okay but what if remus and lily were always put on prefect duty together and remus didn't really mind even if james did get huffy every time he pulled his jumper on and said he was running down to the common room to meet her because lily liked to talk about muggle poetry sometimes. and lily started noticing when she was placed with someone else, began picking up on the rhythm of it, and that it somehow always corresponded to a trip to the infirmary for remus and there was something about it that bothered her, that worked its way under her skin and just itched there because something Was Not Right. and finally it just clicked one day as they were walking down the hallway and talking about how lily had watched the moon landing on her muggle telly back before she even received her hogwarts letter and remus flinched. not enough that someone not looking would have been able to discern but it was there and everything in that moment fell into place for lily. and she whispered "oh remus" and stopped dead in her tracks, taking the boy's forearm so he'd turn toward her and lily could feel her forehead creasing as she said "i know" and remus stopped breathing and his eyes went big and wide and he wasn't about to insult her intelligence by refusing it but these tears started to collect in his eyes because he liked lily and he hated that this part of his life was beginning. the part where he'd let people come close to him and then need to let them go when they knew what he was. and before he could let any of those tears fall onto his cheek, he ran. and that was the first time lily approached james, whispering into his ear as they sat in the common room "how can i help?"