Professor Odiosis stood up behind the teachers desk, his raggedy brown hair like some strange birds nest. Like usual, most students were not paying attention, preferring to draw in their books instead. Jill was, too, or rather, pretending to. Her stomach roiled in shame, and her hand skittered over her parchment. While she and other had often joked that they would like to rip their ears off after listening to another hour of Professor Odiosis droning on, this time, Jill meant it. The topic – as luck would have it – was werewolves. Jill knew about the stigma and prejudice she would have to face for the rest of her life – Halloween was a prime example. It had never really struck her though, that the majority of wizards would see her as little more than a beast, a danger to peaceful society. Unintelligent. An animal. The realisation stung.

Jill lifted her quill from the parchment, twirling it around in her fingers. She was notorious for it, and within a few seconds the quill was little more than a feathery blur.

"Werewolves would kill their best friend, for they have no morals while in werewolf form." Professor Odiosis said calmly. Jill didn't feel calm at all. "They are dangerous to humans, and will attempt to bite and kill if the option is present. If there is no human to attack, the werewolf will bite and scratch itself, which is why so many werewolves have deep scars."

Jill tried not to touch the long, thin scar on her cheek. Her eyes grew darker and darker and the quill flew faster and faster.

"Many werewolves will prematurely age. After a full moon, their eyes stay smaller and yellowish, and their teeth slightly pointed. This continues for two or three days. It is very painful to transform-" Jill winced "-into a werewolf, as the bones must break and reform into those of a wolf. Fur sprouts, the eyes change and the fingers lengthen into claws."

"While this is very stressful on a werewolf, it is often worse to transform back. Often the werewolf will lose consciousness when turning back into a human."

The quill span round and round.

"There are several ways to distinguish a werewolf from a true wolf. The tail is tufted, the snout is shorter, the pupils of the eyes are smaller, the hunger for human blood-"

"And there's no wolves in Britain!" Someone at the back of the classroom shouted, to a few amused chuckles. Professor Odiosis blinked with as much enthusiasm as a toad. He turned to the chalkboard at the front of the classroom.

"A werewolf in werewolf form can be killed by a few different methods. Despite the tales told by muggles of werewolves being killed with silver this has been found to be false. Most killing spells will work with werewolves-"

The quill made one final rotation before flicking out of Jill's fingers with the speed of a flying bullet, landing some several metres away. Everyone stopped what they were doing, lifting their heads from their drawing. Jill scuttled off to retrieve her quill. Her classmates' eyes were following her with mild curiosity and incredulity, and Jill could only imagine how they would stare at her if they knew she was a-

Jill didn't like people staring at her.

The quill didn't turn once more during the lesson.

Not even when homework was assigned.

Jill stared down the row of shelves and books. She should have known she would get homework. The class had been told to write an essay on how to kill a werewolf. Be brave. She told herself. Lupin has been living with Lycanthropy for nine years. You only need to read a chapter or so. No big deal. But as she trailed her fingers over the thick spines, she found her confidence dwindling. You coward! She told herself angrily, and grabbed a book out at random. Lycanthropy, The Facts, it read. Jill sat down on the floor, not bothering to find a desk. Flipping to the contents page, she found the chapter she needed immediately, and proceeded to read.

There are several ways to eradicate a werewolf in werewolf form…

Within a few minutes, Jill was shaking in fury, and it took all her effort not to take it out on her quill. She jotted down notes and skim read most things. She only needed a few more dot points and was turning the last page in the chapter when-

Studies have shown that Lycanthropes have a higher risk of death compared to most creatures. The studies show that at least 30% of werewolves die on a full moon. This is often due to hunters, blood loss or sheer exhaustion. Instead of returning to human form-

Jill snapped the book shut – her heart was pounding. She was shaking this time, not from anger but from something else. It took her a little while to realise it was fear. No. She couldn't be- she wasn't-

But she was. Jill was scared.

"Are you all right?"

Jill's head snapped up, and made out the light brown hair of Remus Lupin. Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you following me?" Jill's voice broke, and she stuck her head in between her knees.

He snorted and sat down next to her.

Jill got the feeling she was having déjà-vu.

"Hardly. I enjoy being at the Library. I find it a wealth of knowledge."

"I swear you're following me."

Sheer exhaustion. She thought back to the last full moon. Lupin had been fine, but she had been in the Hospital Wing for four days. The time before, three. Her first transformation had barely tired her. Was she getting worse? Sheer Exhaustion. It was only a matter of time until-

"You're not – scared, are you?" Lupin sounded confused.

"No." Jill snapped back, even though she was. She waited a few more seconds, forcing herself to calm down again.

"Do you know how many werewolves die of sheer exhaustion on a full moon?" She asked. Jill lifted her head and saw Lupin wince. Jill didn't wait for an answer, and plunged on. "It's a lot, Lupin. It's a lot. And the werewolves who this happens to, they don't return to human form. They stay a werewolf." She shuddered. "I think I'm getting weaker."

Lupin opened his mouth, but she shook her head.

"Remember last full moon? Remember how long I was in the hospital wing?"

"Four." He said.

"Yeah, and that's normal." Jill snorted.

Lupin looked at her, the worry evident.

"When I was little, I was constantly tired." He said, blinking. Jill didn't see it, as she was staring sadly at the library book. "It gets worse before it gets better, as they say. It's fine, It'll pass."

Part of Jill knew that Lupin wasn't telling the truth, but part of her wanted to believe it all the same.

"Sorry." Jill said, grimacing and standing up. She gestured to the discarded library book. "Homework, huh?" Picking it up, Jill placed it back in its spot. For the essay, she'd make up the answers for the last couple of questions; she knew she would never ever come back down this isle. Lupin got up, too, and walked off.

Jill hoped he was right. The next full moon was only a week away.

A/N: I probably should've set the last scene in another place, due to a previous scene already being set in the Hogwarts library, but I couldn't be bothered changing my pre-written document. So there, fellow library lovers, your wish has been granted. TWO scenes set in the library now.

WAIT NO IT'S THREE!

I think I'm addicted to magical libraries.