James' invisibility cloak settled around Remus as he hunched over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. He had finished up the tricky jinx work at the Slytherin dungeons and jogged steadily the whole way back to the rendezvous point while Sirius had been handling the charms in the Great Hall with Wormtail serving as lookout with the Map. James was nominally out of it even though he'd been right in with all the planning, a nod to his newly acquired Head Boy status, but he was standing by on alert in the event they needed backup.

Remus supposed it was a bit ridiculous to be doing this sort of thing now that they were seventh years, but it served Mulciber and his gang right. It wasn't even a week into term yet and they'd reduced all the second year Gryffindor girls to tears. Some of them were having nightmares still.

The sound of raised voices made Remus jerk his head up, and he slid to the edge of the wall and peered around the corner. It was Madame Sinistra and Sirius down at the end of the hall. He could tell Sirius was doing his best to talk his way out it. He had on his most charming smile and was spouting all sorts of nonsense from what Remus could tell from this distance. He wondered where Peter was and why he hadn't warned Sirius.

From the hallway behind him Remus heard the sounds of hurried footsteps and he shrank up against the wall, trying to make sure the cloak was covering his feet. And now he could hear a second set of footsteps and the pace of both increased. A yowling meow echoed down the corridor. Filch's cat. Remus' heart rate picked up and he looked about trying to figure out his options. If Filch saw Sirius, he'd never be able to talk his way clear, but all that became a moot point when James flew around the corner.

Acting on impulse, Remus grabbed his arm as he flew by and he flipped up the cloak and pulled James beneath it. "Shh!" Pressing himself as flat as he could against the wall, he made as much room for James under the cloak as he could. James slammed up against him and let out a startled whoosh, his palms going to the wall on either side of Remus to steady himself.

"Be still!" Remus hissed just before Filch and his cat rounded the corner.

Filch looked murderous, but he didn't so much as glance their way as he passed them. His awful cat followed after him more slowly, eyes glowing in the dim hall as she turned her head and looked directly where they were huddled. A howl of triumphant glee reached their ears as Filch caught sight of Sirius. Well, that was that.

Remus turned his head to look at James. "What are you doing here," he whispered. He could feel James' heartbeat pounding against his.

"Padfoot called me on the mirror. Said Wormtail had disappeared and then he got cut off. I think someone caught him."

"Sinistra," Remus confirmed.

"That useless rat," James growled. "If I find out-"

"Keep it down," Remus hissed. "Do you want to get us caught, as well?"

A three way argument seemed to have broken out around the corner. James turned his head to listen and Remus tried to shift a bit without letting the cloak fall to the floor. "Your glasses are poking into my cheek!"

James turned to look at him. Their faces were only inches apart and James was wearing a wide grin.

"Moony."

Remus' stomach did a little flip at the look on his face. It was a look that heralded untold mischief. James leaned even closer so his lips were touching Remus' ear. "That's not the only thing doing the poking around here."

A split second of confusion quickly gave way to skin crawling embarrassment. Remus tried to melt back into the stones, but James stayed right there fully pressed up against Remus from chest to thigh.

"Oh, er." Remus huffed a little sound of nervous laughter. "Look, Prongs, I'm sorry, it's just-"

James grinned at him expectantly. Remus heaved a sigh and closed his eyes.

"It just whenever we...do these kinds of things," Remus whispered. "I get..."

"A great big stonking stiffy?"

Remus felt his cheeks blaze. Around the corner the argument has escalated with Filch screaming about incorrigible boys and the chains in his office.

"So," James purred up against his ear again. "Is it the danger in general? " He rocked his hips forward a little and Remus' eyes flew open. "Or just the thought of getting caught?"

"James," Remus hissed, trying to shove him back a little. James just laughed, grabbing Remus by the wrists and pinning them against the wall on either side of his head. Remus shivered at the feel of the hot breath against his neck. "Come on, Moony, answer me."

Remus glared at James, trying to convey the painful consequences this encounter would promise if James didn't let up, but James just ground against Remus again and watched him with a that stupid, cocky grin on his face.

"I don't know!" Remus whispered furiously. "Both! All right? "

"Shh," James said playfully. "They might hear us." He rolled their hips together again and then a second time and Remus had to bite his lip to keep from making a sound. When James did it a third time Remus couldn't help it, he did groan. The voices around the corner faltered and the sounds of steps headed their way.

James laughed silently against Remus' neck. The shudders from his laughter only making things worse, especially now that Remus could tell James was sporting his own erection and James was shifting quietly beneath the cloak to bring their groins in better alignment.

"Have you gone mad?" Remus said as softly as could, as Filch, Madame Sinistra, and a sullen looking Sirius came around the corner.

"You see, there's no one here, Argus," Madame Sinistra said. "And I've already told you that Sirius couldn't be the one you were chasing as he was with me for the last ten minutes."

Filch launched into another aggrieved complaint against Sirius as the three of them continued on down the corridor, and James began to grind against Remus in earnest. Another small moan slipped out and James looked up at Remus, his eyes dancing with excitement and mirth. Filch had stopped and looked back down the hall suspiciously. Sirius was also looking over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.

"Can't you keep quiet?" James whispered. He was full of breathless laughter again and Remus wanted to strangle him.

"Prongs, stop, they'll-"

James shut him up by shoving his tongue in Remus' mouth while he went back to thrusting with tight, measured clenching of his arse muscles. Remus was squirming against the wall, pushing against the hold on his wrists because the friction on his cock was driving him mad and he needed to do something. Despite the way James was kissing him the sounds Remus made came through louder and louder as James picked up the pace.

Thankfully, Filch and Sinistra had turned the corner with Sirius trailing after and Remus managed to hold his breath for almost a full minute, blood pounding in his ears, until James pulled his mouth away and groaned, "Moony," in Remus' ear. James kept thrusting and a few seconds later Remus came, too, expelling all the breath in his lungs with one long, loud cry.

This convulsed James again, and his chest vibrated against Remus' as he laughed. "Merlin, you're so noisy, Moony. Never would have expected it."

"Shut up." Remus scowled, though it was more for show than anything. The endorphins were still singing through his body.

"So, is this why you always ran away to bed or for a shower so quick after?" James whispered. "Dying to rub one off?"

"Plonker," Remus muttered, his cheeks blazing again. "Now, shove off and let's get back to the dorm." It was impossible to wrap his mind around what he and James had just done, and he wasn't sure he wanted to try.

"Moony, darling," James' teeth gleamed in the dim light. "Why so cold? Give us a kiss first, so I know you'll still respect me in the morning."

Remus snorted, but James planted his mouth on Remus' again and despite the fact that they were quite alone at this point, Remus let him.

The next time it happened was Peter's birthday. Peter had finally been forgiven for going off to take a piss when he'd been on lookout duty (he swore he'd only slipped into a rat hole for a moment), and he was making the most of being in everyone's good graces again.

James and Remus were lying in wait in the alcove behind the Unicorn Tapestry in the Transfiguration corridor. The seventh year Ravenclaws would be heading in to McGonagall's class soon, and they were planning on hexing Bertram Aubrey's head to twice its original size in retaliation for a rather snide comment he had made to Wormtail in front of Mary MacDonald last week in Charms.

Peter, who had gone red and fumbled his chance to ask Mary to the next Hogsmeade weekend, had wanted them to hex off Aubrey's bollocks. They had begged off going to that extreme, though.

"Last time we got three weeks detention for that," James had reminded him, though Sirius had grumbled that it wasn't fair since they'd got them fixed back on all right.

Peter had been pleased enough with their alternative. "Serves him right," he had said spitefully. "His head barely fits through a door as it is."

So Sirius and Peter were putting in a very visible appearance in front of lots of witnesses to draw suspicion away from the four of them. Since James was Head Boy now and Remus could fake the upright little school boy angle better than anyone they had drawn hexing duty.

James peeked out around the tapestry. "They're coming." He sent a quick tripping jinx to break up the crowd of Ravenclaws and when he had a clear shot at Aubrey he shot another spell to split the seam on his bag.

"Go ahead," Aubrey called to his friends, and he knelt down to gather up his things.

Remus peered around and waited until Aubrey was on his feet again. With a muttered word he flicked his wand, adding a peculiar little twist at the end, and he started counting down. "Five, four, three, two..."

A dull thud sounded in the hallway as Aubrey attempted to enter the Transfiguration classroom. His enlarged head had made excellent and unexpected contact with the top of the doorframe. Aubrey shrieked and then there was a moment of silence before the classroom erupted into laughter. McGongall's voice rose above the noise trying to quiet them. James and Remus doubled over, snorting laughter in their hands.

"Nice time delay, Moony." James gasped. "Merlin, Pete will be sorry he didn't get to see this himself."

"Mm," Remus agreed. "But it wouldn't do for him to get caught lurking about on his birthday. He'd go spare if he had to spend tonight in detention."

"Speaking of getting caught." Smirking, James straightened and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Oh. No. James..." Remus made a sudden dart toward the edge of the tapestry, but James grabbed the front of his robes and hauled him back. "Oh, yes, Moony," James said, grinning madly as pushed the struggling Remus into the furthest recesses of the alcove.

"We've got History of Magic, you pillock!" Remus hissed. "And McGonagall is right there!"

"I know. Exciting isn't it?" James didn't bother waiting for a reply, he just shoved Remus up against the wall and worked his knee in between his legs, smiling in triumph as he felt the proof of Remus' excitement.

"James!" Remus was not going to be molested, not five feet away from McGonagall's classroom. He opened his mouth to say that when Aubrey came through the door, being helped by two of his classmates.

"Be care-duck, Mr. Aubrey!" McGonagall followed after them. "Do be careful, Stebbins. Take him straight to Madame Pomfrey, and don't let his head overbalance. He'll strain his neck."

The distraction gave James a chance to mutter a spell and Remus found his wrists stuck to the wall above his head. McGonagall was still there watching Aubrey's slow progress down the corridor, so Remus was only able to glare fiercely at James as he grinned in return, completely unfazed, and worked his tie loose from his collar.

"Think you can be quiet today or do I need to gag you?" James whispered.

Remus' eyes widened and he made an embarrassingly choked sound as James dangled the tie in front of his face.

"Gag, then," James mouthed the words with a mischievous wink, then unceremoniously stuffed the tie into Remus' mouth and shoved Remus' trousers down to his knees. James wrapped his warm, calloused hand around both their cocks and wanked them feverishly to completion as the drone of McGonagall's lecture on advance human transfiguration filtered out the open door.

When it happened a few more times in the space of a couple of weeks, Remus began to realize that James was going out of his way to get them in these situations. Remus was never sure anymore if a study session in the library wouldn't end up with him being be pulled into the Restricted Section and shoved against the shelves with James' palm pressed tight over his mouth to evade detection from the sharp ears of Madame Pince. Once, he'd even accosted Remus in their dormitory shower with only a simple locking charm separating them from Sirius and Peter who were lounging on their beds on the other side of the door.

And just this past weekend during the morning Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw match he'd dragged Remus underneath the bleachers because Peter had been on the Hufflepuff side with Mary MacDonald and Sirius had fallen fast asleep on the bench, open-mouthed and snoring, because of the quantity of firewhiskey he'd consumed the night before.

They hadn't even had the invisibility cloak, and if they looked up through the scaffolding they could see feet and legs and the sweep of cloaks as the students and professors shuffled and stomped and jumped up to cheer. The sound of the crowd roared overhead and for once they didn't have to worry about the noises Remus made as James tied Remus' wrists together behind his back with his Gryffindor scarf and pushed him down to his knees.

"Suck me," James had said, opening his flies and pushing into Remus' eager mouth.

It couldn't last, Remus knew, because James was still working every angle with Lily, and Remus could tell that she was softening. It was only a matter of time until she gave in and gave James a chance. Sometimes Remus thought that was what brought on the sudden frenzy of encounters with James, though they had never talked about it. It was just something that happened, something they did. Something incredibly exciting and arousing and addictive. Remus honestly didn't expect more, though he did wonder, with a little twinge, what it was going to be like to go from whatever it was they were doing to absolutely nothing.

And then it did happen. Lily agreed to go on the next Hogsmeade visit with James, and Remus had joined Sirius and Peter in congratulating him and joking about how many times he would be hexed by Lily before the end of the date. He was happy for James, really. The small internal sigh he allowed himself was understandable, he told himself, as well as the flicker of jealousy and envy he couldn't quite damp down. But he would get used to it.

Over the next week he found himself able to visit the library and actually study there without interruption. He gained no more intimate acquaintances with various broom cupboards around school, and any night time kitchen runs involved the much more familiar pairing of James and Sirius with Peter tagging along and Remus staying back in their room to study.

Even the few times he and James had found themselves alone nothing untoward had happened. That was why, when Remus was working on his herbology project in Greenhouse Two one evening before meal, he wasn't alarmed when he heard the sound of the greenhouse door open and shut behind him. Through the glass panes he noticed how low the sun now sat in the sky, then he glanced over his shoulder to see James slouching against the door in his Quidditch gear. He was wearing a typically insouciant grin.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Hullo, James. Good practice?"

"Brill," James said, pushing off the door and sauntering toward Remus. "You about done here?"

"Almost." Remus brushed his hair out of his eyes, leaving a streak of dirt across his nose and forehead. "Just need to clean up."

"I rather like you dirty," James said, setting his broom aside and moving up behind him. His Quidditch leathers creaked as he wrapped his arm around Remus' middle and pulled him back against him.

"Prongs?" Remus asked, uncertain, craning around to see James' expression. "What are you doing?"

"I wanted..." James pressed his mouth to the back of Remus' neck and shaped a wet kiss there. "I wanted one more time with you." And then his teeth scraped Remus, nipping up the column of his throat. Remus could smell sweat and earth and ozone and his heart beat a little faster as he let himself press back into James' solid warmth.

"Is it okay?" James murmured, as if he had ever waited for permission before.

"Lily?"

"We're not together yet," James said.

It was enough for Remus, though it probably shouldn't have been, and more than he was expecting. He nodded, twisting around to face James, and James gave him a smile that made Remus' stomach do a slow roll. He still wasn't expecting it when James pushed him onto the potting table and vanished his clothes.

"Incarcerous," James said and slender ropes flew from his wand to coil around Remus' wrists and stretch his arms to separate corners of the table.

.Oh, God. Remus was caught between a surge of pure lust and excitement and the horrible vulnerability of his position. "We're in a glass building, James," Remus gasped, swallowing to ease the dryness in his throat. The scent of turned earth got stronger as Remus tested the strength of the ropes holding him to the table and the scattered soil beneath him ground into his skin.

"I know." James smiled wickedly and climbed up on the table.

"Can you...can you, obscure the panes at least?" Remus asked a bit desperately, but with not much hope.

"No."

James pushed Remus' legs apart and crawled between them until he could brace both arms on either side of Remus' head and lean down and kiss him. Remus strained up into the kiss, fingers curling and releasing as James sucked on his tongue and lips until Remus was hard and panting.

James raised up, staring at Remus with a hungry, half-lidded look that shot straight to Remus' cock. "Can I fuck you, Remus?"

Mutely, Remus nodded, noting distantly the way his chest hitched and fell as James watched him. He must have gone to practice prepared for this, Remus realized, because James took a small jar out of his robes and coated his fingers in the glistening oil and then his fingers were pushing inside Remus. Remus gasped as James worked them in past the tight ring of muscle.

"Moony," James breathed, watching the play of expression across Remus' face. He had his fingers pushed in as deep as they would go and he had begun to slowly thrust them in and out, Remus wide-eyed and moaning underneath him, when the greenhouse door banged open and Sirius walked in.

The blood drained out of Remus' face as he rolled his head to the side to look at Sirius while James' fingers went still inside him. The look on Sirius' face spoke volumes to Remus, though. Sirius knew. There wasn't any evidence of anger or surprise or disgust or any of those kinds of things. No, what Remus saw made him go a little dizzy even though he was lying down. Spread out and naked and waiting to be fucked, his mind whispered.

"Sorry, Prongs," Sirius said in a voice that didn't sound anything like him-low and hoarse. "I couldn't wait."

But the smile Remus recognized as Sirius swept his eyes over the tableaux that he and James made. It was the smile that Sirius always wore when he was bent on getting something he wanted, and Heaven protect anyone who got in his way.

"Padfoot was a bit upset about being left out," James leaned down to whisper in a pretense of secrecy. "So I invited him along. Do you mind?" The sudden twist of James fingers inside him made Remus arch up and groan and Sirius' eyes went dark and feral above him. He dove in, leaning over the table to lick his way inside Remus' mouth.

"Fuck," Sirius groaned. "You look-" He pressed their mouths together again, swallowing Remus' moans as James fucked him with his fingers.

"I told you he was brilliant like this," James said, pulling his fingers out slowly, then deftly working at the fastenings of his flies. "Such a dirty little boy, our Moony."

Sirius raised his head and grinned down at Remus. "It would seem so, Prongs. I'm sorry for doubting you." Remus blushed.

"Have him suck you," James said as he lazily slicked his cock with the oil from the jar, smirking as Remus' eyes flew to his. "He's got quite a talent for that."

Sirius lit up and he took a moment to sweep his gaze over Remus before moving to the head of the table and tugging Remus by the upper arms until he was right at the edge of the table. Remus' arms were bent now and his head just tilted down, clear of the table edge so that Sirius could kneel up on the bench, and braced against the table with both hands, push his cock between Remus' open lips.

James shuffled closer and pushed up Remus' knees, nudging the head of his cock against Remus' oiled hole and breaching him in one slow glide. Remus' throaty moans were muffled around Sirius' cock, and Sirius moaned, as well, watching Remus' cheeks fill and hollow as Sirius fucked his mouth with gentle thrusts.

Remus was drowning in the sensation of being caught between them, pinned and on display, filled in both ends, the head of his cock slapping against his stomach as James drove into him with rough, steady grunts and struggling for air around the thick heat of Sirius' cock.

"Yeah, that's it," James said breathlessly. "He loves it. Don't you, Moony?" James snapped his hips faster. "Being held down...tied up...where anyone could see...begging to be sucked or fucked."

Remus could only lock his ankles tighter around his waist and dig his heels into James' back, silently asking for more, for James to touch him, wrap a hand around his aching cock.

"Show us how much you love it," James murmured, and Remus could only suck harder at Sirius' cock, twisting his tongue around the shaft as best he could to please him and finally just taking it as Sirius' shuddered and pushed deep one last time. The taste of his come filled Remus' mouth and he struggled to swallow as Sirius slowly withdrew, panting as he dropped his forehead to rest against Remus' shoulder.

"Yeah, fuck," James groaned, finally reaching down to stroke Remus and driving into him hard enough to shift him forward on the table. Sirius raised his head to watch, mesmerized by the sight of James's cock disappearing into Remus' arse. Then he bent his head and met Remus in an upside-down kiss; messy and wild, all thrashing tongues and wet slide of swollen lips. Remus' cock pulsed in James' hand, spurting ropey white come across his belly. James followed, his climax rocking through him as Remus spasmed around him.

After several long moments James crawled up over Remus' hips, stared at him a moment, then wound his fingers through Remus hair and kissed him breathless. Remus knew it was the last one, but lying there, sore and spent, with Sirius gently rubbing the red marks the ropes had left on his wrists, Remus was content.

The Hogsmeade trip went much better than any of them expected, Lily included, Remus suspected. James had escorted Lily to the Three Broomsticks and Sirius, Peter, and Remus had mostly given them their privacy. Though Sirius couldn't resist making faces at James behind Lily's back until he'd lost his composure and broken down into undignified snorting giggles. Remus had dragged him and Peter away after that to replenish their stock of Honeyduke's sweets.

Later that day, when Peter begged off to go meet Mary MacDonald at Madame Puddifoot's for tea, he and Sirius had spotted Lily leading James into Scrivenshaft's. James had grinned at them over his shoulder and his eyes met Remus' for a moment, holding his gaze until Sirius slung an arm around Remus' shoulders and tugged him close. James' grin turned knowing and he gave them nod before following Lily through the door.

"You're mine now," Sirius said under his breath as students pushed by them on the sidewalk, and the promise in his voice sent a happy shiver down Remus' spine. All of a sudden Remus had to laugh, an open, carefree sound that had Sirius laughing with him. Then his eyes lit up with mischief and he pulled Remus into the alleyway behind the store.