The Marauders (a HP fanfiction)

Chapter eleven

January 20, 1973

Students had just arrived back to Hogwarts. Everyone was excited to be back, including Remus. However, his friends did not like what they had seen on the train ride.

"Remus, what happened to you?" Peter had asked, eyeing the already healing scratches on his face as they had taken their seats in the compartment of the Hogwarts Express.

"Oh, I had an accident," he replied, brushing it off like it was nothing.

"Are you going to be okay?" Sirius asked.

Remus looked over at him and gave a reassuring smile, which he found did not feel as forced as it used to be.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Especially now that I'm back here with all of you," he replied.

That had been a fortnight ago, and the marks on Remus's face were still there. James, Sirius, and Peter were getting worried. Remus seemed to get into many of these so called accidents.

"I don't like Remus's state one bit," James said when Remus had stepped out of the dormitory.

"Neither do I," Sirius admitted.

There was no denying now that something major was going on, and Remus was not telling them.

"What do you think we should do, then?" Peter asked.

"We have to talk to Dumbledore tomorrow," James replied.

He figured going to the headmaster was the best thing to do.

"What's Dumbledore going to do about it," Peter asked.

"I don't know," James shot back, frustrated, "but I'm sure he can do something. Something's not right with Remus. He gets sick every month for no apparent reason. And now with this so called accident?"

Sirius and Peter looked down, not knowing what else to say.

xxx

January 21, 1973

James, Sirius, and Peter stood in front of the entrance to Dumbledore's office after Sirius had gotten it from an unnamed source.

"Are you sure about this?" Peter asked nervously.

Sirius gave a frustrated sigh and turned to Peter.

"You want to help Remus, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes, but… oh, never mind," Peter said which James and Sirius were thankful for. "I suppose it's too late to turn back."

James took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice declared a moment later.

"Here we go," Sirius said as James reached for the doorknob and turned it.

Dumbledore greeted them with a warm smile, obviously not caring how they had gotten the password.

"Why, hello you three."

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore," they said as they nodded.

"Shouldn't there be one more of you?" Dumbledore asked.

They looked at each other for a moment before Sirius answered, "Yes, sir. You see, this is about Remus."

"Go on," Dumbledore replied.

There was no going back now.

"We think something's going on with him," James said.

Peter just stayed behind James and Sirius, letting them do the talking.