Well, this is the last installment! I'm so sorry; did it pop up on you? Well, don't worry, I've got an epilogue on the way. I hope you don't think the ending is too cheesy….
All eyes in the Great Hall were dashing back and forth between James, Sirius, Remus, and Evans. The teachers that were there all looked as though they were on the edge of jumping out of their seats. Eventually Remus walked over to the other three and looked carefully at Sirius.
He spoke quietly and evenly, knowing he had all the attention he needed. "Padfoot, there's a reason your animal form is a dog. It's because you're loyal to the death. How can you turn on your best friend like that?"
"I was doing it for you! That slimy beast tried to…" Sirius suddenly seemed to realize how loudly he was shouting.
"But does it look like I care? Sirius… if you were really doing anything with my honor at heart, you wouldn't be hurting your best friend. I'd never wish for you do to do that." Remus was frowning with concern and finding it increasingly hard not to show how hurt he was. "How would being cruel to James help anything, anyway? All that would do is end the best friendship either if you have ever had."
"…Do you ever get tired of being right all the time?" Sirius must have been so abashed that he was making weak jokes of apology. He sighed and looked at James. "I'm off to the common room, mate. Care to join?" James eyed him for a second, but then stuffed the last piece of bacon in his mouth and nodded. Lily blushed and got up to follow them as they left, and a moment later Peter – who was still excommunicated from James for that disastrous coming-out surprise – grabbed the piece of toast he'd been nibbling on and rushed after them.
James deliberately hung back after a bit of walking and caught Remus's eye. When Remus slowed down, James whispered to him, "Snivelly cornered me with another kiss early this morning, in an empty hallway, and I didn't do a thing to stop him." Bitterness and guilt threatened to overflow in his voice. Remus brushed long, damaged hair out of his eyes to get a better look at James, finding an odd sparkle in his hazel eyes that seemed to be tears.
Remus understood the strange power that Snape's kisses held. They had a violent and brutal, twistedly lust-filled feeling that was hard to shake off. He had gotten the distinct feeling that Severus needed those kisses from Remus as nearly much as he hated Remus. It had been hard to tear himself away from something so odd. "It's all right, Prongs… Padfoot is just—" He paused for a moment, on the brink of telling James why Sirius was being so adamant. "Well, he's got his reasons." He blushed and looked away, painfully aware of James's curious look.
When they got there, everyone stood in silence for a few minutes.
Lily was the first to speak. "James! I'm so sorry… I should never have done that… I do like you, honest." She gave him a little kiss on the cheek and rushed away, presumably upstairs to her dorm.
James stood there wide-eyed for a moment, and then turned to the other three and whooped loudly. "Thank all of you!" He tackled them in a giant group-hug, as though he had just won a quidditch match. "You – complete – morons – are – my – best – friends!"
Sirius looked confused for a moment, and then poked James in the chest. "Remus isn't a moron."
"N-Neither am I!" squeaked Peter. Everyone chose to ignore him.
"Ok then. Moony? You're a social genius who just got my cheek kissed by the finest female alive. Everyone else here is a moron that just got my cheek kissed by the finest female alive."
Remus just grinned shyly and leaned his head against Sirius's shoulder. Sirius, surprisingly, shrugged him off and frowned at James.
"What about this Snivelly business then, eh? You still sucking face with him?" Sirius couldn't have looked more poisonous.
"Padfoot…" James faltered. "I-I'm sorry," he finished lamely. Looking pained and at a loss for words, he turned to look at Remus and opened his mouth to speak.
Sirius cut him off, though, before he had a chance. "Don't even look him in the eye, James. Do you know what Snivelly did to him?"
"Not if you won't tell me!" James wheeled around angrily, breathing hard. "You both keep going on about having your mysterious reasons, just what in bloody Hell are they?"
"SNAPE NEARLY FORCED MOONY TO SUCK HIM!" Sirius's chest was heaving now, too, and he kept his eyes stuck on James as he and Peter turned to stare at Remus.
Remus crumpled into the nearest chair and stared intently into the Common Room fire. The vocalization of the act had made it seem so much more real. It was no longer a bad dream that he had already woken up from. The overload of painful thoughts in his mind had translated into a vague and fleeting urge to stick his hand in the fire, and he did not realize he was shaking. He was only dimly aware of James storming out of the room with his wand, and did not notice Peter slip out at all. He only entered back into reality when he felt Sirius's arm slide around his shoulders.
"Moony, they've left… James is off to challenge Snape to a proper duel. I told him that if anyone was going to kill Snivellus, it was me, but…" he leaned over and kissed Remus on the forehead. "I guess he wants to make amends or something." Without another word, Sirius pulled Remus close and heaved a heavy sigh. Remus sniffled into Sirius's shirt and inhaled his familiar doggish scent. In the end, all he'd ever need was someone to cling to when the solitary and perilous life of a werewolf got to be too tiresome.
This is the end… the end, my only friend… I do hope all of you readers and especially you reviewers enjoyed my fic! I love you all ever so dearly, you've built up quite a bit of confidence in my shaky little heart. Stay tuned for my epilogue!