Camp Amare Lake

Volunteering at a summer camp was not Remus’s ideal place to spend his summer. Lily had convinced Marlene that it would look good on their Resumes, and Marlene would only go if Lily coerced Remus into coming.

Somehow, He’d found himself sweating in the passenger seat of Marlene’s car, which had no AC during a sweltering heatwave. Naturally, they had all four windows rolled down; Remus even changed into a T-shirt, pushing him further out of his comfort zone.

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Remus moaned with his head out the window.

 Lily yelled from the backseat, barely audible over the wind and Marlene's music. "It'll be fun, Remus!" 

Marlene smiled, keeping her eyes on the road. "What if I need a wingman?"

Remus rolled his eyes and pushed his sweaty hair off his face. “Wingman?”

"Sure," Marlene grinned as if it was obvious. "You never know!" She briefly turned her gaze away from the road to wink at Remus, who rolled his eyes in response. He then took out his tin of cigarettes from his pocket, placed one in the corner of his mouth, and lit it up, much to Lily's disgust.

“Spot me for some petrol, Lils? I’m going to get some booze,” Marlene said as she pulled into a petrol station. 

“Finally.” Remus sighed. “Something we can agree on.”

"Alcohol?" Lily objected. "Why would we need alcohol?"

Marlene parked her car and undid her seatbelt. "Trust me, Lils, we're going to need booze dealing with children for two weeks. Besides, it made Remus happy."

“That’s true.” Remus mused. 

The petrol station, thankfully, had AC. Remus contemplated buying chocolate and other sweets, but he knew they’d immediately melt on the way there; instead, he settled for a bag of crisps and a water bottle, which he used to pour half onto his head, and chugged the rest. “If this heat kills me, I’m blaming you.” he pointed at Lily, who stuck her tongue out in response.

Marlene discreetly placed multiple bottles of various liquors into her bag, then settled back into the driver's seat. "How much further, Remus?" she asked.

Remus, who had been appointed as the navigator, grabbed the map from the cupholder where it had been squished. "We're not far now. If we continue down this road, there will be a dirt road to the left," he said, pointing to the road.

Marlene turned up the volume of the music. "Surrender" by Cheap Trick started playing loudly from the speakers. Lily comfortably leaned back and sang along to the song. Remus grabbed a pair of Marlene's sunglasses and put them on, half of his head sticking out of the window while Marlene drove.

Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright.

They just seem a little weird.

Surrender, surrender

But don’t give yourself away.

Marlene drove down the dirt road to the campsite cautiously, as the road was bumpy and uneven. She muted the music to focus all her attention on driving. They eventually arrived at the camp entrance, where a large banner with the words "LAKE AMARE SUMMER CAMP" welcomed them. The camp had five small wooden cabins and a large firepit in the centre. Behind the last cabins was a larger cabin with a giant banner reading "MPR" at the front. What was most impressive was the giant crystal-clear lake, which Remus couldn't resist looking at and fighting the urge to jump in to escape the heat.

The camp counsellors were scheduled to arrive two days earlier to prepare and train, so the campsite was almost empty except for two other cars and a motorcycle, which seemed out of place. Remus was curious about how someone managed to bring a motorcycle into the woods. Marlene parked next to it with care.

The three stepped out of the vehicle and took in a deep breath of the fresh, pine-scented air. The woods surrounded them, and there was a slightly fishy odour coming from the nearby lake. Marlene opened the car's trunk and struggled to lift their bags out.

"Hi!" a voice called out from a cabin nearby. "I'm James," he said. James was quite tall, although not as tall as Remus, who was exceptionally tall. He wore a muscle shirt and a pair of circular glasses, and he ruffled his hair nervously as he approached.

"You must be the other counsellors," James said with a smile. Another boy was following closely behind him.

"Oh! Yes, I'm Lily. That's Marlene, and that's Remus." Lily said with a kind smile.

 "Would you like me and Sirius to help you with your bags?" James asked, gesturing towards his friend. 

Remus didn't pay much attention; he was used to knob-heads flirting with Lily and Marlene. He helped by gathering their things from the front seats: Marlene's sunglasses, his bag of crisps, and Lily's camp pamphlet.

“Oof, this one is heavy.” A voice said at the boot of the car. 

“Oh!” Remus said, embarrassed. “That one is mine.” He said after turning his attention to the boot, he saw James’s friend struggling with a bag. Remus quickly took the heavy bag from the boy’s hands. 

“What’s in there? Books?” The boy quipped, smiling. 

Remus felt his heart lurch as he looked at the boy. The boy was shorter than him and probably a bit shorter than James, too. He was wearing a band T-shirt with The Cure written on it. Remus had never listened to them, but he had heard of them. The boy had long black hair tied messily behind his head, icy blue eyes, and the most incredible smile Remus had ever seen. Suddenly, Remus felt embarrassed about how he must have looked after that car ride.

“Yes,” Remus said as casually as he possibly could. 

“Sorry?” the boy said. 

“they’re books.” He looked down at the bag. 

"Oh! Huh. I'm Sirius, by the way," he said, flashing a charming smile.

"Sirius?" Remus removed his borrowed sunglasses from his face, looking at the person in front of him. "Is your name really Sirius?"

 Sirius picked up one of Lily's bags. "Didn't your friend say your name was Remus?" He said in disbelief, mimicking Remus's tone. 

"Touché," Remus giggled.

James struggled to carry all of Lily and Marlene's bags, encumbering himself as he led the group.

He brought them the closest cabin signed “Cabin A.”

“Everyone here, Potter?” a woman asked; she was older and had short grey hair and a commanding voice. 

James playfully saluted after dropping the girls' bags outside the door.

Remus followed closely behind Marlene and Lily as they squeezed into the small cabin. Three other counsellors were already seated, waiting for the now group of five.

"Right," the older woman addressed the group, "I'm Camp Leader Mullins. We have a few important things to discuss today. Firstly, girls will stay in cabin A and boys in cabin B, and we won't entertain any protests regarding this arrangement. Secondly, the showers are located up the hill behind the MPR, and it's important to note that boys and girls must not use them at the same time. Lastly, you all have half an hour to settle into your cabins, and then I expect you to meet me at the MPR. Please dress appropriately for the weather." Mullins glanced over at Sirius's skinny jeans. "It's too hot for jeans, so make sure to dress accordingly. That's all for now. You're all dismissed."

Remus followed Lily and Marlene out of the cramped cabin, his arm beginning to ache from his heavy bag.

“Right, Remus, cabin B is there.” Lily pointed to one of the old cabins. 

"Join us!" James said, beaming.

Remus awkwardly nodded, looking back at Lily, regretting joining her on this silly adventure.

James smiled at the short boy walking next to him. "This is Peter," he said. "Oh, and that's Sirius," he added, pointing to the other boy.

Remus soon realized that Peter was the least excited about being at the campsite. The small boy listed every imaginable threat that they could face during their stay. "Mosquitoes, we can't forget about them... Oh, and snakes! That's a terrible thought. And bears! We definitely can't forget about bears," Peter said, shivering at the thought.

James and Sirius claimed they would protect him from the beasts. Remus couldn't help but laugh.

The cabin had a single room and a small bathroom which contained only a toilet and a mirror. There were two small twin-sized bunk beds on each wall of the room. The room remained cool and breezy due to a fan sitting in the middle. The walls were wooden and everything in the room, including the blankets and frames, were varying shades of brown.

“Dibs on top bunk!” James yelled, then threw his bag atop the bunk on the right side of the room.

 Sirius shouted, "Ooh! Me too!" as he dropped his bag in the middle of the room and climbed the ladder to the other bunk.

Peter cautiously sat on the bed beneath James, scanning the room for any signs of danger.

Sirius peered down from his bunk at Remus who sat on the bed below. His hair was much longer than Remus had initially thought.

“So Remus, why’d you pack so many books?” Sirius asked. 

Remus shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed that the other boys now knew he’d packed books. “I like to read.” He responded, feeling like a total twat. 

Sirius smiled, thankfully not pressing the matter further, then turned to James. “Oi! Got any shorts I can borrow? I don’t think Mullins liked my jeans.” He said, then stuck one of his legs straight out. 

"You would be lost without me, Black," James said, shaking his head before tossing a pair of red shorts to the floor. Sirius jumped off his bunk, startling Remus with his landing, and started changing. Remus quickly averted his eyes and began searching through his bag for something more appropriate to wear for the weather.

“Do you two know each other?” Peter asked James as he lathered sunscreen onto his face. 

“We met in year 4,” Sirius said. “He’s been a pain in my neck ever since,” he added with a giggle.

Remus opted not to change in front of the other boys; instead, he crammed himself into the way-to-small cabin bathroom and changed in there, only hitting his knees and elbows off the walls twice. He put on a pair of beige shorts that Lily must have packed him. He hated shorts; he felt they made him look too tall and skinny, but he’d rather that than sweat in a pair of jeans all day. 

There was a loud knock on the front door as Remus left the bathroom. “Put your dicks away; we’re coming in!” a girl yelled, followed by giggles as the girls stormed into the boy’s cabin. Lily and Marlene smiled and waved at Remus. “Remus, this is Mary”, Lily said, patting her new friend’s arm. Mary turned and gave a friendly smile. “And this is Dorcas,” Marlene said. Dorcas grinned and waved. 

“Right,” Mary said, clapping her hands together. “We should probably head to the MPR. Mullin is terrifying, and I’d hate to get on her bad side.” 

James, who appeared to enjoy taking charge, led the group of eight to the MPR. Sirius walked closely behind him, while Remus walked behind with the girls. The girls were gushing about having bunk beds, but Remus thought it was silly. He was happy to have changed into shorts since the afternoon heat had become even hotter.

The MPR, which was much larger than the cabins, featured a kitchen at its far end and six spacious dining tables. Mullins had arranged a table of food consisting of mini sandwiches, mixed fruit, scones, and water bottles, and encouraged everyone to grab something to eat and sit down. Remus chose a scone and a bottle of water, and sat next to Marlene, who was getting to know Dorcas. Meanwhile, the rest of the group chose to sit together, and Remus found the table to be quite cramped.

“Alright, we should all get to know each other better. I’ll start. My name is Elenore Mullins, and my favourite activity is skiing. Peter, let’s start with you,” she said, standing at the end of the table. 

“Um,” Peter said nervously. “My name is Peter Pettigrew and I like board games.”

 Mullins gestured towards Mary after Peter. “Let’s continue down the line.” 

"I am Mary McDonald," she smiled, "and I love painting."

James stood up with apparent confidence for his turn and introduced himself, "My name is James Potter, and I love sports of any kind. Also, I am passionate about baking." He then bowed and gestured towards Sirius, who was next in line.

“My name is Sirius Black.” He grinned. “And I Love music,  and  I have a motorcycle.” He said, more as a brag. Of course, he was the one with the bloody bike. 

"Okay, excellent. Lily, it's your turn," said Mullins.

“I am Lily Evans. I like poetry, and I am planning on going into politics.” She smiled gracefully; Lily never settled for anything but greatness. 

“I’m Dorcas Meadows, and I love nature.” Dorcas continued down the line.

“My name is Marlene McKinnon. I love adventures,” she said, smiling at Remus, indicating it was his turn.

Remus was put on the spot and hadn't prepared for what he would say. He felt that simply stating interest in board games or music wouldn't reveal much about himself. Feeling nervous with all eyes on him, Remus stuttered, "My name is Remus Lupin and I enjoy reading."

"Great!" Mullins smiled. "Now, before we get started," she grabbed a box from a nearby table. "These are your camp shirts." She lifted one; they were black and had a white illustration of a cabin and trees. Below it read "Camp Amare Lake," and atop was a white box. "Before the kids get here, I'll need you all to come up with nicknames for one another. It's a camp tradition, and it helps the kids remember you easier," she said as she began handing out the T-shirts. "When you have the nicknames sorted, there are Sharpies in here to write them in the box on the shirts. Now, I'm going to pair you all off into groups of two," Mullins said.

Marlene grabbed Remus's arm and smiled up at him.

"Alright, everyone, I will assign the groups. We need to get to know each other, after all." Mullins cleared her throat and continued, "Each group will stay together until the last day. Every morning, you will receive a set of tasks to complete. These tasks will be different every day, so no group will be stuck on the same task. Is everyone clear on that?"

The group nodded in unison, and Marlene let go of Remus with a look of disappointment.

"Okay, everyone, please stand up when I call your name. First up, Lily Evans and James Potter."

Lily rolled her eyes and stood up, while James seemed extremely happy.

“James and Lily, you’ll be responsible for the kitchen,” Mullins said, handing Lily a sheet of paper. “All the information is on the paper.” Lily appeared defeated as she took the paper.

“Mary McDonald and Peter Pettigrew, supply duties.” Mullins handed Peter the following paper.

“Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadows, Lake duties.” Mullins slid the paper to them. Marlene looked quite content with her pairing. 

“And lastly, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Craft duties.” 

Remus didn't have any problem with being paired with Sirius. However, he felt extremely conscious of just how attractive Sirius was, which frightened him. After Mullins gave them their instructions, Sirius gave a wink to Remus, and he had to control his urge to run away from the MPR and escape in Marlene's car.