A/N: To my dear, dear reviewers - this story has been bothering me for some time, begging me to write it, so I finally decided to take the leap, despite the busyness of the upcoming holiday. I actually considered putting off the posting of the first chapter for a time that was a bit less hectic, but when I got home after a very, very long day and found how many reviews and reads I had - Oh my gosh. It was incredible.

You all made my day. Seriously. And, to show my gratitude, I am putting off other responsibilities to complete this chapter for you. It's probably sub-par because of this, but I'm caught up in the beautiful euphoria of fame and nothing can stop me now.

Oh, yeah - I forgot to mention this in chapter one, even though I hope that you figured this one out on your own - if I was J.K. Rowling, I would selling this for a small fortune. I'm not.

x x x

Shouting - flashes of brightly coloured light - the bubbling laughter of magic flinging between the opponents-

Snivellus stands before him again, sneering. He hates how the boy sneers, the way his sallow face twists into a horrible caricature of a smile, the way his black eyes glint. "Think you're such a bloody Gryffindor - cowards, all of you-"

More light, more curses - because he cannot allow the scum to say such things, not about him and not about the other Marauders. An unidentified spell hits his shoulder, and he hisses as the skin splits open, releasing blood in a thin trail down his arm. "You're the coward, Slytherin," he spits, as if Slytherin is the worst insult possible.

The returning laugh is cruel, a warped imitation of happiness, and suddenly Snivellus is saying words - terrible words, words that make Sirius want to claw and scream and kill - words that ooze pain and anger and blinding shame. The curses are still flying, but the syllables of agony that Snivellus sends with them are almost worse - he can shield the magic.

And when Snivellus looks him right in the eye and continues, the knives shooting right through him, leaving gaping holes in their wake - he can't see-

"worthless friend - that tree - expelled-"

The idea pours from his lips before he even knows it exists, shouting to Snape how he can find out what Remus does in that tree. The laughter is swelling within him now, making him lightheaded, because he knows that Snape isn't dumb enough to do anything that Sirius tells him to. But still, a part of him almost wants Snape to go.

For Snivellus to die.

"Sirius! Wake up, Padfoot."

Sirius groaned, stirring slightly. Who is calling him? he wonders. Moony's in the hospital wing recuperating, no doubt, and James is never up this early, which leaves-

"You'll be late if you don't get up and get ready, Padfoot. Now."

"S'too early, Wormtail," Sirius moans, fighting his half-asleep muscles to pull him upright. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he discovers that Wormtail is right. It is time.

"Transfiguration is our first class, Sirius. McG will be out for blood if we're late to another class." Peter's voice held the convincing ring of desperate truth. Professor Minerva McGonagall was more concerned with lateness than most of the staff were, and it wasn't like she needed another reason to stick a Marauder in detention. Finding himself convinced (and not wanting to be in detention the day after full moon) Sirius stumbled from his bed and began the arduous process of finding clothes that were clean and at least halfway matched.

"Prongs!" Wormtail shouted across the room to the motionless lump on the nearby bed. "James, get out of that bed." Peter had apparently taken Moony's task of awakening the dormitory as his own - at least when Remus was incapacitated - storming to Prong's bed and jerking the curtains open. "Get up, James Potter!"

Predictably, James did not budge.

One thing about Peter - he could never be accused of not being thorough. He thought of every detail. James sputtered, shaking water from his eyes - awake now, Sirius noted smugly, despite the fact that he had had no part in Peter's method - squeaking indignantly, "You didn't have to dump water on me!"

Peter only chucked, and ordered James from the bed again. When James grudgingly complied, Sirius suddenly realized that he had been watching them for the good part of ten minutes. The lightning bolt of time shortage zapped at him as he hurried to ready himself for the day, listening to James and Peter argue playfully behind him.

x x x

"Peter! We've got Potions first!" Sirius cried, mourning the loss of perfectly good sleep as he stared at his schedule.

Peter grinned, ducking his head behind the pitcher of pumpkin juice. "How else was I supposed to get you up?"

James felt himself smiling in spite of himself. Peter was trying so hard to fill the gaping hole they all felt when Remus was missing. It had been easier the last few months, when they had accompanied him on his transformations, but then there was the time that they had lost control of him, two months ago, and Remus - martyring prat that he was - had forbidden them from coming with him. And he'd enchanted the entrance to the shrieking shack against them, to keep them from sneaking in when he was already transformed and could do nothing about it. Sirius had had an idea about coming in through Hogsmeade... There was always next month.

"James? Earth to James."

Jerking out of his thoughts, James stared blankly at Sirius. "What?"

Peter suppressed a snicker. Sirius flit his eyes softly, the faintest of smiles curling his lips. "Lily's looking very pretty this morning, isn't she?"

Monster. "Even if she was, would it make a difference? She's a prefect, Sirius." He wouldn't blush, he wouldn't-

"So's Moony."

"But Moony's... Moony. It works for him."

"Right." Sirius didn't bother to keep the sound of friendly contempt to seep into his words. "Keep telling yourself that, mate." Sirius then returned his attention to his sausages, most probably contemplating how they could be eaten with the absolute minimum exertion.

The students were beginning to file out - it was almost time for class. James bid Sirius and Peter an early farewell, and set off upstairs, in the opposite direction of the dungeons.

Remus didn't deserve to have to wait by himself in the hospital wings with only the starched sheets and jeweled potions for company.

x x x

A/N: I didn't get that chapter either. For some weird reason, I was suddenly unable to write anything deep. Think of it as a break before things get dark.

I may not be able to post very much - the writer's block aside, it's just hard to find time these days. And since my eyes are threatening to shut in the middle of this... I bid you good day.