Starlight (Remus/Lily)
Title: Starlight
Author: Katie/Starmaiden
Pairing: Remus/Lily
Prompt: starlight
Rating: 1st-2nd Years
Warnings: None
Word Count: 771
Summary: One night, late in their Hogwarts years, two students find each other wandering the grounds…
“Remus?”
The night wrapped him round in soft darkness. He had not expected to find her when he ventured out, but it was right that she should be there.
She was everywhere to him. He knew her from any distance, even before her dark red hair flamed in the sunlight. He had two classifications for a room: with her or without her. He hadn’t done it consciously, but she now filled his life with the colour of her glowing hair.
So it was right, despite the dark and the time, that she was there, visible only as a silhouette. “Hey, Lily.” He stepped back a little and caught her hand, pulling her forward so that they walked together. He didn’t keep her hand.
They walked without speaking, listening to the damp rustle of the grass underfoot and the almost-silent wings of hunting owls. The moon was a very young sliver, glowing brightly but shedding little light down to the dark earth of the Hogwarts grounds. A clean damp scent hung in the air.
She began to sing very softly, something like a child’s lullaby.
Starlight, star-bright, first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.
Her song faded into the night and was left behind. They passed the lake before Lily said, “I was looking for you.”
Remus considered her words. “Why?”
Without breaking pace, she looked up at him. He had grown a lot this past year, enough to be considered tall. “I think you should tell me.”
It wasn’t an answer, exactly, nor was it a question, but he knew what she meant.
He answered boldly, “I want to go steady with you.”
He felt her smile in the dark. “Go steady?”
“It’s an older term. It seems to fit what I’m looking for.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Hagrid’s hut loomed before them; they passed it, one on each side. As Lily rejoined him, she said thoughtfully, “I would like that. I wondered if you would ask.”
“Because…”
She touched the back of his hand, lightly, reassuring him. “Because I know what it is that you don’t want people to know.”
He held up the hand she had touched, as though it had somehow changed. “I thought you might.” He looked for a moment at her profile, all he could see in the dark. Impulsively, he asked, “Would you have asked me out first?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He saw the outline of her shrug. “If you weren’t comfortable enough with yourself to ask me, I wasn’t going to ask you.”
He pondered this. “I might not have, but I was pretty sure you knew. When you’ve been around someone for seven years…and you were friends with Snape…”
They passed beneath a corner of the castle, their forms melting in and out of its shadow. She answered very quietly, “Yes. He wouldn’t tell me about that night, but he’d guessed before, anyway. I knew he had to be right.”
“And you didn’t scream in terror and run?” Remus asked wonderingly.
She shrugged lightly. “I thought about it, but what was the use? Dumbledore let you in and you never ate anyone…” She paused beneath another tree. “Could you give me a leg up?”
Remus obliged, watching as Lily got her feet onto the lowest branch. He saw the flash of her grin. “Come on, Remus!” Even as he gripped the rough bark, she climbed higher, her laugh drifting to him.
The topmost branches were too slender to support both of them, so Remus chose a branch next to Lily’s. “Isn’t it a little dark to be climbing trees? I thought the purpose was to see more from up here.”
She shook her head. “It’s not dark.”
“It isn’t?”
She shook her head, gesturing upwards. He caught his breath.
The entire expanse of the sky lay before them, lit with thousands upon thousands of tiny, glimmering lights. Remus gazed at it in wonder.
“How did you know?” he breathed.
He felt Lily’s small hand curl lightly over his own. “I came up here one evening, years ago, after Severus and I had a fight. I sat here and felt sorry for myself while it got dark…and then I looked up.”
Remus shifted on his branch. He felt her hair brush his face as she murmured, “Are you trying to fall off?”
“No,” he whispered. “I’m trying to do this.” His free hand cradled the soft skin of her cheek, relishing the brief flicker of starlight over her lips, just before his own lips touched hers and he found that she was smiling.
Author: Katie/Starmaiden
Pairing: Remus/Lily
Prompt: starlight
Rating: 1st-2nd Years
Warnings: None
Word Count: 771
Summary: One night, late in their Hogwarts years, two students find each other wandering the grounds…
“Remus?”
The night wrapped him round in soft darkness. He had not expected to find her when he ventured out, but it was right that she should be there.
She was everywhere to him. He knew her from any distance, even before her dark red hair flamed in the sunlight. He had two classifications for a room: with her or without her. He hadn’t done it consciously, but she now filled his life with the colour of her glowing hair.
So it was right, despite the dark and the time, that she was there, visible only as a silhouette. “Hey, Lily.” He stepped back a little and caught her hand, pulling her forward so that they walked together. He didn’t keep her hand.
They walked without speaking, listening to the damp rustle of the grass underfoot and the almost-silent wings of hunting owls. The moon was a very young sliver, glowing brightly but shedding little light down to the dark earth of the Hogwarts grounds. A clean damp scent hung in the air.
She began to sing very softly, something like a child’s lullaby.
Starlight, star-bright, first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.
Her song faded into the night and was left behind. They passed the lake before Lily said, “I was looking for you.”
Remus considered her words. “Why?”
Without breaking pace, she looked up at him. He had grown a lot this past year, enough to be considered tall. “I think you should tell me.”
It wasn’t an answer, exactly, nor was it a question, but he knew what she meant.
He answered boldly, “I want to go steady with you.”
He felt her smile in the dark. “Go steady?”
“It’s an older term. It seems to fit what I’m looking for.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Hagrid’s hut loomed before them; they passed it, one on each side. As Lily rejoined him, she said thoughtfully, “I would like that. I wondered if you would ask.”
“Because…”
She touched the back of his hand, lightly, reassuring him. “Because I know what it is that you don’t want people to know.”
He held up the hand she had touched, as though it had somehow changed. “I thought you might.” He looked for a moment at her profile, all he could see in the dark. Impulsively, he asked, “Would you have asked me out first?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He saw the outline of her shrug. “If you weren’t comfortable enough with yourself to ask me, I wasn’t going to ask you.”
He pondered this. “I might not have, but I was pretty sure you knew. When you’ve been around someone for seven years…and you were friends with Snape…”
They passed beneath a corner of the castle, their forms melting in and out of its shadow. She answered very quietly, “Yes. He wouldn’t tell me about that night, but he’d guessed before, anyway. I knew he had to be right.”
“And you didn’t scream in terror and run?” Remus asked wonderingly.
She shrugged lightly. “I thought about it, but what was the use? Dumbledore let you in and you never ate anyone…” She paused beneath another tree. “Could you give me a leg up?”
Remus obliged, watching as Lily got her feet onto the lowest branch. He saw the flash of her grin. “Come on, Remus!” Even as he gripped the rough bark, she climbed higher, her laugh drifting to him.
The topmost branches were too slender to support both of them, so Remus chose a branch next to Lily’s. “Isn’t it a little dark to be climbing trees? I thought the purpose was to see more from up here.”
She shook her head. “It’s not dark.”
“It isn’t?”
She shook her head, gesturing upwards. He caught his breath.
The entire expanse of the sky lay before them, lit with thousands upon thousands of tiny, glimmering lights. Remus gazed at it in wonder.
“How did you know?” he breathed.
He felt Lily’s small hand curl lightly over his own. “I came up here one evening, years ago, after Severus and I had a fight. I sat here and felt sorry for myself while it got dark…and then I looked up.”
Remus shifted on his branch. He felt her hair brush his face as she murmured, “Are you trying to fall off?”
“No,” he whispered. “I’m trying to do this.” His free hand cradled the soft skin of her cheek, relishing the brief flicker of starlight over her lips, just before his own lips touched hers and he found that she was smiling.