"Do you think he's doing something illegal?"

"Peter, he's visiting his sick mother, get back to work." John huffed, not in the mood for Peter's conspiracy theories. Transfiguration was kicking him while he was down, and it was the reason he was down in the first place!

"What if he has a point though?" Sirius asked, looking up from the tennis ball he was tossing between his hands. John had managed to get it for him by owling Lily with one of the school owls after Christmas.

"What, you think Remus is sneaking out to drink firewhiskey and charm muggles?" James asked with a laugh. He pushed his glasses up before returning to scribbling out vague prank ideas on an otherwise blank piece of parchment.

"Not like that kind of illegal!" Peter squeaked, somewhat offended. "I just mean sometimes when he comes back, there's another scar on his face."

"Merlin knows how many scars he's got hiding under his robes. I bet he's got loads." Sirius said.

"As fun as it is to entertain the thought of one of our friends doing… doing wizard drugs or whatever, I'm going to fail this Transfiguration test if I can't study, so will you lot shut it?"

"I can help if you want." James offered.

The bespectacled boy put his quill down and moved to look at the section John was attempting to study. It was a pleasant evening towards the end of February. Snow coated the castle grounds and continued to fall, so most students stayed inside now that classes were finished for the day and there was no need to go to the greenhouses. The four of them were by the window of the common room, where the armchairs weren't quite as comfortable as the ones by the fire. Some of the older students had already claimed those for the night. Remus was not with them. He'd left the previous night to spend time with his mother, and would likely be back on Thursday if his usual pattern stayed true.

As it was currently Tuesday, he wouldn't be back for a couple days. John was just glad James was so skilled in Transfiguration. It was his weakest subject, though it was also his favorite. He hoped he would be able to understand it better if he kept working at it, but it was more than a little frustrating. The only two classes he could say he was good at were Potions and Herbology. He suspected this was due to his mother attempting to teach him how to be a housewife. Brewing potions wasn't so different from cooking; the ingredients were just a little different. Herbology, on the other hand, was likely easy for him thanks to its direct relation to potions. Many of the plants they studied were also potion ingredients.

Sirius sighed loudly, complaining that James was no longer giving him any attention. James ignored his complaints, causing the other boy to pout. The older boy couldn't understand why the two of them would want to be studying transfiguration when they didn't even have the class the next day. After several minutes of being badgered by Sirius, James seized his tennis ball and threw it with such incredible aim that he managed to chuck it all the way across the common room, through the opening entrance of the portrait, and into the hallway. Sirius blinked owlishly torn between being impressed by the throw and infuriated that his ball had been thrown into the hallway. He smacked James upside the head before running off after it.

"You'd make a great chaser." Peter laughed.

"Trust me, I know. I used to be in the little-league quidditch team back home and I was their best chaser. All the other blokes were like babies on twigs compared to me." James boasted.

"All of you were just babies on twigs." John pointed out, but James only shrugged, his pride undamaged.

"You're a twat." Sirius told James as he rejoined the three of them, ignoring the conversation they were having. He failed to keep his grip on the tennis ball, however, and James expertly threw it again as someone left the common room. "POTTER!" Sirius shrieked as he chased after the ball once more.

"He's like a dog. Really loyal, kind of annoying but loveable, likes to chase tennis balls." James said with amusement.

"I'm going to fail transfiguration." John said with misery.

James remembered he was supposed to be helping John with his homework and the two of them got back to it. Peter searched through a book on cults, still trying to figure out Remus's supposed secret. Thankfully, the mousy boy was being near silent, so John was able to focus entirely on James. He was very passionate about the subject, and John felt envious of his understanding. As his unofficial lesson went on, he began to get the hang of it. Sirius was gone for an unknown stretch of time, but John hadn't been keeping track of the passing minutes so he hadn't a clue how long it was. His tennis ball was nowhere to be seen, and there was frown on his face; a furrow in his brow.

"Maybe there is something wrong with Remus." Sirius said as he sat down, his voice subdued. His friends turned to look at him, the tasks they'd been performing seeming unimportant then.

"What do you mean? Did you see something?" James asked, worried for his friends.

"Not really. The ball went down one of the moving staircases so I chased after it, but it fell off and I went looking for it. I wound up looking in the hospital wing because the doors were open so I thought maybe it rolled in."

"And…?" John raised a brow, not sure how that had anything to do with Remus.

"One of the beds by Madam Pomfrey's office had the curtains drawn. I heard crying and then Remus's voice… saying stuff…" He hesitated.

"What did he say?" James asked, leaning insistently into Sirius's personal space.

"He was saying… 'It hurts, please, make it stop.' And he called for his mum. I didn't catch the rest of it. Madam Pomfrey noticed me and chased me out." Sirius was perturbed.

"Well, we've got to go check on him." James said, standing up. John stood as well, agreeing with this motion.

"No, we can't. Madam Pomfrey just chased Sirius out, I doubt Remus is allowed to have visitors." Peter pointed out.

"Alright…" James frowned, looking hesitant but realizing Peter was right.

"Did you find your ball though?" John asked, hoping the lighter subject matter would lessen the damper that had been placed on all their moods.

"Oh, bugger!" Sirius shouted, jumping to his feet and running off again.

"Remus likes chocolate." John said. "I wish we could get him some."

"Oh! I bet if we find an older student who went to Honeydukes we could buy some off them!" James said.

John nodded eagerly then looked to Peter to ask if he would join them. Peter closed his book, the amount of reading he'd been doing starting to take a toll on his eyes. The three of them asked around the Gryffindor common room with little luck. Any older students who had been to Hogsmeade the previous weekend either hadn't been to Honeydukes, hadn't decided to buy chocolate at Honeydukes, or had already eaten all their chocolate from Honeydukes. Not one to be deterred, John took the lead and said they should leave the common room to find more people to ask.

The first person they saw was a brown haired Hufflepuff boy who John and James couldn't decide whether he was old enough or not. Peter was unable to make up his mind and failed to contribute to the conversation. The three of them looked at where he was walking up ahead in the hallway. John quickly explained the rules of Rock, Paper, Scissors to James (the pureblooded boy had never heard of it before) and they played to decide who would go talk to the Hufflepuff. James was too enthusiastic with his win and John jogged to catch up with the subject.

He introduced himself and received the name Phillip Okal in response. John asked if he was a third year or not, and when he learned he was exactly a third year, proceeded to question whether or not he'd been to Honeydukes. Unfortunately, like many of the Gryffindors he'd asked, Okal hadn't any chocolate with him. He apologized and John returned to his friends, dejected. They continued on their quest, desperately wishing more people would be out of their common rooms. Peter wondered where all the Gryffindors were coming and going when there wasn't anybody in the hallways. Neither of his friends could provide an answer.

They bumped into Filch and Mrs. Norris and, despite having not broken any rules or tracked any mud into the castle, hastened to run away from the terrible two. After what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, they neared the library. James suggested perhaps they could find someone in there. John nodded as Peter gulped, not wanting to face Madam Pince. They didn't want to speak in her presence, so they regretfully walked past many of the tables full of students. One of the first people they saw as they went deeper into the library was a Ravenclaw girl with curly hair. The three boys played Rock, Paper, Scissors again and John wondered why his luck was so horrible.

"Er, excuse me…" John whispered, but she was absorbed in her book. "Hello?" She jolted when he tapped her shoulder and he took his hand back. "Sorry, I just wanted to ask-"

"Are you a pureblood?" The girl cut him off.

"Wh- No?" John frowned. "I just-"

"Mm." The girl returned her eyes to her book.

"Hello?"

Deducing he was being ignored, John returned to his companions with a slump in his shoulders. James patted him on the back and they left the library, figuring it probably wasn't the best place to look. Peter suggested they go back to the common room, as they'd had little luck at that point, but John and James refused. They wandered about the castle without strategy, and were on the ground level when they spotted a somewhat tall Slytherin girl heading down the stairs they had been about to walk up. Her eyes were an interesting shade of violet, though James and Peter showed no signs of surprise so he supposed it was just a normal wizard thing. James blinked as he saw what looked like a chocolate frog container poking out of her bookbag.

"I want to ask, but she's a Slytherin." James whispered.

"I think she looks nice." Peter said, then squeaked at the look James shot him. "But it's probably just a trick!"

"You two are absurd." John rolled his eyes and calling out to her as she approached. "Excuse me, miss?" She looked at him, suspicious. John couldn't blame her. They'd been whispering judgmentally a few seconds ago.

"Yes?" She asked, stopping next to them and speaking in a voice perhaps a little deeper than he'd expected. John was intimidated by her height and swallowed a lump in his throat. She had to be an entire foot taller than him! A few years really made a huge difference at that age and he wondered how old she was. Fifteen? Sixteen?

"I-I was just wondering if- well we were looking for some chocolate so our friend could feel better but we couldn't find anybody with any…" He explained, his eyes flicking down to her bag. She pulled the pentagonal box out, looking at it.

"Well…" She hesitated, so John continued speaking.

"We can pay you for it! We just really want to do something nice for him because he's not doing well…" John looked down at the ground. Peter shuffled his feet beside him, and James pointedly dug around in his pockets for spare change.

"Oh, you don't have to pay me." She smiled at the three of them, holding the chocolate frog out to John. "Tell your friend to get better soon, yeah?"

"Thank you so much!" John grinned, taking the frog. The girl continued walking and John regretted not asking her name. Something about her made him want to know more.

"I can't believe it. Slytherin chocolate." James said, interrupting his thoughts.

"It's just chocolate! I swear, you're absurd."

They climbed the stairs all the way back to Gryffindor tower as it was getting sort of late. When they entered the dorm room, Sirius was sitting on his bed and glaring at the now-open doorway. He accused them of abandoning him. The tennis ball was on his bedside table, and James went over to pat his head. Sirius practically snarled at him, and James took his hand back. They all returned to their respective dorm beds. John filled Sirius in on what they'd been up to as he changed into his pajamas within the safety of his bed curtains. The chocolate frog sat on his trunk, and he planned on trying to visit Remus with it the next day.

He woke up Wednesday morning with positive energy and couldn't even be irritated by James's usual morning antics. Sirius still wasn't happy by the awakening, but that was to be expected. Sirius was never happy when he woke up. John went to shower and get ready for the day, humming to himself as he did so. He was glad the dorm room had its own private bathroom. The thought of a communal bath was terrifying. Peter questioned his good mood when he returned to the room, and John could only shrug. Maybe it was because they had his two favorite classes before lunch.

Not wanting to wait for Sirius to get ready, John skipped down the stairs and made his way toward the Great Hall for breakfast. He bumped into Lily on the way and the two of them wondered what they would be doing in Potions after eating. Their conversation was light and casual. It was a nice break from the constant bickering and antics of his dorm-mates. Potions would have been uneventful had Sirius and James not tossed a piece of preserve-covered bagel into Snape and Lily's potion. The four of them got into a heated argument after Professor Slughorn vanished the ruined potion. It was broken up when each of the people arguing got five house points deducted John and Herbie's potion wound up being the best in class thanks to this incident, though he felt a small amount of guilt when Slughorn awarded him ten house points.

Herbology was dull. All they did was go over the lesson they'd had the previous day. John was more than happy to get out for lunch and he took the opportunity to go to the hospital wing. James, Peter, and Sirius didn't notice him leave them. This was likely due to the mischief they were about to cause. John didn't stick around for that. The hospital wing was empty save for the bed John knew Remus had to be in. Curtains were drawn around it for privacy and John approached, not entirely prepared for seeing the state Remus was in.

Old scars were on his face as always, but there was a bandage that suggested a new one would join the old ones. He was practically covered in bandages. They were fresh and not bloodied, though John suspected they would be sullied mere hours from then. His eyes were closed and his breathing shallow. John wasn't entirely sure what he aimed to do now that he saw him, and he bit his lower lip, looking down at the chocolate frog container in his hand. It felt like a useless gesture now that he'd seen the state Remus was in. Movement came from the bed and Remus sniffed the air as his eyelids slowly pulled themselves apart.

He didn't react for a moment, merely biting his lip and staring at the ceiling again. Remus sniffed again and turned his head in John's direction. His eyes widened and he made what looked like an attempt to hide under the sheets but he quickly gave up. John saw panic set in so he did the first thing he could think of and held the chocolate frog out to him. Remus looked at it, then up at John. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Sirius told us you were in here, so I thought I'd bring you chocolate." John said simply. Remus squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again.

"… Thanks." He said with a heavy voice. John wondered if he'd been sedated. "Do they know…?"

"Know what?"

"… Nothing. Nevermind." Remus said. He looked at the chocolate and John put it within arm's reach on the bedside table.

"Well, I've got to get to lunch. I hope you feel better soon." John said, gesturing behind him. "Don't tell Madam Pomfrey I was here, yeah? She's throw a fit!" He joked, but it was lost on Remus.

"Mm…"

"I'll, er… See you around." John said, rubbing the back of his neck.

He left the hospital wing. During his walk to the Great Hall he passed Madam Pomfrey and was glad he'd visited Remus while she'd been getting lunch. While he had wanted to question his friend he knew he wouldn't have been able to give him any proper response. If he remembered any of this by the time he got out of the hospital wing, John would question him. Until then, he would just try and pass his classes. Transfiguration wasn't going to get any easier if he didn't put the effort in, after all.

Word Count: 2,964

Thank you to everyone who has sent me OCs! I really appreciate them. I introduced three of them this chapter; you guys know who you are c: There are more OCs that have been submitted of course, but I went about introducing the older students first so they don't graduate before I get a chance to mention or use them.

Anyways, though the chapter kind of meandered while John, Peter, and James went off in search for chocolate, I think it was very productive otherwise. I'm pretty happy with it, so I'd love it if you could leave a review! I'll probably be finishing up first year within the next chapter (that's my hope, though it might take two chapters if something comes up) and then I'll move on to summer (which will probably take one chapter) then second year! I'll be introducing a Major OC around that time (though I mean she's already been mentioned, but I get to finally properly introduce her) after which I will tell you guys about the story I'll be writing that will probably incorporate the OCs more if you're interested in that.

Due to how I've been writing this fic, I realize it will be extremely difficult for me to have John be good friends with the Marauders as well as having close relationships with the OCs. I know some of you guys are probably here for the Marauders and don't care too much about the multitude of OCs, and some of you are probably fans of OC fics, so I'm hoping separating the two of them will make you guys happier. Part 2 of this series (NOT the side story that I was just talking about) will have a lot of OCs and a very different setting as well so I hope you'll stick around that long!

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SENDING IN A DADA TEACHER THAT WOULD BE LOVELY AS WELL!

I won't be able to write any DADA classes without any teachers! Of course, this is a little different from submitting a student. I will ALSO be searching for teachers for the SECOND part of this fic series. If you're interested, here is the template I would like you to use for teachers. Feel free to send in more than one character, and ask me what extra subjects I need teachers for!

EDIT: If you want to submit a teacher who ISN'T a DADA teacher, let me know and I will tell you the extra information you'll need.

Subject: (I will be accepting 4 DADA teachers and I also need 1 for all the other subjects and then some for the 2nd part but I'll go into more detail later)

Name: (Obviously you can be a little quirky but don't go overboard)

Age: (unlike students, I really don't need the birthdate because that was mainly for figuring out exactly what year they were in)

Blood Status: (probably won't be too important tbh but I like to know)

Wand: (please use Pottermore, this helps me understand the character better)

Appearance: (self-explanatory, it'd help if you also included their sense of fashion because teachers don't have uniforms)

Personality: (include any fun quirks here if there are any, or just go for the basics. I honestly prefer more detail but if you want to go simple that's okay too)

Backstory: (This probably won't get much attention as they are teachers and the story is from the PoV of students but this will help me understand why they are the way they are. You can be tragic or simple, and it's fun for me to read regardless of whether or not the information gets used in the story)

Terms of Job Loss: (This only applies for DADA teachers. The position is cursed. How do you want them to lose their job? Was there something shady going on or did something pop up back home?)

I don't think there's anything else I would need to know about a teacher character. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know I was cackling when I thought of Sirius fetching the ball. Please leave a review if you'd like, it would mean a lot to me. Hope to see you next time! And I hope I don't update at 3am next time! Haha!