Author's Note:

Reviews and Comments: To CorbanD17: Yes, Hope definitely wanted to join in lol. Thank you! To Bellmel: McGonagall is definitely amazing! I loved giving her a chance to have a very public and verbal dressing down of Walburga (as she deserves). Thanks for loving the snippets of Hope Lupin that I have provided. Thank you! To A Huge Fan: Thanks for loving McGonagall and how she comes to Sirius' defence! She definitely has so much class, intelligence, and poise. Thanks for loving my world. Thank you! To Sets: Thanks for loving Hope's mindset and I agree, it is reflected in Remus. Thank you! To alix33: Thank you! To ellyann13: Only Sirius and James have mirrors at this point in the story. Thank you! To Slaidback: Thanks for popping back around, I like hearing from you! Thank you! To Shivani: McGonagall is most definitely a queen, thank you! To ascfan: Remus is concerned and his mum and McGonagall's comments say it all. Thank you!

My posting schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

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 THIRTY-THREE:

The One Where Remus Tells Lily

October 1976…

Remus was watching Lily as they roamed the halls together as prefects. She kept chewing on her bottom lip as if she wanted to speak but thought better of it. When she opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again, Remus sighed.

"Spit it out already."

"What?"

"Whatever it is that you keep trying to say and then not saying," Remus said.

Lily stared for a moment before she gestured for him to follow her into an empty classroom. "I don't know how."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "You don't know how to what? Talk to me?"

"Say it," she whispered. When he only continued to stare at her, she let out a slow breath. "I know that Potter and Black are sharing some secret about why Potter saved Snape last year and I know that you were involved."

"Oh."

Lily frowned. "Severus has this theory and… I don't know, Remus. No one will tell me what really happened. Why did Potter save him? How did he save him? He hates him, I know that. Usually I can't get Potter to shut up, but when I so much as mention the incident with Severus, he shuts down. And Black just tells me that it's Marauder business. He does know that's not a real thing, right? Like you four aren't some secret group of superheroes, you're students who play pranks and cause trouble."

Remus snorted. "I'm a prefect, Lily. I would never cause trouble."

She rolled her eyes. "Liar."

Remus' lips twitched slightly before he took her in. Lily had been a good friend to him. She was kind and polite. She made him laugh and he loved talking about books with her whenever they could. He loved sharing stories with her and exchanging novels. He loved using her as a study partner and he loved patrolling with her. She confided in him about how hard it was with her sister and how they didn't get along much; how Petunia seemed to be pushing her further and further away and how much it broke her heart. She was one of the few people that he trusted wholeheartedly.

He swallowed, his heart racing, as he realized what he was about to do. "The secret that James and Sirius won't share with you is mine."

Lily took his hand in hers. "Remus, it's okay, I don't need to know the secret if it's something that you're not willing to share. I would never ask that of you."

"I know." He squeezed her fingers gently. "That's why I'm going to tell you. I trust you and you're one of my closest friends. You deserve to know. I'm… I'm a… w-w-werewolf."

Lily laughed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not."

Her eyes widened slightly. "That's…"

Remus pulled his hand back and stood up. "I'm diseased, I know."

"No!" Lily grabbed his hand turned him towards her, pulling herself to her feet. "It's just… hard to believe."

"Why?"

"Because I grew up in a Muggle world and sometimes that stuff still surprises me. I suspected in third year."

Remus' eyes widened. "What changed your mind?"

Lily shrugged. She pushed her hair back as she spoke. "I don't know. I think I just didn't want to believe that it was true."

"Well, it is. James… he… jumped in front of me. I almost attacked someone and my claws ripped into him and he's forgiven me for it."

"Of course he has!" Lily said vehemently. "That was not your fault! The fact that he has stood by you only proves that. And you think that I won't stand by you," she said, realizing what he was talking about.

"No," Remus replied. "I trust you with this secret, Lily. I know that you will keep it for me. It's whether or not you accept me is something else entirely."

Lily stared at him a moment before she took both his hands in hers. "I wouldn't still be standing here otherwise."

"Thank you," he whispered, his eyes on hers. "I don't… thank you."

"Will you… will you tell me how it happened?" she asked.

He nodded as they sat back down on the ground. "I was four. Dumbledore is an amazing man. He knew of my condition when I got my letter and he came and spoke to me, promised to make special arrangements so that I could still come to school. I'll never forget that. James and Sirius discovered it in third year and approached me about it; they filled Peter in and all of them still wanted to be my friends. I was shocked. I hadn't expected that kind of loyalty or decency and I was ashamed because of it. They have been… amazing and I owe them a lot."

Lily leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You're amazing. I don't know how you endure… I've read that it's very painful."

"Excruciating. But you get used to it. Lily, that's only part of the secret… Snape was… being Snape and… he baited Sirius one step too far. He told him where to find me during the full moon, taunting him that he would find something worth his while. James found out and… he grabbed Snape just in time. I would have killed him, but James… he saved him and he saw… Snape knows what I am. That I'm a monster."

Lily smacked his arm. "You are not a monster, Remus Lupin! I don't ever want to hear that foul word leave your lips again. You have been a great friend to me, Remus. You're intelligent and bright. You have the best taste in books. You're kind and gentle and are always striving to help others. A monster wouldn't be any of those things."

Remus blinked back tears as he accepted the hug she offered. "You have been a great friend to me as well, that's why I'm sharing this with you. I… I trust you, Lily."

"Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek. "Your secret is safe with me."

Remus hugged her tighter, blinking back tears in his eyes and wondered how he'd been lucky enough to find this amazing little circle of friends who accepted him. It amazed him every day and he was thankful for it.

For them.