Year Two: Chapter Twenty-Four
James's First Quidditch Match

Still rewriting this chapter. Please wait patiently. Thank you!

After the teachers had found nothing in Gryffindor Tower to be terribly concerned about, the students were permitted back in their Common Room around noon. Sirius and James immediately crashed and slept in for at least another four or five hours. They had hardly slept in the Great Hall; they were too concerned with what was happening. When Sirius woke up, he found that James was in the bathroom taking a shower for his upcoming Quidditch game and Peter was sitting on the floor to complete their latest Defense Against The Dark Arts essay. Remus had left before they had been allowed back to Gryffindor Tower to visit his sick mother.

"Oi," he grinned down at Peter.

Peter grinned. "Mornin'!"

Sirius yawned. "I'm goin' back to bed."

"Goodnight," Peter replied.

Sirius walked back over to his bed, opened his trunk, pulled out a blue shirt and tacky pants, and began to change out of his pajamas.

He had gotten the shirt on when they heard a sick sound coming from the bathroom. The two looked curiously at the closed door. "James?" Peter walked up to the door and rapped it. "Are you alright?"

Sirius pulled up his pants and stood behind him. "James, what's up?" he asked. When they heard a moan, he proceeded to open the door.

"James!" Sirius yelped in a worried tone. James was keeled over the toilet and was as pale as a ghost. Sirius raced to him and knelt down beside him. "What's wrong?"

James looked up at the two with a sick look on his face. "I-I-the Quidditch game...today...can't do it..." James's voice was raspy before he turned to the toilet again. Peter stepped further into the bathroom but stopped at the sink.

"James, you're too good to worry about doing bad. Relax. It'll be fine," Sirius rubbed James on the back hoping to calm him down.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Peter asked.

Sirius looked up at him and nodded. "I think so." The color was coming back into James's cheeks and his breathing had returned to normal.

"Thanks," he slowly stood up and tried to smile at them.

"Good, because you've got to get ready," Sirius grinned at him. "So when exactly do you have to go down for the game?"

"In thirty more minutes," he moaned.

"Best to get our essays over and done with. They're due on Tuesday anyway," Sirius shrugged.

"Right," James moaned, taking out his textbook. Sirius sighed and looked up from his textbook. Remus leaving again was still rattling his brain.

"It's obvious he's not visiting his mother, James," Sirius said.

"What?" James asked.

"Remus."

"I know but it's not like we can prove it," James sighed.

"Peter, hand me your calendar. There must be some connection," Sirius took the calendar from Peter.

"A connection?" James snorted. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Anything," Sirius concluded, paging through the calendar. "I mean it's just not normal. People don't disappear once a month."

"Why would he feel like he would need to lie to us? Aren't we his friends?"

"Maybe need, maybe want," Sirius shrugged. "But both you and I met his mother on the platform last year and she looked in great health. Much better than Remus looks half the time," he added.

"What are you getting at, Sirius?" Peter asked.

"That's it, I don't know. I say we record stuff that happens and go from there," Sirius suggested.

"What if he's telling the truth?" James said.

"If he is, we'll leave him alone. I think there're too many circumstances pointing against it, though."

"You think he gets outside help with his homework? He does seem awful smart," Peter said.

"We only had this Defense essay to complete by Tuesday and he's been done with it for three days now," Sirius stated. Peter nodded and looked out the window were a heavy storm was surrounding the castle.

"Maybe he doesn't like rain," Peter pondered.

"Oh, then maybe he should move to the Sahara Desert," Sirius remarked sarcastically. "Fine, give me some parchment."

"Why?"

"I'm going to record symptoms, that's why!" Sirius exclaimed. Peter grumbled and handed him a spare sheet of parchment which he immediately began to cover in notes.

"Full moon?" James said as he read over Sirius's shoulder. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know, but we don't have much more," Sirius shrugged.

"Well if you two are quite finished playing detective, we have an essay to write. Choose to help?" James asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius complained. He opened his trunk and tucked the notes underneath some clothing. Glowering some more, he allowed his quill to return to his essay paper, though his mind was still running off on other things.

"A wonderful afternoon for a Quidditch game, don't you think, professor?" Jeff Peterson, now a sixth year Ravenclaw, was doing the commentary again. The entire school stood anxiously on its feet in the stands. It was a cool fall day and colorful leaves were blowing from the trees of the Forbidden Forest.

"Introduce the players, Peterson," Sirius heard the severe voice of Professor McGonagall over the crowd.

Peterson loudly cleared his throat into the microphone - "Sorry!" - and continued. "Today's match is between Gryffindor-" the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs cheered, wearing bright gold and red, "-and Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaws and Slytherins were decked in the team's signature colors of blue and bronze. "And here they come now! On Ravenclaw's team, there's team Captain and Seeker Minty Cobstone, Keeper Elden Ainsworth, Chasers Avariella Reeves, Hardy Mildmay, and Warrick Johnson, and Beaters Jedrick Livermore and Everett Valevine!" The team mounted onto the brooms on cue to the crowd's overwhelming screams and flew out onto the court.

"And here's Gryffindor! Team Captain and Keeper, Jerry Terry, Beaters Gabby Whimcot and Monty Thierheimer, Chasers Brandy Benson, James Potter-" Sirius didn't even hear Lydia Newman or Katie Flynn's names being called; he had started to yell for James the moment he heard his name. He saw Terry pat James on the back before taking off with the rest of the team. James was the last to kick off. The Gryffindor team had a minute to fly around before going back down to the ground with the Ravenclaw team to talk to Madam Hooch.

"Now she's telling them they're not allowed to kill each other or anything like that...she's throwing up the Quaffle...and the game begins!" Everyone other than the six Chasers flew to their designated posts.

"What do you see?" Sirius pleaded to Peter who was watching the match through his binoculars.

"Reeves-" he began, but Sirius saw.

"Broken out from the brawl for the Quaffle, Ravenclaw's Avariella Reeves has the ball and is headed for Terry at Gryffindor's goals!"

She flew toward the goalpost. Whimcot tried to knock her off course with a Bludger, but missed when she ducked it. She made it to Terry-

"Goal! Ravenclaw!" Peterson yelled.

"Come on, Gryffindor!" Sirius stomped his foot. Terry threw the Quaffle back in and it was caught by Lydia Newman.

"And it's Gryffindor with the Quaffle, going for Ainsworth! Newman passes to Benson! Benson passes to Potter! Potter passes back to Newman! Newman flies into the scoring area, and it's saved!" Yells and curses were heard from the Gryffindor side, but the Ravenclaws kept cheering.

"And the Quaffle is back in! And Johnson - no, Potter! has it!"

James had cupped the Quaffle in his arms just feet away from Johnson. "Potter passes to Benson who passes it back. He goes in for a goal - and it goes in." Ainsworth threw it for Johnson again. He and the other two Ravenclaw Chasers flew for Terry, passing the Quaffle back and forth among themselves. Johnson flew into the scoring area, closely followed by Reeves with the Quaffle.

"And Johnson and Reeves are passing the Quaffle back and forth. Reeves drops it and...ugh...Mildmay caught it..."

"Stooging! Stooging!" Sirius shouted: stooging happened when all of the Chasers were in the scoring area and was punishable as a foul. Sure enough, Gryffindor was given a chance to score a goal in Ravenclaw's goal post, and made it.

"Time out!" Ravenclaw Captain Minty Cobstone shouted down to Madam Houch. The two teams flew down to the ground for five minutes before coming back up. James didn't have the nervous face that he had had on that morning. Quite the contrary.

"Madam Hooch is releasing the Quaffle again. And Potter gets it again!" Peterson yelled above the stadium.

"Oi, Sirius! Look!" Peter, jumping up and down with excitement, was pointing up in the sky.

"Don't wet yourself, Peter," Sirius laughed, looking up as well. But he didn't see anything. "Let me see those!" Sirius laughed as he went to grab the binoculars from Peter, who held them tighter yet.

"No!" he laughed as well. The two, laughing and sorts, fought with the binoculars like two starved dogs fighting for a piece of meat -

Until they fell over the edge and toward the people below them. They looked over the ledge: people were looking around amongst themselves and a few were looking up, though Sirius and Peter weren't the only ones looking down. They exchanged a glance and stood upright once again.

"So, Mr. Pettigrew, where would one find a pair of those binoculars?" Sirius talked in the most dignified voice he could muster up.

Peter played along. "Oh, the nearest shop in Hogsmeade. Usually for seven or so sickles, Mr. Black. Why, are you interested in a pair?"

"Quite so, Mr. Pettigrew. I supposed I should be the one to replace the pair you lost."

"Splendid assumption, Mr. Black!" Peter lost all formalities then and began laughing and wheezing more than he was breathing. Sirius, grinning as well, grabbed him and gave him an affectionate noogie. Peter Pettigrew was like the younger brother Regulus had never been to him, that's what he finally decided.

"And the Snitch is caught by Katie Flynn. Gryffindor wins 170 to 10," Peterson announced the end of the match.

Sirius laughed again. "So that's what you saw! The Snitch!"

"Snitch?" Peter raised an eyebrow. "Nah, I saw a Meadow Pipit flying up there in the trees-"

"Peter," Sirius began.

"Yeah?"

"I'll give you a five second start."

"Five second? What do you-"

"One," Sirius began, making Peter run away immediately. Sirius started after him almost then, not waiting until he reached five.

"James!" Peter ran for James who was still standing with the Quidditch team. But he never stopped until he ran into Gabby and fell down. Gabby looked down at him, completely unmoved.

"Oi! Congrats-" Sirius started, but a throng of people came down from the stands and were surrounding them. They were all lifted up onto shoulders and carried away, though James shouted that he would talk to them as soon as he could.

Sirius rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Come on."

The two made it back to Gryffindor Common Room and sat down comfortable on the couch in front of the fire before the majority of people had arrived.

"So now what?" Sirius asked.

Peter looked at him for a while. "The notes!"

Sirius shrugged. "Nothing else to do."

He pulled the folded, wrinkled parchment out of his pocket and flattened it the best he could. Peter sat closer to him so he could read the notes.

"So what have we got so far?" Peter asked.

"He's left on the twenty-third of September, and he left this morning. Today's date is the twenty-second. Peter, hand me that calendar," Sirius pointed to a small flip calendar on the coffee table in front of them. Peter sat beside him and watched quietly.

"Nothing significant about September," he said.

"Except it was a full moon," Peter corrected. Sirius looked at him, then back at the calendar. "Check this month," Peter said.

Sirius quickly flipped to the appropriate page and sure enough, it had been a full moon. "It..." Sirius shook his head and took a double-take on the page. It was impossible, and yet...

"Full moon," Peter shuddered. "What's to do with the full moon, though?" Sirius's eyes grew wide. His hands suddenly became unnaturally clammy, allowing the calendar to slip through his fingers and onto the floor. Could shy, quiet Remus Lupin be harboring a secret that big?

"Hasn't he left every time there's a full moon?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe he likes to watch mooncalves?" Peter suggested.

"No, he can't...it can't..."

"Hey we did it! We won our first match!" James ran up to them. "Hey, what's up?"

"I think you might want to sit down for this one, James," Sirius nodded for him to sit down beside him.

James did as he was suggested to do. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"I have some news to tell you, James," Sirius said very nervously.

"What?"

"I think I know what's up with Remus," Sirius answered.

"Do I even want to know?" James rolled his eyes. Peter looked on at the two with a confused expression plastered to his face.

Sirius sighed. "Probably not. But I think you should know."

"Oh."

"Remember how we started to record events that occurred on this date and that?"

"Yeah," James nodded.

"And Peter brought up the weather?"

Another nod.

"Well, I kept going on with the moon because I was trying to annoy you," Sirius paused. "But I really believe that the moon is the answer behind everything," he picked up the calendar again and began flipping through it.

"What are you getting at?" James asked slowly.

"Remus never carries around sickles. What kind of metal are sickles made from?"

"Silver," James answered.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts: what was his boggart?"

"A crystal ball."

"No. Look outside. At the moon."

"It's a full m..." James trailed off, his thoughts etched across his face as he realized what Sirius meant. "You mean you think he's a...he's a..."

"A werewolf," Sirius finished the statement.

"You're...you're mental. Really. Remus? A werewolf?" Peter stared at them as he understood for the first time.

Sirius looked up at him and then back at his friend sitting next to him. "Look James, I don't want to believe it either, but that's the only explanation we've got-"

"But he doesn't act like a werewolf at all. Why Remus?" James asked.

"The werewolf doesn't distinguish between friends and enemies. If you're there, it bites," Sirius said. James gave him an odd look.

"I was flipping through my Defense book one night," he explained.

James snorted. "You do research?"

"It wasn't research then, it was because I was bored!"

"Why not go to the library and get better!"

"Everyone knows we're all friends. I bet you anything the teachers know. If we were to go in there and ask for books on werewolves for no apparent reason, they'd be suspicious that we know!"

"Sirius, keep your voice down! Do you want the entire Common Room to know," James whispered. "Even if this is true," he added.

"What do you want to do?" Sirius snapped.

"Let's just go up to the dorm!"

"We can't go up to our dorm just yet! It's too early! It'll look suspicious!" Sirius exclaimed. James turned his head and saw Lily Evans and Marlene McKinnon going up to the girls' dormitories.

"See! They're going! It won't be that abnormal, and after all, I just played a game," James suggested.

"Fine," Sirius shook his head and he and James stood up for the dormitory. But they looked back and saw Peter still sitting there.

"Peter, are you coming?" James asked. Peter locked eyes with them for a second and then quickly stood up.

"I've got to go to the library," he wheezed. "Essay!" and he ran out of the Common Room faster than either of them could have done.

"That little-" Sirius roared, and began to start off in Peter's direction, but James grabbed his arm.

"Come on," he said. Sirius shook him off and stomped toward the direction of their dorm, James close behind.

James closed the door and locked it. He, like Sirius before him, sunk onto his bed.

"But seriously, that's just impossible," James said. "I mean he just can't be a werewolf."

"He can't be or you don't want him to be," Sirius contradicted.

"I can't believe you would actually say that about him! He'd be the last person I'd ever accuse of being a werewolf!" James exclaimed.

"Maybe...maybe that's why Remus is so nice," Sirius remarked.

"What?" James's jaw dropped.

"I mean you know they say suffering makes you stronger. Maybe suffering this has made him who he is?" Sirius explained to a dumbfounded James.

"But he...but he can't be a werewolf! That's just the thing!" James stood up in his bed, waving his finger away at Sirius as if he had found a murderer. "Werewolves are a danger to humans. If he were a werewolf, he could - would have bitten a dozen people by now!" James protested. "And besides, he said werewolves aren't allowed at Hogwarts!"

"Look, I don't know about the last part, maybe it was just a cover up. And hello, Potter! That's why he leaves every month! So he doesn't hurt anyone!" Sirius shouted.

"I still...I mean..."

"James," Sirius shook his head as he began to calm down. "No."

"What are we gonna do?" James asked hopelessly, sitting back down on the bed. "Do we tell him we know?"

"I think we should. We are his friends after all," Sirius sighed. "I mean, Remus is Remus, right? He can't help it if he's got a...a..." Sirius trailed off.

"Furry little problem?" James suggested.

"Exactly! Like I'm a Black: I can't help it," Sirius said.

"And Remus is a werewolf. Not like he can help that," James added.

"How do we tell him we know?" Sirius asked. "'Oh! Hello Remus! Nice to see you again! By any chance are you a werewolf?'" Sirius almost spat out, very disgusted. "I can't believe he didn't tell us. Much earlier I mean! We're his friends, aren't we?"

James ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't know, Si. We can't go telling him down in the common room, though. Someone might overhear."

"We'll have to corner him in here then," Sirius stated.

"We should probably lock the door so no one gets in," James suggested.

"We should probably lock the door so Remus doesn't get out," Sirius corrected with even more disgust in his voice.

"I can't believe this! Are you sure Sirius?" James exclaimed.

Sirius glared up at him. "What else have we got?"

Sirius felt sick the whole day. Sick from anxiety to tell him what they knew...thought they knew, and frustrated by the fact that he had been - might have been lying to them about something this big. This wasn't just something you bring up in a normal conversation, but then who was saying any of them were normal?

The entire day seemed to drag on for the three. There was nothing more they wanted to do then to confirm the truth with Remus and yet it was also the last thing they wanted to do. Surprisingly, they never fell asleep in History of Magic, but they still didn't pay attention. James ended up burning a hole through his working place and even Sirius couldn't perform a simple freezing charm on his cup of water in Charms, much to Professor Flitwick's annoyance. Finally, however, the day was done and they all returned to their dorm without saying a word to each other. They each sunk into they places and waited for Remus to come.

Remus entered the room with his bag slung over his shoulder and a cheerful, yet tired look on his face that seemed to vanish the moment he saw them in their designated corners. He set his bag down onto his bed slowly and turned back to them.

"Is everything all right? Did someone die or get a month's detention?" Remus asked.

"Remus, could you sit down? We need to talk," Sirius snapped, receiving a nervous look from Remus. He didn't want to do this, but then, neither did James. He would just have to stick his head in the lion's mouth and hope for the best.

"Is everything alright? You all seem awful quiet tonight," Remus sunk onto his bed.

James quickly pulled out his wand and charmed the door so no one could get through. James snuck behind Remus and pulled his wand out of his pants' pocket, though he quickly noticed.

He stood up in a flash and turned straight for James. "What was that for!" he asked him. "Give me my wand back!"

"Remus," James shook his head no.

"Remus!" Sirius yelled, getting his attention again. "Remus, we need to talk!"

He spun round to face Sirius this time. "About what!" Remus asked in a panicky voice. His palms began to sweat, but he tried to hide them by clasping them together.

"Remus, could you sit down," James began to walk the plank now.

"What's this about guys! This isn't funny!" Remus voice began to shake.

"Remus, we're worried about you," James sucked in as much air as he could.

"Why!" he stared at them as if he had never seen anything quite like them. "There's nothing wrong with me!"

"We kinda notice a sort of...pattern. You know, in the way you leave to visit your mum. You leave every other month. Once a month..." James trailed off as he needed to regroup.

"I am going to visit my mum. She's very sick!" Remus defended.

"Remus, the three of us all met your mum on the platform last year and she seemed fine," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Actually, it seems it's you who's ill most of the time," he added.

"Oh," he grinned and nodded, though his whole forehead had visible beads of sweat coming down it. "So you guys don't believe me!"

"Remus," James started, "your Aunt Morgana died twice last year and twice again this year. I'm sorry, but you're a terrible liar!"

Remus mouth opened and closed again, giving him the appearance of a goldfish more and more by the second.

"Remus, we think we know where you've been going once a month," James paused and shook his head. "Actually, more correctly, we think we know why you're going."

Sirius felt horrible about not saying anything and leaving the weight for James to pick up, but he couldn't force anything to come out of his mouth. He was almost as mad as he had been the other day on the Astronomy Tower.

"Oh?" Remus's voice shook worse than ever.

"We were worried, Remus!" Sirius finally managed to talk. "Peter and I began taking notes of when you left and why!" he paused before continuing, his voice a tad softer and calmer. "Then Peter mentioned the weather which brought us to the moon..."

Remus fell back into the bed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Remus, we don't care!" Sirius began shaking like Remus now, both because he couldn't believe he was about to say what he was about to and he was mad with rage. "We don't care, we're your friends! What was it you said last year? All for one and one for all? Doesn't that mean anything to you! If one of us falls we'll pick him back up. We're your friends," Sirius stared him straight in the face until he looked up from his hands and locked brown with gray. "We're your friends," Sirius said again. "Please don't lie to us," he stopped for a moment to let these words sink into Remus before continuing. "Remus, are you a werewolf?"

A/N- Harry Potter and friends and everything else you recognize do not belonging to me as they are the property and creations of J.K. Rowling.