"What took you so long?" Lily asks as Salus walked stiffly into the potions room. Her redheaded friend is already seated at their potions table with all their potions equipment set up properly and her textbook splayed out in front of her.

"Took a stroll, lost track of time. Sorry," Salus says, slumping down in her seat. She tried not to make a habit of lying to Lily, even if she has a natural talent for it, but Lily would only be upset if she knew Potter was trying to get info on her. She'd probably be even more upset if she knew Salus had agreed.

The class hadn't started yet, but Salus usually arrived a bit early to go over her potions notes and textbook. Despite her twin brother being extremely skilled in the subject and attempting to tutor Salus, she had a horrible time in potions. She only passed Potions on her O.W.L with barely an E because of hours of relentless studying.

The class is shared between the Slytherins and Gryffindors, but Salus and Severus never sit together; him choosing to sit with other Slytherins, and Salus preferring Lily's company in the subject. Unfortunately, both Severus and Lily's tutoring methods on the confusing subject didn't work the best with Salus, so her grade in the class is a lot lower than she'd like. Even Remus wasn't much help with potions, as he wasn't the best at the subject as well.

The group of four boys entered the class a few minutes after Salus, strolling in without of care in the world despite being a few minutes late. But there's nothing really wrong with that when the professor is just as late. James and Sirius take the seats next to Lily and Salus, Remus takes the seat behind the two girls and Peter is on the other side of the class. Professor Slughorn enters the class a few minutes later and immediately starts the lesson.

It's about halfway through the lesson that a crumpled piece of paper lands on the desk next to Salus' hand. She looks over to where it came from to find James and Sirius both following Slughorn's lesson, but it's obvious they sent it. She peeks over at Lily but she didn't seem to notice the note. Salus hides it under the table and quietly unfolds it; messy chicken scrawl writing is in the corner of the piece of parchment.

'Talk to Lily about me - J'

Salus subtly writes a quick 'no' right underneath his message and flicks it back to him. Why would she want to? Lily would just talk about how 'arrogant' and 'immature' he's been lately, only sinking him further down in her eyes.

'Plus,' Salus thought to herself, 'I'm in class, and I can't afford to not pay attention in potions.'

Not that the two boys would care about that; Sirius' and James' potions are always perfect which is made clear by Slughorn's endless praise.

Soon another note lands on Salus' desk reading;

'I'll help you with potions in exchange?'

Salus hesitates and thinks over his proposal.

'I do suck at potions- Lily and Remus' explanations don't help me that much- and James does have one of the highest marks in the class.' Salus considers, 'I guess it couldn't hurt, but Lily might be mad with me if she finds out'

Salus quickly scribbles back;

'Fine. I'll speak to her later.

Meet in Library, 4 pm tomorrow.'

After flicking the note over, Salus notices James grinning triumphantly to Sirius and she quickly regrets her decision, but it's too late to go back now. She'll just have to talk to Lily later.

Later that afternoon, Salus and Remus had a regular study session in the library together. This time they were working on charms since Professor Flitwick had given them a huge essay. When the two of them study together it's usually silent- except for the odd question and the scribbling of their quills against parchment- but today was different.

Remus looked up from his assignment and asked Salus with a slight strain in his tone, "So Sirius is going to be helping you with Potions?"

Salus looked up at him, "I thought James was? I mean, he's the one who made the deal."

"No, I overhead them talking," Remus explains, "Sirius is the better of the two at potions and agreed to help you for James."

Salus hums in response, "I suppose it doesn't make a difference, as long as one of them upholds the deal."

They return to their work, ending all conversation. But after a few minutes Salus noticed Remus having a hard time concentrating on his work. His skin was rather pale and sickly and he looked very aggravated, once in awhile rubbing the back of his neck or scratching at his arm.

'That's right,' Salus thought to herself, 'full moon's in a few days.'

Salus had known of Remus' lycanthropy since second year, and always kept track of the moon cycles because of it. When she found out she was quite surprised, but soon realized how badly it must affect him. She never told anyone else, including Remus, for obvious reasons. She never wanted to talk to Remus about it since it'd probably upset him and she doesn't want to lose her study partner. Instead she tried to subtly do nice things for him without him realizing she knows during the days leading up to the full moon; things like leave candy or treats for him outside his dorm room, or write extra notes from class for him on the day after the full moon when he's in the hospital wing. Leaving food outside his door may sound a tad weird, but she thought it might help in some way.

"You alright, Remus?" She asked, putting down her quill, "We can stop early for today if you're not feeling well."

Remus looked up at her again, a mixture of emotions showing in his eyes, "No, I'm fine thanks."

"You sure?" Salus asked again.

"Yes, I'll be fine- must've eaten something funny." He replied. Despite his discomfort, a smile tugged on Remus' lips.

"What is it?" Salus asked, noticing his change in demeanor.

Remus' smile grew slightly larger as he said, "I think this is the longest we've had an actual conversation."

This surprised Salus but she laughed silently under her breath, "I guess it is. Kind of sad, huh? Studying together for this long and not even speaking."

Remus' eyebrows scrunched together a bit and he rested his head on his arms, "We've known each other for six years but we know nothing about each other. Besides that you suck at potions."

"You suck at herbology," Salus replied, leaning back in her chair and abandoning her charms work all together.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Anything that doesn't have to do with class?"

". . . You like quidditch?"

"Well yes, but it doesn't count if you guess," He responded.

"Yes, but now I know two facts while you only know one." Salus smirked.

"You . . ." Remus thinks for a moment, "Are related to Severus."

"That doesn't count, everybody knows that," Salus rolled her eyes this time.

"That's true." He said, the hint of a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Well how about this; I know you're more perceptive than you let on."

Salus froze, "What do you mean?"

"You knew about the sticking charm on the Slytherin benches before anybody else in the Great Hall did," he replied with a small grin.

Salus hummed in thought, "Guess you caught that."

"How'd you know?"

"Well, it wasn't that difficult, I was in the room when your lot did it," Salus explained, surprising Remus, "Don't blame you, Lily's always telling me I'm too silent for my own good, but you should really be more cautious when sneaking about."

Remus paused before a small grin tugs at his lips, "well now I know another; you're silent."

Salus shook her head at him, but couldn't help the smile that slipped onto her face, "I think that's enough facts for one day. See you in D.A.D.A."

Salus grabbed her rucksack and charms book, waved a polite goodbye, and then left the library. While Salus isn't one to completely hide anything about herself, she also enjoys her privacy. There are very few people in the school that know anything about Salus- the exceptions being Lily, Severus, and her dorm mates- and she was comfortable with it staying that way.

The rest of the day was eventless, and classes passed as they usually did with an exceptional amount of work. Even after completing their O.W.L's, the teachers were still giving out massive amounts of work. Luckily there were a lot more free time, but it was all filled with working on assignments and long essays.

The final class of the day ended and Lily, Alice- one of Lily and Salus' dorm mates- and Salus walked together down to the Great Hall for dinner. Lily and Alice chatted happily, Alice talking about her boyfriend who had graduated already, who was working towards becoming an Auror. Salus only added one or two polite comments, but didn't find herself that interested in the girls love life. Once they reached the Great Hall, Salus parted from the other two to go sit with her brother.

Like usual, the Slytherins completely ignored Salus' presence at their table. Severus looked up at Salus as she sat down and greeted her with a, "sister," but nothing more. Salus dished out some food, but apparently it wasn't enough to Severus' liking as he scooped more food onto her plate.

"Thanks, mum," Salus rolled her eyes at him, but kept eating.

Severus sent her a stern look, "You're getting too thin, it's not healthy."

"I can take care of myself fine, thank you." Salus replied, looking up at him with a slight smile to show she was at least somewhat grateful for his concern.

Salus, noticing Severus' black hair had grown quite a lot, asks him, "Would you like me to cut your hair again? It's gotten rather long again."

Severus' eyebrows pulled down into a frown and he grumbled, "Remember the last time I let you near me with scissors?"

"That was your fault, you wouldn't sit still," Salus argued, "I cut my hair and it looks fine. Even Alice let me trim her hair a couple of times."

Severus scoffed under his breath, "Then practice on your little Gryffindor friends. Better one of them a Guinea Pig then me."

All conversation ended after that. Severus always got in a bad mood when Salus mentioned one of her Gryffindor mates. They had gotten in more than one fight on the topic before, but Salus knew no matter how much she tried to change his mind on the subject he would just argue against her. Severus was convinced that Slytherin was the best of the four houses and had come to despise most Gryffindors. Especially after being bullied by the four boys who called themselves the 'marauders'. Even though Remus usually tried to keep away from those situations, Severus hated him as well. Especially since he found out about Remus' lycanthropy. After Severus found out he tried to explain to Salus how dangerous Remus was, but Salus always responded by saying that there was no way that Dumbledore would allow a werewolf into the school. He kept trying to convince her, but one day he just gave up and hasn't brought it up since.

After dinner, Salus returned to Gryffindor Tower with Lily and Alice. The three of them worked on their transfiguration homework in the common room, Alice and Lily spread out in front of the fireplace and Salus resting on the couch. Salus found her mind wandering and couldn't concentrate on her essay. Thoughts of Remus and their conversation kept floating around her head, distracting her from any other thoughts. Salus had never had a proper conversation with him before, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. When she talks to others it is often awkward or stale, and makes Salus uncomfortable. But Salus and Remus talked rather normally- the way two friends would. Could the two of them be good friends? She has never had a male friend because of her withdrawn personality, so the idea seemed exciting to her.

Another thought was clouding her mind. She told James she'd talk to Lily about him. What does that even mean? How would she even begin? "Oh, hey Lily, I was just wondering about your thoughts on your favourite 'arrogant toerag' as you like to call him"? First, that would make Lily rather suspicious as Salus has never shown interest in her love life before, and secondly, Lily would probably just ramble about how much he annoys her. So how could she start the conversation without drawing attention to herself?

"So, Lily," Alice interrupts the silent girls thoughts, and gives Lily a coy smile, "Has anybody asked you to go to Hogsmeade with them yet?"

"What are you talking about?" Lily asks, looking up from her work with a confused look.

Alice rolls her eyes, "I mean, has any guy asked you on a date yet?"

"No. Why would you think anyone would?"

A long grin spreads on Alice's face, "I overheard someone saying that Bertram Aubrey might ask you to Hogsmeade with him!"

"The seventh year?" Lily gasps in surprise, a small blush spreading on her face. Lily doesn't usually get embarrassed. She's been on dates with guys before, but Aubrey is an exceptionally attractive Ravenclaw who plays chaser for the Ravenclaw team. Whenever Lily or Alice go to one of their matches they usually end up talking about him for the entire game.

Alice nods enthusiastically with a quiet squeal of excitement, "If you guys started dating them we could go on double dates together!"

Lily rolls her eyes, but the slight tint in her cheeks remain, "I highly doubt he's going to ask me to Hogsmeade with him."

"Why?" Salus asks, deciding to partake in the conversation, "Lots of the guys here fancy you, why wouldn't he? Even Potter would probably kill to date you."

Lily looked down bashfully, "Well James doesn't count."

"Why not?" Salus asked, watching Lily's reaction closely, "He likes you, he has since first year."

The blush on Lily's cheeks flushed brighter than her hair and she replied, "Because I wouldn't date James."

A small smirk tugged on Salus' lips at her newly acquired knowledge. Lily does have a bit of a crush on James, she's just denying it. Alice and Salus share a subtle look, both thinking the same thing about their rather innocent redhead friend.

"Let's just drop it," Lily declares, and returned to her work. Alice giggled silently at her friend, but doesn't complain and goes back to work.

It's only a few minutes later that the four rowdy boys enter the Gryffindor common room. The three girls look up from their work as they enter, a small blush spreading on Lily's face when she notices James because of their conversation only a few minutes prior. She manages to look away before any of the marauders can notice her flustered expression, but Salus notices and snorts silently under her breath. Salus looks up at James to find him staring at her, once she looks up his eyes flicker to Lily and then back to Salus. He gives the subtle, silent signal of 'have you talked to her yet?'. Without the other girls noticing, Salus nods in response and writes in the corner of a piece of spare parchment 'wait till they leave'. James reads Salus' message over shoulder as he passes and sends a triumphant smirk to Sirius as they walk to the other side of the common room. While the three girls finish up their work, the four boys find different ways to entertain themselves in the common room. Remus works silently on an essay with the girls, his stuff spread out across the couch next to Salus. Peter plays wizards chess with another Gryffindor in the corner, and James and Sirius are huddled in a corner looking through a charms book from the library- probably looking for whatever they'll need for their next prank. Eventually the students that fill the common room start to thin out, heading to their dorm rooms for the night. Even Lily and Alice finish their work for the night and head off to their dorm room, Alice giving Salus a suggestive expression when she says she wants to study longer with Remus. Remus notices Alice's looks and flushes with embarrassment, but looks away before Salus can notice. The moment Lily and Alice have made it up the stairs and the door to the dorm clicked shut, James practically flew across the common room to stand in front of Salus. Sirius rolled his eyes at James but followed loyally after his friend.

"What did she say?" James asks, plopping down on an armchair facing the couch where Salus sat, and leaning forward excitedly.

"Who?" Salus asked, keeping a blank expression on her face.

"Lily!" James practically yelled.

"What about Lily?" Salus continued, seeing how far she could push James.

"What did she say!" James growled out, his frustration very obvious.

"What did who say?" Salus asked, managing to keep her face completely blank.

"Salus, just tell him already before he blows a blood vessel," Sirius laughed.

"Jeez, calm down, Potter," Salus smirked, "I'll tell you. I'm just wondering how much my knowledge is worth."

"I already agreed to help tutor you in potions!" James exclaimed.

"Well actually, I'm helping her with potions," Sirius pointed out.

"You're not helping, padfoot." James muttered.

"I mean," Salus interrupted the two, "I've gotten something extra, and I just want to know what you'll trade for it."

"Isn't studying enough?" He asked grumpily.

"Not even close, Potter." She immediately replied.

"Fine, Snape-"

"Don't call me Snape." Salus scowled.

"But you called me, Po-"

"Do not. . . call me . . . Snape. Ever" Salus growled in response.

James' eyes widened a bit in surprise, "Your disturbingly similar to Snivellus when you do that."

"Alright I'm out," Salus said, standing to her feet.

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry." James quickly said, "C'mon, you promised."

Salus sent him an icy glare, "Fine."

She slumped back down onto the couch, "First off, if you want any information I'm setting some ground rules."

"Ground rules?" Peter asked with his nose crinkled in disgust.

"Did I stutter?" Salus asked coolly.

That managed to shut Peter up and he sat on the carpet silently, especially after receiving a warning glare from James and Sirius.

"I don't like speaking so I'm not repeating myself if you don't pay attention. One, I don't like being referred by my father's surname. You can call me Salus, Prince, or 'hey you'. Two, don't insult my brother in front of me again. No calling him Snivellus, or greasy haired git, and calm down with the pranks and jinxes against him. Do you even know how many bloody counter jinxes I've had to use just in the past month because of you prats?" Salus paused to lean back in the seat, taking a deep breath and having to clear her throat. She doesn't usually talk this much and it's already making her throat hurt, "Alright, so I've got two pieces of information that might interest you, but they're going to cost you."

"Alright," James said, and hesitates to think, "Well what do you want?"

"I want you to teach me how to become an animagus."