The Moony or the Padfoot?
I was reading a fic in which Sirius referred to Remus as 'Moony' after they'd discovered Remus' lycanthropy (duh) but before the other Marauders had become animagi. And so I had to wonder whether the nickname 'Moony' would have been in use at that point.
So when did the nickname Moony arise?
Possibility 1a:
The Marauders dubbed Lupin 'Moony' as a sign of friendship in a fit of silliness. I can imagine a funny conversation among a few third-year boys:
James: Hey, Remus, that time of the month is coming up.
Peter: That time of the month? Wait, boys can't...
James: No, you nitwit, you know, when Remus goes mooning about.
Remus: *rolls eyes*
Peter: *giggles like a girl*
Sirius: (a la Peeves) Ha ha! Remus is a mooner! Moony Moony Mooner!
Possibility 1b:
The Marauders dubbed Lupin 'Moony' to ease discussion of his condition, much like Harry referred to Sirius as 'Snuffles.' Because saying 'werewolf' would turn heads and 'lycanthrope' would sound ridiculous coming from a thirteen-year-old-boy's mouth.
Corrollary:
The Marauders, after becoming Animagi, thought this was a nifty idea and came up with their own code names to ease discussion of their Animagi forms.
Possibility 2:
The Marauders, after becoming Animagi, gave themselves nicknames to refer to their Animagi forms in code. They then didn't want to leave Remus out of having a cool nickname (after all, this whole thing was about him anyway), so he got one too. Perhaps in the way suggested in 1a.
This has very little relevance. Nor do I think there is a single correct way, unless I'm missing something in canon that lays it out. I'm just a dork who obviously needed something to think about other than, you know, less important things like cleaning the house. :D
Any thoughts?