It was an overcast Saturday morning, Hazel and Remus lying in bed as the others dozed off. The first night of the full moon had been as full of adventure as it always was, but all of them were exhausted. Hazel had stayed up in the Ravenclaw common room working on a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay, then slept for a bit, waking up before sunrise. She'd raced to Gryffindor Tower, the Fat Lady a bit miffed that she'd been woken up until she saw who it was. After a knowing "oh, it's you, dear", she'd let her inside, no questions asked. She knew that this was the girl who would let the four boys in, the three carrying their battered and bruised friend. She'd been sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore, as had all of the other portraits nearby.

Though everyone else slept through Sirius' snores, Remus and Hazel were still awake. For his part, Remus kept dozing off only to be awoken by a searing pain in one of the many wounds he'd received the night before. A lot of them had been healed by Madam Pomfrey, but just like after every full moon, his entire body hurt. He left the Hospital Wing feeling like he'd been hit by the Knight Bus. He thought his incessant wincing in pain was waking Hazel up, but she was lying awake for an entirely different reason.

She tried to lay flat on her back, which woke Remus up as she moved from where she had been lying on his chest. "Hazel?"

"Hmm?" She sat up to look at him, taking in the sight of the incredibly tired boy, a weary smile still painted on his face as he grappled with whatever he was wondering. "Wait." She leaned in to kiss him, smiling a, "Rem, you're incredibly cute when you're tired."

"Thanks," he smiled back, giving her another kiss. "So... this is gonna sound weird, but werewolves... near the full moon, at least, we can just tell some things. Heightened senses and all, you know? So, er, I might already know, so there's no point in lying, but... have our cycles synced up?"

"Remus John Lupin!" Hazel couldn't help but laugh, but as she dropped back onto the pillows she whispered a quick, "Yes."

It was his turn to laugh. "Lucky us, huh?"

"Fortunately it won't be like that every month."

"What are you two laughing about?" Sirius yawned, rolling over to look at them. "Never should've let her in here, Moony, keeping us awake after we've been up all night. Do share, what's so funny?"

"Nothing, Pads," Remus laughed. "Go back to sleep."

Sirius rolled his eyes and rolled over again. "You two are mad. Absolutely mad."

As soon as the curtains around his friend's bed closed, Remus looked back at her, leaning in to kiss her once more before he spoke. "C'mere. Let me take care of you."

"What?" she asked as Remus pulled her to him, putting a warm hand on her abdomen.

"You take care of me after every full moon. It's only right that I take care of you when it's your time of the month. Even if they line up," he said with a smile. "I only transform for two days, but you're stuck like this for longer. So you should let me take care of you and be the most amazing boyfriend in the world. Now... what am I supposed to do, exactly?"

Hazel couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Just keep me company. And keep your hand there, it's nice and warm."

"Are you in pain?" he whispered into her hair. "I know it's supposed to hurt."

She shook her head, pulling him down to kiss her. "Not as much as transforming into a werewolf. But no, not too much. Sev made me a potion for it earlier. It's just... not comfortable."

"Oh." Remus frowned, the sudden realization hitting him. "Wait, Snape knows about..."

"He's one of my best friends, and the absolute best at potions," she answered, moving a bit so his entire body fit perfectly next to hers. "I wouldn't want anyone else brewing me something that sensitive. Besides, I was in a hell of a lot of pain last night, and we were studying together, so - it's not like I tell him every month."

"Hmm. Wait!" Remus bolted up, hit by a sudden idea.

"Rem no, come back," Hazel whined as he rolled over and started frantically rummaging in his nightstand.

"Just a second." Sure enough he was back a second later. He draped his arm over her again, carefully bringing a piece of chocolate to her lips. "Here. Eat. You'll feel better."

She obliged, Remus settling back in again. "I love you, Rem."

"I love you too."

Though she dozed off perfectly well, she woke up to a dull pain in her abdomen. Remus had been awake for a little while, immediately noticing how she winced as she sat up. "Rem, can you do me a favor? Like the biggest favor ever that totally won't make you feel awkward in any way?"

"Of course, love." He kissed the top of her head, helping her sit up a bit. "What do you need?"

"Can you go ask Sev for more of that potion? He'll probably be in the library or up in Astronomy Tower. Or ask Madam Pomfrey, I know she has some too."

Remus was already halfway out of bed. "Of course, love. Just stay here." With one final kiss he left the dorm, only to return a little while later with a goblet full of a pale blue liquid. "Snape says you should drink all of this."

She couldn't help but smile at the thought of him walking up to Sev and asking for more of the carefully concocted draught. "Rem?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we stay here until dinner?" she asked as he climbed back into bed beside her.

"Of course." He picked up the book next to his bed, or rather the book on top of the pile of books next to his bed, and started reading to her as she nestled into his side. His mum sent it out of the blue, saying she'd picked it up and thought he would like it. He did like it - it was about astronomy, one of the things he'd been interested in since he was little - but he liked that book in particular because Hazel would read it to him whenever he was in pain after a full moon and couldn't sleep. Now it was his turn. She yawned, the radiating pain starting to ebb as his voice lulled her to sleep.

Hazel sat up working after dinner, watching as the boys got themselves together, James folding the Invisibility Cloak into his regular cloak. They all had their little rituals before they set off for the Hospital Wing. James would stow the Invisibility Cloak in his pockets and check for his wand. Peter would be nibbling on whatever snack he could get his hands on, tucking his wand into his pocket before checking the window to be sure the sun hadn't set yet. Sirius would insist that they all drink water, double-check their plans, and make sure no one was out on the grounds. Remus would leave nearly everything behind. His wand, his watch, everything he had in his pockets would be emptied and left in the dorm. He'd fold up extra clothes and bring them with to the Hospital Wing. Other than that, he carried nothing with him.

Lately Remus had added one more thing to his little ritual. He would find Hazel, who by then was usually in Gryffindor Tower, and kiss her goodnight. Normally the others would have bothered him about it, but right before the full moon, they all knew how nervous he was.

Tonight he didn't have to look very far to find her. She's returned to the tower after dinner, curling up in his bed with a book. "We're gonna get going," Remus said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Hazel closed her book and put a hand to his face. "I'll get going then too. Be careful. I love you, my sweet wolf."

"I love you too. But you can stay here if you want to." She raised an eyebrow, but he continued, "You'll be back here before sunrise anyway. Just stay here. Try to get some sleep. You'll have the whole place to yourself."

"Okay. Good luck," she sighed, pulling him into a hug. "I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning." He leaned in for one last kiss before leaving with the others.

As soon as they were gone, Hazel got up to look out of the window. The sun was setting, but she couldn't see the moon just yet. She stayed there, watching as Remus and Madam Pomfrey walked out to the Whomping Willow. Nearly as soon as Madam Pomfrey turned her back, the tree froze again. She smiled to herself, knowing that three invisible boys had just tumbled into the passageway. She waited at the window, watching the Whomping Willow unfreeze and the moon start to rise. There was nothing she could do now but wait.

She was able to sit and read for a little while longer, but when her eyes began swimming with facts about the differences between shtrigas, varkolaks, and classic vampires, she shut the book and set it aside.

It was odd being in here alone. Even when the others were gone, she at least had Remus with her. Castling a glance to all of the photos Remus had taped up by the side of the bed, she couldn't help but smile. A bunch of them were of the four boys, but she was in a couple of them too. There was one she hadn't noticed before, one Hope must have taken back at their house. Hazel and a heavily-bandaged Remus were curled up together in his bed, fast asleep. It made her smile, but as she lay down, she sighed, wishing he was next to her. He'll be back in the morning. It wasn't much of a comforting thought. So she held onto one of his pillows instead of the real Remus, trying to close her eyes and get a precious few hours of heavily-interrupted sleep.

She never thought the sound of the four of them crashing up the stairs while swearing at each other to be quiet would bring a smile to her face, but as they all limped back into the dorm together the next morning, she couldn't help it.