DISCLAIMER: ALL HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and the respective publishing companies. I do own Jenn Parksen, Lori Wilson, and Monica Sinclair as well this twisted version of the plot. This is, of course, a simple Fan-Fiction that I have written in order to retain some semblance of sanity and dignity.

Chapter 21: Dark Secret

James was frowning at the book as Remus asked this, but didn't reply right away. He tipped Lily up a bit so he could see her face.

"Sweetie? How are you holding up?" he asked her.

Lily just shrugged her shoulders. She was feeling completely numb as she dwelled on her sister and her family's treatment of her future son. If only there was some way I could change what was meant to happen, she thought to herself.

Sirius waved at Remus to continue reading when suddenly there was a tapping at the door. Someone had found them! The six of them exchanged fearful glances as whoever was trying to get in tapped again. James slowly stood up as Lily slid off his lap and pulled her wand back out. The others followed suit and silently they crept forward until James could reach the handle of the door.

He waited until everyone was ready before he unlocked the door. The person on the other side rustled and gave a slight push on the door, but didn't force his or her way in. There was a funny sounding murmur and James suddenly pulled the door wide open.

Wands at the ready and all six pointed at… nothing. There was no one standing at the door.

James frowned and leaned out to peer both ways down the hall, but there was no one there. Then he jumped back in fright as he felt something brush past him. Looking down he saw Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix staring up at him. In his beak he held the shimmering fabric of an invisibility cloak.

"Oh," Lily whispered when she noticed Fawkes as well.

James knelt down and looked the beautiful bird in the eye and then spoke to him.

"Thank you, Fawkes. I presume that Dumbledore sent you to give this back to me?" James watched as the bird tilted its head as though it considered the question. Then it gave a short jump and landed on James's arm. Carefully James stood up and backed into the room so they could close the door. Fawkes looked happily around, then flew over to a chair and dropped the cloak into it. Everyone put away their wands as they watched the phoenix studying them.

Lily walked closer and asked him a question, "Is Dumbledore looking for us Fawkes?"

Fawkes bobbed his head once in answer. Lily bit her lip as she considered. Then she walked over and grabbed a blank parchment out of her bag. Quickly she wrote a short note explaining to Dumbledore where they had gone and why. When she finished she rolled it up and pinned it shut with her Head Girl's badge so that Dumbledore would know it was truly her who had written the note.

The others watched her tie the note to Fawkes leg with a pink hair ribbon, and then James reopened the door as Fawkes took wing and flew around the room once, singing softly before he headed out to take the note back to Dumbledore.

Once he had left, James relocked the door and turned to glance around the room. Everyone seemed to be feeling much better and braver after hearing the song of the phoenix. "Dumbledore must be extremely worried if he sent Fawkes looking for us," he said as he walked back towards the others.

"Can you blame him?" Lily asked softly. "We left with no warning, just barely one night after I was kidnapped out from under his nose. He presumed we'd stick close to Gryffindor Tower and then all of a sudden, we up and disappear without saying a word to anyone."

James laughed softly. "I'm sure he knew we would do something like this. He seemed to expect it. Don't be fooled Lily, he knows everything that goes on inside Hogwarts. Well most everything."

As he said this last, Sirius and Remus burst out laughing. The girls looked puzzled until James explained.

"None of the teachers know that we Marauder's can transform into animals. Well, they know Moony can, sort of."

Remus looked extremely embarrassed by this. The boys all exchanged glances and then turned nervously to face Lily and the other girls once more.

"We have to tell them Prongs." Remus whispered softly.

Sirius blanched and turned fearfully to Remus. "We can't! No one is supposed to know!"

"You know," Remus replied indicating Sirius and James.

"But we're different!" Sirius insisted.

"It's no good Padfoot, they have to know," James added.

"But, but why!" Sirius pouted.

"What is going to happen when Moony has to uh… go to his hideaway during his monthly?" James replied softly.

"Not to mention the fact that there will be a full moon in about a week. What will happen in seven nights if I don't tell them Sirius?"

At this Sirius gave in and stopped protesting.

"Do you want to tell them Moony, or would it be easier if I did?" James asked softly once Sirius had stopped protesting.

"I think it best if I tell them, Prongs. It's my problem, even though you all try to make it seem fun. I am dangerous," Remus answered woodenly. Turning to face the girls he announced numbly. "I am not an Animagus.

"Remus?" Lily asked tentatively, in confusion.

"I am a werewolf," Remus finished into the dead silence. James and Sirius both moved to stand beside Remus both fully confident in him and his worth.

The girls' reactions were all completely different. Jenn seemed to put things quickly together and kept nodding as though she should have figured it out a long time ago. "That would explain a lot of things," she whispered softly, giving Remus an encouraging smile.

Lily looked stunned, but she showed no signs of pity or disgust at what she had been told. She was fairly calm when she spoke. "That is huge Remus, but it doesn't change the fact that you have always been the nicest and smartest of the Marauders. I never even suspected, and yet I guess I should have. You always were much more mature than the other three. I think I understand though, why you wouldn't want people to know. So many people are prejudiced against those who have been bitten by a werewolf."

Remus smiled sadly but nodded his thanks for Lily's words of understanding.

Lori was the only one who didn't comment. She had collapsed onto the pillows on the floor and buried her head in her hands. Jenn and Lily exchanged startled looks; they'd never seen her behave like that. Worriedly they frowned as they looked from Remus to Lori and back again.

Remus was slowly turning white, the longer Lori stayed the silent the more he regretted telling the girls what he was. Lily and Jenn seemed to accept it, but Lori looked as if she was trying not to freak.

Jenn kneeled next to her and whispered her name softly. "Lori?"

Lori shrugged her off and got up and moved far away from the others. Lily grew angry at her behavior. It was completely unlike her to be so cold. Frowning she charged after Lori and leaned close as she furiously began demanding to know what was going on.

"What is the matter with you? You are acting horribly! Remus just confessed to being a werewolf and you are acting like a spoiled little brat. I never thought you were capable of being so mean! You used to say how nice you thought him -" As she said this Lily stopped abruptly as she realized why Lori was behaving the way she was. Sitting back on her heels all the anger melted away as quickly as it had come. "Oh Lori, I never realized. I'm sorry. I should have guessed why it hit you so hard!"

James and Remus looked at each other as Lily stopped her angry tirade and pulled Lori into a tight hug.

Sirius leaned over to whisper in Jenn's ear. "What is going on?"

Jenn just shook her head as she began to suspect why Lori was so upset.

"Go talk to her, Remus," Jenn said gently.

Lily waited as Remus hesitantly walked over to join her and Lori. Then she gave Lori one last hug and as she walked past Remus, she took his hand and caught his eye.

"Be gentle with her, Remus," Lily warned as she let go and went to join James and the others.

Remus looked startled, but he bravely moved over to quietly talk to Lori. Sirius and James kept glancing over to make sure Remus was ok and couldn't help noticing how close the two were standing as they whispered back and forth. Lily and Jenn were watching as well, every now and then they would tip their heads together and whisper furiously.

James scooted over and butted in to ask what they were talking about. Lily just smiled and shook her head and told James to watch. Shrugging his shoulders he settled back and turned back to watch Remus and Lori talking.

After several minutes Lori raised up on her tiptoes to softly kiss Remus. Closing her eyes she slowly walked away after that and left him standing there in stunned silence. Sirius thumped softly onto the floor in surprise as James turned to look at Lily who was frowning sadly for her friend.

The uncomfortable silence drew out for nearly an hour before any one of the six dared to break the oppressive, tension filled stillness. Sirius, never one to sit patiently or quietly for more then a few heartbeats, scrambled to his feet and jumped onto the chair he'd previously been sitting in before Fawkes arrived, and bounced in place for several minutes before announcing loudly, "I'm bored."

Remus groaned and scooted further away from the overexcited and hyper teen, shaking his head and muttering about idiots underneath his breath. James just laughed softly and grinned at his best friend while all three girls shared a meaningful look that involved exasperated eye rolls, distasteful grimaces, and slumped shoulders. The trio of young ladies were well aware of the mischief that Sirius and the other two got into during moments of idleness.

Sighing, Lori purposefully walked back towards the group and sat down stiffly before picking up the Harry Potter book, opening it to chapter two. She looked up at the others and said loudly, "I'm going to read the next bit," then she proceeded to read aloud from the book. "Chapter two: The Vanishing Glass"

"What a strange name for a chapter," Lori murmured after she'd read the chapter title from the book.

"Maybe, the Vanishing Glass is like the Vanishing Cabinet here in the castle," Sirius stated from where he was sitting.

"That would be kind of cool," James said grinning. "Maybe it's a hand mirror and when you pick it up you disappear! Or travel to another location that has a matching mirror."

"Or it could be a large window that if you lean up against it, it pulls you in and sends you somewhere else, like another dimension," Sirius countered.

"No, it's a –"

"Maybe if you two would kindly be quiet we would find out what it is," Lily said. "Why don't you continue Lori, before these two get started again?"

Lori settled back and started reading once more of how things were ten years after the end of the first chapter. Of course not much had changed at Petunia's house during that time and the only indication that the time had passed at all was the photos of Harry's cousin that were displayed on the fireplace mantel. There was, of course, no sign that Harry still lived in the house with his relatives.

"So, does Harry still live there or not?" Sirius butted in.

"Well, it says there is no sign that another boy lived there, so he lives there but no one else would know by the looks of it," Jenn answered for Sirius.

"How could there be no sign of Harry though?" Lily wondered aloud. "I mean, there would be his clothes and toys around the house as well as the butterball's right?"

The others all frowned at this, but no on answered.

"I guess Lori should keep reading and it might tell us why!" Jenn finally answered softly.