Author's Note: This is a oneshot based off my Woods Series on one of the Wood triplets - Remus. So if you haven't read any of those - specifically Through the Veil of Secrets - you're going to be completely lost. But I encourage you to check it out! Just go to my profile and I have all of them written out in chronological order (because the oneshots and such weren't written in that order initially).

To those who have read the series - I hope this answers some questions about why Remus was being such a butthead.

Alan slammed the balcony door behind him and quickly threw up a few charms to keep the argument he was about to have with his brother amongst the two of them. He then turned and glared at the still fuming Remus, who was glaring through the windows at their younger sister Daisy.

"What was that about?" Alan shouted. Remus looked at him.

"What do you think?" Remus spat back.

"I'm starting to get really tired of your hissy fits regarding Pix. Get over yourself, Remus," Alan shouted at him.

"You've got a lot of nerve-" Remus started.

"Shut it, Remus!" Alan shouted waving his wand. Remus started to say something, but stopped and looked confused as he reached for his neck, finding his voice gone. He glared at Alan and started to raise his wand when it flew out of his hand and into Alan's. "No. You are going to shut up and listen to me for once."

Remus continued to glare at him, but at least stopped advancing forward, choosing instead to cross his arms in front of him.

"I get it. Daisy and Jamie have even more gifts that get even more attention from everyone. And once again, you and I are overlooked. It sucks, but it's stupid to get upset over it," Alan said. Remus rolled his eyes. "Get off your ego, Remus. You know just as well as I that even though they've got new stuff, it doesn't make life easier for either of them. Christ, Pix can't go a day without causing something to explode. And a lot of that is because of your piss-poor attitude."

Remus motioned inside - towards Daisy - and then began pantomiming that she was some poor damsel in distress, batting his eyelashes furiously.

"You're an idiot. You know that she doesn't do it for attention," Alan said. Remus put his arms out, as if to say "Are you sure?"

"Christ, you're impossible. And what was with that mudblood business? We're fucking part muggle too!" Alan shouted. Remus at least had the wherewithal to appear remorseful about that as he glanced back inside just in time to see John leave. Alan followed his gaze, watching Daisy run after him. "He's probably pissed at you for that."

Remus looked over at Alan, seeming calmer. Alan undid the charm, allowing him to speak again.

"I didn't mean it," Remus said. "I was just so angry and it was the first thing that popped into my head."

"Well now you'll have to go apologize to him as well as Pix," Alan retorted. Remus scowled at him.

"I don't understand why I need to apologize to her. She started it," Remus spat.

"She did not and you know it," Alan said, starting to raise his voice. "What is going on inside that thick head of yours?"

"Look, you said it yourself, once again Pix and Jamie are the center of attention. And we're left to the sidelines where everyone expects us to just cheer them on. I was also in the running for Rookie of the Year when we started on the Wanderers. But did I get any congratulations?" he shouted.

"We were both in the running," Alan muttered.

"Right, and you know what, they probably would have split it between the two of us just because they forget which bloody one is which!" Remus shouted.

"Oh, so you're tired of being identical, is it? Fine, I can change my hair. Will that make it all better?" Alan said sarcastically.

"Shut it, Alan," Remus said. Alan sighed and shook his head.

"Mum made us a big dinner after the ball when we didn't win that year," he said softly, staring at Remus. His brother shifted on his feet.

"So?"

"So, you know she cares about us just as much as Jamie and Daisy," Alan said. "Always has."

"Got a funny way of showing it," Remus said, though it was apparent that even he knew he was losing the argument.

"How Laura stands you like this, I'll never know," Alan said, shaking his head. Remus glared at him.

"I've had enough of this," he muttered as he turned and opened the door. He skulked through the party and straight for the stairs up to his room, not stopping until he was inside, slamming the door behind him.

"Take it the chat didn't go over so well," Jamie said to Alan as he walked up.

"Not really," Alan said. Wills looked at the two brothers.

"Is this really all about jealousy? I mean, you seem fine with everything," he said. Alan shrugged.

"I mean, it's been something he's dealt with off and on a bit growing up. But never really this bad. Usually he would just laugh it off later," Alan said. Jamie looked over at his brother.

"I didn't know that. Why would he have been jealous?" he asked. Alan sighed.

"Mum was always spending extra time with you and Pix helping you with all your stuff. He felt a bit overlooked. I did too at times," he replied. "I just realized that it wasn't something she did on purpose - just you guys needed the extra help." Jamie blinked and looked back towards the stairs.

"Never noticed…"

Remus sighed as he lay on his bed, tossing a toy bludger up and catching it over and over again. He was still angry hours later. Part of him knew he was being ridiculous. It was obvious that Daisy was struggling and he wasn't helping. But his petty side seemed to win out more often than not lately.

All his life, it was always Daisy and Jamie. His mother spending time alone with one or the other, helping teach them to understand their gifts. Even Teddy would spend time with Daisy when he was supposed to be over playing with the triplets.

"We have to teach them how to use their gifts," Iris had said to a crying Remus once when he, Jamie and Alan were only about five years old. "It's not because we love them more or we love you less… Just… they need more help. You and Alan, you're both so strong that you don't need us as much."

"But I do need you, Mummy!" he had wailed. "I wanted to show you my new trick! But you were too busy with Daisy!"

"How about you show me now?" Iris had asked, smiling. Though even as a small child he could see that she was only trying to make up for the fact she had looked away just as he was attempting it on his small broomstick to help a three-year-old Daisy who had begun wailing because she couldn't transform out of the duck face she created to entertain Alan.

Then in school, Jamie was the star quidditch captain following in their father's steps with his strong skills as a keeper - the next Oliver Wood, they called him. And Pixie as the lone seeker in the family always pulling stunts and being dubbed the next Viktor Krum. Hardly ever did anyone call him or Alan the next anything.

Hadn't he and Alan also been in the top five for Rookie of the Year when they started first string on the Wanderers? Hadn't they also been up for Beater of the Year every season since they started? No one seemed to notice them - hardly bothering to distinguish between the two half the time. It was as if everyone seemed for forget there were four Wood children in the League with Jamie and Daisy getting all the glory. Didn't matter that he was just as good as them on the pitch. Yes, he and Alan were never ranked far behind them in all the popularity polls, but Jamie and Daisy were always at the top.

And now, as if they weren't already "so special," they had gotten more of these so-called gifts, popping in and out and wherever they liked. Never having to use wands or spells anymore. They were even more deeply connected to their mother. When she wasn't training them, she was talking about training them. Or worrying about them.

Would she ever stop to worry about him and Alan?

Remus tossed the ball harder than he intended and it made a dent in the ceiling, bits of it falling down on his bed. He growled in frustration and shot up, deciding firewhisky might help his foul mood. Or at least he could drown his sorrows and pass out.

The party was long over when he went downstairs, though he should have been expecting his two brothers seated at the bar, almost as if they were waiting on him.

"What do you wankers want?" he asked gruffly as they stared at him. He walked passed them and over to the liquor cabinet where he grabbed the bottle of the good stuff that their grandfather always gave them for Christmas from a hidden panel.

"Nothing. We were just sitting here, enjoying a drink," Alan said lightly. "Didn't expect you to come back down."

"Well then, have a good night," Remus said, walking back towards the stairs.

"Can we please talk?" Jamie called out. Remus stopped and spun around. Alan was staring at the glass in front of him, while Jamie looked concerned. Even though he was the oldest by only a few seconds or minutes, he took his role as peacemaker a bit too seriously.

"Nothing to talk about," Remus said, before turning around.

"That's a load of shite," Jamie said, sounding angry.

"Look, if you want to sit around and talk about your feelings, go find Pixie. I'm done talking to you lot for the night," Remus said, not bothering to stop.

"Told you it wouldn't work," he heard Alan say.

"He's got to talk about it at some point," Jamie replied. Alan chuckled.

"Good luck with that."

Once again, Remus was pacing around his room, angry with his family.

"Maybe it is you."

That one short sentence was enough to get his blood boiling. It was bad enough with everything else going on, now Jamie was going to blame him for Pixie's trouble. Might as well. One more thing he could add to the list.

There was a knock at the door. Remus looked over and prayed to Merlin it wasn't Jamie. Or Daisy.

"What is it?" he shouted. Alan cautiously opened the door and popped his head in. "Ah, here to talk more about feelings? Think you're starting to become Jamie."

Alan rolled his eyes and stepped into the room, leaving the door open. Remus could hear Daisy laughing downstairs at something Wills said. Why those two weren't together, Remus couldn't understand. He liked John - but Daisy and Wills just always made sense.

"Not here to talk, just… come back downstairs. Before that whole mess we were actually having a good time. The first good time in awhile," he said, smiling slightly.

"You can't expect me to go downstairs and pretend to be having fun when Jamie's blaming me for everything," Remus retorted. Alan sighed.

"Poor choice of words, but he's got a point," he said. Remus glared at him.

"Oh, so now you're on their side," he said.

"Remus, we're not on sides here. We're the same bloody family," Alan said.

"That so? Because lately I'm thinking it's me against everyone else," he replied. Alan just stared at him.

"You're obviously not in a good mood at the moment, so do me a favor. When you decide to put your big boy pants on, come back down and enjoy a few beers with us. Because for all we know, this could be the last chance any of us get to enjoy just being together and not worrying about the future of the world," he said before walking out. Remus stared at his retreating back, wanting to make a crack about Alan being overdramatic.

But he couldn't.

Because he realized that Alan was right.

So instead, Remus walked over to his bed and sat down, staring at the floor.

"Mum is going to kill us," Jamie said, looking around as though she would pop up any second, sensing the very stupid thing they were about to do.

"She'll never know as long as you stay on your broom," Alan replied lazily.

"But we're not supposed to fly without her or dad watching," Jamie shot back, sounding much to serious for his seven years.

"Do you not want to be the best ones on the team?" Remus countered. The three had just started Little League, but from the way they acted one would have thought they were trying out for the World Cup team. He looked back at his brother, who seemed to be waging an internal battle. Of course he wanted to be the best - they were the sons of Oliver Wood after all. But he also didn't want to get reamed out and grounded by their mother.

"Well, okay fine. But only for about 30 minutes. If she catches us out here, we won't be playing Little League for long," he said. Remus grinned and high-fived Alan as they hoisted their brooms higher on their shoulders. They then made a run for the giant pitch at the back of the house, laughing at their genius in sneaking out of the house.

Once they reached the pitch, a high-pitched voice sounded behind them.

"What are you doing?" Daisy asked sweetly. The three stopped at the edge of the pitch, looking back at the five-year-old, her hair pulled into a high ponytail.

"Nothing! Go back to the house, Pixie!" Alan shouted. Immediately, her cherubic face turned stormy as her eyes flashed red.

"You're flying," she stated.

"You can't be here," Jamie said more reasonably.

"I'm not going back to the house," Daisy replied, stomping her small foot.

"Okay, you can watch," Remus said. Daisy narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, I want to fly too," she said. All three boys rolled their eyes and groaned.

"It's too dangerous," Alan said.

"If you lot can fly, so can I!" Daisy shot back.

"We're bigger than you. You can barely fly!" Remus shouted.

"I can so fly!" Daisy retorted. She stomped over to a broomshed near the pitch and disappeared inside. She then returned, dragging her father's old broom.

"Pixie, that one's too big for you," Jamie said.

"You'll let me play with you, Jamie, Alan and Remus, or I'll tell Mum on you," she shouted. The boys looked at each other, silently conferring as to if they should let her. "Not fair! I can't hear you!" Alan rolled his eyes and nodded. Remus looked at the tiny girl

"Fine. You can play too. Just… don't fly too high," Remus said. Daisy immediately broke out in a grin and ran towards them, still dragging the broom.

"Pixie, you can't drag it. You'll break it!" Alan shouted. Daisy stopped and looked down at the broom then managed to hoist it on her shoulder, walking towards them, albeit a bit awkwardly as she tried to keep in in place.

She stepped next to them, looking up at Remus.

"You remember how to get on?" he asked. She nodded as she swung one leg over it and then beamed up at him. "Alright, now give a bit of a push."

Daisy pushed off and was immediately in the air, squealing in delight.

"Not so loud, Pixie! Mum will hear you!" Alan shouted. Daisy looked down at them and grinned.

"You lot coming or not?" she asked. The boys hopped on their brooms and joined her up in the air. Remus pulled up next to Daisy.

"Now go slowly and be careful. It's a big broom for you," he said. Daisy grinned at him and leaned forward, shooting down the field at breakneck pace.

"Now we've done it," Jamie muttered. Remus laughed and looked at his brother.

"Stop being so serious, Jamie!" he shouted as he took off after Daisy. "Slow down a bit, Pix!"

Daisy looked back at him and grinned, then turned forward and sped up. Remus sighed and sped up as well, trying to catch up to her and slow her down.

"If you break your neck, I'm not taking the blame!" he shouted. Daisy giggled as she was nearing the hoops. Remus' eyes went wide as he noticed she was having trouble turning. Merlin, their mum would kill them all if Daisy got hurt.

"Daisy! Pull up!" he shouted. The giggles were gone as Daisy tried to turn, leaning towards her right. Instead, she flipped upside down.

"REMUS!" she shouted as she lost her grip and tumbled to the ground. Remus flew towards her, not surprised when their mother appeared next to a crying Daisy. He hopped off his broom and ran the rest of the way.

"Daisy!" he shouted. Iris was already on her knees, looking over the tiny girl.

"Hush now, darling. Let Mummy see how badly you're hurt," she said softly. She then looked up at the three boys who now stood watching, glaring at them.

"Who's idea was this?" she asked sternly.

"Well… Remus and Alan wanted to fly," Jamie said. Both of them shot him dirty looks.

"And who let your sister fly on a broom that's much too big for her?" Iris asked. They all looked down at their feet. Iris huffed and returned to Daisy, who had large tears pouring down her cheeks as she sat on the field, holding her left arm to her. Iris softly took the arm and started feeling around. Daisy let out a shriek but then immediately quieted, not wanting to cry loudly in front of her brothers.

"It's broken. But it's okay. We can patch that up quickly," Iris said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"I wanted to fly, Mummy. I made them let me," Daisy said. "It's not their fault."

"Hush, dear. Let's get you back to the house. Your father will deal with your brothers when he gets home," Iris said.

"It's my fault," Remus said suddenly. "I said she could fly with us." Alan and Jamie stared at him, wide-eyed. Iris studied him a moment before speaking.

"Very well. Thank you for being honest, Remus. We'll take that into consideration when deciding your punishment," she said. Her steely glare moved around the three boys. "To the house. Now." The boys nodded and turned, starting to trudge back home. Iris picked up Daisy and followed.

"Don't punish them too much, Mummy," he heard Daisy whimper. "I wanted to fly. I made them let me."

Remus looked back at the two. Daisy was stoically looking up at their mother.

"Especially Remus. He was trying to save me," she added.

"Hush now, Daisy. We'll discuss this later."

The sound of the door shutting followed by silence in the flat some time later brought Remus out of his reverie. He stood and made his way downstairs, finding Alan and Jamie cleaning up.

"Pix still here?" he asked.

"Nah, she went home. And when she left, Wills suddenly found it boring and left as well," Alan said. Remus sighed and nodded. He then walked over and sat in the arm chair.

"I've been an arsehole," he said.

"Took you long enough," Alan muttered under his breath. Jamie shot him a look and then moved to the sofa, sitting near Remus.

"You're right. It is my fault," Remus said, looking at Jamie. "I'm always the one getting Pixie hurt and such." Jamie frowned.

"That's not what I meant. When have you gotten her hurt?" he said, confused.

"Remember when she broke her arm on the pitch and begged Mum not to punish us too hard," Remus said.

"That wasn't your fault," Jamie replied. "That was Pix being stubborn."

"But I was the one that told her she could fly. And I was the one who couldn't catch up to her when she started flailing," Remus said.

"Christ, Remus. That was over 10 years ago," Jamie said. "You've always looked out for her."

"Yea, but… I've been a git lately," Remus admitted. "She needs me - all of us - and I'm over here being a baby and screwing things up."

"No, you're not. Not completely anyway," Alan replied. Both Jamie and Remus looked up at him. "I mean, is it making it harder on Pix that you're being a git - yes. But you're not the reason she's struggling with this."

"He's right. Pix was always harder on herself than any of us or Dad could ever be," Jamie said. Remus nodded.

"But… I've let my ego get in the way. I should be helping her. Protecting her. Not yelling at her," Remus said. Alan looked at how miserable his brother was and sighed.

"If it makes you feel better, I've been jealous too," he said. Remus looked up at him.

"Really now?" he asked.

"Of course. With Jamie getting first string right out of school. And then the ever amazing Pixie comes along two years later. Yea, I'm right proud of you two, but it's never been easy all the time. And now you two can do even more things that we can't," he admitted.

"How come you two never said any of this before?" Jamie asked, looking back and forth between his brothers. "There's no reason to be jealous. You two are some of the best beaters in the League."

"We weren't about to say we were jealous of you or Pixie," Remus said. "Especially Pixie. She's our little sister after all." Jamie nodded slowly.

"Truth be told, I've always been a bit jealous of you two," he confessed. Remus and Alan looked at each other, confused.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"You're both so confident. And… you two were always closer. To each other and to Pix," he said.

"That's because we learned very quickly not to meddle in her love life," Alan said, rolling his eyes. "Less reason for her to be mad at us."

"And we're identical triplets, Jamie. Like it or not, we're all connected," Remus added. "Though, I guess I can see your point. Alan and I are together in our mediocrity."

"Speak for yourself. I'm not mediocre," Alan shot back with a grin.

"And neither are you," Jamie said, looking at Remus.

"I guess, well, you and Pix having your gifts and all. Seemed like you got all the attention," Remus said. "But… I know it wasn't easy for you."

"Still not," Jamie said. "Pix likes to think it comes easy for me, but it doesn't. I've been staying up late most nights practicing in my room. And as for quidditch, I was never as smart as you lot, so it was the only thing I had." Remus stared at his brother for a bit thinking it over. He had never really thought of that. He and Alan did always make better scores - Daisy too - but he chalked it up to Jamie being so obsessed with quidditch in school.

"It wasn't just jealousy," he found himself saying. Jamie and Alan stared at him. "I'm… well, to be honest I'm a bit afraid. Not just whatever upcoming evil there may be, but… well… I've spent most my life looking out for Pix. And now… I feel like she doesn't need me anymore. Not with all these new tricks."

"Of course she needs you," Jamie scoffed.

"I know, I know. She's struggling with it. But someday, she's going to get it down. And we all know that'll make her the most powerful person in the world. Or something close to that. And she's not going to need us looking out for her. I won't be able to do a damn thing to protect or help her."

The three brothers were silent, letting that sink in.

"She's always going to need us," Jamie finally said. He looked at Remus and Alan. "I've no doubt about that. She's gonna need us. She may not need us to beat up blokes for her or anything. And I think we've all known that for awhile - especially after her first season. But she will need us."

Remus nodded slowly.

"Suppose I owe her an apology," he said. "And you lot. Sorry I've been a prat." Alan and Jamie laughed. "What? I'm being serious here!"

"I know… just good to hear it, is all," Alan said.

"Welcome back, Remus," Jamie added. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Probably should apologize to Laura while you're at it," Alan said. "She's been getting a lot of this too." Remus sighed and nodded.

"I'll add that one to the list," he said.

"How's that going, by the way?" Jamie asked. "Outside the latest pratness."

"Honestly, most days I can't believe she's still with me," Remus said. Alan walked over and poured the three drinks and then walked back, handing them around before falling on the sofa next to Jamie.

"Me neither. I'm obviously the best looking out of the three of us," he said with a grin.

"And how's your latest conquest? Still trying to out-date Wills?" Remus shot back. Alan shrugged.

"Went on a date this week, but probably not going anywhere," he said.

"You're gonna want to settle down someday," Jamie said.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Suppose we'll see. I'm not worried about that," Alan replied.

"Why not?" Remus asked. Alan shrugged again.

"Doesn't seem important at the moment," he said. Remus nodded slowly.

"Think I might tell Laura everything," he said. "Since Lila and Kelly know. Makes sense to let her in on the big secret. Give her the chance to run if she wants to." Alan laughed loudly.

"Highly doubt that Laura will run. She's a Gryffindor like us, after all. She'll stick by your sorry arse and face whatever danger is coming head on," he said.

"She's got the bravery part down," Jamie added. "She's dating you." Remus scowled at his brother.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Have you seen your room lately? I can smell it from downstairs," Jamie said, chuckling. Remus just shook his head.

"Not all of us can be perfectionists like you," he replied. Jamie laughed and looked at his brothers.

"This is good. I like having all of us back on the same side again," he said.

"Jamie, we were never on different sides," Remus said with a smile.

"What's it you're always saying?" Alan asked. He looked at the two of them. "Ah, right… Woods against the world." He lifted his glass up. Jamie and Remus followed.

"Woods against the world."

Been toying around with writing this for a bit - I always felt Remus needed more explaining. And sometimes I forget until after I've posted that the readers can't always see into the characters' heads like I can and it doesn't always come out in the writing. Of course, now this has me wanting to go back and write a short or something from the Wood kids' growing up years. Partly because it would be fun to write about all the pranks and shenanigans the triplets get up to.

And I can't lie, after a few flashbacks now of little Daisy, I really kind of enjoy writing it.

Though at the moment, I think this might come out in more one-shots where I write short short stories about various incidences in their early years. Seems odd to go back and write a whole book or story from back then now...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!