Winter Break Eve
Word spread quickly around a boarding school, it was the rules of life. And if you added magic to the mix, you ended up with a whole different can of worms.
It was the last day before the Winter break. Remus was going to stay the break in the castle, which was honestly grandiose news for him, the longer he stayed away from St. Edmond, the better. He'd rather stay in the magic castle with a witch nurse for the werewolf mornings than go back to that hole. He got the whole castle to himself, he got to feast every morning, noon and night, and for the first time in his life, Remus would have a room to himself and himself alone. James had offered, relentlessly, that Remus and Sirius should stay over his place for Christmas and the whole break, Remus wasn't allowed on the ground of being a werewolf by Dumbledore--they told him that Matron would not allow it; and Sirius wasn't allowed on the ground that his family was the worse. Nevertheless, Remus was still looking forward to the peace and quiet for a while, sure his friends would be there, but neither would anyone else, he could not keep secrets for the whole break, he wouldn't have to lie to anyone for Christmas.
Breakfast was normally a feast worthy of a king, today, they outdid themselves, plate upon place, dessert upon dessert, Remus stuffed himself like he was saving up nutrients to walk through the desert. "Before you all get into the spirit of the season," Dumbledore started talking, his wand to his throat amplifying his voice for the whole Great Hall to hear, "as some of you may know, this year was our school's role to host our fellow witches and wizards of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang for the quinquennial." --"every five years" Sirius translated-- "Due to complications on the political landscape the ministry of magic is facing, many were wary of having the tournament take place, but fear not, although we may have lose this year's Yule Ball, the following term, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry shall hold a triwizard tournament to be remembered for the ages!" This cheer, this high spirit, it was truly unlike anything Remus had heard before in his life. He thought he might become deaf from sitting next to Sirius and James.
You could even hear the Slytherin table cheering, excitement was not lost to them. Serena Wagner in particular, who seemed to have become James' nemesis over this term, was shouting at an alarming volume.
A few moments later, when the loud cheering had died out and turned into mild chattering, James proceeded to explain to Remus, to the best extent his euphoric state allowed the tournament, "Okay so, it's been done for centuries. Every house chooses a champion, and there's three rounds, but the last one's the one that really determines the victor." Nothing that Remus couldn't figure from the word tournament, really. But they all seemed so excited Remus couldn't fight being flared up as well.
James and Sirius wanted to toss their name in the goblet, probably wizard for tossing your hat in the ring, but you never knew with them. They were ecstatic about the notion, Peter on the other hand was just as giddy until he was remineded you could die or get heavily mauled in the challenges, and Remus wasn't about to try to win a magic tournament when he was not precisely acing all his classes. For god's sake, he wasn't really able to read even.
Marlene and Mary seemed to have just about as much excitement for the news, Marlene wanted to enter, and Mary wanted to meet as many students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang as possible. Even Lily was chiming into their conversation, she'd read a book about the history of the tournament and was just as wary as she was pumped for it. But she explained that she'd wait for the next one to consider participating, "I don't want to end up as dragon chow at this age."
"I don't think there will be dragons two games in a row." James chimed into the foreign conversation.
"Still Potter, I don't fancy my chances of making it out alive just after one single semester of learning magic."
"And you couldn't stink-bomb your way to the victory, so I wouldn't fancy your chances either." Mary had her back. Marlene giggled in the back.
"Maybe you couldn't stink-bomb you way to victory." Sirius said in a way to matter-of-fact-y, "But if anyone could stink-bomb their way to victory, it would be James. Or Snivellus, who could just stink his way clearly, no need for the bombs." Mary and Marlene had a good snort laugh about that with the boys. Lily was not too fond of that, for some reason way to foreign to Remus, she still liked that Slytherin pest.
"You still wouldn't win over any Durmstrang boy," Mary was so kind to add.
"Yeah no way." Peter was never really not supporting James, but the Durmstrang boys seemed to petrify him a little, "I heard some Hufflepuff girls say that Serena Wagner's brother went there and that they're descendants of Grindelwald."
"That's all poppycock, surely she's not related to him." Sirius scoffed at the remark. Remus knew they hadn't gotten far enough in history lessons for him to know what that meant. Still the seven griffyndors turned around to catch a look at her, who was currently threatening Mulciber with her wand. A look in her face that could break through the valiance of an Arthurian knight. They shuddered at the notion. "Maybe not total poppycock."
"She's scary sure, but I don't think she's scary enough to be a descendant of a literal Dark Lord." Mary wavered a little, "Is she?" Peter was certain she was scary enough, Dark Lord or not. He still froze every time they went into Potions, and prayed every night that next term they'd have different partners.
As soon as breakfast was over, it was the dreaded time of packing. James found himself packing both for him and Sirius, seeing as he'd thought his time was more useful in a leisurely walk.
Of course, Remus was restless already, the tingling of the full moon that was approaching the next day was already growing in a dreaded expectation. He was irritable, he would curse a fly for flying too close to him if he knew any curse. But he'd found throughout this semester that walks helped him, as long as he kept moving, he could ignore the wolf. That was, if he could walk by himself, like he meant to do.
"Oi, Remus!" Sirius flew at him, "Walking anywhere in particular?"
"Not really," he was truthful, there were enough lies in his life already for him to fabricate more.
"Grandiose, then you can help me out, I outta go give Wilde something and then I gotta go borrow something from the library. So would you be so kind to accompany me Mr. Lupin?" He grinned and bowed, acting like a fantasy prince. He would do that from time to time. Act, feeding the idea that he was not real in Remus' head, how could he be real? He was the rebel of an ancient wizard clan, their heir and their greatest disappointment, he was charming and fun, with more life in him than anyone Remus had ever been close to, he felt like he was playing a character, the blasé and amusing Sirius Black. Fan favourite.
"Wilde freaks me out." He was unsure how much he could keep it off his mind that he was a werewolf right now, it was the eve of the full moon and since the thought that Alexander Wilde would find out, it had haunted him enough that it was every time he saw him it overtook his mind.
"He's a little freaky. I grant you that much." Sirius said, "But I kind of owe him a book and I've been putting it off because I had to steal James' invisibility cloak and get you to come with me to the library."
"So you're just getting the book? And me, and James'-- you want to break into the Restricted Section in the middle of the day?!" God the boy was reckless.
"For Merlin's sake don't scream about it Lupin." He shushed Remus. "So will you help me? You're not in any rush."
"I don't have hairpin." Remus hoped it would get him out of it, because Sirius wouldn't relent, ever, once he was set onto getting something.
"Nicked one from Mary a while back, after I saw you work your magic." Sirius grinned so much, he was expecting this, it was a bittersweet and a little unsettling how much he could read into Remus.
"Alright. But I won't go close to Wilde."
"Are you hiding something from your fellow Marauders Mr. Lupin?" Sirius joked, half-joked. "Don't worry, I'll let you keep you lack of reading to yourself, Remus." Then he started to trail off into who knows what direction, taking Remus under the invisibility cloak at a turn, going on about how he should just teach Remus french, he thought magic was hard enough, but he went on to say that Alexander couldn't understand his thoughts in french with a cheeky little proud-of-that-fact air about him. Lupin hoped there was some easier way than learning another language to help with his Wilde problem.
Sirius wasn't dumb. He may have looked it, but he wasn't. Impulsive however, was his middle name to Remus' knowledge (actually that was Orion, which the Marauders made fun of him for weeks after learning from his the name on his essays for Flitwick). Sure there were people in the library, but to their luck-or Sirius' calculations, they were keeping Madam Pince busy, rather than being in their way, they crowded her trying to turn in their books as quickly as possible before having to rush back to keep packing for the break. It was perfect for two first-years under an invisibility cloak to pass absolutely unnoticed by any soul.
They couldn't even hear the lock of the restricted section being picked over the stressed group of ravenclaw students trying to figure out what they needed to bring home for the break to get ahead of their work.
Sirius picked two books from the restricted section, Agatha Widowbrooke's The Mind of the Legiliment, which Sirius kept uttering under his breath until he found. And another one which he peculiarly didn't, he just flashed it in front of Remus' face, that grinning prick, "it's a surprise this one, for Christmas." And for all his impulsiveness, Remus had found that when Sirius wanted to be cryptic, he flaunted it, wanting to be figured out, but he would rather die than give it away. He'd leant that letting it go was better than pushing, which had the added bonus of pissing Sirius off, and that amused Remus like few other things.
Remus waited a good thirty meters away from the entrance to the Slytherin common room for Sirius, who shamelessly used the password like he was actually sorted into slytherin, maybe some part of him wanted to see what it felt like if he had.
He'd expect Sirius wanted to leave that common room as quickly as he could as well. Alexander could probably hear his thoughts from outside. Remus just kept hoping he was outside of his range, whatever that was. He kept singing a song he'd heard on the radio a few months back at St. Edmonds. He only remembered the chorus so it was repetitive enough to annoy anyone listening, Remus hoped harder.
"Managed to not run into anyone related, so that's a win." Sirius said as they headed out to their own common room. He only had a few moments left without having to be with family, and Remus was sure he'd try his best to stretch them out as much as he could. They were as fond of him as he was of them. At least he has a family to hate.
Goodbyes seemed easier for the boys than for the girls, Remus saw as Lily, Mary and Marlene kept crying and hugging as they headed out of the common room.
"I promise to write Remus, if you get that Matron to change her mind mom says you're still welcome at my home." James insisted again.
"We would have so much fun!" Peter thought that perhaps Remus hadn't considered fun would be a part of it, sometimes Remus still wasn't having Pete's smarts in high regard.
"I'm also writing, but you better not forget to write back Remus," Sirius said, Remus wasn't sure if he meant that as a nod to the secret he possessed.
They all huddled and hugged goodbye, much less cheesy than the girls. Yet, Remus did feel soppy as he saw the three walks down from their dorm and away for winter break.