In Which Remus and I Talk
I borrowed the Cloak and snuck out of the portrait hole in the middle of the night down to the statue of the one-eyed witch, ready to do some shopping. Well, stealing. But it doesn't count as stealing if you leave money on the counter.
I hurried down the passageway, knowing I only had a few hours before Gilderoy woke up. I first needed to go to Honeydukes, to get candy, and then to Phoebe's Flower Shoppe, for a bouquet. I had more than enough time.
Coming out of the passage into the Honeydukes cellar, I snuck quietly up the stairs into the shop. I proceeded to stuff my sweatshirt with Chocolate Frogs, Sugar Quills, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Pink Coconut Ice, which Gilderoy mentioned liking once. After leaving a handful sickles on the counter, I hurried out the front door onto the freezing street, praying Pheobe was still awake at this hour, making her bouquets for the next day.
After hurrying through the thin layer of snow that still remained on the streets, I reached Pheobe's shop. The lights were on, and after peering through the window I saw Pheobe surrounded by her flowers in the middle of the floor. Tentatively, I knocked on the door.
Pheobe knows me because of James. That is, because of the missions that James sends me on to get flowers for his latest declaration of love to Lily, who definitely has no interest in him. Unfortunately, she's accustomed to these late-night visits, since James sees any party as an opportunity to ask Lily out.
She hurried over to the door to unlock it and let me in.
"Here for the lilies again?"
She steps over a pile of little yellow daisies to where the freshly cut lilies were stacked.
"Actually, no."
I take a deep breath. I don't know why this is embarrassing. I'm getting them for my friend. Who has not bones in his left arm.
"No? Finally got yourself a girlfriend, have you Petey?"
"What? No! No, not a girlfriend. I'm getting them for a boy. My close friend. He vanished his bones."
"Hmm, and you've come to get him flowers at--what is it--two in the morning?"
She smiles like she knows something.
"Yes, because it's nice to wake up to flowers when you're done re-growing your bones. He likes lilacs."
Pheobe nods, and picks up lilacs as well as some little white flowers, big leaves, and pink roses, weaving them together.
We sit in silence while she finishes the arrangement. I pray the chocolate in my sweater isn't melting.
She finally finishes, and I try to pay her but she waves my hand away.
"Don't worry about it. It's my baby's first time giving flowers to someone. It's on me."
"Pheobs, it's 2 am."
"And I'd be up anyway. Hurry along now and go make your friend a nice get-well card!"
She blew a kiss out the door as I ran back to Honeydukes to take the passage back to school.
After making the journey back to the dorms, it was getting a little too close to morning for comfort. By that I mean it was 3 am. I pulled the curtain around my bed and lit my wand. I was going to take Pheobe's advice and make Gilderoy a get-well card.
About an hour later, I had done my best to draw the bouquet Pheobe made me onto a folded piece of parchment. 'Get Well Soon!' was written across the top as neat as I could get it, and I must admit it looked amazing. I was just tying it to the bow on the bouquet when Sirius' curtains opened a crack and Remus slipped out. He froze when he saw me.
"Pete! How long have you been up..."
He glanced at the flowers, then the sweets, and lastly made eye contact with me, sitting on the floor tying a card to a massive stupid purple bow.
"Peter, have you got a girlfriend I don't know about?"
"No..."
I suddenly felt a little ashamed. And very hot. I might be doing too much for Gilderoy. It was just a couple of bones.
"Right, what's all this then?"
"It's...it's for Gilderoy."
"Lockhart?"
"Yeah. He broke his arm. I thought it might be fun to wake up to some sweets, and then I went to Pheobe's...do you think it's too much? I was going to run it down before he woke up."
Remus was nodding, a smile creeping over his face.
"Pete,"
I knew that tone.
"Pete, do you think you've got a crush on Gilderoy?"
Oh. That caught me off guard. I opened my mouth to respond.
"No, before you say anything, think about it. You hang around him all the time, you know what flowers he likes obviously, that night you two studied you came back looking a little dazed, and you're doing all this for a broken arm. And you're really, really red right now, so I want you to be honest with me."
I tried to deny wha he was saying, but even I couldn't explain away the way my face was heating up.
"I-I might."
Be so serious. I do. I'm definitely crushing on Gilderoy.
Remus grinned.
"I knew it. Now run along, bring him his sweets. You can talk to me if you need help accepting it later."
I scooped up the sweets and flowers and hurried down to the hospital wing to arrange it on Gilderoy's bedside table.
I turned to leave, but felt a hand grab my wrist.
"Pete?"
My heart rate skyrocketed.
Gilderoy's eyes were half open, and he quickly dropped my wrist when I turned around.
"Yeah?"
"My arm hurts." He stuck out his arm and I heard his joints pop.
"I-that's probably normal."
I, too, was trying to be normal. Gilderoy opened his eyes and his jaw dropped.
"Pete! This isn't all for me, is it?"
"What? Oh, yeah. It's not much. It was supposed to be a surprise."
"Not much? No one's ever done this much for me before! Thank you."
He reached out and squeezed my hand.
"You even remembered I like lilacs! You are just the greatest friend."
Friend.
Yes, I guess I am a good friend. Or I would be, if this whole thing hadn't started because of his damn cologne and is going to end because I ended up falling for the man. How does that even happen?
"Anything for you, Gilderoy."
I said it quietly, but I secretly hope he heard. I didn't look back as I walked out of the room, leaving the presents and the man I may be in love with behind.