you are loved. - r.lupin (ft. THE s.black)

flower picking

Sirius laid on his back in the soft comfort of his bed and threw a small Muggle ball up into the air and caught it. He then proceeded to throw the ball up into the air again and caught it again and threw it into the air again and caught it again. Over and over and over.

The Black boy almost thought he would die of boredom if someone didn't walk into his dorm soon and his prayers were answered when Remus, who had just finished studying at the library, entered. The door of the Marauders' dorm creaked open and Sirius' head perked up.

He sat upright as Remus moved to the other side of the room and began unpacking his homework and organizing his books on the small shelf next to Remus' bed. "Hey Moony? What ever happened to that dream girl you were going on about?" Sirius asked out of curiosity.

Sirius saw his best friend tense slightly and his broad shoulders stiffened. "It's not important," Remus said while shaking his head. "I mean, I've fancied her for a few years and now she finally fancies me back but I doubt it would've worked anyways."

"What?" Sirius spluttered. "If you've fancied her for years and she finally fancies you back, I think you should at least try and see where it goes. Who knows, she could probably make you really happy."

Remus stopped sorting out his homework and sighed, taking a seat at the edge of Sirius' bed. "You want me to be happy?" he asked.

"Of course," Sirius answered quickly. He tossed the Muggle ball back and forth between his two hands easily without even having to look at the green ball.

"Well part of the problem is that one of my other friends fancies her. He's been a good friend to me for years, even when I don't understand how, and I feel like I would just be betraying him. I don't want him to be angry with me but I also want to be with her," Remus said. He was more interested in the carpeted ground than he was of Sirius.

Sirius' eyebrows knit together in thought and he pursed his lips. "I think that if you really like this girl, you should go for it. And if this guy really is a true friend, he'll understand and he'll forgive you," Sirius responded. Remus' warm brown eyes met Sirius' dark grey eyes for the first time since he'd entered the room.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah." Remus moved from his spot on the bed and tackled Sirius with a tight hug, causing Sirius to fall back onto the bed.

"Thanks for the advice," Remus thanked quickly. He removed himself from the bed and checked himself in the mirror. The sandy-haired boy fixed his red tie so it was completely straight and he tucked his shirt in attempts to make himself more presentable.

He raked a hand through his messy hair and smiled to himself. "I gotta go, I gotta tell her how I feel!" Remus shouted eagerly.

As the werewolf sprinted out of the room, Sirius called after him, "GO MOONY! GO MOONY!"

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Remus doubled over in pain and his hands rested on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. It just occurred to the boy that it probably wasn't smart to go running around the entire castle for fifteen minutes straight right after he ate. Thoughts of Caroline flooded his mind and clouded his judgement. He should've gotten the map or owled her to meet him somewhere.

"Remus? Are you alright?" The voice of an angel filled Remus' ears and he instantly felt better although she didn't do anything medically. The werewolf stood and his back was straight so he was towering over her small figure.

"I was looking for you," he said, ignoring her question. One of Remus' warm hands cupped Caroline's face and the blonde suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach. "I have to tell you something, to do something actually."

Caroline's dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion but before she could ask what he wanted to tell her, Remus' head swooped downwards and their lips connected. Caroline's blue eyes fluttered shut in bliss. It felt just like the first time. Remus felt fireworks explode inside of him and his lips felt soft against hers. Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, and pulled him closer to her.

Eventually, Caroline pulled away and took a step back. He grinned at her and she smiled back happily. "I fancy you. Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

Caroline's smile vanished and Remus frowned slightly at her reaction. "I think it's great that you fancy me, Remus, because I fancy you too, but I can't."

"Oh. Are you busy? We can go two weekends from now, I can wait-"

"No, Remus, that's not it. Before, just now actually, Marlene and Lily and I wanted to bond more so we made a pact," Caroline said.

"What has that got to do with us?"

"We made a pact to swear off boys," Caroline responded nervously. She played with the sleeves of her dark red cardigan and looked at the marbled floor. "It's just, with the incident the other day when I kissed you, I just didn't think an issue like this would come up."

Clearly, she'd chosen the wrong wording because Remus frowned even more. "Issue?" he scoffed. "Is that what you view me as? An issue?"

"No, of course not," Caroline answered and shook her head for emphasis. "I think it's nice that you fancy me and that's definitely not an issue but I just can't date you right now. We can still talk and kiss sometimes but just not in public."

"How long is this pact of yours for?"

"6 months."

"6 months?" Remus spluttered.

Remus raked a hand through his hair and looked down at the girl before him. He could tell by the way she was avoiding eye contact that she was nervous. "I understand if you don't want that-"

"No, no, no, I do want that," Remus assured. He tried to grab Caroline's hands to calm her nerves but she flinched slightly and Remus let go immediately. "I'm sorry, I should've asked."

"No it's fine," Caroline said, smiling slightly. She thought it was sweet that he cared so much for her and wanted her to be comfortable. The Pettigrew girl grabbed his hands and intertwined them carefully with her own, causing Remus to smile again.

"What I was trying to say is that I'm okay with small kisses in broom closets," Remus said, gazing into her deep blue eyes. "I'm just glad that I can finally have you."

Caroline laughed easily and stood on her toes so she was a couple inches taller. Remus still had to tilt his head down and his floppy hair fell in front of his face. Caroline reached up and summoned a flower, placing it behind his ear so his hair didn't fall down as much but Remus didn't seem to notice.

He closed his eyes as Caroline kissed him. He felt her soft pink lips against his own and a familiar feeling of euphoria overcame him. He felt the warmth of her lips leaving him and he felt more empty and cold than he had before. When he opened his eyes again, she was gone.

Later that night, Remus entered the safety of his dorm and collapsed on his bed in happiness. He was still dazed from an event that occurred hours ago but when he closed his eyes, he imagined it over and over again, just replaying in his mind.

The sandy-haired boy heard someone imitate a whipping sound from nearby and he glanced in that direction to see Sirius grinning from ear to ear. "You are so whipped," he scoffed. Sirius had never seen his friend like that but he was just glad that someone was able to make him happy. "What's behind your ear?"

"Hmm?"

Sirius pointed to his own ear and Remus reached up to the place he was pointing to. Remus felt something behind his ear and pulled it off so he could see. "A flower."

"Did you go flower picking or something?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, something like that."