The Dark Side of the Moony
Author's Note: Although I wish I did, I never have and never will own the Marauders or anything having to do with the Harry Potter series. Credit to brilliance rightfully goes to J.K. Rowling.
James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, the notorious foursome known as the Marauders at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, lounged at the base of their great, ancient, beech tree not far from the mysterious sapphire blue lake where, beneath the surface, lurked a giant squid, merpeople, and who-knows-what-else. The occupants of the boarding school that was Hogwarts had been blessed with an early and unusually warm spring.
The four young teens continued to relax in the shade of the old beech, pleased to have all of their homework done early-including a particularly nasty potions essay on bezoars.
Remus, poor though his family was, was content to simply experience the wonders of nature, and other small pleasures of life-such as the simple joys of eating chocolate. Chocolate always made him feel better after stressful ordeals, of which there were many in his life. His family's financial issues were clearly defined by the shabbiness of his daffodil yellow oversized shirt and khaki colored shorts which were also too large on his lanky 5'7'' frame. Like his friends, he was intelligent, and loyal. Unlike the others, he was responsible, quiet, sensitive, and secretive. A light breeze tugged gently at his curly tendrils of dark golden hair. His amber eyes glazed over as, for once, his friends remained silent.
Sirius, who possessed a handsome face, shoulder length black hair, azure blue eyes, and 5'10" lean muscular body, was Remus' total opposite. Although they, like the other two Marauders, were both in Gryffindor house, Sirius came from a rich family. He certainly wasn't proud of it. He had no love for his parents or younger brother, and they felt the same toward him. He spent most of his time away from the house during the summer holidays when he was forced to leave his true home of Hogwarts. Aside from this, Sirius was also somewhat reckless, bold, and got into more scraps than the others except, perhaps James.
Speaking of James, he had untidy hair as jet black as Sirius' which he constantly rumpled to make sure it didn't get too tidy. He also wore glasses, had large, deep brown eyes, and a 5'8" athletic build. As the star on the Gryffindor quidditch team-a popular wizarding sport played on flying broomsticks-he could be conceited, but he was always true to his friends, especially Sirius, with whom he spent most of his spare time in detention.
Peter, the last of the four, was the shortest. At full height, his round stature reached about 5'3". He had short, mousy hair and pale, watery blue eyes. Although his friends usually took care of him, he was known to have gotten into a few duels himself. This usually resulted in his receiving detention and minor injuries. It was times like these that made Sirius and James proud.
Bored, Sirius looked sideways at James, but James was staring intently at a group of giggling girls beside the lake with their feet dangling in the crystalline water. One of the group had long, dark red hair, bright almond shaped green eyes, and a slender frame slightly smaller than James'. The girl in question, Lily Evans, had been James' obsession since he first set eyes on her at age eleven. That had been in first year. Now, in third year, and at age thirteen, his love for her had only grown stronger.
Sirius sighed restlessly. He swung his head around in Remus' direction, but his friend's eyes were unfocused. He was daydreaming again. Peter appeared to have dozed off in the noon sun.
"Wingardium Leviosa." Sirius whispered the incantation, his wand pointed at the sleeping form of Peter. His friend levitated several inches, but remained snoring.
"Little more…" Sirius muttered to himself. Peter was almost a foot and a half off of the ground when Sirius dropped him into James' lap. This woke James and Remus up rather nicely in his opinion, but amazingly, did nothing to awaken Peter.
"Oy!" James cried out in shock. He turned indignantly toward Sirius. "What'd you do that for?"
"It should be against the law to be that boring!'' Sirius laughed in answer, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Remus had snapped out of his reverie and, grinning, reached for his own wand before dousing Peter with water that sprayed forth from it. Needless to say, it was quite a rude awakening for Peter.
The next day was the beginning of the two-week long Easter holiday. The Marauders, it seemed, were the only Gryffindors remaining in the castle when Sirius rose the next morning. Strangely, he was awake at seven in the morning instead of noon. Something had to be up.
Just before deciding to return to dreamland, Sirius realized that Remus hadn't come to bed the previous night. His bed didn't appear to have been slept in at all. This wasn't new to any of the Marauders, but the reason behind their friend's periodic midnight disappearances was still unknown as of yet.
Sirius dragged himself out of his four poster bed, out of the dorm-after getting dressed, of course-and through the portrait hole of the somewhat bulky, snoozing woman in her pink dress. His original plan had been to head to the Great Hall for an early breakfast, but when he passed the Hospital Wing, he heard two familiar voices, one expected, the other not.
"You know what to do dear." Madam Ails cooed. There was a brief pause, some sputtering, and then,
"I just can't get used to that stuff. Thank you Madam Ails." Remus' voice answered.
What is going on? Sirius wondered, all thoughts of food forgotten.
He waited a moment until Remus exited, looking much the worse for wear, but obviously relieved and carrying a block of chocolate larger than his fist. Remus froze when he looked up to see Sirius studying him closely.
"Wh-What are you doing up?" Remus asked shakily. He looked exceedingly pale and peaky.
"I was going to get some food, and you?"
"Er…I was…ummm…"
"You were what?" Sirius pressed.
"Swear you won't tell?"
"I swear on my mother's grave."
"You hate your mother."
"You know what I mean!" Remus still had a doubtful look configured upon his features.
"C'mon I promise! We're Marauders for Pete's sake!"
"What does Peter have to do with this?" Remus did appear more comfortable now, though. Something about Sirius' exclamation had touched him.
"Okay. I'm…I'm a werewolf. I was bitten just before first year. I had to get a potion to relieve some of the…er…side effects if you know what I mean." Well Sirius, never having been a werewolf himself, had no idea what his friend meant, but he imagined that these side effects couldn't be too pretty. Anyway, he was still trying to get over the fact that he had been sharing a dorm with a werewolf for this long and had not known about it.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Sirius asked bluntly.
"You're not gonna leave me?"
"How could you think that? You're a Marauder. You're practically a god at Hogwarts! I thought you were the smart one." Remus was so pleased he didn't bother making a comeback to the last comment.
"Hey, I have an idea!" Remus whipped his head up. Sirius using those words in a sentence had never resulted in anything good. "Werewolves are only dangerous to humans right?" Remus could do nothing but nod dumbly. Sirius Black actually paid attention to Professor Kettleburn? No way! "James, Peter, and the incredibly dazzling, genius of a chap that is myself, could become Animagi!"
"But that's illegal!" Remus interrupted. "You have to be registered and everything! Besides, you're really not that good-looking."
"You don't want us to come?" Sirius looked hurt. "And I'm not gorgeous?" He added, crestfallen.
"I just don't want you to get hurt or in trouble!" His friend still appeared disconsolate. "Fine. You know I was joking. You really are one of the best-looking people I know."
"Ha! You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that! I always knew you wanted me Remus." With a wink, Sirius sprinted in the opposite direction, toward the dormitories, with a livid Remus chasing after him.
The other two, after recovering relatively well from their first shock of learning that their friend was a werewolf, agreed with Sirius. After only one week, Sirius could take the shape of a shaggy black dog, James could become a noble stag, and, to his dismay and the other's jokes, Peter took the form of a rat.
They were just in time, for the next eve was one of the full moon.
As soon as dinner ended, the four made their way toward the Whomping Willow. This particular tree lay on the Hogwarts grounds and attempted to bludgeon any poor fool who made the mistake of wandering too near. Most sane people avoided it at all costs, but I'm afraid the people in question were never entirely sane.
Remus, now nicknamed "Moony", nimbly dodged several branches and his hand closed over a large knot at the base of the tree. The willow halted abruptly in its attempts to club the boys dancing just out of reach of its lethal fists.
"Hurry." The werewolf beckoned. The others hastened to obey. They were so absorbed in following Moony down the tunnel that had materialized out of the base of the trunk that they were oblivious to the intruder slinking after them.
"Jeez Prongs, you could warn us before letting one loose!" Sirius gagged.
"It wasn't me Padfoot!" James shot back. "It must have been Wormtail!"
"Don't look at me." Peter responded shortly. "If it was me, you'd be dead." The others nodded. This was, after all, very true.
They had reached the end of the tunnel. An immense, barren room greeted their eyes as the astonished gazes moved from the claw marks, to the bloodstains, and then, in horror, to the cuts that were still healing on Moony's body. The werewolf halted. He trembled as his flesh became contorted and his very being took leave, only to be replaced by a satanic beast. The remaining Marauders hurriedly transformed. Where they had stood not moments before, there were now a dog, a stag, and a trembling rat.
A bloodcurdling howl burst forth from the monster. It stiffened, such as when a hunting dog catches the scent of a rabbit, and turned toward them slowly. Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail readied themselves for the battle that they knew was imminent; realizing that for now, their friend was nonexistent. A murderous beast now possessed him.
The nightmarish creature sniffed again. This was odd. The three were in plain view. Then Padfoot and Prongs, as one, identified the foul scent that had followed them. Snivellus.
Their suspicions were proven correct by the whimper from the shadows. Severus Snape, of Slytherin house and the Marauders' rival, cowered in the far corner. His pale, pointed face was paler than usual, and his greasy black hair was matted to the sweat beading on his forehead.
The werewolf lunged, teeth bared, ready for the kill. Fortunately for Severus, so had the stag, who received the blow instead. Blood gushed from Prongs' side. Padfoot grasped the now unconscious Severus by his collar with his teeth and dragged him out of the tunnel. Even then, Padfoot couldn't help thinking how astoundingly revolting this was.
The next morning, all four of the Marauders were in the Hospital Wing. Moony and Prongs had been healed of their more gruesome injuries with no questions asked. The Marauders though, had an important question of their own. How did Snape know where to go?
Padfoot shifted uneasily in his seat while determinedly not meeting the others' eyes. Unfortunately for him, his friends knew him well enough to know exactly what this meant.
"You?"
"Erm…I didn't think he'd believe me. Figures, the one time I don't want the slimy git to believe me, he does."
"You told him about me?" Moony mouthed in a whisper that was barely audible.
"I told him that…that…well, he wanted to know where you went….he was getting suspicious…I didn't tell him you were a werewolf!" Padfoot stuttered.
"Obviously." James rolled his eyes.
This was very unlike the confident Sirius Black everyone knew. "I swear it'll never ever happen again!" he finished sincerely, ignoring James.
"If it means anything, Snivelly was scared out of his mind." Prongs added cautiously.
"Yeah. Did you see the look on his face?" Wormtail piped up. His eyes clouded contentedly. "I'll remember look for the rest of my life."
A smile played across the recovering werewolf's lips. He wasn't so much consoled that he had terrified Snape, even though he had to admit, that was pretty excellent. What really made the whole adventure worthwhile was knowing that his friends had witnessed him at his ultimate worst and still loved him. Of course there was also,
"Chocolate." Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail looked up, bemused. They knew that their friend was an avid chocoholic, but why now of all times?
In answer to the clueless stares, Moony lifted, with difficulty, the boulder sized lump of chocolate that had been painstakingly hidden behind the side table. He grinned wolfishly as he watched the expressions on his friends' features alter dramatically. Simultaneously, the chocolate lover in all of them struck. Like all good endings, this story ends happily, with chocolate, and of course, friends truer than time.