The Problem with Being the Werewolf's Sister (Marauder Harry Potter Story)

Chapter 35: The first full moon

"Meet us in the common room at nine, okay?" Sirius says to me. I nod, not wanting to talk to him. At precisely nine, I meet the four boys in the common room. "Let's go." James says quietly, nodding.

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"You okay?" I ask Remus. He nods, but he looks sick and pale. "You'll be fine, Remus." I tell him, and he smiles gratefully at me. As soon as were into the trees, we shift into our animagus forms. Again, I get the tingling feeling of being free more powerful than I am in human form. The four of us walk through the forest, Remus following. The air isn't as cold as before, March sliding into April. As we reach the Whomping Willow, my hear beats faster at the thought of leaving my brother. Peter runs forward and touches a small knot on the bottom of the tree, stopping the branches chaotic swinging. I turn towards Remus, who stands beside Sirius and James as a stag and dog. "I'll see you tomorrow." He smiles weakly at me. Under the cover of the tree, I slip back into human form. "Try not to end up in the Hospital Wing this time." I smile, turning to walk away. "Bye, River." James ad Sirius call in unison. I wave over my shoulder, sliding back again into my thin, graceful, cat form,

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I stop running and catch my breath, placing a hand on my chest. Having changed out of my animagus form, I lean on a tree in the forest and try to ignore the howls of pain coming from in front me at the Whomping Willow. My heartbeat drums in my ears as I slowly walk forward. "River?" A voice hisses as I step out of the trees and on to the grass. "What do you want?" I ask Sirius. He comes closer to me in the dark, and I see a small scratch on his T-shirt, ripping it. "Why is it every time we meet in the forest I end up covered in blood?" He smirks. "Because you spend one night a month running around with a werewolf?" I ask, eyebrows raised. He shrugs casually, catching his breath. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to go back to the castle and come and meet us later on." Sirius tells me. "Yeah, well, he's my brother! I couldn't go back up the castle and just.. Leave him." I say helplessly. Sirius smiles sadly at me before flopping on the grass. "Why are you here?" I ask him warily. "You're supposed to be helping my brother." "Prongs sent me out to make sure the coast was clear. And cause I got a scrape." He shrugs. "So how come you ran away the other day?" He asks, his voice quiet but curious as he asks the question I've been trying to avoid. "Well I.. You just.. I don't know! I just don't know Sirius!" I tell him, and he looks at me sideways from where he's lying. "Because?.." He prompts. "Because how many times had it happened? Three? Four?" I ask him, referring to the kisses. "You've been counting?" He asks, grinning. "You're so immature!" I explode. "That wasn't the point I was trying to make! My point was that the same thing had happened two or three times before, and neither of us had mentioned it! I couldn't deal with that! You just.. Well neither of us, really, would face up to the fact of what was going on." I say, my voice rising. "Well.. I didn't really.." He stops, sounding awkward. "You didn't really what? Want to admit anything? You didn't think it might be a good idea to talk about it?" I ask him. "Or did you just want someone to snog, like you always do?" I ask him angrily. "Hey!" He says angrily, standing up. "Look I know I didn't face up to it, but neither did you! You never brought it up either! So don't blame this whole thing on me! And I do not always want someone to snog! That it what all that was about!" He says loudly. I stare at him for a minute, looking at his angry grey blue eyes. "Well I.. I suppose I just thought-" I start. "Yeah, well you thought wrong most likely." Sirius says angrily. I look at him properly, seeing his face, tired and worn and out of breath. Then I turn away angrily. "Tell Remus I'm really sorry I didn't meet him." I say quietly, then shift into my animagus form and run back to the castle.