Hi all, here's the latest installment. As usual, Joule belongs to me. Nothing else. Feel free to scream, shout, whisper, holler, comment, mutter, or just say something! The freedom of speech is highly enforced here.

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"Bad news." James mumbled around a waffle at breakfast in the Great Hall the next morning. His eyes were focused on the morning's edition of the Daily Prophet, laid out in front of him, its corners drenched in syrup. "Next electrical storm isn't looking to be soon. The weather witches are predicting sunny skies for the next few weeks."

I groaned, putting my head down into my arms on the table. Sirius patted my head in sympathy, as he sipped his pumpkin juice.

"But I have my potion ready and everything." I whined, very much aware at how whiny I sounded. "Everything's ready, except for the buggering storm part. I wish I could help you guys out tonight with Moony."

"Patience, young grasshopper." Sirius said. "You can't rush the process, as thoroughly frustrating as it is, because, trust me, love, I know. You'll able to transform soon enough, and then we can play."

"Padfoot is right." James turned the page of his newspaper. "Merlin, didn't we have to wait two months for our own electrical storm? It was torture, but it'll happen, Joule. I must say, I am disappointed you will not be joining the hoofed club, but I suppose I'll have to live with the knowledge that you'll be just another canine in the group. So unoriginal, by the way."

"Yeah, you definitely missed out." Peter piped up, slurping his yogurt. "You have no idea how easy it is to roam the castle now without an Invisibility Cloak. No one ever looks down to notice the little creatures."

"Well, now I definitely will." I said, still muffled by my arms. My disappointment was still at an all-time high; all I could picture was my silver wolf prancing across the Room of Requirement. I wanted to be an Animagus now!

"Good morning, everyone!" A beaming Lily appeared in front of us, standing with books in her arms. She was practically glowing, she was such in a good mood. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

We all stared at her wide-eyed for a moment, before James burst into action.

"Definitely, definitely is." He said exuberantly, ruffling his black hair into disarray. Noting that she carried a muffin in her hand, he sprang to his feet and tossed his bookbag over his shoulder. "Skipping breakfast? Can I walk you to class, my dea—Lily?"

"That sounds nice." Her green eyes brightened, then abruptly widened as Prongs sprang over the table and snatched her books from her arms.

"I can carry those for you, no problem." He panted a bit at their weight. (Lily was a star student, after all.) "Where to?"

"I have Arithmancy in the mornings with Professor Elvira." Unconsciously, she started to twirl a strand of her hair with her finger. "It's nice to start off the day with some calculations. It's fascinating stuff really. The amount of power numbers can have over our life is so interesting to learn about. Remus understands; he's in the same class with me."

Glancing over our segment of the Gryffindor table, she frowned. "Did he not come down for breakfast this morning?"

We all managed to stifle our nervous glances to each other. Or at least, James, Sirius and I did. I saw Peter flinch out of the corner of my eye.

"Out with the flu." Sirius drawled. "Pomphrey's got him locked up, until he isn't contagious anymore. Poor bloke has the worst of luck, really. Need to keep him in a bubble or something."

"Maybe you could make a copy of your notes for him?" I suggested, quite helpfully I thought. "For when he gets out and feels better, of course. You know how meticulous he is with his classes."

"Of course." Lily agreed, and then straightened up. "I'll charm a second quill with a Me-Too spell, so he can have a copy. Professor Elvira was saying there might be a quiz soon anyways."

We all sighed in relief silently, as Lily pondered the likelihood of Remus missing a possible quiz.

"Well, I hope he gets better soon." She said, with a tiny frown. "We really must do something to help him; I really do think there might be a potion to strengthen his immune system that I can look into…"

"Shall we?" James held out his arm to her in a very gentlemanly-like fashion, while simultaneously breaking her train of thought. "The clock is ticking and the owls are hooting."

"Oh…yes." Lily fought to hide a blush as she took his arm gingerly. I nearly failed to smother a laugh at her dazed expression; the way they affected each other was simply too entertaining. "Let's go then. I'll see the rest of you later!"

"Bye!" Peter and I chimed.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, lovebirds." Sirius called out to their backs with a smirk. In response, Lily shot him a glare over her shoulder, while James peeked back to wink at his mate.

"Crazy kids…" I muttered, watching them scamper off happily together. James's chest seemed abnormally puffed out like some strange, majestic tropical bird. It was hard to believe that only a week ago that Lily had actively avoided him with the fire of a thousand suns.

"The craziest." Sirius agreed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "And shall we be off as well, my fellow partners in crime?"

"But of course, good sir." I sang, then looped my arm in his. Sirius smirked down at me, and tugged me closer to his side. "Pete, come join our jolly chain. Now, let's go onward ho!"

And with that, Sirius, Peter, and I skipped arm in arm through the corridors to our classes, until we reached the main staircase. The boys had taken Divination as an elective, whereas I'd chosen to go with something a tad more interesting – Ancient Runes. Let's just say that after being raised by two Muggle scientists, I wasn't that trusting of psychics.

"As much as it pains me, we must leave you now, m'lady." Sirius twirled me out of the hand chain, then grasped my hand lightly. Looking at me with his gray swirled eyes, he planted a light kiss on the top of it. "Until the next time we meet."

The flutters started again. I ignored them, but maybe just enjoyed their feeling just a little bit.

"Kind sir, however will I repay you?" I fake-swooned, my hand to my forehead. Peter laughed as I staggered toward the nearest wall, clutching it for support.

"Fair maiden, perform a prank in my name, and all debts will be repaid." Sirius said solemnly, yet with a twinkle in his eye. "Nothing more and nothing less will do."

"But of course, I will rise to the challenge. Good day." I tipped my imaginary hat, and watched Sirius smirk at me and tip his likewise imaginary hat back at me, then nudge Peter up the stairs to their dreaded elective in the attic. Seemed like a waste of energy to me to climb all those steps for a few foggy moments in a crystal ball, but that's just me.

Whispering softly to myself, I swished my wand and a paper sign appeared on Sirius's back with the classic phrase: "Ask me anything. I'm SERIOUS."

My lips quirked as I saw a couple of First Years behind him, muttering to themselves, probably debating if they should ask him a question.

My smile soon turned to a grimace when the black-haired boy in question reached around without looking, and crumpled the paper in his hand. Almost as if he predicted that would be my first move.

"Amateur!" He shouted at me, continuing his ascent. Tossing the crumpled paper ball behind him, it hit one of the First Years in the face, causing him to shake his head like a confused puppy.

"Just testing you!" I yelled back, then chuckled and turned down the corridor for Ancient Runes. I'd need to think of an excellent prank for Sirius – it would take some strategic planning, since a) he was an experienced prankster himself and b) he knew me better than the back of his hand. It would take some thought, but I'd get it done. James would come in handy as an accomplice but I didn't trust that he wouldn't rat me out to Padfoot. Likewise, Peter couldn't keep a secret for the life of him.

It would have to be Remus, I thought to myself, plotting out the prank's scope. He'd be a trustworthy resource to have; after all, he kept a lifelong secret to himself 24/7 – it was second nature to him. As soon as his monthly furry episode was over, I would bring it up and brainstorm with him for some good ideas.

I was so deep into plotting out my future prank, that I didn't notice the figure rushing towards me at an ungodly speed. A.k.a. the breakneck speed of a Hogwarts student very, extremely, hurriedly late to class.

One second, I was thinking of Moaning Myrtle's possible involvement, and the next second, the rushing figure collided into me. Our bags both flew open and spilled their contents over the floor, showering our fallen bodies with books, paper, and ink.

"Ouch." I said, rubbing my head, which had collided with some unknown body of the figure's. By the feel of the rapidly growing knot, I suppose I'd collided with their own skull. Also, by the wet feeling in my hair, a pot full of ink had somehow spilled on me.

"Sorry." The figure muttered, scraping a few rolls of parchment from the stone floor, before his eyes flickered up to meet mine. Severus Snape stared back at me, down his rather large nose, and his lip soon curled in disgust.

"It happens." I replied. I watched him warily, as I rose to my feet, collecting my own personal effects from the ground.

My own relationship with Snape was shaky at best. I didn't outright hate him like James and Sirius – I merely joined in the merriment when he deserved it. When he'd come to Hogwarts, he'd had a strange sort of friendship with Lily at first, so I tolerated him despite his condescending comments. However, last year when he'd blatantly called Lily a mudblood, that's when I put my foot down and started to actively dislike him, especially when he started hanging around the abusive group of Slytherins that mockingly called themselves the Death Eaters. Reggie, of course, was a part of this same group – because Merlin forbid that either he nor Snape rebel against the evil Slytherin stereotype.

It annoyed me somewhat. It seemed like the easy way out; the simple way to survive in that House.

"Lost your pack of idiots?" Snape sneered, as he shoved several books and quills into his bookbag. Given at the rushing speed he was doing it with, it seemed like he was eager to get away from me. A sentiment that I shared entirely.

"Hardy har har." I deadpanned, reaching for a book that had fallen in a nearby corner, and flipped it over to see the cover. "You know, you really shouldn't do comedy for a living. You don't have the right—"

My mouth fell open at the book's title. It was a third edition copy of Pride and Prejudice, looking battered yet still solidly well-read and well-loved. Not only was it a well-known romance novel, it was a Muggle book of all things.

And it wasn't mine.

Speechless, I held out the book to Snape, who snatched it out of my hand quickly. Unusually, he'd turned a strange tomato sort of red in the face, and avoided to meet my eyes.

"Some light reading for class." He said lowly, keeping his gaze to the ground as he gathered the final bits and pieces that remained.

"Odd, I didn't know that you took Muggle Studies." I squinted at his flinch and subsequent lip curl at the mention of the subject. "Unless you don't. Unless a certain Muggleborn gave you that book."

I didn't say Lily's name out loud. He understood exactly what I was getting at.

"Mind your own business." He snarled, shoving his bookbag closed after his final quill was dumped inside. With a whip of his greasy hair, he strode past me, power walking to his next class.

"You still care about her, don't you?" I turned around to watch him stop at my words. "Even after you called her that awful name?"

His shoulder twitched, but Snape refused to turn around and face me.

"That's nice." I continued, buttoning up my own bookbag. "But she's happier than she's been for a while. You should just leave her alone. It's better that way."

With that statement, Severus Snape turned towards me. A large vein in his forehead was pulsing, I could see from the short distance we were away from each other.

"Does it ever bother you," Snape said, "how much you rely on him?"

Once again, names weren't needed. I knew exactly the crafty, black-haired, gray-eyed, rebellious Marauder that he was talking about.

"He's my best friend." I replied, crossing my arms. "I'd trust him with my life."

Snape regarded me coolly. "She was my best friend."

I blinked, internally shocked by his words. So the nasty Slytherin did have a semblance of a heart. "Then make it right. Apologize to her. Be the better wizard."

He shook his head slightly. "It's not that easy. You don't understand what's going on."

"Oh, I understand alright." I growled, striding up to him and poking him in the chest. "I understand that your little group of Slytherins has some standards that dearest Lily doesn't live up to. You don't have to go along with it. You don't have to be a part of it. It's your choice, you know."

"Don't," he hissed, jerking back, "touch me. And don't think for a second that you understand this world. You weren't born into it. You can't even begin to comprehend the intricacies of the bloodlines involved. Some things you can't change, they just are."

I stepped back from him. "If that's how you feel, go ahead. But for someone you care about, you should be able to do anything for them, no matter what."

Before I turned away to head to class, I witnessed an odd look cross his face – a crinkled brow of confusion and regret, mixed with a distant stubbornness. He was certainly a strange one – different from the rest of the Slytherins, and I had a feeling that Lily had noticed it years ago.

Don't get me wrong – I wanted James and Lily together, but I also couldn't shake the thought that somehow Severus Snape had an important role in Lily's life.

Shaking my head, I ducked into my Ancient Runes class and slid into my seat, after apologizing to Professor Romanoff for my tardiness. I pulled out some spare parchment to take notes with, along with my trusty quill, but I couldn't seem to focus on the lesson – whether hieroglyphs in China indicated that Atlantis existed or not.

I idly doodled a fisherman on the corner of my parchment, when words began appearing beside it unbidden.

Joule? The note asked.

All of us Marauders knew the spell to communicate with each other in our classes, but the precise tiny handwriting informed me that this particular request was coming from the infamous Remus Lupin himself. It was a rarity, really. Typically, Remus focused more in class than the rest of us, ignoring our pleas for distraction in favor of listening to Professor Flitwick yap about the benefits of Cheering Charms.

In this case, he was supposed to be tucked away in bed in the Hospital Wing, until he'd be transferred to his hideaway beneath the Whomping Willow tonight, right behind the moon rose fully in the sky. James called it his 'Furry Place', but the moniker 'Shrieking Shack' had been adopted by the rest of the Hogwarts students, as Remus wasn't especially non-vocal during his transformations.

I, on the other hand, had historically kept up 2 simultaneously games of hangman with James and Sirius, a side bar conversation with Lily, and a doodle-off with Peter.

What can I say? We got bored quite often.

Moony, you're supposed to be in bed resting! I chided him. What's wrong?

I don't know… Something feels off, different. I feel as if I've forgotten something.

Have you taken the Calming Draughts that Pomphrey's given you?

Yes, of course. My wol—Moony is just on edge. It's like I can feel him pacing back and forth. I think…he's… waiting for something to happen.

It was always interesting to hear Remus talk about his wolf; it was as if Moony was an entirely separate being from him, cognizant of the world and fully aware but hidden most of the time. Sometimes when I looked at Remus, I swear I saw a hint of yellow lurking in his eyes, and I'd always wondered if it was Moony looking back out at me.

Everything's going to be fine, Remus. James, Sirius, and Peter will be with you as usual, and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning with some breakfast in the Hospital Wing. I'll even remember to bring you some waffles with extra bacon, your favorite.

There was a pause before Remus responded, the words scrawling out hesitantly.

I don't want to hurt anyone, Joule.

I took a deep breath, then put my quill to the parchment. Writing forcefully, trying to convey my faith and confidence in my friend through every letter.

Then don't. Tell Moony to settle down and hush up, because you're the one in control here. Plus, before you know it, I'll probably be by your side next month, helping out the rest of the guys take care of you. Breathe.

Trying. He replied, scribbling. But thank you, I appreciate it. We'll see how Moony reacts me giving the orders for a change. See you in the morning.

See you in the morning. I responded. You got this.

Doodling wolf eyes for the next ten minutes, time flew until Professor Romanoff let out our class. I scraped my supplies into my bag, and joined the crowd of students en route to their next class. I'd gotten as far as the Main Staircase, when I was stopped and squished into a traffic jam of unmoving bodies, muttering and cheering in excitement. Various yells and shouts of encouragement could be heard, echoing off the castle walls, but I couldn't make out exactly what they were saying.

Irritated, I squeezed around two Ravenclaws and a fellow underclassman Gryffindor, when I nearly reached the front of the crowd, circled around the spectacle in question. A duel.

Surprise, surprise on who was front and center.

Bet you ten Galleons that you couldn't guess.

"Levicorpus!" Sirius snarled, hurtling the hex towards the one and only Severus Snape.

Wordlessly, Snape countered the spell with a flick of his wand, sneering. I was slightly impressed – we'd only begun nonverbal magic in our classes; it was extremely advanced.

"Did you really think that'd work twice?" Snape said lowly, then fired off another nonverbal spell towards my fellow Marauder. Sirius dodged it with a skip in his step, using the Great Staircase as a hurdle. He landed almost catlike (he'd kill me for saying that) and shot off a muttered Stupefy under his breath, sending a burst of red light towards Snape's torso.

Parrying again, Snape fired back a blue buzzing curse, that Sirius barely blocked in time with a shielding spell. The duel was looking surprisingly evenly matched, despite James and Sirius' various scathing remarks about Snape's magic.

Several oohs and ahhs rose from the crowd as the light show continued. Judging from the sweat on Sirius's forehead, they'd been at it long before I'd stumbled upon their little fight.

"Amusing, isn't it?" An unfortunately familiar smooth voice sounded from my side.

I turned to face the other Black brother, who was observing the duel with a very amused look on his face. He always kept himself tidier than Sirius did. Slicked back hair, whereas Sirius's ran wild. An ironed look to his clothes, where Sirius's were always slightly rumpled yet stylish. And yet their Black features were too similar to dismiss – their silky black hair, their gray eyes, their straight and proud Pureblood nose.

It was almost funny how dissimilar their personalities made them complete opposites.

"Bringing back memories of our own recent duel?" I drawled, choosing not to rise to his baited question. Best to draw the offensive instead. "I seem to remember a certain suit of armor crashing down on you very amusing."

"And perhaps this duel might lead to the same conclusion." Regulus mused, his eyes watching the fight passively. "Ending with a Black on his back. It's certainly seeming like it at the moment."

Out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed Sirius choosing the unfortunate moment to get hit by a spell, causing boils to appear rapidly on his left leg. Shaking it off, he fired a wide hex that missed the mark by a few feet. Snape continued to fire a battery of curses in return, that Sirius continued to parry.

"He's fine." I replied curtly, only slightly frowning at Sirius's limp.

"He's rusty." Regulus said coolly. "He's been getting soft lately."

"You're one to talk." I said monotone, trying to tamper down on my inner anger, by attempting to block him out of my sight to end the conversation. Reggie always did know how to get on my nerves.

"Not going in to save him?" I could hear the implied smirk in his voice.

Sirius would kill me if I'd ever intervene in one of his duels, much less any of the other Marauders. We had each other's backs, but when push comes to shove, duels were a personal item among us. Even now, I could see James and Peter at the edges of the crowd, whooping Sirius on in support. Lily, beside James (of course), merely resigned herself to the occasional eye roll, though I spotted her giving Snape a few concerned glances when curses passed him close.

"It may surprise you to hear this," the smooth voice carried on, as if there hadn't been a pause. "But Mother is looking to make a stand to take back her firstborn."

I whipped my head towards him, dropping the ignoring act. "Excuse me?"

"She's been rather irritable since his…departure." Regulus chose his wording carefully, without misstep. "One might call her distraught if you didn't know her well."

"She blew him off the family tree." I growled at him. "And you expect me to believe that she's 'distraught?' Please. Walburga could care less about him."

A rogue spell from the duel hit the column near us and sent pieces of marble flying our way. Muttering a shield spell, I deflected the shrapnel from hitting us, namely a large chunk that was headed towards Regulus's face. He didn't even blink as my Protego spell enveloped us briefly in a blue dome, although his lips quirked a bit.

"If you haven't noticed by now, we Blacks are extraordinarily possessive of the people and items that we own. It's not in our nature to give them up." He smirked at me. "Haven't you learned that from my brother yet?"

"Is there a reason why you're telling me all this?" I countered, ignoring his jab. "Aren't I supposed to be beneath your regard as a lowly Muggleborn? I find it hard to believe that you were throwing Unforgivable curses at me last week, and now you're warning me about the inside scoop of the Black family. Why should I listen to a single word you're saying?"

Blasts from the spells of the duel sounded behind me, but my eyes were solely focused on Reggie. He looked down at me for a long few seconds, and cocked his head slightly.

"Do you ever wonder," he started, "why Sirius's left hand twitches whenever he's asleep?"

I'd wondered many times myself, but figured it was a tick he couldn't get rid of. Getting frustrated with Reggie's evasiveness, I butted in. "Enough with the chit chat, Reg – why don't you actually answer –"

"Our mother," Regulus spoke over me, "used to test our magical potential at a young age, to see who was the strongest wizard. She used to make us compete against each other. Winner would get dessert. Loser would get the Cruciatus curse. I was the younger and more unexperienced, but I never lost."

A rising dread crept up inside me, imagining the torture Sirius had gone through, and I paled. What type of mother could inflict that much pain upon her children?

"I should have lost." Regulus continued in a low voice. "Every single time. But Sirius never let me. Do you understand?"

A loud cry rang from down the hallway. "McGonagall's coming!"

In response, students of every year scattered from the dueling grounds (including James and Lily), and my eyes shot to Sirius. Somehow, he'd ended up beside Snape, wand down, and whispering in his ear. Snape had a curious look on his face, and he shoved Sirius away a second later with a sneer.

"Good dueling with you, Snivellus!" Sirius sang, ruffling his hair as he slipped down the hallway. Snape watched him go for a second, then headed in the opposite direction, towards the Slytherin dungeons.

I turned back to Regulus who was watching me with dark eyes.

"I understand," I said.