Soon she fell into the routine of school, and this made the time pass quickly. Before she was really aware of how much time had passed, it was already Christmas break. Since she had never spent a Christmas at Hogwarts, she decided she would stay, as did much of the staff and a handful of students. A couple of students that she had been tutoring were also staying and had asked her to continue their lessons. She agreed, and they spent a couple of hours each day studying. However, she did take Christmas Eve off to visit her family, and to visit her parents' graves. She saw Alyssa at their family dinner, and there was no one else she wanted to visit.

On Christmas Eve night, when she returned to the castle, Professor Dumbledore was just coming out of the Great Hall and called her up to his office. He told her "I have been meaning to talk to you for a while, but we have both been rather busy. I seem to recall you expressing some frustration about the attitude of the Ministry in regards to Voldemort. You said you wanted to see dark wizards punished, but your hands were tied. How would you like to be part of a group that shares your views and is trying to fight against Voldemort?" Holly thought about this for a minute and said "This sounds interesting. What would be involved? Tell me more."

"The group is called the Order of the Phoenix. It is a secret society of wizards and witches from many places and backgrounds. We already have a few ex-Aurors, along with a few people placed within the Ministry, and several of the staff at Hogwarts belong as well. As for what specifically you'd be doing, it would depend on what was needed at the moment. We may call on you to guard something or someone, to gather information, or to follow someone. The biggest question, however, is, do you want to see Voldemort defeated badly enough to risk your life for it?"

Holly thought about it for a moment, realizing that this offer, this group, was a chance to put some of the skills she'd learned as an Auror to use again. It would also mean working against the Ministry, but in a way that would protect society and hopefully raise awareness of the reality of Voldemort's return. She told Dumbledore "Yes. I'll join. I have spent fourteen years of my life bringing dark wizards to justice. The idea of risking or losing my life in the fight against Voldemort is nothing new to me; leaving the Ministry has not changed my desire to see justice served and society protected. I will do anything I can do to help."

Dumbledore smiled at her "Wonderful. I was hoping that would be your answer. There's a meeting in a couple of hours. Why don't you come and meet everyone and we'll see if there's anything you can do for us now?" She agreed to meet him and Professor McGonagall in the entrance hall in two hours.

At 8:00 p.m., she met the two professors in the entrance hall. The three of them walked outside and down the driveway to the gates of the school, enjoying the cool evening air. Once at the gates, Dumbledore instructed Holly to take his arm so they could apparate together to the meeting place.

They landed behind some bushes across the street from what looked like a muggle apartment complex. They step out of the bushes, and Dumbledore tells her "This place has a number of protective charms on it. One of them is the Fidelius charm, which keeps anyone from finding won't be able to see the apartment we're going into until I show you the address." He then holds up a slip of paper with #12 Grimmauld Place written on it. When Holly shifted her gaze, she could see a new apartment had appeared in between numbers eleven and thirteen.

They walked across the street and Dumbledore knocked on the door to number twelve. They were admitted by a tall dark skinned wizard in deep purple robes. "Professor Dumbledore, good to see you. I see you've brought a guest tonight. Is this our newest member?" "Hello Kingsley. This is Holly Williams, the new Muggle Studies teacher I had mentioned to you a few weeks ago. Yes, she is our newest member. She just joined a couple of hours ago."

At this, he extended his hand to Holly, and said "Nice to meet you. I am glad to hear you have joined us. From what Professor Dumbledore has said, you will certainly be an asset to our group."

By this time, they were at the kitchen door, and Holly scanned the room. She was pleasantly surprised to see two familiar faces apart from the Hogwarts staff members who were there.

Professor Dumbledore addressed the group "Good evening everyone. I have brought our newest member to our meeting tonight. She just joined us a couple of hours ago. This is Holly Williams.

For those of you who do not know, Holly is an ex-Auror. She resigned her position a few weeks after school ended in June. She left the Ministry after fourteen years because she felt her hands were tied. I know Holly well, she's a hard worker, bright, dedicated, loyal and very organized. She also had some of the highest grades in Defense against the Dark Arts in her class, for all seven years, and she was considered one of the best Aurors the Ministry had. I'm sure we can put her talents to good use."

He then introduced the group as they were gathered around the table " This is Hestia Jones, Mundungus Fletcher, and Alastor Moody; of course you recognize Professors Snape and McGonagall; next to her is Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. These are not nearly all of our members . . . several other teachers stayed behind at school, the Weasleys are not here either, and a good many more are either working or with their families." As they had been introduced, each witch or wizard had given Holly a smile or a nod. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin she had recognized immediately, as they had been in school at the same time. The two men had been fifth year students during her first year at Hogwarts. In fact, Remus Lupin had been the object of many teenage daydreams for the three years that their education had overlapped. There had just been something about that warm smile and those bright blue eyes that she adored. As all of this quickly drifted through her mind, she felt her cheeks flush, and knew she was probably blushing like a schoolgirl. She shook the feeling off and spoke " Hello everyone, I'm pleased to meet you. Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, for the compliments. I am hoping to put my skills to good use for this group. I look forward to working with all of you."

Then Dumbledore asked questions of various other members about things they'd been doing that, at this point, she didn't have enough information to understand. After a few minutes more, everyone left except Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sirius, Remus, and Holly. Dumbledore was just asking how Mr. Weasley was doing after having been bitten by the snake when there was a sharp knock at the door. Sirius went to open it, and there was the Weasley family. Holly knew the boys and Ginny from school. Their mother needed no introduction; it was obvious she was their mom from the way she was interacting with them. Their friends Hermione Granger and Harry Potter were with them as well. As they made their way into the kitchen, Dumbledore addressed Mrs. Weasley "Hello Molly. How is Arthur?" She replied that everything seemed to be going well and he would likely be out of the hospital in a few days. Dumbledore then briefly introduced Holly. Mrs. Weasley shook her hand, smiling, and welcomed her "I've heard a bit about you, of course, from the children. They all agree that you make Muggle Studies much more interesting than their previous teacher." Holly blushed "Thanks. It's good to know they enjoy the class. I hope most of my students feel that way."

Mrs. Weasley then invited everyone that was there to stay for tea or cocoa. Holly and Dumbledore accepted, but McGonagall decided to return to school. Holly stood up, stretched, and offered to help Mrs. Weasley. But Molly declined " No, you're a guest, and this will only take a minute." So, Holly sat back down in front of Remus, who then said "You seem very familiar. I know you went to Hogwarts, obviously, and you graduated fourteen years ago. So, we were in school together for a little while. What house were you in? Have we met before?"

"Yes, we've met. I was in Gryffindor, a first year during your fifth year. We ran into each other several times. You probably remember me because in my second year, my parents were killed in a house fire, and I was then placed with my friend's family. Several nights I was out after curfew and you escorted me to Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore, so that the other prefects wouldn't take points off. I always appreciated that."

"Oh yes, I do remember you. It was no problem to do that small favor; I felt that after all you'd been through you deserved a break. I always hoped everything turned out okay for you. Rumor was that you had no surviving family. But I also remember hearing about your Defense Against the Dark Arts grades; some of your classmates were impressed with how quickly you caught on to everything."

"Rumor was correct about my family, I have no living relatives. But the family that took me in was very good to me. They helped me heal without sitting around feeling sorry for myself. The same was true of the Hogwarts teachers- they gave me enough slack to help me, but not enough to let me give up. That's what the late night visits were for, when I needed to talk to someone. As for my grades, Defense Against the Dark Arts was my favorite subject. I took to it easily, and put in quite a few extra hours each week studying."

Holly and Remus continued to reminisce like this for an hour, sharing things they had each noticed or heard about the other during their school years. Then, Dumbledore took advantage of a pause in the conversation to ask if Holly wanted to return to school with him, or come on her own later. It was after 11:00 p.m. and he was ready to return to the castle. She hesitated a moment, and Remus said "If you want to stay but not go back alone, I'll go with you whenever you're ready."

So she accepted his offer, and Dumbledore left.

Holly then said "I won't be imposing on anyone by staying, will I? I don't even know whose house this is . . . Dumbledore just called it 'headquarters'."

Remus replied "The house belongs to Sirius, but I live here too. For the moment, I don't have a home, and Sirius has been kind enough to give me a room here. The Weasleys are staying here as well, but they're all in bed except Molly, and she won't mind. We're all accustomed to people coming and going during the night. Sometimes the work we're doing for the Order requires odd hours."

"Good, I'm glad to know I won't be bothering anyone. So tell me more about yourself, Remus. I know you were friends with Sirius, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew . . . I remember watching you all together. I know you were a prefect, and that you are a werewolf. But there's more to you than this."

Remus was visibly startled " I won't deny being a werewolf, but how did you know? Surely you wouldn't believe a rumor among the students, and I know Dumbledore wouldn't tell you."

" I figured it out while we were at school together. First of all, I had a huge crush on you, so I paid attention to everything you did, and noticed you being gone every month. Also, I had a window by my bed, and some nights when I couldn't sleep, I'd look out over the grounds. A couple of times I saw activity by the Whomping Willow and sometimes I'd see a deer, a dog, and what at the time looked like either another large dog or a wolf running across the grounds. I did some reading which allowed me to recognize the 'large dog' as a werewolf, and I thought about the fact that this always happened at the full moon. It all just fit."

Remus laughed. " We were trying to be so careful, so no one would know. I was always dressed in something that we hoped would hide my appearance . . . and of course at a distance, you couldn't have seen my face. So, how were you sure it was me and not some other student? And how did you know the others' animagus forms?"

" I knew it was you because you were consistently absent every full moon. Though sometimes other students were absent as well, it was the consistency that gave it away. As for the others' animal forms, it took me a while to figure that out, but Sirius' bark-like laugh helped. I was a shy kid and sought out the same types of quiet places you did, and sometimes would pass by you in my pursuit of peace and quiet. Sometimes, I'd pass close to you in the hall or the common room and catch a bit of a conversation that would match up to something I'd seen. Also, I would sometimes hear you call each other by nicknames. It just seemed to all make sense to me."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised at your figuring it out . . . not with the grades you made. I bet you were one of those students that had perfect scores in everything."

Holly chuckled " I wish. I had good grades in some classes, but I was really terrible in others. History of Magic, Divination, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes were subjects I barely passed. I also did well in Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures. Those subjects were the most interesting to me, and I guess I just didn't apply as much effort to the others."

"I've got to know, though, why you never said anything to anyone about my condition. I appreciate the fact that you didn't"

"I didn't see any reason to say anything. The staff obviously knew, and was taking precautions to protect everyone, and I felt that was good enough. To me, there was no reason to panic the students and make your life miserable. Your condition is not your fault, and since I liked you, I didn't want to see you expelled; I wouldn't have been able to see you if that had happened."

Remus grinned, whether at the fact that Holly's teenage crush on him had caused her to pay so much attention to his activities, or because she'd figured out what he was and didn't say anything, she didn't know. He then said "I'm glad you saw things that way, it did save me some misery. There was one other person who figured it out and went to Dumbledore with it; thankfully Dumbledore convinced him to remain silent while we were in school together."

About this time, Holly looked up at the clock and realized it was almost midnight, she needed to leave. " I hate to bring this up, because I am really enjoying your company, but I do need to get back to the castle."

Remus stood up, stretched a bit, and said " Wait here, I'm going to go let Sirius know I'm leaving." He left the kitchen and went upstairs, then was back in a couple of minutes.

They walked outside, crossed the street and were then behind the bushes and trees she and Dumbledore had landed near earlier. They chose this spot because it was out of sight of the muggles. Remus offered his arm " I know you can apparate on your own, but if you want to make sure we land close together, you can take my arm."

Holly agreed "Sounds good to me." When she took his arm, and placed her hand in his, a little shiver ran up her spine that had nothing to do with the cold night air. For a brief second, she wondered why, but then forced herself to concentrate on what she was doing. They landed on the street in Hogsmeade, a few yards from the gates of the school. Then, Remus offered to walk her all the way to the castle doors. " In case there are any surprises out there in the dark where two wands might be better than one." Holly said that made sense to her, so they set off, walking at a leisurely pace. As they walked, they talked about the current situation at the school, and the disagreements they had with the Ministry. They both felt the Minister had the wrong attitude about a lot of things, and that Umbridge was the worst thing to happen to the school in a long time. They both would love to figure out a way to get rid of her, but knew there was really nothing either of them could do right now. Holly realized that she had to be very careful to not give Umbridge any reason to dislike her, other than the one she couldn't help . . . her muggleborn background. Remus agreed, and said that he didn't think she would dismiss Holly for that alone, but it would cause her to scrutinize everything Holly did much more closely.

They arrived at the doors and Holly told him again that she'd enjoyed his company and that she hoped there was another Order meeting soon so she could visit with him afterwards.

He replied " You don't have to wait for an Order meeting to visit me. Why don't you come over for Christmas dinner tomorrow evening? No one will expect a gift or anything; we'll just eat and enjoy visiting. You can meet the rest of the Weasley family too."

"Sure, that sounds good."

"Dinner is at 6:00 p.m.; oh, and it's not a formal event either, just wear whatever's comfortable. And in case you were wondering, now that you know the address, you can get there on your own now that you know the address."

"Great, that will make it easier. Thanks for the invitation, and for coming here with me. Even though I'm an ex-Auror, given the things that have been going on lately, I didn't feel it would be a good idea to be out alone at night."

"I guessed as much, that's why I offered. And you're very welcome for both. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow."

"Same here. Well I need to get inside. Goodnight, Remus"

"Goodnight Holly"

As she walked inside and made her way upstairs to her quarters, Holly couldn't quite get Remus out of her head. And that little shiver as their hands had touched . . . where did that come from? She thought maybe it was all the talking they'd done about their time at Hogwarts, a time when she'd have given almost anything to hold his hand. At that age, she probably would not have been able to have as long a conversation with him as she'd done tonight. Those late night walks from Gryffindor dormitories to McGonagall's and Dumbledore's offices had been mostly quiet, with just a few generic questions about why she was out of bed, or about school in general. She'd wished more times than she could count during those first three years at school that she were a little older and not so painfully shy. Then maybe she'd have worked up the nerve to at least talk to him. But, she was shy then- so shy in fact that she'd never really had but one close friend. She'd talked to other girls in her year, and they had studied together, even spent time together outside of classes, but she always felt a little unsure of herself around them. As for her crush on Remus, she'd thought time had taken care of it . . . he had graduated in her third year, and she had barely thought of him since then. The only times he'd really crossed her mind was when Lily and James got married, and again when they were murdered.

She couldn't deny the fact that she did still find him attractive; age had not harmed his looks, even the scars didn't bother her. However, she was mature enough to know that one evening's conversation and a little physical attraction were not cause to get too excited or get her hopes up. At that thought, she reached the door to her quarters, went inside, changed into a warm gown and went to bed.

The next morning she slept a bit late, finally getting out of bed around 9:30 a.m. She had the kitchen send up a light breakfast, ate, then got dressed. She decided that jeans, a warm sapphire blue sweater, and boots would be comfortable for the day. She realized as she was getting dressed that tonight was the staff Christmas dinner. Dumbledore had said it was optional, but she still felt she should let him know she wouldn't be there.

She went to his office, and he greeted her warmly. " Good morning Holly. What brings you here this morning?"

"I wanted to let you know I won't be attending the staff dinner this evening. Remus invited me to join him for dinner at headquarters, and I accepted."

"That's fine. I'm sure you'll enjoy the evening. Molly Weasley is a fantastic cook."

"I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, though, I have some research I need to do to present to my classes. So, I'm going to use the time today to work on it."

"It's the holidays, you may use your free time as you wish. I will see you later."

Holly then left his office and headed for the library. She was looking for some materials to supplement the textbook for certain things that she would be presenting right after classes resumed. She found what she needed, checked out the books, and went upstairs to her quarters. Once there, she spread everything out and buried herself in her work. She spent the next four hours making notes and diagrams. When she looked at the clock over the fireplace, it was 5:00 p.m. She had about half an hour to get ready for dinner at Grimmauld Place. She marked her place, closed the book she'd been taking notes from, got up and walked into the bedroom. She looked at her reflection in the full length mirror hanging on the closet door, trying to decide if she wanted to change outfits. She decided to stay in what she was wearing, but opted to let her long red hair out of its ponytail, and just pull the sides back with barrettes. She then got her heavy cloak from the hook it was on, along with her scarf and gloves. She put it all on, and made her way downstairs and outside. The late afternoon air was cold, making her walk much more quickly than she had last night when she arrived.

As soon as she got outside the gate, she apparated to Grimmauld Place. She checked to see that no one was watching her, then crossed the street and knocked on the door. Remus opened it, and smiling at her, wished her a Merry Christmas, then took her cloak, gloves, and hat.

"You're a little early, but that's okay. We didn't get to introduce you to all of the Weasleys last night, so you can meet them now."

They walked into the kitchen, and Remus said "I'm sure you know George, Fred, Ginny , Ron and of course Harry and Hermione from classes; beside Ron is their oldest brother Bill, then Charlie. At the end of the table is their father, Arthur."

He then addressed them "For those of you who weren't here last night, this is Holly, the new Order member I told you about."

Holly then said hello, and that she was glad to meet them. She sat down between Remus and Hermione. She turned to Remus and said "Thanks for inviting me over today. The food smells delicious."

Remus grins playfully " Yes it does. Molly is a wonderful cook, but I think she enjoys making us wait as long as possible to eat. It can be almost a form of torture."

About this time, Mrs. Weasley asked Ginny and Hermione to help her set the table. Of course, having a large bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes placed across the table from her only made Holly much more aware of the aroma of the food. As soon as all the dishes were set out, everyone started filling their plates. Holly took a little bit of just about everything, wanting to sample it all, but still be able to eat dessert.

When the dinner had been finished and the plates cleared from the table, she and Remus started talking. "That was a wonderful meal. It reminded me of how my real mom cooked when I was young. Jane could cook well, but not like mom. Mom was the type of person that liked to cook, especially for her family, and everything she prepared came out delicious. This was the first meal I've had since I was a little girl that not only tasted incredible, but made me feel good."

"I know what you mean; that's one of the reasons I love to eat here if Molly's cooking."

"Now that we're both stuffed, how about you finish the conversation we were having last night? I had asked you to tell me more about yourself, and we only got as far as the werewolf part."

"There's really not a lot more to tell. I was bitten as a small child, and my parents searched everywhere for anything that even might help. Trying to manage my condition became the main focus of our lives. We didn't think I would be able to attend school, but Dumbledore came up with the plan I told you about, and I was admitted. I was thrilled when I was told I could go to Hogwarts. I finally had real friends there, which I truly enjoyed. Those years were the best of my life because even though they figured out what was wrong with me, they didn't run from it. It didn't matter to them, they liked me for who I was. After school, I worked where and when I could, but very few people will hire a werewolf, and it's something you can't hide from them...so it made it difficult. Two years ago, I taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts for most of the year. Then one night, I failed to take my potion, and transformed in front of Professor Snape. Luckily I didn't hurt anyone, but he seized the opportunity the situation presented and told the students I am a werewolf. So, I resigned rather than cause more trouble for Dumbledore. Since then, I've been doing what I can to help the Order."

At that, Mrs. Weasley asked if everyone was ready for dessert, and most of us were, so she brought out an assortment of cakes, pies, cookies and candies. It all looked and smelled as delicious as the meal had been. While they were eating, Remus told her "Alright, you've heard my story, now it's your turn."

"Okay. I'm 31, a muggleborn, I went to Hogwarts from 1975 to 1982. I'm an only child, my parents were killed when our house burned shortly after I started my second year . After the fire, I was placed under the guardianship of my friend's parents. The arrangement worked out well- Alyssa and I grew up like sisters. I enjoyed my time at Hogwarts. I was shy, especially until about my fifth year. I did make a few friends, and I dated a little. Defense Against the Dark Arts was my best subject, and that was one reason why I became an Auror. The attack on the Potter family was another. I was a sixth year then, and had already decided that was what I wanted to do. But knowing what Voldemort was capable of ...that he would go after a family, and especially a child, just confirmed for me that I wanted to go into the Ministry as an Auror. I graduated, took the summer off to relax, and then went into training. I was considered one of the best Aurors the Ministry had for several years...not as good as Mad-Eye Moody, but still a good Auror. But recently, the Minister has the attitude that Voldemort can't possibly be back, and as a result, he's wanting more proof that a person is a death eater, making it nearly impossible in some cases to arrest them. I got frustrated at this, because there have been several people that I was nearly completely certain should be in Azkaban that are still walking free because Aurors are not allowed to go after them. So, I left. The rest you know."

When everyone had finished eating, the dessert dishes were cleared, and the Christmas gifts were brought out. Remus and Holly moved down the table a little distance to allow the family more room to spread out, and a little privacy. They sat there, watching the Weasleys open their gifts and talking about what Christmas had been like for them as children. For both of them, the holidays had held a mixture of joy and sadness. This year, though, felt different for Holly. She had enjoyed her time with Alyssa and her parents, she always did; and she missed her real family, but she felt almost as if she were being adopted by the Order in general, but especially by the Weasleys and Remus. She had only known them a day and she already was feeling quite at ease with them. Precious few people in her life had made her feel this comfortable , this quickly.

After a few minutes, Mrs. Weasley turned on the radio and the room was filled with the sounds of holiday music. They all sang along, badly, but laughing and enjoying themselves anyway. About a dozen songs later, the announcer gave the time as midnight..Holly could hardly believe it was that late. She checked the clock on the wall, and it agreed. She hated to bring it up, but told them she needed to go. Remus offered to go back with her, she accepted, and he got her cloak, and scarf for her. Mrs. Weasley had put some candy in a tin and insisted she take it with her. Holly thanked her, put on her cloak, and said her goodbyes. She and Remus stepped outside and, as they had last night, apparated to Hogsmeade, then walked up to the castle. They talked more as they walked, and when they reached the steps, he invited her to come back tomorrow.

Holly accepted his invitation, then went inside the castle. As she walked to her quarters, she reflected on her evening. It was the best she'd had in a long time. The Weasley family, Sirius and Remus really made her feel welcome at Grimmauld Place. She was enjoying getting to know them, especially Remus. He struck her as being a very intelligent, caring person, with a bit of a mischievous streak.

The next morning, she awoke around 10 a.m. She still had some work to do for her classes, but she was going back to Grimmauld Place for dinner. She went about her day, spending most of it in her quarters reading and preparing lesson plans. Around 3:30 p.m, she finished up her notes, and then decided it would be nice to surprise them with some cookies. She spent the next hour making a big batch of oatmeal raisin cookies, then put them in tin to take with her. Once finished, she put on her cloak and left.

When she arrived at Grimmauld Place, Remus answered her knock on the door.

"Good afternoon"

"Good afternoon. I brought a little something to share with everyone. It's not much, just something I thought everyone would enjoy."

"What is it?"

"Oatmeal raisin cookies that I just finished baking."

"Sounds delicious."

They walked into the kitchen, and Holly gave the cookies to Mrs. Weasley, saying that she had just wanted to surprised them.

Holly really enjoyed herself that evening, as she had the previous two. She spent some time talking to everyone, but most of it was spent with Remus. She found herself just as drawn to him as when she was a teenager, but now she had the confidence to actually talk to him. They discussed a little of everything, and she discovered they had a lot in common.

As before, when Holly got ready to leave, Remus accompanied her . He walked all the way to the castle with her, so that she wasn't out after dark alone. At least, that's what he told her. It was mostly true, but he also enjoyed her company. That was the main reason they didn't bother with a carriage, walking gave them longer to talk.

Tonight when they said goodbye, he said he hoped to see her the next day. But she said she wasn't sure because she still had quite a bit of work to do before classes resumed. She told him she'd be there by 5:30 p.m if she could.

For the next four days, Holly stayed at the castle, finishing her paperwork for her classes.

On New Year's Eve, she bought a bottle of champagne, then went to Grimmauld Place to spend the evening. She arrived just before 5 p.m., had dinner with them, then relaxed and enjoyed the evening. They had the wireless on to listen to some holiday music. She and Remus talked for hours about how they'd spent different holidays and what they hoped the new year would bring.

As the clock struck midnight, Remus poured champagne for everyone who wanted it, and they toasted the new year. Then the radio played a good slow song. Everyone paired up with someone to dance. The twins danced with each other, to everyone's amusement. Remus offered Holly his hand, so she accepted and they danced. Holly liked the way it felt to be in his arms, even though he was not holding her really close. He moved quite well for someone who said he didn't dance much. When the song ended, she noticed several of the others were watching them. Remus spun her around, then they both bowed, as if the whole thing had been a performance for their benefit. For a fleeting second, Holly hoped Remus would kiss her, but the moment passed and he didn't.

After their dance, they talked a while longer. Around 1a.m., Holly decided she needed to go back to the castle. Remus walked her home, and along the way, he told her he wouldn't be able to see her again for quite a while; he was going "undercover" for the Order to do some information gathering among the other werewolves. The intention was to persuade them, if possible to join the Order; but if that couldn't be done, then to get as much information as he could. He didn't know when he'd be back, because it would take some time to gain their trust enough for him to find out anything. She told him to be careful, and that she would miss him. He promised to let her know when he got back, and to be as careful as he could.

This evening, as Remus was walking back up the castle driveway, he realized he couldn't get Holly out of his head. Her voice kept lingering there...telling him she'd miss him. It had been a long time since anyone had told him that. He mentally shook himself... "she's just a friend", he reminded himself. "Don't forget what you are, she may like you, but don't let yourself think it can be anything else." He apparated back home, still thinking of her, but with a mixture of sorrow and longing, instead of the happy curiosity he'd been feeling earlier.