Hey everyone. I'm soooo sorry for the long wait. I hope you all can forgive me, but I return with a present of a longer than normal chapter. This last month I was taking a lifeguard training course, but on the bright side I passed my class.

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"Today we will be brewing a basic cure for boils," Professor Slughorn announced as the last of the Gryffindor and Slytherin students found their seats. "All the ingredients are up here and instructions are on page 155 of your text book. Get started."

Hermione and Remus immediately headed up to retrieve their ingredients and worked together so they would only have to make one trip.

"Hey let's put all the ingredients in the middle of our desk so we can share a text book and our desk won't be as crowded," Hermione suggested.

"Alright, that sounds good. So the step is to add 6 Snake Fangs to the mortar and crush them into a fine powder," Remus read.

The two continued working like this for the next fifteen minutes.

"Well done Mr. Snape. Five points to Slytherin for a correctly brewed Cure for Boils." Slughorn congratulated. "Ah and I see Mrs. Hermione and Mr. Lupin are almost done with their potions as well."

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"I can't believe Snivellus finished that stupid potion in nineteen minutes," Sirius complained.

"He was just showing off for Lily," Remus said.

"I guess did you see the way she was looking at him when he finished? It almost looked like she was admiring him, the way she looked at him," Sirius laughed.

"Maybe that's because she doesn't despise him like you do," Hermione said slowly.

"Well then she isn't right in the head. What class are we going to now?"

"Um… flying lessons," Remus said grateful for the change of topic.

"James should like that," Hermione commented.

"Ya that's all I've heard from him for the past week. Well other that how perfect Lily is. Where is James?" Sirius asked. He and Remus looked around confused.

""He's back talking to Lily," Hermione said, "Lily told me last night that he's starting to get on her nerves."

"Oh great what'll this be like the fifth time he's asked her out in two weeks?" Remus asked.

"Actually seventh you forgot about last Friday during potions when his blew up," Sirius said.

"Right and yesterday after she basted him in Defense," Hermione added.

By this time they had made their way to the pitch and saw two parallel lines of Clean Sweep brooms lined up in the middle with Madam Hootch in the middle of the two rows.

"All right class, I want everyone to stand by a broom," Madam Hootch shouted so everyone could hear her.

All the first years scrambled to find a spot next to a broom. James and Sirius excitedly ran to a broom while Remus and Hermione reluctantly found a spot near the end of the two lines.

"Now I want everyone to hold their hand over their broom like this," Hootch demonstrated on her own broom, "and say 'UP'," everyone cheered as the broom flew up into her outstretched hand. "Okay now everyone try."

James reached out over his broom and quietly said, "Up," when the broom flew up into his hand.

After a few failed attempts to get his broom Sirius looked around and when Madam Hootch was not looking he pulled out his wand and cast Wingardium Leviosa on his broom, making it "fly" into his hand. James saw this and laughed.

"Why won't this stupid broom rise?" Hermione complained. "I don't even know why I need to take this class. I don't even want to fly."

"I'm with you Hermione I don't like this class either," Remus agreed as he picked up his broom when Hootch wasn't looking. Seeing this Hermione followed suit while it was safe.

"Now I want everyone to mount their brooms but keep their feet on the ground," Hootch commanded when everyone had their brooms in their hand.

"Hey Sirius, want to make Snivillus fly?" James whispered to his friend.

"Of course," Sirius replied while pulling out his wand, "Wingardium Leviosa," he whispered.

"Ah, help me," Snap yelled out.

"Mr. Snap! Return to the ground this moment," Madam Hootch yelled at the boy.

"I-I can't," he yelled back after a failed attempt.

"Class dismissed," Hootch announced after rescuing Snap from the sky.

"That was fun," Sirius exclaimed as the group walked to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Did you see Snivillus' face when you put that spell on him?" James asked.

"That was you two!" Lily angrily asked.

"Ya, did you like it?" James coolly asked.

"Like it! That was mean and dangerous! What if he fell? Someone could have gotten hurt because of you," Lily ranted.

"I agree with Lily that was stupid and dangerous of you two," Hermione said.

"It was," Remus agreed when the two boys looked at Hermione with disbelieving looks.

The next day found the five friends sitting together discussing the fast approaching holidays after James and Sirius repeatedly apologiesed for their carless actions of the previous day. The students all looked up in anticipation when they heard the familiar screech of the owls. This could only single the arrival of the post.

Sirius saw one of the owls swoop down toward him with a letter attached to its leg. It landed on the table and knocked a glass of pumpkin juice over and the contents spilled into Hermione's lap. Remus cast a quick spell which dried the table and Hermione's lap.

"Thanks," Hermione said, "I hate owls."

"No problem, and so do I," Remus said.

"Same here," Sirius agreed as he read the letter.

His eyes got bigger as he read through it, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" he shouted pumping his fist in the air.

"What's it say Sirius?" James asked as his friend did a happy little dance in his seat at the table.

"It says:

'Sirius,

Do not bother coming home for the holidays. We have heard of the kind you have befriended and do not approve. You are no longer welcome until you rid yourself of those, "friends" you have. You are tainting our family name by associating yourself with those mudbloods, blood- traitor, and half- breed.

-mum'"

"Your mum sounds like a lovely women," Remus commented sarcastically.

"Oh, she is. You should come over sometime for dinner this summer," Sirius sarcastically replied back, "What do you think she meant by that last sentence?" he asked looking at the paper, breakfast long forgotten.

"Um… well, Hermione and Lily are muggle- born, and my family is pure- blood but not a dark family, so I guess I'm probably the 'blood-traitor,' but whose the half-breed," James said.

"I don't know," Sirius commented.

"So you're staying here?" Remus asked trying to direct the conversation away from half- breeds, "I am."

"Yup, how bout you guys?"

"I'm staying," Hermione said.

"So am I," Lily added.

"I don't know if I am," James said.

An owl flew in and landed in front of James. This time everyone moved their food out of the way. James took the letter and read it. After a minute he looked up.

"Looks like I'm going home," he said half exited half disappointed.

That night found Hermione and Remus walking in late for dinner from the library. Sirius was eating as much as he could and James was eating and staring at Lily who started talking to Hermione when she sat down next to her.

"Sirius, you eat like a dog. In fact a lot of your behavior reminds me of a dog," Remus commented.

"Ya, well at least I don't disappear every full moon. You know if I didn't know any better I'd think you were a werewolf," Sirius countered.

Remus turned white and panicked, 'Had he figured it out? Was it the letter he received that morning and his sad attempt at changing the conversation?'

The girls looked back and forth between the two and James was looking at Remus curiously.

"W-well good thing you know better," Remus stammered.

"Or do I? Maybe when you were little you got bit by Fenir Greyback."

Remus was staring to shake and looked at Sirius hurt.

"Oh, Remus I'm sorry. I-I dint' mean to hurt you, mate," Sirius groveled, "I was only joking."

"It's okay. I'm not hungry anymore," Remus said as he got up and walked out.

Sirius and James shared a curious look with eachother. Hermione watched him leave and then looked at the others.

"I'm going to go make sure he's okay," and with that Hermione followed him out.

She saw him turn and head in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower. She followed behind him hopping he would not notice her till her got there.

Remus stopped walking, "I know your following me, Hermione."

"I just wanted to know if you were okay," she told hem quietly.

"I am-," he trailed off. "I just want to be alone."

"Well, why don't you tell me what bothered you about Sirius' comment? You know him and how he joked around," Hermione said.

"Yell there are just some things you don't joke about. Especially not in this time, and definitely not if you do not know if something is true," Remus quietly explained hoping she could not see the tears silently running down his cheeks.

"Is it true?" Hermione asked. She was starting to worry about him. She saw the light from the window glisten on his wet cheeks and she knew what the answer to her question was but she wanted to make sure. She also knew that none of the students at the school knew and she made a silent vow to herself that she would not tell anyone.

"I got to go. Can you just leave me alone for a while please?" Remus pleaded. He mentally kicked himself as he turned and left her standing in the quiet corridor. 'Hopefully she didn't noticed my slip up,' he thought, but he knew she did. 'She is to smart not to. She will be asking me questions soon. Maybe it would be easier if she did know, I mean I know her secret,' he thought to himself as he climbed the moving staircase.

Hope you all liked it. Please review and tell me what you think. Also I need an idea for an animagus form for Hermione and a nickname to go along with it. I won't need it for a while though but I thought I'd give you all time to think about it. Just add it into your reviews.