All the Young Dudes ( Sirius' Perspective )

Sixth Year : October

His name was always Buddy

And he’d shrug and ask to stay

She’d sigh like Twig the wonder kid

And turn her face away

She’s uncertain if she likes him

But she knows she really loves him

It’s a crash course for the ravers

It’s a drive-in Saturday

Saturday 9th October 1976

“Ugh,” Remus groaned, climbing unsteadily to his feet as his body finished fitting itself back together.

“That didn’t seem too bad?” James transformed back into a human, smiling encouragingly as Remus winced.

“Depends what you mean by bad,” their friend muttered, yanking on his trousers.

James politely averted his eyes, and Sirius, still a dog, plucked Remus’s shirt from the floor and trotted over with it in his mouth. “Cheers, Padfoot,” Remus smiled down at him, and Sirius wagged his tail, panting. He flopped over on the floor, hoping to coax Remus into a belly rub—but the tall boy just shook his head and rolled his eyes, grinning.

“Thank Merlin it’s Saturday,” James said through a yawn, settling down onto the beaten-up couch (a new addition, transfigured from one of James’s shoes. It had taken quite a few tries to get it right, and once they did the marauders quickly discovered why there was so little furniture in the shack—the poor sofa already had deep claw marks and stuffing hanging out from one side).

“Yeah, if Madam Pomfrey lets me off the hospital wing, I’ll probably go straight to bed anyway,” Remus agreed, stifling a yawn of his own and reclining on his cot.

“You’re lucky,” Peter said, shifting abruptly from rat to human in one of the corners, “S’posed to be taking Dezzie to Hogsmeade at eleven. Prongs, don’t you have to lead the third years down?”

“Nah,” James yawned again, groaning loudly, “Now Evans knows about Remus’s furry little problem she’s actually cutting me some slack. That fifth-year kid with the sunburn is doing it instead.”

“Evans doesn’t know anything else, does she?” Sirius asked, turning back into a human to speak. He threw himself down on the sofa next to James.

Lily finding out about Remus’s lycanthropy was a new development—apparently it had happened at the end of the previous term. Sirius wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about it (it was the mararuder’s thing, knowing the secret), but he certainly wasn’t going to kick up a fuss, seeing as she’d found out from Snape, who’d found out from Sirius...

James shook his head in response, settling back onto the sagging pillows and shutting his eyes. “Oi,” Sirius poked his shoulder, “We’ve got to go soon, don’t sleep.”

“You lot go,” Remus said quietly, watching them, “Get some rest. Thanks for coming, and all that...”

“Coming to Hogsmeade, Moony?” Sirius said hopefully, dragging James off the couch, “Three Broomsticks?”