Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Harry Potter.
* * *
James, Sirius, and Remus sat at the same in Potions. Today, they would be doing what Professor Malevolent called "The Entrance Exam." He claimed that it would tell him which students had potential and which students were worthless. Each student would be making a Hair Color potion. Remus could tell that it was much harder to change his hair color with a potion than with a wand.
"You will have the remaining time to brew your potion," the professor declared, eyeing them with contempt. "You may begin."
Remus squinted at the blackboard, where the directions were written. He couldn't see them very well – the words were blurry. Looking to his right, he saw that James and Sirius were already moving to gather ingredients. Remus pulled out a chicken liver and began to chop it up.
"Uh, Remus? What're you doing?" wondered Sirius, looking at the slimy object in his friend's hand.
"Isn't the first ingredient sliced chicken liver?" Remus asked, glancing at the blackboard again.
"It's iced baboon blubber," Sirius replied, also looking back at the blackboard. "Can you see ok?"
"Obviously not," James teased, shaking his head. "Or is it that you just can't read?"
"I guess I can't see right," Remus admitted, squinting toward the front of the room. "A little help?"
James and Sirius muttered the ingredients and the steps to Remus as they did them. The boy followed the instructions as well as he could. It was the longest hour of his life. At the end of class, his potion wasn't the same dark purple that his friends' was, but it was close. He put a sample into a bottle and handed it to the Professor, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead. It was stifling hot in the room. When the class was finally dismissed, Remus was one of the first out.
"So what are you going to do?" James asked, walking next to Remus. "You can't just have people read everything to you."
"I'll have to talk to Madam Pomfrey, then," Remus mumbled. "Think that McGonagall will let me out to go see her?"
"Yeah right," Sirius snorted, "that lady's harder than stone."
Sirius was right. When Remus asked to go to the Hospital Wing to see about his eyes, McGonagall told him to copy off of someone else's notes and go during lunch. Remus spent twenty minutes repeatedly telling Sirius to move his arm so he could see the notes. Finally, he gave up and decided to copy the notes later. When Professor McGonagall saw that he wasn't writing anything, she began a lecture about having to try in order to achieve anything. Once the class was let out, Remus was trying hard to keep in his bad mood.
"See you later," James called as Remus turned to go to the Hospital Wing. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Remus took a deep breath. He knew he had to pull himself together before full moon next week.
"Hi!"
Remus was startled when Peter walked up beside him. Forcing a smile, he replied, "Hi, Peter."
"I just wanted to say thanks for helping me," Peter told him. "You know, it was great of you. I never had many friends and all, so – thanks."
"Well," Remus said, slightly taken aback, "you've got another friend now."
Peter beamed up at him. Just then, Snape walked past, throwing Remus a look of contempt. Again, Remus felt bad about what they had done. Had Snape really deserved all that?
"Don't feel sorry for him." Peter's voice broke into Remus' thoughts. "He's a bully, that one. The whole family's rotten. If you didn't show him that you could stick up for yourself, he would've done the same to you."
Still, Remus felt guilty. He resolved to put a stop to any other plans to hurt someone, unless they really deserved it, of course. The two boys reached the Hospital Wing, and Peter continued down the hall, waving goodbye to Remus.
"What is it, dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked, hurrying over to him. "Is something wrong?"
Remus felt a little embarrassed. "No, it's just that I couldn't see the blackboards very well during class. I thought that I should come and see if you could help."
"Well, I suppose you might need glasses." Madam Pomfrey went to her desk and pulled out a pair of glasses bright purple lenses. She placed them over his eyes and nodded. Using her wand, she drew another pair of spectacles in the air, which solidified and hovered for a moment before she took them and placed them on Remus' face, removing the purple-lensed ones. He blinked at the sudden sharp focus.
"Better?" the nurse asked. Nodding, Remus thanked her and walked back out of the Hospital Wing.
* * *
All too soon, it was time for another full moon. When James and Sirius began to walk to dinner, Remus tried to slip away unnoticed.
"Where are you going?" Sirius asked when Remus started to walk away. Remus tried to think of another excuse, but his mind was blank.
"Um, well, I have to go see my mother at least once a month," he lied, hoping that they would buy it. "They're hoping that it will help her get better faster."
"Ok, so we'll see you tomorrow?" James was looking at Remus oddly, but he didn't press the subject.
"Yeah," Remus replied, glad to get off. He hurried down the hall.
* * *
Once again, Remus found himself alone in the shack. He stuffed the key in the same crack in the wall and climbed down, sitting on the sagging bed. He knew that he needed to think of a new excuse, or his friends would find out. Waves of pain began to come. As he began to transform, Remus was still worrying about what he could say.
In the morning, Remus was under the desk, which had several holes and bite marks in it. Wincing, the boy pulled splinters of wood out from between his teeth. His left hand was bleeding badly, and he didn't know why. Suddenly, he grasped at his face. The glasses were gone! There they were, shattered on the floor. Looking more closely at his hand, he saw a piece of glass in it. Groaning softly, he reached for the key and unlocked the door. Following the passageways, he came out in the back of Madam Pomfrey's office. Walking through the door to the main room, he saw James and Sirius, and he froze.
"Remus?" James said, confused. "What were you doing back there?"
"Oh, uh, I just got back, and Madam Pomfrey asked me to get some stuff from back there," he lied quickly.
"For what?" Sirius said shrewdly.
"My hand," Remus replied, showing them his injury. Then, turning to Madam Pomfrey, he said, "I couldn't find the bottle that you were talking about."
Nodding as if she knew what he was talking about, Madam Pomfrey began to rummage through one of the cupboards. "I must have left it in her again – ah, here it is." She pulled out a big blue bottle and reached out for Remus' hand. He gave it to her a little hesitantly. She poured the dark blue liquid onto his hand, and it began to steam. When the steam cleared away, the hole in his hand was gone.
"Good as new," she told him, corking the bottle again.
"Thanks," he responded. He left with his two friends behind him.
"There were more noises at the Shack last night," James informed him, trying to catch his eye. "We think that there might be some kind of pattern."
"Do you want to help us figure it out?" Sirius wondered. Remus shook his head.
"I still have another essay to do."
Sirius waved that away. "The essay won't take long. Come on, don't you want to figure this out?"
Remus was saved from answering when Peter ran up beside them. "Remus, Madam Pomfrey wants you back in the Hospital Wing. She says you forgot something."
"Ok, we'll get started, and you can come help when you're done," James said, looking disappointed. Waving goodbye, Remus started back toward the Hospital Wing. Peter followed.
"So what do you think about the shack down in Hogsmeade?" Peter asked eagerly.
"I don't know." Remus shrugged uncomfortably. "It's probably just a bunch of witches and wizards trying to scare people."
"Yeah . . . "Peter didn't look convinced. They reached the Hospital Wing, and Peter stopped. "Well, I'm going back to the common room."
"Tell James and Sirius that I'll be there in a few minutes," Remus told him. "You can help them figure out the pattern thing or something." Peter nodded walked away.
Madam Pomfrey looked worried when he came in. "Are you doing ok with those two boys?" she wondered. "They seemed to be a bit nosy."
"They were just worried," Remus assured her. "Did you need something?"
"Well, you came in without your glasses, so I thought that you might need a new pair." She handed him the glasses, and Remus put them on. "Also, I was wondering how you got that bad cut."
"I think I stepped on my other glasses during the night." Remus smiled sheepishly. "I forgot to take them off."
"Okay then." Madam Pomfrey smiled at him. "If you need any help with other kids, just come here."
Remus nodded, a little annoyed at being treated like a child. He turned around and left the Hospital Wing. He decided to "help" his friends, so that if they got too close to the truth, he could lead them off track. Still a little bit worried, he walked toward Gryffindor.
* * *
A/N Well, it's a little slow. Next chapter will be much better, I promise. R&R please!
TheDudeLordOfFantasy – Yeah, I didn't really like the last chapter. Anyway, James and Sirius will eventually find out. It'll be a little tricky to write that part, but I'll try to make it good. Anyway, please keep reviewing!!!
* * *
James, Sirius, and Remus sat at the same in Potions. Today, they would be doing what Professor Malevolent called "The Entrance Exam." He claimed that it would tell him which students had potential and which students were worthless. Each student would be making a Hair Color potion. Remus could tell that it was much harder to change his hair color with a potion than with a wand.
"You will have the remaining time to brew your potion," the professor declared, eyeing them with contempt. "You may begin."
Remus squinted at the blackboard, where the directions were written. He couldn't see them very well – the words were blurry. Looking to his right, he saw that James and Sirius were already moving to gather ingredients. Remus pulled out a chicken liver and began to chop it up.
"Uh, Remus? What're you doing?" wondered Sirius, looking at the slimy object in his friend's hand.
"Isn't the first ingredient sliced chicken liver?" Remus asked, glancing at the blackboard again.
"It's iced baboon blubber," Sirius replied, also looking back at the blackboard. "Can you see ok?"
"Obviously not," James teased, shaking his head. "Or is it that you just can't read?"
"I guess I can't see right," Remus admitted, squinting toward the front of the room. "A little help?"
James and Sirius muttered the ingredients and the steps to Remus as they did them. The boy followed the instructions as well as he could. It was the longest hour of his life. At the end of class, his potion wasn't the same dark purple that his friends' was, but it was close. He put a sample into a bottle and handed it to the Professor, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead. It was stifling hot in the room. When the class was finally dismissed, Remus was one of the first out.
"So what are you going to do?" James asked, walking next to Remus. "You can't just have people read everything to you."
"I'll have to talk to Madam Pomfrey, then," Remus mumbled. "Think that McGonagall will let me out to go see her?"
"Yeah right," Sirius snorted, "that lady's harder than stone."
Sirius was right. When Remus asked to go to the Hospital Wing to see about his eyes, McGonagall told him to copy off of someone else's notes and go during lunch. Remus spent twenty minutes repeatedly telling Sirius to move his arm so he could see the notes. Finally, he gave up and decided to copy the notes later. When Professor McGonagall saw that he wasn't writing anything, she began a lecture about having to try in order to achieve anything. Once the class was let out, Remus was trying hard to keep in his bad mood.
"See you later," James called as Remus turned to go to the Hospital Wing. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Remus took a deep breath. He knew he had to pull himself together before full moon next week.
"Hi!"
Remus was startled when Peter walked up beside him. Forcing a smile, he replied, "Hi, Peter."
"I just wanted to say thanks for helping me," Peter told him. "You know, it was great of you. I never had many friends and all, so – thanks."
"Well," Remus said, slightly taken aback, "you've got another friend now."
Peter beamed up at him. Just then, Snape walked past, throwing Remus a look of contempt. Again, Remus felt bad about what they had done. Had Snape really deserved all that?
"Don't feel sorry for him." Peter's voice broke into Remus' thoughts. "He's a bully, that one. The whole family's rotten. If you didn't show him that you could stick up for yourself, he would've done the same to you."
Still, Remus felt guilty. He resolved to put a stop to any other plans to hurt someone, unless they really deserved it, of course. The two boys reached the Hospital Wing, and Peter continued down the hall, waving goodbye to Remus.
"What is it, dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked, hurrying over to him. "Is something wrong?"
Remus felt a little embarrassed. "No, it's just that I couldn't see the blackboards very well during class. I thought that I should come and see if you could help."
"Well, I suppose you might need glasses." Madam Pomfrey went to her desk and pulled out a pair of glasses bright purple lenses. She placed them over his eyes and nodded. Using her wand, she drew another pair of spectacles in the air, which solidified and hovered for a moment before she took them and placed them on Remus' face, removing the purple-lensed ones. He blinked at the sudden sharp focus.
"Better?" the nurse asked. Nodding, Remus thanked her and walked back out of the Hospital Wing.
* * *
All too soon, it was time for another full moon. When James and Sirius began to walk to dinner, Remus tried to slip away unnoticed.
"Where are you going?" Sirius asked when Remus started to walk away. Remus tried to think of another excuse, but his mind was blank.
"Um, well, I have to go see my mother at least once a month," he lied, hoping that they would buy it. "They're hoping that it will help her get better faster."
"Ok, so we'll see you tomorrow?" James was looking at Remus oddly, but he didn't press the subject.
"Yeah," Remus replied, glad to get off. He hurried down the hall.
* * *
Once again, Remus found himself alone in the shack. He stuffed the key in the same crack in the wall and climbed down, sitting on the sagging bed. He knew that he needed to think of a new excuse, or his friends would find out. Waves of pain began to come. As he began to transform, Remus was still worrying about what he could say.
In the morning, Remus was under the desk, which had several holes and bite marks in it. Wincing, the boy pulled splinters of wood out from between his teeth. His left hand was bleeding badly, and he didn't know why. Suddenly, he grasped at his face. The glasses were gone! There they were, shattered on the floor. Looking more closely at his hand, he saw a piece of glass in it. Groaning softly, he reached for the key and unlocked the door. Following the passageways, he came out in the back of Madam Pomfrey's office. Walking through the door to the main room, he saw James and Sirius, and he froze.
"Remus?" James said, confused. "What were you doing back there?"
"Oh, uh, I just got back, and Madam Pomfrey asked me to get some stuff from back there," he lied quickly.
"For what?" Sirius said shrewdly.
"My hand," Remus replied, showing them his injury. Then, turning to Madam Pomfrey, he said, "I couldn't find the bottle that you were talking about."
Nodding as if she knew what he was talking about, Madam Pomfrey began to rummage through one of the cupboards. "I must have left it in her again – ah, here it is." She pulled out a big blue bottle and reached out for Remus' hand. He gave it to her a little hesitantly. She poured the dark blue liquid onto his hand, and it began to steam. When the steam cleared away, the hole in his hand was gone.
"Good as new," she told him, corking the bottle again.
"Thanks," he responded. He left with his two friends behind him.
"There were more noises at the Shack last night," James informed him, trying to catch his eye. "We think that there might be some kind of pattern."
"Do you want to help us figure it out?" Sirius wondered. Remus shook his head.
"I still have another essay to do."
Sirius waved that away. "The essay won't take long. Come on, don't you want to figure this out?"
Remus was saved from answering when Peter ran up beside them. "Remus, Madam Pomfrey wants you back in the Hospital Wing. She says you forgot something."
"Ok, we'll get started, and you can come help when you're done," James said, looking disappointed. Waving goodbye, Remus started back toward the Hospital Wing. Peter followed.
"So what do you think about the shack down in Hogsmeade?" Peter asked eagerly.
"I don't know." Remus shrugged uncomfortably. "It's probably just a bunch of witches and wizards trying to scare people."
"Yeah . . . "Peter didn't look convinced. They reached the Hospital Wing, and Peter stopped. "Well, I'm going back to the common room."
"Tell James and Sirius that I'll be there in a few minutes," Remus told him. "You can help them figure out the pattern thing or something." Peter nodded walked away.
Madam Pomfrey looked worried when he came in. "Are you doing ok with those two boys?" she wondered. "They seemed to be a bit nosy."
"They were just worried," Remus assured her. "Did you need something?"
"Well, you came in without your glasses, so I thought that you might need a new pair." She handed him the glasses, and Remus put them on. "Also, I was wondering how you got that bad cut."
"I think I stepped on my other glasses during the night." Remus smiled sheepishly. "I forgot to take them off."
"Okay then." Madam Pomfrey smiled at him. "If you need any help with other kids, just come here."
Remus nodded, a little annoyed at being treated like a child. He turned around and left the Hospital Wing. He decided to "help" his friends, so that if they got too close to the truth, he could lead them off track. Still a little bit worried, he walked toward Gryffindor.
* * *
A/N Well, it's a little slow. Next chapter will be much better, I promise. R&R please!
TheDudeLordOfFantasy – Yeah, I didn't really like the last chapter. Anyway, James and Sirius will eventually find out. It'll be a little tricky to write that part, but I'll try to make it good. Anyway, please keep reviewing!!!