I'll be the first one to admit that I kind of lost my shit. I leapt off the top of the desk where I had been sitting, stalking over to the poor boys desk with fury running through my veins.

"What happened?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, eyeing the way the others in the classroom were eyeing us and I snapped my fingers to get him to look my way, eyes boring into his.

"I don't care what they told you, or what they implied to make you think injuring you is okay. There's dark magic around that wound and whoever caused it will be found, and I will end them. Do you understand, Mister Potter?"
He hesitated for another few seconds before noticing the white sparks dancing along my fingers where they were braced against his desk and nodded jerkily, ignoring the other students present. Good, I needed others to know the story in case a gag order was put on me when I went on the warpath.

"It was at detention. Professor Umbridge had me writing lines with a quill that used my own blood. The lines are still on my hand and they won't go away. Hermione put something on it that helped, but it's still not fading. I think the same thing is planned for my detention tonight."

From the corner of my eye I could see several Slytherins paling, recognizing the description of a blood quill, and it's status as a forbidden dark object.

"Um, yeah, no. Say goodbye to your defense professor, kids, because I might just kill her. Read the chapter on the board, answer the questions at the back, if I'm not back by the time class ends then go on your merry way, no sooner, no later. Potter, Granger, you're with me."

I stalked out of the room in a whirl of black robes, the two students stumbling to keep up with me. The door slammed behind us, cutting off the sound of wild whispers. I slashed my wand violently in front of me, sending a patronus to fetch Minerva to meet us, the 'victim' was a member of her house after all. I had forgotten about the blood quill once Umbridge got here, but that didn't mean I hadn't done some research on it when I first got to this world, just out of curiosity.

I barked out the password to the Headmasters office, storming the stairs and throwing the door open, ignoring that Snape was sitting across from Dumbledore, both looking slightly surprised at my entrance.

"Sorry to interrupt, Headmaster, Professor, but I thought it best to inform you before I murdered our dear Madame Umbridge for assaulting a student."

His scraggly white eyebrows met his hairline as he took in our ragtag group, hand motioning for me to continue. And continue I did, unveiling the kid's hand for the room to see, sensing that Harry hated Snape was here to see this. I turned to Hermione, who looked confused to even be present, and slightly nervous now that my attention was on her. I smiled slightly, trying to make up for the furious rage I'd directed at everything and nothing up till that point.

"Miss Granger, what did you apply to his injury previously?"
"Just an essence of murtlap paste."

I turned to Snape next,

"Do you have anything on your person-?"

Before I could even finish the sentence he had pulled out a bottle of something electric blue and shoved it at the boy, sneering.

"It will alleviate the pain, though there's nothing I can do for the scarring. More of what Miss Granger provided you previously will help staunch the bleeding and close it."

Harry looked at the man wearily before glancing at Dumbledore, who nodded. It was only after that he downed the potion, Snape rolling his eyes at it all. Dumbledore looked furious, as much as I was when I had noticed, but before he could speak Minerva was flying in, catching sight of the bared wound almost immediately and blurring forwards, grabbing gently at her students wrist to rotate his hand and observe properly.

Her head jerked up, looking at Dumbledore for confirmation, who nodded.

"Our dear Madame Umbridge has a lot to answer for, it would seem. Severus, would you mind fetching her for us, while I alert the authorities? Marissa, would you mind escorting these two to Poppy? We shall be by shortly for Mister Potter's statement."

It was surprising how easy it was to get rid of the woman. I was furious that I wasn't able to take things more into my own hands, but looking at the cover the Prophet the next day, with the headline of "PROFESSOR SENT TO AZKABAN, MINISTER STUMPED" I was vaguely satisfied. I folded the paper, picking up my coffee instead, turning to Minerva beside me.

"Does this feel too easy to you? Because it felt too easy to me."

Minerva glared at the Prophet, huffing.

"Just accept it, Mara. I'm relieved to wash my hands of that hag. You know what they say, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Later that day as I was sitting through the meeting to determine the new Defense teacher I resisted the urge to bang my head on the table. And here was the other shoe dropping. What was being said filtered through my head and I sat straight up, horrified at where the sentence was going, Lucius Malfoy speaking to the room with a smirk on his face.

"-while I would have to place my duties for the Ministry on hold, I would not be adverse to taking the position."

I did not need a Death Eater at Hogwarts, not a fully grown one who could fix that vanishing cabinet a year early and fuck everything up.

I cleared my throat,

"Remind me again why we can't have Remus Lupin return to teach again?"

Perkins, my old nemesis, spoke, turning his nose up at me.

"Because he's dangerous! A dark creature, his very presence puts the students at risk, the parents won't have it and neither will I!"

A different elderly man spoke up, "Besides, while most don't believe in the curse on the Defense Position I still believe it wise not to allow someone to attempt it twice, least of all a dark creature."

I glanced at Snape, and grinned. He stiffened, before nodding, reluctantly, and I looked back at the room at large,

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing we have Professer Snape here. He can take over Defense, with Mister Lupin taking over Potions, I'm told he had a rather brilliant reputation for the class in his day."

Perkins scoffed,

"What did I tell you earlier, you deaf Yank, there is now way we shall allow a dark creature to teach at Hogwarts!"

"Then I guess it's a good thing that Professor Snape and I found a cure for Lycanthropy last night."

For several seconds there was anarchy, and I basked in it, noticing that Dumbledore was beaming at the two of us, with Minerva just staring in shock. It had been the fury over Umbridge still hurting Harry, even with me present, that had lead to the experimenting binge that finally turned out a full success. There was still no true way to know for sure until a real werewolf took the potion, but both Snape and I were absolutely sure that this was it. Magic had ways to test for that after all.

Dumbledore finally stood, calling for silence. When everyone obeyed he turned to myself and his potions master, eyes twinkling merrily.

"Is this true, what you said about a cure?"

This time Snape answered, nodding.

"We have have been working on the project for some time now, but the potion was perfected last night. We had plans to bring it to the Ministry's attention sometime next week for official registration, but not before giving a dosage to Mister Lupin, as a friend of Mara's, as is her right as a creator of the cure."
Him using not just my given name but my nickname felt like another victory on top of the one achieved by seeing Lucius Malfoy's mouth drop open in shock. Snape finally giving in to my request to use my name was probably from the unexpected turn of me suggesting him for the position he had always wanted rather than my friend. I think the surprise move earned me a few points in his book.

There was arguing but eventually the governors agreed that if the cure worked then there was nothing wrong with Remus' return and Snape taking the position. He was to take the position immediately, with Dumbledore teaching positions himself until Lupin was cured and ready to teach. Dumbledore sent Remus an owl almost immediately, asking him to come to his office as soon as possible, while I sent one to Sirius, with the full explanation.

Sirius tumbled out of the fireplace seconds after a confused looking Remus, beaming at the world in general. I sighed,

"Oh, now you answer my letters, you ass."

Before he could do more than adopt a sheepish expression Snape was shoving a vial into the werewolf's hand.

"Here, take two drops daily leading up to the full moon, and on the night of the full moon take the rest just as the sun sets. This will be the last night you transform on the whim of the lunar cycle."

Remus stared at the vial in his hand, expression looking lost. When he looked up at Snape there was hope, and something else, in his eyes.

"Thank you."

Snape scoffed,

"Don't thank me, thank Mara. It was her idea, her equations."

I feel like he was shoving the 'blame' off on me right now because it had looked like Remus was going to hug him. The suspicion was confirmed when the soon-to-be-former-werewolf swept me into a bone crushing hug, whispering his thanks into my ear the whole time. When he pulled away his eyes were slightly wet but he was beaming through it, clearing his throat and promptly taking the prescribed dosage of the potion. He coughed immediately afterwards, nose wrinkling.

"Tastes nothing like Wolfsbane."

Snape rolled his eyes, "Because it's nothing like Wolfsbane."

With that he stalked out of the room, no doubt to get away from the happy feelings before they could infect his black little heart. I shook my head, a fond smile on my face, before snapping to the present and clapping my hands together.

"Headmaster, I'll leave you to break the news to Remus, I have a class to teach."

I scurried away, not wanting to speak to Sirius despite having invited him. It was only so Remus could have his best friend there for the news of his life changing so completely.

Word got out about the 'cure' rather quickly, with myself and Snape getting thousands of letters a day. Some of them were from werewolves begging for the cure, or condemning us for thinking there was something wrong with them that needed to be changed. Others were from 'concerned citizens' thanking us for doing away with a dark creature. Halfway through the next week Rita showed up, cameraman in tow, grinning smugly. The governors had ordered for Snape and I to give an interview, apparently they wanted to brag about how prestigious the teaching crew at Hogwarts was. I think the photo turned out rather nicely, I got a copy that I put in a frame. It was of myself beaming at the camera, Severus Snape's 5 foot 11 self towering over me by nine full inches doesn't stop photo me from putting at arm around his shoulder and forcing him to hunch a little, rolling his eyes. I'd actually put on real wizarding robes for the photo, too. The interview and article were very flattering for the both of us, mostly because I charmed Skeeter's quill so that it couldn't write trash or negative things, and in the end that's all she had to work with.

Remus had his last transformation in the Shrieking Shack, Sirius at his side. I waited outside of the door in wolf form, only entering after the screaming had stopped. A wolf waited me, rather large and differing in color from myself, but it was Remus, completely in control. With a little bit of effort he transformed, still wearing his robes and staring at his hands. Seeing as I had only been there on the off chance of everything going to shit I left quickly as he and his best friend had a 'moment'.

The next day he was at the staff table during breakfast, beaming at the room at large. The students were rather disappointed that he wasn't teaching the same class as before, but in the end they were glad he was back at all, especially since Umbridge was gone. Snape (now 'Severus' to me, yay!) was the one who handled anything and everything to do with the potion, quite nicely handling the ministry in getting it registered and stonewalling all attempts to get it controlled in any way shape or form. He was awarded a hefty sum from several Potions Association for the creation of it, and I only took a third of anything, insisting that he had done most of the potions work, while most of my shit was 'chemistry' so it barely counted in the magical world.

Every award for the year about potions went to us, simply because there was nothing that stood up curing the worst affliction known to wizardkind and turning it into a boon. Once it got out that the potion only allowed the transformation to be controlled and non infectious, rather than getting rid of the wolf completely even a good bit of werewolf purists came forward for the cure.

It took several weeks for Sirius to finally catch up to me in Hogsmeade, cornering me in the nearly deserted bookstore. He caught me by the shoulders before I could slip away, sighing heavily.

"Please Mara, just...hear me out?"

I observed him for a few seconds, finally nodding jerkily.

"Can we take this somewhere else? Preferably with wards? i'll understand if you don't want to go back to Gri-I mean, my residence, but perhaps you could set up something at the Three Broomsticks?"
I thought for a few seconds of using the Hogshead, with a few wards set up by yours truly, but that would look slightly suspicious so I nodded instead, leading the way the whole while and picking out an isolated corner booth, setting up enchantments and wards before his ass even touched the seat. I was still miffed about being ignored, but having the Order of the Phoenix explained to me, along with an offer to join mostly made up for a summer of silence.

After the explanation he shifted a bit in his seat,

"We were rather hoping you would agree to set us up with some of those amulets that the so called 'Dumbledore's Army' is using."

I scowled, muttering to myself. "Those kids just don't understand the concept of 'fight club', do they?"

He pushed on, ignoring my nonsense, "Dumbledore believed I was the best to ask you, for some reason, but if you agree I'm to take you to him, as he's the secret keeper for headquarters."

The moment he said it he knew that I would put it together, so I threw him a metaphorical bone, and nodded,

"Your house, right?"
He nodded eagerly,

"Yes. So you understand why I was unable to contact you? The order took me away?"
I stood, sighing and punching him in the arm.

"Calm down canine, I'm not some jealous girlfriend, I understand that you're a busy person. Let's go get the address then so I can set up the ward magic, I have some ideas for a magic globe, maybe with map attachments…"

As we walked to the headmaster's office, talking about inane things since we'd left the protections of my wards, it hit me. The old codger knew how I felt about Sirius. It's how he knew to have him ask, rather than himself. Had to give credit to the manipulative old coot. Didn't mean I liked it.

I missed that birthday, sorry. But better late than never?
~TimeLordOfPie