Sorry took a while. Thank you everyone for all your reviews and all the story Alerts and Favourites! Completely made my day when I saw the amount who added this story!

This story is unBetad at the moment (again) so sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes!

Anyone else go to Brighton Pride? Wasn't it great!

To Stare

Albus

Albus Dumbledore sat reading a thick book; something that seemed very intellectual but was actually just a very old copy of some Greek poetry which he found helped to sooth his ever working mind. When there came a soft knock on his door he raised his head and called out to his visitor to come in. The door opened and in walked in the dishevelled and uneasy student named Remus Lupin. For a moment the headmaster was concerned but he soon realised the boy's visit was more of a personal nature from his face.

Remus' looked around nervously and his hands were twitching at his sides. He licked his lips.

"Ah, Mr. Lupin what can I do for you?" Albus asked benignly as he observed the boy over his half moon glasses.

The young werewolf gulped and twisted his wrists.

"Well sir... I was wondering if you could tell me – if you know – I mean I hate to interrupt" he stuttered and the headmaster waited patiently "I was wondering if you could tell me what the mirror of Erised is."

The headmaster raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. This hadn't been quite what he been expecting. It would not have been so surprising had the boy been one of those that he'd known to have visited the elusive mirror from his carefully placed wards. As it was however, the mirror hadn't been visited for months and that had been by Mr. Jason Jarde, a third year Hufflepuff, not unless you counted the odd magical distraction before Christmas. So this visit begged to ask how he knew of it.

"Why, I do believe it is a mirror that may be found in the west part of the fourth floor, there to be found by unlikely wanderers"

Remus Lupin chewed his lip and looked at the floor. After a few seconds the headmaster decided to take pity of the young Werewolf.

"I feel that that does not quite still your curiosity but I am afraid I could not tell you the precise nature of the mirror unless you had seen it yourself. That is the way of the mirror" Albus said seeing the disquiet in the boy.

He nodded glumly and seemed to be deep in thought.

"Lara- Larissa Grey I mean, told me to find out" he said uncomfortably and the headmaster chuckled.

"Ah, a lovers dispute no doubt. She certainly has some fire, that one" he said with mirth his mind cataloguing the fact the she knew of the mirror and her brother undoubtedly did too.

"You don't know the half of it" Remus said with an exasperated sigh and then blushed, obviously realising he was discussing his love life with his headmaster, no doubt a very unusual feeling for the young man.

"I- um – sorry for interrupting you sir, I'll go now" Remus stuttered.

"Not at all, my boy, not at all" Dumbledore said with a sigh.

It was one of the follies of the youth to believe that the aged did not mind discussing things such as this. Of course there was also the explicable respect that Mr. Lupin had for the aged headmaster after allowing him to enter the school, he probably did not want to distract him. He didn't think explaining the material of the book would help either. Ah well, that's how it is.

"And Mr. Lupin," he called out "you should know 'the hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn', just think about that. Try and think for yourself now and then, it is not the biggest sin to be selfish now and then" Albus looked over his glasses with a sparkle in his eyes and the young man blinked and flushed before leaving the room.

So, Lara Grey had seen into the Mirror of Erised…

It was time to restudy that odd disturbance of magic in his wards again. The headmaster had a feeling he'd find something rather unusually this time around.

Unusual seemed to be a rightful title for the twins.

Remus

"When I look in that mirror I see you, you and me. When you know what that mirror is, then come and find me"

It had taken me an hour to find the room that Dumbledore had told me about. But I'd found it aright. I could see the inscription and it didn't take very long to realise it was just reverted and thus find out the mirror's use. That moment of shock hadn't lasted very long, as I'd stepped into its view.

Now I didn't know if I'd be able to move.

It was…

It was there, it was…

I didn't know what to think or how to react, I didn't know…

There was me. I was standing straight up like I'd never seen myself do. My back was proud and my eyes didn't hide secrets. I was wearing simple robes that were clean, fresh and without the shabbiness of too many raparo's . My shoes were firm and polished. What confused me was the fact that I still had all of my scars, every single line and imperfection still covered my skin. What did that mean?

There was a ring on my finger, a simple gold band like I had seen on my father's finger. It was on my left hand, my third finger.

I smiled at myself, the mirror that is smiled at me and it was… a safe smile, comforted, unafraid. I saw my own eyes upturn and I saw in them no fear, a glimpse of endless opportunities. I saw many things in my own eyes. I saw a house, with a washing line in the garden, hung with white linen, dresses, shirts and robes. In the window of the house I saw a room of warm polished wood floors and photos hanging on the walls. I saw a white couch and a coffee table. It was a simple room but it looked lived in, with shoes and coats slung over chairs. On the window sill there was a vase of flowers, fresh and alive. I could hear the sound of a singing voice, light and carefree, the sort of song that one absently sings in the comfort of their own home. I couldn't understand the words; they weren't in English that was for sure. I was certain I had heard that song before...

I came out and I was standing in a storeroom in front of a tall mirror.

The reflection smiled knowingly at me.

Lily

"- so if you add newt eyes the potion will become too acid and will react with the Belladonna seeds too early but you need the eyes to add the thickening charms. What that means is that you have to add something of equal Alkali, usually we'd use the Pilkaly but that reacts with- are you listening?" I asked sharply as the boy stared out of the nearby window.

He jumped.

"Sorry Lily, I'm just thinking about Remus" James said and his hazel eyes became worried.

I sighed and tapped my quill on the table.

"Did he not come back last night?" I asked quietly so that Lara and Alex didn't hear, though they probably already knew.

Remus had supposedly stayed out all night after he'd come asking about the mirror and now, four o'clock the next day still hadn't been seen apart from a few reports of him in the grounds and random corridors.

James shook his head and bit his lip.

"He's just been walking around all day, or sitting near the forest. He ate in the kitchens and I wanted to go find him but Sirius said I should leave him... I haven't seen him since he came in asking about the mirror of Elissed or whatever"

"Erised" I corrected "I've tried to ask Lara what it is but she hasn't said, just been sitting there all depressed… I'm thinking it's time for drastic actions"

"Like with?" He asked curiously and I smirked.

"Now that would be telling"

He laughed but quickly subdued and looked off to where Lara sat with her brother, looking out of the window. As we watched Alex threw her a weird blue flask about an inch long. She didn't even look up as her hand shot up to grab it in midair.

I frowned.

"That was a calming potion… their PCE must be playing up…" I muttered and my hand clenched on my parchment.

A warm hand covered mine to stop me wrinkling up my essay and I looked up to see James looking at me. I blushed and pulled my hand away before ducking my head. It was in those odd moments when our eyes met that I saw the things I had been avoiding. That wasn't James Potter the bigheaded pranker with the Marauder smirk pasted on his face. That was… James, just James.

"So, yes. Pilkaly… it react with the, um, lavender roots so you have to use…"

I looked up briefly as I continued to explain the potion of restlessness and James was looking at me with a small little smile and a shine in his eyes that no matter how much I tried to ignore stayed in my vision even as I turned away.

Lara

I stared back at myself. Wet silver hair clung down my back and over my shoulders, the ends already drying even without the help of my wand. In the centre of my chest the sapphire pendant Remus had given me gleamed. My eyes travelled again over the scar over my face, chest and stomach. It had started to scar over, though it was still faintly pink. It was a deep winding chasm that stretched over me, not just a healed over line but a crack.

I sat on the floor in front of the full length mirror in the prefect's bathroom that Lily and Alice had brought me to out of pity. The two girls in question were swimming behind me with Eliza Attia, the dreamy blond Ravenclaw I met on our first train journey and another Slytherin girl called Chloe Jay, a pretty girl with long black hair and the brightest blue eyes. I had seen her around school a little bit but the difference in our house didn't bring us together much. I had discovered that the girl prefects had an unspoken rule to be friends inside the confines of the bathroom, regardless of house. The Slytherin girl had patted my back in sympathy and readily agreed to help when Lily told her I needed 'girl time'...

They were chatting and laughing quite happily but I could hardly hear them.

I knew they were trying to distract me from the fact Remus was still wondering around the school aimlessly. I'd felt him the moment he'd snuck into the common room last night, though I had decided to leave him to himself. He needed to think the over.

I wondered if Remus was looking in the mirror now or if he'd seen it already, I wonder what he would see. Would he see himself, unflawed and no longer a Werewolf? Would he see acceptance for his kind? I hoped in my heart of hearts that I played a role like he had in my reflection. He had more desperate problems of course though and if he were not a Werewolf then I would not be sitting here thinking of his incomplete sentence.

I had heard it in his mind before he'd even started the explanation. I hadn't lied; I didn't have to hear it to know that that was what he planned but it still hit harder hearing it in truth.

It hurt so much, even knowing the reasons. It seemed to grasp something fragile in my chest, something that didn't want to be touched. It shook me that he would try to give us a shot. Did he… did he not love me enough to risk it all. He said it was for my benefit and I knew that's what he believed but he knew nothing really. He didn't know what it would do to me, to him, to have a broken heart. Alex had felt his heart being shattered before and, in that way that we had, so had I. Sharing our minds so much had its effects and truly in an odd twisted way I had fallen in love with Irvine as well, even Sirius and Remus were connected now to both twins. I had felt Alex's pain almost as strongly, though it was not my heart that was breaking. It was not a feeling I wanted to feel again and it wasn't a feeling that me or Alex would be easy to pick up from.

I saw the words forming on his lips and I cringed.

I saw us, I saw the little girl who'd sat at my feet, a symbol of my dreams.

I saw his clear blue eyes and the light golden brown dusting near the centre. I saw the fine scars that patterned over his skin. I remember once when it had been a hot day he'd removed his shirt. I had spent so long running my fingers hesitantly over the ribbons of scars that travelled over his back and chest and arms. His skin had been a gently tan, not had strong as Sirius' but nor as pale mine and Alex's alabaster pale. He'd laughed at me then, while still being the self-conscious boy he is.

I remembered the times when he would tease James over some suicidal prank or the latest love letter or when he would help Peter patiently when we were studying. I saw the way he flicked his quill as he read or indulgently rolled his eyes at the boys' antics. I remembered how soft his hands were when he'd bandaged them just before our first kiss. I remember waking up to his sleep deprived face as he'd sat next to me in the hospital wing. I remember sitting next to him as he recovered after the full moon.

I felt his lips on mine and closed my eyes.

"Lara, stop mopping and come over here so we can give you a makeover!" Alice shouted over and my eyes snapped open.

"A WHAT!"

Regulus

The whole school had been prattling on about the latest Grey development. I snorted. This time it was because Remus bloody Lupin hadn't turned up for breakfast or lunch and Larissa had been sitting looking depressed. Everyone thought they had broken up which sent a flurry through the whole student population as they tried to figure out why and if they could jump in on their single statuses.

I didn't know what to think.

In one way a small creature in my belly leaped at the idea while another was hunting for Lupin's blood for making that face of hers look so broken.

It was all very distracting and too many times Darien had wacked me over the head for staring at her or nothing, ignoring him and leaving him to the claws of Luciana Flint. He wasn't happy with me because he of course saw through me like glass.

It was now six in the evening and I was abandoning dinner to sit in an alcove and think moodily. Darien had sent me off with a wave of his hand, obviously annoyed and I'd taken the order whole heartedly.

"Regulus"

I span around and bit down the growl as I saw the very person I'd been thinking of all day walking towards me. He had his hand shoved in his jeans and when he raised his head I saw his face wearing a tired expression.

"Well if it isn't the man of the moment" I sneered.

"Shouldn't you be at dinner?" He asked nonchalantly and I narrowed my eyes.

"Shouldn't you?" I snapped back at him but he just shrugged.

He said nothing more, just slumped into the alcove opposite mine. I crossed my arms and looked at the pathetic boy.

"What do you want?" I spat at him.

Here he was, he could have everything that I wanted and even being a bloody werewolf didn't stop that. And he was throwing it away, throwing it in my face. Bastard.

"Simplicity" He said promptly and I cocked a head.

Simplicity, there was an odd one. Of course, I had meant the question as rhetorical but it seemed he'd been giving a lot of thought anyway.

"Then why, pray tell, are you throwing it away?" I said with bitter malice.

He looked up at me with a scarred face and bright blue eyes.

"Because it's not simple" he said quietly, his voice bland.

I shrugged.

"Could be, if you let it" I stood up "From what I've heard from Irvine, the Grey's look for normalcy more than everything, despite their anomalies, and they'll protect that with all they have"

I began to walk away, already regretting not going to dinner.

"Regulus" I paused.

"Thank you"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw him leaning out of his alcove with sincere eyes.

"Don't waste it. I'm trusting you, Remus Lupin, to be ready when things go wrong, got it?" I said before I could take it back.

I marched away without looking back.

Lara

"- That fringe?"

"... Little less there-"

"Here?"

"-Yeah, Lara?"

"-Err, sur-"

"Hey guys, nails are done"

"Awesome! Try this-"

"Nah, this one-"

"-Um, rea-?"

"Chloe, pass me the gloss-?"

"Red?"

"-Green"

"No! Blue, yeah-"

"-You guys really don-"

"Glitter!"

"OW! I know the best Charm for glit-"

"-Please, guys jus-"

"Toes too do you think?"

"Yeah, Alice you do it"

"Hey!"

"-Guys! Stop, just st-"

"Oh relax Lara"

"Tosh, honestly wouldn't catch me saying no to a makeover"

"Do you want me to transfigure some rope?" Chloe said with a gleam in her eyes.

I gapped and groaned tragically as they smirked and continued to attack me from all sides with a variety of brushes, bottles, phials, scissors and wands. Honestly, if I had known that Lily's innocent little purse contained that much torture equipment, I'd have put up more of a fight. But no, I was now stuck here under the influence of four overenthusiastic girls.

Three hours later.

Three whole earthly hours...

I sat on my bed in a state of shock. My hair hung over my eyes in a new annoying fringe that I had to keep tossing away. My finger nails were a dramatic blue colour that twinkled with silver and I swear, if paint had emotions, they were staring at me smugly. Oh yeah, my toe nails too.

Tabby looked over her book from where she sat next to a curled up Amy and chuckled.

"Girl time?" She asked and I mutely nodded.

"They did that to me once when I broke up with my boyfriend..." She said and a voice came out of the mass of black curls.

"I thought you l-loo-looked very pretty" Amy said between a yawn.

Tabby snorted but smiled nevertheless.

"And traumatised" she said with an eye role, pocking the small girl in the belly and laughing when she squealed.

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