27/07/2020

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter 27 (Sirius Black)

A Problem shared is a Problem quartered

Friday 22nd September 1972

As James predicted, Remus was feeling very unwell again. He was tired, stroppy, moody and snappy. Remus drummed his fingers on the desk feverishly and kept tapping his feet on the floor.

"Remus it's your time of the month again isn't it." joked Sirius while they were eating dinner. Remus expression changed from tired to complete distress in a matter of milliseconds.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked, trying to mask his unease.

"Well you're always unwell once a month aren't you." said James conversationally.

"I- yeah- I suppose."

There was a bit of a silence.

"Hey James, for our Astronomy did you remember when the next full moon was?" asked Sirius.

"You know I think it's tonight." replied James. Sirius made a small glance at Remus who looked extremely uncomfortable and was starting to sweat.

"I- I just need to get something from our dorms." said Remus, rushing to his feet. Once he had left, they exchanged knowing glances and quickly finished up dinner. When they got back to the dorm, Remus was lying down in his bed, reading a book with his blanket pulled round him.

" Feeling okay? " asked James.

"Yeah." replied Remus, not looking away from his book. They decided to leave Remus to relax a little and would start the questioning later.

Around nine O'clock, Remus put his book down and said he was tired and was going to sleep.

"Alright, goodnight." James said.

"See you in the morning." Sirius added. The other boys pulled their bed hangings closed. The plan was to wait until Remus got up, and then they would start. Sirius lay awake for almost an hour until he heard movement from the bed next to him. When he heard the quiet footsteps towards the door, as planned, James, Sirius and Peter all got out of bed quickly and brought their candles out.

"Where do you think you're going?" smirked James.

"Having a little party without us ay?" said Sirius.

"I- uh I need to-" he went to open the door but it was locked, as James had done.

"Remus you're going to have to answer some questions before you go anywhere tonight." said Sirius.

"You- you don't understand, I have to-"

"Sit down." James commanded pulling a chair to the middle of the room and gesturing Remus to take a seat.

"James-"

"Sit." James said again, a little sharply. Reluctantly, Remus sat down and looked at the floor.

"So." said James. "We know you're a Werewolf."

Remus looked up fast and shook his head violently.

"No I'm-"

"Look we're fed up with all these lies Remus." Sirius snapped.

"I'm not lying!" he exclaimed rubbing his nose.

"Fine." James said casually. "Then you'll be sleeping here tonight." and the three boys moved towards their beds, which was all part of the plan. Remus got up and tried to open the door again.

"Just open it!" he shouted, panting heavily.

"Why, if you're not a Werewolf, then it shouldn't matter." and to everyone's surprise, Remus struck the door with his hand and turned around with an almost feral look on his face.

"Fine! I'm a Werewolf! Are you happy now! Why don't you go ahead and get me kicked out of school, and tell the Ministry while you're at itand get it over with, then they can kill me before I kill any of you! Then I won't have to live such a pointless life. I'm a disgusting, filthy, dangerous monster!" he bellowed. None of them had ever seen him so angry. It was extremely silent. Sirius felt awful.

"Remus we don't think any of that." he finally said.

"Yes you do. Who wouldn't."

"We don't care what you are." Peter said. "You're our friend. And friends support eachother."

"You're deluded." Remus just shook his head. "I'm a monster."

"Oh stop being so dramatic Remus. You fold your socks before you go to bed, do forgive me if I'm not quivering at the sight of you. " James remarked, Peter and Sirius started to smile. Remus looked confused.

"So-" he started but Sirius interrupted.

"What we're trying to say is, we really don't give a shi-"

"Language Sirius!" scolded James.

"Sorry. We don't give a monkeys that you're a Werewolf, but we don't want anymore secrets coming from you."

Remus' expression was now of deep shock. Eventually he nodded his head.

"So how did it happen?" asked Sirius softly. Remus took a deep breath and started to explain.

"It was just before my fifth birthday. My father was in the court room to question someone on suspicions of being a Werewolf. His name was Fenrir Greyback. He denied the accusations and the ministry agreed. My father got angry and started to insult him and Werewolves alike. And of course, my father was right, Greyback is a Werewolf. Not long after, he broke into our house on full moon and, well, he bit me, as revenge I guess, and well- yeah that's - " he looked away." That's it. "

It was silent. Dead silent. Nobody knew quite what to say.

"So your scars and bruises and stuff, that's not from your parents or anyone?" Sirius asked tentatively. Remus gave a small chuckle.

"My parents? No way, they've never hit me. You really thought that?"

"Well. I don't know." Sirius mumbled. He felt odd. He thought that everyone's parents hit them if they were bad. It was just the done thing wasn't it?

"But it's okay." Remus carried on. "Madam Pomfrey has been helping me recover really well, I think it's just Dumbledore and Mcgonagall that knows about it." and now Remus looked stressed again. "But you three, you can't tell anyone, you understand."

"Of course." Sirius said and he pulled him into a hug, James and Peter followed so they were just a big bundle of arms and legs.

"Thank you." he whispered. Sirius gave him a tight squeeze and released.

"Right." he said, pulling back, "We're turning into a bunch of girls." And now the tension was broken and they all laughed.

"Where do you transform?" asked James.

"Oh. " Remus grinned. "You know the Whomping Willow? Well it guards a passage-way to a shack in Hogsmeade."

"No way!" all three of them said in awe, "So when we went to Hogsmeade, you could have just told us how to get there." James said a little dissapointed.

"Well I didn't exactly want you lot to find out just so I can buy a bar of chocolate." he chuckled. The others asked him some more questions until Remus checked the time.

"I think I need to go." Remus smiled. There was something about him that seemed lighter, like he had just been carrying a bag of stones and had suddenly dropped them.

"Good luck." said James.

"See you tomorrow!" called Peter.

"Bye Moony." waved Sirius

"Moony?" Remus said amused.

"Yeah. You know the moon and everything. It's going to be your nickname."

Remus shrugged. "If you like." he laughed, and he opened door, which had finally been unlocked.

"And now that you know," he had a wicked grin on his face, "I'm expecting something nice to eat when I recover." he smiled and closed the door behind him.

"Well that went well." reflected James.

"Extremely." Sirius yawned loudly. "I'm going to bed. Night you lot."

Saturday 23rd September 1972

The boys woke reasonably early that morning in order to go see Remus. First they went to the Great Hall to eat quickly and to get Remus some food for when he wakes up. They rushed off to the Hospital Wing where there was only one occupied bed.

"And where do you think you're going?" Madam Pomfrey asked sternly.

"We're helping Remus. You know," James lowered his voice "his furry little problem, he told us last night."

Madam Pomfrey looked like she was containing a laugh but kept her stern expression.

"Very well, very well. Be quick about it."she snapped. She opened up the bed hangings to reveal Remus lying straight on his back, semi-conscious.

"Hey Moony." Sirius said softly. Remus' eyes opened wider. He looked a little confused.

"We brought you some breakfast." said James, taking out a small bag from under his cloak.

"Why," Remus croaked, "Why are you here?" his voice was small and defeated, Sirius had never heard him sound so weak and timid.

"To help." said Peter.

"Come on sit up." James said. Remus slid himself up the bed but winced and clutched his stomach.

"Bloody bandages." he muttered. Eventually he was upright and slightly more awake. James got the food out of the bag and gave it to him.

"Did you really just call this my Furry Little Problem James, honestly." he laughed and so did the others.

"Well we needed some kind of code name." laughed Sirius. Not too long after, Madam Pomfrey came over with three different bottles which Remus looked at distastefully. She poured them into a glass and handed it to him.

"Drink up, I don't have all day." she said hurriedly.

"What is that?" asked Peter.

"To be perfectly honest, I don't know but it tastes like shi-"

"Remus!" exclaimed both Madam Pomfrey and James.

"James I'm sitting here wrapped up in twenty or so metres of bandages and so many different aches, give me a break." he snapped, but they started to laugh. He tipped the glass back and chugged the whole thing in one go. He scrunched up his nose which was kind of a sweet quirk of his and put the glass back down.

"Disgusting." he muttered.

"Can't be that bad." said James, eyeing the glass.

"Well next time you can be a dear and drink for me then ay?" he chuckled. Eventually Madam Pomfrey kicked the boys out to leave Remus to rest.

"see you later Moony." called James.

"Repose bien mon cher." Sirius chuckled.

"Stop speaking French!" all three of the boys bellowed.

Remus waved back and smiled as the door was closed. Sirius sighed with a forlorn expression on his face.

"What's up with you?" James asked, nudging Sirius playfully in the ribs.

"I just feel so useless, you know. I can't do anything to help him." Sirius felt so privileged compared to Remus, he didn't have much money or nice clothes or a lot to eat at home, and over all he had to go through a painful transformation once a month.

"We'll figure something out, we always do."

Some of you may recognise the folding socks line, so I stole this line from a headcanon on Pinterest but I don't know who wrote it so I can't credit them It makes me laugh so I put it in :)

ALSO - I need some help... What the hell do teenage boys even talk about. I mean, I'm a girl I have absolutely no idea AND I'm writing a story all about four teenage boys. sEnD hElP ;)