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The winding was pounding wildly through the night, bringing a thunderstorm along into the night. The wind only seemed to make the night of the full moon seem more sinister. This made the night seem a lot worse for a young boy who dreaded the full moon daily.
Remus Lupin was shivering in a dark, dreary corner, waiting for the horror to end. He was not usually afraid of thunderstorms, but tonight was not just any night. Remus was a werewolf, which meant he would have to spend the rest of his days turning into a wolf once a month. While this was a problem in itself, it also came with prejudice.
Remus had been in this shed far too many times to count. Cursed at a young age, his parents found the old, abandoned, shed to finally be of use to their family. It was the only thing they could do to help their son in the slightest bit. It was preferable to Remus falling into a life filled with crime alongside Greyback.
The full moon was starting to appear into the sky. To Remus, the anticipation of the full moon made it seem a whole lot worse. He hated waiting for the full moon to appear, to remind him of the pain and suffering he would have to endure. Remus coped with his problems well, but they made him feel isolated from the world. Remus knew he was different, and he was separated from everyone his age. He was not allowed to enjoy the freedom his peers did.
Remus was starting to feel the pain in his joints. He closed his eyes, he had witnessed his transformations far too many times for him to want to watch it again. It was horrifying enough seeing yourself get transformed into a hideous monster.
Remus could feel his limbs ripping themselves into that of a wolf. The agony was great, and Remus felt like he was going to faint. Remus thought of his friends from school. This only made the transformation even worse.
Remus had met the best of friends last year, his first year at Hogwarts. It was the first time anyone had ever accepted him, because he faced much prejudice in the past for being a werewolf. Remus knew they assumed he was normal, and that the friendship could end any minute now, and he would be exposed for what he is.
This thought only brought sadness to Remus, because he longed to be accepted, to forget about his lycanthropy. All he wanted was to be treated as a person, not a wild animal. He had never been happy after he had been inflicted with lycanthropy, because he was shut off from the world. Hogwarts was his only chance for happiness, and it could be gone with the snap of the fingers.
Remus let out a loud howl, the transformation being complete. However, he was no longer Remus. He had a lust for blood, and he was out of control. Remus was now the monster he was inside.
"Remus?"
Remus jumped, being startled by the sudden voice. He opened his eyes and saw his friends looking at him with concern. It had been Sirius to notice Remus being quiet.
"What is it?" Remus asked, not wanting to draw attention to himself.
"You were quiet, even for you." James said.
"Is something wrong?" Peter asked.
"No," Remus said quickly. "I was just thinking."
"About?" Sirius pressed.
"Not much." Remus lied. And something was very wrong. That something had to be a problem that happened just the other night. And that problem consumed him like a disease. And his friends could never know.
Remus had always wondered what would happen if his friends found out what he was. He wasn't quite sure how his friends would act, but he knew it would not exactly be a pleasant surprise. They could hate him, or worse, expose his lies to the school and get him expelled.
It was bad enough knowing that you could possibly get driven out of the school for your secret. It wouldn't be Dumbledore's doing, but the pure venom that would be sent Remus' way, and for his safety. Who knew what his fellow students would do to him if they knew his secret?
Remus snapped back to reality and studied the expressions on his friend's faces. Sirius looked quite unconvinced, but did not press on the subject. James, however, bought Remus' lie and looked unphased. Peter didn't even notice a thing.
"So," Remus said, trying to change the subject. "What pranks are you two planning to do?" James and Sirius' faces lit up comically.
"Actually," James began, "We were hoping you could help us come up with it."
"Wow, this is different," Remus commented. "You two, out of ideas?"
"We are not out of ideas," Sirius said defensively. "We just thought that you might bring something new to the table."
Remus thought long and hard. What haven't they already accomplished so far?
"Why don't you enchant the food to, ah, fall on someone's head?" Remus said cautiously. He didn't want the pranks to be too dangerous, knowing his friends. James looked at him thoughtfully.
"That is a good idea," he agreed. "But it needs elaboration. Wait," James said, looking as though he discovered the meaning to life. "Why don't we do it on-"
"Snape!" Sirius said, cutting James off.
Remus personally thought their mistreatment of Severus Snape was getting a little out of hand, but he did not want to get in the middle of things. Snape and James loathed each other from day one. James despised Snape for his views on muggleborns. Fortunately, Sirius had also decided not to befriend Snape and warned everyone about him. However, this in turn made them make Snape's live a living Hell.
Fortunately, before too much planning to get accomplished, the Hogwarts Express was rapidly approaching Hogwarts. Remus had regretted giving Sirius and James an idea for a prank, but it was no use crying over spilt milk. But still, Remus could hope that they wouldn't have enough time to plot more revenge on Snape.
