The Shrieking Shack

Encounter at the Shack

"Thank Merlin for the Ministry's lies," Remus muttered as the boys walked away from the town hall.

James scowled. "I don't know. It still sounds like trouble to me. Maybe someone should tell Dumbledore?"

"Well, you do it, buddy," said Sirius. "I try to avoid him myself."

Remus smirked. "You wouldn't have to avoid him if you'd stay out of trouble for five minutes," he remarked.

"Hey, where are we?" asked Peter.

The Marauders looked around and found themselves in front of the Shrieking Shack, unsure of how they'd got there.

James shivered. "Oooh, it's creepy," he joked. "I hear a monster lives in there!"

"I heard it was a ghost," said Sirius.

"You're both wrong," said Remus, grinning. "It's a werewolf."

The four boys leaned against the fence out front and stared at the ramshackle structure creaking noisily in an absent wind. The shutters always looked like they were going to fall off, but they never did. In truth, it was all artificial, all cosmetic. And it was darned effective in keeping the villagers away_at least, it had been until now.

Suddenly, James jumped the fence and took off running toward the Shack. "It's time something was done!" he shouted in mock anger, firing off a few spells at the front door. They all bounced harmlessly off.

"James, stop being a prat!" Sirius called, hurrying after him. Remus followed slowly behind, rolling his eyes. Peter sat down by the fence and started munching on his newly purchased sweets, not in the mood for more of the usual tomfoolery.

James whirled around on Sirius, his wand pointed at his chest. "You there! What do you know of this place? What are you hiding?"

Sirius grabbed the end of James's wand and forced his arm down. "Stop being silly," he said. "Let's just go back to_" He stopped, staring at a boarded-up window. "It looks so real."

"It is real," said Remus, touching a wall.

Sirius gave him a look. "You know what I mean," he said. "The Ministry did a good job making this place appear scary. And you're doing a good job maintaining the illusion."

"Thanks. I try," Remus muttered sarcastically, leaning against the wall.

"Awww, don't get like that," said Sirius, watching James dash off behind the back of the building to try another door.

Remus stuck out his tongue. "How should I get exactly? This place isn't exactly filled with happy memories for me."

Sirius visibly bristled. "Hey, we've tried to help. Sorry if it's not good enough."

"And you have helped," Remus replied. "Immensely. But it...there's a lot of pain in here, Sirius. It's hard to wipe it all away. I've had more good times than bad, I admit. But the bad ones are particularly bad. There's no way to explain what it's like."

Sirius smirked. "You could show me?"

"What?" Remus exclaimed. "You want me to_"

"Hey, I was joking!" Sirius laughed. "Only a joke."

"Well, it wasn't a bloody funny one."

"I'm sorry!" Sirius sulked. "I always say the wrong thing, you know that. No matter what the occasion, Sirius Black can always be trusted to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. I thought you'd have been used to it by now."

"I guess I need a little more time," said Remus, managing a weak smile.

Sirius tucked a strand of long black hair behind his ear. "Well, I'm glad you've put up with me as long as you have. Not many people would."

Well, not many people have such a huge crush on you, Remus thought. He decided not to say that out loud, but he also found he didn't know what else to say instead. Fortunately, James returned at that moment, looking a bit worse for wear.

* * *

Thomas was annoyed. The Ministry was using the Shack for secret business? Not likely. There was definitely a werewolf in there, and he was determined to prove it. He just wasn't sure how.

He was nearing his cottage, which meant he was nearing the Shack. He glanced at it, taking in the peeling paint, the drooping shutters, the three boys sitting beside it..."Hey!" he shouted. The boys looked up.

"It's that man," Sirius commented. "From the meeting."

"What does he want?" James asked.

Sirius looked at James and frowned. "I don't know. And why do you look like you've been slow-dancing with a Norwegian Ridgeback?"

"Stay away from that shack!" the man called out. "It's dangerous! Get away from there!"

James grinned. "Oh, this should be good," he said, hurrying back to the road. Sirius and Remus followed, chuckling. Peter roused himself and went to stand by his friends, chewing a fresh wad of gum.

"What do you think you're doing, messing about at a place like that?" Thomas demanded.

James looked at him innocently and batted his eyelashes. "Why, nothing at all, sir. Honest. We were just playing!"

"You most certainly were not. Look at you! You've been up to something!" Thomas replied.

"Just roughhousing, sir. Boys will be boys, you know."

Thomas frowned. "You weren't roughhousing. You were messing about in places you oughtn't. That place is not fit for children."

Sirius suppressed a chuckle. "I'm not a child!" he whispered to Remus.

James, meanwhile, was enjoying himself immensely. "Oh, you mean because of the werewolf that lives there," he said matter-of-factly.

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "You know about the werewolf?"

"Oh, everyone does at Hogwarts, sir," James continued, sweet as sugar. "Why, the werewolf is a student there!" he said. Remus turned white at this, but he noticed the man's expression had changed little.

"It's not a joking matter, son," Thomas muttered.

James feigned a hurt look. "Oh, but it's true, sir. Why...I'm the werewolf!" He raised his hands up, pretending they were paws, and snarled. "Arrrrooooo!" he howled.

"Wankers," Thomas muttered, walking away in disgust.

* * *

"OK, that was brilliant," Sirius said, wiping a tear from his eye and clapping James on the back.

"You had me worried there for a moment," said Remus.

James chuckled and removed his glasses to wipe them. "You should know me by now, Moony. I know what I'm doing. I know how to read his type." He replaced his glasses and grinned. "Wankers, indeed. I would never defile my body that way!"

"'Oh, Lily,'" Sirius mocked. "'Lily! Yes!'"

James punched him in the arm. "Well, we all know whose name you were calling out in your sleep a few nights ago, Pads."

Sirius blanched. "Oh, who?" he demanded.

James glanced at Remus and smirked.

"I certainly did not!" Sirius protested, turning pink. "As I've reminded you numerous times already, I'm not gay."

"Oh, if only the two of you could see yourselves sometimes. You're both as camp as a row of pink tents. Anyway, you bloody did call out his name. I heard you."

Sirius sighed. "Well, why do you assume it was a sexual dream?"

"You had to be there," James said, smirking. "Oh wait, you were. It was your dream."

"Well, I don't remember it," Sirius replied, turning pinker as he recalled the few details of the dream he could.

James whirled around, stopping the other boys in their tracks. "OK, we're not taking another bloody step until the two of you just admit it!" he said. "I'm bored of all this play-acting. I don't exactly relish the idea of two of my best male friends snogging each other, but it's preferable to this nonsense. Just please, be done with it!"

"We keep telling you, Prongs, we're not gay," Sirius said, his voice cold. "Lay off it."

"I've watched you. I've listened to you. My eyes do not deceive me."

Remus rolled his eyes and faced James. "Maybe you're the one in denial, James. Because it certainly isn't us." Oh Merlin....

"Honestly, can we stop this?" Peter shouted. Everyone turned to look at him, appalled. "I'm bloody tired of all this gay crap already! I want a butterbeer, and I'm going to get one!" He stormed off.

The three boys watched him go and then looked at each other, their eyes still wide. "Did Peter just_?" Sirius said.

"Apparently," remarked James. "Who knew the boy had it in him?"