I don't own anything. Thanks for reading hope you like it please R&R.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

Changes and Reminders:

Sirius ran back down the stairs to tell Dumbledore that Remus was safe inside the castle, leaving James and Lily to look after their damp friend. James knew what he needed to do having taken care of Remus on numerous morning afters over the years. He immediately went to get some soap and water and a cloth to clean Remus's wounds.

"Lily will you take off his shirt?" James asked as he searched for some antiseptic.

Lily looked down at the obviously sleeping Remus on the stark white infirmary bed. She looked at his red cuts and blackened face and remembered the terror she had felt the night before.

"Lily?" James said softly making Lily jump. "You know Remus would never hurt you." Lily folded her arms across her chest.

"I know that and I know it wasn't his fault what happened last night or what happened to him but…" Lily wasn't moving from the bed side.

"He's the same Remus; nothing has changed except that you know now what he's worked so hard to keep from everyone."

"Lycanthropy." She said matter of factly she said glaring at no one.

"Yes Lycanthropy. Look we didn't tell you before because it wasn't important, it's not contagious and we had it pretty well under control."

"How long has he been like this?" Lily spoke now in a hushed tone like it was taboo to speak the words out loud.

"He was very young, I don't know how young but Sirius, peter, and I found out about it first year." James had started to work cleaning Remus up so nothing became infected. Lily sat down on the bed next to Remus's.

"So all those times he went home to visit his sick mother?" Lily was now working out the final puzzle pieces.

"All on the full moon." James turned back to face Lily. He didn't mind explaining it all to her the more she knew the less she had to be frightened about.

"All the classes he missed?" Lily pondered as James nodded. "He always looked sickly. But he looks really dreadful now, so pale, will he be alright, does he always look like this?" James stood back and examined his friend. There was a lot of blood, Lily was right he did look dreadful.

"I don't think I've seen him quite this bad in a long time." James had known Remus to get hurt before, in fact that was a pretty common occurrence. This was on a different level then the common cuts and bruising Remus usually got during a full moon. Lots of this was self inflicted. Which left James to wonder if the werewolf kept the state of mind of the human. James shook his head he didn't have time to think about that kind of stuff.

"I know that Sirius bit his leg and scratched his back and you gave him the black eye but what did these others." Lily indicated the long red crawl marks that covered Remus's shirtless chest.

"I don't know Lily." James lied not sure if he should tell her. "You'll have to ask him."

"Will he remember?" Lily was now just plain curious.

"He might, but he doesn't usually remember much."

"James when did you and Sirius become animegi?" James blushed; as much as Remus had his secret James had had his too.

"Well it was…" Just as James was about to make something up Sirius came back up the stairs.

"James Dumbledore wants to see us in his office, it's important." James handed Lily his pink stained cloth.

"You think you can handle it." James's looked into her beautiful emotional eyes for signs of fear or hesitation.

"I can do it." Lily took the cloth from James. "And by the way James Potter…things have changed." With that Lily kissed him deeply on the mouth and then turned to her work at hand.

Remus woke up in the infirmary of Hogwarts. He looked at the room and around the familiar surroundings. For the past three years he had been locked in any space he felt could hold his inner beast because he had not wanted to endanger anyone on his and the other marauder's travels for The Order. This place was almost like home for him a reminder of a simpler and kinder time. As he gradually came out of his dazed half sleeping state in to full conscience he tried to move sending pain all up and down his body. He groaned as he lay back down and the pain subsided, but then the previous night came back to him and he sat bolt up right screaming "NNooooo" as he scrambled from his bed and tried to make it to the door. He didn't get far weaken and injured from the full moon.

The sudden commotion startled a dozing Lily and she jumped when she saw a half naked Remus limping across the stone floor. "Remus!"

Remus stopped dead in his tracks as anyone might do if they were hearing a voice from the presumed dead. Remus didn't turn around to see what horrible hideous apparition his subconscious had put together to haunt him with, he didn't want to know. "Go away Lily. You're dead." I've really lost my mind this time Remus thought to himself as he started to tremble.

"Remus I didn't die." Lily walked around to face Remus hoping to assure him that everything had turned out alright. Remus took one look at her and how beautiful she was and his eyes widened. "Then I'm dead, but why have I been sent to heaven?"