A/N: Okay…no reviews yet *sigh* but it's only been few days, so I guess that's understandable, but PLEASE let me know what you think! Anyway, I'm really excited for this story, and it's already shaping up to be my favorite so far out of what I've written! This chapter is going to be fairly shortly, but there's a reason for that, and I'll probably get the next chapter up either tonight or tomorrow, so I don't feel so bad about it. Okay, I'm done talking now, so read…then review! Please!

Disclaimer: Still not JK Rowling…still don't own any characters…

"Remus?! You've got to be kidding. If anyone's a werewolf it's got to be-"

Sirius was cut of be a very insistent James. "Guys, I saw him! He was standing right outside the school grounds, pacing. He looked scared to death. I was about to say something to him, and then he started growing fur and claws! How do you explain that without saying he's a werewolf?! There was a full moon tonight!"

Halfway through their second year at Hogwarts, James, Sirius, Rose, and Peter had only just begun to realize the periodical absences of their friend Remus. Therefore, James, being the nosy, rash-thinking person he was, got it into his head to follow him as he disappeared yet again that night.

Rose refused to believe James' theory, "James, are you sure? I mean…couldn't he just have…transfigured himself or something?"

"Rose, he's bright, but not bright enough to figure out self-transfiguration. Plus, he didn't have his wand out. I'm telling you, he's a werewolf!"

"Maybe we should just ask him. He's never lied to us about anything before, I don't think he'd start now," Peter said thoughtfully.

"Fine!" said Rose rather reluctantly, "but when he gets offended by James' stupid ideas, don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Yeah, yeah," said James rolling his eyes, "you're a bloody saint, Rose" Sirius roared with laughter, and Rose playfully punched him on the shoulder.

The next night, the four of them were seated around a table in the common room, pretending to get started on their Potions report.

"He should be back by now…full moon's over," whispered Sirius, trying to avoid being overheard by the group of girls sitting near the fire at the front of the room.

"Well, there you are then," said Rose triumphantly, not bothering to lower her voice, "he must have some other reason for being out…perhaps he's ill!"

"Then he would have been in the hospital wing, not out in the woods," Sirius retorted.

"I'm just saying that if you two were right, then he would be…Remus!" Rose exclaimed in surprise, as Remus put his books down in front of the empty chair beside hers.

Observing their empty roles of parchment and unopened textbooks, he grinned and said, "So what trouble have you lot been getting up to now?"

"Don't know what you're talking about, Remus," muttered Peter, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"That's rubbish. Come on, what've you been doing?"

Rose lifted her eyes to meet his and said as casually as possible, "James and Sirius have got a rather ridiculous theory about what you were doing last night."

Remus' grin was immediately wiped off of his face as if someone had just slapped him, "Oh really?" he said, unsuccessfully trying to match Rose's casual tone, "and…what might that be?"

"They think you're a werewolf. There, I said it. Absolutely ridiculous, right? Right?...Remus?"

Rose stared at her friend, along with the rest of the table. Remus clearly did not take this as a joke. He sank into his chair, his eyes swimming with tears, which he tried to wipe away under the pretense of brushing a nonexistent stray hair from his eyes. His gaze fell on James and Sirius.

''How…how did you find out?" he asked, sounding tired, beaten.

"James, being the little stalker that he is," Sirius explained, trying to lighten the mood a bit, "decided to follow you around, and sort of…saw you…you know."

"Change." said Remus.

"Not…not completely!" said Rose, feeling horrible for Remus, and trying desperately to make him feel better about this, "You left right after you noticed something was happening, right James?"

"Well yeah!" said James, "I wasn't gonna stick around to get eaten or…ow!"

Rose had kicked James under the table to make him stop talking. He clearly wasn't helping things.

"Why didn't you tell us?" demanded Sirius, sounding both concerned and hurt, but Remus wasn't listening to him.

He was staring with a horrified expression at James, as if some huge, horrible realization had just reached him, "I…I could have killed you!"

James looked taken aback, "Yeah…I guess, but it's cool, mate. No harm done."

"Yeah, this time! What if one you gets too close next time…or anyone for that matter! How could I have been so stupid?!"

Remus was talking to himself now more than James. He seemed to be getting more and more disgusted with himself as the seconds ticked on.

"Woah, calm down, mate," said Sirius, standing up, and laying a hand on Remus' shoulder, "Honestly, you're taking this way too seriously. It's not like you-"

But Remus had gotten up now, too, "NOT THIS TIME, I DIDN'T!" he roared, tears streaming down his face, "BUT NEXT TIME I COULD KILL ANY OF YOU! WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?"

"Remus," whispered Rose, who was starting to cry now as well, "please."

These two words seemed to cool Remus' temper, "I'm sorry," he said looking down at where she sat, "I…I'm gonna go talk to the Headmaster. I'm leaving."

"Oh, no you're not!" shouted Sirius, strengthening his grip on Remus' shoulders, "There's no way you're walking out on us!"

Remus broke free of Sirius' grasp with surprising strength and said, "Yes, I am; I have to. Sorry."

With that, he left the common room, leaving his friends staring after him, bewildered. Rose stood up and headed for the portrait hole.

"Where do you think you're going?" called James in an exasperated tone of voice.

"I'm taking a leaf from you're book, James," she said quickly as she left the common room, "I'm being nosy."

A/N: Ah yes, some werewolf issues…I sort of made Lupin react a little more rashly than I'd planned…let me know how you think!