by Megan S.
(A/N—This is MWPP fic about when they first discover Remus's true identity and what they do about it. My first MWPP fic, please tell me what you think! Thanks…)
After dragging his heavy Hogwarts trunk into place, James paused a moment, wiping his sweater sleeve against his sweaty brow. Pushing a shock of black hair out of his eyes, James glanced up for a moment, his eyes meeting a broadly grinning face.
"Sirius!" James exclaimed, rushing over to greet him. Sirius instantly dropped his grin.
"Will you—" he grunted, pulling a heavy trunk identical to James's behind him, "help me?"
"Sure," said James, bending over to help. After helping Sirius drag his trunk into the corner of the train compartment, James sat down on one of the crushed velvet seats.
"Have you seen Remus or James yet?" questioned Sirius, digging around in his pockets.
"No," responded James, stretching out his legs in front of him.
Sirius's eyes were twinkling. James looked at what he pulled from his trouser pockets.
"It's a peanut butter sandwich that's been—er—modified," Sirius whispered, glancing around to see if anyone was watching.
James chuckled. If anyone was dumb enough to fall for one of Sirius's tricks, then that was their own fault. After all, after a full school year of Sirius Black around, anyone in the Gryffindor tower should learn to be prepared.
James's mind turned to his other good friend, Remus Lupin. The group of four had met the previous year, after all being sorted into Gryffindor. Though something mysterious about Remus had always puzzled James. First off, he seemed to have a special relationship with the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Remus also conspicuously disappeared every month for up to a week's time. For months James had bought Remus's stories of a sick mother, until finding out that his mother was quite well when she visited him at Hogwarts. James had bounced several theories off of Sirius, who it seemed, didn't really care.
"Sirius," James had said one evening after Remus disappeared again. "Where do you think he goes?"
"Why should I care?" grunted Sirius, struggling through a particular nasty History of Magic assignment given by the very ancient Professor Binns.
"I dunno," responded James, "it all just seems very curious. And what about that rubbish he feeds to us about his sick mother? Why won't he tell us the truth?"
Sirius looked up from his essay. "I don't know," he replied peevishly. "Why don't you just ask him?"
So James had. Remus had brushed it off with more of his flimsy excuses.
Crashing back to reality, James opened his eyes at the sound of a loud bang.
Cursing, Peter Pettigrew had just dropped his trunk on his toe. Remus's faced peered out behind him. He appeared cheerful.
"Hullo, Sirius! Hullo, James!" he called, brushing against Peter to squeeze into the train compartment.
James studied his face, as if it might give away why Remus disappeared on a monthly basis.
"So, Remus," he started slowly. "Going on anymore monthly adventures without us?"
Remus turned bright pink. Muttering something under his breath about saying goodbye to his mother, he practically ran out of the compartment.
Sirius turned to James. "What'd you do that for?" he said angrily.
"I just—I just want to know, that's all," responded James haughtily.
"Just forget about Remus, okay, James; just leave him alone?" Sirius said.
"Why, Sirius? Don't you want to know?"
"Did you ever think maybe he doesn't want us to know? That's why he never told us," said Sirius, the anger rising in his chest.
"Since when have you not wanted to know? You always stick your nose in everything else in the Gryffindor common room!" exclaimed James, plopping down in the farthest cushion away from Sirius.
James felt bad. He felt bad for making Remus leave the compartment, and he felt bad for fighting with Sirius. Why did he care so much where Remus went? Then the answer came to him. Because we're friends.
After a very silent train ride and coach ride to the castle, Sirius started to warm up to him again at the Sorting Ceremony. James could hardly believe that a year ago, it had been him on that stool, wearing a look of fright that compared with meeting a werewolf at night in the woods.
Remus was still sitting off to the side, looking perturbed but scared. Peter was just scared. He hated it when his friends fought.
Once the feast was over and James had given the Fat Lady their password ("Jellyfish tentacles"), the four drudged up to their dormitory to unpack their trunks.
Smoothing out his robes in a small drawer in his beside table, James saw Remus hanging up a lunar chart next to his bed.
"What's that for, Remus?" he questioned cheerfully.
"My mum thought it'd be good for—" Remus caught himself. "I mean I just like it," he finished lamely.
Examining it closer, James thought he saw a neat row of black X's crossing off the days, until Remus dragged him away from it.
The days wore on, as did the classes. Two weeks after returning to Hogwarts, James felt the familiar routine finally return to him. He was glad that Remus hadn't disappeared on him—yet.
Sirius remained unconcerned. Peter didn't know who to side with. James could tell he, too, was curious about where Remus went, but he never went right out and said it like James did.
Then one night, Remus wasn't in the common room. James, Sirius, and Peter searched the castle until midnight looking for him.
"He's gone again!" cried James, sinking into a chair by the dying fire. This time, Sirius didn't appear so unconcerned.
"What if he's got some sort of curse on him?" said Peter, his eyes widening with the very thought of such evil existing at Hogwarts.
"Don't be prat, Peter, Remus isn't cursed," growled Sirius. "Tomorrow night," he began, leaning forward so James could see his eyes twinkling with mischief, "we follow him."
The following night, Sirius, James, and Peter all wrapped themselves around James's Invisibility Cloak. Checking to make sure they couldn't be seen, the three followed Remus across the grounds. As he neared Hagrid's hut, James saw someone greet Remus.
"Let's get closer," he hissed, as the three edged closer to where Remus was standing.
Madam Pomfrey was helping into a hole beneath a large tree James recognized as the Whomping Willow.
"Will you be alright tonight, Remus?" she questioned as Remus slid almost from view. Giving a brave nod, Remus slid down the hole as the roots of the tree closed themselves.
"I pity that boy," Madam Pomfrey muttered as she walked back across the ground. "receiving the bite so young."
Running full out back into the castle, James, Sirius, and Peter collapsed into chairs, breathing hard.
"Now where's that got us?" asked Sirius, clearly frustrated. "We don't know anything else except he's not even leaving the grounds!"
"Wait a minute," James began, racking his brain very hard. "What was it that Madam Pomfrey said as she left?"
"I dunno," started Peter. "I couldn't hear."
"She said, 'I pity that boy, receiving the bite so young,'" recited Sirius.
It was as if someone had turned a light on in his head, suddenly all the pieces fit together. "Sirius!" James exclaimed. "Does that mean—does that mean that Remus is a—a werewolf?"
Peter gasped. "Can't be!" he exclaimed shrilly.
"No," said Sirius slowly. "It all make sense!"
"Sure it does. He disappears every month—he has a lunar chart on his wall—and, and Madam Pomfrey said he received a bite! It's the only thing, Peter. Remus is a werewolf!" James exclaimed triumphantly before his face fell.
"What is it, James?" questioned Sirius, concerned.
"Well no wander he'd hid it from us," said James, biting his lip.
"Why?" asked Peter, still looking frightened.
"Werewolves are the most untrusted kind of wizard, Peter," Sirius explained sympathetically. "He likely thought we'd the him if he knew what he was."
"Well, we have to find out," said James, pounding his fist on the table, causing Peter to jump. "We have to confront him with it—once and for all."
James was not looking forward to confronting Remus with the news. Sirius insisted they get it over with as soon as possible, so after emerging from Charms class that morning, the three dragged Remus into an empty classroom.
"Look, Remus," started Sirius, trying to be gentle.
But James couldn't stand the wait. "We know you're a werewolf, Remus, there's no use hiding it anymore."
Remus sank into an empty chair, his mouth forming a large O, and his face a deathly pale.
"No," he muttered softly in disbelief. "No! You can't know!" he cried, sinking his face into his hands. "You must hate me now," he said huskily, muttering through his hands.
James walked over a placed a hand on Remus's back.
"Get up, Remus," he commanded as Sirius walked over and did the same.
Remus stood up shakily, still not facing his best friends. There were trails of tears on his tired face. The deathly pale had turned a shade of sickly green.
"How can we help?" questioned James, surprising even himself.
Remus stopped shaking for a moment and looked up at James in utter disbelief. "You mean—" he began unsuccessfully. "You mean you don't hate me?"
"Hate you?" cried Sirius, breaking into a grin. "I think it's cool! I wish we could come with you! I mean, having a best friend for a werewolf. Not many people can say that, eh?"
James knew Sirius was just making light of the situation, but it was all that mattered. Remus seemed convinced that his friends were telling the truth. That they didn't hate him indeed.
Before James knew what was happening, they were all hugging Remus triumphantly. He still seemed to be in shock.
How did you find out?" he questioned them later at dinner, pouring himself a goblet of iced pumpkin juice.
"We just put two and two together, Remus," James replied, stuffing his mouth with treacle pudding.
"Come on, Remus," said Sirius good-naturedly, "did you really think we'd never figure it out? We're your best friends!" He lowered his voice and looked around. "Do you think we could come with you?"
"Oh no!" responded Remus quickly. "I could kill you! Werewolves aren't harmful to animals, but they are to humans. One chomp and you're all—" he broke off shuddering.
"I wish we could do something," said Sirius before returning to his meal.
The next day, James's mind was elsewhere during his Transfiguration lesson. Professor McGonagall was going on and on about something he plainly didn't care about. The courtyard outside was looking good right about now. Suddenly, James awoke from his stupor with a start. Professor McGonagall had changed herself into a small tabby cat with peculiar markings.
"There you have it," she said, transfiguring back with a small pop. "Animagi. There are only seven registered Animagi this century. It is closely observed and controlled by the Ministry of Magic and strictly illegal to do so without registration at the Ministry. Animagi are very rare, and performing the transfigurations is very difficult. Many things can go wrong during an Animagus transformation," she droned on, causing James's mind to wonder again.
He thought back to conversation the night before that Sirius had had with Remus about accompanying him during his transformations. What was it Remus had said? Something about animals and humans. Wait! James's mind screamed. Pieces of sentences jumbled up in his brain until a few words flashed before his closed eyes. Werewolf—kill humans—not animals—Animagi.
"Sirius!" James hissed, just as Sirius had turned around and hissed his name. Both of their eyes grew wide.
"Animagi!" they exclaimed at once.
"Professor McGonagall!" shouted James, waving his hand in the air. Professor McGonagall seemed surprised that he appeared so interested in her lesson.
"Yes, Potter?" she said, glaring at him over her square spectacles.
"Is it possible for one to become an Animagus?" he questioned hopefully.
She stared back suspiciously. "Yes it is, Potter, but I warn you, it's near impossible for the most accomplished wizards to perform. The Ministry watches such activity very closely, Potter. No normal wizard could perform such an advanced spell. Most Animagi are simply born with the gift."
After class, Remus confronted them in the hall. "What was that all about?" he questioned suspiciously.
"Listen, Remus, we could become Animagi! Then we could come with you every month—keep you company." James replied, Sirius nodding fervently beside him.
"No!" cried Remus. "You heard Professor McGonagall, even the most advanced wizards can barely do it. There's no way you three can become Animagi while we're still in school!"
"Look, Remus," said James stubbornly. "I'm not top of the class for nothing." And he marched off towards the library.
"What animals should we become?" questioned James after months of poring over books. He thought he had finally narrowed down the process for becoming an Animagus.
"Something big!" suggested Peter. "To keep Remus in check."
"I agree," said Remus softly.
"One of us needs to be something small, to help with the—er—finer motor skills," argued Sirius, taking notes on the book he was holding.
Three pairs of eyes turned to Peter.
"Me?" he squeaked.
"You'd be perfect!" exclaimed James. "You're—er—a bit shorter than the rest of us…."
Peter bristled. "And what animal would that be?"
"A rat," proclaimed Sirius in the sort of final way Peter couldn't argue with. "And we need a dog."
"Why?" asked Remus.
"Something similar in species to the wolf, but big and powerful enough to keep him in check," explained Sirius, as though it was obvious.
"Who wants to be the dog?" asked Remus, looking from James to Sirius.
James plainly saw the twinkle in Sirius's eye at Remus's question.
"I think Sirius wants to," he said, Sirius's face breaking into a grin. "But what about me?"
"I dunno, James, here," said Sirius, handing him a book which showed dozens of pictures of animals on a page. "Just close your eyes and point your wand and pick one."
"Alright," said James, screwing his eyes shut. He brought out his wand and spun it in the air. It landed on the book.
Opening his eyes, James saw what the tip of his wand was pointing to. It was a stag.
"A stag," breathed Peter, leaning over James's shoulder. "That suits you, James!"
"Yeah," muttered James, a smile playing on his lips. "I guess it does."
(A/N—Skip ahead three years to when they finally manage to become Animagi. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus are all gathered in their dormitory one night after finally convincing Remus they finally had the transformations down pat. They were starting to plan their first night together.)
"Wait!" cried Peter, stopping James and Sirius's discussion of the Shrieking Shack.
"What?" asked James, puzzled.
"We need nicknames," said Peter.
"By George, he's right! Like some kind of secret code," Sirius smiled. "Alright—Remus first. What should his be?"
James's eyes traveled to the lunar chart hanging above Remus's bed. "What about Moony?" he grinned. "You know, the full moon and all."
"That's perfect!" cried Sirius. "What about me?"
James's mind drifted to the time he and Sirius were playing hide-and-seek on the grounds. Sirius had changed into a dog and snuck up him from behind. James hadn't heard Sirius soft padded feet on the concrete courtyard.
"Padfoot," said James finally.
Sirius grin grew wider. Apparently, he approved of James's nickname for him. "And Peter?" he said.
Remus instantly said, "Wormtail." He blushed. "Remember the time Peter was hiding from me and I almost stepped on his tail because I thought it was a worm?"
James remembered. He hadn't stopped laughing for a week. "Perfect," he said chuckling. "But what about me?"
Sirius thought hard. His brow wrinkled as James looked around at his two other friends in deep thought.
After many minutes of thinking, Sirius's face had a look of sudden revelation.
"Prongs," he breathed softly. "Prongs."
(A/N—This is where it ends! I'm not writing another part to this one! If I do write another one, it won't be a continuation. I really love these James fics! They're much more fun! Thanks for reading and PLEASE review!)
Disclaimer—Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are four wonderful animals (eh, people) owned by someone who is not me (obviously—if I owned them, would I be here now? :-)
Okay, the reference to "review please!" are from when I post this on Fanfiction.net. Please write me and tell me what you think:
virtualworldofohp@yahoo.com
This story took about two house to write. I was inspired by my last fic. I like writing James fics! LOL, they're fun :-) Thanks!