A/N: Aww, you're all feeling so sorry for Remus. I promise things will look better for him on the friend front soon, although poor little Remus is always going to be worrying about something; he's been through too much not to.

(Morningdove14: I don't really plan anything I write, I never do and never have, so I find that what people say in reviews shapes what I write quite a bit, but it doesn't really hinder me because I didn't have a plan where things were going in the first place. I just write and do things how I feel the characters would and let thing develop however they do, but when people review and maybe ponder something I tend to try and answer that in my writing, or not, it depends on what sort of mood I'm in, whether I'd rather they had to wait a bit more and whether it would naturally fit in. Although I do agree that this has to be my story, (even though it's really Remus') and don't want to rely on my readers. I just felt like it was too easy to pad things out with flashbacks, but I see now that they work quite well in showing why Remus is who he is.)

(Dndchk: First, I always "pronounce" your username as that drum roll thingy that comes after a joke, I dunno if you know what I mean or what you're aiming for but it always amuses me. Anyway, thank you so much for the review, it's helped me sort out whether the flashbacks work or not. I'm afraid Remus manages to keep up his pretences for a whole year so you'll have a while to wait, the only question is, what lies will he have to make up and will that make the Marauders think he truly is insane?)

James sped up to keep up with Remus, who was walking quickly away as if trying to escape from what he'd just said. Remus didn't slow down when James got level with him, nor did he slow for Sirius or for Peter, who was scurrying to keep up with the briskly moving trio. Remus' head was swimming, not quite able to comprehend that he'd told them the lie as well. That was five people in one day, soon it would be the talk of the school, and soon it would be harder than ever to keep everything under wraps, what was he to say after the Full Moon? Someone would notice it wasn't quite as it should be. They had to. He was sure that everyone else's heads were swimming as well, they'd just been told something crazy about him. Remus didn't dare to look at their faces to try and read their emotions; it was all he could not to run away from them. Run and not stop running until he was far away from everyone, where no one could see him, no one could see his scars or know of his past. Where he couldn't hurt anyone, live alone in the wild like the wolf he was.

There was an awkward silence that filled the air, their initial outburst hanging in the air, none of them knowing where to take the conversation next. It was Sirius who broke the tension first, "Umm... mate... if you ever need to talk... umm..."

"I'm fine." Remus mumbled, one word in particular repeating itself over and over again in his memory, 'mate.' Sirius had called him 'mate'. That was another word for friend; did that mean that Sirius thought of him as a friend? Remus couldn't see why, he'd hardly spend any time getting to know him and when he had been around him he'd been moody and boring, but there he was offering, hesitantly, but still offering, someone to talk to. Someone to help him. Not that Remus could ever take him up on that, but the offer was still there, and it still made Remus' heart swell in ecstasy, he had a friend. Someone at least didn't think he was a complete freak. They didn't know the real him, but they hadn't rejected him thus far.

"Sure?" That was James this time. Remus wondered whether he was his friend as well.

"Yeah. They're just scars." Remus reassured them, but mentally added, 'until the next Full Moon', then berated himself and pushed the matter out of his mind. He would deal with it when it came around. But as soon as he'd stopped thinking about the problems his lying would cause when he gained more cuts the matter of his summons to Dumbledore arose again. "I'd best go and see the headmaster now. Get it over and done with."

"Is it about... that?"

"I – I think so."

"We'll come with you." Remus' face must have shown a brief flash of panic as his stomach twisted uncomfortably in his gut as James quickly added, "only to wait outside for you."

Sighing with relief, Remus nodded his consent and they wheeled around, heading back in the direction of Dumbledore's office, fronted by a giant eagle with its wings curled as if preparing to give someone a giant hug. "Can I come too?" Peter asked breathlessly after they'd gone five yards down the corridor.

In unison the other three boys groaned and intoned, "Yes Peter."

After two or three lost turnings the boys found themselves gazing at the huge bronze eagle. By the orange light of the flaming torches the eagle could have easily been crafted from pure gold, such was the shine it gave off. Remus hesitated before stepping into the bird's wide armed embrace, and hoped that the others wouldn't notice his legs tremble with nerves underneath his trousers. For any first year pupil going to visit the headmaster would be nerve racking enough, but for Remus, shy and with more to fear than any of his peers it was gut-wrenching. James, Sirius and Peter watched him as he intoned the password, and gave him a small wave, and quietly wishing him luck.

The eagle lurched into motion, carrying Remus up to the study. He was forced to grab at one of its as it spiralled around. When it had come full circle Remus could just see the three boys standing at the foot of the entrance and felt a strange feeling inside as he realised the loyalty they had to him, even within the second day of knowing him. They were still stood there, watching him disappear up into the ceiling, and Remus saw that it wasn't amazement that kept them transfixed, but concern. Then, suddenly they slipped from view, and Remus was left alone with his thoughts as the eagle kept carrying him towards his summons. However, he'd barely had time to rethink the reasons of his summons before he reached his final destination and the eagle ground to a stop, depositing him outside a thick oak door, studded with iron.

Remus stepped into the corridor and the eagle rotated again, this time anticlockwise, returning to its position on the floor below. A slight twinge of further fear snagged in his stomach as he realised he didn't know how to summon the bronze bird back when it was time to leave; he feared the unknown more than anything. Then it was too late to worry about anything, not the eagle, nor what was waiting behind that heavy door, because the door was open and the headmaster was standing outside it. The acclaimed wizard looked down at Remus and gave him a sense of being judged, although that was something that Remus was more than used to.

"P-Professor... I heard you w-wanted to see me." Remus stammered, his eyes fixed on the bottom of Dumbledore's beard, which was about a foot above his head, as close to his eyes as he dared to look. The man seemed much more intimidating close up than he did from the front of the Great Hall, and that was saying something.

Then – "Ahh, Mr Lupin, come, come," and Remus saw his eyes twinkle and beneath his silver beard a small, but inviting smile tug at his lips and Remus suddenly felt at ease. The man swung around, his cloak floating after him and showed the boy into his office, smiling once more as Remus gasped involuntarily in awe at the office. There wasn't one single thing that took his breath away, but rather the whole experience of the place; it was rippling with magic, from the portraits of hundreds of former headmasters and mistresses adorning the walls, to the strange contraptions on the balcony that reminded him of the planets, what must have been thousands of books, and, the most stunning, a bird covered in red, gold and brown plumage, who surveyed Remus with an intelligent black eye as he watched from his perch.

Dumbledore took a chair next to the roaring fireplace and motioned for Remus to take a seat next to him. From the depths of Remus' mind it struck him that a setting this cosy couldn't be the place for awful news, but he could hardly realise that revelation as he basked in the warmth of the fire. When he looked back at the headmaster he realised that he was now holding a fine porcelain tea pot as the rest of the tea set hovered next to him. "Tea?" He offered as he finished pouring a cup for himself and copiously added sugar with a silver spoon.

"N-no thanks Sir."

At his words the headmaster lifted his cup daintily from the silver tray it rested on and placed it on the mahogany table at the side of his chair and waved his wand to dismiss the tea set. "I have to say, Earl Grey is the finest tea I've ever tested. You might have known that by the password to this office though. I'm afraid it's a terrible habit of mine, I have such a sweet tooth."

They sat in silence for a moment, Remus growing more and more awkward after every passing second until he felt like he was going to implode with wanting to know what he was there for, but was too scared to pluck up the courage to ask. Eventually he managed, as Dumbledore was beginning to hum to himself. "Excuse me Professor... but..." He suddenly realised that he was probably being slightly rude to interrupt the world that his Headmaster seemed to be living in, a world that was touching the one Remus was in, but didn't seem to run in quite the same direction.

"I suppose you want to know why I summoned you." Dumbledore said, snapping back into the normal world. "I merely wanted to know how you were doing."

Remus thought for a moment. Half an hour before he might have hesitated more before answering the wizard's question, but his recent discovery that he had friends changed things a lot. He felt like he could make it now, that his lycanthropy wouldn't be the end of it all, it would make it difficult, he was sure of that, but he could cope, he could manage with it. Not tell them, no that would be too much too soon, but he could survive with their help and support, even if they didn't know the truth of what was going on in his life. "I'm doing well Sir."

"I see you and Lily were getting close this lunchtime." His light blue eyes twinkled as his words made Remus flinch in surprise. "There's not much I don't notice in these grounds." He added by way of explanation.

"She noticed my scars. I had to lie." Remus admitted, ashamed.

Dumbledore lowered his head slightly, his beard now reaching the purple buckle on his trousers, seeming pained by Remus' words. "You lied to your dormmates as well."

Despite his attempt at maintaining politeness, shock filled Remus' voice. "I had to. There was no other way." His small hands tightly gripped the arms of his chair. "I couldn't tell them what I am."

A cool hand rested on top of his as Dumbledore made a calm 'shushing' noise. "I understand, my dear boy I do understand. You've done well." He lifted his hand from Remus' and studied the scars on the back of it through his half-moon glasses. "We can get Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing to remove them, then there will be no need to lie anymore."

Remus nodded, wondering what his body would be like without its smattering of scars. He could barely remember a time where he wasn't covered in them, and although he would probably miss them, it would be a relief to no longer have to worry about making sure they were covered up all the time. To be able to bathe and wash in front of the other boys like James and Sirius did, and not have to wonder how he was ever going to manage it – this morning he had avoided washing, telling them that he had washed when he had disappeared the night before. "Thank you sir."

"You'd best go to supper now, I'll send you an owl nearer the Full Moon and we can have another chat about our plans, no need to rush things unnecessarily." Dumbledore got to his feet and Remus did the same, following him to the doorway. When they exited Dumbledore clapped his hands loudly once and he could hear the noise of the eagle sliding upwards once more. So that was how you got back out, Remus thought, relieved that it was just as painless to get out as it was to talk with Dumbledore.