The sounds of the corridors were all muffled down to distant noises as Remus stared at you. There you were again, laughing with that Ravenclaw guy who just seems to find you during every break between the classes, every second you could be found alone.

Mary, Lily and Marlene now found themselves a bit more distant, probably whispering about the same thing im Remus' mind after leaving you to be alone with him. Damn them for being good best friends and leaving you alone with the guy who's into you.

You had pretty much nothing to do with the Marauders and the things they did. While they were always joking and making chaos, you preferred to stay in your dorm and read muggle romance books or study potions. While they hung Snape by the ankle with the spell he created himself, you watched from the stands while skipping rocks on the lake, probably judging them with Lily and talking about how arrogant they were.

It was different with Remus, though. Out of all the boys, he's the one who's the most similar to you

From passing by at the library during the breaks in between classes — before you met that stupid Ravenclaw, apparently — to staying up later than you normally would to be able to talk to him for a little more while drinking some tea, which was mostly you rambling about a new book you found and him listening and nodding along with a few occasional comments — but paying more attention to you than he had to anything else —, or meeting at the Astronomy Tower while everyone was at Hogsmeade, you built a strong friendship.

Of course, you eventually found out about his lycanthropy.

He thought you'd stop hanging out with him. To start ignoring him or to be scared or disgusted. He was wrong. All you showed was understanding. Understanding that it wasn't his fault, that he didn't choose it. Reassurance that he was not a monster. That you didn't think differently of him because of that, as if him being a werewolf was just an insignificant detail.

It mattered more to him than you could ever know.

But now? Now the doubts are starting to sink in again. What if you just realized the danger he represents? What if you're using the Ravenclaw as a pretext to ignore him? What if you realized the other boy is better for you than him? That he can give you everything he, Remus, can't? Okay. That's a straightforward thought. Stop acting like she's your girlfriend.

It hurts more than he'd like to admit, though, because, with you, he was finally starting to let himself feel what he never did. Finally starting to admit it to himself that maybe what he felt for you was more than platonic love. That maybe those times his eyes lingered on you during Transfiguration class weren't just friendship, but the first real thing he's felt that came close to romantic love, feelings that have been growing inside him for the past five years.

But then that Andrew guy came into picture. You didn't abandon Remus, of course, but you started hanging out with him less to balance your time between your friends. He did not like that in the slightest.

But he can't really do anything, right? He can't exactly rip the guy's hand off because he touched your arm — that should be him — or drag you away because the proximity of the full moon is making him want to. He's not aggressive. He'd never he aggressive towards you. All he can do is watch from afar and secretly hope the guy disappears. To try to ignore the slight fear that maybe you've found someone who you like better than him.

"Moony?" He's pulled out of his thoughts by Sirius, who's looking from him to you and Andrew, name that left a bitter taste in Remus' mouth when he pronounced it. James stood beside him, smirking like he'd just pulled a prank on a first year and escaped Filch. Peter, as usual, just looks slightly oblivious.

"Huh? Yeah?" Remus answers, offhandedly, trying to keep the frustration out of his tone and seem like his usual calm self.