Author's Notes: okay. So...this chapter is of course...back to the marauders. Hope you enjoy! And please review. I might not update so fast if I don't get any reviews...but how do I know anybody other than my friends are actually reading this? So if I don't know you personally, please drop a review! It only takes, what? 15 seconds at the most? I'd appreciate it, thanks!

Disclaimer: If only I had enough money to buy the rights to Remus and Sirius and James...

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Chapter 6: full moon approaches

Remus woke up, his mind muddled with the memory of his dream. The first thing he noticed upon opening his eyes was the worried face of James staring down at him.

"Are you okay, Moony?" he asked.

Remus blinked. "Moony?"

"Yeah," said James, "If you don't mind us calling you that, I think it's a great nickname. Pure genius."

"Sure is," said Sirius who had just sat on the foot of Remus' bed. "I made it up."

"Anyway..." said James. "Moony was just about to answer my question."

Remus thought for a second, weighing his options...(to keep secrets, or not to keep secrets...that is the question) Finally he gave in. "James..." he said hesitantly, "We never met before Hogwarts, right?"

James frowned. "What do you mean Remus?"

Remus became flustered. "I mean, I've been having these odd dreams...like they're some forgotten memory...I dunno...but you're in them...and Sirius...I mean..."

James sat on the other side of the bed next to Sirius, eyebrows furrowed. "Stop muttering and explain exactly what you mean, from the beginning of the dreams."

Remus concentrated on remembering the first part of his dream. It was as if he was looking at the scene through murky waters...he could barely remember any details.

"There was a ball...graceful figures were dancing...you and Sirius were there...except, we were younger. Like, I dunno...five, or six...and there was...this is crazy, but I think there was a full moon." He looked at his friends. "If only I could remember when I was bitten, I would know if the dream was real or not."

"But what makes you think it's real," asked Sirius, confused. "It could be just, you know...a dream."

Remus shook his head. "It was too clear to be a dream...oh! I remember something else, it was my birthday. So that's why there was a ball...In the next dream, my Dad, I think, told me that we weren't going to be able to see you again, Sirius. Something about a fight with my parents..."

Sirius looked pensive.He said slowly, "When I was about 6 years old, I remember loosing all of my friends. I don't remember their names, what they looked like...I was just suddenly alone. Then, my parents suddenly came into my life. I mean, before, I was pretty much raised by nannies and people like that. I always thought something was weird about that...Now that I think of it, I don't remember any nannies at all...In fact, the first thing I remember is me yelling at my Mum for saying -he paused- mudblood." he said the last word quietly, as if afraid to let anyone hear.

James stared. "That's odd...My parents said I was in a bad accident when I was 6, that's why I couldn't remember anything before that."

Remus stared. "You mean...you both...have no idea about your lives before you were six?"

His friends nodded. An odd feeling crept into Remus' stomach. "So," he said. "You two don't remember anything, and I don't remember, so...the dreams...they could be...real?"

They nodded again.

"Is that all, you can remember, Moony?" asked James.

"Yes. No, wait...My parents didn't allow me to leave the house for some reason. And you, James, you came. And you had your invisibility cloak..."

James, looking completely solemn for one of the first times in his life said quietly, "I got my invisibility cloak around my 6th birthday."

"Well, that settles it then." Sirius said brightly. "All three of us have amnesia."

Remus and James looked at each other for a moment with raised eyebrows.

"You just don't get it, Sirius, do you? We don't have amnesia. Someone has modified our memories."

"Not just someone," put in James, "Our parents did it. It's obvious that the whole point to the memory loss is that we don't remember each other. Our parents all gave us different reasons as to why we can't remember anything. That makes it obvious that it's them."

"Maybe they were trying to protect us from something," said Remus, "I can't imagine my Mum and Dad hurting me for any reason."

James nodded, but Sirius scowled. "That's no possible, Remus. Your parents love you. Your parents would do anything to protect you." his scowl deepened. "My parents hate me. I can imagine them hurting me. If I had hurtful memories of you, then they would leave them for me to dwell on. They wouldn't spare me any pain, if they could help it."

All three jumped as the door opened. In walked Peter, carrying extra bits of toast from breakfast. Cheerfully, he put them in the small pantry the Marauders kept their contraband food in, and went to take a shower. On an impulse, Remus called out to him as he was about to shut the bathroom door.

"Hey Pete! What's your oldest memory?"

Peter paused for a second and replied, closing the door, "My Dad taking me to Honeydukes for the first time when I was three."

Remus blinked, but had expected an answer like that. It was the answer to a question he'd had since 2nd year.

For some reason, he had always felt closer to Sirius and Jams, like he had known them forever. Remus confided in them or no one. But Peter...Remus would never tell him anything.

The fact that Peter had memories before 6 proved that, if indeed the dreams were real, they had never met before Hogwarts. Feeling like he had known James and Sirius from before began to make sense.

Sitting on the bed, next to his two best friends, Remus sensed a rift in the Marauders. A gap was growing between Peter and the other three. Remus immediately began piling up all the times Peter hadn't been loyal to them. Instinct told Remus that he should stop the rift from growing, but at the same time, he wanted Peter gone. Peter smelled of danger.

"Oy! Earth to Moony!" Remus became aware of a hand waving in front of his face. He blinked.

"Sorry guys, I was just thinking."

"Well, it's Saturday," said Sirius, tired ofthe thought provoking conversation, "Everyone knows you're not supposed to think on Saturday."

Remus laughed nervously. Sirius had reminded him that Monday was coming up. Monday. The day of the full moon.

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The weekend passed uneventfully, and Remus wasn't troubled again by his dreams. All to soon, it was Monday morning, and Remus awoke feeling sick. He groaned and put his arm over his eyes to shield them from the sunlight. His head was pounding. He was debating working up enough energy to close the gap in his curtains, when someone did it for him.

"Thanks," he croaked.

"You're welcome, Moony," James whispered so as not to disturb him. "Would you like me to bring you up some breakfast?"

"No thanks."

"Okay then," said James, "Sirius and me'll get you to the Hospital Wing after breakfast, okay?"

Remus didn't reply, or even correct James' grammar, as he had fallen asleep again. James looked at the curtains that were hiding his friend.It's not fair that he should have to suffer so much. The sooner we finish the potion, the better.

On Saturday night, unbeknownst to Remus, he and Sirius had snuck out to start getting the rarer of the ingredients to the Animagus potion. They had found the Acromantula web without any major mishap (they survived). All they had left to do now was get a bit of their animals, and the Pickled Dragon Tongue, which they were going to have to buy.

James' stomach growled, reminding him of breakfast in the Great Hall. Heturned and lef the room.

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After breakfast, Peter, James, and Sirius went back up to the dormitory to get Remus. When Sirius opened the curtains, they found him sleeping peacefully. It seemed a shame to wake him up.

He was curled up in a tight ball, the blanket coming up to his nose. His light brown hair partially obscured his face, but from what they could see, he was almost unnaturally pale.

Peter shook his shoulder. "Remus, it's time to get up now."

Remus slowly opened his eyes. James felt his stomach knot in fear as he saw that Remus' eyes were a wild, golden color. Remus blinked, and the color faded back to grey ever so slightly.

"Do I have to get up?" the blanket muffled the question, but James understood well enough.

"Yes, Moony, we have to get you to the Hospital Wing now, or you're going to be stuck here until we get out of class."

He sighed. "Okay, I'm up." He slowly sat up, and swung his legs out of bed. He stood, and would have fallen if Sirius hadn't caught him. After that, he seemed more steady, but it still took him a long time to get his robes on. Finally, with James and Sirius on either side supporting him, they made their way to the Hospital Wing. (Peter left to get to class)

Madame Pomfrey hurried over to him. "Goodness, Mr. Lupin! Quickly, Potter, Black, let's get him to lay down." She directed them to a bed, where Remus lay down gratefully.

"I'm fine guys," he said, his voice hoarse, "Get to class, you're going to be late."

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Sirius.

"I'm fine."

"Well, in any case," said James, "We'll be back at around 4:30. See you then, Moony."

Remus sadly watched his friends go. He'd give anything to be able to go with them. Resignedly, he rolled over and waited for the day to pass.

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Ithink this is the longest chapter...soI hope you liked it. I'm sick so i have nothing better to do than write this so, yeah...let's face it...I'm bored.

Moony.