Chapter 11 The Truth Comes Out

"WAHAHAHO!" A voice came through the walls. Beth and Remus stopped where they were and looked over at the far end of the classroom. Peeves appeared floating above the bookcases. "Well if isn't Loony Loopy Lupin!" he smirked. "And he's got a girl along with him. Shame, shame, what have you two been doing up here all by your lonesome?"

"Nothing, Peeves, now get out of here before I curse you."

"Nasty temper you've got on you. Just coming in for a nice stroll to see if there were any ickle students to bother."

"If you won't leave we will." Bloody poltergeist. Remus hated to admit defeat, but he knew with the way Peeves treated him, challenging him to play a prank, he would never get to tell Beth at the Astronomy tower. They descended the stairs and walked along in silence. Remus was beginning to lose his nerve to tell Beth about his love for her. I don't think I can do it anymore. Everything was so perfect up there, but now we're here not there. I want everything to be perfect when I tell her.

Beth startled him out his thoughts. "Remus, are you going to tell me why you weren't in the hospital wing that night?"

"The hospital wing?" He had been totally thrown off by her question. "Well, were you there long?" Please don't let her have been there that long.

"No, only a few minutes. I left when I heard Madame Pomfrey coming because I wasn't supposed to be there."

Phew! I wasn't counting on her bringing this up. I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for this at all. "You must have just missed me. I was probably going to the bathroom when you arrived. What were you doing not obeying the nurse's rules?"

"Sorry, but I wanted to see you. I couldn't bear the thought of you being in pain without someone there to be with you. You're always there for me when I need you."

"I appreciate your concern, but I promise I'll be all right."

"That's not what you had to tell me is it?"

"No, but that can wait for another day." He grabbed her hand. "Let's go. We almost forgot about your Defense lessons."

**
All during Defense lessons with Remus, Beth had wanted to tell him how she felt about him. She had planned on doing it right after he told her whatever it was he had to tell her but now it seemed he wasn't going to tonight. Why are you such a coward Elizabeth Spenser? You're sure that he likes you, so why can't you just tell him? Sure I can tell him that I like him but it's more than that. I don't want to scare him away.

By the time they were finished, Beth's mind was just screaming at her to tell him. They were packing up their things when she just couldn't take it any longer. She took a deep breath. "Remus, Ireallylikeyouyouknow." She hadn't meant for it to come up so quickly and jumbled together like that. Her face turned a bit pink.

"I like you too Beth," replied Remus absentmindedly, but then he stopped what he was doing. "Oh! You mean in that way." She nodded her head.

He walked over to her and put his arms around her. "Ireallylikeyoutooyouknow," he said purposely. She laughed.

"We really are a funny pair aren't we?" It was a rhetorical question, but Remus nodded his head anyway.

He took her head in his hands again, hoping against all hope that he would be able to kiss her this time. "Wait a minute," she stopped him. "I want to try something." Remus looked at her confused.

Beth pointed her wand at their feet. "Mobilicorpi." And they began to ascend in the air, her a little bit more than him so that they could see eye to eye.

"Very impressive, I have taught you well."

"I think you'll make a wonderful teacher someday, maybe even at Hogwarts. So you think this makes things perfect enough for us?"

Remus was amazed; it was almost like she was reading his mind. All he could do was nod his head as he looked into her soft hazel eyes. This time everything will be perfect. And no one will interrupt us.

Beth put her left arm around Remus' neck, and they both closed their eyes. They moved in closer to meet in the middle. Remus could smell that wonderful perfume on Beth's neck. He breathed it in and exhaled softly. Beth enjoyed the fresh soap scent that she smelled on Remus every time she was close to him. Their lips brushed softly against one another. They parted lips to partake in their first real kiss when the door to the Room of Requirement burst open.

"Moony, you've got to come with us. We're just about to…" Sirius looked up to see them about 10 feet in the air. Beth had temporarily lost control of the spell and they dropped a few feet before she could allow them to float the rest of the way to the floor. "Oh sorry about that, mate."

Remus just gave him a very long glare. Beth's eyebrows were furrowed in a very annoyed manner. "What's going on, Padfoot? Is Moony here?" James entered the room. Remus still had his arms around Beth. "Oh, oops."

"You guys have the most bloody perfect timing," growled Remus.

"What's going on, Prongs, Padfoot?" Peter was out of breath trying to catch up with them. "Oh Moony you're here. That's good. What's wrong with Beth? Is she okay?" He was just a little on the slow side sometimes.

"I am fine, Peter. Just feeling a little sick after dropping five feet in the air, Sirius Black. Don't forget that I know almost as much as you do when it comes to magic." She threatened him with her wand.

"Huh?" asked a confused Peter.

"I said I was sorry, Beth. We'll leave. Come on, Wormtail, Prongs."

"No, we'll all leave. I'm tired after that spell." She put on her robes and grabbed her bag. "What is with those nicknames by the way? I've never heard you call yourselves them before."

"Oh, it's just something we have between ourselves. We thought people would ask too many questions if we did it in front of everyone," explained Remus.

"Well I suppose I should feel honored then. Will you tell me what they mean?"

James, Sirius, and Peter all gave Remus a look. "Maybe someday," he replied.

**
When they returned to the Gryffindor common room, Beth insisted that she needed to retire and didn't give the boys another glance.

"Alright, what happened? Why are all four of you with her?" inquired Lily.

"Well we sort of accidentally interrupted them during lessons," Sirius began.

"I still don't see what the big deal was," stated Peter.

James whapped him over the head. "You are so thick sometimes. They were kissing, Peter."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Alice giggled.

"You mean we were going to," corrected Remus.

"Good job interrupting them, you stupid gits," Dorcas scolded.

The three boys looked remorseful. "We are really sorry, mate. We thought you would have kissed her way before then." Sirius shrugged his shoulders.

"Bloody Peeves."

"Ah." They all said in understanding.

"Well, we were just discussing the hostage situation. Do any of you have any theories?" asked Morwenna. The Marauders sat down with the girls.

Everyone had their theories, but the most prominent one was that Voldemort wanted to exchange the Care of Magical Creatures professor for Beth. During this conversation, Remus was rather quiet glancing over to the door of the girls' dormitories. We were so close to kissing. Everything was so right, so perfect. And then it all went to rubbish. Damn James, Sirius, and Peter. Will I ever get to kiss her now? He sighed. Well at least we know we like each other.

**
Now that Beth knew that Remus liked her, he figured he should set about to the task of trying to tell her the truth about his condition. Unfortunately, there never seemed to be the right time. She was always with the girls or with all of them. The only time she was alone with him was during Defense lessons. He had even tried to teach her about dark creatures including werewolves, but he figured she must be turning a blind eye where he was concerned if she didn't realize the werewolf signs were the same as his.

A cold February had given way to a rainy March, and Remus decided that he just needed to come out with the truth during the next lessons with Beth. Unfortunately the approach of the full moon came faster than he realized, and he would miss his time with her. And so it was Wednesday when he went to see Madame Pomfrey in the infirmary so that he could be taken out to the Whomping Willow to undergo his transformation later in the Shrieking Shack.

Beth herself was having Potions lessons in the dungeons classroom with Severus. "This is really difficult to make, Severus. How do you make it seem so easy?"

"Well to me it is easy, Elizabeth. I have a natural ability for Potions."

"Must be nice, I wish I felt like I had a natural ability in something."

"In some cases these things take time. In only 6 months, you have had to learn so much magic that you probably haven't even thought about what your natural abilities are." He helped her put the eye of knute into the simmering cauldron.

"The only thing I can think of is that I seem to be able to understand people's emotions and a little bit of what they are thinking. I suppose that helps when discerning whether or not I am able to trust others. Everyone's always telling me that's a fault of mine."

"Indeed, and it is a terrible fault to have, especially in a world like today."

Beth thought about what Remus had said when she had asked him about trust. No, you can trust me. Can I trust you? "Severus, I trust Remus and all my other friends. Can I trust you as well?"

She watched him for a while before he answered. "You can always trust me, Elizabeth. But are you sure you can trust Lupin? Haven't you noticed something odd about him? The way that he always claims he's sick."

Beth could feel her temper arising for the first time around Severus. "But he is sick a lot. I've seen him and how deathly pale he looks."

"Yes, of course he does look sick sometimes. There was a few times when he was supposed to be sick, but when I had to run errands for the Potions professor which involved going to the infirmary, he was never there. And I've noticed that his friends are always covering for him. It seems like they have something going on between them that they're keeping from everyone. I'm just wondering what it is."

"What are you trying to say Severus?" Beth was a bit confused having never really noticed anything the Slytherin was referring to except for Remus' illness.

"I am attempting to inform you of the possibility that Lupin might not be as trustworthy as you think he is." He leaned in toward her to emphasize his statement.

"But Severus," she leaned backward, "Remus has always been truthful with me even with his condition although I'm sure it has been hard. I wouldn't want everyone to know that I was sick all the time."

"I just want to you entertain the possibility, Elizabeth. I wouldn't want you to get hurt by someone like him."

"I know him well enough to know that he wouldn't hurt me," she replied indignantly.

"Yes, well this potion must sit for a few days, so we might as well pack up for the night. They put away all the ingredients and borrowed equipment. "I'm sure you're all right to finish the cleaning. I must be going. Prefect duties start very soon."

She nodded her head in understanding and watched him leave the classroom. Beth had begun to gather her own things when she heard voices arguing out in the corridor. She made her way to the door to see what was happening.

"I know you, Snivellus. Always sniveling about, sticking your greasy nose where it doesn't belong. I know you're up to something. You reek of suspicion and foulness."

"At least I don't so miserably attempt to maintain innocence while conducting any nightly activities. I've seen your friend on the grounds when he's supposed to be sick or visiting his mother."

Beth peered out of the dungeons classroom. She could see Sirius stiffen in the pale light of the full moon. Snape continued.

"So arrogant as to believe that people have not noticed you and your friends' traipsing around the Hogwarts grounds when you should be in the castle. Lupin doesn't really go to visit his "sick mother", does he?"

Beth's ears prickled at the sound of Remus' name. She could see Sirius shaking with anger.

"He's breaking rules too, I bet. He is utterly disgraceful as a prefect. I don't know why Dumbledore would want someone so incompetent and cowardly in so important of a position, doesn't even have enough courage and authority to keep you and Potter in check."

Sirius pulled out his wand. "Watch it, Snape. If you're not careful, you'll wind up in more trouble than you bargained for. Remus does go somewhere; he'll be there tonight in fact. If you really want to find out where by all means go to the Whomping Willow. If you push a knot in the tree with a stick, it freezes and there's a secret passageway. I dare you to go. Find out what illegal activities we've been up to. It's dangerous though, Snivellus. It might be too much for you, too much for you and your cauldron-filled knickers!" He jeered, taunting him to go. Snape didn't say anything in reply.

"No response for that, eh? Well I'm going to see if Beth is alright, make sure you haven't hexed her or put her under the Imperius curse." Sirius brushed past Snape, and Beth hurriedly went back to putting her things away. She was just putting her book in her bag when Sirius popped his face in the doorway.

"Hey Beth, finished up here? I came to make sure you…What's wrong?"

Beth looked a little green. Sirius just dared Severus to go to the Whomping Willow. I've seen that tree in action. He could really hurt himself. I should say something, but I don't want Sirius to know I was just listening in on their conversation. "I'm fine Sirius. That potion we made today certainly didn't smell like roses. So are we going to the Room of Requirement for my Transfiguration lessons with James?" They began walking toward the Gryffindor Tower.

Sirius seemed a bit nervous. "Well, no actually, not tonight. James, Peter, and I have some business to attend to. I'm sure he can catch up with you tomorrow evening since Remus is sick."

Something odd is going on. Why haven't I noticed before? I think I really should tell someone about Sirius and Severus' conversation, but who? "Sirius, Remus isn't really in the hospital wing, is he?"

"What makes you think he wouldn't be there?" Sirius clearly was sweating now.

"Because he hasn't been there in the past when I've gone to see him at night."

"Well you must have just missed him. He was probably in the bathroom."

"Hmm, is it a coincidence that he said the same thing?"

"Well you know guys, they usually think along the same wavelength."

Beth considered him as they neared the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Sirius, please tell me what's going on? Remus has been keeping something from me, hasn't he?"

"Oh look there's James and Peter at the entrance to the common room."

Beth turned to see them standing there waving. "You're not going to get out of things that easy, Sirius Black!" Her anger rose even further than when she was talking with Severus. "Tell me right now! What has Remus Lupin been keeping from me? Is he so sick that he's dying? Is that what he hasn't wanted to tell me? Where is he? I'm going to talk with him right now." She went to go toward the direction of the infirmary.

James held her back by the shoulders. "You're not going anywhere yet, Beth. What's going on? What's got you so upset?"

"He's sick, and he's dying isn't he, James? That's what he can't bear to tell me. He knows that I've lost so much already, and I…" Why am I worrying about this right now? Severus is in trouble with the Whomping Willow!

"And you what, Beth?" James had brought her away from the entrance to a nearby door in the corridor.

Beth checked to make sure no one else was listening. "Oh James, you have to stop him! He's going to get hurt if he goes near the tree!"

James was confused by her sudden switch in topics. "What tree?"

"The Whomping Willow, of course!" Shivers traveled down James' spine.

"What? I don't understand. What's going on? Who's going near the tree? Tell me everything."

"I overheard Sirius arguing with Severus in the dungeon corridor. Sirius dared him to go to the Whomping Willow where there was a secret passageway. And there he would find what you all were up to. He said he would find…James, are you listening?"

Oh great Godric, Sirius just sent Snape to discover Remus' secret! James looked at his watch and then at the window where the full moon shone in. Oh shit, he's not going to meet Remus but Moony, a fully-grown werewolf! Huh, well that would serve Snape right. But wait he could die or worse get bitten! Remus would feel so guilty. And we don't need another werewolf running around Hogwarts! What to do, what to do. I've got to think quickly.

"Beth, I need you to do something really important for me. Go find Professor Dumbledore somehow and bring him to the entrance hall. I'll be there as soon as I can, and don't follow me."

"But James, where are you going?"

"Don't worry, just do what I said." He took off down the corridor and the stairs.

Sirius joined Beth when he saw James bolt down the hallway. "Where is James going, Beth?"

"I don't know, but I hope he's going to save Severus. He could get hurt by the Whomping Willow."

Sirius shouted a bunch of profanities that made Beth wince. "Come on Peter, we need to go help James. Beth, get back into the common room and wait for our return."

Beth was about to listen to him when she remembered that James had wanted her to find Professor Dumbledore. She stood there for a moment trying to remember where exactly the headmaster's office was. Of all the times that I'm drawing a blank, it has to be when it's most important to find him!

The 6th year Gryffindor descended to thankfully the correct floor and was about to make her way down the corridor to his office when she heard someone coming around the corner. She made herself as scarce as possible behind a statue until the unknown person passed, so that she could continue on.

"Where is that Severus Snape? He is supposed to be helping me with prefect duties tonight."

Beth could tell once the person was in the light that it was the Slytherin Marcia Griggs. She held her breath waiting for her to pass which seemed to take forever. As soon as the coast was clear she darted out and ran to the statues in front of the office. "Oh, I don't know the password. Please let me in," she whispered, "someone is in trouble, and I really need to find Professor Dumbledore." The statues remained still.

Beth sat down on the floor next to the statues. Oh what am I going to do now? Maybe he'll come down soon. I hope the boys are all right, and James saved Severus from the Willow.

"Miss Spenser, are you looking for me?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

Beth jumped up. "Yes professor, I am actually. James asked me to find you and bring you to the entrance hall. I think Severus is in trouble, sir. Sirius told him to go to the Whomping Willow, and I know that it isn't a very nice tree. Do you think they…?"

The headmaster briefly looked alarmed and held up his hand to quiet her. "Miss Spenser, we can talk later. Right now we must go immediately."

The headmaster and Beth had just made it to the Grand Staircase when they heard heavy footsteps behind them. They turned to find Sirius and Peter coming toward them.

"Sirius, Peter, I thought you were going to follow James!" cried Beth.

"We were," replied Sirius, "but Peeves held us up on the fourth floor."

"Yeah, and we couldn't get away until the Bloody Baron came along," Peter added.

"Let's not delay any longer," Professor Dumbledore interrupted, "Since you are all here, follow me. We need to get out onto the grounds."

"Professor Dumbledore, do you know what's going on?" inquired Beth, but he didn't answer and began his descent. She, Sirius, and Peter followed him down the stairs to the entrance hall. They were making there way across the hall when the oak front doors opened, and James came in supporting Snape so that he could walk.

"Severus! You're hurt!" Beth ran to help but stopped when he started cursing.

"Bloody werewolf almost killed me!"

The expletive hit Beth like a tons of bricks falling on top of her. Werewolf…

Well I sort of have this condition that comes and goes about once a month…The werewolf is human for 29 or 30 days out of the month, and only transforms when there is a full moon…Only if I happen to bite you…The werewolf's bite is deadly and any who survive will become one as well…Well when will you be sick next?...Signs that a werewolf is among you include sickness right before and after the full moon…Can I come visit you in the hospital wing when you're sick then?...Maybe, only if you come during the day…I need my rest at night…rest…at night…night…

The full moon shone in one of the windows in the entrance hall attracting her attention. Beth inhaled a huge breath of air. With wide eyes she looked from James to Sirius to Peter to Severus and back to James for some sort of confirmation. James had been watching since he heard her gasp. He blinked his eyes and gave a short nod.

"Professor Dumbledore, if you don't need me I think I'm going to go see Madame Pomfrey."

The headmaster looked over at Beth concerned by her change in demeanor. "Go ahead, Miss Spenser. If I need you, I'll come find you later." As soon as he gave his permission she took off up the stairs.

Sirius watched her go. "Professor, could I make sure Beth is all right? She looks like she could faint at any moment."

The headmaster stared at him for a few moments, considering him. "You may follow and make sure she arrives at the hospital wing. Then, Mr. Black, you are to come directly to my office afterward." He gave him a stern look. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape, and Mr. Pettigrew come along with me."

Sirius caught up with Beth rather quickly because his strides were bigger than hers. Plus it helped that she had slowed down after she was out of sight. When he found her, she was holding her head and coughing as if she was going to be sick. She stopped briefly when she saw him. "Sirius, Remus is a werewolf isn't he? You can't lie to me any longer. I know the truth now." Beth continued up the stairs from the ground floor to the first floor where the hospital wing was located.

"I wasn't trying to lie to you Beth. It's just that it's Remus' secret to tell. We tried to convince him several times that he needed to tell you." He paused but hurried on with the next statement. "And I'm sure he's tried to tell you before but the timing wasn't right. No one in the school knows, you know except James, Peter, Professor Dumbledore, the teachers, Madame Pomfrey, and now Snape. Just bloody great, he'll probably tell everyone. I wish I hadn't told him."

"You are so stupid, you know that Sirius Black. Severus could have been killed because of your idiocy and prejudice…" She began another coughing fit. "You're worrying about keeping Remus' stupid secret when a man's life was at stake!

"Whoa hold on," He put his arm around her, "it's not just a stupid secret. I admit I was wrong and irresponsible, but Remus' life is at stake now if Snape tells."

Beth pushed Sirius off of her. "Well maybe you should have thought about that when you told Severus to go to the Whomping Willow." She gave him an angry glare and entered the hospital wing alone.

**
Remus awoke the next morning feeling very sore. He hadn't remembered much about the previous night, just that things were different. He had smelled a lot of human blood as a werewolf. There was also a lot of shouting, and he could have sworn that James and possibly the other Marauders were at the Shrieking Shack, but he didn't know. Remus looked around for Madame Pomfrey but instead found Beth sleeping on a hospital bed. Oh Merlin, what is she doing here? I don't remember what happened last night. I hope she wasn't involved. There appeared to be no scratches on her body. I have a bad feeling about this. I hope she didn't find out before I had the chance to tell her. What am I talking about? I have had plenty of chances to tell her and still I didn't! Why am I such a coward?

Beth roused in her bed, and her eyes opened. She turned her head to look around the room. She jumped when she noticed Remus sitting on the bed next to her but didn't say anything at first. She laid her head on her pillow and pretended to go back to sleep.

Oh boy, I'm pretty sure she knows. Ergh, I could curse myself for not telling her. That night when we told each other about our feelings, I could have told her then. WHY DIDN'T I THEN? "Beth, are you awake?"

She sighed. Oh, what in the world am I going to say to him? How could he not tell me after all that we've been through?

"Yes, Remus." She sat up rather wearily and propped herself against her pillow, trying to keep the hurt from her voice. She looked over at him straight into his sad and worried eyes. Oh how can I be angry with him when he's looking at me like that? It's impossible to be upset with the person that you're in love with. I don't understand why he never told me. "Remus, it…it doesn't bother me that you're a werewolf."

She heard him exhale a sigh of relief. "But, why didn't you tell me? I wish you would have told me. I still care about you. It's just that I'm feeling…hurt. I think I need some time to myself. I hope you understand." Beth looked into his eyes, which held sorrow and regret in them. She couldn't help but turn away.

Oh, how I wish I could tell her that I love her right now. But I'm sure that would only make things worse. I'd give anything right now to go back and fix my mistake. "I promise I really wanted to tell you. I was just scared of your…rejection." His voice wavered as he held back the tear he could feel in his eye. "I understand if you need some time alone. I hope you'll understand and won't stay…hurt."

She nodded. "I think I'll go back to Gryffindor Tower after Madame Pomfrey comes to check on me," she announced.

Her statement reminded Remus of the previous night. "Beth, do you have any idea what happened last night? Were you…involved at all?"

Beth stiffened and her face changed to a rather unpleasant expression. Before she could answer, Madame Pomfrey bustled in to check on her. "You're free to go, Miss Spenser. I must warn you that you really need to take care of yourself. It isn't healthy to be checking yourself into the infirmary so often." She swept out of the room as quickly as she had come.

Beth turned her head toward Remus and looked him in the eyes. "Sirius can tell you what happened last night," she said rather nastily. She departed from the hospital wing, leaving Remus alone once again.

Sirius? Now I'm really curious as to what happened. It sounds like his fault. Remus sighed. I sincerely hope that Beth will understand why I was so afraid to tell her. I hope she knows that I really wanted to tell her. I hope this doesn't ruin things for us. I don't know what I'd do without her.

Later that day the other three Marauders came in to visit the werewolf. They all sat around his bed silently. Remus waited to see if they would say anything. He finally became impatient and decided to start. "Alright, I know something's going on. Beth was in here this morning but she didn't say very much. How does she know about my secret?"

"Why don't you tell him, Black? Tell him why it's your fault that Beth knows about his condition and that she's not the only one who knows now." James retorted and shot a nasty glare at Sirius.

Remus' face fell. His friends weren't being very friendly with one another, and Sirius wasn't even looking at him. I wonder what James means by that. Oh Merlin, it's worse than I thought. "What happened? Tell me now."

Sirius answered but didn't look up at him. "Snivellus and I were arguing in the corridor. He was insulting you, all of us. I was angry, so I told him where he could go." Remus could feel the dread in him rising. "I told him how to get into the Willow and the Shrieking Shack."

"YOU WHAT?" Remus bellowed. "ARE YOU BLOODY INSANE? I COULD HAVE KILLED HIM OR WORSE BITTEN HIM!" He settled back on his pillows. I can't believe this. Sirius almost allowed me to kill someone. That must be why Beth was so angry when I asked what happened.

"Neither happened, you just scratched him up a bit, and…"

"Yeah because I went and saved Snape's arse from him! And now we're all in trouble because of you! And worst of all Snape knows Remus' secret!"

"I KNOW, JAMES, I KNOW. YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME ANYMORE. I KNOW WHAT I DID WAS WRONG!"

"What is going on here?" Madame Pomfrey came in from her office. "I'll not have you badgering my patient when he's trying to get better. Get out now!"

Sirius looked over at his friend on the hospital bed. "Remus…"

"I don't want to talk to you," he gritted through his teeth, "Get out." Remus turned his body away from them. Sirius hung his head in shame and left the infirmary.

"Hey Remus, I'll talk to Beth for you. She'll come around."

"Thanks James, but I think she just needs some time alone. I hope she'll be able to sort through her feelings, and we can talk soon."

"Do you think you'll be able to forgive Sirius?" asked Peter.

"I don't know, Pete. I'm not sure it will be any time soon."

**
Over the next few days, everyone in the school was up in arms about what happened that night. They noticed that the famous Marauders weren't talking to one another. No pranks were pulled over the next week, and many people were beginning to worry that whatever had happened was the end of the Marauders.

On Saturday morning in their dormitory, the girls tried to get Beth to talk about what occurred since they surmised that she must have been involved somehow because she wasn't talking to either Remus or Sirius.

"Beth did something happen with Dia at some point this week?" Morwenna asked, trying to get anything out of her that they could.

"No, everything's fine with Dia." She sat on her bed with her knees to her chest.

It's lunch time girls, and I'm hungry," Alice complained.

"Alright, we'll go to lunch then. Beth, you joining us?" She shook her head. Dorcas turned toward where Lily was sitting on her bed. "Lily, you coming?"

"Uh, yeah in just a few minutes. I just need to finish my Charms essay." The other 3 left the room to go down to the Great Hall. As soon as they had closed the door, Lily shut her book and put it aside. "This is about Remus, isn't it?

Beth lifted her head in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

Lily looked into her friend's eyes. They were a bit darker than her normal light hazel color. She supposed that they changed with her mood just like everyone's did. Lily knew that her own green eyes became rather dark whenever she was sad or angry. "I know what he is. I figured it out in my first year, but I haven't said anything to him. I've treated him just the same as I always have."

"Oh, well it's not that I care that he's a werewolf or anything, Lily. Knowing doesn't make me scared of him. It's the fact that he didn't tell me."

Lily sat on the edge of Beth's bed. "Listen, you're got to understand something about people who are werewolves. After I found out, I did all the research I could on them. They're outcasts in society. I'm willing to bet that James, Sirius, and Peter are the first real friends that Remus has ever had. He can't just go anywhere whenever he feels like it because he has to take into consideration when he's going to fall ill and make sure he has a safe place to transform away from humans. I'm sure all the teachers have taken great care in making sure that no one finds out what Remus is because he'd probably be forced to leave the school."

Beth looked up at Lily. "Do you really think so? Things are that bad if you're a werewolf? Wouldn't Dumbledore make sure that he could stay?"

"I don't know. I'm sure he'd try, but once the angry letters from parents came in, he'd probably be forced to expel Remus. And that's not all either. I've read about Ministry legislation as well. The laws make it nearly impossible to find a job if you're a werewolf. You have to have identification papers and all that. Dumbledore I'm sure was kind enough to allow Remus the opportunity to be educated here at Hogwarts, but once he leaves there's no telling how hard he will have it."

"I didn't know that. Poor Remus."

"Indeed, so don't be too hard on him. He probably wanted to tell you the truth but was too afraid of your reaction. I'm sure he at least attempted to enlighten you."

Beth thought about what Lily had just said. "You're probably right. There was loads of time when I'm sure he wanted to tell me, but it just didn't work out. And he has been trying to teach me about werewolves in the past couple weeks. I just didn't see it until the other night."

"The other night? What happened then?

"Oh, I don't think I'm supposed to say."

"You can trust me, Beth. I won't tell anyone else. I understand how important it is to keep Remus' secret."

Beth looked around the room and began whispering what little she knew of the tale. "Well Sirius and Severus were arguing after my Potions lessons on Wednesday. Sirius dared him to go to the Whomping Willow."

"Whomping Willow?" asked Lily confused about where this was going.

"You see there's a secret passageway under the Willow I think, and it must lead to where Remus transforms I suppose." And Beth launched into the rest of the story. "We were just crossing the entrance hall when James came in with Severus. I think James saved Severus' life."

"James saved Severus' life?" echoed Lily. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know. I suppose he would do that for anyone, right?"

"Perhaps." This new-found information gave Lily a lot to think about. Maybe James Potter isn't so bad after all. "So what about you and Remus?"

"I don't know; I'm still feeling a bit hurt. You'd think he might want to mention the fact that he's a werewolf before telling me he has feelings for me."

"Well, like I said before, Beth, werewolves are feared creatures. People don't generally like to associate themselves with werewolves even if they are as nice as Remus. He probably has a hard time with talking about his feelings, always afraid of rejection, which I would assume is common with people who are werewolves."

"You know, you're right, Lily. I'll talk to him during our next lesson."

**
Beth packed up all her books that she would need for her Defense lessons and went down to the common room to find Remus. He was sitting in one of the chairs closer to the fireplace, reading a school book. "Remus, are you ready for lessons?" she asked a bit nervous about what would happen once they were alone.

Remus' book slipped out of his hands. "Beth? Yes of course!" He appeared to be bit flustered and taken aback by her sudden willingness to talk to him. He gathered his things, and they made their way to the Room of Requirement. They dropped their bags on the floor, and Beth sat on the floor hoping Remus would follow suit. He remained standing unsure of what to do.

"So I've been doing a lot of reading and talking." Lily had given her permission to tell Remus that she knew about his condition.

"Talking? To who? James?" Remus asked nervously as he sat on the floor next to her.

"No, Lily, she knows about, well you know." Beth saw the look on his face and had to reassure him. "She's the one who mentioned it first. I didn't tell her if that's what you're thinking. She's known since first year but has never said anything."

Remus appeared to relax. "So you've been researching, you say?"

"Yes, I never realized how hard of a life werewo—you have. If you had told me I would have understood, Remus. Remember the nightmare I told you about with the werewolf? I wasn't upset because I was scared of the creature. I was upset because I didn't want to see you get hurt." She watched him with a tear rolling down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Beth, I wanted to tell you. I figured you had a right to know as much as you had a right to know that I…have feelings for you. I promise I did try to tell you, but I guess it just wasn't enough. I'm sorry you had to find out like you did." Tears filled up in his own eyes.

Beth moved closer to him. "Don't worry, Remus, I still care for you. Just no more secrets between us, okay?" She wiped away his tears with her thumb.

"No, I promise, no more secrets." He sighed with relief. Now that things were patched up between him and Beth, he thought about Sirius. How could he stay angry with the few friends he had? "Now I have to worry about trying to forgive Sirius for being such an imbecile."

"What happened after I left them? Did they have to go to Dumbledore's office?"

Remus nodded his head. "James told me they all received detentions, Sirius for the rest of the school year. He had to write a letter of apology to Snape, I think. And Dumbledore forbade Snape to tell anyone about me."

"Well that's good, Severus will keep his word."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, he's my friend, and I trust him."

Remus looked at her skeptically. She may trust him, but I still think he's a sniveling git. "So do you think I should forgive Sirius?" He wrapped his arms around her, and she settled her head on his chest.

"I think you should prank him," she smirked.

"What? Did I just hear Miss Spenser give me permission to prank someone?" Remus grinned as well.

"Well he deserves it don't you think, Mr. Lupin?"

"I certainly do. Any ideas?"

"As a matter of fact I do have some up my sleeve." She began whispering in his ear. "First, we'll…"