title: Two Types of Gryffindor
characters/pairings: Remus/Sirius, James/Lily, Peter Pettigrew
summary: this is a remix of latenightcuppa's fic, found here, which is a remix of brownstudies' fic, found here.
word count: 483
rating: PG
genre: angst/drama



It has been a disgustingly, disturbingly long time since Lily Evans has been alone in a room. She had spent most of her childhood virtually alone save for Severus Snape. His company was once welcomed, though in later years it reminds her of the one brown spot on an otherwise pristine apple. Lily has a hard time shaking that imagery, though it applies now to a different person, a person standing in the corner of the room, a smile plastered on his face. She could have sworn it was a sneer a few seconds earlier, but now it is indeed a smile. A fake smile queerly coupled with burning, intense eyes. A strange intensity for a housewarming party, especially considering two of his best friends are celebrating said house. Then again, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are as much her best friends as they are his, and she rather enjoys them in her life even if she is never alone. Their constant presence is the gradual culmination of a few years' worth of misconceptions and misplaced anger. Not everybody is over it, though.

Lily has been watching Peter Pettigrew more closely now that Hogwarts is over and they are left to start their lives as adults in this tumultuous world filled with inexplicable tension and terror. Though she has always been wary of Peter, even before James, lately she feels that his nicer moments are coming far too often and feel more saccharine than normal. Of course, she says nothing to James, nothing to Remus, and tries not to let Sirius know she's uncomfortable because he'd pry it out of her by sheer willpower and annoyance.

Though Peter smiles, she catches his eyes darting about, lingering a bit too long on James' shirt. She flushes with anger, though if asked, she'll mutter something, tease the boys about the heat of Remus' new apartment and ask Sirius to open a window. All too soon, Lily feels ashamed that she's attributed such negative emotion to him. It's a cycle for her. She sees something for a split second, then decides she's making things up, always assuming more than she will ever be able to prove. So she keeps quiet against her base Gryffindor nature to scream her discomfiture from the treetops.

There are two types of Gryffindor: The Sirius Black, who would make this a big deal at the drop of a hat, and the Dumbledore, who would keep quiet for the greater good. Lily likes to believe she teeters between the two, and chooses now to be like Dumbledore and swallow her emotions in a glass of firewhiskey on the rocks. James quirks an eyebrow because he is impressed with her ability to keep up with the boys, and she winks back. He gestures lewdly and she smiles, Pettigrew be damned, but in the back of her head she knows there will be another round.