Author's Note:

Reviews and Comments: To Moony The Sheep: Thank you! I wanted to show a bit of how Lily and Petunia felt after the incident. To ellyann13: I do feel bad for Petunia here, she is afraid it's real and she can't seem to process what that means for her or for Lily. Thank you! To Shivani: Snape is creepy and weird lol. I think Snape believed his own words there, or wanted to, which is sadder. Thank you! To Avipotter: Thank you! We will see more of Snape and Lily, but no too much of Petunia any time soon. Thank you! To CherrySara: You're welcome for the bonus chapter! Thank you! Petunia was a bit insufferable, but Snape was also still a bit creepy and not creepy at the same time. Such a dilemma! Thank you! To darkhk: Yes, it will be 69 chapters and end in 1981. It will be snippets and time jumps. Each chapter is essentially a standalone moment. Thank you!

To alix33: You think something worse than a branch should have fallen on Petunia? Seems fair. Thank you! To Guest: I plan to continue this story… To Sam: I thought it makes sense, most witch references for her would be The Wizard of Oz, LOL. I accept your hate of Snape and Petunia! Thank you! To Sara: Lily is very powerful from the start. Her ability to control her magic is part of what I think makes Harry be so powerful. Thank you! To Griffind00r: Snape was rather vulnerable and unreserved in his early years and you can see he's not sure where he wants to cross the line. I can't imagine a world where Snape and Sirius are best friends LOL. Thank you! To notthatchhavi: Thank you! To Slaidback: Thank you very much!

To CorbanD17: Thank you! To marauders_mowopapr: Thank you! Yes, James and stupid in love with Lily… not quite yet, but we'll get there. Promise. To Bellmel: Snape is quite excited to be going to this school with Lily, to showing her this new and exciting world. Petunia is being a bitch and I think Snape is trying to cling to Lily a little, to not lose this new and probably only friend he has. Thank you!

My posting schedule: Weekly.

Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER FOUR:

The One Where There's A Monster

March 1971…

Remus Lupin knew that he was different. He had always known that there was something different about him, but he hadn't really understood what until just before his sixth birthday, when he woke up after the full moon with a broken bed post and claw marks all over the walls.

He banged on the door, crying for his parents to unlock it, and when the door finally opened, the sight of his mum caused him to throw himself into her arms.

"Mummy! There's a monster!"

"A monster?" Hope Lupin asked.

"Look, what he did to my room!" Remus exclaimed. "Can you check under the bed?"

Tears welled up in Hope's eyes. She snuggled him close, kissing his temple as she stroked his hair and diligently told him that there was no monster under his bed. Or in his closet. There was no monster anywhere, she insisted, because Remus had done it.

He was the monster.

They'd cried together curled up in his parents' bed as Hope tried to explain to him what had been going on for the last year, and why they had to lock him in his room a few nights a month. There were three nights of the moon cycle that caused the werewolf to emerge, the night before, the night of, and the night after the full moon. Each night, the werewolf would force himself out of Remus' body and try to destroy everything and everyone in sight.

"But that's not you, love," Hope insisted. "You're our baby boy and we love you. We'll always love you. No matter what."

But Remus had known there was more to it than that.

It meant that he didn't have any friends.

It meant that he had to stay home and be homeschooled by Hope.

It meant that he learned to love books and learning as an escape from his own reality.

It meant that he would never have a normal life.

Or it did until one day, a week before his eleventh birthday, the most unusual looking man he had ever seen arrived on their doorstep. Remus stood on his toes to get a peek at the tall man standing on their doorstep as Lyall and Hope tried to block his entrance, but five minutes later, the man was sitting at the fireside, eating crumpets and playing Gobstones with Remus.

He had a long white beard, longer than anyone Remus had ever seen, with a long moustache. He wore a funny looking black cape over dark purple pinstriped trousers with a matching purple jacket over a white shirt with black stars all over it. His glasses were shaped like a half-moon and they sat on the edge of his long nose and did nothing to diminish the intensity of his rather blue eyes. His name was Albus Dumbledore and he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Remus knew what that was. His father had attended school there to learn magic. He was a wizard, but his mother was a Muggle. His father promised he would teach him magic and get him a wand because Remus knew he could never go to school with the other kids. Lyall had explained that to him, saying it was much too dangerous for him to be around them.

It was why Remus really didn't understand why Dumbledore was here. He watched him carefully as he listened to Dumbledore speak.

"I understand your fear," Dumbledore assured them. "Fenrir Greyback has been boasting about what he's done for years. I know that this isn't Remus' fault and I don't believe that he should suffer because of it. I see no reason why he can't attend school come September with his peers."

"Really?" Hope exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Do you really think he could?"

"No," Lyall said, sharply. "He's a fool. How is he supposed to share a dormitory with other boys? How will they be protected from him?"

"I've arranged a safe place for Remus to go during the moon, Mr Lupin. It's in Hogsmeade and there's a secret entrance from the school grounds. He can go there to transform safely and stay the night. He will return to the school in the morning," Dumbledore explained. "The school matron will check him over and make sure he hasn't hurt himself before letting him return to his classes for the day."

Lyall scoffed. "He's exhausted the next day. He spends the whole night running around like a wild animal! He scratches and claws himself, the walls, the furniture. He howls and shrieks the whole night. How do you expect him to keep this a secret when he's falling asleep in class?"

"We will take precautions, Mr Lupin," Dumbledore assured him. "The professors will be aware of his condition, but we will not broadcast it to the students. I don't want to cause panic nor do I want to make any of the students uncomfortable. I think it's best that we keep Remus' condition a secret while he's there."

"And this safe place?" Lyall prompted. "How can you guarantee that he will be safe there? That he won't escape and hurt someone?"

"It's a house in Hogsmeade not on the beaten path," Dumbledore said. "It will be guarded by many spells to prevent him escaping and reached only by an underground passage from the Hogwarts grounds."

"Please, Dad," Remus said, his eyes on his parents. "I want to go."

Hope reached over to squeeze her husband's hand. "I want him to go, too, Lyall. It will be so good for him to get to make friends, to learn how to control his magic."

Lyall closed his eyes. "Hope, if people find out that there's a werewolf attending Hogwarts…"

"They won't," Dumbledore insisted. "He will be safe. I assure you."

Remus snuck another hopeful look at his parents. His father's eyes met his for a long moment before Lyall nodded curtly.

"Okay."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore exclaimed, standing up. "Well, I thank you for your hospitality and for that scrumptious crumpet, Mrs Lupin. Remus, your letter will arrive in the summer. I look forward to seeing you at the feast on the first of September."

When the door closed behind him, Remus grinned at his parents.

"I can go to Hogwarts? Really?"

"Yes," Lyall said. "You can go to Hogwarts."

Remus rushed across the room to hug his parents tight and thought it was the happiest day of his young life.

End Author's Notes:

I know I already answered this in ASC, but I always liked the Whedon myth about werewolves where it covers 3 days a month: Day before, day of, and day after the full moon. This is how I explain Remus' lycanthropy.

Thanks for reading and please review!