A/N: Thanks to everyone who left a review. Your comments really encourage me to keep going. Thanks to my betas! I don't know where I'd be without them.
Who Could Ever Love a Beast?
Chapter 2
"C'mon, Moony, what's taking so long?" Sirius complained from outside the lavatory. Sirius, James, and Peter were in the sixth year boys' dormitory waiting for Remus before they went to breakfast.
"Be out in a minute," Remus called after spitting toothpaste into the sink. After the dream last night, Remus realized with horror that he really did taste blood in his mouth, only to find that he had bitten his lip during his sub-conscious terrors. Nevertheless, this realization hadn't stopped him from giving his mouth a rigorous cleaning that morning, three of them, actually.
"Ah, he's just readying himself for Lydia, aren't you, Moony?" James called cheekily.
"Got to keep that breath minty fresh!" Sirius added.
"Ah, cut it out, mates, you're making him blush," Peter said, grinning as Remus stepped out of the loo.
"Good one, Wormtail," Sirius said with a chuckle, "A bashful werewolf! Fancy that!" Remus shot Sirius a warning glance.
"Sirius, keep your voice down!" he hissed. But Sirius merely waved his hand impatiently at him.
"Keep your trousers on, Moony; Frank's already gone down to breakfast."
"Which we should be doing, too," James said, glancing at his watch, "We don't want to be the last ones there, now, do we, mates?" The other three Marauders shared meaningful looks and smirks; they all knew the real reason James wanted to get down to breakfast early, and it wasn't because of the bacon.
Upon entering the Great Hall, Remus scanned the Hufflepuff table for a sign of Lydia. When he didn't see her, his heart began to beat uncomfortably fast.
Oh, don't be thick, he thought to himself, Just because she's not here right now doesn't mean that . . . well, doesn't mean anything's wrong. Despite the mental scolding, Remus couldn't help but feel slightly worried. That horrible dream from the night before kept replaying in his head.
"What's the matter, Moony?" Peter asked anxiously, pulling Remus out of his reverie. He had obviously noticed that his friend was not eating. Remus silently cursed his easily readable expressions. He looked at Peter, whose smooth face was lined with worry and couldn't help but smile.
"I'm alright, Peter," he said, and when Peter still looked unconvinced, he added in a firm voice, "Really, I'm okay. I'm just a bit tired." Peter then smiled sympathetically at Remus and patted his arm before turning back toward his oatmeal. Remus sighed with relief. The excuse was plausible, as the full moon was only a few days away.
However, Sirius, who was watching Remus closely, didn't fall for the "I'm tired" line.
"Yeah, right, tired, my arse," he said with a grin, "Moony's just worried that his woman is off with some other bloke." Remus wrinkled his nose at the ridiculousness of that statement.
"Of course I'm not," he said calmly while taking a bite of scrambled eggs, "Lydia would never do such a thing." After swallowing, he looked up and was encountered with the cheesy grins of his companions. "What?" he asked defensively, "What're you three grinning at?"
"You, Remus," Peter said pointedly.
"Or should we say Romeo?" Sirius sniggered.
"You've got it bad, Moony, my friend," James said with a dramatic sigh while patting Remus's shoulder. Remus raised his eyebrows at James.
"You know, Prongs, I wouldn't talk if I were you," he said coolly, nodding his head towards a pretty redhead. Colouring slightly, James reached up and ruffled his already untidy black hair.
"I haven't the slightest idea as to what you are talking about, Monsieur Moony," James said, lifting his chin up proudly. Remus rolled his eyes at him, but said nothing. Instead, he finished his breakfast and pulled out a book that his grandfather had given to him before term started. It was a Muggle book, as his grandfather was, in fact, a Muggle.
"What's that you've got there, Moony?" Peter asked interestedly.
"Lord of the Flies," he answered, and upon noticing their blank stares, explained, "It's a book about a group of Muggle boys, aged six to twelve, who are stranded on a tropical island without any adults. Most of them end up turning into savages. The basic message is that humans are inherently evil and prone to savagery."
"So it's some nice, light bedtime reading, then?" Sirius commented sarcastically. Remus gave him a withering look.
"It's a very interesting read," Remus mumbled, turning back to the novel. He didn't notice the face Sirius made at him.
"Hey, Padfoot," Remus heard James address Sirius a moment later, "Look who just walked in." Remus snapped his head up so quickly that he felt his neck crick, hoping perhaps that it was Lydia. Massaging the sore spot, he looked around the Great Hall, but instead of Lydia, he saw . . .
"Snivellus." Sirius narrowed his smouldering grey eyes at the greasy Slytherin. Remus frowned at his friend.
"Sirius," he began warningly, "don't you do anything to get yourself into trouble." Sirius raised his eyebrows imperiously.
"What're you, going to put me in detention, Moony?" he asked sarcastically. James and Peter sniggered. Remus coloured slightly but looked defiantly into Sirius's eyes.
"If I have to, then I will," he stated in a voice barely above a whisper. Sirius then leaned across the table and put a sneering face about two inches from Remus's.
"I'd like to see you try," he dared. He then proceeded to stare his friend straight in the eye, like a dog battling for dominance, until Remus finally pressed his mouth into a thin line and looked back down at his book. Satisfied, Sirius stood up and brushed off the front of his robes.
"Besides, there's nothing wrong with me just talking to old Snivelly, or is there a rule against that, eh, prefect?" he said in a rather nasty tone before heading over to the Slytherin table. Remus didn't answer. He simply continued to stare crossly at his book. He couldn't remember being so angry in his life. Indeed, he didn't know why this had struck such a nerve with him. He assumed it had something to do with the impending full moon. Of course, he had never really approved of the way James and Sirius tended to treat Severus Snape, but didn't he join in on nearly all of the pranks against the Slytherin?
Yes, but only the stupid ones, not the cruel ones, he thought, trying to ease his guilt, not like last year during the OWLs. His insides squirmed at the memory. He wished that he had done something to control his friends. He wished even more that Dumbledore hadn't given him the position as prefect. Remus sighed heavily and marked the page in his book. He decided that he would go onto class alone to give himself some time to cool down before he talked to his friends again. He didn't want to risk getting into a row with them, especially one over Snape.