"Jaaaaaaaaaaaames."

"Sirius, I will murder you."

"It's Moony and Evans though. They're talking again."

And with that James ignored the de va ju he was feeling while he and Sirius scrambled out of the room and tiptoed down the staircase. The thought that the big Gryffindor/Slytherin game was a mere few hours escaped his mind. Some things were just more important than Quidditch.

The door to the Common Room was left slightly open for their luck and when James put his eye against it, he could see Remus and Lily sitting on couches only a few yards away. Separate Couches. Thank Merlin.

James pushed his head a little closer to the crack trying to make out what the conversation was about. He ignored the shove Sirius gave him for hogging and heard Lily say, "I just don't get it."

Remus just sat there and listened. "Most people don't."

Lily got up and walked over to the fireplace. She seemed to be staring into it for a long time before she said, "Why does he have to have such a big head?"

James perked up at this remark as if she had called him by name. That basically was the only name she really had for him. He looked over at Sirius and gave a goofy smile. They were talking about him!

"If we could change people, the world would be a much different place," Remus said as he looked towards the fire. "But there's more to him than you see. There's the James that the school knows him as and then the James the Marauders know. Take our view sometime, you might be surprised."

Lily sighed. She leaned her elbow against the mantel of the fireplace and rested her head in her hand. "Trust me," she said. "The only reason we're having this conversation is because for the first time in 6 years, I've seen your version of him. Only a glimpse but it was there. But if he wants to be what everyone thinks he is, around me then I don't see this going far."

Going far? James looked over at Sirius who was still peeking through the crack. What's going where? Something's even going?

"Ugh!" Lily let out a frustrated groan then fell back to the couch. "How is it that he annoys the very life out of me but…but…"

But? BUT WHAT?

"You know," Remus said. "Not that I mind it, but isn't girls talking about guys sort of a…girl thing?"

Lily laughed and with that laugh James thought he would melt right there in the uncomfortable squatting position he was in. Can a laugh sound like a bell?

"Sorry, Remus, I promise I won't ask you to braid my hair. You're probably just the only person I can talk to. You know the real him and if I even mentioned his name anywhere in the girls dorm I wouldn't get the thought out before I became hearing impaired by the screaming. And that's what bothers me the most! Everyone talks as if they know him as well as you do. He's a bloody idol to Gryffindor! The only thing people really know is that he can catch a ball on a broom and he's hot! People don't actually know him, they just think they do. If I had a galleon for every time someone said, 'I know he likes this' or 'I definitely heard he's into that'. It's just ridiculous!"

"Okay, Lily, you're getting yourself worked up again. Let's call it a night. The games tomorrow and the guys will suspicious if I look exhausted well before a full moon is expected."

Lily sighed again. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks Remus, you're such a help. I just…he likes me but I'm starting to wonder what he likes about me. I only am talking right now cause I got to see the side of the real him. What does he really know about me? He's probably annoying the hell out of me because he thinks I'm pretty. I just don't know what to expect or if I can even trust him."

Remus paused for a second and James could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Then he said, "My last advice for you tonight is to not over think it. No offense but girls do that too much. And guys don't. Let's just see what happens okay? I'll help you reach the real him under that big head of his and then you can just play it out. Don't try to plan anything now. And as for your last thought, that is something you never need to worry about. James can be a show off sometimes and I would be lying if I said he didn't love the attention. And yes at times he can be…conceited."

Moony, mate! Who's side are you on? James felt a kick to the side from Sirius and didn't even realize that he was moving forward again. He silenced his groan, gave Sirius a kick in return, and listened.

"But he is one of the three people in this world that I completely trust with my life. And have actually done on countless occasions. Not many people would stick around with a werewolf for so long. He's loyal towards the people he cares about and will do almost anything for them. You don't find those qualities too often in the world today."

Lily smiled and looked back up when Remus finished. James sat there dumbstruck for a second.

"Thanks Remus," she said as she stood up. "You're the best." Remus smiled and got up to hug her. James fidgeted a little but kept quiet. When they stepped away, Lily leaned forward a kiss on Remus' forehead, right where his hairline began.

James gasped. They must not have heard it but Sirius did. The next thing he knows he's being pulled away from the door forcefully as he sees Remus approaching it. That little sneak!
Before he knew it, Sirius had dragged him back to the dormitory even in his state of shock. It finally took him a minute to realize Sirius was talking to him, or talking at him. "Relax, mate. It was an innocent kiss. She did it, not him. There're just friends." And so on. James knew this of course. Remus would never do that to him, but he got a kiss from Lily before James had!

"Mate, I'm not putting you into bed so you better get off the floor before Moony comes in. Plus the biggest game of our lives is tomorrow so please don't think about this."

James still had taffy for brains but he was still pretty tired. He listened to Remus close the door and the spring on his mattress squeak. James wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not but he swore he heard Remus let out a small laugh.


"Hey guys?"

Remus looked up from his bowl to see a very sweaty Peter roll a napkin through his fist. Hmmm…Remus thought. Peter's usually not nervous this early in the morning. This must be serious.

"What is it, Pete?" James said through a mouthful of cornflakes. "And make it fast, me and Sirius have to get going soon. The match is gonna start."

"Well, that the thing…" Peter barely got out. "The other day…those Slytherins…they weren't teasing me…well at first they weren't…but…they caused me trouble cause I overheard them talking…"

Remus stopped eating, mouth open and spoon in midair. Out of the corner of his eye he saw James and Sirius stop as they were about to get out of their seats. The two looked at each other then sat down again. "Okay, Wormtail," Sirius said as he folded his hands mob-style. "You have our attention. But quit beating around the bush and spit it out. We have to be in the locker room in five minutes."

"But that's just it!" Peter squeaked. Even after puberty, Remus was still amazed by how high his voice went sometimes. "I overheard the Slytherins say that before the game they were going to set off 20 Timed Dungbombs in the Gryffindor locker room right before the match. They wanted to throw you guys off before the game."

"Jesus, Wormtail!" James exclaimed as Sirius bit back a curse. "And you just wait to tell us this now? As we're walking to the locker rooms? Come on, Pads, we got to go tell Madame Hootch before those bombs explode." Leaving their dishes behind, both boys got up and ran out of the Great Hall.

"I…I…didn't…"

Remus sighed. He knew Peter didn't take it well when the boy he idol worshiped yelled at him for being stupid. "Wormtail, why did you wait til now?"
Peter turned his wide, stunned eyes at his last friend at the table. "I didn't have a choice. I didn't know what to do!"

"Peter, you always have a choice and the answer should have been obvious. Think about all of the times James and Sirius had your back, including this very incident. The least you could do is tip them off about this sooner. You know what you should have done."

"B-but…b-but…they threatened me! They told me i-if I told, th-they would…" Peter didn't even finish the thought as his eyes started to tear up. Remus was about to say more but the look on Peter's face told him that he was really thinking about what Remus had said already. Remus rolled his eyes. Great, now he felt guilty.

"Come on, Pete. Finish up your lunch and then we'll go get seats to the game. Prongs and Padfoot will forget all about it once they cream Slytherin. They'll be too busy partying to remember."

Peter looked up again. "What if they don't win?"

"Then you're screwed."

Peter let out a wimper.

Remus sighed again. He wasn't as good at keeping Peter under control as James was, or even Sirius. Just a look from either of them and Peter would shut right up. Remus, on the other hand, wasn't that threatening.

"Come on, Pete. The important thing is that you told them and that's loyalty right there. Grant it, your timing might not have been perfect but nevertheless you had the courage to tell them. And if those gits try anything on you, you know we'll have your back."

Suddenly a huge grin began to grow across Peter's face.

"Thanks, Moony."

Oh geez, now he's getting sappy. They spent the rest of their lunch talking about the match as more and more people joined the table wearing bright red and gold. Remus tried to get a glimpse of the Slytherin table, which was an emerald sea of green, but couldn't find the same people from the other day.

Finally, the two Marauders moved with the mob towards the Entrance Hall. They met up with some other Gryffindor students who were all eagerly talking about the game while they waited for the traffic to move. If Gryffindor won, they would be House Champions for the first time in 5 years. Remus felt his nerves shake just talking about it when something out of the corner of his eye made them shake even more…

Over in the very corner of the Hall, the door to the Dungeon was wide open. Disappearing into that door was Bellatrix Black. "Hey Wormtail," Remus said as he nudged the boy's shoulder. Without waiting for a response, Remus went by his instincts and pushed his way through the crowd to the door. He looked inside and saw the empty, dark hallway before him. A few meters in though, he heard the low sound of voices.

"Moony!" came the squeal behind him.

Remus didn't even look back in response. Instead he took a step through the doorway when a small but sturdy hand gripped his arm and pulled him back. "Moony! This is what happened last time!"

"Well then don't come if you don't want to. Keep watch." And with that Remus disappeared through the entrance. Behind him he could hear Peter moan but he knew he was going to follow. Peter never liked being left behind and their talk earlier might have gotten to him.

Remus took each step like he was walking on ice even the hard stone floor told him otherwise. It was a pretty cold day even though it was late in the season so Remus wasn't surprised when he felt a small shiver run up his spine. He turned and put his finger to his lips when he heard a whimpering Wormtail come up behind him. Remus pressed himself against the wall and moved down it until it ended and the path turned right into one of the dungeon's tunnels. He was about 10 meters from the door and once the noise from the outside faded, he could hear the voices clearer.

"…you bloody idiot, what'd you expect?" A voice said. Remus made it out to be Avery.

Then a second voice responded. "I expected it to go down without a flaw, that's what." Lestrange, no doubt. They must have been talking about the Dungbombs. That means James and Sirius got there in time.

"Oh just untwist your knickers there, mate." Avery. "There was a bloody complication. Things still went accordingly. By this time in an hour, the whole Gryffindor team will be in the Hospital Wing. Potter and Black may even be worse. Now all we have to do is watch and enjoy."

Remus felt his heart catch in his throat. He had to tell someone. But what would he tell? Peter for once was being absolutely quiet and when Remus turned to make sure he was still there, he wore a petrified look on his face.

"Our jobs not over yet, boy," Bellatrix. Some people claimed to have evil cousins in stories and whatnot. Sirius actually had one. "We still got a glitch. And as soon as those players fall we have to dewitch the balls from the stands before that crazy old bat can get to them. They should make a big enough distraction before that time though. Rodolphus, sweetie, you've been practicing right."

The sounds Remus heard after were one's he wanted to permanently block from his memory for as long as he lived. It sounded like the Giant Squid was trying to unclog a toilet.

"My God, spare me" Snape's voice echoed down the hall. "What have I said about snogging like that in front of us? Absolutely repulsive. I may hurl."

With one final puh Bellatrix came up for breath and said, "Don't be so cranky Severus. Just because little Miss Evans doesn't want to do this with you…"

There was much movement after this comment, but Remus stopped listening and started thinking. "Peter," he whispered at a level he almost couldn't hear. The rustling and action behind them helped though. "They've bewitched the balls. James and Sirius are gonna get hurt. You got to go tell Madame Hootch before the match starts."

"What about you?" Peter said, his voice not as soft or low pitch as Remus'.

"I'll be right behind. I'm gonna see what else I can figure out. Go, now, hurry!"

And with that Peter tiptoed out the dungeon door then ran down the Entrance Hall like hell. Remus almost smiled to himself until he remembered what he said he was going to do. He turned back around to listen more when he came face to face with Avery.
"Wow, Potter and Black actually have spies now. I didn't know they were so crafty." Remus froze unresponsive as the rest of the crew appeared behind Avery. Remus took a step back and made a try to run but before he could, the front of his robes were violently grabbed and he found himself on the ground. Another pair of hands grabbed the other side and Remus felt himself being dragged back into the dark dungeon and hidden from view behind the corner.