Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) - Book One (Marauder Era)

Chapter Twelve - Bats Are Supposed To Be Furry Anyway

The rest of the week went by quickly for Remus as he immersed himself in classes, assignments, books, and the study group after supper. He still didn't talk much during the meetings but enjoyed the conversations about their schoolwork. Even if everyone else was doing better in Defense Against the Dark Arts than him...

Every single assignment he got back from Dedenne was covered in red marks with an A at the top. You can do better than this. I can't since this is great work, he thought on Friday afternoon as he stormed through the corridors. It's not fair...! He didn't know what to do, though. He didn't want to complain or go to anyone, he didn't want to cause any problems--if he did, they might feel he'd be better out of the school and he didn't... couldn't give this up. He had to just keep pushing himself along and hope Dedenne didn't grade him too poorly for his exams.

As he went down a corridor he heard raised voices. Angry voices, like students prepared to fight. He hesitated, debating whether or not to turn around. Just get to the library. He hugged his books to his chest and plunged forward. Around a corner stood two Slytherins cornering Pettigrew who was quavering. Remus hesitated. The Slytherins were saying awful things. Calling Pettigrew weak and dumb.

"Not so brave without your friends, are you?" laughed the bigger one, a boy whose name Remus sort of recalled was Mulciber.

"Are they his friends though?" asked the other, named Avery. "Someone as pathetic as you? Friends?" The Slytherins laughed and then Avery pulled out their wand. "I think we should test out the spell we're gonna be learning in Dark Arts class soon..."

Remus couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't want to get involved at all but he couldn't let Pettigrew get hexed. He pulled out his own wand and did two quick flicks, whispering a spell he had accidentally learned while trying to find a spell to make his nose less sensitive to smells. Immediately hair began sprouting out of Mulciber and Avery's noses, growing at a rapid rate. Pettigrew's eyes got wide as the Slytherins' nose hair grew clear past their chins and wriggled about as if alive, causing them to sneeze and cough and sputter, and get tangled in their mouths when one of them tried to speak. Pettigrew took this chance to run off. Remus tucked his wand away and hid a snicker behind his hand before striding off.

*

That evening as soon as Remus, Evans, and Twycross returned to the common room after study group, they were jumped upon by Potter, Black, and Pettigrew. They basically grabbed Remus and dragged him off without any sort of explanation and Remus began freaking out as he was hauled up the steps and to the dorm. Potter was holding one of his arms and Black had the other and Pettigrew was behind so he couldn't escape that way. Part of him knew they hadn't figured out his secret (they would have probably just gone to a teacher) however that's all he could think of which made him sort of like a bottle of soda pop shaken up about to explode as soon as someone took the lid off.

Once in the dorm they let go and he stumbled back, shaking rather violently, worried they were going to do something to him. He took a few steps from them, fingers tugging at the hem of his vest as he waited for the shoe to drop. They just looked expectant like they were waiting for him to say something. He began twisting the hem between his fingers.

"D--did I--d--do something wr-wrong?" he finally stammered out, face hot with embarrassment from not knowing what was going on and fear. He tried to think if he had done something to cross them. He had left a few books out on the floor... were they mad about that?

"Wrong?" Potter asked disbelieving.

"You were brilliant!" Pettigrew cried out.

"I wish I could have seen them!" snickered Black.