"I know we practiced this for your O.W.L.s, but this spell WILL be back when it comes time for N.E.W.T.s, so let's see what you can do!" Professor Flitwick set them off to practice Cooling Charms, Hazel turning to look at the little group surrounding her. Pandora and Xeno had already paired up - they were inseparable already - and Remus had been claimed by James, Sirius, and Peter. Sev sat on her left, Hazel instinctively turning to him.

"Didn't we master these in like, second year?" she asked, watching as Sev froze and unfroze the flower in front of him.

"Yeah," he smiled, letting Hazel take her turn. It had been interesting, all of them crammed together in one N.E.W.T. class. The first five years were separated, two houses to a class, but now all of the sixth year students trying for their N.E.W.T. in Charms the following year would be together. For a lot of them, they would be spending most of their day together. Hazel was taking a couple of classes without them, while Pandora and Xeno were taking Divination without her. Xeno insisted he sign up for a N.E.W.T. course in Muggle Studies, though the others gave it up quickly. But a lot of people seemed to take on their core subjects, unless they'd completely failed their O.W.L. in that class.

It was interesting all being together, and it had its perks, but it also meant that James and Sirius were in a lot more classes with Sev. He hated it. And they tried to make the most of their newfound opportunities to bother him. So when they started sending paper airplanes down the row of desks to hit him in the back of the head, Hazel took a little bit of joy in freezing them midair.

As soon as Sev raised his wand and sent them flying back to attack James and Sirius, he whipped back around in his chair, focusing on the flower in front of him. Professor Flitwick was coming by, after all. Flitwick didn't ask to see their progress. Instead he gave them a knowing smile. "Three points each to Slytherin and Ravenclaw for some clever magic. I may as well take them from Gryffindor to compensate for that foolishness."

Flitwick moved on and the two of them exchanged grateful smiles. Hazel's smile faltered as she heard the chatter going on nearby. Remus had unfrozen the flower he was working with and looked rather pale. "...think I'm gonna be sick." Before any of the other Marauders could respond, he raced from the room.

"Alright all, it's going to be an early day today!" Flitwick announced just as Hazel went to ask Peter, who was closest, what was wrong. "Once you've refreshed your memory on the charm, you are dismissed. Any questions, up here."

"Go," Sev told her, watching as Hazel started to gather up her things. "Catch you later?"

"I'll see you at lunch," she promised.

James had already packed up most of Remus' things, handing her his bag. "We'll be along in a bit, alright? I've got to ask Flitwick if he'll take my essay a bit late."

"I'll take care of him," Hazel said. "But I've got Arithmancy right after lunch, so can you guys check up on him later? I'll drop by the dorm after, but -"

"We've got it handled," Sirius promised her.

Hazel took off for the closest bathroom, finding Remus sitting on the floor. "Can I come in?" Hazel asked, knocking on the halfway open stall door.

"Yeah," a weak voice answered. Remus was sitting on the ground, his eyes closed as he leaned back on the side of the stall. "Hey," he smiled wearily.

"Hi," she said, setting their school bags down. "What's wrong, Rem?" His eyes fluttered open as she reached for his hand. "I didn't think the full moon was until next week, and you normally don't actually get sick like this."

"Slughorn's been experimenting with the Wolfsbane Potion again," Remus explained as she rubbed her thumb over his hand. "He's getting close, but whatever he did to this one - the last one gave me an awful headache. This one's making me so nauseous I don't think I can go near the Great Hall. But we only get about a week a month to test it, and if they fail like this one… he has to start again next month."

Hazel frowned, asking, "Does he think he can cure you?"

"No." Remus closed his eyes again, desperate for the world to stop spinning. "It'll keep me sane, though. When I transform. I won't be… what you saw. I'll be a normal wolf, and I can just sleep through the entire night."

"That's great, Rem!"

"Yeah, but there's a lot of trial and error. This -" he paused, starting to cough until he retched again. Hazel sat there patiently, rubbing his back as he lost what was left of his breakfast. "This is the error."

They sat there for a while, until Remus felt like he could stand again. Hazel let him put an arm around her as they walked back to Gryffindor Tower, where she helped him change and get into bed. "I'll be back later, okay? I've got Arithmancy after lunch, and then I promised Sev I'd study with him, but the guys are coming up to check on you while I'm in class. I'll be back after dinner. I can bring you something then if you're up for it."

"Thanks," he smiled, already closing his eyes again. Hazel pressed a kiss to his cheek before she took to the stairs.

Luckily for her, she ran into Professor Slughorn on the way to the Great Hall. "Excuse me, professor? The potion you gave Remus this morning's made him pretty ill. He's been sick all morning. He had to run out of Charms so he wouldn't be sick in class."

"Yes, yes… I'll have to make some changes, then. Perhaps the wolfsbane was a bit strong in this one," he thought aloud as they walked. "I'll have to let my assistant know as well…"

Hazel stopped him in the doorway. "Sir, if this is making him so sick - Remus already goes through so much during the full moon. He shouldn't have to be sick for a week beforehand too."

"Exactly why I am trying to perfect the recipe," Slughorn said. "Mr. Lupin volunteered for the job. He is the only one I have to test it on, and he's been absolutely sporting about the whole thing." Hazel frowned, but she decided to leave it alone. She could ask Remus himself later.

When she made it back to Gryffindor Tower that evening, she found James, Sirius, and Peter in the common room. "He's upstairs," Sirius motioned. "Looking a lot better than he did in Charms, but I think he went back to sleep." She nodded, taking to the stairs. Just as she opened the door to the boys' dormitory, she heard Sirius turn to James and go, "Y'know, you look at Evans like Moony looks at her. I'd say it was sweet, at least if she wasn't telling you to shove off all the time."

Remus was laying in bed when she walked in, lazily flipping through a book. "Hey," she smiled as she sat down next to him. "I brought you some toast." As Remus slowly started to eat, she had to ask why he was doing this to himself.

"I… the Wolfsbane Potion, or at east the possibility of it, is the first thing in years that's given me some hope that I can be normal," he told her, "so I want to keep trying. Slughorn's almost gotten it. He has some mysterious assistant he keeps talking about - it's not Lily, even though she's good at Potions - I've asked her - I bet it's one of his seventh year N.E.W.T. students… Either way, Slughorn and his assistant have almost perfected it. Maybe I'll be able to be almost normal by next year, and then I won't rip myself apart all the time, and maybe then I can try to find something to get rid of all of these scars and -"

"They're beautiful, Rem. You don't need to get rid of them."

"No they're not," he frowned, thinking of the silvery claw marks that ran down his body, marks that greeted him every time he looked in a mirror, the constant reminders of what he was. "I can't wait to get rid of them. I can't wait to not have people staring at me. You don't know what it's like -"

"Rem," she sighed, reaching for his hand, "they're fine. Anyone who says otherwise -"

"Stop lying to me!" He sat up a little more, letting go of her hand as he protested. "You keep telling me how you love my scars, how it doesn't matter to you what other people say about them, but we both know it's not true! We both know people stare at you because you're with that freak with claw marks all over his face!"

"So? Let them stare."

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?" she asked, impulsively reaching for the hem of his jumper. Remus didn't object as she raised it over his head. "They really are beautiful, Rem," she whispered, tracing one of the most prominent wounds on his chest. "Remember what I said they look like?"

"Star charts," he mumbled, the sudden bubble of anger now dissolving away. He was just left with a feeling of emptiness, the feeling that he was someone people would settle for. Nothing compared to the Ravenclaw boy everyone fawned over - Gilderoy something or other - or Sirius or James or even Peter, with his normal, un-scarred face.

Hazel ran her fingers down his stomach, stopping at a pattern that she smiled at. "This one looks like Cygnus - the swan. And the one up here," she moved her hand to his upper arm, "I think looks like Perseus. If you squint, this one," she moved her hand back to his chest, "looks kind of like Lyra. They really are beautiful, Rem."

He sighed, pulling her into his arms. "No they're not."

"They are," she insisted. She started to rub his back as she told him, "They're also proof of how strong you are. To go through what you go through every month... you're very strong, Rem. I love that about you."

There was a moment of silence before he sniffled, confessing, "You're the first person who's ever told me that. Most people just… tell me how to cover them up, or try to tell me how to get rid of them, but you… I love you."

"I love you too, Rem. You're so incredibly handsome, scars and all. And I'll remind you of that as often as you need, okay?"

"Hazel?" He let go of her just enough to look her in the eye. "Do you have any scars? Aside from the one I know about," he asked, his fingers brushing the groove of her hip. "This one's from falling off a swing, right?"

"Yeah," she smiled, leaning in to kiss him.

"You know how I remember?"

"Hmm?"

"It's the perfect place to put my hand when you're sitting on my lap," he blushed, leaning in for another kiss. "Do you have any more?"

"One on my knee from falling off a broom. And one very faint one on my elbow from the Whomping Willow. I got too close in second year," she laughed at the memory as she rolled her sleeves up. "Oh, and this tiny one on my thumb. Potions accident."

Remus nodded, pulling her close again. "I don't think I'll ever think mine are beautiful, but you… you help."