"You've got a friend in me.
If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too.
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you.
We stick together and can see it through,
'cause you've got a friend in me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know."

"I've known for some time."

Remus searched Bell's gaze. She looked dead serious (though their friend was very much alive). He wasn't too surprised, which seemed to further the others' astonishment. Bell was a clever girl, more so than most people gave her credit for, and she had a knack for figuring things out. Interestingly enough, Remus had found through the years that despite this, which could have made her an excellent gossip, any secret that she learned was as safe with her as if it were in a Gringotts vault. Thus, she was one of the most trustworthy people Remus knew, and he appreciated that about her very much. He'd had a feeling for the last year or so that she'd suspected his, ah, condition, and so this revelation came as less of a shock to him than to James, Peter, and Sirius.

"It was only a suspicion for a while, but then I started looking for the signs, and sure enough, I found them." Bell hesitated. "Though I do want you to know, you're very good at hiding it." She inclined her head a little to the left and a slight smile came to Remus' face. Always the comforting one, that was Bell. "Very good."

"But you figured it out." Peter's eyes were wide as he looked at Bell, and she nodded almost-ruefully.

"I only knew for certain that night when-" She glanced to Sirius, and it seemed he realized what she was about to refer to, thus he gave a little nod of assent. "-Sirius ended up in the Hospital Wing and the three of you had to run off someplace." Remus supposed she hadn't wanted to bring up that occasion should it arise harsh memories in Sirius. How sweet. Bell moved back a few feet and sat down on the edge of Remus' bed, which was located on the far wall and so was easy for her friends, already looking that way, to pay attention to.

"That was one of the main reasons for the Map, wasn't it?" Nods all around. Bell tilted her chin. "Pranking and whatnot was just the afterthought, the excuse you had to give for your-" Meaning Remus. "-sake."

"You never asked."

Bell looked at James and her expression was one of mild surprise. "Of course not. It wasn't my business to know, and if Remus didn't want to tell me, I wasn't about to force him- or any of you -to say so." Sirius was just about staring at her by now from where he was still sat at the far end of his bed and it was only when Remus snapped 'absentmindedly' behind his back that his friend, ever-adoring of Bellamy Roac, blinked out of it.

"Of course, you do use it for pranks, and to sneak out at night, and other things like that, too," Bell acceded, then grinned. "So do I."

James gave a small laugh. "That would explain the times it just about disappears from the dorm or one of our bags." Chuckling from all the group.

"And you, you don't... care?"

Bell gave a soft huff of air. "I care, but I'm not afraid, or disgusted, or anything, of course not." She smiled softly at Remus. "What kind of friend- what kind of person -would I be if I walked away from you because of something you can't control?" She shook her head. "I don't want to ever be that person. Ever."

Remus, after she stood up and walked to him, accepted the hug she offered, and smiled into her shoulder. She stepped back, and there was something in her eyes that revealed to him she was going to ask a question that may seem tough to answer. He braced himself silently as she hesitated. Peter sat down on the floor by the door. James examined his fingernails for a beat.

"She doesn't know, does she?"

Remus gave a low sigh. He knew just who Bell was talking about, and his heart trembled at the thought of having Persephone know his darkest secret. "I don't think I could ever tell her," he admitted softly, his gaze falling to the ground, and when he looked up, James was right there, wrapping his arms around his friend in a firm hug. Bell joined them, then Sirius and Peter, and they stood there for a long moment. Remus tried not to cry, but failed, then realized he didn't really mind if they saw him tearful at this moment. He swiped at his damp cheeks once they'd all stepped back and Bell smiled grimly at him.

"It'll have to happen eventually. I'm afraid it's inevitable."

Remus nodded, his mood souring a little. "I know."

Sirius laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and Remus looked to him, eyes still watery. "Hey, if Marlene and Lily haven't figured it out-"

"They both know, too," jumped in Bell, who then gave an apologetic look. "I didn't tell them, of course, Remus told Lily, ah, end of fifth year, right?" Remus dipped his head in confirmation. "And Marlene just sort of... knew." This, for some reason, had a sort of weight attached to it, a sort of quiet power of their outspoken friend's powers of observation, and those gathered went quiet for a moment as they realized that yes, it made perfect sense that Marlene just... knew.

"Sorry, Sirius, I interrupted you-"

"Nah, it's fine Angel. My point didn't really have a, well, a point anyway." Sirius shrugged at Remus with a slight smile. "I was just trying to make him feel better." Remus smiled back, thankful for his friends' support, even if his nerves considering Persephone's knowledge of his affliction weren't much soothed by their words.

"Hey- speaking of your lovely lady-" James wiggled his eyebrows at Remus and consequently got a pillow to the face from Bell, a motion at which Remus grinned. "Hey!" protested James, "you call him-" 'Him' being Sirius. "-'Hot Stuff', I don't see how that's any diff-"

"I think I love her."

Immediate silence in the room.

Bell was the first to smile just a second later. "I'm not that surprised," she said and winked at Remus, and thus the mood turned back to lighthearted. "After all, two years of fancying someone is quite enough time to realize that."

"Realize what?" Persephone herself walked into the dorm room, two books in her hands and a sweet smile on her face. Remus couldn't help but smile when he saw her blush as she looked at him and he reached out a hand to her. Their fingers entwined and she passed him the History of Magic textbook he'd left down in the Common Room.

"That Remus thinks you're pretty and sweet and funny and lovely and sexy-" At the last word, both the couple's cheeks flushed red and Bell practically leaped across the room to push a pillow over James' mouth.

"You cheeky lil' shit."

As Sirius got up off his bed, waving for Peter to follow him, Remus ran his thumb gently along the side of Persephone's hand. He shrugged and leaned in to whisper to his girlfriend, "They're not wrong, you know," and she blushed for a third time and bumped his side with her elbow. Still, the compliments, though stolen from James, earned Remus a kiss, and so he didn't much mind the nudge.

"Alllllright," drawled out Bell, holding one of Sirius' hands with her other arm tucked into the crook of James', Peter standing right behind them as he picked up Bell's satchel from where it lay against the foot of Sirius' bed. "We'd best be going, then. Have fun, kids," she teased as she tugged the two friends she was holding onto out of the room, the third following behind dutifully with her bag.

"DON'T FORGET TO PRACTICE SAFE S-"

The indignant yelping of Bell cut out Sirius' words and Persephone gave a soft laugh. "I suppose that means they want to give us alone time," she mumbled and Remus grinned.

"I guess so." He took the second book she held and placed it and his HoM textbook on top of the trunk at the end of his bed, then draped his arms around her neck and swayed with her in his embrace for a moment. Her own arms wrapped around his back and he smiled up at her. There was so much he adored about her. From the way she was a few inches taller, to her sweet smile, to the way she squinted when she was drawing, even her giggles when she was embarrassed, he loved it all. He really did. And so he leaned up a little and kissed her, slow and sweet, and she kissed back, and life was good in that moment, and he didn't have to worry.

One little thing led to another little thing, and a good half-hour later, Remus was pink-cheeked and smiling softly as he twirled a lock of dark brown hair around his finger. His hand moved to Persephone's cheek and she leaned into his touch, smiling at him. She was perched on his chest, one knee on either side of his torso, and her darker complexion was flushed. Her lips looked swollen to Remus, from their extensive kissing, he assumed, and he was pretty sure his own mouth looked the same. Her yellow-green shirt was rumpled and his face reddened at the passing thought of what she might look like without it on. He drew her down toward him and peppered kisses along her face and she laughed softly and leaned her forehead against his.

"Thank you," Persephone said softly, and Remus cocked one eyebrow.

"What for?"

She tilted her head at him and rolled off his chest to lay beside him on his bed. "Just... for being here. In this moment. With me." She smiled, leaning her head against her elbow like a pillow of sorts. "I don't think we- people, that is -say thank you enough to those we care about. So thank you, Remus Lupin, for being here with me." She kissed him gently and when she leaned back after a beat, his lips tried to follow hers, to her evident amusement.

"Then thank you, Persephone Vidal, for being a part of my life and letting me-" Here, he paused to kiss her. "-kiss you at any given moment." She laughed softly and ran her hand gently along his chest, and his own hand came to rest over hers, right above where his heart beat. "You hear that?" he asked softly, and Persephone scooched closer, leaning her head against their hands. She nodded after a moment and he let out a shaky exhale. "It's yours, if you'll have it." She leaned back just a little, their heads close together.

"Gladly." She grinned. "Though I must offer something in return..." She took their joined hands and brought them over the middle of her own chest. Remus smiled and leaned closer, kissing the back of her hand sweetly. He just looked at her then, and she looked at him, and it was peaceful; Persephone's foot gently touched the side of Remus' leg and her breath tickled his cheek, and it was nice.

And then the door of the dorm swung open and Remus sat upright, narrowing his eyes at the intruder.

"HEY YOU YOUNGIN'S, I BROUGHT CONDO-"

"FOR THE LOVE OF QUIDDITCH, JAMES!"