School has started up again and it's going to be a busy quarter, especially since I'm on the school newspaper. Chapters will still come at least once a week, but I can't promise anything more than that. Also, there are a few bits of this that I just couldn't get to work well, particularly at the end. Basically the whole end bits really. I wrote this entirely in one sitting and I'm posting it tonight before bed so it isn't really edited much. My apologies.

By the way, I do not own Harry Potter or 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.

October 11th, 1973

It was the incessant cawing of a raven that finally woke him that morning. As he blinked away the haze of sleep, he slowly began to feel the pain of the injuries he'd sustained the night before. This particular morning, he was sure that his leg was broken. The memories of his nights spent as the wolf were always fuzzy, but he could vaguely remember a loud crack and blinding flash of pain when the wolf had flung itself off the banister in a fit of pique. Staring up at the bits of grey sky he could see through the roof, he waited, naked and bruised, for Madame Pomfrey to come and collect him. He'd learned from experience that trying to get up on his own would only lead to more pain for him than was necessary.

He couldn't be sure how much time had passed when he finally heard the trap door open. He slowly rolled his head to the side and saw Madame Pomfrey clambering up. She was in her healer robes, as always, but she also carried a spare cloak folded over one arm. When she caught sight of his position on the floor she tutted under her breath and hurried over, wand out and a diagnostic spell on her lips.

The wash of magic that passed over him left a gentle warmth that Remus definitely appreciated on this cold fall morning. "Mornin'," he croaked, a small smile curving his lips.

"Don't speak, dear. Your vocal cords are strained enough already," she admonished gently. With a wave of her wand he felt the bones in his leg knit back together. Another wave and the air around him heated drastically, which stopped the shivering Remus hadn't even been aware of. After a moment and several more spells, Madame Pomfrey helped him sit up, and then stand when he gave the okay.

The world spun sickeningly, but after a second or two it faded, leaving him wobbly but standing. She helped him into the robe and pulled the hood up and over his head. It would shield his face if any student happened to catch sight of him on their way back up to the castle.

Remus would like to say he managed to walk back through the passage, but he only made it a handful of steps before he'd had to slam a hand against the crumbly walls to keep himself upright. Madame Pomfrey hadn't been impressed, and when he'd relented, had levitated him behind her with a look he was sure she reserved for her most stubborn patients.

After that, they made quick progress, reaching the castle before even the most diligent of students would awake. The staircases had been kind, and they reached the Hospital Wing quickly, whereupon Remus was levitated right into one of the beds. He lied back against the pillows and closed his eyes against the sense of vertigo he always experienced after being levitated.

The press of a cool hand against his forehead woke him sometime later. The sun was high in the window outside and a quick glance at the old grandfather clock on the corner showed that it was nearing lunch time. Madame Pomfrey stood at his bedside, wand held aloft and a frown on her face.

"You've developed a fever. Probably from lying on a cold floor all morning," she said, eyeing him as though he'd done this just to spite her. He smiled as innocently as he could, a skill he learned from Sirius and James, and drank the potions she handed to him without complaint. He felt them kick in immediately. The general aches and pains from the transformation faded and the headache he'd had since waking that morning went away as well.

After another round of spells, Madame Pomfrey brought over a tray with a bowl of soup and a goblet of water. She helped him set it across his legs and then left him with strict instructions to empty both.

He had to go especially slowly to keep from upsetting his stomach and it took close to a half hour until he'd managed to finish the soup. He was just sipping on the last of the water when a commotion from the large double doors made him look up.

Hadrian Moores, covered in what looked like a mix of blood and large blisters, was being led into the room by a frantic Regulus Black. "Madame Pomfrey!" called Regulus, tugging Hadrian forward until he could sit on one of the beds. "Madame Pomfrey! We need help!" he called again when she didn't appear. "Tilt your head back, no stop touching them!" He batted Hadrian's hand away from his face and Remus could suddenly see his clearly badly broken nose. The blisters he had noticed before covered Hadrian's entire face and neck and continued to grow, and then pop, leaking blood and fluid onto his robes.

"Tilt your head forward, Mr. Moores, not back!" Madame Pomfrey snapped as she swept into the room. She vanished a large portion of the blood and fluid and then handed him a large rag to hold under his nose. "What happened?" she asked, prodding one of the leaking blisters on Hadrian's cheek gently. Remus was very curious himself, but tried not to be too obvious with his staring.

"He was cursed," Regulus answered immediately, looking one step away from wringing his hands nervously. His composure was obviously a product of his upbringing, but Remus suspected that deep down he was a worrier. "That's where the blisters came from. I didn't hear what the spell was."

"And his nose?" Madame Pomfrey asked one hand on Hadrian's chin, headless of the blood and fluid. She was gently turning his head back and forth.

"He fell against one of the banisters. He hit his head pretty hard too," Regulus answered, ignoring the glare Hadrian was aiming at him. "Is he going to be okay? Can you heal him?"

"Yes, Mr. Black, he should be fine. I'll hold him over night for the head," she said, levelling a stern look at Hadrian when he groaned nasally. "No complaints out of you, Mr. Moores. How you keep managing to find your way into my Hospital Wing I'll never know."

As she crossed the room to the potion cabinet, Remus watched as Regulus seemed torn between happiness that his friend was going to be fine, and abject misery. Hadrian reached over with the hand that wasn't bloody and patted him on the arm.

"I'b fin'd, Reg. Don'd worry," he said smiling, but the action cause several more blisters to pop and with the blood still running from his nose it was not a comforting picture. Regulus went white and sat down heavily on the bed across from Hadrian.

They sat quietly while Madame Pomfrey rooted around in the cabinet. Regulus was staring down at his hands with his shoulders slumped while Hadrian was holding one hand up and prodding at it with an interested look on his face. The blisters, it seemed, were spreading to the hand that had been hold the cloth against his nose. Remus glanced over to Madame Pomfrey, but was surprised when he saw her hands were clean and blister free.

She bustled back to Hadrian's bedside holding two separate bottles. She set them on the table next to his bed and then tapped the back side of her left hand with her wand. She then repeated this to her right hand and Remus realized she must be placing an Impervious Charm or some variant upon them.

"Right then," she said, pouring a bit of both potions into a goblet and then mixing them. "This is for the blisters. The spell that made them is borderline dark magic so they won't take to spells very easily, but they'll heal up fine this way." She pointed her wand at Hadrian's nose and with a muttered word, mended it. There was a loud crack and Remus winced at the sound. Regulus made a disgusted noise, his face turning a bit green.

Hadrian took the goblet from Madame Pomfrey and drained it. When he handed it back to her he had a look of deep revulsion, but the effects were already evident. No new blisters were forming and when Madame Pomfrey vanished the blood and fluid from his face, nothing new took its place.

"Thank you," Hadrian said, clearly relieved to no longer be covered in blood. Madame Pomfrey nodded and vanished the goblet and the bloody cloth.

"They'll take until tonight to fade completely, but you shouldn't scar," she said. "You'll get another potion to take care of the head in a couple hours and I'll release you in the morning for classes." Hadrian sighed dramatically but nodded his head. "I'll get you pajamas."

It was only when Madame Pomfrey had left the room that Regulus finally broke. He rested his head in his hands and Remus could barely hear him moan that it was his fault, all his fault…

"I don't think friendship works that way," Hadrian replied, shucking off his robes and starting to pull his tie loose.

"Well, no," Regulus replied, looking up. "But you always deal with them and you took that blister spell for me, don't even try to say otherwise." Hadrian just shrugged, unrepentant. "It's not that I want to stop being your friend, but they'll just keep cursing you, and believe me when I say it'll get worse the longer to ignore them."

"Hey!" Hadrian exclaimed. "It's not like I can't take care of myself, thank you very much. I was just a bit distracted this time."

"With me," Regulus pointed out and then paused, a contemplative look crossing his face. "So, I just need to be able to take care of myself too, so you don't have to do it for me."

"You're already ahead of everyone in our year," Hadrian said as he started unbuttoning his shirt. The blisters had spread all the way down to his sternum before the potion had stopped them.

"But I'm nowhere near you're level!" Regulus protested and then stood up. "Teach me to duel like you do," he demanded. Hadrian raised an eyebrow and Regulus relented. "Please."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," he mused. Regulus opened his mouth to reply but Madame Pomfrey had returned so he sat back down without saying anything.

Before long, Hadrian was nestled between the sheets of his own hospital bed, decked out in the same sort of blue striped pajamas as Remus. His robes had been sent with a house-elf for cleaning and he had a large book on his lap to keep him occupied. He was in the middle of persuading Regulus to head to classes.

"You're going to be late at this rate, and McGonagall will take points off," he said to Regulus. Regulus shifted back and forth for a moment before relenting and promising to be back after dinner to visit. "I'll be fine, I've got Remus to keep me company," Hadrian said suddenly and Remus looked over in surprise. He hadn't thought he'd been that blatant. Hadrian waved cheekily and Regulus rolled his eyes and left, tossing a wave over his shoulder.

"So, what are you in for?" Hadrian said wagging his eyebrows. Remus grinned back, an excuse already on the tip of his tongue.

"Prank gone wrong," he replied and from there an easy conversation about pranks, dueling, and a number of other subjects began. Remus found that Hadrian was very easy to talk to and seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. Before he knew it, several hours had passed and Madame Pomfrey told him off for not resting. She made him eat another bowl of soup, with several roles as well this time, and then handed him another two goblets of potion to drink. Remus felt his eyelids start to droop. The last thing he remembered was mumbling something vaguely threatening to grinning Hadrian, who was clearly far too amused for his own good.

Sometime later, Remus was awoken by someone shaking his shoulder. He propped himself up on his elbows to see Sirius, James and Peter arranged around his bed. "'Lo," he said, willing his racing heart to slow. He didn't take well to being woken up.

"How's our favorite werewolf doing tonight?" Sirius said as he sat cross legged at the foot of Remus' bed. Remus shushed him harshly and sat up. Sirius frowned and opened his mouth to reply but Remus pointed over to where he could make out a Hadrian sized lump across the room. Sirius nodded with a sheepish smile on his face. 'Sorry,' he mouthed.

James and Peter sat in the visitor's chairs and Remus gave them a rundown, trying to be as vague as possible, on what the wolf had gotten up to. Since term started they'd been strangely interested in his wolf form, asking odd questions and wondering what kind of injuries he suffered while transformed. Remus suspected they were up to something, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to ask. He didn't think he could take it if they rebuffed him. He trusted them obviously, and they'd accepted him, wolf and all, but he still had a fear that someday he'd drive them off somehow. A childhood spent friendless and reviled wasn't an easy thing to get over, he supposed.

There was a lull in the conversation as he finished his tale and he looked up to see the three of them exchanging glances. Sirius and James were fidgeting, while Peter seemed to almost be bouncing in his chair. Remus opened his mouth, unsure of what was about to come out of it, but Sirius spoke before he could.

"We're going to become animagi!" he burst, overcome with his excitement. Remus stared at him for a moment and then looked to James and Peter. They were nodding vigorously, wide smiles on their faces.

"Okay?" Remus said, feeling like he was missing something important. "What brought this on?"

"Well," James said, still very excited. "We saw that demonstration McGonagall gave in Transfiguration and it got us to thinking cause ever since we found out about-"

"-your furry little problem," Sirius cut in, looking incredibly proud of himself. Remus glared at him out of the corner of his eye, but looked back to James when he continued.

"Yes, that. Since we found out we've wanted to, well, help you somehow," and for some reason he started to look the faintest bit nervous. "And we thought that if we become animagi, we'd be able to turn into animals and werewolves aren't dangerous to animals, right?"

Remus nodded and felt a sinking feeling somewhere around his stomach. Were they so afraid of what he was they wanted a way to make sure they were safe? They certainly hadn't acted like it before, but maybe it had just taken a while to sink in and that's why they had suddenly started asking questions about it.

"So, that way we could join you when you transform and keep you company!" Peter finished.

Wait, what?

"What?!" Remus exclaimed, forgetting about being quiet. He subsided when Hadrian groaned and shuffled. After a tense moment, he quieted and Remus repeated his question. "What are you talking about?" he whispered harshly.

"You won't be alone this way," James said. "And maybe this way you won't be so beat up after each time."

"Yeah, because I'll beat you all up instead!" Remus replied fiercely. "Are you all mad?!"

"No, but-"

"You must be! Your offering to spend time around a transformed werewolf! That's suicidal!"

"No, werewolves only prey on humans, not animals!" Sirius replied hotly. "We'd be perfectly safe! Well, maybe not perfectly," he amended at Remus' look. "But a hell of a lot safer than we'd be as humans. We just want to help you, Remus!"

At their pleading looks, Remus felt his resolve weaken and a warm, fuzzy feeling started to fill his chest. They weren't afraid, they just wanted to help. Against his will a grin started to pull at the edges of his lips. "It's not like I could stop you if I tried," he said, trying to sound reluctant but knew he sounded excited instead.

The other three grinned and then when James glanced down at his watch and cursed, promised to come see him tomorrow. Remus waved as they left and settled back against his pillows. He suddenly felt far too awake to sleep and his fingers itched to start researching how to become an animagus.

However, after a moment another feeling started to invade his happy bubble. It wasn't something he could explain, it was one of those instinctual things he got from the wolf sometimes. With a sinking heart, he slowly looked to where Hadrian was lying and took a deep breath.

"Hadrian?" he said hoarsely, praying that he was wrong. He felt his heart stutter in his chest when the boy simply sat up, clearly wide awake.

"Sorry," Hadrian said. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but you guys were kind of loud." After a moment of silence where Remus was too terrified to speak and could only stare at his clenched hands, Hadrian continued. "So, I suppose that's the real reason you're here?" Remus nodded with jerking movements. "It must be really awful."

Remus looked up sharply to see Hadrian smiling at him sympathetically. "I know a guy who's a werewolf," he explained and Remus felt the ball of tension in his gut start to loosen. "He's the nicest bloke you could ever meet, but just because he's a werewolf people hate and fear him. I've never really understood it."

Hadrian's smile softened and Remus wondered how he'd managed to get so lucky. "I may not remember much, but I know that it isn't right to judge someone based on what they can't control. It isn't like you asked to turn into a werewolf, right?"

"Well, no" Remus fumbled. Hadrian grinned and then motioned significantly towards the clock.

"We'd probably better get to sleep or Pomfrey will blame me for keeping you up," he said and then lied back down when Remus nodded dumbly. "Good night."

"Good night, Hadrian," Remus whispered back. He sat silently for several seconds, half convinced he'd just dreamed the whole conversation. Eventually he lied down, though he knew he definitely wouldn't be getting to sleep for a long time.

When he did finally fall back asleep, it was with a small smile on his face and he dreamt of four figures frolicking beneath a full moon, with a fifth flying high above them.