[ playlist by kencbi ; thanks again! ]

MORE THAN ANYTHING, Remus Lupin wanted to reach and wring his best friend and roommate's skinny little neck. He placed his phone back onto the receiver after having listened to his answering machine, and turned to face the man with dark hair, smug brown eyes, and ridiculously circular glasses.

"I can not believe you did this." He snapped, crossing his arms over his white button-down shirt, causing his muscles to look defined as the shirt had shrunken in the wash — yet another prank from James.

James Potter continued looking at his roommate in an entirely too mischievous manner. However, as Remus' incredulous and agitated look increased, the curl of his lips faltered and he gulped slowly. He raised his hands up defensively as he stood, backing away from his tall friend.

"Listen Remus, it wasn't entirely my idea, so you can't blame me for it. Lily made a comment about you over-working yourself, and I agreed with her. Pete's the one who pointed out the vacation raffle..." He explained, now standing behind the recliner he'd been seated in when his roommate walked in from the long day's work.

"Christ James, you can't just take someone's information and sign them up for raffles!" Remus exclaimed, and then looked at him skeptically. "Have you been stealing money from me as well?"

"Of course not, Remus! Honest, I had the purest intentions when I signed you up. And Lily's already spoken to your coworker, Frank Longbottom. He's totally cool with covering you. He said his wife went off with the baby to visit her mum, so he didn't think taking a few extra shifts would be a problem."

Remus scowled and began to pace, eyes drifting every now and then back towards his phone, and the orange message still blinking as he hadn't yet erased it. He reached forward and pressed a button, allowing the loudspeaker to play the message again:

'Hello,' came a male's voice. 'This is Ludo Bagman from Gulliver's Travel Agency (yes, very clever name, we know). I'm leaving a message for Mr Remus J Lupin, who has been one of the two people drawn for an all expenses paid trip to the beautiful coastal town of Vence, France. To retrieve your ticket and information of your holiday, please contact me at the following number,' a phone number was rattled off. 'Congratulations, and have a great day!'

James was looking at his friend expectantly, curious of his next move. When it seemed Remus had nothing to say, he spoke again.

"C'mon Remus, this'll be a great thing for you. It's a chance to clear your head and relax. Not to mention, you're one of two people going on this trip. Perhaps the second person's a total babe." He said suggestively.

"Or," Remus added with eyebrows stitched together. "It's a serial killer hoping to chop me up and cast my bits to the sea."

Growing increasingly aggravated, James huffed a breath and stood straighter. He no longer looked fearful of his friend's reaction; he firmly believed this trip would indeed be very good for him.

"The likeliness of that happening is beyond slim, Remus. You're acting like a git. How about you acknowledge the fact that your friends are worried about you: my girlfriend more-so than apparently the rest of us, and the lot of us agree that this trip is a good thing." James spat. "Not to mention, Frank has already agreed to cover your shifts, so your arriving at work this following week would be pointless."

Remus sighed. "Did my boss even approve of me taking time off?"

"Mr Fudge is a reasonable man. He ought to let you take a break. You're the employee of the month every month, after all."

Remus considered this, and took a seat on the stool beside their breakfast bar. James stood across from him, allowing his friend to take into account everything he'd just told him. He hoped Remus would come to agree. Besides, who wouldn't want to take a holiday in France?

"Fine then," Remus concluded. "If you lot are so persistent on me going on this holiday, I'll go. But! Should anything bad happen while I'm gone, and I assure you I'll find out, I will never take advice from any of you again. And should I be killed on this trip with an absolute stranger, you better believe I'll be haunting you until the day you die, James Potter."

James smiled. "You're so dramatic, Remus. I love you."

"Yeah yeah, don't be getting too affectionate on me. I'll have to tell Lily. Now, instead of just standing there like an absolute git, why don't you help me pack?"