I like Godric's Hollow. It is a beautiful little wizarding village, full of rustic cottages. I still find it difficult to envision James and Lily in such a domestic setting. James has always had such an incurable desperation for adventure. Trouble follows him around in an almost comical way. And Lily can be such a foul-tempered hot head, it's amazing to see her try and smooth out her rough edges. I can see it in the way she carries herself, she's trying to play the part of a mother. I don't think she understands that she does not have to become a completely different person to be a good mother.

I have not left the guest bedroom since I woke up. Even the slightest movements send a horrific burning sensation darting through my body. The vein imprints are a violent red on my pale skin. They are blistered and several areas are bleeding sluggishly. I can honestly say that I don't know how I will make it through tonight.

I can already feel the familiar symptoms of the full moon. I feel feverish, faint almost. My bones feel like they are made of rock. I am irritable and nauseated and fatigued. In addition, there is an almost indescribable pull in my chest. I've never been able to properly explain it. It feels like a physical drive to get out of town, to run somewhere far away. I do not like it. I do not like it.

The peeling white door of the guest bedroom opens with a slight creak. Sirius pops his head in quietly. His hair, which is getting much too long, hangs around his face. "Are you alright?" He asks.

"Yup." I say shortly.

He walks all the way into the room, and leans against my bed rail. "We've set the basement up, its pretty damn secure. We figured you really aren't in any condition to apparate to the Shrieking Shack."

"I agree." I rasp weakly.

Sirius stands quietly at the foot of the bed. He's staring at his boots, which are crusty with dried mud. I can tell by the way he is chewing at his bottom lip, grey eyes downcast, that he's trying to say something. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, like a goldfish, but no words come out.

"Padfoot," I wheeze. "Tonight will be fine."

He nods slowly, mouth set in a grim line. "Okay." He says thinly. He gently lets his hand rest on my foot for a minute, and then exits the room quickly.

XXXX

The gray sky begins to darken, and the invisible pull in my chest becomes almost irresistible. The night is coming, and the Wolf is drowsily rising from an unrestful slumber.

I am seated at the Potter's kitchen table. Lily gently helped me to the kitchen, and placed a steaming bowl of pea soup in front of me. I'm not hungry. I never am on full moon nights, but my friends always try to get me to eat something. The soup, while it smells delicious, makes my stomach preform acrobatics.

Unlike myself, James can't stop eating when he is upset or unwell. We've only been at the table for about ten minutes, and he's already eaten two large bowls of soup, and six dinner rolls. Sirius stares at him with a disgusted expression. "Merlin, don't forget to breathe every once in a while." He snorts.

"Ucksh Uvf." James mumbles over a mouthful of food. I can't understand what he's saying, but I'd bet anything that he was cursing.

They finish dinner and clear the table, and I do not move. I lay my head in my arms. It is nice to be comfortable enough around my friends that I don't force myself to be alert. They not only tolerate my weakness, but encourage it. "Take it easy, Moony." James would always say when I pushed myself to hard.

I suddenly feel strong hands grabbing each of my arms. My blistering veins cry in protest, and I inhale sharply. "Sorry, mate." I hear Sirius say from my right. James and Sirus lead me to the basement, and help me down the steps.

"It'll be over before you know it." Lily says as she shuts the basement door. I hear multiple locks click.

The boys set me carefully against the cold stone wall. I somehow manage to slip out of my shirt and my jeans, so that I sit shivering in nothing but my boxers. I run a hand over the angry red blister veins that crawl across my chest. The pull in my chest makes my ribs feel like they are going to break through my skin.

James and Sirius sit directly across from me. Usually, we have small conversations until the moon rises, but tonight it is painfully quiet.

"It will be fine." I say, offering a pathetic smile. Sirius is biting his lip again. James is cleaning his glasses on the edge of his shirt, something he's always done when he's worried.

I close my eyes and lean my head against the wall, the cold stone a welcome relief on my steaming skin. James pats my kneecap bracingly. The moon makes a complete rise; I can feel it.

My spine goes rigid and my eyes fly open. My insides begin to simmer like eggs in a frying pan, I can feel the positioning of my ribs and my pelvic bones shifting, I can feel my shoulders shooting backwards, my elbows caving inwards. My teeth forcing their way up through my gums.

My slowly fading consciousness registers the hasty transformation of my friends. A noble stag and a burly black dog stand in their places. Padfoot locks his eyes with mine. I can feel my pupils dilating, I am hyper aware of every minuscule change ripping through my being. I can no fathom the intensity of the pain. Hair pierces through every inch of my flesh. My transformation, always painful, is magnified dramatically by the burning and scaring of my blister veins. Tonight, I feel the moon as if it is fire.

The desperate tugging in my chest bursts free, and I, Remus Lupin, am gone.

Is anyone reading this? Please leave a review, I'd really like to know what you think.