Written for round 9 of the QLFC
Team: Pride of Portree
Position: Seeker
Word Count (excluding AN): 957
Prompt used: Golden Snitch
"Remus is a werewolf!" James shouted, pacing the length of the second year boys' dormitory.
This revelation had caused very strong reactions from all three of Remus Lupin's friends, but James had certainly taken the news the worst. Peter ducked as a book went flying past his head and hit the wall, the spine breaking on impact.
"Reparo," Peter muttered, waving his wand in the direction of the book. The pages fluttered slightly, but nothing more happened. It was a little unfair, he thought, for James to be breaking Remus' possessions when all Remus had done was exist in close proximity to James.
"Stop repairing his stuff!" James yelled, throwing something small, shiny and clearly breakable at a wall.
"Stop breaking things then," Peter replied more calmly, attempting the repairing spell again on what was now a pile of glass on the floor.
"Why should I?" James shouted, marching across the room to Peter and standing nose-to-nose with him. "That creature has been living in our room, eating our sweets and-"
"Helping us with our homework?" Peter continued, trying his best not to show that he was intimidated. James was scary, but Remus needed someone to stand up for him, and Sirius wasn't there. "Taking the blame for that prank to get you out of detention last week? Saving every knut of his pocket money so that he can buy us birthday presents? Writing to Sirius every day last summer so he wouldn't forget that not everyone is like his mum?"
James was no longer throwing things, but he looked longingly at the remaining contents of Remus' trunk. Peter nudged the lid closed with his toe.
"Well, which one is it?" Peter asked. James not fighting back had given him a bit more confidence in his argument. "It's just like those quiz shows your mum listens to on the radio. A, B, C, or D? Homework, prank, presents or Sirius? Or was there something else you were going to say?"
James looked confused. "Yeah, ok, he's been alright, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a werewolf!"
"No, it doesn't," Peter replied, "but why do you even care?"
"He could eat us! He could transform into a great, slavering beast and gobble us up in our beds!"
"When?" Peter asked angrily. James' stupidity had almost completely erased Peter's fear of confrontation. He rose to his feet and stood over James, trying to be intimidating himself. "When would he get a chance to eat us? You're supposed to be the smart one here, so try actually thinking about it! When exactly do werewolves transform?"
"At the full moon," James replied, too astounded by Peter's sudden confidence to complain about being spoken to like a child.
"And where is Remus on the full moon?" Peter's voice mimicked the patronising tone James and Sirius often used when explaining simple concepts to him.
"...Not here," James mumbled, defeated. That had been, after all, the final clue that had led to the friends figuring out Remus' secret.
"James, obviously he's not going to eat us!" Peter said, exasperated. "He's taking every possible precaution to be safe and just have a normal life. It's not his fault he got bitten; he didn't ask for this. Don't you think that he deserves the same kind of life that me and you have?"
"...I guess," James replied, not meeting Peter's eyes.
"Remus told us last year that all he's ever wanted was to come to Hogwarts, but he never thought he'd be able to, remember? We thought that meant his parents were strict, or protective, and wanted him at home, but now we know it's because of this. Remember what you said to him at the time?"
"Everyone should get a chance to come here," James said, finally looking up at Peter. "And I was right! Everyone should get a chance to be here, even if they are werewolves, or vampires, or… well, maybe not vampires, but werewolves definitely should!"
Finally he gets it! Peter thought to himself.
"Come on, Pete, let's go find Remus and tell him that he should be able to stay!" James strode towards the door without another word, knowing, as always, that Peter would follow him.
They found Remus curled up on the floor of the library, a book in his hands and red circles around his eyes. Clearly he had been crying, but Peter was tactful enough not to mention it.
"Have you been crying?" James asked tactlessly. Remus simply sniffed and didn't look up from his book.
"Look, mate," James continued. "We don't actually care about the whole werewolf thing, you know. You're still the same Remus, just now we know that you have a furry little problem."
Remus snorted at James' choice of phrasing, but still didn't look up from his book.
"Sirius is in McGonagall's office now, you know," Peter said. "He's covering for you, told her you were sick and that's why you've not been in class all day. You know what he's like, he won't stop talking until she agrees to excuse you."
James crouched down and forced his face in between Remus' eyes and the book in his hands. "Remus, seriously, we don't care. Come back to the dorm, yeah? We miss you up there."
Remus sighed and stood up, swatting James round the head with the book in the process. "Fine, since you clearly won't leave me alone otherwise."
Peter grinned at Remus and trailed along behind him and James as they returned to Gryffindor tower. Of course, he could never tell Remus what had occurred in the dorm that day, but he silently hoped that Remus would know that Peter had never lost faith in him, even for a second.