Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. :(
Remus Lupin was exhausted after the full moon. Madam Pomfrey had helped him recover before discharging him. Now young Remus trudged up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
Nobody was there, as it was still during the day, and everyone was at classes. Remus had been excused for the day, for the night before had been a full moon and he was exhausted. Madam Pomfrey had ordered him to go and rest in his dormitory.
As he walked up the spiral staircase in Gryffindor tower to the first year boy's dormitory Remus smiled at the thought of seeing his friends again. But he dreaded it at the same time. Each time he left for the full moon they seemed to be getting more and more suspicious. He knew his excuses wouldn't last long.
As he curled up on top of his bed Remus contemplated just telling the rest of the Marauders, they were supposed to be best friends. But he pushed that idea aside and let himself succumb to the much-needed sleep.
Remus awoke hours later to noise and a voice shouting.
"REMMY!" Sirius bounced on the foot of his bed. "You're back! How's your mum? Is she getting any better? Was she happy to see you?"
"Oi Sirius lay off him. He's probably tired," another voice piped up.
"Hi guys," Remus sat up in his bed, wincing slightly. His muscles were still sore from last night's transformation. "My mum is doing a little better, but I'll have to keep visiting her. And she was very happy to see me."
"Oh, good," Peter said. "We're glad she was doing better. Next time you go to see her give her our best wishes."
Remus smiled and nodded. "I will, Peter." He was touched that the Marauders wanted his mother to get well, even though she wasn't sick.
"So Remus," Sirius said, still sitting on the foot of his bed. The other Marauders had joined him, so now all four boys were sitting on Remus's bed. "Well you were gone, we went to the library-"
"What?" Remus asked, surprised. "You went to the library? Why? I can't believe I missed this!"
"Ignoring those previous comments," James rolled his eyes and crossed over to his trunk. "While we were there, we checked out a book."
"Wow this just keeps getting better and better!" Remus grinned at his friends. The Marauders never went to the library, other than him, and they wouldn't check out a book even if they somehow ended up in there.
James put the heavy book on Remus's lap. Remus pulled it towards him and glanced at the title. Remus felt the blood drain from his face.
Werewolves; All you need to know about them
"No," he whispered. Yanking the covers back he jumped out of his bed, despite his protesting muscles. "No, no, no, no, no."
He opened his trunk and started tossing his things into it, the other Marauders sitting dumbfounded on the bed. James was the first to do anything.
"Remus, what're you doing?" He slid off the bed and walked over to his bed.
Remus turned away from James, not wanting him to see the tears falling over the scars on his face. "I'm packing. Now that you guys know, there's no use in staying. Nobody wants to go to school with a monster."
"Remus," Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder, but Remus pushed him away. "We don't care if you're a werewolf. You're still the same old Remus Lupin to us. So stop packing."
Remus looked up from his trunk. Suddenly he didn't care if his friends saw him cry. They accepted him, just the way he was.
"But, but I'm a-a monster," he whispered.
"You're not a monster mate," James said pulling his friend to a standing position. "You've just got a furry little problem."
And suddenly, Remus was laughing, and so were Sirius, James, and Peter. It didn't matter that one night a month he was a deadly beast, but now he had real friends. Ones that didn't care what he was.
From that night on the Marauders were more than just friends, they were brothers. Bonded together over a secret, Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail vowed to help Moony. They wouldn't rest until they found a way.