"I'm telling you I'm right!" James insisted, tossing his Potions text aside. "It all fits."
Sirius glanced around the Gryffindor Common Room, seemingly scoping the company of the female persuasion, but mostly checking to make sure that he, James, and Peter were quite alone.
"It would explain a lot," he admitted, propping his feet up on top of James's text. "After all, who goes all the way back home just because his mother has a bit of a cold? I sure wouldn't."
Peter glanced around the room as well, nervously. "Do you think he knows we know?"
James snorted. "Like you had anything to do with figuring it out. And of course he doesn't know we know. It's obviously a big secret."
"But he didn't tell us," Sirius said, now becoming annoyed. "I mean, I can understand the whole secrecy thing, but we're his best mates. That little rat."
"Well," James leaned forward, suddenly looking very eager, "we'd better confront him about it, hadn't we? I mean, we are his best mates, after all."
"I don't think-" Peter began.
"Yeah," Sirius said, beginning to grin. "I think we'd better talk to him about it tonight."
Peter yelped. "Are you mad? It's the full moon tonight."
"Right," James said. "So he can't deny it."
"This is not a good idea," Peter moaned.
Sirius tipped his armchair back. "Oh, admit it, Peter, you're just as curious to see a real, live werewolf as we are."
"Really, I'm not-"
"Then it's settled," James said, shoving Sirius's feet out of the way and replacing them with his own. He looked out the window at the hazy sunset. "If he pulls the same excuse as last month, he should be heading down to the Hospital Wing for Pepper Up Potion in about a half our or so. So I get my cloak, and we follow."
He laughed. Sirius grinned. Peter groaned.
"How much longer do you think?"
"Quit moaning, Pettigrew, and walk on your own feet, would you?"
"Is Madam Pomfrey still with him?" Sirius asked. He poked James, who was leading the way under the very cramped Invisibility Cloak.
"Yeah, she's still up there, but it looks like- Back up, back up!" he hissed.
The trio pressed up against the wall of the earthen tunnel into which they'd followed Remus and Madam Pomfrey. The nurse came brushing past them without so much as a glance behind her, although Sirius did note she was holding her wand rather tightly.
Peter let out a long, shuddering, wet breath directly into Sirius's right ear.
"Oh, for the love of Bloody Merlin," Sirius swore, giving Peter the old elbow. "Get a hold of yourself."
James tugged at the cloak and tucked it under his arm. "I think he only went a bit further ahead."
The hastened through the passage and finally emerged in a wooden building. Sirius whistled as he looked around. "Not a bad setup, altogether. Quite roomy."
James rolled his eyes. "That's not exactly what we came for, Black. Come on, let's find Remus before he gets all hairy." The very last bit of the day's sunlight came filtering through a cracked window, growing ever dimmer.
Sirius turned a corner, trying to follow the many dusty footprint trails. He looked up. "Oy, James! I found the stairs! Come on!"
His foot hit the first step as James appeared beside him, but before he could make it much further, Remus came flying around the corner and stood panting on the landing above them. He looked utterly terrified.
"Are you mad?!" he cried.
James only grinned and Sirius along with him. "There he is! Hey, Lupin, do you have anything you'd like to share with us?"
Remus's mouth opened and shut a few times as his eyes grew wider and wider. Sirius was vaguely aware of Peter tugging at his and James's sleeves, whimpering.
"Get out of here!" Remus yelled. "What in bloody hell were you-"
He stiffened. Sirius felt the smile slip off his face as his friend doubled over on the landing.
"Er… Re-Remus?" he called.
Remus hit the ground on his hands and knees. His eyes met Sirius's. "Get- out-" Sirius started up the stairs, half-concerned, half out of instinct, but now Remus's face was changing, shifting…
A low growl tore from their friend's throat and now it was James and Peter both tugging Sirius back.
"Holy-" James didn't finish the oath, only dragged Sirius back by his robes, pulling him away from the stairs and into the room they'd entered through. One look at James's face told Sirius he wasn't the only one who thought this adventure was no longer fun.
Sirius felt numb as James kicked in panic at the trapdoor they'd closed behind them. He could hear Remus growling, sometimes sounding as if he were choking, and the clatter of his feet-
Claws, he reminded himself-
-as the wolf descended the stairs.
"Get the door!" James cried, still working on the trapdoor. Peter stood beside James, wringing his hands and generally looking petrified. The trapdoor had stuck or locked itself.
Sirius raced across the room for the door that would keep them apart from the werewolf – for a few minutes anyway. He swung the door just as the wolf came crashing into it.
"Shut it!" Peter screamed, still twisting his hands. He backed against the wall. "Shut it, shut it!"
Sirius stood, face to face with a werewolf, one hand on the door, but frozen. The wolf had recovered from its headfirst crash into the solid wood and was now crouched right across the threshold, growling menacingly and preparing itself for the strike.
Sirius didn't move a single muscle. He couldn't tear his eyes from the werewolf's. It was not his friend in there. There would be no talking to it, no reasoning, or reaching the boy inside. It felt as if his heart had jumped into his dry throat and was trying to beat its way out.
"Sirius," came James's whisper. Sirius glanced without moving his head, and only for a split second. The wolf bared its teeth.
The trapdoor was open. "Sirius, come on," James called, his voice shaking. "Nice and easy now, slowly."
Sirius took a step backwards without lifting his eyes from the wolf. The werewolf snapped and snarled, settling back on its haunches.
"Sirius, come on!" James hissed. "Just run for it!"
Sirius took another slow step back.
The werewolf leaped.
Sirius yelled and slammed the door with both hands. He pushed all his weight against it, trapping the wolf's paw for a split second before it slipped out and the door shut.
Sirius collapsed backwards against the door, shaking. There was silence from the other side. Sirius gave James a slightly hysterical look and half-laughed.
James broke into an uncertain laugh as well. "That- was exciting," he said.
Sirius couldn't speak, only nodded. He propped his arms against the door and stood up.
"Come on," James said, jerking his head. "Peter went through first, he's probably halfway to bed by now."
Sirius stepped away from the door.
There was a tremendous noise as he did, the wolf smashing into the other side of the door and howling like a devil. Sirius leapt back, fell over, and scrambled through the trapdoor with James right behind him. James pulled the door shut tightly behind them.
There was no light and they could hear the wolf pacing above them, but the two boys dared to breathe again, down there in the dark.
"Maybe next time," Sirius managed as they began the trip back to the school, "next time, we'll confront him during the day."
James laughed.