MOONAGE DAYDREAM

17th September 1971

All I know is that to me
You look like you're lots of fun
Open up your lovin' arms
Watch out, here I come

Remus was flat out exhausted. It had been his first full moon since arriving at Hogwarts, and he had woefully followed an extremely severe looking Professor McGonagall, and a particularly nervous looking Madam Pomfrey to the strangest tree he had ever seen.

Apparently it had been a gift from a previous student at Hogwarts, but Remus had suspected that Dumbledore had the specimen planted in the school grounds just for him and his furry little problem.

It had been painful. A pain which Remus had wished no other soul he ever met- no matter how cruel, how truly evil that individual was- would ever have to go through. And, as a direct result of the torture, of the torement and the horror of his secret, he had been left with the fond memento of a broken wrist and a jagged scar that inched it’s way across his back. According to Madam Pomfrey- who had burst into the shack the following morning, whispering sweet comforts to the crumpled Remus that lay on the wooden floor, covered in his own vomit- his wrist had twisted back into the wrong position during the transition from wolf to human. A day in the infirmary, and Remus had insisted to the reluctant medi-witch that he was perfectly capable of returning to his lessons, despite the fact that he was still taking pain relief potions, and had his left arm strapped in a sling.

He had made a joke that at least it wasn’t his wand arm. Madam Pomfrey hadn’t laughed.

Remus was on his way to Astronomy, taking the opportunity to lean against the tower stairwell to catch his breath back. Every inch of him ached, and he could feel the bandage that covered his chest and back becoming itchy as it was laced with sweat. At some point he would have to let the injury air, but that horrified him even more.

Lily Evans came skipping up the steps behind him, and paused as her path became blocked by Remus. She offered him a small smile, tucking her two pigtails behind her. “Oh! Hello.” She waited for Remus to reply. Seeing as there was no one else around, Remus assumed she was speaking to her. It would be rude to not reply, so he grunted roughly back at her.

Lily tilted her head to one side, fiddling with the strap of her satchel. “Are you alright Remus?” She asked softly. Remus raised an eyebrow, and glanced down at his tense stance, his heavy breathing, his dependent lean on the stone wall next to him. Clearly he wasn’t alright. Perhaps Lily needed to get her eyes tested. Remus bit back the reply, and shook his head. Lily stuck out her arm, and looped it gently around Remus’ waist. Remus’ spine went rigid, unsure how he felt about the girl offering him any support.

Lily simply tutted, clucking her tongue in an amused manner. “No need to be such a hero Remus, here, let me help you.”

The pair climbed the rest of the steps in silence, Lily humming to herself but not saying a word. They had just reached the door to the classroom when Peter shot out, skidding to a halt and almost sending the three of them tumbling back down the spiral staircase. He was red in the face, huffing in his spot, hands braced on his knees.

“No!--- Stop--- Pants--- Outside--- Washing Line--- Mine! Mine!”

Lily raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips together as she attempted to deduce what Peter was trying to say. Remus on the other hand had utterly run out of patience.

“What in Merlin’s balls are you on about Pete?” He asked, squinting his eyes shut and pinching his nose. Peter let out a long wheezing noise that was reminiscent of air slowly being let out of a balloon. Peter sighed heavily, and stepped to one side, admitting defeat.

Remus and Lily entered the classroom, to find the rest of the first year Gryffindors crowded around the window at the back of the room- and a deeply triumphant looking Sirius and James smirking in the corner. Remus relinquished himself from Lily’s hold, and pushed his way through the giggling gaggle of students before he realised what they were all staring at.

Hanging on a washing line outside were his and Peter’s underwear, plain for the whole school to see. Attached to the windowsill, fluttering in the breeze was a carefully written note that read- PROPERTY OF REMUS LUPIN AND PETER PETTIGREW. So this is what Peter had been so eager to hide from Remus’ short temper.

The tips of Lily’s ears turned a bright pink, as she shoved past her classmates, and leaned out the window to pull the washing line in. Instead, the clothes on the line jumped forward, just out of her reach. The coil of anger burned within Remus.

Lily spun on her heel, eyes locking on James and Sirius, correctly determining that they were the culprits of this little prank. “Why you little- you enchanted the string didn’t you? You spineless, pathetic--”

Lily never got a chance to finish what she had lined up to say in some attempt of defence for both Remus and Peter.

Despite how tired he was, despite how exhausted, broken, and fragile he felt, despite how he knew how much trouble it would land him in, despite how he knew it would get him expelled… Remus lunged towards James and Sirius with a howl of anguish.

It took eight people to pull a fuming Remus Lupin from James and Sirius in the end.
***

McGonagall took the glasses off from the tip of her nose and polished the lens carefully. It wasn’t that she was unaware of the difficulties that these four boys had, that is settling into the school and all. The other boys in the year had frequently complained about the hardship of sharing a dormitory with them. After all, she wasn’t a harsh teacher. Just a fair one.

The four boys stared up at her in stony silence. She had segregated their desks so that they were sat far enough apart so as not to cause any further disturbance nor annoyance with one another.

“Mr Potter, Mr Pettigrew, Mr Lupin, and Mr Black,” McGonagall began, offering a disappointed look to each of the boys in turn. “It has been brought to my attention that the four of you are finding it harder than most to settle in.”

James opened his mouth as if to retort, but closed it again after a hard, pointed stare, he promptly shut it.

“While it is not that I do not enjoy giving up my Saturday to sit here with you four today, Dumbledore and I have come to an agreement that the four of you need to set your differences aside whilst you find your footing here at Hogwarts. You all seem to have a mutual interest in upstaging one another in increasing baffoonary, so I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear that I am relocating you all into the same dormitory.”

“WHAT!”

“But- professor, you can’t!”

“Please professor!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

McGonagall waited for the clamour to subside, her mouth tightening into a thin line. “Believe me, this is the best choice for you all. You shall spend the next seven years in one another's company, it is best that you get along. If not for your sakes, but for your peers. I understand that your proficiency for more obscene pranks has left you out of favour with your current room mates. I’m certain that by the end of the year you will all be the best of friends.”

“Or we’ll have murdered one another,” Sirius huffed, slumping further down in his seat, his arms folded across his chest.

McGonagall’s smile widened. “That is certainly another option for the four of you. My decision is final. Mr Lupin, Mr Black- your trunks shall have moved to Mr Pettigrew’s and Mr Potter’s dormitory by the time your detention has finished. I’m sure they shall accommodate you accordingly, and show you the way.”
***

Remus unpacked his belongings for the second time since arriving at Hogwarts, turning his records over and over in his hands.

He still didn’t like Sirius and James. But he had promised McGonagall that he would try- and there was something about the idea of disappointing her that upset him more than if he had disappointed his very own father.

Remus picked his way through his record collection, dutifully ignoring the sulking Sirius who was lying on his back on the floor, tossing an old snitch up and down in the air, catching it. Peter, who had taken the bed in between Sirius and Remus, was watching Remus from the corner of his eye, his bottom lip wobbling every now and again. Peter never got into trouble back home. Remus felt a pang of guilt, and knew that Mrs Pettigrew would be sending a howler shortly with the information that he had gotten into a Saturday detention.

James seemed wholly unfazed by the whole move. If anything, he was happier than usual, whistling some tune or another as he scanned through his homework, glad that his best friend had been transferred to his dormitory.

Remus found the record that he was looking for, and set it onto the player he had placed on his beside table. The music began to play, washing over the room in a silent promise of a truce between the four boys.

It’s a hard day’s night, and I’ve been sleeping like a dog…

Sirius- startled by the sudden gesture- missed catching the snitch, and it landed on his face, smacking him square on the forehead. But rather than speaking out, he tipped his head in Remus’ direction (who was doing his best to act nonchalant.) It could have been Remus’ imagination, but he could have sworn that he saw Sirius smile.