James was pacing.
He was pacing back and forth across his bedroom, and every couple of steps he would stop, look at Remus and Sirius who were seated next to each other on the bed, and open his mouth. Then he would sigh and the pacing would continue. Peter was sitting in the corner, watching the scene and trying hard not to laugh.
"Er… what are you doing, exactly?" Sirius asked finally, starting to become concerned with his friend's behavior. After all, James was the one who had been pushing him to come out and tell Remus about his feelings.
James stopped his odd little march and faced the two boys on the bed. They were seated close enough that their thighs were touching and between them, their hands were interlocked, fingers laced and knuckles white as the amusement at James' reaction slowly turned to a mild panic. "I'm trying to decide which of you I'm meant to give the 'hurt my best friend and I'll slaughter you' speech to."
"I'm your best friend," Sirius reminded him, nearly pouting.
"Yes, but you're also an idiot," James had resumed the dreadful back and forth. Sirius' mouth fell open, affronted. He made a movement as if to stand but Remus pulled him back down. He sighed.
"The speech isn't necessary, Prongs," Remus said calmly. "We both know the risks we're taking. We talked about it all night."
Sirius snorted. "Well, not all night-"
"Padfoot, that's enough," Remus rolled his eyes at his boyfriend… his boyfriend. They were boyfriends now. James groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Alright, that's… that's the other thing we need to talk about," he waved his hand haphazardly at them. "Er… you know… I speak for both Peter and myself," he gestured to Peter, who was still sitting in the corner with his hand over his mouth as he held back what was probably a painful fit of laughter. He managed a small nod and James continued, "When I say that we're both in full support of this. In fact, Wormy owes my five galleons. He thought it would take till the end of the year-"
Sirius raised an eyebrow, "You bet on us?"
"Not the point," James waved him off. "We support you, we're happy for you… but for the love of Merlin, we don't want to know what you get up to."
Peter lost it at that, laughing so hard that he fell over. Remus was blushing profusely and Sirius did not look amused, but he nodded, wearing an agitated frown.
"Yes, yes. We'll be considerate of your poor ears. Anything else?"
"We… we're not… y'know," Remus stuttered, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck anxiously. "I mean… not… not yet… can we please just end this conversation?" He hid his red face behind his hands.
James scratched his head, pondering, making sure he had hit every point he wanted to make. He gave a little shrug. "Yeah, that's all I suppose."
Remus breathed a sigh of relief. That was humiliating. But he understood it had to be said. The dynamic of the group was going to change and boundaries needed to be addressed. At least it was over-
"Wait," Sirius said suddenly. Remus groaned. "What about kissing?"
James froze and raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"
Sirius chewed his lip for a second before meeting James' eyes with a stern glare that meant he wouldn't be swayed from what he was going to say. "I mean, Remus and I are a couple," saying that out loud made Sirius's stomach flutter. "So we're going to kiss each other. In the dorm, the common room… maybe the corridors, I don't know… but I just want to be clear that it won't… y'know… be an issue," his voice faltered slightly with nerves but he kept his gaze strong and unarguable. Beside him, he heard Remus' breath hitch and his hand involuntarily squeezed. Sirius squeezed back, not breaking eye contact with James, challenging him to say something against him. There was a heavy silence and Sirius and Remus were both actually holding their breath. Then James laughed.
"Are you kidding? Of course, I know you two will be kissing. Godric, I've watched the two of you pine after each other for nearly two years, I was nearly ready to tie you up and leave you in a broom cupboard with a permanent sticking charm on your lips. Kiss all you damn well please. Merlin knows every other couple in school does," he shook his head, still laughing and looking at the couple in disbelief that they would even be concerned about that.
Sirius sighed and nodded. "Every other couple in school is-"
"What? Straight?" James snorted. "So? You two are the same as them. You're all… disgustingly in love and goo goo eyes for each other… if they can throw it in everyone's faces so can you. And if anyone tries to give you lads a problem, I'll hex 'em myself. Right, Pete?" He nodded to Peter, who had finally stopped laughing and was sitting and listening, nodding along.
"Honestly, I'd rather see you two snog than Bellatrix and the Lestrange bloke," the boy shuddered at the thought.
"Fair," Sirius muttered.
"Point is," James said, suddenly very serious and looking between the two of them again. "We love you both, and if you're happy together then we're happy for you. Just…" he sighed, face screwed up slightly as he tried to come up with the right way to say this. "Don't… hurt each other…"
Sirius and Remus exchanged looks. Their eyes met and for a split second, they were both lost as their hearts sped up just a bit and those frickin butterflies went wild in their stomachs. Both of their mouths twitched up just a little. Sirius licked his lips and shook his head. "Never…"
James watched them, arms crossed and feeling a little apprehensive. They loved each other, that much had been obvious since they were eleven years old and climbing into each other's beds when they thought no one knew. He knew, logically, that neither of them would intentionally hurt the other. But he also knew both boys well enough to know that there were certain aspects of their personalities, and in the history of their friendship, that were bound to be problematic once things like romance came into the equation. That, James decided, was something to be concerned about at a later time. For now, his two best friends were happy and in love.
And snogging on his bed.
"Alright! We get it! You're in love!" He picked up a pillow off the floor and threw it full force at the couple, who broke apart and laughed.
—-
"Your sister bloody hates me, Lils," Marlene laughed as she closed the bedroom door behind her. "You should have seen her face when she saw me waiting outside the loo to brush my teeth."
Lily sighed and shook her head, flipping idly through her potions textbook on her bed. "Don't flatter yourself, Marls," she chided gently without lifting her eyes from her book. "She hates everything to do with magic. There's no use trying to be nice to her."
Marlene snorted, turning to face the mirror on the wall and fussing with her long blond hair. "Oh don't worry, I wasn't nice."
"I didn't think you would be," Lily smiled wryly, closing her textbook and putting it back in her trunk. "That's why when my parents said I could invite a friend, I picked you and not Dorcas or Mary."
Marlene faked a hurt expression with a hand on her heart, red glossed lips forming a perfect 'O' in mock offense. "It's not because I'm your best friend?" She shook her head and smirked. "Hurtful, Evans. Really." She put her focus back on her reflection.
Lily rolled her eyes. "No. It's just that Mary is far too sensitive, and I wouldn't want Petunia's obvious…disdain… to make her feel bad. And Dorcas is so overly friendly, she would take it up as a challenge to make Tuney like her," she tried to keep her tone light like it didn't bother her that these were concerns about bringing her closest friends home with her. Marlene frowned, watching the redhead in the mirror. She crossed the room and took a seat next to her on the bed.
"Hey," she said softly, reaching up and tucking a strand of dark red hair behind her friend's ear. "Don't let it get to you, Lils. Maybe… maybe she'll get over it someday. You never know, eh?"
Green eyes blinked back tears and she let out a shaky sigh. "I just…" she sniffled a bit. "She's my sister, Marly. And she hates me… for something I can't even control…" Lily allowed herself to be pulled in by her best friend, leaning against the other girl's chest and letting the tears fall. Marlene ran her perfectly polished nails comfortingly up and down Lily's back.
"It's alright, Lily. Don't cry, love… Merlin if you cry I'll have to go and put toad's eyes in her shampoo for upsetting you."
Lily laughed and wiped her eyes. "You hung around Black too much last year…"
Marlene sighed and shook her head. "You know, they aren't that bad, The Marauders…" she grabbed her hairbrush, settled behind her friend, and began to pull it through Lily's long locks. She heard the other girl groan.
"Right. They're only conceited, obnoxious, disruptive, rude-"
"Oh please," Marlene pulled sharply on Lily's hair to cut her off. "They are not… well… at least not Remus and Peter."
Lily laughed. "I never said I had a problem with Remus or Peter. They're nice enough. In fact, I can't see what it is that makes them friends with Black and Potter."
"They take good care of each other," Marlene commented lightly. "I mean, everyone knows that Remus is… not well… Potter, Black, and Pettigrew really do everything they can for him. I mean, Sirius even takes notes in class when Remus is ill! And you know that boy isn't taking notes for himself," both girls giggled.
"Anyway," Lily continues, soberly. "They may take care of each other, but you can't deny they can be bullies to everyone else. Come on, Marly. You've seen the things they've done to people-"
"Yeah, and it's all been pretty harmless."
Lily bit her lip. Not everything… She thought bitterly. True, most of their pranks were aimed at large groups of students, if not everyone all at once, and were irritating and inconvenient at best. No one was ever seriously injured from anything the Marauders had pulled. No one except…
"Look, if this is about their little… rivalry with Severus," Marlene waved her hand dismissively. "Have you ever thought that maybe he might have given them a proper reason to-"
"Marlene," huffed Lily, trying her best to keep herself from becoming overly defensive of the boy. "Look, I know that Sev isn't everyone's cup of tea," Marlene snorted, but Lily ignored her and continued. "And I know he's mixed in with a bad lot, but I think he's just… a little lost, is all," she sighed and stared at her hands in her lap as Marlene secured her hair in a braid. "He's been a very good friend to me since before Hogwarts even. I don't think he's a bad person, and I don't think he shares the views his… friends… have. But Potter and Black torment him, and that doesn't make it any easier."
Marlene nodded, though in her mind she couldn't disagree more. She knew that Lily's mind wouldn't be persuaded against the Slytherin, who Marlene had always found a bit creepy. But Lily wouldn't hear a bad word about him. Marlene had to wonder what exactly it would take to show Lily that this boy wasn't what she thought he was. And perhaps James and Sirius were a little harsh with what they said and did to Snape, but she had never seen them pick on anyone that hadn't done something to provoke them.
A high-pitched scream from the hall disrupted them and Lily slowly turned around, raising an eyebrow, "Marlene…?"
The blond giggled and shrugged, the exact opposite of a vision of innocence. "What?"
Lily frowned and Marlene groaned. "Alright, fine. I replaced her toothpaste with slug mucus, but it won't hurt her!"
—-
Maybe it had been some sort of mistake. It must have been a mistake. Remus actually felt himself gag as he stared down at the envelope that lay open on James' bed. He didn't even want to touch the pin that had fallen out of it, not that he could. Silver.
"This is some sort of joke," said Sirius, voicing his exact thoughts. "Who on earth would make you a prefect, Moony?"
Remus groaned and shook his head. "Don't say it out loud, Padfoot… It might be a prank, and if you say it out loud it'll solidify in some strange parallel universe and be true," he rubbed at his eyes, hoping to make the stupid thing disappear. "All I wanted was to get through school completely under the radar like any other normal student," he mumbled. "What are they thinking? My bloody boyfriend is the biggest delinquent in school…"
"To be fair," piped Peter. "No one knows that Padfoot is your boyfriend yet."
James sighed, shaking his head. "It's got to be some sort of conspiracy, mate," he watched as Remus transfigured the silver pin into tin, then gently picked it up between two fingers. "Probably so you'll tighten the reins on the rest of us."
Remus snorted and rolled his eyes. "Like I ever had the reins, to begin with," he quickly set down the little piece of metal, shaking his head furiously. "Nope. Nope, don't want it. I just want to pass my bloody OWLs and move on with my life," he shuddered. He would go to Dumbledore's office as soon as they got back to the school and respectfully decline. He didn't need any more responsibility, and he really didn't need to be expected to control the dynamic duo of James and Sirius. "Merlin."
Sirius wound his arms around Remus' waist, resting his head on the werewolf's shoulder. "Alright, well… This may not be the worst thing, you know? There's a bright side to this."
"Is there?"
"Prefect's bathroom is probably a great place to- OW! Why'd you hit me?"
"Because someone had to and Remus wasn't doing it," said Peter with a smirk. "Actually though, I think you may be on to something…" he picked up the prefect badge, inspecting it closely. "Think about it, Moony's going to know all the rules-"
James laughed. "Doesn't he already?"
Peter ignored him and continued. "So he'll know how to get around them as well, won't you Moony?"
Remus bit his lip, feeling a little uneasy. "I don't know…"
"That's a good point, Wormtail," Sirius said with a sly grin. He turned his face to nuzzle Remus' cheek. "Having a prefect on our side could work in our favor."
Remus shook his head. "No. It's not happening. I'm going straight to Dumbledore and telling him I don't want it," he stepped out of Sirius' embrace and took the pin from Peter, stuffing it back into the envelope. "I've got enough trouble with time management without having to go to prefect meetings or doing rounds at night. And besides, what if I have to give one of you detention?"
James and Sirius exchanged looks and burst into a fit of laughter. "Yeah, like you'd give us detention. Good one, Moony," James snickered.
Remus frowned, offended. "If I'm a prefect and I see you lot doing something wrong, which… let's face it, other than breathing that's all you do-"
"But that's what's so brilliant, Moony!" Sirius grinned. "We can do all of that in front of you and not get in trouble!"
"That's… really disrespectful, Sirius," Remus said flatly, taking a seat on the bed and reading over the letter that had come with the stupid silver pin. It wasn't that he was ungrateful to Dumbledore and McGonagall for feeling like he was a worthy enough student for such a title, but he wasn't as sure of himself as they seemed to be. Still, it was an honor and his friends weren't being very supportive. He bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to let himself get angry with them. He didn't want it anyway, so what did it matter if they were acting like idiots about it? There was a very obvious tension in the air as James, Sirius, and Peter began to notice that Remus wasn't amused by their behavior.
James cleared his throat. "Listen, Moony. You don't need to make a decision about this right now, right? We've still got three weeks til the start of term. Take some time to think on it."
"Yeah," Remus sighed, folding the letter and putting it away. "I suppose so…"
James clapped him on the shoulder. "Great then," he said briskly. "Let's enjoy the rest of the summer and worry about school when the time comes. I for one could use some fresh air. Anyone fancy a walk?"
Sirius, instinctively, looked up. "Where are we going?"
James shrugged. "Muggle town, half a mile away. There are some decent shops around," he had barely finished suggesting it when Sirius almost had both shoes on and was practically out the bedroom door. James snorted and shook his head. "You should really consider leashing him, Moony."
"It's crossed my mind
