A/N: I hope this makes up for the last chapter that was so short.
* * *
Lily awoke suddenly the next morning with the sun shining on her face. She had left her bed curtains open to be sure of this. She hadn't got much sleep at all. She was worried about Remus. She kept thinking she heard him howling.
Lily jumped out of bed and began to pull her robes on over the clothes she had slept in only to double over in pain.
"Damn full moon," she cursed under her breath. After a quick trip to the bathroom she pulled on her boots and grabbed her cloak. She hadn't noticed the cold last night but there was snow on the ground as evidence of it this morning. She remembered that Remus didn't have a cloak either and grabbed the one lying over Lizza's trunk. She would have it back before Lizza noticed. Her own pain would just have to wait a minute. She had promised to help Remus get up to the hospital wing.
Once outside she timidly stepped toward the Womping Willow. She had to do some searching to find the stick Remus had used to stop it's thrashing. It was covered in cold wet snow but she picked it up without hesitation and after a moment found the right knot to still the tree.
"Lily, is that you?" She heard the weak voice under the roots.
"It's me Remus, I'm here," Lily stepped down into the space under the tree and looked around. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but it certainly wasn't the long tunnel that stretched out of her vision. She wondered where it led. She didn't have long to think about that though as she saw Remus slumped over on the wall of the tunnel.
"For a minute there I thought you weren't coming," Remus smiled looking relieved.
"Ah well," she tried to make light of the situation, "I was on my way to the hospital wing anyway."
He chuckled and then shivered.
"Here," Lily said, quickly pulling out the extra cloak she had brought and wrapping it around him.
"Thanks."
"Come on lets go." She helped him up and put his arm over her shoulders to bear some of his weight. The two of them crawled out from under the tree and headed back up to the castle.
"Did you hear something?" Remus stopped in one of the corridors as they lumbered up to the hospital wing. Lily thought it must have been his werewolf senses kicking in because she didn't hear a thing. Just then the caretakers cat Mrs. Norris slipped around the corner looking pleased with herself at having caught someone. She hissed at them.
Lily was terrified. What were they going to do? And then she heard a sound from beside her, a deep animal growl that nearly made her jump out of her skin. Mrs. Norris ran away yelping.
Lily looked over a Remus who had a playful look in his tired eyes.
"One might think you enjoyed being a werewolf," she whispered to him.
"It does have it's advantages," he smiled.
The reached the hospital wing without any further interruption and Lily helped Remus up into his usual bed by the window and then fell into the one beside it.
"Do you know when Madam P is supposed to get back?"
"I think she. . ."
"There you are," Madam P herself interrupted him. "I was just about to go down and get you." Then she noticed Lily. "Miss Evans you didn't. . ."
"I - I just got here. I wanted that potion for my cramps."
"Of course, of course," she went to go get it.
"Do you think she suspects something?" Lily whispered.
"I don't think so," Remus answered softly, "but you may want to do something about your cape and boots."
Lily looked down at her snowy clothes. She performed a quick drying spell and shoved her cloak under her pillow.
"Here you go," the nurse handed Lily the vile of pink potion and watched as she drank every drop. "Now you rest while I tend to my other patient." She turned and handed another vile to Remus. "Just a little bit of this and that stomach ache will be right as rain," she had her back to Lily but was making sure to speak loudly enough for her to hear.
Lily saw Remus roll his eyes when he knew the nurse wasn't watching. Lily suppressed a giggle.
"Now," the nurse stepped back. "both of you rest and I'll come back and check on you in a bit."
"Sleep well," Lily whispered to the boy in the bed next to her. He just nodded his eyes were already closed. Lily rolled onto her side hugging a pillow to her stomach. The pain was beginning to ebb away. Soon she was asleep too.
* * *
James Potter woke up annoyed. He couldn't remember exactly why but when he threw back his bed curtains and saw that Remus' bed had not been slept in he remembered everything. Something was going on. Where had Lily and Remus gone? And this wasn't the first time Remus had gone missing. It happened quite often actually. He'd never known Lily to act like that though. She had promised to help with the potion. It wasn't like her to break a promise.
Well, they'd gotten the potion done anyway. It was corked and locked safely in his trunk till it could do its damage. But that was beside the point. Something was definitely going on.
James looked at the other two Gryffindor 1st years who were still asleep. Peter curled up around his teddy bear, and Sirius sprawled over his bed with his head at the wrong end. He picked up one of his shoes and threw it at Sirius' head.
The sleeping boy barked and sprung up to his hands and knees looking around the room.
James couldn't help but laugh.
Sirius glared at him and rubbed his head, "What'd you do that for? I was havin' a really weird dream that I was a dog."
"Mummy. . ." Peter stirred in his sleep. Making the other two boys laugh. But then James got Serious.
"Remus never came in last night."
Sirius looked at the empty bed and shrugged, "He's done it before. He's probably gone to see his sick Mum again."
"I don't know," James frowned, "It's too weird the way he and Lil ran off last night."
Sirius' eyes grew wide, "You don't think they're. . ."
James rolled his eyes and threw another shoe at him.
"What?" Sirius dodged the shoe.
"I think they're a little too young for that," James thought, "but I do think there's something Lily's not telling us. She knows something I'm sure of it."
"I wonder if she came in last night?" Sirius yawned.
"I'm gonna go find out." James collected his shoes and put them on along with his robes.
"K' you do that." Sirius yawned again, "I'm gonna stay here in case Lupin comes back." He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
James rolled his eyes again and slipped out the door. He made his way quietly over to the girls side and into the 1st years room. They were all still asleep but Lily's bed was empty.
"Lizza," he whispered loudly, "hey Lizza wake up."
She rolled over and opened one eye to look at him, "Hmm?"
"Did Lily come in last night?"
"Yeah, she was here when I came up. Why is she. . ." Lizza noted the empty state of the bed next to hers. "Oh," she yawned, "She's probably down at the hospital wing. I think it's her time of the month."
"Time of the . . .?" James looked confused and then remembered, "Oh gotcha. Thanks."
"Um-hum," she fell back asleep.
James then headed for the hospital wing still thinking, "time of the month," he laughed to himself, "maybe it's Lupin's time of the month." James stopped dead in the middle of the corridor and then began to run, "That's it!" James slid into the hospital wing, his shoes squeaking on the tiled floor.
Lily's eyes flew open and she turned to see him. "Shh," she demanded before he could make another sound. She looked at the door to Madam Pomfry's office. It was still closed.
James tip toed over and looked at Remus who was still sleeping.
"Don't wake him," Lily whispered.
"I wont," James answered defensively, "He must have had a bad night."
Lily gasped, "you know?"
"I just figured it out on the way down here," then he looked at her, perturbed, "how long have you known?"
"A couple of months," she shrugged and then bit her lip. "You won't tell him I told you will you? I promised I wouldn't tell."
"You didn't tell me. I figured it out on my own."
"You aren't mad are you?" Lily searched his face.
"At you? No. You made a promise."
"No I mean . . . you have a werewolf for a roommate. Are you okay with that?"
"Oh, I don't see as it maters very much. I mean he seems to have it under control."
"He almost didn't last night." Lily looked at the sleeping boy a bit sadly.
"Well, we'll make sure that that never happens again." James stated confidently.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"Well, now that we know we can help him out, you know, study up on it, see if there's anything we can do to make him more comfortable."
"I don't know about that. It sounds dangerous to me."
"Ah, come on Lil, you're the queen of research. Don't you want to use that gift to help out a friend."
"Actually," she bowed her head shyly, "I've already started reading up on his condition."
"That's my girl." James said a bit too loudly.
Remus began to stir but the nurse in her office didn't seem to have noticed.
"Lil, what's," Remus began and then he noticed James. "What are you doing here?"
"I figured it out," James tried to keep his voice down but he was bursting with excitement.
Remus looked worriedly at Lily.
"No, she didn't tell me," James brought the attention back to himself. "We are going to help you."
"There's no need to. . ." Remus began.
"Of course there is." James smiled, "You are a friend in need and we are going to get to the bottom of this."
"James, this can't leave this room." Lily admonished him.
"Of course. No one has to know but you, me and Sirius and Peter."
"James, No!" Remus tried to stop him. But just then the door burst open again.
"Is someone throwing a party with out us?" Sirius and Peter strode into the room.
"Guess what?" James ran over to them excitedly, "I figured it out! Remus is a werewolf!"
"What!" Sirius yelled. Peter looked at Remus and then looked as if he might bolt.
"Would you all keep it down?" Lily tried to calm them, "Madam P doesn't even know that I know."
"What?" Sirius said again a bit quieter this time, "You knew."
"Yes, now grab Peter before he faints."
Peter was indeed looking a bit pale.
Madam Pomfry suddenly threw open the door to her office and saw the three unwelcome guests. "What's all this?" she yelled.
Remus pretended to be asleep, and no one spoke.
"Well?" the nurse glared at the three boys.
"They wanted to ask me a question about an essay we're doing for Potions," Lily piped up.
"Well, they can do that some where else I think, and not disturb my patients."
"Yes Ma'am." James began to push the other boys out the door. "We should have known better. We'll just be going."
"And I'm feeling much better," Lily hopped up out of bed. She noticed her cloak peeking out from under the pillow and quickly grabbed it and hid it behind her back, "I think I'll just go with them and see about that essay."
"Very well then," the nurse seemed appeased for the moment but she still had her hands on her hips, "Let me know if you need anything else, Miss Evans."
"Yes, Ma'am." Lily ran out and smacked right into James who was waiting right outside the door. She looked up at him, his face mere centimeters from her own.
"That was close," he said.
"Yes quite close," she replied.
* * *
Lily awoke suddenly the next morning with the sun shining on her face. She had left her bed curtains open to be sure of this. She hadn't got much sleep at all. She was worried about Remus. She kept thinking she heard him howling.
Lily jumped out of bed and began to pull her robes on over the clothes she had slept in only to double over in pain.
"Damn full moon," she cursed under her breath. After a quick trip to the bathroom she pulled on her boots and grabbed her cloak. She hadn't noticed the cold last night but there was snow on the ground as evidence of it this morning. She remembered that Remus didn't have a cloak either and grabbed the one lying over Lizza's trunk. She would have it back before Lizza noticed. Her own pain would just have to wait a minute. She had promised to help Remus get up to the hospital wing.
Once outside she timidly stepped toward the Womping Willow. She had to do some searching to find the stick Remus had used to stop it's thrashing. It was covered in cold wet snow but she picked it up without hesitation and after a moment found the right knot to still the tree.
"Lily, is that you?" She heard the weak voice under the roots.
"It's me Remus, I'm here," Lily stepped down into the space under the tree and looked around. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but it certainly wasn't the long tunnel that stretched out of her vision. She wondered where it led. She didn't have long to think about that though as she saw Remus slumped over on the wall of the tunnel.
"For a minute there I thought you weren't coming," Remus smiled looking relieved.
"Ah well," she tried to make light of the situation, "I was on my way to the hospital wing anyway."
He chuckled and then shivered.
"Here," Lily said, quickly pulling out the extra cloak she had brought and wrapping it around him.
"Thanks."
"Come on lets go." She helped him up and put his arm over her shoulders to bear some of his weight. The two of them crawled out from under the tree and headed back up to the castle.
"Did you hear something?" Remus stopped in one of the corridors as they lumbered up to the hospital wing. Lily thought it must have been his werewolf senses kicking in because she didn't hear a thing. Just then the caretakers cat Mrs. Norris slipped around the corner looking pleased with herself at having caught someone. She hissed at them.
Lily was terrified. What were they going to do? And then she heard a sound from beside her, a deep animal growl that nearly made her jump out of her skin. Mrs. Norris ran away yelping.
Lily looked over a Remus who had a playful look in his tired eyes.
"One might think you enjoyed being a werewolf," she whispered to him.
"It does have it's advantages," he smiled.
The reached the hospital wing without any further interruption and Lily helped Remus up into his usual bed by the window and then fell into the one beside it.
"Do you know when Madam P is supposed to get back?"
"I think she. . ."
"There you are," Madam P herself interrupted him. "I was just about to go down and get you." Then she noticed Lily. "Miss Evans you didn't. . ."
"I - I just got here. I wanted that potion for my cramps."
"Of course, of course," she went to go get it.
"Do you think she suspects something?" Lily whispered.
"I don't think so," Remus answered softly, "but you may want to do something about your cape and boots."
Lily looked down at her snowy clothes. She performed a quick drying spell and shoved her cloak under her pillow.
"Here you go," the nurse handed Lily the vile of pink potion and watched as she drank every drop. "Now you rest while I tend to my other patient." She turned and handed another vile to Remus. "Just a little bit of this and that stomach ache will be right as rain," she had her back to Lily but was making sure to speak loudly enough for her to hear.
Lily saw Remus roll his eyes when he knew the nurse wasn't watching. Lily suppressed a giggle.
"Now," the nurse stepped back. "both of you rest and I'll come back and check on you in a bit."
"Sleep well," Lily whispered to the boy in the bed next to her. He just nodded his eyes were already closed. Lily rolled onto her side hugging a pillow to her stomach. The pain was beginning to ebb away. Soon she was asleep too.
* * *
James Potter woke up annoyed. He couldn't remember exactly why but when he threw back his bed curtains and saw that Remus' bed had not been slept in he remembered everything. Something was going on. Where had Lily and Remus gone? And this wasn't the first time Remus had gone missing. It happened quite often actually. He'd never known Lily to act like that though. She had promised to help with the potion. It wasn't like her to break a promise.
Well, they'd gotten the potion done anyway. It was corked and locked safely in his trunk till it could do its damage. But that was beside the point. Something was definitely going on.
James looked at the other two Gryffindor 1st years who were still asleep. Peter curled up around his teddy bear, and Sirius sprawled over his bed with his head at the wrong end. He picked up one of his shoes and threw it at Sirius' head.
The sleeping boy barked and sprung up to his hands and knees looking around the room.
James couldn't help but laugh.
Sirius glared at him and rubbed his head, "What'd you do that for? I was havin' a really weird dream that I was a dog."
"Mummy. . ." Peter stirred in his sleep. Making the other two boys laugh. But then James got Serious.
"Remus never came in last night."
Sirius looked at the empty bed and shrugged, "He's done it before. He's probably gone to see his sick Mum again."
"I don't know," James frowned, "It's too weird the way he and Lil ran off last night."
Sirius' eyes grew wide, "You don't think they're. . ."
James rolled his eyes and threw another shoe at him.
"What?" Sirius dodged the shoe.
"I think they're a little too young for that," James thought, "but I do think there's something Lily's not telling us. She knows something I'm sure of it."
"I wonder if she came in last night?" Sirius yawned.
"I'm gonna go find out." James collected his shoes and put them on along with his robes.
"K' you do that." Sirius yawned again, "I'm gonna stay here in case Lupin comes back." He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
James rolled his eyes again and slipped out the door. He made his way quietly over to the girls side and into the 1st years room. They were all still asleep but Lily's bed was empty.
"Lizza," he whispered loudly, "hey Lizza wake up."
She rolled over and opened one eye to look at him, "Hmm?"
"Did Lily come in last night?"
"Yeah, she was here when I came up. Why is she. . ." Lizza noted the empty state of the bed next to hers. "Oh," she yawned, "She's probably down at the hospital wing. I think it's her time of the month."
"Time of the . . .?" James looked confused and then remembered, "Oh gotcha. Thanks."
"Um-hum," she fell back asleep.
James then headed for the hospital wing still thinking, "time of the month," he laughed to himself, "maybe it's Lupin's time of the month." James stopped dead in the middle of the corridor and then began to run, "That's it!" James slid into the hospital wing, his shoes squeaking on the tiled floor.
Lily's eyes flew open and she turned to see him. "Shh," she demanded before he could make another sound. She looked at the door to Madam Pomfry's office. It was still closed.
James tip toed over and looked at Remus who was still sleeping.
"Don't wake him," Lily whispered.
"I wont," James answered defensively, "He must have had a bad night."
Lily gasped, "you know?"
"I just figured it out on the way down here," then he looked at her, perturbed, "how long have you known?"
"A couple of months," she shrugged and then bit her lip. "You won't tell him I told you will you? I promised I wouldn't tell."
"You didn't tell me. I figured it out on my own."
"You aren't mad are you?" Lily searched his face.
"At you? No. You made a promise."
"No I mean . . . you have a werewolf for a roommate. Are you okay with that?"
"Oh, I don't see as it maters very much. I mean he seems to have it under control."
"He almost didn't last night." Lily looked at the sleeping boy a bit sadly.
"Well, we'll make sure that that never happens again." James stated confidently.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"Well, now that we know we can help him out, you know, study up on it, see if there's anything we can do to make him more comfortable."
"I don't know about that. It sounds dangerous to me."
"Ah, come on Lil, you're the queen of research. Don't you want to use that gift to help out a friend."
"Actually," she bowed her head shyly, "I've already started reading up on his condition."
"That's my girl." James said a bit too loudly.
Remus began to stir but the nurse in her office didn't seem to have noticed.
"Lil, what's," Remus began and then he noticed James. "What are you doing here?"
"I figured it out," James tried to keep his voice down but he was bursting with excitement.
Remus looked worriedly at Lily.
"No, she didn't tell me," James brought the attention back to himself. "We are going to help you."
"There's no need to. . ." Remus began.
"Of course there is." James smiled, "You are a friend in need and we are going to get to the bottom of this."
"James, this can't leave this room." Lily admonished him.
"Of course. No one has to know but you, me and Sirius and Peter."
"James, No!" Remus tried to stop him. But just then the door burst open again.
"Is someone throwing a party with out us?" Sirius and Peter strode into the room.
"Guess what?" James ran over to them excitedly, "I figured it out! Remus is a werewolf!"
"What!" Sirius yelled. Peter looked at Remus and then looked as if he might bolt.
"Would you all keep it down?" Lily tried to calm them, "Madam P doesn't even know that I know."
"What?" Sirius said again a bit quieter this time, "You knew."
"Yes, now grab Peter before he faints."
Peter was indeed looking a bit pale.
Madam Pomfry suddenly threw open the door to her office and saw the three unwelcome guests. "What's all this?" she yelled.
Remus pretended to be asleep, and no one spoke.
"Well?" the nurse glared at the three boys.
"They wanted to ask me a question about an essay we're doing for Potions," Lily piped up.
"Well, they can do that some where else I think, and not disturb my patients."
"Yes Ma'am." James began to push the other boys out the door. "We should have known better. We'll just be going."
"And I'm feeling much better," Lily hopped up out of bed. She noticed her cloak peeking out from under the pillow and quickly grabbed it and hid it behind her back, "I think I'll just go with them and see about that essay."
"Very well then," the nurse seemed appeased for the moment but she still had her hands on her hips, "Let me know if you need anything else, Miss Evans."
"Yes, Ma'am." Lily ran out and smacked right into James who was waiting right outside the door. She looked up at him, his face mere centimeters from her own.
"That was close," he said.
"Yes quite close," she replied.