As soon as he was allowed out of the hospital wing Remus asked to go to the library. He had more than a feeling he wasn't allowed there unsupervised, especially after the debacle the other day where he dared to go through the Gryffindor common room alone. It wasn't as if he could look through the books he owned either. The only books they had to their name were the ones Sirius and James had bought over the summer for their NEWTs. All other books, Remus' beautiful bookcase back in his old room, now belonged to Mr Potter's brother.

It took some debating and quite a lot of whining before James took Remus to the library. Even then he didn't take him through the day, deeming he had a status to maintain. Instead, they went under the cover of night, Sirius and Peter going with them until the other two split off to make their way to the kitchens. James used the excuse of his Head Boy rounds to sneak Remus through the corridors, telling him to be quick when they got to the library. How Remus expected to be quick, however, when he finally got there was beyond him. The whole place was like a labyrinth, a mass of shelf after shelf full of books. It took more than five minutes to even figure out their system, long enough to have James coming in to have a whinge.

'What are you even looking for?' James asked, fingering the books in front of him in distaste.

'Werewolf laws.'

That had James' attention. 'Why are you wanting werewolf laws?'

Remus shrugged, hoping he looked more nonchalant than he was, 'Thought I'd read up on my rights.'

James narrowed his eyes, but nevertheless lead him through a series of walkways until they came to the Dark Arts section. Werewolves had a whole bookcase to themselves. Remus knew that after the attack authors and wizards who thought they were experts on the subject went mad with theories and histories on why such a thing would happen. He'd heard Mrs Potter complain more than once when they went to a book shop. She said if they really were such experts then none of what happened the night Remus was bitten would have.

The book Remus wanted was easy to spot, he'd had his own copy in his old room after all. The book safely tucked under his arm, and James reassuring him that it wouldn't be missed, they made their way back to the dorm to get the scraps Sirius and Peter had left for them.

He'd hoped finding the girl would be easy now that he had a plan on how to confront her, and it was. He saw her in the great hall every morning, and in the common room on an evening. Finding her, turned out, wasn't where the problem lay. Instead he was actually getting her alone. Both times before she had tracked him down, had cornered him. It had been on her terms in effect. This time it wasn't, and Remus, no matter how good his intentions were, couldn't just walk up to her. So he had to think up another plan.

'Where's James?' Remus asked one evening. He'd finished his day with Hagrid and scoffed down his food as fast as he could in the great hall, hoping to get back to the common room before everyone else. He did, but had to wait a while before anyone else came back to the dorm. That someone else being Sirius.

'He's got detention.'

Remus didn't even want to touch on that right now. He had more important things to be worrying about. 'You'll have to do then. Can you wait down in the common room with me?'

Thankfully, Sirius read the earnestness of the situation and kept his mouth shut until they were perched on the sofa in the common room.

'We might be here a while,' Remus warned.

'That's fine.'

While they waited Remus flipped through the book, remembering each paragraph as it showed. He'd spent many of his first months, years, divesting the book. Partly so he wouldn't be chucked out if he did something out of line. Mostly because he didn't understand what he was, and really this was the first thing that had some kind of information about his condition.

He was skimming werewolf mating laws when Sirius spoke up again, 'So, I never asked, how are you settling in? Is your neck okay?'

His neck tingled in phantom pain. Madame Pomphrey was a miracle worker, he had him patched up in hours, the skin and bone regrown and almost untouched from his claws. He had been shocked when he saw himself in the mirror, expecting a mess of scars on his throat. Instead, there was barely anything. Remus wondered how much better he would have looked if every healer he'd seen showed the same care Madame Pomphrey did. Still, he couldn't complain, the only times he had ever had to see a healer was when he was a bad moon, the other times had been Mr and Mrs Potter. While not healers, they more than made up for their lack of skill in other ways. Mainly being the best people Remus had ever met.

'It's fine,' he said, touching the faint line lightly. 'And I'm find. Hagrid's nice.'

'That's good,' Sirius nodded, shuffling in his seat like he was gearing up for an awkward talk.

Remus put him out of his misery. 'You don't have to talk to me. As soon as James is back you can leave.'

Sirius narrowed his eyes, looking like he was trying to read more into what Remus had said. He didn't know why, he didn't have any underlying subtext in his words. Sirius didn't have to feel any obligation to him, it wasn't his fault they were down there.

The silence fell again, Remus going back to his book. Werewolves weren't allowed to mate, how nice for them. They weren't allowed to be unsupervised with a member of the opposite sex. If a female werewolf found herself pregnant she had one of two options.

'So, Remus, you're mature and stuff,' Sirius said, drawing him, once again, away from his book.

'I guess.'

Sirius was the epitome of uncomfortable. Compared to the hospital wing that Sirius was calm and collected. This one was shaking his leg so much it brushed against Remus' every other bounce. His head was down, eyes flickering in every direction and never landing on Remus. His hands were clenched together on his lap, the fingers white where they interlaced. Remus supposed talking to him really could be stressful, he hadn't exactly made himself the most easiest person to talk to. What with all the growling and standoffishness he exerted when they first met. But Sirius persisted despite it all. 'So, what would you do if you liked someone and you wanted to know if they liked you too?'

Remus wondered if Sirius had been looking over his shoulder. Regardless, he thought about it, and shrugged. 'I don't know, ask them?'

'Yeah, but what if you wanted to be more subtle than that?' Sirius pressed.

Remus shrugged again. 'I've never really thought about it. You know, James or Peter might have better answers than me.' Anyone would have better answers than him. Considering Peter had actually got a girl to talk to him over the summer, and seemed to have gotten the attention of a sixth year Hufflepuff, Sirius really should have been asking him.

Yet the thought of getting advice from James and Peter had Sirius in stitches, laughing until he was red in the face. 'Yeah, I don't know if you can tell, but they're not exactly good with romance.'

'Neither am I,' Remus pointed out.

'Yeah but you're you,' Sirius said like that explained everything. 'Anything you say will be twelve times more helpful than what they say. So?'

Reus thought about it more carefully, 'I guess you could test the waters then.' He thought about the scarce romance novels he'd read over the years, including that racy werewolf one James got him for Christmas. Sure, they had all been fake, and half of it absolute rubbish, but they had some defining moments in them that stopped Remus from putting them down altogether. 'Maybe spend some time with them and see how they react around you. Or do something nice for them.'

'I like that first one,' Sirius said, starting to relax into his seat.

Remus had a spark of inspiration, something that would probably amount to nothing but he thought there was no harm in suggesting anyway. 'Why don't you tell me who they are? I could maybe keep an eye out for them. See things from another perspective and tell you if you have a chance. Or even talk you up to them. James doesn't know this so don't tell him, but I've seen some purebloods use their werewolves to sing their praises to whoever they like. Apparently the thought of their pets being treated well gives them a good sense to their owner. Like when someone sees a cute dog.'

If anything Sirius looked more uncomfortable with that suggestion, immediately telling Remus he didn't have to bother. Insisting that it wasn't a bother to do so Remus finally got a name.

'Moony?'

'It's a nickname,' Sirius defended. Remus got the feeling he didn't want to outwardly admit his crush just yet. He understood. In the books he read the boys were usually the more embarrassed about their feelings. Still, Sirius went on, almost like Remus twisting his face at the name had invoked his romantic notions. 'You know, a codename, so like when James and I talk about them they don't know we're talking about them. Like we call that Ravenclaw…'

Remus thought the universe was on Sirius' side, since his struggling to come up with a name for the Ravenclaw took long enough for the girl he was waiting for the come through the portrait hole. Bouncing up, he blocked her path before she could disappear to somewhere he definitely couldn't follow.

He thrust the book out between them. 'Here. It's for you.'

She took the book, her eyes flitting across the title before her face twisted, 'Werewolf law?'

He held his hands up, a sign of peace so she knew he wasn't going to have a go at her. 'I know I was kind of rude last time we spoke. It wasn't nice, and I'm sorry. But you have to understand what you're meddling with. The law says I have to have a master, and considering the other candidates out there I came out quite lucky. What you're doing, suggesting, is nice and all, but if you try to fight it, it's just going to end badly for me. James is in a really bad situation already. He doesn't have a house to keep me in, he doesn't have the security which should have meant I went to his uncle. But Dumbledore managed to fight for us, and he didn't specify what would happen, but we've known for years the consequences of what happens if the pureblood can't handle their werewolf anymore. If you file a complaint I won't be taken away from James and given to someone else, I don't have freedom. If they take me away they'll think I'm too much of a burden and kill me. If you don't believe me it's all in there. Just think before you talk again. Please?'

He went back to Sirius, seeing the boy on the highest alert he'd ever seen him. It took little coercing to get him back to the dorm, the two of them going their separate ways now Remus could finally relax for the evening. James came back when it was late. Chucking a cupcake Remus' way, he made a slight complaint about Filch before collapsing on to his bed. Peter was back even later, a rather smug look on his face that had James and Sirius hopping up from their dozes to interrogate him about his whereabouts. As soon as the mention of his Hufflepuff admirer came up Remus guessed the rest and tuned them out. Sirius really should have went to Peter instead of him.

The next week Remus heard nothing from the girl.

Instead he made another friend. It happened when he was out with Max, the two of them touring Hogwarts grounds again. Remus may have been taking advantage of one of the few hot days left and dawdling slightly. But it was almost dinner and Hagrid had already told him he was done for the day.

He was sitting on the wide lawn, watching the birds fly into the whomping willow, a tree that had been grown especially for him apparently, when he heard a gentle woof. Max was still making his way from the latest tree he'd decided to pee against, which was too far away for Remus to have heard him as clearly as he did. Which meant-

He turned to find another dog sitting docilely a few feet away. It was huge, about the same size as Max. Its fur was long and glossy, reminding Remus of Sirius' hair in colour. It even kind of smelt like Sirius, which actually explained a lot if Sirius had spent half of his school days hanging around a dog.

Nevertheless it didn't appear dangerous, and Max seemed happy enough to greet him, so Remus didn't bother shooing it away. Seeing it was welcome, the dog ventured closer, crawling on his stomach when he got close enough until it stopped a hands breath away. It made a whine, sniffing and poking its nose onto Remus' hand until he stroked the soft muzzle in front of him.

'Where did you come from then?' There wasn't a collar, or anything else that would mark it as someone's pet. Remus would have thought it a stray had it not been so well groomed. Not to mention a bit pudgy around the middle. 'What's your name then? Smoky?' the dog sneezed, looking for all the world like it was shaking its head while it did so. 'It's not Sirius is it?' the dog seemed to freeze, 'It would be just like him to name something after himself.' The dog relaxed, rolling onto its back. 'No, that's unkind. Sirius isn't all that bad. He's not even all that vain either. Not like he should be.' Two grey eyes looked up at him, seeming to question him about that. Remus scratched the dogs ears, chuckling slightly when one foot started to hammer slightly. 'I gotta go in. Sorry. How about we go back to Hagrids? I'm sure he can look after you while I ask around after your owners.'

At the word owners the dog was off like a shot, running over the grassy hills before Remus could even try to grab it. He chased it slightly before he realised the dog was long gone and went back to his other charge. Max was eager to get home, no doubt looking forward to his own dinner, which had Remus wondering if the dog had merely gotten off its collar and was back with its owners now. It could belong to a student, maybe the dog was able to find its way back to its master on its own. In any case thoughts of the dog followed him all the way through dinner and his evening in the dorm.

He barely noticed when Sirius appeared before him until the bed dipped. He was dressed for bed, well, as dressed as Sirius got for bed which wasn't much. With only some muggle bottoms on that Remus had bought for him over the summer it was hard not to look at the skin in front of him. All that pale, unmarked skin. He didn't know whether to be jealous or admire it, jealousy winning out slightly as he saw one of his own scar striped hands.

'I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade,' Sirius suggested. There was an air of confidence about him, one Remus had never seen before when in relation to himself.

'What's that?'

A brief reminder of the weekend trips they got out to the wizarding village and Sirius asked again. 'It's just, James has head boy duties for most of the morning, introducing third years to Hogsmeade and all that, and I think Peter's going to Puddifoots- don't ask. Since you're getting the whole Hogwarts experience this year I thought you'd like to go. With me. You can say no.'

'Oh.' Hogsmeade. He thought he'd heard James mention it a few times. That was where he got most of his pranking supplies. Also where the sweet shop was located. 'Is it anything like Diagon Alley?'

Sirius thought for a while, 'There's wizard shops if that's what you mean. Also a pub. And locals. Kind of like Diagon. I think people will be nice to you though, they have been so far.'

They've been pretending he didn't exist so far. With actual adult wizards about he didn't know how comfortable he was about going. Still. 'How long would we be there for?'

'Long enough for me to buy prank supplies and James to finish his duties,' Sirius said. 'If you want to leave earlier though I can always just sneak back.'

It sounded tempting. 'Can I buy some sweets?'

Sirius grinned, the pair of them hearing the yes unspoken in the air. 'I'll buy you a whole basket again if you like.'

'Just a few bars will do,' He found himself grinning too. He wondered what other kinds of sweets they had.

He heard Sirius tell James later about their Hogsmeade date, although date wouldn't be the word Remus used to describe what was going to happen.

'Nice one,' James said, actually keeping his voice down for once.

'I know. That's not all though, when I was asking him, he didn't growl at me once. And, he kept staring at my chest. It looked like he wanted to gouge my skin out but, you know-' It was better than him actually doing it, Remus finished, wondering just how violent Sirius thought he was.

He would have to be nice to him at Hogsmeade. He might even get a few more bars of chocolate out of it if he did.