James and Peter were lounging in two oversized Gryffindor-red armchairs in the common room. It was the coveted seat in front of the fireplace that the Marauders always commandeered when they were there, and at some point in the past five years it had been established amongst the other Gryffindors that this seat was theirs. Usually, it was the gathering place of the Next Big Prank brainstorming sessions or a post-Quidditch resting space. But tonight, it was an area of agony.

Both of them had a long scroll of parchment in front and a quill each. There were about five words on James's paper and two on Peter's.

"This is hell," James said, for what seemed like the fiftieth time to Peter. "Why did we have to go and set Moony up on the night before the Transfiguration essay is due? That was the stupidest decision ever."

Peter let out a loud moan of despair. "We need Moony's brains."

"No, we have brains," James corrected him, and then thought over what he had said. "Or I do, anyway. What we need is his essay."

"I was going to ask him for it just now, but you dragged me away so quickly that I didn't get a chance!"

"Oh buggering boggarts," James tapped his quill on his parchment with a frown, causing droplets of ink to scatter across it. "Only McGonagall would go and set an essay due on the last day of term, honestly. Look here, why don't we go up to the dorms and see if we can find it?" The last part of his sentence was accompanied with a familiar expectant gleam in his eyes. Peter recognized the warning signs immediately.

"Are you mad? Moony would kill us. He's going to be pissed off enough already because of your plan, if we go and steal his essay…" He trailed off, looking anxious.

"Hey!" James said indignantly. "You didn't object or anything when I told you the plan! That makes you a co-conspirator too, Wormtail. Besides," he added haughtily, "It's a brilliant plan. I don't think he'll be pissed. If things are going according to plan, he should be feeling just the opposite. In fact, probably more than the opp—"

The portrait to the common room door suddenly swung open with vicious bang. The two Marauders spun around in their seats, James's sentence cut short when he saw who it was. Sirius stalked right past both of them, black hair covering his face, fists clenched, and stomped up the stairs to the dorms so violently that Peter thought he actually felt the ground shake.

"I think," Peter said, in a smug voice that made James want to tear up the two words on his essay to shreds, "that Moony will definitely be pissed."

Refusing to admit that his plan was a failure, James abandoned his essay where it was and stood up, looking determined. "Right. I'm going to talk to him." He put on his most heroic face, spread his arms and announced loudly to the general common room, "I will fix this!"

Several first years nearby dutifully applauded. Looking extremely apprehensive, Peter only pulled his own essay towards himself and bent over it with a frown.

###

At the top of the stairs, James peered carefully around the dormitory door, mindfully aware of what Sirius was like in one of his moods. The last time he had walked in on one of Sirius's moods, he had almost been impaled on his own broomstick. The time before, he had been hit with a Potions textbook. And it had hurt.

Seeing nothing amiss, James stepped all the way into the room and glanced at Sirius's bed. The curtains were drawn tightly, but James couldn't hear a sound. Silencing charm, he thought.

He walked very carefully to the edge of the bed. Holding his wand at the ready, he slowly peeled back one side of the curtain. "Sirius?" He said, and ducked in preparation of any flying objects.

None came. He straightened up, frowning, and realized that the other boy hadn't even noticed his presence. He had hidden himself under his bed covers and lying completely still. On closer inspection, James saw that he was wrong: Sirius was shaking, and – was this true? With a jolt, James realized his best friend was crying.

This was only the second time James had seen Sirius cry. The first had been when Sirius was disowned by his family. But that was all right because at least James knew why he was crying. Tears and comfort were not any of the Marauders' strong suit.

Feeling completely lost as to what to do, he sat down on the bed next to Sirius. "Padfoot?" he said tentatively. "What's wrong?"

The bulk under the covers continued to shake.

Hesitantly, James placed a hand on top of the blanket. "Sirius? Is this to do with Remus? Did something happen?"

The Sirius-shaped bulge shook even harder. This time, James clearly heard a sob.

Okay. Remus must have freaked out and rejected him or something. He just needs a little time. You can absolutely fix this. Not knowing what else to do, James took a firm hold of the covers and yanked it off. "Sirius Black," he thundered. "Get up and stop being so pathetic this minute!"

Startled into obedience, Sirius sat up, staring. His eyes were wide and red and his cheeks tear-streaked and blotchy. He looked so much like a lost puppy that James had to stop himself from reaching over and hugging him. Deciding the commanding tone was working, James continued, "Now tell me: what the hell happened?" He mentally started preparing a speech in his head.

Sirius looked desolate. "I got scared."

"You'll just have to have some patience, Black, we're men and—wait, what?" James blinked. He had never, in all his years of friendship with Sirius, heard him say those three words in succession together before.

"I got scared, all right?"

"You got scared?"

"Stop making me repeat it! Yes." Looking slightly peevish now, Sirius made a lunge for the blanket. In an impressive display of the arm muscles he had acquired through beating multiple bludgers, James whipped the blanket over his head and threw it onto his own bed.

And suddenly, James understood. He saw the way Sirius was clenching and unclenching the sheets on his bed, the nervous tension in his jaw. He remembered the way Sirius's eyes lit up whenever he saw Remus, his unshakeable bad mood when Remus got his first girlfriend that had lasted for the full three weeks they had dated, the way Sirius took any excuse to throw an arm around him or rest a hand on his shoulder. In his mind, he watched Sirius dip Remus backwards and kiss him in the way he had always wanted to do with Lily.

Oh, Potter. You are a first class idiot.

He'd thought all along that it was just Remus with the secret. Though admittedly he hadn't noticed it himself at first (it was Lily who had told him), he'd started picking up the signs once he began looking out for them. He'd been so busy watching Remus and plotting and planning in his head that he'd forgotten to watch Sirius. He'd known Sirius was at least a little interested from the blatant way he flirted with Remus sometimes, which is why he had been sure Sirius wouldn't reject a move from Remus, but he had thought it was a passing fancy. The rest, he had thought, would develop on its own. Perhaps Sirius would then fall in love with Remus. Or perhaps (and truthfully James had thought this the more likely scenario, since after all Sirius hadn't yet fallen in love with any of his passing sexual partners) Remus would have realized he had been greatly mistaken and the Marauders would all go back to the way they were.

Remus freaked out and rejected him? More like the other way around. You really are a first class idiot.

"What?"

Whoops. He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud. He thought about it, then repeated, "You really are a first class idiot."

Sirius was staring at him in disbelief. "Me?"

"Yes. Well. Both of us, really, but I've at least realized my mistake. Padfoot, my man, you're the biggest idiot in the room."

He stood up and gave Sirius a slap on the shoulder. "Stop crying and clean up, mate. I doubt Moony would like his new boyfriend to look like a wuss." He shot Sirius a cheeky grin. "I have a few things to do."

At the door, he turned back. Sirius was still sitting on the bed, looking both startled and confused. Relenting, James went back. Gently, he said, "Sirius. You've got absolutely nothing to be scared of. Accept it, yeah?" And ignoring all masculinity issues, he reached out and gave his best friend a hug. He felt Sirius relax marginally. Patting him on the back, he gave him a reassuring smile, and then he left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Outside the dorm, he stood still for a moment, thinking. He saw Peter working diligently on his essay in front of the fireplace. A few feet away sat Lily, giggling with her girlfriends.

He bounded down the staircase, a familiar gleam returning to his eyes that could only be described as Marauderish. He was going to fix this. But he needed some help.

"Pete! Need you," he called. Then he skidded to a stop in front of Lily, went down on one knee and emphatically placed his right hand on top of his chest. "Lily Evans, will you deign to spare me a little of your time?"

He got hit on the head with a book for his trouble. "Stop with the antics, Potter, before I hex you," was the testy reply.

"Ow!" he clutched his head, moaning. "I only meant would you help me get Remus and Sirius together!"

Lily's face cleared and her entire demeanor changed. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" she said sweetly. Picking up her book and dusting it off, she waved goodbye to her friends and turned to James. "So what's the plan?"

A/N: So, I swear I'm not intentionally dragging this on. The James and Peter part was just supposed to take up a tiny little portion, but er... the story kind of ran away from me. And James insisted on having an entire chapter from his point of view. Ahem. I'm going to get my head checked. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter, and I promise the next chapter is the last! It's already half done.

Oh and PS - I like reviews!