The Moon and Star

Chapter Six

Remus

"James, you blithering idiot, what were you thinking?" Sirius chastised, pulling pieces of mandrake leaf out of his teeth, "You might not become a full animagus now!" James looked so downhearted, I almost forgave him.

"I… I had to talk to her, Sirius, I had kept my mouth shut with this bloody mandrake for a month now, how was I to know specifically when I could take it out?" We all knew James was completely infatuated with Lily Evans, and we had marked the day they could take the mandrake leaves out of their mouths what seemed like ages ago, but as James said, we hadn't figured out exactly when. James had spat out the leaf and given Lily one of his famous jokes that he had refrained from telling for a month that morning; it was a sure possibility that he wouldn't become a full animagus. Sirius sighed shaking his head.

"Lets just hope you haven't blown it. Okay, we've all got our vials, right?" He looked around checking for Peter's and James'. They each held up a small glass phial containing their soggy mandrake leaves. "Good. You have the dew, Peter?"

"Right here, Sirius!" Peter said enthusiastically, withdrawing a small bottle from his robes, careful to not let it come into contact with the rays of sunlight streaming through the window. Sirius took it cautiously in his hands, and tipped a couple of drops into his phial, handing it to James who did the same.

"You sure you'll be alright tonight, Remus? I mean, we'll have to be out there too for the potion to work, and we might not be back by the time you are…" He trailed off, guilt creasing his brow. I was usually nervous for a full moon, but that night… I was more nervous about my friends being out there as well while I was… while I was a monster. I glanced up to see Sirius looking at me with concern in his eyes. I smiled reassuringly at him, or I thought I did; his frown only deepened, and I sighed internally, and stood up.

"It's… it's nearly time, guys, lets go." I said, wandering towards the dormitory door.

"We could go out before you, Remus, just in case you-"

"Just incase I what?" I exploded, whipping round to glare at Peter, who seemed to shrink in his robes. My fury melted into guilt as I took in his terrified face.

"I… I'm… I'm sorry, Peter, I-"

"It's understandable, Remus. Right, Peter?" James interjected, glancing from me to Peter. The latter nodded enthusiastically, something like pity slicing through his fright. I felt bad for scaring him, but anger rose to the surface; I didn't want his pity, I didn't want any of their pity. I turned sharply and strode out of the room, my wolf nature begging me to hurt them.

Sirius

I have to say, Remus was fairly terrifying in that moment. I knew it wasn't him, that the moon was affecting him horribly, but it didn't stop fear from running down my spine at his harsh glare and aggressive stance. We all visibly relaxed when he left the room, and immense guilt swallowed me. I roughly swiped it from my mind, and followed Remus out, eager to get it over with. Peter quietly shut the door behind James and I, and we headed out into the moonlight. My shoulders tensed as an ear-splitting howl pierced the night; tears welled as I thought of how how much pain Remus would be in. James placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go. The sooner we do this, the sooner we'll be able to help him."

"I know." I muttered. We trudged out into the darkness, grim expressions on out faces. We reached the shade of a large tree and pulled out out vials, studying them for a second.

"And now we wait." James whispered. We sat in silence for what felt like hours, until Peter tapped my arm, pointing. I looked up, and my eyes widened involuntarily. The clouds had cleared, the cold air becoming seemingly colder as a great silver orb emerged, bathing the grounds in light.

"It's time." I whispered. We stood slowly, and each held our vials up to the rays. As soon as the first beam touched each concoction, they began to bubble and spit inside their confines, mixing to become a sickly green colour. It didn't look particularly appetising, I'm not going to lie.

"Alright. Let's go." Peter whispered, nervousness evidently tearing him up. I patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on, Pete." We began to walk quickly back to the castle, when a horrible groaning reached our ears. I froze, terror gripping my heart. Remus. I turned and ran as fast as I could in the direction of the sound, hoping with everything I had that he wasn't hurt too badly. I dashed around a tree, deaf to the cries of James and Peter behind me, and sprinted into the clearing ahead of me. I stopped in my tracks, my heart almost stopping alongside my body. Remus lay on his side, naked as they day he was born, deep cuts slicing his back into shreds. I ripped off my coat and laid over him, scared out of my mind. Remus whimpered as the material came into contact with his back, cutting me to the core.

"Come on, Remus, it'll be okay… stand up for me, Remus, help me get you to the castle, alright? Please, Remus…" I begged him to stand, gripping his arms, pulling him up, but he was so weak. "Okay… just try and heal, okay?" I picked him up gently, and wrapped him tightly in my coat. He nestled his scarred face into my neck, and I sighed, resting my cheek on his cold forehead. "You'll be okay, Remus… I'll make sure of it…" I breathed, closing my eyes as tears began to drip into Remus' hair.

"Sirius…" he mumbled, delirious, "Tha' you?"

"Yeah, it's me." I said affectionately.

"Oh… tha's good…" he murmured sleepily, "You know, Sirius… you are the bes… bes' friend I ever… I ever…" he went limp in my arms, snuggling deeper into my chest.

James

Peter and I had given up on looking for Sirius and Remus, and returned to where we had last seen Sirius, hoping he would return there. We weren't waiting long; Sirius came into the light with a tired and battered Remus in his arms. I started towards them, but Sirius shushed me, tilting his head towards Remus. I took the hint, and we all began to walk quietly back to the castle.

By the time we reached the Infirmary, the front of Sirius' white shirt was soaked in Remus' blood, and his coat was beyond repair. I went through the for first in order to hold it open for them, but was shoved aside by a distraught Madam Pomfrey.

"Oh, Remus, what happened this time?" She muttered, motioning for Sirius to place him on the nearest bed. "No, no, dear, turn him over, I need to treat his back!" She chastised, rushing about collecting jars and bottles of who-knows-what. "Right, out you go."

"What?" Sirius was visibly floored, and I felt for him.

"Out." Pomfrey shooed us, and I had to physically drag him away from Remus' side.

We spent the rest of the day in class and trying to figure out when the next storm would be. The sooner we could become animagi, the better. All we had to do was drink the potion during the next storm, and we'd be well on our way. Thankfully for us, the next lightning storm was meant to strike was only the newt week; we wouldn't actually sleep for the next week, but it would be worth it.

"Ready to get up early tomorrow?" Sirius murmured over his Potions essay.

"Hell yeah," I said, "What do we have to say again?"

"Amato Animo Animato Animagus," Sirius recited, "And don't forget it, James. Every sunrise and sunset until the storm… ugh, why does this have to take so long? So many full moons we could have been there but weren't." His mood visibly soured, and he dove deeper into his homework. I sighed, turning back to the book I was reading (Non-Magic Ways to Get a Witch to Like You). I really did feel his pain, though, however little I said about it. I wanted to be there for Remus almost as much as he did, but I guess he always had had a connection to the werewolf neither me nor Peter ever had. Thankfully, the day that we would finally be able to become animagi was nigh, and we could finally be with Remus every transformation.

We strolled down to the Great Hall for dinner, sitting in our usual seats at the centre of the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore stood, and the room quietened.

"The Sorting! Best part of the year, eh, James?" Sirius whispered mischievously. I shushed him, grinning, just as the huge oaken doors creaked open. A stream of nervous first-years shuffled in behind the stern-looking McGonagall, everyone turning to look, chattering. I hadn't bothered to turn, deeming it a pointless waste of energy, but then the entire room went silent. I stilled, then turned slowly. A petite girl of about 15 years of age was striding alongside the youngsters, staring defiantly ahead of her. I liked her immediately. I could tell she was trying not to show that everyone's stares affected her, but I could see that her hands were shaking. Whispers broke out among the students, and the girls full mouth stretched into a thin line. I felt for her; she was at least a head taller than all of the others around her, even though she was quite short for her age. Once all of the newbies had reached the front of the hall, McGonagall stood on the platform and opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Dumbledore.

"Due to these… special circumstances, Miss Callaghan, please come up to be Sorted." He said, a twinkle in his eyes, as he gestured towards the rickety-looking stool that sat in the centre of the platform. The chestnut-haired girl walked slowly up to the stool, her long hair hiding her face from my view. McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head, and she flinched.

"Oh dear," The hat began, and her face scrunched up, "I have seen only one like you before… you two will become firm friends, I'm sure. However… I cannot place you in the same house, I do not think. Your… condition does not tamper your abilities, or your ambition, which is good to see. You have a cunning little mind, Miss Callaghan, and a great mind at that." I suddenly knew what the Hat was going to say, and my heart went out to her. "I believe… SLYTHERIN!"

Wren

I blanched, rising shakily from the stool. I wobbled on my feet so much that Professor McGonagall had to steady me. I have to admit, I didn't know what it meant to be Sorted into Slytherin, but waves of disbelief and sadness wracked my body, and I had no idea where they came from. My eyes locked with the tall Gryffindor I had spotted earlier, and my emotions went haywire. I suddenly knew that he was the one the Hat had spoken of.

I wandered over to the Slytherin table, and sat unsteadily next to a raven-haired boy of about my age, who smiled shyly at me. I faked a small smile, and his gaze turned from timidity to pity. My heart steeled, and I dropped my eyes to the table in front of me. If there was one thing I despised, it was pity.

I barely touched any of the aromatic feast, and ran from the room once dismissed. I won't lie to you; I was terrified. Terrified of the people, the strange environment, the foreign lifestyle I was forced into. I hadn't been orphaned long. In fact, the very day my entire family was eliminated from the game of life, Dumbledore came to me where I hid in a cluster of garbage disposal canisters. He lured me out in the promise of a home, an education, and a safe place to… to be myself. Well, not quite myself. More what I was forced to be.

I dashed into an empty corridor, my breath coming in ragged gasps as tears threatened to escape. My back slid down the wall as I gave up on trying to be strong. I buried my head in my arms, and let go. I sat there sobbing for what felt like seconds before a small hand on my shoulder startled me into looking up into the kindest eyes I'd ever seen.

"You can call me Moony," He said decidedly, yet softly, his kind voice penetrating my despair. "What may I call you?"

"My… my name's Wren," I mumbled, "I-I can see why they call you Moony." My fingers involuntarily began to trace the scars around his right eye, snatching my hand away when he flinched.

"Sorry… those are still a little fresh," He smiled, helping me onto my feet. "Care to meet the gang?"

"The name's Black, Sirius Black. How'd you do?" The boy standing before me was a little shorter than Moony, with long black hair, and a twinkle in his blue eyes. He bowed and kissed my hand, making my giggle into the other.

"I'm James, nice to meet you." Another dark-haired boy greeted me, shaking my hand. He had a mischievous glint in his eye, that I decided was in no way malicious, and would never be. His glasses were a little askew, and I had the feeling he didn't eve know what a hairbrush was.

"I'm… I'm Peter," The short, sandy-haired boy who had been cowering behind Sirius stepped forward, a shy smile on his sweet face, " Lovely to meet you." He gave me a small wave, and scurried behind James. I laughed good-naturedly.

"It's lovely to meet you too, Peter. James, Sirius, Moony told me a little about you on our way over here." I glanced around me, still in awe of the Gryffindor common room, with it's warmth and brightness. Sirius suddenly word with laughter, making me jump.

"Moony? Oh, I love it, I really do, mate. Nice imagination, very original." Moony looked sheepish, grinning through his blush.

"Yeah, you know, I could have always gone with Wolfy, so honestly, its not that bad." He laughed. Sirius went quiet, and they all stared at me, wide-eyed. Remus chuckled, patting me on the shoulder.

"She knows, guys, she knows… but, I think you should know how she knows," he said, looking pointedly at me. "Wren?" I suddenly caught his meaning. I took a step away from him, dread rising in my stomach.

"No, no, Moony, I can't, please, please don't make me!" My heart was racing, and I felt as if I couldn't breathe. Chills ran down my spine as realised what he was asking me to do. I had never told anyone before, never said it out loud. The people who knew only knew because… well, not because I told them. Sirius' voice found my ears, almost silent against the thundering of my heart.

"She's having a panic attack, we need to sit her down," he was saying, handing guiding me to a chair. I sat heavily, and Remus was crouched beside me, his face clearing the fog that was coding my vision.

"I'm so sorry, Wren, I'm so, so sorry," he said, his blue eyes piercing my terror, "Do you want me to tell them instead?" I was vaguely aware of my head nodding, and all four of them walking slowly away, glancing worriedly back at me every few seconds. It felt like hours until they came back over to me, Peter and James standing either side of me, Remus and Sirius in front.

"We vow to protect you, and be with you whenever you need us, just like we did for Remus," Sirius whispered, not wanting to startle me, "I swear to you that you will always be safe with us."