Disclaimer: This fanverse was created by the brilliant Halo N' Horns, who graciously has allowed me to use it for this fic. Slash: Contains a polyamorous discipline relationship between James, Sirius, Remus and Severus. Warning: This story will contain spanking of teenagers by other teenagers in many chapters, if you don't like it don't read it, cheers.

Chapter 1 - A Fragile Union

Remus sighed as he glanced around the crowded library for a seat. He had tried studying in the rowdy Gryffindor common room, but many of his fellow students had already given up on the semester and were making too much noise for him to concentrate. He had let Sirius and James building a racetrack for chocolate frogs and organizing a house-wide betting tournament. He wished they would take the fifth year examinations more seriously.

Packs of nervous first years and grave seventh years crowded most of the tables, the seventh years nearly hidden by their enormous stacks of books. The first years trying in vain to pronounce spell names correctly. Remus waded through the tables and stacks, passing a sneering Lucius Malfoy who looked far more interested in a pouting Bellatrix than the list of potions ingredients sprawled out in front of him.

Tucked behind a collection of rarely visited Muggle Studies tomes, Remus saw a table with only one person seated at it. He couldn't tell who it was from behind - the person was dressed for winter weather with a thick black cloak and a hat, and though Remus could tell from the broad shoulders and back he was male, he was unable to figure out the person's identity. He shrugged, moving to the other side of the table, his books were growing heavy and he was desperate to start work. The full moon had struck the week before, and had left him exhausted and very behind in his work.

He deposited his bag on the table and starting unloading supplies and books. The boy's head snapped up, and Remus' gaze was met by a huge pair of dark, accusing eyes.

"Do you want me to move?" Severus Snape asked in a small, tired voice.

Remus was somewhat taken aback by the meek tone, and even more so by the earful movement of Snape's eyes as he scanned the library for somewhere else to to go. Remus had barely seen Snape during the last few weeks. He guessed that after Sirius and James had suspended him upside down and stripped him publicly, that Snape had been too mortified to attempt another confrontation.

"No, that's okay. There's just no space." He caught Snape's surprised look as he removed his coat and draped it over the back of his chair, "Just pretend I'm not here."

"Are Black and Potter coming too? Snape asked, and Remus noticed that he had already put the book he was reading back into his patched burlap bag.

"Nope, just me." Remus said. He wondered why Snape was so nervous, he'd been confronting James and Sirius for years. The experience of being stripped in public must have been truly terrible, Remus thought a little guiltily.

Snape seemed to relax a bit, and took the book back out of his bag. He flipped through it quietly and began to make notes on a scrap of parchment.

Remus fished through his own bag, and noticed almost immediately that his Potions book was missing. He hissed angrily remembering that Sirius had borrowed it prior to the full moon. The book was probably stashed somewhere under Sirius' bed, no doubt covered by Quidditch supplies, dirty clothes and old prank gear.

He got up with an exaggerated sigh and began putting on his coat. Snape looked up cautiously and hesitated before asking, "What did you forget?"

"My potions book." Remus said, knotting his scarf angrily.

Snape pulled out his Potions text from his bag and held it out to Remus tentatively, "Here."

Remus stared at him in blatant shock, unable to believe that Snape would actually save him the trip back up to Gryffindor tower. He sat down in his again and took the book from Snape, who leapt back as soon as the book was deposited in Remus' hand, as if afraid Remus' skin would burn him. He removed his hat, letting his greasy hair flop around his chin.

Remus opened the book to the fifth chapter and was instantly astounded. All over the margins and below each ingredient were separate, hand written instructions. A clockwise turn, instructions to puree; everything listed made perfect sense to Remus, but he never would have thought do it. He noted with interest that the notes had been made on every potion in the book, not just those on the syllabus. "Wow." He breathed, flipping over another page, "This is fantastic."

Snape looked somewhat embarrassed and he hid his eyes under his mop of greasy hair, "I just like to experiment."

Remus continued flipping through the text, and then sucked in his breath sharply. The Transfapain potion, the most advanced in the sixth year study was fully annotated with detailed instructions on where to find the required plants. The potion, Remus knew, was very expensive to brew, but it all but eliminated the pain of transformation. "Have you made this? He asked sharply, indicating the page.

Snape looked over and simply nodded.

Remus was struck by a sudden thought, "Snape, have you ever told anyone about, you know, that night in the shrieking shack when Sirius got you to go …"

"No" Snape finally looked him straight in the eye, "Dumbledore told me not to … and Black and Potter would kill me … and I just never wanted to."

"Well, thanks." Remus said. He was pleasantly surprised by how honest and nice Snape was being.

They sat in silence for a while, taking notes until Snape shut his textbook with a decidedly irritated snap. Remus looked up, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, Lupin, mind your business." The snarkiness seemed to be making comeback.

Remus raised his eyebrows in an amused fashion and Snape at least had the grace to flush and mutter, "It's just transfiguration. I don't get it."

"What don't you get?" Remus asked, trying to control a grin. He understood the subject very well and was glad to contribute something in exchange for Snape's potion mastery.

"It's fine … it's not on the syllabus." Snape mumbled, and Remus couldn't help feeling a little crestfallen, "It's about animagus. So not what were supposed to study anyway."

"Oh! I know all about those." Remus blurted. Snape gave him an odd look. They went back to studying in silence. Remus watched Snape quietly as the other boy read through his Charms texts. He looked so miserable and pathetic, with his sad eyes and threadbare clothing, greasy hair and sallow skin. Remus looked down at an especially helpful set of potions annotations and couldn't believe what a bastard he had been to sit around and watch his friends torture Snape.

"Snape, I'm really sorry about how James and Sirius treat you. It's totally out of line and I'll make them stop in the future." He blurted out again.

Huge, shocked dark eyes met his this time, "I … I have to go." Snape said in a small voice.

"What? Well okay…" Remus picked up the potions book and tried to give it back.

Snape shook his head, "I know all of it anyways. You can keep it until after the exam. Just … please give it back and don't let Sirius burn it."

"Thanks! No, it'll be safe."

Snape got up, replaced his hat and gave Remus a little ghost of a smile before dodging back behind the bookshelves.

**

"I don't want you guys to pick on Snape anymore." Remus said as he and the other Marauders.

Sirius head snapped up, "You can't be serious Mooney."

James too look shocked and Peter made a point of looking totally engrossed in his novel. Of the four marauders, Peter was the only one who had chosen not to be part of their discipline relationship. When his friends fought he just tried to stay out of it, knowing that he would just go along with whatever decision was made anyway.

"Please James." Remus said. He spoke directly to James because in their relationship their was a definite hierarchy and although Remus was dominant, he wasn't accustomed to pulling Prongs over his knee like they both did with Sirius, who was regularly a brat and needed to be pushed back in line.

James made a face, "Why Mooney? We've been picking on him for years. And why even bring it up? The little berk hasn't dared to show his face in a month after we stripped him. I don't think he dares to confront us." He smirked over his shoulder at Sirius.

"That's just it, Prongs. He doesn't dare. He scared and along and miserable. I sat next to him today at the library -"

"YOU WHAT!?" Sirius interrupted.

"Be quiet Sirius and let me finish," Remus snapped back, "I sat next to him in the library today because there was nowhere else to sit and he was scared of me, but he was actually really nice and he let me borrow his potions book and I just think you guys should let up because he looks really sad and tries to avoid us."

"He let you borrow his book?" James asked in a perplexed tone, "Why didn't you have your own book?"

"I forgot it in my dorm, but that's not the point."

"I'm not going to be nice to Snivellus." Sirius announced glaring at Remus, "You can't make me."

James ignored Sirius completely when he spoke to Remus, "How upset is he?"

"Really upset, I think, Prongs. I think you guys crossed the line. Look, he gave me his potions book with all these extra notes in it to be helpful … I think he's trying. Can't you just promise to leave him alone? I mean if he comes as hexes you that's one thing … but you guys know you seek him out."

James studied his friend's face and concluded that Mooney was serious and truth be told he had felt a little bad about what he and Sirius had done to Snivellus, especially when it became clear that Snape was too frightened and upset to even attempt retaliation. "Alright Mooney, I'll leave him alone."

"Well I won't." Sirius muttered stubbornly. To his horror, James crossed the room in two quick strides, flipped him onto his side and administered six hard swats to his bottom.

"Oww Prongs." He whined and turned back over to protect his rear from further onslaught.

James fixed Sirius with his sternest expression, " If it means that much to Mooney that you leave Snivellus alone, I expect you to do it, got it?"

Sirius glared mutinously from under his long fringe, "But Prongs I hate him."

Remus raised his eyebrow, "Not as much as he hates you Sirius, I'm sure."