The Marauders: Moony's Secret
Remus Lupin felt a lurch as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of King's Cross Station. He leaned back in his seat, silently wondering if he'd make any friends.
Remus wasn't an ordinary boy; he was a wizard. He was departing for his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: the finest school of magical education.
Remus was surprised that he was even able to go. Not that the expense was the problem. The problem was his 'condition'; he was a werewolf.
The new headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was an understanding and trusting man, and was the reason that Remus was allowed to come to school. As long as they took the proper precautions, he said, there wasn't any reason he shouldn't be able to come.
As the train moved onward, Remus was accompanied by three other first year boys- James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. They quickly became friends, ceasing Remus's worrying of not making friends.
Once at Hogsmeade Station, the first years were led to the castle in boats by a giant called Rubeus Hagrid.
When they got to the school, a lady by the name of Professor McGonagall instructed them to form a line, and enter the Great Hall in an orderly fashion. They would then be Sorted by the Sorting Hat into one of the four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
All four boys were Sorted into Gryffindor.
After the Sorting, Professor Dumbledore stood up and announced the beginning of the feast.
Food magically appeared on every students' plate- chicken, steak, potatoes, gravy, rolls, corn, peas, carrots, salad, potato salad, and for some reason: peppermint nougat.
When the last bit of food had disappeared off the last plate, Professor Dumbledore stood up and said, "To our new students, welcome, and to our returning students, welcome back! I hope everyone had a good holiday, and are eager to get back to their lessons." He smiled at the groans filling the room, and then cleared his throat- silence fell immediately. "There is a new tree on the grounds known as the Whomping Willow. Please stay away from it. If touched, it will strike. This is for each and every student's protection. Well, you're probably bored by my babbling, so good night. First years, follow the Prefects. Good night."
"Where's the Prefect?" Sirius said uncertainly.
"First years!" a girl called down the table at them. "First years this way, please!"
"Does that answer your question?" James asked Sirius, smiling, and following the Prefect.
The Prefect led the first years to the Gryffindor portrait hole, guarded by a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress.
As they approached her, she opened her eyes, and said, "Password?"
The Prefect replied, "Bowtruckles." The fat lady nodded and swung open, revealing a portrait hole, leading to the Gryffindor common room.
The Prefect directed them to their dormitories, and then, having done her work, went to her own dormitory.
Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter went to their dormitory as well, eager to get some sleep, and discovering that their belongings had, in fact, been brought up to the castle.
They bade each other goodnight, and went to bed.
The next day, the boys went to the Great Hall for breakfast, and got their schedules from the head of Gryffindor House, and Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall.
"How're we supposed to get to all these classes without getting lost?" James asked, panicking slightly.
"I dunno," Sirius said.
"We're doomed!" Peter exclaimed.
Later that day, in Transfiguration, an older student came in, and handed Professor McGonagall a note, which she took and read. After doing so, she folded it up, and stuck it in her pocket, saying, "Miss Evans, will you please look after the class while I take Mr. Lupin to the headmaster's office?"
"Certainly, Professor," a girl with dark red hair and bright green eyes said, jumping up to the front of the class.
"Thank you," McGonagall said, turning to Remus. "Lupin, come with me, please."
Remus followed her out of the class, and as soon as he was outside with McGonagall, he said, "Professor, why does the headmaster want to see me?"
"It is regarding your 'condition'," McGonagall said as they walked toward Dumbledore's office.
"How did you-" Remus began, but McGonagall interrupted.
"All the teachers know about it," McGonagall explained. "They have to. But don't worry, Lupin, we won't tell anyone. Your secret's safe with us."
"Thank you, Professor" Remus said as they reached an ugly stone gargoyle.
Professor McGonagall halted in front of it and said, "Acid pop" which appeared to be the password, because the gargoyle leaped aside, revealing a large spiral stone staircase. They walked to it, and as they got on, it began to move. They then proceeded to the door, which McGonagall knocked.
"Enter," said a voice from inside. They did so, and when they did, Remus saw that Professor Dumbledore was sitting at his desk with a woman who looked like a nurse in front of him.
"Ah, Minerva! You've brought Remus! Excellent!" He got up, and walked toward Remus, extending a hand, saying, "My name is Albus Dumbledore."
"Remus shook his hand, and then said, "Professor, you wanted to talk to me about my being a werewolf?"
"Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to you about what you'll be doing at the time of full moon," Dumbledore explained.
"Okay," Remus said, nodding.
"I would like you to meet Madam Pomfery." He said, indicating the woman who was dressed in nurse attire. "She is our nurse, and will be escorting you to your place of hiding during the full moon."
Remus shook Madam Pomfery's hand, and turned back to Professor Dumbledore, saying, "What do you mean, ' place of hiding'? Where could I possibly hide?"
"I will be escorting you to the Whomping Willow each month. There is a secret passage inside of it, and you will follow it to the house at the end of it. That is where you will spend your full moons."
"And how do you expect me to get inside that tree without it murdering me?" Remus asked, panicking slightly.
"Not to worry, not to worry, my dear boy!" Madam Pomfery said consolingly. "When you get inside it, it will be frozen."
"Oh," Remus said, calming down a little bit. "But what about my lessons? I'm sure I'll get far behind if I'm gone a few days every month!"
"You'll be having remedial lessons after each full moon," Professor McGonagall replied.
"Okay," Remus said. "But what'll I tell my friends? I'm sure they'll notice if I'm gone for days each month!"
"You have not told your friends?" Madam Pomfery asked, shocked.
"No," Remus replied. "What if I tell them, and they don't want to be my friends any more? People are prejudiced against werewolves! I couldn't deal with being excluded from things for seven years of my childhood if I told them."
"I understand your fear," Dumbledore said. "But sooner or later you must realize that if you tell them the truth, and they refuse you, then they are not truly your friends."
"Yes, sir," Remus said.
" Well, you'd better get back to your lesson, so I won't keep you," Dumbledore said, concluding their meeting.
"Good bye, sir," Remus said, and Dumbledore nodded. They left his office, and returned to class, Remus's head bursting full of thought.
"Thank you for watching the class, Miss Evans," Professor McGonagall said, walking up to the front of the class as Remus returned to his seat.
"You're welcome, Professor," Lily Evans said, returning to her seat. The bell rang just as McGonagall finished assigning them homework.
"All right! Time for dinner! I'm starved!" Sirius said excitedly as they made their way toward the Great Hall. They entered the Hall, and started their dinner of shepherd's pie.
"Why so quiet, mate?" Sirius asked Remus. "And Why'd Dumbledore call you to his office?"
"He, er, wanted to tell me that my, er, mum is ill," Remus said.
"Oh, sorry. Hope its nothing serious," Sirius said consolingly.
"Thanks," Remus said, smiling.
"And why are you so quiet?" Sirius said to James. "I've never known you to be quiet ever!"
"I'm just thinking…." James muttered.
"About Evans?" Sirius said.
"Yeah…" James whispered, and sighed. "She's so pretty with that red hair cascading over her shoulders, and those enormous bright green eyes looking at you…"
"Okay, you're scaring me," Sirius said, inching away. "Not only are you talking about a girl, but you're using big words too!" Remus and Peter laughed as James scowled at Sirius.
Later that night in the Common Room, they were sitting in a small group, doing homework and talking.
James was now trying to appear cool, and impress Lily Evans. He was ruffling his already untidy black hair, and very loudly telling jokes. But all he seemed to be doing was annoy her; she soon went up to bed, and James quit drawing attention to himself.
Sirius was finishing up his Astronomy homework. "Hmm… According to this, the full moon will be in two days."
Remus's heart skipped a beat. He would have to transform in two days' time…
Remus's heart beat louder and louder as he and Madam Pomfery muttered a spell, aiming her wand at the knot in the tree. It froze as the spell hit it, and Remus got inside the large tree. Madam Pomfery instructed him to follow the passage to the house at the end of it. He went, and after about ten minutes, reached the house of which she spoke.
Suddenly, he felt the first signs of transformation. He began to grow fur. His eyes changed color. His jaws painfully extended to form a snout, which caused him to shriek in pain. Then, he sprouted claws out of his fingers and toes, causing him to howl in pain…
He was forced to go to this horrifying transformation every month all year. Remus's friends got continually suspicious of his monthly disappearances, despite his constant excuses.
"Then one day (when it was full moon), Sirius mentioned to James how odd it was that Remus disappeared every full moon.
"Hey, you're right!" James said, looking up from his book. "The thought occurred to me too. That's why I got this book." He held up a book titled Do You Know a Werewolf?
"It has all of Remus's symptoms: dark circles around his eyes before and after full moon; mysterious disappearances every full moon…" He went on to list several more symptoms.
"You don't think that he could actually be a werewolf, do you? Sirius asked.
"As a matter of fact, I' almost positive he is," James replied.
"But why hasn't he told us?" Sirius asked, puzzled. "Does he- oh no! Does he think we won't be his friends anymore if we find out?"
"I suppose so," James said quietly. "But we'd never shun him! I can't believe he thinks that!"
"You can't believe who thinks what?" Peter said, coming into the dormitory. They explained everything to him, and when they finished, Peter said ," I can't believe he thinks that! We're his friends! We'd never abandon him! Especially over such a stupid thing like that!"
"I know!" Sirius exclaimed.
"We've got to tell him we know," James said, taking charge. "We've got to let him know we care, and that we won't ditch him."
"Yeah!" Peter said enthusiastically.
Remus pushed his way through the crowded common room, and made his way to his dormitory. When he entered, he found his friends sitting on Sirius's bed (which was right next to his), smiling.
"Hey," Sirius said, smiling. "How are you doing?"
"Er, not bad… What's up?" Said Remus tiredly.
"We need to talk," James said, patting Remus's bed, indicating he should sit down.
Remus sat, his heart pounding, and said, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
"We know your secret," James said gently.
Remus's heart jumped up to his throat in terror. "Wh- What secret?"
"We know you're a werewolf," Sirius interjected before James could reply.
"H- how do you- how did you find out?" Remus said, near terrified tears. Was this the end? "Who told you?"
"No one," said Peter.
"We figured it out for ourselves," said James proudly.
"Are you scared we wouldn't be your friends anymore if you told us?" Sirius asked gently.
"A- a little," said Remus quietly, talking to his feet.
"How could you think that?" Sirius said, and Remus looked up, hardly daring to believe it. Did this mean…?
"We'd never do that to you!" James said.
"You're our friend!" Peter added. "We're best friends. Nothing will change that!"
"Thanks, you guys," said Remus, choking back tears of relief and joy.
"Group hug!" Peter exclaimed. They gave him a look that plainly said: Are you mad? But then briefly group- hugged.
"Hey, I have an idea!" James exclaimed, and they looked at him questioningly.
"What?"
"Why don't we become Animagi?" James said excitedly.
"Why would we do that?" Peter asked. "What would be the purpose of being able to transform into an animal at will?"
"We'd be able to come with Remus each month!" Sirius said, comprehension dawning on him.
"Exactly," said James.
"No, you guys!" I'm not putting you in danger!" Remus said.
"You wouldn't be," said Sirius. "A werewolf is only a danger to people. Not animals."
"Okay, then," Remus said. "Let's do it!"
"I'll be a stag," said James.
"I'll be a dog," said Sirius.
"I'll be a rat," said Peter.
"Hey, guys, we're marauders!" Remus said laughing.
"Yeah," said James. "We need nicknames! I'll be Prongs!"
"I'll be Padfoot!" Sirius said.
" I'll be Wormtail," said Peter.
"And I'll be Moony," said Remus. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs!"
Never before was Remus more thankful to have such great friends.