Thank you all reviews and adds so far! Sorry it took so long to update! Hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

You are someone else…

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Peter complained to a chuckling James.

He snorted, "God, Peter, isn't it clear?" He glanced to Sirius who walked on his other side, continuing, "You're no good at pranks. I mean, you are, but you're no good at hiding it."

"Whah!?" The boy cried.

Sirius and James giggled; Black taking note of the brunette walking to his left side. His nose was in a book, yet again, but he still kept the grace and speed that truly made him Remus Lupin. Sirius was entranced by the glowing, yet somehow forlorn look in the werewolf's eyes when James's voice came back into focus,

"Just like Moony, aye?"

James nudged Sirius and hearing his name triggered Remus's attention,

"Sorry? What was said about me?"

James leaned over Sirius as they turned a corner, replying, "You're no good at pulling pranks cause you've got no poker face!"

Remus shot his arms down in protest, "I resent that! I do too have a poker face!"

James chuckled, "As if, Moony, you've got zero tolerance for our tricks and you're a teacher's pet! Of course you don't have any innocent-acting skills!"

"Fine," Lupin agreed, "I admit I'm not a good actor at all, but I'll have you know that I'm quite good at hiding things, so my poker face is actually very trained. Hiding my stress isn't a great talent, sorry, but I think you having to perfect your acting skills to lie is worse than any anti-skills I have."

James rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, you nag like my mother."

Just at that moment, Ms. Lily Evans was rushing past them. James gripped her arm before she could pass, cutting over Peter who immediately rushed to the end of their group's line; by Remus's side. She scowled at James, seething,

"What do you want, Potter?"

He grinned, "Just a look at that pretty face of yours, love."

Sirius blushed, remembering how that seemed to be his subconscious's new nickname for his maybe-crush. She groaned in disgust, trying to free her arm from him, but to no avail,

"Let go of me! I'm in a rush!"

"And why is that?" James interviewed.

She may as well have grown horns with fire in her eyes as she snarled, "If you must know, I'm off to meet a friend of mine, now let go."

He did as she ordered and she immediately stomped off, ignoring James calling compliments after her. He looked to Sirius, a sly and relaxed face drawn on as he muttered, "Yeah, she wants me."

Sirius and Remus bit back laughter as Peter just looked bewildered. James didn't appreciate the red faces holding laughter, so instead changed the subject,

"Hey, Padfoot?"

"Yeah?"

"Peter, Remus!" Interrupted a voice.

They all turned around to see the Hospital Wing nurse approaching, she seemed nearly panicked, but she was a high-anxiety person whose emotions really went to extremes; meaning none of them even batted an eye at her exasperated appearance.

"I need you two, your parents are here."

Peter took on the nurse's expression as Remus's brows curved into a cross of anger and sadness. He muttered,

"My mother came alone?"

The nurse nodded, "She told me your father was unable to make it, that he was bombarded with work."

He looked away, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Sirius and James both moved their gazes to Remus until the nurse insisted, "Come on, then, come on, they're waiting!"

"Why are they here?" Peter pressed worriedly as he walked up to her.

They both began walking as she replied, "Well your parents wanted to take you home for this weekend, so they came after getting Dumbledore's permission. Yours," she said, turning back to Remus who stood frozen beside Sirius, "…she came to check up on you. She said you haven't replied to a single letter she's sent and she's worried sick that you dropped dead somewhere and she was left without a clue."

Remus looked away from all eight eyes that centered on him, responding softly, "Do I really need to see her right now?"

The nurse looked displeased, "Yes. She's practically having a heart-attack, so I'd say now is a good time to say hello."

Sirius went out to put a comforting hand on Remus's shoulder, but he very suddenly speed-walked past the nurse and Peter, muttering, "Let's get this over with then…"

Peter frowned as did Sirius and James while the nurse looked after Remus as if he were a blatant criminal let out free of charge. Peter waved back at them awkwardly before following the nurse and Remus's trail. James and Sirius turned back around, headed to the Great Hall when Sirius inquired,

"Why was Remus so bummed?"

James sighed heavily, "He doesn't talk about it, but I heard Dumbledore talking with his mother once. Course I wasn't supposed to hear this, so you better not repeat a word of this, but from what I heard I know Remus and his father were really close but ever since Remus was bitten his father's been completely disgusted with him, calls him a bloomer; barely treats him like a human."

"But," Sirius began, "I…I thought his mother said his father would have come if he could've…"

James shrugged, "His mother's always making up stories like that so that Remus doesn't have to hear that his father isn't done erasing Remus's existence from his memory bank."

Sirius's heart sank as he looked onto James's indignant glare; it wasn't a glare directed at Sirius, the absent nurse or Remus, it was meant for the werewolf's father. James stopped by a stone ledge, near to the outside of the castle where many kids were gossiping and laughing to sit in between two of the pillars. He sighed,

"I hate his father for that. I mean, my dad can get on my case sometimes and I'll say I hate him for it…but Remus…he and his father never fought…then suddenly Remus is changed and his father doesn't even acknowledge he's alive anymore…and Remus doesn't do a single thing. He doesn't complain or yell or scream…he doesn't even hate him. He just keeps loving his father from far away…I don't understand how…or why…but he does it…and I don't think he's stopped for a single moment."

Sirius quietly fumed, "That's bullshit. Remus is practically the ϋbermensch! He might as well—"

"I know," James interjected, "you know I know. But bringing it up will hurt Remus, so we shouldn't talk about it."

As James stood again, Sirius's heart throbbed and he stated, "That's not protecting."

"What?"

Sirius turned to face James, rewording, "That's…that's not right. He should talk about his father…otherwise we're just hurting him more…"

"What?" James started, cocking a brow in frustration to Sirius making an argument against him, "I thought we swore to protect him, you of all people—"

"I know! I know what we promised, but we can't protect him forever—"

"Oh, well, genius, I told you that about, let's see—four years ago! Remember? Remember when I said he couldn't stand on his own if we—"

"Yes! Damn it, I know! I know, but if he—"

"If he what, Sirius!? If he what? If we talk about his father, he'll blow up at us or get depressed; don't fucking do it!"

"No!" Sirius shot, "No! Because if he can't talk about his father with us, then he can't trust us and if he can't trust us—"

"He doe—"

"We're teaching him to hide, James! Damn it, can't you see that!? If we're letting him hide and lie, we're teaching him to run from the people that love him most!"

"Hide and lie about what?!"

"James! Are you listening to me at all!? He needs to face pain like rumors and people and his father, otherwise he can't grow and we're helping him! We're making it more possible for him to avoid people and avoid pain and disappointment! We ca—"

"Sirius." James interrupted, "Let's not argue. Not now. We'll talk about it later. Okay?"

Black exhaled deeply, muttering, "Fine. What else would you like to talk about?"

James scowled at the sarcastic-like tone Sirius had given him and cocked a brow as he replied harshly,

"How about we talk about the wonderful time you and Remus had the other day?"

"What are you talking about?"

James ground his teeth with a cross of all-knowingness and disgust on his face as he repeated, "The other day, you know, when you two set off on your brooms for a romantic afternoon at Xanadu tower."

"Shut up, James, you know I went alone."

"Alone?" James's expression suddenly melted to confusion, "What do you mean you went alone?"

"Remus stayed behind, of course. Don't be making up stories now."

James took a step back with concerned eyes, "…he didn't go with you?"

"How many times do I have to say that?"

"Well, he wasn't in Defense!"

They both stared at each other for a long moment until Sirius implored, "He…wasn't in Defense? What do you mean he wasn't in Defense?"

"I mean Peter and I thought he went with you! He never showed up!"

There was a heavy silence again until Sirius mumbled, "…impossible…where was he then?"

"Library?" James offered.

"Doubt it; he would've got caught by a teacher there…"

"Unless he went to the dorm first and used my cloak." James suggested darkly.

"But..." Sirius began, "...why?"