A/N:wipes froth from mouth: It's a whole two seconds since I finished the last chapter! Wow! Holy crap I'm churning this story out! And the sores on my fingertips are opening up again... freakin' great. Should never type for more than four hours solid ever again. Ah well, moving on. My dad can just deal with having blood and icky crap on his keyboard.
(And no, the sores didn't actually -come- from typing, they came from me trying to pick out a bajillion splinters with my nails and failing.)
Reviews!
Elemental-ANimal: SCHOCOLATE! I FEED IT TO MY AXE, MISTER AXEY.
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And thanks to Goagirl Jareth Stardust, Beth5572, Jente Bidernas, and Because I Need More Space.
Oh, and sorry for having to reupload it, I had forgotten the review responses, which I consider absolutely vital to being a good author. Feedback is everything.
Canine Affinity
Over the next few weeks, Sirius became more confident in Snape's trustworthiness. Remus had never had a doubt, but Sirius had been more than sceptical. Now, however, he was beginning to relax, and even openly show affection for Remus, be it more hugs in public, or holding hands casually on the way to class, so that they "didn't get lost". James and Peter gradually got used to the idea of them as a couple, and Remus began spending slightly less time in the library. Remus was always worried when they both walked into class with hickeys on their necks, but in Sirius it was ignored, and people started speculating about who Remus was finally going out with. So far, most of the money was on either Colleen McKinley or Lily Evans, although James hadn't stopped hanging around him, putting the popular opinion more firmly on Colleen.
Remus and Snape also seemed to be running into each other more than usual, in the library and classes and stuff, although Remus himself had no idea why this was happening, the simple truth was that Snape wanted to talk to Remus. Most people, however, thought that Remus had done something horrible to Snape, and Snape was quietly seeking revenge.
One day, when Remus was in the library, Snape picked up the courage to go and sit with him. Remus blinked, not having noticed him until then.
"Hi." Remus said questioningly. "What're you doing here?"
"I just wanted to talk to you." Snape said quietly, looking around.
"Oh... um... what about?"
Snape shrugged. "Did you mean what you said about understanding me?" He seemed oddly awkward to Remus, which puzzled him. Maybe he just wasn't used to talking without being sarcastic.
"Sure. I used to be just like you at my old school." Remus smiled.
Snape blinked. Surely sweet, kind, never-hurt-a-fly Remus Lupin had never been like him. "Really?"
"Yep, sarcasm and everything. It's something I think you have to do to defend yourself. Otherwise it all just gets too much. I'm lucky I have James and Sirius to protect me this time, otherwise I'd probably still be just like that."
"Yeah, you're lucky to have great friends like that."
"They'd probably be your friends too if they weren't so convinced you're bad just because you're a Slytherin, and have the sarcastic thing going on." Remus smiled.
Snape laughed bitterly. "If only. I begged the hat not to put me in Slytherin, but it said that I was showing too many Slytherin qualities to ignore."
"That's awful! I was very nearly a Ravenclaw, but I made the hat put me in Gryffindor with Sirius."
"What'd you do, offer it candy?"
"Actually I threatened to tear it to shreds. But that might have worked too."
Snape laughed. "I should have thought of that. Sadly I didn't, and I'm stuck."
Remus shrugged. "And if I somehow managed to get you to be friends with the others, then your entire house would tear you limb from limb."
Snape winced. "No wonder I'm a Slytherin. I'm nowhere brave enough to be in Gryffindor."
"Of course you are! You have to be brave to stand up to Sirius and James." He sighed. "And I'm sad to say, I helped them with the theory and fine-tuning behind most of their plots. I'll try to get them to at least lay off a little if you want."
Snape shook his head. "It's fine. If I can put up with it for this long, I can put up with that gang of yours for a little longer." He smiled, just as the bell rang. "Great." He groaned. "I have to go to Charms."
Remus sighed. "Defense Against The Dark Arts. I'll see you in Ancient Runes though, right?"
Snape nodded. "And Arthmancy."
000
Remus continued showing up to classes with hickeys, and spending more time with Severus, and some of the more clever gossips finally hooked these things together. They were a little too late though, because the next day shocking and exciting news rippled through the whole of wizarding Britain; there was a move being made to legalise same sex marriages. (Although the Minister was strongly opposed.) The reactions were mixed, though most people were of the opinion that it was horribly disgusting; that a marriage was a sacred thing between two people of opposite genders, and should always remain so. For the first time ever, the famous Marauders kept strangely quiet about this subject, and just got on with their lives. Until, that is, the day the announcement was posted.
The minister was coming to Hogwarts to prove just how few of the country's youth would actually need such a commodity. There were five days until his confrence, and everyone was to neaten themselves up, and think of some questions to pose to the minister, although it was generally accepted that he wouldn't actually answer any of them, and instead would rant about how if such a huge magical academy could have no homosexuals, then why would the public in general need it. Everyone was abuzz about it, and most saw it as an excuse to protest some more about why abominations like that shouldn't get the same rights as everyone else.
And still, the marauders wouldn't say a word. Although now everyone was convinced that they were planning something big for the confrence, and left them alone.
000
Five days left.
000
"It's an outrage!" Remus fumed, the moment he had stepped into the secret marauder room, followed by the others. "I'm already classed as an abomination, do I really have to be two abominations in one?" He sighed, flopping down on his huge soft armchair and running his fingers through his now messy hair. (I'll leave you to guess as to why it's messy.)
"Hush love." Sirius sighed, seating himself next to Remus on the armchair. "It is an outrage, but there's not much we can do about it. Even just one couple here won't be enough."
"But it could spur more people into coming out! We can't just let them win!"
"Do you really think it's worth compromising our privacy? On a worldwide scale? Everyone is watching, Remus, to see what happens. Our parents, even! Could you stand your whole family finding out this way?"
"I could, if it was for a good cause."
"And everyone at school! Did you see all those homophobes?"
Remus rolled his eyes, fiddling with Sirius' hair. "It's still worth it."
000
Still five days...
000
Later that evening, Remus and Severus were having one of their regular library chats, and I don't think there's any doubt as to what about.
"It's an outrage!" Remus stormed. Quietly though, they were in a library.
Severus nodded. "I know if I was gay I'd want to marry someone I loved one day." At this, his eyes did an odd flick in Remus' direction, but he was too mad to care.
"And as if that's not enough, Remus says we can't stand up for ourselves, because it'd get us teased. How amusing!" He threw his hands up.
Severus chuckled. "Until everyone moved on to the next scandal. In a few weeks, maybe a month or three."
Remus nodded. "Excactly! Oh my, big whoop, whatever. But he's just too dense and obsessed with his own image to realise that one day we might want to get married, and won't be able to, because he wasn't brave enough to stand up and say so."
Severus remained silent, thinking quietly while Remus ranted.
000
The same day. Again.
000
"Gosh! I swear, he must have gone completely crazy!" Sirius cried exasperately, pacing the room. James and Peter watched him quietly, waiting for the end of the rant. When it came, Peter spoke quietly. "He's right though.
Sirius flicked his eyes up to glare at him. "What did you say?"
"He's right. You might want to get married to him one day, after you've left school, but won't be able to."
Sirius had been about to retort, but then closed his mouth, trying to imagine he and Remus getting married. For some reason, he could see it exactly as it would be, in clear detail.
A/N: OOoooo! Plot! I really freakin' want to finish this story, sooooooooo badly. So you guessed it... straight after this is done, the next chapter'll be written. I'll post them every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, which is US Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. My gods, I love getting time before anyone else.
(Quick edit: I have all of this, and most of the sequel written now, as I post this. MWAHAHA)
Next time: Remus fumes some more, and Sirius has a few changes of heart.