Chapter 4: The Paths of Friendships

Discalimer: Still not mine.

Author Notes: Once again I would like to thank DracoGurlFurever for reading over this for me. Also, thank you to any one who has read this story and left a review. I hope you all continue to enjoy Chapter 4, and if you would like to leave a review then I would love to know what you think.

Chapter 4: The Paths of Friendships

Sophia found that the first week back at school went by relatively smoothly, even if it was rather tiring. She presumed the drain on her energy levels was due to the sudden change in going from being on holiday to going back to school and having to cope with all the associated work.

For the rest of the week, when Lily and the Marauders were in classes, Sophia and Sirius had spent their shared free periods together in the common room. However, just like Monday, they got very little work done. She could see a pattern emerging here; Lily would say that Sirius was being a bad influence on her, but in truth, Sophia was only a good worker when she had to be – if she could put something off to the next day, then she would. The fact of the matter was, talking to Sirius was a much better option than writing an essay on 'An In-depth Analysis of the Proper Wand Movements Required for Transfiguring a Raven into a Goblet'.

The only problem was, it was now Saturday and she had to catch up on all the work she had put off during the week. So, she found herself sitting in the common room on Saturday morning, surrounded by piles of books, trying to work out the best approach to re-potting Devil's Snare for her Herbology essay while most of the other students were outside enjoying the last of the summer sun. However, her efforts were being slightly hampered by Hamish, who had originally decided that her quill was a deadly enemy that he had to fight and kill - which had resulted in several scratched lines of ink over her essay - and who was now, after having had a stern telling-off, sprawled over half the books, soaking in the sun that was streaming in through the window across the table top.

As Remus came into the near-empty common room, Sophia called out to him, barely glancing at him before she did. 'Hey, Remus, have you done this Herbology essay yet? I'm really stuck ... oh, sorry ... what's wrong?'

Now that she had looked up from her books to really see him, she saw that Remus' normally calm and friendly face was drained and that his brow was furrowed in thought. In short, she wouldn't have been surprised to see a great big thunder cloud over his head.

'Oh, nothing, Soph ... just ... sorry, what did you ask me? Oh, yeah, the ... er ... Herbology essay. I've made a start on it – it's up in my room. Hold on a minute, and I'll bring it down.' With that, he turned and walked up the stairs to the boys' room, making a lot more noise than was strictly necessary as far as Sophia was concerned. Sensing that something must be seriously upsetting him, Sophia abandoned her work and followed him up the stairs, Hamish hot on her heels.

She opened the door to the boys' room; after a quick glance around, she was not surprised to see that it was quite messy compared to her own. Her eyes settled on Remus, who was slumped on one of the beds, rubbing his forehead. Hamish ran ahead of her as she hesitated by the door, leaping agilely onto the bed and butting his head into the back of Remus' hand in a bid for some attention.

'Remus, are you sure you're okay?' she asked tentatively as she walked towards him and gingerly sat down on the bed beside him.

'Huh ... yeah, no, really, it's nothing for you to worry about,' he replied, still massaging his temples and refusing to make eye contact with her, though he did drop one hand and begin to rub Hamish's head, causing the cat to purr loudly.

'Remus, you know that I'm your friend, right? You know that you could tell me anything and I wouldn't think any less of you, don't you?' she said softly. She was trying to make eye contact with him, but Remus was steadfastly keeping his head in his free hand.

'Of course I do,' he said dismissively, and somewhat dejectedly.

Sophia paused for a moment. She was sure she knew what was troubling Remus – she also knew that if she was correct, he would never confess it to her. Weighing her options, she decided now was the time to take a risk.

'So, there's nothing you want to tell me, then? Nothing at all? Nothing about, say ... your furry little problem?' she asked, looking pointedly at him. On the last phrase, his head spun up and he locked into eye contact with her. If it hadn't been such a sensitive issue, Sophia may have found herself laughing at the look of surprise on his face, but as it was, she merely gave him a soft, reassuring smile. Hamish took this opportunity to step into Remus' lap, where he started to knead the denim covering Remus' thighs.

'What do you mean? How did you ... when did you ... you know?' His voice was shaking, and it shot up an octave as he tried to process this sudden bit of information.

'Yes, Remus, I know that you are a werewolf. I have known since January,' Sophia said gently as she reached out to rub his shoulder.

Remus stared at her for a few moments before he spoke again. 'How did you find out?' he asked, his voice still unsteady.

'Well, after we became friends and started to spend more time together, I realised that something wasn't quite right, but I could never work out what it was. You would go thorough phases of becoming withdrawn and looking ill, but I would put it down to a cold or something trivial like that. It took a long time for me to notice the pattern, and I don't think I would have noticed had we not spent so much time together.

'Then I heard you talking to James and the other Marauders one day, and James said something about your "furry little problem." I must say, I was really confused by that – I thought maybe you had a hairy back or something.' Sophia and Remus both chuckled. 'It took me a while longer to put all the pieces together, and then I watched you carefully for a few months to make sure. I always hoped that you would eventually tell me, so I never brought it up. I promise that I won't tell anyone else,' she added in an attempt to comfort him. 'Now, I'll ask again, what's wrong? I take it it's got something to do with that?'

Remus hesitated for a few more minutes, turning his attention to Hamish, who was now curled up in his lap. He reached out and stroked the top of the cat's head, again causing the sound of loud purring to fill the room. Sophia sensed that he was still worrying about sharing these details of his life with her. Eventually, though, he took a deep breath, sighed, and then spoke.

'Well, yeah, actually, it does. I'm sorry I never told you – I do trust you, it's just hard for me to talk about, that's all.'

'It's okay, Remus, I understand. Now, what's happened? I might be able to help,' she said as she gave him another reassuring smile.

'Well, it's just that, before the full moon, my body aches so much, and I just feel so tired. I got into an argument this morning with Peter, and it wasn't his fault, but I just ...' Remus's voice faltered and he fell silent.

The silence hung thick in the air as Sophia watched Remus continue to look troubled. Her heart ached for him, and she realised that, in a smaller way, she did have some idea of what he went through, but talking about her own experiences could be difficult. Looking once more at him, and seeing his pinched and forlorn expression, she again decided that she had to at least try.

'You just feel crappy, and the smallest thing makes your anger flare up, right?' she asked, still looking into his eyes. He gave a slight nod, looking confused. 'What you fail to realise is that I have a small insight into what you're going through – after all, I have my own time of the month,' she said with a sly smile. Remus was staring at her, the confusion on his face becoming more prominent.

Carrying on, she spoke in what she hoped was a light-hearted way, though she could feel her cheeks heat up – the words came quickly, showing her discomfort no matter how much she tried to hide it.

'You see, if you are one of the more unfortunate girls, which I sadly am, then once a month – thanks to Mother Nature – you get terrible mood swings where you fly off the handle at everyone about the smallest thing. You feel fat and completely unattractive; you get terrible stomach cramps and your back hurts all the time; you can't get comfortable; you can't sleep properly, and all you want to do is curl up into a ball under your duvet until it passes. Then, when it's over, you have the lovely knowledge that you get to go through it all again next month. So, believe me, I can sympathise with you, on some level at least.'

'Girls go through all that? I had no idea,' Remus said; his cheeks were tinged with a slight pink blush, and he looked slightly dumbfounded at what he'd just heard.

'Yeah, well, some do. I swear, if men went through it and had to go through childbirth as well, the human race would have died out long ago,' she said with a laugh; Remus joining in.

'You probably have a fair point there,' he chortled.

'So, are you all right now? Have I at least managed to cheer you up a bit?'

'Yeah, thanks.' He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. Sophia, in turn, gave it a squeeze in reply. 'I really am sorry I never told you, you know.'

'That's okay. I know it must be hard for you, but know that I think nothing less of you.' Her heart ached for him as she looked into his eyes and saw the pain there. He'd always been so kind to her. She wanted more than anything to take that pain away from him, but there was nothing that she could do other than just be there for him when he needed her.

Just then, James, Sirius and Peter came into the room. 'Oi, Moony, you in here?' James said as he opened the door. 'Oh, sorry ... didn't interrupt anything, did we?' he asked, a glint in his eye as he took in the sight of Sophia and Remus sitting on the bed, holding hands.

'No, James, nothing at all. Remus and I were just having a chat, that's all,' Sophia replied in a weary way with a bored look on her face, though she still let go of Remus' hand. She thought that, after nearly two years of teasing, they would have become bored with this subject by now, but apparently she was wrong.

Ever since she had become friends with Remus while working on a Herbology project, people had often made an assumption that they were more than just good friends – none more so than the rest of the Marauders.

'I'm going to go downstairs. When you find your essay, will you come down and help me, please?' Sophia asked, turning her attention back to Remus.

'Sure, I know it's around here somewhere. I won't be long,' he replied. He had to strongly shove Hamish to remove him from his lap. Hamish gave him a baleful look as he did, and Remus stood to help Sophia up.

'Well, I won't hold my breath for your arrival if you have to find it in this dump!' Sophia joked as she left the room with Hamish, feeling glad that her friendship with Remus still seemed to be intact after their difficult conversation.

Wednesday evening that week saw James, as Captain, holding the Gryffindor Quidditch team try-outs. There were two vacancies on the team – the positions of Seeker and one Chaser. After much persuasion, Melanie had convinced Lucy to try out for the Seeker position, and Lily, Sophia, and Niahm had agreed to go down and watch for moral support.

The weather that evening was clear and cool, which provided ideal flying conditions for the try-outs. The girls all walked down to the pitch together before Melanie and Lucy went to the changing rooms and the other three went up into the stands, picking seats near the front so that they would have a good view. They weren't the only ones there to watch the try-outs. Sirius, Remus (who, Sophia noted, still looked pale and drawn after the weekend's full moon), and Peter sat a few rows back, obviously here to support James in his first role as Captain. There were also a few other Gryffindor faces scattered throughout the stand who had come to show their support of either other individuals or the team in general.

After about ten minutes, the team emerged out on the field to cheers from everyone in the small crowd. First to appear was James, followed by a Chaser – Kelly Jones, a fourth-year girl who had joined the team last year. She had light brown hair which hung past her shoulders. Despite her young age, she was one of the strongest flyers on the team.

They were followed by the two Beaters – Neil Jones, Kelly's older brother, a fifth-year who looked remarkably similar to his sister apart from having a bigger build, and Brendan Fuller, a seventh-year boy who was both tall and broad around the shoulders. Last to come out was Melanie, as the Keeper, closely followed by the hopeful contenders for the two spots on the team.

It became clear to Sophia that James was going to test all the Chasers first while allowing those trying out for the Seeker position to fly around for a while and settle in. There were four people trying out for the position of Chaser, and three for the Seeker. As James set up a training pattern to test the four potential Chasers, the three potential Seekers set off flying around the pitch, and Lucy came over to where Sophia and the other girls were sitting.

'All right, Lucy - how are you doing?' Sophia asked as Lucy came to a graceful halt in front of them.

'Okay, I think. My hands keep sweating though, and that's not exactly helpful. Remind me again why I agreed to do this?' Lucy asked, looking paler than usual.

'You agreed because you are a very good flyer and because you'll make a good Seeker and because Melanie kept nagging you until you agreed. Now get flying, and your nerves will settle down,' Niahm told her friend as the other two nodded their heads in agreement.

'Thanks, guys,' she said, trying to muster a smile; as she turned and flew away, she shouted back, 'Wish me luck!'

'Good luck!' they all shouted in unison.

The Chaser trials were pretty successful, with Rowan Caulder, a fifth-year boy, being selected after his good teamwork with James and Kelly. It was then time for the Seekers. James started by testing their hand-to-eye coordination and reaction speeds by getting the three potentials and the rest of the team to throw the Quaffle around to each other as they flew.

As the girls watched on, they saw Lucy start off with some difficulty – her nerves were obviously still a problem – but once she got into it, her true talent started to shine through. Due to the fact that it was nearly dusk, James was unable to release the Snitch, in case it wasn't caught in time, so he had devised a test of flying for the three to perform which would test their reactions, their agility, and their coordination. He watched each person in turn perform the requested tasks and, while no-one was perfect, Lucy made the least number of mistakes, and so James announced her as the new Gryffindor Seeker.

Sophia, Lily and Niahm left the stands to wait by the door to the changing room so that they could congratulate Lucy on her success. They were followed down by Remus, Sirius, and Peter, who were waiting for James.

Melanie and Lucy, who was wearing a huge smile on her face, were the first to emerge from the changing room, followed by James, who looked pleased, if a little frazzled and tired from the experience.

'Well done,' said all the three girls as they hugged Lucy in turn.

'See, didn't I say she would make a great Seeker? Why is it that no one ever listens to me?' Melanie said in jest, patting Lucy on the back.

'You flew really well, Lucy. We'll get you training with the Snitch as soon as possible – if not in the first session, then hopefully by the second,' James said as he approached the group, giving his new find a smile which served to make Lucy blush.

'I just hope I don't disappoint, that's all,' Lucy replied.

'Right, well, shall we head back up to the castle then?' Lily asked. 'It's starting to get cold for those of us who haven't been flying round.' Lily did have a point – sitting in the stands for two hours had meant that Sophia wasn't exactly warm, and the thought of the fire in the Gryffindor common room was rather appealing. All the spectators seemed to be thinking the same thing, and soon everyone was making their way back up to the castle.

When they had nearly reached the castle, they saw a group of boys just ahead of them; as they drew closer, Sophia recognised the familiar outlines. It seemed that everyone else in the group did, too; Sophia watched out of the corner of her eye as Remus and Sirius moved their hands to their wands, and she heard Lily take in a sharp breath.

'Well, well, well. What this – why, it's Potter and the filthy scum he calls his friends,' said one of the boys in an icy tone.

'Snivellus,' replied James with utter loathing, not taking his eyes off the boys in front of him. The group of Gryffindors had come to a halt, the Marauders putting themselves between the Slytherin boys and the Gryffindor girls. Sophia cast her eyes over the boys who stood next to Snape.

First, she noticed Evan Rosier, a well-built seventh-year Prefect (what Dumbledore had been thinking the day he made that decision still remained a mystery to Sophia) who was easily over six feet tall and very imposing. He would have been extremely handsome, with his blonde hair, blue eyes and tanned skin, had it not been for the fact that his face was currently screwed up in hate.

Next to him stood Regulus Black, who was looking at his older brother with contempt; while Sophia couldn't see Sirius's face, she was in no doubt that he was returning the look, probably with added ferocity. Regulus was slightly scrawnier when compared to his brother, but otherwise they were remarkably similar in their appearance, with both boys inheriting the characteristic Black hair and grey eyes. However, where Sirius' hair was attractively unkempt, Regulus' was neat and ordered, which highlighted his strong jaw line and haughty appearance.

Lastly, there was Rabastan Lestrange. He was a fellow sixth-year student, tall and lanky in build, a stark contrast to his older brother, Rodolphus, who had left Hogwarts a few years previously. What he lacked in physical strength, however, he more than made up for with his intellect.

'Where's the rest of your gang, Snivellus? Gone off to buy you some shampoo or something?' Sirius asked.

'He's never one to miss an opportunity to torment Snape,' Sophia thought to herself.

'You're one to talk, dear brother,' said Regulus snidely. 'You could do with getting a haircut yourself, or does living with blood traitors, and being one yourself, not allow for that?' he continued, casting his eyes over to James, then back to Sirius. Sophia could see Sirius's muscles tighten; he gripped his wand at hearing Regulus talk about James that way.

She could see the situation spiralling out of control right in front of her, but her mind would not work fast enough for her to figure out a way to stop it. Even if she could come up with a plan, she didn't think her body would be able to move to implement it. She just seemed to be frozen to the spot – watching the events unfold in front of her, unable to do anything.

'I would rather be a blood traitor, as you so eloquently put it, than be like you and our dear parents,' Sirius replied, his tone equalling his brother's.

Then Sophia heard a voice she didn't expect to. 'If you are all done insulting each other's hair styles, we would like to go back to our common room,' said Lily calmly, if slightly condescendingly, as she walked between James and Sirius.

'Why should we listen to you? After all, you're nothing but a filthy Mudblood,' said Lestrange as a smirk crept across his face. 'Isn't that right, Severus?'

'So, this is it,' Sophia thought, 'we'll finally see where Snape and Lily stand.'

Sophia's eyes darted quickly around the group – Lestrange, Snape, Lily, James – before going back to Snape. Lily still held the same calm, dignified look on her face, while James's eyes, from what she could see, had narrowed; otherwise, they both stood perfectly still. For a split second, Sophia thought she saw Snape's eyes widen at Lestrange's choice of words, but now his face seemed completely impassive again.

'What is he going to do now?' she wondered.

'Yes, you're right, Rabastan. I see no reason why we should listen to someone like Lily Evans.' He spoke so coolly and calmly that it was quite unnerving.

As quick as a flash, James had his wand drawn, and Snape matched his speed. They both cast their spells silently – James's boil hex missed Snape by inches and passed over Rosier's shoulder as he moved out of the line of fire. Snape's curse missed James, but hit Remus, who was standing on James' left, resulting in Remus dangling by his ankle in the air. Sophia thought for a minute that the two groups of boys would start a duel; Sirius and Regulus both started to draw their wands, ready to fight, while Melanie and Lucy set about trying to get Remus down as gently as possible. Then, Sophia caught sight of Lily and instantly knew what was going to happen next; she decided to follow her lead.

'He's not worth it, James – they're all not worth it,' Lily said as she reached a hand out to touch James's outstretched wand hand and made eye contact with him, turning her back on Snape. Sophia couldn't think of any time that Lily had looked at James in that way – she was looking at him not suspiciously or wearily, but with a genuine look of care, gratitude, and appeal. James seemed shocked by Lily's movement, and for a moment didn't respond.

'So, she's finally stopped defending Snape - I guess their friendship is truly over now if she's going to side with James,' Sophia thought to herself.

Following Lily's lead, Sophia reached out to Sirius, touching him on the shoulder in an effort to get him to back down along with James. He spun round to look at her, a wild look in his eyes.

'She's right, Sirius, they're not worth it. You're better than them – don't sink to their level,' she whispered to him, holding eye contact in the hope that he would back down despite knowing that, in these situations at least, Sirius' reasoning skills were the last thing to come into play. He looked over at James while Sophia looked at the group of Slytherins who seemed to be waiting to see what would happen between Lily and James as much as Sirius was.

'But, they called you -' James began before Lily interrupted him.

'I know what they called me, James, and I appreciate the gesture, really I do, but I don't want you or anyone else to get into trouble over something that isn't important. Please, just let it go,' she implored, her pleading green eyes holding James's attention.

At that, James lowered his arm and his face softened. Sirius, in turn, also started to relax, though he still maintained his grip on his wand. Sophia expected the Slytherins to make some sort of joke, but when she looked over at them, Snape had already turned his back on them and had started to walk away, followed by Lestrange, who looked over his shoulder at Lily with pure hatred. Only Rosier and Regulus lingered behind, but after a few moments they too turned and walked away, deciding that four (or nine, if you included the girls) against two were not favourable odds.

'Well, shall we continue on?' Niahm asked, as if nothing had happened. Remus had been successfully lowered back down to the ground by Lucy and Melanie.

'I think that sounds like a very good idea, Niahm. Come on guys, let's go,' Remus said, as he finished adjusting his robes.

Everyone started walking back to the castle, with the four boys walking in front; Lily had slipped back next to Sophia. Sophia knew how difficult the last few minutes had been for Lily – not only turning her back on Snape, but turning to James to do it. Yet, James had done the mature thing – the old James, the James from last year, would have ignored Lily's request and would have continued to fight. She was sure of that, but here, he'd done as Lily had asked him. Sophia wondered what Lily thought of him now, but knew that she would have to wait to find out that answer.