All in the Family

Chapter 71: Mad-Eye Moody

A Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and enjoy your day for everyone else!

The last thing Regulus needed after finally getting his head on straight was to crash face first into a chalkboard. Coughing and spitting out dust, he saw he'd completely ruined whatever Professor McGonagall had been in the middle of writing, and it was a lesson far above his own head anyways. The accompanying images showed a rock halfway through a transformation into a dog.

Everybody else was getting to their feet, groaning and eyeing their new surroundings suspiciously as usual, so Regulus took the moment to eye Peter curiously. Ever since Peter had declared them as friends on the campgrounds, Regulus had surprisingly likened to the idea. Looking back, he'd never had anyone call him a mate before. None of his other dorm mates, certainly not the others he hung out with who were too afraid to call themselves what they someday wanted to be. To each other, they were always accomplices, allies, associates and in the end, it was more of a unity they all knew where they were going.

Did he even want to be associated with any of them anymore? It wasn't possible they knew what he did of the Dark Lord, but would they be questioning it the same way he was? That everything they'd ever known and planned to be themselves was a lie?

Peter Pettigrew had never told him what to think though, and though he wasn't a pureblood, it would be nice to have just one friend who he didn't always have to consider his words around. He at least didn't see him as the coward he now saw himself as. The guy sounded like he'd been in a very messy situation, reprehensible to be sure, but a betrayal that hadn't even been enacted yet. Who's to say what decisions would be made until the moment of? Even with this future spelled out, now knowing could change everything. Why was he the only one seeing that?

Then Regulus winced as he wondered if he was still thinking about Peter, or himself.

Sirius had found the book in a student's bag, but had tossed it clear across the room without a second look. Moments later, an ink splattered copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration followed and smacked into a window before he discarded the bag entirely and went on to the next.

Alice Smith seemed to volunteer herself to go over and read the chapter, but also seemed to regret it with just the chapter title.

"Oh great, what's Mad-Eye Moody going to get up to now?" Potter demanded. "Making first years wet themselves? Accidentally drowning kittens?"

"Teaching, I'd assume," Lupin rolled his eyes at his friend, though his eyes continued to track Sirius' progress threw the back of the classroom. It was obvious to the walls itself Sirius was working through something, and he thought Prongs still needed him more. Even now, with Evans only feet from him in his favorite class he'd barely spared her a glance, and he was positive it wasn't for the novelty of being near her wearing off. Remus didn't really think that was possible. However, he didn't seem to be doing him much good just bumming around his side.

"And here I thought this was the one class I could count on you to take notes in," he said cheerfully enough as he made his way to Sirius' side as Smith began Harry's morning breakfast.

Sirius ignored him and traveled onto the next bag. He'd been avoiding everyone since they'd spent their brief time under the Dark Mark, and Remus' innards twisted uncomfortably that he didn't automatically know why. Sirius was not the type to blame himself for, anything, he was too proud and more than happy to pin problems on anything else. His hand in Snape's near-death and his following response last month had proved that to Remus, but he could also not come up with any other explanation for the look keeping him locked away from him and James now. It was the same vicious hatred he'd held since what Peter had done had been revealed, but now permanent whether he was looking at Wormtail or not.

He was making progress even farther away across the room while Remus hesitated, wondering if he even should go after him or let Sirius come to them? That seemed even less likely to happen than world peace at this point. Remus glanced at where Peter was, at the far end of the room and having a rather stilted looking conversation with Sirius' little brother. The number of times he'd been seeing that lately was baffling, but not his concern right now.

Remus' attention was admittedly distracted by Harry reaching his Care of Magical Creatures class and Hagrid introducing a brand new species he couldn't even identify. Blast-Ended Skrewts? Now what on Earth...it's not as if he was doing any good and it couldn't hurt to hear of this new development.

James let out a soft laugh under his breath no one heard as he watched it all. He gave credit to Remus for trying, and just as predicably letting himself be distracted. He tracked Sirius' progress as he kept himself away from everyone, as he'd been doing during their previous fight, but Sirius was not a solitary person by nature. He'd hated his home for how alone he always felt, considering his little brother prided himself on spending more time with his parents and his own house-elf over him. Before all this there'd hardly been a time at school he'd left James' side, that he couldn't glance over and see him with a mischevious plan at the ready to keep them all going to their next bout of trouble.

Yet he hadn't a chance to send a very important response back to Harry, and as his son made his way to Divination and Trelawny echoed even worse fears he couldn't help agreeing with his son. This future was more than proof enough something could happen to the four of them and they could never make up from it, and James didn't want that! Surely Sirius didn't either...

Regulus' face fell as Peter sidestepped another question for the fifth time, and he finally decided to take the hint and leave him alone. Peter flinched with guilt as he saw this, he really did have a knack for driving everyone away, but he didn't call Regulus back as Harry and Malfoy erupted into a fight. It would do him no good, he told himself, to look like a pathetic rat trying to worm up and make friends with Sirius' little brother, he should have never done so in the first place-

Everyone froze what they were doing rather abruptly as Malfoy got turned into a ferret. The person responsible for this living up to the mad part of his name.

Then James and Sirius were laughing again, together, loudly, as if they hadn't a care in the world except putting whatever student had messed with them in their place.

Evans clearly didn't agree, she was scowling ferociously that a teacher would do what Potter was so fond of in problem solving, and Frank seemed to agree with her, he seemed astounded any teacher would resort to such a thing. Alice seemed the most undecided, as if she were trying her hardest not to seem smug at this comeuppance but failing all the same.

Regulus turned back to him curiously, and then the two shared a look of excitement Peter hadn't felt in what seemed like a lifetime. There was nothing quite like the euphoria of watching others at work, knowing you were apart of something. They may not have had a hand in the proceedings this time, Peter was sure in another life Regulus actually would have been one of Draco's friends, but for now they both seemed able to agree the little furball had got what was coming to him.

Well, not entirely. Regulus was mostly laughing at the little idiot getting caught. It made perfect sense to strike while an enemy had his back turned to you, served the Potter's kid right doing such a foolish thing, but also Malfoy had made a very obvious mistake doing this in the Entrance Hall. He could certainly appreciate someone learning their lesson. Regardless of why Peter was snickering, it still felt good to see they could still agree on this being hilarious.

Remus didn't have anything to hide behind to show his amusement, and he didn't think he would regardless at the amount of textbooks available. Alice got through the rest of the chapter with the boys in high spirits, James and Sirius were finally in the same mood with something to tie them together again once more. He hoped it wasn't the simple, cheap thrill of laughter that held them together, but still held his breath it could at least be the start of mending their group once more as the chapter finished.