Wednesday 15th February 1978
“I can’t believe you’re holding this thing here.” Christopher said, agitatedly, as Remus unlocked the Charms classroom.
“Best way to avoid detection. Flitwick always lets me use it.” Remus replied.
“Exactly! It’s so brazen!” Christopher chided, as they entered.
“Brazen is our middle name!” James declared excitedly, following them.
“Your middle name is Fleamont, you prat.” Sirius scoffed. “And this place is genius , no one will ever suspect anything. I knew your swot lessons would come in useful one day, Moony.”
“A lot of people find Remus’s study group very helpful, actually .” Christopher said primly, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.
“Oh Chris, he’s just teasing,” Remus chuckled, setting his book bag down. He glanced at his pocket watch. “We’re all nice and early, James, have you got an agenda?”
“A what?” James turned around from the blackboard, where he was directing the chalk to draw a gigantic lion with ‘ Gryffindor Rulez OK ’ beneath it.
“Never mind.” Remus sighed.
“So who else got an invitation?” Christopher asked, over the top of his book (which seemed to have materialised from nowhere - Christopher was the only other person Remus knew who could go from 0 to reading in less than three seconds flat).
“About twenty or thirty people, maybe.” Remus said, “Anyone who expressed an interested before Christmas who seemed trustworthy.”
“It was an extremely rigorous vetting process, actually,” James said, now standing on Flitwick’s desk and trying to touch the ceiling with his fingertips.
“Yeah, we almost didn’t let Wormtail in.” Sirius barked with laughter from the window, where he was leaning half out of it, smoking. Remus dearly wanted to go over there and wrap his arms around Sirius, steal the cigarette (which was probably one of his anyway, the thief) and kiss his neck. But the others would be arriving soon, and it was a completely mental line of thinking, that.
“Why do you all call Peter that?” Christopher asked.
“Just a nickname.” They all said, in unison.
Peter arrived shortly after that, followed in by Mary, Lily and Yasmin. Next were the sixth and seventh years from Remus’s study group, and Dorcas - who was still on friendly terms with Peter, apparently. Mary’s latest squeeze, a Ravenclaw boy called Jonty Simmons, who looked like he couldn’t believe his luck. And finally, much to Remus’s distaste, Emmeline Vance sauntered in (two minutes late) with Roman Rotherhide.
The room was pretty crowded after that, and noisy with the buzz of excitement. Most of the group had some idea why they were there, but others were curious, and all of them were fascinated by the marauders.
Sirius and James adored the attention, of course, and immediately took centre stage.
“Now, we all know why we’re here,” James started, using his quidditch captain voice.
Immediately, Emmeline Vance’s arm shot up.
“Sorry, but I don’t…”
Remus gave an impatient snort and Christopher, sitting next to him, shot him a strange look.
“Nor do I!” Dorcas raised her hand too, along with one or two sixth years from Remus’s study group.
“Why did all of you come, then?!” Sirius asked, eyebrows raised. A group of girls sitting at the back of the room giggled. Remus made a mental note. He’d tried to avoid inviting too many members of the Sirius Black fanclub, but it was pretty unavoidable when that applied to half the school.
