A Difference In Perception

James didn't know how he had never noticed it before. It was like his vision had been all blurry until a certain moment and then suddenly there it was! And all at once his vision was Crystal clear. He watched his two friends again, looking...looking...And there! There it was again! The slight contact of eyes, the way Sirius would grin just a little too broadly and Remus would stare at Sirius just a little too long, like he would catch James doing whenever Lily was in the direct vicinity. James couldn't believe it had taken him this long to see it.

The four Gryffindors, Marauders as they called themselves, were sitting in the grass under a big oak, sprawled about like the teenage boys they were. Remus and Sirius were next to each other by the base of the tree, the darker haired Black practically lying in the Prefect's lap, while James sat facing them and Peter...Well Peter was around somewhere. James never paid too much attention to the fourth member of their group, he just let him tag again, act like he was one of them. It felt good to be idolized.

But back to the two boys under the tree that James now had his eyes on, intent on figuring them out. He had always wondered about his two friends, noticing a few little things about them but never really connecting the dots. Perhaps Sirius's arm would linger a little bit longer on Remus's shoulder than was necessary and maybe the two did seem to disappear quite often together, but that was something James had always attributed to another shenanigan the two where getting into. Their leader just never really paid too much attention to it.

One thing, however, that James couldn't miss was their interaction on the nights of the full moon. James watched as Sirius transformed into his animagus form, the transition fluid and flawless. It was obvious Sirius had been practicing. The big black dog yipped happily, rolling around with Remus in the grass, his tail wagging wildly.

James had asked Sirius why he chose the giant black dog as his form. There was nothing overly ferocious or manly about the dog, not like James's antlers of his stag, nor was there anything mischievous or sneaky about it like Peter's rat form. The dog was just that, a dog. In response Sirius had smirked knowingly and shrugged, saying that the form "gave him a different perception".

It had taken months for James to finally notice what was happening. Months for him to see that on the full moon the werewolf gradually stopped chasing after the stag in favor of rolling around on the dusty floor with the black dog. It was then that James realized that the dog Sirius was was the exact same size as Remus and that his and the werewolf's bodies molded perfectly together.

But even after that discovery James still didn't quite fully understand. His brow furrowed as he watched the pair, human and dog, roll around in the grass, Sirius seemingly intent on licking every inch of Remus's face. Was it just him, or was the dog's tongue precariously close to the other boy's lips? James sighed and rubbed his temples. "What on earth are you two doing?" he asked in exasperation. "It's broad daylight, Sirius, anyone could see you like that."

The black dog growled softly at James but with a nod from Remus he turned back to his human form. "Spoil sport." the shaggy haired young man muttered, throwing James a look. "We were just having a little fun."

James rolled his eyes, flopping onto his back in the grass. "You seemed to be having enough fun already." he replied, looking up at the clear blue sky. Ah, yes…how had he never noticed it before…

There were a few times when Sirius would get back to their dorm room rather late, his hair a mess and his shirt ruffled and in a disarray, but James had never thought too much of it. He would tease the other boy about what girl he was messing around with that night, Sirius would blush and give him the finger, and that would be that. But now that James thought about it… there was never any lipstick on his best friend's lips, or anywhere else. And he guessed he had always noticed that Remus's curtains around his bed were always sealed tightly closed those nights. He'd thought it odd the Prefect had gone to bed at eight, but didn't think it was his place to pry.

Underneath the tree Sirius and Remus exchanged glances. "Think he finally knows?" the darker haired boy asked, playing with the other's fingers.

Remus snorted softly. "If he doesn't think something's up then I'll be quite worried for his brain. It's not as though we're being particularly discrete." he muttered, brushing the hair away from Sirius's forehead gently.

"Mmm, yes, but I'd prefer if we didn't have to be one bit discrete." Sirius purred, rolling over so he was on top of the werewolf, making Remus roll his eyes. "I would absolutely love to be able to make passionate love on your bed."

With an irritated huff Remus pushed Sirius off, though he kissed his cheek quickly. "Once he figures it out we will, okay? But I'm not telling him."

"I know, I know." Sirius sighed, glancing over at where James was lying with his eyes closed. "Do you really think he'll throw a fit? I mean…it's not like this is unusual, right? We won't disturb him or anything…"

Remus sighed, cuddling Sirius close since James wasn't watching. "Well…I think it will all depend on if he has the same perception as most pureblood wizards. But maybe, well maybe we can change his perception."

Sirius nodded, pressing small kisses to Remus's lips. "I hope we can." he said softly, looking across the grass at their best friend. "He's a great friend…but I love you." he whispered, making Remus turn pink and duck his face in embarassement.

"I love you too, Sirius." the werewolf whispered, jumping as a voice spoke up.

"Just because my eyes are closed doesn't mean I can't hear a word you say." James spoke up, sitting up to give both of his friends looks. Sirius and Remus immediately sprang apart, looking guilty, until they saw that James wasn't actually glaring daggers at them yet. "How long has this been going on?" he asked calmly.

Remus bit his lip before answering. "Um…four months?" he ventured. "Ever since that accident…in the shack." he mumbled.

James nodded, he remembered the accident…and what had happened after. Again he wondered how he had missed it, the blind horror and terror the werewolf had shown when he hurt Sirius that night. How he had stayed at the other boy's bedside the entire time, not even letting James near the pale boy. Even in his werewolf state Remus had cared for Sirius, enough so that he had stopped after the first bite. For the first time James wondered just what had transpired in that hospital bed after he had lost the hospital wing, what words and other…things had been exchanged.

"I thought so." James finally said and stood up, stretching his arms over his head with a groan. "Took me a while, but I figured it out."

The two boys blinked at him in surprise, looking rather confused. "You knew?!" Sirius exclaimed, looking like he had been smacked over the head with a bowling ball. "We've been sneaking around all this time and you knew?!" he seemed rather outraged to James.

The boy shrugged, running a hand through his already messed up hair. "Maybe. Not for certain until this afternoon, but I think I had a general idea." he said, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"How?" Sirius asked, brow furrowed as James grinned and started to walk away.

"Oh, you know…" James smirked over his shoulder, winking at his best friends. "I just got a difference in perception."