Broken Dawn
by MiruSedna
Remus bit back a scream as the last of his bones snapped backed to their human positions. He was huddled, naked and alone, on the damp grass in the Forbidden Forrest. Pain and exhaustion warred within him, making the memory of exactly how he had gotten past the Whomping willow impossibly fuzzy.
He needed to get back to the shack; he had a spare robe there that he could wear until he could get to the Hospital Wing. With a groan of pain, he began uncurling his protesting limbs. The red crusts that had formed on some of his deeper wounds ripped, causing fresh waves of blood and pain. While the de-transformation wasn't quite as painful, the wounds he always accumulated over the night made the after effects much worse. He clenched his teeth and finally succeeded in sitting up. He spotted a large leaf and grabbed to press against a gash in his neck in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood.
He both loved and hated the dawn...
"C'mon James! We are never going to find the damn plant! Why don't we just go back to the dorms and order it from an apothecary?"
Remus froze in horror at the voices that drifted from behind a clump of overgrown bushes. 'What are they doing out here? Why now?'
At least two of his three best friends were a few steps away from discovering what he'd tried to hard to hide.
"Two reasons Sirius. One, dried ingredients, as you well know, aren't as powerful as fresh. And two, it's gonna be kinda obvious when Snape starts talking in limericks. They are going to look for evidence and a paper trail will lead them straight to us!"
He heard Sirius snort. "Like they're not going to know it's us anyway."
Remus stared hatefully down at the most solid piece of evidence of what he was. He couldn't hold himself up, put pressure on the wound, and cover... it. But if they saw... 'Oh god, I don't want to lose them.' He looked frantically around for a place to hide. Could he crawl away? Would they notice the bloodstains if he managed to get away?
"I know! But we- "
He cringed as both boys rounded the obstruction. The basket Sirius had been holding dropped and spilled its contents all over the ground as both boys abruptly stopped to stare. Remus just gazed sorrowfully at their horrified expressions.
The Ministry was very intolerant and untrusting of any that were different from themselves. All dark creatures living in wizarding society were required to register with them. But the registration wasn't just signing a few papers. It meant having a number spelled into your skin in a color that designated your species. When the law had first passed many had attempted to defy it. They changed their minds, however, when the Ministry showed they had no qualms jailing, or even executing, a so-called 'dark creature'.
All the little hints he had never before paid much attention to were re-surfacing in his mind. The frequent disappearances which, in hindsight, corresponded with the full moon, his dislike of the silver jewelry Sirius was so fond of, the check ups Pompfry insisted on... There were so many signs that he didn't understand how he'd missed it. Remus was a werewolf.
Shaking off his shock he slowly he took off his outer robe and began to walk carefully towards the fearful boy before him. James followed closely behind him.
The boys knelt down on either side of him and placed the robe around his shoulders, wrapping it loosely around him to cover his nude body.
James reached out a hand as though to touch the bruised face, but simply let it hover. He seemed fearful of causing further pain or injury. Finally he dropped it and settled with giving Remus a small smile.
"How long?" Sirius asked softly.
Remus dropped his gaze and stared the buttons on his robe with an intensity they had only ever seen him direct toward his beloved books. "Since I was four."
Sirius gently pulled him closer and he wrapped his arms lightly around him. He rested his chin on reddish brown hair and whispered hoarsely, "Oh Remus, why didn't you tell us?"
Remus said nothing but turned, to return the embrace. The desperate way he clung to him conveyed the fears and doubts that haunted him.
"Sirius." The dark haired boy looked up at his bespectacled friend but maintained his hold on Remus. "We need to get him back to Hogwarts."
Sirius nodded and gently lifted Remus up into his arms. After ensuring that the robe covered everything sufficiently, they began their silent walk back to the castle.
Remus' doubts still plagued him despite the tenderness both boys showed him. It was, perhaps, these very doubts that caused him to miss the determined glints that shone in his friends' eyes. He sighed softly and succumbed to the beckoning of Morpheus.
Sirius and James shared a look; already plans were forming their heads on how to help their third. Maybe even Peter would help...
Fin