Hermione was poring over her alchemy notes in the library determined to get
as much studying done before she was forced to go back to her dorm room for
the night. She closed her eyes and rubbed them tiredly. When she opened
them, she gasped in surprise. Peter was standing on the other side of the
table.
"You scared me, Peter," said Hermione, putting her hand to her heart. "What are you doing here?"
"Thought I would do a little studying before calling it a night," he said sitting down.
"Oh," said Hermione.
"Yeah," continued Peter as he pulled his books out. "I could use all the studying I can squeeze in. But I don't have to tell you that."
"That's not true, Peter," said Hermione kindly. "You just need to have a little confidence in yourself."
"No," said Peter. "I'm a hopeless case. Not like you. You seem to know everything, about everything and everybody."
Hermione's eyes narrowed and she watched Peter closely, but he had bent his head over his book and was flipping through it hurriedly.
"Like how you figured out Remus's little secret," said Peter in a would-be casual voice.
Hermione tensed and waited for Peter to continue.
"That was really something," he continued, never meeting her steady gaze. "It took James, Sirius, and I years to figure it out, and we shared a room with the fellow." He paused as if waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he continued. "I guess a guy has to be careful with his secrets now that you're around."
"As long as people don't hurt the people I love," Hermione said in a low, serious tone, "they have nothing to fear from me."
"Then I guess Remus is lucky. I hate to think what you might have done if you hadn't liked him so much," he retorted.
Hermione observed Peter, but his movements remained calm and his voice stayed even. There was nothing of the nervous little boy about him now. He was cool and calculating. Every word had another meaning and every movement was designed to throw her off. For the first time, Hermione wondered if his normal jittery persona was all an act and this conniving, careful person sitting in front of her was the real Peter. Was he really that good of an actor?
After a few moments of silence, Peter raised his eyes to meet Hermione's. "Is something wrong," he asked innocently.
"No," said Hermione, quickly returning her gaze to her books.
Peter did the same and they sat in silence for several minutes, both pretending they were studying.
"Hermione," spoke up Peter. "I'm curious. Are you planning on going back to France after graduation? Or are you staying here in England?"
Hermione refused to let him see how uncomfortable he was making her. She forced herself to keep her breathing even and set down her quill so he wouldn't see her hand shake. "I hadn't decided."
"I'm sure your family is missing you, and your friends."
"Yes, I'm sure they are," she said, forcing herself to look at her notes as if he were being a bother.
"They don't write you much, do they?" he continued. "I mean," he said looking up at her. "You never get any letters during breakfast. And you didn't go home for Christmas, you went to James's. It's almost as if you didn't have anyone else in the world."
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, when she caught a glimpse of Remus striding over to their table. She had never been happier to see anyone. Peter turned in his chair to see what she was staring at and turned quickly back to Hermione. He bent his head over his parchment and began scribbling rapidly.
"Knew I'd find you here," said Remus smiling. Then he caught sight of Hermione's stricken face. "What's the matter," he asked worriedly. He stared down menacingly at Peter, but if the boy noticed, it didn't show.
"Nothing silly," said Hermione putting on a wide grin. "Did you come to kidnap me away from the library," she said a little too brightly.
"Yeah," said Remus slowly. He frowned and she could see the concern in his face.
"Well I'm ready to go," she said stuffing her things hastily into her bag.
"Me too," said Peter, his voice every bit as bright as Hermione's. He went to stand but was stopped by Hermione's cold tone.
"No, I think you ought to stay. You said yourself, you could use all the studying you can get," she said strongly. She lifted her bag onto her shoulder and walked around the table, taking Remus's offered hand and leaving Peter, scowling and alone in the library.
"What was that about," said Remus once they were out of ear shot.
Hermione glanced behind her to make sure no one was around. "I think Peter may know something," she said quietly. Her face was creased with worry and Remus could swear he could feel an almost imperceptible shake in her hand.
"Why do you say that? What did he say to you," said Remus fiercely, turning back toward the library as if he were about to pounce on Peter.
She gripped his hand tighter and pulled him back around. "It's not what he said, it was the way he said it." She shuddered. "It was so eerie. I felt like he was trying to read my mind." She laughed half-heartedly. "Now I know I'm not getting enough sleep. You must think I'm really losing it."
"Let's get out of the hallway," said Remus quietly, guiding her further away from the library. He stepped into a dark corner, pulling her close to him.
"Remus," she said quietly. "I'll probably regret telling you this later because I don't want you to worry, but he really scared me. If Peter finds out where I really came from," she shivered.
Remus wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. She closed her eyes and leaned into his chest, relaxing in his embrace.
He knew what it would mean for her if Peter or anyone found out where Hermione was really from. It had been what had scared him since the beginning. "We won't let that happen," he said softly.
"Why now?" she said anxiously. "What's made him question things now?"
A wave of guilt fell over Remus. "I think that's our fault," he said. "Sirius, James, and I," he corrected himself.
"What happened?" she asked.
"It's just that it's been really hard to act like we don't know what we know. Peter senses that something's changed and he blames you. We kind of had a row in our room last night."
Hermione nodded, feeling a little better. "Then maybe I'm being paranoid. Maybe I'm just reading into things that aren't there. He might just be reacting out of jealousy."
"Probably," murmured Remus. "He is jealous. I'm sorry he scared you."
"I don't want to think about that anymore," she said sliding her hands up his shoulders and around his neck. She kissed him, running her fingers along his neck and felt him shiver.
He pulled her even closer, if possible, and ran his hands over her back and up to her shoulders. His hands reached the neck of her blouse and his fingers traced the edge of the material. He pushed it away and pulled his mouth away from hers and placed it on her shoulder, kissing her lightly.
Hermione sighed and ran her hands through his hair, holding him to her. That low breathy sound flooded over Remus and he recaptured her mouth in a searing kiss, shocking them both with its intensity.
Too soon for her liking, Remus pulled away, breathing deeply. Hermione moaned at the loss of contact and the castle suddenly seemed far too cold. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"Nothing," said Remus, taking a step away from her. "It's getting late."
Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Are you saying you want to call it a night?"
"I think we better," said Remus with a pained expression.
"I was having a good time," she smiled mischievously. "Weren't you?"
"Too good," he breathed, trying to smile back at her.
"Then what's the problem," she asked stepping closer to him. He retreated even farther away. "Remus?"
"Let's just go back to Gryffindor Tower," said Remus almost begging.
"All right," she said slowly. "If you want to."
He nodded and began walking away. Hermione had to move quickly to catch up. When they reached Gryffindor Tower he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before hurrying up the boy's staircase.
He found James and Sirius in their beds relaxing and talking. They both glanced up at Remus when he entered their room and could immediately tell something was wrong.
"What's up, Moony?" asked James.
Remus forced himself to slow down his breathing. "Nothing," he said. "Just tired, full moon's tomorrow night."
"Did you talk to Hermione about tomorrow?" asked Sirius.
"Damn it," cursed Remus. "I forgot. She distracted me."
Both James and Sirius grinned suggestively.
"It's not funny," he snapped. "What am I going to do?"
"Moony, what's the big deal really?" asked James. "She gave you that potion she knows about from the future and she swears you'll be perfectly safe. Why not let her come with us."
"What about Peter?" countered Remus. "He doesn't know that she knows about your animagi status."
"We'll take care of that. Peter's not coming with us tomorrow."
"It doesn't matter anyway. I don't want her to come, especially after what happened tonight."
"Why? What happened?" asked Sirius. He propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at Remus.
"I nearly lost control," grumbled Remus, flopping down on his bed. "She just makes it so damn difficult to stay in control."
James and Sirius exchanged a glance. "What do you mean," Sirius asked carefully.
Remus turned red, but felt he had to talk to someone and James and Sirius were his best mates. "You guys know how hard I have to try to control my temper around the full moon."
They both nodded. When Remus had been younger they had both experienced what happened when he got angry around the full moon. As he got older he learned to control himself. He almost never got angry anymore. He had learned to suppress his more extreme emotional responses out of necessity.
"Yeah well, my temper's not the only thing I've had to learn to control."
James and Sirius's eyes went wide with understanding.
"I practically made a fool out of myself tonight. Or rather I would have if I hadn't stopped myself," he said bitterly.
"I'm sure it wasn't as bad as all that," said James sympathetically.
"What do you mean 'made a fool of yourself,'" asked Sirius protectively. He sat straight up in bed. "You didn't do anything to make her uncomfortable?"
"No of course not," shouted Remus. "I would never... The point is," he said in exasperation, ignoring Sirius, "I don't want her to see me like that."
"You let us," Sirius pointed out, laying back down. "And we don't think any differently of you because of it. She wouldn't either. You should have more faith in her."
"I wouldn't expect you to understand," snapped Remus. "How could you," he added bitterly.
Neither Sirius or James could answer that. "I'll talk to her tomorrow if you want," said Sirius quietly.
Remus looked at him gratefully and immediately felt ashamed at how he had spoken to them. "Thank you," he said quietly, knowing how lucky he was to have been blessed with such great friends.
Remus changed and got into bed. Once he was settled he asked, "Where's Peter, by the way."
"Who knows?" said James.
"Who cares?" added Sirius.
"He was in the library earlier with Hermione, but I thought he'd be back by now," continued Remus. "She said he made her really nervous, asking questions and stuff. We're going to have to be more careful."
"Is she ok," asked Sirius, once again sitting up in bed.
"She says she's fine, but I could tell he really freaked her out, whatever he said."
"Let's not worry about Peter tonight, guys," said James through a yawn. "I'm tired and we have a double potions exam first thing in the morning." James muttered the spell to extinguish the lights and each boy settled into his bed. James and Sirius were asleep almost immediately. Remus stayed up much longer, first running over the evening in his mind and then when he realized how late it had gotten, waiting up for Peter. Hours later, when he finally drifted off, Peter still hadn't come to bed.
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Sirius never got the chance to talk to Hermione between breakfast and their first class. As usual he and James were doing their last minute bit of cramming over toast and orange juice. The next chance he would get was during lunch, but to his dismay, Hermione never showed up.
"Did you talk to her?" Remus asked Sirius in a hushed whisper.
"I didn't get a chance this morning. I was hoping to do it after lunch, but where is she?"
"Probably in the library studying," said Remus smiling slightly to himself. "She'll study all the time if you don't watch her. I won't be here of course, but make sure she eats dinner. She shouldn't skip two meals in a row."
"Right," said Sirius distractedly, hoping he would have enough time to talk to her before night fell.
They all split off for afternoon classes after lunch. Sirius, James, and Peter were heading for Muggle Studies when they were stopped by Professor Dumbledore. "Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, can I see you for a minute?"
"Go ahead, Peter," said James kindly. "We'll catch up with you."
Peter merely shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care if they ever did catch up and continued to Muggle Studies.
James and Sirius stood penitently in front of Dumbledore, causing the older man to smile. James and Sirius were never mean spirited trouble makers, but they were trouble makers and it was never a good sign when the headmaster wanted a private conference.
Dumbledore cleared his throat to hide his chuckle. "I was hoping you boys could do me a favor?"
James and Sirius looked at each other in surprise, but immediately nodded their heads.
"I was hoping the two of you could escort Mr. Lupin tonight. I am unable to perform the task myself because of an urgent meeting with the Minister of Magic."
"Of course," agreed James immediately, though he was surprised.
"Why can't another Professor do it?" asked Sirius curiously.
"The professors who are aware of Mr. Lupin's special needs are all occupied tonight and I believe the two of you are old enough and mature enough to handle this," said the professor seriously.
Each boy beamed inwardly with pride. "We'll take care of it, sir," said Sirius.
"Just make sure you're both out of the Shrieking Shack before he begins the transformation. No foolish stunts," said Dumbledore.
Both boys nodded.
"Good," said Dumbledore. "Now off to class."
A quick glance at their watches told them both that they were in danger of being late and they hurried to the Muggle Studies classroom.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sirius and James met up with Remus at the front of the entrance just before sundown.
Remus was staring at the setting sun, trying his best to keep his nerves down. He hadn't been nervous about a transformation in years, but tonight would be very different. If Hermione's potion really worked, then new possibilities would be open to him. He would no longer have to be chained and put away once a month. He would never be a danger to his friends or family again. It was almost too much to hope for.
Remus heard footsteps behind him and turned to see his two best friends approaching. "James, Sirius, what are you doing here?"
"Dumbledore asked us to take you down," said Sirius quietly. "He's got a meeting or something."
"Ok," said Remus easily. "Let's go, sun's almost down."
James pulled out his invisibility cloak and checked to make sure no one was around. Most of the students were at dinner and the front entranceway was empty. He threw the cloak over the three of them and they all had to huddle pretty tight to get covered completely.
They walked slowly to the Whomping Willow, nudged the knot of the tree and made their way down its entrance. James threw the cloak off as soon as they were safely out of sight. Remus leaned heavily against the wall. He was beginning to feel the effects of the coming moon.
"You ok?" asked James.
Remus nodded, tiredly. "Just help me," he said weakly.
James slipped his head under Remus arm and crouching low, began to pull him forward. Sirius followed them closely, holding his wand out for light.
"Hurry," said Remus through gritted teeth. He could feel the familiar tightness in his body getting more taut, ready to snap and explode in his body.
"Remus!"
The three boys stopped dead and turned to the voice. Hermione was hurrying toward them, her face anxious.
Remus looked at her in horror, then he looked to Sirius.
"I'm sorry," Sirius said in a whisper. "I never got a chance to talk to her."
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Remus gasped.
Hermione looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? We talked about this. I want to make sure the potion works."
A burst of pain shot through Remus. He stumbled and would have fallen if it weren't for James. Hermione rushed forward to help him up, but he pushed her offered hand away.
"I don't want you here," he said getting back up with some difficulty.
"What?" asked Hermione in a hurt voice. "Why?"
"I don't want you to see me like this?" he said angrily.
"But I don't care about..."
"We can't do this now, you two," said James urgently, cutting her off. "We have to get Remus into the Shrieking Shack." James moved forward again, pulling Remus along. Hermione went to follow, but Sirius caught her hand.
"Hermione, he doesn't want you there."
She tried to pull her hand away from Sirius. "He doesn't have any reason to be ashamed. I don't care that he's a werewolf."
"But he does," said Sirius, refusing to let go of her hand. "He said he didn't want you to see him like that and you have to respect his wishes."
Hermione looked at Sirius angrily, before wrenching free of his grip. She pushed past Sirius and went back to the tunnel entrance. Sirius watched her go, wanting to go after her, but knowing James would need his help if anything went wrong.
Hermione made it back to the mouth of the tunnel and pulled herself up and out. She made a dash for the castle, narrowly missing the Whomping Willow's slashing branches. When she was clear she went back to the castle and sat wearily against its outside wall and waited.
She rested her head in her hands silently praying that the potion would work, knowing what it would mean for him and wanting him to have everything he deserved.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked up into Sirius's grinning face and immediately knew that her prayers had come true.
Hermione jumped to her feet and threw herself into Sirius's arms. He laughed and picked her up and spun her in a circle.
"It worked?" she questioned him unnecessarily.
"Yes," he grinned. "You're an absolute genius."
She threw her head back and laughed with sheer joy. "Come on," she said taking his hand and pulling him toward the tree, but he didn't move.
"Sirius, let's go. I want to see him."
Sirius shook his head. "Hermione, he doesn't want you to see him."
She looked at him in confusion. "But he's not dangerous. He can't mean it."
"He does," said Sirius firmly. "I'm sorry."
She nodded slowly, feeling the joy she had felt a second ago drain from her body.
Sirius frowned at her. "You shouldn't let it be an issue. He's just a private person. It's not you."
"It is me a little," she said sadly. "He lets the two of you be with him."
"He doesn't feel about us the way he feels about you," said Sirius matter- of-factly.
Hermione smiled in spite of herself. "You're right," she said. "I'm just kind of used to be in the thick of things. It's hard to be an outsider."
"You're not."
"I only wanted to help him."
"You did."
She nodded again. "Then you'd better get down there. The three of you have a long night ahead."
"I'll stay with you if you want," offered Sirius.
"No," said Hermione, waving her hand at him. "Go, have fun."
He grinned excitedly and practically ran back to the Whomping Willow. Hermione was watching him so closely, that she failed to see the small rat scurry along the castle wall and disappear around the corner.
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A/N: Thanks once again to all my reviewers. You're all so great. Hope you liked the chapter, now review!
"You scared me, Peter," said Hermione, putting her hand to her heart. "What are you doing here?"
"Thought I would do a little studying before calling it a night," he said sitting down.
"Oh," said Hermione.
"Yeah," continued Peter as he pulled his books out. "I could use all the studying I can squeeze in. But I don't have to tell you that."
"That's not true, Peter," said Hermione kindly. "You just need to have a little confidence in yourself."
"No," said Peter. "I'm a hopeless case. Not like you. You seem to know everything, about everything and everybody."
Hermione's eyes narrowed and she watched Peter closely, but he had bent his head over his book and was flipping through it hurriedly.
"Like how you figured out Remus's little secret," said Peter in a would-be casual voice.
Hermione tensed and waited for Peter to continue.
"That was really something," he continued, never meeting her steady gaze. "It took James, Sirius, and I years to figure it out, and we shared a room with the fellow." He paused as if waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he continued. "I guess a guy has to be careful with his secrets now that you're around."
"As long as people don't hurt the people I love," Hermione said in a low, serious tone, "they have nothing to fear from me."
"Then I guess Remus is lucky. I hate to think what you might have done if you hadn't liked him so much," he retorted.
Hermione observed Peter, but his movements remained calm and his voice stayed even. There was nothing of the nervous little boy about him now. He was cool and calculating. Every word had another meaning and every movement was designed to throw her off. For the first time, Hermione wondered if his normal jittery persona was all an act and this conniving, careful person sitting in front of her was the real Peter. Was he really that good of an actor?
After a few moments of silence, Peter raised his eyes to meet Hermione's. "Is something wrong," he asked innocently.
"No," said Hermione, quickly returning her gaze to her books.
Peter did the same and they sat in silence for several minutes, both pretending they were studying.
"Hermione," spoke up Peter. "I'm curious. Are you planning on going back to France after graduation? Or are you staying here in England?"
Hermione refused to let him see how uncomfortable he was making her. She forced herself to keep her breathing even and set down her quill so he wouldn't see her hand shake. "I hadn't decided."
"I'm sure your family is missing you, and your friends."
"Yes, I'm sure they are," she said, forcing herself to look at her notes as if he were being a bother.
"They don't write you much, do they?" he continued. "I mean," he said looking up at her. "You never get any letters during breakfast. And you didn't go home for Christmas, you went to James's. It's almost as if you didn't have anyone else in the world."
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, when she caught a glimpse of Remus striding over to their table. She had never been happier to see anyone. Peter turned in his chair to see what she was staring at and turned quickly back to Hermione. He bent his head over his parchment and began scribbling rapidly.
"Knew I'd find you here," said Remus smiling. Then he caught sight of Hermione's stricken face. "What's the matter," he asked worriedly. He stared down menacingly at Peter, but if the boy noticed, it didn't show.
"Nothing silly," said Hermione putting on a wide grin. "Did you come to kidnap me away from the library," she said a little too brightly.
"Yeah," said Remus slowly. He frowned and she could see the concern in his face.
"Well I'm ready to go," she said stuffing her things hastily into her bag.
"Me too," said Peter, his voice every bit as bright as Hermione's. He went to stand but was stopped by Hermione's cold tone.
"No, I think you ought to stay. You said yourself, you could use all the studying you can get," she said strongly. She lifted her bag onto her shoulder and walked around the table, taking Remus's offered hand and leaving Peter, scowling and alone in the library.
"What was that about," said Remus once they were out of ear shot.
Hermione glanced behind her to make sure no one was around. "I think Peter may know something," she said quietly. Her face was creased with worry and Remus could swear he could feel an almost imperceptible shake in her hand.
"Why do you say that? What did he say to you," said Remus fiercely, turning back toward the library as if he were about to pounce on Peter.
She gripped his hand tighter and pulled him back around. "It's not what he said, it was the way he said it." She shuddered. "It was so eerie. I felt like he was trying to read my mind." She laughed half-heartedly. "Now I know I'm not getting enough sleep. You must think I'm really losing it."
"Let's get out of the hallway," said Remus quietly, guiding her further away from the library. He stepped into a dark corner, pulling her close to him.
"Remus," she said quietly. "I'll probably regret telling you this later because I don't want you to worry, but he really scared me. If Peter finds out where I really came from," she shivered.
Remus wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. She closed her eyes and leaned into his chest, relaxing in his embrace.
He knew what it would mean for her if Peter or anyone found out where Hermione was really from. It had been what had scared him since the beginning. "We won't let that happen," he said softly.
"Why now?" she said anxiously. "What's made him question things now?"
A wave of guilt fell over Remus. "I think that's our fault," he said. "Sirius, James, and I," he corrected himself.
"What happened?" she asked.
"It's just that it's been really hard to act like we don't know what we know. Peter senses that something's changed and he blames you. We kind of had a row in our room last night."
Hermione nodded, feeling a little better. "Then maybe I'm being paranoid. Maybe I'm just reading into things that aren't there. He might just be reacting out of jealousy."
"Probably," murmured Remus. "He is jealous. I'm sorry he scared you."
"I don't want to think about that anymore," she said sliding her hands up his shoulders and around his neck. She kissed him, running her fingers along his neck and felt him shiver.
He pulled her even closer, if possible, and ran his hands over her back and up to her shoulders. His hands reached the neck of her blouse and his fingers traced the edge of the material. He pushed it away and pulled his mouth away from hers and placed it on her shoulder, kissing her lightly.
Hermione sighed and ran her hands through his hair, holding him to her. That low breathy sound flooded over Remus and he recaptured her mouth in a searing kiss, shocking them both with its intensity.
Too soon for her liking, Remus pulled away, breathing deeply. Hermione moaned at the loss of contact and the castle suddenly seemed far too cold. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"Nothing," said Remus, taking a step away from her. "It's getting late."
Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Are you saying you want to call it a night?"
"I think we better," said Remus with a pained expression.
"I was having a good time," she smiled mischievously. "Weren't you?"
"Too good," he breathed, trying to smile back at her.
"Then what's the problem," she asked stepping closer to him. He retreated even farther away. "Remus?"
"Let's just go back to Gryffindor Tower," said Remus almost begging.
"All right," she said slowly. "If you want to."
He nodded and began walking away. Hermione had to move quickly to catch up. When they reached Gryffindor Tower he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before hurrying up the boy's staircase.
He found James and Sirius in their beds relaxing and talking. They both glanced up at Remus when he entered their room and could immediately tell something was wrong.
"What's up, Moony?" asked James.
Remus forced himself to slow down his breathing. "Nothing," he said. "Just tired, full moon's tomorrow night."
"Did you talk to Hermione about tomorrow?" asked Sirius.
"Damn it," cursed Remus. "I forgot. She distracted me."
Both James and Sirius grinned suggestively.
"It's not funny," he snapped. "What am I going to do?"
"Moony, what's the big deal really?" asked James. "She gave you that potion she knows about from the future and she swears you'll be perfectly safe. Why not let her come with us."
"What about Peter?" countered Remus. "He doesn't know that she knows about your animagi status."
"We'll take care of that. Peter's not coming with us tomorrow."
"It doesn't matter anyway. I don't want her to come, especially after what happened tonight."
"Why? What happened?" asked Sirius. He propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at Remus.
"I nearly lost control," grumbled Remus, flopping down on his bed. "She just makes it so damn difficult to stay in control."
James and Sirius exchanged a glance. "What do you mean," Sirius asked carefully.
Remus turned red, but felt he had to talk to someone and James and Sirius were his best mates. "You guys know how hard I have to try to control my temper around the full moon."
They both nodded. When Remus had been younger they had both experienced what happened when he got angry around the full moon. As he got older he learned to control himself. He almost never got angry anymore. He had learned to suppress his more extreme emotional responses out of necessity.
"Yeah well, my temper's not the only thing I've had to learn to control."
James and Sirius's eyes went wide with understanding.
"I practically made a fool out of myself tonight. Or rather I would have if I hadn't stopped myself," he said bitterly.
"I'm sure it wasn't as bad as all that," said James sympathetically.
"What do you mean 'made a fool of yourself,'" asked Sirius protectively. He sat straight up in bed. "You didn't do anything to make her uncomfortable?"
"No of course not," shouted Remus. "I would never... The point is," he said in exasperation, ignoring Sirius, "I don't want her to see me like that."
"You let us," Sirius pointed out, laying back down. "And we don't think any differently of you because of it. She wouldn't either. You should have more faith in her."
"I wouldn't expect you to understand," snapped Remus. "How could you," he added bitterly.
Neither Sirius or James could answer that. "I'll talk to her tomorrow if you want," said Sirius quietly.
Remus looked at him gratefully and immediately felt ashamed at how he had spoken to them. "Thank you," he said quietly, knowing how lucky he was to have been blessed with such great friends.
Remus changed and got into bed. Once he was settled he asked, "Where's Peter, by the way."
"Who knows?" said James.
"Who cares?" added Sirius.
"He was in the library earlier with Hermione, but I thought he'd be back by now," continued Remus. "She said he made her really nervous, asking questions and stuff. We're going to have to be more careful."
"Is she ok," asked Sirius, once again sitting up in bed.
"She says she's fine, but I could tell he really freaked her out, whatever he said."
"Let's not worry about Peter tonight, guys," said James through a yawn. "I'm tired and we have a double potions exam first thing in the morning." James muttered the spell to extinguish the lights and each boy settled into his bed. James and Sirius were asleep almost immediately. Remus stayed up much longer, first running over the evening in his mind and then when he realized how late it had gotten, waiting up for Peter. Hours later, when he finally drifted off, Peter still hadn't come to bed.
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Sirius never got the chance to talk to Hermione between breakfast and their first class. As usual he and James were doing their last minute bit of cramming over toast and orange juice. The next chance he would get was during lunch, but to his dismay, Hermione never showed up.
"Did you talk to her?" Remus asked Sirius in a hushed whisper.
"I didn't get a chance this morning. I was hoping to do it after lunch, but where is she?"
"Probably in the library studying," said Remus smiling slightly to himself. "She'll study all the time if you don't watch her. I won't be here of course, but make sure she eats dinner. She shouldn't skip two meals in a row."
"Right," said Sirius distractedly, hoping he would have enough time to talk to her before night fell.
They all split off for afternoon classes after lunch. Sirius, James, and Peter were heading for Muggle Studies when they were stopped by Professor Dumbledore. "Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, can I see you for a minute?"
"Go ahead, Peter," said James kindly. "We'll catch up with you."
Peter merely shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care if they ever did catch up and continued to Muggle Studies.
James and Sirius stood penitently in front of Dumbledore, causing the older man to smile. James and Sirius were never mean spirited trouble makers, but they were trouble makers and it was never a good sign when the headmaster wanted a private conference.
Dumbledore cleared his throat to hide his chuckle. "I was hoping you boys could do me a favor?"
James and Sirius looked at each other in surprise, but immediately nodded their heads.
"I was hoping the two of you could escort Mr. Lupin tonight. I am unable to perform the task myself because of an urgent meeting with the Minister of Magic."
"Of course," agreed James immediately, though he was surprised.
"Why can't another Professor do it?" asked Sirius curiously.
"The professors who are aware of Mr. Lupin's special needs are all occupied tonight and I believe the two of you are old enough and mature enough to handle this," said the professor seriously.
Each boy beamed inwardly with pride. "We'll take care of it, sir," said Sirius.
"Just make sure you're both out of the Shrieking Shack before he begins the transformation. No foolish stunts," said Dumbledore.
Both boys nodded.
"Good," said Dumbledore. "Now off to class."
A quick glance at their watches told them both that they were in danger of being late and they hurried to the Muggle Studies classroom.
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Sirius and James met up with Remus at the front of the entrance just before sundown.
Remus was staring at the setting sun, trying his best to keep his nerves down. He hadn't been nervous about a transformation in years, but tonight would be very different. If Hermione's potion really worked, then new possibilities would be open to him. He would no longer have to be chained and put away once a month. He would never be a danger to his friends or family again. It was almost too much to hope for.
Remus heard footsteps behind him and turned to see his two best friends approaching. "James, Sirius, what are you doing here?"
"Dumbledore asked us to take you down," said Sirius quietly. "He's got a meeting or something."
"Ok," said Remus easily. "Let's go, sun's almost down."
James pulled out his invisibility cloak and checked to make sure no one was around. Most of the students were at dinner and the front entranceway was empty. He threw the cloak over the three of them and they all had to huddle pretty tight to get covered completely.
They walked slowly to the Whomping Willow, nudged the knot of the tree and made their way down its entrance. James threw the cloak off as soon as they were safely out of sight. Remus leaned heavily against the wall. He was beginning to feel the effects of the coming moon.
"You ok?" asked James.
Remus nodded, tiredly. "Just help me," he said weakly.
James slipped his head under Remus arm and crouching low, began to pull him forward. Sirius followed them closely, holding his wand out for light.
"Hurry," said Remus through gritted teeth. He could feel the familiar tightness in his body getting more taut, ready to snap and explode in his body.
"Remus!"
The three boys stopped dead and turned to the voice. Hermione was hurrying toward them, her face anxious.
Remus looked at her in horror, then he looked to Sirius.
"I'm sorry," Sirius said in a whisper. "I never got a chance to talk to her."
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Remus gasped.
Hermione looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? We talked about this. I want to make sure the potion works."
A burst of pain shot through Remus. He stumbled and would have fallen if it weren't for James. Hermione rushed forward to help him up, but he pushed her offered hand away.
"I don't want you here," he said getting back up with some difficulty.
"What?" asked Hermione in a hurt voice. "Why?"
"I don't want you to see me like this?" he said angrily.
"But I don't care about..."
"We can't do this now, you two," said James urgently, cutting her off. "We have to get Remus into the Shrieking Shack." James moved forward again, pulling Remus along. Hermione went to follow, but Sirius caught her hand.
"Hermione, he doesn't want you there."
She tried to pull her hand away from Sirius. "He doesn't have any reason to be ashamed. I don't care that he's a werewolf."
"But he does," said Sirius, refusing to let go of her hand. "He said he didn't want you to see him like that and you have to respect his wishes."
Hermione looked at Sirius angrily, before wrenching free of his grip. She pushed past Sirius and went back to the tunnel entrance. Sirius watched her go, wanting to go after her, but knowing James would need his help if anything went wrong.
Hermione made it back to the mouth of the tunnel and pulled herself up and out. She made a dash for the castle, narrowly missing the Whomping Willow's slashing branches. When she was clear she went back to the castle and sat wearily against its outside wall and waited.
She rested her head in her hands silently praying that the potion would work, knowing what it would mean for him and wanting him to have everything he deserved.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked up into Sirius's grinning face and immediately knew that her prayers had come true.
Hermione jumped to her feet and threw herself into Sirius's arms. He laughed and picked her up and spun her in a circle.
"It worked?" she questioned him unnecessarily.
"Yes," he grinned. "You're an absolute genius."
She threw her head back and laughed with sheer joy. "Come on," she said taking his hand and pulling him toward the tree, but he didn't move.
"Sirius, let's go. I want to see him."
Sirius shook his head. "Hermione, he doesn't want you to see him."
She looked at him in confusion. "But he's not dangerous. He can't mean it."
"He does," said Sirius firmly. "I'm sorry."
She nodded slowly, feeling the joy she had felt a second ago drain from her body.
Sirius frowned at her. "You shouldn't let it be an issue. He's just a private person. It's not you."
"It is me a little," she said sadly. "He lets the two of you be with him."
"He doesn't feel about us the way he feels about you," said Sirius matter- of-factly.
Hermione smiled in spite of herself. "You're right," she said. "I'm just kind of used to be in the thick of things. It's hard to be an outsider."
"You're not."
"I only wanted to help him."
"You did."
She nodded again. "Then you'd better get down there. The three of you have a long night ahead."
"I'll stay with you if you want," offered Sirius.
"No," said Hermione, waving her hand at him. "Go, have fun."
He grinned excitedly and practically ran back to the Whomping Willow. Hermione was watching him so closely, that she failed to see the small rat scurry along the castle wall and disappear around the corner.
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A/N: Thanks once again to all my reviewers. You're all so great. Hope you liked the chapter, now review!
