Chapter Seven: Kneazlemania!

The Great Hall was unusually quiet again on Monday morning and - as the boys took their seats - they saw a pile of parchments on the table and swiped one.

Suppression of the Press!

The headline blared. James grinned. 'I'm guessing Rita's back.'

'With a vengeance,' Remus said, his eyes skimming over the article - a few hair raising statements popped right out:

… Must do all we can to fight the iron fist of fascism that the old fool Dumbledore wields over this school.

…

…Our democratic right to freedom of speech and to report freely what is going on in our own community came under direct attack from the authoritarian faculty members, who do not wish for us to challenge the status quo or indeed think for ourselves.

…

… We have stagnated in the mire of unquestioning obedience too long. Your humble reporter, Rita Skeeter (a clear sighted beacon of truth in the murk) will not be silenced! Those responsible for our well being and education must be held accountable and - indeed - challenged should it come to that. And this humble newsletter is the place those challenges will be laid down.

…

… The question we must all ask: is Dumbledore too afraid to let us speak?

'Blimey,' Sirius shook his head. 'What will happen to her after this?'

'Nothing - they played directly into her hands by shutting her down.'

The three boys all turned and stared at Peter in surprise. It seemed an unusually astute thing for him to say. But he only shrugged. 'If they shut her down again, then it looks like all this stuff,' he gestured to the scurrilous article, 'is all true and they are afraid. They have to let her keep running now. It's the only way to make whatever she has to say look like it's not real - doesn't matter. But the thing with gossip is - once it's out there, it doesn't go away again. Doesn't matter how stupid what she prints is - if people want to believe it, they will, and Dumbledore can't do anything about it without proving he is - er - "wielding his iron fist of fascism".'

On the newsletter - the little illustrated Dumbledore that accompanied the article looked extra shifty and shuffled around.

…

That night, they couldn't get near the wireless again. Day by day, more and more students were gathering around it and tuning in to listen to the songs of The Kneazles, or to listen to the band being interviewed.

Tuesday was even worse. And James tutted in disgust when he heard Evans being told off in Transfiguration for doodling Bobby Darrow's name in a love heart on her textbook. 'Honestly,' he muttered. 'What is wrong with people?'

Remus found himself on the end of a hostile glare when he unconsciously started humming "Diagon Alley" as he worked on his Potions essay, on Wednesday night. 'It's just stuck in my head!' he protested, while James growled something about traitors under his breath.

But on Thursday, something arrived in the owl post which lifted James' spirits. 'Brilliant!' he breathed, tearing the brown paper off his bulky package to reveal his very own wireless. 'Now no one can stop me listening to the Quidditch.'

'I can't believe you got sent a wireless for absolutely nothing,' Sirius said to him. His tone was somewhere between disgusted and jealous. 'I mean it's not Christmas, it's not your birthday. You just asked and mummy sent you one. I'd like to see what my mum'd do, if I wrote to her asking for something expensive and unnecessary out of the blue.'

'We'd all enjoy listening to the howler,' Remus smiled.

Sirius barged him.

'There's no need for sour grapes,' James said, 'this belongs to all of us. It'll be in our dorm - where any of us can use it. Sirius, will you help me set it up?'

And the promise of being able to mess around with wires and dials for a couple of hours was enough to make Sirius forget his annoyance and perk right up.

…

That Saturday night, while everyone else in Gryffindor was down in the common room, avidly listening to the "Wiz Hits Top 40 with Joel Stedmonds" and confidently predicting that "Diagon Alley" and "Enchant Me Do" would place at number one and two respectively, the boys escaped to their dorm and tuned their own wireless into the Quidditch.

It was the Pride of Portree vs the Tutshill Tornadoes tonight, and if the Tornadoes won by a margin of more than 30 points then they would go ahead of the Harpies in the league. Thus Remus found himself in the rather unusual position of hoping his old team would lose, while listening to James and Peter cheer them on.

"And that's Indhira Akhter for the Tornados squaring up to keeper Barney Moss"

The commentator said.

"And she shoots - and she …"

'Come on, Barney!' Remus and Sirius yelled at the wireless … but it was not meant to be.

"...scores!"

The commentator finished up. Sirius and Remus groaned. James and Peter cheered.

" That's ten more points to the Tornados. Well done, Indhira!"

'We're going to lose the league,' Sirius moaned. His face was buried in his hands. James was grinning. His face was lit up with a wicked delight.

'Get ready for the most humiliating forfeit that's ever been thought of,' he warned.

But Remus shook his head. 'There's ages until the end of the season yet. There's plenty of time.'

But by the time seeker Archibald Gristle had caught the snitch, putting the Tornados a full 220 points in the lead, even Remus had to admit that things were not looking good.

James and Peter put their heads together and started to whisper, glancing occasionally at the other two and chuckling. Sirius glowered at them.

'It's not over 'til it's over,' Remus said … though he did not not sound completely convinced.

…

As the game finished, the boys headed back down to the common room. The girls were just switching off the wireless - the Wiz Hits Top 40 had finished and The Kneazles were comfortably reigning supreme. Seeing the boys arrive, Lily pulled a face and headed up to her own dorm with the others.

They were still singing and giggling as they went and, once they were alone and the door was closed, poses were struck and hair brushes were picked up and used as microphones. (Lily and Mary had taught Mandy and Petra the fine art of hairbrush singing, and they were now all experts.)

'Enchant, enchant me do,' they all chorused, standing on their beds, flipping their hair, wiggling their hips and pouting into the ends of their hair brushes. 'Oh please say I enchant you. Our spell will never be through…'

Their dorm walls were now plastered with moving photos of the band - from articles they had pulled out of Witch Weekly or snipped from the Daily Prophet. Lily's old - frozen - poster of David Cassidy was now almost buried under the grinning and winking images of the fab four.

Each girl had chosen a different band member to be in love with, so there was no falling out. Mandy had bagged Richard Clarke, the drummer, before the others had even heard of them. And it was just accepted as a gospel truth that Lily was going to marry Bobby Darrow when she grew up.

'No love potion, no heady brew - just old school magic, me and you… whoa enchant, enchant me do!'

Once they had finished their rendition of The Kneazles' breakthrough hit, they collapsed on their beds, giggling. 'The thing about Bobby,' Lily said, lying on her back, her hands behind her head, gazing dreamily up at her canopy, 'is that he's just so mature. It's not just his talent and his looks…' she giggled, 'even if he is dreamy - but he's just so grown up and sophisticated. Not a silly little boy - like Potter and the rest. I just know that when I finally meet him, he'll treat me like a real woman.'

'Yes, I can't imagine the four of them arsing around and getting detentions,' Mary agreed. 'I bet they were already studying their art, when they were our age. And what are Potter and Black doing?' She wrinkled her beautiful nose in disgust and flipped her blonde hair. 'Seeing who can wee the highest up a wall.'

'And they attacked Sev four on one the other day.' Lily was indignant. 'He wouldn't tell me what happened - poor thing - but I bet it was something really awful.'

Petra shook her head dismissively - uninterested in the goings on of Snape and the Gryffindor boys. She wanted to get back to The Kneazles - and when she spoke, her voice was wistful. 'Just imagine if we were a few years older - we could have actually been in school with them. Known them before they were famous.' She sighed dreamily - lost in her imaginings of the band members going to classes - and her being there to see it.

Mary nodded. 'The girls who were at Hogwarts with them probably had no idea how lucky they were! To be in school with people destined for greatness - fame!' She gave a derisive snort. 'I can't imagine the likes of Potter and Black ever being famous.'

'Unless they become famous for being the biggest, most arrogant, most irritating arses in the world,' Lily said. 'Or - the way they behave - they'll probably become famous criminals or something.'

'I think that's infamous - not famous,' Mandy told her.

'Whatever. Neither Potter or Black will ever be famous for anything good. Not like Bobby…' and she gave her photographs an adoring look. 'I can't wait for our wedding. And you can all be bridesmaids. And the other Kneazles will be the best man and the ushers - and then we can all dance…'

'What will "Sev" say?' Mary asked her rather wickedly.

But Lily only sniffed and tossed her hair. 'I don't know what you mean - who I marry is not any of Sev's business. He can like it or lump it.'

…

The days passed by and, as the growing number of Gryffindors around the wireless would attest to, the four girls were not the only ones being swept along in the musical tide of The Kneazles.

KneazleMania!

The headlines of "Rita Skeeter's School News Scoops" blared to everyone in the Great Hall on Monday morning. Underneath was yet another enchanted sketch. This one was of the band - and had little musical notes floating from their instruments.

The Singing Sensations Sweep The School

This past summer saw the wizarding world taken by storm, when four lads from Liverpool exploded onto the scene with their catchy Pop hit "Enchant Me Do".

The muggleborn boys are said to take their inspiration from a muggle musical group that enthralled and entertained British non-magical people (especially teen girls) back when they were at school.

And it seems that the average teen witch is no more immune to the non-magical Charms of the beat than their muggle counterparts.

With the release of The Kneazles second hit song - "Diagon Alley" - a fever of KneazleMania has swept through the school and suddenly no one can get enough of our newest musical minstrels.

"Bobby Darrow is the handsomest and most talented man who ever lived," gushes Linda Lively of Ravenclaw. "And I just know I'm going to marry him when I leave school."

As much as I am sure we all wish Linda the best of luck, her path is by no means clear. Indeed your humble reporter, Rita Skeeter (first in the know for stories that are good to go) managed to track down a full further SEVEN Darrow brides to be…

Lily stopped reading and tutted. 'She didn't speak to me . As if I'd ever speak to her … I wonder who these other girls are?'

'Don't worry about it, Lils,' Mary said. 'They won't be half as pretty as you. Bobby won't look twice at them. Everyone knows you're his type.'

Lily looked very pleased. 'We do go together well, don't we?'

'It helps that you're both muggleborn,' Petra told her, 'it gives you something in common.' She looked worried. 'I hope Kenny Green doesn't mind that I'm halfblood - and don't know the first thing about muggles.'

'Oh no!' Lily and Mary immediately sought to reassure her. 'I'm sure the boys aren't prejudiced. They aren't like that at all.'

They went back to their reading.

And Mr. Darrow is not the only one with a bevy of eager brides banging at his door. "I'm so in love with Roger Smith" confesses Miriam Miller of Hufflepuff. "He doesn't get the limelight that Bobby Darrow does, but then he is just a quieter and more sensitive soul."

Indeed "soulful" is how Miss Miller's love rival, Daisy Wilcock - also of Hufflepuff house, described him.

"Deep", "meaningful" and "tender" were some of the adjectives others chose to use on the enigmatic Mr. Smith.

And Richard Clarke and Kenny Green are just as popular. It seems like every witch in the castle has chosen her Kneazle and is planning her wedding.

'Well, I don't know why they're bothering,' snorted Mandy. 'Everyone knows they're ours.'

The competition is real and becoming very fierce. There were no less than five admissions to the Hospital Wing over the weekend, due to Kneazle-related hexings. Meanwhile, poor Mr. Filch is having to spend his evenings cleaning graffiti from the castle walls, as young witches have taken to using their wands to engrave their love for the singing Scouse minstrels onto every available surface.

However, our hordes of Kneazle fans had better beware.

We have seen before that the teachers are no strangers to shutting down freedom of expression. One has to wonder - as the fever takes hold and the temperature in the school begins to rise - how long before the tyrannical fist of Dumbledore smashes down and bans their music from the grounds?

I don't see Dumbledore doing that,' Mary said dismissively. 'He'd have a riot on his hands.'

Lily nodded in agreement. 'He's much too smart. And anyway, he doesn't have a problem with us listening to music. That's just Rita bashing him again. She's probably still sour about him stopping her printing.'

'They're quite good pictures she's got of them,' Mandy said - looking at the enchanted illustrations at the top of the article. 'I wonder who does the drawing for her? … We should definitely stick these on our wall.' And she carefully folded the newsletter and put it in her bag for later.

…

Rita was right. The signs of Kneazlemania were all across the school and growing every day. Not only were the songs constantly being sung in the corridors and at break time, but The Kneazles' symbol (three wands forming a K, with musical notes instead of sparks bursting from the tip and all inside a circle) was being magically painted onto every available wall. And love hearts, with the band member's initials carved in, were being scratched onto desks and drawn on the bathroom mirrors in lipstick.

The Kneazles were everywhere - and the whole atmosphere of the castle crackled with excitement and longing at the merest mention of their names, or the briefest whisper of the opening chords of their songs.

And Rita had it right, too, that fights were starting to break out. Girls who were in love with Bobby Darrow fought among themselves in the hope of being the one who nabbed him. Kenny Green fans and Richard Clarke fans fought among each other as to who was the most dreamy, sensitive and gifted. And then there was a very strange group of girls, indeed, who insisted that Bobby Darrow and Roger Smith would not be marrying any of the girls at all because they were - in fact - completely in love with each other.

'It's so obvious,' Bettina Bagshot of Ravenclaw told an incredulous Lily. 'Just look at the way they look at each other, look at their chemistry! They are in love!'

'Oh really!' Lily said - rather crossly - 'who ever heard of such a thing?'

('She's not wrong, mate,' whispered James to Sirius - though he was loath to admit that FlatuLily Evans was right about anything. 'Who ever heard of two blokes … It couldn't work.'

Sirius just looked thoughtful. 'Well, they definitely couldn't have a baby,' he conceded. 'But that wouldn't stop them … you know - you know? For fun - like Remus said.'

'What? Of course it would! Where would they put … it? '

But Sirius only raised an eyebrow and grinned - while James boggled at him and refused to believe it.)

Lily found herself in another argument - this time with Severus - when he saw her Potions textbook covered in love hearts and scrawling signatures of "Lily Darrow".

'What is this?' he asked her - a look of disgust on his face.

'Nothing,' she snatched the book up, her own face burning bright red.

'I would have expected better of you than this.'

'And what is that supposed to mean?' Her voice had a very definite edge to it, but Severus paid it no mind.

'I mean you're not going to marry that … muggle . And I would have thought you would be more sensible than all the other twittering girly girls in the castle. I thought you were smarter than that.'

'He's not a muggle!'

'He might as well be.'

'He's muggleborn, Sev. Like me.'

Severus flushed. 'Yes - well - all the more reason for you to not get carried away with this muggle nonsense. You're a witch, Lily. And being from a non-magic background disadvantages you. You need to fit in.'

'Everyone loves The Kneazles - I am fitting in!'

'Everyone might love them now. But things are changing out there. Ideas are shifting. The old ways are coming back and I'm warning you, Lily, that you don't want to draw attention to your blood status, if you know what's good for you.'

'Warning me? You're warning me to pretend I come from a different family? I'm not ashamed of my family, Sev. I don't care that they're not magic.' Her voice had gone very high pitched and she had tears in her eyes.

'Well other people do - and I just want you to be safe. And part of that is not going mental over muggle music.'

'You're just saying that because you hate muggles - because you hate your dad!'

Severus went very red and then very grey and then very red again. 'It's not - don't bring him up… he's got nothing to do with this.'

'I think he has. I think he's the reason you want me to pretend I'm from a magic background. You think they're all the same. You're afraid of your dad - you're afraid of all of them.'

'How dare you! Don't talk to me that way!'

'I'll not talk to you at all!' And she picked up her cauldron and moved benches to sit with Mary.

Severus glowered darkly, he was breathing hard and his glittering black eyes roved around the room. They landed on James - who had been watching the whole thing. His face screwed up in rage, he gripped his wand and fired off a hex. James and Sirius dove behind their bench, the sparks from the wand hit the cauldron instead of them - and bounced back - hitting Snape full in the face.

Within moments he was covered in oozing boils and pustules, which erupted like volcanoes across his skin.

'Dear me, dear me,' Slughorn huffed when he saw him. 'What happened to you, then? - Hospital Wing.'

James and Sirius grinned at each other in delight. Lily looked between them - and the fleeing, oozing Severus - and her expression became very conflicted. 'Oh shut up,' she snapped at the two boys - who were now guffawing over Snape's self inflicted disaster.

'He tried to hex us - he had it coming. Especially after all that stuff he said to you.'

'You shouldn't be listening in to our private conversations. What he said to me is none of your business.'

But James shook his head, 'ugly anti-muggleborn sentiment is every decent person's business. If we pretend it's nothing to do with us just because we're pureblood then we're just as bad as he is.'

'Oh - you're ten times worse than he is, Potter,' she snapped. 'You have no idea what he's been through. I shouldn't have argued with him - he needs me.'

…

As September turned into October, the fever gripping the school was not abated. Indeed - day by day it seemed to grow stronger. By the time the Quidditch season started, it seemed like only the four boys and the Quidditch players themselves cared about the upcoming matches.

It was Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw - and though the stands were packed as usual, it had to be noted that the crowds were singing "Diagon Alley" and not the usual chants and cheers to spur on their teams.

It was a thrilling match - the chasers were equally matched, the keepers were worked hard (Gryffindor had a new keeper after Alex Wood had left at the end of last year, but their new one - Belvedere Johnson - seemed more than up to the task) and the beaters were fast and furious. Bludgers rocketed through the air and almost unseated more than one player. And then - far above the rest of the game - Jenny Price and Bao Chang circled the stadium, keeping their eyes peeled for the golden snitch. As the main game was so neck and neck it really would be the snitch that won the day, and the boys watched Jenny tensely - keeping their fingers crossed the whole time.

But the snitch remained elusive - the score was getting higher and higher- and it was almost dark before there came the first glimpse of the fluttering wings. The seekers both plummeted to earth in a steep nose dive while, in the stands, the boys held their breath. 'Come on come on come on,' Sirius muttered, 'come on, Jenny - you can do it…Yesss!'

There was a great roar from the scarlet wearing crowd and a groan of disappointment from the blues, as Jenny pulled out of her dive with the snitch beating frantically in her hand.

'We won - we won - we actually won,' James sang, jumping up and down and almost strangling Peter in a hug.

But as the crowds streamed back to the castle, they overheard one girl say to another 'I didn't think that was going to end before it was time for the Wiz Hits Top 40 - honestly, I thought I was going to have to walk out. What were they thinking stringing it out like that?'

James shook his head, 'what is wrong with people?' he asked. Though his friends could not give him an answer.

...

Another week passed, the air grew colder and crisper, the leaves began to turn red and gold and float down from the trees - and The Kneazles continued to dominate the charts. But, for Remus, what mostly stood out was that the moon was growing ever fatter and soon the full would be upon him once again .

Only this month it was different. Because this month his friends actually knew his secret.

He wasn't going to have to lie about where he was going, he wasn't going to have to pretend he didn't feel poorly and so … although the aches and pains were as bad as ever - he felt much more cheerful and far less tense as the night itself approached.

And, while Sirius had been completing homework for him after the full moon for months - this time they were all picking up for him, even though he hadn't even missed any classes yet. 'Nonsense - you look tired,' James said, waving him away dismissively. 'Go and rest - I'll do your Charms for you. It won't take me long.'

'If you're sure … I don't want to be a pain.'

'You're not a pain - other than your hanging around when I've told you to get going. I don't mind.'

'And I'll answer your questions for History of Magic for you,' Peter told him. 'I read some stuff on this goblin rebellion a while back, in the library. I think I know the answers.'

'No one cares if you get it wrong,' Sirius told him, 'least of all Binns. As long as Remus has something to hand in.'

'Thank you - really, all of you -'

'Go!' they all yelled at him - and he fled up to the dorm and gratefully laid down to rest. His bones were starting to feel like they were on fire.

It wasn't entirely free, his friends' help, however. The closer they got to the moon, the more curious they all became - and the more questions they started to ask. Reticent at first, hesitant and a little afraid - and then more and more until they were pretty much bombarding him with everything they had ever wanted to know about werewolves.

'What does it feel like?' James asked him, when they were in private - the door to their dorm very firmly shut. 'The actual transformation?'

'About as painful as you'd think having all your bones broken and reformed would be,' Remus said. 'It's agonising - though that part doesn't last too long.'

'I've never broken a bone… maybe I should break my arm, so I can see,' James looked thoughtful.

'Don't do that, you nutter,' Sirius looked at him like he was mad. He wrinkled his nose. 'What happens to your clothes - when you change shape?'

Remus blushed, 'well - I take them off beforehand. Otherwise they would rip.'

'Oh …'

'But what does it feel like to break a bone?' James asked - still not moving on.

'Painful!'

'And it's not just breaking - people only have 206 bones, wolves have over 300 - he has to grow a whole load of extra,' Peter said. Everyone stared at him. It was his turn to blush. 'I - er - did some reading when I first found out … to help me understand.' He looked embarrassed and uncomfortable, but Remus gave him a soft smile - he appreciated the effort Peter had gone to to get over his condition as quickly as possible.

But Peter was still thinking about the things he had read. 'Er - what's it like to grow a tail?'

Remus blushed again - and felt Sirius and James suddenly staring at him very keenly. 'It's horrible,' he said. 'Really weird. But there's so much going on all at once I don't always notice it that much. And when the transformation is happening…' he flushed deeper, 'my mind is transforming too - so I'm not me the whole way through, you know? It gets to a point where I'm gone - and it's the wolf going through it all.'

'And is that less bad?' Sirius sounded hopeful.

But Remus shook his head. 'No - the wolf is… deranged. It's worse, if anything. And though I'm not there at the time, I remember it all in the morning … so it's like I went through it all.'

'And what does the wolf do - at night, I mean?' James asked him.

'Well it - I mean he - I mean I … I attack myself. The wolf is a predator - a monster. It wants to kill … but obviously I don't, I can't do that. So I attack myself instead. I bite and scratch at myself trying to get all the anger out … that's why I have…' his voice lowered to a mumble, 'the scars.'

'And do you do all this in the Hospital Wing?' Peter asked. 'How is that safe?'

'No - of course not. I just go to Madam Pomfrey and she takes me down to the place I transform. Then in the morning she comes back for me and that's when I go to the Hospital Wing.'

'So… do you have a cage?' James said.

Remus felt himself burn bright red - and couldn't quite bring himself to look at the others, though he was vaguely aware of Sirius thumping James on the arm. 'No - no, I have a safehouse. It's outside of the grounds - the doors and windows are all boarded up so I can't get out.'

'How do you get in ?'

'There's a secret passage - underneath the Whomping Willow. There's a knot in the roots, if you press it it freezes and then - I go into the passage and follow it all the way down to the house. I can't get back out again as a wolf.'

'Hang on a minute - hang on for just one minute!' James was staring at him. 'You knew about an extra secret passage all this time - and you never told us about it?'

'Well he couldn't - could he? - You berk! It had to be a secret to keep him safe.' Sirius suddenly narrowed his eyes. 'That's why you never liked us messing around with that tree - playing roulette. You were afraid we would find the passageway.'

Remus nodded, squirming a little with shame. 'It was planted especially for me - that's why it's there. For me to use. To keep me safe - to keep everyone else safe from me.'

'Blimey! And where does it lead to?' James asked. 'Where is this house?'

'It's miles away - or it seems it when I'm walking down the passage ready to drop with pain and exhaustion. I've never seen it from the outside. I don't know where it is exactly but I - I think - it's the Shrieking Shack.'

'But that's haunted!'

His shame deepened - and he squirmed again. 'No I - I don't think it is.'

'But the people in the village have heard the ghosts,' Peter told him. 'Horrible howling and yelping and…'

'It's not ghosts, you idiot, it's him,' Sirius hissed from between gritted teeth.

'Oh!' Both James' and Peter's eyes widened in understanding. Sirius rolled his eyes and patted Remus comfortingly on the arm. And despite how mortifying this whole experience was, he smiled a little - feeling better that Sirius, at least, was mindful of his feelings.

The night before the full, as he lay in bed and felt feverish and achy and miserable, the curtains parted and - once again - Sirius poked his head in. 'Can I come in?'

'You're already halfway in - might as well keep going.'

Sirius grinned and crawled into bed with him. 'How are you feeling?'

'Like all my bones are about to snap apart and grow into a brand new shape.'

'You're very brave you know, Remus. To put up with all this.'

He smiled. 'Is it really bravery when you don't have a choice?'

'Well - you could make a whole lot more fuss about it than you do.'

'No I couldn't. People would find out then. It would be worse if people knew … I probably couldn't stay here. No one would want me.'

'We want you.'

'I know - and I'm glad I've got you. But no one else can ever find out. My life wouldn't be worth living if people knew what I was.'

'Is it really that bad?'

'Yes - people hate werewolves. They're afraid of them. They think they're - we're - dangerous animals. I know it doesn't make a difference to you or James or Pete - but you're the odd ones out. Things are alright while it's a secret but … I don't really have a future.'

'Don't say that.'

'Why not? It's true.'

'Well - you'll always have us - and we'll look after you.'

Remus smiled again - but shook his head. 'When you're a grown up - and you have a wife and a family of your own, you won't want me milling around. I'm too dangerous. And you'll have your own life to be getting on with.'

But Sirius snorted in disgust. 'I am never going to have a wife, Remus. Or a family. I am never going to … you know - with a girl!' He shuddered at the thought. 'Everything really will be alright for us, you know,' he said.

…

But when Remus returned to the common room after the full moon, it was to find his friends looking shifty and uncomfortable. 'What's wrong?' he asked, feeling a sudden lurch of dread in his stomach.

'It's in the paper - page 5,' Sirius said. 'It's nothing - don't worry about it…'

But Remus picked up a copy of The Prophet that was lying around - ignored the front page headline about The Kneazles, leafed past the stories about the most recent disappearances and turned to page 5 - where he saw what it was that was bothering his friends.

Another Werewolf Attack in Aberystwyth!

He read.