Charlotte froze as she heard steps coming up the stairs. Remus opened the door and stopped dead, regarding her with a look of shock.
"What are you doing in the boys' dormitory?" he asked.
Charlotte thought quickly, she had been sworn to secrecy by Sirius. She didn't want to do it, but Sirius had all but sent her a howler begging her, telling her it was immensely important, without telling her why exactly.
"Sirius asked me to send him this sweater," she said grabbing a hideous striped orange and green sweater and holding it up for Remus to see.
"He hates that sweater," Remus said eyeing her suspiciously.
"Well that's not a surprise is it?" she asked now looking at the sweater herself, "He wants to send it to his brother for Christmas as kind of a joke."
"Alright, I don't believe you, but you've got what you've come for, so please leave," he said gesturing to the door.
"You don't have to ask me twice," she replied coolly.
She stormed past him and straight up to the girls' dormitory. She closed the door behind her, sat down on her bed and pulled out the mirror and piece of parchment Sirius had sent her to retrieve from his drawer. The blank parchment looked old; it was beyond her what it could possibly be useful for. The mirror on the other hand, Sirius had told her how to use. She picked it up and looked at her reflection.
"Sirius," she said to it, feeling quite stupid.
A moment later Sirius' grinning face appeared in place of hers.
"Hello Lottie, I see you succeeded," he said proudly.
"Just barely," Charlotte said, annoyed, "Remus walked in on me."
"Did he see what you were doing? Bollocks Lottie I told you he couldn't find out!" Sirius spat.
"Shut up!" Charlotte said cutting Sirius off. Sirius snapped his mouth shut and glared at her. "He didn't see anything, I had found the parchment and mirror before he walked in." Charlotte explained.
"Sorry for getting snappy," Sirius murmured.
"Its fine, but Sirius, what am I supposed to do with this parchment?" she asked holding up the old paper, "And why ask me to do all of this? I don't understand," Charlotte said quickly.
"Calm down Lottie," Sirius said in a soothing voice, "Before I tell you anything I need you to make me a few promises," he said.
"Sirius-" Charlotte began.
"No listen, I need you tonight, it's extremely important, I wouldn't ask otherwise, you know that," Sirius explained in a pleading voice, "But I can't let you help me without making these promises first."
Charlotte looked into Sirius' eyes. She had half a mind to tell him to find someone else to do whatever it was he wanted her to do, but she knew if he wasn't asking Remus, there was no one else.
"Alright, fine, but you so owe me," Charlotte grumbled.
"Yeah I do," Sirius beamed, "Okay I've already explained to you how important it is that Remus doesn't know your involvement in this," he began.
"Yes, yes."
"Shut up and listen Lottie," Sirius warned, "The next thing you have to promise me is, no matter what you see on that piece of paper you will not leave your dormitory tonight."
Charlotte looked down at the blank parchment, old and wrinkled, then back to Sirius skeptically.
"Alright, I promise," she shrugged.
"Good, now unfold the parchment," he instructed.
She set the mirror down and did as Sirius said, and then looked back at his face for more instructions.
"Alright, now please tap it with your wand and say the words 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'" he said.
She did as he said and gasped as the parchment filled with words and elaborate drawings, more than that, the drawings were moving. The words, Messers Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs Proudly Present the Marauder's Map headed the parchment.
"What the hell is this?" she asked breathlessly. Then, as her eyes scanned the page more closely the answer came to her, "Merlin's Beard, Sirius this is a map of Hogwarts!"
"Sure is," he grinned.
"Wait a minute…" she said glancing at the four names heading the map, "These names, I know these names."
"Yeah, we really should be more careful with tossing them around," Sirius said thoughtfully.
"You, James, Remus, and Peter call each other these names," Charlotte said looking at him confused. "Surely the four of you didn't make this," she scoffed.
"Actually Lottie, we did. Well, Remus and James did most of the actual charm work and designing of the map," he admitted, "But most of the field work was done by me and Petey."
"Sirius, this is amazing," she breathed, "But what am I to use it for?"
"Er, okay," Sirius began apprehensively, "I need you to monitor this map periodically through the night."
"You're joking," Charlotte said behind laughter, "Whatever for?"
"I just need you to look out for our dear friend Mooney tonight," Sirius said evenly.
"I'm sorry, our friend?" Charlotte asked.
"Yes Charlotte, our friend. He might not be your favorite person in the world, but he's going to need a friend tonight and unfortunately you're the only other Gryffindor at Hogwarts who can help," Sirius replied.
"I'm the only other Gryffindor left at Hogwarts period," Charlotte said bitterly, "So am I to follow him around all night?"
"No!" Sirius shouted, "You are not to leave the Gryffindor tower for anything tonight, anything."
"Alright, alright, don't have a cow," said Charlotte, "So I just watch the map for him?"
"Yes, watch the map for him, and make sure he gets back to his dorm by morning."
"Sirius, this isn't making any sense," Charlotte said desperately trying to understand anything about her and Sirius' conversation.
"I know Lottie and I'm sorry," Sirius said. "I've got to go," he said apologetically.
"Sirius, I don't understand," said Charlotte.
"If you need me just use this mirror, I will probably respond," Sirius said with a wink and then he vanished and Charlotte was left staring at her own reflection.
Charlotte was curled up fast asleep in one of the squashy armchairs in the Gryffindor common room. The Marauder's Map was open and lay atop her as almost a makeshift blanket. She watched the small dot that was Remus Lupin leave the Hogwarts castle after an early dinner and head out onto the grounds. She followed him all the way to the Whomping Willow where he seemed to have disappeared. Charlotte had written this off as a mistake, the map was made by Sirius, Remus, Peter and James after all; it had to be riddled with mistakes. She had watched the map for hours, with no sign of any change. Eventually she fell asleep, watching Dumbledore pace back and forth in his office.
Hours later Charlotte groaned as the sun rose, shining in through the common room windows casting light across her face. She opened her eyes, confused for a moment as to why she was in the common room, and then as the map slid off of her and onto the floor, she remembered. She quickly grabbed the map and scanned if for Remus' dot. He was not in the boys' dormitory, so Charlotte scanned the map. Charlotte found his dot out on the grounds near the lake. It took her a moment of watching it before realizing that it was not moving.
She glanced out the window, the grounds were covered in snow, lying out by the lake seemed like a ridiculous way to spend the morning. Charlotte considered using the mirror to get a hold of Sirius, but seeing as it was morning, she didn't feel she needed his permission to leave the Gryffindor Tower. So she ran upstairs, grabbed her cloak and scarf, and went off to find Remus.
It was frigid outside in the snow, Charlotte's nose went frozen almost the instant she stepped outside. She hugged herself as she made her way across the grounds. She pulled out the map again, forgetting where it had said Remus was. She walked a few paces, watching as her dot slowly met up with Remus', when she looked up she found him sitting at the base of a tree, shivering in the cold.
"Lupin!" she raced towards him and collapsed into the snow beside him. "What on Earth are you doing out here? It's freezing."
"Charlotte?" he asked looking up at her.
She noticed he was breathing heavy and clutching his side. Clearly he was in pain.
"Remus, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" she asked.
He let out a bitter sort of laugh that Charlotte could not comprehend. She reached out for his hand and pulled it away from him. Charlotte gasped; blood was seeping through his shirt.
"Remus, you're bleeding," she breathed.
"Oh is that what that is?" he asked sarcastically.
Charlotte looked at him curiously. He was hurt badly and yet he was making jokes, like it was normal for one to be bleeding all over himself outside in the freezing cold.
"Remus, let me see," she said, reaching out to lift his shirt.
"No," he snapped, grabbing her hand. "I'm fine; just help me get to the infirmary."
"Remus don't be daft, let me see," she argued.
They struggled with each other for a moment, but Remus gave up quickly, letting his hands fall to his sides. He glared into the distance as she gingerly lifted his shirt. There was a huge scratch mark across his chest, it was deep and had to have come from some sort of animal.
"Remus, what attacked you?" she asked looking around wildly for any sign of the creature.
"It's gone now," he sighed.
"But what if it comes back? I mean it could come back," she stammered, looking at him with terrified eyes.
"Charlotte, it isn't coming back, not now anyway," he said calmly. "Now please, help me get to Madam Pomfrey."
Charlotte nodded, still a little unsure. She was confused and scared, but Remus didn't seem fazed by any of the bleeding, then she threw his arm around her shoulder and hoisted him up to his feet, and together they stumbled back to the castle.
Remus groaned as he opened his eyes. It was dark outside, but the infirmary was dimly lit. He couldn't remember how he'd made it up to the castle. He remembered sitting against a tree, unable to take the pain. He had all but torn himself to shreds in the absence of his friends.
It didn't take him long to realize that he couldn't feel his left arm. He looked down, confused, and was shocked to find Charlotte sitting in a chair beside his bed. She had slumped over and fallen asleep with her head resting on his arm. Seeing her sleeping there, Remus suddenly remembered how he got back to the castle, Charlotte had been there, she had helped him. He didn't want to wake her, but the fact the he felt like he had no left arm was becoming increasingly disturbing to him, so he let out a cough.
Charlotte stirred and sat up blinking groggily at him. Then, and Remus could have died of shock, she smiled at him.
"You're awake," she said, her voice full of relief. "How are you feeling?"
"Awful," he said shaking blood back into his arm.
Then a horrible thought struck him. Charlotte was not wandering outside on Christmas morning for no reason; she had to have been looking for him. She knew. He looked up at her terrified.
"What is it?" she asked worriedly.
"How did you know I wasn't in my dorm? How did you know you'd find me out there? Why were you looking for me?" he hounded.
Charlotte stared at him frozen, her mouth ajar. After a moment she closed her mouth slowly and cleared her throat.
"I noticed you weren't at the Christmas Eve feast last night, it was hard not to notice, hardly anyone stayed here over the holidays," she began. "I asked Professor McGonagall where you were, but she sort of waved me off so I kind of forgot about it. I fell asleep in the common room though, I was reading, and in the morning I went to the window to see the snow and that's when I saw you in the distance, so I went to see why you were out there," she finished her story staring him square in the eye.
"Oh, alright then," he said feeling his heart rate reach a normal pace once again. "How long have I been asleep?"
"All day," she replied simply. "You must be starving."
"What? Have you been here all day Little?" he asked looking at her baffled.
She blushed and fiddled with her hands.
"Well, I was scared, and Madam Pomfrey wouldn't tell me anything, but she said I could stay if it made me feel better and then I fell asleep," she mumbled.
"Scared? Why were you scared?" Remus asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked looking insulted. "I find you outside in the snow, bleeding profusely from a wound the looked like it came from a bloody bear, then I bring you up here and you pass out the minute you hit the bed and on top of that no one would tell me what was going on! You try not to be scared!" she shrieked.
"Miss Little, if you are going to insist upon screaming at my patients, I will have to ask you to leave," Madam Pomfry said sticking her head out of her office.
"No, she's fine," Remus said quickly.
Madam Pomfrey narrowed her eyes at the two, then ducked back into her office and out of sight. Remus turned his attention back to Charlotte.
"Okay, I see how that may have been a bit frightening," he said gently.
"A bit," Charlotte scoffed.
"I'm sorry Charlotte," said Remus.
"Apology accepted," Charlotte replied bitterly. "Now are you going to tell me what happened?"
Remus couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out already. She had found him, the morning after a full moon, beat up and battered, and she still hadn't pieced it together. He considered telling her for a moment, but pushed that thought far from his mind, as it made him want to vomit.
"I-er-I sleepwalk and early this morning I walked into the snow," he started, "See, James and Sirius never let me get that far, but they aren't here. Anyways, one of Hagrid's hippogriffs was out and he got me." Remus looked up at Charlotte, clearly she had not bought his awful lie. He didn't blame her.
"Do I look stupid?" she asked, "Because I saw that mark and it was no talon, it looked like it came from a claw. Also you'd have had to have been shirtless when this hippogriff attacked since your shirt managed to leave the tiff unscathed."
Remus opened his mouth, trying to think of another lie, anything to keep the truth from Charlotte. He was saved by Madam Pomfrey, who came out of her office.
"I'm going to go down to dinner, Charlotte it would be wise to come as well, but if you'd like to stay I'll understand," she said to the pair.
"I'll be staying," Charlotte said crossing her arms.
"I figured as much," Madam Pomfrey sighed as she left the infirmary.
Charlotte and Remus stared at each other for a long time, Remus refusing to tell Charlotte the truth, Charlotte refusing to move past the topic.
Remus sighed, "Look, I'm not going to talk about it Little, so can we please move on?" he asked.
"No, no we can't," she said firmly.
Remus was about to respond when he felt the dreadful, all too familiar muscle spasms flow throughout his body. His fists clenched as the pain took hold of every single part of him. He glanced up at the window; the moon was shining in drenching him in its light.
"Remus what's wrong?" Charlotte asked in a shaky.
"Close the curtain," he managed to say. Charlotte stared at him thunderstruck and unmoving. "Charlotte now!" he growled.
Charlotte jumped up and ran to the window flinging the curtains shut. Remus collapsed back onto the bed, breathing heavily as every muscle in his body contracted. The bed squeaked and Remus felt Charlotte's weight as she sat at the foot. He lifted himself, leaning against the headboard for support. She was sitting with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. Her face was pale, but other than that she seemed calm and collected.
"You're a werewolf," she told him after a moment.
"Yeah," he nodded.
"Why are you not turning?" she asked.
"I changed last night on the actual full moon," he said. "But the moon has already begun to wane. It doesn't affect me the night directly before or the night directly after as long as I stay out of it."
"I guess I missed that lesson," she smirked.
Remus was shocked at how well she was taking it, though it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise to him at all, not after James, Sirius, and Peter.
"You aren't scared?" he asked.
"Why should I be? As long as those curtains stay shut, you're still Remus," Charlotte shrugged.
Remus shook his head and winced as his body fought with its self.
"My body is confused, it's been exposed," he groaned.
"Are you going to change?" Charlotte asked the slightest bit of panic surfacing in her voice.
"No, but I've got a full night of this ahead of me," he grimaced.
Without a word Charlotte slid herself next to Remus on the bed. She took one of his hands in hers and with her other hand she began to gently stroke his forehead.
"Charlotte you don't have to do this," he sighed, "I've already ruined your Christmas."
"Remus, my Christmas was ruined the minute I opened that letter from my mum," she replied in a soft voice. "I don't have to do this, but it's what James, Sirius and Peter would be doing. They aren't here right now, so someone's got to fill in," she said firmly. "And I'm glad to be the one," she added with a smile.
"Well, I doubt any of them would be holding my hand right now," Remus said with a small smile.
"No, you're right about that," Charlotte laughed.
Remus groaned and doubled over again as his body struggled to change, but Charlotte didn't leave. She waited patiently for it to pass, then as Remus returned to a laying position, she resumed stroking his hair.
"My dad died when I was ten," she said suddenly.
"What?" he asked looking up at her confused.
"I'm sorry, I thought maybe if I told you a story it would take your mind off things," she said sheepishly.
Remus doubted anything could take his mind off of the pain coursing through his body at the moment, but he wanted to hear about her father.
"It wouldn't hurt to try," he smiled. She smiled back.
"My dad died when I was ten," she began again. "It was the summer before I went off to Hogwarts. He was an extremely smart man, funny, kind. I loved him. But ever since I can remember there was a sadness about him, he never seemed happy. When Dad was sixteen, his little brother died. Dad had been watching him, but there wasn't anything he could do, his brother had been sick for a long time. He just happened to be watching him when he passed. And my dad never forgave himself; he didn't even trust himself with me. He just couldn't handle the guilt any longer I guess, so he killed himself."
Remus dared a glance at Charlotte, there were tears falling down her cheeks. He couldn't believe she was opening up to him like this. He pushed himself up so that he was level with her, then pulled her into him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
She sniffled and pulled away.
"Did it work?" she asked with a sad smile.
It didn't, but he couldn't tell her that, so he nodded.
"Charlotte you didn't have to tell me that," he said lying back down.
"We're even now," she shrugged.
"Alright then," Remus laughed.
"You know, the day we met, on the Hogwarts Express, you were reading a book, well play really, called 'As You Like It'" she said. "I remember because my dad read it to me, he loved Shakespeare and that happened to be his favorite."
"That certainly explains quite a bit," said Remus.
"Yeah, I suppose it does. I'm sorry I never gave you a chance Remus," Charlotte said softly.
Remus laughed lightly at this.
"What's so funny Lupin?" Charlotte asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, I just find it amusing that you're giving me a chance now, after you find out what I am and all," he replied.
Charlotte looked at him curiously. She had stopped playing with his hair; he wished she would start again. He hadn't noticed until she had stopped that it actually been helping him a great deal.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.
"You just, you act like being a werewolf is grounds for everyone to shun you or something," she replied, shaking her head slightly.
"Well, that's because for most people it is," he replied. "Why do you think I keep it from everyone? I mean, most people don't react the way you did."
"They should. I mean, it doesn't change who you are, you're still Remus," she said resuming playing with his hair.
"Thanks Little," Remus smiled.
"Do you think you can sleep?" she asked.
"Probably not," he shook his head.
"Well, I think you should try. I'll go." she sitting up and swinging her legs off the bed to stand. Remus grabbed her hand.
"If you go, I surely won't be able to sleep," he said.
Charlotte smiled and crawled back into the bed beside him. She snuggled in close to him and continued to run her hand through his hair. He closed his eyes and the two were asleep within minutes.
Madam Pomfrey was not surprised in the least to see Charlotte and Remus asleep on the bed together. She had half a mind to wake the girl and tell her to head back to her common room, but they both looked so peaceful. Remus was still twitching every now and again, but other than that she had never seen him sleep so soundly and he had spent a lot of nights in her hospital wing. So she slid into her office, allowing the two their sleep.