Fate is cruel; it doesn't care if you are just a child.
The fifth full moon of 1973 was fast approaching.
Remus Lupin felt that he really couldn't keep making excuses – every month, he had 'something' that required him to leave for a few days. To hide the fact that he had to leave during every full moon, he was also allowed to occasionally pick random days to leave.
If he were alone, it would be fine. He could disappear silently, and the teachers would cover for him—
But ever since he made friends...
How incompatible lies and friendship are.
Unlike his good friends, his difficult childhood made him exceptionally mature for his age. His family had spent all their money on his 'illness'. His parents were afraid of being pointed at and whispered about, so to hide their secret, they had no fixed abode and moved constantly.
He understood how hard-won the opportunity was to attend school and use a wand like other Little Wizards. He also understood even more the importance of keeping a low profile and maintaining secrecy.
On the train to Hogwarts for the first time, he had already prepared to spend his seven years at Hogwarts alone, and then find a place where no one knew him...
But for some reason, the two classmates who were most different from him in personality and background completely disregarded his second-hand robes and worn-out books. They especially liked him, shared everything with him, and included him in everything—
Although the two of them were wildly imaginative when causing trouble and earth-shattering when getting into mischief, they liked him and trusted him almost unconditionally. When the three of them were together, he was truly happy, almost forgetting that he was different from them.
Who would have thought that Dumbledore would admit a Werewolf child? His two friends just hadn't thought in that direction yet.
If they knew he was a Werewolf, would they still treat him this way?
He had promised Dumbledore never to voluntarily reveal his true identity. But looking at his two friends, he sometimes even wished they would find out and ask him directly: Hey, Remus, are you a Werewolf?
Xiao Lupin's inner turmoil was almost comparable to the pain of transformation.
...
May 16th, the day before the full moon.
In the Gryffindor common room, the sunlight was just right. On a large wooden table by the window were some exquisite small pastries and two cups of tea, along with a pile of parchment and a few books. Sirius held a cup of tea, lounging in a soft armchair, looking completely at ease. James, on the other hand, selectively ignored his homework and talked to Remus:
"These were made by Kreacher, the Potter House-elf. Aren't they delicious?"
Xiao Lupin nodded, sighed inwardly, and said, "I have to go back to see my mother this month."
"Hope she gets better soon."
While Lupin turned sadly to his homework, Sirius and James exchanged a quick glance.
...
After saying goodbye to Remus, Sirius and James put on the Potter family's Invisibility Cloak, slipped out of the common room, and followed Remus all the way to Professor Sprout's office.
They had secretly followed Remus once before, but that time they encountered Professor McGonagall, and they chickened out in the end—they didn't dare to follow.
Under the Invisibility Cloak, the two looked at each other, their eyes firm, and nodded in silent agreement at the same time.
"Thump..." Suddenly, there was the sound of something soft falling behind them—
Sirius turned back in surprise and saw a wand tip pointing upwards, peeking out from the corner and waving.
Among familiar Wizards, one could identify the other person's identity from the appearance of their wand. And this one was hawthorn, eleven inches long, very familiar.
Regulus?!
Sirius hesitated for a moment, then also took out his wand from under the Invisibility Cloak and waved it—twelve inches, oak.
Eyes met, the right person was found.
Turning the corner, Sirius saw Regulus standing there with an innocent look, while Peter Pettigrew from his own house lay stiffly at his feet like a fat rat.
"I saw this person acting suspiciously, I think he's from your Gryffindor, right?" Regulus kicked the stunned Peter Pettigrew hard, whispering, "I guess he was following you."
He kicked Peter again.
"Then what are you doing?"
"How did you find us?"
Sirius and James asked simultaneously.
"Simple, by listening to the footsteps—I'm exploring the secrets of the Castle," Regulus said with a mysterious look. "I've even found some clues—"
"Later," hearing the door of Professor Sprout's office about to be pushed open, James whispered, "No time to explain, get under the cloak quickly."
Before the door to Professor Sprout's office opened again, Regulus quickly ducked under the cloak.
Xiao Lupin looked listless, following Professor Sprout, carrying a bag in his hand.
"Appare Vestigium!" Professor Sprout checked the corridor and then cast a Disillusionment Charm.
And under the Potter family's Invisibility Cloak, they were, of course, undetectable.
"Let's go, Remus," Professor Sprout's voice came from the transparent air before them.
Sirius and James exchanged glances, thinking the clue was about to disappear here. But they saw Regulus give them a look and point in a direction slightly to their front right, signaling them to follow.
?! Regulus could see through the Disillusionment Charm?
Identifying location by sound?
The three of them huddled close together, walking shoulder to shoulder under the Invisibility Cloak.
The two Gryffindors followed Regulus's instructions, carefully and holding their breath. They quickly noticed—Regulus moved nimbly and lightly, like a cat, completely silent, and even his ears twitched slightly in the direction of sounds, just like a cat's!
The three followed at a moderate distance—
There was still some time before sunset, and the vast green grounds below Hogwarts Castle were still gleaming.
The outline of the Whomping Willow grew clearer and clearer as they approached. To Sirius's astonishment, Regulus signaled the three of them to stop before the Whomping Willow's dappled shadow.
In their previous 'adventures', they had also noticed this tree. But besides waving its branches and erratically hitting people, there seemed to be nothing special about it, and they quickly lost interest.
"Regulus—" Sirius had too many questions and couldn't help but whisper.
"Shh!" Regulus didn't want to explain and simply told them to shut up first.
They waited quietly for an unknown amount of time before Professor Sprout suddenly appeared out of thin air on the green ground, looking as if she was returning to the Castle.
"Remus is still inside," James said dryly, glancing at the unexpectedly present Regulus, "We—"
While Sirius hesitated, he saw Regulus glance at his watch and say calmly, "Do you want to go in and take a look?"
...
In the messy, dusty Shrieking Shack, Xiao Lupin put the bag he was carrying in a corner to hide it, lest it be damaged by himself after transforming into a Werewolf.
After thinking for a moment, he walked back, opened the supply bag, carefully took out a piece of pastry, and hid the bag again.
The sweet taste reminded him of Sirius's overly beautiful little face and James's sunny smile.
Huh? Why was he seeing things?
Lupin rubbed his eyes—
The 'overly beautiful' Sirius, upon entering, saw Remus sitting alone and pitifully on a broken chair, eating Kreacher's pastry in small bites. Immediately, he pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, and the slight dissatisfaction he felt about his friend's deception vanished into thin air.
"Sirius! James! Uh... Regulus?" Before he could ask anything, he was drowned in questions.
"Remus! It's time for you to come clean, isn't it?"
"What else do you have to say? Why were you hiding it from us?"
Regulus stood aside, looking very relieved as he watched the three good friends angrily question each other while clearly still caring about one another.
Xiao Lupin showed a smile of relief: "You've probably guessed already—I am a Werewolf."
"You need to leave quickly. When I transform, I lose my mind and become even more violent than the Whomping Willow outside. Look at the marks in this room; they are all from when I was transforming." There was a bitterness in his voice that didn't match his age.
In Newt Scamander's 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', the danger level of a transformed Werewolf is defined as the highest, known to kill wizards/impossible to domesticate or tame...
"So what if you're a Werewolf? What's there to hide from us?"
"We are best friends!"
...
"Let's go, don't cause Remus any more trouble," Regulus looked at his watch, pulled the two reluctant and talkative friends, and said back, "Remus, take care! We'll wait for you to come back."
Looking at the backs of his friends, Xiao Lupin suddenly remembered the first time he came to the Hogwarts Great Hall. Anxiously, he put on the tattered old Sorting Hat, waiting for his fate, terrified that the hat would sort him back home—
"Oh, a very special Little Wizard indeed... Let me see... Hmm, extremely excellent qualities... How to face fear will be your life's lesson. Ha! I know it: your life is an adventure, and adventures should be shared with others—you belong in—"
"Gryffindor!" the hat announced loudly.
Adventures should be shared with others. Silently repeating the Sorting Hat's words, Xiao Lupin smiled sincerely.