Morning dew litters the forest floor, glittering under the peachy sunrise. The air is still, crisp with a fresh scent of pine. Deer travel stealthily and nibble at tree bark as squirrels leap from branch to branch high above. Eight colored flags are hoisted up their poles, marking all 8 of the teams dispersed throughout the camp.

Sunlight peers through the window of Cabin 505. Soft snores fill the room. Remus's eyes flutter open and he stifles a yawn. He takes in his surroundings, momentarily having forgotten that he isn't in his bed at home. Every few seconds, the fan situated in the middle of the cabin blows a chilling breeze at him. Across the room, Peter sound asleep and James's arm dangles from the bunk above.

Remus rolls over to face the wall, closing his eyes in hopes of reawakening in his own bedroom. It feels as though only seconds pass before a trumpet blares from outside. Remus's eyes shoot open just as the others stir from their sleep.

James lifts his head groggily; his hair looks even messier - if possible. Peter hasn't even woken up yet. He buries himself further into his blankets to avoid the light.

Slowly but surely, they haul themselves out of bed and to the showers out back. The cold water sends a jolt through Remus's body, ridding of any ounce of sleepiness left in him. Goosebumps crawl up his arms, prompting him to wash off quickly. His camp shirt smells distantly of cherry from the previous night, but he pulls it over his head without a second thought and slips on his faded blue jeans.

"Remus, aren't you going to be hot in those?" Peter asks.

Remus shrugs. "I like jeans," he says modestly. "They'll last me all my life."

"If anything, we should be concerned about the bloke wearing socks and sandals," Sirius comments at the desk while tying his trainers.

All heads turn to James who stands out the door with knee high socks and brown two-strap sandals. He holds his glasses up to the light, inspecting them for smudges. When he pushes them up the bridge of his nose, he gives the others an expectant look. "Well, aren't you guys coming?" he badgers impatiently. "They'll be out of pancakes if we don't hurry."

At the mere thought of food, the boys race down the path towards the Mess Hall. Campers loiter outside in groups, mindlessly chatting about the activities they've signed up for. The boys skirt around a group of girls wearing sky blue shirts who giggle as they pass. Remus doesn't pay any attention to them; his focus remains solely on the food awaiting inside.

Remus stacks his plate with two chocolate chip pancakes and a generous drizzling of maple syrup. Thankfully, he makes his way to the table without spilling a drop of his orange juice. Peter sits to his right, placing a napkin over his lap before eating his scrambled eggs.

Remus doesn't realize that he's eaten everything on his plate until an empty fork greets his mouth. He'd been so focused on his food, that he didn't even notice the two girls standing beside their table. Both girls have long, pin straight hair falling to their mid-backs and wear royal purple t-shirts.

"-and this is Lily Evans," the brunette of the two finishes introducing.

Remus glances up at them. Lily Evans stands closest to him; her complexion is similar to his - pale. Freckles dot her cheeks and nose and her eyes are a striking shade of emerald green. Her most notable feature, however, is her vivid auburn hair.

They murmur a greeting of "Hello."

"We're going to sign up for archery later," the brunette says.

James's chest instinctively puffs out. "You know," he begins, "I'm the reigning champion of archery. If you need someone to teach you, Lily, I'd be willing to offer you a free lesson."

"Oh, really?" the brunette drawls. "There must be another James Potter who impaled the camp director's floaty last summer then."

Remus suppresses the urge to laugh, taking a hasty sip of orange juice. He casts a glance at Sirius across the table, and they do everything in their power not to burst out laughing.

James's cheeks flare up with embarrassment, but he flashes an impish grin. "Gotta make your mark somehow, Marls."

The brunette rolls her eyes. "Whatever, James. We'll see you later." She grasps Lily's arm and the two run out of the Mess Hall.

James lets out a longing sigh, plopping his chin into the palm of his hand as he watches the two run off. "I think I just met the love of my life," he says to nobody in particular.

"Have you ever even kissed a girl before?" Sirius asks.

James scoffs. "Of course I have! Have you?" Sirius shakes his head. Remus bites his lip nervously when James turns to him expectantly; Peter's face is cherry red, answering for him. "Don't worry, you're not missing out on anything."

Remus picks at his napkin, tearing little pieces off until its nothing but shreds on the table. At least he isn't the only one who hasn't had his first kiss yet. Sometimes, Remus thinks he's different. He doesn't get flustered around girls the way other boys his age do. He doesn't find breasts anymore interesting than the back of his hand. For the most part, he gets along with girls more than guys. That's why Luna is his best friend. But he's never thought of her more than that. The only time he's ever felt anything remotely close to that was...something he tries to forget.

"Remus, you ready?" Peter asks, nudging him lightly with his tray.

Remus blinks out of his thoughts, hastily standing up with the others. "For what?" he asks.

"James signed us up for swimming first."

Remus swallows hard, the cup on his tray wobbling from his trembling hands. "Oh...sure." He puts his dishes onto a rack and follows the boys out of the Mess Hall.

The sun arcs over the cloudless sky with a stifling heat. After changing into swim trunks, the boys march down to the lake. Campers are already swarming the area. Kayaks and canoes skim over the water with kids wearing bright orange life jackets. Others are playing volleyball and building sandcastles on the shore.

Remus's footsteps feel heavier and heavier as they approach the water. He digs his heels into the warm sand. The boys sets down their towels a little ways away from the bigger crowd. James and Sirius start to peel off their red camp t-shirts when they notice Peter hesitating. The smaller boy scratches his arm idly; his watery blue eyes scan over at the other campers.

Remus finds himself staring at Sirius through the lens of his sunglasses, grateful that the heat could be to blame for his blushing cheeks. Sirius pulls down his shirt, exchanging silent words with James, who also leaves his shirt on.

"The water's gonna feel great," James says excitedly. "But you have to jump in from the dock."

Remus lays out his towel and kicks off his shoes. "Um, I'm just going to wait a bit first," he says taking a seat. "You guys go ahead."

Just as James is about to protest, a group of boys passes them. The biggest in the middle, Remus recognizes as Mulciber. Immediately, he tenses.

"Look at those fags," Mulciber calls out with a heinous laugh. His gaze focuses on Remus, who sits with his knees hugged to his chest.

"Who wears shirts when swimming?" one of the others comments.

"Fat kids," another boy, one with long black hair that shines with grease under the light, says.

Peter takes a step back to avoid them when James shouts, "I burn easily, assholes!" He flips them off. "Skin cancer is no joke!"

"You tell 'em, James," Sirius says with a smirk.

James rolls his eyes. "Don't listen to them, Peter," he says clapping a friendly hand on the boy's back. "One day they'll be sagging and wrinkly and we'll be silver foxes. Come on, the ladies love a guy who can do a proper cannon ball."

As James and Peter take off towards the dock, Sirius hangs back. Remus toys with the sand, picking up a handful and letting it seep through his fingers slowly. He watches intently as Sirius lays out his own towel beside him. The boy runs a hand through his dark hair, pushing it out of his face; he sits down with his legs extended, closing his eyes to bask in the sunlight. His face glows in the golden rays, tanning his already sun kissed skin.

"You didn't want to swim?" Remus asks politely.

"Nah," Sirius says, peeking an eye open at Remus. "Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I just left you here by yourself?"

Friend. Remus dismisses the word. "I'm used to it."

Sirius lowers his gaze, letting the words sink in. He observes Remus stilly, taking in the scrawny, sandy brown haired boy. His demeanor is withdrawn - both shy and timorous, but not weak. In some ways, he sees himself in Remus.

At home, Sirius doesn't have many of his own friends. Everyone he knows is a friend of his family. Gatherings of strangers who claim to know him well or business men who see potential in him. He's compared to his father often. What most kids would find honoring, Sirius takes with a grain of salt. His father is the last person he ever wants to be compared to.

Out on the dock, Peter and James stand at the edge. Soft waves from the canoes lap against the wood. The water is a pale blue shade, with grass and weeds swaying at the bottom. Fish dart in and out, occasionally coming close to the surface. The water extends to the horizon, with no end in sight.

James cups his hands to block out the sun, squinting at three kayaks coming closer to the dock. His eyes widen when he spots a head of auburn hair.

James winks at Peter and says, "Watch this." He waves his hand and shouts, "Oi Evans!" Taking two strides, James leaps into the lake with a splash twice his size. The water crashes over the three girls in the kayaks, rocking them side to side.

"Potter!" Lily shouts when a head of raven hair pops up to the surface.

James smirks, flicking his sodding hair to the side. "Come on Peter!"

Not even a second after, another massive splash sends water flying everywhere. James's grin is ear to ear when Peter appears a couple feet away, wiping his face.

James grabs onto the side of Lily's kayak and looks up at her. "Wasn't that impressive?" he asks.

"What's impressive is the size of your ego," Lily retorts.

"Marlene, didn't you think that was a great cannon ball?"

"It was magnificent," Marlene states. "Don't you think Mary?" The third girl with the blondest hair and doe eyes nods shyly. "What's your name?"

"P-Peter," Peter answers with a crack in his voice.

Lily smiles softly at him. "Well Peter, if you'll excuse us." Lily pries James's fingers off of her kayak and the three paddle away.

James wades in the water, watching Lily grow smaller into the distance. "I think she likes me," he comments.

Peter scrunches his eyebrows together. Maybe he was reading the situation wrong, but he's fairly certain that James's flirting attempts were a bellyflop.

Back on the sand, Remus and Sirius sit across from each other, sifting through the sand in search for shells. A gentle breeze flutters through the midday air, relieving them momentarily from the heat. The bangs of Remus's hair tickle his forehead, and he moves to scratch his face.

"I've never been to the real beach before," Sirius tells him. "Have you?"

"No, but my friend has," Remus says. "She went once and told me that I should go sometime."

"What's her name?"

Remus licks his lips before answering. He's never spoken of his best friend to anyone before. None of the kids at school ever cared to ask him if he had any friends. They all call him a loser anyway. "Um, her name is Luna."

"Luna, like the moon."

"I guess." Remus runs his fingers over the sand, tracing little circles when he sees the shiny ring on Sirius's hand. His other arm has an abundance of bracelets stacked on his wrist. "That's a cool ring."

Sirius pulls his hand back ever so slightly. He unclenches his fingers slowly to show Remus. "Oh it's a family thing." Remus inspects the silver crest in the center. "I'm supposed to pass it down to my family when I get older."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"One. My younger brother." Sirius twists the ring on his forefinger absentmindedly. "What about you?"

Remus shakes his head. "I'm an only child. I always wanted a sibling, though. Kind of like a built in best friend." Sirius presses his lips into a thin line; Regulus is sort of his best friend, he supposes. "Hey, you found one!"

Sirius dusts the sand off of a small shell, holding it up for the two of them to look at. It's about the size of a quarter with specs of caramel and red that twist into a cone shaped spiral. Although it has a few cracks in it, the shell remains in tact. Sirius sees a shimmer of excitement in Remus's eyes - the first time he's seen any sort of happy emotion come from the boy. He pulls off one of his bracelets and pulls apart the thread until it's doubled in length. He slips it through one of the tiny cracks and ties the ends off.

"Here," Sirius says, offering it to Remus.

"For me?" Remus questions. Sirius nods eagerly. "But you found it." Remus extends the necklace back to Sirius.

"No I have plenty of jewelry." Sirius shakes his arm, jangling the rest of his bracelets. "I want you to have it."

Remus carefully slips the thread over his head. The shell lays on the center of his chest. He rolls it gently between his fingers, a soft smile grazing his lips. He looks up at Sirius, into his swirling gray eyes. "Thank you," he says honestly.