TITLE: Terrifying Dark Creature
PAIRING: Marauders Gen
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: 563
James and Sirius had Remus effectively trapped, standing on either side of him and blocking him into a corner, as Peter stood back, always a few steps behind. He didn't even know what this confrontation was about, just that the two black-haired boys had been whispering together even more than usual lately. Now that he thought on it, they had been speaking to Remus a bit less often, and looking at him a little funny. He sincerely hoped everything would be alright.
"Look, Lupin," James was saying, adjusting his glasses on the top of his nose, and not managing to sound nearly as mature as he obviously intended, since his voice hadn't dropped yet. "We've got a problem. We need to talk to you in the dormitory."
"Can't it wait, please?" said Remus quietly. "I've just gotten out of Arithmancy and I need to put my books down, then I've got a study meeting with some Hufflepuffs to work on that Herbology project-"
"The Hufflepuffs," said Sirius, taking hold of Remus' shoulder and leading him toward the portrait hole with James still on his other side. "Will have to wait. When you get to them, they'll probably have worked so hard they'll finish it themselves."
Peter scurried after the other boys and in to the dormitory, where Sirius promptly waved at him to shut the door and lock it.
"We know what's wrong with you, Remus," said James, kindly now. "We know why you go missing every month."
"W-what do you mean?" Remus stuttered, still clutching his Arithmancy books to his chest nervously. "There's nothing wrong with me. I just have to go visit my aunt-"
"Right," said Sirius, laughing and flopping down on James' bed, which happened to be the closest. "Your aunt, who happens to need you to help her out only on the full moon every single month, and always needs some chore done that results in you falling down steps or tripping over stones in the garden and coming back to school looking like a pack of kneazles have attacked you."
Remus went very pale, until you couldn't even see his scars, and sat down hard on his bed. "Well… yes?"
"We're not stupid, Remus," James said flatly. "It's obvious, even to second-years. I mean, even Peter figured it out!"
This was news to Peter, but he nodded enthusiastically. Remus, to his horror, began to cry. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't trust you guys enough to tell you, but it's so horrible. I understand, if you don't want to be friends with a werewolf, but I swear; I swear I would never hurt any of you."
Peter stared at his friend as the other two boys moved to him, put their arms around his shoulders, comforted him. They comforted the dark creature, who could kill all of them so easily, or worse, make them like he was.
"It's okay, Lupin," Sirius was saying. "We've got a plan. We'll always be your friends." But Peter wasn't listening. Peter had no idea what Sirius was talking about. All he could think of was that he was terrified, that his friends had betrayed him- all of them, and Remus the worst.
Because Remus was not terrifying. Remus was not threatening. Remus was twelve years old, and he was sobbing in to his best friend's arms, but Peter was scared to death.
