A week later, the Marauders were sitting in Transfiguration again, trying not to laugh at the rage on Professor McGonagall's face as she screamed at Sirius for turning his mouse into a snake (the assignment was to turn it into a rock) and allowing it to slither around the classroom scaring the girls, when someone knocked at the door. They used the interruption to hide their snickering, until the girl in the doorway asked to see Remus. He packed up his things and left, telling his friends that he didn't know what it was about, although they noticed that he didn't look them in the eye.
He didn't rejoin then in their next class, and by the time they returned to Gryffindor Tower after dinner, he was still gone.
"I wonder what's up with him." Peter frowned.
"Dunno, I hope it's nothing serious." James said as they climbed the stairs up to their dorm room.
"Hey, look at this." Sirius walked over to Remus's bed and picked up a piece of parchment.
Hey guys, my mom's sick again and I'm going home to see her. I'll be back in a couple of days. Don't get in too much trouble while I'm gone. Remus
"Wow, I hope she's ok. This is the second time he's gone home to see her." Peter worried, but James was looking curiously at Remus's bed.
"He took all his books." James noted.
"So? You know Remus, he wouldn't want to fall behind." Peter shrugged.
"If his mum was that sick, I don't think he'd be worrying about how much homework he missed." Sirius said thoughtfully.
"So what, you guys think he's lying about where he went?" Peter asked sounding thoroughly confused.
Sirius ignored him. "He's gone a lot, and something didn't seem quite right last time he left either."
"He was sick, people!" Peter said exasperatedly.
"Yeah, so sick that he had to stay overnight in the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us visit him." Sirius mused.
"You said yourselves that he looked really pale."
"Yes, and come to think of it, he looked pale again today."
"I do believe our dear friend is hiding something." James remarked.
"I agree." Sirius stated.
"But why? What's he hiding?" Peter asked.
"Now that is the first intelligent question you've come up with all night." Sirius smiled at him.
Long after Peter and Frank had gone to sleep, James and Sirius lay awake trying to figure out what their friend was up to.
"So what's making him pale? Is he really sick? Maybe its something serious and he just doesn't want to tell us." James whispered.
"Maybe he's a werewolf." Sirius said, staring out the window at the full moon.
James was about to tell him off for messing around, when he suddenly remembered something. His eyes went wide and he rolled out of bed, searching for something in his book bag.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Sirius propped himself up on one elbow to raise see what James was looking for. "I was only joking."
"I just remembered something. Last time Remus was gone was a full moon, too. I remember I needed his help on my astronomy chart, because you never pay attention."
"Who cares about where the flippin' stars are? I don't believe in any of that fortune telling/ stargazing crap."
James just ignored him as he pulled his astronomy chart out of his bag. "Lumos" His wand began to glow as he skimmed through the charts. "See, look at this, the first time was full moon, too! Some coincidence, he's absent three times, and all three just happen to fall on full moons? And haven't you noticed how he always looks kind of pale before he leaves? And when he comes back he looks terrible, all exhausted, like he just got over some horrible illness."
"Come on James, you don't really think Remus is a werewolf do you?" Sirius frowned.
"It checks out." James answered as he pulled out another book and began leafing through it. "Ok, five signs of a werewolf; gone at full moons, obviously; it says they're rather pale and look slightly unhealthy even between moons, that definitely fits; can't touch silver; abnormally strong; and that they are afraid of the moon."
"Have you ever seen Remus act like he was scared of the moon?" Sirius asked, still skeptic.
"Well no, but how many times have you seen him outside in the moonlight? Have you ever seen him handle silver? I noticed when we were in Hogsmeade he just had a bunch of Knuts, but no Sickles."
"So, he's not exactly rich, that doesn't make him a werewolf."
"I know how we can figure this out, once and for all."
"Ask him?"
James rolled his eyes. "If he's been hiding it from us this long, do you think he'd just admit it if we did ask? No, just try to force him to touch silver."
"But if he is a werewolf, won't that hurt?"
"I'm sure if he knows it will hurt he won't do it."
"Whatever, you're crazy. I'm going to sleep."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next day during Care of Magical Creatures, where they were looking after flobberworms, Sirius pulled a lollipop out of his bag.
"Here, mate." he said, handing it to Peter, who was widely known to have a bit of a sweet tooth. "I've already had about as much candy as I can take."
"Really? Thanks!" Peter said as he eagerly stuck the lollipop in his mouth.
A few moments later a loud scream filled the classroom and James and Sirius began laughing so hard they almost fell out of their chairs. The rest of the class turned to look at Peter, who was sticking his tongue out and trying to talk at the same time. Some of the girls gasped and the rest of the class burst out laughing. There was a hole in the middle of Peter's tongue that was getting slowly but steadily bigger.
"Acid Pops, Pete." Sirius said between fits of laughter. "Got 'em at Honeydukes, remember?"
"Mr. Black, I suppose you think this is amusing?" screeched Professor Hilda, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. It was just a little harmless joke." Sirius said flashing her a winning smile.
"Well then, you can escort Mr. Pettigrew to the hospital wing and explain to Madam Pomfrey what happened." she said, her anger fading slightly and not seeming to realize that getting out of class was a reward for Sirius..
"Yes, ma'am."
As the two boys gathered up their things and walked out of the classroom, Sirius clapped Peter on the back. "How'd those Acid Pops feel, pal?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"Lyk umtim az banen uh olen I un, asole." Peter said, without any real malice in his voice.
"Sorry, Pete, didn't catch that." Sirius grinned.
When they arrived at the hospital wing, Sirius explained what was wrong with Peter because the smaller boy's tongue was nearly gone and he couldn't talk. Madam Pomfrey scolded him while she made the antidote for Peter, but Sirius was more interested in the bed in the far end of the hospital wing. The curtains were drawn around it, which was strange in itself, especially sense none of the other beds were being used. But even more unusual was the faint scratching sound of a quill on parchment coming from it. It seemed odd that someone who was too ill to be exposed to other patients to get out of class was well enough to be writing. Under the edge of the curtain Sirius thought he caught a glimpse of a suitcase that looked just like Remus's.