Hogsmeade.

The little town is positively buzzing with activity. Witches and wizards window shopping: pointing avidly at the little decorations on display in the windows, pointing at the candies, the games, the dresses, the flowers. Lovers walk hand in hand, gazing lovingly into each others eyes, single wizards leer at the pretty witches in short skirts and knee high socks.

Ahh, the onslaught of summer is creeping along the sunny stony sidewalks, warming the leaves on the trees, and the pants of most young persons in their prime. Which is precisely when James Potter, prankster extraordinaire, decides to make a comment to his mate Remus.

"Look at them! They're positively drooling over eachother! I tell you Remus, if it weren't for Lily--"

"You'd be doing the exact same thing?" Remus supplies, a sly smile lighting his face.

James pauses for a moment, blinking, before launching into his counter attack: "Hey now, that's completely unfair,"

"And entirely true."

"What is this!" James asks in a rather loud voice; causing a young witch nearby to jump, "Attack Potter With Ruthless Insults day?"

"I'm not attacking, James," Remus sighs, his voice alive with unspent laughter, "…I'm merely stating the obvious."

"In a very cruel way, might I mention." James narrows his eyes at Remus, before directly changing his attitude as Zonko's comes into sight. "Oooh, Remus, Remus! Look!" He grabs onto Remus' arm and points (almost madly) in the direction of the famed store. His eyes are huge and glassy behind his spectacles. "Zonko's…"

"You say that as if it's a shrine to something entirely more important than it really is."

"Remus Lupin!" James gasps, his eyes going wide as he stands infront of his longtime friend. "How dare you! Are you a Marauder, or are you a Marauder!"

"Actually," Remus interjects, "I'm a werewolf and a Marauder."

"So does that silly little fact make you any less inclined to pranks?"

"No, but my studiousness, and my prefect status does."

James frowns, "Tell me mate," He gestures loosely with his hand, squinting against the noon sun as they make their way to Zonko's, "How long has that stick been up your arse? And exactly how snugly is it stuck there?"

With a grin, Remus reaches forwards and pulls the door open, sending a little bell into a jingling titter, "Approximately seventeen years, and snug as a bug, thank you."

"…I don't want to think of a bug in your arse. Let alone anyone's arse. It's completely unsanitary and reminds me of Peter." James shudders and makes a slight face at the mental image, before making his way towards the huge display of fireworks.

"Peter's got a bug up his bum?" Remus tilts his head, his eyebrows furrowing as he absently runs his fingers along the Super Blast X9000 (an absolutely brilliant firework).

"Maybe. Or perhaps it's just something akin to a… leaf, or perhaps a fish."

"…A fish?" Remus' eyebrow raises in disbelief. "Honestly James. A fish."

"Maybe a worm?"

"A worm is a bug."

"A worm isn't a bug, a worm is… a worm, is a worm, is a worm." James shrugs, his hands moving as he gestures around the store, "Take this store for instance,"

"This store is a bug…? Or is it a fish?" Remus wrinkles his nose slightly, beginning to completely lose himself to James' logic.

"Neither! It's like…" James ponders for a moment, before snapping his fingers in absolute triumph, "It's like a cage. A giant, sparkling, cage."

"And what is this cage capturing?"

James grabs onto Remus' shoulders, and regards him very seriously, "The childlike fascination of twirly-gigs, and bubbles."

Remus blinks. And then blinks again. He regards James silently for a few moments, before shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, "That doesn't make sense."

James laughs and nods, turning to a firework and lifting it up. He holds it out to Remus, "Take this firework for example. What does it look like to you?"

"…A firework."

"No, no," James shakes his head, "Look closer."

Remus' eyes wander over the long tube. He goes through a multitude of ideas and shapes in his mind, before settling on the most appropriate, "…Sperm."

James grins then, and his eyes sparkle behind his glasses, "You're far more alike to Sirius than you think you are."

Remus' cheeks colour slightly, before he raises his chin with determination, "Well if you're so brilliant, you tell me what it looks like."

"Imagination. Colors. Life."

"Life?"

James nods, chest deep in his explanation, "It's like an orgasm. Orgasm's are life. They explode, they're feeling in its most purest form, they create."

"What do they create?" Remus asks, tilting his head.

James smiles, and gently puts the firework back into its canister, "…Life… love."

"And to think this all rooted from a stick up my arse..." Remus shakes his head, wondering how exactly it is that Lily follows James' train of thought on a regular basis, but immediately knowing why she's so in love with him at the same time. He's full of passion.

"Hey, if the glove fits…" Smirking, James wanders towards the exploding snaps and dungbombs, "What're you planning on getting ol' Paddies anyway?"

"…A jacket."

"He's got tons of jackets, Remus."

Remus picks up a dungbomb, noting the strength of it for future use, "He hasn't a leather jacket."

James glances over his shoulder at Remus, eyebrows furrowed, "What does he need a leather jacket for?"

"His graduation present." Remus answers nonchalantly, and places the little brown bomb back on the shelf.

"…Alright. This requires my full attention. And for that, we have to leave. I'm getting distracted far too easily. Come my furry friend – to the outdoors we go." James takes Remus' hand in his own, and pulls him out of the store, not at all registering the looks he's receiving for holding another bloke's hand.

Once outside, James crosses his arms over his chest and regards Remus with a very interested expression. "What's a leather jacket got to do with his graduation present?"

"Everything." Remus smiles slightly at the confusion on James' face.

Raising his eyebrow, James nods slightly, "I see. Okay. So tell me…" James mutters before stepping forwards, "What's his graduation present?"

"You'll have to wait until graduation to see it."

Throwing his hands in the air, James rolls his eyes and scoffs, before dramatically turning and walking towards the local leather shoppe, "I don't know why I even try, Remus! I don't even know why!"

"Because it's in your nature. It's Sirius rubbing off on you."

James makes a slight face, his lips pursing as Remus walks up beside him, "I don't want any part of Sirius rubbing on me…"

Grinning, Remus shrugs, "His part is rather lovely, if I do say so myself."

"I don't care about my best mate's pecker, Remus! For that matter I don't care for peckers, cocks, dicks, OR anyone's meat and two veg!"

"Meat and two veg?"

"Or so I've heard, yes…" James speaks in a slightly awed voice, as he pushes his way valiantly through the door to the shoppe.

Remus grins as he watches the way James's arms fly out to the side in a great flourish, and as his robe whooshes with the sudden warmth penetrating the leather shoppe. Walking in behind him, Remus immediately begins judging every single leather jacket he comes upon. He walks slowly along the rows of jackets as James stops to chat up the shoppe owner. For the first time, Remus is thankful for James' big mouth, and inability tosimply not talk about Quidditch.

The aisles are small, and packed together, but Remus doesn't mind. He thinks it's something like one of the trendy little thrift shops back home in London. More like the place on Centre street, where everything is packed insidiously into little spaces, creating perfect pockets of fabric for moths to live and flourish. He runs his fingers along a black leather jacket, and can't be sure if he can see the pores from the skin of the animal it came from, or the fake ridges and bumps of a fake piece of leather.

However, after a long time of searching (an hour, tops), and an even longer time of James chatting up the store clerk, Remus finds The Jacket.

"James!"

"…So I says to the guy, I says—What Remus? No! No that's not what I said to him… Just a second…" James stops and turns, looking towards Remus with a bit of an annoyed look. "What Remus?"

"I've found it! Look!" Remus' eyes are lit from the inside as he pulls a great black leather jacket off of the hook it's called home for the last two years.

The Jacket has a silver chain connecting two pockets on one of the lapels, (one further up than the other), and buckles, and zips, and more chains galore. The jacket – as a whole – is rather flashy, and complicated. It looks rich, it feels aged to perfection, and smells amazing to Remus' werewolf-y nostrils.

James raises his eyebrow, before excusing himself from the front of the store. He then makes his way towards the jacket, and feels himself being to grin as he moves closer. He can practically smell how much it's worth.

"…Wow, Remus. This… this is really something…" James reaches forwards and runs his long, seeker fingers over the aged leather, and peers into Remus' eyes. "Is it real?"

"Real leather? Yes." Remus nods, and holds the leather jacket back, and looks at it as if it's a long lost lover. "Do you think he'll like it?"

"Bugger, liking it,he'll love it!" James announces, quite loudly, as he reaches forwards and pulls the arms of the jacket out, grinning stupidly at the delicious creaking noise the leather makes under his fingers. "He'll definitely love it…"

Beaming with pride, Remus reaches and grabs the price tag, ripping it off and not even caring how much it costs, he marches in a determined fashion up to the clerk. "I'll take this one."

"…That one costs a good 500 galleons, kid. Do you got that much?" The clerk snaps a bubble with his gum, and hands the price tag back to Remus.

"I… no…" Remus stops, and his entire body sags with sorrow. He thinks for a moment, before brightening again. "Can I pay you in installments?"

"How long do you plan on dragging' it out, kid?"

Remus does a quick calculation in his head, before answering: "Four weeks. I'll give you 200 up front, and pay the other 300 in four weeks."

"Where did you get 200 galleons, Remus?" James bends over, whispering into Remus' ear. Because he knows, for a fact, that Remus has no more than 10 galleons in his pocket.

"I asked my grandmamma for some money. I told her I needed all new school supplies, because Peter drenched all of my books and such with a disintigrating potion, and mama and papa couldn't afford to give me any spare money, and that she would please not tell them about it." With a wink, Remus looked towards the clerk. "How about it, then?"

"…I don't know…"

"It's a birthday gift… for Sirius Black. He'd love it, I'm sure of it. Please can you let me pay like this? I'll even invest in paying you interest, if that's what'll sell your mind."

"Now, now, I don't know who this Sirius Black bloke is, but whoever he is… well… is he part of that Black family?"

"…Er, yes. Yes that would explain his last name…" Remus answers, his brow furrowed slightly.

"…Oh." The clerk mumbles something under his breath, before shaking his head, and waving his hands about. So it seems Sirius' last name has finally done something good for him in the long run. "Fine, good. You can pay me in installments. But don't worry about the interest… that'd be dishonest."

James puts on his metaphorical sunglasses against the brightness of Remus' grin, and mentions that he's going to wait outside, mumbling something about how it's too bright in this store. Remus manages to leave the store not ten minutes later, a stupid, happy grin plastered to his stupid, happy face.

James scowls.

"It's just a jacket, Remus. You don't have to look so ridiculous about it…"

"I know," Remus' grin falters slightly, if only for James' poor eyes. "But it's The Jacket, James. It's the only one that'll work. I know it."

"Work for what!" James barks, suddenly, and oddly – very annoyed.

Remus stops walking, and looks at James, his face suddenly devoid of all the happiness and self pride he just felt not two seconds ago. "His graduation gift… I… James, what's wrong? Why're you looking at me like that?"

James sighs heavily, and shrugs. "Nothing. Nevermind. Lets go get some butter beers."

"No, James… really. What's wrong with you? You were fine not five minutes ago."

He mumbles something under his breath, and walks away from Remus, crossing his arms over his chest.

"…What?"

"I said…" James repeats exhaustively. "Nevermind what I said. It doesn't matter." In half of two seconds – being one second – James huffs. "You're gift is better than whatever I got him, which, by the way – sucks… and… and he'll really only appreciate your gift, because it's so great, and mine won't matter…. and… it just.. it doesn't matter. I don't matter anymore. I… he… you…" James gives up, and trails off, beginning to pout.

Remus sighs, and reaches forwards, placing his hand on James's arm. "James, are you really upset because… because you think Sirius has replaced you?"

"No! No of course not… yes." James sighs and looks down, feeling completely lost and oddly compelled to cry. "Yes Merlin help me yes I think he has."

"With who, James? Me?"

James shrugs, keeping his eyes downcast. "Maybe…"

"James… Jamie you don't replace a best friend with a lover. Yes, given, you can be best friends with your lover… but… you can't…" Remus sighs, finding this slightly harder to explain in words than he thought it to be. "He hasn't replaced you, Jamie. I promise you. I'm nothing like you, and for him to replace you with someone who isn't like you just… it doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, but he never… he doesn't talk to me the same way anymore. I… I feel like he's grown up, and left me behind."

"He hasn't left you anywhere, James." Remus says, and directs himself and James over to a bench infront of the Three Broomsticks. "People change, it's a given. You're both going through a lot of changes, and… well you can't expect to stay in a teenagers frame of mind forever."

"Oh but I want to, Remus!" James practically whines, his eyes going wide behind his glasses. "It's bullocks to grow up. I don't want to end up like my father."

"James, for Merlin's sake… you're not your father, you havn't lost Sirius, and you need to stop… stop blaming yourself, or being upset because heaven forbid Sirius isn't miserable to the core!"

James sits stunned. Staring openly at Remus as if he's just grown another head, and three extra sets of arms. "…What?"

"You've only ever been happy if Sirius is miserable. Haven't you noticed that? It's idiotic! Why would you want your presumably best friend to be upset, just so you can remain pleasantly oblivious?"

"I… That's not true. I don't want him to be upset."

"So then why is it, that now when he's happy, you feel like you've suddenly lost him, and woe is me, you don't know how to fix it!" Remus rolls his eyes at James' wide eyes. "So then when it comes to me doing something for the first time that may be better than something you've ever done for him, you get mad. Because that means the attention won't be on you for having the best gift - it'll be on me. And it kills you because you know it's true."

James has no idea what to say to Remus' accusations, so he gets up, and lets out a string of curses as he storms away towards the school. Letting out a terse breath, Remus grabs his bag, and storms after him, thoroughly intent on, simply because he's angry; fucking Sirius into the floor.

. - . - . - .

"Sirius!"

"Yessir?"

"Bed. Now."

"...But I was just eating thi---"

"Bed!"

"...Jesus, fine, alright... I'm going..."

Sirius regards Remus with an odd look as he drops his sandwich - which, by the way, is ham and lettuce on rye - and starts up the dorm stairs.

"Why're you beings so forceful?"

Remus rolls his eyes. "Because I'm horny. Now get upstairs."

"Bloody hell, stop pushing me, Remus! I can guaruntee you that it won't get me hard. OUCH. Damnit!" Sirius stops and grabs Remus' arms, shoving him against the wall with a grunt. "Piss off, Remus! Stop bloody pushing me!"

Remus simply stares at Sirius, his eyes hard before he shoves Sirius away and storms towards the dorm room. Great, Sirius thinks, this is going to be fun...

Sirius follows Remus into the room, and stands by the door as Remus throws the bag in his hand down onto the ground, and turns to look out the window.

"Alright," Sirius starts in a slow, gentle tone. "What's got your knickers in such a bunch?"

"Nothing."

"My arse. Tell me, Remus."

Remus refuses to answer for a long while, and instead crosses his arms over his chest as he turns and stares at Sirius. "Your bloody best friend has got his damn attitude in a twist, because he thinks that you've replaced him with me. What sort of bull is that? You havn't replaced anyone, as far as I'm concerned! And doesn't James realize that it goes two ways! I mean, he's got Lily, and he shags her into next week nearly every night! He's practically repla--- he's being hypocritical!"

"...What?"

"James! He's being hypocritical! I got your presant, which, by the way, cost me an arm and a leg and some other organ that's vital to my existance, and he's got his bloody knickers in a twist because it's better than what he got you, and he's pouting like a ruddy child about it because Merlin no, Remus got a better gift than James did, and oh no, Remus will be the center of Sirius' attention."

Sirius is momentarily distracted by the idea that Remus spent so much on his presant, then tries very hard -for his own goodof course, to pay attention to the problem at hand. "But... how is that being hypocritical? I mean... you... jumped in like seven different directions, Remus. Go back to square one and explain this to me."

Remus lets out a terse breath, and shakes his head. "No. Nevermind. Just... get your clothes off, and get on the bed."

"...No way in hell am I getting naked when you're mad, Remus."

"Do it!"

"No!"

"Oh for heaven's sake..." Remus mutters, as he sits down hard on the window sill, looking out the window in a desperately upset mood.

Sirius sighs, and runs his hands through his hair as he wishes he were back downstairs with his sandwich. He makes his way slowly over to Remus, and sits down infront of him. "Remus... really, what's bothering you so much about the fact that James has some problem that doesn't even involve you for the most part?"

"It does involve me! I'm the person he thinks has replaced him! Of course it involves me."

"Well... stop worrying about it. It's not your problem to worry about. I'll talk to him for christ's sake."

Remus shrugs, and continues looking out the window. Sirius lets out a slightly annoyed breath before looking towards the bag that's been haphazardly thrown onto the ground.

"...Is that my gift?"

Remus looks towards the bag, then towards Sirius, then towards the bag. He's in the air faster than Sirius can manage to comprehend, andthe bag is soon safely guarded in his arms. "Err... No."

"...Then why'd you jump on it as if it was the last chocolate peice in the world?" Sirius grins as he stands up and begins eyeing the brown bag.

"Beacuse... because... well... Books! These are books."

"From a leather shoppe...?"

"Oh bloody hell..." Remus murmers, before grabbing his wand and pointing it at Sirius' body. "Obliviate!"

After a few careful seconds of hiding the bag under his bed, and behind clothing, Remus stands up, and smiles brightly at Sirius. Sirius blinks a few times, and can't recall how he got to this room in the first place.

"...Remus!" He brightens considerably. "I thought you were shopping with Prongsy?"

"Yes, well, we couldn't find anything." Remus offers with a shrug.

"Oh..." Sirius seems crestfallen, then smiles suddenly. 'I've a sandwich downstairs I want to get back to... care to join? You look a bit peckish."

"Yes. That'd be lovely, thankyou." Remus smiles, as he takes Sirius offered hand, and follows him downstairs.

.-.-.-.-.-

OI OI. Finishhheeddd. It was a bit short, I admit, but at LEAST IT WAS AN UPDATE. hooorahhh! next chapter? partyyyyy timmeeeee. hoorah! i'm not sure how long it'll take me to write, but, well, GO NUTS, KIDS! hope you enjoyed this. -nodnodnod-