Harry Potter Halloween Collection Prompt: (creature/being) Werewolf

A Through Z Challenge: Secret

Secret

"Sirius, I need to talk to you."

Sirius exchanged puzzled glances with Remus and Peter. Marlene McKinnon spent most of her time trying to avoid Sirius; he couldn't fathom why she would need to talk to him now.

"Alright," he said, genuinely curious to know what she wanted. "Go on ahead, mates. I'll catch up with you." They were all on their way to the Quidditch pitch to watch Gryffindor take on Ravenclaw. James had seemed especially confident that morning at breakfast that it would be an easy Gryffindor victory.

"Follow me." Marlene pulled him off to the side, away from the steady stream of students heading to the match.

"Whoa, McKinnon. I know every girl secretly dreams about me, but I never thought you of all people would act on your fantasies." He put on his most charming smile when she faced him.

"Shut up, Black." Marlene rolled her eyes. "I can tell you that I absolutely do not fantasize about you and I'm definitely not going to snog you. Ever. Anyway," she said dismissively, "that's not what I need to tell you. It's about Remus." She lowered her voice to just above a whisper. "Sirius, he's a werewolf. I know it."

Sirius's smile faltered. How in the world had she found out about that? He was sure that beyond himself, James, Peter, and the staff at Hogwarts, no one else knew. "What are you talking about?" He laughed uncomfortably. "Remus is just as normal as you and I."

"Don't you think it's odd that he disappears every month?"

Sirius shrugged. "You're suspicious of him just because he's got bad luck?"

"It's more than that," Marlene huffed. "It's the same time every month, Sirius! He's always gone during the week of the full moon. I've been keeping track."

She was certainly more observant than Sirius had thought. He wasn't sure how to reply to her. He must've taken too long to come up with something because she looked at him curiously.

"How long have you known?" she asked.

It was no use trying to cover up the truth now. "Since second year," he admitted.

"And you're – okay with it?" Marlene asked.

Sirius felt anger welling up inside him at her words. "Why wouldn't I be? He's my friend." He wondered what Marlene planned to do now that her suspicions were confirmed. "Are you okay with it?"

Marlene's lips curved up into a small smile. "I have no reason to dislike Remus," she said. "He's nice enough most of the time. Just because I know what he is doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly hate him. The only reason I said anything to you was to confirm that I was right. I'm just glad to know you do have a heart, Sirius. I thought that you and James just liked to bully anyone who was different in any way. I guess I was wrong." With that, she left, rejoining the few stragglers still making their way down to the Quidditch pitch.

Sirius stood pondering her words for a moment. Marlene was certainly a mystery to him, one that he wasn't sure he'd ever figure out. "Wait!" He ran after her, catching up to her quickly. He grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her to face him. "What are you going to do? Promise me you won't tell anyone else about this."

Brow furrowed, Marlene asked, "What are you talking about, Black?" She turned away again and kept walking, but looked back over her shoulder and winked at him.

Sirius knew then that Remus's secret was safe.