Remus woke up confused and unsure of where he was. It took him a few moments to realize he was in the hospital wing. It was dark, which meant he must have slept through the whole day; he was extremely grateful for that. His body ached from the night before, his leg throbbed, and judging from the sour taste in his mouth, he knew Pomfrey had given him a few potions while he was asleep. Remus froze when he heard a sound in the room. He gingerly propped himself up on his elbows and tried to see what it was. Only a few candles and the moonlight streaming through the windows dimly illuminated the room, but Remus couldn't see anything or anyone. He was expecting to see Madam Pomfrey checking in on him, but when he didn't, he knew this could only mean one thing. He sat up. "James, Sirius, Peter?" Remus called out in a hoarse whisper.

There was a shuffling sound, and then three heads seemingly appeared out of nowhere and seemed to be floating in the corner of the room. "Remus?" James whispered back, half hidden behind the Invisibility Cloak.

Was it Remus's imagination, or did James sound nervous? Who could blame him? Especially after what they had seen. Remus nodded to James as if to confirm it was really him and not the wolf still in control of him somehow. What should he say? What could he say? Remus's heart pounded in his chest. He was hoping to be able to avoid seeing them for a while. He wasn't ready to see the fear in their eyes again, or worse still, to see hatred there. The three boys remained glued to the corner of the room, and Remus dropped his glaze to the bed sheets as his heart sank. He'd lost them. He'd lost the only friends he ever had. "I'm sorry." Remus choked out the words as tears formed in his eyes.

The three boys all exchanged glances, but it was Sirius who moved to approach Remus first. "You're sorry?" He said, sounding angry. "That's it? We trusted you, Remus. We were friends. We've shared a bloody dorm with you for two years!"

"Sirius." James hissed at him while putting a hand on Sirius's shoulder to calm him. He checked over his shoulder to make sure Madam Pomfrey hadn't heard them.

Remus seemed to deflate at his words. His shoulders slumped, and it looked like he was trying to make himself as small as possible, as if he could just shrivel up and disappear. Peter knew that feeling well, and he hesitantly walked towards Remus's bed. "Why Remus?"

"Why?" Remus asked, confused, looking at Peter.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I'm a werewolf." The confession was dragged from his lips. And even though they already knew it pained Remus to admit it.

James laughed at that. "Really? And here we were thinking you had an allergic reaction to pumpkin juice."

Remus let out a hollow laugh at that and wiped away a tear off his cheek with the back of a bandaged hand. "I just wanted to pretend I was normal." He said in a shakey voice, staring back down at the sheets.

"Well, you're not." Sirius snapped.

"Sirius!" Both Peter and James gasped in shock.

Remus actually flinched at the words. He knew it was true, but somehow hearing Sirius say it hurt more than anything he had sustained during the full moon.

"Well, he's not!" Sirius said, standing at the edge of Remus's bed now. "And neither am I. None of us are."

Remus looked up now, finally meeting Sirius's eyes, and was surprised by the expression. It wasn't the look of fear or hatred that he had expected. He almost looked hurt.

"Did you not trust us?" Sirius asked with an edge to his voice.

"Trust you?" Remus's eyes flickered between the three boys, unsure of what Sirius meant.

"If we are really friends, then why lie to US?" He said, emphasizing the last word. "The rest of the school fine, but I thought we were like brothers Remus." Sirius pressed him for answers as he crossed his arms.

"Because I didn't want to lose you guys!" Remus blurted out. "You're my best friends, the first friends I've ever had. The best friends anyone could have. And I didn't want all that to change once you knew I was a monster."

James, Sirius, and Peter all looked at one another. Sirius's expression softened. "You're not a monster, Remus."

Remus shook his head. "I am. You all saw it."

"Remus, you organize your sock drawer by color. What kind of monster does that?" James asked, hoping to lighten the mood slightly.

"That's when I'm me, but when I'm not-"

James waves him off dismissively. "If you think your furry little problem once a month would stop us from being your friend Remus, then you're wrong." He said, seriously looking Remus in the eye.

"And it means you don't know us very well at all." Sirius added sourly.

Remus was completely flabbergasted. Were they really more upset that he hadn't told them than the fact that he was a monster? Of all the scenarios Remus had played out in his mind, this was not one of them. "What would you have expected me to do? Walk up to you on the first day and go, "Hello, I'm Remus. John Lupin I can't wait to go to school and dorm with you for seven years. Oh, by the way, I'm a werewolf."

"Well, maybe not on the first day." Peter said seriously.

"But on the second for sure." James quipped with a playful smile.

"Or by the second year." Sirius continued clearly, still upset that Remus thought so little of them. "I told you we would help you."

Remus felt a pang of sadness at that. "No one can help. It's just something I have to do."

"Well, you don't have to do it alone." James said as he rested his hand on Remus's arm. "We're here for you, mate."

"Right." Peter said nodding in agreement.

Remus looked at them in disbelief, certain he must be hearing them incorrectly. He searched their faces to see if they were playing some kind of joke on him, but he knew that this is one of the few times that they are being completely serious. They didn't understand what they were dealing with. "But I'm dangerous," Remus insisted, not believing that they have fully registered what he is. "I turn into that beast every month. If I came across someone, I would kill them." His voice shook, and he stared at his hands as he admitted it as if imagining the blood there, and he shivered.

"We've known you for two years, Remus, and other than the time we stole your Transfiguration essay to copy it, you've never so much as lifted a finger against us." James nudged him playfully and smiled.

"Exactly. We aren't afraid of you, Moony." Sirius added.

"Moony?" Remus raised an eyebrow in question.

Sirius grinned and laughed, "Well, of course, what other nickname would you use for a fearsome beast such as yourself? Full moon, Moony." He said, gesturing. "Get it."

Remus laughed. "I get it, and it's terrible."

"Well, that's what you get for not trusting your friends." Sirius said, sticking his tongue out at Remus, causing everyone to laugh.

Remus was grateful for the laughter because it gave him an excuse for the tears in his eyes. He truly had the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for.