Hello Everyone, Sorry it's taken me so long to up-date!
Well here's the next part. Not too many chapters left to go now. Oh, and for anyone who didn't particularly like the idea of gay-ism in this story, don't worry, the late chapter was the only one with any real inclinations towards it. The rest of the fic doesn't have much to do with any building romantic relationships.
Thanks so much to the people who took the time to review!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
Enjoy!
Chapter Five - Furry Secrets
Wednesday found three distracted teenagers seated in their customary seats in the 'Wanderers Café'. Each had received an owl yesterday from their fourth member, saying that he was ill and unable to come. This was the first time since the first few weeks that one of their number had been absent. The others had arrived and attempted to work on their assignment, but had found their attention frequently wavering. Finally they had lapsed into silence, the parchment before them forgotten.
"We could just go visit him?" Lily finally suggested.
"Yeah; he's sick. It's the right thing to do." James sat up a bit straighter.
"Ok, let's go now. It's not like we were getting anything done anyway." Sirius said standing up as Lily swept everything carelessly into her bag.
They left in James' car, not really talking as they road off towards their missing members house.
When they arrived at Remus' house, it was Sirius who was out of the car first. James and Lily followed quickly, all eager to see their friend and make sure he was ok. They trooped up a small pathway to the front door when, just as Sirius was about to knock, yelling sounded from within.
"WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!" A male voice yelled, sounding furious. The three teens froze as muttering followed the sudden outburst.
"IT'S A MONSTER! HOW CAN YOU DEFEND SUCH A VILE CREATURE? IT-"
"THAT SO-CALLED MONSTER IS OUR SON!" A female voice suddenly countered.
"NO, MY SON DIED THE DAY THAT WEREWOLF WAS BORN!"
There was the sudden sound of china shattering followed by cursing.
"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CRUEL? REMUS NEEDS OUR LOVE AND PROTECTION!"
"NO, THE WORLD NEEDS PROTECTION FROM THAT CREATURE!"
"HE'S JUST A BOY!"
"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE? REMUS IS DEAD! ALL THAT'S LEFT IS THAT WEREWOLF THAT HAS INFECTED HIM. REMUS DIED YEARS AGO, YOU NEED TO ACCEPT THAT AND STOP CLINGING TO THE FALSE HOPE OF A CURE!"
The three unnoticed teens slowly backed away from the door and returned to the car. The same thought flying around their spinning heads:
'How could sweet, innocent, bookworm Remus Lupin be a werewolf?'
***
Remus opened the door to the 'Wanderers Café' with a small smile. His eyes swept the room before landing happily on the table almost hidden by a small wall and shrubs. Slight surprise flittered across his face at the sight of all three of his friends already there as normally only Lily would be there this early. Figuring he must be slightly late, Remus moved towards them and offered a friendly smile and greeting as he seated himself in his customary seat besides Sirius and across from Lily.
It was the slight hesitation and the sadly tinged replies he received that alerted him to the first of the warning bells in his head.
"So, er… how's it going?" He asked, his body instinctively tensing.
"Good," James offered when no one else moved to reply.
"Remus, we're going back to my place for the night. Why don't you come with us?" Sirius finally spoke up after a period of silence.
Immediately the warning bells in Remus' head went off again, louder than before. Something wasn't right and it was obviously centered around him. His first instinct was to decline the offer and make up some lame excuse of still not feeling well and fleeing. He was just about to do so when a voice in the back of his head whispered.
'Take a chance'
Against all his better judgment, Remus found himself nodding in agreement before he could think any further on the matter.
The other three looked satisfied with this answer and without further ado they went to explaining the part of the assignment that he'd missed. However a guarded and less comfortable air surrounded them the whole while.
It turned out that Sirius lived in a small flat with one bedroom, one bathroom and a combined kitchen/lounge room. It wasn't much, but it was all Sirius's which was what counted. They were let into the flat before being casually directed by Sirius to take a seat on the small couch and two old armchairs.
Finally, once everyone was settled and an uncomfortable silence had settled over them, James turned to Remus.
"We know you're a werewolf." He stated bluntly.
Remus had always dreaded the day someone found out his biggest secret. He'd had nightmares about people with pitchforks and demands to have the 'foul beast' burned alive. He was sure he would plead for people to understand that there really was nothing he could have done about being what he was and that he'd never come near them again. He'd do anything for them not to tell anyone about his secret.
So, understandably, it came as a bit of a shock to himself when the only thought that passed through his head at James' words was:
'How tactless'
"James, you prat!" Lily hit him on the arm with an angry flush staining her cheeks; apparently thinking the same as Remus' thoughts of tactless teenagers.
Sad green eyes looked over to Remus and he involuntarily cringed when she took a step towards him. She let out a strange, strangled noise in the back of her throat before moving towards him quickly. He instinctively clamped his eyes shut as he raised his arms in a feeble attempt to protect himself from what he perceived as an attack.
However, two gentle arms around his middle and a head resting on his chest, was not what he had been expecting. Lily had slipped her arms through his arms and was holding him close as she shook.
"I-it's ok that you're different." She sobbed openly, voice choking on words as she spoke.
Shock flooded him as he slowly moved his arms to hold her close. Disbelief and numbness was all he could feel as memories surfaced. Visions of his mother telling him time and time again that he could never tell anyone, that no one would ever accept him if they knew the horrible truth. That he would be ostracized for the rest of his life should anyone ever know.
"But, I'm a monster," he said quietly, unable to comprehend the sympathy the small girl in his arms was so willingly offering.
"Y-you're not, not a monster, Remus!" She continued to sob.
He looked blankly over the top of her red hair at the other two occupants of the room.
"Lily's right, Remus. So you turn into a wolf once a month; it doesn't change who you are," Sirius moved forward and, with not a second's hesitation, leaned down and joined in the hug. Blurry honey brown eyes locked onto dark brown ones.
"They're right. You're still you and no stupid curse is going to change that fact." James agreed before he too moved forward and joined their now group hug.
Remus stood in stunned silence for a while as Lily continued to sob and the other two boys just held them grounded. It was Sirius pulling back slightly to wipe away tears trailing unashamedly down his own cheeks that caused Remus to realize he had been weeping as well.
Just like that – with such an innocent gesture – the full magnitude of what was happening hit him and Remus tightened his arms around Lily. Burying his face in her hair he allowed his emotions to let go.
"Thank you… thank you – so much." He whispered over and over again.
***
Half an hour later found them seated comfortably with butter bears and pumpkin pastries between them.
"So; Sirius, it's not true, is it? You know, all the rumors of you being some juvenile delinquent who's really a criminal." Lily asked with raised eye brows. Sirius let out a snort of laughter and took a swing of his drink before replying.
"If I was a criminal I'd be in Azkaban. All I did was not fit in with everyone's ideas of who I should be. My family wanted me in Slytherin where I could study the darker branches of magic unnoticed." He rolled his eyes and heaved a heavy sounding sigh.
"Well, I'm in Gryffindor so that plan went down the drain. Then, when I told my parents I couldn't care less about some crazy madman who wants to rule the world and kill everyone off; well you can imagine that didn't go down well. There's also my cousins and brother spreading all kinds of rumors about me being some seriously dangerous being who'll kill anyone stupid enough to even look at me funny."
Sirius snorted again and leaned back more into the couch, looking for all the world like he couldn't care less about any of it. However, the three were becoming close enough to pick up on his body language and understand that he wasn't as flippant about what happens as he would've liked to have made them believe.
"Must be lonely, all by yourself," Remus said quietly.
"I'd imagine you're pretty alone as well. Everyone only sees you as a bookworm." Sirius said in a not unpleasant way, more like simply pointing out that there was a bit of dragon dung on ones shoe.
"Oh I know that. People only acknowledge I actually exist when they need help with their homework or a good partner for class." Remus said, a bitter smile crossing his lips.
"You have it pretty good though, don't you James?" Lily suddenly spoke up, eyes having been full of sympathy for the two on the couch.
"I don't actually have any real friends; just people pretending to be nice to me so that they can suck up to my parents through me." He shrugged like it didn't matter, but they could all hear the anger and hurt tingeing his voice.
"Yeah, well at least you've got people willing to talk to you without throwing in an insult every second word. Hell, I have to pick fights with people all the time just so I don't go insane from the constant silence." Lily laughed bitterly.
There was a moment of contemplative silence before Remus grinned ruefully.
"We're a sad lot aren't we? A supposed criminal who just wants to be himself; a guy so popular no one actually knows him; a social outcast who's longing for someone to simply talk to her; and a bookworm werewolf that's put into storage until someone needs help with their homework." He let out another humorless laugh as the other three grinned.
"Yes, definitely a sad and screwed up lot," Sirius echoed before laughing himself.
***
Please Review.