"Where's Snivelly?"

Remus bristled internally at the name but gave no outward sign of his irritation.

"What?" Not very eloquent but it was all that he could think to say under the circumstances.

"Saw you with him yesterday, thought you might be bringing him home to meet the family." Sirius snarled from where he slouched in a burgundy red armchair. His feet were carelessly thrust into the roaring flames of the Gryffindor fire, kept at bay with an 'impervious' charm.

James stood behind another chair; it looked like he'd been pacing "So what's the deal Moony?"

Remus relaxed when he realised that they had no proof, and that their accusations where born out of paranoia, correct as they may be. "I don't know what you guys are talking about". He moved further into the room, coming out of the shadows he'd been cloaked in. He was wearing his school robes, striking a sharp contrast with James and Sirius who were both in pyjamas and dressing gowns.

James stepped around the chair to confront him.

"Why were you out so late?"

Meeting a boy you'd disapprove of. "I was on my rounds"

"So they've got you out at midnight now have they?"

Most times."Sometimes"

"Why is that?"

Various reasons none that I wouldn't care to relate to you "A prefect's duties know no bounds"

"What exactly do these duties entail?"

Making out a bit, making sure one particular student is out of bed "Walking about a bit, making sure students aren't out of bed."

"And that takes till midnight?"

You have no idea "Yes it does, not that you would know anything about the noble art of prefecting"

Remus put on a pompous voice hoping to break the tension. It worked, on James at least, he broke out in a smile and fell into a chair. Sirius still looked suspicious "Why were you with Snivelly yesterday then?".

Remus panicked, he'd hoped they'd neglect to mention that again. The truth was that he'd been with Severus quite a few times yesterday and he didn't have a clue which one Sirius was talking about. "Oh, um, I can't quite…uh, remind me..hmm"

James and Sirius looked quizzically at each other, clearly confused by this hesitation.

Remus could see he had to answer quickly, they were already too suspicious of his actions. "He'd dropped his quill and I was returning it" Remus blurted out hoping that whichever time they had seen him with Severus it had looked a bit like he was giving back a quill.

"Really?" James and Sirius asked simultaneously, James taken aback and Sirius, looking faintly amused?

"Yeah, why?" Remus sat on the edge of an armchair and folded his arms over his chest tightly, his heart ready to leap out of his chest.

"Well" began James with a look at Sirius who was beginning to look more than a little amused now "Because it looked quite a lot like you were making out, in an empty classroom, on the seventh floor, with the door locked." Remus gasped and fell into the chair looking stunned as Sirius and James burst out in hysterical laughter.

"How did you?..I mean…what…no…you've…I-" Remus half-heartedly attempted to explain away these accusations. James had got his laughter more or less under control until he looked at Sirius and they went off again. Sirius' laughter distracted him from his 'impervious' charm and his pyjama leg caught on fire. James was still so wracked with laughter that his 'augmenti' went so awry that he ended up drenching all three in water and putting out the Gryffindor fire.

For a second they were thrust into darkness until Remus lit up his with a ball of flames. That trick was envied amongst his friends, none of whom could manage to do it. James, sobered by the water, lit up his wand and Sirius followed suit until they were sitting in a small ball of light.

Remus looked at the two boys opposite him, he was thrown out of his depth and could not figure out what was happening. Sirius was doing nothing to help, he had sat himself down and was staring at Remus with a frown. James attempted to do the same but broke and took pity on him.

"Moony, we're sorry, we couldn't resist, you have to admit it was too good an opportunity to pass up."

"Pricks."

Sirius broke his stern demeanour and smiled widely "Come on Reem, you just walk into these things, how are we expected to restrain ourselves?" He lent back in his chair and flicked his hair out of his face.

Remus was not happy, he'd never wanted to lie to his friends but he hadn't really wanted them to find out either. Especially not like this, he would have told them, eventually. He frowned and sank into his chair, shaking the flames off his hand and plunging himself into darkness. "You can't just…do…that" He said, trying to figure out what he was tyring to say. He was angry and hurt and he could feel tears welling in his eyes. "Okay so you've found out! Well done. And you couldn't just come right out and say it, could you? That'd be too nice, too easy!" Tears were rolling down his face now "Alright well, now you know, yes, I'm gay, I'M GAY! Go on then!"

James looked slightly shell-shocked whereas Sirius looked downright scared, Remus realised he'd never had an outburst like this ever before.

"Dude…we know" James began hesitatingly, trying not to set him off again "We've known for awhile now…years really…we don't…you know". James broke off, seemingly not knowing how to proceed so Sirius took up the thread "Yeah, there was that Ravenclaw in our third year, that Hufflepuff in the fourth year, and last year there was a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor!" Remus was stock-still as his entire dating history was put before him by someone whom he would never have guessed knew it.

He looked at both of them trying to see some joking element of fun behind their eyes but all he saw were earnest looks from his friends. He let himself breathe again and attempted to understand how he was feeling.

"We never…god…we'd never be like this about you being- no, this was about Snivelly" "Yeah, Reem, we don't care about…that, but you and that greasy, hook-nosed slimeball is just, urgh" Sirius offered up a tentative smile at that which did nothing to improve Remus' mood.

"So this is about Severus? It's just about you knowing that I've been with Severus. All this is just you showing off about how you've found out about me going out with someone?"

"Moony we-"

"Reem, we were just having fun. But you 'going out' with Snivelly, how did that happen?"

"You know we hate him, Snivellus has always been horrible"

"James and Snivelly have fought since their first day!"

"And remember those things he said to Lily last year?"

James and Sirius continued to list things they hated about Severus while Remus just sat with his legs crossed and his head bowed. When it seemed like they'd finished he stood up and walked out of the common room, up to the boy's dormitory and drew the curtains around his bed. His jaw ached with held back tears and the pain did not ebb even as he released them. Sheltered by the curtains he curled up fully-clothed under his covers and wept into his pillow. On his pillow however, obstructing his tears, was a hard crinkly substance that grated against his forehead. It turned out to be parchment and as Remus held the flames in his hand he could make out, in cramped, spidery handwriting; 'Tomorrow, after dinner. I miss you'. Remus broke down even further, though the tears now had a much different meaning. He held the paper close, deliberately ignoring the last line which rather ruined the sweetness.

'P.S. If it should be an arrogant prat or a filthy mutt reading this, I'd thank you to turn your wand on yourself, yell crucio, and stop reading other people letters!'