The Marauders Era

The Truth Comes Out

   It was a month back at school after the summer holidays in the second year, Remus had made another excuse as to why he wasn't going to be there. His three friends sat up in the dormitory discussing the mystery of Remus. Finally Sirius came to the conclusion, "You don't reckon he's like, a werewolf or anything do you?" he said. James and Peter had been thinking the same thing but they weren't quite sure what to say. "He must be. He goes away every month without fail, always on the full moon." James said. "So that's it. He's a werewolf." Sirius replied. "Well we have to talk to him about it." Peter said. "Yeah, we really should, once he gets back we'll ask him about it." James said.

The next day James, Sirius and Peter were walking to Transfiguration, they just so happened to be running late and they heard Snape muttering shit about Remus. James wheeled around, pulling out his wand, but Sirius got there first. A jet of sparks flew from Sirius' wand and hit Snape. The seventh year boy Snape had been talking to, Lucius Malfoy, retaliated by sending a jinx at Sirius. They were second years, they didn't know much magic, and so Sirius fell backwards, knocked out on the floor.

Lucius, Snape and the other few Slytherins with them ran away and just then Professor McGonagall opened the door of her classroom and came towards them. James and Peter were kneeling over Sirius anxiously. "What happened here Potter, Pettigrew?" she asked. "Sirius was jinxed." James said. "Is he going to be alright?" Peter asked tearfully. "Come with me boys." she said, and with a flick of her wand she conjured a stretcher, magicked Sirius onto it and made it float along beside them as they walked. Peter sniffed. McGonagall flicked her wand again and a tin of biscuits appeared. She offered it to Peter who took three. She offered it around to James. "Have a biscuit Potter." she said. James took one.

They entered the hospital wing and McGonagall magicked Sirius onto a bed. James shuffled a chair closer to his friend. "Remus?" Peter asked. Remus looked up from his book, he was lying on a bed on the opposite side of the room. "What happened to Sirius?" he asked, scrambling out of bed and across the room. "Malfoy got him." James asked. Just then Madam Pomfrey hurried over. She waved her wand a few times and muttered under her breath for a few minutes before Sirius' eyes flickered. Peter watched tearfully, clutching his face.

Sirius muttered something and Madam Pomfrey pushed a glass of clear liquid into his hands. Sirius drowned the drink, shuddered and handed the glass back. "Are you alright Sirius?" Remus asked quietly. "'M fine." Sirius replied sleepily, then he fell back onto his pillows and gave a loud snore. "He'll have to rest here for a day or two but he'll be fine." Madam Pomfrey said, and she bustled off back into her office. "Potter, Pettigrew, you can stay here until the end of the lesson, and then go to your next class after break." McGonagall said, then she left the ward.

The three boys sat around Sirius for a while, then James and Peter got up and left, with the promise that they would return after dinner. After they left Remus asked Madam Pomfrey if he could change beds to the one beside Sirius'. She said that it would be fine and Remus moved his books, chocolate and unfinished homework to the bed on the left of Sirius. He then pulled out his quill and started scribbling an essay for Charms.

Around lunchtime Sirius woke up. "Where am I?" he asked, sitting up. "The hospital wing." Remus replied looking up from his parchment. Sirius turned around. "What happened?" he asked. "James said that Malfoy jinxed you." Remus told him. "Uh, yeah. He was talking crap with Snape1, so I tried to get him, but I didn't really know a spell to do and that's kind of all I remember." Sirius replied.

At half past five James and Peter came barreling into the hospital wing and settled themselves between Remus and Sirius. James jumped onto Sirius' bed and hugged him tightly. "Wow James, you more like a tornado than a tornado is." Remus said. "Anyway, we wanted to talk to you Remus." James said, turning around to face Remus, after checking that no one else was in the room. "What about?" Remus asked. "You." Peter replied. "What do you mean?" Remus asked quickly, his heart rate rising. "Oh c'mon Remus, did you seriously think we'd never figure it out?" Sirius asked. Remus didn't know what to say, he was terrified. "You disappear every month, always at the same time as the full moon, you're covered in scars, you can treat ordinary scars with magic, but these, these are magical wounds." James said, pointing at Remus' scarred arms. Remus got slowly out of bed and walked towards the window. He crossed his arms, turned his back on the view of the grounds and leant against the window sill. "So I suppose you're going to leave me now aren't you? I knew that if you found out you'd leave, that's why I never told you." Remus said, staring at the floor. "Are you stupid?" Sirius said, sliding out of bed as well. Remus looked up as Sirius approached. "You really thought we'd leave you because of something you can't control, because of something that only makes you need someone to care about you more? You're a werewolf Remus, and we're going to do everything we can to help you with that." Sirius said. Remus swallowed. "Are you serious?" Remus asked. "Yes, I'm Serious Orion Black." Sirius replied. Remus laughed then he started crying. He flung his arms around Sirius' shoulders and sobbed. Sirius managed to give James and Peter a look which said quite clearly 'What the hell are you waiting for? Help me!' which the two other boys obliged to instantly. James and Peter hugged Remus and clapped him on the back, Peter and Remus sobbing, James and Sirius trying with all their might to hold back their tears. "While we're confessing dark truths can I say something?" James asked. Remus nodded and he said "I've got a major crush on Lily Evans, I think I'm in love with her." Remus, Sirius and Peter started laughing. "Why are you laughing?" James asked, stepping away from the group hug. "Did you seriously think we didn't know?" Sirius asked. "You are so obvious." Remus added.

Three days later when Remus had gone off to check something with Professor Flitwick James, Sirius and Peter were walking down to dinner. "What can we do though?" James asked. "I dunno, I never understand anything Flitwick says." Peter replied, tripping down a few steps. Sirius threw an arm around Peter's shoulders and ruffled up his hair. "No, I mean about Remus. It's too dangerous for humans to be around him, but we can't let him face it all alone." James continued. "James, that's it!" Sirius said, stopping in the middle of the hallway, beside himself with excitement. "What?" James asked. "We can't help him as humans, we have to help him as animals! We should become Animagi!" Sirius replied. Peter's jaw dropped. James jumped into the air. "Yes, that's what we should do, come on let's tell Remus." James said and he and Sirius ran away, Peter wheezing along behind them.