The next few days were confusing.

Remus tried to talk to Sirius, just like Dumbledore had asked him to, but he couldn't find the time. Either Sirius was whispering with James and Peter (probably about Animagus things, but Remus wasn't sure, because they immediately stopped whispering whenever Remus came near the dormitory) or he was helping Dumbledore.

On Saturday, Remus stopped by his professors' classrooms to pick up work that he'd missed and get caught up on the lessons. Both Professor McGonagall and Professor Finley gave Remus comprehensive lessons on all that he'd missed, and Professor Flitwick went a step further and recommended some books from the library on duelling just in case Remus was ever ill and bored again. Remus didn't tell him that they were the same books that Professor Questus had recommended over the span of a year. He'd already read them all.

James, it seemed, was always either playing Quidditch, at Divination tutoring, or thinking of how to steal more Mandrakes. He was also planning another booby trap for the dormitory. He'd actually constructed quite a complicated one, with a myriad advanced spells that would only allow the Marauders or adults to enter. Remus felt sort of bad that James was spending so much time on something that, by design, would not keep out the culprit... but a little guilt was better than three dead friends.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was actually doing very well. James, to nobody's surprise, was a brilliant Beater. During a recent Quidditch game, he'd managed to knock every single Ravenclaw player off of their broomsticks (Ravenclaw had a particularly awful team this year), and Gryffindor, with the field now empty, managed to score four hundred points before catching the Snitch. That meant that, even if they horribly lost their upcoming match to Slytherin, they were still a shoo-in for the Cup (as James excitedly explained to the Marauders nearly every night while they were trying to sleep).

"It was the Quidditch game of the century," James tried to tell Remus... but Sirius was currently smashing a pillow over James' head, trying to get him to stop talking, so it came out all garbled. "M' so srry you mssed't."

Remus was sorry that he'd missed it, too, but he tried not to be bitter. It had been the best option. But Madam Hooch had already agreed to move the games around months earlier (as per James' relentless requests) so that the Gryffindor games never coincided with the full moon. Remus had been touched and excited that he'd never have to miss one… but thanks to the Ministry's prejudice, he had.

No matter. Even though things were busy and confusing, Remus was still having a good time. He and his friends practically never saw each other during free moments, but they still had a fair amount of classes together. Care of Magical Creatures in particular was a lot of fun with the Marauders. Even though not all the animals liked Remus, he still enjoyed learning about them and making jokes about them with his friends.

They still ate meals together, too. Remus hadn't realized just how much he'd missed James' horrifying concoctions in his water goblet of every food on his plate, mixed together into a type of cursed soup. James thought it was funny. and Remus thought it was disgusting—but, as it turned out, meals at home hadn't been the same without it.

They still had Duelling Club together, at which Remus was becoming more successful every time. Professor Flitwick was beginning to give him ecstatic glances every time he won another duel (which was frequently). "You're quite the promising duellist," Flitwick would squeak, practically hopping up and down. "I have high hopes for you indeed! You're better than my seventh-years!"

The fact remained, however, that Remus didn't have much free time with his friends. Every time their schedules were cleared up, the three human Marauders were talking alone, occasionally with Silencing Charms placed on the door. They even locked their dormitory door sometimes, which meant that Remus couldn't get in—and when he tried to knock, James would call, "Not right now, Moony! Sorry!" and Remus would be forced to find somewhere else to relax. It felt horrible, not being able to go inside his own dormitory, and he worried every day that they suspected him of stealing the Mandrake leaves.

It wasn't too bad, though, because Remus always took that time to visit the Founders. He started going multiple times a day—he and Rowena talked about potential ways to sabotage the Mandrake project, he and Helga would cook on occasion (or play chess—Helga was quite good at chess), and he and Godric would explore the painted grounds. Rowena even began to offer Remus a nice, relaxing cup of tea whenever he went. It tasted slightly of paint, but Remus got used to the taste rather quickly. It was warm and calming, regardless of the taste, and there was really nothing like poring over books in the library with a hot drink. Madam Pince didn't allow food and drink in the real Hogwarts library.

On Monday, Remus received two letters with the morning post. One was from his mother, as usual, and one was from Professor Dumbledore.

Dear Remus, it said. I believe the new Arithmancy professor has settled in quite sufficiently. If I may, I would like to invite you to my office at noon today (which, I believe, would typically be an Arithmancy class) to chat.

Dumbledore had signed the letter in his typical flourishy way, and then he'd added a postscript. The new Arithmancy professor enjoys Honeydukes' Finest, it read.

Remus looked at the staff table, where Dumbledore was sitting and chatting with a cheerful and gangly brown-haired man. Remus assumed the man to be the new Arithmancy professor.

Dumbledore glanced at Remus and raised his eyebrows quizzically, tilting his head, as if to enquire about the letter. Remus nodded, and then Dumbledore smiled and turned back to the new Arithmancy professor.

"Oi," said James, nudging Remus, and Remus nearly knocked over his pumpkin juice in surprise. "What was that all about? Are you and Dumbledore communicating telepathically again?"

Remus didn't laugh. "Dumbledore hired a new Arithmancy professor, and he wants me to talk to him before the first class," he said quietly. "People tend to have questions about me, and I think Dumbledore wants to ensure he's comfortable."

"Rubbish," said James, eyes narrowing. "Of course he'll be comfortable. Everyone's comfortable around you, mate. You're just a person. I don't understand what people don't get about that!"

"You're talking too loudly," Remus hissed. "And cockroaches can't technically harm you, but you're scared of them anyway. It's like that."

James made a face and pushed his food away. "Point taken, but it was a low blow, saying that over supper."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't have been effective if it weren't a low blow."

"We can come with you if you want," offered Peter. "You know, to talk to the new professor. That might help."

Remus paused and thought about that.

He did want his friends with him, actually, but he was afraid of what James and Sirius would do if it turned out that the new Arithmancy professor was less than tolerant of werewolves. But Peter… Peter would be quiet, tolerant, and kind. He wouldn't shout at the Arithmancy professor (Remus had never heard Peter shout at anybody at all). Remus would very much like to have Peter with him, if only for moral support... but how was he going to tell Sirius and James that?

"I only want one person with me," he started. "Multiple might seem threatening."

It was a poor excuse, but James swallowed it right up (probably because he thought that he would be the chosen person in question). "That's fine!" said James. "I'll go with you. Sirius and Peter can go do their own thing."

"Er, no." Remus felt terrible, but he had to say it. "I'm sorry, Prongs, but after the things you said to Professor Craff… I'd rather Wormtail came with me."

"She was asking for it," said James airily. "Don't be ridiculous, Moony. If this new bloke doesn't say anything awful to you, then I won't bite his head off. What time are we leaving?"

Remus sighed. "No, Prongs. It'll be me and Peter. That's my final decision. I mean, if he wants to." Remus looked at Peter, who was beaming at the prospect of being the Chosen One, for Peter was typically left out and chosen last.

"Fine." James had been reading a Quidditch magazine idly as he talked to Sirius, but now he slammed it down and pushed his breakfast away. "Come on, Padfoot. We'll have a grand old time without Lupin and Pettigrew, shan't we?"

"Shan't we," repeated Sirius in absolute delight. "I haven't been alone with you in forever, Prongs! Let's go do something dangerous!"

"Terribly dangerous," declared James. "We might die." He cast a sidelong look at Remus, who was currently pretending to be very interested in his eggs. "If only someone were to stop us by offering us something more interesting to do!" he said. "Our lives could be saved!"

Remus did not fall for it.

"Fine," snapped James, and then he and Sirius flounced off.

Remus glanced at Peter. "This might not be pleasant," he warned him. "I do trust Dumbledore, but… well, not everybody's happy about me. Especially not at first. Dumbledore said this professor had an open mind, but I'm not sure I believe it yet."

"It's all right," said Peter cheerfully. "I'm always happy to help."

Remus smiled at him gratefully, and then the two of them watched the gangly new Arithmancy professor eat. He was devouring a few rashers as if he'd not had a meal in days. He looked normal, but prejudice against werewolves was normal these days.

Dumbledore looked at Remus again, and Remus looked away, pretending he'd never been looking in the first place. As someone who hated being stared at, Remus was being quite hypocritical.

Remus didn't eat lunch that day. Instead, he tried to comb his hair straight and tuck in his tie as best as possible in preparation for the chat with the new professor. He even accomplished an ironing charm on his robes. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, and he didn't know what it was about the Arithmancy professor that made Remus want to be liked so much—it was probably just the fact that Remus cared very much about Arithmancy and wanted to continue to enjoy the subject just as much as he had been.

"Is a good appearance really going to convince him to like werewolves?" Peter asked as he leaned against the wall and munched on a beef sandwich, watching Remus meticulously shine his shoes.

"No," said Remus. "But I have to try something, or else I'll go mad."

"Why don't you just try being yourself?" Peter asked (an incredibly naïve question).

"I do that all the time. Turns out it's myself that people hate." Remus sighed. "But yeah. I'll try to do that. I just want to… be the best version of myself, you know?"

"Ah, I understand," said Peter wisely, even though Remus was certain that he didn't understand at all.

"Honeydukes' Finest," said Remus, and the gargoyles moved aside. He entered, knocking on the side of the door as he did so. "Ah, Remus, right on time," said Dumbledore jovially. "I see you've brought a friend."

"Yes, sir—I hope that's okay," Remus stammered.

"Perfectly. Why don't you have a seat?"

Remus couldn't bear to look at the new Arithmancy professor directly. He couldn't bear to see the hatred in his eyes—couldn't bear to see the morbid curiosity—or perhaps the pity. He wanted to keep looking at Dumbledore and Peter.

But his eyes wandered, all by themselves: first, he was casting wary glances at the professor out of the corner of his eyes. Then, he was stealing glances as he pretended to fix his hair. Finally, he actually met the professor's eyes… and the professor smiled. In a friendly sort of way, too; not in a sinister sort of way.

Okay. Everything was going to be fine.

"Remus, this is Professor Leek," said Dumbledore. "And Professor Leek, this is Remus Lupin."

"Er… pleasure to meet you," said Professor Leek, and then—horror of horrors—he held out his hand.

Remus stared.

"Don't want to shake my hand?" asked Professor Leek. "I mean, that's fine, but it's going to be incredibly awkward if you leave me hanging."

Remus didn't often shake the hands of people he barely knew—people who knew what he was, at that—but he cautiously put out his hand and shook Leek's. Unfortunately, the man's grip was a little too tight, and Remus ended up wincing terribly. His hands were still healing from the last full moon, and Leek had accidentally edged his thumb against a particularly nasty wound. "Sorry, Professor," he murmured.

"Oh, it's all right." Leek looked concerned rather than afraid, which was comforting. Now that Remus had free rein to look at Leek, he noticed that he had a very long nose and bony cheeks—his hair was very fluffy, though (for lack of a better word), and Remus could tell that he hadn't even tried to style it. "Did I hurt you?" Leek asked.

Remus shook his head. "Not really. Just…"

"Remus' hands are still recovering from the last full moon," said Dumbledore, and Remus mentally thanked him for helping out.

Leek frowned. "Ah, is that what the gloves are for?"

"Er, no," said Remus. "I wear those all the time. They… it… I mean, they're comfortable." Remus cringed. This was terrifically awkward.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Leek seemed to be a terrifically awkward person as well. "Right," he said. "Okay."

Then there was silence.

"I don't believe you've been introduced to Peter Pettigrew," said Dumbledore serenely. "He doesn't take Arithmancy, I'm afraid, but he's one of Remus' closest friends."

Leek twiddled his thumbs, which were just as long and bony as his nose. "And he knows about…?"

"He knows that Remus is a werewolf, yes."

"Why is he here, may I ask, if he doesn't take Arithmancy?"

Dumbledore looked at Remus, and Remus looked at Leek. "Moral support," he mumbled.

"Ah."

Another awkward silence.

"What now?" murmured Leek, and Remus nearly laughed.

"If you'd like, you may ask me questions," Remus offered. "I mean, it only makes sense that people have them, and I'd rather you ask me than speculate."

"You really don't mind?"

"Not at all."

"Well, then…" Leek pursed his lips. "It's not important, but I was wondering how it happened."

"How what happened, exactly?" asked Remus, dreading the answer. Oh, no. This man did not just go for the one—the only—question that Remus would never answer.

"Yes—er, if it's too personal, I understand, but—I assume you were bitten by a werewolf at some point, right?"

"Right," said Remus slowly.

"How did that happen?"

Remus paused, seriously considering telling Leek that the question was indeed too personal... but he also didn't want to sound suspicious or anything, so he merely said "wrong-place-wrong-time" very quickly, almost as if it were a single word.

"Oh… I see," said Leek, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "And you were… how old? It couldn't have been very recently, right?"

"Five," said Remus.

"I thought you were four," said Peter.

Peter's presence was comforting, yes, but now Remus almost wished he hadn't invited him. "Four and eleven months," Remus amended. "It's been a while."

"I see," said Leek again. "Well, er… forgive me, I was only curious. The Ministry hired me to track werewolf attacks for a short while—it was just a few years ago, back in 1965—right after Greyback's appearance became public knowledge. We were trying to find Greyback's hideout, and the areas where attacks were clustered was usually our best bet."

"Oh. I was in Cardiff."

"That makes sense. Greyback was in Cardiff around February, wasn't he?"

"I, erm…" Remus was stammering now, because he couldn't very well let Leek think that it had been Greyback who had bitten him. Even the Ministry didn't know that. "Maybe. Probably a few of his associates, too. I mean. Definitely at least one. Werewolf. In February."

"Must've been, sure."

"Did you ever come across him?"

"Well, we had a few sightings, but obviously we didn't manage to capture him. Anyway. Sorry for getting too personal, but I was curious."

"It's all right. My first-year Defense Against the Dark Arts professor got even more personal than that," said Remus, and Dumbledore chuckled.

"Right," said Leek. "Cool. Erm. Anyway, I feel as if I should be asking you this question, not the other way round. Is there anything you feel I should know about you?"

Remus looked at his shoes. "I'll be missing lots of class," he said quietly.

"I deduced that for myself. Erm… about three days a month?"

"At least. Sometimes more."

"Is there anything I can do to catch you up?"

Remus hesitated. "I'm usually pretty good at keeping up on my own, Professor. If you recommend me some textbook chapters or books, I'll read them while I'm in the Hospital Wing."

Professor Leek smiled. "I'll certainly do that. Now, on the subject of your long-term project…"

"You know about my—"

"Was I supposed to? Sorry—"

"No, it's fine, I just wanted to know—"

"Well, I was told that—"

"Yes, sir, but—"

They both trailed off.

Awkward silence.

"Yes, about the project!" said Dumbledore cheerfully. "Remus, I am a very busy man. Even with Assistant Headmaster Sirius' help, there are some things that I need to catch up on. I am still very invested in your project, of course, and I want you to be able to complete it as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir…."

"Professor Leek is an extremely talented arithmancer—he is actually one of the world's leading experts on simulated experiments. He has been involved in... nineteen, was it?"

"Only eighteen," said Leek with a shrug. "But simulated experiments are often done in large groups, and the work is divided between experts. I've been involved in eighteen, but I've overseen—directed, sort of—ten of those."

"Wow," whispered Remus.

Dumbledore smiled. "I have told Professor Leek about your project, and I would like to defer you to his expertise instead of my own... if that's all right with you, Remus."

Remus wasn't sure he wanted to share all the details of his transformation with this brand-new professor. "Er," he said.

There was silence.

"Sure," Remus finally managed.

"Oh, good!" Leek clasped his hands together and grinned. "It sounds incredibly interesting, you know! Albus has explained where you are by now, and I must say I'm very impressed. Professional arithmancers find it difficult to accomplish something like this, you know. I really can't wait to be your teacher."

He shook Remus' hand again (more carefully this time). And, after a few more slightly-awkward pleasantries, he left.

Remus looked at Peter. "That was better than I expected," he said.

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, Professor Leek is a very open-minded person. Furthermore, I believe he's setting everybody independent assignments, Remus, just like Kirsten Craff did—so you won't even need to meet with him one-on-one for the more mundane aspects of the project. You should be able to work on it in class, as long as you're inconspicuous about it."

"Oh, that's good," said Remus. He still wasn't sure how to feel about all this.

"Peter, you may go," said Dumbledore softly, and Peter cast Remus an encouraging glance before scurrying out of the room.

Remus was looking determinedly at his shoes and picking at the thumb of his gloves. He knew what Professor Dumbledore was going to ask, and he didn't know the answer.

"Remus," said Professor Dumbledore. "Are you certain you will be comfortable working on your project with Professor Leek?"

Remus nodded. "Yes, sir. It's only… I'm tired of new people finding out the details. Sometimes I wish I could just have a simple, private life. I know it's noble and all that to help spread awareness and such… but I'm tired of answering questions and meeting new people."

"It seems to me that you like answering questions," said Dumbledore.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. I really do like to talk about it, most of the time. But… but I was comfortable with you, because you'd already seen the worst of it, and now…"

"I understand," said Dumbledore gently, "but I am a very busy man with an upcoming war to deal with. It isn't that I didn't enjoy working on the project with you—for I did, most assuredly so—but I am afraid I no longer have time. Rest assured that Professor Leek, as you have seen, is open-minded, kind, intelligent, and most certainly trustworthy. He also has far more expertise than I do. I admit I was rather out of my wheelhouse when helping you with that project. I am clever, yes, but I cannot magically know things that I have never studied."

"Leek's a little awkward," chuckled Remus. "So am I. That's going to make for a lot of awkward silences." There was a pause, and Remus added, "Professor Questus and I had a lot of awkward silences, too, but it wasn't because Professor Questus was particularly awkward. He was just terrible at social cues and didn't really care when things got awkwardly quiet."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, I do seem to remember that about him."

There was a silence, but it wasn't awkward.

"Remus," said Dumbledore, breaking the silence, "even though I am too busy to help you regularly with your project, you may still feel free to talk with me whenever you wish. About anything, no matter how mundane. While I cannot understand exactly what you are going through, I can recognize the fact that it is very difficult for both you and your family. Forgive me for saying so, but it does appear as if your mental well-being is hanging on by a thread."

"It's a very strong thread."

"That it is," said Dumbledore with a small laugh, "that it is."

Remus stood up to leave. "I'll be okay, I think," he said. "But thank you for offering, and I'll most certainly do that if I seem to have a problem."

"Thank you," said Dumbledore. "I shall hold you to that. Try not to worry too much, Remus."

Remus left, and he worried the whole time.