Werewolf Among Wizards by shewolf2000
Summary: Glimpses into Remus Lupin's life at Hogwarts, all trying to answer the question: Is Remus a normal wizard who just has a “furry little problem”, or is he a werewolf among wizards, trying to fit in where he may never truly belong?

Now with more Snape down the Whomping Willow! Check out Chapter 10: A Highly Amusing Joke and Chapter 11: Skyfall


Categories: Marauder Era Characters: None
Warnings: Mild Profanity
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 11 Completed: No Word count: 79615 Read: 42463 Published: 12/02/07 Updated: 04/29/13

1. His Worst Fear by shewolf2000

2. Stupid Ideas by shewolf2000

3. Potential Death by Spherical Snow by shewolf2000

4. The Silver Knife by shewolf2000

5. Monsters by shewolf2000

6. The Innocent Werewolf by shewolf2000

7. Paws, Prefects, and Pretty Girls by shewolf2000

8. His New Worst Fear by shewolf2000

9. On The Wolf's Turf by shewolf2000

10. A Highly Amusing Joke by shewolf2000

11. Skyfall by shewolf2000

His Worst Fear by shewolf2000
Author's Notes: Many thanks to Kaity (tonks_the_dreamer) for introducing me to MNFF and Fiona (roisin_dubh) for being a superb editor.


His Worst Fear

One rainy Wednesday evening in mid-April found first year James Potter sitting alone in the library at Hogwarts School, poring over a book that lay open on the table in front of him. James was a clever boy, one of the best in his class, but it was still rather unusual to run across him in the library. James prided himself on being able to get excellent marks with little to no effort, a fact that thoroughly annoyed those of his fellow students who actually had to work to pass their classes. But those who had seen James in the library tonight and regarded him with curiosity might have been spared their confusion. James was not doing schoolwork.

The twelve-year-old James had two great loves in life: Quidditch and causing trouble. But he also had a passion for solving mysteries when they presented themselves to him. James had been working on one particular mystery for a few months now. He had researched, interrogated, and observed, and his work had paid off at last. James sat in the library, knowing, beyond doubt, that on this rainy Wednesday April evening, he had solved the mystery at last.

The mystery involved his friend and fellow Gryffindor, Remus Lupin. Remus and James slept in the same dormitory, and it didn’t take a particularly observant person to see that there was something funny about the Lupin kid. He was pleasant, reasonably clever, and a good friend, but there was definitely something wrong about him. Most strange, perhaps, were his rather frequent and not-so-inconspicuous absences from the Gryffindor Tower dormitory. His first absences had seemed innocent enough at the time. About ten days into their first term, Remus had said that his mother was ill and that he had to go home to see her. Unfortunate and understandable. Then, about a month later, he said that his grandfather had died and that he had to go home for the funeral. Sad and perfectly plausible. The next month his grandmother died and he had to go home for her funeral. Err… Okay. A month after that, he said that he was feeling really ill and was going to spend the night in the hospital wing. Sure, why not?

If it hadn’t been his fourth absence in three and a half months, his friends would have found the need for Remus to spend a night in the hospital wing a more than believable excuse for him being gone. Remus looked ill a lot of the time. He was very pale and a little peaky on his best days. Other days, he looked downright nauseous and miserable with sickness. He would become exhausted and develop dark shadows under his eyes. His friends, concerned, would ask him how he was feeling, and he would always insist that he was fine or “Just a bit tired”. It was perfectly possible to see him becoming ill enough to require a night’s stay in the hospital wing. But when James, Sirius, and Peter had gone to visit him, Madame Pomfery wouldn’t let them in to see him. This, in James’s opinion, either meant that Remus was really really ill, or else that this was yet another poorly explained absence. What was more, when Remus had recovered and returned, he was unable to tell them what he had been sick with.

A month after this, he told them that his other grandfather had died. He had to go to another funeral. This turned what had hither to been innocent curiosity into suspicion.

“There’s something very strange about Remus,” James had remarked.

“You think?” Sirius had replied sarcastically.

Then, (as if all of this wasn’t enough strangeness for one kid) there were the injuries. Remus could make up endless excuses for his absences and his illnesses, but he could never explain his injuries to an even moderately satisfactory level. There was just no explanation for him going home to see his sick mother or attend a funeral and coming back looking like he’d wrestled a troll; and lost. This fifth disappearance was accompanied with some particularly gruesome looking injuries.

“God, Remus, what the hell happened to you?” Sirius had asked.

“I fell,” Remus had replied shortly.

Sure you did, Remus. Sure you did. And so James had decided that this was a mystery he had to figure out. He started with a direct approach:

“Remus?”

“Yes,” Remus had replied without raising is eyes from his transfiguration notes.

“Where do you keep going all the time?”

Remus looked up. His expression was confused. “Going?”

“You know, when you’re not in our dormitory. You’re gone at least once a month.”

Remus had tensed for a moment before seeming to feign calmness. “I guess.”

“So where do you keep going?”

“I’ve told you where I’ve gone every time.”

“Yes,” James had said thoughtfully, “the thing is, I’m not sure I believe you.” When Remus didn’t reply, he pressed on, “You’re gone more than anyone else in school. And I don’t believe that you go home each time. You always come back covered in scratches and injuries. And I know it’s not because of your family, because you looked just a beat up after you ‘supposedly’ spent the night in the hospital wing. And “ ”

“Leave me alone, James,” Remus had snapped. But instead of being deflected, Remus’s sudden defensiveness caused James’s interest to peak.

“I want to know where you keep going,” James had said insisted.

“Mind your own business.”

“I want to know the truth.”

“That’s unfortunate for you,” Remus said darkly.

“Come on,” James had said. “You know you can trust me.”

“I never said I didn’t trust you. You said you didn’t believe me.”

“So are you going to tell me the truth or not?” Remus didn’t reply. “Fine then. But just so you know, I am going to figure it out eventually, whether or not you tell me.” James walked away, but as he had, he had turned back to look at Remus. Unless James had been imagining it, Remus looked worried.

A few days later (about a month after his last absence) Remus was absent from the dormitory yet again. This time he had not offered an explanation as to where he was going. When he returned, James had asked, “So, where were you last night?”

Remus had looked at him coldly, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“No,” James had agreed, “I probably wouldn’t.”

Remus and James had been unusually distant in the days following this. James hadn’t liked it at all. He might have been frustrated with Remus, but he didn’t want to lose Remus as a friend. He started trying to repair the damage by pretending that he was no longer interested in the mystery of Remus’s disappearances, or in anything else that was strange about Remus. It worked; they became perfectly friendly again, and when Remus disappeared the next month, saying his mother had fallen ill again, James was careful not to challenge the excuse.

And so began the indirect approach. James had observed Remus’s behavior surreptitiously. He had racked his brains for hours trying to figure out an illness that matched Remus’s symptoms; but what illness could cause bruises and scratches? James was sure the answer lay in the unexplained absences. He tried desperately to think what was special about these dates, why they were significant, what they had in common. The only thing he could find was that the dates were all about month apart, but he’d known this for a while now and it was useless to him. But there had to be an explanation. James remained convinced of that. So despite his lack of progress, he had not given up his quest for the answer.

It wasn’t until a little earlier on this rainy Wednesday evening in mid-April, while sitting in the common room, that James had had a breakthrough. It was actually more than a breakthrough: it was an epiphany. He had been copying Sirius’s Astronomy homework when it had hit him. It was weird, because he had hardly thought about the Remus mystery for days; they had been so swamped with work since their return from the Easter holidays. James and Remus had both gone home for the Easter break, so James had been unable to account for another monthly disappearance (which should have occurred somewhere right in the middle of the holiday). The mystery about Remus had moved to the back of his mind temporarily, in place of other things. But as he had sat copying the lunar phases Sirius had charted, the mystery resurfaced. He had frozen as realization shot through him. Then, abandoning his homework, he had snatched up his bag and sprinted to the library.

Once he had arrived, slightly out off breath, he headed straight for the Astronomy section and pulled out recent lunar charts. Then, a feeling of combined excitement and tension in his stomach, he had headed for the magical creatures section to pick up some books. He had only had to scan the lunar charts to realize that his epiphany had been accurate. He saw the dates he had been contemplating for months and saw what they all had in common. He had then reached slowly for one of the books he had collected and started to read.

It was here, in the library, therefore, that Sirius and Peter found their friend, twenty minutes later, on this mid-April Wednesday evening with rain.

“There you are!”

James started and looked up. Sirius and Peter were standing in front of him.

“We’ve been looking for you for an hour!” Sirius said, falling into the seat on James’s right. James looked at his watch. Twenty-eight minutes had passed since he had left them in the common room.

“Why have you been looking for me?”

“You took off for no reason. One minute you’re sitting with us in the common room, next minute you’re sprinting out the portrait hole,” Peter said, taking the seat on Sirius’s right.

“So you came to look for me in the library?” James asked.

“Delangela said she’d seen you here. I didn’t believe her, but Peter said we should check here anyway.”

“And where’s Remus?” James asked.

“He had to go see Professor McGonagall about something,” Sirius said carelessly, leaning backward in his chair so that it balanced on two legs. Well doesn’t that work out nicely? “So,” Sirius continued, “are you going to tell us why you abandoned us to come here, of all places?”

James looked around cautiously, but there was no one anywhere near them. Nevertheless, he lowered his voice as he said, “I’ve figured it out.”

Peter and Sirius exchanged confused looks. “Figured what out?” Sirius asked at his previous volume.

“Shhh!” James implored him. “I’ve figured out what’s wrong with Remus.”

Their attention captured, Sirius and Peter leaned in, the better to hear James’s whispers.

“You have?” Peter asked, his voice awed.

“I’m pretty sure,” said James. “Here, look at this.” He showed them the piece of parchment on which he had been keeping a record of the dates of Remus’s mysterious absences. Sirius took it and read it with Peter looking over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” said Sirius. “So?”

“So, do you see anything special about those dates?” James asked.

They looked back at the parchment. “They’re all about a month apart,” Peter said. Congratulations, James thought, now you’re only three months behind me.

“Anything else?” James prompted.

“No,” said Sirius shortly, looking up at him. “We don’t see it, James. Why don’t you just tell us what you’re on about?”

James extracted a lunar chart from under his book and laid it on the table in front of Sirius and Peter. “Maybe this will help.”

They examined it. James had circled the dates listed on the parchment. They looked carefully at each date. As they looked, comprehension slowly dawned on them.

“They’re all…” Sirius said quietly.

“Full moons,” finished Peter.

“Exactly,” said James. They gaped at him, unable to believe it.

“Mate,” said Sirius, “you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

“I am,” James replied. “I think that Remus is a werewolf.”

The three boys sat in silence for a moment, all trying to wrap their minds around the inconceivable possibility that one of their best friends could be a werewolf. Admittedly, James had a twenty-nine minute head start on his friends for absorbing the information, but it was still difficult for him to believe, despite his certainty that it was true.

“That’s impossible,” Peter said finally.

“It all fits!” James insisted. He gestured at the book on werewolves that was still lying open in front of him. “It says it all here. He’s always gone at the full moon. He always comes back covered in scratches and stuff. And,” he continued, struck by a sudden thought, “he always looks more ill when the full moon is coming, doesn’t he? He must be a werewolf. How else do you explain it?”

“It fits,” Sirius agreed. “But mate, do you realize what you’re saying? A werewolf here? A werewolf at Hogwarts? Do you really think Dumbledore would let a werewolf into the castle?”

“I think if any Headmaster were insane enough to do it, it would be Dumbledore,” said James.

“But,” said Peter tentatively, “aren’t werewolves supposed to be… dangerous? I mean, he’s been sleeping in our dormitory.”

“But not at the full moon,” said Sirius. “That was sort of James’s whole point. He’s not there when, you know…” He didn’t finish the sentence.

“Still though,” said Peter, “even when it’s not full moon, aren’t werewolves usually - well, you know, not very friendly,” he finished awkwardly. “I mean, I’ve heard some stories about werewolves; they’re not usually the type of wizards you want to hang around with.”

James could see where Peter was coming from. He too had grown up hearing terrible stories about werewolves. They tended to be outcasts in the wizarding world: usually criminals, sometimes murderers. James could think of one werewolf in particular, Fenrir Greyback, who was notorious for his vicious savagery toward normal wizards. The mere sound of Greyback’s name was enough to send a shiver of fear down any wizard’s back. He looked at Sirius, and could tell by Sirius’s worried expression that he was thinking along the same lines. But then, James thought about Remus.

“He’s not like that,” said James. “Remus; he’s not like that at all. We know he’s not dangerous. He’s our friend. He would never hurt any of us; I know it. We know him. We know we can trust him.”

Sirius still looked worried. “But, can we trust him?”

“Dumbledore trusts him,” James pointed out. “He must. He let Remus come to school here. He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t know that Remus was trustworthy. If Dumbledore trusts Remus, I think we can too.”

Sirius looked relieved. “Well, I suppose you’re right, James.”

“Yeah,” Peter agreed. “I can’t see Dumbledore letting him in if he were dangerous. But why didn’t Remus tell us?”

“I’m not sure it’s something I would go around bragging about if it were me,” said James uncomfortably. “He probably thought we’d turn on him if we knew.”

“But we’re not turning on him?” Peter asked.

“Of course not,” said James.

Sirius nodded, then said, “So what do we do now? Should we tell him that we know?”

“I think we should,” said Peter. “If he’s scared we’ll find out because he thinks we’ll hate him, he should know that we know, and that we think it’s okay.”

“Yeah,” agreed Sirius, “and that he doesn’t have to pretend anymore when he’s around us.”

“So, it’s settled then,” said Peter. “We’ll tell him.”

Sirius nodded. James, however, was looking thoughtful.

“Isn’t that a bit “ boring?” he asked.

“What?” asked Sirius.

“If we just tell Remus that we know he’s a werewolf; it doesn’t seem like very much fun,” James explained.

Sirius and Peter exchanged confused looks again. “What are you talking about?” Sirius asked.

“I think,” James said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, “I’ve got a better idea.”


The following evening (which was a Thursday, no rain, but still in mid-April) found Remus, Sirius, Peter, and James sitting together in the slowly emptying Gryffindor common room, working on homework. Remus was just putting the final touches on an essay about Levitation Charms for Professor Flitwick when James closed his book and leaned forward to address him.

“So, Remus,” James whispered, “we’re planning a little after-hours excursion later tonight. You in?”

Intrigued, Remus agreed. “Where are we going?” he asked.

James looked around as though checking for eavesdroppers, then muttered, “Later.”

The four boys waited for the common room to empty completely before going up to fetch James’s Invisibility Cloak. It was best this way, because even with the Cloak, it was hard for them to sneak out without drawing attention to themselves. It was just too much to hope that no one would notice the Fat Lady’s portrait open and close, seemingly of its own accord. Once the last Gryffindor had wandered up to bed, Remus, Sirius, and Peter followed James up to their dormitory. They watched as James rummaged through his trunk for the Cloak.

“So, where are we headed?” Remus asked.

James looked up from his trunk to grin mischievously at Remus. “If I told you that, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?” he asked.

“A surprise?” Remus repeated, as James finally managed to extract his Cloak from the bottom of his trunk. James didn’t reply, but closed his trunk and straightened up. Sirius and Peter moved closer to him so that James could throw the Cloak over all of them. Remus stayed where he was. The others turned to look at him.

“Coming?” Sirius asked, a slightly mocking smile on his face.

Remus sighed heavily and moved in. James threw the cloak over them. Large though the Cloak was, it wasn’t exactly roomy with four of them beneath it. They formed a sort of diamond shape under it: James in front, Sirius and Peter on either side of him and slightly behind, and Remus, confused and a little wary, bringing up the rear.

They made it out of Gryffindor Tower and down two staircases before they met anyone. On the fifth floor landing, they all froze at the sound of loud cackling nearby. It was coming, predictably, from Peeves, who, a second later, came soaring at them from down a corridor just off of the landing. Being unable to see them, he zoomed right past the four boys and up the stairs they had just descended without pausing, still laughing maniacally. From down the fifth floor corridor, they could hear the distant, heavy sound of rushing water. Remus supposed that Peeves had flooded on of the toilets back there; it would explain his good spirits.

They met no one else in the rest of the castle. They reached the bottom of the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall and headed towards the front doors.

“Where are we going?” Remus asked again.

“You’ll see,” James replied maddeningly.

They checked the Entrance Hall for any signs of teachers or ghosts before opening the front door a crack and squeezing out into the night. Remus noted that neither Sirius nor Peter showed any interest or curiosity in their destination. This suggested to him that they were already in on the plan for this evening’s adventure. Why would James tell them and not me? Remus wondered.

They headed down the front steps and across the grounds, still following James’s lead. The April evening was warmer than any they had seen in six months. Remus looked up as they walked. A small smattering of clouds obscured the dark sky, but he could see the crescent moon clearly overhead. He looked back down, trying hard not to think about what would happen in just under two weeks when the moon was full again.

James led the group past the greenhouses and the vegetable garden towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest. We’re not going in there, surely, Remus thought. But he wasn’t certain about that at all. He really wanted to ask where they were going again, but knew it would be useless. He knew full well that James would let him in on the plan when James so desired to do so, and not a minute before. They reached the edge of the forest.

“We can probably take the Cloak off now,” Sirius said.

They looked around; the grounds were deserted but for the four of them. They stepped out from under the Cloak and breathed in the fresh night air. James balled up the Cloak, shoved it into his pocket, gestured to the other three to follow him, and set off along the edge of the forest. They followed him. Remus was starting to feel really anxious; the feeling was not eased when James came to an abrupt halt, looking into the trees, and muttered, “Ah ha! Here’s the spot.”

Remus could see a path starting at the spot where they stood that wound its way deep into the dark mass of trees. Sirius and James plunged bravely into the forest without hesitation. Peter followed just behind them, looking nervous but excited. Remus didn’t move. Noticing this, the others stopped and turned around to look at him.

“Are you coming or not?” James asked.

“I…” Remus began.

“Not scared, are you, Remus?” Sirius asked. Remus couldn’t see Sirius’s face in the almost total darkness, but he could tell from Sirius’s tone that he was smirking.

“Scared?” Remus asked. “Scared of walking alone into a dark forest in the dead of night? What on earth would give you that idea?”

“You’re not alone,” said James. “You’re with us.”

“Huge comfort,” said Remus sarcastically. “I meant without a teacher.”

“Teachers ruin everything,” said Sirius.

“Yeah,” said Peter. “We plan to actually have fun tonight.”

“Are you going to chicken out on us Remus?” James asked. When Remus didn’t reply he said, “Come on. We’re not going in that far anyway. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

Remus hesitated. His fear of the forest battled with his desire for his friends to think he was cool and brave. Fear lost.

“Okay,” he said, and feeling moderately more couragous, he followed his friend into the forest.

They had only been walking along the path for a minute or so when they reached a point where the path became wider for a short stretch, like a miniature clearing. James stopped again, saying, “This should be deep enough.” He pulled out his wand and turned around to face his three companions. “You should take your wands out too,” he instructed them.

Remus took his wand from his pocket and raised it, intending to light it. But before he could do so, it was snatched out of his hand. Remus turned, trying to see who had taken it. Someone shoved him hard from behind and he fell face-forward onto the forest floor. Bewildered and covered in dirt, he rolled onto his back to stare up at the boy who had pushed him. James stood looking down at Remus, his wand pointed straight at Remus’s chest. Peter and Sirius stood on either side of him, their wands in imitation of his. Sirius’s left hand was stowing Remus’s wand into the pocket of his robes.

“Did you think you could keep it a secret?” James’s voice was low and menacing. Remus raised himself to his elbows and shuffled backward a meter, looking up at James, feeling very frightened.

“Did you think we wouldn’t figure it out?” demanded Sirius.

“W-What?” stammered Remus.

“Did you think we were stupid or something?” asked Peter.

They were advancing, bearing down on him. Remus shuffled backward still further, his eyes darting from angry face to angry face.

“I don’t “" he stammered.

“SHUT UP!” shouted James. “We’ve had it with your lies, Lupin! You’re through pretending. Did you really think you could fool us forever?”

“I don’t know what “"

“SHUT UP!” James shouted again. He bent down slightly to bring his face closer to Remus’s, his wand still aimed. “We know what you are.”

Terror flooded every particle of Remus’s body. His worst fear. His very worst fear. This cannot be happening!

“I can explain!” he shouted desperately.

“SHUT UP, WEREWOLF!” Sirius roared. “Didn’t we tell you we were sick of your lies? Didn’t we say you were through fooling us? You’re finished, werewolf!”

“No “ please “ let me explain!” he pleaded, his voice high with panic.

“Explain!” James threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t think there’s anything left to explain, werewolf! We know what you are now. You tried to trick us, thought you could fool us into thinking you were safe. Well I’ve got news for you, werewolf…”

“…we weren’t fooled.” Peter finished.

“No!” Remus begged as they glared down at him, looking livid. “Please “ it wasn’t like that “ I swear! I would never hurt any of you! I am safe!”

James laughed again. “A safe werewolf? You must think we’re real idiots, mustn’t you?"

“So what are we going to do with him?” Sirius asked, turning to James.

“Oh, I’ve got a few ideas,” said James. His smile was malicious.

“Yeah, I can think of a few things myself,” said Peter, rolling up his sleeves.

Remus scrambled backward as fast as he could, still on the ground, until he hit the trunk of a large tree. He watched in terror as the boys advanced, all three wands still pointed directly at him. His breath was coming in sharp, painful gasps. There was no way out, no way to escape. His captors stood above him; each face wore the same look of mixed loathing and malicious pleasure. He cowered before them, like a trapped animal, cornered between them and the tree.

“Please!” he begged, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!"

“I don’t think begging will get you out of this one, werewolf,” Sirius said harshly.

“No!” Remus cried. His eyes were starting to fill with tears. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“Well you should be!” James spat. “Not that it will help you much now. You’re time is over, werewolf.”

“You can’t!” Remus sobbed. “Please - let me explain “ I didn’t “ I’m not “ I “"

“You’re a bloody, mangy, filthy werewolf.” James’s voice was low and menacing again. He moved the tip of his wand so that it was inches away from Remus’s face. Remus opened his mouth, but no more words came to him. Him simply sat there, dirty, on the forest floor, staring at James, his eyes wide with terror and tears running down his cheeks. It was over. It was all over.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

James glared at him. And then, his face twitched. For the tiniest of moments, anger seemed to fade from James’s face, loathing from his eyes. The corner of his mouth had been jerked involuntarily upward, as though he were fighting back a smile. He attempted to recompose himself, to recapture his furious glare, but it was too late. The next moment, he had burst out laughing.

More bewildered than ever, Remus watched as Sirius and Peter joined in with James’s laughter. He was so surprised, he barely even registered the fact that all three of them had lowered their wands. They just stood there, laughing and laughing. But it was a different kind of laughter than James’s earlier laughs. It wasn’t malicious or insane; it was amused. James, Sirius, and Peter were all bent over double, as though they had just heard the world’s funniest joke. James was clutching at his sides as though they ached. Sirius moved over to another tree nearby and leaned his back and head against it, eyes closed, laughing fit to burst. Peter just stood there, roaring with laughter, his amused and delighted eyes moving from James to Sirius to Remus and back again. Remus stayed where he was on the ground, feeling sure he must have missed something.

“I told you!” James gasped, once he had enough control over his laughter to form coherent words. “Didn’t I tell you this would be much more fun?”

“You were right, James,” said Sirius, wiping a tear of laughter out of his eye, still leaning against the tree. “You were right.”

“And you wanted to just tell him, Peter,” said James, turning to look at him.

“This was better,” said Peter. “Much better.”

“Personally, I’m surprised we were able to keep it going for so long,” said James. “I was sure one of us was bound to break face early on.”

“I probably could have kept it going longer if you hadn’t lost it, James,” said Sirius.

“I figured we should probably stop before he wet himself,” said James. “I mean, we still have to walk back up to the castle under the Cloak together.”

“Fair point,” said Sirius. “So, should we get going then?”

“Yeah, okay,” said James. He stowed his wand back into his pocket and offered his hand to Remus, who was still lying on the ground at his feet. “Want a hand?” he asked politely.

Remus stared at him and didn’t move. What the hell was going on? A minute ago they had been threatening his life; now they were smiling at him and James was offering to help him up. Had they gone mad? Had he gone mad?

“Come on, Remus,” Peter said. Remus continued to stare and didn’t move.

“Remus,” said James. He waved the hand he had been holding out in front of Remus’s face. “Hello? Anyone in there?”

Sirius walked back over to stand at James’s side again, examining Remus’s blank expression. “Boy, I think we really spooked him,” he said to James, then to Remus, “Come on, mate. It’s okay. It was only a joke.”

“A … joke?” Remus spluttered.

“Well, yeah,” said James, as though this were obvious. “You didn’t actually think that we were going to hurt you, did you?” Err … yeah, Remus thought.

“Come on, Remus. We were just horsing around,” said Peter.

“We’d never do anything to you, mate,” said Sirius. “We’re your friends.”

There was a short silence. Remus looked from each of his friends’ faces to the next. He was extremely confused.

“I’m confused,” he admitted finally.

“Well,” said Peter slowly, “James thought it would be funny if we dragged you out into the forest and pretended that we were really angry and that we were going to do you in or something.”

“I thought it would be a laugh,” James said. “You know, see how badly we could scare you.”

“It worked too,” said Sirius. “You should have seen the look on your face, Remus. It was brilliant!” He laughed again.

“Didn’t think he would actually cry though,” Peter said to James.

“Well we are excellent actors,” said James smugly.

Remus was still very confused. “So … so you aren’t going to hurt me?”

“Of course not!” said James. “That would be extremely rude of us!”

“And … and you’re not … you’re not angry?”

“Nope,” Sirius said simply.

James extended his hand again, but Remus still didn’t take it.

“I still don’t understand,” he said.

“Which part?” James asked.

“This was all a joke? You just did it for a laugh?”

“And it was hilarious!” said James happily.

“But,” said Remus, “but it’s not a joke.”

“What do you mean?” asked Peter.

“I mean, it’s not a joke; it’s the truth. I really am a …” He swallowed. “A werewolf.”

“Yeah, we know that, mate,” said Sirius, grinning. “The joke wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if we didn’t know that.”

“I was the one who figured it out,” James told Remus proudly.

“And … and you guys are okay with that?” Remus asked incredulously.

“Well, yeah,” said James with a shrug.

Remus couldn’t believe his ears. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just sat there with his mouth open.

“You look surprised,” Sirius observed, sounding amused.

“I …” said Remus.

“You didn’t think we’d be okay with it?” James asked, sounding a little more serious.

“Not many people are,” said Remus quietly.

“Well, we try to run outside of the norm,” said Sirius. James and Peter laughed. Remus was feeling a bit light-headed. They’re okay with it. It was almost too much to believe.

“So,” said James cheerfully, “are you planning to spend all night down there?” He offered his hand for a third time, and Remus took it. James pulled him to his feet. Sirius took Remus’s wand from his pocket and returned it to him.

“How did you guys figure it out?” Remus asked.

“Well, to be honest mate, it wasn’t that difficult,” said James. “There are only so many relatives you can pretend to kill off before people start to get suspicious.”

“I’ll remember that,” said Remus, brushing dirt from his robes.

“Want to head back to school then?” Peter asked.

“Not yet,” said Remus.

“What do you want to do first?” asked Sirius.

“I want to push James into the dirt,” he said coolly. Sirius and Peter laughed.

“Err, no,” said James shortly.

“It would make me feel better,” argued Remus.

“Maybe tomorrow,” said James.

“Excellent!” said Sirius. “We can take all the time we need then; tomorrow’s Friday.”

“I hope it isn’t rainy,” said Peter seriously. “The weather can be so unpredictable in mid-April.” The other three agreed.

“We really should get to bed though,” said James, checking his watch, which proved completely pointless because he couldn’t see it in the dark.

“Let’s go then,” said Sirius.

The four boys walked back up the forest path together. Remus was feeling oddly unreal. He had feared for many months now that his friends would discover his secret. He was sure that if or when they found out, they would abandon him instantly. Or drag me into the forest and threaten to murder me, he thought wryly. The idea had been torturous; it had been so long since he had had any friends. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his new friends; they were the best he’d ever had.

But now they knew, and they hadn’t abandoned him. He did think that they might have been a little more tactful in their manner of telling him though. It had been insensitive, cruel really, for them to exploit his very worst fear for a simple laugh, to make light of the curse that had ruined his life. But somehow, he couldn’t quite work up the energy required to be angry. He was too busy feeling amazed and, to be honest, a little elated. They don’t care, he thought, they know it doesn’t make any difference. They know that it doesn’t change who I am. They’re not afraid of me. It was a wonderful feeling. He felt as though a huge weight had lifted from him. The worry that had writhed uncontrollably in his stomach had vanished. He was free from the burden of tension. He might have skipped, had he not still ached from being pushed to the ground. James and his brilliant ideas.

“So,” said Sirius, bringing Remus back from his thoughts, “now that you’re ‘out’, can we ask you some questions?”

“I suppose.”

“Where do you go at the full moon?” Sirius asked. “You don’t just run around the grounds, do you?”

“Of course not.” He explained briefly about the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack. By the time he had finished, they were out of the forest again.

“Wow,” said James, as they started walking back along the edge of the trees to the castle. “They sure went through a lot of trouble.”

“Dumbledore didn’t want to take any risks.”

“And I’ll say, on behalf of all of us, that we appreciate that,” said Sirius.

“Are you the first then?” asked Peter. “Are you the first werewolf ever to come to Hogwarts?”

“As far as we know,” said Remus. “I didn’t think I’d be able to come. I really wanted to though, so my parents wrote to Dumbledore and he said it was okay. I think he’s the only Headmaster in the history of Hogwarts brave enough to let a werewolf come to the castle.”

“That’s what I said,” said James, neglecting to mention that he had chosen the word “insane” instead of “brave”.

“It’s lucky he was Headmaster when you wanted to come,” said Sirius.

“There’s definitely something to be said for good timing,” agreed Remus.

“When were you bitten?” James asked.

“When I was four.”

“Blimey! So you’ve been a werewolf for…”

“Over half of my life, yeah,” said Remus.

“It must have been scary,” said Peter, “if you were only four.”

“I had nightmares for weeks.” And still get them sometimes now.

They were quiet for a time as they walked back past the vegetable garden and the greenhouses. Each boy was absorbed in his own thoughts.

“We should put the Cloak back on,” said Sirius, once they were closer to the castle. They moved together again and James covered them in the Cloak. As they walked up to the castle together, crowded under the Cloak, another fact hit home for Remus. His friends were not hesitant to come near him. Usually, when people learned of his affliction, they would shrink away from him as though he might grow fangs and bite them at any moment. Yet here he was, squeezed between his friends under the Cloak, just as if he were anyone else. His elation increased.

“Remus, does it hurt to become a werewolf?” Sirius asked as they walked.

Remus repressed a shudder. He didn’t want his friends to feel him quake. “It’s awful,” he said quietly.

“Is that why you always come back with all those injuries?” asked James.

“Well, sort of. The transformation itself hurts a lot, but then, once it’s over, I have to eat. Since I’m always alone when I change, I end up attacking myself. Madame Pomfery can usually heal most of my injuries, but werewolf bites are cursed, so she can’t heal them completely.”

“That’s awful,” said Peter. Remus could hear pity in his voice.

“Thank you, Captain Points-Out-The-Obvious-A-Lot,” said Sirius.

“Coming to you directly from ‘Mr. Sensitivity’,” retorted Peter.

“Nicknames!” said James excitedly. “I want to be ‘The Amazing Quaffle Boy’!”

“No way,” said Sirius, “your nickname has to stink just as much as the rest of ours.”

“I think his is okay,” said Remus. “We can just add ‘With His Head The Size Of Jupiter’.” Sirius and Peter roared with laughter.

“What’s Remus’s going to be then?” Sirius asked.

“I’ve got an idea!” said James.

“Does it have the word ‘werewolf’ in it anywhere, perchance?” asked Remus.

“No,” said James defensively, “just ‘wolf’.” The others laughed.

They had to stop their conversation as they entered the castle again and made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Remus yawned; it was past two in the morning. They met no one as they ascended through the castle (though they did hear the loud cursing of the caretaker, Filch, as they passed the fifth floor landing). Once they had reached the Fat Lady, they took off the Cloak again. She started at their sudden appearance.

“How on Earth did you do that?” she asked.

“Magic,” said James simply.

“Twilight,” said Remus (this being the password).

She swung forward and they climbed through and up to their dormitory.

Peter collapsed onto his bed the moment they entered the room. Sirius rummaged in his trunk for pajamas while James stowed the Cloak safely in his own trunk. Remus looked in the mirror in the corner. He was still covered in dirt. He needed bath, but he was too tired right now. He extracted pajamas from his own trunk and changed. Once James, Sirius, and Peter had done the same, James restarted their conversation.

“So, ‘Once-A-Month Wolfboy’, do you know the werewolf who bit you?”

“Creative name,” said Sirius sarcastically.

“Well, Remus?”

Remus shook his head. “I never found out who he was.”

“Git,” muttered Sirius.

“It wasn’t his fault,” said Remus. “He couldn’t control himself. No werewolf can at the full moon.”

There was a short pause, and then Sirius worked up the courage to ask what they all were wondering, “Have you ever bitten anyone?”

Remus couldn’t suppress his shudder this time. He hoped that none of them had seen. “No,” he said. “And I’m never going to, ever.”

“Good,” said James, sounding relieved.

They all climbed into bed and pulled the hangings around them.

“G’night,” Peter mumbled.

“G’night,” the other three replied. James, Sirius, and Peter fell asleep quickly, but Remus lay awake for a few minutes longer, thinking. He felt, at that moment, like the luckiest werewolf in the world. He was at the school of his dreams and he had the three best friends he could ever imagine. Friends, who not only accepted his condition, but liked him in spite of it. He just hoped that when morning came, he wouldn’t wake to find that the whole thing had been a dream.

But Remus needn’t have worried, because it had been real, the good and the bad. He did notice an unexpected change though. Last night, he had thought that his relationship with his friends had been unchanged by their discovery, a fact he had delighted in, but he was wrong. Their relationship had changed. They were now closer than ever before. Now that he was, as Sirius had put it, ‘out’, he felt much more open around his friends. Maybe it was his new cheerfulness and openness that brought his friends closer, or maybe it was the fact that they were now in on his secret. There was something so unifying about knowing a secret with only a few others that that no one else knew. It brought all four of them closer together, the guardians of Remus’s secret.

Besides the occasional werewolf comment muttered jestingly under their breath, his friends treated him just the same as ever. And when full moon came along two weeks later, even it seemed more approachable with his friends’ support to help him.

“Going to visit your sick mother again?” James asked on the morning before the full moon.

“No,” said Remus casually. “I was thinking about just hanging around here tonight, actually.”

“I don’t think so,” said Sirius.

“We’ll be here when you get back,” said Peter.

“Try not to kick your own butt too hard,” said James.

“It’s not kicking I have to worry about.”

“You know what I mean.”

Remus nodded. “Thanks you guys,” he said earnestly.

“Hey,” said James, “that’s what friends are for.”


Authors Notes: This is my first fic, and I can't pretend that I'm not extremely curious as to what you guys think. This is a long chapter; there had to have been something you felt something about. Even just a short review is appreciated. Thanks!
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Stupid Ideas by shewolf2000
Author’s Note: I just wanted to give you all a warning about the time gap. I said in my summary that this fic was glimpses into Remus’s seven years at Hogwarts, but I still worried people might be confused by the sudden jump from about early-May in Remus’s first year to one week into his third year. This is a chronological fic (I will not be bouncing back and forth between years like a ferret, I promise), but there will be some significant time gaps, especially in these earlier chapters.

Thanks to Kaity (tonks_the_dreamer) for your enthusiasm, Jenny for your inspiration, and Fiona (roisin_dubh) for your ability to cope with my occasionally abysmal grammar.

Now I will shut up and let James do the talking.


Stupid Ideas

“You look like shit.”

It was Sunday afternoon and James had just returned to his dormitory after the first Quidditch practice of his Third Year to find Remus lying on his bed looking truly dreadful. Sirius and Peter were sitting on either side of the end of Remus’s bed, looking concerned. Last night had been the first full moon of the term. Either James had forgotten over the summer just how awful Remus looked when he returned from his transformations, or last night’s transformation had been particularly brutal. He was covered in painful looking scratches and bites, and his arm was bound up in a sling.

“I feel like shit,” Remus replied.

“Well,” said James, smiling in spite of himself, “you know what they say: If it looks like shit, and it feels like shit, and…” He gave a great sniff. A truly rancid smell filled his nose. “Merlin, Remus, that’s disgusting!”

“It wasn’t him,” said Sirius. “Peter cut one just before you came in.”

“Oh, well then, never mind,” said James, depositing his Quidditch gear on the floor and sitting down on Remus’s bed next to Sirius. “Rough night last night, Remus?”

“Oh no,” said Remus very sarcastically. “It was just rainbows and lollipops as usual.”

“You’re always so tetchy after full moon,” James observed.

“Wonder why that is,” said Remus grumpily. He adjusted himself a little on the bed and winced.

“Seriously through,” said James, “you look really awful. What happened?”

Remus shrugged, wincing again. “Some times are just worse than others,” he replied.

“Want us to leave you alone so you can get some rest?” Sirius asked.

“Oh, you guys don’t have to leave,” said Remus uncomfortably. “I mean, I don’t want to kick you out of your own dormitory.”

“You don’t look like you’re in a state to kick anything at the moment,” said Sirius. “We’ll leave you alone, we really don’t mind. We’ll come back to bother you in a few hours. That sound good?”

Remus smiled and nodded his approval. Sirius, Peter, and James all stood up and left the dormitory.

“Merlin, I’ve seen dead people who look better than he does right now,” said James as they descended the spiral staircase.

“You have?” asked Peter.

“No, I was just making a point.”

“He always looks like that after full moon,” Sirius pointed out.

“That still doesn’t make it okay,” said James.

No, it wasn’t okay. But there was nothing Sirius could do about it at the moment, so he changed the subject. “How was practice?” he asked as the three of them took seats in the common room.

“Pretty good,” said James. “Brian got to go to the World Cup this summer in Japan. He got to see the best Quidditch players in the world right up close. He’s worked out a whole new training program from all the stuff in learned.” There was considerably more than a little jealousy in James’s voice.

“A little eager though, isn’t he? Starting practice the first weekend of term, I mean,” said Sirius.

“Yeah, well,” said James, “you know Brian. Any moment not spent playing Quidditch is a moment wasted.”

“Kind of like you?” Sirius asked, grinning.

“Yeah,” said James, “but even I’m not as obsessed as he is.”

“I didn’t think that was possible,” said someone behind him standing just behind him. James turned to see his fellow third-year Delangela Narkin.

Delangela was short, blond, and opinionated. But mostly, she was just loud. Though petite, she had an attractive figure, and boys admired a similar a beautiful arrogance in her face that girls admired in Sirius’s. She had long, thick hair and a voice that could be heard from halfway across the castle grounds, which she enjoyed using, particularly for gossip.

“Eavesdrop much?” Sirius asked Delangela as she took a seat by the three boys.

“You’re sitting in the middle of the common room and you weren’t exactly whispering,” Delangela snapped at him. “Fair game for eavesdroppers if you ask me.”

“No one asked you,” said Sirius.

“No one needed to,” said Delangela.

James rolled his eyes. Everyone knew that Delangela had fallen in love with Sirius from the moment she had set eyes on him. She spent half of her time with him flirting and the other half fighting. She seemed to derive equal enjoyment from both. No one was quite sure if Sirius liked her in the same way. He never reciprocated her flirtatious advances, but he appeared to have quite as much fun with their verbal sparring matches as she did.

At the moment, however, James was not in the mood to listen to them bicker/flirt, so he cut across Sirius’s impending retort by asking Delangela how her summer was.

“Boring,” said Delangela, a little melodramatically. “Honestly, there’s nothing to do around my place in the summer.”

“No one to eavesdrop on?” Sirius asked.

“Tell Delangela about your summer, Peter,” James instructed.

Peter prattled for a little about his holiday in France while Delangela and Sirius had a silent glaring match. When Peter finished, Delangela asked, “So what about you, Black? How was your summer?”

Sirius shrugged. “Not all that interesting.”

“You’re a great conversationalist,” Delangela said.

“Here’s an idea: why don’t you go talk to other people,” Sirius suggested.

“Fine!” Delangela snapped. She stood up and stalked away.

“So, nothing at all interesting around ‘The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black’ this summer?” James asked Sirius once Delangela had left.

Sirius gave James a cold look for using the phrase ‘The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black’ and said, “Not really.” He picked up a copy of The Daily Prophet that someone had left on the table near them and began to flick through it. “I mean, except for my cousin,” he added unexpectedly.

“Which cousin? What about them?” asked James.

“My cousin Andromeda,” Sirius said, not lowering the paper.

“I’ve heard of her before,” said James. “She’s the only one you can stand, right?”

“Yeah,” said Sirius.

“What about her?” James asked.

Sirius sighed and lowered the paper, resigning to the fact the he had somehow suckered himself into telling a story about his family, a subject he usually put a lot of effort into avoiding. This was a happy story though, so he figured it was okay to continue.

“I told you Andromeda eloped last Christmas, right?” Sirius asked his friends.

“With a Muggle-born,” James said, remembering.

“Right. Anyway, couple of weeks ago, her sister Narcissa went to go and try and talk some ‘sense’ into her.”

“Narcissa,” James mused. “Now is she the dark-haired, root-of-all-evil one, or the stuck up blond one who’s going out with that Malfoy?”

“The stuck up blond one,” said Sirius. “Well, she went over to Andromeda’s new place with her husband to see if she could ‘reason’ with Andromeda, only to find…” Sirius trailed off.

“What?” asked James.

Sirius gave a small smile, “The baby’s due in November.”

“Brilliant!” James laughed. “So I guess this means Narcissa was unsuccessful?”

“Yep,” said Sirius. “I think it’s really cool. Andromeda’s always been the only one in the family who I thought had any sense. I’m proud she married Ted; he’s a great guy. And now they’re having a baby and they could give crap what the family thinks.”

“I suppose that would make you and Andromeda the ‘Black’ sheep of the family,” said James, grinning.

“Very clever, James,” Sirius said, his voice heavy with dry sarcasm. “Did you come up with that one all on your own?”

“I did, as a matter of fact.”

They ended up hanging around in the common room for the rest of the afternoon. When dinnertime came, they decided to go upstairs and wake Remus. This proved useless, as Remus refused to be roused. They tried determinately for a few minutes, poking him, shaking him, shouting in his ear, and tickling his foot. It was only when they heard the semi-conscious Remus emit what they were all pretty sure was a low growl that they abandoned their attempts and left for dinner without him.

“You were right,” Sirius muttered to James. “He is a bit tetchy after full moon.”

After eating their fill at dinner, the three boys headed back to Gryffindor Tower. They were slightly held up by James, who decided to set fire Severus Snape’s pants when he wasn’t looking. James had laughed himself stupid and been assigned detention by Professor McGonagall.

“Why didn’t you guys wake me up?” Remus asked them when they returned to the dormitory.

“We tried, mate,” said Sirius.

“You growled at us,” said Peter.

Remus stared at them. “I did?”

“Yeah,” said Sirius.

Remus looked very troubled by this information. “I’m sorry,” he muttered to the floor.

“It’s not a big deal,” James assured him as he sat down on the end of Remus’s bed. “How’s your arm?” Remus had removed his sling since they had last seen him.

“Better,” he said, stretching it a little. “Just stiff.”

“We snagged you some food if you’re hungry,” said Sirius, holding up a doggie bag.

“Not right now,” Remus said, “but thanks.” Sirius set the food on Remus’s bedside table. “So, did I miss anything interesting today?” Remus asked.

“If you count James setting fire to Snape’s pants interesting,” said Sirius.

“Why did you do that?” Remus asked James.

James shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Remus gave him a look rather like the one he had just received from McGonagall when she had assigned him his detention, but he didn’t say anything.

“You going to be up for classes tomorrow?” Sirius asked Remus.

“I should be,” said Remus, rubbing his hurt arm with his opposite hand. He looked at James. “I didn’t really growl at you, did I?”

“It’s not a big deal,” James told him again. “Honestly.”

Remus didn’t looked entirely reassured, but he let the subject drop. He was eyeing the doggie bag. “There wouldn’t be any chocolate in there, would there?”

“A brownie,” said Peter.

Remus reached or the bag, opened it, extracted said brownie, and took a huge bite.

“Thought you weren’t hungry,” said James.

Remus shrugged, managing not to wince this time, and swallowed. “Chocolate has healing powers,” he explained.


“Where were you yesterday, Remus?” Lily Evans asked. “I don’t think I saw you once.”

“I wasn’t feeling well.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding genuinely sorry. “Are you feeling better today?”

“Yes, much.”

“Then why aren’t you eating?” Lily asked. It was breakfast, and the four boys were seated toward the end of the long table with Lily Evans and Delangela Narkin. They were munching on bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. All except Remus.

“He’s full,” Sirius explained. “This morning he binged on the whole stash of Chocolate Frogs I saved from the train last week. Every last frog.”

“You said I could have them,” Remus pointed out. “You offered them to me.”

“I didn’t think you would eat them all.”

“You said that I could have as many as I like.”

“I didn’t know you’d fancy all of them. There had to have been twenty frogs left.”

“Eighteen,” said Remus, repressing a belch.

“That’s a lot of frogs,” said Delangela.

“See,” said Sirius, gesturing to her, “she agrees with me. You’d better have at least saved me the cards.”

“I did, but it’s nobody you don’t already have.”

“What do we have first today?” Peter asked.

“Transfiguration,” said Lily, without bothering to take out her schedule.

“One week into the year and you’ve already got your schedule memorized,” said James. “Try to be more of a nerd, Evans.”

“Try to be more of a git, Potter.”

James’s response was lost to a loud belch from Remus. “Excuse me,” he said, reddening.

“That’s what you get for eating half your weight in someone else’s Chocolate Frogs.”

“Oh, forget it, Black,” said Delangela. “You can always get more frogs when we go to Hogsmeade.”

They spent the rest of breakfast discussing their plans for their very first trip to Hogsmeade. So happily anticipated was the trip that they were still discussing it when they arrived their first hour Transfiguration class.

“I can’t wait to get inside Zonko’s,” Sirius said as they sat down and took out their books.

“Zonko’s products,” said Delangela, rolling her eyes. “Right, Black, that’s exactly what you need: more reasons to get detention.”

“Where do you want to go in Hogsmeade?” Peter asked Lily and Delangela.

“Well, I think it’d be pretty interesting to go see the Shreiking Shack,” said Lily.

“Oh yeah!” Delangela said excitedly. “It’s supposed to be really haunted, the villagers have been hearing screams and yells from inside there for a few years now.” Facing Peter, neither she nor Lily saw Remus reddening again.

“Imagine that,” said Sirius, trying not to smile. Remus kicked him under the desk.

“I love haunted houses,” Lily said, unaware of any awkwardness in the conversation. “My sister and I used to go haunted houses every Halloween. She always got scared, but I thought they were really fun. But they were just pretend haunted houses, you know, Muggle-made. I can’t wait to see a real haunted house.”

“Just so long as whatever’s haunting it doesn’t jump out and bite you,” said Sirius, earning himself another kick.

Just then, Professor McGonagall entered the classroom and they started the lesson. Sirius was only half paying attention. She was teaching them about Animagi this week. He thought it was cool when she transformed herself into a cat right before their eyes, but then she went into a long lecture about the principles behind the Animagus transformation, and Sirius lost interest. He took out a spare piece of parchment and drew up a game of hangman.

“James,” he whispered.

James ignored him.

“James,” he whispered again, poking James with the end of his quill.

“Leave me alone, Sirius, I trying to listen,” James whispered.

Sirius was shocked. James never paid attention in class on lecture days; he didn’t need to. It wasn’t until then that Sirius noticed that James was taking notes.

“What are you doing?!” he hissed at James.

“I’m taking notes,” James replied.

“Why?"

“Shhhh,” James whispered impatiently. He was hanging on Professor McGonagall’s every word.

Extremely confused by his best friend’s odd behavior, Sirius let James be, turned to his other side, and attempted to engage Remus in his hangman game. As Remus was also trying to pay attention and was still angry at Sirius for his leading comments to Lily and Delangela about the Shreiking Shack, he was just as unsuccessful with Remus as he had been with James, and was reduced to crumpling up his hangman game and doodling for the rest of the hour.

“So what’s the deal?” Sirius asked once the lesson had ended and they were packing up their bags.

“Deal?” James asked distractedly.

“Are you trying to suck up to McGonagall, or are you just enthralled by Animagi, or what?” Sirius asked.

“It was an interesting lesson,” said James.

Sirius had the impression he was missing something, but decided to let it go, “If you say so.”

James was distracted for the entire rest of the day. He seemed to be compensating for his unusual attentiveness in Transfiguration by paying even less attention than he normally would in all of his other classes that day. He barely touched his lunch and didn’t even make it to dinner. He disappeared sometime after last period Defense Against the Dark Arts, and though his friends waited in the Great Hall until the end of dinnertime, James failed to turn up.

“He did have detention tonight,” said Remus, looking around at the almost empty Hall they were still sitting in.

“Not this early,” said Sirius, checking his watch. “His detention wouldn’t start until after dinner.”

“You’d think he’d want some food before he had to go,” said Remus. “Was it just me, or was James acting very oddly today?”

“Would you be more or less concerned if I told you it was just you?” asked Sirius.

“Interesting question,” said Remus, thinking it over.

“I thought James was acting strange today,” said Peter, “Did you guys notice that he was taking notes in Transfiguration?”

“Maybe he just wants to get more serious about his studies?” Remus suggested.

“Or he could be losing his marbles,” said Sirius.

“We’ll just have to ask him after his detention,” said Peter.


I must not set fire to other peoples’ pants. I must not set fire to other peoples’ pants.

James sat in Professor McGonagall’s office copying these words over and over (occasionally omitting the “not”; like she was going to read it anyway). He was deciding how best to approach her with a question without making her suspicious. He checked his watch; it was twenty to the hour. Now was as good a time as ever.

“Err, Professor?”

Professor McGonagall looked up from the papers she was grading. “Yes, Potter?”

“I was just thinking about your lesson on Animagi. It was really interesting. I wondered if maybe… if I wanted to learn more… if you could recommend some titles for me?”

Professor McGonagall’s eyebrows contracted. “Are you genuinely interested in Animagi, Potter, or are you trying to get out of detention early?”

“I’m genuinely interested,” he said earnestly. Then he brightened a little. “But “ I mean “ if you wanted to let me out early…”

“You can go at the end of the hour,” she told him sternly. “But I will recommend some books for you if you really want to learn more.”

“Actually, Professor, there was one specific question I had.”

“Fire away.”

“Well…” James hesitated. He pondered how he could phrase his question in such a way that he would get the information he needed, without giving her too much information. “I was just wondering, say there’s something… something that’s only a danger to humans, would… would you be, err, safe from that something if you were a cat?”

“What sort of something?”

Like a werewolf sort of something. “Like “ I don’t know “ something that could only hurt people, not animals. Would an Animagus be safe, err, around it?”

“I would say, as a general rule, yes. But without knowing the specifics, it’s hard to know for sure.”

“Oh,” said James, his heart sinking a little. …hard to know for sure… Did he dare mention werewolves? He decided it was too risky. “Okay, err, thanks Professor.” He returned to his lines. He thought he sensed Professor McGonagall watching him for a minute longer, but she didn’t say anything. She continued grading her papers.

At the end of the hour, she told him he could go.

“Good night, Professor,” he said as he headed for the door.

“Potter?”

He looked back. “Yes?”

“Did you want this list or not?” She was holding out a slip of parchment on which she had written half a dozen book titles.

“Yes,” he said gratefully, walking back to her and taking the list. “Thank you, Professor.”

“You’re welcome, Potter.” He was halfway to the door when she called him back again. “Potter.”

He turned to she her reading the lines he had left lying on the table. “You seemed to have missed a word here and there,” she said.

“Oh, did I?” James asked innocently. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head in an exasperated fashion, but James could have sworn that she was smiling slightly. “Good night, Potter.”

“Good night, Professor."

James left the office, examining the list Professor McGonagall had given him. The library would probably be closed at this time, so James would have to wait until the next day to search for the titles she had recommended. As he still had the books he had gotten after dinner to look though, he decided just to head straight to Gryffindor Tower.

In the common room he was confronted by Peter, Sirius, and Remus. He shook them off by saying he was really tired and went up to the dormitory. He changed into pajamas, got his books and his wand, climbed into his four-poster, and drew the hangings around him. By the light of his wand, he began studying Animagi. Later, when his roommates came up to bed, James feigned sleeping noises until he was sure the others were settled in. He was up later than anyone else in his dormitory, turning pages as quietly as possible.


For the next three days, James proved just as distracted and elusive as on Monday. He used class time to gaze dreamily off into space, he used mealtimes to go to the library, and he used evenings to read as much as he could while trying to hide from his friends. It wasn’t that he wanted to avoid them, but he wasn’t ready yet to share his idea with them.

Consequentially, his friends couldn’t get a word from him about what he was up to. Most every time they spotted James in the next few days, he had his nose deep in a book. They spent their class time wondering what James was thinking about (and studying), they spent their mealtimes speculating on what evil, book-loving force had possessed James (and eating), and they spent their evenings searching for James (and doing homework, hanging in the common room, etc. - their whole lives didn’t revolve around James after all).

Thursday evening, Sirius, Remus, and Peter returned to the common room after a wasted hour of combing the castle for their elusive friend.

“Honestly,” Sirius said as they climbed back through the portrait hole, “there are only so many places he could be in this castle. Where’s he hiding?

“Looking for Potter?”

Sirius started and turned to the girl who had spoken. “I thought I told you not to eavesdrop anymore,” Sirius told Delangela.

“Fine,” she said, “I guess I won’t tell you where he is.” She started to walk away.

“Wait!” Remus said. Delangela turned back. “Have you seen him?” Remus asked.

“He’s in the library,” Delangela said.

“Ha ha, very funny, Del,” Remus said sarcastically, “Where is he really?”

“I’m not joking,” she said, “he’s in the library.”

She walked away. Remus stared confusedly after her while Sirius rounded on Peter.

“Peter, are you a vampire?” Sirius asked.

“What?” Remus and Peter asked together.

“Are you a vampire?” Sirius asked Peter again.

“No,” said Peter.

“Are you sure?”

“I think I would know!”

“Sirius, what are you on about?” Remus asked.

“I want to know why James is in the library,” said Sirius.

“So do I,” said Remus. “I didn’t think he even knew where the library was. But what does this have to do with Peter being a vampire?”

“James knows where the library is,” said Sirius, “but he’s only been there once before. It was the night he discovered that a certain someone - I’m not saying who - but that someone was a certain type of magical creature and that was why that someone was gone every full moon.”

“Very cryptic,” said Remus.

“So,” continued Sirius, “if James is in the library, it makes sense that he’s made a similar discovery. I know that I’m not a magical creature of any type, James is the one in the library, and we already know about you, so that leaves Peter.”

“Well when you use that kind of logic,” said Remus, rolling his eyes.

“Why a vampire though?” asked Peter.

“Why not a vampire?” asked Sirius.

“Again with the logic,” said Remus.

“I’m not a vampire, Sirius.”

“Are you any other kind of magical creature?”

“No.”

“Hiding anything?”

“No.”

“What about you?” Sirius asked Remus. “Any other secrets you want to fill us in on?”

“Yes,” said Remus. “I’m a vampire.”

“Really?” asked Peter.

“No.”

“Well then,” said Sirius, “I guess there’s only one thing left to do.”

“To the library?”

“To the library!”

And so they went to the library. James wasn’t there.

“So, Narkin was lying?” asked Sirius.

“I knew it couldn’t be true,” said Remus. “You just don’t hear the words ‘James Potter’ and ‘library’ in a sentence together.”

“James Potter?” asked a boy sitting at a nearby table, looking up from his work.

“You’ve seen him?” Sirius asked the boy.

“He left about ten minutes ago.”

“Damn,” Sirius whispered. “Back to the common room then?”

“To the common room!” said Peter.

“You’d think we’d have run into him on the way down,” Remus said as left the library and headed back to the common room.

“Maybe he found a new shortcut,” said Sirius.

James wasn’t in the common room, so they went to check the dormitory. The hangings were drawn around James’s bed and they could hear his slow, sleepy breathing.

“Reckon he’s asleep, or faking again?” Sirius asked.

“We could wait to hear a page turn,” Remus suggested.

“Look,” said Peter, pointing at James’s bedside table. His glasses were sitting on it. The absence of his glasses on the table had been a clue to what James had actually been doing in bed for the past three nights.

“So he’s sleeping?” asked Remus.

“Let’s find out,” said Sirius. He went over to James’s bed and pulled back the hangings. James was very clearly in a deep sleep.

“Should we wake him?” Sirius asked the other two.

“No,” said Remus. “We’ll talk to him tomorrow.”


James effectively avoided his friends for most of the next day. He missed breakfast, lunch, and dinner (don’t worry, he wasn’t starving himself; he made regular trips to the kitchens to get food from the house elves). He never offered them the opportunity to talk to him between or during classes. It wasn’t until after dinner that they thought they had any chance of talking to him.

“Where should we check first?” Peter asked as they deposited their bags in the common room.

“Let’s check the dormitory,” said Remus.

“He won’t be up there,” said Sirius. “That’s much too obvious.”

“He probably isn’t up there,” said Remus. “But we’re all going to feel really stupid if we search the entire castle for him and then find out he was in the dormitory the whole time.”

“Fair enough,” said Sirius.

They went up to the dormitory. Remus had been right to suggest they check there. They opened the door and walked in to find James sitting on his bed reading a thick and very old looking library book. About a dozen more equally thick and old looking books sat in a stack on the end of his bed. James was so deeply immersed in his book that he didn’t even seem to realize that he was no longer alone.

Sirius walked straight over to James, snatched his book away from him, and slammed it shut.

“Hey-"

“Alright, bookworm, that’s enough,” Sirius said, as Remus and Peter took seats on Remus’s bed, which was next to James’s. “You’ve been avoiding us for days and every time we turn around you’ve got your face stuck in a bloody book. We want to know what you’re on about!”

James was trying to take his book back from Sirius. “You lost my page, you prat!”

Sirius read the front cover of the book before throwing it back at James. “Tales of the Animagi.“ He strode to the end of James’s bed and began to sift through the pile of books there, reading their titles aloud as he did. “A Beginners Guide to Animagi, The Animagi Chronicles, Man and Beast: A Study of Animagi, Animagi Throughout the Ages, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About “ wait for it “ Animagi, Becoming an Animagus-"

“I’m sensing a theme,” Remus mused.

Sirius continued with the pile, “- My Life as an Animagus, The Diaries of Animagi, Regulations and Bi-Laws of the Animagus Transformation, The Creature Within: A Complete Guide to Animagi Magic, Animagi for Dummies, Ways of the Animagi, and The Many Dangers of Werewolves.” Sirius looked up at James, turning the last book over in his hands. Behind him, Remus was looking at James with a very hurt expression. Sirius said, “Interesting reading choices. Care to explain?”

James threw an apologetic look a Remus before taking The Many Dangers of Werewolves from Sirius and starting to explain. “Well, you know in class when McGonagall was telling us about Animagi? I thought it sounded really interesting, what she was saying, and-"

“Is that why you were paying attention in class?” Sirius asked. “Because you’re seriously interested in Animagi? Thank goodness; I thought you were losing your marbles.”

Ignoring Sirius, James continued, “And I came up with this idea, and… I didn’t know if it would work, so I went to the library to get these books, and… well, I found this.” He opened The Many Dangers of Werewolves to a page he had marked earlier and read allowed, “The werewolf, however, though a danger to humans, does not present as severe a threat to fellow beasts. Werewolf packs will, on occasion, hunt other animals for sport, but the lone wolf seldom prefers the taste of any blood but that of humans. In the rare event a werewolf does bite an animal, the bite will not curse the creature as it would a human. Lycanthropy came only be passed from person to person.” James looked up at his friends to see them all watching him uncomprehendingly.

“James, I could have told you that,” said Remus, still looking a little hurt.

“What’s lycanthropy?” Peter asked.

“It means werewolfismness,” said Sirius.

“Oh.”

“What does that have to do with Animagi?” Sirius asked James.

“Listen to this,” said James, putting down The Many Dangers of Werewolves and reaching for the book he had been reading when they had come in, Tales of the Animagi. “This book has first hand accounts from Animagi over the last few centuries. This is from a woman who could turn into a bear: One night, as I ventured through the woods by the light of the full moon, I found myself in the midst of another part-human part-animal: a werewolf. My immediate reaction was that of fear, but the creature did not attempt to harm me. Once assured of my safety, I journeyed with him into the night. He made no attempt to bite me or drive me away, but seemed to appreciate my company. Not until we had reached the edge of the wood and saw a human did he become violent. I managed to hold the werewolf away from the human to give him time to flee. Once we were alone again, his violence subsided, and he was peaceful once more. I imagine that the creature benefited from having a part-human companion with him that night, it seemed to bring out his own human side, despite the full moon.” James looked up again. Peter still looked confused. Remus looked stricken. Sirius, however, was smiling.

“Brilliant,” he told James.

“What’s brilliant?” Peter asked.

“Don’t you see, Peter? We could become Animagi!” said Sirius. “Then we could turn into animals. We could be with Remus at the full moon!”

Peter’s mouth fell open. Remus was giving Sirius a very cold look. “That,” Remus said, “is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.”

“What about the idea I had last year about blowing up the girls’ toilet on the third floor?” asked Sirius. “We smelled like poo for a week.”

“Yeah,” said James, “or what about my idea to put itching powder in Snivellus’s pants?”

“And he got the wrong pants,” said Peter.

“Or Peter’s idea to put a permanent sticking charm on Cal Hornby and his teddy bear?”

“Or Sirius’s slightly modified version of Peter’s idea where we put a permanent sticking charm on Cal Hornby’s hand and his-"

“Oh yeah! I forgot about that,” laughed Sirius. “Lucky for him that idea never came to anything.”

“And what about James’s idea to eat the fuzzy Beatie Bott’s Every Flavor Bean on the train ride here?” asked Peter.

“That was revolting,” said Sirius, sticking out his tongue in disgust.

“Okay,” said James, “but what about your idea to use the Invisibility Cloak to peep in the girls dormitory?”

“How was I supposed to know the stairs would melt into a slide and we would fall on our arses?” asked Sirius. “What about your genius idea to go vine swinging from the branches of the Whomping Willow?”

“I maintain that idea would have been fun,” said James stubbornly.

“Yes, well, those of us who don’t have a death wish maintain that it would have been stupid,” said Sirius, equally as stubborn.

“Okay, but what about when you wanted to set a crate of tarantulas lose in the Transfiguration classroom?” James countered. Peter shuddered.

Sirius grinned mischievously, “McGonagall would have gone mental.”

“She would have,” James agreed, smiling as well. “Hey, remember my idea to put a freezing charm on Snivellus’s pants?”

“That one you followed through on,” said Peter.

“I know,” said James, a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. “It was brilliant.”

“Remember my idea to leave treacle tarts with Dung Bombs concealed in them in the Slytherin Quidditch team’s locker room?” asked Peter.

“They’d have had to have been stupid enough to eat them,” James pointed out.

“The collective brain power of the Slytherin Quidditch team isn’t enough to power a Hiccup Charm,” said Sirius.

“Remember my idea to set fire to Snivellus’s pants?” asked James.

“Yeah,” said Sirius, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, James: what is it with you and Snivellus Snape’s pants?”

James flashed a wicked smile. “Maybe if we ruin enough pairs of Snivellus’s pants, he won’t have any left. Then we can hang him by his ankles so that his robes fall down and we can show the whole school his underpants.”

“That would never work,” said Sirius.

“Well now I have to do it just to prove you wrong.”

“Remember my idea to kidnap Mrs. Norris?” asked Sirius.

“I still have the scratch marks,” said James and Peter together.

Then, James said, “What about the idea I came up with in first year? You know, the one with the Filibuster Fireworks and the Bubble-Blowing Charm and the Fizzing Whizzbees and the Muggle wrench and the purple loufa and-"

“ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!” Remus shouted exasperatedly, bringing an abrupt end to the completely irrelevant ‘stupid ideas’ tangent. “Maybe it’s not the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard, but that doesn’t make it a good idea.”

“Oh, come on, Remus,” said James, sliding his feet to the floor to sit on the edge of his bed, “it’s a great idea. We become Animagi, then we can hang out with you at full moon and-"

“And how completely mental do you have to be to want to ‘hang out’ with a werewolf at full moon? I don’t want to ‘hang out’ with me at full moon!”

“But you don’t like being alone at the full moon either,” James pointed out.

“No,” Remus admitted, “but it’s better that way. It’s safe.”

“Safe is boring,” whined Sirius.

“Maybe when the only thing you have to gamble is detention,” Remus snapped. “The game’s a little different when you’re risking being bitten!”

“But you wouldn’t bite us, we’d be animals!”

“That doesn’t mean I couldn’t hurt you!” Remus shouted. “Do you think I would ever forgive myself if I…if I…” He put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. The others watched him but didn’t say anything. None of them were ready to abandon James’s idea, but they didn’t want to make Remus upset. They exchanged looks, silently begging one another to break the awkward silence. Oddly enough, it was Remus who spoke first.

“And anyway,” he said, raising his head, trying to recapture his calm, reasonable mien, “you can’t become Animagi until you’re of age, and transformation takes years, it wouldn’t do any good.”

“You can’t register as an Animagus until you’re of age,” said James. “There’s a difference.”

“It’s illegal to become an Animagus without registering.”

“That’s less important to us than you might think,” said Sirius with the ghost of a grin.

“You’re mental,” Remus told him flatly.

“Thank you for noticing,” said Sirius.

“I’m not joking,” said Remus, “I really think this is a terrible idea.”

“Well,” said James brightly, “it’s a good thing we don’t need your permission then.”

“I…but I’m the one you’d be doing it for!”

“Still don’t need your permission,” said James.

James and Sirius had clearly lost their grip. Remus needed an ally.

“What do you think about this, Peter?”

Peter looked extremely uncomfortable at having to pick a side. He normally followed along with whatever the others were doing and agreed with what they said. He therefore had a real issue when his friends divided. What if he sided with the wrong friend? Would the others not like him anymore?

After a minute of internal struggle, Peter decided that it would make him look cooler if he sided with rebellion over reason. “I agree with James and Sirius."

Remus wasn’t going to give in that easy. “Do you know how hard it is to become a Animagus? Do you know how dangerous it is?” He directed his words at Peter alone now. The other two were lost causes, but Peter he could scare. “What if something went wrong?” he continued, “You could get hurt. And even if nothing went wrong with the transformation, do you really fancy hanging around with a werewolf at full moon? What if I bit you? What if I attacked you? Even if I can’t pass my curse to you, I could still hurt you. Do you want to put yourself in that kind of danger? And what if the Ministry found out? Do you know what the punishment is for being an unregistered Animagus? Azkaban, that’s what. Do you want to go to Azkaban?”

“No,” said Peter in a small voice.

“Do you what to put yourself in danger?”

“No, I…” He turned to James and Sirius. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

“Ah come on, Peter,” said James. He got up from his bed to sit on Remus’s on Peter’s other side and put an encouraging arm around Peter’s shoulders. “You’re not going to wimp out on us are you? You’re in Gryffindor! You’re not afraid of a little trouble! And besides, nothing bad is going to happen; you’ll be with us. Me and Sirius will help you with the transformation and we can protect you from the big, scary werewolf. We would never let anything bad happen to you! Don’t you trust us?”

“I…” said Peter, not quite sure where he was going.

“James can’t promise you that Peter,” said Remus. “He can’t promise nothing bad will happen. Think of the consequences, Peter.”

“Think of the benefits, Peter,” said James.
“Yeah,” said Sirius, “think about how cool it would be.”

“Don’t listen to them Peter,” said Remus. “Don’t let them pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.”

“You’re pressuring him as much,” James snapped at Remus. He then said, to Peter, “Don’t let Remus talk you out doing something fun.”

Why can’t they just argue with each other? Peter thought miserably. Why do they have to argue through me?

“Be reasonable, Peter.”

“Be brave, Peter. Be cool, Peter.”

“Don’t be a fool, Peter.”

“Don’t be lame, Peter.”

“Listen to me, Peter.”

“Don’t listen to Remus, Peter.”

“I…” Peter stammered, looking back and forth between Remus’s concerned frown and James’s encouraging smile. “I don’t…I don’t… I don’t…”

“Oh great,” said James, jumping up from the bed and gesturing dramatically at Peter. “Look what you’ve done to him, Remus. You’ve terrified him! He can’t even speak!”

“Look what I’ve done to him?” said Remus, standing up to face James. “Look what I’ve done to him? You’re the one trying to talk him into something that could get him killed!

“Why are you so set on this?” Remus demanded of James loudly. “Why do you want to do something when you know damn well you could get hurt? You know the danger you’d be in! You know you’d be breaking the law! Why am I having to talk you out of something you already know is completely mental? Why do want to do something so stupid?”

“Because it’s the only thing I can think of!” James yelled.

“The only “ what are you talking about?”

“I’m sick of it!” James burst out.

“Sick of what?”

“I’m sick of seeing you after full moon looking like you’ve been to Hell and back! I’m sick of seeing you miserable and knowing there’s nothing I can do about it! We’re friends; friends are supposed to help each other. You’re suffering and I’m sick of having no way to help you! I’m sick of it! I want to do something, and since I not on the verge of finding a cure for werewolf bites, this was the only thing I could think of. And, no, it’s not perfect, but it’s better…it’s better than doing nothing. Even if it only helps a little, it’s better than doing nothing.”

An awkward pause followed this rather touching outburst. James’s sudden heartfeltness had taken all of them by surprise. Remus could think of nothing to say. What did you say to something like that?

James seemed to deflate a little in the silence. “If you don’t want us to do it, we won’t,” he said in a defeated tone.

Another pause, and then, “You guys would do that, just to help me?”

“Well, there are other benefits to being an Animagus, I’d imagine,” said Sirius, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah,” said Peter, “like being able to turn into an animal whenever you want.”

“And Captain Points-Out-The-Obvious-A-Lot strikes again,” said Sirius.

Remus ignored Sirius and Peter and spoke to James, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Positive.”

“And you?” Remus asked Sirius.

“’Course.”

“And you too, Peter?”

Peter shifted a little where he sat, “Yeah, okay.”

And Remus made his decision. “Well,” he said matter-of-factly, “I suppose if you guys are going to try this, and not get yourselves killed, you’re going to need all the help you can get. I’m in.”

“YES!” James punched a fist into the air in victory.

“So where do we start?” asked Sirius.

The four of them crammed onto James’s bed as James began explaining all of the research he had done already, and how far they still had to go. The project ahead of them was daunting, but exciting. Remus listened, determined to make it his personal responsibility to insure that none of his friends were harmed.

After all, with an idea this stupendously wonderful and unbelievably stupid, what could possibly go wrong?


Authors Notes: The Many Dangers of Werewolves; bet you didn’t see that one coming! Nor that you could predict the vicious onslaught of insanity that caused me to change the chapter name from “Animagi” to “Stupid Ideas”.

Reviews are always appreciated!
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Potential Death by Spherical Snow by shewolf2000
Author’s Note: In this chapter, James does not go to the library.


Potential Death By Spherical Snow

“Ready…aim…FIRE!”

It was the epic snow battle to top all snow battles before it. It was a wet, white war to make all other wars kneel before it. It was a coming-of-age for those young men and women who proved themselves to be of noble aim and courageous heart in the face of potential death by spherical snow. It was torment for those who had joined in the beginning, but were now cowering in fright as the battle became fiercer. For everyone in between, it was a fantastic day spent out on the castle grounds, freezing, perhaps, but also having to time of their lives.

It was what it was: a massive snowball fight.

“DUCK!” Remus yelled. He launched himself at Peter to pull him down out of harm’s way as a massive amount of snowballs soared straight for Peter’s head. The snowballs missed them, but they ended up toppling right into a snowdrift that had formed in the middle of the Gryffindor snow fort. Remus extracted himself from the drift then lent a hand to Peter. “Sorry about that, mate,” he panted.

Behind them, Sirius and James were laughing so hard that they didn’t even notice the two meteor-like snowballs heading straight for them. James was hit in the shoulder, but Sirius took one right to the face. Sirius was hit so hard he actually fell over himself. As James ran off to seek revenge on the Ravenclaw boy whose snowball had hit him, a group of about a dozen girls swooped down on Sirius.

“Are you okay, Sirius?”

“Let me help you.”

“Let me help you, Sirius.”

“Where does it hurt?”

Sirius patted his cheek where the snowball had hit him. “He hurts a bit right here,” he said, with a handsome grimace of imaginary pain. “Maybe if you ladies were to kiss it, it would hurt a bit less.”

The girls broke into a chorus of high-pitched giggles and started taking turns kissing Sirius’s cheek. Remus snorted; only a boy who looked like Sirius Black could get away with a line that cheesy.

“Lupin!” someone behind him shouted. Remus took the hint and ducked just in time to avoid a new massive hail of snowballs.

“Thanks, Hayden,” Remus called, straightening up to smile at his savior, Roy Hayden, his fellow third-year. Hayden gave Remus a quick wave before rushing away to throw snowballs towards the Hufflepuff fort.

Remus started to gather some snow to make his own snowball. Not far away, Sirius was still surrounded by giggling girls.

“Come on ladies, up you get!” shouted sixth-year Greg Bennet, who was acting as leader of the Gryffindor forces, trying to shoo the girls back up to the offensive line. “Black is fine. We need more people out in the field!”

“Oh shut it, Bennet,” Sirius said. Bennet stormed away. A few girls followed, but some still had to get in their kiss. Last in the kiss queue was Delangela Narkin. “Not you, Narcosis,” Sirius said.

“Oh, don’t worry, Black,” Delangela said. “I’m not here to kiss you.” She smacked him across the face. “That was for that amusing little trick you played on me yesterday!” she shouted and stalked off.

“That was harsh,” said Remus, offering a hand to help Sirius off the ground.

“Well, he kind of deserved it,” said James, reappearing at Remus’s shoulder. “Did you hear what he did to her yesterday?”

“Do I want to hear?” Remus asked.

“Probably not,” said James.

“Potter! We need you back out in front!” Bennet called.

“Alright, alright, keep your pants on, I’m coming!” James called back. He dashed away.

“Where’d Peter get to?” Sirius asked.

Remus looked around. “I’m not sure.”

“Let’s rejoin the fight,” Sirius said.

“I’m right behind you,” said Remus. They ran back to the front of the fort to lob snowballs over the wall. Remus was debating whether he should tell Sirius that he had lipstick smudges on his cheek or let Sirius go through the rest of the battle with “Very Berry” war paint. The latter was more tempting.

They had a great view of the warfare from their position at the front of the fort. The Gryffindor fortress was closest to the castle. Just to the south, closer to the lake, was the headquarters of the Ravenclaw snow forces. To the northwest was the Hufflepuff hideout. Remus observed that the three massive forts form an almost perfect equilateral triangle, then mentally hit himself for thinking about math on a Sunday when he wasn’t even doing homework. He also observed that Slytherin House still had a total representation of zero. The Slytherins, it appeared, considered themselves above snowball wars with members of other Houses, but, as James had pointed out earlier, no one from the other Houses really wanted the Slytherins there anyway.

Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter had been out in the battle from the very beginning a few hours ago, when it had only been a tiny snowball fight. It had escalated far beyond expectations, and the Marauders were loving every minute of it. The only trouble was, where in the beginning Gryffindor had held a strong lead, Ravenclaw was pulling farther and farther ahead with each passing minute.

“How you guys holding up?” James asked, sprinting up to join them.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Greg Bennet appeared behind him, followed closely by James’s Quidditch captain, Henry Brian.

“It’s no good,” Brian was saying to Bennet. “They’re to well organized. We can only hold then off for so long. I think it’s only a matter of time before Hufflepuff caves, and then Ravenclaw can use its full force to take us down too. We need a new plan.”

“Maybe we should just surrender now,” Bennet sighed.

“Gryffindors don’t surrender,” James said firmly to Brian and Bennet.

“Potter, in case you haven’t noticed, it’s only a matter of time before we get creamed,” said Bennet. “We should just quit now with good grace before Ravenclaw can humiliate us to badly.”

“Gryffindors don’t take the easy way out,” James said. “Gryffindors are brave. Gryffindors fight ‘til last man is down!”

“That’s very nice sentiment, James,” Brian said. “But unless you have any suggestions as to how we can turn the battle in our favor…”

“We could form an alliance with Hufflepuff,” James said. “You were right with what you said before: Ravenclaw will crush Hufflepuff and then come for us. Neither of us can take on Ravenclaw individually, but we would be stronger if we joined together.”

“You know what, Potter,” said Bennet, “that idea’s not half bad.”

“Of course it’s not,” said James. “I came up with it.”

Henry Brian rolled his eyes. He had, of course, dealt with James's, ah, “big-headed tendencies” in Quidditch practice, but he never ceased to be amazed at just how far James would go to compliment himself. “So we’ll do it then?” Brian asked Bennet. “We’ll join up with Hufflepuff?”

Bennet sighed again. “Well, I guess we don’t have much choice.”

“How do we go about this then?” Brian asked Bennet. It was James, however, who answered him.

“We send envoys,” James explained. “We send a couple of guys over to Hufflepuff, and they can offer our proposition.”

“Okay, but who should we send?” Brian asked.

“I’ll go,” James said.

“No, Potter, we need you,” Bennet said. “You’re one of our best men. We can’t afford to spare you.”

“Well, in that case, send Remus,” James said. “His aim is truly pathetic.”

“You know, the thing I like most about being friends with you, James, is the wonders you do for my self-esteem,” said Remus.

“But,” James continued, “while his aim might be lousy, he’s good talking compromise and stuff.”

“Okay, Lupin, you go,” Bennet said.

“By myself?”

“I’ll go with you,” Sirius offered. “I’ll help you persuade Hufflepuff. I’m told I can be quite charming.” He flashed a wide smile.

Brian snorted. Bennet rolled his eyes. “Fine, Black,” Bennet said, “you and Lupin go. Make sure no one sees you crossing the no-man's land; you’ll be buried alive in snowballs if they do. And try not to get yourselves taken hostage either. I don’t need to be sparing more men to go get you out of trouble, okay?”

“Trouble?” Sirius asked, his eyes wide and innocent. “Oh no, of course not. We’d never get into trouble.” And with that, he and Remus headed off, leaving Brian to snort again, Bennet to recommence barking orders, and James to laugh so hard he nearly peed himself.

Instead of crossing right through the no-man’s land, Remus and Sirius decided to circle around to the back of the Hufflepuff, taking a longer but safer route, as neither of them had any desire to be buried alive in snowballs. The untouched snow was up to their waists, so they pulled out their wands to melt themselves a path, ducking low behind the walls of the path to ensure extra protection.

Hufflepuff was crumbling. Most of their forces seemed to have fled back to the castle to sip hot chocolate in front of their common room fire. The remaining forces were falling to the vicious snow warfare of Ravenclaw. No attacks were coming from the Gryffindor fort. Apparently, Bennet and Brian had passed on the message that they were attempting an alliance.

As they approached, Remus and Sirius stowed their wands and prepared to enter peacefully.

“GRYFFINDOR INVASION!”

They had been spotted. Crap.

“We come in peace!” Remus shouted as fifty or so Hufflepuffs raised snowballs, ready to fire straight at him and Sirius. The two Gryffindors held up their hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Yeah right!” shouted a fourth-year girl.

“No, we really do come in peace,” Sirius assured her.

“SPIES!”

“SNEAKS!”

“ENEMIES!”

Crap.

“What’s going on here?” A tall seventh-year boy with dark hair was pushing his way though the sea of Hufflepuffs with their snowballs at the ready. “What are you doing? We’re supposed to be fighting Ravenclaw, not…” He broke off as he spotted Sirius and Remus.

“We come in peace!” Remus repeated.

“What are you doing here?” the dark-haired seventh-year asked him and Sirius.

“We want to speak to your leader,” Remus said.

“What is this?” asked a sixth year wielding a particularly large snowball. “A bad sci-fi film?”

“Hold your fire,” the dark-haired seventh-year instructed his fellow Hufflepuffs. Turning back to the Gryffindors he said, “I’m captaining these forces, you may speak with me.”

“Okay,” Sirius said.

“You lot,” the dark-haired seventh year addressed the Hufflepuffs again, “take those snowballs and go back to fighting Ravenclaw.”

“Can’t we just throw one or two of them at Black?”

“NOW!”

With a few disappointed looks and a little grumbling, the Hufflepuffs turned away from Remus and Sirius and returned to the defense against Ravenclaw. The dark-haired seventh year approached.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Sirius Black and Remus Lupin,” Sirius said, indicating himself and Remus respectively.

“Justin Iustus,” the seventh-year introduced himself.

“Pleasure to meet-“ Remus began.

“What do you want?” Justin Iustus interrupted.

“We’ve come to offer you an alliance,” Remus said.

“An alliance?” Justin asked.

“That’s right,” said Sirius. “We want to form an alliance between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff and use the joined power to crush Ravenclaw to a pulp.”

“Figuratively speaking, of course,” Remus added.

“Were we?” Sirius asked him.

“Yes,” Remus said. “So what do you think?” he asked Justin.

Justin was frowning. “I don’t know…” he said. “It doesn’t seem very fair.”

“Beg pardon?” Sirius asked.

“You guys call it an alliance, but isn’t it just ganging up on Ravenclaw?” Justin asked.

“Well…yeah,” said Sirius. “That’s sort of the point.”

“I don’t think so,” Justin said.

“You don’t think what?” Remus asked.

“I don’t think that will work for us. The alliance, it doesn’t seem fair to Ravenclaw.”

“Who gives a rat’s fart about what’s fair for Ravenclaw?!” Sirius exploded. “You’re getting creamed, Iustus. Soon we will be too. Don’t you want to win?”

“I’d rather go down in a fair fight than win in and unfair one,” Justin said simply.

“Then you’re a prat!”

“What Sirius means to say,” Remus cut in before Sirius could continue, “is that it’s not cheating for us to form an alliance against Ravenclaw. It’s just another way to play the game. You can hardly say that it’s fair that most of your House has headed back inside. And it wouldn’t really be fair to the rest of your House who stayed to fight if you let them get crushed.”

“If we go down, we’ll go down know we played a fair game,” Justin said.

“If you go down?” Sirius said. “Justin, mate, open your eyes!”

“We appreciate the thought you put into this plan, but our answer is going to have to be no thank you.” Justin walked away.

“But…” Sirius began.

“Come on, Sirius, it’s over,” said Remus. “Let’s go back to our own fort.”

“I’m not giving up that easy,” Sirius said stubbornly. “I think we should ask the rest of the Hufflepuffs what they think.”

“In case you’ve forgotten,” Remus said, “the rest of the Hufflepuffs wanted to pelt us with snowballs.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

Remus and Sirius turned around and headed back through the path they had made coming over, Sirius muttering all the way about stupid Hufflepuffs being too “fair” and “just” for their own damn good.

Greg Bennet and Henry Brian were not impressed.

“We tried,” Sirius explained. “But that Iustus bloke just kept saying it would be unfair to Ravenclaw. Finally, it was like, ‘Alright, if you enjoy getting creamed…’.”

“That doesn’t really surprise me,” Brian said wearily. “Justin Iustus has always been a bit to just for his own good.”

“That’s what I said,” Sirius told him.

“So what do we do now?” Bennet asked.

“Don’t ask me,” Brian said. “James Potter was the brains behind this operation.”

“And we’re so surprised it failed…” Bennet muttered.

“Hey! That’s my friend you’re talking about!” Sirius shouted.

“Yeah, well, your friend’s an idiot!” Bennet shouted back.

“You’re an idiot!” Sirius retorted.

“You’re a bigger idiot!” Bennet countered.

“Your face is an idiot!” Sirius roared.

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Your face doesn’t make any sense!”

“OI! There’s a war going on!” Brian bellowed. “Do ladies think you could find another time to argue this point?”

“Watch it, Brian,” Bennet spat. “You may be Quidditch Captain, but I’m heading these operations and you have no authority to tell me what to do!”

“Only because you put yourself in charge!” Sirius pointed out loudly.

“Yeah,” Brian said, “nobody died and made you leader, Bennet. And with you in charge, it’s small wonder that we’re losing!”

I’m just going to back away slowly now and hope they don’t eat me, Remus thought. He edged stealthily away from the argument; no one noticed him leave. I should find James. He is, after all, the brains behind this operation. And so, turning his back on Sirius, Brian, and Bennet just in time to miss Bennet taking a swing at Brian and Sirius blasting Bennet with his wand, Remus set out in search of James.

James, it transpired, had usurped Bennet’s position as leader of the troops when Bennet and Brian had left to talk to Remus and Sirius, so when Remus found him, he was at the front lines bellowing orders to the other Gryffindors. Remus was rather impressed; even the older students, some of them seventh years, had fallen under James’s command. James seemed to be doing a rather better job than Bennet. He was yelling quite a lot, but his yells had a more team-spirit rallying tone than Bennet’s harsh demands. Spotting Remus, James made his way through the crowd toward his friend, still yelling orders and advice to all those around.

“So, is Hufflepuff in?” James asked without preamble.

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“The short version? They’re too just for their own damn good.”

“YOU!” James bellowed suddenly, making Remus start. “Take those snowballs to the east side!” James instructed a group of second years. “We need more ammunition there!” Then he turned calmly back to Remus asked, “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Hufflepuff thinks it’s unfair to gang up on Ravenclaw.”

“Merlin. I bet Ravenclaw would have taken the deal. Those Hufflepuffs are just a little too-“

“Hey wait! That’s an idea!” Remus interrupted.

“What’s an idea?”

“We join forces with Ravenclaw,” Remus explained.

James eyed him thoughtfully. “You know what, Remus, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Will you come with me to their fort then?” Remus asked.

“I can’t,” James said. “I’ve got to stay here and command the troops. What happened to Sirius?”

“He was detained.”

“Detained? By Hufflepuff?”

“By his own stupidity. Coupled with the stupidity of Bennet and Brian.”

“I see.”

Remus sighed. “I’ll find someone else. If Bennet and Brian ever make it back over here, tell them the new plan, will you?”

“Sure thing,” James said. “Good luck!” And with that, he ran back and started ordering the troops again.

Remus turned on the spot, surveying the Gryffindors for a new partner in crime. If he could just find Peter or Roy Hayden. Or even one of the girls, like Lily Evans or Lara Coote; they were both pretty nice. He made his way back from the front of the fort, searching the crowds, and finally found himself facing Sirius and Henry Brian, who seemed to be arguing, though not violently. Bennet was nowhere in sight. Cautiously, Remus approached them.

“Fid my node!” Brian said. He was attempting to use his hands to stem the flow of blood issuing from both his nostrils. Sirius was being very sympathetic.

“You want me to fid your node? Well sure, Henry, as soon as I learn what a node is and how to fid it.”

“I dead fid my node!”

“Yes, I heard you the first three times. Fid your node.”

“Nod fuddy!” Brian roared.

“I’m just yanking your wand, mate. I know you said fix your nose.”

“Good, den fid id.”

“Me? I’m only a third-year, I don’t know how to mend broken noses.”

Brian glared at him. “Den fide domeone!”

“You find me to find a dumb one?” Sirius asked.

Fortunately for both Brian and Sirius, at this point one of Brian’s older friends had spotted the dilemma and come to intervene. With one spell Brian’s friend fixed his nose and with a second cleaned up all the blood. It seemed safe for Remus to move nearer now.

Sirius and Brian were a little taken aback by the idea of forming an alliance with Ravenclaw, but were open to it nonetheless. Brian seriously doubted Ravenclaw would accept the offer because they really didn’t need any help to defeat Hufflepuff. Sirius was convinced that he could win them over with his charm. Remus and Brian shared a joint eye-roll.

Remus asked if they should tell Bennet about the plan.

“Bennet is no longer concerned with this fight,” Brian said cryptically.

Not wanting to know much in the way of details about Greg Bennet’s fate at the hands of Brian and Sirius, Remus asked no more questions about Bennet and simply asked Brian if he would like to accompany them to the Ravenclaw fort. Brian declined, so Sirius and Remus set off on their own to the other side of the Gryffindor fort closer to the Ravenclaws.

Halfway across, they heard someone calling their names

“Remus! Sirius! There you guys are!” Peter yelled, jogging towards them.

“Pete!” Sirius exclaimed. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Making snowballs,” Peter panted. “Where are you going?”

“The Ravenclaw fort,” said Remus.

“Why?”

“We’ll explain along the way,” said Sirius.

They were about to set off again, when someone just behind them let out a cry of pain. Turning, they saw Delangela Narkin removing one of her gloves and wincing.

“Delangela,” Remus said, moving towards her. Sirius and Peter followed rather reluctantly. “Delangela, what’s wrong?”

Delangela looked up at him from her hand, her eyes starting to glisten with tears. Then she whined, as melodramatically as was possible, “I think I broke a nail!”

Remus blinked at her. It had to be a joke. “Seriously?” he asked her.

“Well, it really hurts,” Delangela said with a careful combination of tearfulness and defensiveness.

“Oh for the love of Merlin,” Sirius muttered, taking Remus by the upper arm and steering him away from the blond mountain of crazy with her ruined manicure and towards the edge of the fort. Once there, Remus pulled out his wand again to melt a path, and the three boys made their way stealthily toward the Ravenclaw fort. Along the way, Sirius filled Peter in on the happenings at Hufflepuff and the plans for Ravenclaw.

Their arrival at Ravenclaw went similarly to their one at Hufflepuff. Remus had barely stowed his wand away again when…

“GRYFFINDORS!”

“GET ‘UM!”

Crap. Again.

“We come in peace!” Remus and Sirius shouted together.

“Please don’t hurt me!” Peter squealed, covering his head with his arms and cowering.

“They’ve come to spy on us!” one Ravenclaw girl yelled.

“Let’s bury their heads in the snow,” said another, drawing her wand.

Fast as lightening, Sirius was armed as well. “Stop! Stop!” Remus yelled, grabbing Sirius’s wrist as he raised his wand and holding a hand out toward the girl. “We came to talk, not to fight.”

“Oh, so you’ve come to surrender, is that it?” the girl sneered. “Are you giving up?”

“No,” said Sirius, who had lowered his wand at Remus’s encouragement but had not put it away. “We’re not surrendering.”

“Then why are you here?” the first girl asked.

“We’re not talking to you,” Sirius said. “Who’s in charge around here?”

“Jensen,” the first girl said.

“And where can we find this Jensen bloke?” Sirius asked.

The two Ravenclaws exchanged a small smirk. “We’ll take you there,” the second girl said.

Remus wasn’t at all sure that he trusted the two girls, but they didn’t really have other options, so they followed the girls across the fort. The Ravenclaws they passed were working so hard and under such strict control, nobody even seemed to have time to waste glancing at them as they walked by.

When they reached what seemed to be the center of the operation, they found a group of seventh years having a hurried tactics discussion. One of their escorts hailed their captain.

“Hey, Jensen!”

The seventh years turned to look at them. Remus swallowed; they all looked rather intimidating grouped together. Two of them left the group to meet the Gryffindors; one, a rather heavyset boy, the other, a girl with a light brown braid running the length of her back. When she reached them, the girl raised a very carefully scalped eyebrow. “Gryffindors?” she asked.

“Apparently so,” said the heavyset boy.

“They said they wanted to speak with Jensen,” one of the girls accompanying the Gryffindors told the seventh years.

“We do,” Remus confirmed.

The girl with the brown braid folded her arms and considered to boys carefully. “Go on then,” she said.

Sirius gave the girl a slightly patronizing look. “We wanted to speak to Jensen,” he said pointedly. He turned to the heavyset boy. “We’re told he’s the one in charge.”

A smirk appeared on the boy’s face that was not unlike the one the two girls had exchanged earlier when Sirius had first asked them to take them to Jensen. “I’m not Jensen,” he told Sirius.

Sirius looked around. “Then who is?”

“I am,” the girl with the brown braid said coldly. “Medea Jensen, at your service.”

Oops. Remus racked his mind for something to say to gloss over Sirius mistake, but Sirius was already way ahead of him.

“You’re the one in charge here?” he asked Medea Jensen.

“Yes,” she answered.

“But…” Sirius stuttered, “but you’re a girl.”

Oh why, Sirius? Why?

“Are you implying that girls can’t captain snowball wars?” she asked dangerously.

“Not as well as boys can “ ow!” Sirius rubbed his side where Remus had poked him.

“Please ignore my friend,” Remus said to Medea Jensen. “He’s taken one to many snowballs to the head today I’m afraid.”

“Clearly,” Medea said dryly.

“We came to talk to you about forming an alliance against Hufflepuff,” Remus explained.

“An alliance against Hufflepuff?” Medea asked, raising one eyebrow again.

“That’s right,” Remus said.

“Why?” she asked.

“So we can beat them,” Remus said.

“Duh,” Sirius added.

“Please stop talking,” Remus implored Sirius.

“Why would we want to form an alliance with you?” The heavyset boy asked. “We can beat them without your help.”

“Ahhh…” said Remus. That had been what Brian had said they would say. Remus didn’t actually have an answer.

“So you can beat them faster,” Peter suggested. He looked more than a little intimidated by Medea and her friend, but at Remus’s encouraging nod, he continued, “It’s getting dark. If we don’t end this soon we’ll have end with no winner. Wouldn’t you rather end it with a victory?”

“Yeah,” Remus said, picking up on Peter’s idea. “This snowball fight has been too exciting to end in a stalemate.”

“They make a good point,” the boy said, turning to Medea. “It is getting dark. The teachers aren’t going to let us stay out here much longer before the come out and start shepherding everyone back inside. Maybe we should consider it.”

Medea, however, didn’t look very impressed. She still had her arms folded and was surveying Remus so closely she might have been trying to read his mind.

“You offered this deal to Hufflepuff first, didn’t you?” she asked.

Spooky. “Did you just do Legilimency?” Remus asked her, more than a little unnerved.

“Do what?” Sirius asked. Remus ignored him. He could explain that later.

“No, I didn’t,” Medea said, though she did look slightly impressed that Remus knew what Legilimency was. “It’s just not that hard to figure out what’s going on here. You went to Hufflepuff to try to get them to help you gang up on us, but they turned you down so you’ve come here instead.”

They’d been caught, so Remus decided that they might as well just come clean. “Yes. You’re right. We went to them first.”

This seemed to amuse Medea. “So, tell me. Why did they turn you down?”

“They said it wouldn’t be fair,” Remus said.

“Not they,” Sirius corrected. “Just their mighty great prat of a leader.”

“Justin Iustus, right?” Medea asked.

Now that’s just creepy. “How did you…” Remus began.

“Lucky guess,” Medea said shortly. “So let’s get this straight. You went to Hufflepuff to offer an alliance. They refused out fairness to us. Now you’re going behind Hufflepuff’s back to come to us and form an alliance against them because turned you down because they want to play fair. Is that the general picture here?”

“Well…yeah,” Remus said, suddenly feeling very small.

“We thought you’d know better and take it because Ravenclaws are supposed to be smart,” said Sirius.

“Even the girls?” Medea asked him with an icy look.

“Yes,” Remus said, before Sirius could have the chance to say something stupid again. “The girls as much if not more so than the boys.”

“Sucking up now?” Medea asked. “You know,” she mused, “there seem to be a lot of House stereotypes going round today. The Ravenclaws are smart, have the best strategy, and are winning. The Hufflepuffs are losing and are too soft to know a good offer from Gryffindor when they hear one.” She paused, with the expression of one savoring a good insult on her face, which could mean nothing good. She was about to get her revenge for Sirius’s comments earlier. This is why is why you didn’t mess with girls. “But the Gryffindors,” she continued, “I would have expected you to be back at your fort fighting valiantly even though you know the battle is lost. But you’re not. Instead, you’re hatching cunning schemes to form alliances and sucking up to achieve your ends. Now those don’t sound very much like Gryffindor qualities…” she trailed off with a small, poisonous smile.

Any Gryffindor would have been offended by what Medea Jensen had just insinuated, but no one more so than one of the Gryffindors standing before her. “Oh you’d better watch who you’re calling a Slytherin!” Sirius shouted raising his wand.

Medea didn’t even bother to draw her own but simply eyed Sirius with smug amusement. “I suppose if the name fits. You’re a Black, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yes. And I’m a Gryffindor.”

“Perhaps,” Medea said. “But we all know that, with a few exceptions like Justin Iustus, nobody really fits into their House stereotypes perfectly. Just because someone is dropped into one House doesn’t mean they can’t retain the qualities of another House.

“Why you…”

“Sirius! No!” Remus said, grabbing the back of Sirius’s jacket as he started toward Medea. “Put you’re wand away, please, we’re not here to duel!”

“Did you here what she said to me?” Sirius growled, trying to throw Remus off.

“She’s just trying to wind you up,” Remus said. He raised his eyebrows at Peter, who took the hint and helped him hold back Sirius. “She’s just saying it to get at you. It’s payback for you being a sexist git earlier.”

“No one talks to me like that and gets away with it,” Sirius said dangerously.

“Oh give it a rest, Black,” Medea said, still smiling smugly. “You’re friend’s right. I’m just getting my revenge via verbal assault. It happens to be a female specialty. No need to get your knickers in a bundle.”

“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Medea’s friend said impatiently. “If we’re going to take down Hufflepuff, we’ve got to get moving. And you lot need to get back to your own fort to spread to word,” he said to Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

“Sorry, what?” asked Remus, still holding Sirius back.

“Go “ back “ to “ your “ fort,” Medea said slowly and clearly. “You need to tell your captain we’ve accept your offer.”

“But…wait…you have?” Remus stuttered. “Why? How? When did that happen?”

“Just now,” Medea said.

Remus was thoroughly confused. “But you were insulting us just now…”

“Yes,” Medea said matter-of-factly.

“Then why…”

“Because,” Medea said, “you forget one thing, Gryffindor-boy-whose-name-I-never-bothered-to-ask: what it all boils down to in the end is that we, unlike Hufflepuff, are smart enough to know a good offer when it is presented to us, and apart from that, any other factors” “ her eyes flicked to Sirius and back “ “don’t really matter. Run along now.”

“Okay,” said Remus, who had finally relinquished his precautionary grip on Sirius. “Give us ten or fifteen minutes to get back and spread the word. Then we’ll give you the signal and we can all storm Hufflepuff.”

“What’s the signal?” Medea asked.

“How about a whole bunch of Gryffindors starting to storm toward Hufflepuff?” Remus suggested.

“Works for me,” said Medea.

As Remus, Sirius, and Peter started to make there way back to the other side of the fort closer to Gryffindor, Remus called back to Medea, “And my name is Remus, by the way.”

“Remus? Really? That’s a stupid name,” she called back.

“So is Medea,” he retorted.

Medea laughed. “It’s Greek,” she called to him. “Funnily enough, it means ‘cunning’.” And with that, she turned away and began shouting orders at the Ravenclaws in a very Bennet-esk way.



Remus, Sirius, and Peter returned to the Gryffindor fort. Once there, they sought out James, filled him in on the plan, and then spent the next ten minutes running around informing every other Gryffindor in the fort. They all busied themselves making snowballs until James organized them into lines. Remus, Peter, and Sirius were right in front.

“Ready…set…CHARGE!” James yelled.

With many various loud, indiscriminate war cries, the mass of Gryffindors swarmed forward, out of the fort and into the no-man’s land. Seconds later, a roar went up from the Ravenclaw fort, and Ravenclaws began to escape from behind their fort and surge into the field as well. The groups collided in the center, but no one stopped to chat. Instead, the two Houses joined together into a massive crowd and went straight for the Hufflepuffs. The crowd reached the remains of the ever-crumbling Hufflepuff fort and attacked, sending Hufflepuffs running in every direction as they fled from potential death by spherical snow. James and Medea were still yelling themselves hoarse, but no one could hear them, because everyone else was yelling as well.

It was over in less than seven minutes. Most of the Hufflepuffs had retreated back to the castle. Justin Iustus surrendered on behalf of all those remaining. It was over. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had won. But most importantly, Gryffindor had won.



Most everyone went inside after the battle, but Remus, Sirius, Peter, and James decided to stay and enjoy the last bit of their weekend out in the snow before facing a week’s worth of lessons in the confinement of the castle. Together, they waded out across the grounds through the deep snow looking for a shallow patch, which they found in the shadow of one of the towers. The ankle-deep snow was much more manageable for the third-year boys. Dust was falling now, and they knew that they only had a limited amount of time before they had to return to Gryffindor Tower or risk being caught out after hours (not that they were truly bothered “ it was just something to note). James half-heartedly suggested that they build a snow-wizard, but they were all exhausted from the snowball fight and finally just collapsed backward to lie in the snow.

“Well, this is a lovely victory party,” James commented.

“If you want to light sparklers and run around singing some sort of victory song, knock yourself out,” Sirius said. “But I’m wiped.”

“Me too,” said Peter. “And I have snow in places I didn’t even know I had.”

“It’s not just me then?” Sirius asked.

“You guys are weird.” James propped himself up on his elbows to survey his friends. “Remus, what are you doing?”

Remus, who had been moving his arms up and down and his legs in and out, stopped. “I’m making a snow angel.”

“Why?” Peter asked, propping himself up like James.

Remus shrugged and started moving his arms and legs again. “Just because.”

“Good enough reason for me,” said James. He laid himself back down in the snow and started making a snow angel of his own.

“I wanna make one!” Peter said. “How do you do it?”

“You just move your arms and legs to make the wings and skirt,” Remus said.

“Duh,” James added in his ever-sensitive manner.

“Like this?” Peter asked, lying back and imitating James and Remus’s movements.

James sat up to examine Peter’s work. “Congratulations, you’ve mastered snow-angel-making 101. Next on your to-do list, master advanced Animagi magic.”

“Well, that shouldn’t be to difficult,” Peter said, rolling his eyes.

Remus sat up too. “You know, Peter, you don’t have to do this if you think too hard for you…”

“No one asked for your input, Remus,” James interrupted.

“Aren’t you going to make a snow angel, Sirius?” Peter asked.

“I don’t do skirts,” Sirius said shortly.

“Neither do we,” James pointed out, “but that doesn’t stop us from making snow angels.”

“Why do snow angels have to be girls anyway?” Sirius asked.

“They don’t have to be,” Remus said. “You can make yours a bloke.”

“A bloke in a skirt?” Sirius asked.

“It doesn’t have to be a skirt,” Remus said impatiently. “It can be…billowing robes.”

“Do they wear robes in Heaven?” Sirius asked.

“No idea,” Remus said. “Not that it would make much difference to you, Sirius.” James and Peter laughed.

“I wouldn’t be so high and mighty if I were you,” Sirius told Remus. “Do they even let werewolves into Heaven?”

“I’m not sure,” said Remus.

“You don’t sound too concerned.”

“Nothing I can do about it if they don’t.”

“Who even says there’s a heaven anyway?” James asked.

“There might not be,” Remus said. “You can’t know what’s coming in the afterlife.”

“So then why does it matter?” James asked.

“It matters because if there is something like a heaven in the afterlife, it would be nice to know what sort of attire the angels wear, so Sirius can make his snow angel without picturing himself in drag,” said Remus.

“Well, at least there’s a point to this conversation,” said James.

“Who says angels are even real?” Peter asked.

“Oi. It doesn’t matter,” said James. “Just make your damn angel already, Sirius.”

“I don’t think I will, thanks.”

“Come on, you know you want to, all the cool kids are doing it,” James said.

“If all the ‘cool kids’ decided to jump off the Astronomy Tower would you do it?” Sirius asked him.

“Depends, what’s the weather like?” James asked.

“I’m getting cold,” Remus said.

“Yeah,” said Peter. “Can we go in now?”

“But Sirius still has to make his snow angel,” James said.

“If you’re waiting for me to make my snow angel before you go in, you will be waiting a very long time, mate.”

“Fine,” James said. “Let’s just go in then.” They stood, Remus, Peter, and James being careful not to mess up their angels as they did. As the other boys brushed snow off of themselves, James pulled out his wand and pointed it at the Sirius shaped indent in the snow. Seeing what he was doing, the other three gathered around to admire James’s work.

“Ha ha,” Sirius said sarcastically. “Very funny James.”

“I think it’s funny,” Peter giggled.

“Seconded,” said Remus, grinning.

James had used his wand to draw in the snow around Sirius’s imprint. He had added two small horns on Sirius head and a long tail with a forked end poking out from behind. As they watched, James and his final detail: a pitchfork in Sirius’s hand.

“There,” James said, finishing the pitchfork with a flourish of his wand and standing back to admire his art. “I think I did a good job. The likeness is uncanny, isn’t it?”

“Eerily so,” said Peter.

“Let’s head in,” Remus said. And so, the four boys started to make their way around the castle to the front doors, James using his wand to melt them an easier path through them an easier path through the snow.

“Cheer up, Sirius,” James said as they walked. “It was only a joke.”

“I know,” Sirius said. “And it could have been a lot worse too. I thought maybe you were going to draw a skirt on me.”

“Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” James asked, turning around and making like he was intending to go back before Remus and Sirius grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him back. “Never mind,” James said, walking in the correct direction again. “I’ll come back and do it tomorrow.”

“We have lessons tomorrow,” Remus reminded him.

“Tomorrow evening then.”

“You know when we should come out again…” Peter began.

“When?” Remus asked.

“Next Sunday night,” said Peter.

“I can’t then, Peter,” said Remus. “That’s full moon.”

“I know,” Peter said, smirking slightly. “That’s why I want to come out. I want to see if your snow angel turns into a snow-wolf.”

James and Sirius laughed. Remus shoved Peter “ playfully not meanly “ but apparently a little to hard. For the second time that evening, Peter toppled over sideways into a large snowdrift. Sirius and James laughed even harder as the watched Peter struggle to get back on his feet. Finally, James and Remus reached into the snowdrift, and together they managed to get Peter on his feet again.

“Sorry about that, Pete,” Remus said, though he was chuckling a little himself.

Peter let out a high-pitched squeal of pain.

“Peter, what is it?” James asked, slightly alarmed.

Peter was holding his right hand out in front of his, his left hand around his right wrist, gazing at his gloved fingers with a pained expression.

“Pete, what’s wrong?” Sirius asked.

And then Peter cried, in a very good imitation of Delangela’s shrill whine, “Ahhh! I think I broke a nail!”

The others blinked. Then, as one, they and Peter all burst into laughter. It took a long while for them to stop. Even James, who hadn’t been there for the original, could appreciate the joke. When they were finished, they continued on their way. And together, the four Gryffindors entered the castle and made their way to the common room to celebrate their victory and commemorate a wonderful day spent out in the snow.


*This chapter was brought to you by the makers of Very Berry Lipstick. Doubles as war paint. For external use only.


Author's Notes: Thanks to Fiona for helping me with my chronic hyphen abandonment. Also, thanks to My Main Man Matt for bugging me to finish this chapter and get it posted. ;)

Reviews are always appreciated!
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The Silver Knife by shewolf2000
Author's Notes: This chapter is set three days after Chapter 3.

The Silver Knife

The following Wednesday, the Gryffindor and Slytherin third-years were down in the dungeons together for their potions lesson just before lunch. There was no potential for death by spherical snow down here, only by Slytherins, exploding potions, and the sharp knives they were all using to chop ingredients. Remus personally favored his odds against the snow. In theory, James and Remus were supposed to be working on their potion together. In reality, very little work was actually getting done.

“Where’d you get that?” Remus asked, pointing at the ornate ring James was wearing on the middle finger of his right hand.

“My dad gave it to me for Christmas.” James moved his hand so that the ring caught the light. “Potter family heirloom. Do you like it? Sirius hates it.”

“It’s cool,” said Remus. The ring was old but beautiful: large ruby was set in yellow gold with what Remus supposed was the Potter family crest. “I like your other family heirloom better though.”

James grinned. “Yeah, this ring’s not very useful for sneaking round the castle, but I like it.”

“Why doesn’t Sirius?”

James turned to look at the back of the dungeon where Sirius and Peter were working on their potion and lowered his voice. “You know Sirius; he’s not to big on family stuff. Says he’d rather die than wear a ring with the Black family crest. But just because he wouldn’t, doesn’t mean I can’t.”

Remus nodded, then squinted at the blackboard at the front of the dungeon. “Add two whats and a pinch elder tree dust?” he asked.

“Eels’ eyes,” said James. “Honestly, you’re the one who needs glasses, mate.”

“That Slytherin girl’s head’s in my way.”

“You need X-ray vision!”

“We need to get working on this potion,” said Remus, rummaging through his potion ingredients kit for eels’ eyes.

“Fine, okay,” James said. They worked diligently on the potion for a while until they reached a line in the instructions that told them to let their cauldron stew for ten minutes.

“Ten minutes? What will we do with all of our free time?” asked James.

“We could prepare our ingredients for the rest of the potion,” Remus suggested.

“Or we could not.”

“Fine, what do you want to do?”

“I want to try out this new hex I found on Snivelly.”

Remus sighed. “Can’t you do that later? We’re in the middle of a lesson.”

“Since when has a lesson ever gotten in my way?”

“James…”

“Fine. Whatever. I’ll do it later.”

“Thank you.”

“Killjoy.”

“That’s what they call me.” Remus took James’s silver knife carefully by the hilt and began to shred knot grass to add to the potion when it was done stewing. James looked like he was considering helping for a brief moment, but then seemed to think better of it. He leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, and surveyed the classroom lazily.

“I never told you about what Sirius did to Delangela last week, did I?” James asked after a few minutes silence. Remus set down the knife and looked up from the knotgrass. James’s gaze was fixed across the dungeon, where Sirius and Peter were flicking eels’ eyes off the edge of their desk in the direction of Delangela, who was a few desks behind James and Remus. They seemed to be having a competition to see who could hit her first.

“No, you didn’t,” Remus said.

“Want to hear about it?”

What’s the harm? Remus thought. “Sure.”

So James launched into the story, but after the phrases “feral squirrel” and “day-of-the-week underwear” found their way into the first five sentences, Remus changed his mind.

“Never mind, I don’t want to hear about it.”

James shrugged. “Suit yourself. Hey look, Peter hit Del!”

Remus and James watched as Delangela turned wildly around in her seat, trying to see who had hit her. Her eyes fell on Sirius and Peter, who were both determinately absorbed in Sirius’s potions book. She looked about ready to charm a few dozen eels’ eyes to pelt themselves at the two boys, but before she could, her partner recalled her attention to their potion.

“Damn,” James whispered. “Would have been a good show.”

“That’s ten minutes,” Remus said, checking his watch.

He and James added the grass Remus had shredded to their potion and continued with the rest of the instructions. A few minutes later, James grew bored, and Remus resigned himself to that fact that he would be finishing this potion alone. Remus worked steadily to the second-to-last line of the instructions, and then…

“OI!” James shouted suddenly.

Looking up, Remus saw what James was yelling about. A few desks behind them, two Slytherins had managed melt their cauldron. Their poorly concocted potion was seeping across the floor, and for some reason the potion seemed to expand as it flowed. Those nearest backed away as the potion spread towards them. Girls squealed as they lifted their feet and the hems of their robes from the ground. Some people stood on chairs or sat on their desktops. Those who were not so quick as to avoid the potion developed slimy green scales on the bits of skin that the potion had touched.

“Ewww,” Delangela whined. She had been working at the desk next to the Slytherins and was now perched on Lily Evans’s desk across the dungeon examining her scaly elbow and forearm.

“That’s a nice look for you, Narcosis!” Sirius called to her.

Delangela climbed to an empty chair and reached down to the floor scooped up a large handful of the thick, glutinous potion. Her hand was instantly covered in scales and webs grew between her fingers, but she didn’t seem to mind; next moment, she had hurled the handful of potion straight at Sirius’s face. Sirius ducked and just missed the flying potion, but a small bit splattered onto Peter’s neck.

“HEY!” Peter yelled, rubbing his new patch of scales.

“Calm down! Calm down, everyone, please!” Slughorn called over the babble and the squeals, trying to restore order. “We can have this sorted out in a jiffy if everyone can try to remain calm!”

“We’re all going to die!” a girl with scales on both ankles cried hysterically.

“I said calm, Miss Park,” said Slughorn.

“Watch out!” James told Remus. Remus looked down to see that the potion was moving rapidly for them. James jumped backward onto their desk, and Remus followed suit.

Slughorn took out his wand and started to vanish the potion from the floor, all the while assuring his students he would be able to rid them of their scales. Remus watched as at least a third of the class queued at his desk to receive an antidote. As he adjusted himself to get a better view, still perched on the desk, his fumbling left hand found the edge of something sharp.

Pain. Unimaginable and unendurable pain flowed from Remus’s hand though his body. He managed not to pass out right there, but in his agony, the dungeon swam before his eyes. He was not aware of anything around him. He was sure he was going to die from the pain. Somehow, his feet found the floor and he slid off the desk. Slowly, he brought his searing left hand out in front of him. Though his swimming vision, he could see the short hilt of a knife and one edge of a silver blade in his hand. The other edge was settled deep into his flesh. He could feel himself getting weaker. His swimming vision was starting to fog. He couldn’t hear or recognize anything around him. He felt like his whole left arm might fall off. In his pain and confusion, only one thought penetrated his mind. He felt his back hit a wall, and as his knees gave way and he slid to the floor, he summoned any remaining strength to raise his right hand and yank the blade from his left. The feel of the cool hilt of James’s silver knife in his right hand was the last thing he knew before he fainted.



“Watch out!” James told Remus. James jumped backward onto his desk, and next to him, Remus did the same. James chuckled as he watched Slughorn attempt to calm the various members of their class who had become recently scaly. Across the room, Sirius was laughing himself stupid at Delangela, who was looking between his scale-free face and her own webbed fingers with a murderous look in her eyes. To add to James’s delight, James saw Snape, with one shoe off, examining his scale-covered foot and webbed toes with much the same expression on his face as Delangela.

Peter, Delangela, Snape, and about a third of the other students in the room, rushed to Slughorn’s desk to wait for a cure to their “fishy little problem”. Slughorn went to his store cupboard to find ingredients for and antidote, muttering something about foolish students being unable to follow simple directions. James was finding the whole situation hilarious.

“Ah, here we are,” Slughorn said, extracting a bottle of smoky gray potion from his stores. James watched as students shoved one another in their eagerness to have their scales removed first and Peter almost got flattened.

“Good thing we didn’t get any, eh Remus?” James said, turning to him. “Remus?”

Something was very wrong with Remus. He had gotten off of the desk, and James watched as he backed himself into the wall and slid to the floor.

“Remus?”

Remus appeared not to hear him. His eyes were glazed and James doubted he was fully conscious. Slowly, Remus raised his right hand and pulled something from his left. Then his eyes closed, and he slumped, completely unconscious.

“Remus!”

James jumped from the desk and onto the floor beside Remus. In the hubbub of descalification, no one else seemed to realize something was wrong.

“Remus,” James said, shaking his friend by the shoulder. Remus did not wake. James looked down at Remus’s left hand and felt he might be sick. There was a large cut running vertically down Remus’s palm, and it was the most revolting, infected looking wound James had ever seen. His whole hand had turned a nasty, purplish, dead-looking color, and the color was steadily creeping its way up the veins in Remus’s arm as James watched.

“What the…” James muttered, confused. Remus had been fine a minute ago when they had leaped back onto the desk. How had he sustained such a gruesome injury so quickly and without anyone noticing? James’s eyes moved from Remus’s diseased looking left hand to his right. Remus was holding a knife, and James knew he had pulled it out of his left hand moments before he had fallen unconscious. James took the knife and examined it. He recognized it; it was his own silver knife that he used for chopping potion ingredients. But why…

Then it hit him.

“Professor!” he yelled, turning away from Remus, the bloody knife still in his hand. “Professor Slughorn! We need help over here!”

But Slughorn was to busy distributing the last few doses of antidote to hear James. James was torn; he didn’t want to leave Remus, but he would have to to attract Slughorn’s attention.

“James, what’s going on?” Sirius had heard James’s shouts and come over to investigate. He took one look at Remus’s hand and his face promptly drained of color. “Oh my G-“

“Go get Slughorn!” James instructed him. Sirius didn’t need telling twice. He sprinted across the room and was gone.

James turned back to Remus. He was hardly aware of the fact that he was kneeling in a puddle of Remus’s blood. He took two fingers from the hand in which he was not still holding the knife he had taken from Remus’s hand and placed them on Remus’s neck. He thanked Merlin for the steady pulse he felt that meant Remus was still alive. But for how much longer? James had no idea about that. He knew that silver was extremely toxic to werewolves, but he had no idea how long it took to kill them or if there was even a cure for silver poisoning. “Hang on, Remus,” he whispered.

“He’s over here, Professor. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but-” Sirius had returned with Slughorn and a knot of curious students at his heels. Many of them gasped when they saw Remus’s terrible wound and broke into a chorus of mutters.

“What happened?” Slughorn asked, kneeling down beside Remus and James.

Silently, James showed Slughorn the bloody silver knife. He didn’t want to say anything specific with a crowd of onlookers, but he didn’t need to; Slughorn got the gist at once.

“Mr. Black, go to my cupboard and fetch me the bottle of bright blue potion, second shelf on the left. Miss Evans, please go to the hospital wing and bring down Madame Pomfrey.”

Lily and Sirius did as they were told. The rest of the class stayed grouped around Remus, James, and Slughorn. Slughorn yanked up the sleeve of Remus’s robe to see that the nasty purple color had spread to halfway between his elbow and shoulder. Slughorn took a large handkerchief from his pocket and tied it tight around Remus’s upper arm to constrict the blood flow and stop the poison from spreading any further. Behind him, the class continued to mutter.

“Ew, that’s gross.”

“What’s wrong with him, Professor?”

“Was it my potion, Professor?”

“Is he going to die?”

“That Lupin kid; I tell you, if it’s not one thing it’s another.”

“Out!” Slughorn told them. “Everyone else out! Class dismissed!”

Everyone went to go pack up their bags and leave except for Peter, James, and Sirius, who reappeared a moment later holding a large bottle of glowing, neon-blue potion. He handed it to Slughorn. “Will he be okay?” Sirius asked.

“I felt a pulse,” James told Sirius and Peter.

Slughorn uncorked the bottle poured the potion onto Remus’s injury. The five of them, the four boys and the professor, were instantly consumed in blue steam. When it had cleared, they saw that not only was Remus’s wound healing right before their eyes, but also the purple color was slowly receding down his arm.

“Wow,” James whispered.

“So he’ll be okay?” Peter asked in a squeaky voice.

Slughorn examined Remus’s healing hand with professional interest, then untied the handkerchief constricting Remus’s blood flow. “He should be fine. I made that potion a while ago just in case something like this were to happen. And it’s lucky I did…”

“But, how did he get hurt in the first place?” asked Sirius.

James showed him the knife. “This,” he said. “He must have accidentally cut himself with it when we jumped on the desk to avoid that potion.”

Sirius looked confused. “But how does getting cut with a knife…”

“Silver,” James explained. “A silver knife.”

Sirius’s eyes widened in comprehension. Peter still didn’t get it.

“Silver is toxic to werewolves,” James explained further. The classroom was empty now, so it was safe to discuss it.

“I take it Mr. Lupin told you three about his condition?” Slughorn asked, still examining Remus’s hand.

“Told us, ha!” said James. “No way. We had to figure it out on our own.”

“And I can see that it doesn’t bother you,” said Slughorn.

“Why should it?” James asked with a shrug.

Just then, Madame Pomfrey came speeding into the dungeon, followed by Lily Evans.

“What happened?” Madame Pomfrey asked as she neared them.

Slughorn turned to Lily. “Thank you, Miss Evans. You may go.”

“Will Remus be alright?” Lily asked.

“He will be fine,” Slughorn assured her. Lily collected the bag and left the dungeon.

“Silver poisoning,” Slughorn told Madame Pomfrey once Lily had gone. “I gave him an antidote and he seems to be recovering, but I figured you should take a look at him all the same.”

“Excuse me, Potter,” Madame Pomfrey said. James stood and moved aside so that she could examine Remus. As he did so, he noticed for the first time that he was covered in blood. Slughorn noticed too. He took out his wand and quickly cleaned the dried blood from himself, James, Remus, and the floor.

Madame Pomfrey did a quick examination of Remus’s wound and his vitals, and when she seemed satisfied that he would live for at least the next ten minutes, she conjured a stretcher from nothing and loaded Remus onto it.

The trip to the hospital wing was pretty uneventful. Fortunately for Remus, none of the other classes had been dismissed yet, as there was still about eight minutes before the bell was due, so nobody saw him unconscious on a stretcher being levitated by Madame Pomfrey up to the hospital wing. James, Sirius, and Peter followed just behind Madame Pomfrey. As they walked, James explained in whispered installments the bits of the incident Sirius and Peter had missed.

They reached the hospital wing, which was empty. Remus was transferred from the stretcher to a bed, and as Madame Pomfrey fussed around with getting more potions to heal Remus’s wound, James, Peter, and Sirius sat themselves down on the unoccupied bed beside Remus’s.

“How long before he wakes up?” James asked Madame Pomfrey as she applied a thick orange paste to a piece of cloth and dabbed it on Remus’s injured hand.

“Not long, hopefully,” she said.

“I don’t really get it,” Sirius admitted. “I mean, we’ve seen Remus with silver sickles and stuff. It’s never hurt him before.”

“Silver poisoning only occurs when silver enters a werewolves blood stream,” Madame Pomfrey explained. “If it gets as far as the heart, the werewolf will die.” Busy with the paste, she missed the horrified looks the boys exchanged.

Muttering something to herself, Madame Pomfrey went to her office, presumably to get more potions for Remus. The three boys were left to sit and stare at their unconscious friend.

“That was a really scary thing to happen,” said Peter.

“Yeah,” James agreed. “Hope he comes round soon.”

“I never even thought about it,” said Sirius. “I didn’t think about something like this happening. I mean, we’ve been using silver knives around him in potions for years now. He never mentioned anything.”

“Maybe he didn’t think about it,” suggested James.

Remus groaned.

“Remus? You awake, mate?” James asked. All three boys leapt off the bed at once to huddle around Remus.

Remus opened his eyes. A spasm of pain instantly crossed his face. “Merlin, my hand feels like it’s on fire,” he moaned.

“That’s to be expected,” said Madame Pomfrey, reappearing with an armful of bandages. “I’m afraid it takes a while for the pain to wear off.”

“What happened?” Remus asked.

James held up the bloodstained knife, which he hadn’t even realized he had still been holding all the way up to the hospital wing. “Remus, mate, you should know better than to go sticking silver knives into your hands. Your going to hurt yourself one of these days, you know.”

“What?” Remus asked. He still sounded a little out of it.

“Silver poisoning,” Madame Pomfrey explained. “You know, Remus, it’s not that I don’t enjoy your company, but I think I see quite enough of you in here after the full moon without you making extra visits mid-lunar cycle.”

Madame Pomfrey knew she could speak freely in front of James, Sirius, and Peter because ever since they had found out about Remus’s condition, they had come to visit him in the infirmary after every transformation. She knew that they knew what their friend was.

“Brace yourself now,” Madame Pomfrey told Remus, “I need to bandage your hand.”

Remus put his right hand in his mouth and bit down on it to stop himself crying out in pain as Madame Pomfrey took out her wand and used it to make the bandages wind themselves around his left. “It looks like it’s pretty much healed,” Madame Pomfrey said as she worked. “You’ll have a bad scar, I’m afraid, probably for the rest of your life. However, it seems there will be no other lasting damage. How are you feeling?”

“Lousy,” said Remus, removing his hand from his mouth.

“You will most likely feel weak for the rest of the day. Silver does strange things to werewolves. I’ll see if I can’t get you something to help with the pain.” She retired to her office once more.

“So… I still don’t really understand what happened,” Remus said, rubbing his head with his right hand. James explained as best he could what he had seen and surmised about the incident. “I kind of remember it, I think,” Remus said.

“Why didn’t you tell us about this, Remus?” Sirius asked. “If we’d have known, we would have been a lot more careful with our knives around you.”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” said Remus. “I figured I’d just try to avoid being stabbed with knives in the middle of class and that would be that. I didn’t think something like this could happen.” He raised his hand, wincing, and examined it. “I’ve never had silver poisoning before,” he told them.

“Well, Madame Pomfrey said you’d get better,” James said in a rallying tone.

“Yeah,” said Remus, lowing his hand. “Can you guys just explain one thing to me?”

“Sure,” said Peter.

“How is it fair that when Sirius gets hit with a snowball, twelve girls surround him, but when I pass out in Potions, I get you three and Madame Pomfrey?”



Remus lay on his bed later that night feeling totally and completely exhausted. He had stayed in the hospital wing for the rest of the morning and the afternoon, and it had taken a good deal of persuasion and begging on his part to stop Madame Pomfrey from holding him for the night. She had released him just in time for him to make it to dinner, but not without much fussing and many warnings about the fragile state he was currently in. He was starting to wonder if he should have listened to her; all he had done was go to dinner and back to the dormitory, and he was wiped.

He didn’t know how long he had been laying there, staring vacantly at the canopy of his four-poster, when his roommates came up for bed.

“Hey Remus, how’s your hand?” Peter asked.

It was throbbing. “Better,” he replied.

“How are you feeling?” asked James.

Remus was feeling rather ill. “I’m okay. I should be all better by tomorrow.”

“That’s good,” said Sirius.

Remus summoned his small amount of remaining energy and sat up. He changed into his pajamas like his roommates and crawled back into bed.

He studied his bandaged hand. It still hurt quite a lot, though it was not nearly as painful as when the incident had occurred. When the silver knife had pierced his hand, it had been agony beyond imaginable. Remus was used to pain, but this pain had been exceptional. He had not felt pain like that since…

No, he told himself, don’t think about that. If I think about it now, right before bed, I’ll just end up dreaming about it again.

Remus climbed under the covers and pulled his hangings. He exchanged “G’nights” with James, Peter, and Sirius, then sank into his pillow, willing himself to think of something “ anything “ that wasn’t that night. It was useless. Try as he might to banish the memory, as he drifted off to sleep, it overcame him once more.

It always started in the same place…

Remus was four, and he was playing with his toy broomstick in the backyard around sunset on a late-August evening.

“Remus!” called a woman’s voice. He turned to see his mother’s large silhouette framed in the back doorway. “Come inside for dinner,” she said.

Reluctantly, Remus threw aside his broomstick and ran in through the back door. It took him straight into the kitchen.

“Wash first,” his mother instructed him. She was busy setting the kitchen table.

Remus stood on the stepstool by the sink and washed his hands while his mother moved a large casserole dish to the table. It smelled like broccoli. Remus hated broccoli.

As he dried his hands, his mother pulled a serving fork from a drawer, but she lost her grip and it landed on the floor. She tried to pick it up, but her large belly would not permit her to bend that far.

“Remus, dear, could you pick up the fork Mummy dropped and put it in the sink, please?”

Remus did as she asked while she pulled out a clean fork and went back to the table. They sat down to eat at the same time the front door opened, announcing the arrival of Remus’s father.

“Oh good, John, you’re home,” Remus’s mum called to her husband. “I was going to start dinner without you you’re so late, but you’ve come just in time.”

Remus father entered the kitchen. Remus shrank away slightly. John Lupin was normally a very kind man, but not even his four-year-old son had failed to notice the foul mood he had been in the last few days.

“Hello, Fay,” Remus dad said, bending to kiss his wife on the cheek and giving her a half-smile that did not reach his eyes. “Hi, Remus,” he said as he sat down. “What’s for dinner?”

“Chicken, sweet potatoes, and broccoli,” replied Remus’s mum.

“I hate broccoli,” Remus reminded her.

“But it’s good for you, Remus,” his mum told him as she scooped some broccoli on to his plate. “I’m only giving you a little, sweetie, but I want you to eat all of it, okay?”

“I want chicken too,” he said.

“And you can have chicken,” she said, passing the broccoli dish to her husband so he could serve himself and picking up the chicken dish. “Here you are.” She served her son chicken. “You can have all the chicken you fancy, but you also have to eat the broccoli, you understand?”

“Yes Mum,” he mumbled grudgingly. He decided to start with the chicken.

“So, how was your day, John?” Fay asked her husband.

“Busy,” John replied.

“Do you think you’ll have time to build the crib tonight?” she asked him while serving Remus sweet potatoes.

John sighed. “Fay, I will build the crib. I promise.”

“The baby’s due in a month, John, and I’ve been asking you to build the crib for the last five at least.”

“I’ll do it, Fay,” he said wearily. “I’ve just been a little distracted lately.”

“I know,” she said. “I just want to be ready, that’s all.”

He put down his fork and took her hand. He attempted to smile reassuringly, but it still didn’t reach his eyes. “We will be ready,” he promised her.

They ate in silence for a while. When Remus was full he asked, “Can I leave?”

“Have you finished your broccoli?” his mother asked.

“Yes,” he said. He had managed to choke it down.

“Then you may leave.”

Remus went up to his room where he pulled out a coloring book and crayons. These entertained him for a while, but eventually he grew bored. What he really wanted was to play with toy broomstick more. The trouble was, he had left it in the backyard and it was dark out. His parents didn’t let him go outside when it was dark. But maybe if he snuck out…

He crept downstairs and back in to the kitchen. His parents had since moved to the living room. He could hear their voices floating down the hall.

“…don’t know anything about this, Fay. You didn’t see him. You didn’t hear what he said.”

“Lex warned you not to go messing with them, John. He told you to leave them be. But you didn’t listen and now it’s got you all upset-“

“Of course I’m upset! After everything that…thing has done! He’s a monster, he hurts innocent people, and you’re damn right I’m upset about that!”

“But picking another fight with him is going to do you no good at all.”

“The things he said…”

“But there’s nothing you can do about it tonight, dear.”

Quietly as he could, Remus opened the back door and crept into the yard. His parents heard nothing.

Remus strode away from the house, trying to find the spot where he had left the broomstick. This wasn’t easy, as it was very dark and the yard was very big.

Unable to locate it by where he thought he had left it, he ventured further from the house.

Something behind him moved.

He froze, suddenly wishing he hadn’t left the house. He listened. There was definitely something moving behind him.

It was coming closer.

Remus turned to see what it was, and when he did, he felt terror like he had never felt before. It was a gigantic wolf with yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the dark and fangs longer than Remus’s fingers. It was coming at him fast and Remus knew he would never escape.

He yelled and threw his arms protectively up in front of his face. The wolf lunged at him and sank its fang deep into his right arm just above the elbow. Remus screamed in agony, but it did no good. He fell backward and the wolf was on top of him.

As Remus cried for his mummy and the wolf bore down on him, he saw a glint in the wolf’s eyes that seemed to say, “You can cry all you want, but I’ve got you, and your mummy can’t save you now.”

The wolf attacked again, and Remus was consumed with the idea that this was all too much. It couldn’t be real; it had to be a nightmare.

And it was…this time around.

Remus woke with a yell and sat bolt upright in bed, breathing as heavily as if he had just sprinted to Hogsmeade and back. He looked around at the dark velvet hangings of his four-poster bed. It was a nightmare, he told himself. I’m at Hogwarts. I’m safe. There are no werewolves here.

Well, there was one werewolf there, but that wasn’t the point.

“What’s going on?” asked Peter’s voice across the room.

“Remus, are you okay?” asked James’s voice much nearer at hand. The hangings on the right side of his bed were pulled back to reveal a sleepy but concerned-looking James.

“I’m fine,” Remus breathed.

“Then why were you yelling?” asked a disgruntled Sirius, who hadn’t bothered to get out of bed.

“I’m just “ I just “ I had a nightmare,” said Remus, trying to clam himself and slow his breathing.

“But you’re okay now?” asked James.

“I’m fine,” Remus repeated. “Go back to bed. I’m sorry I woke you guys.”

James climbed back into his own bed and drew his hangings. Remus closed his again, making an effort to take slow, deep breaths. It was just a dream. It was just a dream.

But it always seemed so real. Every time he had the nightmare, it felt as real as the night it had happened. He remembered praying on the night it had happened that it was all a nightmare and that he would wake up. But when he had woken, it was in St. Mungo’s. He had been in terrible pain, and his parents were crying. He remembered it like it was yesterday.

Remus curled up under the covers, feeling miserable. As if it wasn’t enough that he had a terrible curse to remember that night by. It wasn’t enough that he had had to turn into a werewolf every full moon since that night. No, he also had to have the nightmare that plagued him when he was feeling his lowest and made him relive the terror of that night all over again. Remus winced as he accidentally rolled onto his left hand.

That Lupin kid; I tell you, if it’s not one thing it’s another.


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Monsters by shewolf2000
Monsters

"Moony? Moony? Moooooooooony? Moony, speak to me, Moony!"

"Humph," Remus said as he jerked out of the light dose he had been enjoying.

"Eloquently put," said Sirius, who had just shaken Remus awake. Remus was recovering from the full moon on the night before last, but as much as Remus needed the sleep, Sirius had a feeling that Remus would not appreciate it if they let him sleep through his morning classes. They were sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast under the enchanted ceiling, which showed them the first snowfall of their fourth year. Remus had fallen asleep with his head resting on his folded arms on the table in front of him, an incredible feat given the noise level of the Hall, and until now his friends had let him rest undisturbed. However, they now had less than ten minutes to be in Charms, so Sirius had shaken their sleepy friend awake in order to ensure that he would not miss one action-packed minute of that which was a Hogwarts school day.

"Come on, we have Charms," said Sirius.

"Whazzat?" mumbled Remus.

"Charms, Moony. Padfoot said, 'we have Charms.' And he's right," James said looking at his watch. "We need to go." He and Peter stood up, each grabbing some toast to go. Sirius help drag a yawning Remus to his feet, and the four of them set off out of the Great Hall.

James attempted to reestablish conversation as they left the Hall, but his mouth was full of toast and Remus overrode him. "Chew, swallow, then speak, Prongs. No one wants to see that this early in the morning."

"Tetchy tetchy," said Peter.

"Shut it, Wormtail," Remus yawned.

"Yeah Wormtail, I'd be a bit nicer if I were you," said Sirius. "One more wise crack like that and Moony will be out to get you. And we all know how scary a half-asleep, untransformed werewolf can be."

"I'll have you know that I am only twenty-three percent asleep at the moment, thank you very much, Padfoot," Remus corrected him, stifling another yawn.

"Oh, sorry, my mistake, Moony."

Moony. It had been his name for the past five months and he had to admit that he quite liked it. They had come up with their nicknames while staying at James's (Prongs's) place over the summer, and they had stuck like glue ever since. They had locked themselves in the parlor at the Potters' manor so as not to risk interference from James's parents and started their work on the Animagus transformation, and although they were far from being able to transform at will, they had made enough progress to at least discover what kind of animal they would become. At this point, James - who was very fond of nicknames - decided that they would create their own, only to be used amongst themselves, based on the animals they could become.

"It's not fair," Peter whined, hunched up in one of the parlor's squashy armchairs. "You guys all get to be big, cool animals and I'm stuck being a puny rat."

"Oh, come on, Peter," James said from his seat on the grand piano bench, "being a rat is going to be great! Imagine the possibilities!"

"Like what?" Peter asked.

"Well, Sirius and I might be big animals, but there's lots of stuff that big animals can't do. You'll be able to...sneak into small places or...spy without being noticed or using the Cloak or..."

"Press the knot on the Willow," said Remus, looking up. He was curled up in his own armchair by the fireplace reading a book.

"What?" asked James.

"The knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow. I told you that that's the way you freeze it so you can get in. Even if you wear the Cloak, you guys will still be in danger of getting hit by the tree if you approach the trunk. But if Peter were to transform, he could get to the trunk easily. The tree's not going to notice a little rat running through the grass."

"See, Peter," said James, nodding his thanks to Remus, "we wouldn't be able to even get to the tunnel without you."

"Well," said Peter, "I guess that's kind of cool."

"And," said James, whose imagination seemed to be running away with him, "you could make a quick getaway if you ever got in a sticky situation. One minute, Peter's there, the next, 'Hey, where did Peter go? All that's here now is a rat!' Quite handy for avoiding detention," James concluded.

"And think of all the cheese, Peter!" said Sirius, who was lounging across the large sofa with his hands behind his head.

"Pardon?" said Remus.

"The cheese!" Sirius repeated, turning to look at him, his head in his hand propped up on one elbow. "Think of all the cheese you could eat, Peter!"

"Err, Sirius, I can eat cheese now," said Peter.

Sirius shrugged. "Still, I know how much you like cheese."

"That's true," said Peter. "I guess being a rat could be fun."

"That's right," Remus said encouragingly.

"Hey, I have an idea!" James said, his face lighting up with excitement.

"Don't you always," Remus said a little wearily.

"We should come up with nicknames that match our animals. You know, something subtle so that we know what we're talking about, but other people won't."

"That's not a bad idea at all," said Remus.

"Try not to sound so surprised," said James.

"What's your nickname going to be?" Sirius asked James.

"Bambi," Remus suggested innocently.

"That's girly," James said, sticking out his tongue in disgust.

"Bambi was male, actually," Remus pointed out.

"Yeah, well, he had a sissy name," said James. "And 'he' was a fawn, anyway. I'm a stag; I need a manly name."

"How about 'Stag'?" suggested Peter.

"It lacks a certain creativity," said Sirius. "What if the nicknames didn't have to mean the whole animal? What if we just made them refer to distinctive part of the animals?"

"What's distinctive about a stag?" asked James.

"How about the big effing antlers?" Sirius said. "You almost poked my eyes out with them, remember?"

"Prongs," said Remus.

"Sorry?" said Sirius.

"We'll call him 'Prongs'," said Remus. "It's subtle, but it refers to antlers, so it works for a stag."

"I like it!" James said. "Okay, what about Peter? What's distinctive about a rat?"

"Sharp teeth?"

"Watery eyes?"

"Generally unpleasant stench?"

"The tail," said Peter. "Rat's have big, long, bald tails. It makes them different from other rodents."

"Rattail?" suggested James.

"If you want him to be constantly beat up with towels," said Sirius.

"Oh yeah," said James disappointedly.

"I think rats' tails look kind of like earthworms," Sirius mused.

"Earthwormtail!" said James.

"Think smaller," said Sirius.

"Wormtail?"

"Eww," said Remus.

"I think it's cool," said James.

"Really?" asked Peter.

"Yeah," said James. "It sounds tough. You don't want to mess with a guy named Wormtail."

"It's up to Peter," said Remus.

"I think Wormtail's okay," said Peter.

"Excellent!" said James. "What about Sirius?"

"Padfoot," said Sirius.

"That was fast," said James.

"I've been thinking about it," said Sirius, examining his hand with interest. "What makes a dog special? There are lots of things, but I like having paws the best. So, I can up with Padfoot."

"But then we don't get to go through the lovely banter of ridiculous names!" James whined.

"Exactly," said Sirius.

"Fine," James huffed, clearly disappointed. "We'll call you Padfoot. It is pretty cool, I guess. I mean, not as cool as Prongs, of course, but it will do."

"Glad you approve," said Sirius.

"What about Remus?" James asked.

"Me? I'm not going to be an Animagus."

"So you think that means you don't get a cool nickname?" asked James. "No way. You need a nickname too. How about Once-A-Month Wolfboy?"

"That name hasn't gotten any cooler in the two years since you first suggested it," said Sirius.

"What's distinctive about a werewolf?" asked Peter. "I've only ever seen pictures of a transformed werewolf."

"Don't ask me," said Remus. "I don't spend a lot of time examining my appearance at full moon."

"We could call him 'Fang'," James said.

"Hagrid just got a puppy named Fang," said Sirius. "We wouldn't want Remus to have to share."

"And all wolves have fangs," said Peter. "We want something that's special for a werewolf."

"If you think I'm going to go dig out my Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook while I'm on holiday just to look up the ways a werewolf is different from a regular wolf," Sirius began, "you are sadly - "

"There's the shape of the snout, the pupils, and the tufted tail for starters," said James, standing up and starting to pace as he thought.

The others stared at him. "You're starting to sound a bit like Evans," said Sirius.

James threw a pillow from the nearest chair at him and said, "So I read a bit of the textbook? Big deal. It wasn't like it was for class or anything; I had a personal interest in the matter."

"Okay," said Peter. "How about Tufttail?"

"I prefer Once-A-Month Wolfboy," said Remus.

"And we already have a 'tail' name," James said, resuming his seat on the piano bench.

"Vicious, Blood-Thirsty, Man-Eating Monster?" suggested Sirius.

"It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue," Remus said coolly. "And I thought we were going for subtle."

"Is that not subtle?" asked Sirius.

"Not really, no," said Remus.

The four of them lapsed into thoughtful silence for a few minutes, trying to figure out the perfect nickname for their werewolf friend. They all jumped slightly when James leaned his elbow absently against the piano and there was a great "plunk" of discordant keys. James removed his elbow with a guilty smile at his companions and the room fell back into silent thought.

"Moony," James said after a while. The others looked at him. "It's perfect," he continued. "It's subtle, so no one would figure it out if they didn't know, but it's also something special to werewolf."

"Moony," Sirius mused. "I like it."

"Me too," said Peter.

They all turned to look at Remus. "Well?" asked James. "What's the verdict on Moony?"

Remus considered for a minute. "Sounds good to me."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," said James, gesturing in turn to each of his friends and himself as he said their new nicknames. "I think that'll work just fine. Oh, how I do love nicknames."

And so the nicknames had been born, and had been used ever since.

"Cheer up, Moony," James said as they joined the queue outside of the Charms classroom. "It's only a matter of time before we finish with - " He looked carefully around for to make sure no one was listening in. "With our 'project'. Then we can come with you when you're dealing with your furry little problem and full moons won't be such a bitch."

"I hope so," said Remus, putting his bag down and leaning his back against the corridor wall. "This last one was really terrible."

"Now that's a little unfair, Moony," said Sirius. "All of your full moons are terrible."

"Speaking of unfair, did I tell you guys what happened at Quidditch practice last night?" James asked. This inevitably led to a long-winded but somewhat amusing story about something stupid James had done at practice the night before and the "unfair" consequences that had followed it.



"It's just so terrible, I can't even get my mind around it," said Lily.

"I know," said Mary MacDonald, her friend and fellow fourth-year. "I can't begin to imagine what she's going through."

"I don't want to imagine it," said Lily. They were walking to their first hour Charms lesson, but they both knew they wouldn't be able to focus on their class. Their thoughts were upstairs with Lara Coote, a girl with whom they shared a dormitory, and her family. Lara had received some terrible news this morning, and Lily knew that it would be on her own mind all day. It was an occupational hazard of being the empathetic person Lily was.

They reached Charms to find most of the class queued outside the classroom. None of the rest of them seemed to know the tragic news. Most people were chatting with each other and a few were hurriedly finishing the assignment due in today's lesson. James Potter seemed to be acting out an amusing story as he recounted it to his friends.

As Lily and Mary approached, Potter finished his story and turned to look at them. He seemed taken aback by the somber looks on their faces.

"Who died?" he asked, demonstrating his notorious lack of subtlety.

Lily spared him a cold look before answering, "Lara's little brother."

Potter and his friends gaped at her.

"What?" Black asked.

"He died night before last," said Mary, who was the verge of tears. "Lara just got the news this morning."

"But...but how did he die?" asked Lupin.

"He was killed by a werewolf," said Lily.

Each of the four boys reacted differently to the news: Pettigrew looked frightened, Black looked angry, Potter looked disbelieving, and Lupin looked like he might be ill. What they had in common was that all of them seemed to be robbed temporarily of speech.

The silence went on for a little to long for Lily's comfort. "It's horrible, isn't it?"

Black exchanged a fleeting look with Potter before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Sure of what?" asked Lily.

"Sure that he was killed by a werewolf," Black said. There was something strange about his tone, but Lily couldn't quite think what it was.

"He was found in the woods just outside the village they live in," Mary said, her voice rather higher than normally. "No one saw they werewolf, but he was...was really badly hurt. They took him to Saint Mungo's, but it was too late..."

She started to cry. The four boys were no longer the only ones listening. Most of the class had broken off from their own conversations to hear what Mary was saying. Lily put a comforting arm around Mary continued her explanation.

"He was dead before they reached the hospital," she said quietly, but so complete was the silence of her audience that everyone heard her. "He'd lost too much blood before he was found. But the Healers examined his body and confirmed that his injuries were caused by a werewolf attack."

"He was ten," Mary sniffed, wiping her face with her sleeve. "He would have come to Hogwarts next year."

Two of the other girls started to cry as well. The others looked miserable. The boys all wore expressions of deathly seriousness, but none more so than Potter, Pettigrew, and Black. The three of them were exchanging looks of deep significance. Just behind them, Lupin was leaning back against the wall, still looking as though he might be sick at any moment.

"Where's Lara?" asked one boy from the queue.

"In Dumbledore's office with her family," said Lily. "She and her brother and sister are all going home for a while for the funeral."

There was a short silence. Then, a girl with her arm around a crying friend asked, "Did they catch it?"

"Catch it?" asked Lily.

"The thing that killed him!" the girl exclaimed. "The werewolf; did they catch it?"

Mary shook her head, still sniffling. "They didn't find it."

"Well that's wonderful, isn't it," Delangela said sarcastically. "Lara brother gets slaughtered and her family doesn't even get to see the monster that did it put to death - "

"Shut up, Narkin," said Black. Maybe he thought it was inappropriate to talk about such things so soon after a tragedy.

"I agree with Del," said another girl. "There's no justice. If the werewolf got away, it will just be able to kill again next full moon. The least that can be done is - "

Her sentence was cut short by Professor Flitwick opening the classroom door and ushering the class inside. Most of the class filed in, some still wiping their eyes.


A few students lingered behind.

"Are you okay?" James asked.

"I'm fine," said Remus.

"You don't look very well," said Peter.

"I'm fine," Remus said more firmly. He picked up his bag and walked into the classroom.

"Oh he is so not fine," Remus heard Sirius mutter to James and Peter. Remus ignored him. He chose a seat at the back, furthest away from his classmates. His three friends took seats around him and waited for the lesson to begin.


The morning went as miserably as could be expected. Excepting they few hiatuses when they were forced to be quiet and listen to teachers, the students talked non-stop about the attack on Lara's brother. It wasn't just the fourth-years either; Lara had an older brother in seventh-year and a little sister who was a second-year in Ravenclaw. By mid-morning, the whole school, all years and all houses, were discussing werewolves.

Everyone seemed to have an opinion; opinions they wanted to share with everyone else.

"I think it's the Ministry's fault. If they didn't let monsters just run wild, things like this wouldn't happen. They should be locked away, all of them. If I get into the Ministry after leaving here, I'll have a lot of proposals to make in Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"Wouldn't it make the most sense just to kill them all off? I mean, in order for someone to become a werewolf, they have to be bitten by a werewolf. If all of the existing werewolves were killed, they couldn't make more, and that would be the end of it."

"My aunt says that any werewolf with a sense of decency would off himself before he had the chance to hurt innocent people."

"There was a werewolf living in our village once. When everyone found out what he was, they chased him out. They didn't want a creature like that anywhere near them. I think they were right to do it. Our village is for wizards, not animals."

"Half-breed freaks is what they are! What kind of person rips apart an innocent ten-year-old boy? Monsters, all of them, mutant freaks!"

"Some friends of my parents had a daughter who was bitten by a werewolf when she was only six. She survived the attack, but her parents decided to put her down. Can you blame them? Who would want to raise a werewolf for a kid?"

"My dad says there's no place in Wizarding society for werewolves. All they ever turn out to be are criminals and murderers. I personally think that our world would be a lot better off without that kind of filth."

Wherever he went that morning, Remus was surrounded by werewolf bashing. He heard it as he walked down the corridors between classes. He heard it from his classmates whenever they had time to chat in class. There was even a group of third-years discussing werewolves in the bathroom when Remus went there after second hour Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He tried to ignore it; he tried to convince himself that they didn't know what they were talking about and that what they said wasn't true. It was useless. Even if most of the stuff they said was a big pack of lies, the fact that they said it and thought it was enough. Of course, no nasty comments were aimed in his direction, but it was still hard to deal with the harsh reality of hate that was being presented on all sides.

Remus's friends were taking it just as bad, possibly worse. They seemed to take each nasty comment they heard about werewolves as as much of a personal insult as Remus did. Part of Remus was grateful; it was reassuring to have friends who cared so much about him. And he did prefer their indignation on his behalf to the alternative, which would have been his friends distancing themselves from him as they remembered that Remus the werewolf was just as capable of murder as the werewolf who had killed Lara's little brother.

Another part of him was slightly irritated by their over-protectiveness. Did they think he was so fragile that he couldn't cope? He wasn't immune to how the world saw him, in spite of his parents' and Dumbledore's best attempts to shield him. He knew perfectly well the low position he held in Wizarding society, that he was at Hogwarts only by a sheer miracle, and that he would never truly fit in as a werewolf in a world of wizards. He was not so na�ve and as easily wounded as his friends seemed to think. And anyway, where had their sympathy for his condition been on that night they had dragged him into the dark trees of the Forbidden Forest and threatened to kill him for being what he was? Their actions had been in humor, but they still came off as a little hypocritical.

But then, another part of Remus was not handling things as well as he would have liked to pretend. Somehow, it was two entirely different things to imagine the abstract concept of everyone hating him and actually hearing his classmates - people who knew him, people he was friendly with, people he saw everyday - saying things that were so hurtful to him, even if they couldn't possibly know it. This was the part of him that made him want to spend a lot of time hiding alone in a dark room so as not to have to face the world.

And yet another part of him was worried. With all this talk about werewolves fresh in everyone's minds, what if someone figured out about him? He would be out of school so fast it would make Snitches look like snails; that was, if he got out at all. And his friends' attitudes certainly weren't helping this. How could people not get suspicious when everyone and their cousin was cutting down werewolves expect James, Sirius, and Peter, who were defending werewolves. It was for this reason that Remus had to stop James (who was easily the most agitated of Remus's friends) when they had past a group of girls in the corridor after Charms who were making some particularly rude remarks about half-breeds, and James had made like he was about to start arguing with them.

"Prongs, no, please don't," Remus whispered, catching his indignant friend by the arm to hold him back. "Just let it go."

"Why should I?"

"It will just be worse if you go over there and make a big deal about it. It certainly won't make anything better by starting an argument, and you're never going to change their minds anyway. Just let it go."

"I can't. I don't like to hear people talk about my friends like that."

"Then do it for me, Prongs. I'm asking you, as a personal favor, please don't say anything. To them or to anyone else. It will only make things worse."

James let out a breath that was somewhere between an angry huff and a resigned sigh. "Alright, I won't say anything."

"I need you to promise me."

"Fine, Remus, I promise."

James kept his promise for the rest of the morning, though Remus could tell his resolution had been tested when Haley joined them. Haley Harrison was Lara Coote's best friend, and she had missed Charms that morning be with Lara and comfort her. She returned halfway through DADA class, bringing with her a wealth of new details about Lara brother's death and a large share of werewolf hate. As Haley informed their gossip-ravished peers about the intimate details of the werewolf's attack and the foul nature of werewolves in general, Remus could tell that it was all James could do not to march over to where Haley sat and start biting her head off.

And another small part of Remus, though annoyed and worried, was a little grateful for the distraction James provided. Making himself personally responsible for insuring his friends wouldn't do anything stupid gave Remus an outlet for the restless energy building inside him and stopped him from doing something stupid himself.

With all these parts of him battling it out and his mind being pulled in every direction as he went from anger to stress to depression and back again, Remus found that by the time lunch came around, he had quite lost his appetite. All and all, he'd had better mornings.




James was having trouble keeping his opinions to himself, but he was much less worried about himself than he was about Remus.

"I'm not hungry," Remus said quietly as they headed to the Great Hall for lunch. "I"ll see you guys later."

"Come on, Remus," said James, knowing it would be better for Remus to eat than to brood over the lunch hour. "It'll do you some good to get some food in you."

Sirius and Peter agreed, so Remus grudgingly followed them to the Great Hall for lunch. The Gryffindor table was already crowded when they entered. The only seats available were next to Lily, Delangela, Mary, and Haley Harrison, four people James knew that Remus didn't want to sit by. However, as they had no choice, they headed for the empty seats. As they neared the girls, their conversation became more and more audible. I wonder what they're talking about? thought James. Bunnies, perhaps?

"But they're mostly just normal people, aren't they?" Lily Evans was asking Haley. "I mean, except at the full moon, aren't they just regular humans the rest of the month?"

As the boys reached the four girls, they saw Haley shake her head. "No, it changes them. The bite, I mean. It makes them violent and stuff. They only become real wolves once a month, but if you ask me, they're just as dangerous when they're human, just less easy to spot." Not bunnies, then.

Remus stopped at the point of taking a seat. "I'll see you guys later," he said, and before any of them could say anything, he had gone.

Sirius watched him go and then turned a stony expression to James. "Nice going, Prongs."

"What did I do?" James asked, completely taken aback.

"'It;ll be good for you to get some food', now look what you've done," snapped Sirius.

"I didn't know they would still be talking about it!"

"What did you think they would be talking about? Bunnies?"

"Maybe," James admitted sourly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Delangela asked.

"Mind your own business!" James snapped at her.

"Should we go see if he's alright?" Sirius asked, ignoring Delangela's interruption.

"He probably wants some time alone," said Peter, "to think."

"Yeah," said James heavily, "but that's probably not the best thing for him, is it?"

"No," Sirius agreed. So without taking their seats, they turned and left the Great Hall.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Delangela called after them. James resisted the urge to make a rude hand gesture at her over his shoulder as he walked away.

"Where do you think he went?" Peter asked, as they climbed the marble staircase. "Gryffindor Tower?"

"Maybe," said James. "Or he could be hiding in a bathroom."

"He might have gone to the hospital wing," suggested Sirius. "If ever there were a day to fake ill..."

"Where first then?" James asked. "Or should we split up, do you reckon?"

"That's probably best," said Sirius. "Okay, I'll do the Tower because I forgot my Potions essay in the common room. Wormtail, why don't you take the hospital wing? And Prongs, you can check the loos."

"See you in History of Magic," said James. He and Peter headed off in the direction of the hospital wing and the nearest toilet. Sirius went the opposite direction toward Gryffindor Tower. If ever there were an excuse to skive off History of Magic... Sirius thought.



Remus was curled up on top of the blankets in his four-poster, and although he was still very tired, he couldn't sleep. He stared at the dark velvet of the hangings he had drawn around himself as phrases he had heard that day pounded in his head: animals...half-breed freaks...should be locked away...monsters...it changes them...makes them violent...just as dangerous when they're human.

Remus had been trying so hard to keep it together, but these last words of Haley's had pushed him over the edge. They had brought forward a painful memory in him that, try as he might, he could not push away; because Haley had not been the first person to believe that his bite would change his human side.

Remus sat just behind the door to the living room, listening to his parents arguing while nursing the still-stinging cut on his right arm. Last night had been his first full moon as a werewolf. He had awoken that morning in almost as much pain as the month before when he had been attacked and bitten. His parents had locked him in the unfinished basement for his transformation, and had come down just after dawn to find that he had not only done serious damage to walls, floor, and furniture, but he had also done himself several painful injuries. They had healed him the best that they could and tried to reassure him that everything was all right as he cried. He could tell they didn't really believe it. He had hated seeing the sadness in their eyes as they had looked down upon him, broken, bleeding, and in pain. There had also been something else in their eyes that he had not been able to recognize at the time, but that he would later realize, had been fear.

He had spent most of the day in his bedroom, trying to sleep through the pain, but now he was awake. He had crept downstairs from his bedroom to hear his parents' angry voices issuing from the living room. His parents hardly ever fought, so Remus was curious to hear what it was about. He had hidden himself in the hall, just behind the living room door, where he could hear but not be seen.

"We've got to think about the baby, Fay," Remus's father was saying. "We're about to bring another child into this world and I want it to be a safe world."

"You've got to think about your other child, John," Remus's mother said sternly. "Remus didn't ask for this to happen to him. He's still your son."

"I know he is, Fay. But I'm worried. You saw what happened last night; you saw how much damage was done. Are you really comfortable with having something capable of that living in your house? Especially with a new baby on the way!"

"How dare you say such things like that! How dare you speak about your own son that way!"

"He's a werewolf, Fay! I don't think you understand what that means."

"I know perfectly well what it means! It means that at the full moon he turns into a wolf, and the rest of the time he is still my wonderful, sweet Remus. That is not going to change."

"As far as we know," Remus's father said darkly.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"How can we be sure he's still our sweet Remus? How can we know he won't change? How many werewolves do you know who are good, upstanding members of society? How can you sure that Remus won't become violent and cruel just like the rest of them?"

"Shut up, John!" Remus's mother shouted, her voice choked with tears. "He won't change! I won't let him! I'm not going to let his life be ruined by this. I will do whatever it takes to makes sure that Remus lives a normal life and doesn't let this change him. Because he's my son, and I love him."

"Yes, Fay, but he's also a - "

"Yes, I get it John," Remus's mother interrupted. "I understand that you don't like werewolves. That's kind of what got us into this mess in the first place!"

There was a short silence. Remus didn't understand what his mother meant, but it seemed to upset his father a lot. He heard his dad walk across the room and sit down in on the sofa. After a few moments silence, Remus heard him say, in a choked voice, "What have I done?"

There was another pause, and then Remus's mum said, "John, I'm sorry. This isn't your fault. I shouldn't have said - "

"It is," Remus's dad whispered. "It is my fault. I can't pretend it's not."

Remus was very confused. Why was his dad blaming himself? It wasn't his fault at all...was it?

"Look," Remus's dad said more calmly, "Fay, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I love Remus, you know I do. He's my son for Merlin's sake. I want what's best for him; I'm just not sure what that is right now." He sighed heavily before continuing, "I want to protect Remus, but I'm not sure I'm the best man for the job. Don't you wonder...maybe it would be better...aren't there places he could go?"

"What do you mean?" Remus's mum asked. Remus heard her lowering herself slowly onto the sofa beside her husband. She had to do it slowly because she was now nine months pregnant; the baby was due any day, and she was very big.

"Somewhere like...I don't know...like a pack? He will never be able to have much of a life with normal wizards. Maybe he would be better off with some of his own kind."

"You want to send our son away to live with a pack of werewolves?" Remus's mum asked quietly.

"I don't want to, but what are our other options? He will always be an outsider in the Wizarding world. Maybe it would be better, he would be safer, with other werewolves."

"No."

"Think of it logically, Fay."

"Hell no."

"Fay..."

"NO! No way! Are you insane? You think he'd be safer with werewolves? You think he'd be better off? Hell no! He'd have no chance, no chance at all. You want to see how quickly your son can change into monster, stick him with people who will teach him how to be one! We will keep Remus here and we raise him like a normal boy. Maybe then he'll have a chance at some humanity!"

"And what about the baby? What if Remus were to hurt the ba- "

His sentence was cut off by a sob from out in the hall.

"Oh no," John whispered. He stood and followed the sound of his four-year-old son's sobs to the living room door. He pushed it open to find Remus sitting there, crying with a different kind of pain than he had that morning.

"Remus..." John said soothingly, kneeling down next to his son.

"You - don't - want = me," Remus said between sobs.

"No, Remus, no."

"You - want - to - send me - away."

"Oh, Remus, no, I didn't mean..."

"You - hate - me."

"Remus," John said, his voice heavy with guilt and regret, "I never said that. I don't hate you. I love you. I love you Remus."

Remus continued to cry.

"Come here, Remus," Remus's dad said, opening his arms to hold his son. Remus moved away.

"You - don't - love - me."

"I do, I do love you, Remus," John said, his voice cracking a little. "Please believe me. I love you so much."

"Why - do - you want - to get - rid - of me?"

"No, Remus, no. I don't want to get rid of you. I..." He didn't seem to know what else to say. Remus continued to cry.

"Remus," John said, quietly, "please look at me."

After a minute, Remus raised his tear stained face to look at his father.

"Remus, I love you. And I'm never going to send you away, I promise."

Remus hiccupped. "You - you promise?"

"I promise." He held out his arms again and his son climbed into them. They hugged. John lifted his son from the floor and carried him into the living room, where he sat down on he sofa beside his wife.

Remus was still crying a little. Fay reached over and stroked Remus's hair, but when she spoke, it was to John. "You promise?"

"I promise," John said again. He took his son, who was still clinging to him, and set him on the little bit of lap his wife had left under he big belly. Remus hugged his mother's belly as she stroked him on the back.

"Do you still love me, Mummy?" Remus asked her.

"Oh, baby, of course I do," Fay said, her own eyes starting to glisten with tears. "I will always love you, no matter what. You're my Remus. I love you so much."

"I promise not hurt the baby."

"Oh, sweetie, I know you won't," said Fay.

"You're going to be a great big brother," said John.

"We love you, Remus," said Fay.

"I love you too," said Remus still holding tight to his mother's belly.

And then his mother let out a cry of pain.

"Remus?"

Remus's memory was interrupted by a voice from the dormitory door.

"Yes," Remus answered.

"Can I come in?" Sirius asked.

"It's your room."

Sirius walked in and came to stop beside Remus bed. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Remus sat up and drew back the hangings. Sirius was standing just behind them.

"Yes?" Remus asked

Sirius surveyed Remus cautiously; he was always extremely awkward when it came to what he called "touchy-feely comforting crap". He didn't like talking about feelings; that stuff was for girls.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked, trying to keep the awkwardness to a minimum and still be there for his friend.

"I wish people would stop asking me that," Remus replied.

Sirius gave him a small smile. "Must get tiring after a while," he said.

"I don't know how to answer it anymore," Remus confessed. "I tell people I'm fine, they don't believe me. I tell people I'm not fine and they worry about me. It's a loaded question either way."

"Yeah," said Sirius. He seemed to be looking for a change is subject. "Did you get any sleep?" he asked.

"No. I really just came up here to get away from Haley," Remus admitted.

"Look, Remus," Sirius said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, "you shouldn't...you shouldn't take what she...what any of them say, you shouldn't take it personally."

"Who said I was?" Remus asked. He could tell how petulant the question had sounded. Sirius raised his eyebrows. Remus sighed. "I try not to," he said, avoiding Sirius's eyes. "It's just hard to ignore it sometimes."

"They're idiots, Remus. They all are. They - "

"They're not idiots," Remus said quietly. "They just don't know much about it. They only know what they've been taught, and that's to hate and fear werewolves. They're ignorant, not stupid." He thought for a moment. "Well, perhaps some of them are stupid," he said.

"Some," said Sirius, "or more."

Remus checked his watch. "We still have twenty minutes before class," he told Sirius.

"Yeah," said Sirius, "but we have to hunt down Prongs and Wormtail first."

"Where are they?"

"Looking for you," Sirius explained. "Wormtail was going to check to hospital wing and Prongs was searching the toilets."

"You guys worry about me too much," Remus said.

"Nah," said Sirius, "mostly just Prongs. I was hungry. He was the one who wanted to track you down. To be quite honest, I think it's far more likely he'll snap by the end of the day than you will."

"I don't intend to snap," said Remus.

"I didn't think so," said Sirius. "But Prongs, well, he can be a little..."

"Mental?" Remus supplied.

"He doesn't like it when people mess with his friends," said Sirius.

"Only he can mess with his friends," said Remus, smiling slightly.

"Exactly."

"Well, we should go find him before he does something stupid," said Remus, getting up from his bed and picking up his bag. "And Wormtail."

"Okay," Sirius said, picking up his own bag and following Remus towards the dormitory door.

"Oh, and Padfoot," Remus said, turning in the doorway to look back at Sirius.

"Yes?"

"Stop calling me Remus. You guys haven't called me Remus since last June. I know why you guys stopped, but I prefer it when you call me Moony. Even days like today, I want to keep my nickname."

"Whatever you like, Moony."

They went down to the common room and headed for the portrait hole. Remus was surprised by how much better he felt. He knew that he still had a rough afternoon ahead of him, but somehow, it seemed more approachable. Sirius hadn't been able to do much in the way of helping Remus with problems, but it was really pretty amazing how much just talking to someone friendly had done to help him.

"Hold up," Sirius said, "just a minute."

Remus waited as Sirius wove back through the common room and collected his Potions essay from a table in the corner.

"Can't forget this," he said.

Sirius and Remus climbed out the portrait hole. The Fat Lady had just swung shut behind them when Peter came striding towards them down the corridor.

"Hi," he said, looking relieved to see that Sirius had found Remus.

"Hi Wormtail."

"Are you okay, Remus?" Peter asked.

Sirius winced. "Two mistakes in four words," he said. "That's a record even for you, Wormtail."

"I'm fine. Stop asking me that. And the name is Moony," Remus told Peter.

"Oh, well, okay," Peter said. "We just thought that, you know, because of everything that's been going on - "

"I know what you thought," said Remus. "But I really do like my nickname. Lighten up a little, Wormtail."

Peter seemed a little taken aback by Remus's positive attitude, and even more so when Remus smiled. "Come on," Remus said to his friends, "if we don't find Prongs soon, who knows what sort of trouble he'll have gotten himself into?"



One thousand one hundred fifty-two, one thousand one hundred fifty-three, one thousand one hundred fifty-four...

History of Magic was never exactly fun for James, but rarely had he endured a lesson as tedious and miserable as the one today. He could think of several reasons why today's lesson was so much more agonizing than the usual snooze-fests he sometimes attended, sometimes skipped. For one thing, he hadn't eaten lunch, and he never faired very well with low blood sugar. He also couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to Lara's brother and the ripple-effect consequences it had had on the students at Hogwarts that day. This line of thinking was doing nothing to raise his mood, so he tried to force his mind into other channels. As the lesson was never something that would be interesting enough to capture his attention, he had had to find another means of distracting himself.

It was in this spirit that James had begun to count the stones that made up one of the classroom walls. It was certainly not the first time James had used this activity to pass the torturous hours of History of Magic. On the contrary, it was a pretty regular pastime. He had counted the stones more times than he knew, and always came up with a number somewhere between 3,678 and 3,684. Sirius insisted that there were 3,673 stones because he got that number every time he counted, but James was sure that this was too low. Sirius said that James must be counting some of the stones twice. Peter was likely to get anywhere from 3,579 to 3,712 when he counted. Remus had only made it halfway through counting the stones once before declaring it a waste of time and otherwise occupying himself.

...one thousand one hundred sixty-seven, one thousand one hundred sixty-eight, one thousand one hundred sixty-nine, one thousand one hundred sixty-ten...

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the most productive pastime, but it was keeping him from brooding on werewolves or dieing of boredom, so it would do.

...one thousand one hundred seventy-three, one thousand one hundred seventy-four, one thousand one hundred seventy-who-cares, one thousand one hundred seventy-something-or-another, one thousand one hundred seventy-seven, I could really use a snack right now. I should keep something in my bag for those times I have to skip lunch. Maybe I'll skive off potions and go down to the kitchens. The house-elves'll probably be getting ready for dinner. Maybe they'll be making roast beef. Hmmm...I do love roast beef. Or chicken...yeah, chicken...with a nice big side of mashed potatoes...I'm never skipping lunch again. But, I mean, today it was pretty important. But why did it have to happen today? Why did it have to happen at all? Why did a ten-year-old boy have to die? What kind of monster of a werewolf would let himself do something this horrible?

Damn it, I'm brooding. Think of something else, James, just think of something else. One thousand one hundred seventy-eight, one thousand one hundred seventy-nine, oh where in the name of all that is holy is the damn bell? We've been here at least four hours, the bell should have rung by now. One thousand one hundred eighty, one thousand one hundred eighty-one, one thousand one hundred eighty-two, did I remember to put on clean socks this morning? I think I did. Oh well, one thousand one hundred eighty-three, one thousand one hundred eighty-snore, one thousand one hundred eighty-five, one thousand one hundred eighty-six bunnies, one thousand one hundred eighty-seven...

Why wasn't the werewolf more careful? Why did he make sure he was isolated? He could have stopped this if he had wanted to. He's a bloody murderer even if he wasn't in his right mind. He could have stopped this. He could have been more safe. Remus would never let anything like this happen. Why couldn't he be more like Remus? Why had he let himself kill? He deserves die.

But...but what he hadn't? What if he did mean to? What if he did isolate himself and got loose by mistake? Then it would all have been an accident. He wouldn't have been able to stop himself. He wasn't in control. A werewolf would kill his own best friend if he met him at the full moon. He wouldn't know, because he wouldn't be himself. All werewolves become monsters at the full moon, despite who they are as humans. It could happen to any werewolf. Even Remus. Even Remus would hunt and kill if he somehow got out. What if that happened? What if he somehow broke out of the Shrieking Shack one night? Or what if someone found a way into the Shrieking Shack at the full moon? Remus would attack them, just like any other werewolf would. Remus was a monster. Remus would attack, he would bite, he would kill if he got the chan-

No. No, no, no, no, no. No. I can't think like that! Remus is my friend. I can't let myself picture him doing those things. I can't let myself think of Remus that way.

James looked away from the stone wall at which he had been staring blankly to look at Remus, who was separated from him by Peter. Remus had reassumed the position he had taken at breakfast that morning: folded arms resting on the table, head resting on arms. He was dead asleep. He looked peaceful. Poor Remus, why did it have to be him of all people? Remus was the antithesis of everything his classmates thought about werewolves, of everything James had thought about werewolves before he had discovered Remus's secret. Remus was great, and no stupid bite from a stupid werewolf was going to change that. He watched Remus sleep; Remus was one of his best friends...

The unwanted image flashed across his vision: a werewolf tearing apart its victim, slashing with its claws, licking the blood that splattered its muzzle. And then it was gone and he was staring at Remus again. He started where he sat as fear rose, unbidden, inside him. Remus became that werewolf. Remus could and would attack someone. Remus was capable of murder. And James was with him everyday. James was near him so often. James shared a dormitory with a creature that would tear him apart and enjoy it. James was sitting feet away from that monster right now-

WHOA! What the hell are you thinking, James? You idiot! Merlin, I'm just as bad as all the other idiots around here. As quick to judge. As quick to fear. I can't think of Remus that way. I can't! This isn't Remus's fault. Remus has a curse, he can't help it. And yet people are so quick to judge him based on that curse. I can't be one of those people. I'm not one of those people. Remus doesn't deserve to be judged like that.

Remus is not a monster.

Ugg, I think I'm getting a headache. I should never skip lunch. I'm going to go back to counting stones now. Okay, where was I...

Damn it! I lost my place! Now I have to start all over. Sigh. Oh well, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, which rhymes with hen, and hens lay eggs, man I could go for an omelet right now...

James was in the middle of contemplating what cheeses he would put on his omelet when the bell finally rang. Remus's head jerked upward from his arms and he began to gaze blearily around the room, evidently trying to remember where he was. Peter tapped Remus on the shoulder and kindly reminded him that they had Potions next. All four Marauders stood and packed their things into their bags then joined the group of students all trying to flee the boredom through one door. As they crowded together, James felt Remus accidentally collide with him.

"Oh, sorry Prongs," Remus yawned.

James started again and backed away from Remus.

Remus was still too asleep to notice anything strange.

James kicked himself mentally for being an idiot. He was better than that.

"Don't worry about it mate," James said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. Remus is not a monster. "Listen," James continued, addressing Peter and Sirius as well now, "why don't we skive off Potions and go down to the kitchens? I'm hungry enough to eat a walrus, and, unfortunately, Slughorn tends to remind me of one. I don't think I can last another lesson on an empty stomach."

"Me neither," said Peter, though his response proved rather superfluous when his stomach gave a loud rumble.

"You know what would be good," said Remus once they had cleared the classroom and were on their way down to the kitchens.

"What's that?" Sirius asked him.

"An omelet," Remus replied. "I really fancy an omelet."

James grinned. "Moony," he said, stretching out a hand to tickle the giant pear, "great minds think alike."


James still felt guilty about things he had thought about Remus in History of Magic, and as they all piled into the kitchens and were served four large omelets by the smiling and bowing house-elves, James resolved, once and for all, that he would never be afraid of his friend. He watched Remus again as Remus and Peter began to debate swiss vs. provolone, and made another resolution as well. He would always stand up for Remus, no matter what. He was sick of listening to the whole school say horrible things about werewolves and watching Remus just stand there and take it. He was going to show them, to teach them that there was another side to werewolves that they were all just too blind to see.

Then he remembered the promise he had made to Remus earlier, and his heart sank a little. Remus didn't want James to stand up for him. Remus wanted to just ignore it and hope that it would all go away. But that was just stupid. If all the stuff being said about werewolves was negative (to put it lightly) and no one said anything otherwise, things would just get worse for Remus. But if James presented an alternative side, not everyone would listen, but some people might. They would at least know that there were two sides to the matter, that werewolves were more than just monsters to be hated. They were people too. And the students should know that...

But I promised. I promised Remus I wouldn't.

James sighed internally as he played with the last bits of omelet on his plate, only vaguely listening to Remus telling Sirius off for trying to persuade the house-elves to serve them firewhisky. James didn't like to go back on his word, especially where his mates were concerned. He would have to keep his promise. He would have to try his best to keep his opinions to himself.


Poor James, he should have known better. He should have remembered that guilt had the power to make people do very stupid things.


To be continued...



Author's Notes:
Reviews are always appreciated!
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The Innocent Werewolf by shewolf2000
Author’s Notes: Set in the evening on the same day as chapter five. Minor DH Spoilers warning for a short scene at the end. Although, I still find it very difficult to believe that there are people on this site who still haven’t read DH.



The Innocent Werewolf

The Uses of Wolfsbane in Potion Making
By Remus Lupin

Remus had started his essay forty-five minutes ago and that was how far he had gotten. He would attempt to focus on his essay, give up, stare blankly across the common room for a few minutes, remember he was supposed to be writing an essay, look down at the heading, and then become distracted again. Well, it was a rather distracting heading. The word “wolf” right there on the page in front of him, staring at him, mocking him.

Did I just accuse an essay title of mocking me? Oi, I’m losing it.

Maybe he should have picked a different title. He could have used one of the other names for wolfsbane: monkshood or aconite. Those words would not have mocked him so badly. But the textbook he was using referred to it as wolfsbane, so it had made sense to him, forty-five minutes ago when he had started the essay, to call it wolfsbane as well. Now he was thinking that he should find a different textbook. After skiving off Potions today in favor of stuffing his face with omeletty goodness, he really couldn’t afford to slack off on this essay.

He looked at his watch. It was twenty minutes to curfew. That really wasn’t enough time to go all the way to the library, search for a book that did not use the word wolfsbane, check it out, and come back again. He could ask James to let him borrow the Cloak, but he knew better than that. James would never lend him the Cloak for homework purposes.

He sighed, staring absently across the common room again. Maybe he should just give it up for the evening and go to bed. It had been a long day.

He looked at his friends. James seemed to attempting the same essay Remus was, but with a similar success rate. Peter had his Transfiguration things in front of him and was sucking his quill with such intensity that it made Remus wonder if he was really thinking hard, or if the quill had come from Honeydukes. Sirius was in an armchair across the common room near the fire playing tonsil hockey with a dark-haired fifth-year girl Remus knew was called Demi Roberts. Sirius, it appeared, was not so concerned about his Potions essay.

“How’s your essay coming, Prongs?” Remus asked.

James looked up at him. “It’s not,” he said shortly.

“Neither is mine,” said Remus. “Want to work together?”

“Some saying about the blind leading the blind comes to mind,” said James. “No offense, Moony.”

“None taken.”

“We could ask Evans for help,” James said, turning in his seat to scan the common room for dark red hair.

“I doubt she’d help us,” Remus said.

“Why not? She’s good at Potions.”

“Yes, but if we go over and ask her for help, she’ll tell us that if we want to do better in Potions, we should actually attend the classes.”

“Good god, Wormtail, get that quill a room already,” James snapped at Peter.

Peter pulled the sugar quill out of his mouth. “How you can lecture me,” he began, “when Padfoot over there hasn’t surfaced for air in about ten minutes, is something I will never figure out.”

“Yeah, well, that’s Padfoot, isn’t it?” James asked rhetorically. “This is ridiculous,” he proclaimed, slamming his quill down on the table and running his hands through his already very untidy black hair. “Wolfsbane will never be useful in any potion ever. Why we still bother to study it is beyond me. It’s a huge waste of time.”

“Oh, you don’t know that,” said Remus. “Wolfsbane could end up being very useful in a potion someday. They could even discover a potion to which wolfsbane is an essential ingredient. Maybe it will be used in a potion that could make your hair lie flat.”

Peter snickered. James used both hands to frantically mess up his hair, leaving it the messiest that Remus had even seen it.

“And why,” James asked, “would I ever want to use a potion like that?”

Remus examined James’s appearance. He looked like an idiot. “No reason I can think of,” Remus replied. “You know what, forget the blind leading the blind. We need to get this essay done and it’ll go faster if we do it together.”

James looked down at his paper, which Remus saw contained the heading: The Uses of Wolfsbane in Potion Making, By James Potter and a very elaborate sketch of a Snitch. “Fine,” James said, scooting his chair over to sit closer to Remus. He looked down at Remus’s essay. “Ha, I’ve done more than you.”

Remus and James were indeed more productive when working together. They had both always had the ability and knowledge to write their essays, but teaming up helped them to stay on task, which was exactly what they needed. They had been working for about fifteen minutes and had each managed to compose several inches when…

“So Lara says they’ve been holding a massive hunt for the werewolf ever since the moon started waning, but they haven’t found it yet. They have some suspects though, you know, shady people around the area. The thing is, it’s hard to prove someone’s a werewolf when it’s not full moon. But of course, local authorities don’t want to wait a whole month. They’re actually talking about testing potential suspects with silver to see if it poisons them.”

It was odd “ the sound of Haley Harrison’s voice had never made Remus cringe before today. Haley, and a small group of followers who had obviously yet to tire of the constant werewolf talk, had just come through the portrait hole and were now making their way across the common room. Please don’t come over here. Please don’t come over here. Please just go up to your dormitory and leave us alone.

“But,” said Mary McDonald, who was one of the group members, “even if they found a werewolf in the search, how would they be able to prove it was the same werewolf who killed Steven?”

Please don’t come over here. Please don’t come over here. Beside him, Remus felt James stiffen, and knew James wishing for the same thing. Peter started to chew his quill nervously rather than sucking it. Please don’t come over here. Please just go away.

“I’m not sure,” Haley replied as she and her friends all took seats at the table just behind Remus and James.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why did fate always have to pick on him?

“There might be a way to figure it out,” Haley continued. “But what’s the bad luck of having two werewolves hiding in one town? The odds on that must be pretty long.”

“Right, but my point was that even if they find the werewolf, couldn’t the werewolf just deny it and say it must have been some other werewolf? How can they prosecute anyone if they can’t prove anything?”

“Mary’s got a good point,” said Roy Hayden. “How can they make a conviction without proof?”

“Well I don’t know that that’s such a big problem,” said Haley.

“How do you mean?” asked Roy.

“I mean, how hard can it be to convict a werewolf of murder? If they find a werewolf, do you really think anyone is going to demand undeniable proof?” Haley scoffed. “Of course not.”

“But what if they do convict the wrong werewolf?” asked Roy. “What happens then?”

“Well, hopefully they’ll find the other one too. I have a feeling their town will be on pretty high alert for a long time after this.”

“Right, but I meant, what about the innocent werewolf they convicted?”

Haley snorted. “Innocent werewolf? There’s no such thing. Trust me, even if they do convict the wrong werewolf, the werewolf they convict will just be getting what it deserves for something else it wasn’t caught at.”

Remus could literally feel the waves of anger pulsing out of James. This was stupid. Why were they still sitting here listening to this rubbish? Homework be damned; Remus was going to bed. He started cramming his things into his bag at random; trying very hard not to hear the conversation that was taking place behind him.

“But how can you be sure?” Roy persisted. At least he seemed to be concerned for the injustices done to the werewolf. “What if the werewolf they convict never did anything?”

“Well,” Haley sounded a bit annoyed with Roy now, “like I said, I highly doubt you’ll find an innocent werewolf. It’s just not in their natures. But if by some freak turn of events they convict a werewolf who has yet to commit any crimes, the world will hardly be at a loss. In fact, it’s all for the better I should think. Lock it up before it has the chance to hurt innocent people. Lock them all up, as a matter of fact! That’s what the Ministry would do if it had any sense!”

James was not following Remus’s example of packing up. He was still sitting stiffly in his seat. Remus could see his hands clenched into fists on the table. He was staring straight ahead, not seeing anything, and his face was turning a brilliant scarlet color. Remus remembered what Sirius had said earlier, I think it’s far more likely he’ll snap by the end of the day than you will. James was angry, and he was about to snap. They needed to get out of here now.

“James, come on,” Remus hissed. “Let’s go upstairs.”

James didn’t move.

“I mean, look at this situation,” Haley continued to rant. “If the Ministry had done what was right and locked up all the werewolves before this could happen, then Steven Coote would still be alive, wouldn’t he?”

“James!” Remus hissed again.

Mechanically, with his fists still clenched and his eyes still fixed unseeingly ahead, James rose from his chair. Peter started gathering his things up to leave as well.

“Come on, hurry up!” Remus didn’t want to have to listen to a second more.

“And I mean really, what’s stopping them?” Haley demanded of her fellow students. “What’s stopping the Ministry from just locking up all the werewolves and throwing away the key, eh? What point does it serve to let them wander around freely? They’re disgusting, half-breed wastes of space, and all they do is pollute the Wizarding world with their filth.”

James, Remus, and Peter had left the table and were walking across the common room. James was actually shaking with his suppressed rage. Remus could feel the anger and the hurt welling up inside himself as well, but all he could think to do right now was to get James out of the common as fast and humanly or werewolfly possible.

“And then they come and they steal and they attack and they kill! They’re monsters! All of them! Where’s the justice in this world? How can those beasts still be allowed to walk free?! Forget locking them up “ just kill them all! It would do the world a huge favor. All werewolves deserve to die!”

And James Potter snapped.

Before Remus could do anything, James had spun on his heel to face back where Haley was sitting and roared, “SHUT UP!”

Most of the common room went quiet. Haley, who had had her back to James, turned slowly in her chair to look at him. “Excuse me?” she asked, her voice low and dangerous.

“I told you to SHUT UP!” James yelled, advancing towards her. “You don’t have any idea what the hell you are talking about, so do us all a favor and SHUT UP!”

Looks cannot kill. However, if there were ever a look that would be capable of striking someone dead, it would have been the one that Haley gave James as she stood up to face him. The anger coursing through her was as palpable as the fury racing through James.

“You will not,” she said, her voice still low and growing more dangerous with every second, “stand there and defend werewolves, Potter. Not here. Not today.”

“And why not?” James yelled. The whole common room had fallen silent now to watch the fight. “Why not!” James continued. “You don’t the first thing about werewolves and yet you sit there and you judge them and you insult them and you tell people they deserve to die!?! You don’t know anything about werewolves!”

“Oh, and you do?” Haley’s voice was starting to rise in volume and pitch to match James’s. “What makes you think you know so much about werewolves?”

Hi, God, it’s Remus. Listen, I know people usually get down on you for causing natural disasters, but I think now would be a really good time to have one. So, maybe if you wanted to, I don’t know…hit Gryffindor Tower with lightening or…raise a tsunami from the lake or…send in Chicken Little to announce the sky is falling, I would really appreciate it. Or locusts even. I’m not a big fan of locusts myself, but if ever there were a good time for a locust infestation to hit “ it would be now. Please and thank you. Amen.

“Trust me, Harrison, I know a lot more about werewolves than you ever will!”

“Yeah, well I know enough to know that they’re bloody, filthy murderers!” Haley roared.

“You can’t say that!” James shouted, frustration starting to color his angry tone. “You can’t say all werewolves are murders because not all werewolves are murderers!”

Cue locusts “ now!

“How dare you!” Haley spat. “How dare you! An innocent ten-year-old was just slaughtered! How dare you stand there and defend those monsters!”

Now!

“I’m not defending the werewolf who killed Lara’s brother and don’t accuse me of it. But not all werewolves are like that! Some werewolves are just normal people with a horrible curse. Some werewolves are innocent.”

“Oh yeah?” Haley half-shouted, half-sneered. “Like who?”

NOW!

“I’m not going to give you names,” said James. “But I am going to tell that you couldn’t be more wrong when say that all werewolves deserve to be locked up or killed. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so wrong in my entire life!”

“So you think they should just be allowed to run free, do you?”

“I think that if they’re innocent, they have just as much right to freedom as any of us do. If they’ve committed a crime, they have just as much right to a cell as other wizards who have committed crimes. But you can’t lock up innocent people, Harrison. If I haven’t made it clear so far, it’s wrong.”

“But we’re not talking about innocent people, Potter! We’re talking about werewolves: half-breed freaks who in my opinion would do the world a favor to go off and choke on their own fangs. And if it stops innocent people “ people, not half-breeds “ from getting hurt, then you’re damn right I’ll lock ‘um all up! No matter how wrong you think it is!”

Hello? Is anyone even listening up there!

Remus had had enough. He was sick of listening to Haley’s bile and he wasn’t much too fond of watching James make a great bloody prat of himself either. He had heard enough; he was leaving.

“If you think that locking up innocent people “ and yes, when I say ‘people’, I’m including werewolves. If you think that locking up innocent people is a way to solve the world’s problems, than you’re the one that deserves to locked up “ in a straightjacket!”

“Me?” Haley’s indignant voice was muted slightly as Remus started to run up the boys’ staircase to the dormitories. “I’m not the one who’s a dirty half-breed lover! I’m not the one who defends monsters!”

SLAM!

Remus threw the dormitory door closed behind him with all the strength he had. He couldn’t hear Haley or James at all anymore. In the stark silence and completely privacy of his own dorm, Remus leaned his back against the closed door, let all of his composure fall, and slid quietly down to rest on the floor.



It was over.

Haley Harrison had stormed off to bed in angry tears. Most of the Gryffindors had stayed down in the common room just long enough to give him a disgusted look and mutter about him to their friends before retiring as well. Demi Roberts had long since disentangled herself and abandoned Sirius in his armchair by the fire. Sirius and Peter had soon after gone up to the dormitory to find Remus.

And now it was his turn.

James had no idea at what point during his row with Haley Remus had fled. He only knew that when Haley had started shouting about how half-breeds were physically and mentally inferior to normal wizards and James had turned away with his hands over his ears saying “la la la la la, I’m not listening”, Peter had been standing exactly where James had left him, and Remus had been nowhere in sight.

James couldn’t blame Remus for leaving. Who could? No one should have to listen to that kind of slander being shouted about him. Remus had had a bad enough day already.

Standing in front of the dormitory door, James found he couldn’t quite manage the strength to open it. He let out a long sigh, staring at it, wishing he knew what he would find behind it. Best-case scenario: Remus would be a little rattled, but genuinely glad that James had been there to speak in his defense. Worst-case scenario: well, James could only think how he would feel if he were in Remus’s position. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to know that most of the Wizarding world hated him for something over which he had no control. To know that people would always hate him, fear him, and look down on him, and that there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

It really had to suck.

But even with these horrible thoughts in his head, along with the memories of every miserable thing that had happened today, James could help but feel a little…good. He had stood up for his friend. He had shown people that there were two sides to werewolves. He had shut Haley up…for now at least.

In short, he had assuaged his guilt.

Well, here goes nothing, James thought. He pushed open the dormitory door.

He could immediately tell that his friends had been talking about him. But then again, what else would they have been talking about?

“Hey,” James said, looking from Sirius, who was leaning against one of the posts at the end of his four-poster bed, to Remus, who was sitting cross-legged on the end of his own bed, looking down at the bedspread, to Peter, who was sitting beside Remus.

“Hey,” Sirius replied. Peter and Remus said nothing.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

“So,” James said once the silence had become too much, “how you holding up, Moony?”

More silence, and then…

“I really wish you hadn’t done that,” Remus said quietly, not looking up.

“What?” James asked.

Remus looked up at him. He looked hurt, but he also looked…angry.

“You shouldn’t have done what you did down there,” Remus said coldly. “You promised me you wouldn’t.”

James gaped at him in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Remus to jump up and thanking him or anything like that, but had never imagined that Remus would be angry. Sure, James had broken his word, but it was a stupid thing for Remus to make him promise in the first place. Didn’t Remus understand that James had had to do what he just did?

“WHAT?” James exploded. “You didn’t want me to stick up for you? You wanted me to just … just let her say all of those horrible things about you? Did you?”

“I didn’t say that!” Remus snapped. “But you sounded like an idiot down there! A ten-year-old boy just died, and there you are, defending the creature that brought it about. People are going to get suspicious! It took you lot less than a year to figure out my secret, and it’s been over three years now, and you’re yelling about werewolf rights, and people are going to connect the dots! And I don’t know for sure, but from all of the shit I’ve heard today, I don’t think people will be as accepting of my ‘furry little problem’ as you all are. But that’s just a guess,” he ended sarcastically.

James felt as though he had been slapped. Half of him wanted to curse Remus for being an ungrateful sod. The other half felt ashamed because he knew that Remus had a point. He had never considered before that he was risking revealing Remus’s secret. Now it seemed almost painfully obvious.

“Moony, I…I’m sorry,” James said quietly, forcing himself to meet his friend’s eyes. “I didn’t think of that. I didn’t think I would make people suspicious. I was just trying to help.”

“But you didn’t help, Prongs,” Remus said even more coldly than before.

“Come on, Moony,” Sirius said, clearly trying to keep the tension level in the room under control. “Prongs said he was sorry. He didn’t mean to do anything bad. Can’t you at least accept that?”

Remus swallowed. “He broke his promise,” Remus told Sirius. “He gave me his word he wouldn’t say anything to anyone.”

“And I’m sorry about that,” said James. “But I couldn’t let her keep saying those things about you, I really couldn’t. Don’t you think people deserve to know that there’s more to werewolves than what Harrison has to say?”

“Not if it risks people finding out what I am,” said Remus. “Once you put the idea in their heads, all they’d have to do is look at a lunar chart. Any idiot could do it. You did it.”

“I really don’t think that’s going to happen, Moony,” James said. “No one’s going to think that there’s actually a werewolf at Hogwarts. We hardly believed it when we found out. I mean, come on, a werewolf at Hogwarts? That’s just daft.”

“Thanks Prongs, I feel loads better now.”

“Oh stop your whining, Moony,” Sirius said. “You’re just being paranoid. No one is going to figure it out. Hate to break it to you, but you just don’t fit the ‘blood-thirsty monster’ profile that most people here seem to think fits a werewolf. You have nothing to worry about.”

Remus snorted. “Me? Nothing to worry about? I’ll believe that when it happens.”

“I think Prongs and Padfoot are right, Moony,” piped up Peter. “It doesn’t seem likely that anyone else could figure it out. We only did because we live with you and you’re our friend. I don’t think anyone else could know unless they were spying on you or something.”

Remus still looked worried, but apparently didn’t want to argue anymore. “I guess,” he said. “I just worry about it a lot. Especially after today…” His voice trailed away, and it was suddenly alarmingly transparent how much pain he was in, how much he had been hurt today.

James walked over and sat down next to Remus on his bed on the opposite side from Peter. “They’re wrong,” James said firmly, gripping Remus’s shoulder. “They’re wrong and they will never be right. They can never be right when they say horrible things about werewolves, because there will always be at least one exception.”

Remus looked at him. “I know that. I’m sorry,” he told James. “I shouldn’t have been angry. You’re a great friend for standing up for me down there.”

James shook his head. “You were right, though; it was stupid. I should have known better than to risk giving away your secret. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” said Remus. “You guys are probably right, anyway. It wouldn’t be very likely that anyone would figure it out. I’m probably worried for nothing. They’d have to be obsessed with me or something to see the pattern. I probably have nothing to worry about.”



“I don’t believe it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t believe it.”

“It makes perfect sense!”

“It makes no sense whatsoever.”

“You just don’t want to believe it’s true,” said Severus.

“No, I don’t,” Lily replied composedly. “I hate to think that something that terrible could happen to someone that nice.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Severus sarcastically, “I feel so sorry for the poor werewolf.”

“I still don’t think it’s true.”

“But it fits, Lily, it fits!” He paused for a minute as something seemed to occur to him. “What do you mean ‘someone that nice’?”

“I mean that he’s a nice person,” said Lily. “He has bad taste in mates, perhaps, but he’s not a bad guy himself you know.”

“Do you like him?”

“No,” said Lily. Severus was the last person she would have thought would want to discuss her crushes. She usually saved that talk for her girlfriends. “He’s just a friend, Sev.”

Severus did his best to hide his relief. “Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure that your ‘friend’ is a werewolf.”

“He is not.”

“Then how do you explain Potter’s werewolf defense last night? You were the one who told me about it. You were the one who mentioned that you thought it was weird.”

“Yes, I did. But that doesn’t suggest to me that Lupin is a werewolf. It just suggests that Potter might know a werewolf, not that the werewolf lives at school with him.”

“Okay,” said Severus, rolling his eyes, “so according to you: Potter has a mate who’s a werewolf, and he has a mate who’s ill at every full moon, but the two are completely unrelated and it’s all just a giant coincidence?”

“Can I just say it’s a bit creepy that you track his absences well enough to pick out that kind of pattern?”

“Do you really think it’s a coincidence though?”

Lily looked around the snowy courtyard they were sitting in. They were the only two there, but she could see some boys having a snowball fight out a ways in the grounds. She watched them for a minute, pondering Severus’s words.

“Maybe you’re right,” she said finally. “Maybe I don’t believe it because I don’t want to.” She sighed. “But I still don’t believe it.”



Author’s Notes: So, a bit of a quiet, boring chapter… but maybe you can still find something to review. I do love reviews!
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Paws, Prefects, and Pretty Girls by shewolf2000
Paws, Prefects, and Pretty Girls

Remus had thought he had seen quite enough of Saint Mungo's recently. Apparently he had been wrong, for here he sat, once again, in the magical hospital. At least he was in a different ward this time. He wasn't in the Creature Induced Injuries ward where he had spent a week after he had been bitten. He was in the one ward in the hospital which, according to his mother, who was Muggle-born, resembled a ward in Muggle hospital: the maternity ward. It wasn't even part of the main hospital, but a side branch. Even still, Remus did not like being back in the hospital.

He had been very scared earlier that night, when he had been hugging his mother on the sofa and she had suddenly let out a cry of pain. At first Remus had thought he had hugged her too tight. Then he worried that he had hurt the baby, despite his promise to his parents moments before. But he hadn't hurt the baby; at least that was what his dad had told him. According to his dad, tonight was the night that the baby was going to be born.

Remus had still been worried. If he hadn't hurt Mum or the baby, why was Mum in so much pain? Surely having a baby couldn't be that painful, right? And surely all of this yelling his mother was doing wasn't necessary?

Remus's dad had not let him in the room where the baby was being born. Remus told his dad that he wanted to see how the baby was going to get out of Mummy's tummy. How the baby had gotten in her tummy in the first place was something Remus still didn't fully understand, and wouldn't understand for quite a few years. But Remus's father had refused to let him in to see the baby's birth, and now Remus sat alone in the waiting area of the maternity ward, listening to his mum yelling and his dad yelling and the healer yelling at his mum to just push a little harder.

"I AM PUSHING!"

Oh how Remus hated the hospital.

He wanted to go home. He still felt achy from the night before. The cut and scratches on all over him still felt raw. He was tired and he wanted to curl up in his bed, not this hard chair in the cold waiting room where his father had put him. He wanted to pull the blanket up over his head and hide from the memories that were haunting his mind. Memories he could make neither head nor tail of. Memories of pain, of his body changing, of something inside him taking control, of darkness and blood, of...

"Are you okay little boy?"

Remus opened his eyes. He hadn't even realized that they had been closed or that he had been drifting off the sleep. He straightened himself slightly in his chair to face the woman who was crouching down in front of him. She was younger than his mom and had dark, curly hair. She was wearing lime-green robes and was smiling in a friendly way, though her eyes looked concerned.

"My daddy said I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," he told the woman.

"Well, your daddy's right," she said. "But I work here in the hospital, so it's okay to talk to me. Where is your daddy?"

"With my mummy."

"And where is your mummy?"

"She's having a baby."

"Oohhh, I see," she said. "Did he leave you here to wait all by yourself?"

"Yes," Remus said. The woman pursed her lips and seemed on the verge of saying something, but Remus beat her to it. "Are you a healer?" he asked.

"I'm an assistant healer, yes," she said.

Remus frowned. He had mixed feelings about healers. When he been in the hospital after he was bitten, some of the healers were what his mum called "sympathetic" and had been nice, but most of them had been cold or mean to him, and he just didn't understand why. And then there was the look. Everyone had given him this funny look. He didn't know why they did it or even what it meant. He only knew that it wasn't a friendly look and he didn't like it at all.

"Are you a nice healer or a mean healer?" Remus asked. It was best if he knew these things up front.

She slightly smiled again. "Well, I like to think that I'm a nice healer." Then her smile was gone again. "Why? Did you meet some mean healers?"

Remus nodded.

"When?"

"When I was here before."

"You were here as a patient?" she asked. Remus nodded. "When?" she asked, her voice heavy with sympathy and concern.

"After I was bitten."

"Bitten? Bitten by what?"

"By a werewolf."

And there it was: the look. The woman, who had been kneeling right in front of his chair was suddenly on her feet and several strides away, her wide eyes giving Remus the look he had come to hate. Remus flinched at the horrible sense of d�j� vu, curling up in his chair again, not because he was sleepy, but because he wanted to protect himself. He hated the hospital. He hated the look. He hated this healer. She had said she was nice. She had lied. If she were nice, she wouldn't look at him like that. He wanted to leave. He wanted his mummy and daddy.

"Remus?"

Remus looked up. He had never been so happy to see his father in his life. John was walking toward Remus grinning from ear to ear. "It's a girl!" he said. He bent down and hugged his son. "Congratulations Remus! You have a new baby sister!"

"Can I see her?" Remus asked breathlessly.

"Of course you can," his father replied. Remus climbed out of his seat and took his father's hand. They started to walk away"

"Excuse me."

They turned back. It was the healer who had spoken. Remus had almost forgotten about her when his dad had come, but she was still there. But she wasn't looking at Remus anymore. She was looking at John.

"Yes?" John replied. He was still grinning, apparently to happy to register the cold look he was receiving from the healer.

"I don't think you should take him back there with you," the healer said.

John's grin faded slightly as confusion clouded his expression. "Why not?"

The healer glanced briefly at Remus before looking back at John. "Because I don't think that a maternity ward is a suitable place for someone like him."

The grin was gone. "What do you mean 'someone like him'?"

"I don't know what kind of world you live in, sir, but in my world we don't allow dangerous creatures around newborn babies! I'm afraid I can't permit this."

"And I'm afraid this is none of your business." John said, his look and his tone now matching hers in temperature.

"I think it is my business," she replied.

"Was he bothering you?" John asked.

"What?"

"My son, was he bothering you?"

"Well, no, he was just sitting there - "

"He was just sitting there, not bothering anybody, but for some reason you decided that it was your business to butt in where you don't belong and tell my son what he can and cannot do?" John's voice was rising steadily with his temper.

"Sir, I just think it's wrong - "

"Shove what you think! I don't give a damn. My son has every right to be here and see his sister and you have no right to say otherwise. You don't know anything about him and you have no right to judge him. So, if you no what's good for you, lady, you'll bugger off and leave me and my family alone!"

The healer didn't say anything. Eventually, she gave a contemptuous huff, shot an angry look from John to Remus, and turned on her heel and stalked away.

Breathing deeply, John turned back to his son. Clearly trying to forget the woman and focus on his family, he gave Remus a small smile. "Let's go see your sister then, shall we?"

Still holding each other by the hand, they walked out of the waiting room, down a short corridor, and into a ward.

Remus's mother was lying in a bed, looking exhausted but grinning just as broadly as her husband had been. In her arms was a bundled up blanket.

John helped Remus climb up onto the bed next to his mother. Fay smiled at her son. "Hi Remus, would you like to meet your sister?"

Remus then saw, with surprise, that the bundled up blanket in his mother's arms had a baby inside it. A real baby! His very own baby sister!

"She's small," Remus observed.

"Yes, she is," said Fay. "But she'll get bigger. They always do." She looked at her husband. "John, are you okay?"

John gave her an almost-completely sincere smile. "I'm fine."

"John..."

"Later," John said quietly, laying a gentle hand on Remus shoulder. "Not now."

Fay held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. She turned her attention back to the baby. "Hi baby girl," she said, smiling. "So what do you think of your new family?"

The baby made a sleepy noise but didn't elaborate.

"Can I hold her?" Remus asked.

John hesitated for the briefest moment before saying, "Sure you can."

He helped Remus off of the bed and sat him down in a chair beside it. He took the baby from his wife's arms and turned to his son.

"You have to be very careful when you hold a baby, Remus."

"I will be," Remus assured him. John carefully lowered the baby into Remus's arms. "Watch her head," he instructed.

Remus held his baby sister for the very first time. It was a surreal experience, even for someone who was only four. She seemed even smaller now than when he had seen his mother holding her. Her eyes were closed, but he could hear her breathing. She was very warm.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Remus's father asked. He was still right beside Remus to make sure the baby was okay. "She going to be a very pretty girl when she grows up."

Remus was going to have to take his dad's word on that, because all he saw was small, not pretty. Still, he was growing attached to her, small as she was. Her warm weight was comforting in his arms.

"You're going to help us take care of her aren't you?" John asked Remus.

"Yes," said Remus. He lifted his eyes to look at his parents. "What's her name?"

"Well," said Fay, "we hadn't really decided that yet."

"What do you think," John asked Remus. "What do you think your sister's name should be?"


'Kytalin!"

"What?"

John Lupin turned around in the front passenger seat of the car to look at his daughter in the back. "Are you going to whine all of the way to the station?"

"Maybe," said Kytalin.

Remus, who was seated in the back of the car beside his little sister, rolled his eyes. Ever since he had returned home for the summer he had noticed that Kytalin was showing all of the signs of becoming a pre-teen. She had developed an attitude and was suddenly much more interested in her appearance than she ever had been. And she was only ten! If she was this bad when she was only a pre-teen, Remus couldn't imagine what she would be like as a teenager.

"It's not fair!" Kytalin shouted for the eighth time since that had gotten in the car to drive to Kings Cross and at least the hundredth time that summer.

"Life's not fair," Remus told her. He ran his finger over the large, barely-healed scratches that were slashed across the right side of his face, souvenirs of the full moon three days ago. They were particularly gruesome, even for him, and very obvious. Remus wondered how he was going to explain them away to curious students. Poorly, he supposed, as he always did. Most people had stopped asking him about every little injury he procured; he always had so many, it was hard to keep up. He was pretty sure that most people had come to the conclusion that he was just extremely accident-prone. However, with scratches as large and painful-looking as these, Remus couldn't help but worry that he would attract some awkward questions.

"I should be allowed to go!" Kytalin protested, ignoring Remus.

"You're not old enough," Remus told her as calmly as he could. He had had this argument with her so many times this summer that he was losing his patience.

"I'm almost old enough," Kytalin whined, "And I'm smart too! It's not like those kids who are a few months older than me are going to do any better than I would."

"You have to be eleven," Remus said.

"I'll be eleven in three weeks!"

"Yes," said Remus, "and when you go to Hogwarts next year, you'll be one of the oldest in your class."

Kytalin glowered at him. "I should be allowed to go this year."

"Why are you still whining about this?" Remus asked her. "It's too late; it's September 1st. You wouldn't have time to go get all of your school stuff for the start of term even if they would let you come to school a year early. You're just going to have to wait it out like everyone else."

"They could make special arrangements for me."

"They won't make special arrangements for you."

"They made special arrangements for you," Kytalin said angrily.

"Yep," said Remus. He refused to say anymore or pay her any more attention. He stared out the car window, watching London roll by, thinking about the upcoming school year.

Kytalin's temper was only increased by Remus's determination to ignore her. She whined for a bit more, then ended up kicking the back of her mother's seat in frustration.

"Girls who are old enough to go to Hogwarts don't throw tantrums," Fay told her daughter.

"Well apparently I'm not old enough to go! So I can do whatever I want!" Kytalin shouted.

Remus sighed. What had happened to the nice little girl he had said goodbye to last Christmas? What happened to the pretty little girl who had been so quiet, who had looked up to her older brother with reverence, who had always been so sweet? What had happened to the little baby Remus had held in the Saint Mungo's maternity ward almost eleven years ago and named after the heroine in a Wizarding storybook his mother had read to him before he was bitten? She had grown up, that's what had happened, and Remus wasn't sure that he liked that at all.

They finally arrived at the station. After circling a few times to find a good parking spot, Remus's mother parked the car and Remus unloaded his trunk.

"You want to push the cart?" Remus asked Kytalin.

"No," said Kytalin, who was still pouting.

So Remus pushed the trolley into the station and through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Remus's mother came through next, followed shortly by his dad and Kytalin, who appeared to have taken the barrier at a run.

"It's still quite early," Fay said once they were all together again, checking her watch. "Do you want us to stick around until the train leaves, Remus, or should we say our goodbyes now?"

"You guys don't have to wait," Remus said, looking at the clock overhead. It was only half past. "I can probably manage on my own from here."

"Well then," said Fay, pulling her son into a tight hug, "have a great term Remus."

"Ah, Mum, not too tight," said Remus, wincing. His ribs were still tender from when he had broken them at full moon.

"Oh," said Fay, loosening her hold, "I'm sorry, Remus dear."

"It's okay," he assured her. "I'm going to miss you, Mum. I'll see you at Christmas."

"I'll miss you too dear," she said, releasing him.

"Take care of yourself, Remus," said John, laying a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I always do, Dad," said Remus, "You know me; I like a quiet life."

John pulled his son into a brief hug saying, "See you at Christmas then."

After hugging his dad, Remus turned to Kytalin. She was staring at the train with her arms folded and her lips set in a pout

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to me?" Remus asked her.

Kytalin let out an exaggerated sigh. "I guess."

He bent down and hugged her. "You're going to miss me," he told her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Kytalin.

Remus laughed a little. "You behave yourself, you hear me?"

She looked at him for a minute, then said, with no hint of sarcasm or attitude, "Okay."

"Well then," said Fay, "I guess we're off."

"Goodbye," said Remus as he and his family went in their opposite directions.

"Goodbye," they all called back at him. They crossed back though the barrier, and were gone.

Remus set off for the train. He still had some time to kill before it left, so he decided to find a compartment for his stuff, as he would be riding in the Prefect's carriage at the start of the trip. He had been pleased but rather surprised to have been made a Prefect. He wasn't the most well behaved Gryffindor in his year. He did look to be the picture of obedience when standing beside James and Sirius, but so did pretty much anyone else. Remus wondered if he had been given the badge in hopes that he would be able to exercise some authority over his fellow Marauders. If this was the case, then Dumbledore and McGonagall did not know his friends like he did. Nothing would ever deter James and Sirius from their mischief, not a hoard of stampeding elephants, and certainly not a Prefect.

His parents had been nothing short of ecstatic that he had been made a Prefect. Remus felt this had to do with the fact that his parents had pretty low expectations of him, given his condition. It had been a miracle just for Remus to get in to Hogwarts; they had never dreamed he would one day be a Prefect. Remus wasn't sure how he felt about this. He supposed it was nice to have even his littlest achievements celebrated, but sometimes he wished that, on occasion, his parents would dream as big for him as other parents dreamed for their kids. Still, even for a normal boy, becoming a Prefect was a pretty big deal.

It was with this thought that Remus decided to change into his robes and put on his badge. Once he had, he went back out on to the platform to look for his friends. There were considerably more people there now than when he had said goodbye to his family, but the platform was not yet the mob scene Remus knew it would become as eleven o'clock drew nearer. He scanned the crowd for familiar faces.

Then, behind him, he heard a loud whistle and someone called, "Oi! Moony!"

Remus turned to see a bespectacled boy with untidy black hair waving at him from beside his dark-haired parents. Remus grinned and made a beeline for the Potters.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter, who were dressed in their Muggle best, smiled at Remus as he approached. James had gotten his extremely untidy black hair from his father. According to him, it was a trait that had plagued generations of Potter men before them.

"Alright there, Moony?" James asked, clapping his friend on the shoulder. It hurt a bit, but Remus shook it off.

"I'm fine. And you, Prongs?"

"Never better."

"It's good to see you again, Remus," said Mr. Potter, extending his hand to Remus.

"And you, sir," Remus said as they shook hands.

"How was your summer?" Mrs. Potter asked him.

"It was good. Pretty quiet."

Remus saw her eyes lingering on the vicious scratches across his face, but she said nothing about them, for with he was grateful. James had told his parents a few years ago about Remus"s condition. To Remus's relief and delight, the Potters had accepted James's assurances that Remus was safe without a single question. They trusted their son's judgment, and Remus liked them very much for it.

James lacked his mother's subtlety. "Merlin, Moony, how many times do I have to tell you?" he asked, examining the right side of Remus's face, "You've got to stop scratching yourself in places everyone can see!"

"James!" Mrs. Potter said sternly.

"Gee, Prongs, great advice," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "Why didn't I just think of that?"

"Well, it would avoid awkward questions," said James.

"So far, you're the only one who's mentioned it," said Remus.

James looked away from Remus's scratches to take in the rest of his friend's appearance. Unsurprisingly, his eyes fixed on Remus's chest.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing openly at the badge pinned to the front of Remus's robes. Of course, James already knew what it was.

"It's a Prefect badge," said Remus.

James gave him a rather appalled look. "You're a Prefect?" he asked, he tone making it perfectly clear how he felt about the matter.

"It would appear so," said Mrs. Potter. "Congratulations, Remus."

"Thank you," said Remus, smiling at her.

"Moony," said James, "how did this happen?" He might have been asking Remus how about came the end of the world.

"Search me," said Remus, shrugging. "I wasn't expecting it."

"But...but...now you're going to have to follow the rules!" said James, again, as though it was the end of the world.

"I usually follow the rules," Remus pointed out. "You're the one who has a penchant for shattering them into pieces."

James considered him. "Well, I suppose that's true."

"Maybe you'll start behaving yourself," Mr. Potter said to his son, "now you've got a Prefect around to look after you."

"Yeah, that's likely," said James sarcastically.

Mr. Potter's response was lost to a snarl from someone coming up just behind Remus. Remus turned, this time to see Sirius hurrying towards them looking exceptionally pissed off.

"I - can't - stand - her!" he breathed between clenched teeth. "Honestly," he said, "can we get on the train now? I need to get as far away from her as humanly possible." No one needed to ask whom he was talking about.

"So, had a good summer, Padfoot?" James asked brightly.

Sirius glowered at James for a minute, then turned to Remus, by whom he was distracted.

"What, in the name of Merlin, is that disgusting thing you've got pinned to the front of your robes?" Sirius shouted at Remus.

"It's a Prefect's badge," James told him darkly.

Sirius gaped. "Take it off!" he demanded of Remus.

"What?" Remus asked.

"You've got to take it off, Moony," Sirius said. "That thing, that badge; it's got to go. I can't be seen with someone wearing one of those! Think of what it would do to my reputation!"

"I think your 'reputation' is solid enough to stand the shame of being seen with a Prefect," Remus assured him.

Sirius winced noticeably at the word "Prefect". "I'm not so sure," he muttered, "if people thought I was associated with an authority figure...I can't even think about it it's so bad!"

"Trust me, Padfoot, you'll live," said Remus.

"But if you don't, we'll remember you fondly," said James.

"Gee, thanks."

"Where's your stuff?" Remus asked; Sirius was empty handed.

Sirius swore. "Shit, I left it with her, didn't I?"

"Left what with who?"

Peter and his mother came striding up to the five of them. Peter was pushing his trunk on a trolley in front of him.

"My effing trunk," Sirius explained to Peter. He sighed. "Do you really think it's worth going back over there?" he asked them.

"Probably," said Remus.

"Well, Peter and I have got to get our own stuff onto the train," said James, checking his watch. Mrs. Pettigrew was chatting with James's parents behind him.

"I've already got us a compartment," said Remus, "about halfway down the train. I put my cloak on the seat so you'll recognize it. Why don't you guys go load your stuff on the train and I'll go with Padfoot to get his trunk?"

They agreed to the plan (Sirius rather reluctantly), and split up, James retrieving his trunk from his parents and heading to the train with Peter, and Remus and Sirius heading off in the direction of Sirius's mother. As they walked away, Remus heard Peter ask James, "Was Moony wearing a Prefect's badge?"

It was now ten minutes to eleven and the platform was packed. It took them a few minutes of wading though the crowd before they managed to locate Sirius's mother. She was extremely beautiful and looked a lot like Sirius. She also looked extremely unfriendly and intimidating. She was glaring around the crowd with a sort of superior disapproval, and was holding her arms very close around her as if worried she might rub against something (or someone) disgusting in the station. Beside her stood Regulus, who was about to start his second year at Hogwarts, and two luggage-laden trolleys.

"You should probably stay back here," Sirius said, stopping Remus a safe distance from his mother. He was looking at her with a calculating expression on his face, as though trying to formulate the best way to get his trunk with minimal interaction.

"Okay," Remus said. He wasn't at all sorry to be excused from having to meet the infamous Mrs. Black.

Sirius sighed again, then headed for his mother. Remus decided it would be rude to just stand there and stare at them like an idiot, so he let his gaze wander through the crowd until Sirius returned.

"That was fast," said Remus, as he and followed Sirius and his trunk back towards the train.

"Turns out she's not speaking to me," said Sirius indifferently. "It was easier than I expected. So where are the rest of the Lupins?"

"They left. We got here pretty early, so we already said our goodbyes."

"How was your summer?"

"It was fine. My sister drove me a little nuts, but," Remus looked back over his shoulder at Mrs. Black, "doesn't seem like I've got much to complain about."

Sirius looked back as well, "And she wants me home for Christmas too. Big Black family reunion; so it will either end in a single suicide or a mass homicide, depending on my mood."

"Interesting."

"If I go with the homicide thing, can I lay low at your place?"

"My parents would be thrilled about that."

"They're already harboring a werewolf," Sirius pointed out. "Nice face, by the way. Goes lovely with your new badge."

"Don't be jealous, Padfoot."

"Oh, don't worry, Moony. I'm definitely not jealous."

Remus helped Sirius carry his trunk onto the train and into the compartment. James and Peter's stuff was in there, but the two boys had apparently gone back onto the platform to say goodbye to their parents.

"Well," said Sirius, sitting down in a seat and stretching out, "shall we make ourselves comfortable?"

"Sorry, mate, I've got to go sit in the Prefect's carriage for a while."

Sirius winced at "Prefect" again. Remus could tell it was intentional. "Well I'm not just going to sit here all alone," said Sirius, standing up, "I'm going find the others."

"Tell them where I've gone, will you?" Remus asked, as they headed their separate directions.

"If I came stand the shame," Sirius said melodramatically. He smirked and left the train.

Remus made his way up the corridor. The Prefect's carriage was supposed to be right near the front. It wasn't hard to locate; the Head Boy and Head Girl were standing just outside the compartment door.

"Remus Lupin," said the Head Girl, making a tick next to his name on what was clearly an attendance sheet, "go on inside and sit down." She looked up from her parchment and smiled at him, but her expression changed to puzzled as she took in the scratches on his face. Remus darted into the compartment before she got the chance to ask.

It was clearly the compartment for new Prefects, because all of the people Remus saw were also fifth years. There were five (not including Remus), a boy and girl from Ravenclaw, a sour-looking Slytherin boy, a rather grumpy-looking Hufflepuff girl, and Lily Evans.

Lily was chatting happily with the two Ravenclaws, but turned and smiled at Remus as he entered. "The missing Gryffindor," she said. "How are you, Remus?"

"I'm good," he said, returning her smile and taking the seat next to her, across from the Ravenclaws.

"Remus, you know - " Lily began.

" - Hank and Michelle," Remus finished. "Yes, of course." He had had classes with both Ravenclaws before. He knew neither of them well, but he at least knew their names.

Hank acknowledged Remus with a wave of his hand. Michelle asked, not unkindly, "What did you do to your face?"

No beating around the bush for this one, I see, Remus thought. "Oh, this?" he asked, touching his hand to the scratches on his face as though he had forgotten they were there, which he hadn't. "My uncle's dog. Yeah, we went to visit him a couple of days ago and Killer just took a big swipe out of my face. You've gotta love family visits." He was becoming a better liar, but apparently not good enough.

"But couldn't you heal them with magic?" Michelle asked, "I mean, you're parents are wizards, aren't they?"

Wow, look at that. Is it time to change the subject already? "So how was your summer, Hank?" Remus asked.

"He was just telling us about it," said Michelle, seemingly oblivious to the abrupt change in subject; she was clearly one of those easily distracted types. Hank filled Remus in on the events of his summer. As Hank talked, the last two fifth year Prefects arrived and the train pulled out of the station. Once the last waving parent had been whipped out of view, the Head Boy and Head Girl came into the compartment.

Julie Bishop and Fredrick Hurley (the newly appointed Head Girl and Boy) were nice enough, so the next hour and a half in their company passed enjoyably. Remus, Lily, Michelle, Hank, and the other four new Prefects listened as Julie and Fredrick explained all of the new responsibilities they would have now, but livened up the dull list of rules and duties with some fun anecdotes about their own experiences as Prefects.

When the Heads left to go talk to the sixth and seventh years, Remus stuck around for a little while to exchange more summer stories. Lily told them all about her sister's new prat of a boyfriend, Vernon (whom she had cleverly nicknamed Vermin), and how hard she had had to resist the urge to turn him into some kind of amphibian. The new Hufflepuff, a boy called Kern Henderson, introduced himself and told a few of his own summer stories. The Hufflepuff girl, Chelsea, had disappeared the moment that Julie and Fredrick had, but the two Slytherins stayed a while. They sat together in the corner whispering to each other and shooting evil looks at Kern and Lily. Remus had an idea he knew what that was about; it appeared that the Slytherins didn't believe that Muggle-borns were good enough to be Prefects. Wonder what they'd say about a werewolf Prefect"

Eventually, the Slytherins departed, and not long after, Lily and Remus decided to take their leave.

"We'll be seeing you then," said Kern, waving and grinning at Remus as he and Lily exited. Remus smiled back and closed the compartment door.

"Well," Lily said cheerfully as they set off down the train, "at least we have a few good people to do Prefect duty with."

"Yeah," said Remus, "and a few not-so-good people."

"They can't all be wonderful, I suppose."

Remus and Lily walked together until they reached the compartment that James, Sirius, and Peter occupied.

"Finally!" said Sirius when Remus opened the compartment door. "Did they hold you lot hostage or something, mate? You've been ages!"

"I'll see you later, Remus," said Lily. She turned and continued to walk down the train, looking for her own friends.

"Bye," said Remus. He entered the compartment and closed the door.

"Damn!" James said the moment the door was closed, "Evans had a good summer, didn't she?"

"She said it was okay," said Remus, taking a seat beside Peter. "Her sister's got a new boyfriend whose pretty annoying apparently, but otherwise her holiday was pretty good."

"I don't think that that's what Prongs was talking about," said Sirius. "I think he was referring to other aspects of Evans's summer."

"Like what?" Remus asked.

"Like the fact that she's a totally hot!" said James, standing up and pressing his face against the window in the compartment door to watch Lily walking away. "I mean, she's always been pretty, but she was definitely not that hot last year."

"I didn't really notice," said Remus.

"Didn't notice! Are you blind, Moony? She's amazing!"

"Aww," said Peter, "I fink widdle Prongsie is in wuv!"

"Am not!" James snapped, turning away from the door, his face rather red. "I just think she's hot. I don't see how you don't see it, Moony."

"I guess she's just not my type."

"You have a type?" Sirius asked. "What, does girl have to sprout fangs and grow fur once a month to catch your eye?"

"No," said Remus composedly, "I'm just saying that Evans isn't my type."

"So you don't mind if I ask her out?" asked James in a rush.

"Um, no offense Prongs, but I don't think she likes you very much," said Remus. Boy, was that an understatement.

"Oh, she just hasn't seen the right side of me, that's all," said James confidently. "I just have to woo her, then she'll see how much she likes me. I think I'll go find her now." He opened the compartment door and stepped out into the corridor.

"A little eager now, aren't we Prongsie?" asked Sirius.

"The moment is opportune," said James. He closed the door behind him and hurried off.

"Oh, he has it bad," said Sirius.


James walked down the train, looking into each compartment to see whether Lily was in them. Toward the end of the train, he saw her, standing outside one of the compartments talking to Delangela Narkin.

"Hi there, Evans," he said in his deepest and sexiest voice. "Narkin," he added, nodding at her.

"Hi Potter," said Delangela. "How was your holiday?"

"It was fine," James said to her shortly. Then he turned soft eyes on Lily. "How was your summer, Evans?"

She eyed him suspiciously, clearly off-put by his unusual amount of interest and his odd tone. He usually ignored her. "It was okay, I guess."

"Just okay?" James asked, looking as though he were troubled that her summer hadn't been super fantastically amazingly awesome.

"Yeah," said Lily, "nothing special."

"Oh," said James, "that's a shame. Well, maybe this year will be a bit more exciting for you." He flashed her a smile.

She raised an eyebrow, more suspicious than ever. "Yeah," she said shortly. "Maybe."

Delangela looked as though she was trying hard not to laugh. Lily didn't understand what was so funny.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around then," said James, looking intensely at Lily.

"Err, sure," said Lily.

"You ladies enjoy the rest of your trip now," he said. He winked at Lily and walked away.

As soon as he was far enough up train that he was no longer in earshot, Delangela burst out laughing.

"What?" Lily asked her, still a little bemused by the peculiar behavior of James Potter. "What's so funny, Del?"

Delangela didn't respond. She was laughing too hard to form coherent words and was starting to attract stares from other people in the corridor.

"Come on," Lily said irritably, grabbing her cackling friend by the arm, opening the door of the compartment behind them, and dragging Delangela inside.

There were already four girls in the compartment, all in Lily and Delangela's year, Mary and Betsy from Gryffindor, and Gretchen and Jane from Hufflepuff. The girls broke off mid-conversation as Lily and Delangela entered and all turned to stare at Delangela as she collapsed into a seat beside Jane, still laughing hard.

"What's so funny, Del?" Mary asked as Lily sat down next to her.

Delangela swallowed several times as she attempted to control herself. Then she said, with tears of laughter still swimming in her eyes, "James Potter just hit on Lily!"

"HE DID WHAT?" Lily, Mary, and Gretchen all exclaimed at the same time.

"Seriously?" Jane asked.

"James Potter hit on you?" Betsy asked Lily.

"No he didn't!" Lily said. "He just..." Her face drained of color. The strange looks, the odd, deeper voice, the phrases "maybe this year will be a bit more exciting for you" and "I'll be seeing you around then", and the wink flashed through her memory, and suddenly it was all painfully clear. "Oh my god, James Potter just hit on me."

Mary and Gretchen started to giggle. Jane looked as bemused as Lily felt. Delangela was smirking. Betsy asked, "So, are you two going out then?"

"NO. WAY."

"Oh, why not, Lily?" Mary asked. "He is cute."

"Since when is mad-scientist hair cute?" Lily asked.

"It's not mad-scientist," Mary said, "it's windswept."

"Yeah," Gretchen agreed. "And he's got a great smile."

"He has an arrogant leer," Lily said tonelessly.

"And I thought you liked boys in specs," Delangela said to Lily. "Didn't you have a crush on that Pierre kid last year?"

"I think that was more for his accent than for his glasses," Betsy said.

"He does have an amazing accent," Jane sighed.

"But he's not a Quidditch player," Gretchen said. "Potter's an amazing Quidditch player."

"Who cares?" Lily asked.

"I do," Gretchen said. "He's so talented."

"He's amazing," Mary gushed.

"So he can throw around a stupid red ball," Lily said. "What's that matter to me?"

"Athletic physic," Mary said. "Can't beat a Quidditch player's body, that's for sure," Gretchen said.

"I'd rather have a plain non-Quidditch-player whom I can tolerate over an insufferable idiot like Potter any day."

"I don't find him completely insufferable," Betsy said.

"Then why don't you date him?" Lily asked Betsy.

"Because he wasn't flirting with her in the corridor," Delangela said. "Come on, Lils, he is pretty attractive. Nothing on Black, of course, but..."

"Oh, here we go," Lily sighed. Everyone knew tat Delangela was still as much in love with Sirius Black as ever. It hadn't stopped her from having a positive battalion of boyfriends over the last few years, but it was still plain that her heart belonged to Black.

"I'm just saying," Delangela said, "that you could do a lot worse than Potter."

"I could do no worse than Potter," Lily said.

"I disagree," Jane said. "You could be dating some creepy, Death-Eater-wannabe Slytherin."

"Like that Snape kid," Mary said venomously.

Lily turned to look at Mary, very surprised. Mary knew that Lily and Severus were friends, and even though Lily knew that Mary disliked Severus, Mary had always refrained from openly criticizing him for this reason.

"Severus is my friend," Lily said coldly.

"Is he?" Mary asked, her voice full of uncharacteristic sarcasm. "Is he still your friend, Lily? That's odd. I wouldn't have thought he would still want to be friends with someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean, 'someone like me'?" Lily asked.

Mary shifted in her seat, her expression very sour. "Ran into your 'friend' Severus on the platform this morning. Want to know what he said to me?"

"What?" Lily asked in a small voice.

"He called me a Mudblood," Mary spat.

"Oh Mary!" Betsy said, putting an arm around her friend.

"He's wrong, Mary," Gretchen said firmly.

"But...but he couldn't have," Lily spluttered.

Mary glared at her. "Imagined it, did I?" she snapped. "I heard what he said and so did half-a-dozen of his snake-friends who were with him!"

"But Severus would never..."

"Oh, you don't think so?" Mary asked. "Think he's still just a wonderful friend? Open your eyes Lily! He's one of them now. He's always been one of them really. And if he thinks my blood is dirty just because my parents are muggles then what makes you any different?"

The compartment was silent. Lily was lost for words. How could this have happened? It didn't make any sense. Severus knew that having muggles for parents didn't make any difference. He had said so himself when he had first told her about the Wizarding world. And even though he was hanging with less-than-desirable crowd these days, she still couldn't see how he could possibly call anyone a Mudblood. But...why would Mary have said it had happened if it hadn't? Mary wasn't the type to invent stories for the sake of gossip; that was Delangela's job. She couldn't see why Mary would lie about it, but it still just could not be true. Severus was different. Severus would never call Mary a Mudblood.

Would he?



James Potter strutted back up the train feeling very satisfied with himself after his conversation with Lily Evans. Wow was she beautiful! Was this something new, or had she always been beautiful and he had just never noticed? He supposed that it didn't matter; he noticed her now. And after his brief conversation with her a minute ago, he knew that she was into him too. Well of course she is, James thought. Who could possibly resist me?

He thought of Lily Evans all the way back to his compartment, but then became distracted when he tried to open the compartment door. It was locked. Why did they lock the door? James wondered. And why did they let the blinds down too?

"Who's there?" Remus's tense voice called from inside the compartment. They must have heard him trying to open the door.

"It's Father Christmas," James called back irritably. "It's Prongs, you moron, open up!"

"Give us a minute, Prongs," Remus called back. There was a thump and the sound of Sirius swearing loudly inside the compartment. What on earth were they doing?

James waited impatiently for them to do whatever it was they needed to do before they opened the door, all the while enjoying a symphony of Sirius's colorful vocabulary. Finally, Remus opened the door just wide enough to stick his head out. "Okay, you can come in now." He opened the door a faction more and James squeezed his way inside. Remus stuck his head out again, looked once up the train, once down the train, then quickly pulled his head back in and slammed and locked the door.

"What in the name of Merlin have you been doing in here?" James asked, his eyes moving from Remus, to Peter, to Sirius, the last of whom had his arms hidden under Remus's balled-up cloak on his lap.

"Padfoot has been...practicing," Remus explained, sitting down next to Peter.

"He was showing us how far he got over the summer," Peter said. "But then there was a problem..."

"A problem?" James asked, taking the seat beside Sirius.

Sirius pulled his arms out from under Remus's cloak. His forearms were covered in thick black hair and his hands had turned into large black paws. "I got stuck," he explained. "It's happened before. It always goes away eventually, but it's bloody annoying! I can't let anyone see me like this! Ugh, did I tell you guys about the time over the summer when I had to go down to dinner trying to hide my tail beneath my robes?"

"No, you didn't," Peter said. "How was it?"

"Uncomfortable," Sirius said shortly.

"Don't worry about it too much, mate," James said. "I've gotten stuck before too."

"So have I," said Peter. "All the time."

"And trust me, antlers are a lot harder to hide than a tail," James added.

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to hide these?" Sirius asked, holding up his paws.

James shrugged. "Shove them in your pockets?" he suggested.

"Which is great," said Sirius, "until I have to doing something that requires hands and opposable thumbs."

"You"ll change back before we get to the station," Peter assured him. "We still have ages. Even I don't get stuck for that long."

"Right," Sirius mumbled.

"Did you get a lot of practice over the summer?" Remus asked James.

"As much as I could," James said. "But I was pretty busy this summer."

Remus nodded.

"Want me to show you how far I got?" James asked.

"Hell no," said Sirius. "There's not enough room in here for your huge antlers, especially if you can't get rid of them once you change back."

"Padfoot has a point," Remus said. "You can show us tonight in the dormitory."

"Have you gotten to the point where you can change completely into a stag?" Sirius asked. "Or do you still have some human parts?"

"No, I can change completely," James said. "But it's a rough change, and it takes a long time."

"Yeah," said Peter. "Padfoot had only got halfway transformed when you came back, and then, obviously, he got stuck changing back."

"What about you?" James asked Peter. "Can you transform completely?"

"I'm so close," Peter moaned, sounding very frustrated. "I can get to the point where I have no human features, but I still can't get the damn tail right!"

"Not really living up to your name then, are you, Wormtail?" Sirius smirked.

"Where as you are just a fine example of your name," James told Sirius, lifting one of Sirius's fur-covered arms to show off the padded underside of Sirius's paw.

"True," said Sirius. "People will finally understand my nickname."

"And mine if I get stuck with antlers again," James said, releasing Sirius's dog-arm.

"Just so long as no one figures out mine," Remus said. "But don't you think you'll raise a tiny bit of suspicion if you walk around sporting antlers and padded paws?"

"Right. We'll just keep it quiet like always then," James said.

"But then no one will ever understand," said Sirius.

"That was kind of the point, remember?" Remus asked.

"I was joking," Sirius told him.

"I know," Remus replied.

"Well," James sighed, "at least it won't always be like this." He patted Sirius's paw.

"That's true," Remus said. "Once you're true Animagi, you can't be part human and part animal, even if you wanted to. You have to choose one form or the other, there's no middle ground, and the transition is smooth and quick."

"That's the part I'm looking forward to," Peter said. "An easy transformation. It's so hard right now. You have to put every bit of effort you can into it and be one hundred percent focused. And even when I do that, I still can't get the effing tail! But once you're a true Animagus, the transformation is supposed to be almost effortless."

"Yeah," said James, "being true Animagi will be great. This transformation process is probably the hardest thing we've ever done = including making the Map. I won't be sorry to see the end of it when we can just reap the rewards without all the hard work. And, if all goes to plan, things won't just get easier for the three of us, they'll also get better for Moony, which was, I believe, was the whole point in the first place."

"You believe?" Peter asked. "This was your idea!"

"I know," James said proudly. "I'm so brilliant." It's part of what makes me so irresistible to girls like Evans, he added in his head.

"But until we reach the point of true Animagi, we're still just part-human part-animal freaks," Sirius said, pushing his hair back out of his face with his paw.

"And until you become true Animagi," Remus said, "you can't come to the Shrieking Shack with me. You need to be completely stable in your animal forms. There can't be any chance that I might mistake one of you for a snack."

"Here here," Peter said a little darkly.

"But it can't be too long," James said in a rallying tone. "If we've all reached the point where we can change completely - or completely sans tail - it's probably only a matter of mouths before we're finish it. Bet you we all can do it before Halloween!"

"That's pretty ambitious," Remus said.

"Why don't we shoot for before Christmas?" Sirius asked.

"Fine," James huffed, "if you want to aim for sub-par..."

The rest of the train journey passed very enjoyably. They talked, they laughed, and they ate the food James, Sirius, and Peter had purchased from the trolley while Remus was at his Prefect meeting. James tossed Every Flavor Beans for Sirius to catch in his mouth, since he couldn't get any for himself, which culminated in an interesting struggle between them when James tossed Sirius a toe fungus flavored bean, which Sirius choked on and spat out before leaping on James. James won the fight; Sirius's large paws were superior to James's fists for direct blows, but James's opposable thumbs could still hold a wand, and one well placed curse was enough to put an end to the struggle.

Sirius managed to turn his paws back into hands just as the lamps went on in the compartments. He, James, and Peter, changed into robes as Remus watched the night get darker outside the window. In what seemed like no time, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station. Remus's heart skipped; he was so glad to be back at Hogwarts, which made him think of something...

"Let's go quick so we can get a carriage together," Sirius said as people started to surge out of their compartments.

"Aren't you supposed to help shepherd the firsties, Moony?" James asked. "Moony?"

Remus was pulling his trunk out of the luggage rack. "Just give me a second, I want to do something. I'll catch you up."

James, Sirius, and Peter vanished out the door and into the mob students. Remus opened the lid of his trunk and quickly extracted a torn off piece of parchment and a self-inking quill. Balancing the fragment of parchment on his knee, he scribbled the following,

Note to self:
Remember to buy a birthday present to send to Kytalin.

He shoved the note into his pocket, replaced the quill, and closed the lid of the trunk. Then, after swinging his cloak over his shoulders, he hurried out to the platform, and also to the start of promising new school year.


Author's Notes: Reviews are always appreciated!
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His New Worst Fear by shewolf2000
His New Worst Fear

One month had elapsed since Padfoot had gotten stuck in his padded feet on the train, but that single month had held amazing progress for the three Gryffindor boys who were illegally transforming themselves in Animagi. James in particular seemed extremely confident that Remus would only have to endure one or two more full moons before their transformations were complete. Remus on the whole had been happy about this, but somehow, now that the time when James, Peter, and Sirius would join him was drawing rapidly closer and becoming ever more real, he could not shake the nagging feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong.

Not that he had had much time to dwell on it, because he was very busy. Prefect duties were taking up much more of his time than he had expected when he had gotten the badge over the summer. And, of course, Remus was spending time helping his friends with their transformations, which was all-consuming work that did not leave much room in the brain for horrible thoughts about what might happen in a few moons’ time. But the lion’s share of his and all of his friends’ time had been given over to the seemingly endless nightmare known as OWL year, which was turning out to be just as terrible as all of the older students had said. In fact, given how much homework that had been piled on top of them since the start of the year, it was amazing that they had found any time at all for working on Animagi transformations. James and Sirius had even had to cut back on some of their usual mischief in order to fit in both homework and Animagi work. Remus was having recurring dreams about being eaten by a large pile of essay assignments.

At the moment however, Remus was not doing his own homework. He was sitting in the courtyard with Peter reading through a paper Peter had written for their Transfiguration assignment about changing warm-blooded animals into cold-blooded animals. There seemed to be a lot of things wrong with the paper, even by Peter standards, which was odd, because most of the information could have been gotten straight from the textbook. Remus had started out crossing things out that were incorrect, but stopped after the first paragraph once he realized just how many things in the paper were incorrect.

–How bad is it?” Peter asked tentatively.

–Er…” said Remus, as he came to a paragraph about how most mammals lay eggs and how cold-blooded animals use their feathers to insolate themselves.

–How much of it do you think I’ll have to rewrite?” Peter asked.

–Honestly, quite a bit,” Remus said.

–Is it my handwriting or is it - "

–It’s not your handwriting. Er…” Remus tried to think of a way to put it nicely. –Er…Wormtail, did you use the textbook when you wrote this essay?”

–Yes,” Peter said.

–And you copied the information from your textbook correctly?”

–Yes I did!” Peter said. –Well it wasn’t actually my textbook. I lost mine. But Prongs let me borrow his and I copied the information exactly correct!”

–Prongs lent you the textbook?”

–Yeah…I lost mine.” Peter repeated.

–I see,” Remus said, rolling up Peter’s essay and handing it back to him.

–So what do I have to do to make it better?” Peter asked, putting his essay back into his bag.

–Don’t borrow textbooks from Prongs,” Remus said. –Or Padfoot,” he added as an afterthought.

–Oh,” Peter said. They sat in silence for a minute or two, glazing absently across the courtyard. Then Wormtail asked, –Hey Moony, can I borrow your Transfiguration textbook?”

–Sure,” said Remus, unzipping his bag. –Just don’t lose it, okay?”

–I won’t,” Peter said, taking the book from Remus. He opened it to the chapter they were studying and started to read. –Wow, this information is completely different from the stuff in Prongs’s book.”

–Go figure,” said Remus, zipping up his bag and looking up just in time to see James and Sirius running towards them across the courtyard. As they got closer, Remus noticed that the hems of both their robes were wet.

They had cut back on the mischief, not stopped.

–Where have you two been?” Remus asked when James and Sirius stopped, breathing heavily, in front of him and Peter.

–I’ll tell you where we definitely were not,” James said. –We were definitely not in the boys toilet on the third floor.” He and Sirius exchanged mischievous grins.

–Oh, come on!” Remus said exasperatedly. –That’s the only boys’ toilet left in the building that you two haven’t destroyed!”

–Exactly,” Sirius said.

–Which is all fine and well until one of us has to use the toilet!” said Remus.

–Calm down, Moony,” said Sirius. –The one in the boys’ dormitory is still useable.”

–Yeah, if you can get past the five-foot-long clawed iguana living in the bathtub!”

–You be nice to Carmelita, she’s family,” James said reprovingly.

–It’s been three weeks, Prongs,” Remus said, –and that thing has only gotten bigger and meaner. You need to get rid of it.”

–She’s a she, Moony, not an it,” James said.

–I don’t even know how you tell,” said Remus. –But if she’s a she, shouldn’t she be haunting a girls toilet instead of ours?”

–That doesn’t sound very much like something a Prefect would say,” Sirius said.

–Get rid of the iguana,” Remus said seriously.

–If we knew how to get into the girls dormitory and move Carmelita into their bathtub, don’t you think we’d have done it already?” James asked. He pulled out his wand and started drying the hems of his robes. –Come on,” he added, –we should really get to Defense Against the Dark Arts before the teachers find out about the toilet.”



The first thing that the fifth-year Gryffindors noticed as they walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was that all of the desks had been pushed up against the walls except the teacher’s desk, leaving a wide empty space in the center of the room. The second thing they noticed was the large trunk, not unlike the ones in which they all kept their possessions up in the dormitories, which was sitting on Professor Wood’s desk.

–What do you think’s in there?” Sirius asked Remus as the class all set their bags down on the desks against the walls and pulled out their wands, ready for a practical lesson.

–Dunno,” Remus replied, mentally sifting through things he had read about the Dark Arts and trying to remember any type of Dark artifact or creature that would be kept in a trunk.

Without warning, the trunk on the desk gave a violent lurch. Several people jumped and Delangela let out a small shriek of surprise.

–Looks like whatever’s in there wants to be let out,” James said conversationally.

–Some kind of Dark creature, maybe?” Sirius suggested.

–Maybe we’re going to fight it!” James said excitedly.

Peter groaned. –I hate practical lessons,” he said miserably. –I’m never any good at fighting Dark stuff.”

–But it’s important, Wormtail,” Remus said. –When you’re fighting the Dark Arts in real life, it’s all practical. It’s not just about learning stuff from books. You’ve got to have your wits about when you’re facing Dark magic.”

–Yeah,” James agreed. –And besides, I’d take a practical lesson over a book lesson any day. Using your wand is so much cooler than just sitting and taking notes.”

–But I’m no good at defense magic,” Peter whined.

–Then improvise,” said James.

–I’m no good at that either!”

–Well,” said Sirius, who sounded irritated, –then you might as well just throw in the towel now, Wormtail, because you are royally - "

–Good afternoon, class,” Professor Wood said, sweeping into the classroom and closing the door behind her. –I hope you all are ready for an exciting lesson today.”

Peter groaned again. James was practically bouncing with excitement. Remus was actually quite excited himself.

Professor Wood walked to the front of the classroom where her desk and the trunk sat. The trunk lurched again as she approached. She turned her back to the trunk to face the students and beckoned them all to come gather around. As they all clustered around Professor Wood and the desk, the trunk continued the lurch sporadically.

–What we are studying today,” Professor Wood told the class, –is a creature found commonly in the Wizarding world. It is a fascinating specimen, and by studying it, you can learn very much about the Dark Arts, but you can also learn a great deal about yourselves. Today is double lesson, so to speak. Not only will you learn a new spell that can be used against this creature, but you will also learn how conquer your worst fear.”

She paused to observe the class, all of whom were silent, watching the shaking trunk behind Professor Wood with a new apprehension.

–Your worst fear,” Professor Wood repeated quietly. –Who can tell me what is in this trunk?”

Remus raised his hand.

–Yes, Mr. Lupin?”

–It’s a Boggart,” Remus said.

Professor Wood smiled. –Exactly correct, Mr. Lupin. Five points to - wait - you all are Gryffindors, right? Yes, of course. Five points to Gryffindor.”

–It’s really reassuring to have a Defense teacher who’s on top of her game,” Sirius muttered quietly, so that only James, Remus, and Peter could hear him.

–Now, Mr. Lupin, can you tell the class what a Boggart is?” Professor Wood asked.

–It’s a shape-shifter,” Remus said. –It changes its form into whatever frightens its enemy most.”

–Exactly correct again,” said Professor Wood.

–Teacher’s pet,” James muttered. He and Sirius snickered quietly. Remus supposed they found the idea of a werewolf being the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher’s pet to be highly amusing. He fought to keep from rolling his eyes.

–Boggarts are fascinating creatures,” Professor Wood told the class. –They are the monsters that hide under the bed and in the closet. They can induce fear like nothing else, because they can scare everyone and anyone simply by changing shape. They cannot, however, scare everyone at once. Too many people to scare and the Boggart becomes confused. And so with a whole classroom full of students, we should have no trouble facing it.

–But don’t let that put you at too much ease. This class is to prepare you for what you might face in the real world, and in the real world, you might find yourself facing a Boggart alone. And when you are alone, it is much harder to tell if a Boggart is a Boggart, or if it is actually the thing you fear most in the world. But you can’t let this stop you from defeating it. You must remain calm, and cast the spell to vanish a Boggart.”

She drew out her wand and looked around at the class. –Does everyone have they’re wands?” The fifth-year Gryffindors all drew they’re wands. –Excellent. Now, the spell to repel a Boggart isn’t just your ordinary jinx. You can’t just say the incantation and aim your wand and let the spell take care of everything for you. No, defeating a Boggart requires a certain level of…creativity. And there is a reason for that.

–Think on it for a minute; if victory for a Boggart is frightening someone, what do you think defeat is?”

Everyone lapsed into thoughtful silence. Remus already knew the answer because he had read about Boggarts, but he decided to let someone else have a go at the question.

–Amusing someone?” James mused aloud without raising his hand.

–Correct, Mr. Potter. Boggarts do not want to be found amusing. So how do you defeat a Boggart? You force him the change into something that makes you laugh. Boggarts hate laughter, and enough of it will utterly destroy a Boggart. And this is why you need to be creative. How can you take something that frightens you and change it into something you find funny? I can’t tell you that, because each of you is afraid of something different. You have to figure it out for yourselves. Take a few minutes now to think on it: what are you most afraid of in the world? In what way could you transform so that it would be less frightening?”

The class lapsed into thoughtful silence. Some people seemed to have an easier job with the task than others. After only a few seconds’ thought, a confident smile had spread across Sirius’s face, as if he knew exactly what his Boggart would be and how he would defeat it. James was the opposite; he looked perplexed and vaguely panicky. If he didn’t know what to expect, he couldn’t plan ahead. Remus felt a shudder beside him and looked around at Peter. Peter had his eyes closed and was trembling slightly as he pictured his Boggart. He wasn’t the only one, across the room Delangela Narkin was visibly quaking. Lara Coote was biting her nails. Mary McDonald was shifting her weight anxiously from one foot to the other. Lily Evans was running her fingers through her long red hair, looking frustrated and worried.

That was how Remus felt: frustrated and worried. He bit his lip, looking away from Lily, and tried to concentrate. What was he most afraid of in the world? It should have been an easy question, but somehow it wasn’t. There were plenty of things in this world to be frightened of, but which was the most frightening of all? He closed his eyes like Peter had, willing himself to focus. He imagined the night he had been bitten, picturing in his mind’s eye the werewolf who had attacked him when he was only a small child. His heart skipped a bit; the image still scared him. But did it scare him more than anything in the world? Perhaps not. In his head, he flashed forward from the memory of his four-year-old self to his eleven-year-old self. He remembered the weight of anxiety that had lived in his stomach for the better part of his first year; the terror that his new friends - the first friends he had ever had - would discover his secret and abandon him. It had certainly been his worst fear then, but it wasn’t anymore. Sure, he still feared that somehow his secret might be revealed to the rest of the school and that he would have to leave. He feared the world’s rejection, but somehow he had feared the rejection of three boys so much more. Rejection wasn’t his worst fear anymore, so what was? Maybe he was going about this the wrong way, remembering things from his past that had frightened him. What did he fear was coming? What horrors could he imagine in the future? Remus swallowed; the future itself was pretty scary. Assuming he made it through school, what was he going to do after that? What future did a werewolf have, even a Hogwarts-educated one? And what about this war that was approaching? What about Death Eaters and You-Know-Who? And then there was the moon. His future would always hold the next full moon…and the full moon after that…and the full moon after that…and every full moon after that until he died. There was no way to escape the moon; nowhere to hide. It would always come for him…always. He feared the moon. He feared what it did to him. He feared the pain. He feared the loss of his mind. He feared what he could do as the monster, who he could hurt or kill or bite without being able to stop himself -

–Alright then,” Professor Wood said, interrupting Remus’s thoughts. –If everyone is ready, we will begin practicing the spell that repels a Boggart.”

Remus opened his eyes. Not everyone looked ready, but no one asked Professor Wood for more time. Remus decided not to either. He wasn’t sure what he feared most and didn’t think more time to ponder it would help. He would just have to do the best that he could with whatever he was faced with.

–Now, for the incantation,” said Professor Wood, –everyone repeat after me… riddikulus!”

–Riddikulus!” the fifth-year Gryffindors repeated.

–Good,” said Professor Wood. –You will say the incantation, while focusing hard on the way you plan to change your Boggart into something comical, and with any luck, you will be successful. We will take turns approaching the Boggart so that everyone can have a fair shot taking it on. Now if everyone could form a line…”

The class rearranged itself into a line, those who were most frightened pushing for the back, those who wanted to prove themselves most –Gryffindor” pushing for the front of the queue. Remus and James wound up somewhere near the middle with Sirius and Peter a little ways ahead of them.

–Excellent,” said Professor Wood. –Now, on my count of three, I will release the Boggart from the trunk. At this time, the first person will move forward to face the Boggart. Once he has had his turn, I will say ‘next’, at which point he will step back and the next person in line will step forward. Everyone got it?” The Gryffindors nodded. –Right then, on the count of three. One…two…three!”

Professor Wood shot a jet of sparks at the quaking trunk and the lid flew open as the boy at the front of the line took a few steps forward. Nothing happened. The boy waited, wand drawn. Then, slowly, as if it was rising from a coffin, a vampire sat up in the trunk and climbed out of it onto the floor. His hungry eyes with the dark shadows underneath were fixed unblinkingly on the boy in front of him. The vampire opened his mouth and licked his pointed fangs as he advanced.

–Riddikulus!” the boy yelled.

There was a sound like a loud whip-crack, which seemed to indicate that the spell had worked. Except, looking back at the vampire, he seemed unchanged. But then the vampire opened his mouth again, and the whole class could see that his sharp, blood-sucking fangs had been turned into marshmallows. A few members of the class chuckled.

–Next!” Professor Wood called.

The boy who feared vampires moved back, looking rather pleased with himself, and a skinny girl moved forward. Crack! The marshmallow-toothed vampire disappeared and was replaced by a huge dark-grey storm cloud that hovered just above all of their heads and obscured most of the ceiling. There was a blindingly bright flash as a bolt of lightning struck the floor of the classroom followed immediately by an ear-splitting roar of thunder.

–R-riddikulus!” the skinny girl spluttered.

Crack! The storm cloud shrank dramatically and turned from grey to fluffy white. A second later a shimming rainbow stretched its way from the cloud to the floor. All the scene was missing was some daisies and a unicorn.

–Oh, come on,” James scoffed as Professor Wood called the next person forward.

And so it went on. Various members of the class would move forward to face the Boggart, the Boggart would transform into something scary, and the student would change it into something funny. Soon enough, Peter and Sirius were at the front of the line.

–Next!” Wood called, as the flashing, multicolored disco lights - which had recently been a blazing fire - lit every corner of the room. Sirius and Peter, who had been standing beside each other at the front of the line, both ran forward at the same time. Crack! The flashing lights vanished and with a soft thump the Boggart fell to the floor having transformed into…a large glob of green jelly?

–Huh?” Sirius said intelligently. He and Peter exchanged a confused look as the green glob began to wriggle. It definitely wasn’t jelly.

–So…what are you afraid of?” Peter asked Sirius.

–Dismembered corpses,” Sirius said casually, examining the wriggling blob with his headed tilted slightly to the side. –You?”

–Flesh-eating slugs,” Peter replied with a small shutter.

–Very interesting,” Professor Wood muttered. –Alright, Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew step back. Miss Evans - forward.”

Sirius and Peter stepped back as the dismembered half of a flesh-eating slug continued to wriggle. Lily Evans moved forward, wand at the ready.

All of the lamps in the DADA classroom went out. The rooms felt suddenly much colder, but that couldn’t have been just from the loss of the lamps. Through the dim light, the class could see a tall, black-hooded figure where the slug half had been a moment before. Remus gasped. He knew exactly what this creature was, but he couldn’t be sure how many others knew because they hadn’t studied these creatures yet.

And Remus knew what would come next.

The Dementor drew a long, rattling, sucking breath. The temperature in the room plummeted even further and fog started to obscure Remus’s vision.

No! Remus told himself sternly. Think of a happy memory, something very happy. Don’t let it get to you.

But it was too late. He could already see the dark backyard of his own house. He could hear his own panicked breathing in his ears. And then he saw the wolf with its yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness. The screams of his four-year-old self erupted in his ears as the wolf struck. Beneath the agonized screams he could hear the sounds of flesh being torn and bones breaking...

–Riddikulus!” Lily cried.

Crack! The screams were cut off. Remus’s vision cleared. The lamps in the classroom flickered back on to show the class a vacuum cleaner moving across the room of its own accord, sucking up dirt on the classroom floor. It wasn’t until a few second had passed that Remus realized that he was being held up. Someone was supporting him from behind.

–You okay?” James’s voice muttered in his ear. Remus straightened himself and turned to face James as Lily stepped back and the next girl in line approached the vacuum cleaner. James watched Remus steadying himself, looking concerned.

–Yeah, I’m okay,” Remus replied, rubbing his head and trying to collect himself. –What just happened?”

–You nearly collapsed is what just happened,” James whispered.

–I did?” Remus asked. He didn’t remember starting to fall or James catching him. He supposed he must have been so lost in his worst memory that he had briefly lost consciousness.

–Are you sure you’re alright?” James asked.

–I’m fine,” Remus said firmly. He turned back to the middle of the classroom just in time to see the girl who had gone after Lily turn a giant scorpion into a stuffed animal.

–Next!” Wood said.

Roy Hayden stepped forward. The room was suddenly filled with water. It was wet and dense and distorted the whole classroom. But they could all still breath; the Boggart was just creating the illusion of drowning.

–Riddikulus!” Hayden gasped.

The water turned into confetti, which rained down on all of their suddenly-dry heads. The confetti disappeared as Hayden backed up and the next boy stepped forward. There were only five people in front of Remus now. James was right next to him, shooting worried looks in Remus’s direction every few minutes. As the line moved forward, Remus subtly adjusted his position in line so that James was slightly ahead of him. He wanted as much time as possible to recover from the Dementor attack before he faced whatever the Boggart had to offer him. If James noticed, he didn’t mention anything.

Five more people…four more people… Remus was starting to sweat. Three more people…two more people…

–Next!” Professor Wood called.

James charged forward into the center of the room, clearly wanting to demonstrate how fearless he was to the rest of the class. Or, more probably, one single red-headed member of the class.

The room went pitch dark. It wasn’t the same darkness that had filled the room when the Dementor had appeared and the lamps had gone out. The room had just been dim then, now it was filled with a blackness so thick that you couldn’t see your hand right in front of your nose.

–Is Potter afraid of the dark?” the girl behind Remus whispered to her friend.

–I don’t know,” her friend whispered back, giggling slightly.

After a few seconds, James let out a surprised shout. The darkness vanished as quickly as it had come, revealing James in the center of the classroom wrestling with a stringy black creature that had jumped on his back and wrapped itself around him. His left hand was trying to pry the creature’s arms from around his throat, his right was fumbling with his wand.

–Riddikulus!” he choked, pointing his wand over his shoulder. Crack! The creature was gone. Instead, a beautiful young woman in rather revealing red dress robes was standing behind James with her arms held loosely around his neck. Slowly, she moved one hand down across his chest in a very sensual way. A roar of inappropriate laughter erupted from almost every boy in the room and Remus heard Sirius whistle. The Boggart-woman released James and froze. It didn’t like the laughter it was inciting.

–Alright now, Mr. Potter,” Professor Wood said firmly, –your turn is over.”

James moved away from the Boggart and, smirking slightly, strutted over to where Sirius and Peter were standing. He and Sirius high-fived.

–Next,” Professor Wood said.

Remus approached the Boggart-woman, who was still standing frozen and wary. Crack! There were several gasps and a muffled scream. The Boggart had transformed into a large werewolf. Remus gulped as he stared into the wolf’s gleaming yellow eyes. His nightmare had come to life. Except…something was wrong. This wasn’t the werewolf from his nightmares. He had seen that werewolf a hundred times, and this definitely wasn’t it. And yet, somehow, it was familiar to him…why?

Remus raised his wand but he didn’t use it. He needed to know who the wolf was before it disappeared. And then, the werewolf did something odd: it turned away from Remus. It didn’t make any sense; how could the werewolf scare him if it was turning away? The wolf circled around until its tail was to Remus and then bent its head to pick up something on the floor in its mouth, but Remus couldn’t see what it was. The wolf circled around again to face Remus, to show Remus what it had in its mouth.

Remus’s stomach contracted. In the wolf’s mouth was a blood-soaked human forearm that had been torn off just below the elbow. The wolf’s fangs were cutting deep into the flesh causing even more blood to ooze out. The hand dangled limply from the end of the arm. There was a set of large scratch-marks on the back of the hand, and on the middle finger there was ornate gold ring with a large ruby set in it.

And Remus understood.

–What the hell?” James yelled in shock. Out of the corner of his eye, Remus saw James grab his right arm with his left hand to make sure that it was still attached to his body. The Potter family ring glinted on his middle finger.

Remus turned back to the wolf. It was leering, James’s arm still grasped firmly in its jaws, clearly very pleased with itself.

–Riddikulus!” Remus shouted.

Crack! The wolf became a puppy and the arm became a squeaky toy. Behind him, Remus could hear a few of the girls saying –aww” as they watched the puppy trot around with toy.

–Next,” Wood said.

Remus turned and walked back to the very back of the classroom, on the opposite side from where his friends were. He could feel a few pairs of eyes following him and thought he heard someone whispering. He didn’t want to be looked at; he didn’t want them speculating about what his Boggart had meant. He wanted to disappear.

Fortunately for Remus, the Boggart after his was a large mutant creature with two heads and a whole bunch of tentacles and claws, which distracted his classmates very effectively. But Remus couldn’t be distracted, his head was too full of the Boggart and all of the fears it had manifested in him. He understood exactly what the Boggart had become and what it meant now, and he was scared out of his mind.

The class continued, and Remus watched his remaining classmates take on the Boggart without really seeing any of it. The only time he came out of his reverie long enough to notice anything was when Delangela had approached the Boggart. It transformed into a gigantic serpent, and Delangela let out a hair-raising scream and bolted for the door, which she slammed behind her. Lily, after a nod from Professor Wood, left to go find Delangela.

Two bloody eyeballs, a rabid squirrel, and a plane full on snakes later, the bell rang, and Professor Wood used her wand to force the Boggart back into the trunk on her desk and dismissed the class.

–Great lesson today, Gryffindors!” Professor Wood called to her students as the filed out of her classroom. –Don’t forget to read chapter six in preparation for next lesson!”

Remus didn’t really here her. The only thing on his mind was to get out of the classroom and away from his classmates as quickly as possible. Being very careful to avoid eye-contact with anyone, he darted through the classroom door and bolted for the dormitory.



–That was the coolest lesson ever!”

–I’ve never seen so many scary things in my life!”

–And then I was all like - riddikulus! And it was all like, not scary anymore.”

–Hey Potter, what was your Boggart supposed to be anyway? …Potter?”

–Huh?” James said, jerking his gaze away from his right hand. Peter had rarely seen James looking so unnerved and suspected that it had very little to do with James’s own Boggart.

–What was your Boggart?” the Gryffindor boy repeated.

James wasn’t listening. –Where’s Moony?” he asked Sirius and Peter, scanning the corridor full of students.

–Dunno,” Sirius replied, standing on his toes to try to see over the students.

–Was his Boggart the werewolf who - OOW!” Peter was fairly sure that James had broken several of his toes.

–For Merlin’s sake, Wormtail,” James said. –Don’t just go shouting whatever comes into your head the moment you think of it. Use some sense.”

–Sorry,” Peter muttered, not entirely sure how it came to be that he was apologizing to James as he limbed down the hall after him and Sirius. –But…was it?” he asked.

–I think so,” James said.

–And why was it eating your - – Peter pressed.

–I don’t know,” James replied tersely.

–He’s not here,” Sirius said. He, James, and Peter joined the throng of students heading down to the Great Hall. –Reckon he’s already at dinner?” Sirius asked.

–Dunno,” said James.

–Think we should go look for him?” Sirius asked.

Peter’s stomach rumbled loudly.

–We’ll catch up with him later,” James said. –Let’s get some dinner.”

–Yeah,” Sirius agreed. They walked without talking for a little while. When they reached the marble staircase, Sirius said, –Slugs? Really, Wormtail?”

–Flesh eating slugs!” Peter corrected him, trying to suppress the squeak of fear in his voice. –They’re terrifying!”

–Er…sure they are,” James said with a slight smirk.

–Shut up, you’re afraid of the dark!” Peter snapped.

–I am not afraid of the dark!” James said, perhaps a little more loudly than he had intended. A few people around them turned their heads.

–Of course your not, mate,” Sirius said earnestly. Peter’s stomach growled again. –Come on,” said Sirius, –If we don’t get Wormtail some food soon he might try to eat us.”

Peter scowled but didn’t say anything. He really was very hungry. They made their way down to the Great Hall and to the Gryffindor table. Remus, it transpired, was not there, though this did not really surprise them. They ate quickly but didn’t talk. There were too many people around. Still, even though none of them said anything, Peter was sure that his two friends were thinking about the same thing he was.

Peter had seen pictures of werewolves in his DADA textbooks, and even more in the books that James had pulled in the library on the rainy evening in mid-April in their first year. They had been sufficiently terrifying to convince Peter that he never wanted to go anywhere near a transformed werewolf for as long as he lived, a thought that crept up on him quite often while he worked with James and Sirius on becoming an Animagus, but that he had so far managed to keep mostly to himself. The pictures, however, might have been cartoons of bunnies when compared to the monster that had appeared in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom today. Peter couldn’t stop himself from seeing it in his mind, a huge, hulking beast, with massive claws, haunting, pitiless yellow eyes, and way more fangs than would be necessary to tear Peter into a million little pieces. The large amount of blood that had gushed from James’s severed arm was not helping either.

Peter swallowed. It was going to be a lot harder to pretend he wasn’t scared of werewolves now that he had seen the one who had bitten Remus. Poor Remus, he must have been so scared.

After dinner, Peter, Sirius, and James headed up to Gryffindor Tower. Peter, who had expected Remus to be hiding from them to avoid talking about the Boggart, was surprised when they entered their dormitory to find Remus sitting on his bed as though he had been waiting for them.

–Hey,” said Sirius uncertainly.

–Hi,” said Remus quietly, the look on his face was grim, but determined.

Peter, Sirius, and James each sat down on their beds. There was a short silence.

Sirius broke it. –So, Prongs is afraid of the da- –

–I AM NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK!” James interrupted loudly.

Peter giggled. A grin flitted across Remus’s face.

Sirius smirked. –Just afraid of things that come up behind you in the dark and grab you.”

–Which is a perfectly legitimate thing to be afraid of!” James snapped.

–Oh really?” said Sirius.

–Yes really,” said James.

–Oh really?” said Sirius.

–Yes really,” said James.

–Speaking of things that it is totally legitimate to be afraid of…” said Remus quietly. The other three looked around at him.

–I don’t think,” said Sirius, –that any sod would argue it doesn’t make sense for you to be afraid of the werewolf who attacked you. That thing was bloody terrifying.”

Peter nodded. James shuddered, holding his arm again, apparently unconsciously.

–As for you being afraid it’s going to come back and eat your mates…” Sirius continued, –I would have to say that’s pretty scary too.”

Remus sighed. He looked as though he was stealing himself to make some sort of confession.

–That werewolf,” Remus said, choosing to look at the floor rather than at his friends, –the one the Boggart posed as, it wasn’t the one who attacked me.”

Peter was confused. Judging by the looks on Sirius and James’s faces, so were they.

–So you’re afraid that some other werewolf is going to come and bite off my arm?” James asked. –Why?”

With what seemed like a great effort, Remus looked up at James. –The werewolf the Boggart posed as was…it was me.”

The atmosphere in the room changed. All of the blood seemed to have left James’s face. Even Sirius, who put a great deal of effort into looking haughty and composed, seemed to come apart a bit. Peter’s brain was being attacked again by images of the Boggart-werewolf, with its hungry, feral eyes and bloody fangs.

–Y-you?” stammered the ghostly white James.

–Yes,” said Remus, whose face was almost equally as bloodless. –That’s my greatest fear. I’m afraid of what I become under the full moon. I’m terrified of hurting someone I care about.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. –You guys have worked so hard to become Animagi, and I really do appreciate it, but I still don’t think you realize the danger you’ll all be in. I’ve been living with it every day. And with every step you take closer to finishing your transformations, I worry more. I worry about what will happen if something goes wrong the night you all finally join me.” He sighed. –And now I think you understand why.”

A beat, and then, –What are you saying?” James asked. –Are you saying you don’t want us to come to the Shrieking Shack?”

–What?” exclaimed Sirius. –After all the work we’ve - –

–No,” Remus was quick to interrupt this line of thinking.

–Then what are you saying?” James asked.

Remus seemed to be considering his words very carefully. –I just want you to understand. You three will be risking your lives for me, and you deserve to know what you are facing. To deserve to know that what you saw there wasn’t the creature from my nightmares. It was me. It is me. And it is what you will be facing in the very near future.”

Remus turned to look at each of his friends where sat. –I’m terrified,” he said bluntly, –and I need you to be terrified too. Because you have to be terrified to have any comprehension at all of what the full moon is really going to be like. You have to understand, because if you don’t…then you’re not in any position to be risking your lives,” Remus finished.

–We understand,” said James.

–Don’t just say that,” said Remus.

–I’m not,” James reassured him. –I won’t lie to you Moony, what we saw there, what you become, it was pretty terrifying. And I think you’re right when you say that maybe we didn’t realize the full extent of what we were facing. But we have thought of it, don’t think that we haven’t. We’re not rushing into this blind.”

–We’ve talked about it a lot, actually,” Peter admitted.

–You have?” Remus asked.

–Well we didn’t want to offend you by saying it to your face,” Sirius said, throwing a quick look at Peter. –But yeah, Moony, we spend a lot of time talking behind your back about a great horrible beast you are.”

–In fact,” James chimed in, –we rarely talk of anything else but the inevitable day when you will rip us all into tiny little pieces and dance on our graves.”

–It’s not funny,” Remus said coldly.

–Fine,” said James, –but in all seriousness, we have talked about it. We’ve considered it, and we’ve all made up our minds. So as far as us deciding not to come to the Shrieking Shack with you,” James’s eyes flashed, –I’d like to see you try and stop us.”

–Seconded” said Sirius.

–Me too,” agreed Peter.

–So,” James said, clapping his hands together. –Tell us everything, Moony. Spare no gruesome detail. Tell us and show us everything you need to be convinced that we are prepared for what’s coming. And we in turn will show you that no matter what you say, we will still be there with you.”



And so Remus did. Anything he had ever glossed over when telling his friends what it was like to be a werewolf. Anytime he had hedged and pretended that his injuries weren’t as bad as they were. Everything he had been too afraid to tell them about the damage he had inflicted, both in the Shack and in his parents basement. Things he had been unwilling to admit to himself, about the bloodlust and violent urges he had felt, but been unable to control, in the hazy flashes he could remember of full moons past. How he, as the wolf, had relished the blood and enjoyed the violence.

James, Peter, and Sirius winced, they gaped, they shuddered, and at a few points they looked as though they might be ill. Remus saw the looks that flashed through their eyes they heard his words and remembered the hulking monster from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. But they never wavered. They never asked him to stop. And when it was done, when Remus had confessed every last horror he had inside him, their minds remained unchanged.

They were ready, and Remus knew it. They still had to see the Shrieking Shack before they could really know, but something told Remus that even that would not scare them away. And when the time came for them to face the full moon together, Remus was sure that they would be as prepared as they possibly could be. None of them, not even Remus, could fully know what to expect on that not-so-far-away night.

For that, they would just have to wait and see.



Author's Notes: Reviews are always appreciated! Even if you just want to beat me up for taking so long to update, that's okay, I deserve it!
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On The Wolf's Turf by shewolf2000
Author’s Notes: Thanks so much to Roxy Black for helping me get around the 10000 max and keep this chapter intact!

Yay! First full moon together! Don’t get me wrong, I like chapter eight, but this here is my real comeback chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.



On The Wolf’s Turf

–Blimey, could this tunnel be any longer?” Peter whined.

–Well, it does go all the way to Hogsmeade,” Remus said quietly.

Remus had gotten quieter and quieter the whole way across the grounds and into the tunnel. It wasn’t hard for Sirius to guess why. Remus was about to show them the Shrieking Shack for the first time ever, and even after everything he had told them after his they had seen his Boggart, showing them another physical piece of his monthly horrors seemed to make him extremely uncomfortable.

Sirius, James, and Peter had wanted to see the Shrieking Shack ever since Remus had revealed that it was where he transformed. Remus had been extremely opposed to the idea in the earlier years. He had told them honestly (after more than a bit of badgering) that he didn’t want them to see the damage that he inflicted as the wolf. They had protested, but Remus had insisted, finally making them promise that they would not go to the Shrieking Shack at any time. And though the temptation to throw on James’s Invisibility Cloak and sneak to the Shack without Remus’s knowledge occurred to Sirius, James, and Peter many times, they had never succumb to it, out of respect for Remus.

The tune had changed when the three of them had decided to become Animagi. Sirius had pointed out to Remus that, if they were to join him at full moon, they would inevitably see the inside of the Shack, not to mention the wolf that inhabited it. Remus had told Sirius that he had to finish the Animagus transformation before he would take him to the Shack. Sirius had called Remus an ungrateful sod. Remus had responded with something witty and irritating that Sirius couldn’t remember at the moment, but that had goaded Sirius into hitting Remus with his pillow. After the long pillow fight, which Peter and James had joined in on with enthusiasm, the four of them had all agreed that Remus would take them to the Shack when Remus chose to, but sometime before they joined him at full moon.

Remus had, of course, delayed to the last possible moment. But now that they had all finished the Animagus transformation and had agreed that they would join Remus for the December full moon in two weeks, there was no more putting it off. Remus had finally agreed to show them the werewolf’s prison.

–Are you guys sure you want to see this?” Remus asked even more quietly as they continued down the tunnel.

–How many times do you think he’ll ask us that before we get there?” Sirius asked James.

–Well, he’s already asked seven times since we left the castle, but I figure he’ll probably get the chance to ask four or five more times before we get there because, as Peter pointed out, this is a very long tunnel,” James replied.

–So the fact that we’ve given him the same answer seven times already will make no difference?” Sirius asked.

–Probably not,” replied James.

–I just want to make sure you’re ready,” Remus said defensively.

–We are,” James assured him.

–Come on, Moony, cheer up a bit,” Peter said. –You act like we’re walking to the gallows.”

–Yeah,” said Sirius, –all we’re going to see is a house that’s been subject to over four years worth of vicious werewolf attacks. Sounds like a good time to me.”

–You guys aren’t taking this seriously!” Remus snapped.

–I agree with Wormtail,” said James. –Look, I know this isn’t fun for you, Moony, but you really need to lighten up.”

–If you’re this tense just showing us the Shack, you’re going to be a wreck when full moon comes around,” Peter pointed out.

–Alright,” Remus said. –But don’t say I didn’t warn you. The Shrieking Shack is not very pretty.”

–None of us were expecting it to be,” Sirius said.

Sirius was actually very excited about seeing the Shrieking Shack for the first time. It had been a mystery for so long, the one Hogwarts secret he knew about but had not explored. Remus’s warnings about how horrible it was had only served to convince Sirius that Remus had a rather low opinion of his friends’ nerves. Everything was going to be fine, Sirius was sure of that. Once and for all, Remus needed to understand that they understood what happened to him at the full moon and that they knew it was not his fault. It was an important step they all had to take before joining him at full moon.

–How much longer is this thing?” Peter asked after a brief period of silence.

–Not too much further.” Remus’s voice was barely audible.

More silence. And then…

–OH THERE ONCE WAS A WIZARD CALLED ODO…” James sang at the top of his voice.

–Oi, Prongs!” Sirius shouted. –Stop that now; you’ll make the ceiling cave in.”

–Just trying to break the silence,” James said.

–Surely you can find better ways to do that than cursing us with your dreadful singing voice?” Sirius asked.

–I can recite my list of forty-seven reasons why Evans and I would make a perfect couple,” James offered.

–Merlin, spare us,” Sirius muttered.

–Is it just me or is the tunnel starting to go up?” Peter asked.

It wasn’t just Peter. Sirius could also feel the ground beneath his feet starting to slant upward too. He sped up, past his friends, and moments later, the passage twisted, revealing a small opening at the end. The room beyond was scarcely lighter than the tunnel, which would have been completely black without the four small beams of light coming from the Marauders’ wands. Sirius waited a moment for his friends to catch up.

–We’re here,” James said, his voice oddly hushed.

–You guys ready?” Sirius asked.

–Ready,” Peter and James replied.

They all turned to look at Remus. –Ready,” he whispered, sounding resigned.

–I’ll go first,” Sirius said. And that’s just what he did. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sirius walked the last few steps of the tunnel and pulled himself through the opening.

His first impression was that Remus had been right. Sirius had thought he was ready, thought he could handle seeing the mess Remus made at full moon, but Sirius wasn’t nearly as prepared as he thought. The combined light of his wand and light that managed to find its way between cracks in the boarded-up windows illuminated a scene of total devastation. The floor was littered with overturned and badly broken furniture. Large pieces of wallpaper had been stripped away and Sirius could see deep scratch marks in the wooden walls behind it. Sirius had been prepared for that: the broken furniture and scratches in the walls. What he had not been prepared for were the dark stains that covered the floor, furniture, and walls.

–Bloody hell,” said James, who had come in after Sirius.

–Literally,” Sirius said as Peter climbed in after James.

–Sorry?” James asked.

–Bloody Hell,” Sirius said, his eyes roaming the brown stains. –This place is literally a bloody Hell.”

James walked over to the wall to better examine the scratch marks as the last member of their party made his solemn way through the opening and into the room he already knew well.

–Blimey,” said James, running his fingers along the scratches in the wall, –what big claws you have, Moony.”

Remus said nothing. He was standing just in front of the opening with his arms folded and his head down, staring at the floor.

–I see that werewolves aren’t big on sofas,” Sirius commented, looking from the sofa’s slashed cushions and broken arm to the rest of the furniture. –Or chairs, or tables, or stools…”

–Why did Dumbledore even bother putting furniture in here?” Peter asked. –He must have known it would just get smashed.”

–Make the place comfortable, I s’pose,” James said. –Make it more like house and less like a…” He drifted off.

–Like a cage?” Sirius asked.

–Well…yeah,” James said.

Remus still hadn’t joined in the conversation. He continued to stare at the floor with his head down in what Sirius just now realized was shame. He was embarrassed and ashamed of the wolf had done, even though there was no way he could possibly have stopped it.

And here they were, Remus’s best friends, in the place he endured his monthly physical and mental torture, and all they could do was gape at the wreckage and make commentary on the monster that did it. Sirius now understood why Remus had been so unwilling to bring them here. It was like he was on display. Even if his friends weren’t staring at Remus directly, they were staring at the monster that Remus became through the damage it had caused.

Sirius wanted to say something to cheer Remus up. He wanted to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, that they didn’t think any less of him as a person because of what the wolf had done, and that the furniture probably had it coming anyway. But before he could offer his comfort, Peter spoke.

–Is all this blood yours, Moony?”

Sirius would have hit Peter if they hadn’t been standing on opposite sides of the room.

Remus’s head snapped up. His expression was hard as it rested on Peter. –Who else’s blood would it be?”

There was a deeply unpleasant silence in which everyone stared at Peter and Peter looked horrified.

–I…I didn’t…I didn’t think…I mean…I…”

–You know, Wormtail,” Sirius said coldly over Peter’s stammering, –it would really be nice if you could sometimes turn your brain on before you open your mouth. Merlin, of all of the stupid things you could say…”

–I’m sorry,” Peter whispered. –I really…I really didn’t mean it that way. Honest, Moony, I didn’t. I just meant there’s a lot of blood. I…I’m sorry.”

–It’s okay,” Remus said, but his voice sounded rather hollow. –I forgive you.”

More silence, only slightly less unpleasant, and then…

–Last one upstairs is a Slytherin!” James shouted, promptly bolting through the only door leading out of the room and thundering up the stairs. Sirius, not wanting to be labeled a Slytherin, quickly pursued.

There were two doors leading off of the upstairs landing. James was already investigating the first when Sirius caught up with him. It was a small bathroom with a tub, a sink, and a toilet. Sirius assumed Remus kept this door closed when he transformed because everything was intact. However, there were a lot bloodstains, particularly around the tub. Pushing the image of a beaten and bleeding Remus dragging himself to the tub firmly out of his mind, Sirius turned from the bathroom back to the landing, where he saw Peter and Remus waiting.

–What’s in there?” Peter asked.

–Toilet,” James responded as he emerged.

–Let’s see what’s behind door number two,” Sirius said, taking the handle and pushing it open.

They all filed inside and Sirius took in his surroundings. It was a fairly sparse bedroom with only two pieces of furniture: a four-poster bed, not unlike the ones in their dormitory, and a large wooden wardrobe. Both were covered in scratches and bite marks, but unbroken. Sirius guessed that they had been enchanted not to break, or perhaps they were just too big and sturdy even for a werewolf. The floor and walls of this room much resembled the ones in the rest of the house: scratched and blood stained. There was an unbroken lamp on the ceiling, too high for the werewolf to reach. With a flick of his wand, Sirius lit the lamp, giving the room a modest amount of light. Oddly, putting the scratches and bloodstains in a better light did not make them one bit less ugly.

–Well, I guess that ends our tour, gentlemen,” Sirius said, turning back to his companions. –Lovely place you’ve got here, Moony. But, you know, I think it could use a paint job.”

–Among other things,” said James.

–We could help you spruce the place up if you like,” Sirius offered.

–That’s okay,” Remus said. –It’d be a bit of a waste, I’d just wreck it all again.”

–Hopefully you won’t,” James said. –I figure you’ll be a little distracted next full moon, what with the three of us running around.”

–You guys sure you still want to do this?” Remus asked.

–You’re a broken record, Moony,” James said.

–What’s a record?” asked Peter.

–It’s a Muggle thing,” James explained. –We learned about it in Muggle Studies. They use records to play music, but when a record is broken, it just plays the same clip of music over and over and over. So when you call someone a broken record, you’re saying that they’ve been repeating themselves a lot, and it’s starting to get quite annoying.”

–I’m just making sure-” Remus began.

–Yeah, we know, Moony,” James said.

–We’re not chickening out now,” Sirius said. –We’ve spent too damn long becoming Animagi to back out now.”

–And you guys aren’t scared?” Remus asked. –Even now that you seen, well…this,” he said, gesturing vaguely around the room at the bloodstains and scratches.

–No,” said James, –we’re not.”

–We’re not afraid of you,” Sirius assured Remus. –If we were the furniture, we would fear you, but I think we can hold our own against a werewolf.”

–Yeah,” said Peter, –and remember what Prongs’s book said: werewolves don’t attack other animals. And the one book said that being around an Animagus helps bring out a werewolf’s human side. You might even recognize us after you’ve transformed.”

Sirius could see a small glimmer of hope appearing in Remus’s eyes as Peter spoke. Peter really did surprise him sometimes. There were times, the moment downstairs being a prime example, when Peter was a complete idiot. And yet, there were other times when Peter showed potential for real intelligence. Remus loved books, and he trusted them, so reminding Remus of things that had been said in books was, in Sirius’s opinion, a very clever way to cheer Remus up. Even Remus couldn’t negate something that had been written in a library book.

But, of course, he would try.

–But that was only one Animagus and one werewolf,” Remus said. –How do we know it will work the same for us just because it worked for them?”

–We don’t,” James said simply. –But were going to try.”

–But what if…” Remus said.

–Moony, don’t you want us to come here for the full moon?” Sirius asked.

–Well…yes, I do…it’s just…”

–Then stop trying to talk us out of it,” Sirius said.

Remus sighed. –You’re right,” he said quietly. –I’m just worried. I just keep thinking about…about what if…what if…” He buried him face in one hand and didn’t finish the sentence.

–We’re not going to let you hurt us,” James reassured him. –Honest, Moony, we’re not. I know we don’t have the best reputation when it comes avoiding danger and using common sense and all that nonsense, but we do know better than to mess around when it comes to this.”

–Good,” said Remus, lifting his face from his hand, –because you guys know that I would much rather you guys left me to hurt myself than to wake up the next morning and find out that I hurt one of you.”

–Yeah, we know,” said Sirius, –we saw the Boggart. We’re not going to let that happen. For your sake and our own.”

Sirius looked over at James who - to no one’s surprise - had taken his right arm in his left and was feeling it to make sure it was still attached to his body.

–Yeah, ‘cause just think,” said Peter. –If you took off Prongs’s arm, he would never be able to play Quidditch again.”

The hazel eyes behind James’s glasses widened. There was a wicked glint in them. –Never play Quidditch again!” he yelled melodramatically, –NOOOOO!!! Get me out of here!!!” And he ran back out of the room and down the stairs, still yelling.

Remus’s winced at the volume of James’s screams. –Could he be any louder?”

Sirius shrugged. –Well, I don’t think it really matters,” he said, walking out onto the landing and leading the way down the stairs after James. –I mean, this place is already called the Shrieking Shack. I don’t think any of the villagers will be too fazed.”

Sirius, Peter, and Remus reached the bottom of the stairs, walked back across the first floor, and squeezed back through the opening into the tunnel. They found James a short way down the tunnel, lying on the tunnel floor in fetal position still pretending to be traumatized by the idea of never playing Quidditch again. You had to admire his commitment to a bit

–Come on, Prongs’s, stand up,” Sirius said, pretending to comfort his ailing friend. –Wormtail was only joking. Moony’s not going to rip off your arm and you’re going to be able to play lots and lots of Quidditch for the rest of your life, okay?”

–Qu-Quidditch…” James stammered.

I took quite a bit of cajoling to get James to abandon his joke and get off of the tunnel floor. He then promptly challenged Peter to a race back to the Willow. James took off down the tunnel, Peter scrambling after him. Remus sighed and followed. Sirius turned back to look at the small opening behind them. In two weeks they would be back here. They would see for themselves the horrible transformation the house had witnessed several dozen times, and they would know if their efforts at becoming Animagi had been worth it.

Were they?

The was only one way to find out.



Two weeks later

–Gods, this place hasn’t gone much better since we last saw it, eh?” James asked.

No, it hadn’t. It hadn’t changed at all in fact. The Shrieking Shack look just as thoroughly depressing as it had when they had come to visit it two weeks before, only without the gloomy presence of Remus Lupin. Not for long though.

–We should go upstairs,” Sirius said. –It wouldn’t do for Madame Pomfery to see us here when she delivers Moony. I imagine she might protest to our presence, and that would take a lot of explaining.”

–Agreed,” James said. –And I imagine our explanations about becoming Animagi illegally would not go over all that well.”

–Are you guys kidding?!” Peter exploded. –Of course she can’t know we’re here! We’d be expelled!”

–Yes, we were kidding, actually,” James said calmly. –You worry me sometimes, Wormtail.”

They pushed open the door to the hall and headed up the stairs. Once they reached the landing, James opened the door to the bedroom and they went inside. Sirius lit the lamp on the ceiling while James stored his Invisibility Cloak in the wardrobe, where it would be safe, along with his, Sirius’s, and Peter’s coats.

Peter sat down on the bed. –Are you guys scared?” he asked suddenly.

–Gryffindors don’t get scared,” James said dismissively, closing the wardrobe and turning to face Peter.

–This from the Gryffindor who dissolved into basket case at the mere suggestion that he might never be able to play Quidditch again,” Sirius said.

James chuckled, but Peter didn’t. –So if I get scared, does that mean I’m not supposed to be in Gryffindor?” he asked.

–I don’t think that’s right,” Sirius said, sitting on the bed beside Peter. –Gryffindors are brave, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get scared.”

–You can’t be brave and scared at the same time,” James said, taking a seat next to Sirius.

–Sure you can.”

–How?”

–Well,” Sirius said, –I think now is a perfect example. We’re about to face a werewolf that could probably tear us to bits if it wanted to, which is a pretty scary thought. But even if part of us is scared, we’re not running away. We’re staying right here to face the danger, and that’s pretty brave. We’re scared of what might happen, but brave enough to not let our fear stand in our way.”

–So you are a little scared then?” Peter asked Sirius.

–I’m a little nervous,” Sirius admitted. –But I’m more excited.”

–You don’t really think the wolf will tear us to bits, do you?” Peter asked in very small voice.

–No, I don’t think so,” said Sirius. –But, then again, what do I know?”

–That’s reassuring, Padfoot,” Peter said dully.

–Wormtail, do you remember what I promised you when we decided to become Animagi?” James asked. –I told you we would protect you from the big, scary werewolf, and I intend to keep that promise. So stop worrying! Everything will be fine, trust me.”

–Okay, Prongs, I’ll trust you.”

–Excellent,” James said, jumping off the bed and starting to pace in front of them. –Now enough of this ‘tear us to bits’ nonsense. Let’s think about what we’re going to do assuming the wolf doesn’t thirst for our blood.”

–I guess we just need to keep him distracted,” Peter said. –So he doesn’t go back to his old pastime of eating himself and the furniture.”

–Really, Wormtail, is that what we need to do?” James asked sarcastically. –Gosh, and I thought we were here to scratch our arses and let Remus run a muck. Silly me.”

–It’s just lucky Captain Points-Out-The-Obvious-A-Lot was here to set you straight,” said Sirius.

–You guys are real prats, you know that?”

–Sshhh!” James hissed suddenly. –I heard something.”

–It’s okay, Madame Pomfrey, I think I can make it from here.” Remus’s was clearly speaking a bit louder than was strictly necessary for Madame Pomfrey to hear him to give his friends warning that they were approaching. Silently as they could, the three boys tiptoed across the room to listen at the slightly ajar door.

–Well, alright then, Remus,” Madame Pomfrey’s voice replied distantly. –I’ll be back for you in the morning. Good luck.”

–Thank you.” Remus’s voice was closer, just downstairs.

–We should jump out and scare him when he comes up,” Sirius whispered. James and Peter nodded in agreement.

They heard Remus cross the room downstairs and enter the hall. –Hello?” he called up the stairs. –Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail? Are you guys here?”

–On three,” Sirius whispered.

–Hello?” Remus called again, starting to climb the stairs.

–One…two…three!” Sirius, James, and Peter charged onto the landing, yelling like idiots, and Remus nearly jumped out of his skin.

–Hiya Moony!” James said, grinning down at his friend.

–You guys - just gave me - a heart attack,” Remus panted, one hand on his chest, the other clutching the stair railing for support.

–Well, once you’ve recovered, could you come and join us up in the bedroom?” James asked. –We’re making plans.”

Remus glared at them but continued up the stairs and followed them back into the bedroom. In the light cast by the ceiling lamp, Sirius could see that Remus looked ill and suspected that it had nothing to do with his recent heart attack. He was always pale and shaky before full moon, but they had never seen him mere minutes before a transformation. Sirius saw that his paler was now tinged with green and he was shaking worse than ever.

–You look well,” Sirius commented.

–Yeah, well, you would too if you were about to change into a werewolf,” Remus said, taking a seat on the bed the others had recently vacated.

–How long before moonrise?” Peter asked.

–Seven or eight minutes probably,” Remus said, running a shaking hand through his hair. –We’d usually get here earlier, but Madame Pomfrey had a lot of patients today and she had to get them settled before she could meet me.”

–Is there something we should do before then?” James asked, watching his pale and shaky friend with deep concern.

Remus managed a small smile. –Last chance to flee, I suppose.”

–Nope,” said James, –we’re staying put.”

–You guys are ready to transform?” Remus asked.

Sirius took the cue to transform into the great black dog. Padfoot, the dog, jumped up onto the bed beside his friend and stuck his wet nose in Remus’s ear, sniffing.

–Ack! Padfoot, that’s cold!” Remus exclaimed, pushing the dog away from his ear while James and Peter laughed. Padfoot stuck out his tongue and licked Remus’s cheek. –You stupid great mutt,” Remus muttered, pushing the dog away once more.

The dog wagged its tail and then changed back into a human. –Moony, mate, that’s just how canines show affection,” Sirius explained. –Just be grateful I didn’t sniff your arse.”

–I am,” Remus assured him. –Oh so very grateful.” He shuddered. The moon, it seemed, was getting closer. –It’s almost here,” he whispered. He looked at his friends. –Could I ask you guys a favor?”

–Shoot,” said James.

–Can you guys leave for the…the transformation? I don’t want you to see it.”

Sirius exchanged looks with his friends and knew they were thinking the same thing he was. They had all been quite curious about seeing the transformation process. They knew it was very different from the smooth transformations Sirius had just made. Also, how many people got to witness a werewolf transformation? They really wanted to see it happen.

But looking at their pale and shaking friend, the boys knew that there was only one thing to do.

–’Course,” Sirius said, getting up from the bed. –We’ll wait outside.”

Sirius, James, and Peter all headed for the door.

–See you in a few minutes,” James said.

–Just remember what we agreed,” Remus said. –If I get too dangerous, just leave. Don’t stay if it means I’ll hurt you.”

–We know, Moony,” James assured him.

–And…”

Sirius, James, and Peter all turned back in the doorway to face Remus, still sitting on the bed.

–And, thank you,” Remus said.

Sirius smiled at him. –Here’s to a new full moon regime.”

Remus nodded. It didn’t seem that he could manage a smile. The other three left, pulling the door halfway closed behind them. It wouldn’t have been wise close any doors completely, as they would all be severely lacking in opposable thumbs in a few minutes time.

They walked down to the end of the landing, near the top of the staircase. Sirius checked his watch, but as he wasn’t sure of the exact time the moon would rise, knowing the time was pretty useless to him. He looked over at James to see that James had taken out his wand. Catching Sirius’s eye, James tapped the wall with his wand and raised his eyebrows at Sirius. Sirius understood.

–Do you think?” he whispered under his breath. He didn’t dare speak any louder or Remus might hear him.

–Worth a shot,” James breathed back.

Over the summer, Sirius and James had learned a useful little spell from a book on magical techniques of spying and eavesdropping (it had become akin to holy scripture to the two boys). The spell made it so that you could see through part of a wall. The brilliance of the spell was that while the wall on the caster’s side became transparent, the opposite side of the wall looked solid and the same as ever. It was a perfect way to spy without being detected.

Most Wizarding dwellings had protective spells on the walls to block the use of spells such as these. They had been unable to use it on any of the walls at the Potter manor and had yet to find a wall in Hogwarts that would yield to the spell. Dumbledore was sure to have put the most advanced protective spells known to Wizards on the outer walls of the Shrieking Shack so no nosy villagers or visitors would be able see into the building. However, there was always a chance he hadn’t bothered with these sorts of spells on the inner walls of the Shack. Dumbledore wouldn’t have seen them necessary, believing that the only people who would ever visit the building would be Remus and Madame Pomfrey. And anyway, if anyone did manage to come to the Shrieking Shack at the full moon to spy on Remus, they would have far worse problems to deal with than the fact that that person could see through the walls. And if Dumbledore hadn’t bothered, then the boys would be able to watch Remus transform without Remus ever having to know about it.

Softly, almost inaudibly, James muttered the incantation and tapped his wand twice on the wall. Quite suddenly, a gaping hole appear in the wall in front of them; a spot where the wall had become completely transparent, allowing them to see into the bedroom.

Peter gasped. Sirius nudged him and put a finger to his own lips. Together, Sirius, Peter, and James all stared through it into the bedroom. Remus was no longer on the bed, but standing in the middle of the room. He had removed his jacket and, presumably, stored it in the wardrobe with theirs. He was pale green and quaking from head to foot, but he stood straight-backed, ready to face his fate. The true definition of Gryffindor courage in the face of his fears.

As Sirius watched Remus, he felt a lurch in the pit of his stomach. Everything was becoming so real all of a sudden. Remus’s was about to transform right before their eyes, and then his being a werewolf would no longer be just a concept to his friends, but something real that they had witnessed. Sirius had imagined this so many times as he had anticipated joining Remus for the full moon, but he was no longer in a theoretical situation. He was really about to face a real werewolf in real life. For real.

His stomach lurched again, and he swallowed. He was a Gryffindor too; he would be brave.

Nothing happened for another minute or so. Then, without warning, Remus went ridged. Behind Remus, Sirius could see the sliver of a silver glow coming through a crack in one of the boarded window. The moon was rising. And then there was screaming. How Remus could criticize James for the volume of his screams was beyond him, because Remus’s screams were at least twice as loud and about a thousand times more terrible. It was small wonder why the villagers all feared this place. Remus crumpled, still screaming, and fell to all fours. And then his body began to change.

It was, without a doubt, one of the most horrible things Sirius had ever witnessed in his life. Remus’s limbs were contorting. His robes vanished to be replaced with thick, matted fur. Sirius recalled how easily his own body melded and adapted as he changed from human form to canine form and back again. Remus’s body was much more reluctant to change. Sirius could almost hear Remus’s bones snapping as they shifted and grew. It was as if his body was being torn apart before being reassembled into a form that was not his own. All the while, Remus continued to scream and shriek as if every fiber of his body was on fire. And then his face elongated, and the screams turned into howls of pain and misery.

And then it was over. Remus was gone. Not so much as a hint of Sirius’s friend remained behind. All there was was a wolf. A massive and rather mean looking wolf. A massive, mean, and hungry looking werewolf.

The werewolf turned to stare directly at Sirius, as if it could see straight through the bedroom wall. But that was impossible…

Something poked him, hard, on his right shoulder blade. Sirius ripped his eyes away from the wolf and turned around. Standing behind him was large deer. Prongs. Prongs had just poked him with one of his giant antlers. At the same time, Sirius felt something on his ankle and looked down to see a pudgy rat clawing at the hem of his robes as if to get his attention.

The hem of his robes. His robes. He was still wearing robes. He was still human. He had been so caught up in watching Remus, he had forgotten to change into a dog. The werewolf hadn’t been able to see through the wall at all, but it could smell human prey just on the other side, and it was now moving with alarming speed towards the bedroom door.

Bugger!

Sirius quickly changed into the great black dog, but the damage had still been done. The werewolf had smelled the scent of human, and it was going to go after it.

Prongs was the first one to race down the stairs. He must have been practicing moving with his antlers, because he didn’t get stuck once. Padfoot knew that if he had had antlers like that, he would have been crashing into things left and right and would never have made it down the narrow staircase so efficiently. Wormtail scampered quickly after Prongs and Padfoot hurried to catch up. A growling on the upstairs landing told him the werewolf was just behind them.

Prongs, Wormtail, and Padfoot flew through the door at the bottom landing and across the large downstairs room. They skidded to a halt and turned around to face the doorway just in time to see the werewolf stalking into the room. It had lost the trace of human scent, but it certainly seemed that it hadn’t forgotten it. It was sniffing madly and looked irritated. Then it caught sight of the other animals across the room. For a moment, it looked surprised and confused; it had never had company before after all. But it quickly recovered from its surprise and narrowed its eyes. It looked suspiciously at each of them, as if trying to decide which of them was hiding the human. Wormtail gave a frightened squeak and clawed his way up one of Prongs’s back leg, coming to rest on Prongs’s back with his small face buried in Prongs’s fur, shaking. The werewolf cocked its head slightly at the noise. It had never heard a noise like that before and seemed to find it intriguing. It watched the quivering rat on the stag’s back for a minute then turned to stare at Padfoot.

Padfoot met the werewolf’s gaze unflinchingly. He stared deep into the monster’s eyes, trying desperately to see something of Moony inside them. The werewolf advanced on him, slowly, examining him from snout to tail. Sizing him up.

But Padfoot wasn’t afraid. He knew - he didn’t know how he knew, but he knew - that the werewolf wasn’t going to attack him. It didn’t look hungry or angry anymore. But its eyes were drilling into Padfoot, studying him, trying to understand who he was and what he was doing here.

The werewolf didn’t stop when it reached Padfoot, but instead it started to circle around the great dog. Padfoot started to turn. No way, Padfoot thought, if you think I’m going to expose my backside to you, you are sorely -

The werewolf growled at him.

Or, you know, I could stay still and let you do whatever you want. That’s cool too.

Padfoot stayed perfectly still as the werewolf circled around him. It came to a stop right behind Padfoot, and Padfoot braced himself for whatever the werewolf had planned. The werewolf got right up close behind him, stuck its snout right next to his tail…and sniffed his butt.

If Padfoot had been human, he would burst out laughing. –Moony, mate, that’s just how canines show affection.” It was too perfect. Since he wasn’t human and couldn’t laugh, Padfoot settled on wagging his tail enthusiastically to show his happiness. His wagging tail caught the werewolf in the face as he withdrew his snout from Padfoot’s hindquarters. Whoops. Padfoot turned to face the werewolf, wondering what his reaction would be. But the werewolf didn’t look angry, just a little bemused.

And then, Padfoot and werewolf were circling each other, sniffing to their hearts’ content. The werewolf’s tail started wagging in imitation of the dog’s, increasing Padfoot’s delight. After a minute, the werewolf stopped circling and allowed Padfoot to come up behind him, and Padfoot, in full canine affection, sniffed the werewolf’s butt.

Holy mother of…

Padfoot rapidly withdrew his snout. They lived in a castle in mountains of Scotland, for Merlin’s sake! Where exactly had Remus managed to get hold of a spicy bean and cheese burrito?

Padfoot and the werewolf continued to sniff each other, Padfoot being careful to sniff only the werewolf’s front half. After it seemed the werewolf had sufficiently sniffed his canine companion, he turned his attention to the stag, who had done nothing so far but stand and watch. The werewolf sniffed Prongs eagerly, but Prongs didn’t seem to feel the need to sniff him back. Prongs didn’t have eyebrows to raise, but even so, Prongs sent Padfoot a quizzical look as he had his stag’s body sniffed from antler to hoof by the curious werewolf.

As the werewolf was sniffing Prongs’s back, it came across the quivering lump that was Wormtail. Sensing the werewolf’s proximity, Wormtail slowly raised his head out of Prongs’s fur to stare in terror at the werewolf. Padfoot saw his small, watery eyes taking in the werewolf’s long, pointed fangs, which were set into a mouth large enough that it could probably have finished off the pudgy rat in a single swallow. That, however, did not seem to be the werewolf’s intent. It brought its snout right up to Wormtail and sniffed the rat from his pointed nose down to his bald, worm-like tail. Then it backed away from Wormtail and went back to sniffing Prongs’s antlers.

Such relief Padfoot had never seen cross a rat’s face in his life. Wormtail let out a squeak that was something like a sigh, sinking momentarily back into Prongs’s fur, before bouncing up, climbing quickly down the stag’s leg, and rushing over to Padfoot. Wormtail then started doing figure eights around Padfoot’s front and back legs as his own way of showing his excitement. It was a kind of –the werewolf didn’t eat me” happy dance that he was sharing with Padfoot, which Padfoot found deeply amusing.

Meanwhile, Prong’s and werewolf had started to chase each other around the room. First, Prong’s would chase the werewolf for a few laps of the room, then the werewolf would change direction and chase Prong’s for a few laps, then Prong’s would turn around and start chasing the werewolf again. They both seemed to be having a blast, running around the room, leaping over and ducking behind the broken furniture. Padfoot looked down at Wormtail, who had stopped his happy dance to watch Prongs and the werewolf. Wormtail looked up at Padfoot, and they exchanged a look. Then, simultaneously, they both charged forward to join the chase.

The four of them chased each other around in a game that didn’t really seem to have any rules except that you were either running after or away from someone else. And as the four of them played together, Padfoot noticed something. A change seemed to have come over the werewolf. He could see it in the wolf’s gleaming yellow eyes. It was no longer the mean and hungry looking predator Padfoot had seen staring at him from the bedroom. It wasn’t the aggressively curious beast that had sniffed him and Prongs and Wormtail. And as the werewolf bounded over a broken chair away from a pursuing Prongs and then sprang after a skittering Wormtail, Padfoot realized what had changed. It was no longer a monster whose only purpose was hunt and destroy and feed. It was no longer the vicious beast that howled in misery as it chewed its own flesh. It was no longer a solitary creature. Now, it had friends. Now, it had someone with whom to share the time.

Now, it was no longer just a werewolf.

Now, he was Moony.

Thrilled and joyful, Padfoot leapt after Moony and bit his friend playfully on the ear. Moony came back at him, pouncing on him and pinning to the ground before becoming distracted by Wormtail, who once again came skittering across the floor in front of them. The chase continued. It was amazing fun. Here’s to a new full moon regime, Padfoot thought.

However, after an hour or so of running, Padfoot noticed that Wormtail seemed to be wearing down. Finally Wormtail scurried into a corner and collapsed, completely exhausted. Not long after, Prongs also broke away from the chase and went to go rest beside Wormtail. Padfoot and Moony continued to chase each other, but after another twenty minutes or so, Padfoot also felt he needed a break. Prongs, having rested for a while, stood to take Padfoot’s place in the chase, and Padfoot went over and curled up beside Wormtail, who had fallen asleep.

For the next few hours, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail all took turns entertaining Moony while the other two rested. Moony didn’t seem to be tiring at all, but Padfoot hadn’t really expected him too. Although Moony seemed to really enjoy playing with Padfoot and Prongs, Padfoot could tell he liked Wormtail the best. Moony found the rat fascinating. Wormtail would run around the room and Moony would try desperately to catch him, but Wormtail was small and quick and able to evade Moony’s large clawed paws. Then Wormtail would start doing figure eight-like patterns around Moony’s legs, and Moony would get dizzy trying to follow him and keep him in sight. Then Wormtail would climb up on Moony’s back, and Moony would run in circles, like he was chasing his tail, trying to see where Wormtail had gone. Then Wormtail would dismount Moony and scamper away across the floor, and the pattern would start over again.


There were no clocks in the Shrieking Shack, but if Padfoot had had to guess at the time when Moony finally got bored of chasing, he would have said it was somewhere between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning. Prongs was taking his turn chasing Moony when Moony suddenly turned away from Prongs and slunk out of the room through the door to the stairs. Prongs shot another quizzical look over at Padfoot, then turned to look back at the doorway through which Moony had just disappeared. Padfoot jumped slightly as a loud bark sounded from the stairs. It seemed as if Moony wanted them to follow him. Padfoot nudged Wormtail with his paw to wake him up, and together they and Prongs followed Moony upstairs.

Moony led them through the only open door on the landing, the one that went back into the bedroom. Once they were all inside, Moony jumped up onto the bed, circled a few times, and finally curled. It seemed they had finally managed to tire the werewolf out. He stared at them for a moment with gleaming yellow eyes, then let out another loud bark.

They took the hint. Padfoot obediently jumped up onto the bed beside Moony and curled up as well. There was no room for Prongs on the bed, so he settled himself down on the floor right beside the bed. Wormtail climbed onto the bed and balled himself up on Padfoot’s back. Padfoot watched as Moony’s eyelids drooped and he let out a sleepy sigh. Prongs had already shut his eyes and put his head down. Padfoot could feel Wormtail’s slow deep breathing on his back. Padfoot closed his eyes too; he was exhausted.


A couple of hours later, Padfoot opened his eyes again. Everything in the room was still and silent, and at first, Padfoot didn’t realize what had woken him. Then he noticed that Moony was no longer on the bed beside him. Padfoot’s panic of having lost Moony lasted only long enough for Padfoot to turn around and see Moony standing right next to the bed on the opposite side from where Prongs was still sleeping.

I guess naptime’s over then.

But then Padfoot saw that Moony was shaking slightly where he stood. Padfoot watched silently as the shaking slowly became more violent. Moony didn’t look at Padfoot. He seemed lost in his own world. Then the werewolf let out a loud, agonizing howl of pain. This woke Prongs and Wormtail quite effectively. Prongs bashed his antlers on one of the posts at the end of the bed as he jumped to his hooves. Wormtail let out a frightened squeak and dug his sharp little paws into Padfoot’s back, but Padfoot barely noticed. The werewolf continued to howl as it shrank. The muzzle retracted back into the skull and howls became screams. The bones were snapping again, but this time they rearranged themselves into much more familiar human features. The fur disappeared and was replaced Hogwarts robes.

And then the wolf was gone. There was no trace of it left. There was only Remus.

Remus’s screams died away and he panted for breath, still down on all fours. Then he collapsed to the floor and passed out completely. Swiftly, Padfoot dislodged the rat from his back and jumped off of the bed. He changed back into Sirius and knelt on the floor beside his unconscious friend. James, returned to human form as well, walked around the foot of the bed and sat down next to Sirius. Peter, also human again, peered down at them from his perch on the end of the bed.

–Is he alright?” Peter asked timidly, his voice even squeakier than usual. –I mean, it’s normal for him to pass out after he transforms back, right? That’s what he told us, isn’t it?”

–I think so,” James said uncertainly. Remus was lying on his side and was a pale as a corpse.

–Well, he’s still breathing,” Sirius said.

–That’s a good sign,” Peter said seriously.

–No kidding, Wormtail,” Sirius said dryly.

They all sat in silence for a minute, looking at Remus, before James asked, –Should we put him up on the bed?”

–Err,” Sirius said, –I’m not sure if we should move him just yet. Not right after he just transformed. We don’t want to hurt him.”

–Good point,” said James.

–Here, Wormtail, hand me that pillow,” Sirius said.

Peter obliged. Carefully, James lifted Remus’s head and Sirius slid the pillow underneath it. And before Sirius could even ask for it, Peter had gotten the blanket out from under himself and held it out for Sirius to take. Together, Sirius and James put the blanket over Remus.

–So…what do we do now?” Sirius asked.

–Wait for him to wake up, I suppose,” said James. He stretched and yawned. –So, did everyone have fun last night?”

–I got a lot of exercise,” said Sirius.

–Me too,” said Peter. –I think I lost ten pounds.”

Sirius seriously doubted that. He exchanged a look with James and could tell by James’s half smile that he was thinking the same thing.

–Blimey, I’m tired,” James said, yawning again. –Do you think Madame Pomfrey would mind if we just crashed in the hospital wing this morning with Remus instead of going to lessons?”

–I don’t know that she’d mind so much,” Sirius replied. –But it might make her a little suspicious.”

–She never asks too many questions,” said James.

–That’s true,” said Sirius.

–Although, we might have a problem when McGonagall comes to see why we weren’t in Transfiguration,” said James.

–We skive off class all the time,” Sirius pointed out.

–Yeah, but to catch up on sleep because we spent the night chasing around a werewolf as illegal Animagi?”

–We don’t have to tell her that.”

–But she’d still probably be suspicious if we all skip right after full moon.”

–Yeah, especially if we do it every month, which is how it will be from now on, won’t it?” Sirius asked.

–Yeah,” James said. He smiled down at Remus. –Remind me to tell Moony ‘I told you so’ when he wakes up,” he instructed Sirius.

–Sure,” said Sirius.

–’Cause I did tell him so.”

–I know you did.”

–And, okay, maybe wasn’t completely in his right human mind, but he still didn’t attack us or himself, so I count that as a total victory!”

–I agree,” said Sirius. –And he did seem a bit like Moony sometimes too.”

–Yeah, I noticed that,” James said excitedly. –Especially later on. I mean, in the beginning, he wasn’t too happy, but then he kind of…changed. And think he was really happy to have us there.”

–He did seem happy,” Sirius said. –And then-” But Sirius was cut off by James, who had burst out laughing. –What is it?” Sirius asked.

–I just remembered,” James laughed, –canine affection!”

–I know!” Sirius said. –Merlin, I hope he remembers that!”

–It was hilarious,” James said. –Didn’t you think so, Wormtail?”

Peter didn’t answer.

–Wormtail?”

–I think he’s asleep, mate,” Sirius said. And, sure enough, a second later Peter let out a great snore.

–Wow,” said James. –He’s a good sleeper. Should we wake him up?”

–Nah,” said Sirius, –let’s wait until Moony-”

Remus groaned.

–Moony?” James asked.

Remus groaned again and rolled onto his back. Then he was still again.

–Well…he moved,” said Sirius.

–Yeah,” said James.

Remus opened his eyes.

–Morning!” said James.

Remus seemed a little out of it, like anyone when they first wake up in the morning, but he smiled a little as his eyes found James and he said weakly, –Hey, you’re here.”

–No I’m not,” said James. –I’m just an illusion of your mind.”

–That’s really helpful, Prongs,” Sirius said.

Remus’s eyes were taking in the room. –We’re in the Shrieking Shack,” he said.

–Yeah,” said James. –You just transformed back. How are you feeling?”

Remus shifted a little. Then, slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position. –Actually,” he said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand, –I feel great.”

–Great by normal standards or by just after full moon standards?” James asked.

–Just after full moon,” Remus said.

–Well that’s something,” said Sirius.

–Yeah,” said Remus. His voice was hushed with amazement and he was grinning again. –Yeah, it is.”

–Oi, Wormtail!” Sirius said, reaching up to prod Peter. –Wake up you great lump and say good morning.”

–Hmm?” Peter said, opening his eyes. He saw Remus. –Moony, you’re awake!”

–Yeah, I am,” said Remus. He was examining his arms and feeling his face and neck. –No scratches or bites or anything,” he said in the same hushed and amazed tone.

–Well of course not!” said Sirius. –You were much to busy chasing us around in circles to bite or scratch yourself.”

–Do you remember anything?” James asked eagerly.

–Yeah, I do,” Remus said. He was positively beaming now. –I actually do!”

–Well?” asked James. –What do you remember?”

–Err,” Remus said. He frowned slightly in confusion. –There was a human.”

–Yes,” said James. –That would be Padfoot being an idiot.”

–I just forgot to change for minute,” Sirius said defensively.

–Padfoot! How could you? I could have bitten you! I could have-”

–Calm down, Moony,” James said sternly. –Nothing happened, okay? He was just a couple seconds too late and you were still in the other room. It wasn’t even a close call. Now what else do you remember?”

Remus took a deep breath. –Well, I remember seeing you - we were downstairs = and I didn’t know why you were there at first, but then…” He closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his head. –I don’t think I knew who you were exactly…but I think…I think I knew you were okay…that you were my friends.”

–That’s great!” James said.

Remus opened his eyes and smiled at him. –Yeah, it is!” he said. –And then…” His eyes fell on Sirius. His smile vanished to be replaced with a look of mild horror, and Sirius knew exactly what he was remembering. –Oh please tell me I didn’t…”

–Sniff my arse? Yes you did,” Sirius said grinning. –And did it smell lemony fresh?”

James and Peter laughed as Remus groaned, drew his knees up to his chest, and buried his head.

–But wait!” Remus said, his head snapping up again. –You sniffed me too!”

–I was just being polite,” Sirius said unashamedly. –We need to talk about your diet, by the way.”

–What else do you remember, Moony?” Peter asked.

–A lot of running,” Remus said.

–Not surprising,” said James, –seeing as that’s what we did most of the night.”

–And there was this little rodent…”

–That would be Wormtail,” Sirius said.

Remus looked up at Peter on the bed. –Yeah, Wormtail,” he said, –and he was running all over the place. I couldn’t catch him.”

–But you tried pretty damn hard,” Peter said.

–Wormtail reckons he lost ten pounds last night,” Sirius told Remus. Sirius saw James biting his lip as he fought back a smile, but Remus looked worried.

–Wormtail, I’m sorry,” Remus said. –You must have been really scared. I shouldn’t have been chasing you. I-”

–Moony, it’s okay,” Peter said. –I had fun. I really did.”

–Really?” Remus asked.

–Yeah, really,” Peter replied.

Remus looked relieved.

–So, Moony,” James said in a business-like way, –wouldn’t you say that by all standards last night went extremely well?”

–Yeah,” Remus agreed, –it went great!”

–Well then,” said James, –there was something I wanted to tell you.”

–Yeah?” said Remus.

–Com’ere,” James said secretively.

Remus leaned closer to James.

–Closer,” James said.

Remus leaned closer. James cleared his throat.

–I TOLD YOU SO!” James said loudly.

Remus grabbed his head. –Ears…ringing…so much…pain!”

–Your not the only one,” Sirius said. –Keep it down to a dull roar will you, mate?”

–Well I did,” James said stubbornly, –I did tell him so. And I will now be happy to accept your full apology, Moony, for all of the pointless yelling, and worrying, and doubting you’ve done over the last two and a half years. Feel free to include long sections praising my brilliance and declaring your undying gratitude for me never letting you talk me out of it. Poetry isn’t strictly necessary, but, you know, go with whatever feels right. Any time you’re ready.”

James folded his arms and looked at Remus expectantly.

Remus raised an eyebrow. –Did you want that with flowers and chocolates, Prongs?”

Sirius and Peter laughed.

–No,” said James, –just a simple acknowledgment that I am brilliant and that you will never be as brilliant as I am, and a promise that will never question the divine brilliance of any future plans no matter how stupid they sound to your less-brilliant mind.”

Remus sighed. –Okay Prongs, here it is,” he paused dramatically. –You were right. You told me so.”

–YES!” James cheered. –And you can buy me those chocolates next time we’re in Hogsmeade.”

–Alright then Prongs,” Remus agreed.

–Speaking of chocolate,” Peter said excitedly, –let’s bring snacks next time!”

–Yeah!” Sirius agreed. –And maybe a ball. You know, something puncture proof.”

–I like that,” Remus laughed. –Maybe you’d also want some of those chew toys you fill with peanut butter, Padfoot.”

–And cheese!” Peter added delightedly. –We should bring lots and lots of cheese!”

–Anything you want to bring next time, Prongs?” Sirius asked.

James was shaking his head. –You boys always think so small,” he said sadly.

–What do you mean?” Peter asked. –Do you not want any snacks or toys?”

–I mean,” said James, a very recognizable glint in his eyes, –why bring more stuff with us to the Shack when we can just go out and get it ourselves?”

–Excuse me?” said Remus.

Sirius smiled. –Brilliant,” he said.

–What are you talking about, Prongs?” Peter looked very confused.

–What I mean, Wormtail,” James continued, –is would you rather stay stuck up in here with a ball and some cheese, or…”

–Go out and explore,” Sirius finished.

–Leave the Shack?” Peter asked.

–Never in a million - – Remus started, but James placed his hand over Remus’s mouth.

–Didn’t we just have a conversation in which you agreed never to question my brilliance again?” James asked.

Remus glared at him.

–That’s right,” James said, taking his hand off of Remus’s mouth.

–But Prongs, this is = – Remus broke off. –Did you guys hear something?”

Sirius heard it too. Something was moving somewhere below them.

–Pomfrey!” James whispered.

They all moved very suddenly. Sirius was closest to the wardrobe, so he dashed over and grabbed the Cloak and his, James, and Peter’s coats. Remus hurriedly threw the pillow and blanket back up onto the bed and lay back down on the floor. Peter and James squished into the far corner, where Sirius joined them, throwing the Cloak over their heads.

–Remus?” Madame Pomfrey called. They heard her come up the stairs. Then she entered the room and hurried to where Remus lay curled on the floor.

–Remus,” she said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Remus groaned as though just waking up. –Wha…?” he asked sleepily.

–It’s okay Remus,” Madame Pomfrey said. –The full moon is over. Everything is going to be all…” She broke off, examining Remus suspiciously. –You’re not injured.”

Sirius heard Peter’s frightened gasp behind him, but Remus was on top of the problem.

–I think I mostly went after the furniture last night,” he said weakly.

Sirius remembered the state in which they had left the downstairs furniture last night after jumping over and on it for hours and hours and silently congratulated Remus for his completely plausible lie.

Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips but didn’t ask any more questions. She helped Remus off of the floor and went to the wardrobe to grab his coat. –Well, I’m just glad you’re alright,” she said, offering Remus her arm and helping him to the door. –Maybe more of your full moons will go as smoothly as this in the future.”

Remus chanced half a glance over his shoulder at the corner where his friends were hidden. –Oh I think so,” he said with a small smile, –I think they’re all going to be a lot better from now on.”



Author’s Notes: Reviews are always appreciated!
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A Highly Amusing Joke by shewolf2000
Author’s Notes: I forgot how much fun this is! I’m continuing to finish my old stuff but I’m also really enjoying writing some new stuff. This here is kind of a bridge chapter because like chapters 8 and 9, parts of it I wrote ages ago, while other parts I wrote recently. And chapters 11 and 12 are all new! Please enjoy!



The Willow Part One of Three: A Highly Amusing Joke

On most nights, when James Potter left the castle after hours, which happened quite frequently for one reason or another, he would do so sneakily. He would wear his Invisibility Cloak, he would move though the castle slowly and carefully, trying not to make a sound and attract the attention of nearby teachers or caretakers. Even once James had safely made it to the deserted grounds he would not increase his pace greatly, not wanting the cloak to flap around his ankles in the light streaming from the castle windows, in case anyone looking out caught a glimpse of his shoes. No, sneaking out was an art, and on most nights he would have practiced this art with the astonishing ability that only comes from years of experience.

Tonight was not one of those nights.

James Potter was sprinting across the castle grounds. His Invisibility Cloak was tucked safely away in his trunk in Gryffindor tower. Exactly how many people could see him running across the sweeping lawns, well lit by the full moon on this very clear night, was of absolutely no concern to him. And in any case, any one who happened to look down at him now might only have seen a black blur given the speed at which he was moving.

James had almost reached his destination when he heard faintly, as though from a great distance, a murderous howl, coming from the direction of Hogsmeade. His heart, which had been pounding in his throat all the way across the grounds, stopped. For a moment, it forgot to beat. Then, as though it suddenly remember what it was supposed to be doing, it started up again, working at double pace. And James, trying to ignore the whine of panic in his head that said he might be too late, sprinted onward.



An hour before, something else was black and blurry, but it was not a lone figure sprinting across the castle grounds. It was the remains of what had been, moments before, an almost completed Transfiguration essay.

Peter swore as the glass of water had been trying to turn to wine cracked and leaked all over his homework. He snatched the essay off of the table but it was too late, the water had seeped into the parchment and several paragraphs of black ink were running together. Wand still in his hand, Peter tried desperately to remember the incantation that would restore his homework to the state it was in ten seconds before. But as small drops of cloudy black water dripped slowly onto the table, he found himself at a loss.

–Padfoot,” he said. –Padfoot, help me!”

Sirius wasn’t listening. It was just Peter and Sirius sitting together in the common room. James had detention and Remus had already left to meet Madame Pomfrey. Tonight would be the first full moon since December that Peter, Sirius, and James would not arrive at the Shrieking Shack before Remus did. They had discussed it on Monday, after Slughorn had awarded James a week’s worth of detentions, how they would make it work. They had considered leaving James behind, but James had loudly objected to that plan, pointing out that they wouldn’t be able to leave the Shack without him. They thought about Peter and Sirius going first and James coming after his detention, but the problem was that with only one Invisibility Cloak, they really all needed to go at the same time. So they had decided that it would be best for Peter and Sirius to wait for James and leave for the Shack as soon as he was out of detention. Hopefully they would make it to the Shack before Remus transformed, but if they didn’t, they would still arrive in plenty of time to stop Remus from doing too much damage to himself and still have most of the night for their excursion.

But Peter had really been hoping to finish this Transfiguration essay before they left.

–Padfoot! What spell do I use to get water out of parchment?”

Sirius didn’t answer. He had stood up and was pressing his nose against the tower window, carefully scanning the castle grounds. Peter took his parchment and went to join Sirius at the window.

–I’m sure Moony will be fine, Padfoot,” Peter said.

Sirius did not take his eyes off of the window. –Not Moony…” he muttered. His brows contracted in concentration. –No it’s…” is voice trailed off, and then, –Aha! There you are.”

–What?” Peter asked.

Sirius turned away from the window, a grim smile on his face. –C’mon,” he said to Peter, and started striding toward the portrait hole.

–But Padfoot!” Peter said desperately, following Sirius and holding out his paper.

Sirius turned back. –Oh for Merlin’s sake, Wormtail!” he snapped, snatching the essay out of Peter’s hands, pulling his wand from the pocket of his robes, and quickly performing the spell to fix it. –There!” he said, tossing the essay back onto the table their school things were piled on, –Now come.”

Sirius crossed the common room and left through the portrait hole, Peter in tow. Peter followed Sirius down through the castle to the Entrance Hall and through the oak front doors.

–Should we have brought the Cloak?” Peter asked.

–We won’t be out for long,” Sirius answered.

Sirius seemed to know exactly where it was he was headed. He quickened his pace. Peter, with his much shorter legs, was practically running to keep up. It wasn’t until they were around the greenhouses that Peter saw what they were headed towards: Snape. He was standing by a tree, peering around the side of it, clearly wanting to see something and not be seen.

Peter looked out across the grounds in the direction Snape was looking, and immediately spotted the object of Snape’s intrigue. Remus was crossing the grounds with Madame Pomfrey. They were heading for the Willow, and Snape was watching them walk, his face alive with curiosity and malice.

Peter reached for his wand, ready, not to curse Snape himself, but to back up Sirius if he needed it. To Peter’s surprise however, Sirius did not draw his wand. Instead, he grabbed Peter’s wrist to stop him from raising his wand and shot him a look of meaning. Peter could tell from the glint in his eyes and the small smile on his face that Sirius had a plan. Obediently, Peter put his wand back into his pocket.

–Stay here,” Sirius whispered. Peter nodded and Sirius walked away. Peter hid himself around the corner of the nearest greenhouse to watch Sirius approach Snape. He had no idea what Sirius was planning, but he knew that, whatever it was, it would be good. Sirius and James always came up with the most brilliant ideas to humiliate Snape. Peter was more than happy to assist them.

Sirius walked stealthily up behind Snape, who was so engrossed in watching Remus and Madame Pomfrey, he didn’t notice Sirius at all. Sirius got as close as he could behind Snape without risking actual physical contact.

–Boo,” he whispered in Snape’s ear. Snape jumped violently and almost fell over. Sirius backed away from him, laughing. –Oh, I’m sorry, Snivelly. Did I disturb you? I should know better than to do that when you are busy sticking your freakishly large nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Snape recovered himself from his surprise. –Sod off, Black.”

Sirius ignored him. –Although, you should know better than to spy on people.”

Snape managed a small sneer. –I was wondering where your friend was going with the nurse. You know, he’s gone an awful lot, that Lupin. Most people think he’s just ill, but,” His sneer grew wider. –some of us wonder if there isn’t a bit more to it.”

Peter felt a twinge of fear. What if Snape found out about Remus? That would mean big trouble.

Sirius seemed rather unconcerned. –Do you?” he asked.

–Yes,” Snape replied, –we do.”

–Imagine that.”

Snape was clearly suspicious of Sirius’s lack of fear. He turned to look out into the grounds again. –They seem to be heading for the Whomping Willow.”

Snape turned back to watch Sirius for a reaction. Peter was suddenly very glad he wasn’t out there with Sirius. Peter knew that he would not have been able to keep the panic he had felt at Snape’s last words out his face, but Sirius, he admired, had the talent to keep playing it cool.

–But of course,” Sirius said casually.

–Of course, what?” Snape pressed him

Sirius looked at Snape as though he was surprised Snape had to ask. –But, surely you know,” he said. –Surely you know the secret of the Whomping Willow?”

Snape’s expression was blank, unreadable.

Sirius paused for a moment, waiting for Snape to speak. When he continued to stare, Sirius said, –Well, I’ll admit I’m surprised. Not many people know about the Willow, but I would have thought that you at least would have figured it out by now. You have a habit of snooping, Snivellus. Surely you’ve realized there’s something more to the tree than what meets the eye - quite literally in the case of that Gudgeon kid.”

Snape couldn’t keep the hunger and curiosity out of his face. –And I suppose you know the secret?” he asked.

Sirius smiled. –It really is quite easy, Snivellus.” He moved closer to Snape, lowering his voice. –All you have to do,” he whispered loud enough that Peter could still hear, –is prod the knot on the trunk. You can use a long stick to do it so you don’t get hit. Prod the knot, and the tree freezes. Then you can get into the gap in the roots.”

Peter felt his jaw drop. He saw that Snape’s had done the same.

Sirius turned and walked away from the dumbstruck Snape, back towards Peter, calling over his shoulder, –Glad I could add a little to your knowledge of Hogwarts. Have a lovely evening.”

He came back around the corner to where Peter was hiding.

–Padfoot,” Peter whispered, –why did you do that? Now he knows! Now he is going to find out Moony’s secret!”

–Calm down, Wormtail,” Sirius told him as they turned to walk back towards the castle. –The game has only just begun.”



–I’ll be back for you in the morning,” she said, closing the door behind her.

Remus wasn’t even sure why she said this anymore. Hadn’t they been doing this for over four and a half years now? He would have thought they’d got the hang of it by now. Yet every full moon, as she left him alone in the Shrieking Shack, she felt the need to reassure him that she would be back for him in the morning.

Like it would help. Like Remus could even think about the blessed morning when his mind was so all consumed with what was to come in the night. From where he was standing at the moment, the morning seemed years away. But maybe it was better, that she give him this hope. Even with the horrifying prospect of the horrifying night that loomed horrifyingly in front of him, he had but one small promise that, whatever happened, morning would eventually come. It was the small ray of sunshine in the Pandora’s Box that was the full moon. True, his transformations had become much more bearable since his friends had come to join him, but he still didn’t much enjoy the agonizing pain of transforming nor the surrender of his mind to the wolf.

Remus shivered. He hoped his friends would arrive soon. The less time he spent alone with the wolf, the better.

Even though he could feel the moon moving ever closer, he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he thought the adventures of the last few full moons. He remembered how shocked he had been when James had first suggested they try leaving the Shack. But then, over the next few days, while enjoying the easiest moon full recovery he had ever had, his shock at the idea had faded away. He thought about what he could remember of their full moon together, of seeing them there, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs, of feeling the ache of loneliness inside of the wolf ebbing away, of the chase, of the companionship, and of the fun. All the memories he’d had previously from the full moon were vague but terrifying flashes of pain, bloodlust, and fear. Now he had memories, almost as clear as his human memories, of happiness and of friendship. And now they could make more memories outside of the Shack, exploring the grounds, going deeper into the forest than they ever could with just the Invisibility Cloak, and maybe even into Hogsmeade. He knew it was selfish, he knew it was reckless, but he wanted those memories so badly. He wanted more wonderful full moons.

It had taken very little for James to talk him around after that. Remus could tell that James was surprised with how easy it had been. But James was right, there had been enough yelling, enough fighting, and enough pointless worrying. His friends had been right every step of the way, and if Prongs and Padfoot were so confident that they could keep Moony in check, he would just have to trust them. He had agreed and they had immediately started making plans.

Figuring out how to get out of the Shack had been difficult. The openings, both the one between the Shack and the tunnel and the gap in the Willow’s roots, were designed to be too small for a werewolf to fit through. Sirius could just barely squeeze though when he was Padfoot, but there was no way that Moony would ever fit though, and no way in hell that Prongs ever would. Peter had suggested that they just blast the openings and make them wider, but besides creating the additional risk that Moony might one day slip out without them, Madame Pomfrey was sure to notice something like that.

Sirius had been the one to figure out the solution, and James, being the best at Transfiguration, had performed the necessary spells. He had transfigured the openings to become wider, but only when he, and only as Prongs, came near them. Now Moony could only get out when accompanied by Prongs, and Madame Pomfrey would be none the wiser.

And so Moony had been set free. He had escaped the Shrieking Shack, his monthly torture chamber, and gone to explore a new world outside of bloodstained and scratched walls with his three friends, the dog, the stag, and the rat. And Remus had gotten his memories.

And at least he’d had some injuries to show to Madame Pomfrey after leaving the Shack. The bite marks around his neck where Padfoot had restrained him and the bruises on his side where Prongs had antler-butted him, while not as bad as his usual injuries, had at least given the matron something to fuss over.

He sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore’s trust and leaving the Shrieking Shack. Dumbledore had let him into Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so. Dumbledore had created this place, the tunnel, and everything, to keep him safe and to keep others safe from him. Dumbledore had trusted him. Without Dumbledore’s trust, he would have nothing.

Remus was nervous. He was more nervous than he had ever been in his life. More nervous than an eleven-year-old boy should ever have to be.

–There’s no need to be nervous, Remus,” Fay Lupin said sweetly. It was a lie; there were plenty of reasons to be nervous. –He’s a very nice man, Remus. You know, he taught your father and me when we were at Hogwarts. You shouldn’t be worried about meeting him, dear. I’m sure he’ll like you.”

–What if he doesn’t?”

–He will.”

–But what if he doesn’t?”

–Are you ready to go, Remus?” John Lupin asked as he entered the living room.

–He’s just a little nervous,” said Fay. He was considerably more than ‘just a little’ nervous.

–You shouldn’t be,” John told his son. –Everything will be alright.”

More lies. They were not helping him. Partly because they were lies, and partly because meeting Dumbledore was not the thing Remus was most worried about. Dumbledore could have been the nicest man on earth with the sun shining out of his every orifice. It didn’t matter. If Remus couldn’t go to Hogwarts, Father Christmas couldn’t have let him down gently.

Well, the sooner they got going, the sooner he would know. –I’m ready,” he told his father.

–Are you leaving?” A six-year-old girl with light brown hair pulled back in pigtails stuck her head into the living room.

–They are,” Fay answered her.

Kytalin sped into the room and threw her arms around her brother’s middle. –Good luck, Remus.”

–Thanks,” he said, hugging her back. He needed all the luck he could get.

–Do you want to go first?” John asked his son. Remus shook his head. –Alright,” John said. He walked to the living room fireplace and took a jar off of the mantle. He unscrewed the lid, took a pinch of powder from inside, and threw it into the grate. Emerald green flames sprang to life from nowhere. John stepped into them and shouted, –Hogwarts; Headmaster’s study.” He was gone.

–Good luck, sweetheart,” Fay said, hugging her son. When she pulled away, Remus could see that she was unsuccessfully trying to arrange her face so as to conceal her doubts from him. It did nothing for his nerves or his mood. She gave him a pinch of powder and he imitated his father: throwing the powder, stepping into the flames, and shouting his destination.

Floo powder was always an uncomfortable way to travel. However, having used it many times before, Remus wasn’t bothered by the journey. What bothered him was the prospect of what bad news might lay at the other end. Ever since he had overheard his parents conversation about writing to Dumbledore, Remus had been trying to follow his parents advise and not get his hopes up. He had failed dismally, and now he was faced with the possibility that all his dreams might come crashing down around his ears. Oh yes, he had reason to be nervous.

Remus almost fell out of the fireplace in the Headmaster’s study, but he managed to catch his footing before he could make his entrance memorable by smacking his face into the office floor. He steadied himself, hastily brushing away residual soot, and saw his father shaking hands with a very tall wizard with long silver hair and bread wearing burgundy robes with gold lining. At the sound of Remus’s appearance, both wizards turn in his direction.

–Ah, and you must be Remus,” said the tall, silver haired man, smiling at him. He walked to Remus and offered his hand. –I am Professor Dumbledore.”

–It’s very nice to meet you, Professor,” Remus said politely, shaking Dumbledore’s hand. There was something about Dumbledore’s encouraging smile seemed to put him at ease.

–And you, Remus. I must say, I have been quite looking forward to meeting you ever since I received your father’s letter.” He looked at John. –Why don’t we all sit down and make ourselves a bit more comfortable?” Dumbledore suggested. He swept over to his desk and sat himself down behind it while Remus and John took the two chairs set in front. Remus couldn’t help but look around with curiosity. Dumbledore’s office was a bright, circular room with lots of spindly instruments sitting on delicate tables. He momentarily forgot why he was there and why he was nervous and wanted to ask what the instruments were for. He didn’t get the chance.

–Now, Remus,” Dumbledore began. Remus forced his gaze away for the shiny instruments and looked at the professor. –In your father’s letter,” Dumbledore continued, –he expressed that he was concerned your name might not be on the list for this coming year’s class of First Years. He said that his concern stemmed from the fact that you are a werewolf.”

John flinched. Remus pretended not to notice.

–Yes sir,” Remus said quietly. Dumbledore’s bright blue gaze was starting to make him feel nervous again. He had the impression he was being x-rayed, and he wasn’t fond of it.

–Upon checking the list, I saw that your name was, indeed, missing, despite you being of the proper age.”

Remus felt his heart sink to his stomach. Was this going where he thought it was going?

–Looking back at school records, it seems that no werewolf has ever made a class list since as far back as is recorded.”

Remus’s heart sank into his gut.

–I feel that this is a serious injustice to you, not to mention werewolf children of past generations, and I am anxious to do all I came to rectify the situation.”

Remus heart rocketed upward so fast that it completely bypassed his chest and head, and came to rest somewhere in the air about three feet above him. –You mean it, Professor?” he blurted out.

–Remus,” said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles, –if you want to come to Hogwarts, I see no reason why you shouldn’t.”

Remus’s floating heart now had a cane and top hat and had broken into a lovely and very well-choreographed tap dance.

–Thank you,” said John, standing up to ring Dumbledore’s hand. –Thank you so much, Professor! Thank you!”

Dumbledore smiled. –It is always a pleasure to help insure that student can come to Hogwarts.”

Remus remembered that he had not stood, nor had he shaken Dumbledore’s hand again and thanked him over and over and over. But remembering how he had felt at that moment, he could imagine that the look on his face was all the thanks Dumbledore needed.

–Now, there are obviously a few matters we need to discuss before Remus can come to school; security matters and such,” said Dumbledore.

–Of course, of course,” said John, resuming his seat and looking happier than Remus had seen him in a very long time.

–Now,” said Dumbledore, his tone more frank and business-like, –Remus will need to be isolated at the full moon, naturally, and I personally feel that the farther away from the school he is, the better.”

–Do think he should come home?” John asked.

–Not quite that far,” said Dumbledore. –I was thinking more along the lines of Hogsmeade.”

–Where’s that?” Remus asked.

–It’s the village just outside the school,” his father explained. He turned back to Dumbledore. –Where exactly in Hogsmeade were you thinking?”

–Well,” Dumbledore mused, –that is the question, isn’t it. And I do have an idea.” His eyes were twinkling again. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small bag. –May I offer you a lemon drop?” he asked the two sitting before him.

–A what?” asked John.

–A lemon drop. It’s a type of Muggle sweet I recently discovered and have grown quite fond of.”

–Grandpa Turner always has them when we come to visit,” Remus reminded his father.

–Does he?”

Remus nodded.

–Would you like one, Remus?” Dumbledore asked, offering him the bag.

Remus looked at his father. –Go ahead,” John told him. Remus reached into the bag and selected a lemon drop.

–Thank you, Professor.” He put the candy in his mouth.

–You are welcome. John?” He offered the bag to Remus’s dad.

–No thank you,” John said.

Dumbledore set the bag on his desk. –Back to the matter of the full moon then. As I was saying, I think Hogsmeade would be the best place for Remus to go. However, posing a threat to the residents of the village would be no better than to the students. My idea is that we set up a location in Hogsmeade, but make it so that location can only be accessed from Hogwarts.”

–How would you do that, sir?” asked Remus.

–How would you feel about a tunnel or a secret passageway?” Dumbledore asked.

–That would be okay,” said Remus.

Had he known then how long the tunnel was going to be, or how dark, he might have been a bit less quick to answer.

–We would set up a place, a building of some sort, and we would make sure that no one could get in or out without use of the tunnel or passage. We would obviously put some kind of security over the entrance to the so that no overly-curious student accidentally wanders in. It is, I think, the best we can hope for; you will have complete privacy at the full moon and you will run no risk of hurting anyone from the school or village.”

–If only we could make it so I didn’t hurt myself,” Remus muttered before he could stop himself.

Dumbledore sighed and looked at Remus sadly. –I sincerely wish that I could make it so.” And Remus knew that he meant it. –Now, Remus, before we say more, I feel that I must warn you that there will be some people who will not want you at Hogwarts. There will be students who will not want you with them and parents who will not want you with their children.”

He didn’t sugar coat it, but Remus was okay with that. Pretending prejudices against werewolves didn’t exist or minimizing them would not make them disappear. –I understand, sir.”

–I will also, undoubtedly, have to deal with some less-than-cooperative people at the Ministry. Your coming to Hogwarts was not greeted with great enthusiasm when I pitched the idea there. However, I made it very clear that the topic was not up for debate. I am Headmaster here, and the Ministry does not have the authority to choose which students may come to Hogwarts. That decision is mine. Even still, we might find some who will try to challenge us. I don’t want to put you out; I just want you to know the truth of what might come. It is my opinion that the truth is generally preferable to lies.”

–Yes, Professor.”

–But in this case, that might not be so,” Dumbledore continued. Remus was confused. –Remus, with so many out there who would do their best to make your life difficult, I think it would be wise if the nature of your condition were kept between only us and some members of staff. Were members of the student body or their parents to discover it, we might well find ourselves in over our heads where even I can’t help us. So, when you come to school, I want you to keep the fact that you are a werewolf a secret, you understand?”

Yeah, because he had really been planning to walk in on the first day wearing a sign that said, –Hello, my name is WEREWOLF”.

–I understand.”

–You may, if you find someone you can trust, want to confide in them. This you may do, but I ask you to be very careful about who you choose.”

Remus remembered doubting that he would ever trust anyone that much. Although, he hadn’t trusted his friends to begin with. They had had to find out on their own.

–Yes sir.”

–Excellent. Now, apart from those in whom you confide, we will do our best to make sure that no one else becomes wise to your situation.”

Unless of course they figure it out for themselves.

–I must also have you promise that, while you are at school, you will follow any rules we lay down for yours or other’s safety, however irksome they might be.”

–I promise.”

That promise had gone to hell in a hand basket the moment James, Peter, and Sirius started their Animagi transformations. He had lost count of how many of Dumbledore’s rules their nighttime excursions had broken. Not to mention general school rules and Ministry laws. Guilt stirred in his stomach again.

–And we must both promise ourselves that we will do all in our power to make sure that no innocent person is ever harmed at your hands. As I said, there will be many who will think it is unsafe for you to come to Hogwarts. We must not give them reasons to think they are right.”

There, at least, was a promise he had managed to keep. Well, so far…

–I would never hurt anyone, Professor, I swear!”

–I know you would not intentionally, Remus, but we must guard ourselves against foolishness and carelessness. As a close friend of mine likes to say, ‘constant vigilance’.”

–I promise, sir.”

–Well then,” said Dumbledore, –that seems to be that. We will be in touch later to work out the details.” He stood and walked around the desk. Remus and his father stood too.

–It is nice to see you again, John,” Dumbledore said, shaking hands with Remus’s father again.

–And you, Professor. I can’t tell you how thankful we are,” said John.

–And Remus,” Dumbledore said, turning to him, –I believe we will be seeing each other in the very near future.”

Remus beamed from ear to ear. –I can’t believe I actually get to come to Hogwarts.”

–Well, you might want to start believing it before you get on the train to come,” Dumbledore chuckled. He walked Remus and his dad to the fireplace. –Oh, wait one moment,” said Dumbledore. He walked back to his desk and pulled something else from the desk drawer: an envelope. –You’ll be wanting this,” said Dumbledore, walking back over and handing it to Remus.

Remus took it and realized that it was his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

–Thank you, Professor,” he said. And he knew that Dumbledore knew that he was thanking him for more than the letter.

–Enjoy the rest of your summer, Remus.” Dumbledore offered him a pinch of powder from a small bowl on the fireplace mantle. He took it, gave Dumbledore one last beam, and was on his way home.

Remus really did fall out of the fireplace this time. His face smashed into the living room carpet, but he took no notice whatsoever. He was up in a flash and dashing to the kitchen.

–I’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwarts I’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwarts I’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwarts!”

He burst into the kitchen, yelling this at the top of his voice, and his mother jumped and almost dropped the glass she was holding. –Goodness, Remus,” she said, setting down the glass, –you gave me a-–

–I’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwarts I’mgoingtoHogwarts!”

Fay squealed like an excited little girl and ran to hug her son. –He said yes? He said you could go?”

–HesaidIcouldandI’mgoingtogoandhesaiditwouldbeokayandIgettogo!”

It was like a sugar high. Remus was so happy and excited, he was quite incomprehensible.

–Oh honey!” Fay said, starting to cry happy tears. –I’m so proud of you!”

John Lupin entered the kitchen.

–Remus is going to Hogwarts!” he announced.

–I know!” said Fay going to hug her husband.

–Kytalinwhere’sKytalin?IneedtotellherI’mgoingtoHogwarts andshewillbesoexcitedbecauseI’mgoingandIgettogotoHogwarts I’mgoingtoHogwarts!”

Remus dashed up the stairs to go find Kytalin in her room.

–I told you so,” Fay whispered, still holding her husband.

–What?” he asked.

–I told you writing to Dumbledore was a good idea. I told you it might work. I told you so.”

–Yes,” he said, kissing her forehead, –I suppose you di-–

–He’sgoingtoHogwartsHe’sgoingtoHogwartsHe’sgoingtoHogwarts He’sgoingtoHogwartsHe’sgoingtoHogwartsHe’sgoingtoHogwarts He’sgoingtoHogwarts!”

–I’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwarts I’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwartsI’m goingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwartsI’mgoingtoHogwarts!”

Kytalin and Remus came running into kitchen yelling these unintelligible phrases respectively. Then they chased each other, still yelling, all around the house.

–Remus, Kytalin, calm down,” Fay said reprovingly as they flashed past.

–Oh, let him celebrate a little,” John said. –He deserves it.” He beamed.

–Hey John,” Fay whispered, holding her husband a little closer, –guess what?”

–What?”

–Our son is going to Hogwarts.”

Remus smiled as he remembered that day. He remembered how it had taken over half an hour before he and Kytalin had stopped screaming and running and dropped to the floor in sheer exhaustion. He remember how his mum had beamed for days and how his dad had said that he was proud of him; something he’d said a rare few times in his life. He remembered how the summer had seemed to drag on and on as he counted the days to September 1st.

And now he was here. He was here in the place that had been built for his use. The dwelling at the end of the heavily guarded tunnel in which he was to transform, away from the people he could potentially harm. He was a student Hogwarts, and he actually had this building to thank for it. Oh, and Dumbledore. He had Dumbledore to thank as well.

A shiver ran down his spine; a shiver much too familiar. It was here. He didn’t need to look to know it. He could feel it. And then the pain. The bone crushing - quite literally - agonizing pain. He could feel his body beginning to change. His back arched and his shoulders hunched. His limbs shook violently as they too morphed into the wolf. Hair was sprouting everywhere.

He could feel his memories slipping away. He no longer knew or cared what had happened the day he had been accepted to Hogwarts. The wolf knew nothing of love or happiness. It only knew hunger and violence. Dimly, in the back of what was left of his human mind, he realized that his friends had not made it before the change and he hoped that they would come soon. Then it was gone. The last bits of his self slipped away as the wolf finished its physical and mental transformation.

The werewolf stirred, restless, seeking the taste of human blood.



This was never going to work.

Black had surely been having him on for a laugh. Black was trying to get him close enough to the tree to be squashed flat. Why was he out here? Why was he ignoring the instinct that that told him this was a trap?

The answer was simple: he was curious and he wanted proof. This was his one great opportunity to find out exactly what Potter and his precious friends were up to, and he was not going to waste it. He might not know what lay beneath the Whomping Willow, or even if there was a beneath the Whomping Willow, but the only way he could find out was if he explored for himself.

The Willow froze. Someone was coming out. Severus shrank into the shadow of the Forest on the rapidly darkening castle grounds. He could see the figure clearly but could not make out who they were. It was only once the figure was safely out of the range of the Willow’s branches and the tree started to move again that the figure was caught in a patch of moonlight and Severus could see her. Madame Pomfrey.

He had, of course, seen her walking Lupin out into the grounds, but he somehow wasn’t expecting her now. She had come from the Willow, the place he was trying to penetrate. Black had said that very few knew the secret of the Willow. That had implied to Severus that it was the source of secrets. However, it could be all that secret if the school nurse was in on it. Severus weighed the information in his mind: if she could get into the Willow, what was down there couldn’t be dangerous. That seemed a logical conclusion. Maybe the secret lay past the Willow, in a place Madame Pomfrey didn’t know about. The Willow was just a starting point.

If the Willow was safe, he could venture below and assess the situation from there. He would still be safe from whatever Black had in mind, but he would have gained useful knowledge.

And so it was settled. He was going to attempt to enter the Whomping Willow using Black’s instructions. What’s the worst that can happen?

Maybe that wasn’t a thought on which he should be brooding. He had many theories about why Potter and his friends saw fit to frequent the castle grounds in the dead of night. Some were more sinister than others. But he wasn’t really doing anything risky, unless you counted be out after hours risky, but detention didn’t much frighten him. And if Madame Pomfrey could enter and exit the Willow safely, Severus was confident that he would too. Well, here goes nothing.

Striding from his hiding place on the rim of the Forest, Severus crossed the now black and deserted grounds to the Willow. He stopped just short of the branches’ reach and thought through Black’s instructions: take a long branch, prod the knot on the trunk, the tree will freeze, and you can enter through the roots.

A long branch. Severus felt the ground around him. There were many branches on the ground, but they were much to short to reach the Willow. Severus felt the ground around him for almost two minutes before it hit him. He let out a snort of self-disgust. Why did he need a big stick? Was he a Wizard or not? He took out his wand and used it to levitate a stick. He sent it soaring to the Willow in the place where, he had remembered from his daytime visits to the Willow, there was a knot.

It took a few prods to find the right place. The tree froze, just like Black had said it would. Wasting no time, Severus hurried forward to the tree lighting his wand.

And there it was. You would never see it at a safe distance, but it was there all the same. A large gap in the roots of the Willow revealed an ominous entrance into a completely black tunnel. Carefully, Severus squeezed through the gap and dropped into the tunnel.


On, and on, and on the tunnel went. Nothing around him but dark earth, rocks, and roots. Nothing between him and the pressing blackness but the tip of his lit wand. Severus could feel his heart pounding against his ribs. Every step he took he expected to see something, anything. And with every step he took and there was nothing, his excitement and his fear increased.

Keep going, he urged himself silently. I can’t turn back now. I have to be getting close. I have to know what’s down here. If only there was something, anything, besides this black tunnel…anything to break the stillness and the silence…

–Snape!”

Severus had never had a heart attack. But he was pretty sure that this must be what it felt like. Something, or someone, very far away was calling his name.

He paused, straining his eyes, glaring around in the tunnel, trying to get find a clue as to what was going on. But he saw nothing, nothing, but more dark tunnel.

–Snape!”

The voice was louder now, nearer. This time Severus registered that it wasn’t coming from further inside the tunnel. It was coming from behind him, back the way he had come.

–Snape!”

Someone had followed him into the tunnel. Someone was chasing him. So, doing what seemed to be the only logical thing to do when being chased, Severus ran.

–Snape!”

He ran further, deeper into the tunnel. But ground was uneven and the light was dim, and whoever was behind him was moving faster. He could hear the voice getting nearer.

–Snape!”

Closer, closer, and…wait. He knew that voice.

–Snape!”

Loathing filled every fiber of Severus’s soul, leaving no room for fear or any other emotion.

–Snape!”

–Sod off, Potter!” Severus called back over his shoulder.

–Snape, stop!”

Potter was getting closer. In addition to his voice, Severus could now here hear his pounding footsteps coming up behind him. Severus tried to move faster. His head scraped against a low part of the tunnel ceiling. Cursing, Severus touched his head and felt a small dribble of blood falling from his hairline.

–Snape, stop! Please!”

–Turn around, Potter!” Severus roared. Ignoring the scrape on his head, Severus charged forward, but it was too late.

–Snape!” Gasping and panting, James Potter came hurtling down the tunnel. Feeling he had no other options, Severus turned around to face him.

–Go back, Potter,” Severus said through gritted teeth.

Potter stopped about five yards short of Severus. He too was holding his lit wand, and by it, Severus could see that he was completely winded.

–Snape…” he breathed. He put his hand against the tunnel wall and leaned on it, still gasping and panting.

–Go away, Potter,” Severus growled.

–Snape…we have to…get out of here,” Potter gasped.

–It’s a little late to be covering up your secret now,” Severus’s lip curled up into a smirk. –Black’s already spilled, and I’m not going anywhere until I’ve seen what’s at the end of this tunnel.”

–You don’t…understand…” Potter continued.

–Don’t I?” Severus asked. –You’re here to stop me before I see what it is you’ve all been up to. Because you know I’ll tell Dumbledore and you know you’ll be expelled.”

–It’s not…safe…here.” Potter seemed to be exhausting every last bit of his remaining energy trying not to collapse onto the tunnel floor.

–I’m not falling for it, Potter!” Severus spat. –I’m going to see what’s at the end of this tunnel, and you’re not going to stop me!” And Severus ran.

–Snape!”

Potter, it seemed, still had some energy left. He could hear Potter once again pounding down the tunnel after him. Severus pointed his wand over his shoulder and fired a trip jinx.

It seemed to have found its mark. Severus heard Potter swear and his footsteps stop as he tumbled to the ground. But he wasn’t down for long.

–Impedimenta!”

Potter’s return fire barely missed Severus. Severus quickly shot several more jinxes back at Potter in succession, but he heard Potter yell, –Protego!” and knew that none of them had hit.

–Impedimenta! Stupefy! Stop!” Potter yelled in frustration. But Severus was gaining ground and the spells only hit the tunnel walls.

Severus sent his own Stunning Spell back at Potter, and Potter had to leap aside to dodge it, crashing into the tunnel wall and falling to his knees. Severus cried out in victory, but it was premature.

–Impedimenta!” From his position slumped against the tunnel wall, Potter’s aim was true. Severus felt himself stop dead in his tracks, rooted to the spot by the invisible forces of the spell. But for all his gusto, Potter’s spell had been weak. Even as he heard Potter get to his feet and come ambling towards him, Severus felt the invisible bonds starting to wear.

Potter was getting closer. –Snape, we have to get out of here! We…”

With every last bit of strength Severus had, he pulled his wand arm from the invisible bonds and pointed it at himself. –Finite!” he gasped.

Potter was feet from him when the spell released and Severus once again took off down the tunnel. Potter swore and fired more hexes, which Severus deflected and returned in kind.

–Snape! Dammit, stop!”

But Severus would not stop. He ran as fast as he could, firing repeated jinxes over his shoulder. Behind him he could here Potter’s jumble of hexes and profanity. Severus ran and ran.

–Snape, stop!” There was a desperate, pleading note in Potter’s last cry. Unexpectedly, the ground beneath Severus’s feet started to slant upwards. Surprised, Severus stumbled slightly.

–Snape!” Potter was gaining again. Severus ran, he sprinted, he very nearly flew up though the tunnel. Just ahead he could see dim light. He had made it!

Severus charged for the light, now hurtling down the tunnel at such speed he wouldn’t have been able to stop if he wanted to. There was an opening at the end of the tunnel and something beyond it was moving. But Potter was just behind him, and he wasn’t sure if he would make it.

No more than ten feet from the opening, Severus felt a hand grab the neck of his robes. And it was only just in time. Any later, and Severus would have gone barreling onward and very likely would have crashed into what was at the end of the tunnel.

He choked slightly as the collar of his robes pulled into his throat and he came to an abrupt halt.

Severus Snape stared in horror. In the opening at the end of the tunnel he could see the silhouette of a huge beast. Potter’s hand had stopped him from colliding with the beast, but it had still heard them, it could still smell them, and it was turning to face them.

Yellow eyes, murderous, horrible, yellow eyes pinned Severus where he stood. Fangs, so many fangs, long and sharp, glistened in the dim light of Severus’s illuminated wand. Claws, massive and deadly, dug into the ground. A low, menacing growl, loud as thunder, shook the ground and caused Severus’s bones to vibrate.

It was a werewolf. It was staring directly at Severus, and it was getting ready to pounce. Beneath the growling, beneath the horrible whine of panic in his head, Severus managed to hear one loud, clear, terrified shout.

–Run!”


To be continued…



Author’s Notes: Yay! My first evil cliffie! Reviews are always appreciated!
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Skyfall by shewolf2000
Author’s Notes: And so James and Snape saw the werewolf, watched it curiously for a moment, then skipped back to the castle and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

Huh? Oh, sorry. I got bored and fell asleep trying to write that. Here’s what actually happened…



The Willow Part Two of Three: Skyfall

James looked at the werewolf and the werewolf looked at James. James couldn’t see a single hint of Moony in its eyes.

–Run!” James yelled.

Snape didn’t need telling twice. In an instant, James released his hold on Snape’s robes and the two of them went flying back down the passageway. Behind him, James could hear snarling and snapping as the massive werewolf tried to force its way through an opening that was too small for it.

James’s mouth filled with the bitter taste of adrenaline that had been coursing through him for too long tonight, ever since he left his detention and ran into Peter.

Peter had been so excited, anxious to fill James in on Sirius’s latest brilliant prank on Snivellus Snape. James remembered how eager he had been to hear the details of Sirius’s exploits while he had been stuck scrubbing cauldrons. He remembered listening carefully as he and Peter made their way back to Gryffindor tower. He remembered laughing in the beginning of Peter’s story. He remembered Peter’s glee. He remembered his own laughter dying away Peter continued the story. He remembered the rising horror in his chest as Peter reached the end…

CRASH!

In spite of himself, James looked over his shoulder to see what was the source of the almighty noise behind them in the tunnel. Suddenly, the horror he had felt at Peter’s story was nothing compared to the horror filling him now. The werewolf had managed to break the opening between the Shrieking Shack and the tunnel, making it wider. Expelling a large chunk of floorboard from its massive, powerful jaws, the beast squeezed its way though the larger opening.

Into the tunnel.

Oh. Holy. Hell.

James didn’t think he could have moved any faster if he had had broomsticks attached to his shoes, and Snape was keeping up.

–Stupefy!” James heard Snape roar. A jet of red light shot out of the end of Snape’s wand and hit the charging werewolf.

It had absolutely no effect, bar making the werewolf even angrier.

–Impedimenta!”

–Stupefy!”

James and Snape both fired hex after hex back at the werewolf, but it was useless. Dimly, James remembered reading about and Remus telling him about how thick a werewolf’s hide is. Even when he and Snape both shot Impediment Jinxes that struck the werewolf at the same time, they only slowed it for a second.

–Sectumsempra!” Whatever the hell spell Snape fired caused a huge gash to appear on the werewolf’s cheek. The werewolf snarled in pain but continued charging.

–Stupefy!”

–It’s not working!” James roared.

–Have any better ideas?!” Snape bellowed back. –Impedimenta!”

The werewolf was gaining. Could he transform? Not in front of Snape. And even if he did, it would be for nothing. There was no way he could hold the werewolf back alone, not with human prey so close.

–Impedimenta!”

The werewolf snarled again. It was getting too close.

A thought attacked James’s panicked brain. It was a truly terrible idea.

But it was the only one they had.

James pointed his wand over his shoulder, not at the werewolf, but at the tunnel ceiling.

–Reducto!”

It worked. With more almighty crashes that shook the whole tunnel around them, the tunnel ceiling started to crumble. Chunks of earth fell down behind them, separating them from the werewolf.

But it wasn’t going to be that easy. The werewolf dodged and dived, evading the falling ceiling with astonishingly fast reflexes. It hurtled over the large chunks that blocked the path in front of it.

–Reducto!” Following James’s lead, Snape had pointed his wand at the ceiling too.

–Reducto!”

A huge chunk fell to the ground and shattered, pelting James and Snape with pieces of earth and rock from behind.

–Reducto!”

As the more of the ceiling came down behind them, cracks formed in the ceiling above them.

–Reducto!”

The cracks became bigger. Sizable pieces were now raining down on James and Snape as well as the werewolf.

–Wingradium Leviosa!” Snape’s spell caught some of the rocks falling on their heads and sent them pelting back at the werewolf.

–Reducto!”

And the world around them crumbled. The ground quaked as the tunnel behind them caved in. The snapping and snarling of the werewolf became muffled as more and more of the tunnel ceiling came down. Rocks thundered down and James threw his arms over his head to protect it from the debris that was flying everywhere. They could hear the sounds of the werewolf barking, scratching, and whining as it tried desperately to continue its chase.

Then they were cut off. It seemed that they might finally have made a barricade sufficient to stop the charging werewolf.

Neither James nor Snape paused to find out. They sprinted forward as the last bits of ceiling settled on the floor. They did not slow down the whole length of the tunnel. James was the first to make it to the exit. He slammed his fist against the knot on the trunk as he hoisted himself out of the gap in the roots, Snape at his heels. They ran to just outside the Willow’s range of motion and promptly collapsed to the ground.

The Hogwarts grounds were eerily quiet after the thundering sounds of the collapsing tunnel and mad barking of the pursuing werewolf. All James could hear now were the sounds of his own gasping breaths as he lay flat on his back in the grass. His lungs ached, he had a terrible stitch in his side, and he could feel bruises forming where chunks of falling ceiling had struck him. He could barely see though the dirt that covered his glasses, and, he suspected, most of his body.

Somewhere to his right, Snape retched. James ignored him. He focused on bringing his own breathing back under control. Breathe in, breathe out. He was alive, and that was good, seeing how easy it would have been to not be. Breathe in, breathe out. It was fine, everything was going to be alright now.

Ignoring his aching limbs as they screamed in protest, James pushed himself up into a sitting position. He took off his glasses, wiped them with his robes, and replaced them. He looked over at Snape, who was on his knees, one hand holding his curtains of greasy hair away from his face, the other wiping sick from his mouth. James looked away from him, casting his eyes upward. The moon, round as a galleon, dominated the cloudless sky. It was so bright, almost painfully so, and dimmed all the stars around it. James examined it, his breathing settling down, and wondered how something so far away could cause so much damage.

But it was fine now. They were safe. Everything was going to be al-

–Lupin.”

The word was muttered softly, but it struck James’s mind with a walloping force and sent his thoughts crashing back down to earth.

–What?” James asked. But he knew. He already knew.

And now Snape knew it too.

–Lupin,” Snape repeated, his hands on his knees, his breaths still coming in sharp gasps. –Lupin is a werewolf.”

He looked at James, and as he did, James knew that he had been absolutely unsuccessful at covering up his panic. The truth of Snape’s words was there for him to read right on James’s face.

They stared at each other for a minute, both still breathing heavily. Then, without warning, Snape was back up and tearing towards the castle.

James barely had time to reflect on how very sick he was of chase scenes that night. He rolled over and started to get to his feet.

–Expelliarmus!”

James tumbled backward as his wand flew out of his hand. Snape, who had stopped for a minute to cast the spell, caught James’s wand, turned, and continued back toward the castle.

James allowed himself to indulge in some of the more colorful language he had learned from Sirius as he picked himself back up and once again chased after Snape.

–Snape!”

This was becoming way too familiar.

–Snape, stop!”

Snivellus would have been well served if James had left him to be eaten. Panic of a whole new variety was rising in James’s chest now. He had to stop Snape. He had to.

–Snape, stop! You can’t tell anyone!”

There was something more than a little mad about the glint in Snape’s eye. –I’m going to tell everyone!”

James wanted his wand more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. He wanted his wand and he wanted to use it to blow Snape into a million slimy pieces. –No!” James shouted.

James was gaining on Snape as they passed the greenhouses. But Snape had the wands and the oak front doors were getting closer and closer…

Another bad idea attacked James’s brain, a truly terrible plan that would never work in a million years.

But again, for lack of any other options…

–Snape, no! You can’t!” James injected as much false panic into his voice as he could. Funnily, he didn’t have a lot of trouble locating it. –You can’t tell Professor Dumbledore!”

It was the worst idea. There was no way that Snape was ever, ever going to fall for…

–Dumbledore will be my first stop!” Snape spat. –You all are going to be expelled!”

Sweet mother of Merlin he fell for it.

Balancing precariously on the knife-edge of his terrible but somehow brilliant plan, James continued to chase Snape. –No, Snape, please!” he begged.

They reached the oak front doors. Snape wrenched them open, James in hot pursuit. They dashed across the Entrance Hall and up the marble staircase.

–Snape, no!” James said, lowering his voice to a stage whisper now they were in the castle. –You can’t tell Dumbledore about Remus! You can’t!”

–Watch me,” Snape panted, taking the stairs two at a time.

James couldn’t help but feel that something was finally going his way that night, as Snape made directly for the Headmaster’s study. As long as they didn’t come across anyone before they reached Dumbledore, he might just stand a chance of keeping everything from falling apart. And if they did meet someone, well, he supposed he could always try tackling Snape to the ground, grabbing his wand and cursing him before he got any words out. It was after curfew and most of the students would surely be in their dormitories by now. All they had to do was avoid any Prefects or teachers still walking around…

Avoiding Prefects and teachers…

Of course!

They dashed down a corridor and James let Snape pull ahead of him slightly, feigning exhaustion. Carefully, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. His heart skipped. He had never done this without his wand before. Holding it tight in both hands, James focused all of his energy on the parchment in front of him.

–I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” he whispered.

It worked. As he followed Snape up another staircase, he carefully unfolded the Marauder’s Map and watched as the title appeared across the top and the castle was illuminated. The corridors were fairly empty and the few dots that were scattered about were not anywhere too close to them.

–Snape, please, no,” James said again, for effect.

Neither James nor Snape had the remaining energy to run very quickly, but James’s heart was pounding painfully even still. With every step they took, James was sure that Snape would see right through his plan. He was sure that Snape would realize that there was no way that Dumbledore could not know that Remus was a werewolf. He was sure that Snape would realize how crazy it was to think that he and his friends could have kept that kind of secret and kept everyone safe without Dumbledore getting even a whiff of it. If nothing else, surely Snape would realize that if Madame Pomfrey knew, there was no way Dumbledore didn’t know.

But Snape didn’t realize. The events of the last hour seemed to have knocked enough screws lose in Snape’s head that he couldn’t see even the most gigantic holes in James’s impromptu story.

–Snape, stop, please,” James gasped.

Up more staircases, down more corridors, James kept one eye on Snape and one on the Map. They got through most of the castle quite undisturbed. It wasn’t until the landing one floor below Dumbledore’s office that they ran into a problem. Down the corridor to the west there was no one, but too the east, two dots, whose names James didn’t bother to read, were making their slow way towards them. Panic seized James once more. He shoved the map under his robes.

–It’s faster to go this way,” James said, in what he hoped was a defeated-sounding voice, pointing down the east corridor.

Snape sniffed, turned on his heel, and made his way quickly down the west corridor.

James smirked. Too easy.

One more staircase and they finally reached the entrance to Dumbledore’s office.

Too bad they didn’t have the password.

Snape spent a while swearing at the gargoyle, which was amusing, but not particularly helpful, and it was only a matter of time before someone joined them. James reached back into his robes and pulled out the Map again. Squinting, James carefully scanned the Map. Two dots labeled –James Potter” and –Severus Snape” were standing still just outside Dumbledore’s study. Looking more closely, he saw a tiny speech bubble appear next to the James Potter dot that said –Chocolate Frogs”.

–Chocolate frogs?” James asked the gargoyle. It immediately sprang to life and leaped aside to reveal the spiral staircase up to the Headmaster’s study.

Snape didn’t bother to ask how James knew the password. With the path no longer blocked, Snape dashed to the stairs and James followed. As he did, he slipped the Map back into his pocket with a whispered, –Mischief managed”.

At the top of the stairs, Snape pounded on the office door with rather more force than James thought was strictly necessary. They heard Dumbledore’s gentle, –Come in”, and hurried inside.

Dumbledore was not alone. Professor McGonagall was there too. They seemed to have been in the middle of a meeting. Snape strode right up to Dumbledore’s desk, but James hung back. Warm relief was spreading through him. He had done it. He had gotten Snape to Dumbledore’s office. Whatever happened now, Dumbledore would take care of it. Completely exhausted, James fought not to collapse to the ground again and take a well-deserved nap on Dumbledore’s carpet.

–Snape! Potter! What on earth are you -– McGonagall started, but Snape did not let her finish. He walked right up to the pair of them and slammed his hands down on Dumbledore’s desk.

–Professor Dumbledore, Remus Lupin is a werewolf!”

Silence. Whatever Dumbledore and McGonagall had been expected, it hadn’t been that. McGonagall’s eyebrows contracted. Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to twinkle less. James watched as both professors looked from Snape, to him, and back to Snape.

–How do you know this, Severus?” Dumbledore asked quietly.

–I - what - does it matter?” Snape sputtered. –Lupin is a werewolf, Professor! A werewolf! If you don’t believe me, I -"

–I believe you, Severus,” said Dumbledore, –and I already know that what you are saying is true.”

–Already…know…”

If had been any other situation, James might have laughed. The look the crossed Snape’s face when he realized what Dumbledore was saying was priceless. He seemed to be deflating where he stood. When he whorled around to face James, the daggers shooting from his eyes were enough to kill James ten times over.

–You!” he started.

–Severus,” Dumbledore said, forcing Snape’s attention back to him. –Please calm down. I am already aware of the information regarding Remus Lupin. What I would like to know is how you came to know this.”

–I think we’d all like to know that,” said Professor McGonagall. Her eyes moved back to James and pinned him with a look that usually suggested he was about to receive detention. But this wasn’t his fault! If anyone was to blame here it was -

–Black!” Snape spat. –Black was the one who told me what to do! Black told me how to get into the Willow! Black was the one who sent me down there!” Snape shouted. –Sirius Black tried to murder me!”

Normally, James would have wanted to stick up for his best friend. Unfortunately, everything that Snape had just shouted was undeniably true. He felt eyes move back onto him once more but found that he was really more comfortable examining the carpet.

–So,” Dumbledore said heavily, –Sirius Black told you how to get passed the Whomping Willow, but gave you no warning of what you might find at the end. Naturally, you were curious, and you decided to follow his directions and enter the passage beneath the Willow. Am I correct so far?”

–That’s what happened!” Snape confirmed loudly. Dumbledore looked at him. –Professor,” he added, slightly ashamedly.

–And how do you fit into all of this, James?” Dumbledore asked.

James looked up from the carpet. He didn’t think he had ever seen those blue eyes look so sad. –I…well…I heard what Sirius had done, and I -–

–Dragon shit!” Snape shouted. He pointed an accusatory finger at James. –He knew about it the whole time, Professor! He helped plan it! Potter, Black, Lupin, probably Pettigrew too, they’re all in on it! They all tried to kill me! Just because Potter got cold feet and -–

–Severus, please calm down,” Dumbledore said, a little more loudly than before. –And do not make me have to ask you again. I understand that you are upset, and it appears that you have every reason to be. But all of this shouting gets us nowhere, and I need to know exactly what happened tonight.”

Snape glared. When he spoke it was in a much quieter voice, but it was cold as a Dementor. –Potter and his friends tried to murder me, Professor. That’s what happened tonight.”

Professor McGonagall observed Snape with rather less patience than Dumbledore. –So, Potter.” She turned back to James. –You heard what Black had done, and then…”

–I followed Snape,” James said, staring into McGonagall’s eyes, willing her to believe that he had not tried to kill anyone.

–With the intention of stopping him?” McGonagall asked.

–Yes,” James answered.

–And we’re supposed to believe you did this from the goodness of your heart?” Snape sneered. –That it couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with saving your own sorry -–

Rage filled James. –I didn’t do it for you,” he assured Snape.

–Then for who?” Snape asked.

–Undoubtedly, he did it for Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin,” Dumbledore said, giving James a stare that made him feel like he was being x-rayed. James nodded.

–Black was the one who sent me down there in the first place!” Snape reminded them.

–Sirius Black has a extremely unfortunate habit of getting in his own way,” Dumbledore said heavily. –Very well, James, you went after Severus. I’m assuming since you both are still alive, if a bit worse for the wear, that you managed to catch him before he reached the Shrieking Shack?”

Snape frowned. –The Shrieking Shack?”

–Is what is at the end of the tunnel,” Dumbledore explained. –You did not make it that far?” he asked again.

He looked from Snape to James. Snape said nothing, so James picked up the story. –I caught up with him about halfway down the tunnel,” James explained. –I tried to tell him we needed to go back, but he refused to listen.”

–Maybe if you had mentioned the werewolf…” Snape interrupted.

–Snape ran further into the tunnel, and I went after him,” James continued as though Snape had not spoken. –We did make it to the end of the tunnel, Professor. Well, almost to the end. I managed to stop Snape before he could run straight into the Shack.”

–Good gracious!” McGonagall exclaimed.

Dumbledore too had understood the implications. –You got close enough to see him,” Dumbledore said. –And close enough for him to see you.”

–How on earth are you two fools still alive?” demanded McGonagall.

–Magic?” James offered.

Professor McGonagall was not amused. –A little more specific, if you please, Mr. Potter.”

James explained how, after seeing them, the werewolf had made the opening between the Shack and the tunnel wider and chased them down the tunnel. He explained how he and Snape had tried to hex the werewolf to no effect and how they had resorted to collapsing the ceiling to make their escape.

–You caved in the tunnel?” McGonagall asked disbelievingly.

Dumbledore stood up. –Was Remus injured?”

–I…” James started, but stopped short. Worry flooded through him, and not a small amount of guilt. Was Remus injured? He didn’t know. He hadn’t thought about it at all. His single-minded determination to get himself and Snape out alive meant that he had left one of his best friends in the world stuck in a collapsing tunnel, probably buried alive, possibly even…

His stomach turned over. –I…I don’t know, sir,” he said quietly.

–Who cares about the werewolf?” Snape demanded angrily.

If they were any closer James would have hit him. –I do,” he growled.

–As do I,” Dumbledore said quietly.

–What should we do?” McGonagall asked Dumbledore urgently. –What can we do?”

Dumbledore looked very sad again. –Nothing,” he said, –there is nothing we can do for him now. Whatever situation Remus is in, there in nothing we can do to help him until morning.”

James’s guilt redoubled. Certainly no one could say that he shouldn’t have done what he needed to do to survive, but he hadn’t even thought…

–Very well,” Dumbledore said. –It is late. Professor McGonagall, if you would kindly escort these two gentlemen to the hospital wing…”

–Hospital wing?” James asked.

–That’s right, Potter, hospital wing,” Professor McGonagall said firmly. –Have you not seen what state the two of you are in?”

James looked down at himself. He was covered in dirt for one thing. The knees of his robes were ripped from their repeated collisions with the hard tunnel floor. His arms were covered in black and purple bruises and he knew the rest of his body was likely more of the same. And of course he still had the overwhelming desire to fall to the ground and sleep for a year. He looked over at Snape, who looked pretty much the same except for his knees, and with the addition of a large scrape on his head with dried blood in his hair.

–Alright,” James conceded.

–Thank you, Minerva,” said Dumbledore. –And if you could also tell Madame Pomfrey that once she is done with Severus and James, I would like to speak to her here. I need to tell her about Remus.”

–Of course,” Professor McGonagall replied. –Come along now, you two,” she said to James and Snape.

But Snape, it seemed, was not ready to go. –What, that’s it? No punishment? Just run along to the hospital wing? Professor Dumbledore, Potter, Black, they -–

–Make no mistake, Severus,” Dumbledore said quietly, –I will be speaking to Mr. Black in the morning. As for James or anyone else, there is no evidence to suggest to me that -–

–No evidence!” Snape spat. –But Potter, Lupin -–

–You have told me that it was Sirius Black who sent you down the tunnel under the Whomping Willow,” Dumbledore continued. –You have offered me no proof that James or Remus even knew about it before it happened, much less that they conspired.”

–Lupin tried to kill me!” Snape raged.

–And if you have learned anything about werewolves in your almost five years of magical education, then you will know that it was not Remus Lupin who tried to kill you, but the creature that takes over his body,” said Dumbledore. –I will not punish him for that.”

Snape still looked livid, but he seemed to know that he was never going to win. He turned on his heel and headed for the office door with James and Professor McGonagall.

–Oh, and Severus,” Dumbledore said. They all turned back to look at him. –I must ask that you not tell anyone what you found out about Mr. Lupin tonight.”

Snape’s mouth fell open. –Professor Dumbledore, he’s dangerous -–

–Not as dangerous as many will believe him to be,” said Dumbledore. –And I believe that he has just as much right to a magical education as anyone else in this school.”

–But, Professor -” Snape said.

–I’m sorry, Severus, but I am going to have to insist,” said Dumbledore. –If word gets out that Mr. Lupin is a werewolf and I trace it back to you, I will expel you from Hogwarts.”

Snape looked ready to spit fire.

–That is all,” said Dumbledore. –Goodnight to all of you.”



The waves of fury coming off of Snape as he, James, and Professor McGonagall walked through the dark castle to the hospital wing were palpable. It seemed as though he would explode with rage at any moment and put a Snape-shaped hole in the nearest wall.

–Can I get my wand back?” James asked pleasantly.

Snape gave James a look that suggested he would sooner point James’s own wand at him and curse him into oblivion.

–Mr. Snape,” McGonagall said pointedly.

Fuming, Snape dug his hand into his pocket, extracted James’s wand, and thrust it at him. James took it and made rather a deal of wiping it off on his robes to get all of the slime off. He was enjoying the sick sense of pressure he got watching Snape boiling so close to the top. For one thing, it was distracting him from his own thoughts and his own anger.

They arrived at the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey came out of her office wearing a dressing gown and muttering something about what time of night it was for foolish students to be doing dangerous things. She fused over them a bit, healing their cuts and scrapes with her wand, giving them a tonic to reduce bruising. She gave Snape an extra potion that she told him was specifically for head injuries but that James strongly suspected was a calming draught. They were each given pajamas and told to change, and as he did, James saw just how many bruises he had from head to foot. Finally, she gave them each a sleeping potion and hurried off to see Dumbledore.

James lay on his bed in the dark and quiet hospital wing, his mind spinning. Behind him, he could hear Snape’s breathing becoming slow and deep. But even the waves of dreamless sleep that were doing their best to pull him under could not stop his reeling mind. He didn’t think that he had ever been so angry in his life. He was angry at no one and everyone. He was angry that he had almost died. He was angry at the monster Remus became for trying to kill him. He was angry that Remus might be dead come morning. He was angry that there was nothing he could do about it. He was angry with Snape for being such a fool and going into the Willow with no idea what he might find, for not listening to his warnings and refusing to come back. He was angry with Snape for figuring out Remus’s secret and trying to expose him. He was angry with himself for burying his friend alive. He was angry with himself because he was sure that his transfigurations on the opening between the Shack and the tunnel were what weakened it enough that the werewolf could tear it open. He was angry with Slughorn for giving him detention. He was angry with Peter for having been so gleeful. He was angry with the moon, still shining bright in the sky outside of the hospital wing window.

James rolled over as the rage licked his insides. He was being dishonest with himself. It wasn’t Peter’s fault that this had happened or Slughorn’s. It wasn’t his fault, or the werewolf’s, and it wasn’t even Snape’s. James knew who was to blame for everything that had happened, the one who had been so careless, so reckless, so stupid, and so cruel. What had possessed him? James didn’t know and he found himself very much not caring.

The potion was trying to pull him down again and he decided to let it. He gave into the powerful force of the potion and let it wipe his anger away. He had only one last thought before he let himself be pulled into nothingness, a thought he knew would survive the dreamless night and come back in full force in the morning.

He was going to kill Sirius Black.


To be continued…



Now that’s a little more interesting don’t you think? Reviews are always appreciated! Part three coming soon!
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