I Solemnly Swear that I am Up to No Good

Remus Lupin leaned against the cold stone walls of his holding cell, a piece of parchment and a quill with ink on the floor lay in front of him. Screams from the other prisoners filled his young ears but he ignored them, already so used to them after being stuck in Azkaban for a month.

Mum,

It's me again. I hope you and Matthew are doing well… today is the day they are taking me to Hogwarts, you know, that magical reformation school?

Remus smiled down at the crumpled parchment in front of him, and he breathed in the filthy air of his cell, his nose crumpling at the rancid smell that met his nostrils. He shook his head, and leaned back down to finish his letter.

Are you thinking of coming by? I really hope you would as it'll give us a chance to catch up. You don't have to come of course, they said you could help me move into the dorm, but it isn't necessary. If your busy maybe you can get Matthew or someone to send my stuff to the school? If Matthew has time of course otherwise, otherwise perhaps we can arrange to have it flooed? I am sure Headmaster Dumbledore would approve of it. The next time you write me back I'll already be at school so make sure the owl goes there.

There was the jangling of keys and his cell was opened. He cleared his throat, his eyes not leaving the parchment. "Just give me one minute to finish writing please." His voice was low and raspy but thankfully was heard by the Ministry official who nodded. Remus sighed and ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair.

Just let me know what is happening with my things. Hopefully I will see you soon. I love you guys.

Remus

Sighing Remus tied up his scroll and handed it to the Ministry official along with the quill and ink. He took a deep breath and stood, his hands immediately going to brush off the month of dirt and grime that covered his pants, it didn't work of course, but it made him feel just a little better. He made eye contact with the woman and raised his eyebrows in question, pushing past her when she motioned for him to walk ahead of her; between two Dementors. They didn't affect him as badly as they did most humans, especially when they were as close to the full moon as they were on that particular day.

They passed the fire lit stone walls of the holding dungeons, the continuous yelling falling on Remus and the Dementorses deaf ears, not that Remus was positive Dementors had ears. The Ministry woman on the other hand looked deeply disturbed, and for the life of him Remus couldn't see why she would accept a job that so obviously bothered her. They entered a slightly brighter lit room, and he was told to sit there and behave himself.

The door behind the woman closed with a click that rang dully in his ears, and the two Dementors stood outside. Remus leaned back against the chair, grateful to even be sitting in one after a month. He leaned forward in the wooden seat and laid his elbows on his knees, his head falling into his hands. What exactly is he supposed to be doing there, just sit and wait? Remus strained his ears and tried to listen to footsteps that were coming down the corridor, but none met his sensitive hearing. Will someone be coming now to bring him to the school? Will he get the possessions they took away from him when he first arrived back? He didn't care about all of his possessions, he really just wanted his wand back, they could burn the rest for the amount he cared.

He groaned, and stood, only to walk around the small office aimlessly. It was raining outside, pouring really. The rain hit the window and slide down, making hundreds of tiny rivers reminding Remus somewhat of little ant trails. Remus leaned against the stone wall and stared out the cloudy window his reflection staring back at him almost accusingly. He had let himself go since arriving at Azkaban. His hair was longer, and matted, filled with filth and other debris from sleeping on the cold stone floors. He barely recognized his face as it was covered in a thick coat of dirt, and his clothes had become little better than rags since the last time he changed four weeks ago. Hopefully he would be able to clean up before he arrived at Hogwarts.

He paused in his thinking and cocked his head to the side. He had no clue what Hogwarts School of Reformation and Wizardry was like. He doubted it would be worse than Azkaban, nothing was worse than Azkaban, he knew that already, surely he would have more freedom then merely sitting in a stone cell with other teenage criminals learning magic. At least he hoped so. He heard a scream and winced to himself; hopefully the Dementors stayed in Azkaban and didn't wander around Hogwarts. He sighed again, and allowed himself to walk back to the seat he had vacated. It was going to be a long day.

o0o

An hour and fifty nine minutes later found Remus standing in front of a large fireplace at the Ministry of Magic. He had been able to clean up, and was given clean clothes to wear, something he was deeply grateful for. The sandy haired boy stared at the fire as he waited for the adult behind the desk to start the floo so that they may leave.

"-they have a Quidditch Team you know."

Remus shook his head and met the eyes of the male working on his paperwork. "Pardon?"

"They have a Quidditch Team," the man repeated staring curiously at Remus' disgusted look. "Not very much into sports?" He smiled softly when the boy shook his head.

Remus stayed quiet for a moment as he thought, "I love to read, and draw. I sing, and can play a couple of instruments. I have a deep love of mythology, and care for animals deeply. I am great with Runes, and learned some French and Dutch from my mother. Are there any classes that link into any of those?"

The man took a list from the side of his desk and scanned through the five or so pages that were bound together. "There is a Care of Magical Creature's class, but that is mandatory already. The closest to mythology they have is History of Magic, and perhaps by a very large stretch Divination. I would check out Ancient Runes perhaps that may be something that catches your interest.

"Erm, there are no classes for Art I am afraid, but there is a rather impressive Library that you may visit on your free time." The man paused as he watched Remus' face light up. "As for music there was a small group of boys that used to sing at family night or before ceremonies, but most of them graduated last year and the remaining few felt that there was no way to continue with so few of them. Perhaps you can look out for them and maybe try and reinstate it?" He paused at Remus' look, and shrugged his shoulders. "Just a suggestion, Dear." Remus glowered at the man causing him to shrink back, "maybe not… anyway, the Music Room is still open, I think Professor Flitwick is the one with the key, he was the director of the chorus."

Remus smiled, and nodded his fingers linking together and falling into his lap, "thank you for letting me know. I'll be sure to look into everything when I arrive." The man nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound coming from the quill in the man's hand screeching against the parchment.

Finally, after about ten more minutes of silence he placed down his quill and smiled brightly at Remus, "it's time."

The boy stood and took a deep breath, all of a sudden feeling a bit nervous. He shook his head and slowly turned to face the fireplace which was now spewing a green fire instead of the comforting red. The man smiled and gestured for Remus to walk into the fire first, and he followed, allowing himself to stand beside the teen. "Just stand still and allow me to lead you, we'll be coming out at Headmaster Dumbledore's office. Normally the school wouldn't allow for this but you being a special case… and yeah." The man nodded at Remus' tired face. "Let's just go shall we? Hogwarts Headmaster's Office!"

The trip was over almost as quickly as it had begun and it saw them brushing off soot from their clothes a mere thirty seconds later. Remus coughed, and shook the black dust from his eyes and hair. A tall thin man with a long silver beard and half moon glasses stared at him from behind a large mahogany desk. A portly man in a pea green pants suit, and vaguely smelled of potions sat on a pile of books beside the elder man.

"Mr. Lupin, I presume?" The man behind the desk asked. Dumbledore, Dumbledore was the man's name.

Remus made eye contact with the man, and smiled shyly. "Aye, Headmaster."

The Headmaster smiled back warmly, "it is a pleasure, Mr. Lupin." He pointed towards the man beside him, "this here is Professor Slughorn." He smiled softly at him, and Remus nodded at him, a friendly smile crossing his young face. "He will be your Head of House as well as your Potions Professor."

"It's a pleasure, Professor Slughorn." He smiled again, and Remus broke eye contact to look at the floor.

He shuddered slightly as the screams of a couple of girls followed by the boisterous laugh of several boys filled the air. He looked up and noticed that the three adults were looking at him, concern evident in their eyes. "Sorry, just the screaming from the people on the other side of the door scared me a bit."

"Screaming… oh, right. I almost forgot about that, my boy." Realization dawned on Slughorn's face. "You can hear what is happening on the other side of the door."

"Because I am a werewolf," Remus nodded his head and pursed his lips his hands clutched tightly in his thin lap.

"You needn't worry, Mr. Lupin. Arrangements have been set for you during those times." The Headmaster spoke calmly to the young boy, almost as if to calm his thoughts.

The boy nodded, "all right."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "if that is all then Professor Slughorn can show you to the Great Hall."

Remus stood from his chair, and nodded. "Thank you for allowing me to attend Professor, I really appreciate this opportunity."

"It is my pleasure, Mr. Lupin. Welcome to Hogwarts."

Remus shot a smile at the man that brought him, and then followed the portly professor out the large wooden door and down the pearl coloured stone steps leading to the fourth landing.

o0o

"Oi, Sirius! Do you need me to have my cousin to bring anything when he visits tomorrow?" The mousy haired boy stared at the curly haired boy's hands as they shook slightly. Peter gently took the match from his friend and lit it, pressing the flame against the top of the cigarette pressed between Sirius' red lips. The black haired boy closed his eyes and took a long drag holding it in his lungs and then slowly letting it out. He visibly relaxed and leaned against the stone wall behind him.

"I would really appreciate that, Mate." He took another long drag, and stuffed the matches that lay in his friends palm into his robes. He reached deeper into his robes and pulled out two galleons.

He threw it into Peter's hand. The boy held it the two coins in his hand and blinked. "Bit much, don't you think?"

"Yeah, Mate, I realize that. Do you think he will be able to get me, hmm, five packs?"

Peter slipped the pouch in his robes and stared at his friend, a worried expression on his face. "You do realize he comes back every other week right?"

Sirius ran a hand through his curly hair and shrugged, "Yeah, I know." At Peter's disapproving look, Sirius merely scoffed and looked over his friend's shoulder, his eyebrow rising as a soaked James Potter jogged up to them. His face contorted into something akin to pain, and slight jealousy as he shook his head, allowing large water drops to fall on them.

"The mandrakes got you down again, Mate?" Peter teased, lightly bumping Sirius with his shoulder.

James stole the cigarette from between Sirius' lips and took a drag, sighing as the nicotine filled his lungs, "Oh, yeah that hits the spot."

Peter scrunched up his nose and pushed away from the stone wall to put a little distance between him and his friends as Sirius pulled out another cigarette. "Honestly, you two! You promised me you would stop doing that shit together in front of me! I can't breathe with all that smoke."

Sirius snickered, his face turning into a pout when the cigarette was plucked from his thin fingers. He proceeded to look devastated as the cigarette was crushed beneath Peter's shoe. James quickly took two more drags and threw his on the ground before the smaller boy could take it from him. Peter nodded down the corridor, "we need to get to the Great Hall guys. The bell will ring in about two minutes."

Students ran past them, giggling and looking behind them as they made their way through the dim corridor. "What is going on with everyone today?" James asked as he watched the people around him chatter excitedly.

Sirius stood on his tiptoes in an attempt to see over the students' heads in hope of catching what was causing everyone such excitement. He shook his head however and lowered himself as they walked past a glaring group of students. Sirius, James and Peter threw them equally intense looks of hatred before Sirius' cocky smirk graced his handsome face.

Peter struggled to keep up with his taller friends, breathless from the pursuit, "evidently there is a new kid, a transfer I believe."

"From where?" James asked curiously, his features turning annoyed when a small boy ran into him.

Sirius blinked at the news before he rolled his eyes and scoffed, "who gives a fuck, Potter?" while the boy looked as if he truly couldn't care, Peter and James shared a small smile knowing that deep down their friend was as curious as they were.

Peter opened his mouth to retort but was shoved in the back causing him to slam into the wall to his right, "I bet you care you fucking Fag." Peter rubbed his head where it had hit the wall and glared at the leering Slytherin boys behind them. "I saw the new boy; maybe you can get him to jump off the Astronomy Tower with you. Then we wouldn't have to deal with two fags."

The curly haired boy's face went from annoyed, irritated in its feature and slowly morphed itself into a small cold smile. He turned and faced Snape whose lackeys stood behind him looking as big and stupid as ever. "Why would I do that, Snape?" Sirius asked coldly, his gray eyes looking as if they could cut ice. "Then there would be no one to kick your fucking ass in every single Quidditch game." He took a couple of steps until he was face to face with the greasy haired teen, hatred electrocuting around them.

Snape leapt towards Sirius his wand clutched in his hand and pointed straight at Sirius' neck. Sirius who remained unarmed kicked Snape on the side of his leg and caused the other boy to drop his wand as his body fell sloppily to the ground. Sirius had climbed on top of him and had slammed his fist into the taller boy's face, a satisfying crack resounding. He moved to punch the boy again but was forcibly pulled up by the back of his robes. Sirius turned and stared incredulously at James who still had his fist tightly bunched into his robes. There was the sound of footsteps approaching, and the two groups shot one last look of hatred between each other before they turned and walked down separate sides of the corridor.

James placed his hands on Peters and Sirius' shoulders as they turned the corner into the Transfiguration Hall. Their eyes reached his before trailing over to where he was staring. A tall thin boy with large amber eyes that looked dull from exhaustion met theirs. The boy stood taller than most of the students that passed him, his skin a sickly pale. He had medium length sandy blonde hair that fell into his eyes, and just a little bit over his shoulders.

"He can't be human," Sirius commented dumbly, a small stupid smile crossing his face. He continued to stare at the boy even when he caught him staring and had raised a delicate eyebrow at him. Sirius raised his hand slightly in greeting, only to find the boy stare at him confused and return the gesture uncertainly.

"I reckon you wouldn't mind playing with him, eh Sirius?" Peter asked lewdly in his best friend's ear. Sirius chuckled softly, and shook his head. He hummed, and pushed past a bunch of younger teenagers in order to see the new boy better.

Remus stood behind Professor Slughorn, and stared curiously at the group of three teens who had yet to take their eyes off of him. He blinked, and couldn't help but feel weary as they sent each other mischievous smiles. Remus made sure to study the boy on the left of the group, unsure why that particular boy caught his interest. He was shorter than Remus, perhaps coming up only to his chin, and had unruly curly hair that surrounded his head. He looked fit, but not much could be seen from the loose robes that they all wore, and his skin was nicely tanned but his eyes, his eyes were what caught Remus' interest. They were a light gray, almost white, with specks of dark blue. Remus felt he could study them forever.

Deep down, deep deep down in the recesses of his mind Remus knew that this boy, this beautiful boy with aristocratic features was probably straight, and even if he wasn't, this was a reformation school. The last place one should start a relationship in is a reformation school. Although, that didn't stop Remus from continuously staring at him however. The boy's tie was loose around his neck, and his dark gray slacks hung loosely from his hips. His robes artfully draped off his body, but that was the only nice thing about the boy. He had on a cocky smirk, and his lip had a small black loop on the left side.

Remus realised that he couldn't fall for this boy, but he couldn't help but push that thought far back into his mind as he stared at him. It was as if he had been underwater his entire life and finally, after a lifetime of wishing and hoping, he finally got to breathe in the air of the land.

Remus blushed as he watched the boy's smile grow when one of the boy's friends leaned over to whisper something in his ear. He vaguely heard 'I reckon you wouldn't…' but the noise that surrounded them blocked out the rest of the sentence. The tallest boy in the group look annoyed and pushed his friends down the corridor opposite from where Remus stood, their robes billowing behind them as they rushed away.

o0o

"You don't have any classes today as it is Saturday. That does mean that you have the rest of today and tomorrow to get yourself settled before lessons begin on Monday. You have a House Therapy session every day however, including today."

Remus followed with his hands in his pockets as he walked down the sliding staircases. Students in long black robes with different coloured piping and hoods ran up and down the corridors and staircases, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone. He nodded at him, his lips pursing as he observed the moving photos that lined the walls.

"As lunch is being served right now in the Great Hall we will be going there. All meals are mandatory, but you needn't worry about having to tell someone you are there, the doors automatically do that when you pass through them." They stood in front of the large doors to the left of the Entrance Hall, and Remus shook his head and nodded. He took one step towards the doors and they opened. White noise met his ears, as did the smell of sandwiches and potato salad. What looked to be five hundred pairs of eyes turned towards him and he blushed, his eyes falling to the tiled floor.

Slughorn led him to the front of the table with an emerald table cloth and motioned for him to sit down. He did as he was told and took the papers the portly professor handed to him. "The one on top is your schedule, and the paper beneath is your house name, the floor in which your dormitory is on and the password to get into your dorm. Make sure you don't lose your password." He nodded and placed them neatly in the space beside his goblet. "Your group meets today at 13:30, make sure you aren't late. Your group room is on your schedule." He left him alone then his blazer pulling against his body as he walked to his spot at the Professors Table.

Remus took a sandwich and spooned a small amount of potato salad on his plate, making sure to keep his eyes focused on his plate. Noticing the still deathly silence of the Great Hall Remus raised his head to see that everyone's eyes were still on him. He breathed through his nose and sent those around him a glare that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand. Soon enough the Hall was once again filled with the idle chatter and the obnoxious giggles of girls. He allowed his eyes to fall back to his plate, his face leaning on his hand.

"So, is that the new kid?" Remus' ears perked at the sound of the question, but kept his face towards his plate so they wouldn't know he was listening. They were a good five people down from him, and on the table that stood a good ten feet away from his own so the chances he would be noticed were slim to none. It was times like this however that he was grateful for having superior hearing.

"Psh, more like the new baby," muttered the black haired boy with glasses between bites of potato salad. "Have you taken a good look at him, Evans? He looks like he's bloody ten! What did he do to get in here, steal a candy bar from a three year old?"

Lily Evans scoffed and folded her arms across her chest, "you're just jealous that the attention is off you and your group of misfits." She clucked her tongue and shook her head, "jealousy is a hideous colour on you by the way."

"Perhaps," James admitted poking his spoon at his potato salad moodily. He raised his gaze to Remus, and studied his side profile critically. "Don't you think he looks too innocent, though?" He reached over and took Sirius' goblet, and took a sip of his pumpkin juice before handing it back to his friend. "Perhaps he is an undercover spy?" He stopped momentarily when Remus who was still looking down at his plate snorted into his goblet and choked on the small amount of juice in his mouth. James narrowed his eyes, "what are the chances he can hear us?"

"Slim to none, Mate. Unless he is some sort of dark creature," Peter responded, his eyebrows rising as Remus choked once again, this time on his sandwich. "Anyway, do you think this is the person who is taking the extra bed in our dormitory?"

Sirius crossed his legs and chewed thoughtfully on his sandwich, "nah. He is in Slytherin so it wouldn't make any sense for him to be in our dormitory. He is probably in our age group though so we will see him in lessons. He's way too tall to be much younger than us."

"Yeah, but Black compared to you everyone is too tall," Lily Evans commented dryly before turning back to her friends. Her hands were folded on the table as she listened to Marlene McKinnon go on about how her boyfriend from Hufflepuff didn't seem to be interested in having sex with her.

"That's because he is interested in having sex with me," Sirius had rudely informed McKinnon before turning his gaze back to Remus who had by then finished his meal, and was now studying his new time schedule, his teeth worrying his bottom lip as he concentrated on the parchment in front of him.

"Why don't we go introduce ourselves?" Peter suggested, causing his friends to look at him skeptically. He shrugged his shoulders, "what? If he is going to be our classmate it would be rude not to introduce ourselves."

"Yeah, and I am a hippogriff," snapped Sirius. He caught James' mischievous look and rolled his eyes, "no, James."

The bespectacled boy pouted, "But it has been so long since we have done anything."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "I am on probation you fool, half of us are after the last time or did you forget?"

"It's kinda hard to remember when you spent half of an evening with your head down a toilet," Peter pointed out standing up from his spot on the bench and stretching. "I am going to say hi and talk to him; you idiots come if you want to."

Sirius and James looked at each other and got up from their seats to follow Peter to where Remus sat. The sandy haired boy looked up from his schedule to meet the eyes of the three boys that sat on the other side of the table. "Hello?" He said, cocking his head to the side as he studied them curiously. The three boys stared at him expectantly, and deep down he felt slightly nervous.

"Hey new kid, what's your name?" The voice of the smallest boy came out harsh, as if he were trying to intimidate Remus, so Remus raised an eyebrow and smiled softly to show that it didn't work as well as the mousy haired boy had intended. Remus met the eyes of the bespectacled boy, and watched the boy shrink back a bit, obviously feeling uncomfortable. He allowed his gaze to fall on Sirius, but felt himself blush so he quickly diverted his eyes from him back to his schedule.

"So are you a prostitute?"

Remus rolled his eyes, and snorted in derision. He smiled and shook his head, "no, I am not a prostitute, besides that is legal where I come from so that wouldn't put me in here." Remus folded his hands on the table, "and while I am sure ten year olds can be sold for sex, and evidently I look like I am ten, I can assure you that I am neither."

"Perhaps not, but it got you to talk no?" James asked snottily.

"If the most intelligent conversation you three can come up with is asking me if I am a prostitute, let me save you the trouble and tell you that there is no way we are becoming friends, and there is absolutely no way you are going to intimidate me."

"Just shut the fuck up and tell us your name," James hissed, his hazel eyes flashing dangerously behind his glasses.

Remus smirked, and folded his hands under his chin, "it is rude to ask for ones name before one introduces one's self." He chuckled softly at the annoyed looks on the three boys faces, "Remus John Lupin."

"'Kay. My name is James Potter, this one here is Peter Pettigrew," he said nodding his head to the tiny mousy haired boy, "and this moron is Sirius Orion Black. We will probably be seeing each other in classes so we thought we would come by and say hello."

"Hi," Remus said dryly.

"Hello," the three boys answered back, smirks on their faces.

Sirius crossed his legs and folded his fingers under his chin as he stared at Remus, "so what are you in for, Mate?"

"Not stealing candy from a three year old." Remus replied dryly.

"You heard that?" Sirius asked, his eyebrow rising past his bangs as he cocked his head to the side. James and Peter sat up a little straighter in their seats, their faces copying Sirius'.

"Obviously."

"How is that possible? You were here, and we were at the Gryffindor table."

Remus smirked at the boy, and shrugged. "One of the great mysteries of life I guess." He shifted in his seat and caught their gaze once more. "So what are you guys in for?"

"Breaking and Entering, oh and Possession," Peter answered, smiling sadly. "My Aunt and Mum don't get along anymore, and my Aunt didn't know that my cousin Jeffery invited me over to the house. Well I was in his room, and was looking through his bookcase and this small packet of gillyweed falls from one of the shelves when I pull out a book. I go to pick it up from the floor and of course this is the moment my Aunt decides to come in." He snorted and shook his head, "story of my life."

"Destruction of Property, and Use of Underage Magic," James said, he slipped into the seat next to Remus and allowedhis cheek fall onto his fist as he sighed. At Remus' raised eyebrows he elaborated, "I accidentally blew up three of the statues at the Ministry of Magic during one of those career day things. I was twelve at the time, so obviously my sentence is over, but I wanted to stay here and finish. A lot of people here are like that, there are very few that still need to be reformed, if I am to be completely honest." He sighed, "Those that are no longer in need of reformation go through a training programme and are assigned to those still in need of reformation. Sort of like that a mentor I suppose."

The table fell quiet, and Remus turned his gaze to Sirius who had all but been silent until then, "what of you then?"

"Using, Intent to Distribute and Arson."

"Using what? And were you trying to sell, and then burned down the building when he didn't like the price you set?"

Sirius snorted and shook his head, "no. I was using, but I had no intent on selling. I had just come from my dealer, and he gave me cocaine in small bags instead of the usual big one he normally gave me. I wouldn't have been caught, but I got into a fight with my wonderful Mum, and well, I can't control my magic when I get really angry or upset, and I set our family mansion on fire." He laughed darkly, "They are calling it arson because my Mum said I did it on purpose.

"My baby brother Regulus, bless him," Sirius turned and pointed to a black haired boy at the Slytherin table that looked similar to him, "he tried to defend me and explain how I couldn't control my magic when upset, but they didn't listen to him. That's why he is here actually. He bit one of the guards and kept fighting with him so they booked him for assault. They weren't going to actually lock him up but then they found a pocket knife and his wand on him so it counted as Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and well, that is certainly enough to end up here."

"Do you ever breathe?" Remus asked incredulously, "seriously, I don't think you took one breath during that story."

Sirius grinned and winked, causing Remus to blush slightly, "one of my many talents."

"Being humble is obviously not one of them," countered Remus, causing the three boys in front of him to laugh. "You know, I assumed that everyone here would be dangerous criminals, but it seems to me that you guys are only here because of a couple of misunderstandings, and a few moments of stupidity. No one is really here for anything extremely terrible."

James pursed his lips, "well like I said, a great deal of us have stayed because we like it here, but there are people that are in here for some really messed up things. Rape, molestation, attempted suicide even. Hogwarts is a safe place, but you still have to watch out for yourself here. You never know when someone may snap and revert back into their old ways."

They fell silent again, and Peter smiled at Remus. "So you never told us why you were put in here."

Remus opened his mouth to respond when the bell signaling House Therapy rang through the Great Hall. Everyone is to report to their rooms for their session. Those found lingering in the corridors will be given detention and House Points will be deducted from their House.

All the students stood from the tables and began to leave the Great Hall, all separating once they entered the corridor. Sirius and his friends walked back to their spots to pick up their bags and smiled at Remus. "Hey, Mate. I'll take you to Slytherin's Therapy corridor. Which year are you in?"

"I'm in sixth year," Remus responded, his hand flying to his back pocket to make sure he still had his schedule.

Sirius' eyes flicked to the Slytherin table and noticed that there was no one still at the table before looking up at the taller boy. "Come on then. You don't want to be late for your first day do you?"

Remus nodded almost dumbly, and followed the friends out of the Great Hall and down a few corridors until they stopped at a corridor with a sign clearly marked House Therapy Gryffindor: Years 5-7.

"Oi, Regulus!" Sirius called to his brother, who stopped and turned. The younger boy smiled, waving off his friends before walking up to his brother and wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.

"Good Afternoon, Siri!" Sirius closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to his younger brother as he hugged him back just as tightly.

"Afternoon," Remus couldn't help but smile at how adorable Sirius' younger brother looked. "Listen, Little Brother of Mine. My friend Remus here is in sixth year Slytherin group. I want you to take him and make it so that he is no longer in that group. Do you think you and your friends can do that for me?"

Regulus nodded, and took Remus by the sleeve of his robes, "of course I can, Siri!"

Sirius hugged his brother again, and waved at Remus. "Listen, Mate. Sorry I have to leave you hanging but I am on probation so I can't be late. My brother here will help you out though. He is wonderful; you are in very capable hands. Love you, Regulus. See you at dinner, Remus!"

"Love you too, Sirius!" Regulus called to his brother, and turned back to Remus, his hand still clutching Remus' sleeve. "Come on Remus, I'll show you where your room is!"

Regulus had turned his head towards his friends, and mouthing something to them that Remus had not been able to catch. He assumed since the group took off down the Ravenclaw corridor that it was probably go on without them. But, wasn't the Slytherin corridor the other way? Remus had shrugged to himself thinking he probably just got confused, it was a huge school after all, and allowed Regulus to pull him through the corridor.

About halfway through the corridor the flames from the torches blew out, and they were cloaked in pure darkness, "what's going on?" Remus asked calmly. He pulled his sleeve out of Regulus' grip, and watched as the younger boy backed away from him. His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, another perk of being a werewolf, and he saw that the boys that Regulus had told to go on without him were now surrounding him. "I should probably warn you that I can see you guys perfectly, and trying to attack me would be a very stupid thing to do on your part."

Remus moved to the right as a hex was thrown towards him, "what did I just say you bloody idiot?"

He dodged a couple more futile attacks, before he dropped to the floor, a searing pain clouding his senses. Something akin to an electric shock ran through his body and he groaned feeling himself black out.

When he came to he was gently being dragged to his feet and lead down the corridor which was now again lit by torches. There were urgent whispers, but his brain was too cloudy to realize what or who was speaking at that moment.

He opened his eyes when he heard the sound of a door opening, and allowed himself to be lead into the room. He looked around and noticed a group of twenty three students sitting at the front of the classroom.

"Professor McGonagall?" Regulus' soft voice caught Remus' attention and he looked to his left to see that the boy was the one holding him up. He tried to move to stand on his own afraid that he might be crushing the tiny boy under his weight, but Regulus merely smiled and pulled him tightly against his body.

A thin stern looking woman wearing green robes and a pointed hat stood from where she sat at the front of the room. She walked towards them briskly, stopping two feet away from them. "I found this boy down the corridor on my way to my session. He was barely conscious. He isn't wearing a House tie, and I don't remember seeing him around so I can't even say if he goes here or not." Regulus made sure that Remus could stand on his own, and backed away from the sandy haired boy. "I need to get to my session now, Professor."

McGonagall nodded her head, "very well, Mr. Black. I'll contact Slughorn in a moment and let him know why you are late. Thank you for bringing him to me."

"Have a good afternoon, Professor." Regulus turned and smiled sweetly at Remus, "you too, Remus!" he waved goodbye to his brother who was watching the scene from his seat and left the room in a flash. The door closing behind him with a loud clank!

"I don't recognize you," Professor McGonagall stated blandly as she surveyed the injured boy in front of her. "Do you go here?"

"Are you an idiot? Why would I be here if I didn't go here," Remus snapped, a hand coming up to cradle his head which was pounding violently against the brilliant light of the classroom. At her stern gaze he sighed, "Yes. I just transferred here today. You can ask Headmaster Dumbledore."

"What happened to you?" She asked, moving to place a hand on his shoulder.

He shook off her hand, and glared at her. "Please don't touch me."

"I'm sorry," she said as she scanned him critically. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Remus caught Sirius' eyes, and watched as he widened his eyes, and shook his head ever so slightly. Remus narrowed his eyes, and nodded slightly. He made sure to get it across that they would be talking about it later. "I-I don't really know. I was walking down the Slytherin corridor looking for my classroom when everything went dark."

"I saw Snape and a bunch of his friends running down the corridor right before me and Regulus found him." Remus turned and saw a girl with fiery red hair standing behind him, her hands behind her back. She looked down, looking almost disappointed before looking up more determined. "They have a track record of this type of thing, Professor." Remus stared at the girl, and blinked, weakly returning the smile she sent him.

"Severus Snape?" Professor McGonagall clarified, and the girl nodded her head. "Thank you, Miss. Evans; you may take your seat." She turned back to Remus, and shook her head. "Unfortunately we don't have any proof so we can't report this to the Headmaster. I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name?"

Remus nodded dully, "my name is Remus Lupin."

"Well, Mr. Lupin, what group are you in?"

"Slytherin, sixth year." He answered truthfully. He looked down to see that his oxford shirt was stained pink. He touched his face, and threw his hand down as pain radiated from where he touched.

"All right then, I shall get someone to escort you there… Mr. Black?"

Sirius remained seated, and folded his arms across his chest. "Professor, you can't seriously be considering making him go to Slytherin." Sirius scanned Remus before allowing his eyes to snap back to his teacher. "Snape will kill him as soon as he sees him; it's obvious that he's already tried to do so. You know that Snape is against anyone who is not a pureblood, not to mention homosexuals. He won't last the night!"

"Whoa, what makes you think I am gay," Remus sputtered out, his eyes glaring into Sirius'.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "aren't you?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you can out me to the entire classroom!" Remus snapped, his arms tightly folding in front of his chest.

"Boys, please! And there is no proof that Mr. Snape actually did anything to Mr. Lupin."

"Oh, please! That is complete and utter bull shit!" James snapped, slamming his hands on the desk and standing up from his seat. "Professor, I must object!"

"Mr. Potter, sit down! This is not a court of law, and if you wish to stay in this classroom you best watch your mouth." McGonagall sighed, and rubbed her hand against her forehead. "I guess I can have him transferred to Gryffindor, if you all feel his safety is truly in jeopardy."

"YES!" exclaimed Sirius, James, Peter and Lily. They sighed in relief as she nodded, and they fell back lazily in their chairs, crisis adverted.

"I'll go to Headmaster Dumbledore, and talk to him about transferring Mr. Lupin. For now, why don't you sit, and I will be back momentarily." Remus nodded and waited until she left the classroom. He stayed quiet and closed his eyes listening to the click click click of her heels against the stone floors until he couldn't hear them anymore. He opened his eyes and glared at the three boys.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?" He exploded, his hands tightening into fists, "what the hell were you three thinking!"

Sirius jumped up and pressed his hand to Remus' arm, "Are you all right, Mate? You are bleeding really badly."

James and Peter stood and took the napkins that Lily Evans handed to them. Peter took half and walked to the sink that was behind the Professor's desk.

Sirius pushed Remus gently until the boy was sitting on the desk behind him, and accepted the wet napkins from Peter. He took Remus' face in his hand and gently began to be wiping up the blood that marred the other boys face. "You look fucking horrible," Sirius commented as he gently wiped under Remus' nose. Remus froze under the boy's ministrations, not used to feeling a touch as gentle as the one the boy in front of him was giving him. Even his own mother wasn't as gentle when she tended to him after the full moon.

Sirius threw the napkin in his hand into the garbage can and accepted another one from Peter. "I am going to kill Regulus." he muttered to himself as he continued remove the blood from the boy in front of him.

James folded his arms and shook his head, "I can't believe your brother went so far. What the fuck did you tell him to do to him?"

"I told him to do something that will get Remus changed to Gryffindor, and while he was at it try and find a way to pin it on Snape!"

"And you couldn't tell me what you were going to do?" Remus snapped, "You do realize I had no fucking idea what was going on."

"Don't blame me, I thought that Regulus would have told you," Sirius muttered throwing the napkin in the garbage and took a dry one from James. "There, now you don't look like the victim of a homicide." Sirius giggled at his joke, and Remus couldn't help but think it was the most amazing sound in the world.

Sirius went back to his seat, his two friends following him as Remus stood rooted in his spot. "Lupin?" Remus shook his head and smiled softly when Peter motioned towards the empty seat beside him and James. Taking a shuttering breath, Remus slowly made his way over to the vacant seat, and sitting himself on the edge. He looked around and noticed that almost everyone in the group was staring at him.

"Can I help you guys?" Remus asked as he fully sat back in his seat and crossed his legs.

"Just make sure you stay away from Snape and his crew, if you don't, getting you put in here was for naught. What Regulus and his friends did to you would be a cakewalk compared to what Snape and his dung for brains goons will do to you. Snape is here because of that." James stopped for a moment to squint his eyes, "actually it's for beating up a werewolf, but that's basically the same thing."

"A werewolf… right," Remus leaned his elbow on his knee and pursed his lips.

"I wouldn't worry about it though," Peter looked up into his eyes and smiled sweetly, his shoes scuffing the floor and he kicked his feet as he leaned forward putting his weight on his hands. "You have us to look after you and we will point out the group just to make sure you know who to avoid."

Remus laughed softly and shook his head amused at the small boy beside him, "thanks I guess."

Peter threw him a smile and threw himself back into his seat as Professor McGonagall entered the classroom. She walked to the front of the class and called their attention by clearing their throat. "Since it is Mr. Lupin's first day, why doesn't he start us off?"

Remus raised his eyebrows, "what would you like me to say?"

"How about how you got here?" McGonagall pushed gently.

Remus sighed, "Well my Mum and Dad had sex and seven months later, I was a premature baby you see, there I was all pink and old man looking."

Several of the students in the group snickered into their hands, one of the girls actually had to press her face into her friends shoulder to try and quiet her giggles. McGonagall stared at him disapprovingly, "I meant about how you've come to Hog-"

"Nope, not happening."

"It's not a choice Mr. Lupin."

"I completely agree with you. My deciding not to tell you is certainly not a choice, Professor." There was rustling, and Remus' face shot up to the parchment in her hand, his name written boldly on the top. "What are you doing with my Permanent Record?" He asked harshly, forcing himself to stay seated in his chair.

"This is a group discussion, Mr. Lupin. There are no secrets in this room; this is a reformation school not a spa."

Remus' fingers gripped the edge of the seat, and his features hardened as she went through the pages of his admittedly large Permanent Record scroll. He watched as the strict professor's eyes widened before she closed the parchment with a weary glance towards Remus.

"I was protecting my cousin- I swear it isn't as bad as it seems," his voice was low, but it seemed to echo through the entire room. Everyone's eyes were on him, and he suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.

Sirius looked unimpressed, and he was the only one who still looked completely relaxed lying back in his seat. "What was out of protection exactly?"

"The murder of Fenrir Grayback," Professor McGonagall replied, her eyes never leaving the Remus'.

"You mean you are the kid that the murder trial of the century was centered around!" James asked incredulously, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Remus almost couldn't keep the twisted smile on his lips from showing as he watched the faces around him change from a hungered curiosity to thinly veiled fear. His hands tightened on the seat, and his mouth clamped shut however as his head began to swim with images from that day three months ago, and he gasped as pain began to bloom in his stomach and he found it hard to breathe. He heard the cries of Peter, and felt nimble hands gripping his shoulders in order to hold him back from smashing his face into the ground.

Flashes of people running and bright lights shooting from wands flashed before his eyes, he was aware of screaming again but couldn't be certain if it was Peter again, or his own screams that were filling his ears.

Suddenly the images stopped, and the screams stopped and all that was left was the classroom around him which was slowly coming back into focus. He swallowed and looked up to see everyone watching him with concern. He took a deep breath and leaned back against his chair and smiled weakly at the worried glares.

"So, whose turn is it to share?"