And we have another chapter! Please ignore my shameless A Very Potter Musical Reference :D I couldn't think of a good chapter name. But it was really fun to go back to Hogwarts and I hope you guys liked it! We're going to be here for a while so let me know if you have any thoughts in the comments!
"Prongs have you seen my jacket?"
"I think it was on the couch in the living room Pads," James shouted from the bathroom while Sirius ran around the Potter mansion gathering a summer's worth of missing objects from the months of leaving things lying around in various spots.
"How about my charms book?"
"Um…kitchen I think"
"And what about my wand?"
James did a double take at that, pausing his obsessive prodding of his hair in the bathroom mirror to glance at Sirius who was standing outside the doorway nonchalantly.
"Your wand? How did you manage to lose that?" Sirius shrugged. James looked up at him properly for the first time before rolling his eyes.
"Take a look in the mirror Pads."
Curious, Sirius moved into the bathroom next to James before looking at his reflection and realizing that his wand was tucked behind his ear.
"Oh right, thanks there, Prongs." Sirius said smiling as he grabbed it shoving it in his back pocket before running off to continue packing.
"Yeah whatever." James was still in front of the bathroom mirror getting his hair to an acceptable level of untidiness while Sirius ran around gathering the remainder of his missing stuff. After 16 years of being forced to pack two weeks prior, with every single crevice of his trunk being searched before the train ride Sirius may have taken the concept of packing at the last minute a little too far. James, not exactly a stickler for time himself, had only just finished packing the night before, leaving himself plenty of time for his morning grooming which he had let go just a bit with a summer away.
"You sure you don't want a little bit of Sleakeazy there, son?" Fleamont asked with a knowing smirk shaking his head amusedly at his boy's vanity.
"I'm sure Dad." He gave himself one last once over, examining his chin for any whiskers he might have missed before finally nodding in approval.
James walked out of the bathroom only to be blocked by his father who gave him a once over before pulling him in for a tight hug. James squirmed under his father's firm grip, muttering frustrated protests.
"Dad, come on you're going to mess up two hours of work here. What's Evans going to think?"
Fleamont pulled away at that, wiping away a couple of tears which James pretended not to notice, before gripping his only son by the shoulders. He had a serious glint in his eyes that James rarely saw from him.
"I think that good hair or not that girl isn't going to like you very much if you don't get your head on straight."
James bit his lip, unable to meet his father's stern gaze.
"You really want to know how to get this girl to like you, son? Show her every bit of yourself, not just the parts you've spent two hours preparing."
He pulled away then giving James a moment to take that in before ruffling his hair to James' great protests and Sirius' laughter.
After Euphemia insisted on the four of them eating breakfast together one last time "as a family", Sirius clearing his throat in an effort to get rid of the choked feeling that statement had brought on, Fleamont charmed their trunks feather light and they moved towards the fireplace together. They each threw a handful of powder down in turn speaking the words "Floo Center London" very clearly in order to end up at a grate within a hidden building in London that would deposit them just two blocks from King's Cross Station. They left the Floo Center together talking about all they had to look forward to that year. They hardly noticed the strange looks Muggles kept shooting at the two loud boys with their oddly dressed parents and owls of all things in cages perched atop their trunks. When they finally arrived at King's Cross James went first as usual striding confidently towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, the platform labeled 9 ¾ appearing before his very eyes. Sirius walked in behind him followed by Mr. and Mrs. Potter.
The group stood together staring at the scarlet train in wonder, realizing that this was already their second to last trip to the school which they had called home for the past five years. Time flies past so rapidly that it made James' heart ache just considering how long life seemed and yet how quickly it managed to slip through his fingers. Just two more years of rebellion and games and then what? James had hardly considered what would come after Hogwarts and staring at that steam engine before him he did what he always did and shook the thought out of his mind with an easy-going smile and an arm around his best friend. For what else could he ever need but the boy beside him and the two boys who had just caught their attention across the platform?
"Padfoot! Prongs!" Peter called to them from the door of the train. "Over here, we've got a great compartment this year. Moony scared off some first years who were near the front. He pulled the Prefect card and everything, it was brilliant."
James laughed loudly at that. "There's hope for you yet Moony. Come on Pads let's head over there."
James looked at Sirius who was looking rather pale having not laughed in the slightest at Remus' actions. James followed his gaze to a pale man and woman with sleek black hair kissing the head of a boy with Sirius' long nose and thin, grey eyes. Sirius seemed to shake it off turning back to James.
"Yeah, let's get on then Prongs."
But James knew better. He glanced back at the people who Sirius had once called family, not sure what to say. James turned to his parents who had noticed Sirius' family, Euphemia giving them a look of great distaste, before turning back to their boys.
"Have a good term, boys." Fleamont said glancing at each of them in turn.
"Yeah, we will Dad." James said, pulling his father in for one last hug.
Sirius stood at the back, glancing over at his family, and generally holding a sour expression. Euphemia wiped a tear from her eye before grabbing James and Sirius (to his great protest), not letting them go without an embarrassing tearful goodbye. She made sure to speak loud enough for the family across the platform to hear when she said:
"See you at Christmas. We love you both, have a great term alright?" Sirius turned a deep shade of pink at such an outward display of affection from the woman who had effectively become his adopted mother, but as much as he tried to hide it, he couldn't keep the smile from breaking out across his handsome face. He settled on turning it into a haughty smirk, running a hand through his hair and not bothering to look back this time, although another boy was doing nothing but staring at the group across the platform. This earned him a slap on the ear from his mother, but it was worth it to see the smile on his brother's face.
The two boys said their final goodbyes before turning around and making their way towards the train.
"And stay out of trouble!" Euphemia shouted at their retreating backs.
Conveniently the two of them seemed to gain a deafness in both ears when those words were shouted across the platform. They joined their friends in a compartment right near the front, guaranteeing them one of the first carriage rides back to Hogwarts. Remus sat by the window, staring out at the beautiful sunny day as if they were in the middle of a terrible storm. The boys laughed and talked rambunctiously trying to get him to join in at first while the train steadily chugged across the hills of England before Sirius finally spoke on the elephant in the room.
"Alright Moony what's the matter? You've been a right bore all morning besides kicking those first years out of our spot."
"I'm fine. It's just…" He sighed "It's the full moon in a few days." Remus said, a sour expression on his face.
"Oh, that's what you're worried about? Moony it's going to be great. We always have fun, don't we?" Sirius said.
"Yeah, I guess." Remus replied, not seeming convinced.
James noticed he looked sickly again, just as he always did in the days preceding the full moon. Some months were worse than others, and this one looked like it could be a doozy. As it did when he began to think too much, and was filled with too much nervous energy, James' leg began to bounce like crazy. Sirius held his tongue for all of two minutes before speaking out on the matter, a new record for him.
"Prongs will you stop with that? It's driving me mad."
"I swear this trip gets longer every time." James said, staring out the window as if willing the castle's turrets to appear in the fields stretched out before them.
Sirius shrugged, running a hand through his hair before a glimmer of mischief reached his eye.
"I've got an idea to ease your stress." Sirius said.
James grinned following Sirius out of the compartment with Peter trailing behind them. Remus stayed behind staring out of his window. They made their way to a lone compartment at the end of the train where one Severus Snape sat scribbling notes in a potions textbook.
"Oi, Snivelly." James said loudly getting the teen's attention.
Snape kept his head down, but his hand immediately moved to the wand in his robe pocket.
"Oh, Snivellus are we really going to start this year off on such a rude note?"
Sirius said with a fake pout. To his credit Snape kept scribbling in his textbook, trying very hard to not pay his tormenters any mind. The boys were getting impatient.
"Accio" James said, snatching the book from Snape's hands with the charm before he could react.
Snape tried to jump forward but was pushed to the cabin floor by Sirius, Peter letting out a chuckle which didn't come off quite as threatening as he probably meant it. James held the book in his hands, flipping through it with a snicker from Sirius.
"Awe what is it Snivelly? Worried we'll publish your diary?"
"What would the title of that be anyway? Tales of a Tosser?" James said to laughter from both Peter and Sirius.
"Give it back Potter."
"Why don't you come and take it?" James said leaning in in a threatening manner.
Snape dove at James who easily dodged out of the way laughing loudly with his friends as Snape pulled out his wand.
"Oh, so it's a duel you want then?" James said pointing his own wand lazily out in front of him.
"With all my heart." Snape replied.
Sirius and Peter stood in the background letting James handle it…for now.
"Mors Stimulus!" James struck first sending a stinging jinx Snape's way.
He blocked it with a shield charm, immediately striking back hitting James with a tripping jinx followed by a swelling curse that left James clutching his nose as it swelled far beyond its normal size.
"Slick git!" Sirius shouted stepping forward when Snape turned to him slashing his wand like a sword, not a word leaving his mouth, as Sirius was left with a deep gash on his left arm. He pulled his sleeves back aiming to strike back when a voice spoke up from behind timid…but determined.
"Locomotor Wibbly" Snape fell to the ground his legs collapsing from underneath him, not able to support him after being hit with the infamous Jelly Legs Jinx.
"Attaboy Wormtail!" Sirius shouted clapping him on the back.
And just like that their group had won. Despite being outdueled by Snape and getting lucky that Peter had summoned up the courage to cast a spell which kept him occupied long enough for them to make off with his book, the boys could do nothing but laugh at what they perceived as a brilliant triumph. They made their way back to their compartment, James' nose still swelling up overtaking almost his whole face. He stopped in shock when he noticed a certain redhead having a chat with Remus about Prefect duties no doubt.
"Ethans" James said, unable to speak properly given the incessant swelling of his nose.
She turned around, concern lacing her face. "Good God Potter what happened to you?"
"Dyu should see the ofer guy." He smirked, but evidently this was the wrong thing to say because she scoffed.
"I see. Well, glad to see this year will be much the same as the others. I'll see you later Remus." Lily stalked off as James watched her leave, shrugging and taking a seat next to Remus.
"What did you do?"
"Nufing." James sniffed, rubbing his sore nose while Remus rolled his eyes.
"Moony tan you?" James gestured to his nose indicating he wanted Remus to do something to bring the swelling down.
"Nothing I can do. The swelling will go down on its own. Serves you right though picking fights already. It's a new year, can't we all try to get along?"
Sirius rolled his eyes at that: "Oh come off it Moony, like he wouldn't take his shot at us if he got the chance."
"Still, it's not like he's the one coming over here to bother us every train ride. Why do you always have to make trouble?"
Sirius looked ready to fire back, but he was interrupted by the sound of the trolley arriving for lunch. James immediately scrambled over him a little more aggressively than needed to try to curb the coming fight, and Peter ended up ordering for the group when the witch found herself unable to decipher James' incomprehensible words thanks to his swollen nose. Remus and Sirius wouldn't look at each other the whole rest of the train ride, Sirius feeling slightly ashamed of himself but not wanting to admit it while Remus was plainly irritated with the others' antics. James was talking as rapidly as ever, trying to get his two best friends to join in, only managing to get a grunt out of Sirius and stoney silence from Remus. So, he and Peter spent the rest of the trip playing some wizard's chess, Peter losing spectacularly every time, and Remus eventually turned his attention to them interestedly, giving Peter advice here and there to James' indignation.
"Check mate." Peter said, a hint of distinct pride in his voice.
"Whatever, Moony dave you dat win." James said, words still muffled. Apparently the swelling didn't go down on its own, and he expected he would have to start his year with a quick trip to the hospital wing to reverse the damage.
"Well, we should be doeing." James said, grabbing Sirius' trunk and throwing it at his hunched profile. Sirius jumped out of his stupor, a smile crossing his features for the first time since their Snivellus detour, as he shoved the heavy trunk off his slightly bruised arm and made to grab James by the hair in revenge.
"You tan't hurt me. Thirius I'm injured!" James shouted as Sirius chased him around their tiny compartment and out into the main train body laughing as James bowled over a couple of first years trying to get to the exit. He managed to pin James down right in front of the door, blocking the entire train up as he held his arm behind his back.
"Say Uncle!" Sirius shouted.
"Doe!" James shouted back, even the simple word of "no" distorted by his normally handsome face. Shouts from the back of the line of "What's the big idea?" and "Hey what's the holdup?!" reached James' ears and he reveled in the cries of "Come on Potter stop fooling around I just want to get to the feast."
"Black just let him up." Alice called from her position next to Susan, James and Sirius in plain view.
"Not until he says it." Sirius said with a wide smile.
"Whatever, untle." James said, laughing it off with a shrug.
The train let out a collective sigh of relief and a few hoots at James and Sirius. James pulled out an exaggerated bow to a number of boos from his fellow Gryffindors, making his way off the train with Sirius in tow. They waited for Remus and Peter to join them, hopping into a carriage together, Sirius grabbing James around the neck and ruffling his hair.
"Prat," James said ducking out from underneath him while Peter laughed so hard his face turned an ugly shade of red.
The night was clear, the nearly full moon casting a haunted glow across Remus' scarred face as the other boys laughed and roughhoused all ecstatic for the coming feast. As the magical carriages pulled themselves forward along the muddy path the boys were surprised to find themselves stopping every few feet. Rather than moving along at their usually steady pace the carriages were jarringly halting and moving, halting and moving. The boys heard other students begin speculating as to the reason for the slow movement of the carriages, the muttering growing louder as the hungry boys and girls began clammering for an explanation.
"Have they ever stopped this much before?" Sirius said aloud, rubbing his grumbling stomach placatingly.
"No," said Remus, although he seemed to have his suspicions. James glanced at him with a furrowed brow, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
As they approached the large castle gates, winged boars on either side, they got their answer. Each carriage and student was being searched by Filch and a secrecy sensor. The marauders glanced at each other, Sirius hurrying to empty his pockets, trying in vain to sneak some of his more expensive items into Peter's robes, only to receive a slap to the hand from Remus. James began throwing dungbombs and a particularly well-hidden fanged frisbee over the sides of the carriage along with Sirius' things. They watched as their carefully hidden pranking devices landed in the mud, James thinking about the map and cloak stashed away in his trunk and figuring that there was nothing he could do now. They probably wouldn't count as "secret items" anyway, it's not like they were dark objects.
"If I'd 'nown dey'd be checking us I would've gotten dem by mail order." James complained as their carriage approached a suspicious looking Filch.
"I don't think it's dungbombs he's after Prongs." Remus said, a carriage holding a number of furious-looking Slytherins stopped just ahead of them.
"And what do we have here?" Filch's greasy voice said, pulling something from Mulciber's pocket.
"None of your business, squib." Mulciber said the word with utmost dislike, and Filch turned a purply shade in his fury, throwing the dark item to the ground shattering it in a flurry of glass and powder.
"That was fifty galleons!" Mulciber shouted, outraged.
"Then you should have left it home. Move along now."
The marauders sneered at him, James muttering "langlock" out of the corner of his mouth watching with pride as Mulciber felt his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth struggling helplessly to undo it. Their carriage pulled up next, the Slytherins moving steadily away from them before they could fire back, and Filch's face turned even purpler if that was possible.
"Alright, turn out your pockets the lot of you, and out of the carriage." He said, a furious suspicion marring any good features he might have once had.
"Come on Filch, old pal, you really think we've brought anything that would make trouble for you or that wonderful little kitten of yours?" Sirius said, trying to put an arm on Filch's shoulder only to be knocked back by the jumpy and miserable caretaker.
Regarding the kitten, Filch had recently acquired a young cat who the boys were certain had some sort of magical quality to track down troublemakers. He had named it Mrs. Norris, and they took every moment they could in its presence to torment the ugly little thing. He checked over them so thoroughly that it was actually another 20 minutes before the carriages started moving again, causing some of the older students to actually get out and move forward to see what was holding up the line. They all began to giggle as they caught sight of the marauders stripped down to their bare essentials, James glancing at the watching girls and flexing his toned muscles, taking particular care to look Lily's way. She just turned up her nose at him, but he shrugged it off as usual. Finally, Filch had no other places to check them, and he reluctantly allowed them to pull their robes back on, hop into the carriage and continue onto the school.
They entered the great hall pushing and shoving one another with good humor, discussing their preparations for the year's mischief making, all except for Remus. He stared thoughtfully up at the staff table where Dumbledore was making conversation with Slughorn. He was thinking about the upgraded security and trying to catch the headmaster's eye, but eventually made his way over to the Gryffindor table when his friends shot him an expectant look from up ahead. They took their seats, James immediately falling into conversation with the rest of the quidditch team, discussing arrangements for tryouts to replace their beater who had graduated the year before. Meanwhile, Sirius made his way over to Marlene who sat in her usual spot with Lily and Alice, both of whom giggled when Sirius approached.
"Hey Marlene, have a good summer?"
"Yeah, I did. How about you Black?"
"Not bad. Wish you'd written a bit more." He said cheekily.
"Like you wrote to me so often?"
"You never asked."
The two continued exchanging light banter until McGonogall finally made her way into the Great Hall trailed by a crowd of nervous-looking first years. The hat, sitting on the stool as usual, waited for the group of chattering students to quiet down before opening its wide mouth as it did every year for the sorting ceremony and beginning its song:
There was a school of much renown
Built tall by founders four.
They hoped to bring a noble throng of students through their door.
A founder's house was chosen for each student when they came
But who would stick around to protect each founder's holy name?
To find a way to split them up the friends settled on me.
So put me on and I shall tell you where you ought to be.
You might find yourself a Gryffindor the bravest of them all.
They prize Great Pride and Chivalry as I do recall
Or could you be in Hufflepuff filled with the kindest hearts?
Much loyalty and toil have defined them from the start.
Or might Ravenclaw be the place in which you fit the best
Ravenclaw was wise herself, her brain would never rest.
Or finally Slytherin might catch your eye tonight.
Its cunning and ambition in which Slytherins delight.
So put me on your head, go on, do not be afraid.
Trust in me, the magic hat, the right choice will be made.
But be forewarned, and keep in mind, the value of your place
If you allow yourselves to stray many dangers you will face.
And after a healthy round of applause, along with some muttering about the hat's cryptic warning, the sorting began. As was to be expected anyone with a trace of Black lineage ended up in Slytherin, including Amycus Carrow's little sister Alecto, Michael Avery, and Jocelyn Greengrass. Meanwhile Ludovic Bagman and William Knott joined the Marauders at the Gryffindor table. Adam Murphy became a Hufflepuff and Hope Zeller joined Ravenclaw and so on and so forth until, mercifully, the sorting was over and the table covered by the feast. The students all dove in, starving as usual from a day spent on the train with nothing but cheap sweets and pumpkin juice to fill them up. Here they had roast chicken, buttered mashed potatoes, a healthy serving of steak and kidney pie, rolls and trifle, roast beef and peas. The tables cleared revealing a large variety of puddings, cakes and ice cream and everyone dove in once again. With full bellies and tired eyes the students all turned to the head of the table as Dumbledore stood up clearing his throat and silencing the whole hall.
"A few announcements. As usual the Forbidden Forest is still just that, forbidden, so those students thinking of testing that rule," he glances pointedly at a group of boys at the Gryffindor table, "keep that in mind. Additionally, Mr. Filch has once again hung up a list of items forbidden in the corridors, and would like to remind you that this list does in fact include Dungbombs along with Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start No-Heat Fireworks." Dumbledore finished this long title with a twinkle in his eye.
"Now this year like many others has begun with much excitement, and as you all noticed we checked your bags and persons as you entered the castle, and there will be ministry officials guarding the castle gates during this school year. Given the increase in attacks over the summer I want to remind you all of something. These are the years when the decisions you make will define you for the rest of your lives. The friends you find, the people you surround yourself with, and more importantly the way you choose to spend your time with them is something that will follow you. Just something to think about. Now if the prefects would kindly lead the first years to your dormitories, have a good evening and a wonderful first day of classes."
The Marauders said goodbye to Remus as he and Lily called out to the group of first years leading them out of the hall before the rest of the students began making their own way towards the stairs, many of the older ones taking secret passageways that they had managed to find over their many years at the school. As James, Sirius, and Peter began to heads towards the exit of the great hall, a familiar voice called out to them.
"Mr. Potter."
"Jes, Professor?" James replied, voice still muffled, as he shot McGonogall one of his more charming smiles.
"I just wanted to ask you what exactly happened to your nose?"
James couldn't muster up a response, certain by the knowing smirk across McGonogall's face that she already knew.
"Bloody detention on the first day." James said walking back from the hospital wing where Pomfrey had fixed his nose up in a flash. Peter and Sirius followed close behind. They would be joining him in detention for starting a fight on the train. "It's got to be a new record."
"It is for me." Peter said rather proudly for being included in the trouble this time.
"Shut up Wormy. That git Snape is going to get it. If there's something I can't respect it's a no good snitch." Sirius said.
The group made their way back to the common room where Remus was waiting for them. He laughed when they showed him their detention slips, at least shooting Peter an approving smile when he proudly displayed his own slip next to James and Sirius'. They made their way to their dorm room, Sirius running a hand over his bed covers before flopping down.
"It's good to be home." Sirius said, biting his lip when he realized he'd said that out loud.
"Yeah, it is." James replied, flopping down in his own bed and falling asleep almost instantly his loud, familiar snores, filling the room. Peter smiled at all of them, while Remus grimaced. Peter glanced at him.
"You alright Moony?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine Wormtail, just going to go down to the common room. I don't think I'm going to get much sleep tonight."
"Ok, but at least try Moony. First day of classes tomorrow."
Remus nodded, his smile not quite meeting his eyes, before making his way downstairs, wincing all the way with the painful transformation already beginning to take root in his bones.
Meanwhile, in the girls' dormitory Lily was poring over Remus' affliction in her own way, reading book after book on werewolves and any potential treatments that had been considered. She'd found a few promising leads before her research was interrupted by a loud squeal.
"Marlene, please, we'll be deaf by seventh year if you keep this up." Lily said, smiling all the same.
"What's got you so excited?" Alice asked, looking up from her own "light" reading in preparation for first classes tomorrow.
"Slughorn told me he's letting me into his NEWT Potions class. Auror training isn't out after all. What are you smiling about?"
Marlene asked, giving Lily a look at her suspicious smirk.
"Maybe a promising young potions student had a talk with him to make sure you got in, insisting that she would help you through any of the curriculum that you might struggle with."
Marlene squealed again, making Alice wince, jumping into Lily's arms and screaming: "Thank you thank you thank you!"
She finally ceased her shouting when the sound of familiar laughter met their ears from the doorway.
"What are you carrying on about?" Susan asked as Mary immediately jumped into the group hug beginning on Lily's bed.
"Lily is just the best friend and roommate to ever live is all." She replied, eliciting an indignant huff from Susan.
"Oh, come on, remember when I got you those Holyhead Harpies tickets? Front row?"
"Hardly comparable to saving my entire career, Susan my dear. Lily is my saving grace."
Lily smirked at that, but before Susan could drag the argument further Alice, ever the peacemaker, stepped in.
"Alright, we've got first classes tomorrow. Now that you two are finally back I think we should all be getting some sleep."
"Why do you always have to be such a drag, Alice?" Marlene groaned, although there was no bite to her words.
Alice smiled lightly before switching off her light and closing her eyes. The rest of the girls soon followed suit stripping into their pj's and completing their nighttime routines, brushing teeth and washing faces and such. Within the hour four out of five girls were sound asleep, all of course except for one. Lily remained awake late into the night, reading by wand light about ways to assist her sick friend. She wasn't ready to give up, and though the prospect of a cure was daunting, from her minimal reading just tonight it wasn't impossible. Even an amateur potioneer like herself was capable of finding a way to at least help.
The next morning the Gryffindor boys woke in their own common room to an empty four poster. Remus was nowhere to be found, having made his way to the hospital wing in the night. Madame Pomfrey had scolded him profoundly for not coming earlier, ranting about boys' priorities and the bloody feast being more important than student health. His friends visited him in between almost every class until Madame Pomfrey insisted that Remus needed rest and they needed to prioritize their education.
"Education, as if I can focus on school when Moony is locked up in the hospital wing like a bloody animal." Sirius said.
James looked around at the stares being shot their way. "He'll get through Padfoot. We're able to help him with his furry little problem after all. It won't be so hard anymore."
Sirius snorted, noticing the shrugs the other students sent their way.
"You're still sticking with that?"
"Better than shouting it out for the whole world to see, this way people can come to their own conclusions."
Sirius shrugged, agreeing slightly on that front.
The rest of the days' classes passed without much incident, although there was far too much work for the first week in Sirius' opinion. The next day was much the same, with McGonogall assigning them a three-page essay, while Flitwick assigned each of them five new charms to practice from their book. They relayed this information to Remus, having taken far more extensive notes than they might have on a normal day, making sure that Remus would not fall behind in his work while he was ill.
Finally, the day of the full moon came. Remus was hurting very badly that day so much so that none of the boys wanted to leave him alone, prompting them to take shifts skipping classes while one of them was in the hospital wing at all times, much to Madame Pomfrey's chagrin. However, she couldn't help but admire their determination to be there for their friend. And with a note from McGonogall excusing them from one class each due to Remus' exacerbated condition which James had procured right after their detention the night before she decided that they were free to stay so long as they weren't too loud. Sirius certainly tested this rule during his shift with Remus, the only one of the group who managed to get himself kicked out which made Remus laugh even harder than the jokes which had gotten him kicked out in the first place.
That night Remus got some help to the shrieking shack with Madame Pomfrey supporting him under her arm. Meanwhile, the rest of the group were preparing to sneak out under James' cloak in order to spend the night with the wolf for the first time in three months.
"Moony here we come." James said, putting the cloak over the three of them, their feet showing even with James hunching over to account for his height. Luckily, they didn't run into anyone, managing to avoid Filch largely thanks to a loud noise from across the castle that they suspected was caused by Peeves.
They sent him a silent thank you as they made their way to the Whomping Willow where Peter transformed, followed quickly by James and Sirius, who watched as he winded his way under the willow's waving branches. Wormtail pressed the knot and the group made their way into the tunnel slinking through far easier as animals than humans. Moony immediately sat up when he heard the movement, noticing Prongs first. He sniffed the air, moving towards Prongs who nudged him with his antlers. Moony howled loud and strong, Padfoot joining in before turning back into the tunnel. Prongs immediately took off after him, running through the tunnel, followed closely by Moony who growled and snapped his teeth as he followed behind. They made it to the edge where Wormtail was waiting to press the knot again, fully taking off from the tunnel running across the Hogwarts grounds cutting through a rough patch of the dark forest until they found themselves at the edge of Hogsmeade village, having bypassed the security surrounding the actual castle entrances. Padfoot and Prongs glanced at each other before making a choice and running towards it, Moony close behind.
They ran through the village streets, Padfoot and Moony howling together in front of Zonko's joke shop while Prongs galloped, slipping across the cobblestones with Wormtail on his back desperately trying to hold on with his little claws, squealing with excitement and delight. A man inside his home heard the commotion of the boys as they ran past his house knocking over his trash cans. He came out in a bathrobe and long johns, his wand at the ready as the boys moved behind his house, trying desperately to convince Moony to hide with them.
"Who's there? I'm warning you. I'm a master dueller." The man said, looking wildly into the dark night.
Moony was growling fiercely, preparing to strike the man still standing on his front porch. Padfoot and Prongs glanced at each other sensing the danger, grabbing him around the neck together and forcing him back as he fought against them gnashing his teeth and aiming to do anything he could to get to the man in front of the house. They managed to divert his attention to them wrestling him towards the hills next to the village, running with him until he seemed contented again to just be racing across the fields with his newfound friends. The moonlight shone on the black lake and the stars glimmered in the sky while the four boys ran and fought and simply lived, carefree, for the first time in so long. As the sun began to rise, they watched Moony carefully as his bones cracked and bent until he collapsed, Remus Lupin once again. He cowered, covering himself up, having no clothes to cover his thin, scarred body. Sirius turned back immediately, removing his robes and laying them across Remus who accepted them gratefully.
"Thanks Pads."
"Yeah, of course."
"We forgot my clothes are in the shack."
"Yeah, you stay here and rest. Wormy and I'll go get them."
Sirius quickly transformed again, being faster as a dog, bending down to let Wormtail crawl onto his back, sprinting across the Hogwarts grounds towards the Whomping Willow once again. Meanwhile James transformed back into himself, taking a seat next to Remus who was breathing heavily with lingering pain.
"How you feeling?" James asked, tentatively.
"Alright." Remus said. "Best full moon in a long time." He added hastily.
James nodded, putting an arm on Remus' shoulder awkwardly.
"Thanks Prongs."
James shrugged as if to say there was nothing to it. They sat together in silence for about ten minutes when Padfoot finally made his way back, Remus' clothes clutched between his jaws.
Remus went to grab them, but Padfoot growled pulling at the clothes as Remus tried to rip them out of his teeth. He winced in pain, taking a few deep breaths, while James moved over to Padfoot, an annoyed look across his face.
"Come on Pads." Padfoot finally released the clothes, whimpering a little bit at being scolded before he transformed back into himself.
"Sorry there Moony."
"It's alright," Remus said weakly, pulling on his pants and a shirt, seeming a lot more comfortable now that he was fully dressed in his own clothes. He returned Sirius' robes, which Sirius pulled back on over his shirt. He smiled at his friends for making the night so much more bearable. Peter had turned back as well, and the group finally made their way back towards the castle in the light of the rising sun laughing and discussing their exploits from the night before.
"I'm a master dueller." Sirius said in a mocking tone.
"I'm warning you." James continued the gag.
The boys laughed heartily at the man who had come so close to becoming werewolf bait, Remus laughing right alongside them. It had been a close call, but they had kept him safe just as they'd always promised and so it was fine. But now Remus felt a new kind of exhaustion overtaking him and although this had been the most relaxing full moon in so many months the unbearable pain of his transformations left him limping by the time they made it to the castle entrance.
"Come on Moony." James said, allowing him to lean heavily on his own shoulder.
They made it to the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey was expecting Remus but not James.
"Potter? What are you doing?" Her voice had an edge of panic laced in it.
"I found him outside of the common room Miss. I was up early for Quidditch practice, and found him."
He was breathing heavily struggling to support Remus' weight alone after such a long night.
"Alright Potter that'll be all I can take him from here." She reached out to grab Remus accepting James' explanation without much question. She'd heard far worse excuses largely from the boy in question after all.
After such a long night all the boys wanted to do was go back to their dormitory and sleep for the rest of the day, but they only managed a few hours before they had to wake up to get to their classes, taking care to take good notes for Remus once again while he recovered from his latest transformation.
It was lunchtime when Remus was sitting up in bed doing some reading, some medicine Madame Pomfrey had given him for the pain making him feel much better, when he received an unexpected visitor.
"Hi Remus." She said.
"Lily, what are you doing here?" He said, closing his book in surprise, immediately smelling something delicious in Lily's pocket, his senses still fairly heightened from the night before.
"Just thought you might like some chocolate." She said, pulling a hefty bar from the pocket of her robes.
Remus reached out gratefully, tearing it open immediately and taking a large bite out of the bar. "Fanks." He said through a mouthful of the stuff, his face breaking into a wide smile.
Lily smiled too, although it seemed a lot more false than Remus', and it quickly fell when she glanced at a fresh scar on his face.
"Don't worry about that. It's not as bad as it looks." Remus said referring to the new scar courtesy of Padfoot from a bad bout of wrestling the night before.
"Remus." Lily said, worry lacing her tone.
"Lily." Remus said, mimicking her.
She didn't seem amused, so he changed tactics.
"Thank you for visiting. I'm fine, really."
Lily bit her lip as if debating on whether or not to say something.
"Go on. Ask what you came here to ask."
"No it's not that, I wanted to see you."
"But you have a question?"
Lily sighed before taking a seat at the end of Remus' bed. "It's just, I read that when a werewolf doesn't have someone to bite, it bites itself." Lily said.
"So, I'm an 'it' now?" Remus smirked.
"No." Lily looked nervous so Remus made sure to smile wider, assuring her that he was joking. "It's not you. You can't control the monster."
"I actually can sometimes." Remus said, thinking back to the little glimmer of memory he had when he had decided to follow Padfoot and Prongs away from the man in the house.
At the time it hadn't seemed worth attacking the fellow, as his friends were waiting and seemed just a bit more interesting. But somewhere in him he had made a choice to stay away, not to harm an innocent man. So, if he could do that when his friends were there, why couldn't he do that all the time?
"Remus." Lily said, breaking him out of his trance.
"Sorry, I'm just tired. It was a long night."
Lily made to speak up again, but Remus interrupted her.
"Thank you for the chocolate and for visiting. I'm going to get some rest." Remus said, offering her a smile, but indicating that he didn't feel like talking anymore.
She nodded, moving off of his bed and making her way to the door respectfully before Remus called out to her.
"Oh, and Lily?" He said.
"Yes Remus?" She said, turning back towards him.
"You should watch your back. James is on the hunt for who snitched about what happened on the train." He said.
Lily left then, a smirk on her lips as Remus rolled over for some much needed rest. She hadn't succeeded nearly as well as she'd wanted in getting Remus to talk about his transformations. There was only so much one could learn from books, and if she wanted to get further in her research she would have to study a werewolf first hand. But after all how was she supposed to help Remus find even the bare minimum of potion which might bring him peace if he wouldn't even talk to her seriously about his condition? She passed by James, Sirius and Peter, who gave her a strange look before they shrugged and continued on their way. They walked upstairs to visit their ailing friend, not with chocolate, but with a few spare dungbombs that had escaped Filch's notice stuffed in the deep recesses of their trunks.