Remus sighed as he dropped down onto his bed. He'd watched her for hours, pretending to be reading his Potions manual, as she'd sat over her blank parchment making surreptitious glances over at Sirius. Every time she did it he watched her become a little bit more sad, then a little bit more determined. So he'd offered to help her. They were in Transfiguration together, sometimes they even sat together and he'd feel really bad if she didn't get her essay finished.

He smiled, they'd sat, heads bowed together, pouring over the material as she hastily scrawled down interesting points about the transfiguration process. He'd relished those moments, the smell of her hair nearly intoxicated him as it fell around her shoulders like liquid gold in the dim candle light. More than once, she'd taken him by surprise by asking him a question, after which he'd manage to mumble something in reply rather incoherently. And he'd watched her wide, blue eyes scan across the material quickly and he felt this raging jealousy that it wasn't he who drew her gaze away from the text, but rather one of his best friends.

He realized, at some point in time, that she was just oblivious to his longing looks at her, as Sirius was to hers. And then the conversation had turned to killing werewolves with silver woks and he'd snapped back to reality. He was a werewolf, and if he ever got into a serious relationship, especially with her, he'd have to tell her. He might have told her tonight at the mention of the article in the Daily Prophet, except she'd gone straight on to the point of killing them with silver woks. But he could have trusted her with it, he bet. She wasn't like the other girls, gossiping about anything and everything. In fact, she didn't even have that many people she could tell if she'd wanted to. She didn't have too many friends, as most of the girls at Hogwarts were of the variety that Sirius had been kissing.

"Relax, I doubt I'm ever going to run into a werewolf." She'd soothed flippantly. It still rang in his mind. "Oh, Aislin, you already have." He whispered before stuffing his head into the pillow hoping it would stop his thoughts. Then he laughed, could you take out a werewolf with a silver wok?

What was it about her that drew him in so deeply? But he already knew the answer, and it wasn't just because she was beautiful and kind to him, it was also because she was the exact type of girl that Sirius didn't like, but he was crazy for. She wasn't overtly girly, spending hours on her appearance, but it's not like she didn't care about her appearance at all either. She always managed to look pretty which was impressive because she spent most of her free time digging in the dirt in the greenhouse with Professor Sprout or down by Hagrid's hut, where they shared a curiosity for magical creatures. She was wild, like him. Well, maybe not as wild as he was. He was a beast after all.

Before he could flip over and pretend he was already asleep, Sirius sauntered in and flashed a grin at him. "Way to reel them in, Moony." Sirius said as he plopped down onto his own bed, next to Remus'. "I saw you over there, checking her out. It's about time too. How long have you been pining over her?"

"It'd be a lot easier if she wasn't in love with the infamous Sirius Black." Remus replied bitterly as he threw one of his textbooks at his friend.

Sirius shrugged, "She's not my type."

"Yeah, well, she doesn't know that." He retorted, but it came out muffled as he'd already shoved his face into the pillow.

"Right," Sirius said, obviously having no clue about the last statement, "G'night then, mate."

Remus didn't reply, but he lay in the following silence for hours with his thoughts spinning. He wanted her. There was no one else that he'd ever met that he could think of that he wanted more. His thoughts drifted back to earlier, he'd purposely grazed her arm when he'd reached for her text book. Even that small touch had sent electric shocks down his spine, but he tried not to remember that it had had absolutely no effect on her.

He groaned and shoved his face further into the pillow, either he would fall asleep or he would pass out from the lack of air from smothering himself with his own pillow.

The next morning at breakfast he watched her, in hushed conversation with her friend Demi Hannah at the far end of the table. Demi wasn't popular at all, in fact, Aislin was her only friend. Demi was quiet, shy and a complete bookworm. He'd tried to talk to her a couple times before, but every time he said something her face would go bright red and she scurry away without giving a reply.

Of course, she did have other friends, and Remus wasn't the only boy in the school who liked her. He watched with some jealousy as Jackson Finch from Ravenclaw came over to talk to her. Jackson had been wanting to go out with Aislin since third year, Remus had developed his crush during second year. His jealousy seemed to be unfounded as he watched her say something to him and his shoulders slump before walking dejectedly away.

This was the strange thing about her. Although she had been asked out multiple times (mostly by Jackson, as he, himself, hadn't bucked up enough courage to attempt it yet) she never accepted. She was saving herself for Sirius.

"Just ask her to go to Hogsmeade with you next weekend." Sirius said after stomping on his foot to get his attention.

"Jackson probably just asked her. And she obviously said no. I doubt I'd have any better luck." He snapped.

"Sure you would!" Sirius said. "She'd obviously go out with you, you're my best friend. If she likes me as much as you say she does, she'd go out with you just to get close to me."

"I don't want to be used so she can get close to you." Remus retorted.

"Moony, if you're shy, I'll ask her for you." Sirius said convincingly.

"Yeah, that would just make her day." Remus glared.

"I'm sick of your pining; it's been what, four years now? If you don't ask her out by the end of the day, I'm going to do it for you." Sirius said with a smile.

"Who are you asking out now, Padfoot?" James said as he finally joined them in the Great Hall.

"No one, Moony's going to ask out Aislin, finally." Sirius replied as he grabbed another piece of toast and began smearing it with jam.

In Transfiguration they sat next to each other and he honestly tried to ask her out. But every time he worked up the courage to do it he'd instantly deflate. The first time went something like this:

"Aislin?" Remus asked quietly. They were transfiguring owls into lamps and between the commotion the other students were making while trying to keep their owls in place, and the hoo's of the owls in protest, he knew they wouldn't be overheard.

"Yeah, Remus?" She'd asked as she viscously grabbed her owl and sat it back down on the table. It gave an indignant hoo at it's treatment. Then she'd looked at him, and their eyes had connected for a split second. Big, wide, blue eyes that seemed to look through him and showed the wildness inside her at the same time. How could he tame that?

"Uh, nothing. Never mind." He'd managed to mutter before turning back to his own owl. This was ridiculous. He was a Marauder; he could have any girl he wanted in the school, except the one he actually wanted.

The rest of his attempts ended similarly so that when they were sitting at supper that night in the Great Hall he just ignored Sirius' pointed looks.

"Fine." Sirius snorted as he got up halfway through supper.

"Padfoot! Sit down now!" Remus snapped.

"I told you I'd do it, Moony!" He replied as he made his way down the length of the table. Remus could only watch in horror.