Severus walked out of the dungeons after having a talk with Professor Slughorn about the results of the last exam they had. It was no surprise that the Slytherin had passed with flying colors, though trying to ask in an offhand way, Severus quarried about Remus's score. Remus had asked him to check for him because he was serving detention for something Black and Potter did.

Obviously, the only time the former Prefect had detention was because of those two, same for the chubby one who followed them around everywhere they went.

'His name is Peter, Severus, and the guys aren't that bad.'

Severus rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, really? So you're serving detention because you wanted to?' He asked though he cursed himself for being sarcastic. The last thing he wanted to do was make his friend upset. 'Fine fine, they're a couple of fine blokes. Happy?' He asked, obviously trying to humor the werewolf. He was even crinkling a small smile.

'Very happy ,' Remus replied, his thought voice did not seem to be amused, so that made Severus sigh. Apparently, people dislike it when you say bad things about their friends. How strange. Severus smirked when he heard Remus chuckle.

'Yes, so be good.'

'I'm being so good that Slytherin has threatened to send me to Hufflepuff ,' Severus retorted in a better mood than he had been when he found out Remus's friends had got him into trouble. He and the chu... Peter had of course been an innocent bystander to some prank against a bunch of sixth-year girls. Something about hexed water balloons filled with rainbow paint. Childish really.

'I agree, actually ,' Remus said, sounding as if he was fuming about the fact that he was in detention and covered from head to toe in the paint, as the prank had oh-so backfired, the girls being sharp enough to see what was coming. When the girls re-hexed the balloons, they came crashing down on Remus and his three mates.

Severus couldn't help laughing when that image was brought to his mind. Some fourth years gave him a strange look as they passed him in the hallways. A couple of Ravenclaws. Severus just glared at them until they turned and walked away, actually the Slytherin had a feeling they were trying to walk as fast as they could, not wanting to be thought of as wimps that ran away from a Slytherin.

With a snort, Severus turned his attention back to the puzzled werewolf. 'Ravenclaws ,' He explained. 'I barely looked at them and they ran. Am I really that scary-looking?'

'Well, I'm sure they've heard the many rumors about you biting off the heads of little girls who look at you funny, or it could be the rep Slytherin has for being... well, you know?' Remus answered. 'Evil wizards bent on world domination!'

"Hah!" Severus laughed. Luckily nobody was nearby this time. 'As if Dumbledore would let any of us get away with our plan to take over the world.'

'Get rid of him ,' Remus joked. 'I'm sure you must know how to do the killing curse, yes?'

Severus nodded before he realized Remus, and nobody for that matter was there to see him. 'Oh, sure, of course I know the killing curse, and you're absolutely right, I'll be the one to get rid of the old wizard ,' he said, playing along. It was fun joking around with Remus.

'So I'm in on this evil scheme of yours?' Remus asked. 'Crap... Sirius, just watch where you poke that thing ,' Remus thought quite loudly, making Severus cringe and hold his ears.

'Just what kind of detention are you serving?' Severus asked the werewolf, feeling jealous at what the words suggested, though he knew it couldn't be what they were doing, he still felt jealous, left out in a way, not that he wanted to be anywhere near Black or Potter.

'Would you like to help? ' Remus asked. 'You have no reason to feel jealous, dummy. I spend a lot of time with you and I am always with you for that matter.' Severus flushed, feeling ridiculous for feeling jealous over a detention of all things.

'I...' Severus brushed his dark hair out of his eyes and sighed. 'Point taken. I'm still curious, exactly what are you guys doing for detention?'

'Polishing the trophies without the use of magic ,' came Remus's reply. 'It's not going so well, the paint keeps getting all over the trophies, and Sirius clumsily nearly knocked my eye out with one of the more pointed ones.'

Severus just couldn't help laughing loudly and it didn't even register that he was approaching a crowded place mixed with students from all houses. "Oh God..." Severus felt like his sides were going to burst any moment. He couldn't remember laughing like this in... forever! It felt bloody amazing.

'I'm so glad you find the risk of me going blind so funny ,' Remus seemed to pout, though Severus could detect that the werewolf was smiling.

"I always knew Slytherins were out of their minds," a passing Ravenclaw girl whispered to her friend. The other girl nodded with wide eyes. "I hope it's not catching. He studies a lot with that sweetie Gryffindor."

His ears working just fine, Severus heard every word, though surprisingly he didn't feel the need to tell them off. He grinned a knowing smile and replied to Remus.

'If you were blind I'd have a better excuse if anyone caught us holding hands ,' he smirked.

'Severus!' Remus exclaimed, his thought voice so loud that the Slytherin felt ringing in his ears. 'Please don't tease me when I'm trying to keep a normal face around my friends. They have already asked me a million times if I felt okay.'

Severus didn't have to worry as Remus did about people finding out about their mind linking; he didn't have any friends that he regularly hung out with. Lily was his best friend, but she always hung out with her girlfriends, which Severus understood.

The Slytherin felt guilt coming from Remus in waves. 'Hey, don't feel sorry for me. I got myself here...' He trailed off. 'I'm not complaining. If I had done anything differently, then you and I might have never ended up where we are today.'

'Just where are we?' Remus asked quietly. The werewolf brushed a hand over his scarred face, trying to peel off as much of the paint as he could. The trophies were as clean and polished as they would ever be, the four friends would only make them worse if they tried anymore. His friends were looking at him strangely, though Remus was lost in his little dream world. They could only figure he had taken to daydreaming at the oddest of moments.

'Well, we're friends ,' came Severus's embarrassed reply. 'Friends who, well hold hands and such...'

Remus couldn't help but smile at that. 'Male friends don't usually hold hands, Sev, and they don't have the kind of thoughts...'

'I know!' Severus yelled. 'I said I wasn't good at this, didn't I? It's not every day that you wake up and go "oh, I think I fancy a Gryffindor bloke," you know.'

Remus choked, his face going pink. Severus had never quite put it that way before. Sirius smacked the werewolf on the back, exchanging looks with James and Peter. To them, it was beginning to seem as if someone was using The Imperius Curse on Remus and making him act like a loony.

"Hey mate... let's go before we get in trouble again for loitering or something," Sirius joked, trying to get Remus out of his daydream or whatever it was.

"Don't forget we also need to get our wands back and wash off," Peter reminded them timidly.

"Sure, Wormtail, thanks for the reminder," James laughed. As if they'd forget those two most important things.

"You fancy me?" Remus murmured, eyes widening when he realized had asked that out loud. Of course, he had heard and felt Severus's attraction and they had held hands, and and... but he actually fancied him romantically? 'Crap ,' Remus thought, wondering how he could cover that slip up.

Obviously, Remus knew Severus did. It was just different hearing it out loud, at least out loud in his head. And now Sirius, James, and Peter were looking at him as if he had grown another head.

"Uh... just who were you talking to?" Sirius questioned. He rubbed the back of his head. What would suddenly cause their friend to ask such a question? Was that why he was so quiet? Did he think one of his friends wanted to shag him or something? Sirius pondered the thought, trying to figure out if it was the quiet, timid Peter, or the loud-mouthed trouble maker James. They'd always assumed James liked Evans.

James of course was thinking along the same lines as Sirius, and Peter was just confused. "It's not me!" James put up his hands. "No.. no, I don't know why you're all looking at me."

"I think we're looking at you because you are carrying on like a nitwit," Sirius laughed.

Remus quite back in reality and what was happening in front of him, looked back and forth between his friends, his face pale. "I was... thinking out loud..." He groaned. "Just ignore it and it wasn't meant for your ears! Nor was it meant about any of you, I assure you." The werewolf pouted at the turn of events. Now his friends were going to be trying to decide if he liked one of them or something.