You had made a habit of keeping your distance from the Marauders. Not just because of their reputation, but because you’d seen firsthand the way they carried themselves—loud, reckless, with James and Sirius forever at the center of every raucous scene. They were clever, yes, undeniably so, but their brilliance often came paired with cruelty. Especially towards Severus Snape. You could never quite understand the satisfaction they seemed to get from tormenting him, from putting him on display as if the humiliation were entertainment.

It was easier to steer clear of them entirely.

But on your way to Herbology that afternoon, your path intersected with theirs whether you liked it or not. The greenhouse loomed ahead, but what caught your eye was the sight just off to the side: James and Sirius circling a snargaluff, poking and provoking the poor plant as if it were some kind of plaything. Peter stood at their shoulder, sniggering loudly, as if he couldn’t possibly find it funnier. And Remus… Remus stood slightly apart, leaning on his cane, that small, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Your gaze flicked to the shiny badge pinned neatly on his chest—Prefect. You could almost feel your annoyance bubbling up at the sight of it. He was supposed to be the responsible one, wasn’t he? The one who stepped in, who kept order. Yet there he was, watching quietly, letting it all happen. You supposed the cane explained part of it—everyone knew he tended to look a little battered after the full moon, though you never thought much about it beyond the fact that he always seemed exhausted, always leaning just a little heavier on that cane in the days after. Still, a badge meant duty. And he wasn’t doing it.

The snargaluff shuddered, whipping its vines around irritably as James prodded at it again. Sirius threw his head back and laughed, his voice carrying through the empty stretch between greenhouses.

And then Sirius spotted you.

“Oi, look who it is,” he called, his grin already mischievous, his grey eyes glittering like he’d found a new toy. He gave James a sharp nudge with his elbow, then cupped a hand around his mouth theatrically. “Hey, long time no see, sweetheart!”

The word made your teeth clench. Sweetheart. Always so careless with his words, always so sure of himself, as if the whole world were an audience to his performance.

James spun around at Sirius’s greeting, his grin instantly matching his friend’s. “Well, well. Didn’t think we’d catch you sneaking about this way. What’s the matter, trying to avoid us again?”

You shifted your bag higher on your shoulder, your lips pressing into a thin line. You weren’t about to give them the satisfaction of a reply, not when you could already hear Peter chuckling and Remus shifting his weight, that small, knowing look flickering in his tired amber eyes.

You didn’t understand them. You never had. For all their brilliance, all their charm, they seemed to delight in mischief at the expense of everyone else. And though Remus wore that badge, though he was supposed to be different, he stood there watching with that faint smile, as though he were a spectator instead of a Prefect.

And you—well, you weren’t going to give them what they wanted. Not today.