A/N: Finally Chapter 2! Its really been too long but I promise I will try much harder to keep updates frequent from now on.. I think this chapter is way better than the first which i'm not really happy with and plan to revise. Ok so enough from me READ and then REVIEW review review! I love reviews caus then I know what your thinking bout what I've written...

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Chapter 2 -

by water-fire-earth

Remus paced back and forth across his room restlessly re-trying the planned conversation again and again. Deciding to take Lily's advice on finding someone he would have a good time with had been easy.

The first part of the advice was not hard to do: find someone. Kate was an obvious choice to Remus they were long standing friends and he felt completely relaxed around her.

The second part of the advice? Much, much harder for him: Actually asking her.

"Erm hey Kate!…Kate hi…Would you like to..erm can I…Dammit!"

Running his fingers through his hair he gave an exasperated sigh. Why was this so hard? He'd known Kate since the first day of Hogwarts and they'd instantly become friends, he didn't even like her like that so this should be easy right?

"Kate, listen I was thinking maybe that that that.."

Suddenly he heard giggling from behind the door, he paused mid sentence.

A muffled voice was suddenly audible "Shhhhh you sound like a girl you freak!"

Silently Lupin made his way across the room towards the door, grasping the handle he pulled it open suddenly.

Sirius and James who had been leant against the door fell into the room in a collapsed heap, Sirius landing heavily on top of James. Remus stared down at them one eyebrow raised.

"Hey Remus" grinned Sirius sheepishly peering up at him. "We were just erm..."

"Sirius, I'd appreciate it if you could get up before you start with the explanation of this" choked James "You seem to be forgetting you fell on me and not the floor?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at Remus "Finnnne James if you're going to moan"

Scrambling up he threw himself on the nearest bed and watched James stagger to his feet coughing.

"Ok first off Sirius I find your giggle kind of scary I mean it's a little bit more than slightly girly" started Remus.

Sirius smiled "Women love a man that's in touch with his feminine side"

James and Remus shot him a strange look but he just shrugged carelessly.

"Okkk and secondly why the hell where you two just listening through the door?"

James attempted to hide a smile and failed "We erm kind of heard you talking to yourself and well…"

"Who doesn't want to laugh at someone who sounds crazy?" finished Sirius.

"Erm I don't know let me think…ah yes someone that has a life?" Remus retaliated sarcastically.

"Nooo it's the kind of thing that people who have a life do"

Remus held his hands up "Ok ok, whatever I really don't care what you think"

"That's caus he doesn't think" James jumped in.

"Hey! I resent that fact" Sirius said faking a hurt look.

"Anyway Moony before we jump subject altogether" James cut in swiftly "What were you doing?"

Remus avoided James's stare "Just trying to get the courage to ask someone to the ball" he admitted colouring slightly.

"Oooooh who?" shouted Sirus jumping up on the bed "Is she hot? Ah I bet it's one of the girls I picked!" he winked at Remus "It's one of the girls I picked isn't it? Isn't it? Go onnn you can admit it was a girl I picked"

"SHUT UP SIRIUS!" laughed James trying to sound cross.

"IwasjustgoingtoaskKate" mumbled Remus.

"What? Who has cake?"

"Sirius he didn't say cake he said KATE"

"Oh…..So no one has cake then?"

"No"

"Oh"

"But Kate Green? I had no idea you liked her! I thought you two were just really good friends?" said James eyebrow raised.

"We are, and I don't, I just took Lily's advice to forget finding the perfect date and just taking someone I have a good time with!"

A look of pure exasperation crossed James's face "I told her to stop giving advice! But did she listen? No because when does she listen to me? If you took Lily's advice there's no hope."

Remus hit James on the arm "You really have no respect for your girlfriend!"

"No I just don't respect her advice"

"Well like it or not I'm going to take it"

"Ok, but when you come running back to me going 'James you were completely right I should never ever have trusted Lily's advice I am so sorry you are the best friend ever how can I possibly make it up to-'"

He was cut off mid sentence as Remus flicked his wand and his mouth was clamped shut.

Remus studied his handy work "Yep much better! Now if you were lucky you'd have a friend in this room that listened in class and would know the counter curse for that but luckily for me Peter is in the library and unfortunately for you, you have Sirius"

"Hey what is this, insult Sirius day?" Sirius yelped.

"Do you know the counter curse?"

"Well technically…..no" Sirius shot James an apologetic look and beamed "Looks like you're a bit stuck then Prongs"

James glared at Remus and stalked out of the dorm.

"Who's going to go ask Lily for something now?" laughed Remus at his retreating back.

James whipped round and tried to signal some sort of sign language about Remus and dying, his only response was confused looks and a quiet muttering from Sirius 'he likes what on toast?'. Giving up he simply swore at the two before turning to find Lily.

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Kate felt her stomach flutter as she saw the tall figure of Remus enter the Great Hall at breakfast and head in her direction. She found it unnerving that he still had the ability to make her feel so nervous and self conscious after all these years.

She'd known him from the first day of Hogwarts and liked him from the third.

"Hey Kate, haven't talked to you in oooh a day?" teased Remus as he slid into the space next to her.

"Wow has it been that long? You know I haven't missed you in all the time!" grinned Kate.

Remus immediately relaxed, realising he'd been nervous about asking his question for no reason. "So then have you managed to get yourself a date for this winter ball type thing?"

Kate looked up at this question and searched Remus's eyes for answers, was he going to…? Or was he just asking? Her heart leapt unable to stop herself from hoping "No not yet".

"Me neither" he admitted "I hate the whole getting the courage to ask someone thing you know?"

Kate rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement "I hate the whole not knowing whether anyone's going to ask me at all or whether if you reject someone then the person you hoped might ask doesn't and you end up alone. Does that make any sense at all?"

Remus laughed "Yeah in a twisted sense, it can get pretty annoying this whole finding a date thing"

"Sometimes I really wish we didn't have to bother, but on the other hand when you find someone right to go with –" Kate caught Remus's eye at this point and quickly looked away.

"Mmm" nodded Remus staring hard at the table "It's just sometimes the right person has already found someone" he mumbled glancing down the table at Skye.

"What? I didn't get a word of that?"

Remus straightened up "Erm I said..well listen you might think this just stupid but erm what if we went together? That is unless there's someone you're waiting to ask you?"

Kate breathed deeply, inside she was pratically screaming, she couldn't believe it he was finally asking her! Attempting to contain her feelings she finally managed to reply. "No, there's no one else" she breathed "I'd love to go".

Remus smiled his brown eyes looking into hers "Great! I guess I'll see you later then"

Kate laughed nervously "Erm, yeah later!"

As soon as Remus had ambled down the Gryffindor table to join the Marauders she pushed her cereal away and rushed out of the Great Hall in search of Keira and a much needed celebration.

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"See now that wasn't too hard was it Moony?" asked James as Remus smiling took the place next to him.

Remus grinned "Nope not at all me and Kate have been friends too long for it to be awkward, and besides she seemed to like the idea of going with a friend."

"So that's me and Moony sorted what about you two?" questioned James "Sirius half the girls in the school have been making eyes at you all week!"

"Exactly!" grinned Sirius grabbing more bacon happily "That's why I'm not taking anyone"

"WHAT?" cried James, Peter and Remus in unison.

Sirus looked at them knowingly "Aah well if I take someone I have to stay with her all night"

"That's generally the idea of a date Padfoot"

"Well Exactly! If I don't take anyone then there's no restrictions, I can dance with anyone, make out with anyone, fill in for a date gone wrong - Why are you all looking at me like that?"

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The next days passed in a blur, as the Christmas break drew closer and closer the teachers stacked on more and more homework and the hours they spent working soon out did the hours spent pulling pranks on the Slytherins and messing about.

Sirius however still seemed to manage to fit in a wide range of different girls into his busy schedule without problem.

Before they knew it it was the evening before the last night, the pre-ball night.

The Marauders were lounging around the seats by the common room fire, Lily was leant against James her hand entwined with his. As ususal Sirius and James were arguing half heartedly over a totally pointless subject.

"You could fit at least two dragons in the Great Hall!" cried Sirius looking at James as if he was crazy.

"Sirius you blatantly couldn't! I mean come on for one how would you fit them through the entrance?"

Lily looked at Peter and Remus incredulous. "Is this for real?"

Remus grinned "Ahh poor Lily, you had no idea did you? With James its kind of a buy one get one free..a kind of package deal - When you started dating James you kind of got Sirius as well.. Sirius is the free item you get when you agree to buy that no-body wants"

Sirius who was by now gesturing wildly about dragon wing span stopped and glared at him "You know you think I'm just going to let this thing of insulting me all the time slide don't you? I don-"

Peter immediatly jumped in realizing they may have gone one Sirius joke too far and made use of Sirius's short attention span. "Lily where's Skye, you two are always together?"

It worked as Sirius stopped mid come back and turned "Heyyy yeah where is Skye? She never hangs out with us anymore! I miss my little SK."

Lily couldn't help laughing slightly "How slow are you? She hasn't hung around as much with you lot in ages..Remeber? Zack? Her boyfriend? Ever thought she might be with him?

Sirius looked confused for a minute "Zack...Ohhh She's still going out with him? How long has that been now?"

"Three months, two weeks" Remus answered automatically, realising immediatly afterwards he'd said this a bit too fast and suddenly became very interested in the floor.

Lily gave him an odd look and nodded "Yeah I think that's right"

"That's a long time" commented Sirius thoughtfully.

"Black a relationship that lasts a week is serious to you" said Lily shaking her head.

Everyone laughed as Sirius nodded seriously.

Just then a third year burst into the common room and rushed straight across to Lily nearly sending two unfortunate first years flying in her hurry.

"Lily" she began breathlessly "It's the erm well the erm you know 'the ending thing'"

The Maurauders started back at her as if she was crazy but Lily sighed and getting up to the protests of James followed the third year back out of the portrait hole.

"I'm sorry what? Did that just happen?" asked Peter staring at the space Lily had just occupied.

"Oh it's just some preparation for the end of the ball" yawned James "And before you ask why I'm not invovled I wasn't allowed to help, Apparently I can't keep a secret!"

"You CAN'T keep a secret"

"Hey you seem to be forgetting there's a huge secret I'm keeping right now" glared James and glancing at Remus quickly.

"Well other than that" sighed Remus "Your pretty bad, I don't think anyone will forget the Kangaroo incident.."

"Hey can we not?" pleaded Peter as the Marauders began to laugh.

James made an attempt to be serious "Yes, yes your right I think it's very cute you used to think you were a Kangaroo and that you used to-"

Peter jumped up making the Marauders laugh harder at the memory and whipped his wand out. "Seriously James.."

"Ok, ok" said James gasping for breath but then catching sight of Sirius doing a Kangaroo impression right behind Peter burst into fresh laughter.

Peter gave a fustrated sigh and stalked off towards the boys staircase the laughter ringing in his ears.

"Ooops" grinned Remus.

"Oh he'll live" said Sirius carelessly lolling back in the chair "Who else will we laugh at when Snivellus is not here?"

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A/N: Soo...now you've read Review! You know you want to!