Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) Book Three (Marauders Era)

Chapter Thirty-Four - Thank You, Cards

Author's note: CW discussion of Muggle medical practices briefly so mentions of knives and needles

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Things did not get any better. During Astronomy, it was very clear James and Sirius were furious with each other. Sirius and Peter huddled on one side of the Astronomy tower, both of them shooting rather dirty looks at Remus, who stuck by James's side.

Remus had nightmares all night, of his friends all hating him and revealing his secret. He woke up several times, panting hard; at least he didn't scream any and wake Sirius up. Or else Sirius was that mad, which was a possibility...

Except, the next morning Sirius woke up early enough to go with Remus to breakfast. He shuffled alongside Remus who kept stumbling and yawning, from not getting much sleep. Sirius, as always, looked perfect.

"So," Sirius said when they sat at the Gryffindor table.

"So," yawned Remus.

Sirius propped his elbows on the table, watching as Remus sleepily piled food on his plate. "You're taking his side, then?"

Ugh. "Whose side?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

Sirius pursed his lips. "James."

"About what? Taking his side in what? Him and Peter? You know I'm not."

"You know perfectly well he and I are..." Sirius trailed off, trying to think of a good word to use. "Unhappy with each other," he finally settled on.

Remus shook his head, spreading marmalade on his toast. "Yes. You've both made that very clear. No, I am not taking his side. I'm not taking yours either," he added when Sirius's lips twisted into a smirking sort of smile, which immediately faded at those words. "I'm not taking either side since I haven't the faintest what the two of you are arguing about."

"He's being dumb."

"I'm sure he'd say the same of you."

Sirius angrily blew a strand of hair away from his face and then let his arms fall against the table so he could rest his cheek against them, staring up at Remus from beneath his long eyelashes. "He's invading my privacy."

Remus paused before taking a big bite of toast, thinking carefully about his words. "All three of you have invaded mine. Especially you."

Sirius shot straight up at that, fury etching across his face. Remus tried not to tremble or wince, tried to keep eating his toast like he wasn't terrified he had said the wrong thing. Even if it was true.

"That's different!"

"How so?"

"You—he—we—" Sirius spluttered. "I don't—that isn't the same thing at all."

Remus set his toast down, heart pounding hard. "Sirius, I don't like the idea of James invading your privacy. However since I don't know what's going on, I can't make a judgment one way or another. I can't say he's the one in the wrong, or you. For all I know, he genuinely did purposely invade your privacy. Or he asked something innocently and it was blown out of proportion. I don't want to take sides, and I hope you don't make me."

Sirius stared hard at Remus for several long seconds. "He is in the wrong," he said firmly before swinging his legs over the bench and striding out of the Great Hall.

Merlin.

Of course his other friends had seen Sirius storming off and questioned Remus about it on the way to Arithmancy. Lily was suspicious, while Aegis seemed worried.