Love Letters

A/N: Thank you to Nagini Riddle for beta reading.

Remus didn't go straight back to Gryffindor Tower. He needed some time alone to deal with losing Lindi all over again. After so many agonizing months of separation, he'd actually held her in his arms once more, and they had professed their love for one another. It had been an increasingly rare moment of bliss.

And then, as quickly as his happiness had returned, it had been ripped away again. They might have gotten back together, but they still couldn't actually be together.

Why is this happening to us? he wondered as he made his way down a back corridor, trying to go as far away from people as he could. We must be cursed.

Cursed… He hadn't thought to tell Dumbledore of Lindi's somewhat jesting fear that she and her family were cursed. Of course, now that there seemed to be a reasonable chance that Lindi's family might have had a connection to Voldemort, being cursed didn't seem quite so far fetched. If Voldemort had actually killed Lindi's grandmother, surely he could have been angry enough to curse her.

But why would he bother to curse her if he was only going to turn around and kill her? Would that not be a waste of time and effort?

Still, Remus considered that Voldemort, consumed by hatred, might not have planned to kill her, and had done it in a fit of rage or something. Of course, considering that Lindi's grandmother had been killed by snake bite, it was likely not a fit of rage but premeditated.

Then again, maybe Voldemort had so much hatred for her that he didn't really care if she witnessed her family's suffering. He did seem to be a bit unhinged in his cruelty, though exceedingly cunning and calculating. Who knew what a mad man like Voldemort might do? He was certainly capable of cursing anyone for any reason.

Remus began to wonder what kind of curse Voldemort would have used on Lindi's family. Would they simply die?

Everyone dies, he mused. How would you ever know if it was a curse, unless there was some common tie to link the deaths: they all died the same way or when they reached the same age or in the same place…?

He turned a corner and started climbing steep, narrow stairs. He thought of Lindi's family members' deaths. From what he knew, there didn't seem to be anything linking them, no similar causes, ages at the time of death, or anything.

Well, except that they're all dead, came the morbid thought. It almost seemed as though Lindi was the one who'd been cursed and not her grandmother. But he remembered that it wasn't quite true that they had all died. Rosmerta was still alive. Were there any others? He remembered seeing an attractive older woman behind the bar at The Three Broomsticks on a few occasions, and had thought it was probably Rosmerta's mother, but he didn't know for sure.

He reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner down a narrow, windowless passage. As his footsteps echoed off the thick stone, he decided there was no real evidence that Lindi had been cursed. He chose to believe that she wasn't. He had enough to worry about without throwing a curse from Voldemort into the mix.

Even if Voldemort had bothered to curse her grandmother, the spell would surely have broken when he killed her. There still wasn't even proof that there was any connection between her grandmother and Voldemort at all. He really hoped it was all just a coincidence.

When he reached the end of the corridor, he walked out into the middle of a covered parapet wall and stopped. Breathing heavily from all the climbing, he leaned against the wall to look out over the Hogwarts grounds. The stone was cold against him, and icy wind cut through his thin jumper. He wished he had a cloak.

But not nearly so much as he wished he had Lindi there to hold.

"Blimey," Peter blurted in stunned amazement when Remus finally returned to their room, nearly frozen, and told his friends about Lindi leaving with Mr. Weasley, and his discussion with Dumbledore and Moody.

"And Lindi's not coming back until next year?" James asked. "Bloody hell, Remus. I'm really sorry, mate."

Remus nodded his appreciation, but didn't say anything. He didn't want his voice to crack in front of his friends any more than he had wanted it to crack in front of Moody or Dumbledore.

"What do you know about this Weasley bloke?" asked Sirius, mercifully shifting the conversation. "I think he may be related to me."

"You're kidding," Remus said, blinking in surprise at such a coincidence and not sure if he should be worried, given the nature of most of Sirius' family. "What do you know about him?"

"Practically nothing. He might not even be, but I know there are some Weasleys in the family, two or three times removed. If he's one of them, he's probably a pretty decent fellow, since Mum never said a kind word about any of them." He smiled darkly. "Even blasted a distant cousin off the family tree for marrying a Weasley. Apparently, his family are considered a lot of blood traitors."

"You know, now you mention it, my mum and dad know some people named Weasley," said James, eyes looking up, trying to remember. "Yeah…I actually went to the wedding of a bloke named Weasley. I wonder if it's the same person. He married Gideon Prewitt's sister. Remember Gideon?"

"Sure. He was prefect when we were first years," Peter answered.

"Right," James continued. "Great bloke. You were pretty good friends with him, weren't you, Sirius?"

"Not really. We're actually cousins, but when I got to Hogwarts, I hadn't seen him since I was five or so. I think he probably knew my family were irate at me being Sorted into Gryffindor and felt sorry for me, so he talked to me some."

"Well what's his sister's name?" Remus asked eagerly, wanting to get back to the topic of Lindi. He remembered Gideon as a really good fellow, too, and if Gideon and Mrs. Weasley were related, Remus would feel a whole lot better about all this.

James and Sirius both looked thoughtful. James screwed his face up again, straining to remember. "I don't remember," he finally said, shaking his head and frowning. "It was years ago. I was just a kid. I just remember Mum talking about the Weasley wedding, now and then."

"I'm pretty sure it's Molly," said Sirius. "I can't believe I don't remember my own cousin's name, but it's been a long time. Now I think about it, we stopped seeing the Prewitts about the time James went to the wedding, probably because she married a Weasley."

Suddenly, James let out a loud laugh. "Hang on! I remember why Mum talked about the wedding!" James started snickering. "There was some crazy old codger at the reception. He'd had way too much Firewhiskey. He stood in the middle of the dance floor," James had started laughing so hard it was difficult for him to get the story out. "And mooned… the entire…wedding…party."

Remus thought it was funny, but clearly not as funny as it had been being there. Still, they all laughed, and started to ask questions, but James stopped them with a raised hand. "Hang on; it gets…better. He then…bent over…and…" Here James almost doubled over laughing. "I…kid you…not…Farted…rainbow bubbles…out…of…his…arse."

It took several minutes for the young men to stop rolling around on their beds laughing at the thought.

James had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. "I can't believe… I've only just remembered that," he finally gasped, completely out of breath.

"I really hope it's the same Weasleys, Remus," Peter exclaimed. "They sound like a riot!"

Feeling much more light hearted, Remus filled them in on the extremely little he knew and then they spent the rest of the day trying to keep him distracted from his heart ache. It didn't work completely, but he still had a fair bit of fun. He was with the Marauders after all.

After a narrow escape from Mr. Filch, they managed to sneak back through the portrait hole not too long after curfew. Lily was sitting beside the fire, reading.

"Oy, Evans," James called. "Waiting up for me?"

She looked up and suppressed a smile. "Actually, I was waiting for Remus."

"Oooo," some second years heckled.

"Shut up, runts," said James, but he didn't hex them or anything. He was too busy smiling at Lily as she slipped a marker in her book and stood up. "You do know Remus is spoken for, right?" he teased her.

Her smile waivered. "Yeah. That's why I was waiting for him." She joined the Marauders by the dormitory door and looked at Remus sympathetically. "Leanna told me what happened. Are you all right?"

He forced a small smile. "I'm not thrilled, but I'll be okay. At least we parted on good terms."

"You know, we had him distracted," said Sirius, smirking.

"Yeah… I'm sure he was," she said sarcastically. Lily knew better. Of course, the Marauders did too, but it wouldn't stop them trying.

Thank goodness…

Atticus Finch showed up at breakfast the next morning with a letter from Lindi. Remus pushed his plate away and tore into the envelope immediately. It wasn't a very long letter, he noted with a bit of disappointment. Of course, she'd only been gone a day, and this way, it wouldn't take hours to decipher her chicken scratch.

Dear Remus,

I know it has only been a day, but I can't help myself writing you. I feel like I need to make sure I haven't just dreamt that we made up, and that everything in Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve wasn't actually all in my mind. Does that sound completely barmy? I really hope not! But honestly, I don't even care anymore. I just miss you so much. I don't know if I can stand to wait until the Christmas holiday to see you. Oh, I do hope you are able to visit me and that you will want to.

I do think the Weasleys are going to keep me busy until then, though. So maybe time won't drag as much as I fear it will. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seem wonderful, and they have the most adorable little boys. Three of them!

Remus blinked. Three? And another on the way? Now he understood what Weasley had meant when he'd said he was "extremely" married. Remus had thought that was odd at the time, but…he grinned and returned to the letter feeling much better about Lindi living with the man.

They're named Bill, Charlie, and Percy. 7, 5, and 2, all with flaming red hair. I hope what they say about redheads being hot headed isn't true, because I'm surrounded by them. Even Mrs. Weasley is a redhead. I feel like a sore thumb!

So far, the older two seem pretty sweet, even though they are very active, and messy! The youngest was a bit of a pill, but he is 2 and I guess that's normal. Terrible two's I think they call it, and it was his nap time when I arrived. Anyway, I don't know how Mrs. Weasley does it. I am exhausted and was only here half the day! Plus, she has another baby on the way. Amazing…

Mr. Weasley was very kind to me on the trip to his house, but then was gone most of the day and didn't get home until shortly before I came up to my room. Apparently that emergency meeting he mentioned was serious. He looked as exhausted as I feel, so I didn't want to hang around and be in the way. I could tell they wanted to talk. Not to mention, I needed a shower after a day with those three boys. Percy got his jam all in the back of my hair before I realized it was all over his little hands.

*Note to self: always check sprog's hands before picking him up!

I'm just glad it was jam and not chicken droppings, like Bill and Charlie had all over themselves after they ended up throwing it at each other when they were supposed to be cleaning out the coop. They were pretending to play Quidditch and said the droppings were supposed to be Bludgers. What a mess! I would never play Quidditch again if we had to deal with that. Give me a Bludger any day. Just not to the face! Ugh…

Remus felt himself grinning. Oh, how he missed her!

Anyway, Mrs. Weasley was not happy with them, but I could barely keep from laughing at the look on their faces when she came around the barn and spotted them. I can see already that she is a force to be reckoned with. Must be the red hair! But I could hardly blame her. They were such a mess and smelled so awful! I was really glad to get in the shower. Now, after a double shampoo, I feel human again!

Remus lifted the parchment to his nose and breathed in deeply, hoping to get a whiff of that shampoo he loved so much. He thought he could actually smell her, ever so faintly, though it might have been only a happy memory.

"What—are you—doing?" Sirius asked, aghast.

Peter sniggered and James said, "Leave him alone, Padfoot." But he was grinning and shaking his head at Remus. "He's just being a lovesick berk."

"Yeah, I know," Sirius said. "But it's one thing to do it in our room, but now he's doing it right in the Great Hall. For the love of Godric, someone has to preserve his dignity, or try to, any way."

"Oh, sod off," muttered Remus, grinning hopelessly and feeling the heat rise in his cheeks.

"Well, it's killing my appetite," Sirius teased, pushing his empty plate away.

"You killed it, Mate," said James. "You've already had a Full English, two crumpets, about a bushel of strawberries, and a jam doughnut. Moony had nothing to do with your indigestion."

Sirius belched and smirked.

James turned to Remus. "So, how is she?"

"Just a minute. I'm almost finished," Remus answered and resumed reading.

But most of all, I wanted to write to you before I collapse. Not that there is much to tell you, obviously. My day was probably not nearly as exciting as yours. Saturday with the Marauders, right? I hope they didn't get you into any trouble. Tell them I said hello, won't you? Goodness, I think I even miss them! Even though we have hardly spoken in months, other than Peter. Gosh, I wish I hadn't had to leave just when things had started to get better. Now that Lily and James are dating, we could have double dated. Or even triple dated when Sirius and Leanna are on one of their on again days. Of course, we couldn't leave Peter out. That would be so much fun. Oh, I wish I were back at Hogwarts!

Well, I better stop there, before I get upset again. That's all I know for now, anyway. Other than that I miss you terribly. And I love you. I hope to hear from you soon.

Love,

Lindi

P.S. Did you and Dumbledore figure anything out about You-Know-Who and that party?

Remus passed on her hello to his friends and then hurried back to his room so that he could get a letter off to her right away. He didn't want her to start worrying that he didn't really care. But he sat there staring at the blank parchment, not really knowing how to answer her last question. Dumbledore had said he didn't tell her his suspicions because he didn't want to worry her, even though he seemed fairly confident that there could be some connection between Voldemort and Lindi's grandmother. Still, it wasn't confirmed, so Remus decided it wasn't a lie not to mention it. He really wasn't going to lie to her anymore. He dipped his quill into the ink and started.

Dear Lindi,

I'm afraid Dumbledore still isn't sure exactly what that party was all about, though he's sure that at least some of the people there were definitely Death Eaters. That really is the only reason that makes sense for them to modify your memory while still leaving the part with Voldemort. It has to be so you couldn't identify any of the ones meeting with him. We just don't know why he didn't want the whole memory wiped away. I think he's just a raving lunatic who gets a kick out of scaring people. Awfully brave of him to have a young woman sent to him all by herself, with him surrounded by his goons…

Anyway, if there is a silver lining to you leaving, it's that you are away from Rosier and the rest of the Slytherins. And before you think it is just jealousy making me say that, I admit I HATED that you were seeing him. It was pure TORTURE seeing you together, but that isn't the only reason I think you are better off shot of him.

Remus dipped the quill again, and reread what he'd written, wanting to be sure it was all clear and that there was no way she could confuse the part about a silver lining to think he was at all glad she was gone. He figured that last part would make it clear, and now that he'd made his point about Rosier probably being a Death Eater in training, he set the quill to parchment and tried to end on a brighter note. He didn't want his letters to be gloomy so that she would start to dread them.

So, while it's also torture with you being gone, at least the blokes you are spending time with now are a little less dangerous, though from the sound of your letter, not by much! Must be the red hair. But don't tell Lily I said so! And you should be used to 'sticking out like a sore thumb'; I hardly notice anyone else in a room when you are there, and not simply because of the color of your hair. Anyway, so long as they don't treat you like the proverbial red-headed step child…but in their case, that would probably be good!

Seriously, they sound like quite an interesting family. I look forward to meeting them over the holidays, but not nearly as much as I look forward to seeing you. It will be the longest seven weeks in history.

Of course, he considered the fact that he was going to have to tell her the truth about himself all over again and wondered if that would make time move more slowly or speed by. Somehow, unpleasant things always seemed to come more quickly…

He shook the thought off and tried to finish his letter.

Luckily, (I guess…) I have NEWTs to study for, so that should help time pass more quickly, though it would be so much less horrible if you were here to study with me. I miss you, Lindi. I look forward to your next letter.

Love,

Remus

Almost as soon as he walked into the Owl loft, Atticus hooted and flew down from a perch in the middle of the wall and landed on his arm.

"Did she tell you to wait?" Remus asked, stroking the bird's back. "I hope it isn't far, since you didn't get much of a rest."

Atticus hooted and shook out his wings as if to say he was fine. Remus smiled and fished an owl treat from his pocket and waited for the bird to finish before handing over the letter.

"I wish you could carry me, Atticus," he said rather dismally.

The round eyes blinked dolefully, and then, with a great flap of wings, he was soaring out into the bright autumn morning. Remus watched until the large bird was nothing more than a speck before vanishing around a mountain. He headed back towards Gryffindor tower.

Word that Lindi had been expelled from Hogwarts spread quickly. By second period that Monday morning, it had become all Remus' fault.

"She jilted him for Rosier and Lupin's been furious about it ever since," he heard a Fifth year Slytherin telling her friend as he walked by them into his classroom.

"I guess he was just waiting for a chance to get revenge," said the other.

And later, "He really dragged her to Dumbledore bladdered?" a Fourth year Hufflepuff asked a group lingering outside the Great Hall before lunch. "What a snitch…" But the boy was silenced by an elbow to the ribs when a frightened looking girl spotted the Marauders approaching and glaring at them.

"Gawd blimey I hate gossips," snarled Sirius as he unnecessarily shoved one of them out of the way and walked through the double doors.

"Oddly enough, no one seems to hold Rosier at all responsible for getting her drunk, or bringing her back to the castle drunk," Peter grumbled.

Remus didn't answer until they had taken their seat at the Gryffindor table. "It wasn't Rosier who got her drunk."

"I know she didn't have to drink it, but I'm sure he encouraged her," Peter said, surly.

"No, he didn't," Remus answered. He had not mentioned this part to his friends earlier. In fact, he hadn't really talked much about any of it at all, finding it too painful and the danger of breaking down in front of them too risky. Being the good friends that they were, they hadn't pressed him for details aside from the meeting with Voldemort.

"Radella spiked her drink. We saw it in the Pensieve," he said. "I'm pretty sure that's why Rosier isn't in any sort of trouble."

"That, and Dumbledore probably doesn't want to let on that he knows too much about that party, which will be why Radella isn't in trouble either," said James shrewdly, glancing around to be sure he wasn't overheard. "He won't want them knowing Lindi let him see her memories."

Remus nodded, deep in thought. He felt sure James was right, because Dumbledore wouldn't want to put Lindi into any more danger than she might already be in with Voldemort.

"Why would Radella spike her drink?" Peter asked, bewildered. "Did she want Lindi shagging Rosier? That doesn't make sense."

"I think she was hoping to humiliate Lindi," Remus said. "Get her to say or do something embarrassing in front of all Rosier's family and friends. Embarrass him too, for bringing her. It was a very posh party, all proper and well mannered…"

"I'm sure it was very high brow, pure bred…" Sirius added disdainfully. "Did you see dear ol' Mum?"

"Yes, she was there," Remus frowned. "As were your cousins, Narcissa and Bellatrix. I don't think they were any more happy to see Lindi there than Radella was. At least Narcissa didn't seem to be. Some of the women, including your mum, were giving her a hard time about Malfoy's interest in Lindi. No doubt they know about that Healer, Melcore, and they might have heard about the incident at The Three Broomsticks when Lindi was working. I didn't actually see Bellatrix, unless she was one of the blurred figures in the room when Lindi met Voldemort."

Remus remembered the voice he'd heard say, "how dare you," when Lindi had slapped Voldemort's hand away. Muffled and distorted though it was, it had seemed feminine to him.

"If Lindi's lucky, she didn't see her either," said Sirius, interrupting his thought. "But I'd wager dear Bellatrix was one of the ones with Voldemort. If ever there was a Death Eater at heart, it's cousin Bellatrix."

Over the next couple of days, the gossip calmed down, thanks mainly to Leanna. She had overheard a couple of Third Year Ravenclaws talking to some Hufflepuffs on the front hall landing, repeating the gossip that Remus had dragged Lindi to Dumbledore and gotten her expelled.

"Oh good grief!" she had cried loudly, echoing down hallways and to the lower level, where a great many were milling about before going into the Great Hall for dinner. "Why are you talking about things you clearly have no idea about? The lot of you should be ashamed! Lindi is in your house and you are still spreading this rubbish about her. Now, once and for all, she isn't expelled! She's taking some time off to get her act together. In case you missed it, her cousin, with whom she was very close, got ripped to shreds by a pack of werewolves right before she had to come back to school. She hasn't had a chance to deal with that and a lot of things, and her grades have really suffered. SHE thought it was a good idea to take the time off. She wasn't forced to, and REMUS had nothing to do with her seeing Dumbledore. All he did was find her to bring her back to Ravenclaw because I asked him to. You're all making him out to be the villain, but he isn't. He was only trying to help and I am very grateful for it, and so is Lindi. If he had done what you prats are saying he did, she'd be furious, but she isn't upset with him at all. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about! Now just shut up about it!"

It had been very awkward, standing at the bottom of the stairs with people turning to gawk at him, but he was glad to have that cleared up, at least. Several people even apologized and one girl patted him on the back on her way into the Great Hall.

"That was awfully big of you, to help her like that even after she threw you over for Rosier."

"She didn't throw him over," James growled.

"Never mind, James," Remus said, sighing. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, who cares what idiots think," said Sirius. "Let's go eat."

The days ticked slowly by. He figured it would take forever for Christmas break to arrive. Remus had sent an owl to his mum with a letter frantically requesting a batch of her Chocolate Blossom seeds so he would have something to send to Lindi for her birthday. In light of the whirlwind way the world was moving, he hadn't had a chance to shop or even really think about things like birthdays. He felt like a real jerk. It was her seventeenth…

"She'll understand, Remus," Lily assured him as he stared into the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, trying desperately to think of something more original than candy. "This time last week, you weren't even on speaking terms. She'll be happy just to get a letter telling her you care. Chocolate Blossoms are an added bonus. Trust me."

"Good to know," said James. "Takes a load of pressure off a bloke."

Lily cocked an eyebrow at him and smirked.

"Ahh, I see; that was just for Remus' benefit, so he doesn't feel like a loser."

Lily hit him with her potions book, rather hard on the arm.

"Owww…" James said, laughing, and rubbing his arm. "Moony knows I'm just taking the Mickey. Don't you?"

"Yes, but it's still the truth." Remus sighed. "There's got to be something she'd like, that I can get for her in time."

Of course, he only had two days…He'd be lucky to get the Flower Blossoms from his mum in time.

"Well, let's sneak into Hogsmeade after classes tomorrow and you can look for something," said Sirius.

"Oy! Head boy and girl here," said Lily.

Sirius snorted. "So?"

James looked around innocently.

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed. "Talk about a loser…" She smirked at James and then struggled not to smile. "Well, at least wait until I'm gone before you start planning your illicit activities."

That night, Remus lay in bed racking his brain for an idea, but couldn't think of anything. He also couldn't get to sleep for thinking about it, so he pulled the letter he'd received from her that morning from his nightstand and started re-reading it.

Dear Remus,

Guess what I did today? I wanted to keep it a surprise and show you when I see you, but I just don't think I can wait that long. I'm so excited! Plus, you will get bored with my letters if all I tell you is how filthy I got with the children every day. I did though. It was Charlie this time. And dragon dung…Yuck!

A man Mr. Weasley knows at the Ministry, in the Dept. of Reg. and Control of Magical Creatures (That's not Mr. Weasley's department, though) was in Romania recently, where they have a dragon preserve. He brought back a huge sack of the dragon dung for Mrs. Weasley's garden. I guess it is good for horseradish, garlic, and hot peppers and the like. Anyway, it also had ground dragon eggshell mixed in which is supposed to be good for gardening, too, I guess. I'm learning quite a bit from Mrs. Weasley. I'll have to make her delicious roast pumpkin soup for you. She sprinkles spiced candied pumpkin seeds over the top to make it fancy. It is so delicious!

Anyway, where was I?

Remus chuckled so loudly that it caused James to mumble something and roll over in his bed. When James sighed and started snoring softly again, Remus turned back to Lindi's rambling and smiled to himself.

Oh, yes, the dragon egg shell…well, apparently Charlie only heard the part about dragon eggs mixed in, so he decided he was going to dig through it and find one, so he could hatch it! As if he could have a dragon for a pet! Boys! Can you imagine? Well, you probably can. Anyone who would put a Grindylow in the bathtub… Come to think of it, Charlie reminds me a bit of you: interest in creatures, he's the quietest of the boys, sort of contemplative, but a little mischievous. I like him. Of course, I now realize I have to keep a closer eye on him. What a mess! Mrs. Weasley made him strip down to his pants in the garden, and I sprayed him off with the hose. I tried to go quickly, because it was so cold out there. The poor lad was one large goose bump. Luckily, he's still young enough not to be embarrassed for a girl to see him in his pants, but Bill thought it was hilarious.

Well, I suppose I need to get to bed. I'm exhausted and Percy gets up with the chickens. And when Percy's up, the whole house is! I guess I'll say goodnight. Another day to mark off the calendar until Christmas break. Do you have any idea when you might be able to visit? Do you want to come before or after Christmas? Or both? I'd love that, but I know you will have other things to do. I just miss you so.

Okay, I'll let you go.

I love you,

Lindi

Remus smiled, thinking about her hosing dragon dung off a five year old, but he almost laughed again, at the fact that she had gotten so off track with her story that she never did tell him what she'd started to tell him at the beginning. He felt sure it wasn't that she'd hosed off Charlie in his pants.

How like her and her rambling self. Oh how he missed her! He wondered what she had done that had her so anxious to let him know. He should find out tomorrow, since he'd sent Atticus straight back with his reply.

Dear Lindi,

I really enjoyed your letter and the story about Charlie and his dragon dung. I plead guilty to having briefly entertained the idea of a pet dragon when I was about his age. I doubt there are many young boys who haven't. I never dove into a pile of dragon dung to find one though! That was quite funny. The only problem with it is that it made you forget to tell me what you did that you wanted to show me. My curiosity is peaked.

Not much news here. I'm studying a lot. I think Professor McGonagall is trying to kill us. Even Professor Flitwick is getting a little harsh with us. He's very unimpressed with our progress on the Patronus Charm. I'm very relieved to be able to do it again, since I was having so much trouble earlier in the year, but most people are having a very difficult time doing anything with it at all. I'm hoping he might give the few of us who can manage it some extra credit, rather than failing the ones who can't. I wouldn't be surprised if he does that, since they apparently don't usually teach it at all. I think Professor Dumbledore wanted it added. I overheard Flitwick say something about it to Professor McGonagall when he was complaining about how badly it is going. Problem is, I fear it is only getting more difficult from here on out. We are set to start the Protean Charm just before Christmas. Maybe you can help me with it over the break. Your Charm work has always been very good. If you help me, I'll help you with more DADA. Deal? It will be fun working together again. You make studying and practice so much less like drudgery.

Well, speaking of drudgery, I need to finish a translation for Ancient Runes. Remember to let me know whatever it is you were going to tell me. And look out for chicken poop and dragon dung. You know, I think I see a pattern forming with those boys.

I miss you, too, in case you couldn't tell.

Love,

Remus

p.s. I need to talk to Mum and Dad and make sure of their plans for the Holiday and then I'll let you know. Hopefully they aren't planning anything and I can see you right away.

Suddenly, as he folded her letter, he had an idea for a gift. If they were going to be forced to carry on a long distance relationship, they were going to go through a lot of parchment and ink, and probably a quill or two. Especially if she was still speaking to him after he told her the truth, again. He chose to believe they might be writing each other every other day or so for the next seven months. And then another nine when she returned to Hogwarts, without him. That would take a great deal of parchment. He remembered the lovely stationary set that his grandmother had given to his mum many years ago. Mum still kept her quill and ink and special writing parchment in the carved box. Mum loved it and he figured Lindi might appreciate something like that too. Being the best idea, and only one, that he had, he decided he would go to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop when they sneaked into Hogsmeade the next day. He thought he'd seen things like that there before.

With the relief that comes with having a plan, Remus tucked the letter into the drawer

and pulled his covers up and fell into a restful sleep.

As soon as their last class of the day was over, the Marauders rushed back to their room, and changed out of their school robes. They collected their cloaks, the Marauders' Map, and James' Invisibility Cloak and headed down to the third floor and the statue of the humpback witch. Since people kept coming and going from the Charms classroom, they had to mill about for a few minutes until the hallway was cleared. Mr. Filch wandered by a couple of times, watching them suspiciously.

"Here, what are you lot doing loitering about down here out of your uniforms?" he snarled after passing them the second time.

"Minding our own business," said Sirius. "You really should try it."

Filch turned a bright shade of magenta and walked away, muttering about arrogant spoiled brats.

Finally, they managed to slip through the passage way and found themselves in the basement of Honeydukes. They quietly pushed the door open a crack and noticed the clerk behind the counter looking bored. Only one other person was in the shop. It certainly wasn't going to be as easy to slip in and out as it would be on Hogwarts weekends. Since they couldn't all fit under the Invisibility Cloak anymore, Peter transformed into the rat, and Sirius into the dog and the two slipped into the room, hidden by the display table in the middle. Remus and James, who obviously could not sneak through as a stag, went under the cloak. Only when they reached the door did the clerk notice Padfoot and shout.

"Hey, get out of here, you damn dog!"

"It isn't going to be easy getting back through there," said Peter when they had transformed behind a pile of wood in the back of the Three Broomsticks. "Where is every body?"

"I don't know. It's strangely quiet, isn't it?" said James.

"I imagine it was that attack last night," said Remus.

"What attack?" Peter asked.

"Death Eaters took a man right outside Dervish and Banges. They're getting more and more bold."

"Who was it?" asked Sirius.

"They still didn't know, as of this morning's Prophet," said Remus. "They probably wouldn't even realize anyone was missing if a woman hadn't been looking out the window of Madam Puddifoot's."

"Well, let's hurry and get back," said Peter glancing around.

"We probably should," James agreed. "We can't blend in if there are no people around to blend with."

"Moony, you and Wormtail go get your gift. Prongs and I are going to go flirt with Rosmerta," said Sirius.

"You are going to flirt; I am going for a hot Butterbeer," said James.

"Right," Sirius scoffed, rolling his eyes. He turned to Remus and Peter and smirked. "Prongs can't flirt with good-looking women anymore. He's afraid Evans will hurt him."

"As if flirting would work on Madam Rosmerta in the first place," said Peter.

"Shut up, Wormtail."

Sirius glanced through the windows of the pub. "It's practically empty. These damned Death Eaters are bad for business. Come on, Prongs. Let's go cheer her up."

They went their separate ways. Remus found what he was looking for easily enough, though he would have liked to get the one inlaid with Antipodean Opaleye scales, but he really couldn't afford that. He was trying to save his money for…well, he hoped he might need to buy Lindi something more important one day in the not too distant future, and now that his grandparents were gone, and he didn't get Galleons for birthdays and Christmas, he didn't really have that much to spend. Still, he thought Lindi would like the birds carved in the warm cherry wood box. It came with a package of parchment sheets with a very pale image of birds in vines around the border, a quill and small bottle of ink. He liked it and thought it looked like her, delicate and graceful, and birds reminded him of her on her broom.

He and Peter walked into the Three Broomsticks a few minutes later to find it still pretty dead. There was a table with two wizards in the back corner, both with their backs to the wall. Remus had a feeling they were keeping an eye on things. Aurors? Or were they just people on their guard, or something more sinister; he couldn't tell. Two middle aged couples were by the fireplace, and Rosmerta was behind the bar where James and Sirius sat, all three laughing heartily.

"Finished already?" asked Sirius, sounding a bit disappointed.

"You'll miss dinner, and you lot need to get back to school before it gets any darker, anyway. It really isn't safe these days," said Rosmerta, the smile falling from her pretty face. She looked to Remus. "But first, let me see what you got for my cousin. Can't have you buying her sexy knickers, even if she is turning seventeen."

James, Peter, and Sirius snorted. Remus' face felt like it would blaze any second. He handed the bag to her immediately, sputtering, "Er, no, I wouldn't…"

She suppressed a smile and peered into the bag. "That's lovely." She smiled and handed it back to him. "And quite appropriate."

The door opened and a gust of wind blew in chilling his burning face. Three wizards walked through, lowering their hoods. Two of them looked vaguely familiar, but they were older so Remus didn't know them from Hogwarts.

"Now, you lot really need to go," Rosmerta said softly, a sense of urgency in her tone and smile completely gone. She turned away. "What can I get for you, gentlemen?"

"Two Firewhiskeys and an ale," said the tallest.

As they pulled chairs back from a table in the center of the room, Remus and his friends glanced at one another. It didn't seem like anything particularly interesting was about to happen so they headed back to Hogwarts. Remus needed to get back, anyway, as he was in desperate need of studying for a test in Transfiguration.

Henrietta was waiting on his bed with a parcel when he entered their room after a quick dinner. Remus pulled the note out from the twine wrapped around it, and after giving her a treat, sent her off to the Owlery to spend the night.

"I have something for you to deliver in the morning," He told her. He then opened the note.

Dear Remus,

You're lucky I had the chocolate on hand at such short notice. Your poor father had to eat a sandwich for supper when he was expecting a nice warm stew after being outside in the cold barn with a sick Jarvey all day, so I'd have time to finish these, but he said to tell you it was worth it, being such a good cause. He's very happy to hear you and Lindi are on speaking terms again. He'd have to be, to be in as good a mood as he's in after that Jarvey bickered nonsense at him all day.

Remus noted that his mother didn't include herself in that. Still, she had made the Chocolate Blossoms, so she couldn't be too upset. The fact that Lindi was far away from him probably helped. Remus couldn't help smiling a tiny smile.

I made enough for you to share a few with the lads and Lily, since I was making them. Be good and study hard. Tell Lindi Happy Birthday for us.

Love,

Mum

Remus also noted that Mum hadn't asked any questions regarding his make-up with Lindi and figured it was probably killing her to know all sorts of things. He'd tried to make it clear that everything was safe, for now, and that they hadn't really had a chance to completely clear things up, when he'd sent the letter asking for the sweets. He wondered if Dad had been reading her note over her shoulder, preventing her from prying, and smiled another small smile. He proceeded to wrap his two gifts for Lindi and jotted down a quick note.

Dear Lindi,

Happy 17th Birthday! Hopefully you will enjoy these more than the gift my friends made for you last year. I wish I could be there to give them to you in person. I wish even more that you could be here. I admit it is purely selfish, since I have a brutal test tomorrow in Transfiguration and I really need to study, but I feel very unmotivated. It would be easier to force myself if I had a good example! I suppose I should stop whinging and get started. Happy Birthday, again. I hope you have a wonderful day with the Weasleys. I never dreamed I could be so jealous of little boys, but I am.

I love you,

Remus

P.S. Mum said to tell you Happy Birthday from Dad and her.

The next morning, he arose early and found Henrietta perched at the top of the Owlery. He attached the packages to her feet and sent her on her way before heading down to breakfast. Since it was early, he took the opportunity to read a bit of the Daily Prophet before his friends made it down. As he scanned the headlines, he spotted two with Dorcas Meadows' byline. The first was about the man who had been abducted in Hogsmeade earlier that week. The authorities had finally identified him as a fellow by the name of Gilbert Conner. According to Dorcas' report, Conner had been set to testify in the case of a woman charged with possession of stolen property.

The property had belonged to Honorius Philburn, the Wizengamut member killed by Death Eaters the year before, along with his entire family and Emmeline Vance's friend, Hollister Mullins. Conner was an important piece of that case, since the Ministry had hoped that if they could get a conviction against the woman, then they could get her to provide evidence on how she came to get the property and perhaps finally have a clue to the identities of the Death Eaters responsible for the murders, but now that Conner, the sole witness against her, was conveniently gone, there was no longer a case against the woman, and so she was being released, along with the Auror's hopes of information. Thus the Philburn case remained unsolved, as did the disappearance of Gilbert Conner.

Before he got to the next article, Atticus showed up. Remus closed the paper and set it aside. He took the letter from the owl and opened it.

Dear Remus,

Oh, I am such a scatterbrain! I can't believe I got so distracted in my last letter that I didn't tell you the very thing I was writing to tell you. And I was so excited and couldn't wait to tell you about it, too! I blame the children. Ha!

Well, apparently I CAN wait to tell you, and now that the excitement has died down a bit, maybe I should.

If she'd been standing in front of him, Remus would have argued, "No you shouldn't!" but he read on.

Of course, that would be rather obnoxious, wouldn't it? To tell you I had exciting news but you will have to wait. Okay, I won't do that. Of course now, if you've been anxious to hear it, it will probably be a letdown, but it would be even more if I made you wait to see and then you were disappointed. So I guess I better tell you,

Chuckling at her rambling, Remus thought, Yes, you better, and get on with it, before you forget again!

"What's so funny?" asked Peter, as he and the others strolled up to the table. "Is that another letter from Lindi?"

"Yes. She's about to tell me something she was supposed to tell me in her last letter, but got so off topic that she forgot. Now, she's going round and round about whether she should tell me now or not. I'm afraid she's going to forget again," he said, shaking his head and smiling fondly.

"You mean she's as much a nutter in print as in person?" asked Sirius, dropping onto the bench.

"Yes," said Remus. "And just as adorable." He looked back at the letter, missing Sirius roll his eyes and James grin.

Well, it all started when I overheard Mr. Weasley telling Mrs. Weasley that Professor Dumbledore wanted them to work on a certain spell. I suppose he thinks it would be helpful, with everything going on, though I don't really see how it will help against Death Eaters. Anyway, I came upon him, Mr. Weasley, practicing in the barn and asked if he would help me. Of course he agreed to, as he's such a nice man.

Remus felt his jaw muscles tighten a bit. He couldn't help it. He was so jealous of this Weasley bloke getting to work with Lindi. That was Remus' job. He sighed and reminded himself that he would see her in a few weeks and they could work together again then.

Assuming she was still speaking to him after he told her… He took a deep breath and sighed again. Just enjoy her letter, and be happy for her excitement, he silently urged himself.

"Something wrong?" asked Peter.

"No, I just wish I could see her."

Peter nodded sympathetically. Remus continued reading.

It took a few days of intense practice, but I finally managed to get it mostly right. I can produce a Patronus, Remus! Granted, it isn't fully formed, but it does have some shape other than just wisps. I thought it looked rather like a lion, which would be appropriate under the circumstances, but Mr. Weasley said it looks more like a big dog or a wolf to him and Mrs. Weasley agrees. Which is a little weird, since I've never really been particularly fond of dogs, though I do like them all right, and wolves are beautiful, if scary, but I would have thought a Patronus would be a little more personal, you know?

Remus found his mouth was hanging slightly open. He closed it and blinked and then must have let out a little snort of laughter. If she only knew!

"What is it?" asked James.

"Lindi has produced an almost fully corporeal Patronus," he said rather flatly.

"You're kidding," Sirius muttered, with a mouth full of toast.

Remus shook his head, still feeling a bit stunned.

"Well, it's not a hex or anything that you do to someone, so I'm not that surprised," said James.

"Yeah," added Peter. "Lindi's really pretty good at most things, especially Charms, and Potions. I'm not surprised at all."

"No, neither am I," Remus agreed. "It's what her Patronus seems to be that's a little shocking."

"What do you mean?" James and Peter both asked.

Remus looked around to be sure no one was listening in and lowered his voice. "She's not completely sure, because it's still vague, and she doesn't see why on earth it would be, but the Weasley's told her it looks like a big dog or a wolf."

James and Peter both snorted. Sirius spewed milk out his nose, making James and Peter laugh even harder.

"That is wicked cool, Moony," said James. He looked around to be sure no one was listening, too. Several people were, due to the outburst of laughter. "Butt out!" he snapped, and the eavesdroppers quickly went back to their own conversation. James leaned over the table a bit and said softly, "If that's actually her Patronus, that's big, huge really. That's true love."

Sirius wiped his face with his napkin and Peter looked thoughtful and nodded.

Remus felt almost dizzy, and it wasn't the fact that Full Moon was two days away. He had long believed that her feelings for him were very strong and sincere, but to feel strongly enough to affect her Patronus…that was serious. What would happen when she found out the truth about him—and couldn't accept it?

He felt slightly nauseous.

"You know, this is probably a good sign," James went on, looking far more solemn. "I'd bet she'll see it as a sign that everything is all right when you tell her about your furry little problem."

Remus looked at him curiously.

"I mean, if it can be her Patronus, which is completely protective, then, I don't know, it just seems like a good sign to me," James explained.

"But she said a wolf, not a…" Remus looked at them pointedly to finish the sentence.

"Yes, but they look so similar it'd be hard to tell in a Patronus, and you know if it is a wolf at all, it's because of you. Why else would she have that?"

"He's right," said Peter solemnly.

"At any rate, it really is wicked cool to be able to inspire a Patronus," said James, definitively.

Remus smiled gratefully. "If that really is what it is. Maybe it's just a dog. But thanks." He looked back at her letter picking up where he'd left off.

Anyway, I'll just have to get better at it to find out what it is. I'm just thrilled to have managed it this far. He's a good teacher. Not quite as good as you, but close, and so like you, in that he is very patient with me. I can't wait for you to meet him.

That little twinge of jealousy flared up. She really did seem to like this man. Thank goodness he's married! He kept reading.

Well, speaking of waiting, Charlie is patiently standing at the foot of my bed staring at me. He's such a cutie, and I promised him I'd take him for a ride on my broom if he cleaned under his bed, like his mother told him. I'll finish this later tonight after they go to bed. I wish you were here.

Okay, I'm back, and I'm just lying here in bed, staring out my window. We're having a meteor shower. It reminds me of that night we flew up to the Quidditch Pitch to watch the Aurora together. Do you remember that night? The blasted lights waited until we had to go back to the Castle to show up! But the shooting stars were brilliant, and being there with you… Oh how I miss you, Remus.

He smiled, and felt rather silly for the previous twinges of jealousy.

Have you decided when you will come to see me? I've been marking down the days to the start of Christmas hols there, but if it will be after Christmas, I'd like to know, so I know when to look forward to it and not get too excited too soon.

I don't want to be a pest or nag, but please let me know. I also need to let Mr. and Mrs. Weasley know. Not to mention, I'll start worrying that you don't want to. If you've changed your mind, I'd rather know sooner than later.

Okay, hello to your friends for me.

Love,

Lindi

He folded the letter, feeling rather glum again. Would she ever trust his feelings for her? Of course, he couldn't blame her for being insecure after all that had transpired between them, especially since he'd never given her an explanation for it. For the umpteenth time, much as he dreaded it, he couldn't wait to tell her the truth, and have the lies out from between them once and for all.

Therefore, he would go see her as soon as the Christmas holiday began. Mum would have to understand that he just couldn't enjoy anything with that worry on his mind. He would get it over with, and then, he would have the rest of the break to either celebrate, or mourn.