Remus looked around the shabby cottage of the small village in Bulgaria. He'd been here long enough; it was time to move on.
He rarely stayed in a place for very long. It just wasn't good. There was always the chance he'd be found by someone. Or that he'd hurt someone on the full moon. Or that he'd let something slip that he shouldn't.
His only regret was not attending Lily and James's funeral. Shortly after he had left England, he had terminated his Daily Prophet subscription – too easy to be traced – but just before he had, he had received his last issue, bearing the headline:
WIZARDING COMMUNITY IN MOURNING – OUR FINAL GOODBYESBy Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent
At sunset yesterday evening, the Wizarding Community bid farewell to a pair of their best. One of the most romantic couples in over a hundred years, Lily and James Potter were affectionate parents and loving friends.
When asked to comment, friends turned away, mentioning the Potters' bravery, or their compassion, or their never-seeming-to-end luck. All but one, that is – Janine Garnet, a longtime friend of both.
Just to remind the community of Janine, the Daily Prophet has provided a brief biography. Janine Garnet, age twenty-three, was a close friend of both James and Lily, and many others of their numerous friends. The Wizarding Community might remember the late William Garnet, one of the most celebrated Quidditch players of the Montrose Magpies, and, later on, near the end of his life, a top Auror. Sadly, he was murdered on Christmas morning five years ago in his home by unknown Death Eaters. Janine, choosing to give up her Quidditch dreams, had followed her father into the Auror profession.
While she attempted to plead unavailable for comment, we pursued her during the funeral, until, at last, she admitted sadly, "It's tragic. I just can't believe it. When I heard, I was like… wow. It was such a shock. It still is. I miss them both so much – but I guess people just can't be lucky forever. We'll all miss them dearly."
She hurried away almost at once, and some mourners commented that they had seen her crying under a willow tree. Certainly, Ms. Garnet has quite a reason to mourn. As the Community knows, she's already lost many friends to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and losing two of her close friends to him as well must be even more traumatic for her. The Daily Prophet wants to remind the community of her husband, for he's a man who is well known to the community…
It had stopped speaking of Lily and James then, and Remus hadn't felt necessary to read on. He felt a little guilty – Janine had been one of his old friends, and she had always been a close one. She was probably taking Lily and James's deaths hard.
But she would be surrounded by an endless crowd of friends and family to cheer her up. She was from an old, rich family; there'd always be someone there for her, someone to offer comfort in her darkest moments.
There would be no comfort for the lonely werewolf who'd nearly taken his life in his grief.
In any case, that was all twelve years ago. Remus pushed the thoughts from his mind, and gathered his even-more-patched-than-before bag to him, heading to the old chest at the foot of his small cot. He'd been in Bulgaria long enough.
Pausing, he wondered where to go next. "Maybe somewhere in the States," he mused hoarsely aloud. With no one to talk to in so long, he hadn't had much occasion to use his voice, and he barely remembered how to. "Or maybe I could go to Spain… or Portugal… anywhere but England. Besides, Bulgaria is too-"
He froze. A handsome barn owl had flown in through the open window, hooting as it landed on his bedside table.
Remus stared at it. It had been ages since he'd last gotten an owl. The owl hooted louder, clearly impatiently.
Slowly, hesitantly, Remus forced his legs to move. He went to the owl, taking the letter from its beak. It took off without waiting for any money, which Remus took as a good thing. It wasn't anybody demanding money, and it wasn't a post owl.
So it had to be an old friend who owned a barn owl. But who did? It had been twelve years. Most of his friends were either dead or had forgotten him.
Janine? Nah, she'd always liked snowy, eagle, and barred owls. Any other kind, as far as she was concerned, was simply not acceptable.
Alyssa? Alyssa was an old girlfriend of his, but they had broken up – well, she had done most of the breaking – once she had found out he was a werewolf. He doubted she'd contact him so much later – with his luck, she was probably happily married already. He'd never really gotten over her, and she'd always been uncomfortable around him since the breakup. She wouldn't be owling him, not twelve years since he had last seen her.
Snape? Ha, that was a laugh. Snape wouldn't owl him if his very life depended on it. That cancelled him out.
The list was growing short. With feelings of trepidation, he slit open the parchment. For moments, he just stared at the header: August 27, 1993, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He couldn't stop looking at it. It was as if he had been punched in the stomach.
Hogwarts.
It was from Hogwarts.
A place he hadn't been to in so long. The last place he'd seen a truly friendly face – well, Dumbledore was friendly, and Sirius didn't count, and Snape definitely wasn't friendly. Not towards him, anyway.
After getting past his disbelief, he forced himself to read the rest of the letter.
Dear Remus,
It has been a long while. I hope this letter finds you well, wherever you are, as you are surely not in England any longer. Your friends miss you, and Janine in particular asked me to send along her best wishes for you. She is eager to see you again.
Remus stopped for a moment at that line. See me again? I had just assumed she'd completely forgotten about me. He continued to read.
Your other friends miss you as well. It has been a long time – nearly twelve years, in fact – since we have been in contact. It is my hope that you will sincerely consider my offer to you.
I cannot imagine what life must have been like for you, alone wherever you are, but I am not asking you to return to England. I have an opening for a teaching position at Hogwarts – as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. You are, without a doubt, my first choice for the job.
You come highly recommended – your old school friends think it is a fantastic idea, and fully support my decision. Professor McGonagall herself suggested you to me, when we were at a loss.
If you are willing, you need not send a reply to me. Just come back to England, and return to your old flat. It's been taken care of in your absence. I will meet you there.
Doubtless you have not had much information to the current situation in England. Upon your return – should you choose to accept my offer – I will gladly inform you of all that has been going on.
Your friends have asked me to pass along this message, as well – that they all sincerely hope you will consider and accept my job offer, and that they cannot wait to see you again, as it has been a long time.
Yours truly,
- Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The parchment fluttered to the floor. Remus remained frozen for several moments, and then he bent quickly to snatch it up, to reread it.
It suddenly felt as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The last twelve years had been hellish for him – he had barely scraped by enough to eat and meet his daily needs. He practiced minimal magic, and took few jobs. His health hadn't been good.
But what Dumbledore was offering him was unbelievable. A job. A home. A place to stay, with food to eat, and hot water to bathe in.
It was the best thing that could have happened. He resumed packing with a renewed fervor. He was going back!
He paused, for a moment, looking at the box that held the knife. He had hidden it under his sweaters in his chest, just as before.
He reached out a hand to touch it. Can I get rid of it? Am I ready to?
He looked at the picture by his bedside – the graduation picture he had always kept with him, unable to part with it. His old school friends waved at him, all smiling and happy. Even Sirius did.
He put the knife back. Not yet, he thought. Someday, but not yet.
He resumed packing.
X-X-X-X-X
A/N: Okay, to make up for not updating in almost a month and a half – here's two chapters. This one's the epilogue, by the way – this story is over. But I'll be back with more – you've already heard me mention Janine Garnet in this story. When I eventually write my Marauders' Era fic – which I will – she'll be in it, as one of Lily's friends, and an OC. Quick thanks to my beta, Nikki – check out her story, "Wife Wanted," a D/G. It's a really good fic. Reviews, as always, are appreciated! ~Peaches