Author's Note: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

Warnings: NA

This week's AU: Rockstar!AU

The Same Tune

They stumbled into their dressing room breathless and guidy, breathless from the encore and sweaty from the bright stage lights.

"Good one, boys," James called. He'd handed off his guitar to a stagehand when the show'd finished but he'd held onto his guitar pick, as per usual. He was fiddling with it still.

"I love Glasgow," Sirius said. He grabbed the water bottle someone had left on his dressing table and chugged half the bottle. The rest he dumped over his face.

"Merlin, that's good," he said. "Three encores really takes it out of you, huh?"

Just as he said, Peter face-planted on the cheap leather couch in the room. His drumsticks were still safely tucked into the back pocket of his jeans.

James patted his back.

"Your chips and burger are waiting in the hotel room," he said. "After that you get to sleep."

Peter muttered something Remus didn't quite understand into the sofa.

Remus sat at his own dressing table and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his flannel shirt.

"I'd also ask that you shower Peter, on account of our room-sharing situation."

Peter raised his head just long enough to ask: "Won't you want to shower first?"

"I can shower here, it's fine," Remus said, leaning back into his chair. He liked some peace and quiet after their shows; as much as he loved playing onstage and taking pictures with fans after the show and occasionally catching especially enthusiastic fans at the doors… well, it was very overstimulating. He liked to take a moment of peace after. The other Marauders knew this.

"Alright," James said, nodding along. "You'll join the three of us later?"

"Yes," Remus promised.

"Alright. Eat something and drink lots," James ordered. "Also, knock on our door before going to bed when you get in."

"Or else James won't sleep," Sirius said.

"Exactly," James agreed.

They pulled Peter off the couch and with that they parted. Remus closed his eyes and gathered himself for a moment—but really, he'd had more than one reason for staying in. Notably; the venue they'd performed at that night had small, tiny really, wings. The theatre's piano had been pushed into the dressing room, up against the wall. It reminded Remus of the piano his high school had had, a small contraption on wheels with a wooden back and chipped keys. He pushed it away from the wall and ran his fingers against the first few keys. It sounded just fine to Remus—again, in a piano-abandoned-in-a-high-school way. He moved it towards where James had been sitting and co opted his chair. He repositioned himself, back straight, basically hearing his mother's chiding voice in his mind telling him to mind his posture.

He squared his shoulders and let his fingers hover over the piano keys for a moment before beginning to play. He was watching his own hands play more than he would have if he was playing regularly, but it wasn't bad. The song was still airy, melodic and soft…

"That was nice," he heard someone say.

Remus nearly fell out of his chair as he looked up. There, leaning in the door in her usual all-black uniform, was the fuschia-haired security guard. She told everyone to call her Tonks, but Peter was on a mission to find out what her real name was. Her sunglasses were clicked onto her t-shirt collar.

"Oh," Remus said. "What are you… what are you doing here?"

"Security detail accompanied the other band members to the hotel, but I was asked to stay behind with you," she said. "You know, on account of what happened with the stalking and the crazed fan last time we were in Glasgow."

"That's not necessary," Remus said.

"You can bring it up with Alastor," she said. "Or James. James also thought you'd take more kindly if I was here instead of one of the other bodyguards."

"Right," Remus said. "There's no getting rid of you, is there?"

"Nope," she said, popping her 'p.' She peeled herself off the wall and stepped into the room, looking lanky and effortless and supple even if Remus had already seen her throw people three times her size across rooms or tame massive crowds that beat and throbbed like pulses.

"Especially because I did my piano conservatories," she said.

"You did?"

"I did," she said.

"Me too," Remus said. "I was the only one of us who played an instrument in high school."

"You did?" Tonks said. "But what about James and Sirius… and Peter is such a pioneer…"

"I was lonely and they wanted me not to be lonely," Remus said. "So they made music with me and, as it turns out, they were good at it."

"I think you're quite good too," Tonks said. "The bass supports the entire melody or song. Your piano form seems a lot more practical than technical, though."

"I know," Remus said. "My mother would hate it."

"You just need practise," Tonks said. "We've been on tour so long…"

"So long," Remus agreed. "I guess we should start hunting down pianos while we're on tour, then. To stay sharp."

"Pfff," she scoffed. "I'm still sharp."

Remus laughed, incredulous.

"Really?" he said.

"Try me," she said. She crossed the room to come towards him and bumped her hip against Remus until he made room for her on the chair. Her fingers settled on the ivory and black keys with ease and she started playing.

And that was when Remus fell in love.

Stacked with: MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts

Challenge(s): Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Marauders Tale; Bow Before the Blacks; Seeds; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Friendship); Themes & Things B (Escape); Themes & Things C (Mirror); Themes & Things D (Sofa/couch); Energy; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

Word Count: 916

Shipping Wars

Ship (Team): Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks (Technicolour Moon)

List (Prompt): Fall Medium 1 (Rockstar!AU)