Moonlight

Moonlight--Chapter 2:

...was a lie...

I hurry through the doors, glance at my watch and sigh in relief. Good, I've only missed Potions and Charms today.

I slip into the Great Hall, take some food--the hunger is bad enough as is trapped in that shack, but add the hunger of a werewolf and then you've got problems--and sit at the Gryffindor table. Next to James and Sirius and across from Lily and Peter, as usual.

"Remus," James complains. "You weren't in Dark Arts, and Evans wouldn't let us look at her essay."

Sirius would be inserting a comment right now if he was not shoveling food into his mouth as if this was the last day of his life. He decides to give me an indignant look instead.

"So," I say, grinning, "Sirius had to copy yours, I presume."

Sirius swallows and takes a deep breath, as he usually does before he's about to rant. "That's right! I had to copy Potter's, and he got a six out of ten! My mum will have my hide if she sees I'm getting marks like that." He gets a look of distaste on his face. "'Really, Sirius,'" he imitates. "'Hanging out with that riffraff, you'll never become a prefect.' What does she think I am, a model student?"

We all laugh, and I notice Lily is a bit subdued. I suddenly worry that she may have told them, but what can I say? Nothing without arousing the suspicions of the others. "If I let you gits read every one of my essays," Lily says, "you'll never learn anything."

James rolls his eyes at me like, "Do you see what we have to put up with?" I take a bite of steak and allow myself to grin. I'm always far too paranoid after a full moon. Sirius's plate is clean, finally, so he starts picking off Peter's while he's not looking.

"So, Remus," he says, "you lucky git, you missed Potions and Charms today."

"I know," I say. "What happened?"

"Cheering Charms and sedative potions," James says. "Peter melted another cauldron."

Lily sighs, but I can't keep a grin off my face. "Peter, that's the second one in two weeks."

Peter flushes and says, "I don't think it's that funny. It's not like cauldrons are cheap."

"It's actually not funny," James says. "The funny part is that you melted it while we were taking notes."

We all laugh again and I see Peter flush pink again. Poor Peter, we make fun of him but it's all in fun, and I hope he realizes that. He's our friend, after all.

I glance around the group and notice that Sirius is giving me quite a critical look. "What, is there something on my robes?" I glance down.

"No," Sirius says. "It's just that me and James think there's something you ought to tell us. A secret."

I look over at Lily, and she sends a message to me through a look: I didn't do it! I didn't say anything! Trust me! I believe it, and cough loudly. "I don't see what you mean."

"Lily was gone for a while the night you left, Remus, that's what Lizzy Nott said," James says. "What's going on? I mean, we know your mum's sick, Remus, but why would Lily be out there too?"

Sirius says nothing, but has an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.

"Well," I say. I have never been good under pressure. I have never been good socially. Before Hogwarts, and still now, I was and am a social cow. "Um. The fact is that.. yes.. Lily?" I look over at her frantically. She trades wit with Sirius quite often so she should be able to handle this. I hope.

"Remus," she says with a note of disapproval in her voice. "You really want me to tell them?"

"It'll be a bit of a relief," I say with total honesty.

"All right." She turns to the others, then with supreme calm and pride she says, "Remus and I are going out."