Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of this. I don't own it, nor am I receiving any sort of monetary reimbursement for my hard work, nor do I have crazed fans basing any sort of work off this story. Those joys belong to J.K Rowling, as she is the one who provided the inspiration for this undertaking.

Chapter Nine: Halloween

The next few weeks moved quickly for the new students. They adjusted to the school, with its moving staircases and disappearing doors, and soon knew the layout of the castle as well as anyone. The times that they got lost, as long as they didn't happen to choose a Slytherin for help, the older students were quite happy to point them out on the correct way, as they remembered those first weeks of losing themselves around the castle quite well.

The top of the class was never quite clear cut. James excelled in Transfiguration, while Lily was the best in Potions and Charms, due to her hard work to beat James in the latter and so exact her vengeance on him. Another Gryffindor, Remus Lupin, was top in most of the other subjects.

Lily, Sirius, James and Jenna became inseparable. Lily, true to her word, acted as if she tolerated James, even liked him sometimes. Jenna had to applaud her acting skills, because when they were alone, Lily ranted against James, about how hard it was to keep ahead of him in Charms. She thought James was pigheaded, egotistical, rude, a show-off... Jenna couldn't believe that he was any of those things.

In fact, Jenna started to love James. She loved him, even though it was clear that he thought of her as only a friend, or perhaps even the sister he never had. Jenna thought that he had fallen in love with Lily the day he had taught them how to fly.

Lily shared with James some things, like a love of Quidditch and of playing pranks. They did have a sort of friendship based on those points, but Lily still harbored a secret grudge against James.

Sirius and Lily, on the other hand, became fast friends. Often, the only reason Lily would handle James' presence was because of Sirius. Lily, Sirius, and James became partners in pranking. The victims in those early days were usually the other occupants of the boy's dormitory- Remus and Peter Pettigrew. Jenna would often help plan, but refused to help execute the plans.

Before they knew it, Halloween had approached. This was a big holiday for the wizarding school, and the staff went all out with decorations. The third years and older were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. The younger students got the day off to do as they pleased.

Remus and Jenna chose the time to finish a potions project. They were just finishing when James, Sirius, and Lily came bounding down the stairs to the boy's dormitory. "We've made plans for tonight." Lily bounced onto the arm of Jenna's chair.

"There's the feast tonight, don't forget." Jenna reminded her energetic friend.

"We know. That's what makes it the perfect night to do it." Sirius claimed the other arm of the chair. James sat on the table and began swinging his legs energetically.

"So what are your big plans?" Jenna asked.

"We're going to explore the Forbidden Forest." Lily bounced up and down on the chair arm. She was obviously excited.

Jenna's mouth dropped open. "Are you insane!"

"Nope!" James grinned impishly.

"I don't know about Jamsie, but I'm not." Sirius answered with a grin of his own, and then was kicked in the shin by "Jamsie."

"But you can't go. The Forest is, well, forbidden."

"Don't be such a worry wart," Lily said at the same time as James replied, "Don't worry. We won't get caught."

"Why do you say that?" Jenna asked.

"Because I have a..." He gestured the others closer, so he could whisper, "an invisibility cloak."

The significance of this was lost on the girl, but Sirius was unable to keep his reaction to this revelation quiet. "Wicked! You have one of those and never told us? How could you do that to us?"

"Shh... They're not exactly allowed."

"Oh. Sorry." Sirius looked rightly chastened. "So you coming, Jenna Grace?"

"I don't think you should go, so no, I'm not." It sounded self-righteous, but Jenna wasn't about to get herself into trouble.

"Well." Sirius jumped up, followed closely by James and Lily. "See you later, then." He winked at Jenna as he climbed through the portrait hole.

Jenna and Remus sat in silence for a moment, until Jenna said, "Come on. We'd better go talk some sense into them."

"What could I do?" Remus protested, but followed Jenna out of the common room.

The two rushed down to the entrance hall, and Jenna was beginning to worry that they had missed the trouble makers when a voice was heard to say "Ouch! James!"

"Well, sorry Lily, but if your foot hadn't been in the way-"

"Terribly sorry, but there's not much room-"

"Shut up, you two. Do you want to give us away?"

Lily and James quit bickering, but Remus and Jenna were able to follow the invisible trio by the occasional scuffle and outburst of "Ouch!"

They followed the three under the cloak across the grounds, where the full moon bathed the tops of the looming forest with crystal light. Lily, Sirius and James appeared at the edge of the Forest, with Lily exclaiming, "Finally! It's so hard to breathe in there!"

"Lily! James!" Jenna broke into a run, with Remus following her. "Sirius!"

"Hah! So you did come!" James shouted. Jenna came to a stop before the three by sliding in a patch of mud and stopping at Sirius' feet.

"Nice one!" Sirius helped Jenna up. "Let's go in!" He sounded eager to go.

"No! We should go back-"

Jenna was interrupted by a long, drawn out howl. All five froze. Remus stared wide eyed into the depths of the forest. Two glinting eyes were visible in the light of the moon. "Wo-olf!" He gasped.

Remus' stuttering exclamation sent all scrambling for the nearest tree. Up it they swarmed, except for Remus. He was waiting anxiously for James' feet to vacate the lowest branch to he could climb out of reach when a rustle in the brush made him turn. He froze, hypnotized by the glowing orbs advancing on him. Time slowed as the wolf came closer... closer... closer... and lunged at the boy trapped at the bottom of the tree. As if under a strobe, the four in the tree watched Remus fall, wand slipping from his hand. The enormous wolf opened his jaws and shut them on Remus' shoulder, blood gushing from the wound.

An owl hooted in the distance, breaking the horrified trance that held Jenna. "Remus!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Lily clamped her hand over Jenna's mouth. "It'll hear you!" she hissed.

But it already had. It threw itself off Remus, and rather than ascend the tree as Lily had feared, it ran off, back into the dark forest. "Remus..." Jenna said again, scrambling out of the tree. "He's bleeding." The other three joined her beside the unconscious boy. "What do we do?"

"I don't know, but we'd better do it fast." Lily was still scared. "Before it comes back."

James was the first to regain some sense. "Do you think we can make him float?"

"Maybe all of us together." Jenna agreed and all four pulled out their wands. It was one of the first charms they had learned. "Wingardium Leviosa!" they shouted together.

Remus was much heavier and harder to keep afloat than the feather they had practiced on in class, but together they managed to keep from dropping him all the way to the doors to the entrance hall. There, they sat him down as gently as possible, and James was sent running for help, while the others tried to keep from losing their minds from terror that the beast would return for the rest of his meal.

After what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes, James returned with Madame Pomfery, the school nurse, and a floating stretcher. Madame Pomfery was horrified. "Where you in the," her voice dropped to a whisper, "the Forbidden Forest!"

"Technically, no." James said.

Madame Pomfery asked no more questions, but loaded Remus onto the stretcher. "What bit him?"

"A gigantic wolf!" Sirius was quite spooked by the encounter.

"A wolf?" Madame Pomfery's eyes got as big as saucers. "And at full moon? Get the headmaster." James, the only one of the group who had most of his wits about him, took off in the direction of Dumbledore's office.

In James' absence, Madame Pomfery took Remus and the other three to the hospital wing, where she set Remus on a bed and gave the others Calming Draughts. She cleaned Remus' shoulder the best she could, but the bleeding wouldn't stop.

Finally James came with Professor Dumbledore. He checked out Remus and immediately proclaimed the bite to have come from a fully transformed werewolf. Remus would forever more transform into a horrible beast every month on the full moon.

Well, there it is. My take on how Remus became a werewolf. Now please review and tell me what you think!