𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗭𝗞𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗡 [𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍]

Chapter Twenty: What Secret?

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ ･⋆✵⋆･ ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

Sirius and his friends' first year at Hogwarts was coming to an end and the professors were pestering them every chance they get, basically yelling at them to start studying.

"But the exams are ages away." whined James out loud after one of Professor McGonagall's 'start studying, you dimwits' speeches.

"If your definition of 'ages' is 'two months', then I suggest you kick back and relax, Mr. Potter." McGonagall retorted, making James shut up instantly.

They had one more Quidditch match to look forward to before the exams and that was all that was stoping Sirius and James from jumping off the Astronomy Tower. That and finding out what Remus is hiding. You'd be surprised at how curiosity can boost your will to live.

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ ･⋆✵⋆･ ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

"He's done it again." screamed James one morning. "Ohh. I can't wait for his bony bum to come back."

They spent the next two days rehearsing how they were going to confront Remus about whatever it is he's hiding when he comes back.

On the long awaited night, the boys came back from dinner to find Remus looking pale and tired like he always does after his little disappearances.

"What's your secret, Remus Lupin?" barked James the moment he laid eyes on him.

And the well thought out script, gone. Just tossed out of the window by James.

"I don't have a- What secret?" Remus tried to hide his moment of panic.

"So you do have a secret." said James, with terrifying malice in his voice. "We'll find out soon enough or do you want to tell us yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine. We'll just have to have fun playing detective then." answered James, with an exaggerated pout.

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ ･⋆✵⋆･ ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

If they thought the amount of time Remus was spending in the library was unhealthy, now it was downright toxic. Sirius wouldn't have been surprised if Remus moved his four poster into a corner of the library and started living with that crazy old bat, Madam Pince.

"Why are you distancing yourself from us? Holed up in the library?" James asked Remus one day in Charms, while the cockroach he was supposed to be charming crawled up his sleeve and into the rat's nest on top of his head that was his hair.

"I'm not distancing myself away from you." said Remus through gritted teeth as he pushed James away from himself by the face. "And I'm 'holed up in the library' because our exams are less than a week away and you lot happen to be allergic to books."

"Hmm." said James, fixing his messed-up eyebrows. "Are you sure about that? Maybe it's because you're scared we'll figure out your secret?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. And I'm not scared because there is no secret. Maybe it's about time you stop and think that you haven't found anything because there is nothing to find?" said Remus. His tone suggested he was talking to a troll's club and not a human with a brain.

"Don't get smart with me, Remus Lupin. We're onto you." hissed James.

Sirius'll be the first to tell you that that was a lie. They have no clue what exactly it is they're looking for and they had no evidence to even start with. And Remus would be smarter than James even if you took out half his brain and knocked him out cold.