Professor Lupin entered the staff room, ten minutes early for the morning's staff meeting. As he expected, most teachers were already there, given that the students were in Hogsmeade.

"Good morning," he said quietly, as he sat down at the end of the long staff table closest to the door. Those closest to him could see that he looked tired.

"Morning, Remus," replied Professor McGonagall, putting down her copy of the Daily Prophet, "You weren't at breakfast this morning, is everything alright?"

Lupin smiled half-heartedly, "As fine as they can be Minerva, given the circumstances..."

Professor McGonagall looked like she was about to say something, but was cut of by Professor Snape.

"Yes, I can imagine," he said coldly, his eye fixed on Remus, "It must be very hard work, kissing students."

Professor Lupin stopped smiling instantly, and looked at Snape in shock.

"Severus, really," said Professor McGonagall sternly, "That was –"

"How do you know?" asked Lupin, frowning at Snape.

"Dear me, Lupin. Not everything can be kept secret, you know," Snape replied sneeringly.

"Remus," Professor McGonagall cut in, "Severus was informed because one his students from Slytherin overheard Poppy informing me about it in the hospital wing."

Lupin groaning, resting his head in hands. A slight blush could be seen on his cheeks. "Which student?" he asked, in a voice suggesting that he did not really want to know.

"Draco Malfoy."

"Wonderful," he muttered sarcastically, "The boy can't stand me. I assume the whole school knows by now?"

"I've put him in detention, if that is any consolation," replied Professor McGonagall, her expression uncharacteristically sympathetic, "We did make him promise not to tell anyone, needless to say, he didn't listen."

"And did he know which student it was?" asked Lupin, now looking concerned.

"The one you kissed, you mean?"

"Yes,"

"Yes, I'm afraid he over heard that too," replied Professor McGonagall, her lips thinning dangerously.

"This is all my fault, I should never have agreed," he muttered, "It was probably horrific enough for her that I was forced to kiss her – now for the whole school to know? How is she taking this?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Remus, you had no choice," she replied, while giving a sneering Snape a reproachful look, "And Faylinn didn't appear at breakfast this morning, so I don't know if she knows yet – but it is only a matter of time."

"She's going to hate me," Lupin said simply, shaking his head.

- - -

The afternoon passed without anymore confrontations as Audrey and I studied in the common room. True, some of the first and second years shot me funny looks, but no one actually said anything. That is, of course, until we joined the rest of the school for the Halloween feast.

Audrey and I made our way across the Entrance Hall, discussing the essay we were almost finished for McGonagall, when a menacing voice called out,

"Hey, Goodwill! Why'd you leave Hogsmeade early, or did you have a snogging session with Lupin?"

Audrey and I whirled around to see who had spoken – I did not need to see his face, I already knew that drawling voice well. Draco Malfoy stood, smirking, with a pug-faced girl I recognised as Pansy Parkinson, and two thuggish looking boys whose name I did not know. My face flushed red as the students in the entrance hall laughed.

"Shut it, Malfoy," I replied coldly.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" Malfoy asked, smirking more than ever, "Did he break up with you?"

"Watch it, Malfoy, I'm a prefect," I said warningly, pointing at my badge, "If you don't get inside the hall now, it will be detention."

Malfoy scowled, "Don't you threaten me, you filthy Mudblood."

There was a roar of outrage, Audrey pulled out her wand, while most of the students who had been laughing before were looking at Malfoy with anger and dsigust.

"Detention, Malfoy," I said with a satisfied smirk of my own, "And I'll be reporting this to your head of house."

I turned away from him, set to make my way into the great hall, when he called out again.

"Wait, don't you want to know how we all found out?"

I turned around; my eyes narrowed, "And how would you know?" I asked.

He chuckled menacingly; I could tell he was annoyed at being put in detention, "I over heard Madam Pomfrey telling McGonagall. Then I, er, accidentally, mentioned it in the Slytherin common room last night."

There was scattered jeers and applause from some of the Slytherin students. I reached for my wand, anger rushing through my veins. But before I could raise my wand, a calm voice from behind me asked,

"Is there a problem here?"

I spun around, my insides frozen. It was Professor Lupin, and he was looking questioningly at myself and Malfoy.

"Er, no, Professor," I said blankly, my face burning.

With that, I turned my back to him briskly, and walked off to the Great Hall, before he could call me back. I could hear students laughing, but it was Malfoy's snigger that frustrated me most. Even seeing the amazing decorations in the Great Hall did not calm me down.

"That little snot," I said angrily, after seating myself at the Gryffindor table, "He's such an idiot – can you believe it, Aud? He caused all this!"

"I know," she replied, angry on my behalf, "Malfoy's such a prat. Eavesdropping like that. But you know what he's like that – just look at what he's doing to Hagrid and his Hippogriff!"

I nodded vigorously, "I'm going to talk to McGonagall, schedule him in to the worst detention slot ever. Something with Filch – the man has no mercy."

"Or Hagrid can take him; he'll give him something horrible for sure, so he can get revenge for Buckbeak too!"

"Good idea," I said, laughing maliciously at an image of Malfoy doing detention in the Forbidden Forest.

"Anyway," I said, lowering my voice, "Do you think Lupin knows that it's spread across the school?"

Audrey looked over at the teachers table, looking thoughtful, "I assume so, I don't see how he wouldn't."

"But he seemed pretty calm when he spoke to me just then, I mean, I could've died from embarrassment being seen talking to him in front of all those students, but he acted like it was nothing out the ordinary."

"You know how Lupin is, he's a calm person, I can't say I've ever seen him let his emotions affect his behaviour – except yesterday, when he didn't want to kiss you, obviously."

I nodded in agreement, "You're right, but it's a good thing, isn't it? I mean, it would be a hundred times more embarrassing if he was embarrassed too. If he acts normal, I should be able to, you know, just act like nothing happened."

"Yeh," said Audrey, then she smiled slyly, "But you still could've fried an egg on your face when you realised he was there."

"Audrey!" I cried, punching her playfully.

Feeling a little better than I did earlier, I allowed myself to enjoy the feast, and the entertainment provided by the ghosts was interesting enough to distract other students from whispering about me.

It was only when Audrey and I were leaving the Great Hall that I remembered Malfoy again; I spotted him a few metres away taunting yet another student.

"The Dementors send their love, Potter!"

My eyes flicked towards Harry, who managed rather admirably to ignore him, though his friend, Ron Weasley looked like he wanted nothing more than to hex him.

My mind was so full with frustrated thoughts, that when we reached the Gryffindor Tower, it wasn't until Audrey gasped and grabbed my arm that I notice that something was terribly wrong.

"What?" I asked, quickly following Audrey gaze, and then gasping rather loudly myself.

The portrait of the Fat Lady (who was herself missing) was completely ruined – it looked like someone had slashed it ruthlessly with a knife.

"That's appalling!" I muttered, turning to look back at Audrey. But something else caught my attention; Professor Lupin was standing only two meters away. I gasped again, and quickly moved to stand behind Audrey. Lupin looked very distressed; his face was slightly paler than usual. He was looking up at something, and when I followed his gaze, I realised that Peeves was talking to Professor Dumbledore.

"…Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

For third time that evening, I gasped, as did most of the students. Audrey and I exchanged anxious glances. Sirius Black, in here? In the castle?

I quickly looked over at the Professors, Professor Lupin looked even paler than he had before, and Professor Dumbledore was calling for silence, and ordered us off to the Great Hall.

We moved off immediately, everyone talking fervently – some students looked worried, others down right scared.

"How could he have gotten in the castle?" Audrey asked, "When they've sealed the entrances, and put dementors everywhere?"

"I don't know," I replied, biting my lip, "Lucky everyone was at the feast. And why on earth was he headed for Gryffindor tower?"

"I don't know…" she replied, looking just as confused as I did.

In the Great Hall, Audrey and I split up. She joined the other girls from our dorm while I joined the other prefects, standing guard at the entrance to the Hall. Dumbledore had called all the students from the other houses, and ordered everyone to sleep in here while the teachers searched the castle.

Every now and then, some teachers would come to check up on the students – at about one am, by which time I was constantly yawning, Professor Lupin appeared.

"Is everything thing okay here?" he asked a Ravenclaw prefect closest to him.

"Fine, the whispering stopped about an hour ago, most of them are sleeping. Have they found Black?"

Professor Lupin sighed lightly, "No, no sign of him. He seems to have slipped away."

I couldn't help but notice that Lupin did not seem altogether upset at the fact that Black had escaped. But that's nonsense, I thought to myself as I watched Professor Lupin leave, nonsense, I'm just too tired, I must have imagined it…