Second chapter. I decided to go for it! Reviews would be useful, thank you.

Any italics are still Sirius' thoughts. Not these italics of course, I doubt he thinks about fanfic.

Disclaimer: I'm still not J.K. Rowling and I still don't own the characters or anything you recognice from HP in this fic. And I won't for the rest of the chapters either!

Dusk was fast approaching as Sirius made his way towards the Whomping Willow. James and Peter were almost uncomfortably close on either side of him, the three of them huddled underneath James' invisibility cloak, but Sirius didn't care. His eyes were firmly fixed on the back of Remus Lupin, his mind racing with thoughts of the werewolf, the impending full moon and the events of the previous night replaying in his head.

"It's kind of cute." That's what he said. And he was talking about ME! And the way we fell asleep together, I'm sure he's never done that with James or Pete. Woah, slow down, I don't even know if Remus likes boys!

The horizon was coloured with brilliant streaks of red, orange and pink, the light glinting off Remus' sandy hair. Sirius squinted and tried to shield his eyes against the light of the setting sun but his attempts were futile.

The moon will be rising soon.

Sirius could always tell when the moon was about to rise. He could see his werewolf friend tense and could read in Remus' body language that the wolf was fighting for dominance. He idly wondered if the other two Marauders could sense these changes in their friend the same way he could and found himself hoping that they could not.

'Oi Padfoot!' cried a voice from close by, 'Earth to Sirius! Wormtail's pressed the knot on the willow. Are you coming?'

What? Wormtail? Knot? THE WILLOW!

The dark haired animagus shivered slightly in the chill of an October evening allowing reality to infiltrate his preoccupied mind. Sinking to his hand and knees, Sirius crawled under the now eerily still branches of the Whomping Willow and into the dark tunnel, filled with a sense of ominous foreboding for the moonlit night ahead. Remus seemed to have been more affected than usual by the impending presence of the full moon (maybe something was troubling him?) and usually, although Sirius hoped that this time he was wrong, this meant that the wolf would be agitated.

Before long the four Marauders had clambered out of the tunnel and into the dank interior of the Shrieking Shack. Sirius saw Remus sniff the air and scrunch up his nose in distaste. All four friends smelt of wet earth and to Remus' heightened sense of smell it must have been almost overwhelming. Sirius allowed the sound of amused laughter to escape his lips despite the gravity of the situation.

I wonder if all those other myths about werewolves are true… bloody hell Sirius stop thinking of Rem like that! He's you're friend, he trusts you. Merlin, he's about to get undressed with you in the room. Mmm Moony undressed…

Sirius mentally slapped himself for thinking such perverted thoughts about Remus.

'Guys, I think I'm going to transform soon. You'd better change.'

Remus' voice was hoarse and strained as the slightest hint of a growl sounded in his throat. The dim shack was lit with only a shaft of moonlight which came in through the gap in the dusty, moth eaten curtains. Glancing around, Sirius marvelled at the spells that must have been used to protect the building. To a muggle the shack would seem ready to collapse at any moment and certainly not able to withstand the attentions of a frenzied wolf.

Sirius, along with James and Peter, turned to face the damp, wooden wall of the shack in order to give their werewolf friend some privacy. As the three of them changed into their animal forms each thought of the thin, scarred boy that they had become so close to. The boy they had become anamagi for.

I don't know how you do it. Oh Rem, you're the best of all of us. And the bravest. I hate to see you upset like last night just because of your lycanthropy. I want to be there for you all the time; I want you to understand what you do to me because Merlin Remus I think… I think I'm falling in love with you.

A long, low howl pierced the silence from behind where the dog, stag and rat now stood; on guard and alert. Remus had transformed and it was time for Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs to go on another one of their monthly explorations of Hogsmeade and the surrounding area.

Dawn would soon be filling the sky with its radiant glow once more and the full moon had almost sunk beneath the horizon when the four marauders returned to the shack. The three animagi changed back into their human forms and returned to Hogwarts via the passageway under the Whomping Willow. Madam Pomfrey had, upon Remus' request, stopped coming to collect him in the mornings shortly after the other three marauders had succeeded in becoming animagi but they still usually left in order to allow Remus to recover in his own time.

As the three of them, once more huddled under James' invisibility cloak, walked past Hagrid's hut, Sirius replayed some of the events of the full moon in his mind.

Wormtail scuttled under Moony's legs as the wolf let out a fierce growl which caused the rat to make a hasty retreat across the long grass. Moony advanced on Padfoot, nipping him playfully on the ear but turning his great, lupine head and baring his knife sharp teeth at the stag behind him. Prongs had thought that Moony was attacking Padfoot and had lowered his head, roaring with a great bellowing sound and nudging the wolf with his antlers. But Padfoot was certain that Moony was not attacking him. He knew that Padfoot and Moony shared a close bond; closer even than that of the wolf and the rat or stag. Maybe was gently playing (flirting even?) with Padfoot in a way that Remus would never usually allow himself to do. The great, black dog shook himself in an attempt to dislodge the burs that clung to his long fur and, as gently as he could, pushed Prongs away. He nuzzled his face into the shaggy fur on Moony's neck and the wolf whimpered.

I have to go back! Moony likes Padfoot, I'm sure of it. It's just Rem's too worried about ruining our friendship to say anything. Just like I have been. Anyway, it's now or never, before I lose my nerve.

Sirius stopped dead without warning just as the three friends passed the lake, causing James and Peter to trip over the folds of the cloak and fall to the ground.

'Mmph, SIRIUS!' cried James. Who appeared to Sirius as only a flailing pair of legs. 'What did you stop for!?'

'Yeah! What'd you stop for' repeated the seemingly disembodied head of Peter weakly.

Sirius had to think quickly. He could hardly tell two of his best friends that he thought he was in love with their fellow Marauder could he?

'I, erm, left my wand in the shack! Better go and get it.' He replied, 'I'll check on Moony too while I'm there.'

'But Padfoot we don't…' James began to reply before trailing off as a light seemed to have been switched behind his hazel eyes. 'Oh, I see, yeah you better go and fetch it Pads.'

'Prongs we don't take our wands to the shack!' Cried the thin voice of the rather plump boy as he picked himself up off the floor and straightened his robes.

Peter's reply was a sharp elbow in the ribs from James as he said,

'Well I bet Padfoot just left his in his robes by mistake, didn't you Pads? And then it must have fallen out in the shack eh?'

Sirius was sure that he saw his friend wink at him as he said this and all he could manage in reply was an indistinct mumble that yes, he had indeed left his wand in his robes and he must go and fetch it now or he would miss breakfast and Dumbledore would get suspicious.

Then there was a sharp tug on the sleeve of his robes and that James' calm, even voice was whispering in his ear. 'Good luck,' he said in hushed tones so that Peter couldn't hear. At Sirius' bemused look the messy haired boy replied, 'I saw you last night. And anyway, it's been obvious for a while now. You like each other'

Realisation dawned on Sirius' handsome features and a broad grin spread slowly across his face.

'You like each other.' Each other! That means Prongs thinks Rem likes me too! Then again Prongsie boy is convinced that Lily will eventually say yes to him. No! Don't think of that. James thinks Remus like me! James knows I like Remus and doesn't think I'm a disgusting pouf!

Sirius mind raced with thoughts. Fantasies playing in his mind of what Remus would say when he got to the shack. He was so absorbed in this that he didn't hear Peter crying,

'Prongs what's going on! Something's going on and I know it. You're not planning a prank are you? A prank on me!?'

Sirius retraced his steps towards the Whomping Willow, almost bouncing as he made his way through the grass which was still wet with the morning dew. It soaked the bottom of his robes but the animagus didn't care because he thought he may have a real chance with Remus Lupin. 'His Remmie'. Casting all seeds of doubt from his mind he picked up a long branch, using it to still the erratic willow and crawled through the passageway towards the shack where Remus would still be recovering. He, Sirius Black, was going to make everything better. He was going to give Remus the love he deserved because the two boys were made for each other, he was sure. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. The dog and the wolf. The two marauders.