It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

Twenty-Three

"Normality is a paved road; it's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow." - Vincent van Gogh

     "Say you love me," Remus ordered with a smirk, collapsing into a vacant seat at a table tucked into the far corner of the Hogwarts' library.

     Lily looked up with an amused grin, green eyes slightly glazed over from how long they had been staring at an old book. "Why?"

     "Say it."

     The redhead rolled her eyes with a smirk. "I love you dearly, Remus. Now, why am I admitting my undying love for you?"

     He grinned wickedly and pulled out a black, cardboard box from his bag, checking over his shoulder carefully for the overly strict librarian. "This is why," he said placing the box on the table.

     "Are those what I think they are?" Lily demanded, eyes widening and hands freezing on her textbook. She read over the golden lettering several times to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. 

     "Yup," he smiled.

     "Fuck, yes," Lily mumbled, snatching the box away from Remus, who let out a soft laugh.

     "Knew you would love me."

     Lily shoved a small, powdered donut into her mouth and moaned with the ecstasy that only a forbidden, sweet treat could bring in the middle of a study session. 

     "How'd you get these?" She demanded, not bothering to cover her mouth as white powder came out with her words in small puffs.

     He snorted. "Snuck down to Hogsmeade in my free period and nicked them from Circle Sweetness."

     "You are a god send, Remus Lupin." She meant it too. Circle Sweetness was Lily's favorite place to get a sweet pastry; she always made sure to stop by on their Hogsmeade trips. She hadn't had anything from there since their last trip in May.

     He ran his fingers through his light brown hair. "I've been saying this for years.

     She snorted and began to pick apart another donut with her long, pale fingers, furrowing her eyebrows. "Also, since when do you steal things?"

     Remus rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. "I left some money behind," he admitted with a sigh.

     "There's the Remus I know and love," Lily smiled through a mouthful of sweets. 

     They finished the box quickly and soon sat in a a sugar coma that left them staring helplessly at their textbooks, no will to do any type of school work. After a few moments of content silence, Remus reluctantly pulled his charms book towards him and began writing the essay that was due in a few days. He noticed Lily follow suit. 

     As the hours stretched out into the night, Remus noticed that Lily's essay was several inches shorter than his own. This was definitely not typical, and he realized that every few minutes she would look up from her parchment and stare into space, eyebrows scrunched together as if she were thinking of something very deeply. Concern struck Remus as Lily was not easily distracted; quite the opposite really, she had a one track mind, making her nearly impossible to get to if she were in the middle of some task. 

     "You alright there, Lils?" He finally asked. 

     She turned to see his chocolate eyes smoldering with concern. "Mhm," she nodded. Even to her own ears, she didn't sound convincing. 

     He gave her a look. "Lily."

     "It's nothing." 

     He sighed. "'It's nothing' and nothing are two very different things."