The Piano

There is a piano in the Shrieking Shack.

He thinks it was Dumbledore's idea. It sure as hell wasn't his.

None of this was his idea: not the piano, not the shack, and most certainly not being a werewolf. But despite all his bitterness, he does appreciate the little things. The piano being one of them.

He spends the hours before his transformations teaching himself how to play. At first he pecks at the keys with two fingers, until he is familiar with their different sounds. It's not until Sirius sneaks in with A Wizards Guide to Piano that he really makes any progress.

It is dangerous for Sirius to be with him in these hours before his transformation, but he enjoys the company too much to protest his presence. Remus develops a love for the melancholy compositions, but Sirius likes it when he plays swing music.

When James finds out, he joins them. He sings along with the piano, changing the words of the song to suit his moods. The ribald little tunes with their lewd lyrics, usually about his most recent ladylove, send even Remus into fits of laughter.

They always leave before the moon rises. And Remus moves away from the piano lest he harm it in a fit of dementia.

By the time they are in Fifth Year, James and Sirius have mastered the Animagus transformation. Peter catches on by the second term (after much tutelage from James), and Remus is no longer alone during the full moons. The piano is pushed aside in favour of their companionship. When he is with them, he feels more like a man then a wolf.

He doesn't touch the piano at all during his Sixth year. Sometimes he looks at it longingly, running his fingers over the dusty keys, but there are more important things to do. Hogsmeade begs to be explored, and at night when students are supposed to be sleeping, they investigate every nook and cranny of it. There is the Marauders Map to finish. By the end of the year, they know every blade of grass, every squeaky stair, and every dark corner of the school.

Seventh year arrives and his visits to the Shrieking Shack are somewhat utilitarian. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs have better things to do with their time then sit around a piano and sing silly songs. After the school year ends, Remus leaves Hogwarts, but the piano remains in its corner, dusty and unused.

It's sixteen years before he sees it again. Sixteen long years in which he never played a note.

He didn't give it much thought on that hot night in June. He was too busy reuniting with Sirius, trying to punish Peter, and saving Harry's life. He thinks about it afterwards, though. The piano stands out in his memory almost as much as the black ink of tattoos stood out on the pale skin of Sirius's chest.

It was somehow appropriate to be back where it all began, back in that room with the piano. And Sirius. And even Peter. Though James wasn't there, Harry was, and he looks enough like his father to remind Remus of those nights the Marauders spent together.