Marauder means friends for life

Chapter 3

DADA

Remus Lupin sat on the couch in the empty Gryffindor common room. All of the other Gryffindors were down at dinner, and James, Sirius and Peter were all waiting and watching the Marauders map in their dorm room. They were going to follow down as soon as they could get out. His thoughts were interrupted by a small cough. He looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing by the portrait hole. He sighed and stood up, following the stern transfiguration teacher down through the empty halls, and down to the whomping willow. His enhanced hearing picked up the sound of the entrance hall doors closing and he knew that his friends were following under James' invisibility cloak. He smiled slightly at the thought of his friends.

"Madam Pomfrey will be down to collect you tomorrow morning Mr. Lupin. Goodnight." McGonagall nodded to him and he poked the knot on the root of the whomping willow. It froze and he made his way down the passageway. He arrived in the shack and shut the door behind him. He made his way up the stairs and lay on the dust saturated bed, listening, waiting.

The first moonbeam fell across his form and he felt his bones crack and rearrange. Remus screamed and convulsed, falling to the ground. His entire body was on fire as it readjusted to be the monster that lurked within him. Remus tried to off throw the beast willing to burst forth. He stared into a cracked mirror and the last things he remembered was his pupils turning from hazel to a nauseating yellow and the door opening and a large black dog bounding in, followed by a proud stag with a squeaking rat holding onto its prongs…

Prongs…

A howl passed over the otherwise silent village of Hogsmeade as the wolf inside Remus Lupin overcame the last part of humanity that was in the back of its mind.

Remus Lupin was lost until morning.

James Potter awoke as the bell rang; signalling the end of history of magic, more fondly know as nap time. He yawned and picked up his bag (he never unpacked anything for history of magic, there was no point)

It was time for defence against the dark arts. They had a good teacher. Professor Nick Morgan was very funny (a smart arse, as Sirius claimed) who was fair and, instead of picking on specific people, he picked on and embarrassed everybody, including his colleagues.

Everyone remembered when he had started a food fight in the Great Hall because Sirius had dared him to eat a cream pie, (which he knew very well was jinxed.) So he had thrown the pie in Dumbledore's face, thus getting some in his boss's mouth, turning him into a chipmunk for just over an hour. He claimed that he thought that the Headmaster liked cream pie and was trying to do him a favour.

James snorted and shook his head, and ran to catch up with his two friends. Remus was in the hospital wing still. The full moon last night had been particularly hard on his lycanthrope friend. James sighed remembering Remus that morning. He had had to be levitated up to the castle by Madam Pomfrey on a stretcher. He couldn't walk. He had passed out on the way up, and he had still been unconscious when they went to see him after breakfast.

James bumped into someone and looked up. He was at the Defence classroom, and he had bumped into Sirius. He poked his friend in the back and, getting no response looked into the classroom. He gasped quietly as he saw what was wrong. The projector was humming, and a picture was showing on the classroom wall. He pushed past Sirius and dragged him to seats right at the back, where Pete was already sitting, looking nervous.

James was pale as he started unpacking. What the hell was Morgan thinking of!? It was basically shouting it out for the school to know. The class was still fairly empty, only Snape and Lily had arrived, and it was almost seven minutes to class. He had to chance it.

James stood and made his way to the desk at the front of the class.

"Professor" James asked quietly.

"Yes Potty, I'm sorry Potter? Nice catch the other day by the way. What did you want?"

"I wonder, could I have a word, privately?" prompted James.

Seeing his students humourless expression Professor Morgan nodded and made his way into his office. He shut the door after James and cast a quick silencing charm.

He turned to see James Potter looking nervous and – there was no other word for it – scared.

"Potter, what's wrong?" he asked, although he had a suspicion of what was bothering his student.

"What's wrong? Are you MAD! This is like advertising what Remus is! You're supposed to be trying to keep his secret, not shout it out to the whole damn school!" James said furiously. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his temper under rein.

"Listen Potter, I know that very well, but for some impractical reason Dumbledore wants me to teach this subject. I'm mostly going to be going over how to recognize a werewolf at the full moon, not otherwise… And how the hell do you know anyway?"

"Sirius, Pete and I figured it out in our second year. But what if-"

"Wait, second year, that was what? Three years ago."

"Yeah…" said James, not following what his crazy teacher was heading at.

"Well most twelve year olds wouldn't be very… accepting of a werewolf." Professor Morgan said.

"Huh? Oh! Well we weren't going to abandon him, were we? He's our friend! And – oh crap, class professor!"

Morgan looked at his watch and cursed. They were already three minutes late. He opened the door to the classroom and as Potter passed he muttered to him

"Thirty points for being an accepting friend Potty."

James smiled at him. "Thanks sir."

Professor Morgan watched James all during that class.

Potter still looked nervous as he left his seat as the bell rang. He watched as Black and Pettigrew whispered something and they all nodded. They were just walking to the door when they realized that something or, rather someone was in their way.

Nick Morgan shook his head, a sad smile on his face, and he retreated to his office.

James stood up and with Sirius and Peter, started making his way out of the DADA class. They had just decided to go get Remus something to eat, when they noticed that the door was blocked, by a very nervous Lily Evans.

"What do you want Evans?" said Sirius warily.

"I… I wanted to know-" she paused and James felt his stomach tighten.

"isremusawerewolf?" she said very quickly.

"Huh?"

"Is Remus a werewolf?" she said quietly in a state of forced calm.

Three answers came at her, all different of course…

"What's it to you?"

"Maybe, maybe not"

"And what if he is?"

James felt his stomach sink as Lily became wide eyed.

Sirius looked at him and they nodded. The three of them grabbed Lily by the arms and started leading her to the Hospital wing, discussing very quietly.

They didn't notice a dark haired Slytherin creep out of the shadow behind a suit of armour, and follow them down the hall.

Hey do you like it? I love writing MWPP I just love the feeling you get of brotherhood and friendship, etc, etc… So please Read & Review, make me happy. Cookies for all who review!