Chapter 16: A Full Moon
"Excellent block there, Sirius. Watch class, how he does not simply say the incantation, but yells it, full of emotion and determination."
Professor Aylward, for Defense Against the Dark Arts class, had everyone paired up. For a week, they had been performing curses and jinxes on their partners in the form of a duel. It was Thursday when it was James's turn to duel with his partner, Lily. He was still looking green and sick ever since he said it would be an unfair fight against a girl.
Sirius and Snape were at it and had been for the last ten minutes. They could probably go on for hours and never grow tired. The only way to end this match, it seemed, would be the words Avada Kedavra.
Professor Aylward was watching the duel with intense interest. He had never had students as gung-ho as Sirius and Snape. But then again, this was his second year of teaching there at Hogwarts. He, along with Professor Smirch, was the youngest staff member there. His original plan, after graduating after Hogwarts, was to play Keeper for the Falmouth Falcons, which meant he was quite fit for a man in his late twenties. Interesting as it was, since Aylward and Smirch were closely related (cousins once removed), they never got along at all. They always got in arguments, which made Aylward less popular with the Slytherins.
"Occaeco!" Snape spitted from his spot on the mini-stage Aylward had set up. They spell had meant to cause temporary blindness if Sirius hadn't used another blocking spell.
"Protego!" Sirius yelled. The spell was deflected to hit a chair, which knocked over immediately. Sirius did not waste any time. "Babblious!"
Snape stumbled back a few steps as a jet of ruby-red hit him in the mouth. He swallowed, massaged his throat, but started to speak suddenly and uncontrollably, thanks to the Babbling Curse Sirius had sent his way.
"Hi, I'm Severus Sebastian Snape. I'm really bored right now. This class is really boring. The teacher, if you could call him that, is teaching hexes I learned in my first year."
He would not stop talking. James and Sirius were laughing their heads off, until Lily and Hermione gave them a silencing glare. Professor Aylward just folded his arms over his chest. Most of the girls in the class glared at Snape too. (Aylward, because of his behavior, but mostly his looks, was very popular with the older girls of Hogwarts.)
The loud laughter of James had caught Snape's attention. "And Potter. Why is he still at this school? Hasn't he broken enough rules to be expelled? Him and his little sidekicks, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. Oh, how I'd love to just jinx them until they cried. First remove all limbs, their arms, legs, p—"
"Finite!" Aylward said quickly.
Snape's mouth snapped shut loudly. He glared a thousand evils to Sirius, who was just standing wide-eyed on the stage.
"I didn't know you felt so powerfully about me, Snivelly," Sirius joked.
"Sliti—" Snape started to growl.
"Enough!" intervened Aylward sharply. "That's good boys. Next pair. Hermione? Remus?"
Snape flew off the stage, his rage emitting strongly off of him. Sirius just grinned and hopped off the stage, landing perfectly and next to Hermione.
"Good luck," he whispered before she started towards the stairs. She smiled but didn't say anything to him. Remus abandoned his post next to James and walked to the stage, throwing a rare evil smirk at Sirius. Sirius's eyes narrowed.
Remus walked up the stairs quickly to find Hermione already standing on the opposite end. Remus smiled and gave a bow, his light brown hair creating a curtain around his thin face. Hermione smiled back and gave a little curtsey. Remus gave a small laugh.
"Impedimenta!" Hermione cried out right after Remus straightened himself.
Professor Aylward clapped. "Good Hermione. That's what you need to do. Don't wait for your opponent to get ready."
The scratching of quills was heard from the audience as Remus hopped back to his feet. "Good hit, Hermione," he said. He quickly sent a Full Body Bind Curse her way; she barely dodged it.
"Reducto!" she yelled. Chairs flew from behind her and headed straight at Remus at top speed.
"Immobulus!" Remus said almost lazily. The chairs fell a foot in front of him with a loud crash. But Remus did not wait for Hermione to resettle herself. "Immobulus!" he said again, this time aiming his spell towards Hermione. She deflected it. The Immobilizing Spell hit someone in the audience in the back; Snape fell forward on his face, finding it hard to breathe.
"I think Remus has met his match," James whispered to Lily from behind after a few more minutes of heated dueling. The wave of sickness that Lily gave him passed over.
"I'm just surprised he has lasted this long," she commented, her eyes still focused on Hermione. "She definitely knows what she's doing."
"Coming from Durmstrang and all, I should think so," James mumbled.
"I wonder how well Harry is going to duel," Lily mused aloud.
James gazed at her sharply but didn't comment.
Finally, after a few more curses were sent, Hermione was growing tired. "Expelliarmus!" she said, still full of determination, but also weariness.
Remus's wand flew out of his hands. His smile disappeared. Why hadn't he thought of that? But down in his heart, he knew why.
Hermione stood, having a victorious air about her, with both wands in her hand.
"Well don't stop there," Aylward said from below the stage. "Never doubt the powers of any wizard or witch. Wandless magic may still be performed. Also, the disarmed opponent might have a friend nearby who would be willingly to give the fighter his wand."
"Oh, right," Hermione said hastily. She searched around her head for just a second, seeking a simple spell that would do the trick. "Petrificus Totalus!" she said, aiming her own wand at Remus. Remus's arms and legs snapped together and he started to fall backwards. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Hermione said quickly, and pillows in the corner of the room zoomed behind him and broke his fall.
"Excellent job, Hermione," Aylward congratulated enthusiastically. "Full marks on that one. Both of you," he added, looking at the motionless Remus.
"Oh, sorry!" Hermione said, resting her eyes back on Remus. "Finite!"
Remus's arms and legs rolled away from him as he started to relax. He never got used to that spell. After a few seconds of just laying there, he started to get up. Hermione rushed over and held out her hand. He looked at her for a moment, then took hold of her hand, popping up into the air with new energy hidden inside him. She smiled and gave him his wand. They both walked off stage together.
"Excellent battles today, class," Aylward said, turning to face the audience. "Since we've run out of time today, Saumya and Fabrizio will go first thing tomorrow." A bell rang in the distance. "All right, class. I'll see you all tomorrow."
The classes filed out of the classroom, talking excitedly about the last three battles.
"Well, we sure did give them a show," Remus muttered to Hermione as they packed up their things.
"Yeah," Hermione said, listening to a bunch of Hufflepuffs talk in awe about the time Hermione used a Jelly-Leg Jinx.
"You really know what you're doing, don't you?" Remus said, trying to sound casual. They walked up with James, Sirius, Peter, and Harry, who was talking to Lily.
"Well, Harry and I… we were in this club for Defense," Hermione said uneasily. "So we've had lots of practice, right Harry?"
"Mm hm," Harry nodded.
"When are you scheduled to duel, Harry?" Lily asked.
"Oh, tomorrow, the last duel actually, with some Slytherin named Derek Thuggly."
"Oh, you better be careful, Harry," Peter said through his panting as he tried to catch up with his friends. He had talked to the Professor about getting some extra credit somehow; Peter's duel the day before hadn't even lasted a minute, and he wasn't on the victorious side. "Thuggly's a real good duelist."
"But nothing Thewler can't handle," James said, draping his arm on Harry's shoulder. "Right, buddy?"
Harry just laughed. "Not to boast, but I'm sure the battle will last even shorter than yours, Peter." Peter gave a friendly glare and a pitiful pout.
"Ouch," Sirius laughed. He clapped Peter on the back. "But we still love you, Wormtail."
"So if you're as good as you say you are, have you entered any dueling contests?" James asked.
Harry thought back in his head… His second year in which they had a very short dueling club… His fourth year in which he battled against Voldemort. His fifth year with the DA meetings and the Death Eater attack at the Department of Mysteries… "Naw, just little duels in that club Hermione was talking about. I'm really not that good."
Harry and Hermione exchanged a knowing glance, turning away to hide their grins from their friends.
"So what say you all to some dinner?" Sirius asked, clapping his hands together and rubbing them in an anxious manner.
"Aye!" James and Harry both cried out. With a sweet good-bye to Lily, James ran down the hall, racing against Sirius and Harry. Peter yelled down the hall "Hey guys! Wait up!" before running after them.
This left Lily and Hermione shaking their heads in disgrace and Remus standing in between them laughing quietly to himself. They walked calmly down the hall as Remus watched packs of girls giggling at the speeding threesome racing down the crowded corridor.
"Idiots," Lily muttered under her breath.
"Really?" Hermione asked, looking sideways at Lily. "You think so?"
Lily shifted uncomfortably. She glanced at Remus.
"Oh, I don't care what you say about my friends," he said honestly. "And I wouldn't repeat any of this conversation to them, as a matter of fact. I'm just walking here with you two. Heck, I'm not even part of this conversation—"
"Remus," Hermione said, laying a soothing hand on his shoulder.
"Eh heh, right," he said, embarrassed.
"They just seem to act so—childish," Lily said, but not before giving Remus an odd look.
"Would you rather have them try to act all 'cool' and grown up?" Hermione asked.
"Just maturely," Lily said stubbornly.
Remus's insides squirmed into knots.
"Good luck trying to find a mature boy here," Hermione mumbled.
Remus found this incredibly awkward to walk in the middle of this conversation. He gave Hermione an odd look, one she must have felt because she looked back at him.
"There are a few mature boys around here," Lily said offhandedly. She looked at Remus (whose neck snapped to the side Lily was on) before looking at Hermione.
"Please tell me I'm not one of those guys who is actually 'one of the girls'," Remus moaned.
Lily and Hermione, both in sync, linked their arms with his. His insides tightened once again.
"Aw, but you love it," Hermione teased. She and Lily giggled uncontrollably.
Remus let his head roll backwards and shook his head to the ceiling as if saying "Why me?"
"Anyways, guys wish to know what girls talk about when no boys are around, don't they?" Lily asked.
"And now you do!" Hermione stated happily.
"Aren't I the lucky one?" Remus said sarcastically.
"Yes, you are."
"So… did you see that outfit Zoë LeBeau was wearing yesterday?" Lily asked Hermione, clearly in a jesting manner. "Oooo, it was awful!"
"Oh God, no," Remus whimpered, running his hands over his face and through his soft hair. "I can barely stand you two talking about my friends. How do you think I'll handle gossip and clothes?"
"We're just teasing you, Remus," Lily said, giving him a little shoulder nudge.
"How could I have cheated?" they all heard a familiar voice yell from the Great Hall.
"Maturity, that's all I ask for," Lily muttered to herself before she, Hermione, and Remus walked in for dinner.
James was sitting amid the two other Marauders and across from Harry. James, Sirius, and Harry looked a little winded while Peter was bright pink in the face; Harry's and James's hair was quite messier than usual.
"Seriously, Sirius, how could I have cheated?" James asked again. "It's a bloody game of race!"
"You pushed that second year in front of me on purpose," Sirius said, not able to suppress his smile.
"But seriously, Lily," Hermione said, "would you actually treasure maturity most of all?" Hermione, Lily, and Remus ignored the arguing and walked together (arms still linked) through the great doors. "Remus," Hermione said abruptly. "Would you say maturity is an important value?"
Remus opened and closed his mouth, looking quite like a fish. "Is there going to be a correct answer for this?" he asked hopefully.
"I just want your opinion…" Hermione said.
"Well, the person can't be a total—crazy person, but yes, you can't have a perfectly sane—boyfriend, in your cases."
"Thank you Remus," Hermione said, nodding her head once.
"I can't believe you just said that," Lily laughed.
"The fact that you two just out-dueled two Marauders is an intimidating thought," Remus said.
Lily and Hermione giggled again.
James and Sirius, just noticing that Harry was staring slack-jawed at the people coming, turned around. James and Sirius's jaw, in unison, dropped as far as they would go.
Remus was blushing. Remus was arm in arm with the two girls they both fancied. Remus was causing those two girls to giggle uncontrollably. What was Remus doing?
"What's so funny?" Peter asked in his mousy voice, popping his head over James's shoulder.
"Oh, nothing," Hermione hummed as they unhooked their arms to sit down.
"We've just decided that Remus is one of the girls now," Lily said through more giggles. She placed herself next to Harry.
"Yes, he helped us with boy troubles and gave us some juicy gossip," Hermione added with a huge grin on her face, trying to hold her giggles in valiantly.
Remus groaned as he sat down between Lily and Hermione.
James and Sirius had finally shut their jaws, but gave identical suspicious glares towards Remus, who did not seem to notice… or didn't care.
James finally gathered his wits. "So, Moony, while walking with these fine young ladies, did you happen to catch any dirt about the Marauders?" he asked suavely, leaning in.
"Oh, they were talking about you the whole time," Remus said casually, looking up and down the tables, searching for the right food.
"And?" James asked. Harry was laughing and shaking his head at his father's behavior. Could he really not sense the sarcasm?
"Ah ha," Remus said, grabbing the chicken legs and piling them onto his plate. "Hm? Oh, Hermione said that she thinks you, James, are one sexy guy, but she doesn't date Quidditch players, so you're out of the question—"
Hermione's head snapped to Remus, giving him a wild look. Lily burst out laughing, causing some timid first years to jump in their seats a few spots away.
"And Lily—Lily actually said that she wants to snog you senseless every time you ruffle your hair up. Finds it very attractive, she does," Remus continued, still in a slapdash tone. He stuffed some mashed potatoes into his grinning mouth.
James's eyes lit up. He glanced hopefully at Lily, who was staring, shocked, at Remus. She punched him in the arm.
"Oops," he said. A grin burst through his serious features. "I wasn't supposed to tell you all that."
"So, Lily—" James raised his hand to rumple his hair unnecessarily again, but Lily interrupted him.
"Don't even think about it, Potter," Lily growled. She flashed Remus a dirty glare before looking back at James. "Are you that dense that you can't even see the sarcasm dripping from Remus's mouth?"
James's hand froze above his forehead. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, dropping his hand down. "Are you saying you don't like the hair? …But chicks dig the hair ruffling!"
"Well not this one," Lily snarled.
James turned to Hermione, looking embarrassed. "And what Remus said about you was… false, right?"
Hermione gave a short chuckle. "You're a good looking guy, James, but not that good looking."
"So that means you don't find me to be incredibly sexy?" Harry asked, feigning a pout.
"Sorry, Harry," Hermione said in a "too bad, so sad" sort of way.
"Well, now that that is all cleared up," Remus said. The others laughed and continued to eat, scarcely talking from all of the delicious food in front of them.
Sirius had not said a word since Remus arrived… arms linked with Lily and Hermione. Sirius had expected Remus to be jealous of how Hermione blushed at his, Sirius's, own words. What he had not expected was himself getting envious of how Hermione acted around Remus. It was almost as if she couldn't decide who she liked, so she just "flirted" around both of them.
"Sirius," Remus said.
"Hm? What was that?" Sirius said quickly, snapping out of his thoughts.
"I asked for the treacle tarts," Remus said slowly, looking at Sirius oddly, as if sensing something.
"Oh, right," Sirius said, he passed over the plate.
Back at the common room, a couple hours later, Sirius, James, and Harry were finishing their Transfiguration homework that was due the next day. They had been working on it in silence for the past twenty-four minutes. Harry and Sirius were in the lounging chairs while James was lying on the rug in front of the fire.
"Padfoot," James said, scratching his chin with an expensive-looking quill. "What did you put for part three?" No answer. "Padfoot?" He looked up to find Sirius not concentrating at all. He was staring into the fire, his parchment rolled up and his quill behind his ear. "Did you finish already?"
Sirius nodded with glazed over eyes. He blinked a few times and looked at James as though seeing him for the first time. "Do you know where Moony is?"
"Why?" James asked skeptically. Harry looked up from his homework too.
"I wanted to ask him to marry me," Sirius said sardonically. James and Harry both raised identical eyebrows. "I want to talk to him. Is that a crime to talk to your friend?"
James gazed at his friend, even more warily than before. "I think he's in the library helping out Peter," he said at last.
"Thanks," Sirius mumbled. He placed his homework to the side and jogged out of the common room.
"It wouldn't hurt to see what he wrote, would it?" James asked Harry, reaching for Sirius's complete homework. Harry just laughed but egged James on anyway.
Sirius ran down the halls, up stairs, past students, and came to a screeching halt in front of the library. Literally. Before tip-toeing into the library, he took a deep breath. He could never get used to the smell of this library.
He waved excitedly to Madam Pince, who just glared at him in return. He shrugged and started to slowly walk down the aisles to the back tables, where Peter and Remus usually worked.
His ears perked up. He heard Peter's complaining. He peaked through a bookcase to see what was happening. To his surprise, it was a bushy brunette that was helping Peter. Hermione sat across from Peter, helping him with his homework, looking quite reluctant.
Sirius frowned. Where was Remus? He scanned the other tables. "Ah ha," he whispered triumphantly. Remus was sitting at the furthest corner in the back, sitting criss-crossed on the floor… facing Lily. Facing Lily quite close. With a sheepish grin on his face. Why did Sirius get a foreboding feeling when he spotted this?
Remus said something quietly, leading to Lily giving a little giggle and blushing. Remus stared intently at her with his cheeks burning a soft pink. When she went to look at him, he darted his eyes down to his book.
Sirius had had enough. He practically ran out of there, ignoring Madam Pince's shouts of no running in the library. He sprinted his way back to the common room, his need to talk to Remus long gone. All he needed to do was talk to James. Because Sirius, one of Hogwarts most wanted guys, could sense any flirting a mile away.
"Piddlediddle," he breathed.
"Indeed!" the Fat Lady said, swinging her door open.
"Prongs!"
Sirius ran over to where he had left his friends at the fireplace.
"I didn't mean to, Padfoot," James said quickly, dropping a piece of parchment. "I was just—a bit confused at the ending; I didn't know what to write—"
"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked. He waved his hand impatiently. "Never mind that. I've got to tell you something."
"What?" James asked, sitting up from the floor suddenly. The rare times Sirius was actually taking something seriously was not the time to goof off.
Sirius's eyes darted to Harry.
"Just tell me," James demanded. Harry was one of their close friends now. He could hear what Sirius had to say… unless it involved a full moon.
"It's about Remus… and Lily," he gasped. He flopped down into his previous seat, looking anxiously at James.
James's eyebrows furrowed, yet he said nothing.
"You see, Remus—the way he acted at the library—it seemed as if—"
"He fancied her?" James finished, his voice filled with a light pain.
Sirius nodded. "How did you guess that?"
"He—he told me that he had fancied her for almost three years while I was talking to him about the whole you-Hermione-Remus thing."
Harry sat as still as the grave. In his mind, wheels were turning. The mere presence of him and Hermione was indeed changing things around here a little too much. With Hermione being here, she had caught the attention of Sirius and Remus. They got into a fight over her. James had to calm each one down. While talking, Remus let it slip that he liked his, Harry's, mother, which he did not do in the other past. That alone might change either the friendship between Remus and James, or the relationship James and Lily would have in the future. James, being the sincerely loyal friend he is, could let Remus go out with Lily, without putting up a fight. Lily wouldn't fall in love with James, therefore turning Harry Potter into Harry Lupin….
"Bloody hell," Harry whispered after all that went through his head. His eyes shut tightly as he ran a slightly shaking hand through his messy hair. He had never felt more distraught in this time than right now.
"Harry, are you all right?" James asked tentatively, noticing Harry's distress.
Harry didn't respond right away. "Sorry mates, I—er, have a sudden headache. Try to be quiet when you enter, okay?" Harry, his mind starting to numb, got up and walked out, leaving his finished homework behind.
"What do you suppose that was all about?" James asked Sirius. The Potter boy crawled up from the floor and onto the chair Harry had occupied moments before.
Sirius gazed deeply at Harry's retreating figure. Indeed, what was all that about? Sirius, to James, just shrugged. He would talk about his suspicions later.
"But what about Remus?" Sirius asked, sounding both impatient and worried.
"Well, seeing as Lily isn't really mine to give away or take, he—I suppose—could go out—"
"James! How can you even suggest that?" Sirius asked, outraged. "You've been crushing for this girl ever since fourth year!"
"But Remus has since his third year," James said saddened, defeated tone. "And you know Moony. He never gets the girl he wants…"
"Prongs, this is nonsense. Moony likes Hermione. Let's just stick with that, something we can handle."
"But you like her," James pointed out.
"James," Sirius sighed. "I would give Hermione to Remus if it meant you got Lily and we would all stop fighting."
James blinked. A true smile, not a smirk, sneaked onto his face as he stood up. Sirius got to his feet, too. "Padfoot… have I ever told you how loyal of a friend you are?" He put an arm around Sirius's shoulder. Sirius returned it and slung his arm, too, over James's shoulder.
"Once or twice maybe."
They walked up to their dorm room, leaving their homework and troubles behind.
Remus popped out from a dark corner. He had heard the entire conversation from the moment Harry stood up and left. He had forgotten how faithful his friends were. All he had seen in Sirius was his lust after girls for the past few weeks. But now, he remembered the boy who had risked his life for Remus every month. The boy who taught Remus how to live beyond books and into the world where rules were meant to be broken. The boy who accepted Remus as a friend when no one else would.
Remus made up his mind. No more fighting over a girl. It was stupid to begin with. He marched across the common room, but stopped suddenly. How come the boy who Remus called "best friend" could not learn to pick up after himself? Remus sighed and trekked back to the fireplace. He gathered up all the things James, Sirius, and Harry had left, stuffed them into their appropriate bags and carried them up stairs.
He walked through the doors, only thinking of talking to Sirius for once and for all, but found loyalty-boy sound asleep, his leg and arm poking out from his curtains. Remus sighed. He laid down their bags grudgingly and slipped into his own bed.
Remus had an odd dream indeed. He and Sirius were collecting baby dragons for James and Lily's wedding. Hermione was running around, frantically screaming about how Snape set the cheesemonkeys loose.
James gave a deafening snore.
As Remus fell into sleep again, seeing as two o'clock in the morning was an unrespectable time to wake up, he had a different dream.
His muscular body was rippling as he bounded through the dark, looming forest. His fur was coated with dirt and sweat. The werewolf sniffed the air. He could sense three other animals near by. In a flash, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were standing right beside him. Moony lifted his head; another smell had wafted into his snout. A human.
Without his three companions, the werewolf leapt over roots and stones. At last, a teenage girl figure stood before him. Her bushy hair blowing ever so slightly in the wind. He wanted to pounce on her and taste her flesh. He started to run, but another figure stood in his way. It was Harry.
Harry leaned over the sleeping figure.
"I think he's dead," someone whispered behind him.
"Why dead?" said another. "Why can't there be a cheerful excuse?"
"Because he's bloody late for class!" yelled the first.
"Er, Lupin?" Harry poked Remus on the arm, ignoring Sirius and James's bickering. "Wake up…"
"AH!"
Remus had yelled. He had just opened his eyes from his dream, where Harry was glaring at him, holding his wand up in a ominous manner, to Harry bent over him, staring at him worriedly. Remus scrabbled away from Harry, but fell off his bed.
"Oh come on, I don't have that bad of hair in the morning… do I?" Harry asked.
James laughed. "Of course you don't, mate," he said with a wink.
Remus's head popped up from the other side of his bed. "Did someone say late for class?" he asked sleepily. He groped inside his wardrobe and pulled out a neatly folded white shirt and started to button it up over his bare chest.
"Er—yeah, mate. History class started twelve minutes ago," Peter said, looking at his old watch.
In less than thirty seconds, Remus Lupin was out the door, leaving his friends stunned at his speed.
All through the day, the day of the full moon it just happened to be, Remus had tried to talk to Sirius, but just couldn't find the time to do so. It was either too many people were around or it was class time.
At last, the last class of the day rolled around. The Marauders walked out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts room congratulating Harry's performance in his duel.
"Harry, that was bloody brilliant!" cried Peter.
"Remind me to never get on your bad side," joked James.
"Good job, Harry," Remus said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Er, Sirius, can I talk to you for a minute? No, your guys go ahead."
Sirius hung back while James, Harry, and Peter kept on walking; James was starting to smile.
"Yeah mate?" Sirius said.
"We—we need to talk," Remus said bluntly.
Sirius agreed and they started towards an empty classroom.
"SIRIUS BLACK!"
Sirius, in the middle of the doorway, stopped suddenly, causing Remus to crash into him. Sirius winced and turned around to find a furious McGonagall.
"Yes, Professor?" he asked meekly.
"Do you know why I'm angry?" she asked, her flaring nostrils glowing white.
"Because I tricked the House-elves into giving Slytherin rotten food?"
"Actually, I was speaking of the incident with the jinxed treats you gave a couple of Slytherin first years," she said sharply. "…You made the House-elves give the entire Slytherin house rotten food?!"
Remus raised his eyebrows, turning to Sirius, finding all this rather amusing. Sirius, on the other hand, just smirked.
"Yeah, you could say I did that."
McGonagall's face contorted with anger. "You're coming with me, Black. The punishment will fit the crime. You will help the house-elves cook an edible dinner for the Slytherins."
Remus remembered that he needed to make things up with Sirius before the full moon, or else he would regret it deeply. "Professor," Remus said quietly.
Professor McGonagall turned around. Her face suddenly went from vengeful to an almost compassionate manner.
"It's about tonight," he said quietly. McGonagall nodded. "Could I leave earlier than usual tonight?"
McGonagall looked skeptically at Remus, then nodded. "Of course, Remus," she said in a tender, caring voice. She whipped around on Sirius. And using a completely different tone, a harsh tone, she said, "Come on, you." She grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him towards the kitchens. Sirius winked at Remus before grudgingly ripping his arm out of McGonagall's claw-like grip.
===
"I don't know why you need to be here so early," Madam Pomfrey muttered disapprovingly. "The moon comes up at the same time."
"I just wanted to get away from Hogwarts earlier this time," Remus sighed.
"Fine, fine," she said exasperatedly. "Have a good night, then." She left the Shrieking Shack immediately.
Remus scoffed. "'Have a good night' indeed. I'm a bloody werewolf on the night of a full moon! How can I have a good night?!" he yelled to nobody once he heard the distant echo of the Whomping Willow.
A few minutes passed by. Remus's ears suddenly twitched. The swish of the willow's branches could be heard.
"Finally," he yelled down the tunnel. "I thought you guys would never show up."
"Now what would have happened, my dear Moony, if it had been Madam Pomfrey coming back through the tunnel and you shouted that, thinking it was us?"
James appeared at the doorway. He leaned against the side of it, giving off his usual smirk.
"I heard a rat squeak," Remus said stiffly.
"Do you know how many rats live in this place?" Peter asked, walking through the door seconds later. "I'm not the only rodent here you know."
"But I scare all the mice away," said Remus, sounding sick. "Or I eat them."
"They make good chew toys, don't they?"
Remus's heart leapt. "You made it!" he said excitedly to Sirius, who was stepping over a chair he had trashed a month ago.
"Do you really think detention could keep me away from this adventure?" he asked, smiling. But his smile didn't stay on for too long. "Moony, I just wanted to say—I'm sorry."
Remus sighed. "Me too, mate. It's just stupid of us to fight over a girl. No matter how great she is." He turned to James. "And Prongs, you asked how long I liked Lily, but not how much. I know for a fact that you care for her more than I ever could. I don't want Lily."
"Thanks mate," James said sincerely.
"So are we cool?" Remus asked Sirius.
"Well, we all know I'm incredibly hot, but yes, we're cool."
"Aw, group hug," Peter cried out.
They all laughed.
"I'm glad we settled this before tonight," Remus said, feeling rather relieved. It was as if a great burden had been lifted off from him.
"Yeah, you two seem to put things off until the last minute, don't you?" James said.
"The friend's job is to drive the others insane," Sirius said in a simple, matter-of-fact tone.
"What would I do without you guys?" Remus asked, giving a laugh.
"Bite yourself," Peter suggested.
"Are we going to Hogsmeade tonight?" Sirius asked eagerly.
"How 'bout we just stick to the school grounds?" James advised.
"Fine by me," Remus said.
"And me," Sirius and Peter said together.
Silence came as the moonlight flooded the beaten-up room.
"Oh bloody hell," groaned Remus. "Here we go again…"
Remus's teenage body started to shake violently. As his bone crunched and cracked, his figure lengthening onto four legs, he gave a howl of pain.
James, Sirius, and Peter grimaced. They could never get over the sight of Remus in such pain. They looked at each other.
"Let's go help out our friend," said Sirius.
They nodded and, seconds later, they too, were each on four legs.
The werewolf looked at the four other animals in the room with him. He recognized their scent and knew they were no threat or enemy of him. They were his best friends.
A/N: If anyone noticed, I changed my summary…
I'm surprised there are no X-Men fans out there; no one pointed out Piotr Rasputin in chapter 15! It's Colossus, people!
Aren't you just proud of me for updating so quickly (quicker than last time, at least)? I just hope you all like this chapter!
Reviewers:
Thanks to lovablechick213, Mangoes2oo5, anonymous, Lali-chan, pieceocake (er…), DracosPrincess16, ladedodadae, Niphredel Black, and halcyone. Loved your reviews!
Flaignhan: You know, the double ending thing isn't a bad idea. I might not use it, but it's not a bad idea… Yeah, I've been reading that "Falling Into Love" for quite some time. It is a good one.
MasteroftheFlame: Are you sure you can really call yourself a "master of the flame"? You've gone off your Pyro craze for awhile. Tsk tsk… And don't worry! I'll put your bloody line in there later! Be patient! Thanks. (Like the name Zoë LeBeau in this chapter?)
Eman: I will show just a little in the future once Harry and Hermione travel back to their own time. Well, I might. I'm pretty sure I will, but I'm stopping myself from promising anything, 'cuz I have this bad habit of changing the story a little (as you can see). Thanks!
Magicalferret: Let me guess, you're a fan of Slytherin boys? I'm sorry, but Slytherins, all Slytherins, are staying evil and hated in my story. No Hermione and Snape. And Hermione couldn't be a secret Animagus. This is taking place right after their fifth year. She never would have had the time to become one. But I was playing with that idea! Thanks!
Doodler Girl: Huh, you read my mind. Here is your full moon chapter. I loved the Quidditch game, especially when Snape was ridiculed by the commentator (don't you just love her name, Amanda Carrick?). Have at thee! –pokes you with a pencil-
Blondekat3: Three days good for you? And I really did want to show that Hermione is a plain, hormone-y teenage girl too, underneath all that smartness and maturity. Thanks!
Kat: I know. I know that my time-traveling is completely messed up. But this way was easier. You are right… I'm a bad person. I actually watched all three Back to the Future movies just to see what time-traveling was like, to refresh my memory. But I ignored it. Oh well. My way does make the story more interesting, non? Thanks!
Dawn1: No Draco story, but there will be Sirius action (not saying that end up together). I promise. Thanks!
Just incase anyone cared, I have reached my 204th page. I'm so excited! Yay!