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

Chapter One Hundred-Two - What They Did

Author's Note: Little bit of self-harm, gore

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There was something wrong.

Remus stood in the living room of the house in Hogsmeade, arms wrapped around himself as he shivered. Sunset was nearly there so he had stripped down and put a blanket around his shoulders but it had fallen to the ground when he realized something was wrong.

Thursday morning had stretched on for what had felt like an eternity. Remus nearly slept through Arithmancy and would have if Peter hadn't woken him; Sirius told Peter off for it, but Pete said he knew Remus would be upset if he missed his class. Remus had thanked Peter, flung his uniform on, and took off to get to class on time. There he almost fell asleep during Talkalot's lecture, and probably would have if something cold didn't dribble down the back of his jumper. He jerked, reaching around to feel the back of his neck only to find flobberworm mucus. When he glanced behind him, Snape was sneering at him.

He chose to ignore this, washing off after Arithmancy and hurrying to Muggle Studies. He hoped they were watching a film or something so he could go to sleep, but Professor Lewis was having another interactive lesson. They were partnered up and given various Muggle objects to figure out how to work. He ended up with James and they spent the next hour using an electric food mixer, a calculator, a battery operated shaver (which James stuck his finger in and got nicked and Lewis had to heal him), and finally the thing that really got James's attention: something called a cassette tape recorder.

"I am getting one of those," James said after they left. "How do Muggles think of these things without magic?"

"It's not very different from a record player," Remus said rather sleepily. "You have sounds and it plays back."

"Yes, but it plays back my own voice!" James whirled around, laughing. "I can record myself saying 'git' over and over, and hide it in Snivellus's room."

"You can do that anyway, with a spell," Remus reminded him.

"It'd be more fun doing it the Muggle way, just to make the Slytherins mad."

"I've always thought calculators were amazing," Peter said, hugging his satchel to his chest. "You punch in the numbers and it does the maths for you. Think McGonagall would let me use one for Transfiguration?"

"You'd have to get one of Lewiss's," Sirius pointed out. "Since she's fixed all those Muggle things to work on magic. I like that shaving thing, personally."

"What?" James laughed. "You don't need to shave."

"Do so."

"Do not."

Sirius gave him a shove. "I do so!"

James tried to pat Sirius's cheeks, laughing as Sirius did his best to smack his hands away. "You're as smooth as a baby's bum."

"Only because I shave!"

"Oh, you do not."

"Do so!"

"Have any of you ever seen him shave?"

"No," Peter said.

Sirius glowered. "Traitor."

"Remus?" James asked.

Remus jumped a little. "Huh?"

"Don't bother him," Sirius said, putting an arm rather protectively around him. "He isn't feeling well."

"Ooh, right, his time of the month," James said with a nod.

Remus did his best to glare. "Don't call it that."