~*~Okay everyone, this is my first HP story, so go easy. I wrote Yu Yu Hakusho stories a long time ago on Quizilla, but they mostly sucked. You know, in my opinion. I have gotten better at writing, but still, it has been a while and I'm a little nervous about this and a little proud of it too. Of course, characters and all belong to J. K. Rowling, not me. I'm just a crazed fan girl. Joking. Anyways, in this one, Lupin's friends don't know he's a werewolf and he hasn't found the werewolf potion thingy yet. Hope you like it!~*~
Remus Lupin heaved a deep sigh, putting down the thick book of "supernatural" creatures that he'd been poring through for hours. Trying to find a cure for lycanthropy. Looking up, he noticed that the library was almost empty now, and that the sky outside was dark with night.
Suddenly, a dark figure burst through the library doors, followed by two other people. "There you are, Remus!" the first figure shouted, earning a shush from the librarian.
"See guys, I told you we should've checked the library first!" Peter replied, almost as loud, causing the librarian to scowl at him. Of course, Sirius and James didn't listen to Peter. They saw his opinions more as suggestions. Then again, it was hard to put in a word around those two, so Remus usually just bided time until he could speak his mind. They didn't do it on purpose; it just took them a little bit to realize what they were doing. Remus thought it was kind of cute.
"We've been worried sick about you, looking all over the place! Really, next time you should tell your mother and I where you're going!" Sirius said, planting himself in the seat next to Remus.
"How did I end up as the mother? You are the one with long hair," James retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. Sirius flipped his shaggy shoulder-length hair over his shoulder in a girlish fashion.
"Yes, but I'm much more manly," he replied, smirking across the table at James. Remus met Peter's gaze as they prepared for the two to start up again.
"More manly, eh? I'll show you manly!" The ensuing battle caused the Marauders to be kicked out of the library for the rest of the night. James and Sirius looked at Remus with expressions mixed between apologetic and fearful.
"It's okay. I was about to return to the common room anyways," Remus shrugged, turning to make his way to the Gryffindor dormitories. A happy smile slid across his face as he heard his friend breathe a sigh of relief and follow.
~*~Later that night~*~
Looking around and watching his friends sleep, Remus leaned back against his pillow with a contented smile. Then, frowning he pulled a thin calendar from under his pillow. Pulling out a quill, he marked off another day. Tracing his finger across the days, Lupin felt his breath hitch. Only a week until the next few moon cycle.
~*~One week later~*~
Remus shut the door as quietly as he could behind himself as he left the dorm. Creeping through the common room and slipping out the Fat Lady's portrait, Lupin quietly strode down the stairs. He felt the full moon outside, pulsing with life, calling him. He had to get outside, had to answer her call. After leaving the castle, he quickly hurried across the grounds until he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Huddling at the edge of the grounds, Remus tipped back his head, finally letting the moonlight slide across his face. He shook with the need to change.
Letting out a low growl, Lupin glanced around himself before shucking his robes and uniform, not noticing the rips he made in his haste. Once he stood, nude and vulnerable, he let the Change take over him. Feeling his bones lengthening, Remus gritted his teeth against the pain, eyes squeezed shut. The only thing that got him, and most other werewolves, through the change had to be the feeling of freedom that came afterwards.
Standing, the werewolf shook his coat restlessly, and then turned to the forest. He smelled something familiar, but shrugged it off. The hunt beckoned him, and he was ready to chase it. Turning his golden eyes to the Forbidden Forest, the great gray wolf raced into it. He didn't need to fear the other creatures of the forest, since he was one of them. Still, Remus was always alert while on his hunts. Running through the tightly packed trees, he felt a few scratches reach his skin, but most was deflected by his fur.
Sensing prey, the wolf turned. There, a rabbit! Lunging after it, Remus enjoyed the chase before he bit into the game. Suddenly, he was thrown backwards, hitting a tree with a yelp. Looking at the rabbit, he noticed it was still there, bleeding slightly. Of course, trust a rabbit in the Forbidden Forest to be guarded with magic. Limping, the wolf gave the rabbit a whimper of surrender, and then took off. He still favored his left leg, which was probably bruised since it took most of the impact when he hit the tree. A couple of ribs might be cracked. In the least, bruised. Well, he didn't need to feed anyways. He'd eaten dinner earlier in the Great Hall, and he'd get up early for breakfast. He could at least enjoy the run before he went back.
As dawn approached, Lupin made his way back to the edge of the forest. Shuddering again, he bore the transformation back into a man, though he zapped him of his strength.
Slumped at the edge of the forest, Remus looked up at the predawn sky. He was battered, bruised, slightly bloody, and tired. Leaning back against a tree, he pulled his robes closer and allowed his eyes to slide shut for a few moments.
~*~
"Remus?" the word sounded distant to Lupin, but he swam through the fog towards it. The voice was familiar, which only made him try to wake up even more. Opening his eyes blearily, Remus blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he saw his friends gazing down at him in concern.
Suddenly, the events from the night before returned. Looking around, Remus realized he was in the dorm room he shared with his friends, with James, Sirius, and Peter on his bed, looking at him worriedly. "How did I get here?" he asked quietly. Relief flashed across the faces of his friends.
"We brought you here," Sirius told him gently. When I saw you weren't in bed during the night, I wasn't too worried. But when you still weren't there this morning, we went looking for you. We found you at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Bloody beat up, too, it looked like. But we figured you'd want us to bring you here instead of to Madam Pomfrey."
Remus nodded, before looking at each of them nervously. "I guess I owe you guys an explanation, huh?" When they nodded, he took a shaky breath. He knew that when he told them, he might lose the best friends he'd ever had. Not might, would lose the best friends he'd ever had. After all, who'd want to be friends with a monster? "The truth is…. I'm… a werewolf," he blurted the last part, trying to get it over with. He opened his eyes slowly, expecting the others to recoil in horror. Instead, they stayed where they were. In fact, they even looked a little proud of him! "You don't hate me?" he asked curiously, still waiting for them to withdraw.
"'Course not, mate. We're your friends, we could never hate you," James said, clapping Remus' bare shoulder.
"'Sides, we already knew," Peter quipped. Sirius and James scowled at him.
"You did?" Remus asked, surprised. He thought he'd been hiding it so well!
"Of course we did! Like Potter said, we're your friends. You can't keep any secrets from us. We just wanted to see how long we'd have to wait before you told us," Sirius said, smiling. Remus was happy to note that when he looked in each of their eyes, he saw trust and friendship.