Sirius stopped his arm wrestle with James, one he was winning, as Remus came into the dorm rushing over to his drawer. The last time Remus had come in as excited as he now seemed to be he had told them about the fire, earth, water thing with the tournament. Needless to say Sirius no longer cared about the arm wrestle which was the only reason why James won.

"Hah! Told you it wasn't luck I beat you Black. Oi what's up mate?" James asked, raising an eyebrow at Remus whose normally well-groomed hair was sticking all over the place and giving him a rather unfortunate frayed appearance as if he had just been struck by lightning.

"She's still here," Remus held up something Sirius had completely forgotten about.

"Oh the egg! Did you figure out how to open it?" James asked excitedly as Peter came into the dorm looking breathless.

"Remus you weren't making any sense….I couldn't find Gideon anywhere. But why do you need to talk to him?" Peter asked, looking as baffled as James did. Sirius grinned as Remus glanced at him.

"The eggs have something to do with the second task then?"

"OH!" James and Peter exclaimed together and the excited energy in the dorm could not have been higher.

"I think so. I...overheard someone mentioning them. But I need to talk to Gideon."

"Talk to my brother about what?" Fabian asked leaning on the doorway to their dorm, their door left open by both Remus and Peter in their haste.

"I looked everywhere for you and Gideon," Peter gasped, face pink. Fabian laughed and poked Peter's nose before entering their dorm room as if it was his.

"You don't find me I find you," Fabian replied, and would have succeeded in sounding mysterious if he didn't wink at them.

"I think that's my line Fab," Gideon interrupted before Fabian could get too far into their room. Gideon waited for Sirius to nod before entering unlike Fabian who had strolled right in. The Prewett's presence seemed to be physically holding Remus from blurting out what he looked so eager to say, a wild mischievous gleam in his friends' eyes that Sirius was very pleased to see there. It wasn't there in his friends' eyes enough for Sirius' liking but when it was Remus was the one who needed to stop from causing mischief. Whether they did hold Remus back when he was like that was a different story...

Gideon put a hand to Fabian's shoulder who was looking around the room with a smirk as if thinking about how to prank it. Sirius resisted the childish impulse to ask Fabian how he had managed to catch three Slytherins in a levitating ball of foul gas and watched the oldest Prewett twin with fascination. If Patricia was the queen of pranks then Fabian was the King followed closely by Gideon, at least in the past, if any of the stories Patricia had told them were real. Sirius watched as Gideon approached Remus who still seemed to be shaking with energy. It was a little weird but no weirder than James who had turned into a statue at having both Prewetts in their dorm, and Peter who looked ready to faint for the same reason.

Remus was just excited by the Prewetts that was all….

The lucky bastard was going to get to help Gideon again! It wasn't fair.

"Wotcher Remus. What's up?"

"Gideon, the egg, it has something to do with the secondtaskandIthink," Remus rushed in an explanation, speaking so fast Sirius could hardly understand him. Remus still seemed to be shaking with excitement. Or was he shaking because of something else? Normally Sirius would have paid a bit more attention but he too was very happy and could hardly contain it. Again something tugged in Sirius that Remus was not ok right now even if he appeared to be but once more he shoved it away. Remus was fine and Gideon Prewitt was in their dorm which was a much more pressing concern. James was in the midst of trying to kick his dirty clothes under his bed while still trying not to tear his eyes away from Gideon, who as far as James was concerned, had saved his life.

"Woah woah cool it kid," Gideon grinned, holding up his hand which seemed to get Remus to take a breath.

"Gideon what's going on?" Fabian asked, shaking his head slightly, his darker redder hair than his brother flopping around slightly. It almost looked like Fabian was trying to shake something away and his question to his brother seemed to have to do with something else entirely. But Gideon ignored Fabian so Sirius did the same, hardly able to take the wait. What did the eggs have to do with the second task?

"Is this one ok?" Fabian asked with a grin passing James who was sitting on his bed bouncing up and down but upon Fabian passing his bed seemed to once more turn into a statue his mouth gaping. Sirius stifled a laugh as Fabian amusedly patted James' head looking around James, probably for something to prank him with, Sirius figured.

"Yeah, he's fine, come here," Gideon instructed impatiently. "Alright Remus now explain."

"This egg is enchanted. I don't know how but I think it's only something that one of the champions can undue," Remus gasped, almost looking ill.

"Are you…" Fabian began to ask, looking alarmed but Gideon cut him off scooping up Remus' egg with awe.

"Remus, you really are a little genius. That's what they meant during the first task! Hang on," Gideon shouted and rushed out of the room with the egg quickly. Fabian looked like he was going to follow but frowned at Remus whose eyes seemed a little unfocused.

"Remus are you alright? How did you obtain this information?" Fabian asked suspiciously and Sirius was about to go off at him for daring to think Remus deserved such scrutiny before realizing he wasn't suspicious of Remus but for him. "You were cursed, weren't you….You don't appear well."

"I'm alright…." Remus choked out breathlessly and Sirius realized that the gut feeling that he had been experiencing about something being wrong with Remus had actually been right.

"Were you cursed?" Fabian asked calmly.

"Hang on, you said you fell!" Peter protested, shaking himself from the similar stupor James had been in.

"I did….fall. Look it's fine the...effects have worn off."

"Hm I don't know about that. Have you seen the matron?"

"No," Sirius answered for Remus, ignoring the betrayed look his friend shot him.

"Well, you should go get checked out by her alright?" Fabian insisted, a seriousness about him that Sirius never would have imagined on the self proclaimed king of pranks.

Remus hesitated but it was one thing to fight his peers and another one entirely to say no to Fabian Prewett. Sirius kept that in mind in case he needed to use the Prewett's influence on Remus again.

"Alright…..I'll go after Gideon comes back," Remus stated, the sort of crazy buzz around him gone, now replaced with an exhaustion that Sirius could see was making it hard for him to keep his eyes open. Fabian looked amused that Remus would be so daring as to indirectly disobey a student five years his senior but didn't get the chance to reply as Gideon suddenly rushed back in looking delighted.

"Remus I owe you big time! This…..this is what I had been trying to figure out for weeks. Fabian look." Gideon lifted up the egg which now had black cursive writing across the shell, a small paragraph that was too far away for anyone but Gideon to read.

"Gideon I can't see it," Fabian protested with a slight edge to his voice that if Gideon picked up on he ignored completely, his grin almost contagious.

"Right. It says; Congratulations on your first egg Gideon. For each one you unlock the time you have for the next task will double. Eggs have been given to an equal amount of students from all houses and schools. In the face of adversity we need to build our bridges to win. Remember we are stronger together. Oh and underneath it says my current time for the task is five minutes and to return the egg to the owner so here you go Remus."

Gideon walked back to Remus now seeming a little less enthused, perhaps realizing what a task convincing any student to give them their egg would be that wasn't from Hogwarts. Even convincing students from Hogwarts might be a trick if the egg belonged to a Slytherin and Sirius wouldn't put it past those serpentine traitors to help the other schools even.

"Thank you," Remus replied, eyes shutting as he slumped over, Fabian scoping him up swiftly into his arms as if he had been expecting this. There was a calm certainty that again was very off-putting on the Prewett brother who was almost always smirking whenever Sirius saw him.

"We need to take him to the hospital wing Gideon," Fabian stated calmly as Peter and Sirius both shouted for Remus. Sirius fought his fear because if it was something to be really worried about surely Gideon wouldn't be so calm.

"We'll go with you," Sirius insisted, trying to read Fabian's facial expression, however, the Prewett merely smirked at him when he realized Sirius was looking his way.

"No, you will stay here. It will be after-hours in about fifteen minutes. Do not argue with me Sirius," Gideon added with a finality Sirius hated but found himself obeying….or at least pretending to. Gideon looked at his brother but didn't seem too concerned, and Sirius only found a calm certainty on his features.

…

Gideon left with Fabian able to tell from the tense stance of his brother that he was to keep his mouth shut until they left. That did not stop him bombarding his brother with questions as they descended the stairs though.

"What happened to him Fab?"

"He was cursed I believe. He wasn't saying much. But didn't you think it odd he happened to overhear this information?" Fabian pointed out with a tone that suggested Gideon needed to think things through more. He hated when his brother got that tone.

"Look you don't know those boys like I do. Besides if any of the young students were to put two and two together it would be Lupin."

"If you knew him so well how come you couldn't tell he was hurting?" Fabian shot back an annoyance in his tone that had only first appeared back when Gideon had been announced as Hogwarts champion.

"Maybe because I'm not some sort of weird empath like you," Gideon grumbled irritated that the feeling of success was being smothered because of his brother. He loved Fabian dearly but would it kill him to be more supportive? Gideon didn't need to be an empath to tell his brother was jealous…

"Twins truce. I shouldn't have snapped. Remus is just in quite a bit of pain and I usually don't pick up pain quite so much…..not used to it. Last time I felt this much pain was when you let yourself get suckered/punched by the giant squid. Not only was I in nearly as much pain as you but I also had to endure Molly's letters about how you better not die in the tournament." Fabian explained as they walked down the halls making a short detour when needed with all the skill they had from having run away from Filch back when they were younger and had 'both been fun'.

"Twins truce. I get it. I've been stressed too. I wish we were the Marauders' age, well not really then we couldn't fight in the war but you know what I mean. And you may be getting Molly's letters but you haven't gotten her howlers so quit your whining," Gideon nudged Fabian who smirked.

"She does make a mean howler. Remember the time we caused all of Hogwarts' toilets to stick the unsuspecting victim's bottoms to the toilet seats right smack dab in the middle of bathroom rush?"

Gideon laughed remembering that incident as clearly as if it had happened last year.

"How I ever ended up with a badge still baffles me and…" Gideon trailed off as Fabian stopped, worried if the distance his head boy badge had caused between them had finally snapped something in his brother. But Fabian didn't look angry and instead looked concerned, his eyebrows knit together in a furrowed expression Gideon had become all too accustomed to over the years.

"What's up?" he asked, not entirely envying his twin whose twin senses stretched to people he wasn't even related to. Which basically just meant Fabian could sometimes physically feel others' pain. It used to be used as a weapon when they were younger and their tempers had flared upon losing their mother but now his brother's 'gift' had since mellowed into giving Fabian a way with younger kids that his brother would wholeheartedly deny.

"It's pretty bad Gideon," Fabian whispered and Gideon put a hand on Fabian's shoulder, steadying him.

"Let me take him, you know physical contact makes it worse."

Gideon felt his concern for Remus increase as Fabian didn't even fight him on the matter like he usually did. It had taken Fabian until their third year in Hogwarts before he had realized Gideon wasn't lying about not being able to feel things like Fabian did. Gideon took Remus from his brother, partly wishing he could have the same sort of sense Fabian had which had led to him singling out Patirica whose pain back then Fabian had seemed to take as a physical challenge.

"He's just cursed. He's fine Fab." Gideon reminded his brother knowing that Fabian who's joking around hid the startling perceptiveness he had could get overly involved in people's lives. It was a trait that led to Fabian being labelled as a ladies man even though Gideon knew that his brother just couldn't leave a sad person alone. Well that and Fabian's general flirtatious teasing manner about nearly everything didn't particularly help.

"I don't know Gideon. It feels deeper. Remember what Patricia was saying about Remus reminding her of herself back then? It's like that…"

Gideon bit back a groan. It's not that he had anything against Remus, he just had to focus on his task at hand, winning the Triwizard Tournament. Having Hogwarts' ego on his shoulders was quite the weight to have to hold. Gideon needed his brother's support, needed Fabian focusing on him and the Triwizard Tournament instead of Remus, even if he was a troubled kid.

"Leave it to Patrica. You already said she suspects he's similar to her. So tell her about it. It will be good for her to get involved."

Gideon could see his brother wasn't listening.

"Oi, you keep in mind we are leaving at the end of the year. If he's like Patricia it would take at least a whole year to get through to him like it did with Patricia." Gideon added as they approached the hospital wing. Fabian pretended not to hear him flinging the doors open dramatically.

"Honey I'm Home!" Fabian shouted with all the bravado he could muster and Gideon shook his head at his brother. Molly had told Gideon to look after Fabian and to make sure he didn't get that overly big heart of his into trouble. But that was easier said than done!

"Fabian Prewett if you come into this wing hollering again I'll…" madam Pomfrey's usual threat trailed off and Gideon watched as the matron paled, a deep worry filing her eyes that was a bit surprising to find in the normally quite business-like matron.

"Well don't just stand there! Bring him in and lay him down. What happened?" the matron asked with her usual briskness.

"We think he's been cursed. He wouldn't say much."

Gideon thought he heard the matron tsk 'typical' under her breath as he laid Remus on the bed.

"Sorry, what was that?" Fabian asked.

"Oh, never you mind. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Now shoo," the matron waved them away with her usual down to business demeanor, drawing the privacy curtains around the small Gryffindor in the bed.

Fabian glanced at Gideon who pretended that he was not the slightest bit intrigued by Remus Lupin. He didn't have time to be intrigued!

"Well…..that was weird," Fabin replied casually.

"Definitely. Shall we go talk to Patricia?" Gideon asked hopefully. This needed to be Patricia's problem; they were graduating for Merlin's sake!

"Definitely," Fabian replied with a resigned smile that filled Gideon with relief.