The Marauders
James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew left the library on Saturday conversing in whispers. There were several things strange about this. One was seeing them as a group of three for, though they had only been there a year, they had built up a reputation of being a trouble making pranking quartet. The fourth person, Remus Lupin, was mysteriously absent. The second thing was seeing them coming out of the library because the Marauders, as they liked to be called, were not renowned for working hard, with the exception of Remus, but they were all bright, with the exception of Peter. The last thing was that they were talking in whispers. The Marauders were loud and enjoyed being the centre of everyone's attention. Several people gave them suspicious looks and wide berths in case they were plotting something but for once they weren't. They were talking about something top secret, something they'd Just found out about their absent best friend.
"I'm telling you we need to talk to him." This came from James Potter. He had jet black hair that was very messy and hazel eyes framed in round glasses. He was small and skinny, the perfect build for seeker, which was the position he had newly acquired on the Gryffindor team. "He'd probably worried sick about what we'll do if we find out."
"Yeah." The response came from Sirius Black. Sirius was tall and well built, he had long, wavy brown hair and brown eyes. He had been a legend the moment he had been sorted into Gryffindor because he was the only black never to be sorted into Slytherin. He defied tradition and was proud of it. Him and James had been firm friends by the end of the train journey and were closer to each other than the other two. "He probably thinks we'd ditch him and tell the whole school."
"We're still talking to him then." This timid interjection came from Peter Pettigrew. Peter had been the last to be accepted into their group. He was smaller then James and plump. He had mousey coloured hair and watery eyes. Most people reckoned he had only become friends with them because James, Sirius and Remus had saved him from some bullies and he had started worshipping them.
James and Sirius looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They liked Peter a lot and he was always up for a spot of fun, more so than Remus, but he was so dim it was unbelievable.
"Yes Peter we're talking to him." James said tersely "Because he's are best mate and he'd do the same for us. Isn't that what you'd want? If you had a secret like that." Peter nodded but looked a little scared.
"Oh come on Peter, get a grip." Sirius said in an impatient tone. "He's not just going to bite you now, he'd only dangerous-"
"Shut up!" James hissed "We're supposed to be keeping his secret not shouting it to school, but Sirius is right Peter. He's still the same person, trust us, the only time he's dangerous he's hidden by the Whomping Willow."
"What?"
"Peter don't you have ears." Sirius was now exasperated. "James owled his dad yesterday and got a response. The Whomping Willow was planted last year, the year we came. They gave no reason, it just happened. James is dad is on the board of governors and they tried to stop it being planted because it's dangerous but Dumbledore was adamant."
"Now imagine if you have a passage behind the willow leading somewhere like the one behind the crone."
"He goes somewhere in Hogsmeade?"
"Peter why is it with you we have to repeat everything twice?" James sent Sirius a 'shut-up-you're-not-being-helpful' look which he grinned back to.
"My dad also told me that when he was here the shrieking shack was just empty, it wasn't called the shrieking shack, no one thought it was haunted. It all started last year. Now what happened last year, and what howls?" James and Sirius watched Peter slowly piecing the answers together.
"Ohhh."
"Hallelujah!" Sirius cried. Several people gave them curious looks.
"Sirius please be serious about this, this really important."
"Oh please, I don't have to be Sirius I am Sirius." Peter sniggered but James just rolled his eyes.
"Where are we going?" Another joint eye roll.
"The hospital wing, Peter."
"Why?"
"To cure your stupidity you can't be this naturally dim-witted, why do you think?" Sirius said sarcastically.
The rest of the walk was uneventful except a couple of people ended up running ahead when they got hexed by James and Sirius because they were bored and James was once again rejected by Lily Evans, a very pretty girl in their year who had red hair and green eyes and was the only person, aside from Snivellus Snape, that didn't like them. This was ironic because James was madly in love with her. In fact the situation had more than once reduced Sirius and Remus to tears of laughter.
When they entered they found a harassed Madam Pomfrey bending over a boy with warts for eyes, stifled their laughter and crept across to the bed at the very end that had its curtains drawn and must, by default, belong to Remus. They peeked round and saw him sitting in the bed propped up by cushions, reading a book and covered in bandages. James looked at Sirius and they both reached for the curtains and yanked them apart whilst yelling "Morning Remus!" in unnaturally cheerful voices. Remus jumped and looked up at them and paled. Before he could do anything they had close the curtains and drawn up chairs. James and Sirius sat either side of him and Peter sat next to James, as far away as he could without seeming suspicious, slightly cowering behind James.
"What? What? How? You can't… How did you know I was here?"
"Lucky guess." said Sirius shrugging.
"Guess!" Remus' voice was at least an octave, if not more higher. He had no colour in his face. He looked petrified. "I said my mother was sick not I!"
"Yes we know but we also know." Remus sank back into his pillows shaking, his eyes closed. Hoping he'd misheard, hoping he was wrong. Hoping, for the first time, that he was having one of his nightmares. He pinched himself. Ouch! He prodded his wounds. OUCH! Okay definitely not a dream. Okay Remus, he told himself, you're a Gryffindor. The hat put in there for a reason. It's time to pluck up some of that courage and face this. He drew a deep breath, then another and another.
His friends watched him with interest and mild amusement when he lay there. For the first time his face was completely readable. He was hoping that this wasn't real. He was afraid. They watched him pinch himself and then wince in pain. He then poked one of his bandages and his face contorted in pain. They all snorted. They could see that he was steeling himself to face them. He was breathing deeply, nearly hyperventilating.
"Oi Remus!" Sirius had such a delightful way with words but served its purpose of drawing Remus' attention back to them.
"Okay." Remus said, a little shakily. "What do you know?"
"We know you're a werewolf and once a month you lie to your friends, sneak out of the castle, through the Whomping Willow and transform into a werewolf in the Shrieking Shack. You also have a serious self-harm problem." Sirius added the last part as a joke but no one laughed. In fact Remus looked more tense but also thoughtful.
"How did you know?"
"It was easy we noticed that you were ill-"
"No, Sirius not about the illness, the Willow and the Shack."
"Oh, James here thought, hey, couldn't be letting you transforming in the grounds so we had a think, well James and I did, and we realised the Whomping Willow arrived in mysterious circumstances a year ago and the legend of the shack being haunted likewise. It didn't take much to piece it together." Remus nodded.
"When?"
"We first guessed at the beginning of the year, we worked it all out, finally, today."
"So I guessed this is goodbye then." He said in a completely steady voice but the other three could see tears shining in them. "You guys are the only friends I've ever had and you're the best-"
"Remus we're not ditching you."
"What? But James I'm dangerous!" James waved it aside like it was nothing.
"Once a month doesn't mean you're dangerous now." Remus paused and James pressed his advantage. "And we all know you'd do the same for us."
"But-"
"No buts." said Sirius firmly "You are our friend. Our best friend and you being what you are doesn't change that." Remus looked speechless then said
"Peter what do you think?"
"Well at first I was afraid but like they said you're our best friend and you'd do it for us, besides we spent a whole year sharing a dormitory and nothing happened so, you know." Remus seemed to be struggling to find excuses for them to leave, whilst James and Sirius were impressed by what Peter had said.
"Okay." Remus said at last "I'm never going to win against you guys am I?" They all shook their heads grinning and Remus cracked a small smile, he couldn't believe it his fiends were not deserting him they still wanted to be his friend!
"Remus?"
"Yes James."
"Do you mind if I ask, how?" Remus shook his head but looked very sombre.
"I don't really remember because I was only four or five when I was bitten but my father he refused Greyback something."
"What Greyback, as in Fenrir Greyback the death eater?"
"The same. But anyway my father refused Greyback something, or angered him, I'm not 100% sure but anyway Greyback bit me in revenge." They all looked horrified and silently cursed Voldermort. "My transformations are terrible." Remus added as if to explain the unanswered question of the bandages. "There are no humans to bite so I bite and scratch myself, I lose my mind." More silent cursing.
"We'll find a way to help you Remus." James said sincerely. "A way to help you keep your mind." Remus shook his head.
"Werewolves only keep there minds a bit more around other animals, or that's what I read, and you're human not animals."
James looked across at Sirius and they silently made an agreement, they were going to find a way to help and they had. For Remus they were going to become animagi and help him keep his mind.