A/N: I'd like to take the time to deeply thank all those who have reviewed. Your words of encouragement really do brighten my day and get me excited about writing the next chapter. I am extremely grateful. I hope to hear more of what you like, what you don't, what you want to happen, etc. Feel free to point out errors (yes, they do exist, hehe) or offer suggestions, as I am listening with eager ears. Thanks again, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story.

Chapter Four

The weeks passed very quickly for Remus. He continued to work hard with Severus every night. They progressed rapidly. Remus had never worked this well with another person - he and Severus were very straightforward with each other.

"I'm going to Perby's to get some copper."

"I'll update the bibliography, then."

"Meet you back here?"

"Yeah."

Every task was self-assigned. Each student worked to his full capacity, making notes meticulous and recordings precise. Some nights, Remus and Severus never even exchanged any words out of sheer overload of work.

They would meet at the library every night at a fixed time, Remus would turn on the radio, and both would work through the hours. Often, other students walked past, wondering what those two boys hunched over books every evening were up to.

Then, one night, Severus uttered the words Remus had been longing to hear for weeks.

"I think we're finally ready to test this," the dark-haired boy announced doubtfully, frowning as he read over the necessary materials over and over again.

"Is every ingredient ready?" Remus asked eagerly.

"The newt blood isn't going to settle for at least another two weeks, but that only controls how long the invisibility lasts. We just need to see if the potion can make a person disappear, if only for a second," Severus replied curtly.

"Sounds alright, then. Where should we go to try it?"

Severus frowned. "Maybe some empty classroom?"

They gathered their quills and parchment. Severus had with him a few vials, the largest one containing a murky grey potion.

So they set off, walking silently. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallways. Most of the doors were locked to prevent any curious (or desperate) student from poking their nose in. Remus and Severus felt themselves getting uneasy-wasn't there any place in this whole school they could test a simple potion in?

Finally, when Remus' hand gripped a doorknob across the Barnabas the Barmy's tapestry, he found it unlocked. Pushing it open, he expected a deserted classroom filled with cobwebs and unused desks. But it was not so.

It was a perfect laboratory.

The room was like a friendlier version of the Potions dungeon. Across the long walls were hundreds of books on brewing Potions and spells of that sort. The room had a large table - quills, inkbottles and rolls of paper all ready. One wall was actually an entire mirror, which made the room seem larger than it actually was. But the most impressive part may have been the cabinets. They were everywhere. Cabinets, shelves, storage boxes, all labeled impeccably with ingredients beyond Remus and Severus' wildest dreams.

And now they had this wonderful room all to themselves.

"What is this place?" Remus breathed as he entered, Severus following doubtfully behind.

When Severus didn't answer, Remus turned around. The taller boy's eyes were scanning the room, and his lips pursed tight. He seemed to be trying to remember something.

His next words were barely audible.

"It's the Room of Requirement."

"The what?" Remus asked, puzzled.

"The Room of Requirement," Severus repeated, slowly walking around. He kept touching the shelves, feeling the fine oak, as if he couldn't believe the things at his slender fingertips. "I've read some myths about it - supposedly, there's a hidden room in Hogwarts that provides the seeker whatever he needs when it's urgent. And I think we've found it."

"Surely that cannot be," Remus shook his head. "It's probably just some headquarter for Perby."

Severus snorted. "I know, for a fact, that Perby sleeps in a room beside his classroom. That man is obsessed with the dungeons. He never leaves them."

"Well, Room of Requirement or not, we've got this perfect place to work at. It's getting late. We'd better try out the potion." Remus reasoned. "I'll be the guinea pig this time."

"You sure?" asked Severus.

"Yeah," he replied.

"You'll have to clear your mind and think of a throng of people. Take some time to concentrate. I need to add a few last minute things." And with that, Severus started to take out the bubbly potions, measuring spoonfuls and pouring each of them carefully into the smoky vial.

Remus started to concentrate on being part of a crowd. It wasn't too difficult - he never really stood out, so it was easy to imagine being amongst a group of people. He saw himself with his dull features, his medium height. He saw himself standing around a million students. They were all bustling, talking, and he was part of them.

"It's ready," Remus heard Severus say quietly a few minutes later. He felt Severus' cold hands on his for a moment, then the vial's glass neck around his fingers. And, closing his eyes and concentrating hard, he lifted the liquid to his lips and quickly emptied its contents down his throat. It tasted like nothing.

But its affect definitely wasn't nothing. Remus felt his body getting hot, hotter than he'd ever been. He began to sweat, the beads rolling down his forehead. He wanted to burst out of his skin, to be rid of this burning heat. But inside, his heart was being slowed. He was freezing. With every heartbeat, he shivered from the coldness. It surrounded his mind, enclosing it in a vast emptiness. His every body part seemed to be simulated and frozen at the same time. He had a crazy desire to dance, yet then to lie down and die. He wanted to sing, or tear out his own vocal cords. He had the urge to kill something warm, or to take a walk in the rain...

Remus snapped open his eyes.

There was Severus. His face had gone paper-white, and he was trembling. His dark eyes were confused.

"Severus?" Remus called. His voice sounded far away. Something wasn't right. Why did Severus' eyes enlarge like that? Why did that muscle twitch in his jaw?

Severus inhaled sharply, and took a step back.

Suddenly, Remus felt like he was falling slowly. He dropped lower and lower, until he landed on hard cement. It wasn't painful, but the impact of the crash suddenly brought him back to reality. He was on his back, sprawled across the carpeted ground, shaking his head furiously. The room spun...the books...the potions...Severus...

"Remus?" Severus asked. For the first time, he sounded frightened. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine...what happened?" Remus asked, getting up. When Severus wouldn't look into his eyes, Remus panicked.

"Did...something go wrong? Did it not work? I couldn't tell...what happened, Severus?"

"Nothing," Severus replied. "It worked well. You disappeared in less than three seconds, starting from your feet. But...I don't think you were right for testing it."

"Why not?" Remus demanded sharply. A horrible suspicion started to grow in his stomach.

"Because...because right before you disappeared, I saw you as a...a..."

"A wolf." Remus said flatly.

"Yes."

Remus sighed. "It happens every time I eat or drink something new. My...er...other side has to experience it, too. Almost died while eating chocolate, but my body grows immune to its poison as a human. I'd forgotten this side effect in my haste. You won't see it again, Severus."

"Oh," Severus said coolly. Back to his secretive, composed self. "What did it feel like?"

Remus started to try to describe the ecstasy, the numbness of his body. How outside, he burned, yet freezing internally. How he wanted to live and die. How his voice was nonexistent. A sudden idea struck him in the middle of a sentence, though.

"Severus, did you hear me say your name?"

The other boy shook his head.

"I called you, because I saw you once my eyes opened."

Severus suddenly looked interested.

"You mean I couldn't hear you nor see you?" he said, excited.

"Yeah," Remus replied, starting to grin. "It wore off when I spoke, but I could have gone on forever...there was no pain..."

"You know what this means?" Severus wondered aloud. Remus felt his spirits rise.

"It means," Remus said. "That not only have we completed the potion, we've gone a step farther. We could make a whole person disappear off the face of the earth. But we can also silence them...and I bet we can cut off feeling and scent...and find a potion or spell or something..."

Severus broke into a huge smile.

Remus was taken aback. This was the first time he'd practically seen even Severus' teeth. And Merlin, he looked so different! His dark, hating eyes suddenly brightened. Remus was surprised to see that they weren't the dull ebony he'd always believed - they were a marvelous deep blue! His face took on a fuller shape, revealing a strong jawline and surprisingly straight teeth. Even his oily hair seemed to lose some of its grease. Severus actually looked...good!

Remus realized that he was grinning broadly back. Their first attempt had gone so well...no injuries in sight...this was a load better than he'd hoped for!

The werewolf went to bed with a smile on his face that night.

:::

The nights that followed that evening were mutually consented to be spent in the Room of Requirement. Over and over, Severus and Remus tried the potion out. Sometimes, the results were satisfactory. But on most occasions, the potion did not achieve its desired affect and they had to start over and try to figure out if it was the Redcap tooth or Demiguise hair measurements that they'd miscalculated. It was extremely frustrating, re-making and testing the potion again and again.

A couple of times, due to an erring of ingredient, the potion's side effects were damaging, even harmful. For one thing, the tester always wound up on the ground when he recovered, which was inconvenient, because when the invisible person walked around and the potion wore off, they'd hit desks or shelves. For another, Severus had developed an allergic reaction to chameleon saliva, so he often broke out in fits of sneezes that would last for almost ten minutes, while Remus stood nearby, not knowing whether to laugh or worry.

Without realizing it, Remus grew closer to Severus everyday. He found that Severus wasn't a hating person at all - that is - if he was left alone. He discovered they both shared a deep interest in reading. One of the most shocking things about Severus was his vast knowledge from all those hours studying books. He could rattle off, from memory, the seven uses of dragon blood, or what temperature Puffapods could survive in, or even who founded the Russian Gringotts Bank.

Remus found this all completely fascinating. He had always known Severus was intelligent, but he soon realized that the Slytherin was so adept at the Dark Arts and Potionmaking that he probably could've taught the class better than Perby did.

Of course, there was still a fairly wide gap between Remus and Severus. They weren't exactly friends, but they were definitely more than just acquaintances.

Three weeks into the project, Remus had been walking to Transfiguration and in the halls he'd passed Severus, who was on his way to Arithmancy. Remus nervously managed to say a quick "Hi" to his partner, not really expecting a reply. But to his surprise, Severus had looked him in the eye and said "Hello" back. Remus took this as a good sign and for the rest of the day, he felt light of heart.

:::

Meanwhile, Remus became interested in a matter that dramatically changed his life. It all started one day when McGonagall told him quietly after class that Dumbledore wished to speak with him.

Remus wasn't exactly sure how to get to Dumbledore's office, but McGonagall was busy speaking with Frank Longbottom, so he asked James instead.

"Not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure somewhere around the hospital wing," James said. "It's down the hall and there's a gargoyle statue and you have to say a password or something."

Remus had to choice but to wander around the hospital wing halls until he saw a large stone gargoyle statue whose face was twisted in a rather grotesque expression. Confused, he walked around for a few minutes, trying in vain to find somebody who could help him.

He heard the sound of many footsteps and peered around a corner. There, walking toward him, was a bunch of Seventh Years - all Slytherins - Remus could tell by their grey and green scarves. He didn't know any of them except for Narcissa Black, who met his eyes as she passed by. Remus didn't think it was likely they knew the password (or would willingly tell him), so, feeling stupid, turned around and almost crashed into Professor McGonagall.

"Remus!" she exclaimed, dropping the textbook she was holding in surprise. Remus quickly picked it up for her, ignoring the sniggers from the Slytherins behind him.

"Professor, I don't know-"

"Oh, of course, my dear boy, in my haste I completely forgot to tell you," McGonagall smiled apologetically. "Sugar Quill," she said curtly to the gargoyle, and the wall opened. Remus found himself staring at a large staircase.

"Just go up these stairs and you'll find the office," Professor McGonagall said.

Remus looked back one more time. The wall was already closing, but he thought he saw a figure move in the shadows. He blinked. There was nobody there.

"You were hallucinating," he muttered to himself and ascended the stairs.

When Remus entered Albus Dumbledore's office, he found the Headmaster at a large desk, pouring over a long scroll of parchment and frowning deeply. His light blue eyes were focused intently.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Remus called nervously, not wanting to interrupt.

Dumbledore looked up and smiled genially.

"Hello, Remus. I'd wished to talk to you. Please take a seat." He gestured at an empty cushioned chair in front of him.

Remus sat down gingerly; wondering what in the world this was all about. He waited patiently for Dumbledore to finish reading his scroll and adjust his half-moon spectacles. The silence stretched until Dumbledore's words hit it rather suddenly.

"Remus...tell me, what are your plans for the future?"

Remus relaxed. This was probably some professor-student conference that happened with everybody.

"I don't really know, Professor," he answered truthfully.

Albus Dumbledore looked very interested. "And why ever not? You are one of the most gifted students I've seen in all my years. I was sorely disappointed when you did not accept my offering as Head Boy."

"I...it wouldn't have worked out well," Remus replied, looking away. Deep down, he knew that another year of seeing his friends cause havoc and trouble and not being able to stop them would've driven him mad. As prefect, he'd always been torn, not sure whether to tell Sirius off for hexing Snape or just stand there and watch. He usually did nothing and felt horrible afterwards. Better to hand the responsibility to someone else. Someone like James, who was secure and confident.

It seemed that Dumbledore sensed Remus wasn't speaking the whole truth, because he let a silence settle in the room. Remus hated to disappoint Dumbledore - he'd already illegally influenced three of his best friends to turn into Animagi right under the Headmaster's nose...and Dumbledore had just asked him a perfectly normal question, and all he could manage to mumble was an ungrateful "I don't know."

"Professor, I think I'd like to be an Auror. Or maybe even a teacher," Remus blurted out, desperately wanting to please his Headmaster. "I want to benefit the community...the people."

"Really?" Dumbledore raised a white eyebrow.

"Yes," Remus replied softly.

"That's very unusual, Remus," Dumbledore said him seriously, but his eyes twinkled merrily as he spoke. "Most people want to be Aurors because it's stereotypically a fun and exciting job. And I suppose it is, tracking down the enemies and doing justice where it needs to be done. Have you heard of the CIA, Remus?"

Remus, whose mother was Muggle, nodded.

"It's some Muggle agency. Spying and that sort of thing, I think."

"Yes, you are quite right. Being an Auror is not different than working for an agency like the CIA. Very dangerous, and very rewarding. It's what everybody dream of being. But at the end of the day, they find out that it's much more than chasing down the bad guys. It's about looking over your back, because Aurors make enemies with the wrong sort of people, you understand. It's about risking your life every minute, about hunting and being hunted. It's about being righteous. It's about having a criminal conscience, because nobody can go about jailing and killing without feeling guilt."

"I...I wouldn't mind," stammered Remus. "My conscience isn't exactly clean as of now, either."

Dumbledore smiled briefly before continuing.

"It's not an easy job. You might wind up in a ditch across the world, and nobody would know. It's frustrating. Being an Auror means to experience the rawest feelings of mankind. Love, hate, betrayal."

"I understand, Professor. I'd be willing to take the risks."

"The pay is not high, either."

"I'd do it for free."

"You'd probably die before you retire."

Remus hesitated.

"Would you be willing to die for people you've never met, Remus?" Dumbledore pried gently. "Do you have that kind of courage?"

"I...I don't know...I'd never really thought about it that seriously," the young wizard admitted, suddenly ashamed. "I didn't consider death to be part of the job. I can't bring myself to say that I'd willingly die, as selfish as it sounds."

"No, Remus, you are not being selfish in the least. I'm glad you're being honest with me," said Dumbledore. There was unmistakable kindness in his voice. "And especially as you're a Gryffindor. Most of us are so reckless and headstrong we don't take the time to think. We jump in the fire, defenseless to save the burning child without realizing that it's pouring rain overhead."

"Us, Professor?" Remus asked, curious.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I also attended Hogwarts when I was young. I was sorted into Gryffindor and later taught Transfiguration as head of Gryffindor."

Remus marveled at this. He'd never thought about Dumbledore's childhood...Dumbledore had always just been there, mysterious and wise beyond comparison.

"But onto more important matters," the ancient wizard waved his hand, dismissing previous thoughts. "The words you've said to me were exactly what I'd hoped for. For you see, Remus, I know of an Order in which I thought you'd be interested in."

"An Order, Professor?"

"Yes, that's right. A secret Order, one that has to be kept unknown at all times. Because, you see, the Order fights against the absolute worst enemy of wizards."

"Who? Voldemort?" Remus asked, leaning forward.

Dumbledore seemed impressed. "Exactly. Voldemort's power has been rising steadily now. He has become more deadly and cruel than you could ever imagine. He has spies, spies everywhere. They lurk in all dark corners. There may be dozens right in this castle."

Remus was flabbergasted. "That's impossible! Surely not in Hogwarts!"

"Au contraire, my friend. Voldemort himself was a student here. I happened to have taught him. His name was Tom Riddle, and he, not unlike you, was an extremely bright young man. Unfortunately, however, his intelligence was used in the wrong way."

This news stunned the werewolf greatly. His mind started to digest it, but Dumbledore kept talking...Remus could barely keep up with the Headmaster.

"But aside from that, the main job of the Order is to find these spies. It's a long and difficult job, full of locked keys and whispered secrets. And so the majority of this Order is made of Aurors, hunting down Death Eaters. "

Death Eaters. Remus had heard of them, of course. Everyone knew they were the loyal servants of the Dark Lord, always cloaked and sly, but they were so mysterious that barely anything else was known about them.

"How can you recognize a Death Eater, Professor?" Remus blurted out.

Dumbledore waved his hand again. "You shall find out when the time comes. But I want to ask you, would you be interested in being part of this Order?"

"Yes!" Remus practically jumped out of his seat. This would be his chance to help out, to prove himself. To fight.

"I'm very happy to hear that, Remus," Dumbledore said. "You shall not be asked to perform any life-threatening tasks anytime soon. You will, however, be informed of all the contacts of the current Order shortly through post. Your training will begin this summer - yes, I believe your instructor will be Professor McGonagall-"

"Training?"

"Yes. You still have much to learn about Defense Against the Dark Arts. You will be taught by Professor McGonagall in the summer, and will attend the Oxford Wizarding Academy for the next four years in preparation for anything that comes along. Then, hopefully, you will be qualified as an Auror and begin to do some investigation."

Remus sat back in his chair, awed. Within ten minutes, he just found out what he'd be doing in the next four years of his life. Dumbledore continued to speak as if he were discussing the weather. Remus was amazed at his composure.

"I cannot stress how secretive this is - speak no word of this to anybody, ever. Not James, Sirius, nor Peter."

"I won't." Remus promised.

"Do you have any questions for me right now?" Dumbledore asked. "You'll come to learn a lot about the Order at our meetings and councils."

"Yes, Professor, uh, who is the head of this Order?"

"Me," Dumbledore grinned. "Is that such a shock to you, Remus?"

"You? I mean, no, of course not, Professor. And um...how many members are in the Order?"

"The number changes frequently, but an approximate forty or so, as of today."

"But...Professor, do you really think I'm worthy of th-"

"You've proven to me over the years to be a responsible and sharp young man, Remus. You are the first Hogwarts student ever to even be considered to become part of the Order. I take confidence in you completely." The way Dumbledore spoke with such pride and confidence made Remus want to cringe. Instead, he smiled wanly.

The dinner bell chimed, breaking the conversation.

"Thank you, Professor," Remus rose to leave. "I cannot express my gratitude to you enough. You've just given me a job, a future, a life to look forward to."

"No, thank you, Remus," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I think you should know just one more thing before you exit."

"What, Professor?" Remus asked curiously, turning around.

"We're called the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily.