I do not own Harry Potter and anything that you may recognize from another source within this story. Harry Potter is the property of the lovely J K Rowling, and I will never stop being grateful for the wonderful world and characters she created.

December 15th, 1972

"Freedom! Freedom at laaaaast!"

James, Remus and Peter followed sedately as Sirius ran out of the castle doors, arms flung wide and face upturned to the falling snow. James wanted to mock Sirius as he ran around expressing his freedom in a series of failed acrobatics, but really James felt almost as relieved as Sirius evidently did.

James knew he was smart, and he wasn't being narcissistic saying that. He could get by without studying easily, and he usually aced his exams with very little effort. But that didn't mean that the work that the professors piled on them in the weeks leading up to break went by any faster. If anything, due to his procrastination, he usually spent the last week or so before breaks up to his elbows doing every assignment that'd been given all at once.

The same could be said for Sirius and Peter. The three of them would be frantically writing essays late into the night, while bookworm Remus would go to bed early with a rare smirk on his face. James couldn't fault him for it though, especially since when they really needed it, Remus would stay up with them, researching while they wrote.

Remus was by any standard a good friend, and a damn good person, which is why James hadn't said anything when he'd finally understood the significance of his friends monthly 'illnesses.' He was almost surprised he hadn't realized sooner, but that was probably because of the way werewolves were described in wizarding society. Anything James had ever read said that werewolves were vicious, violent and more wolf than person, even when they weren't transformed.

Remus was almost the exact opposite, although now that he knew what to look for James noticed that he did tend to get a bit tetchy right before the full moon, whether that be from nerves or some other reason James didn't know. Regardless, James knew he had nothing to fear from his friend. In fact, he wanted to let Remus know that he didn't care and that it didn't bother him, but he didn't know how.

Should he just come out and say it? Should he hint at it and wait for Remus to realize he knew. James didn't know. He also wasn't sure how Sirius and Peter would react. He wanted to think that they'd be much like him and be open minded about it, but they'd never had a 'so how do you guys feel about werewolves?' discussion before so he couldn't be positive.

"Hey James, is there a reason you've been staring at me for the last couple minutes?"

"What?" James replied, snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, um. No reason." Remus was looking at him out of the corner of his eye, a bemused smile on his face.

"Are you sure? Cause, I could have sworn I saw drool for a minute there. Anything you want to tell me?" Remus said, a teasing grin tugging at his lips.

James felt his face heat up as Remus was fighting laughter. "No, you pillock!" Remus finally couldn't contain his laughter and let out a few chuckles, at least until James shoved snow down the back of his robes.

As Remus squawked and frantically shook out the back of his shirt, James noticed they were alone. Sirius had evidently coerced Peter into helping him build a rather large and elaborate snowman. Even at a distance, James noticed a likeness of Hagrid, the grounds keeper, beginning to form.

James looked back to Remus, who had finally succeeded in shaking out the snow from his robes, took a deep breath, and tried to muster up some Gryffindor courage. "Remus, I uh, actually do have something I'd like to tell you."

Remus blinked curiously at him and turned to face him properly. "Okay," he said, "shoot."

James stared at Remus and found himself utterly lost for words. "It's just… I wanted to tell you that…"

Remus' eyebrows furrowed and the first trace of anxiety started to cross his features. "Just say it, James. You can tell me anything," he said.

"Exactly!" James found himself exclaiming trying to ignore the way Remus jerked back in shock at his sudden intensity. "I can tell you anything, because you're bloody awesome! You're a really good friend, Remus," he said firmly, nodding to emphasize his statement.

"Okay? Thanks?" Remus said, confused. "You're a good friend too, James."

"But that's not what I wanted to tell you," James said quickly, aware that he was skirting around the subject. He needed to get to the point. "I just thought you'd like to know that I know and that I think that it's perfectly okay and I really like being your friend!"

Remus stared at him for a moment before the first hints of fear started to grace his features. "What do you know, James?" he said slowly.

"That you're uh…" James stuttered. Merlin, but he was buggering this up. "that you're a werewolf," he said finally.

Remus was silent and for a moment James was afraid that he'd just made a total arse of himself, that he'd been wrong and that he'd just ruined everything. But Remus wasn't laughing, or even angry, instead it was like he'd put up a wall and was hiding behind it.

"You know," he said woodenly, "that I'm a werewolf."

"Yes, but I'm totally okay with it!" James replied quickly. "I just wanted to you know that."

"I see," Remus said, a strange raspy quality to his voice. "Do the others…?"

"No! No, I didn't tell them. I figured it out on my own, there was a book about dark creatures, not that you are one of course! But I saw it in the library one day and it just got me to thinking," James babbled as Remus slowly reached up and pressed a hand against his eyes. "I'm sorry if you didn't want anybody to know!" James said desperately, "I won't tell anybody I swea-"

James cut himself off when he realized that what he thought were the beginning of sobs, were actually bubbles of laughter. There were tears in Remus' eyes, but he wasn't upset. No, James realized, he was relieved. "Sorry," Remus said when he'd calmed. "I've just been so afraid of someone finding out for so long, and then to hear you're okay with it. I wouldn't have imagined this in my wildest dreams!"

"Of course I'm okay with it!" James reassured him quickly. Remus nodded, wiping his eyes. The two sat quietly for a moment, both thankful for the outcome of the conversation.

"Werewolf, huh?" said a voice behind them, and James spun around the come face to face with Sirius and Peter, both slightly wet. Behind them the finished snowman stood tall.

"Makes sense," Sirius continued and James felt the ice that had taken up residence in his stomach start to melt from the small smile Sirius was wearing. "I was betting on half-vampire myself," he said, sidling up to Remus and throwing a companionable are around his shoulders. Remus just stared at him, mouth open in shock.

Sirius waited a beat and then sighed. He looked straight at Remus and waited until he met his eyes. "I don't care either, Remus. You're one of the best blokes I know and you getting PMS-y once a month isn't going to change that."

Remus spluttered and his mouth was opening and closing, a strange wheezing sound the only thing to escape. James turned to Peter and saw something like fear flit across his face. Peter glanced at James uncertainty, and whatever he saw must have reassured him as he nodded to himself and then threw his own arms into the mix.

"You're still Remus," Peter said, and that seemed to be the last straw as Remus suddenly had to take great heaving breaths and put his head between his knees.

Several minutes later, and James noticed Remus repeatedly pinching himself, as if to make sure he wasn't dreaming, with a deliriously happy smile on his face. James snickered quietly to himself and wished he had a camera.

They made it to the seventh floor eventually, still half tangled in each other. As they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, James noticed Hadrian sitting on the stairs, a book held open across his knees. He looked up as they approached, no doubt bemused at their disheveled appearance.

Just before James followed Peter, Sirius, and Remus into the portrait hole Hadrian spoke up.

"Alright?" he said, quietly.

"Yeah, I think we are," James replied with a smile as Sirius managed to send all three of them sprawling to the floor. Their mix of groans and laughter spurred on James' own, and when he looked down Hadrian was back to reading, but he had a wide grin on his face.