Disclaimer: That sounds fair, Syl. We have an accord. xD

Remus woke up the next morning to find himself being shaken awake by Sirius, who looked rather anxious.

"You're gonna be late for your first class, Remus! You need to get down to the staff room!," he said quickly, and Remus grimaced, rubbing his eyes and getting up. Soon, he was on his way out the door with Padfoot hot on his heels.

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( Harry's P.O.V. )

I looked up at the sound of the staff room door opening and turned to Hermione and Ron, who were arguing heatedly. I nudged Ron and pointed to Remus, signaling for them both to shut their traps. 'Stupid lovebirds...,' I thought sourly.

"Good morning, class. Sorry I'm late. My name is Professor R.J. Lupin and I'll be your Defense teacher for this year. You may be wondering why I called you into the staff room instead of the classroom, and-," Remus was cut off by an unmasked whisper from the back of the room that floated over the crowd of the third-year students.

"You don't say?," hissed Draco Malfoy loudly.

"I wonder where he gets his robes...A Muggle costume shop?," wondered Pansy Parkinson before bursting into silent giggles and Millicent Bulstrode snickered beside her.

"Why don't you both shut up?," I roared, before I knew what was happening. Everyone turned and stared at me. "Just leave Remus alone! What'd he ever do to you?!"

I saw a pained smile on Remus' face as he looked at me, and my heart soared. My outburst had actually made him kind of happy...Weird. It always got me into trouble...

"Well, it's more the fact that Dumbledore's brain is rotting in his wrinkled ol' head. First that idiot Lockhart, then that oaf Hagrid, and now this tattered old shell of a man," said Pansy snootily. Hermione gasped.

"You little bitch!," she shouted, and everyone gasped, even Malfoy. Hermione had cursed. HERMIONE. HAD. SWORN.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"YOU HEARD ME, PARKINSON! DON'T INSULT HAGRID OR LUPIN EVER AGAIN!"

"AND WHO'S GOING TO STOP ME?! YOU?!," shouted Pansy. "You're nothing but a filthy little mudblood!"

Everyone gasped again, and Remus looked pissed. He walked over and wrenched the now-wrestling girls apart. First, he turned to Pansy.

"20 points from Slytherin for the use of that word in my class and for insulting a teacher. And 5 points each from Slytherin and Gryffindor for fighting. Pansy, I'll be talking to Professor Snape about you later," he said stiffly, his eyes shining with anger and reminiscing. I frowned.

"Oh, and by the way-Pansy, if you ever use that word again in my presence, be sure that you'll get more than a detention or have some points taken from Slytherin,"he snarled, turning and glaring at the girl, who was silent with fear. Remus looked at me, smiled, and went back to the front of the class.

Padfoot, who was sitting in the corner, looked as though he was quite enjoying himself, so I beckoned him over and started scratching his head.

His tongue lolled out of his mouth as I did, and I smiled. "You're so full of yourself, you stupid dog," I murmured, winking at him. As I looked away, I was sure that Padfoot winked right back.