Remus was hunched on the chair by the fire in the common room late in the evening before the full moon. His teeth were clenched in pain and fear. Already he could feel the pull of the moon, stretching his limbs and sending a deep ache though his body. Also building was the raw anger of the wolf, making his palms sweat and his hands shake. Part of him wanted the full moon to come, at least it would be over that way and he could get back to his normal life till the next cycle.
The faint flickering of the fire calmed him and he lulled into a stupor and for a while he was lost in blissful peace the thoughtless presence between waking and sleeping, till he felt a hand on his shoulder and leapt to his feet, howling not unlike the creature it would become tomorrow night.
The hand was hurriedly withdrawn and held up in submit ion. As Remus's breathing calmed he could make out the hand, thin, slender and pale. He swore under his breath and sank back in the chair. The boy stepped forward and Remus could see it what Sirius. His eyes were wide with shock and concern for his friend.
"Sorry." He whispered. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine." Remus hissed back. "What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep, I heard you get up, and I thought you were just going to the bathroom but you didn't come back for ages, was just checking you were okay."
"I'm fine, it's late, and you should go back to bed."
Sirius rubbed his eyes and squinted in the dim light at Remus's face.
"You okay? You look like you're in pain."
Remus sighed though his nose sweeping his hair out of his eyes.
"I'm fine, just go back to sleep. You know what Professor Bin's class is like, you will fall asleep and you are not copying my notes again, not even for a whole case of honey dukes chocolate."
"Fine, I will just copy Peter's till you tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing is wrong, I thought I was getting a cold and didn't want to keep you all up coughing so I came down here that's all." He said in a plaintive voice, offering Sirius a smile which Sirius returned with a raise of an eyebrow.
"Why is it always now?"
It was Remus's time to raise his eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?"
"Always this time of every month you go all weird and disappear for a couple of days."
Remus's heart stopped.
"I, its, it's my, grandmother." He stammered.
"Let me guess, your grandmother is ill again, she is always ill this time of the month."
"She, she just, my mum need my help."
Sirius reached forward and grabbed his wrists.
"Please, tell me, what is going on."
Remus sighed and looked down. Sirius let go of his wrists and bent so he could see his friends face.
"I'm surprised you haven't guessed yet. You have put half of it together on your own."
Remus eyes were dark with anger and fear when he looked back at Sirius to find him nodding slowly.
"I guessed I just wanted you to tell me. I thought it would help you."
"Yeah, well now you know and now I have probably lost some of the only friends I have ever had."
He turned away and stalked toward the portrait hole but Sirius caught his wrist.
"You haven't lost me."
Remus caught his breath and fought back a sob. He wished Sirius would just go.
"You're my best friend; I don't care what you are."
Slowly Remus pulled his wrist away from Sirius's hand.
"You can't say that, you don't know about werewolves, about what they do."
"I know what they can do, but I know you, and you are not bad, you are a good person, the best person I know and you are my friend and you will always be my friend."
Remus looked at his best friend, his eyes wide and intense and felt a small flame of hope start to flicker in his stomach. He smiled slowly at Sirius and Sirius beamed back.
"You swear we will always be friends?" he asked in a whisper, hardly daring to believe it.
"Of course we will." Sirius said pulling him into a hug.
Remus hugged him back and the small spark of hope kindled by his friend began to slowly melt the ice he had carried with him since his first day of school.
He broke apart gripping Sirius's arms.
"Thank you. Now I really have to go to sleep otherwise we will be late for potions tomorrow morning."
He turned and headed up the spiral staircase.
"Goodnight Wolfie." Sirius called after him.
He spun around to find his friend grinning up at him from the common room and a reluctant giggle escaped him, turning quickly into a full blown laughing fit. His heart was lighter than it ever had been. His best friend still accepted him.
