Author's Notes:

Whale, whale, whale... I'm back.

That's right, after two painstakingly long weeks, Book two is already underway. England was indeed inspiring, and boy do I have some material for you guys!

If you're joining in now, welcome to Book/Year 2, and thank you so much for your interest! It may not make much sense later on if you haven't read the first part yet, but that's okay. I started with Chamber of Secrets and I turned out all right I think.

If you're continuing on this train, welcome back! And thank you so much for your continued support. The fact that you didn't drop off after the last one concluded means more than words can say. I don't think I'll ever get used to having such lovely people be such a huge encouragement.

That being said, I do encourage you to read the previous if you haven't already. It'll give you an idea for where the tone is going for this whole shindig, and you'll get the feel for me as well!

With that, I heavily encourage you to write a review for me telling me your thoughts. If you love it, absolutely hate it, think it's okay, whatever! The only thing I ask is that it's constructive. I really ant to improve on my weak areas, and I need you guys to help me along.

The Tumblog is still up and running if you want to follow it, the URL is in my profile! There's mainly just chapters and goodies now, but it's a better place to get updates and announcements from me should I need to make any in between posts.

That's it for now... So with this new installment, the same old disclaimers apply... I in no way own any of the lovely characters lovingly referenced that already exist in J.K. Rowling's world.

Chapter One

Trial in Error

Remus kicked his feet over the bed as he awoke in the middle of the night, and prodded one of the floorboards with his big toe to listen for the creak. The book he'd been keeping safe for professor Zilar had been humming in the middle of the night again, filling his sleep with nightmares of the night three weeks prior when he died. It all seemed so much farther away now. He hopped off the bed and sat crisscrossed on his floor, lifting the loose board until he saw the old leather binding and silver lettering: Imperium Vitae Periculosae.

The humming turned into loud, incoherent whispers when his fingers graced the leather, which only grew louder as he pulled out the text and set it on his lap. Remus could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest as he opened to the same horrible image every single time. The Werewolf…

The same creature within himself.

He tilted his head as head watched the enchanted sketch change from man to beast on the page, when he flipped it to see an identical image. He was frozen in confusion. Usually the book only ever has one monster at a time, what was even more harrowing was what was there instead of the usual sketch of an unnamed man. It was him. Staring blankly into Remus eyes, the page transformed until his sketch became beast. The werewolf thrashed wildly and tore through the pages to make one fell swipe at his face— Making him wake up with a start to the sunrise that next morning.

Remus sat up; not even taking the time to breathe just to make sure the humming was gone. When he was sure the only noise was his mother scraping dishes in the kitchen. He sighed in relief and threw on one of his dad's old shirts that he wore as pyjamas and headed down to the kitchen to greet his mother, making sure to take extra caution as to not disturb the creaky floorboard by his bed.

xxx

Just as Remus has fixed himself a bowl, the fluttering of wings and sudden thud on the kitchen windowsill gave Hope Lupin such a jump that she dropped the dish she was scrubbing into the bubbly water, splashing it everywhere. Remus looked up from his bowl of porridge from the kitchen table and giggled at the sight, seeing his owl Ezra rap affectionately at the window for her to grab the letters tied to one of his legs.

"Oh, right… mail." She mumbled under her breath, drying her hands on her blouse before working at the knot. "Almost a year and still not used to it. I kind of miss the post man." She kept a whimsical tone in her voice while reaching up to stroke the owl under his beak and plucked a treat from a container hanging on the inside of the kitchen window. Ezra hooted delightedly and scooped up what looked like a cubed piece of bacon before fluttering away, disappearing just as quickly as he came. Hope turned and walked over to Remus while examining one envelope front to back, her ginger hair framed and glowing in the morning sunlight filtering through the windows.

"What's 'at?" Remus asked with his mouth still slightly full from his most recent spoonful, making her flick her eyes up at him.

"One for you from James again, and the other… for your father. Huh, that's odd. I thought I'd be the one getting all of the letters addressed to me and delivered by owl." A small smile pulled at her lips as she placed it on the countertop where his father would see it when he popped in from work. "If it was really important I'm sure he'd have had it delivered at work… unless you think it has been already read… do you…?"

Remus shrugged. The truth was that he'd been as new at magic as his mother was. It was only a year ago that both of them got pulled into the wizarding world from most of what they considered normal. For all he knew, there would be hundreds of letters just waiting for him at every corner waiting to be opened. Then again of course, it could have just been something a little less urgent. Whatever the case, the thought amused him. He took another spoonful with one hand and fixed his hair with the other. Despite being a little longer than the last time she saw him when he left for Hogwarts last September, she still made it a point to fix his locks that she could plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Still going to help me with the gardening today?" She asked, making Remus groan. "Oh it's not that bad. Besides, you're not going to spend a morning like this lazing around all day in your pyjamas."

"All right… I'll finish breakfast and get dressed." He replied in a tired voice while reaching for James' letter. She smiled and fixed his hair again before walking off, giving him the privacy and time to read what James had sent him.

Dear Remus,

You know these letters don't have to be composed like essays right? And you're making me look bad because now my mother is starting to think I didn't get all of those good grades on my own. I still can't believe you almost got near perfect marks. I wonder if you beat out Evans.

Remus rolled his eyes. Even in writing he could never escape James' moaning over Lily Evans, his muggleborn friend from school. He'd been keeping in touch with her over the passed few weeks and did in fact learn that she'd gotten high marks like him as well, but he'd sooner tell James he was a werewolf than mention anything to do with Lily if he could help it.

Sirius and Peter are doing all right too. Apparently his little brother is supposed to be starting school with us this year so that should be interesting. Could you imagine another one of them? Incredible. Anyway, I'm keeping this one short since I know you'll do enough writing for both of us.

James

He smiled when he reached the end. Remus had only gotten a letter or two from his friends in three weeks he'd been out of school, but he was grateful that he'd gotten any at all. Unfortunately he hadn't heard from Sirius like James had, but he understood. The family he comes from doesn't like families like Remus' who don't have pure wizarding parentage, and are especially disgusted towards families like Lily's who don't have any magical parents at all. The fact that he'd only be sending letters to James and Peter was something he'd accepted before the train home. It was less upsetting that way. Remus tossed the folded sheet or parchment to the side, making a mental note to write James back later after he finished playing around in the dirt with his mother.

xxx

It was true that garden work wasn't as horrible as he made it out in his head. He actually enjoyed the quality time they spent together doing it as well as the neighbors faces watching them go on planting and pruning without magic as she was the only muggle or non magical person in the village they lived at now, plus it was against the rules for Remus to use magic until he came of age when he turned seventeen. He didn't mind not having to use it since it gave him and his mother common ground. It also made him feel better that she didn't need to feel left out. His only concern was that he'd forget how to cast the spells he'd learned at school.

"Ouch—!" cried as she pulled her arms from the rose bush she'd been trimming, revealing long red scratches lined with pinpricks of blood. Remus perked up immediately and she giggled. "It's nothing sweetheart. To be honest I'm surprised I didn't get these a little sooner. See?" She pointed at her arm and as if in layers and after moving the hair from his face to get a better look, he could see the slightly lighter and thinner scar lines shimmer in the sunlight from her sweating skin. He'd never really paid attention to them before but now that he was aware, they were impossible to miss. "I'll just make sure to get your father getting me all pretty again when he gets home. Once you can start using your magic I think I'll be doing much more gardening."

"I would have cut them for you if—"

"I know you would." She interrupted. "Call it the protective mother in me, but I don't want you getting any of these nasty pricks if I can help it. Besides, how else am I going to keep track of how long I've been keeping a rose garden for? They're like… little tally marks, aren't they?" Her attempt to make him feel better only slightly worked. "I'm going to go wash and dress it, keep planting while I'm gone. And no cheating, Remus." She stood to her feet and scurried off, leaving him alone to dig around in the soil, feeling oddly guilty.

xxx

Their day landscaping came to a satisfying close when it began to get dark. After cleaning up the pair of them finally managed to plop down on the sofa to rest. Remus closed his eyes and started to doze when there was a sound like a firecracker pop. In an instant, Lyall Lupin appeared in the kitchen, placing his briefcase on the counter.

"'Ello, 'ello." He said while yawning. Hope carefully stood to her feet as to not disturb her son to greet him, leaving Remus stirring slightly on the sofa. "Ooh, what's this— oh for f—"

"Lyall!" she cut him off in a hushing tone, which ironically enough, was what woke Remus. Instead of sitting up, he stretched his arms forward. His parents continued on without realizing he was awake, but still kept their tones low.

"How was work?"

"Got about ten of these." He said, holding up the envelope and Frisbee tossing it into the bin. "I think some intern cast the spell wrong. Didn't get the memo that I did in fact read the letter the first time."

"What's it about, then?"

"Ah well, it's actually some good news," Remus was concentrating now so that he could hear their soft tones a little better. "We've been given permission by Professor Dumbledore to use the Shrieking Shack for the summer."

"That's excellent!" Hope replied, making Remus' stomach do a flip as well. He'd hoped that while he was home for the summer months that the headmaster wouldn't mind using the old shack. Despite its appearance, it proved to be incredibly durable for his full moon transformations. If he was honest, the relief of not having to resort back to being locked in a room guarded by his dad was a large part of the elated sensation he felt.

"There was something else." Remus turned his head at this. "The er… well, there's been a summons issued for a hearing." The flips his stomach had been doing only moments before flopped. "It'll be in a month or so… Since the next one is only a few days away, they wanted to wait until after a full moon with enough notice, just in case."

"In case of what?" She replied loudly before pausing for a few seconds to bring down her voice when she spoke again. "Is this about what happened to that—"

"It's not a big deal. I think it's mainly a formality." There was another break of silence, only cut by a bit of shuffling around and what sounded to Remus like soft pats. They'd embraced. "I know you're worried love, but he'll be fine. There's too much evidence backing him up. It just has to look like they're taking action. In the end it'll only help, trust me." There was another long pause followed by her sigh.

"…Alright. I don't suppose I can come with?"

"And leave your rose garden unattended to? I wouldn't dream of pulling you away from that. It'll be fine. We'll pop back in as soon as it's over to be in time for lunch. You won't even notice we're gone. Speaking of which," He turned her wrists over on his hands. "What have I told you about wearing sleeves? You're gonna cut yourself to ribbons, you are."

x-x-x

Remus looked down and played with one of his house ties that his mother knotted for him as they waited for his father in the sitting room. After she made some final touches to the part in his hair. He caught his reflection in the glass of a picture next to him and almost jumped at the difference. He should have known that by the time his mother had finished getting her hands on him that he'd look like a completely different person. His hair had been perfectly combed away from his face, which looked much cleaner and smoother than normal. His shirt and slacks had been pressed and re-pressed a dozen times over so there wasn't a crease to be found. He looked almost flawless. If not for his scars, he could pass for a charming posh boy.

Lyall walked into the room to the fireplace snapped his attention back forward, and he stood up to join him. Remus could see he was dressed up as if going to work with a cleaner shave, but his expression was much more serious than his usual whimsical smile. In his hands was an unmarked envelope that he hadn't seen before. He opened his mouth to ask what it was for, but with the focused look on his face, Remus decided against it. He figured if he was going to be bringing it to the Hearing, he would find out soon enough.

"Good luck, both of you." Said his mother as she gave them both a kiss on the cheek, unable to resist fixing Remus' hair one more time as his father grabbed a handful of Floo powder from a hanging satchel and took a step into the empty fireplace.

"MINISTRY OF MAGIC, LEVEL TWO!" Lyall said in a loud and clear voice as he threw the powder down to be engulfed in a bouquet of green flame, disappearing only moments after. The flames ran on for about thirty more seconds before Remus followed suit and stood in the ashes left behind by his father after the flames died down, grabbing a handful of powder for himself. He'd travelled a little more by Floo for practice since he'd been home, so he was used to the process and sensation, but knowing what he was getting into now had his nerves shaking his hands. He could hear his heart start pounding in his ears.

"MINISTRY OF MAGIC, LEVEL TWO!" He repeated, tossing down the powder and disappearing after spinning behind his own veil of green flames faster and faster until he landed on his hands and knees on a smooth black marble floor, only illuminated by circular lanterns hanging two stories above him. Looking around, he could tell that from the lack of windows or natural light, and the cavernous look to the hallway that they must have been underground. He took his fathers outstretched hand to help him up, and with a wave of his wand, cleaned him from all of the soot until he was as pristine as before he stepped into the Floo. Lyall slipped his wand back into his robes and nodded his head to lead Remus down a long hallway, stopping him as they approached a towering set of double doors before speaking.

"I'll be in with you. Just answer anything you're asked quickly and honestly, and I'll do the rest of the talking, clear?"

"Yes sir." Remus replied, the nerves finally setting in and making his voice shake.

"Good boy." He caught his father glimpsing at him and giving a soft smile as he lightly messed the back of his hair as to not mess up the incredible work his mother had gone through.

The large double doors opened on their own, the creaking echoing through the dungeon-like chamber. As the pair of them stepped in, Remus couldn't help but look around in awe at the room. Everything was impressive from the symmetry, to the decorative torches lining the walls. He and his father stopped in the middle of the room where a single chair stood, which now that his eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting, he could see a slew of witches and wizards in plum coloured clothing all seated. The sight was intimidating. Lyall gestured for him to have a seat and he did, making sure to mind his posture and sit up straight as he locked eyes with the wizard most clearly illuminated. The man was tall and dark-skinned, his colour turning a red hue in the torchlight.

"Good morning." He said, his gruff voice echoing through the chamber as the doors did. "We are present for the disciplinary hearing into offenses committed against The Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures by one Remus John Lupin on the grounds of the mutilation and murder while assuming the form of a werewolf, of one Ellis Zilar on the evening of May the twenty-eighth." There was a light murmur that broke out in his break of words as he stacked papers in front of him. Remus could feel his father's grip on the chair tighten and was glad he decided against resting his hands on his shoulders.

"Interrogators will be Ramses Basalt, standing Chief Warlock for the Wizengamot, myself, Angora Chantilly, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Donax Winsor, Chief Unspeakable of the Department of Mysteries." Said the woman to his right. Not a fraction of a second after he heard the name, Remus whipped his head up to look around the plum coloured wizards to see if he could place where Mr. Winsor had been. Donax Winsor had been directly correlated to Abraxas Malfoy, a man who if Remus didn't know any better, was completely set on ensuring his failure in integrating peacefully at school. Knowing Winsor was watching him now didn't do anything to help is already fraying nerves. Sure enough, he sat to Basalt's left, his icy catlike eyes peering down at him from the stands of the council. Remus looked down quickly after accidentally catching his gaze. "Is the accused present?"

"Y-yes ma'am." He replied looking directly at Chantilly. Despite looking older from the white-blonde hair tucked neatly underneath her hat, she had no hard lines in her face or rasp in her voice. She was much easier to focus on, even though she still commanded respect in her presence. Even though she had an authoritative tone, it was still oddly soothing. He thought if anyone would be on his side it would be her… but he'd been wrong before.

"And with him as his defense?"

"Lyall Lupin, his father." His dad did much better to keep his voice firm and confident.

"And you are a part of the Regulation department aforementioned is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." Ramses looked to his right to a young witch and they both shared a nod as she readied a quill to write. "Now, young Mr. Lupin how do you plead to these accusations?" The entire mob of witches and wizards looking at him now seemed to collectively lean forward to hear what he had to say for himself.

"I haven't hurt anyone, sir." Remus replied, trying to feign the same confident and sure tone of his father. Predictably, the court did not seem impressed.

"Hm." The scratches of the court scribe's quill filled the silence until Basalt cleared his throat and stacked the papers in his hands.

"Is it true that upon your transformations in the past, you've had no recollection of your altered state of being until you were next conscious as a human?"

"Yes, but—"

"Did you know that it was against the regulation agreed upon by the Headmaster and the Ministry to enter the Forbidden Forest unless given explicit directions from professor Dumbledore himself?" Remus felt his heart miss a beat.

"I… No."

"No? Convenient." Winsor scoffed. His voice was eerily smooth, like a still body of water with a monster living beneath the surface. Though, Remus wasn't sure if the only reason he thought that was from his own biased opinion on the man. In any case, the scribe's quill marks seemed loud enough in his ears now that it was hard for him to focus on the chatter of the other members of the council anyway, who were buzzing with opinions he was sure were all for him being locked up in a cell for dangerous creatures.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I may?" His father's voice startled Remus. He'd almost forgotten he was standing behind him the entire time. Basalt gestured for Lyall to step forward, and from his coat pocket, his father brought out the unmarked envelope from earlier. He lifted it in the air and the envelope floated towards the three interrogators, emptying its contents. Tucked inside were five large documents, all looking far too big to fit in such a small package. Remus leaned to the side to get a better look, but could only see the blank backs of the documents. Basalt and Chantilly averted their eyes almost immediately when it became clear to them what they were looking at. "Pass those around if you will when you're finished, I think they'll prove important soon enough."

"What is this, Lyall?

"Our defense." He put his arms behind his back and addressed the room as the documents were passed around, pacing the black marble floor and earning the same disgusted reaction from most of the other witches and wizards. "From the claw marks and teeth marks, it's unlikely that anything else in that part of the forest at the time would have been able to do this other than a werewolf. Especially the er… the dismemberment." Remus then understood what his father kept in the envelope, and what it was the council was looking at. "See, five distinct claw marks instead of four is usually a telltale. Opposable thumbs and all…" He held up and wiggled his own thumbs, making Remus vaguely smile.

"If you're arriving to some sort of point Lupin I suggest you make it. Your argument is hardly help—"

"Do you really think a twelve year old, who is still not fully grown human, let alone werewolf would have been able to do this?" Another murmur broke out into the council. Remus looked around and could see the turn of the tide himself.

"You're the expert." Winsor shrugged. "You tell us."

"Well the answer is obviously no. It's true that his strength increases considerably while he's transformed, but even a full-grown werewolf would have struggled to cleanly tear off a limb… usually they don't care enough to get that far after their victim is dead... Usually."

"You're saying another werewolf did this?" Asked Basalt, who was now rubbing his chin with an attentive look on his face.

"I am. It's the only logical explanation. It's not completely unheard of. As you said, they were in the forbidden forest, which I would wager Zilar knew was against regulation as well. But, I suppose he had his reasons for putting himself and my son in danger." Remus perked up at his last comment, as well did the rest of the council. Different conversations sprouted between the lot of them until Basalt brought them all to order and cleared his throat.

"Then, in that case… They will need to be brought to justice."

"Indeed." Said Chantilly. "I think the rest of the council will agree as well that there is no further need to interrogate a child who was under the responsibility of the deceased. I doubt he lured Zilar into the forest on his own." The murmur in the room had agreeable tones, and Remus could feel himself relax into his chair. Before he could get too comfortable, Winsor leaned forward in his chair to speak again.

"All fascinating points. But pray tell, do you have any suspects or leads to the identity of the other beast?" His tone was condescending.

"I don't. Granted, his body was salted and burned before we even had a chance to get any samples from his wounds."

"The situation was delicate, we couldn't risk any other student—"

"With all due respect Mr. Winsor, destroying evidence puts them in even more danger."

"You clearly had enough evidence today."

"Clearing my son's name didn't require much more than photos and common sense. Placing someone at a murder requires a little more, sir."

"Yes well, we have a registry for a reason. We can cross reference all of the werewolves until we find the right one."

"The Registry?" He scoffed. "That could take months—"

"If you've a better idea, I'm sure the council will be eager to hear it." Lyall shirked away on his last note. It was odd for Remus to see his father speechless. Winsor lifted his hand in the air, collecting the photographs and inserting them back into the envelope and sent it soaring back into Lyall's hands. He gave his father the same smirk Remus remembered so clearly from Zilar's memorial service. "I didn't think so."

"I think the Wizengamot has enough to come to a final decision." Said Basalt, breaking the tension and redirecting the focus of the room back onto Remus, who'd by now had forgotten he was the reason for the assembly.

"All in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?" Boomed Chantilly as her and Basalt both raised their hands first followed by a large chunk of the council. Remus could feel his excitement bubbling inside of him as he was too bundled with nerves to bother counting them all. "All those in favour of conviction?" Considerably less! There were only enough hands to count on one of his hands, thought he did note that Thalia's father had reserved his vote. Regardless, Remus and Lyall both sighed simultaneously in relief. Basalt stood to his feet to address the room again.

"Well done. The accused will be cleared of all charges and be allowed to enroll in his classes again. However, there will be more regulated Ministry visits to ensure this doesn't happen again." He slammed a gavel like object in his hands onto the wooden stand, the sound echoing with a type of finality that rang through Remus' bones. He was happy to have any charges against him lifted, but regulated Ministry visits to the school? It all seemed counterproductive to him especially considering who they'd be sending in. "And as for the murder, the case will now be left in the hands of Ms. Chantilly and Mr. Malfoy and will be followed up on… eventually. Dismissed."