(Fwee! Chapter 21! I have such clever reviewers ^_^ And have I told you lot lately that I LOVE YOU GUYS! FWEE!
I decided to upload this chp a bit early, just because you're all so nice ^_^)
"Remus, what is this all about?" Lily asked, as Remus practically shoved her into Dumbledore's office.
"Yes, Mr. Lupin, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling merrily.
"I…I think Lily's a…a werewolf, sir." Remus said, studying the pattern on the older man's desk.
"What?! You think I'm a werewolf? Remus, honey, to be a werewolf you have to be bitten by one." Lily said, patting his arm.
"You were, Lils. Remember that night in the shack?" Remus said.
"But that's impossible, I was…well it's just impossible! Dumbledore," Lily turned to face the headmaster, "I'm an unregistered Animagus, ok? Remus bit me, by accident, while I was in my animal form. Werewolf bites don't affect animals!" Lily insisted.
"The wound was still bleeding when she turned back. The warm blood kept the bacteria alive, and it got into her bloodstream." Remus explained to the headmaster.
"Remus, I've been using that silverware ever since that happened, wouldn't it have burned me then?" Lily argued.
"No, the change takes about a month to complete. Different parts of you change at different times, the make-up of your skin is one of the last. Miss Evans, I'm sure you wouldn't object to a test, would you?" Dumbledore asked patiently.
"No, of course not." Lily held out her arm and Dumbledore drew a small vial of blood.
"This is powdered silver, if your blood starts to boil, then we'll know what you are." Dumbledore said, and dropped the silver into the vial. Sure enough, the blood began to boil.
Lily nodded once, accepting her fate. "Professor, if the ministry must be notified then do so, if they don't have to be, then don't. But there will be no mention of Remus in any of this, alright? I…I know what happens to werewolves who turn someone. This wasn't his fault."
Dumbledore nodded. "Hopefully the Ministry will not need to be notified. Good-day Mr. Lupin, Miss Evans."
Once Lily and Remus were beyond the Headmaster's office, Remus broke down. "Lily, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen and…and you must hate me. I will completely understand if you never speak to me again and…oh god, Lily I'm sorry!"
To Remus' utter shock, Lily laughed. "Oh, Remus! You don't honestly believe that I blame you for this, do you? It was my own fool decision to go to the shack. If you keep apologizing I will be forced to disembowel you, however." The glint in her eyes punctuated her remark, and Remus bore his regret in silence.
The six of them sat in the boys' dorm in a stunned silence. Kaleb was valiantly fighting back tears, whether of sadness or anger Lily couldn't tell. Peter had taken a seat by the window, and was clenching his hands to keep them from shaking. Peter's favorite cousin had been killed by a werewolf, and it had taken a long time for him to accept Remus…now there were two.
Sirius' hand had quickly found Remus', and he offered his silent support for the grief he knew his pale friend was feeling.
James sat, and stared off into space. The only sign that he had even heard them was the fact that he was trembling.
'He's terrified.' Lily thought, as she cocked her head to the side. 'But…is he terrified of me? That would make the most sense, but he's always been such a Gryffindor, in the worst way.'
Lily was shaken from her reverie as James rose to his feet and drew her into his arms. He pressed her close against him and whispered frantically into her ear. "Lily, I'm so sorry. And god, I love you, I love you so much and this doesn't change any of that and…and I'll find a cure for it. I promise. Lily, god, I will find a cure."
Lily smiled bitterly. "The only cure is a silver bullet, love."
When the girls were leaving, Remus caught Kaleb's arm. "Would you do me a favor?" He whispered in her ear, so the others couldn't hear him.
"What?" Kaleb asked.
"Would you…erm…give me the heads up when Lily starts her period?" Remus whispered, flushing.
Kaleb gave him an odd look, and he continued. "So I can explain something to Jamie, there is no PMS like werewolf PMS."
Kaleb fought back a smirk and nodded.
Later that evening, Lily was curled up in her bed, reading Chained to the Moon like her life depended on it. Who knows, it just might. 'They don't seem to know a whole lot…' She thought mildly, flipping a page. 'Except for how to identify and kill us, that is.'
Lily was about to flip the page again, when a header caught her eye. 'Mating?' Lily almost blushed, as she remembered the night spent with James.
'Werewolves, like their natural counterparts, mate for life. The first person that a werewolf has sex with is their mate for the rest of their existence. If the human half of the couple should stray or die, the lycanthrope would follow in death. There have been very few verified accounts of werewolves mating with humans, as the tendency for humans to grow bored in a relationship will mean the death of the lycanthrope. The mating call does not begin until the lycanthrope reaches maturity at fifteen years of age, to prevent pups from mating. Once a werewolf has mated, they are emotionally bonded forever.'
Lily blinked at the page. 'Oh god…I'm mated to James…forever…' She thought frantically. 'He can't know. He mustn't. I won't tie him down with this…it's more than enough that one of us is the prisoner of the wolf.'
With that, Lily decided to set him free, and bear the pain in silence.
The next morning things went, oddly enough, business as usual. Even their Care of Magical Creatures lesson, in which Lily freed the fox-like creatures they had been studying, was completely normal. It was almost as if the revelations of the previous day had not been made. They were simply friends at school, nothing more.
And if James noticed that Lily wasn't quite as open with him in her affections as usual, he made no mention of it.
If Lily thought that now that she had found a mate that she would be spared the awkwardness and instincts that come with the search for one, she was greatly mistaken. Every time she saw him, a possessive instinct flared violently in her. During Transfiguration, she was somewhat surprised and somewhat proud to see that a bite mark on his neck was still visible from the night of their…consummation. It seemed to mark him, to claim him as her own.
As she pondered this she stroked the outside of his thigh, absently. 'Mine.' She thought fiercely. "Mine." She growled in a whisper.
James smiled at her and color rose in his cheeks slightly, at the look in her eyes.
The more human part of Lily's mind snapped back into control. Her hand immediately retreated from James' warmth. He looked slightly puzzled, but said nothing of it. Lily forced herself to inch slightly away from James. She resolved not to sit next to him in their next class, potions.
In potions Lily caught Kaleb's eye and motioned for her to sit. Kaleb was puzzled, as she had expected her best friend to want to sit next to Jamie. It was nice to know that she hadn't been completely replaced. Kaleb settled in next to the redhead.
"Do I want to know why you aren't sitting with Potter?" Kaleb drawled, sapphire eyes uncharacteristically guarded.
"And deny myself the pleasure of your company?" Lily said, somewhat over-dramatically.
"Right. I will get it out of you eventually, you know." Kaleb warned, conversationally.
"You might." Lily agreed.
James entered the room a few seconds later, and seemed a little surprised that Lily hadn't saved a seat for him. 'Ah, well.' He reasoned. 'Of course she'll want to sit with Kaleb, those two are closer than anything.' James felt the uncomfortable coiling of a little bit of jealousy in his stomach, thought he couldn't imagine why. What was it to him if his girlfriend wanted to sit with her best friend?
He slid into a seat next to Peter, and grinned at his compatriot winningly. "Let's try not to poison ourselves this class, eh Pete?" He whispered conspiratorially.
"Oh alright." Peter said as if it were a great sacrifice.
I decided to upload this chp a bit early, just because you're all so nice ^_^)
"Remus, what is this all about?" Lily asked, as Remus practically shoved her into Dumbledore's office.
"Yes, Mr. Lupin, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling merrily.
"I…I think Lily's a…a werewolf, sir." Remus said, studying the pattern on the older man's desk.
"What?! You think I'm a werewolf? Remus, honey, to be a werewolf you have to be bitten by one." Lily said, patting his arm.
"You were, Lils. Remember that night in the shack?" Remus said.
"But that's impossible, I was…well it's just impossible! Dumbledore," Lily turned to face the headmaster, "I'm an unregistered Animagus, ok? Remus bit me, by accident, while I was in my animal form. Werewolf bites don't affect animals!" Lily insisted.
"The wound was still bleeding when she turned back. The warm blood kept the bacteria alive, and it got into her bloodstream." Remus explained to the headmaster.
"Remus, I've been using that silverware ever since that happened, wouldn't it have burned me then?" Lily argued.
"No, the change takes about a month to complete. Different parts of you change at different times, the make-up of your skin is one of the last. Miss Evans, I'm sure you wouldn't object to a test, would you?" Dumbledore asked patiently.
"No, of course not." Lily held out her arm and Dumbledore drew a small vial of blood.
"This is powdered silver, if your blood starts to boil, then we'll know what you are." Dumbledore said, and dropped the silver into the vial. Sure enough, the blood began to boil.
Lily nodded once, accepting her fate. "Professor, if the ministry must be notified then do so, if they don't have to be, then don't. But there will be no mention of Remus in any of this, alright? I…I know what happens to werewolves who turn someone. This wasn't his fault."
Dumbledore nodded. "Hopefully the Ministry will not need to be notified. Good-day Mr. Lupin, Miss Evans."
Once Lily and Remus were beyond the Headmaster's office, Remus broke down. "Lily, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen and…and you must hate me. I will completely understand if you never speak to me again and…oh god, Lily I'm sorry!"
To Remus' utter shock, Lily laughed. "Oh, Remus! You don't honestly believe that I blame you for this, do you? It was my own fool decision to go to the shack. If you keep apologizing I will be forced to disembowel you, however." The glint in her eyes punctuated her remark, and Remus bore his regret in silence.
The six of them sat in the boys' dorm in a stunned silence. Kaleb was valiantly fighting back tears, whether of sadness or anger Lily couldn't tell. Peter had taken a seat by the window, and was clenching his hands to keep them from shaking. Peter's favorite cousin had been killed by a werewolf, and it had taken a long time for him to accept Remus…now there were two.
Sirius' hand had quickly found Remus', and he offered his silent support for the grief he knew his pale friend was feeling.
James sat, and stared off into space. The only sign that he had even heard them was the fact that he was trembling.
'He's terrified.' Lily thought, as she cocked her head to the side. 'But…is he terrified of me? That would make the most sense, but he's always been such a Gryffindor, in the worst way.'
Lily was shaken from her reverie as James rose to his feet and drew her into his arms. He pressed her close against him and whispered frantically into her ear. "Lily, I'm so sorry. And god, I love you, I love you so much and this doesn't change any of that and…and I'll find a cure for it. I promise. Lily, god, I will find a cure."
Lily smiled bitterly. "The only cure is a silver bullet, love."
When the girls were leaving, Remus caught Kaleb's arm. "Would you do me a favor?" He whispered in her ear, so the others couldn't hear him.
"What?" Kaleb asked.
"Would you…erm…give me the heads up when Lily starts her period?" Remus whispered, flushing.
Kaleb gave him an odd look, and he continued. "So I can explain something to Jamie, there is no PMS like werewolf PMS."
Kaleb fought back a smirk and nodded.
Later that evening, Lily was curled up in her bed, reading Chained to the Moon like her life depended on it. Who knows, it just might. 'They don't seem to know a whole lot…' She thought mildly, flipping a page. 'Except for how to identify and kill us, that is.'
Lily was about to flip the page again, when a header caught her eye. 'Mating?' Lily almost blushed, as she remembered the night spent with James.
'Werewolves, like their natural counterparts, mate for life. The first person that a werewolf has sex with is their mate for the rest of their existence. If the human half of the couple should stray or die, the lycanthrope would follow in death. There have been very few verified accounts of werewolves mating with humans, as the tendency for humans to grow bored in a relationship will mean the death of the lycanthrope. The mating call does not begin until the lycanthrope reaches maturity at fifteen years of age, to prevent pups from mating. Once a werewolf has mated, they are emotionally bonded forever.'
Lily blinked at the page. 'Oh god…I'm mated to James…forever…' She thought frantically. 'He can't know. He mustn't. I won't tie him down with this…it's more than enough that one of us is the prisoner of the wolf.'
With that, Lily decided to set him free, and bear the pain in silence.
The next morning things went, oddly enough, business as usual. Even their Care of Magical Creatures lesson, in which Lily freed the fox-like creatures they had been studying, was completely normal. It was almost as if the revelations of the previous day had not been made. They were simply friends at school, nothing more.
And if James noticed that Lily wasn't quite as open with him in her affections as usual, he made no mention of it.
If Lily thought that now that she had found a mate that she would be spared the awkwardness and instincts that come with the search for one, she was greatly mistaken. Every time she saw him, a possessive instinct flared violently in her. During Transfiguration, she was somewhat surprised and somewhat proud to see that a bite mark on his neck was still visible from the night of their…consummation. It seemed to mark him, to claim him as her own.
As she pondered this she stroked the outside of his thigh, absently. 'Mine.' She thought fiercely. "Mine." She growled in a whisper.
James smiled at her and color rose in his cheeks slightly, at the look in her eyes.
The more human part of Lily's mind snapped back into control. Her hand immediately retreated from James' warmth. He looked slightly puzzled, but said nothing of it. Lily forced herself to inch slightly away from James. She resolved not to sit next to him in their next class, potions.
In potions Lily caught Kaleb's eye and motioned for her to sit. Kaleb was puzzled, as she had expected her best friend to want to sit next to Jamie. It was nice to know that she hadn't been completely replaced. Kaleb settled in next to the redhead.
"Do I want to know why you aren't sitting with Potter?" Kaleb drawled, sapphire eyes uncharacteristically guarded.
"And deny myself the pleasure of your company?" Lily said, somewhat over-dramatically.
"Right. I will get it out of you eventually, you know." Kaleb warned, conversationally.
"You might." Lily agreed.
James entered the room a few seconds later, and seemed a little surprised that Lily hadn't saved a seat for him. 'Ah, well.' He reasoned. 'Of course she'll want to sit with Kaleb, those two are closer than anything.' James felt the uncomfortable coiling of a little bit of jealousy in his stomach, thought he couldn't imagine why. What was it to him if his girlfriend wanted to sit with her best friend?
He slid into a seat next to Peter, and grinned at his compatriot winningly. "Let's try not to poison ourselves this class, eh Pete?" He whispered conspiratorially.
"Oh alright." Peter said as if it were a great sacrifice.