A/N: Oh…my…god…
Four reviews in less than 5 hours? You guys rock! And here are my replies! Sadly, three of you were anonymous, so I can't thank you properly, but I'll try my best all the same!

Guest: Hauntedpumpkin56: Awww, thank you! I tried my best! Cool username, by the way! :D

Guest: Meow: Thanks for the recommendation, that's what I did for this one! (I'll fix the first chapter as soon as I can figure out how.) And now I finally know what authors feel like when they get to torture readers with cliffhangers. Sorry for the major cliffhanger on this one! *evil laugh*

BlueBay144: Thanks! Hope you enjoy this one!

And finally, lots of virtual cookies and hugs to…

Guest: Wow: My first reviewer and love ya for it! I was dancing around my room when I read your review, and as for the cliffhanger… *evil laugh* Again, I apologize for the cliffhanger on this one, I'll try my best to update soon!

Ok, enjoy, guys! Sorry for the super long A/N!

James and Sirius fired ward after ward at the bathroom door, only stopping when they had completely and utterly exhausted their knowledge. James turned to Sirius, with a look of puzzlement and concern on his face. "Sirius? What's going-"

His question was interrupted by a scream so filled with agony that the two boys could hardly comprehend the fact that it must have came from Remus. Their friend Remus. Sirius leapt up and started for the door, but James held him back.

"Can't you hear him, James? That is Remus. Our friend Remus! He's in pain! He's in pain and we have to help him! We can't just-"

"SIRIUS!" yelled James, his voice cutting through the fog of panic that surrounded his mind. "We can't! Remember what he said? We can't!"

Sirius just stared at him, unable to even conceive of a situation in which he couldn't help one of his friends. But then-

"Don't let the wolf-don't let me- DON'T LET ME GET OUT!"

Oh, yes. He remembered. And he realized.

"James," Sirius breathed, his eyes wide. "Remus is -"

But before Sirius could finish, the two friends heard something that sent shivers down their spine. The pain-filled screams of their best mate had made the transition into something more feral, more wild, more wolfish…

James's eyes widened to match Sirius's. "-A werewolf," he completed. He repeated it again, in a wondering voice. "Remus is a werewolf."

Before their thoughts could go any farther, the portrait hole came bursting open, and in came Professor McGonagall, her eyes flashing and her wand held at the ready. Peter stumbled in behind her, looking terrified. "Boys?" she said.

James and Sirius had never been so pleased in their lives to hear that no-nonsense tone.

"Professor, is it-"

"True that Remus is a-"

"Werewolf?"

Surprisingly, that last one came from Peter, his face paper-white. "Is it true?" he repeated hesitantly. "Is Remus really a…Dark Creature?" James and Sirius exchanged looks.

"He's a werewolf, Pete, not a Dark Creature."

"And besides, he's-"

"Still Remus, right?"

"Well, of course! We need to talk-"

"To him? Agreed, and we need to-"

"Let him know that he's still-"

"Our friend!"

"Right?"

"`Course!"

Sirius and James looked at Peter.

"You do what you like," declared Peter obstinately. "I'm not sharing a dormitory with it any longer."

"Mr. Pettigrew." McGonagall's sharp voice cut through the tension surrounding the three boys. "We will assign you to another dormitory, but you are not to speak of Mr. Lupin's condition, on pain of expulsion, do you understand?"

Peter stared at her and nodded, hightailing it out of the dormitory. McGonagall sighed, finally lowering her wand. "Well, boys, I must admit that I am impressed. Your wards were rather advanced for third years. I have reinforced them, but now I'm afraid that all we can do is wait."

"But Professor," Sirius burst out. "He will be ok, won't he?"

A faint flicker of what looked suspiciously like surprise showed in McGonagall's green eyes before she sighed again, lowering herself onto a scarlet armchair. "I don't know, Mr. Black," she confessed. "I honestly don't know. And," she held up a hand, forestalling the flood of questions. "I will not tell you anything. Mr. Lupin deserves the right to tell you himself."

A sound of vicious ripping came from the bathroom, accompanied by another howl.

"Professor?" James asked nervously. "Erm…what's that?"

The elderly witch exhaled heavily. "I suppose it will not do Remus any harm to let you know that. Every month, when he is…confined…in the absence of human prey, the wolf turns on itself, and wounds inflicted by a werewolf cannot be healed fully by magic. He will…not be in the best of form when he comes out, Mr. Potter."

Sirius and James exchanged horrified glances, but neither could seem to find anything to say.

And so two young boys and one Hogwarts professor sat in the Gryffindor common room, watching the merrily dancing flames and waiting for the sun to rise.

It had never seemed to take so long.

Eventually, the first rays of sunlight stretched over the horizon, but the three members of the deserted common room only noticed when the agonized howls became human screams once again. Once Sirius registered this, he stood up, nearly upsetting his abandoned cup of hot chocolate, and lunged for the door. However, McGonagall got there first.

"Let…me…IN!" He snarled, struggling against James. "It's Remus in there, James! It's Remus who's screaming bloody murder! LET ME IN!"

"Mr. Black," snapped McGonagall. "Please. We must wait until there is no sound. Often the voice is one of the first things to change back. Give it a moment."

However, Sirius's patience ran out when he heard a soft thud on the floor, and then nothing. It seemed that this was the breaking point for James's nerves as well. Both of them sprinted towards the door, dodged McGonagall, and threw open the door. The sight that met their eyes was horrifying.

The bathroom looked like a battlefield. Blood was splattered all over the walls and ceiling, and James nearly threw up as he recognized chunks of flesh all over the floor. However, the worst sight that met their eyes was Remus. He looked like a chunk of raw meat, torn and ripped and smeared with blood.

It didn't look like he was breathing.

"REMUS!"