Taming the True Fire (HP)

The exams had begun, and the castle was filled with the nervous energy of young souls tortured by challenging tasks, such as enchanting an espresso cup to sing or turning a butterfly into a pocket mirror. Gryffindor first-years were doing extremely well, with only minor incidents, such as Petter Pettegrew's cup hitting such a high note it shattered, and Gwyneth Jones' pocket mirror, fluttering around with a pair of blue butterfly wings.

"Well, at least it was pretty." – Catherine tried to console her, but without much success. 

There was one-day break after the Potions and Herbology exams, which students used to cram as much knowledge as possible in their heads. By the evening, everyone was exhausted. Remus was sent to bed early under the threat of a Sleeping Draught from Catherine. Due to the demanding school schedule, he hadn't had the chance to fully recover from his illness, and deep purple circles had formed under his amber eyes. 

The rest of the boys and Catherine were sitting around a low table, covered with parchments and books, attempting to revise for the History of Magic and Astronomy exams. It was fairly late, and they found themselves alone in the Common Room. Peter was already half-asleep over a map of Mars, James was attempting to make his copy of A History of Magic levitate without using a wand, while Sirius was watching his futile attempts. Only Catherine appeared to possess boundless energy, seemingly unfazed by trivial matters like rest or sleep.

She was skimming through Astronomy and Moon Chart Crafting, her brow furrowing as she compared her chart with several thick reference books. Eventually, the young witch lifted her head and looked at the boys with clear annoyance. 

"Aren't any of you planning to review moon charts?" – she snapped. 

"Why?" – asked Sirius, yawning – "Because of Evans' prophetic dreams?"

"It's not about dreams." - Catherine replied, annoyed - "She's right; it's highly likely to be an exam task."

"Why would you even need that crap?" – Sirius said, glancing at the chaos on the table with contempt. 

"Don't be daft!" – the girl scolded him – "Moon charts are incredibly important for tracking moon phases for potion-making, spells, rituals, and even growing and harvesting magical plants."

"Also, for tracking some magical diseases which require different treatment depending on moon phase." – added James, rumpling his already messy black hair – "My grandfather suffered from a nasty form of Goblingrout Fever, and he needed to take certain potions during full moon in addition to his regular treatment."

Catherine nodded then something clicked in her brain. She pushed aside the half-filled-in moon chart, knocking most of the items on the table by trying to reach one of the reference books. 

"The hell?" – shouted Sirius when a bottle of ink tumbled and opened on top of his notes. 

"When was the last time Remus was sick?" – she asked franticly. 

"I don't know, two weeks ago?" – said James, trying to salvage his own notes from the spreading pool of ink. 

"Before that, he had to take care of his sick mother on two occasions…" – Catherine was mumbling, flipping through the pages of the reference book – "And also in February… and right after Christmas break…"

"What's happening?" – asked Peter, now fully awake. 

"Flame has lost her marbles due to overstudying, I presume." – groaned Sirius, desperately attempting to use the Scouring Charm on the drenched parchment. 

"Don't you get it?" – sputtered Catherine – "Remus has always been away during the full moon. The Boggart…I didn't realise it back then, but when he faced it, it turned into a silver sphere, except it wasn't a sphere; it was a full moon."

"So?" – asked James, confused.

"No!" – gasped Sirius, dropping the now half-empty ink bottle, which splattered on the floor – "You can't be serious?!" 

"He told me he was attacked and injured when he was a kid." – Catherine said quietly – "He's never mentioned how he was injured or by whom, but now it all makes sense."

"What are you talking about?" – squeaked Peter.

"Remus hasn't been sick." – whispered Sirius anxiously – "He's a werewolf!" 

Petter screamed in fear, prompting both Sirius and James to jump on top of him and muffle his mouth. 

"What are you screaming for?" – hissed Sirius. 

"He…he…" – stuttered Petter, his face drained of all colours. 

"Are you both sure about this?" – hesitantly asked James – "I mean, how could he hide something so big and dangerous?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore and the school staff know; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to attend Hogwarts in the first place." – said Catherine contemplatively – "As for the rest, I kind of understand… how could he tell us… Look at this one's reaction." – she finished, nodding towards Peter. 

"I have the right to know I share a bedroom with a werewolf!" – Peter defended himself. 

"So what?" – asked Sirius – "Nothing's happened to you. You wouldn't even have noticed if we hadn't told you."

"It's not about that…" – insisted Peter – "werewolves are… dirty, evil creatures. Everyone from a wizarding family knows that. James, you agree with me, don't you?"

James appeared to be in a state of deep shock. He startled a little when Peter addressed him and then looked at the outraged faces of Sirius and Catherine. 

"These are complete and utter nonsense!" – erupted Sirius – "Remus is a person, not a creature! All this crap about werewolves comes from the same place as the one about Muggle-borns. He didn't choose to become a werewolf, and it seems like it's very hard on him." 

"I understand where Peter's reaction comes from." – sighed James, lifting his hand to stop the angry protests from Catherine and Sirius – "It's how we're raised after all. Werewolves are used to install fear in every young witch or wizard. But this is not some random beast; it's the person we've been sharing our lives with for a whole year – both the good and the bad things. The question here is more about what we do now that we know. Should we tell him?"

"I think we should." – said Catherine softly – "We need to let him know he can be himself among us, and we're going to keep it a secret." She glared at Peter, who shuddered, but nevertheless nodded slightly, eyeing James. 

"I'll go get him." – said Sirius. 

"Wait!" – Catherine stopped him – "Are you nuts? We can't do this here and in the middle of the night. Someone may overhear."

The four first-years looked around anxiously. The Gryffindor Tower was completely silent, except for the muffled sounds of sleeping coming from the dormitories upstairs. 

"You're right, Flame."- said James – "It's also better if he finishes his exams without the additional stress. Let's talk with him after it's all done."