A/N: Hi, so this is a little different from the previous chapters because it focuses more on Remus than Harry, but he is there, at the end. I hope you guys like it! I've been sooooo encouraged by the response from this story – seriously, you guys are the best. This was supposed to be a two chapter fic, but you guys make me want to keep adding to it and I keep having new ideas I want to add to it! This will probably have another two chapters, but I'm about to have exams so I'm not sure when those will actually be written!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

MHMHMHMHMHMH

5 times Remus helped James pretend to be Hagrid and 1 time he helped Harry

Remus is eleven, and he has no idea why he's doing this. This was Sirius's idea. Sirius stole the coat. Sirius got James all excited about it. Sirius...had detention. And now James was too excited to wait and he'd begged and cajoled and begged again and Remus couldn't quite say no to his messy-haired dorm-mate who called him a friend and appeared to actually like him!

So here he is, not in the library writing his first charms essay since arriving at Hogwarts, but hiding behind a tree on the grounds, with James Potter balanced very precariously on his shoulders. Despite James's boasts about being an amazing quidditch player (which, from their first flying class, looked likely to be true), any balancing skill he had on a broom did not seem to extend to balancing on socked feet on skinny shoulders. The only thing that was vaguely helping was a very badly cast third-year balancing charm a helpful prefect had taught Remus. The fact that they both have Hagrids trench-coat draped over them is not helping. Nor is the fact that, even standing one on top of the other, the coat was still dragging on the ground. The fact that Peter had applied a sticking charm to the front of the coat to hide them (and incidentally render Remus completely blind) was also seriously not helping. Remus had tried to unstick it, but James had almost fallen off his shoulders protesting that no-one would believe they were Hagrid if there were eyes looking out of his stomach.

Remus personally didn't think that anyone was going to think they were Hagrid anyway. He also thought that the likelihood of them even making it safely around the grounds was very, very low. It was going to be a miracle if they didn't fall into the lake.

"Remus?"

Remus Lupin had known James Potter for less than a month, but he already knew that that tone of voice was not a good sign. He wondered if whatever it was would go away if he didn't answer, but given this was James, it wasn't very likely.

"Ye-es?"

"I've dropped my glasses."

Remus stopped. He took a deep breath. He let it out. "Where?"

"I don't know, I can't see the ground properly."

"Where's your wand?"

"I put it in one of the coat pockets."

"Can you get it out?"

"My arms don't reach the end of the sleeves."

Remus took another deep breath.

"Remus?"

"Ye-es?"

"There's a big black blurry thing running at us."

Remus paused, he could distantly hear barking. "Is it Hagrids dog?"

"Maybe."

"Did you take the dog biscuits out of the pockets?"

"Maybe?"

"Oh dear" said Remus, shortly before something big and heavy bowled into his legs and they devolved into a tangle of arms, legs, coat and inquisitive boar-hound puppy.

MHMHMHMHMH

Remus is thirteen, and he has no idea why he's doing this. This was Sirius's suggestion again and the least he could do is to take part, but it turns out that the thirteen year old isn't strong enough yet to take James' weight, and given his balance was even worse than James's, they had decided someone else needed to be involved. They had then suddenly remembered that Remus was significantly stronger than both of them and had promptly turned up in the library where he had been perfectly happy researching cloth to metal transfigurations. Remus of course had been rather sceptical about Sirius's 'brilliant idea' that needed him to 'come right now, come on!' and protested that he needed to finish his homework. James and Sirius however had then come to the unfortunate conclusion that Remus needed to get out and 'live a little Remus, the library's rotting your brain!', and had gotten them all kicked out by Madam Pince.

So here Remus was again, with James's socked feet on his shoulders (wearing new socks because Remus had taken one whiff of his old pair and threatened to jinx him into next month) and a trench-coat charmed shut in his face. At least this time the boy balanced on his shoulders had charmed his glasses to stick to his face. And at least they now knew (and could actually cast) a decent balancing charm that at least reduced the likelihood of them both breaking their necks. And at the very least, while the trouble-brothers were focussed on imitating Hagrid and winding up innocent first-years (well, Remus assumes they are innocent anyway given the Marauders first year was anything but) they were not focussed on whatever project had them shoving books with titles like 'A detailed anatomical study of deer' under the bed whenever he came in. Remus had a bad feeling about that project. There could not possibly be a good reason that Sirius 'live in the moment' Black and James 'the library is toxic' Potter would want to research anatomy. The fact that even Peter wouldn't tell him what the project was only solidified Remus's impression that this project was going to make him question whether all his friends needed to be committed to St. Mungo's long-term ward for the mentally-unstable.

"JAMES"

Oh dear, that sounded like Sirius. And Remus was pretty sure he that other sound was running footsteps too. Above his head James stopped telling another poor first year about the restless spirit that occupied the whomping-willow and preyed on those foolish enough to venture near. They both shifted nervously.

"Minnie's coming! RUN!"

Remus resisted the urge to sigh, and turned round and started making his way back towards Hagrids hut as quickly as he could with someone balanced precariously on top of him. Sirius caught up moments later and frantically hurried them along, adding his own directions to James's until he said left and James said right and they walked into a tree.

And that was how they not only ended up in another tangle of arms, legs and coat, but they also got detention. Remus couldn't really say he was surprised. He also couldn't really say he was surprised that Madam Pince wouldn't let him back into the library to finish his essay because Sirius had released a Fanged-Frisbee on his way out. Maybe he should have Sirius and James committed anyway.

MHMHMHMH

Remus is sixteen, and he wasn't entirely sure why he was doing this. But owls started in 2 days and he was so beyond stressed he thought he might explode and he was so sick of studying that he thought his eyes might fall out so he'd suggested this. He still wasn't sure what had possessed him, maybe Sirius had confounded him, maybe revision had consumed his sanity along with his will to live, but whatever the reason James wasn't going to let him back out.

So here he is, with James excitedly pulling on the trench-coat a bemused Hagrid had lent them, the teenager as thankful to get away from books and notes for an hour as Remus was, claiming this was 'practical revision on advanced balancing charms, glamour spells and hair growth enchantments'.

Remus wasn't even trying to pretend this was anything more productive than metaphorically screaming "STUFF YOU" at exams and revision of all kinds.

It did feel rather good though.

MHMHMHMH

Remus is eighteen and knows exactly why he's doing this.

He's doing this because the full moon is in two days. He's doing this because the world is on fire and it feels like he can't do anything about it. He's doing this because the man on his shoulders has barely spoken a single full sentence since the ministry owl with the black envelope landed infront of him two days ago. He's doing this because the Daily Prophet photo of the Potter home in flames is etched in stark lines behind his eyes. He's doing this because this is the first thing James has asked since that awful moment. He's doing this because he desperately wants to let Prongs escape the reality that is fuelling that hollow, gutted look behind his friends glasses, if only for an hour. He's doing this because stomping around in a trench-coat scaring firsties is the only little, tiny piece of his friend's world he can glue back together.

So Remus doesn't complain that he can't see a thing. And he doesn't comment when James's bad directions almost send them sprawling. And he doesn't tell James that he can't smell any other students nearby, and he doesn't say anything about James yelling insults at thin air. He just keeps walking around the lake, and when James's insults tail off and his breath grows heavy and uneven and his body shakes with tears, Remus doesn't tell James its going to be ok, he just keeps walking. Because Remus isn't sure it is going to be ok, and he won't lie to his friend.

MHMHMHMH

Remus is nineteen and he really doesn't know why he's still doing this. But something is clearly on James's mind, and he clearly needed someone to distract him, or at least to put up with his babbling until he got round to talking about whatever was bothering him. And Moony wasn't going to let one of his best mates apparate home in this state. So here he is, once again wearing Hagrids trench-coat, meandering along the edge of the forbidden forest with the bloke sitting on his shoulders (even Hagrid wasn't as tall as two grown men standing on top of each other) calling out directions in intervals.

"Right a bit" James said, and Remus stepped over a tangled group of roots to steer around the tree.

"Left in a couple seconds" James said, and Remus concentrated on not tripping over a small rock too low to the ground for James to see.

"Lily's pregnant" James said, and Remus walked into a tree.

Once they have stopped cursing and have untangled themselves and sat up, Remus stares a little wildly at James.

"I don't suppose I misheard you?"

"Lily's pregnant" James repeated, sounding a little shell-shocked.

"Didn't think so." Remus said. "Uh, Congratulations."

"Lily's pregnant!" James said again, beginning to sound like a broken record.

"Yes, I got that bit" Remus said.

"Lily's pregnant!" James said again. "With a baby! A living, breathing, breakable baby."

"Yes, that is generally what pregnant means" Remus said, patting James on the shoulder the way he might pat a very skittish horse – or stag.

"I'm not ready to be a dad!" James chocked "I can't look after a baby! I can barely look after myself!"

"You'll work it out." Remus said with much more confidence that he felt, because that was what friends did "You always do. And Lily will help."

"But, but, but... Lily's pregnant!"

"Yes, yes she is." Remus agreed patiently, and he spread Hagrids trench-coat out on the forest floor and poked James onto it and sat with him until he started freaking out about more specific things, like what he was supposed to do if the baby was sick that Remus could at least promise to go and look up. And later, once he'd side-along apparated a mildly calmer James back to his wife, he allowed himself to smile. Because even if James was so-not-ready to have a child, and even if there was a war on and the thought of his almost-brother's child being born into it made him sick, Remus just knew that the little life growing in Lily's stomach was going to be loved more than any child could imagine, and he or she was going to hold a key to his heart and Merlin help anyone who ever tried to hurt his cub.

MHMHMHMH

Remus is twenty-seven and feeling a deep sense of deja-vu as he balances 7 year old Harry Potter on his shoulders. He'd told a few of the stories of Hagrids trench-coat to the boy last week and, possibly predictably, Harry had begged to try it himself this Saturday.

So Remus supported a giggling Harry on his shoulders and strolled around the edge of the lake, letting Harry wave around 'Hagrids' arms using two long sticks stuck up the sleeves and pretend his voice could go deep enough to sound like the half-giants. His little cub is having the time of his life re-enacting one of his fathers pranks, and his stifled giggles reminded Remus of another boy with glasses and a too-high voice. Of that first year of unquestioning acceptance and one of the closest friends he ever had. Of another boy with his whole life ahead of him and a face full of carefree laughter.

And even though they almost lose Harry's glasses completely, get caught by 'Aunt Minnie' and bowled over by Hagrids distinctly-no-longer-a-puppy boar-hound, Remus is grinning ear to ear when they finally run back down to Hagrids cabin to return the coat. And as he brings Harry back up to the castle to at least try to clean him up a bit before returning him to Minerva, he promised himself that he would protect his cubs careless joy for as long as he could manage, and that this Potter would get to live all of that bright future which lay before him. Because if he'd ever been right about anything in his life, it had been that Harry James Potter was born with the key to his heart, and that he would be loved. And even if the lightning-bolt scar on his cubs forehead was a constant reminder of his failure to protect him, well, if Voldemort ever thought to try again, he would find out why the wizarding world feared werewolves.

But for now, someone needed a bath (well, two someone's if Remus was really being honest), and a large dinner and somebody needed to pacify Minerva, and develop the photos of the 'Hagrid' informing a first year about the unquiet spirit trapped in the whomping willow, and quite possibly pacify Minerva again...