St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, sadly, treated only the physical ailments of wizards and witches - by that, I mean the bites and gashes on my body, never the mental anguish of being a monster nor the fear of maiming or turning a loved one. I felt fear now as grew closer to James, Sirius, and Peter. In the middle of the night, I awoke from nightmares of biting them as a werewolf, only to drift off to sleep where the nightmares continued again.
At the beginning of the school year, Headmaster Dumbledore had arranged for a thrashing tree dubbed the Whomping Willow to be planted on school grounds. It should have thwarted any mischief from James and Sirius but instead, only encouraged it. Sirius, recalling my readings from before the holidays, said this one day, "I'd immobilize it with the Freezing Charm."
"And do what?" I said in disbelief.
Although I had an inkling James and Sirius knew of my condition, Peter did not. When asked where I had disappeared to every month, I made up excuses, the most common one was that my mother had fallen ill.
Towards the end of February, after Sirius had managed to dodge chocolates laced with love potions, he confronted me about St. Mungo's again.
"You say your mum's ill, but at St. Mungo's..." Sirius trailed off.
"Remus," he began again. "you're a werewolf, aren't you?"
He said he had known since November, suspected it when I had gone missing every full moon. I, thinking he had known all along, grew increasingly confused.
Why had he sought me out in the beginning of the year?
But now that he knew, that horrible terror from the start of the year returned. I unconsciously held my breath, waiting for him to continue.
"James knows too," Sirius added.
"At King's Cross, what did you mean you knew my secret?" I interrupted, my words coming out labored.
"Never mind that," Sirius replied. "We were wrong about that one."