Just a little note to everyone who's reading this. I do not write the songs that the band sings, like I said in the first chapter. That last song was Celebrity Skin by Hole. It's awesome, I suggest you go to YouTube or something and listen to it. The version of 99 Red Balloons in this chapter is the Goldfinger version. I suggest you listen to that too.

Chapter 4

Masks, as it turned out, did work, as the owner of the club that the Marauders had played at for their first performance had recomended them to another owner who was in search of an act. Peter relayed this news to the rest of the group and they were elated to discover that they were in business. They were the real deal now. But there was something to dispute within the group that was making the group a little edgy. Some of them seemed to be uncomfortable with their particular instruments. Well, Remus was happy playing bass so he was trying to stay out of the conundrum. But James wanted to play bass and he kept telling Remus this. Cassie wanted to play guitar as well as sing, but she'd proven to the group that she couldn't do both at the same time. So now they were going through random switches, trying to see what suited eachother best. And it came to pass that Cassie was better at playing guitar than being a singer, so now the group didn't have a singer.

"Reeeemskie." James beckoned in a singsong voice. At the moment Remus was sitting up a tree on the Hogwarts grounds far higher than the rest of them could climb. Sirius had summoned James' broom only to discover that he'd broken a window in the process so now they were hiding it.

"For the last time, James, no! I don't want to sing!"

"But whyyyy Reeeemskie?" James whined.

"I could give you a million reasons why!" Remus shot back, folding his arms as he reached into his schoolbag and pulled out the syringe filled with Wolfsbane, that would help him maintain a more human appearance, at the moment he could feel its effect beginning to wane, so he was ambiguously attempting to stick it into his arm without anyone else seeing. Unfortunately the Wolfsbane syringe slipped out of his hand and shattered on the ground. Remus swore under his breath. From where James stood he attempted to repair it, but no such luck, there was probably a charm on the syringe set by one of the Healers that sent it to him from St.Mungo's.

"Well now you have to come down, Moony." said James firmly. Remus sighed and looked at his hand. His fingernails were becoming longer and pointed and his arm was becoming less boney. He felt his teeth lengthen in his mouth and his ears push back some of the shoulder length light brown hair on his head.

"Can you get the invisibility cloak?" he asked shyly as he fully reverted to his lack o' Wolfsbane form.While he was now as attractive as the rest of the young men he hung around with, save for Peter of course, he looked feral enough for people to be suspicious of what he truely was and Remus didn't like that. He watched carefully, making sure that if anyone got closer he'd disillusion himself. James left and returned some fifteen minutes later with the invisibility to find Remus clinging to a branch for dear life.

"What happened to you?" asked James curiously as Remus latched onto the trunk and climbed down carefully before taking the cloak from him and putting it on. James smirked at Remus, though he had only a general idea of where exactly he was.

"Branch broke." he replied dully. "Why're you smiling like that?"

"Becaaaaaaause in return for the favour of using my invisibility cloak to get back up to your Wolfsbane supply without anyone seeing you, you have to do me a favour and let me play bass, thusly becoming the lead singer of the band! Hear that? LEAD SINGER!" James cackled. Remus groaned and folded his arms under the cloak.

"That's not fair! You never ask for something in return for any of us using the cloak." Remus protested angrily.

"Well now I'm calling in all the times you owe me. Now you HAVE to be the lead singer of the band if you still want to be considered a good friend!" he exclamed, laughing at the expression that he was sure was gracing Remus' face. "You ARE a wolf of your word! BOUND BY HONNAH! I SUGGEST YOU LIVE UP TO THIS, SUH---"

What James didn't realize was that Remus had carefully walked away during the beginning of his speech, and so the new bassist of the Marauders was left to stand and ramble on and on thinking that the werewolf was listening intently. James merely looked like a skitzophrenic until Lily Evans found some variety of kindness in her heart to tell James that he was speaking to thin air, and James had to believe it, as he waved his hands around in an attempt to touch Remus and failed.

Remus had strode through the grounds careful not to hit anyone and keeping his eyes and ears open for anyone he might meet. He made it all the way back to the Griffindor Common room before taking off the cloak as he headed upstairs to the fifth year boys' dorm. Thinking he was alone, he flopped down on his bed and tossed the cloak onto James'.

"Who the hell are you." asked a voice. Remus yelped and jumped up instantly, looking around in shock.

"I-It's not what it looks like, I---"

"Wait...Remus?" It was Cassie. She cocked her head to the side from where she stood, leaning against the door to the dorm bathroom. That was Cassie, though wasn't it? She was prone to hanging out in the boys' dorms. And her mouth was hanging open. "Oh my God you're hot." The latter part of that sentance was in a disbelieving tone. Remus grinned sheepishly.

"Umm...yeah." he said, not entirely sure of how to handle this particular situation.

"But what's with these...fangs and stuff." she said with a total lack of shyness as she poked away at his face, analyzing all of his 'new' features with interest. Remus just sort of stood there uncertainly, letting her poke away. Then, Cassie's eyes widened in surprse and she looked at Remus with the upmost seriousness.

"Y...You're a werewolf, aren't you?" she whispered, her grey eyes staring into his animalistic yellow ones. Remus sighed and nodded.

"How did you guess?" he asked back, sarcastically.

"For how long?"

"Since I was five." he replied, looking at the floor. Cassie gasped. "Actually, everyone in the band knew but you."

Cassie's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well...to be honest, Cassie, I wasn't sure if I could trust you. You...You've kind of got a bit of a big mouth."

"I don't have to quit the band now, do I?" she asked in what appeared to be desparation. She'd just found out that her friend was a shapeshifting creature of the night and she wanted to know if she was still in their band. Wow. Remus was impressed.

"Well--"

"Please don't make me quit, Remus! Music is my life! Music is my LIFE!" Remus jumped back a little, startled by her enthusiasm. He put his hands up in a surrender-like motion.

"Woah. I never said that you had to quit the band!" he exclaimed. Cassie breathed a sigh of relief and hugged him.

"Thank God." she cried, squeezing him tightly. It was slightly muffled. "And I promise I won't tell. If I tell you can string me up by my thumbs in the dungeons."

Remus nodded. "Alright. I trust you. But we gotta get to practice now, and I need to find my Wolfsbane."

"Meh, leave it out, you look better. Besides, it's just us in the Room of Requirement." she said. "Grab the cloak."

Remus sighed. She was right, it wasn't like anyone would see, and he wasn't exactly in the mood to poke himself with a sharp needle anyway. Remus walked over to the cloak and put it on. The two of them walked to the Room of Requirement in silence for a litle bit.before Remus turned to Cassie, though she couldn't see him. "Umm...Listen, what you said about me being hot...er..."

"Oh, that was just a compliment. I don't like you, if you were wondering about that. Well, I like you as a friend, " she corrected herself. "But I don't like you."

"Do you like any of the other guys in the band, because that would cause problems." Remus asked curiously.

"Hell, it wouldn't just cause problems with the band, my girlfriend would kill me." she said shrugging. Remus' eyes widened. Wow.

"Girlfriend?"

"I'm a lesbian. Surprise! Does that bother you?"

"No, of course not. But why did you tell me now?" Remus replied honestly. The young werewolf could hardly discriminate in the state that he was in, could he?

"Figured I owed you a confession too." She replied conversationally.

"Do the other guys know?"

"No, but you can tell them if you want." Cassie didn't seem bothered by this, but then why had she stayed in the closet so long?

"Alright." he said as they stopped infront of the Room of Requirement and watched the door materialize. The two bandmates stepped inside and Remus dropped the cloak by the door. The rest of the group, including Peter, was there already and James was clutching the bass with a wide grin on his face. Kingsley noticed the lack of the syrem instantly, and he looked at Cassie wide eyed.

"You found out?" he asked in surprise, looking to Remus who nodded. Cassie strode over to her guitar and attempted to remember the correct tuning spell. Sirius jumped up and down excitedly from behind his drum set.

"Woooo! No secrets anymore!"

"I'm gay!" cried Cassie. Sirius ran over to her and they danced in a circle excitedly.

"I'm bisexual!" he cried as well. James at the moment looked very solemn. Which was a first for James. All eyes turned on him as he gave them all forlorn glances.

"Guys, listen. I value your preferences in life but I have to say this...AFTER PRACTICE LET'S GO TO THE MUGGLE WORLD AND PICK UP CHICKS!"

"Woo!" cried all the Marauders save for Remus who was checking his microphone and quizzing himself on the song that James had written and given him the lyrics and tune to were there the chance that he might actually be the lead singer.

"Alright guys, lets stop monkeying around and get to practicing." said Kingsley walking over to his guitar and getting ready. "You ready" He asked looking over at Remus curiously.

"Yeah..." he replied softly.

"HIT IT!"

The band started playing and swallowing his pride, Remus began to sing.

"You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one they were gone
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, something's out there
Floating in the summer sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by."

The tempo changed, the music became louder and harder, Remus stood stalk still, trying to envision himself somewhere else, but he felt good to know that he wasn't going back on his word. Remus could never go back on his word. He took a deep breath and began to sing the next verse.

"Ninety-nine red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
As ninety-nine red balloons go by."

Remus chuckled at the lyrics as he finished the next verse. James was quite good, but then again, the other Marauders all had sufficient creative talents as well so they wouldn't leave the songwriting up to one person all the time, that wouldn't seem right. Remus had to admit, the idea of being the hot, rugged, mysterious lead singer of a rockband was an enticing idea, but he wouldn't let his mind wander. After all, who would buy into a werewolf trying to be a frontman? Despite this, he found himself getting into it.

"Ninety-nine decisions treat
Ninety-nine ministers meet
To worry, worry, super scurry
Call out the troops now in a hurry
This is what we've waited for
This is it, boys, this is war
The President is on the line
As ninety-nine red balloons go by."

Oh God, Remus realized as he continued to sing. He liked this, he really really liked this. It made him feel good, and it made him feel like, were they a rockband that could hide their true identities to the general public, Remus could explore parts of himself that he'd been afraid to let out. A rougher, more bold, exciting Remus that he'd kept locked up out of shyness. This was the perfect outlet. Where else could he do it? He smiled brightly as he found himself dancing to the music as he sang, but not the sort of dancing that you'd usually see him do to music. All quiet and occasional swaying. This was full on, violent, moshing rock music dancing. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the rest of the band chuckling to themselves in knowing that he'd found his niche. Gone were the days of constant shyness. It was time to have fun.

"Neunundneunzig Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Hielten sich für schlaue Leute
Witterten schon fette Beute
Riefen: Krieg und wollten Macht
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht?
Daß es einmal so weit kommt
Wegen neunundneunzig Luftballons
Neunundneunzig Luftballons

Ninety-nine dreams I have had
And every one a red balloon
It's all over, and I'm standing pretty
In the dust that was a city
I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
Here it is, a red balloon
I think of you and let it go..."