Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) - Book One (Marauder Era)

Chapter Sixty-Six - Tartan Knickers

"All right then, fine."

Sirius snorted. "You're not after Jimmy to study."

He pressed his lips thin, not looking back up. "That's because somehow he gets good grades without studying."

James, who was laying halfway off his bed upside down, grinned. "I'm just naturally smart I guAAARGH!!" he cried out as he slid off the bed and crashed into his desk, causing the other three to laugh. "Ow that hurt!" He sat up, rubbing his head sullenly.

"Your head's too big," Sirius said, standing over his friend. "That's what dragged you down."

"Shove off," James grumbled. "So... if you're gonna be studying all the time does that mean you won't have time for us?"

The scribbles on the paper took up almost every moment of free time he had in the next two months, and he hadn't even thought about that. "Of course I'll have time for you," he said, casually pulling a new piece of parchment over to make a new schedule.

"You better," Sirius warned. "Or else. I mean, some studying is okay but all of this? It's probably bad for you."

Remus tapped the quill against his chin in thought. "If you were on the Quidditch team, you'd be practicing multiple times a week, would you not? For ages before a match?

"Of course we would!" James said, looking quite put out at the very thought of slacking with Quidditch.

"Yeah, naturally," Sirius said when Remus turned his gaze to him.

"If I played, yeah!" Peter said knowing perfectly well he'd never be on a Quidditch team in his life, but he wanted to be part of the conversation.

"Then why don't you study? It's like practice, but for exams!"

Pete made a face while Sirius and James stared at Remus a moment. "No," Sirius finally said, holding up a finger. "It's boring. It's like boredom, but for--er, boring...ness. Yeah."

Remus sighed. Well, at least he tried.

*

As Remus's grades came back they were about what he expected. Top notch in most classes, mediocre in Potions, poor in Defense. He wrote to his parents about all the good ones, briefly mentioned Potions, and didn't even bring up Defense.

The final ones are going to be worse, he wrote at the end of the letter. I'm super nervous about those. I want to do my absolute best. I know most of society believes us to be dumb slobbering beasts and I want the grades to prove otherwise even if nobody else will ever know.

He also spent some of his spare time that first week back visiting all his ghost friends. Myrtle seemed rather surprised to see him, informing him she hadn't expected him to ever visit again. He said of course he liked visiting her, though as the final exams drew near he'd have less time however he promised to visit when he could.

Tuesday at Occlumency Fawley obviously had a purpose. She asked him if she could look at specific memories: the entire Easter holidays. He agreed, not really getting understanding why at first. As she methodically went through his days home, he thought perhaps she was showing him that the legilimens could pick and choose which memory they looked at. Then he realized with a shock of absolute hurt that she was trying to see if his father had smacked him again. He pointed out she could have just asked him, and she told him she doubted he would have told the truth. For the first time, he asked for the lesson to end early. He was too injured. Fawley looked distressed but allowed the lesson to end--not that they even really had one.

*

Thursday night he was up late doing some extra studying when he heard the familiar sounds of James and Sirius preparing to sneak off. Usually Remus ignored them but tonight he pushed aside his curtains, sliding out of bed.