Gryffindor Black brothers

chapter 7

The first two weeks of term passed quite predictably for Remus. They all settled back into their rhythms in the dorm, in classes, and with their friends. James and Marlene both succeeded in making it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team, James as a Chaser and Marlene as the new Seeker, something they'd been swearing they'd do since the beginning of the previous year. Needless to say, they both wouldn't shut up about it for a moment.

Classes were more difficult, but Remus enjoyed the higher level magic they were learning, as it was often more interesting than the stuff he'd learned in first year. He felt quite at home in the castle, now, as the out-of-place, alienated feeling he'd experienced during his first year had dissolved completely by the end of the previous term. This, of course, was in part due to the fact that Remus had grown much more comfortable interacting with his classmates over the course of the year. He'd felt completely out of sorts upon entering Hogwarts, not just because he was worried about the possibility of people discovering his secret, but also because he'd hardly ever interacted with any other people his age before.

This year, falling back into the groove of things was easier than ever before. Along with spending most of his spare moments with his roommates, he also studied in the library in the company of Lily Evans and Mary Macdonald often, too. Sirius and James generally refused to do work there, preferring to complete their assignments in the noisy common room, which Remus couldn't begin to understand, but was lucky, as he doubted that Lily would assent to study with either of the two boys. She was wary enough of him due to his association with them, but Remus was content enough to limit his friendship with her to just studying, so he didn't mind. Mary, too, was quiet, but the occasional witty or observant remark she'd make at the most unexpected moments led Remus to like her quite a bit, even if he didn't know her well.

All too soon, the first full moon of the year approached, and Remus was forced to make the decision, once again, of what he was going to tell his roommates to explain his absence, something he dreaded every month. It was like playing a game of eenie, meenie, miny, mo, but it would play over and over in his head until he finally got up the nerve to tell them something, and even then, it never felt like the right excuse, whatever he decided. The day before the moon was full, he finally made up his mind to use the sick mother excuse.

"Uh," Remus said that night in the boys' dormitory, clearing his throat slightly. "I got a letter this morning from my dad. My mam's ill again, so I have to go and see her tomorrow."

Silence greeted his words, as James, Sirius, and Peter looked up at him from their various spots around the room, interrupted in the act of getting ready for bed. Remus' skin itched under the weight of their gazes, the ache of his bones already noticeable. Finally, it was James who spoke.

"Sorry to hear that, mate," he said carefully. He stood up and approached Remus, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a rather awkward, sympathetic smile. Peter muttered his own condolences, looking slightly embarrassed, as if he didn't know what to say. Sirius, on the other hand, wore a suspicious frown.

"But you just saw her two weeks ago. Surely she doesn't need you to visit her again right now," he said, narrowing his eyes at his roommate. Remus swallowed nervously, his cheeks flushing under Sirius' piercing gaze.

"Sirius!" James hissed reproachfully, turning to him and letting his hand fall from Remus' shoulder. "Don't be an arse."

They shared a long look that Remus couldn't fully see, as James was facing away from him, before Sirius ducked his head and mumbled a quick apology, which Remus accepted. Still, he felt Sirius' eyes on him as he climbed under his covers that night, and he couldn't help but flush again before drawing the hangings shut around him, blocking himself from the other boy's view.