AN: Yeah, so I decided to give Peter a... Maybe relatable character(?) It's just something that came to me when I was writing this. Please tell me what you think, if you like :) It's always interesting to hear your reviews :)
Remus wasn't sure when he'd gone to sleep, but he evidently had, as he woke up on a dark, cold morning. He groaned, as he checked his watch. It was only 5 am. He groaned and stood up silently. He got dressed, and sat on his bed for a while, mulling over what to do before breakfast. He frowned, looking around at the other, still sleeping Marauders. He glanced over at Sirius' bed, the raven-haired boy snuggled against his pillow. Remus looked away, sighing. He shook his head, and stood up, heading out of the dormitory. He sat in the Common Room, looking around the bright, vibrant room. Even in darkness, it seemed to radiate happiness. He loved this place, truly he did. It was so calm on mornings like this, and seemed to take the edge off the cold. He lay on the couch, looking out of the window on the side of the tower. The last stars were still shining, and the November chill was settling in. The stars weren't very bright, but they glimmered all the same, looking somewhat like streetlamps in the dimming darkness. Remus rubbed his eyes, still sleep-filled from the too-early start. He smiled to himself, revelling in the discretion and isolation that the room granted him, though the events of the previous night still weighed heavily on his mind. He didn't mean to upset anyone but... He couldn't go to that party. He was sick of seeing Sirius and James go off snogging anyone they laid eyes on, while he hung awkwardly around. Peter was always there to talk to, though most of his conversations revolved around Sirius, James or Remus though he seemed to enjoy self-deprecating too. Poor guy. Remus thought, sadly. Peter was a nice guy, truth be told. He was just misguided in who he adored. Of course, Sirius and James revelled in the idea of being adored by Peter. Remus shook his head. Peter was smart. He just didn't know how to use it properly. Someday, Remus thought, that's gonna be the thing that causes a lot of trouble.
Sirius was asleep. Rather deeply, if he said so himself. He was lain in a weird position, arms and legs strewn all over the four-poster. He never drew the curtains, he never needed to. So, he just slept in whatever position he found comfortable, for all the world to see or, at least, the Marauders and the other boy they shared a dorm with. Many times, Sirius had been awoken by Remus, James or Peter, long after he should have been. Thankfully, his teachers always seemed to be lenient enough to let him off with the odd sleep-in. Plus, it wasn't like James hadn't slept in more than once. Especially if there'd been a party the night before. Peter never slept-in, seeming to have a natural clock for this sort of thing, waking up precisely when he needed to. Remus always seemed to be an early riser, however. He knew why Remus was an early riser. It was his 'condition', as they subtly put it. Sirius always assumed insomnia was a part of the lycanthropy, though he'd never directly asked Remus about it, feeling it impolite to ask. He may have hated his family, but Sirius Black was raised with manners. He knew asking if them being a werewolf made them an insomniac was not polite. He might have been a troublemaker, but he respected the privacy of his friends. Remus was his friend, and it was his secret. When thinking about this, Sirius found himself awake. Secrets... Sirius sighed, shaking his head, Yeah... There's plenty of them. Sirius gave up on the idea of sleep, and got dressed. There were lessons today, but Sirius didn't care. There were no bad lessons. Just lessons where he could have a laugh with his friends, flirt and forget secrets. Sirius got dressed, looking slightly dishevelled, a look he thought made him look more attractive, and headed into the Common Room, finding only one other figure there.
Remus was still sat, staring out of the Common Room window. The night had changed in the hour he had been sat down there, and he knew that, soon enough, people would start streaming down, saying their 'Good Morning's and their 'How are you's. Remus sighed softly. He really treasured the moments he had alone, and they were unfortunately few, and rather far between. His enhanced senses came into play when he heart footsteps clicking on the steps. He knew that noise. It was Sirius, and those shoes he thought made him sound cool, but just made him sound obvious. Remus frowned tightly, seeing the familiar mane of dark hair descend the stairs. "You haven't brushed your hair, Pads." Remus said quietly. He could hear Sirius' faint chuckle.
"Really?" Sirius asked softly, moving to sit in the armchair opposite Remus. "I hadn't noticed."
"Well, I did. Like, the minute you came down those steps, and seemed to be even more dog-haired than usual." Remus looked at him and smiled mischievously. Dog puns were so easy to come by.
"Oh?" Sirius asked, smiling the same smile back at him. "The weather does look beastly outside, doesn't it, Moony?" Sirius asked, obviously struggling to keep a straight, serious-looking face.
"Hmm. I agree." Remus smiled, mind working quickly. He wouldn't be beaten at this. "I fear the day's progress may be slightly dogged by it." Remus glanced at Sirius' reaction, the glint in his eyes getting even more intense.
"Yes, quite." Sirius nodded at his friend. "I do hope they open breakfast soon, I'm feeling rather ravenous, aren't you?" He asked, looking Remus square in the eye, receiving only a smirk in return.
"Quite..." Remus nodded, looking thoughtful. "I must say, Pads, the day does look rather grim." At this one, Sirius looked confused. Remus could feel his stone-face crack, and he soon began to double in laughter. Sirius just looked at him in utter confusion. "You know..." Remus began, still grinning at Sirius' confusion, "A Grim? Divination? Big, black dog? Omen of death?" Sirius took all this in and, a few seconds later, broke into a grin of realisation.
"Oooooooh!" The raven-haired boy laughed. "Good one." He grinned, and looked slyly at Remus. "Does that make me your death omen?" He grinned and tried to look as evil as possible, succeeding in only increasing Remus' laughter.
"Erm..." Remus chuckled. "If you like?" He shrugged. Sirius' smile seemed to calm a bit, turning into a genuine smile, a smile of friendship. Remus' heart skipped several beats.
"I'd like that." Sirius said, almost in a whisper.
It was only a moment later when, awoken by the laughter, James wandered down the stairs, glasses askew with rushed placement. His clothes were messy but, then again, they always were. He liked the look of them. "What're you two doing?" He asked, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses. "It's like 6 in the morning." He frowned, and his voice seemed very tired, and slightly irritated.
"I couldn't sleep." Remus shrugged, seeming to shrink slightly."
"I could. But I woke up. Decided to come down, and found Moony already here." Sirius said in a cheerful voice. James rolled his eyes at the two.
"Okay." James sighed, and slumped on the couch, sitting beside Remus. "Petey's still asleep, little angel." He jested, chuckling at himself. Remus looked up towards the dormitory, frowning softly.
"Something wrong, Moony?" Sirius asked, seeing Remus' expression.
"Oh?" Remus asked, in slight surprise. Despite his lack of being able to sleep, he still felt exhausted, and his reactions were slowed, and his brain didn't feel right. "Oh, nothing." He smiled easily, slouching back on the couch, kicking his legs up on the table. Remus caught a quick frown cross Sirius' face, but it quickly disappeared, lost in a smile. Remus glanced at James. He was looking out of the window.
"It's gonna be a dark day." James mumbled, looking around. "Possibly a storm."
"Yeah, 'spect so." Sirius agreed. "But, hey... We can cause trouble inside!" He grinned at James. James laughed, looking at Sirius.
"Yeah, I guess we can." James nodded, smiling widely. The two launched into a quiet conversation of what they could do to cause trouble. Remus rolled his eyes. All they'd get was a detention and a firm telling-off from McGonagall. Remus chuckled softly. His friends would never learn, but Remus loved that. He loved that his friends would, seemingly, be youthful forever. That, as long as they were around, no bad could come from the world. Even in this time of war, Remus had faith that his friends could live it out with a smile on their faces. Remus knew that in his heart. That was their nature. Remus' smile faded a little. Their, he reminded himself. Sure, they could live it out... But could he? Remus knew that he would be hard pressed to make any sort of decent life in the Wizarding World, what with his furry little problem. He didn't want to worry about that yet, though. So, he smiled, and looked at the two best friends in front of him.
Peter was alone in the dormitory. They thought he was asleep, but he wasn't. No, he'd seen Remus leave, then Sirius, and finally James. It was with little anger, and much sadness he considered whether his friends would do that for him. He hated doing that. Hated thinking like that. But it was hard, when it was presented to him that their friendship had a hierarchy. Peter knew he was just someone who could admire the boys. He knew that was his role. The Marauders, as they'd chosen to call them, had a hierarchy. Not everyone could see it. But Peter knew it was there. He wasn't in their league. He knew that, too. But he didn't like that. Peter was sat against the headboard, looking into the distance. He shook his head, his blonde hair brushing against his head as he did. He put on the usual, jolly smile, and looked down at his pudgy frame. His smile was all he really had for himself. He wasn't as talented as his friends, and people knew that. Peter always shrugged off those comments, but they still stung. Peter felt his smile tug downwards, but he cast it off. They were his best friends. And he loved them more than anything. Peter shrugged, got dressed, and headed down, finding Sirius and James in conversation, and Remus sat on the couch a little away from them. Peter took a deep breath, and joined them.
Remus was the first to notice Peter's presence. He saw the chubby boy walking down, and smiled kindly at him. He received a pleasant smile back, as Peter plopped himself next to Remus. Remus glanced at Peter, whose eyes were unusually sad. "You ok, Petey?" Remus asked softly, looking at his friend.
"Hmm? Yes, I'm fine, Remus." Peter smiled brightly at Remus, and the two returned their gazes to the other two boys. Remus stole glances at Peter every now and again, feeling concerned for him. "Have you seen the storm, Wormy?" Remus asked, glancing out the window. Peter glanced too.
"Hmm. Seems bad." Peter smiled softly. "Ah well, doesn't bother me. I'll just stay inside."
"I guess so. I'll probably be in the library. Gotta do some studying for Transfiguration after lunch. Wanna join me?" Remus asked, looking at the boy beside him. Peter seemed to consider it for a minute.
"Nah, I think I'll just hang around with them two." Peter shrugged casually. Remus nodded.
"Alright." He shrugged.
"Prongs, that won't work. The dungbombs won't give us enough time to run." Sirius was saying.
"Alright... Maybe if we charmed them?" James replied, sounding hopeful. Sirius paused. Remus smiles softly, then turned as he heard footsteps.
"Shh!" He warned them quietly. They fell silent quickly. A red head of hair appeared down the stairs. Lily.
"What on Earth are you all doing up so early?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. "As a prefect- Oh, hello, Remus." She blinked as she saw Remus on the couch, who smiled at her.
"Good morning, Lily." Remus glanced at James, who had moved away from Sirius slightly, his hands behind his back. Remus also saw Sirius glance at him. He thought little of this, and smiled at him. He saw Sirius smile back, and turn back to look at Lily.
"Morning, Peter." Lily smiled at the boy, who smiled pleasantly back. "So... Why are you all up so early?"
"Marauders Meeting." James shrugged casually, though he seemed a little nervous. Remus saw Lily roll her eyes, but a small smile was also visible.
"Oh, really? About?" The redhead asked, causing James to fiddle with his fingers.
"Nothing, Miss Prefect." Sirius piped up, smiling slyly at her. Remus kept his gaze on him for longer than he usually would. That smile... Was that the smile he used just before he got those girls into his sheets? Remus almost shuddered at the thought. He didn't want to think about that; about them. He looked once again at Sirius, and observed every part of his face, every perfect detail. Remus looked away for a second, realising the conversation had gone on while he was staring. He zoned back in, seeing everyone looking at James.
"Sorry, Potter?" Lily asked him, having gone red. Remus wondered what the heck he'd missed.
"Erm... Wouldyouliketogotothepartywithme?" James asked very quickly, so quickly Remus barely caught it.
"Slower?" Lily pressed, blinking at him. James collected himself, glancing around at the other Marauders, seemingly for help.
"He said... Would you, Lily Evans, like to accompany him, James Potter, to the Christmas Party in a few weeks?" Sirius said, seemingly weary of the conversation. Both Lily and James went utterly red, inspiring a laugh from Sirius, a chuckle from Remus and a snort of laughter from Peter.
"Erm..." Lily stammered, looking around at them all. James looked (and felt) doomed.
"Y-You don't have to." James was saying, though he was stuttering. Remus caught a hushed whisper of "I'm going to kill you, Sirius." but seemed to be the only one bar Sirius who heard it.
"Let me think, Potter... Just give me a while." Lily said, and rushed back up stairs. James turned to Sirius, face contorted in an unusual form of rage, usually reflected in the eyes of Slytherins, not the grey eyes of his best friend.
"What in Merlin's name did you do that for?" James asked, speaking through gritted teeth.
"Well, you weren't going to do it, so I did." Sirius seemed to be treating it as if it were a joke, and Remus felt himself pale. Any chance of a relationship, he now realised, was impossible. It wouldn't be serious to him. It would all be a joke. Remus stood.
"Ex-" He stopped, and took a breath. "Don't wait up." He said quickly, and went back to the dormitory.
Sirius was worried. It had been a few hours since he had seen Remus. He had been absent from their first lesson, and Slughorn had noticed. James casually brushed it off, saying that Remus was ill. Sirius was concerned that his friend was feeling sad. He'd noticed certain things in Remus that he hadn't before. He was distancing himself from them, though Sirius didn't know why. The way he'd reacted when Sirius had asked who he'd liked had surprised him, too. He had been so... Closed, that Sirius felt like he'd done something badly wrong. Sirius wasn't worried. He was scared. Scared that he was losing one of his best friends, and he had no idea why. Lily hadn't told him why he was feeling sad, though he'd asked her at the end of Potions. She simply said 'You wouldn't understand', and left him with that. Sirius was annoyed. What wouldn't he understand? Surely that was his decision to make? Sirius held his head in his hands at the Gryffindor Table, while James and Peter mulled over a piece of Charms homework. "Something up, Pads?" James asked, turning to see his best friend look the picture of misery.
"No, just... Remus. Where is he?" Sirius looked at James, as if he'd have the answer.
"Dorm, I suppose?" James asked, frowning. "Why?"
"What if something's happened?" Sirius asked, showing an unusual amount of concern.
"What would have happened to him?" James asked, smiling amusedly.
"I don't know... This isn't funny, James." Sirius' voice turned firm. "What if we're losing him?"
"Mate..." James began, his smile fading. "We aren't losing him." Sirius sighed softly, shaking his head.
"What if we are?" He asked, before standing up and leaving.
Outside of the castle, an almost supernatural storm was brewing. Lightning forked, thunder clashed and torrential rain pelted the ground only a mile or so away from Hogwarts. It was quickly approaching. It was big, and it was approaching fast. Hogsmeade's streets were deserted, and rain pelted the cobbled streets, threatening to flood. Thunder boomed around the village, terrifying the local children, as well as older occupants. It would be Hogwarts next. And it would be bigger, then.
