A/N: Remus personally meets the Marauders and Lily and Severus hatch a plan :D.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Eventually, Lily and Severus had to get to Charms while I had a free period so I decided to go to the Great Hall for lunch. Having passed it on the way out to the grounds, it was easy to find the large room full of food. The whole room was abuzz with chatter of students from all four houses. I made a beeline to the end of the table of students wearing the same tie as mine, however, on my way over, someone purposely bumped into me. I looked into the face of the snooty boy from Potions.

"Watch it, filth! I just took a shower this morning," he sneered at me.

I was about to say something back to him when someone spoke up from the end of the Gryffindor table, "Is this slimy git bothering you?"

I turned to see the boy named Sirius glaring at the green-tied boy in front me, though he spoke to me.

"Get out of here, Montague, before we make you," Sirius continued, while the messy-haired boy nodded in agreement and the small boy looked away from the altercation.

Montague met Sirius' glare and then turned back to me and said, "You're not even worth the effort, filth. Just watch where you're going next time." Then he shoved into my shoulder one more time before he walked away.

Outwardly, I stared at his retreating back until he left through the large doors, but inwardly, I released the breath I was holding. Not that I wasn't about to speak up for myself, but I was happy I didn't have to. I didn't know what the boy was capable of and didn't want to find out.

I was about to walk down a bit further down the Gryffindor table, when Sirius asked, "Hey, why don't you sit with us?"

I cast an awkward look down the table, seeing the glorious empty seats a few feet away. It would look so horrible now if I made a run for it after he offered, and I couldn't pretend I didn't hear. So I just took a seat next to the small round boy and across from the two grinning group leaders.

"Why don't we know you?" James asked as he began to study my face and body, taking in every scratch and faded scar.

"I'm Remus and I just started this year," I said softly.

"If you're new, why aren't you eleven like the first years?" Peter asked bluntly as he looked at me in confusion, maybe trying to see if I was actually just a mature-looking preteen.

"You can't just say that, Peter. You don't know if Remus is retarded or something," James scolded as Peter looked away.

"Actually, I've been homeschooled and finally convinced my Mum to let me go to Hogwarts this year," I explained, feeling a bit uncomfortable across from Sirius who had yet to let his smile drop.

"That is so fetch!" James said with a grin.

"What?" Sirius asked with a laugh, but gave James an odd look.

"Fetch," James repeated. "Mum uses it all the time. It's very popular in France and Spain."

"Well then it should stay there," Sirius said finally, before he turned back to me. "That's very interesting, Remus. You must be very smart to have joined us Fifth Years," he complimented.

"Thank you," I said with a broad smile, feeling like I met a second set of friends.

"So you agree then?" Sirius asked.

"What?" I asked.

"You think you're very smart?" Sirius asked.

I was at a lost for words now. I thought I was smart, who wouldn't think highly of themselves but the way Sirius said it, I felt there was something more to the question.

Sirius just smiled when I didn't answer and then turned to whisper something into James' ear. I looked towards the doors of the Great Hall, wondering if I could just grab an apple and make a run for it. There I saw Lily and Severus entering. They caught my eyes and Lily gave me a shocked look while looking pointedly between me and the boys around me. I shrugged and gave her a helpless look.

"Remus!" Sirius said, drawing me away from the pair at the doorway. "James and I have decided to let you sit with us."

"Ummm, great?" I said, unsure if this was a great thing or not.

Peter just looked between the two boys, having been left out of the decision, but then he nodded along and gave me a friendly smile. "On Wednesdays at dinner, we wear pink."

At my raised eyebrow, James gave me a dazzling grin said, "It's very in in France right now."

Sirius chuckled and added, "And we're the Marauders. We can pull off anything."

"What were you doing with them?" Lily all but screamed when I was able to separate from the Marauders without looking disrespectful. She had quickly grabbed me as I stepped into the hallway and into the nearest bathroom.

"They invited me to sit with them and I panicked. Now they want me to sit there all the time," I said, looking towards Severus for some help in diffusing the bomb that was Lily Evans.

"You have to do it," Lily said.

"What?" Severus and I said at the same time. "You want Remus to become a Marauder?" Severus said, venom practically dripping off the last word.

"Yes," Lily said. "You hang out with them and then you come to us and tell us everything they talk about, especially about Sirius."

"But they seem nice, and Sirius isn't that bad," I began. I couldn't place the person Lily described to be earlier with the boy I just met.

"Sirius Black isn't nice!" Lily screamed. "He ruined my life!"

"Why do you hate him?" I asked. There was obviously something deeper between Lily and Sirius.

"In first year, Black.." Severus began but was quickly quieted by a fiery glare from the redhead. "We never talk about that again! You promised."

Severus bit his lip and stepped out of her line of fire. Lily then turned back to me, "It's not about hating him. It's just an experiment, in the interest of learning."

I looked into Lily's face and then into the mirror at myself. I was plain and shy, nothing really special. I didn't have much social experience and if they ever found out about me...

"What would I even say?" I asked Lily.

"Quidditch is all James talks about," Severus offered.

"Black is actually smart when it comes to subjects that interest him, though few and in between," Lily added.

"And they love to play pranks on everyone," Severus spat.

I sighed. Lily was looking at me so hopefully, and though Severus hated them as well, he would do anything Lily wanted, so I was outvoted two to one. "Ok, I'll do it. By the way, do you have anything pink?"

Lily just smirked and said, "I can colour one of Sev's shirts for you."