The next morning, James and Peter woke up very early and ran down to the infirmary to meet with Sirius and Remus. They grinned at Madame Pomfrey while entering and tried to look as though their pockets weren't full of toast and leftover sweets from their candy night.
The school nurse always kept Remus for a few hours the morning after the full moon, to make sure he got enough rest and she insisted that he ate a healthy breakfast, so it had became a tradition for James to sneak in as much unhealthy food as possible. He had outdone himself this time, to celebrate the success of last night's prank.
Sirius, who was falling asleep on a chair next to Remus's bed, stood up in a hurry as soon as he saw his friend, but didn't dare to say anything until Madame Pomfrey had left for her office.
"So?" he whispered impatiently, "How did it go?"
James took the time to empty his pockets of all the candy on Remus's bed before answering, knowing very well Sirius was dying to hear every single detail of their evening. Then he told them everything that had happened, sometimes interrupted by Peter who was very proud to remind him how well he had acted.
By the time they were done telling the story, both Sirius and Remus were laughing hysterically, clutching their hands to their stomachs.
"He blew up an armor?" asked Sirius for the second time, wiping happy tears from his eyes.
James nodded gravely.
"Monstrous noise, you would have loved it."
"We'll trade next time, I'll be Moony and James you'll go to the Shack!"
Peter sighed. He preferred his rat form to his Lily form, as he had admitted to James the previous night. Being an animal was easy and intuitive, but Lily's legs were longer than his and he found walking and standing like a girl very uncomfortable. Remus shook his head, looking pensive.
"I don't know if there will be a next time, now that Snape has proof that I'm not... you know. He's probably gonna stop looking into it now."
"Let's hope so," said James.
They headed out for their classes as soon as Madame Pomfrey found Remus rested enough, and the rest of the day was spent in a state of blissful haze and of satisfaction of a job well done. However Sirius was disappointed about having missed Severus's fit of rage and already planning bigger and better pranks, now that the risk of Remus's furry little secret slipping out was gone. It took a long time for James to convince him that staying on the down low for now was safer.
"Marauders don't do down low!" he had argued in History of Magic.
"We'll be careful!" he had protested in Charms.
"Please Prongs, I hate Snivellus just as much as you, it's not fair," he had pleaded in Herbology.
James's final argument was that they could all be expelled if someone started to have suspicions and found the six small bottles of Polyjuice still hidden under their beds. It was a low blow, because if Sirius Black ever had one fear, it was to leave Hogwarts. He had fled his parent's house the previous summer and the Potters took him in and accepted him as if he was their own son, but Hogwarts would always be his home.
James felt bad about using this against him, but he feared Sirius's impulsiveness and recklessness would one day push him to do something he would regret.
Fortunately for him, Sirius's feelings of missing out came to an end later that day at dinner, when they saw a very visibly upset Snape approach the Gryffindor table to talk to Lily. The redheaded girl greeted him with a large smile and invited him to sit next to her but he stayed where he stood.
The beginning of their conversation was hushed, and despite the Marauders best efforts, Lily was sitting too far away for them to understand a word of what they were saying.
Eyebrows furrowed with concentration, James's eyes were fixated on Snape, whose hand movements were getting more and more vigorous. Lily was facing away from them but James could clearly see her shaking her head no, over and over again. Snape was raising his voice, and what started as a quiet conversation was now drawing a lot of curious looks.
"I know what I saw. You can lie all you want, I know you know I heard you," said Severus. His voice sounded calmed and controlled, like he was just having a friendly chat, but his jaw and fists were clenched and for a second James was afraid he might hit her. A strong feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. He did hate Snape, but it was never his intention to cause Lily any trouble.
"I don't know what you saw or what you think you've heard but I was in my dorm all evening with Mary. And even if I wasn't, you have no right to spy on me and you are certainly not in charge of who I talk to." Lily's tone was harsh and cold. She stood up to face Snape but even then she was a head shorter than him.
"Don't talk to me like that and keep your voice down," said Snape in a commanding tone, looking down at her as if she were a dessert he was about to eat. The smile he shot at her probably meant to be kind, but it came off as condescending and it did nothing to calm Lily.
"I will talk to you however I want to. I am not a gentle woman. I do not want a gentle voice."
James would have given everything he owned to be able to see Lily's face as she said those words, although Snape's expression was just as priceless.
"Go back to your table before I give you detention," said Lily, emotionless, pointing at her prefect pin.
Snape clearly hesitated, opened his mouth to say something but decided against it at the last minute. He left the dinning hall in such an irritated state James would not have been surprised to see smoke coming out of his ears.
Sirius stood up at once, smiling from ear to ear and clapped enthusiastically. Lily turned around to look at him in one quick movement, beautiful and terrifying.
"Piss off Black."
"Whatever you want Your Highness."
He sat back down, still grinning like it was the best day of his life.
"This is the best day of my life. Now I totally understand why you fancy her Prongs."
Remus looked scandalized but didn't say anything. It seemed as though all of the Marauders had a new found respect for Lily Evans. Even Peter was looking at her with wide eyes, like he was seeing her for the first time.
James risked a smile in her direction. She looked at him for a second before turning back to Marlene. James could have swore he had seen her smile at him faintly but he kept it to himself, just in case he had imagined it.
He had been scared for her, although he would never admit it to his friends or Lily herself. But of course she was perfectly capable to stand up for herself, as she had done many time in the past. This time was no different.
As for Sirius, he was over the moon, talking very fast and barely able to stand still.
"Now we have to do it again. Full moon or not, it doesn't matter anymore. We found a crack in Snivellus's armor – no pun intended – and we have to exploit it. You can't say no now, James."
"No." said James, unrelenting. "We'll find another use for the Polyjuice, but we're done messing with Snivellus for now."
He hated to be a killjoy, but he did not want to sabotage Severus and Lily's relationship any more than they already had. The bond these two shared was strong, and although James didn't understand it, he knew he had to respect it.
Sirius dropped the subject surprisingly fast and James tried telling himself that it was because of his natural authority and leadership, but he knew his friend too well. Telling Sirius not to do something only resulted in him wanting to do it more. James crossed his fingers under the table, hoping for Sirius to move on to another prank victim quickly.
They were heading back to the common room happy and full, discussing the next Hogsmeade visit, when Remus abruptely stopped in front of the Fat Lady's Portrait and hit his forehead with his palm.
"Bollocks, I forgot my book in the infirmary! Go on without me, I'll be just a minute," he said quickly before running back down the stairs they had just climbed.
"Since when does Moony say 'bollocks'?" smiled Peter.
"Probably gets it from Evans," said Sirius with a shrug. "Swears like a sailor this one."
"You're one to talk," snorted James. "Animo."
The Fat Lady's portrait swung backwards and they all climbed through the portrait hole before settling in their usual side of the common room, in front of the fireplace. Even as full as the tower was at times, their seats were never taken by anyone else but them. The Marauders were respected and loved in the Gryffindor house, thanks to the many different pranks they had led against Slytherin throughout the years, and the fireplace was unofficially named "The Marauders' corner".
Collapsing into the coziest armchair, James opened his book of Advanced Potion Making and tried to tune out the noise of the common room. Sirius appeared to have too much energy for studying and had his fun teasing the fire with levitation charms he performed on the logs. Peter watched him for a minute before yawning and reluctantly starting his Transfiguration essay.
They stayed like this for about half an hour, James occasionally lifting his head from his boring Potion swotting to watch Sirius literally play with fire, his eyes reflecting the burning logs he was lifting. Peter had given up on keeping his head straight and was leaning on the table, only his hand and quill still moving.
"What's taking him so long?"
Grateful for the distraction, James put down his book to look at Sirius. He was still focused on the flames, but frowning. His bored attitude was gone, and he was sitting with his back straight.
"He just had to take his book and come back, right?" James could hear the worry in Sirius's voice under the many layers of fake nonchalance.
"Madame Pomfrey probably held him back," said James, trying to be reassuring. "You know how she is with him the day after the full moon, she would keep him all week if she could."
"You're right," said Sirius, turning back to the fireplace. His back wasn't as stiff anymore but James could tell he was still tense by the way he was holding his wand.
"Wanna check the map?"
"Yes please!"
Barely lifting his head from the table, Peter pulled out the map from his robes and handed it to Sirius. James was starting to get back to his book when he froze upon Sirius's deafening silence. The blood had drained from his face and he was looking at the map so intensely he could have burnt a hole through it.
"What? What's wrong? Where is he?" James got up, suddenly panicked. Sirius handed him the map without a word before jumping to his feet and running out of the common room.
It took just a second for James to find Remus Lupin on the map. His dot was standing still, in a broom closet of the second floor. Another dot titled Severus Snape was walking away from him.
That was all it took for James to drop the map and start running as well. It was after curfew so the corridors were empty. He caught up with Sirius very easily, he had more stamina and he was more physically fit, from all the Quidditch practices. They ran alongside each other, Peter on their heels, and they didn't say a thing.
The guilt overwhelmed him. It was because of their prank. It had been the final straw for Snape and now James's biggest fear had come true. He should have known. He shouldn't have involved Lily. He shouldn't have let Remus leave on his own. Knowing that someone he loved had probably been hurt because of him was the worst feeling in the world.
Sirius and James arrived in from of the broom closet together and looked at each other hesitantly before Sirius took it upon himself to open the door.
Their Moony was inside, petrified and white as a sheet. His eyes were staring into nothing and his hair was damp from sweat. Sirius quickly checked for physical injuries and found none. He exchanged a glance with James, who was ashamed to have hoped for a wound, because at least then they could see the damage that had been done.
Peter arrived behind them, panting, then took one look at Remus before sprinting towards the infirmary without asking any question, without even taking the time to catch his breath. James had a weak smile at his unwavering loyalty. Peter would do anything for his friends.
They laid Remus down on the floor of the hallway and James sat next to him, incapable of looking away from his friend's pale and terrified face. Sirius was restless, pacing the floor, and James could tell he was feeling just as guilty as he was. They waited in silence for what felt like an eternity, but finally they heard Madame Pomfrey's voice and Peter's familiar footsteps.
James tried getting up but his legs and hands were shaking, so he stayed firmly on the ground where he had no risk of falling. The nurse ran towards Remus and knelt in front of him, muttering under her breath incantations that they did not understand and seemingly scanning his body with her wand.
"Go back to your dormitories. You will see him in the infirmary in the morning," she said without looking up, materializing a stretcher out of thin air with the flick of her wand. It was an order that would suffer no dispute, but James was not in the mood to take orders from anyone.
"No. He's our best friend, we're not going anywhere."
Madame Pomfrey must have heard the rare seriousness in his voice because she did not insist. Sirius shot him a look of gratitude. He still had not talked since the common room and James understood why. His own throat felt very tight and there was a roughness to his voice from holding back the tears. But Sirius Black didn't cry, he never did.
James had asked about it what felt like a million years ago, in second year, when he had seen Sirius fall down two flights of stairs and break his leg after a failed attempt at levitating himself. He had not cried then, and when James had inquired, he had answered with the typical simplicity of thirteen year old boys.
"We're not allowed to cry at home. Not manly. We get punished if we cry." And he had pointed to one of the many scars that ran down his calf. James had never questioned any of Sirius's habits again.
That is what James was thinking about as they were walking down to the infirmary, trailing Madame Pomfrey and the levitating stretcher. He reached his hand and grabbed Sirius's elbow, squeezing it gently. The world was fucked but at least they had each other.
The night they spent in the infirmary was torture. They had been allowed to stay there by McGonagall who had arrived only five minutes after them, warned by Peter as well, but they couldn't see past the curtains the nurse had drawn around the bed and they had no idea of what was going on.
There was a heaviness to the air in the room, maybe due to the silence James wasn't used to. None if it felt real. Like he was in a nightmare, where time distorted and stretched, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't wake up. Everything had happened so fast, but yet he felt like he had been sitting on this hospital bed forever.
The second Madame Pomfrey appeared from behind the curtains, James and Sirius were on their feet, their eyes full of questions they weren't sure they wanted the answers to. Fortunately, the nurse answered before James found the courage to ask.
"He's fine. Sleeping. He needs it, poor boy."
"Is he gonna be okay?" Sirius spoke for the first time since they had left the common room. There was no sign of weakness, worry or anger in his voice, but it was deeper than usual, more mature.
"Yes. The curse used on him is standard for hallway fights, but as you know, Remus's immune system is weakened by his condition, especially at this stage of the moon cycle. The attacker did more damage than they intended to." She shook her head gravely. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked exhausted. "Minerva will find the person responsible and they will be fairly punished, don't worry."
James exchanged a look with Sirius and immediately knew they were thinking the same thing. Denouncing Snape would mean explaining why the attack had occurred, why Snape was so angry in the first place. And they would have no explanation to offer the administration as to why Severus had seen Remus, fully human in the night of the full moon. They would get expelled. They couldn't tell anyone.
The Marauders approached Moony's bed with caution, afraid to wake him up. Tucked under the covers with both of his palm facing the ceiling, he looked smaller and younger than he was. The blue veins under his skin were emphasized by his paleness. He looked so weak.
Sirius sat on the side of the bed and took Remus's hand in his.
"Snivellus is gonna fucking pay."