Footprints in the Snow

The snow was falling for the first time in a while. He remembered when it had fallen in second year, and they'd all transfigured their books into sledges (to McGonagall's surprise.)

They'd spent hours upon hours sledging down the slopes, falling off, crashing into trees but having fun with it. All of them.

Together.

It wasn't like that now, he supposed it was inevitable. By the time you hit fourth year of course your friends are all going to want to play in the snow with girls instead.

He had known it was going to happen, he just didn't know it. Life was funny like that...

He saw the blond head of one of his friends hit with a snowball by another, he made an easy target according to most of the other students. He could imagine the pink tinge that was on his cheeks, even if he couldn't see it. Not altogether a surprise, his friend walked off, the girl he had been talking to in tow.

The boy who had thrown the snowball just laughed, running a hand through his tousled black hair. The girl he was with gazed up at him adoringly, seemingly immune to the fact he wasn't showing off for her, but the redhead nearby who was shooting him scathing looks. Unperturbed, his friend continued messing his hair up, really he was just making himself a target for the third friend, also with black hair, but a bit longer and more elegant in style.

His third friend had two girls following him, pretending not to notice each other. When one talked to him the other would glare at her but that was it. This didn't surprise Remus...

He was the only one without a girl in tow. This was apparently (according to Sirius, anyway) unheard of for a fourth year boy. James had conceded, throwing suggestive glances Lily's way, before asking out the nearest girl, and making a big show about it. He had only slightly been put off when the girl reminded him that Peter had asked her out three minutes prior, with James' help. The next girl graciously accepted, and he was on step one of the make Lily jealous campaign. Remus had given up stating how stupid this plan was a long time ago, as the last time it had resulted in him being stunned for an undetermined number of hours.

He just hoped James would realise the errors of his ways before too long, or he would ruin his chances with Lily, with whom Remus used to have had a steady friendship with, for forever. Remus still occasionally talked to Lily, but it wasn't the same, as James would generally hang around and give him death stares. Stupid git didn't realise the advantages of Remus being her friend - he could have put a good word in for him, but no. James' jealous impulses took over again.

It wasn't that Remus didn't want to have fun in the snow, far from it, but he just couldn't bring himself to actually asking a girl to come with him to 'throw snowballs at James' as Sirius had put it to both of his dates. He didn't have the slightest idea what he'd do, anyway, plus... well. Who would he ask?

If he'd mentioned this to Sirius and James they would both have laughed. According to them half of Hogwarts female population was dieing to go anywhere with him. Sirius would state this with a wide grin, knowing full well the other half was after him - and he loved it.

James would have agreed a bit more quietly, almost wistfully. He had his fair share of girls liking him, more than his fair share around quidditch time but it wasn't anywhere near Sirius and Remus' followings. Sirius was the classic lady killer with a wicked grin, ebony hair and those piercing blue eyes. Remus was the enigma of the group, the one that didn't really seem to fit in. He was just as intelligent as James and Sirius, some people would say more so but in a different way. Sirius and James were the types to study the theory extensively and then trying to do them practically. Peter followed their examples, finding it the easiest way to scrape by. Remus was different, whilst he did enjoy a good book he didn't like always having to rely on them, and he was the least likely to have his nose stuck in a book unless they had an exam the next day. He would work things out through trial and error after learning the basic theory and read up on it after. It never ceased to amaze James and Peter (Sirius couldn't care less) about how he did this, both having tried this much more fun approach and failing miserably. Remus was generally the quietest in the group, but when he did talk he would usually be immensely funny, coming out with the kind of dry humour you wish that you'd thought of. He was also by no stretch of the imagination ugly, as any girl could easily tell you. He had golden brown hair, not as short as Peter or James', but not as long as Sirius', and he liked it that way. Perhaps the most striking thing about his appearance was his hazel eyes, which in moments of heated argument, particular emotion or just before the moonrise shone amber, although many people don't notice this - his eyes had an amberish tinge anyway. They were quite an unusual colour, James' being bog standard brown, and Sirius and Peter having light blue. They we almost as recognisable as Lily Evans' green eyes, but not quite. Not unless it was a full moon night anyway.

Remus shook his head, shivering slightly in the cold. It was no fun sitting by yourself in the snow, and he stood up and shook himself, getting rid of the snow that had accumulated on his robes. He was just getting ready to admit defeat and go inside, when he was hit in the back of the head with a snowball, making him jump with the shock.

"Aaw, Remmy by himself, is he?" A mocking voice asked, coming from behind. Remus turned around and his eyes shot heavenward as he realised that it was Sirius' cousin Bellatrix. He didn't have the energy for this. Her latest boyfriend was hiding behind her, his eyes darting around.

Remus just shook his robes to get rid of the snow and started to walk away, he didn't need this. He was in no state for a duel or anything of that sort - he had only got out of the hospital wing two nights before. However, Bellatrix seemed to have different ideas.

"Why aren't you strolling around with a ruptured girl in tow, amazed at who she got to ask her out? Or, why aren't you throwing snowballs at the first years along with James? I'd thought you'd be doing one of the two. Or both..."

It looked like James had indeed lost the girl he'd had hanging around him earlier, although he wasn't phased in the slightest. He was, just as Bellatrix had stated, throwing snowballs at some first years. Remus felt like warning him that a couple of Ravenclaw third years were hiding behind the first years, charming snowballs to follow him around but he decided against it. The sod deserved it, after all.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Bellatrix hollered as he walked away, her face turning red. "Don't you dare walk away, you mudblood scum!"