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

Chapter One Hundred-Six - What The Cards Said

Author's note: yay I'm back! If you didn't see the note-chapter I had up (which is now deleted) I wanted to share this info with y'all. Basically, I won't be editing very much anymore. Editing sucks a lot out of me and is the main reason I go on so many hiatuses lately. I've decided to just focus on writing and posting. So there will be some grammar issues, typos, etc. Hopefully not too many but... I just wanna write lol.

Also CW pet loss grief

-x-

Remus tossed and turned all night, not at all surprised with the nightmares that continually woke him. Sirius tried to approach him twice but Remus told him no. He wound up barely getting any sleep, and trudged to Potions in the morning looking almost as bad as he did during the full moon.

He was ready to talk to them again, though. He hated not talking to them. It made his loneliness worse; he was too dependent on them... which was probably a problem but one for another day. So during History he wrote a note, saying he needed to talk to them during the free period. James wrote back suggesting they skip the rest of History, and Remus's response was probably channeling more of Weasley than he should have.

"Boy, you're really cussing a lot lately," James said after class.

"It's because my friends are giving me heart attacks," he replied icily. He'd have said more, if they weren't still around other people.

"But you're not mad at us anymore?" Pete asked.

He paused a little then resumed walking, trying to ignore the fact Sirius was practically breathing down his neck. "I... well, I am a bit, yes."

"At all of us?" Sirius inquired.

"No, mostly you and James," he said. Peter perked up while Sirius's face darkened a little. He started to say something but Remus spoke first. "Let's talk about it privately."

They went to the room where they did Occlumency, since the door was already muffled. All they needed to do was lock it. Not that anyone ever seemed to try to come into the room. James and Peter sat on the sofa while Sirius stood, eyes locked on Remus. His dark expression hadn't left his face, though he smelled more anxious than anything else.

Remus stood as well, facing the three of them. He licked his lips, not really sure what to say, until finally he sighed and asked, "All right, how far along are you with the Animagus stuff?"

James sat up eagerly. "So, you approve?"

He raised his finger. "No. Let me make that clear. I do not approve. I heartily disapprove. And you will be dealing with my disapproval and voice of discontent the entire time you're doing this, and you will not complain about said disapproval. Do you understand?" All three of them nodded silently. "Good. Now." The more he knew, the more he was involved, the better chance he'd have of stopping them. He had to know everything. Make himself as much part of it as he could. "How far?"

James bounced to his feet. "Not that far. We've spent ages trying to find anything and all we've found is... you know, basically public knowledge stuff, like what McGonagall taught us already. We've been trying to hunt down any book that explains the process in detail except... er, well, obviously we've not been able to yet. We've been making plans, though. Like the fake rabbit, and the experiment plans, to... erm, see."

Remus grit his teeth. "Yes, to see if I'd murder you."

"You can voice your discontent all you want," Sirius said, tilting his head; while the anxiety remained, the dark expression at least had gone. "But could you stop saying that at least?"