Once in a Blue Moon (COMPLETE)

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Life Goes On
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No amount of persuading, nagging or outright shouting could convince Remus to come back to school for the new term.

Sirius had even gone so far as to petition Professors McGonagall and Sprout, Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster himself, but none of them had been able to do anything to convince the reluctant werewolf to return to the castle.

Word came through to him via Professor McGonagall that Charlene had been infected with Lycanthropy. He went to visit Remus as soon as he had left McGonagall’s office and found that Remus had already been informed. He tried to tell him yet again that it wasn’t his fault, but it was clear that Remus’s guilt wasn’t lessening, and was – not surprisingly – increasing. Nor was there any sign of Remus changing his mind about returning to the school, not even when he was told that Charlene was due to arrive back a couple of weeks after the February full moon.

“He won’t listen to a word I say,” Sirius complained to James, after yet another unproductive visit to see Remus.

“Remus has always done exactly what he wants,” James pointed out reasonably. “You know how stubborn he is.”

“But he’s throwing his entire life away because of one accident.”

James sighed and turned to look out of the dormitory window.

“What?” Sirius prompted.

“He’s a werewolf,” James replied after a long pause. “Even if he aced all his N.E.W.T.s, he wouldn’t have much of a hope of getting a decent job.”

“He’ll have no chance without his N.E.W.T.s.”

“But then he’ll be able to blame his lack of employment on the lack of qualifications, instead of on the prejudices of the rest of the world.”

“You sound like you’re taking his side.”

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” James argued. “But with all the talk about what happened, feelings are running high and…”

“And?”

“Well, maybe he’s better off in Hogsmeade.”

Sirius glared at James before he stalked from the room, his temper even more enflamed than it was before he’d spoken to James.

He was still in a bad mood when Charlene returned to Hogwarts and he did his utmost to avoid her for as long as he could. He didn’t want to be the one to tell her that Remus had left school, but it seemed that he was destined to do so, because no one else wanted the honour either.

“Where’s Remus?” Charlene asked Sirius, who was reading up on vampires for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

“Hogsmeade,” Sirius replied without bothering to look up from his book. He hoped, rather than believed that that would be explanation enough and that she would leave him in peace. He wasn’t entirely surprised that it wasn’t.

“I’ve not seen him since I came back yesterday,” Charlene complained. “He didn’t bother to show up for Quidditch practice this morning either.”

“He was kicked off the team while you were away,” Sirius told her.

“So I heard,” Charlene said. “But I’m still the Captain and I’m putting him back on the team. He’s the best bloody Keeper in the school.”

Sirius sighed and knew he couldn’t put it off any longer. “Except he’s not in the school any more.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s in Hogsmeade.” Sirius looked up at the team Captain and wished he was anywhere except where he was. “Remus has left Hogwarts.”

“He can’t leave Hogwarts; we still have matches to play.”

Sirius chuckled at the one-track mind of the girl sitting down across the table from him. “I don’t think he’s that bothered about Quidditch any more.”

“How can he not be bothered about Quidditch?” Charlene exclaimed, making it clear that Quidditch was everything and probably the only reason she was actually back at school at all.

“He’s got it into his head that people would be safer if he were away from everyone else,” Sirius explained. “He refused to come back to school after the holidays.”

“And you let him do that?”

“Didn’t have much choice in the matter.”

“We’ll see about that,” Charlene muttered and stalked from the common room once more.

-o-xXx-o-

The living room and the kitchen were spotless. Romulus had made sure that if Remus was going to be living permanently in Hogsmeade, he wasn’t going to be spending his time lazing around the house. He was finding new jobs for Remus to do all the time, and the weary werewolf had barely a minute to spare.

“Did you clean the fireplace?” Romulus asked.

“Yes.”

“What about the inside?”

“No one will see inside it,” Remus muttered as he sank down onto the sofa for what he considered to be a well-earned rest.

“Except when they floo over,” Romulus pointed out. “Muggles may get away with only cleaning the outside, but you can’t.”

“I need a break,” Remus complained. “I’ve been cleaning since dawn.”

“Cleaning with magic isn’t that tiring.”

“I still need a break.”

Romulus shrugged. “Fine, take five minutes whilst I go and check the paint work on the windows upstairs. I think they could probably do with a new coat.”

“Great.”

Remus was tired of cleaning and even more tired of being nagged at about it.

On the other hand, he reflected a few minutes later, he would rather be cleaning than facing the fury of Charlene as she stepped through the fireplace he had just finished polishing.

He didn’t need to worry about what he was going to say to her, at least not at first, because he couldn’t get a word in edgeways.

“What are you doing here?” he began, but that was as far as he got.

“That was my question,” Charlene replied with a glare. “I’ve spent ages looking around the castle for you, only to be told you’ve left school. I guess the rumours about no one hiring werewolves are really exaggerated, because it must have been one hell of an offer to convince you to leave before you got your N.E.W.T.s.”

“I-”

“I don’t want to hear why you’re hiding out here like some spineless Slytherin,” Charlene interrupted. “But you’re coming back to Hogwarts with me right now.”

“I’ve-”

“Left school. Yes, I know. I also know that Hogwarts demands all the school fees for the year to be paid in advance and they don’t give refunds. Which means your fees are already paid and they can’t stop you going back if you want to.”

“I don’t-”

“You want to spend your life sitting around here feeling sorry for yourself?” Charlene yelled. “Tough!”

“That’s not fair.”

“Life isn’t bloody fair, is it?” Charlene shouted. “You think I wanted to come back to school with everyone staring at me and whispering about me? You think I don’t know what they’re saying about behind my back? I knew what it was going to be like when I made the choice to come back here, but I kept telling myself that if Remus could do it, so could I. I told myself that he would be beside me, and even if everyone else hated me and I lost all my friends because of what I am, at least Remus would stand by me. Except you’re cowering away here, and I’m having to face them on my own.”

“I’m sorry,” Remus whispered. “I should have sent you back to Hogwarts that night. I should have done so many things differently.”

Charlene drew in a long breath before she spoke again. “It was an accident. I understand that and there’s no need for you to apologise for it. Though if you want to apologise for leaving me to deal with this on my own it might be a start.”

“Your father would never have let me near you,” Remus pointed out.

“I don’t mean right after it happened,” Charlene clarified. “I mean now, at school.”

“I can’t go back there,” Remus said as he began to pace the living room. “You’re the victim in all this, but I’m the monster. I didn’t leave right away, you know. I put up with all the whispers and the taunting until Christmas.”

“And I’m putting up with them right now,” Charlene countered. “You can’t leave me to go through this on my own. I won’t let you!”

“You can’t make me go back,” Remus told her. “You think my brother hasn’t already tried to talk me into that?”

“Since when do you listen to him?” Charlene replied. “What about Sirius? Has he tried to talk you out of being an idiot?”

Remus scowled at her, before turning his back.

“I see that he has,” Charlene concluded. “Fine, if I can’t talk you into going back, how about I try a different tactic?”

Remus turned to look at her out of the corner of his eye. “Like what?” he asked, with more than a little apprehension.

“Well, let me see…” Charlene tapped a finger to her lips and smirked. “I’ll bet that Romulus has shouted and tried to reason with you and that Sirius has been all supportive and persuasive. Am I right?”

Remus nodded slowly. “Sirius did some shouting, too,” he added reluctantly.

“I thought so,” Charlene replied with a grin that could only be described as wolfish. “Have either of them tried blackmail?”

“They don’t have anything to blackmail me with,” Remus pointed out. “And neither do you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I’ll make you a deal. You come back to Hogwarts with me, and I’ll not tell Rita all about what I saw you and Sirius doing back in the Autumn.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“You know I would.”

“Well, you’d be wasting your time. They’re already talking about me at the school. At least here, I don’t have to listen to them. So, you can tell Rita what you like.”

“Still the selfish little bastard, aren’t you?” Charlene replied.

“I’m staying away to keep everyone safe. That’s not being selfish.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Charlene said with a glare. “The gossip if I did that wouldn’t bother you, but what about Sirius? Do you really think so little of your best friend – your lover – that you’d let him suffer through that alone?”

“I…” Remus shook his head and sat back down. “You’d really do that to him? You’d make his life even more difficult than it already is, just to get back at me?”

“He hasn’t done me any favours,” Charlene snapped.

“You wouldn’t do it,” Remus said. “You’re not vindictive like that.”

“You want to risk it?”

“It’s no risk,” Remus told her. “Now, why don’t you go back to the school and leave me in peace.”

Charlene shook her head. “You can’t let me go through this on my own,” she said, in a voice that was barely more than a whisper.

Remus looked at her and saw the watery shine of tears in her eyes. “Damn it,” he muttered. He could withstand arguments, shouting, threats and cajoling, but what sort of defence did he have against tearful pleas?

“Please, Remus,” Charlene begged, the tears now falling without restraint.

Remus shook his head. “I’ll get my things, though Merlin knows what I’m going to tell Sirius about why you can talk me into going back when he couldn’t.”

Charlene gave a watery smile. “Tell him I blackmailed you.”

Remus went to fetch his things and schooled his face into as fierce an expression as he could manage. If the gossips were going to give him grief, then this time he was going to give as good as he got.

-o-xXx-o-

Sirius was still sitting in the common room, supposedly working on his essay, when Charlene stepped back through the portrait hole, with Remus in tow. Charlene looked decidedly smug, while Remus looked positively mutinous. Sirius wondered how she had convinced him to return to the school and felt a pang of jealous annoyance that she had been able to accomplish something, where he had failed.

He could tell that Remus was uncomfortable with the stares and whispering and he called out and waved him across to sit with him.

“How did she talk you around?” he asked curiously.

“Blackmail,” Remus muttered, just before the explosion happened at the other side of the room.

“What’s he doing back?” Richard, one of the team Chasers asked in a loud voice.

“Got a problem?” Charlene asked in a deceptively mild tone of voice.

“Yeah,” Richard replied. “I’ve got a problem. Please don’t tell me you’re letting that thing back on the team?”

“He’s the best Keeper in the school.”

“He’s a werewolf,” Richard snarled. “We don’t need his kind on the team.”

“Maybe you haven’t heard,” Charlene said, still in the same mild tone. “I’m that kind now.”

“I… er…” It was clear that Richard had heard, but had momentarily forgotten.

“I’m Captain,” Charlene continued, loud enough that the whole room could hear her. “Remus is back on the team and he’s staying on it.”

“We don’t want him on the team, do we?” Richard said, looking towards James to back him up.

James, making perhaps the wisest move he had all year, shook his head and backed away. “You leave me out of this. I’ve not got a problem with Remus.”

Richard looked furious. “I’m not playing on the team with a werewolf.”

Charlene smirked and folded her arms across her chest. “Tryouts for the position of Chaser will take place tomorrow morning at seven o’clock,” she announced to the room.

There were a few groans at the time of the tryouts, but they were easily drowned out by Richard’s protestations.

“You can’t kick me off the team.”

“I didn’t,” Charlene replied sweetly. “You quit, remember.”

“You’ll never find someone as good as I am,” Richard argued. “You’ll be begging me to come back.”

“Evans is pretty good,” Peter suddenly announced. “She’s been helping James practice.”

Charlene turned to Lily. “You fancy trying out for the team?”

Lily looked at Richard, then at James and finally at Remus. “Sure,” she said. “I’d love to be on the team.”

By breakfast the next morning Lily Evans was the new team Chaser, James Potter was in Seventh Heaven, and Sirius had hope that things might finally be getting back to normal again.

-o-xXx-o-

Remus flew down to the ground after the latest Quidditch practice. He was tired and aching and he knew that the rest of the team were, too.

“You’re pushing yourself too hard,” he told Charlene after the rest of the team had begun the walk to the showers.

“There’s a rumour going round that a scout from the Harpies is going to be at the last match of the year,” Charlene said. “I need to prove to them that this… what I am now… that it won’t make a difference to how well I play.”

“Er…”

“What?” Charlene looked at him questioningly and Remus wished he didn’t have to tell her what he knew.

He sighed and drew in a deep breath, though he could not bring himself to look her in the eyes. “They won’t be able to hire you, even if you’re the best player in the country,” he finally whispered.

“But if I’m the best…”

“It won’t make any difference. The Ministry passed a law about twenty years ago which forbids werewolves from playing Quidditch professionally.”

“They can’t do that!”

“They already did. They said that werewolves on teams place the other teams at a disadvantage because of our superior strength and quicker reflexes.”

“But we aren’t stronger and quicker.”

“I know.”

“It’s not fair!” Charlene shouted, throwing her broom – one of the most expensive on the market and her most prized possession – across the field.

Remus knew that, too, but he also knew that nothing he said would help to make it better.

“Damn it,” Charlene raged. “What am I supposed to do if I can’t play Quidditch?”

“There are other careers,” Remus whispered, but with very little conviction. He knew that most professions were closed to werewolves, and those that were open only offered the jobs that no one else wanted to do.

“Not for me,” Charlene replied. “All I ever wanted was to play Quidditch. Ever since I was old enough to fly on my own broom.”

“I’m sorry,” Remus offered, and although he meant it with all his heart, he knew that it would offer no comfort at all.

“It’s not fair,” Charlene repeated. “It’s not fair.”

Remus waited until Charlene’s temper had receded and then he picked up her broom and they walked back towards the castle.

It was only when Charlene reached up to push open the large wooden door of the main entrance that Remus noticed that she had been hurt during the practice.

“Your arm,” he said, pulling back her sleeve and looking at the newly opened wound that was dripping blood down her arm.

“Not again,” Charlene muttered. “I thought for sure it was healed this time.”

“You’re using your arm too much,” Remus scolded.

“I’m a Beater,” Charlene reminded him.

“Come on, let’s find Sirius.”

“What for? I should go and see Madam Pomfrey.”

“Sirius can sort this out for you.”

“But…”

“If Madam Pomfrey’s busy, you could be waiting for ages. Sirius can fix you up in a few minutes.”

“Just because he drops everything to help you, doesn’t mean he’ll do the same for me,” Charlene pointed out as she stepped onto the staircase that would eventually lead to the Hospital Wing.

“Sirius won’t nag you about pushing yourself too hard either,” Remus pointed out. “At least I don’t think he will. He nags me a bit, but at least he won’t tell the teachers to keep you off the Quidditch pitch.”

“Like Madam Pomfrey did when you were back in fifth year,” Charlene said, remembering that Remus had missed four practices at the school Healer’s insistence, right before the last match of the year.

“Sirius won’t keep you off the pitch.”

Charlene nodded reluctantly and they turned back the way they had come. “Any ideas where he is?”

“Down by the lake,” Remus replied. “Come on.”

“Do you have some sort of psychic connection with him? How do you know he’s down there?”

“I could see him from the air,” Remus replied with a laugh. “Why do you think I’ve missed so many saves today?”

“Do I need to ban him from coming to the matches?”

“No. I play better when he’s watching. Or hadn’t you noticed?”

Charlene laughed. “Maybe I should order him to attend the practices.”

“Perhaps you should. I’ve kind of missed having him there.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence, only speaking when they reached Sirius, who was sitting on the grass, surrounded by various mouldy looking weeds.

“What are you doing with that pile of junk?” Charlene asked.

“Restocking my potions kit,” Sirius explained. “You can find most of the common ingredients right here in the grounds of the castle.”

“You’d think with all the Black family money, he’d just order from the suppliers,” Remus said with a sigh. “Anyway, that’s not why we’re here. Sirius, do you have your Healer’s stuff with you?”

Sirius frowned. “Some of it. Why? Have you hurt yourself at practice?”

Remus shook his head. “Not me.” He pointed to Charlene’s, who reluctantly pulled up her sleeve.

“I can go to Madam Pomfrey if you’re too busy,” she said.

“Don’t be silly,” Sirius chided as he picked up his wand and stood up to take a closer look at the arm. “You really shouldn’t use this arm as much until it’s properly healed.”

Charlene sighed and turned to Remus. “I thought you said he wouldn’t nag me?”

Sirius gave a small chuckle. “If you think this is nagging, you don’t know me very well.”

The wound was sealed shut in a matter of moments.

“Now, if only I could get rid of all the aches and pains,” Charlene commented ruefully.

“You should start using the prefects’ bathroom,” Sirius advised. “You’re Quidditch Captain, so it’s not like you’ll have to sneak in or anything.”

Charlene shot Remus a look. “Sneaking into the prefects’ bathroom, huh?”

“I had permission once,” Remus replied with a sheepish grin. “The other times were kind of necessary.”

“Speaking of the time,” Sirius interrupted. “I’m late for Potions.”

“Rather you than me,” Remus said as Sirius gathered his things together. “I’ve got free periods all morning.”

Sirius smirked. “Well, I’ve got free periods all Friday afternoon, when you’re stuck in class. I’d rather have the Friday afternoon free than Wednesday morning.”

“Good point,” Remus agreed. “What about you, Charlie?”

“First period free, then I’ve got Ancient Runes.”

Sirius finished packing up his belongings and began his walk back to the castle. Remus would have followed after him, but Charlene tugged on his arm and made it clear that she wanted to talk to him about something. He was about to ask her what was wrong – it was clear something was the matter – but the sound of ‘Fag!’ drew his attention back to Sirius.

“Damn it, not again,” Remus muttered as he pulled out his wand and looked around for the latest idiots to hassle his friend.

It didn’t take long to spot them. They were howling with laughter as they watched Sirius look with dismay at his trousers, which they had magically changed to a skirt.

“Let’s see if they find this as funny,” Remus hissed as he pointed his wand at the two of them and vanished their clothes entirely. Then he pointed his wand at Sirius and quickly cast the counter-spell to repair what they had done.

Sirius smiled back at him. “I could have fixed it myself, you know?” he called back as the two bullies ran for the castle, accompanied by catcalls from the third years heading to their Care of Magical Creatures class.

“I know.” Remus replied. “But you were the one who hexed that bloke that called me a blood-thirsty monster last week, so now we’re even.”

“I didn’t know we were keeping score.”

Remus laughed. “You’d better hurry or Slughorn will put you in detention.”

Sirius nodded and quickened his pace. Remus watched him go, a frown appearing on his face. He had reversed the spell, but he didn’t know if there was anything he could do about the rest of the damage.

Long gone was the proud young heir to the noble house of Black. Sirius no longer walked tall along the corridors of the castle; instead he was hunched over, almost as though he was trying to hide from the rest of the school. Remus wanted the other Sirius back, but he was starting to think that perhaps he had gone forever.

“You’ve got it bad, haven’t you?” Charlene commented with a smirk.

Remus felt his face heating up and did his best to avoid her knowing gaze. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”

Charlene shook her blonde curls from her face. “Like I’d want to go out of my way to alienate the few people that are actually not treating me like I’m contagious.”

“Has someone specific been giving you a hard time, or is it just the usual?” Remus asked.

“Just the usual,” Charlene replied as she sat down on the grass. “I’m starting to wonder if it was a mistake to come back here.”

Remus wanted to tell her that the students would soon be busy studying for their exams. The usual mad panic after Easter was over would arrive like it did every year. He wanted to reassure her that things would improve, just like Sirius always tried to reassure him. But that was the problem; even though Sirius had tried to reassure him, Remus knew that things weren’t getting any better, not for any of them. There would always be some students with nothing better to do than make someone else’s life a misery, and both Remus and Charlene were easy targets.

Instead, Remus sat down on the ground and started picking at the blades of grass. “Would your parents be really pissed off if you dropped out?” he asked.

“My mum didn’t want me to come back at all,” Charlene replied. “My dad said the choice was mine, but he made it clear that he wouldn’t like the idea of me leaving before my N.E.W.T.s.”

“They’re okay with you being a werewolf though?” Remus didn’t know why he had to know the answer to that particular question, but it had been nagging at him for some time now.

“Well, they’re not exactly thrilled, but they’re dealing with it.”

Remus breathed a small sigh of relief. At least Charlene’s parents weren’t kicking her out of the house or disowning her because of the shame.

“My dad sold his collection of exotic magical plants to pay for the possible cures,” Charlene continued. “I think he’s still a bit upset about that. He’ll calm down in a few years.”

“Years?”

Charlene rolled her eyes. “That was a poor attempt at a joke. Anyway, my parents could have reacted worse than they did. They could have done what your own did.”

“Not now you’re eighteen,” Remus reminded her. “Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“I…”

“Yes?” Remus prompted.

“I wanted to ask if… whether… does the actual change ever get less painful? I mean, do you get used to it?”

Remus looked out over the lake.

“Remus?”

He sighed and turned back to Charlene. “Do you want me to make you feel better, or do you want the truth?”

“It doesn’t get any better,” Charlene concluded for herself.

“No.” Remus wondered whether to tell her that it actually got worse, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to do so. For once though, he didn’t have to say anything.

“It gets worse, doesn’t it?” Charlene asked, bringing her knees up to her chest and dropping her chin onto them.

“I’m sorry.”

“How much worse?” she questioned, ignoring his apology.

“The books say it depends on the werewolf. I get it bad around the joints, others find that their bones don’t set back into place properly and they end up with breaks every month. There are even some that-”

“Enough,” Charlene interrupted. “I think I’d rather not know.”

“You really should try using the prefects’ bathroom more often. The massage function of the bath helps a lot.”

Charlene nodded. “Thanks.”

“Was there something else you wanted to ask?” Remus guessed.

“Yes, but I think you’ll just tell me to mind my own business if I do.”

“You can still ask if you want.”

Charlene turned to face him before she spoke again. “Are you and Sirius, you know…?”

“Together?”

“Yeah.”

“Not exactly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Either you are or you aren’t.”

“We aren’t.”

“Why not?”

“It’s complicated.”

“You like him; he likes you. Nothing complicated about that.”

Remus frowned and turned his attention back to the grass. “There’s the whole werewolf thing to consider; not to mention his family and their plans for him. It doesn’t matter. He’ll be better off without me messing up his life.”

“Maybe he wants you messing up his life…”

“Yeah, well, what we want isn’t always what’s best for us, is it?” Remus snapped.

“There’s no need to bite my head off,” Charlene retorted. “I’m trying to help you.”

Remus was genuinely confused by her statement and said the first thing that came into his head. “Why?”

“Because we’re friends.”

“You’re also my ex-girlfriend,” Remus reminded her. “The one who caught me cheating on her with another bloke.”

“I said I forgave you for that,” Charlene reminded him. “And this, being bitten, and having my whole life turned upside down… Well, it makes you realise what’s important and helps you put things in perspective. Some people I thought were really good friends won’t even look at me now. The notice about our very last Hogsmeade weekend will be posted any day now, and I’m probably the only girl in the year who won’t get invited. I used to get asked by at least two boys every time the notice was put up.”

“You did?”

Charlene nodded. “Jealous?” she asked with a grin.

“Maybe just a little,” Remus admitted. “Girls weren’t exactly queuing up to ask me out.”

“Well, the boys aren’t queuing up to ask me now,” Charlene reminded him. “That’s my whole point. If you weren’t a werewolf, you’d have had loads of dates lined up.”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone who can deal with your Lycanthropy,” Remus assured her. “If the Black family can produce someone who can deal with it, I’m sure that loads of other families can, too.”

“I guess.”

“You can come to Hogsmeade with me and Sirius if you like.”

“I don’t want to tag along on your date,” Charlene muttered.

“It won’t be a date,” Remus reminded her. “We’re not together, remember?”

“But still…”

“Why not?”

“It’ll be the very last Hogsmeade weekend for us seventh years. Don’t you want to spend it with Sirius? It’ll be the last time you get to visit the village before we leave school.”

Remus chuckled. “I live in Hogsmeade; I can visit whenever I want. Believe me, the novelty wore off for me a long time ago.”

“But-”

“No,” Remus interrupted. “If you haven’t been asked out to Hogsmeade for the last visit, you’ll come spend the day with me and Sirius.”

“I-”

“No arguments.”

“Don’t you think you should check with Sirius first?”

“He won’t mind.”

“You don’t know that. He might be planning something special for you for the last Hogsmeade weekend.”

“All the more reason for you to come along.”

“You really should sort things out with Sirius, you know.”

“We’re friends, and that’s as far as it goes.”

“But you both want more.”

“I want a lot of things, Charlie,” Remus said with a sigh. “I want my parents to love me. I want to not be a werewolf. But we can’t always get what we want.”

“You could have Sirius, if you tell him how you feel about him.”

“It’s better like this.”

Charlene looked like she was going to argue with him again, but he forestalled her with a glare. It was better like this, and if he kept telling himself that, maybe one day he would actually believe it.

-o-xXx-o-

Remus returned to the school after the March full moon and made it a point to track down Charlene and check she was all right as soon as he could. She had gone to the facility at the Ministry for the night, but he knew she would be coming back to the school as soon as she could.

It was three days after the full moon when she finally reappeared, and she didn’t look in very good shape.

“Why is it you say they get harder, but you manage to be up and about within hours of transforming back?” Charlene asked as she curled up on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

“I’m stubborn,” Remus replied. “I won’t let the full moon rule my life.”

“I don’t want it to rule mine either, and I can’t afford to miss so many lessons, not this close to the exams.”

“Are the Ministry using any spells on the cages yet?” Remus asked. “They didn’t when I had to use them, but they were supposed to be looking into them.”

Charlene shook her head. “Not yet. I asked one of the staff there, and they said the applications to get them installed were still being processed. The panel of Senior Warlocks looking at the test results can’t seem to agree on anything. And in the meantime…”

“Bloody idiots,” Remus muttered.

Charlene agreed with him wholeheartedly, but it seemed that there was nothing they could do about it.

-o-xXx-o-

The message from Dumbledore was unexpected, and as soon as he received it, Remus began to mentally list all the things that he could possibly be in trouble for.

He was still working his way through the list when he opened the door to the Headmaster’s office and saw that Charlene was sitting at the desk opposite Albus Dumbledore. The list flew from his mind and he realised that the summons was werewolf related.

“Ah, Remus, come in, take a seat,” Dumbledore said, waving to the chair next to Charlene. “I’m not calling you out of class, am I?”

Remus suspected that the older man knew that he wasn’t, but he shook his head anyway.

“Good, good,” Dumbledore said. “Now, I suppose you can guess why you’re both here?”

Charlene gave a shrug while Remus mumbled ‘werewolf stuff’ under his breath.

“Yes, Remus,” Dumbledore agreed. “Werewolf stuff. Now, I’ve been researching werewolves and their behaviour when confined. In particular, I’ve been focusing on those that have company at the times of the full moon.”

“You can’t stop Romulus visiting me at the full moon,” Remus interrupted.

“I wouldn’t dream of stopping either Romulus or Sirius from being with you when you need them there,” Dumbledore said.

“Sirius hasn’t been coming to my place at the full moons,” Remus told him. “After what happened, I asked him to stay away. It’s safer for him that way.”

“You might have asked him to stay away, but Sirius has a stubborn streak that rivals your own.”

“You mean he’s been coming to my basement?” Remus asked, not sure whether he should be angry, worried or even surprised.

“You mean you can’t tell the difference between when he’s there and when he isn’t?” Dumbledore asked with a smile. “Not even the next morning?”

Remus frowned as he thought back to the morning after the most recent full moon. Hardly any bruises on him and only superficial scratches. Apart from the pain of the transformation, he had been remarkably injury free. Of course Sirius had been there. He could barely believe that he hadn’t even realised.

“But I didn’t call you here to discuss Sirius or your brother. As you know, Charlene has been flooing to the Ministry for the full moons, but I’m unsure as to whether that is the best place for her to be. She is missing several days of lessons whilst she recovers in St. Mungo’s and with the N.E.W.T.s just around the corner, I think we should consider other options.”

Remus nodded.

“I believe it might be beneficial for Charlene to join you on the night of the full moon,” Dumbledore explained. “The basement is more than big enough for the two of you. I just need to know whether the two of you have any problems that might make things dangerous.”

“Problems?” Remus asked. “No. We’re friends, right?” He turned to Charlene who nodded her agreement.

“You are both absolutely sure about this?” Dumbledore asked. “You know that the wolves channel your own emotions and this is no time to be glossing over any issues that you have…”

Remus nodded again. From the corner of his eye he could see that Charlene was doing likewise. He owed it to her to do whatever he could to help make the full moon easier on her, and sharing his basement was the least he could do.

-o-xXx-o-

“Er… Sirius?”

Sirius looked up to see that Remus was hovering over him with a somewhat nervous expression on his face. “What’s up?” he asked.

“It’s about the full moon,” Remus said, sitting down opposite him and picking up one of Sirius’s quills to fiddle with.

Sirius scowled and kept his face on his parchment. Romulus had managed to convince Remus to remain in Hogsmeade for his transformations, but Remus had still insisted that Sirius stay away. Sirius had ignored him and gone to the house after he knew that Remus had transformed, then leaving again shortly before he returned to his human form. He had hoped that Remus wouldn’t notice he had been there, but it seemed that he had been caught out. He knew that Romulus wouldn’t have betrayed him – he knew that Moony wanted him there – but perhaps he had left something behind.

“Sirius, are you listening to me?” Remus asked impatiently.

“Sorry,” Sirius muttered. “What were you saying?”

“The Headmaster just called me and Charlie to his office about the full moons between now and the end of term.”

“Oh.”

“Charlene is going to be coming to my basement with me. He – we – think that it might help both of us to have each other there. Werewolves aren’t a danger to each other unless there is animosity between the two humans.”

“Oh.” Sirius ducked his head back down and shrugged. “I guess that’s a good thing for both of you then.”

“The Headmaster wants you to come to the basement with us and make sure things go okay,” Remus continued. “He says that you’ve still been going there, even though I told you not to.”

“You can’t ask me to stay away,” Sirius snapped. “I had to make sure you were okay.”

Remus drew in a deep breath and reached across the table. He placed his hand on Sirius’s own and smiled. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

“You’re not mad at me for going against your wishes?”

“I think perhaps I knew you’d been there,” Remus replied. “Or I certainly should have known. The lack of horrible wounds in the morning was a bit of a clue.”

“So, you don’t mind my being there with the two of you?” Sirius asked cautiously.

Remus shook his head. “I don’t think either of us have much choice in the matter, not now that Dumbledore has said for you to be there.”

Sirius nodded his agreement to the plan, and Remus went across the room to speak with Charlene. Sirius scowled as he watched the two of them talking and his jealousy took root once more. Even though he knew that they had broken up, and even though he knew they were only talking about the full moon, he couldn’t help but feel that the two werewolves now had a bond that he couldn’t share. Even though he had no desire to be a werewolf, he couldn’t help but wish that he were the one who would be sharing Moony’s cage with him.

-o-xXx-o-

When the night of the full moon arrived, the three of them made their way to the Lupin house by floo, making sure they had plenty of time to spare.

“I’ll wait up here until after you’ve transformed,” Sirius said as he dumped his books and potions on the living room couch.

“Thanks,” Charlene replied, even as Remus said that it wasn’t necessary.

“I’ll wait up here,” Sirius repeated and he sat down on the sofa.

The two werewolves sat down, too, discussing how they hoped the night would go.

“It’ll be fine,” Remus said. “We’ll be company for each other and the wolves will be less inclined to try to escape. I’ve read all about it and Dumbledore agrees.”

Charlene nodded thoughtfully, but the longer they waited, the more unsure Sirius became. He was beginning to have a bad feeling about this and nothing could alleviate the feeling of dread that was settling over him.

“You don’t think the wolves will try to do anything?” Charlene asked curiously.

“What do you mean?” Remus replied.

“You know…” Charlene gave him a meaningful look that even Sirius could interpret.

“I don’t think so,” Remus answered after a moment of thought. Remus knew now that he didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Charlene, but he hadn’t really considered that she might still fancy him. He was pretty sure that if Charlene the werewolf did try anything, Moony would put a stop to it.

Sirius’s feeling of dread doubled. The last thing he wanted was for the two wolves to decide to get it on with each other whilst he was down there watching over them.

Eventually, Remus stood up and announced his intention of storing his wand in his bedroom until the morning. Charlene passed him her own wand to keep with it and Remus disappeared from the room.

He returned a few moments later. “Shall we head downstairs?” he suggested, pointing the way.

Charlene nodded and stood up. Remus led the way, while Sirius remained in his seat, watching the two of them go. He didn’t move from his spot until the howls of the wolves signalled that the transformations were over, and the moment they echoed through the house, Sirius rushed down the stairs.

The basement seemed smaller than usual and Sirius sat down at the bottom of the stairs, watching the two wolves circling each other curiously.

It was easy for him to pick out which one was Remus and which was Charlene. Although he couldn’t remember noticing it before, it was now obvious that Moony’s brown pelt matched the exact shade of Remus’s hair, whilst Charlene’s lighter fur was the mark of her blonde tresses.

They looked about the same in size, and they were certainly as loud as each other as they howled into the night.

Romulus had arrived before Sirius had made his way down to the basement, but instead of playing with Moony as he usually did, he was hovering at the side of the cage, watching quietly.

“It seems to be going okay,” Sirius commented when the ghost moved to his side.

“I’m not so sure,” Romulus replied with a shake of his head.

“Why not?” Sirius asked. “They’re just getting to know each other, aren’t they?”

Romulus shook his head again. “They’re stalking each other.”

“That doesn’t sound very good,” Sirius said, turning to face the wolves once more. Now that Romulus had pointed it out, it seemed obvious that that was what they were doing, and he wondered how he had failed to see it before.

After a long time of the wolves circling each other, Charlene – Sirius wondered if she would like a nickname, too – turned towards the barrier and growled in his direction.

Sirius stayed as still as he could, waiting to see what she would do. Romulus hovered, equally motionless, beside him.

Charlene growled again. Her ears were pricked back and her fur was standing on end. Sirius had never seen Moony look at him quite like that, not even when he had first crept into the basement, with no idea of what was waiting for him underneath the house.

Sirius continued to stare the wolf in the eyes, until they were watering with the effort it took not to look away.

He didn’t see Moony leap at Charlene until he was upon her, his jaw wide about her neck and his teeth buried deeply in her throat.

“No!” Romulus yelled, charging through the barrier and into the cage in an attempt to distract the wolf. “Sirius, run! Get Dumbledore, now!”

Sirius didn’t need telling twice; he turned on his heel and bolted for the stairs, flooing to Hogwarts as quickly as he could.

Moony turned to snarl at the misty one, the one that had driven the dark-haired one away.

“Come here, Moony,” the misty one said, but the wolf could tell that he wasn’t playful tonight. There was something else in his voice, something Moony didn’t like.

Moony growled and leapt at the misty one, but was frustrated when he wasn’t able to make contact with him.

Behind him, he could hear the other’s howling, mourning the loss of her prey. Moony turned to snarl at her. The dark-haired one wasn’t prey and he certainly wasn’t hers.

Unfortunately the other wolf didn’t seem to understand and simply howled again and again. Moony was torn between chasing the misty one and leaping at her. He let out a howl of his own, calling for the dark-haired one to return to him.

The other wolf howled with her own frustration, and Moony increased his volume, hoping to drown her out. The dark-haired one didn’t seem to be returning and Moony was becoming increasingly angry. He turned to the female wolf – it was all her fault – and leapt.

“Remus! No!” the misty one screamed. Moony heard him easily, because the other wolf had finally stopped howling.