"Gwen! You remember Gwen!" Ianto was pressing to John, clearly trying desperately to jog his memory. 

The four boys were just entering John and Ianto's property, just close enough for Remus to be able hear their conversation from inside. He smiled fondly as he heard the excitement in Ianto's voice. 

John threw open the front door to greet them (and figure out exactly who Gwen was) as they walked down the path to the house. 

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "Mop!" he seemed to be talking to Gwen, but no one was too sure. 

"Stick!" Gwen greeted, a bright smile on her face. 

Remus and Sirius shared a confused look. Though, they supposed, they were hardly the authority on appropriate nicknames. 

Ianto shook his head at the two of them as he closed the door behind them. "Good day everyone? Tea?" He asked, establishing answers and out of the room before anyone could reply.

Once settled-or rather, crammed- in the living room, James asked how Gwen knew John and Ianto. 

"Mop's dad has put me back together more times than I can count." John replied. 

"That's because you can only count to 7." Gwen replied wittily. 

"Look," John turned to her sharply "that was not my fault, and you know it!"

"There's a story here." Sirius said, to no one in particular.

"John was the..." Gwen cleared her throat pointedly, "magician" she rolled her eyes. "at my 8th birthday party. There was this disappearing trick where I would climb out the back of a box. Only Stick pulled the cover off too soon and ruined the trick. The few friends I actually had said I'd ruined their lives! I bet they still don't believe in magic, the poor bastards." Gwen's voice portrayed disappointment, but she smiled nostalgically at the memory. 

Ianto had re-entered the room, using, for the first time any of the marauders had seen, magic to levitate 7 cups of tea into the room. He didn't spill a drop as he placed them at various points by their perspective owners. 

"I can't quite remember where the nicknames come from though?" He questioned, leaning against the arm chair occupied by both James and Sirius. 

"Really?" John asked, incredulously. "You don't remember that she's looked like a mop that's lost its stick ever since she was born?" 

"Yeah, and he's looked like a stick without its mop ever since I've been able to see!" Gwen added. 

Ianto scoffed. "Of course." 

Gwen's auburn hair was permed, adding to its volume, but it was clear that with the sheer length and thickness of it, that was the best way to manage it. Today her hair had been half pulled into a scrunchie high on top of her head. Peter thought it made her look rather like a poodle. 

"Could I use your phone? Dad's probably realised I've missed the portkey by now." Gwen asked Ianto, as if muggle use of a portkey was not an incredibly odd sentiment in itself. 

While Gwen used the phone, the boys spoke cheerfully about their day, surprised at how quickly a day of mild hate speech and harassment had become a good day. 

A large grey cat had found its way onto Remus' lap. It curled up in a ball and purred contently as Remus stroked its fur, the sound of the light affection reverberating throughout him, warming him from the inside out. 

Ianto has focused most of his attention on Peter today, no longer trying to feign subtlety, simply hoping that Peter would meet his eyes-he just wanted to talk to him. Peter had a horrible feeling about Gwen. She seemed lovely, but there was something certainly off about her. How had she seen past every barricade they had put up? How did she know so much? Wizard parents or not-she was nosey and he didn't like it. 

John was about to question how the boys had planned to spend the rest of their evening when the fireplace shone green. A head appeared just as Gwen re-entered the room. 

"Dad! Couldn't have given me a minute to finish my tea, could you?" Gwen seemed indignant, shocked to see him there so soon. 

Gwen's dad surveyed the four boys, brow furrowed. His eyes lingered over Remus for a moment longer. This was surely odd behaviour? A Healer such as himself would be more than accustomed to a scar or two. 

"Thomas! How lovely to see you!" Ianto said, once again elsewhere in mind's eye. 

"Come along, Gwendolyn." The head in the fireplace said. 

Gwen bid a polite goodbye to the boys, promising John and Ianto to visit again soon before she disappeared into the flames. 

"Thank you for the hospitality, John, Ianto." Gwen's dad nodded curtly at each and was gone. 

"How strange..." John mused "he's so nice usually." He cast a quick glance at Ianto, likely figuring that he would get the full story later, then shrugged and went to find another cat.

Ianto took a seat at the window, a look of confusion and subsequent frustration furrowed his brow. The room sat in silence, all very aware of the atmospheric change. After what seemed like a lifetime, Ianto's eyes quickly darted around the room before settling on a copy of an unfamiliar newspaper, which swiftly floated over him, just brushing the top of Sirius' head, which he studied quickly and with vigour. 

After giving Ianto just one further moment to think, Sirius finally spoke up. 

"I don't mean to be rude, but is everything okay, Ianto?" he asked.

Ianto quite literally shook himself out of his stupor. "Yes, oh, I am very sorry. Thomas is a very good friend, it's perplexing..." his face settled back to worried confusion, "...please excuse me a moment." he left the room, listening to follow the sound of John about the house.  

"I don't like her." Peter hissed, almost a question, not wanting to be met with disagreement, but needing to finally speak up.  

Three faces turned to him, not one easily discernible. 

"I don't know," James whispered back, "I think she's fine. Maybe she knows too much?" 

"Too much of what? She clearly hasn't lied to us, how could she? I worry what Ianto saw, though.' Remus added. They all agreed. 

"No use worrying, I suppose." Sirius said, somewhat out of character. "We should probably stay close to home tomorrow, though." Definitely out of character. 

Remus' stomach churned. There was so much uncertainty all of a sudden, he could hardly bear the thought of facing a full moon. 

John and Ianto re-entered the room brightly, no air of burden remaining. 

John let the cat tucked neatly under his arm free and moved to fuss over the cat on Remus' lap, happily chatting about where the cats had come from and just how many they actually cared for.

Ianto had refocussed his attention on Peter, he wanted so badly to understand him, the worry he felt so constantly, the inadequacy he felt around his friends, his loyalty, which was clearly unwavering-yet conditional, and tested. He wished he would let him in, but he was about as closed a book as a book can be. He could only hope that his friends understood him a little better. 

When the head of James' dad appeared in the fireplace, Ianto asked him to pop in for a chat. There was a fair bit of awkward shuffling required in order to keep the floo open, a responsibility James' mother was later tasked with, and an unspoken agreement that whatever Ianto had to say was very important. 

Once Euphemia had ordered the boys upstairs and closed the door firmly behind herself, the four boys gathered back around, unable to help themselves. Remus, whose hearing was far beyond that of the others', pressed his ear to the door, shushing every "can you hear anything?", "what about now?" and "what about now?" He finally shook his head in resolve, he could hear nothing beyond the room. 

"I bet a rat could hear just fine..." Sirius said pointedly to Peter, who sighed. 

"Really? What if someone sees me and hits me with something?" 

"Peter, this house is probably 400 years old, there's at least 7 rat-mouse hybrid families in this corridor alone." James resolved. 

Peter looked to Remus, who would usually support his case in this circumstance. 

Remus looked back apologetically. "It would be nice to know." 

James and Sirius gave a small victorious laugh and the three headed off to let Peter get to work, and not to arouse suspicion should the conversation end soon. 

Upstairs, James was talking endlessly, almost to nobody, about what information Peter may return with. Mostly farfetched ideas about underground wizard corporations, threat perceptions and the sheer disgust related to his daughter having made friends who are so strikingly handsome. More worrying thoughts surrounded their safety and anonymity and what it might mean for them if both were lost. 

Sirius watched as Remus struggled to keep his eyes open. He had clearly been running on adrenaline for most of the day. He worried that he may be in pain, suffering quietly so as not to be a burden. He worried more what may be going through his head. Sirius was worried, and Remus often felt Sirius' worry ten-fold, so mental unrest was highly likely. 

When the three spotted an oddly animated rat run through the door, then quickly disappear, they waited for Peter to materialise somewhere. 

When he did, he looked disgruntled and shook his head almost imperceptibly. 

"I didn't catch it all, but whatever it is, it isn't good."