As a large group from the James and Sirius FanClub had swarmed around their heroes in the evening and Peter was nowhere to be seen, a tired Remus sneaked out to have a walk through the castle.
Lily joined him on the way, looking stormy.
"What's up?" asked Remus.
"Your best friend, what else," retorted Lily. "How can a person possibly be so arrogant? Remus, don't you ever think of it that way?"
"No, Lily, I don't," said Remus with his gentle smile. "It's only in front of you that he behaves like that. James has got the truest heart in the world."
Lily snorted, and couldn't trust herself to say anything.
They passed a large window on the 4th floor. The scenery outside was bathed in moonlight. The nearly-full moon was gleaming brightly. Seeing it, Remus involuntarily flinched.
Then he felt Lily's hand sqeezing his. He turned to look at her, and saw her green eyes full of sympathy and understanding.
There was a silence.
Finally, Remus asked, "So...you know?"
"Yes, Remus, I know."
Remus turned back to look at the moon.
"And you're...ok with it?" he asked.
"Ok with what?" asked Lily. "That the nicest person I know is afflicted by an awful condition once every month?"
Lily let go of his hand and put her arm around his shoulders.
"I think so," she said.
Remus smiled. His three best friends weren't the only people who accepted him, after all.
"Thank you, Lily."
"What are you thanking me for? What, exactly?" demanded Lily.
A little thrown off-balance, Remus began, "Oh—just that—"
"Whether you're a werewolf or vampire or whatever, it doesn't change the fact that you are the most good-hearted person in the world. If anything, it makes me admire you more."
Lily grinned at Remus' expression.
Remus could understand why James refused to move on from her.
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Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup again—for the third year running.
The after match party went on into the night on the last day of April when Gryffindor won the match against Ravenclaw.
Remus was not in the common room—it was a full moon.
James was decidedly subdued that day. Lily had shouted a lot at him after the match because he had attempted a 'Levicorpus' on Snape. James sighed. If only Lily knew that it had been Snape who had taught him that spell by trying it on him in the first place. But when Lily started to shout, no one could get a word in edgewise.
So James, Sirius and Peter were doing their Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. This year, their teacher, Professor Mullet, was extremely strict, and did not hesitate to give long detentions if they failed to submit homework. Ordinarily, they copied the homework from Remus, but today he was not in the common room, and none of the felt like looking for the parchment in his trunk or desk.
Next morning, Remus didn't appear till breakfast was over.
James, Sirius and Peter stared at him in dismay.
"Was it awful, Remus?" asked Sirius, very gently for him.
"Was ok..." Remus' face was white, and he looked extremely tired.
They had DADA in the first period.
"Submit your homework, please," said Professor Mullet. James, Sirius and Peter stood up. They glanced at Remus, who was sitting transfixed on his seat, looking horrified.
"What? Didn't you finish your homework?" asked Peter.
"No—I forgot. I thought I'd do it this morning," said Remus miserably.
James bent over his parchment with this his quill, and then gave it to Sirius.
The teacher rustled the parchments.
"The following students will stand up, please. Alice Lynn."
"She's absent, sir," said Lily.
"Oh yes, Professor McGonagall told me. James Potter!"
James stood up.
'Where's your homework?" asked Professor Mullet.
"Sorry, Professor, I forgot," said James.
The other Marauders glanced at each other in amazement.
"Detention," said the Professor grimly.
"But I—" began Sirius.
James trod on his foot painfully. Sirius fell silent.
The Professor did not call out Remus' name.
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"Do you mean to say you actually changed the name on your paper?" asked Sirius after the class.
"Yeah..."
"You shouldn't have done that, James. You'll have to waste time in detention now, right before the exams," said Remus weakly.
"Remus—have you got any idea about how many detentions we'd have got in four years if you didn't let us copy?"
Remus didn't answer. He flew at James and hugged him hard.
YOU ARE READING
The Ghosts of the Past (The Marauders' Story)
Fanfiction"We're friends. We're the Marauders. We stick together, remember?" "Yes, Moony. I remember." One of them was mischievous and brave and had the perfect life. Another of them was reckless and loyal and desperate to leave behind his family name. The th...
