Class of 78’

Around 9:30 James had made the announcement that the celebration was over, but Clem never came down for it. She truly did feel bad since she knew James had put a lot of effort into it. She tried to go down but would see Sirius and begin to lose control of herself so she just gave up. The music had stopped, and after a while, she assumed it was safe to go down. She checked in a mirror to make sure she didn’t look insane before going down. Once downstairs she saw the boys and her friends sitting near the fire with drinks. The common room was already clean, courtesy of Lily she assumed. She ignored all of them and began to make yet another cup of tea.
“Clem,” Lily spoke out softly, smiling.
“Come sit with us.” Clem decided to sit criss-crossed near Lily's feet on the floor. All the couch space was taken. Lily is on the corner with James next to her. Remus had his own chair, Sirius sitting on the arm of his chair. While Peter was sleeping on the loveseat, she didn’t bother waking him since he was asleep on Marlene. While Marlene was reading something for class. “Do you want my seat Clemmy?” James asked his voice soft and kind, she shook her head and leaned her head on Lily’s knee.
“Okay,” He replied softly, Lily began to run her fingers through her hair as they all talked about whatever came to mind. Remus cleared his throat in attempts to get Clem’s attention. He passed her a bottle of fire whiskey, she smiled and filled her mug.
“Thanks,” she said softly.
Sirius watched the two of them exchange eye contact and the way Remus was always gentle around her. He knew something was going on but he wanted to ignore it for his own heart. Marlene closed her book and ever so slightly moved Peter off of her careful to not disturb him. She walked over to Clem and gave her a light hug and kiss on her temple.

“I’m going up, early day tomorrow.” Looking at James in annoyance, hinting that she was given an extra day of practice since she missed the game. Clem chuckled,
“On a Sunday is harsh, even for you” She teased, her voice husky. Marlene did the same to Lily and went upstairs, leaving the Marauders, Lily, and Clem in the room.
“So,” Sirius said awkwardly, “Can we talk about earlier?” He asked cautiously, looking at Clem. She took a deep breath and a large swig of whiskey, passing it to James next. He did the same, offering it to Lily who passed.
“His brother called me a Mudblood.” She whispered, Lily gasped and stopped playing with her hair.
“Are you serious?” She asked, with rage in her voice.
Clem nodded, “He said I disgust him.” Lily scoffed.
“But you aren’t even a…” She hesitated. Clem didn’t talk much about her family.
“He thinks I am since Dad is gone and it’s just me and Mom” Clem interrupted. The boys didn’t dare to ask, but Remus knew because he went through the exact same thing.
“Regulus is just saying what he hears our parents say. He’s a tape recorder at this point.” Sirius adds.
“This was Regulus?” Lily asked, slightly raising her voice.
Clem nodded, “He apparently wants nothing to do with me, which is odd since we aren’t associated with each other anymore.” Sirius looked at Clem, trying to examine her body language.
“Just spit it out Padfoot” Remus adds, “You’re practically screaming it.”

“Did you and Reg ever get together?” Sirius asked, Clem paused almost as if she was stone. “No. He tried, and he admitted he had grown feelings for me, wanting to start seeing each other but I said no. Told him I needed to get myself together before I could be with anyone. And he said he’d wait for me. This was also right after everything with my dad, so I just was in a dark place. Which is why I was friends with them in the first place, they had things to make me numb.” Clem stopped, knowing if she continued she’d start crying.
Lily began to weave her fingers through her hair again, trying to put her at ease. Another swig. “But no, nothing ever happened. I think once we were drunk we made out, but nothing serious. I told him it was a mistake the next day.” Sirius made a gagging noise, which was followed by a slap to the back of his head from Remus.
“Ow,” he whined.
“That’s disgusting. Regulus is gross.” Peter mumbled, sitting up slowly.
“Dodged a bullet there mate,” James added.
“He’s Mr. Woe is me. No offense Sirius. But sometimes I wish you could just sock him in the face.” Peter continues, swinging an uppercut into the air.
Clem snorted, “I will say, Sirius did get the good looks gene.” Sirius clenched his heart and looked at Remus.
“See Moony, girls think I’m pretty!” flashing a grin, “I’m a pretty princess to girls.” He added. Remus scoffed and pushed him off the seat.
“Sit with Peter. You smell like wet dog and alcohol” He scrunched his nose. James looked over at Clem and gave a sympathetic smile.
“I’m sorry Reg was an asshole.” She shrugged and took another swig from the bottle.
“Careful Clem,” Lily said softly. She shooed her hand at Lily as if to say it’s fine. She threw another log into the fire and watched as the flames danced around each other. She had always loved the smell of firewood, which brought a sense of peace and calm into her mind.
“So Lily,” James cleared his throat.
“The boys and I are going into town tomorrow, you guys wanna come?” He asked, Clem took a rather large swig of the whiskey.
“Sure” Clem responded.
“We have nothing better to do,” Lily added. Lily tried to take the bottle away from her, she had drunk more than half the bottle. Clem got up and walked away, the bottle hugged against her chest. Lily followed.
“Clem come on, you’ve almost finished the bottle” She shook her head and continued to walk around with it, avoiding Lily. James soon got involved to help but it made things worse.
“Clem come on, it’s late too” James added. Clem began to get upset, her words slowly mixing together. Shaking her head, she tightened her grip.
“No, let me finish this bottle” Clem protested. She attempted to chug the rest of it, which didn’t work. She choked slightly causing her to loosen her grip on the bottle. Remus quickly nabbed it from her, holding it above his head, and locked it back in the cabinet behind one of the portraits. “Thank you.” Lily mouthed at him.
Clem rolled her eyes before throwing her coat on and walked out into the halls. Lily sighed, placing her hands on her hips.
“I got it Lils, just do my rounds for me,” Remus replied, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “What’s with you two?” Sirius asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.
“Nothing Pads, we barely know each other. I just know how to handle this situation, I’ve been there.” He said calmly, his back to Sirius as he swung the door open. Lily looked at James with a slight concern after Remus left.
“He’s your guys’ friend. Is this normal?” she asked, James looked at her confused.
“He’s your friend too you know. You know this isn’t like him” He responded with a slight sass, placing his hand on his hip. Plopping back onto the couch, group the three of them continued to chat and waited for Remus to return with Clem. This semester had just started but they had all gotten close in such a short period of time, James had opened up to Lily about how he felt nervous to approach Clem since he knew she didn’t agree with his ways. Lily added to this saying she agreed with Clem but that was beside the point. Sirius added how he thought Clem was cool and wanted to try to integrate her into their friend group. Lily had always been a part of their group to a degree, they all sat together on the way to Hogwarts their first year, granted it didn’t end well. They knew each other. Pete had fallen back asleep before any of this and they let him sleep there instead of trying to move the bigger boy to bed.

Remus on the other hand knew where Clem was and was desperately trying to get to her. Almost racing to the astronomy tower. It was cold outside, the wind pierced through his coat, he couldn’t imagine how cold she was. He ran up the stairs and saw the familiar shadow staring up at the stars.
As he got closer he heard sniffles, “Clem, come on. Let’s go back, please. It’s cold” He said softly, closing his jacket to keep himself warm. He didn’t dare to get closer. She shook her head, wiping her face of what he could only expect were tears.
“I need to be alone right now.” She said softly.
“No, Clem that’s the last thing you need. Come inside.” He continued, stepping closer.
“Like you know me, Go away Remus.” She snapped, her voice shaking slightly. He took a step back, the sound of a lighter caught her attention. Her ears pricked up to the sound, he blew the smoke out the side of his mouth.
“Give me one,” She said, he shook his head.
“You’re drunk.”
She scoffed, “So?” she held out her hand.
He ignored her hand, placing the lighter in his jacket pocket.
“Please Remus,” She said softly, he didn’t want to give in. The drinking was enough in his opinion, why have both when she’s hurting? But the way she looked at him made it difficult, her green eyes weren’t just sad. They were heartbroken, she had lost a friend today, called mean things, rehashed past traumas, and was exhausted from the game. She was happy this morning, bathing in the sun with her book. He sighed before digging the box out of his back pocket. She smiled softly and lit the one given to her, turning back to look at the stars. She tilted her head upwards and blew the smoke into the sky.
“Thanks.” she smiled, looking at him. Remus chuckled,
“For feeding an addiction? I’m sure Lily-”
“No” she interrupted, “For coming up here. You were right, I think I’d pitch myself off the tower if I was alone.” She scoffed. Remus closed his eyes, trying not to imagine the thought of losing another friend.
“I’m glad I came then.” He replied softly.
The two didn’t speak much after that. After they finished, Remus was able to convince her to come back with him to the common room. They walked in a comfortable silence through the halls. Once inside James’ head popped up over the couch. Lily was asleep, her elbow resting on the armrest with her head propped up.
“Hey guys,” He whispered, Clem smiled and went over to Lily, putting her on her back like many nights before.
“What time did we wanna go to town tomorrow?” She whispered, Sirius looked at James who looked at Remus. Remus looked around frantically as if there was someone else to look at. “Don’t look at me” He responded putting his hands in the air.
“Let’s say 1?” James smiled. She nodded and began going upstairs.
“Night Clem,” Remus said softly, from the bottom of the stairs. She turned to look at him and gave a gentle smile.
“Night Remus.” James patted Remus on the back, raising his eyebrows in a joking way. He rolled his eyes and began to head to his dormitory. Sirius silently following behind him.

“Remus I really think you should come.” James sighed, throwing on his jumper and fiddling with his hair in the mirror, He sighed still sitting in bed. Sirius was digging around for his leather coat,
“I agree, it’ll be good for you to get some fresh air away from the grounds before the full moon.” once Sirius found it he held it up in the air as he was folded over to the ground,
“Got it.”
Remus was nervous about going into town, he was already getting aches and pains since tonight was the full moon.
“I don't know guys, I just don’t think I’m up for it.”
Peter peaked his head out from the bathroom, a toothbrush lodged in the side of his mouth.
“I’ll make you a deal, I’ll be your plus one and if you want to leave we can leave together so no one freaks out about you leaving by yourself” He muffles, flashing a toothy smile before going back to brushing his teeth. Remus sighs and throws his feet to the side of the bed, heading towards his dresser.
“Fine, but no one gets upset if I leave after an hour.” Sirius threw his arms around Remus giving him a dramatic kiss on the cheek,
“You coming means the most.” his cheeks becoming a light hue of pink. Remus rolled his eyes, Sirius still clung onto him, shifting through his closet. He picked out his usual plain t-shirt and dark cardigan, dress pants, and his loafers. James dressed in a team sweater and jeans. The boys were downstairs and in their usual spot before the girls, which was expected. James was studying game plans for the Ravenclaw game. Peter decided to grab a plate of lunch from the great hall. Sirius was reading a magazine with half-naked women on it, which wasn’t unusual he liked seeing people's reactions. Remus however was a bottle of nerves, his leg bouncing while reading. His tea wasn’t helping either, Sirius noticed and placed a gentle hand on his knee, not even glancing upward.

“Lils why hyper-fixate on your hair when it’s windy outside.” Lily gave a glare through the mirror at Clem who was throwing on a sweater on top of her white graphic tee. She continued to fiddle with the braids in her hair, pulling strands out to frame her face.
“I’m just saying for someone who doesn’t care and/or like James you fuss a lot with your appearance when we are with them.” She teased.
“Oh whatever” Lily scoffed, reaching for her black coat, “Don’t act like whatever you and Remus are doing went unnoticed.”
Clem turned to face Lily, “There’s nothing there. We don’t know each other.” She responded, her tone slightly annoyed. She didn’t understand why everyone had become hyper-fixated on her and Remus. She was telling the truth, they never really spoke. Lily cocked her head to the side with a slight smile.
“I’m only teasing.” She adds, lacing her shoes. She grabs her bag from her chair, slinging it over her shoulder.
“Let’s go, I’m sure they’re waiting on us.” Lily smiles, holding her hand out for Clem.

“Lils!” James smiled, craning his head over the couch. He rolled himself off and got up to her. “Are we ready?” He asked the group, beginning to walk out the door.
He held the door for all of them, making sure to smile at the portrait before leaving.
“So, where did we want to go?’” Peter asked, Lily smiled at Clem,
“Someone has been craving a butterbeer lately” she replied, Clem rolled her eyes, adjusting her strap further onto her shoulder.
“Ok, so three broomsticks, anywhere else?” James looked at Remus, his expression looked as if someone had just died. He was a jittery mess, unable to think straight, his back and legs in a tense state.
“Maybe a certain bookstore on the way back?” He continued, nudging Remus. He kept his eyes forward, almost dazed, and nodded.
“I love the bookstore down there, good prices.” Clem smiled, swinging Lily’s arm down the hallway.
“So butterbeer then bookstore. Sounds like a plan” Peter adds.
As they make their way out of the castle it feels less that the groups were together and more that they were following each other. Lily and Clem walked behind the boys, talking about Slughorn and exams coming up. The boys however were scheming their next prank on Snape. Laugher came from the boys, mostly James and Sirius.
“That’s so good James!” Sirius barked, “He wouldn’t see it coming.”
Clem and Lily locked eyes knowing what they were talking about. Clem rolled her eyes hard, catching up to them.
“Will you ever get tired of pranks?” She complained. James shook his head along with Sirius. Remus looked at her and shot a disapproving look, his mouth pressed into a straight line.
“You guys are so immature” Lily added. As the village got closer they formed a long line, all walking together.
The girls are in the middle, James and Remus on either side, Sirius near Remus, and Peter next to James.
“You should be worrying but the upcoming exams, not the next prank on an innocent classmate!” she added.
“We have to release our stress somehow.” James grinned, Lily hit his arm hard.
“Ow!” he whined, rubbing his arm. Sirius chuckled, and both girls immediately craned their heads to look at him. Lily pointed an accusing finger, squinting her eyes
“You’re next.” She spat jokingly. Clem chuckled, admiring the town. Windowshopping the shops before Peter swung the door to Three Broomsticks.
“I’ll get us a booth” Remus smiled.
James turned “You want anything?” He shook his head and walked towards the corner booth near the window.
The rest ordered a butterbeer, heading back to the table with one in hand. All squeezing into a booth. Remus and Peter on either end, Clem and Lily next to Remus with James and Sirius on Lily’s side.
“So, Slughorn is announcing his new club members soon” Lily smiles, and Clem gave an exaggerated sigh, taking a sip of her butterbeer.
“Here we go.” She complained,
“What? I just think it would be cool if we could all go to his dinner party before the holiday!” She whined, stretching her arms out on the table.
“Lils, I love you but sometimes I do worry that you are a suck-up for teachers,” Clem replied, looking at her slightly concerned.
“He does seem a little, obsessive,” Remus adds, taking a sip from Sirius’ cup.
“Hey, get your own.” He complained, hugging the cup to his chest. James nodded in agreement. “Okay, well whatever, I still think the party would be fun for us.” She smiled.
“I don’t think you’re wrong in that aspect. I enjoy dressing up.” Clem replied, with a slight smile.
“All for this little club tho? Rubbish” Sirius spat. James rolled his eyes before taking another sip. Remus anxiously checked his watch, his leg bouncing.
“I need a smoke,” He said quietly, squeezing out of the booth. Clem watches as he left, she was able to gaze at him through the window. A cigarette sounded good, at least she thought, maybe she was wrong. Maybe being alone with him was what sounded good? She shook her head and focused back on Lily talking about Slughorn still.
“Lily please, can we talk about something else.” She groaned. Lily hummed,
“Okay, what about exams? How are we all feeling?” Sirius shook his head, Peter suddenly looking anywhere but at his friends.
“I could use a study partner,” James said coyly.
“I think all of us studying together could be good!” Lily beamed, taking a sip afterward.
“Most of us have strong suits others don’t so we can help each other” She continued. Clem shrugged,
“Sounds like a good idea honestly.” James agreed along with Sirius. Remus came back inside and grabbed his bag.
“Peter let's go.” He said bluntly, Peter obliged and said goodbye to everyone before leaving. Remus simply just left without saying anything.
“Is he okay?” Clem asked,
Lily smiled “I’m sure he is. Maybe he just doesn’t feel well?” looking at James who nodded softly.

Lily knew about Remus since her third year but knew to just keep it under wraps. She wanted to tell Clem but respected Remus and his fear of the entire situation. The sun had begun to set, the golden rays peering through the windows. All of their cups near empty, Sirius sighed, leaning further into the booth,
“We should start heading back soon.” He said to James, he checked his watch and nodded. “You guys coming with?” Clem shook her head.
“I’m gonna stay for a while longer”, Lily agreed and took out a book.
“Okay, see you guys tomorrow!” James smiled, walking away with Sirius.
“I’m worried about Remus Lils, He looked awful,” Clem said softly, not releasing focus from her novel.
Lily took a deep breath, “I know, but I’m sure he’s fine. Maybe he just hasn’t been sleeping well. That happens sometimes with him.” Clem agreed and flipped through her book a little more until the sun was completely gone.

“I wanna hit the bookstore before it closes, let's go.” Clem smiled, sliding her book back into her bag along with her wallet. Lily nodded and followed, walking out and clutching her jacket.
“It feels like it dropped a million degrees” Lily shivered. Clem chuckled, holding the door open into the bookstore.
“I’ll make it quick then.” Clem smiled, darting to the classics section.
“You never read classics, why are we in this section?” Lily asked, skimming through the books. “Who are you shopping for Clem?” she asked slyly. She sighed and turned towards the shelf. “Don’t read into it, but I want to get one for Remus. He’s been a really good person to have around and I want to thank him.” She said, concentrating on finding what she needed. She leans towards Dracula,
“Not that one,” Lily said, Clem groans.
“What would he like then?” She asks.
“Frankenstein?”
“Definitely not.” Lily replied, she skimmed through with Clem,
“What about the one you’re reading?” She asked, Clem shook her head.
“He said he read it already.”
Lily chuckled, “Of course he has.” Clem grabbed a book, reading the blurb, and ‘oo-ed’.
“What about this?” She asked, showing the cover. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Lily read the blurb and shrugged.
“Sounds like him.” She smiled, handing it back to her. Clem nodded and headed towards the checkout, picking out a dark leather bookmark to go with it with a quarter moon pressed in the corner.
“Just this please.” She asked politely. The older woman smiled and rang her out. Putting it into a dark blue bag.
“Thank you” Clem smiled, walking out with Lily.

Clem spent the rest of her night trying to come up with a way to give this to him without him thinking she was trying to say ‘I like you’. She decided to wrap it in the bag she was given. She turned the blue paper bag into wrapping paper, doodling on it small leaves, flowers, moons, books, coffee mugs, records, whatever reminded her of him. She used twine to wrap around so she could slide the bookmark in. She also decided instead of giving it to him in person she’d have Lily put it on his nightstand since she could get into the boy's room during her nightly rounds.

Remus,
I got you a ‘thank you’ for being there
when I was having a hard time.
I know we don’t truly hang out
But the moments in passing that we have
Or when we sit with the rest of our friends
Is nice.
I hope we can continue to grow a stronger connection
Thanks for the cigarette breaks,
and for checking on me.
It means a lot, I hope you know that
If you’ve already read this book
Just let me know, and I can take it back.
-Clem

She folded the note and slid it in with the bookmark. She was nervous he would react negatively, but she sincerely hoped not. Lily came up the stairs and walked into the dorm.
“Is that for him?” She asked, Clem nodded nervously.
“Can you put it on his nightstand?” She asked, Lily turned her lips into a straight line.
“Not tonight, I’ll do it in a few days okay?” Clem was confused about why she had to wait but didn’t ask questions. She knew him better after all.
“I’ll be back okay?” She smiled, heading back downstairs to do her nightly rounds.
Clem got ready for bed and put his gift in her drawer. She was nervous, and having to wait even longer made it worse but she trusted Lily’s word.