Remus can tell three days before the full moon it's going to be a rough transformation that could put him in the hospital wing for a week, and it's on a Monday, meaning he'll miss classes all for a full week. His whole body aches and he has a slight headache, but its a Friday so he trudges onto classes like there's nothing wrong. He doesn't bother trying to answer questions in class all day and remains relatively quiet. At lunch his friends ask him if he's feeling ill but he says no, he's just tired. Sirius gives him an odd look, but Remus shakes it off as nothing.

That evening James and Sirius discuss Quidditch, because the tryouts for Gryffindor team are approaching; and Peter and Remus work on Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. Remus starts to feel really weak as an almost full moon rises, and knows he can't hide this from his friends all week while he recovers after Monday.

He waits until the other Marauders are asleep then slips out of the dorm. He heads out of the common room and to McGonagall's office. He knocks gently on her door. He waits a moment, then knocks again. Moments later McGonagall answers.

"Mr. Lupin, come in." She says. Remus steps inside her office and she offers him a biscuit and some tea. "I noticed you were a little aloof in class today, I thought it might be the moon cycle."

"Yes. I'm feeling really weak and tired, and I know afterwards I will have to be in bed a couple days. I was hoping maybe I could go home for the week."

McGonagall nods. "I'll take you to Dumbledore, he can arrange for you to be sent home so you can rest."

Up in Dumbledore's office Remus sits in a large chair, he's explaining to Dumbledore how he knows he'll be too sore and weak to move for a couple days, and to make it easier on everyone that he feels he should go home.

"But I can take any school work I might miss and do it while I'm at home." Remus finishes up.

Dumbledore laughs calmly to himself "I know you are a hard working student Remus, and while you are in bed rest I couldn't ask you to focus on your studies. No, you'll go home and eat soup, wear nice thick socks, and read a much deserved novel of your choosing. I do not believe you'll fall behind in your work after just a week, from what I can tell you're already ahead."

Remus smiles.

"Is your home connected to the floo network?" Dumbledore asks. Remus nods. "Very good. I shall write your parents tonight and inform them of your arrival tomorrow."

"Thank you professor." Remus says.

"Now, back up to your dorm. Get some rest and pack in the morning. Come back to my office when you are ready." With a leading hand Dumbledore walks Remus out of the office.

Remus is the last awake in the dorm. He thinks for a minute, then snatches up a piece of parchment from his nightstand.

"I got a message last night. My mother is ill and in the muggle hospital. I'm going home today to see her. I probably won't be back until next weekend."

"Is your mother alright? It's nothing serious is it?" James asks.

"I don't think it's anything too bad. She's just worried and wants me there. It's a muggle hospital, it takes them a week to fix something wizards can do in a day. But mum insist on doing it the muggle way."

"My granddad is a muggle," Peter says "and hes the same way. He went to a muggle hospital and spent three days there with a broken leg, when all he needed to do was have grandmother fix it in an hour."

"Exactly. It's just like that." Remus says, "Nothing life threatening, just something muggle can't cure in a day."

"Wait!" James protest, "If you leave today you won't be here tonight when we tell Peeves about the Invisibility Cloak."

Remus, who is slightly disappointed that he'll miss the big reveal of Peeve's so called secret room, shrugs it off as no big deal. "I'll see the room when I get back."

"You'll also miss my Quidditch Tryouts." James thinks, "Those are on Monday!"

"I'm sorry, James." Remus says, suddenly feeling worse about his decision to go home, "I have to go see my mum."

"I get it." James sighs. Remus turns from James and finishes packing his small bag full of schoolbooks and supplies. He says goodbye and leaves the dorm before he changes his mind.

That evening the remaining three Marauders go down to the Great Hall for dinner. It's crowded and noisy, perfect for them to talk and not be overheard.

"I left the message for Peeves to meet us at midnight near the Horse Head Passage." James says. It's not uncommon for Peeves to mess about in the Marauders dorm room now that they've refused to tell him their secret success to invisibility; so James left a large message for Peeves written in giant letters across a scroll. "But I still think this is a bad idea." He adds. James isn't the type of person to back down from a bad idea, in fact he thrives in the messiest of situations, but something about telling a Poltergeist (especially one known to fly around the school singing at the top of his lungs) about a rare invisibility cloak stolen from his father bothers James.

"I just hope the room is real." Peter says through a mouthful of pie.

"I think it's safe to say it's real," James chuckles, "I just don't know how well Peeves will do keeping our secret. I'm sure we could eventually find the room on our own. Look at all the other secrets we've found around this castle."

"I like the idea." Sirius says, he hasn't said much sense Remus left earlier that day. He keeps having that nagging thought of Remus being a werewolf slipping into the back of his mind; and it takes everything in him not to mention it to James. He continues with what he was saying, he leans across the table to be closer to James just to make sure no one else hears him. "If Peeves shows us this room, it could be a good place to hide things. Or if we're about to be caught by a Prefect or Professor for being out late we could just slip into the room for the night and no one would be the wiser. Peeves hadn't told on us yet, so I don't think he's going too no matter what we tell him. We just have to be smart about it, and make sure he only knows about what we want him to know. If we ever need a favor, we could offer up some extra information about something. It's a trade, information for information."

There was no way of telling if Peeves visited the Marauders dorm during dinner because nothing was out of place, but the Marauders put on the Invisibility Cloak and go the the Horse Head Passageway. Once there they take off the invisibility cloak and wait.

Sirius walks close to James and whispers so Peter can't hear.

"I've had some crazy thoughts running through my head lately." He tells James, unable to keep it to himself any longer. It may not be the ideal time to tell your friend you suspect another friend is a werewolf, but then again when is the ideal time?

"Crazy thoughts?" James frowns.

"It's ridiculous, but I can't stop thinking it. I think... I think that-"

"Oohh hooo hoo!" Peeves swoops into the hallway cackling, drowning out Sirius's whispers. Sirius steps away from James and shoves his hands deep into his pocket, he knows now he won't get the chance to tell James for the rest of the night.

"Where's the other one?" Peeves asks, looking around as if Remus is going to jump out from behind a statue. "Looney Lupin! Looney Looney Lupin!" Peeves calls.

"He's not here." James snaps. "Now, the deal is, you take us to the room then we show you how we turn invisible."

"Peeves can't take you to the room." Peeves says.

James and Sirius glare up at the Poltergeist.

"And why not?" Sirius snarls, Peeves backs away from him a bit.

"I don't like the Blacks." Peeves says.

"Peeves!" James stresses, "Sirius isn't going to hurt you, you know that! Why can't you show us where the room is?"

"There's already a Black there tonight." Peeves says.

The boys stand stunned. Sirius and James share a glance.

"Who?" Sirius finally asks, "Who's there? Narcissa? Regulus?"

"The older one." Peeves coos.

Sirius frowns, "Andromeda?" Peeves blows a raspberry in reply. "Is anyone else with her?"

Peeves laughs and swoops around the hall, he comes to rest on a gargoyle "Ha ha! Yes she is!"

"Tell us where it is." Sirius says. "You don't have to take us there, I get it, you don't like the Blacks. But tell us how to get there and how to get inside and then I'll show you how we turn invisible."

Peeves taps his finger on his chin, play thinking, then he tells them the secret to the Room of Requirement.