Two weeks after sorting.
"Get up," Sirius threw his pillow at Remus, who mumbled incoherently and rolled to the side. James was concerned. He had lived with Remus for a little over two weeks, and the boy did not seem to be in good health. He had looked particularly sickly these past few days, and now he was so tired he could not be woken.
"Let's just get breakfast," Peter suggested, only thinking of his rumbling stomach. He was already dressed, even though it was only 7:00. Breakfast started at 7:30, but meals weren't something Peter messed around with.
"What, and leave him up here?" James snapped. "He's obviously not well."
Peter looked a bit put out, for he was not one that skipped meals willingly. James, however, shot him a look, and the blond boy sunk into a desk chair, sighing. "Sorry," Peter mumbled.
"Remus," James shook the boy's shoulder, managing to get the boy to stir. "Remus, you need to wake up. You don't look so good."
This seemed to catch Remus's attention, as he, ever so slowly, sat up. His face was pale, and he looked more sickly than James had ever seen him. "I'm not sick, James, just worried. My mother, I got an owl last night, she is sick. I'll have to go see her."
James didn't recall seeing any owls coming or leaving the dormitory last night, but why would Remus lie? "Today? But we've got a Quidditch match tonight," Sirius protested.
"He means he's sorry your mum's ill," James hurried to say. Sirius was bluntly honest about what he was thinking and feeling, and he sometimes didn't think before speaking.
Remus nodded, but he didn't say anything as he got up from bed. He lost his balance for a moment, and James reached out to steady him. "I've got it!" Remus said sharply, pushing James's hand away.
"Alright."
Sirius, Peter, and James watched as Remus applied his scar cream, wincing in pain. He did this everyday without fail, and he did his best to ignore the jabs and sneers coming from the Slytherin table. Sometimes, James would chuck an apple at the back of Bellatrix Lestrange's head for laughing at Remus, much to Sirius's delight. McGonagall noticed this, but she never commented about the flying fruit.
"Let's go then. I'll be having breakfast, and then I'll be on my way," Remus didn't meet the eyes of anyone in the room as he stomped down the stairs. Peter hustled eagerly after him, but Sirius remained seated on his bed, and James leaned against the bedpost.
"He says his mum's ill, but it looks like he is," James wondered aloud.
"He's probably just worried about her, James. Rem's a sensitive bloke, you know that."
James nodded, his curiosity appeased for the time being. "Breakfast, then?" The two boys raced each other down the stair, stumbling over each other's feet and laughing.
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Remus couldn't eat. He poked at his eggs and used his toast to sop up the messy bits. His nerves were taking over, as they always did the day of the full moon. What if someone found out? What if he hurt someone? That's how it was with Remus. He didn't even think about hurting himself, for that was bound to happen during werewolf transformations. His only concern was for others, and what would happen to them if he wasn't locked away properly.
"Remus, it is time to go now. Your parents are expecting you shortly," Dumbledore said, appearing at the table and laying a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Yes, sir," Remus swallowed thickly, and the butterflies in his stomach multiplied tenfold. He used a simple spell to take the gunk off of his face.
Sirius nodded at Remus, and James smiled. "Tell your mum we hope she gets well," Sirius said, James and Peter nodding in agreement.
"I will."
With that, Dumbledore steered the boy out of the Great Hall by the shoulders gently. In the corridor, he gestured for Remus to remain quiet and follow him. The two walked in silence for a ways before Dumbledore pushed open the front doors of the school. Remus felt like his stomach was in his feet; he was so nervous.
Soon, the pair reached a tree. No, not just any tree. This tree was huge, with swinging branches and rotating trunk. When Dumbledore got close, the tree began to thrash wildly. As Remus's eyes widened in fear, Dumbledore raised his wand and tapped the trunk. With a slow, breathing-like noise, the tree stopped. Its branches hung limply, and it now looked like a regular tree.
"Wow," breathed Remus, for that was all he was able to say.
Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled as he slipped his wand back into his robes. "Ah, yes, the Whomping Willow. This is where your transformations will occur. Right in here, follow me."
Dumbledore disappeared into a door at the base of the tree, and Remus followed slowly. Down a tunnel the two of them went, through a door. At the end, there was a room. A room specifically for Remus, with a bed. Seeing him glance at this, Dumbledore explained, "The bed is magically bolted to the floor so you won't hurt yourself. You will not find much need for it, as the majority of your time in here will be transforming."
Finally, Remus spoke. "Why must I come in here so early, sir?"
"Unfortunately, the staff and I thought it would be best for you to stay in here during the course of the day. We cannot afford to have a mishap if you transform right in the middle of the Gryffindor common room. This is, of course, to ensure your safety as well as your peers."
Nodding, Remus examined the room. It was barren, with only the bed. There were no windows, and there were no doors, save for the one they had come through. The floors were dirt, and the walls were cement. This was not all unlike the basement in which Remus used to transform at home. "Sir?"
"Yes?"
"You're making a mistake, sir. I'm dangerous. If I get out-"
Dumbledore's expression turned stern, and he looked Remus straight in the eyes. "I have made many mistakes in my day, my dear boy, but this is not one of them. You are no monster, and society is wrong in making you believe that."
"But-"
"You are more than just a werewolf, Remus. You will do well to remember that. Now, am I correct that I am supposed to take your wand?"
The boy nodded his head, and out of his robes he pulled his wand. He had grown quite attached to it over the past few weeks, but he knew he needed to part with it to keep it from getting broken. Dumbledore gently took the wand from him. "Madam Pomfrey will get you in the morning."
He patted Remus on the head and slowly made his way out of the shack. When the door closed behind the headmaster, Remus flung himself onto the bed, sobbing. Everything was always so hard.
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Sirius woke up the next morning, stretching his arms above his head. The quidditch game last night had been amazing, and Gryffindor had won against Slytherin. The entire house spent half the night partying in the common room, Sirius included.
"Hey, sleepy head," Peter greeted him. "Check it out." The Daily Prophet was tossed at his head, and Sirius caught it.
"Page four," James piped up, eating a pastry.
Sirius turned to the page James had said, and instantly brightened. "Wow!"
Howling in Hogsmeade
Late last night, Hogsmeade got a taste of the action it hadn't had in so long. Many villagers reported hearing painful howling noises coming from a recently built shack near Hogsmeade. There has been a lot of speculation on what could have caused this, and the rumors were finally set straight by Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, early this morning.
"There were several ghouls in the dungeons," Dumbledore explains, "and they were disrupting class. The staff and I have placed them out of the way, and it is our belief that the shrieking you are hearing is caused by the upset these ghouls feel at having been moved. We apologize for any disturbance this might have caused, and we will be placing silencing charms on the building this afternoon."
"Ghouls! That's wicked cool!" exclaimed Sirius.
"Yeah. Listen, it's Saturday, so we can go down to the lake in the Forbidden Forest today. I'll leave a note for Remus in case he comes back to school while we're gone," James said, scribbling something down and tacking it to the back of the door.
The Forbidden Forest lake was strictly forbidden, hence the name, but the boys didn't care. James and Sirius were troublemakers, that's what they excelled at. For Remus, it was DADA, and for Peter, Charms. Peter and Remus would follow along with the plans, yes, but Sirius and James thought them up.
"I don't think we ought to-" Peter started.
"Then stay here," Sirius interrupted, hopping out of bed and putting on his swimming trunks with immense speed.
James was dressed, too, and the two of them looked at Peter, waiting for an answer. "Alright," he sighed, opening his trunk and taking out a pair of trunks. "Alright. But put on robes over your trunks in case a teacher sees us."
Everyone dressed, the three boys escaped out the front door of the castle without running into anyone, using James's cloak. You were allowed to go out on Saturdays and hang on the front lawn, but only after obtaining permission. "Come on." Sirius handed the cloak to James, and the three boys tore off towards the Forbidden Forest. Wearing the cloak all the way there would be cumbersome.
Panting, Sirius leaned on a tree. "Here it is."
They had all just run for 5 minutes straight, over rough terrain to get to where James had estimated the lake was. Peter was winded, huffing. James was smiling wildly, like he always did when the group was getting into something mischievous.
"Race you," James called, flinging off his robes and throwing them in a pile along with his glasses. Peter chased after him, and Sirius followed. Soon all three were splashing about in the water.
"Do tell me you have an explanation," a voice said minutes later.
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"Come with me," McGonagall instructed, 10 short minutes after discovering the three roommates in the lake.
Peter followed her into her office, James and Sirius hanging on his heels. "We-"
"Mr. Pettigrew, unless you are about to pass out or drop dead, I do not wish to hear another word." Minerva sat at her desk and gestured for the three boys to sit down on the couch in front of her. "Each of you will lose 5 points for your actions this afternoon. It was extremely dangerous for you to be out there without anyone's knowledge. If something had happened to you we would never forgive ourselves, any of us."
"Yes Ma'am," the three boys said in unison.
"Furthermore, you each will need to write to your parents and tell them what has happened. You essentially snuck out of the castle, went somewhere forbidden, and neglected to let anyone know where you were. That's a very serious thing, boys. James, along with your letter, you will send the invisibility cloak home. If your father wishes for you to have it back, then that's his decision."
Done lecturing, Minerva banished the three delinquents from her office. They sagged out, subdued and thoroughly scolded. Peter glared at Sirius and James, mad that they had made him come along and gotten him into trouble.
"Oh, get over it," Sirius snapped at Peter, who glared at him all the way through the corridors, up the staircase, into the portrait hole, and through the common room.
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