A handful of moments I wished I could change

But I was carried away

Give me therapy

I'm a walking travesty

But I'm smiling at everything

"Evans looked pretty pissed about you and I hanging out." Winston said, looking at Remus with curious eyes. They sat outside the post office at Hogsmeade, hands in their coat pockets to keep them warm.

Remus shrugged. "I guess they think we're together or something. And that's ridiculous because we're just friends."

"Of course we're just friends." Winston confirmed, looking away from Remus and staring at the window of the shop in front of him.

Lily smiled at James as he stood at the bottom of the stairs into the girls dormitory.

"Thanks for a fun day, Potter. I really enjoyed myself." She said gently, and James grinned at her. "Yeah. So did I. So, admit it. I'm not a big headed prat."

"Whatever floats your boat, Potter." She said, laughing as she turned to walk up the stairs. James grinned all the way back into the dormitory. Inside, Remus sat on his bed reading a book.

"Hey, Moony, what were you doing with Winston today? I thought you liked Pads." James asked, walking over to stand at the edge of Remus's bed. Remus looked up from his book calmly, and nodded.

"I do. Like I said, I was just spending some time with a friend. I am allowed to have other friends, aren't I?" Remus asked, smiling a little as he did so. James sneered at him.

"Of course you are, your highness! I was just asking. I think Sirius would be upset if you went and got a boyfriend."

"Not likely. I mean, yeah he might be upset, but he needn't worry. I'm not the kind of person who has a lot of girls and boys trailing after them all the time- unlike Padfoot." Remus said, looking back at his book. James sat down on his own bed, kicking off his shoes.

"How was your date with Lily?" Remus asked, watching James as he took of his jumper and stretched out on his bed. James grinned at the ceiling.

"Amazing. She's the most beautiful girl in the entire world. And she's so funny! I mean it, she's honestly hilarious. She's not afraid to eat, either. I think there's something really unattractive about a girl who goes out to have a fun time with a guy somewhere and orders like… a drink, and just sips at it. Evans, however, can probably put away more food that Wormy."

"I doubt that." Remus muttered as he turned the page, "But I'm glad it went well. Things are finally looking up for you, eh?"

"They are indeed." James said, closing his eyes, smiling happily. He looked elated. Remus, on the other hand, was stressing out. He felt pressured to make a decision about Sirius. He was worried that Lily would tell Sirius that Remus was hanging out with Winston- which of course wouldn't be a problem at all if Lily believed that Remus and Winston were just friends (Which the absolutely were).

As if on cue, Sirius entered the room. He looked at James, and a smile spread across his face.

"It went well, didn't it?"

"It did!" James proclaimed, opening his eyes and sitting up to look at Sirius. Sirius clapped a little, and gave James a thumbs up. He then looked at Remus. "Hey, Remus. What are you reading?"

"Just the Great Gatsby." Remus told him, turning another page. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Sounds boring. Oi, where'd you go today? I went to the library to spend some time with you and you weren't there. I checked back three times, too."

James looked at Remus, a smirk on his face. Remus sighed nasally, knowing that he was going to have to tell the truth. If he didn't, James was sure to tell Sirius in his place.

"I was in the library for a little while. But, uh, Winston wanted to go get some stuff from Hogsmeade and he asked me to go with him."
"Goodsir?" Sirius enquired, sitting on his own bed. Remus nodded slightly. Sirius stuck out his bottom lip, but he didn't say anything. Remus hoped Sirius wasn't upset.

The first class on Monday morning was Defence against the Dark Arts.

"Good afternoon, students. Take your seats, would you. Thank you. Quiet down- Potter! Your wand does not belong in Black's ear!"

Defence against the Dark Arts was taught by a short man with copious amounts of stubble and eyebrows that were so close together that they were nearly merged. He was a fairly mild-mannered old man most of the time, but he had a short temper and was often set off by the Marauders.

"I'm sure you've all noticed that I've dragged a trunk to the front of the room. Inside this trunk is a boggart. I assume you all know what a boggart is-"

"Yeah! Is it what you pick out of your nose?" Peter suggested loudly. Sirius and James burst into laughter, whilst Remus supressed a chuckle. Their professor pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing nasally with visible frustration.

"No, Pettigrew. That is a bogey." He muttered in annoyance, before a girl in Slytherin raised his hand. The professor smiled as he gestured to the girl. She looked smug as she said, "It's a creature that like, turns into whatever the person it's engaged with is scared of."

"That's right! Five points to Slytherin." The professor proclaimed, turning his back to the class and walking towards the trunk. James whirled around to poke his tongue out at the Slytherin girl, who looked slightly offended at the gesture.

"In order to defeat this boggart, we will need laughter. How do you get laughter from the one thing you are deathly afraid of? Why, you make it into something funny, of course! So when you are confronted by a boggart, you need to picture something funny in your head, and say riddikulus." The professor turned back around again, looking around the room with scrutinizing eyes.

"I would like a volunteer…" He began, a hand coming up to stroke his stubble as though he had a beard. His eyes settled on James. "Potter! Since you had the audacity to come into my class whilst jamming your wand into your friends ear, I think you should be the one to try it out first."

James groaned, but he stood up anyway. He made his way to the front of the class, and pulled out his wand. Holding it before him, his face had an air of concentration about it. The professor lifted the lid of the trunk, and a cloud of air came from within. It began to shift, pull and change. It turned into two human figures, falling slumped to the ground, dead. After a moment, James recognised them as his parents.

"Now think of something funny, Potter." The professor drawled. James was stuck frozen, staring at the bodies. "I- I- How?"

"Just think of something funny. You're meant to be a joker, aren't you?" The professor snapped. James flinched, not moving his eyes from the bodies. He swallowed hard, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he couldn't. The thought of his parents being dead was absolutely horrifying to him. They were his caregivers, and he loved them dearly.

"Do it! You're the class clown! Make it funny!" The professor was suddenly yelling. The sight of James's dead friends and family was making him shake, and it made him forget the spell.

"I- I can't." He finally managed to stammer, but the professor shouted again for him to do it.

"Sir, can't you see? He's terrified!" Lily suddenly cried out, standing up from her desk. Her eyes were demanding as she glared at the professor. The professor huffed. "Fine. Someone else step up and take his place. Someone who isn't completely useless. Let's keep it within that friend group, shall we? Black, you're up!"

Sirius stood up, passing James on his way back to his seat. He stopped. "Hey, Prongs. It's alright." He received a small, feeble nod in return. He walked to the front of the class, and the boggart began to change. This time, it became an exact reflection of Sirius. Same black skinny jeans, same black hair, same jumper with the rolled up sleeves. Except instead of the Gryffindor colours and insignia, it was Slytheirns. His smirk was knowing and sinister, and on his left arm was the Dark Mark. Sirius held out his wand.

I'll never be like them. Not ever.

"Riddikulus!"

The reflection turned into Severus Snape in a pretty green dress, and the class erupted into laughter. A smile even played over the professors lips. Sirius went back to his seat and the professors eyes flickered to Remus.

"Your turn, Lupin."

Remus stood up, flattening down his shirt before walking up the front. The boggart shifted for a while, before stopping. Hanging before Remus was a glowing orb- the moon. He drew in a sharp gasp of air, before raising his wand and shouting without hesitation, "Riddikulus!"

The orb turned into a cream pie, falling to the ground and splattering. The professor smiled, impressed, as confused mutters went around the classroom. "Why's Lupin scared of a moon?"

"How weird…"

During Recess, the Marauders sat under their tree as per usual. James snacked on an apple as he spoke to Sirius about Quidditch. Peter leaned against the tree with his eyes closed, looking close to sleep. Remus was still reading his book. A shadow fell over him and he looked up with a frown.

"Hey there, Lupin." Winston said, before sitting down. Remus smiled at Winston, folding over the corner of his page and closing his book. "Hey, Winston. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to see you." Winston said, beaming at Remus with cheerful eyes. Sirius watched him as he reached into Remus's lap and took his book.

"The Great Gatsby, eh?" He asked, looking at the back of the book. Remus nodded once. "You got it." He said, and Winston handed it back to him.

Sirius tapped Remus on the knee. "What are you doing over the Christmas holidays?" He asked. Remus blinked at him. "Me? I'm busy."

"With what?"

"That's a secret." Winston said, winking. Sirius took a deep breath, looking at Winston rather darkly. Remus could sense the tension, so he smiled brightly. "I'm sure I'll have some spare time somewhere. It's just mums got a tight leash on me." Remus assured Sirius, who smiled a little in return. "Cool. I'd love to spend a few nights at your house. Just us." He said, and Remus fought back a blush.

There was no denying that he was still very attracted to Sirius, and honestly, he wanted to be with him. But he didn't want to let it show just yet.

Winston stood up, and ruffled Remus's hair a little. "I've gotta read on tactics. I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose." He said, flashing James a grin before he turned and walked away. Remus opened his book again, trying to distract himself from Sirius's offer.

James grinned at Sirius in a mischievous way, and Sirius rolled his eyes at him.

Their next class was Herbology. Pomona paired up with Peter for their project, which was simply going a fine specimen of a plant of their choice.

"What plant do you want to grow?" Pomona asked Peter, a smile on her face. Peter shrugged a little. "Don't know. Something pretty, and not too dangerous."

"That sounds terribly boring. Let's pick something that could kill us if we looked after it wrong." Pomona said, her friendly smile turning into a sly grin. Peter blanched. "You're not being serious, are you?"

"Of course I am. But you've nothing to worry about. We can do that plant over there," She pointed to something in the corner that looked as though it was eyeing off students hungrily. Peter felt like he was going to faint.

"I've got three at home. They're easy once you're used to it. Don't worry, Pete." She reassured him, and he nodded slightly. She grinned, "Great! We'll get top marks for this!" She said happily, and Peter felt butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't stop looking at her as she wrote things down with a quill. He didn't care that other people thought she was dorky; he adored her anyway. He just wished he had the guts to flirt even just a little bit…

Sirius and James were paired up in Herbology. Sirius wanted James to pay attention to what they were doing, but he could tell that James was still a little shaken about Defence against the Dark Arts, and so he let him off the hook.

Remus, who was paired with Lily, kept stealing glances in Sirius's direction. Lily did not fail to notice.

"You're a terrible pervert." She told him, and his face flushed red. "I'm not perving! I'm just looking." He protested, and Lily rolled her eyes, dripping water onto a plant from the tip of her wand.

"Sure, sure. Why don't you just ask him out already?" Lily asked curiously, her voice lowered lest other students should overhear. Remus shyly looked away from Lily, and informed her quietly that he really already had.

"What? So you and he are-"

"No, no. I mean, I sort of have. I basically told him that I needed some time before we could go out and that I would get back to him when I was ready." He explained, and Lily grinned in an impish manner. "So he's reserved for you, eh? Remus Lupin, VIP!" The two laughed, and were reprimanded by their professor for overwatering their plant.

James's mind spun and his heart began to thump wildly. It was late; past midnight. He was lying in his bed, trying to get to sleep. The only problem was that in the chilling silence, his thoughts took a turn for the worst.

He remembered Defence against the Dark Arts. The sight of his parents, lying dead upon the floor. The sight of Sirius with the Dark Mark on his arm, cruel intention sparkling in his eyes. The sight of the full moon that taunted Remus to transform into a howling, hungry beast.

A lump rose in his throat.

Oh no. No, no… Not again. Why now?

His chest rose faster and faster as his breath sped up. His hands gripped the sheets. He let out a whimper.

"Oi. Is someone having a tug?" Sirius's voice could be heard asking from across the room. James could almost hear his cheeky smirk. James drew in a shaking, harsh breath, and Sirius sat bolt upright. His eyes searched the darkness for his friend.

"Prongs, is that you? Are you alright?"

He was answered with another harsh breath and an almost pathetic whimper. Sirius hauled himself out of his bed and stumbled through the dark, over to James's bed.

"James, breathe. Everything is going to be okay." Sirius said caringly.

"What's all that commotion? I'm trying to sleep…" Remus mumbled from under his blankets. Sirius looked back at Remus. "James is panicking. Don't worry, though. I've got it."

Remus propped himself up on an elbow. "Is he alright?"

"It's not started yet. I'm just trying to calm him down so we can avoid it all together. Come on, Prongs. Stop thinking about what you were thinking about before. Think about something else. Think about your date with Lily."

After a few moments, when James's breathing had slowed down a bit, Sirius reached over to touch the back of James's hand comfortingly. James's eyes snapped onto him.

"You alright?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Mmhm. I let my mind wander... Sorry to wake you up."

"No, it's fine, Prongs. You know it's always okay to disturb me whenever you need me. You're my brother in arms, my best friend. I'll drop everything to make sure you're okay just like I know you'd do for me." Sirius assured James, grabbing his hand. James squeezed Sirius's warm hand. The skin was soft, and comforting. "Thank you." He breathed, and Sirius stood up. Their hands untwined. "That's alright. Now, back to sleeping, eh? Don't think about anything, James. Clear your mind, you'll be okay."

Sirius got back into his bed. James closed his eyes.

He found sleep amongst his jumbled thoughts.