9 Years with the Marauders: 1972-1981. Beginning in 2nd year, the trials and tribulations of the Marauders right up until the deaths of James and Lily Potter. Remus/Sirius relationship-centric. James/Lily. Warning SLASH! Contains m/m content in later chapters.

DISCLAIMER: All characters, locations, and bits (with a few exceptions) are property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Studios.

NOTES ON THIS CHAPTER: July 1973.

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Remus stared at the train tracks, nibbling on the edge of a jelly bean. He spit it out immediately when he discovered it was Shampoo, tossing it in the garbage he had moved closer to after opening the box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. It wasn't just because his mother was standing right next to him, because Remus would have thrown his candy in the trash whether or not her disapproving gaze watched him test jelly beans. The next one proved to be Chocolate Milkshake, and Remus popped the remainder in his mouth with gusto.

"I just don't know about visiting these Potters." His mother began again, growing nervous.

"Maggie, you've got to let the boy stay with his friends." His father said for the third time since they had arrived at the train station to await the arrival of James.

They had agreed – after a full month of arguments – that Remus could stay with the Potters for two weeks. And two weeks only. They had timed it directly in the middle of transformations, so that Remus was well recovered from the last full moon and wouldn't feel the effects of the next until he was already back home. James and his parents had also agreed that James and his father would ride the train out to meet Remus, so that Remus didn't have to ride the train to Godric's Hollow all by himself.

Remus was buzzing quietly with excitement. Sirius was going to be there too, and Peter, though only for one week, since his mother was complaining about Peter not wanting to spend enough time with his family. Sirius had told him by owl that Peter's mum had cried when he tried to ask her to go, claiming that her little boy didn't ever want to spend any time with her. Remus was even grateful for the single week in which they would be able to spend time together as a group again.

Lemon, not so bad, Remus chewed the sour yellow bean as a whistle went off in the distance. He was deliberately not looking at either of his parents. They were looking at each other over his head, silently talking to one another. It was similar to the way that James and Sirius communicated, except for a different reason. They were arguing, and they didn't want to upset Remus, so they were using only their eyes.

"He's only a boy." His mother's hand gripped his shoulder as he immediately threw away a sickly greenish-yellow jelly bean and rifled through for something better. Vanilla Bean, good.

"He's thirteen, and it's only for two weeks, nothing bad will happen." His father's fingers twitched and curled into a fist.

His mother considered him "frail" as though he felt ill all the time. Today though, he felt just fine. He had given himself a black eye five days earlier when he transformed, but his father had nearly become a fully-fledged Healer in the last nine years and now there was only a little pink and yellow bruising near his eyebrow. Really, he was feeling quite wonderful, his stomach fluttering slightly in happiness and his eyes flickering over the windows.

After a few moments, James leaped the four steps to get off the train and nearly fell over, straightening and grinning at Remus brightly. "Blimey Remus, that was a long trip!" He said eagerly. Behind him, a man whom even his parents would probably call elderly climbed down the steps. Remus looked at him. James had once mentioned that his parents were a bit older than most, but the man that introduced himself as, "Charlus Potter, but just Charlie will do fine," looked to be nearly sixty.

His father shook the man's hand first, and his mother finally released her grip on Remus' shoulder to greet him, her smile strained. Remus received a slap on the shoulder from James, who was smirking. James reached into his box of jelly beans without being offered, but Remus didn't mind. The darker haired boy plucked out a green one and took a rather large bite of it. He spit it on the ground, and Remus felt his mother wrinkling her nose in annoyance behind him, but thankfully she said nothing, as Mr. Potter distracted her with idle chatter.

"Brussel sprouts." James explained, tossing the rest of the jelly bean over his shoulder and plucking out a pleasantly colored pink one. He nibbled this one with less enthusiasm, but ate the whole thing a moment later.

"Thank you so much for coming for Remus. I'm unable to take such a long ride, and Maggie is feeling a bit unwell."

James' dad waved his arm. "It's nothing. I've been retired for a few years now, so taking a trip out of the house like this was quite pleasant in fact. I'm sure Dorea has been wanting me to go away for the last six months."

The two grown men shared one of those chuckles that grown men often did when talking about their wives. Remus' mother looked strained as she smiled indulgently. Remus was sucking on a pink watermelon jelly bean, looking at her. Surely now that James and his dad were here she couldn't change her mind? Unfortunately, that was not the way her brain worked.

"Well, James, our train will be leaving in thirty minutes for the trip home. Why don't you and Remus go play around on the platform while we chat a little?" Remus knew his mother did not like this idea, however she had no choice but to pat him awkwardly on the head and allow him to leave. His dad gave him a dorky thumbs up, and Remus followed after James, who walked a ways down and stretched.

"I'm surprised your dad was wearing Muggle clothes. I thought you lot were Purebloods like Sirius' family?" Remus questioned. Now that they were away from the trash can, he tucked the gross jelly beans into his pocket, still unable to toss them on the ground. He could feel his mother's eyes burning into the back of his head if he even contemplated it.

"I had to help him. I've helped him before, when we go into the Muggle part of town for whatever reason. He still thinks it's stupid we didn't just use a Portkey, or broomsticks, or a Floo."

Remus flinched, remembering that conversation with his mother. "She's terrified of all that magical transportation. She's a Muggle, remember? My dad told her before they got married at least, but she's still paranoid that I'm going to end up in a thousand little pieces, whether from getting Splinched or falling off a broom – yes I know Portkeys are safe, and I've taken basic Flying and passed with 'flying' colors so to speak. And by the way, we've only got an electric fireplace, it messes up the Floo powder..."

James' eyebrows perked up. "Eclectricissy?" He mispronounced, Remus opened his mouth to correct him, but James was ignoring him. "Doesn't matter in the end, though the train is just so loooooong and frightfully boring." He placed a hand on his forehead, rolling his eyes up as though he were a gentile woman about to faint from the heat.

It actually was quite hot. Thankfully his mother hadn't forced him into wearing that horrible green jumper his father had told her to leave off. It was the end of July after all.

Remus nibbled on a celery flavored bean, trying to decide if he should give in and eat it or not, his mother's voice scolding him about eating his vegetables. But surely this didn't count? He shrugged and gave in to her imaginary demands. "It's not that long of a train ride you know. Probably no more than an hour at most. You're just whining cause it's unmagical and boring."

James snickered. "That's exactly what I just said, isn't it? Oh look, Dad's calling us back."

Indeed the two fathers were waving over at Remus and James. Remus carefully closed the top of his box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and held it tightly. His mother accosted him when he showed up, inspecting him.

"Now, you will be very well behaved with Mr. Potter, won't you?" She said sternly. He nodded, and she kissed him on the forehead. Unlike James who usually wriggled in protest when plastered in goodbye kisses by his mum, Remus stood still and let her.

"Yes, mum." He said kindly, and she kissed his forehead a second time. James giggled behind him. He ignored it loftily.

After about ten more minutes of telling Remus what he should and shouldn't do while in the Potters' care (eat all your vegetables, don't stay out in the sun too long, don't wander off without someone with you, and please brush your teeth every night), and fiddling with the collar on his shirt, the announcement finally came on for the westbound train, and Remus left her to follow Mr. Potter and then James onto the train. Not content to let him go without anymore embarrassment, his mother handed his ticket directly to the conductor to assure that Remus wouldn't lose it in the five minutes it would take them to be collected. She hadn't even let him take the ticket to come back, saying that she would be mailing it directly to Mrs. Potter via owl in a week.

Finally, he and James were sitting together and Mr. Potter was sitting a few seats down. Remus cracked open his box of candy again as the train rattled out of the Ottery St. Mary station and headed west towards Godric's Hollow, where James and his parents lived. "So how is Sirius getting there?" He asked, handing James what appeared to be an orange bean, hoping it was something safe.

James chewed it willingly, so it must have been fine, and shrugged. "Floo I think. Or Side-along Apparition, but then his parents would have to come along, and they don't like my parents much. Even if Mum was born a Black, they consider my dad practically a 'Blood-Traitor' because of his political views and don't really approve of the marriage, even if we're still Pureblood. Probably Floo. He said he was going to already be there when we got back, so something quick."

After about a half-hour on the train, Mr. Potter got up and walked back to where the two boys were sitting. Remus was shocked he hadn't come to check on them earlier. His mother wouldn't have even let him out of her sight, but James' dad just casually offered them both little brown bags. "Dory packed us all lunches, even you Remus. She seems to think you'd die of starvation in the ninety minutes it takes to get to our stop."

Remus took the bag with a grateful yet awkward smile, and opened it up. There was a small bottle of what smelled like lemonade, a box of pretzels, and a ham and cheese sandwich wrapped in silver foil. The bottle had been charmed so that it was quite cold even after being in Mr. Potter's little shoulder bag for several hours in the July heat.

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He barely finished eating his pretzels when the announcement came from the train's speakers for Godric's Hollow. He licked the last of the salt from his fingers and shoved everything – including his empty box of jelly beans – into the brown lunch bag, intending to throw it all away when they got off the train. James had simply shoved it all in the pocket of the chair in front of him. As they disembarked Remus snatched James' trash too, to appease his mother, and threw it all out as Mr. Potter led the way from the train station.

Remus knew, from James' stories, that wizards saw a very different view of the city than the Muggles did. James had probably never even considered it before, but Remus liked to imagine quaint Muggle shops and the people walking to and fro. After about ten minutes of walking, the people around them changed from ordinary Muggles to obviously wizards, wearing long robes and pointed hats, their hair in much different styles. Remus felt a bit out of place, dragging his trunk along behind him. James and his father sauntered around, saying hello when they were greeted, but not stopping.

They passed a war memorial, that changed when Remus looked at it more closely to a towering statue of Godric Gryffindor, the founder of Hogwarts that Remus' house was named after. He was standing triumphantly, his hand on a great sword, which was speared into the ground in front of him. Before him, sprawled out like a dozing housecat, was a great lion with a jewel-encrusted collar. If it weren't for the fact that he was made of grey marble, Remus would have been able to see the gold and burgundy clothing he wore, the crest hanging in the Gryffindor common room emblazoned on his chest. Remus felt a bit small as he stared at it, seeing the great man who was so well-known for his blind loyalty, courage, and chivalry. Remus considered himself blindly loyal to the point of stupidity for his friends, but not courageous nor chivalrous. He considered himself a coward really.

He barely noticed that by pausing in front of the statue, the two Potters whom he had been trying to follow were now far ahead of him. He made a soft noise of protest and jogged after them, panting a bit as he dragged his trunk. His mother had packed it, and for a moment as he pulled it down the cobblestone road towards James he had a sudden sense of horror, contemplating whether or not she had packed it full of sweaters and long trousers and collared shirts rather than summer wear.

He caught up with them just as Mr. Potter stopped in front of a gate and swung it open. Remus took a moment to examine the little cottage, a smile passing over his face. It was far bigger than his own house, but had an air of country charm, like all the houses around it. He walked through the front yard which was lined with summer roses, and the door swung open to reveal an older woman. Younger than Mr. Potter by at least ten years, but still far older than Remus' own parents, only a few streaks of brown remaining in the massive silver bun piled atop her head. She had a regal beauty to her even though she was a bit older. Remus would have known instantly that she was a Black even if James hadn't mentioned it on the train. They all had that haughty sort of beauty to them.

But unlike Walburga Black, James' mother was far kinder, and she welcomed back James with a tight, warm hug, and even surprised Remus by embracing him as well. "Welcome to the family, Remus." She said happily, which made the tips of Remus' ears turn scarlet. "Come on in, let me take care of your trunk." She waved her wand at it and it zoomed up the stairs.

Sirius popped out of the kitchen, and Remus and James greeted him with their usual thumps. Dorea and Charlus embraced and had a quick chat about the train. Remus looked around. It all looked very warm and inviting. The sitting room just off the entrance was comfortable. The sofa was dumpy and much used, the bookshelf on the wall actually made Remus' heart flutter, full of leather bound volumes that were probably both educational and entertaining. Maybe he would get a chance to read before...

"Remus, get out of your head." James said, pushing him lightly. Remus jerked into reality and followed James and Sirius doggedly up the stairs.

James' bedroom was bright blue with dark brown wood furnishings. On his walls he had stuck Quidditch posters and a great big Gryffindor banner above his bed. All the furniture matched, and Remus felt a pang of jealousy. He recalled his own room, with the same bed he'd had since he was a toddler, now growing alarmingly smaller by the year, a dresser with two drawers that didn't open properly, and a bookshelf that leaned dangerously to one side, overflowing with books that were too powerful for it.

Sirius flopped down on James' bed as though it were his own. He had been there for a month the previous summer, and Remus felt another surge of envy as he saw James collapse into a desk chair – he had a desk, and Remus had been begging for one for months to no avail, and it was full of books and parchment and a Quaffle and broom cleaning equipment and was probably never used for its actual purpose. He looked around nervously, and saw a small squat stool in the corner and sat down on that, but he felt awkward and out of place. He didn't belong. Not in this room, with its matching décor, and not in this house, with a family that was too cheerful and Sirius who fit in as though he had been born there.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Potter came up the stairs with a tray. A tray. Of food. And lemonade as well. Remus nearly jumped up to help her with the tray, but she was levitating it in front of her, not carrying it. He fidgeted instead as she motioned with her wand and cleared off a section of the desk, placing the tray down. She smiled brightly at them all. "I brought up a little snack before supper, which should be in a couple hours. Jamie, don't stay up here too long, you should take Remus around the Hollow or maybe out in the garden to play a little while. Remus, you are quite pale, you look like you could use some proper summer sun, not like they get in Ottery St. Catchpole."

"Actually I live in Ottery St. Mary..." Remus mumbled, but it didn't come out quite right, and he fell silent. Mrs. Potter was a woman he didn't entirely understand.

She looked around at the room. "There just won't be space for all four of you boys in here for a week, but I suppose you'll all want to be in the same room." She whipped her wand over at the far wall. James' wardrobe slid to the side, and immediately to Remus' left a wide archway appeared in the wall between James' bedroom and the one next to it. It widened and widened until with a "pop!", the wall disappeared altogether. With another flick of her wand, the bedroom was rearranged so that four beds were along one wall, and just like at school two of the beds had a trunk in front of them. Remus recognized his own, and Sirius'. The furniture moved around so that James' wardrobe and desk were on the same wall, and all in all the room looked pretty similar to their dormitory at Hogwarts except for the blue and brown colors and the lack of posts or curtains around each bed.

"There we are. Then when little Peter arrives he can have the bed on the end. His mother informed me they would be coming tomorrow around lunchtime. You three have your snack and then go on outside, I'll call you back at dinner. Oh, and before I forget, Silencio Cella! There, now you boys can talk half the night and not disturb Charlie and I."

Remus marveled at her as she left the now much widened room and headed down the stairs. "She's gonna let us talk? All night?"

Sirius grabbed a glass of lemonade and shrugged. "Why not? We're on holiday."

Remus thought of a million reasons why not, things his mother would say, things she would do if she knew he had been staying up until the wee hours of the morning joking with his friends. He shuddered a bit, and stood up to get one of the small sandwiches – this time a very tasty chicken salad – and nibbled around the edges noncommittally while he sat down on the bed with his trunk in front of it. Now the room felt more familiar, if only because he could imagine they were back at Hogwarts. Only without classes, or books, or anything else to keep them from enjoying themselves.

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The next day, when Peter had joined them, the four boys considered summer officially begun. They spent the next fourteen days falling between a state of constant motion and lazy, unmovable lumps. Peter's pale skin burned cherry red by the end of the second day, but James' mother had a gel which enabled the sunburn to vanish overnight, and so they set out again every morning, fresh as daisies. Remus was the only one that didn't get a sunburn, his skin merely sprouting freckles, which caused Sirius and James to giggle.

Uncle Charlie and Auntie – Sirius' affectionate names for them – had rounded up four brooms, and James had taken them out to an area by a stream which was enchanted to repel the Muggles. They had even convinced Remus to mount a Cleansweep, and though he refused to get more than ten feet off the ground they still had fun racing in circles and trying to knock each other off.

Peter went home after seven days, even after asking his mom if he could stay longer. She sent back a letter stained with teardrops, demanding to know why Peter wanted to be away from his Mummy for so long and why didn't he love her? They had all agreed it would be best if he went home when she wanted him to.

At the end of the thirteenth day, the three of them were collapsed into heaps in the sitting room. They'd all stripped down to shorts. Sirius had a cool towel wrapped around his neck, and he was laying on the floor in front of the fireplace. Instead of being filled with red and orange lights, the flames that huddled in the center of the brick were white and icy cold, exuding a wave of cool air like a winter breeze.

"Come on Sirius, you're hogging!" James prodded him in the back with one toe, sprawled over the ottoman and trying to get some of the air.

Sirius snorted and rolled on his back so that more of the air could get to the other three boys. It was pretty late in the evening, but still blisteringly hot, and the frigid fire was a welcome thing after a day of riding bicycles. Those Muggle contraptions were actually quite fun, as Sirius discovered. Of course their bicycles had a Cushioning Charm given by Auntie so that if they crashed they would only bump into the ground and remain quite unharmed.

Remus sighed as a breeze from the fireplace reached him. He hadn't been willing to wrestle with Sirius to get the coveted spot right in front of the fire, nor had he wanted to fight James over the ottoman that was the second best seat. So he had collapsed bonelessly into an armchair and folded up a bit of parchment so that it made a Chinese style fan, waving it in front of his face like a lady at court. Sirius had snickered, but Remus had shot him a look that said he was not amused.

Nothing had changed. Sirius stretched out and sighed, brushing his thick dark hair off the back of his neck. Remus was the same as ever. At the end of this school year, Sirius was almost sure that the sandy-haired boy would vanish and never speak to them again. He'd sent an owl straight away though, and surprisingly enough, Remus had answered the very next day, saying that yes, he would love to come and visit James, so long as he could convince his parents.

He was glad. He had become used to having Remus around. It's not like they were all girls, giggling and spending time braiding each other's hair, but Remus was comfortable. It was like an old pair of shoes that you knew you had to throw away, but you kept them around because they fit just right and you knew they would carry you where ever you needed to go. Except, Remus wasn't shoes. He smelled a lot better than shoes. Especially James' shoes.

"Supper's ready, boys, go wash up!" Auntie's voice piped up from the kitchen. Wonderful smells had been filtering into the sitting room since they'd come back in an hour ago, and Sirius jerked upright.

The three of them tumbled up the stairs, each trying to bowl the others over on his way up. Remus even managed to body check Sirius into the hallway to get in second in line for the bathroom after James. Remus was quite a bit stronger than a normal thirteen year old, which of course was now easily explained by his lycanthropy. But it made Sirius jealous, imagining Remus in five years being able to tackle Sirius full out if he was annoyed with him, or for whatever other reason.

Remus appeared a few seconds later, his hair dripping around his ears from where he had splashed water on his face. He ran into the bedroom to grab a shirt, tugging it over his head as he went downstairs. Sirius followed after a moment, tugging on a tank top as he sat at the dining room table.

As they ate, Auntie asked them about their day. Remus told her how they'd ridden all the way out past the moors, nearly seven miles, and then come back after taking a swim in some farmer's pond. She tittered. Remus had been very shy at first, calling her Mrs. Potter, but finally after nearly ten days of being there – and being reminded ten times a day – he had started calling her Dory.

Sirius shoveled food into his mouth as though it were going to Disapparate from his plate at any moment. Remus glanced his way, but thankfully said nothing. The werewolf had already tried to tidy up Sirius' table manners more than once, to no avail.

"So, Remus dear, tomorrow you're heading back on the train. You said your father was coming to fetch you so that you wouldn't be riding alone?" Auntie said, smiling at him.

Remus reluctantly nodded. "My mum actually. She said she'd be arriving on the ten o'clock."

"Well in that case I won't need to pack you a lunch, but I'll make you a nice breakfast." She smiled brightly, and Sirius watched the tips of Remus' ears turn red in embarrassment.

They'd never met Remus' parents – James had said that they looked like a couple of stuffed robes – but Sirius could make some conclusions. His mother didn't give him nearly as much freedom as James received. She viewed Remus as being frail because of his "condition". Sirius figured it actually made Remus far more hardy than other boys. In fact, during one of their broom rides Remus had broken his forearm pretty severely, in an injury that Sirius was sure even he would have been whining and complaining about (he might have even shed a tear or two over it). However, Remus had calmly gone to James' parents and hadn't said a word, even when the Skele-grow made his bones shift disgustingly in his arm, making Sirius wince as they'd tried to sleep that night. Frankly, Remus' stoicism was pretty impressive, and Sirius marveled that his family hadn't noticed it.

That night, they all lay around on their beds. The room had been made smaller again, the three beds crowded far more closely together. Remus kind of liked it, it gave them more of a feeling of camping. He would miss this. The rest of his summer was going to be staying at home and trying not to make his parents angry, and maybe they would be going on a daytrip to the coast if his father got some time off work.

"...so then, the witch says, 'That was a Slurring Solution!'" Sirius finished. Remus blinked, he had missed the beginning of the joke, but he laughed along with James anyway.

"Remus, I have the feeling you are going moony again." Sirius said earnestly, looking at his friend.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "It's well over nine days until the next cycle..."

"No no. I mean moony. Like when your eyes get all crossed and you stare off into space and you do not appreciate my amazing sense of humor or James' stunning good looks." Sirius cut him off, waving a hand dismissively.

"Sirius! That's brilliant. He is all ga-ga all the time, plus with the wolf thing... we should call you Moony from now on, Remus." James said, still snickering.

Remus blinked. "But none of us have nicknames, unless you count Pete, or Jamie." He said pointedly, making James stop laughing abruptly.

"My mum calls me that, you do not share the privilege." James said firmly, an air of annoyance in his voice. Sirius laughed. "Oh shut up, Siri-kins."

Remus ducked his head under the covers as Sirius launched himself over the bed, making Remus laugh. He had never laughed so much as in the last two weeks. He actually felt like a boy. Not that he wasn't a boy, being only thirteen and having all the appropriate bits, but he actually felt like a kid. Someone who could just run around all day and then come back to a house with a happy family and a filling meal where people actually talked and didn't just look at each other coldly.

He would miss it. But since this time went so well, he could probably look forward to spending a couple weeks every summer with the Potters, so long as they would have him. Maybe next year he could get his mum to agree to use a Portkey...

"Moooooony!" Sirius had been trying to get his attention, and the use of his new, bizarre nickname jarred him back to the other two.

He glared. "What?"

"Stop thinking. You're thinking."

"Stop... thinking...?" Remus repeated slowly, looking at Sirius as though he had just suggested that Remus tear out all his own hair and knit it into a sweater.

"Animagi." Sirius said, as though this word would make perfect sense to Remus.

"Ani... what about Animagi?" He demanded, sitting up in confusion.

Sirius' grin widened. "We're going to become Animagi."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I know, a cliffhanger. I didn't want to take too long with summer vacation, as I've got some very important things lined up for the boys' third year. I thought a bit of foreshadowing as to the next couple years would suffice. Please review, or favorite, or send me an email even!

I did want to mention James' parents, as they are the cause of a lot of speculation among the Potter community. On the Black family tree there is a Dorea Black (aunt to Walburga, Sirius' mother), and she is apparently married to a Charlus Potter. There was a lot of talk on the interwubs about Charlus and Dorea being either James' parents or close relatives. The two did have only one son, and did die before 1981 (as James' parents did). James' parents also had a son much later in life, which would follow this line of thinking as well. Because of timeline and math discrepancies, it doesn't translate into real life very well, but if you take into account the fact that Rowling herself has said on several occasions that she doesn't do math in the story well, and therefore take the timeline with a grain of salt, it isn't unreasonable to make these two James' parents. Please feel free to argue with me about this fact, but I have thought it through quite thoroughly, and like the idea of using Dorea and Charlus instead of the faceless "Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

And, in case you were wondering, this makes James and Sirius second-cousins, as Sirius is Dorea's great-nephew, hence "Auntie".

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK:

hotpinkfleur: as always, my ever-present writing advisor and friend *hug*

TragedyCatalyst, Cere-Sempai, pshhh yeahh, PharaohDeli, and WitchOfDarkness13: More reviewers! You have no idea how happy it makes me to see that I'm not just writing this story for myself. Thank you for reading!