Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Hogwarts and some of the characters, but if she (or anyone else) tries to nab my characters she'll be as futile as the seagulls from Finding Nemo shouting, "Moine! Moine!" (smiles)

Reviewers: (thanks, this will be quick since I'm going on vacation shortly).
IamSiriusgrl: Yes, most Slytherins in the books do, and those certainly do.

Pandas rule the world: Yep, they certainly did:-)

ZIPPIYGIRL: Japan? How exotic:-) I've never been there. I'm glad you got your update right beforehand.

Lady Shadowsinger: First of all, I like your screen name. A) it's alliterative and B) well, the idea of singing in the shadows is cool. OK, enough of that. I'm glad you enjoy the story and that my O.C.'s aren't flat; it would be like having half of a character existence.
Dumbledore finds a way for almost everything and so will I; Harry withdrew a bunch of money at the beginning of the year for Hogsmeade, as did the rest. He and Ron, however, can be very oblivious. Ginny took his money because a) he was closer and b) they're friends; he owed her anyway. She figures she'll repay him later. (note: yes, I'm making this up on the fly before 6 A.M. but I thought about it when I first received this. )
iccy: thanks! Glad you like it. :-)

Maia Tamashii: I'm glad you like it, and you're right that the end of Half Blood Prince was utterly depressing. I still enjoyed the book, though, and I turn to fan fiction and other books for some cheering charms. :-)

Ash: Glad you liked it. This is sooner:-) Well, a little bit…. It's also very long.

Jessesgirl11: Very glad you enjoyed it. He had better order it! By the way, I e-mailed you with how to reach me on vacation; see ya sometime Friday!

Chapter 26
Under the Half Moon

Remus paced back and forth across the floor in his room. In an hour, he was taking Brenna out for their first date, and he wanted it to be special. Actually, he just wanted her to, well, not be disappointed in him.

"Moony, you're wearing down the carpet," James commented, interrupting Remus's frantic pacing. "Things will go fine, and she won't care if they don't." Remus stared at him blankly.

"Huh?" he asked. "What did you say?"

"Stop pacing. It'll be fine," Sirius summarized. "Come on, mate. Let's get ze great Moony ready for his date."

"Do you think she'll wear silver jewelry?" he worried. "Will she like the-"

"Moony, do you plan to wear what you were wearing in Hogsmeade today? Your clothes got messy from the fight earlier," James reminded him.

"Er, what? Oh," he grumbled, rushing to his trunk and throwing clothes this way and that. "What do I wear! Padfoot, Prongs, help me. Please?"

"Haven't you been on dates before?" Sirius asked. "Yeesh. All this trouble over a girl."

"You'd do the same if you were dating Runa," Remus reminded him. "Now, what should I wear?"
"These," Sirius told him, picking up a random shirt and a pair of Muggle jeans.

"Okay, thanks," Remus replied blankly. He quickly changed, accidentally wearing his shirt inside-out. "Oh no!" he groaned. "I forgot to buy the flowers! I've got to go!" he added before racing out of the dorm room.

"Moony," James called, about to tell him about his shirt. "Oh, never mind," he grumbled when Remus did not respond and zoomed out of sight.

Despite his frantic state of mind, Remus still managed to check for people around him before using the shortcut into Hogsmeade via Honeydukes. From there, he raced down the street to the flower shop, only to find it was closed.

"Oh, no," he grumbled. Although he saw the closed sign, he decided to knock anyway. After fifteen impatient raps, the florist finally answered the door.

"What?" she demanded. "Can't you read?"

"Yes, but it's an-"

"It's never an emergency if you're paying less than fifty galleons," she replied. "Yeesh. Transfigure some flowers!" she snapped before slamming the door.

"I don't see how she gets business," Remus grumbled to himself before hurrying back to Hogwarts. "At least she had a good suggestion."
By the time he reached the library at Hogwarts, he only had thirty minutes left. Thankfully, Madame Pince was there to apprehend him about his noisy entrance.

"This is a library, Remus Lupin. I'm surprised at you for-"

"Sorry, Madame Pince. I'm just in a hurry," he interrupted her quietly. "I have a date in thirty minutes and the florist is closed at Hogsmeade, so I neeed to figure out how to-"

"Transfigure flowers," Madame Pince finished for him. "Oh, how sweet!" she added, delighted. "I know just where to find a book. Accio Intro to Transfiguring Plants!" Immediately the book flew into her hand, and she started flipping though. "Yes, this is the book I wanted. Here you go!" She thrust it into his hand and led him to a table.

"Now, PRACTICE," she ordered him, "And you'd better get it right. You aren't dating my aide, Brenna, are you?" she inquired.

"Er- yes," he admitted.

"Good. Now start reading," she commanded. "By the way, your shirt is inside out," she added before moving on to another table, leaving behind a red-faced Remus hiding behind a book.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Brenna, what are you wearing tonight?" Runa asked. "You have a date in two hours."

"I know that," Brenna snapped.

"Well, why aren't you getting ready?"

"I would if you'd stop bothering me," she grumbled.

"Well, stop wearing a hole in the carpet. Want me to help you pick an outfit, do your makeup-"

"And torture me? No thanks," Brenna replied teasingly.

"Hey!" Runa protested.

"'Hey,' what?" Ginny asked, having just entered from the portal connecting their rooms.

"I just asked Brens over here if she wanted help getting ready for her big date, and she called it torture," Runa complained. "Hmph; the thanks I get for offering my expertise."

"So, Bren, why are you so nervous?" Ginny asked. Brenna gave her a look that clearly asked, "Are you an imbecile?"

"First date. Remus. Remus." She muttered, already pacing again.

"Oh, bugger," Ginny grumbled. "I'll get Lily and Hermione. Then again, Hermione's oblivious enough-"

"Hey," Hermione snapped, having entered through the portal just in time to hear Ginny's last comment.

"I just meant- anyway, Windchaser is fretting about her big date tonight, Runa wants to help her get ready, and I was hoping you could get her to realize everything is fine."

"All right," Hermione sighed. "Brenna, first of all, this is Remus. You know him. Secondly, you need to get ready and calm yourself down because otherwise you won't enjoy yourself as much. Thirdly-"

"Whatever," Brenna grumbled. "Anyway, thanks for the help, Runes. It's casual, by the way."

"Is it casual, casual or semi-dressy casual?" Runa asked.

"It's casual. I'm wearing slacks and hiking boots," Brenna replied.

"HIKING BOOTS!" Runa protested. "Honestly. You'd think he was taking you through the forbidden forest!"

"No, we are not," Brenna snapped. "Perhaps we would if he were an animagus. I just like to be prepared, and I like my hiking boots."

"At least wear a nice shirt," Runa pleaded.

"Tell you what, Runes. You can do my makeup if you don't cake my face with the infernal stuff, and help me choose jewelry. I'll choose my shirt, but I will consider my friends' input."

"Deal," Runa sighed. "Anyway, you should at least wear black pants- jeans, perhaps, since they're sturdy. Your eyes are hazel, so you should wear- ooh, why don't you wear the 'Do You Know the Muffin Man?' shirt? I like it."

"Fine," Brenna agreed. She changed quickly. "All right, you can torture me now."

"Goody!" Runa squealed, quickly gathering up her makeup. "By the way, I'm thinking about dying my hair black again."

"Good. You're not a blonde, Runes, although you look fine both ways," Brenna told her. "You're just… well, black hair suits your personality."
"So you're a recovering brunette?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Hey, just because I didn't dye my hair platinum blonde doesn't mean it was natural," Runa responded. She searched through her supplies for eyeshadow, mascara, and strawberry flavored lip gloss.

"Why didn't you buy dye in Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked before slapping herself in the forehead. "Oh, it's a Muggle thing."

"Dye?" Ginny asked. "What's that?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's stuff Muggles use to change colors of things. There are different types, and unfortunately the type of hairdye that Runa used must have bleached her hair for it to go from black to blonde."

"Oh," Ginny replied. "I remember now. So what do we do about that?" she asked Runa, who was applying light pink eyeshadow to Brenna's face.

"Order a box, I guess," she replied absently. "I don't see how else-"

"Well, we could get some when we go to Spain- if Nela can take us," Hermione suggested.

"I'd ask her, but she's asleep," said Ginny.

"Mhmm. Brens, relax, I'm just putting mascara on you," Runa murmured. "Thanks, Brens. Now for the lip gloss. Don't worry, it's flavored. It tastes like strawberries," she added.

"Are you wearing jewelry?" Ginny asked.

"Why don't you wear that silver necklace?" Runa suggested.

"NO!" Brenna, Hermione, and Ginny snapped simultaneously.

"What did I say?" she asked.
"No silver," Brenna said firmly. "I feel like throwing away every piece of silver jewelry I own."

"Why?" Runa demanded.

"Because," Ginny replied firmly.

"That makes no sense," Runa grumbled. "Just because your boyfriend doesn't like silver shouldn't make you throw away something you like."

"This is different," Brenna replied absently. "Oh, here's something gold. That will be all right- WAIT!"

"Huh?" Hermione, Ginny, and Runa asked. Brenna was not acting like her normal self, and Runa was confused by the werewolf issue.

"My mom wore silver jewelry, even after—she DID wear silver jewelry."

"What does that have to do with anything," Hermione demanded. "Is he a-"

"Werewolf? Yes, I think my father is a werewolf. When I had that dream last night-"

"Did he transform?"

"No, not in the dream," she admitted. "There's a spell that turns you into a werewolf, and someone used that on him."

"Oh," Hermione replied. "Are you sure your mother's jewelry wasn't nickel or something like that?"

"Positive. There was a tag on her favorite necklace that said 'sterling silver.'"

"Interesting," Hermione murmured. "Perhaps werewolves' allergy to silver is mythical."

"I still don't see what this has to do with Remus," Runa reiterated.

"Don't worry," Brenna replied. "I'm owling my father." Immediately she got up from her bed, where Runa had done her makeup, and walked over to the desk to grab a piece of paper, a quill, and ink. She quickly scribbled a note to her father.

Dad:
I now know what happened that night when I was little. If you can't remember what I am talking about, I'm sure you'll figure out by the end of my letter.

I know Mom wore silver jewelry after that. I know she did, so don't deny it. Don't deny the other thing, too. How did you stand that? You should be allergic to silver. How do you resist that?
Well, Runes is starting to peek over my shoulder, as are Ginny and Hermione (no, you haven't met them and probably won't. They're sort of exchange students). Runa is a bit dense at times (stop poking me, Runes!) but she's very intelligent and I don't want her to figure out why I need this information. I'd tell you but I don't want you to make preemptive judgments.

Things are fine here. I just had a Hogsmeade day, and my friends and I did a lot of shopping. Don't worry, I didn't spend too much money and we had a blast.
Runa has a dog now. His name is Murzim and he's a cutie, albeit a smart one. He bit Malfoy for us!
I am sending this with Lily's owl. She's chattery but good.

Please respond ASAP.

Love,
Brenna

"What's that supposed to mean?" Runa demanded. "Just because I dyed my hair blonde doesn't mean I'm dense."

"Sirius and James are dense," Brenna challenged her. "They aren't stupid either. Why do you think that I'm writing this anyway?"

"To find out how your dad is immune to silver."

"Duh- oh, never mind, Runes," Brenna sighed. Runa's expression suddenly brightened, as if a light bulb was appearing over her head. Immediately her expression changed to worry.

"You- you don't mean Remus is a werewolf," she worried. Brenna's face paled, and she muttered something under her breath that sounded vaguely like cursing.

"Watch your tongue," Hermione snapped. "Runa, please stop supposing things."

"You mean I was right?" she asked. "Brens, be careful!"

"I AM!" she replied passionately. "You know Remus. He's no different, and I don't really care. I'm an animagus, doofus, so I can transform into a horse on the full moons and his bites won't harm me."

"Don't tell anyone," Ginny warned Runa.

"Fine," Runa replied. "I solemnly swear upon all that is good that I will never tell a soul about Remus's condition.

"Good," Brenna said, relieved. "Does anyone want to come to the owlery with me to send the letter?"

"Sure, why not?" Hermione said. Let's ask Lily before we send it, though."

"All right," she agreed. "The heads' rooms are closer to the owlery anyway." They slipped through the portal, but Lily was nowhere to be found.
"Well, I don't think she'll mind," Brenna sighed after they checked every nook and cranny of the room. "Let's go."

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Lily walked out of Hogwarts nervously and looked for a place to hide and transform. She glanced over her shoulder and craned her neck to see if anyone was around; she heard nothing but the normal rustle of the trees. No one was in sight. Relieved, Lily darted to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and changed into her fairy form behind a tree.

"Lily," she heard a faintly accented voice calling her in silvanic. "Over here."

"Fainche?" she questioned. "Is that you?"

"Who else would I be?" she retorted. "Now, come on. You have a bit of training and minor duties tonight."

"So, my initiation isn't over?" Lily asked.

"No, of course not," Fainche replied. "Anyway, Riona wants more English lessons, but that will have to wait. Follow me," she ordered, zooming off deeper into the forest. Lily didn't respond but simply flew after her mentor for several minutes until they reached their destination.

"Now, Lily, what do you know of this place?" Fainche asked after they had landed.

"This particular spot or the entire Forbidden Forest?" Lily questioned.

"The 'Forbidden Forest,' as you call it," Fainche clarified. Lily dimly realized that she was getting better at Silvanic; the words felt and sounded so natural that she could hardly tell that they weren't speaking English.

"Well, all sort of dangerous and dark creatures lurk here, and there are also animals such as unicorns." Fainche raised her eyebrows.

"That isn't much," Fainche told her abruptly. "Perhaps I should let Riona explain; she should be here soon."

"What are we doing tonight?" Lily asked. Fainche sighed.

"You'll see, impatient one. Where is Riona?"

"Look who's impatient now," Lily teased, smiling. Then she straightened her face for fear of offending her mentor. She then saw that she had no need to be afraid; Fainche was smiling slightly.

"I'm here. Hi, Lili schwaer (sister)" Riona greeted her cheerfully. "Hello, Fainche."

"Fie, Riona. Late again, schwaer," she scolded.

"A stag was following me, and I wanted to lose its track," Riona replied. A stag? Lily wondered. Is it James? Honestly, whatever the fool boy thinks he's doing, tracking us like that!

"A stag!" Fainche laughed. "Riona, stags are good creatures, mostly, and it's ridiculous to-"

"This one seemed odd," she replied.

"Riona, you know we have a newling to train," Fainche groaned.

"Oh, right," Riona muttered. Neither of them noticed Lily's pensiveness on the mention of a stag.

"Now, we already have a few targets set up, and of course the best way of learning is experience. Riona, schwaer, I was just telling her about the 'Forbidden Forest,' as she calls our home."

"'Forbidden Forest?'" Riona asked with a laugh. "To humans, perhaps- I've never heard that one before."

"Anyway, what else am I supposed to call it, and why does it matter?" Lily interrupted.

"The Lost Woods; Morgan's Forest; you can call it any number of things," Riona replied. "It has had so many names that it's hard to remember."
"Morgan?" Lily questioned.

"Morgan. I thought you would have heard of her- supposedly humans have a legend about her and a king named Arter."

"King Arthur? Oh. I didn't know she was a fairy; we call her 'Morgan le Fay' the enchantress, and she's just a legend with us."

"Well, she was a fairy; she's gone now," Fainche replied shortly. "I'd rather not discuss legends right now. Riona, please train with her."

"All right," Riona agreed. "Come, Lily. This way," she directed before darting off deeper into the forest. Lily followed; she figured that it would be an interesting night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, where is Remus?" Runa asked; they had returned from the owlery and were now waiting in the head girl's room.

"I don't know," Brenna replied absently, glancing at her watch. He was now fifteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds late.

"I wonder if he's okay," Runa said for the tenth time. "I mean, I'm sure he'd be on time for something like this. Black, on the other hand-"

"Maybe he lost track of time," Brenna suggested impatiently. "What do you know about Black's promptness or lack of it?"

"Erm, never mind," Runa mumbled. "Still, this is Moony we're talking about."

"Really?" Brenna asked sarcastically. "You know, he could even be standing me up."

"Nuh-uh," Runa growled. "He's a Marauder, Brenna. He's friends with Mr. I-like-Lily-therefore-I-will-bug-her-and-never-give-up." Brenna smiled nervously in spite of herself.

"That's a long nickname," she commented. "Anyway, what makes you think that Remus is in trouble?" Despite her earlier skepticism, she was starting to believe her friend and wanted to hear a logical explanation."
"All right, you know about the Death Eaters," Runa said. Brenna nodded; who didn't know about the attacks across both the wizarding and muggle worlds. However, before she could comment, Runa had continued. "There's also the Slytherin-Gryffindor rivalry that has existed ever since Salazar Slytherin decided to be an arrogant, muggle-born hating berk."

"Again, what is your point?" Brenna asked impatiently.

"Snape hates all the Marauders. So does Malfoy, and so do a ton of other snakes in the house."

"Oh," Brenna responded. She had known all this before, but had always dismissed this because she figured that Remus could take care of himself- especially with the other Marauders around. She glanced at her watch again: Remus was now eighteen minutes and forty-three seconds late.

"You know what? I think I'll ask the Marauders where he is," she decided.

"Will you change out of your hiking boots?" Brenna rolled her eyes.

"Remus could be kidnapped in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, and it will be much easier to find him when I'm wearing dress shoes," she teased her friend. As nervous as she was, she still enjoyed baiting her.

"Some friend you are," Runa grumbled. "Anyway, he had better be kidnapped or something or I will hex him silly for standing up my friend."

"It's a good thing that the head boy's room is so close, then," Brenna replied as they exited Lily's room. She crossed the hallway as quickly as she could and rapped on the boys' room. Sirius answered.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked confusedly. "You're supposed to be-"

"Where's Remus?" Brenna interrupted him.

"I don't know, he's supposed to be with-" Runa cut Sirius off with a growl. "Hey, stop being so- anyway, I'll ask Harry," he said. "Harry, where's Moony?" he called back into the room. Only moments later Harry appeared behind Sirius.

"He's in the library."

"The library!" Runa seethed.

"He must have lost track of time," Harry offered lamely. Brenna rolled her eyes; she was getting angry at Remus for being late- twenty-two minutes and twelve seconds late.

"Um," Sirius muttered. "Um…"

"You haven't been looking into Eastern Mysticism, have you, mate?" Harry asked him.

"Er… no," he said.

"Well, I'm finding Remus," Brenna decided. "Runa, don't follow me. I'm his girlfriend and have the sole right to pulverize him," she added sharply.

"Windchaser," Sirius protested. "Isn't that a bit- I mean, last I knew he was going to Hogsmeade to-"

"I thought Harry said he's in the library," Runa interrupted. "Make up your mind, Black, and stop being a git! Brenna, I don't care what his excuse is unless the bloody-"

"Runa," Brenna scolded her. Runa glared.

"As I was saying, I don't care what his excuse is unless he's bartering gold off of a student. I'm pulverizing him."

"No," Brenna replied sharply. "You're just mad that he's not captured by Slytherins."

"WHAT!" Sirius interrupted. "Moony wouldn't-"

"Well, Padfoot, what would you do if your friend got stood up?" Runa demanded. "And I didn't want him to get kidnapped, you dolt!"

"But Moony wouldn't-" Harry started to protest.

"Oh, bloody- I mean, just shut your gob!" Brenna yelled. "Stop fighting, and don't even think about spying on me," she added. With that remark, she pivoted and swept away from them determinedly.

The walk to the library gave her a chance to cool down; all the bickering and Runa's suggestions had riled her up- especially since a small part of her feared what her friend had suggested- but she knew that it was easy to get buried in a book- even Hogwarts: a History. It was certainly more entertaining than Binns's lectures.

She would have avoided Madame Pince, but as her library aide she knew it was futile; only two dozen simultaneous explosions would deter Madame Pince from greeting everyone who entered her library during the proper hours.

"Brenna!" Madame Pince beamed. "What brings you here?" she asked. "It's not your- oh. He's at the table over there in the transfiguration section," she informed Brenna, pointing toward the far right corner of the library. "I can't imagine why the boy-"

"Thanks, Madame," Brenna replied. "I'll see you later." Madame Pince nodded and moved on to greet another newcomer while Brenna strolled over to the transfiguration section. Sure enough, Remus was at the table Madame Pince had indicated. He had his back facing her and was entranced with whatever was in front of him; she noticed that his shirt was inside out.

Now, how shall I alert him to my presence? Brenna thought. There's the scream- not my style, plus this is a library. Poking is always fun, but so is just plain speaking. Why on earth is his shirt inside out? She made up her mind quickly. She tiptoed toward him until she was only about a foot away.

"Your shirt is inside out," she said in a low voice. He jumped.

"What? Huh?" he said, his face turning a deep red. "Oh, I-" he glanced at his watch. "Oh no," he groaned. She laughed, and then glanced at the table's contents. There was a pile of sticks, plus several wilted, flower-like objects; each had multiple types of petals on it in various hues (one "flower" was pink, chartreuse, yellow, and blue), and one sported purplish leaves. To the left of them were several books on floral transfiguration.

"What…"

"The florist was closed," he explained sheepishly. "Here." He handed her a less wilted flower with a brownish stalk and soft blue petals. "I saw something like this on a trip to the U.S.A. with my parents the other summer," he explained rapidly. She hugged him.

"You're so odd," she murmured. "Twenty-seven minutes and five seconds late," she added teasingly, glancing at her watch.

"Hmph. You don't deserve that flower," he grumbled.

"Nope, I deserve roses," she replied cheerily. "Come on." She then noticed he was staring at her shirt. "What's wrong with my shirt?" she demanded. "You were staring at it in Hogsmeade the other weekend, too."

"Erm, you know Padfoot likes to play practical jokes, don't you?" he asked, his face beet red. She gave him a look that clearly stated, "no, duh."

"So, what's the prank?" she asked. "Don't tell me. It says one thing to one person but something else to others." He nodded.

"Just take the spell off then, and tell me what it says." Remus removed the spell.

"What did it say?" she asked.

"You don't need to know." Brenna rolled her eyes.

"It can't be much worse than what Runa put on it," she objected. "I'll ask Sirius later."

"All right," he groaned. "Property of Remus Lupin," he whispered. She burst into laughter.

"That's hysterical," she gasped between bouts of laughter. "Sirius is so… strange."

"Brenna O'Brien," Madame Pince popped out from behind a shelf to scold her. "Disrespecting a library! Why-"

"Blame Sirius," Remus supplied. "Come on, Brens, let's go." Brenna tried to hold her breath while he led her from the library. It isn't that funny, she supposed, but after a long day like this, it's a relief to get this out. Sirius is going to get it! Oh, no, I left my MSCD on.

"Misceo," she muttered as she pointed her wand at the MSCD.

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Lily sighed and gasped for breath; Riona had kept her busy flitting about the Forbidden Forest. She had healed two rabbits and a unicorn with Riona's help- Lily herself wasn't yet adept- and Riona had taught her two shielding charms that she was struggling with.

"This is hopeless," she grumbled.

"No it's not," Riona protested. "You just aren't used to doing magic in fairy form, Lili," she explained patiently. "I have trouble doing magic in human form right now. I'd transform and show you, but that stag-"

"What's so frightening about a stag?" Lily asked curiously; she didn't know whether or not fairies could sense animagi.

"I don't know," she mused. "It's just an odd feeling. Maybe he's one of the animagi I've heard about. There are three in the forest sometimes on the full moon accompanying a werewolf, I've heard."

"Oh," Lily replied. "Is there a trick for these things? The spells, I mean." Riona shrugged.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. As I said, it's natural for me in this form, but I have trouble controlling my magic in human form." She threw a silent but relatively harmless spell at Lily; Lily barely managed to block it.

"You're learning," Riona encouraged her. "Now, try zapping the targets on those trees," she suggested. Lily nodded and started sending small bursts of light at them.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Control," Riona replied absentmindedly.

"The light, I mean."

"Well, some of the darker creatures can't handle it. The stag is back," she added abruptly. "It's just beyond that bush." Sure enough, the stag came around the bush, sniffed the air, stared at Lily and Riona, and then limped a bit closer.

"It bothers me for some reason," Riona admitted. Lily glanced at the stag; she could tell that he was James.

"So you said. I wouldn't worry about the stag," Lily advised her.

"He's an animagus," she protested. The stag's ear perked up as if it finally recognized a word. "That just proves it," she added.

"I know him," Lily explained. "He'd never harm us."

"But how does he know about us?" she demanded. "I'm getting Fainche." She flew off, leaving Lily alone with the stag.

"You nut!" she murmured in English. "What did you do to yourself now?" The stag limped forward; Lily decided to stop hovering and landed by him.

"Honestly, I don't know why you're following me," she added sternly, still speaking English. "It's dangerous. Why are you limping, anyway?" she demanded. James just whined in a stag-like manner.

"All right," she sighed, moving her hands closer to his back right leg. "I'll take care of it, you nitwit." As light streamed out of her hands and onto the stag, she marveled once again at how un-solid her fairy form was. In the corner of her eye, she saw Riona returning with Fainche and a half dozen other fairies.

"Honestly, James Potter, you're causing a lot of trouble," she scolded him. "Hello," she greeted the fairies in silvanic.

"You're right, Riona; this stag is an animagus. Lili, watch out! Fly away from him."

"I know him, Thalia," she replied in the same tongue. "I don't know why he's here, but he would never harm you unless you harmed me."
"A human knows about us?" another worried. "Fainche, what do we do?"

"Force him to transform," she replied. "Then question him with a translator." Lily rolled her eyes.

"So, how many of you speak English?" she asked. All but three did. "We'll just question him in English then." Thalia grimaced to show her disapprobation.

"All right, animagus," Fainche said in English. "You'll have to transform." James nodded and transformed into his normal self.

"What's going on?" he asked Lily. "I never thought fairies would be argumentative, but if they're anything like you-"

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled.

"All right, human. What are you doing here?" Fainche questioned.

"Being interrogated by mythical creatures," he replied. Lily rolled her eyes and whacked him before remembering that it wouldn't really hurt. "That and being abused by one in your ranks." Urania scowled when she heard the translation.

"Lili, control him," she scolded in Silvanic.

"Unless I put him under the Imperius curse or the habenarum hex, I can't control him," she replied, "And there are limits to what I will do."

"I was bored and curious what Lily was up to," James explained. "I had the choice to study, spy on my friend, or bother Lily." She gave him a dirty look. "For one thing, she's been avoiding me."

"All the reason not to follow her," Thalia replied sharply when this was translated. Lily was just glad that fairies did not blush. Otherwise, her face would be bright red. She translated the remark herself.

"He's already under a blood swear not to tell about me," she informed them. "He's just been under one too many spells. He's a lunatic," she added jokingly; however, James couldn't hear the teasing tone in her voice.

"No, I'm not," he protested. "Don't listen to her."

"Why not?" Riona asked. "She's fun; you're a threat."

"We should mark you or something," another fairy added. They then started arguing amongst themselves in Silvanic about how to mark or punish him. Lily listened intently; she was barely able to understand the rapid speech herself. Now and then she heard words and phrases like castration, hair removal, being hung in a tree inhabited by hawks, and being thrown to the dark creatures in the forest.

"Oh, stop this nonsense!" Fainche demanded in silvanic; James was staring bewilderedly at the bickering forms speaking a language he couldn't hope to understand. The other fairies immediately fell silent. "Lily, you'll have to find a mark for your friends; I know you have them under a blood swear, so they mean us no harm. Honestly, Thalia, you have to get over your phobia of humans."

"All right," Lily agreed. "You might notice a werewolf with the mark once a month, though," she informed them. The others gasped. "I'm just warning you," she added. She then summarized the conversation to James, leaving out the bits about Remus and some of the more graphic punishments. It was James's turn to roll his eyes.

"They're big on security, aren't they?" he grumbled. "It's a good thing it's me and not Sirius," he added. Thalia's ears perked up.

"Sirius?" she repeated. "What kind of name is that!"
"Erm... one his crazy mother gave him?" Lily suggested.

"Look, fair ladies," James said. "I don't mean any of you harm unless you hurt Lily, and then I would most likely commit suicide by attacking you. Got it?" Most of the fairies started laughing; only Thalia remained unamused after it had been translated.

"Stupid humans," she grumbled.

"Puerile, close-minded prick," Lily responded under her breath. "So, may he leave now?" she asked Fainche.

"Only if you escort him," she replied. Lily blinked to show her confusion. "You've had a rough night," Fainche explained, "and even Thalia can't complain much when he is being escorted.

"Now you can explain why you've been avoiding me for weeks," James whispered in her ear. Lily groaned.

"In human form or fairy?" she asked Fainche.

"How about animagus?" James suggested.

"Any form I don't blush (literally any form where my face does not turn red) in is fine," she muttered in Silvanic. (AN: since fairies cannot blush, she used a combination of words to express the concept, not that you care).

"Animagus," Fainche decided. "I'm curious what you are," she added. Lily simply grinned.

"Do you have your cloak?" she asked James. He reached for it in his pocket, then took his hand out sheepishly.

"I lent it to Remus," he admitted.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Do you think they're listening in?" Remus asked anxiously as he and Brenna waited for their food at a restaurant. Brenna grinned.

"I bet they're trying to, but they'll get quite an interesting, er, conversation," she replied. "Scramblers are very useful, don't you think?"

"Yes," he admitted. "I'm wondering how they could listen in, though; we're not at Hogwarts, and the Marauder's Map doesn't have a way to spy on it that I know of- since I made it, I should know."

"Can't say," Brenna replied. "Secuestradora's honor." The waitress came to their table just as she finished.

"All right, here's the pizza," she said cheerfully. "Enjoy, and let me know if you need anything," she added.

"Plates might help," Remus said tactfully.

"Oh," the waitress blushed and waved her arms wildly. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I forgot to-" a loud crash filled the room when the waitress's tray fell to the ground.

"Ohh, noo," she wailed. "NoOoOoO!"

"Calm down," Brenna pleaded. "The tray can't break, and our pizza is fine."

"But -sniff- it's my first night working," she wailed. She glanced across the table; she could tell that Remus was mortified. It's all right, she mouthed to Remus.

"Come on, dear," Brenna said in a soothing voice. "Darlene, is it?" She picked the tray up and handed it to her. "See, no harm done. Now, why don't you go get us some plates and then clean yourself up?" Her tactic had been working until she mentioned the waitress's physical appearance.

"NOoOoO! I have offended!" she wailed. "MOM, I have offended!" she shrieked as she ran off to the kitchen. Moments later, the manager appeared.

"I'm very sorry about this," she said nervously. "I'll let you eat free- oh, you don't have any plates," she mourned. "I'll be right back. I'm the manager, by the way, and my daughter is a bit-"

"Don't worry," Brenna replied reassuringly. "Just get us some plates and I'm sure we'll have a very nice dinner, especially with your generous offer." Remus rolled his eyes discreetly when the manager wasn't looking.

"Oh, good," she replied, relieved. "Oh, you're related to Maddie Lupin, right?" she added when she saw Remus. He nodded.

"She's my mum," he explained.

"OOOH!" she squealed. "I haven't seen Maddie since primary-" she flinched when she heard a wail from the kitchen.

"My daughter is a psychopath. I'd rather have another squib like me," she grumbled. "Go and eat." She grabbed plates and (stainless steel) silverware from a nearby empty table, and then ran off to the kitchen after her daughter.

"Well, you can't say this isn't interesting," Brenna laughed as Remus plopped a large slice of pizza on her plate. "I wonder what the scrambler is making out of this."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Can you hear what's going on?" Runa asked Ginny excitedly. "Has she found him yet?"

"Yep," Ginny replied.

"Shh," Hermione hissed.

You're shirt is inside out, said Brenna's voice through the MSCD.

"What kind of greeting is that?" Marianela asked.

Huh? Oh, I- said Remus's voice.

"You what!" Ginny asked.

"Shhh," Runa whispered. "I'm trying to listen."

The florist was closed. I saw something like this on a trip to the- Remus.

"Aw, is he giving her flowers?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Shh! We missed something!" Ginny snapped.

"Well, you're the one who-" Hermione started to argue before she was interrupted by a knock on the door. She quickly put an invisibility charm on the MSCD.

You're so odd-Brenna.

"Hey, what are you up to?" Ron asked loudly, effectively cutting off the next comment from the MSCD.

"RON!" Hermione yelled. Ginny put a silencing charm on her.

"WELL IF YOU WOULDN'T-" Ron started yelling; this time Harry used a silencing charm.

What's wrong with my shirt? You were staring at it during that Hogsmeade weekend- Brenna.

Sirius started laughing crazily; it was Marianela's turn to say 'Silencio.'

"What's with all the silencing?" Runa whispered. "What was wrong with Brenna's shirt!" Hermione glared at her; Sirius was doubled over in silent laughter.

Just take the spell off, then­- Brenna.

"What spell?" Marianela demanded. "What's this about the-"

… can't be anything worst than what Runa put on it-Brenna.

"HEY!" Runa protested; Ginny repeated the silencing charm.

…Property of Remus Lupin.- Remus.

-laughter- Brenna.

"Oh, my goodness, the prick!" Ginny gasped.

-Sirius is so strange- Brenna.

-DISRESPECTING A LIBRARY! I-Madame Pince's voice came through.

"Turn it down!" Harry gasped, holding his hands over his ears. Ginny immediately placed a silencing charm over the machine; Hermione protested silently but effectively with her wild hand motions; Ginny took the charm off the MSCD.

Peanuts are good. So is makeup- quite tasty.-Brenna

Yes, I especially enjoy lip gloss. What do you want for dinner, raw squid or fried squid?-Remus.

Ginny gagged as she listened.

Sautéed. Coconut pineapple splashes automotive oil bites.-Brenna.

In Xanadu Monty Python ate pickled humdingers and watched soap operas while doing their laundry with peach pie and petrified femurs.-Remus.

"What is going on here?" Marianela demanded. "They couldn't possibly-"

-singing horribly off pitch- My BOOODY lies over the ocean!-Remus

-also singing- My BOODY LIES OVER the SEEAAA!- Brenna.

"NOOO!" Harry screamed. "No more torture!"

"They used a scrambler," Ginny muttered in disbelief.

Cucarachita, tú eres tan bonita!-Remus. (Little cockroach, you are very beautiful).

"AACK!" Marianela screamed. "A COCKROACH!"

"That's it," Ginny decided, getting up and sitting down across the room where her body blocked the invisible MSCD. She reached for the MSCD behind her back, but before she could silence it, she heard an unfamiliar voice yelling through the machine.

SPHINXES ARE CARNIVORES!

"I suppose it serves us right for spying," Marianela sighed. The rest of them gave her dirty looks. "All right. I'll at least reverse the silencing charms."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So why are you avoiding me?" James asked Lily as soon as they were away from the fairies; he was still in his human form, but she had decided to use her animagus form. She pretended not to hear him.

"Lily Aranya Evans, I know you heard me," he informed her.

"I was afraid of that," she replied.

"Are you afraid of me?" he demanded. "I thought we were friends, at least." She stopped flying, landed on a branch, and began to preen herself.

"Grr," he grumbled. "You're hiding in that form, aren't you," he added, but this was no question. Lily puffed up her feathers in response. He sighed heavily and started running his fingers through his hair. He's annoyed, Lily realized. He's annoyed, and rightly so. I guess I might as well transform. She flew down from her perch and then returned to her human form.

"Are you happy now?" she asked him. He looked up, slightly surprised.

"Not completely, no," he admitted.

"I didn't think you would be," she sighed. You're stalling, Lils, she realized. But how can I possibly explain this? It's not like I can- well, I suppose I could just tell him. Anyway, he can at least bother to talk; or, I suppose I had better. "James," she tried again. "Do you remember when I started avoiding you?" He turned to face her and nodded slightly.

"The morning I woke up sounding like a stag and I couldn't wake anyone up." She laughed nervously.

"It's almost freaky that you remember that," she muttered. "Anyway, I-"

"'Freaky?'" he questioned. "Lily, I care about you, you-"

"Moron? Nitwit? Bloody wanker?" she countered. He stared at her. "Look, this isn't the easiest thing to say-"

"Then get it over with," he snapped. "I can't think of anything I've done to bother you, and it's been too long to be PMS-"

"Shut up about PMS," she grumbled. "Well, why do you think I started avoiding you, then?" she demanded.

"Guilt about the prank?" he suggested. "That was bloody annoying, by the way."

"N-not exactly," she muttered. "Have you ever thought about why you were the only one to wake up?" she tried again.

"You forgot to put a sleeping charm on me," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I also forgot to take the sleeping charm off of the others," she reminded him. "And your point?" he asked; she could hear the barely masked irritation in his voice.

"You know what, James?" she said tightly. "I'm sorry I avoided you, and I've been trying to explain this." And I've been doing a horrid job of it for someone who made head girl. She could see that he looked somewhat reassured, but was still tense. She felt her face heat as she thought of that night.

"Then do so. Do you want to find a place to sit down?" he asked courteously. She hugged herself and shook her head.

"No, I just want to… you talk in your sleep. Did you know that?"

"Lily, are you cold- WHAT!"

"You talk in your sleep, and I am fine." I'm only a bit chilly. Merlin, is he really this dense?

"But- I- what-?"

"You seemed to know I was there and you grabbed me, and then said that you loved me," she said as quickly as she could. There, it's out, she thought, relieved. "And I didn't- that is to say, I-" Unconsciously James wrapped his arms around her. "James?" she asked, surprised. Realizing what he had done, he pulled away. "No, it's fine, I- what I am trying to say is that it confused me. I didn't know what to do, what to say, how to feel. I had to spend some time alone and think about how I felt about- well, you."

"So I guess I did do something," he said amusedly. "Sorry," he added half-heartedly.

"No, you're not," she scolded him; her blush was starting to recede.

"True," he admitted with a grin. They both stood in the Forbidden Forest staring at each other; an uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"So," James said.

"So," Lily murmured back.

"So what did you decide?" James asked. She could feel his intense stare boring through her, trying to figure out what she was thinking and practically ordering her to tell the truth. There was one problem: she didn't know how to say it. She wasn't quite 'in love' or 'in lust;' she just plain cared. She wanted to be with him, to touch him, to argue with him, and to keep him safe as he did with her. She wanted to laugh with him and have his arms around her when she cried, and she would do almost anything for him. But if that isn't love, or at least part of it, she realized, then I don't know what is.

"Well?" he prodded.

"Patience is a virtue," she blurted out before throwing her arms around him and spontanteously kissing him. She didn't have much experience with that- the only times she had been kissed was when he or one of his friends had used charmed mistletoe- but she knew somehow that he didn't care.

She pulled herself away gently but stayed in his arms. Their kiss had felt wonderful, but she didn't want too much at once- no, she wanted it too much, but she still had her brains.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked.

"Almost," he replied.

"I think I might love you," she murmured in a small voice. He kissed her again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where on earth are Mum and Dad?" Harry asked suddenly. The others stared at him; having tried and thus far failed to unscramble the words, Hermione had suggested they play a trivia game. She was overruled by Sirius and the others, who wanted to play Exploding Snaps instead. Ginny looked up thoughtfully.

"I don't know," she said. "How long has Lily been gone, Runes?"

"Who knows?" Runa grumbled. Hermione tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Sirius, what is the moon's current phase?"

"Erm, the full moon is in about two weeks, so I guess-"

"Half moon! I knew it," Hermione muttered.

"Well, if you knew it, why did you ask then?" Ron snapped.

"I was confirming my hypothesis, you dolt!" she snapped back.

"You could have suggested your hypothewhatever," he grumbled. "But no, you think you're too smart to take the chance of being-"

"SHUT UP!" Runa yelled. "Grr, can't we play exploding snaps in peace?" Murzim took the opportunity to "wake up" from his pseudo-nap and tramp across the room. "Murzim," she groaned as the dog started licking her face.

"Bark! WOOF!" Sirius said (leave her alone!) Murzim stopped momentarily to bark his response.

"Ar-rarrr," he growled. (I want a treat!) Runa pushed him away.

"Well, you're not getting a treat when you are acting this way," she snapped. Murzim whined pitifully. "Maybe later," she relented, "but you have been a very bad dog!" Apparently satisfied, the dog wagged his tail and hurried away to scavenge.

"I'm bored," Ron commented to no one in particular. "I think it's time for another prank."
"Ronald Billius Weasley," Hermione protested. "There's a ball tomorrow. We have to study sometime."

"We've been studying," Ron protested. "Shouldn't we be able to have some fun? Honestly, 'Mione."

"Yes, but I-" she replied weakly.

"Whom should we prank?" Ginny asked. "The professors?" Hermione gasped in horror.

"Shouldn't everyone be able to enjoy the festivities tomorrow?" Sirius shook his head.

"Not ol' Plieth," he grumbled. "We could torture the Slytherins or those Ravenclaws."

"Sounds good to me," Ron interjected. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Normally I think House Unity is a good idea, but-"

"Hurray!" Ron cheered. Marianela herself was fighting a smile.

"I don't think so," she said, fighting a smile. "There is inter-house unity to think of, and revenge is best cold, isn't that what you say?"

"It's something like that," Hermione replied. Sirius was grinning from ear to ear and hoped Marianela didn't notice. Harry's head shot up as if he just rememberd something he had to do.

"Oh, I forgot about something I need to take care of! I'll be, er, somewhere." He hastily got up from the floor and dashed out of the room, almost forgetting to open the door before he left.

"I'll follow him," Ginny announced to no one in particular before she too left the others.

"Oh, yeesh," Marianela sighed. "What was that all about?"

"Who knows?" Sirius grumbled. "No one tells me anything, anyway. When do you think they'll be back?"

"Who, Harry and Ginny?" Runa asked absently.

"No, Padfoot and … oh nevermind," he said. "You know what? I think I'm slee-" He fell over from his seated position and started snoring mid-sentence.

"What was that?" Runa asked.

"Sleeping charm," Marianela explained matter-of-factly. "My Defense against Dark Arts teacher went over silent spells during fifth year. It will wear off in an hour."

"Shouldn't we put a silencing charm on him?" Hermione asked in a slightly pained voice. "I really need to study."

"Forget that," Runa said. "I think he needs a moustache first, or maybe a black eye," she explained, pulling mascara from her bag.

"That's the oldest trick in the book," Harry protested.

"No, it's not," Ron objected. "That would be-"

"At least it isn't permanent," Hermione interrupted. "You know what? There's no way I can study in here." She got up and left while Runa unscrewed the mascara wand and started painting the most ridiculous moustache Harry and Ron had ever seen.

"Add a black eye now," Marianela suggested. "Wait: is that waterproof mascara?"

"Yes," Runa replied gleefully as she started dotting his nose. "It should come offf with soap and water."

"Let's levitate him to his bed," Ron suggested.

"All right," Runa agreed, "Just remember that you know nothing about this," she added as she brandished her mascara wand.

I hope you enjoyed it, but now I need to pack my razor: we'll probably leave when my parents wake up. Please R & R (not railroad tracks!) to greet me from vacation with comments and friendly tips, etc. :-) ¡Gracias!

-Auramistealia