BLACK MOON ⍋ Remus Lupin

Chapter Fifteen - Markleroot.

REMUS' POV

James came jogging over to meet a beaming Sirius halfway. Sirius dragged me along by my arm and I reluctantly let him, knowing he'd find a way to throw me over his shoulder to embarrass me if he had to.

"What do you mean I owe you ten Galleons?" James started wiggling his eyebrows, looking over in my direction. He didn't seem too gutted that he obviously lost the bet they had created. 

Lily had followed over with him and I did not want her hearing the words that I knew Sirius would say so blatantly spit out.

"Remus thinks Arty's hot, pay up!" he stretched his hand out in front of him. Lily's eyes looked as if they were going to bulge out of their sockets and she started smiling widely at me.

"Remus? Admitting to having a thing for someone? This is new! Really new in fact! Unheard of, even!" She teased and playfully pushed my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and took a large gulp of the burning fire whisky.

"You poured this way too strong, Pads" I coughed, glancing down at the green plastic cup in my hand.

"Stop trying to change the subject" James replied, answering for Sirius "I need to know whether or not I'm ten Galleons poorer" He sighed "so fess up, or else" he playfully threatened and I couldn't help but to smirk out of embarrassment.

"Oh merlin, he totally does" Lily squealed and rushed me over to the seating area to sit us down, the boys followed. Lily was almost sharing the one seated chair with me and placed a strong hand on my shoulder.

"When did you realise? Was it straight away? You were- I mean are always quite protective over her!" she smiled so big I swore I could see her back teeth. I shook my head and looked down at the last remaining drops of alcohol in my cup.

"I honestly don't know what's going on?" I said a little bewildered "all I said is that she's cute...like a kitten or something" I shrugged and Sirius shivered.

"Now I know why we don't see eye to eye" Sirius pouted, causing James to giggle like a little girl.

"Dog jokes, I love it" He ruffled Sirius' hair. Both Lily and I rolled our eyes but couldn't contain a tiny laugh that was almost inaudible.Lily turned back to me, with a smaller smile this time.

"Why do you get so defensive about her then, if you don't like her that way?" she asked and I thought to myself for a second. 

I had thought about this before and I had just placed it on the fact that I related to being an outcast too and wanted to help someone fit in, but there were many outcasts all around me that I could in some way help, so why Arty? I shrugged my shoulders.

 "I think it's because she reminds me of Sirius in first year" I played it off cool, honestly believing what I had said. 

"Bro" Sirius said touched. 

She does remind me of Sirius, before Sirius felt confident in who he was or who he was becoming. She shares many of the same qualities as him but with her own kind of softness that perhaps makes her even more vulnerable to situations like school because she was late to the game, I presume. Sirius sadly smiled, like he was reading my mind.

"He's right" he started, mumbling. James and Lily turned to face the boy that had dropped his cheeky smile "There's some similar- uh –qualities there" He awkwardly said. Lily frowned.

"But she's so shy and anxious all the time? you should see the amount of effort she goes through to make sure she's out of the way. It's kind of sad really...she's not as free spirited as you are Siri, perhaps if she got drunk and threw on a leather jacket for attitude like you do and-" Sirius raised his cup in the air and took a mini bow "Oh..." Lily mumbled.