Through the Eyes of a Wolf: The Marauders Tales

Through The Eyes of A Wolf: The Marauders Tales
Book One: Year One

Chapter 4: Full Moon

It was Saturday morning, no classes, no schedules, nothing to get in the way. I was lying comfortably in my bed, snuggled up with my pillow, when suddenly I felt the mattress moving. I groaned and rolled over. My feet bumped into something, but I wasn't conscious enough to really tell what it was. Then I heard it.

"Get up Re-mus. Get up Re-mus."

The chant was annoying, especially being that it was in Peter and Sirius' voices. I pulled my pillow tighter over my head, trying to block out the sound.

Well, that was the wrong thing to do. The shaking of the bed grew more insistent. I took my second pillow and chucked it towards the end of the bed. I suddenly heard a loud thump on the floor and smiled in satisfaction. The bouncing stopped and the room grew quiet.

It stayed quiet for much too long. I slowly removed the pillow from over my head and opened my eyes, only to have a bucket of water dropped on me. "Ahh!" I jumped up screaming. I was now cold and wet instead of warm and secure wrapped in my blanket. Looking to the side, I saw the three culprits snickering to themselves. "What'd you go and do that for, huh? Now my bed is soaked and I'm soaked and why'd it have to be cold water?"

Sirius looked at his fingers as if he was examining his nails. "You should've gotten up the first time we called you." He grinned, and soon Peter and James had big smiles on their faces.

I glared at them, grabbed some dry clothes and stomped into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, I took note of how my now wet pajama top hung on my thin shoulders. This time of month was really bad. The moon was nearly full. I was quite pale and my hair looked even more blonde.

I sighed at my reflection. "Get a hold of yourself, boy. Give them a chance before you totally alienate them." I rubbed my hands over my eyes. "Tomorrow will be the test. The test for everything." I stripped out of my wet pajamas and dressed. Picking up a hairbrush, I pulled it through my thin, blonde locks.

"Remus," Peter called timidly from the doorway. "Um, we're sorry. We just wanted you to get up so we could go exploring today."

"It's okay, Peter," I replied with another sigh. I seemed to be doing that a lot. "I'm a pretty heavy sleeper on the weekend."

"We noticed." He grinned and stepped up to the sink beside me. "So, you're not angry?"

I looked at the mousy boy's refection. He was a little shorter than I was and his hair was slightly darker. Very boyish looking, he was still dealing with baby fat. I sat my brush on the counter. "No, I'm not. Thanks for coming in to check on me."

Peter looked up and smiled. "You're welcome. Now, come on. Sirius and James are waiting."

We joined the other two boys and left the dormitory. Since it was such a beautiful day, which was a rarity at this time of year, we decided to go outside and explore the grounds. I was impressed with everything, especially with how well kept it was. Much to Sirius' delight, we saw the giant squid. I was most interested in the Whomping Willow. We stood and watched as it swatted at several owls as they flew past.

We took a break in the mid-afternoon and lay by the lake. Sirius spent the entire time looking for the squid to resurface. Peter, James and I were lying on our backs looking at the clouds. We told each other what we saw in each of them.

"That one looks like a dragon," Peter exclaimed pointing up.

"There's a rabbit over here," I pointed out.

"And a beautiful redhead this way."

Peter and I looked at each other then at James. He was sitting up and looking towards where a group of girls were walking towards a spot near us. Yes, the beautiful Lily Evans was among them. I put my head back down quickly and breathed in sharply. Of course, this did not get past Peter. Despite appearances, he's a lot smarter than people think

The small boy was about to lift his arm and wave to the girls when I quickly grabbed it. "Don't, Peter," I whispered. "I don't think it would be a good idea."

"Why not?" he questioned. "Obviously you and James wish to get to know them better. If Sirius would stop looking at the lake, he might notice too. Even I think we should get to know those beautiful girls." He grinned broadly and winked.

I couldn't help but smile and chuckle softly. "Okay, but I can't stay out here much longer. I can already feel myself getting a sunburn."

He waved me off with his hand before turning to wave towards the girls. "Hi! Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Sirius and James both turned to look at him. The one you would never expect to speak to girls and there he goes. The boy had no fear when it came to girls. Yet. He was going to find out soon enough.

The girls giggled. Actually, the gaggle of girls giggled. That's what we would call a group of girls, a gaggle. Why? Because they were always talking, usually in whispers, to each other and followed each other around like geese. One of the girls looked up and in her most seductive voice said, "Hi Peter. Why don't you join us over here?"

James, Sirius and I looked at him. He turned a bright crimson. That hadn't been the response he was expecting. I could see the corners of James' and Sirius' mouths begin to twitch upward. "Go on, Peter," I encouraged the boy. "We don't mind. Do we boys?"

As if on cue, the two dark haired boys burst out laughing. That did nothing for Peter's confidence except break it further. The girls were looking at James and Sirius as if they were crazy. I decided I'd had enough sun and stood. "Don't worry about them, ladies," I said while brushing off my pants. "They're really hyenas that have been transfigured into young boys."

That encouraged the girls to begin giggling. Peter even laughed at that joke. Sirius and James stopped and looked at me curiously. "Hyenas? What are those?" James asked.

"Large carnivorous mammals that scavenge for their food," I explained. "When they bark, it sounds like a laugh, which is why they are called Laughing Hyenas."

"Oh," he replied. "They don't sound that bad."

I shrugged and headed towards the castle. If they wanted to follow, they could. I was surprised, however, at the voice that soon came from beside me. "That was pretty funny."

I looked over to see silky, fire-red hair. Lily smiled at me, her teeth perfect and bright. I faltered in my step and nearly tripped. "I, uh, aim to please."

"I'm Lily," she said. "And this is my friend Katherine. She's in Ravenclaw."

The dark blonde haired beauty stepped up and spoke. "Hi."

"I know," I replied. "My name's Remus."

Katherine giggled and Lily grinned. "We know. So, where were you heading?"

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the main entrance of Hogwarts. I really didn't know exactly where I was planning on going, just that it was going to be inside. "Um, to dinner, I guess." I was a bit hungry.

"Mind if we tag along?"

Now how could I pass that up? Two beautiful girls wanted to "tag along" with me. This was a first. "Er, sure. We may want to hurry before Sirius and Peter get here. Those two eat like maniacs."

"I've seen 'em on occasion," Katherine spoke. She had the strangest accent. "They eat like it's goin' out of style or someone is gonna take it away from them."

Lily stiffened beside her. "Er, you go on, Remus. We'll be right behind you, I promise."

I shrugged and headed up the steps. Behind me, the two girls faced off. Though Lily was whispering, I could still hear her. "Katey, your accent. It's slipping through again. Don't you remember what we discussed?"

"I can't help it," the other girl replied. "I always slip when I'm nervous." She still must have been nervous because the accent was just as thick.

"Don't be nervous! He's just a boy. Boy's aren't special." Well, that stung. "Not yet, at least. We've got to get to know him first. Take a deep breath."

I could hear Katherine inhale. After a moment or two, she exhaled and spoke, "Sorry, Lils. I'm better now." And she was. There was absolutely no accent whatsoever. I had reached the top of the stairs and heard them coming up behind me. I stopped and held the door for them.

"Why thank you, Remus," Lily said with a bright smile. Katherine smiled shyly and blushed, not saying anything as she passed. Who felt like the King of the castle now? I puffed out my chest proudly like a rooster and followed them to the Great Hall.

We hadn't gone far when I heard the doors slam open behind us. I turned to see James, Sirius and Peter running through with the other girls on their heels. They ran right past us and into the Hall. The three of us stood there rather flabbergasted. "What on earth was that?" queried Katherine.

Lily had caught the door before it could close. "Oh dear," she exclaimed. "I think we're too late."

We looked through and saw James and the girls surrounding Peter and Sirius. The two boys seemed to be engaged in a contest. They were both stuffing their faces with any food they could get their hands on -hands being the important word here. Neither one picked up a fork or knife or spoon.

Food was flying everywhere. The girls were chanting "Go" and James was watching closely. By now, a crowd had gathered to watch. I moved down to a spot furthest away from them. Lily and Katherine sat across from me.

"Look at them," Katherine said in amazement. "I have never seen anyone eat like that before."

"You mean with their hands?" I asked with a grin.

She turned to look at me and smiled. "No, silly, just that much."

Wow, she's pretty when she smiles, I thought to myself. My eyes drifted from her to Lily. They both were something beautiful to look at, something I wouldn't mind looking at forever.

I shook myself out of my reverie as my stomach growled. The sound reminded me of two things. One, I was hungry. And two, I wasn't exactly in a position to think about having a relationship with a girl or anyone for that matter. I blushed as the two of them looked at me and giggled. They must have heard my stomach because they both handed me a plate of food.

"You might want to catch up," Lily said. "Or they're going to eat the table as well."

"Thanks," I laughed. "I didn't realize how hungry I was. Sorry about that."

"No problem," she replied with a wave of her hand.

We ate in silence until James slid down the table beside me. "So, did you three place your bets before the contest began?"

"No," I replied.

"Too bad," he smiled and looked at the girls. "Hello. I'm Potter, James Potter."

Katherine and Lily looked at each other. I would have expected them to burst out laughing any moment from the smirks on their faces. "He's no Sean Connery," Lily muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Sean who?"

I saw Katherine elbow her friend. Lily smiled broadly, "I'm Lily and this is Katherine."

"Enchanteé," he said with a flourish.

This time they couldn't help themselves. They both snickered. "Nice to meet you too. Hey, we were just about to go work on our Charms homework. Would you like to join us?" Lily was looking directly at me.

"Er, I can't," I lied. "I still have to finish my Transfiguration essay." As much as I might have wanted to go with them, I just couldn't. My magic was much too wonky at this time of the month.

She sighed lightly and turned to James. "What about you?" she asked more as an afterthought.

James turned into a mound of gelatin. "I, er, um, that is, I've got that essay for Professor Ignatium. I really need to get started on it." He smiled uneasily and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

She shrugged, "Fine. See you 'round." They stood and walked out of the Hall. James watched them until the doors closed then he released a deep breath.

"Why didn't you go with them?" I asked.

"What, and show them how little I know about Charms?" he retaliated. "I don't think so. Besides, I really do need to get started on that Potions essay. Want to help?"

I smiled. It was nice to know I wasn't the only one halfway scared of girls. "Sure. I'll help."

They let me sleep in on Sunday, which was a good thing. I was exhausted from staying up and writing essays. But that wasn't all. This full moon was pulling on me something fierce. The less time I had to spend in their presence as a conscious person the better.

I finally got up around one. It was quiet in the dorm. I yawned and stretched as I pulled myself from the bed. Shuffling over to the window, I looked out.

The sun hung high overhead shining down over the grounds. There were groups of people hanging out together. I could hear their laughter through the open window. They were so small they looked like ants. It was at that point I realized just how high in the tower we were. I jumped back and shuddered. "I hate heights," I muttered to myself.

I took a quick shower and pulled on some clean clothes. Stuffing my old robes into a bag, I prepared myself for the night to come. I didn't know what to expect. This was the very first time I'd ever gone through this away from home. Suddenly, I missed my mother. She would always bake my favorite biscuits on this day. Now I had a craving for chocolate chip.

As if on cue, Andra flew in my window with a package. She dropped the box on my bed and landed on my shoulder. "Hello there," I greeted her as she lovingly nipped at my ear. "Package from Mum?"

She flew to the top of my canopy and perched, hooting softly. She looked down at the box and then back up at me. I took that as a hint I should open it. Sitting down on my bed, I picked up the box. There was a note on the top written in my mother's flowing script.

Remus,

I didn't forget what day today is. Don't forget to enlarge the box before opening it. I had to shrink it for Andra to carry. Such a trooper, that little bird. She tried to carry the box, but fell before she got out the window. I miss you, my darling. Your father and I are so proud you got into Gryffindor. Take care.

Love always,
Mother

I smiled and pulled my wand from under my pillow. "Engorgio." The box returned to its original size. It was quite large and heavy! I threw the top off and looked in to see a huge pile of Mother's biscuits.

Sirius, Peter and James returned about an hour later. They found me lying on my bed with a half empty box of biscuits on my chest. I was still stuffing them in my mouth. "Hey now," Sirius started. "You're going to eat all those by yourself?"

I nodded and kept eating. He reached out to try and take one and I slapped his hand. He pulled it back to his chest in pain. "I just wanted one. You'd think a mate who got chocolate chip biscuits from his mum would at least share with his friends, wouldn't you?"

Peter nodded. "Oh, I agree," James concurred. "We only want one each, Remus."

I sighed. These were my favorite, but Sirius was right. I should share with them. They are my... wait, friends? Did he really call me a friend? That's only because they don't know what you are, I chided myself. Reluctantly, I handed them each two biscuits and replaced the top on the box. I put the box in my trunk and locked it.

"These are great!" Peter exclaimed as he took a bite.

"Excellent," agreed James. "Your mum is a brilliant cook."

I smiled and turned to Sirius. He had a look of pure bliss on his face. "Those had to be the absolute best chocolate chip biscuits I have ever tasted in my entire life." He dropped to his knees before me and grabbed my pants leg. "Bless you, Remus. Your mother is a chocolate chip goddess."

I couldn't help but laugh. He looked so silly down there on his knees. Soon, all four of us were laughing. I finally calmed down enough to speak. "I'm sorry. It's just that my Mum makes these for me and they're my favorite. I... I'm a little homesick, I think."

Peter came over and clasped me on the shoulder. "It's okay. We are too. But, that's why we're friends, so we can get through this together."

I looked down and him and blinked. "F-Friends?" I asked in a small voice.

He nodded enthusiastically. "Of course we're friends. Though we are the oddest group I've ever seen." He grinned broadly.

James and Sirius walked over to surround me. "Odd? Who you calling odd, shrimp?" Sirius questioned with a grin.

"Why you, of course," James replied. "You're the oddest one of us all."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

The two pounced on each other in a mock fight. Peter looked at them and laughed. I soon joined him. I felt so much better now. I'd had my chocolate chip biscuits and now I had three wonderful friends.

We spent the afternoon playing Exploding Snap and finishing off Mother's biscuits. Currently we were spread about the room in various states of bliss. I felt that familiar itch and looked at the clock beside my bed. It was after five thirty. I sprung up from the floor and grabbed the bag that was lying on my trunk.

"Going somewhere, Lupin?" Sirius asked. He was lying on his back on James' bed with his head hanging off the foot.

"I..." Think quick, Remus, I chided myself. I shouldn't have let the time slip up on me. It would have been so much easier if they weren't around. "I'm not feeling well. I'm going to the infirmary."

Peter poked his head out from under his bed. "We'll come with you. I doubt any of us are any better."

"NO!" I shouted a bit more forcefully than I wanted. Even James' head appeared from underneath his pillow. They all looked at me curiously. "I mean, no, really. I had loads more than you three. You'll be fine." I had to get out of here quickly and without them. Late on my first change. Madame Pomfrey was going to be quite disappointed.

"Are you sure?" James questioned. "It won't be any fuss for us to come along."

"I'm positive," I answered firmly as I backed out of the room. "I should be fine by tomorrow." I dashed down the stairs, wincing at the lie. I knew I wouldn't be fine tomorrow, but I didn't want them to worry.

That felt funny, having someone to worry about me. I wondered if they actually would worry. I had forgotten what it felt like to have friends. It had been so long, nearly six years, since I had anyone who cared for me as a friend.

I pondered this as I ran through the Fat Friar. Vaguely, I heard the ghost scold me for running. I couldn't stop, though. I had little time as it was.

Madame Pomfrey was waiting for me when I arrived. Her arms were crossed and she tapped her foot in annoyance. I looked around to see several beds with students in them. Without a word, she led me to one of the private rooms. "You are late, Mr. Lupin."

I lowered my head in shame. "I'm sorry Madame Pomfrey. The time slipped up and... I really have no excuse."

A smile easily slipped onto her face. "You brought your old robes?" I nodded. "Good, now follow me." She led me down a secret stairway to the ground level. We exited the castle and I found we were right near the Whomping Willow. She picked up a long stick lying on the ground nearby and pressed a knot on the roots of the tree. It grew very still.

"Hurry now," she said as she made her way into the base of the tree. I could just make out the cavernous hole she entered. I followed and found her standing with her wand lit waiting for me. Right after, we felt and heard the tree begin to move again.

We walked down the passageway to a wooden ladder. Climbing up, we passed through the trap door and into an old dilapidated building that I realized was a house. I helped Madame Pomfrey up and then looked around. We were in a foyer beside a set of stairs. It looked like it had several bedrooms upstairs with more room downstairs. She took the bag from me and placed it inside a cupboard. "Remember where those are. You will need them in the morning, correct?"

I nodded. She then showed me around quickly as the sun was beginning to set. I could feel the itch taking over me. Madame Pomfrey noticed and quickly said her good-byes. She promised to be there first thing in the morning to take me back. I hardly heard her as the wolf was trying to come out.

This part isn't pretty, so I won't submit you to the torture that was my monthly transformation. Let's just say it passed and Madame Pomfrey did as she promised, taking me back to the private room in her hospital. I was much worse for wear this time. I don't know why. It could have been because the place was so unfamiliar. Or, it could have been all the furniture and such. Whatever it was, I haven't hurt that badly in a long time.

I slept for a good long time. Madame Pomfrey woke me twice to make me eat and tend to my wounds. The second time, she told me James and Sirius had come looking for me. She had told them I had a slight cold, but would be back in the dorm hopefully tonight.

I didn't make it. My wounds were a lot worse than she had expected. When the boys came by in the morning to check, she asked them to retrieve all my lessons for me and I would definitely be back that night. They had asked to see me, but she refused.

By lunch, Madame Pomfrey deemed I was ready to leave. I made my way to the Great Hall and was suddenly besieged by James, Sirius and Peter. "All right there, mate?" they all asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Just had a bit of a cold. No need to worry." I hated lying to them. They looked so worried. "I told you I get sick a lot."

They all nodded and took me over to the table to eat. We discussed the classes I missed. Peter had a list of all my homework and James and Sirius told me of several pranks they had pulled in my absence.

It was nice having friends. I laughed at James and Sirius' stories as I ate. Peter giggled beside me, filling in the details the other boys had forgotten. We laughed all the way to Professor Binn's classroom. Yes, this was turning out to be a very good day.