Camp Casanova 1-50

The Beginning

Summer of 1971

"We're here."

Remus tore his eyes from the window to look at his mother that sat in the front seat next to his father that drove. The car pulled down to a stop and Remus felt his stomach churn from nervousness.

He didn't want to leave the car.

"Are you coming sweetheart?" His mother smiled at him before she opened the door to the car and stepped outside. Remus heard his father get out as well, walking over to the tailgate to pull out the duffle bag with Remus' belongings.

"Coming..." Remus mumbled, gulping down the growing lump in his throat.

When he opened his door and stepped out on the pebble on the parking lot he glanced upwards and felt himself gasp.

In front of him was a great, old, stony building with the text "Slughorn's Summer Camp for Boys" on it. Looking under it Remus could see a mass of men, women and boys passing in and out the entrance doors. Remus gulped when his eyes trailed the many boys that he would spend the next four weeks with.

Car after car pulled up on the parking lot, making his parents hurry with their goodbyes. Remus found himself getting enveloped in a tight hug by his mother as his father dumped his bag on the ground next to him. Remus felt his heart make an uncomfortable clench when he answered the hug.

He didn't want to be left alone.

"Be a good boy for us now, Remus." His father grunted before he gave Remus a light hug and pat on his back. Remus nodded, not trusting his voice to speak, afraid to start crying at the spot.

"Bye Remus. We'll miss you." His mother smiled at him as she reached out her hand to swipe over his cheek.

"Love you." She said as she ruffled Remus' hair before she turned around to walk back to the car with his father. Remus looked over his shoulder and watched them get in the car and leave. He waved his hand at them but didn't know if they saw it. They were probably happy to get rid of him since they finally could leave for their trip overseas.

Sighing, he crouched down and grabbed his bag by the handles, groaning when he felt how heavy it was.

He dragged the bag to the entrance where he walked inside with the crowd of parents and children. Looking around he saw many boys that looked older than him, but some seemed to be about his age.

Glancing to his left he saw a sign that told him that the camp was for boys of ages eleven thru fifteen. That explained why so many boys seemed older than him. He was only eleven.

He found a line to the check-in, placed himself by the end of it and waited. When it was his turn at the desk he found himself looking up at a chuckling, fat, middle-aged man with a broad mustache. Looking down at his nameplate he read the name Horace Slughorn.

"Hello, lad! How can I help you?" He asked with an encouraging nod.

"I'm supposed to stay here for the summer." Remus told him, feeling insecure under the gaze. "In the camp." Remus added.

"Oh! Well, I happen to be the director of the camp." He clapped his belly. "Tell me, my boy, what's your name?"

"Remus Lupin, sir." Remus said, voice almost as low as a whisper.

"Oh, let me see..." Slughorn reached for a folder on his desk and then swiped his index finger over the pages until he found something that he pointed at. He reached for a pen and scribbled something down before he turned his attention back to Remus.

"Alright, now you're checked in." He smiled. "Please follow the yellow signs along the corridor here outside and then head for cabin number 7. That's where you'll stay this summer. More information will be handed out later, but today you're only supposed to make yourself at home in your cabin and you're your roommates." He motioned for the corridor on Remus' left, but before Remus started walking he realized something that made his stomach clench in worry further.

"Excuse me sir, but did you say roommates?" He piped.

"Well, of course?" Slughorn looked confused. "There are four beds in each cabin, which means that you will share it with three other boys. But don't worry. They're all your age." He smiled before he shifted on the place and told the family behind Remus that he could help them.

Remus slowly lifted up his bag from the floor and walked out of the way, stepping in to the corridor that led to the outdoors. He sighed sadly when he spotted the first yellow sign that pointed forward. He didn't want to be there. He wanted to be home, to read another book or bask in the silence of their house. He didn't like to be this exposed in a new environment.

He didn't look forward to sharing over four weeks with three strangers that were surely to turn out to bully, mock, or tease him for fun. Just like the boys in the village at home. Remus felt his stomach clench again. He wanted to go home to his room.

With nothing else to do he dragged his bag to the end of the corridor and pushed open the doors that led outside. When he'd walked outside he found himself gasping at the scene.

Behind him was the old, big stone building that seemed to function as a service center and perhaps a dining hall. But in front of him was a vast lawn that seemed to go on forever. It met with a big forest on the right, and to the left was a huge lake. Remus smiled when he saw a swing in one of the trees by the lake. He also saw a hammock close by. Perhaps his stay here wouldn't be so bad after all.

Looking forward again Remus saw boys walking to or running around the cabins. Remus could spot ten, dark brown cabins up front, each with its own small stair leading to the door and a number next to it. Remus spotted cabin number 7 and felt his chest constrict with nerves when he saw the door drift close.

There was already someone inside.

Remus crossed his fingers and looked up at the sky. He sent off a silent prayer that whoever was in the cabin wouldn't be mean to him as soon as he stepped his foot inside. For this once he wanted to be left alone.

When Remus heard the door behind him by the main building open he started walking toward the cabin again. He saw two older looking boys run past him, laughing all the way to cabin 1. Remus thought they must be regulars and perhaps fifteen years old.

When Remus was about halfway to the cabin he saw another boy walk past him, though this one looked to be about his age. The boy mumbled something angrily under his breath as he stomped his way to the cabins. He dragged on a nice looking trunk with the initials S.O.B, and he wore beautifully tailored clothes in dark green and silver. Remus felt his uneasiness return when he glanced down at his own clothes. They were old, torn and homemade. And there were several patches around his knees where mother had fixed them.

Remus heard the other boy grunt something and then Remus looked up to watch the boy send a stone flying with a kick. Glancing up at the boy's head Remus saw that the boy had black hair that was a bit too long for boys Remus' age. But he didn't complain; it was Remus' mother's opinion. Remus didn't care if the other kids made their hair long. The only thing he cared about was if they were going to be mean to him or not.

A set of red haired twins ran past Remus as he trailed the dark haired boy on his way to the cabins. Remus saw the twins run into cabin 8, and then watched as a dark haired boy with a crooked nose walked into the cabin as well. Remus scrunched up his nose in disgust when he saw the greasy hair of the other boy. It didn't look hygienic, and suddenly he was glad that he didn't have to share a cabin with him.

When Remus turned his eyes back to the ground in front of him he searched for the dark haired boy. He spotted him walking up the stairs to one of the cabins, but felt his heart jump when he saw which one.

He walked into number 7.

Remus gulped and wiped his sweaty forehead on his sleeve. Okay, so now the cabin was already occupied by at least two out of his three roommates. He didn't want to go inside. He didn't want to be here. They were going to bully him just like everyone else. He knew they would.

He desperately fought back the tears when he reached the first steps of the small stair that led up to the front door. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep. He would have to do this. Right now his parents were on their way to France and they wouldn't turn back only to retrieve him. He had to stay here, even if he desperately didn't want to.

He opened his eyes when he heard a loud laughter come from inside. He thought he heard something land on the floor and then bickering from inside. He didn't want to walk in but when he saw other boys stop to stare or point at him from the other cabins he gathered his courage and placed his hand on the handle and opened the door.

As the door slowly swung open he saw the fancy looking boy rise up from the floor to pat another boy on the back. Remus discreetly walked inside as he took in the new boy's appearance. He had messy black hair and wore rectangular glasses. Just like the other boy he wore expensive looking clothes, but they looked more comfortable and not as still and formal as the other boy's.

Remus turned his head to the side and saw a third boy sitting on the lower bunk of a double bed. He was chubby, had sand colored hair and round cheeks. He was munching on some candy from a

bag he held onto with a secure grip as he watched the exchange between the other two boys in the room.

Remus looked above the sand haired boy's head and felt his stomach constrict painfully when he noticed that there only were two double beds in the room. He would have to share it with someone else. And he would probably end up with the top bunk, even though he is afraid of heights.

Remus gulped when he darted his eyes from the left double bed to take in the rest of the room. He saw that the beds were at each side of the small cabin. Next to the beds were four wardrobes, one for each camper Remus supposed. There was only one window, at the far front behind the sofa and small coffee table. And in front of that there was a shabby looking mat.

On both sides of the door Remus saw two tables with two chairs each. At the tables he found a small supply of papers, pens and rubbers. He sighed when he remembered that the camp wasn't only meant for the campers to have fun.

Remus noticed that the interior was all in a light wood and all the bedsheets were of a deep red color. The cabin looked dull, boring and like it hadn't been used for a long time. Turning his head to one of the corners he saw a spider's web and felt a shiver of fear run down his spine.

No, this cabin had definitely not been used for a long time. Remus wanted to go home.
"BANG!"

Remus jerked at the spot and snapped his head around, eyes widening in fear when he heard the door slam shut from the wind behind him. He saw the heads of the three boys in front of him turn to look at him for the first time. They all looked a mixture between confused and surprised as they frowned at Remus' strange emergence.

Remus didn't like the attention. He didn't like the way they stared at him, or how they started walking towards him slowly. Remus felt his face heat up from embarrassment over his appearance and his stomach clench uncomfortably. They were going to bully him. They were going to hit him.

He closed his eyes, lips pursed together as he tried to keep control on the threatening tears. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be alone in his bed at home. Be alone in the only place where he felt safe. The only place where he was free from the evil kids in his village.

"Hi, I'm James. James Potter. Who are you?"

Remus opened his eyes cautiously when he heard the kind but slightly arrogant voice greet him. He saw the boy with the glasses - James - stand in front of him, smiling with his right hand reached out.

"Eh," Remus managed, feeling very confused. Wasn't he going to mock him? "What's your name?" James asked with an encouraging nod.

Remus wiped his sweaty palms on his worn trousers before he cleared his throat and extended his right hand to shake James'.

"Remus Lupin." He said, voice shaking but his hand firm as he shook James'. If it was one thing his father had taught him it was the importance of a firm handshake.

"Great." James grinned before he ruffled his already messy hair. "So you'll stay here for the summer as well, yeah?" He asked while he walked over to the trunk that lay on the floor in front of one of the wardrobes.

"Yes," Remus trailed off as he watched the fancy looking boy from earlier walk towards him, steps confident and mysterious glint in his eyes. Remus watched him reach out his hand as he met Remus' eyes.

"Sirius Black." He spoke, voice determined before he blew a strand of dark hair from his face.

"Remus Lupin," Remus said as he took Sirius' surprisingly smooth hand and shook it. Sirius looked into his eyes and that's when Remus noticed the color of them. They were gray, almost silver. Remus had never seen gray eyes before. In his village they were either brown or going on amber like his own.

Remus couldn't stop staring at the eyes. They glistened in the light from the only lamp in the ceiling and looked a different shade of gray every second.

He felt Sirius let go of his hand but Remus didn't look away yet. "You have golden eyes." Sirius suddenly stated.

"You have silver." Remus answered, feeling way too distracted by the peculiar color to care about anything else. He momentarily felt his worries disappear when he looked into those eyes. He didn't know what it was, but it felt like they reminded him of something...

"Hi, I'm Peter. Peter Pettigrew."

Remus tore his gaze away from Sirius to find the chubby boy standing next to them with his dirty hand outreached. When he saw Remus' frown he hurriedly wiped his hand on his shorts before he reached it out again, all while chewing on some kind of bubble gum.

"Remus Lupin." Remus said for the third time as he took Peter's dirty hand and shook it. Peter's grip was loose and weak. Remus suspected no one had taught him how to shake hands properly.

When their hands parted he watched as Peter walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Then he saw James sit down next to him with a slingshot in his hands. Remus guessed that both bunks of that double bed were occupied so he turned his head to the double bed on the right side of the room.

He felt the uneasiness in his chest return when he saw a jacket lie on the pillow of the lower bunk. It was taken. He would have to sleep in the top bunk.

Remus slowly made his way over to the bed. He felt Sirius follow him until he sat down on the bed, next to the jacket that probably was his. Remus glanced to the far top of the bed and then on the rickety ladder that led up to it. Then he glanced over at the sofa. Perhaps he could sleep on that...

"Where do you want to sleep?" Sirius voice broke through his thoughts and he turned his head to look at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, voice uncertain.

"Well, we're supposed to live with each other for a month, and you and I have to share the double bed. So where do you want to sleep? Is it okay for me to take the lower bunk or do you want it?"

Sirius asked. Remus struggled to follow the conversation but when his brain caught up he found himself struggling for what to say. Of course he wanted the lower bunk, but if he told Sirius that he might get angry. And perhaps it was a trap. Maybe Sirius would tease him and take the lower bunk anyway even if he told him that he wanted it.

But then Remus remembered his fear of heights and decided to take a risk. He was going to voice his opinion.

"I-I would actually prefer to sleep in the lower bunk if that's alright." He asked, eyes staring at his feet.

"Okay, great." Sirius grinned. "I was actually planning on taking the top bunk anyway, I just wanted to tease you when I saw you glancing longingly at the lower bunk." He chuckled before he rose up from the bed and walked over to James.

Remus felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment. Sirius had teased him already. Remus didn't understand. Why did so many want to make fun of him?

He felt the painful lump in his throat return when he heard Sirius, James and Peter rise up and walk out of the cabin. The sound from the door echoed in the small cabin and then in Remus' chest. He stared at his worn duffel bag, trousers and shirt and suddenly felt even worse than before. He didn't belong here. He didn't look like the other boys and was probably going to end up alone all summer. Like always.

Sighing, he opened his bag and walked over to the nearest wardrobe to tuck his clothes in it. He didn't even fill up half the space. He only had the shoes on his feet, four spare shirts, three spare trousers, swimming trunks, a towel, about eight briefs and socks, his most comfortable knitted sweater, his pajamas and a jacket. He hoped that the camp had some kind of washing machine since he was supposed to stay there for a month. He also hoped that he wouldn't have to dress up since he didn't own any fancy clothes. Every piece of clothing he owned was either worn out or started to feel too short at the feet.

He felt his curiosity about the other boy's clothes take over him and he sneaked over to James' wardrobe and opened it. He gasped when he saw the hangers and shelves that were filled to the brim with clothes in fancy, smooth and expensive materials. He saw at least five pairs of swimming trunks and three different jackets, but then he quickly closed the doors. Remus already knew that his family was poor. He did not need a reminder, or to compare himself to others.

Remus walked back to his bag and started to empty it. He brought out his hair comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, his supply of fifteen books and then lastly Teddy.

"Hi Teddy." He whispered before he gave the old teddy bear a long hug. He knew that he was a bit too old for toys or to sleep with teddy bears, but he had had Teddy since he was five and he helped him calm down when he was afraid, and helped him to fall asleep.

He released Teddy from the hug and proceeded to place him on his main pillow, underneath the covers. He gave the worn, dark gray fur a long stroke before he hid Teddy under the covers. Then he sat on the bed for a while, mourning the upcoming summer he was sure to spend all alone.

''''''''''

After Remus had ate a small lunch in the dining hall, walked around the whole area of the camp, read fifty pages of a book by the lakeside and then ate dinner by himself at a back table in the dining hall he found himself slowly heading back to cabin 7 to get ready for the night. It was only

around eight and the sun was still out, the grounds full of activity, but Remus only wanted to sleep. Sleep and dream that he was back in his own bed, far away from other kids and mean bullies.

During dinner Remus had counted the many boys and got them to be around forty. He guessed about ten of the boys were his own age. The red headed twins had sat with James, Sirius and Peter at a table close to the door, but Remus had sat far back in a dark corner where he had eaten by himself. Like usual.

Director Slughorn had told the campers that the next day was meant to get to know the camp. They were going to walk through the main building, grounds and other areas and then the day after that the activities would start. Slughorn had told them that the camp would offer football, swimming and running as hobbies. Then Slughorn had told them that they would get taught in survival skills, some math's and English as well.

Remus didn't know what he dreaded the most; the other boys or the activities. The only thing he felt confident about was his ability to read and research.

He glanced at his nightstand that was filled with books as he changed into his pajamas. His three roommates had been gone since midday.

Remus sighed.

They were probably off somewhere, playing games, taunting others or just having fun together. Having fun as friends.

Remus blinked away tears when he realized that he probably would end up alone for the rest of his life. For some reason other kids didn't like him. They tormented him, called him names or did other stuff that he didn't like to think about.

He lifted the covers on his bed and climbed in under them, hugging Teddy in the process.

"It's gonna be alright Teddy..." He whispered to the soft teddy bear, but it was mostly to himself. It didn't feel like it was going to be alright though.

He looked around the dark cabin, the only source of light coming from the setting sun outside, covered by the drawn curtains. Remus was thankful for the light, not wanting to think about the monsters lurking under his bed.

He shook his head when a tear finally spilled on his cheek. Big boys don't cry, he told Teddy, but the tears kept falling down to wet the soft fur of the bear.

He closed his eyes and turned to face the wall. It was dark, he was alone and he was afraid.

He realized that those feelings weren't uncommon at home, but he still felt homesick. At home he could play with his imaginary friends or build blanket forts with Teddy. Here he would end up having to act like at school; make himself as tiny as possible and try to blend in with the surroundings, not wanting to be offer to any mean bullies.

"Shh..." He patted Teddy slowly. "Just four more weeks..." He whispered as his voice broke out into a sob at the end. He didn't want to stay there for even one more day. He wasn't going to last four weeks. How could his parents do this to him?

He heard the door open with a creak and quickly silenced his sobs, drying his tears on his pillow as he hid Teddy under the covers. He strained his ears to hear who it was when he heard three loud voices all at once.

"You're mad!" A voice shouted.

"Thanks, I get that a lot!" Another voice sang confidently as they ran, or wrestled - Remus couldn't tell - into the middle of their cabin.

"Wait, shh...!" A third voice silenced the other two. Remus thought he heard footsteps walking his way.

"He's asleep." The last voice whispered, surprising Remus by its thoughtfulness.

The other two mumbled something as they pattered over to the other side of the room to fiddle with their belongings, probably searching for their toiletries or pajamas.

Remus closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but soon jostled awake when he heard someone rummage through the wardrobe by his head. Sirius.

When he heard Sirius whisper something to the others Remus recognized his voice as the one that had hushed the others. Remus wondered why Sirius had been so nice to him. If Remus would've been at a trip with the boys from school at home they would have been sure to scream, shout or jump around just to mock him right now.

While listening to the others as they got dressed, brushed their teeth and said good night Remus felt the bed shake as Sirius climbed up to the top bunk and then lied down with a thud.

Opening his eyes Remus saw that the sun had set - the room was pitch dark.
Feeling a sudden jolt of fear he desperately reached for Teddy with a small squeak.
"What was that?"
Remus stopped what he was doing and froze on the bed. Sirius had heard his squeak back then.

"Don't know mate, night." Someone, probably James if Remus recognized his voice right, answered Sirius that grunted before he dropped the subject. Remus relaxed back onto the bed, Teddy clutched tightly to his chest.

He curled into a ball, faced the wall as he closed his eyes again. He longingly thought of his cozy, warm bed back home, how he used to read on their balcony, and of how much he missed his favorite Citrus tea. He remembered the feel of the forest next their house, the smell of the leaves and the thumping of his feet when walking barefoot through the vegetation.

But when his mind wandered back to the incident he dropped all his thoughts about the forest. He didn't want to remember.

He turned around on the bed anxiously for what felt like hours before he finally felt sleep take him, Teddy pressed tightly to his chest and his mind stuck on a one desperate wish - he wanted to go home.

The Friend and The Fiend

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Remus woke up to the sounds of his loud roommates the next day. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up on his bed, listening to the others conversation.

"Whoa! Did you see his face?" James shouted from the direction of the door. "Wish I hadn't!" Sirius laughed.

"What do you mean? Who was it?" Peter yawned from the bed across from Remus who had gathered his belongings and made his way over to the bathroom.

"It was that grumpy sleazy geezer Filch." Exclaimed Sirius.

"You know the grumpy man with brown hair? And a cat?" James asked Peter as he sat down next to him on the bed.

"Apparently there's some kind of gathering in the dining hall in five minutes. Everyone has to attend it or something, I don't know." Sirius shrugged before he brushed his fringe from his face, looking calm.

Remus however did not feel the slightest bit calm as he had less than five minutes to get ready, if the conversation he eavesdropped on was correct.

Not wanting to take his changes he slipped into the bathroom, locked the door and got ready faster than you can say 'summer camp'.

When he opened the door again to put back his pajamas he saw that the other three had left already. Even though he knew he shouldn't feel left behind he couldn't help the growing lump in his throat. He didn't like to be alone, but apparently destiny wanted him to be.

When he'd put back his pajamas in the wardrobe and closed it behind him glanced down his body. He checked that the scars on his arms were securely hidden underneath his hand-me-down sweater (that was too warm for the hot summer weather), and that his attire was clean and free of dirt or dust.

Even though he hadn't got to wear the most expensive clothes during his childhood one thing he'd been taught was that clean clothes was important and could make you look better off.

When he was ready to leave he rushed to the door, opened it and ran outside. He saw one or two other boys rush toward the dining hall at the end of the vast grounds, late as well, but none of them seemed to be about his age.

Remus ran until his lungs ached, legs burned and he had to stop to catch his breath. He was just about to slow down his running to a fast walk when he heard someone shout from behind him.

"Watch out!"

He felt something collide with his calf and involuntarily he fell forward, landing on the muddy grass.

He gasped in shock when he heard the squelch from the collision of his clean trousers and the muddy ground. He was covered in grass, mud and dirt from top to bottom.

"Ha ha. Watch your step firstie." The voice laughed, mocking him.

Remus' body got cold. His chest filled with the paralyzing fear that taunted him so often at home. He made to get up from the ground when he felt a shoe land on his back, forcefully stomping him back down on the ground.

"Did I say you could get up?" The voice spat evilly.
Remus clenched his jaw. He would not cry. Not here. Not now. "What do you want?" He asked the grass.

"Who said you could talk? I'm asking the questions here." The voice spat as the shoe stomped on Remus' back once more, forcing a pained whine from him. He hated how weak and vulnerable he felt.

"Malfoy! By Merlin's beard! What are you doing?"

Remus finally felt the shoe leave his back. Daring a glance up he saw Slughorn stumble toward the bully who Remus saw was a tall boy, probably a fifth year, that had long white hair and a handsome face. Though, his eyes looked evil.

As he saw Slughorn drag this 'Malfoy' boy with him to a side door at the main building - probably his office - another man walked toward Remus.

This man was broad, and looked a bit intimidating with his furrow beard and hair that pointed at all directions. He looked grim at first sight but as he came closer Remus saw that his small beetle eyes were kind.

"'ello! Ya need help, lil fella?" The man bellowed with a kind smile that made Remus feel better. Remus realized that he still laid flat on the dirty ground when he felt around with his limbs.

"Yes, please." He told the huge man that reached out a large hand. Remus took it and then felt himself get heaved up in a second before he was put down on the ground, legs trembling from the landing.

"Was 'e bothering ya?" The man asked, voice loud but not harsh. Remus struggled to understand his accent but got his message.

"Ehm, yes..." He said as he turned his gaze to the ground, feeling ashamed over the fact that he had managed to get bullied on his second day already.

But when he felt a large, warm hand settle on his shoulder he looked up.

"It's okay, let me tell ya. I'll make sure that yer have a fun time here at Sluggy's camp." He blinked at Remus with a kind smile.

"I'm Hagrid by the way. Rubeus Hagrid." He let go of Remus' shoulder in favor of reaching out the hand for a shake.

Remus stared at the hand, baffled for a while before he snapped back to reality and took it.

"Lupin, sir. Remus Lupin." He felt his hand swing up and down harshly from the force of Hagrid's handshake.

"Do you work here...?" Remus asked, his curiousity taking over him as they finished the handshake.

Hagrid let out a chuckle. "You're a clever boy, aren't ya? I'm the keeper of keys and security here at the camp. I've worked here for over twenny years now. Time flies by too quickly these days..." He trailed off as he gazed around the camp.

They both snapped their heads to look at the main building when they heard a loud bell ring. Remus frowned at the sound. He hadn't heard it before.

"Oh! Time for the introduction." Hagrid mumbled as he made to walk away, but then turned around to give Remus a look over while grunting disapprovingly.

"Ya know what? Why don't ya run back and get changed, would ya? I'll tell Sluggy to wait with the information until yer there, okay?" He patted a blinking Remus on the shoulder.

"O-okay," He answered, too shocked by the consideration to trust his voice to say more. "See ya later then!" Hagrid chuckled before he left for the main building.

"Thank you!" Remus told Hagrid's retreating back as he took off for cabin 7 to change put of his ruined outfit.

''''''''''

After he had changed into a fresh set of clothes and washed the dirt off his face he ran back to the main building, though this time he kept eyes and ears open to locate any approaching bullies.

When he reached the back door he adjusted his clothes, flattened his hair and evened out his breath before he opened it to walk inside. As he walked through the corridor, past the reception desk and then took right to walk through the doorframe to the dining hall he saw that the room was filled to the brim with campers and personnel. When over forty pairs of eyes turned to look at him as he walked in he gulped.

He was the only one arriving this late.

Remus walked along one of the walls till the very far back of the room, avoiding glares by staring at his shoes as he walked.

When he reached an empty seat by the rickety table at the far back he sat down and waited. "Well then, now we'll begin!" Slughorn bellowed, clapping his hands together at the front.

Remus turned his gaze up from his lap to watch the personnel at the front of the room, spotting Hagrid standing next to Slughorn, smiling at Remus. Remus smiled back at him, wondering if he might have gotten his first friend in what felt like years.

Looking to Hagrid's left Remus saw a grumpy, sleazy looking man with greasy brown hair and worn clothes. By his feet lingered a cat. Filch, Remus remembered his name to be if his roommates had described him right that morning.

To Slughorn's right stood another man, this one tall with a long white beard. He looked very old,

but not by any means weak. No, he looked powerful, yet calm and trustworthy from where he hummed next to Slughorn, fingers playing with the end of his long beard. Remus thought that except for Hagrid that man seemed to be the most kind.

Looking around the room some more Remus saw other personnel stand along the walls, watching over the campers. Remus guessed they were security, cleaners or chefs from the kitchen.

Then he saw a couple of women and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had thought the camp was only for men and boys, but he must have been wrong.

"As many of you probably know already I am Director Horace Slughorn. The owner of the camp." Slughorn said as he looked around the room, trying to gain eye contact with as many boys as possible.

Since Remus sat so far back the noisy kids were in front of him, bickering with each other or throwing paper planes at the ones in front of them. Feeling annoyed by the ruckus but too afraid to be aimed at Remus huddled back further on his chair, while straining his ears to get what was told at the front.

"Boys between the ages of eleven and fifteen are allowed to stay at the camp that always lasts between the first and thirty first of July."

Remus felt his stomach clench uncomfortably as he was reminded how many weeks he had left.

"I started up the camp about twenty years ago, along with my dear acquaintance Minerva McGonagall that opened her own camp at the other side of the lake."

Remus heard a couple of the older boys inhale a sharp breath, and the boys in front of him began to whisper excitedly with each other.

"Minerva opened an all-girls camp while I opened an all-boys camp, and both have been successful in the many years behind us." Slughorn chuckled proudly.

"And as usual we will have the honor of accompany Minerva and her girls at a couple of occasions this summer, just like usual. We both believe it's good that young girls and boys get to meet, even if it's just for a night or two."

Remus now understood what the ruckus was all about. The boys around him all looked forward to hanging out with the girls from the camp on the other side of the lake, for reasons that made Remus' cheeks heat up.

"The older ones here already know the basics, but some refreshing of the memory can never harm." Slughorn said as he turned around to face the bearded man.

"This is my dear colleague and friend Albus Dumbledore." He motioned at the bearded man that smiled kindly at the boys in the room. Remus felt himself smile back as he saw the man's eyes twinkle in the most mysterious way. He couldn't place it, but he felt like there was something mysterious about him...

"And this is the keeper of keys, Rubeus Hagrid." Slughorn had turned around and now motioned at Hagrid that was about three heads taller than Slughorn. However, even though Hagrid was a broad man Slughorn's belly was loads bigger in size.

"This is janitor Argus Filch and his lovely cat Mrs. Norris, that by the way is strictly out of reach. Do not bother her or try to play with her without Filch's approval." Slughorn warned the air while

waving his index finger in the air warningly.

Filch muttered something under his breath, evilly glinting out on the crowd. Remus backed further back into his chair when Filch's eyes stopped at him. He didn't like the look of that man.

"We are the main personnel and the ones you are to visit, or alert if something happens or someone is troubling you." Slughorn's voice turned serious.

"But now, enough about us." He chuckled, bringing a piece of paper from his back pocket and clearing his throat.

"During weekdays you will all attend breakfast between eight AM and nine AM, catch up on your studies or help in the kitchens until midday and then after lunch you are to proceed with your activities until three PM. Then you'll have the day off to do whatever you like." Slughorn said as he folded the paper before he place it back in his pocket.

"You are allowed to swim in the lake, but do not, and I repeat, do not swim over to the other side of the lake. If you want to accompany any of the ladies over at Minerva's camp I can assure you that the opportunity will come later on."

"You are allowed to play in the forest but please remember that there's an electricity fence in there. Don't risk fate by running into it, or even climb over it." Slughorn sighed and Remus guessed that campers before him had tried to escape and got burned on the fence. Remus didn't know how to feel about that.

Did people try to escape from here?

"Lights out are by ten PM on weekdays, but can be up till midnight on the weekends depending on the occasion. Any questions?" Slughorn asked the room that got noisier by the minute, eager boys whispering to each other.

Looking around, Remus spotted his three roommates sitting at a table on the other side of the room. His eyes followed the expensive looking sleeves of a blazer before they made their way up to a pale face. Remus quickly looked away when he saw that Sirius was watching him.

Suddenly, Remus hoped he didn't look as lonely as he felt.

"Good. After breakfast the first years are to follow Hagrid here for a more detailed tour around the grounds, but other than that we are finished with the introduction. I hope you will all enjoy your stay here. Happy camping!" Slughorn bellowed, patting his stomach as he walked out of the dining hall in the direction of his office.

Remus watched as Filch, Dumbledore and the other personnel walked around to head to their chores. Remus turned his gaze back to stare at the surface of the rickety table underneath his hands when he heard forty pairs of chairs pull out at the same time, every boy in the room eager to pick breakfast from the serving table.

"'ello lad, can I sit here?"

Remus startled. He snapped his head around until it landed on a broad figure standing in front of the table.

Hagrid.
"Ehm, well," Remus started, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"That a 'yes'?" Hagrid chuckled before he placed two trays of breakfast down on the small table and reached out to drag a thin chair over to stand next to Remus. Remus didn't think the chair would hold for Hagrid's weight and expected it to break when he sat down, but to his surprise it didn't.

"Here ya go." Hagrid pushed one of the trays to lay in front of Remus that gaped at Hagrid.

"You want to sit with me? Ehm... sir?" Remus whispered, frowning at the kind man next to him, feeling confused by his kindness.

Remus had sat alone for as long as he remembered and wasn't sure how to act when someone suddenly wanted to hang around him.

"Well, 'course I do! Yer a nice fella." Hagrid nudged Remus' shoulder, the force threatening him to fall out of his chair.

"O-okay..." Remus mumbled as he reached for his fork to eat some of the scrambled eggs.

Remus and Hagrid ate their breakfast together, sometimes in silence, sometimes while chatting about idle things such as the weather. Remus wasn't used to the attention, or to the feel of having a friend, but he was thankful. Perhaps he could survive the four weeks at the camp if he could turn to Hagrid for help. The mere knowledge that Hagrid had his back already helped.

When Remus finished his last piece of bacon he felt better than he had done since he first left home. Sure, Hagrid worked there and wouldn't be able to hang around (protect) him all the time, but Remus was happy to finally have a friend.

Hagrid patted him on the back before he walked off with their trays. "Time for ya walk thro' the grounds now. Follow me." Hagrid told him over his shoulder with a smile.

Remus followed Hagrid to the front of the dining hall and watched as other first years joined them. He saw the red headed twins run up next to him, probably competing with each other, and then watched as the quiet, lanky boy with long greasy hair placed himself a great bit far from Remus. In fact so far away Remus wondered if he smelled or something. Remus took a sniff in his armpit, but when he didn't smell anything funny he narrowed his eyes at the boy, but quickly looked away when he saw the boy send a glare his way.

A fourth boy joined them. This one had short brown hair and features that reminded Remus of Malfoy. The boy had some good features, but his eyes were evil.

Hagrid opened his mouth to speak when Remus saw his roommates join them. James at the front with Peter trailing him tightly behind, and Sirius walking a bit further away, looking bored.

Remus narrowed his eyes at Sirius. How could he look bored? Didn't he have two great friends, beautiful features and expensive clothes? He should look happy!

Sirius darted his eyes to the side to give Remus' worn outfit a look over and Remus quickly looked away. Sirius probably thought he looked poor or something in comparison to himself.

"Right lads!" Hagrid said as he gathered them in a half circle in front of him. "Now I'll go thro the grounds with ya, but first why don't ya tell me yer names?" He looked at them expectantly.

When no one answered Hagrid grunted as he turned his attention to Remus.
"Why don't ya start? So Rem- I mean, what's yer name, boy?" Hagrid winked at him.

Remus felt his cheeks burn from the attention he got from the other boys. "Remus Lupin sir." He nodded, staring at his shoes.

He then heard Hagrid ask the other boys the same thing. He heard the red headed twins call themselves Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Peter told them his name, then James, but when Hagrid got to Sirius and he told them his name was Sirius Black Remus heard a loud snort from next to him.

Glancing from the corner of his eyes Remus thought he saw the greasy-boy and the evil-boy share a disgusted look and then snort in the direction of Sirius.

Did they know each other?

Looking up Remus saw Sirius and James whisper and send glares at the other boys. Meanwhile Peter, Gideon, Fabian, Hagrid and Remus all watched the exchange in mild disbelief.

"Okay, okay," Hagrid grunted, trying to break through the odd scene.

"What's yer name then?" Hagrid asked the greasy-boy.

"Severus Snape." The greasy-boy said as his lips curled and his eyes sent glares toward Sirius.

"Alright..." Hagrid scratched his chin through the beard. "How about you then?" He asked the last boy.

"Rosier. Evan Rosier." He snorted and straightened his back some more. That made Remus' eyes dart to the clothes that reminded him a lot of Sirius' attire.

Rosier wore expensive looking shorts and a shirt with a blazer that had something pressed on the chest pocket that looked almost like a crest.

Remus' eyes widened. Was he noble?

His eyes darted to Sirius' blazer immediately, seeking the expensive looking fabric until he found the chest pocket. He narrowed his eyes until he saw it - another crest.

Suddenly Remus wondered where his parents had sent him. This didn't seem like a summer camp for boys. It seemed more like somewhere the rich parents sent posh kids over the summer, not wanting to deal with them themselves.

Remus gulped as he flicked his gaze to look at his worn shoes. He didn't belong here.
'''''''''

Hagrid walked them out of the man building, to the lake and beach side where he motioned for the gray house on the other side of the lake - McGonagall's girl's camp. The mere sight of the house made James and the Prewett twins jump around on the spot excitedly.

After that Hagrid walked them over to the forest, motioned inside telling them about the fence that was put up about two hundred meters inside it, as Remus still wondered why a fence was necessary.

Hagrid walked them through the small football pitch that was close to the forest and then told them about the different activities they would have to sign up for before the day's end.

They could do swimming with Dumbledore as leader, which Remus' turned down immediately, not wanting to flaunt with his scarred body.

The other option was football with Filch as leader. Remus shook his head at that. He didn't like Filch very much, plus the fact that he was bullocks at football and team games. He was always picked last, if ever picked at all.

So when Hagrid told them about the third and last activity that he was the leader of, running, Remus realized he would have to stick with that. He wasn't very good at it, but he had some experience from having run from bullies more times than he could count.

Remus would have liked to participate in activities such as reading, writing or even painting. Things you could do on your own, in a quiet room or by the lakeside calming down.

He might even have liked to learn different survival skills in the woods, like learning how to make a fire or something, but when he had taken Hagrid to the side and voiced his opinion Hagrid had told him that those were things they did on the weekends, and only on rare occasions.

Hagrid let the eight boys off after the presentation of the grounds and when Remus saw the boys head back for their cabins Remus did the same.

With his back hunched and head held low he made his way back to cabin 7, trailing after his three noisy roommates.

He fetched a loose shirt and trousers that were patched on the knees from his wardrobe, and put them on in the security of the bathroom before he walked back outside to eat lunch.

He ate his lunch, meatballs with mashed potatoes, in silence by the table he'd sat by for breakfast. While he ate he glanced around at the many boys that cheered, bickered or played with each other. Remus finished his meal with the well-known feeling of loneliness.

Then he was off to the running area for his activity hours.

He headed for the running area that was marked out with a sign by the back door of the main building. Remus guessed that the participants were to run around the grounds and back for a couple of laps since there wasn't any specific equipment around.

He was the first one to arrive, but soon other boys made their way over to the sign as well. Remus watched as a couple of tall fifth years walked towards him, after them some second years. Soon the area was crowded by boys, not odd considering there were really only three activities to choose from.

Over fifteen boys had gathered by the sign at the time Hagrid appeared, carrying a lumpy bag. When he'd got the attention of the boys he told them that he had got water bottles, towels and some running shoes to lend out if anyone needed to borrow.

Remus looked down at his shoes. They were old, worn and the soles started to loosen at the front.

He glanced over to the shoes the fourth year boy next to him wore - they looked to be of a different material, had elastic laces and seemed fit for running.

So Remus walked over to Hagrid and asked him if he had a pair in his size.

Hagrid smiled at him knowingly before he rummaged through the bag and gave him a pair that were white with yellow details. Remus widened his eyes in shock. They looked new, and

expensive.

He opened his mouth to tell Hagrid that they were too nice for him to borrow, that he would end up dirtying them or something when a voice to his right got his attention.

"Hagrid sir? Do you perhaps have any running shoes in my size?"

Remus watched as Sirius Black placed himself next to him. His fancy clothes were long forgotten, and instead replaced by a thin tank top and short shorts. Remus tore his eyes from the bare legs feeling his cheeks heat up. My god, he was nearly naked!

But then Remus glanced at the other boys around them and saw that they all wore either shorts or thin shirts. None of the others wore all-covering clothes like Remus.

He gulped nervously and hoped that Hagrid wouldn't make him take any of his clothes off. He didn't want anyone to see his scars.

"'course I have a pair for ya, Sirius!" Hagrid searched the bag for a pair of shoes that looked similar to the ones he'd lent Remus, except that Sirius' had gray details.

"Thanks Hagrid." Sirius smiled at him, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Remus frowned at that, and saw Hagrid frown as well.

"Hey, ehm," Hagrid suddenly spoke to Sirius. "Why don't ya hang around Remus on today's lesson, yeah? Yer both new and all?" Hagrid looked between Sirius and Remus expectantly.

Remus startled in fear when he heard the proposal. He did not want Sirius to feel pressured to hang around with him. Or more like, having to drag Remus along since he probably would be slower than Sirius.

"...Okay." Sirius said after a second of thought. He gave Remus a nod before he kneed down to change his normal shoes to the running ones. Remus kneed as well, but kept some distance to Sirius, not wanting him to see his worn shoes in detail.

Remus watched as Sirius got up and placed his shoes back in the bag. Remus did the same but covered his under one of the towels. And then when he saw Sirius reach for a water bottle he took one for himself as well.

"Listen up!" Hagrid exclaimed after he had lent out shoes to some more boys.

"Today yer going to run four laps around the grounds as a start up." He motioned to the grounds behind them. "The older ones are allowed to run seven, but you need to finish within ninety minutes, okay?" He spoke mostly to a couple of fifth years who elbowed each other in the ribs, ready to take off running already.

"Now we'll warm up!" Hagrid said as he clasped his hands together.

"Wood, ya take the lead, would ya?" Hagrid pointed at one of the fifth years, a lanky boy with brown hair and freckles who chuckled and shook his head as he made his way to the front of the crowd.

Remus watched this 'Wood' started moving his body in odd angles. Remus felt confused, and it got worse when he saw the other boys start doing the same. But not wanting to stand out Remus imitated them, and after a moment he understood that they were stretching.

When the warm up was done most of the boys were huffing from excitement or anguish as they were about to start running. Remus shook his arms and ran on the spot for a while. He liked the feeling of the running shoes as they supported his feet and made him feel light at the same time.

"Off ya go!" Hagrid chanted, whistling the first ones good bye.

Remus watched as the oldest boys took off at an incredible speed. After them joined others and soon all the boys had ran or jogged away, leaving Remus and Sirius behind with Hagrid.

"You coming?" Sirius asked over his shoulder as he took off as well.

"Y-yes!" Remus stuttered, struggling to catch up to Sirius.

When Remus caught up with Sirius they started running together at a slow pace as Remus trailed the faster boys in front of them with his eyes. He didn't get how they got the energy to run so fast.

He glanced to his right and saw Sirius' black hair whip around him with every step. His high cheekbones reflected the sunlight and his grey eyes shining silver. For a second Remus came over the realization that Sirius was really quite handsome.

Though, he quickly flicked his eyes back to the road when he saw Sirius' eyes dart to the side to watch him. Remus resolutely turned his head to his left, trying to avoid Sirius' prying eyes.

"Aren't you warm?" Sirius asked from next to him.

"What do you mean?" Remus said in between steps as he reluctantly turned his head back to Sirius. He saw Sirius eye him over, brows furrowed.

"You're wearing a long sleeved shirt and trousers in July, while running, at midday when the sun's at its peak." Sirius lifted one brow, looking into Remus' eyes.

"Oh." Remus said before he staged a cough to earn him time, not sure what to say.

"I would be boiling if I were you." Sirius gave him a knowing look before he turned his eyes back to the grass in front of them, jumping over a breach,

"Well, ehm..." Remus wiped his sweaty forehead on his long sleeve. "I only brought long shirts with me. Didn't know we would be running."

Sirius was silent for a while, brushing through his hair with his fingers.

"I don't believe that." He said, sounding serious. Remus felt his heart jolt. He hoped Sirius wouldn't demand him to undress or something.

"Who only brings long sleeved shirts to a summer camp?" Sirius said while he frowned at the ground.

"...Me," Remus said after a moment of silence, trying to convince him.

"No, but wait. What if I borrowed you one of my tank tops? Would you like that?" Sirius suddenly asked, slowing them down to jog on the spot, turning around to look Remus in the eyes.

Remus felt like a rat in a trap.
"That's really nice of you, but..." He trailed off, not wanting to lie.

"But?" Sirius looked really curious.

"But no thank you. I like my long shirts." Remus finished off quickly, starting running forward again.

Sirius caught up with him in a second, chuckling lightly.

"Okay, okay, I'll drop it." He threw his hands up in the air in surrender, making Remus frown at him.

What did he want? Why did he care if Remus wore long sleeved shirts in the middle of summer? Why did he stay with him? Hagrid didn't see them anymore; it would be easy for Sirius to just take off faster, leaving Remus behind.

They ran in silence for two laps, the only sounds coming from the other campers or by their exhausted breathing. Remus was ready to collapse as they started on their last lap, not used to this kind of exercise.

Glancing to his right he saw Sirius run next to him, his forehead covered by a sheen of sweat, but his eyes set on a determined expression.

"Where are James and Peter?" Remus heard himself ask all of a sudden.

"Huh? Oh, ehm," Sirius looked past Remus' shoulder, searching for something with his eyes. "Those wankers are over there with Filch playing football." He shrugged.

Remus nodded. He didn't know why he'd even asked the question. Not knowing what to say or ask next they both fell into silence again. ''''''''''

They finished their fourth lap sweaty and out of breath. And after drinking a whole bottle of water Remus sat down on the grass to watch as the older boys came back, some of them proudly exclaiming that they'd ran seven laps.

When all was back Hagrid told them that the ones that had borrowed shoes could keep them for the rest of the summer.

Then Hagrid called the day's activity hours finished and the boys went off in different directions all at once. Remus saw Sirius head in the direction of the football pitch, Wood head for the lake and the rest, unknown faces walk toward the cabins.

Remus followed them.

He took a show and changed into another set of clean clothes, but stopped and frowned when he realized that he'd already used about three sets of clothes in only two days.

He had to find the washing machine.

So he headed out with his dirty clothes under his arm and headed for the main building, looking for something to use to make his clothes clean again.

He headed alone and didn't look back. He knew no one would want to tag along anyway. He had no friends after all.

Chapter End Notes

Hope you liked this chapter! Poor Remus is all alone. :( But it gets better!

A Wish

Chapter Notes
Hope you like this chapter!

After successfully having found the utility room and cleaned his clothes Remus headed back to cabin 7 to read before dinner.

He ate his dinner in solitude before he walked back to the cabin to finish reading the book. By nine o'clock he finished it, and felt the tiredness from the running earlier catch up to him.

He made himself ready in the bathroom before he curled up under the covers of his bed and clutched Teddy close to him with a tight grip. He fell asleep within ten minutes while keeping his mind on nice things such as books, silence and the chill of a cold autumn breeze.

The next two days followed the pattern of the second. Remus woke up to the sounds of his noisy roommates getting ready for the day, eating candy with each other or running around playing games inside the small cabin while Remus tried to melt in with the background as he read book after book.

Remus ate breakfast alone, then listened to Slughorn as he made the boys solve different math equations or improve their English. Then he ate lunch alone, ran with Sirius in silence on command by Hagrid, ate dinner alone and then headed back to read until he climbed up in bed with Teddy before the other three got back for the night.

Remus was homesick.

He desperately wanted to get out of the camp. He started daydreaming about running into the forest, climbing over the fence to the unexplored other side. But he knew it would never work. The fence was electric and he had nowhere to escape to anyway. His parents were overseas by now. He had to stay at the camp.

On the fifth day, on the first Monday, Remus found himself walking towards the lakeside with a book in his hands after practice with Hagrid. His legs ached from the extensive exercises but he didn't even flinch when his muscles ached as he sat down next to the shore. He didn't want any of the other boys to think of him as weak.

Remus leaned his back against a tree and gave the lake a look over. The water was light blue, reflecting the summer air above. There was a small beach before the water surface and the sand was damp under Remus' trousers. He lowered a hand to run a finger through the sand before he drew a star in it.

He snapped his head up when he heard a loud girly squeak. Searching the lake he saw the figures of five girls on the other side of it. He squinted at them; they looked like five black blobs.

Then he saw one girl wave in his direction. And glancing over his shoulder to make sure the wave was aimed at him and not someone standing behind him he tentatively waved back. He smiled when he saw the girl begin to wave more frantically as she walked into the water.

As she stepped into a ray of sunlight he could make out the color of her hair. It shone bright red, reminding him of the Prewett twins, but darker, more appealing.

He saw one of the other girls follow her out into the water while motioning for Remus to get in as well. Quickly he lowered his gaze to stare at the book in his hands. Perhaps they wouldn't make him feel obligated to jump in as well if he ignored them.

However, his attention was soon turned to something else when he felt someone push his back forcefully, sending him tumbling into the water face first.

"Ha! Serves you right firstie." A vicious voice laughed behind him as he tried to save his book from the water, having clutched it beneath his arms to his chest.

He let one hand go of the book to try and crawl back up to the shore when he felt a shoe land on his back, sending him underwater again. He sputtered and let go of the book as he tried to get up for air. He couldn't breathe.

"Look at him. Pathetic." A new voice exclaimed when Remus coughing broke through the water surface. His body trembled from the chock of almost drowning to death, but he still tried to stifle his coughs as much as he could.

Someone clicked with their tongue at him, and glancing up Remus saw Malfoy snarl at him with his arms crossed over his chest. Behind him stood the greasy-haired boy Remus remembered as Snape and next to him a tall, pale looking boy that looked like the most evil of the bunch.

"What were you thinking firstie? Were you flirting with the girls, huh?" Malfoy laughed at him, his companions joining him. Remus felt his cheeks burn from humiliation. He hadn't been flirting with them. He had just waved back at them. He was about to read his book.

The book!

Remus quickly searched the sand and stone filled bottom of the lake with his hands, searching for his book. It was one of his favorites; Oliver Twist. And he had just got to his favorite part in it. He only had one copy. He couldn't afford losing it...

"Ow!" Remus groaned as he felt something hard land on his left hand, almost crushing it. He realized it was a shoe, and glancing up he saw the third boy tower over him, his shoe clad foot stomping on Remus' hand.

"Lucius asked you a question." He spat as he gave Remus' hand a final stomp before he walked back to his spot behind Malfoy, or Lucius which apparently was his first name.

"Were you flirting with the girls, firstie?" Malfoy asked mockingly.

"N-no!" Remus sputtered desperately. He was soaking wet all over and he just wanted to go home.

"Don't lie to me!" Malfoy shouted before he reached out and grabbed Remus by the collar. Remus' eyes widened in fear, and as he didn't want to anger Malfoy further he desperately shook his head.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at him. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter now, does it? None of them would want you anyway. No one would." He hissed as he shoved Remus back into the water before he walked back to the shore again, evil glint in his eyes.

"Rudolphus, get the book for me." Malfoy ordered as he waved his hand in Remus' direction, motioning for the third boy - Rudolphus - to retrieve Remus's book.

"Severus, you make sure he doesn't try anything funny until I get back." Malfoy told Snape before he walked away, probably heading to his cabin.

Remus watched as Snape crossed his arms over his chest, tired eyes glaring at Remus, making sure he was in place. When Remus saw Snape's thin arms he suddenly wondered which activity he'd picked. He didn't seem fit enough to even lift a toothpick.

"You stay where you are." Rudolphus warned Remus as he tried to make his voice sound deeper than it was as he slowly approached him that still sat in the lake.

Remus watched as Rudolphus searched the lake bottom for the book all the while Remus groaned anxiously when he thought of what they might do to his favorite book if they got their hands on it.

Then he got an idea.

As smoothly as he could he searched the bottom with his right hand (his left still felt sore from the shoe earlier) and then felt his fingers ghost over the old hardcover. Slowly he folded his fingers around it, pulled it towards him. All the while he kept eye contact with Snape, not wanting him to suspect anything.

Quickly, he jumped up from the water, wet book clutched tightly in his right hand. Before Snape or Rudolphus had time to register Remus had spurted from the water and ran up on the shore, taking off in the direction of the forest.

He shot a swift glance over his shoulder and saw the girls on the other side of the beach shake their fists in the air, and partly saw his bullies react to his departure as they took after him.

Remus turned his eyes back to the grass in front of him just before he ran into someone. As he brushed past the boy's shoulder Remus recognized it as being Peter from his cabin. But he didn't have time for apologies so instead he ran the fastest he could toward the forest.

When he reached the first couple of trees he ran even faster, stumbling on the grass and wet hair sticking to his face. He ran until he reached the and stopped only when he heard the low vibrations from the electricity running through it.

He thought he heard branches break from the direction of the camp. The fear of the bullies surged him with adrenaline as he desperately looked around for somewhere to hide.

He saw an old oak tree to his far right and ran to it, and after gathering his courage for three whole seconds he reached for the lowest breach and hauled himself up. He had only climbed a tree one time before, but somehow he managed to climb all the way to the top breaches, successfully hiding himself in the leaves.

He leaned his back against it and finally relaxed. He had escaped the bullies.

Though, when he heard the hissing voices of Snape and Rudolphus and the angry voice of Malfoy from just underneath the tree a while later he didn't feel as safe anymore. He held his breath and closed his eyes as he begged to whoever's out there to please make them go away.

He counted to one hundred in his head until he heard the footsteps of his bullies fade away slowly. Remus sighed in relief.

He shifted on the thick breach he was straddling, trying to find a more comfortable position when he remembered the book in his hand. He felt tears burn in his eyes when he flipped the wet book open. He saw the pages threaten to fall from the cover, the book throughout soaked.

Remus flipped the paged until he reached page 117. He started reading from where he had taken off the day before, hoping that he could make out some of the words before they all ran off the pages.

''''''''''
Remus sat on the thick breach and read his soaked book as good as he could.

His clothes were wet and cold and he was freezing. But he wasn't going to climb back down. Not yet. No, he would wait for curfew until he dared to leave his hiding spot. He knew from experience that bullies liked to wait out their pray. And he would not make it easy for them by going back already.

So Remus continued to read his book, body shaking, teeth clattering and stomach churning since he missed dinner.

He read until the sun slowly left the sky, instead letting through the inhabitants of the night sky. Remus turned his head up to glance through the leaves of the tree. He could make out a star or two but it still wasn't dark enough to see them all. He had no idea what time it was but he guessed it was still some until midnight.

Suddenly Remus wondered if anyone would even realize if he was missing after midnight. He shook his head when he thought about the fact that his roommates probably wouldn't think twice if he went missing. He didn't know them after all.

Remus felt a strong shiver shake him. He wrapped his arms around himself before he made to stand up on the breach. He dared himself to climb higher, not stopping until he could peek through the highest breaches and leaves.

When climbed as far as he could he looked in between the leaves and saw the ground of Slughorn's camp meet his eyes. He watched as the last couple of boys left the grounds for the warmth of their cabins. Then he turned his head around and felt his eyes widen. The forest on the other side - it was enormous. It went on for as far as his eyes could see, the end of it meeting with the horizon.

Lifting his gaze Remus saw more stars make themselves noticeable on the night sky. Glancing around he could make out the big dipper, and above it little bear. But those were the only constellations he could name from his head.

He looked around until his eyes locked on the moon. It was almost full, slowly waning but still lightning up the grounds with its light.

Remus felt a mixture of calm and excited as he watched the moon travel the sky. This high up in a tree it felt like he was almost flying, floating, or traveling around in the sky with the moon. It didn't feel like he watched the night sky. It felt like he became it.

He closed his eyes as he inhaled a big breath of cool air.

Up here, with the stars as his only spectators, no one tormented, bickered or annoyed him. Here he could be himself, relax and act however he wanted. The stars weren't going to scold him or make him do something he didn't want to. Here be could be free.

Opening his eyes he turned them back to the big dipper. He counted the stars on the wagon, one, two, three, four, but stopped when he felt an aching pain set in his chest. He would never be four. He was bound to be a one. Bound to live alone for the rest of his life.

No one wanted to spend time with him. No one wanted to be his friend.

Remus felt tears burn in his eyes. He wiped them away with his damp sleeve and gulped down the growing lump in his throat. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He didn't want to stay at the camp. He wanted to feel free. Wanted to be one of the happily twinkling stars among others.

He didn't want to be alone.

Looking around the sky for a lonely star to lock his gaze upon he found a bright star to the right of the big dipper. He looked at it but then squinted when he thought he saw something next to it, yes, there...

Below the bright star was a smaller one whose shine was weaker. He looked at it and then followed it as it travelled past the bright star on its way over the sky. He followed it until it reached the wagon, then slowly burned out and disappeared into thin air. Remus blinked as he stared at the spot where it'd disappeared.

Then it hit him.

"A shooting star!" He whisper-shouted to himself in joy. They were unusual and he had never seen one himself before.

He wiped his tears away on his sleeve as he remembered that you're allowed to make a wish when seeing a shooting star. He searched his mind for something to wish for when he thought back to his feelings only moments ago.

He already knew what to with for.

"I wish for a friend." He clasped his hands together like a prayer towards big dipper where he had seen the shooting star and closed his eyes.

"I wish for a friend that will like me for the one I am. That will play with me out of their own will. I wish for a friend that will not make fun of me like all the other kids. I want a friend to make me

feel happy instead of sad. I don't want to be alone anymore. Please." He pleaded to the silent night, his voice breaking at the end. He let his words set for a while until he opened his eyes and made to climb down from the oak tree.

He retrieved his soaked book from where he'd left it on the thick breach and then slowly climbed down the tree. He stumbled on the last bit, fell and landed on the hard ground with a painful groan. He rubbed his side before he stood up from the hard ground.

Remus listened for the buzzing fence, not wanting to burn himself on it now that it was dark in the forest.

His clothes were still damp, but now also muddy and covered by moss and leaves. Sighing, he hoped that his roommates would've already gone to bed when he got back. He hoped he wouldn't have to explain what he'd done in a tree for the past hours.

Taking the book with a firm grip in his right hand he made his way back in the direction of the camp. It was probably close to midnight and the forest was almost black in the darkness. The only source of light came from the moon, and the only sounds came from his shoes that broke through the vegetation and from the fading buzz form the electric fence.

Suddenly the two hundred meters deep forest felt longer than before and Remus was afraid that he'd got lost. But then he saw a lamp-post and saw the side of a cabin outlined in between the trees

in front of him.

He stumbled forward toward the lamp-post, his eyes struggling to adjust to the light after having spent the last hour in complete darkness.

He made his way out from the forest feeling like a mess. His stomach growled in protest and his entire body trembled from the wet clothes he'd worn for too long. And he didn't dare to think about his left hand that still ached from having being stepped on.

But Remus didn't care if he felt sick. What he truly cared about was his book. His favorite book that got destroyed.

Remus made out the number on the cabin in front of him - number 10.

Mumbling, he made his way over the line of cabins, listened to loud laughter's and shouts coming from them, none of the campers seeming to be tired at all.

When he finally made his way over to cabin 7 he let out a sigh of relief. He would finally be able to reach his bed, hug Teddy and fall asleep.

Stumbling, he grabbed the railing to their small stair as he slowly made his way toward the entrance.

He opened the door and walked inside.

Change

Chapter Notes
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Remus flung himself inside before he turned around to close the door silently behind him. He startled when he accidentally slammed it shut.

"Remus!" Someone exclaimed, sounding surprised.

Remus turned around on the spot and saw James, Sirius and Peter sit cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the dorm, sharing some candy between them. Remus frowned at them, confused. He wondered why they'd greeted him, but then he remembered his appearance.

Remus threaded his fingers in his tangled hair and felt lumps of mud loosen from it. His eyes widened when he glanced down at his throughout messy appearance. He felt himself stumble at the spot, dizzy as his exhausted body longed to shut down.

He made to walk over to his bed, but stopped when he remembered that he didn't want to either mess up his clean bedsheets or Teddy. Instead he found himself making his way over to the couch where he slumped down with a loud huff.

His body immediately relaxed and he felt himself stop shivering. The sleep crept up on him almost instantly and it felt like he was being swept in nice clouds of cotton. Just as he felt sleep take him however, he heard a voice close by.

"Where have you been? What happened?" Remus recognized the voice as Sirius'.

"No'ing," Remus mumbled while turning around on the sofa so his back was turned to Sirius, but strained his ears when he heard another set of feet approach.

"He's ice cold." The new voice - James- exclaimed as Remus felt a warm hand land on his shoulder.

"There's mud and leaves all over him." Sirius stated in disbelief.
"Yeah, I can see that..." James trailed off, hand leaving Remus' shoulder.

The cabin was silent for a while and Remus saw his opportunity to fall asleep. He felt his breath slow down as he drifted off again.

"Want to help me get him in the shower?"
Remus' eyes snapped open. What!?
"Yeah, sure, of course. Just tell me what to do." James sounded deadly serious.
"Want me to help?" Peter asked.
"No, you prepare a set of fresh clothes instead. Take some of mine, alright?" Sirius ordered over his

shoulder.

The Remus felt two pairs of hands lift him up under his knees and armpits. He struggled against them as he felt his panic take over him, but they wouldn't let him go.

He didn't understand. Why couldn't they just let him fall asleep?
"Calm down, Lupin." James hissed as he struggled to keep his grip under Remus' armpits.

"Let go off me, Potter!" Remus shot back, wriggling his shoulders as much as he could, trying to make James loosen his grip. Remus desperately didn't want to show anyone his scars.

"Stop it, the both of you." Sirius scolded them.

"I'm serious! Let go off me!" Remus shouted as he kicked his legs in the air to make Sirius let go, but he only tightened his grip.

"No, I'm Sirius." Sirius stated in between gritted teeth. James and Peter chuckled at the pun, but Remus didn't have time for things like that.

"Let me go!" Remus screamed.
"Relax!" Sirius shouted at him before he turned his head to stare at Remus. "You do as we say!"

Remus swallowed, felt the growing lump in his throat constrict. Tears burned in his eyes and threatened to fall. Here he was again. He had escaped one gang of bullies that almost drowned him only to walk into another pair of bullies that were going to do the same.

He allowed the tears to fall and stopped struggling. He watched as Sirius opened the bathroom door and then felt himself being carried inside by Sirius and James.

Remus inhaled a shaky breath. They were probably going to make fun of his clothes, make him undress and then make fun of his scarred skin.

Remus closed his eyes in defeat. "Hang in there Remus."

Remus opened his eyes in surprise. He found Sirius looking at him with a worrisome expression. Remus frowned. Weren't they going to bully him?

"You tired?" He heard James ask from behind.
"...Yes?" Remus answered, unsure of how to feel or react in this situation.

"Just stay awake for a while longer, alright?" James told him, not sounding angry or vicious or any of the things Remus associated with bullies.

"We'll put you down on three." Sirius stated before he counted one, two, three, and he and James slowly lowered Remus down to the bathroom floor. As he sleepily looked around Remus saw that they had leaned him against the shower wall.

"You need a hot shower." Sirius told him, head motioning to the showerhead that James reached for.

Remus frowned at them, but only momentarily as he felt his eyelids drift to a close and head roll to

the side. "Hello!"

Remus' eyes snapped open again when he felt a pair of warm hands pat his cheeks. He came face to face with a concerned looking Sirius.

"Should I get someone?" James asked as he handed over the shower head to Sirius.

"No, or not yet anyway. How about you keep Peter company outside?" Sirius turned around to face James that looked confused.

"But... why?" James looked at Remus.

"I can't explain. I just get the feeling that he doesn't want anyone to see him without clothes on. It's better if it's just me in here with him." Sirius shrugged. Remus was too tired to really comprehend what he was saying.

James still didn't look like he was buying it, but then he probably remembered that he usually preferred slouching with a bag of candy over helping nearly-unconscious people shower back to life.

"Okay. I'm outside with Peter if you need me." James said as he waved his hand once and then turned around, left the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Sirius cleared his throat.

"Remus, I need you to undress." He spoke seriously.

When Remus only grunted in response Sirius got more determined.

"Remus, I'm going to take your clothes off." He warned.

When Remus felt a hand start working on his top shirt button he retrieved some sense of reality.

"N-no," He mumbled, trying to swat the hand away.

"Yes." Sirius spoke, hurrying on his movements until he had unbuttoned the entire shirt. He parted it and made to take it off when Remus' heard him gasp.

Remus felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach.

"Y-you..." Sirius whispered as his eyes darted back and forth over Remus' naked chest. Remus felt a new set of tears trickle down his cheeks. He knew he was ugly. His body was scarred and destroyed for all eternity. H knew he looked horrible but he didn't need Sirius remind him. Remus already hated the scars.

"...You too."
Remus snapped his head to the side in shock. "What?" He croaked, not believing his ears.

"You- you do really need a shower." Sirius mumbled as he quickly tore the shirt off Remus that desperately tried to get his tired brain to work, but failed miserably.

He let Sirius undress him down to his briefs. He anxiously awaited them to be taken off as well, but to his relief Sirius let them be.

Remus closed his eyes. He didn't want to watch as Sirius' facial features contorted into frown as he took in the sight of Remus' body. Remus heard Sirius rise up from his crouching position and then heard him turn on the water. Remus jerked in surprise when a stream of ice cold water came in contact with his legs.

He opened his eyes to glare at Sirius when he felt the water change into a comfortable warm temperature. He unintentionally shivered as the hot water streamed down his cold body.

"Okay..." Sirius stepped a bit further back as his right hand held out the showerhead. "Just sit there. Don't move, or something. Alright?"

Remus didn't plan on going anywhere so he did as he was told. He sat at the spot while Sirius washed away the dirt and warmed up his body all at once. He finally felt his body temperature slowly get back to normal. He clenched and unclenched his hands once, testing the feel of them now that they weren't cold, but stopped when his left hand constricted painfully.

"What happened to you hand?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head, ignored the question. It would probably heal in a couple of days anyway. Sirius mumbled something that got lost in the constant smattering of the water running from the showerhead, but Remus didn't strain his ears to make out what he said.

He felt Sirius turn the temperature up inch by inch and soon Remus felt like his skin was boiling from the heat of the water.

"You're burning me." Remus croaked as he squinted at Sirius. He brought up a hand to shield his eyes from the water that Sirius aimed at Remus' hair.

Sirius hummed before he straightened his posture and turned the water off. Remus watched as Sirius reached for a clean towel from the shelf and then extended it for Remus to take.

"Here, I'll get the clothes." Sirius said as he turned around to open the door. He shouted for Peter who immediately delivered Sirius a fresh set of clothes. Sirius closed the door behind him and walked toward Remus that had narrowed his eyes at him.

"Those aren't my clothes." Remus flicked his eyes between the folded pile of clothes and Sirius' eyes.

"Yeah, you don't have to be Sherlock to know that." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Come on, I didn't want to rummage through your stuff so you'll borrow some of mine, alright? Now dry up already." Sirius placed the pile of clothes on the shelf before he reached out a hand to help Remus stand.

On wobbly legs Remus stood up and wrapped the towel around himself. Then he felt another towel wrap around his hair, and hands squeezing the water from it.

"What are you doing?" Remus sputtered, too surprised to swat the hands away.

"Helping you, what does it look like?" Sirius dried Remus' hair from soaking wet to damp in a matter of seconds. He stepped back and hung the towel on the rack.

"Put the clothes on, I'm outside." Sirius aimed a warning index finger at Remus before he walked out of the bathroom again. Remus stared after him baffled. Why did he care about Remus? Why

did he help him? And why hadn't Sirius freaked out or mocked Remus about the scars?

Remus shook his head as he pulled off his briefs to dry himself throughout. When he was done he reached for the clothes. He gasped when he felt the soft, thick material of the sweater and sweatpants. He shot a look at the door, expecting Sirius to run in and prank him or something at any moment, but then he turned his eyes back to the clothes and put them on.

He felt warm, cozy and clean as he made his way over to the bathroom door. His left hand hurt less and the clothes were softer than anything he'd ever worn. He actually felt a small smile tug at his lips when he opened the door and walked into the main space of their cabin.

As he made his way over to his bed though, he saw that Sirius sat on it.

Remus stopped walking, and frowned at the scene. Was Sirius perhaps going to mock him now? Was he going to stop Remus from sleeping in his own bed?

"How are you doing Remus?" Sirius asked as he rose up from the bed.

"...Good." Remus spoke as he slowly made his way over to his bed and sat down. When he saw Teddy splayed on his main pillow he felt himself blush. How did Teddy get there?

He quickly hid Teddy underneath the covers, and snapped his head around to see if anyone had spotted the bear. When he saw the curious eyes of James, Peter and Sirius staring at him he knew they had.

"You still sleep with a teddy bear?" He heard Peter ask from his own bed, sounding confused. Remus felt his cheeks burn from embarrassment. He knew it had been a bad idea to bring Teddy along. Someone was bound to make fun of him for it.

He mumbled something close to a yes, hands fiddling with the sleeves in his lap nervously. "Cool."
Remus startled. He looked up and saw James flash him a grin from where he sat next to Peter.

"I only just stopped sleeping with mine last year." James spoke, almost sounding proud. Remus felt some of his insecurities fade away. He didn't know how, but somehow James' words made him feel less alone. He felt a tad more normal.

"Here," Remus watched as Sirius walked towards him, arms carrying a blanket.

Remus frowned but when Sirius motioned for him to lie down he did. When he was tucked under his covers, next to Teddy, he watched as Sirius lowered the blanket over him, tucked it in at the sides.

"That's better, right?" Sirius gave Remus a small smile before he sat down at the end of the bed, next to Remus' feet. Remus only nodded, not sure what to say. He didn't think that his roommates toyed with him, but he didn't know why they seemed to care about him either.

He blushed when he heard his stomach growl loudly, gaining the attention from them all when the sound echoed in the silent cabin.

He heard James whisper something to Peter who flicked his eyes to Remus reluctantly but then got off the bed to rummage through his backpack. He brought up a bag of chips that he opened. He offered James a handful before he walked toward Remus.

"Want some?" Peter held the open bag out towards him.

Remus' eyes widened. Were they planning on poisoning him? But then he remembered James that munched on the chips at that exact moment.

Remus opened his mouth to tell him a kind no thanks, not feeling very hungry even though his stomach growled, when he saw Sirius grab the bag from Peter.

"Thanks Pete." He flashed Peter a grin as he buried his hand deep in the bag. Peter walked back to James, muttering something about running out of chips.

Remus felt Sirius lower the blanket, grab Remus' right hand and lift up up before he placed a chip on his palm.

Remus stared at Sirius, confused, but when he saw Sirius' eyes dart between the hand and Remus' mouth he got the message. So Remus lifted his hand to his lips and ate the chip, eyes widening in surprise at the good taste.

He saw Sirius grin as he placed another chip in Remus' hand, which Remus ate quickly. Soon Sirius had made Remus eat away the growling in his stomach, and had fetched two plastic cups with water for him to drink.

Though, Remus was still unsure about Sirius' motives. He hoped he wasn't being tricked or poisoned or something, but it was difficult to stay suspicious when he lay tucked underneath two warm blankets, in cozy clothes while being fed delicious chips.

He heard James and Peter walk into the bathroom, probably to get ready for the night, and soon Remus found his tired eyelids drift closed again. But this time no one forced him awake. Instead he felt his body sink down comfortably in the mattress as he relished in the soft material that was the fabric of the clothes. He felt his breath slow down and he fell asleep.

''''''''''

Remus woke up the same way he'd fallen asleep; warm and cozy, tucked underneath a set of warm blankets.

He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawned and stretched on the bed. His left hand still hurt but he could move it just fine.

He pattered out of bed to the bathroom. When he was done in there he pattered back to his bed, but startled when he heard the ladder to Sirius' bed creak.

Remus lied still, closed his eyes and listened as Sirius, then James and lastly Peter got up to get ready for the day. Remus thought that if he lay perfectly still then they would leave him be and he wouldn't have to think of the odd, unusual and somewhat embarrassing events of yesterday.

However, his plan failed when he felt someone sit down his legs, making Remus squeak in surprise.

"Told you he was awake!" James chirped before he flung himself off the bed and over to Peter's where he searched through his backpack for any candy to eat. Peter really seemed to have a limitless supply of candy.

Now that the others knew he was awake it would only seem stupid to pretend he was asleep so Remus sat up on the bed, stretched his legs out in front of him and stoked his palms over the soft

fabric of the sweatpants.

He jolted when a pair of trousers were flung his way.

"Here, try these." Sirius sat down next to him, motioning to the trousers that were of a dark brown color, in a thick sturdy material. Remus narrowed his eyes at Sirius. Did he think Remus was some kind of charity project all of a sudden...?

"We'll switch." Sirius flashed him a confident grin. "You really seem to like the clothes I borrowed you, and since I don't like them why don't we switch? Just for today?"

Remus frowned. Why would Sirius want to walk around in Remus' old, patched up trousers that could ritch apart at any moment?

"Come on." Sirius beamed at him, lower lip pouting, and for some reason unknown Remus found himself nodding at him.

Within the next fifteen minutes Remus had dressed in Sirius' fancy trousers, matched with a white shirt that Sirius forced on him, while Sirius dressed himself in Remus' best trousers that were black with dark brown patches on the knees, matched with the long sweater Remus had worn some of the first days.

Remus felt royal in the fancy, high quality clothes he'd borrowed from Sirius, and looking over at how Sirius twirled around the cabin with a mischievous smile he guessed that Sirius felt happy with the switch as well.

"Walburga never lets me wear clothes like this." Sirius explained with a laugh when he saw Remus staring at him, but then Sirius quickly stopped laughing.

"Who's Walburga?" Remus asked curiously.

"No one." Sirius voice had turned into a whisper as his eyes turned haunted all of a sudden. Remus opened his mouth to say something when James dashed out of the bathroom, heading for the main door.

"You coming?" He asked the others in the room, and Remus gaped in surprise when he realized James meant him as well. He couldn't believe it. He wasn't going to eat breakfast by himself.

Hurriedly he trailed James out the door. He felt a small smile tug at his lips as Sirius and Peter joined them. He didn't know why they let him follow them, but he didn't ask. Because for the first time in forever he didn't feel left out.

He didn't feel alone.

Chapter Notes

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Remus joined James, Sirius and Peter by their usual table in the dining hall, close to the side windows and far away from Remus' usual rickety table at the far back.

Remus played with his scrambled eggs for a while until he ate some of it. He didn't know how to act, or how to eat this close to other boys his age. He was used to eat alone.

"Sorry we haven't talked to you until now."
Remus turned his head to the side to look at James that sat next to him.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked while he lowered his fork to lay next to his forgotten breakfast.

"Well, I mean," James looked at Sirius for help.

"He means that we've almost shared the cabin with you for a week without even trying to get to know you." All eyes turned to Peter who spoke between big bites of bacon. "Now they feel guilty that they didn't pay you any attention since you obviously ended up in trouble yesterday." Peter stated as he waved his fork in the air to get his point across.

Remus looked at James, then at Sirius. Was it true?

"Yeah, sorry." Sirius and James both looked apologetic.

Remus blinked, baffled. "Why are you sorry?"

James frowned. "What do you mean 'why'? Of course we're sorry. It's not nice to leave someone out like that. You probably think we're really mean."

Remus was going to argue that he didn't find their behavior odd at all, but decided against it. Perhaps it wasn't wise to reveal that he had been constantly bullied for years, or that he was used to the silent treatment.

He turned his eyes back to his plate, forming his eggs into a sad smiley.

The table fell silent except from the clattering of Peter's cutlery. Remus played with his food some more until he heard a familiar voice come from behind him.

"Look who we have here, if it isn't for little firstie." Remus felt a cold shiver of fear shake his body, making him feel nauseous.

"Have you bribed your roommates into acting as your body guards, huh? Pathetic." Malfoy chuckled haughtily, but before Remus had time to say anything back he saw Sirius and James jump

up from their seats.

"Go mock someone your own size, you twat!" James shook his fists in the air, threating him.

"Fuck off Malfoy!" Sirius spat.

Malfoy didn't even flinch. "Oh, I would watch my tongue if I were you, Black." He chuckled again. "We wouldn't want Walburga to find out about your foul language now, would we?"

That got Remus' attention.

Who was this Walburga person? Whoever it was they didn't seem to be the kindest one out of the lot considering Sirius seemed afraid of them. Sirius even stopped in his tracks and got that haunted expression back in his eyes.

Then Remus heard approaching footsteps behind him.

"Sod off Malfoy! And take stinking Snivellus with you!" James shouted, gathering the attention of most of the boys in the dining hall.

Turning his head to glance over his shoulder Remus suspected that Snivellus was a nickname for Severus Snape considering he was the only one standing next to Malfoy.

Remus turned his attention back to Sirius who glared daggers at Malfoy. Peter had dropped his fork and looked somewhat like a scared rat from where he trembled in his seat.

James took a step closer to Snape, his fists swirling dangerously in the air when they heard a voice bellow nearby.

"Is there a problem?" The bellowing voice of Slughorn came towards them, as the man forcefully chuckled at the boys.

"No, director Slughorn." Malfoy sang smoothly, practiced smile on his lips. Slughorn seemed to believe him.

"Well, good. But please leave these first years alone for the time being, Lucius." Slughorn's moustache furrowed when he spoke, making him look like a mad professor. Remus frowned at him. Why did he call Malfoy by his first name? Did they know each other?

Slughorn walked away with Malfoy, Snape trailing after them. James and Sirius sat back down but were boiling with suppressed anger.

"I hate him." Sirius growled. "He's a real piece of shit.

Remus' raised his eyebrows in surprise. Did Sirius know Malfoy from before, or was he bullied by him as well?

"He stinks." James crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair before he ruffled his hair in distress.

Peter flicked his eyes between them as he slowly picked up his fork and started eating again. "Has he bothered you before?" Sirius suddenly asked Remus.

Remus felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach. He didn't like to think about the times he'd been bullied, and especially not talk about them. It made them seem more ... real somehow. But

something told him that if he wanted to hang out with James, Sirius and Peter he would have to be honest. And after all, they seemed to despise Malfoy as well.

"Yeah... yesterday. And during the first day... and Rudolphus as well." Remus whispered to his plate. He heard Sirius grumble something, and Remus wanted to ask why he was so angry when Sirius spoke up.

"I hate them all. I hate that I'm related to them." He spat. Remus snapped his head up to look at Sirius. What? "You're related to them?" Peter piped.

"Sadly." Sirius glared at the salt in the middle of the table. "My horrible cousin Narcissa is going to marry Malfoy, making him a relative on one way or another. And my other horrible cousin Bellatrix is going to marry Lestrange, or Rudolphus which is his first name."

The table fell silent for a while. "Why?" James asked.

"Because the Blacks are insane, that's why. We're practically related to the Lestranges and Malfoys further back already." Sirius shook his head. "The Blacks are supposed to marry relatives to keep our blood 'pure' or something. It's some bullshit policy they have, and if you refuse to do it you get disowned. Just like my uncle Alphard or cousin Andromeda."

Remus gaped at Sirius, and glancing to his side he saw James and Peter mimic him.

"What did they do? Alphard and Andromeda?" James asked, sounding a mixture of curious and terrified.

Sirius frowned. "I'm not sure. They only ever mention uncle Alphard once a year or so, but when they do tell call him a disgrace, disgusting or rotten. I figure he must have done something terrible." Sirius shrugged.

"Last time I saw him was Christmas '65. But I only remember him as kind, as the only one of my relatives that actually seemed to genuinely like me. I don't understand what he could have done." Sirius pouted for a second before he took a sip of his juice.

"How about Andromeda?" Peter pryed, eager to know more. Remus suspected that Peter was the gossiping kind.

"She married a foreigner. She refused to marry another one of our relatives, and instead 'soiling' her pureblood, blending it with 'mud' or something." Sirius tried to create an air of nonchalance but it was obvious that he cared.

"Did you like her?" Remus asked, gaining the attention of the three boys.

"Yeah. She was kind to me. Last time I saw her was two years ago, the week before she got the stamp of a 'blood traitor'." Sirius leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

"That's harsh." James waved his hand in the air as he slumped back in his chair, looking baffled.

"I know. The Blacks are all about heritage, blood lines, pale skin, and money. So when Andromeda declared that she was to marry the foreigner and life the life of the working class she

was burned off the banister." Sirius exhaled sadly as he formed his right hand into a gun and shot the air in front of him.

"You see, the Blacks don't work. They have people that work for them." Sirius finished with a joyless laugh.

Remus stared at him. Suddenly his own family situation didn't seem that bad. Sure, his parents struggled to pay for the food on their table but he was loved by them, and they didn't order him to marry one of his cousins. And they would never cut off someone from the family network only because they married a person from a different culture.

"Okay..." James trailed off, eyes never leaving Sirius. Remus suspected that this was the first time Sirius had given anyone even the slightest clue to how his family worked, which wasn't that odd considering how twisted the Blacks seemed to be.

Remus shook his head, unsure of what to do with his limbs during the awkward silence. He opened his mouth to find anything to say, but closed it again when he remembered that he had close to zero knowledge of how to socialize with others.

That thought made Remus frown at his plate. Here he sat with three others who actually seemed willing to spend time with him, but then he still had to remind himself of how utterly pathetic his past had been.

"So... have you finished eating?" James asked the group after a while. Peter shook his head even though he had munched on some sort of food during the entire breakfast.

"Great! Because I'm getting out of here." James exclaimed as he flashed them a grin before he rose up and yanked Peter with him by the arm. Remus shared a look with Sirius before they followed James and Peter out of the dining hall to go on with the day's activities.

''''''''''

Remus got to hang around James, Sirius and Peter for the rest of the day. He was surprised by the sudden change in their behavior and unsure whether they considered him a friend or not. However, he didn't complain when he got company during both lunch and dinner. And even though the feeling was new to him he somehow felt like he belonged. Liked he wasn't made to be alone after all.

After dinner they headed back for cabin 7 where James and Peter searched for the candy and Remus sat down on his bed.

Remus saw Sirius stop by the entrance to crouch down. He reached for something before his outreached hand lifted something up from the ground.

"Is this your book?"

Remus' eyes widened as he watched Sirius walk to him and place the book in Remus' lap where he picked it up.

"Yeah..." Remus mumbled, sadness visible in his voice. He fiddled with the still damp pages of his favorite book. Sure, he had read it multiple times before, but he knew he couldn't afford to buy a new one. This was also the copy where he had read the book for the first time.

He stroked his fingers over the cover with a sad sigh.

He startled when he felt a warm hand settle on his left shoulder. Turning his head to the side he saw that Sirius had sat down next to him.

Sirius shot him a reassuring smile before he jerked his head, motioning in the direction of the book in Remus' hands. "It's going to be alright. We're going to have so much fun that you'll forget about the book. Okay?"

Remus searched his face for any signs of him lying, but Sirius looked serious.

"It's a plan!" James shouted from where he made his way over to them, two lollipops held out for Sirius and Remus. They took them and proceeded to suck on them. Remus usually preferred chocolate, but he didn't mind the sweet flavor at all.

"You'll forget about the book in a matter of seconds. We'll make sure of that." James flashed him a grin that showed of his perfect line of straight white teeth.

"Right, Pete?" James shouted over his shoulder to which Peter piped something in response before he left his bed in favor of trailing after James that sat down on Remus' right side.

Remus swallowed as his eyes darted from Sirius, to James and then to Peter who looked reluctant as he sat down next to James, but he didn't complain. In fact, no one complained about having to spend time with Remus.

Remus leaned forward and shoved the destroyed book under the bed before he sat back up. He didn't dare to say anything, afraid to break the spell that made his roommates act nice to him. He didn't understand how they could be so kind to him. Did they owe him or something?

"Why don't we play a game?" James suggested, yet again taking it upon himself to break every silence that threatened to set between them.

"Depends on what type of game it is." Sirius lifted one of his eyebrows while giving James a cocky grin.

James rolled his eyes. "As if you would ever turn down any of my game ideas." James said as he elbowed Peter in the ribs, making Peter agree with him.

Remus heard Sirius inhale a big breath but before he had time to talk back James went on with his speech.

"I thought that we could play a game of truth." He said as a matter of fact.

Remus frowned. He had never heard of that game before, although he guessed it might be because he'd never really had any friends before either.

"Do you mean truth or dare?" Peter asked, mouth full of different candies.

"Yeah? I've never heard of a game called 'truth' before." Sirius cut in.

James sighed over dramatically before he flung his arms in the air. "I just made it up, okay?" James explained. "But I figured that if we are to spend the entire month together it would be nice to get to know each other some more. You know, find out if one of us is a murderer or something." He shrugged, like it was the most common thing to ask in the world.

Remus stared at him. "You think one of us is a criminal?" He whispered, then quickly flicked his eyes to Sirius who started laughing.

"James, James. You old dog. Everyone already knows that the criminal is you." Sirius laughed, making James chuckle as well.

"Be-because I'm illegally hot!" James laughed.

Remus shared a confused look with Peter that had stopped with his chewing, as he swallowed furiously.

Remus figured that what James and Sirius were doing was a joke. He had only ever heard a joke a couple of times before, well if he didn't count the countless of jokes made about him.

Remus shook his head again. He had to stop thinking about his past. He was miles away from home. The bullies couldn't reach him here. He had company that could protect him and he should feel safe. He scolded himself, accidentally shutting out the voices of the boys sitting around him.

He jolted when he felt a finger jab his shoulder.

"Hello? Remus? Are you listening?" Sirius asked, worry lingering in his eyes. Remus didn't know whether to feel confused or thankful for the concern.

"I'm listening." He lied as he straightened his posture and realized James and Peter looked at him as well.

"Okay, good. I'll start." James declared after a second. He brought his hand up to rub under his chin before his eyes settled on Peter.

"Peter, what's the reason you're staying at Slughorn's summer camp?" James formed his right hand into a fist and then used it as a mic, placing it under Peter's mouth.

Peter swallowed. "Dunno, to be honest." He shrugged. "But if I have to guess my mom always complains about me not moving enough, eating too many sweets and stuff like that. My folks probably wanted to get me outside, make me move around more or something." He reached for the bag of candy and brought up a jelly worm that he chewed on.

Remus thought it was funny how Peter's parents wanted him to eat less candy when it was all he ever did at every waking hour at the summer camp.

"Okay, your turn." James chirped to Peter who took his time swallowing before he spoke. "Right, James, same question."

James frowned at him. "Hey, you can't ask the same thing!" He crossed his arms but Peter only shrugged, more interested of the sour skull he lifted to his mouth.

"Just answer him." Sirius slumped back on the bed, resting on his back. Remus glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, wondering if he should do the same. He didn't know if he was supposed to be himself or just to copy the others when he hung around with them.

"Okay, fine. If you ask so nicely." James sent a glare at Sirius. "My parents is all about family gatherings, travelling and such during the summer. They couldn't find someone to keep me company this summer and since I apparently need to be kept under surveillance they sent me here." He said as a matter of fact.

"I can see why they wouldn't want to leave you with the house for yourself." Sirius teased.

"Sod off." James reached out to ruffle Sirius' hair, making him grunt and sit up next to Remus again.

"Okay, Sirius same question." James looked past Remus as he raised his eyebrows expectantly at Sirius who frowned at him.

"Didn't you just complain when Peter asked the same question to you?" He motioned to Peter with his hand in front of Remus' chest, making him lean back, afraid of being hit by it.

"Tch, that was ages ago." James rolled his eyes dramatically. "Go on, answer the question. We don't have all night." He smiled mischievously at Sirius.

"Alright. My family was going on a trip overseas with some of the other posh snobs they hang around with. They didn't want me to tag along, so they sent me here. And I think they want me to learn how to take order, but I already know how to do it, I just don't want to take order from them." Sirius glared at his lap, eyebrows furrowed and voice determined. Though, Remus thought he could make out just the tiniest hint of sadness in his voice, underneath the thick layer of angry nonchalance.

"But that's good, right? You said earlier that you didn't like them, so what could be better than to escape them for a whole month?" James tried to cheer Sirius up, but he only grunted in response.

Remus saw Peter fidget in his spot, unsure of how to act when Sirius acted out of character. Remus simply stared at his own lap, waiting for the moment to pass.

After a while James cleared his throat, taking on the role as the leader again. "So, Sirius, it's your turn."

Sirius finally lifted his head. Then he gave Remus a look over. Remus felt his cheeks burn when he realized Sirius was going to ask him something. Quickly, Remus looked away from Sirius and instead stared at James and Peter's double bed across the room.

"Remus, same question." Sirius said curiously.
Remus realized that he hadn't told anyone anything about his family yet. But then he also

remembered that there wasn't anything he wanted to share.

He frowned when he thought about his village, their cottage close to the big forest, and about how his parents struggled to find extra work in their village where everyone knew everything about everyone.

"Ehm- well- I," Remus stuttered, brain collapsing from the prying eyes of his roommates. "It's okay."

Remus felt a hand pat his pack. Turning his head to the side he saw Sirius give him an encouraging smile.

"We're not going to make fun of you." He whispered, and Remus didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Why were they so friendly to him? Why was Sirius so friendly to him?

After taking a deep, calming breath he realized that Sirius was probably speaking the truth. Remus could trust them.

"I-I think mother and father drove me here because they thought I was in need of getting outside." I spoke in a low voice, hands fidgeting with his trouser pockets.

"You see, I like to read a lot so I often stay inside and read all day if I get the opportunity." He nodded to himself. "A-and I think, perhaps, they, ehm, wanted me to make some friends..." He trailed off, voice turning into a whisper as the lump in his throat grew. He didn't like to open up. He hoped they wouldn't mock him for it.

"I'm fine with staying inside reading, but this summer my parents were off to some trip overseas so they ceased the opportunity and drove me here. I know they love me, but yeah, they still sent me here even though I told them I wanted to stay at home."

The cabin was silent for a while, save from the sounds coming from Peter as he unwrapped a candy that he handed to James.

"You don't have any friends?" Peter asked, not taking into consideration how he made Remus startle.

Remus felt something in his chest constrict. An overwhelming sadness overtook him. He felt abnormal, wrong and left alone when his mind wandered back to the many efforts he'd made to try and make friends over the years. He had tried everything, but all his friends had turned into bullies within a week of knowing him.

He felt his face turn into a grimace as he desperately tried to hold back the tears. He flicked his eyes to stare at their bathroom door, wondering if he should dart for the door to escape the prying and uncomfortable questions he didn't want to think about ever again.

He knew that if his roommates got to know the truth, got to know no one had wanted to be his friend for years, they would realize how weird Remus really was and start ignoring him as well.

Remus closed his eyes but opened them quickly when he felt a hand swipe up and down his back once.

"It's alright. It's okay if you don't have any friends." He heard Sirius tell him, voice honest. Remus felt the painful lump in his throat ease at the reassuring words.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter. After all you've got us now. We're your friends." James told him, almost sounding proud as he nudged Remus' shoulder with his own.

Remus thought he heard Peter groan painfully before he voice a "Yeah, that's right!" from next to James. Had James elbowed him again?

"You... you don't think I'm weird?" Remus croaked, still staring at his lap. His heart pounded loudly in his chest, and he was both afraid and excited as he anticipated the answer.

"No! Of course not. Why would you think that?" James patted his shoulder twice.

"You're just as normal as any of us." Sirius told him as he scooted closer to him on the bed. Remus felt a small smile tug at his lips when he felt Sirius ruffle his hair.

Remus thought he was dreaming. Here he was, on top of his bed with three other boys who didn't mock him, tease him or threaten him.

For the first time he got to feel what it was like to have friends and he loved it. He felt a

comfortable warmth spread in his chest, and he almost dared to say he felt safe.

He let a broad smile splay on his lips before he reached out his hands to capture Sirius and James in a hug. With James help Peter joined in as well, and as the four of them rolled around on the bed in a heap of laughter and shrieks and Remus actually felt happy.

''''''''''

Remus felt a giddy smile tug at his lips for the remaining days of the week. He was so happy to finally have friends. Friends that he could talk to, ask for help or just sit with in silence during breakfast. His rickety table at the very far back of the dining hall was long forgotten and Remus hoped he would never find the need to sit by it again.

As the days went on Remus found himself feeling more comfortable among his new friends. He slowly breached some of the many walls he had put up around him through the years and let his friends in.

When Remus lay in bed Sunday night he didn't feel the need to cling on tightly to Teddy. He still hugged him as he fell asleep but he didn't feel like Teddy was his only friend anymore. And he didn't need Teddy's fur to soak up his tears.

There had been no reasons for him to cry.

While listening to the low snores coming from Peter, Remus closed his eyes and turned to his side, curling into a ball as the smile lingered on his lips.

He felt the warm, comfortable feeling in his chest and wondered if this was how it felt to have friends. If this was how it felt to be loved.

With one last smile of happiness he fell asleep.

Friendship

Remus turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He resolutely held his head high, not wanting to see his scarred body.

Though, when he slipped on the slippery tiles he unintentionally lowered his head, making his eyes flick to his many scars.

Quickly, he looked back up and reached for the towel, before he successfully covered himself in it. He shook his head. He felt defeated.

No matter how much he tried, or begged there was nothing he could do about his scars. They had been there for as long as he could remember, and they would never disappear so he would really do best in accepting them already. But at the same time he just couldn't.

He blamed himself for getting them. For defiling his body for all future. He closed his eyes at the memory.

He had only been about five years old when he'd walked out into the big forest next to their house in the middle of the night. Before his parents had any time to find him, or even react for that matter, the wolf had launched forward and buried its claws all over Remus' body, scratching and tearing his skin, making him scream in agony.

His father had found him, rifle held high in his hands, before it was too late. They managed to save him, but the scars would stain him forever. His body was tainted and all was his fault. If only he had stayed inside. If only he hadn't been afraid of his parents arguing about him...

Remus hung the wet towel on the rack before he reached for his clothes to get dressed. He snapped his head to the side when he thought he saw a shadow linger along the wall, but sighed when he realized there was nothing there.

He shook his head. He had been afraid of all sorts of things after the incident, his fears coming and leaving in waves. At times he was afraid of the dark, of monsters under his bed, or afraid of dogs that reminded him of wolves.

Even though his body was scarred for life, and his mind served the after effects of paranoia and fear the worst of it all were the bullies at school. They had somehow found out about the scars and used every opportunity to mock him about them. They asked him if he'd made them himself to gain attention, if his father had inflicted them on him as a punishment or even asked if he'd gotten into fight with a dog Chihuahua, implying that he was weak and helpless.

As Remus buttoned the last button of his long sleeved shirt he came across one of the sharper scars. He felt his heart make a painful clench at the memory.

Last year his hideous uncle had finally passed away. His relatives had been devastated but Remus had heaved a sigh of relief. Because during the several occasions where his uncle had babysat him he had bared witness to his uncontrollable anger and madness.

It wasn't often spoken about, seeming as the topic was somewhat of a taboo, but his uncle was an alcoholic and loved to punish whatever child he babysat at the time. Luckily for Remus he had only had to live through a handful of punishments, but they were enough to leave a couple of more

scars on his body.

Remus mourned the times he had to survive the punishments but he felt even more sorry for his uncle's children. They always shook as leaves whenever Remus saw them and he wondered what his uncle might have done to them.

Remus brushed through his hair before he checked that his clothes covered almost every part of his body. It was one of the hottest days of the year but he thought it was worth it to sweat in his clothes if it meant that he could keep his scars to himself. No one had to know. He would try to keep his scars to himself for as long as he could.

But then he remembered something. Sirius.

Sirius had already seen his scars, hadn't he? He hadn't run away in fear or laughed at him while making jokes of how he got them. No, Sirius had said something...

Remus rubbed in between his eyebrows as he tried to recollect the memory. Then he remembered. Sirius had said 'Me too'.

Remus' eyes widened. What had Sirius meant by that? Had he been attacked by a wolf as well?

But then a picture flashed in front of his eyes. Yesterday, before they got to bed he had got a glimpse of Sirius as he changed into his pajamas. Remus had seen some strange pattern at the low of Sirius' back, and now that he thought about it the lines looked almost like... scars.

Baffled at the realization Remus found himself gaping at his reflection in the mirror. Sirius. Had someone hurt Sirius? Like, intentionally, like Remus' horrible uncle? Remus jumped at the spot when someone knocked at the door.
"Are you done? I need to use the loo!"

Sirius.

Remus felt his heart pound loudly in his chest. He straightened his posture and tried to look normal and calm as he walked over to unlock the door. He tried not to make it obvious that he had just realized that someone was abusing Sirius even though he desperately wanted to ask Sirius about it.

Sirius rushed past him as he headed straight for the toilet and Remus quickly slipped outside and closed the door behind him. He shook the last pieces of worry off of him and placed the remains at the very far back of his mind.

If Sirius wanted to talk about it he would. Or, well, even if he didn't Remus could always ask him about it at another time. Right now Sirius was busy after all.

'''''''''
"Quickly! Hand me the hair clip!" James shouted at them in a hushed whisper.

"Shh, hurry up!" Sirius hushed as he handed James the hair clip they'd found in the dining hall earlier, probably dropped by one of the women working in the kitchen.

Remus were to keep watch and make the signal if he saw anyone. Peter held their supplies under

his arms, sweating from the weight.
Remus heard a loud click and then the creak of a door sliding open.

"Yes, it worked!" James shouted, but then voiced a muffled 'Mhmm!' when Sirius slammed a hand over his mouth.

"Shh!" Sirius scolded James before they rushed inside.

With one last glance on the empty grounds around them Remus left his spot and hurried inside as well, Peter trailing after him.

He closed the door carefully behind them, not wanting to make any loud sounds. He turned around and looked inside.

They were in cabin 8.

"Oh, whoa." He heard James breathe next to him. Remus felt himself gasp when he looked at the room in front of them.

There were two significant sides of the room. A tape on the floor divided the cabin into two halves, and the left side had colorful posters taped up all over the walls, orange blankets thrown on top of the beds and photos were placed on the nightstand table.

Turning his head to look over at the right side of the room Remus saw that the beds were neatly folded, the walls were empty of posters save for one that was a picture of some creepy looking man with pale skin and a snake around his shoulders. Remus thought he looked like the leader of some odd cult or something.

Except for the poster and a dark coat that was thrown across one of the beds the right side of the room looked almost deserted. The contrast of the two sides couldn't had been more major.

"I can bet my right arm on the fact the left side of the room belongs to the Prewett's and the right side to Rosier and Snivellus." James stated as he made his way over to the right side of the room.

James pinched his nose as he arrived at the double bed. "Watch out, there's probably grease and Snivellus-germs all over the place. Don't breathe unless you have to." He hushed over his shoulder, voice sounding funny since he pinched his nose.

"Right, and don't touch anything!" Sirius trailed after James as he covered his mouth and nose with his arm. "We don't want to bring some curse with us or something."

Remus thought James and Sirius overreacted, but he didn't risk catching something bad so he proceeded to cover his nose with his arm as well.

"Hello! How am I supposed to cover my nose if both of my hands are occupied!? Some help maybe?" Peter piped, panicked, from where he stood on the tape lining, not daring to step over to the other side, sounding desperate.

"Shh!" James hushed, not turning around until he had successfully investigated both the top and lower bunk from a safe distance. He made his way over to Peter and took one of the buckets from him before he walked back, motioning for Peter to do the same.

The four of them gathered around the lower bunk and stared at it.

"Are you sure this bed belongs to Snivellus?" Sirius asked, sounding uncertain.

"I'm one hundred percent positive." James nodded. "Rosier's coat is laying on the top bunk, and look," James held his breath and stopped pinching his nose in favor of pointing at the main pillow of the bed in front of them. He returned his hand to pinch his nose when Sirius, Remus and Peter stared at it.

"There's grease all over the pillow and a black hair stand next to it. It has to be his bed." James smirked evilly. Remus felt a small spark of fear build up in his chest. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go along with this. Sure, he disliked Snape a lot, but wasn't this kind of like bullying? Or was it just a prank?

Seeming to almost being able to read minds Sirius cleared his throat and turned around to face Remus sincerely.

"It's just a prank Remus. It's going to be alright. And no one will get hurt, this is nothing compared to the tactics Malfoy and his gang uses." He spoke honestly, eyes boring into Remus that felt himself relax some.

He nodded at Sirius that smiled back at him. They both turned to face the bed again when James gave his bucket to Sirius.

"Okay, are you ready?" James asked them, mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I'm always ready." Sirius smirked, eyes widening in a slightly mad glint. Remus guessed that Sirius had longed to get some sort of revenge on Snape for a while.

"Wait!" Remus heard himself whisper suddenly. "What if- what if they find out that we did it? Won't we, like, get caught or something? Get punished...?" He knew he was the worrying kind, but he had never done anything like this before. He didn't know what could happen.

"It's going to be fine." James waved his elbow in the air, tried to sound reassuring. "They won't know it's us, and even if they find out they can't prove it. We're just too good. Too sneaky." He flashed Remus his best grin.

"I've heard that Slughorn is somewhat of a slacker." Peter cut in. "I overheard some of the older boys the other day and they said that he rarely deliver any kind of punishment. He prefers to act as if nothing has happened, pretend that he doesn't know about the pranks or, well, bullying." Peter shrugged.

"Okay." Remus nodded. He still felt slightly insecure but knew that this was as good as a reassurance he would get.

"Alright." James whispered as he started working on the lid of the bucket Peter was carrying. "Get ready, I'll count to three."

Remus felt Sirius tug at his arm, so he turned to their bucket and together they loosened the lid.

He watched as Sirius removed Snape's covers to the end of the bed with the tip of his index finger and thumb, disgusted grimace on his face.

When James told them 'Three!' Sirius and Remus threw off the lid and turned the bucket upside down on the bed, emptying its contents on the sheets. Remus jumped back a meter when he heard the loud noise of it hitting the mattress.

He saw James and Peter empty their bucket and then watched as James reached for the covers to threw over the messed up mattress.

Remus grimaced at the scene. On Snape's bed lay a mess of wet mud, breaches and ants.

"Ahh! I think one climbed up my arm!" Peter shrieked. He and James had emptied the bucket containing the ants, but Remus thought it served Peter right considering it had been his idea to begin with. Remus had proposed that they just left some leaves under Snape's pillow, but apparently that wasn't fun enough.

Remus snickered at Peter that jumped around on one leg, arms flailing in the air madly. Peter accidentally hit James who almost collapsed from laughter. Sirius had slammed his hands over his mouth as he tried to contain his mad laughing as well.

Remus let his eyes wander but felt himself freeze when he looked out the window. "Hurry! They're coming back!" He hissed.

Sirius immediately turned around to stare out the window while James grabbed Peter by the arm and started dragging him toward the door.

Remus rushed to the door and flung it open, feeling overpowered by the adrenaline that surged through him. Somehow the feeling of almost getting caught made it all so much more exciting. He didn't think he'd ever felt more alive before.

Sirius picked up their lids from the floor before he rushed out together with James and Peter that finally had stopped shouting about the ant.

"Fast, the hair clip!" Sirius urged on as James fiddled with his pockets, trying to find it.

When he found it he lifted it with shaking fingers and Remus thought he was going to drop it and lose it through the holes in the stair beneath them, but he didn't. Instead James quickly locked the door with a faint click and then turned around to shoo his friends back to their cabin.

The four of them ran the three meters to cabin 7, unlocked their door and ran inside. When they slammed the door shut behind them they all collapsed in a pile on the floor, laughing at the top of their lungs.

Remus laughed until there were tears running down his cheeks. He felt so happy. Here he was, surrounded by friends who he had just executed a prank with. Him, Remus, executing a prank!

He felt someone ruffle his hair, and turning to his side he saw Sirius grin at him, looking happy with himself.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Sirius asked gleefully. Remus found himself grin back as he answered. "It was brilliant!"
'''''''''

"Why don't we make a map?"
Remus asked as he drew figures in the sand with a stick.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, covering his eyes from the sun with his hands.

"You know, like a map over the camp or something." Remus drew four stick figures next to each other in the sand, next to a big smiling sun. He felt himself smile when he added long hair to the stick figure next to the one that was him.

"But why?" Peter asked as he rose up into a sitting position. Remus quickly erased his sand- drawing, not wanting Peter to see it.

"We don't have to. I just thought it would be fun..." Remus mumbled to his lap, feeling stupid for even suggesting it.

"I think it's a great idea." Remus jerked as the voice came from over his right shoulder. Turning his head to the side he saw that Sirius had eavesdropped on their conversation, and seemed to have watched Remus' sand-drawing.

Awkward!

Remus lowered his hand to smudge the sand more and watched as James swam in the lake for a second or two before Remus answered with a very bad act of nonchalance.

"Oh, ehm, you do?" He waved his hand in the air and accidentally hit Sirius in the face. "Sorry!" Remus gasped.

"It's fine." Sirius chuckled before he leaned back from Remus' shoulder and instead positioned himself in front of Remus and Peter, with his back to the lake.

"But honestly, I think doing a map is a great idea." Sirius spoke, mostly to Remus since Peter had dozed off on the ground again.

Remus smiled shyly as he fiddled with the stick in his hands. "Yeah? I just thought it would be cool. And then we would know exactly how long it was between the forest and lake and all that..." He trailed off.

"Yeah, brilliant!" Sirius smiled at him before he reached out to ruffle Remus' hair.

"Stop it," Remus mumbled as he swatted Sirius' hand away, but secretly he liked when Sirius did that. Remus wasn't used to any sorts of affection or friendly acts so it was a nice change to feel like someone liked him.

And even though he wouldn't dare say it out loud in front of the others Remus liked having Sirius as a friend the most.

He felt a stab of guilt in his chest and scolded himself for ranking his first three friends considering that they all probably had Remus at the bottom of their own lists.

Though, he felt his guilt disappear when Sirius gave his shoulder a playful jab.

"So, do you want to start on it or what?" Sirius blinked at Remus before he aimed another playful jab at his shoulder. Remus smiled at him, nodded his head and then they left the beach in favor of walking to their cabin and get some paper and pens to work on the map.

On their way to the cabin Remus thought about the events of the past day.
They had spent almost the entirety of the past day playing in the woods where they had tried to

find a weak spot or a whole in the electricity fence. Because just because they couldn't go past it they felt that they had to. No, more like it was their duty to do so. So they had started looking around everywhere as they tried to find way to climb over the fence and perhaps jump to the other side. But it had gotten dark before they'd found a way and then they had headed back.

However, the point is that Remus had already memorized the many small paths of the forest, how many steps it was between their cabin and the fence and other quirks about the camp. That's why he felt it necessary to write it all down before he forgot it. He got a feeling that the information might be useful later, and this way they could add possible hiding spots or secrets about the camp on the map. And if they found a hole in the fence someday they could mark it out on the map as well.

Remus felt like he could burst from excitement when he and Sirius sat down by one of the desks to work on the map. Together they started to point out different distances, things they had noticed and also made a check list for things they had to include, like the pile of pebble in the middle of the running path or the bridge leading out into the lake.

They spend over an hour like that, sitting shoulders to shoulders while working on the map. They started drawing vague pictures of the main building, cabins and even McGonagall's girl's camp on the other side of the lake.

When their legs got restless they brought the big paper and a handful of colorful pens with them and headed outside for some further investigation.

They walked around the grounds, measured with steps and scribbled things down on the map until it got dark.

Remus smiled the entire time.