It wasn't long before Remus was back on his feet. The very first day that he was back in the Great Hall, eating breakfast with his friends on Sirius' birthday, Professor Flitwick found him.

"Lupin," he said, and Remus looked up from his eggs.

"Oh, hello, Professor Flitwick."

"Hello. Are you enjoying your breakfast?"

"Er, yes," said Remus, and his friends snickered.

"Good, good. Are you free sometime this evening to talk about Duelling Club with me?"

"Yes!" said Remus, dropping his fork in surprise and excitement. "I'd nearly forgotten about that!"

"Good! How about six pm?"

"That's perfect."

"Wonderful. I'll see you then. And happy birthday, Mr. Black."

"Thank you!" said Sirius with a cheery grin. He seemed to be in a pleasant mood.

Flitwick left, and Remus turned back to his food with a smile on his face. "What was that all about?" asked James.

"Oh, erm… Professor Flitwick wants me to help lead the Duelling Club."

"What? You?"

"Of course me," said Remus. "Why not me? I mean, none of the other professors want to help, Flitwick says, and I was coached by one of the best duellists in the world."

"Yeah, but mate," said James, with an undetectable emotion on his face, "I'm one of the most talented people in the school—probably the most talented person in the school. No offense, but I'm way better at magic than you are. Why you?"

Remus narrowed his eyes, slightly taken aback. "Seriously, James? Duelling is my whole thing. I've studied the theory for years. I've read all the duelling books in the library. I took duelling lessons with John Questus himself. I've read his personal notebook cover to cover. I was almost accepted into A.N.N.O.Y.E.D., for heaven's sake—the national youth duelling team!"

"But you weren't."

"Because I wasn't human, you idiot! I would have gotten in if I'd been allowed!"

"You don't know that!"

"It doesn't even matter—I came closer than anyone else could have, probably! Mate, I know you have this insane superiority complex, but it'd be nice if you could just let me be better than you at some things."

"But at magic?"

"Not at magic! At duelling! There's a huge difference! Duelling has its own skillset, and you don't have the patience to study the theory. I have, though, so I'm better at it."

"Only because of your werewolf senses," James muttered, and then Remus felt something entirely unpleasant rise up in his chest, begging to break free—but he immediately shoved it down. Remus always prided himself on controlling his temper. He was a werewolf, so he had to. He could not let himself grow angry at James for something so insignificant. He would take deep breaths: in through his nose, out through his mouth…

"That was a little harsh, mate," Remus heard Sirius tell James through his haze of heavy breathing and red-hot angry embarrassment, "and the fact that I'm the one saying this really speaks to how harsh it was."

"Are you all right?" asked Peter.

Remus took one final breath. His head was all floaty from the surplus of oxygen, and he felt a little like he was going to faint. "I'm fine," he said. "I should probably go. I'll see you in Arithmancy, James."

He turned to Sirius. "Happy birthday," he said, and then he stiffly stood up and started walking to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. No one would ever look for him there.

Peter, apparently, would.

While Remus sat on the hard tiles, taking deep breaths and ignoring Moaning Myrtle, who was floating next to him and giggling (she'd always had a bit of a crush on Remus), Peter entered the bathroom cautiously. "Moony?" he said hesitantly, lowering himself beside Remus with a slight thump. "Everything all right?"

"Fine," mumbled Remus. "Just calming down."

"Is it the… werewolf temper thing?"

"I mean, yeah. I'll be okay. James just caught me off-guard."

"Oh."

Remus took a few more deep breaths. "I get it," he said. "James likes being the best, and he doesn't know how to deal with it when someone else is better than he is at something. Especially me, because I was so slow to catch on to magic. Maybe he thinks I'm a little dense, so it's even more embarrassing that I'm better. And maybe he's envious because I suck up so much attention as it is, due to my lycanthropy, and this is just one more thing that puts me in the spotlight instead of him." Remus paused and thought that over. It all made sense, but somehow it was still infuriating. "He'll get over it," he said with a curt nod.

"I suppose."

"It sort of hurts that he can't be happy for me, but oh well."

"Yeah."

They sat there for a moment, basking in the relative solitude, ignoring Myrtle's sighs about how mature and understanding Remus was. "Why is this year so complicated?" Remus muttered, and Peter patted his knee in silent agreement.

He walked to Professor Flitwick's classroom that afternoon. He was shaking a little bit—trembling, just like he did before full moons. It felt as if energy and electricity were coursing through his muscles, and his legs shook so furiously that it was difficult to walk.

Was he nervous?

No, this was excitement. Well, yes, there were definitely nerves… but mostly excitement. He hadn't done something this exciting and nerve-wracking in a long, long time.

He knocked on the door, and Flitwick opened it immediately. "Ah, Lupin," he said. "So good to see you. How was the full moon?"

"It was all right."

"Good. Have a seat. I've made some tea."

Remus sat down. "This is quite different from my first-year lessons with Questus," he said.

Flitwick smiled. "Yes, I can imagine. How did he teach, exactly?"

"Hexed me until I could block it, pretty much. Most of what we did was focused on self-defense. That was the whole goal, you know—help me get better at defending myself, because it's pretty certain that people are going to try to attack me at some point."

Flitwick grew silent and took a sip of his tea. "Yes," he finally said, "I can imagine."

"Only that sentiments will probably get more hostile in the coming years," said Remus with a shrug.

"Yes, they probably will," said Flitwick sadly. "When there's something that people can't fix, they focus on what they can fix. And if you're connected to the Dark Arts in any way, and vulnerable besides, then they'll target you. Things have been hard for me in the last couple of years, so I can only imagine how hard they'll be for you."

Oh. Remus had totally forgotten that Flitwick wasn't fully human, himself. "Why would they target you?" he asked. "I mean, you're… you're part goblin, right? Goblins aren't Dark creatures."

"No, but they've been thought to be inferior to wizards for most of history. People don't often despise me and think me evil, but they tend to see me as less-than—less intelligent, less worthy, less magical, and less capable. As Dark activity increases, so too does fear and suspicion towards those who are different. Differences, to some, are threats."

Remus sighed. "Yes, you're right. I'm glad not many people know what I am. I can only imagine what would happen if everyone at Hogwarts knew I was a werewolf."

"You wouldn't be at Hogwarts," said Flitwick, shaking his head. "It's only because goblins are feared less than werewolves that I am able to function in human society, myself. My stature is something of a giveaway, so everyone knows what I am. You, though... if everyone knew, you wouldn't be able to come. It would be too dangerous."

"Right," said Remus, frowning. "Well, er… thank you for not treating me any differently for the last couple of years, even though you knew what I was."

"I find I don't struggle with that sort of thing," said Flitwick. "I do not fear you, nor do I look down on you, so why should I see you as anything but another student? Albeit one who is a remarkable duellist!" Fliwick grinned and clapped his hands. "And, on that note, why don't we get started? All we need to do today is come up with a couple of things to teach everybody and decide exactly how we're going to teach them. Keep in mind that we'll have people of all levels here."

"They'll need the Shield Charm," said Remus immediately, remembering what Questus had (tried) to teach him first. "We could just do some practice back and forth today—people of all levels need practice with that. Everybody partners up: one shoots harmless sparks, and one uses a simple Shield. Easy."

Flitwick smiled. "I have a feeling you're going to be very good at this," he said.

Remus traipsed back to his dormitory, humming a tune. He and Flitwick had planned three lessons in advance, practiced a demonstration, and then duelled for thirty minutes, just for fun. He was on top of the world.

He entered the dormitory with a song in his heart and a spring in his step; when he entered, Sirius was lying on the bed. "Hey, Padfoot," said Remus. "I'm not angry at all about what James said today, you know. Is he still angry with me? I know he's been stressed because of Quidditch, and…"

"Shhh," said Sirius. "I'm hiding."

Remus chuckled. "Okay. From whom?"

"From Prongs."

"Because it's your birthday? Is he planning a surprise for you?"

"No, because he… er… acquired something."

"Something?"

"Someone."

"Someone?"

"Yeah."

"Like… a human being?"

"I think so."

"You think so? Sirius, James isn't even in the general area. I'd know if he were. You can relax, whatever this is."

Sirius' shoulders visibly shrunk in relief. "Oh, yeah. I always forget you can smell people from a mile away."

"Not a mile."

"Still."

"So… what happened with James?"

"Well, see, we were in Hogsmeade—snuck through that secret passageway in the statue we found in first year—and we were just wandering about, looking for a birthday gift for me. Suddenly, Prongs heard a weird noise and looked behind him… and there was a… a thing."

"Okay, but what was it?"

"I don't know! It looked a little like a human, but not really! And James picked it up and carried it around Hogsmeade for a bit, which was silly and stupid, and then I ran back here because I was afraid of it, and James is still carrying it around, for all I know, and…"

"What did it look like?"

"A human, kind of!"

"That's all you can give me?"

"Yeah! It looks a little like my family house-elf, except way uglier, and… it creeps me out, Moony!"

"Where's Peter?"

"With James. He doesn't seem to mind the thing. I don't see how."

"Okay… erm, does it look dangerous?"

"Looks like it has all sorts of diseases." Sirius leapt over to Remus' bed, knocking over a couple of books on his way. He peered out the window, which was right behind Remus' four-poster. "Oh, no," said Sirius, and Remus heard the distinct voice of James (which was a very loud voice indeed) coming from outside. "He's coming. And I think the thing is in his bag. I'm hiding."

Sirius dashed into the lavatory and locked the door, knocking Remus' pillow clean off his bed. As for Remus, he stood there and patiently waited until James and Peter climbed the stairs and made their way into the dormitory. James entered first, glasses askew and cheeks rosy. "Oi, Moony!" he said joyfully, "you'll never guess what I've found!"

And unfamiliar scent emitted from the bag, and Remus squinted at it. "I don't think I can guess," he said.

James grinned and opened the bag, ever so slowly… and a large, bulbous head of an entirely unfamiliar creature popped out. It was wrinkly and slightly green, and its eyes were impossibly large and round. It was totally bald, save for a small patch of scraggly hair on the top of its head. It was bare from head to toe, and its feet and hands were too large for its body. Remus stared at the creature in shock, and the creature responded, "Erp."

"What the heck is that?" Remus cried.

"Not sure," said James cheerfully. "Sirius is pretty sure it has some diseases, though. He seems to have a problem with gross things."

"I do not," called Sirius, who was indeed highly afraid of blood.

"I have a problem with that creature, too," said Remus. "What the heck, James?"

"Well, I like it," said James stubbornly. "And I've had a bad day. I deserve to have a good day, don't I? I mean, it started with you and me bickering—sorry, by the way—and then you were gone for a few hours doing nonsense with Filius. I found a weird little creature in Hogsmeade, and now I want to keep it."

"I think I'm the one who deserves a good day," called Sirius, "seeing as it's my birthday."

"Where is it going to sleep?"

"In my bed with me."

"Well, you can't very well take it to class. Won't it be bored in here all day with nothing to do?"

"It's just an animal, Moony. Animals don't get bored. You leave Bufo in here all day constantly."

"Animals do get bored," said Remus, who was a proper animal for one night a month. "Bufo is different. He sleeps all day. And what if you took someone's pet?"

"What if I saved a little homeless creature who was wandering all alone on the streets?"

"Then there's no harm in asking around, just in case."

"Moony! How dare you? You know exactly what will happen if I tell everyone about Kyle. Someone's going to… I don't know, kidnap him and experiment on him, or maybe even try to kill him! You of all people should know that people don't treat unique creatures very well!"

"You named it Kyle?!"

"No. I named him Kyle. Use a personal pronoun! It's not like you to be bigoted, Moony."

Remus groaned. "James, being a werewolf and being a… a shriveled-up little gremlin… are not the same thing! At all!"

"I love Kyle," said James stubbornly, patting the top of Kyle's wrinkly head.

"Erp," said Kyle, and James smiled.

"See, how could you say no to that angelic little voice?"

"Very easily," called Sirius.

"I think we need to get Dumbledore," said Remus, and Peter nodded anxiously. "Or at least someone who knows something about mysterious creatures like this. He could be dangerous."

"He hasn't bitten me yet," said James. "Come on, Kyle, out of the bag. Let's explore your new home." James gingerly lifted the creature out of the bag and set him on the floor with a loving pat. "There. Are you sleepy?"

"Erp."

"Let's get you to bed. Oh! You need a bath first."

"You're giving it a bath?" called Sirius from the bathroom.

"Of course. He's all dirty. He was off by himself in Hogsmeade for who-knows-how-long. Poor little thing needs a nice, warm bath."

James picked Kyle up again, who stretched out his long, bony arms and wrapped them around James' neck. "Is he choking you?" asked Remus in alarm.

"Of course not. He's only holding on. Don't always assume the worst about someone just because he's not human, Moony."

"I… I wasn't! I only…"

"Shame on you." James carried Kyle to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Are you finished yet, Padfoot? Someone needs a bath."

"I… argh!" The bathroom door flew open, and there stood Sirius, an angry and disgusted expression on his face. "I'm leaving. Moony, make sure that creature doesn't kill anyone."

"Why me?!"

"You're a werewolf! Animals are scared of you!"

Sirius dashed out of the dormitory, and James brought Kyle into the bathroom and set him on a fresh towel. "There, there," he said to Kyle. "Wormtail, there's a bucket in the closet. Could you get it for me?"

"Erp," said Kyle.

As Peter filled the bucket with warm water and James patted the creature and whispered soothing words to it, Remus wondered why on earth he'd stuck around this long.

Oh, well. There was no turning back now.

Remus sat on the floor of the bathroom, head resting on his knees, watching James treat Kyle like his own son.

"It's all right, Kyle," said James, gently lathering Kyle's wrinkly skin. "It's only soap. It'll make you smell nice."

Remus snorted. "Where did this sudden maternal instinct come from?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't hate it. I would make an excellent mother."

Kyle made soft, contented erping noises as James washed him, and Remus watched carefully, half amused and half worried. "Kyle isn't scared of me," said Remus thoughtfully.

"Of course not. You're not very scary."

"Maybe not, but most magical animals are afraid of me. If they can sense what I am, they get nervous. It's just how things are. But Kyle doesn't seem any more afraid of me than he is of you."

"Maybe that just means that Kyle's brave," said James, ruffling Kyle's gross patch of hair. "Kyle's a proper Gryffindor!"

"No, I think that means that Kyle is a Being," said Remus. "He's not just a magical creature. He's a living person that can talk and reason like us—or will be able to someday. I think he's just a baby right now."

"An adorable baby," said James.

"Erp," said Kyle.

"James, I think you stole someone's baby!"

"I think he's an orphan."

"You can't just steal babies!"

"I didn't see his mother anywhere. Neither did Wormtail. Right, Wormy?"

"That's right," said Peter nervously.

"See? I'll be his adopted father. I'll teach him to walk and talk and do arithmetic. We'll be the best of friends. And then, someday, he'll be the fifth Marauder! Well, maybe not, because I don't know if… whatever he is… can be Animagi like the rest of us."

"You don't even know what he is, much less whose he is!" yelped Remus. "How can you take care of a creature like this? You don't even know what he eats!"

"Well, then we'll figure out what he is first. Any ideas, O Wise One?"

"I have no clue. He's a Being, so he could be a… a house-elf, maybe?"

"Nope. My family house-elfs looked nothing like that as babies, and they still don't look like that now that they're grown."

Remus decided not to comment on the fact that James' family was so wealthy that they had multiple house-elfs. "Maybe a baby Banshee? Or maybe a… oh, no."

"What?"

"I think it's a goblin."

"Oh." James tilted his head. "Yeah, I can see that. Cool. Like at Gringotts!"

"No! Not cool, James! You've probably made a mother goblin somewhere very, very angry. What if they start up a rebellion? What do we do?"

"We keep him."

"No!" Remus thought long and hard, the wheels in his head spinning nearly as quickly as James had fallen head-over-heels for Kyle. "I think we should ask Professor Flitwick. He has goblin blood. He might know how to safely return Kyle."

"Just because he has goblin blood? Oh, Remus. You have to be more sensitive than that. How would you feel if someone came to you with a baby werewolf, asking for advice?"

"Well, amazed, first of all, because baby werewolves don't exist. Second of all, I'd feel pretty okay, since I happen to know a thing or two about werewolves, and I'd be able to help."

"My point still stands."

"It literally doesn't."

"Oh, Moony, you small-minded werewolf. I say we go to the library and do some research on how to care for a baby goblin, and then we raise up Kyle in complete secrecy until he reaches his full potential. Kyle could be the first goblin student, just like you were the first werewolf student!"

"Well, there was Flitwick…."

"First full goblin student, I mean. Go on, Wormtail. Fetch us some books. Moony and I will stay here with Kyle."

"Erp," said Kyle.