Requested by: @uniquelyxsam 

Words: 1191

Description: Part 3 to The Train and The Sorting, Remus's first full moon at Hogwarts.

Story:

Remus was shaking at the thought of the full moon. He'd met with the headmaster earlier in the week to discuss his arrangements, but he was scared for many reasons.

His first full moon at Hogwarts was late September, almost a month into term. He'd already made such good friends and he was terrified about what they would do if they found out. He didn't even know how he was going to get away from them long enough to sneak out of the castle.

Finally, after he'd beaten James at chest for the third time in a row, he couldn't take it any longer. He stood, looking anxiously out the dorm window where he knew the sun would be setting soon. 

"I have to go," he said awkwardly, as the other three boys looked on in question. 

"Uh...where?" Sirius asked.

Remus hadn't thought that far ahead. "I uh, I need to see Dumbledore. I might be gone for a couple days."

James's eyebrows knit together. "Everything alright, mate?"

Remus's heart warmed at the insinuation that he was James's friend, but had to push that aside and focus on the task at hand. "Yeah. I mean, I think so. I'm...uh, I'm going home for a little while."

Sirius sat up straighter, "Why?"

Remus wasn't sure why, usually he'd gotten to be a pretty good liar, but he was too anxious to think straight. "I dunno yet, I guess I'll find out when I get there. I'll see you lads later."

"Bye," they said, confused, as Remus hurried out of the dorm.

Peter walked over to James and started playing a game of chess with him while Sirius silently contemplated the fact that Remus had left his trunk behind.

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Remus walked quickly across the grounds, looking over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure he wasn't being followed. Dumbledore had shown him how to use the Whomping Willow passage way earlier in the week, so Remus spent a few minutes trying to find a rock and hit the knot in the tree. 

It took him a few tries and he was feeling more feverish by the minute. When he finally managed it, he hurried to slip into the tunnel and started the trek to the Shrieking Shack. 

His knees were shaking by the time he reached the shack and he fell into the couch and bundled up with the ratty old blanket that was sitting there. His muscles were seizing and his bones ached something terrible, and he spent the last half our before moonrise studying the shack and counting the rafters to distract himself. It wasn't anything special, the shack, but by Remus's standards, it was a hell of a lot better than the cellar in his basement at home.

Remus had tried not to let himself think about how the wolf would react in a new transforming place, but he could keep those thoughts at bay no longer as the moon rose slowly in the sky and he had mere minutes left. 

He was scared and alone and as the pain reached a peak and he curled up into a ball, he wished his friends were there. He would've given anything for them to be there with him.

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Remus woke up hours later. He blinked his blurry eyes into focus, puzzled by his surroundings. It took him a solid five minutes to realize he was in the Shrieking Shack. He tried to sit up, but yelped when he found he couldn't. Tears sprung to his eyes and he closed them tightly, bracing himself for the wave of pain that followed. 

A few minutes later when he felt he could try again, he opened his eyes and turned his head. There was a puddle of blood under him, he noticed, which wasn't great. He tried to move his hand, which took a lot longer than he would like to admit, and felt around, finding a sizable gash on his side. He gasped at the pain and dark spots appeared in his vision. 

He felt quite light headed and knew that it was bleeding pretty steadily. He needed his wand, but he had stowed it safely away in the kitchen cupboard before the transformation and he knew there was no chance of him getting it. 

He started to cry. 

"I'm gonna die," he whimpered to himself. "I don't wanna die."

He could feel himself going in and out of consciousness. He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard the trapdoor. 

"Oh Merlin!" He heard Madam Pomfrey shout, sounding miles away. He felt her footsteps shake the rickety floor and was aware of her kneeling next to him, aware of his blood staining her dress.

"Please, I don't wanna die," he begged her, face twisting in pain and sadness. 

Pomfrey spared herself a second to wipe her own eyes and she shook her head firmly. "You're not going to die, Mr. Lupin. Not on my watch. I promise you I will always keep you safe."

She brushed his blood soaked, damp with sweat hair out of his face with one hand and used her wand to clean the wound with the other. 

She reached into her bag and pulled out a potion and she lifted his head and helped him drink it. He wasn't sure what it did, but he did know that he could breathe easier and his head felt stuffed with cotton. 

"I'm going to have to stitch this the muggle way, Remus. Magic won't heal this."

That's the last thing he remembered her saying, as he blacked out soon after.

The next time he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was BRIGHT. He squeezed his eyes shut quickly, feeling stiff and achy. He tried to move to get more comfortable and groaned. 

"Oh, honey, try not to move!" He heard Madam Pomfrey say from somewhere to his left. After a couple tries of getting his eyes to adjust to the sunlight coming in from the big windows in the Hospital Wing, he was finally able to open his eyes. 

Pomfrey was at his bedside in seconds and helped him to sit up by adjusting the pillows behind him. "How are you feeling?" She asked, handing him a potion to drink. 

He wasn't sure how to answer, so he whispered, "Fine." He was surprised at just how hoarse he sounded. His voice was nearly gone. He hadn't remembered screaming so much, but he must've. 

"You've been asleep a day," Madam Pomfrey explained. "And once I apply some healing cream to your stitches and get more potions in you, you should be able to head back to your dorm in a day or two."

Remus nodded, too spent to talk much. 

Pomfrey offered him a sad smile. "You're going to be just fine, Remus. Remember my promise, love. I won't ever let anything happen to you."

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Hello! I hope you enjoyed that, there will be a part four soon where the Marauders find out Remus's secret in Second Year. Thanks for reading, love you lots!