A/N: I know this chapter is posted quiker than my others but I'm really proud of this chapter for some reason so I just really couldn't wait anymore and wanted to post it, so here you go.

Enjoy!^^

The peace and quiet couldn't last of course. Why she had thought otherwise, she didn't even know. She should've known better by now.

It was the second week of Easter break, only a few more days and the other students would be on the Hogwarts express back to school. The brunette had received two letters from Lily, both asking if she was doing alright – a not so subtle question that actually meant 'aren't those four bothering you too much?' – and ranting about how her sister got under her skin and started a fight over the smallest things.

She wrote back, telling her that it was only a little more before she would get to come back to the castle and assuring her that she was fine – a subtle way of saying 'I got everything under control, even them'. Only two days after she had sent the second letter to Lily would she realise how wrong she was. Oh, how wrong she was.

The day went by just like the others. They spent time together, talked, ate together, teased each other, Hermione read a little. But everything went downhill when they crossed paths with Snape just after lunch.

"Lowlife," Snape muttered as he passed them in the corridor. Hermione had hoped the boys would ignore it but no such luck.

"What was that, Snivellus?"

"Nothing, just wondering how you can stand the company of such lowlife creatures." His voice was the same drawl as always. Then he looked straight at Remus and asked, "You don't look well, Lupin. Is it that time of the month again?"

Snape had had an inkling for the longest of times that Remus was a werewolf. He didn't have proof, however, so he couldn't bring the issue up with Dumbledore or any other professor.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius almost barked at him.

"Black," he tutted. "I knew you weren't the sharpest tool in the shed but I didn't think you were this stupid. We both know what I'm talking about." Then he shifted his gaze towards Hermione. "Of course, then there's still the mudblood that you guys keep around."

Sirius was reaching for his wand before Hermione stopped him. She put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Sirius, don't." And he listened. He took a deep breath, his eyes still burning with fury, but he didn't grab is wand.

"Look at that. It seems like the mutt has learned to listen. A shame though, that you have a mudblood for an owner." With that final comment he walked away, not sparing them another glance.

"Sirius, come on. It's okay," she said as she tugged at his arm.

His head turned so quickly, it was a miracle he didn't get whiplash. His eyes were screaming fury, like a storm raging. She knew what that look meant. She didn't argue with him, not this time, it would only make things worse. So she stayed silent and Sirius just stomped off to the common room, leaving the others to follow after him.

During the day Sirius' mood only got worse – it became so bad he just stomped back out the common room after pacing for almost an hour. Remus looked paler and more ill by the second and Hermione wondered how bad everything would turn out the next time they'd cross paths with the sharp-tongued slytherin.

When the time came for James and Peter to accompany Remus to the whomping willow, she made sure to be in the library. That way the boys could do what they had to and she didn't give away she knew more than she let on.

By the time she left the library it was very late, the sky dark and the full moon shining down its dim light. What she hadn't expect to find on her way back to the common room, however, was a laughing Sirius.

She raised an eyebrow as she approached him. "Uhm, why are you so happy? A few hours ago you were still fuming."

"That was before I got back at Snivellus."

"And what did you do exactly?" She got no answer. "Sirius, you didn't do anything bad, did you? You could get in trouble."

"I didn't do anything. I just told him that maybe if he was so interested in getting us in trouble he could find something to help him with that beneath the whomping willow."

"The whomping willow?"

"Yep, should've seen him. He almost ran, thinking he could find something."

Hermione stood rooted to her spot, her eyes wide. The whomping willow, Remus, full moon. How could she have forgotten about this? They had told her this in her own time. How stupid to forget something like this! Finally, she shook herself out of her stupor.

"You idiot!" she yelled. "You absolute idiot! Do you know what you've done?!"

"What's with you?"

"You idiot! It's a full moon, Remus is there! What were you thinking?!" A look of realisation and shock crossed his face but she didn't have time for that. She had to get someone, anyone. James, she had to get James. From what she remembered he saved Snape from Remus. So she ran.

She started running, in the back of her mind noting she was going to Gryffindor tower. She burst inside and yelled.

"James!" The panic in her voice was as clear as day.

"What? What happened?" he asked as he made his way towards her.

She clung to his arms. "Sirius told Snape about the whomping willow. James, Remus is there." The panic in his eyes was obvious. One, how did she know about Remus? Two, why had Sirius told Snape? Three, what was he supposed to do?

"James, you have to go to Remus and get to Snape before he can get to Remus." Before she could say anything else, he was off, running at top speed. Then she addressed Peter. "Peter, get Madam Pomfrey. I'll get Dumbledore."

Everything after that was a blur. She could remember getting Dumbledore, the panic she felt becoming harder and harder to control. She could remember Snape being accompanied to the infirmary in shock. But everything else was a blur. The next thing she knew was that morning had come, Remus lying on a bed in the infirmary and the marauders and herself standing around his bed.

They were all silent, just staring at their friend who lay there, unaware of everything that had happened that night.

"I –" Sirius started but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth.

Hermione snapped her head up, looking him dead in the eye. Her eyes were burning with anger. She stood up and made her way towards him, James and Peter looking to see what the brunette would do.

She started pushing him, punching against his chest with her fists as she said, "How could you?! You betrayed your friend! Do you have any idea what it would do to him if he knew he had harmed someone? Do you?! If James hadn't made it on time Snape could've been dead, Remus would be expelled. Even worse, he'd probably go to Azkaban. Have you any idea of what you did? How could you?!"

As she said it, all her emotions were rushing out of her at once. The anger she had felt, the panic, the hurt. She was crying but she couldn't care. She kept pushing him, kept punching him and Sirius just let her because he knew he deserved it, knew he deserved much more than that. Until James came between them. He took Hermione's wrists and turned her towards him, enveloping her in a hug. She clung to him and just started crying even harder.

It was hours later when Remus woke up. Hermione had calmed down for the most part in the meantime. From the moment he sat up, she enveloped him in a hug. He didn't know what to think. Why was Hermione here? Why did she hug him like that? Why had everyone such a grim look on their faces?

"Uhm, what happened?" he asked, his voice still a little raspy from sleep and exhaustion. Hermione just shook her head in their embrace. She wouldn't be able to explain everything, not without her voice wavering or without tears falling from her eyes. So James took the lead and started filling him in on what had happened.

"Sirius wanted to get back at Snape." The fact that he used the slytherin's real name and not the nickname they had come up with so many years ago was enough of a detail to show how severe things were. "He told him to go to the whomping willow."

Remus looked at Sirius as if asking if it was true but the raven-haired man avoided any and all eye contact, choosing to look at the floor instead.

"And Snape was stupid enough to listen. If it wasn't for Hermione –" He faltered a little. "If Hermione hadn't come to get me, I wouldn't have been in time to get Snape out of there."

The panic in Remus was rising. He could've hurt someone. He could've turned someone else into a werewolf. He could've killed someone. He felt like he was going to be sick. Seeing this, James hastened to add, "Don't worry, nothing actually happened. And Dumbledore isn't going to expel you and he made sure Snape wouldn't tell a soul about your condition."

That was a small consolation prize. But the fact remained that something could have happened. And he would've be the one to blame. He would've been the one with blood on his hands.

His voice wavered as he asked, "Pads? Why?"

Sirius had tears in his eyes himself, had it difficult to answer. "I just wanted to get back at him. I never meant for anybody to get hurt. I–I–I didn't realise. I just –" His voice was small, like a child that was about to be punished.

"You didn't realise? Sirius, please, you have a brain, use it. I'm a werewolf. What did you think that would happen? Did you even think at all?"

"No, I didn't. I was just so – so angry and –"

"So because you're angry, others have to pay the price?"

"No, I just – I'm so sorry. So, so sorry." And he meant it. You could hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes, on his face. Everything screamed regret but that didn't take away the fact that he had done what he did.

"Can you leave? All of you? I'm tired and I'd like to sleep."

"Remus –" Hermione was cut off by James laying a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. This was not the time. Remus wanted to be alone so that was the least they could do.

The silence on the way back to Gryffindor tower – because who could think about lunch after the emotional turmoil they just went through? – was strained, awkward. That had never happened since she had got here, not even once.

"I'm going to lie down for a moment," Hermione informed before ascending the stairs to her room.

The boys were thinking along the same lines, everyone exhausted from the events that night. They all felt emotionally drained. However, after half an hour and still being wide awake, James asked, "What were you thinking, Sirius?"

"James, please. I've had Hermione rant at me, I've had Remus reprimanding me – and I think there is a lot more to follow – I can't have this from you too." He sounded drained, hollow, like even talking was too much of an effort right now.

"I wasn't going to. I was just wondering why you did it. You've always been reckless but never to the extent of something like this."

"I literally don't know why I did it. It just… happened." They left it at that. It wasn't like they could say a lot more about the matter.

Even though Hermione went to lay down with the thought of getting a little bit of sleep, it was for naught. She just lay there, wide awake, thinking about what had happened. She had given herself away, now they knew that she knew about Remus. She tried not to stress too much about it. She had talked herself out of different situations already. If she could do it then, she could do it now.

She went to dinner but could hardly get a bite in, her stomach turning at the thought of eating something. She pushed her food around before standing up and making her way towards the infirmary. She had to see Remus, had to see how he was doing.

When she got there, the other three marauders were already there, sitting on the bed next to Remus'. She didn't know how long they had been there or what they had talked about but it seemed like they talked things through, at least somewhat. There was still something awkward, something a little strained in the air but she imagined that would vanish within the next few days, at worst the next few weeks. But it seemed like the core of the problem was solved, at least for as far as she could see.

"How are you doing?" she asked as she took a seat beside him at the edge of the bed.

"Better. What about you? You look tired."

"I have been better," she admitted. Silence filled the room, everyone noticing the elephant in the room but not knowing how to address the matter.

Remus cleared his throat. "Hermione, how did you know? About me being a –"

"About you being a werewolf?" He flinched when she said it, like it was some vile word. And maybe for him it was but Hermione didn't see the harm in it. Not all werewolves were bad, certainly not Remus. Never Remus. "It wasn't that difficult to figure it out. You disappear every month for a few days just when it happens to be a full moon. Then there are the scars, which seem to multiply every time. And of course there is the fact that a black dog and a stag running around with a wolf on the school grounds isn't really a usual sight to behold." Her voice was soft, nothing to indicate that she was disgusted with him for being a werewolf, nothing to indicate that she was angry at him for keeping it a secret.

"And you're not disgusted? You're not angry?"

"Why would I? it doesn't mean that you're a bad person because you're a werewolf. I know you Remus. And angry for what? Keeping it a secret? I probably would've done the same if I were you to be honest. You know, I have a friend back home who is a werewolf and no one ever cared about it. We treated him like family. He is family. So if you thought I would push you aside just for being a werewolf, then you obviously don't know me as well as I thought you did."

He looked at her like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Remus," she said as she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I don't care about the fact that you're a werewolf. You're still you. Still the same Remus I've known for the past few months."

He pulled her into a hug, letting out a sigh of relief. He didn't know what to say, what to do but it felt like she knew what he was thinking because she just tightened her hold on him a little.