The Bonds of Spirit are stronger than the Bonds of Blood

Chapter Seventeen

Each night the Marauders would sneak off to their hidden practice room and practice transforming into their animagus forms. Each time they tried the transformation became a bit easier. Even Peter, who had been petrified of accidentally messing up, became more confident with transforming into a rat. He could actually transform with relative ease, no longer shaking or nervously attempting to remain focused. As the days passed, the boys realized they were ready to assist their friend. And just in time too! The full moon was only a few nights away! Finishing their most recent bout of animagus training, Sirius turned to Remus and said "Hey, Moony, Don't you think it's about time you show us your secret hide away?" Remus looked rather nervous. Honestly he had forgotten this time would come. He knew his friends wouldn't back down, especially after making it this far, but he wanted to be absolutely sure he wouldn't hurt them! James spoke up, noticing Remus' hesitation, and said "Yeah Moony! Time to show us your secret lair! Where the were goes to were!" He laughed at his own pun, while the others just smiled and shook their heads. Peter gave an encouraging smile, while Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing his shoulder gently with a comforting smile of his own. With a sigh, Remus said "Alright, I'll show you. But remember, you have to be very careful! It's well hidden, and abandoned, so it's not the most stable of places... not to mention the guard tree..." Sirius, James, and Peter exchanged confused glances and said in unison "Guard Tree?" The confused trio followed Remus as he carefully navigated through the various hidden corridors. James muttered something about needing a magical map to keep track of their route and avoid any Prefects or anyone else patrolling the halls. Sirius thought it would be a great idea, but he remained quiet, focused on Remus to make sure he was really okay with all of this. The three had been rather pushy about this, not willing to back down and let their friend act on his own anymore, but Remus' feelings on the matter were just as important as theirs. He had seemed alright with it, yet as this moment drew closer he seemed to recede into himself even more. It was like he was beginning to regret agreeing to let them help. Remus paused to keep a look out, they were nearing the larger corridors after all, when he met Sirius' gaze. He smiled reassuringly, his eyes saying that he was perfectly happy with this decision, despite his initial hesitation. Confirming the coast was clear, he led the group to the large doors leading outside of the castle. With a careful tug, they managed to open the doors and seal them quickly behind, to avoid leaving a trace that anything had been disturbed.

Finally the four made it to the grounds. They looked around curiously, setting their sights of the Forbidden Forest, as that seemed the best place for an animalistic creature to hide. But to their surprise Remus turned in the opposite direction, towards the Whomping Willow. Feeling protective, Sirius began walking alongside Remus, eyes searching for even the faintest hint of danger. The tree lurched to life as the quartet drew nearer. Its branches twitched, moving as if searching for the perfect place to strike the intruders. Remus moved slowly, but deliberately, making himself smaller and less threatening. The tree seemed confused, moving slowly as if testing this outsider. As it approached him, Remus elegantly dodged. He sidestepped one branch, jumped over the next, and ducked under the last. With that he had made it to the trunk. Sirius, James, and Peter watched with bated breath as Remus reached the tree trunk and pushed on a knot that had gone unnoticed until Remus touched it. The second he pushed it, the Whomping Willow froze. Its branches returned to their original positions, showing no signs of moving anytime soon. Remus called out to his friends. "It's alright. I've soothed the tree for the moment, but you should hurry! It'll start moving again soon enough!" At his words the trio shook themselves from their shared stupor and ran for the tree. When they reached their friend, he showed them the trap door. The trio were amazed! How many secret passages did Hogwarts have?! If they did get around to making a map, they would have to make note of all the secret passages they could possibly find. Sirius made a mental note of which knot Remus had pressed before following him down the trap door. Remus led them along the path, through the darkness, until they reached a low lit room. Entering they saw very little. It was clearly abandoned, covered in dust and cobwebs, with a lone chair standing near the staircase. "What is this place?" Peter muttered, looking around warily. Remus gave a small smile and said "People call it the Shrieking Shack. They think it's haunted, due to all the cries of pain..." He trailed off as he led them up the stairs. Stopping in what had once been a bedroom, he turned to face his friends and said "This is my home away from Hogwarts... The one place I can transform without fear of attacking and infecting someone else..."

Sirius frowned at the tone Remus used. He didn't think Remus should be so hard on himself for being a werewolf. He didn't ask for this path, and he had been doing all he could to avoid harming anyone by accident. Yet whenever Remus spoke about himself, it seemed as if he was blaming himself for being turned, or for having to disappear once a month to avoid harming people. Sirius didn't understand why he started thinking like those fools who saw werewolves as simply beasts. Sure, people were cruel, but Remus had nothing to be ashamed of! Stepping up, Sirius said "Well, isn't this cosy! Just the right amount of space for one werewolf, one stag, one rat, and one dog. Welcome to the hideaway gents, we'll be holding meetings here monthly so try not to be late!" He followed this up with a wink, leading his friends to laugh. He smiled as the tension began to drain away. Remus looked a lot lighter, his eyes sharing the laughter he couldn't hold back. Sirius smiled at this sight. This was how Remus should always be. This happy, obviously well loved, young wizard. Not the tormented soul he seemed to be far too often. With everyone in a lighter mood, they began to plan for the upcoming full moon. The set up the room, pushing rubble out of the way, making sure to leave some space for an escape route, just in case. Remus insisted on this and, understanding that he would hate himself further if he actually caused them any pain, the trio agreed. They set up bedding along the floor, in each of the four corners. There was a small nest for Peter near the door, a larger rounded bed for Sirius in the corner near the window, an equally sized bed in the corner opposite of Sirius for Remus, and one square shaped bed for James in the corner opposite of Peter. Their beds were made up of old fabric and pieces of torn mattresses taken from the room around them. Remus seemed embarrassed by the destruction they had found, but the friends just laughed it off and finished their preparations. After double checking that everything was in place, and the plan was thoroughly memorised, the Marauders began the trek back to Gryffindor Tower. Sirius noticed Remus become solemn as they walked, and slowed down to match his stride. Wrapping his arm around Remus' shoulder he said "Hey, don't worry so much Moony! We have a plan, and a backup plan. Everything will be fine!" Remus gave a small smile, then spoke quietly. "I just don't want to hurt anyone.... There's a reason I've hidden myself away, alone, each full moon since our first year." Sirius affectionately butted Remus' head with his own and said "We know the dangers, but nothing is going to stop us from helping you through those nights. You shouldn't have to suffer through this alone, and no matter what you say we are not going to let you continue to suffer!" The pair shared smiles as they followed behind James and Peter, finally making their way home for the evening.