A/N: Well, don't I feel popular. What my public wants my public gets. Plus, since I miss my own Padfoot and Prongs at the mo I thought I'd cheer myself up by writing this. So picking up from where we left off, I give you chapter two.

It was a considerably more cheerful Remus who entered the Transfiguration classroom that afternoon. James had never seen him look so relaxed and calm, though he had never realised how tense Remus had previously been until he saw this transformation. Muttering apologies for his lateness, Remus dropped into his customary place beside Peter and within seconds was opening the note that Sirius had furtively passed him.

You OK?

Yes he scrawled back, not committing a list of his various wounds to paper, if someone else were to find it…

When the torn piece of parchment came back, the answer was written in James's hand. Sirius and I have been doing some reading and thinking Werewolves can't turn animals. If we were goats or something we'd be safe.

The words, 'unless I ate you' flashed briefly into Remus's head. Also this conversation was becoming dangerous. If anyone else was to read it they would be able to guess. But you're not goats he wrote eventually, unwilling to use personal pronouns.

But we could become animagi.

Remus stared at the parchment. Reading and re-reading until he was certain he hadn't misread the words. Become animagi? It was impossible. It was insane. It was, in short, a plan concocted by James Potter and Sirius Black. He was so focused that he forgot to even half concentrate on what McGonagall was saying, even though he had long ago mastered the art of discussing the finer details of a prank, taking notes and still being alert enough to answer questions on the subject. He lifted his quill to respond, though what he intended to say he had no idea.

"Lupin!" a sharp voice barked.

"Yes Professor?" said Remus, looking up guiltily. Only when he realised which Professor stood in front of him did he remember which lesson he was in.

"Are you passing notes?"

"No Professor."

"I thought you cared more about your studies than to take notes from my lessons on such a torn, dirty piece of parchment."

Remus looked blankly at the desk where Sirius's words still glinted up at him. He could not have this confiscated and read. McGonagall knew what he was of course, all the staff did, but the others would be in trouble and after the loyalty they had shown him he could not allow that.

"This?" he said desperately. "This is-I was…I was cross-referencing something you had said. From-From my own reading."

"Really Lupin? And which particular bit of what I was saying did you feel merited such diligence."

Beside Remus, Peter shifted edgily. It looked as though he were merely nervous about being found guilty by association when McGonagall managed to prove beyond doubt that he was lying. His movement however, allowed his own untidily scrawled and badly spelled notes to slide into Remus's vision. Remus glanced at them briefly.

"The bit about Miranda Goshawk's basic rules of transfiguration," he said earnestly. His heightened senses allowed him to tell that James and Sirius had stiffened behind him, also apparently aware that there was too much on that parchment for comfort. McGonagall too had tensed; Remus could tell that she was regretting beginning this conversation but now felt that she had to follow it through.

"And what had your wider reading turned up?" she prompted him, inviting him to prove that he had been cross referencing with a quote.

Remus could sense could almost smell James's and Sirius's adrenaline spike. He groped through his memory, which was exceptionally good. He did wider reading because he was what James called neurotic, what Sirius called stupid, what Peter rather hesitantly called thorough and what Remus himself called concerned about missing lessons. And he knew the information was there, he had read something about these basic principles recently. "Clarence!" he almost shouted as the memory he wanted surfaced. "Clarence disagreed with Miss Goshawk about the number of basic principles he said-"

"Very well Lupin. You have proved your innocence. Let us not further disrupt my lesson," said Professor McGonagall cutting him off. "But put it away so that no more…mistakes…are made."

Feeling chastised and as though the Professor was aware that he was lying and was merely impressed by his knowledge Remus did as she asked. For the rest of the lesson he took exemplary notes in silence and completely ignored the notes which Sirius and James continued to send his way.

He couldn't avoid the issue for the rest of his life however, and James broached it once again as the boy exited the room in their customary huddle as the bell rang.

"So what do you think? Me and Sirius think it'd work."

"Sirius and I," said Remus, choosing correcting James's grammar as a preferred option over having an opinion about this.

"Sirius and I think it'd really help when you-"

"Keep your voice down!"

"Have your furry little problem," James continued smoothly.

"So what do you think?" insisted Sirius.

They were all looking at him now. "I think it's stupid," Remus said flatly.

Three mouths opened as three faces gazed at him in shock. Well they would just have to be shocked. It was a ridiculous plan and the night after the full moon Remus was in no mood to sugar coat his opinion. "It's dangerous, for many reasons, two of which are that just because I can't turn you doesn't mean I can't eat you and that the transformation is really difficult-some people get stuck half way. We'd be breaking about a million school rules, not to mention Dumbledore's trust. No one else would have let me come here you know that? And perhaps most importantly…it's illegal!"

"Only if we get caught," said Sirius easily, not looking at all perturbed by Remus's arguments.

"It's not that hard Remus," James argued, his tone the reasonable one he always used to assure his parents that what he wanted to do wasn't that unreasonable/messy/expensive. "I've looked over the instructions and I know it's not something we'll master overnight but I think we're all bright enough not to let it kill us either."

"And if I eat you?" demanded Remus harshly.

For a second James flickered, "There'll be three of us, we won't let you. And all the books say a werewolves mind is malleable. When with other werewolves, in a pack, they become less human so, theoretically, with us, you'd be more human. Wouldn't you?"

Remus felt himself wanting to agree. He was tired and sore, he still had marks all down his side and the idea of having some control was appealing. He became more wolfish on the run up to the full moon. When that was the case his friends were able to bring him back to himself like no one before them had ever been able to. Like even Romulus had never been able to. And that was without trying. Shaking his head to clear thoughts of Romulus, Remus forced himself to ask, "And what about Dumbledore?"

"Well…" for the first time James looked uncomfortable.

Remus scanned their faces. Sirius looked as though he wanted to say that what Dumbledore didn't know wouldn't hurt him but had more sense that to try Remus's patience at the moment. Oddly, it was Peter that spoke up.

"I don't think Dumbledore would condemn us for trying to help a friend."

"No of course he wouldn't."

"He'd be on our side Reams."

"I hate that name," Remus muttered absently, marvelling at how easily their consciences were salved.

They were still looking at him, but their expressions weren't shocked anymore. They looked pleading. And Remus wanted it so much. It was so lonely during the full moon. And it hurt so much. And, though he'd never admit it, it was frightening in the shack alone. Besides, the charm was difficult and this was James and Sirius. They'd get bored and forget about it. It wasn't as though it was something he was ever really going to have to deal with. So why not be supportive? Why not plan adventures? It was all hypothetical anyway and it would turn their minds away from the endless Quidditch talk at least. With something else on their minds there might even be fewer detentions.

"Alright," he said, "You can try."

"Try?" said James in mock outrage, "We'll do it." And he moved to the front to lead the grinning Remus, the giggling Peter and the grimacing (once he realised where they were heading) Sirius to the library to begin.

A/N: More coming soon. Requests for scenes (if supplied in the form of flattering reviews) will be considered.