"Remus, please just listen to me," James pleaded.

Remus did not, in fact, listen and instead entered the room, ignored the other inhabitants, grabbed his books, and promptly left again.

However, he did not manage to get out of the room without hearing Sirius' scoff and muttered, "Bloody git, so unreasonable."

"Lay off it, Sirius. I told you not to push him," James said. The April full moon was at the end of the week and James figured it was best to stay quiet and lay low until it was over. He'd corner him in the infirmary the day after and try talking to Remus again. Of course, he didn't want Remus to be in pain or angry so he was still trying to ply him with meaty food and chocolate treats leading up. It wasn't working very well and he really hated being ignored.

"But he is!" Sirius insisted. "All he has to do is tell Dumbledore and your parents that it's okay if Fae comes to school here. It's no big deal and after all Fae has done for him? It's the least he could do."

James rolled his eyes. "Fae didn't do it for him, she did it for herself. She doesn't even know about Remus, remember?"

"Sure whatever, but Fae barely gets injured during her transformations anymore! Just imagine! You know how sad Remus gets when wakes up with new scars," Sirius said heatedly. "And Remus is the smartest bloke I know. He'd whip Fae into shape for O. with us next year in no time! It just makes perfect sense and yet- agh!"

"It makes sense, sure. They'd be able to help each other. But Remus isn't like Fae. Fae didn't even blink when we asked her about being a werewolf, but Remus? It can't be easy for him to have to tell Mrs. Potter and Mr. Potter about him being a werewolf after all this time," Peter spoke up, "You know how it is with his parents."

Sirius quieted down and James frowned. Peter wasn't wrong. Sometimes James wondered if Remus would've ever told them if they hadn't confronted him back in second year.

"Still. It just makes sense and Remus is supposed to be the sensible one," Sirius insisted.

This was it. She was going to do it this moon. Everything lined up perfectly. She'd been eating heftly and packing on muscle all week, running herself ragged and reaching new limits every day. 4 a.m. this morning had her up and going for her first marathon ever, which she'd achieved before lunch. Last night she had caught all 10 birds that she'd conjured and an actual rabbit. She'd hunted an actual, real live rabbit.

The attic was set with more expansion and atmospheric charms than ever before, but most importantly, she'd never felt so secure in her bones before. She was steady in every sense of the word, deep satisfying thrums in her sinew and muscle, heart beating slow and in time with the stalking steps she made around the room. When her bones began to grow, she let her body and her voice sing.

"SHE DID IT!" James screamed out in the middle of the Great Hall at lunch. The tan boy launched himself from the bench like a rocket and started jumping up and down, a piece of paper crinkled in his hands.

"GUYS! SHE DID IT! SHE ACTUALLY DID IT!" he shouted for all the world to hear. And the entire Great Hall did hear him, but he was James Potter so they shrugged it off and went back to eating shortly after his initial outburst.

Sirius ripped the letter out of his hands and shoved his face into it, entire head moving with his eyes back and forth across the paper, before he too threw his arms up in the air.

"I KNEW IT!" he shouted. Peter took the letter next, actually taking the time to read it all the way through. He laughed at Fae's commentary and then let out a whoop when he read the same words that his friends had.

A pretty red-haired girl strolled up to them, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "What's all the fuss about?" Lily asked.

James picked her up and spun her around in his joy, not even registering her outraged squawk or the way she clawed at him to let go. "My sister! My sister-"

"-Cast her first Levicorpus Hex. It's a favorite of James'." Peter said quickly, giving James a pointed look at his near-slip.

"Oh. I didn't know you had a sister," Lily said, seeming genuinely curious and interested. It said a lot about James' excitement that he didn't even notice the opportunity to talk to the girl of his dreams because he was so thrilled by the news.

"Adopted last year. She's the best thing ever!" James told her before collecting the letter and bolting out of the hall. "I have to go tell Remus! This will convince him for sure!"

James burst into the infirmary and sprinted over to Remus' practically reserved bed. "Remus, she did it! Fae gained awareness during transforma-" his words caught in his throat mid-way through the sentence as he got a good look at his friend. Black bags dug into the skin under his eyes, one of which was completely black and blue and swelled shut. There were bandages with prominent red stains wrapped around his forehead and looping through his hair which looked miserably patchy and thin. His hands were wrapped too, and clenching the bed sheets tightly. On closer inspection, three fingers were red and raw where the nails had been ripped out, or pulled out from all his clawing presumably. Bandages. Blood-stained bandages. Everywhere. A giant new scar across the bridge of his nose. James didn't even want to know how bad it was beneath his hospital gown or the bed sheets. Remus had never, ever been this bad after a full moon before. Through the one eye that was semi-operational, James identified the rage far too late.

"Get. Out." Remus said.

"I'm so proud of you, darling. I knew you could do it," Euphemia cooed, brushing through Fae's hair and fingering the strands tenderly.

Fleamont grabbed a chunk of Fae's hair and gave it a teasing tug. "Oh we all knew, we just never imagined it'd be so fast. Well done kiddo, well done," he said.

Fae, sitting on the couch between them, energized from her morning nap, fresh from the shower, and absolutely glowing, beamed at them proudly. "Thank you so much!" Gods, Euphemia's hands were so relaxing and she'd definitely fall asleep if she weren't so completely wired and out of her mind with happiness.

"I never could've done it without your help and support though, you know? I'm so blessed and so lucky to have-" Fae got choked up through her sentence and laughed, pulling them both into a tight group hug. She still couldn't believe it, gaining awareness during the full moon. It had been a few moments somewhere in the middle of the night. She just remembered seeing the blue glow from the window in front of her and the walls, clear as day. Feeling the grain of the wood so keenly beneath her paws. Paws! So powerful and so in sync with each other. Her hands worked with her hands and her feet worked with her feet, but it wasn't without thought that her feet and hands worked together, not like paws did. Big, grey, furry, paws with power. So much power in the way they pushed and propelled her through air, in the way the sharp claws rent through beams like butter.

There had been smells and sounds everywhere, just like before the transformation but so much stronger. Moody was whiskey and fire and scrambled eggs of all things, just outside the door. Euphemia, sweet lilac and cherry Euphemia slept in her bed a story below. Maple and cedar and thyme Fleamont was beside her. She could smell the blood in their bodies, giving the world a sharp iron tinge. The wood of the attic was a heady oak and the wards smelled like burnt sugar. Outside there were thousands and thousands of bugs and squirrels and birds and rabbits and possums and deer and frogs and a fox leaping over a fallen log. The attic began to darken and everything began to slip. In those last seconds, she had tipped her long throat back and howled with a ferocity and volume that shook the very floor beneath her.

It gave her shivers every time she thought of it. With a grin, she glanced at Moody who sat across from her with his tea. "So? What do you think? Can I run in the woods next time? I've already thought of the perfect area, north by the river, right Dad? That'd be a great border," Fae asked, not even realizing what she'd called Fleamont, nor the absolute look of delight that flitted across his face and Euphemia's. Her mind was off to the races, thinking of the things she'd do next, the things she'd be able to do soon, one day, in the future. As a werewolf, she could scale mountains and cross entire national parks in mere hours. She would see so much.

"Woah there, don't get too far ahead of yourself," Moody said with a frown. "You've done extremely well Fae, there's no doubt about that. But can we really risk it just yet? You were supposedly only aware for a few moments. It's impressive, but is it enough to guarantee that you won't hurt someone?"

There was a moment of silence and then Euphemia and Fleamont erupted.

"Alastor, you-"

"We can ward it and put up barriers-"

"There's no one for miles!"

"He's not wrong," Fae said loudly, prompting the two to quiet their protests. She was touched they were upset on her behalf and yes, Fae was disappointed, but what could she expect from Moody? Besides, her brain had processed it already and come back with a new series of plans. "It's okay. Sometimes I forget what I am and how badly I could hurt someone. It's good that you remain cautious and keep my head out of the clouds."

"Oh, Fae.." Euphemia said.

Fae grinned dangerously, eyes narrowing in challenge, fingers itching. "I'll just have to stay conscious longer next time and find a way to prove it to you."

"Marauders, assemble. We need to come up with a plan," James called as he entered their dorm room.

Sirius was at attention immediately. "What sort of plan, Jamesy?"

"Fae needs to convince Moody that she's safe enough to go in the woods during transformations from now on," James answered with a grin. Ideas were already spinning behind his eyes.

"In the woods? Is that safe?" Peter asked.

"Cool!" Sirius said.

"Of course it isn't safe! Is she crazy?" And then James realized Remus had been in there as well.

James growled and glared at him. "Oi, that's my sister you're talking about!" he said. What a downer. He'd been so excited too, and now Remus had to ruin it with his negative thoughts and piss poor attitude. James was starting to get real sick of his avoidance, of both his friends and of the entire topic of lycanthropy altogether. He always had to make such a big, sad, dramatic deal out of it.

"She's a werewolf! She could kill someone!" Remus snarled back.

And oh that was not okay. "Shut up! You don't know the first thing about Fae or what she's capable of!"

"She's capable of slaughtering your parents or worse, turning them into monsters just like her!"

James went flying at Remus, hands clenched into fists and ready to slaughter Remus. How dare he accuse Fae of being some mindless, violent creature. James had never been so pissed off, so fast in his life.

Landing on Remus, James started wailing on him. Remus tried to buck him off with no luck, and instead grabbed for James' wrists, trying to get him to stop hitting him. The two rolled off the bed and hit the ground hard.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK, YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING SHITE!" James yelled. Remus had started hitting him back as they rolled on the ground, grappling and growling at each other. In the background, Sirius had hopped onto his bed and was egging James on. Peter had fled the room.

James was proud to say that even though, by Fae's calculations, Remus would be stronger this close to the moon, James definitely won and Remus looked way worse than he did. The tan teen had a split lip, finger-shaped bruises on his biceps, and bruises smeared around his right side ribs. Remus, on the other hand, had a broken nose, a bright red swollen cheek, and a dislocated shoulder, not to mention the nasty bruise James was sure he had on his shins. He hoped they were fractured.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on in here!?" Lily cried, appearing in the doorway with Peter behind her. Remus and James did not stop. She cast Levicorpus on them, flinging them up in the air where they hung by their ankles, still swiping and punching at each other. Their rage was so intense, that Lily could only hold the spell a little longer and then they both fell to the ground again.

Later, McGonagall had pulled them off each other. She asked what on earth could be going through their heads, deducted house points, assigned detention, and sent them on their separate ways. Sirius and Peter flanked his sides as he stalked out to the lake.

"He's just jealous, mate. Don't listen to him," Sirius insisted, practically jumping around and orbiting James with how riled up he still was.

"Yeah, he doesn't know what he's talking about." Peter added, peering up at James' uncharacteristically serious face and stumbling a little as he tried to keep up with the teen's purposeful stride.

James frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets. Now that he had calmed down, the whole thing was just unsettling. "He's not wrong though. Werewolves are extremely dangerous," James admitted, making Sirius and Peter fall over in shock.

James sighed and continued. "It's not like I've forgotten that. And I know Fae has never forgotten that. She just never let it stop her from believing that she- that werewolves- could be so much more. Why can't Remus see that?" It made him sad, really. Remus was one of the best people he knew and this held him back so much.

Sirius and Peter were quiet for a while until Peter eventually spoke first. "He'll come around. Maybe he just needs time to adjust to the whole thing. He's been a werewolf for much longer than Fae after all. Fae started challenging the norm from the very beginning. Remus though. Well."

"Yeah, you're right."

Eager to get back to the hype, Sirius chimed in. "So anyways, you said Fae needed help in proving to Moody that she could handle transforming in the woods?"

James grinned at that and some of the excitement returned. "Yup!" He was so proud of his sister. He couldn't believe she'd actually done it. And leave it to her to already be onto the next step.

"She wrote me about it too. Bonus points for humor and non-violent, ironically cutesy ideas, she said," Peter added with a mischievous twist to his mouth.

"It has to be something only a werewolf could do so Moody doesn't think she did it after the transformation was over, but before they come to get her, you know?" Sirius theorized, grinning wickedly.

"And it has to be fast, Fae said she only had awareness for a few moments last time and thinks she might be able to get five minutes next time. So let's plan for ten, then."

The three Marauders put their heads together and did what they did best.

Fae was waiting for Euphemia, Fleamont, and Moody when they came to get her after the full moon on May 28th. Not bleeding very much, and not in the nude even, thank the Gods for Euphemia. Her charmed robe stayed on her body through the transformation and reappeared after. The pink blossoms and white clouds of silk were sensual and powerful on Fae as she sat proudly leaned up against the wall.

Euphemia entered the room first, paused at the door, and then bent over to the side, clutching her stomach and stifling fierce laughter. Fleamont, right behind her, also walking through the door, also doubling over into laughter. Moody walked in, looked around the room in stupefied awe, and gaped.

The lyrics to Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run were carved into the walls with an accompanying, and crude, illustration of a car on a highway with Fae and the Marauders hanging out of it. It was large and covered three of the four walls, road wrapping around the room. The only wall without lyrics or drawings was the one Fae leaned against, the one opposite from the door. That had been covered in a set of words that were standalone and she tilted her head back, eyes and teeth glittering sharply as she peered at them down her nose.

IS THIS PROOF ENOUGH FOR YOU, MOODY?

When the damage was repaired, Fleamont and Euphemia left the lyrics on the walls. In fact, they cast a few complicated charms to make them permanent.

Fae really wanted her usual post-moon morning nap, but forced herself to stay awake and let coffee fuel her a little while longer so she could talk to Moody. In the living room, a large basket with a pink bow on it was waiting in her usual spot.

"It's for you, dear. From Peter and the boys," Euphemia said. Finding it strange, Fae swept up the basket and quickly read the card and then laughed.

Fae,

Congrats on gaining a-were-ness! Here's a little something for after the moon and for being such a good friend.

Peter

Beneath Peter's tidy scrawl, James and Sirius had scribbled their names as well and tried to write a note, but Peter had scratched it out, probably refusing to let them try and take credit for his gift. And it was an awesome gift, one that really only Peter would've had the sensitivity or thoughtfulness to make. There were tons of chocolate bars, all varieties from her favorite brand. A tin of coffee from Italy wrapped with a tin of Swiss hot cocoa. There were a few flat, squishy, heavy pillows with a note that informed her they were heating pads with a simple activation incantation. There were a few jars of minty-smelling cream and a label that boasted the ability to dull scars. Even more treats. A few sticks of jerky and delicious smelling ham settled with some cheese and sourdough bread, her favorite. The most exciting thing was a bottle of massage oil that was hazelnut, vanilla bean, and almond scented. It smelled so good and she immediately poured some out to work into her tender calves.

"He got me a post-moon gift basket," Fae laughed. No one was more surprised than she was, how much she actually liked Peter. He was similar to James in that when it came to the people he cared about, he was extremely attentive and considerate. Unlike James, he observed and listened and put all the little facts he learned to good use. He remembered and thought of everything apparently. He was quiet and shy and had absolutely no backbone, and that sensitivity probably made it hard for him to relate to boys his age. But he was so incredibly insightful and intuitive about people. And unlike her brother and Sirius, he always wrote back promptly and enthusiastically.

"Now. Down to business," Fae said, addressing Moody.

"Hey," Peter said, walking into the infirmary the evening after the full moon. He was nearly staggering under the weight of all the books and papers he had in his arms, not to mention the basket full of goodies hanging from the crook of his elbow. Fae had been ecstatic about her gift basket and Peter planned for this one to have a similar effect on Remus.

Sure enough, the battered werewolf was too curious to immediately turn him away. "What's all this then?" he asked, setting aside his book.

"Post-moon essentials. You can thank me later," Peter said casually and cooly, channeling Fae's confident demeanor.

"And all the books?" Remus asked.

Peter simply shrugged. He'd have use for them later, but for now they were doing their job at keeping Remus interested.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, setting the basket on Remus' lap, settling the books on the ground beside him, and settling himself rather forcefully into the chair beside Remus' bed with a relieved exhalation. Carrying all of it had been a pain, nevermind getting out with it all and neither Sirius or James noticing.

"Like shite," Remus answered dryly. He wasn't as beat up as James described on the last moon, but his tall friend still looked rather shredded and exhausted.

"There's some cream in the basket that will probably help," Peter said, gesturing to the bandage on Remus' forearm.

The calm expression on the werewolf's face immediately turned sour. "Did Fae figure that out?"

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. "No, that one was Euphemia. It was a home remedy she used for James when he was young and then revamped a few months back for Fae's post-moon injuries," the shorter boy explained.

"Oh," Remus said, looking bashful as he picked the jar out of the basket and then peeked around excitedly at the chocolate. It was Fae's favorite brand, but Peter had a feeling Remus would love it too. As the tawny-haired boy began to eat, Peter started filling him in on the classwork and homework he'd missed that day.

Normally, after passing on homework and checking in, Peter and the other Marauders would take off to let him rest. Not this time. Peter's plan was going well so far and he continued onward as the conversation died. Remus started looking more closely into the basket and had settled his book back in his lap, clearly planning to continue reading as soon as his friend departed. Casual as you are, the blonde boy pulled out a letter from Fae and set to reading it, laughing as if he hadn't read it half a dozen times since he'd received it a few hours ago. To be fair, Fae was pretty funny.

"What are you reading?"

"A letter," he answered shortly, pretending to pay the curious boy no mind.

"From?"

Gotcha. "Who do you think?" Peter said with a playful smile.

There was a pause and then, "She writes you?"

"She writes all of us. Keeps us up to date on her progress," Peter explained. "She pulled it off, the stunt we gave her to prove to Moody that- Oh. Wait, you probably don't want to hear about this stuff. Sorry."

"No! No, it's. What sort of stunt?" Remus asked, averting his eyes and twisting his hands in the sheet.

Hook.

So Peter read the letter to Remus, making sure to explain every little detail about Fae taking their suggestion of carving up the walls the extra mile.

"Bruce Springsteen? Really?" Remus said with a funny lilt to his mouth. "I love that song."

Like Peter, Fae was quite proud and happy with the results overall, although the illustrations could use some work. Moody was certainly shocked.

"So what did Moody say? Is he… going to let her out?"

Moody was indeed going to let her out, on the condition that they set barriers in an area no bigger than two square miles and that two of his aurors would help set the barriers and guard the area with him through the night. Meaning two more people would know about her condition. Two strangers, albeit strangers that Moody trusted.

"Did she agree?" Remus asked, practically on the edge of his seat.

Peter did roll his eyes this time. "What do you think? Fae's a wild one. I'm surprised they were able to keep her in the attic that long at all, although she said the extension and atmospheric charms helped a lot."

"Atmospheric charms? Extension charms? What for?"

So Peter explained that too, about how she'd researched werewolves and regular wolves like mad and had tons of theories, but the idea that indulging in her heightened wolf-like senses was the one that did the trick.

"Research?"

"Yeah. She burned through at least a library or two. Said most of the books were hateful rubbish, but there were good facts if you could read between the lines. There were some decent books too, if you knew where to look. And Moody gave her access to incident reports as well, so she could get contemporary data on werewolf behavior and cross reference it for potential abilities."

"There are good books on werewolves?"

Line.

The rest of the letter was mostly about Peter. It made Peter happy that Fae, exciting, thrilling, wild Fae, was interested in his daily life. She loved hearing about Hogwarts and his classes. Hell, Fae even offered advice on catching the attention of the pretty girl in his potions class. Which, incidentally, had worked, so he had to remember to thank her for that when he wrote back.

"Why is she asking you so much about your homework?"

"She's homeschooled. Both James and Mrs. Potter swear she's brilliant despite having only begun to learn magic back in November. But, if you can't tell by now, she's a perfectionist, type-A, hardworking, competitive sort and has nothing to compare herself to. How do I say this… It's like she has no scale to measure her magical ability with."

The last bit of the letter was Fae telling Peter to take care of himself and to look after James, Sirius, and Remus. She missed them a lot and wished she was there with them. Keep James and Sirius from getting into too much trouble. And let Remus know that she was excited to meet the fourth Marauder one day, especially since he was supposedly the smart and sensible one.

"Does she… not know about me?" Remus asked in surprise.

Sinker.

"No, she doesn't," Peter said. "We would never out you, Moony."

In all of this, Peter had watched and had known pretty quickly that James had been going at this all wrong and Sirius had been far too aggressive about it. Remus was the smart one, sure, but he was also the bullheaded one. Because he knew he was smart, he didn't like people telling him when he was wrong or when they knew otherwise. No, the best way to get Remus to do something was to make him think it was his choice all along. Let him come to his own conclusions. Make him curious.

"We care about you too Moony. We want to help you, both of you. Don't forget that, okay?"

And with that, Peter smiled and left, purposefully leaving behind the letter and the books. The books which were helpful sources on lycanthropy and key to her research, Fae had said. There were a few more of her letters and a few pages of her notes too, just to really drive it home. The thing was, Fae had worked so hard. She worked so hard to make her lycanthropy safe and to learn magic so she'd be smart enough to go here. In Peter's opinion, Fae was certainly brilliant and strong-willed enough to achieve whatever she wanted, but it wasn't fair that she had to.

Remus discovered the books a little while later and tried to ignore them. Madam Pomfrey found him reading them by Lumos in the middle of the night.

Fae was going to kiss Sirius full on the lips the next time she saw him. No, really. And he'd have no clue why, but it'd be hilarious and so, so, so worth it. Although he slacked off in classes and played the role of the carefree punk, Sirius Black was crazy smart. Crazy, brilliantly, academically smart. They'd been writing about their favorite topic in common - music. Fae had complained of having to get batteries for her boombox all the time and Sirius had called her a silly girl. Just use 'Paulo Impulsa' he'd written next to a quick sketch of the wand movements. Practice it a few times and eventually it'd be nothing to recharge the batteries in a 'zip'. And then he'd drawn a winky face.

So Fae had practiced it on the batteries and then with heart in her mouth, she'd cast it on her phone. The screen lit up bright white with power and Fae had nearly cried. She danced around with it for days and sang and wrote the lyrics to every song she could. Never again could she go without her beloved music.

Fleamont looked at her strangely when she asked for his help in recording sound onto tapes. They'd done something similar with bird sounds back when she'd been training her hearing, but this was for music specifically, she'd had to explain. Still, he was able to set her up with a microphone and complex looking machine that took whatever she said and transferred it onto cassette tapes with a few pushes of the button. Add a couple silencing spells around the area and the microphone to ensure good audio quality, he'd said.

It worked like a charm. Fae blew almost all of her savings on blank cassette tapes and that night, she played Merry-Go-Round of Life for Fleamont and Euphemia while they all cooked dinner together. Her adoptive parents waltzed around the room happily and Fleamont spun her a few times as well. She played Flightless Bird, American Mouth and Unchained Melody and Skinny Love. Euphemia and Fleamont didn't ask who sang these songs or where they came from.

It was two of her most favorite pieces of her lives combined into a perfect moment. Summer was coming and the warmth made her feel so alive. James was coming home soon. Moody was going to let her transform in the woods. Fae felt blissfully happy and completely at peace for the first time in a long time.

"I'm sorry," Remus said.

"For?"

The tall boy frowned and looked at the ground as he addressed his three best friends. "For avoiding you guys. And acting like a git. And refusing to at least hear you out about your sister." Frankly, Remus felt pretty foolish about the whole thing. Maybe righteous in his anger at being used as a test subject without his consent, but silly for not taking their request seriously. After reading Fae's notes, letters, and recommended books, Remus was dying to know more. Hell, he just wanted to know if it was all true.

"Go on?"

"And I'm sorry for the things I said about your family. It was uncalled for," Remus added, flinching as he recalled it. That had been a pretty nasty fight and he felt guilty. Especially considering that of the two of them, Remus was obviously the more likely werewolf to attack someone.

However, there was only tense silence for unending minutes after his apology.

"Peter showed me some of Fae's notes and stuff. She really managed consciousness during her transformation?" he added, hoping to spark some sort of conversation.

"Yeah. What's it to you?" James asked sharply.

"It's…. Unbelievable."

Sirius scoffed. "Fae's just like that."

"Yeah, I'm starting to see," he said. Then took a very deep breath. He knew what they wanted and apparently, were not going to forgive him until he gave it to them. "You really think she'll be able to come here too? If I talk to Dumbledore?"

"Now you're talking," Sirius said with his signature devilish grin.

James was smiling too, and looking at Remus with his big, kind eyes. "But first, we have to get you ready for the full moon."

At this, Remus blinked. "Get ready? How do you mean?"

James threw down an entire week's schedule for Remus leading up to the full moon, filled with running, dieting, singing, stretching, you name it.

"It's not enough to talk to Dumbledore. We have to make a true believer out of you," he said, eyes glinting.

"And prove that Fae has a handle on lycanthropy, her's or otherwise," Peter added.

Remus swallowed thickly.

Diane Artemisia and Caradoc Dearborn were the two Aurors that Moody brought along with him for the full moon. At first, they had been quiet and astute, but Fae had quickly broken them down. She had been so excited and practically hugged them out of gratefulness.

The moon itself had been completely glorious. Fae had gained consciousness for a full 20 minutes and had sprinted. The barriers were kind of annoying, but so much more preferable to the walls of the attic. She'd chased and raced and sang. It was the most unbelievable, unforgettable 20 minutes of either of Fae's lives.

Ms. Artemisia had stayed behind with Moody when Fae woke up, sated and bone-tired and so alive and starving. She ate probably an entire plate of bacon in two minutes flat when they all settled around the breakfast table.

Although she'd been polite and reserved before, Ms. Artemisia was full of questions now, asking about how Fae had figured this out, what she planned to do with it, how long she'd been a werewolf, what insights she could tell her about werewolves, what was it like?

They talked for a while, until the tiredness hit and Fae nearly fell asleep. However, it wasn't before she heard Ms. Artemisia asking her parents about her abilities as a witch and how she handled the transformations at school. At that, Fae forced herself awake. Euphemia and Fleamont explained that Fae was homeschooled on account of her condition.

"But I'd love to go to school. My brother goes to Hogwarts! He's so cool and so smart. I want to be just like him and I love to learn," Fae said sweetly and dreamily, baiting the female Auror.

It was really hard, staying awake after that. Fae had left to 'go to her room' but stayed pressed against the door and listened carefully to the conversation being had. As she figured, Euphemia was extremely concerned about Fae being around other students during full moons, control and awareness or not. All it took was one mistake and her baby could hurt someone and be imprisoned or killed. Fae smiled fondly at that. Fleamont added that Fae was smart, but lonely and he worried that she was missing out on social skills and a real childhood all cooped up out here. Which was completely true. Fae loved her comfort zone and her rituals and routines, but she was stifled. Now that she felt secure in her magic and her lycanthropy, she wanted to experience the rest of the world.

"You know, I'm going to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor next year. I'll speak with Dumbledore. There's got to be something we can do, even if it's just flooing her home every full moon," Ms. Artemisia said.

"She could benefit a lot from proper instruction. Fae could be a powerful duelist one day," Moody added. And Fae knew he actually meant 'ally' or 'asset' rather than 'duelist' but that was just fine with her.

Jackpot. It looked like Fae might get to Hogwarts sooner than she thought.

Remus wanted to turn tail and run as fast as he could. Unfortunately, with his sore legs, he probably wouldn't get very far. Term was ending, exams were over, the full moon had passed extremely well, and it was now or never.

"Come on, lets's go," Sirius urged, yanking on Remus' sleeve. James was right there with him, both boys leading the way to Dumbledore's office. They'd just seen McGonagall and she'd granted them a visit with the headmaster himself. Remus was almost shaking, he was so nervous. And this was the easy part too! Dumbledore already knew about him. He didn't even want to think about telling Mr. and Mrs. Potter and kind of hoped Dumbledore and James would take care of that for him.

They gave the password to the gargoyle statue and unexpectedly heard voices as they ascended into Dumbledore's office. There were two people speaking with him - a tall woman with brown hair in a ponytail and a man with scraggly blond hair and an eyepatch sort of thing, both in Auror cloaks.

"Moody! What are you doing here?" James asked, shamelessly interrupting and sauntering into the room.

"We're here to see Dumbledore about your sister's- er- condition," the man said, voice gravelly and short.

"It's okay, my friends know," James said. "That's funny. We're here for that too. Fae got awareness so it should be okay if she comes here, right?" the teen said excitedly, looking over to the grey-haired professor.

"I have known about Fae Potter nearly since the day she was found. Provided she passes the necessary tests, we are prepared to house her, even during transformations, and I see no reason why she can't attend Hogwarts," the headmaster said with a smile.

Which was news to everyone, but then again, this was Dumbledore. Sirius and James high-fived and cheered.

The female Auror grinned and clapped her hands together. "Well that solves it then. She'll start next fall!"

And Remus nearly collapsed in relief. That was it? He didn't even have to say anything?

Then Moody spoke up again. "Not so fast. You know how the Potters' are, especially Euphemia. Fae is an extraordinary case, yes, but Euphemia will need convincing," he said.

There was silence and then before he realized what he was doing, Remus spoke up. "I'll do it."

The inhabitants of the room simultaneously turned to look at him and he froze, starting to stammer as he continued. "I'll talk to Mrs. Potter. I've been here for four years now and never hurt anybody or caused any trouble."

The female Auror frowned at him and came over for a closer look. "Sorry, but who are you? And how could you convince them?"

He flinched away from her stare at first, but then squared his shoulders and met her gaze head on. "I'm Remus Lupin. And I'm a werewolf. I've been a werewolf since I was five and Dumbledore helped me to come to Hogwarts despite my transformations. I spend them in the Shrieking Shack, you see."

"Brilliant!" she said, looking thrilled.

Dumbledore fixed him with a kind and seeking look. "You'll have to tell the Potters' about your condition, my boy. And then be prepared to share the Shrieking Shack with another werewolf. Can you do that?"

"Yes. I can," Remus answered.

Suddenly, he was staggering under the weight of Sirius, Peter, and James jumping on him and hugging him. "Remus, you are the best friend a mate could ask for! Thank you so much!" James shrieked, kissing him on the cheek.

Remus grinned shakily. He'd had no idea what came over him and he was kind of proud of himself for doing all that. But it was easier said than done and he was still nervous as hell.

A/N: So what songs are you guys scratching on walls, in the event that you are a werewolf? I'd probably go for Riot by 3 Days Grace. Or, alternatively, what song are you waltzing in the kitchen to? And yes, dancing with pets counts.

For real tho - I hated Peter Pettigrew for what he did, but once I started getting into the lore and the nitty gritty details, I realized I'm kinda similar to him. I grew up with friends that always seemed to outshine me, which wasn't hard to do since I was a quiet, awkward, wallflower type. I loved them, still do, but it's hard feeling overshadowed by that sometimes.

I mean, I'd rather run a mile on legos than let any of them get hurt. But, as an adult, ish, I too have made dumb decisions.

For instance, I'm in so much debt (#collegemademebrokerthanbroke) and I decided to spend a few hundred at Spirit Halloween this week. Not quite on par with Peter selling out his buddies to Voldemort, but come on. How many 20-somethings do you know that make consistently good decisions?

Anyways, shout out to all the wallflowers with crazy energetic friends. Also, shout out to anybody #brokerthanbroke, especially if it's because Spirit Halloween got you.