Author's note: This is a pretty short chapter, but since the full moon is tomorrow night, I wanted to have it up by tonight.

The Night Before

A pained groan awoke Peter from his slumber. His eyes shot open, as if he had received an electric shock. For a moment, he wondered what could have woken him up, until he heard the sound of thrashing sheets coming from his right.

Slowly, he raised himself up, trying not to let the bed creak. Blindly reaching out in the dark, he grasped the curtain and swung it open. Before him was a sight that he hated to see, although he had been expecting it.

Remus, strong, brave Remus, who although Peter sometimes found scary, inspired him more than anything, was fighting with the invisible puppeteer who appeared every month and jerked all his strings. Remus always slept with the curtains around his bed drawn tight. Every. Single. Night. But now, they lay open, after apparently having been kicked apart. Remus was completely tangled in his blankets, and his hair was soaked in sweat. One of his legs was hanging off the bed, and he was one his stomach, which Peter knew was less scarred than his back and sides. He was shivering, and as Peter watched, his muscles contracted, causing his entire body to twitch as his back arched, his shoulder blades were pulled back, and his head jerked back. Remus let out another moan as his body relaxed, but his face was still contorted in pain.

Running carefully in the dark, Peter ran to the trunk on the other side of the room, where the fifth bed would be should there have been another occupant in the dorm. The marauders had decided to keep most of their stuff there, and Peter was careful not to trip over anyone's books that lay strewn about. Reaching the trunk, he pulled it open, and reached his arms in to retrieve the winter blankets that they kept there year round. Glancing back at his thrashing friend, he decided that two was necessary, and carefully walked back to the bed, his arms now laden with heavy down blankets.

Now right next to Remus, Peter could see just how sick he looked. His face was white as marble, almost glowing in the light of the moon that streamed in from the window. His hair, which Peter had decided was the color of straw, was plastered to his forehead. His cheeks appeared slightly sunken. The veins on his neck stood out, and Peter knew that it would be sore in the morning from being so extended. Peter notied that the leg dangling over the edge of the bed was in fact his right leg. That was the leg where he had been bitten as a child, and Peter could see the bite mark, which appeared new, even though Peter knew that it was in fact over ten years old. It also looked infected, but Peter knew that that was impossible. It always looked like that around the full moon, and Peter knew that it was the bite's magical properties that prevented it from ever truly healing.

Carefully, the boy began to untangle his friend's limbs, but as soon as Peter's warm hand touched Remus's stone cold arm, Remus let out another, slightly louder moan. From across the room, Peter could see the silhouette of Sirius's long torso raise up from behind the curtains. With a speed of urgency, Sirius pulled open the curtains and placed his bare feet on the ground. Peter watched as Sirius lightly tread over with an air of grace, his feet not making a single sound against the carpet.

Peter signaled for him to be quiet, and pointed for him to go to the other side of the bed. He handed the other boy half of one of the blankets, and together, they spread it over the shivering boy beneath them. They repeated this process until Remus was covered in both blankets.

Sirius turned to the water glass on Remus's bed stand, and lifted his wand, which Peer had not noticed was in his hand, and whispered "Aguamenti." The glass silently filled with water.

Peter nodded to him, and together, they walked over to Sirius's bed, which was on the opposite side of the room as Remus's.

"It's going to be a bad one," whispered Peter.

Sirius appeared alarmed. "How can you tell?"

"The bite. It looks nearly infected."

Sirius ran his hand down his elegant face, and let out a nervous laugh. "But that's not possible."

"I know that. But I think we should try again with the animagus forms."

Sirius sighed. "I was thinking the same thing. Maybe we need fresh mandrake leaves, not dried. I know that they have some growing in greenhouse 2. We'll grab some as soon as they're mature enough."

Another groan was heard from Remus's bed, causing both boys to glance over.

"Tomorrow's not going to be an easy one." Said Sirius matter-of-factly.

"Nope. We better head to bed."

"Yeah. Goodnight Peter."

Sirius went into his bed, his wand still in his hand. Peter turned back to his own bed and nestled into the covers, prepared for a long day in the morning.