The shock amuses her, and touches her, as does the offense taken on her part. "I lucked out. I know that. Two books not known in most circles? I was allowed to write my own narrative about metamorphing. But you know..having someone to talk about it would have been nice, yeah?" But she didn't have that luxury. "I read about everyone else instead. Vampires. Yetis. Werewolves. The last ones were the closest I could figure to me. And I wondered..if the things I had read about me was shit, then how much else was shit too?" It's why she holds such little judgment about the what of a person and so much more of the who. It doesn't hurt that her own monsters are human as human can be.

As for Sirius, she nods solemnly. "It's all one of those..what are they called? Self-fulfilling prophecies, isn't it? Try so hard to steer clear from something that you end up becoming what you didn't want?"

But when Remus thanks her, she smiles and lifts her eyebrows a little. She should be thanking him. So she does. "Thank you. I know it's hard..opening up. And I really appreciate every time you do."

Each time he does, she genuinely cherishes it. And not always the shiny things, the happy things, though she loves that. But the scary things. The things that help her understand how to keep him safe. The world isn't ready to be that safe harbor for either of them..but if she can just be a little calm in the storm, a little safety net for him to come home to, then she can let him be the same.

She pauses for a moment before voicing a part of that thought. "..I work with a partner, as an Auror. And I like that. Having my partner's back is just as important as knowing they have mine."