RAR #10: Huzzah! Another marvelous chapter for your reading pleasure. This story seems to really be moving along, and in the right direction no less. Hooray for the easy distracted one staying on task! Anyway, I'm not to fond of this chapter all in all. I think it could be better. It had to be written and will do for the time being. The next one is really good though. I'm excited about it and can't wait to post it for you. Unitl then, read on and enjoy!

Nogard stayed confined to her office for the following days. The only reason she emerged was to instruct classes; she couldn't hold herself together for longer time periods than this. The encounter with Lupin had broken her. The way he had looked at her, as if she were some low, disgusting creature having a fit, had been burned into her mind's eye. She wanted nothing more then to erase the confrontation and to run to him, but she knew this was impossible. She had questioned her feelings toward him, aloud no less, and it was enough for him. She now busied herself with the grading of tests that she had been neglecting. It was a welcome distraction from her own emotions. It was a brief escape from her woes, very brief.

A loud knock upon her office door broke her forced concentration. She peered questioningly at the grandfather clock that stood beside her oversized bookcase. The aged, gold-accented face portrayed the late hour of ten thirty. No student should be out of their dormitory at this hour. Who would want to see me this late at night?

"Come in," she replied curiously.

The door swung forward, revealing a concerned looking McGonagall. Her hair was still pulled back into its usual tight bun, but her robes were in no way professional. Her forest green terry cloth robe dusted the floor as she moved toward her friend. The robe was wrapped tightly around her thin frame, attempting to conceal her pale pink nightgown. Her scholarly countenance seemed less knowledgeable due to the absence of her rectangular spectacles.

"Good Evening, Minerva," Nogard greeted, replacing her quill in its ink bottle. "To what do I owe the pleasure of such a late visit?"

"I apologize for the hour, Andromeda, but I can not, in good conscience, allow this to go unsaid." She paused as she seated herself in the armchair before Nogard's desk. "Why have you locked yourself away in this room?"

"What in the world are you talking about, Minerva?"

McGonagall scowled. "Don't you dare play dumb with me! You haven't left your classroom in a week. The only people that see you are your students, and even they are beginning to worry."

Nogard's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. "I've just been very busy, that's all."

"What's wrong with you, Andromeda? It's not like you to be so evasive."

"You have no idea," she muttered, looking down at her desk.

"You can talk to me. What's on your mind?"

Nogard was silent, contemplating the situation she had placed herself in. Her turmoil was eating away at her, slowly devouring her sanity. She needed to confide in someone. Why shouldn't it be McGonagall, her greatest and most trusted friend in this castle?

"Minerva," she began, ringing her hands nervously atop her desk, "I have to tell you something."

McGonagall smiled softly. "What is it?"

"My name isn't Andromeda Nogard." She paused, taking in McGonagall's reaction. The aging face of her colleague seemed mildly perplexed and intrigued by this confession. "My name is Chevious Andromeda Lupin. I was a few years behind you at Hogwarts. I graduated in 1979. I married my school sweetheart, the love of my life, a year later. About a year after the attack on Lily and James Potter, I was involved in a car accident on my way to a friend's home. It put me into a hospital for several years. I was considered lost to the wizarding world." McGonagall opened her mouth to interrupt, but Nogard raised her hand to silence her. "Let me finish. I spent the last ten years of my life searching for the remains of what I had left behind. When I didn't find it, I decided to start over. I used my middle and maiden name as my new identity and here I am."

McGonagall stared at her for a moment. "Your Remus' wife," she exclaimed, realization spreading over her face.

"Yes, I am." Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks. "At least I was."

"I had no idea." The worn countenance of the witch remained unchanging, realization and slight confusion dancing in her dark eyes.

"No one did," Nogard replied, her voice beginning to crack. "When we ran into Remus in the Three Broomsticks, I was completely shocked. I had never expected to see him again."

"Then why are you so upset, dear?"

"I was careless during our conversation after you left that day. Remus confronted me with his suspicions a few days later..." Nogard trailed off as river began flowing from her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued. "We got into a small argument. Actually he touched a nerve, and I verbally attacked him. Then...he just...left."

McGonagall stared at her weeping friend, unsure of what exactly she should say. "He left?"

"Yes," she sobbed, cradling her head in her hands, tears staining the paper before her. "I hurt him, and he walked out."

"Oh dear. Did he say where he'd be staying?"

"No...but he said something about Dumbledore."

"I see...don't worry, Chevious. Everything will be all right in the end, I know it will."

"No, nothing will be all right, Minerva!" Nogard spat, rising to meet her companion's gaze. "I said something that can't be forgiven." She paused, biting her lip. "I said I didn't love him anymore. How could I say that! I don't expect him to forgive me. I can't even forgive myself."

McGonagall was silent as Nogard's head fell once again into her hands. She probed her mind, searching for anything that could possibly help. A small smile drifted onto her thin lips.

"You should go see him," she blurted.

Nogard's eyes snapped up. "Go see him! I can't do that!"

"And why not?"

"I just can't."

"Well at least get out of the castle. It is Christmas Eve after all. Go spend it somewhere where you can have a bit of fun." She paused, a glint of mischief in her eye. "You can stay with a friend of mine in London."

"Wouldn't I be imposing?"

"No, not at all!" McGonagall replied as she retrieved Nogard's quill and began scribbling fiercely on a notepad from the desk in front of her. She ripped a bit of paper from the pad and handed it to her. "Just take some floo powder to the leaky cauldron and follow those instructions. The flat is very easy to find."

Nogard stared down at the note clutched in her fingertips. Maybe getting out of the castle wouldn't be such a bad idea, she thought, a slight smile falling upon her lips. "Thank you."

McGonagall merely smiled. She patted her friend's hand, bid her good night, and disappeared into the darkness of the castle. Nogard was again left alone to ponder future events.

RAR #11: Not a very exciting chapter, but not too bad. Everything in out there now, for those of us on the slow end. You now know, for sure, Nogard's identity and past. I do believe I will just begin calling her Chevious now, to reduce confusion in many ways. Thank you for continuing to read my story. At most, there are only 3 chapters left. Please remember to review, they make me happy and brighten my days. Thank you!