Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the lovely characters or anything involving the magical world, etc. etc.!
"What are you doing?" Remus gave James a gentle shove so he would loosen the painfully tight grip on his wrist. "You were following me!"
"What are you doing telling Evans you know the future?" James shot back. "I didn't realize you were a bloody Divination prodigy!" An easy smile slipped onto James's face despite the argument they were in the midst of. "Nice one telling her we get married, though."
Groaning, Remus started in the direction of the common room. James hurried after him.
"Moony, what the hell is going on?" He reached over and caught his wrist again, preventing him from moving forward. "I thought we were best friends. Why are you lying to me? To all of us?"
"James." Remus turned on his friend and gave him the same strict expression he had saved for exceptionally rowdy students during his time as a teacher. "I'm not lying to you. Something strange is going on and I can't go into detail about it right now. You're going to just have to trust me."
James didn't even hesitate with a comeback. "But you can go into detail about it with Evans?"
Remus groaned again. Judging by the look of determination on James's face, he wasn't going to stop until Remus relented, but he had nothing to say. The more people he told, the deeper this hole would become until he was trapped in it, no longer able to hoist himself out.
"Merlin, Prongs," he said a bit more softly this time as he weaseled his wrist away from James's strong grip. "Can't you drop it?"
"We're supposed to tell each other everything, Moony."
Remus stared at him for a long moment and then heaved a sigh. He didn't have many choices, only two. He could make something up or tell him the truth lest James would continue to hassle him about it until he eventually gave in.
"I'm...I...er...I've gotten very good at Divination."
"Merlin. You're a bloody terrible liar, mate." James started back towards the common room, dragging Remus along with him. "This must be some hell of a secret. You're not in love with Lily, are you?"
"No!" He thought of Tonks, wishing he could tell his best friend that he'd already found his soulmate. How old would she here- two, three? The thought brought a light pink to his cheeks. She really was much younger than him.
The sound of footsteps caused them to both stop in their tracks. James quickly covered the two of them with the cloak and Remus instinctively pushed himself back against the wall.
It was Slughorn. He was whistling to himself as he walked, wearing green pajamas and fluffy slippers. If Remus had to guess, he was off to the kitchens for a midnight snack.
Once he had gone, the two boys stifled their laughter until they were all but doubled over, pressing their hands over their mouths. "Did you see that outfit!" James whispered.
Remus grinned over at James. There was a heavy weight pressing in on him; the guilt of his knowledge, the responsibility he now had to save his friends. How could he let James and Lily die again when he had the power to stop it all from happening?
If Dumbledore were around, perhaps things would have been different. The older, wiser man would have been able to talk Remus out of it and remind him that time was not to be meddled with. He'd be back in his time within the week and this would all seem like a distant memory.
But Dumbledore was not in the castle.
"All right, James," he said, mind made up. "I'll tel you the truth."