The first full week went on successfully — I finished my friend's essays, hung out with my friends, and swore to them that I'd never do their essays for them again. Then, one day in the third week there was a notice on the Gryffindor common room notice board for the first-years saying we would have our first flying lesson with Slytherin on the following Thursday — the 16th of September.

James let out an excited scream when he saw the notice, and shouted, "FLYING! QUIDDITCH!"

"First years don't join the Quidditch team," an older student told him. "Everyone learns how to fly on their brooms this year, then next year you can try out for the team."

"I already know how to fly on a broom," James said to Sirius, ignoring the older student. "My family is a long line of Quidditch players. You want to play Quidditch?"

"Next year," said the same older student, teeth gritted.

"Who do you think I am, some baby? Of course I do," said Sirius, grinning.

"What about you two?" James asked Peter and I.

"Oh… I don't do sport," said Peter, shaking his head frantically.

"I'm not really interested," I said. "It will get in the way of school work, all the training…"

"Quidditch is much more important than school work!" James said, looking offended.

"Like I said, you'll learn the basics this year, and next year—"

"I can't wait for the Quidditch lessons!" James cheered, and, arm linked with Sirius's, the two of them skipped around the common room, shouting the word, 'QUIDDITCH!'.

"Idiots," I muttered to Peter, who laughed.

The two of them didn't stop their idiotic behaviour all day, and they parading around the dormitory all night, as well.

"Shut up… honestly…" Peter grumbled.

"NEVER!" Sirius cried out.

"NOT UNTIL QUIDDITCH!" James added.

"You can't play Quidditch until next year," I told them. "It's just a flying lesson. Plus, if you sleep now, flying lesson and Quidditch will come quicker."

Sirius gasped. "James, I just thought, what if we sleep now so flying lesson and Quidditch come quicker?"

"Yes! Honestly, such a good idea, Sirius," James responded, and the two of them rushed into their beds and made the most fake snoring noises I'd ever heard.

"Wait, didn't Remus come up with that idea?" Peter asked, obviously not catching onto the joke. I laughed to myself and shut my eyes.

As soon as I'd slipped into rest, my dreams came rushing to me uninvited. I'd barely dreamed at all since coming to Hogwarts, as my mind had been so full of excitement about friends schoolwork, that if I'd dreamed at all, I'd completely forgotten about it.

The dream started with me looking out the window of the dormitory, looking out at the almost full moon. I seemed to be at peace for hours, until someone spoke behind me.

"Don't you want to join us, Lupin?" the voice said menacingly. "Don't you want to unleash the beast within you? Stop acting like a little boy and start acting what you really are… you know who you really are."

"And who are you?" I asked, turning around.

"Fenrir Greyback… you know me…" at this, I turned around to see a man with long dark hair and greyish blue eyes. He had a twisted smile.

"I-I've seen you," I stuttered. "Y-you… you're a bad werewolf."

"So are you," said Greyback, smiling wider.

"No," I said, shaking my head firmly. "I'm a good werewolf."

Greyback laughed. His laugh was low, and it sent a shiver down my spine. "A werewolf can't be good, you foolish boy."

"Y-yes… yes, a werewolf can be good," I stammered.

"Don't be stupid!" Greyback shouted. He had claws on his hand, even though he was in his human form, which he lifted to rip my shirt off.

"Wait-"

"LOOK AT THIS!" he bellowed, pointing to the bite scars on either side of my stomach. "THIS IS WHERE I HAVE CHANGED YOU INTO WHAT YOU TRULY ARE — A MONSTER!"

"No…" I started, but before I could finish, he scratched my chest with his sharp claws. "Argh!" I fell to the floor. This shouldn't be hurting this much for a dream…

"Remus?"

I awoke on my bed, sweating. Peter, James, and Sirius were all looking over me.

"Remus, you've been screaming in your sleep," Sirius said.

I tried to even out my breathing, and subtly looked down to my chest. My shirt was still on, and no one had scratched me. But then… that feeling in my throat, and eyes… and, before I knew it, I was crying in front of my friends… shit.

"Remus! Don't cry… it… it was just a dream!" Peter said frantically. "Uh… get tissues?"

James nodded, and rushed to the cabinet in the corner of the dorm with some tissues, and came back to my bed with them in his hands.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sirius asked gently.

"Um… no, no it's OK," I said, even though I'd love more than anything to talk to someone about it. But I couldn't, of course.

"OK, well, try and get some sleep, OK?" Sirius said. He squeezed my hand, and I felt a shiver go through my body.

"Good afternoon, students!"

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch."

Flying class had finally come around, and James and Sirius were barely able to stand still with their excitement. Lily and Severus both looked nervous, but excited, Peter looked absolutely terrified, and Kate and Milly weren't even paying attention, they were more focused on doing braids in Kate's long, flaming red hair.

The majority of the Slytherins looked prepared for the class, and I was actually quite bored. Sure, it would be cool to fly, but since I had no intention to use these skills, I didn't see any point in being in this class.

Monifa, on the other hand, had rolled up her sleeves and was stretching. She'd talked to me about how she was looking forward to flying class, and was hoping to try out for the Slytherin team next year. She didn't have the same energy as James and Sirius, but she did seem very determined in her own way.

"Alright, everyone, stand beside a broom!" said Madam Hooch, marching between the two lines of brooms and students. "Put your right hand over it and say, UP!"

"UP!" the entire class shouted. Most people's brooms, mine included, didn't budge, but James's and Monifa's brooms shot straight up into their hands.

"What!?" Sirius cried out. "UP!" Sirius's broom came shooting up to his hand, then he high-fived James.

After a few attempts, my broom was rolling around on the floor, but not coming up like I wanted it to.

Ugh, I thought. Why can't we just pick the damn brooms up like normal people?

After a while, we'd all summoned our brooms and were mounting them.

"When I blow my whistle, I want you to kick off the ground, fly around a bit, then, yeah… well, hurry up!" Madam Hooch told us. "Oh, and go back to the damn ground, there's always one… just, ugh, just go to the ground afterwards, OK? OK! One, two, three!"

She drew the whistle to her mouth, and blew. Just like that, James was off, soaring above the class, and doing flips. Sirius was trying to keep up, but he obviously wasn't as experienced as James.

Peter had flown up for a second, and was down the next. Like most people, I just hovered a bit, did a circle, then went back down.

Monifa was also very talented on the broom — she flew around the tree, and looked super happy. It was great to see three of my friends so happy, and I couldn't help smiling, and it was almost a shame when Madam Hooch told them to come back down.

"Wow," James said. "That was great. I haven't flown on a broom since… since the day before we left for Hogwarts!"

"Awesome," I smiled. "I'm so happy for you! You were amazing! And Sirius, Monifa… you were both so amazing, too! I wish I could fly on a broom like that."

"I can — I mean we can teach you," Sirius offered.

I laughed and said, "It's fine."

But I secretly wanted to be on a broom with Sirius more than anything.