I could feel the sun kissing my face as I stretched out in my bed. My eyes remained closed as I relished in the fact that today was a Saturday and I could finally have a lie in. Classes had been piling on the work as we approached the Christmas break and I was ready for it to be over.

I was abruptly pulled out of my peaceful rest however when a pillow smacked across my face.

"Oi!" I yelled as I sat up and surveyed the room.

Blythe was already dressed in an oversized jumper and jeans, excitement stretched across her face and a pillow in her hand.

Blythe and Fern were always the early risers, which is why I wasn't surprised to see Fern's bed empty and already made. She was probably already in the lavatory getting ready.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" I asked as I stared down my best friend.

She flicked her dark blonde hair over her shoulder as she met my stare with a challenging look. Her hazel eyes always brought out the natural lowlights in her hair which gave her an effortless beauty. Blythe was never concerned with her looks, but Addie had never believed she needed to be.

"It snowed last night!" she replied with an excited smile.

She then carried on to smacking Elodie with her pillow. The curlers which Elodie always slept with became disarrayed as she quickly sat up and covered her head.

"Blythe!" she shouted angrily as she whipped out of bed and went to check herself in the mirror.

Elodie had blonder hair than Blythe and always took meticulous care of it. I had always thought it exhausting to put that much constant effort into one's physical appearance. Besides making clothes, Elodie also made jewelry which she always wore; necklace, earrings and bracelets everyday. She also took about thirty minutes every morning to put on make-up and another thirty to style her hair. I had asked her once why she felt the need to put in so much effort but Elodie had only replied by trying to convince me to do the same. In response, I had quickly run out of the dorm before she could try and curl my hair.

But I had since wondered about it numerous times and speculated if it had anything to do with her older sisters. She had three other sisters who had since graduated Hogwarts and apparently, they had had a reputation for popularity. I knew that each of the sisters had also become engaged or married their boyfriends from school and were all set to settle down. I didn't know where this left Elodie, the youngest out of them all.

Elodie was now storming into the lavatory to presumably fix the damage that Blythe had caused with her pillow.

"Don't even think about it Turner," Zelene scathed as she slowly sat up and gave Blythe a pointed look.

The commotion Blythe had caused had presumably woke her up before her mouth could become full of pillow feathers. I was still trying to fish them all out of mine.

Despite still being mildly annoyed with Blythe, I couldn't help but share her excitement. It was only a week away from the break and this was the first snow fall they had had. It also happened to be on a weekend.

With this new-found energy I threw myself out of bed and started rooting around in my trunk for my favourite jumper and snow pants. I quickly changed while the others were busy in the washroom and decided to wait downstairs since I knew Blythe wouldn't let them be too long. I had my coat, mittens and hat ready in my hands as I made my way to sit in the common room. A little surprisingly James, Sirius and the others were already awake and making their way through the common room.

"I'm surprised to see you all up before noon," I said to them all as I noticed how exhausted they all looked.

"Are you just getting in?" I asked in an astounded voice.

James was never one for the rules, but this seemed a little extreme for him to have been up and out all night.

"Never mind Addie," James grumbled as he walked past her and headed for his dorm.

Addie knew not to take anything personally James said when he was tired. He often exhibited the personality of a troll when he was.

"Going somewhere?" Sirius asked as he dawned a smile unlike the rest of his friends.

Remus and Peter were following suit behind James as they dragged their feet up the stairs.

"Yea, we're going out in the snow," I answered cheerfully, already excited for the venture.

"That sounds fun!" Sirius exclaimed. "Maybe I should join you."

"Shouldn't you go to bed?" I asked skeptically.

"I can sleep when I'm dead," he replied with a shrug.

I couldn't help but laugh as he jogged up the stairs to change. Even more surprisingly he was down and dressed before the others were ready.

"I'm afraid to ask what it is you guys have been up to," I said as Sirius and I sat down to wait for the others.

"I thought you didn't ask the questions you didn't want the answers to, so you could maintain your innocence," he said tauntingly.

"True, but I have noticed you guys go out nearly every night now," I continued.

Sirius just shrugged, and I quickly let the topic drop. I did want to maintain my innocence, especially since I knew my parents would ask me about James in only a couple of days.

Minutes later the rest of my dormmates were carrying themselves down the stairs, all dressed in their snowsuits.

"What about Wendall and Max?" Elodie asked as we all headed out the portrait hole.

"They'll know where we are," Blythe answered as we all followed her out.

We stopped by the kitchens first to pick up an assortment of muffins and other pastries to bring along on our excursion.

"It's so much easier that we can drop by the kitchens whenever we please," Elodie said as we carried our food out in our arms.

"Well, you can thank James and I for that," Sirius said pompously.

"Excuse me! I'm the one who showed James!" I retorted.

Sirius scoffed. "And who is going to believe you over me?"

"All of us," the others all answered in unison.

Sirius sulked as he ate his muffin and we all wandered outside.

Blythe was the first one to throw a snow ball which ignited a frenzy that immediately turned Sirius' brooding into sheer determination.

We all partnered off as we segregated into opposite ends of the grounds.

I saw Fern and Wendall working together to build a protective fort. I guess the boys hadn't been too far behind us.

Blythe was off with Max and I could already see their impressive pile of snow balls being built. This left Elodie and Zelene who were taking refuge behind a tree as they built their own pile.

"What's the play Ly?" Sirius asked as he had already made an impressive number of snowballs for the two of us.

I was busy surveying the field. Elodie and Zelene lacked the athletic edge and target precision but I knew how competitive the two of them could get, they wouldn't be an easy elimination. Fern and Wendall would play it safe and probably offer refuge and the promise of protection to whichever team got to them first; their fort was already half constructed and had the two of them already out of view. This left Blythe and Max who would be deadly.

I quickly led Sirius over towards the Black Lake since that would give us the advantage of not being snuck up on. It also provided a clear vantage point of the others.

We ended up leaving Wendall and Fern alone since they had created quite an elaborate shelter which seemed impenetrable without being bombarded by the others in the time it took for you to figure out how to get in. Elodie and Zelene were easy enough targets, but their tactic was volume instead of accuracy. This meant that every time Sirius and I approached, we were met with a tirade of snowballs coming from seemingly every direction. Even thought their target rate was only about 30%, it was still unpleasant to try and ambush them.

Our main targets ended up being Blythe and Max since it felt like being on the quidditch pitch. Like quidditch, Blythe and Max never stayed in one place for very long and always tried to attack from behind. Despite Max's sheer size they were pretty successful at these maneuvers. We tried to make it more difficult for them by staying near the lake, but we didn't always win.

"Where's Blythe at?" Sirius asked as he restocked our ammunition.

I surveyed the grounds and frowned.

"They were just over in the west end," I pointed at the now vacant spot.

Sirius frowned but continued to make fill our stock pile. I kept surveying the grounds and became worried with each passing moment. They were planning something.

Out of no where it seemed as if Sirius and I were caught up in a blizzard. It was even more bizarre to observe that we were the only ones being covered since there was no snow falling ten feet in front of us. This caused me to look up and see Blythe and Max hanging out in a tree and dropping snow onto us. I was even more taken aback however when Sirius dove and landed himself on me for protection. We waited out the hail storm with Sirius inches from my face as we stared awkwardly into each other's eyes. I could feel his hot breath on my face which seemed to cause heat to rise to my cheeks. I was very much at a loss for words.

"Oi, what are you doing to my sister Black?" James asked as I heard the surprising ring of my brother's voice.

"I thought you were sleeping Jamie," Sirius quipped without missing a beat as he got up from on top of me.

The snow attack had since ended.

"Well you lot were being too loud, we could hear you from the tower," James continued with a scowl. "And that doesn't answer my question Black."

"I was sacrificing myself for Ly," he said simply.

James mulled over the answer for a moment before replying.

"Oh, okay then. That's acceptable."

I shot James a look which told him he wasn't my keeper, but he shrugged and went to chase after Peter who was running towards the sanctuary of Fern and Wendall's fort. James however caught up and tackled him to the ground, stuffing his face full of snow. I shook my head, feeling sorry for the bloke before I noticed Max and Blythe approaching with another attack. Sirius and I resumed into action as we collected our stash of snowballs and pelted them at everyone who approached. This lasted long into the evening as we all refused to accept defeat. Our stomachs won over however when we all called a truce to head up to the Great Hall when the sun had started to set.

"I'm starved," I called out as we all sat down for dinner.

My stomach grumbled at the sight of roast beef with all the fixings.

Sirius chuckled from beside me as he took his own seat. I elbowed him in the ribs to get him to stop.

"Is that any way to treat your saviour?" he asked with exaggerated bravado.

I just rolled my eyes and turned to talk to Blythe who was sitting on my other side.

"So, who won the fight?" I asked challengingly.

"Us of course," she replied simply.

"Fat chance of that," James piped in.

Since James, Peter and Remus had joined in, the game had gotten even more intense. Peter had hidden with Fern and Wendall, but Remus had teamed up with James who was probably the most competitive out of all of us. James was also surprisingly good at strategy and had executed several attacks on us despite our opportune location. My soaking clothes were proof of the attacks we had endured.

Our rant also carried out throughout the meal as we defended our own case on who had won. Of course, by the end, we were no closer to naming a winner and just forfeited out of exhaustion. We had spent the entire day outside in the midst of our battle and were now past ready for sleep.

By the time I finally crashed down onto my bed I barely had enough energy to crawl under the covers. I was asleep by the time I had pulled them up to my face and relished in the warmth it provided.

XXX

A week later we were packing our trunks and heading for Hogsmeade Station. I was very excited to be heading home for the holidays and being able to see my parents. Of course, we had written back-and-forth constantly, but I was still worried about how constant their names were appearing in the Daily Prophet.

"I can't wait to eat all the plum pudding I can get my hands on!" Max exclaimed when we had all sat down.

James and the other fifth years had opted to sit in their own compartment which freed up a lot of space. As much as I liked my brother and his friends, the extra leg room was nice, especially since we were all getting older.

"Yea, well my favourite is decorating the Christmas tree," Elodie said excitedly.

"Are your sisters all coming home?" I asked.

Elodie shrugged. "Probably, but I haven't talked to them recently."

I found it strange that there were four sisters and Elodie hardly spoke to any of them throughout the year. One of her sister's, Francine, had even been at Hogwarts for our first two years but we had hardly ever seen her. I couldn't imagine ignoring James, no matter how annoying he could be.

"Will Sirius be staying at your place over the holidays?" Fern asked to change the subject.

"Yea, he always does," I answered simply.

"Have you figured out what the boys have been up to?" she continued.

"No, and I don't think I want to know."

"We hear them leave every night and they usually don't come back until dawn usually," Wendall added.

I simply shrugged again. The others looked at me skeptically.

"Do you think that's why they got their own compartment this time?" Fern asked.

I shrugged again, much to the annoyance of the rest, but I honestly had no idea what it was the boys were up to and felt it best that it stayed that way.

The group then shared a look before all turning to face me.

"Absolutely not!" I exclaimed, folding my arms over my chest, already knowing what they were thinking.

"They're in the next compartment," Zelene said innocently.

"And you're the smallest," Blythe added as I returned her statement with a scowl.

"Fern is smaller, actually," I retorted.

"Yea, but you're stealthier," Max replied with a smirk.

I looked at Fern for help.

"Well, it's true," she said simply, obviously not offended and probably relieved the attention hadn't been turned onto her.

"You've done it before," Elodie reasoned while I sighed.

In our second year they had also forced me to crawl into the vent and spy on James since that had been the only other time they had sat separately from us. It had turned out that James had been trying to think of a plan to ask out Lily Evans and hadn't wanted the embarrassment of talking it out in front of his younger sister. We had all howled with laughter when I had reported back.

"You know I'm not twelve years old anymore, what if I don't fit?" I asked as a last-ditch effort to change the plan.

But, Max was already standing up and offering his hand to boost me up, the conversation was clearly over. I sighed again before climbing up onto Max's hand and opening the grate. The vent was smaller than I remembered and caused me to leave my feet hanging out. However, I inched closer so that my face was pressed up against the opposite vent and I could see James and Sirius sitting across. This meant that Peter and Remus must be sitting underneath me.

"I can't believe we finally did it! The feeling was almost euphoric!" Sirius exclaimed while I cringed.

I didn't really know if I wanted to eavesdrop on this particular conversation.

"Yea, plus I'm finally glad to be able to get some sleep after all these long nights. I knew we were close!" James added.

I watched the boys quizzically. Despite claiming to want to maintain my innocence for the sake of my parents, I had been intrigued as to why the boys had been sneaking out every night. We had already spent many nights trying to guess and my group of friends had nixed the idea of them meeting up with some girls due to the fact that Peter tagged along all the time. The boy couldn't talk to girls let alone ask one out.

"You know you guys didn't have to do this," I heard Remus say quietly.

It almost seemed like he was embarrassed.

"Not this again Moony, we told you we would do it," James responded.

Moony? What was that. They had never used nicknames before.

"Well I appreciate it, Prongs," Remus replied sincerely.

It seemed they all had a new, dopey nickname.

"What if people figure it out from Remus' boggart?" I heard Peter ask in his squeaky voice.

Moony? Remus had been afraid of the full moon. Or werewolves…

"No one will figure it out, who would even suspect?" Sirius answered casually as we waved his hand dismissively.

"But Snape has been following us around," Peter added worriedly.

I saw Sirius' face turn. "That snake needs to learn to mind his own damn business!"

"Calm down Padfoot, he won't find out a thing," James added, trying to calm Sirius down.

"But what if Severus finds out Remus is a werewolf?!" Peter asked, his voice even higher than usual.

My breath caught in my throat.

"That's why we use the nicknames Peter! Don't say that out loud!" James chastised.

Remus was a werewolf! That's why he was always so sickly. That's why he didn't talk about his past.

It was no secret how marginalized werewolves were amongst the wizard population.

It also explained his boggart and a lot of other things over the past four years I had known him. But what had the boys been doing? It was extremely dangerous to be around a werewolf during a full moon, they had little control over their faculties.

A chilling thought crossed my mind.

What if Remus had accidently turned them?

No, that was foolish.

I chastised myself. Remus would never put them in harm's way like that or at the very least he would never forgive himself if he did turn one of his friends and Remus hadn't looked especially guilty about anything recently.

I decided to come out of the vent since I had heard more than enough.

"So? What's the scoop?" Zelene asked as I returned to my seat.

"Oh, he's just ogling about Lily again. He wants to know what to get her for a Christmas present," I said as convincingly as I could while I rolled my eyes.

The others started to laugh, all accept for Blythe who looked at me knowingly. I just shrugged back at her. She kept her stare for a few more moments before deciding to finally turn away.

Blythe knew me too well, but this definitely wasn't my secret to tell. I knew my friends most likely wouldn't think much of Remus' condition, but James had never even told me. Remus obviously wanted to keep this private and I respected that.

For the rest of the trip I tried to think about the other nicknames that they had used.

If Moony was code for werewolf, what in the name of Merlin did Padfoot and Prongs mean?

I remained mostly quiet for the rest of the train ride back to London as I pondered over the details.

Whatever the boys had been doing had something to do with keeping Remus' secret and involved completing some sort of project.

But they had also bestowed new nicknames on themselves other than the Marauders.

So, if Moony meant werewolf… did the others indicate something else? Like other animals or creatures.

We were now pulling into King's Cross and I could see James and the others passing by with their trunks and laughing with one another. I stared at each of them as they walked by and frowned as I felt like the answer was on the tip of my tongue.

What had you gotten yourself into this time James?