The Marauders: Year Four

Remus's Bloody Boyfriend

Remus's Bloody Boyfriend

"Lily..." Remus leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Can I talk to you in private?"

Lily had been sitting at the wide table in the Gryffindor common room, working on helping some of the first years with their transfiguration homework. They had a whole mess of tea cups with long wormy mouse tails spread across the surface and a couple of Lily's floral pattern cups among them. "Of course, Rey..." she said, then she turned to the first years, "I'll be right back. Keep trying, you're getting really good! Look, that one's tail has your pattern on it! You're so close. McGonagall's going to be really impressed!" She smiled and followed Remus out into the corridor. He led her off to a little flight of stairs and they sat down side-by-side. "Is everything alright?" Lily asked with concern as they sat.

"Well, yes, everything's alright, just..." Remus looked up and down the corridor carefully, then said, "It's a secret. Or a surprise, rather. It's about Sirius Black."

Lily's heart leaped into her throat, "What happened?" she gasped, "Remus John Lupin, you tell me positively everything."

"Wait - what?" Remus looked confused a moment.

Lily paused. "What about Sirius Black?"

"I'm talking about his birthday coming up," Remus said, "And a present I want to get him. What're you talking about?"

Lily shook her head, "I thought - I mean - I dunno. Sorry. Ignore me, I'm a prat. What about his birthday?"

Remus gave her a funny look, but he didn't press it. "Well his birthday's coming up, on November the third, and I want to order him a present from a muggle catalog... Obviously I can't go mailing them an owl to get it... If I give you the money, would it be possible, you think, maybe, your parents could order it and owl it along to us?" he looked at her with hope.

Lily nodded, "I don't see why not. They'd be pleased to help us out, I'm sure... What is it that you're ordering for him?"

Remus reached into his robes pocket and produced the catalog. He'd circled the 8-track player and made a list of the cassette-cartridges he wished to order, seven albums in total, all of Sirius's favorites. He handed it to her. "It says it's top of the line sound," he said. "See, look. Exciting stereo." He jabbed his finger at the page in the catalog.

Lily's eyes widened, "Wow, Rey. That's a really nice present."

Remus nodded, "Yeah."

"And it's really expensive."

"I know." He reached in his pocket and withdrew a little purse that Dumbledore had given him, forty galleons inside clunked against one another heavily. He dropped the purse into Lily's hand with the catalog.

Lily looked at him, "Where in world did you get all of that money?"

"I've a job," Remus informed her, "I'm working for Dumbledore. I told him about Sirius's birthday and offered to work about the castle... So he said I could help him out, actually, on a project he's working on, so I'm illustrating a thesis for his mate, and he offered to pay me the money I need for the stereo system."

Lily looked at him with bleary eyes. "Oh my stars, that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my entire life."

Remus blushed. He nodded at the catalog. "So you know better than I do about muggle stuff. That sounds like a really nice stereo system, doesn't it? You think he'll like it."

"Rey, I think he'll love it." Lily smiled and looked down at the catalog, running her fingers over the yellowy pages. She was all but tingling with excitement. Surely, Sirius would see how much thought Remus had put into this present... and... her heart swelled with the thought of it... they'd have to get together after that! "I'm so bloody excited for you," she said.