Hogwarts, fifth year…

Remus scrubbed furiously at a particularly stubborn stain on the basin. 'Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the both you?'

James and Sirius grinned from the sinks beside him. 'You love us, Moony, else you wouldn't have agreed to our idea in the first place,' said James, twirling his scrub brush between his fingers.

Remus sighed and moved a little further away from Sirius. He had let down his walls a little over the past couple of weeks and started behaving around Sirius as casually as possible. But the feelings stayed and it was hard, especially since Sirius was his best friend, first and foremost, and avoiding him was virtually impossible. 'Why did it have to be me? Why couldn't you have taken Wormtail instead?' asked Remus, shifting his gaze back to the white marble.

Sirius snorted derisively, his eyes wandering over the sleeping form of Slughorn sitting in the corner (he was supposed to be monitoring them). 'We wanted help, Moony, not a walking disaster.'

'I wish you weren't so nasty towards him, Sirius. He means well,' said Remus, turning the tap to wash away the soap.

'He means nothing. He does what Prongs asks him to do, period,' grunted Sirius.

'And what's wrong with that?' asked James defensively.

'Nothing, except that it shows lack of character,' said Sirius, concentrating all his efforts on cleaning the sink. He either didn't notice or didn't care when the paint began to chip.

'You know that's not true, Padfoot. Peter…' Remus frowned searching for the right words. 'He just needs to be reassured and guided by other people.'

'Take away the fancy words and it means the same.' Sirius let the tap run and turned to face Remus. 'Just drop it, okay, Moony? It's not like I hate Wormtail or anything. I just have my own opinions about him, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't force yours on me.'

Remus bit his lip but said nothing. James, sensing the tension in between his two best friends, decided to lighten the mood. 'You know, toilet cleaning is sort of fun. I mean, here we are, together, spending quality time-'

'Cleaning Slytherin shit,' interrupted Remus, frowning and starting on the mirrors.

'Dampen the mood, won't you? It's a public toilet, Moony. Everyone shits here,' said James, pouting.

'No, this toilet is close to the Slytherin common room. They shit here the most, and we're cleaning it.'

Sirius looked at Remus, horrified. 'Are you trying to say that I spent the last hour actually cleaning Snivellus's-'

'Shit? Yes, you did,' replied Remus smugly, glad he was making his persecutors suffer.

Sirius turned to stare at James. 'Snivellus shits here,' he said, his voice cracking a little.

James nodded, too mortified to speak. There was a short silence between them, and Remus was practically humming with glee. Then:

'Do you think we could make the toilet blow up when he sits on it tomorrow morning?' asked Sirius, his voice filled with excitement.

James nodded, his eyes mirroring Sirius's enthusiasm. 'We could, but we'd need Moony's help.'

Remus's jaw dropped. Surely, they weren't serious. 'No,' he said backing away as the two of them advanced. He looked desperately at Slughorn who just snored in reply. 'No, no, no. I refuse to indulge in another one of your ridiculous ideas. You can't make me.'

Half an hour later, Remus was crouching over a toilet bowl beside James and Sirius and muttering a very complicated spell with a stolen wand from Slughorn's pocket.

Fifteen minutes later, Remus was sitting in McGonagall's office, wondering how thin the Head Teacher's lips would go before she finally exploded.

'I absolutely cannot believe your cheek! The two of you were clearly sent for detention as punishment, and you actually have the gall to carry on with your atrocious pranks even then! Marauding around the school like you own the place, you could give Peeves a run for his money!'

She rounded on James and Sirius, towering over them as they shrank into their chairs. They'd been in McGonagall's office countless times before but this was the first time they'd seen her this angry. Remus was shocked that she hadn't said anything to him as of yet. On the other hand, he might have spoken too soon.

'And you Mr. Lupin, that badge on your chest has been given to you for a reason! You are not to abuse it to your privilege! As a prefect, such appalling behaviour is absolutely unacceptable!'

Remus had never felt so low in his life. 'I'm sorry, Professor,' he said, his voice almost a whisper. His amber eyes shone with regret and grew, if possible, even larger.

McGonagall's expression softened. 'I admit that this is unusual behaviour on your part, Mr. Lupin, and I understand that these two are your friends, so you are inclined to help them. But that is no excuse to break the rules.' she said softly as if speaking to a small child.

Remus nodded quite pathetically.

'As for the two of you!' James and Sirius flinched at the sudden change in the tone of her voice. 'Saturday night, separate detentions! You may leave.' She watched as the three of them got up from their seats. 'Oh and Mr. Lupin, this is your final warning. I'm excusing you this time but if I catch you again…'

'She fancies you,' growled Sirius, once they were outside the office.

'She does nothing of the sort,' huffed Remus. 'She has the right to reprimand us after what we did.'

'You fancy her back,' growled James in reply.

'We deserved what we got,' said Remus, climbing up the stairs and ignoring James and Sirius's grumbling.

'You got nothing.' Sirius stomped up the stairs behind Remus. 'The two of us probably earned another night of cleaning Snivellus's shit while you'll be sleeping in the comfort of your bed. All because you have a baby boy face, and we don't.'

'I do not have a baby boy face,' said Remus, blushing furiously. 'My face is very rugged and manly, thank you very much.'

Sirius rolled his eyes. He spent half his time staring at that face. He knew what it looked like.

'Do you think she's right though,' asked James, stopping in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. 'You know, about us giving Peeves a run for his money.'

Remus slapped his forehead.

'I bet we could,' said Sirius, his eyes flashing mischievously. He muttered the password and entered. 'That plan would have been fool proof had we known she was coming. What we need is some sort of guard to keep a lookout for us.'

'Why don't you put up an advert on the notice board, Sirius? I'm sure people will be just scrambling to sign up,' said Remus sarcastically, as he flopped down on the couch beside the fire.

James sat down on the floor beside Remus's feet. 'Sirius is right though. We could really use something that informs us about every single room in Hogwarts and its occupants. Things would be so much easier then.'

Remus frowned. 'Like a map?'

Sirius nodded. 'Like a map…but detailed…with everyone and everything on it, secret passages and all.'

James grinned with anticipation. 'It could be our new project. What do you say, Moony? Please? Its mischief, but we won't be breaking any rules…and it would be a challenge…' He looked at Remus, already knowing the answer. There were three words Remus Lupin couldn't resist when put together in a sentence: please, mischief, and challenge, not necessarily in that order.

Remus sighed. To be honest with himself, the prospect of a magical map sounded exciting. 'I couldn't refuse if I wanted to.'

Sirius and James cheered. 'We could even give it a name,' said James dreamily. 'The McGonagall's map; after our Professor who inspired the idea.'

Both Remus and Sirius frowned. 'I'm not calling our map, The McGonagall's Map,' replied Sirius, crossing his arms over his chest.

'The Lily's map?' asked James hopefully.

'NO!' chorused Sirius and Remus.

'How about, The Marauder's Map?' asked Sirius, lying down on the carpet with his arms behind his head. 'That's what she referred to us as, didn't she? Marauders?'

James grinned. 'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs – Marauders and mentors to mischief makers everywhere!'

XxxxX

Remus sighed and dug deeper into his pillow. It was useless. It was too darn early to be sleeping and the incessant pitter patter of the rain against the window wasn't helping either. He rolled over on his back and forcefully shut his eyes, as if willing for sleep to come.

This had to be the worst Easter break ever. Normally, all of them, save Sirius would stay at Hogwarts and exchange chocolates or maybe even sneak into Hogsmeade for a drink or two. But this year, James had Uncle Goober or someone he had to visit (actually it was Uncle Gruber, but Remus was in a particularly nasty mood), so he couldn't stay. Peter had some other lame excuse, but it was apparent he didn't want to stay because James was going back home too. Remus himself couldn't go back home because his father was putting up protection charms around the house. Sirius, as usual, had to go to some fancy family thing that he hated and bitched about when he came back. He was the only one Remus felt sorry for apart from himself. Sirius's family was unrelenting and just plain forceful.

Remus sighed again. He'd even tried talking to Lily Evans for a while, but she had her own friends to go to. Besides, spending time with her just wasn't the same.

The only upside it seemed, was that he got to sleep only in his boxers. Without the others around, he didn't have to feel so conscious about his scar or the registry tattoo. Good thing too because for such a rainy day, the boy's dormitory was unnaturally warm. Perhaps the house elves had overdone the heating charms? Or maybe it was revenge for the time James and Sirius charmed their ears pink?

Suddenly, there was a strange prickling sensation in the middle of his chest and Remus immediately sat up, eyes flinging open. 'Sirius?'

The dormitory door shut with a dull thud.

'Padfoot?' Remus called out again, reaching out for his wand on the bedside table. 'Lumos.'

There was Sirius - standing in the middle of the dormitory, trunk in one hand and broomstick in another. The wand light illuminated his face partly and from what Remus could see, Sirius was trembling violently; his skin, ghostly white and black hair sticking to the sides of his face.

Remus quickly got out of bed and caught Sirius just before fell to the ground. 'Sirius, are you alright?' He let Sirius lean on him, maneuvering both their weights easily. 'What are you doing here, Padfoot? The train doesn't arrive till the end of the break.'

Sirius buried his face into his friend's neck, and Remus could feel rivulets of water running down from Sirius's hair and onto his skin. 'I'm not going back, Moony. I-' Sirius choked.

'Sit,' said Remus firmly, forcing Sirius to sit on his bed. He smoothed out the hair out of his face. 'You're drenched to the bone, Sirius. You didn't fly all the way here, did you?' By the looks of it, it seemed he had.

'Took the Knight Bus as far as it would go, but I had to fly after that,' replied Sirius shakily, raising up his arms as Remus pulled his shirt over his head. 'Got lost in the way…'

Remus said nothing, as he helped Sirius out of the rest of his clothes and into his pyjama bottoms. He merely listened, concerned, at the sounds of Sirius's jagged breathing against his stomach while he towel dried his friend's hair. Sirius had his face buried into Remus, clutching to his back tightly every time a tremor ran through him. There was very little light in the room apart from the wand Remus had left behind on the floor when he was helping Sirius. He could barely make out the shadows of his friend's face except for his light grey eyes, which glittered oddly even in the dark. Remus kneeled down to face him, slowly reaching out to trace the faint outlines around his eyes and stopping only when his hand had passed over a bruise, making Sirius wince slightly.

'They hurt you,' Remus said, anger flaring up inside him.

Sirius caught Remus's hand tightly. 'They didn't mean to. My parents…they're not abusive. Mother…she was angry…started throwing things…and I just got in the way…'

Remus bit back a sharp comment. There was no point in reminding Sirius how horrible his family was. It would only bring more pain to his suffering. 'Let me heal it for you,' he said finally, getting up but was grabbed by the wrist. 'Sirius, what?'

'Don't go, Moony, please,' begged Sirius, eyes shining brighter than ever.

'I'm just going to get my wand, Padfoot,' said Remus softly, running his other hand through Sirius's hair in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.

Sirius hold only tightened further. 'Don't leave me alone. I don't want to be alone. Please…'

Remus sighed and draped a warm blanket over Sirius's shoulders before sitting down beside him. 'What happened, Padfoot?' he asked, as Sirius's head dropped to his shoulder.

'I-I ran away. I don't know why. I just…' Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus's shoulders. 'They didn't even try to stop me. Mother was screaming, but not even once did she try…'

He buried his face into Remus's neck, and Remus let him, knowing this was not the time to show reserve. This was much more important than his attraction to Sirius or any sort of discomfort he felt at the moment.

'Father…' continued Sirius in a broken tone. 'He just stood there, stone faced; didn't say a word except that if I were to leave the house tonight, under any circumstances, I was never to come back again.'

Remus ran his hands through Sirius's damp hair, bringing both of them down against the pillows, so that they were half sitting and half lying on the bed. He draped the blanket over both of them. 'It doesn't matter, Padfoot. It's okay,' he whispered, holding Sirius tightly to his chest.

'I've been disowned, Moony,' whispered Sirius, bitterly as if he'd never heard Remus at all. 'My existence blown off the tapestry forever.' He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths against Remus's skin. 'And I shouldn't care. I shouldn't because I've always hated them and their way of life. And I've seen so many people blasted off that damn thing, but I never thought it would happen to me. I'm their son, Remus. Surely that meant something? Anything?'

He looked pleadingly at Remus, as if searching for an answer that he knew didn't exist. When Remus didn't respond, Sirius just closed his eyes again, and Remus knew by the way his body shook that his friend was fighting back tears that were threatening to spill. Sirius had never been the one to cry. It had been ingrained into him from childhood as a sign of weakness. Remus didn't know what he would do if Sirius did break down tonight. It wasn't something he wanted to see, ever.

'Does it mean anything to you, Remus? That I'm here…have I ever mattered…to any of you?' Sirius voice was small, downtrodden, needing reassurance.

Remus looked at Sirius and caressed his cheek with the back of his hand. 'More than you'll ever know, Padfoot.'

Sirius's gaze was intense, searching Remus's face and hoping that he was telling the truth. That it wasn't some lie he was being told to make him feel better. Remus stared right back, hoping that his friend was able to see the sincerity in his eyes. And then all of a sudden, Sirius's lips were on Remus's, pushing back firmly, urging him to kiss Sirius back.

Remus pushed him away gently. 'Don't, Sirius,' he said shakily, hand rested just above Sirius's heart.

'Please,' whispered Sirius, his warm dry lips tickling Remus's neck. 'Just for tonight-' He was on top of Remus now, squeezing his wrists and nudging his legs apart with his knee. 'Just for tonight, can we pretend that someone cares for me? Please-'

It was that last statement and the pleading, almost desperate look in Sirius's swirling grey eyes that finally undid Remus. He reached out slowly, his fingers sliding against soft skin, skipping across Sirius's collarbone and sliding up his neck. The other hand buried into thick black hair and pulled Sirius closer till he could feel the other's warm breath against his cheek. Remus's lips were tingling, aching to be touched, and he finally gave into desire, letting them gently brush against Sirius's.

Remus had intended on going slow, thinking that after the day's ordeal, Sirius would crave tender touches and soft kisses. But as soon as Remus's lips had touched his, Sirius's was suddenly burying shaking fingers into honey brown hair, tugging the body beneath him closer, and gripping Remus firmly to make sure he didn't get away. Remus didn't intend to.

A soft moan vibrated against Remus's lips, and he found himself surrendering to the hot wet heat of Sirius's mouth and the salty tang of sweat and rain staining his skin. Every bit of anger and desperation Sirius felt, he poured it into him, pushing his tounge into Remus's open mouth, teeth biting and nipping ruthlessly at his lower lip.

Slowly, reluctantly, their lips parted, swollen and bruised.

Grey eyes were looking down intently at amber through a curtain of ebony hair. 'I've wanted you so much,' panted Sirius, thumb tracing bright red lips. 'So much…'

Remus caught Sirius's hand, turning it to face the palm inwards and pressed soft open mouthed kisses down his wrist. Heat flared through his body as Sirius moaned at the simple gesture, shifting closer till they were melded together as one. And then, Sirius's face descended down to his throat, teeth nipping harshly at his skin, making its way down to his chest while Remus cried in intense pain and pleasure underneath him.

It was heat. Unimaginable, burning heat…

'Gods, Sirius…' moaned Remus, as a rough tounge ran over one stiffened nipple.

There was nothing in the world that could render Remus so helpless. He was writhing and shaking - completely incoherent…

Sirius looked up then, drinking in the sight beneath him. Remus's face was flushed, soft honey locks pooled over the pillow. He was panting, staring up at Sirius with overwhelming devotion and lust.

'You're so beautiful,' said Sirius, nails dragging painfully against Remus's sides. 'Just so fucking gorgeous.' Teeth bit into his shoulder sharply, moving further down, clearly unsatisfied with just one nip. 'Every time I look at you…' he purred against Remus's stomach. 'I lose control.' He slid back up, his gaze piercing into Remus, devouring him, making him whimper helplessly with an aching need that was begging to be satisfied. 'Do you see what you do to me?' Sirius ground their hips together. 'Do you?'

Remus whined pitifully, partly because one of Sirius' hands had tightened just above his hip while the other slid to his jaw; partly because Sirius was kissing him harder than ever, tounges tangling, teeth clicking together. He was pushing Remus further into the bed, sliding their hips in a frantic pace, breaths coming out quick with eyes half lidded.

It was…Gods…unbearable pressure - around him, over him, consuming him. Pleasure beyond comprehension; desire beyond human boundaries.

Right then, nothing was more important that the feel of Sirius's body against his and the press of their foreheads together. Remus grunted, settling his hands on the small of Sirius's back and pulling him closer. It was never enough.

The heat was intolerable now and they clung on to each other, kissing fiercely, until finally the world exploded and a glorious sensation washed over them, leaving them shaking, each gripping the other's skin hard enough to bruise.

They collapsed together, slick and panting, the air around them humming with the aftermath of what had happened.

'Remus,' whispered Sirius, resting his head against Remus's chest and relishing at the sound of his frantic heartbeat. 'Remus,' he said again, sighing as Remus's arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace.

Remus watched as Sirius's eyes drifted close into an uneasy sleep. He was clinging on to the werewolf like a lifeline even then as if afraid of losing him. With good reason, thought Remus. I can't do this with you, Sirius. I can't hurt you anymore than you already are. His fingers tangled in black hair, partly wet with sweat and partly with rain. Remus kissed him - his forehead, his eyes, his cheeks. They were all so gorgeous…

Remus unconsciously inhaled Sirius' scent, the sharp aroma of sweat and sex and Sirius making him drowsy. This - whatever had happened between himself and Sirius tonight - it would remain as a beautiful memory in Remus's mind because he would never allow it to happen again. Why can't I be someone else? Why do I have to be the werewolf? It's not fair. It's never fair.

Remus tightened his arms around Sirius and rested his chin on the crown of his head. Why me? He didn't want to pretend that nothing happened. He wanted Sirius, needed him. Sirius was no longer an infatuation or an attraction for Remus. No, he was slowly becoming an incurable obsession.

XxxxX

mad.hot.love.: Unfortunately for us fan girls, they only want to hug each other. Ah well, I guess we can just watch and enjoy…lol. Serpent91: Thanks for reviewing so regularly. It really keeps my spirits high. Black's Crystal: Well, judging by this chapter, I'm guessing it didn't take long for Remus to…er…give in. sola-bola: You really don't have to apologise. I'm just expressing my opinions, and I'm sure you have yours. Well, the Marauders are finally out in this chapter. Didn't know how to get them there…but yeah, thanks for reviewing. Lady Molko: Problem with these guys is that they talk less and do more…er, okay…that so did not come out right. Forget I said anything. Leanna: Well, I think I took the puppy love bit in the literal sense in this chapter. Lol. You inspired me! Okay…that didn't sound right. It's been happening a lot lately. IHEARTxDRAC0: Oh my God, you're right. I never noticed it before, but that sounds exactly like Spiderman. Oh well, Remus is sort of our hero, isn't he (flutters eyelashes). But I think he'd prefer being Wolverine…the yellow spandex has to go though. Shadow of ZAFT: Thanks…I hope you like this chapter…I don't even know if I wrote it right. I'm not particularly good at this stuff. Keep reviewing! Littlefreeze: Ah…this is the sad story of my life. I think it happens every time my exams are due. During my o'levels, I had this craze of writing songs…thank god I managed to get straight A's…okay, so I got one B, but that wasn't my fault. No one wants to learn a foreign language when everyone speaks English anyway. Tyleet27: No, I'm not that cruel. Just…the love's not there yet for a few more chapters…that's all. Please, they're old and smart enough not to delude themselves that way. And it's very hard not to treat Peter like an arse that he is, but the plot demands it that way. In fact, what I've noticed in the fifth book, is that Sirius never hesitated to be nasty towards him. It was usually James or Remus who took him in. KawaiiMegami86: lol…yeah, I know…especially since there's a lot of it in this chapter. I wish Sirius had eaten the damn thing. But I hear rats can give you horrible diseases, so that stupid prick has to die the natural way. MoonshineAndMustardseed: Can't say I'm anything but honoured. I was watching a movie myself when I decided to write this chapter. As much as I love the Matrix, I've watched it five times already. Besides, this may sounds weird, but Keanu Reeves's baldness inspired me. Don't ask me how. jean kitsune: Actually, I was being neither. It was more of a confused statement than anything, really. But um…sorry if it hurt you or something. Didn't mean it that way. So to make up for it, this chapter's especially for you. (grins) Luermide: Love, I'm English. That's the way we spell dependant. You actually had me believing I got bad grade school education for a while. WhiteWolfCub: I actually used to like Ron and Tonks until the sixth book. Then, they just got annoying. Harry I used to hate for a long time…In fact, the only thing I liked about the sixth book was Voldemort's past. Everyone else was too busy falling in love with each other (except Snape and Dumbledore, the only two people with an ounce of common sense). And how is it, that all her characters fall in love in the same year, when all their lives they didn't even care? (pants) Okay, I'm done ranting now…Annieboo92: Obsession is a very good thing. It keeps you healthy, and in Remus and Sirius's case, it gets you laid. Though I doubt you'll get the latter from me…what you can get is another chapter, so keep reviewing! A Person: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. I hope you liked this chapter as well. For some reason, I feel like I did it wrong…but, anyway…snape'smistress-in-law: well, I suppose there isn't much fuzziness in this chapter, but there's lot of warmth. Okay, fine, there's heat…I was just trying to be subtle. Shrink: Well doc, I'll update as soon as possible. Got my exams you know. Wish me luck! Twitch of Queenliness: Okay, just one question though. Are you dying because I'm not continuing this fic? Or are you dying because you've been holding pee for too long? Redhellflammes: aww…thanks. You know, while writing this chapter, all I kept thinking was I was going to go to hell, and your review pops up. And your screen name's red hell flames. Freaked me out honestly, but I did love your review…it was encouraging. Contradictory? Tell me about it. Warriorbride: I'll hold you to your word about the review. Finally someone who shares my sentiments about Remus! I hate it when he goes prancing about in pink frills and crying because his nail broke. It's frustrating. They're both men. They have no choice but to be manly! Wyndemina: Wow! I've never been called a genius before…say it again! Okay, must act all calm and cool. Say it again! Anyway, I hope I haven't dampened your expectations with this chapter. If I have, I can use the excuse of having my exams very close by? It's true, you know…