Disclaimer: Absolutely none of these characters are mine, they're all JKR's.

James studied the pale boy opposite him. There was something odd about him, he was sure of it. He couldn’t have been the only one to notice that their friend disappeared once a month with one excuse or another.

“My Aunt Mabel’s ill,” he’d said the first time.
“The cat’s died,” the second time and most recently, “My mum just really misses me.”

James didn’t believe for a second that anyone’s parents could miss their son so much they’d request him home during term time. Why send him if only to demand him home again? James had said as much to Remus, who’d smiled as if he knew something James didn’t, and said, “She’s very fond of me.”

Still, James regarded him with suspicion. He hated not knowing things, as was obvious by his constant nosying at his friends work, especially when they were drawing things they ought not to be. James had sniggered and raised his eyebrows.

“Never had you down as a pervert,” he’d said to a blushing Peter, who’d covered his picture defensively and replied, “I was only trying to get the shape right. That’s a blouse!”
James laughed.

Sirius had already told him much more than an average twelve year old boy should know about girls and it all sounded very interesting to him. He had of course noticed that girls had some appendages that he didn’t but they had never been of any interest to him until recently.

“Why are you staring at me?” asked Remus pleasantly, looking up from his book, a dusty tome whose title was half faded so that it appeared to read “Te Ent Po”. James had the grace to blush and look away from his friend for a moment.

“I thought you were looking a bit peaky,” he said after a few minutes had passed. Remus sighed.

“It’s my Aunt Mabel again,” he said. “I’m not sure how much longer she’s going to hold out.” James gasped and momentarily forgot his suspicions.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Remus,” he said.

“It’s ok,” Remus said casually, returning to his book. James found it quite odd that he’d simply returned to his book so he decided to ask some more pressing questions.

“Are you going to visit her again?” he asked.

“Probably at the end of this month,” Remus replied from behind his book. Had James been able to see his face he would’ve seen Remus’ pained expression when he asked his next question.

“Does your aunt only get worse at the end of the month?”

“No, I don’t think so,” he replied.

“But-”

“I’d better go and do my Potions essay,” Remus interrupted, leaping to his feet and, James was sure, half running from the common room.

James sat by the fire for a little longer. Sirius was in detention for bewitching Lorcan Harris’ robes to always stay up at the back and reveal his rather dirty underwear. The last time James had seen Peter he had been on his third helping of trifle. He puzzled over Remus’ odd behaviour. Why did he always disappear at the end of the month? His relatives always became mysteriously sick around this time and James couldn’t help but think Remus came from a very sickly family.

When Sirius returned from detention, James went to address his thoughts about Remus and decided he may as well tell Peter as well.

“You don’t think his aunt’s a werewolf do you?” suggested Peter, once he’d told him.

“Genius!” exclaimed James.

“Well done, Peter, there is some sense in there after all,” Sirius said with a grin.

“Let’s go and look it up,” James said excitedly.

“Woah, let’s just halt there with the extra work,” Sirius said, holding his hand out, palm facing James.

“Yeah, James, we’re meant to be in bed,” Peter added. James deflated like a balloon but agreed to wait until the next day to look it up.

“What’re you doing?” Remus asked mildly. It was the next day and James was frantically searching through a book on magical creatures in the dormitory.

“Looking for something on werewolves,” he replied distractedly before he realised who he was talking to. Remus’ expression was one of horror before he relaxed it back into one of casual interest.

“Why?” he asked. James sighed and decided he’d better be honest because he was an awful liar.

“Peter suggested that your aunt might be a werewolf because she always gets worse at the end of the month,” he explained. Remus’ shoulders sagged and James could see he looked even peakier than he had the day before.

“It’s not my aunt,” he said quietly. James looked startled but was also satisfied that he had made a breakthrough with the secretive boy.

“It’s me,” he finished, examining the ground. “I’m a werewolf.”

James couldn’t describe how he felt when the wave of shock hit him. He felt like he’d been slapped across the face at first and ripples of shock kept sending electric pulses through his body.

“I know you won’t want to be friends with me anymore,” Remus continued dejectedly. “But please don’t tell anyone but the others.”

James, who’d sank onto his bed, was momentarily paralysed but, seeing that Remus was about to leave, held out his hand.

“That must be terrible,” he said sincerely. “Going through that every month. You should’ve said.”

Remus turned to face him, his eyes sparkling with tears and said, “But I couldn’t because I knew you’d react like this! I didn’t want you to think of me as some kind of monster.”

“Someone as good natured as you? I could never think that,” James replied sincerely. “It’s not your fault that you’re a werewolf and I’m not going to stop being your friend because of your condition. You wouldn’t stop being my friend if I had dragon pox, would you?”

“It’s slightly different to dragon pox, James,” Remus said.

“Not in principle it’s not,” James said reasonably. “I think you should tell the others yourself and we’ll do whatever we can to help you.”

Remus looked stunned. He’d obviously been imagining this precise scenario for months and never once thought his friends would accept him.

“Thanks, James,” he said with a smile.

***

“Animagi,” Sirius repeated. “They help a werewolf keep it’s human mind. If we study hard I reckon we could’ve managed it in a couple of years.”

“Isn’t that really dangerous?” Peter asked, biting his lip.

“How d’you think Remus feels transforming on his own every month?” Sirius said fiercely.

“Ok, everyone who agrees put your hand in,” said James.

He put his own in, followed by Sirius and, with only a slight hesitation, Peter.

Remus was horrified when they told him enthusiastically what they were planning.

“I’m flattered, honestly, but you can’t possibly…it’s so dangerous-”

“If we can ease your pain even a little, it’ll be worth it,” James said.

“But what if I…what if I kill one of you in that state?” Remus said, blanching at the thought.

“You won’t,” Sirius replied, “We’ll be animals.”

“Nothing I say is going to stop you, is it?” Remus said in defeat.

“No,” the others chorused. Remus sighed.

“Then good luck to you,” he said and there were beaming smiles all round.

A/N: Go ahead and tell me what you thought :)