"I bloody hate O.W.L.s," I grumbled loudly as I sat down next to my friends in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Our new Defence professor was Professor Tremlett. He was an retired Auror who had offered to teach Defense this year on a favor for Dumbledore and Alastor Moody. Though Tremlett had assigned a two feet long essay on Unforgivable Curses on the first day back, Uncle William had noted that we were extremely lucky to have Tremlett as a professor in preparation for O.W.L.s.

"You just need to learn how to balance Quidditch and your classwork," Lily offered helpfully as I began pulling out my textbook, essay, and wand.

I sighed. "I wish there were more hours in the day. Then I could actually get everything done."

"How have practices been? You said James was training you lot really hard," Mary said sympathetically.

I pouted and nodded. "The first game isn't until after the Holidays, but he insists on practicing straight through exams because he doesn't think that we'll have enough time to get practice in when the new term starts."

We chatted for a few more moments until Professor Tremlett had walked into the classroom, an aura of seriousness following him.

The class grew silent as we watched him write a word on the board that made the majority of the students in the room stiffen and look visibly uncomfortable: werewolves.

"Please raise your hand if you have heard of Hairy Snout, Human Heart," Professor Tremlett said confidently as he stared at all of us, raising his own hand.

I was amongst the many who had raised our hands. The book, Hairy Snout, Human Heart had been gaining a lot of press in the recent days due to the positive light that the book had painted werewolves in. The author wrote about his or her struggle being a werewolf as a member of the Magical community, and there had been an uproar within the Purebloods that such a book should be published.

"Now, please raise your hand if you know a werewolf," Professor Tremlett said. Suddenly, the only hand up in the air was that belonging to Professor Tremlett himself.

He shot us a wry grin and continued. "This is the issue that I want to address today. Werewolves are a common subject in Defense Against the Dark Arts, as many professors cover werewolves under the genre of 'dark creatures'. The problem with this, however, is that to categorize werewolves as a 'dark creature' would be to label a wizard as a 'dark creature'. This here is our most fundamental problem. Are werewolves animals, or are they human?"

There was a heavy silence in the classroom as we all stared at one another. I glanced at my friends and noticed a look of deep concentration on each of their faces. Lily looked like she was about to burst, and I wasn't surprised when she shot her hand up in the air.

"To say that werewolves are not human would be overlooking the boundaries of magic. A person who chooses to be an Animagi is most definitely a human, so why shouldn't a werewolf be considered a human?"

"Excellent point, Ms. Evans. I urge you to consider this, however: what does it mean to be a human? Many magical creatures are cognizant and have high intellectual abilities, yet they are not human. They are considered sentient beings. Why are people fighting for werewolves to be recognized as human beings?" Professor Tremlett countered, though he looked deeply impressed with Lily's answer. He shot her a look of approval before gazing back at the class, and I forced myself to consider his question.

James and I had both sent a copy of the book, but I hadn't opened mine. It sat inside my trunk, untouched and unread. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but the thought of knowing a werewolf scared me.

"How about an easier question? What is it about werewolves that make them so scary?"

I waited with bated breath for someone in the classroom to speak up. I didn't know myself why I had an irrational fear of werewolves, though I supposed it had something to do with the terrible stories we heard growing up about werewolves."

Suddenly, James spoke up and I coughed in surprise. He said, "I think people fear the unknown. If we had a perfect society and all stigmatisms about being a werewolf was erased, then an average person would have a higher chance of knowing a werewolf personally. Given the opportunity to know a witch or wizard who suffers from lycanthropy, the average person would be able to erase all of the stereotypes and terrible stories they have heard from their minds and be able to treat the werewolf as a normal human being who suffers from an affliction they cannot help."

"Very good, Mr. Potter. You have hit the most fundamental basis of human behavior. We are dictated by our fear of the unknown. Defense Against the Dark Arts is commonly tied to the concept of fear, as many things in the Dark Arts stirs up deep fear in many witches and wizards. A major problem that many have with Defense Against the Dark Arts is also their inability to conquer this fear. Werewolves are a prime example of such a fear, and they are not the only ones."

Professor Tremlett continued to discuss fear in relations to Defense Against the Dark Arts and how werewolves were the classic example of how fear plays out in human behavior. I listened as intently as possible, though my mind drifted off towards a particular conversation I had with Alex. He had mentioned how Voldemort was recruiting werewolves for his cause.

There was something deeply troubling about this topic of werewolves, and as we all packed up to leave at the end of class, I resolved to read Hairy Snout, Human Heart.

With exams coming up, the notice for the last Hogsmeade trip of the term was a beacon of light in the sea of misery. At least there was a Hogsmeade trip to look forward to in breaking the monotony of revising.

"Did you hear? Xavier Fawley broke up with his girlfriend!" Marlene gasped loudly as she ran towards us in the Common Room one evening.

We all looked up in surprise. "I thought he and Hannah Smith were inseparable! They always seemed the type to get married right after Hogwarts," Dorcas considered thoughtfully.

"Do you girls remember how downright mean she was at our Coming of Age ceremony when I was paired up with Xavier? I reckon they separated because of her jealousy issues," I added, pushing away my Transfiguration textbook. This was far more interesting than revising.

"Abrams and Pace must be delighted. They always fawned over Xavier Fawley," Lily said, also abandoning her homework. "I would put my galleons on those two girls trying to score a date with Xavier."

Mary giggled. "I think you should go for him, Jen. You hit it off with him quite well."

"Me?" I cried in surprise. "Are you kidding? He probably think I'm the rudest girl he's ever met, running off from him like that in the middle of the dance."

"It wasn't your fault. It was Black's fault," Lily rolled her eyes as she glanced around the Common Room before resting her eyes on the boy in question, laughing with his mates over by the fire. "And a date with Xavier Fawley would be the perfect cure for your terribly obvious crush on bloody Sirius Black."

My face went as red as Lily's hair as my friends giggled. It had been a hard thing for me to admit my feelings for Sirius in front of all of them, though they'd either known or suspected for a while. We hadn't been able to bring up Sirius's name over the summer without tension in the room, but luckily, I had gotten over that dramatic phase.

"I don't know… Xavier may not even want to begin dating after getting out of a long term relationship," I mused, searching hopelessly for a reason to not pursue the Ravenclaw prefect. I silently amused myself with the thought that Wayne Robinette and Xavier Fawley were both prefects.

"Well, it's not like you're emotionally available either. There's nothing wrong with a harmless date at Hogsmeade with a friend," Dorcas encouraged with a smile.

I sighed and glanced towards the direction that Lily had been staring at earlier. I watched Sirius for a couple of moments before turning my attention back to my friends. With a confident smile, I nodded and said, "I suppose you are all right. Let's hope Xavier Fawley will be as interested in me as I would be in him."

It turned out that trying to catch Xavier Fawley's attention was harder than it sounded in theory. Everywhere he went, there were girls like Hazel Abrams and Caroline Pace following him around. It was almost pathetic, if it weren't for the fact that I was trying to attract his attention myself.

I nearly gave up after the third day after I decided to try to get a date with Xavier for Hogsmeade. I watched Hazel flirt shamelessly with Xavier in Charms class and wondered how a girl as sweet as Violet could be sisters with Hazel Abrams.

We were working on Silencing Charms, and I desperately wanted to Silencio Hazel.

"I give up. I'm never going to catch Xavier's attention with all these other girls hanging around him," I muttered to my friends with a despondent sigh.

Lily rolled her eyes at me and said, "I'm disappointed in how easily you're giving up! Luckily for you, I 'accidentally' bumped into Xavier at the last Slug Club meeting and casually mentioned you to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to stop you after class."

My eyes went wide and I was about to open my mouth to reply to Lily when Professor Flitwick motioned for us to all stop and began to finish lecturing before the end of class.

When the bell had finally rung, I hadn't had a chance to ask Lily what she had meant when none other than Xavier Fawley had appeared in front of me with a wide smile.

"Hey Jennifer, I was wondering if we could talk privately for a moment," he asked courteously. My friends giggled loudly, giving me the urge to smack them. I kept my cool with extreme difficulty as I returned his smile.

"Of course. Walk with me," I said as I swung my bag over my shoulders. "I'm headed to Potions after this."

"Perfect. I'm headed to Transfiguration, so it's on the way," Xavier grinned before the two of us began slowly walking down the stairs and towards our next class.

"So how is revision going for you?" I asked, deciding to go with an easy question.

Xavier groaned. "Let's not talk about revision. All I hear in the Common Room is talk of Revision. Sometimes I wonder if us Ravenclaws do study too much."

I giggled. "Funny. All we talk about in the Common Room is Quidditch, so I suppose maybe there's something to the old stereotypes."

"How is being on the Quidditch team?" Xavier asked.

"It's okay. James is working us super hard in preparation for our match after the Holidays, so there is barely a chance to rest between practice and revision."

"You getting along with Sirius Black then? I can never keep up with the latest gossip," Xavier joked lightly. I glanced at his expression, though, and noticed a certain tension in his eyes that I couldn't read.

Shrugging, I said, "Sirius and I are fine. We had some misunderstandings, but we're both past it now. We're friends, so no gossip there."

I tried to keep my tone as light as his had been, though all it did was make me more confused.

Xavier stopped me in my tracks just before we reached the Transfiguration classroom. He gave me a serious look as he said, "Jennifer, listen. I'm not the kind of guy to air my dirty laundry, but I have to be honest with you. I've always considered you a sort of friend, though we haven't really talked much except for the occasional smile and nod here and there before this summer."

My confusion grew. I was supposed to be the one trying to convince Xavier to date me, yet the conversation was drifting towards the direction that it was the other way around.

I didn't say anything, however, as Xavier opened his mouth and began talking again. "Hannah and I… we were having problems for a while now, and it took this summer for me to realize it, but I had been so scared of letting go of a relationship that I had been in for so long. There's nothing more that I want to do than start fresh, and I want to do that with you."

My mouth dropped and I stared at Xavier, not believing what I was hearing.

"Xavier… what… I don't know what to say," I admitted honestly. I had only wanted a date for Hogsmeade, not a whole new relationship.

"Please hear me out," Xavier pleaded. He gently reached for my hand and grabbed it, looking intently at me. "I thought the two of us got along so well this summer with all the craziness of getting ready for our Coming of Age Ceremony that I realized I was slowly starting to fancy you. I wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything, but Lily hinted to me the other day that you are open to the idea of going on a date with me to Hogsmeade. I realize that I may be too forward and asking too much, and I'm certainly not Sirius Black, but will you give me at least one chance and let me take you out on a date to Hogsmeade?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, still in shock that at what I was hearing. I took several more moments to collect myself, realizing that I was making the poor boy in front of me more nervous by the second.

Finally, I smiled widely at Xavier and said, "Of course, Xavier. I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you."

Xavier's face lit up upon hearing my response and I giggled in response to his reaction. We said goodbye unwillingly as I ran towards the dungeons to Potions with a wide grin on my own face.

As Told by Lily Evans

I knew that Jennifer and Xavier would have made a wonderful couple. She came back from her date in Hogsmeade in all smiles and the name 'Sirius Black' was far from her mind.

We had a week left before the Holidays began, and I was sitting in the library with Severus. It seemed the two of us were only friends within the confines of the library and once we stepped out, we were destined to become mortal enemies.

I knew my friends had hard feelings over Severus because of the last time I had come back to the dorm in tears. I knew my friends thought that I had romantic feelings for Sev, but there was no point trying to correct them.

How could I ever explain to them that I could have seen myself happy in a relationship with Sev, had he not turned to the Dark Arts as he did? I knew I loved Severus, but I was not in love with him. I felt the love of our friendship drifting away every single day, and it pained me to talk of Severus, even if my friends thought I was denying my feelings.

"Are you going home for the Holidays, Sev?" I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood. These days, I had no idea what to say around Severus without the two of us starting a fight.

"I will be for a bit, but I am spending the majority of the time at the Averys. Emeric has people he wants me to meet," Severus said, speaking of Emeric Avery so casually. I couldn't mention Avery's name without cringing or making a face of disgust.

"That's nice. Mum and Dad booked a family vacation for the four of us since it's Petunia's last year at home. She's engaged to Vernon, so my parents want to get away for vacation before she finally moves out," I chattered lightly, attempting to ignore the look on Sev's face as I mentioned my Muggle family.

Perhaps I was goading him, but I knew that I wanted to see his reaction for myself. Sev cleared his throat and said, "That is thoughtful of your parents. Our O.W.L.s are coming up very soon, so you'll want to get in lots of practice during breaks to ensure you don't fall behind, Lily."

I made a face. "Sev, you worry too much. Not to mention, we're not even allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts."

Severus look liked he was about to argue before thinking better of it. He shrugged and said instead, "Have you got presents for everyone already?"

"Yes! It took ages to find the right gift for everyone, but I think I managed…"

I chattered on and on about trivial matters such as gift-giving, hoping if I talked about inconsequential things long enough, I could pretend that Severus and I were still the friends we were at eleven.


As Told by Sirius Black

I scowled heavily as I glanced at Jen and Xavier sitting together in the Great Hall for dinner, laughing.

"Mate, ease up," James warned, clapping his hand on my back. "If you're jealous, then you should have said something before you lost the chance."

"Shove off, Prongs," I muttered, though I knew he was right. I had made the decision to stay friends with Jennifer, and I couldn't back away from my decision now that she decided to have a boyfriend.

Remus ignored our conversation and looked worriedly at the sky. "Are you guys sure you're ready for tonight? You don't have to do this."

"Of course we're going to," Peter said, frowning. "Why else would we spend five years working on this, if we weren't going to do this with you?"

"Because it's dangerous and perhaps you've finally come to your senses," Remus countered. He stretched his legs out in front of him and sighed. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you lot."

"Nothing's going to happen," James said firmly. "If something does happen, then it's on our own heads. We knew the risk when we agree to do this."

I shook away thoughts of Jennifer and nodded. "Don't beat yourself up for something that won't happen. Focus on the positive."

"Perhaps you should tell yourself that," Remus grinned wryly, nodding towards the distance. Confused, I turned my head in the direction that Remus was staring at and narrowed my eyes.

"Trouble is coming," James said, and I couldn't agree more.

Eliana Rosier was walking towards us with a rather smug expression on her face. I knew that this conversation was going to go downhill very quickly.

"Rosier," I drawled arrogantly. "What brings you over to Gryffindor territory?"

"Don't be so childish, Black. I'm here to talk, nothing more," Eliana said as she tossed her hair back. Surprisingly, she looked remarkably graceful doing so.

I rolled my eyes. "Then talk. Don't waste my time."

"I would prefer to have this conversation in private," Eliana narrowed her eyes towards my friends and I smirked. I could hear James grinning next to me.

"Please," I said with a laugh. "Anything you want to say to me can be said in front of these guys. I'll tell them anyway, so save me the trouble."

Eliana huffed, folding her arms prissily. "Fine then. I'll have you know that your mother wrote to me and asked me to keep an eye on you. Seeing as we're betrothed, you should do better and keep away from scum like these three."

I scowled, the dirty look I had been shooting at Jen and Xavier returning to my face. "Don't you dare talk about my friends like that. Leave me alone, and don't talk to me again."

"So rude. I shall have to write to your mother to see what we can do about adjusting your attitude," Eliana said with a light laugh. "See you around, Sirius."

She turned around and walked away, leaving me feeling more frustrated than ever.

"How can someone so beautiful be so evil?" Peter wondered out loud as the four of us watched Eliana's retreating figure.

"Because evil always seems attractive at first until it rears its ugly head, and we see it for the monster that it truly is," James said with a shrug before turning his attention towards the rest of the student population. "It must be nice to have a quiet year at Hogwarts. I don't suppose we ever will."

Thinking of tonight, how my friends and I had created the Marauders Map, and the female drama, I laughed and said, "Even without this pureblood supremacy nonsense, I don't think a quiet year at Hogwarts will ever exist."


As Told by James Potter

Though there was no way in hell that I would ever admit this, it was our first full moon as Animagi and I was terrified.

The incident with Snape and the Whomping Willow was on my mind as Sirius and I snuck out of the castle under the Invisibility Cloak. Peter had already transformed and was scurrying along before us so that he could freeze the Whomping Willow for Sirius and I to get through.

We had practiced the routine of when we would go into the Shrieking Shack and when we would transform several times at Remus's request, and in this moment as I climbed up the stairs of the Shrieking Shack with Sirius and Peter, I was extremely grateful.

The plan was for the three of us to get inside the Shrieking Shack and transform into animals long before Remus actually turns into a werewolf at the full moon.

This would ensure that there wouldn't be any accidents with Remus accidentally biting us because we were still human.

The only problem remains that our theory of werewolves were yet to be tested. I had hoped that Hairy Snout, Human Heart might have given us a confirmation as to whether we would be able to keep Remus company as animals, but it hadn't.

For the first time as my friends and I were gathered together, we were silent. We waited in silence for a few more minutes, each preparing our thoughts (and I knew that Sirius's mind was far away with Jennifer and Xavier Fawley).

Soon, we heard footsteps coming up the stairs and the grim face of Remus Lupin greeted us.

"Ready, gang?" I said in a slightly false cheery tone. Sirius and Peter both grinned at me whilst Remus looked on with deep apprehension. Before Remus could object, the three of us transformed and suddenly, there was only one human left standing in the Shrieking Shack.

It was an odd feeling, being a stag. I felt far more removed from my emotions, and my instincts were much more animalistic, but I was still very much me.

The animal side of me bowed towards my human nature, as it took more effort to think like an animal than to think like a human being. Yet, somehow, life seemed so much easier as a stag.

I turned my head and huge antlers towards the room and watched Remus as he began transforming into a wolf in front of our eyes.

The human side of me felt tortured seeing Remus in pain from the transformation, but the animal side of me stayed back.

The moment of reckoning came as I stared not at Remus Lupin, the gangly fifteen year old boy, but rather at a large grey wolf staring at me, the large black dog, and the small brown rat.

The wolf stared down the three of us, something that would have made anyone cower, but I recognized the eyes of the wolf. They belonged to Remus.

Suddenly, the fear that I had of being attacked washed away. I knew that Remus was still a werewolf and didn't have his mind with him. However, I also knew that I had to trust the human inside Remus and his heart inside of him. I had to trust that Remus would recognize us as friends.

Feeling more confident, I stood up straighter and took the first step forward. I walked slowly out of caution and out of necessity; the Shrieking Shack was entirely too small for three large animals and one small rat.

Remus looked as though he was going to attack as I advanced, but something held him back. If I could smile as a stag, then I would have. I knew that Remus recognized us, even if his wolf-self didn't know it. Remus welcomed the advancement as Sirius and Peter also inched closer and closer towards Remus.

When the three of us had finally reached Remus, the four of us were so close that we were practically touching. Remus bowed his head briefly as a dog would before it allowed for a human to pet it. I knew it to be an act of friendliness and welcome as Remus lifted his head up, howling into the night.