Chapter 7: Decisions, Decisions

Remus woke up, clothes torn and tattered. He sighed, and began to sit up and make his way out when a voice behind him said, 'Oh good, you're awake. I've brought you some fresh clothes, although next time, don't wear your robes, you don't have as many of them.'

Remus was startled at first, but turned around and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was. 'Thank you, Madame Pomfrey. I'll remind myself to bring some up next time.' He smiled weakly, and stood up uncertainly, all energy drained from him. Madame Pomfrey gave him a sympathetic look.

'Here.' She handed him a small glass. 'It's pepper-up potion; drink it. It'll make you feel a bit better.' Remus nodded understandingly, and drank the potion in one gulp. He immediately found himself feeling less drained and smiled gratefully at Madame Pomfrey, who smiled back. 'Feel any better?' she asked, and he answered with a nod. 'Go and get yourself changed then!' she exclaimed, passing him his clothes. He complied, and changed in seconds in another room. Madame Pomfrey looked at the boy carefully; he had scratches everywhere.

'You need to come to the infirmary with me first, boy. Don't let yourself be seen though; otherwise people will start asking questions.' Remus nodded, and followed her out of the House, through the tunnel, and back to the Hospital Ward. Inside, Madame Pomfrey treated Remus' cuts and checked him over, before deciding that he was now fine.

Just when Remus was about to leave, he remembered something. 'Madame Pomfrey?' he asked quietly. She looked up from her paperwork.

'Yes?' she replied, wondering what he was going to say.

'Won't my friends find it weird that I left to "see my mum" quite late and return back so early?' he wondered, trying in his mind to think of a plausible excuse.

'Tell them that she wanted to make sure you were back in time for your lessons in the morning.' The matron told him. He sighed.

'They won't believe that. Surely it would take me ages to get from Hogwarts to my home?' he looked at her, defeated, but she laughed.

'Remus Lupin, are you telling me you've never heard of the night bus?' he shook his head, wide-eyed.

'What's that?'

'Basically, it's a Wizarding bus which takes you from A to B, but quickly, by some form of apparition magic. If your friends ask you what the ride was like, tell them it was fast, scary and unbelievably jolty. Remus nodded, repeating the words.

'Fast, scary, unbelievably jolty. Got it.' He looked up at her, and smiled. 'Thanks Madame Pomfrey!'

She waved her hand, as dismissing the thought, and looked at him sincerely. 'One word of advice: if you think that your friends will be suspicious, tell them the truth.'

Remus gave her a disbelieving look. 'But then they'll hate me for being what I am.'

'Or they'll find it extremely "cool" to have a friend who's a werewolf, if I know your age group correctly.' Madame Pomfrey said encouragingly.

Remus nodded, and then shook his head. 'Maybe.' He said in a quiet voice. 'Thanks for the advice anyway.' He told her and made his way out. Stopping at the door, he said, 'I'll be going to breakfast then.' Madame Pomfrey looked up from her paperwork once again.

'You do that. You need food to get your strength back up.'

'I will.' And with that, Remus left the Hospital Wing, and walked towards the Great Hall to get his breakfast. He sighed. Should he tell his friends or not? Decisions, decisions, he thought to himself.

Somehow, James, Sirius and Peter had got out of bed on time. They had dressed (Peter had managed it this morning), and were now setting off for breakfast.

Walking down the hallway, Sirius decided to make conversation. 'I wonder how Remus is doing.'

James, who had been daydreaming about the breakfast he was going to have in a few minutes, said, 'What? Oh, yeah, he's probably fine. What about his mum though?' Sirius shrugged. 'She must be like, fatally ill if he needed to see her.' Sirius and Peter nodded. 'Or she's like, got some kind of condition.' He shrugged, deciding that this conversation took up too much thought for the morning, and went back to his previous state of mind. Mmm… Kippers… he thought.

Sirius, realising that James was going to say no more on the matter decided not to say another word until they got to their seats at the Great Hall. Peter bobbed along happily, albeit sleepily. Life so far, was good for him, and so he was happy. The three of them carried on through Hogwarts in silence, eager to get to the food. All three of them were surprised, therefore, when they ambled into the Great Hall and spotted none other than Remus Lupin already at the Gryffindor table, halfway through his second slice of toast.

Sirius, James and Peter all sat down in silence, confused, until James finally said, 'What are you doing here Remus?'

Remus looked at James, and laughed heartily. 'Well, James, I do believe that what I'm doing here is eating my breakfast!' his mood had brightened since he had first entered the Great Hall; nobody had given him strange or frightened looks, and he was fully confident that nobody had seen him last night, or in the morning either. He could still use his alibi.

James gave him a haughty look. 'How come you're back so early?' he asked eagerly.

'Mum wanted me back at Hogwarts in time for my morning lessons.' Remus said bluntly.

'Oh?' Sirius asked, looking at Remus suspiciously.

Remus gave him a steely look. 'It wouldn't do me good if I was late for lessons on my second day of school, would it?'

Sirius returned the look, and said, 'I suppose it wouldn't.' He was satisfied with Remus' answer. 'So how'd you get there?' he asked, suddenly curious.

'Knight Bus.' Remus replied. Peter perked up at this.

'What was it like?' He asked excitedly.

'Fast, scary, unbelievably jolty.' He told them, without any enthusiasm. Sirius narrowed his eyes, which Remus spotted, and so said quickly, 'I'm tired, no more questions please.'

James grimaced, but then turned to his food, as did Sirius and Peter. All three of them ate kippers that morning, whilst Remus made his way steadily through slices of toast.

When he'd finished, Sirius stood up. 'Ready for our second day of school?' he asked. The others nodded. Only then did Remus realise.

'Where's that Robin guy?'

'The smarmy git? He moved to Ravenclaw, we'll tell you the story on the way to … Charms. Can't believe you missed it! You should have been there!' Sirius began, and rambled all the way to Charms about Robin and how he moved houses and the whole I-didn't-get-in-trouble-thing.

The day came and went, and Remus began to relax even more. He would only go for one night, and be back the next day, and his friends would believe that his mum was ill, or he'd make up another excuse. Plain and simple.

More days came and went. Soon, it was three weeks since Remus had transformed into a werewolf and back, and the four boys began to get into a routine: Remus would wake them up in the morning, then they would make their way to breakfast, then to lessons, and the day would pass by. Then the same would happen the next day, and the day after that, until it had become the norm.

'Peter! Pass the salt, will you?' James asked Peter, while Remus and Sirius were chatting about Quidditch across the table. Once he had flavoured up his food, James looked at his friends and asked, 'What have we got today?'

Remus turned his head from Sirius, and tutted. 'James, you really should memorise your timetable, or at least carry it with you.'

James laughed, and said, 'I do have it with me; I just can't be bothered to get it out of my bag.'

'That's the problem with Gryffindors, see, they're too lazy to do anything. Also, they're big-headed prats who think they own the ground they walk on.' Severus Snape drawled from behind them. James and Sirius scowled at him, whereas Remus tried to ignore him, and carried on eating his breakfast.

'Well at least we're not slimy and greasy like you are.' Sirius retorted.

Snape sneered at him, saying, 'I see you're not denying what I've just said.'

'Yeah? I am denying what you said; you're just too blind, and Slytherin to see it!' Sirius spat back. James looked confused for a few seconds, and then nodded, agreeing to what his best friend had said.

'Me? Stupid? Look at what you just said!' Snape laughed, and walked away. Remus looked up again, and sighed.

'You should just ignore him. He'll just taunt you more if it winds you up more.' He told them.

Sirius and James scoffed. 'Ignore him? Ignore him? He just called my best mate stupid! And I'm just meant to ignore him?' James ranted angrily.

'Well in all due respect, Sirius did call Snape stupid as well - '

'Yeah but, right - ' James began, and then shook his head. 'Enough of this, revenge is needed. What say you, Sirius?' he asked his best friend, grinning.

'Aye, says I.' Sirius relied, grinning back. 'What did you have in mind?'

'Oh, I don't know, I glass of water poured over the head, maybe?' James suggested.

'Too plain.' Sirius said with a wave of his hand.

'How about we twist him upside down so that everyone can see his underpants?'

'Too complicated. Maybe in another year.' Both James and Sirius grinned at this.

'How about…' James leant over the table to whisper in Sirius' ear, Sirius laughed.

'Maybe, maybe.' He said mysteriously, still laughing.

Remus, sensing trouble said, 'Guys, don't -' the bell rang, and Sirius, James and Peter jumped out of their seats to get to class. '- do something stupid.' Remus finished lamely, before getting out of his chair and making his way to class.

A/N YAY! Finally! I am so, so sorry I haven't updated! I promised that I would update in a week, but my computer kind of went bust, and so I couldn't update because they were on my computer. Also, I was very busy in the last month. I actually got my new computer on Christmas Day, but have been going to friends and family ever since, but now I am back! I should be updating soon, because it's the holidays, so watch out for the next chapter soon! Sirius and James will be pulling a prank on Snape :)

Please review! I would be honoured if you did!