It had begun as a typical full moon night. Remus had disappeared hours ago and the rest of the gang was to follow after his painful transformation was over. However, there was one important detail that everyone had forgotten about. It was somebody's night to accompany Remus down the Willow and make sure he didn't run off and do anything he'd regret.
If only they could remember who was supposed to go.
This was not a job that was coveted. Watching over Remus meant having to baby-sit a violent and renegade werewolf who hated nothing more than being cooped up in the enclosed space known fondly as `The Shrieking Shack'.
"I did it last time, I'm telling you!" Sirius insisted, repeating his mantra he'd discovered during the course of the twenty minute argument they'd been having.
James sighed, "No, you didn't Sirius, remember? I had to heal the scratch that Remus gave me last time?" Sirius frowned, recalling. James circled the dormitory once more, trying desperately to remember whether it was Sirius' or Peter's turn to watch Remus.
`Really, it wouldn't be such a big deal if one of them just owned up to job,' James thought spitefully. `But Sirius is too lazy and Peter's too scared…which is actually how I got stuck with the job last time.' He fingered his invisibility cloak with frustration.
"It's getting late, James. Why don't you just go?" Peter tried unsuccessfully to persuade him. James gave him a death glare and Peter flinched. Without the calm and reassuring form that was Remus, the group didn't have the same balance that it normally had. Just another reason to hate the full moon.
Sirius gave James a look of reproach. "You know Prongs, out of all the animals here a stag is probably the only one who could stand a chance against a werewolf…Can you just imagine this poor puppy trying to fight that wolf? Madness, I tell you!"
James sighed heavily and finally gave in. "Fine. It's getting late anyway. But Peter needs to come to push the knot in on the Willow." Peter looked annoyed, but nodded and got up to accompany him. They both turned to look at Sirius, who was still lounging lazily and steadily avoiding their gaze.
"And what exactly were you planning on doing all night?" James asked, crossing his arms.
"Oh, you know; the usual. Make a run around the castle, set some traps for the Slytherins, and maybe antagonize the squid in the lake for a bit." He caught sight of James' serious face and stopped. "Or maybe I could just baby sit a werewolf for the night. I'll be the envy of all the boys in Gryffindor."
James pushed him off the couch and muttered, "You bet your arse you will."
"Now, now Jamesie. There's no need for language!" He was ignored as the boys slipped quietly out of the common room with the help of James' invisibility cloak.
The instant they were outside it was apparent that things were different.
"It's too quiet." Peter observed, uneasy in the silence.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Let's just get this over with, alright?" A second later he was a black dog badly in need of a haircut.
James sighed. Full Moon nights always made everyone testy. It was almost like helping Remus was more of a chore than something they should want to do for their friend. Seeing that Peter had transformed also, he did the same and followed the mismatched pair toward the Whomping Willow.
In stag form James was more acutely aware of sounds around him. Suddenly Peter's observation from earlier was starting to make more sense. Remus' usual howls were absent from the night and the rest of the grounds almost seemed eerie without them, a homing beacon that told them where Remus was and what he was doing. Without it, he knew something was amiss.
The eclectic group of animals made their way through the tunnel as James headed towards the shack. Once on the porch, James noticed a peculiar smell. Concentrating harder on it, he suddenly realized that it was the scent of Lily's perfume. Immediately the hair on his back stood on end. He was suddenly more alert than he had ever been before.
Racing through the entrance specified for him and his antlers, James entered the shack. He darted to the room where her smell was strongest and realized as he entered that it was same room where the tunnel entrance was.
Lily was stretched across the trapdoor that led to the tunnel. Her face and every inch of uncovered skin were covered in shiny red welts. Her eyes looked half dazed and were glazed over in pain.
Instantly James was back in human form and at her side. "Lily? Oh Merlin, someone get some help!"
There was a scratching from the trapdoor underneath where they sat and James tenderly picked Lily up and set the other two free from the tunnel. The annoyed rat and dog climbed quickly out of the hole. They were ready to pounce on James for holding the trapdoor down when they caught Lily in his arms. Immediately the two were back to their own forms, with scared expressions.
"What the hell happened?" Sirius cried as soon as he could talk. He and Peter raced to Lily, taking in every detail of her attack.
"How did she end up in here?" Peter ran his hands through his hair, a sure sign of stress.
James shook his head. "I'm not certain, but it looks like she's been through a war with the willow." He gingerly knelt down and sat on his legs, holding Lily in his lap.
Sirius' eyes went wide. "You don't think that Remus…"
"Dragged her through?" James stared at him and shrugged. "It's not what one wants to hear, but…" He trailed off, uncertain for a second if he could feel her breathing. His own breath caught when he felt hers start again.
Peter looked around the house, more than a little shaken. "I don't know guys. I don't like the looks of this." His beady eyes searched the surrounding rooms. "Where's Remus? And why hasn't he tried to attack us yet, if he's close enough to smell us? This doesn't sit right." He suddenly caught a glimpse of Lily's ankle.
"Oh damn. There's a bite."
James' grip on Lily get tighter and the tension in the room worsened.
Sirius swallowed hard and nodded. "Right, then. Two people should stay here and watch out for him. This isn't a safe environment for Lily. Peter will take her down to the Infirmary and-"
"Why are you taking her?" James demanded. His eyes were wild and scared.
"Because you're the only one who can stand a chance to fight a werewolf, Prongs. Peter and I wouldn't last long together." Sirius explained calmly, his heart racing and his nerves on edge from the predicament.
James set his jaw and let the defiance blaze in his eyes. "I'll take her."
"But James, it doesn't really make sense that-"
"I'll take her."
"But-"
James gave him one last glare before dashing out the door, Lily in his arms.
Potions wasn't a particularly hard class, but it was sincerely boring. The only thing that made it better for James was that Lily sat two seats away from him, as Remus' lab partner. That meant that every time Remus was absent because of the full moon, James was Lily's potions partner.
Thank Merlin for werewolves.
James slid carelessly into the seat next to Lily, nearly knocking over a bottle full of bluish liquid in the process. Lily caught the bottle and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Where's Remus?" She asked cautiously, not wanting to seem too disappointed.
James shrugged. "Lady problems?" He grinned and two girls sitting across the room swooned, but Lily remained unmoved.
"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" She began gathering up all the ingredients needed for their potion, trying very hard to ignore James sitting next to her. She reached for another bottle and her arm collided with his, bringing a blush to her face. She decided to ignore the tingly sensation in her arm and the gentle smile on James' face.
Lily cleared her throat and poured the bluish liquid in the cauldron. "So where exactly is Remus? Should I make a trip to the infirmary to check on him?" she asked innocently.
James twirled a piece of ginger on the table as his smile disappeared. "Oh, I'm not sure that's a good idea right now. He's a little contagious. Best to let the virus run its course."
Lily pursed her lips and grabbed the ginger from him. Throwing it in the pot, she wrote something down on her parchment and mumbled an "Oh." Then her insatiable curiosity got the better of her.
"What precisely is wrong with him?" She avoided James' gaze and bent down over her paper again. James' mood turned sullen. He was hoping that Lily's little faux crush on Remus would have stopped by now and she would be back to fighting with him again. He missed the increased sexual tension.
He took the bottle Lily was clutching as retaliation for her taking his ginger earlier and uncorked it. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?" He asked, mocking her. He turned to pour the bottle in.
"No! Don't add that yet! It will-"Her warning came too late. As soon as the liquid touched the surface of the bubbling potion it exploded, sending cauldron pieces flying across the room and singeing James' eyebrows.
James and Lily were sent to clean up, sentenced to finishing the potion in detention for not following directions. They walked silently down the hall, each one ignoring the other's presence.
The second they entered the wing containing the bathrooms, Lily turned to him as if she could stand it no longer. "You know, you don't have to be such a…a…an imbecile." She glared at him and opened the door to the ladies' room.
James crossed his arms, "An imbecile. I don't have to. But you don't have to be pretending to like Remus just to make me angry, either."
Lily stopped halfway through the door and turned around. "For your information, I'm not pretending to like Remus. He is a genuinely good guy, unlike some people in this hallway." She almost turned back around, but thought better of it.
"And even if I were pretending, it's working better than I would have thought, don't you agree Mr. Potter?"
With that she slammed the door shut, leaving James in the hallway, alone in his thoughts and with a battered pride.
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