Remus sat at his desk in front of his class staring absentmindedly at Liv. His 6th years were supposed to be writing essays but Liv had fallen asleep, her head propped up by her hand.
A student coughed and it brought his mind back to the present. He took his eyes off of Liv before it could look any more suspicious than it already did. He looked down at the parchment he had been writing on. At the top of one column it said "Tell", and the other said "Don't Tell."
Remus now new how Sirius Black had entered the castle; through the secret passage behind the one-eyed witch statue on the third floor. Behind the statue was a secret passage which lead out of school into the cellar of Honeydukes sweet shop in Hogsmead. It surprised him; surely Filtch or someone knew about that passage by now. Didn't the shop owner had security measures. He assumed it was being protected like the other entrances. Although, Sirius had broken out of Azkaban, so how hard could it be to break into a candy shop?
He'd agonized for days about telling Liv or not. Luckily he hadn't spoken to her in days so he didn't have to decide right away. It wasn't an easy decision. He wanted to tell Liv to help protect Harry and to build trust with Liv.
However, if he told her about the passage, she would wonder why he didn't mention it sooner. And of course she'd go have a look at it, and what would she find? Paw prints? Things would spiral out of control.
That was the secret at the heart of it; he'd never told anyone that Sirius was an animagus, not even Albus Dumbledore.
He didn't want to jeopardize his relationship with Albus; he was the one who had brought him to Hogwarts as an 11 year old werewolf trusting he wouldn't endanger the other students, the one who had given him job when no one else would. Dumbledore's trust meant more to him than anything. After all, with James and Peter dead and Sirius a madman, Dumbledore was the only true friend Remus had left. He would do anything to keep it.
But then again, Black had broken in twice already and was a serious danger to Harry and to Liv.
Tell? Don't tell? Tell? Don't tell?
A student stood and he quickly hid his parchment as she left the essay on his desk and left. One by one the students completed their essays and left until it was just him and Liv in the classroom. He stood up and approached her placing a hand on her shoulder.
She woke up and rubbed her eyes looking around. "Damn," she said. "How long have I been out?"
"20 minutes or so," he said leaning against the desk in front of her. "Busy week?"
Liv nodded. "Meetings with your ministry and mine, a stack of paperwork as tall as a broomstick, and of course keeping an eye on Harry. Do you realize how much overtime I'm being paid for?"
"Enough to make a dragon jealous of your hoard I'd expect."
Liv smiled at him. Remus took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do.
"Liv," he began a little nervously. "I was wondering… tomorrow's Saturday and I thought, if you're not busy in the afternoon, maybe we could get together and-" he had to tell her. But Liv interrupted him.
"I wish I could, but tomorrow's a Hogsmead weekend and I've got to be seen out with, well…"
"Right," he said, feeling a pang of jealousy. "Sunday afternoon then?"
To his relief, Liv agreed. As she left, he could feel his resolve was becoming weaker.
The next day, Remus left the great hall after breakfast to go back upstairs. As he passed the bustling students, he saw Liv exist the castle hand in hand with Oliver Wood. He felt his stomach squirm. Remus had never handled jealousy very well. Once he and Sirius had liked the same girl; when Sirius asked her out first, Remus didn't talk to him for 2 weeks. But that was years ago and Remus had to deal with his feelings like the adult he was, damn it.
He busied himself grading the essays from the day before, but the time passed slowly. As he took the next one from the stack, he noticed just underneath was his list; tell – don't tell. In only 24 hours he had gone from sure to unsure again.
Tell? Don't tell?
A burst of flames interrupted his thoughts.
"Lupin, I need a word," Snape called through fireplace.
20 minutes later Remus returned to his office clutching an old parchment in his hand. When Snape had called Remus down to catch Harry in some trouble, Remus had no idea he was about to come into possession of an old treasure. Remus unfolded the parchment on his desk and pulled out his wand.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
The old, familiar map of Hogwarts appeared. He could see tiny labeled dots representing people moving along it. Snape was in his office, brooding probably. Harry was on route to the Gryffindor Tower. There was no sign of Sirius Black anywhere.
Remus smiled and felt a huge weight lift off of him. This map was the answer! He would watch it closely for signs of Sirius Black. If he even got close to the castle, Remus would know and be able to stop him. He could keep his secret, keep Dumbledore's trust, and keep Harry and Liv safe. It was perfect.