Can't Fight the Moonlight

Time Line: This story takes place the year after The Trio have graduated from Hogwarts. Voldermort has been defeated, so that will not factor in this story. This is mainly an exploration of everyone's favorite werewolf.

Can't Fight the Moonlight

Chapter One - First Encounters

Professor Remus Lupin hurried down the corridor toward the hospital ward. He needed to set up his "schedule" with Madame Pomfrey. Through he understood the need for it, he hated it. It only served to remind him just how different he was from everyone else. 'Not that I could forget even if I wanted to,' Remus thought bitterly to himself.

Remus was startled out of his thoughts when as he reached the hospital wing door, he heard angry voices coming from within. One he recognized as Madame Pomfrey's. The other was a male voice that was unfamiliar to him.

"I don't think he should even be here at all. No matter what precautions we take, he is still going to be a danger to everyone here."

Remus' heart fell at the man's words. He has a suspicion that it was him that was being talked about. Madame Pomfrey's words confirmed it. "Not if he takes the Wolfsbane Potion. Professor Dumbledore has complete trust in Professor Lupin as do the rest of the staff here and all the parents whose children will be attending the school this year. I know for a fact that you and Professor Delenn were informed of the situation when you applied. Why is this now suddenly a problem?"

"Because I'm the one that is going to have to brew and administer the potion."

"You are the Potions teacher, for Merlin's sake. Who exactly did you think was going to brew it?"

Despite himself, Remus had to laugh. He had always liked Madame Pomfrey's frank manner. He tried to listen in to what else Madame Pomfrey was saying when he suddenly felt someone walk up behind him. Turning, he was stunned to see an extremely beautiful woman standing there. She had jet black hair that tumbled down her back in soft waves. Her shimmering, dove gray robes set off her fair complexion. But what drew Remus in the most were the woman's eyes. They were a soft grayish-blue and matched the pendant she wore around her neck.

"So, what are we eavesdropping on?" the woman said, her eyes sparkling.

Though the woman was whispering, Remus could tell that her voice was naturally soft and he liked the almost musical quality it seemed to hold. "Madame Pomfrey and some gentleman are arguing over why he doesn't want to make Wolfsbane potion. We have a teacher here who is a werewolf, you know." He watched to see her reaction, but the woman's expression never changed.

"Yes, I know, but what do you mean Professor Anderson refuses to make the potion?"

"He's telling Madame Pomfrey that he doesn't feel this teacher should be here at all and he refused to make the potion."

At this, the woman's cheerful persona dropped, only to be replaced by an anger that shocked Remus. She took his hand and walked through the door to the hospital wing. "I'll see about that. Come with me."

Startled, Remus had no choice but to follow the woman over to where Madame Pomfrey and a rather handsome, blond-haired stood, still arguing. Without even acknowledging that Madame Pomfrey and Professor Anderson were still taking, the woman said, "What's this I hear about you not wanting to make the Wolfsbane."

At once the argument stopped to a halt. Professor Anderson looked over at the woman, a smile replacing the anger that had just been there, but when he saw Remus' hand in the woman's, his eyes narrowed. "Now, Selene, surely you can see where I am coming from."

Selene's face got even angrier and she dropped Remus's hand to step closer to Professor Anderson. "That is Professor Delenn to you, and no, I don't share your attitude on this. No one should have to go through the painful transformation of becoming a werewolf, not when there is a way to help stop that."

Remus was taken aback at Selene's statement. He had never heard someone insist that a werewolf take the Wolfsbane Potion to help ease their suffering, not to protect others. Obviously, Professor Anderson felt the same.

"So, you care more about this . . . monster than you do the innocent lives he is endangering?"

"I care about all living things," Selene shot back. "No one should be made to suffer - Professor Lupin for being made to go through something he never wished for and others for fearing what, I'm sure, he dreads becoming. You have the power to help stop that, and, yet, you refuse."

Anderson looked directly at Remus and said, "I refuse because he should not be here in the first place."

Selene looked at Remus as well, but with a soft smile on her face. "I disagree."

"Well, that's all well and good, but who is going to brew the potion since this prat refuses," Madame Pomfrey said, gesturing toward Anderson.

"I will," Delenn said.

"You?!" sneered Anderson. "You are the Charms professor. What do you plan to do, charm the potion into working?"

"Hardly. Where it is true that Charms is my specialty, I tested very high in Potions as well. Besides, if you can brew it, I should have no trouble figuring it out," Selene responded, with a false sweetness in her voice.

With that, Anderson turned on his heels and stormed out the door. "Thank Merlin he's gone," Madame Pomfrey said as the door slammed shut. She then turned to Selene. "Well, Selene, since you took on the job, let me go get the potion list for you." She moved off to the other side of the room.

Remus took a deep breath, not knowing really what to say to Selene when she solved that problem for him. "I guess this means you are stuck with me."

"How did you know I was the werewolf?" Remus asked bluntly, his nervousness making him more forward than he usually was.

"The way you worded the question to me out in the hallway. You were trying to see my reaction to there being a werewolf here and if it bothered me. Not that I blame you, but I hope that you realize that it doesn't matter to me. I'm usually the type of person that reserves my judgement of someone until I get to know them."

"I can't begin to thank you for your willingness to help me, Professor Delenn," Remus said, retreating into himself a bit as he always seemed to do when meeting someone new.

A full, warm smile crossed Selene's face. "You may call me Selene. And I'm just glad that I am able to help. I have a feeling that Hogwarts would suffer a great loss it you weren't here."

Blushing slightly at the comment, Remus replied, "I'm really not that great a teacher, but thank you."

Selene smiled again,"You're welcome, but I wasn't talking about you as a teacher." Nodding, she walked off in the direction Madame Pomfrey had gone, leaving a speechless Remus standing there.

. . . to be continued