Mary Potter

Winter faded into spring and before long it was close to the end of term. Sirius had taken Mary's advice and was now substituting for Remus during the days around the full moon. And although he was only there part time, he easily took up the position as second most loved teacher in Hogwarts. Even the more reluctant Slytherins had very few bad things to say of the Head of the Black family.

Mary spent a few evenings a week, sometimes joined by her friends, and they'd sit in the small cozy Professors quarters hearing stories of the Marauder's days in the ancient school. But the best part was when Sirius and Remus showed up at the Quidditch matches, loudly and clearly supporting Gryffindor. They hadn't lost a match all season and Mary wasn't willing to see the winning streak end.

"Good luck today, Potter." Diggory shook her hand.

"Thanks." Mary smiled at him and moved with the rest of her team to the doors of the Entrance Hall. "Slytherin doesn't stand a chance."

"Right you are, sis." George patted her shoulder. "Just look at the weather."

"Perfect for playing." Fred grinned widely at the partly cloudy sky. "Not too warm either."

"There here." Wood hissed, pointing at the stands, as they walked onto the pitch.

Two young men and a woman sat in the guest stands. Mary could only identify them by their vividly colored clothing. All three wore bright blue robes that signified Puddlemere United. Beyond them, the stadium was slowly filling, as almost the entire castle's population decided to enjoy the lovely weather and last match of the year.

"Good turn out," Katie whispered to the others, pulling her fingerless brown gloves onto her hands.

"The Slytherins look nastier than ever." Angelina gazed out of the tiny window from the changing rooms. "Montague looks as though he's grown a foot since the last match."

"Stay out of their way." Wood advised them, his voice shaking as he stood by the door. "They know we're the stronger team and they're aiming to injure. Don't take chances."

"We could use Scorpio tactics." Katie butted in. "The same ones you made us learn after the rogue Bludger attacked Mary."

Fred and George looked at each other then at the rest of the team. "We'll keep them busy."

"Good." Oliver sighed, rubbing his face.

"Wait!" Alicia blocked the door. "Same stance we used before the first Hufflepuff match. We're not scared, nervous, or intimidated. We're going to win!"

"Or die trying." Oliver nodded his head proudly. "Let's go."

"I've brought our advantage." Mary pulled the package out of her locker and quickly unwrapped it. "Sirius got it for me for Christmas."

Her teammates spluttered and coughed as they looked down at the gleaming broomstick. There in all her glory was the new Firebolt, kept hidden away until the last moment, giving them the advantage against certain sneaky Slytherins that would try and one up them.

Mary slung her new broom onto her shoulder and ran out of the door behind Katie, turning around and slapping the older girl lightly on the shoulder. "You're it!"

Katie laughed and turned around to quickly tag Angelina. And so forth it went, right up until Madam Hooch called Oliver and Flint to the center of the pitch.

"I'm not even going to suggest you shake hands." Hooch looked from one furious team captain to the other. "Mount your brooms...Three – Two – One!"

Mary watched as the wooden trunk opened and the different sized spheres flew into the air, but by that time, she was already high above the pitch, watching her teammates play with an intensity that she'd never seen before. All the while, she slowly circled the stadium searching for the elusive Snitch.

"Gryffindor scores!" Lee Jordan exclaimed!" "Nice work, Alicia! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR! Oh, and a nice dodge by a Weasley, I can't tell which is which. WATCH IT! A near collision between Johnson and Flint! Clearly foul play!"

Mary angled her broom towards the green robed players and smirked. Her moves were fast as lightning as she ducked and dove through the melee, keeping the Slytherin Beaters and Chasers distracted while Gryffindor scored again and again.

"Go for the Snitch, Mary!" Wood screamed at her, close to an hour after the match began. "We're up a hundred and twenty points!"

Mary angled her broom up and began searching again.

As though it knew she was looking for it, the Snitch appeared hovering just to Malfoy's left while the blonde was distracted by the other players.

Mary gripped her right leg with her right hand, determined not to screw up the Feint. While her left hand held tightly to the Firebolt, Mary dove straight down.

"And Potter has the Snitch in her sights!" Lee yelled at the crowd. "And have my eyes gone wonky or is that a Firebolt she's flying!? Merlin's tits! LOOK AT IT GO!"

"JORDAN!" McGonagall growled over the magical microphone. "Language!"

Mary blocked out the rest of the commentary as she focused on her goal. The Snitch flew in a lazy figure eight pattern just above the grass, taunting her, but with Malfoy so close to it, she had no time to waste. The vast expanse of green engulfed her vision as the pitch raced closer and closer to her at a near freefall pace.

"Come on!" Mary whispered, leaning closer to the handle to gain a more aerodynamic advantage.

She passed Malfoy as though he was sitting still and almost laughed at his sputter of rage as he urged his broom after her. She was so close now, so close she could taste the victory. There was no way she would mess up the move again.

She took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled through her nose, keeping her pulse and breathing calm. With her knees gripping the broom Mary raised her good hand and plucked the Snitch from the air, then quickly grabbed the handle and pulled it into a smooth landing.

"POTTER HAS THE SNITCH!" Lee Jordan crowed. "GRYFFINDOR WINS 300-NIL!"

Mary knelt down on the grass, breathing hard and trying to keep from passing out from shock. She couldn't believe it! They'd done it! They'd won the Cup!

Heavy footsteps pulled her from her revelry and she looked up in time to see Oliver skidding across the grass on his knees, just before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. Mary laughed and patted his back, then looked up in confusion when he pulled away long enough to plant his lips on hers.

"Well if he congratulates all his teammates that way this might get interesting!" Lee Jordan laughed despite McGonagall's outraged sputtering in the background.

"Oh look," Lee pointed out. "It seems the Weasley twins have taken offense to the public snogging of their honorary sister."

Oliver turned around at Lee's words and walked toward Fred and George, whose eyes widened, and stopped them in their tracks. They began backing away from their insanely ecstatic captain and held up their hands in surrender as he started to run toward them. Mary stood and wiped her mouth on her sleeve, watching her teammates in amusement.

Angelina and Alicia landed their brooms and ran forward, pulling Fred and George to safety while Katie tried to pull Oliver back. He grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her, but to everyone's shock she didn't pull away.

Mary chuckled loudly at the tirade Professor McGonagall was spewing as she marched across the field with the Headmaster following just behind her holding the Quidditch Cup.

"Mr. Wood!" McGonagall yelled out once more. "Unhand Miss Bell right now!"

Katie pulled away and took a look around to where her teammate's were still gaping at her and shrugged. "Sorry. Couldn't pass up the opportunity."

Mary let out a laugh as Fred and George both slung their arms around her shoulders and guided her to where McGonagall was accepting the Quidditch Cup from Professor Dumbledore.

The party in the common room that night was a loud affair. Oliver was on cloud nine, going over his interview with the Puddlemere scouts to anyone that would listen. From what Mary could garner from his fast paced speech, they thought he was brilliant and signed him straight away.


The following weeks passed in a blur of studying and exams. Hermione was in her element as she directed their study group through the motions of scheduling what to study for next. So far, they'd all made it through fairly well, but considering that their future careers were on the line, no one wanted to muck it up.

"We've got Defense, Herbology, Runes, Arithmancy, and Divination on the line for the last exams," Hermione said with a nervous squeak.

"You're top in Runes." Daphne looked up and pushed a stack of note-cards toward Hermione. "You quiz us, then I'll quiz you."

"While anyone taking Runes is doing that," Mary added. "Neville can quiz some of us taking Herbology."

"I'll take Arithmancy." Tracey Davis picked up a thick tome and went to another table. "We can rotate out so that anyone taking multiple classes is able to study."

They split up and spent the rest of the night quietly talking back and forth, making sure that they were all prepared for the tests.

Potions that next afternoon left Mary with mixed feelings, while she did well in the practical portion of the exam, her Confusing Concoction was a shade darker than she'd intended it to be. Snape had glared at the vial and waved her away, giving no sign or indication on whether or not she'd failed.

Astronomy that night was an obvious fail on her part, as the stars seemed to all look the same and she couldn't concentrate on any constellation long enough to name it. It was something she would ask Sirius to teach her later, knowing that he was quite good at the subject.

Herbology was a breeze. Even Professor Sprout was ecstatic at how well most of the third years did. And it was even better when she scowled at the way Malfoy and Parkinson's Puffapods had shriveled up and died.

But it was Defense that Mary felt most at home. She tackled everything in the maze that Professor Lupin sent them into and even made it out with the fastest time. Remus greeted her at the end and smiled proudly as he jotted her grade down on his clipboard.

Ancient Runes were far trickier than Mary expected, but she was confident that she hadn't completely failed the class. It was Arithmancy that she worried about the most, having not attended a single lesson and opting to go with a self study approach. Either way, she knew that she did her best, and in those two classes she had no parallel memories to help her.

Mary spent the rest of the day, relaxing in the common room, glad that the exams were finally over.

"Come on." Oliver shook her shoulder, breaking her from her sleepy haze. "We're having a pick up game. Go get your broom."

Mary ran into her room, grabbed her Firebolt from her trunk, and ran downstairs with a whoop of glee. Flying sounded marvelous. After the long nerve wracking week of testing, she needed a way to just let go and have some fun.

The minute her feet hit the top step of the Entrance Hall, Mary mounted her broom and sped toward the pitch. Players from most of the four houses stood around talking amicably. They all decided on splitting the large number into two teams. Everyone rapped their wands over their head, casting the charm that would randomly turn their clothes red or blue, dividing the group evenly and without bias. Mary ended up on the Blue team, along with Diggory, the Twins, and twenty others.

It wasn't a true match, simply a game of Keep-Away. The Keepers guarded the goals, and the rest of the team had the job of getting the single Quaffle through the hoop. It was madness, utter chaos, but ridiculously fun.

Even though the game ended in a close tie at 100-110, when Professor McGonagall ran out shouting at them that it was after midnight, there were no hard feelings. They all talked loudly and laughed as they made their way back into the castle.

A long mournful howl in the distance pulled Mary's attention away, and she automatically looked up to see the moon sitting full and high in the sky above them. The clouds drifted dark and thick in the air in front of it, sending sinister shadows onto the ground below. Mary stood stock still and watched as hundreds of dark cloaked creatures swarmed in the distance.

She urged her broom to the left, unnoticed by the others, as she flew further into the grounds and towards the Whomping Willow, following the pain filled whines. She landed quickly and stumbled twice, but kept her footing and made it to where a large grey wolf stood, teeth bared, long snout pointed up at the sky.

"Moony?" Mary whispered, her eyes darting from the agitated werewolf to the encroaching Dementors. "We have to get Padfoot out of here."

Moony nudged the still form with his snout and looked up at Mary with pleading yellow eyes.

"I'll get him." Mary assured him. "Go on, get back inside the castle."

Moony's hackles raised and he circled around her and nudged her in the ribs with his snout.

"I know." She reached out and patted his thick fur. "We'll go together. Wingardium Leviosa."

Sirius' still form floated in the air in front of them and Moony carefully grabbed the hood of Sirius' cloak between his sharp teeth, pulling the floating form towards the castle doors.

Mary could feel the cold creeping in and pointed her wand in the direction of the Dementors, thinking of the day she and Sirius went shopping for posters at Gambol and Japes. "Expecto Patronum!"

The giant silvery stag galloped through the air, keeping the dark creatures at bay. Mary was so entranced by the sight of Prongs that she didn't notice that they were surrounded. A loud yelp pulled her attention away and she gasped, watching the dark cloaked figures hovering above Sirius and Moony.

"Expecto Patronum!" Mary cast again, guiding the Patronus towards the newest threat. "Come on, Prongs."

The Dementors pulled away once again, but there were bigger problems to face. Their dark presence seemed to force Moony into a manic state. The werewolf stalked towards Sirius prone form with white teeth bared in hunger and defense. His yellow eyes flashed in the moonlight and all Mary could see was bloodlust.

Mary lifted her wand and choked down her own fear. "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

She could feel the immense amount of power that it took to bring down the werewolf and realized just how strong Moony was and how hard Remus fought to hold back the volatile nature of the wolf.

Knowing that she was running out of time, Mary ran towards her two father figures, levitating Moony, while dragging Sirius by the robes. Sweat poured down her face, her arms and legs ached from the strain, but all she could think about was getting them to safety. They were all she had.

"Bloody Harry Potter! Expecto Patronum," She ground out the spell and watched as the huge stag cantered off while she dragged her unconscious godfather up the steps with one hand and the petrified werewolf with her other. "Stupid bloody future. Sure it looked easy, but this is just bullshit! Change the future, but don't change too much. Don't tell anybody. Do it all by yourself."

"Potter!" Snape hissed as he rounded the corner and set his dark eyes on her. "I should have known you'd be the idiotic little menace that would ruin my night. What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

"Kind of failing to do two things at once." She shot him a pointed look as she tugged harder on Sirius' robes and finally got him inside the castle, "Sir, excuse me. Expecto Patronum. Bloody Dementors."

"I hope Prongs gores you in the bollocks!" Mary yelled out as she pushed the heavy doors shut and slid down to lean against them. "I'm too old for this shit."

Snape flicked his wand and levitated Sirius onto a stretcher and tried to keep his distance from the wolf. "Get away from the beast, Potter."

"He's stunned, Professor," she said quickly, lifting an eyebrow at him. "Dementors attacked us on the grounds. Have you seen Hagrid? Is there anybody else out there? We have to get help!"

"Your Patronus warned Hagrid and Professor Sprout in time for them to get into the castle." Snape grudgingly held out a hand to help her up. "Professor Dumbledore has contacted the Ministry and Professor McGonagall is currently checking to make sure that everyone is safely inside."

"That's good." Mary sighed and patted Sirius' hand. "I'm going to go lock Professor Lupin in his office. Will you take Sirius to the infirmary, professor?"

"I will." Snape replied then walked away with Sirius floating beside him, barely sparing her a glance, and shook his head in unveiled exasperation.

Mary flicked her wand and levitated Moony far enough into the air that his tail wouldn't drag on the stone floor and carefully made her way to his office. She set him down on the small cot and turned around to grab a blanket off the armchair to tuck him in for the night.

A low growl rumbled behind her and her eyes widened as she slowly turned around with the blanket in hand. "Moony?"

Golden eyes glared at her and the massive wolf bared his teeth, lowering his head and staring at her. Mary dropped the blanket and kept her hands in plain sight as she avoided looking at the disoriented werewolf in the eye.

"It's me, Moony," she said as calmly as she could, but still her voice shook. "It's Mary."

The wolf lunged and in one bound had knocked her backwards, burying his long fangs in her forearm. Mary screamed, a searing pain erupting up from the gaping wound. Within the span of mere seconds, his teeth had ripped her arm apart, tearing away both cloth and flesh, leaving nothing but a mangled mess of both.

Magic rippled across her skin and Moony yelped loudly, releasing her arm and backing away warily. Golden eyes stared at her in horror while he whined lowly and paced the floor. Mary wrapped the sleeve of her robe around the wound tightly, hoping to staunch the worst of the blood flow. Mary stood on shaky legs, drops of blood falling to the floor, while Moony watched and whined pitifully.

"I'm fine," Mary whispered to him and tried her best to sound reassuring. "I've got to go check on Sirius and I'll be back to see you in the morning."

Moony laid on the floor by the fireplace and turned his back to her. Mary sighed and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Clausa Maxima." She whispered the locking spell at the door handle and put a hand against the wood. "Night, Moony."

Snape looked up sharply when she stumbled into the infirmary some twenty minutes later, having to lean on the wall to keep from passing out cold in the corridor. "Potter, what are you..." He took one look at her pale face and the thick sheen of sweat that covered her brow, his eyes then traveling to the blood soaked arm of her robe. "I'm going to kill that bloody wolf!"

"My fault." Mary shook her head weakly as he helped her into one of the hospital beds. "My spell wore off before I could get out of the room. He was disoriented and scared. He didn't know what he was doing."

"I'll be sure to tell the werewolf how valiantly you've defended him just before the Ministry puts him down," Snape said darkly. "Uncover your arm."

"No one has to know! It was my fault, really! He won't be punished, will he, sir?" She did as she was told while trying to find something more to say to defend Remus.

Snape met her eyes and she could tell that he wanted to look away, but she grasped his hand with her good one, seeking some kind of reassurance. "Please, sir."

Snape cursed loudly when the last bit of cloth came off her mangled arm while Mary tried and failed to look away. At Madam Pomfrey's shriek, both grimaced and turned toward the irate witch who was stalking toward them brandishing her wand.

"Miss Potter." Madam Pomfrey growled out her name like it was a curse. "Considering it's a full moon that better not be what I think it is."

"I tripped?" Mary supplied weakly and squeezed Snape's hand even though he was desperately trying to free himself from her grip.

"Tripped over what? A Muggle bear trap?" Madam Pomfrey vanished Mary's outer robe, school sweater, and tie then slashed her wand angrily, severing the sleeve of her white button up shirt. "I do believe that you have exhausted every ounce of patience I have for you this year."

Mary put her head down in sudden shame and let go of Snape's hand, looking down at the myriad of exposed muscles and tendons.

A cold pale hand grasped the silver cuff that permanently adorned her arm and Mary followed it up to look at Snape in question.

"Magic won't work on the wound," Snape said to Madam Pomfrey who sat on the edge of the bed and sighed loudly. "Potions will also be useless."

"Isn't a bite like this cursed anyway?" Mary asked, thinking of Harry's memory of when Bill Weasley was attacked by Greyback.

"Exactly." Snape smiled grimly at her. "Lycanthropy is passed through a bite on the full moon and the wounds are highly magical and never heal properly."

"Which means you are the luckiest unlucky person I have ever met." Madam Pomfrey conjured a wash basin full of steaming water and a roll of gauze. "We'll have to clean it out and bandage it the Muggle way. I'm afraid you are going to have another nasty set of scars from this."


May 25th, 1994

Severus Snape

"Professor Snape, could you bring the Muggle remedies while I clean the wound?" Poppy asked, shooting a pointed look in his direction.

He took the hint and extracted himself from the situation. The blasted girl would surely want privacy while she cried and complained about the painful cleansing process. But he knew better than that. Despite his hatred of the child, he couldn't truthfully say that she was the type to whine. It was in his mental notes to believe her possessed if she ever griped about pain or punishment. It was something that he secretly admired about her.

He returned with the needed tinctures in his arms just as Poppy was finishing. The process had to have been excruciating, as Poppy stopped every couple of minutes to vanish the blood and cleanse the water. The scars would be horrific. Severus just hoped that the werewolf would regret his carelessness each time he saw them. They packed the wound with powdered silver and dittany, and Poppy stepped back, wiping her hands on a towel.

"Your hand is far steadier than mine, Severus." Poppy handed him a needle and silk thread, looking quite green. "Sutures are something that I have little practice with."

Potter's eyes met his and he saw the trustful, yet resigned look on her face as he accepted the needle. He looked away and cast a charm to give him more light.

"Stay as still as possible, Potter." He ordered her, placing the needle against her skin.

"Yes, sir," she said, staring at the wound.

It took him far longer than he liked, but it was tedious work made even more so under Potter's watchful gaze. Close to two hundred stitches later, he finished the task that Poppy'd given him. Potter was pale and weary, staring down at the crisscross pattern of black thread covering her forearm.

"Like Madam Pomfrey stated, it's going to scar." He informed her, handing her the vials of both blood replenisher and dreamless sleep.

She shrugged and leaned back against the pillows. "I'm no stranger to scars, sir."

"On the next full moon," Severus said heavily, "we will find out whether you have contracted the disease. If the Suppression Cuff works properly, you should not become a werewolf."

"Thank you, sir." Potter took in a shaky breath and stared up at him with tired green eyes. "Could you check Professor Lupin's office door? I'm worried that my locking charm won't hold. My other spells tonight seemed to be weaker than usual."

"What charm did you use?" Severus asked, standing quickly, his fear of the werewolf running amok in the school coming into fruition.

"Clausa Maxima," she muttered. "It was the strongest one I could think of."

"That charm isn't even in the Hogwarts curriculum." Poppy looked suspicious. "And it's certainly not in a normal third year's capability."

"Since when have I been considered normal?" Potter asked wryly. "Every time something good happens to me, I get paranoid about what part of my life is going to get royally screwed over next."

"I must say I firmly agree with that sentiment." Severus shook his head. "Idiotic brat."

"Sleep, Miss Potter," Poppy said gently, taking a seat next to the bed.

True to Potter's capability, the door to the werewolf's office was locked tight and he felt confident leaving, knowing that not even a seventh year could break the locking charm without a professor's help. Still though, he added wards of his own to be sure that no one would go in or out of the room without him knowing.


Sirius Black

May 26th, 1994

"Mr. Black." A voice pulled him from his sleepy state. "Mr. Black, I need you to sit up."

Sirius groaned as he opened his eyes and blinked at the hazy form of Poppy Pomfrey hovering over him with a mug in her hand. "Wha-?"

"Hot cocoa." Poppy helped him sit up and placed the warm mug in his hand. "There is a bar of chocolate on the table beside you when you're finished with that."

"What happened?" Sirius asked, knowing that last he remembered he was running through the forest with Moony.

Poppy sighed and shot a spell at the curtains surrounding his bed. "You were attacked by Dementors last night. Miss Potter brought both you and Professor Lupin back into the castle as you were unconscious."

Sirius sat up, almost spilling the cocoa onto the white sheets. "Remus and Mary? Are they okay?"

"I checked on Remus just an hour ago," Poppy said in a near whisper. "He was quite shaken up, but I gave him a potion to help him rest."

"And Mary?" Sirius felt his heart lodge in his throat.

"There was an incident." Poppy held up her hand to stop him from interrupting. "From what I gather, the Dementors caused Remus to lose rational thought. The only way for Miss Potter to bring him in, was to Stun him. Her spell wore off just after they made it into his quarters. Mr. Black, I know this will be hard to hear, but she was bitten quite badly."

Sirius scrambled off the bed and stood, his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. "Where is she?"

Poppy grasped his arm tightly, stopping him. "She's in the private room. But, Mr. Black...Sirius, it was her right arm that was bitten. There is still a chance that she hasn't contracted the disease."

Sirius roughly ran his hands through his hair. "I should be with her."

Poppy nodded and moved the curtain aside, letting him find his own way to the room where Remus usually stayed after the full moon. Remus. He had just gotten his friend back, there was no telling how badly this would affect his state of mind. Part of him didn't care and just wanted to rip his throat out for hurting Mary, but he shoved that thought away. Remus, no doubt, had enough self-loathing to do something far more drastic, and Sirius wouldn't lose his last true friend over what was clearly an accident.

But all of those thoughts left him when he walked into the private ward to find Mary deeply asleep, her arm lying on a pillow and covered in thick blue paste. Underneath it he could see the long gouges that were stitched back together, wrapping around her thin arm entirely and leaving naught but a place that would be left unmarred.

"Oh gods." Sirius sat heavily in the chair beside her bed and stared at her with profound relief and heartbreaking misery. "I'm sorry, kid."

"Sirius." The soft pain filled voice pulled his attention away from his goddaughter and he turned to see Remus standing in the doorway. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Sirius answered quickly, transfiguring another soft armchair on Mary's other side.

"I'm not staying long." Remus stepped in and sniffed the air, his eyes fixed on Mary's arm. "I...I shouldn't even be here."

Sirius looked up at him with a stony glare. "Stay."

"Siri?" Mary lifted her head and squinted her eyes.

"Hey, kid." He stood and helped her sit up. "How are you feeling?"

"Loopy." Mary grimaced. "Where's my warden?"

"Quiet you." Poppy scoffed as she walked into the room, holding a tray with a glass of water and numerous potions. "It's just the morphine talking."

"Morphine?" Remus asked quietly, drawing Mary's attention.

"Her right arm is resistant to any magic, including potions that could have healed her in a second." Poppy shook her head in resignation. "We've had to do the best we can with Muggle remedies, although I do think I'll tell Severus that he gave you too much in that last dose."

"I can't feel it." Mary poked at her arm and chuckled. "So no worries."

"Drink up, dear." Poppy handed her vial after vial of potions. "You can have some water and a light breakfast after you've finished."

Mary made a face of disgust as she handed the last empty vial back to Poppy. "Thanks."

"I'll send breakfast in a moment." Poppy patted her leg and walked out, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Mary-" Remus started in a mere whisper. "I'm so sorry. I know there is nothing I can do to make this right, but please know that I've already handed Professor Dumbledore my resignation and I promise that I will never bother you again. I just had to see you one last time - and apologize - before I left."

"What?" Mary stared at him in confusion. "Why are you doing this? You can't leave! Please, don't leave!"

"Look at yourself." Remus stood and pointed at her mangled arm. "I did that. I hurt you. You...you can't know how much I hate myself for this. And now, knowing what I'm capable of, surely you can't want me around."

"Don't tell me what to think and how to feel." Mary growled out, her eyes glowing slightly. "I may be young, but I'm more than capable of deciding such things for myself, thanks. What I told you at Christmas is as true today as it was then. You are part of my family, and I will not see you walk away out of guilt. Whether or not I become a werewolf doesn't change that in the slightest."

"I can't bear the thought," Remus said brokenly.

Mary reached forward and grabbed his hand, smiling warmly up at him. "You're my Moomy and I love you."

Remus leaned down and carefully pulled her into a hug, while Sirius sat back, a small smile on his face as he realized just how proud he was of her. "She's right, Remus. We're not letting you go anywhere without us."

The door opened and Professor Dumbledore walked in, four trays of food – stacked on top of each other – hovered in the air in front of him. "Ah, good. You're all here."

"Good morning, sir." Mary smiled and accepted a tray for herself.

"Good morning, child." Dumbledore grinned back. "Dig in. I do believe the house elves have outdone themselves today. The scones look fantastic. Remus, I must apologize. I'm afraid that I cannot accept your resignation until after the school term ends."

"He was going to retract that anyway." Sirius spoke for his friend. "I think he may have gotten a bit hasty and spoke without thinking."

"Wonderful to hear." Dumbledore conjured a chair for himself and sat down.

"Professor?" Mary looked up at Dumbledore while her left hand grasped the shining silver cuff on her upper arm. "Do you really think this will keep me from turning?"

Dumbledore stared at her over the rim of his glasses. "Theoretically, I don't see why it wouldn't. Its only purpose is to cut off magic, and as we all know, werewolf saliva is a highly magical substance. As long as you wear the Cuff, I see no chance in you turning."

"So she'll be okay?" Remus looked from Dumbledore to Mary, hope shining in his eyes.

Dumbledore's eyes dimmed slightly. "I think it's a bit early to make assumptions. At worst, young Mary's arm, and arm alone will transform. But considering the way the Suppression Cuff has worked so far, I think she will not have to face that."

"Thank the gods." Remus sighed in relief.

Dumbledore turned his gaze first to Sirius, then to her. "Mary, I'm counting on you to let Madam Pomfrey or myself know immediately if you start feeling any symptoms."

"What should we look for?" Sirius turned his gaze to Remus who narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Sensitivity to light, smells, sounds," Remus said quickly. "Those were the first three things I can remember from after I was bitten."

Mary's hand twitched and Sirius glanced at her quickly, only to see the tightness around her eyes. And he knew then and there that she had already experienced those symptoms, but wasn't going to say anything about it. As though she felt his gaze, Mary's head turned and her eyes met his. He could see the stubborn set of her jaw and the defiance that glowed like embers behind those bright green eyes that reminded him so much of Lily that it hurt.

"Professor Dumbledore," Poppy walked in and gave the Headmaster a pointed look. "Professor Sprout is in the main ward. She needs to see you immediately."

"Ah," Dumbledore vanished his tray and smiled at them all. "Excuse me please."

The second the door shut, Sirius stood up and sat back down on the edge of Mary's bed. "No secrets, kid. I love you too much to lose you now."

"Sirius?" Remus leaned forward.

"Mary?" He urged her.

"Those first three symptoms," Mary whispered. "This morning I thought I was going to pass out. The lights in here just about gave me a headache. The potions, while they normally smell foul, I thought I was going to be sick. And it kind of sounds like you've all been yelling at me."

Remus' hands clenched into fists. "The Cuff should have stopped that."

Mary shook her head. "Don't worry, Remus, I'm fine. If anything I've gained some super powers and a few more wicked scars."

"Wicked?" Remus hissed, his eyes burning in guilt. "Your arm is marred beyond recognition! Those scars will never fade or heal completely. They'll ache and burn the closer the moon gets. The pain goes all the way to the bone. At times you'll feel as though you'd rather cut off your limbs than deal with the tremors that race through them!"

"Remus." Sirius stood up and grasped his friend by the shoulder's while trying not to jostle Mary's bed. "Stop. Now."

"I'm sorry." Mary looked down at the bed. "I didn't mean to make light of it, really."

The door opened once again and Poppy poked her head in. "Mr. Black, Professor Lupin, the Headmaster would like to see you in his office immediately."

"Mary?" Sirius looked down at his goddaughter and saw the way she seemed to shrink in on herself, as though she was trying to bury herself under the covers.

"I'm tired," Mary whispered weakly.

Poppy waved her wand and walked fully into the room holding a small bottle of blue liquid. "Dreamless Sleep, drink it all."

Mary accepted the bottle, avoiding everyone's gaze and laid back down, pulling the covers over her head.

Remus glanced at him in remorse, but Sirius shook his head and walked out of the room, knowing that they would talk later. Remus walked beside him in silence until they both made it to the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office, which opened as soon as Sirius said his name.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk with his head down, eyes focused on the stone pensieve that sat in front of him. "Have a seat, please."

"What's happened, sir?" Remus asked, taking the nearest chair.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment longer before he finally lifted his head. "Do you both remember the prophecy that sent the Potters and Longbottoms into hiding?"

Sirius balked at the subject and stood up quickly, pacing the floor. "We could hardly forget it."

"Another has been made, just today in fact," Dumbledore said, prodding at the liquid in the basin. "Pomona happened by Professor Trelawney who was walking through the corridors aimlessly. The moment Trelawney saw her, she gave her second true prophecy to date."

With a wave of his wand, the bespectacled woman's face appeared in a ghostly haze, floating above the Pensieve.

"The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before. Tonight ... before midnight ... the servant ... will set out ... to rejoin ... his master ..."

"No." Remus choked out. "It's not possible."

Dumbledore looked every bit his age as he looked at them, twinkle absent from his eyes. "I've never believed that Lord Voldemort was truly dead. He was far too fearful of mortal life to not pursue more drastic measures to ensure his own survival. I believe he has spent these past years as a wandering spectre, biding his time until the right opportunity presented itself."

"But Mary," Sirius said heavily. "She'll be a target."

"Yes," Dumbledore said slowly. "I'm afraid that I must ask a lot of you in the days to come. Sirius, with the Blood Wards no longer protecting Mary, she will need a place that will be far safer than a flat in the middle of a busy street."

Sirius grimaced and gritted his teeth. "I have full control over Grimmauld Place. The wards will keep anyone out. We can even put the Fidelius over it. It will need cleaning though, it's been empty since my mother's death."

"Would you be willing to prepare it for Order meetings, if it comes to that?" Dumbledore asked him seriously.

"Of course." Sirius agreed quickly.

"And me, sir?" Remus leaned forward, as though waiting for a sentence from a judge.

"When the time comes," Dumbledore sighed. "I will need you to find others with Lycanthropy and try to keep them from joining Lord Voldemort's forces as they did in the last war. Any that we can spare from Greyback's ranks will be most welcome."

Remus nodded in resignation. "Of course, sir."

They left the office the same way they came, in complete silence, both of them lost in dark and warring thoughts. Sirius knew that there was only one thing that mattered, and that was keeping Mary both safe and happy. While he knew better than to mention anything in front of Dumbledore, he was already resolute in his decision to tell Mary about both prophecies. Like himself, she was not one who did well with secrets and always handled more information better than none.

He would train her. He would teach her. He would make sure that she was ready to face any threat in her path. He would make sure she survived. But more than anything, he would make sure that she was loved and happy.

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