love, lupin

eleven

November 4th, 1976
Thursday

"Andy's daughter has what Combey has." Remus overheard Black tell Potter and Pettigrew.

He was currently in Potions, Slughorn had them working on their own separate reports for the Elixirs and had allowed everyone to move into seats of their own choosing, Jack had won the bet aswell. Jack would usually be beside him but had an absolutely terrible hangover from the night before. Or so the boys assumed anyway when she hadn't shown up at breakfast.

It was that morning that Remus realised he'd also not been paying as much attention as he thought he had last night as they moved from party to party because the tension on that table wasn't coming from Crouch and himself like usual but Evan and Crouch. Awkwardness radiated from the little group and those around them. were aware of it. Regulus was dead silent aswell, but that was the usual. So Remus was left with only the option to sit and eat in complete silence. He hadn't even bothered to try and guess what was up between Evan and Crouch because if Crouch was still sitting with them then it couldn't have been to bad could it?

"You're making it sound like some sort of disease Black." Remus sneered and the three boys infront of him spun around to look at him, surprised he'd heard them. "Stop doing that." With that Remus looked back down at his parchment. He felt the lingering stares of the Gryffindors but turned around after a few beats.

After having sat beside someone he actually talked to for the last two and a half months, Remus only now realised how dreadful potions was. He found himself constantly glancing over at the clock just waiting for it to hit the end of the lesson. Surprisingly he found himself itching to get to Ancient Runes, he rounded it down on the fact that he's hoped maybe Jack would finally turn up.

He scribbled down the end to his report and placed his quill down gently as he huffed. There was still a half hour left and it felt beyond suffocating.

"Greyback, have any idea where Cobbler is?" Slughorn appeared beside him and he admittedly jolted in shock, kicking the table which caused it to screech against the floor for a brief moment. The man usually left him alone so the conversation was a surprise.
Cobbler was Jack. Remus didn't think Slughorn did it on purpose as he always called her different names beginning with C, he was actually slightly worried the mans memory was deteriorating or he just wasn't going to bother to try to hard remember the new girls name. Which he didn't blame him, if Jack wasn't as important as she was for being in the New Generation he probably wouldn't have bothered either.

"Sorry Professor, I haven't seen her since dinner yesterday." He lied. He hadn't seen her since dropping her at the Hufflepuff common room after party hopping all evening.
Slughorn nodded solemnly and walked away. He knew he didn't believe him but that was fine.

"You have keen ears Greyback."
He looked up again and only Potter was turned around. Pettigrew definitely didn't want to talk to Remus and Black, although having thanked him, probably liked him the least out of the trio given recent events.

"Thanks?" Remus offered and Potter grinned at him. Remus assumed he turn back around but he didn't and pointed at the empty seat beside Remus.
"May I?"

Remus gave him a wary look but nodded. Potter had been tense with Remus since he beat Sirius senseless but he had guts.

Potter got up but was stopped by Black.
"James, no." He hissed and glanced sideways at Remus then back aat his friend in surprise as he shrugged his hand away from his arm.
"Lay off Padfoot."

Padfoot was an odd name, Remus thought but didn't dwell on it.

Potter slid in the seat beside him and said nothing. Remus stared at him with a deep frown.

There was just silence for the rest of the lesson as Remus doodled mindlessly on the back of his report and Potter worked on his own, only making a noise when he'd reach a spot he was stuck on. It got to the point where Remus eventually slid his parchment over to the spectacled boy to copy from and then Remus realised that maybe that had been his aim all along.

But then Potter sat next to him in charms and transfiguration, after asking. Leaving Black and Pettigrew who seemed they didn't know what to do with eachother in Potters absence. When Potter sat with him in DADA he exploded.

"What on earth do you want?" Remus growled at him and Potter looked over, surprised. He didn't smile like Remus expected him to but frowned.

"Can one not sit with his friend?"

Now Remus was confused. Him and Potter were definitely not friends. There had to be some elaborate scheme behind it but Remus felt too tired to bother.

"Right." Was all he said and returned back to his notes and Remus wished he hadn't been to lazy to find out Potters alterior motive.

The next morning, just after breakfast, he was sat in McGonnogals office, face red with anger as he stared up at the two Professors infront of him who were looking at him in dissapointment.

"Purposefully making another student sick is highly immature and terrible Mr Greyback." McGonnogals terribly shrill voice scolded and Remus winced. With the nearing full moon everything was louder again.

She turned to the boy sat in the plush seat beside him.

"And tackling another student and trying to beat him up is completely unacceptable Mr Black."

Remus looked at him and the movement of Sirius Black rolling his eyes made him mimic it absent-mindedly as he glared angrily.

Potter had infected himself with some horrible looking but easily cured illness and played it off that Remus had cast the curse that started it on him the previous day and broke in hysterics as his allegedly perfect skin broke out in purple splotches and he began coughing endlessly.

Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew evidently not having been filled it that it was all one elaborate scheme looked at Remus. Pettigrew staying with Potter and Black attacking Remus, which was why the Slytherin now held an ice pack to his eye as Pomfrey insisted she do something to help it before McGonnogal shooed her out.

"I don't even know the spell!" Remus spoke exasperated as he threw his three arm into the air.
"Yeah sure." Black scoffed and Remus kicked at his chair. He really didn't know the spell and the annoying prat beside him still didn't know it was all a 'prank'. He was sure that Pettigrew knew by now, infact he knew that Pettigrew knew.

He could hear the pairs shoes scuffling outside the door and familiar hushed voices. He didn't say anything about it to anyone as Black was present and it'd raise questions in how he could hear them.

"Greyback! Black!" McGonnogal scolded and the pair looked back at her with angry frowns.

"Your both at fault." Remus wasn't at fault. "So you'll both be punished accordingly." Remus shouldn't be getting punished he did nothing wrong. "A whole months detention, alternating between me and Professor Slughorn. Twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays."

Remus' frown only drove deeper.

"Separately or-"
"Together." Slughorn confirmed and Black sunk in his seat and groaned loudly.

"You may both leave." McGonnogal dismissed.

Remus was up first. He grabbed his bag and shot for the door and all but swung it open. The corridor was empty but his ears picked up on two racing heartbeats somewhere in the corridor.

His eyes flushed amber as he looked around and heard a scuffle to his left. Still empty.

He stepped towards the sound, eyes still amber but was stopped by a shove on his shoulder causing him to slam into the wall.

"Later Greyback." Sirius Black hissed and when the Gryffindor looked back at him his eyes were brown.