A/N: Heeey! Sorry it's been so long, guys, but I'm back with the longest chapter yet! Thank you, everyone who reviewed - I love you all! And I promise, I'm determined not to abandon this fic... It will be finished!

Disclaimer: I'm not JKR. I hope you realize that.

WARNING: Ye gods, I hope that if you've got this far, you realize that this fic is chock full of slash.

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Transfiguration that morning was an icy affair, seeing as only Peter would speak openly to anyone of the other three. McGonagall, either oblivious to the heightened sexual tension in the air (unlikely – nothing got past the Transfiguration professor) or, more likely, choosing to ignore it, paired up Sirius with Peter and James with Remus to practice turning hedgehogs into pincushions.

Remus, who went first with his and James' hedgehog, was doing quite well – the little animal had stopped moving and was turning a lovely shade of blue, with a Provencal print – when he happened to look up and see Sirius across the room. Peter was using the hedgehog, so Sirius was lounging in his chair, staring over in Remus' and James' direction – no, staring at James. And, to make matters even worse, James was staring back at Sirius, who ever-so-subtly winked and licked his lips. James, presumably in response, went slightly pink in the cheeks. Remus was shocked – James Potter never blushed, ever. Remus didn't realize how angry – and, all right, jealous – he was until his hedgehog exploded, sending quills and shards of glass (no one could figure out where those had come from) flying across the room and leaving a strong smell of burning rubber in the air.

While a startled Remus was still trying to work out what had just happened, Professor McGonagall descended upon him, absolutely livid. "Mr. Lupin! May I ask how it did not reach your attention that you were engorging your hedgehog instead of transfiguring it? Is it so much to ask that you simply concentrate on the task at hand for a few short moments? Really! I –"

Here she was interrupted by a violent coughing fit from James, who had been growing steadily more flushed as Sirius had taken advantage of McGonagall's distraction to make increasingly suggestive and obscene gestures in his directions.

"And you, Mr. Potter!" she snapped, whirling on James. "I suggest you pay more attention to memorizing the correct incantation and corresponding wand movement, instead of staring like a lovesick girl at Mr. Black!" She glowered at Remus and James (who was now positively fluorescent pink) and stalked back to the front of the room, muttering so that Remus barely heard it, "I expected better from you two," then, more loudly, "Detention with me tonight. Both of you. Be here at nine o'clock and no later."

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The rest of the day passed rather awkwardly. Remus ate lunch in the library, while James and Sirius vanished together (possibly to the broom closet on a relatively deserted sixth floor corridor) and Peter flirted, or at least attempted to flirt, with a pretty Hufflepuff as he covered his hurt at his friends' disappearance.

At precisely 8:50 that evening, Remus gathered his books and bid goodnight to the librarian as he left the library (where he'd remained all day except for during class time). Five minutes later, James hastily zipped up his pants, tried to finger-comb his hair, and straightened his robes as he left the prefects' bathroom (A/N: wink wink). The two boys converged at exactly 8:59 outside the door of Professor McGonagall's classroom, where they eyed each other uneasily before Remus darted inside ahead of James.

McGonagall was sitting regally at her desk, grading papers. As the boys entered, she put down her quill, stored the papers in her desk, and stood up before looking at them. "All right, boys," she said, "Tonight you are going to take care of the lesson you both seem to have missed today. I want you, first, to practice the incantation as long as it takes you to get it correctly – at the least, for half an hour. Then, you are to transfigure hedgehogs –" she flicked her wand and two sat on the desk before her "– into pincushions and back. I will return at exactly quarter of twelve, and I expect you both to demonstrate for me perfectly. Understand?" The boys nodded as McGonagall made for the door, where she paused. "Take care to do as I've instructed – I will be able to tell if you haven't practiced."

When the door clicked shut, Remus and James pointedly faced away from each other and stood in awkward silence for a moment before Remus slowly drew his wand. "Right," he muttered, more to himself than to the other boy, and began to practice the complex wand motions,

James watched him out of the corner of his eye. "What're you doing?" he asked at last. "You're not actually going to practice for three hours, are you? You know how to transfigure a hedgehog!" Remus didn't look up. "Fine, then. Go ahead, waste your time. See if I care."

"And what are my other options, James?" Remus said suddenly, voice low and cold. "Talk to you until McGonagall returns? No thank you, I'd much rather practice a spell I've had down since fourth year."

James flinched, a bit taken aback. "Remus – you kissed me –"

"Yes, I did. Brilliant powers of deduction you've got, if it only took you this long to figure that one out."

"Why, though?"

"Jesus Christ, I don't know!" Remus threw down his wand and whirled around to look James in the eye. "Why did you kiss Sirius? Why did he kiss you? Who really gives a shit at this point? All that matters is you, James Potter, have single-handedly destroyed the best fucking thing in my life before it even happened! Christ!"

James stared dumbfounded at the usually-quiet boy, who was now panting and red-faced and looking ready to burst into tears at any second. "Gods, Remus," he said softly, sounding genuinely surprised, contrite and shocked – either at his friend's outburst or at his own recent behavior. "I swear, I honestly never meant –"

"Yeah, well you bloody did it anyway, didn't you!" Remus exclaimed, voice wavering on the edge of hysteria. Suddenly something seemed to break inside him and he slumped into his chair, dropping his face into his hands and letting the sobs come. Everything that he'd felt building up for the last two days – pure joy and contentment at being with Sirius; anger and disbelief at catching him and James snogging; and betrayal, resentment and finally depression at realizing that Sirius at returned James' advances – just poured out in a blood of desperation and hopelessness.

James, looking at Remus, couldn't help wanting to take the smaller boy in his arms and hold him, comfort him. Remus looked so forlorn, so innocent and vulnerable. So, going against his better judgment, he did exactly that.

As soon as he touched Remus, James felt him freeze. "What – are – you doing?" Remus whispered, as his sobs subsided to sporadic sniffles.

"Oh, shut up and just relax, will you?" James murmured back, stroking Remus' fine hair.

For whatever reason, Remus actually obeyed and buried his face in James' shoulder. When he finally began to regain some of his usual self-control, Remus dared to lift his head and meet James' eyes. They were unreadable, hidden in the shadow his hair cast over his face, so Remus did the logical thing and brushed James' fringe back. At once, his eyes turned a bright hazel in the light, glittering and full of – something Remus didn't, or didn't want to, recognize.

As James began to lean toward him, Remus found that he stopped breathing. Then James' mouth found his, quite differently from their last kiss. This one was soft and tentative and halting. Their noses bumped together and their foreheads touched, and Remus couldn't help but think how different this was from Sirius' kisses. Sirius liked to be in charge, to dominate – not that Remus minded, really, but his kisses were always so fierce and energetic and passionate. They left Remus gasping and lightheaded. But this, this made his heart beat just a little faster as his cheeks got slightly hot, and he never missed oxygen until James pulled away and spots swam in Remus' eyes. James grinned. Remus, to his own surprise, smirked back and kissed James again.

At 11:30, Remus came to his senses to find himself pinned on a desk with James leaning over him, both of their shirts in a pile on the floor, their hair mussed, lips red and swollen. Remus stopped in the middle of fumbling with James' fly when it occurred to him. "McGonagall's coming back soon," he mutterd to James, vaguely aware that they ought to do something about it, but too sleepy and comfortable to really pursue the thought.

James unbuttoned Remus' pants. "That's okay. We both know how to transfigure hedgehogs."

Before Remus could reply, he found his mouth otherwise occupied. "Mmm," he protested, wrapping his arms around James' neck to pull him closer. "Wait," he gasped, holding James away from him. "Really, Prongs. Do you want her to walk in on this?" Because I really don't."

James sighed and stood up. "You're right…"

Slowly, each boy redid his pants, pulled on his shirt and rearranged the desks to how they'd looked two hours ago. By the time Professor McGonagall entered the room, they were seated at desks on opposite sides of the classroom, lazily transfiguring hedgehogs into pincushions with bored expressions.

The professor watched their work for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. You may go, and I trust neither of you will be interrupting my class again."

James and Remus mumbled goodbye as quickly as possible, and hurried into the hall. "Remus…" James was suddenly self-conscious and began to doubt what he'd done during their detention.

Remus, however, appeared to have no such reservations. "Prongs," he replied, smiling sweetly. He felt as though his world had just been put back together, and nothing was about to get in the way of his natural high.

James looked at him and couldn't bring himself to say anything other than, "What about Sirius?"

"Sirius who?" Remus responded, kissing James on the cheek and grabbing his hand.

James squeezed Remus' hand. Even Sirius had never made him feel peaceful. "Exactly."

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A/N: Get reviewing, then!