The ecstasy of the situation hadn't worn off as the thirty-first came and the four sat in their dormitory as it neared midnight, surrounded by their usual selection of sweets and telling scary stories.

Sirius had just finished and they sat in the soft 'lumos' light, no one daring to move. The boy had a gift for story telling, always had. It didn't matter if it wasn't funny, amazing or scary, Sirius could make it sound like it. They sat in silence, three brooding on his ending while he beamed as only Sirius could.

A hard bang on the door and there were four screams from the bed, the wand falling to the floor and leaving them total in darkness. The bedside lamp flicked on a moment later. James lying half off the bed with his hand on the switch, Peter on his backside on the floor. Remus looked up from behind his pillow.

"What was that?" James pulled himself up and shakily walked to the door, going out into the common room. Peter picked himself up and climbed onto the bed, reaching for a chocolate frog and popping it into his mouth. James returned a moment later with a scowl on his face.

"Bloody first years playing with Firecrackers in the common room. We'll see how they like it in detention with Filch for the whole of next week."

"Don't be too harsh James, it sounds like something you and Sirius would have done." Remus replied.

"Where is Sirius anyway?" James looked around at Peter's question, his eyes settling on the floor and his expression changing to an amused smirk. Both leaned over and saw exactly why he was smiling. On the other side of the room, protruding from under Sirius' bed was the long black tail and quivering rump of Padfoot. James approached him and kneeled down next to it.

"Padfoot, it's okay now." He said gently as he rubbed his back. Padfoot only whimpered. James looked up at Peter. "Pass one of those frogs here." He caught it in his hand, unwrapping it and holding it slightly under the bed. Padfoot sniffed it cautiously before licking it and covering half of James' hand in slobber.

Pulling back, James brought the frog out in the open, the scared dog following and settling down on the floor as his treat was handed back to him. Remus watched as he pulled it apart, chocolate melting and sticking his fur.

"How can you eat those things?" Remus asked, always having a much healthier taste than anything for sweets and chocolates like his friends. He refused the one Peter, whose mouth was covered in chocolate and had half of one in his other fist, offered him.

"Eat it!" He shook his head.

"Aw come on Moony, we're celebrating. Just try it." James urged and Remus sighed. He wasn't going to win this battle and even Padfoot was paying attention as he took it.

He unwrapped it, holding it to his mouth disgustedly, reluctant to eat it. Padfoot gave a bark and he bit its head somewhat timidly. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he couldn't have been more wrong and his friends cheered as he opened his eyes, looking at it again. Maybe it wasn't so bad…


Maybe it was the werewolf gene that had stunted his taste buds, maybe he had just never tried it before, but Remus found his tastes expanding over the next few weeks.

His usual diet of mainly vegetables had been shoved aside for meats, desserts, especially the frogs, and anything sweet he could get his teeth on. His friends just laughed and encouraged his new eating habits, glad to see him happy.

It was subtle and first and Remus didn't even notice, just a glow to his cheeks and not looking so much like an anorexic skeleton. But as he didn't slow down, the three friends started to notice a change. It seemed he hadn't inherited the same speedy metabolism as Sirius and James.

"Moony…" James said amusedly as he watched Remus dig hurriedly into dinner (steak and potatoes). "Slow down, it's not going anyway." Remus looked up at him, his cheeks full as he paused with his knife and fork.

"What do you mean?" James ignored that he was talking with his mouth full, something they had never seen him do before.

"I mean calm down. There's no need to rush it. You act like you haven't eaten for weeks…" Remus just glared and carried on eating. James looked at Sirius and shook his head.

A few days before the Christmas holidays, the marauders found themselves late for class yet again. Remus, usually ready first and punctual to the point of obsessive, was locked in the bathroom refusing to open the door or tell them why.

"Mcgonagall is gonna kill us..."

"No. Just give us detention. Again."

"You know, I kind of miss it. I keep looking forward to the full moons and only remembering two days before..." James looked at the still closed door.

"Don't let Moony hear you say that, Padfoot." He said as he sank down onto his bed again. "He's happier now that it's gone." the door opened and Remus came out soon after looking miserable. Peter looked back at James.

"Are you so sure about that?"

"You know, for a shared room, we don't get to see much of it anymore..." James gave another bang to the door. After a long double-Herbology lesson, which only Remus didn't take, they had come back to find their door locked.

Now they sat against the door a half hour later, tired and covered in dirt and Venomous Tentacular seeds, still trying to get Remus to open.

"I'm sick of this." Sirius said and stood up, drawing out his wand and pointing it at the door.

"Moony!" He shouted loud enough to make some first years doing homework before dinner jump and knock over their inkbottles. "Open this door now or I'll blast it off its hinges." Sirius didn't even have to wait. There was a click and he lowered it slowly.

He looked at his friends on either side for a second before opening the door slowly. The room seemed to be empty. They followed him inside when a voice came suddenly from the other side, farthest from the door.

"Just Sirius." James just shrugged as Sirius looked at him and he and Peter left.

"We'll go to the prefect's bathroom. It's got more space anyway..." They closed the door behind them and Sirius approached Remus' bed. He was sitting around the side, his knees held up to his chest and his eyes staring straight ahead of him.

Sirius slumped down next to him and he turned away.

"I should have listened to James." He said quietly. Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, not really knowing what to say. James said a lot of things, most of which were a load of babble usually about Evans and/or Quidditch. "I'm hideous."

He turned Remus' face to his and the boy closed his eyes. A bluish-black bruise was forming on his cheek.

"Who was it?" He received no answer. "Was it Abbott?" He got a slight nod. With a small shock from his wand, it healed itself, leaving his skin pale and clear once more.

"He told me I was getting smart with him after he was laughing at me." He looked down at his robes, which were near straining point. "I'm hideous." He repeated.

"No you're not." Sirius replied simply and Remus looked at him, curious about his strange reply.

Sirius kissed him on the lips.

Remus didn't pull away.

When Remus woke later, he was in his own bed. Besides the small sliver of moonlight shining on him he was in complete darkness. As he shifted, his thigh brushed against the blankets. He pulled them up, realising he was naked. He looked next to him. Empty. He had hoped this wouldn't happen, but somehow he'd been expecting it.

He blinked and looked around. The room was pretty much empty. Curious as to where the rest of his friend were, surely they weren't still in the Prefect's bathroom or sitting outside the door? He slipped on his too small robe (Sirius had promised him, somewhere in the lustful haze, that they would go out the next day and he'd pay for new ones. Fat chance of that now that he'd disappeared. Remus purposely ignored the unintended pun)

The common room was empty at first glance but as he listened closer, there was shuffling and a munching in the armchair nearest the fire. He clutched the banister, holding his robes closed with the other hand.

"Sirius?"

"Nope." Peter's head appeared over the back of the chair and Remus couldn't mask his disappointment. He sank into the chair on the right side.

"Where's Sirius?" Peter had bitten into another chocolate and shrugged.

"Went somewhere with James. Didn't look too happy." He said and held out a chocolaty hand, offering Remus one of his Frogs. He was going to tell him no, remembering earlier with the bigger Hufflepuff boy, but took it anyway, not really finding it in himself to care at that moment.

They sat eating away at Peter's sweets in silence until suddenly the remains of the fire in front of them flared up bright and turned green. Dumbledore's head appeared as they were recovering from their shock, the Honeydukes purchases scattered on the floor.

When they were both asked to come to his office, despite the late hour, they looked at each other. It most probably involved Sirius and James, trips to teacher's offices usually did, but why would they have to be there?

As he left, the fire going back down to embers and ash, they stood up. They left the safety of the Gryffindor common room and started their way to the office, once again silent.

It didn't take long for the Gargoyle to jump aside, the Headmaster's fondness for sweets, particularly muggle, was common knowledge. They made their way up the stairs and into the office. It was definitely not what they expected.

Yes, Sirius and James were there, both looking considerably beaten and yes, Dumbledore had a smile on his face as usual. But two strange people were on the right, sitting on either side of what must have been their son and next to his friends sat James' parents. He guessed they counted as Sirius' parents too since his had disowned him.

Everyone looked at them.

"Sorry to call you both in so late on a school night boys, but we need some information." they just stared at him. He looked to the boy neither recognised. "Have you ever been in an 'unpleasant situation' with Mr. Abbott?"

Abbott? Remus saw it as he looked again. It seemed as well as being beaten, he'd literally had his face rearranged, his nose bleeding over his forehead. Dumbledore gave a cough, bringing Remus back to the present. He couldn't speak, still having a slight fear of what the boy might do. He only nodded and he guessed Peter must have done the same because Dumbledore clapped.

"Very well. I see no point with carrying on this meeting. When Sirius sought out John, he had the intent of defending his friends and Mr. Potter was merely..." Remus blanked out after that. After a long goodbye which involved James' mother fussing over him, they headed back to the dormitory.

Remus' mind drifted as he sat on his bed. He looked at Sirius. He hadn't abandoned him after all. He had been protecting him. That meant...

Sirius looked back at him, away from James as the other boy struggled to get into his pyjamas. His sprained wrist made it a difficult job and it was stuck halfway over his head. He smiled at him, licking his the spot just left lip.

Remus mimicked him unconsciously, tasting sugar. His finger touched the spot and found a bit of stray chocolate. Sirius grinned at him.

He stood up, ignoring the curious looks of the recently freed and the covered in toothpaste, he climbed into bed next to Sirius, burrowing under the covers. Sirius smirked at them and ripped the hangings shut.


There's still one more chapter to this... Thanks to all who reviewed. I know it's been long but School's started and it's a lot of work so I've got to ease myself back into writing. Thanks again.

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