The Marauders had always been a close-knit group, their camaraderie and mischief legendary within the walls of Hogwarts. But lately, Remus had been acting strange. He would disappear for hours on end, offering only vague explanations when pressed. His friends, Sirius, James, and Peter, were determined to uncover the truth.
One evening, as they lounged in the Gryffindor common room, Sirius brought up the topic once again.
"I'm telling you, he's definitely hiding something," Sirius said, his brow furrowed. "He’s been sneaking off every few days."
James leaned forward, a conspiratorial grin on his face. "Well, there's only one way to find out. We follow him."
Peter nodded eagerly. "Yeah, let's see what Moony's up to."
The next night, they put their plan into action. As soon as Remus slipped out of the common room, they followed at a safe distance, using James's Invisibility Cloak to remain undetected. Remus moved swiftly through the castle, eventually making his way out into the grounds and towards the Forbidden Forest.
"What's he doing out here?" Peter whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Shh," James hissed. "We need to get closer."
They watched as Remus approached a secluded clearing. There, under the moonlight, stood Y/N. She smiled warmly as Remus neared, and he took her hands in his, leaning in for a tender kiss.
Sirius's eyes widened in realization. "He has a girlfriend?"
James grinned. "Looks like it. And he didn’t tell us! The nerve."
The Marauders watched, fascinated, as Remus and Y/N sat down on a blanket spread out on the grass. They talked softly, their voices too low to make out, but the affection between them was clear.
"She's pretty," Peter commented. "Good for Moony."
Sirius nodded, his initial surprise giving way to a smile. "Yeah, she seems nice."
After a while, they decided to give their friend some privacy and made their way back to the castle, the cloak billowing behind them. Once inside, they shed the cloak and gathered in a quiet corner of the common room.
"Okay, we need to play it cool," James said. "We can’t let him know we followed him."
"But we can’t just ignore it either," Sirius argued. "He’s our friend. We should be happy for him."
The next morning, they found Remus at breakfast, looking more relaxed than he had in days. Sirius nudged him with a playful grin.
"So, Moony, been up to anything interesting lately?"
Remus looked up, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "What do you mean?"
James joined in, his tone light and teasing. "You know, sneaking off into the night, that sort of thing."
Remus's face reddened slightly, but he maintained his composure. "I don’t know what you're talking about."
Peter leaned forward, unable to keep the secret any longer. "We know about Y/N."
For a moment, Remus looked like he might deny it, but then he sighed, a small smile playing on his lips. "I was going to tell you guys eventually. I just... wanted to keep it private for a while."
Sirius clapped him on the back. "No worries, mate. We're happy for you. She seems great."
James nodded. "Yeah, but next time, don’t keep us in the dark. We’re your friends. We want to share in the good stuff too."
Remus's smile widened, and he looked genuinely touched. "Thanks, guys. It means a lot."
From then on, the Marauders made a point to include Y/N in their plans whenever possible, and Remus no longer felt the need to hide his happiness. Their friendship grew even stronger, bound by the trust and loyalty that had always defined them.
