The Shrieking Shack || The Marauders (Book 1)

REMUS

So far, Hogwarts had been a dream come true for Remus. He had made three great friends, he had learnt loads of new stuff and above all, he was free. He could roam about and explore the castle as much as he liked, he could sleep whenever he wanted, eat however much he desired and he could make new friends, mingle and play with them without much restriction.

Though the last part hadn't worked out quite that well after the first day because of the sheer amount of homework they had, but Remus didn't complain as he sat down in the Gryffindor common room with Sirius, James and Peter every evening to catch up on all the essays and assignments or to practice spells.

He also didn't miss the look of pity that he got quite often from his parents back home, not that he didn't miss his parents, but it was just nice for once to be treated like an equal. So nice, in fact, that Remus had completely forgotten about his affliction by the end of the week.

Quite literally forgotten such that when Jasper Mathews, the Gryffindor prefect, told him that he had been called by Professor McGonagall on Friday morning, he walked trembling in fear to her office on the first floor wondering what had he done wrong and not realizing that it was going to be a full moon that night.

"Close the door," she said as he knocked and entered her office. He did and then walked towards her desk where she sat arranging some papers.

"I assume you know why you're here?" she asked and then when Remus didn't reply she sighed and stood up. "Professor Dumbledore told me about your- about the special conditions that you're here on."

At once Remus's breath hitched and he could feel his heart beating somewhere in his throat. He already knew it was inevitable, that some of the Professors at Hogwarts must know about it. And yet, for some strange unknown reason, he hoped against hope that she wasn't talking about what he thought she was talking about. He had never- ever- discussed his condition with anyone but his parents. And even they usually preferred avoiding the matter if they could.

"I hope you know tonight's the full moon night?"

He blinked up at her grim face. The full moon? Was that tonight? How could he have forgotten?! He nodded slightly at the stern look that Professor McGonagall was giving him.

"Arrangements have been made for you to stay away from the school tonight. After your classes get over, you are to report here and Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, will take you to the Whomping Willow."

"The- wh-whomping willow?" spluttered Remus.

"Mr. Lupin," she said severely. "I cannot possibly emphasize enough, the amount of trouble the Headmaster has taken to make sure that your secret remains- well- a secret. No one in the staff except for me and Madam Pomfrey is aware of any of this." She waved her hand basically pointing out Remus and the air around him. For some reason, Remus suddenly developed a keen interest in his shoes, the tips of which were peeping out of his school robes, and didn't look up at Professor McGonagall's eyes the rest of their brief meeting

She took a deep breath and went on.

"The Whomping Willow was planted this year specially for your and the other students' safety. It's guarding the entrance to a secret tunnel that leads to an isolated house somewhere off the village Hogsmeade. You are to spend your nights there every full moon."

"Again, I'd like to impress upon you that all this must remain a secret. Telling your friends about the tunnel will not only put your and their lives in jeopardy but also create unnecessary troubles for the school."

"I understand, Professor," mumbled Remus still looking at his shoes.

"Alright then, off you go," she said and Remus couldn't help but notice that her voice was less tense now.

Remus didn't remember much of the walk back to the Great Hall, he had been a bit consumed in trying to make it look like he hadn't been crying. He had tried his best to hold in the tears but the way Minerva McGonagall said 'this' kept coming back to him. He knew she had tried to be sympathetic, but there had been just a hint of disgust in her voice. Remus could tell. He could always tell.

A weird sort of sensation settled in his stomach as he realized that this would be his first wolf-night away from home and his parents.

"What happened?" Sirius asked Remus as he joined them at the Gryffindor table.

"Oh um... nothing- really" he replied, crossing his fingers under his robes, wishing Sirius would let it go.

"Nothing? Then why did McGonagall call you into her office?" asked James rather hotly.

"She was just-" Remus racked his brain wondering what to say though nothing much helpful came up. 'Concealment is the key to survival' said his mother's voice in his head which didn't really help. "Umm... telling me about my mother." He heard himself say.

"Your mother?"

"Yes, she's- she's-" stammered Remus helplessly, "-unwell." And a perfect excuse suddenly sprang up in his brain.

"Oh, what happened?" James's tone, he noticed, had now changed into concern.

"Oh, um- I'm not really sure."

"Will she be alright?" asked Sirius.

"Of course- I mean- I- I'll find out... I'm leaving after classes."

"Leaving?" blurted Peter.

"I'll come back!" said Remus, "It's just for the night, I guess."

"Don't worry Remus," James patted him on the back. "I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll be alright soon," said Sirius but from the corner of his eyes, Remus saw them exchange concerned looks. His heart twisted in his chest at that, his conscience telling him to come clean, but he stopped himself.

They won't be so concerned if they find out, he thought bitterly.

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A/N: And the first wolf night approaches. What did you think of this chapter? Please comment and let me know. :)

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