Darkness…the pain consumes me, as does the weakening ill feeling…lasting effects of the lycanthrope transformations…I'm asleep, I know this much…Padfoot though…was that truly him? I can only hope…I remember the first time he found me in this state…weakened and ill…

~*Flashback*~

                "Good night, Remus," came Albus Dumbledore's calm, caring voice from the door of the Infirmary. I heard him yes, but my mind was whirling with several thoughts. I was different…how many second years are victim to the dread lycanthropy? This last transformation was the worst by far; the several gashes upon my arms and legs bear witness to the ordeal. Sighing, I looked up at the stone ceiling as the room went pitch black, plunging me into darkness. How long must I continue to keep this from James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily? I can't continue to make up stories to tell them; they'll notice the deep gashes and bruises soon…they've already began to ask why I leave for almost a week every month…how long will I be able to make up lies to them? I hate lying to them; but what else am I to do?

                Sighing, I laid my head back against the large fluffy pillows, letting my eyes cast up to the ceiling. I could feel the dull ache in my spine and legs as they continued to change from the wolfish form. My arms were still bleeding lightly; they were more discomforting than my legs and back, for they were not merely aching but throbbing with pain. It was the footsteps that echoed from the doorway to the infirmary that startled me from my reverie.

                I sat up quickly, but regretted it and sank back into my bed, the wounds on my arms screaming at me. There was no one there, but the sounds of footfalls were unmistakable. Someone was in there…

                "Remus?" came a curious, concerned voice from across the room, just loud enough so that I could hear. I sat up again, slower this time. I could feel a cold sweat forming on my brow from the advent of suppressed fear…I was caught. "Remus, are you alright? Are you even awake?"

                "Y-yes, Sirius…I'm awake…"

                From across the room, I heard the rustle of cloth, and suddenly, the dim light of a candlelit lamp gave the room a bit of light. I saw Sirius emerge from the shadows, and I suddenly remembered James' Invisibility Cloak. His face was grim but kind as he laid the cloak on a nearby bed and stepped up to me. I felt trapped. However, Sirius merely smiled a bit and sat on the edge of my bed, laying a warm hand upon mine, which I found strange. I looked at him curiously, and found that his glittering grey eyes were looking directly at me.

                "So…your mother's ill, Remus? Seems like you've gotten ill yourself…" His eyes cast down to my hands, and he saw the edges of the red gashes on my arms, then looked back up at me in quiet fear. "Remus…" He raised a hand to my light brown hair, flecked with silver strands due to the lycanthropy, and I could see the marvel in his eyes. The hairs appeared grey to anyone else; but Sirius never missed a detail. "Silver hair…like a wolf…"

                Suddenly, I felt as though everything I had ever strove to keep hidden was lying open like a well-read book. I looked up at him, my blue eyes wide with gleaming uncertainty, but found that his gaze was fixed upon my tired face. I took a shaky breath, exhaled, and tried to compose myself.

                "Who…who all knows…who told you that I was…a werewolf?" My voice was quiet and regretful.

                "Just James, Peter, Lily, and myself. We found out ourselves; we watched your symptoms carefully and looked them up…we didn't expect to come up with lycanthropy though…"

                "So you know…you know that I'm a full-fledged monster that could kill you all on a whim…" I locked eyes with him. "Doesn't that bother you at all? That this entire time you've been friends to a werewolf? You don't know how hard it was for me to lie to you all…"

                To my surprise, Sirius shook his head negatively and gave me a charming, crooked smile. "Nope…none of us mind, Remus." It was then that he pulled a thick book from underneath the nearby cloak and sat it upon my lap, letting the lamplight cast over it enough so that I could read the title. It was from the Restricted Section; probably in his hands by James' hand.

                "Animagi…you're all going to become an Animangus for me?"

                "Yep, we're going to join you…Moony."

                I smiled; it was the first time I would hear that nickname…the beginning of the best times of my life.

~*End Flashback*~

                I kept my eyes closed, hanging on to that warm memory. I longed for that past; the wonderful times I had at Hogwarts before the Dark Days…when the only cares we had were what the Marauders were up to next and on what Severus Snape's weekly torments were going to be. Now it seemed like those days weren't even real…simply a hopeful dream. I didn't want to open my eyes to the chilly morning air; the sun beating down upon me but not offering warmth. Strangely though, I felt no freezing November wind whipping across my body; I was warm and safe, and I could hear the wind howling outside. But over the wind, I heard the familiar creak of my own home's floor. My eyes flashed open and I sat up quickly, just like I had all those years ago.

                "Remus? Are you awake?" came a soft voice from another room. The footsteps were coming closer, and I couldn't help but recall that memory vividly, especially when he came striding quietly into the room.

                I hadn't seem him in nearly two and a half years; and when I had last seen him in human form, he was pale and gaunt, a shadow of his former self. But now…he stood before me as an older version of the Sirius Black I remembered from school, although a great deal thinner. He leaned against the doorframe, a concerned expression in his gleaming grey eyes. His ebony hair was mussed and unkempt, falling all about his forehead and shading his eyes gently.

                "It was you…" I managed to say, the pain of my transfiguring body grating at my nerves. "You stopped me last night. How ironic…" I managed a smile and settled back into my makeshift bed; I found that I was laying upon my own ragged couch in my own small sitting room, before the dusty fireplace, where a magical fire had been conjured and was now dancing cheerfully. Sirius must've brought me here after my retransformation, and cared for me while I was in the depths of the receding lycanthrope rage.

                "Ironic? What's ironic about it?" he asked, stepping closer and taking a seat in a tattered chair. His eyes never left mine, which was exactly like Sirius, concise and to the point. He looked more curious than worried now, although there was a light of concern in his face. He looked exhausted from lack of sleep, but I knew that he wouldn't let it go until I told him.

                So I did, unabashedly telling him about my brief reverie last night, and how it was so ironic that here he was when I thought him long separated. Sirius merely smiled and shook his head, then slumped back tiredly into the chair. But I didn't tell him one small bit of my thoughts…I didn't tell him that I still loved him; I wasn't sure what that might cause, especially right now. I would let it wait; it seemed as though he would be here for a while. And for that, I was thankful, and I let that thought follow me back into sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

NOTE: The rest of this fic will not be from Remus' POV, but from an omniscient POV, like most of my stories. This will make it easier to read and this way you can get both Sirius and Remus' thoughts on a subject!