TW AND CW: violence and/or pain

Ana and the Marauders exchanged a glance.

"An," said Remus quietly. "Are you su-"

"We're positive, alright?" said Ana soothingly. "These guys have tried it out before, and so have I. We're all fine. We've done plenty of research."

Remus looked concerned, but it was time for him to go.

"See you later, Rem," said Ana quietly as Remus left the room.

James poked her shoulder. "Hate to interrupt the romance, but we ought to get to the Shrieking Shack."

Sirius nodded. "Come on."

Peter picked up the Invisibility Cloak and handed it to James.

"Thanks, Pete," said James. "Now get under here."

The four, surprisingly, fit perfectly under the cloak.

They managed to sneak off to the Whomping Willow without getting caught.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Ana whispered, pointing her wand at a stick and making it hover towards the knot on the tree.

The Whomping Willow stopped smashing things all around it and remained still.

They slid into the hole near the roots and felt the willow start to run a rampage again.

Peter was about to say something when James pressed a finger to his lips. 

"We have to hide," he whispered. "Madam Pomfrey's coming with Remus."

They got underneath the cloak and hid underneath a table.

A couple of minutes later, Madam Pomfrey's footsteps could be heard coming into the shack.

"...be just fine, Remus," they heard her say soothingly. "I've put the painkillers in the drawer if you need one."

"Thanks," Remus mumbled, entering the shack with Madam Pomfrey resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, I'll let you be now," said Madam Pomfrey kindly. "I'll come get you tomorrow morning."

She strode off into the darkness.

Sirius almost made to take the cloak off, but Ana stopped him and mouthed, 'Wait till she's definitely gone.'

Remus seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because he didn't make a single sound for a moment.

"Are you guys there?" he whispered.

"We are," Ana whispered back.

Remus' heart skipped a beat at her voice. They really had decided to come.

They came out from under the table and James pulled the cloak off of them.

"Let's try our thing now," James said, running a hand through his messy black hair.

James shut his eyes tightly and looked slightly constipated.

It was all worth it, however, when his body popped into a stag.

Remus' eyes widened. "You actually..."

Sirius grinned. "Anything for you, mate."

He also shut his eyes in concentration and morphed into a black dog with messy hair.

They all turned to Peter, who was already focusing.

It took a couple of seconds, but Peter then popped into the shape of a rat.

"Ana?" asked Remus nervously.

"Right," Ana said, scratching her arms nervously.

Focus on the shape of a wolf, An, she told herself. Bushy tail, long snout, black nose, tall ears...

POP!

Ana felt a little disoriented, but she got up soon enough. She had practiced enough for this to now feel normal.

"You all..." Remus whispered. "You've actually done it!"

They probably wanted to say something, but probably weren't able to for pretty obvious reasons.

Suddenly, Remus dropped to his knees.

Ana managed to pop back into herself just in time to makes sure he didn't hit the ground.

She lugged his limp form over to the creaky bed and placed him there gently.

Ana backed away to give Remus some space.

Everyone turned away as Remus began to twitch slightly.

It was a painful sight, to see their best friend in such pain.

Ana concentrated and turned back into a wolf.

The worst part of the night?

Hearing Remus scream in agony.

Even as a stag, you could clearly see the heartbroken look on James' face.

The terrifed look on Sirius'.

Peter's eagerness to look away.

And...

Ana stood there, trying her hardest to turn away, but she couldn't. She was frozen, staring at her helpless friend.

She felt like she just had to do something.

Remus' wolf form now layed on top of the bed.

Ana trotted over to him and nudged his head with her nose.

Remus lifted his head up to look at her.

Then he scooted over on the bed.

He was making space for her to sit.

Ana hopped up onto the bed and curled up next to Remus.

The rest of the Marauders turned back to see Ana and Remus curled up next to each other.

James trotted over to the foot of the bed, where he nuzzled up to fall asleep.

Sirius followed James and slept just next to his best friend.

Peter slept on the pillow that was on the bed.

Remus normally didn't go to sleep on full moons, normally just ending up scratching himself multiple times or scratching the insides of the house.

But he did nothing of that on this night.

Because tonight, he had his best friends, right by his side.

Ahhhhhh hope you liked the chapter :)

Let me know if you have any suggestionsssssssssss

Love, Jui W.