Chapter Text
There they were, sitting around the trunk of a rather large tree, Sirius wearing James's glasses, evidently doing an impression of him while James struggled to retrieve them, the two of them laughing like idiots, Remus seeming quite content with a book in his hands, and Peter watching the more obnoxious two, apparently having nothing better to do.
There was no bloody way you'd ever catch Remus on his own, and even if you did, it would only be a matter of time before the others found him, so you figured now was just as good a time as any.
Rolling your eyes, you flattened down your robes and straightened your back before setting off in their direction, intent on completely ignoring everyone else in his immediate area. The last thing you wanted to do was become a target for his little friends--what an annoyance that would undoubtedly become.
You stopped directly in front of Remus, waiting silently as he slowly looked up from his book, a rather surprised expression on his face. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Sirius turn to look at you, a low whistle escaping his lips that fell on deaf ears. His distracted state gave James the opportunity to snatch his glasses off of his companion's face and return them to his own, but soon enough, you had his attention as well. As you'd decided before you made the trek over, you paid them no mind.
"Remus, we need to talk."
He was quiet for a moment, obviously caught off guard, before he stuttered to a start.
"Oh, um--...C-Can I ask what about?" he replied politely, though you could tell he was still startled. It wasn't often that strangers came up and started conversations with him, and for it to be a Slytherin of all people...
"We seem to have a mutual...ailment. I'll explain the rest on the way to somewhere more private." You stressed the last word, as to make it obvious you didn't want his friends to have any part in this. Remus looked even more confused for a moment, before a slight understanding flashed over his face, followed instantly by anxiety as he began to quickly pack up his things.
"Oooooo," the two main troublemakers remarked in unision, clearly and blatantly misreading the situation. Sirius added on, "Somewhere more private, hmm?"
Remus, ignoring his friends entirely, sort of scrambled to his feet, looking at you with nervousness clear on his face.
"Right. So, uh—...After you." You'd never seen him so apprehensive. Then again, you'd rarely seen him in the first place.
Nodding, you started off at a rapid pace so that Remus was slightly struggling to keep up, rolling your eyes again as you heard the other ¾ of the marauders displaying their enthusiasm through dog whistles and approving remarks that made the boy beside you very obviously embarrassed.
"Don't mind them. They're just being idiots," he muttered, staring at the ground as he half-jogged beside you.
"Oh, I know," you replied bluntly. Remus frowned. "So, the headmaster tells me that you'll be able to inform me of what arrangements have been made for our kind on one particular monthly occasion?"
"Right. Um, well, d'you know the Whomping Willow tree? At it's base, there's a secret passage that, uh, leads to a tunnel, that leads to— ...Er, I suppose it would just be easier if I showed it to you. There's a secure house where we'll wait out the day and night of the full moon."
Not bothering to actually make the effort to find a quiet, empty place to talk, you simply walked until you were a large distance away from anyone else, stopping near the edge of the lake and turning on your heels to face the fifth year. Only at this proximity did you notice the abundance of unnerving pale scars littered on his face.
"How long?"
Once again, you appeared to have caught him off guard.
"...What? Oh, um... It's been a while," Remus replied hesitantly. "...What about you?"
"Three months."
He looked at you, eyes widened slightly, and he started to say something, which was most likely going to be an expression of pity, but decided against it. You were a Slytherin, after all—he didn't wan't to accidentally offend you. He couldn't imagine having to go through something as horrific as that every month with someone that hated his guts.
A short, emotionless silence fell between you, before you broke it.
"As you probably know, the next full moon is this weekend. I'll meet you near the Whomping Willow around noon so you can show me this safe house of yours."
"Y-Yeah, alright." He tried to grin at you politely, but his tired and anxious appearance made the forced action seem unnatural and nearly made you want to roll your eyes.
Vacantly, you sighed and walked away, leaving Remus, who stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before returning to his friends, without even the slightest of goodbyes.
. . .
"Soooo, Remus—" started Sirius.
"—What did you two talk about?" James finished, laying on his stomach with his chin on his hands and supplying his friend with the entirety of his attention. As if on cue, Sirius did the same.
By now, Remus had taken his book back out and begun reading again, so he didn't even look up to answer the question, a bored tone to his voice.
"Astronomy."
The two boys exchanged glances.
"Sounds romantic," Sirius said with a smirk.
Remus scoffed, turning the page.
"If talking to me while simultaneously acting as though I wasn't there is romantic, then sure, it was incredibly so."
"Relax, Moony, I'm sure they're just playing hard to get," James said, pretending to comfort his friend.
"What, like Evans?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, Padfoot. Exactly like Evans."
"I'm not sure you could even begin to compare a Slytherin such as them to—"
With a sigh (or, rather, a huff), Remus very audibly slammed his book shut and stood up again, walking back towards the castle by himself.
"What's gotten into him?" James wondered aloud, frowning, yet still seeming amused.
"Perhaps the Slytherin put him in a bad mood."
"What do you say, Mr. Padfoot? Up for a little detective work?"
"Am I ever, Mr. Prongs."