All characters depicted here belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the pleasure of writing this particular story.

The Truth

Remus

When Jules regained consciousness, we were still discussing ways we might bring Voldemort down. I knew by looking at her that she was extremely embarrassed about having fainted. Finally, Albus noticed that she had awakened.

"I want you to stay here," he said to her. "I want you to start taking, at the very least, Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"But I'm not a witch," she protested.

"You are," Albus corrected her gently. "You just need to learn."
"You know, I think I saw a book about wandless magic in the library," Hermione said suddenly. Her eyes were pensive. "Should I try to find it again?"

I smiled softly to myself. I saw Jules glancing around, and I knew she was wondering why everyone was smiling.

"Yes," Albus said softly. "Maybe it would be a good idea for Alexis to read it."

He turned to her.

"I am going to test you right now. We can have everyone else leave if you like, but I want to see if my instincts are correct."
"Okay," Jules said nervously. Albus set a goblet on his desk. I raised my eyebrows slightly as I looked from Albus to Jules and back again.

"Summon that to you."

"Summon?" Jules repeated. "How do I do that?"

Albus smiled. "I think you know how. Just concentrate."

She glanced at me. I couldn't keep the interest out of my eyes and knew that she saw it too. I wanted to see if Albus was right; if she were, in fact, a witch. Jules shrugged and stared back at the goblet.

I wondered briefly how well she would do with everybody's eyes on her. She kept her attention focused entirely on the goblet. She held her hand out, palm up and squinted slightly at the goblet. It shook slightly on the desk and started to inch toward the edge. Her eyes, normally a pale blue, slowly changed to a darker shade of blue. I felt my jaw drop and I took a step forward as I heard someone gasp. Jules looked away from the goblet and looked at Ginny, who had been watching her closely. Her face was pale. I glanced around. Everyone else was staring at her, shock evident on their faces. Jules flushed slightly.

"Concentrate," Albus said firmly. Jules nodded and looked back at the goblet, concentrating even harder this time. She brought her hand up again and her eyes started to change, but this time they didn't stop at dark blue. They continued to change until they were a deep, dark violet. She held her hand in front of her, palm out. She gestured with her fingers and the goblet wobbled again before soaring off the desk and into her hand.

"Oh my word," exclaimed Minerva. "How did you do that?"

Albus stepped forward and took the goblet from Jules' hand, setting it once more on the desk.

"Okay, one more time, but this time while you concentrate, I want you to say the words 'Accio goblet'."

"Okay."

Again, she looked at the goblet and concentrated hard on it. Again her eyes changed to that violet colour. I had never in my life seen that happen.

"Accio goblet!" Jules cried. The goblet flew off the desk, straight into her hand. "That was faster."

"That is amazing!" Hermione cried. "Can we be trained to do magic without wands?"

Albus shook his head. "No. Very few people possess that gift. I have never seen someone pick it up as quickly as Alexis just did. Harry also possesses the gift of wandless magic, but he can only make it work when his emotions are running high." Albus smiled at Harry. "He hasn't quite mastered it yet. It is a gift that Godric Gryffindor also possessed, as I explained to Harry last year."

Harry flushed slightly and looked at the floor.

"I want to try something else," Albus said quietly. "But I want to ask the four of you to leave the room. Alexis and Remus will be down to speak with you later."

Ron and Ginny looked like they wanted to protest, but thought better of it. They nodded and left.

"What do you want to try?" Jules asked nervously.

"I want to see how you react to curses."

I stood without even realising it, moving in front of Jules protectively.

"She hasn't been trained, Dumbledore," I said fiercely.

"She won't know how to react," Sirius said angrily.

"I think she will know how to react instinctively. The curse I want to use won't hurt her anyway."

I felt Jules' hand on my shoulder. I turned my attention to her. The trust in her eyes was overwhelming.

"It's okay, Remus."

I stared at her for a moment then nodded, moving out of the way. She stood.

"You promise it won't hurt me?"

Albus smiled and nodded.

"Okay."

He raised his wand, studying her intently. I could feel power radiating off every inch of his ancient body.

"Tarantallegra!"

Jules let out a gasp as the jet of orange light sped toward her. She took a step backward, flinging her hand up instinctively.

The light stopped in midair. We all stared, open mouthed, at it.

I could see some sort of emotion flitter across Jules' face. I didn't need to be skilled at Occlumency to know what she was thinking. All this time, she'd had this incredible magical power and had never known. Her mother and father had been a witch and a wizard, so that must mean that her grandmother had also been a witch. Why had she never said anything to Jules? Why hide it?

"How come nobody found out about me?" Jules asked quietly, still holding the light out in front of her.
"I believe your parents would have set it up that way," Albus answered softly. "They would have set up a Secret Keeper, using-"

"The Fidelius Charm."

We all gaped at her, including Albus. She appeared surprised that she'd said it as well.

"How did you know that?" Sirius demanded.

She stared at him. "I-I don't know," she answered, and we could all see that she was telling the truth. "Just something my Nannie said to me once. 'Thank God for the Fidelius Charm.' I didn't know what it meant then, but is that what it is? Is the Fidelius Charm the Secret Keeper Charm?"

I nodded at her, unable to say anything. She looked my way, lowering her hands as she did so. I moved toward her as the Curse shot in her direction again. She gasped as it struck her. Her feet started moving on their own accord, twitching and jerking everywhere.

"Finite Incantatem!"

I heard Albus say the Charm at the same time I said it. Jules' feet stopped moving. She burst out laughing and flopped into the chair.

"That was weird!"

I sat in a chair, running my hands through my hair. My face felt cold and I knew I must be pale. What did this mean? I still needed to know the answer to that.

"Who was her Secret Keeper, Albus?" Minerva asked softly.

"My guess would be her grandmother. When she died, the Charm would have expired, but as long as she stayed in the house she was raised in, she would still be relatively…protected. The Protector Charm on the unicorn would have sheltered her as well."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Then he moved toward one of the many bookshelves and pulled down an ancient tattered witch's hat. The Sorting Hat. I smiled to myself again, remembering it declaring me a Gryffindor.

"We have to place you in a House, see where you will sleep while you are here. I insist that you learn as much as you can."

I looked at Albus, surprised. Jules also looked at him.

"But couldn't she just-"

"No," Albus answered sternly. "The students think she is another student. It must stay that way, or Voldemort might be tipped off. We can't risk that, not yet. She must be placed in a House."

Jules stood abruptly, a look of fear on her face. She looked ready to bolt.

"What do you mean when you say that I am the Saviour? What is that?"
Albus sighed, setting the hat on his desk. He leaned against the desk and crossed his arms, studying her thoughtfully. I could see Jules resist the urge to squirm under that blue gaze.

"We're not sure, to be honest with you," he answered her softly. "The prophecy said 'Together with the Dark Lord's equal, they will have the power to defeat the Dark Lord.'"

"But who is the Dark Lord? And who is his equal?"
"The Dark Lord is Lord Voldemort," I explained, looking up at her. "He was once a student here and he went very bad. As bad as any wizard has ever gone. He craved power and he got power. In the end, his lust for power consumed him and he will use whatever means necessary to gain more power. He will not stop until he is known as the world's greatest sorcerer."

She stared at me. I looked down at my hands and continued to speak.

"He is the reason you were left with your grandmother. Your parents didn't desert you, Jules. They were murdered by Lord Voldemort. So were James and Lily Potter, Harry's parents and your aunt and uncle. He is also the reason Percy, Arthur and Molly's son, died."
"What?" she breathed.

"When Harry was a year old, James and Lily also used the Fidelius Charm. They used a wizard named Peter Pettigrew as their Secret Keeper. He'd been a friend of ours in school and they felt he was trustworthy. Well…we all did, really. We were wrong. Peter betrayed them and James and Lily were murdered. Voldemort also tried to curse Harry, but the Curse rebounded off Harry on to Voldemort. Instead of killing him, as it should have done, it stripped him from his body and he fled, nothing more than vapour.

"The scar on Harry's forehead is the result of the Curse. It's known as Avada Kedavra. It's the Killing Curse and there is no counter curse. When Voldemort's Curse hit Harry, it left a lightning bolt shaped cut on his forehead. Harry knows when Voldemort is close and when he is angry because he starts to feel pain in his scar. The scar is also how Voldemort marked his equal."

"Harry is his equal?"

Everyone nodded. Sirius had taken a very sudden interest in his hands. I didn't miss the tears that were sparkling at the corners of his eyes. I had to fight against the memories that were straining to be let out. Finally I drew a deep breath and looked up again.

"So Harry has to defeat him."

"Yes."

"How can I help?"

Albus stared at Jules. He nodded slightly.

"As I said, we're not sure how you can help. You wish to help?"
Jules smiled sadly. "I just found out that this man murdered my parents and my uncle. He murdered my whole family, which means that Harry is the only family I have left. Of course I want to help."

She turned in my direction. "Besides, Remus," she added softly. "You saved my life. It's time for me to do what I can to save yours."

Minerva sniffled, blinking rapidly. She stepped toward Jules and took her hands.

"It means certain death," she explained carefully. "You will most certainly not survive."
"Minerva!" Albus said sharply. "You do not know that."

She shook her head, still looking Jules deep in the eye. "You have less than a one percent chance of survival. Are you still willing to do it?"

Jules stared at her. I saw her swallow as an unidentifiable emotion swept through her eyes. Was she?

She looked around the room at each of us. I could see her thinking hard; knew she was thinking of her parents, her grandmother. Would she be willing to die? For Minerva was right. There really was a small chance of survival. I'd known that right from the start. I swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump that had settled in my throat.

She looked at me and our eyes locked. I knew I had conflicting emotions in my eyes. On one hand, I wanted her to agree. On the other, I hoped she would refuse. Her refusal meant that we could continue to be together.

Do I love you enough to die for you? she thought desperately. I blinked as her thought invaded mine. Help me!

The answer came to the both of us in an instant. Jules drew herself up in her chair and looked Minerva directly in the eye, returning her gaze. She nodded then turned to me.

"I have said many times that I owe you my life. It's time to prove that I meant it." She swallowed, turning her gaze to Dumbledore. "Even if it means I must die…I will help to bring him down. Just teach me how."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes sparkling. He picked up the hat and moved toward her.

"We still need to determine your house. Please slip this on your head."

She stared at the worn, torn, dirty hat. I had to laugh, for she was plainly wondering if she wanted to stick that thing on her head.

She took it from him without grimacing and carefully set it on her head.

She gasped and tore the hat off.

"It talked to me!" she cried.

Sirius started to cough. It didn't hide the fact that he was laughing very well. Jules glared at him then stuck her tongue out at him. He grinned at her.

"Yes, that's what it does," Minerva explained, a slight smile on her strict face. "It won't hurt you."

She stared around as she slipped the hat on again. Her eyes closed and a look of indignation crossed her face. She seemed to be concentrating hard and jumped when the hat screamed.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Gryffindor?" Jules asked, tugging the hat off once again.

I nodded. "My old house."
"And mine," Sirius added. "Also James Potter, all the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione. Plus your great-great-whatever-grandfather. Obviously, since it's named for him."

"Okay."

She set the hat back on Albus' desk.

"Will I need a wand?"

Albus shook his head. "I don't think so. I want you to take classes with the seventh year Gryffindors. That will be Harry, Ron and Hermione, plus their classmates. I wish you could have a full education, but maybe Remus and Sirius will be able to teach you over the summer vacation. I'm sure Sirius could teach you everything you needed to know. He and your uncle were the best students Hogwarts ever saw."

Sirius flushed slightly and grinned down at his hands. I looked at him in surprise. Since when was Sirius modest?

"Er, Albus? What about school books? And her robes and everything?" Minerva asked quietly.

Albus frowned slightly, his eyebrows furrowed. He appeared to be doing some thinking.

"Right," he said. "Well, I believe that Kellie left all her gold to James. I will contact Gringotts and see what I can find out."

"I can get her things for her," Sirius offered quietly. "Or give her the gold for them."

I flushed slightly, but said nothing. I looked down at my hands again, refusing to look at Jules. I hated that I wouldn't be able to get her things for her.

"We can get robes in Hogsmeade. She won't be taking Potions so she won't need a cauldron," Sirius continued.

"What classes will I be taking?" she asked

"Defence Against the Dark Arts," Sirius and I answered together.

"Transfiguration," Minerva added.

"You could also take History of Magic, because Professor Binns would never notice you," Sirius put in, grinning slightly.

"And I want you to take Charms," said Dumbledore. "Other than that, we can't really do anything for you. Remus and Sirius will have to teach you Herbology and Potions. Miss Granger could probably give you a hand as well."
I chuckled. "Probably. Or she could just teach her everything she's interested in."

Albus smiled. "As for books, the two of you stayed with the Weasleys last night, did you not? You will likely be going back to pick up clothing and other things, so I'm sure Molly could dig up the books you would need. They should get you through to the end and then you won't have to go into Diagon Alley for books."

"So three, maybe four classes," I said. "Do you wish for her to take History of Magic?"

Albus appraised me silently for a moment. He shook his head. "You can teach her that. You were excellent at it in school." He turned back to Jules. "I think that you should just take Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration and Charms. They are the skills that will help you the most right away. I do not know when or where Voldemort will attack next, and I want you to be as well prepared as you can be."

She nodded nervously. She was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, if the slight panic in her eyes was any indication. I couldn't blame her. She had no idea what to do and we were counting on her to help save an entire population. And possibly die while doing it.

"I suggest you get back to the Burrow to collect your things and then into Hogsmeade to purchase your robes. Please try to be back before dinner."

I nodded and stood. Sirius stood as well.

"Albus, will you cover my class today?"

Albus nodded and settled back at his desk. He pulled out a quill and a roll of parchment. Jules stood and I took her hand. We headed toward the door but before we reached it Jules stopped and turned, moving back toward Albus' desk. She reached out a hand and gently scooped the now gleaming white unicorn back into her pocket. She nodded to Albus and Minerva and rejoined me at the door.

*

I felt like somebody who was getting dressed up for Halloween. I stood on a stool in Gladrags Wizard Wears and watched in the mirror as an elderly witch pinned the robes around me.

I looked around the shop. There were all sorts of cloaks and robes already made, hanging on racks. I'd stopped to look at those, but Sirius had led me straight to the witch at the counter and asked for two sets of plain black Hogwarts robes.

I glanced down at the witch as she lifted the bottom of the robes I was wearing. She was pulling it awfully high…luckily Remus and Sirius were browsing and couldn't see the amount of leg I was showing!

I watched them as they moved through the shop. My higher vantage point allowed me to see what they were up to. Remus was peering at a set of royal blue robes and Sirius seemed to be trying to talk him into buying them. Remus glanced my way and nodded once. Sirius looked at him, surprise etched in his features. Remus took the robes off the rack and both moved toward the area where I was. He grinned as he came in sight of me and Sirius gave a low whistle.

"Nice, Moony."

Remus punched him in the arm. The witch chuckled lightly as she dropped the hem of the robe back down, covering me completely.

"Those are nice, Remus," I said quietly, hoping the fact that my face was slightly flushed didn't show too much.

"I thought so too…I think I'm going to buy them. I need a new set of robes for at Hogwarts."

"You're finished, dear," the witch said, moving away and helping me step down. I glanced at my reflection. I watched Remus come up behind me in the mirror and slip his arms around me.

"You look wonderful," he whispered softly. I leaned back against him. "I'm sorry I couldn't buy the robes for you."

I shook my head. "Don't be sorry," I protested. He'd explained why he couldn't buy me the robes at the Burrow. He'd been so embarrassed…

I had known that it was hard on him, being a werewolf. I'd known that from the moment he'd told me. He hadn't wanted to. He had been afraid that I would turn away from him; that I would think less of him. But Harry had convinced me that werewolves were wrongly portrayed. As he'd said, they were dangerous once a month and harassed for something that was beyond their control.

And I knew Remus. I knew he was an honest, decent person. I also knew that if he was given half a chance, he could do amazing things.

But he hadn't been given that chance. Albus Dumbledore had given him a chance and he'd blown that one, he'd said. Luckily it was in Albus' nature to give second chances.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said softly, nuzzling my ear. I grinned at him.

"I was just thinking about how great those blue robes will look on you."

He flushed slightly and poked me in the side. I giggled and elbowed him lightly. He responded by tickling me.

"Okay, kids, break it up."

We both glanced over to find Sirius regarding us, his eyes amused. He held up a bag that must have held Ginny's old robes that I'd been wearing. "It's time to go."

"I have to-" Remus started, holding up his own robes.

"No you don't."

Remus stopped and turned. He raised his eyebrows at Sirius.

"Excuse me?"

"I paid for them. You two seemed…occupied."

"You paid for them."

I glanced at Remus. His eyes were slowly turning a stormy colour. Sirius must have noticed as well.

"You can pay me back when we get to Hogwarts, Remus. No big deal."

I knew Remus didn't like accepting what he thought of as charity. However, he also wasn't one to make a scene in public. He nodded shortly and took my hand. We exited the shop and made our way toward the store called Dervish and Banges.

"Thank you, Sirius," I said softly, looking up at him. He smiled and nodded. "Is there a way to change…um…Muggle money into wizard money?"

"Yes," Remus answered as we entered Dervish and Banges. "Just bring your money to Gringotts and they'll change it. That's in Diagon Alley," he added, noticing my look of wonder.

"Oh."

"You can reach Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron," Sirius told me. I stared at him.

"That cool little pub? That was a magical place?"

Both of them nodded. Remus led me toward a table covered in parchment and quills.

"Anyway," Sirius continued, coming up behind us, "Gringotts will change whatever currency you take there into wizard money. You could even take your Canadian money."

I picked up an eagle feather quill as he spoke. It seemed nice.

"You should get a few," Remus told me. "Just in case."

"I know," I replied. "It never hurts to have an extra pen." I grinned at him. "Er, quill."

He chuckled as he picked up several little jars of ink. I picked up one that promised to change colours as I wrote.

"That's neat," I commented, slipping that jar in with the jars Remus was picking out. He chuckled again.

We left Dervish and Banges with several small bags full of ink and quills and rolls of parchment. We started back up the street toward Hogwarts.

Again as we walked down the street, the house at the end caught my eye. I wondered if anybody lived there.

"That house is kind of cool," I said to Remus and Sirius. I saw them glance at each other. "What?"

"It's not that cool," Remus said stiffly, taking hold of my hand again. I stared up at him.

"Why not?"

"Bad memories," Sirius answered.

"What?"

"I'll explain back at Hogwarts, Jules," Remus said tersely. "I can't tell you here."

"Oh. Okay."

We walked through the gates flanked by the winged boars. I could see a couple classes taking place, one over by the forest and the other inside the greenhouses. I wondered if Harry and his friends were in either of them.

"Will I be taking either of those classes?" I asked, my stomach flipping nervously.

"No," Sirius answered me, following my gaze. "Those lessons are Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology."

"Care of Magical Creatures?"

"Yes," Remus replied. "You learn about magical creatures and the proper way to care for them."

"Neat!" I exclaimed. "Do you learn about unicorns?"

Sirius laughed. "Yes. I think we learned in third year, wasn't it, Moony?"

"Fourth, I think."

"No, Harry learned about unicorns in fourth. I'm pretty sure we learned in third."

"Well, whichever." Remus grinned at me. "Sorry, Jules, you've missed out on unicorns."

"I'm sure Moony and Padfoot could take her to find some," Sirius said with a grin.

"I'm sure we could," Remus agreed. "We could probably take Fang with us too."

"Okay," I interrupted. "I don't mean to be rude, but what do those nicknames mean?"

Both men laughed. I flushed slightly.

"They were our nicknames in school," Remus answered me. "Sirius is Padfoot, James was Prongs, Peter is…was…Wormtail and I am Moony."

"But what do they mean?"

"Moony is because of the full moon," Sirius explained. "Because he turns into a wolf at the full moon."
"Oh, of course," I replied, feeling slightly stupid. That one had been relatively obvious. "And the others?"

Sirius and Remus both stopped abruptly and glanced around. I stared at them, wondering why they were doing so when Sirius all of a sudden disappeared. An enormous shaggy black dog stood where he'd been standing.

The dog that I'd been petting at Christmas.

"Oh my god!" I yelped. Sirius turned back into a man. "I was petting you and scratching your ears!"
Remus started to snigger uncontrollably. Sirius grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Sorry about that."

"I want to do that!" I said with a laugh. "How did you do that?"
"We studied," Sirius told me. "For three years. We did it for Remus, to keep him company. You see, James and I figured it out in second year what Remus was. He hadn't told us; he was afraid to. And then James and I read everything, and I mean absolutely everything, we could find about werewolves. We discovered that werewolves aren't a danger to other animals, only humans. So James and I, and our other friend Peter, decided to help him by becoming Animagi. That's the ability to turn into animals."
I stared at him, stunned. Remus smiled as he remembered.

"That's amazing," I murmured. "Although it sounds a little dangerous."

Remus laughed. "Incredibly dangerous. It's a good thing that James and Sirius were the brightest students Hogwarts ever saw."

Sirius pretended to blush as we ascended the stairs into the castle.

"Anyway, James became a stag. Peter became a rat." Remus' eyes darkened as he spoke of Peter. "Wormtail betrayed all of us and set Sirius up. He is the reason Sirius went to Azkaban for twelve years."

Sirius glanced at Remus in surprise. I was a little surprised at Remus' bitter tone as well.

"I'm the one who is supposed to be bitter, Moony," Sirius said softly. Remus glared at him as we moved up the staircase that led to the dormitories. "We will still get him, I promise. This time…we won't let Harry stop us. We will get him, Moony."

I shivered slightly, fear creeping into my heart at the feral looks in both of their eyes.

__________________________________________________________________

Hi everyone. Sorry for the amount of time it has taken me to update. I have written this chapter three times but I am finally…somewhat…happy with it. Not completely, but that's how it goes. Again, if I make any changes, I will let you know at the start of the next chapter. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoyed it!