The Beginning of a Truly Beautiful Friendship

Remus Lupin was a rather small boy with sandy brown hair and dark brown eyes. To many, he was a very shy boy except when James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were around. They had been his best friends since their first year, and he couldn't be happier with them, except he had a secret: He was a werewolf. Remus knew he had to tell them, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing the only friends he's ever had, so he kept it a secret. He made excuses every month around the Full Moon, how he had to go and help his sick Mum, family weddings and funerals, etc. However, they were getting suspicious, along with another one of his friends: Lily Evans. Lily was a bright witch with long, red hair and piercing emerald eyes, who happened to be the love interest of James. She was always very kind to those she knew, except James and Sirius, who often tormented her childhood friend Severus Snape. Little did Remus know was that Lily was onto him, she put together the symptoms and the disappearances and discovered his secret. She dared not to tell anyone though, not even Severus.

Lily walked up the stairs to the portrait of the Fat Lady, when suddenly she heard a faint sniffling. She stopped walking and looked around until she spotted Remus, in the corner away from the portrait. He had been crying, and by the look of his pink face, puffy eyes, and disheveled hair, he had been there for a long time. "Oh, Remus!" she whispered as she ran over to comfort him. He jumped a little and tried to bury his face in his arms, but she gently pulled his arms away from his face, and said "Remus! Did Potter and Black do this to you? Because if they did, I'll hex them into the next century!" she said furiously. He smiled for a second, sniffled, and wearily said "No, Lily, this is more of a self-inflicted problem." He sighed and tried to get up, but failed because he had forgotten how numb his legs were from sitting in the same position for too long. "Let's go into the Common Room and get you warm, it's a bit drafty out here," as she helped him up and walked into the Common Room after giving the Fat Lady the password. She helped him to sit on the couch, and she sat next to him.

As the two got comfortable on the crimson sofa, she wondered if this was the right time to tell him what she discovered. She sensed that his tears had something to do with it, and since the Common Room was empty except for the two of them, maybe this was the best opportunity. "Remus, are you alright?" Lily asked quietly. Remus looked at her with a tired smile and replied "I'm a little better now, thanks." She offered a small smile, and said "Remus, can I talk to you about something?" He paled a little, but nodded. She noticed this, and said "I'm not exactly sure how to say this, except that I know why you've been disappearing once a month, and why you look so ill before and after you get back: You're a werewolf, aren't you?" He looked shocked, and went as pale as a ghost. He asked her shakily "H-how did you f-find out? You probably hate me now-"he said shakily, and tears streaming down his face. Lily gasped, "Oh Remus!" as she hugged him tightly, and said "Of course I don't! I could never hate you!" He let go of her and looked at her in disbelief, "Y-you don't? But I'm a monster!" "No, you're not!" Lily said as Remus looked into the fire. "Look at me, Remus" she said quietly, and he did as she asked. "Being a werewolf is only a small part of who you really are. You are an intelligent, kind and wonderful person. I'm glad to call you my friend, so what if you turn into a beast for a night on the Full Moon? Girls turn into a beast once a month for a week for Merlin's sake!" she exclaimed, making Remus chuckle a little as he wiped the tears from his face. "Never think of yourself as a bad person Remus Lupin, because it's not true," she said as she held his hand and gently smiled at him.

He smiled back weakly, and Lily asked him "Does anyone else know?" He shook his head "No", and she said "You should probably tell Potter, Black and Pettigrew soon; though I hate to admit it they are quite smart and might figure it out as I did." He shuddered, and said "I know, but I don't want to lose them, they've been the best friends I've had, besides you of course." She smiled, and said "I know, but I have a feeling that they will stick by you. If they don't, (and I'm pretty sure they will), I will not only hex them into the next century, but I will personally look into finding other methods of torment to make the rest of their lives miserable." She grinned, and he grinned back. "Lily?" "Yes Remus?" "Thank you" Remus smiled at her. Lily smiled back and replied "You're very welcome, if you ever need to talk, I'll be here for you, okay? Never think of yourself as a monster, because it's just not true." She hugged him one last time before she went to her dormitory. Remus looked after her and smiled: He was glad that she didn't hate him, and that he knew he had at least one true friend to stick by him.

The Full Moon that first month after his talk with Lily had been especially painful; he couldn't walk without his legs throbbing, and his arms were so scratched up, along with his face. He looked terrible, and paler than usual to boot from the blood loss. He woke up a few hours later, to find that there was something on his hand: Lily's hand. She had woken up early just to sit next to him and hold his hand. He smiled wearily, he was touched, and as he looked at her, he realized she was asleep. "Lily?" Remus whispered, and Lily opened her eyes, and smiled in relief. "Remus! I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried, and you looked so pale! Look at all these cuts and bites! Did you do this to yourself?" She sniffled as tears threatened to fall. Remus nodded, and Lily gasped and the tears fell, "I'm so sorry! I can't imagine all the pain you must go through every Full Moon," she whispered. Remus squeezed her hand gently, "Hey, it's okay, it's good because it means I can't hurt anyone," he said quietly. She wiped her tears, and smiled at him "That is one of the reasons why you're such a sweet person." "Oh!" Lily exclaimed, "I almost forgot! I brought you something to make you feel better." She gave him three chocolate bars wrapped neatly with a red ribbon. "Lily, you just made my day. But why? It's not even my birthday yet!" "Because, silly! Chocolate makes everything better!" she grinned. "Well, I've got to go get ready for the day, feel better soon Remus!" she kissed him on the cheek, and walked out of the Hospital Wing. He blushed and looked after her. He was smiling happily the rest of the day.

The next day, however, Remus was confronted by James, Sirius and Peter: they had figured out his secret, just as Lily said they would. He felt his heart drop into his stomach, and tears threatened to fall from his eyes. James and Sirius, however, did something that amazed him: They hugged him. "Remus, mate, you're still our friend!" Sirius said, and James said "Yeah! Did you think we'd desert you like that just because you act out once a month? Honestly! Are you mad?" Remus smiled at them, and Peter said "Remus, that doesn't mean you're a bad person! You're still our friend." Remus beamed at all of them. He couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day. As he came into the Common Room later that night after dinner, he saw Lily sitting in a comfy chair in front of the fire, reading over her Charms homework. He walked over to her and sat down in the chair next to hers, saying "Hey, Lily." "Hello Remus! How are you feeling?" she asked, looking slightly concerned. He grinned, and hugged her from the side "Never better!" he exclaimed. "You were right, about everything." She beamed back at him, and he said "Lily Evans, you might just be the cleverest witch of our year. Thank you for everything," she blushed and said "You're welcome. And, Remus?" She asked "Yes?" "Can you please tell Potter to stop watching me 24/7, or I might just wipe that stupid grin off his face with a rather cruel hex I learned in class today?" she smiled sweetly. "Of course, I can't promise anything, but you have my permission to hex him," he said, and they both chuckled.

From their second year at Hogwarts on, they remained good friends, every morning after the Full Moon, she would send him three bars of chocolate, and when she could, she would sit by his bedside and hold his hand. In their fifth year at Hogwarts, James, Sirius and Peter did something for him that he would never forget either: They became unregistered Animagi. James became a stag, Sirius a black dog, and Peter a rat. Every Full Moon after that they ran around the school grounds together, keeping Remus's wolfish self in check. He would never forget what James, Lily, Sirius and Peter did for him to make his transformation easier, and until the day James and Lily died, James still helped Remus, and Lily helped to take care of him after the Full Moon, and gave him chocolate. They were the brothers and sister he had never had, and for that, he felt incredibly lucky.