Tuesday, 10th October 1972

Sirius rapped his knuckles against the door of the Defence classroom, trying hard to suppress his excitement and keep focusing on his memories of the summer. He did not want his hair turning pink where anyone might see. It was hard, though. Duelling was a hell of a lot of fun, but that wasn't the main reason he wanted the extra lessons. Protecting Remus was a priority, and he knew James and Peter felt the same. It might as well be an unwritten rule of the Marauders' Code.

'Come in,' Professor Tenebris called from inside.

Sirius pushed the door open, walked in and, as soon as it clicked closed behind Peter, let go of his hold on his emotions and his hair turned the same shade of hot pink as James' had been all afternoon.

Professor Tenebris was perched on the edge of her desk, and she smiled at them warmly as they entered the room.

'Please, stand together in the centre of the room,' she said, pausing for them to do so. When they were ready, she bared her teeth in an evil smirk. 'I hope you're all ready for this.' She raised her wand and murmured an incantation, making eight white balls of light shoot through the air to different parts of the room. When they hit the floor, instead of disappearing, they expanded upwards, elongating six foot into the air. Sirius stared as the closest light grew an appendage on either side followed by a bulbous top. And then he realised what was happening and yelled, 'Wands!' drawing his own from his holster.

James and Remus obeyed immediately, and Peter drew his a half-second later. The four of them moved, so they were standing back to back, reminding Sirius of the previous year when they were waiting for the Creature Hunt to begin. The lights were clearly human-shaped now, and he could see facial features and wands in their hands. Sirius took a defensive stance, not bothering to check what his friends were doing, trusting them to have his back.

The lights raised their wands, not quite in sync, but close to it, and suddenly there were multi-coloured flashes speeding towards them. 'Protego!' Sirius said, hearing his friends behind him doing the same.

His shield formed in the air at the end of his wand, and the spells (can a spell cast a spell? Well, whatever they were) bounced off it and vanished. Of course, Professor Tenebris wouldn't make it that easy. The human-shaped lights continued firing at them, and after a few seconds, Sirius realised they weren't going to stop.

'We need to do something,' James said from his left. His voice was oddly calm considering their situation. 'At least one of us needs to be on the offensive.'

'Know any multi-person Shields, Moons?' Sirius asked.

'Nope, should probably add that to my list,' Remus replied.

'I'm losing it,' Peter said. 'Professor? Are those things going to hurt?'

Sirius heard the teacher chuckle. 'Yes, very much.'

'Crap,' Peter said.

'Peter? Take a step back between us and then let go of your shield. We'll close in around you. Ready?'

'Ready,' they all said.

Sirius felt the movement of air to his right as Peter stepped back, and he immediately sidestepped to close the gap, Remus doing the same in the other direction. Forcing a little more magic into his wand to increase the size of his shield, Sirius glanced around. Eight opponents surrounded them, and the only viable exit was the classroom door. Fight or run was the choice, but he wasn't sure if the spell would be effected by a smokescreen and they had nowhere to run to, anyway.

'Stupefy,' Peter shouted. The red light of his spell shot out from between Sirius and Remus and hit the closest attacker in the chest. The bright white light turned pale blue before vanishing. Peter took out two more of the lights before Sirius' shield flickered.

'Everyone, attack!' he yelled, just as his shield went out. Smoothly moving his feet into an offensive stance, he jabbed his wand at one of the two lights left in front of him and said, 'Stupefy!' He let the spell form and shoot from the end of his wand before quickly moving to target the other one. But he was too slow. The purple light hit him in the stomach and he doubled over, expecting pain. Instead, he was engulfed in the sensation of cold water being poured over his head.

'You okay, mate?' James asked, putting his arm around Sirius' shoulders. They must have dispatched the rest of the lights.

Sirius nodded, scowling at their teacher. 'Yeah, it didn't actually hurt.'

Professor Tenebris laughed. 'Had to make you think there was something to fear, didn't I?' She beckoned them over to her desk, and they gathered around her. 'Right. Things you did well,' she said. 'Mister Black, when you realised you were under attack you alerted the others, and quickly too. You didn't waste time with long-winded explanations. That was excellent. Mister Lupin and Mister Potter, you both obeyed Black's instruction without hesitation. Mister Pettigrew, you were a little slower, but still quick enough. That shows a great deal of trust between you.' She smiled at them approvingly and then frowned in thought. 'Your formation seemed automatic. There was no discussion at all. Is that something you've practiced?'

Sirius glanced at James and exchanged a grin, before turning back to the teacher and shrugging. 'Yeah. Kind of.'

'A secret, is it? That's fine. You don't have to tell me. But, can you pinpoint where you went wrong?'

'My shield didn't hold out long enough,' Sirius said. 'It failed and there were too many left to fight at once.'

'That's true,' Professor Tenebris said. 'But that wasn't the mistake. Why did you tell the others to drop their shields and attack?'

Sirius frowned, trying to remember what he'd been thinking. It was all a bit of a blur, but, 'I guess I assumed if my shield was failing, theirs would be too.'

Professor Tenebris nodded. 'And that was your mistake. You had time to check, but instead you made a unilateral decision that resulted in you taking a hit. If that had been a more sinister spell, you could be dead. Lupin, was your shield failing?'

'No.'

'Potter? What about yours?'

'No.'

She turned back to Sirius. 'There were fewer opponents on their side of the battleground. So your shield was taking more of a battering that theirs. If you'd taken the time to check, they could have told you that, and you and Pettigrew could have finished off the attackers on your side before turning to help your friends.' She walked over to her desk and pulled herself up to sit on the edge. 'Using what you've learned today, I want you to work out some verbal signals you can use to communicate in a fight, without giving away your intentions to your opponents. Make sure you all have them memorised, because next time you'll be fighting me.' She paused to grin at them. 'We'll skip next week for the full moon and meet again on the 24th as long as you're feeling up to it, Mister Lupin.'

Sirius looked at James to find he was already grinning back at him. A secret code that only they could understand? How wonderfully Maraudery.

They didn't have much to do to prepare for the Halloween event, so when they returned to the dorm that evening, they turned their attention to the mystery potion-maker.

'If we want to find out who it is, we have to draw them out,' James said, twirling a quill between his fingers as he lounged on his bed. 'I suggest we challenge them to a war.'

'How are we going to beat this, though?' Sirius asked, pointing to his hair, which was currently pale blue but rapidly fading to green. 'It's been three days and Pomfrey and Slughorn still haven't found an antidote.' Sirius smiled when he felt Remus' fingers brushing through his hair. It wasn't why he was lying with his head in Remus' lap, of course. This was just the most comfortable way to sit. But the head petting was a nice bonus.

'We could put a Babbling Beverage in the food?' Peter suggested.

Remus shook his head. 'Everyone's testing their food before they eat it, right now. We can't do anything to the food until the paranoia has worn off.'

'Make the floor of the Entrance Hall slippery so everyone slides around!' James said, sitting up with a grin. 'That would be hilarious.'

'Seems a bit dangerous,' Remus said. 'We don't want to hurt anyone.'

James groaned. 'You're always worrying about the danger, Moony. Why can't you go with the flow?'

'You did make me Safety Monitor,' Remus pointed out, quite intelligently in Sirius' opinion.

'He's right, you did,' Sirius said.

'You're just agreeing with him because he's stroking you,' James said, sticking out his tongue and making Peter laugh. 'Alright, I have an idea, but we'll need a spell to make plants grow, like, incredibly fast… And some plants, too, I guess.'

'Plants are easy enough to get,' Sirius said, waving a hand through the air dismissively. 'I don't know a spell for that, though.'

'I do,' Peter said. 'I think I read something about it in the Herbology textbook.' He climbed off his bed to grab his bag and pulled out the fat, green book, flicking through it to the last chapter. 'Yes, here it is. The Herbivicus Charm. Take any plant from seedling to fully grown in ten minutes.'

'It's a start,' James said. 'But we'll need to combine it with something else to get the effect I'm looking for.'

'And what effect is that, exactly?' Remus asked.

James grinned. 'Have you ever read the muggle fairy-tale, Sleeping Beauty?'

So, that's how Sirius found himself, the following Friday night, sneaking through the school with trays of stolen seedlings. Remus had insisted they take them from greenhouse one, not wanting them to accidentally take something dangerous, and Sirius was fairly sure that he and Peter were carrying flutterby bushes.

'Did you get them?' James hissed as they reached the designated meeting place — A small room off of the Entrance Hall.

Sirius scoffed. 'Of course, we got them.'

'Excellent. We got the soil and spoke with the house-elves. You know the spells?'

Sirius nodded.

'Great. We'll meet you back outside Gryffindor Tower then,' James said to Remus and Peter. 'Come on, Twinkles. We've got some gardening to do.'

Sirius laughed and handed half his trays to James, taking a bag of soil is exchange, before following him up the stairs. Ravenclaw Tower was easy. A simple matter of covering the floor outside the door with soil, transferring the seedlings and casting the spells. The effect was magnificent, and they ran away barely containing their laughter. Remus and Peter would have a similarly easy time with the Slytherin and Hufflepuff entrances.

However, being the only Common room guarded by a sentient portrait, Gryffindor was going to give them some trouble. James pulled out his cloak when they reached the end of the corridor, and they both hid beneath it before sneaking up to see if she was awake. Thankfully, she was fast asleep and snoring softly, so Sirius quickly cast the spell to shield her—they didn't want to block the exit and trap the Gryffindors inside—and then set about planting the seedlings outside as quietly as they could.

Once the spells were cast and the plants were growing at a ridiculous rate, they ran, laughing, back down the stairs and out of the door.

After meeting up with Remus and Peter, and reporting their success, James and Sirius located their brooms in the bushes and mounted. Peter climbed onto the back of James' without an issue, but when Sirius looked around Remus was eyeing his broom with reluctance.

'This is the only part of the plan I dislike,' he said, grumpily.

'Come on, Moons. It's only a few seconds. You flew down here already.'

Remus growled. 'And I didn't like that, either,' he said, but mounted the broom behind Sirius without further argument, wrapping his arms around his stomach and holding on for dear life.

'Could you squeeze me any tighter, Moonbeam?'

Remus rested his chin on Sirius' shoulder and breathed into his ear, making him shiver. 'Only if you ask very nicely, Twinkles.'

Sirius almost let go of the broom in shock. He felt his face heating up and knew his hair must be the brightest pink known to man. There was no way he was getting out of this. He directed the broom through the window of their dorm and prepared to pay the price for his arrogance.

As expected, James noticed immediately. 'Wait, why are you blushing and why's your hair pink? What happened?' he demanded, looking back and forth between them.

Remus shrugged. 'He wanted to know if I'd squeeze him tighter. I told him only if he asks nicely.'

James laughed. 'You..? And he..? Oh! That's brilliant. Pay up, Twinkles. I told you it would happen sooner or later.'

'Fucking flirty werewolves,' Sirius grumbled as he went to his trunk to get his money pouch. 'You've cost me a bloody fortune, Moony. Why'd you have to go and grow a spine?'

'I'm not entirely sure what's happening, but I think it's hilarious,' Remus said, watching him count out ten Galleons into James' outstretched palm.

'Sirius bet James that you wouldn't ever have the guts to flirt back,' Peter told him.

Remus nodded thoughtfully. 'That certainly explains some things. Guess that'll teach you to underestimate me, Twinkles.'

Sirius turned to Remus, letting his eyes trail over him slowly all the way down to his feet and back up again. When their eyes met, Sirius winked. 'I bet that's not all you could teach me.'

Remus' hair, which had been a smug dark blue, turned bright pink to match his cheeks. 'Bollocks,' he muttered.

Sirius barked a laugh and swaggered away. 'I've still got it.'

They woke early the next morning, wanting to ensure they got to witness the chaos as it unfolded. At six o'clock on the dot, a long banquet table laden with breakfast food appeared in the middle of the Common Room—Remus had told him the house-elves had been more than happy to co-operate with their plan—and in the centre of the table sat a large envelope with the words "Do not open until breakfast is over" emblazoned across the front.

Sirius enjoyed seeing the different reactions from students as they made their way down from the dormitories, and their hair made things even more entertaining. No matter what colour it was when they emerged from the stairway, it immediately turned into lilac confusion on spotting the food. Often the lilac gave way to yellow happiness on realising they didn't need to travel down seven more staircases before they could eat. But the odd person changed to orange annoyance or black worry. Sirius guessed those people had places to be or people to see.

Weekend breakfast ended at nine o'clock, and the impromptu Common Room meal was no different. The food vanished at the appointed time, and one of the two seventh-year prefects took it upon himself to open the envelope and read the contents to the room. Sirius tried very hard not to look at his friends. If he did, he would start laughing and give them all away.

'Good morning, Gryffindors!' the prefect read. Sirius had no idea what his name was. Stevens maybe? 'We hope you enjoyed your breakfast. You're going to need the energy from it. Last weekend, it came to our attention that someone in this school thinks they have what it takes to beat us. We invite these mystery potion-makers to a fight to the end. Either we uncover their identity or they uncover ours. In the mean-time, we hope you enjoy the fairytale adventure waiting for you outside. The Marauders.'

Sirius gazed around as the prefect read out the note, hoping to spot someone looking shifty, but everyone was reacting and it was impossible to tell.

'What do you think is outside?' an upper year girl asked.

'If it's the Marauders, it's not going to be dangerous,' a younger student said.

'Still, I think me and Sally should go first,' the prefect who read out the note said. He and the female seventh-year prefect, Sally, approached the portrait hole and pushed it open.

'Bloody hell!'

Sirius suppressed a laugh. It had worked better than they could have anticipated. The corridor behind the portrait was completely filled from floor to ceiling by a woven nest of quivering branches, thick with shiny, green leaves.

'Looks like the inside of the Whomping Willow,' James whispered.

'I think it's a flutterby bush,' Sally said, poking at a branch and watching as it squirmed away from her touch. 'But it's ridiculously big.'

'More than one,' Remus whispered to Sirius, chuckling. Sirius snorted quietly in response.

'How do we get out?' a first-year asked.

'Well,' Sally said. 'Flutterby bushes don't like to be touched, and they avoid magic. If we shoot spells at it, maybe we can clear a path? What do you think, Toby?' She looked to the other prefect. Ah, so his name was Toby.

'It's worth a try. I can't imagine it goes very far.'

Sirius had to bite the inside of his cheek to control himself at that comment. Toby sure did underestimate them.

Sally and Toby gathered a small group of seventh-years to help and they began firing mild hexes at the plant, which did indeed squirm away, allowing them to move out into the corridor. After a few minutes, they'd cleared a space large enough for the rest of the House to join them.

'Which way?' Sally asked, glancing at Toby.

'We could head towards the stairs and go down, or try to meet up with the Ravenclaws,' Toby prodded the plant in front of him. 'This stuff is bigger than I thought. I reckon it might fill the whole castle, and with a bigger group we can make faster progress. But if we head for the stairs, we might meet up with the teachers sooner.'

The decision was put to a vote and "head for the Ravenclaws" won, so the entirety of Gryffindor House manoeuvred until the oldest were at the front, facing down the corridor. They concentrated their spells on the centre of the mass of branches, creating a gap large enough for a single person to squeeze through. As the rest of the house filed through behind the lead group, they targeted their own spells at the surrounding foliage, enlarging the gap further. By the time the youngest reached it, the corridor was mostly clear.

The Marauders positioned themselves at the back, occasionally looking over their shoulders and giggling. No one else had noticed yet that the plants were growing back across the corridor behind them.

Progress was slow, but twenty minutes into the journey the crowd ahead stopped. Sirius couldn't see what was happening, but assumed they'd met someone else, and was proven right a few minutes later when word reached them through a chain of whispering that they had made contact with the Ravenclaw prefects.

A few minutes later, Toby's amplified voice sounded above the babble and everyone quietened to listen. 'The Ravenclaw prefects have attempted to reach the Headmaster, but he's not in his office. It's been decided that we'll head for the Great Hall and hope to find a teacher along the way. If you could all squeeze to the side so we can get to the front?'

Sirius glanced at his friends, smirking, as everyone began shuffling up and turning around. The audible gasps and cries of surprise and annoyance when they all realised the path had closed behind them were the funniest thing Sirius had ever heard.

'Oh, bloody hell.'

'We're going to have to fight through it all again?'

'This is ridiculous, I've got studying to do.'

The prefects squeezed through the mass of students, reaching the Marauders after a couple of minutes.

'Why didn't you tell us the plants were growing back?' Toby asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'Didn't notice.'

One of the female Ravenclaw prefects pinched the bridge of her nose. 'How could you not notice?'

Recognising her from their visit to the Ravenclaw Common Room the previous year, Sirius gave her a wave. 'Hi, Pandora. I guess we just weren't really looking behind us.'

She eyed them suspiciously, but didn't say anything further. It took them another half an hour to reach the top of the Grand Staircase. Conferring briefly, the prefects decided clearing the plants from an entire flight of stairs before proceeding down to the next would be the safest course of action, and as the Marauders stood, watching them and waiting, Sirius noticed a hole appearing in the foliage beside them which blocked the corridor to Gryffindor Tower.

'Oh, hello there,' Dumbledore said, as his head appeared in the gap.

'Hello, Sir,' Sirius replied politely, trying not to laugh at the leaves stuck in his head-teacher's beard.

Dumbledore widened the gap and stepped out onto the landing. 'I went to Gryffindor Tower, but I should've known Gryffindors wouldn't be able to resist an adventure,' he said, eyes twinkling. Noticing the Ravenclaws in the crowd, he turned to Pandora. 'Miss Selwyn! Hello! Are the rest of your House back in the Common Room?'

Pandora nodded. 'We didn't see any need for the whole House to go for help.'

'Wise, indeed. Shall we proceed down the stairs, then?'

They made faster progress with Dumbledore leading the charge, and three floors down they found McGonagall and Flitwick working together to create a permanent opening to the ground floor.

'Albus,' McGonagall said when she saw him emerge from the tangle of leaves. She sounded relieved. Sirius followed behind the prefects. James, Remus and Peter right on his heels, blasting magic at the plants to force them back and widen the opening. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at them but didn't comment until several more Gryffindors filed out.

'Did you bring the entire population of my House with you?'

Dumbledore glanced over his shoulder and winked at Sirius. 'Hm? Oh, yes, I think so. I found them at the top of the stairs.'

'Well. They can make themselves useful, then. Gather around, students.' While she and Dumbledore were talking, the Gryffindors had finished clearing the stairs between the fourth and fifth floors and were standing around waiting. 'Professor Flitwick has created a charm to cut back these plants and keep them from growing back again. First years, you won't be able to cast it, but I'm sure you can find another way to help. Second-years and up, once you know the spell, please separate yourselves into groups and choose a part of the school to clear. Priority to the main passages between the Common Rooms and the Great Hall.' She turned to Flitwick. 'Professor?'

'Yes, thank you, Professor,' Flitwick said, stepping forward. He proceeded to talk them through the wand movement and incantation and had them practise until they were confident, before sending them out, an army of Gryffindors against the ever-growing, invading flutterby bushes.

The Ravenclaw prefects returned up the stairs to free the rest of their House, and a delegation was sent to the dungeons to rescue the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. With the whole of the student population involved (minus the first-years), it didn't take long to clear the school of plants. Although, to Sirius' delight, for the next week, missed pieces were found sprouting from various locations around the castle, revealing the entrances to several secret passages the Marauders hadn't yet discovered.

Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn finally developed a cure for the colour-changing hair potion the following Friday evening, and administered it to every affected student over the course of several hours on Saturday. Sirius was thankful to be rid of the potion effects before the full moon. It would have made it impossible for them to hide their worry and concern for Remus, and he didn't need that on top of everything else he had to cope with at that time of the month.

On Sunday morning, the day of the full, Sirius, James and Peter did the same as the previous month, creeping around the dorm while they dressed and sneaking out to let Remus sleep through the majority of his moon sickness. He finally awoke just after lunch, and Sirius managed to get him to drink some water before offering his chest as a pillow. Remus snuggled against him gratefully, and he was obviously trying to be subtle about it, but he was definitely breathing deeper than usual. Sirius smirked to himself, feeling smug. Pain relief was something he could give Remus, that no one else could.

James opened the window to fill the room with fresh air and put on a record of soothing nature sounds. 'So the wolf will feel more at home,' he told Remus when questioned. Remus had hidden his face in Sirius' chest at that, and Sirius was fairly sure he was smothering a laugh. They laid around the dorm talking quietly for a few hours, James making an obvious effort to rein in his exuberance for Remus' comfort, but Sirius kept an eye on the time, and at four o'clock told Remus they should start moving towards the hospital wing.

Remus wasn't too bad this month, but they still took it slow, not wanting him to tire himself out. He seemed a little exasperated by their fussing, but Sirius wasn't going to let that stop him. With the frequency that Remus referred to himself as a monster, Sirius was under no illusions regarding how he thought about himself, and if there was one thing Sirius was determined to accomplish in life, it was convincing Remus he was just as worthy of kindness as anyone else.

After handing Remus over into Madam Pomfrey's care and making a big show of hugging him goodbye as if they weren't about to see him again in half an hour, they donned the cloak and crossed the grounds to the Whomping Willow. James was far more prepared this month than he had been the previous full moon and had come bearing a bag of supplies, which he was refusing to show them until later.

They waited just inside the entrance to the tunnel, confident Madam Pomfrey wouldn't accompany him as she hadn't last time, and he'd been objectively in far worse shape then than he was tonight. At five o'clock, Madam Pomfrey's voice drifted down from above and they quickly got to their feet in case they needed to make a dash for it.

'Will you be okay from here, dear?'

'Yes, I think so. Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. I'll see you in the morning.'

'I'll be here at nine forty-five. I hope you don't have a bad night.'

'Thanks. I don't think it's going to be a bad one,' Remus said.

No, it wouldn't be. Sirius would make sure of that. If he had his way, Remus would never suffer a bad full moon again. He shared a determined nod with James just before Remus appeared in the opening, blocking the light from the setting sun and darkening the tunnel. Sirius hurried over to put an arm around him, but Remus continued to support most of his own weight, smiling at him.

'I'm alright. I can walk by myself.'

Sirius ignored him and didn't let go. 'Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.'

James nodded and put his own arm around Remus on the other side. Peter took the bags, and they all stumbled down the passageway together, chattering and making jokes to keep Remus' mind off of what was coming.

When they reached the ladder, Sirius gave him one last hug and dropped a kiss on the end of his nose, smirking at his blush. 'Up you go, then, Nerd Boy. See you in the morning.'

Remus laughed, but it sounded a little forced. He was scared, Sirius knew. Even after so many years, facing the pain he had to go through would still be terrifying. It would never stop being terrifying. They were doing their best to keep him occupied, to keep him from thinking about it, but they couldn't be with him this close to moonrise. Not yet, at least. One day, though. One day they'd be with him for the whole thing.

'So, what's in the bag?' Sirius asked the moment the trapdoor closed, signalling they were permitted to return to the base of the ladder.

James grinned and unzipped the lurid red and gold rucksack. He pulled out three small, square and puffy pieces of fabric and placed them on the floor. 'Comfort,' he said, confusingly.

Sirius stared at him.

James laughed and pointed his wand at them. 'Engorgio.'

The small squares of puffy fabric grew into huge, red, fluffy cushions big enough to sit on. Sirius grinned at James, delighted. 'Nice one, mate.'

Peter promptly plonked himself down on the closest cushion. 'Going to have to be extra careful we don't fall asleep down here with such a comfy place to sit.'

Sirius and James both joined him, sitting down on the other two cushions.

Next, James pulled out a hand-towel sized fluffy blanket. Pointing his wand at it and casting the engorgement charm again, he turned it into a king-size blanket. 'Warmth,' he said with a grin, spreading the blanket out so it covered all three of them.

'Why didn't I think of this?' Sirius asked no one in particular.

'Probably because we're not learning the shrinking and engorgement charms until next month,' James said, shrugging. He reached into his bag again and pulled out a book with a flourish. 'Entertainment.'

Then the screaming started.

James winced and reached into his bag one more time, this time pulling out three pairs of fluffy ear muffs in pink, orange and blue. 'And… Protection?' he said, handing a pair to Peter and offering another to Sirius. 'I pinched them from the greenhouse last weekend.'

'You want us to block out the sound of Remus' pain while he has no choice but to suffer?' Sirius hissed, staring at the earmuffs incredulously but crossing his arms and refusing to take them.

'It's not like us listening to his screaming does him any good,' James said, calmly. 'And it was his idea.'

'Of course it was,' Sirius said. 'He thinks he's not worth it.'

'Not worth what?'

'Anything,' Sirius snapped. 'Us caring about him, being his friend, listening to his pain, becoming animagi! He doesn't think he's worth any of it.'

Peter looked down at the headgear in his hands and back at Sirius, before nodding to himself and quietly putting them back in James' bag. 'He's worth all of it,' he said, firmly. Then he pulled his knees up to chest and wrapped his arms around them. Resting his chin on his knees, he closed his eyes.

'Yeah, I didn't really want to wear them either,' James said, adding the other two pairs to the bag. 'Doesn't seem fair, does it?'

Sirius shifted his cushion closer to James and snuggled up to him. James pulled Peter closer on his other side and the three of them listened to their friend's screams of pain, hoping for them to turn into howls quickly. Waiting to greet the wolf.

Remus woke up in the Hospital Wing the morning after the full moon, sore and aching, but with no injuries. Again. Merlin, he really didn't deserve such amazing friends. He still couldn't believe they were willing to sit in that cold, muddy tunnel all night just to keep him from a few extra hours of pain. Looking out the window, he confirmed it was still early and smiled to himself. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let him go to class today, but at least he would only miss one day this month. One class was Defence, which was annoying—he made a mental note to ask his friends what was covered in the lesson—but the afternoon was double potions, and he was more than happy to miss that.

Sitting up, he reached for his bag, taking out his Marauders' Crest first and fastening it around his neck before pulling out the book he was currently reading, Charms for Communication. He'd had an idea for what to make his friends for Christmas and was trying to find out if it was possible.

Remus wasn't sure how much time had passed when the door opened and Madam Pomfrey poked her head in, but it didn't feel like very long.

'Oh, good. You're awake,' she said. Her cloth cap was askew and her usually tidy hair was sticking out from underneath it. 'How are you feeling, dear?'

'Good,' Remus said. 'Are you okay?'

'Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm fine, dear. There was an accident during Charms club yesterday. It's been a bit of a busy night.' She straightened her cap and tried to tuck the loose strands of hair back in. 'I'm afraid I won't be able to let your friends in to visit you, but you should be able to leave after lunch.'

Remus stomach sank, but he nodded. It couldn't be helped. If the injured students saw the school medi-witch leading three second-years into a secret room inside her office, it would draw far too much attention. It was going to be a lonely morning, though. He'd enjoyed having company to distract him from the pain last month.

Madam Pomfrey left, promising to return with his monthly nutrition potion as soon as she got the chance, and Remus picked up his book to continue reading, Two minutes later, the door opened again and he looked up from the page with surprise, not having expected Madam Pomfrey to return so soon. But there was no one there.

The door closed itself and Remus raised an eyebrow. 'So, when Madam Pomfrey comes back and asks how on earth you managed to get in here without her seeing you, what do you plan to say? Or are you just going to wing it? Because you know that never goes well for you. Remember the "we fancied a swim," incident?'

'We flew across the lake and came in through the window,' Sirius said, pulling the cloak off and revealing all three of them grinning.

James pulled a miniature broomstick out of his pocket and used his wand to grow it back to its normal size. 'Couldn't leave you sitting here all alone, could we?'

'She's never going to believe that,' Remus said, despite the fullness in his heart. They could have just accepted they weren't allowed in and spent their free period doing something without him, but instead they risked detention so he wouldn't be alone.

'She'll have no choice,' Sirius said, shrugging and taking his seat next to Remus on the bed. 'What else is she going to think? That we have an invisibility cloak?'

'It's hardly the first conclusion anyone would jump to,' Peter said, laughing and pulling himself up onto the windowsill. 'Anyway, how're you doing? We had to leave for class before Moony went to sleep this morning. Hope he didn't get upset after we left.'

'I'm fine,' Remus said, snuggling up to Sirius. He had to quickly pull his feet out of the way when James draped himself across the foot of the bed. 'No injuries.'

'That's great,' James said, rolling onto his side to look at Remus. His eyes sparkled with an excitement that filled Remus' stomach with butterflies. 'When do you think she'll let you out?'

'She said lunch time, as long as she can safely sneak me out,' Remus said. He licked his lips and tried hard to keep the suspicion out of his voice when he asked, 'Why?'

James grinned. 'We may have arranged a surprise for you.'

'Why does that terrify me?'

Sirius barked a laugh and squeezed Remus' hand. 'Because you know us? I promise it's not bad, though. You'll like it.'

Remus took a deep breath, enjoying Sirius' scent, which was always so much stronger and more enticing at this time of the month, and tried to calm his racing heart. They were his friends, whatever it was they had planned would be intended to make him happy, not hurt him. 'Okay, I trust you.'

'As you should,' James said. 'It's not real friendship if there's no trust.'

They all looked up at the sound of the door opening. Madam Pomfrey stopped in the doorway holding a large goblet of thick, brown liquid, and Remus' mouth watered in anticipation.

'How in Merlin's name did you three get in here? I told you you couldn't visit today.'

'You told us we couldn't come in through the door,' James said, jutting his chin out towards his broomstick which he'd propped up against the wall. 'You didn't say anything about the window.'

Madam Pomfrey sighed and handed the goblet to Remus, who took it gratefully.

'It was implied, Mister Potter,' she said, stepping back and crossing her arms. 'But I believe your next lesson begins soon? You'll have to leave the same way you came. The ward's still too busy to risk letting you out that way.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' Sirius said, offering her a mock bow. 'We'll go soon, the same way we got here.'

'See that you do.' She shot them one last annoyed look, but smiled at Remus before she left, closing the door behind her.

'That went well,' James said happily, climbing to his feet. 'She's right, though. We do have to go. Can't be late for Professor Tenebris, she'd rip us to shreds. We'll come get you at lunch, though, Moons.'

Remus nodded, too busy slurping his milkshake to speak. Sirius squeezed his hand before letting go. 'Rest up. I can't wait to see your face when we show you the surprise.'

'Yeah. You're going to love it, Moony,' Peter said, jumping down from the windowsill.

James opened the door a crack and peeked out. 'All clear,' he whispered. 'Let's go.'

Remus watched them disappear under the cloak, moments before the door swung wide and then closed itself with a quiet click.

Alone once more, he finished his milkshake and decided to take a nap until lunch. He loved his friends. He did. But being around them was draining at times.

'Wakey, wakey, Moonbeam.'

Remus pried his eyes open to find Sirius' face so close to his their noses were almost touching. 'Er, hi?'

Sirius grinned and kissed the end of his nose. 'Come on. Get up, get dressed. It's time for your surprise!'

'Merlin,' Remus groaned. Trying to roll onto his side, he came to the sudden realisation that Sirius was sitting on his legs. 'Get off me, you great lump. Where do you get all your energy?'

'I steal it from you when you're sleeping,' Sirius said, climbing off and grabbing Remus' hands to pull him up. 'Come on! Get up, get up, get up!'

'Alright, alright. Where are James and Pete?'

'Putting the finishing touches on your surprise.' Once Remus was sitting up, Sirius shoved his clothes at him and turned around. 'Get dressed!'

Keeping his eyes on Sirius to make sure he kept looking out of the window—he didn't really expect him to turn around, but he couldn't help it—Remus stripped off the soft hospital gown Madam Pomfrey always dressed him in and pulled his school robes on.

'I'm done,' he told Sirius, before sitting down to pull his socks and shoes on.

When he was ready, Sirius picked up Remus' bag, insisting on carrying it for him, and opened the door a crack. 'We're ready,' he whispered.

'Go on, then,' Madam Pomfrey replied. 'There's no one here. Take it easy this afternoon, Mister Lupin.'

'He will,' Sirius promised for him.

It took ten minutes to get up to Gryffindor Tower, and Sirius acted like an excited puppy the entire way. It was exhausting. When they reached the dorm, Sirius headed straight for the bathroom and paused at the door.

'Are you ready, Moony?'

Remus raised an eyebrow. 'My surprise is in the bathroom?'

The door behind Sirius opened a little and James' head appeared in the opening, steam billowing out around him and his hair sticking up even more than usual. 'I thought I heard voices. Hi, Moony! Sirius hasn't spilled the potion, has he?'

'No.'

'Excellent,' James said, grinning. 'Now, before you come inside, I want you to know we got permission from Professor McGonagall. So you don't need to worry about getting in trouble.'

'… Okay?' Remus said, more confused than ever.

James swung the door open and waved him inside. Cautiously, Remus walked in.

It was a bath.

The surprise his friends were so excited about was a large, white, free-standing bath, filled to the brim with steaming-hot water and thick, fluffy bubbles. Peter was standing beside it, pouring something into the water that smelled strongly of lavender. Remus felt his chest constrict.

'Guys…'

All three of them grinned at him proudly.

'Do you like it?' James asked. 'We thought soaking in the hot water would help with the pain. Professor McGonagall said we could use it every month.'

Remus didn't have the words to express how grateful he was, but he tried anyway. 'It's amazing, guys. Thank you. How did you get it?'

'We asked Professor McGonagall this morning after breakfast and Breen delivered it during Defence. It was here when we got back from lunch, already full of water. Pete added the bubbles and something to help you sleep.'

'Talking of class,' Sirius said. 'We have to go to Potions, so we'll leave you to enjoy your bath.'

Sirius ushered James and Peter out of the room, but turned around before following them. 'Don't go falling asleep, Wolf Boy,' he said, giving Remus a once over followed by a wink. 'Wouldn't want to have to fish you out of there to revive you. I might not be able to keep my hands to myself.' And then he was gone.

Remus shook his head. Sirius had really stepped up the flirting since Remus had made him blush the week before. Part of him was tempted to just flirt right back and try to win this game Sirius had been playing with him since they became friends. But he wasn't sure how far Sirius was prepared to go. It was a little scary, if he were honest.

Remus went to the bathroom door and checked they were gone, before stripping off his robes and climbing into the hot water.

It. Was. Glorious.

The water was so hot it stung his skin and he had to lower himself in slowly, an inch at a time as he became accustomed to the temperature, but once he was properly seated, laying back with his head resting on the rim, the heat felt blissful, easing his sore muscles and aching bones. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the lavender scented air, and let his mind wander.

There was no denying how much his life had changed for the better since coming to Hogwarts and meeting Sirius, James and Peter. Sirius in particular had given him so much. Remus had never expected to have friends, never mind ones who knew he was a werewolf and still cared about him. And it was obvious they cared. He was sitting in the proof of it. James and Peter's acceptance was incredible, more than he could ever have asked for, and far more than he deserved. But Sirius. Sirius had given him more than mere acceptance. He'd discovered Remus was a monster before they were even friends. Knowing next to nothing about him, and under no obligation to ever so much as speak to him again, Sirius had made the most unlikely choice.

Sirius had chosen to give him a chance.

Refusing to take no for an answer, he'd befriended Remus, taking the time to get to know him as a person, not just a disease. Then he went one step further. Unbeknownst to Remus, he began spending the full moons outside his cage keeping the wolf occupied, and gifted Remus a priceless treasure—injury-free full moons.

And, as if that wasn't more than enough, when Remus had truly thought his life was as good as it could possibly be, considering the cards he'd been dealt, Sirius had given him something Remus had believed even more impossible than secret-less friendship. Something more unreachable than injury-free full moons. He'd given him back human touch.

Those weeks he'd spent in almost constant contact with Sirius had been the best of his life—that he could remember, anyway. Sirius must have been bored out of his mind by the end of the first week, but he hadn't once complained. There wasn't a single moment where Remus had felt like a burden. Quite the opposite, actually. Sirius acted as though making Remus' life better gave him joy. James was similar, but his heart was open and his generosity extended to everyone around him, as if he wanted to make everyone else as happy as he was (except for bullies, of course. James couldn't stand bullies). Sirius, though, guarded his heart fiercely, only allowing a select few to enter his inner world and know the real him. To those few he was unfailingly kind, generous and loyal; to everyone else he was an arrogant trouble-maker who didn't know when to stop. Remus was honoured to be one of the few.

With his ability to touch people restored, Remus had also gained the confidence to stand up to his father, freeing him not only from the oppressive atmosphere at home but also from full moons spent in a hole in the ground. The Lunar Lodge was ridiculously over the top, but Remus loved it for the thought and consideration that had gone into its design.

Remus owed so much of his happiness to Sirius, and ultimately to Dumbledore for allowing him to come to Hogwarts in the first place. He couldn't see how his life could get any better, but he'd thought that before and Sirius had proven him wrong. Maybe they would actually succeed with their ludicrous plan to become animagi, as unlikely as it seemed. Perhaps Peter would invent a pain potion he could take, or James would locate his soul mate and persuade them that marrying a werewolf would be cool and not a terrible burden.

Really, with the friends he had, anything was possible.

A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts and Remus sat up fast, grabbing the towel from the floor beside the bath.

'You alive in there, Wolf Boy?'

It was Sirius, of course. Remus relaxed, dropping the towel. Sirius wouldn't come in without permission. Had he really been in the bath for over two hours?

'Yeah. I'm fine,' he called back. 'What time is it?'

'Quarter past four. I'm guessing the bath was a hit? Or are you just stuck? I don't mind helping you get out.'

'I don't know why you're waggling your eyebrows like that,' James said. 'Moony can't see you.'

'Because I knew you'd say something, Sunshine. And, as usual, you did not disappoint me.'

James laughed. 'I live to serve.'

'He's bowing to me, Moony, in case you were wondering.'

'Thank you for the running commentary, Twinkles. I think I can manage to get out by myself, though.' Only then did Remus realise he didn't have anything to put on. The robes he'd been wearing were soaked from the overflowing bath water.

'Um, Sirius?'

'Yeah?'

'I don't have any clothes in here.'

'One pair of pyjamas coming right up,' Sirius said.

Remus scrambled to get out of the bath and wrap his towel round himself, suddenly panic-stricken that Sirius would just walk right in. The towel covered most of his scars, but not the ones on his arms. Not the bite.

Remus was looking around for another towel to drape around his shoulders when the door opened. His head whipped around in fright, but Sirius just stuck his arm through the gap, holding the wad of fabric out for him to take. Relieved and feeling stupid for doubting him, Remus ran over to take it. And slipped on the wet floor, twisting his ankle. He fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, smacking his head hard on the tiles.

'Ah! Fuck!'

'Remus?' Sirius' voice sounded worried. 'What happened? Are you okay?'

'Slipped. Banged my head,' Remus sat up, putting his hand to the back of his head gingerly. When he pulled it back and looked at it, his hand was wet with blood. 'Fuck, I'm bleeding.'

There was a pause, and then, 'Moons, I'm going to come in, okay?'

'No!' Remus said, pulling the towel round himself more securely. 'I…'

'I don't give two fucks about your scars, Remus. Just tell me I can come in so I can help you, for fuck's sake.'

Remus looked at the blood mixing with the water on the floor. He really was bleeding quite a lot. 'Alright,' he said, his voice shaky. 'Just… Just you, though.'

'Thank you,' Sirius said, slipping into the room and closing the door behind him. 'Fuck, Moons. You've really got to stop banging your head.'

Sirius' eyes darted to the bite mark just below his shoulder, but his face didn't change. There was no disgust there, just concern.

'There's a lot of blood. I think we should get you to Madam Pomfrey.'

Remus groaned. 'I just got out of the Hospital Wing. I don't want to go back already. Just help me stop the bleeding. It'll heal by itself quickly enough.'

Sirius gave him a doubtful look but didn't argue. He grabbed Remus' wet robes from the floor and wadded them up to hold against the back of his head. 'You're one stubborn bastard, Remus Lupin.'

'Like you can talk,' Remus said.

Sirius just stuck his tongue out, but his eyes kept darting back to Remus' bare arms and away again.

'I know they're ugly,' Remus said. 'That's why I keep them covered up.'

Sirius stared at him, his expression incredulous. 'Ugly? Is that why you think I keep looking at them?' He moved his free hand to hover over Remus' left arm, extending an index finger, then he glanced back at Remus' face, waiting for permission.

Remus swallowed. Was he going to touch them? No one had ever touched his scars before. He gave Sirius the tiniest of nods and then stopped breathing in anticipation.

Sirius smiled and looked back down at Remus' arm, trailing a finger gently along the thickest, ugliest scar which stretched from his wrist to his inner elbow. His touch made Remus' arm tingle and sent a shiver down his spine.

'These are your battle scars, Remus. They show everyone just how fucking brave you are.' He moved his hand up to the puncture wounds Remus hated so much and ran his thumb across them. 'And you know what bravery is, don't you?' he asked, looking Remus in the eyes, his face so close Remus would only need to lean forward half an inch to kiss him.

'No?'

'It's sexy as fuck.'

Just half an inch, and he would feel Sirius' lips against his again. Maybe this time it would last long enough to tell if he liked it. There was no one else here to interrupt them. But what if Sirius reacted badly? Why was he even thinking about kissing Sirius? Where were these thoughts coming from?

Remus forced a laugh and broke the eye contact. 'You're trying to convince me my scars are sexy?'

'Yep,' Sirius said. 'Because they are.'

'You're ridiculous.'

Sirius waggled his eyebrows. 'Or maybe I just think you're really fit.'

'Compared to a house-elf, maybe,' Remus said, wishing Sirius would stop so he could get his head back on straight. He needed to change the subject. 'Has the bleeding stopped?'

Sirius checked and nodded. 'Yeah, I think so. Can you get dressed?'

'Yeah, but I twisted my ankle pretty badly.'

'Alright, give me a shout when you're ready to get up.' Sirius handed him the pyjamas and went to wait outside the door.

Remus dried himself as quickly as possible and pulled his pyjamas on, grateful the top was the button-up type and he didn't have to pull it on over his injured head.

'Ready!' he called when he was done.

Sirius came back in and helped him up, letting him lean against him as he limped over to Sirius' bed.

'So you enjoyed the bath, then?' James said. 'Despite the unfortunate ending?'

'It was amazing, thank you.' Remus looked over to smile at him, and noticed what James was holding. A bright red envelope. 'Are you doing it now?'

James shook his head. 'Just reading the instructions. We still need to figure out what we want to say.'

'I thought about that,' Remus said. 'I drafted something earlier. Can you get my bag, Sirius?'

Sirius bounced up and grabbed Remus' bag from his bed, taking the sheet of parchment when Remus had found it and giving it to James.

'This is perfect, Moony,' James said after reading it. 'We'll need to disguise the voice of whoever speaks it, though. Any ideas?'

'We've got plenty of polyjuice,' Peter said. 'And I stole some hair from my cousin's hairbrush during the summer.'

'We're all set then,' James said. 'I've already done the crystal parcels.'

Remus pulled out his book to carry on reading, but he couldn't focus on the words. And it wasn't because of the throbbing pain in the back of his head. His mind kept returning to that moment in the bathroom when he'd thought about kissing Sirius. Had it just been a reaction to their close proximity? All the nice things Sirius was saying? The alien feeling of a person touching his scars and not being repulsed? Or was there more to it?

Remus peeked over the top of his book to where Sirius was talking to James. He was extremely attractive. That was undeniable. With his expressive silver eyes and silky, black hair that was so soft when Remus ran his fingers through it. The way his nose turned up at the end ever so slightly, and his long, slender neck that Remus so loved to bury his face in…

Fuck.

He definitely fancied Sirius.

This was bad. Really, really bad. Sirius might joke around, flirting with him all the time, but he had a girlfriend. None of it was real. Remus needed to get a grip. There was absolutely no way he could ever let Sirius find out. Or anyone else. He would lose everything. Just because his stupid brain couldn't tell the difference between jokes and reality.

Was it right for him to keep sleeping in Sirius' bed when he was thinking about him like that, though? It seemed a little deceitful. But if he suddenly said he wasn't doing it anymore, it would look weird. And Sirius still had nightmares at least twice a week—it was so much easier not having to get out of bed and cross the cold floor to comfort him.

Alright, so he would just carry on with things as they were, act normal and hope it went away. Maybe try to avoid situations like in the bathroom too. Everything was going to be fine.

'You alright there, Moonbeam? How's your head?' Sirius called across the room. Fuck. Had he been staring?

'Er, yeah. It's good, I think. Almost healed.'

'It's got to be pretty cool being able to heal so fast,' James said, walking over to inspect Remus' head. 'I mean, I know every other part of lycanthropy sucks. But the super fast healing is awesome.'

'I guess. I don't really remember what it was like before.'

'Yep, it's all better.' James released his head and sat down on the bed next to him. 'You going to be up to fighting Professor Tenebris tomorrow night?'

Remus grinned. 'Yeah. I'm looking forward to it. And I thought of a codename for Pete.'

'Oh, Merlin,' Peter groaned.

'Go on. What is it?' Sirius asked.

'Bubbles.'

James looked thoughtful. 'Bubbles?'

Remus nodded. 'Because of the epic scourgify victory, and the bubble bath. Not to mention his potion making skills.'

'Bubbles. I love it,' James said. 'It's perfect.'

'It's actually not too bad,' Peter said. 'I can live with it.'

The next day, Remus used the free period before lunch to work on the magic detector, asking his friends to grab him some food and take it back to the dorm for him when they went to lunch. The detector was almost finished, but he was having some difficulty pinpointing unique aspects of the magical signature to filter by for the last level.

He returned to the dorm, weary but pleased with the progress he'd made, and the scent of steak and cheese that wafted out when he pushed the door open put a smile on his face—they'd brought him his favourite. The sight that met his eyes, though, made his smile grow into a grin.

Sirius, James, and Peter were sitting cross-legged in a circle in the middle of the room. They all had their hands clasped in their laps, their eyes closed and their heads bowed.

'But how?' James said. 'You keep saying it's possible, but you're not explaining how to do it.'

'You just have to stop thinking,' Sirius said. 'I don't know what else to tell you.'

'You're terrible at this.'

'Well, ask Moony to teach you then, if I'm so bad.'

'Ask Moony to teach him what?' Remus asked, announcing his presence, though he already knew the answer. Sirius was trying to teach James how to meditate. If ever there was a project doomed from the start, it was this one.

'Moony!' James cried, leaping to his feet and greeting Remus with a hug.

It was one of the more peculiar parts of James' personality—one that Remus particularly adored—that when they were parted for more than a few minutes, he always greeted his friends as if their absence had been unbearably painful and their return was the best gift he'd ever been given.

'Sirius was trying to teach me how to meditate, but he's useless at it—'

'Hey! It's not my fault you don't understand a simple instruction.'

'—so will you teach me?' James continued, ignoring Sirius' interruption. 'I think it'll help improve my focus for the animagus project. Which we still don't have a name for, by the way. So, will you help?'

'Of course,' Remus said. 'And I seem to remember you had trouble with clearing your mind too, Twinkles, so no fair making fun of James for it.'

Sirius gasped. 'Lies and slander! I did it perfectly first time.'

'No, you definitely struggled. Bubbles did it first time, though. He was brilliant.'

Peter grinned and stuck his tongue out at Sirius.

'Oh, I see how it is. Favouritism. Outrageous, that is. Completely unacceptable.'

'Unless you're the favourite,' James said.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Well, obviously.'

'I'm afraid, you're just going to have to work harder if you want to be my favourite, Star Boy,' Remus said. Then he clamped his mouth closed and bit his tongue. Dammit, what had he said that for?

Sirius pounced immediately. 'Is that so? Flowers and chocolates? Or would you prefer something more… personal?' he asked, with his trademark wink.

Oh well, in for a knut, in for a galleon, as they say. 'Chocolates will be fine. But I expect nothing less than the best.'

Sirius' grin widened alarmingly. 'Oh, you asked for it, Moonbeam.'

Remus grabbed the steak and cheese sandwich from his bedside table, took a seat on the end of his bed, and pulled out his wand. It was probably a good time to change the subject. 'When you're first starting out, it helps to have something to focus your attention on.' He waved his wand and gentle music began playing from an unseen location. 'Listen to the music and try to not think about anything else. If you notice your mind's wandered, just gently bring your attention back to the music and try again. There's no rush.'

Sirius, James and Peter all closed their eyes and bowed their heads again, and, while he was waiting, Remus ate his lunch as quietly as he could. They had class all afternoon, so they didn't get very far with James' mental landscape, but Remus turned around a few times during History to find James sitting with his eyes closed, concentrating hard, and Sirius wasn't even bothering him. They were both taking this far more seriously than Remus had expected.

When classes were finally over for the day, they ran down to the owlery to post their letters. The crystal parcels they gave to school owls, with strict instructions on when to arrive and who to deliver to. But the howler they would only entrust to Rieka. She listened to the instructions and ruffled her feathers importantly, giving a soft whistle in response.

It was showtime.

The moment a meticulously planned project came together was always thrilling for Remus, and this one was no exception. His stomach fizzed with excitement when he saw Rieka soar in through the window of the Great Hall and deposit her bright-red burden on Professor Dumbledore's plate.

Dumbledore reached for his wand, probably planning on banishing the howler to his office to deal with later, but paused and glanced towards the far end of Gryffindor table where the Marauders were seated. Peter's suggestion that they write a message on the outside of the envelope asking him to open it in the Hall had clearly been a good one. The students had taken notice of the unexpected delivery and the room was filled with whispering; everyone was looking at Dumbledore expectantly. Waiting.

The envelope was smoking at the corners now. Half of Remus was dying for Dumbledore to open it, but the other half hoped he'd wait until it exploded, making Sirius' polyjuiced voice ten times louder.

Dumbledore didn't wait. He gingerly picked up the smoking envelope, raised his eyes to gaze out at the watching students, and raised an eyebrow. 'Well, I wonder what this could be about,' he said, before slipping his finger under the flap and tugging it open.

Instantly, a high-pitched feminine voice filled the hall. Sirius had had way too much fun with this and his penchant for drama would have been too obvious to anyone who knew him well, but fortunately all the people who knew him well already knew it was him.

Merci beaucoup, my dear Albus. So kind of you to open this letter and start the event.

Students of Hogwarts! This is your beloved Marauders, I'll just pause here a moment for your applause.

—

Thank you. Thank you. We've sent this Howler to announce the First Annual Hogwarts' Halloween Capture the Crystal Competition!

Each House will shortly receive a package containing a crystal. Please be sure to touch your crystal when it arrives, doing so will activate it so it turns your House colours. Professors, for the purpose of the game, your colours are purple and white. Oh, did I not mention you're all playing too?

Listen carefully now, I'm about to tell you the rules. I know, I know. Rules suck. Generally, I would agree with you. But games need rules or no one has any fun.

So here they are:

Rule number one: Your crystals must not be taken into restricted areas. That means common rooms, dormitories, staff rooms, staff offices or staff personal quarters. I'm looking at you, Professor McGonagall.

Rule number two: You have until five pm tomorrow evening to decide on a defensible location for your crystal. After that time, you may move your crystal once every twenty-four hours, but cannot carry it for more than thirty minutes. If a crystal is captured, the new owners have one hour to transport it to their own camp.

Rule number three: You may use any means at your disposal to defend your crystal with a few exceptions. No pain, no permanent disfigurements and no entrapment, including full body binds.

Rule number four: Standard school rules must be obeyed, including curfew restrictions. Yes, that means only seventh years and prefects can make night raids or act as night guards.

Rule number five: Any additional rules the professors choose to impose must also be obeyed.

Any team caught breaking the rules will be immediately disqualified, and any crystals in their possession at the time will turn clear until claimed by another team.

At five pm on the night of Halloween, the crystals should be brought to the Entrance Hall for the winner to be announced.

Let the game begin!