Remus looked up from his book, wincing as he moved his leg.

He was in the hospital wing; the previous night had been his transformation, and he had awoken with a broken leg and foot. Normally, Madam Pomfrey would have mended the bones in a moment, but his body wouldn't respond to her treatments. The wounds from his transformation would have to heal naturally.

Suddenly, there were the sounds of quiet footsteps, and Remus could tell that there was someone in the wing with him. He couldn't imagine why; it was dinner hour, and Madam Pomfrey had left him with his books so she could eat. He drew the curtains closer around his bed, but buried his nose back into his book.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Someone whispered.

Remus froze. It hadn't been his imagination. Why would a student be in here? Would they see him?

There was no response to the murmured question, and the footsteps got louder. Were they coming towards him? Remus peeked over the top of the curtains, falling backwards onto his pillow the second he saw who it was. He could only see the tops of their heads, but their identity was unmistakable.

James's black mop of hair was two beds away, and Remus could see them checking behind the curtains. Little Peter was standing by the hospital entrance, making sure that no one would be interrupting them. Sirius was following James cautiously. Remus frantically flipped pages in his book, realizing a second too late how noisy the paper was.

"Remus? Remus, where are you?" Sirius whispered.

Remus couldn't escape. His leg was bound beneath the covers, insuring that he wouldn't damage it further. But that meant that he couldn't get out without help. While he didn't know why, he knew that they were here for him. How could they have possibly known that he would be here? Did they know his secret? This could only mean the worst.

Remus nearly jumped out of his skin when the curtain around his bed whipped open and James's head came into view. His eyes swept over Remus's broken leg, his hazel eyes widening. He gave Remus a quick glance, than withdrew his head and waved Sirius and Peter over.

Together, and without Remus's permission, dragged the curtain away from the bed. The sunset blinded Remus, making him blink furiously. When his eyes adjusted, he saw that they had pulled chairs up to the bed, waiting for him to speak. Remus didn't say a word.

"So, do you have fleas?" Sirius said, barely suppressing a grin.

Remus was taken aback. Why would he have fleas? What kind of question was that?

"Excuse me?" Remus said, hoping his confusion was clear in his voice.

"Or did you get flea shots? Do wolves even get fleas?" Sirius said questioningly, looking at James.

James shrugged.

Remus felt like he couldn't breathe. Wolves? They wouldn't be asking about wolves unless . . . It couldn't be. He had been so diligent with his excuses! But, if they did know, they wouldn't be here. They would have abandoned him the moment they found out. So they couldn't know.

Sirius opened his mouth, most likely to make another joke, but James cut him off with a shake of his head.

"How's your grandmother, Remus?" James asked, looking Remus straight in the eye.

The previous night, Remus had told them that his grandmother had died and that's why he was going home.

"She's dead." Remus said, hanging his head.

"Is that so? Because, Remus, that's the fifth time your grandmother has died." James said in a rush. It seemed he had wanted to say this for a long time.

Remus didn't dare to look up. Had he really forgotten to make up new lies? He hated lying to his friends, and he tended to re-use the fibs as often as possible.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Remus said, picking up his book and staring at the front cover. He didn't want to make eye contact anymore.

"Yes, you do. You're a werewolf." Sirius said, cutting James off. Sirius's gray eyes sparkled with excitement.

Remus's breath hitched. He felt like he had a fist blocking his windpipe, making it impossible to speak. His heartbeat increased, and he could hear blood rushing in his ears. This couldn't be happening. Remus felt himself drop the heavy book awkwardly onto his lap, exposing his face. He could feel their eyes on him.

"I'm not." He said, his voice breaking in the middle.

Sirius rolled his eyes. Peter's eyes never left the floor.

"Yes, you are. There's no other possible explanation. You get yourself injured more than humanly possible, and Madam Pomfrey is never able to mend your wounds. You always get headaches, you eat like a dog, and you are as jumpy as hell. You get impatient and sickly following the moon cycle. You get taken to your parents' every month around the same time. You're not going to your parents', it would be too dangerous. You're probably taken away from the castle, to somewhere safe. Always around the full moon. It's the only explanation. You've got lycanthropy." James said, speaking slowly, as to let him take it all in.

James was giving Sirius a I-told-you-so look, and Peter was eyeing the clock across the hall.

"I'm not." Remus said, but he knew that there would be no convincing them otherwise.

"Here we go." Sirius said, leaning back in his chair.

James was fiddling with his tie.

"You are." James said, with an air on finality.

"Why are you still here than, if you're so certain?" Remus said, a burst of courage exploding within him.

Sirius snorted, than said, "Don't be dramatic, Remus. You're the only person we know who folds their socks. Forgive us if we're not positively trembling at the sight of you." James nodded, agreeing with Sirius.

"But I'm a monster! I could kill you!" Remus said, unable to keep it in.

James looked up. "You're not a monster, Remus. You just have a . . . furry little problem. Nothing unmanageable." He said.

Remus buried his face in his hands. They couldn't possibly think that this wasn't a big deal. He had admitted to being a werewolf. Why weren't they shaking in fear, like so many had before them?

"How long have you known?" Remus said, the feeling of dread filling his stomach.

"End of last year." James said, clearly wanting to answer all Remus's questions.

Remus couldn't believe it. They had known since last year, but still invited him to spend holiday with them. They hadn't treated him any different. It seemed that even Peter wasn't frightened, but Remus had a sneaking suspicion that he was slightly scared now.

"Are you afraid?" Remus whispered, knowing that this was the only question he really needed the answer too. He raised his face enough for them to see his eyes. They shook their heads.

"Actually, mate, we think it's kind of cool. Not many people can say that they know a werewolf!" Sirius said.

Remus didn't point out that the only reason that no one said that was because they had all been attacked by the respective werewolves upon the discovery.

"We've thought of a way to stay with you during your transformation!" James said, but held up a hand to stop Remus's horrified expression. "Remember what McGonagall did during our first Transfiguration lesson last year? When she turned herself into a cat? Well, that's called being an Animagus. If we could do that, we could come with you! You see, werewolf bites don't affect animals. We would be perfectly safe. There's nothing problematic about this idea."

Remus could think of a million problematic things with this, but he didn't have time to voice them.

Madam Pomfrey had returned from dinner. When she saw the boys, she gasped and walked to Remus's bedside. Her face was bright red.

"Potter! Black! Pettigrew! OUT!" She shouted.

They cowered underneath her gaze, wincing as the volume of her yells hit their ears. Grabbing their bags, they sprinted for the door. When it slammed behind them, Madam Pomfrey spun on Remus.

"I can only assume . . . that they know the truth. This is out of my hands. Professor Dumbledore will be here shortly." She said, taking deep breaths, than drawing her wand.

She adjusted Remus's bedcovers before getting up to unlock the hospital door for Dumbledore.

He glided in gracefully after her, closing the door softly behind him. He walked slowly to Remus, a small smile on his face. He sat lofty on the bed next to Remus, resting his frail hands on his lap.

"Your friends were waiting outside for you. They are so sorry to disturb you. They assured me the moment they saw me that they would keep this a secret and that they hadn't meant to do any harm. I have dismissed them to the Gryffindor common room, where I'm sure they will await your arrival." Dumbledore said.

Remus bawked. He hadn't known that they had waited for him. His friends continued to surprise him more and more.

"But, Professor, they know. They know what I am!" Remus said, sure that he would receive some sort of punishment.

Dumbledore smiled. "Aren't you pleased, Remus? Your friends can finally understand you."

Remus flushed; he hadn't meant to sound ungrateful.

"No, I'm thankful, but isn't it dangerous for them?" He said, choosing to leave out the part about the Animagi.

"Only if you let them put themselves in a place where it would be unsafe." Dumbledore said, effectively ending the conversation.

Remus stared at his book.

"Ah, Remus, I will instruct Madam Pomfrey to let you attend the rest of the feast tonight." Dumbledore said, getting up from the bed.

He walked to the door, where Madam Pomfrey was standing, watching. They exchanged a few words, and then Madam Pomfrey let Dumbledore out.

Remus fixed his Gryffindor tie, making sure it hung over his robes. The robes barely covered the bulky cast, but it was the best that Madam Pomfrey could do.

Dumbledore had insisted that Remus was allowed out, so she had to use a strange Muggle method. He was hobbling around on plastic sticks, supporting his weight by switching feet. Remus recognized the sticks as crutches. He made his way towards the door.

He was ushered out of the hospital wing, and slowly making his way down the hall when he saw them.

James, Sirius, and Peter were sitting side-by-side against the wall outside the Great Hall, seeming waiting for him. When they saw him coming, they stood, brushing off their trousers. They seemed nervous.

"Look-" Sirius began, but Remus cut him off.

"It's fine. Let's just go to dinner, alright?" They nodded, and watched as Remus limped towards the Gryffindor table.

Remus sat with his leg stuck out at an awkward angle, but he didn't pay attention to it. He was too hungry.

The dinner disappeared, and dessert replaced it, but Remus ate his fill.

As the rest of school trickled out of the Hall, the Marauders (that's what they had taken to calling themselves) watched in amazement as he ate more and more. Soon, they were sitting alone. James was readying himself to make a speech.

"Remus, we don't have to do the animal thing, it's just that we don't want you to be alone, and suffering." He said, looking at Remus the entire time. Remus knew that James was playing up the good-boy image to get what he wanted, but didn't mind.

Remus swallowed his mouthful of treacle tart; considering his options. He was already in jeopardy of loosing his friends, no matter what they said. He couldn't deify them of this; if he didn't, it might make them end their friendship with him.

"You can try, but it's extremely complicated magic, and it will take us a long time to master." Remus said, not wanting to give them false hope.

Remus had looked Animagi up after McGonagall's lesson. The magic was outrageous and dangerous. Peter looked up at Sirius hopefully, and James exchanged a smile with didn't push it for the rest of the evening. Remus didn't want to keep talking about the transformation.

Instead, he brought up the subject of Quidditch trials. They were next week, and James could hardly wait. As Remus listened to James talk about Chasers and snitches, he looked up at the ceiling, marvelling at the beauty of the stars. Everything was going to be okay.

The Marauders finally know the big secret! Let the fun begin. Haha :P

Like this chapter? Leave me a review down below. Thanks to everyone who has left me a review! I love it when you guys do that :)

I'll be updating next on Sunday. I want to get a really good chapter ready!

xx

bandeall