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

Chapter Fifty - The Truth About Aegis

Author's note: good news! I have gotten my writing mojo back, so to speak, and starting next week I will be returning to the 1, 2, 1, 2 chapter releases. So next week I'll post two new chapters (on Tues and Fri), the week after just one (Tues), and the week after that two again, and so on. I am very happy to be able to tell you guys this! Yay!

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Remus sort've thought more people would be taking about what happened at the concert, but the next day it seemed like nobody really cared; they talked about the concert itself, but he hardly heard anyone mention the robed man throwing a dung bomb. The newspaper didn't mention it either, instead talking solely about the concert. The only reason he saw the newspaper, though, was because there was a picture of the crowd jumping to one of the songs and the Marauders had scrutinized it carefully to make sure none of them could be seen.

That afternoon Peter and Remus worked on practicing the spells for the prank while the other two snuck back into Hogsmeade to purchase supplies. Remus's head was in the clouds as he thought about one of the essays he needed to finish, so he was only half paying attention to Peter, until he heard 'two weeks'. He blinked, lowering his wand, and looking over.

"What about two weeks?" he asked.

"Gryffindor's first game," Peter said, tongue curling out to the corner of his mouth as he held his wand steady.

"Two weeks?" Remus shifted uncomfortably, his heart sinking. "The... tenth?"

"Uh-huh." Peter looked at him now. "Why?"

Remus cringed, wondering how he was going to break the news to James. "I won't be able to make it."

"Oh... how come?"

"Er, the—the—the full moon?" he whispered.

Peter's mouth hung open now. "Ohhhh. Oh, yeah, I guess I didn't realize it was then. Is it? It feels like only a coupla days since the last one."

"No, it's been two weeks." Remus rubbed his forehead, hoping James wouldn't be too disappointed. He felt a little disappointed himself, despite the fact he didn't really like the crowds at the games. He rather enjoyed watching James play. Why couldn't it be the seventeenth? he thought miserably before remembering that's when the next Hogsmeade visit was. The twenty-fourth, then.

"It's all right though," Pete said, going back to his work. "Should be done by then."

"What should be done?"

"Erm." Peter kept staring at the object in the air. "Am I doing this right?"

"Peter—"

"I think I got this wrong. Is the spell—"

"Peter, what should be done by when? The game? The full moon? What?"

He was about to say something when he heard light footsteps outside the hallway; someone knocked on their door. They both swore and began shoving all the evidence of the prank under James's bed. Once Remus had the last armful, Peter scrambled over to open the door.

"Hi Lily, did you need Remus?" Peter asked, blocking the view so she couldn't see Remus half under the bed.

"Yes, please," she said, sounding rather faint. Had something happened?

Remus wriggled out from under James's bed and went to the door. Lily looked upset and was chewing the end of one of her braids. Her hair had gone back to normal... or, kinda normal, since Lily changed her hair so often. It was all the same length now and held back in twin braids.

Before Remus could ask what was going on she said, "Aegis is in the hospital wing. I—er—thought you might want to know."

Remus swallowed heavily, realizing he still hadn't really made up for his lack of attention to his friend. "What h-happened? Is it bad?"