Breaking Promises

Breaking Promises

The school bell rang loudly, bringing an end to third period Potions class with it. Out walked a fuming Remus Lupin. His robes, skin, and hair were covered in a sticky orange potion. Behind him followed three boys, all three laughing and all three free form sticky orange potion.
"So how did you like that, Moony?" asked one of the three laughing boys, coming to walk beside his friend.
"Ha, ha, ha, very funny, Padfoot," Remus snapped, wiping some of the orange goo off of his face.
"Hey! C'mon now, you have to admit that that was pretty funny!"
"Oh, yes it was so funny that I forgot to laugh. You see I, unlike you, don't find putting a firecracker in my friend's potion funny."
"Aw, don't be that way! I mean it was only a harmless prank."
"Yeah, this time," Remus growled before he stalked off in the direction of Gryyffindor Tower.
The three friends watched as Remus stormed off, he was in a right state.
"I've never seen Moony this mad before," Peter Pettigrew pointed out as the three of them walked outside to lounge under the shade of the large Beech tree that stood at the edge of the lake.
"Me neither," Sirius Black said tossing a large rock into the smooth surface, making it ripple under the stone's weight.
"Maybe you shouldn't have made him mad," James Potter said.
"Well, he shouldn't get this upset over a stupid prank."
"You know how he can get around the full moon. It's not his fault."
"I know," Sirius sighed.
"You should go and say you're sorry," James declared.
"Why?"
"Because you started it, that's why."
"That still doesn't mean that I'm sorry."
"Just go and say you're sorry before he does something stupid," James said, but after a moment he realized what he had said. "Oh, shit!"
"What?" both Sirius and Peter asked in unison.
"We left him alone!"
"So?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your point being?"
"We left him alone...he's in a bad mood...the full moon is tomorrow! You know what he'll do!"
With that James bolted across the sloping lawns, with both Sirius and Peter hot on his heels. They ran as fast as they could all the way up to the seventh floor corridor. The three boys came to a screeching halt in front of the portrait that guarded the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.
"Fairy wings," Peter panted toward the large picture. The occupant in the portrait nodded, and then the portrait swung open and in flew James, Sirius, and Peter.
Upon entering the common room one of the first people whom they saw was Frank Longbottom.
"Frank! Where's Remus?" questioned Sirius.
"Upstairs," Frank answered at once. "He's locked himself in your dorm room." James swore under his breath as he bolted up the right hand staircase.
"Moony!" James yelled, bringing his fist down on the fifth year dorm door. "Moony, open up! It's me! It's Prongs!" Still he got no answer.
"Here," Sirius said, stepping in front of James and drawing his wand out from the neck of his robes. He muttered an incantation under his breath and the door clicked open.
"Guys," Peter said throwing a puzzled look into the dark room, "what are we afraid of Remus doing exactly?"
"We might have a repeat of first year," Sirius said as he followed James into the room.
"You mean..." Peter's voice trailed off.
"Yes, we do," James said tensely.
"Remus!" Sirius called. "Remus, come here!"
"I'm not a dog," came Remus' muffled reply.
"We know you're not," said James walking even further into the room, headed towards Remus' closed bed curtains.
"Yeah," Sirius began in a whisper, "we know you're not a dog. You're lower then a dog. You're a werewolf."
As soon as the works had left his mouth Sirius regretted saying them at once. He didn't mean that. No, he could, and would, never believe that. He loved Remus like a brother, but it was too late to take back the cruel remark now.
Right before James reached Remus' closed curtains they slid aside so fast that they were almost torn off their hangers.
"You might want to keep your thoughts to yourself, Padfoot!" Remus yelled, making James jump three feet away from his bed. "Because I just heard every single word you just said!"
The golden eyed Gryffindor was paper white and he had pulled down his robe sleeves in a flash, so as his friends could not see his arms.
"You shouldn't be the one to talk!" Remus continued. "If I'm that low then that makes you pretty low yourself! You mangy mutt!"
"Remus," James started, holding Sirius back at the same time. "Let me see," he held out the hand that was free from holding his friend back.
"Let you see what?" the fire in the werewolf's eyes was replaced with a nervous glint.
"Remus, give me your hand, now," James said sternly.
For a moment all Remus did was to stare at James' out stretched hand. Maybe he could buy himself some time. Yes, he did know exactly what James meant by, "let me see your hand," but he decided to play dumb anyway.
"Um...what is this hand that you speak of?" Remus asked pulling down his robe sleeves so that his hands were hidden from view.
"Moony," growled James.
"I didn't-" but Remus never got to finish his sentence because James had let go of Sirius and grabbed Remus' wrists, causing him to yelp in pain and pull away.
"Remus!" he yelled, pulling out his wand out and casting a silencing charm around the room so that no one would hear them.
Yep, there would defiantly be plenty of yelling and screaming tonight.
"Remus! Marauders don't take the easy way out! Or did you forget that?!" James yelled, backing Remus into a corner.
"No, of course not," he answered in a truthful whisper.
"What does marauder mean?"
"You know what it means."
"I know what it means, but I think that you forgot!"
"No, how could I?"
"I dunno, you tell me!"
"I know what it means."
"Then tell me, now!"
Remus sighed, there was just no winning with James.
"It means prideful, faithful, loyal friend to the end." Remus told James at last.
"How can it be the end if you cut your end short?"
"I dunno."
"Marauders are the four of us, not three, two, or one, but the four of us. We can't reach the end it you cut your end short. Remus, I love you like a brother. I love you too much to let you do this to yourself."
"Okay."
The conversation was going to end there. Or at least that's where James intended for it to end, at first. But then he thought of something. What if this happened again? The first time when he had done it Remus had promised them all that he'd never do it again. And here they were, Remus had broken his promise. And it hurt, it hurt a lot to have a promise broken. James would have to make sure this would never happen again. And he knew exactly how he could do it.
A black velvet money bag hung at his hip. Yes, he knew exactly how he could get Remus to see. He undid the ties on the small bag and plunged his hand into the darkness. A moment later he pulled out a small, round, and highly polished coin. A small, round, and highly polished silver coin.
"Um...Prongs?" Sirius began carefully.
"Yes?" James asked, his hazel gaze never leaving Remus' golden gaze.
"What are you doing?"
"Breaking a promise."
"Breaking a-wait! What promise are you talking about?"
"The one that we made to him," he jerked his head toward Remus, "in first year."
"No, James no! You can't, you just can't!" Sirius pleaded.
"Just watch me."
Remus stood, fixed to the floor. He knew what promise they were talking about, hell he'd been the one who had made them promise not to do what James was going to do.
"Oh, Moony?" James said in a voice of deadly calm.
"Y-Yes?"
"You broke mine, so I break yours. Maybe then you'll learn."
James threw the coin hard and fast. It flew across the room and hit Remus hard and fast on the left cheek. Remus yelped, staggered a few steps backwards, and brought a hand up to his face. Underneath it lay a black silver burn.
"YOU PROMISED ME!" he screamed at James. "YOU PROMISED ME THAT YOU'D NEVER USE SILVER ON ME!" A few tears make their way down his face. They weren't as much for physical pain as they were for emotional pain.
"YEAH, WELL YOU PROMISED THAT YOU'D NEVER DO THIS," he gripped Remus' wrists, "AGAIN!"
"OW! THAT HURTS! LET GO!"
The attacker did as he was told.
"Now we're even," James turned to leave the room. "Oh, and Moony?" he called over his shoulder. Remus didn't answer him, instead he simply nailed his gaze into his friend's back. "Clean this mess, and yourself, up and meet me in the common."
"Okay." Remus whispered.
"C'mon guys...Si?"
"But you used silver," Sirius said in shock, glancing at the coin that lay on the floor across the room.
"I know."
"But-"
"No, come."
"Fine."
"Pet-"
"Coming!" Peter said at once even before James could even finish saying his name.
***TEN YEARS LATER***
Remus Lupin sat cross legged in his room of the small flat. He couldn't take it anymore. Life had just gotten too crazy once more. He had decided to do something. Something that he hadn't thought about for over ten years.
Before he did, however, he went to brush a strand of his sandy brown hair out of his eyes. As he did his hand lightly passed over his left cheek. There it was. The silver burn that James had given him ten years ago when he had tried to do the same thing before.
He couldn't do it. He was a marauder. And marauders don't take the easy way out.