A/N: Updated as of 12/29/2013

Y6: Behind Closed Curtains

He grabbed his trunk with his owl's cage and new broom, the Hewlett 360, attached to it. He reached for his mum's arm who waited with his father by the door. When he grabbed her wrist, a sensation of claustrophobia took over his body. He was being squeezed through a tube but before he knew it, he could breathe again. This time when he opened his eyes, he came across Platform 9 ¾ rather than his home.

"Alright, James-my-boy, we'll be off now," Mr. Potter said thumping James' back.

"Oh wait, Paul dear, I want a picture with James-ie," Mrs. Potter crooned grabbing her camera.

James rolled his eyes while his father groaned, "Just hurry, Amelia."

She set her camera up in front of them and charmed it to go off in three seconds. She rushed to James' side and smiled brightly then pecked James' cheek. Paul thumped his son again and shared an awkward smile with him.

"Good!" Amelia cheered, "I'll owl it to you when I have it copied, James."

"Alright, mum," James pecked his mother's cheek and grabbed his stuff nodding to his father, "I'll see you dad."

He rushed towards the train to grab a seat. He hadn't even got on before Amelia hollered an "I love you." He turned to see them Apparate away.

He floated his things to the back compartment and watched the window for his friends. He saw as Remus and Peter both came crashing through the pillar laughing as they collided with a second year Ravenclaw girl. They jumped on to the train and burst into the compartment with laughs.

"Good mood we're in, are we?" James laughed.

"PRONGS!" Remus yipped and took his friend in a hug.

"Oi, Moony, a bit too tight," James gasped as Remus released him, "I see you're not still sick."

"Mungo's came up with an energizer for him," Peter said pushing his trunk in the shelf above.

"I see," James said settling back down in to his seat. The boys followed him.

"So what have we planned for today?" Peter smiled mischievously.

"Pete, I'm a prefect. I can't be—"

"Oh come off it, Remus. You didn't get in trouble last year, you'll be fine," James cut him off, "Sirius has the supplies but I want to do a light show. Fireworks everywhere and I want to try spiking Slytherins' drinks with a neon hair potion."

"James," Remus sighed.

"We'd have to get the house elves in on it," Peter thought aloud.

"Zennie wouldn't let us, I'm sure. So we'd have to sneak in and spike it ourselves," James said fiddling with his Gryffindor tie.

"Merlin, James, this is—"

"Quiet, Moony, we're plotting," James said with a grin.

"JAMES! I'M NOT—"

The compartment door flew open with a crash and a tall handsome boy with black hair that draped his face, "BOYS! I'M HOME!"

"Padfoot!" The three cheered.

"Perfect timing," James smiled standing to hug Sirius Black, "we were just going over Operation Muggle Stew."

"Muggle stew?" Remus wondered, "What the bloody hell does Muggle stew have to do with fireworks and neon hair?"

"For the love of Merlin, Remus," James dramatically rubbed his temples, "it was obviously what Pads and I were eating when we came up with the plan."

"Honestly, Moony," Sirius laughed, "I thought you were the smart Marauder."

"So very sorry, I mean it was so obvious, how didn't I deduct that from all I had heard," Remus rolled his eyes but a smile played at his lips.

"REMUS!" a frantic Lily Evans came running through the compartment door open fifteen minutes later, "Remus, you're late!"

Remus looked out the window and noticed that the train had apparently started for Hogwarts without him noticing, "The prefect meeting, right, sorry Lily. I'll be right behind you."

Lily glared at James as she remembered that he was one of the people who knew of Cara's disappearance but hadn't bothered to write her. James flashed a smile and Lily twirled away in a huff. Remus followed quickly behind her trying to keep up.

"How was your summer, Lily?" Remus asked politely.

Lily gave him a sharp glare, "Well it was fine until I read that one of my best friends was kidnapped in the Prophet."

"You read it in the paper?" Remus said mildly confused, "Did no one write you before?"

"No, Remus, no one thought to write me," Lily bit out, "Not Mary, or Marlene, or Dorcas, or Emmeline. For Merlin's sake, Potter wrote me three times to ask me to Hogsmeade, but it never occurred to him that I may want to know that my friend was abducted."

"Lily, James has been through a lot this past week," Remus sighed, "he's been trying to distract himself the best he can with stupid pranks and Quidditch."

"Well isn't that nice. Our friend is in trouble, and he is pantsing Slytherins!"

"Lily," Remus grabbed her by the wrist and spun her to face him, "don't mistake James' smiles for happiness. When he found out, he was crushed. On top of it all, his parents wouldn't speak of the rescue mission to him. He's trying to distract himself because he's too scared to think about it."

Lily bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted the iron, she looked over Remus' shoulder, too scared to look him in the eye.

"He hides his feelings with a smile and you hide yours with those angry green eyes, but deep down you both feel the same," Remus frowned.

Lily pulled her hand out of his grip and looked him in the face, "I just want to go to this meeting."

Remus smiled and pulled the compartment door open ushering Lily in first. The Head Girl, Eponine Morgan, was handing out the first month's prefect curfew watch schedule as the two took a seat by a few Hufflepuff prefects. Though they sat in close proximity to one another, Remus and Lily didn't touch or even look at each other. The pain of Cara's kidnapping that they thought was buried deep was beginning to resurface. Lily would be damned if anyone saw her cry.

When the meeting ended, they returned to their compartments in silence. Lily's was quiet and tearful. While Remus' was a mask of fits of laughter but every so often you would catch them in a deep silence thinking of one girl. Could Cara sense their grief? Did they know how they all would do anything to trade places with her? Was she even alive?

They got to Hogwarts and rushed off the train. The Marauders ran to the kitchens before Dinner would begin while the girls took to the Great Hall. Every one avoided running into the girls but glanced at them every few minutes. When they took a seat, whispers erupted through the Great Hall; through it all, the girls stayed silent. The Marauders took a seat late and counted down the seconds after the Sorting Ceremony until the Fireworks went off. The Hall erupted in laughter but the girls could only smile slightly at the Marauder's success. Then when the Slytherins hair turned bright shades of pink, everyone excluding the sixth year Gryffindors was all smiles. The boys hadn't even noticed their second prank was a success as they picked at their food.

They all went up to bed ignoring "The Back to Hogwarts" party being held in the Common Room. The sixth year dormitories were quiet as thoughts of Cara's kidnapping and memories previously filled their heads. Mary, Dorcas, Emmeline, and Marlene sobbed throughout the night. Lily heaved every once in a while biting her lip to prevent from crying out. The boys closed their curtains making it impossible to know if a tear for Cara left their eyes. But they did think of her that night. And all the nights that would follow.