You wants a disclaimer?  I'll gives you a disclaimer.  I don't own these peoples.  I'se told you before!!! Fuggedaboud-it!

Chapter Four:  The Time of Revelations

12 year old Remus Lupin floated between consciousness and unconsciousness on his bed in a private section of the Hospital Wing.  Another painful transformation was out of the way, and yet it was little comfort to him at a time like this.  It was only later that he would realize the inevitable ending of his life, as this was one less month to live through.

            Waves of agony and nausea rolled over the second year in torrents and he fought to keep his eyelids open.  His hazel eyes were amber again, but fading quickly.  His normally athletic body assumed an unhealthy frailty.  His ears were sensitive, and he heard a whispered conversation from the main ward.

            "How is he, Poppy?" 

He knew that voice.  How did Remus know that voice?

"When the transformations occur twice in a month, as when the full moon is actually directly between the two nights; that is the hardest on him.  The poor dear is terribly feverish and not really awake.  He had quite a few dislocated joints, which I fixed, and the normal scratches and bruises.  No broken bones this time, thank Merlin.  He's in a growth spurt at the moment and they would probably have broken at the growth plate.  The fever is slightly above his normal for this time of the month, and I'll give him a Febris potion when he's more lucid.  I would give him something for the pain, but it would only push him into a more comatose state at this point, Albus," came the woman's response.

            "You were taking this water to him?"

            "To see if I could help the fever break the Muggle way."

            "I shall look to him.  You have Mr. Potter's Quidditch injuries to deal with now.  Return to the main ward, Poppy.  Remus is in good hands."

            Furniture scraped along the stone floor and a solid object was set on the bedside table.  Something was dipped in a liquid, and a cool cloth made contact with Remus' burning forehead.  It gently wiped the sweat off and made the head more bearable, which had the unfortunate consequence of bringing more nausea to the adolescent.  He pushed the hand away roughly and fumbled with the rubbish bin, into which he vomited the last remaining contents of his stomach.  Pressing his left wrist to his bile soaked lips, he laid back down on the pillows.

            "Remus, are you awake then?"

            "Head… Headmaster?" he asked, finally recognizing the voice.  He turned his head weakly and his eyes focused on the professor's face.

            "How do you feel?"

            Remus exhaled sharply.  "Like every joint in my body has been ripped apart and put back together, twice.  And I think I just lost what was dinner, 2 weeks ago."

            Albus smiled.  "Your sense of humor has not suffered adverse effects."  He placed the cloth once again on Remus' face and checked his fever.

            "Thank Merlin.  If I lost that, I'd lost everything," he managed weakly.  "It's almost the end of term, isn't it?"

            "The feast is tonight, if you are up to it, Remus.  Slytherin is the leader in point totals.  Your House has won both the Quidditch and House Cups," Dumbledore said soothingly.

            Remus laughed weakly.  "Gods, I can't even think about food now."  He did not move again.  "I just want to lie here until I die… and that feels rather soon that this point."

            "Mr. Malfoy has been asking after you.  You have made quite an impression on our Head Boy.  He asked me if you would be up to visitors this afternoon.  He is most insistent that one of Slytherin's Beaters should not be in the Hospital Wing during the presentation of the cup he helped win in both Quidditch and classes.  I believe your friend, Mr. Black, told him that you were suffering from a recurrence of a communicable disease and had to be quarantined for the past two nights."  He raised an eyebrow, but his eyes didn't lose their twinkle.

            Remus nodded.  "That's what I told him last year.  'A half truth is better than a full lie', right sir?  I had to tell them something, sir.  They're Slytherins… a bit too suspicious for their own good."

"That is a saying of Salazar Slytherin's is it not?  Good.  Perhaps after lunch, you could accept visitors.  It is 6 in the morning now, and you need both rest and medication.  I shall fetch the necessary potions, Remus."

            Remus lay back against the pillow and closed his eyes, dozing off yet again. 

            Dumbledore re-entered the room with a few potions.  Smiling, he brushed the slick strands from Remus' face.  "Rest, child."

            Remus was just waking up again when a knock came on the door of the smallest quarantine room.  He shifted and turned his gaze to the door.  "It should be open," he responded, yawning.

            "Hey, Remmy, it's us," Sirius said from the doorway, followed closely by Severus.

            "Who else?  Come on in," Remus replied, waving his hand over at a couple of chairs.

            Severus eyed the potions on his bedside table and nodded at them.  "You really should take those if they were left for you.  You look like death warmed over," he commented.

            "You look like you've been attacked by a rampaging hippogriff."

            "You look like…"

            Remus sighed.  "Enough guys!  I know I look terrible.  Siri, could you hand them to me?"

            "Honestly, you're pastier than usual.  Is it worse this time?" he asked, as he handed the first vial to Remus.

            The werewolf downed the first, a pain potion, then accepted the second, an energy booster.  "You should have seen me earlier.  I … I couldn't move, except to lose my lunch."  Remus sat up too quickly and felt his head spin.  He shook his head to clear it, then rubbed his eyes.  "I hate being sick…"

            "Even more than the oppressive bourgeoisie and upper class of the Wizarding World?" Snape asked earnestly.

"Sev, don't start.  I don't hate your family…"

            "You hate 'the bigoted, intolerant inbred imbeciles that dictate societal responses to outcasts'," Snape countered smiling.  "I know.  But it got your mind off your headache, didn't it?  Exam scores came out today.  Sirius and I copied down your marks in everything.  Do you want to know?"

            Sirius shook his head.  "Why should he want to know?  He's top of our class in everything, and for good reason.  He never takes a study break."

            "When I was little, I couldn't play when I was sick… so I read.  A lot.  I like to read."

            "It shows.  You got perfect scores in everything except DADA and Potions.  And in those two, you got more than 100% for the term," Sirius said.  "It's sickening."

            "It's almost inhuman."

            Remus looked away, his gaze darkening.  "Yeah.  Sorry I make you all look bad."

            Sev laughed.  "At least you take some of the shine off of Evans.  She's out in the ward with Potter and Pettigrew."

            Remus looked back at the two and frowned.  "What happened?  Usually, you can't pay those three to stay out of here."

            "James tried out for the Quidditch team yesterday, and while he was practicing last night, he sort of grounded himself," Sirius replied. 

            "Smart.  I'll go look in on him later.  He's a seeker, then?"

            "Yes.  But go see him when you're better.  You've got to get ready for the Leaving Feast.  I know you're not that hungry, but you really ought to come just the same," Severus said, pushing Remus gently back onto the bed.

            Sirius looked at Snape, and said, "Sev, you mind giving me a second with him before Pomfrey kicks us out?"

            Severus shot both of them a cautious look.  "Alright.  We'll be back at 4.  Pomfrey should let you out by then."

            Snape left and Sirius moved closer.  "Remus, there's been something that James and Petey and I have been meaning to talk to you about."

            Remus leaned back to knead a sore spot on his spine.  "Don't mince words, Sirius.  You know how I hate that."

            "You lied to me."

            Remus smiled.  "Glad to see my bluntness is rubbing off.  Tell me when I lied."

            "You told me that you got sick once a month."

            "That was the truth.  As you can see, I do."

            Sirius sighed.  "You never mentioned that it was the full moon when you got sick."

            Remus' marrow chilled.  "No.  I didn't."

            "How about the fact that you consciously avoid anything silver, or made with silver, you come back every month with new scars and you avoid everything to do with the word 'wolf'?  And don't pretend that what Sev just said didn't bother you.  He said not human."

            "Inhuman, Siri.  There's a completely different connotation."

            "And then there's the scar that you have on the left side of your ribs.  Took me forever to figure out what it was.  Remus, are you a werewolf?"

            Remus lay back down completely.  "Spot on, I'm afraid."  He rubbed his temples anxiously, then considered pulling the pillow over his head and smothering himself with it.  But then again, Sirius might just be willing to help.  "So… you gonna give me a hand packing, or is this goodbye?"

            "Remus…"

            "Siri, you know how much the Wizarding world hates werewolves.  The only people who would even consider dealing with us are Dark Wizards like Grindewald.  I never thought I could come here because the Headmasters of this school have been historically like-minded.  Dumbledore had to persuade me to come, and it is by secrecy and his protection alone that I attend Hogwarts.  If the Ministry ever figured it out, Dumbledore would face charges of child endangerment, and I would be arrested, maybe even exterminated."

            "You're not trying to leave again, are you?" Sirius asked, incredulously. 

            "It was only a matter of time, Sirius.  No one wants me, because when I was four and a half, I was bitten by a wolf at the height of the full moon.  My family was the first to abandon me… but they won't be the last."

            "Remus, you're twelve.  Where would you go?"

            "Away.  I can't repay Dumbledore's kindness with betrayal.  If I leave now…"

            "If you leave now, I'll lose my best friend in my own House.  And I don't want that.  We… we just wanted to let you know that we knew, and that we can understand why you want to leave completely, but we won't abandon you, and we'll keep your secret," Sirius said.  "Besides, if you leave, the Ministry will find out, and Dumbledore will face the same consequences as you just said."

            Remus just stared at him.

            "Hey, you promised not to abandon me.  I make the same promise," Sirius countered.  "I swear on my honor as a wizard and on my own heart that I will never forsake you, no matter what life has in store.  You understand me?"

            Remus wanted to tell his friend that his parents had promised to love him forever.  "Does Sev know?"

            "I don't think so.  We… we can tell him if you want, but we haven't told anyone.  Not even Dumbledore knows."

            "Dumbledore knows everything, Siri."  He smiled wanly.  "He told me that once, and I am inclined to believe him."

            "So he knows.  So what?  Stop being so noble and for once do something for yourself.  You are coming back, if I have to drag you out of that orphanage myself, come August.  I swear it."

            Remus was buttoning up the white shirt of his uniform, getting ready for the Feast.  He was still a bit pale, and clammy, but he had made a promise, and a promise from Remus Janus Lupin was not easily broken.  There was a knock on the door as he moved to close his left cuff.  "Come in."

            The Headmaster opened the door and smiled.  "I had come to ask you to get ready for the Feast, but I believe you have beaten me to the punch, so to speak."

            Remus nodded, running his fingers through his light brown hair.  "I told Sirius I would come.  I mean, even if I have to go back to the orphanage, I might as well enjoy the time tonight, instead of moping around an empty Hospital Wing."

            Dumbledore gestured to the bed.  "May I sit, Remus?"

            "Of course, sir."

            The wizened mage folded his hands as the 12 year old struggled with his tie.  "Remus, I had been meaning to speak with you about the orphanage.  I believe that I have located someone who is willing to adopt you."

            Remus froze, unable to believe his ears.  "Adopt?"

            "Yes.  You would have a family.  A small one, I would admit, but there is no doubt that you would be loved and cared for."

            "Who?"

            "A single wizard.  He's a grandfather already, but he is a trusted friend of the school's and he knows all about you." 

            The werewolf pulled his Slytherin sweater over his shirt.  "He's a friend of yours, then?"

            "You could say that."

            "And he knows everything?"

            "Yes."

            Remus nodded falling into silence again.  "I see," was the whispered reply. 

            "Remus, when you returned, you had as many bruises as I have ever seen you receive.  It is not a safe environment for any child, and I do not wish to allow you to return to such a place."

            "So, I'll have a father," he countered, more a statement than a question.

            "Yes, Remus.  You will have a father, and a home."

            "Who?" he repeated, more forcefully than before.

            "That is, if you'll have me, Remus."

            Remus turned from the window, about to fall over in shock.  "You, sir?  But you've already done so much, and…"

            Dumbledore smiled.  "It is time that somebody did more for you than just 'enough to get by'.  Remus, you are an intelligent student, a thoughtful person, and a kind soul.  And I am a lonely old man when the students are gone.  I would enjoy your company, and I would love to open my home to you, if you'll take it."

            Remus sat on the bed, next to Dumbledore.  "I… Merlin, why won't the world sit still for a second," he muttered.  "Headmaster, I don't know if you realize what you're proposing.  You're proposing to adopt a 12 year old werewolf, who you have educated for the past two.  And I am a Slytherin troublemaker at that!"

            "I have raised 3 children satisfactorily before.  Besides, Remus, our uniqueness only defines us if we let it.  I don't see you as a lycanthrope," he said gently.  He placed his hand on Remus' shoulder, before smiling again, azure eyes at full twinkle.  "I see you as Remus."

            "I'm fiercely independent, you know?" Remus countered after a moment's pause.

            "Yes, I do."

            "And hopelessly a neat freak."

            "I know," he said, chuckling.

            "I drink milk straight out of the carton.  Sometimes I use a spoon, then I put it right back in the drawer," he said jokingly.

            Dumbledore laughed outright.  "No, you don't.  You always use a glass," he said, mussing Remus' hair slightly.

            Remus laughed for a while and then sobered.  "But, sir… it wouldn't be safe… for either of us."

            Albus Dumbledore looked at Remus, slightly confused.  "To what are you referring, my boy?"

            Remus got up and walked to the window.  "Sir, on Knockturn Alley, you hear a lot of things when people think no one is listening.  I've heard a lot of people talking on the street.  About someone they keep calling Grindewald's successor… the next Dark Lord, Headmaster.  If they're right, it's not gonna be pretty when the bloke shows up.  I mean, he's recruiting several of the old Slytherin families… that's another place I've heard about it.  I have no desire to fight alongside the Ministry should this thing come to a head, but I dunno… the mention of this guy they keep talking about sends chills down my spine, and I don't know why.  His name is Voldemort, I think." 

            "Voldemort," Dumbledore echoed. 

            "Yeah, and if all these people down on Knockturn are telling the god's-honest-truth, things are gonna get really bad.  We're talking worse than the Dark Times of Grindewald.  And one of his targets is bound to be this school… and you."

            Albus nodded sadly.  "Indeed, it may be."

            "Don't you understand sir?" Remus asked, turning.  "If he does, then he will use whoever he can to make you give up… and if anyone is related to you and at this school, that only increases the risk of him finding out and using that person to destroy you.  That's the way he's got to be thinking, sir.  If you adopt me, and the world finds out, I'll be a target as well as you, if not more.  And you'll forgive me, but I didn't survive this long by being a complete moron."

            Dumbledore sighed.  "Dear boy, life is a risk.  And so is love.  But if you live your life isolated from everyone else because you believe that you are performing a favor for the world, you will end up alone, and hurting so many more.  Strategically speaking, you are right.  If this new threat rises, I, and the entire school, may be in grave danger.  But if he is able to use your loneliness and isolation to destroy your life, then we will have lost greater things than our safety.  One person, Remus… one man, one woman, one child, can change the course of the future.  One man can destroy tyranny.  We know only what we are, not what we may one day become.  My offer still stands."

            Remus considered his shoes as the Headmaster made a discrete exit. 

            "Oh, and before I forget, Madame Pomfrey wished for me to convey to you, that you are not permitted to depart with the other students before the customary recovery period is up.  After the Feast, you shall return here, and once you have been released, then we will make a better decision of where to send you.  All I ask is that you consider my offer until then, Remus," Dumbledore said, pausing at the doorway.

            Remus sighed, eyes once again fully amber in annoyance.  "My dear Headmaster, you would have made a great Slytherin, if only for your skills of manipulation."

            Dumbledore chuckled.  "I have absolutely no idea what you are referring to, Remus."  He rummaged through his pockets, looking for the paperwork, and handed it to the lycanthrope.  "See you at the Feast, my boy."

--00--

Warning… Author's Rant ahead.

So, computers are the spawn of Satan.  I had a 9 page lab report on my computer, and was about to print it out, when the whole thing tanked.  Literally taking every document I had ever saved on this computer with it.  Aren't we glad that RHF (that would be me) had heard of backing up one's files?  Otherwise, people with pitchforks would be chasing me right now.   So good news… completely done with final exams… I'll try to keep them coming.  Bad news… I will have to track down where every file is now, before I can update again… and I am going away for the weekend.  So… yeah, I suck.

Hope you enjoyed Sick!Remus and how the guys pieced it together.  But coming up next is perhaps one of my favorite bits in Remus' pre-Harry life… the Whomping Willow incident!!!!

And for those who care, the quote about drinking milk out of the carton, yeah, that's not mine.  It's from "Man of the House", a movie from the 90's with a young Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Chevy Chase.  V. funny.

And now for the thanks:

            Lexi, Futon, Piri Lupin-Snape, Diva937, em, witchchild, and Kat