I'd met with Regulus every day that week. Marlene covered for me every time so I could sneak off to the astronomy tower. I knew the boys were starting to get suspicious of my studying habits. I either had to come up with yet another lie to explain it, or stop snogging Regulus.
"Why don't you just say you're going for prefect?" Marlene asked while we lounged in the dorm, I lifted my head to stare at at.
"Yeah? Make Lily absolutely hate me? Great idea Marls! I'm lying so I don't lose my friends if you don't recall. I'd prefer my lies didn't shove them away!" I groaned, she laughed.
"You could, I dunno, stop lying."
"That was the worst suggestion you've ever made."
"No this one will be," she paused for effect "stop shagging Reg."
"We're not shagging." She scoffed.
"You're telling me, you meet up with Regulus Black every night to make out then go your merry ways? Nova, I thought you weren't lying to me." I laughed.
"I'm not lying to you, Marls. We haven't shagged." She rolled her eyes before coming to sit on my bed with me. I scooted over so she could snuggle next to me.
"You're unbelievable."
🗡️🗡️🗡️
Moony dragged me to the yard later that evening. We sat in the field with blankets over us while we talked. Snacks sat between us, along with our books while we joked.
He rambled about the books he'd read lately and how I just had to read them too. He'd ended up pulling a few out of his bag and placing them in my own. I loved reading books after Remus, pages were dogeared and spines were cracked from how many times he'd folded the book. He always left me little notes in books I'd requested to borrow. There always seemed to be at least one coffee stain on a page. For a boy who loved his books, he didn't take great care of them. It always made me smile. He laid his head on my shoulder after a moment of comfortable silence.
"Where've you been off to lately, Vix? Feels like I've hardly seen you." He muttered. I shrugged. I couldn't tell him, I knew that.
"I think I'm starting to think maybe this whole Marauders act isn't for me." I admitted. It'd been on my mind for some while, but taking a step back from my friends made me realize maybe it was true. He turned to face me.
"Nova Euphemia. Without you there is no Marauders. It is now, and always has been, Vix, Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail and Moony, okay?"
"I haven't helped you lot with any prank this year." I pointed out, he grabbed my hand.
"And they've all failed miserably. You're the brains Vix. But need I remind you, the Marauders are more than pranks and jokes, we're a family and that family is not complete without you darling. We've noticed your absence, we just didn't want to pry." I smiled softly.
"They make you talk to me after I blew up on them?"
"Yeah. They're a bit scared of you love."
"Merlin, Moony. In another life we'd be married with a hundred kids by now." I joked, he smiled.
"Could still be this one darling." We both laughed and laid back on the blanket.
That was the thing with Remus. He was my security blanket. He knew who I truly was past the facade, but he'd never pry. He accepted what I said at face value even if he knew there was more. I liked that about him. James and Sirius always pried, dug through whoever they had to for information. They felt like they had to protect me, Remus knew I could hold my own and loved to watch me do so.
