DISCLAIMER: The Harry Potter characters, settings, plots, and all related elements (in this case particularly Remus Lupin, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew) are the property of J. K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic, Raincoast Books, and other assorted publishers worldwide. I have no claim to any of these and cannot purport that these wonderful things are of my creation. I make no profit (monetarily or otherwise) from the use of this property; the only reward is my own satisfaction and possibly a little feedback.

WARNING: Fandom cliché (Golden Snitch boxer shorts) and vague slash content

Open Windows

The sky was dark outside the castle; it was clearly time for any self-respecting person to be asleep in bed.

Remus could hear the vague, nearly-silent shufflings of his roommates as he pulled his plaid flannel pyjama top over his head. Peter had already closed the curtains around his four-poster; Sirius was about to do the same. James had undressed and was fiddling around with the clasp on the window beside his bed, trying to forcibly open the rusted latch.

Remus didn't understand the nutters like James who insisted on leaving the window open for what was apparently considered a cool and refreshing nighttime breeze. It was well into November, and if you had asked him, he would have said that the castle was quite cold enough already. He heard James get into his bed as he pulled his own blankets up until they covered his ears.

"James, can we close the window?" Remus called hopefully from his end of the room.

"No," said James immediately.

"But I'm freezing."

"And I'm too hot."

"James, I can see my breath."

"Remus, you've got two blankets and a duvet. You can't be that cold," said James.

"Will you two be quiet and let me sleep?" came Sirius's voice.

"I mean it," said Remus, "I'm really too cold."

Peter snored.

"Please, James?"

"Fine, then," said James, and Remus heard him getting out of his four-poster. "You can have my blanket. But I'm still not closing the window."

There was the dull sound of bare feet on bare stone and Remus felt the heavy tapestries around his bed fly open. The warm cushion of air that had been trapped in the space above him rushed out and was replaced with a decidedly chillier mass. Remus groaned and turned his head to look at James. His friend was illuminated from behind by the light from the open window and Remus was slightly alarmed to see that James was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts with tiny fluttering Golden Snitches on them.

"Won't you be cold?" asked Remus as James threw his blanket over the already heaped pile in the middle of the bed.

"No," said James, "I'll be fine."

At this point, Remus expected James to go back to his own bed. Instead, he felt James sit down near his feet and begin to fiddle with his covers. For an instant, he was confused, but then he realized what was happening. James was tucking him in.

James worked methodically, starting at Remus's feet and going up the length of his body, drawing the covers around and under the scarred limbs and slender torso. He paused when he reached Remus's elbows, making certain not to only cover his arms but also his flannel-clad sides.

"There you go," James said quietly as he finished folding his blanket under Remus's left shoulder. He straightened up, looked down at the wrapped form of his friend, and cleared his throat. "Now go to sleep."

"I'm trying," said Sirius.

James stood up and closed the hangings around Remus's four-poster. Now that he was properly tucked in, Remus could barely hear his friend's footsteps as James walked away across the the stone floor and back toward his own bed.

Remus was asleep before James crossed the room. As such, he didn't hear James close the window.