Chapter Seven
Grey

Remus walked slowly near the Whomping Willow, staring into its branches. Although for most it was something to fear, Remus felt secure and safe when he was near the reliable tree. Once a month it gave him protection from what he feared most- hurting innocent people, and also started the marauders fascination with secret passageways, which eventually led to the creation of the marauders map- one of the most successful items in the aid of magical mischief that the marauders possessed.

James had never kept a secret from his friends. Certainly, he and Sirius often avoided telling Remus details of their more pert pranks, but this situation was entirely different. James didn't seem to be able to trust his closest friends with the information that he was involved with the girl that he had been pining over for more then a year. Remus wondered how long it had been happening, how long he had been fooled for.

He shook his head angrily. Remus you prick, let it go. He must have reasons. You kept a secret from him when you first became friends with him. Can't you just be happy for him?

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, deciding to keep the information quiet until he knew what to do.

He slowly made his way back up to the castle, wondering what possible reason James could have for not telling anyone about Lily. He passed Bellatrix Black as he made his way up through the Entrance Hall and stopped dead in his tracks.

Of course! Lily's muggle-born. Imagine what James's parents would say if they knew- or half of the pure-blood population for that matter. James and Lily could never have a happy public relationship, not since…HE started gaining followers, convincing people to hate the impure.

Ever since the wizard calling himself Lord Voldemort had started spreading his views on muggles and muggle-borns, people like Lily had not been treated well, some, like Voldemort, thought them not to be worthy of existence. This still didn't explain why James had not told his friends, the Marauders, the people he trusted with his life: Sirius his best friend, almost like a brother to him, Remus, with whom he trusted enough to put himself into the presence of his friend once a month, when Remus transformed into a werewolf, uncontrollable and wild, and Peter, James's biggest fan, who would never dream of disobeying him. Remus started walking again, but stopped almost immediately as he realised who Bellatrix had been walking towards. He turned around to see Bellatrix turn the corner in the distance, followed by the unmistakably greasy figure of Severus Snape.

Remus hesitated for a moment and then followed after them. He poked his head slowly around the corner just in time to see the two exchange large envelopes.

"You better come good this time Snape," He heard Bellatrix hiss. "And just for the record, I don't care what he says, I still don't trust you."

She turned on her heel, tucking the envelope into her robes as she walked back towards Remus, who ducked into a passage to his left, once again appreciating his friends' obsession with knowing the castle inside out. His previous tribulations of Lily and James were now pushed to the back of his mind. He knew Snape had always had an interest in the dark arts, but never thought he would become a part of the milieu. He seemed to be smarter then that, but mysterious exchanges with Bellatrix Black did not seem to impart any other likelihood.

Remus decided that he had to look further into it. He decided to find someone close to Bellatrix, someone stupid enough to not become suspicious by his probing.

Sirius was in the dorms, lying on his bed, singing vociferously (and badly) to himself. Remus walked in shaking his head at Sirius jokingly.

"Charming. No wonder you're a lady's man." Remus said loudly over Sirius.

Sirius jumped up onto his bed and started playing the air guitar, "Nobody gonna take my head, I got speed inside my brain. Nobody gonna steal my head now that I'm on the road again. OOOOOOH I'm in heaven again I've got everything like a moving ground an open road and everything." He jumped off the bed in front of Remus. "I love it and I need it I seed it. Eight cylinders all mine. Alright hold on tight." He started dancing around violently. "I'm a highway star…I'm a highway star…I'm a highway staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar." He stood up and took a bow.

"Nice…" Remus replied, embarrassed for his friend.

"Encore?"

"Please refrain." Remus said pleadingly, sitting on James's bed next to Sirius's. "You're cousin Bellatrix…"

"Bella, skank, yes." Sirius interrupted.

"Ah, yes. She's pretty heavily into the dark arts, eh?"

"Yeah…well, no. not pretty heavy, very heavy. I reckon she'll become a Death Eater one day, and the worst thing is that her parents will probably love her for it. Andromeda is like a disgrace in her parents eyes, just because she's not evil like Bella." Remus smiled secretly. Sirius could talk for hours if he was bored enough and he got bored pretty easily. "And all her friends are pretty scary. She started going out with some Durmstrang guy and he's a freak. Apparently he tortures muggles and has killed a muggle-born. I think he's just weird though. He wears more make-up then Bella and changed his name to follower- like that's something to be proud of. She doesn't even talk to anyone who isn't a muggle-born hater, except me and Andy and Regulus, but we're family."

"So she doesn't even talk to any other Slytherin's?"

"I don't think so but most of the Slytherin's are into that shit anyway. What's the point of this conversation?"

"Do you ever have conversations with a point Padfoot?"

"Hmmm, you've got a point." Sirius thought for a moment. "Actually she might have broken up with that follower freak. She's been spending heaps of time with that Avery guy and his brother's a Death Eater, well I think he is anyway."

"Do you reckon Snape's into it?"

"Snivillus? For sure."

"How do you figure that?"

"He doesn't have friends, really, and he'd do anything to get accepted. He's also really creepy and stuff. And he has legs."

Sirius looked at Remus's serious expression and shook his head, "The legs thing was meant to be a joke…"

"I need your help. I wasn't going to tell you but I need an accomplice. I think Snape and your cousin are up to something and we need to follow them."

"Good, something to do I'm so bored…"