A/N

A shorter one for today! :)

"Just what do you think you are doing Potter?" Snape hissed icily.

Harry felt his stomach drop to the floor as he froze as though he had been hit with a jinx causing him to do so.

"I - I needed some ink" Harry hastily replied as he instantly realised that he needed a miracle if the man was to buy his story.

"Quite peculiar that the ink pot is placed in clear view on the desk and not by the window or the curtain that you currently have a deathly grip on." The professor replied as his eyebrows furrowed further.

Harry instantly felt himself drop the curtain, "So it is, silly me." The teen replied as he picked up the ink pot and went to walk past Snape.

"Not, so fast, Potter." Snape replied as the man caught a hold of Harry's jumper, lighter than the teen had expected. "Did you guardian ever say this room was out of bounds? I will warn you that you best not lie to me."

It wasn't the question Harry had been expecting, "No, Remus never said so."

The man tutted in response "Clearly he has placed far too much trust in you to not look through his things, invading his privacy as though you are a curious toddler. Your guardian may stand for it, but I will not."

Harry looked up at the man, unsure of what else to say. The man had not caught him doing anything disobedient and certainly had no proof that Harry intended to do so.

"You are to go to bed, where you will stay this time, until the morning. I am sure Lupin will want to have quite the discussion about this in the tomorrow."

Harry eyed the time as he noted it was barely past nine o'clock. He opened his mouth to argue with the man but felt confidence falter as the professor displayed the same expression as when he was about to assign a detention in class. "Yes Sir," the teen forced out as he placed the ink pot back on the desk and practically ran to his room, wanting to get away from the man and not anger him anymore than he already had.

Harry silently cursed himself; not only had he managed to make Snape angry after being told by Lupin that he was to stay out of trouble but he also knew that when Snape told his guardian, the man would be much more cautious about his office which was just what he needed…

Lupin felt his blood run cold as he reached the shack and his bones started to burn. This was the start of the full moon and, although the man went through it every month, the pain was something he never got used to.

The man felt his fingers turn to claws and his clothes began to fall off him, as he was replaced by a much skinnier and taller version of himself. He practically screamed in pain as the last phase of the transformation occurred and all five of his senses were heightened. The man struggled against himself as he began to scratch his skin in pain until the pain subsided.

Taking a small sigh of relief that the worst of the evening was over, the wolf curled into a small ball and attempted to sleep on the hard wooden floor of the shrieking shack and many believed to be haunted.

Lupin lay there, thankful that he was able to keep his human mind; it enabled him to think of Harry and reminisce on his childhood. He had spent many an evening in this very position in the shack with his best mates, ready to transform so that he wasn't alone. Those evenings were likely some of the best the man had experienced in his life, exploring secret passageways and Hogsmeade; Remus was sure no one knew the Hogwarts grounds as well as he and his friends did. So much so, that the four of them were able to construct a map and charm it to show where everyone was in the castle. Lupin thought to himself that he would have to dig out the map one of these days and check that it was still in working order; he hadn't done so in years or rather, he hadn't felt the need seeing as he didn't have ties to the school or the people in it.

His thoughts quickly returned to his friends as he admitted to himself that missed James and Sirius with all he had in him. He had conflicted messages in his own mind that Sirius would even have it in him to betray his best friend and relay any such information to Voldemort. He had tried so hard to make the Minister give Sirius a trial but he knew the evidence was stacked against the pair of them. With James, Peter and Lily dead and Sirius descending from a family known to be loyal followers of he-who-must-not-be-named, the only true voice besides Dumbledore, came from a werewolf who faced prejudice everywhere he went. Even Dumbledore's voice fell on deaf ears as the wizardingemont all voted unanimously that Sirius was guilty. How he escaped being sentenced to the dementors kiss, Lupin could never understand especially with a street full of spectators where witnesses were plentiful.

After the death and imprisonment of his best friends, Lupin initially felt very much alone in the world without a purpose. Harry however, had forced him to keep one foot in front of the other and now that Dumbledore had offered him a job at Hogwarts, the man was sure he was the happiest he had been in many, many years.

Ending on that thought Lupin allowed his breath to even out as his wolffish self-fell into a deep slumber, sleeping the full moon off for the first time in a long time.

Harry felt his breath hitch and he woke up with a start. He was sweating profusely, and his heart rate was far from normal.

It wasn't real, Harry kept telling himself. His guardian was fine despite his nightmare trying to tell him otherwise. The man had dealt with being a werewolf for many years now; he wasn't going to take risks and place himself in danger. He was going to be fine.

Harry glanced at the time and realised that it was past three in the morning, yet he instantly noticed a light filling the corridor, most likely from the living room where he knew Snape had been.

The child thought about leaving his bed to see if the potions professor was still there but quickly rationalised that the man was already less than happy with Harry, and he really didn't need any more trouble for one night.

Forcing himself to push the thoughts of his guardian out of his mind, Harry took a few deep breaths and attempted to fall back asleep, this time succeeding without any further issues.

Lupin walked through the Hogwarts corridors that, at this early time in the morning, were very much deserted.

He had just finished up with Poppy in the hospital wing where the witch tended to the few cuts the man had. These days, his injuries were much less severe than he had been known to experience; something the man was very grateful for as it meant he didn't have to spend the next few days recovering from the full moon.

He was eager to get back to his quarters, not only to relieve Snape from looking after Harry but also to put Harry's mind at rest and reassure the child that he was okay. The man could tell but Harry's facial expression before he left the night before, that the teen was anxious at the thought of the man transforming.

Pushing open the door to his quarters, Lupin saw the potions professor sat in the armchair, just as he'd left the man, over twelve hours previous.

"Good morning, Severus." Lupin spoke kindly. He knew the man likely held a grudge against him from their school days, and if Lupin was honest with himself, he could hardly blame him. Still, the man felt that it was only right to speak to the professor nicely, especially as he was brewing Wolfsbane for him every month.

"Lupin." Severus nodded, without looking up from the book he was occupying. "Had a lovely evening I suppose"

Lupin resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the man's sarcasm. "I've had worse."

"Before you ask, unfortunately I did not get round to chopping Potter up into potions ingredients. He is in his room, where I sent him last night."

Lupin felt his heart sink slightly at the professor's choice of words. "Sent him? What did he do?"

"I caught Potter rummaging around in your office as though he was a volcher looking for food. When I asked him what he was doing, he lied directly to my face and said that he was looking for ink." The Professor replied evenly much to Lupin's surprise.

Remus let out a sigh as he rubbed his temple. The boy was going to be the death of him, that he was sure of. "Thank you for letting me know Severus. I would like to apologise on his behalf for any issues that he caused."

"You've placed far too much trust in the boy." Snape replied as he gathered up his books. "I must be going."

"Of course. Thank you for keeping an eye on Harry for me."

The Potions professor failed to return a reply as he opened the door and closed it firmly behind him.

Harry heard the door close as he realised that it was obvious that Snape had left after telling the man about last night. The man didn't have any proof however and Harry kept telling himself that he hadn't done anything wrong. He would stick to his story about looking for ink; it was the only option he had really.

The child pushed his covers off himself and slipped a hoodie over his pyjama top. Deciding to not delay the inevitable and eager to ensure his guardian was okay he pushed his door open and stepped out into the hall where he saw the man sat at the breakfast table, two plates with food placed.

"Have you eaten?" Lupin asked as he heard the small footsteps pace down the hall.

"No, not yet." Harry replied as he pulled out his seat next to the man, assessing his facial expressions. The man looked tired, exhausted even, with bags as big as anything. But thankfully, the man didn't look angry.

"I've just had quite the conversation with Professor Snape."

Harry hummed in reply as his breakfast became much more interesting than normal.

"Do you remember what I said to you before I left last night?" Remus asked. The last thing he wanted to do was scold the boy; he was more curious than angry about what Snape had just told him.

"Yes - to keep myself out of trouble." Harry replied. "I didn't leave the quarters and I just needed some ink, really."

"Professor Snape said that you were rummaging around my office like a volcher, is that true?"

"No, he is lying. I just needed some ink to write to my friends, honest." Harry replied as he felt his face warm up slightly at the words that came out of his mouth. He knew it was a lie, but he only hoped his guardian didn't.

Lupin held the boy's gaze for a moment as he attempted to decide whether the boy was lying. He didn't know Harry well enough yet to decipher when the boy was fibbing or not. However, the man also did not want to accuse the boy of something he did not do.

"So you promise that you were looking for ink and not trying to find mischief?"

"Yes, I promise Remus. I'm not that stupid to get in trouble on a full moon."

A pause.

"Okay, I believe you. But from now on, my office is off limits to you unless you ask for something from there, understood?"

"I understand." Harry replied as he breathed a very subtle sigh of relief. He couldn't understand why the man was so set on him going in the office, but he knew that it only fuelled his curiosity. "Are you okay from last night?"

Lupin noticed the worry in the child's face. Despite them dealing with full moons for many years now, Harry always worried.

"I am fine. You will make yourself sick with worry one day cub."

"I know, it's just - scary?"

"I am sure it is scary for you to think about me transforming but trust me, I am a professional at this by now. Only a few scratches which Madame Pomfrey has already tended to and healed."

"Promise?" Harry questioned, clearly still unconvinced that the man was fine.

"I promise Harry. I would tell you if I was injured, just as you would tell me if you were injured."

"Okay." Harry replied as he picked both plates up from the table, quickly washing them up. "Can we do something today?"

"What would you like to do?" Remus questioned, feeling rather guilty that they hadn't gotten up to a whole lot this summer.

"I don't know, maybe you can teach me a spell or something?"

"I could do; I have a few spells to teach this year actually. I don't think giving you a little head start with one would do any harm."

Harry felt himself smile at the man's words, "Brilliant."

"Give me ten minutes to get a potion into me and then we can head down to the defence classroom."

"Okay," Harry replied as he dried his hands on the tea towel before heading down the hall to retrieve his shoes from his room.

"This spell is usually taught much later on in the year so don't get disheartened if you don't master it first time, alright."

"Yep." Harry replied as he gripped his wand excitedly.

The pair had since left their quarters and headed down to the defence classroom which provided enough space for Harry to practise the spell.

"The spell is used to freeze an object or person, perfect for if you are ever in a situation that calls for the need to defend yourself."

"So, the thing just becomes ice?"

"Yes, the spell releases ice cold air from your wand which can also help to extinguish fires." The Professor replied as he moved around to stand in front of the boy. "The incarnation is Glacius. It is imperative that you pronounce the 'G' properly."

"Okay - what about the wand movement"

"Your wand should move in a circle motion." Lupin paused as he thought that it would be a good idea to get something for the boy to freeze. "I want you to try and put the fire out on this candle, maybe even freeze it if we get that far." Lupin placed the candle on the desk that stood in front of them. "Watch me closely first."

Harry nodded as he stood to one side, allowing his guardian to stand in front. The man spoke the incarnation and successfully put out the fire, freezing the candle in a ice-like box.

"Cool." Harry responded in awe.

His guardian then spoke the counter-spell and stood to one side, allowing Harry to take his place.

"Remember, pronounce the 'G' okay,"

Harry nodded as he said the spell, managing to create a small amount of blue mist to come out of his wand. He looked at his guardian who gave him an encouraging nod.

He tried again and this time the mist was much more powerful, almost reaching the candle. On his third try he successfully managed to put out the fire on the candle, turning to Lupin with a beaming smile on his face.

"Brilliant Harry! Well done!" Remus exclaimed as he ruffled the boy's hair.

Harry spoke the incarnation one last time and finally managed to create the same ice-like box over the candle as Lupin had done.

"You really are extraordinary Harry." The man praised as he walked over to the desk, leaning over so slightly on it.

"Thanks," Harry replied as he realised how good it felt to be doing magic again, unable to let the smile on his face falter.

"I hope you are excited for the start of term tomorrow. I am near positive that you will do well in defence this year."

"I think so too. I mean, I'll have a good teacher won't I." Harry replied, smirking at the man. "I just want a normal year this year not like my first and second year."

"I know, but I am still hopeful that this year can return to normal soon." Remus replied, almost adding 'once Sirius Black is captured.'

In all actuality, while he knew the man was likely dangerous and it did place Harry at risk, he hoped the man had escaped from boredom and nothing else. On the other hand, however, there wasn't much else that Black had to lose. It was all a blasted mess and Lupin honestly didn't know what else to think anymore.

"I hope so, then I can just have a quiet year." Harry replied. But unbeknownst to him, his year would be anything but quiet...