A/N: This is the last chapter of the series. I just wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who's followed along this far - this has been my first time writing a fanfiction, and I honestly still can't believe that people are reading it, let alone enjoying it. Thanks so much for all the follows, favorites, reviews, and even lurking. I appreciate it more than I can say!

UPDATE: I've posted the sequel! It's called Of Men and War. Hope to see you all on the other side!

REVIEW PLEASE!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 46: Of Goodbyes, Fortunes, and Near Horizons

There was loud chatter in the Great Hall. It was the final banquet of the year, and the Gryffindors were rowdy with excitement – they'd won both the Quidditch and House Cups again this year, and the Great Hall was bedecked in red and gold lions. The Marauders and friends were all bubbling with giddiness. James, Sirius, and Mina had all been accepted to the Auror Academy, to start in September, Peter had secured an entry level job as a Hex Breaker at Gringott's Bank, and Lily had been accepted to begin training as a Healer in July. Overall, it was the perfect way to end their seven years there.

Mina was sitting with Rowan, away from Cillian. She'd broken up with him the day before, citing that he was far too needy, but Rowan smiled knowingly – Mina just didn't like him much. She inwardly rolled her eyes lightly at her friend's "love 'em and leave 'em" philosophy, slightly envying her nonchalance. Mina and Sirius appeared to have reconciled overnight, and Sirius seemed to have completely forgotten his previous anger with the brunette – he couldn't take his eyes off her the entire night, which seemed to please the girl greatly. Rowan made a note to keep an eye on them for the rest of the evening.

Finally as they finished their meals, Professor Dumbledore stood and called attention to the front of the room. All voices hushed to hear the man's words.

"Another year, another goodbye," he said smiling sadly. Rowan's chest constricted at the word. "It has truly been a joy guiding you all over the past months. To the returning students, I wish you all happy summer months and pray that you return to us in September safely, refreshed and minds prepared to resume learning. To the students who will be leaving us…" His eyes trailed over the Seventh Years, lingering on the Gryffindors. His eyes crinkled with fondness towards them. "… I must say that it has been an honor to have you here. Your class has been a particular delight to watch grow, and the sheer amount of talent and brilliance that I have seen from each of you serves to remind me why I became a professor. I am thrilled with anticipation to see what accomplishments you achieve in the future." Rowan felt a surge of affection towards the old man.

But then his face grew serious. "As you go out to seek your fortunes beyond the safety of Hogwarts, you will undoubtedly face many trials and even dangers in the duration of the war that battles beyond our walls." There was a soft murmur amongst the students. "I beseech you all to protect one another, to take the tools that we have given you here and utilize them for good, for helping the weak and less fortunate – for if we do not protect and love each other, all hope is lost." Rowan felt the fire in her blood begin to simmer. Her eyes flickered towards the Slytherins.

Dumbledore raised a glass, and all of the students except for a group of older Slytherins raised theirs in return. "I offer a toast to your good fortunes and health. May you always look back on your time here at Hogwarts fondly, and may you find a hundred times more happiness beyond. Cheers!" He nodded his head and drank.

"Here, here!" Sirius bellowed. The Gryffindors all leapt to their feet and applauded their beloved Headmaster with James whistling loudly, eventually joined by the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Half of the Slytherins clapped, but none stood. Rowan choked back the sob that threatened to spill over, filled with a bittersweet ache at knowing that this was the last time she'd ever sit at the table as a student.

As they trickled out slowly from the Great Hall, Rowan looked out of the front entrance to see the pink and purpling sky and was struck with an overwhelming sense of longing.

"Wait!" she shouted at her friends, who all stopped to look at her questioningly.

She grinned. "Fancy a walk?" she asked cheekily.

Their faces slowly spread into broad grins, and Sirius and James took off running for the door. Rowan grinned up at Remus, who smiled exasperatedly at her, before taking off running after them. She heard her friends laugh before starting their chase.

"What do you all think you are doing?" she heard a shrill voice call out. Professor McGonagall was waving her wand at them, shouting after the group of Seventh Years.

"Sorry, Professor!" Lily shouted back laughing.

"Don't wait up!" Peter called, and they all laughed, running out into the red glowing sun.

The group spent the evening laughing and playing around by the lake, with their sleeves rolled up and ties loosened. James and Rowan had kicked off their socks and shoes and had taken up their old game of fake dueling again with Peter cheering them on, though they made sure to not fall in the water, as it was quite frightening in the dark. Sirius and Mina were sitting next to each other in the grass, a slight ways off from the rest, speaking in hushed tones. Remus could see them both smiling shyly at each other and felt glad that they finally seemed to be on the same page.

The night was hot with summer, and he savored the warm breeze, looking out over the mountains and engraving it into his memory. He grinned amusedly as he watched the two childhood friends bickering over a spell that Rowan had made up that James didn't approve of. He leaned back on his hands with his legs stretched out in front of him, flexing his fingers and toes, feeling the grass between them.

Lily was seated next to him with her knees drawn up to her chest, also watching the pair arguing with amusement. They had turned to Peter to decide who was right, and he seemed overwhelmed by their ferocity. She laughed softly at them before turning to face Remus, working up the courage to ask him her questions.

"Hey, Remus?" she called quietly. He turned his head towards her and smiled gently, urging her to continue.

"I… James told me…" she started unsurely. She suddenly didn't know how to continue.

"He told you that I'm a werewolf," he finished for her kindly. James had already asked him for permission, and he was surprised by how little the idea of Lily knowing what he was bothered him.

She nodded. "Do you mind?" she asked quietly.

He smiled warmly. "No, I don't mind. You were my friend before you were James' girlfriend. I know you're not the sort to think ill of me because of my condition," he said.

She shook her head fiercely. "No, of course not! I think it's incredible, honestly. I know it might be because I'm Muggle-born, but I couldn't understand why people would be so prejudiced against it. You're one of the kindest, most intelligent people I know. It doesn't seem fair at all!" she said fervently.

He smiled at her, warm with affection. Lily was such an innocent and gentle soul. "Thanks, Lily. It means a lot to hear that," he said honestly.

"All the research Rowan has been doing… It's for you, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

Remus' smile grew sadder. "Yeah," he answered.

"She loves you so much," Lily said gently. "You deserve it," she said, firmer.

He shook his head but smiled. "No, she's much too good for me," he said, watching Rowan who was laughing wildly, now rolling in the grass with James and Peter. "I honestly don't know what she even sees in me, but I've told myself to not question it." He paused. "Don't tell her I said that, okay? She'd kill me," he said sheepishly.

Lily smiled. "I won't," she agreed.

Remus grinned. "So what about you and James then?" he asked teasingly.

Lily blushed to her roots. "We're, um, going to move in together next month," she mumbled embarrassedly.

Remus smiled gently. "You guys are pretty serious then," he said.

She smiled, still slightly red, and nodded. "Yeah, he's… he's everything I've ever wanted," she said honestly. "It's all going so quickly, but I think…" she trailed off, blushing again.

Remus smiled but didn't push her to finish her sentence. He heard a shriek and looked back to the trio, grinning. James had thrown Rowan over his shoulder and was carrying her over to him and Lily. She was flailing wildly and laughing.

When James reached them, he grinned. "I think this is yours," he said cheekily to Remus, who laughed and held his arms out, sitting up. James dropped Rowan unceremoniously into Remus' arms, who caught her surprisingly. She squealed at the impact against his chest, looking up at him and snickering mischievously. He grinned back at her and suppressed the urge to kiss her.

James had plopped down next to Lily with a grin. "Hello, darling, did you miss me?" he asked flirtatiously. She snorted but smiled, scooting closer to him.

"Where'd Peter go?" Remus asked, looking around.

"Oh, he's going to look for Maria. I think he was feeling a bit left out as the only bloke without his girl here," Rowan said, smiling. Remus nodded his head in understanding but then looked over at Sirius and Mina when he heard a shout.

"WHOA WHAT!" James screamed, gaping at the pair.

Sirius and Mina were kissing fiercely but broke apart at the sound of James' screeching voice. They both looked extremely flustered, but Sirius then grinned, grabbing Mina's hand and whispering something to her quickly before dragging her back up to the castle.

"Gross!" James shouted. Sirius flipped him the middle finger. They all laughed and catcalled after them.

The two remaining couples eventually went their separate ways. James and Lily had wandered down to the gardens, and Rowan and Remus slowly started back to the dark halls of the castle, making their way back up to Gryffindor Tower. Rowan's gaze was held upward at the intricate ceilings, taking in every detail she could, knowing that they'd be leaving the next morning.

Remus broke the silence. "Did you know that Lily and James are moving in together?" he asked quietly.

Rowan kept her gaze upward but answered calmly, "Yeah, James told me a few days ago. It's all pretty fast, huh?" She smiled to herself. "I feel like I should stop him from rushing into things with her, but for some reason, I can't. It just sort of feels like it fits into place." She looked at him grinning. "I'm starting to become a romantic in my old age, aren't I?" she joked, looking back up.

He gazed at her seriously. Her skin glowed in the soft white light that spilled into the halls from the high windows, and his chest felt tight.

"Would you consider moving in with me anytime in the near future?" he asked softly.

She looked at him suddenly, eyes wide. He felt an icy fear creep up his neck, but then she said smiled shyly. "I thought we were going to take it slowly," she said quietly.

Remus smiled in relief. "I know, and I don't mean in a few months or even this year perhaps… but soon," he said, looking at her earnestly. The thought of having her to himself in such a way hadn't even occurred to him until his conversation with Lily, but now that he'd imagined it, the idea had seeped into his lungs and couldn't be ridden of.

She smiled broadly and stopped walking, pressing against him so that his back lightly hit the marble of the railing. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She wrapped hers around his waist. "Yeah," she said warmly, "Soon."

He smiled, that calm heat that he felt so frequently around her spread throughout his chest, and he leaned down, taking her face between her hands gently. Moonlight had never felt so warm.

The train ride to Platform 9 ¾ was a happy, yet bittersweet one. Rowan made sure to look at every detail of train, attempting to memorize it all before their trip was over. Lily had cried delicately as they left the castle, and her tears were felt by all of them, each feeling a dull ache of sadness knowing that they'd left their home of seven years behind them. Even James and Sirius hadn't been able to maintain their normal high levels of enthusiasm on the ride back, choosing to reminisce wistfully but happily about their time at Hogwarts. Rowan kept her fingers tightly laced with Remus' the entire way back to London, feeling as though she might lose herself without feeling of his hand there to ground her.

On the platform, the loud chattering of the students and parents seemed strangely dull. Rowan recognized that there were people all around them, but she felt inexplicably lost, suddenly painfully aware of time's passing and the separation of her body from everyone else. She squeezed Remus' hand tightly. She looked about her and didn't see Alfred, her father, or the Lupins and mused for a moment that perhaps they were the last two people on earth. She was filled with such mourning, like she'd left something crucial behind at the school. She looked up at him desperately, as if afraid that he too would disappear.

He gazed down at her, smiling softly. The gentle expression on his face was so familiar. She wanted to cry at the sight of it. "Things may be changing quickly for us, and it's terrifying," he said, "But the one thing that will always remain is how much I love you. You know that, right?"

His words sank into her slowly, and she felt that familiar heat in her chest again. She wrapped her arms around his middle slowly, hoping that he could feel all the warmth and adoration she felt for him. She smiled slowly. "Yeah, always," she said.

She felt her heart break as she heard the doors of her childhood shut behind her, and the mournful feeling in her stomach remained. But knowing that Remus would always be there to pull her through grounded her in the present, and she suddenly didn't feel so anxious about their future as long as it meant that they would always be together.