Without Margret hounding me every chance she got, it was much easier to study for my N.E.W.T.s, which were fast approaching. By the beginning of May, I was in full swing; my extreme study habits had taken over. Stress was already beginning to settle in, and everyone could tell just by looking at me: when I wasn't in my uniform, I walked around in sweats, and my hair was always tied back in an unattractive fashion that kept it out of my way.

"Miss Violet, you are amazing," Luna said to me one evening. "How'd you get to be so smart?"

I sighed, "Well, Luna-"

"She gets it from my side of the family," Jeff said proudly, hugging me tightly. "She's the kind of daughter a mother can be proud of."

The 'crew' – which now consisted of our original four, plus Luna Lovegood and Eddie Carmichael – had insisted on following me to Professor Lupin's office. I was hoping to get his insight on my History of Magic reports, and of course I was also hoping to get in a little alone time. But Ashley claimed she couldn't practice with our Ancient Runes flashcards without me, and Jeff said he couldn't study for Care of Magical Creatures without Ashley, and Aria couldn't study for anything alone, and wherever Ari went, Eddie went, and wherever Jeff went, Luna would be found as well.

Our newest members hadn't been told about my relationship with Professor Lupin, but I'm sure they had their suspicions. At any rate, I wouldn't be able to have much contact with Remus with a whole slew of people watching; even if we didn't have to keep our love a secret, I couldn't imagine doing much more than holding hands in front of the general public. He didn't seem to mind; when we showed up at his office, he greeted us with a smile and slipped into the back room to make us some tea.

"I can't believe how quickly these tests are coming up," Eddie said as he settled into his chair. "I'm already starting to get stressed."

"If you follow the calendar Aria set up, you'll be fine," I said, sorting my sloppily written – yet very comprehensive – notes into neat piles on Professor Lupin's desk, which I was perched on with my legs crossed.

He wrinkled his nose, "Bleh, structure…"

"Awww," Aria cooed, gently fixing his curly brown hair. She kissed his forehead gently, "My poor baby."

A thought crossed my mind, "Hey Ari, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, dear," she said sweetly. "What is it?"

"Why does everyone think you're a lesbian?" I asked, trying my best to tread lightly.

"Oh, that," she shrugged. "You didn't already know?"

"Know what?" I asked, my curiosity growing.

"Vi-Vi was at home for Christmas when it happened," said Jeff. "But I can't believe no one told you. It's been years, and it was quite the scandal…"

"What happened?" Luna and I asked in unison.

"It was the Christmas Eve party, during our fourth year at Hogwarts," Aria said, looking off into space, as if she was recalling a favorite dream. "The holiday spirit was in the air, and all were merry."

I rolled my eyes, "Could I get the version without all the fluff, please?"

"I like the fluff," Luna said. "You're so poetic, Miss Aria. When I close my eyes, it's almost like I'm there."

"Suck up," Ashley grumbled, glaring at Luna. She still wasn't a hundred percent on board with the younger girl being Jeff's new right hand. I think she was a little jealous; Jeff and Ashley had grown up together, I heard one of them say.

Aria cleared her throat, "Anyway, I had a few too many Butterbeers," her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink when she admitted this. "You know how I get. Without any inhibitions, I…"

"She made out with Nicky Valentine," Eddie finished, smirking at his girlfriend, looking almost proud. "It was so hot."

Jeff nodded, "It really was… Someone should have taken pictures."

I gagged, "What?!"

Aria sighed, "Yup, that's how it all went down. After that, people sort of assumed I like women. Isn't that a tad… presumptuous?"

"Everyone knows Nicky likes to swing both ways," Ashley said, crossing her arms. "That little twit…"

"Jeff swings both ways," Eddie reminded her.

Jeff frowned, crossing his arms as well, "That is completely different. I believe that everyone in the world is beautiful, special, and deserves love. Nicky Valentine is just a selfish bitch."

"Ewww!" I squealed. "Why would you even tell me something like that?! I'll never be able to get that image out of my head!"

"You asked," Aria said.

"It isn't a bad image to have stuck in your head," Eddie said, draping his arm across Aria's shoulder.

"That was such a nice story," Luna said happily. She held up the plastic tub that housed our nail polish collection. "Mr. Flanders, what color did you want me to paint your toes?"

He scratched his chin thoughtfully, "I think I'm feeling fantastic-fuchsia."

"How come no one told me about this?" I demanded.

"Because no one likes you," said Eddie.

I scowled at him, "Hey!"

"He means liked," Aria said sternly, giving Eddie a dirty look. "People like you now."

"Well, the people in this room do, anyway," Eddie snickered.

"Luna!" Jeff groaned, burying his face in his hands. She had already completed his big toe. "That isn't fantastic-fuchsia! That's radical-rose! What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, nearly dropping the bottle. "I'll fix it right away, sir!"

Ashley smirked, "Silly Luna, can't you even tell colors apart?"

"They're both pink," I said flatly. I paused, considering the conversation I was taking part in. "You guys need to stop distracting me!" I concluded. "I need to study! We all need to study!"

"Study, study, study," Jeff mocked, crossing his eyes. "Lighten up, Vi-Vi. All you talk about these days is school work."

"Our N.E.W.T.s are in a few weeks!" I shouted, slapping my forehead. "I don't need to lighten up, you need to buckle down and focus and-"

"The tea is ready," Professor Lupin said cheerfully, pushing his way into the office with a large tray if mismatched cups.

I groaned, but as always, my heart soared the second he entered the room. So much for focusing…

"Thank you, Professor," Aria said, gracefully accepting her cup. "I love peppermint tea."

"Me too," Ashley said, snatching up a flowery, cherry-blossom covered teacup off of the tray.

"Dude, you are so hardcore," Eddie said, throwing back his tea in one swig. "You do that whole classy-gentleman thing."

Jeff nodded, taking a much more ladylike approach to drinking his tea, "He sure does."

"If you don't mind me asking," Eddie said, propping his feet up on the desk. "How are the ladies treating you, Professor?"

"They treat me just fine," he said, shooting me a brief glance before he sat down. I noticed he hadn't made a cup for himself.

Jeff wagged his eyebrows, "I'm sure they do…"

"Mr. Flanders, please quit moving," Luna said quietly. "You've made me mess up three times already…"

I shoved Eddie's feet off of the desk, "If you're not going to contribute something to our study group, leave."

"And you wonder why no one likes you," Eddie sighed.

"But Vi-Vi does have a point," said Aria. "We really do need to study."

"Thank you for helping us, Professor," I said, putting down my empty cup. And I'm sorry if this isn't quite what you expected.

"It's no trouble at all," he assured me. The look on his face suggested that he knew what I wanted to say. "I'm always happy to help my students in any way I can."

"I'm sure you are," Jeff said, wagging his eyebrows again. Aria swatted at him with her Charms study booklet.

"You were a nerd when you went to school here, weren't you, Professor Lu-Lu?" Ashley asked, giggling.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Lupin said, straightening his tie. "And… yes, I suppose I was a bit… bookish…"

"Vi-Vi's a bit bookish," Ashley added matter-of-factly.

"A bit?" Eddie said, rolling his eyes. "She's more than just a bit bookish. She's completely geeky!"

"But it's adorable," Aria said, pinching my cheek. "Isn't she the cutest little thing you've ever seen, Professor?"

I blushed furiously, Ari!

"Y-yes, well…" he gulped, loosening the tie he had just fixed. His face turned bright red. "Shall we crack some books and get to work?"

"Yes," I said quickly, swatting Aria's hand away. I looked at Eddie and Luna, neither of whom seemed to catch onto the undertones of Aria's comments. I sighed with relief, "Please, let's get to work."

"Here, Luna my child," Jeff said, handing Luna a pile of cards. "Do you think you could color these for me?"

"Of course, sir," Luna said, obediently pulling a box of crayons out of her pocket.

"I was actually hoping to get your opinion on my History of Magic reports… Professor," I said, having to think about how to address him. I was getting used to calling him by his given name outside of class, but I wasn't quite ready for Eddie and Luna to know the truth.

"Alright, let's have a look," he said, skimming the rolls of parchment I handed him. "What topics did you pick?"

"The history of Hogwarts, common misconceptions about muggles in the fifteenth century, and…" I trailed off, swallowing the lump in my throat before I continued. "And the history of discrimination against those who suffer from magical ailments - with a focus on lycanthropy."

Professor Lupin's face lost any hint of color, "Oh…"

"I wanted to pick topics I felt strongly about," I said nervously, adjusting my headband.

"Vi-Vi!" Ashley sobbed, throwing herself at my feet. "I need help! I don't understand Transfiguration at all!"

"Okay…" I sighed, running my shaky hand through my hair. "What is it you don't understand?"

"Everything!" she cried. "I can't remember a bloody thing! Who even teaches that class?"

"Calm down," I coaxed, sounding a little impatient. "You remember more than you think; you're just starting to get stressed out."

"But you're even stressededer!" she said. "You've already thrown up three times this week, and you're still the studying champ! How do you do it?"

"You've thrown up three times?" Luna gasped. "That's amazing, Miss Violet!"

I ignored Luna's comment, "I guess that's just how I function. I worry myself sick, and that pushes me to study even harder."

"You're a freak, Violet," Eddie said, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Jeff agreed. "When you said you're a 'glutton for punishment', you weren't kidding."

"But that doesn't work for everyone, Ash," I said, twirling one of her pigtails around my index finger. "You're a really laidback person, so you'd probably retain more information if you relaxed and took this one step at a time. I thought you weren't too concerned with your scores, anyway…"

"That was before I found out only three other people are after that Ministry internship I want," she said, allowing Aria to wipe away her tears. "Now that I know I have a serious chance at it, I want it even more!"

"I really worry when you talk like that, Violet," Remus said, putting down my papers. "It isn't healthy to be that stressed out."

"I'll be alright," I assured him. "I'll be able to relax once these tests are over."

"Have you decided what you're going to do after you graduate?" asked Aria.

I knew what she meant by the question; she wanted to know if I had chosen to take over the Starlight Boarding House, or pursue some other career. But her words, for whatever reason, caused me to think of another question.

"I'm still not sure," I said, my voice quivering. "I think I want to wait until the N.E.W.T.s are over to make my choice."

She nodded, "That's a good idea, I think. You should take as much time as you need. This is a very important decision."

"Right," I nodded, but my mind wasn't focused on the question she had asked me, or even the notes I had been looking over. I now had a new problem to fret over:

What will happen between Remus and I after I graduate?