Clair de Lune

"All right, all right, keep your shirt on."

Sirius pushes James off his bed and pulls on robes.

"Well? Let's go!"

"Here James! Got your cloak!" Peter waves the light garment around excitedly.

"No," says Sirius, and pulls his hangings closed.

It was well after curfew and there was still no sign of Remus.

Peter sat up on his bed and threw a pillow across the room at James. "James, wake up! Remus isn't back yet!"

Peter was worried about the swat. It wasn't like him to be out past curfew. He was such a stickler for rules.

He hadn't mentioned going anywhere, and what was more Peter was almost certain he'd caught him crying in the boy's lavatory after Charms.

"All together!" agrees Sirius gleefully.

There is a sound then, like a small explosion and a stench fills the hall. Sirius giggles and holds his nose.

Sirius can't believe his luck and waves excitedly back to James, sod Lucius.

Lily blinks and stares at James. What a snot! She'd been being perfectly reasonable, she thought, asking him to apologize.

"Neither. He didn't ask me to come in his stead, I just think you should quit being a berk and apologize to him already. You're being awfully rude, James."

"Excuse me," Lily says, nicking James' chocolate frog card and moving closer to him so he paid attention.

"I said I think you ought to apologize to Severus for pranking him," she repeats, patiently.

Boys could be so thick.

Lily frowns and shoves her things into her robes pockets (she had gotten dressed ahead of time so she wouldn't have to change later), then follows the black head of hair.

"That's the same boy who dropped his glasses earlier," she says aloud, then unceremoniously opens the compartment door where James, Peter, Remus, and Sirius are sitting.

She turns to James with a raised eyebrow and a glare, just like her mum does when she's mad at her da. "You pranked a chocolate frog that my friend Severus opened, and now he's going to be miserable all day. I think you ought to apologize," she states clearly, lightening up on the glare a bit. He is an eleven-year-old boy, after all.

Remus's jaw drops. He had been so certain James was kidding. "A real invisibility cloak. Wow..."

Peter was starring in awe as well.

Remus bites his lip. "Be careful, James. If the professor's catch you, you'll get in a lot of trouble."

Remus shrugs again. Not a good idea...

"You... have a real invisibility cloak?"

It seemed pretty hard to believe.

"Brilliant!" praised Peter. "I'll do it!"

"Pranks are fun," Peter agrees. "Have any good ones planned?"

Remus just shrugs.

Apparently Sirius actually had to say that Remus and Pete could take what they want. James already knew or would just do it anyway.

"I put the lot on the seat for a reason you know."

He is at once haughty, petulant, and grumpy.

Sirius pulls out a small silk sack with a green 'B' emblazoned on in fine embroidery. He tosses six galleons to the snack lady and loads up. He's not stingy though, and puts his heap on the seat between he and Remus and sort of shrugs at the others. They can take what they like. His mood is still about sour because in his future is that smarmy bugger Lucius Malfoy, his new best pal.

"My name is Remus Lupin," he replies, and sets his book to the side (it's all wet too).

Remus looks between James and Sirius, bites his lip, and says. "Yes, I'm sorry. You did. But I wouldn't worry, James. Your friend probably screams like a girl too. As do I, and... Peter?"

The blonde boy nods.

"Peter."

Sirius shakes his wet head sending water all over the compartment. Then he gets up and plops down next to the swot and grins at him.

"I'm obligated to tolerate this tosser seeing as he's a cousin and all, but you're an objective third party. Did Jamie here scream like a girl or did he not?"

Sirius is nodding his head up and down like this is going to get the swot to say yes.

Remus almost smiles. I'm a swot?

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to dry you. Are you alright?"

Sirius falls back, wet, clutching his sides with laughter.

"You girl, you absolute screaming girl, and you were on fire, and saved by the swot."

Sirius is laughing so hard his sides are aching.