A/N: Thanks to anyone still reading. I'm sorry the updates have been so sporadic. I think about this story a lot, but don't sit down and write often.

It was a rough moon for Remus. He followed the path below the Whomping Willow with a resigned attitude. He would always be lying to his friends. Remus knew better than to let worry and angst overwhelm him with the tide of the moon, but he couldn't stop it this month. His mind kept flashing back to the concern in Sirius' eyes and the way Peter had clapped a comforting arm around his shoulder. The deception had unsettled him all night, and as Remus paced back in forth in the dimly lit shack he could feel the anger of the wolf within.

It never went well when he was upset. Remus remembered a night not long after he had been bitten when he had been crying over having to eat broccoli at dinner. He had broken his ankle when he transformed. The wolf running in circles until he could snap it between nightmarish fangs. His mom had cried for an hour that day. She waited until Remus was safe in bed, but he still heard her. His ears were always a little better in the days surrounding his transformation.

He shook his head in frustration. It did no good to relive memories of past transformations either. Remus glanced out the window and saw the first glints of the full moon. He just had time to try for one last steadying breath before his skin began ripping apart as his bones rearranged themselves.

Madam Pomfrey gasped when she saw Remus early the next morning. The boy's left arm was mutilated and a small splinter of bone was peeking out near his wrist. He was lying on the dirty floor with a sticky layer of his own blood covering most of his body. Her mind was still having trouble processing the carnage that she was seeing, but Madam Pomfrey's nimble hands moved automatically. She tipped a blood-replenishing potion down the boy's throat and placed one hand on his intact wrist checking his vitals. Satisfied that he was alive, she waved her wand so that a stretcher appeared to take him to the castle. Luckily, it was just after dawn so most students would still be in bed.

Remus didn't stir for 8 hours. Madam Pomfrey bandaged his wounds and forced him to drink more potions, but he never opened his eyes. She was beginning to worry that there was some further damage when he finally blinked himself awake. He held up his tightly bandaged wrist and groaned while she rushed to his bedside.

"It's okay dear. I have some potions that will help with the pain." She said smoothing back his sandy-blonde hair.

"It's not that Madam. I just don't know how I am going to explain this to everyone." Remus said, his eyes focused on his obviously wounded arm.

"Oh, I'm sure that will work out. Just try to rest and not worry about it." She replied. Her face relaxing visibly when she realized that he wasn't in pain.

That was the kind of thing that adults said to him a lot. Just don't worry about it. Remus had soon realized that it usually meant they had no idea how to fix a problem either. Madam Pomfrey refused to let him leave the hospital wing for two days after the moon. On Thursday morning he finally convinced her and left rushing to make it to Gryffindor tower to collect his things before class. He was still in a lot of pain, but at least he knew his way back to Gryffindor tower this time without getting lost.

He made it, panting slightly and with a pained grimace across his face, before the other boys had even left for breakfast. Peter whooped in excitement to see him enter the dormitory, and all of the boys rushed around him to welcome him back. As tired as he was, Remus couldn't stop from beaming.

"So what happened to your arm mate?" Sirius said after everyone had greeted Remus.

"I, um, tripped. I fell into some old barbed wire at the funeral. Dad said it must have had a bit of a curse on it because it couldn't be completely healed." Remus had hoped that it would take them longer to get to that question, but at least he had his answer prepared. He was rather proud of himself for including a reason that he couldn't get it fixed by Madam Pomfrey. Hopefully, the other boys would let the subject drop.

"Cursed barbed wire?!" James' face was alight with adventure of it.

"No, James we are not going to a cemetary and picking up cursed barbed wire." Peter said in a resigned voice. He knew exactly what the other boy had been thinking.

"Dad took it to the ministry anyways." Remus interjected. He was a little alarmed. He hadn't thought they would want anything to do with the barbed wire.

"Oh, well, now tell me. Did the curse give you any special powers?" James asked. The excitement in his face had not dissipated. He continued to pepper Remus with questions all the way down to the Great Hall. Remus sighed as he plunged himself deeper and deeper into his lie. He was going to have to come up with less interesting lies. James obviously couldn't handle it. He had just started to theorize that it wasn't a curse at all, but a ghost that was now living in Remus' arm.

That one finally had Sirius snorting into his cup of pumpkin juice before coming to Remus' defense.

"He just got back from a funeral, maybe he wants a bit of peace." He said although the mirth still shone across his face for the "ghost arm" theory.

Remus smiled gratefully up at him. Sirius grinned back, but concern still seemed to be pushed aside as he glanced at Remus' arm. Remus realized that he had been unnaturally quiet for most of the meal. They all gathered their stuff to start towards class, and Remus struggled to pick up his heavy bag with one-hand. Sirius grabbed it without a word and began to head to their first class of the day waving off Remus muttered thanks.