Again the next chappy!
It's going to slow down from here a bit, got to seriously start working somehow!
But please, review! It's what makes it worth writing!
Revelations
The next day the subject of Remus' lycanthropy and Lily's knowledge of it were dropped into conversation.
Sunday morning in the sixth year Gryffindor boys dorm tended to be a very lazy affair, but with the James and Lily business, the discovery of Remus' furry little problem (as James and now Lily referred to it), and with it just being after the full moon and all, well, there was a flurry of movement well before nine o'clock, which, except on the part of Remus, tended to happen every once in a blue moon.
James, of course, couldn't wait to see Lily. After all, he had missed the majority of Friday night with her, despite her ending up in his bed in the early hours of the morning.
He was dashing around the dorm, pulling on Sirius' hat as a sock and Peter's tie as a belt. Running to brush his teeth he almost tripped over Peter's shoe, and was just about to put the brush in his mouth when he realised that it was Remus' toothbrush. He threw it down, and grabbed his, careful to check it was actually his this time.
Remus watched all this is silent amusement. James spat in the sink and yelled a muffled "see you later!" and ran out of the room after Peter, who had also quickly got dressed (with slightly more care than James, who still hadn't realised that his jumper was on back to front), and hurried out of the room, mumbling something about sending a return owl to his mum. (This was nothing unusual, Peter was a mummy's boy).
"Looks like it's just you and me," Remus said, turning to face Sirius.
"Sorry mate, duty calls," Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows at Remus via his reflection in the mirror and running his hands through his hair to make it look slightly ruffled, a look that made all the girls go wild. He grinned. "Care to join?"
"I think I'll pass,"
"Your loss," Sirius gave his reflection one last grin before strutting out the room.
Remus sighed. "Might as well go get some breakfast myself then… Not that anyone really cares…" he mumbled to himself, also heading towards the door. Suddenly he stopped, eyes wide. Turning to face the empty room, he gasped and fumbled for his watch.
"Bloody hell, in the heaven of Merlin! Not yet twenty to nine on a Sunday morning and I'm the last one up, dressed and still in the dorm. And it's not even Christmas! There is something wrong with this!" He paused. "And I'm talking to myself," Shaking his head he went down to breakfast.
Sitting at the Gryffindor table he couldn't see any sign of James, Lily or Peter, but he could see a group of girls from every year and every house (excluding Slytherin, and most of the first and second years) surrounding something, and Remus would bet all his money it was Sirius.
So Remus sat alone, eating his toast and honey and pondering what to do the rest of the day. Not long after he started eating, a shadow fell over him and someone sat next to him. He looked up confused.
"Hi," the girl said nervously. She had medium length brown hair that tinted red in the sun and wide, deep-blue eyes. Her cheeks were rosy and her shy smile was dazzling.
"Hi," Remus replied.
"I, um, was, y'know, wondering," She paused, looking further up the table to a gaggle of fifth year girls. They grinned and waved at her to go on as they saw her look at them. "If you wanted to go on the next Hogsmeade visit with me?" she finished, now blushing furiously.
"Um, sure," Remus said, feeling his blush creep up.
"Cool," the girl said, getting up. "See you, then,"
"Yeah," Remus said, dazed. "Wait, what's your name?"
"Oh. Kiahna. Kiahna James,"
"Nice to meet you, Kiahna," Remus said, knowing as she walked up the table just how lame he sounded.
"So, our little Moony just got asked on a date, did he?" Sirius appeared from nowhere.
Remus didn't reply. "Shit!" He said loudly, causing a few people to look round, but he didn't notice.
"What?" Sirius asked, startled.
"My furry little problem!" Remus hissed at him. "I can't go out with her!"
"Remus, it's only a date, mate! And you'll be fine, the next visit is next weekend, nowhere near the full moon," Sirius replied, making sure to be quiet.
"What if she wants to see me again?"
"You'll have to decide whether she's trustworthy or not on your date," Sirius said, "But keep it natural,"
Remus groaned. "What a mess!"
xxx
"Hey, Pete. Where were you this morning? We missed you," Peter mimicked James with a sneer on his face. "Who does he think he is?" He growled angrily.
Snape looked at him, his eyes hard. "James Potter?"
Peter sneered. "That's no excuse!"
"Well, everyone else seems to think so!"
Peter spat on the ground. "More fool them!"
"So, when can you set it up then?" Snape asked.
"As soon as I can, Severus! I will let you know!
"I don't trust you…"
"Who needs trust? It always screws you over,"
Snape wisely stopped talking.
"None of them even care!" Peter burst out, breaking the still silence.
"Why did they notice you weren't there then?"
"Oh, that'd have been ever-observant Evans. Can you believe she's got her dirty claws into James, and he's letting her?"
"No," Snape murmured.
"I'd do anything for my friends (lol I'd Do Anything For Love came on as I wrote that) at the best of times, really I would, but sometimes they just do my head in!"
"At least you have friends," Snape muttered.
"It's your own fault, Snape! And you know what? Find someone else to do your dirty work! I'm nobody's doormat and it's time people realised it!" Peter stormed out of the classroom, leaving Snape to stare after him in disbelief.
"Bloody Gryffindors!" He slapped his hand on the table.
xxx
"Guess what?" Sirius plonked himself into James' lap, which Lily had just vacated.
"What?" James asked, pushing Sirius on the floor and pulling Lily back into his lap, half because he wanted to and half because he didn't want Sirius to. Lily didn't protest.
Sirius leapt back up and prepared to jump on Lily.
"Don't," she warned.
"Party-pooper," he grumbled.
"Heavy mutt," she replied, good-naturedly.
"Anyway…" James intercepted Sirius' (rather rude) reply.
"Anyway… Ooh, guess what?!" Sirius yelled.
"What?" Lily asked, as James said "Do you have to be so loud?"
"Moony got a d-aaaate!" Sirius said, grinning broadly.
They all turned to look at Remus, who looked as if you could fry an egg on his face.
"Ooh, with who?" Lily asked.
"Kiahna James," Remus blushed, if it were possible, even more.
"Cool! She's really nice!" Lily said.
"Maybe we could double date sometime?" James suggested.
"I don't know, guys…"
"Why not?" Lily looked at him oddly.
"I just don't think it's a good idea…"
"Not still worrying about your furry little problem, are you?" Sirius asked him, accusingly.
"No…"
"Anyone tell you you're a bad liar, Moony? Because it's true, you're rubbish!"
"Not helping, Sirius!"
"What? What did I do? Oh, whatever! See you later, maybe," He stormed off out of the portrait hole.
"What's eating him?" James asked.
"No idea," Remus replied.
"Hey, Remus," Remus looked at Lily. "If she really likes you, she won't care, okay?"
He mumbled incoherently.
"Trust me,"
"Always, Lily,"
Remus noticed James' slight discomfort at this and glanced at his watch.
"Hey, Pete. We got at least an hour left till curfew. Wanna go the library and get started on that Charms essay?"
"Sure, lemme just go fetch my stuff," Peter answered, jumping up and going to grab his stuff.
Remus nodded. "See you later, James, Lily," They waved as Peter reappeared laden with books, parchment and quills and then disappeared with Remus through the portrait hole.
"Finally, all mine," James said, burying his head into Lily's chest.
"Yup," Lily said, yawning.
"Wanna go up to bed?"
"Mine or yours?"
"Whichever,"
"Yours then," she winked, slowing climbing off him and casually walking to the boys' staircase, dragging him behind her.
xxx
Sirius found his way down to the Entrance Hall, careful to make sure he wasn't seen with the cunning use of the Marauders Map. That way, he reflected, he would be much less likely to be caught and his friends couldn't find him either. There were certain advantages of being the only sniffer in the group.
He pulled open the big oak doors and quietly manoeuvred out the gap. He pulled the door to and winced at the loud bang that sounded. He would find another way back into the castle.
He set off across the grounds, keeping to the shadows, and, as he neared the edge of the forest, he transformed into a big, black, shaggy dog. Then he set himself free. He felt all his anger, frustration and hurt melt away. The pain that had built up over the years seemed to ebb slowly away until Sirius just felt free.
He bounded to the edge of the forest nearest to the castle and just looked at it. It was his home, and he had never been happier.
He transformed halfway back to the castle. He shivered and berated himself for not bringing a cloak. Tired, he wearily pulled out his wand and tried to Accio his broom. A minute later it appeared in front of him, and pulled himself up. He checked the map and was surprised to see Professor McGonagall in Dumbledore's office.
He tucked away the map and flew his broom to the tower where Dumbledore's office was located. He stopped there, listening hard.
"But what does this mean, Albus?" McGonagall's worried voice reached Sirius. The headmaster gave an incomprehensible answer.
McGonagall gasped. "They're only teenagers!"
"I know, Minerva, but Voldemort will spare no one,"
Sirius' heart gave a lurch, and he leaned forward. He could vaguely see the anxious frame of McGonagall, eyes fixed on something in front of her that Sirius couldn't see, but whom Sirius knew was Dumbledore.
"What can we do, Albus?"
"Look out for them. That's all we can do, for now." Dumbledore added. "I won't lie, there is a probability that more than half our current sixth and seventh year students will end up dead, or Death Eaters, at the very least. But we are receiving more information daily, and our work is starting to show."
"But what good is it doing?"
Dumbledore's answer was again incomprehensible.
"And what of Miss Evans and Mr Potter's dream, Albus?"
"I do not know if that is indeed their future, Minerva. But in all likelihood, they will die young…"
"No," McGonagall breathed.
"I am afraid, yes. Although we will do everything in our power to prevent it,"
"Of course," There were tears in McGonagall's eyes and Sirius decided he had heard enough.
James was going to die and there was nothing they could do? Sirius' resolve hardened. He would not let James, or Lily, die!
He flew up to the Gryffindor Tower and climbed in the window. He saw James and Lily curled up together on James' bed and he smiled.
He carefully hid his broom whilst debating whether to tell Remus and Peter what he knew. Deciding he would he quickly checked the map and headed out towards the library.
Not minutes after Sirius had left, Lily's eyes flew open and she gasped, her heart beating wildly against her chest.
"James!" she cried, "The dream…?"
"I know," he said, hugging her close. "I saw it too."