Safe At Home

Chapter 1

"No! Please...not again Father...please!!"

"You will learn to behave properly and obey your mother and me, or you will get out!"

"I will! I will...if you please stop...for now."

Corvus smiled sadistically. "How I love to hear you beg...but it will not save you tonight." With those words, he brought the leather strap down on his son's bare chest.

Ursa looked down on her son without pity. "Why couldn't you do as we asked?"

"Mum...I did all you asked...but I was delayed a little...at the store...there was a long line...of people," he choked out.

Corvus flipped his son over and whipped his bare back. "Do not backtalk your mother! We asked you to go to the store, cook dinner, then wash dishes in an hour's time because we had a meeting. It took you an hour and ten minutes. You must be punished."

Lyra skipped down the stairs. "Was Sirius bad again?" she asked her mother.

"Yes Lyra dear," said Ursa matter-of-factly.

Lyra's eyes lit up. "Ooh, can I kick the bad doggy?"

Corvus gestured to Sirius. "Go ahead. Oh, but first..." He rummaged around in a shopping bag. "Put these new boots on."

Steel toes? thought Sirius, God, no! I'm only seventeen years old, I shouldn't have to put up with this shit! I'm sure at least two of my damn ribs are broken because of Lyra!

Lyra giggled. While she was only ten years old, her parents had already corrupted her. She tied on the steel-toed boots, then kicked Sirius in the sides, chest, back, and head. When she finished, Corvus hefted Sirius up, kicked him out of the room, and sent him to his bedroom.

God...I wish I could tell James about this...but then he would doubt I was telling the truth. 'Hey, James, I get abused all summer long, but I don't have a mark on my bloody body come September first!' Well, James might believe me, and possibly Remus and Peter too, but no one else will. Damn, damn, damn! Go to hell, Corvus Black!

For another week, Corvus whipped, slapped, and generally mistreated Sirius, Ursa watched, and Lyra kicked 'the bad doggy'. Finally, there was only one week left in the summer and Ursa was taking Sirius to Diagon Alley. Corvus had to mend the wounds so he wouldn't get arrested, though he wasn't adept enough to hide the bruises .

Finally, I get a damn break from the pain! Sirius thought happily. And I'll get to see James and Remus and Peter. God, I wish I had normal parents.

"I am going to give you until dark to get all your things. Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at six." Ursa lowered her voice. "You know what your Father will do if you are late."

Sirius nodded, then turned and went into Diagon Alley.

"Sirius!" called the voice of James Potter.

Sirius spun around. "James, Remus, Peter! Hey, it's good to see all of you guys!"

"What happened to you?" Remus asked. "You're covered in bruises."

Sirius shrugged. "You know...I fell down, I was fooling around with Lyra, and playing Quidditch. Usual me."

James nodded. "Padfoot, you really should have come with us this summer."

"I was...busy. You know, with Father and Mum and Lyra. Bloody family," Sirius said, trying to sound light.

Peter still hadn't said a word.

Sirius looked at him. "What's up with him?"

James sniggered. "Oh, on the way here, we saw a tabby cat killing a rat. Traumatized him, I guess."

"It was awful! Maybe I should've been something else!" Peter squeaked.

"Can't change now," Remus said, sounding a little sad. "See, if it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have become Animagus and then you wouldn't care what you were."

James clapped a hand on Remus's shoulder. "Come on Rem, it's fun!"

"Yeah," said Sirius halfheartedly.

Remus shot Sirius a look. "Sirius? Can I have a word?" He dragged Sirius over to an alleyway leading out of Diagon Alley.

"What?" Sirius asked, irritated.

"Sirius, something's bothering you. What is it?"

Sirius snorted. "Oh yes, something's bothering me all right. Since James can't see it, there must not be anything at all!" He wrenched out of Remus's grasp and stalked back to James and Peter.

"Hey, I didn't mean to insult you, oh high and mighty one," Remus said to Sirius when he caught up with him.

Sirius raised one eyebrow. "Insult me? As if! Nothing in the whole damn world could insult me!"

Sirius finished getting school supplies at five o'clock. Then he had to buy Marauder supplies. Fortunately, he finished at quarter to six, and made it to Ursa at six on the dot.

"Close shave, Sirius Black," she said. "Too close. I will inform your father and he will give you a... close shave."

Sirius gulped. What does she mean by that? Oh God...help me!

They soon arrived at home. Sirius sat in a chair as instructed, or rather, ordered, by Ursa while she spoke to Corvus.

Corvus came into the room with an evil smile on his face. "Sirius Orion Black, your mother informs me that you had a close shave. So, I am going to give you a close shave." He held up the thing in his hand.

Sirius gasped. Damn, I'm shit out of luck! A razor blade, Jesus!

"Ah, you understand I see. Well, let's not waste any time," Corvus said, approaching him with the razor blade.

When Corvus had finished, Sirius was lying on the floor with blood smeared all over his back and legs. His breathing was heavy, as Corvus had rubbed salt in the wounds. Actually, he had rubbed a potion in them, which healed the cuts, but stung the skin for hours during and after the healing process.

What did I do to deserve this? They've been doing this for four years, ever since they found out I was friends with a werewolf and was in love with a Muggle-born. Who the fuck cares?! Obviously those damn Slytherins do. How Corvus was the heir of Gryffindor I'll never know. Well, now I'm the heir, so that could be the reason he abuses me. I really wish I could tell someone, but I just can't. Why doesn't James notice? He's supposed to be my best friend. Only Moony notices, but I have to lie to him, because if I told him the truth, James would wonder why I never told him. I hate my parents!

The rest of the week went by agonizingly slowly. Sirius stopped being abused, but the cuts all over his back healed slowly, and the potion just made the pain worse. But Sirius managed to pack his trunk all the same.

On the morning they were supposed to go to King's Cross, Corvus had Sirius stand naked so he could cross-examine his body for missed wounds. After finding none, Corvus made Sirius stand naked for an hour before he was allowed to put clothes on again.

This is utterly embarrassing, Sirius thought angrily. I can't wait to get on the damn train! Good, we're leaving now.

After Apparating Sirius and herself to the station, Ursa handed Sirius a letter. "Read this somewhere private, and not until December. Have a good term." And she Disapparated.

Sirius headed towards the Marauder's traditional meeting spot. James was the only one there. "Hey Sirius! Those bruises healed quickly."

"What? Oh, yeah. Magic does wonders on things like that," Sirius said bitterly.

James looked at Sirius strangely. "What's up with you?"

I am so tempted to tell him...but I'd rather not, not in the middle of Platform 9 ¾. Besides, I want to tell all the Marauders at once. And probably Lily and Annie too. Aloud he said, "Oh, nothing. Just, um...nothing."

James looked like he didn't believe him, but he didn't press the matter. "Okaaay...Remus, Peter, over here!"

Remus waved, and Peter squeaked, "Hi!" They made their way over to Sirius and James.

"Hi Remus, hi Peter," Sirius said. Remus waved again. "Can't you speak, Remus?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head, then held up a piece of parchment.

"I was testing a new prank item I invented, and it blew up in my face. Mum wouldn't perform Finite Incantatum," James read. "Smart, Moony. What did you put in it?" Remus scribbled something. "I'll tell you if you do the spell."

Sirius laughed. "Finite Incantatum."

"Thank you Sirius. And James, it was a silencing spell cast into a silencing potion. Or it would have been, if the potion hadn't exploded," Remus said.

They all laughed, then got their things together and boarded the train.

Finally, I'm somewhere where I won't get abused twenty-four hours a day. Finally, I'm home.

After the train ride, the Marauders, Lily and Andromeda Starr, James' girlfriend sat down at the Gryffindor table and watched the Sorting. The Sorting hat opened its mouth and sang:

Oh, one thousand years ago or so,

There was a great school made

Where magic children did all go

To learn the tricks of the trade

Of Houses there, there were four,

All were good and equal

The founders they, did adore

Me, so wise and regal

There was Slytherin, who chose

The slyest of the group

Then there was Ravenclaw, who knows

The wisest of the troupe

Hufflepuff, thought she knew best,

Chose loyalty overall

To Gryffindor go noblest,

And the bravest of them all

So put me on, I do choose well

I know what you like!

I may look patched, but I am swell

Let me take a mental hike!

Everyone cheered, and the Sorting began. The Marauders & Co. didn't pay any attention whatsoever, they were talking quietly among themselves.

"Annie, did you and Lils come up with anything good this summer?" James asked quietly.

Lily grinned and Annie replied, "Yeah. See, my uncle talks in his sleep, and he was in Slytherin. He told me the way to the common room, and that the password always has something to do with purebloods. So, if we could get in there..."

"Great idea Annie," Sirius said.

Remus grinned in an evil sort of way. "I was thinking somewhere along the same lines. Suppose James, Sirius and Annie Switch Slytherin Quidditch robes for Gryffindor ones?"

"Ooh, with a Switching spell?" Lily asked interestedly.

"What else?" Remus asked.

"Wicked!" James said, throwing up his hands and accidentally jabbing Sirius in the back with his fork.

Sirius winced and bit his lip to keep from yelling out loud. Though the cuts were healed, his back was still sore. "Ouch, James, keep your bloody silverware to yourself," he said, trying to sound humorous.

"Oh, sorry," James said. "Anyway--" James was cut off by the food appearing on the plates. He grinned and began to serve himself.

Everyone followed his lead except for Sirius. Shit, after being starved for most of the bloody summer, it seems that food makes me nauseous.

Lily immediately noticed her boyfriend's lack of appetite. "Siri, aren't you going to eat anything?"

Sirius swallowed hard to keep from throwing up what little amount of food was in his stomach. "Um...I'm not really hungry," he said, trying to keep from smelling the food.

"You're always hungry, do you feel okay?" James asked.

"Yeah...I'm just not hungry tonight," Sirius said uncomfortably.

"Sirius, you're already skinny, you really should eat something," Remus said.

Sirius glared at them. "If I fucking said I'm not hungry, I'm not fucking hungry!"

Remus looked hurt. "All right then. We're just concerned about you. You haven't been acting like yourself lately. And 'lately' goes back to the end of last year. You were acting strangely then too."

"I have not! You're all imagining things!" Sirius said harshly.

Remus looked more deeply hurt. "If you say so," he said, looking like he might cry.

Sirius felt awful about the way he had spoken to Remus. Remus was the one they all stuck up for, the 'favorite' among them. This wasn't only because of the fact that he was a werewolf, but also because he was always painfully shy and would never retaliate against anyone picking on him. So that was why when one of the Marauders & Co. was angry with him, he was more hurt than if a Slytherin was picking on him. Now, they also had to rescue Peter all the time, but it was from stupider things. Peter would retaliate against the Slytherins, but he'd use magic and would usually end up in a worse fix than before he started. Needless to say, he was not the favorite.

James, Annie and Lily scowled at Sirius and Peter stopped stuffing his face for a minute to stare at him. Sirius hung his head, but didn't apologize to Remus. He would after the meal, when he could actually talk to Remus, not just say, "Sorry!" down the table.

They returned to talk of pranks, though Sirius was quieter than usual.

"So, should we sneak into the Slytherin common room before or after we have a solid plan?" Annie asked.

"How about a weak plan, then we discuss it some more?" Lily suggested.

Sirius spoke up, "James, do you think you could Transfigure their common room to look like ours?"

James thought for a minute. "Probably...but a little help would be appreciated."

"James, you're the best at Transfiguration, you pick and choose who should help," Remus said.

James thought a moment, then said, "I hope I don't offend any of you, but...Lily, Sirius and I should do the Transfiguring. Annie, you...well, last year, you turned a pigeon into a bowl of macaroni, when you were going for macaroni penguin."

"Don't remind me," Annie groaned.

James sniggered, then continued, "Peter...well, we all know how that would work."

Peter tried to look indignant, but his mouth was full of roast beef, so it didn't really work.

"And Remus...well, it's not that you're not good at Transfiguration, it's just that, um..."

"You three are better than me," Remus said. "I know. And I'm not offended."

Sirius had been sitting lost in his thoughts after questioning James about Transfiguring the common room, so he jumped when Lily spoke to him.

"Sirius, do you mean the whole common room? Right down to that crack in the brick of the fireplace you made? Or just the basic fireplace/red furniture/nice carpets?"

Sirius grinned. "Everything, right down to that crack in the fireplace."

"That'll take some work," James muttered.

Lily shrugged. "But it'll be fun."

"What're me, Remus and Peter going to do while you are Transfiguring?" Annie asked.

James answered instantly, "You are going to be in the Great Hall, wand-writing a message to the Slytherins. Remus is going to be in Malfoy, Snape, Crabbe, Goyle, and Rosier's dormitory stealing something embarrassing from them, and Peter is going to be in Nott, Avery, and Lestrange's dormitory, doing the same."

Peter smiled happily. "I get the sixth years! Not the seventh years!"

"Well, I know for a fact Snape keeps a diary," Remus said smugly.

James grinned.

~ ~

After the feast, while they were walking up to the Tower, Sirius asked Remus quietly, "Before we go up to bed, can I talk to you?" Remus nodded silently. So when they reached the common room, Sirius pulled Remus over to one of the couches and sat down.

"Moony, about what I said at dinner. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I know you're only concerned. But when you all keep pestering me, it just makes me mad. You know?"

Remus nodded. "Apology accepted. You know, I felt the same way back in first and second year when you were all asking if I was all right before and after the full moon before I told you the truth. I knew I looked like shit, but I was used to it. You guys weren't. So, I got used to you guys pestering me all the time, but I was really glad that I told you the truth." Remus looked meaningfully at Sirius, but he looked away.

I get the hint. Maybe. Maybe I'll tell them all what I'm hiding, maybe I won't. But not for a long, long time... "Well, I guess I'll go to bed. Coming?"

Remus nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming."

The next day, Sirius rose first and went down to the common room to wait for the others, as usual. Lily descended the staircase to the girls' dormitory first.

"Morning Flower," Sirius said, using his pet name for Lily.

"Morning Siri," Lily replied, sitting next to Sirius on the couch.

Sirius smiled warmly at Lily, then tenderly kissed her. Lily responded to the kiss in her usual way: deepening the kiss and wrapping her arms around Sirius.

"Love you Flower," Sirius whispered.

"Me too Siri, always," Lily replied.

At that moment, someone cleared their throat. They both looked up and saw Remus standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Sorry to interrupt the snog fest."

Lily blushed, but Sirius just shrugged and said, " It's all right. We can always continue later."

"The others are awake, and should be down soon. How asleep is Annie?" Remus asked.

"Not very," came a sleepy voice from the top of the stairs, and Annie appeared.

Within minutes, James and Peter appeared, followed by Mundungus Fletcher, who was also a seventh year Gryffindor.

"Morning," James said, his messy hair messier than usual.

"James, dahlin', your hair's all a muss," Annie drawled. "What y'all staring at?"

Sirius sniggered. "You must be more tired than we thought. You seem to have your American Texas accent going strong this morning dahlin'"

Annie giggled. "Now that sounded funny."

"Why?" Sirius demanded.

"No reason," Annie said, in a very bad, fake mixture of an Irish and English accent.

"Hey!" Sirius protested, "I don't sound that bloody mixed!"

Mundungus, who went by Gus, had been listening. He chipped in, "Yes, you do."

Sirius ignored Gus and said, "Are you coming or not?" and headed out the portrait hole.

The Marauders & Co and Gus followed, still laughing.

~ ~

After breakfast, they had Potions with the Slytherins. Sirius walked unhappily down to the dungeons. I hate damned Potions. The teacher is a wanker and we have to have the lessons with the bastards they call Slytherins.

"Sit down, all of you," Professor Carson snapped. "For this lesson, we will be pairing up and making a highly complex potion, called the Wolfsbane Potion. It is extremely new, and has not been tested yet, nor is it likely that it ever will be, but it is believed to cure werewolves. Of course, you all know that monkshood, wolfsbane, or aconite is poisonous to werewolves if consumed, but if the proper ingredients are added, alchemists believe it will help rather than harm them. Pity," he added, "As werewolves are vicious creatures that deserve to die."

Remus looked at his cauldron with tears in his eyes. Automatically, the Marauders & Co moved closer to Remus.

Go to Hell Carson! Sirius inwardly fumed. You fucking know Remie is a fucking werewolf, and you add that last part anyway. I should do it wrong so it explodes...but then Remie could be in danger, so I'll have to think of another way.

As was usual, Sirius paired with Remus, James with Annie, and Lily with Peter. All of them save Remus began to get their ingredients out. Remus was still staring at his cauldron.

"Remie? Are you okay?" Sirius asked gently.

Remus looked up at Sirius. "How could he? He knows..." A single tear slipped from Remus' eye.

"Don't let that fucking bastard get you down Rem," Sirius said, beginning to measure the asphodel out.

"I'll try not to," Remus said, measuring the armadillo bile and pouring it in after the asphodel.

They worked in silence for a few more minutes until they came to the next to last thing on the list: wolfsbane. Remus shuddered as he looked at the vial containing the powdered plant.

"Don't worry, I'll put it in," Sirius whispered quietly.

Suddenly Carson appeared. "Black, have you and Lupin added equal amounts of ingredients?"

Sirius didn't say anything. No, but I'm not going to tell you that, or you'll make him put in the wolfsbane, I know it, that's just the kind of bastard you are.

"I thought as much. Lupin, add the wolfsbane, now," Carson sneered.

Remus' hands shook slightly as he measured the ingredient and poured it in.

"And now the wormwood," Carson ordered. "Oh, and if any of the measurements have been even slightly off, this is where the potion will explode."

Remus carefully poured the wormwood into the measuring cup, then added it to the potion. It bubbled and frothed for a moment, then turned brilliant gold, and smoke poured from it, as it was supposed to.

Carson scowled and took five points from Gryffindor for 'having Potter or Evans help them' before he left.

Remus sighed in relief, then went to wash his hands. Sirius followed with the measuring utensils.

~ ~

"Do you know what that fucking bastard of a Slytherin whore teacher did?" Sirius asked James angrily.

James looked curious as to what had gotten Sirius so mad he was swearing every other word. "No, what did that fucking bastard of a Slytherin whore teacher do? Besides that werewolf comment at the beginning?"

"Well, that's part of it, but the bastard also made Moony pour in the wolfsbane and the wormwood, after telling him that if any of the ingredients had been wrong, the wormwood would make the potion explode!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Wow. He is a fucking bastard of a Slytherin whore teacher," James said.

Remus caught up to them. "Who's a fucking bastard of a Slytherin teacher?"

"A Slytherin whore teacher," Sirius corrected. "And Carson is."

Remus nodded savagely.

Lily suddenly rounded the corner. "Sirius! Language!"

"How long have you been there?!" Sirius demanded

"Since you called Carson a...well, you know, for the first time," Lily replied.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "God Flower, you've got to start speaking like a bloody seventeen-year-old, not a seven-year-old angel! Even little Remie says 'bloody Hell!' about once every other conversation!"

"Bloody He--! Well, you do have a point. But bloody Hell Sirius, what's you do, make a chart of how often we all use 'bad' language?!" Remus exclaimed.

"Well, yeah. I use it every chance I get, Annie does almost as much as me, James uses it to insult people, Peter does it trying to 'fit in' and Lily--never. Still being a 'good girl'. Where's your redhead temper?" Sirius said cockily.

James rolled his eyes. "You need to get a life you prat. And you left out Remus in your explanation.

"Pay attention Head boy, he already did me. 'Little Remie'--which I do not appreciate being called--'says bloody Hell about once every other conversation," Remus quoted.

Lily grinned. "Well, that makes it...let's see...two and one half times in one conversation. Looks like you need to re-evaluate us Siri!"

Sirius smiled slowly and said in a smooth voice, "Oh, I have a better idea." He raised one eyebrow and then, without warning, he grabbed Lily and kissed her passionately. Lily made an odd squealing noise and blushed as everyone in the corridor stared at her and Sirius.

A voice from behind them said, "Mr. Black, I believe Miss Evans is flattered but quite embarrassed at you show of affection."

Sirius spun around and found himself looking at the Headmaster. "Oh, well, that was the point."

Dumbledore smiled and said, as if to himself, "Ah, youth. So wonderful. Good day."

"He is one crackpot loony," James remarked.

Lily hit James in the arm. "James! Set an example for the first years!"

James rolled his eyes. "Uh, Lily? There aren't any first years."

"Well...the other seventh years who act like first years then," Lily said. "Meaning you guys. Well, not Remus, he acts like a third year."

"Thank you very much," said Remus.

The next week passed without event. Well, the Marauders secretly planned what to do during the full moon, but that was normal, as was the Marauder & Co's pranking. But when they had been back at school for two weeks, James called a Marauder & Co meeting.

"Okay Marauders and Company, I think we're ready to do the big prank. Lily, Sirius, have you two been practicing?"

They nodded, looking excited.

"All right then, just to see how you're coming, Lily, Transfigure that table to match that chair exactly," James said, pointing. "And don't turn it back afterwards."

Lily waved her wand, muttered the spell, and the table turned into the duplicate of the armchair next to it.

James grinned. "Great job! Okay Sirius, turn it back to the way it was before."

Sirius waved his wand, and the chair popped back into a table. "Voila!"

James inspected the table. "Exact match! And I can do that too. Transfigure I mean. Let's see. Annie, love, how's your wand-writing?"

"I can write a message, and charm it so it doesn't appear until a certain number of people appear. I tried up in the dormitory, and it worked. Ask Lily," Annie replied.

Lily nodded. "Yes, she can do it."

James grinned. "Excellent. It looks like project Slytherin common room will be done tonight! Okay, here's how the Invisibility cloak thing will work. Sirius, Remus, Annie and I will go first. We'll figure out the password, and then Annie will come back and get the others. Then Annie will take the cloak, go to the Great Hall, write the message, and come back to the Slytherin common room when she's done."

Sirius grinned too. "This will be bloody brilliant!"

"Yeah, this will be one hell of a prank," Annie agreed.

"Language!" Lily snapped.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on Flower, in other countries, if you call something bloody that isn't literally bleeding, people will look at you strangely. So pretend you're in sodding America or something."

"Hey!" Annie protested, "I take offense to that."

Sirius sniggered. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Our little dahlin' is from Texas,"

"My little dahlin'," James corrected.

"I don't belong to anyone!" Annie snapped.

Remus smiled. "Oh, Annie, yes you do. You belong to yourself."

"Remus, you always have a contradiction for everything. But that's why we love ya!"

Sirius sniggered. "'Ya'? When in Rome, do as the bloody Romans do, and when in England, do as the English do!"

Remus pouted. "Romans aren't bloody."

"Sorry Remus, I forgot that your ancestors were Romans," Sirius said.

Remus raised one eyebrow. "Really? Well then, you need to read your Roman mythology a little better. Remus is the brother of Romulus, the founder of Rome. He was the child suckled by the wolf. Remember?"

"Of course I remember. It just slipped my mind. Okay?"

Remus nodded, satisfied.

James cleared his throat. "All right. Everyone meet back here at two a.m.; the Slytherins will probably all be asleep by then."

The Marauders & Co went their separate ways. Sirius borrowed James' Invisibility cloak and he and Lily went to the Astronomy tower to have a quick snog, James and Annie did the same thing, but in the boys dorm, Peter went off to do something or other , and Remus curled up in an armchair and read Romeo and Juliet.

~ ~

At two that morning, the Marauders & Co met back at the common room. Sirius grinned and thought, I can't wait to see the Slytherins' faces. This will be so fucking good. James, Sirius, Remus and Annie slipped under the cloak and left the common room.

"This way," Annie whispered, pointing the way with her hand outside of the cloak. They turned several corners, descended many stairs, and made their way through the labyrinth of passages in the dungeons. "It's this wall. Okay, start guessing."

Sirius thought. "Pureblood!" Nothing happened.

"Purebloods!" James said. Nothing happened.

"Um...Salazar Slytherin!" Annie said. Again, nothing happened.

Remus hesitated, then said, "Um...no offense to anyone, but...mudbloods are unworthy !" The wall slid open.

"Nice thinking Remus!" Sirius whispered.

James peered inside the room. "Ugh, look at this room! We have our work cut out for us. Okay Annie, go back to our common room and bring Lily and Peter along. Then write the message."

Annie nodded and left the boys there.

"Okay, Remus, go into dormitories and when you find the right one, grab Snape's diary, if you can find it. If not, just grab something embarrassing--like a pair of Malfoy's dirty knickers or something," James whispered.

"Bloody Hell! I'm not grabbing dirty knickers James, that's gross!" Remus whispered loudly.

Sirius muffled his sniggers. "That'd be fucking funny if you did though."

Remus rolled his eyes and disappeared up the stairs.

"Okay Sir, let's get to work," James whispered.

They began to Transfigure the furniture. After all the armchairs and couches had been Transfigured, Lily and Peter came into the common room.

"Lily, start Transfiguring. Peter, go up and find the right dormitory," Sirius whispered. Peter gulped and scurried up the stairs.

After about half an hour, Annie came back. Fifteen minutes after that, Peter and Remus came down into the common room, each clutching several items. Half and hour after they came down, James, Lily and Sirius were finished.

"Perfect!" Remus exclaimed in a whisper.

Sirius examined everything carefully. "Almost." Then he Transfigured the fireplace again, checked it over, and exclaimed in a whisper, "Now it's perfect!"

"What did you change?" Lily asked.

"Why, my dear Lily, you forgot that crack I made," Sirius replied.

James rolled his eyes. "All right. Now, let's get out of here. Annie, Sirius, Remus and I first, then Annie'll come back and get you and Peter, okay Lily?"

They all nodded, then the first group left the common room. The second group followed fifteen minutes later.

When everyone was in the Gryffindor common room again, Sirius asked, "Remus, what did you and Peter nick?"

Remus grinned. "I got Snape's diary, Malfoy's clean knickers, and a magazine that was under Rosier's bed"

Peter laughed nervously. "I got some knickers from Nott, Avery and Lestrange." He held them out.

"Gross Peter, that pair is dirty!" Lily shrieked.

Remus had a strange look on his face. "Very. They smell terrible."

"They smell like shit," Sirius added. "Literally."

"I can't smell them," James commented.

Remus got his 'teacher' look at once. "That is because canine's--dogs, wolves, et cetera--have better senses of smell than other animals--stags for instance."

"Ohh, I see," James said. "Well, I'm glad I'm a stag then, and not a canine."

"Well, I can see them, and that's bad enough," Annie said. "That's disgusting. Who's underwear are those anyway?"

Peter looked at them. "Um...they're the pink heart ones...Nott's, I think." Upon further investigation, the Marauders & Co found that they did have pink hearts on them. "The bright green ones were in Lestrange's wardrobe, and the purple and orange were by Avery's bed," Peter explained.

Remus grimaced. "Lovely. Well, here's the magazine that was under Rosier's bed." He held out a magazine full of, not naked witches, but naked wizards.

Lily screamed and covered her eyes.

"Uh, Lily? The man on the cover is fully clothed," Remus said, trying not to laugh.

"So? It's still bad for virgin eyes," Lily said stubbornly.

Sirius grinned cockily. "True, but you're not a virgin."

Everyone's jaws dropped.

Sirius sniggered. "Yes, she is a virgin, I was joking. Or at least, I think I was."

Everyone closed their mouths.

"All right then. Here's Malfoy's knickers," Remus said, holding them out.

James looked at them strangely. "He has personalized knickers?"

It was true; the knickers were white with L. Malfoy printed on them in green and silver.

"And here's...Snape's diary!" Remus said, holding it out.

Sirius opened it with a flourish. "'I, Severus Snape, am in Slytherin. I am sixteen years old. And I love--'" Sirius suddenly broke off and his eyes blazed with anger.

"Who?" James asked tentatively.

"My Lily," Sirius spat. "And on the next page there's...OH MY FUCKING GOD! HE HAD BETTER HAVE DONE THOSE FROM FUCKING IMAGINATION!"

Remus peered over Sirius' shoulder. "That pervert. Lily, he drew three pictures of you naked!"

Lily glared at the book. "That fucking perverted Slytherin!"

Everyone stared at Lily. She blushed.

"Hurry for Flower, she finally spoke like a seventeen-year-old!" Sirius cheered. "I take it those were from imagination?"

"Sirius Orion Black, of course! I love you, I would never pose for him!" And she kissed Sirius passionately.

"Aww," everyone else teased.

Peter yawned. "Um, guys? I'm going to bed."

After a few minutes, Lily and Sirius' kiss ended and everyone else went to bed as well.

The next morning, the Marauders & Co rose early and went down to breakfast. They carefully charmed the knickers up into the air above the Slytherin table with labels wand-written beside them.

"Perfect," Sirius said, grinning.

Annie grinned too. "As soon as ten Slytherins get here, the message will appear."

After fifteen minutes, the whole of Slytherin House came into the Great Hall. The message burst out, in flashing red and gold, 'WELCOME TO OUR WORLD!'

The Slytherins glared at them, when suddenly a Ravenclaw called out, "What the Hell are those?!"

The Slytherins looked up. Malfoy, Nott, Lestrange and Avery flushed angrily. "Black, Potter, Lupin, Pettigrew, you fucking bastards!" Malfoy yelled.

"Mr. Malfoy!" McGonagall shouted. "You have no evidence it was them, so don't shout out such vile language across the Hall! Ten points from Slytherin!"

The Marauders & Co sniggered.

McGonagall eyed them, but didn't say anything, as she didn't know what had happened.

"Shit!" Sirius exclaimed. Malfoy was talking to Carson. Great, that fucking bastard of a Slytherin whore teacher is going to know what happened, and we all know who he'll blame! Damn!

Carson approached the table. "Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew, Starr, Evans, follow me, now."

They scowled and followed him.

Carson led them to the Slytherin common room. He whispered the password so they couldn't hear it and stepped aside. "Go in."

Sirius, who had his wand up his sleeve, muttered quietly, "Padfoot commands finite incantatum!"

James grinned, and Sirius winked.

When Carson entered the room, it was the same as before they had begun.

"Professor Carson, was there a reason you wanted to bring us here? And where is here, by the way?" Lily asked sweetly.

"This, Evans, is the Slytherin common room. Take a good look, Evans, as you'll never see this place again, as mudbloods are unworthy. And you know very well the reason I brought you here," Carson said quietly.

Lily ignored the mudblood comment and said, pretending to be confused, "No, I don't."

"Only moments ago, Malfoy told me that this room was decorated in the Gryffindor fashion. Now, how could that have happened?"

"Malfoy was lying, he told you that to get us in trouble, he didn't expect you to come here," Sirius said smoothly.

Remus nodded. "Yes sir, it makes perfect sense."

"Shut up you creature!" Carson snapped.

Tears welled in Remus' eyes and he spun on his heel and fled.

"Come back here Lupin!" Carson yelled.

The others left as well, but Sirius paused to say, "Carson, I believe you are the creature. You know very well Remus' condition, which is why you say such things. You are a prejudiced Slytherin bastard!" Then he turned and walked swiftly away.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor and detention for a week Black!" Carson yelled, stepping into the hallway after Sirius.

"Fine!" Sirius yelled back, rounding the corner. That God damned, fucking bastard of a bloody Slytherin whore teacher! One of these fucking days, I'm going to fucking kill the bloody bastard! Sirius thought angrily, following the sounds of James and Lily pleading with somebody.

"Remus, open the door, please!" James said, talking through a door to an abandoned classroom.

Then Lily tried. "Remie, please open the door!"

The door didn't open. Annie and Peter were looking unsure of what to do, but Sirius knew exactly what to do.

"Guys," he whispered quietly, "I know what charms and spells Remus locks things with. I'm going to unlock the door and try to talk to him, all right? But I don't want you to follow. Don't come in until I open the door." They nodded, and Sirius stepped over to the door.

After performing several complex counter-charms and spells, Sirius got the door open. He slipped inside, looked around, and spotted Remus curled into a ball in the corner, sobbing quietly. Oh, Remus. I wish everyone would know you for who you are and like you just the same. But that won't happen any time soon.

Sirius cautiously approached Remus. "Remus?" he said quietly.

Remus ignored him and continued sobbing.

"Come on Remie, please look at me," Sirius pleaded softly.

Remus finally looked up. "Sirius...I hate him! Why does he always..." He stopped speaking as he began to sob again, trying to stop.

Sirius hugged Remus comfortingly. "It's okay Remie. Go ahead and cry, I'm the only one here. You know I don't care if you cry or not."

Remus sobbed into Sirius' shoulder for ten minutes before he calmed down enough to speak. "Thanks Padfoot. Why is it that you're always my hero?"

Sirius smiled sadly. "I don't know. Canine instincts probably. Do you want the others to come in?"

"No, I think I'll go out. Have we missed the start of lessons?" Remus asked, wiping the last of his tears from his eyes.

Sirius checked his watch. "No, if we hurry, we can still make it to Charms."

"Good."

"Always the same," Sirius said fondly.

Remus smiled a bittersweet smile. "Yes, always the same. Same boring, crybaby, nerdy Remus J. Lupin."

"Remus, don't say that. You are not boring, you are not nerdy, and you are not a bloody crybaby! You are interesting, sensitive, studious Remus J. Lupin and you are one Hell of a good friend!" Sirius said firmly.

Remus smiled shyly. "Thanks."

Sirius didn't say anything, but gave Remus a small smile. "Come on, the others are waiting. And besides, we have to get to Charms!" He left the room. Remus followed.

~ ~

When classes were over for the day, the Marauders met in the dormitory.

"The full moon is next week," Remus remarked.

"Yeah, it is," Sirius replied.

Peter looked up from the Chocolate Frog he was eating. "It is the usual plan? We sneak out under the cloak, transform, I press the knot, we join Remus, you and Sirius get Moony under control, we go out?"

James nodded, but Remus said, "Probably. But there is a chance we won't go out."

Sirius looked at Remus in confusion. "Why's that?"

"The anniversary," Remus said simply.

James frowned. "The what?"

"Oh, I never explained..." Remus sighed. "All right. I really hate talking about that night, but I have to. You know that I was bitten when I was five, right? Well...

"It was the full moon of September. I was out walking in the woods, despite my parents' warnings. Suddenly, from behind me, I heard a growling noise. I turned around, and a huge--well, huge to me--werewolf was bounding towards me. I turned and tried to run, but I tripped and fell forward. The werewolf attacked, clawing me and biting my shoulder. I thought I was dead for sure. But there was suddenly howling in the distance and the werewolf ran away, towards the howling. I was bitten, I was poisoned. And it happened in September. So now in September, the transformations are especially hard." Tears were in Remus' eyes, but he swiped them away.

Peter nodded and went back to his Chocolate Frog, but James and Sirius were a little more understanding.

"Oh, Remus. Why didn't you tell us before?" James asked gently.

"I never had to. In second, third, and fourth year, you couldn't join me anyway, in fifth year in September you weren't ready yet, and in sixth year, Sirius was in the Hospital Wing with that really bad pneumonia, remember? I don't like talking about it, so I never did," Remus explained.

Sirius put his arm around Remus. He didn't say anything, which was unusual for him, or so it seemed. Oh Remus. You really should have said something. I've always wondered why you looked so awful after the September moon. I wish I hadn't had that pneumonia...damn Corvus! Corvus had slipped a potion in Sirius' final meal the previous summer, so that he would get really sick on an important occasion. Corvus had hoped it would've been at a Quidditch match, or something else like that, but no. It was just the first full moon of the year. Bastard.

It was now the end of November. As it happened, that September night they hadn't gone out. But there had been October's full moon, and November's, which had been two nights prior.

James was talking a mile a minute. "And the first Quidditch game is tomorrow, do you think I should call a last minute practice, and isn't it supposed to rain tomorrow and you non-Quidditch players are going to be at the game, right, and--"

"Easy James, slow down!" Annie said. "No, we've had enough practice, no, it's not supposed to rain and Lily, you answer that last question."

Lily smiled. "Well, I'm going to be at the game. Peter?"

"Uh-huh, sure," Peter said. "How about you Remus?"

"Um...I think so. I plan to be anyway," Remus said hoarsely. "That is, if Madam Pomfrey will let me out of the Tower."

Sirius made a sympathetic noise. "Still not feeling better Remie?"

Remus shook his head. "I feel fine, but I look and sound like shit."

"Language," Lily said distractedly, staring at Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes, then up and kissed Lily deeply. "Why have you been staring at me all day Flower?"

"You're just so incredibly beautiful..." Lily murmured dreamily. Then she turned beet red. "Oh, did I say that out loud?! I'm so mortified!"

Sirius smiled in a very sexy way. "Beautiful, huh? Well, you're not too bad yourself..." Then he pulled Lily onto his lap and kissed her. She ran her fingers through his silky hair and they proceeded to snog.

Suddenly they heard "Flibbertiggibet," from outside the portrait hole. Sirius and Lily broke apart instantly.

"Mr. Lupin, I have spoken to Professor Dumbledore. He says that if you are really feeling fine, he sees no reason why you should stay in the Tower all the time," Madam Pomfrey said.

Remus waited until she left the common room before he grinned happily. "Well, I guess I'll definitely be attending your match!"

The next day dawned clear and cool. James roused the Quidditch team and they all trooped out to the field. "So, it's the first match of the year. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. We have a superb team. We have Sirius Black and Andromeda Starr as our beaters, John Wood as our Keeper, Mundungus Fletcher as our Seeker, and Arabella Figg, Curtis Johnson and me as our Chasers! We are all excellent, so I'm sure we can beat the Slytherins!"

They took their positions and the Slytherins soon came onto the pitch. They too took their positions (Crabbe and Goyle as beaters, Snape as Keeper, Malfoy as Seeker, and Rosier, Nott, and Lestrange as Chasers.)

The commentator, Ludo Bagman began to commentate. "Welcome to the first Quidditch game of the year! Playing today is the Gryffindor team, Black, Starr, Wood, Flatcher, Figg, Johnson aaaaand Potter! Their opponents are the Slytherin team, Crabbe, Goyle, Snape, Malfoy, Rosier, Nott aaaaand Lestrange! Madam Hooch steps out and, yes, there's the whistle! They're off!"

Sirius flew around the stadium, protecting his team members while James and the other Chasers scored three goals. Suddenly he saw a bludger stop in midair and heard for the stands, right where Lily, Peter, and Remus were sitting. The other stopped as well and headed towards the teachers' stands. Shit! Annie's too far away to get to either place in time! What do I do? Sirius realized the going towards his friends was closer to them than the one heading towards the teachers. Sirius flew at breakneck speed to reach the bludger in time. He swung his club hard and the bludger swerved away, but he could see that it would head back in a moment. Meanwhile, he had to get to the other bludger. He flew towards it, again at breakneck speed, yelling as he passed James, "Call a time out! Something's wrong with the bludgers!" He hit the bludger as hard as he could, it swerved away, but again, it headed back.

The whistle blew. Sirius landed beside the rest of the team. "Okay team, Sirius says there's something wrong with the bludgers."

"There is! They keep heading for the bloody stands! I hit them, but they barely swerve!" Sirius yelled.

Gus broke in, "I think I can find the Snitch in a few more minutes. If you beaters can hold the bludgers, I think I can win this for us. Okay Captain?"

James nodded,. And they all took off again.

"And now, after Black seems top have lost control of the bludgers, Potter has created a new play!" Ludo yelled.

"Get it right Bagman!" Sirius yelled at the top of his voice. "I didn't lose control of the bludgers, the bludgers are fixed!"

Ludo laughed into the megaphone. "Well, you all heard him! But anyway, it's Potter, Potter passes to Johnson, back to Potter, to Figg, back to Potter...Potter scores!"

Sirius turned Ludo out, then focused on keeping the bludger away from the teachers. Annie was doing the same thing a few hundred yards away. Suddenly Sirius heard Ludo shout, "And Fletcher sees the Snitch! He dives...and he's got it! Gryffindor wins, two hundred to thirty!"

Sirius landed with the rest of the team, cheering along with everyone else. People started pouring out of the stands.

"Sirius, you were brilliant! Especially when you saved us and the teachers from those messed up bludgers!" Peter squeaked.

Lily kissed Sirius on the cheek. Sirius kissed Lily on the lips.

"You truly were brilliant Sirius, James, Annie, everyone," said Remus, his voice still hoarse, still looking pale. In fact, he looked paler than he had the previous day.

"Thanks. Remus, are you okay? You look paler than yesterday," Sirius asked, concerned.

Remus frowned and shrugged. "I'm fine. You know I don't like heights, being in the stands probably caused it. Or maybe it was watching a bludger come close enough to almost smack you in the face."

Sirius laughed, then joined the huge mob swarming towards the Gryffindor common room for a party.

The next day, December first, Sirius remembered what Ursa had said when she left him. "Open this in private and not until December." Well, it was December and it was private. So Sirius opened up the letter.

Dear Sirius,

I am tired of your father's cruel ways, and so I left him on December first. Sirius, sweetheart, I am truly sorry for the abuse that has happened to you over the past few years. This year, when you come home for Christmas, things will be different, I promise.

Love, Mum

Sirius wanted to be happy about this, but living the way he did had taught him to be suspicious of every nice thing his parents did to him. For him. Sirius sighed. What do I do? Believe Ursa and go home happily, or think she's lying and go home afraid? Well, I suppose since the letter seems like it could possibly be true, I'll believe Ursa. I only hope she doesn't fucking disappoint me.

"Hey Sirius, what're you doing?" James asked, walking over to him.

"Nothing. Just...thinking," Sirius replied.

James gasped. "The great Sirius Black was thinking?!"

"Well, how else do you think I got to be a Prefect?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

James pretended to think hard. "Um...maybe McGonagall secretly has a thing for you and she said, 'Oh, let's have Black as a Prefect'."

"James, that's gross," Remus said, coming over to their corner. "Sirius is second in the year and you know it."

James grinned. "Yes, but who's first? Me."

"First in what?" Lily asked, sitting next to Sirius.

"The year," Remus replied.

Lily's face lit up. "Ooh, you're talking about what place people are in the year? I can tell all of you your places, if you want. James and I are tied for first, Sirius and Remus are second--"

"You're second too? Why aren't you a Prefect then?" Sirius asked. "And how did you know that Lily?"

Remus was quiet, so Lily said, "Well, the Head boy and girl get to know the rankings of students, but we're not supposed to tell other students a ranking that isn't theirs."

Sirius looked at Remus, but he still didn't say anything. "Remus? Why aren't you a Pre...hang on, is it because you're...you know, a..."

"Werewolf?" Remus suggested quietly. "Yes, it is. Most of the teachers were okay with it, but the Potions bastard wasn't. And Trelawney 'foresaw' that I would 'corrupt other's minds with my evil'."

"Language," Lily said halfheartedly. "Remus, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--"

Remus' eyes suddenly blazed with anger. "Would you all stop treating me like I'm made of fucking glass?! I'm not! I can take care of myself around my bloody friends! God!" And he stormed off.

James' jaw dropped. "What the Hell just happened?"

Sirius' eyes grew round. "Shit! The fucking full moon was just a few nights ago!"

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed.

"Damn," James added.

"Should one of us go after him?" Lily asked.

James looked at Sirius. "Padfoot? How about you?"

I suppose I could...Poor Remie, he'll be mortified. Aloud he said, "Well, I guess so." He went up to the dormitory. Gus was just waking up, and Peter was picking up his dirty socks from the previous day.

"Have either of you seen Remus?" Sirius asked.

Gus shook his head, but Peter said, "Stag. Cloak."

"Where?" Sirius asked again.

"Bed. His," Peter replied.

"Er...what are you talking about Peter?" Gus asked.

"Nothing. Come on, hurry up, well be late." Gus dressed and left with Peter.

Sirius sat on Remus' bed, after feeling to make sure he wasn't sitting on Remus. He slid his feet over until they hit Remus' legs. Before Remus could scuffle away, Sirius grabbed the Cloak and pulled it off Remus.

Remus turned his head.

"Remus, come on, don't be like that," Sirius said.

Remus sighed and looked at Sirius. "I didn't mean to yell at Lily. But the moon is still almost full, and the wolf is still near the surface, and whenever people start to feel sorry about saying something about me being a werewolf or something when the wolf is close to the surface, I get all defensive, but I didn't mean to snap at Lily, or at any of you and I--"

"Remus, stop babbling. We all know, and we understand. We all know how it is," Sirius said.

Remus nodded and followed Sirius to the common room. It was Saturday, and they had an idea for a great prank to play on Snape. They were going to take a few pages from Snape's diary, magically enlarge them, and post them in the corridors.

"Let's pick some pages," Annie suggested.

Sirius flipped the diary open and read, "Last night Black and Lu--No fucking way! Not that one!"

"What is it?" Remus asked, reading over Sirius' shoulder.

"Remus, don't--"

But it was too late. Remus had read the entry about the night he had almost killed Snape.

"Sirius?! It was you this whole time?! You lying son of a bitch, you said you didn't know! Do you know how I felt that next morning, when I found out?! You bastard! I thought you were one of my best friends!" Remus picked up the diary from where Sirius had dropped it and threw it as hard as he could at Sirius. It hit him in the eye, and a large bruise immediately began to form. Remus spun on his heel and ran out of the room.

James hesitantly picked up the diary. "Last night Black and Lupin almost killed me. Lupin is a bloody werewolf! Black told me where to go and Lupin would have attacked if Potter hadn't saved me...Sirius, it was you?! What kind of a fucking idiot are you?!" He punched Sirius in the jaw. Annie followed suit, and Lily slapped him across the cheek. Peter just glared at him. They all ran after Remus.

Sirius sunk down to the floor. Oh my God. I never thought Remus would find out. But he did. I am such a fucking bastard. I regretted it the moment I did it, I paid the price, and now I'm paying again? No, I'm fucking paying the rest. Will Remus ever forgive me? Damn, I should have told the truth then! Fuck, fuck, fuck!

A week passed. None of the Marauders & Co would speak to Sirius. Remus wouldn't even look at him. But he had a plan. He would write a letter, and charm it so that the receiver would have to read it, whether they wanted to or not. I hope it works. I would do it in person, but Remus won't even look at me.

Sirius started to write the letter, and a few hours later, it was finished.

Dear Remus,

After recognizing the owl, I am sure you are trying not to read this, but you keep reading anyway. This is because I charmed the letter. Normally, I wouldn't, but what I have to say is a matter of dire importance.

Remus, I am truly sorry for telling Snape, and then lying about it. I know you felt horrible the morning after. I know James could have died, I know Snape could have died. And I know how much trust you give to your friends. I used that trust Remus. And I'm sorry.

The only reason I told Snape in the first place was because he was always being awful to you. And...I don't know why I thought if I told him to go to the Willow, it would be just like a prank. Because it wasn't. It was worse. Remus, believe me, I never meant to hurt you. James is my best friend, but you...you're my favorite friend. I know that you probably won't forgive me. I know that sorry isn't enough. But it's all I have to give.

Sirius

Sirius only hoped it would be enough.

The next morning, Sirius saw his owl soar down to Remus. He saw Remus look at the owl with distaste, but he reached for the letter. He saw Remus' eyes widen as he tried not to open the letter, saw Remus read it. And then he saw Remus set the letter down when he was done, instead of throwing it or ripping it like he expected.

Remus stood up and walked over to Sirius and said coolly, "Come with me please."

Scary, how he sounds like a teacher, Sirius thought as he followed Remus.

"Sirius...from the letter, I know you're sorry. And I forgive you. But you do realize it'll take a lot to gain my trust again? That we will probably never be like we were?" Remus said, keeping the cool tone in his voice.

Sirius looked at the floor. "I thought as much," he said quietly. Remus didn't reply. Sirius glanced up and saw tears dancing in Remus' eyes. "Um...Remus?"

"Yes?" Remus replied, the cool tone faltering.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, hoping Remus would tell him.

Remus bit his lip. "Well...I've known you since first year. And now I find out you're responsible for one of the worst moments in my life at Hogwarts, I realize our friendship probably won't be the same...how would you feel?"

"Like shit," Sirius said quietly.

"You see?" Remus said.

Sirius blinked and nodded. "Yes. How long...how long will it take?"

"A while," Remus replied. "Sirius...you know it's only partly because of you. It's also partly me. Werewolves don't trust others easily, and when you break that trust, well...it's usually over. But not with you. Never with you, because...you were there for me."

Sirius nodded and went back into the Hall, followed by Remus.

~ ~

During Potions, Carson insulted Remus the whole lesson. Whether it was an indirect comment about Dark Creatures, or whispers in Remus' ear, he was being cruel. At the end of the lesson, Carson told them their homework, and Sirius blew his top.

"Homework, write a three roll essay on poisons for werewolves embedded in Potions."

Sirius shook with fury. "Professor Carson, you are a prejudiced bastard! Or maybe you're just stupid. Werewolves are only dangerous during the full moon. Everyone knows that. And it's illegal to kill werewolves except in self defense. So why should we do this assignment?"

"One hundred points from Gryffindor!" Carson shouted. "If you ever speak to me in such a way again, I will make sure you're expelled Black!"

"I'd rather be expelled than have a cruel, sadistic, prejudiced bastard for a teacher!"

Carson glared at Sirius. "Fifty more points! Class dismissed!"

As the Marauders & Co walked out of the classroom, Annie said, "Sirius, why did you do that? Oh, I know, you're being stupid again."

"Andromeda," James said warningly. "But really Sirius, you could have gotten in deep shit!"

"Language! And Sirius, what'll the others say when they find out you've lost one hundred and fifty points in one lesson?" Lily asked.

Sirius glared. "I don't give a damn about what other people think. I don't give a sweet flying fuck about what Carson does. I do not let cruel bastards insult my friends. No matter what."

Remus gave Sirius a small smile through the tears that were running down his cheeks. "Thanks Sirius."

Over the next week, Sirius and Remus built up their friendship again. But one incident really helped them.

The Marauders were walking down to the lake on the Saturday before the Christmas holidays started. Down in the entrance hall, they ran into Snape.

"One of you has my dia--log," Snape said accusingly.

"Your dialog Snape? No, I don't we've picked up any dialogs," James said.

Snape grimaced and lowered his voice, though the entrance hall was empty. "Fine, one of you has my diary."

"You, Snape? Keep a diary?" Remus asked mockingly.

"Shut it Lupin, you know very well I do, as one of you stole it."

Sirius put on an innocent face. "Us? Steal? Never!"

Snape scowled. "I know you four and your girlfriends turned our common room to match yours. On the same day my diary went missing. So obviously you stole it."

"Your diary goes missing and you don't bother to get it for over a month?" Remus asked.

"I merely thought I had misplaced it Lupin. But now it's painfully obvious that you stole it. You wanted to see what you did to me last year, werewolf," Snape sneered.

Remus made a whimpering sound, almost canine like, and ran away. James and Peter ran after him, but Sirius punched Snape in the nose, effectively breaking it.

"Don't ever say anything of that nature to Remus again, or I'll break more than your nose," Sirius threatened. "And here's your precious diary," he added as he chucked it at Snape. Then he hurried off in the direction Remus, James and Peter had.

"If you hadn't been so stupid Black, I wouldn't have found out!" Snape yelled after him.

Sirius ignored him and started hunting for the others. Since his Animagus form was a dog, his sense of smell had become sharper, even when he wasn't transformed. He caught Remus' scent and headed in that direction. He turned the corner and walked up the Transfiguration corridor. James and Peter were outside the Transfiguration classroom, trying to open the door.

"Remus is in there," James told Sirius in an undertone. "He's put all sorts of spells and charms on the door and neither one of us can break them all. Hang on, you know them all, right? Why don't you go in, like you usually do?"

"James, I can't. Since he found out about that night, you know things have been different between us," Sirius protested.

James looked into Sirius' eyes. "Sirius, that may be, but we all know you care about him more than the rest of us. I may be your best friend, but Remus...I think he's your favorite friend. And I don't mean that in a jealous way. Sirius, you've comforted him so many times, I'm sure you're still the one he'll open up to at times like this."

Sirius sighed softly. "I don't know James..." But he approached the door, muttered all the counter spells, and opened the door.

Remus was curled into a ball in the corner. He wasn't crying, but Sirius could tell he was hurt.

"Erm...Remus?" Sirius said softly.

Remus murmured quietly, "Please Sirius, go away. Things aren't the same as they used to be."

"Remus, I know things aren't the same. But I'm not leaving. Even if you weren't speaking to me I'd be here, because you're one of my best friends. Remus, I care about you, and I don't like you see you hurt. This time, it's my fault you were the subject of Snape's insults, and you know I'm sorry. I'm not about to go away," Sirius said, fiercely but softly.

Remus looked up. "Really? You're going to stay here even though I don't want you to, you still care about me that much? You care about that much, even though I'm not as...trusting of you anymore?"

"Of course Remus. Even if you hated me, I'd still care about you."

Remus smiled. "Sirius, you know what?"

"What?"

"I think our friendship is almost back to normal."

Sirius looked at Remus in surprise and confusion. "But how? I mean, a few hours ago it was as far from normal as possibly able to be and still be our friendship."

"Well, what just happened proved to me that you were still as much my friend as ever. And I think I will be able to trust you again," Remus explained.

Sirius felt tears spring to his eyes. He forced them away. Never show your true self to anyone, you git, Sirius thought angrily.

"Sirius? Are you crying?" Remus asked in surprise.

"No," Sirius said, in an unconvincing voice.

"It's okay to let people see you cry Sirius. It's okay to show your feelings," Remus said, standing up and walking over to where Sirius stood.

Sirius snorted. "No, it's not. Not for me anyway. Not after what everyone thinks of me. A prankster who has a really foul mouth."

Remus laughed softly. "Not everyone sees you as just that. Not Lily, not James, not Annie, and not me. You can't tell with Peter."

"Then what do you see me as?" Sirius asked.

"A good friend--usually. Someone who can be very compassionate when friends are down. A fun-loving person who tends to color outside the lines. And a prankster with a really foul mouth," Remus answered.

Sirius smiled and said, "Let's go join James and Peter."

It was Friday, the day the holidays started. The Marauders & Co would be separated for two whole weeks. Peter, Lily and Annie were staying at Hogwarts, Remus, Sirius and James were going home.

On the train, Remus Sirius and James talked about possible prank ideas. When the train stopped at Kings Cross, they said their good-byes.

Sirius walked over to Ursa, and she apparated them home.

When they arrived, the first thing Sirius noticed was Corvus. That lying bitch! It was a plot! Sirius thought angrily. "Liar," he muttered extremely quietly.

"Ah, Sirius. I believe we have much to catch up on. So--straight to it. Take off your shirt," Corvus snapped. Sirius quickly complied. "Lie on your stomach on the floor." Sirius did so. Then Corvus whipped him, punched him, slapped him, kicked him, and let Lyra kick him.

Things went on like this until Christmas. Sirius never received Christmas gifts from his parents, he was forced to watch them open their gifts and eat their wonderful meal that he had prepared. Of course, he was never hurt physically on Christmas, only verbally. That was his 'gift'. Much to his horror, Lyra received a pain of pointy steel toe boots. She begged and pleaded to use them, and Corvus, that bastard, allowed her to.

After Christmas, things went one like they had before. Sirius was hurt every day, then a few days before he was due to go back, Corvus used magic to heal up his wounds.

On the day he had to go back, Ursa apparated him to the station. Sirius was hurt badly. Not physically, though he was a little tender, like always, but mentally. His mother had lied to him, given him hope, then crushed it. He had spent Christmas like all the other Christmases of abuse. And this holiday had been worse, because of all the insults he had been tossed. Sirius slipped onto the train instead of meeting James and Remus like usual. He took a compartment near the end of the train and also near some Slytherins, so that James and Remus were less likely to look for him. I want to see them, but at the same time I don't. Maybe it's because I'm obviously not like myself. Maybe it's because I'm...afraid of them. I am, God, I am. A little. I'm afraid they'll betray me too.

For about an hour, Sirius' hiding place remained hidden. But the he smelled Remus approaching, without James. Damn werewolf sense of smell, Sirius thought, trying to veil his scent. But it was no good. Remus entered the compartment.

"Sirius?" he said softly.

Sirius shrank back into the corner.

"Sirius, what's wrong? You act like a scared, lost, abused puppy," Remus asked curiously.

"R-remus, come over here, l-lock the d-door, soundproof the door, and don't t-tell a soul what I'm about to t-tell you," Sirius whimpered.

Remus looked greatly concerned, as Sirius was never so...afraid, so emotional. But he cast all of the spells and sat next to Sirius. "Sirius, what is it?"

To Sirius' horror and Remus' surprise, Sirius began to sob.

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed softly.

"D-don't. P-please," Sirius choked out. "Remus...w-what I'm going to tell y-you, you can't t-tell anyone, not James, n-not Peter, not L-lily, not Annie. And especially n-not the teach-teachers. You can't."

Remus slipped a comforting arm around Sirius' shoulders. "I won't Siri, I promise."

"My parents...C-corvus and Ur-ursa. They...they..." Sirius couldn't continue, as a fresh wave of sobs made him cry into Remus' shoulder.

"It's all right, you can tell me when you're ready," Remus said, rubbing Sirius' back.

Sirius flinched and pulled away. "Don't t-touch me Remus."

"Why?" Remus asked, confused.

"Be-because. My parents...they...they...they abuse me!" Sirius burst out, tears running down his cheeks.

Remus' jaw dropped. "What?!"

Sirius sniffled and told Remus everything, about the abuse, when it started, how it worked, and about these holidays.

"Oh, Siri," Remus said sympathetically. "You've gone through so much. And this is the first time you've told anyone, or cried about it, isn't it?"

Sirius nodded miserably. "I-I would have told you all sooner, but...none of you seemed to realize anything was wrong, so I didn't. You were the only one who noticed anything different. And James did, a little. He's supposed to be my best friend, you would think he, of all people, would notice!"

Remus hugged Sirius carefully. "Sirius, we didn't really notice because you never said anything, and Corvus healed everything...you have to tell a teacher."

"Remie, I can't, they--I--I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I--"

"Sirius! Calm down, you're starting to hyperventilate. Listen to me Siri. You should tell a teacher, but if you don't, that's not my business. But at least tell the others," Remus said.

Sirius took a deep breath and nodded. "I-I'll try."

"Good. Sirius, if you don't mind me asking...why did it start? You gave me a date, that was when you started dating Lily, wasn't it? Was it because of her being a Muggle born?" Remus asked.

"Partly," Sirius said quietly. "But the other part...I can't tell you Remus, you--never mind."

Remus bit his lip. "Sirius...be honest with me. Is your father prejudiced against...everything?"

Sirius looked at his feet. "Yes."

"Was part of the reason...me?"

Sirius nodded mutely.

Remus' eyes filled with tears. "Oh Sirius, I'm sorry, I told you all you wouldn't want to be friends with me, and look what happened to you!"

"Remus, I don't regret it all. You are my friend, and it's not your fault. It's that bastard's fault. Remus, in a sense, I love you. All my friends, because you're...my family," Sirius said, with a fire in his eyes that Remus had never seen before.

Remus smiled and hugged Sirius, being careful of his back. "Come on, let's go find James."

Sirius nodded. "All right, as soon as my eyes go back to normal. Remus? Don't ever tell anyone what happened here today. Don't tell the others I cried, don't tell the others I showed my emotions, and don't tell them I love them. Please?"

"Of course I won't Siri, you can count on that."

Sirius smiled. "Oh, and Remie?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."