Is It Over Now?

Chapter One

A/N: The personality of Remus is based off of that from All The Young Dudes, so are any mentioned past meetings and such, but you don't have to read it to read this because it will only be loosely based. Though I do say that it's really good.

This will be going from The Prank in third year to probably about 1981 ish, and is being cross posted on AO3

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Remus sighed as if he was releasing his dying breath as he laid his head down. In the things tome for Ancient Runes, careful of the drying ink just bedside it. Not for the first time the Gryffindor found himself wishing that Pince would let them smoke in the library, because he would just about kill for one just about then.

The library was stock full with students due to just how close OWLs and NEWTs were, the numbers only increasing more so as the usual finals reared their ugly heads as well. So every table was full of quietly mummering students, and heavily bored ones weighed down by equally heavy books lining their arms. Normally this was something that Remus could find it in himself to tolerate, enjoy even as silence was something that typically set the boy's nerves on edge after never having it before, but so close to the moon sound was like some kind of personal offense to the lion. The other students seemed to realize it too as his was the only table that anyone in the entirety of the library had to themselves.

That was why it had come at so much of a surprise and yet none at all when Regulus Black of all people had stopped before him, books in hand with two familiar boys and one fair haired girl behind him.

"Mind if we sit, Lupin?" The younger black had asked in that posh accent of his that all of the purebloods seemed to hold. The one that always served to remind the Gryffindor of the Cockney accent that he had come to Hogwarts with first year, and had been systematically killing every year since. The only time that the teen used it was during the summer holidays, but it was always best not to think of those during the school year. "Everywhere else is full."

Remus eyed the four younger students carefully, wondering if this was some angle that the younger Black was playing. The war had been on everyone's minds this year, and it was no secret where all but one notable expectation of the Black family stood with it. But though the wood within him begged for a good fight, the part of him that had been trying so hard this year to be kinder thought better of it.

"You're taking Ancient Runes, right?" Remus asked instead of properly answering the question outright as he knew that he should.

The older boy watched with a twinge of satisfaction as confusion pooled on that of the Slytherin boy's face, the younger Black's face morphing into an expression so like his brother's that Remus almost had to remind himself that the boy before him was not. Eventually the other boy nodded primly and Remus did as well.

"You Slytherins like deals, right? Help me with this problem and you'll hear no complaints from me," the older boy said, pointing to the questions that they had been assigned easier in class that day.

"Why? The studious Gryffindor can't figure it out himself?" One of the other Slytherins, Barth Crouch Jr., had asked with more than a heavy level of annoyance and scorn, only to be hit on the shoulder by the last boy- Evan Rosier.

Remus glared up at the boy, more amused by the title that he had been given then offended by the rude accusation attached to it. It was always strange to hear how others thought of him outside of the Marauders who knew that Remus was the one that was the brains behind most of the group's bigger pranks throughout their years at Hogwarts. No one ever thought that it was him.

"Can't remember one of the theorems from last year," the older boy said, shrugging as he kept a cool head- something that he had become very good at during his time as prefect. "And I don't want to have to bloody well fight my way to the tower and back for the notes on one measly problem, now do I?" Remus remarked firmly.