Remus knows that being in a friend group means having more than Sirius as a bestfriend.
Across the table, Sirius and James are animatedly discussing their next Quidditch strategy. All the cool moves they'll pull off to make the female population of Hogwart's swoon. Remus forks his pancake a little harshly.
Don't get him wrong. He loves James. When Peter completed their quartet, it was clear that Potter was the perfect addition to their friendship. His rowdy-ness balanced Sirius' and they were inseparable. But deep down, Remus sometimes wished it were just the two of them again.
He remembered the first time Sirius spoke to him. He was merely 11, fresh faced boy who thought skipping steps was cool. He ended up tripping and dropping all his books. Remus, being the good Samaritan, picked up the potions that had rolled away and offered his hand.
"I don't need your help," Sirius said, nose stuck in the air.
"Then get up on your own."
Little Sirius blushed pink when he clearly couldn't. His knees were bleeding and his ego was bruised.
"See. Come on," Remus said plainly.
The werewolf ended up taking Sirius to Madam Pomfrey who groaned and nagged at his carelessness but healed him anyway.
Perhaps out of guilt and shame, Sirius warmed up to Remus. He finally got to know his roommate, realizes that The Black Heir isn't a stuck up, arrogant brat he made himself to be. The rest was history.
Well, to be fair, Sirius wasn't ignoring him. He still jokes with Remus during class, steal his quills and poke his ribs whenever he's bored (which was all the time). But, as Remus looks at Sirius clutching his stomach in laughter at whatever James said, he wished he was someone more.
Sirius is always bantering with James. They're always stuck to the hip. McGonagall even resorted to calling both their names whenever one of them messed around. Remus rests his forehead on his desk, ignorng the green monster in his guts.
***
"Something bothering you ?" Peter sits on the floor.
Remus watches him roll a cigarette mixed with some magical herb from his seat on the window sill. Sirius' discovery of Muggle cigarettes had infected another Gryffindor it appears. Peter lights it with his wand and a tang of chamomile instantly fills the room.
"You know you could just drink tea," Remus says.
Peter chuckles. "And look like an old man?"
Remus rolls the Daily Prophet in his hands and wacks Peter on the shoulder. "Are you saying I look like an old man ?!"
"Might as well," Peter evades the attack, morphing the newspaper into a swarm of butterflies.
"With that grouch of a face. We should call you Grandpa Moony. Now, tell me who is it this time, James or Sirius ?"
Remus looks out the window, into the raging storm outside. "Sirius."
"What'd he do ?"
That's the problem.
"Nothing."
Peter laughs. "Oh my Merlin's bra, is our dear Grandpa Moony jealous ?"
Remus clicks his tongue. "No, I'm not ! The fuck you think I'm 12 ?"
Peter glances at his bestfriend and considers if he should push it.
"Well, I'd know Moon Moon. Afterall, I am known as the 4th Wheel Marauder."
