Yay! Another chapter! I'm sure you're all ecstatic. But first, thanks to all the people who made this possible! That's right, I'm sure you all remember that I asked for at least ten reviews, so thanks to: merf425, S.c.ou.s.er.4.li.f.e, uknowho, UnSerious Sirius, DiscombobulatedDrummer, Sunny moonlight, Leo-lupus, HanSolosGal, Ancalime, and The Unknown Marauder. Also, thanks to raelyn and Romulus901, who also reviewed but didn't quite make the first 10. This chapter is dedicated to all of you!

Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes

To save her shoes from gravel.

Watching the pair, Padfoot tried not to whine in sympathy for their pain lest he draw the attention of a less-friendly nurse. After a final check of the hallway for lurkers, he transformed and was grateful for the silent release of tears. He had known Remus's life had been hard since James and Lily died, but… this came as a shock. Sirius looked at his friend in awe, amazed that he was still sane after losing everyone he cared for in one evening.

The transfiguration must have drawn Maddy's attention, because she focused on him in surprise. Her eyes took on a look of intense concentration, and then she spoke. Or sang, rather, "The gipsy Snap and Padfoot, are none of Tom's comradoes."

Remus's joy at that statement was so strong that he practically glowed. He explained before Sirius had a chance to ask, "That's the first time she's ever actually changed the lyrics! The doctors say she only picks and chooses them when I'm around, but…"

"Hiya Thorny." Sirius beamed, and moved closer. The fey-looking woman had nestled against his friend's shoulder, but her smiling eyes were fixed on Sirius. Somehow those eyes were saner than when they had arrived, and he couldn't help wondering if it was because she was near Remus. Then the idea occurred to him.

It was a simple idea, and he turned it over in his mind, examining it from all angles. There were a few problems with it, but all of them were easily solved, and only served to make the idea more plausible. It was in fact an absolutely splendid idea, and Sirius was just opening his mouth to say something about it when he heard footsteps in the hall. Cursing silently he transformed and leapt onto the bed, nuzzling Maddy's hand and wagging his tail.

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Ianthe Thalassos had been a healer for almost thirty years, and the past twenty of those had been spent working for Rhymer's. In that time she'd seen a lot of patients—many of them victims of Voldemort and his deatheaters—but few tugged at her heartstrings quite as strongly as the case of Maude Thorne.

The slender young woman had been brought to the hospital in early November, fifteen years earlier, still bearing a few lingering cuts and bruises from a fight with deatheaters. That hadn't been nearly as alarming as the fact that she neither spoke nor slept, but sat or lay wherever she had been left like some life-sized doll. It had taken months to get her to move around of her own volition, more months before she would sleep without drugs, and years before she uttered a sound.

The day Maude had first spoken had been a day of celebration for Ianthe. It was a sign that years of patient work and coaxing might actually pay off. Remus Lupin had been visiting that day, as he'd visited once a week like clockwork ever since Maude had arrived. It wasn't surprising to Ianthe that the girl—she seemed too small and frail to be called a woman—chose that day to speak. Lupin had always been the catalyst for Maude's progress, and his weekly visits gave all the healers hope. In the beginning, the vocalizations had merely been murmurs, often too soft for Ianthe to catch, but always incoherent. Later on, they'd turned into snippets of song and poetry, and had remained that way.

Not for the first time, Ianthe wished there was a way to keep Lupin around constantly. Only when he was present did Maude seem to show any emotions, or notice another person. The girl's dreamy, emotionless singing was almost frightening to the seasoned healer, as was the blank, tragic look in her eyes. The exquisite impassive face framed by its dark halo always reminded Ianthe of a painting she'd once seen depicting fallen angels. The portrayal of Lucifer had been just as beautifully tragic as the mad Maude.

Today was the day of Lupin's weekly visit, and Ianthe had to smile as she went to check on Maude. According to Ella, the sandy-haired man had brought a dog to along with him in hopes that it would entertain her. It was truly amazing that he never gave up hope. Most people stopped visiting patients after a year or two at most, but he always arrived with some new idea. Truly, however, Ianthe didn't expect much from this new idea.

Which was why she was absolutely stunned to open the door to Maude's room and hear musical feminine laughter. The sparkling, alert woman playing with the big black dog was hardly recognizable as the same woman who stared into space and sang depressing little songs to herself. Lupin, too, was transformed by the genuinely happy smile on his face, and he gently extracted himself from the play to speak to Ianthe. "I hope you don't mind about Snuffles… Ella said it was alright."

"Not only do I not mind, young man, I insist that you bring this dog back every time you come. I don't know that I've ever seen an improvement like that in a patient!" She smiled at his obvious delight. "But now, go back to your lady. She misses you."

The expression on his face when he turned and saw Maude looking around for him made Ianthe sigh a little. Something told her if it were possible to put Maude in Lupin's custody, the woman would recover quickly now that she'd been broken out of her trance. But the man was impoverished and the next thing to homeless, from what little she'd been able to gather. Perhaps she could persuade him to visit more often, even if he could only manage a few minutes a day.

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Remus found himself practically dragged back to the most Ancient and Noble House of Black. They'd stayed almost an hour after visiting time, with healer Thalassos's blessing. Maddy still hadn't been entirely normal, but she was so close to it that Remus could hardly keep himself from dancing home. He was rather curious about Sirius's hurry, though, as the large black dog bounced ahead, looking constantly over his shoulder to make sure Remus was following.

They were just barely through the door when Sirius transformed and grabbed Remus by the shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. "Mister Moony, I'd like you to be the first to know that I've had the most marvelously magnificent idea ever."

"You know, usually when you say that it's actually an abysmal idea that's going to get us into trouble." Something of his friend's excitement transferred itself to Remus, who found himself smiling back.

"It's not going to get us in trouble." Sirius's eyes were alight with pleasure. For once he could do something for his friend despite being trapped in this house. "You see, we have a huge house here, and there's always at least one person home…"

"Yes… and?" The werewolf looked at his friend in puzzlement.

"And, Maddy was obviously better when we were there. So it stands to reason that if she was around people who cared all the time…" the animagus paused for dramatic effect, and saw his friend catching on. "Therefore, why don't we bring her here?"

Remus technically didn't answer, but his friend was fairly certain that dancing around in glee translated to a resounding 'yes.'

Yay posties! It makes me happy to post. And look at Remus dancing around. He's so kyoot.