Hello! Chapter 19 here- only three more chapters after this! I have to apologise though. This is the only chapter without Sirius and is set entirely in France. So don't expect it to be happy. And for the record all the conversations in this chapter take place in French.

          Thanks to w a r r i o r G [ i r ] L, madkornfan, Aubrey Miercoles (yeah, fanfiction over Mrs Jellicoe anytime…), Rachel Molko, Chloe-Wagner, fuzzyfishbowl, o0o- Sirius –o0o, SB for Me, Ambika-san, Vela-chan, Robby Moon (no… I hate happy endings…), Destiny Bunny, I r8ped Riddle, Fade to Black, Uozumi, Polkat, warriorGL (I've been to a gay wedding in Spain. But no, same-sex marriages aren't legal in the wizarding world), JadeWerewolf, The Demonic Duo, Gypsy Lupin-Black, ladyassassin, Dani Lupin and Joss Malfoy, BigBlackDog, Chevaux (uuummm… Johnny Depp in leather pants…), Gwen Potter, Lady Sirhasisi, theatrequeen217, freakyfairy, Lady Sundig, DARKMEW13, A.L. Lorraine, ScullyCat Marie, Moondoggy, Give the World for Mr. Black, Sakurelf, Lady Stone, Demus (missed you, darling), Berethiel (1.) Yes, I know what I'm doing. 2.) Angst is sort of like 'misery'. 3.) Savvy is put on the end of sentences to mean 'do you understand?'. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and loads of love from England!), tinuviel42 (No! The most gorgeous person ever is Sean Bean from Lord of the Rings!!!), emma57, Princess Flame, Never You Mind That, Mistress of the Manuscript, xMadgirlx, Mordecai, Chloe Sparrow (Sorry if all the French in this story seem to be so awful. They're only awful because Sirius isn't French. And sorry for keeping you up late as well!), Lady DeathAngel, Liz, Kalra, Yuki Bombay, Aidenfire, Bittersweet and Silver Diamonds.

~Remus' POV, His Parent's Chateau in France, Saturday 27th November~

The Remus Lupin staring back at me out of the bathroom mirror doesn't look like me. He looks pale and defiant and sort of… sexy. He's got stunning red hair, dark against his white skin, and black-rimmed eyes. He also has an earring.

          Shaking my head, I remove the earring from my ear and hastily shut it away in a jewellery box. Looking at it will only make me sentimental.

          I take a wet flannel and rub the eyeliner from round my eyes. Slowly the sexy man reflected in the mirror is turning back into the plain boy he used to be. Me. "There's no glitter to hide behind now, Remus," I murmur.

          Then I put on the powder blue Beauxbatons robes and gaze into the mirror. The reflection gazes back at me sadly.

          I turn away.

          ~Monday 29th November~

Beaxbatons is not a castle like Hogwarts but a manor house, surrounded by modern outbuildings where the dormitories are. The manor itself is huge and imposing, built of grey stone and with ugly gargoyles above the main doors. Inside its full of polished marble and gold leaf, and looks more like a hotel than a school. It's a far cry from the comfortable homeliness of Hogwarts.

          "My name is Remus Lupin. I'm from Hogwarts," I say to the witch sitting behind a high spindly-legged desk in the office next to the main entrance.

          The witch gives me a huge smile. She's plump with rosy cheeks and a great main of red hair that seems to grow outwards instead of downwards. She's also the only thing that is remotely welcoming in this horrible grey building. "Ahhhh yes…" she says, leafing though a mound of paperwork. "You're going to be joining sixth year, aren't you?" She doesn't wait for my answer but thrusts a pile of forms and a quill into my hands and watches carefully as I fill them in.

          "My name is Madame Reniér. I'm the secretary, nurse and agony aunt for the school. If you have any problems don't hesitate to come to me," the woman says once I've filled in all the forms.

           She then flashes me another big smile and directs me to go to the seventh dorm in the third outbuilding.  

          The dorm that is to become my home is basically the whole fourth floor of a large brick outbuilding, about three hundred yards from Beauxbatons Manor. Inside there is nothing but eight sturdy beds with a trunk at the end of each. There is nobody in there but a small sandy-haired boy sat on a bed with his nose buried in a book. "Hello. I'm Remus Lupin," I introduce myself.

          The boy looks up, startled by my sudden appearance. "I'm Luc Dupont. That bed is yours." He points to the bed next to his. Then he looks at me suspiciously. "Are you English?" he asks.

          "Yes," I answer nervously, wondering if perhaps pupils here don't like the English for some reason. "My dad's French," I add nervously.

          "One of my grandparents is English," he says, still looking suspicious.

"Really?"

          "Yes."

          "Oh."

          "Yes."

          I'm beginning to discover two things- one: Luc isn't very easy to talk to and two: the look of suspicion is actually his normal look. Still, he's the only person in this bleak French school who looks like he could be become my friend and so I smile at him. 

A heart-wrenching feeling of loneliness sweeps over me as I suddenly think of a tall thin boy, a good five inches taller than Luc, with warm eyes and a gentle laughing smile.

~Later~

"Everyone, this is Remus Lupin. He's joining us from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Twenty pairs of eyes stare at me intently. Someone on the back row of the classroom giggles. "You can sit down, Remus," says the Madame Theroux, the teacher, kindly. I sit down next to Luc (who is sat all by himself and looks immensely glad to have finally found a friend) at the front of the room and try to get used to the idea of having one teacher for all the different subjects.

"In 'Magical Creatures Studies' this term we're going to be looking at half-breeds-"

Bloody brilliant.

"-The most famous half-breed is of course-"

Go on. Say it. Make me feel special.

"-The werewolf. Werewolves suffer from the condition known as-"

Lycanthropy. 

"Lycanthropy. Sadly they are generally considered to be the dregs of society and seldom have any friends-"

Unless, of course, they meet the Marauders.

"One of the most noticeable differences between the werewolf and the normal wolf is the tufted tail. Also, werewolves are reputed to be lacking in the beauty of the ordinary wolf."

Sirius said Moony is the second most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Second only to myself.

"There are extensive notes on werewolves in chapter 15 of 'Curious Creatures Volume Two', which I would like you all to summarise in a paragraph for our next Magical Creatures lesson." Madame Theroux, a slender woman of about thirty with huge thick-rimmed glasses and a lop-sided smile, looks round the classroom to see if everyone has copied down the homework. "Now, can anyone name me any other half-breeds?"

~Friday 3rd December~

Seven days without Sirius. Five days at Beauxbatons. Five days of friendship with Luc Dupont. Five days of isolation from anyone but Luc Dupont.

It took me less than a day to learn that Luc is a complete social outcast. He constantly tries to please me but with his non-existant social skills, the effect is slightly pathetic. I feel desperately sorry for him. Then again, I feel sorry for anybody who has never had the good fortune to meet Sirius Black.

I wonder what Sirius thought of the wedding ring.

No! I mustn't think of Sirius. I shall do my homework, precious little of it compared with Hogwarts, and hope that it will take my mind off things.

~Saturday 4th December~

          I'm alone in the dormitory when I stub my toe on my trunk. "Owww!"

          Luc appears out of nowhere (he always seems to be around when you think your alone). "Sit down. I'm a trained healer!"

          "That's what I'm afraid of!" I cry.

          It's too late. Luc has forced me into a chair, pulled off my shoes and socks and-

          "Why are you wearing blue nail varnish?"

          Shit.

            ~Monday 6th December~

          Three letters arrived this morning. The first two are from Peter and my father respectively. Both are so short they barely deserve to be called a 'letter':

Dear Remus,

                           I am having a wonderful time. Lily is helping me with my homework just like you used to and there's been another Hogwarts weekend. It was great fun. Nothing else to say,

                                                                                                          Peter.

                             P.S. Sharon Mitchell (Hufflepuff) is my new girlfriend. Wey-hey! 

          Trust Peter to make my feel missed.

          My dear son,

                             Your mother and I have decided to go on a second honeymoon over Christmas. You will be enjoying the festivities at Beauxbatons with all your new friends,

                                                                                      Your father.

          Christmas at Beauxbatons with Luc. And I thought life couldn't get any worse. I turn to read the last letter hoping it contains some good news. No such luck.

                                               

Dear Remus,

                             I am, of course, missing you terribly. We all are. Somehow everything seems a lot less 'balanced' without you. Three is never the same as four; think of the musketeers- where would Athos, Porthos and Aramis have been without D'Artagne? Or the four horsemen of the apocalypse- War, Famine and Pestilence are not half so formidable without Death. Okay, maybe that isn't such a great example. The point is the Marauders have broken up and it breaks my heart.

Sirius is breaking my heart too. I'd rather he just acted heartbroken but he doesn't. He seems to be constantly grim- I haven't seen him smile properly since you left. The only sign of 'Siriusness' I've seen recently is when he put a triple dose of sneezing powder in Professor Death's breakfast cereal. Four days on and the bitch is still sneezing.

I'm sorry for not sending happier news but there doesn't seem to be a lot.

   James.

          At the bottom of the letter is a hastily scribbled word, probably added as an afterthought: brothers.

            ~Monday 13th December~

            "God, I have so much homework!" cried Luc as we sit down in the Beaxbatons library (not half so big as the one at Hogwarts but with more extensive charms section).

          "I got more at Hogwarts," I say.

          Luc looks flabbergasted. "Then you mustn't have had time for any fun. When did you meet girls?"

          I almost remind Luc that he neither does anything fun nor talks to anyone but me, let alone goes out with girls. However, I decide not to upset my only friend here and instead find myself slipping into my memories of Hogwarts: staying up late in first year, charmed snow ball fights in second year, James discovering girls in third year and girls discovering James in fourth year, the fifth year O.W.Ls and then the beginning of this year, which seems to me to be a merge of glitter and dancing and stolen kisses with a tall beautiful boy.  

          "Can I borrow a pencil?" asks Luc, interrupting my memories.

          "Yes, of course."

          I hand Luc a pencil form my bag. He stares at it as though he's never seen one before. "What's wrong?" I ask.

          Luc gives me a strange look. "Why are you carrying an eyeliner pencil in your bag?"   

            ~Friday 17th December, The Last Day of Term~

            I'm shocked to find the five of the six other boys who share my dormitory rummaging through my trunk when I enter the dormitory. The remaining boy, the ringleader it would appear, is holding onto the struggling Luc Dupont.

"What are you doing?" I demand. It's the first time I've even spoken to the six other boys (all of whom fit the descriptions of Lucius Malfoy's cronies, Crabbe and Goyle).

The one holding Luc laughs scornfully. "This little bastard said you wear eyeliner and nail varnish, Loony-Lupin. We wondered what other dirty secrets you might be hiding."

"You've no right to be-" I begin but a voice cuts me off.

"Look what we've found, Gerard!" shouts one of the boys to the ringleader. Luc has stopped struggling and seems to want to know what they've found in my trunk. A deep sense of dread forms in my stomach.

The feeling of dread turns into blind anger as I see all six boys gloating over a photograph. Luc, still in the grasp of Gerard, is also staring wide eyed at the photo.

"Give me that!"

"So you're a bloody queer are you, Loony?"

"GIVE ME THAT!"

"Awww… Loony wants his photograph back," Gerard waves the photo at me. "Why don't you come and fight me for it? Or are you too much of a-"

He's cut off mid-sentence as my fist slams into his face.

I snatch the photograph out of the astonished boy's hand and run out of the dormitory, out of Beauxbatons, and to the nearest main road where I stick my left arm out in the hope of catching a lift. I'm going home.

Tightly clutched in my right hand is a photograph of two young glam rockers kissing.