Moonscone

Sirius flinched when the books hit the table.

He’d been just about to fall asleep- perched atop the crook of his elbow- when the jarring noise came. He bolted upright, blinked twice, then pinched himself. 

Could it be? Could the sight in front of him truly be reality?

Sirius being in the library was an odd sight in itself. But of course, he already knew he was here, hence the falling asleep.

But it was the sight of Lily Evans dropping into the empty seat next to James Potter that really sent Sirius’ head spinning.

The sight wouldn’t have confounded Sirius so much if Remus or Marlene, or hell even Peter, were here too. But no, it was just Sirius and James. Sirius and James, who Lily famously did not get on with. Sirius and James, who Lily avoided at all costs. Sirius and James, who Lily despised with every ounce of her swottish, goody-two-shoes body. And yet, here she was, plucking out her quill and parchment from her bag, rubbing shoulders with James as if it was normal.

“Oh, stop your gawking Black,” she snapped, making sudden eye contact with Sirius. Sirius straightened, unaware she'd cottoned on to his staring. 

“Alright, Lily?” James smiled smoothly, running a hand through his hair. He turned in his seat to face her fully. Focusing on her work, Lily’s only response was a content, pleasant hum.

“Not to be rude,” Sirius started, but quickly cut himself off after receiving a withering glare from James.

“...But?” Lily prompted, not looking up from her work.

“Er…”

James was shaking his head adamantly. Do not mess this up for me, his eyes said. Sirius bit his lip.

“You’re wondering why I’m here?” She asked lightly.

James emitted a strangled, pained sort of noise. Sirius ignored him, nodding eagerly. 

“I had an enlightening conversation with Remus the other day,” it was laughable how quickly the two boys perked up at the mention of their friend, “and I’ve come to the conclusion that you two can’t possibly be the giant pillocks I once thought you were.”

Sirius and James quickly glanced at each other before returning their attention to Lily.

She bit the end of her pen and stared at her essay with determination, not sparing the boys another glance. James looked just about ready to faint.

“Pray tell, Ms. Evans,” Sirius drawled, though he really was quite intrigued, “Whatever did our dear Moony say to you?”

Lily paused, looking up at Sirius intently, and then at James. 

“He told me something. Something important,” she said, raising her eyebrows as if it were clear what she was referring to, “and since you obviously still mean so much to each other, even after what he told me, I’ve decided that you have to be at least half decent people. So, here I am. If Remus can be your friend, so can I.”

James looked absolutely ecstatic. Sirius wasn’t so easily enthused, and narrowed his eyes at the girl.

“Just like that? Remus says something and that’s good enough for you to remove the half-decade long stick out of your arse?”

“Padfoot!” James admonished. Lily rolled her eyes, but a sly smile tugged at her lips.

“Yes, Sirius,” Lily replied patiently, “it’s exactly like that.”

“I don’t buy it,” Sirius shot back sharply. 

“Ignore him,” James soothed, stretching forward on the table to block Sirius from Lily’s view, “We’re thrilled to have you join our study session, Evans. Even more thrilled to have you in our lives.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, making a gagging gesture with his fingers. Lily snorted at the action, a helpless giggle falling from her lips. James looked absolutely enthralled by the sound.

“Good. Good, I’m glad” she nodded to herself, smothering her smile, “so we agree? We can be civil now?”

“Yes!” James responded immediately. Sirius wasn’t so eager.

“Now hold on a minute, Evans. Becoming friends with us isn’t that easy.”

“Yes it is!” James interrupted, “ignore Sirius. We’re super easy to be friends with. Very easy. Easy and ready and welcoming and-”

“What exactly did Moony say to you?” Sirius tried again, “what spell did he cast on you to change that strong headed mind of yours?”

James was glaring at him again, but Sirius ignored him. 

Lily bit her lip, and glanced at their surroundings. The library was relatively quiet for a Sunday night, but some neighbouring tables were still filled with students anyway. 

“You know…” she began tentatively, “he told me about his…” she widened her eyes, lifted her eyebrows, shook her head a few times. It was clear she was trying to communicate something of importance. Sirius’ brain went to one place, and as he made eye contact with James, he could tell his friend was thinking the same thing.

“He…” James broached the topic, “he told you?”

“Of course he told me!” Lily snapped at James, the boy recoiling immediately, “I’m his best friend! I’m surprised he even told you, given how crass you are around him.”

“You are not his best friend,” Sirius pushed himself out of his seat slightly, teeth gritting at the very thought.

“Down boy,” James pushed Sirius back by his forehead, a slight smirk making an appearance on his lips. Once Sirius was sulky and settled, James returned his attention back to Lily. “I must say Lily, I’m surprised. If he shared with you what I think he shared with you… well, you must be more important to him than I realised. Remus didn’t even tell us, we had to wrangle it out of him.”

“Yes, I figured as much,” Lily hummed, leaning back in her seat, “he did say I was the first person he actually told. But the way he talks about you guys and what you’ve done for him, it’s obvious you know.”

James nodded along. Sirius’ brain hurt. 

They were in the library, they couldn’t exactly talk openly about how their best friend was a werewolf. But still, Sirius felt as if she were talking in circles. And to be honest, he was a little bit shocked and appalled that Remus would confide his secret with Lily. 

Like, really? Her? Snivellous’ number 1 ally?

Sirius sighed as he slumped his chin into his eagerly awaiting palms. He would never understand the power Lily Evans held over men.

 “So,” Lily grinned, her eyes lighting up, “what are we going to do about it?”

James furrowed his brows and scratched at his head. 

“Er, what do you mean?” James asked hesitantly.

Lily rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh.

“Well we can’t just leave him as he is, withering away, all alone… Hogwarts is full of potential and,” she broke off with a huff, shaking her head in irritation, “he wouldn’t hear a word of it when I mentioned it to him, but I figure if we band together-”

“Aha!” Sirius proclaimed, pointing a finger at Lily, “so you don’t want to be our friends! You just want to scheme!”

Lily grimmaced, but hesitantly nodded her assent.

“Who do you think you are? What makes you think we’d scheme against our own Moony-”

“I don’t want to scheme against him. I want to scheme for him. You know how stubborn Remus is and I just- I just want to help. Remus is so wonderful, he deserves everything in the world. I don’t want him to be alone.”

There was a pause following Lily’s words. Clearly, Remus had not told Lily that he was very much not alone during full moons, but that was probably for the best. The only problem… how the hell were James and Sirius supposed to help Lily without giving that away?

“Did Remus…” James started hesitantly, “did he not tell you… about us?” James gestured to himself and Sirius.

Sirius groaned internally. He loved Prongs, truly, but that boy had the subtlety of basilisk. 

Lily’s eyes widened to a comical size, her mouth forming a little O.

“Blimey,” she breathed, “are you all…?”

“Well, we’re not the same as Remus, mind you,” James agreed, “but we’re there. We’re with him.”

Lily frowned slightly, like she was trying to brew a very difficult potion.

“You’re with him? All of you?”

“Every night.” James nodded.

“Wow. Oh. Wow. I- uh- I didn’t even think- I didn’t realise that was even possible.”

“Well, of course you didn’t,” Sirius said smugly, “took us a while to figure it out, but we made it work. We’re bloody good at it too.”

Oddly, Lily blushed and looked down at her lap.

“I can’t believe Remus didn’t mention any of this to me,” Lily then looked at Sirius pointedly, “I mean, obviously, he mentioned you-” 

“Obviously,” Sirius huffed, crossing his arms, though he wasn’t certain what was so obvious about Sirius being an animagus.

“But to think, you too, James? And Peter? I- I’m sorry, perhaps this is terribly ignorant of me to say, but I do not understand how that works at all.”

“It’s quite simple really,” James said cockily, pushing the front legs of his chair up in the air, crossing his hands behind his head, “we’ve got a lot of energy, see? So we can keep up with Moony, no problem. He’s insatiable, that guy, so we stay up all night and we really work him to the bone until he’s too tired to move. It takes a lot of effort to keep up with him, but it’s worth it in the morning when he’s all tired and cute and cuddly. He gets so affectionate- it warms my heart every time.”

James stopped talking, wiping away fake tears from his eyes. Sirius was glaring daggers at him from across the table. When James finished his charade, he jumped right back into it, a fond grin on his face.

“Of course, it’s a team effort between all of us, though Sirius and I do most of the heavy lifting. Peter prefers to watch. It was difficult to manage at first, but Moony’s a big softie. You wouldn’t think so, but give him a few hours and he actually gets surprisingly submissive-”

“Okay!” Lily practically squealed, leaping up from her seat, “okay, that is far more information than I ever needed to know. I- wow- this is just a lot to take in.” She breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling with the effort to steady herself. 

When she looked like she had collected herself, she turned to James with wide, apologetic eyes.

“I’m sorry- that was terribly rude of me, wasn’t it? I swear I'm not judging your lifestyle, I’m just surprised, is all. But I'm truly glad that Remus has you both. I’m glad he won’t be alone.”

“Never,” Sirius agreed, “as long as we’re around, Moony will never, ever, ever, be alone.”

“Good,” Lily gave Sirius a genuine smile. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a breathy, nervous laugh, looking at James fondly. 

“And here I was thinking you had a crush on me!” Lily cackled, “but it was really just a front, wasn’t it?”

James stilled. Sirius sat up straighter.

“And to think, I almost considered going on a date with you! Well I’m glad we talked about this now, saves me from a lot of embarrassment.”

James was absolutely silent. His eyes flickered around the room, not really seeing anything. His mouth opened and closed, unable to process the words he just heard.

“Where on earth did you pull that from?” James all but shouted, once he came to his senses, “of course I like you, Lily! What are you talking about? I like you so, so, so much. It’s not a front for anything! What could it even be a front for?”

Lily’s easy going smile faltered, and she looked at both boys with uncertainty.

“James,” she began slowly, “you just said-”

“I didn’t say shit! At what point in the last few minutes did I make it seem like I was not interested in you?” 

“Are you joking?” She asked, baffled, looking at Sirius as if to ask are you hearing this too? Sirius scowled in response.

“Are you?” James retaliated. 

“Lily,” Sirius decided to step up, “what exactly do you think we’re talking about?”

Lily spluttered, before landing on her words. Words that would forever change the trajectory of Sirius' life.

“We’ve just been talking about your relationship,” she said weakly, flapping her hands at James and Sirius, “your 4-way relationship with Remus and Peter!”

James gawked at her. Sirius broke down with howling laughter. 

“OUR WHAT?” Sirius screamed joyously, kicking his feet with his elation.

“No,” james said urgently, “no, no, no, no, no, no-”

“You,” Sirius cried out between hysteric laughs “you thought-”

“Mr. Black!” All three of them stopped abruptly as Madam Pince came marching up to them. “Do you think I find this level of noise acceptable in my library?”

Sirius coughed, and sat straight.

“Er, no. M'am.”

“We’ll be quiet, m’am. I’m sorry for the disturbance,” Lily said easily. Swot.

“Yes, I’m sure you’ll be nice and quiet, but not here. Out. All of you!” With that, Pince waved her wand, and the Gryffindors found their items being magically pulled from the room.

“Hey!” Lily cried as she chased after her essay. Sirius and James were quick to follow. 

Once they collected all their floating items, Sirius broke into laughter once again, though not quite meeting the same intensity he had in the library.

“You are quite the nutter, Lily Evans. How did you even come to that conclusion?” Lily crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

“What do you expect me to think?” Lily wailed, “here I come wanting your help to find Remus a nice boyfriend, and James starts going on and on about how Remus is already taken care of, and how you’re all varying degrees of gay, and how submissive Rem gets when you and him get to work-”

“That’s not- I didn’t-” Jame spluttered, pulling at his hair. Sirius started giggling again. 

And then the words hit him.

She wanted to find him a boyfriend.

Lily wanted to find Remus a boyfriend. 

Remus Lupin.

Boyfriend.

Remus Lupin with a boyfriend. 

A Boy.

Remus-

“Padfoot! Oi!”

Sirius blinked to find James snapping his fingers in front of Sirius’ face.

“You can’t just stop walking when I’m right behind you, arsehole. Made me drop all my ink!”

Sirius absentmindedly waved his wand, watching as James’ knocked over ink jars returned to fullness.

Lily wanted Remus to have a boyfriend. Which means Remus told her he wants a boyfriend. Which means Remus is gay. Which means-

“Again Padfoot?” James groaned, shoving at Sirius’ shoulders, “what’s gotten into you?”

“I’ve just been informed I’m a participant in a dorm-wide gay love affair, Prongs, excuse me for being in shock.”

James stuck his tongue out, before stropping forward.

“I never said-”

“What were you talking about then?” Lily interrupted. 

Both boys came to an immediate halt.

“What?” James asked, voice innocent and thin.

“If you didn’t know what I was referring to, what were you talking about? What are you doing that takes all night? Why is Remus ‘insatiable’? Hmm? What are you making sure he’s not alone for?”

Well. Sirius certainly didn’t have an answer for that. James clearly didn’t either.

“James…” Lily said, warning clear in her voice.

“Lily…”

“What’s wrong with Remus? What aren’t you telling me?”

“I- nothing- we-”

“Okay, okay! You got us!” Sirius cried. He stepped towards James, and wrapped an arm around James’ shoulder. “You were right, okay, Evans? But given how appalled you were, can you blame us for trying to play it off as a laugh?”

Lily looked absolutely bewildered.

“But you just said-”

“You seemed so repulsed by us! All kind and accepting at first, but the minute we start talking about our sex life,” James choked at that, “you get squeamish! Excuse us for wanting to hide it. We were just trying to save face.”

“I don’t think that’s what happened,” Lily said through a scrunched face, no doubt recalling the events of the last 20 minutes.

“It is! Right, JemJem, my love? Lily wasn’t providing a very safe space for us to talk about our love, so we pretended like we didn’t know what she was talking about.”

Lily and Sirius both watched James in anticipation of his response. He was clearly struggling, torn between protecting Remus’ secret, and making his undying love for Lily known.

“...yes, Sirikins,'' James grunted, hanging his head, “that is exactly what happened. Now excuse us Lily, but we need to go find our 3rd boyfriend before he starts to get lonely again.”

“James-” Lily began, but James was pivoting, averting her gaze at all costs. He grabbed Sirius by the hood of his robe and dragged him down the hallway.

“Farewell, Lily! I have a boy to snog!” James called over his shoulder, with a touch of insanity. 

“Three boys!” Sirius added with glee.