songs mentioned in this chapter:
blockbuster ~ sweet
jean genie ~ david bowie
rock and roll all nite ~ kiss
far far away ~ slade
it's a kind of magic ~ queen
get it on ~ t.rex
one way or another ~ blondie

At five to nine, the Marauders made their way onto the stage to get themselves ready. Remus was pleasantly surprised to see how full the Hog's Head was. The majority of the tables facing them were full of witches and wizards and Remus felt a thrill of excitement rush through him as he seated himself behind then piano, the brilliant blare of the lights shining down on the keys in front of him. Looking up through the darkness at the dimly lit pub, Remus locked eyes with Henry across the room who threw him a wink as Remus grinned easily back.

"Alright folks!" James' voice boomed out through the microphone. "This is our first real gig outside of school so I really hope you guys enjoy. These are some songs by some really cool muggle artists that my friends Remus and Sirius here have a bit of an obsession with." James gestured to his friends. "So thank you guys for all being here and we hope you enjoy the show! We're the Marauders and this is Rock and Roll all Nite!"

The second James had finished, Peter came in with his intro before Sirius rolled in with his electric guitar, Remus beginning to play as James opened his mouth to sing the lyrics.

You keep on dancin' and the room gets hot
You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy
You say you wanna go for a spin
The party's just begun, we'll let you in
You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy

Despite quite a lot of the crowd being a slightly older generation of witches and wizards than the Marauders were typically usually used to, their audience seemed to quickly lean into the music, bopping their heads along to the music, and those who had just come in for a drink even turned round in their seats to watch the Marauders jam.

The first song morphed into a second as they played It's a Kind of Magic then Blockbuster, alternating between some of their older and newer covers. The crowd seemed to be enjoying them immensely by the time they got to Blockbuster, and the pub seemed significantly more crowded to Remus than it had when they had first started playing. People were even getting up and dancing along a bit. Remus looked up to see Henry at the bar, serving customers with a big grin on his face. He gave Remus a thumbs up when he saw him looking over. 

James was singing his heart out, dancing about the stage with the same charismatic confidence he displayed on the quidditch team. Sirius looked entirely in his element, a wide grin spread across his features as he jammed along beside James, often leaning into his friend's microphone to harmonise a line ever now and again.

You better beware, you better take care
You better watch out if you've got long black hair
He'll come from behind, you'll go out of your mind
You better not go, you never know what you'll find

Remus smiled to himself as he let his fingers dance over the keys, grateful for his muscle memory that allowed him to look up every now and again to observe his surroundings. Business in the Hog's Head seemed to be going great and his friends seemed to be having the time of their lives. Remus was only praying that none of the Hogwarts teachers fancied going out for a drink tonight, and if they did- planned on going to the Three Broomsticks rather than the Hog's Head. Thankfully though, as far as Remus could see, the only familiar faces below them were Henry and Aberforth.

They played Get It On next, James walking exaggeratedly up to Remus as he sang the lyrics, trying to sound seductive as he leaned against the back of the piano to sing the lyrics at Remus who only grinned at him with a roll of his eyes. James lifted himself up onto the lid of the piano smoothly and lay down on his back, bringing the microphone close to his lips as he sang, flashing Remus a wink before swinging his legs back over the side, dangling them down as he sang towards the crowd who nodded along, cheering a little as he hopped off again and went back to stand behind the mic stand.

They took a small break after the fourth song for a sip of water, much needed in James' case, before they resumed. "How are you guys enjoying the show?" James roared into the microphone. He was going to have an awfully sore throat tomorrow.

A roar of approval sounded from the crowd.

"Glad to hear it!" James shouted, pushing a hand through his messy black hair. His cheeks were pink and his eyes were alight with mischief. "Alright guys this is Jean Genie!"

A small Jean Genie snuck off to the city
Strung out on lasers and slash back plazas
And ate all your razors while pullin' the waiters
Talking bout Monroe and walkin' on snow white
New York's a go-go and everything tastes right

Jean Genie soon rolled into One Way or Another, and as soon as their sixth song had finished, James called out to the even more eager crowd. "Thank you so much everyone for being such a great crowd!"

The audience applauded enthusiastically.

"But that's all we've got time for tonight, thanks again for coming!"

The crowd was split between cheers of approval and groans of disappointment, and some even called out "PLAY ANOTHER ONE!"

Remus had anticipated this and had so prepared for it, suggesting that they leave Far Far Away for the very last song to ensure they went out with a bang.

"Another one?" James asked with a sly smile as the crowd cheered. "Alright, just one since you've all been so wonderful."

Remus rolled his eyes. James wasn't subtle at all.

"Hit it, Pete!" James called to Peter as he opened the song before Sirius and Remus came in. James sang directly to the crowd this time, mic back on the stand, no more walking and prancing around- just direct and raw towards the crowd. His voice sounded a little rougher than it had at the beginning of the night and it suited the song perfectly. No one would ever be able to deny that James Potter couldn't sing. If it wasn't for the existence of Sirius Black, Remus could easily see the attraction to James if he wasn't so hopelessly in love with Lily Evans.

And I'm far, far away
With my head up in the clouds
And I'm far, far away
With my feet down in the crowds
Lettin' loose around the world
But the call of home is loud
Still is loud

Remus locked eyes with Sirius across the stage, and the older boy smiled across at him, his eyes alight with joy, fingers strumming effortlessly across the guitar strings. He was drenched in sweat, his sheer top clinging to him like cellophane and leaving nothing to the imagination. Remus flushed as Sirius' grin widened as he continuously stared at Remus, his eyes not leaving his, inky black curly damp with sweat as it curled round his shoulders, foot tapping against the floor. Remus Lupin was so fucking in love and he realised in that moment as Sirius tossed his head back, flicking his hair out of his eyes, that there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it. He was too far gone.

When the song finally ended, the crowd were all on their feet, cheering and clapping loudly and raising their glasses. The Marauders all stood up beside James, taking a deep bow, clasping their sweaty hands together, chests rising and falling as they bowed again and again before James held the microphone to his lips for the last time that evening.

"THANK YOU GUYS AND WE'VE BEEN THE MARAUDERS!"

***

Twenty minutes later, the Marauders had tidied up on stage and nipped into the toilets to splash some cold water on their faces. Remus was aware they probably all stank of sweat, but Henry didn't seem to mind as he invited them all for some free drinks around the bar which they agreed to eagerly.

"You guys were amazing!" He gushed happily as he handed around them all a pint of firewhisky. "Business has never been better thanks to you guys! Do you think you would be able to come again soon?"

James nodded enthusiastically. "We seem to get better with every gig we do, this has got to have been our best yet- so expect great things from us."He said with a wink.

Henry laughed. "Oh, I will. You guys certainly now your stuff."

Remus didn't remember much else of what happened that night. He vaguely remembered James leaping up onto the bar and performing some sort of Irish jig much to Peter's amusement. His memory was foggy with a mixture of the scent of alcohol and cigarettes and the smell of Henry's aftershave, who had spent the majority of the evening standing rather close to him for some reason.

He didn't remember Sirius making a point of grabbing Remus' hand when he leaned in to whisper something in Remus' ear when Henry was watching, or how he hadn't let go of his hand until they arrived back at Hogwarts.