A/N: Hi! Well, here we go, Chapter Seven of my story. I feel so proud....
And you know what else? I am now secure enough to accept flames. So go ahead, flame me, but you still won't get rid of me. So there.
You know what would make me feel really really special? 100 reviews. Yeah. But I probably won't get them, I don't really care, it's just the type of thing that every author dreams about.... Anyway, I would really love to hear your opinion on my story, so review anyway.
Please excuse all the spelling errors and punctuation mistakes; contrary to popular belief, I AM NOT PERFECT. Wow, it took a lot to admit that....
And I'm getting extremely busy, and coming up in the next few months I'm going to be involved in some very demanding clubs and programs and projects, so if I'm gone for like a week or two then don't worry, I'll be back, it just might be a while.
Disclaimer: If I owned them, then I'd be rich, and I'd be sitting in my overstuffed leather chair, typing away on my state-of-the-art laptop, and I wouldn't have to write these "fics" to amuse myself, and I wouldn't have to use disclaimers. Now I'm depressed. I hope you're happy.
Dedications: Same as before.
Thank You:
Reya: Oh I know, isn't Remus such a great guy? Compassionate, loyal, deep, kind.... I could go on forever. But I won't, because more than a few people would think I'm crazy. And thanks so much for thinking Kamara's cool! I tried, I really did, and I hope I'm not making her look like a Mary Sue.....
Yenny: I can't see LOTR. Now I'm really mad because I can't see it until it comes out. THAT SUCKS!!! *tears well up* I can't see LOTR... I can't see Elijah Wood.... Why is there such injustice in the world today? WHY?! Yeah, don't worry, I WILL finish it. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll finish it, I promise.
Morgana Lupin--- This good?
Lily Evans--- thanks for signing in! And thanks for reviewing!
Kitten-girl--- Really? You love it? I feel so special! And yeah, I know that A/N's aren't supposed to go in the middle of stories, but other authors do it too. Yes, that is my excuse, and yes, I know it is pathetic.
Beth the Fox--- WHOOPEE!!!!! I have a "best work". Lovely little me! Honestly, though, I would really rather have you read the novel I'm writing, it's SO much better, much more professional, more interesting, more.... everything. But I won't post it on ff.net. No, Kam's fam aren't death eaters. Or ghosts or vamps or big foot or toasters while I'm at it. I'm having fun with this secret of hers.... I mean, we all know what Remus's is, but Kam's is interesting because I'm the only one that knows.... and I'm not telling.... And you do have my complete sympathy with math class. Not only are the people weird, but I took a math test today.... I didn't like it.... and I REALLY hope that I passed, at the very least.... or else pray for me, anyone....
Torquemada--- I know, don't you just hate it when the fics go like that? I didn't want this one to be like that, so I made it developed and stuff, but I didn't want to drag it out, and I'm afraid that's what I'm doing.... Kamara, for the most part, is quiet, and she's constantly got that "secret" on her mind. I like the way she's turning out, but I realized that I haven't given a physical description of her yet. I'll have to fit that into the story sometime.... And I have no idea why I'm not appearing. My work doesn't appear on my comp either unless I go to statistics or type in the title or something.
I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!
~*~
Chapter Seven
~*~
Kamara had been going over everything in her mind for days. Was Remus a werewolf? How? For how long? It would explain a lot, but where did Snape come in? How many people knew? Could Remus actually be trusted?
Immediately after thinking that, Kamara mentally slapped herself shook her head. Of course Remus could be trusted. She trusted him before, why should things change now? Kamara had read before that werewolves were completely regular people when it wasn't the full moon, and even when they were in their animal form, they had no human sense or control in what they were doing. And Kamara was pretty sure that Remus hadn't gone off wanting to get bitten.
That she understood. If Remus was indeed a werewolf, which she was beginning to doubt less and less, then she could accept it. Remus was one of her best and only friends; she wasn't about to through away a perfect friendship for something as trivial as being a werewolf.
It was the fact that they hadn't bothered to tell her that made her angry. Did they think she couldn't handle it? Did they think she was too weak? Or did they think that she'd desert them?
Kamara's thoughts kept running into each other, and she didn't know what to do with them or how to control them. Parts of her said that Remus wasn't a werewolf, there was no way, he was too kind--- but others said that even the best people can be werewolves. Some of her was angry at the four boys for not telling her; other parts of her understood why they hadn't told her.
These thoughts left Kamara feeling tired and confused.
She didn't know where to begin. She didn't know for sure that he was a werewolf, and how would she find out? "Hey Remus, how are you? Doing good? By the way, you wouldn't happen to be a werewolf, would you?" Oh yes, that would go over well.
This was getting very frustrating.
~*~
James tapped his fingers distractedly on his homework parchment (which just happened to be blank, despite the fact that he'd had the entire holiday to do it). Kamara had been acting very strange lately, like she wasn't all there; daydreaming half the time she was awake. Sirius had noticed, too, and was becoming worried.
Which was why he and James were sitting in the deserted Common Room at this very moment, not talking about pranks or their next adventure as Animagi, not doing their homework, and not wondering how they were going to break the record for Most Detentions Ever Received. Instead, both boys sat at one of the various tables situated there, thoughtful expressions on their faces. Very thoughtful expressions.
"What could be wrong with her?" Sirius asked for the eighth time that night. James felt like banging his head against the wall.
Kamara was quiet, that he accepted, that he understood; but now it was as if she was avoiding them. Something wasn't right. If she hadn't come to by the end of the holidays, three days away, they'd ask Remus and Peter what they thought.
It was that precise moment that Kamara chose to enter the Common Room by way of the portrait door. She was carrying a rather large load of books; she must have been in library. Well, that's not very uncommon, James thought hopefully. He and Sirius sprang up and beamed at her. If she was depressed, then they should be there for her.
Kamara had barely gotten two feet into the room when Sirius and James sprang up on her.
"Hiya Birdie, how are ya?" Sirius chirped. Kamara looked up at him from her pile of books, eyes wide.
"Sirius! I was just... er... doing some... um... reading!" she sputtered. She bit her lip and shifted her weight. "And I really should be going, loads to do, you know!" And she nearly sprinted up her dormitory stairs, dropping a book without noticing.
Sirius and James stared after her. What is going on with her?
Sirius walked slowly over to the stairs and picked up the book she had forgotten. James made his way over to him, narrowing his eyes as Sirius's widened.
"James," Sirius's voice held something that sounded like a mixture of panic, shock, and another dose of panic for good measure. "Take a look at this," he said as he thrust the book into James's hands. James's eyes became about twenty times larger as he skimmed the cover.
The title, ironically, was How To Identify A Werewolf.
James and Sirius turned their heads slowly to look up at the girl's door, and one thought crossed James's mind: We are in so much trouble.
~*~
Kamara sighed loudly as she shut the door behind her. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She cursed herself. She knew that hadn't been the best way to exit. James and Sirius had been acting more strangely around her, and they knew something was wrong. She slumped over to her bed and dumped the books she had been carrying there before throwing herself down as well. She stared up at the canopy and massaged her temples.
James and Sirius were concerned, she knew that. She was grateful in the smallest bit, but she had too many other thoughts.
Sitting up on her bed, she sighed again and picked up the first book, The Life Of A Werewolf, and began to read.
As she finished the last book, she found herself understanding why the boys hadn't told her. And she understood how Remus would feel. From what she'd read, being a werewolf was both physically and emotionally draining. Being a werewolf meant a lifetime of ridicule and discrimination. Transformations were spoke of in relation to the "Cruciatus Curse". Even though Kamara didn't know what this was, the title convinced her that it wasn't pleasant.
And some people had to go through that every month.... some people had to live that..... She found herself desperately praying that Remus wasn't one of those people.
She looked for the last book, the most important one, and realized with horror that she didn't have it.
~*~
This is bad. This is very, very bad. This is worse than bad. This is....
James was pacing fretfully in the boy's dormitory as Sirius talked to him, ranting off ideas.
"We could try the casual approach, ask her what she was doing with the book, and if she knows then...."
What would Remus say? What if Kamara knows, and she hates us?
"...Or we could obliviate her, and then she'd never know, and everything could go back to normal...."
"No," James said suddenly. Sirius's head shot up. He'd been the only one talking for the past fifteen minutes. "Wait until Remus gets back. Just pretend nothing happened. When Remus gets here, we tell him about it. And she'll... she'll...."
"James, what if she knows?"
"I don't know," James admitted desperately after a short silence. "Sirius, if she does know, I mean, if she's sure about it, then what do you think she would do?" he asked cautiously after a minute.
"Birdie? ....I think she'd be okay with it...." Sirius considered. He set his face into a solemn expression. "She wouldn't care. Not Kamara. She's not like that, James." James nodded and ran a hand over his face.
This was such a risk. Such a choice. Why can't Remus be here right now?
"All right. We just won't say anything until Remus gets back. Then we'll tell him what we think and do what he says," James decided. Remus will know what to do.
But can we hold her off until he gets back?
~*~
A/N: Yes, well. I don't really like this chapter. I didn't have as much fun as I thought I would with James's thoughts, so I think that I'll mess with head sometime soon again.
Preview for next chapter: Remus and Peter are back, I THINK there'll be an argument between... um... people.... Kamara's suspicions will be confirmed AND she'll say she's okay with it and they'll make up and apologize and.... uh... yeah. It'll probably be longer and kinda dramatic. But no romance until Remus finds out about Kamara's secret, which probably won't be for a few chapters yet. BUT THINGS CAN CHANGE (and they probably will).
Please review, please review, please review! I do thank-you's to all my reviewers!
