The passage of time began to touch Hogwarts around the third week of September, when summer turned into autumn. The air was warm, but the scent of a crisp chill began to waft over the castle, signalling that Hogwarts was in for quite a cold winter. Remus did eventually return late Sunday night, exhausted and covered in fresh new scratches. James and Sirius questioned him, but Remus insisted that he was scratched by a crazy patient at St. Mungo's, the magical hospital located in London. Lauren later asked why he didn't go to the closer St. Gillygotter's Hospital in Edinburgh, but Remus said that St. Mungo's was closer to home (did he forget about St. Gwynedd's in Cardiff? That certainly was much closer to Remus's Welsh home). Lauren decided to let it go, but she was becoming increasingly suspicious of him. An interest in her grandmother's notes on a lycanthropy antidote, disappearing on the night of a full moon and reappearing once it had passed, fresh scratches the following day? How could anyone not see how clearly obvious Remus's condition was? Even his name had a connotation in relation to wolves! But alas, it was only a theory - that is, until the next full moon came and went in early October, and the same curious illness ailed Remus once more. It was then that she wrote home asking for Athena Scamander's notes.

Within a couple of days, Lauren received another letter from her mother, again written only in Scottish Gaelic, asking why Lauren wanted the notes. Lauren understood her mother's hesitance in sending Lauren the notes, as Lauren was an eleven-year-old living in a dormitory with five other students and anyone could go through her stuff and take Athena's notes. However, Lauren insisted that she would keep them safe and that she would keep them hidden. The castle was full of safe spots for Lauren to hide them when she didn't need them, she would just have to find them. Artemis then agreed, but said that Daisy would bring them to her in a parcel rather than deliver them by owl, as Daisy would be meeting with Professor Dumbledore soon anyway.

It was mid-October when Daisy Ridley arrived at Hogwarts to meet with Dumbledore. Lauren knew the meeting had something to do with Artemis, but still being only a child, Lauren was spared many of the details. It irritated Lauren to no end that she wasn't allowed to know or have a better understanding of the situation that she and her mother were in, but she had tried arguing her point and she just wasn't going to win. Artemis explained that Professor Dumbledore thought it best that she enjoy the few years of adolescence that she had left, even though Lauren insisted she had already lost those years a long time ago. Either way, she was in the dark about Daisy's meeting with Professor Dumbledore. She was to meet Daisy in the entrance courtyard, where Professor Dumbledore's Office was located. Marlene, Elizabeth, Lily, Melanie and Sabrina were with her, as they were reading a book on the Wiggentree for an essay they needed to write for Herbology, when Daisy spotted the young Ravenclaw and called out to her.

"Annwyl!" she called to young Lauren, who recognised Daisy's voice and saw the middle-aged brown-haired witch walking towards her with open arms.

"Aunt Daisy!" Lauren cried, setting the book aside and jumping up to hug her much beloved aunt. Sabrina and Melanie were in awe at seeing the real Daisy Ridley that their parents had told them all about.

"How are you, fy nhalaidd? How are your classes? And how's that little green devil of yours?" Daisy asked her once Lauren had broken the hug.

"Pickett's fine! As for my classes, they're all right. Everyone's asking about Mum," Lauren replied.

"I can imagine. Some of them taught her like Professor Slughorn, some of them went to school with her like Professor Sprout and some of them only know her from meetings with Professor Dumbledore like Professor McGonagall," Daisy explained. "Who are your friends, annwyl?"

"This is Elizabeth Hawking, Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, Melanie Janeway and Sabrina Jameson," Lauren explained. "Melanie and Sabrina say their parents knew you in school."

"Let's see, Jameson and Janeway... Jameson doesn't sound familiar, but Janeway... Is Mitchell Janeway your father, dear?" asked Daisy, not knowing that Melanie had told Lauren that she had dated Mitchell Janeway.

"Yup," said Melanie. "He's told me all about you."

"Mitchell was always so kind. Do tell him I said hello for me," Daisy said, then she looked at Sabrina. "And you... you remind me of Margaret Lewis, are you related to her?"

"She's my mother," said Sabrina. "She married a muggle and that's why my last name isn't familiar to you!"

"Ah, Margaret Lewis. That woman always had a passion for muggle studies so that doesn't surprise me," said Daisy. "Do tell her I said hello as well." She then turned to Lauren, placing a hand on the first year's shoulder. "I'd best be getting off now, but I did bring a parcel from your mother." She reached into her bag, which had been hanging off of her shoulder, and pulled out a parcel wrapped in brown paper. "Now take good care of these, annwyl. Mum would be very upset if these got out lost or damaged."

"I know. I already promised her I would take care of them," Lauren replied.

"Excellent, now take care of yourself, annwyl and I expect another letter at the end of the week, all right? I love hearing all about your classes and your friends and everything," Daisy told her, and with one final hug, Daisy went off towards Professor Dumbledore's office, Lauren watching her and then rejoining the group of girls.

"What'd she give you?" asked Elizabeth curiously.

"Just some reading material," Lauren replied. "It's been in the family for a while so Mum wants me to take excellent care of it. Now, back to the properties of the Wiggentree!" A groan emanated from Elizabeth's mouth, as she absolutely hated doing homework.


"I joined a club where we just talk about things, I think muggles call it therapy," Sabrina was explaining to Melanie in the Great Hall the following morning, describing the club in great detail. "It was started by a Hufflepuff muggleborn a couple of years ago and he's now Head Boy this year, so someone else is going to lead the group next year and anyone from any house can join. It's mostly Hufflepuffs. But anyway, last night, we talked about fear and why it drives us and we started the conversation with what each of us feared most..."

Elizabeth Hawking walked by the two chattering young Hufflepuffs when she overheard this part of their conversation, thinking about how she would answer the question when she spotted, sitting at one of the tables, James, Sirius, Peter, Remus and Lauren, deciding to join them. "Hi everyone," she said as she sat down beside James, who was beside Lauren and across from the other three boys. "Just a question for thought, what is it that you all fear?"

"Why are you asking us this?" asked Sirius, confused as to why Elizabeth of all people would ask such a question.

"I don't know, I guess it just sort of came to mind," Elizabeth replied. "For me, it's blood. Blood always means something bad is happening, like a stab wound or something getting you from the inside. I've never liked blood. It's always unsettled me."

"Not all blood is bad," Lauren replied. "Babies are born with a little bit of blood on them and that's bringing new life into the world."

"How do you know about how babies are born?" Sirius asked Lauren.

"Mum needed a job where we live since we live among muggles and she met a midwife and learned the art of midwifery. I've been learning it a bit, too, and Mum says when I'm older, I can become one, too."

"What would you want to become a midwife for? We have healers for that," James said to her.

"As long as Voldemort is around, I'll be living among muggles. I might as well adopt a job of theirs," Lauren replied. "Back to the discussion, I've always feared dementors. I read a book about them when I was very young and they gave me nightmares. My life has been full of all kinds of misfortunes and such and I wouldn't want one of my few happy memories to be sucked out of me by one of them."

"That's very... deep," Elizabeth replied. "What about you, Peter?"

"M-me?" Peter stuttered. "Well... I don't like death at all. Death scares me."

"You said that to the Sorting Hat, too, and the hat said you were lying," James retorted.

"Yeah, Peter, what is it that you really fear?" Sirius prompted him. Peter was silent for a moment before muttering something under his breath. "What was that?"

"Pain," Peter said, a bit louder this time. "I know what it's like to feel pain, and I don't want to feel pain anymore." The group was silent for a moment, understanding what Peter was saying but not wanting to say anything about it.

"How about you, Sirius? What do you fear?" Lauren asked, breaking the silence.

"It's kind of silly actually," Sirius said.

"Fears aren't silly," James told him. "Is it werewolves?" Out of the corner of her eye, Lauren saw Remus shift uncomfortably.

"Nah, but werewolves are terrifying. Actually, I fear my mother because she yells at me and insults me and hurts me," Sirius said casually. "How about you, James? What are you afraid of, huh?"

"Losing my parents," James said confidently. "My parents have always been there for me my entire life. I don't know what I would do without them."

"That's sweet," Lauren said.

"What about you, Remus? You've been quiet. What do you fear?" Sirius asked the scratched up, tired-looking boy beside him.

"The moon," Remus replied.

"The moon?" asked Sirius, and he laughed, and then James laughed, and then Peter laughed and so did Elizabeth.

"It isn't funny!" Remus said. "Bad things always happen under a full moon! Vampires come out and bad potions can be made-"

"And werewolves come out," Sirius said through laughter.

"...yeah. That too," said Remus meekly. "I don't feel very well. I'm gonna go ask Madame Pomfrey for some Pepperup potion." Remus stood and left, the group watching him as he left the Great Hall.

"It isn't funny to laugh at someone's fears," Lauren told them. "Maybe something really bad happened to him under a full moon and you'd never know, you'd rather laugh at him. I'm going to go and see if he's all right." Lauren, too, got up and followed Remus out of the Great Hall, leaving the remaining members of the group sitting there confused about the interaction. "Remus! Remus, wait!" Remus stopped on the Grand Staircase and turned to face her as she climbed the steps. "Don't listen to them, your fears are justified."

"I have many reasons to not like the moon..." Remus said.

"Oh I'm sure you do," Lauren said as they continued up the stairs and entered the fourth floor corridor, where the Hospital Wing was located. There weren't many students around, which Lauren was grateful for. "So I've noticed you always seem to fall ill around the full moon..."

"A healer told me that I have a condition called Lunacitis where-" Remus began, but Lauren cut him off.

"There is no such condition," she said, then she lowered her voice. "You don't have to lie to me Remus, I've worked it out." His eyes went wide as she confronted him about his condition.

"How did you..."

"Please, you're ill around every full moon and you disappear for a couple of days and once the full moon has passed, you return covered in fresh scratches and looking clearly worn out. I'm surprised no one else has worked it out."

"Are you gonna tell people?" Remus was clearly frightened of Lauren having this knowledge.

"No. It isn't my news to tell. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I don't want you to have to be alone in this. I can't imagine how you manage it alone."

"I mean, I have Professor Dumbledore and he's been a big help..."

"Is he there for you during the transformations?"

"No... and I don't want you there, either. Or anyone else." Remus glances around and lowers his voice. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Well... I suppose that's a good reason, then. Anyway, I sent for something about a week ago and thought I'd show it to you." Lauren reached into her bag and pulled out the parcel that Daisy had given her. "This parcel contains the notes that my grandmother made when she was experimenting with finding a cure for lycanthropy. I don't think that I can finish what my grandmother started, but maybe Professor Slughorn can."

"Really? Do you think there really is a cure for... my condition?"

"I don't know about a cure but I'm sure there's a way to at least make dealing with it easier. We'll ask Professor Slughorn after class tomorrow if there's anything he can do, okay?" Remus nodded.

"Thank you for being honest with me, and for showing me this. I actually feel a bit better about this knowing that now there's someone I can talk to."

"You won't be able to hide this from the others forever, Remus. Sooner or later, they'll catch on."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. They've already asked me and I told them I had Lunacitis."

"And they believed you?" Remus nodded. "Bloody idiots." Remus let out a laugh.

"Better that than them knowing about my condition," Remus said as his tone turned sad. "You heard Sirius, he hates werewolves."

"Maybe he'll get more mature in a couple of years. I think James would be rather accepting."

"He hates Slytherins, though. And if Sirius isn't mature enough then James isn't either."

"He'd be accepting of you but not if a Slytherin student was a werewolf. That's just how he is. I suppose when you're raised prejudice, it's hard to get it out."

"Sirius was raised prejudiced against anyone who isn't a pureblood, and look at him." Lauren paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Maybe James will prove us wrong," she said suddenly. "I've got to go and do some work, but we can ask Professor Slughorn after class tomorrow morning if he can help us with the potion. How's that sound?"

"Hopeful," Remus replied. "Almost too good to be true."

"Maybe so, but only time will tell, as my Aunt Daisy always says. I'll see you later, Remus," Lauren said, and she left Remus with a bit of warmth in his stomach. If Professor Slughorn can brew a cure for lycanthropy, Remus will never become a monster ever again. And that was enough to keep him floating on air for the rest of the day.


Early the following morning, Lauren joined her young Gryffindor friends at the empty seat beside them. Peter was eagerly sitting beside James simply excited to be there, James was resting his face in his palm with exhaustion in his eyes, Remus was reviewing notes from the last lesson and Sirius was fast asleep with his head down on the table. "Morning, lads," she said to the boys, and all but Sirius turned their attention to her.

"Hi, Lauren!" said Peter enthusiastically, equally happy to be friends with Lauren McGwyn as he was to be friends with James Potter. James groaned in response and Remus looked up and smiled at her before returning to his notes; Sirius snored peacefully.

"Jeez, you're all perky this morning, aren't you?" Lauren asked them.

"We were up late planning a prank," James said sleepily.

"I helped!" Peter said enthusiastically.

"I went to bed at a normal hour," Remus said matter-of-factly. Sirius stirred in his sleep.

"Hopefully by 'prank', you mean some harmless joke," said Lauren.

"It involves frogspawn soap and the Prefects' bathroom," James told her. Suddenly, Sirius picked his head up and, with his eyes still closed, started to speak.

"Why is James spelled with an 's' at the end? Why is it plural? Like more than one Jame. How many James?" he said sleepily.

"Go back to sleep, Sirius," Remus said as he studied his notes.

"Okay, Sirius," Sirius responded, and his head plopped back down onto the table. Shortly after, Professor Slughorn entered the classroom and enthusiastically greeted his class.

"Good morning, students! How wonderful to see all of your wonderful faces so bright and early!" he said cheerfully. "I do hope you have studied your notes because we will be brewing the Wiggenweld potion today from memory as your exam. If you finish early, you may clean up early and leave early. You know where to find the ingredients. Good luck to you all!"

"Wait, what?" said James, startled. "Since when did we have an exam?"

"Since Friday when Professor Slughorn announced it, James," Lauren told him. "It's all right, Remus and I know what we're doing at least. We can help you. Let's start with the ingredients." The ingredients for the Wiggenweld potion included Horklump juice, Flobberworm mucus, Chizpurfle fangs, Billywig sting slime, a sprig of mint, Boom Berry juice, one stewed Mandrake, sloth brain mucus, Moondew drops, salamander blood, lionfish spines, unicorn horn and wolfsbane. Many of the ingredients were added into the initial mix, producing a dark green-coloured potion.

"Now, you add salamander blood until the potion turns red," Remus said as he added the drops from a bottle, and the rest followed; Sirius, who was now awake, stirred his potion quite sleepily, dozing off a little, not waiting until the potion was red. "Stir it until it turns orange." The table complied, and four out of five potions turned orange. Sirius's was more of a burgundy colour.

"Why isn't mine orange?" Sirius asked, annoyed.

"Because you didn't add enough salamander blood before stirring," Remus told him.

"You'll be able to fix it by adding more honeywater later," James told him.

"Honeywater? That isn't in the ingredients," Lauren replied.

"No but my dad puts it in our Wiggenweld potions and it makes them stronger," James responded.

"Should we deviate from the instructions?" asked Remus.

"You guys can do what you want but I'm adding honeywater," James said. "Now we add more salamander blood, right?"

"Will that fix my potion?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius, your potion is a lost cause and you should probably start over," James replied.

"No way, I'll accept the T and go back to bed," Sirius said, cleaning up his potion and walking towards the door.

"Don't forget about Defense Against the Dark Arts at eleven!" Remus called after him, but Sirius didn't respond. "He's not going to show up."

"When do I stop adding salamander blood?" asked Peter, who had been adding salamander blood the entire time.

"When it turns yellow, and then you stir it until it turns green," Lauren replied.

"Oh... Mine is already green..." Peter said. "Can I save it?"

"Just keep adding blood until it turns turquoise," James told him as he did so. "Then heat it until it turns a dark blue."

"How do you know when it's dark enough?" asked Peter.

"Indigo is the right colour," Lauren said.

"I'm colour blind," said Peter, and James laughed. "That explains a lot. I'm surprised you've gotten this far. Stop heating it now, you're good."

"Now add more blood until it turns pink, then heat it until it turns red which should take I think about thirty seconds, and then add five lionfish spines," Lauren instructed.

"It's thirty seconds in a silver cauldron like you have," James told her. "For us normal pewter users, it's a minute longer."

"No, it's a minute and fifteen seconds," Remus corrected him.

"I'm telling you, it's a minute and thirty. Time it," James responded.

"Or, you can just heat it until it turns red," Lauren told them, interrupting their argument.

"I'm still colour blind," piped up Peter.

"You can stop, Peter. Yours is red. Now add five lionfish spines," Lauren told him. "Now heat it until it turns yellow, which I'll tell you when to stop... good... that's good, you can stop now. Add five more lionfish spines."

"Potions are so complicated," Peter said. "When does the honeywater come in?"

"You don't have to add honeywater, Peter," Remus told him. "I'm not adding it."

"Well, I still am," James said. "Don't stir it yet, Rem. You have to add the flobberworm mucus. What colour will it turn again?"

"I think purple," Remus replied, picking up his bottle of flobberworm mucus and adding it to his cauldron. "Then you stir it until it turns... red... I think... and then add more flobberworm mucus until it turns... until it turns..."

"Yellow," Lauren said.

"Yes, yellow," Remus said, and the group followed the instructions.

"Now add the honeywater until it turns turquoise," James said, adding honeywater to his potion.

"I'm not adding honeywater," Remus said.

"I will, pass it over here," Lauren said, then she added honeywater to her potion. "Now some more boom berry juice-"

"I thought we were done with the boom berry juice!" Peter exclaimed, panicking.

"No, not yet. Why?" asked Lauren.

"Well... I used it all when I was adding other ingredients..." Peter confessed.

"That's alright, Pete, you can use some of mine. My dad says to use less boom berry juice when adding the initial ingredients anyway," James said, passing his bottle of boom berry juice over.

"Now we stir it twice, and let it simmer for thirty minutes," Remus said.

"That's a lot of time to sit here," James said. "I'm going to take a small nap. Wake me up in thirty minutes."

"Okay, James!" exclaimed Peter, now staring at his watch.

"Remus, do you want to go and talk to Professor Slughorn now while we wait?" Lauren asked Remus, who appeared confused.

"Can we? Right now?" he asked, and Lauren nodded. "All right..." The pair of them made their way to Professor Slughorn's desk, far enough away from the earshot of other students.

"Is my potion supposed to be this colour?" Elizabeth asked her table, which consisted of herself, Lily, Mary, Severus Snape and Ophelia Rosier, a Slytherin girl in their year.

"Try adding honeywater. Maybe that'll fix it," said Severus.

"I don't remember that being in the book," said Lily inquisitively.

"Not everything you do has to be by the book," Severus replied. Lauren and Remus reached Professor Slughorn's desk.

"Finished already? How remarkable!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Not quite, professor," Lauren explained. "We have a question for you, or rather, Remus has a question for you."

"Certainly, my boy. What is it, then? Go on!" Professor Slughorn encouraged.

"I was wondering if... if maybe, if... Could you help us brew a potion that can cure lycanthropy? It-it's for my sister. Who doesn't go here. For... obvious... reasons," Remus stuttered.

"A cure for lycanthropy? My boy, don't be silly. Such a potion doesn't exist-"

"I have the notes that my grandmother made when she was attempting the potion," Lauren said, pulling the notes out of her bag and handing them to Professor Slughorn, who appeared flabbergasted and excited.

"My gosh, my gosh! Athena Scamander's notes! Her real notes! Goodness, I'd always heard she scribbled ferociously!" he exclaimed, his gooseberry-coloured eyes lighting up brilliantly. "I'm afraid I cannot help you, my boy. However, a third year student in my Slug Club may be exceptionally brilliant enough to help you. Which I would love to have you join, my dear Lauren - my apologies, Mr. Lupin - anywho, this student's name is Damocles Belby. Perhaps he can help you."

"I know him. He's in my house," Lauren said. "I can ask him later at supper."

"Brilliant! Best of luck to you both and my boy, I hope Mr. Belby can help your sister. Lycanthropy is a terrible curse to have," Professor Slughorn said to the two young students.

"Got that right," Remus said. They thanked him once more before returning to their potions, finding that they were finished and ready to be turned in. Peter was shaking James awake when they returned.

"Huh? Did I win?" he muttered sleepily.

"No but your potion is done," Peter squeaked joyfully. The group turned in their potions and left their class with an hour to spare before their next class.