Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warning: None for this chapter.

Chapter 6 – Transformations

The next couple of weeks passed quickly, owing to the steady routine of classes, homework and, for James and Sirius, Quidditch practice. The first match of the year was due to happen the following day and, while Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor didn't exactly inspire fan frenzy, it was, after all, the first match. Unfortunately, as Sirius pointed out to the other boys, it was also full moon – their first as Animagi.

They had already agreed that they would never let Remus go through another transformation all alone – not now when they could safely be with him. If the Quidditch match went long, Wormtail couldn't take the werewolf on alone, however, so there was some consternation about the potential length of the match. After all, several well-known matches had lasted weeks. "But none of those recorded matches were played by students," James was quick to point out.

On the day of the match, the boys were gathered in the Common Room in front of the fire. Sirius and James were preparing to head down to the Pitch to suit up for the match and Peter had left a few minutes earlier to 'find a good seat'. Remus was already feeling the effects of his impending change and regretfully told the boys he would have to miss it. Although they understood, each of them, particularly Sirius, had a hard time seeing the dark circles around Remus' eyes and the gray tinge to his complexion. Sirius hated the whole process Remus was forced to endure and, loyal mate that he was, hated to leave him.

"Quidditch calls, Padfoot," Remus smiled. "You and James have worked hard; go make Gryffindor proud!"

Sirius returned his smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "We'll be there for you tonight, Moony," he said quietly. "We're going to introduce the wolf to his pack; don't you worry!"

Remus shook his head. "I'm still not convinced this is advisable, Pads. What if something goes wrong? How can we live with ourselves then? How can I live with myself if I hurt one of you?"

Sirius leaned closer to the other boy. "Stop worrying. We've talked this out and we know everything will be fine. You just rest up for now. We'll see you after you've gone to the shack. Moony, we're here for you – always. Until someone finds a cure for this thing, we'll be with you to help you through it. Focus on that, yeah?"

Remus cleared his throat before attempting to speak. "Yeah," he croaked.

Sirius rose and headed toward the portrait hole. Halfway there, he turned. "Oh, and Moony?" The other boy lifted his eyebrows in response. "While you're lazing around up here, you could focus on rooting for your brilliant mates, giving their all for good old Gryffindor!" And he was gone, Remus' soft laughter ringing in his ears.

XXXXXXXX

"Come on, Prongs," Sirius shouted furiously as they changed their clothing after the match. Anyone who had not attended would have thought Gryffindor had suffered crushing defeat rather than the stunning 150 to 10 victory they had achieved for their House.

"My laces are knotted," the other wizard replied, his voice tense. "Give me a minute."

"Moonrise is in less than an hour and we still have to get your Invisibility Cloak from the dorm before we can go to the shack," Sirius reminded him, irritably. "We don't want to get caught and we don't want Moony to change without us!"

The other boy rolled his eyes and finally sorted out his footwear. Once Sirius saw his friend was ready, he tore out of the changing room and began running for the castle, James in hot pursuit. "Sirius! Wait," he yelled. The other boy might have slowed marginally, but any such change in speed was barely discernable. James felt his anger rise. "Padfoot, bloody hell, man – stop or the Invisibility Cloak stays in my trunk!" That did it. Sirius stopped and turned, arms folded across his chest as he waited for James to catch him up.

"What do you mean, James?" Sirius asked him as he drew level.

James took a moment to catch his breath. "I just needed to get your attention," he panted. "Now that I have it, listen to me. If we go charging through the halls and into the Common Room, what do you think is going to happen?"

"Blimey, James, I don't know. Maybe we'd actually get to the Shack on time?" Sirius' voice rang with sarcasm. "You know, like we promised Remus we'd do?"

"Stuff it, Sirius," James bit out. "No, as a matter of fact, I don't think that it means we'd get there on time. I think that it will invite questions – from both students and teachers, Sirius; and that will result in delays and we won't get to Remus in time."

Sirius huffed and looked past James to the Black Lake as he considered his words. "Alright, James; I'll be the picture of slow-moving nonchalance. Will that do it?"

"I'm just saying that tearing through the halls like the hounds of Hell are after you will raise questions. We can do this without calling attention to ourselves. When we get to the Common Room, you stay there, chatting up the ladies and fielding questions about our heroism on the Pitch. I'll come back down in a tick and we'll head out, yeah?" James explained, taking Sirius by the arm and walking the rest of the way to the large double doors.

"Yeah, ok, Prongs," Sirius replied. "Say, where's Peter?"

"By the tree," James told him. "Come on. Let's go."

When the boys reached the Common Room, Sirius saw that James was, indeed, correct. The room was filled with Gryffindor students anxious to recognize their Quidditch heroes and James and Sirius fit that bill well. Sirius stayed behind, accepting the laudatory comments of his housemates while James slipped up the dormitory stairs to retrieve the Cloak. Sirius was half-listening to the blathering of a rapturous 3rd year and watching the entrance to the stairway when he felt a hand on his arm. "Great game," Kate's soft voice reached his ears and the sound commanded his full attention. "And I can say 'great game' with full confidence in my knowledge, based on your recent lesson!" she chuckled.

"Happy to have been of assistance. Liked it, did you?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Kate responded. "I wasn't sure I was going to when the boy was hit in the face by the ball and fell off his broom."

"Yeah, well, the nose always bleeds like that," Sirius said. "Regular gusher sometimes; good job Madame Hooch slowed his fall so he landed as softly as he did, though."

Kate shook her head. "Does that happen all the time?"

"Well, not that, specifically, but Quidditch is pretty rough," Sirius replied. He took a breath to continue the conversation when he caught sight of James returning to the crowded room. "Gotta go," he said, instead. "See you later, maybe?"

Kate nodded and watched as Sirius caught up with James and the two of them went back through the Portrait hole.

"Now what are those two up to this time?" Lily's voice sounded from behind her.

Kate turned and shrugged. "No idea. Come on, let's have some fun," and with that she took her friend by the hand and dragged her over where Alice, Frank and several others from their year were celebrating the win with pumpkin juice and someone's stash of Honeyduke's Finest.

XXXXXXXX

Once on the other side of the Common Room entrance, Sirius and James donned the Cloak and swiftly made their way outside the school. As they picked their way over the uneven ground in an effort to keep their footing, they were aware of the swift approach of moonrise. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they reached the Whomping Willow.

"Over here," Wormtail's whisper reached their ears and they threw off the cloak and ran to join him.

"Ok, Petey, transform and press the knot that freezes this thing," Sirius instructed and a moment later, a plump gray rat stood in place of their friend. Twitching nervously for a moment, Wormtail dodged a particularly fierce branch and made it to the tree's twisted trunk. In another moment, he pressed against the protruding knot and the tree was motionless.

The boys moved quickly to the tunnel entrance and each slipped down in turn.

"Lumos," James murmured and light shone from the tip of his wand, illuminating the narrow tunnel and allowing them to move at a swift pace. Ten minutes later the tunnel shifted sharply upward; they had reached their destination.

They paused, listening for any sign that Remus had transformed, but all was silent. Sirius pressed against the trap door that led into the Shack and lifted himself upward until his head and shoulders were clear of the opening.

"Sirius?" Remus' raspy voice startled the other boy, but he scrambled to hoist the rest of his body into the room, calling down to the others to do the same. He turned in the direction from which Remus' voice had come.

"Moony?"

"Over here."

Sirius walked toward the far corner of the room and saw his friend seated upon a mattress that had clearly seen better days. Remus had on old and much frayed robes and he was trembling slightly. Sirius stifled a gasp. Remus' eyes had already begun to change color and there was a light sheen of sweat on his face.

"Alright, mate?" Sirius slapped himself on the forehead. "Never mind. That was bloody stupid of me! How could you be alright?"

Remus tried to manage a smile, but it appeared as a grimace. "It's ok, Padfoot," he rasped. "Listen, I'm going to transform soon. You have to promise me that you won't watch. You have to promise me, Sirius. It's too … I don't want …"

Sirius reached out and grabbed his friend's hand, squeezing it slightly. "I promise, Moony. No worries."

Remus wasn't finished. "When I tell you three to transform, you must do it straight away, yes?"

Sirius nodded and turned to see James and Peter doing the same.

"And stay as far away as you can until it's over," Remus continued, his body beginning to shake harder. "I don't know what … the … wolf … will …. Change! NOW!"

There was a shimmer of magic around all three boys and in the next moment, they had assumed their Animagus forms. As Remus had requested, the trio moved to the furthest point in the room from where their friend was positioned and turned their backs.

Sirius knew that if he lived to be 1,000 years old he would never forget the sounds of that first transformation. It began with a garbled groan that escalated to a sharp keening cry as Remus the wizard began to give way to the wolf. 'Give way' was probably an incorrect statement as, with the subsequent sound of snapping bones and ever-deepening moans that turned to snarling growls, it was clear that the wolf was taking all of Remus' humanity – and in a manner more vicious and violent than any of them could ever remember witnessing. Finally, a long, drawn out howl echoed through the room. The transformation from wizard to wolf was complete.

Sirius turned first and, even in his canine form, he caught his breath. Remus' wolf was huge and powerful – a gray mass of fur and muscle unlike anything he had ever seen. The wolf's head was massive and his eyes shown bright gold in the moonlight streaming in through the window. That same moonlight illuminated the deadly fangs, fully exposed and dripping with saliva. With a movement born of instinct Sirius didn't know he had, he took two steps toward the wolf, who snarled sharply at him. Immediately, Padfoot rolled onto his back and tilted his head back, exposing his neck to the wolf in a time-honored gesture of submission.

Growling menacingly in his throat, the wolf approached Padfoot and it took every ounce of Sirius' courage and focus to remain perfectly still. The wolf dropped his head to snuffle at Sirius' neck and, just for a moment, the powerful jaws opened and encompassed Padfoot's furry throat. Sirius fought to remain motionless and was soon rewarded when the wolf released him and backed away, eyeing the other two animals and sniffing the air curiously. After several moments had passed, Padfoot advanced on the wolf, butting him in the side with his own large furry head. Moony jumped backward – apparently taken by surprise – and then growled loudly. The great Grim-like dog again threw himself to the ground, on his back and awaited the wolf's reaction. When none came, Padfoot poked the wolf with his paw; that finally did it. It seemed that the wolf accepted this similar creature as a pack mate and poked Padfoot in return. They initiated a wrestling match that lasted several minutes and was cautiously observed by Prongs and Wormtail – who had climbed up onto the stag's back at the sound of the wolf's first, agonized howl.

Sirius extricated himself from the wolf's grasp and headed toward the door leading to the staircase. Outside the Shack's entrance lay the Forbidden Forest – and a variety of adventures Moony and his makeshift pack could enjoy until moonset. Once he had the wolf's attention, Padfoot galloped from the room and the heavy pounding of his great paws on the stairway could be heard – and felt – by the remaining occupants. With a snort, the wolf followed and Prongs and Wormtail brought up the rear. For the rest of the night, the wolf ran and – after a fashion, played in the forest, accompanied by a very unusual pack who kept him in check through a variety of equally unusual herding techniques. Just before moonset, the Animagi managed to get the wolf back inside the Shack and moments later, the transformation that would return wolf to boy began. As before, Sirius, James and Peter turned away from their friend until the scuffling and moaning ceased, signaling that the transformation was over for another month. Sirius transformed back into his human form and located Remus' robes. He carefully covered his friend, whose eyes were still tightly closed in pain and whose breathing was labored.

"What can we do, Remus?" Sirius whispered, sitting down on the hard, wooden floor next to the tattered mattress.

Remus' eyes opened slightly and Sirius was relieved to see the gold fading from them. He was surprised when a soft smile graced Remus' face. "Nothing," the boy whispered back, his smile widening and his eyes filling with grateful tears. "You've already done it – all of you. I've never felt this pain-free after a transformation." The young werewolf's eyes caught those of James and Peter in turn. "You – all of you – did that for me. Thank you," he finished, his eyes closing again, briefly. When they next opened, Remus' smile disappeared. "You've got to go before Madame Pomfrey gets here," he said urgently. "I won't be able to explain you – particularly as you haven't been hurt."

Sirius put his hand on Remus arm. "No worries, mate. We just wanted to wait until you came back so we knew you were ok. We'll leave now so you don't have to worry, yeah?"

Remus nodded, reaching one hand out from under the shabby robes and gripping Sirius' hand tightly. "I'll never be able to thank you for this."

"No thanks needed, Moony. This is what friends do," Sirius whispered back and rose.

"Come on; let's get out of here before we're caught." With a final look at their friend, the Animagi re-entered the tunnel and made their way back to the entrance. After Peter transformed and stilled the branches, the three friends went over to a large boulder that stood several hundred feet away from the deadly tree. Crouching behind it, they watched as the school nurse approached – and immobilized the tree and disappeared down the tunnel. Awhile later, she reappeared, Remus walking beside her, a heavy woolen blanket wrapped around his body for warmth.

"You've barely a scratch on you this time, child," Pomfrey's voice carried over to them. "Were your transformations easier over the summer as well?"

"A bit, Madame Pomfrey," they heard Remus' tired voice reply.

"Well, perhaps they will be better now that you're getting older and your body more used to them," she theorized. The boys could see Remus bob his head in response. Sirius smiled. It will be easier from now on because we'll be with him and we won't let him hurt himself again, he thought.

They boys stayed hidden until the nurse and her patient were close to the school and then they, too made their tired way back to Hogwarts – and their warm beds. As it was Saturday and there were no classes, the trio looked forward to some well-deserved sleep.

XXXXXXXX

"Your friends are here, Mr. Lupin," Poppy Pomfrey announced, her normally clipped tones a bit softer as she did so. "They've been waiting more than an hour if you'd like to see them.

Remus nodded enthusiastically. He wanted to be back in his Common Room, seeing no reason why he had to remain in the Hospital wing until evening. The nurse explained that his lack of injury was so unusual that she wanted him to remain for observation to see if any bruising or other injuries came out in that time. The arrival of his friends improved his mood considerably and just might prove to the strict nurse that he was well enough to return to his dormitory earlier than she had originally indicated.

"Remus!"

"Moony!"

"We brought chocolate for you!" Peter added the more informative greeting and Remus smiled his thanks as the smaller boy unwrapped a chocolate frog for his friend. "Here you are," he said with a smile, handing it to the young werewolf.

"Thanks, Wormtail," Remus said, smiling at his friend. "How did you know that this was just what I was thinking about?"

The other boy blushed furiously but a large grin split his face as he shrugged.

"All right, there, Moony?" Sirius perched on the edge of the chair placed close to Remus' bed.

Remus nodded his mouth full of chocolate. He swallowed and smiled again at his friends. "I can't remember feeling this good after a transformation," he told them. "You are brilliant mates."

"We're your friends, Remus," James said quietly. "Friends stick together."

"Remus," Peter whispered, leaning in close to the boy in the hospital bed. "Do you remember anything about last night?"

Remus shook his head. "I never do, Pete," he replied. "Sometimes I have impressions, but never memories." His eyes narrowed a bit. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Nice job, Wormy," Sirius commented, throwing a mild glare at the other boy. "No, Moony, nothing happened. We just chased each other around the forest for a bit then herded you back into the Shack just before moonrise. It was a brilliant adventure, I tell you. It's a pity you can't remember it."

Remus' brows drew together sharply. "We left the Shack?" His voice was incredulous and the expression in his eyes told the other boy he was unamused.

"Nothing happened, Remus," Sirius said, the confidence in his voice waning just a bit under the other boy's glare. "Listen, Prongs used his great bloody rack to keep the wolf in line and Padfoot kept running circles around you and barking. You thought it was all a great game, Moons. We were in control; no one got hurt."

Remus closed his eyes for a moment, willing his anger down. In the hours immediately after the full moon, the boy was quick to temper – a lingering characteristic of the wolf. He felt it now. Once convinced he could control his emotions, Remus opened his eyes and looked at each of his friends in turn. "This is not a 'game', Sirius and – make no mistake about this - you were not 'in control'. The wolf is in control – always. Never, ever make that statement in my hearing again…and never, for one moment, believe that it's true. I am here because Dumbledore has taken such extraordinary measures to ensure that I am enclosed during full moon – that I cannot get out and chance killing or, worse – turning another. It is a betrayal of his trust for us to run wild in the forest during full moon. If the wolf wanted to get away, it could…I could; people could be hurt …"

Sirius shook his head. "Remus, please. The wolf was happy last night. He had a pack to run with. He accepted us and ran with us. He never tried to move outside the forest or to get away from us. A couple of times, he wandered a little off the path, but we chased him back and he came without complaint. Remus, we had to have done something right. Look at you – no fresh wounds. And you said it yourself; you've never felt so pain free after a transformation."

Remus felt himself wavering in the face of Sirius' logic, despite the fact that deep down he knew that logic to be flawed. If the wolf met its pack for the first time last night and didn't hurt them – and the Animagi were able to control it, perhaps it would be alright. "Listen, there can never be any chances taken with this. You must promise me that we will restrict ourselves to the deepest parts of the Forest and under no circumstances will we ever drift anywhere near Hogsmeade. Is that clear? Do you all promise?"

The three boys solemnly nodded back at him. "We promise, Moony," James said quietly.

Remus looked at them for a moment longer and then smiled. "Alright then. I'm putting my trust in you. No chances."

"No chances," Sirius echoed and the other two nodded again.

"Alright, boys, Mr. Lupin needs to rest," Madame Pomfrey came bustling into the room.

"Madam Pomfrey, couldn't I go back to the dormitory?" Remus asked. "I promise that I will rest, but truly, I'm feeling quite well and I would really like to be with my friends."

The nurse looked at him doubtfully. "I still think it would be wise for you to remain here, under observation, against any symptoms or injuries that could later present themselves."

"Madam Pomfrey," Sirius spoke up. "We don't want anything to happen to Remus. What if we promised that we'd make him rest in bed as soon as we get back to the tower? He can have his dinner in bed – we'll bring it to him, if you'd like. Then we can all just sit around and keep him company until it's time for him to go to sleep. Early. We'll make sure he puts out his light and gets to sleep early. Could you let him go if we promise all of that?"

The nurse suppressed a smile. The boy was obviously sincere and it was clear that they wanted their friend to be well. She nodded. "Yes, if you promise me all of those things – and actually keep that promise, I will release Mr. Lupin with instructions to go back to his dormitory … and his bed – immediately."

There were smiles all 'round as the nurse ordered the boys to wait outside while she gave Remus one more look-over before he dressed and joined them.

Thirty minutes later, the Marauders were on their way to the dormitory – and a young werewolf, tired though he might have been, was keeping up with his friends, buoyed by the knowledge that he was, indeed, accepted for who – and what – he was.