A/N: A day after writing the last chaper... sooo tired. (27 hours sleep in the past 4 days... so not awesome.) But I just got back from a friend's house, and I MUST WRITE! Siriusly, I don't know why, but she's the most inspiring person I know. And she doesn't even know I write slash. (She doesn't know what slash is...) But she still inspires me.
TiredRaven: I know just what you mean... I had an awesome last week of holidays planned, but now I feel to pooey to do anything about it. :gives Severus: Yay for everyone's favourite snarky bastard!
Periwinkle4444: BLUE! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! And Sirius wasn't thinking much before, but now he's not thinking at all. Sirius and smart don't go together.
Elemental-ANimal: I know! I saw them and actually started jumping up and down screaming in the middle of the shop... I get a lot of odd looks. But it was SO completely awesome. and I'm eating one right now. WHEE.
And hugsies to Gummi Bear, Jente Bidernais, and Aella-Bay!
This chapter is dedicated to Jas, for making me want to write.
Canine Affinity
000
Three days like woah.
000
Severus, James, and Peter had been left in an awkward silence. Nobody wanted to be the first to speak, or even move, for fear of a fight starting. And then Severus sighed, and sat down.
"Okay, so Remus says I'm supposed to help you morons study. Since he says it'll be good for me, I'm doing this. For his sake." Severus raised an eyebrow, looking clearly at James. "So, are you going to sit down and study, or just stare at me like I'm an alien?"
Slowly, James sat down, unsure if this was really happening. "Okay... I have transfiguration, charms, and potions essays."
Severus winced. "Let's do potions. I can't stand charms."
"Why not?" James blinked. "It's just waving your wand and saying a few words. No real skill to it."
Severus rolled his eyes. "Right. Just like there's no real skill to making potions, just throwing some things in a pot and hoping whatever comes out isn't poisonous."
James sighed. "Fine. Potions it is. I'll get Remus to help with charms anyway."
Severus nodded. "Okay, what do you have to write about?"
"I got the draught of the living dead." James shrugged. "Better than Sirius and Peter, they're doing a joint project on a wit-sharpening potion. Might just have been a wee hint to sharpen up." James grinned.
Severus laughed, and Peter, who looked like he had been about to join them, instead said, somewhat coldly; "I'm gonna go back to the common room, catch up on the latest gossip." He scurried out, giving James one last filthy look.
James sighed. "Well, at least he's not hiding under the beanbag."
Severus nodded. "Is he always like that?"
"Whenever something intimate or even remotely shocking happens, yeah. Makes me wonder how he made it into gryffindor."
And then suddenly it struck them just how odd this was; sitting there doing homework with their mortal enemies.
"Snivellus." James said, just as Severus spoke up. "Git."
And then they were laughing together, homework forgotten, like old friends.
000
THIS DAY IS STALKING ME! NYAAAAAAAAAAAH!
000
Sirius stormed into their bedroom, followed closely by an irritated Remus. He grabbed Sirius' elbow, spinning him around to face him.
"Look. I know you're annoyed and confused, but think of what it's like for me! Once I sleep with you, that's it. You're free to move on and do whatever you want, but what I am will still bind me to you. I won't be able to love anyone else. Ever. Think of how terrifying that is to me! I don't want to waste my life on someone who isn't willing to do one little thing for me. Besides, if we're going to be 'together forever' or anything like that, we'll have to come out anyway."
"I know! I know everything you're saying makes perfect sense, but I don't want to be forced into it like that! I need to feel that this is my own choice. Please understand that I just hate to feel pressured!"
"I understand! But you have to understand that this is important to me too! It proves that you do care about me enough to stand up and defend our relationship."
"I do care enough! Do you care enough, though, Remus? You're acting like the good guy, standing up to defend our relationship, but do you really have the guts?"
Remus was floored. "I. Well. I..."
"You don't know, do you? And that's just it, you're so busy accusing me, you've forgotten about what it'll do to you too."
Remus stayed silent, sitting on his bed and running his hand through his hair. "I... I don't know. I just..."
Sirius sighed. "Don't worry about it Remus. Just go to sleep. Maybe things'll be easier in the morning."
Remus nodded, and stood up on his bed, preparing to close the curtains. "Goodnight, Sirius."
"Sleep well."
000
Two days left... WOOOOOOOOOOOO! We left that damn third day behind...
000
Remus and Sirius were 'cuddling' on Sirius' bed the following morning. Cuddling involving hands and tongues and... you can imagine the rest ;) James and Peter had already gone to eat, leaving them safe in peace and quiet. Or so they thought.
"James? Where are you, Ja... Oh my God." Lily Evans froze in the doorway, staring at the shirtless, gorgeous, devastatingly sexy, ect. ect. spectacle before her. Or that's my opinion anyway. Lily just thought it was shocking.
"Lily!" Remus shoved Sirius off (for the second time this story) and sat up, staring goggle-eyed at her. This time, though, Sirius wasn't shocked into silence. Which wasn't nessecarily a good thing...
"Remus! How could you! I'm deeply shocked!"
"What? You were on top of me, idiot. And that doesn't matter."
Lily was just staring at them, hands over her mouth. "What were..."
Sirius went to speak, but Remus shut him up with a glare. "We... There's no easy way to say this." He sighed. "Especially with the conference in two days..."
"You two are gay." Lily found her voice. Remus just nodded. "Oh." She said quietly. It seemed to work, so she said it again. "Oh. Well... that's... a shock."
"Believe me, even I only found out a few weeks ago." Remus smiled. "It was a shock to everyone."
"So, do other people know?"
"James, Peter, Severus."
"Snape?"
"Yeah, that Severus."
"But he's your worst enemy!"
"He was. Now, I would consider him a friend, as much as even James or Peter."
"Oh."
"Yeah, this month has been a pretty surprising month." Remus sighed, then coughed slightly. "Damn... I think I'll be sick by tonight."
Of course, it was just the full moon, but Lily didn't need to know that.
"Then why were you kissing him?" She asked, suspicious.
"The question should be, why was he kissing me? He might get Remus germs..." Remus smiled, looking teasingly at Sirius.
Lily sensed the look. "I'll leave you alone then. But where's James?"
"Breakfast." Sirius said idly, about an inch from kissing Remus.
Lily left rather quickly.
000
That night...
000
"AROOOOOO!" Cried werewolf!Remus, howling up the shrieking shack. For awhile he just smashed around, breaking things, then noticed a rat scampering in through a smashed door, followed by a stag, trotting in confidently, and a large black dog, who ran up and tackled him, licking enthusiastically.
'Hey.' Remus smiled, communicating through that secret language that all animals share. 'What took you so long?'
'Had to shake off Sn... Severus. He and Prongsie here seemed like old friends.' Sirius smirked doggily at the stag, who seemed affronted.
'He was just helping me with my potions homework. Which reminds me, I have to help him with charms and transfiguration tomorrow.'
'Now do you guys see why I told you he wasn't so bad after all?'
'Yes, almighty Moony one. Can we get going now, my tail's really itchy.' Peter complained, nibbling at his tail. 'It sucks being a rat.'
'I'll swap you anyday.' Remus said darkly, indcating his claws and teeth. Peter ran and hid under a dresser, and they all laughed.
'We've been doing this for almost two years now, Wormtail, are you really still scared of me?' Remus laughed, nudging playfully at the dresser with one claw, leaving a scratch mark, and frightening Peter further.
'Yes.' The rat replied timidly. 'Petrified.'
'Come on, we wouldn't want your tail to get itchy, Wormie.' James smirked. 'Lets get going. And Padfoot, for the last time, don't let me eat grass.'
'You do anyway.'
'Damn instincts. I understand why I saw McGonagall licking herself as a cat the other day. Although it was sure as heck funny.' He smiled at the memory.
'Yeah, be thankful you don't have that instinct.' Sirius sighed, sitting down to scratch behind his ear. 'Practically traumatised me the first time I caught myself...'
And so the marauders headed off into the forest.
000
One day left...
000
Remus woke up lying on his bed in the shrieking shack, shivering and naked. Yawning, he got up and fetched his clothes from the locked top drawer of the dresser, getting dressed and heading back to school in the gentle twilight.
Checking his body over briefly on his way in, Remus decided that a visit to the hospital wing wasn't nessecary, and instead just headed straight up to bed, curling up with a book and waiting for everyone else to wake up.
He didn't have to wait long. Sirius, who he was programming into his ways of the early morning, began to stir.
Remus smiled softly at him. "Good morning."
"Morning, Remus. Are you okay?" Sirius asked concernedly.
Remus nodded. "Fine. Didn't even have to go to the hospital wing."
"That's good, we got there in time." Sirius smiled, leaping out of bed. "Come on, I'm starving. Let's go get breakfast." He threw on some clothes, and they both went down to breakfast. As usual, they were the only ones up this early, with the exception of Severus. Today really did seem like just another day. Except it wasn't. It was the last day.
000
That evening
000
The marauders were all sitting at their regular seats in the common room, silent for once. well, silentish. Remus would occasionally raise his head to berate someone for breaking the rules, James was deep in a quiet conversation with Lily, and Peter was talking animatedly with a group of girls, all of whom were asking him what the latest was. Only Sirius and occasionally Remus were really silent. They sat side by side, staring straight into the fire, Remus' eyes appearing to glow even more than usual with the firelight. Their silence seemed to accentuate just how serious tomorrow really was, and even the gossips were avoiding that subject for some reason. Finally, Sirius stood up. "I'm going to bed." He announced.
Remus nodded, getting up. "Me too. And you, don't make me come back down to confiscate that frizbee." He added, glaring at a third year trying to look innocent, with a fanged frizbee behind his back.
When he and Sirius got to the dorm, he collapsed on Sirius' bed. "I can't believe how hard today has been... I just want to sleep. But I don't want it to be tomorrow either."
"Don't worry." Sirius smiled, curling up at the foot of the bed, and closing the curtains. "I'm sure that it'll be fine, whatever happens." Sirius seemed to have adopted the idea that whatever would happen, would happen, and he would leave the rest to Remus. He just hoped that Remus made the right choice.
A/N: I have to go visit my stupid grandmother tomorrow. As opposed to my lovely grandmother. And I have to stay there for several days. GRRR. Well, by the time I post this, it'll be weeks ago, but whatever, y'know? I think I want to write the sequel now. Or run away and hide at my mother's house, y'know, whichever. Oh, and I have a job(ish) now, tutoring an adorable little boy in computing every thursday. Freakin' yay!
Quick note: For all those who hadn't guessed, I write the A/Ns at the same time as the chapter, so anything I say is weeks old. Mwahaha.