A/N: Sorry, I was doing an edit of this story and I deleted the chapter instead of editing it. It's not a new chapter; just an updated one and this story will still remain a two-shot :), thanks for reading!

"…apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends… I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth… and they didn't desert me at all." - Remus Lupin (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban)

"Wow, he looks terrible!" Sirius exclaimed loudly and James elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shut up Sirius, you'll wake him up!" James whispered loudly and Sirius sighed.

"That's why we're here is it not, James?" Sirius said as he rolled his eyes.

"Uh yeah, right, cloak off then" James said, pulling the thin fabric from them.

With that, the three boys became visible and sat on the crisp white bed in which their best friend lay. He did indeed look terrible. Deep cuts lacerated his arms and torso, blood red against his pale white skin. He was sleeping on his side, knees up to his chest, his breathing quick and raspy. The three of them looked at each other in shock. They had never saw Remus this soon after the full moon.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Peter asked, looking at Remus with concern and fear in his eyes.

"Well, he goes through this every month so I don't imagine this month is any different…" Sirius said, looking at Remus and thinking that they'd better make a start on their plans to become Animagi, the sooner the better, it seemed.

James tapped him softly on the shoulder and he winced at the contact before slowly opening his eyes then widening them in shock.

"Alright Remus, how was the full moon?" Sirius asked nonchalantly, biting his lip and fidgeting with his hands nervously. Remus paled significantly and James sighed at Sirius' very obvious lack of tact. He knew he should have been the one to start this conversation.

"W-what?" he stammered nervously, trying to take in the sudden, surprising news that they knew.

They actually knew. They knew his darkest secret. He'd tried so hard to keep it from them since they'd became friends, knowing they would hate him if they ever found out. But now they knew. And they'd never want to be friends with a werewolf, a monster. They had probably already told everyone or would do so as soon as they left the Hospital Wing. He would have to leave Hogwarts… the only place he had ever felt truly happy and accepted. He realised bitterly that if everyone in Hogwarts knew of his condition it would no longer be the place of acceptance and safety he'd grown to know it as. He wanted to stay in Hogwarts… at least to get his OWL's. He would have to deny it, convince them that they were wrong.

"I don't know what you mean. I-" But before he could say anything more, James interrupted him;

"For Merlin's sake Remus, don't you think you've lied to us enough? We know that you're a werewolf. There's no point in denying it. You must have known we'd figure it out eventually" he sighed.

James felt bad for Remus but he didn't want him to lie to them anymore. Besides, it would be much easier for him to not have to lie to them every month. He didn't care that he was a werewolf. He thought it was pretty cool, really. And he knew that they would become Animagi for him. He didn't know how long it would take them, it could take years, but he knew, in that moment, that they would do it. They would do it for Remus, because Remus had done so much for them and he deserved this. And because he couldn't stand to see one of his best friends look so hurt and he would do anything to help him.

Remus was trembling by this point. He didn't know what they would do. He hoped they'd leave him alone with his thoughts. He needed time. He needed time to convince them to let him stay. He knew they couldn't be friends but he didn't want to have to leave Hogwarts. He never ever thought he'd get the chance to go to Hogwarts and he really didn't want that chance taken away from him in only his second year. However, if Remus was honest, he knew the three of them would find out eventually. They were too smart and inquisitive to let his constant disappearances go on without finding out the exact reason. He sighed. He supposed he still had great memories of his short time at Hogwarts, though he pleaded with them anyway.

"Please don't tell anyone! I-I'll move dorms, y-you won't have to speak to me… I uh I just don't want to leave" he said quietly, staring at his hands which were trembling and he felt his cheeks flush red.

He didn't dare look at their faces. He dreaded to see what they're reaction was. He didn't want to see what emotion was held in their eyes – disgust, hate, fear, those were how people normally reacted when they found out he was a monster. To look at them was to feel the sting of their reaction, feel their hate and fear palpable in the thick air surrounding them. And he just couldn't bear to see those emotions on the faces of his three best friends. They meant everything to him. They were his first real friends and he'd grown to think of them as brothers.

Sirius sighed angrily "What kind of friends do you think we are? You don't have to move dorms and we aren't going to tell anyone! We're your friends for Merlin's sake!" Sirius was definitely getting angry, the infamous Black temper taking hold of him.

He was feeling bad for Remus and therefore he was angry; it was the only way he knew how to respond. He was angry at Remus for thinking they would abandon him and he was angry at everyone else for making him think this way. He exhaled slowly. Really, he knew that Remus would react like this. They probably should have waited until at least a few days after the full moon but they were quite impatient and liked things done sooner rather than later.

Remus looked up at him, incredulous, "You still want to be friends with me? Live with me? I'm a werewolf, you said so yourself, a dark creature, I'm dangerous!" He looked down at his hands before adding in a small voice "I'm a monster". Remus looked at them, they had to be joking. No-one in their right minds would want to live with a werewolf!

"You're bloody not a monster, Remus!" James declared, annoyed. "You're a werewolf. We don't care, seriously; in fact it's pretty cool. Our friend- a werewolf!" he cried, almost triumphantly.

Sirius rolled his eyes before adding "Yeah you aint gonna get rid of us that easily Loopy! Besides, we brought you something" He reached into his pocket and produced a bar of Honeydukes finest chocolate.

"You're a chocolate addict, I figured it'd help you feel better" he grinned handing the chocolate to the boy.

Remus took the chocolate and stared at the three of them in shock. He had never truly contemplated that they might still want to be his friends after finding out his secret – the secret he'd tried so hard to keep from them, thinking it would end their friendship if they knew. He always thought they'd shun him, who'd want to be friends with a dark creature? The three boys in the room stared at him, no hate or disgust in their eyes, only worry. They were actually worried about him. They didn't hate him like he thought they would have. They were worried about him, they cared about him.

"You really still want to be friends with me?" he said smiling slightly now though he was still incredulous and finding it slightly hard to believe.

"And he's finally getting it" smirked Sirius as he rolled his eyes.

"Of course we do!" added James, grinning.

"Definitely" agreed Peter, smiling.

Remus was astonished that his best friends knew his secret and yet still wanted to be friends with him. Remus had realised, at the tender age of five, just how different life was when you were cursed with Lycanthropy. Lycanthropy had many physical effects on his body, it caused him a lot of pain every month of his life, however, what hurt even more was just how different he was and just how little society was prepared to offer him. This was why he found it difficult to contemplate their acceptance of him, because he experienced such acceptance so rarely in his life. He had never expected them to still want to be his friends and he would always be grateful to them for accepting him. They really were the best friends he'd ever had.

"You're all mental!" he laughed.

"Would you have it any other way?" Sirius said, still grinning.

"Of course not" he laughed.

Soon he would come to realise that the revelation of his secret wouldn't end their friendship as he had once feared, it would strengthen it more than he could ever have hoped for.