Hello everyone! Thank you for all of the reads and reviews. I apologize for taking so long with this chapter, I had a huge test his week and a paper and I spent yesterday catching up on sleep. Hopefully I'll be able to update again within the next few days!
"JAMES HURRY UP," Sirius screamed impatiently up the dormitory stairs. He couldn't stop pacing and the room was starting to spin.
"OI CALM DOWN! I'LL BE DOWN IN A MINUTE," James called back, getting frustrated with the rush Sirius was putting him in. He didn't even know what it was for, Sirius wouldn't say anything.
It was the boy's second year. The first went off well for the four; there was plenty of pranking with Remus casting them a side-eyed glance and then hesitantly helping them with almost every single one. Truth be told, James knew they never would have gotten away with any of it if it weren't for Remus. He always seemed to know how to wipe the footprints and he had the forethought necessary to keep them out of trouble. James and Sirius always had a problem of thinking too fast and skipping over the seemingly less-important details. Not Remus, though. His main objective was always to keep his head down and stay out of trouble.
James took the stairs two at a time to keep his friend from pacing a hole into the floor. He ran up to Sirius and quickly grasped him by the shoulders to get him to stop. "Okay," James started, "What is this all about?"
"Okay it's going to seem crazy. We can't talk here. Come on, quick! I'll tell you as we walk to the grounds," Sirius replied, starting for the portrait hole and James reluctantly followed.
"Alright. Now, Remus is going home today and I want to follow him. Don't say anything, I know it's crazy. I just have this really weird feeling. I don't think he's going home. Last time I followed him I saw him walk out with Madame Pomfrey but I didn't see anything after that. If he was going home why wouldn't he use floo powder? What does Madame P have to do with any of it?" Sirius asked all in one breath. James suddenly stopped. Sirius turned to look at him with a questioning gaze. They didn't have much time before Lupin left.
"Sirius," James said cautiously, "There's something I've been noticing. I didn't want to say it because I thought it was too insane. Have you ever really looked at Remus when he came back? He always looks tired and gaunt, which we would expect if his mother was really all that sick. But have you seen the bruises? And the cuts? Have you noticed those? I didn't really start to until a few months ago but every time he comes back he looks like someone took a fist to him."
"Do you think he's being beaten, James?"
"No, no. There's more. But this is the difficult part so please just hear me out first. So a few months, do you remember that astronomy project we had? Where we had to plot the phases of the moon?" Sirius nodded in recollection. "Well, that month Remus left on the full moon. I remember because I was walking up to the astronomy tower as he was walking down to Madame Pomfrey's. Then the next month, I was going to ask him if he wanted to sneak out and fly around a bit with us by the moonlight, but he said he was going home. And I guarantee that when we go outside tonight that there will be another full moon waiting for us. Sirius, I think Lupin's mom is a werewolf!"
Ten minutes later, sure enough, James and Sirius saw Remus being led out onto the grounds by Madame Pomfrey. "Maybe they have to take a special way," Sirius whispered, "in case she's changed already or something. Maybe he has to go wait at home while she changes and then help her in the morning. Or maybe there's some bloodline thing we don't know about. Maybe they can't change their family? So maybe Remus goes and sits with her while she changes and gets the rough end of it."
"I don't know mate, but look! They're walking over to the Whomping Willow! What are they doing that for?"
James and Sirius quickly followed behind them and watched as Madame Pomfrey grabbed a twig and pressed a knot in the tree. They heard her tell Remus that she would be back to check on him at sunrise and, after making sure he was safely in the passage, started back off for the castle. "Come on, quick! Do you remember which knot it was?"
"Sirius," James whispered, "I don't really think this is a good idea. What if I'm wrong? I really think we should just go back upstairs and talk to Remus when he gets back. Sirius, come on!" Sirius had already frozen the tree and was climbing into the tunnel. James, with a sigh, followed after him. When they reached the end, they entered a dilapidated old shack and there was Remus, sitting on the floor rocking back and forth with his arms around his knees.
"…Remus," Sirius said to let the pale boy know they were there. "Remus…it's okay. We know. We know your mom is a werewolf. We want to help!" Suddenly, Sirius realized, their assumption didn't seem all that correct.
Remus looked up quickly. His eyes immediately turned to frightened circles and started yelling for them to get out. They wouldn't budge so he started to punch them, each one taking James and Sirius a little closer to the door. Then, Remus froze. James and Sirius looked worried as they saw his body tense up and look out the window to the full moon. "Please….please, go. Now. You have to go right now," Remus cried, feeling his bones start to break and reform into the wolf's. After that all he could do was scream which quickly turned into a howl.
"Remus!" Sirius cried, wanting to go and hold his friend who was in so much pain. James, however, grabbed Sirius by the sleeve and pulled him out the way they had come in. They ran panting to the castle but distantly they could hear the howls of the wolf.
"Oh God," James said, terrified for the little boy who he claimed as his best friend. "Sirius, we need to go back to the dormitory. We can't do anything more tonight. Tomorrow we'll talk to him. I promise but Sirius you have to promise me you won't go back there tonight. I know. I know that you just want to help him but there's nothing we can do. He'll change you if you go back, or even worse."
"I don't care!" Sirius yelled defiantly.
"I know you don't care but for once think about what's in the best interest of someone other than yourself! What do you think would happen to Remus if he hurt you? Not only that, but how would he feel? You're his best friend! The most you can do now is think of what you're going to say to him tomorrow. We need to find a way to let him know that we don't care. That he's still our Remus. Do you promise me, Sirius?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sirius whispered, defeated. They had made it back into the dormitory and James sat down onto his bed but Sirius collapsed into Lupin's, holding onto his pillow for dear life as if it could somehow transfer to the wolf.
The next morning dawned too late for Remus. He hated that the nights were getting longer. The longer the moon was up, the longer he had to be out of control. The longer he had to be a carnivorous, violent beast. The last night had been particularly rough on him and he didn't even try to move and get himself ready for Madame Pomfrey. She knew to expect this sometimes and he could feel that his wounds were particularly brutal. He could feel at least 3 cracked ribs, a broken collar bone, and his entire right leg seemed to have been smashed under something. No, he wasn't going to move for a bit. Suddenly, he remembered what happened last night before he had changed. "Oh god!" Remus exclaimed. Did they get out in time? Did they see him change? Did they hear him become more animal than man? He couldn't smell them anywhere so that calmed him down a bit. At least he hadn't hurt them. What was it that Sirius had said? Something about Lupin's mother being a werewolf? It didn't matter. They obviously knew the truth now. Remus knew exactly how they would look at him now. Their eyes would be full of fear and loathing and hell, they had probably already told the entire school. He should have listened to his father.
Soon Madame Pomfrey arrived with potions to take away the pain and carefully transported Remus back to the castle so she could heal him more efficiently. She commented on his injuries and how bad they seemed compared to usual but all Lupin could do was shrug. He didn't know how to tell her what had almost happened. Madame Pomfrey, however, was a smart witch. She could tell when she was being lied to faster than any other. Too many people lie about injuries and she was the one who always had to figure it out. With Remus, though, it would be more serious. She healed him as gently as she could and then went to fetch the Headmaster. The three of them needed to have a talk.
"Remus?" Dumbledore spoke quietly pulling back the curtain around the bed, "do you feel up for a word?"
Lupin knew what was coming. The whole school knew and now he was getting kicked out and he'd have to live off of his parents forever. Dying would be easier.
"Remus, what happened last night? Poppy has expressed her concern to me and I must admit that I agree with her. Your injuries were much more severe than usual. Please, you must tell us what you remember. We need to take care of your safety, as well as the safety of others."
Remus was surprised that Dumbledore didn't already know and he found himself at a loss for words. He tried to just start at the beginning, "I don't know how it happened. James and Sirius must have followed me or something because as I was sitting on the ground getting ready for the change, they barged in and said something about knowing my mother is a werewolf. By that time the moon was beginning to rise and I tried to get them out as fast as I could. I think that at the end they saw me begin to change and James dragged Sirius out, and that's the last that I remember. I'm positive they aren't hurt. I would have been able to feel it if they were changed or I would have smelled it if I had…you know…" Remus trailed off and looked to Dumbledore for help. Understanding, Dumbledore promised Remus that he would be sure that no word about the last night would get out. With that, he swiftly walked out of the hospital wing to find James and Sirius. Half an hour later, he was back with the pair of them.
"Now Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore began, "I have their strictest words that they will never tell a soul without your permission, but they would both very much like to see you and talk to you. They come bearing gifts, as I take it. You don't have to allow them in, but I think it would be wise to hear what they have to say." Remus gave a curt nod and Dumbledore walked out from the curtains while two sheepish boys cautiously walked in.
"Remus, please, let us speak before you say anything. We swear, we didn't know. We honestly thought you were going to see your mom and she was a….well…you know. We didn't mean to put you into danger and if we stopped and thought maybe we would have realized but you know us, we never stop and think. That's what we have you for. And we promised we wouldn't say anything, if you did decide you didn't want to speak to us again although James and I agree we don't really like that decision but honestly what I'm trying to say is...I brought you chocolate," Sirius finished with a small smile. He knew how much Remus Lupin loved chocolate. He would eat it rather than breakfast any day.
Remus looked up entirely confused. He had been preparing for the worst ever since that morning. There was no way that Sirius and James would want to be his friends anymore, but here they were with chocolate. "You mean, you don't hate me?" Remus asked while beginning to cry. James and Sirius looked at each other with horror and then Sirius grabbed Lupin's face to be sure he was looking into his eyes. "Remus John Lupin, I told you from the beginning I knew what I was getting into and that no problem was too big for me. I will never, ever hate you. Now, all this means that you're required to receive chocolate from me once a month. Maybe more if you're a good boy," Sirius finished with a wink and Remus sat up to hug him before wincing in pain and lying back down. As if on cue, James and Sirius each took a cheek and gave a kiss. James was tiny and hesitant, trying to show his friend he'll always care about him without hurting his already broken body. Sirius' was wet and sloppy, almost like a dog licking his master who has been gone for too long. Remus pushed them both away, dried off his cheek, and flipped them both the bird. "Well, I guess this means we're going to have to figure out some way to tell Pete."
