James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus stayed up pretty late that night, sitting on James's bed with the curtains closed to muffle some of their chattering, sharing candy while they told stories about the holidays. James talked at great length about his fabulous birthday as well as all his presents. Then the three of them told Remus about the shenanigans they got into while he was gone. Remus just reiterated his story of working loads in the garden and not being sick at all. They were all very happy for him. The main thing, however, was the name.
"So? Did you think of something?" Sirius asked, elbowing Remus.
"Sorta." He opened a bag of candyfloss, pinching a bit off. "Maybe the Mischief Misfits?" He knew immediately they didn't like it; of course, he didn't either.
"Well..." James pulled his glasses off, cleaning the lenses with a corner of his pajama top. "It's better than any of Siri's suggestions."
"Hey!" Sirius whined, while Pete and Remus laughed. "Mine are not that bad. You are all just--just--peasants." They were laughing harder now, James doubled over, clutching his sides. Sirius folded his arms. All four of them heard Spinnet's muffled voice telling them to shut up. Sirius yanked back James's curtains. "Stuff it, Spinnet!" he snarled before shutting the curtains again.
"What if we use something with our initials?" Peter suggested hesitantly, wanting to join in.
"What, J, S, R, P?" James asked. "Jsrp?"
"Jrps," Sirius snickered and Peter's face fell a little.
"It's a good idea though," Remus said, coming to Peter's rescue. "A lot of things do that. Or use the first two letters..." He squinted, trying to figure out something that didn't sound too stupid. "Japeresi?"
Nobody spoke for a few seconds then Sirius said, "Sounds like an ailment."
"Better than Gryffin-dudes," James said then yelped as Sirius kicked him.
"Anything's better than that," Pete mumbled and got a kick as well.
"You're all being mean!" Sirius whined.
"The Japeresi Conspiracy!" Peter suddenly exclaimed.
"Oooh good one!" James said, and Pete now glowed.
Sirius frowned. "I don't like it. You know, I like one word for us." He spread his hands out slowly as his spoke, as if picturing it in the air. "Something... smooth. Mysterious. Cool."
James snorted. "Quartet of Coolness isn't one word, smooth, mysterious, or cool." That earned him another kick except this time he was laughing while he received it.
"Is today just Bully Sirius Black day or something?" Sirius complained hotly, glaring at James and Peter. "You're all being mean. Except for Remus. He's my only friend."
Remus glanced up, meeting that silvery gaze. He gave a sweet smile and said, "Quartet of Coolness sucks."
Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Traitor!" He fell back, clutching his chest. "I have no friends at all! I have been betrayed!" He rolled out of the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud. "You're all horrible!"
"I could have told you that," Spinnet said. "Course you're the worse."
Sirius lay still on the ground then sat up, hair somehow settling down around his ears instead of sticking out everywhere which Remus thought very unfair. He had never seen Sirius's hair look less than perfect. He never saw Sirius in general looking less than perfect. Really unfair. "Back-bunched toad," Sirius sniffled out. Remus choked, diving down into the blanket to try and hide his laughter. Spinnet groaned and then went to his own bed, jerking the curtains shut. Triumphantly, Sirius returned to James's bed.
Remus lifted his head and knew his hair was sticking everywhere from static. "It's bunch-backed."
Sirius grinned. "Same thing."
*
Remus wound up rewriting most his essays. He considered leaving his Defense essay since he knew it didn't matter, however part of him felt physically sick at the thought so he spent loads of time researching and rewriting. Hopefully next year we'll have a new teacher, he thought as he rubbed his eyes once he put the last word onto the parchment. The school had a new Defense teacher every year for a few years so... surely...? Then again it'd be his luck that Dedenne stayed for the entire seven years and he got Ps and Ds for the entirety of his academic career. Which sucked because he really liked the subject matter. He loved learning ways to defend, to attack (not that he needed that)--plus all the dark creatures. He really had an interest in learning about them. If he had a decent teacher he thought that'd be his favorite class.
Even if Dedenne leaves anyone else who comes will probably hate me too so... He couldn't imagine anyone in the Defense Against the Dark Arts world that would tolerate a werewolf.
When noon hit Lily got up to go get some lunch, trying to convince Remus to come with her but he stayed behind, preferring to work on his homework. When she returned forty minutes later she snuck a couple sandwiches in for him.
If we're spending thi--no, if I'M spending this much time studying right now, what's it going to be like when I take electives? he wondered as he broke off a corner of a sandwich to nibble on. According to Hogwarts, a History third years could take extra classes. He didn't know a lot about them (figuring he'd just do research when the time to pick them came closer) but the thought of more classes and more homework both excited and scared him.
The second part of the afternoon as well as most the evening was spent helping his male friends with their homework, correcting a few parts, giving suggestions, fixing a few things... Finally he collapsed into his bed rather late, exhausted from all the eyestrain throughout the day.
*
Monday marked eight weeks before final exams and the mood at study group reflected that. The first fifteen minutes were spent discussion possible schedules (as well as light arguing, mostly from Craft). After group when Remus got back to his dorm he spread parchment out around him on the floor and began making another schedule for his free time.
"Whatcha doing?" Sirius asked.
"Making studying schedules," Remus muttered, bent down low over one bit of parchment. "You could do with one as well. I'd be happy to make one for you."
"Sure, please add 'locked in a room with Binns after being forced to take a wideye potion' onto that too," he replied.
Remus glared up at him. "You could do with some studying, you know. Your grades aren't that great."
"I'll be fine. Practical is more important and I'm pretty good at that."
Now Remus frowned, returning to the parchment. It was true. Sirius had a knack for getting spells pretty quickly... however, only after spectacular failures (usually involving setting things on fire which made them all nervous when they were trying out new prank spells). "Peter?"
"Um, m--maybe, I--I don't know."
"You--studied before the other exams..."
Pete looked down at the comic book in his lap. "Yes but... that was right before. The exams are two months away! I'll forget everything by then."
"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.
"Want me to keep watch at the portrait again?" he asked.
James jumped about fifty feet while Sirius jerked back, nearly crashing into his bed. "Merlin, Remy, you scared us!" Sirius hissed out.
"Sorry..."
"Yes, please, if you don't mind," James said, adjusting his glasses.
He put his slippers on then followed them down into the common room, hauling a text book with him to study while he waited. James and Sirius left the tower and Remus settled in by the entrance, James's watch on his wrist again. There wasn't much light in this area so he had his wand lit up. He'd prefer to be by the fire however he figured it'd be easier to check every ten minutes if he didn't have to troop across the whole common room.
Shortly after his second check he was just returning to finding his place in the book when he heard footsteps. Coming from the stairs, not outside. "Nox," he whispered, pulling himself as far into the armchair as possible. If whoever it was was sneaking out they'd pass him and see him, but thankfully the two students went towards the fire. Probably gonna snog or something, he thought until they began talking. Two girls, neither voice he recognized. One of the girls sounded really upset about something. The other girl was trying to comfort her.
"I'm sure your mother's going to be fine," said the calmer girl.
"G-g-g-grandma says sh--she might not w--wake up!" He heard one of them begin pacing. The sound of parchment being crinkled. "I need to--to go. I need to tell Professor McGonagall. I need to go to Saint Mungo's."
Then more footsteps, and a third girl. "What's going on? Was that an owl in our dorm?"
"Oh, hullo Jorkins. Yeah, Susan's mother isn't doing well. That's all." That was the calmer girl, sounding quite protective.
"What happened? It must be bad, to get an owl this late."
"Nothing," snapped Susan then her voice broke off into great sobs. "She was--attacked--"
Someone gasped. Remus figured it was the third girl, Jorkins. "Attacked? Why? What happened?"
"Nothing," snarled the nameless girl. "Go back to bed, it isn't any of your business."
"But what happened? Isn't your mother an auror? Was it a dark wizard?"
"Go back to bed!"
"F--fine. I'm just trying to help." Jorkins gave a loud sniffle then Remus heard retreating footsteps back up the steps.
"Oh, sweetie, you'll be okay," the nameless girl whispered. Susan just sobbed. "It's fine. Saint Mungo's will fix her right up."
"I hope Da---Dad's okay... He's Muggle, he doesn't understand this stuff. He barely understands her job... G--Grandma said in the letter it's all his fault, because--because Mum married him but--I don't--I can't--"
"I'm sure he's okay too. Come on, let's go to McGonagall and she'll get you to your mum right away."
Remus felt a surge of panic. Both for himself and for his friends, if they were on their way back or even right outside the common room... But there was no way of warning them. He left the text book on the armchair and moved as silently as he could, slithering off the armchair and pushing himself underneath. It was a tight fit and it hurt but he'd be fine. Within seconds he saw two sets of slippered feet go past. The common room entrance opened up and Remus tilted his head, trying to hear if anyone was outside but the girls left and the portrait swung back shut without anything, so he figures James and Sirius were fine for now.
Remus waited another ten minutes before cautiously opening the portrait. Still no sign of them. It had only been a little over half an hour so he figured they were still marauding about but he hoped they didn't run into Susan and her friend, or McGonagall if she was taking Susan somewhere else in the castle to leave. He was half tempted to go out and track them down to bring them back (he knew he'd be able to avoid any staff on the prowl) but figured it'd be safer to just wait.
After about twenty more minutes the portrait swung open. A Scottish voice drifted through and he dove under the chair again, banging his chin against the floor causing his teeth to bite down on his tongue. Tears sprang up as he forced himself not to swear loudly. McGonagall was talking to the nameless girl as she returned to the tower, assuring her she'd let her know anything else about Susan's family when she found out. Nameless girl thanked her multiple times before shuffling back to the girls' dorms. Remus waited until he couldn't hear anyone then gave a tiny cry, swallowing the blood that had been welling up in his mouth.
It wasn't until about three-thirty in the morning when James and Sirius showed up again. Remus pushed open the empty portrait and the two scrambled in, pink-cheeked and excited from whatever adventure they had gone on.
"Thanks, little buddy!" James said as the portrait swung back shut.
Sirius tousled Remus's hair. "You're awesome."
"No problem," Remus whispered as they headed back to the stairs.
"Next time you should come with us. It was bloody brilliant! We were almost caught! McGonsie was out and about for some reason!" James said, hopping a little as he went. Remus considered telling them why but figured he shouldn't give away someone else's private grief. He felt guilty enough overhearing what he did.
"Head to foot in tartan," snickered Sirius. "Robe, slippers, flash of a nightie's hem, cap. Probably has tartan knickers."
"Ewwww don't talk about the teacher's knickers!" James complained while Remus focused super hard trying not to let that image run through his head. UGH!
"We should steal them."
"SIRIUS!" James shrieked and Sirius clapped a hand over James's mouth. James's eyes went huge, realizing how loud he had been. They were on the stairs, the nearest dorm being the fifth years. Remus listened carefully, glad that he didn't hear any sounds from behind the door. They were all sound asleep.
After a moment they began creeping up the spiral steps once more. "Steal her knickers and hang them on the Gryffindor flagpole out front," Sirius whispered, and James giggled.
"I don't think--" Remus started then stopped himself. He didn't want them harassing McGonagall. He liked her. She was so caring towards him, willing to listen, and didn't seem to care about him being a werewolf. If he just told them not to bother her of course they'd still do so. He had to deflect them. "We should take Sluggy's pants and hang them on the Slytherin pole."
"Ewwwww Sluggy undies!" James said then bent over, covering his own mouth to stop from laughing.
"Or Dedenne," Remus said suddenly.
"Cause she doesn't like you?" Sirius asked, far too astute.
Remus pressed his lips thin. "Perhaps," he replied coolly.
Sirius grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Nah, that's perfect. We'll steal Dedenne's knickers and put'em up one of the poles. That's what she gets for whatever weird objection she has against you."
He knew it was probably bad he was clamboring for revenge against a teacher. Except Dedenne just--if she weren't so awful he wouldn't have suggested her! It's not a bad thing she hates me, he thought anxiously. She should hate me, everyone hates me that knows, except maybe McGonagall... but then he thought back to Slughorn questioning him about his sense of smell, and his lies as to why Remus got an invitation to the Slug Club Christmas party. I don't think he likes me... I don't know what all that was about... I wish I did know... At least Slughorn hadn't brought it up again.
They arrived at their dorm door and just went through without worrying too much about anyone seeing them. They could easily say they were in the bathroom.
"Next time maybe you should take Pete with you," said Remus as he kicked his slippers off.
James shook his head. "He'd completely get us caught!"
"Still, you should invite him. It'd be nice."
"Only if you come too," Sirius said rather fiercely. "If you come, we'll bring Peter too."
Remus slid his robe off, not liking that ultimatum. Did he feel bad enough for Peter to want to throw such a Huge Rule into Dumbledore's face? He... wasn't so sure. "Perhaps," he finally said. "G'nite."
It wasn't until he was nearly asleep that he remembered leaving his book down on the chair. Whoops. Hopefully it'd still be there in the morning, as it was Charms which was their first class of the day which was in about five hours. Urf.