“What’s dead?” Remus said.

Remus had to know what dead meaned. But he had to know. He was scared because he didn’t know. He had to know what dead meaned. Not knowing made him more scared. He had to know. Daddy looked at Remus. His face was still sad. Remus didn’t like it.

“Dead means gone,” Daddy said.

“I’m sorry, Remus,” Stephen said. “We can’t be friends anymore. My daddy says you’re bad and I don’t want to be a werewolf too.”

“But you’re my best friend for forever!” Remus said. “I would never bite you, I promise I wouldn’t! I wouldn’t ever, ever bite you!”
 
“My daddy says that doesn’t matter."

Wizard. Remus liked the sound of that word. He much preferred being a wizard to being a werewolf or a killer. Yes, he liked the sound of wizard very much. Wizard sounded like him. Werewolf and killer never sounded like him, but wizard did. That was what he really was, a wizard, just a wizard and nothing more.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while actually,” Dad began, looking at his son.

A spark of panic ignited inside Remus’s chest, overpowering his excitement slightly. He didn’t know what Dad was going to say next, but he was scared it would be something bad, something that would make him feel sad again, and all Remus knew was he didn’t want to feel sad again, he just wanted to continuing feeling happy, just happy.

Remus ran down the stairs, curiosity filling his brain. Dad was about to open the door. Remus stopped half-way down the steps. It was a good hiding place as he was out of the immediate line of vision of the knocker and he could still see what was going on. Seconds later, the door was open and nothing could have prepared him for who he saw standing on the porch. It was none other than Albus Dumbledore.

The compartment door opened. There was a boy and a girl standing there. “Can we sit down?” the girl asked. She had long red hair and brilliant green eyes. Remus had never seen eyes like that before.

“Sure,” he said enthusiastically, gesturing to the empty seat opposite him.

“I’m Lily,” the girl said as she sat down.

Severus laughed. “What on earth gave you the idea that we were friends?”

“We played Exploding Snap on the train, and you saved me from falling in the lake,” Remus replied, starting to feel small again.

“Well, looking back I should’ve let you drown."

“Here,” Sirius said, standing up and abandoning his dinner, “I’m taking you to the Hospital Wing, c’mon.”

Remus’s heart was thundering in his ears. He shook his head. He didn’t want to go the hospital yet. He wasn’t ready for the full-moon. He wanted his mum and dad. He didn’t want to turn into a monster. He didn’t want to go to a strange house guarded by a killer tree.

A Slytherin prefect with blonde hair and a pale, pointed face appeared at the end of the corridor. “Fifty points from Gryffindor for duelling in the corridors,” he said silkily.

“And what about Slytherin?” James injected, completely outraged. “Snape was duelling as well as us!”

Then, out of nowhere, out of nothing, there was a flash of red light, and before any of them could do so much as blink, James was tumbling down the steps, yelling his head off.

“I didn’t do anything,” Sirius blurted out completely confused.

Remus and Peter rushed to James’s aid as Sirius stood there, completely stunned, not understanding what had happened. James wasn’t able to get up; somehow his legs had been glued together. Remus has no idea what is going on.

“What do you know, Remus?” Sirius shouted, clenching his fists. “Nothing bad has ever happened to you! You know nothing about anything so just shut up and stop telling me I don’t mean what I say!”

Remus gripped the edges of his seat as his insides shook all over. He had said the wrong thing and now Sirius hated him. “I’m sorry,” he babbled, his voice breaking, “I didn’t mean – I’m sorry - I never.”

“HELP!” shouted a high-pitched and mousey voice.
 
Remus turned on the spot, trying to locate the source. James, Sirius and Severus stopped fighting. Peter was standing stock still in the middle of the pool. He had a red flag in his hand, but it was the look of fear on his face that caused Remus’s blood to run cold.
 
“Please help!” Peter shouted again, in the same voice. He was trembling all over and was too scared to move. 

On Wednesday, however, just as class was beginning, Mary McDonald raised her hand hesitantly. “Professor Newlyn, sir,” she said in a mousey voice. 


His eyes narrowed on her. 


“Sir, I was wondering if you could tell us who the Death Eaters are?”

“Hang on,” said James, suddenly getting a brainwave. “What if Slughorn’s in on it?”
 
“What? Like he’s one of them?” Remus replied. The thought had never occurred to Remus before, but now that it actually had ... the idea was beyond laughable.
 
“Yeah,” said James eagerly. “He’s head of dark wizard central, it makes sense.”
 
Sirius burst out laughing.