Chasing Lily Evans

Moony (ft Sirius being dramatic)

As a certain caramel-haired boy sucked mournfully on a chocolate frog in his dormitory, he was suddenly met with a blow to the head. "We know something you don't," Sirius sang, doing a weird jig on the bed. "Technically, he does know it," Peter rolled his eyes. "Technicalities," Sirius sighed, turning his attention back to a bewildered and fearful boy. Conscious under all three pair of eyes, Remus tried to turn his head such that the worst of his scars were hidden. 

"Hey, Remus," James hunched his back so he could see his downcast eyes, "What happened?" 

"Nothing," he said quietly, "Just-- nothing." Peter sat down on his other side and put an arm around him. "I think you should pay attention to Sirius now, because whatever it is you think is going on, is less important than what we have to tell you." Remus sighed, using all his energy to not burst out, "It's you three. FIRST YOU HATE ME AND NOW YOU ACT LIKE EVERYTHING'S OK! WELL, IT'S NOT." 

Sirius cleared his throat and accioed a pile of papers from his bedside table. He sniffed importantly and held up the first one, using his wand to point at it. "It's a...house?" Sirius nodded at Remus, holding up the next one. "It's a tree?" 

"Someone in pain?"

"Er, the lunar cycle-"

Remus' blood ran cold and ice gripped his heart as he fearfully awaited the next picture. He knew what it was going to be. And sure enough, a picture of a werewolf-- in a tutu?-- came up next. He swallowed painfully and hid his face. They knew. Of course they knew, they were all so clever, even if they didn't show it. 

"So that's it then," he said with a lump in his throat, "You're going to mock me? Go ahead-- it's not like I haven't heard them before." 

James and Peter looked at him with astonishment and Sirius sighed exasperatedly, "Oi, Moony, quit being so dramatic." Peter looked at Sirius reproachfully and James banged him upside the head. "It's a serious topic, you prat. Moo- I mean, Remus, we aren't mocking you, I promise."

"We just wanted to let you know that we know," Peter said softly, "The whole presentation was Sirius' idea, by the way. And the tutu was James." Remus faked a smile but looked as if he were about to cry. "Look, Remus--"

"Oh my god, this is so much work," Sirius groaned dramatically. "Remus-- wefoundoutyouwereawerewolfsowedecidedtobecomeanimagiandwesucceededitwasallmyidea." 

James shot an irritated look at Sirius and Peter took out his wand and shot a tongue-tying hex at him. "Wh-what?" Remus didn't dare believe the barely legible words that had just tumbled out of Sirius' mouth; this was too bizarre for a prank, even for them. "It's true, Moony," James grinned, "We're animagi." Peter gauged his reaction carefully while Sirius dramatically flung himself on the bed in the background. "But--why?"

"Remus, we figured out you were a werewolf and we followed you from under James' cloak-- we know you go to the Shrieking Shack every month at full moon and there's a tunnel guarded by the Whomping Willow, isn't there?" 

"Well--yes," Remus stuttered, "But--" 

"So we guessed you were too embarrassed to tell us, thinking we'd turn our noses up on you, like that idiot Malfoy in Slytherin--"

"And we realised that the only way we could be with you when you were a werewolf was as animals, so we decided to turn into animagi--"

"And this way we can keep you company and also make sure you don't hurt yourself when you've transitioned," Sirius finished with a flourish, finally managing to locate his own wand and undoing the hex.

By now, it was too late to stop the salty tears falling from their friend's eyes, who sobbed uncontrollably into Peter's robes. "It was all Sirius' idea," James immediately said, trying to lighten his mood. "We're sorry, Moony, if you--"

"Why?" was all he could choke out, his eyes red-rimmed. "Because you're our best friend," Sirius said, patting his thigh. "You're our brother," James smiled, squeezing his arm. "And nobody else would know where to buy us that amazing chocolate you give us,"Peter added fondly, grinning at the boy. Unable to speak, he sobbed harder; James and Sirius joined the embrace as well, and that was how they stayed for fifteen whole minutes, communicating in a way where words weren't enough. 

***

After Remus had seen with shock his three best friends turn into a rat, a stag and a dog, did he finally accept that they had actually gone through with it. "Part of me thought you were playing one of your stupid pranks on me," he admitted, stroking the dog's ears. "By the way-- why'd you call me Moony before?" Peter and James glanced, amused, at the black dog, who stuck out his tongue innocently. "Well-- after watching you at every full moon, Sirius and James said your eyes looked, er, moony." James chuckled, "Peter agreed. You can't rat your way out of this one!" Remus groaned, "James, I appreciate the sentiment but--" "I'll do the honours," Sirius said, having transformed back into a human, and ruffled James' hair savagely. "You're in for it," James warned him, hurriedly flattening his own black locks. Sirius shrieked in a high-pitched voice as James messed up his hair, when he had taken such pains to style them that morning, while Peter quickly searched his trunk for a video camera. After five minutes, when the situation threatened to ensue into a full-fledged fight, Remus calmly petrified them all. 

"I am deeply touched by your actions, but I don't have the energy to deal with healing spells tonight, so unless you behave," he grinned slyly at the frozen boys, "I'll tell McGonagall you're illegal animagi."