It wasn't really unusual for one of the Marauders to be summoned to the head of school's office. In fact, Sirius and James were sent at least once a week. Which was why the four friends weren't very surprised when they spotted a small messenger pixie hovering behind them on their way to class.

In their short time at Veneficus, they'd grown accustomed to the small, fairy-like creatures fluttering about, distributing messages all over the school. They'd also learned not to disobey them. Just the other day, some Slytherin had insulted one and been brutally attacked. (The Marauders, of course, found this astoundingly funny.)

Hesitantly, they approached the pixie, gripping their wands behind their backs.

"I carry a message for Remus Lupin," it declared finally. "You are to meet with Headmistress Troy as soon as possible." All the boys exchanged a look; what could Remus have possibly done wrong? His worst offense was probably skipping a homework assignment, certainly nothing that warranted a meeting with the headmistress.

"Must be my, er, furry little problem," he murmured out of the corner of his mouth, coloring. To this day, he was still ashamed about his furry little problem, despite assurances from his friends and family that it was not his fault in any way, shape, or form. "Er, should I go now, or after class?" he asked, addressing the pixie.

"Whenever is most convenient," it informed him politely. James cut in hurriedly.

"In that case, it had best be after class. So much work, you know." The pixie glared at him for interrupting, but nodded obediently.

"I will convey this message to Headmistress Troy immediately."

"Great, er, thanks," Remus mumbled. Once the pixie was well on it's way, the boys turned questioningly to James.

"What was that?" Sirius demanded.

"I can't be concerned about my best mate's education?"

"No, you're far too selfish for that." James sighed.

"Fine. I don't care about whether Moony learns anything here or not. But I want to get into that meeting," he admitted. Remus gaped at him.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Isn't it obvious? My cloak," James said in a 'duh' tone. "We'll skip class and fish it out of my things, then follow you to Troy's office. This way we'll all know exactly what we're doing on the full moon."

"We?" Remus repeated, frowning.

"Yes, we. It's tradition, remember? Besides, we can't miss our first fun night in New York," Sirius responded.

"But-but, this is different from Hogwarts," Remus protested. "It's a big city - so many people in one place... If we go out that night-"

"Moony, I can see you sprouting gray hairs as you speak," James joked. "It'll be fine. Just like always." Remus fumed.

"You-you're not getting the point, James; you never have-"

"We're going, and I don't care what you say. Come on, Moony, you know we'll find a way there even if you don't give us permission. Might as well surrender now."

Before Remus could answer, James strode away in the direction of the dorms, Peter and Sirius following. Swallowing his frustration, Remus jogged to catch up. It would be a losing battle, just like it was in fifth year. No matter what he said or did, James and Sirius had their own agenda, and Peter would undoubtedly follow. It was frustrating, of course, but that was just the way things were.

The boys made sure to wait until well after class had ended to go see Headmistress Troy. Remus was terrified that she'd figure out he ditched class and had finally convinced them to hold back a little longer. That, and he was stalling for time. He didn't want to meet Troy at all, and he certainly didn't want his friends there. Chances were that Troy was not as sympathetic to his kind as Dumbledore was, and it would probably be a horribly awkward, humiliating meeting. Not to mention the fact that Remus was hoping to transform alone in New York. In a city so congested, it was even more possible that he'd haul off and bite someone.

The hallways were basically empty as they made their way to the office. Most students were either at class or in their dorms. Still, James, Sirius, and Peter stayed under the cloak. If someone saw them, the results could be disastrous.

"Remus?" He tensed. The voice belonged to Wren, and while he'd hardly spoken to her, he'd hoped to get away without encountering anyone at all.

"Hi Wren," he mumbled. Her brow furrowed.

"Are you... lost, or something?"

"What? Oh, no." Remus balanced awkwardly on the balls of his feet. Couldn't she just move on already? It didn't seem very in-character of her to willingly interact with another human being, much less on of Sirius and James's buddies.

"Huh. So you're going to see Troy?" she assumed.

"Why do you say that?" Remus responded, perhaps too quickly. Surprisingly, he didn't deal very well under pressure and was very afraid that he was about to give himself away.

"Uh, there's like, nothing else down this way," she explained. "I was just down there too."

"Oh? Why?" Wren smiled cryptically.

"That would be telling. I think the bigger question is why you're here and not your friends."

"Um, oh- well, you know, I mean- just some little stuff, no big deal, I don't really know, even," he spluttered. Wren raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Okay then," she said finally, choosing to let the issue drop. She didn't want anyone finding out her secrets, so why should she press him for his? "See you around, I guess." She paused, grimacing slightly. "And tell your friends that I'm adding a practice tomorrow. We need some work."

Remus sighed heavily once she finally walked away. How close had he been to spilling everything to her?

"Oi! Moony!" He jumped. He was positive he'd told Sirius not to make himself known, so it couldn't be him... Wait, scratch that. It was Sirius. "Did you just have a civil conversation with Birdy? It's a miracle!"

"Get back in the cloak, Sirius," he hissed back. Troy's office was in sight now and this was not the time to screw up. Struggling to calm himself, he forced his feet to walk closer. His hand shook as he raised it to knock on the door. Knock, knock, knock-

"Whoever's there may come in!" a high-pitched, whiny voice told him. The door swung open and Remus stepped in cautiously, knowing that his friends were right behind him.

"Ah," Troy greeted him. "Remus, is it?" He nodded. Troy put on a bright smile, but it was clear to see the disgust in her eyes. She looked like she might throw up at any moment. Dumbledore must have had his work cut out for him convincing her to let Remus attend.

"Yes, ma'am," he said timidly. She pursed her lips.

"Well, as you know, I'm Headmistress Troy. Professor Dumbledore has informed me of your... condition and I wanted to assure you that we have made arrangements for the full moon. Across campus, Veneficus has a good-sized shed that was once used as the ground keeper's house. Seeing as there is no ground keeper, it's all yours. A pixie will escort you there at five o'clock precisely one week from today."

"Th-thank you," Remus stuttered. He still had his doubts about the safety of his transformation, but the shed did sound ideal. If he could just convince the rest of his friends to stay inside, everything would be fine. Stiffly, he pivoted back towards the door, only to be stopped by Troy.

"Mr. Lupin," she called. "Although I cannot deny you the right to an education, I can't lie and say that your kind doesn't completely disgust me. I will never understand how you possibly live with yourself knowing you could kill an innocent human at any moment." Remus bit his lip before responding as honestly as he could.

"Sometimes, neither can I."

A/N: Alright, well, I didn't love that one, but I thought I should get it out there. The nor'easter just hit so I have a two hour delay... Maybe I'll get another short one out before I have to leave. Comment please! It really means a lot to me!