February 10, 1973: Hogwarts, Scotland:

Remus Lupin woke up slowly feeling still so very tired, stiff and sore. This last change was really hard as he was starting to go through puberty and the monster was responding in kind. If only he did not have the monster to deal with the other benefits of being a werewolf would not be so bad, the accelerated healing, sharpened senses, that sort of thing. He opened his eyes and saw Severus here reading a book, by him was James, Sirius, Peter, and McGonagall? She knew of his secret but why was she here? Then it hit him, his friends knew, now they would not be his friends and he was doomed! Maybe McGonagall had them here to swear not to tell anyone? Yes that had to be it.

What he was not aware of was the fact that Severus had found out first and had done research into the werewolf. He had to ask his mother as he was doing a project on werewolves and there were no good books to be had at Hogwarts about those. He did not tell her that the project was a student. She had found a translated Chinese book on werewolves that did not offer a cure but did offer certain easy to be had potions to help calm the wolf and one thing that caught his eye. A werewolf would attack humans and only humans in werewolf form. However most animals, and if true friends became Animagmus than there change would be that much easier. That was why McGonagall was here, Severus was not going to practice something this dangerous on his own and he had got the other boys in on it too to allow her to help teach them.

"Yes we know you blasted wolf." Severus said with no hint of malice behind his words, "but we can help."

"Yea, I think it is cool myself!" James said, "we can learn to be an Animagmus and be with you!"

"How can that help?" Remus asked.

"Severus found a book, and it says loads about Werewolves." Peter replied, "we could be with you in the shack when you change and all and you should not harm yourself while we are there."

"Yea, besides you just have a furry little problem, and don't want to be a monster, not like Greyback was." Sirius replied.

"Was?" Remus asked.

"Yea, someone took one of those muggle rifles and shot him full of silver bullets, him and his pack." Sirius said.

"Oh, well I suppose that is good." Remus said.

"Besides, you are part of our pack, our family." James said.

"Yes, and that is where I come in." McGonagall said, "I will teach you how to become Animagmus, then you will register on the secret registry most Animagmus need anomy and that is why so few are known and registered publically. Now if I am to teach you, you are to keep up your grades, keep out of trouble and promise you are doing this for the right reasons am I clear?"

The boys agreed as one and Remus felt a warmth come over him. He had never thought his friends would ever agree to stay his friends after finding out what he was, yet they had. He was happy and felt far freer than he had ever felt before in his life. He was able to fall asleep knowing he had good friends and that they would not ever let him down.

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February, 11 1973, Cokeworth England:

Professor R John Lupin looked around as he stepped off the train station and saw that this was much the same as any industrial town in England. Same drab buildings coated with soot and grime, same narrow mean streets, yet there was something else. He could see painted flowerboxes on window sills, trees planted on streets where there was room, light posts that looked as if they came out of the last century painted green instead of the modern ones he so hated. Children were still clad in second hand clothes (but this was the norm even for middle class children who's parents saved their money that way for other things, like sweets, a telly and books) well fed and happy.

He saw Robert and Tobias, both head of the Grimm Books LTD headquartered out of Cokeworth and with twenty stores across England now. They were clad in tailored but not expensive suits and ties and both looked to be down to earth men. John knew these two had something to do with ten dead werewolves and though he was grateful for that he really wished he could have had a hand in destroying the one that turned his son into a monster, well a monster once a month that is. He had thought his boy would never go to Hogwarts and yet Dumbledore and the other heads of houses allowed it. McGonagall saw no problem with it, Slughorn though it a great way to gain more prestige, Sprout was all about giving a sweet boy with a horrible condition a chance and Flitwick was wanting to see what magic could be used to help Remus.

"Ah good to see you Professor Lupin." Tobias said taking his hand and shaking it. "good to finally meet you!"

"And you, as well." John said, "your letters were very informative."

"I do hope so." Robert replied, "the office is this way, we can talk there."

John followed them wondering what was going on, they were not talking to him because of his being a professor at Cambridge, that he knew. It had to do with him being a wizard and his connections to that world. They entered the office where John was surprised to see a slip of a girl, barely in her teens waiting for them. She had pretty strawberry blond hair and was clad in a gown of blue that matched her eyes. She had on Mary-Jane shoes, white stockings and an apron and looked every bit the domestic girl that John had a feeling she really was not, not fully. He took a seat and waited for the others to dismiss the girl, but they did not.

"She is trusted, this is Petunia Evans." Robert said, "my eldest daughter and as muggle as I and Tobias are, but she is smart and well she was doing poorly in that girls school, not grade wise but the girls."

"It was not that bad dad, honest." Petunia said quietly.

"They bullied you, and you did not deserve that." Robert said, "she is home now, going to secondary school here and now able to really work on her talents, better baker than my dear wife, great with tools and smart too. She is as part of the magical world now as I am."

"We may be muggles and have no magic but we have family in that world and we need to do what we can to keep them safe." Tobias said, "my wife was willing to give up everything for me, even magic I feel I have to do what I can to make the world she grew up in safe though."

"Petunia is here because she has ideas for to who this dark lord is." Tobias said, "we wanted to run it by you first as well you are good at codes, your work in world war two proves that."

"That is suppose to be classified." John muttered.

"Well yes, but what we do too is classified, we help against the Soviets and this dark lord too." Tobias replied.

"Severus's mum had an idea that this dark lord Voldemort was one of her classmates." Tobias said, "gave Petunia here a list of the names of boys in her year, well the Slytherin ones and only one stuck out."

"Right, well we know he says I Am Lord Voldemort right?" Petunia said writing it down and another name, "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"And it comes out as I Am Lord Voldemort." John breathed, "wow, we need to find out all we can on this Riddle fellow, good work Petunia."

Petunia smiled, please as anything, all her work to try and fit in at that school had not worked and her parents had seen that. They had brought her home and she had thought herself a failure, but Tobias was able to help, he was the only muggle in a magical family and he knew what she was going through. She wanted to be magical, just as he did and neither ever would. But they could help set things right even if they had no magic, this dark lord would not see the worth of muggles until it was too late, they would see to that. Petunia had gone to secondary school in Cokeworth and began to bloom as she worked on her talents and what she was good at. Who cared if she was not pretty like her sister or magical? She had lots of talents, things Lily could not do and she was proud of being who she was, most of the time, she of course still had her days after all.

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May 5, 1974: Hogwarts, Scotland:

Severus grinned, bloodied, bruised but victorious as he turned from throwing the quaffle through the hoop to see Taylor catch the snitch before James could. It was close, very close but in the end Taylor was that much faster than James and she caught the snitch smiling broadly. They had won the Quidditch cup and Severus flew to his fellow housemates and they all hugged and cheered. Landing they turned and shook the hands of the Gryffindors, in years past their would have been a fight but not now. Many students were friends with those in other houses though Slytherin did face bias still and had a long road to go.

It did not help that the majority of the dark lord Voldemort's followers came from his house, no that did not help at all. Slytherin house was divided too between those that refused to support the dark lord and saw him as nothing but trouble and those that would die for him and were willing to spill blood even in the common room to prove it. This was when Slughorn stepped in and proved that he was a very good leader of his house. He put up wards to prevent any fights in the common room or anywhere in his house, it was drastic but that was the only way to stop anyone from being killed. It took a lot of his own magical power to keep those wards up and in the end this is what stopped the fighting, though the house might not get along they cared about their head of house and so a truce was formed so that Slughorn did not end up using his power to keep them in line.

"Oi Snape you get hit in the head with a bludger?" James asked getting Severus to look up at him.

"What Potter?" Severus asked.

"I wanted to know if you wanted me to fix your nose?" James asked, "looks bad, you are bleeding all over the place."

"No, your healing spells never go right." Severus replied.

"Here let me, you lot can never do this right." Lily said walking up and casting a healing spell, "I am being trained by madam Pomfrey and I have permission to do this, you do not."

"I was trying to be nice." James said.

"Oh really, nice like charming the suits of armor to sing?" Lily said, "or using first years as decorations on the Christmas trees?"

"In all fairness they volunteered and were paid for that." Sirius said, "they got all the sweets they could handle from Hogsmeade when we went."

"That was you!" Lily said.

"They were happy Lily." Severus said.

"You. Helped. Them." Lily said going pink in rage, "Severus Tobias Snape I thought you had a few brain cells guess I was wrong!"

"We did not hurt anyone." Remus said, "everyone was fine!"

Before Lily could go off on the boys Severus was swept up by his team to have a celebratory party in the Slytherin common room. Sure things were not perfect in the world but for the moment the children could be just that, children and enjoy a hard fought victory in a game instead of the pain and suffering going on outside the school. A few students snuck down to Hogsmeade and got some Butterbeer and snacks from Honeydukes. The proprietor knew about the tunnel to his shop and would leave a few crates unprotected for the students, as long as they left payment he would continue this for them and turn a blind eye to them coming through his shop into the village even. It was not as if anyone who meant harm could come through his store, not with all the protections he placed on his shop. It was a place for fun and happiness and he knew that sweets could help lift spirits in such hard times like this.

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So yes Severus is good friends with some Gryffindors. Though James can be a prat he is still a good kid mostly. I think if things had gone differently Severus would have been a great asset to Remus and others with the Animagmus training and I do think he would have involved McGonagall too. She would be perfect to help them in this and would too. As for the other heads of houses knowing Remus was a werewolf, no way would they allow him in the school if they did not know. They had no idea what house he would be in and the heads would need to know about his condition to help him after all.

Yes Petunia is going to be a help here, she was no dummy in canon, and here she has no time to get spiteful. She will be a great help against not just Voldemort but others too you can bank on that. She will still have her moments, she is still jealous of her sister you can bet on that but as she has more of a part to play it will not be as bad.

Yes I know that James was a chaser in the books, but who is to say he was always that? Could have been a seeker for a while, where did Harry get that talent of his after all? Yes I have Severus on the team, it would be a good way for him to gain the protection he would need against the darker elements of his house, as much as they loathe those like him his house would not dare attack their star player. Besides we know Severus can fly on a broom, so this to me is not a stretch. Though Slytherin is still so very much divided there will be a truce for a time.

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