Disclaimer: No, I still don't own anyone besides my girls. Don't worry, I'm over it.

By the way, I rated this T for language and for mild adult situations later on.

The first week flew by quickly. Arianne and Saralyn learned their way around the castle quickly, sometimes getting lost just so they could learn the castle's many hidden passageways and staircases. Their classes were just challenging enough to keep them interested, though both decided that Professor Lupin was their favorite.

The morning their papers on dementors were due, Arianne was going nuts in Ravenclaw Tower. The contents of her trunk were strewn everywhere, books were scattered and papers littered the floor around her bed.

"It has to be here somewhere!" she exclaimed. "I had it last night just before I went to bed!"

"Calm down," Billie told her. "I know it has to be here somewhere. It didn't just get up and–" She realized what she was about to say and stopped. She stood in the middle of the room and said to the other girls, "If any of you, and I mean any of you, know what happened to Arianne's paper, I suggest you step forward now. This kind of shit isn't funny."

Rose stepped forward with a sneer and said, "We don't know what happened to the princess's paper. Maybe she needs to keep a better eye on her schoolwork. Come on girls." The other girls followed her out.

"As vindictive as those girls are, you'd think they'd be Slytherins," Billie muttered. "I know they have something to do with your paper going missing."

"So do I. Billie, what am I going to do? Cedric and I were counting on that paper; we put a lot into it. Professor Lupin isn't going to have much mercy." She knew he'd understand, but she knew that he'd follow the rules he'd set the week before.

"We'll figure something out. In the mean time..." Billie waved her wand and everything picked itself up and returned to its proper place. "Come on. Food."

Arianne followed her friend downstairs and ate little. No one paid much attention as someone had read a rumor about Sirius Black and they decided to make a big deal over it. Saralyn wandered over and started swearing when she heard about Arianne's paper, earning herself a detention for foul language.

"McGonagall can give me as many detentions as she wants, it's not right! Those lousy bit–"

"Hey." Cedric had come over. "What's going on?"

Arianne shook her head and got up, motioning for him to follow. She lead him out into the hall and turned to look him in the eye. "Our paper for Defense is missing."

"It's what?"

"Missing. I had it last night right before bed and when I woke up this morning, it was gone." Tears started in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"That sucks. Good thing I thought something like this would happen and I made a copy." Cedric pulled a roll of parchment out of his bag.

"You did? Cedric, you're a genius!" She threw her arms around his neck and began to laugh. She hugged him for another minute, then let him go. She turned red and stammered, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. If you were me, you probably would have lifted me off the ground. And it's no big deal. I heard them saying something about your 'complacence' the other day and figured I'd make a copy in case. Kinda sad that I was right about them though."

"Who cares? You saved our skins!" Looking at her watch, Arianne told him,

"We need to get to class anyway." She noticed everyone around staring at them, but didn't say anything so Cedric wouldn't notice.

Professor Lupin asked them right off for their papers. Saralyn and Billie had looks of sympathy on their faces when Cedric and their friend got called up to the desk, but their looks turned to confusion when Cedric handed the teacher a roll of parchment. Arianne noticed that her tower mates had strange looks on their faces, and she knew automatically that they had taken her parchment.

When class ended, Professor Lupin called out, "Miss Chase, I would like to see you after dinner tonight in my office."

"What was that about?" Saralyn asked.

"Probably wants to know more about Waking."

The rest of the day passed slowly. Arianne barely made it through her classes and she thought dinner was pure torture. She didn't think she'd done anything wrong, so aside from seeking information about her old school, she didn't know what Professor Lupin wanted.

Dinner ended and she ran her bag to he room, then made her way to Lupin's office. He invited her in at her knock, and she walked into a room filled with books, parchment and a tank. He motioned for her to sit and finished reading the paper he was grading. When he was done, he cleared his throat.

"So Miss Chase... I read the paper you and Mr. Diggory handed me... and I found that it is the second copy of the written work. I know it was written by you both, but it's the second copy part that worried me."

"Professor, Cedric overheard the girls that I'm rooming with say that they wanted to deal with my 'complacence', so he made a copy in case. I woke up this morning and the original was gone," she explained.

Lupin nodded. "I figured that out after the spell I tested the parchment with told me your paper was a second copy." He pulled a roll of parchment from the pile next to him. "This is the original, though the names on it are not yours or Mr. Diggory's."

"Whose names are on it?"

"Let me worry about that. I do, however, advise that you find a way to keep this from happening again."

"Of course Professor." She paused."Professor?"

"Yes?"

"You told me you wanted me to come here before you found out about the paper."

"Indeed I did. I am curious about Waking."

I knew it, she thought. "What would you like to know?"

"Oh, anything really," he responded.

"Well," she started, "Waking, and Dawn's End too, take their students at ten, not eleven like you do here. We go for eight years, till we're eighteen. Our O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s we take in our fifth and eighth years, as they're world standard. At Waking our Houses were named after magical creatures: dragon, griffin, chimera, thestral and unicorn. The Houses, save for Chimera, have their own guardian creatures that get taken care of by a Keeper, usually a student in their sixth year or higher. The creatures actually choose their Keepers. I was the Keeper for Dragon House starting in my second year, though no one knows why I was chosen so early. The same classes are taught there that Hogwarts has. Well, they have a class dedicated to learning the Dark Arts... but that's a story and a half.

"I think that's about it." She paused.

"Interesting." Lupin took a good look at her.

"Is there something wrong Professor?"

"Huh? Oh, no, there isn't. I'm sorry. You may leave, as I'm sure you have homework to do. But I must ask... Would you mind coming here this night every week for the next few weeks?"

"Of course. But... why?"

"You're a smart girl, Arianne. You remind me a lot of myself at your age. I'm just curious about what it's like being a wizard in America."

"Oh, ok. I'll see you later Professor." She let herself out.

Arianne was puzzled by his parting remark. It hadn't made any sense, at least not to her. And why had he stared at her like he did? She shook her head and made her way to the library to study with Cedric. In addition to working on their paper, they helped each other study and gather information for essays in other classes. Sometimes Saralyn and Billie joined them, sometimes they didn't. She was glad they didn't that night, as Cedric got frustrated at her very quickly for not paying attention and left in a huff.

Arianne saw Professor Lupin every Tuesday night for a few weeks. Her other classes didn't suffer a bit, as she had proved herself the best in her year, with an irate Percy Weasley the second best. She came to look forward to these visits, as she liked being reminded of home and found herself strangely comfortable with the Defense teacher.

One such evening the first week of October found her turning down Cedric's invite to take a walk around the school to go to Lupin's office. She walked in and sat with a sigh, making Lupin look up from what he was doing and raise an eyebrow.

"Cedric tried to ask me out again," she told him.

"Why don't you go with him once? He's a nice enough lad, very smart too."

"He plays Quidditch." Just a few weeks before she had been to her House try-outs and was made Beater. "He's on another team."

"I see how that can complicate things, but you're not even giving him a chance."

"He's a good guy, but right now I just want to stay friends with him. Maybe I should write my mother and ask her advice."

At the mention of her mother, Lupin put down his quill and gave her a strange look. "Tell me about your mother."

"Excuse you, Professor, but that's a little personal."

"Arianne, you've told me some things that I shouldn't know, like who's tried to ask you out. Yet, you've told me nothing about your family. Why?"

She sighed again. "Have it your way."

"My mother is actually from here, in Britain, most of her family lives in America. She used to go to Hogwarts. She was a Ravenclaw, a prefect. She was friends with a group of people who called themselves the Marauders... fours guys, one of whom was her half-brother, one was James Potter, one was my father, and one died. Yes, Mom's half-brother was Sirius Black," she said, responding to Lupin's look. "That story I'm not getting into."

"Anyway, she married my father just before they graduated and she got pregnant with me soon after. They moved to London and got a flat. Dad was working part-time for the Ministry... part-time since he's a werewolf and they didn't want him hurting anyone."

"One night, when Mom was about seven months pregnant, he somehow got out of the magical room that he went into when he changed. Mom was sleeping in the bedroom and he attacked her. She came out ok, but his teeth somehow left gouges on her belly, right above the baby. Nothing wolfish happened to her, and the Healers didn't know the effect it was going to have me. Mom left the next day and went home to her grandmother in Texas."

"I was born near the full moon. My father's attack had had an effect on me; my eyes change color and I become very alert. I have a strong urge to be outside and run. I don't get fangs or anything... Anyway, I lead a very normal life."

"And what of your father?" he asked patiently.

"He knows what happened and was devastated when Mom left, but he knew it was for the best; I mean, what was to stop him form fully biting me or Mom? Every month since I was born he's sent money to Mom. I get gifts on my birthday and at holidays. Other than that, I've never met him, never seen him. Hell, I don't even know his name. Mom never thought it mattered much. She never told him my name, either, so..." She looked at Professor Lupin to find that he was looking a her with the strangest look in his eyes.

"What is your mother's name?"

"Arilyn. Arilyn Reese. Chase was her mother's maiden name, Reese is her dad's surname."

"Oh God. Oh my God..."

"Professor? You're looking at me weird. Why?" She felt she already knew the answer.

"Arilyn Reese and I married just before we graduated and moved to London. I attacked her. I send her what money I can every month..."

"You mean... you're my father?"

That was chapter three. I know it's weird and a little outrageous, but I hope it gets better from here.

Please review!