The second night of the full moon was just as painful, but Hazel was a lot less nervous following Remus and Lyall out to the barn this time. Remus was a lot less afraid that she would leave him, now that she'd seen him as a wolf once. It still hurt her terribly to have to sit there and watch him scratch at himself, reopening the wounds that Hope and Lyall had so carefully bandaged and tried to heal that morning. But she knew that he would be okay, that he was well cared for, and that they would get to settle in for a nice nap in the morning.

Despite all of the scratches and horrible bruises, he felt a lot better in the morning knowing that Hazel was there. It had become a regular thing back at Hogwarts, especially now that she knew exactly how much pain he was forced to put himself through every month. Hazel would sit up and wait impatiently, keeping an eye on the Whomping Willow as the sun rose. She would sometimes wait in the Hospital Wing, but most of the time she would wait up in Gryffindor Tower, anxiously counting down the minutes until the four boys came through the portrait hole. As soon as they walked in, she would insist that the others get some sleep and that she would take care of Remus while they went off to bed.

It was a mournful goodbye, but Hazel had the comfort of knowing that she'd see him again in a few weeks. She fell asleep on the afternoon train back to Sussex, but despite how tired she was, her thoughts were far from easy. Something was nagging at the back of her mind.

As she stood in her room unpacking, she smiled a bit as she realized Remus had snuck one of his jumpers into her bag, leaving a scrap of parchment folded into it.

I know you missed stealing these, so here's one to borrow for now. See you soon. XOXO, Rem

But her smile faded a bit as she glanced at the photos she had on her wall - her and Remus in Hogsmeade, Pandora, Xeno, Marlene, Emmeline and her at a Quidditch match, decked out in Gryffindor colors, Her and Sev out by the lake. Sev. Sev hadn't minded Remus very much, at least at first, but over the last year he came to detest him. As far as he was concerned, all of the Marauders were involved in the "werewolf incident", no matter how many times Hazel tried to convince him that Remus had no idea what was going to happen, that he never would have supported it if he knew. Even Remus and Sirius had grown apart after "the prank" as Sirius called it, Remus no longer treating him like family. They were still good friends, of course, but Hazel had noticed the fundamental shift, the arm's length that Remus was holding him at for a while. Maybe things would go back to normal this year, but Hazel had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't going to be an easy year at Hogwarts for any of them.

"Hazel, dear, dinner's going to be ready soon," Aunt Violet said, appearing in the doorway.

"Aunt Violet? Can I talk to you about something?"

Her aunt looked her over from the doorway, Hazel fully knowing she was employing the mythical detective skills her husband had taught her long ago. "Did you two... do something you now regret?"

Hazel set the jumper down, her mind incredibly full. "It's not like that, that's not what's bothering me. I... I love Remus, I do, but I keep thinking... Sev doesn't like him, but he didn't like him too much before everything happened, and, well..."

Aunt Violet pursed her lips, still hovering in the doorway. "Hazel, dear, why would Severus' opinion about Remus bother you?"

"I want them to get along," she insisted. "I'd hope Sev's not miserable every time he hangs out with us. I want him to be happy. He deserves to be happy, after everything he's been through. I don't want him to put up with Remus just so he can spend time with me. He's one of my best friends. He deserves better than that."

"Is that all he is?" Her aunt paused for a moment before saying, "Something to think about, but not to fret over too much. Now get yourself washed up, dinner's going to be ready soon."

Hazel went to sleep that night still thinking about it. Or rather she sat up for ages still thinking about it, about how Sev had been there for her, about how he had pulled her into his arms after the funeral and let her sob, about how comforting and comfortable he was. It would be nice to be back there. The errant thought startled her. She didn't want to be back there, in the dismal state of mourning she was in. But what would it feel like holding him when I'm not crying? No. What in Merlin's name is wrong with you? You just miss Remus. You need a hug. Go to sleep. You'll be back at school in a few weeks and it'll all be fine.

She rolled over in bed, reaching for the stuffed wolf that sat atop one of her pillows. It had been perfectly nice and warm and sweet falling asleep next to Remus. The two of them would occasionally fall asleep together on the sofas in Gryffindor Tower, or one of them would doze off while they were studying on the grounds, but they hadn't seen each other in months. It was nice, and now she missed it again.

Sev doesn't like you like that. What if he does, though? You've got nothing to worry about. Unless you do. Maybe that's part of why he doesn't like Remus. Don't be an idiot, he doesn't like Remus because Remus almost killed him. And because he's best friends with James Potter and Sirius Black. That's enough reason to hate him, especially with what they put him through. Go to sleep, you need it.

With a sigh she rolled over again, trying not to think about it, trying to will herself to go to sleep. Soon enough her worries would disappear as they started a new school year and everything went back to some semblance of normal. Not that anything at Hogwarts could ever be normal, but they would at least be settling into a pattern of living and working again. And with N.E.W.T.s in the distant future, they would be able to relax for a little while. Or so she thought.