That morning Remus did something no one would ever expect him to- he missed a class. Instead he spent his time pacing the cold worn stone floor of his dormitory while rubbing the scars on his face anxiously. He was too unsettled to study, too worried and restless to sit down and be still.

So he strode back and forth around the dormitory, which for some reason seemed colder and more uninviting than his nights at the shack. His breath came in hitches and no matter how hard he tried the windows won't budge open- it seemed as if the room was trying to choke him.

Thinking about what would happen next was too scary- the look on James and Sirius's face was enough to tell him that whatever came next would not be pleasant- so he focused on his every step. First left, then right, then left, then right, and on and on and on until it was too much. Tired, he sat down on his bed finally.

Technically, he hadn't done anything wrong. James and Sirius had broken a rule, moreover they had endangered their own lives. Remus was only doing it for their own good. Yes, he hadn't done anything wrong.

And yet there was this nasty feeling at the pit of his stomach that told him otherwise. It was a selfish move and an act of pure cowardice. Remus should have talked to James and Sirius first.

But no, that was being ridiculous; after all, they had broken their promise once. Remus had been so assertive when he made them give him their words, and yet they hadn't thought twice before creeping down the willow tunnel. Who was to say they wouldn't do it again- just for the kicks or the fun of it? And who was to say that they wouldn't do it on the very night Remus was locked there in his monstrous form. Who would save them then? No, he had definitely done the right thing- or so he tried to convince the unbearable burn in his stomach.

He really hoped Dumbledore wouldn't expel them. Even though the Headmaster hadn't looked that angry, Remus still worried. Nothing was ever certain with Dumbledore, nothing impossible- and Remus Lupin attending Hogwarts was the best example of that.

To be fair, Remus had done his best to put James and Sirius in a better light when he narrated the tale. According to Remus's narration Sirius and James had gone there to hide from Filch and Mrs. Norris who were both doing their best to destroy their holiday. It seemed like a stupid excuse but Remus couldn't think of anything better on the spot. He had also rushed over the part where they entered the tunnel, not wanting to tell him about the invisibility cloak and begged him to not expel them.

Remus started rubbing his scars and was about to start pacing around again when the door to the dormitory was slammed open.

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A/N: Apologies for the small chapter. I was initially planning on ending the book here with an epilogue but it seemed kinda incomplete. And so I'm extending the book a bit. 

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