August 1977

Chloe curled up in the corner of her bedroom, hands over her ears, trying to block out the yelling coming from the other side of her bedroom door as she hid on the far side of her twin sized bed. Her parents were screaming at each other in the hallway just outside her room. "This clearly isn't working, Russell. If it was, we would have seen results a long time ago," her mother shouted. "I've been telling you from the start that we have to stop letting her go to that horrible place every year. Put her back in a normal school with normal people and maybe all this nonsense will finally go away."

There was a pause in the screaming match. Chloe knew that meant that her father was most likely nodding his head, agreeing with her mother. "All right, Wendy," Chloe heard her father say. "You're right; it's time we took her away from those freak friends and that freak world she lives in. But just the same," he said angrily. "I'm going to keep trying to beat this 'magical' demonical crap out of her. Maybe that'll help her become a normal person again faster."

When Wendy remained silent, Chloe knew she was about to be in deep trouble. She grabbed her wand off the nightstand and hid it in the pocket of her jeans as well as she could manage as she heard her father try the locked door handle, then start pounding furiously on the door. Chloe ran to the window, opening it. She'd just started to climb out of the window when the door frame gave way. Russell tore into the room, grabbing a fistful of Chloe's blonde hair and pulling her back into the small bedroom, throwing her down on the floor. "Dad, please," Chloe cried. "I haven't done anything."

Russell kicked his daughter in her ribcage. "Maybe not recently, because your mother and I don't allow you to get away with anything. But heaven only knows what all disgusting, vile, evil activities you've been a part of since we foolishly allowed you to go off to that freaky school of yours," he growled viciously.

Chloe stared up at her father from where she lay in the floor, trying her hardest not to glare at the man, knowing that even looking at him the wrong way right now would only heighten his rage. "Hogwarts is not a bad place, and I haven't done anything wrong there," she insisted.

Russell grabbed her shirt by the shoulder and pulled her to her feet, then slapped her hard across the face, causing tears to well up in the sixteen-year-old's eyes. Chloe heard Wendy go in the master bedroom and shut the door behind her. Russell shook Chloe roughly. "I don't care that you think all this magic nonsense is ok. It's of the devil, and it's deadly. A few hundred years ago, you would have been burned at the stake to free you from the demons possessing you that give you these so-called 'magical powers.' Don't think I haven't considered that option, either." Fear shone brightly in Chloe's eyes as Russell's face lit up, as though he were getting an idea. "Where is that bloody stick of yours, you stupid witch?"

Chloe's eyes grew wide as she struggled to free herself from her father's grip. "No, no, no! Dad, please! Don't take my wand," she begged.

"I'm not just going to take it away from you, stupid girl," Russell declared. "I'm going to burn it. Keep you from using that awful magic of yours once and for all." Russell released his daughter's shoulders and pushed her away from him as he shouted, "Where is the damn wand?"

Chloe stumbled a few steps backwards as he let her go, then turned and ran from the room as fast as she could. She flew across the living room and flung herself out the front door, hearing her father chasing after her and screaming obscenities at her as she went. Running through the neighborhood, Russell never more than a few feet behind her, Chloe ran up the steps of the fifth house down from hers and started banging on the front door. That was when Russell caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off her feet as kicked and screamed, trying to get away. A tall, middle-aged man with brown hair and even darker brown eyes answered the door, looking confused. Seeing the man, Chloe rushed her words, calling out over her father's angry words as he pulled her off the porch and into the street, "Mr. Lupin! Mr. Lupin, please! I'm Remus's friend; please, help me!"

A much younger, though every bit as tall as Mr. Lupin, man appeared in the doorway behind Mr. Lupin. Chloe heard him say, "Dad, she goes to Hogwarts with me. Help her, please."

Lyall Lupin pulled out his wand and pointed it at Russell. "Sir, release that young girl."

Russell let go of Chloe, who immediately bolted back up onto the porch. Remus stepped from behind his father onto the porch and hugged Chloe to his chest. "That's my daughter," Russell spat venomously. "I don't know how she managed to get more of you wand-wielding demons like you to live in a nice, normal village like this, but you still can't take my little girl away from me. I'll never let her go."

Russell's voice increased in volume as he spoke. Remus could feel Chloe trembling in his arms; she flinched hard every time her father's voice grew louder. Remus squeezed her as Lyall said calmly, "I suggest you go home. Give it a couple of days; let both of you cool off. Don't make me turn you into a mouse."

Russell glared at the three on the porch, then spat on the ground. "Chloe, never come back to my house. Until you're ready to admit you're wrong and give up all this evil magic crap, don't you ever come back to my house."

Without waiting for a reply, Russell stormed back down the road towards his house. Chloe released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Remus gently rubbed her upper arm, attempting a comforting gesture. Lyall made a waving motion with his hand. "Inside, you two, before we attract any more attention from the Muggle neighbors."

Remus nodded. Chloe allowed Remus to usher her into the house, with Lyall following and closing the door behind them. A middle aged woman with gray speckling her light brown hair, concern in her green eyes, asked, "Is everybody all right?" she asked. "Is anyone hurt?"

"We're fine, Hope," Lyall said soothingly to his wife, wrapping an arm around her. "But it appears that we'll be having a guest until it's time to return to Hogwarts in a couple of weeks."

Chloe stepped out of Remus's embrace, frowning when she saw spots of blood on his light blue t-shirt. She touched her face gingerly, only then discovering that her father's slap had busted her lip, making it bruise and bleed. Remus noticed Chloe's bleeding lip, going and getting a washrag from the linen closet. He took the piece of cloth to the kitchen sink and began to soak the material in warm water. As he did so, Hope said, "Oh, doesn't that sound nice? What's your name, dear?"

Chloe's eyes never left Remus's back as he stood over as she answered, "Chloe Honeycutt."

Switching off the water, Remus walked over to Chloe with the wet washrag. He moved her over to sit in a chair at the dining room table, then began gently dabbing at the cut on Chloe's lip. Remus said to his parents, "Chloe is a friend of mine from Hogwarts. Well, actually we mostly just study together. She's a Hufflepuff, so most of the time our paths only cross in the classroom and the library. We're usually partners in Potions and Herbology classes. I sent her an owl when we moved here, just in case she ever wanted to hang out, but I never heard back from her." Pausing his treatment of her wound, Remus turned his attention back to Chloe. Looking deep into her eyes, Remus continued, "I thought you just weren't interested in seeing me during the summer or something when I never got a reply. I never even saw the owl again."

Chloe looked down at her hands in her lap, unable to keep eye contact with Remus as salty tears burned her eyes. "You never will," she said softly. "My father caught me with the owl in my room this summer after I'd already read your letter. He shot the owl with his gun and burned your letter, thinking I hadn't read it yet." Chloe shook her head. "I'm really sorry about your owl…"

Remus patted her knee. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. We've bought another owl already anyway."

Chloe nodded, but the sadness still lingered in her eyes. She still wouldn't meet anyone's gaze. Hope suggested, "Remus, why don't you show Chloe up to your room? You can sleep down here on the couch till September 1 rolls around."

Chloe's head snapped up to look Remus in the face. "Oh, no, please. I can sleep on the couch; I hate to make Remus give up his room."

Remus shook his head. "Don't be silly," he said. "I'm more than happy to; don't worry about it." Chloe looked uncertain for another moment, before she finally resigned herself and nodded. Remus took her by the hand and led her up the stairs to his bedroom. Shutting the door to the room behind them as Chloe stepped tentatively into the room, Remus said, "So, this is it. Please, make yourself at home."

Chloe hesitated, then went and sat down on the edge of the bed. Remus stood leaning against the door, watching her closely. Chloe played with the bottom edge of her green shirt nervously. She said quietly, "Thank you, Remus. I'm so sorry to just burst in like this."

Remus replied easily, "It's ok, Chloe. I really don't mind. It was pretty clear that you were in danger out there tonight. The last thing any of us would want is for you to get hurt." Chloe nodded slightly, but Remus frowned. "Why were you in danger, anyway? I mean, from what I could tell out on the porch tonight, you were having some sort of fight with your dad?"

Chloe said slowly, as though saying it caused her pain, "Yes. My parents are extremely religious people. I suppose my first year at Hogwarts they didn't realize that it was a school for witches and wizards, or they'd have never let me go in the first place. Anyway, they consider magic something dangerous, a sin or whatever. So ever since they realized I wasn't a Muggle like them, they've hated me. Tonight I guess was the last straw. My dad was going to burn my wand and force me to go to school with the Muggles. He even mentioned burning me, like at one of those witch trials in the middle ages. I'm not seventeen until September 1, and even then it's not legal to use magic in front of Muggles, so I couldn't defend myself."

Remus furrowed his brow. "It's legal to use magic in front of Muggles in life-threatening situations, Chloe. If you were in serious danger, you could defend yourself, of age or not." Chloe shrugged, and Remus moved to sit down beside her. "You know, you're safe here. Dad and I won't let your parents get to you. No one's going to be taking your wand, and you'll get to go back to Hogwarts in September."

Chloe glanced over at Remus anxiously. "Are you sure?" she whispered.

Remus threw a protective arm around her shoulders. "Yes, I'm sure." Chloe seem to waver in a decision, then rested her head on his shoulder. Remus squeezed Chloe's shoulder and smiled at her. "It'll be ok. I promise. Ok?"

Chloe answered softly, "Ok."

Later that night, Chloe was tiptoeing down the stairs to talk to Remus. Despite the fact that it was one in the morning, Chloe couldn't sleep. She paused on the staircase, though, when she heard voices floating from the living room. "Does she know about you though, Remus? Sure, she's safe from her parents here, but it's hard enough to keep us safe when you…" Lyall trailed off.

"No, dad, she doesn't know. She doesn't need to know. We can send her to stay with James or Peter or someone when that happens," Chloe heard Remus saying.

"Remus, dear, I'm not sure that's a wise decision," Hope said softly. "If she's had all the same classes at Hogwarts as you, then she's sure to get suspicious if you send her away for the night on the night of the full moon." Chloe frowned at the comment about the full moon. "Remus, I don't know what your relationship to this girl has been like in the past at school, but clearly this girl likes you a lot and has a lot of faith and trust in you. I think you should tell her the truth; she'll only trust you more if you do."

"Mum," Remus argued. "I've tried to tell girls I've dated in the past and ended up having to Obliviate them because they react so horribly to it, then break up with them. I'm not even dating Chloe. She's been through so much with her family already. I don't want to burden her even more when she doesn't have to be."

Lyall said, "Remus, you're mother's right. I know I'm normally all for keeping this a secret from anyone and everyone, but things have worked out wonderfully when James, Sirius, and Peter found out about you. I think in this one case, it might be a good idea for you to tell Chloe. She seems to think the world of you, and your mother's right, if she came looking to you for help like this then she trusts you more than anyone else in the world. You should trust her in turn."

Unwilling to eavesdrop anymore, Chloe quickly and quietly ran back up the stair's to Remus's room, shutting the door silently behind her. She started digging through his dresser, looking for something she could use as pajamas since she had left all of her clothes behind at her parents house. Deciding on a gray t-shirt, she stripped off her own shirt and threw Remus's shirt on over her pale pink bra. She pulled off her jeans and was digging through his drawers more for something she could wear as pants when Remus slipped in the room, the sound of the door shutting behind him nearly making her jump out of her skin. Chloe spun around, then remembered her state of undress, and although his t-shirt covered her bum, she still pulled the edge of the shirt down more, trying to cover more of her bare legs. Blushing, she said, "Ummm, I'm sorry, Remus. I was looking for something to sleep in since all of my clothes are still at my parents' house. I mean, um, I can't summon them over here since I'm not seventeen yet, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind…"

Remus smiled, shaking his head at how flustered Chloe was. "It's all right," Remus said as he laughed softly. He walked over to her, leaving only a few inches between them. Chloe's breath hitched at the sudden closeness. He smirked slightly, almost as though he could hear her heart as it began to race, and bent down and opened the bottom drawer of the dresser, pulling a pair of boxers out of the drawer. "I'll just cast a little Shrinking Charm on these," he said as he stood up, handing them to her. He waved his wand over the shorts, shrinking them down to what looked to be more her size. "There," he said softly. "Now they should fit fine."

Chloe clutched the green shorts tightly in her hands, her embarrassment still causing her to blush bright red. "Thanks," she whispered.

Remus chuckled. "You're welcome," he replied. Chloe looked away from his eyes, unwilling to meet his gaze when his close proximity was still making her heart race — from fear or excitement, she wasn't sure. "So umm, I heard you on the stairs earlier."

Chloe glanced up at him suddenly, her green eyes meeting his. "How did you —"

Remus smirked. "I have a lot better hearing than my parents." He suddenly looked very solemn. "So I guess that means you overheard our conversation?" Chloe nodded slowly, taking the only step backwards that there was room for before bumping into the dresser. Remus frowned when he noticed her pull away. "You're afraid of me now," he mused.

Chloe said softly, "More nervous than afraid."

Remus sighed. "You don't need to be afraid of me or nervous around me. I swear, I'm not dangerous. I'm not a Death Eater or anything even remotely like that." Chloe simply nodded, staring down at the pair of boxers in her hand, while pulling at the bottom of the shirt she was wearing with the other hand. Remus sighed, seeming to sense her nervousness. "I promise, I'm still the same guy I've always been, that you've always known." Chloe nodded again, and she saw Remus getting frustrated. "Please, just believe me. I'm still your friend, the guy who saved you from those Slytherin bullies in first year, remember that?"

Chloe replied, "Of course I remember that. I'm not afraid of you, Remus. I'm just nervous. My nerves are frayed from everything else that's happened today, and then I overhear you having a conversation about some dangerous secret you're keeping from me. I'm sorry if not knowing what kind of secret you're hiding from me makes me nervous, but it does."

Remus ran a hand through his hair, then placed his hands on the dresser on either side of Chloe. "Ok, ok," he said, then he took a deep breath. Chloe watched his scarred face as he seemed to push through some painful emotions. "Chloe, you can never tell anyone about this. Even if you hate me for the rest of your life after this and never speak to me again, you can't tell anyone." Chloe nodded. Remus sighed, then, without meeting her eyes, said, "I'm a werewolf, Chloe. That's why I could hear you on the stairs when my parents couldn't. That's why just a few minutes ago, I could hear your heart racing when I got so close to you. That's why I miss classes so often. I'm a werewolf. I swear though, I'm really not dangerous. I'm the same person as always. I'm only dangerous during the full moon, that one night out of the month that I turn, but I promise, we'll keep you safe from me then when I turn in a few days. You can go stay with James or Sirius or Peter; they're the only three people, other than my parents and Dumbledore, who know what I am. I promise, I'll never hurt you."

Chloe thought for a moment, watching the agony in his face as he told her all of this. When he finished, she threw her arms around his neck. "Ok," she said softly. "So you're a werewolf. You're right, that doesn't change who you are."

Remus pulled out of her embrace and stared at her in surprise. "You mean it?" he asked.

"Of course," Chloe insisted. "Look, you just found out something incredibly hard for me to share with anyone about my life. It's honestly why I don't have any really close friends at school; I'm too afraid. You just shared the biggest secret of your life with me. I think that makes us pretty even. I trusted you with something huge, and you've trusted me. You're right; you being a werewolf won't put me in any real danger. It'll be fine. Besides," she added with a bitter laugh. "It's still safer for me to live with a werewolf than it is for me to go home to my parents."

Remus shook his head, a cynical grin forming on his face. "Yeah, I suppose that is true," he murmured. He stared into her eyes intently, then shook his head. "I'm sorry you're having to deal with that," he said softly.

Chloe nodded, saying, "It's ok." She paused, then whispered, "Would you mind if I finished getting dressed now, Remus?"

Remus chuckled softly, then brushed his fingers over her left cheek delicately. "I suppose you may, but only if you really must," he teased.

Chloe laughed, then pushed against his chest with her hand. Remus allowed the shove to move him back a couple steps, then slowly backed out of the room, grinning mischievously, as she said, amused, "Oh, go to bed, Remus… or, well, the couch."

Remus reached the door as he said, "All right, all right. I'm downstairs if you need me, and please, feel free to need me." He winked at her, making her stifle what would have been a loud laugh so that she wouldn't disturb his parents, as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Chloe woke up, her head spinning. Everything felt hazy as she tried to move her arms and legs, but her limbs wouldn't budge. She opened her eyes and glanced around. Seeing that she was tied to a wooden post, standing on a pile of wood that smelled strongly of gasoline, Chloe screamed as what was happening dawned on her. After a few moments of terror, she saw her parents standing in front of the bonfire about to happen that Chloe was standing on. Behind the parents was her parents' house, out in the middle of nowhere. Chloe heard her parents laughing as she struggled. Looking around for her wand, she finally spotted the fir wand with a dragon heartstring core laying at her feet. Russell Honeycutt shouted at his daughter, "I shall now cleanse you from the demonic spirits that have taken over your body and mind, Chloe. You'll thank me when you see me again in heaven."

Chloe screamed as her father threw a match on the pyre and it burst into flames, the fire licking at her feet. "Mummy, Daddy, no! Please, let me go! I haven't done anything wrong! Please, Mummy, Daddy, let me go; help me!" She shrieked in pain. "You're hurting me. This will kill me; please, help me!" Chloe heard her parents' cackles, then felt something shaking her shoulders hard. She tried to move her arms to smack away whatever was shaking her, but her arms were tied down…

Chloe felt whatever was shaking her hard continue, and the sensation encouraged the panic attack growing in Chloe's chest. Finally realizing she could move again, she snapped open her eyes, sat up quickly, and slapped blindly at the air in front of her, making contact with something soft but muscular. It grabbed her wrist as she pulled back to hit it again. When her eyes finally focused, she saw Remus sitting on the bed beside her, concern shining in his eyes. She tried to steady her breathing, but it still came out ragged. Sweat drenching her skin, she shivered as she asked nervously, "What are you doing here, Remus?"

Remus frowned at her, looking worried. "I could hear you muttering in your sleep from downstairs. I came up to check on you, but when I saw you all sweaty and tossing and turning and saying things like 'no, please, don't hurt me, Daddy,' I got worried and started trying to wake you up." Chloe looked down at her hands in her lap as he spoke, shame causing tears to build in her eyes. Furrowing his brow as he saw her tears, he wrapped her up in a tight hug and pulled her into his lap. Remus held the back of her head gently in one hand, pressing his lips to the top of her blonde head, though not truly kissing her. "Please, don't cry," he murmured softly against her hair. "It was just a nightmare. Everything's going to be ok, Chloe; I promise."

Chloe took a deep, steadying breath against Remus's chest, brushing the tears rolling down her cheeks away with her hand. "I'm sorry," she croaked.

Remus pulled away from her head to look down at her properly. "What on earth are you sorry for?"

Chloe shook her head. "Everything, I suppose," she said through the tears. "For crying, for waking you up, for waking your parents with my talking in my sleep, for intruding on your lives at all and taking over your room, for… for being a witch at all in the first place."

Remus shushed her gently. "No, no, no, please, don't be sorry for any of that. It's not your fault. You have every right to cry right now; I'm just a man who, like every other male on the planet, doesn't know what the hell to do with a crying woman. I wasn't asleep in the first place anyway; I was up already, so don't even worry about that. Plus, remember I've got that sensitive werewolf hearing thing going on right now, so don't even worry about my parents, they're dead asleep. Having you here is absolutely no problem. You're hardly intruding; we're more than happy to have you here. As for being sorry you're a witch at all, that is the last thing you should ever feel. Your magic is a gift. You're an incredibly talented witch, and you've always done the right thing. You've never misused your magic. Don't let some bigoted, ignorant jackass tell you that you aren't a good person because you're a witch, because it's nowhere near true. You're a beautiful, kind, loving person who would never hurt anyone. Please remember that."

Chloe nodded, leaning tiredly against Remus's chest. "I dreamed I was being burned at the stake by my parents," she whispered into his shirt, sounding exhausted.

Remus clutched the petite girl closer to him, laying his head on top of hers. "I'm sorry," he replied sincerely. They sat together in silence for a moment, before Remus asked anxiously, "Are you going to be ok going back to sleep?"

Chloe thought about the question, then shook her head. "Not really," she whispered.

Remus watched her for another moment, then asked, "Do you want me to stay up here with you until you fall back asleep?" Chloe nodded. Remus gently removed her from his lap, placing her back on the bed, where she slid the rest of the way back under the red and gold quilt. Remus crawled into the bed beside her, then Chloe snuggled up against his chest. Remus played with loose strands of her straight hair as he lulled her to sleep with a song she didn't recognize. She imagined it must be some sort of lullaby from the wizard world, because it certainly wasn't a Muggle one. Remus hadn't even finished the song once when Chloe drifted back into a deep sleep.