Onions

Onions.

“Moony…” Harry looked up from the small tin of photographs that was in his lap. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the sitting room in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. He and Remus had devoted the day to looking at Remus’ collection of old photos of Harry’s parents and Sirius. Peter popped up occasionally, but both tried their best to ignore him.

    Remus looked over at Harry from his bit of the floor, an odd, almost detached look on his face.

“Yes, Harry?” He asked, brushing his straggly fringe out of his eyes.

“This one…why are you crying?”

    Remus took the photograph from Harry and studied it closely. He remembered this one. How could he not?

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Lily was standing at the kitchen in her Aunt’s caravan, preparing a salad for lunch. It was 1976; the hottest summer in decades. Remus wandered into the kitchen wearing a long tee shirt and even longer shorts, by far the most respectable of the Marauders. He was surprised to note it was just he and Lily in the kitchen.

    “Liiiily-Flower!” James’s voice penetrated the thin kitchen walls. He was in the lounge, dying from heat exposure, so he said. “Will you chuck us a beer sweetie?” Lily sighed and turned around, nearly bumping into Remus.

“Sorry Rem, darling, I didn’t see you there! Wait here a second, I’ll get these lazy gits a beer.” She rolled her eyes at Remus, the way she used to - her ‘Prefects-in-it-together’ eye roll. Lily turned and grabbed three bottles from the bin full of ice, then walked out of the room.

I’d never ask you to get me things. I’d never ask anything of you, Lily-Flower. If you’d…love me as I love you, you would be treated as a princess, as you should be now. Oh, how I wish….I could wish for a million things, things that would never come true. I could wish for you.

A solitary tear spilt from Remus’ eye.

Lily walked back into the kitchen, followed by Sirius. Remus whipped round and started chopping onions for dinner. Sirius came in front of the unit, and Lily joined Remus in salad preparation.

“Remus, why are you crying , dear?” Lily touched Remus’ forearm, her red hair catching the sunlight from the window.

“Onions,” Remus explained with a slight smile.

You will never know the truth.

“Ah, I see. James gets that a lot.” Lily laughed, and threw more lettuce into a bowl.

“Smile!” Lily, quick off the mark, flashed a grin for the camera Sirius had found on the shelf. Remus was not fast enough to hide the look of intense sadness that had swept across his face.

“Jesus, Rem, don’t look so depressed! You’re not the only one without a shag tonight, Pete couldn’t pull either. You can be losers together!” Sirius grinned and placed the camera back on the shelf, then walked outside, scratching his stomach.

They will never know the truth.

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“Onions, Harry. I was chopping onions.” Remus put the photo back in its tin.