Big Noses and Big Secrets

- Lupin's POV -

It was getting dark. The street lights cast shadows on the pavement, making the shadows in the dark alleys even more obvious. I started running. My feet slammed against the ground with a steady rhythm. My house was just up the cliff. I could see it from down where I was standing.

Something like a snarl reached me. My head snapped to the sound's direction. Farther below, I saw two dark figures, at the edge of the street, under the trees.

One looked up, his eyes glowing.

I ran.

I wasn't fast enough.

"No!" I yelled and jumped up. My bed in Gryffindor tower welcomed me. The red curtains were tightly closed, but besides the loud thudding of my heart, I could hear my Housemates groaning in frustration.

"Come on!" Someone mumbled sleepily.

"Not again!" Another exclaimed.

Amongst all came a snore. Peter. The wall could have been blown up behind him and he'd never know.

"Hey, hey, mate, chill. Go back to sleep, I'll go talk to him." That would be James. Somehow cool and cheerful, even though I'd woken all of them up in the middle of the night. Everyone was getting tired of my nightmares. Hadn't it been James, I didn't know what I would have done.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I am Remus Lupin. I am a werewolf. I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am sixteen years old, on my sixth year at the school. I got bitten eight years ago. This was just a dream.

I had many of those nightmares. They got worse as the full moon approached. I loathed full moons. I loathed transforming into a monster, and most of all, I loathed getting my friends dragged into all this. A part of me was glad that they supported me and had my back, but another worried about the monster could do to them during a full moon.

I realized James was talking to me. Sirius was sitting next to me, an arm around my shoulders. "Ah, Moony's just fine. Right, mate?"

I looked at both of them. "Same old dream," I said. I tried to keep my voice lighthearted.

"Wanna sneak around the castle and grow mustaches on the statues on the third floor?" James asked. "Or would you rather go to sleep?"

I grinned. "Mustaches sound good," I agreed. "You know, I always thought that the barefoot wizard needed a pair of slippers as well. He must be cold."

A smile spread on Sirius's face. "I like the way you think, mate."

The next morning in the Great Hall, everyone was talking about the new moustaches the statues of the third floor had grown, and the slippers of the barefoot wizard. Filch was going up and down while we ate, glaring one student or another, waiting until somebody admitted he did it, or would say who was responsible.

Of course, the only ones who knew were Prongs, Padfoot and I. And none of us would ever tell Filch of course.

James was ogling Lily Evans, who was sitting just a few seats away from us, barely paying attention to her breakfast as she scribbled down notes on her Potions handbook.

After the food disappeared from the plates, Dumbledore came forward, clapping his hands for our attention. "I would like to make an announcement. Mr. Filch brought to my attention this morning the facial hair that has grown to the statues of the third floor. As the responsible students haven't been found, I would like to ask two students to volunteer to help Mr. Filch remove them."

Snickers came from all the tables, and a few students whispered.

"No one?" Dumbledore scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, then I may as well pick two students myself. Mr. Snape?"

Sirius nudged me, grinning as if he had just won the lottery. James was holding his stomach from laughing. I could see the irony. He was going to clean up after our mess. The Slytherin stood up, his slimy hair sticking to his head as always. His face was unreadable.

"And Mr. Potter."

James stopped at once. The expression on his face was priceless. He cleared his throat and stood up, carefully dusting off his cloak. "Yes, Professor?" He asked in his more serious tone.

"I expect you two are sufficient help to our caretaker. You may start this afternoon, after classes." I caught Snape staring at James. James nodded, and the Headmaster wished us a good day before saying we could go to our classes.

The three of us started walking towards McGonagall's classroom. I could hear Peter's footsteps as he ran to catch up with us, but James and Sirius didn't slow down.

"So, that's gonna be interesting. Detention with Snape," James started.

"I have to watch this!" Sirius said, nodding.

"Oh, no need my friend. I'll tell you everything to the tiniest detail once I'm done."

They grinned at each other. That could mean only one thing. More trouble.

"Better not take too long though. You know what it is tonight," Sirius reminded him. Of course. The Full Moon. Fun.

"How could I possibly forget it? I'll be there in time," he promised.

- James's POV -

Last class of the day was Potions. Co-teaching with Slytherins. Slughorn's two star students, Evans and Snape, together. Bleh.

I hurried to catch the seat next to Lily, before the leech could. I didn't even understand why those two sat together. What could she be doing with Slytherin scum like him?

"Hey, Evans."

She lifted an eyebrow, barely glancing my way. She opened her book to the page Slughorn said before answering. "Hi, Potter."

She started pounding on pixie eggs with the pestle and poured them in her cauldron. I tried to figure out which little jar contained pixie eggs to do the same. By the time I was done with them, Evans was five steps ahead of me.

"How do you do that?" I demanded.

"Do what?"

"Make such good potions. You always know how to make them."

Lily rolled her eyes. "It's called reading the instructions. It may surprise you, but they're all inside your book. You should try it sometime." I caught her blushing as she turned back to her potion.

I didn't get the chance to talk to her again, since my bloody potion was going from bad to worse. Every time I tried to follow the instructions and added a new ingredient, it bubbled up and frizzled. When I checked on what Lily did to imitate her, things got even worse.

"Lily?" The hairs at the back of my neck rose at the sound of Snape's voice. I turned to look at him and he glared back at me.

"Yeah, Sev?" She asked, pouring Salamander's blood in her cauldron.

"Can I borrow a few ingredients from you? I've run out of Bat Wings and Spider Hairs."

Lily shrugged. "Be my guest."

I bubbled up and fizzled on the inside, even worse than my potion had. I couldn't believe she was just giving her things to this Slytherin. I couldn't help it. I opened my mouth.

A few insults later, Lily stopped us and asked Severus to go at his table and she would talk to him later. Later? What did they have to say later?

"Could you help me with my potion?" I asked, trying to use all my charm.

I earned a cold stare. She looked down at my cauldron and smirked. "No," she said simply.

"What? Why not? You'd help Sev if he asked you to!"

Lily tightened her lips, staring harder at my potion. "Not even I can't fix what you've done in there, Potter."

Ouch. That hurt.

Soon enough, the Professor announced we were out of time. He congratulated Lily for her excellent potion and with a frown, he tapped my cauldron, making its contents vanish. "I'd like to see you in my office on Saturday morning, Mr. Potter. You have to have another go to this potion," he added, before heading to the next student.

Filch was waiting at the staircase leading to the third floor by the time classes were up. His hateful cat was rubbing herself on his leg. I honestly believed she would make an excellent winter hat for Sirius's dear mother.

"You're late," Filch growled.

"I just left class."

"This doesn't mean you're not late."

"Since when can a volunteer be late? The Headmaster asked me to help. This isn't detention."

Filch looked for the words to object to that. A finger was pointing at me threateningly, as he stopped before saying what he wanted to. He gave me a last glare, before saying, "Let's get this over with."

I followed him through the cold corridor, Mrs. Norris stalking right behind me. Happy thoughts, I kept repeating inside my head. Fur hat, fur hat, fur hat... Eventually, we reached one of the statues. The hopping witch. We'd added a nice, braided beard on that one; she most certainly deserved a special touch. It almost hurt me seeing Snape cutting it little by little with a pair of scissors.

"Wand," Filch ordered.

I looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"You won't need it. Professor Flitwick has tried removing those beards magically and hasn't managed a thing. I don't suppose you'd know how to do it either." He examined my face, looking for something that would tell him otherwise.

"Of course not," I replied and with a heavy heart placed the wand on his waiting hand. In exchange, he gave me a pair of scissors and a razor.

While you're at it, give a polish to those armors, will you?" He gave me a sly smile and walked away. "There are cloths in the supply room."

I grabbed the scissors and cut the beard from its tallest point, dropping it on top of Snape's head. He threw it on one side and glared at me.

"What is it, Sev? Did you plan to be here sniping hair all day?"

"Don't get me started, Potter," he said in his slow voice. I didn't get why he talked like that. Had somebody told him that he could hypnotize people with his voice? He could put me to bed with such a voice, but hypnotize me? Merlin's beard, no!

"Be my guest," I said mockingly, imitating Evans's voice.

His hand went into his pocket to get his wand, but it came out empty.

"No wands, remember?" I grinned and went back to cutting and shaving the statue.

Snape stalked off to snip the hair of another statue, farther down the hall. I finished up with the hopping witch, still thinking that she looked much better with the beard and went to join him.

"You know, I'm really looking forward to the next Quidditch match. It's been awhile since our last match with Slytherin. I miss beating your seeker. Mulciber, right? He's your friend isn't he?"

From his look I could tell he was.

"Poor boy... wouldn't be able to catch the snitch even if it would save his life."

He grabbed my robes and pushed me against the wall. "One more word, Potter, and..."

I grinned. If I blew Snape, we'd fall down like a twig. I didn't have the heart to push him. Not today. "Just sayin'... "

He put me down slowly. I doubted he could hold me up any longer anyway. He mumbled something inconceivable, and continued.

I enjoyed tormenting Snape. Even without wands, words could do miracles if you used them right. His weak point? Offending his House. Even worse? Mentioning Evans. I could see him tense up every time her name left my lips. Once he almost cut off his own finger with the scissors. Later, he dropped the razor and slashed a hole in his cloak. I could be doing that all day. But the sun was going down and I had to hurry and finish. We had to get ready to accompany Remus tonight. Maybe Wormtail would come with us... I had to ask him...

"Sev?" I saw Evans's red hair making an appearance just around the corner. the rest of her followed. Sev, who was polishing an armor at the moment, turned around. Then Evans spotted me. "Oh. I'm interrupting. I'll come find you later."

"No, no! Lily wait!" He made a motion with his head, and then dropped the cloth on the floor, leaving with her just the way they came.

An idea came to me. Filch may have taken my wand, but I had another trick up my sleeve. Or well, my pocket. I pulled out my invisibility cloak. It was all wrinkled by being squeezed into such a tiny place, but I didn't care much. After all, why should wrinkles matter on a garment you couldn't see?

I put it on quickly, made sure it covered me head to toe and tiptoed around the corner. Finally, I found them, standing behind the hopping witch's statue. Severus had his arms crossed in front of his chest, obviously frustrated. Evans was shaking her head, her hands on her hips. I went closer to hear what they were saying.

"Those two are just terrible bullies! Don't talk about my friends, look at what kind of people you have in your House! And what about the other one?There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"

Lily sighed in frustration. "He's ill. They say he's ill —"

"Every month at the full moon?"

"I know what you think that's going on... Sev, it is plain ridiculous. You really do sound like a crazy person right now."

"Oh, I sound like the crazy one? I've seen them, heading for the exit of the castle! No one ever says a word to them about it! How can they not be caught, ever?"

"Okay, when you stop saying nonsense, remember me and stop by to say hi." She turned to leave and I had to move to the side so that she wouldn't bump on me.

"Lily, hear me out." He caught her by her wrist. "You know it can't all just be my imagination."

She pushed her lips together, looking somewhat angry. I recognized that face. She was like that around me quite often. "I have to do some homework, Severus. Bye."

Ouch. She called him Severus. She had to be really angry.

I moved away as fast as I could, snuck the cloak in my pocket and started humming as I polished an armor with the cloth he'd previously dropped.

"Everything okay, lover boy?" I asked, unable to help a grin. In the back of my head, I made a mental note to tell Padfoot, Wormtail and Moony that we should keep an eye on Big Nose. He was really starting to get his nose in places where he shouldn't.

"Shut up, Potter."

- Lupin's POV -

I bent over my books, trying to figure out how I could possibly make the map I had to for Astronomy which was due to tomorrow. I had to actually climb up the Astronomy tower, use one of the telescopes there, in the middle of the bloody night! How would I do that if I had to be in the shack transforming into a werewolf all night long?

"Stop worrying about it, Remus," Sirius started. "You know she will excuse you. She's an astronomy professor. There's no way she's not aware of the full moon tonight," Sirius said lazily.

I held my head in frustration. "Are you sure about that?"

"What do you think?" He smirked and picked up a chocolate frog. "Huh, look at that. Gordon Rufpest. Infamous werewolf, known to have created the largest pack the magical community has ever seen. Must be a sign."

I flinched at the thought. One werewolf is bad enough. But packs… I was glad I wasn't in one. I never planned to join one either. With my friends' influence, the transformation was easier. Not less painful, but I was somehow tamer, a part of my conscience remained with me. What would it do to me if I encountered another werewolf during a full moon? I never wanted to know.

"Jaaaames!" Sirius jumped to his feet. "There you are! How did the detention go? Bet you've gotten loads better with the razor. Will you give me a shave next week, mate? Think I'll start looking the way our friend, Moony, does during a full moon." He laughed at his own joke and turned to wink at me. "I'm joking of course."

I smiled. "No offense taken." It was a half lie, but after awhile you got to the humor of those two. They were along with Peter, my closest friends after all. Even with their weird jokes, they were important to me.

James looked around the common room, checking if we were alone. This usually meant he had a new prank idea and wanted to discuss it in private. "I have news." He fell on the couch behind him, and it squealed under his weight. Sirius and I leaned forward to hear. "Big nose is getting nosey."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He was talking with Evans earlier today. He keeps asking about you."

"Me? Why would he possibly be interested in me?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. But he does, and he's pretty much convinced about your hairy issue."

Sirius's eyes widened in surprise. He snickered. "Little Slytherin's smarter than we thought, huh?"

"You know he's been suspecting us for years now. If I didn't know him well enough, I'd say he's a secret admirer," I pointed out.

"The thing is," he started, "that we have to be careful. Because as long as he only suspects, he won't say anything. If he sees us though… I doubt that even Dumbledore can save us."

A large grin grew on Sirius's face.

"Padfoot? What are you thinking?" James asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing, nothing."

"Padfoot?"

He burst out laughing. "Just that time I told him about the passage of the Whomping Willow. What an idiot!"

"You do remember that he could have been badly hurt back then, correct?" I felt like I was the only one who had taken this time seriously. Probably because I was the dangerous werewolf, trashing into a small wooden shack while one of my classmates, even though a very dislikeable one, had almost become my dinner.

"Why are you two looking at me?" He took a bite out of his chocolate frog nonchalantly. "I'm not going to do anything."

"And be careful around the school. Don't say things that might make Snape think he's right. He's in way over his head already."

"Fine, fine. Marauders' promise, I won't do a thing!"

I wasn't completely convinced, but I nodded anyway. "I'm going to grab a change of clothes. The sun will be down soon."

I met Madam Pomfrey at the entrance of the infirmary. She didn't come with me to the shrieking shack but she walked with me until the entrance hidden in the Whomping Willow.

As usual, James, Sirius and Peter didn't come out with me. The first two used the invisibility cloak to move around the castle unnoticed, while Peter, who had grown somewhat too large to hide with the others under the cloak, changed into a mouse and followed the school nurse and me. These two went through Glasshouse 3, the one that had an exit to the school grounds. When Madam Pomfrey opened the castle door to walk back in, Peter snuck out unnoticed. I always thought that Peter's form as an Animagus, although not as flashy as James or Sirius's, could come in really handy. It wasn't just once or twice that the other two had asked Peter to eavesdrop in the teachers' office to figure out their night shifts.

Madam Pomfrey gave me a curt nod before turning to leave. I went through the entrance revealed at the roots of the Whomping Willow. The path was muddy and the top of the tunnel was dripping, probably from the many rains we had during the past week. My shoulders twitched.

It was almost time.

Flinching at the thought, I started running. I'd better be at the shack before the transformation began. I burst in through the trapdoor on the floor. The room was still a bloody mess, from the last full moon. Curtains were slashed in thin lines and a broken chair lay on the floor, the legs scattered around the dusty carpet.

Another spasm hit me.

I couldn't help but notice the moon out of the window. That silver disk that was responsible for so many of my problems. An inhuman growl escaped my lips as the transformation began.

My howls could probably be heard all the way to Hogsmeade.

Little feet were heard on the floorboards. I snarled at the unknown creature. Everything was hazy. The room was small, making me feel contained. Forgetting all about the animal, I launched against the walls. They squealed in complaint, but didn't give in.

My head snapped at the direction of the trapdoor. Someone was coming in.

"Woof!"

My eyes became two narrow slits, while I examined the black dog. Something flashed inside my head. A face. Recognition. I eased up. I closed my jaw, hiding my bared teeth.

The dog sat down, his tongue hanging out of his mouth happily. Another figure entered the room, also familiar. A deer. I couldn't retrieve the name of my memory, but I knew he was a friend. He nudged something small on the floor. A mouse. Another friend.

The silence was broken suddenly, when we heard the Whomping Willow slam its branches on the ground. Something was wrong.

- Snape's POV –

I've had enough with those nasty Gryffindors, I thought for the million times, clenching and unclenching my fists. Everyone had gone to bed, and whoever hadn't was snoring on a couch or over a book at the desks in the common room. I was the only one who couldn't find peace tonight.

I could see the Black Lake through the windows, the moonlight making its waters faintly glow silver. And that monster was probably loose somewhere in the grounds. Or…

I remembered all too clearly the events of two years earlier. That traitor, Black, had told me about the secret passage under the Whomping Willow, the tree that nobody at school dared to go close enough too. I couldn't help my curiosity back then. I had gone to check it out. I should have known that Black had something in mind when he let me in the secret.

How stupid of me…

Yet, I found myself wanting to do the same over again. Lily's face kept flashing in my head. She didn't believe Lupin was a werewolf.

"He's sick, Sev!" I said in a fake, girly voice. Yeah, right, sick. He's a lunatic. That's a sickness of some kind.

Before, I knew it, I was outside the common room, in the dungeons. I was sneaking out tonight, one way or another.

I'm older now, I reasoned with myself. I'm a better wizard, I know more spells and I can defend myself. Even against a werewolf if I have to.

The Whomping Willow stood tall in front of me, the moon hanging from the sky behind it. I heard a howl. Not from the Forbidden Forest. It sounded closer to the way we took to Hogsmeade. I stared at the tree. The answer must be hiding underneath this tree.

Doing the exact same thing that mutt, Black, had told me two years ago, after avoiding a couple of blows from the hostile tree, I opened the secret passage. The scent of moisture and soil filled my nostrils and I smirked in disgust. I cast Lumos and continued walking.

It seemed like the tunnel would keep going on and on forever, until it eventually stopped. There was a not very trustworthy staircase reaching the top, and something that looked like a trapdoor was on the top. I hadn't made it this far into the tunnel the other time. Potter had shown up out of nowhere and had dragged me out just the same way I'd come in back then.

I started climbing, pausing only when I started hearing suspicious sounds. Snarls and growls. A bark. A howl. Something that sounded like furniture being smashed. I took a deep breath.

Don't chicken out now, Prince, I thought to myself. Maybe everyone knew me as Snape, but I always preferred my mother's last name. She was the witch in the family after all.

I pushed at the trapdoor, opening it easily. Without giving it more thought, I climbed outside. I barely had a second to take in my surroundings. An old, squealing house. I could have probably recognized it anywhere. The Shrieking Shack. This had to be it.

My triumph was short lived though. I heard it before I saw it; a werewolf, with glowing yellow eyes staring right at me. I was a dead man.

A black dog showed up out of nowhere, barking at the werewolf. The monster didn't seem to notice him. I took a few slow steps back, but he kept coming, an inhuman sound coming from its lips. I raised my wand, but couldn't think of a spell. Suddenly all of my confidence evaporated.

I noticed somebody else in the room. Another animal. A deer, of all the creatures that it could have been. There was something gray caught in its horns. A slimy mouse. Nothing made sense in here.

The werewolf crouched to the floor, as if preparing to leap. The dog jumped on top of it, but the werewolf threw it away easily. The deer rose its front feet, stomping on the floor, as if in distress. I took more steps back, just to trip on the still open trapdoor, barely catching myself. I saved myself from going rolling down the stairs. Probably just to be killed by a rabid monster.

Out of nowhere, Potter was there.

"Impedimenta!" He yelled, and after a bright flash, everyone in the room was frozen. He grabbed me by the armpits and dragged me down the stairs. I still couldn't hold my own weight from his spell. "Come on, Snape, you need to help me out here. There's only so much saving I can do on my own!"

By the time we reached the bottom of the stairs, I could feel my limbs able to move. My heart was racing and I was looking at him with wide eyes, trying to make out details in the dark. The trapdoor was still open, a little light coming through. It reflected on his glasses.

"What are you waiting for? Run!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I felt so embarrassed, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it now, other than save my own skin. He was going back. What in Merlin's beard could he possibly be doing? Did he have a death wish?

- James's POV –

That idiot! I should have known he'd come after us tonight! I should at least have cast a protective spell to keep him from reaching the end of the tunnel.

Frustrated with myself, I climbed back the stairs. Moony was losing it. He was attacking at the furniture, growling and howling at everything and anything. Padfoot was on the corner of the room, waiting for our furry friend's tantrum to pass.

It was all that gnomehead's fault. What did Big Nose want with us anyway? What a psycho!

"I need to go get Snape before he does anything stupider," I said out loud for whoever still had a hold of his sanity in the room, meaning Sirius. And Peter, if he hadn't run off yet. He never could handle Remus's tantrums well.

I caught up with him before he managed to get back in the castle. I hid my invisibility cloak before he could see it – he'd figured out enough secrets for a night – and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Leave me alone, Potter!"

"Do you know what could have happened to you tonight? You're stupider than a fire salamander getting out of its nest!"

"Don't try to play smart with me. I know your friend's secret."

"Oh, yes, now that is true," I said stoically. "Do you think it is a mind-blowing discovery? Let's send a letter to the wizard committee and ask them to make a card of you for chocolate frogs. 'Severus Snape, the obsessive student who managed to prove one of his classmates is a werewolf.'"

Snape's eyes became two thin slits. He looked like he could shoot a curse at me just with his gaze.

"So let me clear things out for you. If you ever dare to hint anything about this to anyone… Your life will become something more than torture." My voice sounded serious, the words final. Good. I wanted it to be this way.

He kept glaring. "Maybe I will keep my word about it. Maybe I won't."

I smiled. "You know what is best," I said cryptically. "And better stay away from dangerous magical creatures from now on."

- Lupin's POV –

A month had passed.

James hardly seemed to mention the Snape incident, while Sirius burst into laughing every time he walked past us. I just… I wasn't sure if I could meet him in the eye. Once or twice, I thought I'd seen him mouthing, "Werewolf," at me. I was sure he knew.

Yet, nothing ever happened. He didn't tell anyone, and I couldn't understand why. I was simply waiting for him to drop the bomb.

Tonight I had another nightmare. How typical.

I had to run.

Two shady figures stood on the one side of the road, eyes glowing in the darkness.

I ran. I wasn't fast enough. I felt the teeth sink into my arm. A cold laugh.

And a third face came from the direction of home. A pair of dark eyes stared down at me. "I know what you are. And I'm looking for the right time to tell everyone."

And I just couldn't decide if I loathed the arrival of this time, or full moons more…