Hi everyone! I want to start this chapter off with a HUGE apology for being so inactive for so long. I was going through a bad time, but that's all over now and I hope I can update more frequently for you guys! I felt a sudden urge to write and this chapter appeared on my screen in no time – and I posted it so quick it's not even gone by my awesome beta, Raven That Flies At Night!

On a more positive note, I was overjoyed to return and find this has over 1500 reads now, I mean wow; thank you all so much for sticking with me. And now on to the chapter! Favourite, follow and review please!

Love Daughter of Orion xoxo

The following few days passed uneventfully. Parchments were scribbled on, lessons were learned, and (for me, at least) life was blissfully simplistic. However, I knew from my knowledge of the skies, as well as Remus' obvious agitation, that the full moon was not far away. Each night, it rounded out more and more, like a striking white ball being inflated breath by breath, night by night, and my anxiety grew with it.

On the morning of the full moon I wandered into the Great Hall for breakfast, only to be ushered to the side by Potter, Pettigrew and Black. They dragged me behind a suit of armour and began to talk in hushed voices.

"It's the full moon tonight." Pettigrew began.

"No shit, Sherlock, thanks for the reminder." I rolled my eyes playfully, a smirk pulling at my mouth as though a piece of string was tied to either end. Peter scowled, and Potter took over for his less intelligent friend.

"We meet in Gryffindor Common Room at last light of day. The Fat Lady's password is 'Nimblesticks'." We locked eyes for a moment, brown on brown, until Sirius coughed gently.

"That is, assuming you're planning on doing whatever it was you did last time?" He murmured, a look of urgency darkening his grey orbs, flecking them with black. I nodded.

"Of course, I'll help. I'll be there. I just need an excuse to shut Meadow up." I pondered for a moment, before Pettigrew's eyes lit up and he toddled off into the hall, bringing bookish Gryffindor Leda Alsort over. I'd worked on a few school projects with Leda, she was kind and always saw good in people. Perhaps that's why she seemed to be so close with Peter.

"Leda," Pettigrew began, "If anyone asks, Star's sleeping in the Prefect dorm with you tonight to work on a project, but really, she's working on something with us. A prank – a really good one!" I was surprised at how believable Peter could be when he put his mind to it; maybe his idiocy is more of an act?

Leda raised a mousy blonde eyebrow above the thin frame of her glasses, before a smile settled over her round, freckled face.

"OK," she began, "as long as you promise you won't lose us too many house points. The year's barely begun and already Slytherin and Ravenclaw and bounding ahead, the swines. No offense, Star." She glanced at me.

"None taken." I assured her, chuckling, before she returned to her bench at the Gryffindor table.

"Wow, Pete, that was actually pretty impressive! You sure there's not stuff you lie to us about, eh?" Sirius laughed, elbowing Peter in the ribs. He turned a shade of deep scarlet, and Black, Potter and I exchanged knowing glances. Leda and Peter would make a cute couple: both small, quiet, and where Leda's quick wit would make up for Peter's slowness, his impeccable comedic timing and sense of humour would complement her wallflower-y dullness. Together, they'd make a perfect pair. In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but wonder if Remus and I could be that compatible.

I skipped dinner that evening, deciding instead to nibble on some dry bread whilst looking out the window, watching as the sun set. I always found it pleasing how Ravenclaw Tower was facing westward, allowing me to spend my evenings marvelling and the most beautiful sunsets. Golds poured into reds and pinks and exploded across the sky in a million shades, filling my vision with gentle fireworks of light, before the dark crept through and took its sinister hold of the sky.

"It's time." I whispered to myself, grabbing my floppy wool jumper off the floor: really it was my Dad's, but it's not like he has use for warm clothes in Australia, and I don't know his address to send it to him. I scampered across the corridors to the portrait of the Fat Lady. She peered at me closely, before sneering.

"That jumper is awfully ugly, my child. Before you enter, you may want to consider changing." I rolled my eyes at her vanity and posh accent, before grumbling "Nimblesticks." The portrait sighed and opened.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but after stepping into Gryffindor common room, I was taken aback. Crimson and gold velvet were weaved into throws slung over soft, leather sofas; large flags and tapestries were draped proudly over brick walls and a dusty record player lay enchanted in the corner, filling the air with a muggle song I recognised but couldn't name. A fire roared in the mantle keeping the room cosy and warm – selfishly, I almost wished I could stay here for real tonight.

"You came!" beamed Potter, bounding towards me. The common room was empty, as everyone else was at dinner.

"I did, but we don't have much time. We should probably go. Where's Remus and the others?" I looked around but couldn't see them anywhere.

"They went a different way: we're less likely to be followed if we go separately. We'll take the statue route." Potter responded matter-of-factly, but I was intrigued. There were other ways in? Were there more secret tunnels leading to other parts of the castle? How did the Marauders find them? I shook the questions out of my head, we had more important things going on than the geography of the castle.

"Let's go." I said, and James led the way through the halls and tunnel and down into the Shrieking Shack. A draft of freezing air hit us as we walked in, and the place was even danker and darker than I remembered. Remus was pacing up and down the small room. Shirtless. Hands raised to his face, muttering to himself, I saw how the muscles on his back ripples like a Mexican wave of flesh; harsh red lines carved into him like prehistoric cave markings, each one telling its own story. I gulped.

"Remus," I began gently. His head shot to me, only now realising my presence, and he suddenly looked smaller, self-conscious and scared. "It's time." He nodded, and walked towards me, kneeling until his claves rested on the dusty stone floor. I sat facing him and took his face in my hands, praying that this would work, and that last time wasn't just a fluke.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted his chin and looked into his eyes. My mind filled with images of trees and forests, lakes and stars, cliffsides and beaches and I channelled them into him with all my might. I knew this was different than with Arlo, more powerful, when my fingertips tingled with magic. I could hear my voice, whispering, but it sounded a million miles away like a ghost's. My vision faded and phosphenes glimmered in all corners of my sight; all I could see were two green eyes full of goodness and hurt burning into me with such incredible intensity and power. Inside of me, it was like all internal and external conflict had been swiftly eradicated and replaced with an indescribable tranquillity that made me want to smile and cry at the same time. I was overwhelmingly happy, and then I felt it.

The pain.

Oh God, the pain.

It was as though every atom in my body was being drowned in napalm, as though every fibre of me being was being licked by flames. My vision blurred, darkness claiming all corners of my sight, threatening to whisk me off into the bliss of unconsciousness, but each time, a new wave of paralysing agony swept over me, bringing those gorgeous green orbs back into focus. It was like my body was no longer part of me, or perhaps I was no longer a part of myself. All I was, all I needed to be, was able to look into those eyes. They saw me and they saw us and they saw all the torturous pain and they held me like a prisoner locked onto that strong gaze and I couldn't look any longer and I couldn't look away and the pain and those eyes and the pain and the…

I heard growling when I woke, and felt a protective anger burning inside of me. I sat, and saw Remus stood over me, warning the others away. Blood was pouring into my left eye and I couldn't see out of it. I touched it gingerly and a knife stabbed me through the face. I whipped my hand away and cried out in pain. Remus whipped his head round in a snarl, but immediately relaxed his features when he saw me. His tensed muscles drooped; he collapsed into the floor next to me, his head resting in my lap, my tears and blood dripping into his tawny fur.

After a while, the pain subsided, and we awaited the sunrise with anticipation. When it finally came, I watched and felt as Remus' bones cracked back into place, but the pain was nothing on the prior evening's. He looked up at me and a look of pure horror crossed his face.

"Oh god. What have I done? Your eye, I… I…. What did I do?" Urgency bled through his eyes and he tried to sit up and find his wand. Sirius came up to me and grabbed my chin, muttering some foreign charm under his breath whilst pointing his wand at my face. James cleared his throat.

"Moony, calm down. Moony, mate, it's fine – Remus!" He shouted suddenly, making me jump and flinch as anguish tore through my face again. "She did it to herself, it wasn't you. Just breathe, all right?"

I was confused. I'd done this to myself? James saw the confusion in my eyes and said, "You were in like a trance or something, muttering to yourself, but then you started shouting about eyes and green and wanting to look away. You grabbed that piece of glass," he pointed to a shard of broken mirror on the floor, "and tried to cut your eye out. Peter and Sirius held you back whilst I stopped Remus from going awol, but you'd already sliced from your eyebrow to your chin."

Sirius leaned back as James finished. "All done." He said. "Pretty nasty scar, but there's not much we can do about that, I'm afraid." Gingerly, I traced where I could feel the strip of scar tissue bulging out of my face. I crept over to the mirror on the floor in the corner and looked. From just above my left eyebrow, running over my nose and down my right cheek, stopping at my jawline, was a red gash, shiny and raw. I gasped quietly, determined not to cry in front of the boys, and stepped back, unsuccessfully attempting to blink away tears.

"Hey, it's not so bad." James said comfortingly, putting his hand on my shoulder. Peter hugged me, gently like a brother, letting me rest my forehead on his shoulder.

"Yeah, it makes you look like a warrior princess – that's cool!" he added. Sirius smiled and nodded. Only Remus seemed to agree with me, looking at the scar unblinking, his eyes full of sadness and shock. I walked towards him.

"You did that to yourself, for me. You ruined yourself, for me. I'm so, so sorry, Star." He turned, looking up to the ceiling, obviously being more successful than I was in the not crying department.

"It's not your fault, Remus. Hey, so what if I'm a bit uglier now. What do I care? It'll keep the creeps away, that's for sure, eh?" I smiled half-heartedly. His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked back at me.

"Don't say that." He said gruffly. "You're not ugly, ever. You're the most incredible person I've ever met, you'll always be beautiful to me."

And with that, he cupped my chin in his calloused hands and kissed me.

yay finally going somewhere with the remus/star pairing! And this is the longest chapter I've ever written to make up for being so inactive! Hope you enjoyed, please review x see you soon for chapter 10 :)