34: Remus Lupin - The Flirt

Warning! This oneshot is a little on the long side... whoops...

House: Gryffindor

 With confidence I flew through the sky quickly and caught the quaffle before it went through the hoops. The Gryffindor side cheered loudly as I threw the quaffle to our captain, James, who managed to get it through the Slytherins hoops. I cheered loudly but remained focused on the game, not wanting to miss a second. We were winning as I had saved most of our opponents goals, and I had the special gift of getting our supporters excited.

I spotted our seeker suddenly dive towards the grass and I smirked as the Slytherin seeker looked around frantically. The quaffle was heading my way though after James had scored another ten points for us, and one of the Slytherins beaters sent a bludger my way. I stylishly dodged it but I was now further away from the hoop the quaffle was about to fly through. As quickly as I could I sped towards it and managed to powerfully kick it back towards the Slytherin chaser who dropped it, Sirius then using his bludger bat to hit it towards James.

The crowd went crazy, chanting my name making me smirk in satisfaction. Seconds later our seeker managed to catch the snitch announcing the game over, Gryffindor winning by over three-hundred points. As a team we flew around the stadium, the boos from the Slytherins being drowned out by the cheers from the other houses.

I then spotted my favourite person in the crowd and with a mischievous smirk I flew over to him. "Hey Remus!" I smirked as I hovered in front of him. "Did you see my last save? Pretty awesome, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, congratulations (y/n)," he said and I smiled happily.

"Oi (y/n), quit flirting and get down here!" James called out to me.

"Sorry Remus, got to go, don't miss me too much, 'kay?" I teased, winking and flying down to James. I had an immense crush on Remus, my love for him probably stronger than the love James had for Lily. I found it hard not to fall for him, he was handsome, charming, intelligent and mischievous despite being considered as the sensible one of the Marauders.

"Why don't you hurry up and officially get together?" James asked as we flew over to the rest of the team to shake hands with our opponents.

"I don't know... I guess I like teasing him? Plus I want him to properly fall for me first," I said.

"Well then you're in luck, because I'm pretty sure he already likes you," James said.

"Really?" I asked eagerly and James laughed.

"Of course, he looks at you all the time when you're not looking. Why don't you ask him out at tonight's victory party?" He asked.

"Because I want him to ask me, you know, he could ask me to go on a classic midnight walk with him, the full moon gleaming down on the two of us... it'd be so romantic!" I said.

"Yeah good luck with that," I thought I heard James say.

"Huh?"

"Nothing! C'mon, let's get changed and head back to the school," James gestured the changing rooms and I nodded, heading into the girls to get dressed. I thought about what James had said I regards of Remus having feelings for me, and the thought of that possibly being true got me excited. I wanted to be his girlfriend so perhaps he was right when he said we should get together at tonights victory party.

I left the girls changing rooms with my head held high, confidence running through my veins which was enhanced by the win we had just had. Tonight was the night I was going to make something happen between Remus and I.

- Timeskip -

I was with the girls in our dorm room getting ready for the party when we heard the music blaring down in the common room. "Sounds like Sirius has begun the party," I chuckled, tying my headband around my head and slipping into my high-heeled boots.

"You trying to impress, (y/n)?" Marlene teased, poking my arm.

"Of course, tonight is the night Remus will fall for me," I flicked my hair, laughing.

"Honestly he doesn't need much 'falling', according to James he's already interested, you just need to pull at the right time," Lily said, her getting the inside gossip from the Marauders now that she was with James. I clapped my hands together and smirked, trusting Lily's judgement.

"C'mon girls, I think it's time to party!" Mary exclaimed, already a little drunk as we all stood in a circle, putting our hands in the middle like a cheerleaders squad before raising them in the air with a 'woo'. Together we made our way down the stairs, the girls saying I needed to go first as this was a celebration of the Quidditch match and I was the only seventh year girl on the team.

I found it almost comical when the chatter died down as we entered the common room, eyes turning towards us. Lily went straight over to James who was staring at her with wide eyes, apparently loving how she looked. I saw upon one of the tables that had been pushed to the side to make room for a dance floor several bottles of alcohol undoubtedly snuck in by the other seventh years. It was there, making up a drink that I saw my favourite person. "Hey Remus!" I called out to him as I approached him. "Make me one too," I winked, seeing him blush slightly.

"Sure," he said simply, handing me the one he had made for himself before making another.

"Aw, you're such a gentleman, Remus," I teased, pinching his cheek. "So, did you enjoy watching me today, on the Quidditch pitch?"

"It was a good game, and I will admit it, you played well," he said, us clinking our glasses together.

"'Well'? Is that all? I thought I played excellently," I smirked proudly and he chuckled.

"You did," he mumbled, looking down at his drink. Satisfaction filled me and we spent a while chatting together as the party began to get into full swing. Thankfully as it was a Saturday we were able to get drunk without caring about getting up early for school the next day. Remus and I stayed together for most of the night, only parting when I started doing a few shots with Marlene, then going on to dancing with her.

"He's looking at you," she teased, nodding her head in his direction. I turned to see that her statement was true and waved cheekily at him. He waved back much to my satisfaction but it was clear he was at least tipsy by his flushed cheeks and inability to stand without holding onto the sofa. "Go and flirt with him! Now's your chance!" She pushed me away from her and in the direction of Remus but I didn't care how obvious she was being. Tonight was the night I was going to seduce him and make him my boyfriend.

"Hey there," I approached him, successfully keeping my balance.

"Hey," he mumbled, not tearing his eyes away from me.

"There's no other keeper better than me, is there Remus," I said, flicking my hair making him chuckle.

"You're right," he said, my heart beating quickly.

"Come on, lets dance!" I tugged on his hand but he stood rooted to the spot.

"I don't dance," he said and I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"So what do you do? Just stand at the side like a wallflower?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Pretty much," he said and I sighed dramatically.

"Looks like you need some company," I said, looking around the room at the other Marauders: James and Lily were dancing, Sirius was snogging Marlene and Peter was trying to chat up some sixth year girls. "That way you won't look so lame!"

"Wow, thanks," he said sarcastically making me laugh. I held onto his arm, something I'd always wanted to do as an official couple but we weren't there yet.

"Remus, can we go somewhere private?" I asked and saw a brilliant blush appear on his cheeks.

"Er... s-sure," he seemed so uncertain. Still I took him by the hand and dragged him to the staircase that led up to the boys dormitories. The music was quieter here, and as everyone was in the common room dancing we were alone, and unlikely to be interrupted. "What's up?" He asked, trying to be as casual as possible.

"So James told me something earlier," I started with and his eyes widened. "He told me that you like me, as more than a friend," I teased, tapping his nose. He stepped back a little and gulped.

"Yeah... I do..." he mumbled and I smiled, my heart feeling overwhelmed with happiness.

"Well that's good, because in case you haven't noticed I like you too," I laughed.

"I have noticed," he said, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well then..." I stepped closer to him, him stepping back again until his back hit the wall. "Why don't you kiss me?"

"(y-y/n), I- er- b-because I-," before he could finish his excuse however I leant in and pressed my lips against his, warmth flooding through my body. For a second it seemed as though he was resisting but he finally began kissing me back, it feeling romantic and heavenly despite our drunk states. We had to part to breathe but a moment later our lips were locked back onto each others, this time in a much more heated exchange.

Our tongues entered each others mouths, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist and pulling me up to his body. My arms were wrapped around his neck, refusing to let go as intimacy and desperate longing for each other took over. It felt passionate and heavenly, knowing that I was kissing the guy I had immense feelings for.

- Timeskip -

I woke up with an incredible headache. The light seeping through the windows was blinding and I looked at my bedside clock to see it was 10:30. I glanced at the beds either side of me and saw that the other girls were still asleep. I tried to recall some of the memories of last night, staying laid down so that my head didn't pound from the hangover I was feeling.

Slowly memories came back of the dancing, the people and most importantly, Remus. As soon as I thought about the passionate kisses we exchanged I could somehow still feel them on my lips, making me reach up and touch them. My heart was thudding loudly, annoyingly unable to remember if we had actually made us official or not. All that swirled around in my head was the amazing passion of the heated kiss, him seeming just as desperate for it as I was.

I smiled in satisfaction, the memories coming back to me in full however I never actually remembered making us official. Ignoring my pounding headache I stood up, knowing I needed to see Remus as soon as possible so we could talk about last night and officially become a couple.

The excitement drowned out the pain in my head as I changed out of my pyjamas before heading to the Great Hall, the magnificent breakfast already making my stomach gurgle. I saw that the Marauders were already sat at the Gryffindor table, Sirius and Remus looking particularly sluggish - Sirius was even wearing sunglasses.

"Hey guys," I smiled, James and Peter returning the greeting whilst Sirius just hummed. Remus glanced up at me before looking awkwardly back down at his food. "Can I sit here?" I spoke directly to him, gesturing the empty space beside him.

"Sure," he said moving slightly.

"So did everyone enjoy the party?" I smiled, immediately putting slices upon slices of toast on my plate. Sirius just hummed again, clearly too hungover to form sentences.

"Yeah, it was pretty good," James said somewhat bashfully, smiling to himself undoubtedly thinking about Lily.

"And you Remus?" I looked up at him, gently moving my hand on top of his but he suddenly pulled his own away.

"It was fine," he said dismissively.

"I think you thought it was a little better than 'fine'," I teased him, reaching out and taking ahold of his hand again.

"Wait, did something happen between you?" James asked, pointing his finger at us.

"Yes-," I was about to speak when Remus' harsh words stopped me.

"No, nothing at all," he said simply, standing up and storming away. My heart cracked a little, but irritation fuelled my getting up and chasing after him. He'd reached the Entrance Hall just outside the Great Hall before I'd managed to catch up with him.

"Remus! Remus!" I called out to him, grabbing his shoulder. He turned around sharpish, a rare anger in his eyes.

"What do you want?"

"To talk about what happened last night! You're acting like it was a bad thing, what happened between us," I said, putting my hands on my hips. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "What Remus? Last night was incredible, wouldn't you want to do it again as my boyfriend?" I teased, pressing my hand against his chest. He pushed me away however and stepped back a few paces.

"No! No I don't want to be with you! Last night was a stupid mistake! Just get over it (y/n)!" He shouted, attracting the attention of everyone in the vicinity which included the Marauders as they stood in the doorway to the Great Hall, having apparently followed us. I however felt my heart crack in two as I stared at the man I was so in love with shout at me and tell me that I was a mistake.

Despite feeling as though my whole world had come crashing down, I kept on the bravest face I could. The silence around us was so thick it could be cut with a knife. I looked for any form of regret on his face but there was none. I bit my lip, refusing to cry in front of him despite the fact I was in so much internal pain. "O-okay... I'll do that," I mumbled, walking quickly past him and towards the moving staircase knowing that I needed to get back up to the common room as soon as possible.

When I finally got to the dorm room I burst it open, startling the girls inside but not caring. "(y/n)... what's wrong?" Lily asked quickly, sitting up in her bed. I just shook my head and went to my own, the tears finally leaking from my eyes as I collapsed face first onto the mattress, crying into the sheets. Around me I heard the girls moving and felt a few comforting hands rub my back soothingly.

Once I had calmed down I told the girls what had happened, feeling more and more foolish with each detail. "But James told me he had feelings for you... I don't understand why he'd act that way if he had feelings for you!" Lily exclaimed angrily.

"Did something else happen at the party? Something that might've frustrated him?" Mary asked and I shrugged.

"Not that I can think of, I mean we were together pretty much the whole time," I said, racking my brains but I came up empty handed. "I thought we... I thought we had a chance together... I mean was he just kissing me because he was horny?!"

"Well he is a guy," Marlene said and I scoffed.

"He's an idiot, that's what he is," I hissed.

"I just don't understand why James would say Remus likes you if he was just going to act this way... James and Black know Remus better than anyone, and they definitely wouldn't lie about something like this," Lily said, tapping her chin.

"Look you guys I- I think I'm gonna go on a walk," I whispered, deciding to head down to the quidditch pitch which was always my safe haven.

- Timeskip -

I felt humiliated and the pain didn't leave me. I kept on hearing his words repeatedly in my mind, and each time just brought more and more aching. The sad thing was I was still in love with him - my love for him wasn't like a switch that could be turned off at random.

It was obvious to the people around me that I had changed. I had gone from being the outgoing, loud and admittedly slightly arrogant person to being the somewhat quiet, keeping to herself kind of girl. During quidditch matches I had even stopped riling up the crowd and instead focussed on the game. The opposing teams often liked to shout insults about what had happened to throw me off my game, it having been gossip that spread around the school like wildfire which only made me more embarrassed.

A month had passed and I realised that it wasn't his fault if he didn't reciprocate the feelings I had for him. Sure getting my hopes up only to humiliate me still stung but if he didn't feel that way about me there was nothing I could do, so slowly I began to open up again and join in with conversations in the common room. We'd never talk directly as I noticed he too had been avoiding me, but we still sat with our friends again, the Gryffindor girls and boys having gotten a lot closer since James and Lily got together.

One night we were all occupying the sofas and armchairs around the large fire, me sat on the floor leaning against the sofa. I didn't participate in the conversation and merely listened, staring into the fire but occasionally glancing at James and Lily who were snuggled together on one of the armchairs secretly wishing that could be Remus and I. Quickly I glanced up at the man I still loved, seeing him fiddling with some of the frayed fabric on the sofas arm.

I turned back to the fire and using the poker I was holding, started poking at it for no reason. I was deep in thought, still finding it difficult to even be in his presence, let alone talk to him. "You know what guys, I think... I think I'm gonna go to bed," I said, checking my watch and seeing it was 22:10.

"Er... yeah, me too," Remus suddenly said, making my eyes widen and look towards him. I was surprised to see he was already looking at me.

"Really? Okay, well goodnight guys," Sirius said, the whole group then murmuring their goodnights. Awkwardly I walked in front of him towards the stairs that led to the dorms, but he was close on my heel. When we stopped at the staircase I refused to look up at him and just wanted to get out of his company.

"Well... goodnight," I mumbled, turning quick on my heels to head up the stairs that led to the girls dorms.

"Wait, (y/n)!" He called after me and I stopped, turning around nervously. "Er..." he mumbled and I dared to glance up at him, him looking desperate to say something. "G-goodnight."

I just nodded and turned away, walking up the spiral staircase until I was out of sight where I stopped as I heard him swear and call himself an idiot. I gulped, shaking my head before heading to the dorm room and focussing on trying to get a good nights sleep which didn't happen.

- Timeskip -

Another couple of weeks passed and spring was in bloom. I decided that I had wallowed in self-pity long enough and was determined to come out of my shell I was trapped in. Now that the school gossip of my humiliation had died down I was able to walk through the halls without feeling embarrassed, although the occasional member of the 'Gang of Slytherins' as they so originally named themselves often liked to throw the odd insult.

Still I was asked on a date to the Three Broomsticks on the next Hogsmeade trip by a sweet boy from Hufflepuff, George Cunningham and I knew that this was my chance to get over Remus. I decided to make a little bit of an effort, picking out floral print flares and a basic top. I checked my watch, glancing around the entrance hall for my date, a part of me wishing he wouldn't turn up. I wasn't sure whether I even wanted to go on this date in the first place but the girls convinced me it'd be a good tactic to get over Remus.

I stared out of the doors to the courtyard beyond when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned, expecting to see George but to my surprise Remus stood there with a somewhat solemn expression. My mouth went dry as he opened his own in an effort to talk, but it seemed as though he had difficulty figuring out what he wanted to say. "Is that all?" I scoffed, trying to control my rapidly beating heart.

Forgetting about George I shrugged Remus' hand off of my shoulder and began walking away, out of the entrance hall but he caught up with me and grabbed my hand. "Wait, (y/n), I- I want to talk to you," Remus said quickly, squeezing my hand tightly. I stared at the man I still had feelings for, my heart in my mouth. Without thinking I nodded but snatched my hand back and followed him to an empty corridor.

"What do you want?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Merlin I hate this," he growled, clutching onto his hair. "I hate you ignoring me, hating me, I hate what I've done to you and I hate myself," he said. I didn't know what to say so remained quiet, wondering if there was more. "I was so horrible to you and I'm so sorry, because the truth is... the truth is I like you as more than a friend..."

My eyes widened and my heart missed several beats. "I'm sorry... what?" I hissed, wondering if I had misheard things.

"I... like you... r-romantically," he mumbled, looking into my eyes. I stood frozen on the spot, his words from months ago about not wanting to be with me spinning around in my head causing confusion.

"Then why have you put me through hell over the past months?!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "Do you know how humiliated I've felt?! Do you know how much people have been laughing at me behind my back?! Do you have any idea how insulted I felt, you making me think we had a chance of being together only for you to humiliate me in front of crowds of people?! How dare you suddenly have the audacity to say you like me after that!"

"I'm sorry (y/n)!" He shouted and I spotted tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to turn you down like I did, I didn't mean to shout at you like that, you just deserve so much better than me, I won't be able to give you what you want, I won't be able to be a good boyfriend. You deserve someone who can give you the world, and that person isn't... isn't me..." his voice trailed off at the end and even more anger sparked inside of me.

"I think I'll decide who I deserve, Lupin," I said bitterly and he flinched.

"You don't understand (y/n)," he whispered.

"'Understand'? You're right, I don't understand. You string me along for ages, making me think we had a chance of being together then when something happens you turn down the chance of making whatever we had official! And now after months of humiliation you come crawling back to me, admitting that you like me but then saying that you don't want to be with me?!"

"I'm a werewolf (y/n)!" Remus suddenly shouted, a few tears falling from his eyes as he gripped his top. A deadly silence fell between us as I tried to soak in this information. I stared at him, trying to comprehend such news. I had never met a werewolf before and never expected one to attend a school filled with hundreds of students. I had admittedly never wanted to meet one, as I learnt about how scary and vicious they could be in Care of Magical Creatures, however knowing now that Remus was one made my whole perspective of the beast change.

Things began to fall into place like a jigsaw - his scars, him sometimes missing classes without getting into trouble, his nickname, his fondness of rare meat. I couldn't help but stare at him in shock, watching as he put his head in his hands and collapse against the wall, sliding down it and curling into a ball. "Wow... I did not see that coming," I admitted, still trying to wrap my head around this bit of information. He just nodded against his knees, refusing to look up.

After I had managed to get over the initial shock of this news, I wondered why he had still turned me down. He was a werewolf for twelve hours maximum each month, so I didn't understand why that meant he couldn't have a girlfriend especially if he just admitted to liking me. For the moment however I decided to put that aside, as seeing him upset hurt me a little. I let out a sigh and rubbed my eyes, before sitting down beside him. "I had no idea," I said simply, leaning back against the wall. He just hummed, wiping his eyes fiercely with the back of his hand. "Can I ask you something?" I added and he nodded. "Does being a werewolf mean you can't have a girlfriend?"

"No but- but I'm a monster..." he mumbled. He needed me to be a friend right now, so that was exactly what I was going to be.

"Ah, I see. Yeah, werewolves are beasts aren't they. Class five on the Ministry of Magic scale," I said and he flinched. "But right now, right this very second you're Remus Lupin. An ordinary human being. Right now I'm talking to a chocolate addict who's mischievous yet a prefect, always has a book in his hands and folds every piece of clothing he owns. Remus Lupin is not a monster," I said, looking him directly in the eye. His lip began to quiver and tears formed in his eyes again as I smiled slightly.

Suddenly he leant in and pressed his lips gently against mine, startling me. I didn't have time to react or even think before he pulled away, apologising under his breath and hiding his head in his knees again. My eyes were wide as I stared at him, my heart racing. He seemed so confused and lost. "Do you hate me (y/n)?" He whispered and I sighed.

"I hate what you said to me," I admitted and he curled in on himself more. "But I don't hate you. In fact I'm quite fond of you."

He looked up quickly in surprise. "Really? After everything I said?"

"I know, I'm surprised too but my feelings for you aren't like a switch, I couldn't just turn them off," I said.

"But you were about to go on a date with another guy," he said.

"In an effort to try and get over you. Listen Remus, I don't give a damn if you're a werewolf because I fell for you without even knowing, and now that I do know it hasn't changed the way I feel about you. What matters now is how you feel. It seems as though your heart is telling you you like me, but your head is telling you that you're not worthy of me despite the strong feelings I have for you. So whichever you choose to listen to will either make me stay here with you or stand up and go on this date with George. Which will it be?" I asked simply. He was silent before he hid his head in his knees once more. He clutched onto his hair tightly, apparently unsure on what to do but that gave me a clear enough answer. "Right," I said, sadness filling me once more as I thought perhaps we had a chance to mend what had happened between us and finally end up together but his hesitation told me otherwise. I stood up and brushed my dress. "See you, Remus-,"

Suddenly he stood up and grabbed my hands, pulling me right up to him and pressing his lips firmly against mine. He wrapped his arms around my waist, refusing to let me go and I couldn't help but smile against his lips, happily kissing him back. I brought my hands up to cup his cheeks, feeling the tracks his tears had made and wiping them away. It was definitely the sweetest and most loving kiss we had shared and I never wanted it to end, but we had to pull away to breathe. Our foreheads rested against each other, both of our eyes closed as we soaked up the hold we had on each other. "I love you (y/n)," he whispered and I couldn't fight the smile that appeared on my lips.

"I love you too Remus," I whispered back, happy to hear him say it and to be able to say it back. "But you still need to earn my forgiveness for the last couple of months," I teased, tapping his nose.

"I'll do anything for you," he whispered. I couldn't help but hug him, snuggling up against his chest lovingly. It felt perfect, being in his hold and him pecking my head through my hair. Him holding me like this made all the pain I'd felt over the past couple of months disappear and be replaced with feelings of happiness and love, which I adored.