"The stars are much prettier when I'm not trying to desperately remember the names of all of Saturn's moons." Remus tentatively put an arm around her, Hazel leaning into him. They'd been back at school - and officially together - for a few months now. He'd been turning it over in his mind, wondering if he should tell her. If she was going to be in his life for a long time, she was bound to find out. But where was this all going? Would she really be there for ages, or would she disappear as soon as she figured out his secret? James insisted that they'd be getting married, at least according to what he'd seen in his crystal ball. Then again, James usually slept through most of Divination.

With only a couple of days left before the next full moon, Remus was wracking his mind for a new excuse. Hazel knew he was sick fairly often, but there were only so many things he could say to account for all of the scratches and bruises he came back with. Tumbling off a broom after one of James and Sirius' Quidditch practices. An accident in Care of Magical Creatures. A bloodthirsty plant in the greenhouses. Getting a little too close to the Whomping Willow. A bad encounter with Peeves, the school poltergeist. But as they spent more time together, Remus was running out of excuses. She used to see him back in class after he'd missed a few days, but now she would drop by Gryffindor Tower to check up on him if he started missing class again. It was getting harder to evade her after a full moon, harder to explain away all of the wounds, even if he never rolled his sleeves up.

"Umm, Hazel? Can I tell you something? There's something we… we should probably talk about. Something I should probably tell you."

She looked back to him, tearing her eyes away from the sky. They'd spent the afternoon lying on the grounds together, Remus' head in her lap as she quizzed him on Cheering Charms. After dinner they'd met up again, Remus insisting on taking her out to the courtyard so they could talk. He'd planned it all with the others - they were to spread a rumor that someone had set off Zonko's entire stock of Dungbombs in the courtyard and then clear out of there themselves so the two of them could talk and be sure they were alone. But now that the moment was here, Remus felt like he was actually going to be sick. "What's wrong, Rem?" She read it in his eyes without Remus having to say anything. "Is it something bad?"

As Hazel took his hand, Remus took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "There's something you need to know about if we're going to be together for a while. I want us to be together for a while," he rushed to explain. "I just… there's something you need to know about me. The guys know, but you can't tell anyone else or… it'll be bad, really bad. Like 'people will be writing Dumbledore to expel me' kind of bad."

She ran her thumb over his hand, a reassuring gesture that only made his stomach hurt more. How could he tell her? It would ruin everything. But how could he not tell her now? "It's okay, Rem. Whatever it is, it's okay."

"Mmm, not it's not. I, er, I'm a… there's a reason I'm sick so often." It would be better if he eased into the conversation, right? He hoped so.

"Is it the same reason you're going to be sick again in about three or four days?"

Remus could've sworn he had stopped breathing. If it wasn't for the chiming of the clocktower, he could've sworn that time itself stopped for a moment. "W-what? What do you mean?"

Looking around to make sure they really were alone, Hazel decided to hazard a guess. She still lowered her voice just in case. "You're a werewolf, aren't you?"

"How… How do you know?" he stumbled, filled with sheer terror. If she'd figured it out, did that mean other people had too? Or did one of the others tell her? They'd all pledged themselves to secrecy, though...

Her voice was soft as she answered, one good sign amidst the fear that was coursing through him. "I mean… it's kind of obvious, isn't it? You're always tired around full moons, and you're extra on-edge, and you're covered in scratches when you come back to class… I know you say they're from Quidditch with the guys or that you got grabbed by the Venomous Tentacula, but… It wasn't a normal dog that attacked you when you were little, was it? The one that gave you all of the scars? That's why they call you 'Moony'."

It was a long moment before he answered. "Yeah." Remus let go of her hand, suddenly standing up. "I… I completely understand if this is it. I'm sorry I even bothered to try. Dad's always saying I've got to be careful about who knows and who I let into my life and who I get close to and..." He shook his head, letting the end of his sentence trail off.

"Rem -"

"I don't know why I thought maybe you'd… after what happened to your dad, hell, anyone, but especially you, shouldn't be with a monster like me." He turned away before she could see the tears welling in his eyes. Why did you think you could be happy? What chance did you ever have? You're better off alone. You're better off alone and you know it.

Hazel grabbed his hand before he could get too far. "No. Rem, no. Stop. I'm not afraid of you."

"You're… you're not?"

"No."

"A werewolf killed your dad," he hissed, trying his best not to cry. "I'm a monster, and no one should have to… especially not you. You're too good."

She pulled him into a hug, whispering, "You're not a monster, Rem. The boy who slips chocolates into my bag and lets me steal his jumpers and sits up reading with me in front of the fire… he could never be a monster. You took forever to hold my hand. You put that off, you put so much off because you're afraid of hurting people. I know you're not going to hurt me. I'm sure Dumbledore has a whole plan for the full moon, and you haven't hurt anyone yet, so… there's no reason for me to think you ever would. Honestly, I don't think you ever could."

"Hazel -"

"You're kind and you're shy and you… You could never be a monster, Rem. You're too cute to be a monster." She held him close, starting to run a hand through his hair. Despite how agitated he was, it was still comforting. "Dad walked into their home with curses already on his lips. I… I can't blame him, exactly, since the Auror Office sent him in there and told him there were a bunch of Muggles in danger, but he should've brought someone with him. Anyway, I'm not afraid of you, Rem."

Remus sighed, his face still buried in her hair. "Everyone is. They're afraid of what I am, anyway. What I can be. If you're not... well, you should be."

She let him go just enough to put a hand to his face, running her thumb over the scar on his lips. "I don't care how many times I have to say this, but you're not a monster. I'm not afraid of you."

His voice caught in his throat as he looked down at her, his heart swelling at the thought that she wasn't going to leave him. At least not tonight. "It's easy to say that until you see what I really am."

Shaking her head, Hazel assured him that, "I don't think I could ever be afraid of you, Rem. You're sweet and you're gentle and you're… You're not a monster. You're just Remus. My sweet, strong, handsome wolf."

That brought a bit of a smile back to his face. "You… you really don't mind?"

"No. I hate seeing how much the full moon takes out of you, I hate knowing why you end up covered in scratches, but… I can help," she offered. "I can at least take notes for you and bring whatever you want up from the kitchen when you're not feeling well. Let me help you, Rem. You're so worth it." She ran her thumb over the scar on his lip again, taking a chance and leaning in to kiss him. As soon as she pulled back, Remus pulled her to him again. Just like him, his kisses were soft and sweet, a little unsure as he processed the roller coaster he'd just gone through. "Remus?"

"Hmm?"

Hazel draped her arms over his shoulders, kissing him again in answer.

Remus smiled, leaning his head on her shoulder and holding her close. "Thank you."

"For that, or…"

"For that, and for not thinking I'm… for not leaving the second you figured out what I was," he sighed. "You're the first person - the first girl I've told because I can actually see us being together for a really long time and this actually going somewhere, so..." It was surprisingly easy telling her things now that they'd gotten to the werewolf in the room. "Well, you figured it out already. I knew it was only a matter of time, but… you really are the brightest witch of our age."

"Thanks, Rem. And for the record, I can see this going somewhere too," she confessed, Remus letting go so he could hold her hands and look at her properly. "I could - I did - since summer. No one writes that many letters without caring a whole lot."

He paused for a second, just long enough to put a hand to her face. "May I… kiss you again? That was really nice."

"Yeah," she smiled, Remus leaning in and giving her another tender kiss. He'd gotten the hang of it by now, not that there was much to figure out. Mostly he was just filled with relief that she wasn't going to run. More than anything, he was grateful for whatever twist of fate had brought him so many people who weren't terrified of what he was.

When she parted her lips slightly, another jolt of electricity seemed to run through him. But this time it wasn't fear. Gently running his tongue along her lower lip, Remus paused. "May I?"

"Yes. Ever the perfect gentleman," Hazel giggled before pulling him closer.

Across the courtyard, hidden in the shadowy stone arches, sat three boys under an invisibility cloak, all watching and itching to tease their friend when he got back to Gryffindor Tower, but mostly ready to congratulate him.