Power
September, 1977
Remus didn't like eavesdropping. He felt it a dishonest practice. The other Marauders were expert at it, but it made Remus uneasy.
He felt deeply uncomfortable, therefore, when he was stuck hiding in a broom closet as Lily and her friend Penny stopped directly in front of it to have a conversation.
"...really not that bad anymore," Lily was saying as the girls stopped in front of the door. "I mean, he's still a wanker, but really, it's James Potter we're talking about. He'll never not be a wanker."
Remus glanced over at Sirius with a raised eyebrow. Even in the dark of the closet, Remus could see that Sirius had pressed his ear against the door and was grinning widely.
"I don't know," said Penny with a smile in her voice. "I don't really see what you could see in Potter."
"He's a powerful wizard..."
"Who uses his power for evil..."
Remus could almost hear Lily's brow wrinkle. "Not anymore, though, that's what I'm trying to tell you. He's done nothing but good things for the past year... aside from pranking poor Sev every so often..."
Penny scoffed. "Lils, I just don't understand what you see in people. First you try to maintain that James Potter is a good guy, and now you are pitying Severus Snape, of all people. As far as I'm concerned, those two can blow each other up, they'd both have it coming."
Lily snorted in frustration. "Severus used to be a good friend. Now James is becoming a good friend. People change," she finished finally.
In the broom closet, Sirius had begun to bounce up and down with excitement. Remus, meanwhile, had taken out his wand and was mouthing promises to body-bind Sirius if he didn't calm down.
A light rustling of hair. "Lily, if you're looking for a powerful wizard to fall into the arms of, I've been telling you for years..."
"Penny, I just don't feel that way about Remus."
Both wizards stopped dead.
"Why not?" Penny asked incredulously. "He's handsome. He's twelve times more intelligent than Potter. You've been friends for years. And you've seen what he can do with a wand."
"There's no doubt that Remus is one of the more powerful wizards I have ever met," Lily admitted, not without affection, "and he is a very good friend of mine, I probably wouldn't have gotten through the OWLs without him..."
"Lily, be honest. Can you honestly say that you've never been attracted to him?"
"Well... no," Lily admitted.
Remus was backed up against the wall of the closet door, blood drained from his face. Sirius' expression also reflected shock.
"I've seen the expression on your face in DADA. When you aren't chatting with Potter, you're watching Remus. Face it, Lily, he's damn sexy when casting spells."
Lily didn't respond. Sirius was staring so hard at Remus that it appeared as though his eyes were about to fall out of his head.
"It's plain that he fancies you, Lily," Penny continued, now softly. "You know I've held a torch for him since fourth year, but I have to admit that he's far better suited for you than me. I just hate to see such potential go to waste," she concluded.
'You fancy her?' Sirius was mouthing. Remus stared at the ceiling in mortification.
"The thing about Remus is that he's very calm, collected, rational, everything I'm, well, not," she concluded. "Admittedly, I see a lot of passion in Remus when he's casting spells, but James is passionate about everything he does. Even if it is 'plain' that Remus fancies me... well... he hasn't made it apparent to me, has he? I want someone bold."
"And Potter is certainly that," Penny said, voice dripping with venom. "But he wears his emotions on his sleeve all the time. Remus is mysterious, stoic..."
Lily's tone was terse. "When you know the story behind his mystery, Pen, he's quite a bit more straightforward."
Penny sighed; feet shuffled. "All right, then. You feel free to pass up the best wizard you could ever have in favour of James bloody Potter." The girls' voices began to drift away.
"Really, though," Lily said fondly, "James is quite a wizard once you get to know him..."
Remus and Sirius stood in silence for several minutes. "I'm sorry, Moony," Sirius said sincerely.
Remus pursed his lips. "Don't tell James, okay?"
Sirius nodded. "Not a word." Sirius paused. "Except perhaps about the fact that Evans is starting to fancy h... ah... hair... products," Sirius recovered lamely. "He'll be thrilled, that mane always put him off a bit..."
Remus rolled his eyes and stepped out into the corridor.
Yes, he quite hated eavesdropping.