Birth of a Legend
Chapter VII: Marauder's Treasure
Remus sighed, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes as he sat tutoring a couple other Gryffindor's in the library. The rest of the Marauder's fifth year had passed by much like all the others. Over time, Remus was able to forget that Sirius had learned about his feelings and the two of them had fallen back into a rather somewhat normal routine. With the dawning of their sixth year having begun, Remus was back to what he was best at, school work. On July Thirteenth they had gotten the results from their O.W.L.'s. From there the boys had focused on what classes they were good at and dropped the ones they had no need of.
Remus had succeeded in showing off just how much of a brain he was. He'd gotten O's in all his O.W.L.'s and as such, he'd succeeded in getting into whatever classes he'd wanted his sixth year. Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Charms became his classes of choice. James, Sirius, and Peter had all gotten O's in their Transfiguration O.W.L.'s. It helped that they had five years of hard studying in the class to back up their training. James and Sirius got E's in Potions and DADA and A's in Charms, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures. Peter got A's in Potions, DADA, Charms, and Care of Magical Creatures, all due to James, Sirius, and Remus tutoring the boy. Peter, Sirius, and James all got T's in Herbology, Divination, and Ancient Runes. None of them were very good in those and Muggle Studies and History of Magic didn't get passing grades either.
With his outstanding grades, Remus had become the one who the other students turned to. Especially with the lower classes that had O.W.L.'s to study for. Checking the time, Remus looked at the students still there and shook his head. "Time to call it quits for today, everyone," Remus said, giving them a small smile. "We can continue tomorrow evening if you're all up for it." He got nods at that and laughed softly, watching them leave. He moved to read a little more of the book he was on when he heard snickering and name calling. Looking up he saw Severus Snape come into the library. One of his shoes was missing and he was slightly limping. No one else was in the back of the library and Remus felt a need to actually speak to the other boy, even though he was more than certain he'd be dismissed almost instantly just because he was friends with James and Sirius.
"Severus, are you all right?" Remus asked his voice light, not a hit of mocking or teasing in his tone.
Severus muttered to himself, almost seeming to have ignored Remus. He had a stringy, pallid look about himself. His hair was lank, black, and greasy, falling to his shoulders. His nose was hooked slightly and was close to his book as he flipped through it. "Why are you being nice to me Lupin? Are you setting me up for another round of humiliation at the hands of your friends?" the boy asked, his voice a little higher than normal, as if he was stressed.
Remus raised his hands up in a gesture of surrender, shaking his head slowly. "I'm not doing this for any other reason than I wanted to know if you were okay," Remus remarked, looking at the other boy. "I'm really sorry that James and Sirius seem to enjoy tormenting you. I do struggle to get them to just leave you alone, but it isn't easy to get them to stop anything once they're set on something."
Severus snorted, shooting a look toward the other man. "Somehow I find that very hard to believe," he remarked, shaking his head. "Just do as everyone else does and ignore me. I prefer it that way."
"Severus, that's being a little harsh to someone trying to be nice, isn't it?" a soft voice asked as Remus and Severus both turned at the sound. Standing a short distance from them was Lily Evans. She was a pretty young woman, with long dark red hair and the prettiest emerald green eyes Remus had ever seen. Severus couldn't help but shift, his eyes looking down at feet, almost as if Lily's words had managed to do what Remus' couldn't.
"Lily, how's Prefect life treating you?" Remus asked, glad to have someone else he could speak to since it seemed Severus didn't trust him. Of course, Remus couldn't blame him, but it didn't make it hurt any less.
"It's going well, Remus, thank you. The tips you gave me are really working well, but honestly, can you get the rest of your little group to tone it down? I realize that they love pulling pranks, but some of the first years are afraid to leave their rooms when they're in the common room," Lily remarked, giving Remus a small smile. "I know it's a lot to ask for you, but if anyone can do it, you can."
Severus watched the two of them talk, shifting uncomfortably before he spoke up. "Sorry, Lupin, I guess I'm just used to having people make fun of me or worse."
Remus looked over at the other boy and nodded. "It's fine. I really can't expect you to trust me so easily, especially given who my friends are."
Lily rolled her eyes. "I still don't understand why they made James Prefect this time around. He's too busy goofing off to take the role seriously," she grumbled, even as a part of her was glad he was. After all, she'd heard what he'd done to Severus after he'd called her a mudblood. While the words had hurt, especially coming from her friend, she was glad that they hadn't completely stopped being friends over that. "I'd feel better working as with you as Prefect, Remus."
Remus caught the slightly jealous glance from the other man, even as he shook his head. "Give him a chance, Lily. I'll convince him to work hard. Just give me a little bit of a time. It's still early in the school year and I'm more than certain it can be saved before James proves he's completely useless as a Prefect."
Lily smiled, taking his hand. "Thank you Remus. I know it's a lot to ask once again, but it is very much necessary." She then turned to Severus. "What are you working on today? Anything I can do to help with? I'm sure Remus would be willing to help as well, wouldn't you Remus?" she asked, laughing slightly.
Remus watched the slight twitch in Severus' eyes before he nodded. "If you wanted the help I wouldn't say no," was all he said, so that way the other could decline the offer if he wanted, which was looking more and more likely.
"Maybe another time," Severus commented, nodding his head slightly. It was well known Remus was a pretty smart man. His scores on the O.W.L.'s was the talk of the school. Of course, Severus had scored rather high in DADA and Potions himself. Yet Severus wanted to learn more about the darker side of magic. Most believed it was bad to learn such things, but honestly, one couldn't fight it if they didn't know about it to begin with. It also made him itch to learn something that he could use against either Potter or Black. Both of those boys were the bane of his school years and he wanted to get back at them.
Lily took a moment to look Remus over, finally taking in his pale appearance and strained expression. "Are you getting enough rest? You seem rather tired and pale. Is everything okay?" Lily asked, as she moved to place the back of her hand against Remus' forehead. "Are you coming down with something? You feel a bit warm."
Remus could feel Severus' jealous gaze on himself but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when her hands were cool against his flushed skin. He watched her place the back of her other hand against her own forehead, testing the differences in their temperatures. "It's possible that I may be coming down with a bit of a cold. I'll visit Madam Pomfrey before returning to the dorms."
Lily sighed, dropping her hands. "All right, Remus. As long as you promise you'll go then I won't keep you," she remarked, sighing softly. "Just don't overdo things, all right?"
Remus nodded, waving to both Lily and Severus as he picked up his books and moved toward the library door. "I know. I won't. Later you two," he said before leaving. On his way back to the dorms, he paused several times, out of breath and a bit dizzy. He was certain he should make his way toward the infirmary, but somehow couldn't bring himself to make the trip in the opposite direction. It had already taken him a long time just to get as far as he had. If he turned around now and went toward the infirmary, then he'd just be backtracking most of the distance he'd already struggled through. He just, couldn't bring himself to do that in the first place.
Rounding a corner, he saw someone that made him smile somewhat, knowing that at least he wouldn't be alone heading back to the common room. Peter stood a short distance away. It was obvious he was enjoying a break from the group, his cheeks flushed as he seemed to be testing spells on a piece of parchment. Remus couldn't help but smile, finding it amazing that the boy would keep trying, even when it was obvious he'd never be like James and Sirius… no matter how hard he tried. "Peter," Remus called to the boy, working to hide his grin when he saw him jump in surprise and shock. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
Peter swiftly shook his head, moving over to Remus, even as it was obvious he was nervous around him currently. Perhaps he was just embarrassed he was… caught. "Its fine, Moony, I just didn't hear you come up. You surprised me."
"It's quite all right, Wormtail. I'm a little under the weather and I admit I've been lagging in my movements. I might be moving so slow that I'm not making any noise any more. I'm sorry for startling you," Remus remarked, giving the other a small smile.
"Don't worry about it. I'm used to being startled, Moony. I guess you could say I am easily startled," Peter answered, before a worried frown crossed his lips and caused him to tip his head. "Moony… are you all right? You don't look so good," he murmured, causing Remus to give the boy a small shrug.
"I'm not certain, Wormtail. I do believe I may be coming down with a bit of a cold. I don't think it's anything too bad but it's wearing my body down. Especially since it wasn't so long ago that I…. changed. It always wears me out and it seems it's making my cold a bit worse," Remus answered, even as he tried to reassure the other that he was okay. That it wasn't anything to worry about.
"You say that, but the last time you got sick after your… change… you were laid up in bed for almost a week," Peter reminded him, even as he fidgeted from one foot to another. He was honestly scared, but not about the fact that Remus was sick, but of how Sirius and James would react if he didn't handle things correctly once he had found out Remus was sick. The two were pretty protective of the werewolf and while he couldn't understand exactly why they were like that, they were, and that was something that Peter took great care not to trigger. Friend or not, the boy was certain they would kill him if he ever screwed up were Remus was concerned. That wasn't something the rat animagus wanted at all; not even for his heroes.
Remus's hazel gaze went wide, even as he watched Peter for a long moment. So, perhaps the rat wasn't such a rat after all. Perhaps there was a bit more there than the boy wanted to show… and Remus found he liked that about him. "Thank you, Peter," he murmured, shifting till he could lean against the other.
Peter was surprised when Remus suddenly began to lean on him; the heat from the cold ravaging his body heated him up as well, causing Peter's small beady little eyes to widen. "Oh lord, Moony, you're burning up!" he exclaimed, his voice squeaking.
"I thought so… but I didn't want to say something in case I was just imagining things," Remus answered, his voice breaking, his throat suddenly rather dry.
Peter made a decision and without hesitation, he helped Remus to their dorm, which was closer and laid him on his bed, before he scurried off to alert Madam Pomfrey about Remus' condition. Of course, he did pause long enough to make sure he was comfortable and had a cool cloth on his head before he ran off, shouting as he rushed out. "Just hang on Moony! I'll be right back with Madam Pomfrey!"
Remus watched the boy run off and he laughed softly, before coughing lightly and sipping at the water that had been left at his bedside. Say what people will about Wormtail… but he really did care for his friends. A lot more than most people tended to give him credit for. 'Perhaps I should tell James and Sirius to be a little kinder to him for a bit, after all, he did come in very handy today. He deserves a reward,' Remus thought to himself, finding himself staring at the ceiling as he attempted to think cool thoughts while he waited for Peter's return with the nurse.
Yet it was James and Sirius who returned first. They were laughing and joking softly, but the second they took notice of Remus laying on his bed with a cloth on his head, all sound stopped. Both boys then rushed over to Remus' bed, one on either side. "Rem, what's the matter?" Sirius asked, his voice showing his concern, even as his gray eyes seemed to trail all over his friends face.
"Moony, why didn't you say something this morning about not feeling good? We wouldn't have left you alone today if we had known," James added, taking the cloth and moving to get it damp and cool once more.
Sirius then took the cloth from James and carefully placed it back on Remus head, trailing one hand over the others cheek. "Lord, Rem, even with the cloth you're still burning hot. Should we go get the nurse?"
"No… Peter went to go get her once he brought me here to lie down. I'm sure he would have tried to get me to the infirmary himself, but seeing as I was closer to here than there, I feel he made the wise choice," Remus answered, even as his voice sounded rough and scratchy, even to his own ears.
"Don't talk any more Rem. We'll be here with you till he gets here with her. You aren't alone," Sirius remarked, his voice sounding certain, even as inside he was ready to go insane. What the hell was going on? Remus was sick and here they were trying to just be calm and patient with him. He hadn't forgotten the last time he'd gotten ill. It had been hell. Not just for Remus but for the others as well. It had happened like it was happening now, just a bit of a fever a couple days after the full moon. Remus had been walking funny that day and had eventually almost collapsed down a set of stairs before the rest of the Marauders had realized just how serious it was. James had caught the werewolf before he'd actually spilled down the stone steps and had rushed with him to the nurse. Three days later, Madam Pomfrey finally let them visit with him. Two more days after that, he was finally released from the infirmary. Five days for a cold… that a simple spell should have been able to treat. When the group had asked Remus why it had taken so long, Remus had told them something that had caused all of them to worry about him more. Even now, he could still recall that time, back in their second year.
~Flashback~
Remus was still pretty pale, sitting on his bed after being released from the infirmary just an hour ago. Peter was lying on the foot of it, watching his friend with a worried gaze while James sat on one side of the bed and Sirius on the other. They were glad he was free but they couldn't for the life of them figure out why it had taken as long as it had for him to get out.
"Come on, Rem… tell us what happened. I've never seen a wizard fall to a cold like that before," Sirius commented, bumping his shoulder against Remus'.
"It's pretty simple to understand," Remus began, watching them closely. "Being a werewolf, my body is more resilient. It means I don't get sick very easily. At the same time, my body is so resilient that most magic doesn't work on me as it would on you. So of course, the spells to heal me would end the same way as the ones the nurse attempts to use on me whenever I'm scratched up after a change. It takes a lot longer to take effect," Remus explained, watching his friend's expressions as he spoke.
James frowned, looking down and Sirius seemed stunned, at a loss for words. Peter stared wide eyed at his friend, a small frown on his own lips. "So then, you getting sick… is a bit dangerous?" Peter finally asked, breaking the slight silence that had begun.
Remus nodded. "Yes… to a point. I can't fight it off alone and magic doesn't work on it instantly… so having it tended to before I completely succumb to it is a pretty big deal."
"Then we'll make a promise, Remus," James said suddenly, glancing at Sirius, who nodded his silent agreement. "Anytime you feel under the weather, tell us and we'll be there for you. Should it get so bad you can't even walk under your own power, then we'll get the nurse, no questions asked. Okay?"
"Of course, that means you have to tell us when you are starting to feel bad, Rem. No hiding it from us," Sirius added, knowing his friend would try to hide it if for no other reason than to keep them from worrying about him.
"I promise," Remus remarked, smiling warmly at them. The other three smiled back and hugged the werewolf, laughing softly when they all fell back on the bed at the action.
"We promise too," Sirius, James, and Peter answered, before once more falling into a fit of giggles.
~End Flashback~
James placed the back of his hand along Remus' throat, feeling the heat rising off his body. "Don't worry, Moony, I promise you'll get help. Want me to go check on what's taking Wormtail so long?"
Sirius was about to say yes when he saw the slight shake of his head Remus gave. He trusted Peter to take care of what he'd started and Sirius didn't have the heart to contradict him, no matter how worried he was. Instead, he pulled out the paper he'd been working on, showing it to Remus. "Look, Rem, it's almost done. James and I were merely checking out one of the other tunnels we'd found the other night. Turns out the rest of it is collapsed in and there's no way through, but at least we got one of the missing pieces to our map."
Remus, despite his cold, looked at what was shown to him, even as he grinned. "Good," he croaked out, before coughing slightly. James reached over and offered him some water, watching Sirius for a moment and then making sure Remus was done before setting the water aside.
"We just need to cast the spells you're coming up with on the map and it will be completely safe from anyone who wanted to get a look at it," James remarked, knowing out of all of them, Remus was the most skilled at creating new spells. Of course, with the current condition of their friend, he wasn't certain that now was a proper time for them to discuss them. He just figured he'd be happy to know their drawing of the map was almost complete.
Yet while James and Sirius felt that things could currently wait, Remus didn't. He knew he was sick and certainly not at one-hundred percent, but he also knew just how important this project was to his friends as well. Of course, it did help that he'd already figured the spells he wanted on the map and could quiet possibly perform them even if he was dying. A little cold was far from death, even if he did feel warm, but that didn't bother him one bit. No, this was a project that had been long in the works and shouldn't be put off any longer. "Let me see it," Remus managed to say, even as he shifted to sit up. Sirius was leaning over him in an instant, moving to try to push him back down, before deciding to help him when he got a glare from his friend. Once Remus was sitting up, James handed over the scroll.
"Rem… it can wait you know," Sirius whispered, not daring to speak out against the other any louder than that.
Remus shook his head. "No… the spells aren't that complicated and I can do them in my sleep. Just… let me finish it. You guys did the hard part, after all. It would be a shame if… it got taken… before it could be hidden from others." That said, he picked up his wand and began placing spell after spell on it. A tracking spell that only activated when they asked where people were. He then placed a cloaking spell to hide it when the right words were spoken and another with set words to reveal it. Lastly, he placed a spell on it to prevent anyone from finding out what was on it… no matter what kind of spell they used. With it done, he coughed and held out his wand, quietly making the map disappear before holding it out to Sirius. "There," he murmured, looking from Sirius to James. "Now, hold up your wand and say the words 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'."
Sirius raised his wand and waved it over the blank map. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." With the words spoken, the map sprang to life on the page, revealing the map that they had so painstakingly worked on for years. He looked at Remus and smirked. "Nice choice of words, Moony," Sirius commented, pride in his voice. Remus flushed at that.
"What else did you put on it?" James asked, impressed with the spell as well.
"There's a locator spell on it. Name a person or location on the map that you want to know about… and it will show you who are there or where the person is," Remus told them, glad they were happy with the cloaking spell.
"Where's Wormtail?" Sirius asked without a moment's hesitation. Remus couldn't help but sigh in exasperation at that, even as he looked at the map. Sure enough, a small name popped up on the map, just outside the area where their dorms were, meaning he wasn't too far from the dorm room.
"That's closer than I expected," James murmured, before looking closer at the map. "Where's Madam Pomfrey?" he questioned.
Sure enough, the nurses' name popped up just a few steps in front of Peter and that set the boys into action. "Moony, how do we hide the map?" Sirius asked, looking to his friend.
Remus reached out and waved his wand over the map. "Mischief managed," he said, watching as the map once more went blank, looking for the entire world as if it was just a blank parchment. James smirked and took it from Sirius, moving to roll it up. He had just finished and placed it on the nightstand when Madam Pomfrey came in, followed closely by an out-of-breath Peter.
"Having a bit of a fever, are you, Lupin?" Madam Pomfrey asked in her motherly voice, causing Remus to smile, nodding his head, the cloth that had been resting there falling off at the action.
"Just a little… though I feel better thanks to my friends care and worry over me," Remus answered, looking at James, then at Peter, and finally at Sirius.
"Yes, I can see they treasure you a great deal." She waved her wand and began to scan the boy, checking him over and sighing softly. "Luckily… it isn't something as serious as last time. More like a head-cold. I've got some potions that should help with it a lot better than any spell."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. I'd appreciate that." He then looked at the other Marauder's and grinned brightly, despite his heated face. "Although, I'm sure I treasure them just as much in return… if not more so." They shared a look and then a smile, before beginning to laugh. Of course, Peter only laughed because the others were doing it, not catching the joke. It was cut short when Remus began to cough instead of laugh and the boys once more began to worry over him, leaving the nurse to shake her head and dig through her bag of potions before giving it to the boy, honestly uncertain what she should do about them… and not certain she wanted to even if she did know.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay everyone. Lack of Reviews depressed me some and then I ended up getting really sick. It wasn't the best month of my life. Add to it freak rain storms that take the net out for a couple days and you just get a depressed author with no motivation to write. I'm glad all of you that are reading and reviewing are enjoying the tale. I hope the rest of you keep reading up until the end… I know where I want to end it… but not quite how many chapters it will take to get there. Please… for the small joy you give me and the will to keep writing more… review. has made it super easy and I really don't need much. Just a simple 'Nice job' or 'Can't wait for more' does so much for us poor little fanfiction writers. You all have no idea. Thank you for your support and I'll see you again in Chapter VIII.