Around a small table, one that seemed the right size to hold only coffee and magazines, sat four boys each individually busy scribbling on parchment or leafing through books. A bright fire crackled in front of them, warming the winter chilled room. One of the four boys leaned back against the couch and stared at the fire with a sigh.
"I know all this crap! I shouldn't have to write it too." He muttered.
"You know, Sirius, leaving potions to last probably isn't' the best idea you've had."
Sirius glared over at James, like he was really one to talk. James had as bad a record with doing his potions homework as Sirius did. Before Sirius could reply Remus voiced his very thoughts without even raising his eyes from his charms book.
"James, I believe you're the one with a potions book and an empty roll of parchment on the floor next to you."
Sirius and Peter both snorted at Remus' remark and grinned at James. James shook his head and grumbled something about over achievers. Remus only smiled behind his book.
"What was that?" Peter chided.
"Oh, shut up, Wormtail." James snapped, staring at his transfiguration paper.
"I didn't quite get that James." Sirius continued.
"I'm going to hex you." James said.
Sirius snorted and Peter laughed nervously.
"At least I am done my homework before 1 am." Remus added, chuckling.
"Actually," Sirius said, looking down at his Puddlemore United watch, "Its 1:24 am now."
Remus looked up slowly from his charms book and smiled softly at Sirius. "1:24 then."
Sirius felt a vague fluttering in his chest and sudden heat spread through him. Blinking in slight surprise Sirius shook his head, washing the feeling back where is came from. Turning the grin that felt as thought it wanted to overtake his face into a slightly awkward laugh Sirius tapped his watch and nodded importantly.
"1:25, now."
Remus laughed and returned his eyes back to his charms book. Sirius very quietly let out a breath of air. He'd been finding more and more lately that at unexpected moments when Remus was around he would find himself suddenly filled with a rush of warmth or happiness. Sirius didn't really know how to explain these occurrences but he decided he may as well just write them off as feelings of friendship. After all, Remus was a very good friend. Who else had the good nature and was patient enough to get Sirius to do his runes and transfiguration homework? Also, who else spent the time lecturing him on staying out too late with random girls or on his poor eating habits? Yes, Remus was an impeccable friend; of course he should make Sirius happy, even overwhelmingly happy over little things like smiles, chess games, or snowball fights, right? Exactly, that was it.
"Oy, Sirius!"
Sirius blinked out of his thoughts at the sound of his name, "Uh, what?"
"I asked you how you started your potions essay." James said with a slightly annoyed expression.
"Oh." Sirius sat up and passed his parchment to James. "See for yourself."
Sirius nodded in reply and somehow couldn't help stealing a glance at Remus. He just caught the slight roll of Remus' eyes over the top of his book. No doubt Remus was exasperated with what he assumed was James copying homework again. Sirius knew that Remus liked giving help but disliked outright copying, though he never said a thing when they did do it. For some reason Sirius wanted to take his essay back from James.
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At breakfast James was still feverishly working on his potions essay, the class they were to attend after the meal. Sirius had finished his around 3:30 giving him a few hours sleep and time to eat now. Across the table from James Peter was holding up his potions book so James could go faster.
Sirius looked down at his watch, "20 minutes there, Potter."
James made a choked sort of noise in the back of his throat and dipped his quill in his ink bottle again. Sirius patted him on the back.
"You could always bribe her." He said referring to their potions master.
"And have her hex me into a hippogriff." James replied hurriedly.
Sirius laughed and looked at Remus. He looked as though he wanted to make a comment on James' work skills but stopped himself. Sirius stared at him a while longer, wishing he would speak, but Remus only turned back to his eggs.
"I think I forgot to put in the properties of wormwood…" James muttered.
"Just go on," Sirius said. "You should at least have a finished essay, if a wrong one."
James made an unintelligible noise and thumbed through the book Peter held.
"Or you could have finished it last night." Peter grumbled.
"Peter!" James snapped.
Sirius grinned coolly and saw Remus stop himself from choking on his scrambled eggs. Sirius' smile widened as Remus looked over at him with a 'that's James' sort of expression. They both looked at each other a moment longer until Remus turned away to look at Peter who had put his head down on the table grumbling. Sirius' eyes stayed on Remus until James whooped triumphantly beside him.
"I'm done!"
All three looked at him and clapped in a mocking sort of way.
"Oh, shut up." James said, running a hand through his hair. "I'm just glad I'm done that shite. I'll still get top marks." He grinned self assuredly.
"And we're all so proud of you Jamie!" Sirius crooned, waving a mother-like hand at him.
"Argh!" James smacked Sirius' hand away to which Sirius punched James good naturedly in the shoulder.
The two ensued to have a mock battle, smacking each other in the head, punching shoulders, and whacking each other in the chest. Their battle subsided into laughter as they nodded regally and shook hands. Peter stared at them adoringly while Remus smiled and shook his head.
"You two are impossible, but we better get on or we're going to be late for potions and professor Morphen is going to hang us by our toes."
"Oh, my poor toes!" James laughed sarcastically.
"The agony!" Sirius continued.
"Yeah, yeah, shut up you duffers. Let's go." Remus replied.
They all stood up, gathering up books, bags, and potions essays, and filled out the great hall doors.
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Chattering down the stairs the four Gryffindors came up to the door of their potions classroom. Just ahead of them coming from the opposite direction marched a certain black haired Slytherin.
"Snivellus!" Sirius called with exaggerated good tones.
The black haired boy froze like an animal ready for attack just at the doorway.
James joined in, "Having a good grease day there, Snivellus?"
A small crowd was now waiting to enter the classroom and cautiously watching the event.
"Yeah, I'm sure you have enough filth on you today to coat all our cauldrons." Sirius continued, smiling haughtily.
Sirius' grin broadened at the look of utmost loathing seeping from Snape's eyes and the light laughter of some of the onlookers surrounding them.
"You- you-" Snape stuttered. "Shouldn't you be chasing a snitch somewhere?"
"Well, Snivelly, we know I can do that fabulously," James flashed a smile at some of the waiting girls. "But if your greasy head's forgotten I have potions with your scrawny hide."
More of the crowd laughed and Peter whooped raucously, beaming at James. Sirius grinned and chuckled, nodding approvingly at him.
Snape merely sneered and snapped. "Not that the class is improving your pathetic abilities any. I doubt you've been able to manage a simple shrinking solution without fouling it up."
James' wand was out and leveled at him before Snape could raise his half way.
"Care to have a taste of my charms abilities grease boy, or should I just hex your face into a bunch of boils, it may improve it some?"
The crowd sniggered and Peter nodded emphatically, muttering 'yeah' beside James. Sirius cocked an eyebrow, raising his own wand.
"Or we could use our transfiguration abilities to turn your robes into frilly knickers."
The crowd laughed more. Snape looked about to manage a retort but just then Professor Morphen's sharp heels clicked down the stairs behind them. James' arm dropped and his wand disappeared into his robes.
"What's going on here?" She asked, eyeing them all critically.
"Just waiting for you professor." Sirius said, suppressing the urge to say they were greasing down cauldrons.
"Well then, in to your seats."
The professor ushered them all into the class and proceeded to the front of the room. Sirius cast a wickedly triumphant smile at a glaring Snape before sliding down beside James. Nothing was better than a good round of Snivellus jostling. Sometimes Sirius thought it was almost better than Quidditch. It wasn't until the class was setting up their cauldrons and Professor Morphen was writing potions ingredients on the board that, glancing sidelong, Sirius just realized puzzlingly that Remus hadn't laughed or made a sound during the entire interlude with Snape outside the classroom.
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Days later the foursome were walking through the Hogwarts halls after a particularly boring charms lesson. Peter was lagging behind trying to get his books and parchment into some sort of order in his bag. The other three strode ahead, Sirius and James complaining loudly about Professor Spark while Remus just chuckled beside them.
"I just can't stand her bloody lecture classes! She goes on forever about proper hand movement and other rubbish and we never get to do any real charms work!" James barked, hexing a Hufflepuff first year's hair pink in annoyance.
"James…" Remus pled.
"I swore I was going to break my fingers from the amount of times my head kept falling." Sirius added.
"Can't we use wands sometime?" James grumbled.
"And I already know all that shite she prattles on about; it's so easy!"
"Flick your wrist like this-"
"Pronounce-"
"Clearly-"
"Loudly-"
"With force-"
"James."
Both looked over at Remus who had just spoken.
"What?"
He pointed ahead of them at a trio of Gryffindor girls, a bright red head in the middle. Sirius saw James' eyes light up as his hand flew up to brush at his hair. Sirius grinned. James was always very amusing when Lily was around. You'd think that the minister of magic was handing him a medal the way he pranced about and boasted when she was near.
Sirius leaned over and whispered to Remus, "What are you betting he gets shot down again?"
Remus put on a mock serious face, "I'd say about a million to one he does."
When they were a few meters away Sirius and Remus stopped as James went up to Lily.
"How you goin' Evans?" He said with a seemingly charming smile.
Sirius and Remus glanced at each other then looked back at James. Peter then walked into the two of them with a squeak.
"Wha-?" He started, surprised by them just standing there.
"Lily." Remus said, steadying himself after Peter's impact.
"What do you want, Potter?" Lily was saying ahead of them, stance annoyed and eyes bothered.
"Just asking how you are, is that a crime?" James implored.
"I'm fine, bye now."
Lily and her flanking girls brushed past James and walked on by Remus, Sirius, and Peter.
"Hey!" James ran up after her so he was walking backwards in front of her.
The other three Marauders walked behind Lily and her crew.
"Come on Evans, you know there's something about me, we'd be perfect. Go out with me?"
Lily stopped in her tracks. "Potter, the only thing about you is your sad attempt at being charming with that cocky walk or yours and I'd rather go out with a Hungarian Horntail dragon! It would more attractive."
With that Lily and her giggling partners strode around James to stalk down the hall. Sirius shook his head as the three of them stopped in front of James. He really wondered why James tried anymore. There were scores of other girls what would go out with him. James glared at no on in particular as them all stood there.
"Tough luck James," Peter said finally, "Maybe you should quit, she might not like-"
"Oh, like you know a thing about women!" James snapped.
"Calm down, Prongs." Sirius said. "She'll bend eventually."
James nodded. "I know."
"Ah, and here is something that could cheer you up."
Sirius motioned towards a Snape, arms heavily laden with books, walking towards them. Peter squeaked again and Remus sighed. Sirius and James smiled at each other and advanced towards the Slytherin. Before Snape had more than one second to look up James' wand was up and he was saying 'expeillramus.' Snape's books went flying into the air, knocked every where all over the corridor. Sirius also cast expeillramus and caught Snape's wand from the other's hand as it was rising to strike back.
"Potter, Black." Snape growled.
"Don't you know that you're only good to be walking 'round the dungeons, Snape?" Sirius said.
"It's a good thing we're here to protect all grease-less society not smothered in the dark arts." James remarked with venom.
With that James cast a leg-lock charm on Snape, knocking him to the floor and walked past him down the hall with satisfied fury, ignoring Snape's bout of curses.
"Keep up the grease work, Snivellus." Sirius said, throwing Snape's wand down the hall and following after James.
Peter and Remus soon came up behind them.
"Wow, James, did you see his face?" Peter gushed. "He was so angry!"
"I know Wormtail." James said with a satisfied smile.
"And he was a bit clumsy, wasn't he? Dropping his books like that." Sirius chimed in.
James and Peter laughed but Remus merely walked ahead of them, book in hand.
"He was only walking, you know, not exactly a crime."
James snorted half-heartedly as Remus walked away from them. Sirius couldn't figure out why his chest suddenly felt as though someone had shoved their wand through it.