He didn't mean to be spying, but it was creeping closer to when he would be transforming and his instincts screamed to be close to those he cared about. Without meaning to, he tracked down the girls and was about to call out for them when he took in their body language. They looked tense, cats ready to pounce on waiting prey. They looked around before moving around the corridor into the dark.
"We need to figure out how to say this right. If he gets spooked, he will run and I can't lose him because he thinks he's a terrible person. I mean, it's not like we can walk up to the group, separate them and blurt it out."
"You sound like we're trying to admit crushes, Alice. Frank isn't in that group…" There was a flash as a jinx flew by and the sound of screeching as the girls fought to keep Alice under control. "Don't dish out what you can't take. Have fun with no hair for a while, it'll match my tail!" Oh good lord Alice and Venus in a fight. Was it awful that he wished he could see better? Both of them were very powerful and had long time knowledge of the wizarding world to perfect their attacks.
There was a sharp smack! that resounded in the quiet space but it was the silence that followed that drew in his attention. "Did you just hit me?" Both girls squacked, bursting into giggles for some reason.
"Will you stop fighting now? This is a serious situation and if you make one comment about that idiot, 'Dite...Anyway, how are we going to confront Remus? This isn't the type of thing that you just blurt out." Dread crept into his stomach, anxiety curling hot iron into every nook and cranny underneath his skin. "'Oh hey, you know how you get really sick at times? Well we thought you were getting your period but now we think you're a werewolf."
"Fuck." Remus hated swearing at the best of times but when that word slipped through his lips, he knew he was caught. He didn't even have time to breath, even if he was able to, he just turned tail and ran. I'm getting expelled, I'm getting arrested, I'm a dead dog dead dog dead dog. This close to the full moon, his legs seemed unnaturally long as they brought him away from the castle quicker than any human. He didn't even hit the notch on the tree, just dove into the hole and let his senses take him to the only place he felt safe. If everyone else was safe, he was safe. Even if it was just until morning.
Sneaking out of Hogwarts was much easier than she thought it would have been, her feet barely even grazing the ground as she walked over to the Willow. "Hello, might you let us pass? Immobulus," was whispered as she made a mountain shape with her wand, humming as she trekked to the hidden passageway. "Aren't you coming?"
The girls behind her were tentative at best, uneased by the glassy look in their friend's eyes. Venus finally broke away from the group and followed her sister with undoubted trust. "We're right behind you, just wanted to make sure it was safe."
A small ball of feathers flew past them, landing on Aphrodite's shoulder without even making a sound. "Hello Pip, can you fly ahead so we don't surprise him? Thank you, lovely." Light curls caught on hanging roots, but only succeeded in making her hands rise to stop the incessant tugging. "Do you hear it? Can you guess where we're going?" Even without the Ravenclaw pointing it out, the sound of creaking wood and the whispered echoes of screams was all to familiar. Even to those who had never been to Hogsmeade before. "It's where he transforms, it's a rather painful process because his wolf and human sides are constantly fighting each other for control and the full moon makes it impossible for him to win."
"'Dite, how do you know so much about this?" The question went unanswered as they finally arrived at the shack, eyes tracking every shadow as they all imagined them to be boggarts or other creatures waiting for the chance to attack. They each paired off, sisters finding comfort in the warmth of the familiar.
When they found him, he was sitting hunched in the middle of a bedroom. The bed itself was standing, but the posts were scratched to sharpen claws and the mattress torn apart to make it more comfortable. The window was covered with grime that just happened to protect him from anyone daring to try and sneak a peek. "How did you find out?" If he had wolf ears, they would be dropped. "I was so careful to get away from everyone, I made sure to cover my tracks. And now...are they going to let me say goodbye or do I have to leave right away?"
"Remus, what on earth are you talking about? Why are you sulking here like some kicked pup?" Alice's hands were on her hips and a sister's annoyance on her face. "You didn't fail to hide anything, you just have friends that care about you and wanted to help. I'm sorry that you think you're so special that one secret is going to make us hate you but it's not."
"We haven't told anyone, we were more worried about how you were doing and we didn't want to get you in trouble." Small hands grabbed his face, forcing him to look into piercing green eyes. "We are your friends. We protect, we love and we never betray each other. How long is it going to take for you to realize that?"
He promptly burst into tears, curling up into his best friend's chest as all of his fear washed down his cheeks. No more words needed to be said as one after the other they found their way into the hug. Aphrodite had to bite her tongue from making a joke about dog piles, simply curling herself tighter around his side. If her arm was numb from being pressed between two stomachs, she couldn't complain.
It had been a week since the reveal of his true nature and he had come to accept that the girls were still his friends. In fact, with no secrets between them, the group was closer than ever. "Moony! My mum sent me chocolates because a new shop opened down the way, you've got to try these!" Lily beamed at him from across the table.
Alice beat him to it, snatching up a milk one and throwing it up so she could catch it with her mouth. "Mmm...Remind me to hug your mother next time I see her, that way she sends me sweets instead of you."
"Come off it, you know I was just offering them to Remus!" The friendly teasing made him smile as he snuck one of the sweets, warmth flooding his chest like he was back in their pile. "I'm way too exhausted to deal with anything right now, someone hold me." Lily fell back into his lap, curling up and pretending to snore. She burst out laughing when he shoved her off, all while he was complaining about how only the biggest weirdo's drool and snore at the same time. The girls might not have been his roommates but they were a completely different category altogether. Pack, was the first though he had ever shared with his inner wolf and it felt like a small part of him healed.