disclaimer - if only i could own them...unfortunatly i cants so its rather sad so i have to say they belong to JK Rowling and im sooo happy about the 7th book coming out like im liturally jumping up and down!!!!!!!!

Hogwarts Second Years

Chapter Seven – How To Make Friends

The exams were creeping up on them rather fast. Remus Lupin was often seen studying madly in either the library or the Common Room. The only other person studying as hard as him in Gryffindor was Lily Evans. She had growled at James and Sirius for walking and even snapped at Mackenzie and Cortessa for practicing Charms. The others had wisely kept out of her way. Remus was much calmer about the whole studying thing. It possibly came from having to share a room with the two loudest people in Gryffindor. As had happened last year, Remus managed to finally get the two boys to actually sit still and study. Maybe it was just him, but Remus had begun to notice that James and Sirius were slightly louder and more outgoing towards him and life in general the last month or so. They had also made up excuses for him to the other students who enquired where he was during full moons. True to his word, Remus had not lied to Sirius about anything. Still, he thought it highly unfair that while he studied hard at all his classes to get near the top, James and Sirius seemed to get there with no effort at all. As the exams drew closer, so to did the holidays. You learned never to mention the holidays around one Sirius Black. It would draw him into a foul and unpleasant mood which no one liked to be around. Late one night, as he sat studying and listening to the two boys rant about the last Quiditch game, Remus was glad to have friends like James and Sirius.

"Did you see that last goal I scored?" James was saying jumping on his bed. Sirius and Peter were currently pushing each other in hopes to get the other off the bed. It was clear neither boy was listening to James' rant. Remus smiled slightly and continued with his study. It wasn't until James sat beside him that he realised James had stopped talking. Sirius and Peter were now rolling on the ground, play fighting.

"It was a good game James!" Remus assured which caused James to grin happily.

"So would you like to come to my house for a week or two in the holidays?" asked James. Remus glanced up at Sirius and watched as he proceeded to get Peter off the bed before jumping up and leaving the room.

"What about Sirius?" he asked.

"Oh, well we're working on that and if all else fails he is just going to Floo over each day!" James said dismissively. He looked around the room and failing to find Sirius turned to Remus once more. "Where'd he go?"

"He left, mumbling about talking to Bella or Andy," supplied Peter. James groaned and jumped up, pulling Remus up as he did so.

"Come on, we have to find him, stupid prat, he's going to get himself killed with Bellatrix!" cried James racing to the door and down the steps. Unfortunately he ran into Lily at the bottom. Both children went flying and landed in a tangled heap. Predictably, Lily started to shout as she tried to get away from James. Poor James tried to apologise as he untangled himself but unfortunately they only succeeded in tangling themselves even worse. Peter was sitting on the steps laughing quietly at James along with Mackenzie who had joined him. Remus stood slightly to the side and watched quietly. Alice came to join him. Then they were to witness a very rare event. James finally lost his temper and began to shout at Lily. As only twelve year olds can, the two were soon yelling and screaming at each other now only standing one foot apart. Remus winced as Peter and Mackenzie were suddenly silent. Alice only sighed. She motioned for Remus to help her separate the two squabbling twelve year olds. Remus was only too happy to comply; after all, James had dragged him down here. It took a bit of effort, and when Peter decided to help they achieved their task so much faster! Between the two of them, they got James out of the Common Room and frog marched him a way down the corridor. Eventually James calmed down enough to walk by himself. Remus and Peter shot him hesitant looks until finally Remus gained the courage to talk to him.

"Hey James, are you all right now?" he asked afraid that James would snap at him. To his surprise, James just grinned.

"Wait till I tell Sirius about this!" the former angry boy said full of cheer. Remus and Peter exchanged looks before following James down the corridor. They would find Sirius and go back to their room and revise for the exams. At least that is what Remus thought. As they drew closer to the Great Hall they could hear the sounds of a loud fight. It took James and Remus a little longer than Peter to figure out who it was.

"That's Sirius! Can you hear him?" Peter asked the other two before taking off and running the rest of the way. Indeed it was. James and Remus skidded to a stop beside Peter, who was standing on tip toe to see the fight. James being the taller one grabbed Remus and Peter and proceeded to drag them through the crowd. When they reached the front Remus began to wish they hadn't. Sirius and his cousin Bellatrix were currently rolling on the ground punching and kicking each other as well as shouting as loud as they could. Behind them, near the steps to the dungeons, stood a few second years from Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Remus saw Melody Applewhite looking very pale and shaking slightly. For some reason he would always remember her pale face with her large blue eyes looking straight at him. He also saw Severus Snape. Beside him stood Taliyah Parkinson with a scowl across her face. Remus tore his gaze away from his fellow students and instead looked at the fighting cousins. It was hard to tell them apart really. Remus remembered when he first met them. They looked like twins. Both had clearly loved each other and trusted each other. In fact, on the train they were always together. Then Bellatrix got sorted into Slytherin and Sirius Gryffindor. At first they had seemed all right with that, sitting together during classes and lunch. Then Remus knew that Scarlett had started a false rumour about Sirius in the Slytherin group and a horrible rumour about Bellatrix that she knew would get to Sirius in the Gryffindor group. It had been horrible to see that once strong bond dissolve. It was truly horrible to know that one small girl could break a friendship that seemed it would last for ever. Now the cousins could barely pass each other without saying or doing something nasty.

Remus was jolted from his thoughts as James came to life. The skinny Chaser jumped into the middle of the fight and began to push Sirius back. Sirius refused to comply. He fought against James, yelling at Bellatrix.

"Aw, does little Siri need a body guard?" teased Bellatrix.

"Let go James! Shut up you stupid hag!" Sirius yelled pushing against James.

"Stop it Sirius! You're going to get in trouble!" James grunted not letting go of Sirius. He now had his arms wrapped around his friend's body, pinning his arms to his side. Still Sirius fought. As if to prove James right, two Prefects came around the corner. Bellatrix immediately turned to one.

"Oh Lucius, did you see what Sirius and James did!" she cried dramatically. The tall pale boy strode forward and looked at the gathered crowd. As if on cue, they began to vanish. The other Prefect was Andromeda. She glanced first at her cousin then her sister. Bellatrix glared back.

"Now Trixi, I do hope you were not fighting!" she said with a slight frown. James was still struggling with Sirius so Remus stepped forward to help. Right at that moment, Lucius Malfoy decided to step in. He grabbed Sirius by the back of his robes and pulled him from James' grasp.

"I think 30 points off for fighting and a further 10 if you don't stop!" he said sternly giving Sirius a shake.

"Why don't you go throw yourself off" he got no further as James raced forward and slapped his hand over Sirius' mouth.

"Thank you Malfoy!" smiled James tugging Sirius from the older boy's hands. Once that was done, he began to back away dragging a protesting Sirius with him. This time Remus came to help. Andromeda was talking to her sister and Lucius Malfoy watched them go with what seemed to be regret.

Sirius did not calm down until they were nearly at the Common Room. James did not let him go until they were safely in their room and the door was firmly shut. Then he pushed Sirius away from him and into the chair.

"Are you completely stupid!" shouted James glaring at Sirius, who cowered back in his chair. "Why did you fight in the first place? You know Bellatrix can beat you easily!" James began to pace back and forward in front of Sirius who was fiddling with the corner of his robes. Remus and Peter sat on Frank's bed and watched James unleash his temper on Sirius. Remus wondered why Sirius let James yell at him. Little did he know that it would happen again in the future. The next time would be worse. The next time would involve him. And the next time would involve a near death that would pull them closer together then ever before. But for now, in his thirteen year old mind, he wondered why Sirius did not retaliate.

"You silly prat!" cried James suddenly, "I don't want you ending up all broken! You're my best friend you goose!" And he pulled Sirius into a hug. It was perhaps the first hug that James had given his friend and maybe the first hug that Sirius had received; it wasn't a long hug, just a quick wrap of the arms and a pulling away. But still, Sirius seemed to melt into it, drawing everything and anything he could from it. A fact Remus took into account. What kind of person did not get hugs?