The Marauders: solemnly together Chapter 42: Cursed, a harry potter fanfic

DISCLAIMER I don't own the wizarding world of Harry Potter

Last time: They got the hair for the Polyjuice Potion. Sirius receives a package with sweets from James' mom. They practice baking the cake for the Halloween Prank. James, Sirius and Peter confront Remus, hoping they can make him stay instead of visiting his mom. But time is ticking, and Remus reveals his secret to protect his friends.

.:lll:.

Cursed

Remus didn't want to sleep. He had always been allowed to be up longer for his birthday and tonight was the full moon. It had been long since had had last seen it, as it had been cloudy all the previous months.

His mom hadn't answered him when he asked why he couldn't see it. However, she had let him look in his new tales of Beedle the Bard book. Although he couldn't read it, the pictures in it were fun to look at.

He hadn't heard any of the stories in it yet, his mom had wanted him to learn about the muggle fairy tales, but his dad had thought it was about time. They wanted to read it for him the next day.

Remus glared towards his window. It wouldn't hurt if he just opened it for a short moment while he admired the moon, right? With an eager smile, he carefully put down the book.

He put his ear against the door, making sure his parents weren't coming. When satisfied, he opened the window as slowly and quietly as he could, additionally causing the protecting spells to break. The moon wasn't up. Disappointed, he closed the window again but forgot to lock it.

Though he decided to say goodnight to his parents now, and then look at the moon when it came up! He took a few moments to force the sheepish smile off his face. It wouldn't be good of his parents saw right through him.

He sneaked towards the living room on his small feet. The floor would have been cold if he hadn't gotten woollen socks along with the book for his fifth birthday. They were blue - just like the Ravenclaw House at Hogwarts.

His dad was holding his mom as they sat on the couch. Usually, they would sit outside, and his dad would use a heating charm to keep them warm, but they hadn't been much outside lately. Remus hadn't been allowed outside either.

They immediately spotted his small figure.

"I'm ready to sleep now."

His parents slowly moved out of their position and followed him, but he ran ahead of them. He sprinted the last bit towards his bed and jumped as high as he could. His parents had given him a big bed for when he became a big boy.

He hid under the covers, muffling out the sound of his dad laughing softly. Remus always insisted on jumping into the bed, despite having a little staircase he could use. He then stuck his head out, though keeping his nose under the duvet.

"Goodnight mom, goodnight dad."

"Goodnight, Remus," they said simultaneously. Both his parents kissed him goodnight. Just as they had turned off the light, and was about to close the door, he spoke again.

"Dad?"

The door reopened.

"Yes?"

"Can you check for monsters under my bed?"

His dad raised his eyebrow. Nonetheless entered the room and sat down on Remus' bed. "Aren't you too big to believe in monsters?"

Remus shook his head, causing his dad to laugh softly again. He hadn't been laughing much lately. His dad put a finger to his lips, efficiently silencing Remus. Then, slowly getting down on the floor, and looking under the bed.

Remus held his breath right until his dad came back up.

"There. No monsters. Now, go to sleep, alright?"

"Okay, dad."

And Remus did sleep. It was late and the day had been filled with fun and lots to eat. His parents had seemed extra eager to make his birthday great.

Remus slept. He had forgotten about the full moon he had wanted to see. He had forgotten to lock the window like his dad always insisted.

He slept until a jerking pain forced him awake. He stared into the yellow eyes of a giant monster. He screamed. His dad came. The monster fled after a curse hit it. But the pain didn't stop. His vision became blurry from tears as his mom tried to assure him everything would be alright, while his dad cleaned the bite.

But just like that.

Just because of one tiny mistake.

His life had changed forever.

.:lll:.

Silence filled the dorm room. Not one of the boys had made a move since Remus ran from the room, they hadn't even spoken and barely dared to breathe. They all tried to process his words. Making sense of it.

"So…" James couldn't bear the silence any longer, and he feared Sirius' reaction to all of this. His parents had told Sirius about werewolves. But they couldn't lose Remus. Remus needed them more than ever.

"I thought werewolves weren't allowed at Hogwarts," Peter glanced nervously at Sirius, who still hadn't moved.

"Dad always said Dumbledore doesn't care about rules," James glared at Sirius. "But we're going to stay his friend, right Sirius?"

Two pairs of eyes moved to the boy, but he still didn't move. It was as if he was under a spell. James put his hand on his shoulder, finally receiving a reaction, and repeated his question.

Though Sirius simply made a "Hmm" sound and moved his gaze down.

"REMUS ISN'T A MONSTER!" He roared.

Sirius jerked, looked up, his gaze blank. James had meant to be more patient with Sirius, but he couldn't comprehend how Sirius could think like that about his friend!

"I didn't-"

"But you thought it."

Sirius glanced back down at his feet with a regretful look in his eyes. He didn't like that James was yelling, but he liked himself less for even thinking about the things he did. But nothing made sense.

"It's just that my parents said-"

"But they were wrong about muggleborns too, weren't they?!"

Sirius didn't answer. The whole situation made him uncomfortable. He didn't know what to do or say, but luckily Peter came to his rescue.

"James, maybe you should calm down a little." He easily recognized the expression Sirius was wearing, the way he somehow became smaller and pulled into himself.

They were all quiet for a few minutes as James took deep breaths to calm down, and Sirius tried to figure it all out.

"Sorry," James said.

Sirius began speaking without knowing where he was going, but he just needed to sort his head out. "My parents have just always said that werewolves are evil. That they hunt wizards for sports. But Remus isn't evil - he sacrificed himself for us. But…" Something finally clicked. "But it's like with that family that was attacked last year. If muggles had only ever met those sorcerous, they would think we were all evil. So maybe not all werewolves are evil, but it's just some of them. Enough to give them a bad reputation, but Remus is one of the good ones."

"Exactly." James let out a relieved sigh.

"Remus said he never believed he would get to go to Hogwarts, so he has been cursed more than a couple of years before he started." Peter thought it was a good idea to add more evidence that Remus was a good person.

James quickly caught on. "He must have been eight or younger."

"Kids can't be evil," Sirius said, satisfied with himself. "And Dumbledore wouldn't let an evil werewolf into Hogwarts." Remus was a good werewolf and their friend. A sudden realization hit him. "Remus give himself those scars. That's where they come from."

"But why would he hurt himself?"

Sirius shrugged, but a thought came to him. "I bet McGonagall knows. She must've lied to us when we told her about how Remus might be abused. I bet she knows a lot."

"Should we talk to her now? It's already after curfew." Despite his words, Peter seemed more than eager to talk with McGonagall immediately.

And they went.

.:lll:.

Professor McGonagall had narrowed her eyebrows as the three boys knocked on her door. But that expression soon changed.

"We know about Remus."

"And we'll stay friends with him."

After those statements, she quickly let them inside. She cleared her desk for papers, waved her wand, making four cups of tea appear and three chairs. They all sat down and took a cup each.

"We know that Remus is a werewolf," Sirius said finally.

"How do you know?" She simply asked.

James took upon the task of explaining. "We thought his mom was a werewolf and that that was her illness, since Remus always visited her during full moons. But we were worried because he had lots of scars on his arm, and we thought his mom was, unintentionally, hurt him. So, we tried to prevent him from going, but we did that for too long, and he finally confessed that he is a werewolf."

"We just want to know where he goes, and what we can do to help," Peter added.

McGonagall paused slightly. "He was bitten before starting Hogwarts. His dad, Lyall Lupin, visited Dumbledore and asked to give Remus a chance, which he did. As you know, we used his mom's health to excuse his disappearance every month. He goes to the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey leads him through a secret passageway under the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, which is protected by spells Dumbledore has put up."

They all nodded, waiting for her to answer Peter's second question.

"There isn't anything you can do. But if you stay by his side, that'll be more than he'll ever want. I assume you know most wizard's views on werewolves. It'll mean everything to him that you still want to be his friends."

After a little pause, James spoke. "Who knows? We don't want to mention it in front of someone who doesn't."

Professor McGonagall put down her cup after taking a sip. "All the teachers. Filch, Madam Pinch and Professor Eckbird don't know. Hagrid does. He's rather fond of Mr Lupin actually, he just doesn't want to scare him off."

"Is there seriously nothing we can do to help?" Sirius asked suddenly.

Her lips curved up, but only little and it was almost invisible. "As I said, just be there for him. He won't ask for more."

Despite that, Sirius was determined to help Remus in some way. Most people didn't like werewolves, so of course, no one tried to help them. Maybe Remus wouldn't ask for more, but Sirius would be sure to give it!

.:lll:.

Remus woke up suddenly. He was covered in cold sweat and his heart beat as if he had been running a marathon. He wanted to cover his face but found he was unable to move. He struggled to calm himself down.

Just a nightmare.

A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey came and poured a potion down his throat, causing him to fall into a restless sleep. The potion kept dreams away - both the good and bad ones. This sleep was only somewhat better than before.

The next time he woke was much more pleasant. A chocolate scent filled his nostrils, warmth filled his body when he heard his friends speak quietly to each other. One of them sat on the bed. For a brief moment, he wondered if he had died and gotten into Heaven.

But surely a werewolf wouldn't be let into heaven.

Remus tried moving, instantly causing the others to shut their mouths.

"Remus?" Sirius said.

He kept his eyes closed. This was all a dream. Last night was a cruel nightmare. They had let him go and he hadn't revealed his secret to them. They were still his friends and he could stay at Hogwarts with them.

"Are you awake?" James asked.

Remus responded by opening his eyes but avoided looking at them. He couldn't run from the truth forever, yet still hoped they could be brief. Would the ministry kill him, or send him to Azkaban?

"How are you doing?"

His gaze found Peter's worried eyes. This, of all the questions and all the things they could've said, wasn't what he was expecting.

"What?" The word only came out as a hoarse whisper. Remus reached his throat, immediately feeling the scars, but also realizing his throat was sore from screaming.

"How are you doing?" Peter repeated. "Do you need anything? We got chocolate."

The last word didn't cause a reaction. Remus' eyes moved across the room. All his friends -previous friends- looked back at him with sympathy in their eyes.

Nothing made sense. They should hate him. What was going on?

When he didn't answer, Sirius spoke again. "Remus?"

He simply shook his head, then covered his face with his arms. This had to be a cruel prank of some sort. That had to be the only explanation. The things that happened the previous night did happen, and now they decided to drag out his punishment for attending Hogwarts.

Tears prickled in his eyes, but luckily his arms hid them.

"Remus." It was James. "We know you're a werewolf, and you should know that we don't care. We love you, and we will continue to be friends whether you like it or not!"

He slowly moved his arms. Sirius and Peter were both nodding as to agree with the statement.

It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Everyone hates werewolves. And especially both Sirius and James should, they were purebloods after all. But something about their genuine expression prickled to the little inch of hope he had. He couldn't help the question, that was only just a whisper. "Really?"

There was something almost sad about the way Remus' eyes lit up.

"Of course!" Sirius immediately replied. "You're stuck with us forever."

Remus let out a huff of air, then bit his lip to prevent himself from crying, but it only lasted a few seconds. Tears streamed down his face, he tried wiping them away, but more kept coming.

Sirius helped him sit up. James and Peter joined them on the bed, holding their arms around him. He struggled to hold back more tears, then eventually just decided to let it roll.

"It's okay Remus," James said as he placed his hand on Remus' knee.

"We'll stay," Peter said.

He tried to say something - anything, but he struggled to breathe, so ended up crying more. It couldn't be real. But it was. Remus wanted to thank them. This was better than anything he could ever have hoped for.

They wouldn't tell anyone. He wouldn't be either expelled or punished by the ministry. Dumbledore wouldn't get into trouble. They wanted to be friends with him. They weren't scared, not even disgusted by him!

They simply hugged him tighter.

.:lll:.

Remus slept till the next day. When the three boys came in to visit before breakfast, he was already sitting, his expression was blank despite the fact he was eating chocolate.

He greeted them shortly, not meeting their gaze. They caused a slight reaction in him when they sat down on the bed.

"How's it going?" Peter asked.

Remus shrugged. He was embarrassed by yesterday. All the potions he took affected his mood. Sometimes, like yesterday, he would show emotions very clearly, while other days he wouldn't be able to show any at all.

"You can tell us." Sirius nudged his shoulder gently.

He hesitated. "Do you truly all want to be friends with me? I get if you don't-"

"Why wouldn't we?" James knew why, and they all knew he knew why, but he wanted Remus to truly believe it wasn't something they would kick him out of the group for.

"I'm a monster, I-"

"Monster? Come on Remy don't give yourself too much credit. You fold your socks for Merlin's sake, excuse me for not trembling at the sight of you." Sirius took it as a win when Remus' lips curved upwards slightly.

"Sirius is right," Peter said. "I don't think I've ever met someone in my life who looks less like a monster than you."

"And if you do," James quickly said. "It's once every month. Besides, you lock yourself away to keep everyone else safe. A monster wouldn't do that."

Remus finally met their gaze and held it. "Really?" He repeated because he needed to know. He couldn't believe it. These three people had to be the best in the universe, why would they want to be friends with him?

"There's nothing you can do that would make us go away," Sirius stated.

"To be frank, we need you. Without you, we would probably never do any homework, and our pranks wouldn't be half as incredible. Plus, you're cool." James felt it all became a tad too sweet. "You should already be aware of that."

Sirius and Peter both snickered, the former responded. "Come one James, you need to work harder if you want him to howl with laughter."

Remus snorted, but couldn't hold back a smile. He hadn't ever thought it would feel so nice to hear his friends so casually joke about his condition.

"And don't worry. We already came up with an amazing cover story for the, uh." Peter gestured to his face.

"My…?" His hand flew up. A thin line ran across his face. The roughness and slight swelling were way too familiar. His mood sank at once. Though kept searching and found two more. Three scars ran across his face.

"It makes you look badass," Sirius said when he saw Remus' reaction to the news. "The girls will be flocking around you."

This didn't brighten his mood.

Then James tried. "We started a rumour that you fought a hippogriff in the forbidden forest - and won of course. That's why you're in the Hospital Wing, and why the scars are there."

"Thanks," he mumbled. Then clearer. "Thanks for the effort."

Remus finally took a bite of the chocolate. He got to keep his friends but also got a constant reminder of his lycanthropy right where he couldn't hide it. It was worth it though. He would put his friends above everything.

"Now that you've got a badass reputation, you also need a badass nickname," Peter said. "Remy doesn't live up to that. I suggest… Wolfie!

James had none of that. "Wolfie, seriously? Don't even start Sirius. That's not badass at all. You should go with Alfa!"

"Lune!" Sirius almost jumped on the bed of excitement.

"Lune?"

"It means moon in French. It's cool!" Sirius glared at James. "He can't take moon in Latin, duh, cause then he would be Luna!"

"What about moonlight?" Peter asked.

"Moonshine," James quipped.

"Moons," Sirius said.

"Woof."

"Roofing."

"Howl."

"Hairy-"

"GUYS!" Remus effectively shut their mouths. "I don't need a new nickname, and all those are bad anyway."

"Then why don't you come up with one?" James dared.

Remus paused, thinking of a wolf-like name. One immediately came to mind. He used to have a toy when he was younger. A little wolf. It had been a little while after he had been bitten. His parents had given it to him to cheer him up. They said the wolf was good, just like he could be.

"Moony."

"That's… actually quite good," James admitted.

Sirius smiled widely. "You're moony from now on."

"It's perfect," Peter agreed.

Remus couldn't hold back a smile. He had got to be the luckiest werewolf on the planet!

.:lll:.

Should Remus know about them wanting to be animagi, or should it be a surprise?

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I'm certainly happy they're accepting of his condition :D

Leave a review please, I haven't seen one in months!