Under the Sapphire Moon
By Rayven Darkheart

Disclaimer: See the Prologue.

Chapter One

The first meal in the Great Hall went off with very little commotion. The Marauders had yet to start their pranks. Some of the Slytherins were worried to see the four of them sitting together calmly; they actually left dinner early for the dungeons.

Sirius and Remus flopped down on the sofa in the center of the common room and were talking quietly. James was staring dreamily at Lily who was talking to Ebony. Suddenly Lily jumped up and grabbed her new friend, dragging her behind her and into their dormitory. James sighed and sulked over to his friends. Jumping over the back of the sofa, he landed right on Sirius.

"Hey! Get off me wanker." Looking at his friend for a moment before pushing him off on the floor, he sighed. "What's wrong now, Prongs? Has Lily off and went lesbian on you?"

Remus tried to conceal his sniggers as he watched James try to beat Sirius to an inch of his life. Clearing his throat, he tried to separate James and Sirius. "Hey, wasn't there something you wished to tell me? Something about 'a howling good time.' Care to explain?"

James stopped play wrestling and looked around the room to make sure there was no one listening or watching. "Okay, check this out. Apparently, there is a student that has the same problem you do Moony. He didn't say who, but he wanted to make me aware, you know, since we are with you on your nights. We don't want any nasty surprises."

Remus's eyes grew wider with each passing moment. 'There's another werewolf at Hogwarts?' He shook his head to clear it. "Who could it be? Do you think it's the new girl?"

James shook his head slightly. "I don't think so. I didn't get the vibe that she's hiding something, did you?" Both Remus and Sirius shook their heads. "Alright then. I doubt it's a girl. Watch it be Snivellus. He'd love to transform right in the castle and kill people." All three of them laughed slightly at the thought of a greasy werewolf, but were shook at the thought that he may be dangerous.

Lily flopped down on her bed as Ebony sat beside her. "So what did we need to talk about?"

Ebony studied the girl in front of her carefully before saying anything. "Can I trust you to keep this between us and not tell anyone?" She watched Lily nod. "Fine. Just…please don't be afraid after I tell you this."

Lily watched her friend go through about twenty different emotions, all of them mirrored in her clear cerulean eyes. "Ebony, you can tell me. We're roommates. You can trust me."

Ebony took one last deep breath. "Lily, I'm a werewolf. Plain, simple and to the point." She watched Lily's eyes widen and her body stiffen a bit. "I knew I shouldn't have told you about it."

Lily leaned forward and hugged her. "Honey, don't worry about it. I'm not going to judge you. Just… what happens on the full moon?"

"Well, I transform. I become a wolf. I'm aware of my actions though, because of this." She reached down the front of her shirt and pulled out the charm that hung from the leather cord around her neck. "This keeps my mind in tact. I can recognize people and won't attack them."

Lily reached out to touch it. Ebony started to pull back but let her see the charm. She almost recoiled at the feel of the charm. She had expected it to be metal, but it felt… different. Her gaze met Ebony's as if asking what the charm was.

Ebony smiled slightly, almost understanding. "That, Lily, is a tooth from the very werewolf that attacked me. Somehow my father managed to get one. I'm not sure how he knew it would work, but it does. That's why I home schooled. My parents knew the prejudice I would face."

Lily hugged her once more.

The head of James snapped up when he heard Lily and Ebony come down the stairs. "Evans, there you are. I've missed you."

Lily stopped at the bottom of the stairs and blinked at the boy in front of her. The smile melted from her face. "Shouldn't you be out torturing the innocent and pranking the corrupt?"

Ebony watched the interaction between the two with little interest. 'I see these two will make for an entertaining year if nothing else.' She was about to break up the little verbal scuffle when she felt a strong masculine hand grip her forearm gently and pull.

Feeling little resistance, Sirius tugged Ebony up toward the boys' dormitory. Once inside the room belonging to James, Peter, Remus and himself, he opened the door and waited for her to enter. Searching his eyes for some explanation, she entered the room and took a seat on Sirius's trunk. Getting tired of waiting for some semblance of meaning, she grumbled. "Well? Why did you pull me all the way up here?"

"I want your help with something." He sat down beside her. "There's this girl. She's in Slytherin and I want to date her. However, she doesn't see me as the right type of guy. She thinks I can't be sweet and loving. So, um, help."

She tried not to giggle. "What do you want me to do about it? From what I've been told a Gryffindor is not exactly going to be the first person a Slytherin asks for advice. I mean what do you… Oh. Oh no, no, no. You don't want me to pretend to date you…"

He looked at her with pleading grey eyes. "Please. It'll only be outside these doors and only until she sees how good I can be." Sighing with frustration, she nodded. "Great! You're the best Ebony!" He hugged her tightly and smiled. 'This may be easier than I thought.'

"I'll help you on one condition, Black. You help me get Potter and Evans together." Sirius looked into Ebony's bright eyes suddenly at her stern tone. "Don't look at me like that. You know James likes her. I happen to know that Lily likes him. You can hear it in her voice. The way she argues with him. If a girl really despised someone as much as she supposedly does him, she would simply ignore him, not bicker with him."

Sirius's eyes lit up. "You're on Masters. You help me and I'll help you. Deal?" Ebony held out her right hand and he shook it with his own.

A few hours later

Ebony walked into the library to find Remus asleep. Smiling just slightly, she sat down beside him and looked at the book he was reading. Her smile soon turned into a frown. 'Does he know what I am?' Swallowing hard, she read some of what was written on the page next to his drooling face.

It read:

Lycanthropy, much like vampirism is transferred from a bite from an affected individual. As of yet, there is no cure. Individuals stricken with this terrible disease can expect a painful transformation into a wolf on the sight of the full moon each month.

Those that come into contact with a werewolf must take tremendous caution. Lycanthropes are extremely dangerous when transformed. They are unpredictable and dangerous. When under the influence of the moon, they will not differentiate between friend or foe and are quick to attack.

Ebony swallowed hard again and looked at Remus's peaceful face. With a trembling hand, she shook his shoulder, waking him up. His eyes met with hers for a moment before she ran out of the library. Looking down, his eyes widened once he saw what page he was open to. 'Oh no, she knows what I am…'