hello!!! shy!remus has my whole heart 🤎 i love an awkward bumbling boy! i hope you like it!
Shy!Remus Lupin x Reader 💌 1.6k words
The library was quiet, save for the occasional scratch of quills against parchment and the distant hum of students whispering. You sat at your usual table, lost in a book, completely unaware that across the room, Remus Lupin was dying.
Not literally, of course. But close enough.
“You’re staring again, mate.” James nudged him with his elbow, grinning. “Bit creepy.”
“I’m not staring,” Remus muttered, tearing his eyes away from you and burying his nose in his Transfiguration textbook.
“Oh, you absolutely are,” Sirius chimed in, propping his feet up on the table and leaning back in his chair. “It’s tragic, really. You have zero game.”
Remus groaned, rubbing his temples. “I don’t need game. What I need is for you two to leave me alone.”
James and Sirius exchanged a look—the kind of look that usually meant trouble. Before Remus could protest, James shot up from his seat, grabbed a stack of books from the table, and marched toward you.
“James, what the hell are you doing?,” Remus whispered with panic. “No, no, no—”
Too late. James, ever the dramatic, tripped just as he reached your table. Books went flying, scattering across the floor in a chaotic mess. You startled, looking up as James let out a loud, exaggerated, “Oh no!”
You blinked at him, setting your book down with a look of genuine concern. “Are you okay?”
James gasped, clutching his chest. “Oh, I’ll survive. It’s just—I was just carrying all these books to help my dear, scholarly friend Remus, who—oh look! Here he is now!”
Remus, who had been chasing after James in an attempt to stop him, froze as you turned your gaze to him. You stood up, crouching down to pick up a handful of books before walking over to him.
“You needed these?” you asked, holding the pile of books out to him with a friendly smile.
Remus opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. He’d suddenly forgotten every word in the English language.
“Oh, you’re such a doll for helping,” Sirius cut in, suddenly appearing at James’ side. “Remus here is very smart. Very bookish. Very single.”
Remus groaned, feeling his cheeks flush hot.
You laughed, clearly amused, and gently placed the stack of books in Remus’ arms. “Well, I hope this helps.”
Somehow, somehow, Remus managed to remember how to function long enough to wrap his arms around the books so they wouldn’t fall. “Th-thanks,” he stammered.
James and Sirius were practically vibrating with barely contained glee.
Charms class was supposed to be simple. Emphasis on supposed to be.
Remus had planned to keep his head down, focus on his incantations, and not embarrass himself in front of you for once. But, as always, James and Sirius had other ideas.
“You know what would really impress her?” Sirius whispered as they settled into their seats. “A grand, sweeping, show-stopping spell.”
James nodded sagely. “Something dazzling. Something unforgettable.”
“Something that won’t end with me in the hospital wing?” Remus muttered, already regretting ever letting the two of them find out about his crush.
But then you walked in, all smiles as you took your seat a row in front of him, and Remus forgot how to function. He could smell your perfume.
Professor Flitwick clapped his hands, jolting Remu out of his trance. “Alright, class! Today, we’ll be practicing Wingardium Leviosa! I know you are all proficient with the charm, but with your NEWTs coming up, we need to go over everything. Partner up and begin.”
Remus barely had time to process before James was tapping your shoulder with enthusiasm. “Would you mind? Moony needs a partner!”
You beamed as you looked at Remus. “Looks like we’re working together then!”
Remus’ brain went blank as you clambered around to sit down next to him. Words? Who needed words?
Unfortunately, his body decided to communicate in incoherent panic instead of the spoken word, and as soon as he waved his wand, the feather the two of you were meant to levitate shot straight into Flitwick’s face.
James and Sirius snickered from a few feet away. Remus wanted to sink into the floor.
“Hey, it’s okay,” you said, giggling as you Accio’d the feather back over to the two of you. “Here, try again.”
Remus took a steadying breath. Focus. He could do this.
The feather rose. Success!
And then it exploded into a cloud of glitter.
Sirius actually fell off his chair laughing. James was pounding the desk, wheezing. Flitwick, covered head to toe in shimmering dust, sighed heavily.
“Well,” you said with a kind smile, brushing glitter off your robes, “at least you made it sparkle.”
Remus groaned into his hands as James and Sirius continued their hysterics.
Hogsmeade weekends were always Remus’ favorite. He loved relaxing, grabbing a Butterbeer with his friends, and mentally resetting after a long week. And he was planning to do just that- after the humiliating week he’d had, he couldn’t wait to get his mind off of things.
Unfortunately for him, Sirius and James had decided that a day in Hogsmeade was the perfect opportunity to help Remus talk to you.
“Today’s the day, Moony,” James said, slinging an arm around Remus’ shoulders as they walked toward the village. “You’re going to chat her up like a natural.”
“I talk to her all the time,” Remus muttered.
“Yes, but this time, you’re going to do it with charm,” Sirius added. “Which is why we’ve devised a foolproof plan.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
By the time they reached The Three Broomsticks, Remus was already bracing for disaster. And sure enough, the moment you walked in, James and Sirius executed what could only be described as a car accident of a plan.
James “accidentally” spilled Butterbeer on your sleeve, immediately launching into an exaggerated apology that somehow involved insisting Remus help clean it off as he boasted that Remus was particularly skilled with cleaning charms, after all of the accidents his friends seemed to have.
Sirius, meanwhile, loudly proclaimed, “You know, Moony’s been reading up on useful charms lately. Maybe he could show you a quick spell to clean it off?”
Remus glared at them both but turned to you with an apologetic look. “Uh, sorry about them.”
You laughed, shaking out your sleeve. “It’s fine, really. But if you do have a good spell for Butterbeer stains, I’d love to know.”
Remus, desperate to regain some dignity, muttered the incantation. Luck seemed to be on his side today—the stain vanished instantly.
Sirius and James exchanged victorious looks.
You smiled at Remus. “Impressive! I’ll have to have you teach me that one sometime.”
Remus turned red. James and Sirius high fived behind him. You went to join your friends, waving at Remus as you sat down with them. Sirius clapped Remus on the back. “See? A flawless execution.”
Remus groaned. “You two are the worst.”
James grinned. “Ah, you say that now. But when she finally asks you out, you’ll be kissing the ground we walk on, old friend.”
Remus was pacing. This was already a bad sign.
“Mate, relax,” James said, lounging on Remus’ bed in his dirty Quidditch kit, tossing a Snitch up in the air and catching it again. “It’s simple. Just be yourself.”
Remus stopped mid-step and turned to glare at him. “Just be myself?” he repeated. “That’s the worst advice you’ve ever given me.”
Sirius, sprawled across the floor flipping through a magazine, snorted. “I don’t know, Prongs. I think the glitter bomb might have been worse.”
“I panicked!” Remus hissed, running a hand through his hair. “You weren’t helping!”
“Which is why, this time, you’re just going to go up to her, act normal, and have a conversation like a functioning human being,” James said, sitting up. “No grand schemes, no staged accidents. Just talk to her.”
Remus swallowed hard, nodding. “Right. Just talk.”
He found himself in the library again later that evening, determined to have a normal conversation with you this time.
The plan lasted approximately five seconds.
Remus approached you and sat down in the chair across from you with an awkward smile. You had barely begun to greet him back when he, driven purely by panic, blurted out, “Your bones. They’re nice.”
James and Sirius, who had been hiding behind a nearby bookshelf, collapsed into each other trying to suppress their laughter.
You, to your eternal credit, just blinked at him before smiling, clearly trying not to laugh at his poor excuse for a compliment. “Uh, thanks?”
“No problem,” he managed, voice barely above a whisper before he stood up, turned on his heel, and walked straight into the bookshelf.
James was wheezing at this point, and Sirius had tears streaming down his face.
You, somehow amused rather than horrified, stood and grabbed his arm, turning him around as you examined his head. “You okay there, Remus?”
“Yep,” he squeaked, rubbing his forehead. “Perfectly fine.”
You laughed. “Well, if you ever want to talk more about bones, I’ll be here.”
With that, you returned to your table and picked up your book, and Remus stumbled away, head in his hands as Sirius and James howled in the background.
“That,” Sirius gasped between laughs, “was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
James wiped at his eyes. “Absolutely tragic. I loved it.”
Remus groaned. “I’m never showing my face again.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Sirius grinned. “We’ll remind you of this moment forever.”
Just as Remus prepared to sink into eternal embarrassment, he heard footsteps approaching. You were back, standing in front of him with an amused glint in your eyes.
“Hey,” you said. “So, I was thinking—since you clearly appreciate good bone structure, maybe you’d like to grab a Butterbeer with me this weekend?”
Remus blinked, his brain short-circuiting. James and Sirius looked at you like you’d sprouted a second head.
“I—uh—yes! Yes, I would,” he finally managed, his voice raspy.
You grinned. “Great! See you then.”
As you walked away, Sirius clapped him on the back. “Well, Moony, you’ve got zero game, but somehow, it worked.”
James shook his head, watching your retreating form with amusement. “Proud of you, mate.”
Remus, still processing, could only nod. Maybe being himself was all he needed, after all.
