He was freezing. He was boiling. He was shivering. He was stiff. He was dazed. He was alert. He was in excruciating pain but numb to the core.
Remus Lupin was a walking contradiction.
The sixteen-year-old was curled up on the wooden floor of the Shrieking Shack, a thick blanket thrown over his naked body to protect his modesty.
He fought against his splitting headache as he tried to gain his bearings, the world tilting slowly around him.
"Huuurrrrngh." He moaned.
"Go back to sleep, Earlybird." said a voice, cutting through Remus' hazy demeanour. "The moon only disappeared half an hour ago. Pomfrey won't be here for another thirty minutes."
"Don't be stupid." said another voice. "Moony wouldn't dare sleep when there's a Charms exam today!"
A third voice giggled appreciatively. Remus used all the effort within himself to roll over to his other side, towards the source of the voices - his muscles screamed in protest.
James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were leaning against the opposite wall. The former quickly approached the Gryffindor prefect, his hazel eyes glinting as he pulled his mahogany wand from his pocket. After a few seconds of muttering, the pain that was searing into every fibre of Remus' being was numbed. The werewolf released a sudden gasp of relief.
"Thank you." He croaked through a parched mouth. In mere moments, Sirius was raising a glass of water to Remus' lips, and Peter was helping him sit up against the wall. James frowned at his friend.
"Oi! No thanking, Moony, you know that. The Marauders are a family, we look after each other." He grinned broadly.
Remus would never be able to express his gratitude in words.
"Did I…?" He asked, not wanting to say the words. Had this month been the month where he'd condemned a brother to lifelong prejudice and suffering?
James spread out his arms.
"No bites! Just a couple of scratches here and there. But you're no match for us, Moony, don't worry."
Remus wasn't gullible. He knew full well that he probably did inflict a few scratches on his best friends, but they healed the wounds themselves when Remus was out. After all these transformations, they'd actually become quite accomplished at healing spells - they'd spent a lot of time reading books and practicing, which was mainly driven by the fact that they definitely couldn't show up in the Hospital Wing with bloody gashes coincidentally at the same time as Remus' transformations. He'd never know for sure, but they always insisted that the injuries they gained were incredibly minor.
James repaired the tattered clothes that were littered around the room, and he and Peter helped Remus get dressed while Sirius cast a disillusionment spell on the blanket they'd covered him with.
"I think that's her." said Peter, as the sound of someone approaching echoed towards them.
"Alright. See you later, Moony!"
"Bye, Moony."
"Bye Remus."
James threw his Invisibility Cloak over the trio, as they all grinned at Remus in farewell. However, they didn't leave, they just moved into a corner of the room so the newcomer wouldn't collide with them. The nurse entered the room moments later, beaming at Remus.
"Hello, my dear! Oh, I always tell you not to get dressed, you might over exert yourself!" She scolded, crouching over the prefect and examining him.
"Sorry, Madam Pomfrey." said Remus sheepishly, his eyes flickering over to the corner where he knew his friends were smirking.
The pain that Remus had felt when he had woken up returned with a huge impact. Tears sprang to his eyes as pain coursed through every cell of his body - he couldn't help but whimper helplessly. James had lifted the spell; he had to, or Madam Pomfrey would notice that something was odd when she cast her own, stronger healing spell.
Just as quickly as it had arrived, the pain vanished, courtesy of the school nurse. Remus sagged slightly and sighed in relief.
Madam Pomfrey cast another spell to levitate the schoolboy, and left the Shack, Remus floating beside her. She began travelling through the tunnel towards the base of the Whomping Willow. James, Sirius and Peter followed, careful not to dislodge any rocks or trip.
Remus had never felt so loved, or such a strong sense of belonging than he did in this moment, despite the fact that he had just woken up from a horrifying ordeal. It comforted him to know that his three friends were nearby - it made him feel safe.
"The Marauders are a family." He croaked to himself. "We look after each other."