Awooooo! Eleven-year-old Sarah stared straight ahead, desperately trying to prevent the tears welling in her eyes from falling. She held her hands over her ears, uselessly trying to block out the howls of pain coming from the garage.

Through the window, a ray of sunlight peeked into the cottage, and the howls stopped. "Remus!" Sarah cried, and she burst into the garage, kneeling next to a mangled figure on the ground, heedless of the small pool of blood that soaked into the bottom of her nightgown and coated her bare feet.

Remus, gasping for breath, smiled weakly at her. "Hi, Sarah."

She looked him over, frowning. "The wolf's been upset lately. What's going on?"

Her friend sighed. "I'm worried about whether I'll get to go to Hogwarts or not. I really want to go, but I'm afraid I might not be able to."

"Aw, come on, Remus. The new headmaster is said to be a genius; surely he can find a way to let you come," the girl reassured the werewolf. "Maybe he'll even find a way to cure you!"

At that moment, John Lupin came into the garage. "Who'll find a cure for Remus, Sarah?"

She turned towards the ex-Auror. "I was thinking that since Dumbledore is said to be a genius, maybe he could find a cure for lycanthropy."

John smiled sadly. "Oh, Sarah. I really hate to burst your bubble, but it seems that lycanthropy is one of those things that has no cure."

Sarah frowned, then brightened. "Isn't the Transfiguration professor an Animagus?" John nodded. "Well, maybe she can help Remus! If she's an animal, then she can distract him!"

"Sarah, I really appreciate that you're trying to think of ways to help my son, but I'm afraid that they probably won't work. Now, come on. Remus still needs healing."

Sarah looked at her friend in alarm, suddenly noticing that the pool of blood had grown slightly. Quickly, she and John set to work healing Remus, John performing spells and Sarah helping with magical remedies. Eventually, all the injuries had been healed, and the boy was taken to his bed. In the kitchen, Delilah Lupin made chocolate milk for Sarah and coffee for John and her. The threesome sat in silence for a while, sipping their respective drink and listening to the gentle snores emanating from the bedroom nearby. Then Delilah broke the silence.

"John, we received an owl today. Dumbledore says..."She hesitated. Del knew how much her husband hated the fact that his son would likely not get to go to Hogwarts, and she was afraid to get his hopes up. "Dumbledore says that it might be possible to let Remus come to Hogwarts. He outlined his idea in the letter and suggested that we talk about it." Sarah perked up and listened intently as John spoke.

"What was Dumbledore's idea?"

"Well, he said that there's an old, abandoned shack some ways away from both Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Apparently, it's rumored to be haunted, so villagers stay away, and there's a fence around it to keep students from trying to explore it. They can make a passageway to it from the Hogwarts grounds and cover the hole with a..."She looked at the letter. "A Whomping Willow."

John whistled. "A Whomping Willow? I'd have thought that would be just as bad as a werewolf, safety-wise."

"Why? What's so dangerous about a willow tree?"

"The Whomping Willow seems like a normal tree. However, when any creature, big or small, gets in range of its branches, it comes to life and attacks the trespasser. Some of its branches get so big that if they landed straight on you, you could be crushed and killed. It's also been known to put out eyes and cause injuries worth of a cat o' nine tails. It would certainly protect students from being attacked, but it would also pose a risk to them."

Delilah sipped her coffee. "If it's so dangerous, how could they excuse it being on the grounds without telling people about Remus?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, it's actually endangered. People get so scared of it that they kill it."

"How would Remus get past it, though?"

"If you press a knot near the base, it will freeze."

Sarah heard rustling upstairs and went up to check on Remus. The adults began arguing as she walked. As she came into Remus' room, the boy sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"What are they arguing about?" He asked with a hint of annoyance clear in his voice. Why do they have to be so loud? Sarah thought. They're keeping Remus awake when he needs sleep!

Aloud she said, "They received a letter from Dumbledore, the new headmaster of Hogwarts. He's figured out a way that you could come to Hogwarts, so now they're arguing about whether or not you should go. I think your mom is worried about what will happen if someone finds out."

Remus looked surprised, but happy. "I can keep a secret. Plus, you'll be there, so it won't be as bad. I won't be completely alone. I mean, we've been friends for so long—we're probably not going to stop now. Right?" He grinned at her.

"Right," she agreed. "You know, I don't know who will win without you intervening, but if you tell them you want to go, I bet they'll listen to you. You are their only kid, after all." Remus nodded, so Sarah helped him out of bed and waited for him while he was in the bathroom. At one point, she heard a bloop sound and cursing. Must have dropped his toothbrush into the toilet, she thought, laughing mentally. Eventually, he came out, and they went downstairs together.

They approached the kitchen doorway just as Delilah was saying, "John, think! What do you think will happen if someone finds out he's a werewolf? They'll hate him! He'll have to leave because parents will be scared he'll bite their children!"

"Delilah," John sounded frustrated, "I trust Remus to be able to keep a secret, particularly one as important as his. I trust Sarah to do so, as well. I don't think we'll have anything to worry about. I'll make sure Remus knows that he can't get close to anyone except Sarah, who knows and can be trusted. We simply can't pass up this opportunity, Del! It wouldn't be fair to Remus! He deserves to learn magic just as much as anyone else."

Before his mother could respond, Remus intervened. He stepped into the kitchen, his parents turning to look at him, and said, "Mom, Dad. I want to go to Hogwarts."

They looked at each other, then nodded. For the parents of an only child, especially one who would be an outcast anywhere else, the child's choice mattered a lot.