The next morning, she and Lily ambled to the Great Hall for breakfast. She hadn't told Lily anything of the night before, mainly because she wanted to find out for herself first. James and Sirius were already in the hall, looking extremely exhausted, but excitedly talking nonetheless. Noelle sat a good distance away, but cocked her ears to hear what they were saying.
"Did you see how I just jumped on him? And pulled him to the ground? Man, that was wicked!" Sirius whispered.
James nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that was amazing. But did you see how I just chased him down? I thought for sure he would get away; he had such a head start!" James chortled. "But I caught him!"
The two boys exchanged high fives. As James returned to his toast, he saw Noelle gazing at him curiously.
"All right Lemieux?" he asked.
Noelle shook herself slightly and smiled brightly. "Of course. Just drifted off for a moment."
She kept smiling and James bought it. He turned back to Sirius and they resumed their clandestine discussion. Lily raised a red eyebrow.
"What was that all about?"
Noelle shrugged; feeling bad for not telling her friend what she had seen and heard last night. Lily gazed at her inquisitively, but kept eating. As Noelle sipped her coffee, she noticed someone missing.
"Where is Remus?" she whispered to Lily.
Lily's head came up and she too searched the hall.
"I don't know. Maybe he's sick?"
Noelle looked doubtful, but James had overheard her question.
"Remus has a cold...Madam Pomfrey wanted him in the hospital wing for a few days."
Lily took this at face value and returned to her breakfast, but the nervous look on James' face struck a nerve in her head.
As they made their way to Charms, it hit her like a bolt of lightning. She had heard someone say the name Moony before. It was in Cannes, at the nightclub. Sirius had called Remus Moony. What could that mean? She pondered it as she took her seat next to Lily and opened her textbook to the chapter on Conjuring Charms.
Throughout the entire class, Noelle half listened to Professor Flitwick describing the proper wand movement for these complicated charms. She knew that Lily was the best in their year at Charms, and she could always ask her for help if she needed it. The Charms class was a short period that day, and they had a ten minute break before they had to be in Defense against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs.
For the third class in a row, Professor Martin was going over hinkypunks. Noelle had had a thorough Defense against the Dark Arts class at Beauxbatons, and she was extremely bored. Her mind wandered back to the conversation she had overheard last night, and the one this morning. Idly, she flipped through the thick Defense textbook, not really reading anything.
She lifted her eyes away from her book and locked eyes with Laura Armstrong. Laura had seen Noelle come in with Lily, not Sirius as she had all year. Her brown eyes had lit up with hope, and Noelle almost laughed out loud. If Laura really wanted Sirius Black, she could have him.
The bell rang, causing her to jump. She stuffed her book back into her satchel and followed Lily out of the classroom. Noelle had a free period next, because she had already taken the highest level of Transfiguration that Hogwarts offered. She bid Lily goodbye and headed to Gryffindor tower to work on her Astronomy homework.
As she was settling down at a table in the back of the common room, she heard the portrait creak open, and someone stealthily shuffled into the room. She looked up. It was Remus, and he looked terrible. He was pale and shaky, and his face had smudges of dirt all over it.
"Remus! Are you alright?"
Noelle hurried to his side. He nodded weakly and stepped slightly away from her.
"Yes, I just had a really bad headache. Madam Pomfrey fixed me up."
He smiled faintly and hastily made his way to the boys' dormitory, with Noelle gazing suspiciously after him. I thought James said he had a cold, she mused. Shrugging to herself, she returned to her essay.
December brought some of the coldest weather that Noelle had ever felt. The castle seemed to be frozen; even the suits of armor didn't creak around like they usually did. The ghosts of the castle looked frostier than usual, if that was possible. The students had taken to wearing their cloaks all day long, but Noelle was still freezing. Her wool Beauxbatons cloak, which had seemed warm enough in Provence and last year at Hogwarts, was barely keeping her body warm enough to breathe. The next time we go to Hogsmeade, I will buy a new cloak, she promised herself. She had the chance the very next weekend.
She huddled close to Lily as they waited for Filch to check their names against the list of students who had permission to go to the village. Once they had passed his scrutinous glare, they sped down the path to the gates.
The village was coated in a thick layer of snow. It looked like a typical quaint English village in a Christmas card. Noelle made a beeline to Gladrags Wizardwear. Once inside, she shook the snow from her hair and insufficient cloak and began to peruse the racks of thick winter cloaks. One in particular caught her eye.
It was a deep hunter green summer weight wool cloak with a lining of emerald satin. It wasn't nearly warm enough to wear as an everyday cloak, and it was far too dressy. However, if she remembered correctly, she did have a set of hunter green dress robes that she had received for her birthday and not worn yet. She set the cloak aside and kept searching.
She found a cloak, very much like her own, only much warmer. She pulled it off the hanger and swung it over her shoulders. It fit her perfectly. She turned to Lily to get her opinion. The redhead had a doubtful look on her face.
"Why navy again? Don't you want a black one?"
Noelle slowly turned back to the mirror. She hadn't thought of that. It was time that she admitted that she was no longer at Beauxbatons. Reluctantly, she took the navy cloak off and reached for the one Lily held out.
"See? It's got a midnight blue lining." Lily said, turning the cloak inside out.
Satisfied, Noelle wrapped it around herself. It too, fit her perfectly. Sighing resolutely, she gathered the emerald cloak and the black one and headed to the sales witch. Lily leaned over and whispered to the sales witch, who nodded approvingly. Lily pointed her wand at the left side of the front of the cloak.
Instantly, the Hogwarts emblem began to embroider itself in full color. Noelle smiled at Lily, who hugged her quickly.
"It's about time we did that!"
Noelle pulled her new cloak on and instantly felt warmer. She glanced down at the emblem on her chest and smiled to herself.
Noelle and Lily slowly ambled down the village streets, exclaiming over the traditional Christmas decorations. High up on a hill, Noelle spotted a ramshackle house. Pointing, she asked Lily what it was. Lily involuntarily shuddered.
"That's the Shrieking Shack. It's supposedly very haunted."
Noelle started to walk closer to it, but Lily grabbed her arm.
"Didn't you hear me? It's haunted!"
Noelle scoffed at her and kept walking. As she approached the fence around the house, she heard an ungodly scream come from it. She froze, then spun and raced back down the hill, with Lily on her heels.
Noelle ran all the way back to the Hogwarts gates, where she collapsed against them, panting. She clutched her side as she waited for Lily to catch up. When Lily arrived, she too was out of breath.
"What...was...that?" she finally managed to ask.
Gulping air wildly, Noelle shook her head. "I do not know. It was not human, I know that."
Straightening up, she regained her composure. She tugged on the gate handle until the gate flew towards her. The girls walked up the path, much more slowly than before.
At the door, Noelle suddenly stopped. A look of understanding washed over her face. She looked at her watch, then swiveled her head to the darkening sky. A wide smile spread over her face and she tore up the stairs towards the tower.
"Noelle! Wait!" Lily groaned and started running again.
When she finally arrived in the common room, she found Noelle pouring through her Defense against the Dark Arts book, and checking something on a strange looking chart. She touched her friend on the shoulder and Noelle jumped a foot. She clapped her hand over her heart.
"Oh, Lily! I just remembered something I wanted to put in my Astronomy essay." Noelle lied.
Lily looked doubtful, so Noelle elaborated.
"I just did not want to forget it."
Lily seemed satisfied. "Hungry? Let's go to dinner."
Noelle shook her head. "You go. I am not hungry."
Lily shrugged. "Suit yourself. See you a bit."
Lily left the room. Noelle turned back to her papers and made a few notations. A knowing smile lit up her face and she put her quill down smugly.
Later that night, Noelle was curled up in her usual spot on the couch. She just wanted to see if her theory was correct. If it was, James and Sirius would be sneaking down the stairs any minute.
Sure enough, the sounds of two people creeping down the stairs soon came from the boys' dorm. She sank lower in her chair. She raised her head slightly, just in time to see James toss the cloak over himself and Sirius. She would bet any amount of money that they were heading for the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade.
After about ten minutes, she hurried to the window in time to see a giant bear-like black dog and an enormous silvery white stag bound across the grounds. Shaking her head, she turned away from the window and headed to her dormitory.
Two days later, Noelle was rushing through the corridor, intent on getting to the library to finish her Potions homework. Outside the doorway, she ran smack into Remus. Again, he looked pale and tired, but at least this time he wasn't covered in dirt.
"Noelle!" he said, as he crouched to pick up her bag.
"Bonjour Remus." She replied, reaching for her bag.
He didn't give it to her, and she looked at him questioningly.
"I have to talk to you." He said urgently.
A shiver or alarm ran through her body, but she covered it. "About what?" she asked, feigning innocence.
His light brown eyes locked directly on her navy ones.
"About your illness."
Her heart plummeted to her feet and stayed there. This was not what she had expected him to say. In shock, she stared at him, not able to speak.
"I know, Noelle. I know everything." He said quietly.
She started to back away from him, but he reached for her arm.
"Please...can we go somewhere and talk?"
What choice did she have? Bowing her head, she allowed him to lead her into an empty classroom.
He sat heavily on the first desk in the first row, and she perched on the corner of the dusty teachers table. Finally she met his eyes.
"How did you find out?" she said softly.
"Nicolette told me. Well, she let it slip actually. We were talking, about Beauxbatons, and she mentioned how happy you looked, and that it was quite a change from your last year at Beauxbatons. When I questioned her, she said that you had been really depressed after you had gotten sick."
Remus paused and Noelle waited for him to continue with baited breath.
"When I asked what kind of sick, she said that you had a problem with your lungs, and how bad your coughing could get...Noelle.....you have Cystic Fibrosis, don't you?"
A sob caught in her throat and she ducked her head. Wiping away the tears that escaped from her tightly shut eyelids, she managed to nod slightly.
"But....that means...."
She cut him off. "It means I am going to die, Remus." She said coldly. "It means I AM dying."
He shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious! You're..."
"Only sixteen?" She laughed bitterly. "Yes I know. I am not even old enough to drink, but apparently, I am old enough to die."
She was engulfed in a warm hug. Immediately, she relaxed into his comforting embrace and cried. She cried so hard that her stomach began to hurt. He rubbed her back and whispered soothingly into her ear.
"Noelle, I'm here for you. Nicolette didn't mean to tell me, I kind of just figured it out."
She slowly pulled away and swiped at her cheeks. "Well, as long as we are being so honest..." she trailed off.
His light brown eyebrows rose questioningly.
"I know about you too. I know you are a...well...I know you are a werewolf." She stage whispered the last word.
He turned slightly pale so she hastened to reassure him.
"I am not going to tell anyone, I promise."
He nodded slowly and grabbed the back of his neck with both hands as he paced the room.
He swung guilty eyes at her and said, "How did you figure out?"
She shrugged. I noticed you were absent on the full moon. And I overheard James and Sirius whispering about you. Well, they called you Moony, but I heard them call you that in Cannes."
She smiled at him again. "I really just stumbled over it in Defense against the Dark Arts."
He still looked nervous.
"Remus, I did not tell anyone. Not even Lily."
He looked skeptical. "Really?"
She nodded, and placed her hand over her heart. "I swear."
He relaxed.
"So...now I will keep your secret, as long as you keep mine. I do not want anyone here to know about my disease." She warned. "I especially do not want James, Lily and Sirius to know. It does not concern any of them, and I do not want them to treat me differently."
Remus nodded. He agreed about the way Noelle would be treated, but he didn't think it was fair of her not to tell the others, especially Sirius. Sirius loved her so much, and his stupid pride was the reason that Noelle wasn't talking to him. She had been chillingly accurate when she had called him out on his past.
Remus smiled to himself, thinking of the broken hearts that must be scattered around the castle after almost six years of seduction by Sirius.
"What is so funny?" Noelle asked him, snapping him back to the present.
"Nothing. Just thinking." Noelle raised a perfect blonde eyebrow.
"Anything else?" Remus quickly asked.
Noelle shook her head, and then said. "Actually yes. When you transform, do you go to the Shrieking Shack?"
Remus nodded slowly. Encouraged, Noelle went on.
"James and Sirius? Do they know? Do they go with you? Isn't that dangerous?" she fired at him.
He looked uncomfortable again. "Yes they know, but they do not come with me, its way too dangerous." He lied, hoping she believed him.
Again the blonde eyebrow rose. Dammit! How does she know all of it? he thought to himself. He sighed heavily.
"You just don't give up do you?" he said dejectedly.
She laughed and playfully punched him on the shoulder. He sighed again.
"I really don't know what to tell you, Noelle."
She eyed him critically, and then decided they had done enough bonding for the day.
"D'accord. I will let you off the hook."
He smiled in relief.
"One more thing...how is Nicolette?" she said innocently.
He turned beet red and lunged at her, tickling her ribs wildly. She shrieked with glee and fled the classroom, with Remus still attempting to tickle her.
She flew down the corridor with Remus in hot pursuit. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder and in that short time frame once again bumped into someone else. Sirius caught her before she fell to the ground.
The laughter died on her lips and she wrenched her arm out of his grasp. Turning sharply to Remus, she smiled.
"Thank you for your help, Remus."
Throwing one last glare at Sirius, she hurried away from the two boys.
"What was that all about?" Sirius grunted.
Remus took him by the elbow and leaned in to whispered furiously in his ear.
"Listen. Noelle knows. She knows everything. She knows I'm a werewolf, she knows that I stay in the Shrieking Shack when I transform. And she knows about you and James being Animagi."
Sirius froze in shock. "How?" he hissed.
Remus snorted. "Don't ask me, the girl is intuitive. However, I think she just has a suspicion of the Animagi. I didn't tell her it was true."
They kept walking down the corridor.
"Why did you tell her about you being a werewolf?"
Remus shifted his eyes away. "She figured it out and asked me. She caught me off guard."
Sirius looked at him out of the corner of his grey eyes. "Did she...uh...did she say anything about me?"
Remus lifted an eyebrow. "I thought you were done with her."
"Oh I am." Sirius hastened to say. "I was just wondering."
Remus chuckled. "Oh, well in that case. No she didn't."
He almost burst out laughing at the blatant disappointment on Sirius' face. He slung his arm around his friend's shoulder.
"Cheer up Padfoot. After all, she's just another girl, right?"
Remus said slyly, clapping his hand over Sirius' shoulder and walking into the Great Hall, leaving Sirius sputtering excuses behind him.