Now & Then

Lorelei Hayes had transferred from Beauxbatons to Hogwarts in her third year. She wasn't French by any means though. Both her parents were British, but they just hadn't wanted her to go to Hogwarts. Upon realizing their daughters unhappiness though, they sent her to Hogwarts for her third year as a trial.

She had gone to the school a week in advance, to be sorted. She was sorted into Gryffindor. She spent her week getting to know the grounds, meeting the teachers, and learning her way around the interior of the school.

When the rest of the students had arrived, she made her way down to the Great Hall. She noticed a group of kids. Three boys and one girl, walking and laughing, with one boy somewhat lagging behind them. That's what she wanted more than anything, friends. Lorelei hadn't been able to make friends at Beauxbatons. Everyone tended to be very snobbish there. She knew it was this way everywhere. There would always be mean people in the world. But as she watched that group of kids, she knew that Hogwarts would be different for her. She walked into the Great Hall. She walked past that group of kids she had seen earlier and sat towards the end of the table. Leaving a considerable gap between her and the kids. As the rest of the school filed into the hall, she heard a whispered conversation coming from her right. She knew it was those kids, but she didn't want to talk to them. She had an overwhelming feeling that they wouldn't like her.

Just as that thought passed through her mind, a boy sat in front of her, on the other side of the table. She looked up casually to find him looking at her curiously. He had a shock of black, untidy hair, and hazel eyes hidden behind glasses. He smiled at her.

"Are you new? I didn't see you on the train."

"I came here a week ago to be sorted," she said softly.

"So you are new. I knew it. I'm James Potter," the boy said, holding his hand out across the table.

She smiled before shaking it. "Lorelei Hayes. Its nice to meet you."

James stood from where he was sitting. "Come on and sit with us. I'll introduce you around."

Lorelei stood and walked parallel with James to the group. James sat down next to another boy with black hair. Though he had bright blue eyes. Next to him was the girl. She was awfully pretty. Vivid red hair and brilliant green eyes. The closest person to her was a boy with sandy brown hair and gray eyes. Next to him sat a chubbier boy with brown hair and black eyes. But her gaze kept going back to the boy closest to her. She could sense something about him, but she couldn't place it. James motioned for her to sit next to that boy. She did, albeit not very confidently.

"Alright, introductions all around. This is Sirius Black," James said, pointing to the boy beside him, "And next to him is the lovely Lily Evans."

She noticed that Lily laughed. Lorelei couldn't see how she could. She thought Lily must be very popular. Something she herself could never see herself being.

"And next to you is Remus Lupin. And beside him is Peter Pettigrew. Everyone, this is Lorelei Hayes. She's new, so be nice," James said smiling at Lorelei.

Lorelei smiled and gave a small wave. She soon went to staring at her plate. She heard a laugh come from across the table.

"Not another shy one. Really, Remus is enough for all of us."

Lorelei looked up in time to see Lily smack Sirius very hard on the shoulder.

"Sirius, she's new. I'm sure she'll be fine once she gets used to everything," Lily said, before smiling at Lorelei, "Don't mind him. He can be very rude."

"Its ok. I get that a lot."

"And I'm not shy, Sirius," Remus said, from beside her.

They shared a look, that seemed to hold an understanding. Lorelei watched, interested.

"Right, sorry, Remus," Sirius said, with a mischievous glint in his eye.

She could see that there was something else going on there. She wasn't nosy, she was just intrigued that her new friends already had a mystery about them.

****

A few months before the end of year exams, Remus once again fell ill. This had been happening every month. As his partner in Potions, Lorelei had kept track of his absences. She walked to the library with the dates on a piece of parchment one night after she had finished her homework. She walked up to the librarian, smiling politely.

"Excuse me, but could you show me where a planets chart for the past year is?"

The librarian, Madam Pince, was a dreadful woman if you got on her bad side. But to Lorelei, she was always very helpful. She walked from around her desk and motioned for Lorelei to follow her. She led her to the Astronomy section and pulled out a thick book.

"They're categorized by planet dear. Will you be checking it out?"

"No, Ma'am. I just need to check some dates for Astronomy and then I'll be out of your hair," Lorelei said sitting at one of the many library tables, "Thank you so much."

Madam Pince left with a nod, and Lorelei set to work. There were many diseases controlled by certain planets. Most were emotional strains, and nothing more. The last place she checked, was the one she had been dreading on checking. The moon. She checked the dates from the beginning of last school year and compared them to the ones on her list. Each of the days Remus had been missing from classes, had followed a full moon. Precisely. She brought her hand to her mouth and let out a soft sob. There was no way that Remus was a werewolf. He was frail. The disease would have killed him by now. She slammed the book and placed it back on the shelf.

She ran from the library, muttering another 'thank you' to Madam Pince as she went. She ran all the way back to the Gryffindor Tower. Barely able to tell the portrait the password, she entered the common room, ran past the people giving her odd looks, and up to her dormitory. The first person she encountered inside was Lily.

"Lorelei, are you ok? What's wrong?"

Would Lily know? she thought. She decided against it. Instead, she calmed herself enough to speak intelligently.

"Fine, just fine. Do you know where Sirius is?" she asked, remembering the look he and Remus had shared that first night in the Great Hall.

"He was in the common room last I saw him."

Lorelei excused herself and ran back down into the common room. She found Sirius and James right away, sitting off to the side, doing what appeared to be homework. She walked over and kneeled next to the table.

"Sirius, can I talk to you?"

Sirius looked at her strangely, smiling. "Sure."

Lorelei smacked the dates on the table on top of his parchments.

"Recognize these dates? These are all the days that Remus has been absent. Now I was just in the library on a hunch. I compared these with a moon chart. I found a strange coincidence. Please tell me I'm wrong," Lorelei said, eyes darting from Sirius to James and back as she talked.

Sirius looked at James, but James was staring at Lorelei as if he'd never seen anything like her.

"How?" was all James could say.

"He's been my partner in Potions, and I have a habit of writing the date on all my homework assignments. So when I would give the copies to him, I always put the date on those too. After a few months I got a little suspicious. So, I began writing them down on a spare bit of parchment."

Sirius looked at her appraisingly, then at James. "I think we can trust her, James," he said before looking at Lorelei, "You do realize how serious it is that this be kept a secret right?"

"Of course. He wouldn't be able to go to school anymore."

Sirius smiled. "So, we gave up one of our secrets. What about you, Miss Hayes?"

Lorelei furrowed her brows. Lorelei knew she did have secret she was keeping from her friends. But it wasn't a big deal. Her parents had raised her to be a Healer, as her mother and grandmother had been. She had the selective powers of a healer. She was exceptional at Potions and Charms because of it. But she didn't know whether she should tell anyone.

"I think she does," James said, picking her up easily, and sitting her on his lap.

Lorelei glared at James and struggled to get out of his grip.

"Let me go, James," she said, trying not to make a scene.

Suddenly, she remembered that she was with James and Sirius, and that a scene would be unavoidable. Sirius sat across from them, hands crossed across his chest.

"Just tell the man, Lore," he said, in no way offering to help.

"There's nothing to tell- AH!" Lorelei said, as James began to tickle her.

"Just tell me, Lore!" James shouted as Lorelei started to laugh and scream.

Everyone in the common was looking at the trio, thoroughly amused.

"Fine, fine. STOP JAMES!" Lorelei screamed, and James stopped tickling her and allowed her to get up.

She collapsed onto the floor and sat Indian style, massaging her side.

"That really hurt, James. Thanks a lot."

"Sorry, Lore. So, you relented. You have something to tell us."

Lorelei looked at them, still contemplating. She sighed, deciding to be honest.

"I'm a Healer," she said in a small voice.

James and Sirius both leaned forward in their seats at that.

"Really?" Sirius said.

"Yeah, so, you know. I noticed how Remus always has a gash or something. Saying he was clumsy," Lorelei said waving her hand, "Anyway, I'm pretty good. If you guys ever need me. Since you trust me."

Sirius laughed lightly. "Good to know, Lore. We were going to go visit Remus tomorrow, if you want to come along?"

"Thanks. I'd like that."

****

Sirius grabbed her arm, before they entered the Hospital Wing.

"He may still look pretty bad. Just to warn you. He tends to....well, tear at himself."

Lorelei nodded in understanding. But nothing could have prepared her for how bad Remus looked. He was bandaged. And he was very pale. Lorelei hid behind James, and waited for Remus to be awake enough to accept her being there.

"We have to tell you something, Moony, and you may not like it," Sirius said lightly.

"What is it?"

"This," James said, pulling Lorelei out from behind him.

Remus went even paler than he was and looked angrily at Sirius.

"What's she doing here?"

Lorelei stepped forward, moving closer to Remus' bed. "Don't be mad. I'm the nosy one."

"Although a concerned nosy," James prompted from behind her.

"Yes, of course. I was wondering why you were so sick. So I wrote down the dates you were out of classes and checked them with a book in the library last night. And then I asked them. And they trusted me. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me, Remus," Lorelei said, as tears welled in her eyes.

Remus' expression went from anger to compassion. "I don't hate you, Lore," he said pushing himself up in his bed, "Come here."

Lorelei walked over and stood beside his bed. Remus held out his arms and Lorelei leaned down to hug him. A few tears escaped her eyes and landed on his shoulder.

"Oh, don't cry Lore," he said soothingly.

Lorelei pulled back and stood upright, wiping the tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"Sorry."

"Quit saying that you're sorry. I'm glad you care enough about me to have done all that," Remus said, a blush highlighting his pale features.

Lorelei laughed as a blush crossed her cheeks too. "I guess."

"The start of a beautiful friendship," Sirius said in a sing-song voice.

"Shut-up, Sirius," James, Remus, and Lorelei chorused.