Moony: Year 3

Monday
18 September, 1973

"Moony, are you really sure you should be out of the infirmary?" Sirius asked, looking at his friend with worry. Both he and James had the werewolf between them, arms slung over their shoulders as they held him up the steps. Peter carrying Remus' bag and books.

"I'm fine, just got a little winded is all; you don't have to ask that after every class, Sirius."

Sirius only frowned, looking at James over the werewolf's head to see James roll his eyes and shake his head; the signal to drop it. They both knew Remus was too stubborn to admit that he was having trouble until he dropped to the floor in exhaustion.

Which hopefully wouldn't happen like it did Saturday after the boy had been released from Madam Pomfrey's care. It had scared them all into nearly dragging him back and making sure he didn't leave till the next moon.

It was a relief to all three of them when they got to the top of the stair case and made their way down the corridor. Half-way down it, Remus wiggled out of their hold and started limping on his own. James and Sirius still hovering close.

Nothing could have been sweeter then the door opening to McGonagall's classroom, where they could sit down and not have to worry about Remus or in Remus's case, not have to worry about them being mother hens.

A cat was innocently sitting on the desk in front of them as the last of the students walked in, no one gave second glance to the animal. When the bell rang and it changed into their witch professor, some students still smiled though the trick had been more amazing in first year.

James watched the transformation with great attention, drawing the word in his head that the professor had told them in their first year. 'Animagus', meaning a witch or wizard that could turn into an animal at will. Hazel eyes widened as he hurried to write it down on a spare bit of parchment, sadly it being on Peter's recent drawing of the entrance to the kitchens.

"Sorry, Pete, but this is important."

"Yeah, tell that to my sketch. It took a week, and the house elves stood like that for an hour so I could get the poses right," the blond frowned, pulling his sketch back and neatly hiding it under the blank parchment he needed for the class.

"Sorry," James whispered under the words McGonagall was saying, grimacing a little. One thing they learned in the dorm fast, don't mess with Peter's drawings. He took pride in them, seeing them as one of the few things he was good at. James insisted there was more, but encouraged him to keep up the sketches.

Turning his head back to their teacher, he quickly wrote down the notes he missed. This was the one day he would have to pay close attention, seeing as Remus was already softly snoring beside him.

When the class was dismissed for lunch, James practically jumped over his desk to get to the door. Ideas already bubbling in his head.

"James? Where are you going?" Sirius called back to his friend, shaking the werewolf awake.

"I need to check on something, I'll meet you guys at lunch!"

Peter and Sirius just gave their friend confused looks but the boy didn't see them as he hurried out the door and towards the library.

Remus picked at his food, head laying on the lunch table as he poked at the sandwich on his plate.

"Remus, poking it won't make it go into your stomach faster," Peter pointed out, raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"I don't want it in my stomach," the werewolf sighed, picking it up and holding it out for either of them to take. Sirius taking it before Peter could and putting it back on the plate.

"Don't make me feed you, I know you are still getting over this 'weekend' but starving yourself is not going to help," Sirius stated seriously.

Remus just sighed, took the sandwich and bit it, glancing back over to the open doors of the Great Hall.

"James said he wouldn't be long, right?"

"Technically, he said he would meet us at lunch," Peter pointed out.

"Any idea where he was headed?" Remus asked, swallowing the bite he took before putting the sandwich back down onto the plate. Frowning when they both shook their heads in answer.

"Maybe we should look for him, he could have gotten into some trouble."

Remus moved to stand up but Sirius held him down by his shoulder, "No, you are finishing your lunch and saving energy for the trip down to potions."

Remus huffed, a pout appearing on his face as he grabbed his sandwich and took an angry bite out of it. So much for using James as an excuse out of eating.

James didn't appear to his friends until lunch was almost over, carrying a book and looking very pleased with himself. As much as Peter, Sirius, and Remus asked where he had been he wouldn't answer; the one no and a look had shut Sirius and Peter up but Remus kept asking.

When they got to potions was when Remus finally stopped asking, the werewolf focusing on his failing concoction that he had been working on last week before the moon. Peter choosing to sit next to him to help fix it in the best way he could.

Sirius and James focusing on their own cauldrons and Slughorn walked around the desks, the man smiling happily at Lily's and Severus' every time he passed the two of them.

"I don't understand why she is still around that guy," James muttered, glancing away from his cauldron, "She has Moony now, and us when putting in that we are all kind of a package deal. She can get rid of that slime ball."

"Maybe she is a little too attached, hasn't seen Snivels true colors yet," Sirius shrugged, adding another ingredient.

"Weird considering he is wearing them," James chuckled, smiling at his best friend. The smile dropped off the messy haired wizards face when it was not returned.

"Sorry, too soon to be making Slytherin jokes?"

Sirius shook his head, "No it is fine. Just thinking, what is in that book you got?"

James glanced over at Peter and Remus, taking in their distracted state before pulling it out from under the desk and setting it between them while their cauldrons simmered. His voice getting low so Sirius had to lean close to hear the whispered words.

"It may be the key to helping, the reason I took so long was because I had to ask our dear professor of the Defense a few questions."

When Slughorn was near to passing them again, James quickly hid the book back under the desk and pretended like he was interested in his potions ever slowly changing color; Sirius doing the same beside him.

"I'll tell you about what I found when we get to the dorms and Remus goes to study with Lily."

"You better, I want in on this."

A/N: I am sorry my old upload schedule is failing. I am trying my hardest at this, but time to write is becoming harder. I still have to settle into new semesters and old exams.

In other news: finally made it to double digit chapters yay.