If you got an update and are hoping this is a new chapter, I hate to rain on your parade, but it's just been edited so I updated it. New chapter will be next week.

A/N: I apologize for the recent absence; I had a lot to get done and I also made the decision to re-read everything I'd written looking for clarification and inspiration. What I found instead were atrocious grammar errors and an instance in which I forgot that I had already nemed a character.

Nevertheless, I provide to you the un-beta'd chapter 29. Please note that I still don't make any money from this.

23 April 1973

The atmosphere in the castle was fairly subdued after the arrival of the Prophet's shattering headline. He didn't like to think so, but had he been standing, Remus would probably have fallen over. He'd snatched up the paper and read it in a daze. Then he had dropped his head to the table with a dispirited groan. The first page depicted the brutal slurry of attacks that had occured in the Yorkshire area, and the second page article highlighted the updates to the Werewolf Code of Conduct, which - in Remus's opinion - was just a contract with which to surrender one's freedom.

With the rise in werewolf-perpetrated attacks on the wizarding and muggle populations of Yorkshire alike, a proposal was filed to re-draft the Werewolf Code of Conduct in the hopes of diminishing future acts of violence. Dolores Umbridge, of the Improper Use of Magic Office presented her draft to the wizengamot Monday.

The most significant clauses added to the document include:

Lycanthropes are required to report, within thirty-six hours of a full moon, any incursion that resulted in the death, injury, or infection of another living being.

Lycanthropes must transform in a suitably warded or isolated location. In either case, the location must be greater than five (5) miles from persons who are uninformed of the presence of a transformed werewolf and from any persons under the age of seventeen regardless of their awareness of the situation.

4.i. Persons infected with Lycanthropy are prohibited from public institutions, unless specifically summoned by a legal authority,

In seeking employment, services, or residence, all Werewolf applicants must identify themselves as such

. All werewolves leaving and entering the country, requesting international travel, or interacting with foreign dignitaries must make known their affliction to the relevant board.

The fully updated Code can be found in the Beast Division office of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Umbridge further proposed an institution for werewolf containment and research, and an expansion to the Werewolf Registry. The recommendation for an institution was heavily backed by the Wizengamot, and is currently being reviewed.

The proposed expansion to the Werewolf Registry would see the inclusion of information such as the date of the bite, the geographical location, and the perpetrator- if known. Umbridge would also like to see the Registry extend to all persons who have been bitten regardless of the age of the victim. This point is the subject of much controversy because it's implementation would violate many of the current laws that are in place to protect minors in the wizarding world. The other side of the argument...

By the time he reached the part in the article that indicated that he might have to register before he turned 17, Remus had had enough, and the paper was smoldering on the edges where he was holding it. Lily's copy of that morning's Daily Prophet was confetti before she had the chance to say anything.

"Remus-"

But Remus cut her off. "I don't want to hear it."

"But-"

"Please leave me alone." he nearly growled, his eyes hinting the aggravation he felt as he snatched up his things and stormed out of the Library, leaving Lily frozen speechless in his wake.

Remus bolted up the stairs, running just to vent, growling to himself all the way, and pausing only once to avoid detection by Mr. Filch, who would surely find that he was doing something wrong.

"Barmy politicians taking away what little freedom I have left…" That was when he noticed the copy of the Prophet that had been discarded on a bench in the third floor corridor. "Argh!" The paper was ashes moments after he picked it up, but Remus was too distracted to care. "That Umbridge woman needs to crawl into a hole and…"

"Meow"

"That woman is fighting for a safer world. I'd be careful what you say next Lupin."

Remus responded by glaring at the grizzled caretaker. Filch may not have been old, but he often looked as though he was either eighty, or had just been dragged a mile and blasted with wind. His cat didn't look much better.

Does Filch know about me? Remus asked himself, analyzing the man before him with his glare. It seems unlikely, nevertheless… "That woman is destroying lives of innocent people." he all but growled.

"I'd hardly call eating children innocent. And I'd drop the attitude boy."

Not willing to risk venting his rage on the caretaker, Remus kept his mouth shut and stalked past him. Borris, to his credit, seemed to sense that Remus should not be aggressed, though he did let out his own feline growl.

"Multicorfors"

The room at the top of the tower was large, and airy, and filled with trinkets form all over the globe. It was also meticulously clean and organized; a stark contrast from the controlled sprawl of Professor McGonagall's office. The sun was ducking below the mountains when Professor McGonagall escorted Remus up to the headmaster's office, bathing the dozens of past Heads in a muted red glow.

The headmaster himself sat with his hands folded on the mahogany of his desk, a copy of the morning's paper in front of him.

That's when the panic set in.

Remus was calm when his head of house had come into the common room to fetch him.

She had found Remus and Lily lounging on the sofa by the crackling fire, feet up, noses buried in books and Remus's hand hovering protectively over his chocolate stash, protecting it from scavengers as he consumed it with written words. He had finally returned to the tower an hour before, after spending several wandering the castle and it's grounds.

Professor McGonagall's voice was the only one that brought him out of his reading, because, well, when one lived with James Potter and Sirius Black, the ability to ignore what was happening in the immediate vicinity was a survival skill. Without it, he would never get anything done in the presence of his friends, and he would have been dragged into many more of their petty pranks. Remus couldn't just go for any prank; it had to be worthy. Marinated in mischief and sauteed with wit and cleverness, and a dash of subtlety never hurt either. Nevertheless, he would not waste his time on such antics as planting dungbombs in a classroom. That was just pitiful.

"Mr. Lupin, could you come with me please?"

Instantly, his head snapped to attention, and he almost- almost- lost the chocolate frog that was squirming in his mouth. He almost lost it because, against all his mother's teachings, he opened his mouth when there was still food in it..

"Ye- Oh no you don't!" The sweet was reprimanded with a flick on the nose while it dangled from Remus's fingers.

The Professor raised her brown at Lily, who replied with a shrug of the shoulders and "He does this sort of thing all the time" to which McGonagall rolled her eyes at her chocolate-scolding student.

Attention back on track, McGonagall cleared her throat. "I do believe that even Lyall would have taught his son that food is not to be played with."

Remus froze with a sheepish grin on his face. "Oh no Professor, my mum tried that and then Dad went and showed me how to dissect kappas, except sometimes they were still squirming a bit."

He grinned at his professor, stuffed his subdued chocolate frog unceremoniously into his mouth, marked his place in his book, and stood, still enjoying his treat. Then he silently pleaded with Lily to guard his chocolate for him and left. When he reached the portrait hole, he found that his professor had yet to follow. She was still standing by the fire, pinching the bridge of her nose and internally raving about how sure she had been that she had at least one male student that wasn't completely corrupted. She took a deep breath and joined her last hope in the corridor.

His breathing had been regular as he followed Professor McGonagall through the halls of Hogwarts.

He had even snickered when his professor had uttered the password. 'Gummy Bears' was not something he had ever expected to hear the transfiguration teacher say.

His heart rate had not bumped 60 beats per minute when he ascended the stairs that were guarded by the gargoyle.

The panic hadn't started until Remus saw the Daily Prophet on the desk in front of his headmaster. Then the hyperventilation kicked in.

He froze. Right in the middle of the doorway, and right in front of McGonagall. He noted the somber expression on Professor Dumbledore's face.

"Right." Defeated, Remus wheeled around his escort and began to make his way back down the stairs. He made it all of three steps before there was a hand on his shoulder pulling him back into the round office.

"Remus," began Dumbledore softly, "where do you think you are going?"

The hand- which obviously belonged to Professor McGonagall- steered him to one of the chairs in front of the desk and plunked him down with more force than he felt was necessary.

Remus squared his shoulders. Though he kept his eyes on the polished floor. "To collect my things and pack my trunk."

His face stung as something slapped his cheek, and Remus was not the only one who was startled by the action; Albus Dumbledore was glaring bemusedly at the member of his staff that had just slapped a student.

"Minerva!"

The professor in question had the grace to look abashed, though she hardly appeared regretful of her actions. "I'm sorry Albus, but I simply cannot allow such stupidity from my students." Her gaze turned accusatory. "I expected better from you Remus."

"What?" Remus said, breaking the glare that had been fixed on him, and cutting off the headmaster before he had a chance to reprimand his faculty a second time. Then he tread cautiously in the unknown waters he was beginning to explore. "I'm not getting expelled?"

"What gave you that daft idea?" Remus was once again fixed with a trademark glare that had unnerved hundreds of students in the few years she had been teaching.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but am I not barred from public institutions?" Remus asked bitterly, though rhetorically. "Am I not breaking several laws just by continuing to be here?"

Dumbledore folded his hands on his desk and regarded his pupil with sadness. How could one so young be put through such trials? How could a boy of thirteen be capable of feeling such bitterness and resentment? He needed to put a stop to this; childhood was a time to be worry-free and to grow. Besides, technically the boy hadn't broken any laws.

"Remus," he began, his voice firm yet gentle. "May I ask you a question?"

"I shall be in my office if you need me Albus." With a final stare at her student, Professor McGonagall swept her way out of the office and down the stairs.

Still shocked at his professor's recent mannerism, Remus's head swiveled slowly back around, only to be met with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose." he said with a sigh.

"Are you on the Werewolf Registry?"

The question shocked Remus, not only was it blunt, but it was also completely out of the blue and something that he had never heard mentioned aloud in conversation. "No." His voice came out rather small, but not as small as Remus himself wanted to be in that instant.

Albus Dumbledore either took no note of his pupil's discomfort, or he did not care, for he continued the line of questioning. "Have you had your rights-"

"What rights?" Remus scoffed.

"Have you ever had your rights as a werewolf read to you?"

"Why does this sound like I'm going to be arrested?"

"Focus Mr Lupin."

"No, I have not had my rights" he said the word with as much mockery and sarcasm as his voice could hold, "read to me."

"Are you legally bound to the Werewolf Code of Conduct?" Dumbledore held him in place with a look that said: 'you will not leave this office until you agree with me'.

Remus scowled, crossed his arms, and drew his feet in. "Not technically. But-"

"No buts my boy." The headmaster stood from his own chair and placed himself in the remaining seat on the other side of his desk. "You are not in violation of any laws, and as you are not yet an adult, you are not required to register. Therefore you will not be acting illegally for some time."

Remus opened his mouth once more to speak, with the briefest glance to the Prophet that still lay open on the desk, but he was stayed with Dumbledore's raised hand. "Madam Umbridge has much less sway than she likes to think she does. It will take much pull and time for the Wizengamot to alter the laws regarding the release of information of minors."

Some of the tension released from Remus's shoulders, but he was still not at peace. He turned his attention to the bird that had flown in through the open window. It perched itself on the desk in front of Remus and shook out it's red and gold feathers.

Noticing the wide eyes of his student,

Dumbledore began to introduce the bird. "This is Fawkes, he-"

"A phoenix." stated Remus in awe. "I thought they were extinct. Dad hasn't even come across one; not even in the Balkans." Tentatively, Remus extended his hand to the bird, fully expecting to be ignored, bittern, or scratched. He remembered perfectly well how most animals tended to react to him, but there he was, sitting before the awe and glory of a phoenix. He couldn't not. When his hand did not begin to sting, the young werewolf opened his eyes, and he nearly jumped out of his chair.

Fawkes was staring right back at him. The bird cocked it's head to the side when Remus flinched, but once he had settled again, the bird fluttered over and perched itself on Remus's outstretched arm. His jaw dropped in awe and pride as the phoenix settled and allowed him to stroke it's back. It chirped, pecked Remus's finger lightly, and flew up to a copper perch that hung from the vaulted ceilings.

Remus stopped craning his neck and noted, rather pleased with himself, that his finger was bleeding from an injury that wasn't self-inflicted. So, like any other thirteen year old boy, he stuck it in his mouth. And then he snickered when his headmaster cringed slightly.

"Was there anything else, Sir?"

"Yes," The old man snapped back into focus. "Though the law does not specifically apply to you, you must understand that if you are discovered here, you will be forcefully removed and likely placed in the facility this Madam Umbridge plans to build."

Remus didn't need any more motivation to keep his secret. He knew exactly what would happen to his life if he was discovered - it was already rather unpleasant without being institutionalized.

"Yeah," he drawled, I'll lose what little freedom I have and the entire staff'll get a one-way ticket to Azkaban." So no pressure or anything, It's just my life and the livelihood of everyone that works here … Remus made to stand, assuming that that had been the end of Dumbledore's heart-to-heart. He was wrong.

"One last thing, Remus. Should anyone come to understand your monthly absences, send them to me. I will do what I can to resolve the problem."

I can't promise that. Remus nodded anyway Dumbledore offered an encouraging smile and a nod of his own, indicating that Remus was now free to leave.

When the rest of the student population returned from their holidays a few days later, the the castle felt no less empty. Several students had friends among those attacked by what was being called the Nightcrawlers, and one, Emily Addams, a muggle-born girl with whom Remus had shared his inauguration, had been among the dead.

And so, it was with that in mind that that the students returned to a somber meal straight off the train. Even Sirius and James were unnaturally quiet as they ate, using their forks, knives, and napkins as they were intended for the first time since Remus had known them.

Dumbledore made a speech before releasing them to their dorms, but very few of the students heard more than a drone. There was no scraping of benches, or burst of activity, or rush for the doors. Wordlessly, the crowd of black-robed students parted to let the Hufflepuffs out the doors first. Hufflepuff was the only house wearing their colours that evening, and even then, it was only the younger years and their prefects; the rest hadn't felt that they had known Emily well enough to pay such homage. They felt that it was more appropriate to mourn the loss to Hogwarts as opposed to just the Hufflepuffs.

Nevertheless, yellow was the only colour to be seen the rest of the way from the Great Hall- the portraits had all either removed themselves from the common halls or dressed down in respect. The only outlier was the feline flash of neon pink and turquoise that prowled the corridors.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere of the castle slowly built back up to a semi-pleasant level. Classes returned to their regular vigour, and students once again began to smile for more than a fleeting moment. But still, Hogwarts was not the same.

A pair of black-haired troublemakers that hovered just below the five-foot mark felt that that should change.

It had started slowly, with the question about Borris. A question Remus very quickly regretted answering.

"Hey Remus,"

Remus pulled himself from his battered copy of Defending the Mind to face James. He had been, hovering around his chair by the fire for quite some time, and Remus had successfully ignored him until now - because now, he was practically sitting in his roommate's lap.

"What?" Remus asked irritably, trying to shove James off his bed.

"How long has Filch's cat looked like candy floss?

"About a week." he replied, trying to read around his friend's slight form.

"Filch hates the cat being anything other than mangy grey? Why would he leave it so long? Why doesn't he just reverse the charm?"

"I don't think he can."

It took all of twenty milliseconds for Remus to notice the look that James was giving him and to realize what he had done.

"My dear, Remmy," he played out the words, letting them roll off his tongue and feed on the guilt that Remus was feeling. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Remus swallowed nervously. "No?"

James's grin was beginning to look painful, unnatural even. Only a few points shy of malicious. "Try again."

"I sincerely hope not?"

Now the hazel eyes were sparkling. They met Remus's green and then James was bounding down the stairs to the common room, presumably to share the revelation with his partner in crime.

Remus was less than surprised when Argus Filch stormed into the Great Hall the next morning with a black and yellow cat in his arms. He was surprised when the entire hall went dark and fireworks began bursting yellow sparks around the room, exploding in the faces of students, and coating them in canary yellow dye. He was annoyed that one of those face was his.

Hogwarts went back to normal after that. Sure, there were still times when an uncomfortable silence would befall a group, or when laughter would die abruptly only to be replaced with repressed tears, but life had to go on.

The Gryffindor boys definitely had. And Remus, who had flung himself into the occlumency text McGonagall had lent him, had been dragged along to detention a couple of times as punishment for the 'breaks' that Peter and James had insisted he take.

But in his spare time, Remus would find himself curled up in some nook in the wall or, if James and Sirius were out at quidditch practice with Peter trailing behind, his bed, running himself ragged with practise. attempting to practice the teachings of his of he was left to his own devices in his dormitory, he would put up silencing charms to ensure that he would be distraction-free. Peter had a habit of returning from watching quidditch practices when he decided it was too wet, too cold, too windy, too warm, or too bright, and Peter was not quiet.

Clearing one's mind was apparently not an effective technique for werewolves to use, because, as Remus had discovered, a clear mind was a clear path for his beastly alter ego to break through. It only happened once, but once was enough to ditch that method. He wasn't sure if he should count himself lucky that Sirius had burst into the dorm moments after he'd succeeded in clearing his mind, because he had woken up on the floor crawling towards a shoe with no recollection of how he had gotten there.

The sound of the door slamming open had thrust the controls of Remus's body back into his own metaphorical hands.

He had yet to find another method to try from his book, but he was determined to make this work out, and since he didn't know any other occlumens, the library would have to do.

"Pince is coming."

"Just a second, I'm almost there."

"Remus, she's coming now!"

Book in hand, Remus jumped down, landing softly on the carpet just as the librarian passed through their aisle.

Lily turned to glare at him once the coast was clear. "Why couldn't you just use a ladder?"

Remus shrugged. "It's three rows down." Lily hardened her glare. "Besides, this way is more fun."

"How many detentions have you had from doing things the 'fun way in the library?"

Remus averted his eyes, his cheeks warming. "Just in the library?"

"Oh, for the love of - just how many detentions have you managed anyway?"Lily scanned her friend's face, eyeing the red in his cheeks with mounting suspicion.

He mumbled something incoherent and tried to dodge around her to return to his chosen table with the book he had picked off the dustiest shelf in the Defensive Magic section. She sidestepped and blocked his path.

"AAAACHOOO!"

Lily staggered back in the awkward silence that followed the dusty explosion of sound. "What was that?"

"Have you never heard someone sneeze before, Evans?" he asked with a sniffle.

Had it been one of his male friends, he would have been rightly thumped on the shoulder. Girls, he learned, did not do the whole 'physical violence' thing unless they were properly miffed. Girls, Lily Evans in particular, enjoyed making their prey feel increasingly uncomfortable by saying nothing at all.

"...should I take that as a no?"

"How many." Not a question.

"Well," he hummed, tapping his chin and squinting at nothing, "I've been sneezing all my life, hypersensitive nose or not, so I couldn't really count -"

"Before that, you git."

Remus's ears were practically glowing. "Nineteen." he muttered before ducking around her and fleeing to the safety of the library commons, where there would undoubtedly be a prefect or adult presence to deter any Lily from lashing out at him.
Remus buried his nose in the book for a few hours more, one part out of interest, another out of a desperation to control himself, and two parts from an innate, rather Slytherin sense of self-preservation that would last as long as it took Lily Evans to calm down. Two hours generally did the trick-unless James had something to do with it.

Lily, as it turned out, was still annoyed, though her ire was blissfully no longer his problem.

"Pettigrew, you little prat!"

Remus was halfway back out the portrait hole before he was spotted. He let out a puff of air that was intended to remove the hair that hung in his face. Snape had taken great amusement in growing it out in the corridor some five minutes earlier. What had once been peach fuzz had grown out to be a shaggy mess, though it was not long enough to be tied up. The Slytherin had intended to make it longer, long enough for Remus to put it up. He had frozen when Remus smiled and waved. He ran when Remus thanked him.

In that instant, Remus was reminded as to why he had never let it get this long before. It wasn't just falling into his face, it was blocking his view.

"Remus Lupin! Don't you think you can get out of this so easily!"

Remus looked from Lily, to Peter, to the rest of the Gryffindors as they fought to stand their ground or contain their books and papers. Then he took two more steps back. He was not in the mood to deal with something like this. Not after he'd been accosted by Snape and Filch on his way up from the library, add to that that Professor Dumbledore apparently wanted to see him, his head pounded and he was feeling in edge.

"Watch me." he called to his housemates, as he closed the portrait hole and blocked the tornado- courtesy of Peter- that was ransacking Gryffindor House from view.

A/N:Comments? Questions? Concerns? Ideas? Suggestions? I woulr really love tsome feedback if you can spare a few seconds. Thanks,

One-Eyed Wolf, OUT, 17 March 2019

Edit 31 March.