Y/n sat with Peter Pettigrew in the courtyard, sunlight warming the stone benches. Most people probably found it odd—Peter, the quiet outcast of the Marauders, and Y/n, his closest confidante. They were just…talking. Waiting to see what the next hour would bring, or if it would bring anything at all.
Meanwhile, across the castle, Remus Lupin was asking Sirius Black if he’d seen his sister.
“Last I saw her, she was with Peter in the courtyard,” Sirius said, leaning against a stone pillar, watching James Potter practice Quidditch drills. He didn’t bother to hide his smirk.
“Okay, thanks. Wait…she’s alone with Peter?” Remus asked, the protective edge creeping into his voice. He didn’t *mean* to sound like that, not with Sirius, but the thought always flared up, a sudden heat behind his ribs.
“Remus, relax. They’re just as close as you and James,” Sirius said, trying to sound reassuring, but knowing Remus's tendency to worry. "They've been friends since first year. You know that."
“Yeah, yeah…I know. I’m going to go get them,” he muttered, already turning towards the courtyard. The heat was still there, a tight knot of anxiety.
Minutes later, he found himself scanning the courtyard, searching for his sister and Peter. He’d almost convinced himself Sirius had lied, that they weren’t there at all, until he spotted the mess of brown curls that belonged to Y/n.
“Ah, there you guys are,” he said, walking towards them, trying to look casual.
“Oh hey, Moony,” Peter said, always the first to notice Remus’s arrival. He gave a small, shy smile.
“Oh hi, Remy,” Y/n said, her own smile a little brighter. Remus hated when she called him that, hated the way it felt like a secret little joke between them, but he’d given up trying to correct her years ago. It was just…her.
“Yeah, hi. James needs to see all of us,” he said, focusing the last part on Y/n. She always reacted to his tone, even when she tried not to.
Y/n hadn’t been rushing to James’s side whenever he called for the Marauders, but she’d been trying to hide it. The fact that she was head over heels for him was an open secret among the Marauders, except for James himself, who was too lost in his love for Lily to notice anything else. The other issue was Lily Evans. Y/n had been close to the Marauders since their first year, and Lily had picked up pretty quickly that Y/n liked James. Since then, Lily had made it her personal mission to keep them apart. And it worked. She got together with James.
“Yeah, okay, let’s go then,” Y/n said, her voice flat, her expression carefully neutral. She wasn’t thrilled about facing Lily. She wasn't thrilled about *anything* when Lily was around.
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(Author's note removed)