Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I have no ownership over Harry Potter and its wonderful universe. I do own my OC's and story line.

Harry Potter - The Marauders Era

"The Princess Marauder"

March, 1976 - Fifth Year

"This is childish..." Remus said as we exited Zonko's store.

I snorted. "Since when is it not childish when it comes from those two?"

"Oi!" they chorused.

"It's just a little bit of fun, 'Ro," Sirius continued. "That Dirk Cresswell prat is getting too cocky for his own good. He needs to be put back into his place, knock some modesty into his thick skull."

"That's rich coming from you. Ever heard of the expression 'pot, kettle, black'?"

He crossed his arms and pouted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Oh great, he was sulking again. I rolled my eyes, poking him on the ribs, making him jump with a yelp. "I mean you're not exactly the humblest chap of the lot. You go about bragging about all the birds that swoon with your smile."

Sirius grinned smugly. "Well, I can't help it if it's true. But don't be jealous 'Ro, you'll always be my one and only."

"Me, jealous? Hilarious, Padfoot."

"Alright, enough you two!" James ducked under the arm Sirius had over my shoulders so he could walk between us. "The only important matter here is: are we doing this or what?"

By "this" James meant scaring the living daylights of our Hufflepuff classmate, Cresswell. I wasn't particularly fond of the boy but he'd never done anything to upset me, except for maybe always speaking over Lily during Potions. He was a favourite of Slughorn and the professor paid no mind in showering him with sickening flattery.

Since there was really no way to say no to James and Sirius when they got an idea through those heads I tagged along.

Oh what was I rambling about? I always tagged along. I was as bad as them.

The five of us hid behind a shop watching the auburn haired boy walk by with some of his friends. Sniggering, Sirius lit up one of the fireworks he had just purchased from Zonko's and the little thing let out a sizzling sound before speeding towards Cresswell like a cannon ball, exploding on his feet in a series of pops and cracks, scaring the socks off the group. They screamed, trampling over each other in their attempt to flee and Cresswell lost his balance, landing on his nose in a mud puddle.

We burst into laughter, Remus covering his face to hide a smirk as he shook his head. As I took a step back from where I was, perched over Sirius, faithful to my clumsy nature, I stumbled over a bump on the ground. I braced myself for the fall but a strong arm hooked around my waist, stopping me from landing on my bum. I glanced up, only to blush when I found the very (very!) dashing seventh year, Amos Diggory.

"You're lucky I'm not vengeful," he said with a swooning smile. "Had I been, I would've let you fall because of what you just did to one of my house mates."

I bit my lip, losing all train of thought as he kept his arm around my waist. My... wasn't he handsome. "Err... sorry...?" I trailed off uncertainly.

Amos chuckled, the sound warming up my face even more. "How could I not forgive you when you look so adorable?"

"Oi, Diggory! You coming or what?"

I glanced behind him towards his group of friends at the same time he did. They shot me a few cheeky smiles, adding to my state of fluster, and apparently to Amos' amusement as he laughed and told his friends he would catch up later.

"Would you care to join me on the ride back to the castle?" he asked smoothly.

"Oh." I blinked, surprised. "I don't know, uh... my friends wanted to go to the Honeydukes before going back..."

Amos further surprised me by turning to the boys and asking them if he could steal me away for a few hours. James and Peter sniggered as they bobbed their heads affirmatively. Sirius only looked disgruntled. Sheesh, talk about protective much? He seriously needed to lighten up on the idea of me and boys.

"Aurora said she needed me to help her with her Herbology homework this afternoon," Remus said coldly. I bit my lip nervously. He looked about ready to chop off the arm Amos was keeping around my waist.

"Oh don't worry, Lupin, I can help her with that," Amos replied. Was it just me or did he sound defiant? "Fifth year homework is fairly easy for a seventh year like me."

Remus pursed his lips into a thin line, eyes flashing dangerously. He turned to me with a scowl. "Aurora?"

Shit, I cursed. I knew what I wanted – to stay with my friends... with Remus. But being around him was hard and sometimes painful for the both of us, especially with the full moon so close. I had to do something to stop thinking about him, something to stop these feelings.

So I took a deep breath.

"Sorry, Remus," I said, and the words were like thorns to my heart. "I'll catch up with you boys later."

I smiled weakly before letting Amos tug me away. He immediately launched on a very enthusiastic conversation about his trip to Moldavia last summer. Despite myself, I couldn't help a quick glance back at my best friend one last time over the shoulder. I met the cold in his eyes with a heavy chest.

After returning to the castle with Amos, we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon together. He was surprisingly easy to talk to and he was very intelligent as well. Which was a plus because I really did need help with my Herbology homework assignment. As I made my way to the Gryffindor Tower, I thought about the way he kissed my hand when we parted and how I wished it had been Remus.

Ah, sodding hell... I sighed dejectedly.

The boys were scattered around the Common Room when I came in. Peter was working on a History of Magic essay due next Monday. Sirius and James were playing Wizard's Chess in front of the fireplace, and the last one seemed to be winning by the cocky curve of his lips. Remus was sitting on the couch, long legs stretched along its length, reading a book, forehead scrunched.

He looked pale, I noticed. The full moon always took a toll on him, and I hated it. I wished, more than anything, there was something I could do to ease his pain. He looked up with a scowl as soon as he heard me come in.

"So how was your date?" The word "date" came out as bitter snap, getting the boys' attention.

I frowned. "It wasn't a date. He walked me back, helped me with my homework and then we just talked."

"The entire afternoon?" James teased with a smirk.

"Yes, turns out he's very interesting and very sweet."

"Yeah, I bet he is," Remus growled as he stood up. I clenched my fists. He had to know why I was doing this. There was just no way he didn't. So why couldn't he bloody cooperate at least a bit?

"Well, then you bet correctly," I hissed. "Am I not allowed to have other friends?"

"Oh please! The last thing on his mind when he grabbed you like that was friendship!"

"That's absurd! Amos was nothing short of a gentleman with me!"

"He's older than you, Aurora!"

"I hardly believe two years make much of a difference!"

"It will when he tries to shove his hand up your skirt!

"EXCUSE ME?!"

James stepped in the middle of us. "Uhh guys... everyone is looking at you..."

"Shut up, Prongs!"

He rolled his eyes with a groan.

Remus and I avoided each other like the plague for the rest of the week. There were several attempts from Sirius, James and even Peter to mend things between us. The last one included locking us in the DADA room for two hours and the only outcome was me ending up with a sore throat from yelling and Remus with a bump on his forehead when I threw him a book. Afterwards they decided it would be best to just leave us alone.

I was furious with him. More than anyone, he understood my reasons for trying to notice other boys. We both knew something had to be done otherwise everything would end up falling apart and I couldn't ruin the Marauders because of what we felt for each other. I didn't know a single thing about relationships, but I understood enough to know they were complicated, and often ruined friendships. Well, I couldn't let that happen. Things were fine how they were... weren't they?

After staring at the dark ceiling of my dorm room for hours, lying in bed awake while everyone was already fast asleep, I sighed exasperatedly for what seemed like the hundredth time. Bloody fucking hell!

I cursed like a sailor several times in my head, kicking off the covers and tiptoeing out of the room, climbing into the other opposite dorm. The lads were snoring like chainsaws in deep sleep. Sirius was the loudest, I would recognize the sound anywhere. At home, I could hear him all the way across the hall, it drove me mad sometimes. Often I was forced to get out of bed and cast a Muffling Charm on his door so I would be able to catch at least some sleep.

I walked past his sprawled form and moved behind the curtain surrounding Remus bed. Thank Merlin he didn't snore. I quietly slipped next to him under the covers, assuming he was asleep. As I was about to wake him, though, he snapped his eyes open, nearly giving me a heart attack.

"What are you doing?" he whispered. I was glad he didn't sound harsh otherwise I might've lost my nerve. "Aren't we fighting?"

"Yes, but I don't want to anymore," I said quickly.

Remus heaved a long, tired sigh. "You shouldn't be in my bed. Sirius hates it."

"That has never stopped us before," I replied playfully, successfully getting a smile out of him.

"True..." He paused for a few seconds before finally blurting, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too... I shouldn't have thrown that book at your head..."

"No, you really shouldn't have." He smirked at my glare. "I might've deserved it though, so apologies accepted."

We fell into an awkward silence for a moment. There was large gap between us, I noticed, Remus was nearly on the edge of the bed and I on the other. He frowned, likely realizing the same.

"Do you want me to go?" I asked quietly, trying not to sound as sad as I was.

"No," he promptly said. Before I knew it, he had me flushed against him, holding me in his arms. "Please don't go. I missed you."

I bit back a smile, hiding my face on his chest. "I thought I was an insufferable, infuriating, stubborn witch," I teased, feeling him vibrate against me, chuckling.

"You are," he replied, smile present in his voice, "but I wouldn't change that for the world."

"Glad to know."

Remus moved one of the arms he had around me. I held my breath when his fingers glided over my naked shoulder, finding the loose strap of my top, playing with it, brushing against my skin as he twirled the material gently. I shivered and he tightened his hold, watching me. The familiar burning fire lit inside his eyes, swirling with that wonderful green in a violent dance.

"You're shaking," he whispered.

"I am," I breathed.

He pulled the strap up and then slid it down again, the tips of his fingers ghosting over my arm. "Why?"

"You know why." I gripped the front of pyjama shirt as he repeated the action, this time slower, lingering. I stifled a whimper. "God Remus, please stop..."

His throaty chuckle made my belly squirm. I gasped when instead he slipped his hand under my top, finding the curve of my waist. "You're the one who sneaked into my bed, Aurora."

I bit my lip, arching against him despite all the orders shouting stop inside my brain. His fingers skimmed across my skin. Merlin, what was he doing to me? I couldn't think when he touched me. He turned me into a complete weak, blabbering, shaking fool.

"And you–" I whimpered when his hands moved higher, stroking my ribs. "You're supposed to keep your hands off me, remember?"

"I do remember." He chuckled again. "They can't seem to listen to my commands though. Why are you wearing these skimpy pyjamas?"

"Oh you know... I was looking through my wardrobe before going to bed and decided I should wear something to purposely entice my hormonal sixteen year old best friend," I remarked breathlessly, digging my nails in the fabric of his shirt.

Remus placed his forehead against mine, biting his lip. "Best friends don't sneak into each other's beds like this, Aurora."

"I know," I whispered, staring at the flesh caught between his teeth. "I can't stay away from you... no matter how many times I tell myself we can't do this..."

Sighing, he pulled his hand from under my top and drew me into another tight hug, nuzzling the crown of my head. I copied him, hiding my flaming face on his chest, breathing in the smell of chocolates and old books I loved so much.

"I don't want you to date anyone else," he murmured in my hair. "Am I selfish for that?"

"I don't know... I don't want you to either, so maybe we're both selfish..."

He mumbled something incoherent, hugging me tighter.