Friday rolled around, and with it, the flying lessons. As Harry had said, those who passed the test to show proficiency were exempt from the class. Rosie was rather relieved to not have to take flying lessons. Surprisingly, Luna had to take the class.

"We always had other ways of getting around," Luna explained, dreamily, without explaining what those 'other' ways were. Rosie assumed it was by Floo or Apparition, but with Luna, one could never tell.

On Monday, she had her first History of Magic class, and it was just as boring as everyone had described. Luna spent most of the class doodling the creatures that she said were floating around Professor Binns' head, and Rosie used the time to work on homework from her other classes.

Later in the day, she had her first Charms class as well, with their head of house Professor Flitwick. Like all the other classes, it began with roll call, but when Professor Flitwick came to her name, he beamed at her brightly, and Rosie couldn't resist grinning in return.

"Who can tell me the difference between Charms and Transfiguration?" Professor Flitwick began. "Anyone?"

One of the Ravenclaws, Alec Perriss, raised his hand. The Professor nodded at him encouragingly.

"Charms are different from Transfiguration because Charms add or change the property of an object, rather than changing the object itself," Perriss said, sounding like he had memorized it straight from the textbook. However, Professor Flitwick was delighted.

"Just so, Just so! Five points to Ravenclaw!" he said, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

They did not start on any practical charms in that class. Rather, Professor Flitwick began explaining the theoretical aspects of charms. While Rosie was already aware of most of what Professor Flitwick was saying, she was still fascinated. Professor Flitwick had a way of explaining things that made the concepts very easy to understand. Moreover, he was bursting with enthusiasm for the topic, and whenever he went on tangents, they were always interesting, stimulating Rosie's thoughts.

"There's a very important reason why particular wand movements are needed to perform charms. Does anyone know why?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"It channels the magic within us outwardly," said Sakiko, when Professor Flitwick called on her.

"Very good! Five points to Ravenclaw!" Flitwick said with his twinkling smile.

"Indeed, both the utterance of the Latin and the wand movements channel our magic, which exists in an undifferentiated free-flowing state within us into an external manifestation. But it isn't enough to just wave your wand, and say the right words. Intent is extremely important as well. Intent cannot be taught - only experienced and felt. However, there are a number of mental exercises that enable you to guide your intent. We will be trying some of these exercises in the following week to prepare you for the practical component of this class."

As Professor Flitwick lectured, he even started giving them hints about how certain aspects of the theory was important when one wanted to create new charms. Most of the students seemed to enjoy the class. After it was over, the Ravenclaws were in a state of near rapture, as they discussed all the types of charms that they wanted to experiment with and create.

By the end of the second week, much of Rosie's homesickness had faded. She and Harry had decided to speak to Sirius on a biweekly basis, usually out by the lake, but sometimes they'd meet in a quiet alcove in the school if the weather was poor. Rosie always knew when Harry had potions (Mondays and Thursdays in the afternoon) so she often had to emotionally strengthen herself at those times. It did little to endear Snape to her - if anything, she resented what he was doing to Harry. Curiously, he was perfectly polite to her. Once, he even helped her, by showing her how to identify the best specimens of horned slugs for the potion that they were working on. It was decidedly unnerving. Rosie never showed her discomfort however. She always met his eyes, and answered his questions without a waver in her voice.

Rosie was also starting to get a better sense of her place at Hogwarts. She noticed that there was very little inter-house mingling, which she found rather disconcerting. The other students interested her and it struck her as odd to keep everyone divided. While she understood the benefits of competition and healthy rivalry, it seemed to go further than that - the division created boundaries that prevented students from understanding one another, and befriending one another.

She also noticed that Luna had a tendency to oftens disappear, and Rosie never learned she went. Once, out of curiosity, she even followed Luna using the invisibility cloak, but somehow, Rosie still ended up losing the trail. When she asked Luna about it, Luna only ever mentioned the creatures she was searching for - never her actual destination. Rosie wasn't particularly troubled by it. The one place she almost never found Luna however, was in the common rooms. Most of her time seemed to be divided between Harry and his friends, Luna, and sometimes Romulus.

When Saturday of the second week of classes rolled around, Rosie realized that it was going to be the full moon. She had noticed that Romulus had seemed particularly restless. She was used to seeing him quietly reading by the window, but on Saturday, he would read for a bit, stand up and pace, look out the window, read a bit more, and then pace again. He was never really very talkative - in fact, as far as she could tell, she was the only one he spoke to, aside from teachers. Of course, she didn't know where he was at all times, so perhaps he had friends in the other houses. And admittedly, he never actually sought her out to talk - she usually initiated conversations. She sometimes worried that she might be annoying him, but he never asked her to stop, or to leave him alone, or even walk away (which had had actually done to several students who tried speaking to him).

She herself had been trying to read that day, sitting at a chair by one of the other windows, but Romulus's restlessness distracted her, and she set aside her book on Animagus. She got out of her chair, and walked up to him. He was currently standing, and staring out the window, his expression distant.

"Hi Rom," she said. He turned his head towards her, giving her a brief glance before looking back out the window.

"Are you restless because of the full moon?" She asked, after a moment. Her voice was soft enough that only he would hear her question. He turned and glared at her.

"What are you implying?"

"Well, I know Remus is a werewolf," she said softly. "So I thought that perhaps you-"

"You're assuming a lot," he said, with a touch of coldness in his voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, furrowing her brow. "I didn't mean to pry." He glared at her for a moment longer, and then shrugged, looking back out the window. They stood silently for a moment.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked him finally. He looked at her, his cold eyes inscrutable. Then, with a heavy sigh, he agreed. As before, they explored the castle in silence. She didn't know why, but she could tell that Romulus preferred it that way. She didn't particularly mind - the castle was so interesting, and there was so much more that she had yet to explore.

The following week, when Rosie had given up on ever hearing from Remus, she was surprised to get a letter from an owl at breakfast. She was delighted to find that Remus had actually written her back.

Dear Rosie, the letter read

I was very surprised to hear from you and Harry. Of course I do remember you - I could never forget either you or Harry. I apologize for taking so long to reply. I have no excuse.

I'm happy to hear that you like Romulus. I wasn't sure whether Hogwarts would be the right place for him, but Romulus has a bright mind, and I thought Hogwarts would be the place for him to develop it. I do indeed like to read, and it warms my heart to know that you and Harry enjoy reading as well.

I'm not sure that it is the best idea for you and Harry to keep writing me. I don't know how much Sirius told you about me, but there is a reason I left. I feel that continued correspondence would only disappoint you in the long run.

I'm sorry,

Remus Lupin

Rosie looked at the letter in bewilderment. Romulus seemed to have noticed the letter and recognized the handwriting.

"He wrote you back," Romulus said with a tone of surprise, before going back to his food.

"Something wrong?" Luna asked, in her usual gentle tones.

"I don't know," Rosie replied, as she considered the letter. It didn't seem right for Remus to determine whether she would be disappointed or not. She decided (rather stubbornly) that she would indeed reply to his letter.

By late September, Rosie had a fairly good grasp on the dynamics of the Ravenclaw house. She had taken to spending a lot of time in the common rooms, usually sitting in a chair across from Romulus, who silently accepted her presence. Often during those time, Luna had mysteriously disappeared, but she always returned looking rather pleased with herself ("I'm doing some research for daddy," she had said, mysteriously).

For the most part, the students spent most of their time with their year mates, however, there was one group that many of the Ravenclaws silently gravitated towards. This was a fourth year, named Toby Woodbridge, and his two friends, Samir Kapoor and Christopher Hemsley. The word around Ravenclaw was that Toby was a genius, who was quite brilliant at magic. He may not have been the most powerful wizard, but his quick mind meant that his grasp of the theory was so extensive that he often was able to make remarkable leaps of understanding. He had awareness of many of the more obscure branches of magic, and was known for making very interesting theoretical connections that allowed for new ways of performing magic.

Toby had pale skin with glossy black hair and rectangular framed glasses. He was tall and slender, and he had delicate features that were almost cat like. He could easily have been described as pretty, however, this was offset by the occasional flashes of coldness in his dark eyes. He hid it well, but Rosie thought she could sense flickers of cruelty in his eyes. Both of Toby's friends, Samir and Christopher were handsome, in different ways, but Toby was obviously the leader of the trio. Ravenclaws had taken to calling them the Triad of Brilliance, which Rosie personally thought was overdoing it. However, there was no doubt that the three of them were at the top of their class.

Edine and Sakiko sighed over them, when they weren't gushing over Professor Lockhart ("Toby's eyes are so gorgeous!" "But Professor Lockhart is so brave! He even befriended pack of werewolves who saw him as their alpha!".) These discussions were always punctuated with far too many giggles. While it was true that Toby was very attractive, Rosie didn't particularly have a strong interest in boys. Afterall, she was only eleven. A part of her wondered if Edine and Sakiko were just trying to emulate their older peers. These would include the worshipful third years Marietta Edgecombe, Sarah Kempson, and their friend Cho Chang, who followed Toby around like a gaggle of geese. Admittedly, Cho wasn't as enamoured as her friends - she admired the Triad, but spent more time mooning over one of the popular Hufflepuffs.

For the most part, Rosie kept her distance from Toby. He often seemed friendly and warm to all his housemates, and graciously helped them with their homework whenever they struggled, but to Rosie, it seemed like an act. She had seen him stop people in their footsteps with his smile, but she always found it suspicious. Perhaps it was different when one was the recipient of said smiles - Rosie wasn't sure. She did not particularly care to find out.. She could never pinpoint why she thought Toby was just acting - he was perfectly polite to her, with a ready smile that left most girls blushing. Perhaps it was just the way that no one seemed to dare cross him, or how no one ever intruded on his 'territory.'

Toby's 'territory' was a section of the common room by one of the windows which boasted the best view in the Nest. Even when Toby wasn't in the common room, people steered clear of his spot. It was so unnerving - Rosie herself got chills if she thought about sitting in his seat, and she considered herself fairly brave. She wasn't even sure what the consequences would be of entering Toby's 'territory' uninvited. She only knew that it would be bad - very bad. Despite all that, things seemed to be in a state of equilibrium among the Ravenclaws, and she tried to put it out of her mind.

By this time, she also noticed that the Slytherins in her classes seemed to be very split. There was the group that gravitated towards Astrid, which included Amphillis and Casper. They tended to maintain their cold, superior attitude, and it was sickening, the way their lips would curl in disgust if they happened to have to deal with muggleborn witches wizards. Then there was Luthais and Mathilda, who seemed to have readily accepted Rosie, and the rest of her house. She knew that the Slytherins were more accepting of her (despite being a half-blood) because she had pureblood manners (Thank you Madam Walburga). It meant that in some ways, the Slytherins could see her as being "one of them." She also had some degree of awareness of pureblood politics. Living in the Black Ancestral house meant that one learned about such things, whether one wanted to or not.

As the sister to the Boy Who Lived, it should have put her squarely in the position of Light, but as a seeker of knowledge, she found herself considering a multitude of perspectives. She did not believe that purebloods were superior to muggleborns or half-bloods. However, she also understood the value of wizarding tradition, and maintaining the values and customs that wizards lived by. It was hard for her to perceive the situation in terms of black and white.

Of course, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was another matter altogether. Mostly, Rosie just thought he was insane - not only for torturing muggles and causing general destruction, but also for attacking a baby wizard (and being vanquished by said baby wizard). She knew that many of the Slytherins were the children of Death Eaters, or related to Death Eaters. But she also knew that one couldn't judge people by who their parents were. Didn't Sirius exemplify that very notion?

She was grateful to have been sorted into Ravenclaw rather than Gryffindor. The House rivalry between Gryffindors and Slytherins meant that they never took the time to truly understand one another. It was a shame really. Even Harry, who was generally very sympathetic to others, didn't care for the Slytherins. Yet, based on her observations, there were Ravenclaws that she knew of that were just as arrogant and contemptuous as any Slytherin. It made no sense to paint a whole House by broad strokes.

In late September, Rosie finally received another letter from Remus. Of course, her own letter to him had been rather cajoling - she didn't want to give him a reason to avoid writing her. So she had of course asked a lot of questions, and she may or may not have also had added a touch of pleading, to stir up his guilt. (Remus, I'm working on a potions project with Rom. How do I get him to open up to me and explain his methods? You're the only one who can help me, and I want to be a better friend to Rom). She and Harry had a lot of practice manipulating Padfoot, and she didn't hesitate to use what she knew against Remus.

She eagerly opened the letter up at the breakfast table, her toast and jam forgotten.

Dear Rosie,

While I don't think it's a good idea for us to keep writing, I felt it would be wrong to ignore your letter. You're very sweet for being so happy to hear from me, but your kindness is undeserved.

You must already be very good friends with Rom if he permits you to call him that. He has always been a rather quiet boy. I would recommend having patience with him. He only speaks when he is ready to.

To answer your other questions, yes, Professor McGonagall was my transfiguration teacher when I was in Hogwarts, and no, I don't have the same passion for potions as Rom does.

Most pranks that we played in Hogwarts were James or Sirius's idea. I helped with a lot of the charms work. Yes, in fact, I did create a few charms of my own. Not as many as Lily, but Lily was particularly talented.

Yes, I am currently working, but it is only a part time job. I'm sure that you're aware that most people are hesitant to hire those who suffer lycanthropy. I'm not sure if I would ever want to work at Hogwarts. Thank you for your belief that I would make a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but I cannot imagine that parents would be comfortable with a werewolf teaching their children.

I hope that answers all your questions

Yours,

Remus Lupin

"He wrote you again," Romulus said, looking over the letter. Rosie grinned at him.

"Yes he did," she said with a touch of pride. "And he's going to write me back yet again. I'll make sure of it." She already had ideas for a million questions she wanted to ask him.

"The bluebell-spirits must be bringing you luck," Luna said with a placid smile. "They bring me luck as well. I feel them around you a lot."

"Maybe that's why we're such good friends," Rosie replied to Luna, leaning her head on Luna's shoulder affectionately. Luna seemed particularly pleased by her response.

Rosie was quite preoccupied with all her new classes (as well as learning all she could about Animagi in her spare time), that she did not notice her link with Harry was darkening until early October. It was not anything particularly obvious - it hard to even describe or pinpoint. Initially, Rosie had thought that Harry was just adjusting to being at Hogwarts, and that his anxiety and unhappiness was fading away. Yet, something about it was off. At times, it almost felt like a heaviness in the back of her head. It had an odd, shadowy quality that was impossible to interpret. Sometimes, what she felt from Harry simply didn't feel like Harry.

"Is everything alright, Harry?" she asked him (quietly) one day in the library. It was where he was most likely to be found, studying with Hermione, and sometimes Neville. He seemed pale to her, and unusually difficult to read. There was an odd "blank" quality to him, not only because of the darkness that marred the link, but because his expressions nowadays often seemed empty.

"Everything is fine," he replied tonelessly.

"What about potions? And your other classes?" she continued.

"It's going well," he said, and then turned back to his books. Rosie looked over at Hermione, but Hermione was engrossed in whatever it was she was studying.

"Do you want to speak to Sirius on the mirror later?" she asked.

"Hm. I'm busy." He reached into his school bag and took out the mirror, handing it to her. "Here. You probably use it more than I do." She took the mirror, but a shiver passed through her. Harry was as close to Sirius as she was. Couldn't he even take a few minutes to speak to Sirius? Rosie wasn't sure what to make of it, but she couldn't think of anything to do.

She looked over at what he was working on. It appeared he was doing an assignment for Charms. She found herself wondering if he ended up using that old black book to write down his ideas. She almost forgot about it, but the memory stuck in her mind because that was when he had showed her one of her mother's charms.

"What happened to that little black book you had?" she asked her brother, curiously. He looked at her blankly.

"Black book?"

"Yeah, remember? On the train? You had it in your bookbag. You told me you wanted to use it for charms, and it looks like you're doing charms now."

"Oh. I never really used it. Don't need it." he replied. The flatness of his voice was unsettling. Harry's attention returned to his studying, and he seemed to have forgotten her presence. Rosie frowned, and walked to the other side of the table, sitting next to Hermione.

"Hermione, how long has Harry been like that?" she asked in a whisper. Hermione looked over at Harry.

"Oh, he always gets really caught up in his studying. I suppose that's why we're such good friends," Hermione smiled affectionately. Rosie looked at her oddly. Did Hermione not notice the difference in Harry? Rosie frowned. Could it all be in her head?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Something was off about Potter, and Severus found himself feeling extremely suspicious. In a disturbing sense, some part of him seemed to take pleasure in tormenting the boy. He looked so much like James, that it was difficult to separate the difference between James and Harry. But over the past couple of weeks, something about the boy had changed. On the surface, it might have seemed like a good thing: the boy was doing better in his classes, and causing no trouble at all. In fact, these days he was taking more points off Finnigan and his merry band of idiots, than he was taking off points from Potter. It wasn't that the classwork was getting easier - as they moved through the curriculum, the potions incrementally increased in difficult.

Yet for some reason, Potter's potions were not the horrible wrecks that he had come to expect. In fact, some of his potions were even passable. Severus wasn't sure how he felt about it. True, Potter's potions were nowhere as good as his sister's. Primrose (and her werewolf partner) tended to always turn out flawless or near flawless potions. They were his best first-year students, so it was expected of them. However, in no universe that he could imagine would Potter be described as a good potions student.

Not only that, the tone of the boy's voice seemed to have changed. Severus was used to the boy answering most of his questions correctly, but the boy usually answered in an unsteady, or subdued voice. Now, Potter's voice was simply - flat. Had the boy gotten into some kind of mischief? Potter used to be so easy to read - embarrassment, timidity, surprise, confusion, fear. These were all emotions that he associated with Potter. But now, Potter seemed strangely unruffled.

Potter still never met his eyes of course. A change like that would have Severus instantly on high alert. However, if the boy did start meeting his eyes, then at least he would have been able to use Legilimency on him. But no, whatever was going on, it was subtle.

Was Potter having personal difficulties? He noticed that Potter did not get along with many of his housemates, but famous people were often known for being difficult. One need look no further than Gilderoy Lockhart to see that famous people could be complete ninnies. Why Albus had hired that fool was completely beyond Severus's understanding. Did the headmaster have no interest at all in ensuring a quality education for his dear charges? Apparently not.

Severus tried to convince himself to let the matter go. If Potter had changed, that was none of his businesses. If he was doing better in potions, that could only be a good thing - it meant less ingredients wasted, and less cauldrons destroyed. And yet, he found himself unable to stop thinking about it.

The oddness of Potter's behaviour meant that he ended up scrutinizing Primrose more carefully, trying to determine if there was any change in her as well. She seemed the same as ever - the more he observed her, the better he was able to separate her and Lily in his mind (which, if he ever gave it much thought, made it that much stranger that his impressions of Harry and James were so tangled). Lily had always seemed more vivacious, more open and friendly. Primrose, was more poised and calm. Lily often seemed to be surrounded by people, who were drawn to her like moths to a flame. Primrose (when he saw her outside his class, such as at the Great Hall), had a limited circle of friends. And one of the most striking differences of all was that Lily had always seemed warm and welcoming, but Primrose struck him as almost icy. (He did not seem to realize that this iciness was reserved largely for him). Yet, despite these differences between her and Lily, he found that he generally had a positive impression of the girl. She seemed interested in learning and in potions, and without really even thinking of it, he found himself guiding her, in small ways.

As for Potter, not only did he observe him more closely, but he even found himself going out of his way to consult the other staff at Hogwarts. What was the world coming to, when he found himself actually wanting to discuss Potter with anybody? It felt like the world had been tossed on its head.

"Severus!" Minerva said in surprise, when she saw the younger teacher at the door to her office. "Come in! What brings you here today?" Minerva's expression was concerned. It was unusual to see Severus outside the dungeons. Furthermore, Severus was not one for social calls - for him to be here suggested that something was wrong.

"Minerva," Severus greeted in his silky voice, as he entered the room.

"Come, have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?" Minerva asked while Severus seated himself in a chair by the fire.

"I'm not here on a social call." Severus replied, his expression pensive.

"I gathered as much." Minerva sat in the chair across from him. "What's the matter? Nothing serious, I hope?" Severus started into the flames, and he seemed lost in thought. Minerva looked towards the fire as well, giving him a moment to think. She knew that it never did any good to push Severus.

"Have you noticed anything - different about Potter?" He asked, after a moment. "Mr. Potter, that is." Minerva furrowed her brow, and considered.

"Mr. Potter has always been a studious boy," Minerva said cautiously. "He has never caused me a moment of trouble."

"I'm not suggesting he is in trouble, Minerva. No need to get protective over your precious Gryffindors. I merely wish to know if you have observed any changes in Mr. Potter's behaviour."

"I don't believe so," Minerva said with a frown. "He does consistently well in classes, and none of his friends have come to me about any changes in his behaviour."

"Hmm." Severus was thoughtful.

"What's the matter, Severus? What have you noticed?"

"He's doing better with his Potions." Severus replied.

"Isn't it a good thing? Don't tell me your grudge against James extends to the boy, that you can't be happy for his success."

Severus frowned. "If it were only that, I would let it go. However, there is something different about the way he acts, and the way he speaks. It seems as though he isn't entirely - there."

"Could it be the workload of classes?"

"He's in second year, Minerva. The workload is light. And as you said, he's a studious boy. He and Miss Granger are undoubtedly ahead in all their classes." Minerva pursed her lips.

"It could very well be stress," Minerva said, after a moment. "Mr. Potter, unfortunately, does not get along well with all his year mates."

"Hm. Perhaps you're right, Minerva." Despite his words, Severus did not seem convinced.

"Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention Severus. I shall keep an eye out for him, regardless." Severus nodded, and stood up to leave.

"Are you quite sure you don't want to stay for a drink?" Minerva asked, hoping that the younger teacher would eventually relax and perhap even befriend the other members of the staff.

"I'm afraid I have a lot of marking to do tonight. Good Evening, Minerva." He inclined his head politely towards her.

"Good evening, Severus," Minerva replied. As Severus walked back towards the dungeon, he considered the situation. Nothing had been solved, but he was determined to keep an eagle eye on Potter.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Romulus was sitting at one of the desks in the Ravenclaw common room, rather than his usual seat by the window. He had Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration open on the desk, and was using it to reference several points in his essay, which was due on Monday. He knew he had plenty of time to work on it, but he liked finishing his assignments early. He copied the diagrams and formulas with care, taking pride in his precise hand. Like many of the other Ravenclaws, he found Transfigurations interesting - not as interesting as potions, of course, but to him, no other subject was.

It was a lovely early October afternoon, and the first-year Ravenclaws had a spare in this period. Many of them were in the common room, as well as some of the other older students, but Primrose was nowhere in sight. He wasn't sure whether or not he felt relieved or disappointed.

He had gotten used to her quiet company. When he had first met her, he had assumed that she was like most other wizards and witches - annoying, invasive, full of artifice or self-absorbed. That, or fearful, and disgusted if they ever came to be aware that he was a werewolf. Primrose did ask rather personal questions, and she did press her company upon him. He still didn't feel comfortable with anyone knowing too much about himself. Yet, as he got to know her (not through discourse, but through observation), he found that he almost liked her. Almost - sometimes he wasn't so sure. It wasn't necessarily that she stood out from the crowd (as far as he could tell), or that she was dramatically different from other people. Perhaps it was just what his instincts told him - that she could be trusted. That she wasn't pretending to him like, and seemed to actually genuinely like him (though he made no effort at all to be liked). For some reason, he didn't feel any inclination to push her away, or to make an effort to avoid her. Primrose just was.

He frowned as he realized his train of thoughts. When did he care, what anyone other than Remus, was or was not? Thinking of Remus reminded him that the full moon would be coming up in a few days, on Sunday. Professor Snape had given him a batch of wolfsbane potion last month and had handed him another batch just yesterday. When Romulus had asked him detailed questions about his brewing techniques, the professor had seemed surprised, but not displeased.

"If it wouldn't trouble you, may I watch you brew it sometime, sir?" Romulus had asked respectfully. Professor had given him an inscrutable look with his black eyes, before nodding.

"Come to my office on the last Sunday of the month at 7 o'clock. Do Not touch anything, and do not make a sound as I work," the Professor said, in his soft and dangerous voice.

"Thank you, sir," Romulus replied.

He was grateful for the wolfsbane potion, but in truth, he never actually took it. He was supposed to go to the Shrieking Shack every full moon, and always pretended to do so, but then he would backtrack, and spend his time roaming the forbidden forest with only his wolf instincts to guide him. Wolfsbane potion was one of the most difficult potions to make, and on top of that, the ingredients were expensive. It was more than Remus could afford on his paltry salary. So instead, Romulus sent his batch of potions to Remus, with a note attached saying it was 'extra that he didn't need.'

Remus didn't need to know the truth, and for Remus, having his human mind in control was important when the full moon came. Romulus had a rather opposite perspective - he liked the single mindedness of his once-a-month wolf instincts. It was like being free of all his burdens, and he could focus on hunting, exploring, or occasionally getting into scuffles with other animals. As long as he didn't encounter any humans in his wolf form (which would be too tempting to eat), he was fine.

He forced his attention back on his essay. As he scratched at his parchment, he could hear one of the students coming through the Ravenclaw entryway behind him. Judging by the smell, it was Primrose's friend - what was her name? Something related to the moon - Lune? No, Luna. That was it. He paused, subtly scenting the air to smell if Primrose had followed her, but it seemed as though Luna was alone. He expected to see Luna walk past his desk and head up to the dorms. Luna was someone who was rarely ever in the common rooms. However, when she failed to do so, he couldn't help but turn in his seat to see what she was up to.

She was carrying an odd assortment of items on some sort of tray: what looked like a scrap of rainbow-y fabric, bits of string, flowers, feathers, pieces of what looked like chicken bones, and rocks. Romulus wasn't the only who had turned to look at Luna. It seemed as though everyone in the room was looking at her as well. Most of the House was accustomed to her unusual behaviour. After all, Ravenclaw House did have a history of producing some rather quirky and unique characters and oddballs. And Luna wasn't the only strange person who currently resided in the Ravenclaw Nest. There was the fifth year who had a habit of wearing all his clothes backwards, walking backwards, and (annoyingly) speaking in backwards sentences ("Today, you are how?" "Day beautiful very a is it, Yes"). There was also two third years and sixth year that were considered rather odd ducks.

However, to the alarm of everyone in the common room, Luna was entering Toby's 'territory.' Toby Woodbridge and his Triad of Brilliance were currently still in classes, so the territory was empty (of course). However, it was as if there was an invisible line that everyone knew not to cross. Romulus himself was well aware of the nature of territorial behaviour - if anything, he understood it better than most. Crossing into someone else's territory could very well get you killed. Luna, however, seemed to be completely oblivious to this "fact" that everyone else took for granted.

There seemed to be a collective gasp (albeit a quiet one), as everyone watched Luna walk over to Toby's chair. She set her tray of items on the low coffee table that sat in front of the chair (across the coffee table was a sofa, where Toby's friends Samir and Christopher usually sat. If one was particularly favoured by Toby, sometimes he might even permit an outsider to pull up a chair, alongside the coffee table.) The Ravenclaws looked at each other, and then looked at Luna, wide-eyed in shock.

Luna (still oblivious to all the eyes upon her), was taking the items off the tray, and arranging them in a very particular pattern on the table. She seemed completely engrossed in what she was doing. The other Ravenclaws were starting to whisper about her, but she did not seem to hear. None of them warned her away, or tried to do anything to help.

Unable to bear the situation (Luna was Primrose's friend after all), Romulus stood up from his desk, and went over to Luna.

"Luna," he said in a low, hushed voice. She looked up to him and smiled serenely.

"Hello, Romulus."

"Luna, you can't sit there. You have to leave."

"Leave? Why? This is the only spot in the tower where I can create a tumbling-bouloedinker nest."

"It doesn't matter," Romulus said, his voice almost an urgent hiss. "This territory is taken. You have to leave."

He was almost ready to reach over and physically pull her away, when he heard the entry to the Ravenclaw common room open, and Toby and his Triad (as well as a group of other fourth years who had just finished their class) sauntered in. The blood left Romulus's face.

All eyes in the room were on Toby - even the fourth years who had pooled in behind him - and Toby was looking directly at Luna. It seemed as though everyone had collectively held their breath at once, terrified to see what would happen. Toby's expression didn't change. There was no tightening of his jaw, or hardening of his eyes. He looked completely calm and unruffled. Samir and Christopher however, shared a knowing glance, and then looked at Toby with expressions that could almost be described as "guarded."

Toby walked up to Luna, and Romulus longed to step away, but he held place. Though his instincts screamed Run! This is enemy territory, Run! he forced himself to stay on the spot. He couldn't bring himself to toss Luna to the (enemy) wolves. Toby seemed to ignore Romulus completely. Instead, he stood near the edge of the coffee table, and looked curiously down at the coffee table and then at Luna.

Toby's posture was completely relaxed. He didn't cross his arms - just kept his one hand on his bookbag, looking entirely casual. Luna, in turn, looked curiously back at Toby. 'Doesn't she know what kind of danger she is in?' Romulus thought frantically, looking at Luna, before nervously flicking his glance at Toby.

"Hello," Toby said to Luna. His voice had a rich, silky quality, but it was not like Snape's. It was a bit more lilting and musical. There was no edge of threat in his voice. Toby sounded almost solicitous and friendly.

"Hello," Luna replied, her expression still unruffled, though the curiosity remained.

"You're one of the first years aren't you?" He asked. Luna nodded.

"I don't see you around very much," Toby continued softly, smoothly, but loud enough that the entire (silent) common room could hear. "What was your name again? Hmm - Loony, was it?" Toby's expression remained completely innocent. Romulus shivered. He knew that where Toby led, the rest would follow. It was an act of pure malice, and he had essentially set the whole Ravenclaw house against Luna without her even knowing.

"No, my name is Luna," Luna replied.

"Hmm," Toby replied. He smiled, but it was a hard-edged smile, not a real one. "I do hope you'll enjoy your time here in Ravenclaw. Luna." Toby then turned to look at Romulus.

"And what of yourself, Lupus Hominis," Toby said, his voice low and quiet enough so that only Romulus and Luna could hear. Romulus paled. Albus Dumbledore had promised that his identity as a werewolf would not be revealed to the other students. How did Toby know?

"Well? Do you have anything to say?" Toby asked, in his hypnotic voice. It sounded like an innocent question but it was essentially a threat. If Romulus made the wrong move, Toby was threatening to reveal his identity as a werewolf to the student body. He couldn't do it - he couldn't bring himself to be exposed. Shaking his head, he took a step back. He hated submitting - hated it more than anything, but this was not his fight.

Toby smiled, but this time with a glimmer of amusement. He turned to look at Samir and Christopher, and tilted his head towards the dorms. They nodded in understanding, and the Triad went up to their room. When the door shut behind them, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.