Casual reminder before you read this chapter, only three of the secret entrances to Hogsmeade are cannon, but all seven will be revealed over this series, so some I did make up, and not all of them will be revealed in one go. 

HPHPHPHPHP

August 1973

James,

My parents have been adding extra fortifications to the house recently, yes their insanity knows no bounds, but I don't know if Click will still be able to come and go. If you could instruct your owl to leave them on the roof, I'll check there every morning.

Sincerely, Sirius

.

Sirius,

That explains why Click came back with my last letter, I grow more worried every day for the sanity of that Ancient and Nobel House. I think mum and dad still think I'm pulling their leg about your last name.

James

PS, stop laughing every time you sign your name, I know you are!

.

Sirius,

Your owl refuses to leave until it bites my nose still, are you telling him to do that? I do not wish to resemble those wild rumors about some noseless pureblood going around murdering people thank you.

Peter

.

Peter,

I can't believe you wasted parchment on such rubbish

Sincerely, Sirius

.

Lily,

I hope you find this note in the tree and smile as I tell you it was I who got mud all over Petunia's new frock, and really it was bound to happen, she was standing right next to the river trying to flirt with one of those local idiots riding their bikes at all hours. I'm sorry you were grounded on top of getting a letter from the Ministry about your accidental magic, but rest assured I know your sister deserved it. I could hear her bragging about that limited edition teacup all the way at my house at all hours, and really, who doesn't like gerbils? They look nothing like rats!

Sev

.

Remus,

Please tell me I'm not the only one using an actual pen while on vacation and laughing smugly at those other two idiots.

Peter

.

Sirius/ Remus

How is it Peter was the only one who could come over for his birthday this weekend? He beat me senseless at some game involving music and chairs I swear he made up. Neither of us have received a letter from you since the first week of the month and we're getting worried.

James and Peter

3

September

"I'm sure your friends are fine love," Euphemia tried to reassure him once more, but she'd been doing so for a fortnight. They were empty reassurances as his parents hadn't been able to get ahold of Sirius' parents anymore than he had Sirius. When Click had come back with his second unopened letter, he really thought his parents would stop thinking he was joking about a jailbreak.

He'd insisted they get to the Hogwarts Express so early, they were literally the first people to arrive that morning so that he could stand and watch the barrier attentively so as not to miss a single person getting on. They even beat the trolley witch here!

"Professor Dumbledore assured me that Sirius Black was still enrolled son," Fleamont once again showed him the loopy writing. "He'll be here."

James only stopped pacing when other families began trickling in, but instead quivered on the spot impatiently and only shuffled as needed to keep the barrier in sight.

There were many familiar faces soon bustling around. Bless Shilling was ignoring her own parents and a girl hanging off her her elbow as she tried waiving in vain at him, Heather Valson walked right into the compartment he'd already claimed and he didn't even realize it, let alone see her quickly backtrack out as she'd seen his stuff, Ersa and Zeta Melano came through arm in arm whispering about something, even Edric Vosper giving him an appraising look for getting an extra few inches over the summer didn't catch his eye.

He even gave zero attention to Evans as she arrived with Snivilus and what that implication was worth. It wasn't until Peter came stumbling in, nearly tripping over his cart and still rubbing in exhaustion at his eyes as if his mother had just dragged him out of bed to get here did he finally break his streak as he gave a disappointed shake of his head to him before he even opened his mouth.

"Hello Sophie, it's good to see you again," his mother said at once.

"Hi Ms. Pettigrew," James politely agreed, still distracted but minding his manners enough to meet her eyes with a friendly smile. They were a shiny blue color rather than Peter's watery brown.

"Son, go help Peter put his stuff up, we'll keep an eye out for them," his dad prompted when James clearly stood torn over this, he thought for just a moment he'd seen a flash of someone who looked like Sirius but he was too short, so finally he helped Peter load his things up while both mothers looked on protectively.

It would be while they'd been doing this that finally one of them showed up, and it had been a genuine toss which to be more concerned about at this point.

"Sirius!" He was already in Euphemia's hug and apologizing endlessly for not getting the chance to come over this summer while his parents smiled at him. James knew it was genuine concern as their eyes traced over him with just as much care as the two of them were darting forward and James tackled his own hug, pinning him between the two Potters.

"Alright already, off," he grumbled and tried to wiggle free without really letting go of either.

James' smile dropped a bit when he saw why his parents were so worried looking themselves though. It wasn't that Sirius had managed to shoot up another few inches, or that he still had a tendency to hold himself even more stiff than should be natural after his summer break, but he was weirdly as pale as Remus got and his eyes kept flinching at every loud noise, still in abundance with twenty minutes before the trains departure.

"I'm sorry love, but I've got to run," Sophie Pettigrew put in distractedly, running her hand one more time lovingly through her sons hair and taking off.

James took the chance now that his mother wasn't here to tease, "Mum, Dad, don't you have something to help kick in the fact Peter hasn't grown an inch since we met him?" Eyes still on Sirius and waiting for him to grin and join in while adding a perfectly normal reason he'd vanished the past month and had heard from Remus.

"James," his mother began to lightly chid in exasperation, and Sirius didn't even seem to hear him. His eyes were still on everyone's shoes and he was so weirdly off color and stiff. He was beginning to wonder if he did know something, and it was bad.

"Here, come on Sirius, let's get your stuff on board," Peter said rather than retaliate at James right now, grabbing Sirius' cage from him while James grabbed the handle of his case.

"By Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Sirius yipped quickly like he'd just realized what was going on and jumping to go along, but Fleamont caught up Sirius in a hug and laughed. "Don't be silly, you've still got fifteen minutes, just put your stuff up and come wait for your last friend with us. Remus, right?"

His smile looked only vaguely less strained as he nodded silently and went after the other two, not doing much help really as they got his stuff loaded up.

"Tell your parents I said thanks," he told James without looking him in the eye. "I, err, got to use the loo though," and he darted off without waiting for a response.

"Tell me honestly James, are body snatchers also a thing?" Peter asked.

"Merlin I hope not," James frowned, but they really had taken longer than they thought as the whistle blew and they went darting out one last time to see if they could get a glimpse of Remus. They didn't, just waved one last time at James' own parents, he had to shout his thanks from Sirius at them as the tracks began to roll and they departed.

They went back to their compartment, but after a few impatient minutes James was going to get up and bang on the bathroom door to demand at least an answer from one friend what the hell was going on, when he flat ran into Remus in the hallway.

"Hey guys," he smiled, clearly just as surprised and delighted as he was yanked inside and hugged almost violently.

"I missed you too," he laughed as he ruffled Peter's hair and pushed James off. He was still just a bit taller than them, but James was sure that had to wear off eventually. "Where's Sirius?" He asked as they got his stuff up and he spotted two owls.

"Ran to the bathroom, was acting like a loon already," Peter said, his friendly tone not hiding the still lingering frown.

"Gotten nearly as much mail from him this summer as you," James lightly accused.

"Ah, yeah," Remus nodded sheepishly like this was a mistake anyone could make. "Dad started hearing some rumors from the local village about me, we spent the whole summer moving, and it's ah, a long process with, me involved," he finished in a small voice.

"I don't get it," Peter prompted when he clearly wanted to stop there.

Remus just slumped by the window and did not look up to elaborating, and James admitted one of the laws he'd come across in his studies last year of looking up all things werewolves related. "They have to be registered and shite, can't live in a certain proximity to kids, have to give notice and be approved to where they're living. It sounds like a lot of stupidity to me." It was also one of the many reasons he'd yet said anything to his parents no matter he was confident they wouldn't care, but was Remus even technically allowed at school? None of them really wanted to find out the hard way.

Remus still seemed to be opting for silence, kicking his legs around and looking hopefully to the door like he was wishing Sirius would come in for a rescue change of subject.

"I'm going to check on him," James finally grumbled as he realized the same. At least no door breaking was involved, Sirius was exiting the bathroom as he arrived, even if he still didn't look any color of normal.

"Going to tell me what's going on before or after I dump your head in that toilet? I hope you flushed," James huffed.

"You're not taking no for an answer this time, are you?" Sirius finally did grin, albeit a small one.

"Nope," James agreed.

"Well come on then, might as well not repeat myself," he sighed as he eased past him. They stopped the trolley witch on their way and got an armload of everything each, Peter had to open the door for them when they got back lest they drop a single precious thing. "Hey Remus," Sirius greeted casually enough as he deliberately dropped a quarter of it in his lap.

"Sirius," he grinned right back, snatching up a chocolate frog and practically shoving it all in his mouth with the box.

James knew a diversionary tactic when he saw one, and Sirius was playing up every card he knew as he prompted them to give detailed descriptions of what had gone on during everyone's summer but his own. He cursed fluently when he heard of Remus' debacle, fairly enough, but it was all to clear he went on with his language far more than he really had it in him.

When finally they were halfway done with all their sweats and he was making exaggerated faces at the Bean's he kept picking rather than answer, James swiped the box away with as much of a patient look as he could at that point.

"Okay, fine," he sighed, watching out the window rather than them. The beautiful day was slowly climbing down into a burning sunset that lit half the countryside on fire. He shivered and turned back away from that, but the three's concerned looks weren't helping to loosen his tongue any better. "Just, don't laugh," he pleaded.

It was the last thing they'd been expecting him to say, considering, and so Peter could not help the involuntary snort of laughter that escaped. Remus whacked him, but Sirius at least smiled for a moment. He opened his mouth, but couldn't think of how to say it that wouldn't sound childish and stupid.

"Come on Sirius," James pleaded, reaching over and shaking his shoulder just a bit. "Peter will hit puberty before you get on with it!"

"You're an arse," Peter huffed, tossing a chocolate éclair at him.

James caught it and lobbed it at Sirius' head instead. He in turn did the same to Remus, who refused to continue the game with the now squashed sweet and instead unwrapped it to pop it into his mouth.

Remus had to chew, then swallow before he softly prompted, "Just tell us what those monsters did," with an old twitch of his lips now.

Sirius huffed but finally blurted, "do you know what's in the bowels of Gringotts?"

"The, bank?" Peter clarified.

"No, you idiot, Hogwarts. Yes the bloody bank, run by goblins!" Sirius huffed. "Except, it's not just goblins in there!"

"Oh good, I thought you were suddenly afraid of goblins for a moment," James grinned, "and no offense Sirius, I'm not kicking Peter out."

"Hey!" He grumbled, but while Remus laughed, Sirius was starting to look just as shifty and pale as when he'd first come in again, their teasing wasn't helping, so they shut their trap when he burst into speech again.

"Look, my family's vault is all the way at the bottom, and my parents are still royally pissed at me and didn't want me to cause anymore trouble, especially this summer-"

Peter opened his mouth without thinking and Remus elbowed him to keep shut that time.

"So they sent me down with a relative to fetch the coins while they started shopping. Except, she left me down there! I don't know how she paid that goblin off to do it, but it was bloody nighttime when a cart came to get me and I got out-"

He stopped with such a heavy shiver, the seat James was on next to him felt like it was vibrating in place. None of them had a clue what he was still fighting with himself to say, but nobody felt like laughing when he finished in a whisper, "so I spent my day with a dragon! There, you happy now!"

Peter didn't even have the heart to ask if he was serious to make him smile again, Remus actually made a noise that would have been a scream if he had air left after gasping. They all knew dragons existed, but they'd never have expected this particular rumor to be confirmed like this.

"I'm going to kill them," James stated with absolute sincerity. He even got up as if to do it right now, despite the fact the sun had finally set and it was wild, dark countryside all around them.

"What, how, when-" Peter spluttered, while Remus was still blinking like he couldn't get dancing flames out of his own head now.

"James," Sirius groaned as he nabbed his arm. "It's done with, alright. I'm sorry I didn't write, but I just, I didn't leave my room the rest of the summer, it's just better for everyone that way."

"A dragon?" Peter repeated, just to be sure.

"Well it wasn't a fire-salamander!" Sirius said briskly, but he still hadn't gotten any of his usual tone back as he tugged fruitlessly on James' arm.

"They're just, the worst-" James stated, almost in awe of how much he could hate two people as he forced himself to fold back into his seat. Even his vivid imagination didn't really seem to be getting all this, how had Sirius even survived the beast, what must that have been like? He had half a mind to break his wand in half and chuck the dragon-heart string out the window, he just wanted something to retaliate against.

"You're telling me," Sirius looked just a bit relieved though as he leaned against him now.

Remus knew better than anyone though what it felt like to want the subject changed, and so he grasped weakly at the first unrelated thing he could think of to ask. "So, erm, did you ever get your school supplies?"

It seemed to work, Sirius looked stunned as he tipped his head back to eye his trunk before whacking himself in the forehead. "No! Damn, I'm going to have to mail order for everything! It's a good thing I've kept a store of gold on me so long- shite!" His eyes were as round as saucers by the end as he seemed to be mentally tallying all the detentions he'd be getting in the meantime for that slip.

"Relax," James sighed, despite the fact he was still so tense himself as he threw his arm around him. "Benefit of taking the same classes as us, remember. Now you even have an excuse to copy our homework, as if you ever needed it before."

Sirius was turning a whole new color in shock though as he screeched loud enough they'd swear the windows rattled. "Hogsmeade!"

"Shite," the other three said for him that time.

"They didn't-" Remus began in horror.

"Damned right they didn't," Sirius moaned. "Kreacher never even gave me my school supplies list this year, let alone that! Damn, dammit!" He used every swear under the sun and then some, not even seeming to realize as James leapt to his feet and went rummaging around in his trunk. He came back with his own Hogsmeade letter.

Sirius watched him wearily, he didn't really think James was going to start mocking and showing off right now, but he also had not a single clue why he also had in his other fist a blank bit of parchment, quill, and ink.

"Let Click out of his cage, would you," he said distractedly as he leaned against the swaying cabin and began a very hastily, disjointed letter.

Sirius didn't know what he was up to, but he wasn't going to start questioning James now as he let the orange owl hop onto his arm.

By the time he lowered himself back down, James was sealing it up and stuffing both bits of parchment into his owls ready pouch. Without explanation, he opened the window, and threw his bird out.

"I never took you for animal abuse James," Sirius finally said into the blank air.

"I asked mum and dad to make a copy of it," he huffed as she shut the window back, "but send me the copy back blank. I'll forge your parent's damn signature, I'm not letting them get away with this. I'd do it myself, but who knows when we'll learn duplication charms!"

"They won't, err, ask about that?" Remus frowned, as that's the last thing Sirius needed, more trouble.

"Nah, they'll assume that's why Sirius was acting all shifty on the platform, and I'm not going to correct them," he scowled at nothing in here. No matter how very much he wanted to tell his parents about this, his concerns had gone ignored all summer, what good would it do but have them ask questions back?

Sirius lunged forward and tackled James in a hug, a warm feeling flush in him from head to toe he'd never felt before as James patted him on the back.

His friends easily kept him distracted the rest of the train ride, he only flinched once when some bloke in the compartment over slammed the door open. Sirius scowled at himself for it and joined James as he got to his feet and sent a curse at his departing back in retaliation. The two together had the fifth year on the floor laughing uncontrollably and his legs spasming in all directions and had already ducked back inside, high fiving each other before anyone even realized what had happened. By the time they were changing into their school robes though, he'd gone back to sullenly silent while he smoothed out the Gryffindor lion on his breast.* His robes were a bit short around the edges for not having gotten them mended over the summer.

He still seemed a bit reluctant to be around the general populace too, taking his sweet time once the train stopped to get to his feet, and moving with care as he retrieved Buggle's cage like the owl was suddenly going to drop dead.

By the time they were on the platform, there was only one carriage left anyways, but he didn't relax. He got quieter and stopped talking again, sitting on the edge of his seat and completely ignoring Peter trying to say something about those weird horse things still being there. That joke still wasn't funny.

James had to drag him out of the carriage, and then held onto him as the other two went straight into the Great Hall and they lingered by the doors, James taking a leaf out of Sirius' book and setting his empty cage down with far more delicacy than was needed until they were virtually alone. "Did something else happen?" He demanded in a complete, no nonsense tone that was kind of scary.

"Nothing to do with my parents," he assured, eyes flicking to the stool just visible from his line of sight, but the first years hadn't assembled yet.

"Okay," James drew the word out obnoxiously. "So?"

"It really is nothing," Sirius sighed, "I'm just not sure, I mean he hasn't talked to me since it-"

"May I take your owl sir," a little house-elf appeared at his elbow, one hand raised for the cage, the other clutching his trunk from the train. The handle was nearly the size of the little thing, but he seemed to be carrying it without difficulty. Sirius had always liked this one, it was the male who tucked an extra éclair into his pocket every time he and James were in the kitchens.

He passed off Buggle and went inside as the first years began to do the same, he'd have to answer for this with all three of them anyways.

There were quite a lot this year, but his eyes tracked easily on one near the middle. Their eyes met as Sirius sat down by Peter, and Regulus looked just as quickly away. Sirius swallowed and looked back down at his plate, the same questions still plaguing his mind that had been there since he'd climbed into his bed and not come out.

Had Regulus been in on it? He and Bellatrix had been weirdly chummy that morning. His eyes locked in on Narcissa, her silvery blond hair shone like a beacon at the Slytherin table. She was sitting prim and proper, hands already half raised to applaud as the first kid was sorted, but it was a girl, Titania Alfa, and she went to Ravenclaw quickly enough. She was Head Girl this year, and he was still convinced the Gringotts mishap had been his parents own idea for refusing to go to her party.

"Black, Regulus."

He sunk low in his seat, eyes burning a hole into his golden plate as all three of his friends whipped around to look at him, they didn't look bored or impatient anymore at least.

He didn't have to wait long. The hat was on his head for all of ten seconds before Slytherin house promptly went wild, his stomach twisted in a sickening way as he watched them all. He'd once thought he'd be the same, but even before he met James he'd had questions. Regulus never asked questions though. Guess now it was irrefutably true, they would never have anything in common again.

"How, in the two years we've known you, have you never mentioned you have a brother?" James demanded.

"Could be another cousin," Peter half heartedly offered, even as his eyes still easily kept pace with the runty kid, but even he knew that was a lie, the eleven year old was the spitting image of Sirius at this distance. Gryffindor table erupted into cheers around them as Angela Bones joined them, and Sirius was now considering swallowing his plate whole and using it as a distraction to dart up to the hospital wing. He hadn't really expected anything else, he kept scolding himself, refusing to look up again as Florean Fortescue Junior once again made Slytherin.

"He's a tool, just like the rest of them," Sirius finally whispered, when the three just kept staring at him and he realized he was expected to answer.

"Well then," Remus laughed nervously, his voice nearly drowned out behind him from the Hufflepuff's when Haily Hallmer went to sit. "Any more surprises? Might as well get them out now?"

"Secret sister?" Peter prompted. "Secret murderer? You're pretty good at them, you could be a master secret keeper until we graduate for all we know."

The Slytherins went wild once more as Marlene McKinnon** sprinted off, and Sirius fought the urge to chuck the golden plate over there and hit her on the head.

"So," James coughed and finally seemed to decide to save him. "Quidditch? I have to make the team this year, I can't let Bless beat me out now!" The end of his sentence was nearly drowned out as their table began cheering for Richard Misca, a weedy looking boy with a shock of strawberry blonde hair as messy looking as James'.

"It's not the only open position," Peter finally answered when Sirius started rocking the plate. "One of you could make Chaser. You two aren't going to kill each other for who gets it, are you?"

Between Gary Oldman** proudly strutting off to Hufflepuff, and Evan Rosier taking forever to make Ravenclaw, Sirius still hadn't answered. At least the next familiar name didn't make his heart squeeze out his chest when he recognized, "Shilling, Tegan."

The four looked up to see a girl with honey-blond hair in a thick, neat braid. She was already as tall as her sister Bless, who waved to her grandly. It was the longest hat stall yet, maybe rivaling Sirius' in time, but even the boys politely clapped along as she finally came to Gryffindor. The sisters hugged, and Sirius looked quickly away. He didn't speak the rest of the night, let alone look back up when the last boy vomited from stress after the long wait. McGonagall kindly waved the mess away in moments directly after it happened anyways, and he was sure the other Hufflepuff's wouldn't hold it against that Zambini kid.

Sirius immediately darted up to their dorms instead of lingering in the loud common room, going far around the circumference to avoid the fireplace. He threw the window wide open to let in as much air as he could and kicked his blankets to the floor while they all quietly got into bed with more careful silence since their first night together as strangers.

3

The next morning, Sirius really was trying his hardest to act like nothing at all had happened yesterday, even if he was still lying awake when James awoke. The two went off to the owlery, a book list in Sirius' hand and his pouch of gold ready, and it was Sirius who was now engaging James for all his worth on the way back.

It was easy enough when he remembered why he hadn't spotted Buggle next to Click, and the two were still rhapsodizing enthusiastically about Hogsmeade.

"It's so unfair we only get to go a couple times a year, surely we can do something to convince the teachers to let us out more," Sirius lamented as they banged the door open again. Peter snorted and rolled over in bed, Remus slept on with heavy snores. It was still over a week until the next full moon, but they all knew he was a heavy sleeper regardless.

"Relax, I wouldn't be surprised if he was already back by breakfast with it," James grinned. He decided to tackle Remus this time. The two still bundled up groaned in sync when they were accosted awake, but they really were not given a choice in the matter and finally joined the land of consciousness.

"How late did you two stay up last night?" James whispered quietly to Remus as they descended the stairs.

"Not late at all actually, I snuck over to his bed, but he wasn't saying a word," Remus admitted, fidgeting with his sleeves in nerves.

"Bet he'll crash by lunch," Peter muttered.

Sirius went bolting out of the common room at top speed, the other two still not awake enough to pretend to keep up, and James found himself distracted from doing so as a flash of red hair descended the stairs.

"Good morning Evans," he called at once.

"One of these days, my dream will come true, and you'll be the one to vanish over summer," she snapped as she stalked past.

He just watched her bemusedly for a moment what she could mean by that, his mind wandering happily up to her dorms and all the lovely conversations she must have, before shaking himself and jogging along beside her all the way down to the Great Hall, only ending the illusion it was a joint effort when he departed to go after his own breakfast as the owls arrived.

Sirius was watching the flock of birds so intently for a glimpse of orange he didn't even see McGonagall put his new schedule down on the remains of his breakfast, so stabbed at the bit of paper and was quite confused when he nearly put that in his mouth instead of the sausage he'd been aiming for.

James' prediction came true though, and Click descended upon them, his little chest puffed up with pleasure at the delighted noise all four boys made, causing McGonagall only a dozen students down to throw them suspicious looks.

James quickly stuffed it away while all four of them took turns petting the bright bird, and quickly changed the subject to their new schedules.

"How awful, brand new subjects first thing in the morning," Peter grumbled.

"Hey, how come you have Muggle Studies without me?" James pouted as he compared his and Sirius'.

"Because you've got Arithmancy with us," Remus held his own up beside, eyes now traveling farther down James'. "Ah, see, you're going to take it later after lunch when we have Care of Magical Creatures, bet Pete's got his Study of Ancient Runes class then."

"How lame, sorry Sirius," James told him, but he just shrugged as he slurped up the last of his juice.

"Nah, I'll live without your arse for an hour." Despite his casual tone, he still seemed relieved to have an excuse to dart off alone far earlier than was needed for the class being on the first floor.

"That brother of his must be really something," James scowled.

"Idiot forgot to grab the book from you he was so distracted," Peter agreed.

James cursed in surprise, diving into his bag for it and racing after him. Sirius really seemed to want an alone moment he wasn't getting, he was already ducking into class when James caught up, avoiding other Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's milling around. He didn't even try to sit himself in between the Melano twins, but a table by himself in the back.

"Planning on taking notes on your arm all class?" He asked in exasperation, only slightly out of breath as he handed it over.

"Oh, thanks James," he startled hard, but his grin still came off natural enough as he took Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy. He did imagine that when he started flipping through it curiously though it wasn't just to keep avoiding him.

James had half a mind to sit down beside him in protest as the first warning bell rang, but Sirius didn't react to the loud noise this time at least. He'd had all the alone time he should want over the summer and that hadn't done him any good, but then Burbage came in and shooed him out, and he decided against risking detention, at least before Quidditch tryouts.

Sirius was still smiling as James darted out and Professor Charity Burbage began with a friendly introduction of her own Muggle father. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a bun today so that nobody could miss the casual brown skirt and yellow vest she wore, very Muggle looking clothes. He was still busy comparing James and Regulus in his mind, or lack there of really. His actual little brother had never so much as offered sympathy to him in his life, let alone sprinted around the castle to give him a book on Muggles. He shoved the little Slytherin git from his mind finally and loaded up his quill eagerly as he began copying down the semesters learning goals.

James decided he might have to start skipping breakfast on Monday's and actually join his friends sleeping in for once, as he had to run all the way back up to the seventh floor for Arithmancy. He was so distracted he missed three shortcuts he could have taken as he traveled along the one hundred and forty-two staircases.

Finally he collapsed into his chair next to Peter, waving Numerology and Gramatica around to Professor Septima Vector in explanation just as the tardy bell rang. She gave him a stern look reminiscent of McGonagall and immediately launched into the charts they should already have prememorized over the summer, James scrambling madly to catch up all class.

"Maybe we should try letting him have a go at Filch, bit of a start of term treat," James was offering, he hadn't even bothered to copy down the homework assignment, nor did he know what class the two were heading towards, he was just following along, his mind on the opposite end of the castle.

"Your answer to everything should not be tormenting that man," Remus sighed.

James ignored him, his mind on a stash of dungbombs being strategically placed and a helpful hint to Sirius to make it seem like his idea. It was only when Sirius darted in just on time and after McGonagall collected their summer homework to begin a roll call that he forced himself to pay attention again and really look at Sirius, and was rewarded to see he looked much happier for it.

"Guess we found your new favorite class," James grinned at how easily Sirius held himself once more.

"I'm sure McGonagall will be heartbroken," Remus muttered when she'd finished, and then the teacher promptly vanished.

Peter tried to stand on his stool to get a look while Mary and Ersa cooed up front at something, and then a tabby cat with square markings around its eyes hopped up on the desk. She had everybody's undivided attention as she reappeared back sitting ramrod straight once more while the class burst into applause and she smiled at the lot of them.

"Animagi," she stated, waving her wand at the board where the chapter they should flip to and a summary of it appeared. "A magical ability given to oneself dating as far back as the 15th century and even referenced in such works as The Tales of Beedle the Bard; or, the act of a wizard turning themselves into an animal at will. Who can tell me the difference between a transfigured animal, and an animagus?"

None of the students raised their hand, and she tutted in disappointment. "I'm not looking forward to grading your assignments over this. Miss Macdonald, care to answer?"

"Err, you don't chose the animal you pick, right?" Mary offered.

"You are not incorrect," she nodded, "while studies have been done on the patronus charm and its influence and correlation to your animagus, no you do not pick the animal you would become. The true difference is if you were to be transfigured into a cat right now, you would not retain your human memories, or an ability to think, where as I remain perfectly the same whilst I turn back and forth. Copy this down please, and we'll go over some of the basic magics involved in the process. This year you will be learning how several classes of your magical learning will be overlapping, and this is a perfect example."

"That was pretty cool," Sirius told them enthusiastically as they packed up and finally went to lunch. They'd all swear McGonagall smiled one last time as she clipped her briefcase shut and departed.

"Sounds kind of neat," James agreed, "but far too much work for no practical uses, I can't believe she went through all the effort really."

"It would be better if you could pick the animal," Peter agreed, "imagine getting to turn into a bird, or an elephant! That would almost be worth it."

"Don't be so sure," Remus said sullenly, lagging behind a bit.

"Ah Remus, don't be like that," Sirius threw an arm around him to force him to keep up.

James suddenly went still in the middle of the corridor as he looked at Remus, and he cringed into Sirius' arm, half of his mind still seemed to be expecting them to shriek and run from him any moment. "Hey, I've just thought of something," he declared. "Animagus! Remus, why don't we look up and see if you could just turn into some other animal during a full moon! If you changed into, bloody anything right before then, maybe the werewolf wouldn't be able to pop out of that animal!"

"I, don't think it works like that guys," Remus muttered, but when the other two quickly agreed it was worth a look, he didn't even have it in him to argue as they voluntarily skipped lunch and went sprinting off to the library in excitement.

There were only two books available on Animagi in here, as well as that silly reference in Babbity Rabbity James and Sirius had recognized, though when James went to ask if there were others Madam Pince curtly told just the lone one in the restricted section they would not be privy to, so James and Sirius began pouring over one while Remus and Peter flipped curiously through the other.

It wasn't much, James even pulled Intermediate Transfiguration back out to see if there was anything in the chapter that hadn't been mentioned, but it was basically everything McGonagall had gone over in class. Peter at least found a list of registered animagi in his, but that didn't tell them anything new.

"Maybe we should try actually asking her," Sirius offered enthusiastically as they packed up, he and Remus lingering on the stairs to go to the grounds while James and Peter went off for their separate classes. "She knows about Remus, I'm still positive at least she does, and it couldn't hurt."

"I really think we should just let it go guys," Remus sighed, tugging on Sirius' elbow now and looking longingly at the bright sun. "I'm sure if this was a workable idea, someone would have offered it by now."

"I wouldn't be so sure, I spent the summer in my dad's study and even asked to go to the library in London," James shook his head, ignoring Peter's very confused look wizards had a public library. "Didn't tell them why I promise, but I can't find anymore on werewolf cures. It doesn't seem like anyone's trying that hard for something to make it stop."

Remus flinched at him still saying that so casually in the middle of the school, he'd only just gotten used to them whispering it in their dorms at the end of last year.

Finally the warning bell rang and they were forced to at least put this off for a while. Sirius and Remus weren't quite sure what the schedule meant by classes were held on the grounds, but they didn't have long to look as they went out to the lake. It looked as if all of the Slytherins except Snape would be in attendance, while only Bless and Mary joined them soon after to circle around Professor Silvanus Kettleburn.

He would have been a terrifying looking man. He had the smell of singed hair and skin lingering on him in the slight breeze, with a bandage wrapped halfway around his head hiding most of his scruffy brown hair and covering his right eye and the opposite ear. His left arm was missing, along with his right knee down, and stooped over slightly from leaning on a cane for support. His smile was friendly though, and he waved the cane forward enthusiastically as he stood on the water's edge. "Come, come all, wouldn't want to be late on your first day now!" He had a high pitched voice that probably drew birds to him for its sing-song like quality.

"Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures," he beamed, his visible brown eye warm and trusting as he gazed at them all like a newborn calf. "Is this everyone?"

"Err," Bless muttered as she glanced towards the castle and at the two of them. They nodded and none of the Slytherin's protested.

"Alright then," he smiled, "now who can tell me at least one creature you would find in the Black Lake?"*** He gestured grandly behind him with his cane.

"I don't own a lake sir," Sirius immediately smirked.

"Oh yes, good show Mister Black," Remus gaped just a bit as the teacher laughed and Sirius' smirk widened, he almost missed the opportunity to raise his hand until Sirius gave him a worried look.

"Yes, Mister Lupin," Kettleburn nodded to him, and he would have flushed if he'd realized he was the only one who had raised his hand, but he didn't as he babbled off, "Kelpies, flying seahorses, grindylows, selkies, and of course the giant squid, as well as hinky-punks on foggy nights sir, and I've heard rumors of mermaids too, but I've never been sure if the lake's deep enough for them. I've been wanting to ask though if there were hippocampus, I heard they were trying to breed some in captivity and wasn't sure if the school would provide a habitat-"

"Yes, yes," Kettleburn finally cut in with a laugh. "Ten points for Gryffindor. I know a chap who is in the hippocampus breeding program if you'd like to discuss that later, but no, they are not currently in our midst, you did however mention exactly what today's first lesson is," he stated as he drew some toast from his pocket without managing to drop his cane.

He gave a toss, and the bread didn't even get a chance to turn soggy before a great tentacle came up and pulled it down. "The giant squid," he grandly proclaimed, though nobody was surprised, this was practically a weekend game to first years when they found out and a passing thought at best to other students, despite James assuring his Chocolate Frog card promised it would eat them all. "Deep-sea-dwelling creatures that can not live in fresh waters such as these. Why then can we find it here? Yes, Mister Lupin," he smiled genially as Remus raised his hand once more.

"The lake's connected to the ocean sir, though the book said the exact underground reservoir moves about so it couldn't be found. Also, it's not the muggle kind, so its body is more equipped to live in the lighter density, salinity of the water, and sunlight it gets here sir."

"Correct again, ten points for Gryffindor," Kettleburn beamed. He spent the rest of the lesson feeding the beast like a duck and prompting the rest of the class into discussions of what else it ate, though he docked five points from Mulciber when he offered first years. The only homework assigned was for them to draw a diagram of it from the image provided in whatever book they liked and label as many parts as they could before they were dismissed.

"That was brilliant Remus," Sirius snickered as he skipped beside him off for Herbology, a first for him to be certain. "Twenty points on our first day just for your little know it all brain."

"Am not," Remus flushed, but only a bit this time in the late sun. "I know you three have a bet going on how long until I melt my next cauldron."

"Well yeah, do me a favor and wait until after Christmas to do that, but it was still brilliant mate!"

They easily beat the other two there and stood around swapping back and forth friendly enough barbs until they could go back into greenhouse three, even the venomous tentacula didn't go out of its way to have a go at Sirius.

The four rushed to dinner without even bothering for a needed shower and began devouring like their life depended on it for their earlier missed meal, but finally slowed once more as dessert came around to properly be savored.

"So, how were the Ruins?" James asked Peter as he dug at the pile of ice cream, carefully keeping his scoop only in the strawberry section to avoid the peppermint bit.

"They were squiggly lines," Peter rolled his eyes, "Professor Babbling is a nice bloke though, talked our ear off the whole lesson and barely got to the point, but no homework!"

"Arse," Sirius stated primly for his glee. "Guess you won't be transcribing my wand anytime soon."

"Better than Kimball was last year then," Remus grinned as he dipped his seventh marshmallow into the chocolate fountain. "We've just got Sapling then, hope she doesn't try ruining DADA for us like the last two idiots."

Said newest teacher was still at the staff table and chatting casually with Slughorn. Nothing in particular about her stood out to indicate anything, she had an upturned nose and an unusually fat lower lip, with long dark hair ruler straight and dipped with blue at the end, but she also kept rubbing at her right forearm for no reason anyone could tell and had not been seen out of her long, dark robes yet.

Remus finally realized it was not her they were really watching though, but McGonagall, as she closed the book she'd been reading and got up from her meal, his friends tried to casually follow. Remus hung his head and lingered as far behind as he could while James hailed her down.

"I've told you Potter," she began in exasperation, "I've no control over Mister Vosper's decision at the Quidditch tryouts-"

"No professor, I had a question over your fascinating lecture today," James grinned, and she was so caught off guard she dropped the book in her hand.

"Oh, yes then?" She prompted, she even smiled a bit more, and Remus had to bite his lip to stop from laughing at the backwards nature of all this as he stooped to pick it up and offered it back.

"How do animagi react to other animals and magical creatures and stuff?" His tone was so airy and casual, it really could have been just an errant thought rather than a carefully phrased and rehearsed question. 

She only hesitated for a moment before seeming to realize he really meant it and offering a rare smile as she clarified, "how do you mean?"

James had hoped she'd somehow magically answer what he wanted with just that, and spoke carefully now. "Do magical creatures, react, differently around animals? Can they like, talk and communicate with each other?" This felt stupid now, he couldn't figure out how to outright ask if a werewolf would eat itself if it changed into another animal.

"Yes and no," she nodded to herself in thought. "It's not so simple to explain Mister Potter, but animals do have their own means of communication, body language and scents they give each other. Animagi are more attuned to such a thing and have been known to make quite the translator from time to time."

"So, would say, the giant squid know if it were eating a fish animagus versus just a normal fish?" James prompted.

"You know Mister Potter, I'm not sure," she looked intrigued down at him. "As far as I know, no studies have been done on an animagus while as that animal interacting with the majority of our magical creatures, with the exceptions of kneazles, and even that's been rudimentary." She gazed beadily around at the four of them now, not quite with suspicion, but the beginnings of something in her eyes. "I'm surprised at you, but delighted to see you're taking such an interest in your classes this year, I hope to see this habit continued."

"Yes Professor," he tried his best to hide his disappointment as he thanked her and she went off. "Well, that wasn't a total bust at least," he turned back with that curious look in his eye still as bright as the hazel coloring.

"I still think you're barking up the wrong tree mate," Remus sighed. "Surely my dad would have me being an animagus for years now."

"Maybe it's just because of how advanced it is he hasn't offered yet," Peter tried.

"I'll bet if we get a look at that one book in the restricted section it'll say just how advanced," James nodded like they were all still in agreement.

"You're all mad," Remus sighed, but couldn't stop himself laughing when Sirius began already trying to put some excuse together for their next Transfiguration class why she should sign it out for them.

3

It actually worked, the insane creative geniuses actually had it in hand Wednesday afternoon after her next class and completely ignored their Potions class the following morning they were still flipping curiously through the pages, Sirius didn't even flinch at the tiny little flames they lit under their cauldron he was so engrossed. The absurdity of just how advanced it all really was still hadn't seemed to hit James and Sirius yet like it had the other two on the first page, and so Peter once again was the one diligently paying attention and whispering the answer to them when Slughorn called once more and Remus was trying not to fall asleep amidst the poor lighting and heavy, warm air.

"Hey Peter," Atria Day called him back as the other three quickly vanished the moment the bell rang, but he actually sighed and stayed behind to clean up.

"Hi Atria," he grinned in surprise, looking over to see Aubrey waiting just as confused as he was by the door for her friend to catch up. Only Evans and Snape were left behind him, still muttering together over their potions.

"I saw how you got those roots so symmetrical," she told, her dark skin surely just flushed from the heat finally dissipating from the room. "I spent half my class trying and my potion still didn't come out right for it."

"Oh," his head spun weirdly as he realized she was complimenting him. He looked from where her seat was, still at the front of the class, where as he'd moved to the back with his friends over a year ago now. "Err, yeah, thanks, my mum's a good cook, she taught me how to julienne cut things ages ago. Didn't think anyone cared, considering Slughorn wouldn't shut up about how perfect Snape and Evans' were."

"Oh, they just like to show off," she shrugged. "I just remember you were really good, back during first year when you sat next to me, and I was hoping-"

"Hey Peter!" Apparently Sirius at least noticed he'd gone missing, after twelve solid minutes anyways. "Oh," he stopped in surprise while Atria ducked her head, her wild black hair all that was visible now.

"Anyways, see you around," she muttered, sprinting out past him.

"Right," he muttered, his heart still jolting oddly in his chest.

"What was that?" Sirius grinned as he not only came over to him, but prodded him in the side with a knowing look.

"I, have no idea," Peter was still watching the door.

"Well come on, I got banned from lunch until I came back with you," he was still laughing for himself though as he grabbed him and pulled him away, nobody caring anymore if Slughorn docked points from them the start of next class for not cleaning up.

Sirius made pointed jokes all throughout lunch he usually only reserved for James, who continued ignoring everything as he was left alone on his book now, but even he finally put it away as they headed off to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It turned out to be a wasted effort on his part, which he corrected when they found her behind her desk, going over some papers. "Independent study today kids," she told impatiently, shuffling around for something. "Just, ah, look up some spells, or do homework until the bell."

Peter had intentionally put Remus and James in between them, so he was left at peace with his thoughts while he twirled his quill around and needlessly went over his potions text.

3

October

"What's up Peter?" Sirius asked as his last friend came in with a faraway look in his eyes.

"I'm just happy he's back at all," Remus muttered with his face still in a pillow. "Now we can all go to sleep and stop imagining the tortures Filch had him doing." Then he gave an exaggerated snore for emphasis.

Peter sunk down onto his bed, not even pretending he was listening to those around him.

"Oi," Sirius barked as he chucked a pillow at him, surprised that they hadn't gotten any such response. "He try to do something nice in front of you and stun you stupider or something?"

"No," he finally answered, and he sounded so confused that even Remus looked up from his face cushion. "Have you lot ever noticed Filch doesn't do magic?"

They all exchanged a perplexed look, even James finally looked up from his book, as Remus answered slowly, "no, guess we hadn't noticed. Been how long now, and I've never seen him lift a wand." He now sounded just as confused as Peter did.

"What was your detention over anyways, that brought all this up?" Sirius asked.

"We were down in the dungeons cleaning up some potions mess, and I was very politely asking him," Remus couldn't stop a snort and hid his face back in his pillow with mock exhaustion to hide his laughter at such a thing coming out of his mouth, "why he didn't just magic it away and Filch just snapped at me to shut it, but then I realized I'd never seen him do any magic."

"You think he might be a Squib?" Sirius asked almost before Peter had finished speaking.

"That was a leap," Remus got out around a yawn. "I've never seen Dumbledore actually do magic and I'm not questioning his ability to do it."

"Dumbledore's not some bitter old man who hates everyone in this castle," James reminded. "Actually it kind of makes sense, he'd resent all of us for going around learning magic when he can't."

"Think we should be testing this?" Sirius suddenly asked with a different light in his eyes.

"No more than we already have," Peter shrugged as he began removing his shoes. "I took that detention for your arse Sirius, I told you those dungbombs were too close to his office. I don't want to go back anytime soon."

"Well whatever we do, can it be done when there's daylight outside," Remus groused from under his covers now, and the others gradually fell silent.

3

"Hey Sev," Lily plopped down beside him in the chilly courtyard while impatiently brushing her hair out of her face.

"Hey Lily," he looked up from his book or Rune Riddles to grin. 

"Want to play a game of Pygmy Puff Pelmanism?" She offered as she pulled out her own magazine.

"The hell is that?" He asked, and she tried not to be too smug she knew something before him for once. 

"Someone's apparently attempting to breed puffskeins, and it's this game in a magazine contest I found, see you can-"

They were interrupted by horribly obnoxious laughing, and looked up to see a couple of sixth years leering down at them. 

"What a couple of mudblood idiots," one snatched her magazine away before she even saw him move.

"Can't believe they let your lot in, finding trash like this to be true," his friend agreed as he leaned over and tore the page out.

Lily leapt to her feet, her wand in hand, and even if she did know a curse or two, she'd kick them in the shins first to get her magazine back, long since realizing most wizards weren't expecting someone to hit first rather than a spell.

Hagrid came stomping onto the scene though, and called before anyone could make a move, "oi, what's going on over there?"

The two dropped her magazine into a muddy patch and left at once, while she was still trembling in fury. She bent down to pick it up, and only after she gently began wiping the mud off did she look over and see Sev looked just as furious as her, clutching his wand with that same look he kept giving Potter.

"You alright there?" Hagrid came over kindly. "I'm sure a teacher can clean that off if you'd like," he added, still seeing her dripping book. "I'd try, but ah, probably shouldn't," he finished with a laugh.

"Thank you Hagrid," Lily told him with her own grin, at least acknowledging that fight wouldn't have gone well. He smiled and waved as he went inside the school, while Lily finally turned to Sev and asked, hoping to distract him from that awful look, "why'd he call us a mudblood anyways? What is that?"

If anything his face just went more sallow, but his eyes lit with a look she didn't like as he spotted Mulciber and Avery heading out of the school instead. "Don't worry about it Lily, nothing you need to know. I'll catch you later," and he went off, leaving her more confused than hurt for once. 

She bit at her lip the rest of the day as she wondered on it, and finally decided there was nothing else she could do but ask someone else. She got a lucky break, finding Mary ducking into the trophy room alone, her cat once more having snuck out and sitting atop a glass case, licking itself and refusing to come down as curfew approached.

"Erm, hi, Mary," Lily shuffled uneasily in place as her roommate attempted to balance herself on some trophy for an award to services for the school, still making odd little noises to her pitch black feline. Lily absently wondered why she didn't go higher up and just climb up there to grab her, but she was too distracted to suggest it herself.

"Oh, hi Lily," she panted with exertion of staying balanced and barely keeping her eyes on the cat that blended far too well in the dark corner. "What's up?"

Lily suddenly wasn't so sure of herself picking her, Mary was a muggleborn and might not recognize the word either, but she'd at least been on passing hellos to her from time to time, better than a teacher giving her a detention for saying a bad word even in ignorance. It was going to drive her nuts not asking anyone though, so finally she blurted without any preamble, "what's a mudblood?"

Mary fell off her balance in surprise, sending the thing clattering away and making so much noise it was a wonder Filch didn't appear already to yell at them. Her cat hissed from above and slunk even deeper into its corner.

"Why?" Mary demanded, brushing her hair out of her face and looking truly offended at Lily. "It's an awful word for someone like us, means we're dirty blood, not meant to be here."

"Oh," Lily's heart sank as she finally got her answer, a part of her wishing she hadn't as she still remembered those early fears from her first trip to Diagon Alley, how overwhelmed she'd been at all the new things. Her parents had been no help, and Sev's hadn't bothered to come at all as they sent a measly penance with him to show them around.

"It's alright," Mary suddenly said as she realized the rest of Lily's question and seemed to grasp Lily hadn't been calling her that. "Just, you know, not something nice to repeat."

"I won't say it again," Lily promised at once. "Would you, err, like me to-" She wanted to offer to use her wand and turn on the lumos spell, maybe they could attract the cat to a more reachable area with a shiny light, but then Filch did show up, out of breath and murderous looking as he shouted at them to get to their dorm before curfew actually set in. He refused to hear their protests about the wayward cat and threatened to give detentions if they didn't get.

Mary made sure to close the door firmly as they left and went back to the tower, but Lily was nearly shoved back out of the portrait hole before she could climb in as Bless and Ersa came back out with Mary between them the moment they saw she still didn't have her cat, dragging her back down despite the threat of punishment. Lily watched them go with a heavy heart, thinking the detention might be worth it, but she hadn't been invited, and it didn't feel right to have herself go along.

By the time all five of them were in bed for the night, Mary seemed to have completely forgot about the whole thing as she nuzzled Nyx, and Lily wasn't going to bring it up again.

3

Even James was starting to let Animagi A-Z fall to the bottom of his trunk as Quidditch tryouts came around. Remus and Peter immediately went into the stands while a range of students stayed on the pitch. They watched almost enviously as the two managed a calm exterior in the face of many students much older than them.

Vosper had the Seeker tryouts first, and he did it by age, clearly looking to weed out the youngers first, but both James and Bless did remarkably well as they went around, catching the golf balls he threw in all directions with ease. Only one sixth year did as well and stuck around for the next rounds, where he actually released a Snitch and timed them all.

James went last, and their hearts were already sinking when he lost sight of it early and didn't recover until well past the time of the other two, even before Vosper shouted he was out, and announcing the winner. Bless shouted with such pride it was a miracle someone from the castle didn't shout back at her to shut up.

"It's alright mate," Sirius thumped his chest in commiseration, he was glad he hadn't even made a go for that spot, he hadn't seen the thing once while watching the other three. "You'll have a better go at Chaser, you've got wicked aim."

"I still can't believe we can't break into Hooch's office, remind me to nick that after the next game for some practice," James said stoutly, he clearly wasn't going to let this go.

Because they were both trying out for the last position and Vosper used the same method again, Sirius was forced to use a school broom rather than borrow James', but he at least knew these things well enough to pick the best one, and he made it to the semi-finals against his best mate, but James finally won the lot with all five while Sirius missed his last one. The broom had refused to swerve in the diversionary tactic he'd been planning and lagging him too far, he'd put the old thing through its paces too long and Veronica Fletch caught it with ease. He grinned and high-fived James for the win.

"I'd say sorry mate, but I wouldn't mean it." James did look a little sorry, even if he was trying for a teasing tone.

"Nah," Sirius honestly meant it as he brushed off, "I'd deck you if you threw the game just for me, you'll do great." He went to go off to the stands while the rest of the team converged on the two new players, but while Bless began picking on James for 'technically' making the team first, Vosper called him back to his surprise.

"You did really well out there," he nodded, eyeing him and looking at the rest of the team. "My other two Chasers, you know Meika Wood and Crystal Brown, well they started dating this year and they're already getting on my nerves, they were goofing off all day. I wouldn't mind having a reserve player this year."

"Ye-yeah, that would be brilliant," Sirius agreed at once.

"Good, come on then," he beckoned the rest of the team into the locker rooms and he and James grinned in delight as they were passed their very own Quidditch schedules and picked the numbers they wanted on their scarlet and gold robes.

3

"You know, I'm starting to think Remus was right," James sighed as he shuffled through his own stack of notes that were the size of the book he finally declared he'd finished.

"I do that from time to time, you lot always seem so surprised," Remus agreed, not looking up from his chess game with Peter.

James ignored the ingrate and resisted chucking the book at him. "I've read this thing cover to cover, I've looked up everything I can think of, but the only passing mention is that a werewolf bite wouldn't affect animals. How is that helpful, we already know werewolf bites don't ruddy hurt werewolves! You can't be a were-werewolf."

"Might be kind of cool though," Sirius said as he continued trying to stack a deck of exploding snap cards on his head, despite the fact the last two had nearly blown his face off. "Think you would change even more frequently, or be like some giant sized werewolf!"

James couldn't fight the impulse that time and actually threw it at him, causing a miniature explosion as he fell off the bed and nearly set his sheets on fire. Considering it had taken until just this month for him to stop avoiding the common room, James considered it a successful rehabilitation he flipped him off while doing it rather than looking likely to pass out.

"I'm glad you lot think this is so funny, really I do," Remus was biting his lip to stop himself laughing.

Peter was doing no such thing and fell off Remus' bed doing so.

"Guess we will have to try something else though, I'll just return it Monday," James grumbled, flopping down in bed and ignoring Sirius' cussing as he stamped out the fire. "Found anything in all those potions books Pete?"

"A gruesome thing here and there about body transformation," Peter agreed as he finally made his next move. "Nothing Remus would want to go through that even resembles a cure. There was this one kind of promising one that would give him a brand new body."

"Sounds kind of cool," Sirius grinned. "Make yourself look like someone other James' ugly mug."

"Sure," Peter's face crinkled in disgust as he recalled, "all you had to do was submerge yourself in this diamond encrusted cauldron on the 24th of June, but the ingredients are insane. Blood of the enemy, bone of the father, and you don't want to know the last one."

"Yeah, no, I'm good," Remus chuckled.

"Well at least we have Hogsmeade tomorrow!" Sirius reminded eagerly. "It's the weekend before Halloween, and nobody's going to be miserable about it if I have to curse you all!"

"We're so scared," James snorted. He'd been as good as his word, Sirius had shown him a copy from the only letter he had from his dad, a very cold and impartial statement to a Quidditch Little League coach from a long ago summer camp about the ineptitude of the man not putting his son in the Seeker position.

"The only time he's tried to vouch for me, and I don't even like that spot," he'd rolled his eyes as he showed it to James, but he'd still seen red as he mocked the jagged letters. McGonagall at least didn't bat an eye as she took it along with the rest of third years the previous class.

Sirius had been doing a very good job of not acknowledging Regulus since the start of term feast, and nobody had brought him up since then thankfully. It was easier than ever to keep him from his mind without glimpsing him around every corner as they passed Filch, and finally walked right past Hogsmeade station into the village proper.

The four were still arguing about which place to visit first as they passed the little sign declaring it was founded by Hengist of Woodcroft in 1714 right before the first few houses, they'd all heard so many mentions from older students it seemed impossible they'd see everything by seventh year, let alone in just one day!

Wide streets, worn dirt road, and shops all had a different, homey feel than Diagon Alley, and they were still bickering which to enter first when they'd finally traversed far enough to scent the air of the best place in the village regardless, and not another protest was heard when the door to Honeydukes was nudged open.

It had to be, rather than slammed by the enthusiastic boys, because the place was crowded wall to wall with not just students but people from all over traveling here for some of the unique sweets.

Mrs. Flume stood at the counter, all fingers as she constantly dealt out transactions from the never ending line, while her husband Ambrosius Flume was practically running a marathon dipping below for more boxes and resupplying the shelves, his thin brown hair plastered to his scalp with sweat. The four were shuffled this way and that, drooling a bit as they couldn't stop eyeing one thing for long.

James and Sirius finally forced their way through, and by the time they left practically had their own year's supply of everything, their bags literally overflowing with zero regrets.

"Merlin I could die happy in there," Sirius moaned as he tried to shove yet another everlasting gobstopper into his mouth, he was going for a dozen and had only gotten to eight.

"I'd give anything to transform in there once a month," Remus agreed as he chose carefully before selecting a different part of his chocolate skeleton. He was devouring it from the toe-phalanges up, and every new bone was a different flavor. He hadn't even known caramel chocolate was a thing, but he was salivating at the chance to get to the femur and find out and pacing himself. The skull promised to be a mixture of the entire thing!

"I can imagine," James said delicately, "but I'll bet anything's better than a hole under a tree. I still want to ask Madam Pomfrey about that, it sounds cruel."

Remus coughed and nearly dropped his sweet in surprise, Peter only just catching it before the skull cracked open.

"Wha, wha id e 'ay," Sirius disjointedly demanded, he was up to ten.

"Well, erm, it's not a hole in the ground," he said distractedly, eyes now on the horizon. "It's, you know, a building. I have a little room to stretch, I even went in there my first night here to see it," he stopped, but sucked in a breath and forced himself to say, "but I kind of regret knowing what it really looks like, keep having nightmares of the place and you lot."

"Ah, Remus," Peter rubbed at his back with a sorrowful face mirrored in the others, and Remus' twisted stomach eased slightly at finally admitting that aloud.

"I ant elev rs a ol ildin r aree?" Sirius slurred, but he was forced to stop his attempt as he lost a gobstopper in his efforts to speak and it landed in the dirt, the drool leaking out of his mouth was taking more effort to wipe away constantly than enjoying himself anyways and he began swallowing them.

"Care to repeat that?" Remus smiled.

"He said what kind of building, or where's this building, one of those," Peter rolled his eyes.

"I said," Sirius huffed, still smacking his lips, "I can't believe there's a whole building under that tree! That's kind of cool, like a reverse Hogwarts!"

"Oh no," Remus corrected, "it's a tunnel, and the building's at the end. Above ground, I imagine, but it was too dark to see outside the window, and it's all boarded up anyways. Magically too, of course, so I can't get out from there. I supposed it's somewhere in the Forbidden Forest and we just haven't found it yet, or maybe it's invisible."

"Maybe you could show us sometime," James grinned at the new idea.

Remus shivered, and it had nothing to do with the chilly breeze. It was over a year since they'd figured out his secret, and he still couldn't believe how casually they all were chatting about this.

"Not during a full moon, obviously," James corrected with an eye roll. "But like, tonight. I'll bet if we bring some of these snacks and spend the night even, it would start feeling like the dorm, maybe get rid of those stupid nightmares." He finished with complete confidence, like Remus would ever hurt them no matter what body he was in.

Sirius and Peter at once agreed enthusiastically. Remus didn't exactly agree, but he couldn't think up a reason to talk them out of it either, and the subject was changed anyways as they came across yet another brilliant shop, Zonko's. James and Sirius' money bags seemed to have no limit, and they came away with yet another treasure trove of things, still laughing hysterically the rest of the day as they finally followed a popular throng to a place called The Three Broomsticks, and were all treated to a Halloween tale by a local man who regaled them with stories of the Shrieking Shack. Ever since its resurrection a few years back strange noises had been echoing from the place, people were already calling it haunted and nobody seemed quite sure why it had been built at all, or even who had, seemingly popping up one night with the screams of its victims echoing in the village ever since.

Nobody exactly led the way confidently that night, even as they all ducked low under the cloak without protest. Every time one of them hesitated too long the others just kept moving, and the four continued this odd shuffling pace until they stood just out of reach of the tree once more. James and Sirius' heritage was starting to rear up despite themselves as they eyed the hole they'd seen Madam Pomfrey once emerge from with an almost dead looking body, and Peter was instinctively shying away as well, but right into Remus without even thinking about it.

Remus did not want to be the one to raise his wand and still the tree, berating himself with mutters under his breath for encouraging them even this far, but it was this familiar habit of his talking to himself that finally kicked Sirius into squaring his shoulders and proving him wrong that they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into that had him mimicking what the school nurse once had, "Wingardium Leviosa," and watching carefully as the little branch rose a few feet, and at the flick of his wand, flew too fast for any of its alive brethren to stop it.

James easily crawled in first, Peter right behind him. "Get on then, my arm's getting tired," Sirius flashed him a smile, barely visible in the thick cloudy night and absent moonlight, so Remus forced himself to swallow and go through once more.

His nose dilated upon the familiar puff of dirt as Sirius plopped in behind him. His eyes adjusted the quickest and traced easily the uneven floor. His body ached oddly, as if it was already trying to tense up for a transformation to come, his fingers even twitched as if he should be removing his clothes from habit.

"Well, this isn't getting any less fun," James still had the gall to say cheerfully as he went off, his hair barely scraped the low ceiling. Sirius had to prod him in the back to get him moving.

After a few moments James began humming to himself out of boredom, and Sirius quickly caught on with the tune and sang some nonsense words off the top of his head, a game they'd been doing since their very first night. The familiarity of it caused Remus and Peter to start chuckling in surprise and even applauding the two, the trek that usually felt like hours were gone by the time they'd wrapped up and James stopped with a curse as his head smacked against something.

The hatch swung up easily, he nearly kicked Peter in the face as he hauled himself up before offering a hand down, but Remus still hesitated taking the now two offerings. Them being in there would only give the nightmares validity surely...

He made a squealing noise of surprise when Sirius grabbed him from behind, actually holding his waist and trying to force him up while saying, "get on then, I don't want to stare at your ass all night!"

Remus had no choice but to grab ahold of James and Peter and look around once more.

It was even worse than he could have imagined. His face quickly flushed with shame, he usually didn't give himself time to really see it, keeping his eyes closed as long as possible until the pain became unbearable and he knew no more. Now he was forced to see years of his handiwork, the torn furniture, gouges and straight chunks missing from the walls, the pitiful shack looked exactly like a wild animal had attacked it, because he did. Only the lack of excrement held him back from bursting into tears, and he vowed he'd have to go up and thank Madam Pomfrey, or Dumbledore, or somebody for clearly having a foresight he'd always lacked in at least semi cleaning this place up.

James whistled as he turned slowly on the spot and took it all in, while Sirius peered around in the gloom with a very curious look in place.

"Damn Remus," Peter said in close to awe, "how big do you get?" He had to crane his neck up to see the ceiling where the chandelier was twisted and torn, all candles long absent, only hanging on by one lone, rusted bracket. Who had even put that in here?!

"I, err," Remus couldn't answer, his chest swelling painfully, he just wanted to crawl back in that hole and die now.

Sirius suddenly took off, and the other two followed, Remus still dragging his feet as he spotted the staircase and slumped up it. There were three doors, James found the one on the left to be a bathroom, Peter's was a broom closet completely bare and empty, and the one directly in front of them on the tiny landing Sirius shoved open looked like a palace in comparison to the rest of the place.

Remus had only been in here the one time, that first time, but he couldn't help but appreciate all over again the forethought Dumbledore seemed to have put into this as a king size four poster bed sat proudly intact against one wall, but it was dusty with disuse, and the lone window was indeed still boarded up and ruined the kind décor.

"You've been plaguing us with your snores when you had a whole house to yourself!" Sirius accused as he made a running jump before bouncing on it, causing even himself to cough and sneeze as much as them but refusing to stop.

"Couldn't say why, can't be the company," Remus finally said, his chest starting to hurt just a little less.

"Flatterer," James scolded as he went to peek out of what little space was available, but still coming up empty. It was just too dark to get a proper sight of anything beyond.

"Didn't Flitwick say something about Undetectable Extension Charms in our seventh year last class?" Sirius suddenly said as he did a belly flop onto the bed. "Maybe we could give this place a little more room."

"This place is weirdly small," Peter agreed, waving his hand in front of his nose still. "Better than the hollow I was picturing before, but no offense Remus, I've seen animals at zoos get more space than this."

"None taken," Remus shrugged, it's not like he was going to disagree. "I don't think it would make a difference though if they'd made it the size of Hogwarts, I'd still take it out on myself all night."

"I've never been to a zoo," James suddenly pouted, "but I'd come see you Remus," he quickly added on. The two started laughing in surprise, and that was all it took. They just hung around talking endlessly about anything that came to mind the rest of the night, tromping up and down the stairs at their pleasure without having other students poke their head out and yelling at the restless bunch to get to bed. This was their place now, and nobody was going to bother them here.

3

November

Sirius' heart was already pounding oddly hard in his chest as he woke on his fourteenth birthday, and it wasn't because James was tugging on his toes individually until he kicked him away.

"Come on Sirius," he whined, going back for another while he tried to keep the digits covered without sitting up. "My parents sent you a present, I know you're going to love it!"

He of course had no other choice but to sit up at that, and his mouth flopped open at what James was hiding poorly behind his back, everything else forgotten instantly about who else would acknowledge his birthday in this castle.

"That's not a-" Sirius screeched with such high pitched volume his voice actually cracked at the end and Peter fell out of bed in surprise, again.

"Not another howler," he moaned from the floor, but it was the wrong kind of screaming as Sirius tore the paper off to find a Moontrimmer '69. The bright silver wood beamed in his hands as much as its new owner while he screamed like a loon out of the dorm, James of course already having the forethought to have his at the ready as he went after him.

"Remind me to kill them when they get back," Remus grunted.

"Happily," Peter huffed as he burrowed back into his own bed, and the two actually got a few uninterrupted hours, and then actually woke up under their own steam for once! It was downright unheard of.

The two were not at lunch, but it wasn't as if they'd be hard to find. They wordlessly began making extra turkey sandwiches as they finished their own hearty soups and trudged into the deep cold of winter.

James and Sirius flat refused to land though, even for lunch, forcing the other two to go collect school brooms if they wanted to talk to them at all that day. The four started making up their own games of transfiguring clouds to suite their purposes and then blasting through them. Sadly jokes of frostbite were going to become a reality as night fell, and Remus really didn't want to spend anymore time in the hospital wing than he had to. Thankfully the warning bell echoed across the entirety of the lands that curfew was fast approaching, and they finally forced their feet back onto the stoops of the school, James' ears still hurt from McGonagall's warning last year as he clutched his broom protectively rather than flying up to the dorms.

"I should have sent your parents an owl first though," Sirius was groaning as he was towed away from the direction of the owlery. "I don't want them to think I don't love it!"

"I promise you, they know you do," James had to keep ruffling his hair even more than usual, he'd swear ice was still melting from his scalp. "We'll sneak out in a few to do it with the cloak."

Sirius practically went dancing to his trunk where he reverently placed it inside and began rummaging for some pajamas, his smile slipping for the first time all day as they still had the Black crest across the green shirt.

"Well maybe the fun doesn't have to end then," Remus offered as they now all stood around him in dry clothes, and Sirius let it fall to the floor, not thinking twice as Remus threw him one of his old beige jumpers without comment. "I've got an idea how to keep the flying going, and it's technically not even against school rules," he added with an almost Peeves like expression.

"The nerve of you four, flying down the corridors on your own mattresses!" McGonagall still found a way to tower over them and make them feel slightly bad in her tartan dressing gown, even being at her eye level still floating in place. "What part of out of bed do you not grasp?"

"Well technically professor, we're not," Remus offered, patting his for emphasis.

She gave him a stern glare and shouted all the way back up to Gryffindor tower, "don't know what I'm going to do with you four Marauders, it's a never ending job keeping track of you lot!"

It was only once they'd settled them all back down in place and stopped snickering did Peter suddenly cock his head to the side and realized, "merlin's socks, she didn't actually punish us."

James snorted in surprise as he grasped the same, and this time it was Remus' turn to fall off the bed laughing in delight.

"Not even one house point off, this is brilliant!" Sirius was still bouncing on his own like he was trying to achieve lift off without magic. Clearly another year on his life was not providing maturity any time soon.

"I keep telling you she actually likes us," Peter snickered enthusiastically. "Marauders, you know, as often as she calls us that, we might as well find some use for it."

"You know what Peter, I think you're right," James beamed at him, watching Sirius' progress with pride, he could probably do flips he was getting so much height. "Marauders, the Marauders, it's got a nice ring to it."

"Oh, we're calling ourselves a thing now?" Remus wheezed as he finally sat back up and rubbing at his side. "Is this is a gang? Do we have to do initiations?"

"To late, done deal!" Sirius yelled, it was a miracle he hadn't lost his voice he'd been doing it all day for all the right reasons.

Their door suddenly banged open hard enough Sirius fell off his own bed in surprise at last, as one of the Prefects told them all to shut up and get to sleep.

They didn't, but they finally boiled the noise down as the four whispered excitedly the rest of the night until Sirius was the last to curl up in bed under the covers once more, window firmly shut, falling asleep only to the thought of their Quidditch practice tomorrow.

3

Sirius cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindor's as James made his first goal, even the enthusiastic commentary going on by Pepper, who had changed her hair to pink for the game, which wasn't magnifying how excited they all were, but she was definitely getting there.

"What an amazing start for the lions from one of their newest players as Gryffindor takes an early lead, 10-0."

They all knew James could fly of course, they snuck down to the Quidditch pitch as much as the Forbidden Forest to blow off some steam, he told anyone who was in his vicinity for more than five seconds he'd been a natural since walking; but it wasn't until they stood in the chilly November air, where the weather couldn't decide if it was spitting rain or ice down on them, Remus swayed heavily in his seat for the full moon that night, and everything in the worlds power tried to dampen this moment wasn't getting through.

He'd been a natural at all of the practices, quickly coordinating moves with the two older Chasers and now executing them like pros even as a torrent of wind tried to slap him right in the face with the awful weather. The repelling charm only saved his glasses though, and Sirius swore blue while the rest of his supporters yelled foul when a bludger came far too close to him long after the Quaffle was out of place but he dodged like a bird of prey, swooping around in the air to face off against who had done it.

Only Madam Hooch's whistle stopped further retaliation. Sirius' hands itched to do it for him regardless, while Vosper did only moments later, earning his own foul as he shot the bludger back at the Beater who had done it, a troll looking seventh year named Flint, Pepper kindly informed them as both teams got their penalty shot.

"Potter's lining up for his first, let's see if it was just beginners luck," Pepper was enthusing cheerfully, "and- yes! Keeper Greengrass was out of luck there folks, this third year came to win!"

"Damn right he did!" Sirius was dancing in place while James did a lap around in excitement as a green Chaser lined up for their own. Sadly that bloke made it past Veronica Fletcher, but 20-10 was nothing, and the game kept its roaring enthusiasm at the neck and neck exchange.

"Someone keep an eye on that Gryffindor Seeker though," Pepper put in only a few minutes later, "I think the winds moving her about more than her broom- oh, there goes Potter with another score!"

Peter started biting his nails as he watched with a whole new level of captivation, Remus had never felt more awake on a day like this, and Sirius really hadn't been faking he wasn't surly one bit about not playing in this game, getting to watch James be a natural at this filled him with so much pride he hadn't even considered looking for his actual brother and who he would be supporting.

"That's Wood with the Quaffle folks, we're at 140-100 Gryffindor, and she passes it to Brown, who passes it to Potter, those three are unstoppable as Belby lobs a bludger that Potter dodges with ease, and it's back at Wood- oh, look at Shilling!"

Sirius would later deny he did stop applauding his best mate as all eyes darted to her thin frame speeding high into the air, the smallest player by far, but the Slytherin Seeker's bulk was no longer a help as he suddenly tried to pour on speed from the opposite end to catch up.

They were still screaming themselves hoarse at his failure hours later up in the common room. James was only put down after an hour of people hoisting him up in celebration along with the rest of the team, and Bless hadn't stopped smiling in so long it looked like it hurt.

"Here you are then James," she finally gave her prized win to him, just as she'd promised when they won. "Hope you don't mind I carved my initials into it already though."

"You deserve it," James shrugged as he happily accepted the ball, that immediately tired to flit out of his fingers. He went chasing around the whole common room at once, Sirius joining in as they tried to pin it back down, the show a riot for all but three.

Bless pouted and finally gave up hope he'd ever notice her the way she wanted.

Lily finally lost her temper as he caught it right in front of her and ruffled his hair, immediately trying to ask her which point he'd made had been her favorite as she darted up the stairs.

Remus sat in his shack alone, but for once he was smiling and watching the chandelier rock with the house while his body ached painfully, he could swear he still heard the laughter and cheers from here.

3

December

Only when their hands were completely numb and unable to even curl anymore did they finally give up on their snowball war, calling a truce and tromping back into the castle with the mush clinging to every available surface. Filch was bowling out some little first year Ravenclaw kid for already doing the same, and James went over to dump one last bit of snow on the caretaker to redirect his attention.

"I'm so cold, I want to jump through Nearly Headless Nick for warmth," Peter groaned as the kid went sprinting past, mouthing thanks. "Why'd you have to dump it down my pants Sirius!"

"You got snow in my hair," he sniffed, giving it a magnificent toss while Evans came down the stairs, rolling her eyes as she walked past the show, Filch was turning a spectacular red color and only they seemed to want to be audience for it.

"That ingrate should be thankful," James huffed as Slughorn came up from the dungeons and whisked the mess away, giving everyone a chance to depart. "I was saving that snow for Sirius."

"I'll send more to Filch for Christmas, surely it'll lighten his mood," Sirius snickered.

The walk back up to Gryffindor tower didn't warm anyone up much, but they were still arguing over who had made the best shot as the Fat Lady swung open for them, and a black streak went flying past again. Mary was already chasing after her cat this time at least, instead of waiting until curfew to notice the sneaky bugger.

The common room was blessedly warm, but they all still went up the stairs to change first. James went to his trunk to grab a particularly warm sweater in his favorite color, and came up with the red lump still bunched around his midriff, glasses askew and hair all unevenly on one side as something else caught his eye.

"Should probably return this," he muttered to no one as he plucked Animagi A-Z out of its spot. Between the Quidditch practices and his own homework, he hadn't thought about it in almost a month, but he was still convinced he'd gotten all he could from it. He smoothed out his sweater and looked around fondly, Remus and Peter were now having a spectacular debate about who's socks had more stench on them as they began whisking it all to the laundry hamp regardless, Remus had even forgotten to put a jumper on himself this time, and Sirius had snuck off for the showers, he'd be in there for an hour.

He waved vaguely to the lot as he went down the stairs once more, still tapping his fingers on the book when he got to the chilly corridors. He wasn't shivering anymore in his nice sweater, but a slight coldness still felt like it was following him. It's not as if he'd forgotten his mission to help Remus somehow, but they seemed to have long since exhausted all ideas. He kicked at a stray bit of parchment as he went past in frustration, he felt too young to be dealing with something nobody older than him seemed to care about, and now his last ditch effort seemed to be for nothing.

The teachers were pretty sympathetic to him, not one had ever given him detention for stumbling into classes late when he was so pale and exhausted, they just had to know why, but were any of them trying to fix it!

"No wait, stop, please!"

James looked wildly around in confusion, but he was still on the main track of staircases and they were all empty, it almost could have passed as a trickle of high wind. His blood boiled though at the desperate cry, he was in such a temper he would have cursed anybody in sight just to let off some steam, it wasn't even a decision as he took off at top speed.

He'd only made it down to the third floor as the moving staircase began trying to continue his decent and he leapt free off to the banister and landed gracefully, the kids shouts for help growing steadily louder guided him to the charms corridor. Mulciber stood at the window, half hanging out of it actually, and laughing. Whoever was shouting seemed to be outside said window, and James sneered in frustration as it all came together in his head.

"Pull him in, now," James stated coolly as he pulled his wand.

"Or what Potter?" Mulciber demanded without looking up. "Going to throw a Quaffle at me?"

"Let, him, in," James began advancing, his mind flicking wildly on how to get the person in and take this idiots head off all at once.

"Or what?" He scoffed, releasing one hand so he could turn and glare at him, the kids cries doubling outside now. How the screams of terror weren't drawing anyone else wasn't even the worst injustice right now. Mulciber was giving him a well practiced sneer, his free hand fumbling for his own wand now.

James chucked the book in his face, causing the git to jump back in surprise as the projectile had come from the wrong hand he'd been watching, while James made a wild lunge and barley caught the boot of the poor boy.

He was sobbing hysterically as James pulled him inside, but James didn't get a chance to even so much as pat the kid on the head in sympathy as he went crashing into the window ledge next, nearly falling out of it himself.

"That little blood-traitor freak would have deserved it," Mulciber was already at the other end of the corridor. "You keep acting like that Potter, you will as well."

James' ears were still ringing as he glared at his retreating form, the pain throbbing in his ribs and the tear on his sweater going unnoticed.

"Thanks," a small voice whispered, and James looked down to see the kid holding onto his sweater, like he'd been planning to try pulling him back in next, the material all bunched up in his hand was shaking, and James couldn't bring himself to go chasing after the arse. For now.

"No problem," James smiled. "Let's get you back to your tower, huh," the Ravenclaw emblem was easy enough to spot. "I'm James, by the way, what's yours?" He offered to try and get the kid to calm down.

"Laurence, Boot," he sighed, seeming very reluctant to admit the last bit.

"Well Laurance, you ignore that foul git, you hear," James stated in no uncertain terms. "I'm going to leave that arse on the ceiling of the great hall as soon as I get the chance, and his blood status won't stop me!"

He chuckled, just a bit, and by the time they got all the way back up to the seventh floor on the west side of the castle, you couldn't tell one bit he'd been crying, let alone wet himself from his experience. He was even full blown laughing as James tried to wave him up the spiral stairs.

"Oh, wait," Laurence suddenly stopped and offered James something, and he looked in bemusement to see his book. He supposed he'd been so distracted he wouldn't have noticed Laurence carrying around a live squirrel with him.

"Thanks," James grinned in return. His knuckles turned white as he grasped the spine of the book, his mind spinning furiously from dancing flames, to screaming kids, to a marred friend, none of whom deserved it. Enough was enough, it was time to test his own theory.

He waited impatiently in bed that night for Remus to fall asleep, but finally he recognized the even tenor of his snores and crept to Sirius first before he could properly nod off. He grunted in surprise to see James over here for once, but didn't question it as he beckoned to him. Peter wasn't as hard to wake up as usual, he clearly hadn't been asleep long either, and they followed him curiously down to the common room.

Five house-elves were already busily at work in here, it was later than he thought, but he still didn't want to risk anyone over hearing this so he kept walking right out of the portrait hole and to the first unused classroom he came across.

"What is it about this time James?" Peter groaned as he kept rubbing at his eyes.

"Found something?" Sirius asked eagerly, James still hadn't put his book down.

"No, and I don't think we're going to," his voice sounded funny to his own ears. "This may be as close to an answer as we're going to get," he only vaguely noticed he was putting a bit of a dent in the spine his grip was so tight.

"So, you got us up, because?" Peter groaned.

"Because if it won't work on Remus, then it'll work on us," he said.

Peter and Sirius looked at him oddly, Sirius' lips even began to twitch like he thought he was supposed to start laughing, while Peter's mouth finally flopped open as he realized the opposite.

"I, don't understand," Sirius finally said slowly. "You really think us being animals would do him any good?"

"He can't hurt us when we are," James nodded, "and we won't let him hurt himself."

"Win win, yeah," Peter's voice was edging towards hysterics already.

"James, that is actually illegal," Sirius needlessly reminded, looking faint, "and yeah, if he bites us while we're animals it won't change us, but what about when we change back! Just because a werewolf bites me while I turn into a fish doesn't mean the bite won't still be there when I'm me!"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," James crossed his arms. "I'm sick of sitting around doing nothing!" He finished coldly, his voice still not even close to yelling like he really wanted to at the world.

"Okay," Sirius surprised him. He still looked very uneasy, but his voice didn't waver one bit. "I'm in."

They both watched Peter, who was looking from them, back to their tower, and turned to biting at his nails. He'd probably gnaw them off by the time he decided for himself.

"You were perfectly okay with Remus doing this illegal thing," Sirius accused.

"I'm not saying you have to do it with us, but you're a good mate Pete, we'll need your help whether you participate or not," James kindly reminded.

"Are we going to tell Remus?" He whispered, and they realized he'd been thinking about the wrong thing.

"No," James shook his head at once. "He'll freak out, I don't want to know what he'll try to do to stop us. We're going to do this, slip in there with him after he changes, and prove to him we'll live through it before telling him."

'If we live through it' hung in the air suddenly heavier than any snowy downfall upon the grounds, but Peter never argued the point again as he silently nodded he was all in.

"Well, that's settled then," James finally smiled, hugging the book to him for a moment before slapping it against Sirius' chest. "You two need to start studying this like I did, I'm going to give you both a pop quiz when we get back from holidays."

It was a true testament neither of them made a single joke to him about this.

"I want to go to McGonagall and get the exact name of that spell she mentioned, the one that hints to a correlation between patronuses and animagi. Anything will help," James gave his own assignment.

"We'll be lawbreakers in no time," Sirius finally chuckled with his usual smile.

"It'll all be worth it in no time," Peter corrected with a smile.

3

"Did my parents suddenly adopt you and not tell me?" Sirius asked in confusion.

"No, it's just," Remus sighed, looking up from the table they had their homework spread out on to try and properly explain. Sirius got so touchy about his own parents, and this did feel like the kind of move they'd make, but it honestly wasn't the same thing. "Look, my dad was really adamant when I came here to keep my head down, and well, as far as he knows I have been. I, may or may not, have been underselling the fact that, um-"

"That you even have friends," James finished in disbelief, ruining the stem of the flower he was drawing in his agitation.

"A bit yeah," he sighed. "We really did have to move over the summer, but I was also sending as little mail as possible the summer before too, lest he get suspicious."

"It's not as if you need their permission," Sirius huffed from experience, scratching uselessly at the margins of his History of Magic essay. "Nobody told me I couldn't sign out to leave on holiday, they don't ask where you get off the train at anymore than they care on summer holiday what we go back to."

"And if my dad happens to notice the presents he addresses to me suddenly aren't at Hogwarts?" Remus uneasily reminded, shuffling papers around for no reason. "No, it's just not worth it. Honestly though, please go Sirius, have fun! I'll stay back and actually get some peace and quiet for once."

"You're a lousy liar Remus," Peter huffed.

"And Marauders stick together," James stated. He side eyed Sirius, his brow furrowing like he was trying to figure out how to cut him in half to make this work. Sirius leaned back uneasily in his seat away from him. "We can't all stay again," he said slowly, "Pete's right, his mum dotes on him too much not to notice, and mine already have a lot of questions about both you and Sirius I haven't answered, so how about this. I'll lie and say Sirius got a detention he had to stay over break for so he has no choice but to break the plans, that's not suspicious at least."

"Okay, I guess," Sirius hide his disappointment very well, but there wasn't much there to hide regardless, he truly did want to stay back with Remus too just as much as he wanted to see Mr. and Mrs. Potter. "Just please make sure your parents know how much I meant that thanks for the broom."

"You've sent them weekly owls over it mate, I'm sure they'll probably be threatening to ban you by the time you get there anyways," James grinned, but it slipped just a notch when he continued, "problem is, you're really going to have to get a major detention. Even though he's retired, my dad's still got friends on the school board, he'll know if I'm lying."

"Easy as spitting around here," Sirius grinned, "I'll have it done by tonight."

"You should wait until after the weekend," James corrected, "we've got practice tonight, and another Hogsmeade trip tomorrow."

"Why not wait until closer to the holidays you idiot," Peter snorted. "We've still got a fortnight."

"Pete you're a genius," Sirius agreed.

"There's a first," he grinned.

"In the meantime," Remus cut in, "our homework isn't going to do itself."

"You're right Remus," Sirius nodded seriously.

"That's what you're for," James concluded. The two dumped the contents of their bag all over the table before sprinting off for Quidditch practice.

"You going to dump all their stuff in the lake again?" Peter asked without looking up, brushing a stray sweet wrapper from his potions book.

"Nah, I'll tie it all to the broom on our towers roof, bet it takes them at least three days to find it this time," Remus shrugged.

3

"You're insane," Remus giggled at how deliriously delighted Sirius was at his idea.

"It's something new at least," Sirius reminded, juggling his presents to get to his wand. Remus had the forethought to actually put all his in his bag and move the one that wouldn't fit under his arm, so his wand was much more easy to access as he used the old branch to stem the knot in the Whomping Willow.

The tunnel below magically expanded to fit their need, the two went racing along to see who could get to the end first, the one who did got to open their presents first while the other had to watch. Sirius was right at least, it certainly would be the best memory yet he'd have in this place. The race wasn't complete until someone reached the bed upstairs, but when Sirius got himself through the hole first and didn't drop a single present, Remus just laughed and admitted defeat, going up the stairs like a normal human being while Sirius tried taking three at a time.

"You lot should just buy out Honeydukes and be done with it," Remus laughed in delight at the range of holiday sweets, they'd even successfully managed to keep giving him some every time they'd come to see him in the hospital wing, surely they'd run out of money, or the store would run out of candy eventually.

Sirius didn't answer, he was still smoothing out every tiny red threaded wrinkle from the sweater the Potters had sent him. Remus finally turned back to the rest of his gifts, shouting in delight about Peter sending him some omnioculars.

"He must have mail ordered for them, when did he even do that without me noticing? This is brilliant, I'll bet I can see the Quidditch games from the hospital wing with these things," Remus beamed. He opted to string them over his neck so that Sirius had space to carefully wrap his sweater back up into his bag as they went back towards the dirt tunnel for lunch.

"Not going to wear it to detention tonight are you?" Remus lightly teased.

"Nah, don't want to get polish on it," Sirius sighed. "I still can't believe Filch won't let me off just for tonight, I swear that man doesn't have a heart."

"It was your idea to lock Peeves up in his office," Remus still got a wild smile on his face for that. "I still don't think Dumbledore's put the place together back the way it was before the whole room exploded. You're lucky you weren't expelled for that," he reminded with a laugh.

"Please Remus, I could murder a student and that old man wouldn't expel me," Sirius grinned as they trudged back to the school. The tantalizing smells of lunch kept them going, and they entered to find the mostly deserted Ravenclaw table next to theirs, Zeta and Ersa taking advantage of this by whispering to each other in the nearly silent hall.

"Having a good holiday ladies?" Sirius beamed as he plopped down beside their fellow Gryffindor.

Zeta gave them an awkward smile while Ersa frowned at the idiot. Considering she'd been telling anyone who would listen her and Sirius were now dating, despite the fact they'd just kissed a few times and Sirius was already eyeing her sister, it was a tad odd.

"No, someone else vanished this morning," her blunt statement distracted them well enough from pulling that beef wellington away from a seventh year. The meat nearly slid across the length of the table as they looked at her.

"Someone else?" Remus clarified.

"What an awful Christmas," Sirius admitted.

"It's been happening for almost a year now, and this time it was the Head of the Goblin Liaison Office," Ersa told them, that odd frown still lingering.

"Dirk's really torn up about it," her sister put in quietly behind them. "That was practically his uncle."

"Haven't you two been reading the paper?" Ersa finished incredulously.

"No," they said together, none of them did.

"Did you even know Patricia's brother's been missing since summer?" Ersa demanded, clearly scandalized now.

"Err," Sirius muttered as he edged away from her, they kind of forgot she even existed honestly, all of the Gryffindor's had long stopped questioning her odd habit of studying under chairs, half of them forgot to check under them for her anymore before sitting down.

She huffed and turned back to her sister, it was pretty clear that relationship was dead for sure now.

Sirius didn't exactly seem heartbroken as he turned back with an admittedly guilty face. "Surprised Peter hasn't mentioned that little tidbit."

"Yeah, kid's been slacking this year," Remus agreed. "Think we should get a subscription ourselves?"

"Nah, we'll just dump pumpkin juice on Peter's head when he gets back," Sirius shrugged as he poured himself a glass.

Sirius finally pulled his sweater back on once he'd made sure there wasn't a crumb left on his shirt, and did not take to going back to the grounds, for once. Even the best sweater wasn't going to withstand that cold. Instead they took to wandering the corridors with restless energy rather than heading back to the tower yet, steadily making their way up every floor as they began hotly debating the most recent Quidditch match they'd heard on the wireless radio last week.

"I'm telling you, the Wasps will make a comeback," Sirius was still insisting this point as they made it to the fourth floor. "Especially now that they've got Bagman officially on the roster instead of in the reserves! The guy's a maniac player, he'll tip the odds!

"But the Catapults have an unbeatable Seeker so far," Remus still wasn't letting go either. "The best knocked Bludger in the world won't- huh," he stopped in surprise to see that ghost of Ravenclaw tower come right out the a mirror in front of them.

This wasn't so unusual, the ghosts popped right out of the walls at all occasions, but usually they still followed the normal pathway of the students. Bits of wall that had passageways behind them certainly, but never just right from nothing. The only entrances here were a statue that you had to move to get behind it to the sixth floor a good twelve feet down.

Excited to see if they'd just discovered a new shortcut to something, the two converged quickly on the mirror, quietly and carefully. Binns's  office was just around the corner, and Madam Pomfrey had ears like a hawk, the hospital wing was on the opposite end of the fourth floor and she'd come running if they just decided to break it.

The mirror was as tall as the wall itself, and there were no edges, it was just smoothly ingrained into the stonework. Students passed it all the time without ever wondering why it was just randomly here, surely just another odd thing in this magical castle, but now Sirius was tapping his finger against every inch of the glass he could reach while Remus pulled out his wand and tapped a few spells against it.

"Hey, check this out," Sirius stated, his nose pressed right to the glass as he spotted something odd when his finger jabbed at an angle.

Remus had to smudge his cheek and look up from below to see what he meant, but Sirius' finger wasn't even fully on the glass. There was the barest of an inches worth of space between his digit and the mirror.

"Maybe it's just for protection against breaking?" Remus said, fruitlessly trying another spell it seemed. "Dissendium," he tried next, but still nothing happened.

"I wish that ruddy ghost would talk to us, we've found out how every other ghost around here died except her and the Barron," Sirius pouted, trying to breath on the mirror, maybe if they fogged it all up and wiped it something would happen, but the condensation vanished the moment he put it there.

"Or maybe she was just visiting Binns for some reason and there's nothing behind this, who knows if ghosts get it on-" Remus sighed, giving one last try, "Evanesco," without hope.

The mirror vanished.

The two hopped back in surprise, before both stepped forward and waved their hands hopefully. The mirror did not reappear, instead a dark black tunnel like a giant hole in the castle stood waiting for them.

Sirius and Remus beamed at each other, before taking off at full speed inside. It only occurred to them when the light vanished to look back and see the mirror back in place, but they'd worry about that later.

"Lumos," the two recited together, lighting their wand tips now. It was like a huge cave almost, easily the size of Hagrid's hut, and it just kept going beyond. Remus kept his hand on the stone wall as they started off and the place did begin to narrow and curve. He tried to map it all in his mind and imagined the whole corridor was hollow for this to be occurring instead of the stone foundation. Finally they reached where the place amassed into a narrow tunnel, it looked almost like a metal slide going completely out of sight. If his internal compass was still going right, he'd say they were facing north.

"Shall we?" Sirius offered, his grin dancing in the lights.

"We've come this far," Remus agreed, and without hesitation they jumped down.

They slid a considerably long time down a cool, metal slide before landing on each other on damp earth.

"This is wild," Sirius instinctively started whispering. "It's like we're back under the tree."

"Let's hope it doesn't pop out right there," Remus agreed, hesitating for the first time at what could be waiting at the end of this.

Sirius was doing no such thing, and they took off once more. The tunnel really was reminiscent of Remus' though, it certainly felt like it took just as long to traverse, if not longer, as was evidence by the time they finally came up, panting with exertion, the sun was setting around them on a mountain view.

Remus' mouth hung open, Sirius' eyes looked like they were about to fall out of his head.

"Is that," Sirius tried to whisper.

"Hogsmeade," Remus finished for him, gazing down at the village. They'd spotted these mountains twice on their previous visits but had never looked twice at them, now they found themselves practically on top of the world from this vantage, even their castle in the distance looked miniature in comparison.

"I think we've just discovered the greatest thing ever," Sirius declared, and nobody was going to argue that point as the two ran wildly down to the village. By the time they got there though, it was completely dark and most of the shops had closed up, but that wasn't stopping them from running wildly in all directions. They even finally took a look up at that Shrieking Shack they'd been putting off.

Considering it was still a new moon entirely and the grounds had the barest starlight to guide them, Remus was the one still dragging Sirius along with all the energy in the world, but finally as the sky turned the faintest colors of purple on the horizon for a new sun, their stomachs snarled with hunger, and their completely numb bodies begged for a fireplace, they trekked back to the mountain.

It was much harder to find the place they'd popped out of than they would have thought, and the two finally came to the conclusion they'd have to instead reverse all the way back and walk to Hogwarts to find a way to sneak back in there. If they left a few toes in the snow from it all, it wouldn't have surprised either of them.

"We'll just have to go back through and find some way to mark the spot," Sirius said around a yawn. "Maybe tie an old bed sheet or something up there."

"Or just keep exploring until we know the whole place by heart," Remus beamed, "I still want a look at all of those caves we passed up, maybe there's stuff hidden in there as well!"

The velvet night was kissing the horizon, putting the light annoyingly in their eyes even as the sky turned beautiful shades of pink and orange when they finally got back to the castle. They snuck in through their usual favorite window, and made it all the way back to their tower before they stopped in horror at the sight.

McGonagall was angrier than they'd ever seen her. Sirius cursed as he realized he'd forgotten about his detention with Filch.

3

January

"I still can't believe you two idiots went with you were in the Forbidden Forest," James snickered, "you deserved detention for that. A hundred points in one night, that's got to be some kind of record," he finished with a laugh. Peter had already had three tripping hexes set on him in retaliation, and it had kept them busy.

"Had to come up with something," Sirius sighed, "better than where we really were."

James was still shaking his head as he went patiently through Slughorn's locked drawer, but the idiotic teacher really deserved it for something as basic as the first year charm unlocking them.

"Would you two shut up and keep looking," Peter hissed from outside.

It was the first full moon since their conviction and they weren't going to pass up this opportunity for an easy avoidance of Remus to start their illegal scheming, even passing up an opportunity to get a gander at this themselves, but James was still having his laugh while he did it.

"Got it!" James finally declared, stuffing three crystal vials, a handful of mandrake leaves, and some chrysalis of death's-head hawk moths into various pockets. They'd have to fetch that dew from a place that neither sunlight nor human feet have touched from somewhere in the forest, but hopefully centaur hooves wouldn't count as feet, so they knew a good spot for that.

They bolted from the room, hoping fervently Slughorn would be none the wiser.

"Even if he does, we'll just blame Snivellus," James reminded cheerfully. "It would be the best birthday present he ever got!"

"You know that freak probably steals things from there all the time," Sirius agreed.

Peter didn't get a chance to answer, he was knocked flat to the ground as a storming redhead went past.

James watched her retreating form with a fond smile, she was always so tenacious about everything. Sirius rolled his eyes as heavily as Peter did as he offered him a hand back up.

"Come on," Peter decided against pouting at James there would be no revenge in his honor for this one, "we don't want to be late for potions today."

They certainly gave Slughorn nothing to be suspicious about while keeping their goods on person, being perfect angel's all class and not even chucking a crocodile heart in Snape's face like they wanted to as he won himself ten points for his perfect whatever brew.

The two bolted as usual the moment the bell rang, but now as per custom, Peter stayed eagerly behind to clean up, and Atria approached him once more. His friends had even stopped coming back to collect him after the third time.

"I hope your friend's okay," she began with genuine concern, her shiny blue eyes on Remus' absent chair.

"Oh yeah, that bug that's going around," he easily laughed off. "You know how Madam Pomfrey is, she's got him up in the hospital wing all day while that Pepperup Potion kicks in."

"So he'll be better by the Hogsmeade visit next weekend," she smiled, "you four always go out there together, right?"

"Yep," he nodded, "I saw you and Aubrey at the Three Broomsticks last time and kept meaning to ask, what were you drinking?"

She was utterly thrilled as she answered, "cherry syrup and soda, it's really lovely. Maybe next time you could come sit with us if you wanted to try it-" she began hopefully, but stopped with a cry of warning that came to late as something splashed down around him.

He ingested far too much of the bright pink Confusing Concoction, and found himself looking around in complete befuddlement as he started coughing and choking, head spinning too much to even remember how to swallow anymore.

"Sev!"

"Snape!"

The two girls lashing out at him didn't even register as Atria's hands flitted all around trying to help and Lily rounded on him, Peter just kept blinking at the ceiling.

"What?" His smug look was entirely unrepentant. "It's not going to hurt the idiot, and you were just telling me they were planning to blame something on me Lily. I was just stopping them from even remembering what, I'm just sorry I couldn't get the others."

"Fix him," Atria stated in no uncertain terms, Peter was now trying to walk off and bouncing right into the walls, but the potion was still dripping from him, if she touched him she wouldn't be able to help either.

"Your stupid little boyfriend will be fine Day, you should be thanking me. You can do so much better than someone like him-" but he turned in surprise when Lily darted out of sight.

"Lily, wait, I meant that he's an idiot, not that he's a-"

Atria was left to stand there in frustration, cursing her head of house's fat stomach for always going off as fast as the students for lunch. Finally she unwrapped a scarf from around her neck and used it to cover Peter's shoulder, he went along pliantly up the stairs and didn't make a fuss the entire time up to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey motherly took him in and promised she'd have an antidote whipped up in no time, and she spotted Lupin on her way out indeed unconscious from some grievous looking illness.

3

"She always seems so miserable, even on her birthday," James sighed as he watched her retreating form with sorrow, she'd gone the extra mile this time by throwing his present for her in the fireplace the first time he'd handed it to her, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what she'd done with the Christmas present he sent her, he hadn't seen a hint of that stuffed owl he'd sent.

"Can't imagine why, wouldn't be the company she keeps," Sirius rolled his eyes as she met up with said Slytherin just on the other side of the portrait hole.

"Forget her for once James," Peter pleaded, "we're losing daylight!"

"Don't worry Peter, you won't lose Day because of it," Sirius happily whirled to teasing him.

Peter blushed scarlet but didn't deny it this time, so that was progress.

"Alright Peter, listen up," Sirius changed tactics this time though, leaning over to straighten out his shirt collar and trying to smooth down his hair, "what are you going to do when you get her alone?"

"What, I'm not," he yelped, trying to duck away from his hand and hide behind Remus. "I'm just going to say hi, ask if she wants to hang out with us-"

"No, you are not," Sirius stated primly, trying to chase after him while he darted next to James instead. "You're going to grab her, right, and kiss her right on the cheek, so that there's none of that awkward confusion mess-"

"Help," Peter squealed when Sirius finally caught him halfway down the stairs and now had him pinned.

"Nah," Remus smirked.

"It's nice to see him giving advice to someone who needs it for a change," James agreed as he studied his nails.

Peter was still bright red as Sirius paternally kept at it all the way to the last staircase, and nearly shoved him down it when they spotted Atria waiting patiently at the doors as far from Filch as she could.

"I'm so proud," Sirius mock wiped a tear away as she in fact superseded any such notions and came up to give him a kiss on the cheek, offering her hand as the two eagerly left.

"Little guy's all grown up," James agreed with a laugh.

"Maybe Sirius will take some advice from himself next how to keep a girl around longer than a month," Remus chuckled.

"How dare you," Sirius sniffed, "I could if I wanted to, none of them are worth it yet!" He passed Holly Harkin giving him a watery glare without a second glance.

Despite the fact they'd probably already explored the village better than some seventh years what with their new entrance to the place, they still stayed out as long as they could for the pure fun of it, and Peter never need know they'd been under the cloak the whole time watching and laughing their butts off.

3

February

"Expecto Patronum!" Sirius enunciated clearly, but still all he was getting for his efforts were little wisps of vapor. "This is infuriating, what are we missing?" He scowled down at his wand.

"I wish Sapling wasn't so useless," James agreed, tapping his wand against his forehead in thought as he tried to come up with yet another memory. "She's spent this entire time just having us do independent study, Merlin knows what she was looking for. It's no wonder Dumbledore got rid of her. Expecto Patronum!" He declared, and his actually became a foggy mass before it too vanished.

"It probably doesn't help that this is a seventh year charm," Peter sighed, his last attempt had just floated right to the ground before evaporating out of sight. "Merlin, it's probably the easiest thing we're trying to do in all this mess. Should it worry us we can't even get this part?"

"No," the other two stated in no uncertain terms.

"Have either of you decided when you're going to do the mandrake leaf part?" James sighed, looking wearily at the door. "I just can't imagine how we'll go a whole month without Remus noticing, and I can't do it during the summer, my mum would think I'd gone mad."

"I'll do it then no problem, not like mine'll notice," Sirius grumbled.

"Maybe we'll just have to convince our parents we're sick," Peter offered.

"If I went a month without talking around them, they'd ship me to St. Mungo's," James said with absolute certainty. "Probably the closed ward."

"Well, Peter and I will get it done this summer then, and we'll cover for you when you decide," Sirius shrugged. He made one last attempt, and it was the most feeble yet, but they were stopped anyways as the door seemed to open of its own accord and then Remus appeared, taking the cloak off and handing out still hot buttery rolls.

If only Remus were so easy to find the following week. They were concerned when he didn't show up to History of Magic Friday morning, but that wasn't so unusual. It became down right concerning when he missed Charms and lunch though, and they skipped Herbology that afternoon to finally find him still asleep on a plinth on the third floor where a suite of armor usually was.

He murmured something against Madam Pomfrey dragging him back as they roused him and supported him up to the tower. This was by no means the first time it had happened, but it only heightened their conviction more every time they saw him like this.

3

Peter and Atria were still being very blushy and new about the whole thing and agreed not to make a fuss about their first Valentine's day, it was on a school day anyways. James was still being an ignoramus and genuinely didn't seem to get why his friends pointedly asked if he'd go find Evans today, but they also had a Quidditch practice that night, so it was arguable if he even still realized his own crush. This left Remus and Peter laughing and trading Chocolate Frog cards out in the courtyard after dinner, despite the light snowfall still clinging stubbornly to the whole place.

"Amortentia isn't the only love Potion Sev, there's also Sagitta, and Amare," they looked up and tensed uneasily to find Evans and Snape walking back from the lake right towards them. The smarmy bloke had a tendency to ignore them, usually only targeting an individual of their group when they were alone, so they tried to pretend like they were ignoring him just as thoroughly back.

"Yeah, I know Lily, but don't you want the most powerful results if we ever get to make our own?" His quiet voice somehow still grated on Remus' ears from all the way over there. "We should start there and mimic those ingredients while adding our own-"

They looked around against their better judgement when he stopped so abruptly like that, to see his other Slytherin friends approaching, and Evans going off without a word.

"I still don't see how she claims to be friends with him," Peter whispered. "Half the time she doesn't even want to hang around the rest of those loons."

"Don't ask me," Remus quietly agreed.

Apparently their shadowy corner was even better than they'd realized, as they started talking without even glancing at them now that they were thoroughly outnumbered and shrinking back just a bit as they realized this. James and Sirius had only just been released from detention against Snape's last retaliation on Peter, and this wouldn't lead to anything better.

"We've got that classroom all set up," Mulciber stated with a chilling leer that didn't seem to imply a surprise party for a good reason.

"And Dolohov's already promised to have Flitwick up in his office for us, so are you in or what?" Avery finished eagerly, his thin face twisted up in a deranged kind of pleasure.

"Yeah, I guess," Snape didn't seem as enthusiastic, but he went off with the lot back inside.

"Should we, err," Peter began, but he looked no more likely to charge off then Remus felt. There were three of them, and who knew how many others they had in this scheme, but James had told them all what Mulciber had been caught doing to some first year kid, and this promised to be even more terrifying.

The two exchanged one last uneasy look before they quietly went off, wishing they had James' invisibility cloak, or more preferably James himself with Sirius, but neither wanting to risk going off and losing them, so they stuck to the shadows and followed down into the dungeons.

They did lose sight of them a few times in the ever winding passages down here, but finally as they crept past an unused classroom they heard the whispers and stopped, creeping slowly back to have their ears at the door.

Only a faint buzzing came through, and they exchanged disappointed looks. No screams echoed from inside though no matter how long they stood there, so finally they sprinted out of there lest they get caught and somebody did wind up hurt.

3

"They weren't actually doing anything," Remus groaned as he tried to curb them, "you don't have to-" to late. His morning berating and afternoon pleading had not stopped them as James and Sirius leapt into the crowded corridor and their target couldn't escape the WideEye potion being dumped right onto his face.

Several people laughed as Snape could no longer blink, and wouldn't be able to for days, let alone sleep. Sinestra arrived only moments later to issue detentions and get him along to the hospital wing, while Evans finally arrived and shot them filthy looks of disgust as she went after her friend.

"You know it's not a coincidence Davey Gudegon's still not out of the hospital wing," Peter reminded, going over to fetch his cauldron without regret. "Poor guy went nearly blind all over again but won't admit why, there's no way that's just happenstance."

"Yeah," Remus sighed, "this just didn't feel like the right solution."

"Slughorn hasn't done a thing against them all year, and these accidents just keep happening," Peter shrugged. "Might as well do something to fight back."

3

March

"Hey Hue, Henry," James greeted as he plopped next to the latter just like always, walking in alone to his evening Muggle Studies class.

"Hey Potter," Henry said oddly stiff as he kept his eyes on the board.

James watched him for a moment before tipping his head around and looking to Hue for an answer, who was biting his lip to stop himself laughing.

"Shall I tell him the good news then?" The guy offered, while Henry was already fighting off his own smile but didn't answer. "Fine then, you'll be playing against him in tomorrow's match, and he's already assured our captain he won't be going easy on you," Hue chuckled.

"Oh, congrats," James beamed. "What position? You weren't playing against Ravenclaw back in November!"

"One of our Chasers is in the hospital wing this month, and I get to play as backup," Henry finally said, losing his will already and turning to him excitedly.

"Nice," James congratulated, the two high-fiving as Burbag cleared her throat. All three of them lost points for their house as they didn't pay a lick of attention all class, still gossiping madly about how the points were lining up in Ravenclaw's favor and trying to even out what the score should be to lean towards Hufflepuff that also still gave Gryffindor a fighting chance.

He had a rather odd moment as they continued right up to the dinner tables and he had to separate to go find his friends, fingering the mandrake leaf he now kept on him at all times as he wondered about that sorting hat again and sat across from Peter and Remus, the later of whom was falling asleep into his shepherd's pie.

"Pitiful way to spend his birthday weekend," Peter was sighing and rubbing at his back, still trying to encourage him to eat something before tonight.

"We'll just win the match and tell him all about it on his actual birthday when he wakes up, can't do much better in the meantime," Sirius sighed, flicking another pea at him, this one landed right in his ear and he finally jerked somewhat awake.

James happily informed them who they'd be playing against, and Sirius groaned and lobbed a whole spoon of mashed potatoes across the hall, making that target too. Henry rubbed it off his dark brown hair and threw him the bird back.

"I can't believe Vosper hasn't put you on the team yet, skills like that," Peter snickered.

"Felicity graduates this year," Sirius reminded, "might as well let her get her kicks in," even as he stabbed moodily at his meatloaf.

"You're only saying that because you're still hoping that bloody eighteen year old will snog you," James crinkled up his nose. "She's not even going to play professionally, she wouldn't shut up last practice about getting a position in the Goblin Liaison Office. I say we give her her own accident and let him put you in as Beater already."

"You two are awful," Peter informed, even knowing they were joking, but someone should say it, considering Remus had fallen back asleep on his food.

They tried not to let themselves be too distracted as Peter took Remus up to the hospital wing alone while they went out for a last minute training on the grounds, the Hufflepuff's had gotten the pitch and seeing them practice their flying while they were restricted to just passing the Quaffle by the lake didn't even ignite their fury like their captain was probably hoping.

Instead they spent their evening having another go at their Patronuses, and maybe the full moon was lucky for someone, as Sirius finally had an enormous dog charging at nothing. They screamed with such delirious delight they expected someone to come in here and tell them to shut up, but nobody did for once as Sirius managed to successfully do it half a dozen more times.

"Would you look at that thing," Sirius was telling nobody, they'd given up their own attempts as they watched it bound right through Peter and onto Remus' bed.

"You're going to be huge mate," James agreed, shaking his shoulders so much Sirius looked like a bobble-head.

"A dog though, could you have named anything more perfect for this idiot," Peter laughed, starting to chase it around himself with excitement.

"What was your memory that got it?" James demanded, watching in surprise as Sirius' smile slipped just a bit, and the dog somehow grew brighter.

"Remus, that first night we saw him with Pomfrey," he whispered.

Peter stumbled over a pair of pants and fell, Sirius couldn't even blame them giving him such bewildered looks. "I know it's not a happy memory like the book said, but seeing him like that at dinner, knowing how he's going to be, I just, it came to mind and I," he sighed and sat on the floor, the dog's lulling tongue coming up beside him and sitting right next to him, still slightly taller.

"It said you should use a powerful, happy memory," James corrected slowly. "Maybe we've been going about this all wrong. Happy memories are the most powerful thing against dementors of course, but it's the energy of throwing it at them to dispel them that's the hard part."

"We're not trying to get rid of those creepy things," Peter nodded, "we're just hoping this is the animagus we get, so maybe powerful should trump happy."

Seeing their friend like that, the urge to never see it again truly was the reason they were up until the crack of dawn when James finally managed the same, and an enormous stag game blasting forward with such force it sent Peter to the ground again while Sirius woke with a yelp of fright. Even not having the terrors of Azkaban present, the spell itself was very draining.

Peter was nearly crying in frustration by that point and was tempted to skiv off the game and keep practicing, but with the other two threatening to put him  in the hospital wing with Remus if he did while coupling it with light assurances a break would do him some good, they all went down to the game in lighter spirits than even Quidditch could ever offer.

3

Remus whimpered as his mind finally crawled back to awareness, trying to move as little as possible of himself while his aching muscles still cramped and twitched unpleasantly, but his bladder was painfully full. It was a miserable toss of having to ask Madam Pomfrey for help or just wetting the bed, both were the most demeaning thing he could imagine in equal measure. It was days like this he wished he never woke up at all, until his eyelids finally began to flicker, and he saw his friends already grinning down at him.

"Happy birthday," Sirius said in the most gentle, sing song voice he'd ever used in his life.

"Don't worry mate, my birthday present for you is letting you wake up without the water in your face this year," James beamed.

Peter muttered about the two idiots while already offering him his usual glass. He tried to swallow his own dry throat instead as he whispered his issue, somehow it was slightly more dignifying having the sheet be wrapped around his waist and James supporting him to do his business.

"What time is it?" He asked belatedly, forcing himself to stay upright against the feather prop and grateful Madam Pomfrey wasn't bustling over yet.

"Almost dinner," James shrugged. "She went out for a nip, threatening to murder us in the meantime." At least she'd long since stopped giving them suspicious looks why they were in here, when she could see them anyways.

He spotted the presents from his parents on the nightstand still wrapped, and his stomach clenched painfully, he would definitely rather wait to get back to his dorm to open those in at least some semblance of normal.

Sirius waited for no such thing, and suddenly burst from his seat to show why he'd been so quiet and still for so long, offering a little gray bunny in his face once more.

"Sirius!" He burst out laughing even as he shoved it away in protest.

"What, it's a magical one this time, just like you wanted!" Sirius assured. "The ad said it's feet are lucky and everything, they even caught it during a full moon! That's got to be a sign!"

Remus couldn't stop laughing for a solid minute while Peter face palmed. James at least looked curious and offered to hold this one, while Madam Pomfrey finally came back and kicked them all out with special berating this time for the animal in her ward. He was still smiling and rubbing at his newly repaired ribs while she checked his bandages.

She actually even let him out just before curfew as a birthday treat rather than waiting until classes Monday, but he wasn't as surprised when he exited to hear them whispering under the cloak.

"You're free!" Sirius bounded forward and hugged him fiercely while James tucked his unneeded cloak away for once. He nearly squashed his newest bunny and Remus' presents until Peter finally stepped forward and dragged him back.

"Miracles happen," Remus agreed, he hadn't stopped smiling in so long it was starting to hurt. "I'm not keeping that one either," he dutifully informed him, eyeing the little nose.

"Yeah, and I'm not cutting off its feet to appease you," Sirius sighed, giving up the fight much easier than last year. Peter mouthed 'you're welcome' behind his back. "I'll release the little guy into the common room and see if someone wants him."

"Ersa's cat is going to eat it then," Peter protested.

"Maybe Evans would like it, she loves animals," James offered. "Don't know why she doesn't have her own."

"Just send it back to the shop you monster," Remus snickered.

"So they can cut its feet off!" Sirius protested. "Who's the monster now!"

"Hey James!" Laurence waived cheerfully as he went past, supporting his friend who had a steadily dripping nose.

"Oh, hey," James said, before doing a double take. "Hey Boot, want a rabbit?"

"Huh?" the poor kid muttered in confusion, but the two boys got the bunny in their hands and the Marauders were already departing while they fawned over it before they even seemed to realize what had happened.

"That kid's going to think he's in love with you now," Sirius snickered.

"As he's lacking red hair, I don't like his odds," Peter rolled his eyes.

James ignored them and turned with a very stern expression to Remus. "I'm starting to worry you need to go back there, you have yet to ask us the most important question of the day!"

"Who won the match?" Remus agreed solemnly.

"Hufflepuff," Peter finally answered, though it had been clear enough as the two were pouting rather than saying it.

"It was all that Fawcett girls fault too," Sirius groaned, "we really should have nixed her, she sent a Bludger at James at one point!"

"Girls got a good arm," James grumbled, his arm still smarting at the glancing blow. "It was a really close game though, if Hufflepuff loses to Slytherin by fifty points next match, we still have a shot for the title this year."

"Not that Peter saw any of it," Sirius suddenly grinned. "Snogging his girlfriend half the game and all."

"I told you, it wasn't, she, it was like," Peter groaned, but Remus finally lost hold of his presents and slumped against a wall he was laughing so hard.

3

James spent his birthday not talking, but then, he hadn't said a word since the day after Remus' birthday. At first Remus had thought he was pouting and much more upset than he'd let on about his teams first loss, but when it continued on for the next day during class and he still hadn't said a word Remus was starting to get worried.

"He got detention from Vector today for not bothering to even answer her, even incorrectly," Remus was insisting all that day.

"I told you Remus, he's trying a new approach to gets Evans' attention," Sirius just grinned with that stupid look that had earned him his own set of detentions as he tired to offer some foolish lie for his friends defense to Flitwick.

Peter kept trying to distract him every meal when James was just awkwardly eating soups while moving his mouth as little as possible like it wasn't the most weirdly obvious thing.

It had now been going on for over two and a half weeks and Remus knew all three of them were up to something, he just couldn't for the life of him imagine what. It didn't help Sirius kept offering to go out with him in the corridors alone to keep exploring, leaving James and Peter alone at all hours, and his paranoia was proven on the day of James' fourteenth birthday as Sirius reluctantly let him go back to the dorms after dinner and they heard Peter cheering wildly before they even approached.

Sirius bolted ahead and slammed the door in his face before he got a peek inside, though he'd swear he saw something flash brightly. When finally Remus threatened to blast the door down, it opened of its own accord, and the three were just sitting there with weirdly smug expressions that gave him the creeps.

'You're not paranoid if they're really out to get you,' his mind supplied, but it made no sense, if they were up to something involving him, it couldn't be that bad, they already knew the worst side of him.

3

April

The four of them had spent so long going around Hogsmeade they started to feel like they'd abandoned their first love, and spent the rainy months deep in the Forbidden Forest for a change as the water droplets barely reached down in there, though having to unintentionally intentionally keep away from a particular grove of trees was the only tricky part. Sadly it was no thunder storm yet, they'd just have to wait a bit more patiently for that also without thinking about it!

Remus still noticed them acting a tad off, James was finally talking at top speed to make up for his month of silence and was barely pausing for breath, while Sirius seemed to be tormenting Peter even more than usual, he'd refused to pass him anything but cheese for the last few meals and chose to shove him in the overflowing river with the snide comment about him floating.

They went stomping onto the flooding grounds that seemed to be trying to join the lake much earlier than usual, though still just a tad close to curfew, so stopped guilty in place and knew at once what was about to happen as Claw came bounding up to them.

Hagrid's massive brindle pitbull had a weaponized tail that thumped painfully against Peter as he went straight for Sirius and shoved his nose up his bum once more while Hagrid came stomping out. "Claw, here boy, what are you- oh, you lot," he chuckled as he put his crossbow away, already waving them back to the castle. "Go on then, off with you lot, being out here in this weather should be punishment enough," he scolded.

They cheered and thanked him for not giving them away as they went racing off. When they offered Remus to take a shower first, he let his curiosity get the better of him and stood at the door with the shower on to try and overhear something, but only caught the faint hints of them saying a spell, maybe? "Amato Animo-" but then a burst of wind cut off their quiet voices, and he swore he heard them laughing when thunder rumbled in the distance.

So they were odd, he'd known that since the first week. They were definitely up to something, but there was just no mistaking that kind of cheerful smile, none of them even flinched anymore as he towel dried his hair while looking for clothes, he'd stopped trying to hide them in there with him and change out of sight ages ago.

3

The weather continued to worsen as the month wore on, but the Marauders couldn't have been happier as all three of them quietly whispered their excitement they'd finally felt the second heartbeats promised in the text. James kept rubbing at his sternum and imaging himself pregnant he was so excited to see what burst out of him! His stag patronus had been huge, he'd have to parade around in front of the fourth floor mirror just to get a proper look at himself!

Peter was starting to feel a little guilty though, not only hiding it from Remus who was clearly growing suspicious, but Atria, who still held his hand every Ancient Runes class and partnered up with him without question, leaving Aubrey to work with Patricia Bishop. He'd started biting at his lip though and wondered how long he could keep this a secret from her, it's not like he could tell! He liked her, but that didn't mean he could even blame her if she freaked out and told of the illegal and dangerous animagus practice they were at, let alone the reason behind it.

Thankfully she didn't ever want to talk about his friends anyways, they spent the time they could with their heads close together and whispering excitedly about everything else in the world but what went on in this castle, she had a particular fondness for not only the Daily Prophet stories, but the Wizarding World Wonders that always displayed stories from around the globe.

3

Remus found Sirius curled up under the bathroom sink. He vaguely recalled hearing James talking to him all morning before going down to breakfast, but now he realized he was really talking at him, Sirius' every body language made it clear he did not want to be bothered, so he left him to it and went down for breakfast which he didn't seem to make it to, and the three were all considering skiving off Arithmancy to go check on him now.

"Think he got another howler from his parents?" Peter whispered, propping the book up to hide his talking a bit better.

"I can't imagine how we wouldn't have heard about it," Remus disagreed.

"It might not even be related to that whacko family," James insisted, he hadn't even taken his book out of his bag. "He hasn't mentioned them all year."

He showed up on time for Transfiguration, but still wouldn't really look at them all class, let alone laugh at Remus' usual terse mutters. He then excused himself from lunch like that was a perfectly reasonable thing to do, and James stamped his foot in frustration, heading towards the kitchens instead. He was going to ask the house-elf's for Sirius' favorite and force feed it to him until Sirius explained what his issue was. Remus went with him with the half hearted idea of trying to convince him violence wasn't the answer to this, and Peter stood there biting his lip before going after Sirius.

He found him curled up under the bathroom sink again, back wedged against the wall, face against his knees, this time on the first floor rather than back in their dorms. He had to be impressed he'd circled around to try and throw them off, he decided as he removed a toilet lid and jammed it into the door so it wouldn't open while he sat patiently next to Sirius.

His silence finally wrought out what hadn't before, and Sirius whispered, "it's April 23rd."

Peter still said nothing, racking his mind back and trying to pin this day the last two years. He vaguely remembered him being kind of distracted the last week of April, but nothing this extreme.

"I'm not sure what to say to him, I just sent a letter the last two years and he didn't respond, but now what am I going to do if he just tells me to shove off? It's not like he acknowledged my birthday," he finished with a miserable sigh.

Ah, something finally clicked together. He hadn't spoken a word about that brother of his all year, apparently the same happening in reverse hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Should I say something, should I not? He's just as bad as my parents, I think, I mean he used to not be, but-" he broke off miserably and finally looked up from his pressed knees.

"You're going to do whatever you think is right Sirius," Peter needlessly reminded. "Telling you what to do has never done a single person any good. Whatever I say, you'll inevitably do the opposite."

Sirius snorted and let his head thump against the cool sink above, his gray eyes still more watery than he'd ever admit; he still didn't know what to do about Regulus. If his little brother had just come to him, explain his side and he'd had nothing to do with that Gringotts mess, Sirius would have believed him, but instead it was as if they didn't even exist to each other.

Fine then, Sirius was getting pretty good at ignoring the existence of everyone but the three most important people to him.

The tardy bell for their next class rang, and Sirius gave Peter a swift hug before bounding down to the grounds for his class. James still tried to ask later what the big deal was to both of them, and Sirius told him, but carelessly over dinner, as if it wasn't even worth mentioning anymore.

3

May

"Fawcett!" Vosper shouted for the fifth time, "I told you to stay at the opposite end of the pitch today, I can't keep fielding them from both goals!"

"Sorry Edric," she sighed as she went back, but she didn't really sound sorry, they all noticed.

"Black, get over here," he shouted. He'd been having him act as 'the opposing team' darting between the three Chasers to try and field the ball from them for the majority of practice, and while he hadn't been doing bad, Vosper clearly wanted a new tactic.

Sirius still grumbled a bit as he went over, but he wasn't yet secure enough for his place on the team to tell the idiot to stop calling him that! That changed when he was handed the captain's very own beaters bat.

"Stay at this end of the field," the instructions still sounded simple enough! "Let's see how you do," there was a dangerous look in his eyes that wasn't for him as he shot off high into the air and blew his whistle for them to start, he taking over Sirius' place as he began acting against his Chasers.

Sirius took to his job with grace, and knew before Vosper even said it what was about to happen when he successfully knocked both bludgers in a row, one away from James, and one right into Vosper's hip knocking him clean off his broom with beautiful aim.

"Fawcett, you're on reserve for our game next week!" He shouted as Meika and Cyrstal helped him to his feet off for the hospital wing, the bone was definitely cracked and he was putting no supporting weight on that side. "Great job Fletch, just need to work on watching that third goal, and Shilling, good job today, noticed your timing's getting better, but watch out for their seeker, he-"

He was still trying to shout instructions as the other two led him off the field.

Felicity didn't even seemed phased, just went off to the lockers.

"If you didn't want to play, you should have just said something!" James watched her retreating back in disbelief.

She just waved over her shoulder, and Bless was so disgruntled at the display she didn't even go after her, but decided to go up to her tower to clean up.

"I've tried talking some sense into her," Veronica shrugged. "Ever since she started dating that Dolohov bloke though, she's been acting odd."

Sirius certainly wasn't going to start complaining about it, still dancing on the spot in excitement and not even wanting to wait for a shower either as he went off to tell Peter and Remus the good news.

The build up to the match against Ravenclaw was brutal, even more so than either boys remembered it being last year, actually playing in it seemed to have heightened them to a new level of mania over this sport, and the two would speak of nothing else for the entire fortnight leading up to it.

Which is why it was so genuinely odd for James to come bounding up into the dorm with the stupidest smile they'd ever seen plastered across his face, and didn't even acknowledge Sirius' mock up of all the players for tomorrow's match.

"She said no to me!" He squealed, bounding onto the nearest bed and back off, only to lunge onto the next one and continue his mad game of leapfrog.

"How hard did Evans hit you this time?" Remus sighed.

"She didn't, but she said no, isn't it amazing!" He beamed, knocking Peter's trunk over entirely and spilling its contents on his next go around. His collectable marbles mixed in with his gobstones as they scattered under all available surfaces, it was not going to be fun sorting those out later.

"Am I missing something?" Peter asked, not bothering to pick it up yet considering he showed no signs of stopping.

"You idiot, it's no wonder you haven't even referred to Atria as your girlfriend yet," Sirius snorted. "James is finally admitting he's smitten."

"She was talking to that Terrance Noble git!" James stated, finally coming to a grand stop in the middle of the room. He seemed to realize how breathy he was in his excitement and straightened his shoulders, trying to make his voice go deeper, it was nearly as hysterical as his antics. "Well I couldn't have her supporting them for whatever reason of course! So I asked her for a word, and she did, and I asked if she had a thing for that idiot, and she said no! That it was none of my business! Well now I want it to be!" He failed by the end and was squealing in excitement all over again. "She's going to say yes to me asking her out when we win, I just know it!"

"Idiot finally came to our planet of existence over jealousy of all things," Remus burst out laughing.

James ignored all three of them, he wished he could grab her and kiss her he was so excited, and obviously she'd say yes to that! She'd only been annoyed with him this whole time he hadn't known what this feeling was yet, now that he did she'd fall right into his arms.

Win they did, their team was unstoppable as they steamrolled a victory, but it wasn't a grand weekend for all the players when James sprung his plan into action and tried to kiss her on the cheek in his excitement when she'd gone weaving through the party that evening.

It had taken Madam Pomfrey hours to get that bottle out of his nose, but for some reason that didn't stop him from already concocting his next scheme to get her to go out with him while he sat patiently in a guardrail bed.

The three of them sighed and decided to settle in for the long hall of this game.

3

June

It had been such a beautiful, warm spring day without a cloud in sight, and the trend continued that night as they all convened in that shack once more for some studying while everyone else had been kicked out of the library. Better than the common room or their own dorms where distractions were more likely to happen, here it felt like they had a real purposeful focus in the paint stripped walls.

The four of them had a system going, two of them were allowed to do whatever they wanted to goof off while the other two shot questions, the first who didn't answer correctly had to switch off and sit on the bed to read and shoot their own question.

Remus and Peter had been on the bed for an hour, the two hadn't missed a single Transfiguration question, and were still chasing that Snitch about in the meantime.

"Strigiforma," Sirius huffed as the tiny ball slipped from his fingers. "Come on Pete, give me a hard one already."

"Did I miss when you three started getting good at this, or are you feeding them the answers somehow," Remus demanded, leaning over to check the book. As it was only two days until the full moon, he was in a rather grouchy mood again.

"Hurtful," James pouted, he made an expert lunge and caught the ball with grace, the nearly full moonlight flooding in right onto his beaming smile as he stood by the window.

"Spell to turn a cauldron into a cat?" Peter grinned without looking up.

"Felifors," James stated, "come on, we just did that one in class last week! Remus' still had a tail!"

"I hate you all," he huffed as he flopped against the bed. "Let's switch to Herbology, I know Sirius still needs to catch up on that after those puffapods sprouted from his shoes."

James rolled his eyes but agreed, finally letting go of the Snitch to go fetch the right book from his bag.

"Oh no, wait," he turned back around, but even his reflexes weren't enough to catch his mistake in time, the Snitch went right out of a crack in the window. He pouted as he shoved his face against the hole once more, even knowing it was long gone, but then he stayed there and kept gazing out, he swore those buildings looked familiar.

"Oh come on James, if I have to pay attention so do you," Sirius groused, going over to shove him aside.

James let him, but only so he could grab Sirius and force his face against the tiny spot.

"Ow, what are you-" he tried pulling away in protest, before he too saw it. "Merlin's socks, are we in Hogsmeade!" He burst loud enough the villagers probably heard.

"Wait what?"

"Huh?"

There was a shoving match as all four of them now tried to see the same, but they'd spent so long now eyeing the village from the mountains in the distance there was just no mistaking it, especially the angle they were seeing it from.

"Are we, in the Shrieking Shack?" Remus whispered, turning on the spot in delight for the first time in here.

Sirius suddenly burst out laughing, he felt like slapping himself. "Remus, you're the haunted creature in this place! Oh that's fantastic!"

"Wait wait, back up," Peter was still at the hole, looking from there back in here, and then down below in confusion. "So, both of those secret tunnels we found lead out here?"

"We know why this one was built," James agreed, "but there's no way that one behind the mirror is also something Dumbledore put up."

"I've been looking for ages and haven't been able to find any documentation in the library about it," Peter nodded to himself. "So, that might mean, are there even more tunnels leading out of the school?"

The four froze, excitement coursing through them once more. Remus and Peter had half a mind to go back to that castle right now and figure out where anymore could be, while James and Sirius wanted to go inspect every stone in Hogsmeade a dozen more times for the same.

By morning though when they met back up in their common room, and remembered their exams next week, they knew they wouldn't have a choice if they wanted to attend school next year, this project would have to wait.

3

James was still slamming the book repeatedly into his forehead as if that would press the knowledge in any better. "I hate this, I hate this, I hate this! Why did I take this stupid class!"

Evans looked up from her own chart across the common room with an aggrieved look as she shouted, "well keep it to yourself Potter, some of us are actually studying!"

James brightened at the attention and dropped Numerology and Gramatica back on the table, opening it to a random page and quickly reciting whatever was there while side eying her.

"He's doomed," Peter informed Remus.

"I'm aware," Remus grumbled, scratching out his fifth wrong equation as his scowl depend.

The exam that afternoon was somehow even worse than they'd imagined, and Sirius' smug face as he met them at the doors with a peace offering of pumpkin pasties was only mildly tolerable. Peter was the only one who hadn't fought off the urge to rip the thing to shreds by the end, and he still wasn't convinced he'd actually passed.

He went off with Atria to Study of Ancient Runes the next morning with only slightly better spirits, it helped he took the exam right next to her and they kept shooting grins every time they cracked a new translation, turning them in at exactly the same time and leaving while holding hands again.

James' Muggle Studies exam didn't go much better, he only recognized three out of the five common house-hold items and couldn't even remember how to turn those on, his Hufflepuff friends had been more a distraction than he'd thought, while Sirius went through his with such casual ease he wanted to take that odd disk thing that wasn't even floppy and shove it up his nose! The worst of it all was Evans didn't seem to give a single care as he tried to talk to her about electricity that evening and just walked off once more.

None of them could still say with any level of confidence what the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards or the International Warlock Convention of 1289 was even about, but at least James made them laugh as he pointed out he could always make an animal sacrifice to pass.

"Honestly, I'll pay for the next DADA teacher to be any kind of good next year," Remus groaned as they stumbled out of their exam, even his head was pounding for the hastily put together thing. Considering all of the teachers had their own to focus on, it was a wonder it had even been the right subject, and privately still grateful the chapter over werewolves had somehow still been glossed over.

"At least it was our last one, we are free until next year!" Sirius threw his hands in the air more in retaliation than excitement for finally getting to shout after their long week.

In no time at all their bags were packed and they were all flocking to the train, some with more enthusiasm than others.

Much like his arrival, Sirius lagged behind miserably, but at least this time they knew it was to avoid that oh so mysterious brother of his as they caught sight of him with his lot getting into the carriages. They waited patiently to grab the very last one to put as much distance between as they could, doing the same silent deal with going to the far lengths of the train and frightening a group of first years out of their compartment by threatening to dump frog spawn on them if they didn't leave.

"Maybe your parents will be a bit more lax with you this summer, now that they can fawn over their Slytherin kid," James offered.

"Yeah, I hope so," he grumbled, flicking the lighter from his Muggle Studies exam he'd filched on and off. His look of fascination hadn't dimmed one bit, but there was something disturbing about it none the less as he still watched the flames come and go at his leisure.

"How about a game of chess, put your brain to use for once," Remus offered, he certainly was distracted from everything, even the game itself when he tried.

"Are you serious Remus?" Peter asked with a straight face, and all of them felt a shot of terror for the summer to come when Sirius didn't even look up at him.

The echo of the dragons roar was already howling in his head again back on this train he'd successfully blocked out all year, it was sure to be a million times worse back in his creaky old house again...

"Look," James said a little desperately as he threw his arm around him, "maybe I'll, get my parents to throw some big fancy ball, your parents will be morally obligated to go to it or something. I'll, hell, I'll floo to your house and kidnap you if I have to, but you are coming round to my place this summer."

Sirius looked up then, really looked at James again, and he smiled.

HPHPHPHP

I only feel a little bad for the lack of Lily and Snape this chapter, but this was a big year for the Marauders, I get to call them that now!, and a lot of things to cover. I'm sure you're all so disappointed. I'll make sure to squeeze in a few non-holiday related things for the two of them during next year to make up for it.

*I try to keep things as canon compliant as possible, but I'll also be adding in little details like this as I'm sure you've noticed. It's at least a good excuse as to why students almost always know house and year for everybody else.

Marlene McKinnon Slytherin **Because not every stinking Order member needs to be Gryffindor

Gary Oldman** because in a nice perfect world Sirius, James, and Remus would have been left out of all the drama altogether and wound up in Hufflepuff. Or I just like name dropping non-book related HP things and then popped him in my favorite house. Take your pick.

*** I have no idea why the films referred to it as the Black Lake, but I absolutely could not pass up the opportunity.