A/N I totally meant to post this on Sunday (let's be real I mean two weeks ago but my betareader has been busy) but I got sidetracked, then started work and had zero time until now. So, Here it is! Chapter 48. Which I still don't own or intend to profit from.

10 March 1974

Remus spent the entirety of his birthday unconscious in the hospital wing, plagued by flashes of broken bodies and rough dialogue. Madam Pomfrey had been fending off his few well-wishers for two days, and had only convinced them to dial back their offerings by pointing out that Remus had told everyone his mother was gravely ill and shouldn't technically be there to begin with.

Of course, this only encouraged James, Sirius, and Peter to sneak in under the invisibility cloak and waft hot cocoa or half-melted chocolate under his nose like smelling salts. Sirius had gone so far as to suggest that they put some in his nose so that he could still smell it after they left, but Peter pointed out that it would either melt or block his nose entirely.

Remus finally woke with a groan on Tuesday afternoon-four days after the full moon- and rolled out of bed, almost falling through the curtain surrounding his hospital bed. He groaned when he hit the smooth tiled floor, the impact reminding him of why bedrest is supposed to be spent in a bed. . He was not in good enough shape to be moving himself. "What…" he mumbled with a shiver before realizing with a start why his entire body was so cold.

"Remus?" Familiar… "Are you alright?" Footsteps. She's getting closer. "Remus?" Lily's voice was just outside the curtains; he could see the shadows of her shoes.

"Stop!" Remus yelped finding that he couldn't move nearly quickly enough to get himself up as a hand appeared between the curtains to pull them aside, all traces of drowsiness replaced by his heartbeat hammering along with his headache. The hand disappeared but the feet didn't.

"Remus, if you've fallen out of bed, you're not so heavy that I can't help you up." Whether he could see it or not, Remus knew that her arms were crossed and she was mere seconds away from opening the curtains anyway to reveal his state of utter undress.

"Pomfrey." He croaked.

"Really Remus?" Lily asked, rather stunned. " You of all people, want me to fetch Madam Pomfrey?" She made to open the curtain again but retracted her hand. "She was down at the greenhouses with Professor Styne half an hour ago. She should be on her way back."

He did not want her to see him like this. Oh no, the only person who had seen him like this were his parents before he'd been capable enough of dressing himself. What he wanted was to get back into bed but he couldn't do that himself at the moment, and if nothing else, it was part of the nurse's job. He was mortified.

"Please"

She paused, as if debating Remus's sanity. "Alright."

At the other end of the hospital wing, the door creaked open. "Black, get out of my way please."

"Come on Evans, why should I do that? James has something to ask you and he'll be along in a moment."

Remus groaned again, not in pain, but in dreadful anticipation of what it was that his friend was going to do to Lily this time around.

"Well, that's all fine and good but Potter can ask me later, or better yet, he can forget about it entirely. Now please move, Remus asked me to fetch Madam Pomfrey and she went to ask Professor Styne something." Sirius must have moved because an exasperated "Thank you Black." preceded the closing of the hospital wing door.

"Alright, who are you and what have you done with our Moony?" Sirius asked as he approached the curtain.

Remus made an exasperated noise and then a sharp squeal when Sirius wrenched the curtain open. He stood there for a moment, processing what he was seeing and then thankfully had the decency to step in and pull the curtain closed, leaving a puzzled Peter by the next bed. Then he grinned.

"So," Sirius began, "you called for the nurse?" he asked, waggling his eyebrow.

Sirius was met with a hard glare from the floor. "Could you give me a hand?" Remus asked weakly.

The cheeky grin widened. "Can't take care of yourself can you?"

"Up Sirius!" The colour from Remus's ears was beginning to spread to his face. "Help me back into bed! And I swear to Merlin if you make one more crass comment you won't be able to get up for a month."

Sirius barked out a laugh and bent down to heave Remus back into the bed and tuck him under his blankets.

The boys must have caught Romulus just after his return from Inverness- Professor Flitwick had arranged for him to see a wizard-wise psychiatrist. The magical community had next to no research into the workings of the human mind, and as the man was married to a witch, speaking with Dr. Chettergee was not a violation of the International Statute of Secrecy. James and Sirius must have told him what had happened because Rom burst into laughter when he saw Remus scowling in bed as the Matron fussed over him.

It was good to see a smile on Romulus's face. It was good to hear his voice again, too, no matter how few words were spoken. Once Madam Pomfrey had bustled over to her office to review charts and paperwork and such, Romulus plopped himself down in the chair by Remus's bed and began to tease his younger brother about withholding his secret fantasies.

All Remus could do in return was glare. He couldn't even reach the nightstand that held a small pile of parcels.

"Want one?" Romulus asked, noticing where Remus was looking. "I'm fairly certain that there's more in your room." Without actually waiting for a response, Romulus plucked a sac of shiny gold balls from the table and set it in Remus's hand. His face lit up in delight when he saw the Fererro Rochers. It was something his mother had been jealous that the wizarding community had but the muggles didn't. Remus painstakingly removed the foil wrapping, revealing a small chocolate ball speckled with hazelnuts. The pair grinned, and Remus expertly flicked his wrist and tossed the sweet into his mouth, sucking on it in pleasure as he unwrapped the next one.

Romulus sat patiently, watching Remus's face in anticipation. It didn't take long for the delight to sour and Remus spat the treat out with such force that it cleared the curtain. "Are you trying to poison me?" he asked incredulously. It was hard to be concerned about Remus's anger while he was squirming, millimeter by millimeter to sit himself up so that he might properly glare at his brother.

"They're good for you!" Romulus managed between cackles.

Remus tossed a sweet at him. "You've defiled the sanctity of chocolate!" he hissed, tossing another ball.

Romulus caught it and snorted, returning fire. "Eat your veggies Remus."

"Vegetables don't belong in chocolate!" He cried, wincing slightly as he wound up his arm to pelt another. "It's supposed to be sweet, and delicious and savoury and you've… you've… This is sacrilege!" As Remus's voice rose, the chocolates started coming harder, each one emphasizing a point, Romulus decided that it was probably safest to flee. "How could you betray me like this? No, not betray me- but you did- but you betrayed the fine craft of chocolatiering!"

"Lupin!" Pomfrey exclaimed, rushing out of her office. "That is enough."

"But-"

The nurse stared him down and helped him from his seated position back to the prone. "I don't particularly care if there were nuts or some such in your sweets, this-"

"Nuts?" Remus intoned, "Nuts are allowed to be paired with chocolate. The right flavours can complement each other very well and make the palate crave more. Brussel Sprouts are disgraceful!"

Poppy Pomfrey had seen many patients in her training and apprenticeship, many of them under the age of majority. She had seen children launch themselves into tantrums so severe that they needed to be sedated. She had seen grown adults so stubborn that they refused assistance with the simplest of tasks and set themselves back weeks. She was not easily surprised. Remus somehow managed it. It wasn't necessarily because he was a werewolf. She'd been expecting the injuries to a degree. Sometimes she was shocked at how well he managed to get maimed, but that was still somewhat expected. The werewolf's psyche was what continued to throw her off balance. The moodiness and the territorial behaviour was far beyond that of an ordinary teenager.

Here he was, bed ridden and barely able to move, and he was straining himself to toss sweets across the room. Never had she seen a fourteen year old boy throw a ull-on strop because his brother had had the audacity to dip brussel sprouts in chocolate as a prank. She was tempted to try drugging the chocolates. Maybe then he would fight her less on taking the prescribed potions.

Remus was still seething about the brussel sprouts two days later as he slung his bookbag over his shoulder and departed the hospital wing to stop at his dormitory for fresh robes before heading to breakfast. Romulus had been right, there was more on his bed, along with a letter and package from his parents. Owls weren't allowed into the hospital wing, so his mail must have been redirected by the elves or his friends. He snatched up the letters and resolved to sniff and sort all the chocolate after classes had finished for the day, then he made his way down to the great hall for a bland breakfast before potions. There was no point savouring the meal if it wasn't going to stay down.

Happy Birthday Remus!

Fourteen seems somehow much older and wiser than thirteen, but don't do anything too stupid. I say that knowing that you'll still manage some trouble solely based on what Rom has told me about your friends.

I don't know if fourteen is particularly significant for you lot, but here at least, it means that you can get a student permit and learn to fly an airplane. I plan to give Romulus some lessons while he's home this summer, and I can extend that offer to you if that's something you'd like to do. You can always stick to the broom if you'd like.

What's the deal with S'mores anyway? Is this some inside joke you and Rom have come up with since you started school? I don't get it.

Anyway, Happy Fourteenth!

Ben Mynarski

PS. I haven't actually said anything to your parents yet, so if you'd like to try it, let me or Rom know and I'll work it out with them.

Remus smiled softly, touched by the fact that Rom's stepfather had even gone so far as to write him for his birthday, let alone the offer to teach him how to do something he had only marveled at since he'd been old enough to understand that they weren't flown by magic. He passed the letter to Romulus and opened the envelope from his parents.

Remus,

First and foremost, Happy Birthday!

Can you grow up slower? You're getting to be a young man far too fast for me. Your father is joking that you should hurry up so that he can take you to all sorts of lewd places, but we both know you wouldn't like that and that he'd be sleeping in the garden for a month if he even went by himself.

All nostalgia aside, we hope you're feeling alright. I can't imagine what you go through, and your birthday is supposed to be full of fun and liveliness. At least I haven't gotten any more letters from Professor McGonagall informing us that you slipped out of the hospital wing again. I'll take that as a good sign.

But please stay until you're told. I know fourteen seems very old and wise when you reach it, but I know you'd like to hit fifteen. I know I'd like to see you get there anyway.

Your father found your gift in an abandoned inn when he was removing an infestation of… I really don't remember what it was. The owner of the place only seemed to care that it was cleaned up so that he could sell it, so we're not going to say he stole it because I honestly don't think it'll be missed. He did spend a night on the couch for his morals on that one though.

I hope you enjoy it, I think you will. You might even find it useful.

Supper's almost done, so I'd better finnish up.

I know I don't need to say it, but work hard on your classes, have fun with your friends, and look to a bright future Remus, because it's out there.

Pen-blwydd Hapus Remus,

llawer o gariad,

Mum and Dad

"What's that say?" Because of course Sirius had been reading over his shoulder.

"I thought literacy was a requirement for admission at Hogwarts." A voice sneered from behind them.

"Sod off Snape." Peter sputtered around his bacon.

"I thought basic personal hygiene was a requirement too, "James defended, "but you see, they really do let in all sorts here."

Evans, which must be why Snape had made an appearance, rolled her eyes and stood. "C'mon Sev. If we head out now I'll have time to show you the motion for that transfiguration." Remus felt a slightly guilty twinge when Lily shot an accusatory glare at the four of them from over her shoulder. He imagined that it only endeared her further to James. Great. I can expect to hear how wonderful she is until lunch. Not that she isn't wonderful, she is, James besotted is just irritating. Why am I justifying myself to myself?

"What's it say?" It was as though Snape had never interrupted, Sirius was leaning right in, as though his being closer to the words would somehow make them speak his language. James and Peter, though seated on the other side of the table, were looking over with curiosity.

"It says 'Happy Birthday' you twit."

"No way that's all it says, there's two lines."Sirius pointed at the separate thoughts on the letter. Sirius may play dumb, but he was good at puzzles, and the contents of hos letter were apparently worth his interest.

"It's just a valediction from my parents." Remus felt the blood slowly flushing his ears.

"A what?" James asked.

"In what language?"

"Really, Sirius?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe you know what a valediction is?"

"You would not believe how obsessive and nitpicky my tutors were when I was little." muttered Sirius. "Something they weren't picky about was any language other than English, Latin, French, and German."

"You can speak German?" Peter inquired, leaning over the table to look at Remus's letter. Remus on the other hand was beginning to get a little annoyed that his mail was so interesting to everyone else. Romulus was struggling to contain his amusement, and James was looking at his best friend like he'd turned green and sprouted fur.

Remus chose to ignore Peter, and appease Sirius. "It's Welsh."

"You can speak Welsh?" his roommates asked as a nearly unified voice.

Remus signed, and glared at his brother's snickering. "Well, seeing as I am Welsh…"

"I thought you grew up in Devon?"

"I was born in Devon Peter, because that's where my mum was working. I spent most of my childhood bouncing from the edge of one village to another. Many of them happened to be in Wales."

"None of you caught his accent?" Romulus interjected, startling the Gryffindors.

James shrugged. "I honestly didn't get much exposure before hogwarts."

"Me neither. Mother was loathe to think that we'd start sounding like muggles or, Merlin forbid, commoners." Sirius grinned. "My goal in life is to address my mother like I'm a street urchin."

Peter, while also a pureblood, was more middle-class than the other two, and had therefore had the most experience with those from different walks of life. "Honestly, I thought you might be from Liverpool, but then there were other things, phrases and the like, that didn't fit."

"Well, my mother's from Sealand, but we were generally further west or south."

"Will you teach me?" Sirius asked, grabbing Remus's hand.

Remus flinched at the contact, and took a deep breath before answering. You want me to teach you Welsh?" Sirius would most likely not have the attention span for such a task.

Picking up on Remus's line of thought, Sirius modified his request. "The curses at least?"

"How many suits of armour could one castle in the middle of nowhere possibly need?" Remus and Sirius had been working their way down the north corridor on the third floor when the stones in their pockets had become hot. Tucked into an alcove behind the tapestry of Gwydion fab Dôn, they waited under for James and Peter to give the all clear signal from under the cloak at the end of the corridor.

"Three hundred fifty-seven."

Sirius stared. "How could you possibly know that? And why in the name of Godric bloody Gryffindor do we need three hundred and fifty..."

"Seven?" Remus offered helpfully.

"Empty suits of armour?"

"What makes you so sure they're actually empty?"

"Shoved enough Slytherins inside to know that much about them." Sirius grinned, his grey eyes glinting with mischief in the dark.

"Ever actually cracked open that copy of Hogwarts: a History that sits on your nightstand or is that just for show?" Remus knew it wasn't for show, because the spine-though not well worn- indicated that it had been opened on several occasions.

"Oh, come on Moony, even Peter never believed that was an actual copy of Hogwarts: a History."

"Then what-" Remus trailed off, confused at the manic grin that had widened on Sirius's face. It was giddy,

"The tables have turned! I'll learn ya something when we get back tonight."

"What-"

The small stones in their pockets turned ice cold and Remus was cut off by Sirius's cussing.

"You bloody fuckering wanker!" he hissed at his friend. "You couldn't have cast the spell a little less aggressively? Much more of this and my knob'll fall off!"

The pair stepped up to the next suit of armour and Remus drew his wand. "Piertotum Locomotor." The incantation was followed by a lilting, song-like utterance of words in a language so ancient that it didn't sound like anything in existance.

Now, Remus was quite certain that this spell hadn't been created with their vision in mind, but that wasn't about to stop him. They were assigning groups of knights different tasks- this way they needn't persform the spell hundreds of times and they could have lots of things going on. He couldn't wait until breakfast.

He'd found it while holed up in the library with the book his parents had sent for his birthday. Propped in a nook above the shelves where he wasn't supposed to be, Remus had moved Creatures in the Dark to the other hand and shifted himself to a more comfortable position when his foot had caught on something with his foot. It was a book; a book even older than the one he was reading at the tome, which was well over a hundred years old and rather rare. This book, the book hidden in a nook up in the rafters of the library, was held together by magic. Not that it was in terrible shape, it was well-worn, yes. But it most definitely wasn't falling apart. The book was protected from time with enchantments. It was the construction that tipped Remus off. They just didn't make them like that any more, not for hundreds of years. Instead of letters stamped into the cover, there were runes, and amongst the runes were four rudimentary animal shapes. A bird, a small mammal, a serpent, and a larger mammal. Remus presumed that it was an early form of the school crest. The spell was made to bring the 357 Hogwarts suits of armour to life.

By the time breakfast finally rolled around the following morning, most of the Gryffindors had sensed that something was up. Sirius actually looked ready for the day before heading down, and James and Peter weren't very good at holding back their excitement.

The rest of the school realized that something was up when the vast majority of Slytherin House failed to arrive in their usual timely manner. The teachers realized something was afoot when the first of the students to leave the great hall returned in a panic with the sound of clanging metal following them. Two suits of armour followed Mathieu LeBlanc and Ursula Aikens back into the hall, swords drawn. The pair came to attention, saluted one another with their weapons, and proceeded to spar in the doorway.

So, of course, students started screaming, prefects started shouting, the Marauders were laughing their arses off, and teachers moved swiftly through the throngs of students to subdue the sword fight. Only, the armour had been enchanted to be resistant to magical attack.

Chaos soon ensued and the entire student body began to flee via the antechamber of the great hall. When the horde of teenagers reached the main entrance, the most direct route to the dungeons was being guarded by shining metal men. Peter and Sirius had upset Filch by trudging slime through the corridors and-as was what usually happened- Sirius mouthed off at the caretaker. The pair had ensured that those specific knights were polished right up.

The clashing abated, and as the fighting in the hall was subdued, Sirius flicked his wand under his robes and music began to echo through the corridors. The girls were plucked up by several more enchanted suits and were spun through the corridors in tune to Life On Mars. Professor McGonagall emerged from the Great Hall with a scowl on her face, ushering students out to their classes. Styne and Raax followed, looking slightly in awe. Dumbledore looked positively delighted. It only took a matter of seconds for the instructions Remus and Sirius had given to kick in.

Four of the knights ditched their partners and clambered to the bottom of the staircase and assembled in a line across from the four professors. Another wave of his wand and the music shifted to a lively reel. The glimmer in the headmaster's eyes intensified. The scowl on the transfiguration teacher's face twisted, though it did not deepen. Dumbledore counted himself in and began the dance in time with the knight his opposite. Raax wasn't quite as quick, but he caught on well enough-even if he had to keep his eyes on the knight to know what to do. Styne fumbled along with much gusto. All the while, the students had lined the staircase and the balconies to get a better view and to clear the dance floor. When it finally came time for Professor McGonagall to step in, she was met with a roar of support from the students. THe sound became deafening when she pulled the skirts of her robed above the ankles and joined in the dance.

Laughter and cheering erupted from the crowd when the reel finished and a bouncing bagpipe tune spilled through the castle. Many of the gathered- students and professors alike- clapped their hands to their ears.

But not Minerva McGonagall. The scowl that had adorned her face had shifted into a shy grin as she began to dance once more. Not to be outdone, about fifteen students rushed down the stairs to join her. Among them, Remus recognized the Miller twins, Mary, and Romulus's roommate from his classes. A flash sparked from somewhere in the throng of students. He was going to have a pounding headache in short order if the morning continued as they'd planned, he wasn't about to regret a second of it though. He'd've dealt with a migraine for three days if it meant he got to watch the strict and generally unflappable Professor McGonagall dance away. He'd have to get a copy of that photograph.

The bell echoed over the music and the professor halted abruptly, her face an instant mask. "Well, I do believe you all have somewhere to be."

That was enough to have students scrambling again, racing for the stairs and down the corridors. Dashing back to the great hall for forgotten bags and dodging around the silent knights that scattered the corridors.

Grinning to themselves, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter made their way to the muggle studies classroom on the third floor.

Remus loved Muggle Studies, and it had nothing to do with already knowing the content. It was the only place he was allowed to write without a quill. He missed his biro in every other class. But the real reason he loved the class was because it was entertaining. Sure, the wizarding world's perspective on the muggle was interesting, but watching a pureblood's introduction to something as simple as a ballpoint pen was highly amusing.

Today's topic was transportation.

"But the Knight Bus bounces all over the country!" One of the Ravenclaws potested. Though Remus was fighting to restrain his sniggering, many of the other students looked like they were about to say the same thing.

Professor Zuniga was much more patient than a teenage werewolf could be while laughing at his friends who were just as confused as the rest of the class. They had been discussing transportation routes, which was apparently a difficult concept to grasp. "Black, perhaps you could take a gander at Ms. Han's question?"

Sirius was like a deer caught in the headlights. His biro frozen mid-note to James in his spiral notebook. He covered his lack of attention by pretending to think. Peter tapped an image in their textbook and realization dawned on Sirius. But now he actually had to think. Just as Professor Zuniga straightened to call on another student, Sirius made an attempt.

"Er… Because it's magic?"

"Precisely!" The teacher beamed at him, quite likely having not expected someone of his upbringing to come to that conclusion. "Muggle busses, and other road-type transportation such as…" She trailed off with an expectant look and was met with a cacophony of students calling out vehicles.

"Roadsters!"

"Lorries!"

"Vans!"

"Motorcycles!"

"Saloons!"

"Trains!"

"Limos!"

"Yes to all but trains. Those are ground transportation, but they aren't driven on roads." Remus had been the one to throw out trains. He liked to see how many other students were paying attention. "Muggle road transportation relies on the access to roads, petrol, and they are subject to speed restrictions. Both physical and lawful."

Peter raised his hand tentatively, and was promptly called upon. "So, if a muggle were to… it's drive, isn't it?" The professor nodded. "Ok, good. So if they were to drive too fast, would the aurors arrest them?"

"Come on Pettigrew, they're called Bobbies!" MacArthur called from the other side of the room.

"No they aren't!" Polter argued. "Everyone knows they're Bizzies."

Macklemore, as the only Slytherin in the class rarely spoke. Though she too had something to say. "I thought they were coppers?"

"Enough, enough," Zuniga soothed. "None of you are wrong exactly. Mr Lupin, would you care to guess at the correct term?"

Ah, Remus thought, so she does know I'm only here for a laugh… Conceding to give up on his charade, Remus answered the question as any diligent student should. " They're called Police. But the alternate verbiage varies by region and time."

"Very good." she said, clapping her hands together. "Does anyone have questions about road transportation?"

Sirius did. He had this notion that he should ace Muggle Studies just to prove that he wasn't as ignorant as the rest of his family. It had nothing to do, or at least so he claimed, with the fact that his mother didn't approve in the slightest. "What do they all look like? There's obviously a difference or they wouldn't call them different things, but I don't fancy trying to hire a lorry and winding up with a Motorcycle instead."

Zuniga lifted the lid from a box under her desk and pulled out a stack of slides. "You're just one step ahead of me Mr. Black. Give me a moment to set up the projector and you'll see." The projector wasn't a commonly used tool at Hogwarts, even though it didn't require and sort of mechanical knowledge or electricity, but it was a treat to curious purebloods who had never seen one.

As it turned out, Sirius was much more interested in the motorcycle than he was the Lorry. "Who wants to drive that monstrosity when you can ride a stallion?" He jabbered as they lagged behind their peers in the corridors. Allowing the others to do most of the dodging and getting caught by the shining silver suits of armour. You could tell which ones had been polished recently for detention. And then you could tell which ones were done by Sirius-whatever reason he professed for it, they gleamed.

"I don't know…" Peter offered, ducking around a squirming Slytherin ensnared in metal, "I mean, I don't think the lorry would be fun, but I can see the appeal in a roadster or a limousine…"

"What about you Remus?" James asked.

Remus shrugged. It wasn't as though it was something he'd really thought about before. He'd get his driving licence when he was seventeen but it wasn't as though he expected to be able to afford to drive anything other than his mother's old Minor. "Never really thought about it."

Sirius paused in the middle of the doorway to transfiguration, a massive grin lighting up his face. "Your parents have a car!" he exclaimed, spinning into Remus.

"They do."

"You can teach us how to drive!" Peter added excitedly.

"Er, not yet I can't. Not 'til I'm seventeen."

"But we'll be able to apparate by then!"James whined.

Remus's only response was to shrug and find his seat. If he was honest with himself, he'd like to take his sort-of-stepfather up on the offer he'd made, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able. Flying before he could drive would be rather empowering he thought as he settled into MgGonagall's lesson.

Transfiguration inevitably ended with the classroom being stormed by a platoon of knights. Their professor scowled as they entered and dismissed her class in a huff.

"I think we may have timed that last bit a little poorly." Peter mumbled as they made their way down to the great hall, passing the lines of students queued up for the toilets. The smallest of the four was eying the lines as if debating if it was worth the wait. They were progressing very slowly as each bathroom in the school had been appointed a monitor made of metal.

"We did make a way around them Peter, you can get in to take a piss." Remus reminded him.

"Need the loo? Better have a potty mouth!" James and sirius dissolved into hysterics at their joke, but Remus just rolled his eyes.

"Do you need the toilet Peter?" He asked as they approached the second floor boy's toilet.

Peter nodded emphatically.

"Oi!" Remus called out to the guard. "Piss off and let Peter in you wanker." James and Sirius lost themselves once more and the boys in line looked on in confusion as the knight came to attention and took a check-pace to the side to allow Peter entrance. Regulus Black, who was at the front of the line made to follow but was blocked.

"Are you bloody kidding me? What do we have to do then? Jump the fucking line?" Once more, the knight stood at attention and allowed entrance to one student. Regulus rushed into the bathroom with his head held high as the student behind him began to yell at the knight in hopes of gaining passage.

Peter returned to their side, the four Gryffindors continued on their way to dinner, pausing only once so that James might tell the guard at the first floor girl's bathroom to kindly fuck off and let the beautiful Miss Evans pass. She shot him a dirty look but hurried off to relieve herself nonetheless.

It was Sirius that got them caught. He'd been so excited about the entire day that as the final act of the day, a chorus of four knights was charmed to serenade 'Minnie Mc.G' after curfew. As a result, they found themselves in their head of house's office in their pyjamas on Tuesday morning, Remus being the only one dressed for the day.

Minerva felt that she had been generous in letting her Gryffindors go to bed before dressing them down. They should have been helping Mr. Filch clean up but the man was in such a snit that it wasn't safe for such students to be around him.

"Do you realize how long it took Argus to put everything back in order after this stint of yours?" She seethed. "You lot are bloody lucky that he isn't in charge of your detentions."

Lupin at least had the good sense to look as though he knew he had done something wrong. Pettigrew was already half asleep, while Potter and Black were beaming with pride. It was a right shame that these were her only third year boys, because she was most definitely not looking forward to selecting prefects in two years.

And it wasn't as though she could actually be cross with them because it was exactly what she had dreamed of doing when she herself had been a student. "Where did you miscreants even find that spell?"

McGonagall shouldn't have been as shocked when three heads turned to Lupin for the answer. That boy was quiet and very near it not the top of his classes- with one exception- but he had not been matched with bookish roommates, and he was sorely disadvantaged in that he had never really had much in the way of positive interactions with other youth. It was a bet she regretted winning.

Lupin shrugged with a bashful smile and looked up at her. "Nook in the library rafters."

McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Mr. Lupin, I know for a fact that you've been asked to keep off the shelves in the library.

Lupin unfolded his hands and shifted in his seat. Good, Minerva thought, he's nervous. " I wasn't on the shelves, Professor, I was over them."

On second thought, it was a shame she had waited until morning to deal with these four. At least last night she hadn't been on duty and could've had nip before bed. "Follow the spirit of the law Lupin, not the letter."

"Yes Professor McGonagall. The words were morose, but Minerva didn't miss the glint in his eyes as he responded. She'd regretted her words the instant they left her mouth but backpedaling was not a good idea.

"I'll see the four if you back after dinner to break off for your detentions." The boys stood to leave and Lupin paused to shake Pettigrew awake. "Best not be late for my class gentlemen."

A/N Thoughts? I hope you don't hate it.

I am trying to be better about updating and writing; I'm still settling into a new job that's 12 hour days week on/week off. I'm working on it. I have ideas I just need to get them down and figure out where they're going.

Remember how I said I was going to post suggestions? And then hardly ever remember? Check out Mymoonyandstars for the moonlit series. It's kind of AU but it collows canon pretty well and it's definitely not the usual.

One Eyed Wolf-OUT 2 April 2021

Minerva would eventually stop being quite so surprised by those students, but the three students who arrived to her first class of the morning with their school robes over their pyjamas and toast in their mouths told her that day was a long way off.