Solemnly Swear

Solemnly Swear

A Marauder Story

Chapter Two - 1971

Even a man who is pure in heart

And says his prayers at night

May become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms

And the autumn moon is bright.

- Old gypsy chant

Remus was away for his Aunt Merridy's funeral when they studied the effects of the Moon in Astronomy. James, in particular, thought it fascinating that so very much relied on the phases of the thing that previously had just been a big silver rock in the sky. The tides, some parts of the Hogwarts castle (there was, for instance, an Astronomy room with the largest telescopes you might ever see, that was only accessible on the quarter moon), and especially Werewolves.

Professor Galileo said to wait his hurry. Werewolves were in Third Year Defence Against the Dark Arts, and they were horrendous murderous bloodthirsty creatures anyway. He said that if you listened carefully on the full moon, as it was tonight, you could hear the tortured, hollow howls of Werewolves in the Forbidden Forest.

They listened.

There was a single howl, buried amongst the tall dark trees.

Sirius howled loudly in response, laughed, and slapped a scared-looking Peter jovially on the back. Peter nearly dropped his brass telescope over the side of the tower. Eva Leander caught it for him.

James couldn't wait to tell Remus. He'd always thought Astronomy interesting.

*

Peter was knitting a scarf when Remus reappeared. This particular one was a fetching combination of crimson and gold. It probably wasn't surprising that every other article Peter had ever knitted was a scarf, and the greatest majority of them were crimson and gold. It was the beginning of winter in their second year, and almost the whole of Gryffindor house was wearing one by now.

(Sirius loudly maintained that Gryffindor Red, no matter how it was worn, would forever clash horribly with Lily and Gypsy's auburn hair. In a not-particularly-subtle backlash, Lily, Eva and Gypsy had charmed Sirius' dark brown hair to a stunning violet purple. It only stayed that way, however, for seventeen minutes and forty three point two seconds, for which Sirius was extremely grateful.)

But Remus was back. Peter lay down his knitting. Eva picked it up, made one stitch, and then promptly dropped five more of them. She put the knitting down hurriedly and hid behind a book. (It was common belief in the Gryffindor Second Year Boy's Dorm that a Miss Eva Leander had a serious crush on one Mr Peter Pettigrew. The aforementioned Mr Pettigrew was unfortunately made the butt of many childish jokes about it. It was also unconcealed knowledge that Miss Lily Evans and Mr James Potter wished one another dead, but that was beside the point.)

James and Sirius attacked their haunted-looking friend and pinned him into an armchair. You all right, Remus?

Oh. Remus blinked, with a shadow of his cheerful smile. Yeah. Fine.

*

A few weeks later, Remus' mother got Pneumonia. He left school to visit her. Then, afterwards, he had to go home because his Grandmother was visiting from Wales. (James felt sorry for him. He remembered his own grandmothers as being cheek-pinching, big-bosomed, blabbering twits.) The next month, his pet crups, Benji, Rover, and Zeus; died from... well, he was vague about it. But he had to go.

Peter thought this strange. After all, Remus had never mentioned he had pet dogs before. And James was very sure that Remus would be annoyed when he kept missing out on their Full Moon lessons in Astronomy. (Anyway, how many old, decrepit relatives did Remus have? James was sure one of them died at least every three months. And he was positive that Great Aunt Berra had somehow died twice.)

In fact, Sirius mused, he'd never seen Remus at all when there was a full moon about. (This had particularly annoyed him when, last month, they'd tried to find a curse to use on dear Sevvie Snape, and their prime researcher had been missing.) Sirius smiled wryly at the others. Perhaps Remus was a werewolf or something. Hah.

James suddenly pulled back the hangings that separated the three from the rest of the dorm. The full moon shone accusingly in through the window, landing in long silver rays on Remus' guiltily vacant bed.

Three sets of eyes - blue, brown, hazel - grew very round.

Peter was the one who choked it out, seriously, in a strangled whisper. (He was, incidentally, more intelligent than most people gave him credit for.)

Remus. Remus was a werewolf.

There was silence for another second. Then Sirius spoke.

Wicked.

Peter relaxed. It was still a pity, though, that Remus' dogs had died. Peter had lost his pet rat once, and he---

Sirius and James exchanged glances and snorts of laughter. Peter got pushed out of the bed.

*

They were going to become Animagi, James announced when the three of them clambered into the portrait hole after Transfiguration, to find Remus' shaggy brown head poking up from one of the armchairs.

Remus put down his homework and turned around. I beg your pardon?

Animagi, Sirius proclaimed. He dropped his voice to a whisper and placed a hand on Remus' shoulder. We know your secret, Full Moon Boy. And we're doing this for you.

Remus took in the faces of his three closest friends. Acceptance, compassion, a hint of worry. True, untainted, friendship.

Then he crumpled back into his armchair and cried tears of happiness and utter relief for the first time in his life.