That was three years ago. The four boys had grown through gawky puberty and now are fifteen. They had sprouted up, except for Peters miniscule growth spurt. What had started out as a nervous friendship had bloomed, gone through ups and downs, alliances and animosity. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were now inseparable. Through the years James found his first love with the beautiful Lily Evans, who unfortunately did not reciprocate the crush. Sirius had turned into an all around flirt, turning from a snobby little brat destined for Slytherin into a handsome young man proud to represent Gryffindor, whose chivalrous behavior drew attention from all the girls. While James was a loud prat, who was always a good time, Remus was there when Sirius needed a break from the ruckus. Remus enjoyed watching his and James's antics, and was always a member of the planning and performance of the pranks they all loved to play. Sirius usually thought of what the prank would be while Remus and James were usually the brains of the operations, not letting Peter do a thing unless James insisted. They started calling themselves the Marauders after they had seen a muggle movie about pirates over Christmas holiday. They were known throughout the school for their mischievous yet (for the most part) harmless pranks. Remus and Sirius's friendship was such a quiet thing. It had started their first year when at night lying in their four-post beds, Sirius asked nervously, "Is anyone awake?"
"I am. I can't sleep"
"Me neither"
Remus and Sirius stayed up through the night telling each other stories about their childhood. Remus learned about Sirius's pureblood upbringing, the pride the family found in having legacy in Slytherin house, and Sirius's fear of disappointing them by being placed in Gryffindor. Sirius learned about Remus being brought up with never enough food to be full, his parents shouting over him arguing about money. He could barely afford to come to Hogwarts. That was the first and not the only night that they fell asleep to each other's breathing.
This tradition of talking one another to sleep continued. They went from stories about themselves to advice seeking to their hopes and dreams. The boys found comfort in the trust they found in one another. When Remus was bitten by a werewolf before his third year, James was the one to think of their plan to go with him during his transformation. Sirius was the one to comfort him when he stayed up at night crying. His friends meant the world to Remus, but why wasn't he with them now? From the window he could see them running around through the puddles, splashing and making a mess. Remus instantly could tell which was Sirius, even through the pouring rain. He could tell from that mess of usually neat black hair, from his tall and strong build leaning jumping up to catch the frisbee they had been tossing around. His heart leapt as Sirius glanced up at the window after making the catch, where he knew Remus would be watching.