Chapter 4: Fun in the Forbidden Forest?

James was wandering back from the Quidditch pitch when he heard a noise from the forbidden forest. Usually the forest stayed silent as the creature that lurked inside did not show themselves until sunset, and weren't the noisy type. As James well knew, they were the kind of creatures that silently stalked someone, waiting for the moment to pounce.

It sounded as if a couple of amorously inclined first years had stupidly chosen to plan their encounter in the forest. It would be just like some Slytherins or adventurous Gryffindors to do something like that. As Head Boy, James was required to enforce the Hogwarts rules. It would look bad if some first years were eaten by a werewolf anyway.

So James hopped onto his broom and drifted silently through the trees. It surprising that any of the younger students would have worked up the courage to enter the forest, especially this early in the year. James was forced to admit that even he wouldn't have gone into the forest at sunset in his first year, not even to explore with Sirius. Hopefully it would be some Slytherins, because James hated to reward courage with deducting house points, unless it was from Slytherin house.

As he drifted nearer, it became blatantly obvious that the couple James was purposely walking in on was no group of first years. Judging from the noises, this was no puppy love or silly first year crush. As he narrowed in the sounds, James caught sight of a tall male figure and noticeably shorter girl. Although it was near dusk outside the Forbidden Forest, and quickly approaching dark inside, James recognized that dark hair which was quickly escaping from its stern, coiled braids. The boy was even more familiar.

With great care, James dismounted from his broom and leaned against the tree. "If you keep this up, we'll all miss dinner," he remarked casually. The couple jumped into the tree they had been leaning against, the boy hitting his head on a low branch. The girl tried to pull away, but the boy slipped his arms around the middle of her back as the difference in their heights didn't allow him to reach her waist.

"Potter, what the hell are you doing here?" muttered Remus, rubbing his scalp where he had collided with the tree branch, the other arm still firmly planted around Bethany.

Maintaining his nonchalant pose against the other tree, James grinned. "I had to make you two weren't some first years risking being eaten by a werewolf." James realized that he had said the wrong thing, but it didn't seem to register with Remus.

Instead it was Bethany who answered him. Stepping into Remus' arms and resting her head on his chest, she purred "That doesn't seem very likely, as I'm with one."

James' eyebrows shot up. So he had told her. "Well, Moony, I think you've got the right girl," he commented, trying not to seem too happy that his friend had confronted his fears and told her. "Bethany, you'll have to tell me if he told you before or after he kissed you," he teased.

"Oh, shut up, James!" the girl exclaimed. "Remus is a gentleman," she said, putting extra stress on the last word, "It was the first thing he told me, after telling me he had feelings for me!"

"Glad to hear it. I wouldn't want to see your heart broken." James answered as they began heading back to school. Although Remus' normal vision was sharpened to the point where he could easily make his way in the dark, both Bethany and James had their wands out.

"Watch your mouth, Potter." Remus threatened jokingly, "Bethany is taken. By me." He wrapped his arms securely around her. James smiled. It was nice to see them together, instead of sitting at opposite ends of the Gryffindor table sending longing glances at each other.

Suddenly, Bethany stumbled, hitting her palms hard against the moss covered ground.

Her wand rolled away from her, luckily unbroken. "Damn shoes," Bethany muttered as a concerned Remus helped her up, handing back her wand.

Both boys traded confused looks- shoes? But then Remus noticed the tall heels peaking out from under her robes. "Ah, Miss Bethany Harris" he paused, then fixed her with a wolfish look, "Or may I call you Mrs. Lupin? May I have the privilege of escorting you back to the castle?" Both Bethany and James were rolling their eyes. Bethany grudgingly laid her hand on the proffered arm sending a look of "my boyfriend is crazy" back at James.

She gave a squeak of surprise as instead of just letting her hand rest on his arm, Remus used it to pull her to him and sweep her up in arms. Protesting loudly, Bethany struggled in his arms. Although Remus was rather gracefully built tall and thin, he was a lot stronger than he looked. Being a werewolf helped with that. Bethany had no chance, especially since she wasn't trying.

"Remus, put me down this second!" she ordered, trying very hard not to giggle.

"I'm afraid, dear love, I cannot acquiesce that request. It would be ungentlemanly of me to let a woman harm herself attempting to get to the castle when I could offer her my aid." Remus replied gallantly, pretending to be paying attention only to the path between the looming trees.

Bethany came back in her defense. "It is also ungentlemanly and illegal to detain a woman against her will!"

"If the woman were wearing sensible footwear, possibly. Yet in this case, we must rely on my superior male intellect, as the woman cannot comprehend the danger she is in."

That earned Remus a half-hearted hit on the shoulder. "Misogynistic pig," Bethany sulked, settling into Remus' arms.

"Yes, but you love me anyway," said Remus blithely, playing the conceited male to perfection.

At this point James felt the need to enter the conversation. Lover's pretend squabbles were amusing, none the less he felt the need to join the fun. "If my lady is unhappy, I would more than happy to offer her a place on my broomstick," James added breezily.

At this, both boys broke into laughter. Remus had to lean against a tree to stop himself from dropping Bethany. Once their humor had subsided, James conjured up his best impression of a man whose honor had been called into question. "You wouldn't trust your girlfriend to your best friend, Remus?" he almost simpered, blue eyes wide and innocent.

"Not a chance I'm letting you get your arms around her," snorted Remus and they dissolved into laughter again, James lazily rocking back and forth with his broom.

Bethany butted in on the joke. "I'd trust you with my best friend, James," she stated earnestly. That stopped the laughter dead.

"I'm glad of your recommendation of my character, Bethany, but no." James replied. "That is not an option."

Bethany started to passionately inquire what exactly James found undesirable in Lily, however she was prevented from speaking by Remus bending down to kiss her. On her asking for assistance in convincing James Lily was not a bad choice, Remus gave her the same solid "no" that had come from James.

The trio broke out of the trees, and gazed up at the well lighted Hogwarts that poured shimmering candlelight onto the lawn that was now the inky black of the sky between the burning stars. They carefully hurried around the caretaker's hut. No matter if they stayed well out of the light spilling from the rustic windows or that the Head Boy was with them, as nice as Hagrid was, they would still be in trouble.

Halfway across the lawn, Bethany remembered she was still being carried by her boyfriend. "You could let me walk now Remus," she mentioned, making a feeble attempted to extradite herself from his hold.

"Kiss me first." Bethany complied, and got an unexpected response from Remus. "No." he challenged, his voice deepening to a playful refusal. "I fully intend to convey you safely across the threshold. Only then can I be sure my gentlemanly duties are done and I am not leaving you to be preyed upon by my jealous friends or the dark creatures of the night. Werewolves were seen in the forest."

James was having a hard time controlling his laughter. Remus had never been a flirt, in fact of the marauders he was the most serious one of all and had never fully approved of James and Sirius' "skirt chaser" ways, as he chose to call them. Now, the serious withdrawn one was acting absolutely ridiculous. Moony was over the moon in love.

Bethany was not finding it as amusing. She knew that the Hogwarts community would be more than a little stunned to find her carried into the Great Hall, especially in the arms of a marauder. Remus didn't have the infamous track record with women that Potter and Black did, but he was one of the group. Of course, it would help that the chaste James Potter was playing escort. She really didn't want her Hufflepuff friend, Judith, choking on something at her entrance. "Really, I think I'll be fine Remus. We don't want the whole of Hogwarts choking on their dinners when I arrive in your arms, with James as an escort."

Both James and Remus pantomimed disbelief that there was any reasons to doubt that they had the most gentlemanly intentions towards her or that being in their company would reflect anything but good back on those that they accompanied. Then, Remus' expression changed. His dark eyes sparkled, fixing Bethany with a puckish look. Remus' arms tightened, holding her close enough that she could not escape the warmth of his body. Bethany felt herself color. Voice deep and confiding, "What made you think I was talking about that threshold?" he asked.

She never had thought she would be forced to think something so cliché, yet Bethany thanked Merlin that it was dark. She was sure her pale ivory skin had turned to a red as brilliant as Lilly's hair. Oh, Merlin. Lilly! Bethany had enough to deal with, as how to deal with the fact she was blushing, which never happened. She really didn't need her best friend getting irate because she was spending time with her boyfriend's best friend. It really helped to slow Bethany's pulse when she realized that Lily had practically excommunicated her over the events of the afternoon.

Mind and heart exhausted from their race, Bethany was able to reply with some dignity. "I guess I was mistaken about your intentions. I thought you were my own gallant Mr. Darcy." After seven years of being hopelessly in love with Remus, she was well aware that his "intentions" may have not been as pure as phoenix song but they were about as close as it was possibly to get. What she did wonder was if he would pick up on her allusion to muggle literature. All of the Marauders were pureblood, and Jane Austen wasn't an author known for her throngs of male fans.

"My darling Bethany, I hope you haven't misread my earlier comment?" Remus was all suave attention. "I was only suggesting that as we are ten minutes late to dinner that we retrieve our dinners from the kitchen and dine in the common room. It would give me a much better chance to meditate on the very great pleasure a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow."

As by this time she was supporting herself, Bethany took this opportunity to throw her arms around Remus' neck. As they were noticeable different in height, this gives evidence to how much that statement pleased her. It simply wasn't fair that she had found the perfect man, Bethany reflected joyfully as the trio marched up the common room laden with gifts from the elves. She was surprised that Potter was the one to make a comment relating their situation to that of the Fellowship at Lothlorien. When she inquired to if he had actually read it, he gave her a speculative look.

"Moony, I must tell you I am beginning to have second thoughts about your girlfriend. She may be a spy from the Laborious Evil to infiltrate our organization and find out about our upcoming pranks."

Bethany brow crinkled in thought as she pondered that statement. Although Remus was carrying her piggy back in addition to more food than anyone could eat in a week and therefore could not see her face, he seemed to sense her utter confusion. His laughter, something Bethany was getting very used to hearing, bounced off the high stone walls. "What Prat, ah, Potter," her darling, perfect boy explained, correcting his obviously deliberate slip of the tongue, "was saying is that he is offended by your obvious disbelief in his intelligence. He does know how to read, no matter how he tries to convince us otherwise. There is no possible way he could have completed the…"

Eyes widening in his position behind Bethany's back, James interjected, "Now, now we all know I could have bribed someone to read my books for me. Someone antisocial and nerdy by the name of Remus Lupin would have sufficed," calmly, some of his usual playful wit absent. Thankfully Bethany didn't seem to notice. As much as James approved of how close Remus and Bethany were, now was not the time for her to find out that the other Marauders turned into animals too.

"Thank you for your educated comments. As I was saying, Potter can read but it would entirely efface all shreds of credibility of his persona if he let on that he had a brain in his head. I believe he actually has read your favorite book, despite his portrayal of contempt for anything not Quidditch related."

That produced protests from James on the dangers of trusting women with secrets and threats to Bethany should she ever let on to anyone such information. The groups' laughter played about in the high ceilings all the way to the common room.