Remus' knew his friend were over confident about how the school would react. Sirius and James seem to think that the hexes that hit Lukas would keep the whole school quiet. But they were very wrong. Where ever Remus went whispers followed him. And despite the fact that almost the whole school had seen the event, the details seem to have changed a lot. Once Remus over heard a first year Slytherin tell her friends that Lukas, and him had started making out in the middle of the hall. Then on his way through the common room a group of Gryffindors talking about how cool it was when Remus slapped Lukas across the face.
Remus' found himself looking forward to the Hogsmede weekend, but for very different reason then usual. He was hoping while the rest of the school being away would mean he could quietly study in the library without background nose of whispers. However as he walked through the door into the common room he realized this might be slightly more difficult then he thought.
"Perfect Moony!" Sirius said "We were just planning our day in Hogsmeade, there is lots we need to do."
"Yeah" James added "I've got to stop at Zonkos, I need more dungbombs. And I wanna see if we can get some cases of butterbeer, and sneak it in for after we win the upcoming Quidditch game. But I wanna make sure we have lots of time at the Shrieking Shack."
This was the marauders favourite part of every Hogsmeade weekend. Since they knew why each full moon the students, and villagers in Hogsmeade hear howls from the shack, they enjoyed sitting around and listening to the crazy stories the students came up with. One time James got all the students to gather around and made up an insane story about how the founders of Hogwarts used to use the shack to do experiments on students, that made some first years cry.
"I thought you were going to Hogsmeade with Harriet?" Remus asked Sirius as he joined his friends were they sat around the window. The day after, what James had named the Non-furry little secret revealed, Sirius had been asked to go to Hogsmeade by a pretty Hufflepuff six year named Harriet. Remus' had ignored the twinge in his gut when Sirius had replied with a barely interested sure. Sirius was often asked to Hogsmeade by half the girls in the school. He usually said no however, since the marauders had their traditions. But Harriet was one of the most beloved students in there year, and no one had been surprised that Sirius had agreed to go with her.
"Nah" Sirius said casually "I told her it would have to be another time. I would have been so jealous of you getting to have all the fun, she would have just wanted to go to Madam Puddfoot Tea Shop."
Remus couldn't help but have little butterflies set lose in his stomach. Remus hated how his feelings for this boy were returning at full force. He wondered if they had ever properly left, or if Lukas he merely distracted him from it. Since third year he wasn't sure if he'd ever looked at Sirius like he looked at anyone else in this world. He held a reverence for this boy that was completely unmatched. He knew despite that fact his friend accepted him he didn't feel the same way. But as he watch the dark hair boy relax into the commonroom couch he couldn't help but wish he was relaxing into Remus' arms.
"And snog" Peter added jealously "She would have wanted to snog"
"Whatever" Sirius said "They'll be lots of chances for that. This Hogsmeade weekend is for dungbombs, and scaring first years."
"I was actually thinking of skipping this trip" He tried to keep his voice casual, but when he looked at his friends he knew that casual was out the door. The look on his friends face implied Remus had just told them he had murder all there families, and burned down their houses.
"You're joking Moony?" James said "You've got to be joking."
"I was just thinking it would be nice to hang out here for the day. Where it is quiet. But you guys go without me." Remus said.
"But we always go together" Sirius said "It won't be nearly as funny listening to all the stories about the shack without you."
"Yeah you've gotta come" Peter said.
"It is just that everywhere I go everyone is talking about me. It would be nice to hang out here, without that" Remus muttered.
"No one will be talking about you!" James exclaimed, but Remus' thought he had to know that this wasn't true
Remus tried to pull out his books, and start studying to see if this would get his friends off the subject but of course it didn't work. Every thirty seconds James would ask if he changed his mind. And SIrius was looking at him with such concerned you'd think he had just announced he was dying. He was trying to figure out how to get his friends off his back, when the solution waved at him across the common room.
"I'll be right back." Remus told his friends before bouding over to Lily Evans "Hey Lily!"
"Hi Remus" She said with a kind smile looking up from her Defence Against the Dark Arts book. "How's it going?"
"It's fine" Remus said "Hey remember when you said you'd help me if I needed it."
Lily had promised this to Remus, a couple nights ago as the patroled the hallways together, in an attempt to make him feel better. It hadn't made Remus feel all that much better at the time but now he had an idea, that would mean one giant favour from Lily.
"Yeah" She said hesitantly "What is up?"
"I need you to ask James to go to Hogmeade with you" He stated, and she rolled her eyes.
"No"
"Please"
"Did James put you up to this." She said "Of course he would be making everything about him."
"He didn't ask me to do this" Remus said "Honestly, he didn't. It is just I really want to hang back at the castle this weekend, but they'll never let me. I need to get away from all the chattering, and gossip. If only for a couple hours. If you agree to go with him, I am sure I can find someone who will go with Peter, and Sirius can go with Harriet. And I'll be able to stay here get some studying done. Please Evans"
"Like you actually want Sirius to go with Harriet" She said eyeing him "How about you ask him to go with you."
"I do want him to go with Harriet" Remus said blushing and looking around to check no one was listening to them. "She is very nice, and we are just friends"
Lily looked at him for a long moment as if weighting it all.
"I'll do it. For you not HIM. And you're going to help me finish this"
She said shoving her Defence Against the Dark Arts home work at him. He smiled gathering it up, and promising to have it done by morning. He walked back over to Sirius, Peter, and James, getting excited about what was about to happened.
"Okay James" He said sitting down in an arm chair across from him "Whatever happens just remember to breathe"
James looked at him confused until Lily Evans walked over and automatically all of his attention switch to her.
"James" She said cooly. "I was wondering if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me. It will be as friends. There will be no touching. And I reserve every right to tell you to go away at any point throughout the day."
Possibly for the first time since Remus meet him James was completely lost for words. He just starred at Lily as if wondering if she was real or figment of his imagination. This was on for a painfully long amount of time. Sirius nudged him in the ribs hard but he just continued to stare.
"Is that a yes?" She said, and he started nodding so fast it had to hurt his neck. "Okay be ready to go at 9, I'll meet you in the great hall, and I believe I can get Sophia Clarence to come along with you Peter if you want."
Peter smiled and nodded as well. Lily smiled before returning to her own friends on the other side of the common room. From that moment on James did not speak a single sentence that did no included "lily evans" "Hogsmeade" or "falling in love". And all thoughts of Remus' abadoning them was gone. So when Remus woke up to an empty dormitory he assumed all his friends had already left. He made his way down to the Great Hall to eat a quiet breakfast before he planned on going to the library. There were only a few First, and second years at the Gryffindor table so Remus sat happily alone. However after a moment he started to wonder if he had made the right choice. Of course he appericated that fact no one was whispering about him, but he missed his friends stupid jokes, and the wall of happy sound that surrounded them at all times.
"Wow didn't even wait for me Moony" A fimilar voice said. "I woke up all alone."
"Sirius" He said surprised, he hadn't actually checked that dorm was empty just assumed thats what the silence meant "What are you doing here?"
"That is a good question. Well I wanted to be educated in magic, and etc" Sirius said pulling a plate of bacon towards him "So I decided to come to Hogwarts"
"Oh shut up" Remus said with a smile "You better be quick you'll be late for Harriet."
"I am not going to Hogsmeade with her, you idiot I told you that" Sirius said.
"Oh" Remus said "I just thought once James decided to go with Lily, you'd just go with Harriet."
"Why?" Sirius said seeming genuiely confused "Lily Evans didn't ask me."
"Well... I don't know I thought you just didn't want to go with her cause you and James had a bunch of stupid stuff planned." Remus said. Sirius just shrugged at this.
"You said you wanted to enjoy a quiet day" Sirius said bumping their shoulders together "Thought I'd ruin that.