[6 p.m. at night]

To most of the students, it was the end of the day. But for the Marauders, it was just the beginning. James had an Invisibility Cloak which he inherited from his father, and it is big enough to cover all of them. In this way, they could sneak out of the common room after curfew and explore the castle. But Remus said he couldn't go.

"Why not? Look, this is going to be fun, and nobody's going to notice us!" said James.

"Well - my mother is ill. You know, she is in poor health, and - I have to go and care for her. I'll come back in the morning." he said slowly and cautiously.

"All right. Then we'll have to go alone. Do you mind?"

"Of - of course not. I have to go now. See you tomorrow." he said, and hurried down the stairs.

"Poor Remus. I think we should go with him to visit her mother. It wouldn't take long, but it will bring her comfort." Jane suggested.

Everybody agreed.

They hid under the Cloak and followed Remus on tiptoes. They didn't dare to make any noise and looked around at every step.

Remus led them from one staircase to another, until they arrived at the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was waiting at the door. She nodded to Remus and the two of them went away. James, Sirius and Jane looked at each other and went after them.

Madam Pomfrey led Remus outside the castle towards the Whomping Willow. It had great branches that whipped the air continuously.

"My father never told me anything about that! When was the tree planted? It could move!" James exclaimed. "And why are they going there? They'd get hurt!"

"Be quiet. Remus is not mad." said Jane.

Suddenly, Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand and pointed it at the roots of the tree. A wooden stick zoomed towards the tree and hit it near the roots. The next thing they knew was that the tree had stopped moving. Then she and Remus went towards the tree. They bent down and disappeared into the darkness.

"I'm sure the tree is going to start moving again pretty soon." said Sirius. "We'd better follow them."

He was right. The moment all three of them got to the tree, the branches started moving again.

Outside, the moon was coming out. By the moonlight, they found a hole under the roots. They climbed into it one by one.

In fact, the hole was the entrance to a tunnel. There was a wooden door at the end of it.

"Remus must be in there!" Sirius whispered. "Come on!"

"Does Remus' mother actually live in Hogwarts? She can't be living in a tree hole, can she?" asked James.

A howl came from behind the door. Jane's hair stood on end, and her blood ran cold.

"There's a wolf in there! " she thought. Then the story of Little Red Riding Hood came into her mind.

The others stood petrified near the doorway. Jane pushed them aside and peeped at the keyhole. What she saw gave her a nasty surprise.

She realized that the room behind the door was merely a shack, and far below living standards too. There was no bed, no table, and she couldn't see Remus' mother. She came to an unpleasant conclusion that Remus had been lying to them.

Secondly, the wolf had a strange appearance. She had seen wolves on TV, but this one was different. It was standing on its hind legs and walking around like a human. There was a pile of clothes on the floor beside it. Her face turned pale and she realized what was happening. Taking a deep breath, she calmed down and signaled for the others to come and have a look. A moment later, they all realized what had happened. Their best friend, Remus was a werewolf. But they weren't angry at him at all. They felt sorry for him and knew that they would have done the same if they were werewolves themselves. Finally, James decided that they shouldn't let Remus notice them, so they came out of the tunnel into the moonlight.

"No matter what, Remus is our best friend. It wasn't his fault and it's quite normal for him not to tell the truth. Now, does anyone know what we can do for him?" said Sirius.

Nobody answered. For now, they could do nothing for their friend. Jane finally knew why Remus was so introverted, shy and cautious. It was all because he didn't want to lose his friends. Would he be happy if they tell him that they knew about his secret, and that it didn't matter? The night breeze brushed gently on her face, and she felt like crying. Life was so unfair for him.

Life went on as usual. Their night explorations went on, and Remus nearly always went with them. When it came to full-moon nights, the Marauders simply pretended that they have homework to do.