Remus backed away from the approaching group of Slytherins. Soon he would be against the wall and would have no choice but to grit his teeth and accept whatever beating they wanted to give him. He was good with his wand, there was no doubt about that, and if he was faced with only one opponent he would be the victor. But there were four Slytherins, and he couldn't possibly fight them all.
For a moment he wondered why they had targeted him, but there was no real reason. He was a lone Gryffindor, pale and weak after his recent transformation, and there was something undeniably strange about him. It was nothing definable, just a feeling that something was not quite right.
"Oi!" An angry voice called. As one, the Slytherins turned to the source of the voice. Three boys were striding down the corridor, or, more accurately, two were striding and the third lagged behind, hiding slightly behind his friends. "It's Potter and Black," one of the Slytherins hissed urgently.
"He's not worth it," one of his companions said, shooting a scathing look at Remus. "Let's go." The Slytherins moved away, almost breaking into a run as Potter, Black and their friend approached.
"Slime," one of Remus's rescuers spat as he approached, staring after the retreating group of Slytherins as if he longed to chase after them.
"Are you alright?" One of the boys, with a mass of ruffled black hair, asked.
Remus nodded mutely. "Th-thanks," he stuttered. "If you hadn't-"
The messy haired boy shrugged uncomfortably. "Don't mention it. It wasn't fair, what they did, picking a fight when there were four of them and one of you." He glanced down the corridor in the direction of the Great Hall. "Listen, we're going to lunch. Do you want to come with us?" In truth Remus had been coming from lunch when the Slytherins had cornered him, but he was not quite ready to leave these boys, who were not only speaking to him but had risked tangling themselves in a fight to defend him. He nodded, and the boy grinned widely. "Great!" He said. "My name's James, by the way."