Poison.

Chapter 3: Revelations.

Sirius managed to get through the day without too much problem, but James had asked him a few times if he was okay, and if he needed to go to the hospital wing. Sirius had laughed and told him he worried too much and that he would probably ask Remus if he needed to go there simply because he got a headache! James threw a book at him.

Sirius ran into Severus around lunch time, but neither had the chance to stop, as James and Peter were not far behind Sirius in the corridor. Remus was in the hospital wing.

Sirius gestured at Severus to hide in a secret passageway to the left so James wouldn't see him, as Sirius couldn't be certain he wouldn't stop to taunt him. He didn't want that.

Severus smiled at him and vanished behind the tapestry Sirius had indicated, just as James and Peter came round the corner. "Hey! Pads! Wait up!" James called, putting a hand on his shoulder, and leading the way to the Great Hall for lunch.

It was later that evening when Sirius James and Peter headed down to the Whomping willow under James's invisibility cloak, slipping in behind Remus, unnoticed by either their friend or Madam Hooch.

Once they were in the passageway Sirius tapped Remus on the shoulder and removed the invisibility cloak so he could see them. " Wh… What are you three doing here!" Remus asked, shocked.

Sirius grinned at him. "We told you we had something to show you. James, if you will…" And suddenly, where James had stood, now stood a massive stag bearing a proud head of antlers.

Remus's jaw dropped open. "Si… Sirius… Is he…!" Sirius nodded.

"Yep. Took us all the way from second year to do it!"

"And what do you…? And Peter…?" Sirius grinned, and fixed an image in his mind of the animal he wished to turn into, the air shimmered around him, and suddenly there stood a great black dog, panting, and wagging its tail. Remus, still looking shocked, glanced around trying to locate Peter, who scampered up his pants leg, and situated himself on Remus's shoulder. " Peter… Is that…? Sirius! Don't tell me this was all your idea!"

Sirius resumed his natural form, and nodded. "Yep. Me and James got it first time, but Pete here needed a little help. And in case you're wondering about the nicknames we've been calling each other, James if Prongs, Peter is Wormtail, and I'm Padfoot."

"And we're calling you Moony." James said, also resuming his human form.

"But why did you guys…?"

"So we could come with you." Sirius replied. "A werewolf won't attack animals. Only people. So now we can be with you on the full moon!" Remus looked close to tears, and Sirius suspected they were tears of happiness.

"Guys… Thanks!" Remus cried, grabbing Sirius in a tight embrace.

"No problem mate!" Sirius ruffled his hair affectionately.

"But… Guys…"

"Mate. Don't start this 'you-don't-wanna-see-me-as-a-werewolf' thing again will you? Mate, we don't care what you look like! Even once a month on a full moon when you grow four legs and a tail!" Remus nodded, overcome with joy at what his friends had done for him. Sirius glowed with pride that his idea had worked, and they could finally be with their friend in his time of need.

The four of them trekked up to the shrieking shack, Peter riding on Remus' shoulder until they got there.

Sirius and James transformed, standing in the corner of the large bedroom. Remus sat down on the bed as a violent shudder suddenly wracked his body. Remus cried out, and Sirius whined as his friend lurched off the bed and lay crouched on the hard floor, retching violently, as his body convulsed, his muscles twitching, skull lengthening with a sickening crack, as his features were pushed sharply outwards forming a long, thin muzzle.

Remus's moans had turned from frail human cries of pain to a deep, feral growling. Remus straightened up, sniffing the air, then reared up on his hind legs, letting loose a low mournful howl.

Sirius felt the fear and confusion of his friend still resonating through the room, even over the new scents and feelings of the werewolf's rage and hunger.

Sirius and James sat, waiting for Remus to notice them, Peter sitting atop James's head, between his antlers. Moony growled and walked over, sniffing his new companions a few times before whining and extending his forepaws on the ground in an invitation to play. Sirius wagged his tail, and did the same, suddenly pouncing on the werewolf, the stag and the rat joining in shortly after.

That night was the beginning of the rest of their lives.

***

It was a few months later when Severus cornered Sirius out in the courtyard. He had a sad, sombre look on his face which made Sirius more than a little concerned. They had had many other meetings in the forest since the first one, and Sirius had had more than his fair share of a good time, but he and Severus had continued to act like they hated each other to the public eye. ' Could someone have found out…?'

"Severus…?" Sirius asked, concerned. Severus looked as though whatever he had to say was incredibly hard and painful to get through.

"Sirius… We can't keep doing this…" There! The five words Sirius had hoped never to hear. They were like poison, slowly seeping through his veins, killing him from the inside out.

"Severus…" He couldn't understand it.

"Sirius… We can't. We can't keep lying to everyone forever, and sooner or later some body's bound to find out…"

That was it then… They had spent so long making it work, and he was being dismissed. Just like this? Well, fine then! If he wanted to play it that way!

"Fine… Yeah, whatever… See you round, I guess…" And Sirius walked off.

"Sirius! Wait…!" He didn't even bother to turn around. 'Damn Slytherins! He should have known better than to trust them! Even that one… Especially that one!' Sirius vowed that from that day on he would hate all Slytherins. Hate them with a vehement conviction, and a silent, vicious passion. ' Especially that one…' He never spoke to Severus again after that day… Not until a day many years on from that one, when their lives had both taken very different paths to a sad, tragic, and undeservedly painful life.