I wanted to explore imprinting (which for those who don't know is soul-mate yummy goodness created by Stephenie Meyer in her Twilight Saga) in the context of Harry Potter-specifically involving our well-loved resident werewolf Remus Lupin. If you're not into that,,, please don't read. Also this involves Remus imprinting on a 7th year student when Harry is in his 3rd year. So if that turns you off, fine. I mean... in Twilight Quinn imprinted on Claire (coincidence?) and she was 2-3 years old. Whatever. For the sake of fictional liberties and so no one gets mad at me for writing this and posting it... Claire starts 7th year a 17 year old and finishes September 18 years old. But if you feel scandalized... GOOD because that's what I was going for. I felt scandalized just writing this. Anyway... read it and weep! Also aside from imprinting, NOTHING FROM TWILIGHT IS IN HERE. so it's not even really a crossover... like at all...

I hope for those who have not been scared away by all the disclaimers above enjoy!


I. Lupin's Arrival

Remus Lupin rubbed a hand over his face.

The lesson objectives left behind by that fool, Gilderoy Lockhart, were beyond unsatisfactory. It was a wonder that any of the fifth and seventh years passed their OWLs or NEWTs. After meeting extensively with both Albus and Minerva, he came to his own conclusion that he'd be starting the curriculum for each year from scratch. Hopefully he'll be able to bring his students up to par quickly before teaching them anything new. The Lockhart fellow sure did make a mess of the Defense course.

Remus set to work on his lesson plans, undeterred by the amount of revising he had to do to the course's framework. He understood what was before him when he accepted the job offer from Dumbledore, and yet he still found himself unsure of his own capabilities. It's true he always saw himself as a professor at Hogwarts, but he never stopped to realize how much work his professors actually put in for the benefit of the students.

His mind wandered to a better time when his own best mates gave the professors a run for their money, and Remus inwardly groaned. He couldn't bear the thought of having students that are anything like his old school friends.

Remus sighed to himself. Harry would be entering his third year by now.

Albus mentioned that when he had seen the boy for the first time that it came as quite the shock at how much he had taken after his father—with his mother's eyes.

Remus glanced at his copy of the Daily Prophet that had flown in this morning and groaned to himself. It would seem that even on top of his work, he would also have to worry about the concern that Sirius Black would be in pursuit of his own godson in the name of the Dark Lord. He couldn't believe Albus expected him to keep all of this information about Harry's familial history to himself, not that he had any right to even consider broaching the topic to Harry.

Remus had abandoned Harry at Privet Drive just like the rest of the wizarding world. Remus expected nothing but resentment from the lad.

On the eve of September first, Remus was anxious to finish his first set of lesson plans so he could attempt falling asleep—a foolish goal, considering the full moon will be at its apex in just a few nights.

Severus had reluctantly agreed to brew the wolfsbane potion on Remus' behalf—no doubt angered by the fact of being passed up for his dream job only for it to be offered by an old school rival. Remus thanked the man profusely, considering their brutal history. Severus only rolled his eyes and reminded Remus that as entertaining as it was to see him grovel, it would do nothing towards flattery.

Remus sighed to himself and rubbed a hand on his face again. Exhausted, yet thrilled, he blew out the candles in his office and made his way to his small bedroom. Whether he liked it or not, the students would be boarding that train with him tomorrow, and with them, a whole new world for Remus to immerse himself in. He could only hope that there would be no cause for concern in regard towards Harry, Sirius, and his own affliction and the safety of the rest of the students.

Remus slept. He dreamed of a life were James and Lily lived, and the Marauders were still friends after all this time.

3

King's Cross was bustling with people that fateful September 1st morning and Remus was glad to be free from the confines of his tiny house in the suburbs of London. Finally, he'd be returning to the one place that actually felt like home. Sure, it'd be without his two best friends, but he knew that they were happy for him, wherever they were in the next life.

Remus discreetly passed through to platform nine and three quarters and the Wizarding side of the station was almost twice as busy with families kissing their children goodbye. Remus looked at the train in front of him and smiled. One step closer to getting home!

Remus' nostrils twitched as he faintly caught the scent of chocolates and caramel, and his mouth watered in delight; he'd forgotten the trolley of sweets that walked up and down the train. The smell slowly overpowered him, and Remus felt weak in his knees. He dragged his trunk to a pillar he could lean against, as Moony awoke from his slumber, catching the smell and loving it.

He felt Moony fight his way to the surface, and Remus tried his best to keep himself centered and controlled, but it was no use. Moony loved whatever it was he was smelling, there was no holding him back. What kind of trolley of sweets had such a sweet and potent smell that it made even Moony excited?

Remus shook his head, trying futilely to clear his mind of Moony's presence. The almost sickly-sweet smell of chocolate and caramel permeated the air and hit his nostrils like a mountain troll with a club. Never had he smelled a scent so strongly while he was still in his human body, and with Moony at the forefront of his mind, it was hard for him to keep himself from being drawn to it.

In an effort to reign in his wolf, Remus attempted breathing through his mouth, but the air even tasted of rich milk chocolate, making his mouth water. Remus snapped his mouth shut before Moony could further take control and embarrass him by drooling everywhere, or worse, growling in front of all the Hogwarts students and their families in the middle of platform nine and three quarters.

Holding a tattered hanky to his nose, Remus boarded the Hogwarts Express with his face flushed and barely in control of himself. He hid himself away in a compartment toward the front of the train, taking in deep lungfuls of air, free from the mouthwatering scent. With every inhale, the restless wolf settled, and Remus sighed in relief.

What the bloody hell was that?

The train jerked forward, the steam from the engine filling platform 9 ¾ with smoke. Remus glanced out his window at the families waving goodbye to their children and felt himself fall asleep, warm with the smell of chocolate in his nose.

3

His nap was brief, and he was jerked awake by the encroaching cold that was gripping him from the inside. Remus was vaguely familiar with this sensation, and he blinked his eyes open to a dementor in his compartment, feasting on the happiness of one of the students who decided to share his space.

"Expecto Patronum!" Remus yells, watching as the silvery wisps of his patronus flew from his wand to bring the dementor to its knees.

He recalls the Potter wedding, a grand event in its simplicity and elegance, but what he remembers most from the union of James and Lily is the sense of family and love that he was deprived of for most of his young life. Standing there next to the people he loved most, Remus couldn't remember a happier time.

Remus is brought back to the present by the frantic ramblings of a bushy haired girl and her red headed friend.

"He's fainted!" she cries, her voice trembling with obvious worry.

"W-w-what do we do?" voiced her red-haired friend.

Remus gathered his thoughts and put on the professor face that he was secretly practicing the weeks since accepting the job. A black of hair boy was lying on the floor of the compartment, glasses askew and mouth parted. His face twitched every few seconds, and Remus guessed that he was stuck in a bad memory from his exposure to the dementor.

Remus kneeled over the boy. "Rennervate," Lupin mumbled, waving his wand over the fainted boy.

The lad jerked awake, not unlike Remus himself in the presence of the dementor, and Remus was met with the eyes and face of his own youth.

Remus smiled. "You must be Harry Potter."

3

The return to Hogwarts feast and the sorting of the first years passed without a hitch, although Remus was intrigued to learn that he was still enraptured by the sweet chocolatey smell that seemed to have followed him all the way from Kings Cross.

The next day, Remus was plagued with that smell all morning and was only relieved when he returned to his classroom to wait for his first NEWT class. He glanced precariously at his lesson plan for the day and inhaled deeply, relishing in the smell of Hogwarts—parchment, books, and the citrusy smell of Magic. Even Moony settled at the smell of home.

His peace did not last long when the door swung open to allow the influx of seventh years. The smell permeated the room and hit his nostrils like an angry bludger. Remus smiled through the agony of reigning in an excited wolf and tried his best to find the source of the sweet, chocolatey smell among his students.

Remus let his eyes roam over the settling students, barely lingering for more than a second. His eyes met with only one pair; brown like the chocolate she smelled like, and almost as tired as him after a full moon… and he loved them.

Instantly, Remus was captivated by this creature of the color brown; hair, skin, eyes and smell. Chocolate in all things, and caramel in others, just like her smell. Long, long dark hair tumbled in tangled waves down her back like her scalp was dipped in chocolate. Eyes, the darkest chocolate he'd ever seen, and skin a rich caramel. The skin of someone who vacationed over the summer.

His heart thumped faster and faster as Remus unconsciously tethered himself to this creature of beauty and sweets. Moony howled with pleasure and yearning; he wanted to be near her, to know her, to love her… but above all else he wanted to be the source of her happiness.

Remus blinked away the burning glow in his eyes as the students quieted. His chest felt full and he felt the odd feeling of admiration and a tired sense of exhaustion. Remus glanced back again at the girl, and he saw the emotion in her eyes and felt them reflected in his chest.

Could this be…? No!

"Are you alright, Professor?"

Remus met her eyes again, and he felt the wind knocked right out of him. He felt her apprehension and her worry in the fullness of his chest. Remus sighed while Moony demanded that this human body comfort their woman.

"Of course, Miss…?" Remus asked, barely hiding the gravelly growl of Moony in his voice.

"Frye, sir. Claire Frye," she answered, and pure joy flooded Remus' senses, warming him from his shaggy hair to the tips of his toes. He felt goose pimples fight their way to the surface of his skin, and a shiver ran down his spine.

Claire. Claire. Claire. Claire. Claire.

Moony chanted her name repeatedly, and settled himself in the back of Remus' mind, content to sit in an unprecedented peace with her name on his tongue.

"Miss Frye," Remus repeated with a smile.

Claire. Claire. Claire. Claire. Claire.

Remus began his first class as a Hogwarts professor, and never in his life had he felt more joy.

3

Never in his life had he felt more shame.

Remus curled himself up on the bed in his private chambers, and he shivered to himself.

What kind of perverse mind trick was his wolf trying to play on him? Preying on a student? Remus was livid at himself.

Throughout his life, his wolf has proved himself time and time again to be a menace, and this is the worst possible thing he could have ever expected to come from his disease. It'd be different if the girl wasn't a student or nearly half his age, but no. Remus has always lived his life being dealt the worst possible hands, and this was no exception. He just had to find a way to cope with the desires of his beast.

Until at least the end of the school year. If he made it that long.


II. Hogsmeade, Claire Meets Snuffles

Claire waved her friends goodbye before turning to make her way out of The Three Broomsticks with her leftover treacle tart weighing her pocket down. She passed the Shrieking Shack but not without the sound of a low whine catching her ear.

She paused. She knew that the shack itself wasn't haunted—those old rumors were nothing but stories to scare the firsties. And yet, she found herself spooked, staring inquisitively at the run-down building, daring it to make another sound.

Another whine accompanied by a small yelp drew her closer to the shack. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her before taking a peek inside one of the cracks of the boarded-up windows. She couldn't seem to find what was making the sad cries beyond what could have been just a creaky door. Always making something out of nothing, Claire thought to herself.

But the whining persisted and grew the closer she got to the building. She made her way to the side, peering to the back of the building. Her eyes landed on a big, black, emaciated dog.

"Oh, you poor thing!" she cried softly, inching toward the sad creature, her palm facing up submissively.

The dog barely lifted its head to raise its nose to the tips of her fingers before darting its tongue out to taste her cold digits—permission.

Claire dug into her pocket to pull out what was left of her treacle tart. "Sorry it's not bacon or something better suited for a dog…" she said.

The dog's ears perked up and he made quick work of the treacle tart, still finding itself too tired to do much more. Claire's heart broke for the poor pup, and she quickly made up her mind.

"I bet I could get you into the castle to get you something better to eat and perhaps somewhere warmer to sleep. We are expecting some early snow, didn't you know?"

The dog attempted to stand but was pathetically unable.

"Two fifth years thought to impress me by showing me a hidden map, I know just the passage to get you into the castle!"

The dog finally was able to get four legs beneath it and immediately put its snout in Claire's neck. Claire giggled at the cold wetness of the dog's nose but took it as a sign of gratitude.

"That's a good boy," she said scratching the wretched creature behind the ears.

"Maybe a bath will do you some good too," she mumbled to herself. The words were not lost on the dog though, and Claire smiled at the innocent tilt of its head as if he was trying desperately to understand what she was saying. She had a feeling that he knew.

"Come," she said, and she opened her cloak for the dog to hide in. He obediently hid in the folds of her cloak before turning back into town to go up the path to the castle. She felt his body moving silently against her legs and he sat still whenever she stopped. She was grateful she decided to wear her heavier cloak to brace herself against the cold.

Instead of taking the main entrance, Claire meandered beyond the path toward the lake where she knew the secret gate to the dungeons would be. She held up her wand to the lock before muttering a quick Alohomora to get the padlock open. Once inside, she opened her cloak to free the dog.

She kneeled to give the dog affection, scratching behind his ears, giggling when the dog's tongue lolled out of the side of its mouth. "Silly little bugger, aren't you?"

The dog licked her up the side of her face eliciting another peal of giggles before taking off up the dungeon stairs to the first-floor corridor.

"Wait!" she gasped out, but to no avail. The dog was long gone. Probably to the kitchens, she sighed to herself. She hoped desperately to herself that someone else would get in trouble for letting him into the castle.

"Miss Frye,"

Interrupted from her thoughts, Claire turned her head to the classroom to her immediate right where Professor Snape was standing in the doorway, a curious look on his face.

"Professor," she greeted cordially, before making a quick exit to Gryffindor Tower.

She hurried along the second-floor corridor her mind plagued with worries of the poor dog. She hoped he didn't get lost and that his nose was good enough to find her again. She felt so attached and she'd only just met the creature. Lost in thought, Claire bumped directly into Professor Lupin.

"Miss Frye—" he began, flustered.

"Oh, Professor, I'm sorry I wasn't watching—"

"—It's fine it was my fault—"

"—I was lost in thought—"

Lupin's hands that had clamped her shoulders to steady her remained so as his own nose twitched. Claire watched his eyes grow golden and his pupils dilate as he zeroed in on the side of her neck. Claire tried to resist him drawing her in closer, but he either didn't care or didn't notice. Her discomfort grew as he leaned his head in close, eyes half-lidded to press his nose to her reddening cheek. She heard him inhale deeply, and the longer she spent so close to his collar, she felt herself relax. Her inhibitions of being so close to a professor lowered, her mind grew fuzzy, and her lungs burned with his scent: Christmas trees and chocolate. Impropriety was the farthest thing from her mind; it was like she was drugged.

All too soon, Lupin ripped himself away from her and Claire almost collapsed from the loss of his overwhelmingly warm presence so deep in her space. Claire blinked away the fog that seemed to pervade her mind with his closeness, and she felt her cheeks redden further with his absence.

"Claire, who were you with?" he demanded of her. His eyes did not lose their golden hue, and his voice vibrated with a deep growl.

Claire's heart couldn't stop pounding in her ears.

"Professor, what was that?" she asked him, shocked. She couldn't even begin to fathom what had just transpired between the two of them. She glanced quickly all around them, thanking Merlin himself that there appeared to be no onlookers. She couldn't face the embarrassment of being caught having an… an intimate moment with a professor. What would McGonagall have said?

Was this Lupin's way of telling her that he was attracted to her?

She watched as Lupin appeared to be biting back his temper. He blinked rapidly, and she couldn't help but notice his eyes return to their normal shade of brown. He dragged a hand over his face and inhaled deeply.

His eyes quickly met hers. "I'm sorry if I've frightened you, Miss Frye. See you in class," he said with a nod before rushing passed her toward the dungeons.

Claire could do nothing but watch him go.

3

Remus didn't make it far before he and the rest of the staff received word from the ghosts that the portrait of the Fat Lady had been brutally maimed.

It was as he suspected. Sirius Black had found a way into the castle.

He didn't want to scare Claire by asking her point blank if it was Sirius she had been spending the day in Hogsmeade with. She didn't seem the type to be an accomplice to one of the most dangerous wizards in Europe. And yet, Moony couldn't bear the thought of her unknowingly running around with that criminal. When he caught Padfoot's scent on her face, his innate desire to protect what Moony felt was rightfully his outweighed everything he ever knew about propriety.

When it came to Claire, Moony always seemed to want a front row seat to everything she said or did. He was beside himself with infatuation and adoration for the girl, and the sensible part of himself wasn't so far behind.

He often found himself lost in thought with daydreams of her. Claire gracefully walking into his classroom, laughing with her friends; Claire savoring chocolate cake for dessert in the Great Hall; Claire gripping the lapels of his robes, eyes shut, as he draws her in near, both of them intoxicated on this unspoken bond between them…

His blood ran cold when he recalled the fear that he smelled underneath her usual scent of chocolate and caramel.

Remus shook himself from his daydream and downed the potion that had been set in front of him. He met Snape's gaze who eyed him warily.

"I should not have to remind you that Claire Frye is a student," Snape said, his words laced with venom.

Moony reared his head and came to the forefront of Remus' mind. Remus' sight grew foggy with rage, and his control over his lupine instincts seemed to slip.

"So, it's true then," Snape concluded, and Remus knew instantly that he had fallen for another Slytherin trap.

"Severus, don't—"

"I've said my piece," Snape said, and with a flourish of his black robes, he disappeared into his office.

Remus groaned, and Moony relaxed as the potion took effect.

3

The morning after the full moon, Remus was left sore and groggy, but insisted that he'd be fine to teach if Madam Pomfrey could spare a pepper-up potion. She reluctantly agreed, tittering away that he'd feel better faster if he allowed his body to recover.

But even after exhausting himself during the full moon, Moony was insistent. He craved Claire and wanted to see her more than he wanted his human body to feel better, and Remus was inclined to agree.

He cursed himself.

Here he was, nearly twice her age, preying after her like she was a gazelle and he a lion. What kind of disgusting low-life is attracted to students? Besides, Remus knew deep down that she would never look his way even if their circumstances were different. He was a werewolf; he should know to stay away.

And yet, the allure of her was so strong. She radiated confidence, intelligence, and compassion every time she walked into his classroom. He found himself blushing like a schoolboy whenever Moony decided to remind him of what it felt like to have her in his arms. From her delicious smell to her obvious sense of loyalty, she was the perfect girl and model Gryffindor that likely had many of her classmates pining after her.

Moony howled.

Remus shuddered, and clutched the railings of his hospital bed for support. His eyes burned with Moony's presence at the forefront of his mind, and he nearly passed out from over-exertion.

"Professor?"

Remus blinked his eyes open and met the concerned gaze of the object of his obsession—er, affection.

Claire's brows were furrowed in obvious concern, and her pretty brown eyes swirled with worry. Remus couldn't help but notice that she decided to forego her school robes and instead wore a Gryffindor knit sweater and a simple skirt. Her curly hair was tied away from her face and wisps of chocolate tendrils framed her face delicately. To some, she was dressed casually, but to Remus, she was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. She was relaxed, unbidden, and completely in her own element. Nothing was more precious to him than to see her this way.

"Are you quite alright, Professor? When I came in, I saw you almost faint," Claire said, gingerly placing a hand at his elbow.

Goosebumps peppered Remus' skin underneath her hand, and the hairs at the back of his head stood on end. He was an addict in the making, and his thirst for her would only grow if he didn't put it to bed soon.

Remus yanked his arm away from her and Moony faintly whined at the lack of contact.

"I'm fine. Just a dizzy spell," he choked out.

His chest twinged with disappointment, but he couldn't tell if it was hers or his own.

"I see," Claire said, suddenly quiet, "Feel better, then."

3

Claire entered the Gryffindor common room after her brief trip to the Hospital Wing to find her three favorite third years huddled together in front of the fireplace.

"Oi, you lot, what's happened?" Claire called.

All three heads snapped up.

Harry blinked before offering up a sweet smile. As soon as Claire saw Harry when he came during his first year, she had taken an immediate shine to him, and him her. She was one of the few who looked beyond his "Boy-Who-Lived" fame and saw the little orphan who just needed some good friends.

Ron Weasley followed the lead of the other younger years and kept his distance from her and all her other seventh year friends. Claire didn't mind, in fact she was the same way in her first through third year; perceiving the older children as untouchable for friendship. Regardless, she was quite fond of the Weasley family, particularly Fred and George.

Hermione Granger was another story altogether. The young girl almost idolized Claire and her perfect grades. Claire herself loved Hermione almost like a younger sister. Even now, as Claire took her seat on the worn sofa, Hermione beamed up at her, eyes twinkling in admiration.

"Hi Claire," Harry greeted.

"Well?" Claire said expectantly.

The three third years all shared a secretive glance. Hermione nodded her head, and Ron's eyes flashed in apprehension. Harry took in the reactions of his friends before bowing his head and sighing deeply.

"Sirius Black is my godfather, and he helped Voldemort murder my parents," Harry said gravely.

Claire gasped in shock.

"And," Hermione added, "we were wondering if perhaps Professor Lupin told you anything about it.

Claire felt her cheeks redden and her hands clam up. What could they know about her secret crush on the Defense Professor?

"Why would he tell me anything?" Claire asked.

"Well, it's fairly obvious you're his favorite student," Harry observed.

Claire couldn't resist a smirk, but she was relieved. So, they must not know.

Besides, after his behavior towards her when she saw him in the Hospital Wing, she wouldn't be surprised if he actually hated her.

"I disagree," Claire began. She almost missed the way Ron rolled his eyes. "I think that you're his favorite student, Harry, perhaps you should ask him yourself."

The three shared a knowing glance, before nodding their heads in agreement.

"I'll go now," Harry said, before standing. The other two joined him to leave.

"Before you go," Claire said, "Have any of you seen a dog in the castle?"

3

Sirius let out a low whine before making his way back into the seventh-year girls' dormitory. Maybe his person had leftovers from breakfast that she was hiding that he could munch on. He, of course, regretted tearing at the Fat Lady's portrait, but this new guy in her place really let anyone in. Even in his Padfoot form, the portrait swung right open. Before he acted rashly, Sirius wanted to take a few days to observe Wormtail's behavior before he struck

The dormitory door was open a crack, and Sirius resisted a yip in glee. He entered as quietly as he could, sniffing discreetly to find which bed belonged to his person.

Flowers? No. Citrus? No. Pine? No. Peppermint? No. Chocolate fudge? Ah, yes, jackpot, Sirius thought to himself.

Sirius examined the empty bed and leapt up, searching if his person left any sweets behind. She smelled like sweets herself, so the search was that much harder. Sirius collapsed on the mattress after coming up empty handed.

He shut his eyes. Maybe when his person returned from classes, she would bring him a bite to eat.

3

Sirius blinked his eyes open to find four girls and his person sitting on the opposite bed and staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

He let his tongue loll out in an effort to communicate friendly instead of ferocious. He knew that he didn't exactly look like a lapdog and was more on the scary side, but he didn't need a group of frightened young women on his hands, or rather, paws.

His person stood, and approached him, her palm up, and courage in her eyes.

"Hey there, Snuffles, remember me?" she said softly.

"Really, Claire? Snuffles? Try Scary Wolf Dog," one of her friends said, her voice rich with sarcasm.

So, his person's name was Claire. The name suited her, Sirius mused, but he tilted his head at the new name for himself. He supposed that Snuffles was a mite better than the alternatives to Padfoot James had come up with all those years ago.

"Shut it," Claire said, her voice still soft, "I'm trying to remember everything I ever learned in Care of Magical Creatures."

Claire continued her approach toward him while her friends waited in silence. He could smell her apprehension, but Padfoot admired the courage he could also smell.

"You're a good boy, aren't you?" Claire whispered.

Sirius resisted an eye roll. Thank god no one he knew was here to see this humiliation take place. He allowed her a sniff of her fingers, and the girls in the room sighed in relief when Claire was able to scratch behind his ears. Sirius decided that he would play puppy for now if it meant that he could sleep in an actual bed. Wormtail has stayed hidden as a pet garden rat for 12 years, so what would a few nights hurt?

"Claire, he smells!" one of Claire's friends complained, "at least bathe the poor thing!"

Sirius blanched, and resisted Claire's efforts in dragging him to the attached bathroom.

"Come on, Snuffles, it's time to get nice and clean!" Claire insisted.

Fine, Sirius thought to himself, she is not going to be pleased when she finds out I'm an Animagus and not an actual dog.

He followed her into the bathroom.

3

The next morning, Snuffles was gone, and Claire tried her best to stay worry free.

The color drained from her face by the time she made it to the Grand Hall and the rumors became truth when she saw the look on Ron Weasley's face.

Sirius Black was in the castle.


Behold. My first attempt at a Harry Potter fic. Let me know what you think! Some people hate the idea of Remus falling in love with a student half his age but I was totally intrigued by it when I read a similar fic. So I decided to write one of my own with an original character, Claire Frye. I hope you guys like her and you enjoyed this story! Posting sporadically... and probably not linearly at all. Most likely going to just be a series of longer(ish) one shots, but we'll see.