Carry On

By: Teenlaunch

Disclaimer: I wouldn't be writing if I owned it.

a/n: I don't even know how long it's been since the last update. Too long is all I know. But I figured I would get this one out before vacation. Hopefully it lives up to standards. Read and review please.

"Haven't we had enough excitement over the past few days?" Remus moaned, lazily handing Sirius the toast.

James and Sirius looked scandalized. "Never!"

Remus shook his head. "I take it everything's already done."

James and Sirius nodded, their eyes glinting. Remus was about to start the debate again when Harry dropped into the seat beside him. Remus blinked in surprise and looked him over. Harry's clothes were rumpled, his eyelids were dropping, and his hair was a whirlwind. He crossed his arms in front of him on the table and burrowed his head snuggly into them.

Remus chuckled and mimicked him, turning his head to look at him. "Harry…" he sang quietly.

"What?" Harry grumbled into his arms.

"Is the wolfling tired?" Remus teased, smiling.

Harry looked up at him, his eyes half shut. "No! You think?" He turned his head back into his arms. "This is why, when I miss that much sleep, I like to gain it back an hour or two a night, not all at once or I'm dead on my feet! Look like a damn inferi."

"Inferi?" Peter asked. The others nodded but Sirius stopped and frowned.

"How do you know what an inferi looks like?" he asked. "Hell, how do you know what inferi are?"

"None of your business," Harry mumbled.

"But-"

A loud roar interrupted him. Harry's head snapped around, hand already on his wand, looking around for the source of the noise. It sounded again, followed by a short series of barking, hissing, screeching, and laughing. Harry blinked and looked up at the Head table. The ruckus, which was still escalating in volume, was emanating from the teachers. Harry stared.

Hagrid was bellowing like a rampant bear, his teeth tearing viciously at a bloody steak on his plate. Beside him was Hooch who was screeching loudly. Harry suddenly felt lucky that he had never heard her sing. She was digging through a large bowl of nuts and seeds in front of Sprout who was emitting a strange buzzing noise, reaching across Hooch to a large treacle tart.

At the opposite end of the table was Slughorn. Harry couldn't really decide what he was doing until he started shooting sparks at something in the air from the tip of his wand. It still didn't help as Harry couldn't see what he was targeting. Flitwick was beside him, laughing so hard that he was clutching his stomach, tears rolling down his face. He toppled forward and banged his small fist on the table.

Harry skipped over the next few teachers, not really interested in people he didn't know. He had to admit, though Dumbledore wasn't doing anything nearly as embarrassing as the others, seeing the Headmaster hoot and try to turn his head all the way around on his shoulders was rather hilarious.

Harry turned his attention back to the last two teachers. McGonagall was alternately hissing and meowing, preening herself like a cat. On her right was Century.

Harry bit back a laugh. He was barking at the other teachers, a few of which were reaching for his food. He growled but turned around almost immediately and scratched his head fervently with his hand, snapping savagely at McGonagall when she reached for his meat.

The entire hall was in an uproar, laughter drowning out any talking. Harry collapsed beside the Marauders, all thoughts of sleep and surprise attacks gone from his mind. As soon as the laughter died down to the occasional chuckle, the teachers snapped out of their trances, staring at each other in confusion.

Century suddenly burst out laughing, quickly followed by Dumbledore, Hagrid, Hooch, and Flitwick. The others glared at them in betrayal. McGonagall swept down to the Gryffindor table, stopping beside the Marauders. They gazed up at her innocently. "I hope you are quite done."

Sirius couldn't help himself. "Done? You underestimate us."

"What do you-" McGonagall hissed. She clapped a hand over her mouth. She glared at them and talked between hisses, "Detention! All five of you!"

"Wha – but, Professor!" Harry protested.

"No buts!" She stalked off and Harry turned to the Marauders.

James was looking apologetic. "Sorry, Harry."

"Yeah, I bet you're sorry." Harry grumbled, slumping against the table again.

"We really are!" Sirius pressed urgently. "But we couldn't resist."

"Couldn't resist what?" Harry hissed. "I don't even understand what I got in trouble for!"

James and Sirius gaped at him. "P-Prongs! Your son just – just insulted us!"

Harry snorted, turning his head out of his arms. "Sorry to have offended you, but I'm lucky to remember my own name at the moment. Piecing together their behaviors is not something I can comprehend right now."

James huffed. "Fine. Look…That involves the eyes and the turning of the head and – there you go! Okay. Hagrid is a dragon. Hooch is a bird. Sprout's a bee."

Sirius interrupted. "Slughorn's a spider." Harry snorted. "Flitwick's a hyena. Dumbledore's an owl. McGonagall's a cat."

"And Century," Remus said, glaring at his friends, "is a dog."

"I figured that one out, thanks," Harry said, smirking.

Remus pushed him playfully. "Shut up."

Harry burrowed into his arms again, and the Marauders, miraculously, left him alone. He was almost asleep when something pricked his finger. His head shot up. A mail owl was sitting in front of him. He growled menacingly and yanked the paper away, tossing the owl a knut.

As it took off, he opened the paper, skipping over the articles about Death Eater attacks. He was folding it up when a picture near the bottom caught his eye. He frowned as he read the article, which he noted was by Rita, though he skimmed most of the middle.

Arthur Weasley, newly instated Head of the Muggle Artifacts Department, has been blessed with three bouncing baby boys. And only this week he received the news that his wife, Molly Prewett Weasley, is pregnant once again. The Weasley family is ecstatic, but it must be pointed out that they are not being practical. Since the birth of their first son, Arthur's meager salary had barely managed to support his family. Now, with a fourth one on the way, he will be lucky if he can scrape enough money up to become a beggar in Diagon Alley. This is the dilapidation of our kind. Measures must be taken to stop our downfall. And they are not…muggleborns…lowly muggle jobs… Let the Weasleys be a constant reminder of our poverty and foolishness.

Harry was seeing red. He looked at the picture. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and a young Bill, Charlie, and Percy hung on their parents' clothes. Harry smirked. "Yeah, foolishness. Having a big, loving family is foolishness, isn't it, Rita." Harry snorted. "Just wait. Fred and George'll give you hell soon enough." He threw it down and got up, groaning. "School. Yipee."

Sirius, who had picked up the paper, ran to catch up with him. "You saw the article, huh? Strange subject, don't you think?"

Harry nodded stiffly. "So," James asked, "what's this one's name?"

"Fred and George."

"The kid has two names?" Peter asked.

"They're twins, idiot." Sirius swatted him lightly with the paper.

"Oh…friends of yours?"

"Hm…Can tick off Snape, Filch, McGonagall, and Umbridge in one shot, get Peeves to prank people for them, always know how to make you laugh, Beaters, Marauder worshippers, loyal to the core, no, they're the worst." Harry rolled his eyes. "Best adopted family the son of a Marauder could have."

"I want to meet these guys." James laughed.

"Oh, and that's not the best part. They started a joke shop with my…with some money I gave them."

"No way," James breathed.

"Yep. Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. And apparently I'm a partner. They won't let me forget about the money."

"What are some of their products? They carry Zonko's?" Sirius asked, his face lit up.

"Nope."

"Filibuster's?"

"No."

"Muggle stuff?"

"A bit."

"You sure about Zonko's?"

"Yep."

"Then what do they carry?" Remus shoved Sirius out of the way, anxious for the babbling to stop.

"Their products of course."

"Wait. They make their stuff?" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yeah. Daydream charms, pygmy puffs, edible dark marks, love potions, Whizbangs – sorry, fireworks – instant swamps, skiving snackboxes, canary creams, ton-tongue toffees, fake wands-"

"Weasleys after my own heart!" Sirius cried.

"-and their more serious line."

"More serious?" Remus asked.

"Peruvian dark powder, decoys, shield gloves and cloaks." Harry shrugged. "They're nice to have."

"Why do you need them?"

"We're late for potions," Harry said hurriedly.

"What?"

"We're late." Harry took off down the corridor, the Marauders racing to catch up.

Harry groaned. His day had been horrible – so far. Between his attempts to stay awake and the two or three minutes of sleep he had been able to catch here and there before jerking awake, classes were boring. The only thing helping him to stay awake was the occasional outburst from the Professors.

Slughorn and McGonagall had been entertaining but extremely harsh. They obviously found the situation less than amusing and showed their dislike by loading everyone up with homework. So much for catching up on sleep.

Harry slumped in his seat in Defense. They were talking about dueling, again. Why were the teachers determined to put him to sleep today, even Lupin?

That thought flew out the window when Lupin started barking again. Harry watched him in amusement, chin resting on his hand. When Lupin stopped, he simply blinked, shook his head, and smiled.

"So," he began again, his voice hoarse, "any questions?"

No one moved. Harry felt his eyes sliding shut again. But Lupin's voice made him snap back again. "Yes, Mr. Snape."

"When are we going to cover the Unforgivables again, Professor?"

Harry's head shot up. He stared at Severus who, with the new desk arrangement, was looking straight at him. Harry raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Lupin just blinked calmly. "I had honestly not given it any more thought. Why are you wondering, Mr. Snape?"

Severus shrugged. "I thought that maybe you could do it next week."

Harry felt a smirk stealing across his face. Trust Severus to casually mention it like that. The Polyjuice Potion was done at least. Now they could do the lesson whenever they wanted. Harry's face fell. He was the one that was going to perform them. He was going to actually try to kill something. He took a deep breath and locked eyes with Severus, nodding stiffly.

Severus nodded back, equally grim-faced. "Yes, Professor. I think next week would be good."

Lupin glanced between the two. "Alright. Well then. Next week we'll restart the Unforgivables. I ask that anyone who wishes to miss this lesson stay after and talk with me." Lupin looked around. "For homework I want you to continue research on the Unforgivables. I want who created them, when they were first used, the most famous event in which they were used, etc." The bell rang, breaking the trance they were all in. The room emptied slowly, the students unwilling to leave.

"I'll meet you later," Harry promised the Marauders. They nodded and slipped out, leaving Lupin, Severus, and Harry alone.

Harry, unable to stay awake while sitting down, stood up, moving away from the desks so he couldn't lean on them. They were silent for a moment then Lupin sighed. "Are you going to tell me what's going on or do I have to guess?"

Harry shrugged. "You probably know anyway. So…"

"Polyjuice Potion," Severus said quietly. "It was the only way you two could pull this off."

Harry nodded. "I know you could do them, Remus. I just…" he glanced at Severus. "I have to know how to do them."

"Harry-"

"Don't try to baby me, Remus. There's no use and you know it." Harry sighed, dragging his hands through his hair. "I have to be able to do this. If I don't…"

Lupin nodded and sagged slightly, gazing intently at Harry's face and then into his eyes. "You've never been a child, Harry. I'm sorry about that. It never should have been like this."

Harry smiled, chuckling sadly. "But it is. Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over."

Lupin nodded again, standing up and moving to his desk, sorting his papers though they were already stacked neatly. "So, how are we doing this?"

Snape reached quickly into his pocket and drew out four vials. "You both will need to take these right before class. Somehow, you are going to have to take the second dose during class. Otherwise you'll change back and this will all have been for nothing."

Harry nodded. "I can get away with it easy. I just have to take it from a flask. No one'll know. But, Remus…what about pretending you're sick? Ask to go to the bathroom, and take it there."

Lupin sighed. "It's the only way."

"Well, look at it this way, Lupin," Snape said, grabbing his things. "You get a day off."

"Hey, Rem, where's Harry?" James asked.

Remus looked up from his book. "In bed, last I checked."

"It's only six thirty." James glanced over at Harry's bed, noticing the curtains were drawn. "I guess we should go then. I don't think he needs to be woken up. Come on, Pads."

Remus snorted, his eyes back on his book. "Don't bother."

"Why?"

Remus took out his wand and, before his friends could stop him, set off a volley of firecrackers. Sirius and James clapped their hands over their ears, waiting for them to stop ringing.

James rounded on Remus, who hadn't moved from his position on his bed. "What the hell are you doing?"

Remus looked up calmly. "Making noise. Why?"

"You probably gave Harry a heart attack!" Sirius growled. "What's the matter with you? You're the smart one!"

Remus sat his books aside and got up, moving toward Harry's bed. He gently pulled back the curtains and gestured at Harry. He was lying on his stomach, face half-buried in the pillow, snoring lightly. James and Sirius blinked. "Wha – that should've made him jump up screaming!"

"I know." Remus closed the curtains quickly when Harry shifted. "Silencing charm."

"What? Why would he need a silencing charm? We aren't that loud."

"Remember when he first came here and he had that nightmare?"

James nodded, but Sirius shook his head. "When?"

"When we had to hold him down and give him that potion," James answered, eyes darting to Harry's trunk.

Remus nodded. "I think he got wise and put the charm on his bed after that. Haven't you noticed how he always sleeps with the hangings closed? We haven't done that since second year."

"You think he has nightmares often – like, once a week?"

"Forget once a week, try almost every night."

James choked. "W-what?"

"Every time he got up to get a potion, I heard him."

"'Got'?"

"He put them in his drawer, but he still has to reach out of the hangings to get them."

Sirius frowned. "Can we get to them without him knowing?" Remus shrugged and walked over to the stand. He pulled out his wand and tapped it a few times. "Uh, Moony, what're you doing?"

"Security charms."

"Oh, right. I knew that…Why does he need security charms?"

Remus rolled his eyes and put his wand away, opening the drawer slowly. He pulled out a case and brought it over to the others. Sirius whistled when it was opened. He ran his fingers through them, picking one up here and there. "Moony, how often does he take these?"

"Not as often as he reaches for it. He must be afraid of becoming dependant on them."

"Good." Sirius picked one out and held it up to the light. He frowned and unstoppered it to smell it. His frown deepened. "Moons, what do you smell?"

Remus took it and smelled it. He frowned as well and handed it to James, who mimicked them. "Is that pain reliever?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, but there's something else too."

"Dreamless sleep, powerful too."

Sirius nodded and looked over at James who was staring coldly at the potion in his hand. "Prongs?"

"Why?"

"Er, what-"

"Why? Why does he have to take it?"

Remus pried the vial from James' hand and replaced it. "I don't know."

"You said you think it's his nightmares, right?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"How could nightmares drive a person to this?"

They fell silent, all staring at each other. Something thudded to the floor behind them, making them jump. Remus picked it up. "Just a book."

"But where'd it come from?" James asked.

"It's Harry's. He was reading it there for a while before he went to sleep."

"Where was it?"

"His nightstand." They looked over at it.

"There's nothing on it. Well, except Harry's glasses."

"Then how'd it fall?"

Remus shrugged, turning back to Sirius. "Probably nothing."

Sirius was frowning, staring at Harry's bed. "No, no it's not nothing."

"What are you talking about, Sirius?"

Sirius eyes widened and he rocketed past his friends. He grabbed the hangings and yanked. They fell quickly, pooling at his feet, but the Marauders didn't notice. They were all frozen, watching Harry in horror.

Harry was still asleep, his eyes shut tight. He was twisting madly, sweat streaming off of him. His hands were fisted in the sheets. "No, no…" he moaned. "D-don't-"

James was at his side instantly. "What's wrong with him? His nightmares?"

"Looks like it," Sirius murmured. "Wh-what do we do?"

"We should probably – Oh, Lord-" Remus breathed.

Harry had stopped talking. His body shook violently and his hands gripped the sheets until his knuckles turned white. His mouth was screwed shut, his jaw rigid.

"What's wrong now?"

"I don't know! Moony-"

"This is why he wards the bed! Not because he talks. Because he actually moves."

"Do you think-"

A strangled cry made them look back at Harry. He was biting his lip, choking back whimpers. His body jerked wildly, back arching off the bed. Suddenly, Harry screamed. Remus jumped into action. He grabbed Harry's shoulders and shook him, all reason abandoning him.

"Harry! Harry, wake up!"

The others joined him, calling to him desperately.

Harry's eyes flew open and he gasped. The Marauders were thrown back, landing hard on the floor. They scrambled to their feet and stared. Harry wasn't in bed, his glasses gone from the stand. "Where'd he go?" James asked, his voice shaky.

Remus was already up, moving across the room when they heard retching sounds coming from the bathroom. Sirius' face turned green.

"Well," Remus snapped. "Are you just going to stand there like idiots?"

The others jumped to their feet and beat Remus to the bathroom. They stopped again, unsure how to handle the situation.

Harry was hunched over the sink, apparently the first thing he could reach before he lost his stomach. He was shaking, his entire body fighting to keep him standing, hands braced on the marble. His knees buckled, unable to stand his weight. James and Sirius rushed forward to catch him.

"Er," James stammered. "Do you want to stay here or…"

Harry shook his head feebly. "B-bed."

He allowed them to support him to his bed, where Remus had taken the pillows from their beds and propped them up on Harry's. Harry sank back into them and closed his eyes, his breathing still heavy. The others watched him for a few minutes, all too worried to speak.

Harry's breathing calmed and he opened his eyes slowly. "Potion…p-please." Sirius picked up the case and opened it, holding it out to Harry.

Harry reached toward it, his hand trembling. He grit his teeth and grabbed two vials. Lying one on his stomach, he uncorked the other, bringing it to his mouth with still-shaking hands. A hand closed around his and helped steady the vial.

Harry downed it and it was replaced immediately by the second one. Harry swallowed it with difficulty, starting to feel sick again. He sighed in relief as his stomach calmed and smiled sheepishly at Remus and Sirius. "Thanks," he murmured.

James, looking on from the end of the bed, growled. "They wouldn't need thanking if you'd stop warding your bed!"

Harry looked up at him and shrugged, too exhausted to even think of having an argument. "Habit. Besides, do you really want to be woken up?"

"How often?"

"What?"

"How often do you wake up screaming?"

"First time," Harry lied smoothly.

James snarled. "Stop lying! Don't you trust us enough to tell us that?"

Harry's face fell. "I…it's not that I don't trust you. I…" he trailed off.

"What, Harry?"

"I don't want you to worry. Alright?"

"We wouldn't have to worry if you would tell us more."

Harry nodded and sat up. Sirius rushed to stop him. "What are you doing?"

Harry walked past him. "I need to see Professor Century."

"No!" James snapped. "You need to stay here."

"J-Dad," Harry pressed, "I need to see him." James frowned. "If you want to come, you can, but I need to go."

James looked over at his friends. Remus bit his lip and nodded slightly then shook his head and finally shrugged, while Sirius simply shook his head. James groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I guess if we can come."

Harry smiled and started toward the door again. Remus frowned. "Harry, you're shaking."

Harry ignored him, choosing instead to walk downstairs. The Marauders followed him quickly, looking around. "Hey, Prongs, where's Wormy?"

"He said something about a stomachache. Haven't seen him since."

"Think we should find him?"

James glanced at Sirius then back at Harry. "We'll find him later. It can't be helped."

"Right."

They walked on in silence, all lost in their own thoughts. When they finally came to Century's office, Harry opened the door and walked in without knocking. Sirius bit back a laugh as they followed him inside. The Marauders' faces fell. The office was empty.

Remus sighed. "Looks like he's out."

"Yeah. Come on. Let's go back to the common. You need to rest, Harry. Harry?" James looked around. Harry was gone. "Wh-where-"

Sirius' mouth was hanging open. He pointed at the mirror on the wall. "He-that-he just walked through the mirror!"

Remus had seen it too. He walked over to the mirror and examined it as his friends watched.

"Well?" James asked as Remus stepped back. He and Sirius moved up beside him when Remus motioned.

Remus knocked lightly on the mirror. "Professor? Professor, it's the Marauders. Could you let us in?"

Sirius and James gaped. "What are you doing?"

"It's a door, a hidden door, obviously. Can't believe I didn't notice it before. I mean, you really think that this is all the Professors get?"

"You mean this is the entrance to his real quarters?"

Remus nodded just as the mirror swung open. Harry gave them a small smile. "Sorry. I had to be sure he didn't mind you coming in."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Right. You would have left us out here if we hadn't seen you."

Harry shrugged and stood back to let them in. The Marauders entered cautiously. Sirius whistled. "Nice pad."

"Thank you, Mr. Black." Century was carrying a tray with five mugs to the table by the sofa. Sitting them down, he gestured toward the other seats. "Please. No need to stand in my door the entire night."

The boys sat down and Harry closed the door. He walked slowly over to the couch but before he could sit down his knees gave out again. Century caught him quickly and helped him lie down. Harry smiled slightly and rolled onto his back. Century sat on the very edge of the couch by Harry's stomach. Levitating three of the mugs to the Marauders, he picked up his own and took a sip.

"So," he sighed. "What happened?"

Harry looked away and Century turned to the Marauders. Sirius cleared his throat. "Well, we were talking to Remus about Harry, wondering where he was, you know. And Remus set off some firecrackers and we were about to kill him when-"

"The short version, please."

"Oh, well. Remus told us Harry sleeps with a silencing charm on his bed, and that it was because he has nightmares."

"Bad enough that he has to take potions for them," James interjected.

"Yeah, so, anyway. Then a book fell and we couldn't figure out where it came from. But I noticed Harry's hangings were moving and when I opened them, Harry was thrashing around moaning. Next thing we know, he's screaming bloody murder and getting sick in the bathroom. He took a couple potions then demanded he see you."

Century nodded and looked at Harry who was waiting apprehensively. "Cruciatus?" he asked and Harry nodded.

The others frowned, and glanced at each other. "Cruciatus?" James mouthed to them.

Century sighed and motioned for Harry to turn over. Harry raised an eyebrow but complied. Century moved up and gently massaged Harry's shoulders. Harry shuddered and closed his eyes. "Harry has to take potions because he doesn't have what you would normally call nightmares."

The boys' frowns deepened. "What do you mean?"

Century didn't answer for a moment, focusing all his energy into his hands slowly massaging Harry's arm. He suddenly got up and Harry groaned in protest. Century smiled and murmured, "Hush, cub. I'll see what I can do."

He approached the fireplace, threw something into the fire, and knelt down to stick his head inside. There was a murmured conversation, a sigh, and Century backed out again.

Harry sat up slowly and reached out. Century handed him a vial and Harry lifted it to his mouth. His entire arm was shaking again. Century reached over and gently helped. Harry gave another sheepish smile and slumped against Century, who laughed softly. Harry tried to glare but the look fell short. Century smiled and helped him lay down again, smoothing his hair down before he started on his back.

Harry laid his head on his arms and fought briefly before closing his eyes. Century chuckled.

"What was that?" James asked.

"Muscle relaxer. Slughorn's best. Harry's didn't have enough effect." He paused then murmured, "It must have been bad."

The boys frowned. Sirius growled. "Alright. Enough with the riddles. What are you on about?"

"Harry's nightmares can cause him to feel pain."

"Pain?"

"Yes. For instance, he might feel the effect of a stinging hex or a disarming charm."

"And tonight?"

Century continued what he was doing, not looking up, but Remus took a shaky breath, staring at Harry. "Cruciatus. You said so earlier. Cruciatus curse. He-he felt it."

The others whipped around to stare at them. "What?"

Century slowed his movements until he stopped and took out his wand, waving it over Harry's prone figure.

"What'd you do?"

"Silencing charm, but just so he can't hear us and wake up."

"He's out?"

"Yes." Century ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Alright, boys. I know you want information, but I can't tell you much."

"And why not?" James demanded.

"Because it is Harry's choice to tell you."

"So? You're a teacher! You can override him!"

"After our…spat the other day, I really would like to let things settle. Besides, I know that he wouldn't appreciate me telling you. He's a pretty private person."

"Why though? He wouldn't even tell us why he was angry with you."

Century's mouth quirked slightly. "Because I was angry at him for putting himself in danger. He happens to know how strongly I feel about that, but, he is determined to try me. And I do realize I can't stop him. I just don't want to see him hurt. No one wants to see their cub hurt."

"Cub?"

Century smiled fondly. "It just kind of…stuck."

They nodded. "So, why is he so private?" Sirius asked.

"I suppose it's because of where he's from." The boys stared at him, waiting. "The future?"

"Oh, yeah…"

He smiled kindly. "It is a bit hard to remember, isn't it?"

The boys nodded and they all fell silent, glancing at each other and Harry. Century stared into the fire for a while then looked up. "Did Harry say anything before you woke him?"

The Marauders glanced at each other. Remus cleared his throat. "Well, he said 'stop…don't…' but that's about it. Like Sirius said, he just started screaming after that."

Century nodded and looked over at Harry. He stood up and gently gathered him in his arms. He walked over to a door and disappeared. The boys followed him quickly. Century laid Harry on top of a bed and turned to shoo the Marauders out, closing the door behind them.

The Marauders sat down again, watching the door out of the corner of their eyes. Sirius laughed lightly. "Well, at least we know now, right?"

"And what good does that do?" James asked, his leg bouncing in his irritation.

"I think I should have told you sooner," Remus whispered.

"You think?" James snapped. "What else haven't you told us?"

Remus sighed. "I can't tell you anything else, James. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not! If you were, you'd have been keeping us updated the entire time! How long have you known, really?"

Remus looked down at his hands. "About a month before Christmas."

James stared at him and shook his head in amazement. "A month before Christmas…"

Sirius frowned. "But you still acted like you didn't."

"Harry asked me to."

"But why?" James asked. "Why was he willing to keep us in the dark and make himself miserable?"

The others shrugged. There was no way to know until Harry finally opened up.

Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.

Psalm 55:5