Monday morning James, Sirius, and Peter rushed to get dressed and make it in time for breakfast. They all glanced nervously at the bed that was still rumpled from Remus' nap on Saturday. He should be back from his visit with his mom now, if he even felt well enough to go. It was a slightly subdued breakfast as they all worried about the small boy, who should be at the table with them. It seemed that Remus was having a rough start at Hogwarts. Classes drug by as all the boys were eager to get to the evening festivities that they had planned for Remus. They were a little worried that they would have to be post-poned though, when the boy had still not made an appearance by lunchtime.
Madam Pomfrey put a firm hand on Remus as he struggled to throw off the heavy blankets and make his way out of bed. She was surprised that he was even awake with the extent of his wounds, and she certainly didn't want him out of bed for another few days at least. His leg was still bleeding sluggishly from a set of long bite marks and a long thin scratch had been added to the collection on his chest. She couldn't fix him either. Madam Pomfrey sighed as she looked at the damage this poor boy had done to himself. Magical healing could only do so much on werewolf wounds and much of what she did for Remus could only be described as "Muggle healing". She pushed away that thought with a sigh of disgust and surveyed the boy in front of her who was still pleading to go to dinner with the rest of the school.
"I'm fine, honest, Madam Pomfrey. And people will notice if I'm not there. They might figure things out. I can go to dinner and then just call it an early night. I promise I will come back here if I need to, but I'm good really."
The dark circles under the boy's eyes scared her. She wanted to make him stay and sleep, but behind all the exhaustion was real fear. He was right to be afraid too. Madam Pomfrey knew that Dumbledore wouldn't be able to keep him in school if word got out. Against her better judgement, she removed her hand and pulled back the covers for Remus.
Remus imagined himself putting steel in his legs as he swung them out of the bed. He raised himself up straightly and began to walk out of the hospital wing steadily. He knew that Madam Pomfrey was watching for the slightest bobble so that she could send him back to bed. He knew that by the time he arrived dinner would be starting so Remus began to head towards the Great Hall. As soon as he was out of the nurse's sight, his steps became lumbered and pained. He worked hard to keep a small smile on his face every time he passed another student. The castle had never seemed bigger, and he wished that he had James with him to provide directions.
Remus was sure that he had taken a wrong turn after he had been walking for approximately 20 minutes. He asked directions from one of the portraits, a small man wearing a dapper suit and talking to a bear cub, and was pointed back in the direction he came. Remus turned around with a sigh and started determinedly walking in the other direction. He finally arrived in the Great Hall just to see the main course disappear. Remus sighed gratefully. His stomach was still rumbling uncomfortably, and he had no desire to put any lamb stew in it.
James, Sirius, and Peter breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the large door crack open to admit him. James stood up on the bench and whistled to get his attention. Unfortunately, it also got the attention of Professor McGonagall who took five points from Gryffindor for lack of proper decorum. Remus beamed as he made his way through the crowd to the three boys. They were already shoveling desserts on a plate next to them to "make up for his lack of dinner".
Remus slid onto the bench beside Sirius, who glanced at him worriedly. Up close Remus looked almost worse than he had before his visit to his mother. He hoped that everything had gone alright.
"Are you OK, mate?" Peter asked as he pushed the plate with the amalgam of desserts toward a pale Remus.
"I'm fine. Just got back from seeing my folks. How was the weekend? Did you play more chess?" Remus seemed eager to push the conversation over to the other boys.
"It was good. We actually planned a bit of a surprise for you when you finish eating, but how is your mom? Do you feel better?" James answered.
"I'm great. Pomfrey fixed me right up. It was just a bit of the flu. I'm sorry that you guys had to deal with dragging me up there. Mom's alright too." Remus answered quickly, before returning to mashing all of the desserts on his plate into one large gooey substance.
James watched carefully and noticed that not a single bite was going anywhere near Remus' mouth. He didn't blame Remus, the multi-colored mash on his plate could not be less appetizing, but still the boy hadn't eaten anything.
"Aren't you hungry?" He queried cautiously. He didn't understand what was going on with his new friend.
"I'm fine" Remus answered quickly "I, um, ate with my folks. Now what is this surprise?"
James didn't quite believe the sandy-haired youth, but he didn't know what to do about it. A smile of pure glee lit his face though as he turned expectantly to Sirius and Peter. All three boys seemed to be bursting with excitement as they snuck their wands out of their robe pockets and began to softly chant an incantation.
The spell worked, but not quite how the boys had planned. All of the Gryffindors, including them, began to talk in higher and higher voices. They looked around angily at the other tables. Some of the older Gryffindors began to whistle what might have been profanity at the Slytherins, if it hadn't come out just sounding like particularly vehement tea kettles. No one at the Gryffindor table except Remus seemed to doubt that the Slytherins were responsible for the sudden spell.
The whole of Gryffindor house began to burp and return to a normal speaking pitch. Remus laughed so hard that he was doubled over wincing. Everyone seemed to go back to their normal dinner quickly. The teachers had barely looked up from their dinner and were turning a blind eye to the whole affair. It seemed that incidents of this sort were a common occurrence in the Great Hall. There did seem to be some murderous whispers among the older Gryffindors, however, they looked ready for revenge.
James, Sirius, and Peter were grinning broadly as though they had meant to hex only their house from the beginning. Sirius actually had the nerve to tell and unconvinced Remus that it had been his plan the whole time.
"It throws them off of our scent you see. Can't be seen getting the enemy on your first week"
Remus refused to let him get away with this. Peter had already told him that it was a mistake. Remus was exhausted, but he drank in the scene happily. The three boys that surround him seemed to be his friends. It was a weird sensation, thinking that someone other than his family cared about him. He knew that they wouldn't if they knew his secret, but he wouldn't blame them for that. For now, he was content to just be in their company.
The three boys high-fived as they walked up to the common room with Remus later that night. They had succeeded in making him smile. That smile was plastered on his face even now, as an exhausted Remus struggled to make it up to Gryffindor tower. He continued to reassure them that he just hadn't slept well, but they all worried as the pace of the group continued to slow to match Remus' faltering steps. He didn't even remove his robe before falling asleep when they entered their room. Peter, James, and Sirius spoke in hushed voices that night as they went over the triumph of their first prank. They wanted to be sure not wake their tired friend.