The Truth About Remus
Chapter Four

"Damn, you guys look terrible."

James and Sirius sat down to breakfast with a less than enthusiastic plop. They glared at me for my comment, and then raised their eyebrows.

"I wouldn't be talking Miss 'I Got A Shiner Last Week but I Don't Know How'," James replied.

"You win," I mumbled and covered my cheek with my hand.

I had gotten a bruise when Remus hit me that night after out conversation. When I showed up the following morning with a huge black, blue and purple spot on my face, Remus looked at me, aghast, as if he wanted to apologize, but we were both too embarrassed about the whole ordeal to even speak to each other. Our friends noticed immediately that there was something wrong between the two of us, but said nothing.

"Actually, no, you didn't win," I finally exclaimed, taking back my last comment, "Prongs, you look terrible! Worse than you have ever looked after a night of this! What happened last night?"

James shook his head, but Sirius got the nerve to speak up.

"Moony's transformations are getting worse and his outbreaks more violent," Sirius replied, "Prongs and I can hardly hold on to him anymore and Peter, that no good coward, wasn't there incase one of us got hurt."

"You did get hurt," I told them.

"You call a few scratches getting hurt," he asked, "I mean, hurt badly."

"I'll go with you tonight," I insisted, "That way, you will be safe."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Thumps. You have to hide in a hole every time he transforms and, now with his higher level of strength and violence…I don't want you getting killed.

"I will be fine," I exclaimed, "My hole is more than safe. I am going with you."

Sirius shook his head. He knew that there was no use in arguing with me. Once I said that I was going to do something, it was going to be done. All we had to do now was wait until nightfall.

"Thumper, you go down first…we'll follow right behind."

Sirius, James and I were in the boy's dorm, preparing to go. I nodded at James' order and transformed into my rabbit form. I hopped down the stairs and across the common room. With my front paws, I pushed open the portrait and hopped out. I took a right and went through the hole in the wall under the bookcases. I followed the trails through the school that we, the Marauders, had discovered ages ago. No Prefects (except for Remus) or professors knew about them – I was pretty sure that no one other than us knew about them.

I came out of the passages, no sweat, and hopped up to the doors in the entrance hall, leading to the outside. After looking for Prefects, I morphed into myself, just to open one of the doors. Once outside, I went to my animal self again. I hopped as quickly as I cold to the Whomping Willow and sat there, waiting for my colleagues. Looking up at the sky, I noticed that tonight was cloudy. Maybe there wont be much activity tonight. I chewed on some grass, chased a cricket and washed by paws after killing the damned thing while I waited. I estimated that it was nearly an hour before they emerged from under the invisibility cloak. I morphed to meet them.

"What took you two so long?"

"Other than the fact that a portrait changed its password on us and wouldn't tell us the new one and we were almost caught by Prefects after Padfoot tripped over my foot, absolutely nothing," James exclaimed, "and its jolly good to see you too."

I shook my head, went animagi and hopped quickly between the swinging braches of the willow tree. I put my paw in the knot at the base of the tree and it froze. Padfoot the Grim and Prongs the Stag ran toward me and into he entrance of the tree. Once I let go of the knot, the tree began thrashing again. I entered the tunnel behind the two guys. After what seemed like miles of darkness, I came to the trap door that led to the inside of the Shrieking Shack.

James (in his human form) was holding the door open as I hopped in. Once Sirius and I were in out regular form, the three of us walked to the second floor of the house and to the door of Remus' bedroom.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," James hissed into the keyhole and the door swung open.

Remus was on the bed, doing his Transfiguration homework. He looked up at us as we walked in. I walked in last and his eyes grew wide.

"Ani, what are you doing here," he asked; they were the first words he has spoken to me in days.

"I came to make sure that you were doing okay," I replied, walking to him and sitting on the edge of the bed, "That's why I became an Animagi, after all."

He wrapped his arms around me; it was a hug of a friend relieved to see me. "I have missed you," he whispered.

"Me, too."

He pulled back and placed his hand on the bruise that he caused. "I am so sorry, Ani."

"Lets just forget about it, okay?" I asked.

"I would be more than happy to."

The four of us sat around, playing a Muggle game named Charades. Remus was up, and he had his back to us, preparing to perform his action, when I spotted the fur growing on his hands.

"Morph," I yelled and I watched Padfoot and Prongs leap at Remus.

I closed my eyes and tried to morph, but when I opened them, I was still in my human form. Moony was thrashing around and I was immobile, sitting against the wall, scared. I realized that he smelled my fear the moment I watched him stop and sniff the air. Then he turned to me. Both Prongs and Padfoot jumped at him to hold him down, obviously trying to give me time to morph, but they missed him as he jumped towards me. Moony landed right in front of me, between my spilt legs. I was frozen, staring him straight in the yellow eyes as he approached me as though I were his prey. I couldn't move.