It was shortly after Lily and James had first began their relationship. He had just told her about his secret. That night he promised her that he would show her. They snuck out of the castle well past midnight and he had taken her down out of sight of the walls. Before he could change, Sirius appeared, furious. He grabbed James by his collar and dragged him off a distance where he began speaking in strained tones. She couldn't see Sirius face nor hear what he was saying. Lily could, however, see James and his face immediately turned white as a sheet. He ran back to her and started pulling her back towards the castle. Sirius stood, half watching them and half looking out in the direction of the woods.
Suddenly they all heard a howl and Lily fell as James jolted to a stop and stared past her into the woods. She too looked and saw, only a few meters away, a werewolf. It was a strange looking creature. More human that the muggle lore she had grown up with. She was, however painfully aware of what they were capable of. That awareness terrified her as she saw the werewolf was looking directly back at her. She was paralyzed with fear and only barely heard James say, "I'm so sorry. I forgot. I thought I had a few more days before the full moon." But that didn't make any sense. How could he have known about a werewolf? Why hadn't he told Dumbledore?
Those cold, wild eyes that were staring her down now flickered for a moment and she saw something almost human looking at her. Unconsciously, she stepped forward towards him, it. James grabbed her but it was too late.
It happened so fast. The werewolf let out a howl and lunged forward- towards Lily. But it was quickly knocked to the side by a blur. Suddenly the werewolf was fighting with a great black dog.
Again, James was attempting to explain but his voice was lost to her. She stood there watching. It all made sense. James wasn't the only one.
Those strange inside jokes. The late night wanderings. Remus's strange behavior every month. She couldn't believe they had kept this hidden. From the ministry. The school. Her. This was stupid. They were endangering everyone by keeping this a secret. He should be locked away. Shouldn't he? Lily thought back on her friendship with Remus. The gentlest, kindest, sweetest boy she knew- a monster?
The werewolf and the dog continued to fight; one gaining the upper hand and then quickly losing it to the other. Both let out fearsome howls as they bit and clawed at each other. Lily knew that she should be terrified for her life as the two beasts drew closer and closer to her, despite the Sirius's best efforts to keep the werewolf as far away as possible. She was, however, not the least bit afraid. What she was was mesmerized. The werewolf interested her only so much as in the intellectual sense. But the dog, Sirius, was fixated in her mind. The broad and flexible muscles beneath that mass of black fur. The powerful jaw and sharp teeth. All of which was doing one thing. Protecting her. As the werewolf delivered a deep cut to Sirius's right shoulder he howled out in pain. Immediately, the main clock up at the castle struck 3 am.
Lily had lost all track of James. She thought he must have run to get help but who else knew the boys secrets? It didn't seem to matter any more because Sirius had finally driven the werewolf back into the forest. He had driven Remus back into the forest. Remus was a werewolf. It was human. It was her friend. Sirius had saved her. From her friend?
Lily expected Sirius to change back immediately but he appeared to be too energized. He instead paced back and forth growling. She stepped forward, calling out his name. She hoped to calm him down; to help him in some way. At the sound of her voice, Sirius turned towards her and began advancing. The growling stopped but the intensity in those coal black eyes frightened her more than the fight or the werewolf had. As he drew closer and closer, Lily struggled to find breath.
Suddenly he stopped, turned, and bounded away into the forest. She heard James and Peter run up behind her but they were too late. The fight was over. Sirius and Remus were gone. And she was still unable to breathe.