The sun was high in the sky as three boys tiptoed around the dorm. Remus' pale figure was still sound asleep, and they wanted to give him as much rest as they could with the stress of his mother's sickness. Unfortunately, stealthiness was not in the skill set for any of these boys and Remus woke up to many giggles and a harshly whispered quiet before the other boys had even gotten dressed. Remus let out a small groan, and Sirius who had been trying to keep the others quiet bounded over to his four-poster bed.

"Good Morning, Mate. Sorry these fools woke you up" Sirius said, punctuating each word by clobbering Peter and James with a pillow. "Feel free to go back to sleep since it is as Saturday. Nothing we have to get up for…"

Remus smiled and pushed the covers back. He usually slept in and rested most of the day before the moon, but there was no way that he was staying in bed while his new friends were out having fun. He wasn't quick enough to hide the wince though, that crossed his face as he leaned over his trunk to pull out his robes for the day. James reached out a hand to steady the boy, but Remus ignored it as he marched into the bathroom to get dressed.

All three boys exchanged concerned glances as soon as the door was shut. Remus definitely seemed like he was getting sick, between that and visiting his sick mother, they couldn't imagine a worse way for him to spend his first weekend at Hogwarts. By the time Remus re-emerged looking a little more awake, but no less pale and shaky, they had all gotten ready to go to breakfast.

They made their way to the Great Hall relying largely on James who seemed to be easily memorizing the ever-shifting landscape of the castle. Even after a week, Remus was still unsure how to get to some of the easiest places. Breakfast was a slightly subdued affair, as they all kept glancing at Remus, who was just shoving his oatmeal back and forth in his bowl.

"Are you sure you are alright there, Remus?" Peter asked for the third time.

"M' fine, just not awake yet" Remus replied, trying to shake off the attention with a reassuring smile. To tell the truth, Remus was pretty nauseous and sick feeling. He was also starting to get a little bit panicked at how often the other boys were asking about him. This was the very first full moon, and they were already far too aware that something was wrong. Remus shoved some oatmeal in his mouth and cast about for a new subject. "So what are we doing today?"

James looked at Peter and Sirius before answering. Originally, they had planned to explore Hogwart's grounds and maybe go swimming in the lake outside. Unfortunately, Remus didn't really look like he was up for any of that. "I feel the need to assert my dominance at wizard's chess by having an all-day tournament in our common room." James eventually proclaimed with an air of finality.

"Are you sure you want to stay inside all day?" Remus questioned.

"Look, I've got a box full of little stone men that are just waiting to behead something. They can't contain their bloodlust, and James' men seem like the perfect outlet for their anger." Sirius said with a smirk. Remus smiled gratefully at the boys. An afternoon inside sounded perfect to him.

"I've never actually played wizard's chess" Peter piped up. The other three boys stared at him in horror as they made their way back up to the Gryffindor common room. Sirius slung an arm around Peter's shoulder with a wicked grin.

"It's high time you learn then, Peter. I will take it easy on you for the first few games." Sirius said. James privately thought that Sirius' idea of easy might not be the same as other peoples. This was proved to be accurate, as Peter's borrowed chess set stared at him reproachfully after the seventh game of being mutilated by either James or Sirius' pieces. Remus had proved to have a good grasp of the game himself, but he told the others that he preferred to watch today. He sat on the comfy armchair near them and shouted out advice to Peter helping him to occasionally take down a piece from James or Sirius. Finally, James was so tired of the bloodshed that he moved over beside Peter to help him battle Sirius.

"Three against one!" James exclaimed triumphantly, and glanced over at Remus. The boy was fast asleep in the armchair. "Or two against one! We can still beat him Pete." James whispered. It turned out that they couldn't. They spent another hour being beaten by Sirius until their attention was broken by Remus waking up and groaning. Their attention turned to the pale boy, who seemed to look even worse than he had earlier in the day. His sandy blonde-hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and a greenish hue had taken over his face. Before they could ask him one more time if he was ok or if he needed to go to the nurse, Remus bolted from the chair and ran up to their dormitory.

All three boys trooped up to the room that was quickly becoming home, and could hear Remus losing his slight breakfast in the adjoining lavatory. Remus reappeared a second later shaky and shamefaced. Sirius quickly handed him a wet washcloth before guiding him over to his bed. "Sit down for a second mate, and then let's just go up to the hospital wing. I'm sure that Madam Pomfrey would have something to fix this. You don't want to be ill when you go see your mom tomorrow."

Remus just shook his head at the suggestion. "I'm fine guys. I must have just eaten something that didn't agree with me. Let's just get back to the chess tournament. I really think James can beat Sirius this time."

James' snorted in derision at that statement. "You ate something that didn't agree with you? You had to bites of breakfast man, and Sirius has beaten me and Peter for four hours straight. Why don't we just go to the nurse?"

Remus still refused a trip to the hospital wing. He didn't want to leave his friends until he absolutely had to because his absence would be suspicious enough. He also knew that as skilled as Madam Pomfrey might be, she couldn't help him with the waves of sickness that the moon brought. The other boys were finally defeated, and they left Remus alone in the dormitory with the hope that a nap would make him feel better.

James crept up the stairs before dinner to check on him and found him once more heaving into the toilet. Remus' face was now very flushed, and he seemed to be shivering as he tried to get his rebellious stomach under control. James wordlessly passed him another cool washcloth and waited until the small boy seemed settle for a moment. As soon as he thought the boy could manage it, James put an arm around Remus' shoulders and started dragging him down the stairs to take him to the hospital wing. When they saw James exit the dorm with Remus, Sirius and Peter quickly joined them. Sirius took Remus' other side because the boy seemed very unsteady on his feet, and Peter walked ahead to open every door in their path.

Luck was with the boys, and they didn't get lost. They arrived at the door to the hospital wing practically carrying a sweaty Remus. James hesitantly knocked on the door to find it opened by a kind-looking witch who immediately relieved James and Sirius of their burden and placed Remus gently onto a bed.

"First one to see me this year, dear. Got a bit of the flu it looks like" she muttered while going to gather some potions from a nearby shelf. "And what's your name?" she asked kindly.

"Remus Lupin, madam" Remus replied back politely. Madam Pomfrey's hand stilled instantly, and she walked away from the potions she had been about to grab.

"Well, of course you are dear, should have realized…" She said and began tucking the blankets around Remus form. James, Sirius, and Peter were still standing awkwardly in the doorway. Madam Pomfrey turned and saw them still waiting and concerned for their friend. "Nothing to see here, boys. Thank you for bringing him to me. Remus just has a bit of the flu. I'm sure he will be up and around in no time." She said as she ushered them out the door and turned back to her patient. Remus was already fast asleep.

"That was a bit odd, don't you think?" Peter asked as they made their way back towards the dormitory. All three boys were confused at the recognition that seemed to spark in Madam Pomfrey's eyes, and the way that she ignored the potions she had been grabbing so quickly for. It hadn't looked like she had planned to give Remus any potions at all. Surely, nothing could be wrong with their friend that was untreatable by Pomfrey's magic. They finally put it out of their minds and reasoned that she must have given Remus something after they left.

The boys spent the rest of the night playing chess and talking in their dormitory. It was a subdued affair, however, with the absence of the sandy-haired teen. All of them were consumed with thoughts about their sick friend. They planned to get to the hospital wing early in the morning and see Remus before he went to visit his mother.

In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey tipped the contents of a dreamless sleep potion into the mouth of the drowsy boy who had already been jolted awake twice. She smoothed the sheets around the boy, and casually brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. He was in for a rough day tomorrow. Madam Pomfrey hated it when her students were in pain, and she couldn't help them. Unfortunately, she was going to face that situation a lot with this particular student.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I haven't abandoned this story! Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews :)