Kryptonite

As far back as he could remember Remus Lupin had not been able to see the beautiful spectacle of the full moon in human form. There had been a time when Remus had not been cursed of course, but that had been when he was a child, to young to remember. So Remus wondered what it was like to see the moon through human eyes. In his younger days Remus had hated the moon that brought out the monster. He had seen the approaching full moon as a something that was to be dreaded. The fact that smart, kind, quiet Remus Lupin had such a dark secret was like a cosmic joke; for there was no boy in the world that was less like a vicious man-eating beast than Remus.

After his father, then head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had been died, Remus had been alone in the magical world. His mother, bless her, was a muggle and just didn't understand. Then Lily Evans had figured out that what was up. She had been there for a time when no one else was. Being muggleborn, she wasn't raised to be prejudice against Remus over something he couldn't control. Lily had been afraid of the wolf but not of him. Not of Remus Lupin.

Then James, Sirius and Peter had figured it out in their second year. Remus had expected them to, eventually; they did live together after all. When James, Sirius and Peter had first confronted Remus about what he truly was, Remus had been scared. They had shrugged it off and said that it did not matter. After this assurance, the other three boys had become distant; Remus had thought that they had, in fact turned against him. But, of course, they had not turned against him. James, Sirius and Peter had been trying to find out how to become animagi. So they could still hang-out with him when he transformed.

Remus had never had friends before Hogwarts, he had nearly cried with relief when James had said 'We don't care'. We don't care Remus thought, Three little words that changed my life forever. They didn't even seem to realize how much their support meant to me.

It was the same every time he transformed. Pacing the length of his garden shed, Remus waited for the darkness to take hold of his mind and body. Remus was helpless to fight it he couldn't stop the beast from coming out to play when the moon was full. There was one bright spot tonight however; tonight for the first time since before Lily and James' were killed, Remus would not be alone when the monster in him emerged. Dumbledore had sent Sirius to round up the old crew and told Sirius to stay at Remus's house and await further instructions.

Remus thought back to when he had learned of Lily and James's deaths. Sirius I didn't want to believe that it was you. Then the news of what happened on that muggle street and it seemed that it truly was you. It looked as though you had turned into a 'true Black' after all. It seemed that you of all people had betrayed your best friend, his wife and their son to their deaths.

Remus stopped pacing with a sigh and leaned against the wall. But then Peter returned from the dead. Remus shook his head and slid down the wall to a sitting position.

Sirius sat across from Remus ready to transform when the moon rose. When we were in school, we used to fight when you thought I took a prank to far. I still never told anyone your secret because I knew if I did then that would be the end between us. I never told anyone that is, until I told Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow tree. I'd never seen you that angry before, and James. He saved Snape's life even though James hated Snape as much as I did. James changed after that. Though all of you forgave me in the end James was changed by that experience.

I remember this one night shortly after we hate patched things up we got chased by the caretaker into the Divinations classroom. You don't remember that night; the nurse said she wasn't surprised. Slipping out the window like you did... Sirius shuddered involuntarily, When I got to the ground, I thought that I had cast Wingardium Leviosa too late, you were so pale you looked broken. I... scraped you off the ground and took you to the hospital wing; you were delirious when the nurse started to fix your broken bones and then when she began to set your ribs you started to scream. Sirius shuddered again.

Sirius sighed, When I told you what had happened you looked at me like I was crazy, and maybe I am crazy, but you still called me your pack mate. So maybe you don't mind the insanity, actually with James in mind I think I'm going to say you enjoy insanity. Sirius thought ruefully. Outside the garden shed the moon rose from behind the mountains and Sirius transformed immediately into Padfoot. Across the shed from him, Remus began to transform. Remus's body began to shrink and change growing thick silver hair.