Second Year
Remus Lupin made his way wearily back to Gryffindor Tower. He had spent three days in his shack, alone, while the moon changed him into a furry fanged monster. He was exhausted. His clothes were a shamble. He would have to write to his mum for new robes. Again.
"Abacus," he said to the portrait.
"Mister Lupin, you look horrid! Have you been in a fight? What will your mother think?" the fat lady exclaimed upon seeing him.
"Abacus," he repeated. "You're supposed to let me in, not chastise me."
"Well, I never," she said indignantly.
Remus sighed.
"I'm sorry. I'm just really tired and want to go to bed. I didn't mean to be rude."
She huffed and the portrait sprung open.
"See that you learn some manners before you return," she told him as he climbed through the portal.
"I said I was sorry!" But the portrait slammed back into place without another word. Grumbling, he climbed the winding staircase to the left and threw open the door to the Second Years room.
"Hey, Remus," James said when he entered. Sirius and Peter were standing with him, peering at something on the desk. "Where've you been?"
"Visiting my mum," he answered, throwing himself onto his bed and loosing the curtains to shut out the light.
"Your mum." It was Sirius' voice this time. "How is she?" The curtains of his bed were thrown open again.
"Exhausted," Remus huffed.
"She's exhausted?"
"No, she's sick. I'm exhausted. Go away." He pulled at the curtain again.
"Oh, she's sick."
The curtain was thrown open again. Sirius was grinning at him. "What's wrong with her?"
"Her son's about to get expelled for pummeling you, that's what's wrong." He reached up and pulled the curtain shut again.
"Well her son is a bean pole of a git who couldn't pummel a pillow."
"Leave him alone, Sirius," he heard James say softly. "He just had a full moon."
Remus froze in the dark cavern of his bed, scared that even a breath would betray him. What did they know?
The boys in the room made no sound, but kept their eyes trained on the black curtain of the bed. Very slowly, a hand emerged and pushed the curtain back, revealing Remus' pale face.
"What did you say, James?"
James stood from his desk, confident that they had been right in their assessment.
"I said, you just had a full moon. Am I right?"
Remus' eyes flicked to the faces of his three roommates, expecting to see fear in their eyes, but they simply stared expectantly back.
"Why do you say that?" He knew it was a dumb question. That they had said anything told him they already knew.
"Because we just had a full moon, Remus," James told him. "Just like we did the last time you 'visited your mum.' And the time before that. And all year last year."
"Co- coincidence," he stammered.
"Once or twice is a coincidence," Sirius told him. "This is a pattern. And the fact that you always come home so exhausted."
"And your clothes torn up," Peter added.
"You're a werewolf, aren't you?" James' eyes danced. He didn't have to hear the answer to know he was right. Remus reaction to the full moon question had been enough.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh come off it, Remus." Sirius leaned back against the pole of the bed. "We goof off a lot, but we're not imbeciles. We've seen all the signs. You're always sick just before and after a full moon, you disappear for the duration, you come back tired and disheveled."
"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" What was the point in any more denial?
"Tell anyone?" James burst out. "Are you mad?"
"Remus, this is the biggest secret in this school. Do you really think we're going to let anyone else in on it?" Sirius' face turned more serious. "Besides, people are afraid of werewolves. If we told anyone, parents would want you expelled. Then who'd we hang out with?"
Remus could believe what he was hearing.
"You mean, you guys aren't scared of me?"
"Scared? Of you? Remus, no offense, but you're not exactly intimidating."
"Not me. Of-"
"The wolf you?" James finished. "Obviously, Dumbledore knows and has taken some precautions. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here. What should we fear?"
A newfound sense confidence crept into Remus. At last, there was somebody who knew what he was wasn't afraid. Three somebodies. His friends. He allowed himself to open up to them, explaining how he had been bitten as a child and his condition hidden for so many years. How Dumbledore had planted the Whomping Willow and had the shack built for his use during his changes.
He was a changed boy, and even his mother had noticed it when he visited home over the holidays. He had friends at last.
And yet.
Yet he still felt fear deep within that others would find out. If Sirius, James, and Peter had figured out the truth, how long before others did as well?
How long before Moira found out?
While Remus spent more and more time with his friends, he still breakfasted with Moira, and she and Lily and Lana walked with the guys between their classes. He found himself thinking about her more and more.
Was this normal?
It galled him when Sirius made fun of her glasses or her hair. She wasn't exactly defenseless. Sirius had nearly choked on his orange juice when she called him a Dracula reject after the way his hair was slicked back from his shower. And Remus had seen him rub his arm and mouth "ow" more than once after she punched him there.
Remus just wished they would get along a little better.