By the end of his first two weeks back at Hogwarts, Remus was exhausted. He had shown the Marauder's Map to Dumbledore, who praised the blushing Remus for the map's level of detail and its ability to look into every nook and cranny of the castle. Remus hadn't yet had time, however, to see Professor McGonagall about the requirements for becoming an Auror. Not only had James and Sirius dragged Remus and Peter on several late-night explorations of secret passageways, finding their way into Honeyduke's during one memorable excursion; but Remus had also balanced a heavy class load, taken on two new students for tutoring, and read every recent issue of the Daily Prophet in his spare time.

The paper featured only two small fourth-page write-ups about the recent werewolf attacks James and Sirius had told him about. Remus had located the articles in a December back issue in the Hogwarts library; he had missed the breaking news while he was at home with his family, and he kicked himself now for his laziness. There had been no follow-up on the attacks since the initial reports. Remus knew that it was difficult to be a journalist or an editor in today's climate of fear and mistrust; many newspaper employees had resigned in the past year, and the ones who remained were understandably terrified of being killed or placed under the Imperius curse and forced to write propaganda for Voldemort. The Prophet was probably understaffed. In all likelihood, it was a wonder that stories against Voldemort were printed at all. So Remus was not at all surprised by the lack of follow-through on the werewolf stories.

Now Remus was trying in vain to study for History of Magic, his least favorite class. He slouched on the most comfortable brown velvet couch in the Common Room with his book open on his knees, using his wand to keep his place as he read. Professor Binns's lectures were normally as dry and uninteresting as a rusty cauldron. The most recent lectures, however, concerned the discovery and subsequent hunting of werewolves in early historical records; and Remus had become quite alert. He had to be careful not to ask more than one question per class, so as not to rouse the interest of the other daydreaming and sleeping students. Remus was aware that Professor Binns kept office hours, and he was certain that Binns would be discreet if he approached him with questions; but no one was quite sure where the professor's office was anymore. Perhaps he should ask Dumbledore. In the meantime, he wanted to read ahead in the textbook, as their next class would be the last one covering werewolves in the historical context.

Across the room, Sirius, once again, was up to no good and making a spectacular nuisance of himself; but this was a first-rate joke, even Remus had to admit. It hadn't taken long for James and Sirius to slip back into their prankster antics, and Remus couldn't help but feel a sigh of relief. They seemed to be focusing their tricks on each other for the moment; and, as promised, they were steering clear of Severus, at least for now. Things felt practically normal again. With James and Sirius causing mayhem, Remus could almost forget that a war was brewing, and that more and more wizards were being seduced by the propaganda of the wizard calling himself Voldemort. He could almost forget the horrible prank Sirius had attempted on Severus.

"You are incorrigible," Remus declared from behind his book.

Caught in a fit of laughter, Sirius could barely stand up straight as he teetered perilously atop a chair next to the portrait hole. He was placing a Clucking jinx around the edge of the entrance to Gryffindor tower, which meant that everyone who came in, instead of speaking, would merely cluck like chickens. This would also mean at least a half hour of amusement until Sirius was forced to confess and remedy the problem. Sirius cackled with glee, and Remus smiled to himself again.

"I really should report you, you know," Remus warned.

"You live vicariously through me, remember that. This jinx is good for you," Sirius retorted. Remus shook his head and went back to his book.

Sirius sang a little tune to himself as he climbed down from the wooden chair. The lyrics, Remus thought, sounded vaguely like, "You're so sly, but so am I." Sirius threw himself next to Remus on the couch, causing dust motes to puff into the air and linger in the waning light that fell through the tall windows. Sirius rubbed his hands together in anticipation, then clasped his fingers behind his head and leaned back on the couch until he was nearly horizontal, his ankles crossed on the threadbare rug in front of him. He sighed contentedly. Then he started whistling.

"You know, Sirius," Remus finally burst out, "trying to study next to you is like trying to sneeze with your eyes open."

Sirius gazed at Remus blankly. "Only you would have noticed something like that." He grinned at Remus over the book, using a finger to lower it so that Remus was forced to look at him. "However, I do rely on you for all my tidbits and pieces of trivia," he added.

Sirius flopped back on the couch and went on. "I wonder if there's a spell to enable a person to keep their eyes open when they sneeze? I mean, what if you're in a duel and suddenly you have to sneeze? And that split second gives your opponent just enough advantage to take the match? There must be a way around it – "

"Sirius!" Remus slammed the book shut. "Do you mind?"

"It's Friday night! Why in Merlin's name are you studying?" Sirius demanded. He stared at Remus in silence for a moment, feigning a hurt look. "You wound me," he stated simply.

"Save it for your fan club."

Sirius raised his eyebrows in that special way only he could manage, drawing up the inner portions so that he looked immeasurably sad.

"We are not amused," Remus said flatly.

But Remus's upper lip was beginning to twitch. He buried his nose in the book once more. Finally, at full volume, Sirius began howling like a lost pup. Remus snorted with laughter and punched Sirius in the arm.

"Ow! That hurt!" Sirius croaked, rubbing his upper arm.

"Serves you right. Leave the howling to me, mate," Remus smirked.

At that moment, the portrait swung open and in bounded James, sweaty and dirty from Quidditch practice, along with two other Gryffindor Quidditch players, Aidan McAdams and Loretta Roth.

"Brock!" James grinned. Suddenly his grin faded and he glared at Sirius, who burst into immediate, silent paroxysms of laughter. Remus began to laugh in spite of himself.

"Bock, bock bock bock bock bock BRRRROCK!" James glowered. The other two Quidditch players were now trying to speak, as well, and only added to the general clucking pandemonium. Now Remus was seized up with laughter, as well. He and Sirius were doubled up, silent tears rolling down their faces. Sirius had fallen onto the floor and was holding his stomach.

"BROCK!" James swore, throwing his hands in the air. Sirius, finally having gotten his breath back, shrieked with laughter.

James jumped onto Sirius from above and started pummeling him. Remus was still speechless with laughter and merely watched them scrap through his teary eyes. The other two Quidditch players stood aside and clucked in anger and dismay as they watched James and Sirius rolling on the floor. Then the portrait hole swung open again.

"What in the world is going bock bock brock?" And Lily Evans stepped through the door with another Gryffindor sixth year girl, Olivia Lunford.

James, Sirius, and Remus froze and stared at Lily. Lily stared back at the boys, her green eyes narrowing and darting back and forth between Sirius and James. "Brock brock bock bock?"

Sirius and James pointed at each other. Remus, still holding his book, jumped to his feet as Lily put her hands on her hips, glaring at the guilty-looking pair on the floor. Olivia, wisely, stood silent.

"Here, let me …" Remus drew his wand and muttered a few words to remove the spell from those in the room, at which time the Quidditch players gratefully exited to get ready for dinner. Remus then approached the portrait hole and proceeded to un-jinx the door.

"Thank you, Remus," Lily said, her eyes still on the two boys on the floor. Remus shifted toward her a step and inserted his wand into his book to mark his place.

"Aww, come on, love," Sirius purred in a chocolaty voice, propping himself up on his elbows. "If you'd been here seconds before you would have seen the world's first human-chicken Quidditch player. It was quite amusing. Although I have no idea what he was saying. Can't have been that important …"

At that, James, still seated on Sirius's rear end, cleared his throat in somewhat of a squawk, which made Sirius cackle all over again. "Lily," James declared, swatting at the squirming Sirius, "I agree that this joke was completely uncalled for. May I take you to Zonko's next Saturday to find a suitable repayment for our friend, the prankster?" James ran his hand through his already windblown hair and smiled expectantly. Remus could almost see him trying to will Lily to say yes this time.

"No, James," Lily mumbled as she stalked toward the girls' stairway.

James leapt to his feet and bounded toward the stairs, trying to intercept her. "Leaving so soon? I was wondering if you could help me with Potions …"

"Take a shower," she called over her shoulder, and she was gone.

Olivia turned to Remus and smiled, "Thanks." She followed Lily up the stairs to freshen up for dinner.

For a moment, the three boys stared at the floor. Then Sirius stood up, cracked his knuckles, and said, "Mischief managed. Well, I'm off." He started toward the boys' stairway, but was blocked by James. Sirius shot through the doorway under James's reaching arm, and Remus heard them both pounding up the stone stairs, yelling obscenities at each other.

Remus let his breath out in a long sigh; he hadn't realized he had been holding it. He walked back to the couch, straightened a pillow, and sat back down. He opened the book to the page his wand had marked and stared at it. He stared for a long time. When it finally occurred to him that he was reading the same sentence over and over, he closed the book again and looked out the window. The sun was now almost lost behind the horizon, and other students were pouring into the Common Room from the library and Quidditch practice.

Mischief managed, Remus thought wryly.