He's just a poor boy from a poor family

-Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen

"Look at that kid."

"Can't he wear some decent rags?"

"God, he's so scruffy."

"How can he stand looking like that?"

The whispers followed Remus around for his first month. He was miserable. Why wasn't anyone helping him? It wasn't as if they whispered it to him privately. They did it all the time. In the hallways, the common room, even in classes, not even try to keep it from Remus. The teachers turned a blind eye to it, so who was to help him? His only hope was for one of the other students who didn't whisper to become friends with him and protect him.

This hope filled Remus for one month. And then the second month came.

"I heard his Mum is fatally ill."

"Maybe that's why he has no good robes; little miss Lupin is too ill to buy any."

"I heard he went insane and had to go to the Hospital Wing."

"Did you know he streaked through the front ground last night and has to stay in McGonagall's office the rest of the night?"

The hope extinguished withing Remus. He couldn't find anybody who wasn't whispering anymore. And he hated it. Just how plain rude they were. And how they joked about his Mum; even if it isn't real, what if it was? Were just that heartless that they would joke about that? In front of him?

Remus had no hope, he would just have to learn to ignore it. But then the third month came and Remus lost it.

"How would his family be able to afford all those books Lupin always has under his nose? They must be thieves."

"His family is so poor, how would they have be able to send him here?"

"I wish he didn't even go here in the first place!"

Remus swung around and lost his head, shouting at them.

"No. No, no, no! Why? What have I done to you? My mum is ill, so what? And my family aren't thieves! I haven't done anything but mind my own business, why shouldn't I go here? So what if my family is poor? Money doesn't matter! What matters is that I'm a decent person, unlike you guys, if you would even care to know! I haven't done anything. So just shut up!"

And then he ran up to his four poster bed and sobbed into a pillow.

James and Sirius were lying in their beds, facing each other. They had to do something about their roommate, Remus Lupin. They could see he was being bullied by everyone, just because his family was probably too poor to get new robes for him. Even though James and Sirius grew up in fairly wealthy families, they still wouldn't make fun of someone for not having enough money. At least out loud.

But kids will be kids, so maybe they wouldn't have to do anything. They would stop after a month, right? So Sirius and James wait until the second month. It would stop, it would totally stop.

Except, it didn't. The two boys were observant ones. They could tell that the whispers this month were hurting Remus; something was different about him. The way he moved, the way he seldom talked. They should step in, they kept on saying. But sometimes these sort of things lasted two months. The third month, they decided. They would wait until the third month. Three is a magic number after all.

So they waited until the third month and the whispers got worse. They were going to step in. And then they were walking in the halls when Remus blew up.

"No. No, no, no! Why?" James and Sirius were in shock. Why didn't Remus don that the first month? "I haven't done anything. So just shut up!"

Their eyes followed Remus running in the direction of their common room, so they gave him a few minutes and then followed.

Opening their dormitory door, they saw Remus curled up into his bed, a pillow to his face.

"Hello?" James tentatively called. There was no response.

"Oi, Remus?" Sirius tried. At this Remus looked up from his pillow. He looked terrible, sniffing every few seconds, eyes red and moist.

"What? Why are you here? To make fun of me again?"

"Again?" Sirius asked affronted. "We never made fun of you. Why would we?"

Remus sniffed. "Because everybody does. I'm poor, I'm a thief, my Mum is ill. Why not?" He asked in a watery voice. Sirius gave a bark-like laugh that made Remus jump a bit.

"So what? We don't believe you're a thief," James nodded in agreement to Sirius' words. "And so what if you're a poor boy from a poor family. Doesn't matter. And your Mum being ill, that isn't a joke. Not one bit."

"You don't think I'm a thief? Or it matters that my family is poor and I wear these?" Remus indicated his robes. The pair laughed and shook their heads.

"And," added James. "in answer to your question, to become friends with you."

"What?" Remus and Sirius asked, confused.

"You asked why we're here. The answer is to be friends with you. You seem like a decent guys. Besides, seems like you could use someone." Remus nodded, slowly. "Come here," James said, one arm over Sirius and the other towards Remus.

Remus threw the pillow behind him and gave into their hug.

And thus three of the Marauders were together.

For the Quidditch League, I'm the BallyCastle Bat's seeker! I had to use the line 'He's just a poor boy from a poor family', from Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen, as a prompt. Hope you enjoyed!

~Alice