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

Chapter Seventy-Four - Cataclypse

"Way to go, little buddy! No! Really! Way to go!"

Remus was curled up on his bed, head buried under his pillow. James, Sirius, and Peter were on his bed with him, James currently the one congratulating him after he told them everything that happened in the library.

"She deserved it," Sirius agreed. "Snivelly is a bully."

"It isn't right she got all mad at you but not at him for what he's done," Peter agreed.

Remus flinched when he felt a hand press against his back. He wasn't sure who it was. He wanted to explain to them he didn't feel at all good. He regretted what he said. He should have kept his opinion to himself--now Lily probably flat out hated him. Whether it was true or not he should have just bottled everything up and just apologized to her or something. He may have felt hurt about it for a while but he'd get over it eventually. Now... she was probably never going to be his friend again.

"You all right?" James asked, practically in his ear. It was his hand against Remus.

He tried to say yes, he tried to lie. Instead a quiet sort of sobby sound came out. "No." He squirmed deeper under his pillow, wishing they'd go away. He wanted to crawl under his bed and sleep there for a few years. His skin also felt super sensitive again, mere words rubbing against him like knives.

James pat his back. "Aw, c'mon, all girls are dumb anyway."

"I dunno if I'd go that far," Sirius snorted.

"Yeah, me either," Peter said a little dreamily. Remus suspected he was looking at his finger where that second year girl kissed him the other day (at least he had washed his hands despite his swearing he wouldn't).

"Oh , girls are weird," James protested. "I mean... no offense, Remus, but you're really better off without her as a girlfriend."

Remus sat up, the pillow falling on Sirius who had been laying next to him. "She w-w-www-wasn't my girlfriend! G--girls and boys can be friends!" He grabbed his pillow, sliding off the bed. "Sick of p--people saying that."

James held his hands up. "Okay, okay, sorry." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, squinting at Sirius and Peter. "So what do you two mean by you wouldn't go that far?" he asked as Remus debated going underneath his bed. He knew it'd be weird... sure they promised they wouldn't think twice about him doing that but would they?

"Some girls look nice," Sirius replied with a shrug.

"Like who?!" James demanded.

Sirius smiled. "Madeline Mandrake."

"Oooooh, she doesn't count! She's a woman. Not a girl. Plus she plays Quidditch! Women who play Quidditch are like... exceptions to the rules." While James spoke, Remus went under his bed since they weren't even paying attention to him anyway, which was a good thing. He curled up, face in the pillow. At least he had stopped crying.

"Yeahhh..." Peter drew out. "Specially ones with big knockers. Like Madeline Mandrake. How does she even stay on the broom?"

"Oh Merlin, Peter!" James laughed. "That's a good question though. D'you think they're very heavy? When I stuffed Dedenne's bra with my socks it was light but--do boobs weigh more than socks?"

"I think so," Sirius said. "I don't know. I've never... errrr... felt them." He giggled at that. "Not yet."

Remus was rather glad he had gone under the bed. This wasn't really a discussion he found very... interesting. He probably would be one day. That's what everyone said, at least. In some books. That's how it went. You grew up and took notice of girls. Was it weird he hadn't yet? Maybe it was their ages, since James didn't seem too interested either and they were the two younger ones. Though James did seem a bit keen on boobs even if he thought girls were weird. Whereas Remus didn't think girls were weird, just... what was such a big deal about boobs? Guess I'll figure that out when I get a bit older, he thought then made a face.