A/N: So, Lyall and Hope didn't make it last chapter but I managed to include them this time. Also, thanks Seena T for the review! By the way, in case you don't read the messages below I'll put one up here just to be extra annoying: I love reviews! So, please, take that information and channel your motivation into leaving me one below! :)

Chapter 7: Those Who Know

Remus woke with aches all the way up his spine, a cramp in his leg, head pounding, and hearing magnified to deafening. Today was Thursday. The moon would be on Saturday. At least it was a weekend so he wouldn't have to miss any school, hopefully. He sat up ever so slowly as his heart raced rapidly in his forehead.

This would be a bad moon, he could feel it. And that was not good as it would also be his first away from his parents. He knew that he would be in the best care at Hogwarts, better than his father could provide, but he worried on. Especially since efficiency and actual care seemed entirely different things after the many hospital visits he had taken. The prejudices against werewolves had made him simply a burden to the staff at Saint Mungo's when it was clear that Father couldn't help.

Father always made sure to care for Remus after the moon. Remus didn't really know if Father loved him but perhaps his natural compassion for anything was what caused him to ensure he was in the least amount of pain when being healed.

Would the medi-witch here worry herself with things such as his comfort? Remus shuddered at what he had in store this weekend.

Remus hesitantly pulled open his bed hangings and cautiously stood before being nearly barreled over again. Sirius steadied him though he had been the one to knock him over in the first place.

"You've got to stop doing that," Remus gasped.

"Remus, thank Merlin you're awake, James won't get out of the shower, I can't find my other sock, and my word we thought you were in a coma or something."

Sirius's shaggy hair stuck up nearly as much as James's and he indeed was wearing only one sock. His shirt was half buttoned, tie slung over his shoulder, and his school robes lay on the floor beside his belt. Sirius clearly was not an easy roommate.

"And you're skin and bones, mate!" Sirius exclaimed as he started again to the watercloset's door. "Can't afford to miss breakfast! Oi! Potter! Out of there already, there are two starving people out here!" Sirius rapped hardly on the door just as the water turned off and James stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Merlin, you'd think the world itself was gonna end or something. We've got plenty of time before breakfast, Black." James ran his fingers through his drying hair, making it stick up even more in the back.

"It's not that, it's the post, I've got to get there before- Oh, never mind." Sirius darted into the bathroom, slamming the door in its frame.

"Hey!" A voice said. "I was about to go in there!" Remus had completely forgotten about Peter Pettigrew. The boy now stood just outside the bathroom door which had been evidently slammed in his face. Remus felt a sudden sadness for the practically invisible wizard. He had thought for sure that that would be him. That was, if no one discovered his secret. He would now gladly give up all of this attention and give it to Peter. Remus didn't want friends like James and Sirius who came from pureblood families and enjoyed bullying others. The only friend that Remus really wanted was Lily. One friend was more than enough for him.

He gathered his uniform and when Sirius and Peter were done with the bathroom, he went to change. Afterwards, the four trekked down to the Great Hall together. They had to follow a few fourth year girls so as not to get lost.

Sirius sat down towards the end of the table and James took his side. Remus sat across from them and Peter sat next to Remus though the former two did not pay him much attention.

"What were you saying about the post?" James said as he began to fill his plate.

"Nothing, it's fine." Sirius said but something in his face said otherwise. He anxiously watched the magical ceiling for any signs of owls.

"Mate-" James started but was interrupted suddenly.

"Sirius?"

The girl had short, wavy brown hair. She was obviously older, in her seventh year, Remus guessed. She wore Slytherin robes but her face seemed genuinely delighted to see Sirius, though something in her eyes suggested worry. Remus remembered her as the girl from the sorting who he had assumed was the cousin Sirius talked about.

"Andromeda!" Sirius said, surprised. "You're talking to me?"

Andromeda giggled. "Of course I'm talking to you, your my cousin!"

"But I'm not in Slytherin. Aunt Druella would be furious if she knew you were talking to a Gryffindor. So would Mother."

"Never mind them. I just came to say that I'm very proud of you for being a Gryffindor. If you're going to defy our entire family by going to a different House, you might as well go to our least favorite one." She rolled her eyes. "I suppose you never do anything halfway. Well, I have to be going." She glanced up and Remus turned to what she was staring at. The blonde girl, Sirius's other cousin, was glaring harshly at Andromeda, no doubt for speaking to their cousin. "Oh, and Sirius?" Andromeda said as she was walking back to her table. "Watch out for the mail. Narcissa wrote to Mother and she must have told everyone by now." Sirius froze and then nodded, dumping over the table in a defeated position.

Suddenly, a cascade of owls flew down from the enchanted ceiling. A large parcel landed right onto James's breakfast plate, splattering scrambled eggs everywhere. A letter fell on Peter's lap and one landed neatly beside Remus's toast. The family owl hurried away. It had never liked Remus. A magnificent bird with dark feathers and a way about it that made it look more like a hawk than an owl landed gracefully next to Sirius's elbow. The bird held three envelopes in its beak. One of them was bright red.

"Oh no." Sirius whispered.

"That's a Howler, mate." James said, mouth full of brownies that his parents had sent him.

"I know what it is." Sirius said irritatedly, but there was more terror in his words. He took the letters from the bird and held the red envelope in his hands.

"If you don't open it soon it will explode." Peter said. "And that's much worse."

"Shut up." Sirius said quietly. Peter did.

Sirius gulped before quickly ripping open the envelope. Shortly after the entire Great Hall covered their ears.

"HOW DARE YOU SHAME MY FAMILY YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BLOOD TRAITOR? HOW DARE YOU JOIN THE HOUSE OF MUDBLOODS AND HALF-BLOOD SCUM? THE NAME OF BLACK HAS NO PLACE IN SUCH LOW COMPANY! HOW COULD I, WALBURGA BLACK, PURE OF BLOOD, PRODUCE SUCH FILTH FROM MY OWN FLESH? YOU DARE TO WALK AMONG BLOOD TRAITORS, HALF-BLOODS, MUDBLOODS ALIKE AS IF THEY ARE EQUAL TO US? YOU DARE TO SHAME YOUR FAMILY SO? YOU WILL BE PUNISHED, BOY, MARK MY WORDS!"

The magnified volume burst Remus's eardrums, especially so close to the full moon. No wonder Sirius was a bully, if this was the letter he received simply for not being sorted into his mother's house.

The entire hall held its breath for a beat before chatter resumed. From what Remus could hear, each conversation held very similar topics.

James turned to Sirius. "Black, you seem the right sort. But, blimey, your mum, she's just-"

"You don't need to point anything out to me, Potter." Sirius cut him off angrily. "The rest of the school and I could hear just fine." Sirius stuffed the remaining two letters in his book bag, without even glancing at them.

Remus looked down at his letter. His name was in swooping letters on the envelope. His mum's handwriting. He opened it and pulled out the nice stationary, then preceded to read the words written by a Muggle pen.

Dear Remus, the letter began.

I've missed you, my darling boy. I hope you're enjoying school and making friends. Please listen to your teachers, though I know you will. So your house is Gryffindor, like your father. I'm proud of you and not just for the house. You are the bravest boy I know, Remus. I'm proud to have a werewolf son at Hogwarts.

This is where Remus abruptly stopped reading and put the letter quickly away. The risk was too great, in case someone nearby were to read over his shoulder, if they even glanced at it and saw that word, that awful word...

The boys around him especially. He had to be cautious around his new roommates who would no doubt be at his side for a while now. Remus just didn't know exactly how to shake them. And he wasn't sure that he much wanted to. James and Sirius's laughter was often infectious. It was hard not to be amused at the very least around them.

Lily didn't have too much trouble with that, he reminded himself. Think of Lily, he reprimanded himself. Think of Lily and Severus.

Then again, he hadn't seen much of Lily or Severus since the train. But that was hardly an excuse. Professor McGonagall came over to pass out timetables. "Blimey, Potions with the Slytherins after lunch!" James exclaimed, twisting his face in disgust. "It's no good to see the snakes right after we've eaten!" Professor McGonagall looked disapprovingly towards him but said nothing as she must have seen it as too challenging to end centuries-old house rivalries. Sirius however would not let the remark slide.

"I haven't made a single comment about the Gryffindor house so why must you insult mine constantly, Potter?"

"Mate, relax, it isn't even your house. We changed tradition last night, remember?" James grinned. "And why would you insult Gryffindor, hasn't it sunk in yet? We're lions."

"Maybe I don't want to be a lion." Sirius said, angrily. He was staring almost longingly at the Slytherin table. "I'd be much better off if I was sorted where I was meant to. Everything would've gone differently." The last sentence trailed off as if no one else was meant to hear. Remus glanced uneasily at Sirius and James, the former seeming regretful whilst the latter simply confused.

"We'd best be off." Remus said, breaking the sudden tension between the two wizards. "Don't want to be late for Herbology." He stood and James followed suit. Sirius got up a little slowly, grey eyes missing a lot of the light they typically held. Peter hurried along excitedly in the three boys' wake. Remus was too preoccupied worrying about why he was still digging his trench by allowing himself to be friends with exuberant, pureblood bullies and James and Sirius were still locked in what seemed a silent argument so none noticed the all too desperate Peter at their heels.

/

Herbology was an interesting enough class. Professor Sprout gave a brief lecture about the plants they would be working with this year and then she introduced a few of the more friendly ones. Remus worked beside Sirius and James was across from them. It was very easy to talk in this class but Remus didn't allow himself to break any rules by responding to James and Sirius would not answer the boy's whispers either, evidently still angry. When Herbology let out, the next class was History of Magic which Remus was excited for as he was eager to know more than what he had already read in his textbooks. Professor Binns was a large disappointment however. The wizard was very old and very boring, putting half the class to sleep within seconds. Remus took notes despite this and he knew that the history must be much more fascinating if not told by someone like Professor Binns. Once again, he was flanked by Sirius and James.

After History of Magic, they made their way to Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall's class. Upon walking in, Remus sat in a chair next to somebody else, in hopes of Sirius and James being forced to another location. James reluctantly sat a little ways away in a different row but Sirius took the empty desk on Remus's right. Remus turned to see who was on his left and smiled in delight. "Lily!" He exclaimed.

She turned to him and broke into a grin. "Remus!" She said happily. "Oh, it feels like it's been ages since I've seen you!"

At this moment however the class began and they were silenced.

All through Transfiguration, Remus and Lily took notes side by side and though neither spoke, it felt wonderful to sit next to a friend. Once class let out for lunch, Lily and Remus began collecting their books. Sirius stormed out of class the moment it let out and Lily watched his back through narrowed eyes. "Shame Potter and Black had to be your roommates." She said to him. "And a shame we got Gryffindor as well. I think Ravenclaw would have suited us just fine. Perhaps Sev too."

"I'm fine with Gryffindor." Remus said but then worried this opinion may cause Lily to decide against being friends. So he added, "But James and Sirius just won't leave me alone."

Lily nodded sympathetically. "I know." She said. "I saw you with them at breakfast. They keep you sandwiched in the middle, like they don't want you to escape."

Remus hadn't thought of it like that but if that was their intention then it was effective.

"Just because you're rooming with them, doesn't mean you have to eat meals with them." Lily said cheerily. "You can come eat lunch with me if you want. I'd like you to meet my new friends, they're ever so nice!"

"That sounds great!" Remus said, happy to find an excuse to stay away from the two wizards.

"Excellant! I'll meet you in the Great Hall, I just want to see if I can talk with Sev first. I haven't seen him since the sorting." Remus nodded in understanding and Lily flashed a grateful smile before hurrying out of the classroom. Remus was now the only student left in the class and he was about to leave swiftly when Professor McGonagall called him back.

"Oh, Mr. Lupin?" She asked. "I'd like a word." Remus shuffled to her desk.

"Yes, Professor?" He asked shyly.

"Please sit." Her hands were folded neatly on her desk and she was clearly scrutinizing him through her stern gaze. Though her expression itself was soft, nearly kind. Remus plopped into the chair opposite her and fiddled with his hands in his lap. His worst fears warned him what this was about but he forced himself to keep his features impassive. Could be have been discovered before lunch on the first day? What a disappointment, a waste of time and resources and most importantly money if he were to be forced home now. "Mr. Lupin," she started. "I have been recently enlightened about your condition."

His worst fears had come to pass. "Oh, Professor, please!" Remus begged. "Please let me stay, I'm sorry, really, but I can't go home now! We've already paid for everything, I can't-"

McGonagall stopped him. "It's alright, Lupin, calm yourself. The Headmaster himself has informed me due to the fact of me being your Head of House. And I can assure you that it is not my decision that would count to you leaving school and even if it was I would never allow it. I can see far too much potential to be put to waste."

Remus was dumbstruck. "Really?" He asked. "My condition, it doesn't matter?"

"I wouldn't say it is something to be taken lightly but it certainly should not stand in the way of your education." McGonagall stared at him as if searching for something there. Perhaps searching for signs of the wolf, Remus realized grimly. "Remus, the Headmaster wanted me to inform you about my knowledge and he also wanted me to ask your permission to tell the other heads. It is your..." She groped for the right word. " ...secret after all."

"He wasn't supposed to tell anyone." Remus said, feeling betrayed. "No one except the matron."

"Mr. Lupin, Professor Dumbledore had your best interests in mind when confiding in me. It will be much easier for me to understand when you miss class for example and I can also help to excuse you from other classes. But if the other three heads, Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and Slughorn, knew of your situation then it would be simpler during full moons, when the teachers know a plausible reason for giving you so many sick days and I'm sure they would be far more lenient with you towards your school work."

"I don't want special treatment, ma'am." Remus said quietly. "I want to be treated ordinary. And I don't want anyone else to know."

Professor McGonagall's eyes were sorrowful as she surveyed him. "We would only trust your secret with the most trustworthy people, you realize." She said.

"I don't doubt that the Headmaster is trying to help me, Professor." Remus said. "But I don't want anyone to know. Even if they tolerated me and taught me with the others, they'd still...just...it wouldn't be the same." It would be just like the Healers at St. Mungo's, caring for him with efficiency instead of actual caring methods because it was their job and they had to. And if they had another choice, they'd let him die. Remus wanted the other teachers to see him as a student, a pupil, someone worth teaching. Not as Dumbledore's experiment to send a half-breed to school.

"I respect your decision, Mr. Lupin, and the Headmaster will as well. Now be sure to tell either of us if you change your mind. You can run off to lunch now."

Remus scampered out the door and made his way to the Great Hall, uneasiness taking over his body. There was now one more person in this world who knew his secret. One more person who could destroy his chances here if ever they let slip.

/

Lyall was sitting down to lunch with his sister, Loreli. He had been living with her since Hope had said that they needed a break. Loreli was a woman who loved flowers and birds and everything trimmed with lace. Her house was frilly and pink and portraits of beautiful landscapes along side fairy tale castles covered her walls. Lyall had not been to his sister's house in years. Not since the accident. Loreli used to be such a good aunt to Remus, adoring the little boy like he was her own. She always dreamed of having children, she told them constantly. But Loreli remained unmarried and childless. But Lyall and Loreli had quite the same upbringing as most children of the wizarding world. Raised to learn the dangers of half-breeds. Of course, Lyall tried his best to put those views aside for Remus, and it was easier to when seeing how kind and compassionate his boy was.

But Loreli never saw this. She shredded contact with her nephew when the news of him being bitten got to her. At first, she gave condolences to Lyall and Hope, sending them a casserole.

"It's not like he's dead." Hope had said. "We can still manage."

"Of course he's dead." Loreli retorted, rubbing circles on her back. "I know it's hard for a Muggle to understand, but he died the moment of infection. You're just holding onto a shell."

Hope was furious, kicking Loreli out of their house forever. Lyall had spoken to his sister occasionally through letters but he never much kept up with it as every time she would find a way to try and casually convince him of getting rid of "the monster."

But now with nowhere else to go, Lyall found himself living in her sunny, soft, rosy guestroom until Christmas. And there was no escape from the horrible things said about Remus.

The siblings sat across from one another in the frilly dining room with a heavy rose tablecloth and daisies sitting in a vase as the centerpiece. Loreli's robes were blue with pink birds flying around the silk and she had a blue hat with a rose sticking out of it to complete the ensemble. She daintily sipped her tea as she stared at her younger brother under the brim. Her light green eyes were full of the condescension she reserved for her "silly" brother Lyall.

"I'd like to thank you for the room, Loreli." Lyall said simply because the silence was suffocating.

"Oh, don't mention it, honey." Loreli said with a trilling laugh. "It's been too long. My you look worse for years than I do. That half-breed making you fret?" She was surveying the many grey hairs speckling Lyall's head. He brushed off the snide remark and laced his answer with a compliment instead.

"Oh, no one could look better than you, Lori." He smiled. It stretched his face unnaturally.

"Well, I suppose that's true." Her soprano voice grew higher as she blushed. "But sweetie, really, what's gotten between you and Hope, hmm? You and her were so perfect together, even with her being a Muggle."

Lyall was used to ignoring comments like that and so avoided the topic of Hope being a Muggle. Loreli wasn't trying to be rude. She typically just said the first things that popped into her head and those things weren't typically kind.

"My wife and I have been having differences of opinion for years. We decided that we need to have some time away from one another in order to appreciate each other."

"Well, I hope the two of you work it out. You were far too cute to let anything come between you." Loreli took a small bite of her sandwich and then as she was setting it back onto the plate, she gasped. "Oh, Lyall! I forgot! The werewolf! You left Hope alone with it? Oh, we should go now, what if it has hurt her?"

Lyall rolled his eyes at his sister's ignorance. He's left Remus home with Hope plenty of times and it was never a thought that he would harm her. On the full moon of course, but not on an ordinary day. "Remus isn't at home." He said without thinking. "Hope will be fine."

"Oh, but then where is it? Did you finally send it to that institution I told you about? Or just get rid of it altogether? The Ministry would take care of arrangements you know,-"

"Loreli!" Lyall cut her off. "Remus isn't at an institution and we didn't get rid of him! He's at school."

"School? A school for half-breeds? Why, in all my years I have never heard anything more ridiculous in my life! Unless it's an obedience school..."

"No, Loreli, it's a...Muggle school." He couldn't tell Loreli that Remus, a werewolf, was going to Hogwarts. How easily she could tell the Ministry. Despite how much he'd love to boast about his son learning magic from the very best, about how he had made Gryffindor house, just like him, there were too many risks of him being discovered and then Lyall would have ruined his son's life. Again.

"A Muggle school? Is that safe? I know you try to treat it like a person, Lyall, but really what if it hurt the poor Muggles? What if it was discovered, breaking the Statute of Secrecy? Oh, honey..."

"Remus is careful. He will be fine."

"Well, I suppose. Half-breeds have wonderful knacks for lying..." Loreli said thoughtfully.

Not just half-breeds, Lyall thought.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Kind of squeezed Lyall in there but I think it ties in. Sorry for the wait, I could blame it on my coach and MCI but the truth is it was nice out and I didn't want to be inside. Please review! :)