Backstage Marauders

Backstage Marauders



Author: Jill Rocca



Disc: All character belong to JK Rowling, except my various extraneous ones that help the story along.



Fandom: Harry Potter, MWPP era, but in 2006-2007 America. Very AU.



Pairings/Characters: Remus/Sirius central with James/Lily because I love them too. I have a plan for Peter.



A/N: This chapter is mostly about … I guess Remus’s struggle to come to terms with what happened Friday evening. Lily is there to help.



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Chapter 5: Sunday Confessional



Lily felt trapped. Her parents had just announced over dinner Saturday evening that they wanted to visit her sister, Petunia, the next day. A trip to New York where her sister currently went to college at CUNY’s City College of New York would be fun, if she didn’t have to see her sister who obviously never wanted to see her again and her surprisingly rude boyfriend Vernon Dursley. Lily loved her sister dearly and couldn’t comprehend why she always upturned her nose whenever Lily was around, especially when her parents praised her … which seemed to happen more often than they praised Petunia for her accomplishments. Lily was smarter and more active in school than her sister, but she had gotten into CCNY with a decent amount of scholarship money thanks to a decent SAT score, but Lily’s parents always described Lily as “exceptional.”



Lily, who really didn’t want to be trapped with Vernon and her sister’s glaring for an entire afternoon innocently persuaded her parents to let her invite a friend to come along. She had two options Remus or Andromeda.



She decided to call Remus first.



“Hello?” A strained voice sounded on the other end of the phone.



“Remus? It’s Lily.”



“Hey, what’s up?” Remus still sounded strained.



“Rem, would you do me a favor?” Lily asked bracing herself and praying that Remus would be able to convince his parents at such short notice.



“Sure, what is it?”



“Remus, are you okay?” Lily asked sounding concerned, whatever was the matter with her she could put up with Vernon and Petunia—Remus sounded like he was really hurting about something.



“I’ll be fine.”



“You would tell me if something was really wrong wouldn’t you?”



“Sure. Now, tell me what your problem is, you sound frantic.”



“Oh, no I’m not! But anyway, would you come with me to visit my sister in New York tomorrow?”



“Oh … I mean, I want to, and I doubt we’re doing anything, hang on …” She could hear Remus’s footsteps going down a set of stairs and he heard him calling out to his father asking him for permission to go into the city. She heard a muffled response and then another voice was on the phone.



“Hello Lily.”



“Hi Mr. Lupin,”



“You want Remus to accompany you all the way into New York City tomorrow?”



“Um, yes please.”



“I’ll consent, but under one condition.”



“Okay?”



Mr. Lupin’s voice was barely a whisper, but Lily could make out what he said when he asked her, “That you could please find out what’s wrong with Remus, he’s been in a slump ever since he woke up this morning and he won’t say what’s bothering him, I mean, this is a serious slump, he’s been in sort of a trance and looking like he’s about to cry all day. I think a little distraction might help, please take him.”



Lily smiled into the phone, “Of course!”



The next morning Lily rang the doorbell at the Lupin house to be greeted by Mrs. Lupin who invited her inside. Remus eventually came down the steps looking a little jaded. Lily smiled warmly at him, he eventually smiled back.



“Ready to go?” Lily asked him. He nodded. They left.



Remus was putting up a good show of being kind and jovial in Mr. and Mrs. Evans’s presence, but Lily knew there was something lingering underneath the surface of all this. Remus was acting like he was determined to have a good time and Lily was determined to let him because whatever it was that was eating away at him, the way Mr. Lupin described it, it was really bad. Remus usually told his parents a lot of things, but what was this that was so bad that he couldn’t even confide in a friend?



About two hours of talking and listening to music, they finally rode through the Holland Tunnel and were making their way to CCNY. When they arrived, Petunia Evans was waiting for them at the Northern Campus where she took up residence in one of the halls. Mr. and Mrs. Evans walked up and hugged their oldest child. Lily and Remus kind of hung back.



Petunia was very bony with horse-teeth, gray eyes, and blonde hair. She and Lily couldn’t have looked more different with Lily’s red hair and green eyes and slim figure, but they were still sisters. Petunia glared at her sister and Remus standing behind her parents. Remus still cheerfully greeted the eldest Evans daughter, but she did return the favor.



Remus whispered to Lily, “Why does your sister hate you again?”



“I have no idea why, but she and her rude boyfriend think I’m a freak,” Lily said shaking her head. “Anything out of what they call ordinary they look down at.”



“But you’re her sister, what’s out of the ordinary about you?”



“Well, I cheerlead, I have friends, and I take AP classes.” Lily explained smiling up at him. “Basically I go out of my way to actually go out and do things.”



“I’d say you were extra ordinary.”



“Aw,” If Lily didn’t think Remus was gay, she’d totally go out with him. Not that she knew for a fact that he was gay … she herself never had a boyfriend, but that didn’t make her a lesbian. Remus never tried to hit on her and he occasionally went shopping with her and he was a spiffy dresser, and … well she didn’t know, Remus never tried to flirt with any girls of any kind, but did that even mean anything? Oh, it was so confusing when Remus himself didn’t even seem to know.



It still didn’t stop her from linking arms with him before they walked around campus with Petunia. It was a means of survival, Petunia was taking them to meet with Vernon.



Mr. and Mrs. Evans and Petunia were walking ahead of Remus and Lily and talking a little. Lily thought this was the perfect time to ask, “Remus, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”



Remus stopped for a split second, obviously surprised and then kept walking with her saying, “What’s there to tell?”



“Come on, you have this hurt voice over the phone, you come downstairs looking all blank and forlorn and you seem to be straining yourself to be having a good time with me!”



“I am having a good time!” Remus protested.



Lily looked up at him inquiringly. “My parents are busy giving Petunia attention to hear whatever it is you are going to tell me.”



“I kissed a boy,” Remus said so low, Lily barely heard it. But she did and she stopped walking, he kept moving, unlinking their arms. He turned around to face her, he looked like he was about to cry.



She hugged him, he didn’t move. “Who?” She asked out of curiosity.



“Umm …” This was the hard part. They eventually kept walking. “That’s the thing, it was just so … so random, like it was just … going to happen eventually, but I mean, I wasn’t taken aback by it at all.” He said sounding scared.



“Who?” She asked again.



He looked down at the ground as if not knowing what to say, but he had already come this far … and she would probably find out later anyway … somehow. He needed to tell someone, he was feeling better about it already. “Sirius Bl—”



“OH MY GOD!” Lily burst out without really thinking about people being nearby or her parents only a few feet in front of them. “How did that happen?” She wasn’t shocked about Remus kissing some guy, but of all guys … she thought he had taste!



Lily’s parents and sister turned to look at them questioningly, for Petunia is was in question of Lily’s mental health.



“Why are you screaming in a public place, you and your friend are embarrassing me in front of my classmates!” Petunia hissed.



“Sorry!” Lily said. Petunia glared at her and kept walking; she could spot Vernon in the distance and who couldn’t? He was so round and beefy you could spot him a mile away. Lily could even see that he was starting to grow a moustache and beard that over took his face. She wanted to point out to Remus that her sister didn’t have taste, but she thought Remus did! Sirius Black … Sirius Black?! Of all people!



Poor Remus however thought she was mad at him about the kissing a boy thing. He looked severely hurt and taken aback; Sirius had kissed him, not the other way around! When she finally realized this she stopped scathing to reassure him that she had no problem with him kissing boys.



“What’s bothering me is how you two came together, of all people Remus! Sirius Black?”



“We’re not together!” Remus said to her. He dropped to a whisper, “He kissed me!”



“And you let it happen? Of all people Remus! Sirius Black?”



“We were working on our Chemistry project together at my house, my parents took us out to eat in the city and we got back late, he spent the night …”



“Wait, hold on … he spent the night … and you were all alone in your room?”



“We didn’t do anything else if that’s what your insinuating!”



Their whispered argument was generating more stares from the others in their party now accompanied by Vernon Dursley. Mrs. Evans walked over to her youngest and put her arms on her shoulders and turned her to face the others.



She said, “Vernon is here darling.”



Lily took a deep breath and said, “Hello Vernon! This,” She grabbed Remus’s forearm to pull him closer to the party. “Is my good friend Remus Lupin.”



Remus said, “Hello,” and stuck out his hand for Vernon to shake. Vernon just stared down his multiple chins at it and then turned away, holing hands with his considerably thinner girlfriend. They were whispering and smirking at each other. Remus drew back his hand slowly. Mr. and Mrs. Evans looked inquiringly after their daughter and her boyfriend, also continuing on and suggesting that the six of them go out to lunch.



Remus turned to Lily and they started laughing. “He’s really ridiculous isn’t he?”



“I know! They’re perfect for each other!” They continued laughing as the party walked up and down the streets looking for a place to eat. Lily still wasn’t going to let Remus off the hook.



“So how did it happen?” She was trying to come to terms with the matter, but knowing full well she couldn’t take the event back no matter how much she wished she could. Sirius Black? He hung out with James Potter!



“I dunno, we were talking a lot before we fell asleep, he ended up just staying in my bed … and … and he asked me … if I had ever been kissed before and I said—no, and then it just sort of happened.”



“Wow Remus.”



“Is that all you have to say?”



“Well, I mean … I just thought you had taste,” He snorted, “But yeah, that is really random. It’s like he wanted to kiss you …” He looked downcast. She finally understood, “Oh, is that what’s eating at you?”



He only nodded. She could only smile. She said reassuringly, “Trust me, everything will be absolutely fine. We’re going have a fun day making fun of my sister’s boyfriend and being in New York City and tomorrow I’ll keep you company. Don’t let it eat you, you’re too good for that. And don’t you dare think it’s your fault.”



Remus smiled, “Thanks Lily.”



Sirius touched Andromeda’s shoulder and she whipped around in surprise from where she put away her dishes in the kitchen sink. She smiled as soon as she realized it was Sirius, but frowned at the expression on his face. He looked distraught, but for what she had no idea.



“What’s wrong?” She asked him.



He shook his head feeling confused about the whole thing himself. Truth be told he wasn’t even sure if anything was wrong at all, but he knew he had made Remus feel bad, especially the way they had departed the day before. Remus had kindly dropped him off at his house, but they could barely speak to each other. Sirius didn’t blame Remus, but the thing was the kiss had felt so right, the way he took Remus into his arms so easily and Remus had responded willingly.



He felt like if he couldn’t call James about it, he at least wanted to tell Andromeda. “Will you walk outside with me?” Sirius asked.



She nodded knowing that he was about to tell her something important.



They walked outside to the backyard and sat on one of the benches in the Black family garden. Sirius looked very solemn at his cousin and finally said, “Andy, I kissed a guy.”



She gasped a little. “Who?” She asked as if almost excited.



Sirius was so taken aback by her reaction that he didn’t even answer for a time. Then he said, “Remus Lupin …” He explained the way it had happened.



“When you spent the night? OH MY GOD!” Andy was smiling by now.



“What? I mean … it just happened like it was supposed to happen for a really long time. That’s all I’m freaked out about is how right it felt.”



“You should ask him out.” Andy said simply.



“What?”Sirius said sharply. He had only kissed the boy not thought that far ahead … into a relationship. It would be a completely different relationship than the ones he had before. For one thing Remus wasn’t just one of his fangirls, much less a girl.



“Yeah I mean, if he kissed you back.”



“But we were tired, we weren’t really thinking.”



“You seem to have been thinking about it a lot, that’s why you did it, right? Or is this what you mean, you just had gay moment and needed to get it out of your system? The way you describe it, that’s not it at all. The way you describe it, you sounded like you really wanted to do it.”



“I think I did.” Everything was so confusing. Ask Remus out? Wasn’t that being a bit forward?



“I think you should, then you can see if you really like him or not.”



“But he’s bound to say no, so I mean … what then?”



“He won’t say no.” Andy said smiling mischievously.



Sirius looked sidelong at her. “What are you planning?”



She stood up off the bench and stretched her arms in front of her. “He won’t say no.” She repeated and began to walk towards the house.



Sirius stood up. “Why are you smiling?”



“Don’t worry about it.”



“Really, what are you planning?” But he knew he wasn’t about to get an answer out of her.



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TBC …

Next chapter to come soon! I can assure you Andy’s got quite a few tricks up her sleeve.