you out with your homework,' Mary started.
'He helps everyone.'
'You're always the first person he asks to go to the library so you can have your study dates,' Alice continued.
'They're not dates.'
'Oh, trust me. They're dates.'
'He's always giving you his coats and jumpers and hats and scarves to keep you warm,' Dorcas pointed out. 'And you're the only person he'll share his books and chocolate with.'
'Yes, but –'
'He literally agrees with everything say,' Marlene said. 'No man does that.'
[y/n] stayed quiet this time.
'Plus,' Lily added, 'he always knows when you need something without you having to mention it.'
'Cups of tea,' said Mary.
'Biscuits,' Dorcas contributed.
'A blanket,' Marlene suggested.
'Merlin, he even knows when you need help just by the way you act!' Alice cried.
'He's always been like that,' [y/n] dismissed with a shrug and a shake of her head.
'Yeah,' Dorcas replied emphatically, 'exactly.'
'Exactly what?' [y/n] exclaimed.
'He's always liked you, [y/n]!' Alice shouted. 'So in response to your comment; no, you're wrong. He clearly loves you back.'
'I never said love,' [y/n] corrected, holding up a finger. 'I don't love him.'
Marlene's eyebrow raised so high that it disappeared under her golden fringe. 'Merlin's beard, were you in Potions earlier, Black, or have you hired someone from your Metamorphmagus gang to replace you?'
'No, I was there,' [y/n] replied slowly. 'What does it have to do with anything?'
Marlene jutted her head forward as disbelief plastered across her face. Alice groaned and dropped her head into her hands, much like Dorcas whose dark curls shook back and forth as she shook her head. Mary flopped backwards on her bed and Lily launched forward, shaking [y/n] by the shoulders.
'Are you oblivious, girl?' she cried, turning to mutter an aside to the girls. 'No wonder Lupin's too scared to ask her.'
'What?'
''I can't concentrate with the smell of your aftershave' or whatever it is you said,' Dorcas mimicked, recalling the events of the Potions lesson earlier in the day.
'... And?'
'Merlin, Black.' Marlene's eyes were wide and she was massaging her temples. 'We were doing Amortentia and all you could smell was Remus, what do you fucking think?'
'Oh?' [y/n] raised an eyebrow, still confused. Lily was squishing her cheeks and staring at her intensely until the realisation hit. 'Oh! OH!'
'Holy Hufflepuff,' Dorcas breathed.
'Took you long enough,' Alice laughed.
'Oh, no.'
'What?' Mary asked.
'That means I –'
'Yup,' Lily said, grinning so widely that she might have been the Cheshire Cat.
'I love Remus. I love him.'
'That's not even the best part,' Lily winked.
'Oh, Godric,' [y/n] sighed.
'What was it he said, Dor?' Marlene asked, holding a finger to her lips attempting to feign a lack of knowledge.
'Oh, I don't know, Marl,' Dorcas replied in the same fashion before turning to face [y/n] and saying very firmly, 'maybe that all he could smell was [y/n]'s perfume.'
[y/n]'s widened so much that her eyeballs could have fallen out. 'Merlin, he did say that, didn't he?'
'I'm just going to start taking bets for when this gets official,' Alice announced, walking into the middle of the room. 'Starting with next week at three galleons.'
'Next week?' Mary scoffed. 'Graduation feast for five galleons.'
'Not with how long the pining has been going on. Christmas, four galleons and five sickles,' Lily said.
'Christmas?' Marlene repeated. 'I want them married by then!'
'I'm just going to go,' [y/n] muttered, trying to escape from the room. 'In fact, what time is it?'
'Half past six, love,' Dorcas replied. 'Don't you have duty tonight?'
'I do,' [y/n] said, running around her bed to put on her shoes and throw her robes on, 'and I'm late.'
'Well, try and enjoy,' Dorcas winked. 'I don't want to find out the two of you have been sneaking into empty classrooms on your rounds.'
[y/n] rolled her eyes. 'Very funny,' she laughed sarcastically. 'Unfortunately, I think we'll be trying to stop people from doing that with it being Valentine's Day and all.'
'Ah, I see. It is a bit of a mood-killer.'
'Meadowes.'
'Go on, then, Black. You don't want to be even more late for your Prince Charming,' Dorcas said, shooing [y/n] away with her hands. 'Good luck!'
'Thank you!'
'Six galleons, four sickles, seven knuts and this fancy button which I just found in my pocket. Final bet!'
[y/n] did not hesitate in closing the door between herself and the chaos in the dormitory. She hurried down the stairs whilst struggling to fasten the button on the top of her Gryffindor cloak and leapt across the common room floor. She burst through the door to the boys' dorm and leant on the doorframe to catch her breath.
'Is –' Breath. '– Moony –?' Breath.
'Library,' Sirius, James and Peter said simultaneously, pointing in the direction [y/n] just came.
'He went looking for you, I think,' Sirius added. 'You must have passed him on your way up.'
'Nah,' [y/n] replied breathily. 'Prince kicked us out. I was being too loud. Couldn't concentrate.'
'Right,' James said with a short nod of his head.
'Are you going to ...?'
'Duty, yes,' [y/n] interrupted Peter, suddenly remembering why she was rushing. 'See you later!'
It was at times like these that [y/n] hated the fact that the Gryffindor common room was on the top floor. It did not help in the slightest when she was trying to run as fast as she could to the ground floor of the castle, especially with the moving staircases delaying her descent down the seven levels. As she went to turn at the top of the landing outside the library corridor, [y/n] pulled herself backwards after spotting a very tired-looking Remus, dragging himself up the stairs slowly.
'Oh my Godric, Moony, I'm so sorry,' she gasped, doubling over.
'Why are you so panicked?' Remus laughed.
'I just – I'm sorry, I got caught up in doing that review for Slughorn with the girls and –'
'Oi,' Remus said, placing a hand on the girls' shoulder. 'Calm down and catch your breath back. Your hair's gone grey, you've clearly drained all your energy.'
'Merlin,' [y/n] sighed, changing her hair back to its usual [y/h/c] appearance. 'Right, OK, I'm good, let's go.'
Remus watched [y/n] make her way down the stairs to the ground floor. 'I've already done down there.'
'And you waited until I got halfway down!' [y/n] cried. 'And here I was thinking you were being nice to me tonight!'
'I'm always nice,' said Remus, sticking out his arm for [y/n] to take. 'Come on, we'd better be quick. I'm sure I heard Peeves earlier and I don't want him stealing the Map again.'
'You brought the map?' [y/n] asked.
'Of course,' Remus replied, flapping the parchment in front of them. 'It'd make it easier to spot people sneaking into empty classrooms for their Valentine's escapades.'
Three times. Three times they had to pull couples out of abandoned rooms, hidden corridors and from behind long tapestries. One of them was her own brother, for Merlin's sake, with a brunette Hufflepuff in the year below him. Regulus huffed and rolled his eyes when [y/n] told him to move on, but snuck a low-five to his sister when they walked past each other.
'Mirror on the fourth-floor corridor,' she told him quietly. 'There's a secret passageway behind it. Filch won't find you there.'
Regulus flashed a tooth grin and winked.
'I could take house points off you for encouraging that,' Remus told her.
'But you won't,' [y/n] smiled sweetly, 'because you love me.'
Remus hummed and they returned to their duty.
'Why have we never thought of bringing the Map before? It makes so much sense,' [y/n] said as they reached the sixth-floor landing.
'I always bring it,' Remus stated. 'I just like wandering around and talking to you.'
'Oh,' was all [y/n] managed to get out before she forgot every other word in the English, French and Latin dictionaries.
The pair walked past a couple of classrooms in silence. Then they decided to talk simultaneously.
'Remus, I –'
'[y/n], look –'
They hesitated, waiting for the other to carry on.
'You first,' Remus said.
'No, you,' [y/n] replied.
'Ladies first.'
'You'd be doing me more of a favour if you went first.'
Remus held his breath and looked away to hide the dark blush spreading up his neck and across his whole face, fiddling with a loose thread on the hem of his sleeve. 'Godric, right, I – uhh ... oh, dear Merlin this is hard.'
'I like you, Moony.' [y/n] blurted out her confession quietly, her Gryffindor courage preventing her from backing down as Remus stumbled over his words. 'Actually, I think I'm convinced that I love you.'
'I love you, too,' Remus said finally, staring with stunned wide eyes. [y/n] could see the fear slip away from him. 'I mean, like, really love you. Not best friends I love you.'
'I know,' [y/n] replied, nodding her head gently.
'I thought I gave it up in Potions,' Remus continued. 'I basically told the whole class that I could smell you in Amortentia.'
'If it's any consolation, it took a twenty-minute explanation from all five of the girls to get me to understand.'
'So I didn't completely fuck it up?'
'No, not entirely,' [y/n] giggled. 'We must look so stupid to the rest of the class. No wonder Slughorn said he wanted us to keep working together.'
Remus chuckled. 'What I was going to say was that I've liked you since third year.'
'Third year?' [y/n] exclaimed.
'I thought it was a stupid school-boy crush thing for over the summer, but I spent every day waiting for an owl from you and when we came back here for fourth year I just wanted to spend every minute with you,' Remus rambled. 'Wormtail worked it out pretty quick. He never told anyone – he's all right with secrets – but he always rooted for us even if he does fancy you a little bit –'
'Wormtail fancies me?'
'I'm literally pouring my heart out to you and that's what you pick up on?'
'OK, OK, carry on.'
'So, when Pads found out, I did shit myself a bit, but he just laughed. He laughed for days. He said that I was the only viable candidate for your affection or whatever he dramatised because you saw Wormy as another annoying little brother and you wouldn't give your family the satisfaction of getting with another Pureblood so Prongs was out of the question.'
'What did Prongs says?'
'He disappeared for a few hours then came back with a thirty-point programme on how he was going to get us together,' Remus explained, smiling reminiscently. 'The only problem was that half the things he listed we already did. You know, like, going to the Three Broomsticks and reading in the common room together, etcetera, etcetera.'
'We do act like a couple, don't we?' [y/n] thought aloud. 'Everyone else's actions make sense now.'
'Yeah, well, that's what my biggest issue was,' said Remus. 'How to ask you on a date that you wouldn't assume was a just-as-friends scenario. Hence the library dates.'
'They were dates.'
'But the thing is, what do we do now that we like each other at the same time?'
'I would just like to point out that I also first fancied you in third year,' [y/n] interrupted, to which Remus raised his eyebrows. 'What a shame we're so oblivious. We could have been four years into a relationship by now.'
'We could always start now,' Remus suggested timidly. 'If you still want to, obvi–'
'Yes,' [y/n] said hastily. 'Please. Be my boyfriend. Now. Or I might explode.'
'Great!' Remus beamed. 'And nothing would really have to change, let's be honest. You've already kissed me in front of everyone and it's not like we don't spend every waking moment with each other.'
'Fair comment, Mr Lupin,' [y/n] winked.
'I guess every day is like Valentine's Day with us,' Remus told her.
'I guess it is,' [y/n] smiled coyly, recalling the comment she made at breakfast.
'So let's just go for a butterbeer for the sake of it,' Remus said with a shrug of his shoulders.
'I'd love t–'
'Loopy Lupin asked Batty Black on a date! Loopy lurves Batty! Loopy luuuuuurves Batty!'
'Not Peeves,' Remus groaned. 'Not now.'
'Mischief managed,' [y/n] muttered before tucking the Map into her skirt and hiding it with her robes.
'Loopy and Batty!' Peeves sang, chasing the pair down the corridor.
'Quick, in here,' [y/n] said, dragging Remus into the empty classroom on their left. 'Colloportus! There. Solved.'
'Paws, he's a poltergeist.'
'Ah, shit, yeah.'
The handle rattled slightly as if Peeves was fiddling with it, but his head sticking rough the wood of the door was a slight distraction to the trapped couple.
'Loopy, Loony Lupin,' he continued to sing. 'Bonkers, Batty Black!'
'Alohomora!' [y/n] shouted, then went to open the door. The handle didn't shift. 'Oh, what's he done now?'
'Let me have a look,' Remus said. 'Alohomora!' The clunk from the door that should have followed never came and Peeves' loud cackling was bouncing off the walls of the corridor outside. 'Nope, there's something stopping the ... oh, the bastard. He's jammed the lock shut with chewing gum.'
'That's not a problem,' [y/n] shrugged. 'Watch out, I'll just do bombarda –'
Remus blocked the door with his body. 'You are not bombarding the door because some chewing gum is blocking the mechanism.'
'You always spoil my fun.'
'Let me think of something.'
'Peeves, let us out!' [y/n] yelled, shaking the handle of the door ferociously. 'Moony, is there something over there I can use to dislodge this gum?'
'Paws, this is an empty classroom, what do you think?'
'Now is not the time for your sarcasm –'
'Wait, I have an idea,' Remus said with some thought, motioning for [y/n] to move out of the way and pulling out his wand. 'Keep calling him.'
'PEEVES!' [y/n] shouted, growing frustrated as she could hear the poltergeist's cackling from outside the room. 'Peeves, if you weren't already dead, I'd kill you!'
'Loopy and Batty! Batty and Loopy!'
'PEEVES!'
'You called?' Peeves grinned from behind the pair, his sudden appearance inside the room startling [y/n].
'Waddiwasi!' said Remus, pointing his wand at the blocked keyhole.
With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight up Peeves's left nostril; the poltergeist cursed furiously.
'Thank Merlin,' [y/n] exhaled, casting a successful Alohomara and opening the door.
Peeves whirled right past the two and zoomed down the dim corridor silently.
'You must be the first person in the history of Britain to out-wit Peeves,' [y/n] approved, her eyes doing the smiling as her jaw dropped open. 'Where on earth did you learn that?'
'Clearly you don't know how bad Wormtail's habit of sticking gum everywhere is,' Remus replied.
'Well, I must say that I'm very proud.'
'Did you hear his cursing?'
'I know!' [y/n] barked, laughing gleefully. 'And his face!'
She wasn't really sure whether it was possible to transform her appearance so that she could have stars in her eyes, but when she turned to face Remus and saw the way he studied her, she sure felt like she could.
[y/n] looked up at Remus and her laughs faded out. He cupped her face in his hands, balancing on the awkward crack in the flagstones on the floor. Her hands gently moved to the bottom of his neck and her thumbs tucked under the collar of his shirt. [y/n] remembered when they kissed in their younger years as part of games of truth or dare. She remembered all the times she haphazardly kissed him on the cheek to say thank you or good-luck. She remembered when they kissed at Christmas and how this felt so much different to that time. How, when they kissed then, [y/n] didn't have butterflies in her stomach. How, now, she didn't have that doubting knowledge that he would find it weird that she liked him, that he'd hate her for loving him, because he knows now and he doesn't care and he loves her, too.
And they kissed.
It was meaningful, it was awkward, it was sweet, it was fumbled, it was forceful. It didn't take long for [y/n] to tug him closer, moving her hands around the front of Remus' neck and closing the gap between them by pulling his tie. It didn't take long for Remus to start reaching back for the door handle of the classroom they had just escaped, and for his mouth to part open.
[y/n] couldn't believe it. It was happening; for real. She could feel his breath in her mouth, his teeth against her tongue, and then his hand moved from her face and around her back, holding onto her.
They slipped into the empty room and Remus kicked the door shut.
Dorcas was going to have a field day when she heard this story.
it happened!!!