A/N. Just a short fic. I, of course, own nothing. Reviews are greatly appreciated, and enjoy!
They used to click. Four minds working in perfect harmony, four quarters of a whole. Now they drift.
James drifts, unable to meet Remus's eyes, burdened by the heavy guilt of what he did. He spends hours in the library and does his homework the day it's set, desperate for some kind of distraction. Every day seems longer than the last. He barely talks. He hasn't asked Lily out for a month. He can't believe he was so stupid. So so stupid.
Sirius drifts, the group rejecting him. He fiercely defends what he did, but inside he's not so sure. Remus thinks he's evil. Peter is scared of him. But worst of all is James. He is just disappointed. "Maybe we shouldn't hang around as much, for a while." He said, looking at his hands. "We don't want anything like this to happen again." James says the fault lies with all three of them, but Sirius knows it's him they blame.
Peter drifts, crying every night before he sinks into uneasy slumber, filled with gloomy dreams. He just wants things to go back to how they were. He was never happier than he was in those golden years filled with sunshine and laughter. It's all falling apart now, and everyone is too wrapped up in their problems to care.
Remus drifts most of all. There's a new scar on his leg and another across his jaw. They will never go away. They'll never let him forget. He pulls the curtains around his bed shut when anyone enters the room. "I don't want to hear it, Black." "I know you're sorry". He's still reeling from the shock. He finds comfort only in chocolate and sleep and hands in his homework a week late with an apologetic murmur. McGonagall doesn't have the heart to punish him. "On time next week, please, Lupin." She says curtly, prompting an exclamation of outrage from Snape. He walks around with his head bent, feeling like the world rests on his shoulders.
People whisper. What went wrong? What happened to split up four inseparable friends? Rumours are rife, but nobody's near the truth. Lily, once so annoyed by the boys' antics, just wants them back. Lessons aren't the same without the marauders sitting around a desk, enchanting paper aeroplanes to circle the ceiling, and setting off fireworks whilst a teacher tries to talk. James isn't a boy anymore, just a shell. She didn't think she'd mind. She does. They all do.