Hogwarts & Beyond ~ Wolfstar & Jily

A Moonlit Forest Part 2

~ Sirius POV ~

Shadows are not to be trusted. I learned this the hard way, from summers spent in the cellar, away from the friends I trust most, starved of food, water, and human interaction.

 Shadows, however, also make great places to hide from my excuses of relatives, when I'm not hyperventilating from the darkness.

I am afraid of the dark, and it's a secret that only the Marauders really know. My dear mother found out my hatred of darkness and has been using it against me since I was young. 

Everything changed the day I got sorted into Gryffindoor. Suddenly I was a traitor, I didn't deserve the Black name, I was threatened to be disowned. Like I care. I'd rather not be known for my surname. So that day, I entered the dorms, and I made it my mission to embarrass my parents, to be known and recognized for something other than  "Black". 

I watched Remus transform through the eyes of Padfoot, and I winced as though I was feeling the pain with him. I wish I could. If I had the opportunity to share some of his pain I would. Remus would die before he gave me some of his pain, though I suppose I would also rather die than have any of my friends share mine. 

 And I have full confidence the four of us can trust each other with our lives.  But . . . seeing Remus transform from the shadows is something I will never get over. It's just that. . . watching someone's skeleton entirely reform is not something that you forget easily. 

Finally, Remus was gone and Moony had taken his place. Prongs and I slowly emerged from our corner, with Wormtail sitting on Prongs' head. Moony whined at us, recognized us, and sat down on the creeky wooden floor. I came forward and moved toward the exit suggestively. Moony howled his agreement. I glanced at Prongs, and we silently agreed to take either side of Moony while running. Peter, sensing sudden movement clung to Prongs' fur. 

Together, we  made our way to the tunnel. Suddenly, Moony began to run. Prongs and I burst forward and I growled at him. We couldn't let him go on his own, he could bite someone! Much herding later, we were all safely standing on the grounds. Moony started to explore his new surroundings, and motioned for us to come closer. He slowly headed to the forest, and when he was sure we were following, he ran. I caught up with Moony on his right side, and Prongs took his left. The wind whistled through the trees, and I tried my best to ignore the darkness choking the area. 

We stopped in clearing, and moonlight filtered through the leaves around us, giving the whole place a soft glow. 

Then, a grin spread across my face. It hit me, that we were totally free! We could go anywhere now, explore through the night, and no one would stop us. 

. . . . . . . . . 

~ Remus POV, the next morning ~ 

I opened my eyes slowly, grimacing at the light of the hospital wing. Three blurred figures could be seen sitting on chairs by my cot, arguing softly.

"Hi." I managed to rasp. 

" You're awake!" three voices chorused. 

" How bad?" I asked. Even through two words my friends understood. My body didn't seem to be smothered in as many bandages as usual, and I wanted to know how much damage had been done. 

James smiled. "Four. " I gasped. 

"What- how- " I sputtered.  We had a number system of how badly I had hurt myself or anyone else, with one being basically nothing, and ten being someone got bitten, or like, the verge of death. Our lowest record had been six. 

" Something to do with the fact that we left the Shack, we think. " Peter whispered, glancing around. 

" Alright so- we did WHAT!?" I screeched. 

"Now look what you've done. To answer your question, we left the Shack." Sirius said, directing the last bit at me, "Do you remember any of it?" 

I frowned, trying to collect my thoughts. I normally didn't recall much from full moon nights, but today I caught snippets of forest, and glee. I sighed. "Moony was happy right." 

James nodded. " You get anything else?" I searched my brain, looking for any other out-of-the-ordinary memories. I shook my head no. 

"Do you realize the possibilities of this though?! We can roam the grounds at night and explore, and no one can stop us!" Sirius said, bouncing slightly in his seat.

" I dunno. . ." Peter trailed off when James gave him a look. 

" We went through this already, no point arguing the both of you." Sirius said firmly," we'll be careful. " 

I surprised everyone- mostly myself- and said, " Okay. "