Lily was waiting by the fire in the near empty common room. The room was it’s usual red and scarlet, but tonight the red and scarlet looked brighter than before to Lily. The stones looked cozy and warm, not regal and cool. Even the fire seemed to be in the middle of an opera, not just a dance of crackling flames. When the portrait swung open, she just about jumped out of her seat.

“Hey love, d’you miss me terribly?” asked Sirius in a nasally voice. The bandages were actually quite tight to try to keep the puss looking stuff from dripping.

“You know it,” said Lily, resisting rolling her eyes. “So how’s the nose? Will it be crooked from now on? Like Dumbledore’s?”

“Don’t joke about that,” said Sirius.

“I’m going up to the dorm. Is Remus there?” said Peter at the bottom of the stairs.

“Yes. I think he’s feeling a little ill,” she said. Once Peter had disappeared from sight, Lily led Sirius to the fire. She cast a few charms at the table full of seventh years near the window so that they would not be overheard.

“What’s going on?” asked Sirius.

“Remus ran up the steps after you left. I think he’s going to break!” said Lily, practically screaming with delight.

“Really? What did you say?”

“I just asked him what that was about, then he ran! You are brilliant, Messr. Black. How could I have ever doubted you?”

“Well, it’s good to hear you acknowledging my brilliance,” he said.

“Brilliance? I believe you mean ‘genius,’ my good sir.”

“Well you know me, modest to a fault.” He gave her a wink and they both burst out laughing while Sarah Doyle began to sing in earnest in the corner. No one but Team Starfire heard as everyone else was hearing the same song in his or her heads at full volume.

--

“Moony?” Peter asked as he pushed the door open to their dormitory,

“Hi Pete.” Peter walked in and found Remus studying on James’ bed. He had books everywhere, including some muggle paperbacks, Peter realized.

“Studying for Muggle Studies?”

“Yeah. How’s Sirius?”

“He’s all right. Had to have a bit of gryndellow ointment on his face, but Madam Pomfrey said he should be okay by tomorrow.” Peter sat down on his own bed studying Remus very carefully. “Remus? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course Peter. What’s going on?” Remus put aside his quill and pushed the parchment he was writing on next to it to properly give Peter his attention.

“What did you think was going to happen to us, the Marauders, after last year?” Remus was taken aback. He took a moment to articulate his words in his foggy head.

“I-I thought we—I thought that the Marauders were going to be three instead of four.” Remus could hardly believe his voice was so pitchy.

“You weren’t going to forgive Sirius then? I was really scared he was going to k-kill himself last year after it.” Peter’s voice was a whisper. Remus spoke before he realized he was doing so.

“He wouldn’t have. He has James and you—”

“But you just said only three—”

“I meant I thought that I wouldn’t be a Marauder anymore, Wormtail. You guys fit better with Sirius,” said Remus, looking down at his balled up, scarred hands.

“…Remus, you’re insane. We would have stuck with you. Yeah we love Sirius, but he would have made us stick with you regardless if it were his fault or whatever. And it was his fault.” Peter’s voice was uncharacteristically steady and firm.

“The fault is partially mine. I should have made Sirius realize how dangerous I really am. But it was nice, having people completely think you’re incapable of anything too bad.” The last word escaped before he realized his confession to Peter.

There was silence between the two, but neither felt awkward. What Remus was saying was the truth and though he usually uneasy when talking about such feelings, it was all right this time. Peter was also one to never express such sensitive feelings, but funny how friendship makes one softer than a detention with Dumbledore.

“That’s still insane, Moony. Sirius knows what a werewolf is.” Peter smiled at Remus. “And you know, he still thinks that way. That you’re incapable of being too bad, I mean.”

“Why do you ask, Pete?” Remus asked going back to the original question, trying to shake Peter’s last observation about Sirius and him.

“I guess I’m just worried that with you and James together now, it might change things.” Remus nodded, biting his lower lip as he let the words wash over him. He hadn’t really thought about what this might do to all of them in the long run. Everything started happening so fast when James threw that ridiculous note at him during the Halloween Feast.

“I guess we didn’t quite think things through,” said Remus.

“James is kind of impulsive, eh?” Peter asked. He was smiling but he was paying very close attention to Remus. Remus sighed deeply; unaware of the close scrutiny his actions were under.

“Yes he is.”

Peter looked away and cursed in his mind. Remus was really going to get hurt this time. It was the bloody Snape fiasco all over again. Only this time, maybe he could prevent it from escalating even more.

--

The bulk of the Gryffindor Quidditch team was huddled in a very lopsided circle on Thursday evening. It was nearing midnight and the common room was quite empty save for Sirius Black and Lily Evans who were huddled in a two person circle themselves on the other side of the room.

“Just ask him!”

“No, you do it!”

The whispers were beginning to get very exasperated from the Quidditch players. Lily kept fighting the urge to tell them to go to bed. Finally, one of the female players walked up to the couple.

“Yes?” Lily asked. Sirius didn’t even look up from his essay on merpeople.

“Hi. We were just wondering if Sirius here could talk to James for us about something.” She was very red in the face and Lily guessed she was holding her breath.

“What’s going on?” Sirius asked, dotting an ‘i’ before looking up at the girl.

“Well, the first match is on Saturday morning, and James refuses to practice tomorrow night. We were wondering if you could talk him into it, because we really need the practice.”

“No. Sorry, but he is unavailable tomorrow evening,” said Sirius, going back to his essay.

“But I though Quidditch was the most important thing to you guys,” Lily said. The girl that Lily didn’t know the name of didn’t move.

“It’s not,” was all that Sirius said. Lily smiled apologetically at the girl and she walked back to her team, shoulders hunched in defeat.

“Black, what are you guys planning tomorrow night that could be more important than Quidditch?”

“It’s unfortunate that Quidditch should fall on Saturday, but plans were already made and confirmed for Friday long ago.”

“Why do you sound so formal?” Lily asked. “Are you guys going on trial or something?” She paused and looked at him with wide eyes. Of course this was the time Sirius chose to gather his things and go to bed, smiling wily all the while.

--

A/N: Short chapter, but it’s been so long since an update. Next chapter is loaded with potential fun, though. Full moon, Hogsmeade and Quidditch, all in the same weekend, and same chapter. (I miscalculated time earlier, but eh, I think it’s all right this way.)