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

Chapter Forty-Nine- Are You Ready To Rock?

Author's note: CW for Remus thinking something might feel like broken glass against his skin. Also a reminder since Remus's height is mentioned in this chapter: Remus in Shifting Lines is going to stay short. In the books Sirius is the tallest Marauder and I like me a height difference, and I've always imagined Remus to be on the shorter side. So sorry to break the hopes of anyone reading that he's grown and waiting for him to be the tallest, that won't happen. He will remain the shortest.

-x-

At least on Fridays Potions only lasted forty-five minutes instead of nearly two hours. Only forty-five minutes of listening to Alexander berate him into doing work, and hearing her exasperated sighs when things kept going wrong. He gave up trying to talk through his worsening stammer and instead fell into silence. Alexander didn't seem to mind, and simply gave him orders for the rest of the lesson.

Though the question she raised in his mind on Wednesday was still nagging at him... he didn't want to ask the other Marauders, so he waited until later when he was headed to Ancient Runes with Lily. Then he asked the question, and Lily gave him a strange look.

"Lazy?"

"In Potions," he mumbled. "Because when I'm partnered up I... try not to do too much with the actual potion, since I'm not very good."

After making a rather angry face, Lily tossed her hair back. It was still in shoulder-length soft curls, she hadn't done whatever she had planned for the concert to it yet. "No, I don't think there's anything wrong with it."

He considered asking about the face she made but instead said, "I wasn't asking if anything was wrong with it, I was asking if it made me lazy."

"No, of course not."

Hmm. He asked her if he had upset her with the question, and she seemed confused until he said she had seemed angry when he explained why he was asking. Lily sighed, shaking her head, explaining that no, it hadn't bothered her, she was just upset about the class in general.

"Did Mulciber do something today?"

Lily grit her teeth. "He's a twat." When she didn't continue, Remus asked if she wanted the Marauders to do something to him. She did smile at that. "Hah! Thanks, but no. I can handle it. He hasn't physically hurt me except for 'accidentally' dropping a jar on my foot. It's mostly been names and rude remarks. Calling me Mudblood whenever he can, insinuating I'm lesser because of my bloodline, that sort of thing."

Maybe we'll do something to him anyway, after this is over so he can't take it out on her in class... "He has no ground to stand on anyway, about Potions. You're the second-best in class and in the Slug Club. He isn't. He wasn't even invited!" Lily remained silent so he switched the conversation. "You're going to the party tonight, right?"

She perked up at that. "Yes! I'm going straight to my dorm after class, to get ready."

"It isn't for a few hours, is it?" Remus asked, confused.

She bumped against him. "It'll take me a while to get ready, silly!"

Like Sirius. He wondered what they spent so much time on to prepare for something like that. Did hair really take that long? Should he spend more time on his hair? Peter fussed a bit with his hair but James usually only ran a brush through his once or twice and called it a day. But maybe James wasn't the best to follow his lead when it came to hair. Remus reached up, self-consciously running his fingers through his limp hair. "Is it a fancy dress party?"

"Yes! David and I are going as Malginian and Liviniette. Oh, don't," she sighed when he wrinkled his nose up. "I know it's a little... basic... and probably half the couples there will be the same, but we wanted matching costumes that weren't something silly, and we were a little worried about our other costume ideas since they were very Muggle. We didn't want to..." She trailed off, raising one shoulder at him.