The next morning Remus woke up on the ground of the Shrieking Shack where lie bleeding from several gashes all over his body. He managed to stand up and he limped back to the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey was waiting for him. She knew he would return in a state like this. When werewolves don't have any prey to hunt they tend to attack themselves.
She attended his wounds. He had a particular bad one on his abdomen where he attempted to rip his own flesh off.
Madam Pomfrey didn't let Remus out of the hospital wing for the rest of the day. He had to miss an entire day of class. He was certain that people would notice if that happened every week. That evening he was finally released under the condition that he would rest and take it slow the next few days. When he returned to his room he was bombarded with questions from his friends but he was so tired and he just wanted to sleep. He also didn't know how to explain his absence. So he just mumbled a few words about the flu and went to sleep still in his clothes.
The next morning he was cornered by Peter, Sirius and James who were asking him a million questions about where he had been and what happened. He told them something about being sick and going to see Madam Pomfrey and her not letting him leave the hospital ward. But they kept asking questions and would not leave him alone. He felt a migraine coming up. After the full moon he usually felt like shit for a few days, so he asked them to just leave him alone.
Remus knew he could not tell them the same story of having a cold every month. Sooner or later they would find out. He knew it was inevitable. He had to break off their friendship. Before they found out and told the whole school. For the next few weeks he was cold to them and tried to blow them off every time they tried to do something with him, he would decline.
They had only been friends for two weeks but Remus missed them, especially Peter. James and Sirius had grown extremely close in just the two weeks they knew each other and even though they did a lot together in class he would often sit next to Peter, and James and Sirius sat together. Remus never had an issue with being alone before. He had gotten used to it. He knew the monster within him would always isolate him. But just these two weeks with friends made him aware of what he was missing out on.
Remus tried his best in school, he wanted to be on the top of his classes. All his free time was spent studying. He got the highest grades in almost all subjects. He woke up early in the morning to avoid his roommates when changing and went to the library before school each morning. He waited until everyone was asleep in the evenings. Remus knew he had to be the top of the class, otherwise he would never find a job with his condition. Not that he would find a job even if he was the best of the best. He was an evil creature.
He kept this up until just after Christmas Break, his days would just exist of studying and sleeping. And every month he would turn into a vile beast. When he went home the only thing his mom wanted to hear was if he had made any friends. He told her stories of the first two weeks of the year because he didn't wanna disappoint her. She was so happy. Remus's father had to work for most of the Break. When he was home he barely said a word to Remus.
Remus decided to try to be friends with Peter, Sirius and James again. For his mothers sake. He was sure his father hated him so he wanted to try to avoid that with his mother. She had been so happy when he told her he had friends, he couldn't keep making stories up.
He apologised for being so distant and started to participate in more of their pranks. He told them his grandmother was sick and that he would be visiting her each month. James believed him instantly, he even filled in for him that that was why he was being so distant. That he was just worrying about his grandma. Remus just agreed with him.
Over the rest of the year they became closer and closer. The four of them became best friends. James and Sirius loved pulling pranks on everyone and often pulled Remus and Peter into it. The four of them got quite a reputation as pranksters. They started to get known throughout the school because of them. They also lost a lot of house points for Gryffindor and gained a lot of detentions. Somehow Remus often got out of them. Even though he was part of the quartet, teachers still saw him as a model student. Because through all the pranks he still devoted a large portion of his time to studying and he was still at the top of a lot of his classes. A redheaded girl was catching up to him though. Her name was Lily Evans and James had a huge crush on her.
Remus told his friends he went to see his sick grandma each month. While he endured the horrific experience of turning into a wild animal. He always returned the next evening looking exhausted and sick. But they didn't ask him any further questions.
This continued for the rest of the year until summer break. They all said goodbye to each other at kings cross station and went home for the summer. His mother came to pick him up, his father had to work again. But Remus didn't care. Remus truly believed this was the best year of his life so far. For the first time since he remembered he didn't constantly feel like a monster. He knew it wouldn't last forever though, but he savoured every moment of it.