Sunday, 17th September 1972

To my deranged little Wolf Boy,

Pup?! You had ten weeks to think of a suitable nickname for me and you chose Pup?! I don't know whether to be outraged or test if you're an imposter, because the Wolf Boy I know is far too smart to choose such a terrible nickname.

I liked Star Boy. Why can't I be Star Boy?

To make sure you are who you say you are, I'm going to ask you a question that only my Wolf Boy would know the answer to, just in case he's been kidnapped and replaced with an evil (and rather stupid) twin.

Sirius glanced up from the notebook. Remus was sitting on the other side of the table in the common room, his head bent over a book, scribbling away with a focused look in his eyes.

What did I do to you at the train station at the end of last year and did you like it? was what he wanted to write. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Why did he even care if Remus had liked it? He sighed and tapped his quill against the page. This obsession with Remus was getting out of hand. It had been one thing using his memories of being with Remus to help him survive during the summer, but it needed to stop before he ruined their friendship with it.

What was the first thing I said to you when we arrived at Hogwarts?

Even though I don't like the nickname, I did like the comparison to a dog, but you forgot to mention that I enjoy it when you stroke my hair.

Sirius frowned as he read that line back to himself. Was it normal to enjoy having your friend stroke your hair? It was too late now; editing wasn't allowed in The Notebook. And who cared anyway? There wasn't much about their relationship that would be considered normal. Weirdness was good. Sirius was proud to be weird.

I'll allow a nickname that's related to dogs, but not Pup. Loki's torch is cool. I like the idea of being a tool of the trickster God. You were right, that is my favourite, but I agree that Wolf-star has a nice ring to it.

Sirius managed to stop himself before he wrote I like the idea of belonging to you. What the hell was wrong with him? It was because of that bloody kiss at the station; he was sure of it. Maybe he needed to find a girl to kiss so he could replace all these inappropriate thoughts he was having about his best friend. What was the name of that girl Evans was friends with? McKinnon? She seemed cool. For a girl. But how did one even go about asking a girl out? Did you just walk up to them and ask?

He quickly signed the letter, before scanning the common room, and spotting Evans and her friends at another table. They were laughing about something. McKinnon had short blonde hair that ended level with her chin, and bright blue eyes that sparkled with mischief when she laughed. Sirius thought they might get along okay. She wasn't a particularly giggly sort of girl, and she wasn't stuck up either as far as he could tell. However, she was a pure-blood, and that was a point against her in Sirius' mind. But he was a pure-blood too, and so was James, and they were alright, so he would give her a chance.

'You're staring at McKinnon quite a lot,' Remus said. Sirius turned away from the girls to find Remus had abandoned his book and was watching him. 'Want me to talk to Lily so you can talk to her?'

Sirius leant across the table so they could talk without being overheard. 'I don't know what to say.'

Remus shrugged. 'Just say hello and go from there? It's hard to plan a conversation in advance when you don't know what the other person will say. But I'd do it before James and Pete get back if I were you.'

James and Peter had gone to check on the potion, but they wouldn't be long, and Remus made a good point. Whatever happened, it was bound to be awkward and probably embarrassing, but James' presence would make it more so.

'Alright, let's do it.'

Remus smiled at him encouragingly and stood up, so Sirius followed suit and trailed after him as they crossed the common room.

'Hi, Lily, have you got a minute?' Remus asked, taking Lily's attention from McKinnon and providing Sirius with the opportunity to speak to her.

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and slid onto the seat next to her, flashing her his best grin. 'Hi, McKinnon, right? I'm Sirius.'

She smiled at him. 'Yes, I know. And it's Marlene.'

'That's a lovely name.'

She laughed. 'No, it's not. It's bloody awful, but it's sweet of you to lie.'

'I wasn't lying, I like it,' he said. This wasn't going well at all. Best to just get it out of the way. 'So, I was wondering, would you maybe, um, want to go out with me?' Urgh, smooth Black, real smooth.

'Be your girlfriend, you mean?'

'Yeah.'

Sirius held his breath while he waited for her answer. She glanced sideways at her other friends—Meadowes and McDonald?—and then seemed to make her mind up. 'Yeah, alright.'

'Great,' Sirius said. 'Er… I'll arrange something and let you know?'

'You don't have a plan already?'

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck. 'No? This was all very spur of the moment.'

She laughed. 'I'll take that as a compliment. Sure, let me know. But it better be worthy of me, Black.'

Sirius smirked and winked at her. 'I'll make sure of it, Marlene.' He left quickly and returned to the table he'd been sharing with Remus. Not a moment too soon either. The second he sat down, James and Peter entered through the portrait hole and came to join him.

'All good with the potion?'

'Yeah, everything's fine. What's Remus doing?'

This should burst James' "Sirius fancies Remus" fantasies. 'Oh, he was talking to Evans for me so I could ask out the beautiful Marlene. She said yes, obviously.'

James gaped at him. 'You have a girlfriend?'

'Yes, James, I have a girlfriend. There's no need to look so shocked about it. I am very good looking, you know?'

'Good for you, mate,' Peter said. 'McKinnon is hot.' He leant over the table to whisper to them. 'She's already got boobs!'

Sirius hadn't even considered that when he'd been making his decision to ask her. Should he have? Was he supposed to be thinking about things like boobs?

'Lily's got boobs too,' James said, staring at her like he was high on euphoria potion. 'Have you noticed?'

'No, James. We wouldn't dare look at Evans like that. You'd murder us on the spot,' Sirius said, only half joking.

James blinked rapidly and turned to face him. 'Quite right, too. She's far above your depraved gaze.'

'But not your depraved gaze?'

He shrugged 'No, she's above that too, but I can't seem to stop.'

'Can't stop what?' Remus asked, returning to the table.

'Staring at Evan's boobs, apparently,' Sirius said.

Remus frowned. 'I don't think she'd like that.'

'Urgh, I know,' James said, covering his face with his hands. 'I'm a terrible person. Mum would be ashamed of me.'

'You're not terrible. Just try not to let her catch you looking or she might curse you.'

'And I'd deserve it too.'

'Gentlemen, forgive me for changing the subject from the lovely Lily's chest and James' perverted inability to stop staring at it, but I'm in dire need of your assistance.' Sirius paused dramatically before finishing in a panicked hiss. 'Marlene's expecting me to take her out, and I have no idea where to take her.'

In the end, Sirius met Marlene in the Entrance Hall just before dinner, and the two shared a private meal next to the Great Lake. The elves had been more than happy to put together a picnic basket when Sirius had strolled into the kitchen to make the request.

It had been awkward at first. On the way to the lake, Sirius had spent so long internally debating if he should take her hand, he missed his chance entirely as they arrived at the tree he'd picked out for them to sit beneath.

The leaves were just beginning to turn from green to red and orange as summer gave way to autumn, and there was a noticeable chill in the breeze coming off the lake, but still enough warmth in the sun to make eating outside pleasant enough. Sirius was grateful for the clear sky as he laid out the blanket the elves had provided and gestured for Marlene to take a seat.

The weather stayed co-operative, and the awkwardness quickly wore off as they enjoyed the quality food and found common ground in a love of muggle music. Sirius discovered Marlene had a sharp sense of humour that he liked and as the sun sank over the horizon taking its warmth along with it, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her warm. She snuggled into his side in a way that was both familiar and utterly foreign. It felt similar to the way Remus cuddled up to him when the full moon was approaching, but Marlene was softer and she smelled different. Sirius wasn't sure he liked it, but he shrugged the thought away, refusing to think about Remus while he was on his first date with a girl.

He kissed her goodnight when they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, pressing his lips softly against hers and letting them linger for a few seconds. Her lips were soft, and not too wet, but the tingles from his first kiss were only noticeable in their absence. It was enjoyable enough, but the overwhelming excitement from before was missing. He pulled away and offered her a wolfish grin.

'I had a really nice time tonight,' he said. It was the truth. Marlene was brilliant. But deep down, he couldn't help thinking he would have had an even better time if she was Remus.

She smiled at him, looking him directly in the eye; utterly sure of herself and not the least bit shy. 'Me too. We should do this again soon.' Then she winked and gave the password, disappearing inside before Sirius could blink. He chuckled. Yeah, Marlene was brilliant.

On returning to the dorm and recounting the events of his date, and the subsequent kiss, Sirius was met with cheers, backslapping and eager questions from James and Peter wanting to know what it was like.

'It was the most incredible feeling. Like flying in a rainstorm,' he told them, suppressing the twinge of guilt at describing his kiss with Remus rather than the one with Marlene. Maybe it only felt like that the first time you kissed someone. That thought caused more than a twinge of guilt; had he stolen Remus' first kiss from him?

When he curled up next to Remus that night, he wanted to ask him if he was angry at Sirius for kissing him, but he couldn't get the words out, so he just sighed and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to claim him.

Monday morning kicked off with Charms first period, and they were learning the enlargement charm, engorgio. The marauders had all grinned at each other when Professor Flitwick announced the lesson—all of them immediately thinking of multiple uses for the charm—and they worked hard to master it. Before he knew it, it was time for Defence, and their first class with Professor Tenebris since their conversation with her. Sirius shivered at the prospect of what awaited him, but clenched his jaw with determination. He was doing this for Remus, and he would do it with a smile on his face because Remus was worth it.

Remus was less nervous entering the Defence classroom than he had been before his detention with Professor Tenebris. Now he knew why she was treating him differently it would be easier to take, but he was still a little anxious about it. He hated having people's attention on him, and her constantly singling him out would draw the other student's stares his way. Despite his anxiety, though, he was determined to make the most of Tenebris' desire to help him survive out in the world. With the way things were for werewolves, he knew he'd need all the help he could get.

After taking the register, Professor Tenebris announced the day's lesson would focus on the smokescreen spell.

'Fumos is a useful little spell to have in your arsenal,' she told them as she paced back and forth in front of the crowd of students, twirling her wand. 'Not only can it be used to hide you from your opponent's view, but, when outnumbered, it can also provide you with a precious few seconds in which to escape. However, it's a difficult spell to master. Can anyone tell me why?'

A Ravenclaw girl raised her hand and when the professor nodded to her said, 'because it's neither purely a charm or purely transfiguration, but a combination of both.'

Professor Tenebris smiled. 'Very good. Five points to Ravenclaw.' She returned her attention to the rest of the class as she continued to speak. 'Not only must you conjure the smoke into being, but you must also shape and control it. Like so.'

She demonstrated the spell for the class, moving her wand slowly so they could follow her actions, and a thick stream of smoke emerged from the end of her wand, curling around itself to form an opaque shield between them.

After a moment, she banished the smoke and smirked. 'As you can see, while useful, fumos is easily countered and so will only buy you a second or two at most. When you use it, be sure you're ready to utilise that time efficiently.'

She sent them off to practise after spending some time explaining the process and making sure they all knew the wand movements, and the class naturally separated off into friendship groups. The marauders commandeered a corner of the room for themselves and after several minutes of fruitless wand waving and muttered incantations, a spurt of smoke leaked from the end of Remus' wand and drifted into the air above his head.

'Well done, mate,' Sirius said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Remus smiled at his friend, before noticing the professor walking up behind him.

'I'm not sure why you're congratulating him, Mister Black. A pathetic wisp of smoke like that isn't going to allow him to escape from an angry mob that wants him dead. And I notice the rest of you still haven't produced anything? Don't you think you should be working instead of socialising?' She turned to Peter. 'Your wandwork is excellent, you just need to focus more on what you want.' She patted him on the shoulder and then walked away to speak with another group.

Remus frowned. He'd been expecting her to go hard on him, but not James and Sirius too. What on earth was she playing at? Things got worse as the lesson went on. True to her word, Professor Tenebris didn't let up on him at all, and she continued applying the same harsh treatment to both James and Sirius, criticising everything from their pronunciation to the colour of their smoke. Remus would have expected after several instances for them to be pissed off and planning revenge, but every time she approached their group they both tried their hardest to impress her, and only nodded and grinned in response when she insulted their efforts. Then, when she left, they'd apply what she'd said with newfound vigour. By the end of class, all four of them were able to produce a decent amount of smoke from their wands, and shape it into a reasonably opaque cloud. And Remus was utterly confused.

He waited until they'd gathered their belongings and exited the classroom to broach the subject. 'Hey, I'm sorry she was such a hag to you guys today. I'll speak to her. You shouldn't have put up with that.'

James and Sirius exchanged a glance that Remus couldn't decipher, before taking up positions on either side of him, grabbing his arms and steering him into a nearby passageway which would spit them out near the Great Hall. Peter followed and pulled the portrait closed behind them.

'Don't be mad,' Sirius said.

'Why would he be mad?' James asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'I don't know. He gets mad over weird shit sometimes.'

'Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it's weird,' Remus said, scowling at Sirius. 'Tell me.'

'Okay,' James said. 'So, on Saturday, when you were in the library, we went to see Professor Tenebris and—'

'Tell me you didn't attack her,' Remus interrupted. 'You promised.'

James rolled his eyes. 'We didn't attack her. We asked her to treat us the way she's treating you.'

Remus blinked at him. They asked for this? No wonder they didn't get pissed off by it. 'Why would you do that?'

'Because we want to be able to help you protect yourself,' James said. 'Well, and ourselves. We're not so stupid we don't realise that hanging out with you will make us targets too.'

Remus blinked at him. 'Wouldn't it be easier to just stop hanging out with me?'

James snorted as if the suggestion was ludicrous. He stopped walking and pulled Remus round to face him. 'The Marauders are forever, Remus. You're one of us, even with your…' he waved his hand in the air before settling on a euphemism, '… furry little problem. And we're not afraid of fighting a few bigots.'

Remus found he couldn't speak past the lump in his throat, and so he glanced away from James to look at Sirius and Peter, but that didn't help at all. They were both watching him, their faces resolutely in agreement with James.

'Don't you get it yet, Wolf Boy?' Sirius asked, bopping him on the nose with his index finger. 'You're never getting rid of us.'

Yeah, Remus was beginning to realise that. And he couldn't keep his face from splitting into a wide smile at the knowledge his friends cared about him enough to fight by his side.

Nothing was able to spoil his good mood for the rest of the day, not even brewing—or failing to brew—the wound cleaning potion that afternoon. Remus managed the theory work just fine. He understood the reasons for each ingredient, their properties, and how they interacted with each other. And he knew why the various stirring patterns and heating techniques were used. But as soon as the first ingredient was added to the first cauldron, and the fumes began filling the room, his brain turned to mush and he couldn't focus. His potion exploded with a deafening bang, and he stared at the smoking cauldron blankly for a moment, before turning around to shrug at James and Sirius and chuckling along as they laughed at him.

It didn't seem possible that he would ever brew a successful potion, but what did it matter? Peter was more than capable, and Remus knew he would brew anything he asked him to without a single argument. It wasn't like he needed this class to continue his education; he was doing more than well enough in everything else. So, he decided to stop worrying about it and just accept that he would never be a potioneer. It wasn't the worst thing he'd lost to the wolf after all.

Remus' good mood extended as far as breakfast the next morning. He smiled through Sirius and James' morning battle—James had awoken first that morning and Remus had needed to roll out of bed quickly to avoid becoming entangled in their tickle fight—he rolled his eyes good-naturedly when James pointedly shoved a pear in his direction after eyeing his greasy bacon sandwich with distaste, and he ate it without complaint. And when Peter asked if he would check his essay for Transfiguration, he didn't even pretend to groan, just grabbed his muggle pen and told him to hand it over.

It was the post arriving that sent his heart plummeting to his feet. Well, not the post arriving as such, rather the event of one specific owl landing in front of him bearing a scroll with his name written in a hand that was all too familiar. He had an entire book of spells and notes in that handwriting; he'd recognise it anywhere. What had he done?

'Is that from the twins?' James asked, watching Remus detach the scroll from the owl's leg. 'It looks like their handwriting.'

Remus nodded. What else could he do? He wasn't the only one to have studied the Mischief-Makers Journal; James was just as familiar with their handwriting as he was.

'Open it then. What do they want?'

Remus unrolled the scroll, feeling sick. Was he about to out Professor Tenebris to his friends? He didn't think they'd be bothered, not after the way they'd reacted to his own disease, but it still felt wrong to give away her secret without her permission.

Remus,

It was great to hear from you, and you're welcome for the polyjuice and the ingredients we left behind. We wanted you to have a smooth start to your career. We wish you good luck with the Niffler Hunt.

As for your request, it was no problem at all for us to pop down to the Ministry and check the records. But I'm afraid we didn't find anything suspicious. Professor Tenebris left school and went straight into professional duelling. She worked her way up to the top of the league and spent three years there, undefeated. Five years ago, she announced her retirement and there are no further records of her before this summer when she joined the Hogwarts' faculty. With your feelings about her in mind, we checked the records at the DCRMC, but she wasn't listed. Of course that doesn't mean much, most people will avoid registering if they can for obvious reasons.

Our advice is, make the most of her experience, you can learn a lot from her (we watched some memories of her duelling, and she's really very good) and try not to let her get to you if you can. If she is something that your instincts tell you is dangerous, it doesn't necessarily mean she is dangerous to you.

Let us know if we can be of any more help,

Gid and Fab.

Remus scanned the letter quickly and let out a quiet breath of relief. They hadn't found anything.

'I asked them to check the Ministry records for Professor Tenebris,' he said, handing the letter to James. 'Feel kind of bad about it now.'

'You had good reason,' Sirius said.

James looked up when he finished reading and handed the letter to Peter. 'Do you think she's an unregistered creature or being?'

Remus knew she was, but he shook his head. 'No, I think I was just reacting to the way she was treating me,' he lied. 'It's stopped now.'

At the back of his mind, though, a thought niggled at him. If she's unregistered, does Dumbledore even know he hired a vampire?

When the day of the full moon dawned, Sirius was grateful it was a Saturday. None of them would be getting any sleep that night, but at least they wouldn't have to get up for classes the next day. Stifling a groan so as not to wake Remus, he climbed out of bed. Professor Tenebris had kept her promise to work them hard and his body was aching from the vigorous duelling lessons, though she had thankfully eased up on Remus during the last two lessons, knowing his transformation was approaching.

He padded into the bathroom to find James and Peter already there—James wearing nothing but his underpants—seemingly engrossed in fevered discussion.

'Oh, Sirius good, you're awake,' James said. 'What's the plan?'

Sirius raised an eyebrow in question. 'The plan?'

'For the full moon,' James said. His tone suggested he thought Sirius should have realised that's what he was referring to. 'Remus seemed pretty ill last night. Is there anything we can do to help him?'

'Just keep the noise down and let him sleep as much as he wants today. He doesn't eat much before the moon, but chocolate helps after.'

'What time is moonrise?'

'Twenty to seven,' Sirius said. 'Remus goes to the Hospital Wing at least an hour before and Pomfrey walks him down there. We'll meet him there.'

'Where is it?' Peter asked.

Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but then decided it would be funnier to leave it as a surprise. 'Wait and see. And for Merlin's sake, James, will you put some clothes on?'

They spent most of the day down in the common room, leaving Remus to rest in the quiet dorm, and periodically taking it in turns to run up and check if he was awake. It was early afternoon before Sirius peered round the door and found him sitting up and petting Cosmo.

He stepped into the room and closed the door gently behind him before bounding over to the bed and lowering himself carefully onto the mattress beside him. 'Hey, Wolf Boy, how you feeling?' Cosmo left Remus and stepped across onto Sirius, curling up on his stomach, and Sirius scratched her behind the ears, making her purr.

'Bloody awful,' Remus said with a smile, snuggling up against him and taking a deep breath in. 'Thanks for letting me sleep, though. Where are the others?'

Sirius chuckled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 'Downstairs. They'll probably be here any second when I don't come straight back.'

Sirius was proven right a moment later when the door creaked open and James' head appeared, breaking out into a smile when he spotted Remus was awake. He entered the room, with Peter right behind him, and joined them on Sirius' bed, taking care not to jostle Remus as he took his seat.

'Looking pretty comfy there, mate,' James said.

Remus hummed. 'I am, Twinkles makes a great pillow.'

Sirius groaned. 'Twinkles? Really?'

'Well, you didn't like Pup,' Remus said, laughing.

'It suits you,' James said, nodding seriously, although Sirius detected a faint twitching at the corners of his mouth. 'Moony and Twinkles. I like it.'

'What about us, though?' Peter asked. 'We need names too.'

'Hold on,' Remus said. 'I'm not Moony. That's what Sirius calls—'

'The wolf,' James finished for him. 'Yeah, I know, but the wolf is just your inner animal, right? We all have one, we just don't know what ours are.'

'Bet yours is a hedgehog,' Sirius said. 'With that hair of yours.'

'Hey!' James said, looking indignant. 'There's nothing wrong with my hair!'

'And that's what we call denial,' Sirius said, grinning at James.

'Well, you'd know all about denial, wouldn't you?' James muttered, attempting to flatten his hair to no avail.

'What?' Sirius said, confused.

'Nothing,' James said. 'Moony, what time do you want to go to the Hospital Wing?'

Remus sighed, clearly too tired to argue with James about the nickname. 'Soon, I think. Defence has really taken it out of me this month.'

'Alright, we'll come with you.'

They took a slow walk down to the first floor, taking frequent breaks so Remus could lean up against the wall and get his strength back, and arrived half an hour later to an empty ward.

'Madam Pomfrey?' Sirius called, looking around for the mediwitch after helping Remus onto the nearest bed. She came bustling out of her office a moment later and at the sight of the four of them together, her eyebrows rose briefly before her professionalism took over.

'Are you all sick?' she asked, her eyes scanning over the group.

'No, we're just dropping Remus off for his monthly sleepover,' Sirius said, flashing her a grin. 'James and Peter know about it now, too.'

'I see,' she said. 'Has the Headmaster been informed?'

Remus shook his head. 'I didn't think to tell him.'

'I'll let him know,' Madam Pomfrey said. 'He'll probably want to have a word with you both.'

James frowned and then shrugged. 'We're not doing anything. We'll go see him now.' He turned back to Remus and wrapped him in a gentle hug. 'Have a good night, Moony. We'll see you in the morning.'

Remus wrinkled his nose, probably at James calling him Moony again, but hugged him back. When James backed off, Peter took his turn and then Sirius stepped forward.

'We'll see you down there, Wolf Boy,' he whispered into his ear, before chuckling as he heard Remus take one last deep breath of his scent before releasing him.

'Yeah, bye Twinkles,' he said, with a cheeky smirk.

They left the Hospital Wing and began the long climb back upstairs.

'You really want to go see Dumbles now?' Sirius asked.

'Not really,' James said. 'But I think we should. The last thing we want is people looking for us later when we're with Moony.'

When they reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office, they stopped. Sirius had no idea what the password was, and he didn't think James or Peter would know either.

'Is there a bell or something?'

James searched the wall around the statue. 'I don't see anything.'

'Er. Hello? Can you speak?' Peter asked, looking at the gargoyle.

The statue inclined its head slightly and appeared to examine Peter, making him swallow nervously.

'No doubt better than you can.' The gargoyle's voice was deep and gravelly, and it spoke slowly, as if the task was difficult. Sirius supposed talking when your mouth is formed from stone would be fairly taxing.

'Would you be able to let the headmaster know we want to speak to him?' James asked politely.

'Certainly.' There was a pause and then the gargoyle spoke again. 'He has granted you entry.' The statue slid to the side to reveal the moving staircase behind, and they all stepped on to the bottom step.

When they reached the top, James raised his fist to knock, but before he could the door opened and Dumbledore waved them inside with a smile. 'Isn't this a lovely surprise? Please, come in and have a seat.' He waved his wand and conjured three bright purple, squishy armchairs in front of his desk, before striding over to take his own seat behind it. 'What can I do for you boys?'

James and Peter both glanced at Sirius, so he assumed they wanted him to take the lead in the conversation. 'We came to let you know Remus told James and Peter about his lycanthropy.'

'I see,' Dumbledore said, clasping his hands with his elbows on the desk and resting his chin atop them. 'And was your prediction as to their reaction to the news correct?'

Sirius smirked. 'Yes. But they'd both already guessed, anyway. They were just waiting for Remus to tell them.'

'Ah, so Mister Potter isn't as unobservant as you thought then?' Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling with mischief.

'Hey!' James said, scowling at Sirius. 'I'm very observant, thank you.'

'It took you a year to notice Remus disappeared every full moon,' Peter pointed out, laughing.

'Yes, well. I did have a lot to think about last year,' James said pointedly.

'No more than the rest of us,' Sirius said.

Dumbledore coughed to draw their attention back to him. 'And how goes the planning for the first event of the year?' he asked. 'The Niffler Hunt, isn't it?'

They all froze, but Sirius was first to pull himself together. He was also the best at lying, so he took the initiative. 'We have no idea what you're talking about, Sir.'

Dumbledore chuckled. 'Come now. You're smart boys. You must realise most of the staff attended Hogwarts themselves, myself included. The Super Secret Hogwarts' Games aren't quite as secret as the students like to think. In fact,' he leant forward in his seat and finished in a whisper, 'I was once a Chief of Entertainment myself.'

'Are you serious?' James asked, his tone disbelieving.

'No,' Dumbledore shook his head and pointed at Sirius. 'I believe he's Sirius, but I am, however, telling you the truth.'

Sirius barked out a surprised laugh over the sound of James' and Peter's groans. 'How do you know it's us?'

'The Prewett's told me,' Dumbledore said. 'But I guessed they were going to pick you. It's what I would have done.'

'Hold on,' James said, and Dumbledore turned to face him. 'Are you saying that last year, when we, er, borrowed the things from the Heads of House for the Niffler Hunt, they knew what we were up to?'

Dumbledore smiled. 'Of course. They were very impressed that you managed to get past all of them, though. There was quite the discussion in the staff room later, trying to work out how you did it. I don't suppose you'd tell me?'

They all shook their heads.

'Sorry, Sir. That's a secret,' James said.

Dumbledore nodded. 'I expected as much. Speaking of secrets, I must impress on you the importance of keeping Mister Lupin's condition to yourselves.'

They all nodded seriously.

'We already swore never to tell anyone, Sir,' James said. 'And we won't.'

Dumbledore gazed at him for a few seconds and then turned to Peter, keeping eye contact with him for even longer before nodding. 'I believe you,' he said simply. 'Now, I'm sure the three of you have much to be getting on with. Armour doesn't animate itself after all. Have a good evening, won't you?'

'Yes, Sir. You have a good evening too,' James said, bouncing out of his chair and heading for the door. Sirius and Peter followed him.

Once they reached the corridor at the bottom of the stairs, they all stared at each other in silence before bursting into simultaneous laughter.

'Well, that was unexpected,' James finally managed to get out. 'Dumbledore was a mischief-maker?'

'I don't know,' Sirius said thoughtfully. 'I can kind of see it. He has that gleam in his eyes, you know? The one we all get when we're planning something exciting.'

'Talking of exciting,' James said. 'How long until we need to leave?'

They decided to head out straight after dinner and when the time came, Sirius led them across the grounds towards the Whomping Willow, waiting for the moment they realised where they were going.

'Is it in the Forest?' Peter asked, sounding worried but determined.

'No. It's a little closer than that.'

James frowned. 'But the only thing between here and the Forest is the Whomping Willow.'

'Exactly,' Sirius said with a smirk. 'There's a passage in the roots.'

'How the hell are we supposed to get to that?' James said.

'More to the point, how the hell does Remus get to it when he's all sick?' Peter asked.

They were as close to the tree as they could get without being within striking distance, though the tree was trying its best to reach them, so Sirius decided to answer with a demonstration. 'Like this.'

He cast the levitation charm on a nearby stick and floated it over to press the knot at the base of the trunk. The branches froze instantly and Sirius tucked his wand back into his holster. 'After you,' he said, waving them forward.

They dashed into the opening and a moment later the branches unfroze and the tree made clear its frustration at being thwarted once again.

'So that's how you got the bark,' James said. 'I knew you were lying about "just being fast enough." I'm way faster than you.'

'Yeah, sorry about that.' Sirius said, rubbing the back of his neck.

James shrugged. 'Wasn't your secret to tell, was it? So, do we wait here or keep going?'

'I usually wait for him at the end if I get here first, but he's really sick this month. He might need a hand. Maybe we should wait here.'

'But if Madam Pomfrey thinks the same thing, she might come down with him,' James said. 'We don't want her to catch us here.'

'You brought the cloak, right?' Peter asked, and James nodded. 'What if you and I go down to the end? Sirius can wait here under the cloak and if Madam Pomfrey comes down, he can run ahead and hide us too before she gets there.'

James grinned. 'Great idea.'

'Yeah,' Sirius agreed. 'But wait at the ladder. Don't go through the trapdoor. Moony gets… upset if he smells humans in his territory.'

Sirius took the cloak and watched James and Peter until they turned the corner, before wrapping it around himself and leaning back against the wall of the tunnel to wait. And think. James had been a ball of excitement all day, acting as if the whole thing was a glorious adventure. Peter seemed to be taking it more seriously; his concern for Remus was obvious in his creased forehead and anxious eyes, but he was worried James didn't understand quite how bad tonight would be. And he didn't know how to prepare him for what he was about to hear.

He shifted his weight as his legs began to ache from standing for so long. Sitting down was too risky. The tunnel was narrow, and he'd be in the way if Madam Pomfrey decided to accompany Remus to the trapdoor. If he went a bit further down, though, it might be alright. He'd need enough time to get to his feet without flapping the cloak. Twenty feet or so ought to do it. He was just about to move when he heard voices drifting down from above.

'Do you need me to come with you tonight, dear? You seem weaker than usual this month.'

'No, I'll be fine. I can lean on the wall of the tunnel if I need to.'

'Are you sure? It's no trouble.'

Oh, bugger off. He can lean on me, Sirius thought.

'I'm sure. I know you have patients to get back to.'

'Alright, dear. If you're positive you can manage? We don't want any accidents.'

'If I thought there was any chance I wouldn't make it in time, I wouldn't risk it. Honestly, I'll be fine. And there's still thirty minutes until moonrise.'

When the noise from the tree suddenly stopped, Sirius stood up straight and pulled the edges of the cloak around himself ready, just in case Madam Pomfrey decided she had to come down and he needed to make a dash for it, although it sounded like Remus was doing a good job of persuading her it was unnecessary.

A moment later, Remus appeared, silhouetted in the fading light of the tunnel entrance, and stumbled his way down the slope towards Sirius. The branches of the Whomping Willow started up again and Sirius relaxed; she wasn't coming.

'Sirius?' Remus whispered.

'Right here,' Sirius said, pulling the cloak off and grinning at him in an attempt to hide his concern. Remus looked terrible.

'Oh, thank Merlin,' Remus said. 'I don't think I could get there by myself tonight.'

'Come here.' Sirius put his arm around Remus' shoulders and pulled him close, stifling a chuckle when Remus tucked his face into the space where his neck joined his shoulder and took a deep breath before relaxing against him. 'Feel better now?'

Remus hummed his agreement as they started a slow walk down the tunnel. 'Did James and Peter change their minds?'

'No. They're waiting by the ladder for us. We weren't sure if Madam Pomfrey would come down with you.'

'It was close.'

'I heard.'

It took twenty minutes for them to reach the end. Remus needed several breaks to catch his breath, and each time they stopped, Sirius wrapped him in his arms and let Remus lean against him with his face buried in his chest. He tried very hard not to notice how right it felt.

'Hey guys,' Remus said, smiling weakly when they rounded the final corner and saw James and Peter sitting on the floor at the bottom of the ladder. At the sound of his voice, they quickly climbed to their feet.

'You doing okay, mate? You look like shit,' James said, looking concerned. It was about bloody time.

'As well as can be expected, considering,' Remus said. 'You don't need to worry.'

'It's not a pleasant process,' Sirius said, giving James a pointed look before checking his watch. 'Ten minutes. We better get you up there.'

Remus nodded and took a deep breath, seeming to gather his strength, before pulling himself up the ladder. Sirius passed him his bag and offered him a smile.

'Good luck, Wolf Boy. See you tomorrow.'

'Yeah, hope it's not too bad,' James said.

'See you in the morning, Remus,' Peter said. 'I'll have the chocolate waiting for you.'

Remus smiled down at them. 'Thanks, guys. Sirius, can you…?'

'Yeah, right, no problem,' Sirius said, turning to James and Peter. 'We have to go down the tunnel a little ways. Remus needs some privacy for a minute.'

He ushered them down the tunnel and waited for the sound of the trapdoor closing to signal it was safe to return.

'What's he need privacy for?' Peter asked.

'He has to get undressed and drop his stuff back into the tunnel. Keeps the smell of human to a minimum,' Sirius explained just as the trapdoor banged closed.

They returned to the ladder and found places to sit, and Sirius checked his watch again. Five minutes until the screaming would begin. If he was going to try to prepare them, he better start now.

'I hope you're ready for this. It's not at all pleasant.'

'It's really painful, right?' Peter asked. 'The books all say it's close to unbearable.'

Sirius nodded. 'The noises he makes when he's changing,' he shuddered, 'I don't have the words to describe it. But hearing him go through it is… It's brutal, guys. You're not going to want to listen, but you won't be able to block it out.'

'How long does it last?' James asked.

'Ten minutes,' Sirius said.

James' face morphed from concerned to stricken, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth. 'Fuck.'

Sirius nodded gravely.

'Do you think Remus would give me a sample of his blood?' Peter asked out of nowhere.

Sirius and James stared at him.

'So I can try to create a potion to help with the pain. Not for anything weird.'

At that moment the screaming started and Sirius grit his teeth. It was no less horrifying than the first time he'd heard it. He glanced at James and Peter to see both their faces had paled as they stared up at the trapdoor.

'There's nothing we can do,' Sirius told them. 'We just have to distract ourselves until it's over.'

Five minutes in, Peter was sitting up against the wall of the tunnel, his face ghost white and his hands over his ears. James was pacing up and down, pulling at his hair and muttering to himself. Sirius sat quietly, writing in the notebook to Remus so he'd have something to read in the morning.

After several more blood-curdling screams of agony, Sirius checked his watch, eight minutes, forty seconds. Not long left now. But the next scream sounded different, and the one after that morphed halfway through into a howl and everything went silent. He checked his watch, nine minutes.

'It's getting faster.'

'What?' James asked, finally stopping his pacing and letting his hands drop to his sides. His hair was sticking up in all directions and Sirius had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

'The transformation's getting faster. It only took nine minutes instead of ten.'

'That's good,' Peter said. 'When did you last time it?'

'September last year.'

'A minute per year?' James said. 'So by the time he's twenty-one, it should be almost instant.'

'If he lives that long,' Sirius said.

James opened his mouth to respond, but they were interrupted by a happy bark followed by a howl that sounded more joyful than Sirius had ever heard it before.

'Good evening, Moony,' he said, turning to look up at the trapdoor. 'I've brought you some new friends.'

Remus dropped his bag through the trapdoor and slammed it closed. This was it. James and Peter were down there, and they were about to hear exactly what it meant to be a werewolf. He wondered if he would still have three friends come morning. And if not, whose side Sirius would take.

'Colloportus,' he whispered, pointing his wand at the trapdoor and listening for the click. He always listened, and he always still tested it, anyway. Making extra sure it was impenetrable was even more important with his friends on the other side of it. After confirming the only exit was locked up tight, he stowed his wand on the mantlepiece and sat down in front of the fire to meditate. A few minutes later, he screamed.

-o-o-o-o-

The wolf lifted his head and looked around.

He was back in the other place again. Did that mean…? Yes! Packmate was back! But he hesitated, climbing to his feet cautiously. Quietly. Something was different. No, not different. Extra. There was more than one presence nearby.

The wolf sniffed the air. Nothing. Just his own scent, but he hadn't really expected anything. He'd never been able to smell Packmate. Padding over to the shape on the floor, he concentrated on the feeling of extra. There were two. Three, including the familiar one. That one felt loyal, brave and fierce, a packmate he could rely on in a fight. The new ones though, one felt calm, gentle; a packmate in need of protection. He bared his teeth and growled quietly. No one would be allowed to harm his packmate. The other felt warm, protective and watchful; a packmate who would always be on the lookout for danger. Nothing would hurt their pack with this one present.

Satisfied, he barked a welcome, and then sat back on his haunches and howled out his happiness at having a full pack at last. The familiar packmate responded to his greeting with those strange noises he always made, and the two new ones joined in. The wolf howled along with them and then joy overwhelmed him; all three of them howled back.

He had too much energy to sit still, so he ran a few circuits of the space to burn it off, and then returned to the floor shape. Maybe if they all worked together, they could get him out.

-o-o-o-o-

Remus woke up in the Hospital Wing and took stock. No injuries, as far as he could tell, just the usual aches and pains. He opened his eyes and glanced at the window. Morning, about an hour before noon. Another good sign. He'd been unsure how the wolf would react to being back in the Shack, but it would seem he was okay with it. A squeak announced the door to his room was opening, and he turned his head to look, smiling when he saw Madam Pomfrey poking her head in.

'Good morning, dear. How are you feeling?'

Remus pulled himself to a sitting position. 'Pretty good, actually. No injuries?'

'Your fingernails were torn again, but they healed up fast enough. How do you feel about visitors? I have three twelve-year-old boys causing havoc on my ward, desperately wanting to see you.'

Remus grinned. 'Really?'

'Yes, really. They've been in and out every fifteen minutes since a quarter past nine, and the moon only set at nine o'clock.'

Remus chuckled, imagining them following her back from the Shack under the folds of the cloak. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Don't be.' She smiled. 'They obviously care about you very much. Can I send them in?'

He nodded, and she left. A moment later, his friends pushed the door open and filed into the room.

'Moony!' James said, descending on him and planting a wet kiss on his forehead. 'Did you have a good night?'

Remus laughed, wiping James' drool from his forehead. 'It was about as good as a full moon can be, yeah.'

'Your wolf is so much fun,' Peter said, placing a box on the end of his bed and opening it to reveal a large selection of chocolate, as promised. 'We had howling competitions, but he won them all.'

'Howling competitions?' Remus asked faintly, almost afraid to know.

'Yes, I came second,' Sirius said smugly. 'And I feel no shame at losing to an actual wolf. Shove over, Moonbeam.'

Remus shuffled over and Sirius climbed onto the bed next to him, stretching out and swinging his arm around his shoulders. Remus settled his head onto Sirius' chest and smiled. He didn't know what he'd been so worried about.

Remus and Sirius' Anytime Journal

To my deranged little Wolf Boy,

Pup?! You had ten weeks to think of a suitable nickname for me and you chose Pup?! I don't know whether to be outraged or test if you're an imposter, because the Wolf Boy I know is far too smart to choose such a terrible nickname.

I liked Star Boy. Why can't I be Star Boy?

To make sure you are who you say you are, I'm going to ask you a question that only my Wolf Boy would know the answer to, just in case he's been kidnapped and replaced with an evil (and rather stupid) twin.

What was the first thing I said to you when we arrived at Hogwarts?

Even though I don't like the nickname, I did like the comparison to a dog, but you forgot to mention that I enjoy it when you stroke my hair.

I'll allow a nickname that's related to dogs, but not Pup. Loki's torch is cool. I like the idea of being a tool of the trickster God. You were right, that is my favourite, but I agree that Wolf-star has a nice ring to it.

Yours in consternation

Not Pup

To my equally deranged friend of unknown name,

I wasn't expecting you to write back. Are we still doing this then?

I think I should first answer your question to confirm I am in fact Remus Lupin and not an imposter. The first thing you said to me when we arrived at Hogwarts was 'Can we help you?' Then you sneered at me as if I was dirt on the bottom of your shoe and informed me the seat was taken. I have to say, it wasn't your best moment.

I will endeavour to think of a new nickname that is more to your liking.

The Real Wolf Boy

To The Real Wolf Boy

I'm so relieved that you're really you.

And of course we're still doing this. Silly Wolf Boy. Though we should probably remove the full moon restriction. We plan to visit you in the morning so you won't have time for reading letters. I like writing to you, though, and I don't want to stop.

We're waiting for you to transform right now. Peter and James aren't coping very well with listening to your pain, James is in danger of pulling all his hair out and rendering himself bald if he carries on tugging on it the way he is. Can you imagine James with no hair? Peter has his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound, but that's pointless. It's far too loud. I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty, or embarrassed. I'm telling you so that when you see them tomorrow, and they treat you exactly the same (because I know they will), you will know that they heard it all, and they still love you, anyway.

See you soon,

Twinkles.