Moonage Daydream [Stand-alone vers]

First Moon

           As the days went by, Remus seemed to be doing worse and worse. Sirius compensated as best he could, taking extra notes, sneaking goodies from the dining hall after hours. Every night he ticked another day off of his moon chart.
            He had to admit he was rather nervous– He and the others had been taking time to practice their shifts in the evenings when they could sneak away, but this was the first moon they'd be relying on their own transformations. They'd reassured Remus over and over again that they had it in check, but the boy still seemed a bit twitchy about the idea... Which was why Sirius was determined to prove it wasn't a stupid plan after all.
Sirius was pretty confident in his transformation– He himself had always had a knack for transfiguration, but Peter had never been quite as skilled and James had been having trouble maintaining his stag on occasion... He was still sure it would go alright though. If worse came to worse Sirius could hold Remus off for long enough to give the others a running start. James was a damn fast runner so that was their best plan b.

   As the four of them sat at dinner, Sirius seemed to deflate against the table.
      "I love McGonagall to death, don't get me wrong, but she gives so much work.." He groaned through a mouthful of bread. James nodded miserably.
       "You'd think she'd ease into the year.." He said through a spoonful of stew. "And now that practice has started it's totally kicking my ass– I think there's a match coming up pretty soon, but I'm not sure if Gryffindor will be playing or not. Either way I need to practice harder. I've been totally slacking the past few days." Peter hummed quietly to himself as he worked on an astrology sheet, brows furrowing. James looked over.
       "What song is that– I so recognize it–" Peter glanced up, staring a moment as he processed the question.
        "Ah– Strawberry Fields–" James sighed, drumming against the table.
       "Right right–" He murmured vaguely before taking a swig of pumpkin juice. "Oh– I'm gonna head to the library quickly after dinner and see if there's a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, anyone want to come along?" Sirius let out a worn out laugh.
       "You've already read that book cover to cover.. twice..." He tilted his head to the side. "Come to think of it, that's the only book I've ever seen you read for fun."
       "It's not for fun! I need to keep my skills sharp. Never quit practicing in your mind, you know.." He tapped his index finger knowingly against his temple as he spoke and Remus shook his head fondly.
       "Mm.. I hate to deprive you of my engaging conversational skills at this time, but I'm heading up to see Pomfrey after this–" James nodded, waving his hands in front of him.
       "No no I assumed–" Sirius looked between James and Peter before sighing.
       "Alright, I'll go with– You coming, Pete?" Peter shook his head, rolling up his astronomy sheet.
       "No, that's okay– I don't like the library much.. Madam Pince freaks me out." Peter scrunched up his nose in discomfort and Sirius laughed, nudging him. He looked to James.
       "You done with your soup? I'm not all that hungry, my stomach feels wonky.." James nodded, setting his spoon down and swinging his legs over the bench.
       "See you later then." Remus and Peter waved them off as they grabbed their bags and headed towards the library.
       Once they were out of earshot of the dining hall, Sirius tilted a glance up at James.
      "So– About tonight–" James looked over, adjusting his glasses.
      "What about it?" Sirius scratched at the back of his neck.
      "You're sure you're good to come along? It's just a test, but I know it's a bit of a risk–" James slowed his step, hesitating for a long moment. Finally he nodded his head.
      "I want to do this for Re–" Sirius felt a tightness in his chest, laying a hand on James' shoulder.
      "Yeah, course, but– You know if you need more practice you should take it.." James shook his head firmly.
      "No– It's alright. I did some more shifting the past few days after quidditch practice.. It's not stable the way yours is, but.. I think it'll be okay–" Sirius nodded, pursing his lips. He squeezed James' shoulder and patted him on the back, beginning to walk again.
      "Well I'll keep Re in check. You can count on me, yeah?"
      "Yeah–"
      As they turned the corner into the library, James tensed. Sirius looked past him to see Snape sitting with Barty Crouch, Evan Rosier, and– Regulus– Sirius's chest grew even tighter as he caught Regulus' eye for a brief moment. Then the boy looked sharply down at his books, hair falling into his face. Snape looked up, spotting them in the doorway and his expression became significantly more sour.
       James walked pointedly past, bumping their table savagely as he went. He walked around looking for his book, taking little peaks at the group of them every so often as if to make sure they weren't practicing dark magic while he wasn't paying attention. He pulled a red covered book from one of the bookshelves, running his finger over the spine. Sirius pursed his lips.
       "We should head back– I want to change out of my robes before we go out." James nodded, leading the way to Madam Pince's desk. The librarian looked down her nose at them, lips pinching as she scribbled on the checkout card, gently blowing on the ink to dry it before handing it back.
       The moment they were out of the library, James kicked at the ground.
       "I fucking told Evans he was hanging out with those freaks–" He muttered furiously. Sirius swallowed, nodding. He glanced quickly over his shoulder as if he might catch one last glimpse of Regulus, then bit his lip.
       "I don't know what she thinks she's seeing in him– Whatever it is, it's bull.." Sirius murmured, turning his focus back in front of him as they reached the stairs. James gripped his book, shaking his head wordlessly.
       "Next time I see him I'm checking his damn arm–"
At that Sirius froze, halfway up the set of stairs.
       "You don't think... James, he's fifteen–" James turned back, gaze cool.
       "Better safe than sorry.." Sirius nodded, biting his lip.
       He couldn't help but think of the way Regulus had avoided his eyes. He know Regulus wasn't in that deep. If he'd been marked Sirius would have known about it. And besides— Reg usually seemed to keep to himself. But still— He couldn't keep his mind from wandering..