Chapter 2: Remus' POV

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I had basically just ditched Sirius, James, and Peter. I'm sure they were going to give me hell for that later, but I didn't care. I didn't want to be a part of yet another humiliation of Severus Snape. I knew how it felt to be the humiliated one, and I hated that feeling.

I was off to the library to do some more research on my condition. Hopefully, I could find something to ease the pain of them, and to stop the ridiculous growth-spurts that kept me from sleeping.

There were some things a boy my age would enjoy about being a werewolf. Sure, the new strength, speed, reflexes, and heightened senses were all great, but they all came at the price of no control. I hated the pain of the transformations, and how awful I felt during recovery. My body was attempting to piece itself back together, to put the bones in their rightful places.

Needless to say I was tortured. I had forced my friends to become Animingi just to help me, to be able to be with me. The consequences that awaited them if anyone found out were awful. And I couldn't do that to them.

But I loved my brothers all the same. We laughed together, cried together, told each other our deepest secrets, and we loved each other. Don't worry though, none of us were gay…

In fact, it was the exact opposite. Each one of us had someone on our minds, someone we hoped to stake our claim on now that it was our sixth-year.

Sirius had his eye out for the rebellious and drop-dead gorgeous Amelia Berg. Her perfect features were too much for Sirius to pass up. And both were falling for each other.

Poor Peter was stuck with the nosy and rude Marissa Thewlis. He honestly deserved so much better, but she gave him what he wanted, which is sex and fun. There is no denying that….

But now for the difficult part, James. James had been stuck on the same girl ever since arriving to Hogwarts. Lily Evans. Oh how infamous she was in our dorm! James was playing all his tricks, but she was far too stubborn to fall for any of them! She resisted and was fiery, yet beautiful and sweet.

You ask me how I know this? She was the girl I had my eye out for as well, though I didn't make my intentions so well known. Instead going around the back way with my random acts of kindness.

Unfortunately, it seemed I would only know second best. There was a girl in Lily's group of close friends, the French girl Jeanne Ennuoie who had her eye out for me. I didn't want her though. I would only have eyes for Lily.

It was the library I was off to today, ready to read. I was just leaving the Gryffindor dorm, when I saw a familiar red-head nearly crush her face against the stairs as they were moving.

My reflexes and speed reacted at once, catching her and righting her before anything could happen to her lovely face.

I wanted to warn her, to tell her to be careful without letting her think I was genuinely worried. "You should really be more careful you know," I commented in my most confident voice. I noticed her visibly jump, as if she were nervous and intimidated by my presence.

She turned around to face me and I was able to look at her, examine every one of her perfect features. Her skin was pale as the moon (something I normally despised, but it was beautiful on her) and it was an amazing contrast to her red hair. Her fiery hair seemed to glint with gold under the candle light, and it matched her personality perfectly. It was up today, yet a few wild-yet-perfect ringlets had fallen out of her bun. They framed her heart-shaped face.

I gulped as I met her eyes, which were busy examining my own face. They were the greenest of emeralds, sparkling with an ever-burning fire of curiosity and confidence. Despite the lively nature of her wild hair and eyes, her overall exterior was calm and soft. Although I tried not to look, her body was shaped like a perfect hourglass, and…well…she wasn't lacking in the chest. She looked soft, as if you could hug her and kiss her; as if she were a pale, fragile porcelain doll.

Her lovely soprano voice suddenly awoke me from my thoughts of her eyes, "Yes, I know full well how to be careful," she stated as she brushed her tiny hands against the uniform," I just choose not to."

Boy was she a feisty one. She was ready for comebacks when they were needed. I chuckled at her and asked a question, hoping for yes as the answer, "Well, are you headed to the library? That's where I'm going, and I like to think I can stop you from falling again."

She stuck her tongue out at me, and I let out a laugh. She truly was a handful.

I wanted to look at her eyes again, and I knew there was only one way for me to do that, and that was to get to her step, which meant showing off my height.

I weighed my options, and decided to show off my height. I might as well use it to my advantage.

I stepped up and suddenly realized how tall I actually was. I tried not to slouch, but it was extremely difficult. I felt like a giant compared to her.

She was attempting to start small talk, and I gladly joined in.

"So, what do you need from the library?" She asked, her emerald eyes sparkling.

"Just a book on Animingi and werewolves. They've always been a favorite of mine, those dark creatures." I chuckled, thinking of my latest transformation and how my friends helped me. I wanted to help them in return though.

"Well I'm getting a book on potions." Lily stated with a smug tone. Immediately, my mind began running through the possibilities. I had read nearly all of them, and I knew that I could recommend an even better one to her.

"Impossible Potions by Guffaw Gobsmack." She said lightly, yet with raised eyebrows. My study in the area of body language and psychology pointed toward the fact she was proud of her book.

I recognized the name immediately. I had already read it, and it wasn't the best. The illustrations were too cartoon-like for my taste. And the potions were far too simple for the brilliant Lily Evans.

I shook my head, and my hair shook in my face. "Read that. You need something better, something more complicated." I stated as the stairs stopped in front of the library.

"Like what?" She demanded, curiosity burning in her voice, and flaring in her eyes once again. Her vivacity was too contagious, and a feeling of confidence washed over me.

I gallantly grabbed her hand and led her through the library. The feeling of her hand in mine, and how well they fit together sent shivers up my spine. Until I remembered how James had staked his claim on her, and I willed the feelings to stop. But they didn't.

I came to my favorite section, the Anonymous section. All the books there were graphic and extremely detailed and complex.

My eyes scanned for the familiar potions book. The one I had used to ace potions last year, possibly the hardest year for me. If I was right, it would last for this year as well.

She stared at the title of the author, and when she arched her eyebrow in uncertainty, I shrugged, hopefully reassuring her.

I grabbed the book I wanted. Animingi and Werewolves: Curses and Choices. I smirked at how perfectly that fit my friends and my situation.

Immediately I was buried in my book, and I forgot completely about Lily until she was gone.

I sighed, thinking of her. It was odd, how one girl could make me so giddy. I instantly scolded myself. She was James's girl.

And yet I couldn't deny the reason I was happy, for once.

I had just spent the hour with Lily Evans.