10 Years later

Remus was excited. It had just hit the end of June which meant that James was due home from school. He remembered the first year James had went, the Potters had been so proud. The four of them were having breakfast one morning when the owl came, a rather formal looking thing with feathers all shiny from a good home. Mr Potter was the first to recognize it for what it was, whooping around the kitchen table and telling James to grab the letter.

Remus hadn't understood what going to Hogwarts meant at that time. It took one of the last trips he would voluntarily take to Diagon Alley and standing on Platform 9 3/4 for him to realize James wasn't coming home when he went there. He would be gone all day and all night, not returning until the next year, or Christmas if James decided to come home. He rarely did.

It had took some adjusting. Ever since he came to the Potters house his life had been invaded by James. He wouldn't let up with getting Remus to talk. He asked question after question those first few weeks:

'What were your parents called?'

'Do you think they're still alive? I heard some people escaped.'

'Does it hurt when you transform into a werewolf?'

'Does your arm hurt? Dad said you did it during the moon, do you remember doing it?'

Until one night when Mrs Potter shooed him away from trying to clean up James' room on the principle that he had to do it himself. He shuffled his way to the living room, still uncomfortable in this new place and hung around the back of the sofas until Mr Potter finally told him he was allowed to sit down.

James had been moaning around upstairs, asking why Remus couldn't just clean his room if he so clearly wanted to. With one massive stomp he joined the rest of the men, collapsing next to his dad and shuffling his feet under Remus' thighs. He really had no concept of personal space, or adjustment periods since he had been laying on Remus since he got there.

They were in silence for a while, enough time for James to get bored and start upending Remus with his feet. The stream of questions was almost predictable after that, James starting with a one sided conversation complaining about his mum before asking the one question Remus could actually answer.

'What kind of books do you like?'

'Adventure I think.'

James had been unstoppable after that, hanging around Remus 24/7, which just made the separation that much more harder. Especially since, with James gone, that meant he was alone with the elder Potters.

He loved them like they were his family. They actually were his family. But James was the only one he really felt at ease around. Mrs Potter was sweet, always trying to include him the same with James. She always made sure one of them wasn't without, which just made the obligation Remus felt to make her life easier double in the years he spent with her.

Mr Potter was the same. He even tried to teach Remus Quidditch, and always went to him when James was being difficult when he wanted to experiment his hair products. He was the one who supplied most of Remus' library, the bookcase that dwarfed the largest wall in his room. He should have felt like a truly spoilt boy, but there was always that thing, him being a werewolf, that made him feel like he should be thinking up ways to make it up to them. To repay him for his generosity. He sometimes hated how his mind worked.

So life with James gone was uneasy to say the least. He tried to keep himself as quiet as possible, as helpful as possible, and listened attentively when Mrs Potter tried to give him some lessons to help him keep up with every other kid.

It was okay.

But James coming back was always the best part of the year.

He had went all out. Making his favourite for dinner, cleaning James' room for his trunk to explode over. He even made sure he finished his latest book and homework early so he had time to listen to James' stories of mischief. At Christmas, one of two he had come back for so far, James had came home full of stories about how he and his two friends had created a map that showed where people were at any given time in the castle. Remus had spent hours after James told him researching the magic that would have went into overriding the wards on Hogwarts. It was impressive, and if James could do that in a span of a few months he was itching to know what he had done for the rest of the year.

The door banged, as if hearing his excitement, James' voice trailing after it announcing his return home. 'Remus!'

He was taking James' coat before his name finished ringing, taking in the boy who had left six months ago. He had grown, that was for sure, nearly towering over Remus who was yet to experience his second growth spurt. Something else had grown too, his hair even more wild than usual as it sprouted vertically at a length that had long passed charming and just looked stupid.

The two of them moved further into the house as banging outside signalled James' trunk was being unpacked. He led the boy into the kitchen, watching the excitement zing through James' entire body as he finally erupted into his tales of the year.

'Okay so, where to begin...' He started on with Sirius and Peter, the three of them using the map to start a new reign of terror on Hogwarts. They knew where everyone was, where they were heading, it was perfect for them to both pick their victims and avoid being caught. James was ecstatic. He went on and on about what Sirius said before hexing so and so, and what Peter did when they were almost caught by Filch because he had read the map wrong. Remus was grinning almost as bad as James when he finally moved on to talking about his other passions. Namely a girl named Lily. She had cropped up during the summer after third year. Apparently one hex in a DADA had him falling head over heels in love with her. This year, he had done something that had her even more mad than usual. 'But Snape was being a git. He keeps trying to get Regulus to join his little cult. I mean, really Lily just walked in at the wrong time, she didn't hear the crap he was spewing before the DADA exam. Or the stuff he was saying before that. All she saw was me and Sirius-'

'Sirius and I.'

'Sirius and I, getting a little payback and she went off the deep end. I had ears the size of this,' James' hands went far outside the realm of normal. 'Sometimes I think she doesn't even like me.'

Remus hated to tell James that was actually probably true, so he didn't. Instead he listened to him lament about Lily some more before herding him towards the dining room table so the rest of the Potters could hear about James' adventures at Hogwarts.

'Did you two end up together then?' Mr Potter asked as James finished relaying his story a second time.

'Not yet. But we will.'

Remus loved James' endless optimism. When Lily had turned him down the first time he didn't give up, instead he grew even more determined and went out for what he wanted a different way. He sometimes wished he was like James in that way.

Dinner went past with Mr Potter relaying James with his latest experiment. One which he was expecting to test out on James' hair at the first available opportunity. That, of course, led to moaning on James' part and the request to use Remus', quite fine thank you James, hair instead.

It was late by the time they all ran out of things to tell each other. James was the first to wave his parents goodnight, making plans for tomorrow so he wouldn't be cornered by his dad. He tried to coerce Remus up too, no doubt to try and get him to clean up the explosion that went off as soon as he set his trunk down. Something he usually would have been able to get out of had Mrs Potter not thought it was a great idea for Remus and James to have some bonding time.

He eyed the mess as soon as he stepped in, thinking back to the clean floor and made bed that had been there that morning. James didn't even try to pick up after himself, collapsing onto his sheets and kicking a few books over to Remus.

'You don't have to clean it up you know,' James said, as soon as Remus even tried to reach for one of the dirty robes. 'Mum said she'll get them in the morning. Besides, you have books to collect.'

Which was true. One of the traditions of James coming home was Remus getting his school books. It had started off with Remus curiously glancing over the first year books James discarded his first day back home. As soon as he was caught James moved the rest of them into Remus' room, telling him to 'have at it'. He had quite the collection now James was in fifth year.

He devoured those in the first few days, James even giving Remus some of his notes when he asked about this or that. It was what James liked to call the adjustment period, the time in which Remus was used to keeping to himself and James was used to having people around them. They needed a few days to get used to it being the two of them again.

James eventually got Remus away from his books, coercing him into helping him train for Quidditch. Well, James said he needed help, Remus knew he just needed someone to play with because he was bored and had no one else to talk to.

James had them up high, higher than Remus was comfortable with when he finally told him to throw the snitch. Of course, since they had to share a broom since Remus refused to ride one alone, he was holding on for dear life as James chased at the speed of light.

He hated flying. Hated it with a passion. Not only because there was still that part of him that still cringed at the idea of doing something a normal wizard would. But because the idea that there was nothing beneath them to catch them should they fall, and James' reckless streak, gave him nightmares.

He sometimes thanked that he had heightened senses, this time in particular since it meant he had an excuse to get off James' death trap. He knew that if he hadn't have heard the door it would have went unanswered in general. The Potters were enjoying the scant summer sun, drinking lemonade a few metres below them, and James never answered it even when he was in the house, besides it was Remus' job. So he scampered down, cast a dirty look to James' broom and went to greet the rather handsome boy at the front door.

'Does James live here?'

Definitely handsome. His voice was nice too, with a smooth tone that sounded like it had never went through a weird phase like James and his. All pale and cheekbones, he should have been one of those arrogant boys that just ordered others around. Instead he was shuffling about looking two minutes from bolting.

'Yeah, wait here,' Remus said, running to the back garden to fetch James.

The visitor, as it turned out, was Sirius, one of James' friends from school. How Remus knew was because the first thing James did when he saw the boy was shout his name and squeal like a pig as he moved in for a hug.

James dragged Sirius in without even letting go, motioning Remus to attend to their guest as they moved outside. He did as he was bid, joining them again to hear Mr and Mrs Potter start in on one of their famous rants. He'd heard them once or twice, usually after they had picked up or dropped James off at King's Cross. He'd heard about Sirius through both James and the elder Potters as a result, all of whom had nothing but nice things to say about him. His parents on the other hand were a different story. Cruel, prejudiced and always turned their noses up when the Potters talked to them. The Potters just looked for something new to complain about now, and it looked like Sirius had given them the golden opportunity.

'I can't believe it,' James said, mussing his hair up even further than usual. 'They disowned you, just like that?'

'Well, not just like that,' Sirius shrugged. 'They wanted me to put my lot in with Snape and Malfoy. They kept going on about family pride and how I was a muggle loving disgrace, and I just shouted back. Before I knew it I was packing my bag and hearing mum screech about not coming back. I don't care, I don't want to go back, Reg can have everything I just...'

'I just can't believe it.' The doe eyes were predictable after that, James trying to plead, not that secretly, with his parents for Sirius to say. Remus thought it was a good job the Potters already had a soft spot for Sirius, and went back in to sort his things out. He knew the answer was going to be yes.

He had his books sorted into piles ready to be moved, and already changed the bedding when Mr Potter led the other two boys up.

'Two bedrooms three boys, how do you want to work this James?'

Remus held up his first pile of books, 'It's okay, I've already started moving my things.'

'What? No, Rem,' James moved past Remus, trying to put the books back on their shelves. 'Dad tell him he can't move out.'

'It's fine,' Remus reassured, knowing Mr Potter was the one with the power here no matter what James thought. 'The cellar has more than enough room for me, besides, this way I won't bloody two pairs of sheets at the next full moon.'

He saw that peak Sirius' attention, the sweep over predictable as he looked at him in a new light. Mr Potter didn't have the same curiosity, having been through more than fifty full moons over the years. He thought the man would take his side, it was logical after all, and he knew it was a pain having to move him when he was still weak after transforming. However, 'You're not sleeping in the cellar Remus.'

James shot him a triumphant look.

'But there will be some moving around. One of you will have to share.' He told them to sort it out between themselves, going to get something to eat in the meantime.

'I'm more than happy to-'

'No Rem,' James snapped, shoving more books unorganised onto shelves. 'Sirius and I will share. We do it all year, it'll be no different now.' He glanced back, some silent conversation and upturned mouths belying how much mischief they were expecting to create with this arrangement passing between them. 'There, it's sorted. Go call dad will you Sirius.'

Remus convinced them to at least take his bed, the only thing the Potters caved to since Remus looked like he wasn't going to give up without letting go of something. He had a perfectly acceptable bed in the cellar, one which he could bring up himself while Mr Potter sorted Sirius out. He knew there was a camp bed they had in reserve, he would just use that for after moons.

He had to put up with James complaining through the whole move, trying to order his dad not to listen to Remus, but inevitably they got Sirius and his stuff settled in. He left them with strange noises and bangs echoing through the house, going down to start on dinner.