Disclaimer: See Prologue

A/N: Sadly based on a true conversation and picture, shortly after I too was made prefect.

Harry pulled out a photograph that showed Lupin, who still had his mane of reddish-brown hair, holding a shining silver badge. The four Marauders stood in a large garden with a sea view, laughing and looking distinctly impressed.

"The badge?" asked Harry, thinking this may have been Lupin turning down head-boy.

"Prefect." replied Lupin, smiling wistfully.

1975

Summer at Lupin's had become an annual event taking place in August shortly after the full moon and lasting a week. Sleepy Cottage, which housed four young wizards, Lupin's father who worked ridiculously long hours at the Ministry, and his muggle mother, was teaming with life during this week and Lupin was constantly surprised that his mother continued to allow said visits.

It was the week that they all looked forward to. Lupin counted down the days until he could see his friends, not even caring that he would have to endure a transformation before they arrived. Sirius would stop at nothing to escape his family for a week and Lupin's home was so very different from his own, with loving parents and dinners the whole family could sit down to without threatening to kill one another before dessert. James treated it as a holiday that showed him how the other-half lived. It was lovely to wake up of a morning and listen to a cock crow, signalling it was time to feed the chickens. It was lovely to hear the waves crashing against the cliffs on which Lupin lived. It was lovely not to hear traffic or the sounds of busy London. On the other hand, it was lovely to know that he didn't have to live like Lupin. He could go home to a house-elf and a large, soft bed. And Peter was just glad to have been invited.

It had become a ritual. The first morning was always spent unpacking. The other three boys would all travel down on the earliest train on the Monday morning and Lupin would meet them at the station at half past eleven.

Upon walking through the door, Mrs. Lupin would fuss over them as if they were all her sons and immediately set to making sugary tea with scones, Peter's favourite part of the holiday.

The afternoon was spent walking round the cliffs, looking down onto the beach, full of holiday-makers and thinking of ingenious pranks to pull over the next six days.

At six o'clock exactly, Mr. Lupin would apparate into the garden and dinner would be served by which time the boys would have to be back and already sitting at the table. None of them especially minded Mrs. Lupin's little quirks. Sirius took it to be a sort of twisted muggle ritual. A whole family eating together, even spending time together in the same room for an indefinite period of time was something truly alien.

This particular Thursday afternoon, the Marauders were to be found in a nearby field playing Quidditch with various sized fruit. It had to be said that watching Sirius pelt a watermelon in your general direction was one of the scariest things ever witnessed.

"Remus! REMUS!"

Lupin sighed and swerved to avoid the watermelon and landed with ease in his back garden. No sooner had he done so that his mother wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead. He had tried to bat her off before his friends followed him but had failed miserably.

"Remus, you're a prefect." his mother told him, waving his letter.

"You opened my mail?"

His mother appeared not to hear. "They said they were sorry that it hadn't arrived with your O.W.L. results and here's your badge."

"You're a prefect?" laughed Sirius. "Who the hell made you prefect?"

Mrs. Lupin was not at all impressed. Her lips pursed and her nostrils flared. "Remus is a good boy, aren't you Remus?"

Lupin cringed. "Mmmhmm."

"I think maybe it was to calm us lot down." said James. "But it's not going to work right Moony? You're not going to shop us, are you?"

"Nah," agreed Sirius. "We'd be in detention with him all the bloody time if he did and then he'd never escape us."

"We're on easy street!" James didn't so much high-five Sirius as slam his hand into his best friend's.

Lupin stared incredulously at the badge in the palm of his hand…

CLICK!

…And was soon brought out of his reverie.

"Mum! I keep telling you not to mess with my camera." His beam soon returned. "Prefect. I still can't believe they made me prefect."

"I don't think any of us said congrats so we're all saying it now." said James, laughing as the smile on Lupin's face grew even wider.

Peter gave him a half-smile and nodded once. "Yeah, well done Moony."

Sensing the tension, Sirius almost screamed in mock horror, "Quick Moony, it's rusty."

It was worth it for Lupin's gasp and subsequent facial expression as he glanced down at his badge and began to polish it with the hem of his woollen jumper.

With the exception of a frustrated Lupin, they all burst into hysterical laughter. Even Peter had forgotten his grievances.

"I bet it won't even stay up on my tie." said Lupin. "Remember Narcissa's badge would always sort of…I don't know…flop down. Every time you saw her you'd make a big deal of it Padfoot."

Sirius smiled wistfully. "Ah yes…back in the day." Remembering suddenly, his eyes widened. "That's because she didn't use Viagra."

Lupin raised his eyebrows and coughed. "Um…"

"Pin the badge to the back of your tie as well and then it'll stay up. It's Viagra for your prefect badge." Not noticing Lupin's look of confusion, amusement and concern, Sirius continued, "On the down side, it means that you can't polish it until it gleams and shine it in the faces of all the first years you want to give detention to."

Lupin smirked. "I'll take the risk."

1995

Lupin clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Viagra for your prefect badge. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous?"

Sirius smiled smugly and shrugged. "It worked didn't it?"

"I'm not denying that."

Harry looked faintly disturbed. "Are we ever going to find a clean photograph?"

Lupin thoroughly agreed. "I don't know. You'd probably have to go back to one from our first year and even then it's a push with Sirius around."

Lupin's well developed reflex caught the box lid before it hit him square in the face.

"Must have been Kreacher." lied Sirius. "We really must have words."