Obsessions

By Heaven's Flying Fish.

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Summary: "So, I've been sitting here for the last half-hour…" Lily is sitting in the library when a sudden appearance of Remus John "Moony" Lupin disrupts her world completely.

A/N: Story now with a twist! (I should so get a job in advertising: advertising also sucks. Hehehe. Sorry. There is actually a story, here….)

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So, I've been sitting here for the last half-hour, staring at this page, wondering just how I was going to put this into words. I'm known for my little obsessions, my tiny crazes and phases that put schizophrenics to shame. But this most recent thing that captured my attention is… so bizarre and so embarrassing, that I've been sitting here just wondering how on earth I'm going to put this into words without sounding like a complete and utter nutcase. Then again, I don't intend for anyone else to read my journal – WELL, NO ONE ELSE HAD BETTER BE READING THIS – that I suppose it really makes no difference whether I sound like a loop or not.

But, still, it's a pride issue. And I have a lot of pride.

I have a truck load of work to get through, so I'm going to say it in as plain terms as I can.

I have fallen in love with this selfish, messy-haired

"What're you writing there?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" With a girly shriek of monumental proportions, Lily Evans shot out of her seat, clutching a small book to her chest and panting with wide-eyed breaths. "AAAH!" she added, as she had lost her ability to say anything else.

Remus Lupin, the kind soul who instigated this dramatic response, stumbled backwards with his hands out in the international sign of surrender. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, "Calm down, Lily, it's only me!"

"Aaah," Lily whimpered, collapsing back in her chair to calm her beating heart. A few minutes passed in which the only sound was the dripping of ink from Lily's over-turned ink bottle and Madame Pince's disdainful sniffing. Finally, Lily relaxed, her shoulders slumping with released tension as Remus cautiously made his way over to the chair next to hers.

Lily huffed a loud exhalation into her fringe, blowing it upwards. "Remus."

"Lily."

Lily shut her notebook and put it on the work bench. "Why do we always meet in the library, Remus Lupin?"

It was quiet.

"Remus?" Lily peered at her friend, noticing that the tall boy didn't quite meet her gaze. "Remus!" snapped Lily; it was quite unlike Remus Lupin to stare at a girl.

"Sorry, Lily," said Remus, averting his eyes. "it's just – just –" Remus flapped his hand in her vague direction.

"Just what?" asked Lily, looking down at herself. She yelped loudly and conjured a handkerchief, wiping at her ruined shirt.

When she had leapt up in fright, pressing her book to her chest to stop prying eyes from peeking, Lily had inadvertently pressed the wet ink into her blouse and left a dark, smudgy stain.

"Oh, bother," moaned Lily, throwing her hanky on the desk. "It was my favourite shirt, too."

Remus stared at her for a moment. "Lily," he began tentatively, "all your shirts are the same. It's a uniform."

Lily shot him a poisonous glare. "You wouldn't understand, Remus Lupin. You're a boy."

"Okay," Remus agreed, patting her hand.

It was then that Lily noticed the spreading pool of ink growing under the table. That, when she leaned closer, was soaking steadily into the bottom of her bag. With an anguished cry of frustration, Lily threw herself under the table to retrieve her bag.

When she emerged, satchel in hand, on the other side, she was met with a furious Madame Pince. "Lily Evans," she snarled. "I expected more of you. Take your homework and your hooligan friend, and get out!"

Lily blushed ferociously. "Yes, Madame Pince. Sorry, Madame Pince." Lily pulled out her wand and cleaned up the ink under the table, though the floor now had a dark blue patch. She stacked up her books, and with a Drying Charm deemed her bag suitable to hold them. Lily then grabbed Remus's sleeve and dragged him forcibly from the library.

"Why do you always manage to get me thrown out of the library, Remus Lupin?"

"Why do you always call me by my full name, Lily Evans?" countered her lanky friend.

"Why not, Remus? It's such a pretty name."

Remus looked affronted. "Lily," he said, his voice strained. "Two things. One, my full name is truly Remus John Lupin, which is hardly pretty at all…" Remus paused. "Well, I suppose if you want to be technical then it should be Remus John "Moony" Lupin, which is even worse –"

"Remus John "Moony" Lupin is babbling," sang Lily with a cheeky smile.

Remus glared, but continued. "– And two, you can't go around calling guys pretty. It – it isn't right."

"You aren't right," quipped Lily, turning and hitting him with a powerful glare. "Look at what mayhem you managed to cause in a matter of seconds!" Lily swept her arm about her person, gesticulating at her inky appearance.

"Me!?" scoffed Lupin, indignant. "I did no such thing," he affirmed. "You did it all to yourself, Lily Evans. If you aren't competent enough to balance both a secret journal and an ink pot, then I don't think you deserve this."

Before she realised what had happened, Remus had reached into her front blouse pocket and plucked out her Prefect badge. Sputtering dumbstruck, Lily mouthed hopelessly at the tall seventeen-year-old in front of her.

"How – what are you – give it back!" she managed, reaching forwards to swipe her badge out of his hand. She missed. He laughed and held it tauntingly above her head.

"Come on, Lily, jump for it! Jump!"

"Shut up!" she laughed, hopping up and down, trying to get her badge.

A minute passed and still Lily was badgeless, but Remus was no less amused. In a last act of desperation, Lily stepped back, and then with a step and a dive, tackled a startled Remus to the floor.

With a breathless 'Oof!' the pair hit the ground. Lily crawled forwards and snatched her pin from Remus's winded grasp. "Ha," Lily said, as her hand travelled slowly down into Remus's front pocket. With a twist of her fingers, she had his prefect badge ensnared in her delicate grip.

"Ha, indeed," Remus agreed, eying the inky witch sitting triumphantly on his ribs. "How do you manage to do this to me, Lily Evans?" he asked her.

"Do what?" Lily replied, moving to sit on the floor beside him as he sat up.

And, without another word, Remus leaned over and kissed her soundly on the lips.

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So, anyway, that big smudge was two or three paragraphs, until Remus Lupin decided he was going to butt in and completely destroy half and hour of perfectly good writing.

Honestly, that boy is hopeless.

As I was saying before my words were so rudely rendered unreadable, I've developed this mortifyingly unhealthy obsession with the selfish, messy-haired cat that has calmly taken over the girls' dormitory. No one has any idea where it came from. Anyway, we've decided to name her Josie. She's absolutely gorgeous.

But, I have another obsession, now. And he has such a pretty name.

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