Disclaimer - Usual.

Chapter 73

In the week preceding the Quidditch Cup, James only held one practice. He figured the team was as ready as it was going to get and, instead of stressing about lost study time, they could use the time to study or do whatever they wanted to let off steam. As it turned out, he was right. The team flew at the top of their game and were more than prepared, and James' first year as Gryffindor quidditch captain ended most successfully with a victory. The game did not last nearly as long as the previous one with Ravenclaw, but it was still exciting, and quite an achievement for the young captain.

The week following the Quidditch Cup, and even during the exams, was spent in hardcore studying and all-nighters in preparation for the O.W.L.s, which were taken very seriously by everyone - students and professors alike - with outside examiners traveling to the school just for these tests. Peter was a nervous wreck, jumping more frequently than normal. Remus could not be found without a book, scroll and quill. James and Sirius approached the exams differently, letting off steam by amusing themselves at the expense of Snivellus or anyone else who caught their eye. This earned James a severe telling-off by Lily, in which she informed him that she would rather date the giant squid than him. This same event also earned him a scar. Apparently, Snivellus took out his stress by using his more potent spells in retaliation for the torment doled out on him. He used his Sectumsempra curse, cutting James' cheek. Fortunately for Snape, the scar was only visible in certain light, or James might have taken Sirius up on the offer to let him severely injure the git. Remus tried to point out that they had started the fight, but they seemed to think permanent bodily disfigurement – however minor – outweighed that little detail - at which time, Remus rolled his eyes and went back to studying.

After the O.W.L.s, they had a week off to lounge before the train would take most of them home. Remus nervously wondered what would happen to him over the summer with the others no longer there to keep the wolf at bay – at least the emotions of the wolf.

But even Remus could be distracted from his woes, which Aden managed to do very successfully when she announced she would be spending the summer at the school. There was a lot of smirking and kissing sounds coming from the other Marauders as they wished Remus luck over the summer.

Thursday, July 4th, was the first full moon of the summer, just around two weeks after everyone left to go home. And like his other summers, it started off deceptively pleasant. Remus had never spent so much time with one person – even the Marauders. He spent a lot of time with all three of the other Marauders; sometimes together, sometimes one-on-one. But there were also times when he wasn't around any of them, whether because he was with Aden, performing his prefect duties, or simply because he wanted to be alone. But without classes or prefect duties, there wasn't much time that he couldn't or didn't spend with Aden. He was surprised to find that he never got bored or tired of her company.

There was a tree by the lake, under which the Marauders spent their lounging time, when they actually sat still long enough to lounge while outside. Currently, Remus was comfortably lying under the tree, his fingers tracing patterns on Aden's back as she sat facing the lake.

"Remus, will I ever get to see you transform?" she asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"'Get to'?" he repeated. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked out over the lake. "Maybe. One day."

"Your friends have seen it. Haven't they?"

Remus frowned at the back of Aden's head. She hadn't turned to look at him, which told him this was something that both bothered her and she had been thinking about for a while. "I can't be in human company when I transform – unless I'm caged," he answered very carefully. It was one thing to trust Aden with his own secrets; it was something else entirely to share his friends' secrets.

She nodded slightly. Quietly she said, "They have." After a minute, she said with a hint of anger in her voice, "You know, the only time you don't give me a straight answer is when you're hiding something."

Remus sighed. It had been a perfect day.

"How did they do it?"

"It's not for me to tell you."

Aden nodded again, then rose and walked to the edge of the lake. Remus sighed again, but followed her and stood next to her.

"You still don't trust me," Aden whispered.

"It's not that. It's just… That secret involves my friends and it's not mine to tell you."

"No, no. I understand that. I mean you still don't trust me with your lycanthropy."

"What do you mean?"

"If I could be guaranteed to be safe, would you show me?"

Remus looked out over the water, contemplating his answer. He knew the "right" answer. That was easy. But really, if he could help it, no one would ever see him transform again. It was one thing to be a cognizant wolf among animagi. In some ways, he could pretend he was just another animagi. But the transformations proved how untrue that really was, and how very unnatural and cursed he was. Being an animagus was a choice and therefore, in his mind, not painful. Being a werewolf was a curse and his body fought the transformation, literally tooth and nail. It made him feel weak - not just physically drained, but mentally, and deep in his soul. And that was why he didn't want anyone to see it. And that was what bound him to his friends deeper than any of them realized. He would fight and die for them because they had literally seen him at his worst – repeatedly – and never faltered or run away. Instead, they shared his burden with him as best as they could. He supposed, one day, he'd let his wife see what he became. And that very likely was going to be Aden – but not yet. Finally, he answered, "It's not a question of safety - or trust," he amended when he saw the look on Aden's face.

"Then what is it?" she asked.

"I just… don't want you to think of me like that. Also," he reached over and cupped her face in his hands, "if I could keep you from ever seeing anything bad in life, I would. There are things you should never have to be witness to."

"That's sweet," Aden replied flatly, though she touched her forehead to his. Pulling back, she continued, "But this isn't just some random 'bad thing.' This has to do with you – with who and what you are. And I want to see it. I want to know all of you."

"Maybe."

"Tonight?"

"No!" Remus answered more sharply than he intended. Smirking, he said, "Maybe – like in ten or fifteen years."

Aden hit him gently on the chest. "Ha, ha," she smirked back at him. Hand in hand they walked back to the school.

That night, Remus said goodnight to Aden and headed toward the tree, leaving Aden alone in her common room to think. She stood, looking out the window of her tower. His friends had seen him transform. That much she knew. And they had all survived. She began to wonder. Before she had time to contemplate the wisdom of what she was doing, she headed out of her common room, down to the Entrance Hall and out into the night. She knew enough from what she'd heard and seen to know that the entrance to the tunnel that would take her to the shack was the Whomping Willow. She also remembered hearing something about a knot. So when stunning the tree failed to still it, she lengthened her wand so she could poke and prod at the tree and its many knots.

It didn't take her too long to find the correct knot, still the tree, and get to the tunnel entrance. The tricky part was lowering herself into the tunnel without breaking contact with the knot and setting the tree free. But after some maneuvering and sliding on her rear, she was far enough into the tunnel that she could retrieve her wand and not fear being hit by the tree. She jogged as quickly as one can while hunched over, trying to make sure she didn't hit the ceiling of the tunnel. She couldn't see well, so she whispered, "Luminos."

After what seemed like forever, she saw the door of the Shack ahead. She placed her hand on the doorknob and realized it was locked. "Alohamora." Surprisingly, that worked. She heard the lock click and the door cracked ever so slightly open. She took a steadying breath and, just as she pushed the door open, she heard a pain-filled groan, very close at hand.

The transformation had begun and Remus was already curled in on himself when he heard the door. Part of him half-expected to see the stag, dog, and rat, but then he quickly realized how stupid that was since they were home for the summer. Pain seared through him, his bones feeling like they were on fire, and a groan escaped his lips. Though he was immobile, locked in place by the transformation, he was able to lift his head in the direction of the door. A too familiar scent wafted to him as his eyes saw past the pain to the figure standing at the door. "No," he ground out, a tear slipping from his eye. But then the wolf took hold and, though he too was locked in place, not yet finished transforming, he felt the thrill of knowing a human was so close by. He wondered briefly, again, where the stag, dog, and rat were.

Aden's eyes widened, both in horror at the pain she saw clearly written on Remus' face, and in terror at being so close to such a creature. He had nearly finished transforming when instinct took hold and she fled back into the tunnel, pulling hard on the door knob to make sure the door was closed and locked. Just as the door slammed, she heard a mournful howl. The adrenalin boosted her normal senses and she could hear sniffing on the other side. There was a moment of silence and then something large slammed against the door. She screamed and jumped away from the door, tripping as she stepped back, and landing spread-eagled on the floor, staring up at the door. She held her breath, hoping the door would hold. There was another slam that shook dirt and dust from around the doorframe, but the door held. She continued to watch and listen, spellbound, as she heard growling and scratching that grew more insistent with the passing of the seconds. Every once in a while there was a pause and she could see the wolf's nose sniffing at the bottom of the door, searching for her. Then the scratching again as it tried to dig through the floor.

Slowly, Aden got to her feet. There was another pause. It was listening. She wasn't sure how she knew that, but she did. "Remus?" she whispered. She thought she heard a whine from the other side. She took a step forward and reached out tentatively with her hand. She set it on the door, head-high. There were a few more seconds of silence, but they were broken by an angry growl and another thud as the wolf collided with the door. The vibration from the collision rushed up her arm, through her body, and set her feet running. She ran all of the way through the tunnel and out into the night. She took three stumbling steps on the soft grass when she was hit from behind. The tree. She'd forgotten about the tree. It had knocked her to the side, so she rolled over quickly to get a better view of its branches, barely missing being hit by a branch that landed where she had just lain. She scrambled backwards, rolled onto her hands and knees, launched herself forward, and somehow managed to get out of reach of the branches. She continued to run. She ran until she couldn't breathe anymore, then she just fell to the ground, rolled onto her back and cried.

It was the crying that drew him. He was so used to no one being around during the summer, and certainly not at night, that the sound of someone crying was definitely out of place. He approached the form of the girl lying in the grass. She was oblivious to his approach. "Miss?" he tried. "Miss?" The cries stifled and she lay very still. "Miss?" he tried again.

Aden looked around, sure she had heard a voice. She heard it again, and when she looked around she saw a huge hairy form before her. She screamed and tried to back away.

"Miss, I'm not gonna hurt ya." He had startled the girl badly, and tried to reassure her. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm Hagrid. Keeper of Keys and Grounds 'ere at Hogwarts."

Aden looked at the giant of a man, wide-eyed. Hagrid. She recognized the name, though she had never met him before. Some students were afraid of him, but most thought he was extremely kind. She hoped the latter was true. "H-Hagrid. I'm A-Aden."

"Aden. Nice ter meecha. What are you doin' out on a night like t'night?" Hagrid asked kindly.

"I… I… I'm sorry. I should g-go." Aden tried to stand, but she felt a sudden pain across her back and sat abruptly back on the ground.

"'Ere. Let me 'elp ya." Hagrid reached out a massive, calloused hand and, with amazing gentleness, helped pull her to her feet.

"Thank you," Aden whispered. "I really should get inside."

"Let me walk ya. I was 'eadin' there m'self."

Aden walked stiffly and slowly next to the giant man. She thanked him again as they parted ways in the Entrance Hall. She continued to walk slowly back to her dorm, fighting more tears as she went. When she arrived, she went to the bathroom to take a shower. She was dirty and stiff and the warmth of the shower would be a welcome relief. She disrobed and, out of the corner of her eye, saw a shadow on her back. Turning so that her back was exposed to the mirror, she looked and saw a livid bruise spreading from one side to the other. She wondered briefly if she should go see Madame Pomfrey, but decided against that as it would lead to too many questions. Plus, Madam Pomfrey might make her stay in the hospital wing overnight, and she didn't want Remus to see her there in the morning. She didn't know if she could face him. This brought more tears to her eyes and, as she stepped into the shower, she released them, letting them wash away with the cleansing water. Nothing's changed, she told herself. Nothing. She wondered if she could convince herself of that by morning.

She entered the hospital wing at lunch time the next day. Madam Pomfrey greeted her with a thin, slightly forced smile, and she wondered if Pomfrey somehow knew what had happened.

Instead, Madam Pomfrey hugged the girl and said, "He had an unusually rough night last night. I haven't seen him this bad since…" She dabbed at her eyes. "Well, it's been a while. And I had hoped…" She stared for a moment at the sleeping child she had grown to love. Pulling her attention back to the young lady before her, Pomfrey said, "He hasn't woken up yet today, but I expect it will be soon."

Aden also stared at the sleeping Remus. "Thank you," she acknowledged. She walked slowly forward and sat in a chair next to his bed.

Madam Pomfrey watched Aden go to Remus' bed and sit. Being a healer, she noted the stiff way the girl walked and how she gingerly lowered herself onto the chair. The girl also sat straight as a board, rather than relaxing in the chair. Bustling forward quietly, she said, "Aden, dear. Is everything all right?"

Aden continued to stare at Remus and, though she nodded, another tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek.

"Oh dear. What is the matter, child?"

Aden finally drew her eyes from Remus. "I… made a mistake. I had an accident."

"Tell me." Madam Pomfrey took a seat in a nearby chair, turning it to face Aden directly. She listened to the girl's tale from the night before. When she mentioned being hit by the tree, Madam Pomfrey insisted on examining her . The bruising was deep, but nothing was broken. She summoned a potion for the girl to take, but stayed where she was so the girl would continue her story. And her heart broke. She hugged the girl, and gave her some comfort, but she wondered how strong the girl was.

When Remus began to stir, it was a welcome distraction for the healer. She stood and composed herself so she could give her foster son a warm smile to wake up to. "Good afternoon, dear boy."

Remus reached out and took Madam Pomfrey's hand, but he didn't smile. He used to think that he would never, could never, forget the lingering pain from his transformations; but in a matter of a few short months – the months in which the Marauders had all been together on the full moons – he had forgotten. He remembered the emotion, but not the actual pain. And to be experiencing it again hurt, deeper than the physical. But before he could contemplate that line of thinking too far, another thought raced through his brain. "Aden." Remus looked around quickly, immediately regretting it for the throbbing in his head. They locked eyes and neither moved.

"I'll be in my office if you need anything." Madam Pomfrey gave Remus' knee a gentle squeeze before walking away.

Remus watched Aden without speaking for a time. So many thoughts were flooding through his head, he was afraid to say anything. He was relieved that she was okay. He was pissed that she had gone against his wishes. He felt betrayed by her acting against what he wanted. He also felt shame that she had seen him like that. And, most pervasively, he was afraid. Usually, Aden greeted him warmly, with a smile or a touch, and a sweet greeting. But she was just sitting in her seat and he couldn't place the emotion in her eyes. It's foreignness did nothing to calm him.

"I'm sorry," Aden finally whispered. She really didn't know what else to say.

Remus broke eye contact, unable to take her gaze any longer. He nodded slightly. "You're sorry. I thought I had made it very clear that I did not want you there."

"I know. And I'm sorry."

"You could have been hurt. I could have hurt you."

"I'm sorry," Aden said emotionally.

"I didn't want you to see that. I asked you to wait."

"I'm sorry!" Aden raised her voice and got to her feet. "I'm sorry. How many times can I say it? I'm sorry." She started pacing next to his bed. "I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. I'm sorry that I went there. I'm sorry that I saw what I saw. I'm sorry that I'm now terrified, and what that means. You were right. And I don't know if I can handle this. I thought I could. But I just don't know now." She was suddenly silent, realizing the implications of what she had just said aloud. "I'm sorry," she whispered again. "I… I need time." Remus sat stock still as she whispered her last words. She reached out and touched his hand, but he didn't respond, so she turned and left.

Remus got up after Aden had gone and paced next to his bed. He stopped and stared at the food tray next to his bed. Without thinking, he picked up the tray and chucked it as hard as he could against the wall. The crash reverberated though the empty hospital wing. He began picking up anything in the vicinity and throwing it as hard as he could.

Madam Pomfrey rushed out of her office at the sound of the first crash. Her hand covered her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes as she watched Remus rage in his corner of the room. She rushed toward him. He was reaching for something else when she got to him, so she grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms to his body. For a small, plump witch, she was surprisingly strong and knew how to restrain someone who was injured. He fought her for just a moment before slumping against her. Both of them sank to the floor and she held him as his rage turned to tears. Aden hadn't said she was breaking up with him, but they all knew it was just a matter of time. And he felt the raw pain of his curse ripping someone else from his life.

- - - -

Remus gave Aden time. And the castle had never felt more lonely and stifling. A week after the full moon, while Remus sat under the familiar tree by the lake, he heard footsteps approach. They were light, with a short stride, and he knew who they belonged to without having to look.

Aden sat down next to Remus under the shade of the tree.

"I talked with my parents. Well, I wrote to them and they wrote back."

She's stalling. He started absently pulling at the grass in front of his crossed legs.

"They… I needed some advice. So, I asked them about… you know… dating a werewolf."

Remus' head whipped around to see if she was telling the truth. She refused to look back at him. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his suddenly racing heart and mind.

"I didn't say it was you, though… well, it's not like I've dated anyone else. But… Did you know you have to register when you come of age?" she glanced at Remus, who was concentrating very hard on something in the distance. "Yeah. I'm sure you do," she chuckled dryly. "There's this ministry woman – Umbridge. She's been pushing quite a few anti-half… well, laws that make the werewolf life very difficult. I'm sure you know that, too."

Remus continued to stare.

"They – my parents – They forbade me from even thinking about dating a werewolf." When Remus continued to remain silent, Aden felt the need to defend herself. "You… You know how important family is to me. I want kids - lots of them. And that wouldn't be possible with… And then there's the job situation. But, I can't… Maybe I could handle just not having kids, or just the job thing, or just the… I'm not that strong, Remus. It's too much. I don't know what I'd do without my family. Add everything else on top of that…"

"It must be nice… comforting… easy, even, for you to have such a convenient excuse," Remus said quietly, though his words were biting and bitter.

"That's not fair! There was nothing easy about this."

"You asked for this. You wanted to know. You had to enter that damned tunnel."

"You couldn't hide it from me forever, and you know it!" Aden retorted and stood up.

Remus continued sitting on the ground.

"I'm going… My parents are coming to get me." She began to walk away.

Remus got to his feet. "Aden," he called after her. When she stopped walking, he came to her. He took her hands in his and put his forehead to hers one last time. "I love you."

Aden let out a sob. She threw her arms around Remus' neck and cried on his shoulder. He held her until she stopped crying, and continued to hold her. They stood there for what seemed like an eternity and yet, when it was over, it hadn't been nearly long enough. Aden pulled away slowly, and then walked away, their hands grasping to hold onto what was now past until she had walked far enough away from where Remus stood that they couldn't hold on anymore.

Remus lay back down under the tree. He was unable to watch her go. He supposed he should write a letter to the guys letting them know. But not today.

- - - - -

A/N - Please don't hate me. Y'all knew it was going to happen eventually, right? Thank you to my ever faithful reviewers. You guys - I can't tell you how much I appreciate hearing from you. Thank you. And thank you to Mom, mei mei, and J.A.Carlton. You're awesome betas. Love ya.

Oh, Oh. Before I forget, this is the last chapter of Part 3. Be on the lookout this coming Monday for the start of Part 4. I know. It's a bit of an abrupt stop, but it doesn't really fit to break after next chapter either, so I'm doing it now.