Disclaimer: All rights go to J.K. Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Welcome back! I hope everyone is staying safe in these troubled times. Wishing everyone well, and if you ever need someone to talk to, my PM box is always open!

I apologize for the long gap between updates. Truth be told, I lost the spark for this story, but while in the midst of quarantine, I found my old HP books and decided to read them again. And I'm glad I did-the outline for this story is now complete and the spark is back! However, this chapter is a bit filler, but I was inspired to go back to the basics for a little bit. Hope you still enjoy!

Chapter Twelve

The Offer

Cassie didn't remember stumbling into her own dormitory or falling asleep there, but when she woke up, she was sprawled on top of her covers, still fully clothed with bright sunlight stinging her eyes.

She rolled over and groaned when her wand poked between her ribs. She dug it out from underneath her and tossed it on her bedside table. It landed on the Marauder's Map, thankfully blank and closed, so at least she'd had the sense to seal it before passing out. She peeked out from her curtains to find the dormitory empty; the only sign that the girls had been there was the lingering scent of Marlene's lilac-scented perfume.

Cassie rolled back over and rubbed her eyes, yawning. With everything that had happened within the last twenty-four hours, she was tempted to burrow under her covers and go back to sleep, but she knew she had to find the others and tell them what she'd learned last night about Professor Staghart and Erebus Kane.

With monumental effort, she dragged herself away from the comfort of her four-poster and staggered into the washroom, fumbling for her toothbrush. As she brushed her teeth to remove the taste of stale alcohol from her mouth, she stared at herself in the mirror, grimacing at her tangled hair and the leftover makeup smeared under her eyes, giving her the appearance of a hag. She rubbed at her forehead, but it felt completely normal. No mysterious glowing marks or pain.

After her teeth, she tackled her face and hair, scowling at a stubborn pimple on her chin before going back to her trunk to dress. She threw on an oversized jumper and jeans before grabbing the map off the table and jogging down the staircase, stuffing her wand in her pocket as she went. When she reached the common room, she barreled straight into someone standing near the staircase, sending herself reeling back with a curse.

"Watch where you're going," she snapped, only to look up and see James rubbing his arm where she'd bounced off him. "Oh, it's you."

"Don't sound so pleased," he said. He checked his arm for damage. "Have you happened to have eaten any rocks lately?"

She just rolled her eyes, choosing not to deign that with a response. "Lily's gone, if that's who you were waiting for—like a stalker, I might add."

He sniffed. "I was waiting for you, actually. Lily already went to the Great Hall for breakfast with Marlene and Alice. They didn't want to wake you."

She scanned the common room for the other Marauders, but they were nowhere to be seen. "And your posse?"

"Library." He gave her a meaningful look over the rims of his spectacles. "Researching. Alice told me she, Lily, and Marlene would join us after they ate."

Cassie nodded. "That's a good idea. I don't know what exactly it is we should be looking for, but it's as good a place to start as any."

She made to move past him to the portrait hole, but he blocked her path. "Ah-ah. Cough up, Princess."

"Oh. Right." She took out the map from her pocket and grinned sheepishly at him. "Er, sorry. I just…had a lot on my mind last night."

He looked over the parchment before stuffing it into his own pocket when he was satisfied that she hadn't ruined it. "No, I understand." He fixed her with a stern glare that was reminiscent of his father's. "But if you ever lose it or someone nicks it while it's in your possession, it's your funeral."

"I am sorry for not asking for permission," she said, grimacing. "I shouldn't have taken it without letting you or one of the others know."

"Apology accepted, but only because I know last night was weird," he said, leading the way to the portrait hole. He shot her a glance as they passed through the tunnel. "Speaking of… Are you all right?"

"I'm tempted to ask you to shove me down the moving staircases and let me take my chances," she grumbled. He snorted, and she looked at him. "What about you?"

"Me?" He frowned at her. "What about me?"

"Are you okay?" When he still frowned, she gestured to him. "Look, I'm not dense. All this strange stuff that keeps happening to me…it has to have an effect on you guys, too." She shook her head. "I dunno. I don't want any of you to get involved. I never have."

"It's a little late for that, Cass," he said. He gave her a lopsided grin. "But I get it. And I want to say thank you."

They reached the trick staircases and hopped on one that came their way. "For what?"

"For keeping your word," he said. He drummed his fingers on the bannister while she avoided putting her foot down on the stair that was known for trapping people who hadn't the sense to watch their step. He elaborated when she shot him a puzzled look. "You promised not to keep any more secrets from us. And as far as I can tell, you've been honest. So, thank you."

She shrugged, uncomfortable at the praise. "Not like I could hide much from you. You lot are almost as nosy as me."

He chuckled. "Very true."

"Actually, can we skip breakfast?" she said once they reached the corridor. "I'm not hungry, and I want to see if the others have found anything."

"Sure," he said. "It's only been an hour, but we can still check. And we can always go to the kitchens later."

She gave him a grateful smile as they changed direction and walked toward the library instead of the Great Hall.

"Has your dad ever mentioned anything about a wizard named Erebus Kane?" she asked.

James frowned, thinking. "Nope, I don't think so." He glanced to her. "That's the man your brother said he was going to find in Azkaban, right?"

Cassie nodded, chewing her lip. "Yes. But no one seems to want to talk about what he did to end up there in the first place. And there's something else now, too. Wait until we get to the library, though, then I'll tell you."

James nodded, and they continued to the library in silence. Despite the hour, there was almost no one in the corridors; Cassie suspected that people were taking advantage of the weekend and sleeping in, or otherwise squirreled away to complete homework before tomorrow's Halloween Feast. The reminder of Halloween also made her remember Professor Slughorn's stupid masquerade, and she groaned aloud at the thought.

"Hex me," she said to James's questioning look. "I totally forgot about Slughorn's party."

He chuckled. "Ah, c'mon. It shouldn't be that bad."

"I don't even want to go," she said. "What if something like last night happens again? What do I do?"

"We'll just stick your head in the punch bowl and make a run for it. Ow!" he yelped when she smacked his stomach with the back of her hand.

"I'm serious, James," she said. "I don't know what's going on, or if it might happen again."

"What are you planning on doing, then?" he asked. "Lock yourself away in the tower for the rest of term? You know that won't solve anything."

She sighed. "I know."

"And Hogwarts is the safest place for you right now," he continued. "Even if you won't go to Dumbledore, you're safe here."

She nodded as the great doors of the library came into view.

"I know," she repeated, but she wondered if his statement was still true after everything that had happened within the past year. "I still don't want to go, though."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

They entered the library and found the other boys at a table in the back with piles of dusty books and scrolls shoved unceremoniously in the center of the round oak table. Remus and Sirius conversed lowly over a rather large volume while Peter was fast asleep atop another, his nose twitching in his sleep like he was in his rat form.

"Ah, the Princess awakens," Sirius said, looking up at the sound of their approach. His smile was easy, but Cassie could see the concern in his gaze. "Was the dogpile too much last night?"

"Cassie decided to do some late-night wandering instead," James said before she could speak. He grinned when she glared at him and tapped the pocket where the map was. "The apprentice has now become the master. We've taught her well, lads."

Remus shook his head in exasperation as Cassie and James drew up seats.

"Wherever did I go wrong?" Remus lamented.

Cassie snorted. "You're the one who got me into this, don't forget."

"Indeed." He shook his head in mock shame. "I corrupted you."

"Oi, don't take all the credit," Sirius said.

"Anyway," Cassie said, setting her hands on the table, "what have we got?"

"A big fat pile of nothing," Sirius said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.

"I checked out both versions of Miranda's stories again," Remus said, tapping two familiar books in the pile. "The Latin and Old English ones. I was thinking The Gauntlet of Gryffindor might help us again, even though we already know the tale."

"No, that's a good start," Cassie said, bringing the books closer. "The Gauntlet is the only story where the locket's mentioned. Maybe there's another clue we missed the first time."

She took the Latin version and handed off the Old English one to James. He wrinkled his nose. "Yay. More translating."

"We also got a book of ancient wizarding relics," Sirius said, gesturing to the book he and Remus had been poring over when they'd come in. "The locket probably wouldn't be in there since it's been lost until recently, but maybe there's another object with a similar curse on it."

"So, we're thinking it's a curse?" she asked, her stomach squirming.

"It could be," Remus said, casting Sirius a reproachful look. "But we don't know anything for sure yet."

"That's comforting."

"We'll get to the bottom of this, Cass," Remus said.

She nodded. "They wouldn't have any Azkaban records in here, would they?"

"No, that's saved for the Ministry archives," Remus said. "There are copies of past Daily Prophets, though. You'd have to ask Madam Pince for access first; there's a whole back room dedicated to them, and she has the only key."

James looked at her. "You thinking about tracing back Erebus Kane's arrest?"

She nodded at the same time that Sirius said, "Wait, that bloke your brother wanted to find? Why?"

"I ran into Professor Staghart last night," she said, checking to make sure they were alone before continuing in a lower voice. "I initially went to Myrtle's bathroom to see if she had any more connections to Miranda, but when I left, I ran into him. We talked, and he mentioned that his mentor when he started out as a Curse-Breaker was Erebus Kane, but he wouldn't talk about who he was or what he went to Azkaban for."

Sirius shook his head. "So, the wizard your brother is looking for also happened to be the mentor of our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? There's no way that can be a coincidence."

"I agree," Remus said. "Something's off. I think you should stay away from him, Cassie. Just until we're sure he can be trusted."

"Can we even trust anyone anymore?" she asked, shaking her head in disgust.

"We can trust each other," James said. He nodded to the softly snoring Peter. "We'll always have each other's backs."

"There's another thing," she said once they all nodded. "When I spoke to Myrtle last night, she said Miranda told her one last thing before she followed us into the Forest that night: The Thief was not the only guardian."

Sirius snorted. "Well, that's not ominous at all."

Remus frowned. "Do you have any idea what she could mean?"

Cassie shrugged. "I don't know. But Miranda always wanted to help me. She wouldn't have told Myrtle that if she didn't think it was important for me to know."

"So…back to the Forest we go?" James asked hesitantly, as if hoping she would say no.

Instead, she nodded grimly. "Back to the Forest we go."

Later that day, Cassie ended up in the kitchens with Sirius at his coaxing. She hadn't the faintest trace of an appetite, but Sirius had insisted she needed to eat, which had resulted in them sitting alone in the kitchens while the house-elves dashed about like mad to prepare for tomorrow's Halloween Feast. Cassie pushed around the pasta on her plate, forcing herself to take a bite whenever Sirius looked at her.

After spending most of the morning and the better part of the afternoon researching in the library, they'd found no more leads. Even with the added brains of Lily, Alice, and Marlene, so far there was nothing on the locket, types of curses, or anything related to Cassie's strange occurrence that could be useful to them. They'd had no luck on Erebus Kane, either, but without any exact dates, sifting through the stacks of old Prophets was tedious and frustrating work.

"Y'know, Cass, staring at your food isn't going to provide you with much nutrition," Sirius said. He popped an orange slice in his mouth and gave her a stern look when she glared at him. "See, eating it is what gives you energy."

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled.

"Too bad," he said, peeling the rest of his orange. The sharp tang of citrus hit her nostrils, and despite her words, her stomach rumbled. "Eat."

She forced herself to take a bite, not tasting anything at all. Sirius sighed. He looked perfect that day, as usual. His dark hair fell across his forehead and brushed the collar of his shirt, shadowing his angular face and the stubble he hadn't been bothered to shave from it. It made him look older, more mature, and if she hadn't felt so miserable, she would've gladly continued where they'd left off the night before.

"You're too pretty," she said suddenly. His eyebrows shot up. "It's unfair."

He grinned. "Well, I'm glad you think so. You're not too bad yourself, Princess."

She blushed. "I seem to recall you saying something along the lines of beautiful."

"Don't get cocky," he said, smirking. "It's a far better look on me than you."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "How the hell did I end up here?"

"Well, you see, there's these things called feet that you use to walk to places—"

She rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious." She shook her head again. "I just mean here. With you, and the others, and Will…" She heaved a deep sigh. "Sometimes I wish that nothing had ever happened; that nothing had changed. Or that I was just…gone."

Slowly, Sirius lowered his orange slice from his mouth. "Don't say that."

"Not dead," she said hastily. "Just…not here. That if I went somewhere else, far away, then I wouldn't have to worry about any of you getting hurt." She stared at her half-eaten food. "You almost died last year, Sirius. And I can't—I couldn't…live with myself if something happened to you, or the others—"

He cleared the table in one lithe move, his body landing beside her on the bench while his arms wrapped around her securely. She melted into him, burying her face in his chest and inhaling the scents of pine, leather, and musk.

"I know, Cassie," he murmured into her hair. "Believe me, I know. If anything happened—to any of you—I'd lose it. I'd lose a part of myself."

"I'm so scared, Sirius," she whispered.

His arms tightened around her. "I know, Cass. But I'm here. I'm here."

And for that brief moment, she believed him.

Though she felt as if she were tainting the name of her ancestor, Godric Gryffindor, by staying in her dormitory while the others enjoyed the Halloween Feast and Slughorn's party that followed, Cassie was so exhausted that she didn't particularly care if she looked like a coward for not stepping foot from the tower.

She had sleep to catch up on, anyway, and despite her full head of thoughts, she dozed softly for several hours as the sun set, and the sky darkened.

Unfortunately, she dreamed.

First of Will: alone in a dank cell, shivering in a dark corner and huddled into a tight ball to escape the leeching cold; then of her parents, bloody and dead, with Voldemort standing over them and laughing in his high, cold voice; and then there was herself, standing in the middle of the Gryffindor common room while her head shone and burn, while every Gryffindor around her backed away in fear—even Sirius and the others, her best friends, turned away in disgust, loathing in their eyes—

She awoke with cold sweat slipping down her forehead. The clock on her bedside table read that it was a quarter past one o'clock in the morning, and the soft breaths filling the room told her that the other girls had returned and were fast asleep.

Cassie rolled over so she faced the window and gazed out to the deep black sky. She did not fall back to sleep until well into the morning.

November arrived in a sweep of bitter cold and overcast skies. Though no rain or snow fell, the sun always seemed to be obscured by the slate grey clouds, lending a gloomy air over the castle, especially with exams coming up before the holidays.

On one particularly cold and gusty afternoon, Cassie stood around a tank of double-ended newts in her Care of Magical Creatures lesson, scribbling down notes as Professor Kettleburn explained the magical properties of the newts.

"…Their main diet consists of algae—like you see here—which they can convert into a protective coating like what's on their bodies right now…The slimy coat of a double-ended newt is often used in many potions ingredients…"

Bellamy Armstrong—a Ravenclaw classmate of Cassie's—peered over at her notes. "What was the third most common potion a newt's coating can be used in? Sorry—he just speaks so fast…"

Cassie shifted her parchment so the other witch could see. "Confusing Concoctions."

"Thanks." Bellamy jotted it down.

Cassie continued to listen to Kettleburn. Though she loved the subject, all of her friends that had been in it the year prior had dropped the N.E.W.T. level course, leaving her alone and quite bored. The only thing that kept her interested was the advanced creatures Kettleburn showed them, like the mortis bats last month and the crups before that.

"Now, pair off and select a newt," Kettleburn said. "By the end of the lesson you should have collected a sample of newt slime that I can give to Professor Slughorn. Now, git!"

Cassie glanced to Bellamy. "Partners?"

Bellamy nodded with a slight smile. "Sure."

"I'll get our newt," Cassie said.

She walked to the tank where some of her other classmates stood, trying to catch the slippery newts, but she was intercepted by Professor Kettleburn.

"Alderfair," he grunted. "A word."

Cassie followed him a short way off, walking slowly as he limped along on his wooden leg. He turned once they were out of earshot of the rest of the class. Behind him, Cassie could see Hagrid, the gamekeeper, moving around in his hut through one of his small windows.

"Yes, Professor?" she said, trying not to let her apprehension show. Kettleburn was a grizzled old wizard with several missing limbs—torn off by various dangerous creatures, as he liked to boast of—and a short temper. Though she'd had him as a teacher for several years now, she'd never really spoken to him one-on-one before.

"How's yer bowtruckle?" he asked her unexpectedly. "I haven't seen him in a while."

"Little Leaf?" She blinked at the reminder of the little bowtruckle she'd bonded with in his class last year. She hadn't seen him in several months, since she and the Marauders had gone into the forest to search for the Thief's well. "Er, I'm not sure, sir. Hagrid told me last term that there was a great migration going on in the forest, and Little Leaf must have been part of it. I haven't seen him."

Kettleburn grunted. "Shame. It seemed like you two had a special bond." He scratched his stubbly gray chin. "Listen, Alderfair. I've kept my eye on you for the last few years—yer a great student. Have a way with the creatures." He eyed her with a glimmer of respect. "'s why I want to offer you something—a letter of recommendation for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. McGonagall says you haven't decided on a career just yet, but if yer interested in continuing your studies of magical creatures…"

Cassie stared. "You'd do that?"

"'s what I just said, innit?" he said.

She was flabbergasted. "I—er—"

"Think on it," he said, waving off her stuttering. "In case you want it later on."

"Th-thank you," she stammered.

He jerked his head. "Don' mention it. You should get back to work now, Alderfair." He grinned, revealing a mouthful of missing teeth. "I expect full marks."

"Yes, sir." She bobbed her head. "Thank you, sir."

She rejoined Bellamy, who had gotten their newt in Cassie's absence. Bellamy shot her a curious look. "What did Kettleburn want?"

"Oh, uh…" Cassie shrugged, not wanting to flaunt Kettleburn's offer. "He just wanted some clarification on a paragraph I wrote in last week's essay. Nothing serious."

"Ah, okay." Bellamy turned back to their newt. "I have a vial here for the slime coating…"

As the two girls worked together for the rest of the lesson, Cassie couldn't help glancing to the forest every now and then. Professor Kettleburn's reminder of Little Leaf had made her concerned. What had happened to Little Leaf? Was he still out there somewhere? Or had he finally done what Hagrid suggested to her last term and moved on, deeper into the forest?

She stared into the depths of the trees, knowing with a sinking feeling that she was not done with the forest just yet.

Evening was settling in when Cassie finally trekked back to the castle with Bellamy, both girls clutching vials of newt slime and smelling dreadful from the substance still stuck to their hands. When they reached the courtyard, Cassie looked up and saw Remus walking toward her to meet her halfway.

"Oh," Bellamy said, spotting Remus at the same time as Cassie. It was hard to tell in the darkening light, but the Ravenclaw looked quite pink. "Er, I've got to get to dinner, Cassie. See you next lesson?"

"Yeah," Cassie said as Remus approached them. "Bye, Bellamy."

With a quick glance to Remus, the other girl rushed off. Remus looked after her, bemused.

"What was that about?" he said, turning back to Cassie.

Cassie smirked at him. "It's called a crush, Remus. I think she fancies you."

Remus frowned. "Me?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're oblivious." When he still frowned, she flapped her hand. "What's up? Aren't you going to dinner?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Forgot what?" Then it hit her. "Oh, bollocks. We have an Animagi lesson tonight, don't we?"

He nodded. "Luckily, I had a feeling you hadn't remembered." He reached into his bag and pulled out an apple and a chocolate bar of Honeydukes' finest. "It's not much, but it should hold you over until later."

"Remus Lupin, I might just love you," she breathed, snatching the snacks from him.

He chuckled. "You already do, remember? You told me last term in the hospital wing after…"

He trailed off, but she knew what he was going to say: after you found out I'm a werewolf.

"Oh, yeah." She took a bite from her apple and chewed thoughtfully as he gestured her out of the courtyard and back out to the grounds. "But you said it back, so there."

He shot her an amused glance. "I never denied I did."

"Still." She poked his side as they made their way to the Whomping Willow. "You luuuurve me."

He swatted her hand away. "Don't make me regret it." She laughed, and they fell into silence until he said, "Does that Armstrong girl really fancy me?"

He kept his eyes on the nearing Willow, but his face had an expression she couldn't read.

"I think so," she said, swallowing another bite of her apple. "I mean, she hasn't said anything to me, but she look quite flustered when she saw you today." She gazed at him, curious. "Why?"

He shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Dunno. Girls and me… It's not my thing. Never has been." He smiled ruefully. "Even if one ever noticed me beside James or Sirius, I'd never be able to get close. I wouldn't want to. Not with my condition."

Cassie frowned, finishing her apple and chucking it to the Willow. The vicious tree sensed it near and one of its branches came lashing out, hitting the apple like a Beater's bat and causing it to soar out of sight.

"You shouldn't let that hold you back," she said to him as he stooped and collected a large, dead branch from the ground. "You're a wonderful person, Remus. Any girl would be lucky to have you."

He poked the branch between the Willow's swaying boughs and touched the knot on its trunk. Instantly, the tree stilled, and they approached the tunnel mouth at its base.

"What about you?" she said as they crouched into the tunnel. "Have you fancied anyone?"

His shoulders tensed at the question as he walked ahead of her, holding his wand aloft to provide them light.

"'Course I have," he said shortly.

This piqued her interest. "Ooh, who? What are their names?"

"There's only been one."

She grinned at his bent back as they hobbled along the tunnel. "Even better! Who is it? It's a girl, right?"

He stumbled on a protruding root. "What?"

"I'm just asking!" Cassie said. "No judgment from me, I swear. We love who we love, right?"

"Er, right," Remus said, still sounding quite shocked. When Cassie prodded his back to prompt him, he sighed. "Fine, yes, it's a girl, you nutter!"

"It is?" she said, delighted. "So, you like her right now?"

He gave her a disgruntled look over his shoulder. "Where do you get all your nosiness from?"

"My mum," she said easily. "You don't become a magazine editor by keeping your nose clean, do you?" He mumbled something under his breath. "Sorry? Didn't catch that."

They reached the entrance to the Shrieking Shack. Remus climbed up and then offered Cassie his hand, hauling her into the derelict house and accidentally showering her with dust. He offered her a handkerchief when she began to sneeze.

"I said that explains a lot," he said, wrinkling his nose as she blew her own, quite loudly.

She grinned, shoving the used handkerchief into her pocket with the chocolate bar when Remus declined to touch her snot. "So, are you going to tell me or not?"

He rolled his eyes as he took a seat at the dining table. He waved his wand and lights sprung on throughout the room. "No, I'm not telling you."

She pouted when she sat across from him. "Not fair. Do the others know?"

"No," Remus said, looking as if he wished he hadn't spoken with each passing second.

"Why not? Is she a Slytherin or something?"

"Godric, no." He frowned. "It's just…not a big deal."

"Ah." She tilted her head. "So she's with someone else, eh?"

"What—? No." He shook his head quickly. "Where are you getting this all from?"

"Deductive reasoning."

"You need to be evaluated, then."

She heaved a dramatic sigh. "C'mon, Remus! Let me have some normalcy for once! I just want to focus on something ordinary for a change."

"You can focus on becoming an Animagus," he said, extracting several books from his bag.

"Is she pretty?" she pressed, ignoring him. "In our year? In Gryffindor—?"

"Enough, Cassie!" Remus snapped. She shut her mouth instantly when his hard stare met her own. Immediately, his expression softened. "I-I'm sorry." He glanced to the books guiltily. "I didn't mean to raise my voice like that. Sorry, Cass."

"No, I'm sorry," she said, all her cheeky mischief gone. "I shouldn't've pressed."

He sighed, his eyes still on the books. "My condition… It's not something I wish to inflict on anybody. If someone got too close…if I wasn't careful…" He shut his eyes, his face pale. "I don't even want to imagine it."

She frowned at the dusty tabletop. Though they'd been using the shack more frequently and cleaning it more often, the grime always seemed to come back with a vengeance.

Remus sighed again. She looked up to him and noticed how tired he looked; there was a week until the full moon, but it was already taking a toll on him.

"She's in our year," he said finally, keeping his gaze trained downward. "And yes, she's a Gryffindor. But it wouldn't work; I have to respect—"

He fell silent again, looking as if he'd already said far too much. As he cleared his throat and began opening the books, Cassie sat, thinking. There weren't many Gryffindor girls in their own year. Just her, Alice, Marlene, and—

Lily? She pondered it. Lily fit the description. And Remus has to respect…James? That had to be it. James had pined after Lily for years. Remus would be the type to respect that…

"Let's get started," Remus said, clearing his throat. "I think we're good on theory, so now we just need to work on getting you ready for transformations…"

They practiced well into the evening, when Remus suddenly checked his watch and announced they had twenty minutes to get back to the castle before curfew. They collected their things and cleared out, crawling through the tunnel until they reached the entrance and Remus had immobilized the Whomping Willow again, allowing them to start back to the castle.

They walked in silence, Cassie hungry and exhausted and Remus pensive. It wasn't until they reached the double doors of Hogwarts that Remus stopped, his whole body tensing. He wheeled around, his eyes scanning the shadows of the courtyard.

"What is it?" Cassie asked. She tugged on the sleeve of his robe. "Remus?"

After another minute, Remus slowly turned back to her, shaking his head.

"It's nothing," he said. "Sorry. I just thought…someone was watching…"

Cassie stared at him. "Could it be—er, you know—a…side effect? With…"

She flicked her eyes up to the sky, where the moon squatted behind a low-lying cloud.

"Maybe," he said, though he sounded uncertain. "Come on…we should get inside before someone notices we're out…"

But Cassie couldn't help but feel that there were eyes on her too as Remus ushered her into the castle.

Please review! I'd love to hear from you all again!

Next Chapter: The Watcher

xx