The other day, I found myself thinking about how the whole confrontation of Remus' "furry little problem" went down. I know this has been done a million times, but I couldn't help writing up this short one-shot. This story takes place in the Marauder's second year at Hogwarts and switches between Remus' and James' POV. This is the first story I've ever written, and it was sorta spur of the moment, so constructive criticism is very much appreciated. So, without further ado, here it is.

Confronting the Beast

They knew.

They knew what he was. They knew that he had been lying to them for over a year.

Remus John Lupin had never been more terrified in his life. He sat on his bed, hugging his knees tightly to his chest, eyes squeezed shut.

They knew.

Remus couldn't pinpoint the exact moment they had figured out what he was, but he was beginning to realize just how long they had begun to at least suspect him and how stupid he was for not noticing it sooner. How they would glance at him when they thought he wasn't looking. How they always seemed on edge around him. How they would inch their chairs away from him slightly during dinner. Remus was certain he was about to lose the closest group of friends he had ever had.

What did I do to deserve this? he thought bitterly.

You're a monster, that little voice in the back of his head whispered. You never deserved to be friends with them in the first place.

Remus normally tried to ignore that voice, but this time, he found it hard to tune out.

You've been putting them in danger, the voice continued. You could have killed them by now. Or worse, turned them into a filthy beast like you.

Remus felt his eyes filling with tears. Even if he deserved what was about to happen, that didn't mean it would hurt any less. Suddenly, he heard a pair of footsteps approaching the door to the room. His heart dropped as the door opened to reveal James Potter and Sirius Black, wands raised and pointed directly at him. A gasp escaped him, and he felt tears once again threaten to fall. Nothing in the world could have prepared him for the fear and hatred on his friends faces.

Peter had opted to stay behind, and James couldn't blame him. He could feel his own heart beating rapidly at just the thought of confronting the werewolf. However, fear was not the only emotion James was feeling that night. He turned to Sirius and saw his eyes ablaze with fury. James knew exactly how he felt.

"Are you ready?" His friend whispered to him. James nodded, and they both pulled their wands from their robes, slowly making their way toward the room they shared with Remus.

The room they shared with a werewolf, James thought suddenly. He shivered and wondered how many nights he had spent sleeping next to a bloodthirsty creature without even realizing it.

Sooner than James would have liked, they had reached the door. Slowly and slightly shakily, he reached for the knob. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. It took him a second to spot the boy, but once he did he suddenly felt another surge of fear. They were face to face with a werewolf.

"Remus," James began, as calmly and coldly as he could. He looked into the boy's frightened eyes.

Frightened? James thought, slightly taken aback. No, that couldn't be right. He was a werewolf, a monster. Of course Remus wasn't frightened.

But, as James stared at his once best friend, he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of pity for the pathetic looking Remus on the bed, shaking slightly with his knees hugged up to his chest.

Stop that! he thought, trying to get a hold of himself. He's probably just faking it, trying to trick us again. The lying bastard.

However, before he could gather himself, Sirius spoke up to his right.

"We know what you are." He said, grey eyes blazing with fury. "We know you're a werewolf!" He spat the last word with such venom, that even James couldn't help but flinch.

Sirius had opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could, Remus broke out into sobs. James stumbled back, shocked. He had expected Remus to react violently, to attack them and try to escape. That's why they had their wands aimed at him. This, however, was the opposite of how James expected him to react. He looked over his shoulder at Sirius and saw that his friend was just as surprised by Remus' sudden outburst. The two of them stood there, too shocked speak, as they watched tears stream down his cheeks. Suddenly, the young werewolf looked up at them.

"P-Please," he stammered, "I-I didn't want to l-lie to any of you. I-I-" The boy once again broke out into sobs.

Merlin, what is wrong with you, James? he thought angrily. This is Remus we're talking about!

James had no idea how he had managed to convince himself that kind, caring Remus, who would never hurt a fly, was some kind of bloodthirsty monster. Before he knew what was happening, James had put his wand away and climbed onto the bed with Remus. He pulled the shaking boy into a tight hug and felt him stiffen in his arms. Remus looked up at him, confusion mingling with fear and sorrow in his wide, green eyes.

"Remus," James began softly, "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. I was an idiot to think that you being a werewolf changed anything. Please forgive me."

"Yeah," Sirius spoke up, though James noticed there was still a slight edge to his voice. James watched as the black haired boy shook his head, as though ridding himself of some absurd thought. "I'm sorry for acting like such an arse. I-I shouldn't have… I just thought..." Sirius trailed off, and James realized the edge in his voice was gone. He looked over Remus' shoulder into the boy's grey eyes, seeing only overwhelming guilt and concern. James knew exactly how he felt.

"Y-you don't hate me?" Remus John Lupin had never been more confused in his life.

"Of course not!" James exclaimed, pulling him into an even tighter hug.

"You're our friend!" Sirius added, climbing onto the bed and joining in the group hug. "You should be the one hating us for the way we reacted."

Friend. Remus pulled away from the hug briefly and looked into the other boys' eyes. He no longer saw fear or hatred. Instead, he saw only warmth and compassion. For the third time that night, Remus felt tears spilling down his cheeks. But this time he was smiling, and he realized they were tears of joy.