After his adventure in the Forbidden Forest, Remus began taking regular walks down to the groundskeeper's cabin. He told himself that this would satisfy Dumbledore's suggestion that he get more fresh air and sunshine, without placing Remus at risk among his peers. Hagrid was an adult, after all. He could take care of himself. And as a member of the school staff, he already knew Remus's secret.
Hagrid was always happy to share a cup of tea with Remus, and though the rock cakes he served were terrible, he became the first real friend Remus had made at Hogwarts. And despite demonstrating a keen interest in Remus's condition, he never wheedled him for details about his transformations. Instead, they usually discussed the magical creatures under Hagrid's care.
As the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, Hagrid had several responsibilities. The thestrals that Magorian had mentioned were a herd bred and raised by Hagrid himself. He brought Remus to see them one day, or rather, to see their enclosure. The strange creatures were invisible to most wizards. Hagrid described them as black, scaly horses with leathery wings. Remus tried to picture them as he watched several dead weasels be picked apart as the creatures enjoyed their meal. Hagrid explained that he was still training them, but hoped they would soon be able to pull carriages to and from the train station to the school gates.
Hagrid was also one of a very few select people the centaurs tolerated in the Forbidden Forest. As such, it often fell on him to negotiate with the herd should the need arise. Remus was excluded from these explorations, but didn't mind waiting outside of Hagrid's cabin with a book in hand, enjoying the weather as it gradually became warmer, and occasionally playing fetch with Hagrid's overly large puppy.
Remus became a sort of assistant to Hagrid while he completed his daily duties around the school grounds, listening to him as he fondly spoke of dragons, erumpents, and even chimeras, a rare monster with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and a scaly tail. Unfortunately, their eggs were illegal to trade, and Hagrid hadn't been able to get his hands on one.
"It's all because people think they're dangerous," Hagrid complained, "But really, people are jus' scared o' wha' they don' understand! Take the demiguise, fer instance. Why, the Ministry classifies it as dangerous, jus' cause it's invisible! But anyone who knows abou' them knows they're herbivorous! Wouldn' harm a flea. Yeh'd get more trouble from an erkling!"
It didn't take long for Remus to learn that Hagrid had a soft spot for just about every creature the Ministry considered dangerous. He began to understand why he had taken pity on a young werewolf.
But when he hinted at this similarity, Hagrid said, "Yer not an animal, Remus. No more'n I am, an' I'm half-giant, after all. But we both 'ave one thing in common, I'll grant yeh, an' it's tha' the Ministry is afraid of us. An' what for? Because we're different? Why, there's all kinds o' decent folk with conditions they can't control! Take Professor Corvus, fer instance. This school hasn' had a finer Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in years, and her bein' a Maladictus doesn' change that fact…"
"What's a Maladictus?" Remus interrupted.
Hagrid was usually eager to share anything he knew with Remus, but now he checked himself, looking startled and embarrassed.
"Shouldn't've told you that…" he muttered, "Weren' my place…"
"You can tell me," Remus insisted. "I'm obviously good at keeping secrets."
"Is that what you call getting caught naked in the forest?" Hagrid growled. When Remus looked down at his feet, ashamed of the reminder, Hagrid heaved a sigh, and added, "Look, it isn' tha' I don' trust yeh. But if Professor Corvus wanted her students ter know, she'd've brought it up herself. You wouldn' want me ter go and tell everyone about you, would yeh?"
Remus saw the sense in his argument, and allowed the subject to drop. But he couldn't resist his own curiosity. As an avid reader, he was always interested when he came across a new word, but now he was motivated by more than just academic ambition. Professor Corvus was without a doubt his favorite teacher. He wanted to know more about her.
Soon after his conversation with Hagrid, he went to the library to look up the term. He had feared it would be something obscure and difficult to locate, perhaps only to be found in the restricted section. But after a brief search, he found the definition of Maledictus in a book detailing various blood curses:
A Maledictus or Maledicta is an individual cursed to transform into an animal.
Unlike Animagi, who gain the ability to transform through consuming a potion and completing the required ritual,
a Maledictus has this ability from birth, but gradually loses the ability to think like a human over time.
Eventually, those who carry this curse will turn into a beast permanently…
Remus read through the passage several times. Suddenly, the professor's former hints made sense to him. He found himself feeling sorry for her. He thought being a werewolf was hard enough, but at least he became human again when the full moon was over. He couldn't imagine being permanently stuck as a wolf, unable to think like himself, never able to turn back…
His eyes were still staring unblinkingly at the page, pondering the sad fate of Professor Corvus, when a stack of books came crashing down on his table. He looked up, startled out of his reverie, to find Lily Evans, quill and parchment in hand.
"Afternoon, Remus," she said brightly, taking the seat across from him without asking.
It had been easy enough for Remus to rebuff Frank Longbottom's early efforts to befriend him. Evans, however, proved more persistent. Subtle hints were lost on her, and she seemed immune to even his most rude comments, laughing them all away. She was more likely to sit beside Remus in class than any of her girl friends, joined him at most mealtimes, and she had a knack for finding him in the library, as she did today.
And she was not alone. Severus Snape, looking sour, reluctantly took the open seat by her side. Remus blamed him for Evan's perverse interest in befriending him. Any Gryffindor who willingly associated with such a droll and standoffish Slytherin would not be put off by standard forms of rejection.
"Have you already finished Flitwick's essay on the knockback jinx?" Evans asked as she opened one of her books.
Remus grunted a reply, knowing that his response would matter little to Evans. He nodded his head in acknowledgement of Snape, who returned the gesture with a curt nod of his own. The fact that he was just as disgruntled about sharing Evans' attention as Remus was to receive it made them strange allies. Remus almost didn't mind having him around.
"Chatty as ever, I see," Evans said with a smile.
Remus didn't respond right away. He was still thinking of Professor Corvus and her curse. As he wondered what sort of animal she transformed into, he tentatively approached the subject, saying, "Have either of you heard of a Maledictus?"
"Maledictus?" Evans repeated, looking surprised that Remus voluntarily asked her a question, "No, I've never heard of one before…"
She turned her questioning eyes toward Snape, as if accustomed to refer to him for any questions on new magical terms. She was not disappointed. Snape, his attention on his own textbook, casually said, "Maledictuses can turn into animals, but eventually they lose the ability to change back. It's a blood curse said to be passed from mother to daughter, because the only recorded instances have occurred to women, though it's not conclusive…"
He paused then, glancing up from his book to peer accusingly at Remus, "Why do you want to know?"
"I'm doing some extra credit for Professor Corvus," Remus stated promptly.
"As if you need extra credit," scoffed Evans, "You're always studying! If your marks in Corvus's class are anything like Charms, you don't need the extra points. I'll bet you've already finished Flitwick's essay!"
She shook her paper under his nose for emphasis. He couldn't deny her. He'd finished the essay the week before.
"Is that why you're always bothering me?" he asked instead, "So you can copy my homework?"
Snape's eyes flashed, as if astonished that anyone could find Evans annoying. But Evans merely laughed at the jab and said, "Hardly. If I needed to copy anyone's work, I'd copy Sev. He's even smarter than you."
Embarrassed by the unexpected compliment, Snape bowed his head, shielding his face with a curtain of black hair. Remus was sure he was hiding a blush as he mumbled, "I'm not that smart. My mum's a witch, so I got an early education, is all. You're more impressive, Lily. You've got Muggle parents, but you learn quick…"
"I'm half-blood as well," Remus found himself admitting. He immediately regretted the decision. It sounded too much like he was trying to relate to Snape, and he still did not want to get close to anyone. Making some excuse to the pair, he quickly returned his books to the library shelves, and sped away. He needed to find a more effective way of distancing himself from both of them. He was becoming too comfortable with their occasional conversations.
But Evans remained persistent. She cornered him in the common room that very evening, continuing their conversation as if there had been no interruption.
"You said before that your father was in Gryffindor, so it's your mum who must be a Muggle," she remarked as she sat on the floor beside his armchair. "Is she the one who gave you all those novels?"
She pointed to the book in his hands. Remus lifted the cover, trying to hide his face whilst ignoring her. He was reading Peter Pan, another of his mother's favorites.
"I've read that one, too," Evans continued, "Did you know most of my roommates haven't even heard of it? I suppose it's because it's written by a Muggle author, but it still seems strange.."
Seeing that no reading would be done with Evans there, Remus closed his book with a snap and fled the common room. He headed up the stairs to his dormitory, prepared to turn in early, if necessary, only to realize that Evans was following him, still chatting about Peter Pan, and how the description of the fairies differed from real-life fairies.
"Evans, this is the boys' dormitory," Remus interrupted when he had reached the very door of his room and she still had not got the hint.
"Yeah? What's your point?" Evans asked.
Remus, now profoundly aggravated, was about to complain further, when James Potter appeared on the landing. He paused, apparently stunned by the appearance of a girl standing outside their dormitory. Evans reacted much faster.
"See you tomorrow, Remus," she said, dropping the conversation entirely as she traipsed past Potter and down the stairs.
Remus breathed a sigh of relief, then sauntered into the dormitory. Potter slipped in behind him. He was alone today. Remus assumed that Black had done something to land himself in detention again. And since Pettigrew was nowhere in sight, it was likely he'd been dragged into the mess, as well.
"What was Evans doing up here?"
Remus had been wondering how Potter managed to escape punishment while his friends were likely serving detention. He hadn't been expecting Potter to ask a question of his own. He turned, observing that Potter had already changed out of his school robes, and was sitting on the edge of his bed, watching Remus curiously. Remus hated to be looked at, and he quickly turned his face away as he said, "I have no idea."
"She seems to like you…" Potter added after a moment. He almost sounded jealous.
"I doubt that very much," Remus replied immediately. The observation made him slightly uncomfortable. Longbottom had once made a similar comment about the girls gossiping about him. Could that be Evans' true motive in talking to him? Had her friends put her up to it, hoping to get more information on the quiet, taciturn boy in their class?
He shook his head, as if he could shake away the dark thoughts that clouded his mind. It seemed far more likely that Evans merely pitied him for being so lonely. She was, after all, friends with Snape. Remus crawled into bed, smiling at the notion that perhaps he and Snape had more in common than half-blood lineage, after all.