James pulled a parchment out of his schoolbag and pointed at a hunched black figure walking down the crowded hall. Peter looked at the parchment and cackled. “Hex me if you think I’m a greasy git,” he read. “Perfect!”
“And it’s got a Permanent Sticking Charm on it,” Sirius grinned. “He’ll have to cut it off his robes when he finds it!”
“Hurry, before he goes into his class,” James said and began weaving through the mass of students in the hall. Peter followed him with Sirius close behind, but Remus held back. He was too preoccupied with other matters to worry about their latest prank.
“Sirius, wait,” said Remus. Sirius stopped and glanced regretfully at his prey escaping down the hall. After a moment of indecision, he dutifully turned back to Remus.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You’re not trying to protect Snivelly, are you?”
“No, I wanted to ask you why you did that last night,” said Remus.
“What, study? I know, it’s bad for my image. It won’t happen again.”
Remus frowned impatiently. It always took a while to get a straight answer from Sirius when he was in a playful mood, but Remus found that staying silent usually sped up the process. Sirius saw that he wasn’t going to play along and said, “Fine, I did it because I thought you’d like it.” He raised an eyebrow slyly. “You did, didn’t you?”
“Look, it’s not like that. We were just talking,” Remus insisted, chiding himself for being so transparent.
“Really,” Sirius said, clearly unconvinced. “So you don’t fancy her?”
“Well… I’m not sure,” Remus confessed. “She’s just so… different. I’ve never had a girl be so nice to me before.”
Sirius pursed his lips. “All the girls who haven’t been nice to you are idiots. That’s why I like Evans; she’s smart and you need somebody smart.”
“But you know James likes her,” Remus said cautiously. The last thing he wanted to do was cause trouble with his friends.
“James likes a lot of girls,” Sirius said dismissively. What he didn’t say, but what Remus understood he meant, was that a lot of girls liked James.
“Right,” Remus muttered. The thought that Sirius helped him out of pity was not especially comforting, but he was flattered that he at least tried to help. “I’ll tell you what,” he continued as they reached their own classroom. “If you get a seat at the front, maybe I’ll return the favour and tie your shoes to the professor’s.”
Sirius grinned. “See? Friends look out for each other.”
Remus opened the door and stepped inside. Professor Cóvas stood at the window, her impassive gaze focused towards the forest. She absently stroked a rust-colored snake which was coiled around her forearm. Most of the male students were gazing at her with mesmerized expressions, but she did not seem to notice. Remus and Sirius sat in a pair of empty seats in the third row. Sirius would not get the chance to have his favour returned since the first two rows were entirely filled, presumably by boys who had the same idea. James and Peter suddenly rushed into the classroom, both sniggering to themselves. They filled in the seats beside Sirius and Remus and leaned over to share their story.
“It was great!” Peter whispered, slinging his bag to the floor. “Everyone was laughing at him and he had no idea why!”
“Too bad you missed it,” said James. “Where were you?”
Before Sirius could answer, a clock on the front desk emitted a single silvery chime and the class fell silent in expectation. The professor turned away from the window towards the curious faces looking up at her. She gently uncoiled the snake and placed it on her desk where it slithered underneath a roll of parchment.
“Good morning, class,” she said in a flute-like voice with a hint of a Spanish accent. “I am Professor Cóvas. I’m so pleased to be teaching at your fine school this year.” She slowly walked back and forth in front of the class, her boot heels clicking softly on the wooden floor.
“As I understand, this is a very important year for you, no? Your exams this spring, they will decide your fate. In your education, your career, and most likely your whole life.” She paused mid-stride and smiled knowingly at the entranced faces before her. “So I know you will pay careful attention in my class.”
Remus glanced around him. Sirius and Peter certainly looked as if they were paying attention, but not necessarily to her words. On the other side of the room he spotted Lily sitting with her friends, looking somewhat unsettled. He tried to catch her eye, but she didn’t look his way. Professor Cóvas continued pacing leisurely and tapped her golden-ringed fingers together.
“I will be teaching you many aspects of defence this year. This is perhaps the most important subject you will ever take. There are many dangers that wizards face in the world. Dark creatures that wish to destroy us for food or for survival. Men that wish to murder us for hatred… or jealousy. It is up to us to understand these threats, and in understanding them, destroy them.”
She allowed a moment of silence to pass before she snapped, “The vampire. Why does it attack? What is its weakness? You!”
She stabbed her finger at one of Lily’s friends, a quiet blonde girl named Gayle. She flushed and blurted out, “Food!”
Professor Cóvas nodded. “And?”
“Oh, weaknesses… um, garlic?” Gayle answered tentatively.
Professor Cóvas sniffed and whirled around, sending her satin robes swirling around her ankles. “Garlic!” she scoffed. “Are you fighting the Dark Arts or cooking cacciatore? Congratulations, you’re dead.”
Gayle gulped and looked to Lily for support, but Lily was at a loss for words. Professor Cóvas continued pacing the floor wordlessly for a few moments and then looked sharply into the class.
“The chimaera. Why does it attack? Who can answer?” she demanded.
Sirius sniggered and whispered, “That’s easy, because Remus killed its family.”
Peter laughed a little too loudly and Professor Cóvas’s sharp eyes immediately focused on him. She walked toward him with slow, deliberate steps until she towered over his chair. “What is your name?”
“P-Peter Pettigrew,” he stammered. He looked unsure whether to be frightened or pleased by the individual attention.
“Well, Mr. Pettigrew, since you are obviously too wise and powerful to be bothered with chimaeras, why don’t you enlighten the rest of the class how to defend yourself against one?”
Peter’s eyes darted to Sirius for help, but Sirius was staring at the professor with a glazed expression. “I’d use… a Stunning spell?” he guessed.
“And you would die as well,” Professor Cóvas said bluntly and walked away. “A Stunning spell would only anger the beast, giving it more incentive to kill you.”
“Too bad, Peter,” James said under his breath. “The correct answer was ‘Remus’s Mighty Sword.’”
Sirius didn’t bother holding back his laughter and Professor Cóvas snapped back around. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite hear you. Would you repeat what you said?”
“It was nothing, Professor,” James said innocently. “I was just telling Peter that he should really pay more attention to this valuable lesson if he wants to succeed in life.”
Professor Cóvas’s lips twisted into a dangerous smile. “I suppose you think you’re quite clever, do you?” James flashed her his most winning expression and she raised a disdainful eyebrow. “Well, if you’re so clever, perhaps you can tell the class how to kill a werewolf.”
Remus felt like he had been punched in the stomach. His heart stopped for a second and he stared determinedly downward at his desk, afraid that anyone who looked into his eyes would see his fear and discover the secret behind it. He wondered if she had found out somehow, though Dumbledore had promised him that Madame Pomfrey was the only one who knew. Out of the corner of his eye he saw James hesitate and glance at him with a torn expression, but Remus didn’t look back. He knew James was seeking some sort of permission, so he forced himself to give a slight nod.
“Come on, clever boy,” Professor Cóvas taunted. “What is their purpose? What is their weakness?”
Though her words cut into Remus like a knife, he felt some relief. She must not have known about him; Dumbledore could never hire somebody so cruel. It was now James’s turn to stare uncomfortably at his desk. “Werewolves are pack animals, and they’re usually separated from their kind,” he said in a strained voice. “They bite humans to spread lycanthropy and form a pack.”
“What a touching interpretation. They’re lonely,” Professor Cóvas said softly with a faint mocking tone. “And how would you use this knowledge in your defence?” Remus held his breath, waiting to hear his best friend recite the different ways to destroy him.
James shrugged. “I don’t know, invite it to tea? Maybe a walk in the woods?”
A wave of laughter broke the nervous tension and Remus couldn’t help but smile. He glanced sideways at James and was met with a secretive wink. Professor Cóvas shook her head regretfully, causing her long golden earrings to jingle.
“So sad, so sad,” she murmured, her heels clicking as she sauntered back to the front of the class. “Yet another death, and I hardly had time to make your acquaintance. I suppose you think you can joke your way out of danger? Or perhaps charm your enemies with song?” Her eyes fell onto Sirius, who managed to look both charming and defiant at the same time.
“As I said, this is a very important year for you,” she continued. “Outside of these castle walls are real dangers, the likes of which you have never faced. Your headmaster believes that four years of training are long enough, and that you are now ready to face true peril in this class. You will no longer be coddled. You will find yourselves in situations where simple Stunning Spells and invitations to tea are quite inadequate. And if you don’t take these dangers seriously, I’m afraid there will be quite a few empty chairs by the end of the year.”
Professor Cóvas allowed a stony silence to envelope the classroom before turning to her desk. She lifted a roll of parchment to reveal the coiled serpent underneath and carefully draped its long body over her arm.
“Now then. Can anyone tell me what kind of creature I’m holding?” She extended her arm in a slow arc in front of her body. “Anyone?”
A girl behind Remus piped up, “A… a snake?”
“Excellent deduction. Perhaps someone can be more specific?” Professor Cóvas waited expectantly, but the class remained silent. “Perhaps not. Very well, this stunning creature is known as a death adder.”
Nearly everyone in the front row pushed away from their desks. Professor Cóvas laughed softly and brought her hand closer to her body. “You were all quite comfortable at the beginning of class. Nothing has changed except your fear of a name.” She stroked the snake’s head soothingly and sat on the edge of her desk.
“Fear. A dangerous ally. Despite its bad reputation, fear is one of our most important weapons against the Dark Arts. Fear is our natural reaction to threat, a sentinel, if you will. Listen to your fear, because that is your mind trying to protect your body. But always regard it as an advisor, not your master. You!” She pointed at Remus and he instantly straightened in his seat. She took several slow steps toward him, holding the snake in front of her body. “Tell me, do you fear Nyoka, my lovely adder?”
“Yes,” Remus answered quickly. He hoped that admitting his fear would be enough to satisfy the point she was trying to make, but she continued her approach.
“Why?”
“Because it’s venomous and it could kill me.” Remus felt that was rather obvious, but he was willing to tell her whatever she wanted to hear if it would keep the snake away from him.
“That’s true, she very well could. But are you a rat?” Professor Cóvas asked mildly and took a step down the aisle. Everyone leaned as far away from her as possible.
“No.”
“Are you a bird?” Another step closer.
“No.”
“Then why would she want to kill you? You would be quite an impractical meal.” She took one more step and stood so close to Remus that he could see his face reflected in the snake’s inky black eyes. He shuddered and closed his eyes instinctively.
“Fool! Open your eyes!” she commanded. “What is there to gain by blinding yourself in the face of danger?”
Remus reluctantly opened his eyes and found the snake now staring interestedly at him. He forced himself to take several deep breaths and concentrated on lowering his heart rate.
“Now tell me,” she said forcefully. “Why do you think Nyoka would want to kill you?”
Remus stared into the snake’s empty black eyes and held back the scream rising in his throat. The thought of its venomous fangs slashing his face made him weak with fear. He focused on the top of its head so that he wouldn’t have to look at its curved mouth or its sinister eyes. Its scales seemed magnified at such close proximity, and he noted how each one was a different colour and how they overlapped like translucent shingles. He was surprised by how small and delicate the scales were, and in that moment he realized the answer she was looking for.
“It fears me.”
Professor Cóvas smiled with satisfaction and drew the snake back to her own body. Remus exhaled a breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
“Precisely,” she said. “Fear, though useful, can also lead us down the wrong path. You and this adder have no reason to harm each other, yet your mutual fear and misunderstanding would lead to both of your deaths. If you ran across my lovely Nyoka in the wild, you would panic, she would panic, she would bite you to protect her fragile body, and you would crush her in your dying vengeance. And why? Simple ignorance.”
She sauntered back to the front of the classroom and held the snake up, stroking its rough head. "Control your fear. It will alert you to danger, but it will also cause unnecessary conflict if gone unchecked. Why does Nyoka allow me to hold her? Because I have no fear of her, no desire to harm her, so she in turn does not fear me. That’s why it is so important to master your own fear and hone it into a heightened sense of awareness. If you can do this, you will avoid needless aggression and gain the freedom to deal with true enemies on your own terms. Hence, our first lesson. Now that I have given you my lecture, it is time for the practical.” Her lips curled into a disquieting smile as she pointed at Remus. “You. Mr.…”
“Lupin,” Remus supplied in a wary voice.
“Mr. Lupin,” she repeated delicately. “Come here.”
Dreading what she had in mind as a practical lesson, Remus walked to the front of the room and stood a safe distance from his professor.
“Do you still fear Nyoka?” she asked.
He watched the reddish-brown snake tighten around her forearm and he shivered involuntarily. “Yes,” he admitted.
“Of course you do,” she smiled. “It is not the absence of fear that we strive for, but control over it. And you will not let your fear dominate you, will you?”
“Erm, no,” Remus answered cautiously, wishing he knew what he was being asked to do before he made any promises.
“No, I don’t believe you will,” she said softly. “Congratulations, Mr. Lupin. You may be the first to kiss Nyoka.”
“What?”
“Just a small kiss on the lips. Don’t be shy, we won’t laugh,” Professor Cóvas teased. No one in the class looked remotely close to laughter. Remus hesitated, waiting for someone to stand up and say, “This is madness, you can’t make him do that!” But everyone sat silently in curious horror.
“Do not disappoint me, Mr. Lupin,” Professor Cóvas admonished, her voice hardening. “I sense a great capacity for courage in you. This is why I have chosen you to go first.”
“But… but it’ll bite me if I get too close to it,” he protested.
“Too close?” she asked in mock concern and kissed the snake softly on its mouth. Nyoka seemed nonplussed by the display of affection. “Was that too close?”
“But she knows you, she doesn’t know me,” he argued, stalling for time.
“Mr. Lupin, I am growing impatient,” she said firmly. “This is the only time this year that you will face a creature that does not actually wish you harm. If you can’t overcome your fear now, then you will never be able to handle the true dangers that await you this year. You will cower and whimper and close your eyes to the threat, making you the easiest of prey.” She paused to let her words sink in and then sighed as if someone had spoiled her fun. “Besides, I have the anti-venom, so you have no excuses left.”
Remus looked uncertainly into the class again. Nearly everyone was white, fearing that they would be the next to be called up. Only Sirius caught Remus’s eye and smiled encouragingly. He raised his fist into the air and mouthed, “Stay strong.” Remus smiled faintly and gave a slight nod.
She has the anti-venom, so I won’t die, he rationalized. And what’s one more scar on my face?
“All right,” he said. A wave of tense whispers swelled as Professor Cóvas held out her arm. Sensing a change in the atmosphere, Nyoka dipped her head and tasted the air with her tongue. Remus took a deep breath and faced her like a firing squad.
“Hi, Nyoka,” he whispered, slowly inching his face towards hers. “You’re a beautiful snake. Really. You’re the loveliest death adder I’ve ever met.”
Nyoka stopped bobbing her head and stood still, watching Remus approach. Remus fervently wished that snakes had more expressive faces so he could gauge her mood. He leaned closer and Nyoka retracted her head warily, darting her black tongue out. Remus froze, afraid that he had moved too quickly. He imagined lightning fast fangs stabbing his face and filling his skin with venom. He flinched and tried not to whimper.
“You are making her nervous,” Professor Cóvas said softly. “Relax.”
Remus exhaled slowly, careful not to blow air onto the snake’s face. “Lovely Nyoka,” he said faintly under his breath. “Beautiful, kind, peaceful Nyoka. You wouldn’t hurt a fly would you?”
Nyoka peered at him curiously. As far as he could tell, she didn’t look upset, so Remus decided to act while she was still agreeable. He held his breath and carefully touched his lips to her cool, dry snout. He squinted his eyes shut, knowing that only a thin layer of scales separated him from her venomous fangs. He trembled, expecting his face to be slashed at any moment, but Nyoka allowed him his kiss. Without opening his eyes, he slowly withdrew his face. Every instinct he had screamed at him to pull away faster, but he knew that would cause Nyoka to panic. After what seemed like ages, he opened his eyes. Nyoka was a safe distance away and he was alive. He saw his classmates staring at him in admiration and his face broke into a tremendous grin. His knees shook, he felt cold and clammy, but he had never felt more alive. It was all he could do to keep from jumping into the air and shouting. He wanted to run around the room and throw papers into the air like confetti.
“That was beautiful, Mr. Lupin. Well done,” Professor Cóvas said and granted Remus a cool nod of approval. He walked back to his desk, feeling considerably lighter, and sat down, unable to shake the grin from his face.
“Now,” she purred. “Who’s next?”
“That was bloody brilliant!” Peter exclaimed as they filed out of the classroom. He had been one of the last to go up and was still exhilarated from the experience.
“Brilliant?” James said with disbelief. “That woman’s mad! Really, what kind of lesson was that?”
“Ah, you’re just upset because you’re afraid of snakes,” said Peter.
“I’m not afraid of them,” James said hotly. “I just don’t like them.”
“What’s not to like?” Sirius pressed. “Their long, slithery bodies? Their sharp fangs? Their cold, dead eyes that never blink?” He darted his tongue out of his mouth and James flinched.
“That’s pretty big talk, but I saw you quivering when it was your turn,” he retorted.
“Not me, I found it remarkably easy,” Sirius said. “I just pretended I was kissing my mother.”
Remus laughed. “Now that you mention it, the similarity was uncanny.”
“Come on, Remus,” James said. “You’re not smitten with Professor Cóvas like these two are. Don’t you think she’s mad?”
Remus thought for a moment and answered, “Probably. But I suppose it was a legitimate lesson in the end.”
James shook his head and opened the heavy doors leading out of the castle. They stepped into brilliant sunlight and headed down the steps toward their Herbology class. “I can’t imagine what we’ll be doing next week. Probably fighting off vampires with nothing but a plastic comb.”
“Or wrestling werewolves,” Peter grinned. “We’d better practice on Remus first.” Remus felt a stab of anger as his friends laughed. He knew they meant well, but the shock of hearing his curse discussed in class had not yet worn off. The casual way in which the professor had asked how to destroy his kind made him feel like a Doxy to be exterminated. He noticed his friends exchange glances at his grim face, and guilt crept into his stomach. He knew that his sense of humour about his lycanthropy was unfairly inconsistent; any other day and he probably would have laughed right along with Peter. But there were times when his humour was just not strong enough to mask the pain of his curse.
Peter mumbled, “Hey, Remus, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean””
“It’s all right,” Remus cut him off.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Remus forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
* * * *
The sun hovered lazily just above the horizon, casting long shadows onto the grass. Remus had finished his last class of the day and was enjoying the warmth of the late summer afternoon. He leaned against the trunk of the great oak by the lake while his gaze drifted out onto the water. James lay on his stomach beside him, tossing handfuls of grass into the air and swirling them into a whirlwind with his wand. Down by the edge of the lake, Sirius was helping Peter practice dueling. Occasional cries of defeat and subsequent words of encouragement drifted back to Remus’s ears. Peter was not the quickest pupil, but Sirius’s sense of brotherly protectiveness went a long way towards increasing his patience.
A tickling on his ear brought Remus’s mind back to the present, and he realized that James was raining the grass cloud onto his head. Remus brushed the grass out of his hair and threw a handful back at James with a smile. James smiled back, but he seemed preoccupied.
“So you and Lily have been spending more time together now that you’re prefects,” James said in an odd voice. He plucked a clover and twirled it between his fingers without looking up. Remus’s heart sank; this was exactly what he had been afraid would happen. Why had Sirius intervened? Now James would tell him off and probably never speak to him again. He wondered if he could still be Sirius’s friend even if James was angry at him. Probably not, he thought. Maybe Peter’s?
“Does she ever talk about me?” James asked suddenly. The wistfulness in his voice caught Remus completely off guard. James glanced up and his face wore an uncharacteristic expression of vulnerability.
Remus foundered for a moment, unsure of how to respond. “Umm… sometimes, I guess…” he trailed off, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
James’s face brightened. “Really? What does she say?”
Remus felt he’d rather be back with Nyoka than looking at James’s hopeful face. He wanted to tell him to stay away from Lily, that he wasn’t right for her, but he knew he couldn’t possibly say that to his friend. He was torn between supporting him and telling him the truth, that Lily couldn’t stand him. But was that the truth? It suddenly struck him that despite Lily’s protests, she always seemed to find her way into James’s path and throw herself into their arguments. This new thought unnerved Remus, and he found himself at even more of a loss for words.
“Well?” prodded James.
“Well, you know girls… I mean, who knows what they’re thinking, right?” Remus mumbled.
James’s hopeful smile disappeared and he gloomily ripped up a handful of grass. “She thinks I’m an idiot, doesn’t she?”
Remus wanted to say that she wouldn’t think that if he didn’t act like an idiot, but his silence hung in the air and spoke for him.
“You’ve got to help me,” said James. “Make her give me a chance. She’ll listen to you; she likes you.”
Remus stared at him, wondering if this was some sort of test of loyalty. If Sirius had noticed his feelings, then surely James would have, too. But the eager innocence in James’s eyes told Remus that he was blinded by infatuation and completely sincere.
“Why her?” Remus asked, trying not to sound as if it mattered to him. “Why not any of the other girls in our year who don’t need convincing? Don’t you fancy any of them?”
James shook his head despondently and sighed, “Not like Lily.”
Remus realized he was seeing a side of James that no one else was allowed to see, probably not even Sirius. He was touched by the confidence and his guilt about the previous night intensified. He knew that he could never compete with his best friend for a girl because he would be bound to lose both. But at the same time, he had never met anyone like Lily before and he didn’t know when he ever would again. James could have any girl he wanted, while Remus had to wait for the special few that saw him as a person. But James doesn’t want anyone else, a nagging voice in his head reminded him. He’ll pursue her and he’ll win. You’ll lose both Lily and James, and then Sirius and Peter as well. You’ll have no one.
“Just see what you can do, okay?” said James.
Remus turned his head away. “Of course,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” James beamed. “I owe you one.”
Remus focused his attention on Sirius and Peter to take his mind off the promise he’d unwillingly made. Peter was getting to his feet after being knocked over, apparently not for the first time.
“Faster, Peter!” coached Sirius. “Rule number one, disarm your opponent before they can hex you.”
“I know, I know, I’m trying,” said Peter, sounding frustrated. James’s eyes darted over to them and he grinned mischievously.
“All right, let’s try it again,” Sirius sighed. James stood up and silently crept up behind Peter. Sirius recognized the gleam in his eye and winked. “Wands up! One, two….”
“Three!” James cried and pounced on Peter. “Rule number two, always watch your back!”
Peter toppled to the ground with James on top of him. “Geroff, Potter!” he grunted and struggled vainly, but James just laughed and held on.
“Don’t move, Peter!” Sirius called out. “I don’t want to alarm you, but there’s a big, ugly tarantula on your back.”
“Kill it!” came Peter’s muffled reply.
Sirius grinned and jumped on top of James, putting him in a headlock. Peter wriggled out from underneath and aimed his wand, but James was faster. He produced his own wand and chanted, “Wingardium leviosa!”
Peter’s feet drifted off of the ground and he shouted, “Hey, put me down!” He thrashed uselessly in the air while James floated him over the lake. Peter looked down at the water below him and said, “Oh, you wouldn’t da” AHH!!”
James dropped Peter with a flick of his wand and he splashed heavily into the water. After a moment he surfaced, sputtering insults and promises of revenge.
“Don’t worry, Peter! James is coming to rescue you!” Sirius called out.
“Like hell I am!” James protested, but Sirius easily lifted him off the ground and heaved him into the lake. James landed with a flailing splash and Peter lost no time in ducking him underwater. When he resurfaced, they splashed each other until the ducks on the lake flew away in alarm. Sirius quickly unbuttoned his robes and let them fall to the ground.
“Out of the way!” he cried and careened into the water beside them. He immediately joined Peter in splashing James, delighting in being part of the commotion.
James dove underwater and swam away from the onslaught. “Remus! Come help me!” he cried as Sirius and Peter pursued him.
“Sorry, you started it,” Remus called out, watching their antics from underneath the tree.
James splashed his attackers and swam out towards the middle of the lake. “Some friend you are!” he shouted.
Sirius followed James and pulled him back by his billowing robes. “No one can help you now! You’re squid food!” he said gleefully and Peter resumed his relentless splashing.
“Remus!” James sputtered through a mouthful of water. “How can you let them feed me to the squid?”
Remus walked to the edge of the lake and watched James laughing and getting pummeled by walls of water. He wanted to be angry at him for choosing the one girl who’d ever shown him any interest. He wanted to yell that he would never help him win Lily. But Remus couldn’t make himself see the cool, arrogant Quidditch star who was so easy to resent. He saw an eleven-year-old boy grinning at him, the first friendly gesture extended to him at Hogwarts. He saw an expression of acceptance rather than fear when his secret was discovered. He saw a weary face poring over Transfiguration books for hours, tirelessly researching the Animagus spells. And he saw his best friend who had just opened his heart to him about the girl he loved. Remus realized that even if he willingly gave up Lily, it still wouldn’t be enough to pay James back for his friendship.
“Hold on, James,” Remus said, throwing his robes to the ground. “I’ll help you.” He smiled at the look of gratitude on James’s face and dove into the lake.