Chapter Six: Learning Secrets, Keeping Secrets

Albus Dumbledore had not liked the knowing smirk Lucius Malfoy sported as he passed the younger man exiting the dining hall. The old advisor had taken pause as he watched the flaxen-haired duke walk down the corridors, presumably to his chambers, all the while leering as if he knew something everyone else didn't.

And that is probably the case, Albus thought a bit worriedly.

It was bad enough finding out from Snape that Lucius and several others had decided to join this Dark Mage with his disturbing beliefs. The royal advisor sighed and shook his head, continuing in the opposite direction than Lucius had disappeared. There was nothing he could do about the duke at the moment. Dumbledore would just have to speak to Severus about it later that evening.

It wasn't until he reached his own quarters that a terrifying thought struck him. What if Lily had brought Remus back with her from the Longbottoms? He hoped she hadn't. It would be most unfortunate if the duke found out Severus had not 'finished off' the werewolf as were his orders.

Bypassing his chambers altogether, Dumbledore made his way towards the princess' room. He was no longer sure that Remus' ignorance in the situation was a good thing. But then again, it had not been that long ago Dumbledore had learned of Malfoy's involvement with how Remus acquired his horrible 'condition' himself.

He quickened his pace. He had to make sure 'Moony' had not come back, at least, not while Malfoy was here. And if he did, as Dumbledore feared he may have, then it was imperative that the other boy avoid the duke at all costs. It would not do to have Marvolo finding out that Remus Lupin was not dead. It would bode no good for either Snape or Lupin.

Upon reaching the princess' chambers, Dumbledore knocked, a bit louder than usual. He waited a moment before repeating, this time calling Lily's name as he did so. There was still no answer. He tried the door knob and took a quick peak into Lily's room. Damn, she wasn't there. That left only a million and one places she could be, but the most likely was that if she was indeed back from the Longbottoms' was the kitchens or gardens visiting with Remus and Winter. So he set off to look for her.

This was something that could not wait.

Sirius followed behind Moony as they made their way outside the castle.

It was quiet, just like he had known it would be, and there wasn't another soul in sight- something Remus wasn't sure whether or not he liked. So it didn't take long for Sirius to start wracking his brain for something to say, anything but the dull and monotonous sound of silence.

He was always one for noise, but something told him the other boy was just the opposite, and that same something inside him didn't want to scare the other boy away. He shook off the funny feeling that thought caused in his stomach.

"So… uh, you said you knew the princess?" Sirius asked tentatively.

Remus glanced over at the darker haired boy and had simply raised an eyebrow in response. Sirius grinned sheepishly.

"Right, stupid question."

And there it was again, Sirius thought a bit irritably, the damn silence. Why didn't this boy talk more? Determined to start a conversation, Sirius gazed about him for inspiration.

"Lovely weather, eh?"

Remus nodded. He was trying hard not to stare, really, he was. But Remus had never met anyone quite like this other boy before…and it had been so long since he'd talked to anyone beside Dumbledore, Lily, or Winter.

"Why'd you want to take a walk? You don't seem to like the quiet much," Remus observed.

"Wanted to spend time alone with you," Sirius answered truthfully. He grinned a bit as he noticed Moony's cheeks pink at the statement.

"I don't think your friend was too happy about that," Remus replied.

"He'll get over it."

There was another moment of silence before it was broken again, this time by Remus.

"So, you came with the Prince. Has Lily met him yet?" It wasn't until after he'd spoken that he realized his slip-up.

"Lily?" Sirius frowned slightly, not sure why it upset him that Moony was apparently rather close with the princess. "On a first name basis with her highness, are we?"

Remus averted his gaze. "We're friends, yes. I told you that."

"So you did."

Remus fell silent, not sure what had upset his new friend. Had he said something wrong?

"What's your name?" Sirius asked abruptly glancing over at the other boy.

"I told you already," there was no way Remus was telling him his real name.

"I highly doubt 'Moony' is your given name. So, unless you truly are a thief, you'd tell me your real name," Sirius pointed out.

Remus thought quickly.

"It's my surname. I'd rather not tell you my real name until I know you better." There, that was an honest answer…well, except for the surname bit.

"Alright, Mr. Moony," Sirius said, grinning once more. He stopped walking and picked up a few rocks and began tossing them into the lake. Remus watched for a moment before sitting down next to him. His brain kept yelling at him to take this opportunity and run; to get away and find Lily and be safe again. He frowned slightly at his own thoughts. Why hadn't he tried to get away yet? The perfect opportunity to do so was lying at his feet. They were outside, no one else around, it would be so easy, and yet he was sitting down instead.

Confused, Remus reverted back to what he did best: analyzing his situation to figure out the best way out of it. What was so captivating about this young man that made Remus want to stay in his company a bit longer?

Well, he definitely wasn't suffering in the looks department that was for sure. But Remus wasn't that superficial. Still…the other boy had beautiful eyes that were complimented perfectly by the shaggy black hair that fell just to his shoulders. And those shoulders lead to a very nice set of arms that were exposed thanks to the short length of the sleeves of the shirt. And despite the shirt, Remus was certain there was a very nice chest as well. His eyes followed the path his mind was taking before the sound of a throat clearing snapped his attention back.

Quickly, Remus' gaze moved up to meet the face of the man he had been gawking at. He mumbled a quick apology as he lowered his gaze.

Sirius smirked before plopping down beside him so that he could better see those brown eyes again. "Like what you see?"

Remus blinked and looked up in shock at the bluntness the other boy projected. "I…" He swallowed hard, searching for something to say to explain his behavior but nothing came. He never acted like that before so he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say.

"So, how'd you meet the princess?"

Remus smiled softly, thankful for the change in subject, no matter how indiscreet Sirius had been about it. That and it was an easy enough question to answer without revealing anything about his current 'condition' to the other boy. After all, there were several lies he could come up with about why he was no longer the son of a duke that didn't involve magic, curses, or full moons.

"Well, we met when we were five…"

Bellatrix sighed irritably as she waited for her sister. How long did it take to find a book in one's own house? And why on earth did they need it now? They had things to do for their master before Lucius and Rodolphus returned with the prince and princess.

"Found it," Narcissa said as she joined her sister downstairs.

"About time," Bellatrix growled before heading straight for the front door and back outside.

"Oh calm down, Bella. We've got plenty of time to find everything he wants."

"It has to be finished in two weeks time. You know it has to be drunk on a new moon for it to work. And he will not be please if the potion does not work."

Narcissa waved a hand dismissively. She knew all of this already.

"Fine, whatever. I don't understand why he wants to turn himself into an animal is all."

Bellatrix sighed. "He's not 'turning himself into an animal'. He's gaining the ability to do so. And I'm sure he has his reasons, it's not our place to question them. You know this."

The blonde woman nodded. "Shall we then?"

Lucius Malfoy sat in his chambers at the castle patiently waiting for Rodolphus to arrive so they could discuss their plans… as well as certain other things that had been brought to his attention earlier that morning.

He would've given his plans a once over with Severus like he usually did, but the fact that Remus Lupin was still alive sent Snape into a questionable category. After all, it had been the boy's job to finish Lupin off, had it not?

Well, obviously his servant had not had the courage to give the Lupin boy the potion part of the curse, otherwise he wouldn't have lasted nearly this long. Well, Remus certainly had looked a bit worse for wear and that was a good sign. But it was still quite possible to survive one's whole life with that particular curse, and that was not a possibility. Or perhaps it was. The boy's full moon form could be used to their advantage. But that would be up to the Lord to decide. Not him.

In the mean time, he had his own orders to carry out for the moment. He could give word to his master about Lupin when he returned. Right now, he had two kidnappings to plan.

Remus for the first time in ages felt the urge to laugh. Although no actual sound came out, he did smile shyly over at Sirius as the other boy laughed without abandon.

"I can't believe you and the Prince actually did that," Remus said, the smile still lingering about his face. Sirius decided he rather liked seeing Moony smile.

Sirius was about to say something else when a strand of loose copper colored hair fell into Moony's eyes. For a moment, Sirius couldn't think of anything to say (a rare occurrence for him), instead biting back the urge to brush that wayward hair back and out of the other boys eyes. The urge to speak came back though when something else caught his attention as Moony brushed the hair away himself.

"Good Lord! What happened to your arm?"

"What?" Remus looked down and his face paled several shades. How could he have been so stupid?! He let himself forget, for just a moment, just why he wore long sleeves and instead had rolled them up because of the sun's warmth.

"It's nothing," he quickly tried to pull his sleeves back down but Sirius caught his wrist in a gentle, but firm grip.

Remus felt a hint of panic creep into him as the other boy's fingers began pushing the sleeves back up once more. He stood, jerking his arm back again with surprising strength for so soon after a full moon.

"I told you it was nothing… just a scratch or two."

"A scratch or two?" Sirius said standing up as well. "There was more than a few there. And some of those looked fresh as well."

He eyed the other boy suspiciously as Moony hid his arms once more beneath the sleeves of his cloak.

"Did someone hurt you?" Sirius asked, surprised at how upset it made him feel to think that someone could do this to Moony.

"No," Remus replied. It was only a half lie, no one else hurt him. He hurt himself, but he was still someone.

"Who hurt you, Moony?"

Apparently the knight didn't believe him. Remus debated telling him off, it really was none of the other boys business. But something told him that doing so would only ignite the other boy's persistence and curiosity further. And, after all, the best way to hide a secret was out in the open.

"Remus. His name was Remus Lupin."

Sirius stared hard at Moony for a moment as if trying to determine if he were indeed telling the truth. Then his eyes widened as he remembered something.

"Remus Lupin? That kid that came with the princess a while back to visit m- the prince?"

Remus' face contorted in confusion. How on earth did this boy know… then it all came rushing back like a far off dream. He had vaguely remembered accompanying Lily to the Black Kingdom but now it was clear as crystal.

"You aren't James. You're the Prince!"

He backed away as the look on Sirius' face confirmed his suspicions.

"Look, it's not what you think," Sirius started, but Remus was shaking his head.

"I shouldn't be here, I have to go," Remus said eyes darting wildly about before falling on the willow and deciding it was probably best if he left for Alice and Frank's house. Right now.

"Wait!" Sirius cried, running after the other boy that was quickly headed toward a tree as if it could swallow him up and save him. It didn't take him long to reach the other boy, who looked winded already and was clutching his side again as if it hurt him. He cut him off. The other boy looked frightened again, like the night before.

Remus was about to veer off when his foot caught on an upturned root and he was sent falling forward right onto the same boy he was trying to get away from. They crashed to the ground and Remus bit back a yelp as his side burned. He'd probably re-opened the wound. He propped himself up on his arms with every intention of rolling off the other boy and back on his feet but suddenly found it a bit difficult to breath with a set of grey-blue eyes staring back up at him. He could feel his cheeks' burning with what he was sure was embarrassment and nothing else.

Quickly, he pushed himself back to his feet. It was only a second or two later, as Sirius began to get up from the ground as well that Remus took off again, disappearing into the woods. The other boy had already seen some of his scars and he'd embarrassed himself enough by tripping and falling on the other boy.

He took the long way back to Alice and Frank's. Neither one was home as he slipped in through the window into the room they let him use. It was earlier than usual for him to be back; usually he stayed at the palace for a few days before returning. He hoped they wouldn't mind, but so long as Sirius- no, Remus corrected himself, the prince was there, he figured it would be easier to stay here.

He just knew that Si- the prince would have sent him straight to the guards if he had known just how much Remus had actually liked landing on top of him.