Mulciber lost ten points from Slytherin and had three nights of detention. Somehow he managed to convince Slughorn he really thought there had been a Bludger near Remus's head, and in Potions on Thursday he kept sending really smirky looks Remus's way. When Avery passed by him to get something from the cupboard he whispered, "When the Bludger hits the baby will fall!" just like Mulciber had during the game.

Remus fumed as James worked on the potion they had paired up for. "We'll get him," James promised.

Remus glanced back to Mulciber and Avery who were whispering to each other then snickering. They both saw Remus looking at them which sent them into more laughter. Mulciber swung his long potions spoon like a bat before pointing it at Remus. Remus turned back to his cauldron, not wanting to just sit there anymore. It felt the same when Sirius had ripped his bag and gotten him very temporarily banned from the library. That burning desire for revenge, and he didn't want to wait for James and Sirius to do it for him.

There was something clawing inside of him. The wolf, growling and slobbering to lash out, to cause pain. For the revenge. It urged him to just get up and jump on Mulciber and claw at his face until he bled to death, to sink his teeth into the Slytherin's neck and rip out his flesh. At the very least, push over their cauldron letting the boiling hot liquid slosh over both boys.

Remus grit his teeth, curling his hands into fists, entire body trembling as he fought off the violent urges, tried to calm his temper down. James bent in close when he noticed him shaking so he could ask, "You ok?" Remus slowly nodded, eyes squeezing shut. "You sure?" Now Remus shrugged. "Are you sick? You look pale again."

"Fine," he forced out. "I'm fine." He opened his eyes and was a little surprised he wasn't seeing red. It felt like he was being consumed by the thirst for blood. He blinked a few times then let out a long breath, feeling some of the rage leave his body as something inside of him sort of snapped, like it felt like something actually physically snapping inside of him. The wolf still paced in his brain but it wasn't as strong now. He could control it. "Fine," he said, and this time he sounded it, though wondered why he suddenly smelled blood.

James pressed a hand against the back of Remus's shoulder. The touch made him jump. "All right," James said with an anxious smile. "If you need to go to the hospital wing just let me kn-oh! Your nose!"

"Wh...at?" He lifted his hand and when he took it away he saw bright red. He quickly put his hand back up, pressing against his nose.

"I should take you-"

"No, it's f-fine," he mumbled, not wanting to leave class. "It'll stop in a minute." He tipped his head back for show. Once he thought it was healed he blotted the blood away on his sleeve. "I'm fine." James obviously didn't believe him, though.

Remus managed to remain calm throughout the rest of class and didn't have another strange nosebleed (what caused it?, he wondered). As the students left, Mulciber and Avery pushed past the Gryffindors, knocking Peter to the ground, sending everything in his bag scattering. "Whoops!" They both walked off, laughing, Avery stepping on Peter's Potions book. Remus knelt down, helping gather the stuff up, while James pulled Peter to his feet and Sirius shouted insults after the two Slytherins, which Slughorn heard. He hadn't seen the Slytherins knocking Peter so only Sirius lost a point, for the words he said.

"Definitely gotta get revenge," James hissed out, a protective arm around Peter.

"Wish we knew where the Slytherin dorms were," Sirius said as they walked down the corridor. "I know they're somewhere around here, in the dungeons, but dunno where exactly."

"We could try to follow some of the Slytherins," Peter suggested.

James grinned for a second then it faded into a scowl. "We'll get caught probably. Oi, Remy, know any good camouflage spells?"

Remus stiffened. Remy? Remy?! "N-no," he said, sliding Peter's books back into his bag and handing it to him. "That's very advanced."

"Bet Sluggy's got an invisibility potion or something in his stores, we could break in again," Sirius said quietly. "There wasn't one on that list we got you, right?" Remus shook his head. "We could try that, or maybe research how to make one."

"Ugh I wish I was older!" James groaned, tugging at his hair, very frustrated.

"What good would that do?" Peter asked but James wouldn't say, not even when Sirius tried wheedling it out of him, though Remus heard James whisper to him 'I'll tell you later' which slated Sirius's curiosity for the time being though just made Remus more so.

()

When Remus returned from study group that night, he found James, Sirius, and Peter in the dorm just finishing up a potion. Remus started to remind them they weren't supposed to brew potions in their dorms then just squinted at the liquid, wondering what it was. He noticed their Potions book open to the first potion they made: the cure for boils. What're they doing with that?

"Are we filling the balloons tonight?" Peter asked rather eagerly.

"Nah, too much a risk of them breaking overnight, we'll fill'em tomorrow," James said.

Remus hesitated as he started to put his stuff on his desk and he couldn't help but ask, "Balloons?"

"Yep!" James grinned. "Water balloons. Well, potions balloons!"

"Balloons full of potion to-to cure boils?" He wasn't following this line of thought at all. It made zero sense whatsoever. Why would they need balloons full of stuff that cured boils?!

Sirius was also grinning though his was more wicked. "Not quite. You see... you remember what Sluggy said when we first made it?"

"He-said a lot of things," Remus said, wracking his brain to try and figure out what they were up to. It still didn't make sense. It was like two different things smashed together in an incoherent plan, though from what he knew about James and Sirius that described them pretty well.

"If done incorrectly, this potion can cause boils," James said, imitating Slughorn's way of speaking almost to a T.

"And we've done it incorrectly!" Peter added brightly.

"On purpose," Sirius added, one finger sticking into the air.

"Annnnd we'll be filling water balloons with it tomorrow-" James couldn't even finish his sentence he just broke off into giggles, falling over, clutching his sides as his feet flailed about.

"Sploosh!" Peter exclaimed, spreading his arms out. "All over Mulciber and Avery! Aren't they geniuses!?" he added in absolute awe.

Sirius puffed up at that but James was too busy rolling around. Remus was completely torn on what to even say. On one hand yes, it was diabolically genius to do something like that. On the other hand... "You'll get in a-a lot of trouble," he said carefully, knowing they won't care and sure enough they dismissed his words.

"Don't be a stick in the mud," James complained from where he wheezed on the floor.

"This is for you," Sirius pointed out, uncrossing his impossibly long legs and standing up. "For what Mulciber did to you."

"I-I know, and I appreciate it," Remus stammered, taking a step back. "I just don't want you to get into trouble over something like this."

"I thought it was also cause they knocked me over today," Peter said.

"That too," Sirius answered, not even looking at Peter, keeping his eyes on Remus. "If you don't want us to..."

Remus had to smile at that. "If I don't want you to, you'd do it anyway," he said and Sirius looked a little sheepish. "I'm not opposed to the scheme. It's brilliant, it truly is. Just please do be careful."

"Please do be careful!" James drew out in a really snooty sort of voice. Peter laughed and Sirius gave a snort at their friend mocking Remus who changed his mind about not wanting them to get into trouble. Sirius muttered an apology as Remus went back to his bed. He shrugged, pretending like he didn't care. It didn't really hurt that much, just a sort of niggle inside of him reminding him that sometimes his way of speaking wasn't like the others his age, and he hated being set apart like that.

"You best cle-clean up everything before Spinnet gets up-here," Remus said, as he gathered stuff for a shower. "He'd rat you out to-to McGonagall in a heartbeat." By the time he returned from his shower all signs of potion making were gone, and James said they had the stuff bottled up waiting for tomorrow.

()

One thing they knew about the Slytherins is they had a class on a higher floor than them after Defense (probably History). So during lunch James and Sirius fetched the bottles of mis-made boil potions, and after Defense they rushed out of class to start filling up balloons, intending on dropping them on the two culprits when they were going down some stairs. Peter joined them and Remus reluctantly did as well. He knew the likelihood of getting into trouble was high however he wanted to see. Wanted to see boils erupting all over the two jerks.

They jammed themselves in a small side corridor, hidden from the main pathways, carefully filling up the balloons. They were magicked balloons, charmed to break upon impact, so they had to be super careful not to drop them. Peter wore his potions gloves while holding the balloons open while James carefully poured the liquid in. Then Peter gave the balloon to Sirius who also wore gloves so he could tie the balloons off. Remus kept lookout. Well. Listen-out.

Soon they had a couple dozen, all the potion used up.

"Slytherins are coming," Remus said, tucking himself out of sight.

They waited for the Slytherins to pass, then followed keeping their distance. James and Sirius bent over a railing that overlooked a very open area, where there were several staircases. The Slytherins were going down one set with Mulciber and Avery were in the back. Perfect.

"Ready..." The balloons were at their feet, and James and Sirius each picked one up. Remus crouched down to look through the posts of the banister which also helped hide his face though who else would be the fourth one there? "Aim... Bombs away!"

James's hit Mulciber square on the head. Sirius's missed by a couple inches, splashing at their feet. Both Slytherins yelped, jerking in surprise, Avery nearly falling. The Slytherins ahead of them stopped and turned, then looked upwards as more balloons came raining down. The Slytherins scattered and Mulciber was crying out in pain as bright red boils began appearing across his face. Another balloon broke right on Avery's face and soon he had boils on his face and neck. One balloon hit Snape and Remus had the feeling it was purposely aimed. Another one hit Bulstrode. But most of the balloons were for Avery and Mulciber who were soon drenched as they both lay at the bottom of the stairs, crying in pain. Soon the last balloon exploded on Avery's chest, and the Gryffindors ran off. James, Sirius, and Peter laughing hard, Remus trying not to laugh.

Remus thought he might feel a bit bad but he didn't. All he could think of watching Mulciber writhe in pain was he got what he deserved for what happened on the Quidditch pitch. It's probably a bad sign I don't feel sorry for him for being in pain, but... Remus followed his friends to the tower where they collapsed onto a sofa, laughing still. Except for Peter who stood up on the sofa and mimed throwing balloons (complete with Muggle bombing sounds) and soon James and Sirius started miming Mulciber and Avery wriggling about, making fake cries of pain. Finally Remus gave into the laughter.

A few other students looked their way but nobody bothered them.

()

Remus resisted the urge to say 'I told you so' when they went down to supper to find McGonagall waiting for the four of them outside the Great Hall. Her Scottish accent seemed more pronounced as she led them to her office. She told them how disappointed she was in all of them, she couldn't believe they did what they did, how could they even think of it, and on and on until she ushered them through her door, shutting it behind her. Remus thought a slam would have been better than the soft clicking.

McGonagall sat down behind her desk, glasses glinting as her jaw jutted out. "Care to explain the events of this afternoon?" Her eyes locked onto each of them one at a time. When it was his turn, Remus couldn't look back. He bowed his head, staring at his lap instead.

"Which events?" James asked, an innocent smile on his face. "We had Defense Against the Dark Arts, and then we went to the common room."

McGonagall pressed her fingertips against the desk, her knuckles turning white, as she leaned forward. "Water balloons, and not with water. Multiple witnesses place you two..." Her eyes swept from James to Sirius. "...as the attackers of four Slytherins, two of which who will need to be in the hospital wing overnight." Her eyes narrowed as Sirius turned his snicker into a cough. "And you two." She focused on Peter and Remus, both of which were quivering a bit. "You were present as well."

"Really, Professor, Mulciber and Avery hate us! They'd place any blame they can find on me and Sirius, and them too," James said, jerking his thumb towards the other two.

"So you had nothing to do with what happened?" McGonagall asked, eyebrows raising.

"Nothing," James promised.

Remus covered his face, knowing already what was coming. He could have said the words along with McGonagall. "So how did you know it was Misters Mulciber and Avery?"

James fell into absolute silence for a moment before a groan was pushed out behind his frozen grin. "A... good... guess?" he offered. McGonagall simply glared. "All right well, you know, Mulciber did try to murder Remus on Tuesday and all he got was a slap on the wrist!"

McGonagall began drumming her fingers. "How Professor Slughorn chooses the punishments for his students is, unfortunately, out of my control. So am I right to assume this was to get back at them for what Mulciber did?"

"Professor, you saw what happened to Remus, right?" Sirius demanded, waving his arm at him. "Pomfrey said he broke almost every bone in his body! Mulciber did it on purpose! Not only that, he gets away with it! He-"

"I am well aware of what happened on Tuesday, and while I agree it was probably on purpose-"

"Probably?!" Sirius exploded.

McGonagall looked beyond furious at being interrupted. "Silence, Mr. Black. While I agree it was probably on purpose, that does not mean you take the law in your own hands and seek revenge and certainly don't use botched potions to do so! You have no idea what a messed up potion could do to a person! Also, for your information, Horace and I have been looking into it. The punishment Mr. Mulciber received was for the time being until we knew exactly what happened."

At least she didn't seem to realize they purposely made a potion wrong to do this. Remus figured if she did, they'd be in bigger trouble than they already were.

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew, it seems the witnesses put the balloons in Misters Potter and Black's hands and not yours, however you were there, correct?"

Peter and Remus exchanged looks, no idea what to say. "Y-yes," Remus finally admitted.

"Did you throw any of the balloons?"

Peter spoke up this time. "No!"

McGonagall sighed, studying the two of them as she tried to sort out the best course of action. "Five points from Gryffindor, both of you." She gave a nod towards the door. "You two may go while I deal with Potter and Black."

Remus and Peter sat down in the hall across from the door. Remus chewed at his stubby nails, feeling sick with worry. He hoped they wouldn't get into too deep of trouble; after all, it was sort of his fault. It wasn't fair they got the worst of it. I need to talk to McGonagall when she's done with them, explain that to her. He hugged his knees to his chest, wishing there wasn't a spell on the door preventing him from listening in. Finally after what felt like an eternity the door cracked open and James and Sirius came out.

Peter rushed over to ask them what happened while Remus was more slow stand. "Same thing as Mulciber," Sirius grumbled. "Ten points each, and three nights of detention."

"Th-that's not so bad," Remus said.

"No but if they decide he's at fault for what happened to you and gets into more trouble, we get the same," James said then made a tsking sound. "As much as I'd hate more, he deserves it so... I dunno what I want to happen." He threw his arm around Sirius's shoulder. "Come on, lads, let's get food."

"I'll meet you there in a few minutes," Remus said. "I need to talk to Professor McGonagall again about-about something." The door was still open but he knocked anyway, going in when she said he could. She looked a little surprised that it was him. He slunk back to the seat he had been in earlier, then stammered out that they were just trying to get back for what happened to him and really if you look at it that way it was his fault, so he should be the one in trouble, not them.

McGonagall took off her spectacles, rubbing at her forehead. "Did you tell them to do this?"

"Well... n-no but-"

"Did you give them the idea?"

"No, but-"

"Did you give them suggestions on revenge?" Remus bit his lip, shaking his head. "I fail to see how it is your fault then, Mr. Lupin."

"It w-was done for me," he mumbled. "Because of me. It's all my fault!"

"So you asked Mr. Mulciber to crack your skull?"

"No!"

McGonagall linked her fingers together, fighting off the desire to smile at the determined look on Remus's face. "You were a victim. While you didn't stop your friends throwing those balloons, you didn't tell them to, didn't ask them. That was their idea, their actions. Unless you use the Unforgivable curse of Imperius, you cannot control someone else's actions. Mr. Potter and Mr. Black are the sort of students who always find an excuse to cause mischief. Just because you were their excuse this time does not put the blame on you. Understand?"

Remus shifted around, tugging at a loose thread on his jumper, mumbling incoherently.

McGonagall rose to her feet and motioned for Remus to do the same. When he did, she put his hand on his far shoulder, her arm loosely around his shoulders as she guided him out of her office. She could feel he was still trembling very slightly. "Let's go to supper."