A Year in the Life of a Wizarding Werewolf

A Year in the Life of a Wizarding Werewolf

- Success At Last

They were barely one week into the winter school term when the vigour of their classes and the amount of homework resumed to normal, if not intensified. Sirius, as Remus had predicted, was back to his old self, having abandoned his moodiness now that his stay at Grimmauld Place was firmly behind him. He, as with James and Peter, had long since forgotten his outburst against Remus that had taken place before Christmas. When asked by James, he had described his Christmas as "positively abysmal" and the subject was broached no further.

The full moon wouldn't be for another three weeks, but James, Sirius and Peter were keen to try the Animagus transformation again as soon as possible.

"It gives us time to fiddle around with it, you see, should we need to." James said. "Then Moony ole pal, that transformation you had over the new year will be the last one you would have gone through on your own."

Remus couldn't help feeling very excited upon hearing this. Try as warning bells in his head might ring out that they were involved in a seriously illegal project, they couldn't quell the thrill and anticipation he had at the thought of saying goodbye to nights of captivity when he was a wolf. He would be able to romp around in the middle of the night with his friends, be able to explore the Forbidden Forest in ways that they would never have dreamt of before. The thought of having an adventure lined up for each month was very appealing in the midst of the stress from homework and the ever-approaching OWLs.

It was decided that the four of them would brew the potion on a Friday evening, in readiness for its use over the weekend, which they figured, would be the most convenient time to try the transformations. At least then, they would have the entire Saturday to do whatever they wanted, rather than risk slinking out late at night, followed by a Sunday to clean up any mess, should they need to.

The potion brewing itself went without mishap. They did it in the secret passageway clearing where they had carried out that semi-successful transformation before Christmas. The only snag they encountered, completely unrelated to potion brewing, was the deceptively tricky job of slipping out from behind the mirror unseen. Scanning the Marauders Map to check if the coast was clear, they discovered a steady stream of students and teachers milling up and down the corridor.

"This is ridiculous!" cried Sirius in frustration, after ten minutes of hanging around behind the mirror. "Why are people wandering around the corridors at this time of the bloody night?"

"It isn't as if we aren't doing the same thing here too, you know," Peter pointed out.

"We are out here for a purpose," said Sirius. "What's their excuse? They should be in their common rooms, doing homework, and studying."

James snorted loudly.

"I doubt if that would somehow apply to Kettleburn," commented Remus mildly, pointing to a dot labelled "Sebastian Kettleburn" which had just rounded the corner and was making its way down the corridor.

"Well, he should be down in the school grounds feeding lettuce to those Flobberworms then, or something," Sirius grumbled, pacing behind the mirror impatiently.

Finally, after a few more minutes, the corridor eventually cleared and the four of them hurriedly climbed out from behind the mirror.

"I hope we don't have this much trouble getting in or out tomorrow," said James, as they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. "Or else, it might just be simpler doing this in the middle of the night."

On Saturday morning, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter gathered their bags containing the stuff they needed for the transformation, shot down to the Great Hall where they gulped down their breakfast in record time and flew off to the mirror on the fourth floor before half the castle had even gotten out of bed.

"Apertio!" James said, tapping the mirror with his wand. It swung open to one side, leaving a gaping hole in which they climbed through.

"Lumos." The tip of Sirius's wand lit up and he led the way down the passageway.

The four of them didn't say much on the way to the clearing where they had left their cauldron and firewood the previous evening. They were all too nervous, too anxious. Would it work this time? Would it?

Remus was on tenterhooks. His insides were in knots, and he almost regretted the bowl of porridge he had for breakfast. It was sitting rather uncomfortably in his clenched stomach. He took several deep, calming breaths as they stepped into the large bay that hollowed out from the passageway.

"C'mon, let's get started then, shall we?" asked James in a would-be casual tone.

Just as last time, the potion was heated up and the parchment containing the incantation, now with the modified pronunciations, was laid out. As the Animagus potion came to a slow simmer, James, Sirius and Peter exchanged hopeful glances, then each reached for a small vial containing what they have come to term as the "Relaxo Remedy" and downed it in one go.

"Urgh!" spluttered Peter. "It's revolting!"

"I feel funny," said Sirius faintly, giving himself a shake. "A bit woozy." He blinked hard as if to register his whereabouts, and then keeled over.

Remus uttered a soundless cry of horror, and dashed up to him. "Sirius? Are you okay? Was the potion-- it-it isn't poisoned, is it?" he asked, a feeling of dread seeping through him. He should have known better than to trust an unplottable room that suspiciously knew exactly what they desired most. He berated himself for ever being so gullible, as thoughts on how to explain to Madam Pomfrey the circumstances leading to three poisoned friends hurtled through his mind.

"Don't be daft, Moony," James's dismissive voice came penetrating through the tirade of plausible excuses. "The potion just soothes you down and clears your mind, which is what it is supposed to do. Sirius is just bluffing, he's putting it on. As usual."

"Am not!" cried Sirius, looking highly affronted, straightening himself up now. "Well, okay, maybe just a bit," he relented.

Remus let out an indignant cry and jabbed Sirius in the ribs. Hard.

"Ouch! Whaddya do that for?" asked Sirius, nursing his ribcage, but an impish glint was evident in his eyes. He gave Remus a shove, which sent them both off balance and collapsing onto the floor.

"Hey guys," said Peter warningly, speaking up above the din, "mind the potion."

The scuffle stopped at once. The potion was close to boiling. Disentangling himself, Sirius leapt up off the ground and whipped the cauldron off the fire. Remus extinguished the fire with his wand before the smoke from it could fill up the passageway.

"Looks okay," said James, peering into the slightly bubbling liquid.

"Smells alright too," said Sirius, taking a whiff of the pungent concoction. "C'mon, I'll go first."

He ladled some of the potion out carefully and took a sip. The other three grabbed the piece of parchment and began the incantation. There were several long minutes, several long, seemingly endless minutes, as they stared in painful intensity at Sirius. Then, an odd shimmer appeared around the outline of Sirius's form. They looked on, entranced, as the shimmer grew more pronounced, until Sirius's figure became a blur, an undistinguishable shadow of black. Remus was breathing hard and fast now. His heart gathered pace, thumping so loudly against his chest, he felt it would jump right out of him in any second. There was an innate sensation of certainty that this was going to work. At last, at long last.

The blurring gradually faded away, the outline of the black figure now grew sharper and sharper, until, there, emerging in front of James, Peter and Remus, was--

A dog. A gigantic, bear-like dog, with shaggy black fur and white gleaming eyes.

"Oh wow!" breathed Peter, in stunned amazement, gazing in awe at the hulking animal in front of him.

"Blimey," said James, his voice shaking, barely above a whisper. "Sirius ole pal, you did it! You got it."

Remus couldn't bring himself to speak. He was trembling from head to toe with excitement, and his mouth and throat had suddenly gone very dry. Finally. After months and months of hard work, of research and of information gathering. The hours and hours they had spent upon searching for ingredients and refining the potion, of deciphering the incantation in its long-lost language. The tumultuous roller-coaster of emotions, from moments of eager anticipation to those of bitter disappointment. It had finally worked. Animagi. He would no longer be alone during the full moon.

"Oh, let me try, let me try," squealed Peter, forgetting the doubts he had in his transfiguration abilities upon seeing Sirius's success.

"No, wait!" Remus jolted out of his speechlessness. "Let him transform back first, just in case. You want to be sure you can go both ways."

He turned to the colossal dog beside him, who was now scratching himself vigorously behind the ear.

"Er, Sirius, can you hear me?"

The dog stopped its scratching and looked up at him, wagging its tail.

"Do you understand us?" James asked it, rather uncertainly.

The dog gave a bark and cavorted around on the spot.

"I think that would be a yes," decided James, with a lopsided grin.

Remus surveyed the dog at their feet, at those big, fleshy, furry paws. "Well then, you furry padfooted pal, you," he said, clapping his hands together. "Care to change back for us?"

"Padfoot!" exclaimed James, as Sirius emerged in place of the dog. "That's it! There's your Marauder alias, mate," he said, thumping Sirius hard on the shoulder.

Sirius was grinning maniacally round at them. "Go on then," he urged James and Peter, "you try."

They didn't need telling twice. Snatching up the ladle, they each took a sip of the potion. Sirius joined Remus in chanting the incantation this time, and then, they held their breath. Perhaps it was because he knew what to look for this time, but Remus picked up the shimmer around James's and Peter's outlines sooner than he had with Sirius. As the iridescence gave way to a full blur, Remus saw the dark silhouette of Peter dwindle rapidly and sincerely hoped that Peter was doing alright, that he wouldn't vanish altogether. James's shadow, on the other hand, was growing with alarming alacrity. Remus braced himself that the clearing in the passageway would be sufficiently large enough to accommodate his transformed state.

"Well, he'd better not get stuck in that get-up is all I can say," muttered Sirius in his ear, nodding at the silhouette that was James's as he eyed both whirling shadows warily. "We'd never be able to get him outta here if that's the case."

As the shimmering haze dissolved, Remus and Sirius looked up to face a majestic-looking stag, with glistening antlers protruding from its head. James's transformed state was so enormous, he had to kneel down, so as not to knock his antlers against the roof of the passageway.

"Oh my," gasped Remus, rather taken aback by the regal sight of his friend. A squeaking noise came from the corner, and turning round, Sirius and Remus caught sight of a rat, scurrying across the floor of the cavern.

"Peter!" said Sirius. He swung round to face Remus, his eyes positively radiant with happiness. "Oh Moony!" he cried, giving Remus a rib-crunching hug that left him gasping for air. "It worked! It has actually worked! We are finally Animagi! Do you know what that means?"

Remus nodded, still not trusting himself to speak, his eyes now suddenly over bright.

"Look at this," Sirius strode over to the stag lying down on the floor and ran his hands down along its antlers. "Prongs," he said softly. "And this," he leapt over to scoop up the rat, stroking it from its small furry head to its long, bald, rope-like tail. "Wormtail."

He bounded rapturously around the cavern, then on a whim, transformed into the gigantic, shaggy dog once more, and went up to Remus, pawing at him and giving him a wet lick on the nose.

"Down Padfoot, down," Remus laughed. Feeling himself grin rather stupidly, he said hoarsely to the three animals before him. "C'mon now, I want a celebratory hug from you lot after all this."

Instantaneously, the stag, the dog and the rat faded out to be replaced by three ecstatic-looking teenagers. As the four of them fell into a triumphant, jubilant hug, Remus had never felt so warm and utterly contented and proud as he did at that moment.

They made their way back to the common room, chattering exuberantly, walking as if on air. As they reached the Fat Lady, called out the password - "Galloping Gargoyles" - and climbed in through the portrait hole, a thought occurred to Remus. Without so much as a word except for a hastily uttered "wait", he dashed up the stone steps that led to the boys' dormitories, rummaged through James's trunk and dashed back down the stairs into the common room, a piece of parchment clutched in one hand, a quill and an inkpot in the other.

"Well, my fellow Marauders," he said in a low voice, looking round meaningfully at the other three, his eyes sparkling with mischief and glee, "I think I just thought of how to stamp our mark on this masterpiece of ours."

He settled down at a table nearby, with James, Sirius and Peter crowding round him. Touching his wand to the parchment, he muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Thin, wavering threads unravelled from the tip of his wand to all corners of the parchment, displaying the layout of Hogwarts Castle and its surroundings, details they have spent so long in tracking down (and there were sure to be yet more added in). Remus, however, paid no attention to the blueprint of castle appearing before him, nor to the numerous minute ink dots trickling up and down the corridors or pacing round offices and common rooms. He tapped the map again, and clearing his throat, said,

"Editio Artifex."

A small space appeared amid the lines and dots at the top of the map. Remus now dipped his quill into the Zonko's ink they had bought at Hogsmeade before the holidays. His hand hovered over the parchment as he pondered for a few moments, then carefully, in his neat, curly writing, he wrote--

Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers

Are proud to present

THE MARAUDER'S MAP

"Brilliant!" James gave a low whistle. "Magical mischief-makers, I like that!"

Sirius held the map up in the air, examining the large, green letters, with its wet ink glistening on the parchment. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs," he whispered breathlessly. "That's us, Remus. Sixteen days more, the full moon. That's us."

* * *

For the first time in his life since he had gotten bitten, Remus found himself actually looking forward to the full moon, actually wanting it to arrive sooner. James, Sirius and Peter were getting very restless, and their lack of attention span was evident in class. Professor McGonagall became so infuriated by the incessant stream of snorts, heavy sighs, fidgeting and winks during her classes, she assigned the four of them two hours of additional homework for Thursday evening. Even the ordinarily agreeable Professor Flitwick began to keep a rather vigilant eye on the quartet during Charms.

"Knock it off, would you?" growled Remus under his breath, acutely aware of the fact that Professor Flitwick's eyes were boring into them. He gave Sirius, who had just made several noises sounding remarkably like a dog howling, a swift, sharp kick in the ankle.

But no amount of extra homework, nor stern looks, could dampen their spirits. After all, their efforts poured into the Animagus project of three years had paid off. Along with their plan to relieve Remus of his isolation came the added bonus of a full night's adventures. Things couldn't be better. They just needed to endure two more weeks of mundane life before they could carry out the final, and most eagerly anticipated, part of the plan.

Remus had told them before about how to placate the Whomping Willow. A couple of evenings preceding the big night, the four of them slipped out into the grounds to where the tree stood, its branches thrashing wildly.

"Peter, you know what to do."

Peter nodded, slightly pale, glancing petrified at the formidable, swishing arms of the Willow. He wavered out to be replaced by a rat, scuttled up to the tree trunk unscathed, and rested his paw on a knot in the centre. The tree stilled at once, its branches freezing in mid-action. Its roots contorted to reveal the opening to the passageway that led to the Shrieking Shack.

"Nice job," said James to the rat, a look of smug satisfaction plastered across his face. "We are all set then. You, Remus, will be coming here with Madam Pomfrey at sundown." He turned to Remus. "Can you transform in the passageway? Instead of the Shrieking Shack? It is big enough?"

Remus, thinking of the more spacious sections of the passageway before the roof gradually sunk down lower, nodded.

"Good," James continued. "When the moon comes up, we," he indicated himself, Sirius and Peter (who had transformed back into himself), "will slip out of the castle using the Invisibility Cloak. We will transform, then Wormtail here will press that knot, open the entrance of the passageway to let you out, and," he gazed up into the night sky, his arms spread wide. "Welcome, Forbidden Forest."

Remus made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast two days later with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation in his stomach. On one hand, he couldn't wait to experience a full moon with the company of his best friends. It was a novelty to pass those nights devoid of loneliness. After nearly a decade of monthly seclusion, this was almost as good as finding a cure for the lycanthropy itself. But at the same time, a nagging bunch of voices at the back of his mind were pestering him with a multitude of "what if's". What if we all got found out? What if the research contained in the books is wrong? What if werewolves are, in fact, not pacified by the presence of other animals? What if I manage to break away from my friends and found a human to bite? What if I bit my own friends?

The last two thoughts caused his blood to run cold and he flailed visibly upon entering the dining area. He would never ever forgive himself if he passed on his curse to anyone else, least of all to his best friends.

Remus was down early, and there was barely anyone else in the Great Hall. He sat down at the Gryffindor table, a little pale, frowning slightly as he helped himself to some bacon and eggs. His mind was whirring, searching for a way to best explain to his friends the fear he was harbouring. "I am very sorry. I know you have worked so long and hard for this, and you are looking forward to tonight. I am too. So much! But I can't risk eating you lot up, or anyone else, for that matter."

He had just constructed what he hoped was a firm, but polite, speech to tell the others when James, Sirius and Peter poured into the hall, grinning madly, eyes glittering. They darted down beside Remus, greeted him good morning with a heavy thump on the back, and sat down beside him, talking and laughing loudly. Remus exhaled a deep breath. He didn't have the heart (or mettle, rather) to tell them. Each time he went to open his mouth to voice his concerns, one of them would catch his eye and give him a huge wink and a thumbs-up, and he would smile weakly in return, sigh resignedly and go back to contemplating the situation in his own mind.

The books have to be right, he told himself in as convincing a voice as he could muster. They have been around for centuries. That werewolves don't harm animals is a fact, not a myth or an unresolved hypothesis. You won't be found out either. It's just one night out of a whole month. Animagi transformations are so complex and tightly regulated, no one would dream of three teenaged wizards even attempting it. And even if someone like Hagrid would catch sight of a stag, a dog and a rat in the Forbidden Forest, it wouldn't ever cross his mind they would be James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.

He gave himself a determined shake. "Stop worrying," he told his conscience exasperatedly. "Honestly, you sound like a geriatric chicken."

"You seem awfully pensive, Moony," mentioned James quietly as the Gryffindor fifth years made their way out to the school grounds for Professor Kettleburn's class.

Remus mumbled a nearly inaudible, and very fake, reassurance that he was fine, but his friends were not fooled.

"Worried you might bite us?" asked Sirius brashly, a teasing glint dancing in his eyes.

Hearing his worst fear voiced out loud so candidly made Remus go rigid and freeze in his footsteps.

"You weren't really thinking of that, were you?" asked Sirius, serious now, his tone softer.

Remus swallowed hard, his mouth going very dry. "Actually, I was," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "What if I bit you- or someone else?"

"Who would be wandering around the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night for you to bite?" asked Peter impatiently.

Remus suppressed the urge to snap back at him by telling him just about any student with a remote sense of adventure would, at least once, give the wandering a try. Instead, he just said, "Hagrid."

Sirius waved off his concern airily. "You might be having just that little bit too big an opinion of yourself, mate," he said, laughing. "Hagrid would have you for supper before you could do anything to him."

"Or he might decide to keep you as a pet and tame you," smirked Peter.

Observing Remus's baleful scowl with amusement, James said calmly, "stop fretting, Moony, you'll get wrinkles. If you decide to do anything objectionable tonight, Prongs here will just give you a toss with his antlers."

Remus couldn't help giving a laugh. Yes, of course. Prongs was large, and powerful, enough to keep a werewolf in check, and Padfoot wasn't what one would call slight either. He was just worrying over nothing.

As the day went on, excitement and expectations got the better of his nagging doubts, which have been banished to the very farthest depths of his mind. After enduring an arduously long and gruelling double lesson of Potions where Snape kept shooting daggers in their direction, irritated by their boisterous mood, Remus followed the others into the Great Hall for dinner, ignoring a particularly malevolent parting glare Snape gave him as they left the dungeons. The guy probably doesn't know the meaning of the word "fun", he thought grimly to himself.

Over dinner, the four of them behaved irrepressibly, exchanging knowing glances, smirks, hoots and kicks under the table. Lily Evans, sitting across the table from them, silenced them (although only briefly) with an icy stare as James's hard kick missed Sirius's ankle and hit her firmly in the shin instead. Remus hid his smile behind the chicken leg he was chewing on as James flushed pink and hastily pinned the blame on Sirius, who apologised profusely in a loud, excessive manner.

"Oh, I am so sorry, miss. Really. Extremely sorry for that, there. I swear I had no intention of damaging that beautiful leg that is yours. Would you mind if I took a look? Maybe I could patch it up for you."

Lily shot him a venomous look of distaste, and as Sirius made to slip under the table to check out the shin, gave him a swift kick in the stomach.

"Oof!"

Beside Sirius, James's face appeared to be slowly turning a deep shade red with what Remus guessed to be a combination of mirth and mortification. He had his face practically immersed in his potato and leek soup, but Remus could see the tips of his ears reddening.

"So, we'll meet you at the Whomping Willow then," said James brightly, recovering from his unusual loss of suavity as Lily got up from the table and exited the hall with her faction of friends.

Remus nodded as he finished his second helping of apple crumble.

"Are you sure you don't want us to be with you when you transform?" asked Sirius.

"Yes," replied Remus resolutely, for what must have been the fifth time that week. He was eager to share the full moon adventures with his friends as a wolf, but the transformation itself, and those moments immediately preceding, and following from, it were, for him, intensely private. He didn't want anyone to see for themselves the brutality of the transformation, nor did he wish to share the emotional anguish he went through each time he fought to grasp onto the final shreds of his human mind. And if he was awake when the wolf in him receded at dawn, he did not wish for his friends to witness the putrid sense of self-loathing he had as he struggled to distance himself from the grips of the wolf.

Remus said goodbye to his friends at the table, reassured them he would remember he need not go to the Shrieking Shack, but will stay within the passageway, and disappeared off to meet Madam Pomfrey. They made their way down along the school grounds once more (there was no Quidditch practice this time) and with a prod of her stick, the nurse opened up the entrance into the Whomping Willow for Remus to go through, and then departed with her usual comment of coming back for him at daybreak.

Remus paced about the passageway until he felt the familiar tingling, stretching sensation. Only this time, the whole process, in mind and body, was less tortuous than all those experiences previously. With his mind focused on the thought of seeing his friends soon, the pain of the transformation was slightly thwarted by the surge of expectancy. As the wolf finally took over, Remus felt he was the closest he'd ever been to tolerating himself as a wolf.

The wolf lurked behind the entrance of the Whomping Willow, snarling. Its heightened sense of hearing picked up the pause in the Whomping Willow's thrashing branches. Moonlight then filtered into the tunnel where it stood. The wolf lifted its head and sniffed the air. It was clear, crisp and cool. It was freedom.

With a spring off its powerful hind legs, it leapt out of the tree, emitting a low, ferocious growl. For too many years, the wolf had been cooped up, shut away from any living contact, and now, it could finally hunt down what it lusted after.

Its head snapped up, ready to hurtle off towards the faint trace of human scent wafting over from the castle when it caught sight of a huge, bear-like dog stationed right by the entrance. The wolf sniffed, momentarily distracted. The scent was oddly familiar. It triggered something from within the depths of its mind. There was a movement in the shadows. It looked up, and there, looming up before him, was a stag shifting restlessly to the right of the dog. Scurrying around their legs and the roots of the Whomping Willow, was a rat. The wolf recognised the auras and the scents radiating from the three animals, and found it strangely calming.

The Whomping Willow chose that moment to resume action and the wolf, the dog and the stag managed to dart away from the beating branches just in time to avoid getting hit. Still slightly edgy, the wolf sniffed at the three animals surrounding him once more. The odours, again, seemed to pacify him, and for the first time, the violent, wolfish mind inside of Remus tarnished slightly, allowing him to finally sense himself as a werewolf.

The stag, dog and rat. Remus fought hard to extract the information from his memory. Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail. In effect, James, Sirius and Peter. His best friends. He was Moony, that's what they called him. He gave a slight wag of his tail, a soft bark, to indicate his recognition of them. Then, glancing back at the castle longingly for the briefest of moments, he turned and gambolled after Padfoot, who was making his way into the Forbidden Forest, while Prongs and Wormtail brought up the rear.

It was a fine night, the air was crisp and cool. The full moon hung still in the dark, velvety sky, casting a mild luminance over the school grounds, bar the occasional instances when it disappeared behind a stretch of clouds. Inside the Forbidden Forest however, it was pitch black. The trees, with their thick branches and leaves, formed a canopy, shielding from the terrain any moonlight that might penetrate through. The dynamism of the forest was magnified a hundred times by his wolfish senses. Remus could hear the patter of paws scurrying down in the burrows that ran as catacombs underground, and the sound of the birds and owls as they twittered and swooped through the air. The intense melange of aromas was intoxicating. Moony not only picked up odours of all the creatures that roamed the Forbidden Forest, but also the scent of fear as a prey fell captive to its predator; the feeling of cosiness as he caught sight of a pair of squirrels huddled together in a tree; the sense of aloofness the centaurs gave off as the wolf, the dog, the stag and the rat capered past the clearing where they stood, deep in discussion; and the ominous atmosphere surrounding the Acromatulas' den.

Moony savoured the discovery of the hidden treasures of the Forbidden Forest, brought about by his keen senses as he raced through the trees with Padfoot, but most of all, he relished in the new-found freedom, and his (even though faint) presence of mind. He observed Padfoot giddily prancing about in the foliage, occasionally coming to an unceremonious skid; Prongs, galloping majestically across a clearing; and Wormtail darting through the tree roots, or seated upon Prongs's antlers as they raced through the forest. He no longer felt the angst, nor the desperation, of the encaged wolf. He didn't experience the urge to break into a rage and bite himself or others. Instead, he felt the utter exhilaration of discovering the jewels of the Forbidden Forest with his friends, and the tranquillising effect they had on his mind provided by their mere presence.

As the moon made to disappear from the night sky, and a faint golden hue peeked over the horizon, the wolf, dog, stag and rat headed back to the Whomping Willow. Wormtail slipped under the swishing branches of the tree once more, and froze it by pressing the knot on its trunk. The wolf slunk down through the opening between the roots and back into the passageway.

* * *

Remus was waiting by the Whomping Willow entrance when Madam Pomfrey came at sunrise to get him. She nodded approvingly when she saw that Remus did not have "one of those preposterously self-destructive nights" again. At the hospital wing, she handed Remus a huge bowl of steaming porridge, and then ushered him into bed.

Remus was thankful he could get the day off to rest. He was exhausted from running around the Forbidden Forest all night, and wondered how James, Sirius and Peter were coping in class. They didn't have the luxury of being pampered by Madam Pomfrey. Not that Remus wallowed in the fuss, as the school nurse had the tendency to get a bit too over-protective for Remus's liking, but it was better than having to focus on Potions and Arithmancy.

As he dropped off to sleep, Remus recalled an instance where he had been enticed by the temptation of human scent. His blood turned to ice in his veins. He did not, surely he did not. He couldn't have. He ran his tongue over his teeth fearfully, bracing himself for the bitter tang of blood, but tasted nothing. Trying to ease the pounding of his heart against his ribcage, he attempted to sort through his recollection of last night's events. He remembered the smell, there was the flicker of lust he had experienced as he had looked towards the castle. But he had been distracted. By--

Padfoot! Yes, Padfoot had been there as the werewolf caught a whiff of human scent. As had Prongs and Wormtail. Relief pulsed through Remus as he lay under the covers, shaking from the unfounded shock. It was close call, his conscience throbbed, starting up again. What if you did indeed dart off? No, he answered back petulantly. The presence of his friends had calmed him down. His mind was less wolfish, more human. The fact that he could recall events of the night was a huge step forward. In time, Remus was sure he would be able control his wolfish tendencies. Besides, Padfoot and Prongs were there to keep him in check, right?

He continued to argue with himself as he fell asleep. It had been a wonderful night, which had left him in the most peaceful state of mind over the transformations that he had had in a long time. Surely his emotional and psychological state as a werewolf was important too? James, Sirius and Peter had also gotten a kick out of it. There was no harm done. Pure, delightful, wholesome, adventurous fun. What was there to worry about?

* * *

Remus had, once again, shunted his conscience to the back of his mind when James, Sirius and Peter appeared after dinner, looking a bit pale and drawn, but otherwise in superb spirits.

"So, how did today go," asked Remus, though he had a fair idea of what it might have been judging from their appearance.

"Fine," said Sirius offhandedly, at the same time as Peter stated baldly, "dire."

Remus raised an eyebrow at them, and waited patiently for them to elaborate.

"Well," Sirius conceded, "fine considering we had only about three hours' worth of sleep."

"We had a bit of a disaster in Potions," James began, running his fingers through his hair absently.

"Total disaster," corrected Sirius glumly. "Right in front of Snape. Our bloody potion went on fire before boiling over and splashed all over the dungeon floor," he explained as he saw Remus's questioning look.

"You set the dungeons on fire?" asked Remus, aghast. "How can a liquid go on fire anyway?"

"I, er, kinda dumped in a full bottle of alcohol thinking it was distilled Murtlap essence," confessed James. "And no, Sharkhorn managed to get rid of the fire almost straight away. He gave us both a 'D' though."

"Hardly surprising," commented Remus dryly. "What about you, Peter?"

"I was paired up with Snape," moaned Peter, pulling a face. "I'd much rather have had a potion blow up in my face, then to spend a double class partnering him!"

Remus gave him a sympathetic look. "Sorry about that."

"Arithmancy went fine, we got extra homework from McGonagall again because we botched up the practical for today, and then fell asleep during History of Magic," James recounted.

"Well, that last bit's nothing new," said Remus, rolling his eyes upon hearing the day his friends had described. "I guess some days you just shouldn't get out of bed."

"Easy for you to say, Moony, you were in one all day," said James, yawning loudly. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a Quidditch practice to bungle up before I head off to mine."

James, Sirius and Peter looked more alert the following day when Remus was given the go-ahead to return to class. The day went smoothly, other than the unnerving feeling Remus had of being stared at. He caught sight of Severus Snape several times throughout the day, scrutinising him from afar, a look of hatred on his face. Remus shuddered. Snape would have figured it was the full moon a couple of nights before, and what Remus must have been then. Remus tried to shake off the distressing thought that Snape may leak his secret to the school. He would really be done for if that were the case. But Dumbledore had made Snape promise not to tell a single soul last year after he had found out about Remus. And no one dared defy the Headmaster.

"What do you think he is up to?" A low menacing voice whispered in his ear, as he entered the Great Hall for dinner.

Remus looked up to find Sirius shooting a disparaging look in Snape's direction.

"I don't know," he answered, trying to sound unperturbed, hoping that his seeming indifference would douse Sirius's underlying urge to hex Snape from across the hall.

Sirius grunted as he sat himself down at the table. "It's amazing how a piece of vermin like that can even exist," he growled viciously as he continued to observe the smug, contemptuous demeanour Snape was emanating towards them.

"Sirius, please," implored Remus. "Just ignore him. He would only get more odious if he sees you getting all worked up."

At that moment, James and Peter joined up with them, and Sirius seemed to forget about Snape as James started telling them all about Derek Perry and his revised plans for the Gryffindor team to win the Quidditch Cup.

Remus's thoughts travelled back to Snape. He still recalled the conversation he had overheard, and wondered how much of Snape's family problems have been alleviated. He almost felt sorry for the Slytherin, but just at that moment, Snape shot another repulsive glance at him, and any smidgen of pity Remus had vanished as soon as it had come.