Falling // Wolfstar

Twenty Eight

"Ew," Peter grimaces, wiping down his front from the grey liquid Davy spilled. "Mate, whatever that is -" he holds his mouth to prevent gagging.

"You idiot!" Davy spits.

James offers a hand to Peter, scrunching his nose when the scent wafts up to him. "Disgusting," he mutters. He takes his hand and wipes away the confetti stuck to Peter's cheek. "What is that? Spoiled pumpkin juice?"

Davy scowls as he hauls himself from the ground. "I'm allergic to pumpkin, not that it matters to you. If you must know, it's actually a-a cleansing juice."

Peter snickers. "Cleansing what? The devil from your soul?"

James bursts out into laughter, not even bothering to hide it. Peter grabs his arm and drags him back to the Gryffindor table before Davy can retort anything. Once they're far from the Ravenclaws, James claps Peter on the back. His face is near purple when he falls into his seat causing the silverware to rattle against the table.

"Did you guys see that?" James gasps.

"I think everybody saw that," Remus comments.

"He deserves it," Frances states, taking a more than pleased bite of her strawberry.

"Not that I'm saying you're wrong, but what did he ever do to you?" Peter asks.

Frances tosses the stem onto her plate and crosses her arms on the table. "He took fifty house points from me!" Remus' eyes widen; he couldn't imagine taking that many points from another student. "I was coming back from the Astronomy Tower late one night and ran into him. I should've at least gotten ten at the most."

"The student becomes the master," Sirius says with a smirk.

Frances forces a smile, though the words bring her back to that night. She looks up at Sirius; he's smiling - and not the kind of smile you give when your mum forces you to take a picture - it's genuine. It's the first time in a while she's seen him like this. In his moment of pureness, Frances can't help but think that maybe he doesn't know.

"So what were you doing in the Astronomy Tower?" Remus asks.

"I was looking at the stars," Frances answers as a matter of factly. "And he was the one who should've been in trouble anyway! Probably shagging someone in the supply cupboard."

"Like anybody would want to shag him," Peter mumbles. He tosses a wad of napkins used to clean his face onto the table, and everyone backs away instinctively. "I think I need to go wash this off."

"Or you could be a wizard and clean it off right now," James says.

Their banter fades like white noise. Remus pushes aside his empty plate and takes the sash draped over his shoulder off. He combs a lazy hand through his hair to brush it out of his face. "Um, here." He sets it on the table, inching it towards Sirius. "Happy birthday."

Sirius takes the sash with a grateful nod. The action is reciprocated with appreciation albeit no words being exchanged. Remus clears his throat, swinging his legs over the bench carefully. "I've got to, um, do something. I'll see you guys later."

James stops his spell mid sentence, calling out to Remus as he walks away, "Don't forget tonight!" He turns his attention back to Peter and finishes the spell.

Remus stuffs his hands into his pockets and catches a glimpse of Sirius over his shoulder as he turns out of the Great Hall. The sunlight from the bewitched ceiling shines on him. It's almost angelic. He tears his eyes away. None of it makes sense anymore.

A crinkle of parchment rustles in his pocket. Remus pulls it out, smoothening it against his palm. Abigail's most recent letter. It came much faster than previous ones, surprising him tremendously when Sodapop returned only a day after he sent his. She only talks of seeing him again, though this letter doesn't have her signature lipgloss kiss print. There isn't much for them to say anymore since their talk at the fireplace. He knows everything now. Yet, something still feels like it's missing. All the pieces are laid out in front of him, but none of them seem to fit together.

Remus lets his feet carry him on their own accord. When he was a young boy, his mother once told him that if he's ever lost, his heart will bring him back home. Of course, she also made him memorize the London Underground in case of a real emergency. The words were more of a symbolic statement.

The boys plan to sneak to the Three Broomsticks tonight in celebration of Sirius' birthday. Remus figures he'll go along with their antics, trying to find some sort understanding of his present day life. James and Peter don't seem to have changed one bit. Except maybe they have matured a little more. Who would've guessed Peter to have the most stable relationship and James to be Head Boy.

Remus runs his hand along the walls, tracing the cracks and creases in the stone. Now there's Sirius. The stories of sixth year are vague, almost as if they'd never happened. If Sirius tried to murder Lisa Ward, why would they still be friends? Did they truly care for each other - enough for him to cheat on Abigail? Or was it all a lie? All the drawings of himself. All the stories. Their relationship was some sort of fictitious romance built upon manipulation and stalking that Sirius orchestrated.

Then there's Davy. He's the only person who actually makes sense in all of this madness. A friend with a shoulder to lean on.

Remus stumbles down an empty corridor. The same corridor he always finds himself in.

"I've been looking for you!" James says with a slightly higher pitch to his voice.

Remus is frozen in time. This can't be right, he thinks. James is in the Great Hall.

This isn't real.

The James before him is from fifth year. From his worst memory. The moment everything went wrong. He cheated on Abigail.

James places his hands on his shoulders. "Just Peeves messing with me."

Remus backs away, pressing himself against the wall. The stone is like ice against the nape of his neck, and James' figure disappears into thin air. This moment in time has already been salvaged from his memory. So why can't he let it go?