Chapter Five

Remus crept back into the dormitory, his footfalls almost silent. He winced as door screeched metallically at the touch. He stopped, barely breathing, praying that nobody was awake to hear it.

"Remus?"

No such luck.

Sirius sprang up from his bed, gaze wide and frantic. Remus couldn't help but notice the boy's new position was blocking the path to his own bed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Sirius whispered, clearly concerned. "I was – Jesus Christ, what happened to your face?"

Remus cursed inwardly. The light of the full moon was pouring in through the window, illuminating his raw cuts and bruises. Sirius' silver eyes – and they were silver, he saw, under the moonlight – flared up in anger, and though he knew it wasn't directed at him, it was unnerving to behold.

"Are you being fucked around?" Sirius growled. "'Cause I swear, Remus, we can make those bastards pay."

"No! No, no one's bullying me... it's not that..."

"What? Then what happened?"

"Nothing... it's fine, I'm fine..."

"Yeah, everything's fine," Sirius sneered. "I've heard that before." His face softened. "Remus, talk to me. We haven't known each other very long, but..."

"Yeah, we haven't! So just leave me alone, alright?" Remus burst out. And before Sirius could say another word, Remus stormed past him, ripping his bed curtains closed so carelessly that the ends tore into scarlet ribbons.

He was just so sick of the colour red.

"I can't believe it happened so soon – and you were doing so well, too..."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Just keep coming here, practice your breathing exercises... and maybe don't go to any more soccer matches."

"Thank you."

The woman's purple lips raised in a gentle smile, lighting up russet eyes.

"You're welcome, Remus."

"What's going on with the new kid?" James asked at morning break. Sirius gave a non-committal grunt, head still cushioned in his arms.

"Come on. He disappeared Saturday afternoon, came back last night, and then missed English. If he wants to keep his scholarship, he's going the wrong way about it."

"I don't know, okay? We've only known him a week."

"Yeah, but you –"

"Leave it. Okay?" Sirius said shortly.

"Okay, no need to bite my head off."

"You'd probably look better that way."

"Shove off."

"Maybe Evans'd go out with you if I did."

"Yeah right," a passing Lily remarked, rolling her emerald eyes. James appeared momentarily crestfallen, before spying a newspaper under Sirius.

"So what's happening in the world?" he asked lightly, never one to be bogged down by his friend's moodiness.

"Oh, you know. Politicians lying; wars being fought; some kid was brutally tortured... All in all, another swell day."

"You know, sometimes I wonder why I bother."

Their conversation (or lack thereof) was interrupted by a small, nervous cough. "Hi, guys."

James and Sirius turned to see Remus standing shiftily behind them, biting his lip anxiously.

"Hey Remus," James greeted easily, looking between the two boys. "Well, I'm gonna go track down Pete before drama, or he might get stupid ideas... like that he actually has to go to drama."

Sirius just snorted, dropping his silky-haired head back onto his arms, while Remus maladroitly placed himself in the seat that James had just vacated.

"We have psych, Sirius," he said softly. Glancing around, he saw that most of the students were already dispersing. But Sirius seemed to be in his own little angst-bubble.

"I'm sorry," Remus murmured. "I know you were just trying to help."

Sirius remained silent.

Growing somewhat annoyed now, Remus' eyes narrowed. "We all have secrets, Sirius. I know you do. So don't act like you have the right to be offended."

Grey eyes peered up at him, then Sirius emerged with a sigh. "I've never been on the other side of it before," he admitted, "been the one worrying. It's always..." He looked away for a moment, deep in thought, before turning back to face Remus. "I'll leave it alone for now," he said composedly. "But eventually, you will tell me."

Remus stared into Sirius' stormy gaze and replied, "Same to you."

Exchanging quick, somewhat uncomfortable smiles, the two rose from the table and left for psych, each lost in their own contemplations. The newspaper lay abandoned, still turned to the page which proclaimed: Child Found Murdered.

a/n: Now, why didn't I bet with anything quantitative?

Thanks to: My Own Love Song (none of the above), subaru1999, Padfoot's Blondie (polo is an English sport, a bit like croquet on horses. Also, 11am is indeed too early for anything involving, you know... movement), marauders716 (cough), Matchstick Fighter (cough), yayzerzz i can haz squip (nope, have other plotlines to insert. Mwahahaha), marauders o.o (working on it), and Joelle8 (oh... I guess I don't know what American football is then. Also, deal *shakes hand*) for reviewing chapters three and/or four. I forgot last time... heh ^.^'

Since this chapter is way too short: announcing the debut of the extras section. Enjoy.

Extra: The Way We Were #1

Veruca Swine was clamouring with noise as all over the castle, new students were thrown in rooms together and expected to get along. In Gryffindor Tower, three such students were gazing around awkwardly. Well, two were. The other one (who didn't do awkward), was staring haughtily out the window as though severely bored by their very presence.

One of the boys, bespectacled and messy-haired, decided to break the silence by announcing, "I'm James Potter!"

Which frankly seemed a bit egocentric.

"I-I'm Peter Pettigrew," said another, round-bodied and frantic. James looked expectantly at the other, who sighed.

"Sirius Black," said the bored-looking boy in a long-suffering way. James' eyebrows shot up.

"I thought all Blacks went to Slytherin?" he asked bluntly.

"Apparently not," Sirius replied frostily.

"My family's been in all of them," Peter put in eagerly. He was ignored.

"I heard your family hates inta– inta..."

"Inter-class associations," Sirius interrupted, rolling his heavy-lidded eyes.

"Yeah. So?"

"So what?"

"So is it true?"

"Is what?"

"That –" James halted, grumbling loudly in frustration. "You know! You just said it!"

"Said what?" Sirius asked innocently, contrasting with his rather malevolent smirk. This boy was fun to bicker with. (His brother Regulus always called for their mother, the pansy.)

So from that day forward, James and Sirius argued all the time. Naturally by the end of the week they were the best of friends.

Guys: who knows what goes on in their minds?