He loved them.
He reckoned everyone did. It was impossible notto love James Potter and Sirius Black. They were charming and charismatic, effortlessly picking up girls wherever they went. They had the habit of making you forget what you were doing and drop everything to join them – how often they had made him abandon his homework to prowl the corridors at night, the Marauders' Map under their noses! They were gazed upon in awe as they passed along the corridors of Hogwarts, first years and seventh years alike stepping out of their way, aware of their reputation.
That aura of excitement,of danger,of fun which surrounded them as they strutted around. Everyone knew of James and Sirius, the most unlikely pair to ever become friends – Sirius from the 'most noble and ancient House of Black'and James, a pure blood yes, but not someone you'd expect a Slytherin to associate with. Everyone had heard about at least one of their infamous exploits. The two embodiments of Gryffindor, despite the fact that everyone had expected Sirius (given his heritage) to go to Slytherin.
Yes, he mused, everyone was so enamoured by them, as they walked down the corridors, the two most handsome boys at Hogwarts. No one ever saw the small, rodent-like boy scurrying along behind them, or the skinny, tired and ill-looking one trailing along too.
No one ever noticed Remus Lupin, except maybe to note how pale he looked, and wasn't it a shame how he always tagged along behind?
He hated them too. He reckoned everyone did at least a little.
Their arrogance! They didn't want to know, not if it was boringand involved work. Lily always saw it, right from the beginning. But she changed James, made him more humble. Sirius, always a lone wolf, never found his Evans to 'fix' him, he remained the same. He supposed he might even go as far as to say it became insolence. They were just... insufferablesometimes.
Their recklessness and impulsiveness was a pain too. Sure, it was fun but at the end of the day, Remus was left to tidy up the mess created. Like that prank with Severus. Who ended up bearing the brunt of his hatred? Lupin of course, because he was the werewolfat the corridors' end. Sirius, to be fair, also received his hate, but at least he didn't care. Lupin grew out of the childish hatred of Severus – Sirius and James never did, Sirius especially.
That was another point. They were so damn childish all the time. The refusal to accept anything or anyone different, who didn't agree with them, their response to which always ridicule and taunting. The irony of this behaviour, when their friend turned into a wolf each month!
Even Peter grew to hate them, his hero-worship twisted by envy and sadness into a burning hatred, his weakness exploited to ultimately lead to their deaths.
Lupin supposed that was what friendship was though. A mixture of hatred and love – sure there were things he detested in Padfoot and Prongs, but was it also not true that he adored them too? That the feelings he had, looking back at them could only be described as unconditional love for the two swaggering boys?
After all, they were the two best friends he had ever had. They'd accepted him when no one else would, and gone through the gruelling task of becoming Animagi for him just so he wouldn't be alone each month.
And now, after Moony's last battle, the one where he fought his final fight, he saw them waiting for him and relived that moment when it had become apparent they were truly friends.
"You would do that for me? Change yourself forever?"
"Of course Moony."
"Always Moony."
And then they had said it together, as he looked at them with tears springing to his eyes;
"Always."
