Chapter 29:

Overheard

"Do you know what we haven't been doing recently?" James asked his best friends.

"Nope," Sirius and Remus looked over at their best friend.

"Pranks!"James grinned, "not to mention we've not had any confrontations with the Slytherins."

"That's not a bad thing," Remus frowned, "I personally don't like our little confrontations with the Slytherins."

"I love pranks," Sirius grinned as he rubbed his hands together.

James chuckled, "So I was thinking…"

"Oh dear," Remus shook his head, "I'm not sure that I'm going to like this."

James went on to describe his new prank idea. "The girls are going to kill you," Remus laughed.

"No Remus," Sirius grinned like the dog he was, "they're going to hate us."

At that moment, Lily walked up to the marauders, automatically diverting James' attention. "Lupin are you ready to go on patrol?"

"Sure thing," Remus stood up preparing to leave, "while I'm gone, why don't you guys keep going with this new plan to get us all killed."

"Oh, we plan to," James grinned.

As they were walking away, Lily turned to Remus and frowned, "what are those idiots up to?"

"Nothing much," Remus replied, "Just their usual stuff."

"Their usual stuff isn't exactly nothing much," Lily retorted.

Lupin chuckled, "maybe not…"


The boys quickly came up with a fantastic plan to prank the Gryffindor girls. Not that they'd admit it but they missed the girls. Things hadn't been the same in a while. Peter was the only marauder to spend much time with the girls. Even Remus seemed to be keeping his distance. "Oi Moony, how come you and Stone haven't been hanging out as much recently?" James asked as he crawled into place under Lily's bed.

Remus frowned, "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh come on," James grinned, "you obviously like her."

"Like her?" Remus choked. "I'm a werewolf."

"What's your fury little problem got to do with it?" Sirius asked from beneath Marlene's bed.

"It's not right," Remus replied angrily, "I can't… I can't force that on her."

"How would you be…?" Peter began to say.

"Shut up Pete," James called, "I don't see how it's relevant. She likes you so what else do you want? It's not like you can hurt her… she's safely locked up in the castle when you change."

"That's not the point," Remus was exasperated now, "I shouldn't allow her to develop feelings for me when it will ruin her life."

"Ruin her life?" Sirius scoffed, "she'd be bloody lucky to get a bloke as good as you."

"But I'm a werewolf… I'm never going to have a secure future. No one will ever employ me. I'll always be an outcast – why the hell would I force the person I love to share that sort of half existence?"

"You love her?" James breathed, suddenly shocked.

"It doesn't matter," Remus frowned, "she's not mine to love."

There was a silence that permeated the room as the four friends thought over their conversation. James was thinking about Lily. He wasn't stupid enough to think himself in love but he was certain he felt something for her; something more than the loathing he professed. He knew that he had told everyone he loved her at times – it hadn't been love, perhaps infatuation. What Remus was feeling was real love, James thought to himself. He was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for Kate's. Since when did my friends grow up? James wondered.

Sirius was thinking about Marlene. Remus had a point. He couldn't be with Kate for a valid reason but Sirius didn't have that excuse. Marlene and Him were playing a silly game; hurting each other repetitively and there was no need. They should just get on with it and put things right.

Remus' thoughts were far sadder. He was almost dreaming a whimsical reverie of a pretty girl with blonde hair in a white dress. He could see her now before his eyes, looking at him with angelic blue eyes that professed their love as clearly as the most perfect blue sky. He could see that same girl with a child in her arms – a beautiful child with sandy blonde hair; his child – but soon the child was gone and the girl was no longer looking at him with a devoted expression. Her eyes spoke of hatred, loathing and distrust. She knew him for what he really was – a werewolf – and she no longer wanted anything to do with him.

Peter's thoughts were not sombre or happy but rather disappointed and angry. He was angry with James for telling him to shut up. He hated the way his friends looked down on him. Mary had commented on it a few times and it made him feel weak and unimportant. Mary was constantly reassuring him of his place amongst his friends but he couldn't see it. James was the leader, Remus the brains and Sirius the joker, but who was he? The weak, insignificant follower, that's what.

The door creaked open stopping the four boys' thoughts in their tracks. Lily and the other girls marched in together. Marlene automatically flung herself on her bed, "I'm exhausted."

"Yeah… yeah…" Kate nodded as she took a seat at her desk to finish a letter to her mother.

"It's all that mopping you are doing over that dog!" Lily yarned.

Marlene glared at her best friend, "then what's your excuse? Drooling over Potter?"

"As if," Lily barked.

Alice laughed, "I'm going to bed – I'm beat." She grabbed her pyjamas and ran to the bathroom to change.

Mary sat on her bed and flicked through a copy of Witch Weekly, "Don't you miss him even a little bit?"

"Who?" Lily asked.

"Potter – it's been so weird hardly seeing them recently."

"Why would I miss him? I only put up with those boys because of you girls," Lily replied heatedly.

"Oh ok… it just seems a bit of a shame. He's hot and he clearly likes you," Mary grinned before picking up her pyjamas and entering the bathroom just as Alice came back into the dorm room.

Lily sighed, "I don't know why you girls all think that me and Potter are made for each other… you are clearly wrong."

"Clearly…" Marlene laughed, "You've not heard of sexual tension."

Lily blushed bright red, "Excuse me! Potter and I do not have sexual tension!"

"Do too," Mary said as she returned to the room.

Lily grabbed her pyjamas and slammed the bathroom door. "No need for the hissy fit Evans!" Alice called between giggles, "I bet you girls anything they'll be together before we finish our N.E.W.T.s"

"I just wish they'd hurry up," Kate grinned, "If I have to hear how much she hates Potter one more time, I might actually murder them both."

The girls giggled happily, "says you Kate… you're always on about Lupin," Lily retorted as she jumped into bed a moment later.

Kate smiled as she finished her letter, "well at least I know when I like someone…"

"Yeah but you won't do anything about it," Alice frowned.

"What do you think I should do? I have no reason to think he likes me," Kate replied. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Hah! Don't like it now they are talking about you!" Lily smirked.

"Lily Evans, with a smirk like that you must be made for Potter because he has a matching one plastered on his face whenever he sees you."