This takes place someplace in the 5th year around the middle of the first term, months before the 'lake incident'. The Marauders have finished their Animagi transformations, so they've gone on a couple of full moons with Remus. The Marauder's Map is nearly finished, so that's why it's being used here.

I think that the relationship with James and Lily wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. I mean, obviously she hated him whenever he was bullying Snape, but I don't think it would prevent her from having small talk with him. They were in the same year and house, after all. Their relationship turned sour after the lake incident, but in this story, James apologizes immediately after returning to Hogwarts as 6th years.

Chapter One: Of Wolf and Snape

Severus Snape was sat completely still in a broom closet just outside of Gryffindor Tower. He kept himself a distance away from the Marauders, minus Lupin, who was sick as usual. They had their backs to him and were talking in quiet, even tones. He hid in the shadows, as he always had and it was so dark that not even Severus could see his own hands. The only source of light came from a dying torch that sputtered fumes of dim fire, and from the light of the full moon streaming through the open window.

He laughed inwardly at the three of them. Severus had never used the term Marauder. It was stupid and childish, but then again, thought Severus begrudgingly, there were no other words to describe that lot.

He heard snippets of their conversation. He caught something about Moony and the Whomping Willow. Potter held a piece of parchment in his hands, but Severus couldn't see what was on it.

Suddenly they all turned in his direction, and keeping care not to look at the broom closet, Severus noted, they stepped in through the portrait hole slowly. Finally, Snape reached out his hand to the door handle and was about to leave when suddenly a mocking voice jeered at him.

"Come out, Snivellus, I know you're there."

Severus closed his eyes. Sirius Black. He had no idea what to do now.

Severus pushed the door of the broom closet open and brandished his wand at Black, who had his wand pointed at him too.

Black raised an eyebrow, smiling scathingly. "Really Snivellus, I didn't think you'd sink this low. Sneaking and slithering around like the little snake you are, what the bloody hell were you thinking?"

Severus hissed, a low, chilling sound. "Sod off, Black. What I do is none of your business."

"None of my business?" said Black disbelievingly. "What, you expect me to believe that you're going to ask me or James or Peter on a date?"

Severus said nothing.

"Or maybe," said Black coldly, but then smiled sinisterly. "You want to ask darling Lily Evans?"

Severus inhaled sharply, and his insides filled with rage. He raised his wand, about to curse Black to oblivion, but then his wand flew out of his hand towards Sirius Black's outstretched arm.

"You'll have to be quicker than that, Snivellus," said Black, contempt dripping from every word.

"Give me my wand back, you filthy blood traitor!"

Sirius inclined his head. "Certainly."

He tossed the wand in the air like he was playing tennis, and then trained his own wand at it as it fell.

"Depulso!"

Severus's wand shot towards him before he could react and slammed into his forehead, causing sparks to fly out of the tip. He slumped to the ground.

"Be careful what you wish for, Snivellus," said Black, and he stepped towards him, his wand raised.

Severus couldn't pretend that he wasn't scared; he was dazed and hurt, and Severus was unable to reach for his wand. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for a curse...

It didn't come.

Severus looked up cautiously. Black was studying him, his eyes tracing over Severus's face.

"You're so eager to get answers," said Black slowly, any trace of loathing in his voice gone, replaced by mock understanding. "You want to know why Remus gets sick all the time."

Severus remained silent. Black stepped forwards again and leaned down, his face inches away from Severus's.

"There's an opening between one of the roots of the Whomping Willow," whispered Black. "Touch the knot above it, and it'll lead you to the answer to your question."

Then Black backed away, next to the Fat Lady. He whispered the password to it and he put one leg through.

"Go there at your own risk, Snape," said Black, his expression unreadable. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

And he stepped through. The painting swung shut behind him.

Snape was breathing heavily. He snatched his wand up and scrambled towards the open window. He could see the Whomping Willow in the moonlight, thrashing and whirling about. Then suddenly, the tree froze.

As he watched, he saw Madam Pomfrey emerge from beneath the tree. She dusted herself off and made her way back to the castle.

Severus's interest was piqued. He stood up, and looking left and right, disappeared down the corridor.

James was sitting in the common room talking to Marlene and Lily. He saw Sirius come through the portrait hole – he assumed that he'd taken care of the Snape problem, and was about to call him over when suddenly Sirius ducked his head and avoided his gaze. He practically ran towards the boy's dormitories.

James raised an eyebrow at him through the ceiling. He turned to Lily and Marlene, who were also taken aback at Sirius's weird behaviour. He gave his best mate five minutes to get comfortable. If he'd lost his fight against Snape... Well, there was always the full moon to cheer him up.

"Excuse me, ladies," he said swiftly. "Let's go, Wormtail."

He and Peter ascended the stairs and knocked on their door. There was no sound coming from inside. James opened it forcefully and found Sirius sitting on his bed, a bottle of firewhisky in hand. James noticed that there was another bottle on top of his bedside cabinet.

"Padfoot?"

Sirius gave a start and stared at James and Peter as though he'd just realized they were there. He gave a grunt in greeting and turned back to his bottle, downing it in one go.

"How did it go with Snape?" asked Peter tentatively.

"It went fine." His answer was short and swift.

James frowned. It was unlike Sirius not to gloat about his duels. He looked all right to James physically. At least, there weren't any visible injuries, so James figured that he'd gotten out fine.

"Sirius, is something wrong?" asked James.

Sirius shook his head and summoned another drink.

"All right, then," said James uncertainly. "And stop drinking, Padfoot. We don't want a repeat of the first full moon. A drunk dog is a bad dog."

James and Peter chuckled at the memory, but Sirius didn't join in. In fact, when James mentioned the full moon, he'd gone white as a sheet.

James ignored it, chalking it up to the drink. "Well, I reckon we should get an early start. I'll get my cloak out. Here, Wormy, hold the map."

"We can't go," mumbled Sirius. He took another gulp of firewhisky.

James and Peter looked at him.

"What?" said Peter.

"We can't go," repeated Sirius.

James stooped down until he was face to face with him. "Why can't we go?"

"Because, Prongsie," slurred Sirius drunkenly, "Snivellus's ugly face'll be there."

There was a pause before anything happened. James looked at him sharply. "What did you say? What do you mean Snape'll be there?"

Sirius looked at James, his eyes unfocused. "Moony'll have Snape to keep him company tonight, Prongs, I told him how to get past the Whomping Willow." Sirius grinned, sloshing firewhisky all over himself. "Serves him right, that stupid – fucking – snake. Always sneaking around for answers, t-trying to get us expelled..."

James and Peter were too horrified to say anything.

"We won't have to w-worry about him anymore, Prongs!" exclaimed Sirius delightedly, his eyes crossing. "That bastard's as good as dead!"

Sirius looked so damned pleased with himself, and he finished the bottle before any of them could open their mouths. James recovered first. He looked at Sirius as though he didn't know him at all.

"You have no idea what you've done," murmured James, slowly backing away from him, "No idea. To Snape, to Remus, to yourself..."

Sirius ducked down, about to grab another bottle of firewhisky, but James had had enough. He pointed his wand at Sirius, and instantly the drapes on his bed sprang to life and wrapped themselves around his body. Sirius yelled and shouted profanities at him, but James was staring at him, cold fury in his eyes.

"You fucking prat, you're going to get all of us expelled, you're going to get Snape killed!" James rounded on Wormtail. "Call Dumbledore – anybody with authority, and get someone in here to guard Sirius!"

Peter nodded, a determined look on his face. "What're you going to do, James?"

James looked at Sirius with distaste. "I'm going to fix this mess he's put us in," his voice shook with anger. "I'll be back. Don't follow me."

James took the map from Peter. He dashed down the stairs, past Lily and Marlene who shot questions that he left unanswered, past the Fat Lady, who called after him, all the way down to the doors that led to the grounds, to the Whomping Willow...

"Alohomora!"

The doors swung open with a groan and he took off, running as fast as he could. He could see Snape's billowing cloak as he got closer, he could see him running as well, running towards the thrashing tree. As James watched, Snape levitated a branch and glided it towards the opening; with a slight nudge, the tree stood still, and Snape disappeared down the passageway.

No, thought James.

He tried to run faster, but it was no use: the Whomping Willow still seemed as though it was miles away. With a wave of his wand, James sprang into the air and landed on all fours, taking on the form of a great, regal stag.

He sprinted across the grounds with renewed speed, and he jumped again once he was close to the Whomping Willow; he turned back to his normal form in mid-air and flew past the jerking branches of the tree, right into the hole – he landed on his feet and pain flared all the way up to his waist, but he ignored it, he had to get to Snape, he could see his dark, greasy hair swishing from side to side now –

"SNAPE!" bellowed James, "TURN BACK!"

Snape whirled about, his wand at the ready, and saw that it was James. He sneered at him.

"Too late now, Potter," said Snape softly, his eyes glinting with malice. "By the end of the night, you and your friends will have been expelled."

James yelled in frustration, closing in on him despite the fact that he was being held at wandpoint. "You don't understand! You have to run – run now before it's too late –"

Snape fired a jet of yellow light at him, but James dodged, rolling to the ground and unsheathing his wand while he did it, and shot a curse of his own.

Snape deflected it with a fast flick; another wave and James suddenly felt the ground sink at his feet. The earth was rising quickly, swallowing him whole, suffocating him –

And then he thought of Remus, he thought of what he'd become, that Snape did not know what he was walking into –

"Ascendio!" he gasped.

He rose up into the air, following the movement of his wand arm, and he crawled out of the hole. He was losing sight of Snape. He had only a few moments before they would encounter a ruthless beast so terrifying, its victims would rather die than become one of their kind…

James picked himself up and dashed through the tunnel.

"Snape!" he tried again. "Please, you don't know what you're doing –"

Snape's laughter rang humorlessly throughout the passageway.

"You don't understand," pleaded James, "turn back – turn back now..."

James couldn't see Snape at all now, he was hiding in the shadows again, and James had no idea where he was this time, but he didn't care, his only goal was to stop Snape from reaching the Shrieking Shack –

"Sectumsempra!"

James had not expected the curse and it hit him swiftly in the chest. Cuts and gashes appeared instantly, and his blood splattered the ground. James gasped and fell to his knees, he was yelling now, he couldn't concentrate through the pain...

"No," he croaked out, struggling to breathe, "Snape, please..."

But Snape was gone. He had gone through the shadows and entered the Shrieking Shack.

"No..."

And then a scream pierced the night, reverberating through the tunnel and rolling across the grounds of Hogwarts, and then Moony howled: a sound so haunting James put his hands over his ears and curled into a ball, trying to block out the noise, but he got up, ignoring the pain and the loss of blood and he stumbled through the darkness and climbed the stairs of the shack.

There he was: Snape, a terrified expression on his face, cornered by a wolfish beast with teeth as sharp as razors and claws as long as speartips, standing about twice as tall as him. Moony seemed surprised to see him there, but even more than that: he looked delighted, a kind of hunger present in his eyes. He bared his teeth at Snape and gnashed his mouth, savouring in the fear that exuded off of him.

The werewolf pounced, and for a moment Snape froze, unable to do anything, but then James pointed his wand at his friend and yelled, "Confringo!"

The blast was so powerful that the surrounding furniture caught fire and disintegrated. The shack groaned and shook. Moony whimpered, having been thrown to the wall, confused and hurt...

"RUN, YOU IDIOT!" bellowed James at Snape, "ARE YOU BLIND? HE'S A WEREWOLF!"

Snape gulped and practically flew towards James, not bothering to look back. He descended the stairs and James heard his footsteps grow fainter.

James heard Moony shuffling and moaning behind him, recovering from his curse. He shot another spell at him that went wild, and he followed Snape out of the Shack.

He raced back down towards the secret passage, nearly passing out from exhaustion, but then he heard a fearsome growl that made his hair stand on end. Adrenaline surged through his body. He thanked Merlin for the rigorous Quidditch exercises he had put himself through and found the strength to run.

He had nearly caught up with Snape when suddenly another howl sounded – louder and more horrifying than the last. James and Snape glanced back, petrified, and saw only a creature of brown and black running towards them.

"Protego!" shouted James. The shield charm burst out of his wand, and he willed it to bend and curve, taking in the form of the werewolf –

Moony shattered the shield as soon as he came in contact with it, but it had slowed him down. James shoved Snape forwards and they both bolted, a werewolf hot on their heels.

Snape tripped over his own robes and took James down with him. The werewolf leapt past them, unable to stop himself and allowing his momentum to carry him. He skidded to a halt and turned to James and Snape, a grinning maliciously.

James's mind was racing. Moony had blocked the only way out, and he was advancing slowly, his eyes on his prey, great black beads that bounced from James to Snape to James...

And it pounced once again, a terrifying black mass of evil and dark magic, and James had no choice but to transform and meet it midair. The werewolf yelped in surprise as a familiar shape crashed into him, antlers pressing down on Moony's skin and trapping his legs over his head –

Prongs gave a mighty shove and Moony slammed into the wall, dazed. James transformed back.

"Come on!" he snarled to Snape. "He's not going to stay down for long…"

They both hurried off towards the Whomping Willow. The smell of grass and forest was getting stronger. There was nothing up ahead, they would make it, James was sure they would –

And if I don't, thought James furiously, I'll kill Sirius in the afterlife.

But the sound of four paws hitting the ground made him stop, and he turned around just in time to conjure another shield as Moony roared at him, biting and clawing at his spell.

James held on, his wand steady and his face set, not about to let the big ugly wolf win.

"Go," said James through gritted teeth, his eyes boring holes into the wolf's face. "Get out of here."

Snape remained silent, and to James, it felt as though he was about to protest, but he turned around and marched off. James narrowed his eyes at the werewolf.

"And you, Moony," he growled, "are going to sleep."

He thrust his wand forward, forcing the shield charm to fly, the werewolf in front. He landed a good 10 feet away from James.

"Incendio!" exclaimed James, and he flicked his wand up. Instead of bursting out of his wand, fire erupted from the ground between him and the werewolf and rose up, creating a wall that separated them both.

Moony snarled and gnashed his teeth, but he seemed unwilling to go through the flames.

"Scared of fire, huh?" muttered James, "Great…"

Memories flooded his mind; he saw him and Sirius and Peter during their first successful Animagus transformation; he saw the Marauders laughing in their dorm, after telling Remus that it was going to be alright; he saw them walking down Hogsmeade, flirting with Madam Rosmerta as she passed them, not a care in the world…

Despite what was happening, James smiled. He whirled his wand, and shouted his last spell. "Expecto Patronum!"

The stag erupted from the tip of his wand and cantered around him. He waved his wand about his head, his Patronus following its movements, and then he pointed it straight at Moony.

James's stag charged, reaching the flames and bending it so that it would cover its body; it ran straight at Moony, who gave a great yelp and tried to bite it, but James's stag was too quick. It shoved its flaming antlers straight at Moony's side, impaling it slightly, and then the werewolf gave a whimper of pain.

For a moment they were a blur of fur and fire, clashing so fiercely that James winced through his Patronus, but Moony seemed unable to harm the stag, and the stag kept pounding the werewolf over and over again with fire and magic...

The flaming stag reared on its back legs, towering over Moony, and then it lowered its head, about to strike again –

But Moony fled towards where they had come from– back to the Shrieking Shack. Its howls were full of anguish, and James felt an immense pang of guilt.

James's Patronus turned back to James, awaiting his command. He gave his wand a slow, sweeping wave, and the Patronus dissolved in a whirl of flames and silver.

He stumbled back, now realizing how much pain he was in. The journey back to the castle grounds was long and tiring, but when he crawled through the hole, he found Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey all moving their way towards him.

He collapsed on the ground. McGonagall gave a cry of surprise, but Madam Pomfrey had already whipped out her wand and conjured a stretcher, stripping James of his clothes. She dabbed at the wounds caused by Snape with dittany, and waved her wand over his various scars until Dumbledore said, "That's enough, Poppy."

Dumbledore strode over to the unconscious James, pointed his wand at him, and said, "Rennervate."

James's eyes flew open, and he looked at the Headmaster.

"Can you stand, James?" said Dumbledore gently.

James gingerly moved his feet.

"I think so..."

"Then follow me. Now, please. This cannot wait."

Pomfrey and McGonagall protested, saying that James needed rest, and he couldn't help but agree with them. Dumbledore, however, was having none of it.

"I don't think you understand the severity of the situation," said Dumbledore quietly, looking at the three of them. "I know you're tired, James, but you haven't been bitten, and neither has Snape. You must come with me."

And so James followed the Headmaster all the way up to his office. They reached his brass door and entered his chambers.

Inside, Snape was present, sitting completely still in one of the chairs, but when he noticed James and Dumbledore he sprang up to his feet.

"May I go now, Headmaster?" asked Snape.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Severus. It is necessary that you be present. Sit down, please, James; this won't take long."

James took a chair and set it as far away from Snape as he could dare. Dumbledore looked at them both from behind his great desk. He spoke first to Snape, telling him a brief summary of who Remus was. James pitched in, helping Dumbledore, trying to convince Snape that Moony was innocent...

"...which is why," said Dumbledore, finally finishing, "you cannot tell anyone of this."

Snape made to protest, but Dumbledore held up a finger for silence. "Mr Lupin has not done anything to warrant expulsion. Tell anyone, Severus, and the consequences shall be dire."

Snape didn't look happy, but he nodded anyway. Dumbledore looked satisfied.

"To the Hospital Wing then, Severus." Snape rose and exited the office. Dumbledore turned to James.

"What do you think, James?"

James forced his eyes open. He realized with a jolt that Snape now knew that he was an Animagus. Or had he not realized?

"I think I should've made the Unbreakable Vow with him."

Dumbledore made a noise of disapproval. "No, I don't think so. Severus already owes a great deal to you; an Unbreakable Vow would've tipped the scales, unbalanced your bond."

"Bond?" asked James in disbelief, "I don't want a bond with him!"

"Severus now owes a life debt to you, James," said Dumbledore gently. "There may come a time in which you'll be very grateful to have that. Now, to other matters...

"What did Mr Black tell you?"

James was surprised, but he told the Headmaster of what Sirius had said to him. Dumbledore nodded, his eyes dim with disappointment.

"Sirius could have harmed you or Severus," said Dumbledore, "I'm afraid that he will have to face the consequences –"

"Surely not expulsion, sir?" butted James in, before he realized that he'd spoken out of turn. "Sorry, Professor. It's just – well, I'm sure he didn't mean to harm Snape. Or Remus, for that matter." James's words tasted bad in his mouth. Was he really sure of that? "He only wanted to scare Snape away..."

"I shall question him, and I shall assign a punishment fit for his actions," assured Dumbledore, "But the important thing is that neither you nor Severus were harmed, at least by Mr Lupin. You did a very brave, very heroic thing, James, which is why I'm giving you two awards to the school."

James started, surprised, but Dumbledore went on. "One for outstanding bravery, showcasing true qualities as a Gryffindor, and the other for outstanding use of magic. Oh yes," added Dumbledore, smiling. "I could see what you were doing from above, James. I did not come to help because I was busy detaining Mr Black and Mr Snape, so I apologize greatly. Although, looking back, you hardly needed my help," Dumbledore looked at him appraisingly. "Very creative, thinking of combining those two spells."

"Thank you, sir," said James sheepishly.

"I also think that a hundred points to Gryffindor are appropriate," finished Dumbledore.

The clock chimed thrice, and Dumbledore jumped. "Dear Merlin, James, I'm sorry to have kept you this long. You're free to go to the infirmary."

James made to leave.

"Oh, and James?" called Dumbledore, and James turned to him from near the door, "You make a fantastic stag."

James did not go to the Hospital Wing. He couldn't imagine himself going to sleep alone after all that happened. His body was exhausted, having had to fight a fully-grown werewolf basically all by himself, and though his injuries had nearly gone and his bruises had vanished, he could still feel a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest when he breathed, over where Snape had cursed him.

He lifted a hand and felt his scars. What had Snape cursed him with? As far as James knew, no mainstream curse caused injuries so bad that dittany was near useless. He didn't mind though; if anything, these scars served as a reminder to not let Sirius go too far.

His mind was still swirling with thoughts as he dragged his feet over to Gryffindor Tower. The common room was empty and the lights were out. He climbed the stairs and found his way to his dormitory. Taking a deep breath, James knocked on the door.

It opened immediately and he came face-to-face with Peter. He looked anxious to James, but when he saw who it was his face split into a huge grin.

"Prongs!" cried Peter, "There you are! Dumbledore said something..." He trailed off and pulled James inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, Peter." James gave him a faint smile before turning to the mess that was Sirius Black, still trapped in his bedding.

Sirius looked dreadful. His elegant hair was now messy and wet, as though Peter had splashed water on him. His wrists, James noted, were red with welts, courtesy of the bed curtains. His eyes were sunken and dark, and his normally handsome features were contorted into an ugly scowl.

"Explain yourself," snarled James.

Sirius didn't answer. He looked away from James, instead choosing to stare at his empty bottles of alcohol.

"D'you have any idea of what you've done?" said James, his voice trembling. "You know Remus remembers everything that happens when he's in werewolf form. Why'd you do it?"

Sirius stayed silent. James gave him a look full of disgust and undid the spell binding Sirius to the bed. Sirius instantly stretched his arms and massaged his wrists.

"Answer me, you git!" James spoke, his voice rising with every word. "What the bloody hell was going through your mind? Why'd you try to kill Snape?"

"I never meant to kill him!" muttered Sirius, now turning his back to him. "I just... wanted to teach him a lesson, that's all..."

"By using Remus as means of execution, yeah?" snapped James. "You're a coward. You're pathetic."

Sirius whirled around, eyes ablaze. He was about to say something, but then thought better of it. He gritted his teeth, trying to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry, all right?"

"Why the fuck are you apologizing to me?" said James, scowl deepening and disappointment etched onto his face. "Save your words for Remus when he gets back."

Sirius let out a growl of frustration. "I told you, I'm sorry, Prongs! Everything just... de-escalated-"

"There are boundaries, Sirius - boundaries that mustn't be crossed! You just told the worst possible person about Remus's secret, what do you say to that?"

Silence ensued. Peter stood near the door, watching them argue, his mouth slightly open. He'd rarely seen James like this, as his temper was usually kept in control. Yet now... Peter knew that he was holding back, but he could feel the disappointment radiating off of him. He wasn't sure if he could take satisfaction in it – the cold fury that James was showing terrified Peter. His eyes darted nervously between James and Sirius, preparing himself for the fists they would surely launch.

But James and Sirius continued to glare at each other, their eyes daggers and gripping their wands so tightly their knuckles were white. Finally, James sighed and looked away.

"I'm going to sleep," muttered James. "Maybe this will all turn out to be a bad dream... yeah..."

He gave his wand a wave and settled into his bed. The curtains snapped shut and the lights went out.

Sirius looked at Peter, a silent plea in his eyes. Peter only shook his head at him, and he, too, decided to call it a night.

The next morning, James left first. He didn't bother changing into his school robes; he'd decided to skip classes altogether and accompany Remus in the Hospital Wing.

He grabbed a small tray from the breakfast table and filled it with Remus's favourite foods: Hash browns and eggs and bread topped with marmalade and syrup. James didn't take any for himself. He couldn't bring himself to eat.

James marched into the hospital wing at 8 o'clock. Only Remus and Madam Pomfrey were there, for which James was grateful. Madam Pomfrey gave him a nod and departed from Remus's side.

James set the tray of food on top of the drawer next to Remus's bed.

"How're you feeling?" asked James.

Remus looked terrible. There were numerous cuts on his face from where James had blasted him. He had bandages on his side, probably from where Prongs had stabbed him, and his hair was slightly singed.

But Remus smiled tiredly. "I'm fine, I guess. Exhausted, but fine."

James sat near the edge of his bed, watching silently as Remus ate his breakfast. He wanted so dearly to ignore the elephant in the room, but he couldn't. He was about to bring it up, but Remus beat him to it.

"How's Snape?"

James gave him a look of surprise. "He's all right. Didn't get bitten, if that's what you mean. He cursed me when I was trying to pull him back, look."

James was about to show him the scars, but then Remus shook his head.

"No thanks, James. I've seen enough blood for today."

More silence followed. James didn't mind; he had half a mind to conjure a chair and doze off there, anyway.

"And Sirius?"

James knew instantly what Remus meant. "I don't know," replied James helplessly. "I don't know why he did it. He knew the consequences, knew what he was getting himself into. I just... I don't understand him sometimes."

Remus nodded as if he had expected his answer. James wondered whether Remus understood something he didn't, but he had no wish to find out.

"You remember everything?"

Remus looked at him. "Yeah. It's a bit fuzzy, though. Most of the time I was trying to hold the wolf back, but you know what he gets like when he's in control. I don't have a say in anything. Best I could do was not to look."

James nodded in understanding. "What're you gonna do about Sirius?"

Remus closed his eyes for a moment before answering. "I don't know, James. I have no desire to talk to him. Or see him, to be honest. I never would've guessed that he'd do something like this."

The rest of James's stay in the Hospital Wing was very uneventful. McGonagall came in once looking for him, but when she found that James was keeping Remus company, she bit her tongue to stop whatever she was going to say and calmly gave him and Remus the homework they had to do.

James and Sirius wouldn't speak for many days afterwards. It was only when Sirius had pleaded, nearly in tears, for James and Remus to hear him out did he acknowledge him.

James knew deep down that it would take a while for him to trust Sirius again. Sirius, his best mate, his brother- but when he said that in his head the memories of that night resurfaced and his feelings for Sirius broiled and hardened. It was just so out of character for him to do what he'd done to Snape.

Eventually, James and Sirius repaired their friendship, and James felt that it was even stronger than before. He thought of it as a sword broken in battle: once strong, but had been dulled and crippled by the enemy, but made more powerful as it was reforged.

Remus took a bit more time to learn to trust Sirius again, but eventually, he came around, for which Sirius was grateful. He would never admit it, but Sirius felt trapped, once the weight of his actions had sunken into him; he'd thought that he would lose the two best friends he had over a stupid prank.

Well, it wasn't as much stupid as it was reckless and dangerous, anyway.