~

"Shit, I said that out loud, didn't I?"

~

Remus squeezed his eyes shut, trying to teleport back in time thirty seconds. It didn't work. When he opened them, Lily and Regulus were still staring at him.

"Er... just kidding?" Remus ventured.

"No, you were not," Regulus corrected. "Did you come to that conclusion just now?"

"...Yeah. Sorry."

"Remus, you don't have to apologize. It's amazing that you discovered that about yourself. We're not mad at you," Lily hastened to add. "I am curious though, how did you know? I thought you didn't know who you were in love with?"

Remus considered for a moment. "Well, I don't know who it is... but I might?"

Regulus looked at him, clearly annoyed. "That makes zero sense, Lupin."

"Well... The night this all started I had a weird dream," He explained the dream about the flowers and the mystery boy. "When Lily told me to think of love... I thought of that dream, and that blurry bloke. No clue who he is though."

Lily grinned. "I knew that would work. Now, we just have to solve the mystery of who you're in love with!"

"Easier said than done," I grumbled. "How do I tell if I have a crush on someone?"

"Well, the stories usually say it feels like butterflies in your stomach." Lily pointed out.

Remus shook his head in disgust. "Eugh, that sounds horrible. What would that even feel like?"

"Agreed," Regulus nodded. "I think it's like when you're chasing a Snitch, racing towards the ground so fast everything becomes a blur and your heart and stomach feel like they're dropping into your feet."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "That's oddly specific."

Regulus folded his arms and turned away. "Breakfast is soon. We should leave."

"Yeah, breakfast sounds good." Remus agreed.

Lily sighed exasperatedly "Remus, you're dying."

"Slowly and painfully," He reminded her. "I can get breakfast without dropping dead in the Great Hall."

Lily scoffed, but she grabbed his hand to pull him to his feet.

Regulus picked up the book that had the page on Hanahaki Disease and put it back on the shelf.

"We'll come back for it later, and continue the research."

Remus was surprised. "You'll help?"

The Slytherin boy rolled his eyes. "Well, you both are so busy studying for the O.W.L.s, you need someone to be able to do research."

"Thanks, Reggie," Remus smiled.

"If you call me that again, I can easily change my mind."

"Are we going or not?" Lily said impatiently, though she smirked with amusement.

Remus chuckled. "Don't get your robes in a twist, Lils, we're coming."

And though he had the cloud of impending death hanging over him, Remus didn't mind as much because he wasn't fighting alone.