A/N – I will continue this story even if it kills me! Please review!

The Cold Room

"Is there anyway you can help him?" a woman's voice, hard with tears, asked the village doctor.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't," the Doctor shook his head. He looked back at the child who lay on the bed – there was no way to take back the curse. And it was all for the kitten…

"I am sorry," the Doctor whispered before he left with his bag in hand. The woman. The woman covered her mouth and closed her eyes tightly. She wore a patched tartan robe and her long blond hair had come out of its braid. She was shaking, quite badly and had to sit down on the edge of her son's bed.

"Heloise! Heloise!" came a call from down stairs. Then the sound of thunder came to the crying woman as a man ran into the room.

"Mathieu! He was bit! He was bit by a Werewolf!" Heloise cried – she reached up to the man her took her in his arms and held her close. The child on the bed was peacefully asleep, but both adults knew that things would not be easy for him.

"He is a strong lad," Mathieu said.

"I know! But he is all I got!"

"No! no, my love, you have me," Mathieu said, making the woman look him in the eyes.

"I can't," she sobbed.

"My husband has just died, the Catholic church won't let me! Not till his body is found," Heloise shook her head, and if it were possible, she sobbed harder.

"My love, my love, we will find a way…"

Remus Lupin woke with a start – he had pushed that particular memory to the back of his head once he had been old enough to understand the implications of what Mathieu Driscoll had said that night, and what he had promised that woman and her child.

Remus growled – he had hated that man ever since he had met him, which was precisely six months before his fifth birthday, and two months before his biological father had gone to war against nothing less than rebel Werewolves.

It had killed him, Remus remembered, when he himself had been bitten by a Werewolf, it had been his entire fault. He should have stayed inside as his mother had told him – he should have…done things differently.

Remus sighed and got out of bed, he crossed over to the desk and leafed through the essays that his third years had turned in, he had graded most of them, but now, even though he tried, he just couldn't. There was no way he could concentrate.

He grabbed his robe and put on his slippers, with a flick of his wand a fire had started in the once empty grate, and he sat down in the red winged back chair he had placed before the fire just months before.

Remus took deep breaths, he didn't know what had brought on the sudden memory dreams, he wished he could memory modify himself so that he could forget. SO that he could forget that man who had betrayed him, that man who cared nothing for him, but had tried so hard to make his Mother happy.

Heloise Lupin-Driscoll was only forty-five when she died, by the hands of the Death Eaters. Remus himself had found her, bleeding to death in the small French cabin, with his step-father not long after him. Mathieu had taken one look at the disaster of the cabin, and had beaten his step-son so badly that he couldn't move.

It had been Remus' private hell after that….and because of it, he could relate to Harry. He knew better than anyone that Harry had someone like Mathieu Driscoll, maybe he wasn't beaten as bad as he (Remus) had been, but he was not treated as he should have been.

Remus hated that he could only guess at what Harry had to go through during the summer – and Remus hoped that it was not as bad as what Driscoll had done to him.

Remus stood and started to pace about the sitting room. He was worried about the boy, Harry was such a go-getter! So much like James…and a lot of Lily too. One could see it! If he got angry, Harry would let everyone know (just like James) and if someone, like Malfoy, was being a bully, he didn't hesitate to hex them (like Lily, Remus remembered that Lily hated bully's) but he didn't go out of his way to be mean to anyone.

But, as much as he reminded the wizard of James and Lily, Harry was also his own person – he may have been a bit more out-going if he hadn't lived in such a repressive house hold. Albus wouldn't hear anything of it, of course, the older, older wizard had faith in the muggles. But Remus and even Minerva were of a different mind.

Finally, he went back to bed, and dropped off into that hell that he had hoped he had forgotten.

"Remus?" Minerva McGonagall raised her eyebrow at the youngest wizard of the faculty staff. The full Moon had come and gone, leaving Severus to substitute for him, but it also left Remus Lupin with a pain in his eyes that wouldn't go away, at least, not till a few days after.

"I am fine," Remus said as he passed. He hated people mothering him, he conveniently forgot how James, Sirius and Peter would of constantly asked him if he needed anything and would do whatever it was that he had voiced. Once, Sirius had even magicked him up a comfy chair while in Potions. Slughorn had transfigured it back to the normal stool, but Remus had appreciated the gesture anyway.

He didn't eat much, he didn't want to up-chuck it later like he normally did – Minerva watched him and gave him that look. Remus gave her a smile in turn and put more eggs on his plate as his answer to her mothering glare.

"Harry! Look! Professor Lupin is back," Hermione pointed out.

"I wonder what happened to him," Ron said around a mouth full of food.

"I hope he's all right, I mean, he looks quite sick," Harry said.

"I know, what do you think he has?" Ron asked.

"Oh please, Wizards and Witches can't get terminally ill," Hermione informed then.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Witches and Wizards can get sick, but they can't get terminal illness, like cancer, that just doesn't happen because of the magick, he might just be getting over the flue for all we know," Hermione explained.

"Well, then he must get the flue a lot, seeing as he's sick all the time!" Ron said.

"Ronald!"

"Her-mio-nee!" Ron replied putting a bit of emphasis on her name.

"All right you two, let's not start now, we still have to survive potions!" Harry rolled his eyes.

"Ah, let's hope that it's theory today!" Ron muttered. The trio stood then and made their way out of the great hall. Harry looked back and saw the Lupin was watching him. Harry waved, Lupin waved back before going back to his breakfast.

"He'll get better in a few days, I'm sure of it," Hermione said while she pulled Harry after her and Ron.

Professor Remus Lupin did not look any better that afternoon than he had that morning – but the students didn't bother to notice and he was smiling a bit, as if there was something that excited him grandly and he couldn't wait to get on with it!

'Third years! Third years! Stand back!" he called, he waved his wand and the students desks were neatly piled at one side of the room. Professor Lupin waved them into the room. He stood before them with a great big red book held in his hands.

"I have to be truthful with you," he started, "I hate theory, it wasn't that I couldn't do it, I was better at that anyway, but I just loved practical lessons, which is what we will be doing today,"

The students buzzed happily as they waited for Professor Lupin to say something else – he was a much better teacher than what they had before and they hoped that they could keep him.

"Today, we will be learning another defensive spell," Professor Lupin said.

"We all ready know the Expelliarmus spell," a shy Gryffindor said.

"I suppose you do, I also suppose that Lockhart didn't ask you to think of any other defensive spell's?" Professor Lupin asked.

"What sort?" Hermione called.

"It is called the Defendo curse," Professor Lupin said.

"That's basic!" Malfoy called.

"Please, raise you're hand if you would like to say something, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Lupin corrected kindly before going on.

"I understand that it looks basic, in fact, that was what the makers of it wanted you to think, but it does something rather….unique, now, who would like to come up and help me demonstrate?" Professor Lupin looked at the class.

"I will, Professor," a rather brave Ravenclaw said.

"And you're name is…?" Professor Lupin asked.

"Bernadette Myers, sir," the Ravenclaw girl replied.

"Well, then, Miss Myers, remember, the spell is Defendo,"

"Yes, Sir….DEFENDO!" Myers called out the spell, Professor Lupin's wand flew out of his hand and landed remarkably in Myers unused hand.

"Brilliant!" Ron gushed.

"Ah! Wonderful my dear lady, may I have my wand back? Very good, indeed," Professor Lupin smiled happily.

"Who came up with that spell, sir?" Myers asked.

"Hem, what? Oh, just some rather mischievous students, but I rather like it and it has come in handy for me a couple of times," Professor Lupin shrugged.

"Now, please get into groups of three, pair with someone from your own house, I don't want a Slytherin-Gryffindor war in my class room," Professor Lupin herded the students into pairs.

Harry rather did like this class – Professor Lupin, even if he looked sick, loved to teach and this was a marvelous spell, it would deffinantly come in handy.

"We had better get this spell down as soon as possible, no doubt Malfoy will," Ron said as he tried again to get Hermione's wand, but he botched this fourth attempt.

"Professor Lupin is brilliant!" Harry said.

"If only we had him in first year! We wouldn't be behind!" Hermione said, she got Ron's wand. The trio switched and now it was Harry against Ron. It took Harry a couple of times in order to work the spell but he promised Ron that they would work on it when they had the time out of class.

All too soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of class – the students groaned their disappointment, but Professor Lupin promised that next time they had a practical that the could show off for him. That made the Slytherins smirk, but the Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's cheered because they knew they could do it better!

Lupin held Harry back after the class though, "I need to talk to you," he said. He led Harry to his office.

"Harry, I'm worried about you," Lupin started.

"Professor, if anyone should be worried, it should be me, you don't look well," Harry said, accepting the cup of tea that Lupin gave him.

"I'm always sick, but it isn't contagious…under normal circumstances," that last part left Harry wondering what the abnormal circumstances would be.

"I wanted to talk to you about you're essay, the one of the cupboards," Lupin said.

"Oh, that…er -- "

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but it give me doubts about you're home life – I, just wanted to let you know that James and Lily didn't mean to leave you," Lupin said.

"Wait, you knew my parents?" Harry asked.

"Yes, in fact, it was James who came up with the Defendo charm, he was clever, and I know that you are just as clever, if not more, than James,"

"What are you getting at, Professor?"

"I just want you to know that I am here if you ever want to talk about anything – James and Lily and what they were like, homework that you don't understand – I just haven't been there for you and it makes me feel guilty and…I don't want you to grow up and not know anything about Prongs and Lily,"

"I, appreciate it, Professor," Harry muttered, he really didn't know what to think on it.

"Oh, you're late for charms, here is a note, it explains why I held you back," Professor Lupin handed Harry a note to Professor Flitwick and sent Harry on his way.

Harry took one look at Lupin and gave the man a smile, maybe he would take the older wizard up on his offer to know his parents more, maybe then he could tell the man about what goes on during summer. Uncle Vernon would never know….the muggle was too dense to see what was in front of his face, he'd never know that Harry had told this man of what went on in the muggles house hold.

On the other hand, Harry considered as he handed the note to Professor Flitwick, maybe he wouldn't, he didn't want to seem to be complaining to the man – what would Professor Lupin think of that? Harry focused in on the charms lesson – he would decide his course of action later.

A/N – Hi! What do you all think of this? I rather like the lesson! The Defendo curse/charm is my own making, it may be a bit cliché but I couldn't think up anything else! I mean, I wanted to do more on the lesson, and show more of Lupin and stuff. I wanted to show that he loves to teach and that, if he could, he would do it all the time!

I'm not sure about the Lupin/Harry part – it may be a bit too much! But I wanted to get this story rolling. If you all think that it needs to be re-written, please give me idea's as to what should be said and how – I like it, but I think it's corny and too cliché!

However, I thought I would have Lupin just watch Harry, and have Harry come to him when he decides too. That would be the adult thing to do!

Please review and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism would be very helpful!

Ta,

Poppy