Disclaimer- If it was mine, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. Anything you recognize, except for Sable, is the property of Rowling. As much as I hate to admit it.

Sleep, Peaceful Sleep

When the rays of sunlight woke Remus, he was startled to find that, instead of the dingy and dirty walls of the Shrieking Shack, he was in the hospital wing of the school. He shook his head again to make sure he wasn't seeing things. 'What am I doing here?' he thought, 'How'd I get in here?' His questions were short lived however, when Madame Pomfrey came bustling into sight.

"Ah, you're awake, Mr. Lupin." she said cheerfully, "Very good. I must say, you gave me quiet a scare this morning." Remus frowned as she began to check for scars. He was in the hospital wing, and James, Sirius, and Peter were no where in sight.

"What am I doing here? The last thing I remember, I......." The nurse was looking at him curiously, but she said nothing. She continued on with her examination and soon stepped back, sighing in satisfaction.

"Well, Mr. Lupin." she said. "As I said, there seems to be no damage to you. However, you did scare us this morning. When we found you, I was so relieved. I didn't know what to think."

"Found me? Where was I?" he asked.

"You were passed out on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, dear. I found you when I went down there after you didn't show up for breakfast."

"Breakfast? What time is it?" he asked.

"Almost noon." she said absently. She frowned but said nothing else about the manner. "I want you to go to bed. No classes for you today. That change must have been rougher than usual. You're much more tense. And I dare say you are much more sore than usual. I'll inform the Headmaster that you are excused from classes for the day." she said matter of factly.

"Yes, ma'am." he replied. Pomfrey nodded and left the closed off area in a hurry. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and grimaced as sharp pains coursed through his beaten body.

"Ouch! Damn it to Hell!!" he muttered as he tried to get out of the bed. "What's wrong with me!" He managed to stand up when he sensed someone else coming. Since his senses waxed and waned with the full moon, he quickly picked up Sable's scent.

"Moony? You awake?" she whispered quietly, not wanting to wake him if he still slumbered.

"Yeah," he hissed, "I'm up. Although I'm beginning to wish I wasn't." Sable pulled back the privacy curtain and took a quick look over him.

He didn't look any worse for wear, but she could tell he was majorly sore. She moved next to him and put one of his arms around her shoulder.

"Lean on me." she ordered. "We need to get you up to the Common Room before the others freak out. Pomfrey's let you go, right?"

"Yeah." he said. He was confused. Sable looked like she was half dead. There were dark circles under her eyes and she look like she had been crying. Her normally sleek black hair was gathered up into a messy ponytail. "What's going on, Sable?" He asked quietly.

"I'll explain everything when we get to the Tower." she answered quickly. Remus, still a bit dazed, nodded and began to limp out of the ward. When they got to the Common Room, there was no one is sight. He sighed and shook his head. 'Where are James and the others? They never leave me alone after the changes.' he thought. It was nearly noon, and on a Monday at that. All the other students would be in class. Sable helped him through the room. And as soon as he got to it, Remus plunked down on one of the couches.

"No, Remus." she said. "You need to get to your dorm." He looked peeved, but didn't say anything rash.

"Why can't I stay here?" he asked crankily.

"Because the others are waiting in your dorm." she said.

"What?"

"Just come on." she said. Remus frowned and got up from the couch. They got to the boy's dorm and Remus found Sirius and James sitting on their beds, waiting anxiously for them.

"Moony!" Sirius said. "About time you woke up."

"What happened, guys? Why'd I wake up in the hospital wing?" he asked.

"I'm about to explain that." Sable said. "But right now, you need to get to bed." Remus grinned and flopped down onto his own queen sized bed. Sirius and James sat down on their own beds and nodded.

"Okay boys, here's the deal." Sable said. "I've got questions and I need answers. But since I wasn't there last night, you will have to help me out." The three boys nodded, but Remus was still confused.

"Guys, what happened last night?" he asked. "Is everyone okay? Where's Peter?"

"He and Lily are gone to class." James said. Remus nodded.

"They're fine, Moony." Sirius said.

"Then what's the problem." he asked.

"I almost killed you last night!" Sable yelled suddenly. "That's what!"

"Huh?" Remus asked. James stood up and put his hands on Sable's shoulders, causing her pacing to stop.

"We've already went through this." he said. "You didn't try to kill him. It was a mistake."

"Yes, I did, James." she said. "I'm so stupid. Remus, I'm sorry. I didn't think, and it almost cost you your life. Merlin, I'm stupid. Please, forgive me."

"Okay, I forgive you." Remus shrugged. "But will someone please tell me what's going on? I'm fine over here." Sable nodded and sat down at the nearest desk.

"Okay, fine," she said. "Remus, what do you remember from last night?" The boy frowned and tried to recall the memories of the night. He had a fleeting picture of the inside of the Shack, and the pain of the change.

"I remember getting through the tunnel and into the Shack." he said. "I also remember drinking the potion.... and then the change, but that's it." Sable seemed to be on the verge of tears. She stood and frowned.

"Is that all, Remus?" she asked. "You don't remember anything else, anything at all? No matter how small it is, tell me." Remus closed his eyes and concentrated hard, trying to draw up the images.

Eyes.

He remembered eyes. Purple eyes.....Sable's eyes.

"I remember seeing you." he said.

"But she wasn't there last night." Sirius said.

"Sorry, but that's all I can remember." he answered. Sable was almost hysterical.

"Do you remember anything immediately after you changed?" she asked earnestly.

"What is this, a game of 20 Questions?" Remus asked, annoyed.

"No, you moron!" Sable snapped angrily, "I'm trying to find out if I gave you any permanent brain damage last night! Now answer the question, damn it!!" Remus jumped back at the venom in her voice. He closed his eyes and tried to remember something after the pain subsided, but nothing came to him immediately. Suddenly, he saw a rat being chased around the Shack. It looked like Sirius the dog was about to seriously hurt Peter the rat. He grinned to himself and chuckled. Then a picture of the same rat and dog, only this time with a stag near them. He remembered getting up from the floor, and thinking about the other Marauders. He smiled again and Sable brought him back to reality.

"What is it, Remus?" she asked. "Do you remember something? Tell me."

"I remember seeing you guys standing there when I stood up." Remus said, pointing to the other two boys. "I...... nodded..... to you and then Sirius started jumping up and down and barking. James bowed to me, like he knew what I was thinking." Sable looked extremely pleased and urged him to continue. "I remember something I loved......." he broke off suddenly and blushed.

"What?" Sable asked. "What did you think?"

"I remember thinking that I loved being able to think like a human even though I was still in my wolf form." he said. Sable smiled and nodded.

"Good. Good. The potion worked." She said. "Now, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Sirius was chasing Peter around the room." he said. "You didn't hurt him, did you Padfoot?"

"No. Just scared him a bit." Sirius grinned. "He was getting annoying last night."

"Okay, James, approximately what time was it when Sirius and Peter were doing this?"

"About five this morning." James answered. "Right before dawn. It was about half an hour before Moony passed out."

"I passed out?" Remus asked.

"Yes. That's why you don't remember changing back or coming into the hospital this morning, or me coming to the Shack early this morning." Sable said.

"Yeah, one minute, you're lying on the floor with a goofy grin on your face. Then, the next, you're out cold turkey." Sirius said "We didn't know what had happened."

"Well, what did happen? Why'd I just pass out?" he asked.

"Because I'm an idiot!!" Sable said.

"You're no idiot." Remus said.

"Yes, I am." she said. "I didn't think when I gave you that potion yesterday."

"So, what happened?"

"Remus, when I gave you the Wolfsbane Potion, I forgot that you still had some of the pain reduction potion from the last month in you system. You remember the one that knocked you out all night."

"Okay."

"Well, here's a question for you, Remus." Sable said. "The main ingredient in Wolfsbane Potion is the leaves of a Wolfsbane plant. The main ingredient in a pain reduction potion is Monkswood. Both plants are highly caustic if mixed together. Are you getting the picture??" she asked. Remus, still groggy from the change, shook his head.

"They're only caustic if you mix them in water." he said sleepily. "I didn't drink any water after I took it. Didn't have time to." Sable growled n frustration.

"Babe," she said sarcastically, "What's seventy percent of your body made up of?"

"Testosterone?" Sirius volunteered happily, trying to lighten up the tenseness in the room. Sable glared at him, but James snickered.

"Water." she said icily. "The two plants mixed in your bloodstream, along with the water present in your body. Because of the lycanthropy your body held off the reaction time. But it became too much and you passed out."

"So why were you so worried?" People pass out all of the time." Remus said.

"When Wolfsbane and Wormwood, another pain reducer that was present the in the potion I gave you last month, are mixed together and taken in powder form, they can cause memory loss. But, because the Wolfsbane Potion that I gave you wasn't full strength, I don't think that part affected you."

"That potion wasn't full strength?" James asked.

"No, I watered it down because I didn't know how he would react to it. But it's a blessing in disguise. If I had given him he whole thing, he could be dead right now."

"Okay, that explains some of it. Now how'd I get into the castle?"

"When you passed out, I came back up here and got Sable from the hospital wing." Sirius said. "We brought her down here and she checked you out. That's when she realized what she had done."

"We stayed with you until Pomfrey came to get you." James said. "Peter went on to class to keep things from looking too suspicious. How he's going to stay awake, I don't know."

"The boys have been up here since then, waiting for you to wake up." Sable said. "I was discharged from the hospital wing after breakfast. I stayed as long as I could, but Pomfrey wanted an explanation, so I just hung around in the hallways until you finally slept the effects of the potion off."

"Well, everything is okay now." Remus said. "The only thing that's wrong with me is soreness. And I think some sleep will take care of that." James yawned and stretched his hands above his head.

"Sleep sounds good." he said sleepily. "In fact, I'm going to take a quick shower and I'm going to take a nap. No practice this evening, and the day is half over, so no point in going to class now." Sirius nodded and stood up also.

"I'm going to grab some food, then I'm sleeping until tomorrow. " he said gruffly. "I'll be back soon. You guys want anything to eat while I'm gone?" They declined, and James followed him out the door, leaving Sable and Remus alone.

"I'd better be going, too." she muttered. "After that visit from Snape, and then the mess with you, I'm to pooped to pop." She turned to leave, but Remus topped her.

"Snape was up there again?" he growled. "What for this time?"

"I don't know. Maybe he wanted to see if I was walking around on all four legs and wagging a tail." she grimaced.

"Did he tell you how much he knew?" Remus asked.

"No. But he knows enough." she said. "He knows about my parents, my laboratory, you , and the Celtic book I got the Wolfsbane Potion from."

"But not you?"

"He suspects it." she said, rubbing her swollen, sleep red eyes. "But I think he didn't read the whole journal." She sat down at a chair and put her head in her hands. Wet tears began to slip through her fingers, and Remus heard her start to whimper. He got off his bed and walked over to her, wincing every time he moved.

"Hey. Come on now. Don't cry, Sable." he whispered, stooping down to be eye lever with her. "Everything will be okay." By now, she was openly sobbing.

"I almost killed you, Remus." she said sadly. "How is that okay? Now, I'm going to be locked up for taking that book. Snape knows about my parents, and he suspects me. Not to mention, he know about my laboratory. Now none of my work is safe. I've ruined so much stuff. I'm so stupid.....Why didn't I think about this stuff before now? Merlin, what have I done?" She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. Remus stood up and pulled her up from the chair to face him.

"You listen to me." he said. "Ninety percent of those problems can be easily remedied."

"But...I..."

"Hold on." he said, hugging her tight. "You've done too much good to put yourself through this. You need some sleep before you go off the deep end." She pulled out of his arms with a grimace and sat down on his bed.

"I couldn't sleep. My mind is in a jangle."

"Fine, don't sleep." he said. "But I'm not leaving you by yourself in this kind of mood. There's no telling what you'll do." He sat on his bed beside her and sighed.

"Go to sleep, Remus." Sable said. "I'm not going to go anywhere until Sirius gets back."

"Lot of good that'll do. He's a heavier sleeper than I am." Remus said.

"Be that as it may," she said, "it'll make me feel better."

"Suit yourself." he said, rolling over on his side, his back facing her. "But I'm going to sleep. If you're gonna stay here until Pads gets back, you might as well get comfortable. There's no telling how long he'll take."

"Okay." She said quietly. She pushed herself up against the headboard of the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. Remus seemed to be too tired to notice. 'I'll stay here until Sirius gets back.' she thought. 'Then I'll go get some sleep myself.' For the next five minutes, she battled with herself to keep her eyes open and functioning. She finally gave up. 'I'll rest my eyes for a few minutes.' she told herself. 'Sirius will be back soon. Then I can go.'

When Sirius came back twenty minutes later, he found Remus asleep on his bed and Sable sitting up against the headboard, fast asleep. He smiled and walked over to the bed. He picked the girl up and carefully laid her next to his sleeping friend. Now, instead of being all bunched up, she was lying down. Sirius grinned again, and pulled the curtains around the bed.

"Sweet dreams, kiddies." he said as he climbed into his own bed to catch up on much needed rest.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

Later on that night, Remus was awaken from his peaceful slumber by the soft murmurs of the girl lying next to him. He rolled over and nearly jumped out of his own skin when he saw Sable lying there. 'Wait a minute! What's she still doing in here?' he thought anxiously, ' It's the middle of the night, for Merlin's sake. She should be back in her own dorm.' His mind flitted back to the evening before. And he frowned. 'She was waiting for Sirius to get back before she left me.' he thought. 'She must have fallen asleep. And leave it to Padfoot to make it a point not to wake either of us up.' He shifted his weight again and looked down at the girl. She was sleeping peacefully and he could tell that she really didn't want to be woke up. 'I guess she can stay here for the night.' he thought. 'It's not like Sirius doesn't know she's here.' He reached over and pulled the curtains around the bed open. He glanced towards James' bed, hoping the boy had slept in the Head's dorms tonight. He was in luck, the curtains were still open.

"Well, Ms. Robbins," he whispered. "If you're sleeping in my bed, I'm staying in James'. No telling what would happen if I stayed this close to you all night." He slowly got out of bed and was about to pull the curtains shut on his own bed when he heard Sable's murmur again. She turned over to the other side of the bed and shook her head. She was saying something, but Remus couldn't make out what it was. 'She's having a nightmare.' he thought grimly. He debated on whether or not to wake her up. Her thrashing was getting worse and there was sweat on her forehead. He finally decided to try to wake her up. He pulled out his wand and got back into his own bed. He pulled the curtains shut and cast a silencing charm around them. "No use in waking up everyone." he said quietly. He reached out and took a hold of her shoulder, gently shaking her. "Sable. Sable, wake up." he said. "You're having a nightmare. Get up, already."

Suddenly, she sat straight up in bed and stared at Remus like he was a ghost. There was sweat on her forehead and her pulse was racing. She blinked rapidly and rubbed her eyes as if ascertaining that Remus was still there.

"Remus?" she asked. "Remus? Is that you? Really you?" Remus nodded and frowned.

"Yeah, it's me." he said. "Are you okay, Sable? You were thrashing about pretty bad. Bad dream, I'm guessing?" Sable nodded and shook her head. Tears started to glisten in her eyes and Remus was confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Why are you crying?" She sniffled and shook her head.

"I was dreaming that I had killed you." she said quietly. "You had died because of a complications with the Wolfsbane Potion. And it was all my fault." She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked gently as the salty tears began to stream down her face. Remus, not liking it when she was upset, put his arms around her and hugged her.

"Hey, I'm okay." he said soothingly. "The potion worked fine. I'm not dead, and I'm not even sick. So don't get so worried. Everything is going to be okay." Sable snuggled down into his embrace and eventually stopped crying.

"I don't want to hurt you, Remus." she whispered after a while. "I don't want to lose you again." Remus was surprised to hear her words, but it made him feel better that his feelings were returned.

"You can't hurt me." he said with a wry smile. "It's not in your programming to hurt me." Sable chuckled and looked up at him.

"I wouldn't hurt you on purpose." she said. "But accidents do happen, and last night was a time when.........."

"I don't want to hear you being insecure about your own work." Remus stated firmly. "I trust you enough to take the potion. Now stop with the personal beratings." Sable frowned and snuggled down closer to him.

"Remus," she asked quietly, "what time is it?" Remus looked down at his watch.

"It's a little after midnight." he said. "Why?" He felt as she stiffened up when he answered.

"Then I guess I had better get to my dorm. We have classes in the morning." she said. She pulled out of his hug and pushed the comforter off of herself. Remus, still suffering from the after affects of the full moon, let loose a low growl when she stood up. Tension was running so high between the two teens that it could have been cut with a knife. He didn't want her to go anywhere, at least not right now, and she knew it.

"You don't need to be roaming the halls this late." he said. Sable gave him a quizzical look and cocked her head to one side, a small smile threatening to escape.

"This coming from someone who gets under and invisibility cloak and trapezes around campus all night." she said with a slight grin. Remus bristled, realizing how much he sounded like a hypocrite.

"I don't think it would be good for you to go back to your dorm now that Snape knows about the passageways." he said, full of frustration. "He might be down there right now, waiting for you. You don't know what that maniac is capable of doing." Sable frowned and shook her head.

"Remus, I can't stay here tonight." she said sadly, looking down at the floor.

"Why not?" he asked. "I'm not going to hurt you. And Pads and Wormtail are already asleep." Thanks to the darkness of the room, he didn't see the red flush of Sable's cheeks.

"I just can't." she said. "I.....I don't.....It's just not a good idea. What if Sirius or Peter wake up and find me in here?" she fished for an excuse.

" I have a feeling Sirius is the one that overlooked your occupancy earlier." Remus said with a grin. "As for Peter, don't worry about him. He's used to seeing Sirius' girlfriends come and go."

"Remus...." she said desperately, trying to find a way out. She knew what was happening. The full moon was still affecting her, and she wanted to be closer to Remus. But she couldn't let that happen. If she went with what her hormones were telling her, she'd jump right back into bed with him, and to Hell with whatever happened. But she didn't trust herself in this state. And staying in the same room with Remus was not helping her to think clearly. 'Damn hormones!!' she thought.

"Look," he said huskily, "you stay here and I'll go sleep in James' bed." He knew she was thinking along the same lines as him, but he didn't want to scare her. She understood what he was feeling, and the territorial instincts were kicking in again. She was trying to get away, so his natural instinct was to chase her.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Remus." she said. She knew what was going on. Every time her parents changed, her father wouldn't let her mom or her out of his sight for at least two days afterwards. It was the whole 'my territory' thing over again, only this time with her and Remus. "Neither of us is going to get any sleep if I stay here, and you know it."

"I can promise you that I'm not going to sleep any if you go back down to your dorm, either." he said finally. "Snape could be down there right now. He read the journal, Sable. He knows about the passages. Just stay here tonight and we'll go to make sure that the passages are sealed off tomorrow. Then you can go back. Just, please don't go back down there tonight." Sable sat back down on his bed and sighed.

"If I didn't know any better, Mr. Lupin." she said. "I'd think you were trying to find a way to keep me up here." Once again, thanks to the darkness, the flush that crept up was not visible.

"Be that as it may, I still don't want you down there tonight." Remus growled. She knew that he had a point. There was no telling what Snape was up to. And she really didn't want to find out in the middle of the night. Remus was right, as usual. 'Oh well,' she thought, 'at least I can make the best of it.'

"Okay, fine." she conceded. "But I'm doing this against my better judgment. I just want you to know that." Remus nodded and got up, ready to go to James' bed.

"Good," he said. "If Snape was down there and he'd have hurt you. I'd have killed him." Sable smiled and crawled back under the blankets. Remus turned around and reached to pull the curtains back.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"What?" Remus turned around and looked at her like she was crazy.

"Don't give me that innocent play, Remus Lupin." she said. "You know as well as I do that you are not going to sleep a wink in James' bed. So you might as well just stay here." She scooted over and pointed next to her.

"Sable, now I don't think that's such a good idea." he said. 'You're playing with fire, Sable. Back down before you get burned.' he thought.

"Look, if you're anything like my father - and I'm beginning to believe you are - you don't anymore want to sleep over there than I want you to." she said simply.

"Sable, you're pushing the line here." he growled.

"Remus, think about it. We both slept here all evening and everything was fine. It's the nearness to each other. Our minds are still thinking like wolves, not humans. Wolves run in packs, not alone. They're like a huge family. They eat together, sleep together, hunt together. The more you isolate yourself from others like you, the worse it gets." she said heatedly. " I trust you Remus. You're not going to hurt me. You forget my parents are just like you; I go through this all the time. And if you trust me as much as you keep telling me, you'll listen to me. Now, unless you want to spend the rest of the night tossing and turning in that bed, I suggest you grab another blanket and come to sleep." she said with finality. She turned over and covered herself up with the comforter, leaving Remus with his own decision.

Remus, on the other hand, was having the worst internal battle he had ever faced. He wanted to sleep next to her, but he was afraid of hurting her. 'Does she realize what she's asking me to do?' he thought. But, she did have a point. If he tried to sleep in James' bed, he would only toss and turn, knowing she was over there. ' I hate it when she's right! Oh, what the Hell. It's not like she doesn't know what's going on in my head. She's probably just trying to make me feel better.' he rationalized. He pushed back the curtains from the bed and walked out.

Sable heard him push the curtains back and walk away. 'Well, I tried to make him feel a little better.' she thought. 'It's not my fault if he can't sleep. Really, what's the point of me staying in here if he still doesn't get any sleep?' She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep herself. About five minutes later, she felt when someone sink down next to her. Remus spread to other blanket around him and laid down next to her. Sable waited until she heard him begin to breath evenly before she turned over and looked at him.

"We're driving each other nuts, Remus." she whispered, "And there's little or nothing we can do about it because we're too scared of hurting each other in the process." He just murmured incoherently and reached out to her. Sable, not wanting him to wake again, snuggled down into his embrace and was soon fast asleep herself.

**The next morning…**

Remus stirred from his bed when he heard Sirius wake up and groan about having to go to class. In his half-sleep, half-dream state, he reached out for where Sable had slept. Only when he found nothing did his eyes pop open and he realized that she was gone. He sat up straight and looked around.

She was gone.

He shook his head in dejection and pulled open the curtains around his bed. Sirius was already awake and rummaging through his wardrobe to find a uniform that was clean. 'I should have known she wouldn't stay any longer than she had to.' he thought sadly. He shook his head and climbed out of bed. 'At least I got a decent night's sleep out of the whole mess.' he thought. As soon as stepped out of the confines of his bed, Sirius turned on him with a saccharine sweetness that nearly caused him to puke.

"Sleep good last night, Moony?" he asked with a grin. "Didn't hear a peep out of you all night." Remus controlled his instinctive, sarcastic response that was bubbling to emerge and instead nodded his head towards the taller boy.

"'Morning to you too, Padfoot." he said firmly. He pulled out some clothes and decided to forgo a bath this morning. It was already late and he didn't want to be late for his first class of the day. Sirius watched him as he silently began to dress for class.

"You okay, Moony?" he asked, wondering why he was acting so cold. "I know you're not a morning person, but...."

"I'm fine, Padfoot." he said. 'I'm just thinking of numerous ways of committing suicide at the moment. But other than that, I'm freaking peachy!' He finished dressing and was about to leave the dorm when Sirius stopped him again.

"Moony," he said, "What's wrong with you?" Remus looked up at his friend and frowned.

"Pads, I have a lot on my mind right now. Just leave me be for a while." He answered solemnly. Sirius nodded and frowned.

" Whatever you need, Moony." he said. "But I just wanted you to get this before you left. Sable put it on my night stand to give to you if you woke up." Sirius handed him a piece of folded up parchment and shrugged. "I'll meet you in class. Later." He pulled open the door to the dorm and left out. Remus looked down at the paper and frowned. 'What's so important that she had to give the note to Sirius. I would have found it when I woke up.' He sat down on his bed and unfolded the note.

Remus,

Hey, I hope you're feeling better this morning. I'm sealing off the passages to the other Common Rooms from my room this morning before classes start (just like I promised I would), so if I don't show up for breakfast, don't be angry. I'm not trying to avoid you are anything.

Umm, about last night. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen asleep after everything happened. It was irresponsible of me to put you in that position. I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry. I don't want things to be awkward between us, and last night was about as awkward as it gets. So, please, accept my apology. I'll make sure that it doesn't happen again. Like I said before, I'm really sorry. And it's all my fault.

I'll see you later. It's early and you, Sirius, and Pete are still asleep. Don't get mad that I gave the letter to Sirius. You never look on your night stand anyway, (according to Padfoot) I'd have left it there, you probably wouldn't have got it. I've got to go now. I'll see you later.

Bye, Sable

Remus gritted his teeth and crushed the letter in his hands. 'That girl is impossible!!' he thought. 'She's trying to take the blame for all of this mess. What does she think she's doing?' He got up from his bed, grabbed his books and stormed down the stairs to the Common Room. He slipped behind the stairway when no one was looking and opened the portrait that led down the corridor to her room. It took him no time before he was standing in front of the entrance to her room. He pushed on the door, expecting it to open.

It didn't budge an inch.

He tried again, figuring it was stuck.

Once again, it didn't give.

He looked at the portrait in anger.

"She's locked to entrance into her room!" he exclaimed to no one in particular. "What does she think she's trying to pull?" He turned on his heels and left the corridor in a huff, intent on finding the girl and beating some sense into her head if that is what it took to make her see reason. He was a werewolf, so was she. Whatever was said between the two of them was not her fault alone. "She's bloody crazy!" he muttered.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the entrance, Sable was sitting on her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were red and bloodshot because of the excessive amount of crying she had done since she had left the boy's dorms this morning. She had heard Remus at the portrait and put a spell on the picture so it wouldn't budge. She had already sealed off the entrance to the other common rooms, but she didn't want to see him at the moment.

She had screwed up, big time. Staying with Remus had been a big mistake. She had said some things that didn't need to be said, and done some things that didn't need to be done. She punched her pillow and cried. 'Why me?' she asked her self for the thousandth time since she had awoken, 'Why did I have to be cursed to carry this burden my whole life. Now, the one person who is remotely like me will be avoiding me like the plague. I mean, Merlin, friends don't sleep in the same bed with each other. What was I thinking? I know what I was thinking. I was thinking that it was time to loose logic and follow my feelings. Humph. Fat chance on that one. I do, and look where it leads me. Straight to a guilt trip because I let my guard down and let him through. Now, I've probably lost Remus for good. God, what was I thinking? Neither one of us were thinking with our heads last night. Can someone say RAGING HORMONES!!!! And the sad part is that we didn't do anything. Lord knows what I'd do to myself if we ever done anything else.' She got up off of her bed and threw on a uniform, intent on skipping breakfast and going straight to her first class.

'At least he didn't push you away.' came an annoyingly familiar voice in the back of her head. Sable groaned and tried to repress it. No such luck was with her though.

"Go away." she muttered. "I don't need an attack of my conscience this morning."

'I'm not going away.' it answered, 'at least not until we get some things straight.'

" I said. GO. AWAY!" she said out loud.

'No gonna happen, sister.' it said firmly. 'I've had enough of this. You've been back at school for over a month. And the whole time, you've found a million and one reasons to keep yourself distanced from Remus.'

"And up until now, everyone of them has worked." she muttered, gathering up her books.

'Not everyone of them.' it said firmly. 'I do remember a few scenes when he got through to you. Namely in the Head's common room and outside on the Pitch.'

"Lay off of me." she said. "I don't need this right now."

'You're right, you know.' it retorted. 'Right now, you need to go find Remus and tell him what's going on. You love the boy for Merlin's sake. Why can't you just admit to it already?"

"Because I'm afraid." she said quietly. "I'm afraid of getting hurt."

'How many times do I have to tell you that he's not going to hurt you?' it asked.

"I think the current count is up to around 2,347." she said sarcastically, "but I could be wrong."

'Listen to yourself, Sable.' it said. 'Why don't you give him a chance. If he didn't like you, you wouldn't have stayed in that room last night, and especially not in his bed!'

"I'm telling you," she shouted, "it was hormones. He doesn't like me like that."

'What about earlier this year, when you were in here brewing the potion and he tried to tell you something. You sent him to James, Sirius, and Peter for advice. You know why you did that?' it asked.

"Because he was confusing me with all that double talk." she retorted.

'Ank,' it said. 'Wrong answer. Sorry, try again.'

"Then why?"

'Because you were afraid that he was going to say something to corner you. Something that would force you to re-examine the way you think and what you feel. You were afraid that he was going to say something that you couldn't turn around or rationalize the wrong way. You were scared of the truth that he may actually like you as more than a friend.'

"Bullshit!" she said. "You're freakin' insane!!"

"I know." came a deep voice from behind her. "But it's never been clinically proven, so I don't admit to it." Sable whirled around and was face to face with James Potter. He didn't look too happy to see her. "Of course, it could come from having friends like Sirius. That would drive anyone off the deep end." he grinned. Sable managed a weak smile before turning around again, forcing James to look at her back instead of her tear stained face.

'Later, babe.' the little voice said. 'You think about what I said.'

"What are you doing in here, James?" she asked on a somewhat even voice. "I figured you would be down at breakfast by now."

"I already finished." he said. "But thanks for asking."

"Not a problem." she said quietly. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Actually, that's why I came down here." he said calmly. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay. Sirius told me that you fell asleep in the boy's dorms last night. I just wanted to make sure you were okay enough to go to class." Sable bristled at the reminder, but said nothing that could have been mis-interpreted.

"I'm fine, James." she said. "I was just tired last night. I know the girls aren't supposed to be up there. And I'm sorry. Just do whatever you have to and please leave. I'm trying to get ready for class." She sniffled and looked down at the floor. She felt it when the Head Boy walked closer to her and placed a brotherly hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not going to do anything." he said. "I just wanted to make sure you were up to coming to class this morning. I already ran into Remus, and he didn't look like he was in such a good mood. Just wanted to make sure everything was okay." Sable nodded and shook her head.

"Really, James." she insisted, "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay." he said. "We'll be waiting for you." Sable nodded and heard as he walked out of the door and the portrait clicked shut. Sable waited until he was gone before taking out her wand and casting a charm to rid herself of the puffy, swollen eyes and black circles. She surveyed herself in the mirror and sighed.

"Well, that's as good as it is going to get." she muttered. She gathered up her books and walked out of her room, intent on ignoring Remus for the rest of the day, and week if possible.

♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧Later on that day, right before lunch....♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧

Sirius, Remus, and James were sitting in Defense class, waiting for the bell to ring. It had been a hectic day, and all three were ready to get the day over with and get some more rest. James pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled a note to Sirius:

Sirius, is it just me, or is Moony in one heck of a bad mood. Is it because of Sable?

He passed to note to the boy and waited for a response. A few minutes later, Sirius inconspicuously dropped the note on his desk on his way to the trash bin.

I don't know, Prongs. Sable spent the night in the dorms last night, but I don't think they fought or anything. She was up and gone before any of us woke up this morning.

James scribbled down a response and slipped the note back to the desk behind him where Sirius sat.

Those two are driving me nuts. This whole having two of them around at the full moon is driving me crazy. I talked to Lils and she said that Sable is not in the mood to talk to anyone right now. I don't know what's going on, but I went to make sure that she was okay this morning after I talked to Moony and she had been crying. You know anything about that?

Sirius shook his head and looked over to Remus, who was staring at him with a curious expression. He just smiled and looked back down at the parchment before mouthing 'prank'. Remus grinned and nodded, turning his attention back to his notes.

Me thinks that Moony is in denial over a certain raven-haired potions mistress. I think the affects of the full moon didn't help his little infatuation with the girl.

Sirius passed the note back and shook his head. James scribbled something down and gave it back.

And me thinks you are right. They are going to the Halloween ball together. Maybe there is some hope for them yet.

The bell rang and the boys packed up their things and headed to lunch. They met Lily and Arabella halfway there, no Sable in sight. Remus frowned and shook his head. 'So much for not avoiding me.' he thought. They walked to the Great Hall and sat down to eat. All through lunch Remus would glance around, looking for the girl. When the bell rang for class to start again, he was the first one out of his seat and to the doors. They had History of Magic with the Ravenclaws next, which meant a class with Sable. She was usually in a hurry to get to class, so he nearly ran at breakneck speed to get there. When he arrived at the classroom, he expected to see her standing there talking to Professor Binns. No luck.

Five minutes later, everyone else started to trickle in. He took his customary seat in the back, but didn't put his head down to sleep. Instead, he waited for her to come. They needed to talk and the sooner the better. Then, about thirty seconds before the tardy bell rang, Sable slipped into an empty desk...... on the other side of the room. Binns began to call roll, Remus cursed the gods that were working against him. He couldn't talk to her way over there. Binns started on a discussion and everyone immediately tuned him out.

Lily and James watched as their friend's temper began to rise to a very dangerous point. Sirius tapped them on the shoulder and made a cutting motion at his throat and pointed to Remus and Sable. Lily looked over at the girl. Her long hair was covering her face, but she sat straight up, her attention not wavering from the ghostly instructor. James nodded and looked over at Lily, who nodded. Sable needed someone to talk to, and everyone had a feeling that she would blow up at the boys. Arabella grinned and pulled a few Dungbombs out of her bag. 'This is going to be good.' she thought. At the same time, Sirius, Lily and James were whispering quietly to each other.

Remus was lost in his thoughts when a sudden explosion at the front of the classroom startled him. The majority of the sleeping class was thrown awake when the Dungbombs went off. A very stinky smell invaded the classroom and the students began to evacuate the classroom. Remus glanced over to his friends. Sirius was looking at Arabella with a grin and nodding. James looked over at Remus and shrugged. Pete, ever the sleeper, was still drooling on his desk...asleep to the world. But what surprised him the most as they ran out of the classroom was when Lily grabbed Sable by the neck of her robes and drug her around the corner. 'What is that red-head up to now?' he thought.

Sable struggled to stay on her feet as the taller girl drug her around the corner.

"Lily!" she said loudly. "Lily, let me go. I can walk on my own." The taller girl stopped and let her go. "Thank you. Now what's so important?" Lily grinned

"Well, I wanted to catch you before you went back to your room." she said. "Me, Arabella, and Amanda are getting together tonight to figure out what costumes we're wearing to the ball. I told them about your gown and they want to know if you can all co-ordinate our costumes around yours and Remus'. I already asked him about it and he said it was okay. I just needed to get your okay before we go any further." Sable shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, sure. I don't care." she answered. "I'll welcome an evening of somewhat normality after these past few days."

"Good. Now there's one thing I need you to do." Lily said. "Can you bring your costume up to the Head's dorms this evening after your tutoring sessions? I wanted the girls to see it so they could get an idea of what I was talking about."

"Yeah, okay." Sable answered. "I'll cut my tutoring sessions short so I'll get there in time. Do you want me to bring the whole get-up, or just the dress?" Lily smiled and nodded.

"The whole thing if you don't mind." Lily said.

"No problem." she said. Lily grinned and nodded.

"Good, now let's get back before Binns catches us." Sable nodded and turned around. Lily grinned and smirked. 'You two are going to be talking again if it's the last thing I do.'

The rest of the day was uneventful for the troupe. The days classes ended and Sable went to the Great Hall to help some of the younger students with their homework. Sitting at the Gryffindor table were about ten kids of different Houses. Sable put a cheerful smile on her face and walked up to the children.

On the other side of the hall, in the shadows of the arches, another seventh year watched as the woman moved in between the younger students, helping them to understand the finer points of magic. He smiled. The girl really was some sort of wonder-woman. She was more at ease with the younger students than she was with her own friends. Especially today. It seemed as though she was once again shutting herself off from the Marauders. He watched as she stopped to sit down by one particular little boy. He had brown hair and seemed to need help more often than the others. Sable, the ever patient teacher, walked him through something. And when a bright smile lit the child's face, the boy knew she had showed him a better way of understanding the material.

He glanced at the entrance of the Great Hall and was surprised to see Remus Lupin standing there, watching her in much the same fashion as he was. The boy grinned evilly when he saw Lupin tense up at the sound of Sable's light, airy laughter. It wasn't long after that, Lupin left. 'I don't know what that idiot did, but it's making my job easier.' the boy thought. He continued to watch the girl for a few more minutes before he went back down to the dungeons to his own dormitory.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈That evening, in the Head's dorms≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Lily waited patiently as Sable changed into her costume. Arabella and Amanda were sitting on the couches, talking about something or another. James and the others were at a Quidditch practice. Lily grinned as Sable walked out of the bathroom that was attached onto the common room. Sable walked out and stood in front of the girls. She grinned at the expression on their faces. Bella was speechless and Amanda's eyes were the size of dinner plates.

"Well, what do you think?" Lily asked happily.

"I would ask does that come in my size?" Amanda said. Sable blushed and shook her head.

"I still say my parents went overboard." she answered. "But I'm not complaining." They smiled and got down to planning out the other costumes. Unbeknownst to the boys, the ladies were also planning their outfits also. Sable let the other girl's do Remus' costume. She didn't feel like having anything to do with him right now. Sable wanted to go take the dress off, but Lily insisted that she keep it on so she could model it for the others when they needed ideas. She didn't object, but she did wish they would hurry up.

Ten minutes after nine, Lily finally called a halt to the meeting. They all stood up and grinned. The costumes were planned and ready to go. Now all they needed was a trip to Hogsmeade to buy the needed items. Bella excused herself to the bathroom and the other girls quickly cleaned up the mess. There was a knock at the portrait and Sable glanced up at Lily with a curious glance.

"Oh, it's just James." she said. "I had to change the password today and I haven't given him the other one yet since he was at practice. Will you go let him in, Sable. We've kind of got our hands full." Sable shrugged and nodded. Lily and Amanda were juggling papers in their hand. She didn't want anyone to see her in the dress, but it was James. 'If he says anything stupid, I can always hex him.' she thought happily. She walked over to the portrait hole and pulled it open.

"James," she said, "Lily said she had to change........" Her eyes glazed over and she backed up when she saw who was standing at the entrance. It wasn't James.

It was Remus.

A/N - Okay people. How did I do. I know there are people out there who are probably waiting for Remus and Sable to get together. It's getting there, slowly but surely. I hope I got my point across about the loneliness that werewolves feel. I didn't want it to sound like they wanted pity, but… Well, you tell me. Leave me a review. Later.