Author's note: OK, well, thanks to everyone who liked Just Good Friends.
I'm probably not going to add any more chapters to that; I don't think
there's much more I can do with it. There will be more Remus & Sirius,
though. This is the prequel to Just Good Friends, set a couple of days
before. So, there will be lots of Remus/Sirius tension (or that's the
theory) but neither of them are admitting anything yet. I may add a bit of
Lily & James in, too, in later chapters.
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling. And if you thought I was. shame on you. I'm just having a bit of fun with her characters while I wait for the next book/movie.
Rating: I'm not very good with ratings. PG, I guess.
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Remus groaned and shifted ever so slightly on the couch. The arm of the sofa was not a great pillow, but the effort it would take to locate a cushion seemed far too much right then.
"Come on, Moony," said Peter, stifling a grin. "It's not that bad."
"Speak for yourself," he retorted, yawning. "I swear, as great as you guys are, I sometimes wonder if I'd have been better off with less friends and more sleep."
They all laughed, and Sirius flicked a couple of Every Flavour Beans at him. Remus did not give him the satisfaction of a reaction, though that was largely because he was too tired to think of one.
He was not entirely sure how the others had managed to get away without being just as tired as he was. After all, everyone knew that where you found one Marauder out of bed and out of bounds, the other three would be close by. Unless, of course, it was James sneaking out to see Lily.
He couldn't help but smile at that; poor James had no idea that they had not only seen him leave two nights ago but had laid bets on how long he would be. As it happened, Sirius won that bet. Only he had been awake to see James sneak back in; Remus and Peter having dropped off long before.
Oh, wait. Yes, that was it. While they had been waiting for Sirius to get back, James and Peter had both fallen asleep in their armchairs. They must have got in a good two or three hours while Remus had stayed awake, unable to rest until he knew Sirius had escaped trouble and trying to convince himself that he would have done the same for any of his friends. All of which completely failed to explain why Sirius was not also virtually comatose, but then he had long ago realised that Sirius had almost unlimited reserves of energy. At least he was not *quite* as chirpy as James and Peter.
Another Bean bounced off his forehead.
"Ah, you're no fun, Moony," whined Sirius. "I'm bored."
"It's your own fault. If you hadn't taken so long to get back here I'd... we'd all have got more sleep. And," he added with a huge yawn, "if you're that bored you can give me a back-rub. I'm all achy." It was two days to full moon, so of course his muscles were all tied in knots. But, as surprised as he had been when Sirius had first offered him a back-rub - both boys refused to call them massages - they did seem to work.
"I've been told I'm good at it," Sirius had said, actually sounding modest for once. No doubt it had been one of his many girlfriends who had told him so, but she had been right. One more thing to add to the never- ending list of Sirius' talents.
Remus lifted his head a fraction to wait for a reply, opening his eyes slightly. Sirius sighed. He could no more resist that hopeful look than he could stop breathing. Not that he really needed too much persuasion, he admitted to himself. He enjoyed giving the back-rubs almost as much as Remus seemed to enjoy getting them.
He got to his feet and Remus flashed him a quick grin as he rolled onto his front. Perching on the edge of the sofa, by Remus' legs, he began to rub his friend's shoulders, forcing himself to ignore Remus' quiet sign of contentment. James and Peter did not comment. To begin with they had teased both of them mercilessly, but they were used to this ritual by now. After a particularly stressful Quidditch match or practice, James had even been known to request a back-rub of his own.
"You know this works better when it's not through your robes," he teased. Well, it did. It wasn't just because he liked to see Remus with his shirt off. Of course not.
Remus laughed. "Not even for you, Sirius Black, will I strip off in the middle of the common room." Sirius, of course, had a reputation as the sort of person who could get most people to strip off quite willingly.
James and Peter laughed appreciatively.
"I bet I know someone who would, for him," said Peter, grinning.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me... Jennifer Bletchley." The fifth year Ravenclaw had a crush on him that bordered on the obsessive, and his friends lost no opportunity to remind him of it.
"Probably," agreed Peter, "but that's not who I meant." He threw a little glance towards James, to see if he knew what was coming. "She's got competition, apparently."
For some reason, James found this inordinately amusing, and went into peals of laughter. Sirius ignored him, concentrating on a particularly tense spot in Remus' back. His friend looked so relaxed, Sirius was almost surprised he was not purring. Do wolves purr? He wondered absently. Probably not. Oh well, if he had a tail at the moment, he'd be wagging it.
Damn, Sirius, wake up, you prat! He pulled himself out of his reverie to find that thankfully no one seemed to have noticed it, and that James had finally stopped laughing.
"Go on then. Who?" He did not care one way or another, but it was expected of him to ask.
"Andrea Zwinge," replied Peter triumphantly. "Her sister told me."
Sirius' eyebrows shot up, momentarily distracted, until a disgruntled sound from Remus drew his attention back to his task. Andrea Zwinge was probably the prettiest girl in school, and she was notoriously hard to get.
James seemed equally surprised. "Andrea Zwinge?" he echoed incredulously. "Surely not. What on earth would she see in Sirius?"
"Hmm... let me think." Sirius put on a face of mock-concentration. "It wouldn't be that I'm intelligent, charming... *very* good at back rubs... and so good looking I should be illegal, would it?" For all the good it does me.
"Save me," said Remus as James and Peter groaned, somehow speaking distinctly despite the fact that his face was buried in the sofa. "Save me from Sirius' ego before it swamps us all. Not that you *aren't* very good at back-rubs," he added in a conciliatory tone, peering round at Sirius with one dark eye.
"Ser. really," said Peter when he had stopped laughing. "Have you seen them pass each other in the corridors? Andrea and Jennifer, I mean. The way they glare at each other... there'll be a catfight before long."
"They can fight over me if they want," said Sirius, trying not to sound too smug. "I'm sure it'll provide wonderful entertainment for everyone."
James and Peter agreed vehemently. Remus said nothing. As he was half asleep that was only to be expected, but Sirius did wonder what he thought of it all.
"It's been a while since you've had a girlfriend," remarked James, sounding slightly surprised. Yes, there was that reputation again. It never used to bother him, knowing that everyone thought him... well, if not quite a slut then certainly getting that way. But recently it had been bugging him. It was hardly flattering. And if James knew *why* he had not had a girlfriend for so long, he would be even more surprised.
"Go on, Padfoot," James continued. "Ask Andrea out. It'd be worth it just to see the looks on everyone's faces."
"Nah," replied Sirius, trying to sound offhand. "Not interested. In either of them."
"Careful, Padfoot," mumbled Remus through the sofa. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
He wrinkled up his face in disgust. "Hell hath no *what*?" he repeated. He paused in his massaging to swipe playfully at Remus' head. "Are you quoting at me again? We've discussed this, Moony; there's really no point throwing culture at me. I'm quite happy being uncultured." His point made, he started rubbing the small of Remus' back, where he knew it always ached worst in the lead up to the full moon.
"Whatever you say," agreed Remus vaguely. "Just don't stop doing that."
Sirius blinked. He knew Remus enjoyed these sessions, but that admission of just how much was... surprising. Peter and James laughed uproariously. Remus lifted his head and peered sleepily at them through a curtain of light brown hair.
"What?" he asked.
"Well," chuckled James, "we know how to get you to agree to anything now. Just offer you a backrub."
"Oh, I doubt it would have the same effect from you, Prongs," he sighed contentedly. Sirius' hands faltered. Had he really just heard Remus say that?
It suddenly dawned on Remus what he had just said. "After all," he added hastily, "Padfoot has so much more experience." Oh, smooth, Remus, he thought irritably. Good save. No, really.
He buried his head further into the sofa, to hide the fact that he was blushing furiously and to save him having to see James and Peter's reactions to that humiliating statement.
"Guess you'll just have to stick to bribing him with chocolate, Prongs," said Sirius cheerfully. It covered Remus' sudden embarrassment, and for that he was terribly grateful.
"Chocolate works," he agreed amiably.
He really did need more sleep. He had just opened his mouth and the words had spilled out with no intervention from his brain. In case it happened again, he resolved to keep his mouth quite firmly shut until he had caught up on all the sleep he missed last night.
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling. And if you thought I was. shame on you. I'm just having a bit of fun with her characters while I wait for the next book/movie.
Rating: I'm not very good with ratings. PG, I guess.
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Remus groaned and shifted ever so slightly on the couch. The arm of the sofa was not a great pillow, but the effort it would take to locate a cushion seemed far too much right then.
"Come on, Moony," said Peter, stifling a grin. "It's not that bad."
"Speak for yourself," he retorted, yawning. "I swear, as great as you guys are, I sometimes wonder if I'd have been better off with less friends and more sleep."
They all laughed, and Sirius flicked a couple of Every Flavour Beans at him. Remus did not give him the satisfaction of a reaction, though that was largely because he was too tired to think of one.
He was not entirely sure how the others had managed to get away without being just as tired as he was. After all, everyone knew that where you found one Marauder out of bed and out of bounds, the other three would be close by. Unless, of course, it was James sneaking out to see Lily.
He couldn't help but smile at that; poor James had no idea that they had not only seen him leave two nights ago but had laid bets on how long he would be. As it happened, Sirius won that bet. Only he had been awake to see James sneak back in; Remus and Peter having dropped off long before.
Oh, wait. Yes, that was it. While they had been waiting for Sirius to get back, James and Peter had both fallen asleep in their armchairs. They must have got in a good two or three hours while Remus had stayed awake, unable to rest until he knew Sirius had escaped trouble and trying to convince himself that he would have done the same for any of his friends. All of which completely failed to explain why Sirius was not also virtually comatose, but then he had long ago realised that Sirius had almost unlimited reserves of energy. At least he was not *quite* as chirpy as James and Peter.
Another Bean bounced off his forehead.
"Ah, you're no fun, Moony," whined Sirius. "I'm bored."
"It's your own fault. If you hadn't taken so long to get back here I'd... we'd all have got more sleep. And," he added with a huge yawn, "if you're that bored you can give me a back-rub. I'm all achy." It was two days to full moon, so of course his muscles were all tied in knots. But, as surprised as he had been when Sirius had first offered him a back-rub - both boys refused to call them massages - they did seem to work.
"I've been told I'm good at it," Sirius had said, actually sounding modest for once. No doubt it had been one of his many girlfriends who had told him so, but she had been right. One more thing to add to the never- ending list of Sirius' talents.
Remus lifted his head a fraction to wait for a reply, opening his eyes slightly. Sirius sighed. He could no more resist that hopeful look than he could stop breathing. Not that he really needed too much persuasion, he admitted to himself. He enjoyed giving the back-rubs almost as much as Remus seemed to enjoy getting them.
He got to his feet and Remus flashed him a quick grin as he rolled onto his front. Perching on the edge of the sofa, by Remus' legs, he began to rub his friend's shoulders, forcing himself to ignore Remus' quiet sign of contentment. James and Peter did not comment. To begin with they had teased both of them mercilessly, but they were used to this ritual by now. After a particularly stressful Quidditch match or practice, James had even been known to request a back-rub of his own.
"You know this works better when it's not through your robes," he teased. Well, it did. It wasn't just because he liked to see Remus with his shirt off. Of course not.
Remus laughed. "Not even for you, Sirius Black, will I strip off in the middle of the common room." Sirius, of course, had a reputation as the sort of person who could get most people to strip off quite willingly.
James and Peter laughed appreciatively.
"I bet I know someone who would, for him," said Peter, grinning.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me... Jennifer Bletchley." The fifth year Ravenclaw had a crush on him that bordered on the obsessive, and his friends lost no opportunity to remind him of it.
"Probably," agreed Peter, "but that's not who I meant." He threw a little glance towards James, to see if he knew what was coming. "She's got competition, apparently."
For some reason, James found this inordinately amusing, and went into peals of laughter. Sirius ignored him, concentrating on a particularly tense spot in Remus' back. His friend looked so relaxed, Sirius was almost surprised he was not purring. Do wolves purr? He wondered absently. Probably not. Oh well, if he had a tail at the moment, he'd be wagging it.
Damn, Sirius, wake up, you prat! He pulled himself out of his reverie to find that thankfully no one seemed to have noticed it, and that James had finally stopped laughing.
"Go on then. Who?" He did not care one way or another, but it was expected of him to ask.
"Andrea Zwinge," replied Peter triumphantly. "Her sister told me."
Sirius' eyebrows shot up, momentarily distracted, until a disgruntled sound from Remus drew his attention back to his task. Andrea Zwinge was probably the prettiest girl in school, and she was notoriously hard to get.
James seemed equally surprised. "Andrea Zwinge?" he echoed incredulously. "Surely not. What on earth would she see in Sirius?"
"Hmm... let me think." Sirius put on a face of mock-concentration. "It wouldn't be that I'm intelligent, charming... *very* good at back rubs... and so good looking I should be illegal, would it?" For all the good it does me.
"Save me," said Remus as James and Peter groaned, somehow speaking distinctly despite the fact that his face was buried in the sofa. "Save me from Sirius' ego before it swamps us all. Not that you *aren't* very good at back-rubs," he added in a conciliatory tone, peering round at Sirius with one dark eye.
"Ser. really," said Peter when he had stopped laughing. "Have you seen them pass each other in the corridors? Andrea and Jennifer, I mean. The way they glare at each other... there'll be a catfight before long."
"They can fight over me if they want," said Sirius, trying not to sound too smug. "I'm sure it'll provide wonderful entertainment for everyone."
James and Peter agreed vehemently. Remus said nothing. As he was half asleep that was only to be expected, but Sirius did wonder what he thought of it all.
"It's been a while since you've had a girlfriend," remarked James, sounding slightly surprised. Yes, there was that reputation again. It never used to bother him, knowing that everyone thought him... well, if not quite a slut then certainly getting that way. But recently it had been bugging him. It was hardly flattering. And if James knew *why* he had not had a girlfriend for so long, he would be even more surprised.
"Go on, Padfoot," James continued. "Ask Andrea out. It'd be worth it just to see the looks on everyone's faces."
"Nah," replied Sirius, trying to sound offhand. "Not interested. In either of them."
"Careful, Padfoot," mumbled Remus through the sofa. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
He wrinkled up his face in disgust. "Hell hath no *what*?" he repeated. He paused in his massaging to swipe playfully at Remus' head. "Are you quoting at me again? We've discussed this, Moony; there's really no point throwing culture at me. I'm quite happy being uncultured." His point made, he started rubbing the small of Remus' back, where he knew it always ached worst in the lead up to the full moon.
"Whatever you say," agreed Remus vaguely. "Just don't stop doing that."
Sirius blinked. He knew Remus enjoyed these sessions, but that admission of just how much was... surprising. Peter and James laughed uproariously. Remus lifted his head and peered sleepily at them through a curtain of light brown hair.
"What?" he asked.
"Well," chuckled James, "we know how to get you to agree to anything now. Just offer you a backrub."
"Oh, I doubt it would have the same effect from you, Prongs," he sighed contentedly. Sirius' hands faltered. Had he really just heard Remus say that?
It suddenly dawned on Remus what he had just said. "After all," he added hastily, "Padfoot has so much more experience." Oh, smooth, Remus, he thought irritably. Good save. No, really.
He buried his head further into the sofa, to hide the fact that he was blushing furiously and to save him having to see James and Peter's reactions to that humiliating statement.
"Guess you'll just have to stick to bribing him with chocolate, Prongs," said Sirius cheerfully. It covered Remus' sudden embarrassment, and for that he was terribly grateful.
"Chocolate works," he agreed amiably.
He really did need more sleep. He had just opened his mouth and the words had spilled out with no intervention from his brain. In case it happened again, he resolved to keep his mouth quite firmly shut until he had caught up on all the sleep he missed last night.