Though Mandy and Lisa quickly became my best friends, I also made a lot of others. It was surprisingly easier than I had thought it would be. In the middle of September I met Hermione Granger, a girl like me in many respects. We were both in the library, being overzealous about our homework as per usual, when we reached for the same book. Laughing, I released my grip on it and said, "You take it, I can finish the essay tomorrow. Or I could probably write it without the book," I added as an afterthought.

"I probably could too, but why waste this information?" she asked, grinning. "We could work on it together." We sat down at an empty table, the book open between us while we both finished our essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts. I really liked her and apparently she felt the same about me because we became instant friends. Many afternoons and weekends we spent together in the library, working on homework or just talking about new books that we had read. Immediately I noticed one big difference between us. Though we both had the same thirst for knowledge and had read many of the same books, I did not share my knowledge as freely or as often as she did. I was slightly shy; greatly cautious of the fact that somebody could discover my secret if I drew too much attention to myself. Because of this, she was known as a know-it-all and I was spared that wonderful nickname. That is also how she beat me into the spot as the top of our year.

My father wrote to me almost daily and I always responded immediately. He spoke of how he had been able to get little odd jobs every now and again, mainly working for Muggles, so that he was able to support himself and put a little bit away into Gringotts for my later years at Hogwarts. In my letters I told him about my new friends, especially Mandy and Lisa, but I specifically avoided mentioning Draco. Though slightly surprised that I hadn't been put into Gryffindor, he was very happy to hear that I was at least a Ravenclaw. Once again, he mentioned how very much like my mother I was, which prompted me to tell him what Professor Flitwick had said.

As the end of the month drew nearer, I became very wary of what would happen to me, and more importantly, of what would happen to the students and teachers around me. When I was at home, it wasn't quite as dangerous because our home was on the edge of a great forest and far from any other dwellings. I had spent countless nights in that forest, avoiding the rest of humanity during that dangerous time every month. But now that I was at school, I knew that everything would be different and I had no idea how to handle it. Worrying desperately about what I should do, I distractedly said goodbye to Hermione as I left the library one afternoon. The thought quickly came to me that I should write and ask my father what to do about it. Surely he would know.

Thinking of nothing else, I hurried to my common room as fast as I could. Unfortunately, this caused me to not pay attention to where I was going. Halfway along the fourth floor corridor, I bumped into something small, sending my books flying in all directions. Groaning, I looked down to see what I had walked into. The noise died in my throat as I stared at my Charms teacher. "Oh, Professor, I am so sorry," I blubbered, bending to gather up my books.

"Do not worry, my child," he said kindly as he waved his wand, causing all of the books to soar into his hands. He handed them back to me and spoke again in his squeaky voice. "In fact, I was just looking for you, Miss Lupin. I've just come from the common room. Where have you been?" he asked a little sternly.

"The library," I whispered, hoping I wasn't in any trouble. My face burned as I tried to avoid looking at him.

"Ah, of course. I should have known," he said gently, noting how embarrassed I was. "Well, come along, we must hurry. The headmaster is waiting for us." He began walking away from me as he spoke.

Too stunned to move I stood there a moment, watching him walk away from me. The headmaster? What could Professor Dumbledore possibly want with me? As he began to round a corner ahead of me, I quickly caught up with him, my mind still reeling. I tried to think over the past few weeks since school had started but I couldn't think of a single thing that I had done wrong. There wasn't anything, because I was a model student. Neither of us spoke as we moved through the nearly deserted corridors. Professor Flitwick stopped in front of a large stone gargoyle and said something but I was too focused on my own thoughts to hear the words. The gargoyle sprung aside, revealing a spiral stone staircase that I followed the professor onto. It moved slowly upward, depositing us in front of a thick wooden door.

The door opened of its own accord as we reached it and Flitwick motioned of me to go through. As I stepped inside, I stared around me in awe. Professor Dumbledore's office was magnificent. It was a small, circular room filled with strange devices; I could have stayed there for days examining them. I spun around slowly, trying to take it all in at once. I had almost made it completely back around when something out of place caught my eyes, causing me to spin back quickly to look at the place again.

Standing next to Professor Dumbledore, looking rather shabby compared to the brilliantly dressed wizard, was my father. "Daddy!" I cried as I ran to him. He held his arms out and picked me up in an almost bone-crushing hug. "What are you doing here?" I asked as he set me back down. I was excited and slightly breathless as I stared up into the face of the person I loved most in the world.