The night felt like it would never end as Remus made his way down to the entrance hall. Somehow he knew with his luck that he would be put on patrol and he grimaced when he was handed his weekly patrol schedule. Convinced that no students would be awake enough to lurk about the castle after a long day of travel and a full stomach, he wanted to ditch the remaining Prefects and scurry up to his bed. As much as he wanted to execute this plan, he knew better.

He had been assigned to the third floor for the rest of the evening. It seemed that McMillan gave the Hufflepuff Prefects a night off, leaving the remaining eighteen Prefects to patrol the castle. Remus hoped he was paired up with Donna Harvey for the night. She was a particularly fit seventh year Ravenclaw. He had been paired with her before a few times the previous year. She didn't take to him well, often snarling at him when he tried to speak to her and insisted he not bother her. Remus had no idea where her hostility came from, but it didn't bother him as long as he got to look at her when her back was turned.

However, Donna did not join him. His patrol partner for the evening was Lucas Kaluips, a fifth year Gryffindor. Remus had seen him about in the common room, but never spoke to the lad. By the excitement on the boy's face, he knew that was about to change.

"Hello!" he exclaimed, waving at Remus. "I'm Lucas. I know who you are, o'course. Friends with the class clowns, James Potter and Sirius Black."

Remus nodded and began to walk down the corridor. He was used to being "the other friend" when it came to people recognizing him. It didn't bother him anymore. Peter had the same thing happen to him more often than Remus did. James and Sirius attracted the spotlight that Remus wanted no part of. He was content with having such good friends. However, Peter did not share this view. He desperately wanted to be the center of attention, but was often shoved into the shadows.

Lucas followed Remus and continued to chatter. "I can't wait to take a bath in the morning. Is the bathtub really big enough to fit a dragon?"

Remus never came in contact with a dragon to confirm the comparison, but he did agree that it was like a swimming pool.

"Wicked!" the boy exclaimed. "Mum was so proud when I got my badge. Had to tell her what it meant, I'm muggle-born you see, and she was so proud, she bought me an owl when we went to Diagon Alley."

This seemed to be a common gift from parents when their child received the title. Remus told his pudgy partner that in celebration for receiving his badge, he was given Widget and hearty meal from his favorite restaurant.

"I named my owl Chewy, after a character in my favorite movie," he informed. "Do you know what a movie is?"

Remus' mother loved the wizarding world, but there were certain things she wasn't going to give up. Television, trips to the cinema, and telephones were on the long list. His father didn't care for it and often argued when she insisted that Remus be educated on how to survive in the muggle world as well as the wizarding one. Not only did he have his mother's influence, he temporarily attended a muggle primary school before he was bitten. Like his mother, Remus liked the muggle inventions. His favorite film was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory, though he did enjoy Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Lucas seemed slightly disturbed by his taste in films. "Willy Wonka was a bit frightening, if you put it into context. I like Monty Python, though. Have you seen Star Wars?"

The two spent half of the evening talking about the muggle lifestyle and comparing it to wizard life. The topic didn't particularly spark an interest in Remus, as this was a common conversation at home. However, the perspectives between Lucas and his mum were certainly different. The pair eventually parted ways when Lucas thought he heard a sound coming from the opposite end of the corridor. He wished Remus a good night and went to inspect the source of commotion. Shortly after their departure, Remus' shift ended and he returned to his dormitory for the night.

The morning approached sooner than Remus would have liked. Frank Longbottom woke the earliest of them all and made enough noise to ensure that the rest of the sleeping Gryffindors were too annoyed to go back to sleep.

"Up! Up! Up!" he chanted brightly, as he cast a charm that sent their bed sheets flying across the room. "We've only got an hour before class. Better get a move on!"

After sending a small stream of cold water on Peter's face, he left the dorm.

Peter sat up instantly, drying his face with his sheet. "Dickhead!" he hollered. "I'll get him for that!"

"Pipe down, Wormtail," Sirius instructed, sluggishly swinging his legs over his bed. "We'll get him soon."

Remus thought this was unlikely. While James and Sirius were definitely brilliant and sneaky, Frank happened to be one of the top three students in their year, and very skilled in dueling and combat. Remus expected him to be the male Prefect for their year with his well-liked reputation with the teachers.

The boys got dressed as slow as they could. They didn't hate class, well, Remus didn't, but they had not slept off the damage of the feast from the previous evening. When they made it to the Great Hall, the whole school was buzzing about over toast.

Remus tucked in, eating much slower and much less than he did yesterday. He listened as James, Sirius, and Peter made nasty comments about Severus Snape, who could be seen sulking over his porridge across the hall. After a summer of scheming and plotting against the young Slytherin, the trio were itching to torture the unsuspecting student as soon as possible.

"Bit premature, don't you think?" Remus pointed out in between bites of bacon. "The day hasn't even started."

Sirius smirked at Remus. "He deserves it anyway."

Remus waved his hand, gesturing to Sirius to elaborate. "How could he deserve it? Look at him, he's eating porridge like everybody else."

James sneered, keeping his eye on the greasy-haired Slytherin. "He's breathing, isn't he? That's why he deserves it."

"Got to admire his bravery, though," Peter added. When he noticed Sirius' and James' bewildered looks, he continued with, "You know, for even getting out of bed in the morning."

Remus sighed deeply and was glad when McGonnagall came around handing out their schedules. He pulled out his own timetable and showed it to his friends.

"What the bloody hell is that, mate?" Sirius demanded, making a grab for the parchment. "Arithmancy?Alchemy? Ancient Runes? What've you done!"

Remus told them the conversation he had with McGonagall and what it meant for him as far as joining them for their free periods.

"Hang on," James interrupted, making a grab for Remus' timetable. "How can she do that? Wouldn't you have to pass O. to get into N.E.W.T level for some of these? You've never taken Arithmancy."

"Who the hell would?" Peter jested, taking the schedule from James. "Least you've got Charms and Transfiguration with us."

Remus thought about what James said, and when McGonagall swept past him, he caught her attention.

"Professor," he began. "Shouldn't I have taken these classes before our O. ?"

McGonagall looked down at him through her spectacles. "Exceptions can be made, Mr. Lupin. Though you are correct, you should have had a basic understanding of these subjects before entering N.E.W.T level."

Remus' gaped at her. "Professor, how am I gonna manage all this?"

She placed her hand on his shoulder once more and said, "With a lot of studying and perseverance."

She walked off, leaving Remus miserable. He threw his napkin down and grabbed his things.

"Guess I'll see you guys later," he grumbled, snatching his satanic schedule from the tabletop. "I've got to meet Madam Pomfrey before class."

The meeting was almost pointless. They went over the same things every year. She would escort him to the Whomping Willow, where he would follow a tunnel that led into the Shrieking Shack that concealed his werewolf form. She wrote down some scribbles and let him go with a small truffle that he placed in his pocket for later.

He made his way to the dungeons where his first class was being held. He had been separated from his friends before due to conflicting schedules, but not like this. He only had three classes with them and with his new difficult course list, he would hardly have any time to see them.

When he entered, he saw that he was early for only five other students were inside. He spotted Lily and Rachel, and made his way towards them.

"Morning," he greeted, attempting to sound at least a little cheerful.

Rachel turned to him. A flash of confusion crossed her face, but was quickly replaced by a smirk directed at the redhead next to her. "Morning, Lupin."

Lily rolled her eyes at her extremely tall friend and smiled to Remus. "Good morning. Are you alone?"

Remus put his book bag on the floor and unpacked what he needed for Potions class. "Yeah, James, Sirius, and Peter are in Herbology."

Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Ooh, split up the dream team. How come?"

"McGonagall meddled with my schedule," he answered. "Put me in bloody ridiculous classes."

Rachel held out her hand expectantly. "Mind if I look?"

He did mind a bit. Sirius got on with Rachel on occasion, but Remus never really cared for her. She was loud and intimidating, but he really had no other reason to dislike her for he didn't know her. She was Lily's friend, after all. But so was Severus.

He handed over the schedule and stared at her in confusion when she began to laugh. "Lily, gimme yours," she demanded. With both schedules in hand, she grinned. "Looks like you two are gonna get on this year. Got damn near every class together."

Lily quickly snatched the two schedules and compared them. "Almost," she agreed. "I don't know how though. I didn't know you took Ancient Runes?"

Grimacing, Remus said, "I didn't. McGonagall pulled some strings to put me into it. That, along with Alchemy and Arthimancy."

"I don't envy you, mate," Rachel snickered. "Reckon she had a few bottles of mead when she wrote that up?"

"Seems like it, doesn't it?" Remus said through a bitter smile.

Lily snapped her head from the schedule and looked at Remus quizzically. "You haven't got books for these classes."

"Got to order them."

Lily pushed his schedule back to him. "You can share with me until your books come in. Unless, Potter or Black are taking Alchemy as well."

Remus slid his schedule into his pocket and thanked her for her offer. He looked around and saw that the classroom was quickly filling up with Gryffindors and Ravenclaws alike. When everyone settled in, Professor Slughorn appeared and gave a small speech to welcome them back to school and get them excited for the new year. He lectured a bit on Veritaserum and instructed them to brew the antidote by the end of the class period.

Lily took off immediately while Rachel and Remus sluggishly opened their books. When Remus looked up to light the flame beneath his cauldron, he saw Rachel staring at him with a devilish grin on her face.

"What?" he questioned, adjusting the height of the flame.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothin'."

Remus doubted this but returned to his cauldron. When Lily returned from the cupboards with the ingredients, Remus began to work. The table remained silent while the three Gryffindors diced and juiced, but on occasion he would look up to see Lily working furiously with her tongue sticking out, or Rachel waving her arms about in confusion when her cauldron sputtered.

"I'll blast it, I swear!" she hollered, pointing her wand at the sickening green sludge that filled her cauldron.

Lily peeked over and snorted. "Added too much eel tongue. Just add more trout scales and it'll be fine."

Rachel huffed and followed Lily's advice. Remus peeked over at Lily's cauldron and was relieved to see that his potion was a slightly cloudier version of hers.

"He's got an arse I want to bite into like a ripe peach," Rachel said airily.

Remus' head shot up. "What?"

"Look at him!" Rachel demanded. "So handsome he can water any lady garden with a single glance."

Remus followed her gaze and realized she was staring at some Ravenclaw boy whom Remus did not know. Quickly, he turned back around and looked at Lily who seemed too involved in her work to hear what was being said.

"I think I might be tearing up a bit," she continued, tilting her head. "Perfection, that is."

"Are you hearing this?" he whispered to her.

"Oi, if you and your mates can shout obscenities to girls, I can voice my admiration for a perfectly formed arse!" Rachel said hotly.

Remus looked at Lily with wide eyes and an opened mouth. She ignored his glance and shrugged as she continued to brew her potion.

For the remainder of the class, Remus listened as Rachel said things like "You know who's fit? Rory Shepards. I'd jump his bones in a milisecond!", "Camden Lardwig makes my belly fizz.", and "I want to lick his tongue."

Remus was not unaccustomed to hearing such talk, but it was surprising hearing it come from a girl, and even more shocking when Lily didn't interject or hush up her friend. Instead, she nodded or hummed a simple "Mhm" when Rachel asked her opinion of different boys.

Naturally, Lily received the highest praise for her impeccable potion. For the first time in a long while, Remus also was met with a long line of compliments for his work. When class was dismissed, Remus said see you later to Lily and Rachel and sprinted towards Charms where he would be with his friends.

Charms passed quickly to Remus' displeasure. He spent most of the time listening to James and Sirius fume about Serverus Snape's unwanted presence in their Herbology class. It so happened that Snape 'accidentally' shoved Peter into the Octopus Stinkhorn that sat in the corner of the room, earning Peter a visit to the hospital wing to recover from the ring worms that whelped all over his body. Remus knew he could not stop whatever revenge Sirius and James were planning, so he didn't even waste his breath to try to persuade them.

Peter, doused in a foul-smelling ointment, joined them for lunch. They ate their food hastily and Remus rested his head about the table in an attempt to sneak in a quick nap before the beginning of his next class. However, his plan was foiled at the startled screams of the surrounding students. Remus shot his head up and looked towards the mayhem. Severus Snape seemed to be glued to the wall by a mass of black tar. Pieces already in place, Remus lowered his head and napped on, leaving James to suffer the wrath of the Slytherin Prefect who charged their way.

Fortunately, Flitwick's only homework assignment was the chapter reading and review questions Remus finished over the summer. However, he still had an essay due for Slughorn over Veritaserum versus its antidote. Convincing himself that the essay was the only homework he would have to work on that evening, he made his way to the fifth floor for his Arthimancy class.

Instantly, he spotted Lily and sat in the seat she saved for him. It seemed that Rachel did not have this class and it didn't take but five seconds for Remus to discover why. He would have rather suffered through ten additional years of History of Magic with Professor Binns than to be in this class for another minute. He was so unbelievably lost, that he lost five points from Gryffindor for accidentally saying "Merlin's kidney's!" too loud when he laid his eyes upon the chapter content.

Miserable, Remus sat quietly for the rest of the period and tried to jot down as many notes as he could that he thought were even a little bit helpful for whatever he was trying to achieve. The 'magic of numbers' was not something he found thrilling, to say the least. Lily smiled sadly at him every few minutes, but it went unnoticed as Remus inched further and further towards insanity.

When class was dismissed, Remus bolted out of there. Lily followed behind him and grabbed him by the elbow.

"I can not believe she thought I could do this!" Remus exclaimed, making Lily jump. "The woman is mad!"

"Are you sure it wasn't a mistake?" she asked, twisting her tie nervously. "Arthimancy is wonderful, but it can be very difficult. Especially at this stage."

Remus shook his head, fuming. "No, it wasn't a mistake. I mean, it is but it's not. I want no part of it, yet McGonagall is insisting I do it anyway."

Lily bit her lip and tentatively grabbed Remus' hand. "I keep all my notes. If you want, I can give them to you," she offered, tracing circles over the back of his hand with her thumb.

Remus looked down at their joined hands. James would die of fury if he saw them, yet Remus didn't care. He felt frustrated, angry, embarrassed, and a downright idiot. Oddly enough, this small form of human contact calmed him enough to return to a normal breathing pattern.

"I can't make sense of that gibberish," he said sadly. "I doubt notes written in it would help."

Lily chuckled and roller her eyes playfully. "I'll be there to teach you, of course. You can borrow my old books too."

Remus furrowed his brow and stared at her. "You would help me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It might be a few days. I've got write my mum and tell her to send me them."

A sigh of relief escaped from Remus. Thank Merlin for her grade grubbing.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, grasping her hand. "Anything helps."

She smiled and shrugged modestly. "It's not a problem. We should get a move on or we'll be late to Alchemy."

Remus let go of her hand and the pair began to walk back down to the dungeons. Lily informed him that Rachel would not be joining them for this class either. The mention of her name brought something to Remus' attention.

"Lily Evans," he said sharply. "How is it that you turned down Crenshaw when Rachel is one of the crudest people I've ever conversed with in my life?"

Lily rolled her and bit back a smile. "I knew you were going to bring this up. I just knew."

"Of course I was going to bring it up!" Remus exclaimed. "Say what you will about James and Sirius, but I'll have you know that the conversations held in our dorm are not anywhere near that descriptive."

Lily's cheeks started to change shades. "I can't control what comes out of her mouth."

Remus smirked, knowing that she was catching on to his game quickly. "You didn't stop her though, did you? Now I know why you bought her that book, though I would suggest you stop encouraging her perversions or people will start thinking your mind is just as rotten."

"Are you finished?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He was enjoying this way too much to back down now. "If she talks like that in front of me again, I'll hex her into oblivion!"

Lily bumped her hip against an unsuspecting Remus, sending him staggering. "You've made your point!"

Regaining his balance, he laughed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Bit different being on the other side, isn't it?"

Lily shook her head, still repressing a grin.

"I'm only joking, you know," he informed her. "I don't really mind her. Although, I certainly wasn't expecting to hear all that."

"You get used to it after a while, I suppose," she chuckled. "I never did apologize for last year."

"No, you don't have to-"

"I do," she interrupted. "Wrecked your nerves so bad you never spoke to me again. I've always felt guilty about it. I shouldn't have been so rude."

Not entirely sure what to say, Remus accepted the apology and assured her it wasn't anything to fret over. She smiled at this, and the two Gryffindors made their way down to the dungeons once more.

Alchemy wasn't as bad as Remus was expecting. Slughorn was over the moon to have Lily twice in one day, and gave Remus a simple hello. Luckily Alchemy was offered for six and seventh years only, so he did not feel like such a fool when he wasn't entirely sure about something. He didn't know what to expect at first, but was grateful that Lily seemed to be ahead of the class (as always) in her comprehension of the four basic elements and the transmutations of substances. Remus vowed to study hard for this class as well as his others, and exited the dungeon feeling in a much better mood than he did when he left his Arithmancy class.

"Not so bad," he commented as the marched up the stairs.

Before Lily could reply, They were met at the top of the stairs by Rachel, who was grinning smugly at a sour looking Sirius.

"Don't ever leave me alone with your mates again," Rachel warned Remus. "I'll have Pettigrew cursed inside-out if he doesn't stop messin' with me."

Remus smiled, wondering what could have possibly gone wrong in their class. "That bad?"

Rachel shrugged it off. "I suppose getting to stare at Matthew Collin's bum took the edge off."

Sirius snorted in disgust and stepped away from her.

"Been looking for you," Sirius said, clapping Remus' back. "Peter is beside himself. Can't get that bird conjuring charm down."

Sirius seemed keen on pushing Remus up the stairs. Before they were entirely out of sight, Remus turned to say goodbye to the girls and thank Lily for her help. When they were out of earshot, Sirius informed him of the real reason he went looking for Remus.

"James wants us to get food from the kitchens tonight. Wants to treat the team and get them excited for the next game," Sirius explained in a hushed whisper. "Both of us can't fit under the cloak anymore, so we'll need you to keep watch while we're in and out."

"Sure," Remus agreed. "I'll just swap floors with someone else tonight."

A/N: First off, I'd like to recommend to you all The Teacher by RMoors, where Remus Lupin has taken up a job at Harry's elementary school and all the drama that ensues. (Very good read and I'd check it out ASAP) Secondly, I know that this chapter seemed to drag on a bit, but I've got some plans in mind to speed things up. Let me know what you guys think. Feedback keeps me going. Lastly, it seems I'm a bit of a fibber, seeing as this is the second update this week. .-. Ah well, stay tuned!