Wolf
cerasi
Sirius' throat was dry. He took another careful step along the tunnel. He was scared of very few things, but this was certainly one of them.
"It's always the full moon," James whispered. He glanced to see if the teacher was watching, and then ducked his head back down. Peter and Sirius sat either side of him, and Remus was nowhere to be seen.
"But he can't be… I mean," Peter shook his head. "Werewolves are beasts! And Remus, he's just so…"
"Timid, quiet, unobtrusive… and secretive," James listed.
Sirius swallowed and stared at the table. James was right, he knew he was right. But that didn't change this. It was their Remus after all.
"I'll follow him," Sirius said.
"Are you mad?" Peter whispered.
"He's Remus," Sirius said. "Even if he is… you know, he's still our Remus."
The tunnel was long and low and Sirius shifted down it as quietly as possible. He had already done as much as possible. He had taken a potion that would take away all the smells his body naturally produced, so with any luck the wolf wouldn't know he was there. Unless he made a noise.
As he neared the end of the tunnel, he stopped. He had watched Remus enter here under the tree, so he was definitely down here. The night was still quite young, though.
And then he heard a frightful howl. It pitched itself high in the air, and shattered down through Sirius' ears. The howl was the wolf, and yet he now knew that the howl was also their Remus.
"You're an idiot!" James yelled. Thank Merlin for the sound-proofed dorm rooms, thick stone walls and hardwood doors.
Sirius was breathing heavily, his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He was rocking slightly, back and forth, and staring at the carpet. He couldn't think, he couldn't talk, he could barely move. His whole body just shook.
Peter sat on the other bed and watched the two of them disbelievingly. His eyes were wide, and they kept darting out to the full moon outside, as if checking to see if it all real. How could things have gone so wrong?
"You're a fucking idiot! You could have got somebody killed," James went on, pacing and screaming at his friend. "We all hate Snape, but that doesn't mean he deserves to die! So he cut you up something ugly with that stupid spell, you didn't scar! And they fixed you up pretty and you went back to life as normal, but now… Merlin, Sirius, now!"
He shook his head and took a deep breath. He watched Sirius where he sat on his bed, and suddenly James was quiet as he spoke, though his fists were clenched.
"Remus," he said. "Think of Remus, for just one moment. Stop thinking about yourself, stop thinking about your own revenge. Snape knows. Snape bloody well knows, now. Remus could only just trust us with that secret, and you go off showing it to the bloody world!" He shook his head angrily again, his eyes wild and his muscles taut. "Merlin, Sirius. What have you done?"
Sirius watched Remus gulp down the foul potion. Remus smiled at him, and Sirius smiled back, though they both knew there was nothing to smile about.
"I love you," Sirius said, kissing Remus quickly. Remus turned and drew back the curtains. They both stared out at the enormous full moon and their minds wandered.
Soon enough, Remus gasped and doubled over. Sirius stepped back, knowing his place, though he so dearly wanted to hold his friend tight. He watched in horror as Remus' bones were broken and reset, and his muscles snapped and reformed, and his whole form changed before Sirius' very eyes, until there stood before him a huge wolf, panting heavily and head drooped towards the floor.
Sirius watched as Remus' wolf form swayed on its feet and then collapsed on the ground. Sirius quickly turned himself into a huge black dog, and licked Remus' ear fondly. He nuzzled Remus' head and curled up beside him, resting his head on Remus' flank. They slept.