A/N:
Hurrah for great news! I have a Beta! Yes! The first Beta I've ever had! Thank you Trillium248. Hopefully now this chapter will be free of any mistakes. She is helping me get over my comma addiction, I seem to have a phobia of full stops, apparently they are crying out to me to be used!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything…at all…sob.
Scars and Snap
Remus found Harry in the library, nursing a throbbing hand.
"Hurt much?" Remus ventured, making Harry, who had not yet noticed him, jump and spin around,
"Yeah," he grinned sheepishly, clearly unsure about Remus' reaction to the fact that Harry had just punched one of his best friends in front of a crowd of people.
Remus sighed and gave a small smile back, "Look-" he began, but stopped suddenly when someone else hurried into the library, a slightly out of breath red-head named-
"Lily Evans?" Remus asked weakly in slight disbelief.
She looked between Remus and Harry and blushed, aware she had just interrupted something.
"Um…don't mind me…carry on…" she mumbled, taking a couple of steps back and lingering in what she clearly thought was an unobtrusive way.
"Er…" Remus paused, having lost his train of thought and noticing that Harry was looking at a fidgety Lily with a strange expression, "Look," Remus repeated with a little more force than was necessary, snapping Harry's attention back to him. He continued. "What you did back there was very…admirable," the young werewolf cringed when he realised how old that had sounded 'admirable?' what was he, seventy?
But Harry had merely raised his eyebrows, "You think hitting James was admirable?"
Remus shook his head, "Well, not that part specifically, more standing up for someone because it's the right thing, standing up to someone who maybe needed to be taught a lesson…" he trailed off awkwardly but Harry was still waiting for him to continue, Remus couldn't help but feel he was being seen through, with that piercing, all-knowing stare the headmaster seemed to have. It prompted him to explain.
"I…know James and Sirius can…get out of hand, and I know I should stop them when they go too far it's just…"
Remus realised he couldn't really explain why he didn't stop them without admitting that he was a teenage werewolf secretly attending Hogwarts. James, Sirius and Peter were the only ones who knew. They accepted him for what he was and even learned to become animagi to keep him company on the full moon. Needless to say, he couldn't really tell Harry that.
"It's just, they're you're friends," Harry summarised in a nutshell; Remus stared at him; for an adolescent Harry really did have some amazing clarity of thought sometimes.
"Er…yeah," replied Lupin, adopting a more conventional, monosyllabic style of teenage communication.
"You think the rest of them are going to be so accepting?" Harry frowned,
"Ah, well don't worry, I'll attempt to smooth things over, besides, James will probably just sulk for a while and get most of his frustrations out in the bet tomorrow, he'll be your best friend after that."
"Only because he's sure he'll win," Harry said almost sadly and then, catching sight of Remus' expression, rolled his eyes, "But you don't think that's going to be a problem."
The werewolf shrugged apologetically, "Sorry, James is an exceptionally good flyer."
"Yeah well, we'll see," sighed Harry, non-committal.
Behind them there was a delicate clearing of the throat and both boys remembered they were not alone, Remus bid Harry a gruff goodbye (the standard embarrassed procedure when you've been caught practicing a little male bonding, or expressing any kind of real feelings in public at all, for that matter) and exited wondering what Lily would want to talk to Harry about, and hoping that he still looked too much like James for her liking. After all, it would be hard enough to smooth things over with Prongs without a romance blossoming.
Lily approached Harry nervously to say the least. Yeah, she had tossed her hair and strode about after him giving the appearance of confidence, but when it came to actually talking to him she had no idea what she wanted to say… but she just couldn't let that whole thing happen without saying something!
She hoped Harry would say something first, give her that annoyingly cheeky grin and voice something she could respond to, but no such luck, he seemed especially unforthcoming today. Damn.
"Um…you should know I…I don't condone violence…Harry," she winced, oh Merlin, was that the best she could do? Man, was she rusty on pick-up lines…what happened to her feminine wiles? She was a girl for goodness sakes! Wasn't flirting supposed to be what they did?
But all thoughts of attempts to get Harry's attention were driven out her mind when he laughed at her.
Yep, laughed at her, Lily Evans.
"Oh come on, Lily, are you telling me you didn't enjoy that even a little bit-you're supposed to hate James, remember? Or was that all just an act?" he raised his eyebrows at her.
This boy was just getting more infuriating by the second! Oh…and kind of more charming by the second too…damn it, that treacherous little voice was back.
She snorted derisively at his suggestion, it wasn't very convincing. She met his eye and sighed, "Okay, yes, I did enjoy it a teensy bit, but that's partly because Severus doesn't deserve to be treated like that!"
Harry nodded, "Uh-huh," he said sarcastically, "That would be the reason, of course."
Lily couldn't help it, and grinned back at him sheepishly.
"So tell me Lily, I can't help but wonder, when are you and James finally going to get together?"
Lily gaped at him, "W-what?" Of all the random things Harry tended to come out with she had not been expecting that.
He shrugged "It's kind of obvious James is completely in love with you."
She blushed furiously, "Oh yeah? How come he acts like such an idiot around me all the time?"
Harry chuckled,: "Unfortunately, I think it's the only way he knows how to impress girls. If you pay closer attention, you'll see he's trying desperately and when it doesn't work he can't figure out why, poor guy. He doesn't realise it's because you're different from the other girls. He doesn't realise that that's why he feels the way he does about you. Also, you have to remember, he's a teenage boy, and has the emotional range of a teaspoon, something a friend of mine taught me." Harry was wistfully reminded of Hermione and Ron's bickering in the common room.
Lily laughed at that but then looked at Harry, "You're a teenage boy and you don't act like that." It sounded almost like an accusation.
Harry frowned and looked uncomfortable, "I had to grow up fast."
Lily was confused "Why?…Oh! Because you had no parents!" she blurted out in sudden realisation, and then clapped a hand over her mouth at how blunt she'd been. But Harry chuckled.
"It's okay, don't worry about it,"
She lowered her hand, "Sorry," she mumbled,
"How did you know?"
"Alice told me," she said meekly,
"Ah, I forgot how fast news travels at Hogwarts," Harry slipped without noticing.
"It's kind of awful what a big bunch of gossips we are, isn't it?"
Harry abruptly changed the subject, "Are you going to come see me play against James tomorrow?"
Lily frowned, "You know it's not really allowed, I'm head girl after all…"
"And James is head boy, c'mon, please? It would be nice if my m-er…if you could see me fly one time." Lily stared at him hard. There had been a note of something odd in that request, but…if he wanted her to see him fly so badly, who was she to refuse?
"Okay…" she relented and Harry grinned, "But I'm going for you, and not Potter, so stop teasing me about him, you sound like Alice."
The bell rang for their next lesson, "Maybe Alice is a smart girl," said Harry.
--
When Harry reached his dorm that night he went prepared, he did not know how the others were to react or how successful Remus had been in smoothing things over. But as soon as he entered the room Sirius bounded up to him, "Granger! Fancy a game of exploding snap?" Harry glanced at James' bed, which had its drapes drawn around its occupant resolutely. Sirius followed his gaze and grinned "Awesome punch by the way," he whispered,
Harry caught Remus' eye, who was sitting in the corner reading a book as Sirius began setting up the game and mouthed a 'thank you.' Throughout the rest of the evening it became clear that James would sulk until morning, Peter would just go along with the general mood and Sirius' attention span was just too small to really remember whether he was supposed to be annoyed at Harry or not. It seemed Harry's dramatics would not really have a lasting negative effect on the Marauders.
The evening was spent so pleasantly all Harry's worries were allayed, none of them had much homework to do as it was only the beginning of term and the teachers weren't cracking down on them too hard yet so they lounged around their dorm playing card games and (in Remus' case) reading books. Harry briefly wondered why they weren't down in the common room and then realised that even if he was sulking, none of the Marauders had the heart to abandon James.
"SNAP!" yelled Sirius as Harry and Peter dove for cover and even Remus pulled his book up in front of his face to protect himself from the impending blast. Sirius, unfortunately, was just an instant too slow as the miniature explosion went up in his face. The blast shook the candle brackets on the walls and knocked belongings off surfaces. Coughing and spluttering from settling soot they emerged from their respective places beneath beds to see a black mark on the floor and a stunned Sirius still sitting cross-legged. He looked like a cartoon, with hair sticking out at all odd angles and a blackened face, cards strewn around him.
James tugged back his drapes violently, a frown on his face, "What the hell?-" he stopped short at the sight of Sirius, they stared at each other with bemused expressions for a couple of instants and then simultaneously burst out laughing; for as much a state as Sirius looked, there was a big purple bruise running across James' nose from the day's earlier events. Remus, chuckling, leant over and fished out the card pack from amidst the debris.
"Bloody hell Sirius, what was that?" Harry asked, "I've never known exploding snap to be so…explosive."
By then they had all got the giggles and as Remus read "'Zonko's Extra Strength Exploding Snap, Have a Blast, Now with More Might than Ever Before. The room echoed with renewed laughter.
When their stomachs had stopped aching from laughing too hard and Sirius had gone to try and wash his blackened face, Harry addressed a grinning James, "Look, James, I'm sorry about that ," he gestured to his purple features, " I let my temper get the best of me, besides, I'm sure Madame Pomfrey could clear that bruise up in a second."
James eyed Harry for a moment, "It's okay I guess-" but before he could continue there was a shriek of agony and Sirius burst into the room, his face was now free of soot but-
"My eyebrows!" Sirius gestured above his eyes, he had suffered the fate of those unfortunates who simply were not quick enough in Exploding Snap:
His eyebrows were completely singed off.
There was a stunned silence followed by the sound of four boys simultaneously attempting to stifle sniggers into the nearest pillow. "It's not funny!" he cried, "I'm hideous!"
"Come on," consoled Peter, "It's not that bad."
"Not that bad?" Sirius moaned, "They were my pride and joy!"
"I thought your hair was your pride and joy?"
Sirius looked at him with mournful eyes, "Eyebrows are hair!"
"Don't worry Pa-Sirius, Remus will just charm them back on for you!" James pointed out. Sirius fixed his eyes on Remus and threw himself at his feet.
"Will you Moony?" he was obviously too distraught to remember Harry wasn't supposed to know their nicknames, "Please, please, please! I'll be your servant forever!" he begged,
Remus put his book down and sighed, rolling up his sleeves, "I'll give it a go, but I'm not promising anything mind, I've never done anything like this before."
About half an hour later Remus leant back with a tired sigh, "I'm afraid that's the best I can do," He frowned pensively at Sirius' face "I'm not sure why they turned out like that though."
Sirius felt above his eyes and grinned, "What are you talking about? They're great!"
"Er, Sirius, you might want to look in the mirror…" Harry suggested,
Sirius glanced into the mirror set into the wardrobe to discover that his eyebrows were indeed intact but were also now blue. Sirius reacted better than they had expected, he shrugged and sighed with defeat, "Well, I suppose blue is better than nothing,"
"A wise conclusion!" declared James, Harry couldn't help himself and snorted, which made James snigger in turn.
Sirius smiled, "Oh, shut up Harry," he said half-heartedly,
"Hey, at least my eyebrows are still a decent colour," Harry teased back, pulling up his fringe and waggling them at Sirius tauntingly.
"Hey, at least I haven't got a whopping great scar on my forehead," Sirius announced triumphantly, Harry stopped short and tried to flatten his long fringe over his scar realising he had just revealed it by pulling his fringe up, but by now it was too late.
"Where? I never noticed any scar," asked James,
"Yeah, show us Harry," Peter interjected, Harry looked around at them all and sighed,
"Okay, if I have to."
He pulled up his fringe and showed them the lighting bolt slash across his forehead, they 'oohed' and 'ahhed' appropriately. "Wow, that's so cool!"
"Must've really hurt," said Sirius, impressed,
"How did you get it?" asked Remus, even his interest was caught,
"In the car accident that killed my parents," there was a suitably subdued silence, the Marauder's embarrassed at their reactions now they knew the scar's origins. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they were unlikely to ask any more probing questions.
But when he glanced at Remus the young werewolf was looking pensive and not entirely convinced.
--
Meanwhile, in her dorm, Lily was being confronted by Alice.
"Okay, enough is enough; I demand you tell me all."
Lily looked up from the book she hadn't really been reading with a confused expression, "Tell you all of what?"
"Of what is making you sit there with such a dreamy expression on your face, and don't tell me its nothing," Alice quickly interrupted before Lily could object, "Because I've known you for seven years now Lily and I've never seen you act this weird."
"Weird?" Lily had the nerve to sound offended at her wording,
"Yeah, like a normal girl for once! Instead of being caught up in books and immune to every boy in school!"
Lily squirmed in her seat, "Well it's…it's because of…Harry Granger," her voice was so tiny Alice didn't think she would have understood if she hadn't been expecting it.
"Yes! I knew it!" Alice announced triumphantly,
"Knew it?" Lily sounded appalled, "Has it been that obvious?"
Alice laughed, "Well, let's see, you're always talking about him, or wanting to talk to him, or if you're not doing that, wondering where he is, what he's up to…Then, of course, there's the fact you're always staring at him with those big round eyes from across the classroom. My suspicions were confirmed today when you turned up to lessons with him in tow almost five minutes late. You're never that late unless you have a good excuse."
"Oh Merlin! I couldn't have been any more transparent could I?" she moaned, Alice sat down next to her,
"Don't worry, he doesn't know you like I do. Besides, if he's like every other boy, he's probably too dense to realise you like him."
"You don't understand, Harry isn't like other boys!"
Alice snorted, "That's what they all say,"
"No, I mean, he's perceptive," Lily thought back to their DADA test, "very perceptive."
Alice shrugged, "Well, never mind, I'm just glad someone's finally caught your interest, I got tired of being the only love struck fool in this friendship."
Lily grinned, "Aha! So you do like Frank, better, you loooove him!" Alice went bright red, "That's not important, stop trying to change the subject; we're talking about you, remember? Now, has he done anything to show that he likes you?"
"Well…he's offered to tutor me."
Alice shook her head, "Too homework-ish, not romantic enough so it doesn't count,"
Lily huffed, searching in their past conversations, "Oh, I know, he wants me to go see him fly at the bet tomorrow."
"Bingo!" Alice smiled, "That is definitely a signal of interest!"
Lily frowned and sighed, "I don't know, he keeps on saying things…"
"Like what?"
"Well, hints and stuff that I should let James take me out…"
"What?" Alice looked definitely confused for a moment, the cogs turning, and began muttering to herself, "Unless…hmm…oh!...he's a clever one…very clever…"
"Will you please explain what you're talking about?"
"Well everyone knows you hate James, right?"
"Yes,"
"And everyone knows James is crazy about you,"
"But-"
"Let's just say you believe me, okay?"
"Okay,"
"And Harry is fast becoming good friends with James and the Marauder's and wouldn't want to upset them," she paused and shrugged "despite the whole punching thing,"
"Ye-es,"
"So by encouraging you to go out with James, he's being a good friend, he also knows it's highly unlikely you'd even consider it,and therefore he's moving your relationship forward by inviting you to go see him fly!" Alice concluded triumphantly.
"Effectively he's having his cauldron cake and eating it."
Lily blinked, "That seems a bit unfair to James…"
"Rubbish! All's fair in love and war. To be honest, I'm impressed. It's not like a boy to be so smart. Maybe you're right and he is more perceptive than usual."
Their conversation was interrupted by a faint 'boom' echoing through the corridors of the dorms, Lily sighed, "Someone's gotten hold of a pack of those Extra Strength Exploding Snap cards again, honestly, does no-one care whether something's banned or not?"
"I think it's just you and Filch," Alice grinned, and then chuckled loudly,
"What?"
"I was just thinking, it's just like you to fall for a guy who's practically the twin of the boy you supposedly hate!"
Lily frowned, "I never said James wasn't attractive, just very annoying. If he could just sort out his personality I'm sure he'd be fine."
"Yeah…right."
--
As Harry left for the bathroom Remus seized the moment.
"Marauder's meeting!" he announced, catching the attention of his friends.
As if with practiced precision the four boys scramble into the centre of their dorm and sat cross-legged in a circle. "Excellent! We haven't had a meeting in ages!" grinned James.
"Yeah, and you never call them Moony,"
"Which reminds me, Pads, you've got to remember not to use ours nick-names in front of Granger. You called Remus 'Moony' earlier without even noticing."
"Sorry," Sirius looked slightly abashed.
"Er…shall we start?" Remus asked, worried that Harry would return before they even began.
James, however, tsked, "You're not doing it right Remus."
"Well, how do you do it?" Remus asked irritably.
"Let the meeting commence!" James announced grandly. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I would like to call something to the Marauder's attention."
"And would that be why you've called this meeting, Mr. Moony?"
Remus sighed, "Yes, James," James gave him a look, "Yes, Mr. Prongs," he corrected.
"Proceed," said Sirius solemnly. Remus hesitated. He trusted Harry and so was only slightly concerned when he had realised that the other boy wasn't telling the truth. Perhaps Harry had a perfectly good reason for lying about how he got his scar, but Remus had always shared everything with the Marauder's. It couldn't hurt now, surely?
"I suggest that Harry isn't being entirely truthful with us about the origins of his scar." The rest of the Marauders looked at each other and Remus curiously, "What makes you think that?"
"The shape of Harry's scar is too unusual to have been created by a car accident. I reckon it was caused by magic."
"Why would he lie about it?" Peter asked, confused.
"I'm smelling something fishy about this," said James with narrowed eyes.
"What does Mr. Padfoot suggest?"
"Um…looking up magical scars in the library," the rest of the Marauders looked disappointed.
"How about Moony researches, and the rest of us try to find out more about it from Harry?" offered Sirius.
"Mr. Moony," James corrected.
"Fine, Mr. Moony, are we agreed?"
"All in favour say aye!"
"Oh come on now, this is just getting ridiculous!"
"What say you Mr. Moony?" James continued stubbornly.
"Aye," Remus relented wearily.
"Aye!"
"Aye!"
"Excellent!" announced Sirius.
"Meeting hereby adjourned!" declared James.
"I'm going to bed," said Remus.
A/N: Okay, forgive me, I know not much happens in this chapter, if its any consolation the next chapter is where all the excitement starts! Oh, and this is a full 10 pages long so be happy!