The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

He's a Werewolf

"So what happened with you and Lupin?" James asked Sirius as the boys headed down to the Herbology lesson. He kept glancing back to be sure Remus wasn't following along behind them, afraid his questions would anger him. "Did you, er, find out the truth about you-know-what?"

Sirius nodded, "Yeah. He seemed really... anxious."

"Well, I mean. Wouldn't you, being asked if you were a -" James stopped mid-sentence, "Er, thing?"

Sirius shrugged, "Sure. But it's not like we're going to tell anyone or that anything changes between us, right?" He sighed, "I just felt bad for him. I wish there was more we could do for him, like a way to make it easier."

James laughed, "Make it easier being a werewolf? Are you mental? If we went any place near him when he'd changed the only thing we'd make easier is being a snack he doesn't have to hunt for!"

They went on down to the greenhouse and joined Peter at the table by the window. After class, only Peter was surprised that Remus wasn't at dinner or up in the Gryffindor common room. When they went to bed that night, Sirius couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt, laying in his bed, watching the full moon out the high windows of Gryffindor tower. He wondered where Remus was and if he was safe and warm out there in the cold winter night.

Remus looked a mess when he returned two days later, worse than usual. Sirius, James, and Peter were in the common room, along with half the Gryffindor house, when Remus stumbled through the portrait hole. He was obviously taking great care in attempting to be quiet but his steps were wobbly and he very nearly fell over. Sirius leaped to his feet to grab hold on him and hoist him up, as did James on the other side. As the other Gryffindors looked on with a sort of wide-eyed fascination, the pair of them hastened to bring Remus up to the dorm. Peter scrambled after them.

Upstairs, James followed Sirius's lead in helping Remus into pyjamas. "What happened?" Sirius asked in concern, eyes wide as he looked Remus over.

James was horrorstruck by the cuts and bruises on Remus's legs and arms. He hadn't noticed before the silver-pink glare of scars that marked Remus's skin, but seeing him closer like this, James realized there were actually many. Blood oozed thickly from a cut across Remus's temple. "We need to bring him to Madam Pomfrey," James said.

Peter was staring, wide eyed from his bed, "Was there a fight?" he asked. But none of the boys answered him.

"Pomfrey can't help, she can't heal werewolf bites," muttered Remus weakly. He figured there was no use in tiptoeing 'round the subject; they knew what he was, he might as well just be honest about it now. He was shaking so hard he couldn't button his pyjama top, so Sirius quickly did the buttons up for him.

Remus watched Sirius's fingers as they wove the pyjama buttons into their holes; it was the kindest thing he'd had done for him in quite some time.

"Werewolf bites?!" Peter's voice was shrill, "That's a werewolf bite?!"

James's voice trembled, "You - er - you saw another... one?"

Sirius looked horrified, "Were you attacked?"

Remus shook his head as he struggled into bed, "In a manner of speaking, I suppose... I attacked myself." He couldn't fix the blankets, so James did it, tucking them 'round him carefully.

"You're a - a - a werewolf?" Peter stammered, voice shaking with nerves. "But you - you shouldn't be in school - the law -"

Remus gently touched the cut by his temple and winced at the pain of it. "I know all about the laws, Peter, as they're to blame for my condition in the first place."