Werewolf in Disguise

Smaller arguments seemed to have broken out in the common room, which surprised no one as the walked closer to the portrait. However, there were several people 'together' that had never been before. Thinking this was only the first hour of the prank, the Marauders couldn't believe what was already going on.

Hermione leaned over to James and whispered, “whatever you do, don’t ask Lily how she feels about you.”

“But Hermione, that was the whole point!” he whined.

“Would you rather she tell you herself when she's ready, or know that she feels you basically forced it out of her? You’ll be back to where you started from and I don‘t have long to get you two together.”

“What would I do without you?" he asked as he slung his arm around her shoulder. "Ok, fine, I’m just glad this stupid prank will only last until dinner tonight.”

“I think everyone would agree with you, Prongs,” said Sirius as he joined them. He glanced at Remus, but wouldn’t meet his eyed as he started talking to the others.

“Sirius, could I have a word with you please? Over there,” Remus asked with annoyance as he pointed to a secluded corner, he was getting very tired of Sirius’ attitude towards him and decided there was no better time than this to solve their issues.

“I’d rather not, but whatever,” Sirius replied, shocking everyone with his unfortunate honesty.

“OK Padfoot, what the hell is wrong with you? What have I done that makes you so cold to me lately?”

“Hermione, that’s what," he started then slapped his hand to his mouth. "ARRG! I hate this spell. Look, you said you had no interest and I told you I did, so she’s off limits. Yet, you spend every chance you can with her and I can see she’s starting to fall for you. I can’t compete with you, Moony. You know I wanted her and yet here you are, going after her, and she's letting you like some horny puppy…”

Sirius broke off abruptly when Remus’ hand closed over his throat and pushed him into the wall. “DON’T talk about her like that! You don’t know anything!”

Luckily James and Peter came to the rescue, pulling Remus off Sirius and holding them apart.

“What’s going on here?” James asked, appaled at the behavior of his two best friends.

“Remus is a lying, cheating, ugh! He’s no friend of mine!”

“Sirius is too busy talking out off his arse to see the truth,” Remus retorted, feeling very hurt at Sirius’ latest comment. They had never fought before, sure they had their disagreements, but they later laughed about it, this time it was serious and Remus was afraid, not for the first time, of losing his friends.

“Hermione, right?” James asked and then heard a gasp from behind him. They all turned to see Hermione and Lily standing right behind them, hands covering their mouths.

Several words-mothers-shouldn’t-hear from the guys later, Hermione asked, her eyes beginning to fill with tears, “What did I do?”

“Nothing Hermione, it’s what these two did,” he said, trying to comfort her as he held Remus back, “Remember what I told her about someone ‘choosing’?” he asked and she nodded her head. “Well apparently, Sirius chose and Remus isn’t happy about it. I could be wrong, so let’s hear the whole story shall we?” he asked as he glared at his friends.

Peter and James began slowly letting them go and neither moved as they glared at each other.

“Sirius, it really isn’t what you think,” Hermione began. “However, no one can lay claim on another person without their consent. I really care for you, but not in that way. I know I’m crazy and any other girl would gladly take my place, but it’s true. Why is all of this coming out of my stupid mouth?”

“It’s the spell Hermione,” Lily said, “but why don’t you tell them how you really feel, before their friendship is ruined.”

She glared at Lily then said dejectedly, “I definitely don’t want to come between you two. Truth be known, I’ve been attracted to Remus since that first day, when I fell and he caught me. There are other circumstances, but please don’t make me tell you until I’m ready. I’ve tried getting closer to him, but he just keeps pushing me away. I know I said I’d come to you, James, but I know Remus doesn’t return those feelings and I was slightly embarrassed. Sometimes he looks guilty or mad, but he always pushes me away, Sirius. He always puts distance between us. He really is the best friend you could hope for and I’d rather leave now then come between friends.”

“NO!!” came shouts from all the others in unison.

“Hermione, you can’t leave because I’m an…”

“Idiot,” supplied James.

“Sex crazed maniac,” came Lily.

“Girl crazy dimwit,” came Peter. Remus however, kept his mouth closed.

“Ok, OK! Yes, because I’m all of those and then some. Did I really just admit that? I hate this spell! Remus was right, I wasn’t looking at the truth, only what I thought I saw, and by the way, that hurt,” he said as he rubbed his neck slowly.

“Sorry,” mumbled Remus as he lowered his head. “I’ve tried as hard as I could to stay away from her, I just…can’t.”

Sirius walked over to Remus and clapped him on the shoulder, “can’t say I blame you there, mate. Just be good to her and I’ll be happy for both of you. And you really are one of the best friends a guy could have,” he said grinning and making Remus grin in return.

“Oh Sirius,” Hermione squealed as she threw her arms around him. “I love you so much!”

“Aw, I’m blushing! I love you too. So, I guess,” he said putting his arm around her, “I have a little sister now, too. And Remus, now has a new girlfriend!”

“You know, I’m as old as you right?” Hermione asked.

“Yea, but we’re not twins, so you’re the little one, and you are littler then me!”

“Fine, whatever, I’m also hungrier then you, can we eat now?”

“No one is ever hungrier then Sirius, except maybe James,” Lily laughed and they all started to the Great Hall.

James grinned at Hermione. Lily just laughed about something to do with him AND she called him James!

“So, it really was that easy? No one is mad anymore?” Hermione asked timidly.

“We’re Marauders, love, we never stay mad at each other,” Sirius responded with sincerity. “Oy, check out the brunette over there, niiiccee,” he said grinning, already moving on.

Remus walked beside Hermione and whispered, “they don’t mean to be pushy, you don’t have to be my girlfriend or anything.”

She shyly took his hand and said, “but I’ve wanted that for weeks now.”

Lily had started to silently shake within. What if James asked her how she felt about him? She’d have to tell him and she just wasn’t ready. Would he really force her to say it? Was that why he did this stupid spell in the first place?

When they got down to the Great Hall, they were astounded to say the least. Having recently been a victim of their own prank, they weren’t too stunned to see how the rest of the students were acting. It was amazing however, how loud the bickering breaking out everywhere was and how no one had any idea why they were saying the things they were. Dumbledore looked down at the group as they entered and just, was that a smile?

“Everyone’s fighting, why is he smiling at us?” Lily asked James quietly.

“I don’t know, I stopped trying to figure out how his mind works a long time ago,” James replied as he put his hand on the small of her back and led her to her seat.

Mere weeks ago that gesture would have sent her storming off, now it seemed, thanks to Hermione, she welcomed it. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was and how right Hermione had been. He had been watching his behavior around her, while still allowing himself to have some fun of course, and the results were beyond anything he could have imagined. They talked freely with one another and Lily even let him touch her.

“I almost think we went a bit far with this one,” Sirius said eagerly, sitting in his seat and piling food on his plate. It was clear he was loving the mayhem.

“Us? No way, mate,” Remus said laughing.

When breakfast was finishing up, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet, immediately silencing the students. He didn’t usually give speeches during this time, so most were a bit confused.

“Well, now that we are all full from our delicious breakfast, it appears I have an announcement to make. Most of you may have noticed that certain feelings or opinions are coming forth that you can’t control. I have a suspicion that I know what’s going on, but the credit cannot go to myself, see there’s a thought I shouldn’t have voiced. Perhaps the group responsible could fill us in on what to expect the remainder of the spell, and most importantly, how long it will last. Followed by a short stint in my office after lessons, if you please.”

ALL eyes immediately jumped to the Marauders, who tried hard to look innocent. Dumbledore had never called them out like this before and they were all disconcerted. Of course, they knew they’d be in trouble later, but they never expected such immediate results. They all stood up and James, who seemed to recover first, spoke, “Well, I guess you all noticed that when asked about something, you had to say what was on your mind. It was our little way,” he pointed to the rest of the table, and seeing Lily’s grin at being included, regained his confidence and added, grinning, “of getting everyone to open up to others. Consider this a bit of a farewell to you all.”

“Oh, don’t get us wrong, we’re not done, not by a long shot,” continued Sirius, “but this is part of our grand farewell!”

“I can assure you,” spoke Lily as the room at large groaned at Sirius, “that the spell will only last until dinner time and the Marauders themselves have already suffered consequences because of it.”

“Always the Head Girl aren’t you, love?” James whispered to Lily, who blushed slightly.

Everyone began exiting the room, shooting hateful looks their way, but no one was speaking. It was the eeriest thing they had ever witnessed. Not a single soul spoke to another as they walked out.

“Well, off to Charms we go,” said Hermione as she took Remus hand and led him beside her. He grinned happily down at her as they walked further down the corridor.

“Oy, Moony! Blonde haired Ravenclaw coming your way!” yelled Sirius, much louder then necessary as he and James broke into laughter.

“So this is the reason you won’t go out with me?!” the blonde in question asked as she pointed at Hermione.

“Well, yes, actually. Hermione meet Dessy, Dessy this is Hermione.”

“I know who she is. She’s the tramp that’s been causing trouble with you guys since she came here,” Dessy retorted.

“Excuse us, we need to take this um, person, and leave,” said the voice of Sam from behind them as she marched up to Dessy and grabbed her arm roughly, “You guys carry on.” She then started berating Dessy very loudly on her behavior and saying that Hermione and Remus were going to be happy and were not to be messed with.

“Hermione, I’m so sorry,” Remus started. They had all been ready to jump to her defense, but Sam had beaten them to it by mere seconds.

“Remus, it’s not a big deal. I’ve been hearing rumors for awhile, but I guess as long as we’re all happy, I’m not worried about what someone thinks of me. You should however, choose more carefully who you give your attention to,” she said a grin forming on her face as they walked to the classroom.

“I only plan on giving you my attention, do you think that’s wise?” he asked slyly.

“Oh yes, I think that’s a very wise idea,” she replied.

Charms saw, once again, Hermione and Lily paired with Snape. They usually didn’t pair up like this, so they were all a bit surprised. Snape looked murderous today as they walked over to him and sat down. They were used to his behavior since they saw it daily, either in Potions or in Charms, but today, they smiled mischievously at him.

“Why so upset, Severus?” Lily asked sweetly.

“You know why. Your arrogant boyfriend has been causing trouble once again,” he sneered.

“Perhaps,” she replied, shocking herself that she wasn’t denying the ‘boyfriend’ part, “but he hasn’t singled you out this time, you should be happy.”

“Severus can’t be happy, can you Sev?” Hermione asked.

“Yes, there are times I can be when I don’t have to deal with incompetent fools. Urrggh! I hate this,” he said sneering.

“So Sev, do you find Lily and myself to be incompetent fools, or are we actually starting to grow on you somewhat?”

“I respect both of you, but without this spell, I would never tell you, or anyone else for that matter. Now stop talking to me!” he said menacingly.

“Oh Severus, you don’t scare us,” said Lily playfully smacking his arm, “and truth be known, you’re growing on us too. We genuinely like you, although it wouldn’t kill you to be a bit nicer to us.”

“That‘s what you think,” he murmured. “Can we just get on with this?” he growled, but with almost a whine to his voice and the girls reluctantly agreed.

Later that week, Hermione was helping a second year with his homework in the Common Room when she heard James shout at her.

“Hermione!” James yelled excitedly as he jumped up and down. “I really, really, reeeaaalllly need to talk to you. Now!”

“OK, OK, what’s going on?” she asked cautiously as she walked over to him, it must be something big to have him acting like a five year old, again.

“Lily!” he squealed, “we have a date, Hermione! You were right all along,” he picked her up and swung her around as he hugged her tightly and she laughed.

“James,” she coughed, “I need oxygen! That’s so amazing,” she said as he sat her down on her feet. “Tell me everything!”

“Well,” he began, “Remember she and I were late leaving Defense the other day?”

“Yes.”

“There was a little girl being picked on by some Slytherins in the corridor as we came out. I did what you said and helped her, without having to hex anyone. Lily seemed really pleased and, when I told her that I would really like for her to go to dinner with me, she actually smiled and said yes!!! Can you believe it?”

“Oh, James! I’m so happy for you! So, I was right! It is after all, very close to Valentine’s Day!”

“Yep, you were right! I owe you big time small stuff. Anything at all, you just let me know.”

“Sure, you two can name your first kid after me! Oh, and don‘t call me ‘small stuff‘ either,” she said laughing.

“Um, well, we’ll see about that. Let’s go find the gang.”

They left in search of the others, only to find them upstairs in the boys dorm. Hermione went to Remus’ bed and sat down beside him and he drew her closer while she snuggled into him. They were starting to become slowly inseparable. They really seemed to enjoy showing their feelings towards each other, albeit slowly and shyly at first, and having multitudes of conversations about anything that came to mind. It never seemed to fail though, that when Remus kissed her, someone would interrupt. Perhaps the boys were taking the roll of big brother a little too seriously.

The day they had gotten together, Remus grabbed her hand and pulled her into a deserted classroom. He then kissed her passionately, saying, "now that I'm officially allowed to do this, I think we should make up for lost time," before kissing her again. Hermione was really quite embarassed that Professor McGonagal of all people caught them, but instead of giving them detention, she smiled and sent them on their way.

They had also been caught several times after late night study sessions, asleep on the couch, curled up in each others arms, even the floor sometimes, only to wake up covered by a blanket from the boys dorm room. Hermione had never been happier, little did she know, she would say the same thing even if she had her memories. She now had the best friend in the whole world, two big brothers, the perfect boyfriend, and, she didn’t know what Peter was, but she liked him immensely.

A few minutes, and some rather dull Quidditch talk later, someone knocked on the door. James went to open it, and Lily walked in, looking very harassed.

“I can’t believe those girls sometimes!” she said slightly upset, but grinning. “The common room is too loud to study in, and Sam and Celine are having some sort of party in our room. I guess we’ll have to study in the library again,” she groaned. Lily loved to study, but she hated the library, which was much too quiet for her tastes.

“Or,” James said shyly, as Lily blushed, “we could all study together in here tonight.”

“Great idea!” said Sirius excitedly, “let’s eat first, then start on that Defense essay.”

They all went for dinner and then headed up to the boy’s dorm with their books, parchment, ink, and quills ready to start homework and more NEWT study, as Lily and Hermione kept stressing the importance of studying early.

“We don’t have to study this much 3 MONTHS early, do we?” Peter moaned.

“Yes, Peter, we do! That way, our exams will be a breeze and we won’t have to worry so much,” Lily reminded him as Hermione nodded her head.

“Ok, let’s separate Moony and Hermione, and then get to work. We usually just sit around the floor, is that ok girls?” James asked.

“What are you on about, Prongs? We’re sitting right here,” Remus said confused.

“Yes, but you are a bit close, mate,” Sirius supplied as he eyed them grinning.

“For the love of Merlin, get over yourselves!” Hermione said, bringing her work closer to her, but not moving away from Remus.

“The floor is fine James. So, you guys actually do study, eh? Just afraid it will ruin your reputation to be seen doing it?” Lily asked.

“Yep! We are some of the smartest in the class, remember?” Sirius said smiling coyly at her.

“I guess,” Lily responded as she sat, to his pleasure, right beside James, and began to spread her work out.

They worked and studied for hours before any of them realized what time it was.

“WOW! It’s already midnight!” Sirius said amazed. “Even we never study this much!”

“Well, we don’t usually have such great company,” Remus said as he slipped his arm around Hermione’s waist and pulled her closer.

“Um, right. A little space there if you please, Moony,” James said.

“James, need I remind you that in our Defense class the other day, I kicked your arse in dueling?” Hermione asked him sweetly.

“No, no need, everyone else reminds me constantly!” James said, smiling at her.

“Well, it’s not every day one of the best duelers in school is beaten, and by a girl no less,” Sirius said, egging his friend on.

“Yep, she’s good,” Remus said as he kissed her cheek and the others groaned.

“We don’t want to hear it, Remus,” said Lily laughing. “Come on, Hermione, it’s bedtime!”

“Fine, fine,” she groaned as she stood up and kissed Remus good night.

They girls walked to their dorm room, only to find the door locked. They knocked and knocked and no one answered. They tried several spells, many more advanced than Alohomora, but nothing seemed to work.

“Let’s camp out with the guys tonight,” Hermione said hopfully.

“I don’t guess we have another choice do we?” asked Lily as they walked back down the steps.

“Moony, you’ve got it bad!” Sirius was saying, smiling at his friend.

“Yea, I think I do,” he agreed. “It would help, however, If you guys would lay off a little.”

“No way! Like we said, she’s our little sister. We plan on keeping the big bad wolf away from our sweet, innocent Hermione,” James responded as they all laughed.

“Besides, you just started dating, and now you're all lovey dovey,” Peter piped up with a disgusted look on his face.

There was another knock on the door and the guys glanced around suspiciously. Then Remus quickly walked over to answer it, thankful for the interuption.

“Hello, my boys! Miss us?” Hermione asked as they walked in.

“What’s going on? Did you forget something?” Peter asked.

“Nope,” supplied Lily, “We’re locked out of our own dorm and we can’t get back in!”

“We tried every charm we could think of, and between the two of us, that’s a lot!”

“Why don’t you camp out in here then?”

“That’s what we were hoping for. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” said Sirius, “but are you going to sleep starkers?”

“Hadn’t thought about that actually,” said Hermione, uncertainly.

“We can loan you clothes, don’t let Sirius bother you,” grinned James as he threw Lily a shirt. “Besides, I think they’ll look better on you guys anyway.”

They rummaged around and found t-shirts and boxer shorts for the girls and then sent them to change. Lily came back wearing James shirt that said “They don’t call me CHASER for nothing” and Hermione had on a solid blue shirt with a large black dog on the front, but wasn’t sure who it belonged to.

“Well, where shall we put you girls?”

“We trust you, we’ll just climb in with one of you,” Lily said as the boys eyes widened and they grinned.

“Um, ok, well,” Sirius broke of as he saw Remus’ smile, “Hermione can camp with James and Lily can share with me.”

“WHAT?!” they all asked in unison.

“Well, for obviously reasons, Hermione can’t stay with Remus, and to be honest, I still don’t trust myself with her. So, she can stay with James.” They all agreed on this, but Remus was fuming inside.

They all went to bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

When James woke up the next morning, he felt another heat source in his bed right next to him. Confused, he looked up slowly and saw Hermione next to him, with his arm curled around her waist. He slowly moved his arm away and grinned, before he looked around the room and Hermione began to stir.

Smiling, he poked Hermione in the arm and whispered, “guess Padfoot isn’t that great in bed afterall.”

“Uh,” Hermione asked groggily, then looked around. Lily had, in the middle of the night, apparently crawled out of Sirius’ bed and into Remus’. Grinning mischievously, Hermione crawled out of bed and walked over to Remus.

“So, left me for my own best friend, I see,” she said in his ear.

His arm jerked out so fast she didn’t have time to react, and she was suddenly on his bed and snuggled right up against the length of his body.

“Not my fault you gained two overprotective ‘brothers’ now is it?” he said as he kissed her forehead.

“So, Padfoot, you really that bad in bed?” Peter asked, as everyone laughed at Sirius’ confused expression.

“Funny Pete,” Lily said. “To be perfectly honest, he’s a bed hog, so I crashed with Remus instead. I hope that was ok, you didn’t even wake up,” she said smiling at Remus and Hermione as she quickly got up.

“Whatever!” Sirius growled. “What is Hermione doing in your bed, Moony?”

“Down boy,” James said laughing. “She tried to be mean to him this morning and it backfired on her. Not that she’s complaining.”

“We should get going, we need to get ready for classes today,” Lily said, as Hermione reluctantly moved out of Remus’ arms.

“You’re cute when you pout, love,” she whispered, then kissed him goodbye.