stain ☾ remus lupin

TWENTYTHREE

S E R E N A D E
△▽△▽△

The sunlight that streamed through the window that morning was annoying this time, rather than refreshing as it had been the afternoon before. Birds chirped as they flew from trees that grew in the property outside, and the bed creaked when the girl next to her shifted in the midst of slumber. Her head titled to the right to see the time that was displayed on the small, ticking clock. Her hair fluttered down into her eyes as she did so.

7:31 am.

With disappointment, she glared over at the window, blaming the sunrise and the wretched birds for waking her up so early. Burying further down into the covers to escape the rather drafty room, Freya took a pillow that had been tossed to the end of the bed and squished it around her head. Although this did successfully accomplish its purpose to block the sunlight from her sleepy eyes, it did not create an easy breathing passageway.

Suddenly, a strumming tune connected with her ears just as a loud noise hit the window. Freya furrowed her eyebrows and let out a groan, and groggily looked at the window. Part of her was slightly curious to know the source of the sound, but the other half wanted nothing more than to sleep a few minutes longer.

Eventually, her pale legs swung from the mattress and she touched her feet on the wooden floor. She stumbled across the room, lifting the thin curtains that did not fulfill the purpose of keeping light out, and peered out into the yard. Just as she did so, the source of the sound was discovered as James Potter threw yet another stone at the window.

Her initial reaction was to jump away from the glass, but this only led to her stumbling over a small pile of magazines and landing on the hard floor. Lily awoke with a start, eyes wide open for someone who had been sound asleep only a few seconds before.

"What's going on?" She spoke with a yawn as she twisted her upper body in order to stretch the muscles of her sore back. Her gaze wandered in the direction of the clock, which now read 7:38, "Wow, I overslept."

"You don't have to get up at 6:30 every morning," Freya rolled her eyes in amusement before squinting back down through the harsh sun, "Lover boy is down there by the way."

The redhead glared in partial disbelief before she pushed herself out of the warmth and comfort of the bed and walked with much more energy than the blonde had to get to the window. She peered out, palms flat against the sill that supported all her weight. Green eyes absorbed the similar in color grass, they scanned over the boy only momentarily before she scoffed.

"If by lover boy you mean Remus, then yes."

The unimpressed look on Freya's face wiped away instantly and was replaced with one of excitement. She slid over with a thousand times more energy to the spot where her friend peered out, her fingers clumsily undid the latch with a large grin. A drafty breeze filled the room immediately as the warmth of the sun shone onto her freckled face. Sure enough, Remus stood several feet down. He held what looked like a guitar, which James immediately snatched away from him. Rather than responding to this rudeness, the boy took this as his opportunity to wave to her.

"You can say your hellos later. Freya, move out of the way!" James yelled rather harshly as he began to strum the guitar. A long, dark haired boy joined the scene, walking across the yard with a scowl and a cup of steaming coffee. The smaller, mousier figure of Peter trailed behind him as fast as his short legs could permit him to. If anyone was an absolutely horrid morning person, it was Sirius Black.

She crossed her arms defiantly, but eventually moved enough so Lily could reluctantly squeeze in beside her.

James grinned, "Alright Lily flower, this ones for you."

With a rather unprofessional saunter, James strummed the instrument, allowing himself to glance up towards the window every once in awhile to watch Lily's reaction.

"I know you call me a toe rag,
And I sometimes may nag —"

The blonde repressed her giggles underneath the palm that was firmly cupped around her mouth, eventually moving completely from the window so maybe she would not die of laughter as James serenaded her friend.

"— Forgive me Lily flower,
Something that rhymes with flower—"

Although he was a great distance away, the girls could practically see Sirius roll his eyes with his morning grimace, "Power rhymes with flower, you dic—"

Lily's freckled arms waved out the window in an attempt to silence the horrible lyrics that escaped James's rather talented singing voice, "Stop! Stop!"

The music, and thankfully lyrics, stopped as the bespectacled boy squinted up at the window. He seemed entirely discouraged at her call for time out.

"I forgive you," she called with a poor neutral expression that attempted to calm the delighted look in her eyes. She backed away from the glass and prepared to pull it to a close.

Freya did not wait another second, her bare feet dashed across the room, taking her down the long staircase three at a time as she ran to the front room. The door was unlocked in an instant. A wave of the hand and a quick hello was called to Lily's confused mother, before she ran to the spot Remus stood in the front yard.

He wrapped her into a hug as soon as she reached him and let out a laugh against her cheek. The familiar feeling of his sweater covered chest was absent as the hot weather only permitted a short sleeved shirt. However, the familiar cozy feeling was still there as his embrace tightened. Her ear that was firmly pressed against the cotton of his shirt listened to his steady beating heart that pounded regularly against the cage of ribs that surrounded it.

"I didn't hear you," the teasing voice of James called up to the window she had just been at as he began to strum his guitar again. It was quite obvious that he had heard her response, for the large grin that appeared across his lips was not there for nothing.

If she was not in his arms, Remus might have playfully pushed the boy and reminded him that tormenting Lily was not the way to win her heart, but he did not make a move to do so. There was something about Freya's grip on his shirt, and her smile that he could feel against his chest that caused him to stay.

"Piss off before I bash that thing over your head!" Lily finally yelled in a loud tone, clearly referring to the wooden instrument clamped in his arms. Her head was completely poked out of the opened window, and this allowed her long locks to trail messily out with it.

James grinned, "Calm down, Rapunzel."

➤

AUTHORS NOTE
jily + "fremus" action ye

qotd: is it spring break for you?
aotd: :') finally bless