----------------------------
Chapter 1
"Mixed Emotions"
----------------------------
Around one o'clock the witch with the trolley full of candy rolled her cart along and opened the compartment door. The four of them - especially Peter – bought loads of junk food and just as the witch left, the trolley opened and Lily Evans walked in. She stumbled back as James jumped to his feet.
"Um, sorry, wrong compartment," she said with a blush rising in her cheeks and turning around, beginning to shut the compartment door.
Prongs pushed the compartment door back open and quickly walked in front of Lily. "Ah, Miss Evans, nice of you to join us."
Lily pushed away. "Oh, heavens, James! I went into the wrong compartment! I'm not joining you for anything!"
"Aw, c'mon, Lily! Just one date! I promise that I won't hurt you!"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh as if I feel safe now!" She pushed James out of her way and found her way into the right compartment.
Prongs sighed and sat next to Sirius who was snickering madly.
"I have no idea what you see in her," Padfoot said. "She's prissy."
"Shut up, Sirius, you say that all the time," James said.
Sirius shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and moved his dark hair away from his eyes, making Remus shiver a little with delight. He was so gorgeous. "I'm only saying the truth," he finally said. "One of these days, she's going to catch us going out every month and you know we'll be in hell."
James shrugged the comment off. "What? You want us to get caught?"
"No! I never said that."
"Well, shut up about it then."
James hit Sirius playfully on the arm and they both laughed.
Remus tried to take his mind of Sirius by thinking about the upcoming school year and about his second year as a prefect but it seemed that he couldn't. Something had changed about serious – not just physically but there was something that Remus felt. Being best friends with him had always satisfied him but he felt himself craving for something more. Maybe something that was deeper than friendship...but Remus has yet to figure that out.
----------------------------
A few minutes before the train was to reach Hogwarts, Remus made his way out of the compartment, ready to lead the new first years where they belonged. He spotted Lily chatting with her friends and though they caught each other's eyes, they didn't say anything. Remus shook his head and ignored her as the whistle of the train indicated that they had reached the train station at Hogwarts. The doors opened and the prefects and Head Boy and Girl made their way out of the train first, directing the students who quickly came out. He spotted James and Sirius (who were laughing hysterically) with Peter following who seemed rather lost in the joke made by James. Once all the students made their way out of the train, Remus made his way over to his friends, pushing back the hair from his eyes.
"I still don't understand why Dumbledore gave you a job as prefect," Sirius said. "It takes some of the fun away from sneaking out late at night."
Remus frowned a little. "This is only my second year being prefect."
Padfoot shrugged. "Bet Evans will try to get us in but—" he put an arm around Remus "—we have Moony here."
James laughed. "I'm sure Moony will get us out of trouble."
Remus smiled as he and his friends climbed into the carriages and rode to Hogwarts.
----------------------------
Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter all clambered into the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table. Watching the new first years come in, Remus overheard Sirius saying how fun it would be to torment them. He frowned. Despite the fact that Padfoot was his friend, he had no right to mess with the first years but of course, that's never stopped him before. Remus watched as James and Sirius laughed quietly yet hysterically while Peter happily watched the first years being sorted. He tried not to stare at Sirius but he couldn't help it. Emotions ran wild, wondering whether or not he felt Sirius as more than just a friend.
I can't think that, he told himself. Padfoot would never feel the same. Moony started to wish that there was food in front of him so he could be pretending to do something else but instead he took off his prefect badge and began to fidget with it in his hands.
"You alright there, Moony?" Sirius asked with a look of concern on his face.
Moony's head jerked up and he looked at his friend, shaking his head with a small smile. "Oh, um, I'm fine."
"You sure don't look it," James said.
He waved a hand nonchalantly. "It's nothing."
With that, James and Sirius said nothing as the Headmaster stood up. Padfoot looked at Moony still a little concerned.
"Here we are, entering another wonderful year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.
Padfoot looked back on the train ride, the ride to Hogwarts, and just right here at the table. He's been acting strange... Padfoot thought, moving his hair away from his eyes to get a good look at Remus. He tried not to make it so obvious that he was staring at Moony. Sirius noticed that Remus looked...well, different. It had only been about 2 months since he had last seen his friend but – looking at him closely – he looked different but definitely not in a bad way. He had a feeling that this year would be different. His thoughts were soon interrupted by the appearance of food on the table. He saw Wormtail's eyes light up and watched as James and Remus both dug in. Moony seemed to be off in thought despite the fact that food was on the table. Sirius shook the feelings off as he mounted his plate with food.
----------------------------
When the plates were cleared of food and the Headmaster had said his closing words, Remus noticed the other Gryffindor prefect lead the new first year Gryffindors to their common room. He trotted over to James and Sirius with Peter following.
"How about we sneak out tonight?" Remus over heard Padfoot say in a low whisper.
"Tonight?" Peter said a little frightfully.
"Yes, what's so wrong with tonight?" he questioned.
Moony raised an eyebrow. "I don't think tonight would be a good idea. It's the first night at Hogwarts."
"That's never stopped us before," James said.
He frowned. "Yeah...but still..."
"Ah, forget it," Sirius said.
With that done and said, the four of them walked up to the Gryffindor common room in silence. They went into their dormitories quietly and changed into their nightclothes. Peter was the first one to fall asleep and then James was next. Remus tossed and turned in his bed for half an hour before he realized that he couldn't sleep. He made his way out of his bed and down the stairs into the common room. He threw himself onto a soft red armchair and stared into the fire.
----------------------------
Author's Note: Yay, another chapter complete. This one is rather long and I'm sorry to end it in such an odd fashion but the next chapter will be quite longer than this one. Don't forget to review and make me happy. :)