Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Never has Harry Potter been mine. Mine is not Harry Potter. Harry Potter has never been mine as it is not now. Thank you.

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As the month of October slowly ebbed away, the days grew shorter and the nights longer. Dusk would settle rapidly upon Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and just as rapidly it would be replaced by the cloak of night. The chilly currents ushered young witches and wizards inside the castle. The steady cascades of auburn leaves prompted cozy nights by the crackling fire in the common room. Already, talk of the Halloween party had spread. Anticipation hung in the air, curling around the senses of the young pupils, tantalizing them with thoughts of warm pumpkin pie, truffle towers, and leathery bat wings beating their way through the Great Hall amidst the traditional, yearly festivities.

Tonight, like many nights before, found Ellery Shelsher and Knox Domville tending to their schoolwork in the Gryffindor Common Room. Well, at least that applied to Mr. Shelsher. Mr. Domville was reclining against his squashy armchair, legs propped up on the table-and on his discarded Charms essay. The allures of Halloween had seduced him as well, leaving a slow grin on his face as he gazed out the window.

"D'you think they'll bring a live band to the party again this year?" Knox tilted his head to regard his companion, who did nothing but blow a strand of hair out his eyes and continue to scratch at the parchment with a quill. He flipped a few pages in his textbook and furrowed his brow as his finger followed a line of text across the paper.

"…cannot retain a permanent effect, but will hold out for several hours. In addition-"

"I hope the house elves will leave Honeydukes on our pillows like last year!" Knox contended, sitting up in excitement from the sudden memory of it.

"I pray, Domville, that Professor Flitwick won't be leaving numerics of a failing caliber to the already diminishing pedigree of your grades."

Knox reached across the table and snatched Ellery's essay out from under his quill. He scanned it quickly and frowned. "You still have another seven inches to go."

"Much more of an accomplishment to show for the past four hours as compared to your measly three inches-of gargantuan font, may I add-wouldn't you agree?" Ellery summoned his parchment with a flick of his wand. The paper flew from Knox's fingers and he caught it neatly.

"Charms hurts my brain."

"You hurt my brain." Ellery grumbled, resuming his perusal of the text book. "If you're not going to get any work done, you may as well get some sleep in."

"No, thanks. I think I'll hang around and keep you company."

"If it's the paper you're waiting for, I'll warn you now that you won't be getting it from me."

Knox spluttered. "That's not it! So I admit, I wouldn't mind seeing your work but that's not the real rea-what was that?"

"The sound of my brain wailing at your lethargy-"

"No, shut up, Elle! I heard something…" Knox twisted around his armchair to look behind them. "It sounded like something shuffling."

The two boys sat stone-still, searching the room with their eyes for a third party.

"I don't hear-"

"Shhh! There it is again."

"What is where again?" Ellery tapped the parchment with his quill impatiently.

"Didn't you hear it?" Knox whipped around to give him a pointed look. "It sounded like…like someone walking."

Ellery swept an arm at the premises. "There's nobody there."

"Funny." Knox was still turning his head left and right, "I could've sworn I heard someone."

"Sleep deprivation is clearly making you delusional. I suggest you go to bed right now." Ellery grumbled, raking a hand through his dark hair. "I'll give you my paper tomorrow morning. I'll even wake you up early so you can copy it before class, now please go. For my sake, so I can work in peace."

His plea seemed not quite to have registered in Knox's head as he stood up and stretched. "I think I'll go get some fresh air."

"Whatever works for you. Just go."

"Pushy, aren't we?" Knox yawned as he strolled away from the fire and climbed out of the portrait hole. Slipping his hands in his pockets to keep them warm, he began walking down the corridor, hoping to work some feeling into his numb legs. Once or twice, he turned around, thinking that he'd heard the same shuffle again, but quickly shook the thought from his head and continued. Maybe Ellery was right. Just this once.

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James let loose a sigh of relief as Knox Domville turned down a different hallway and disappeared from sight. For a moment back in the Common Room, he'd thought that they had caught him for certain. Thankfully, Ellery Shelsher had not only dispelled any such notions but had also managed to dissuade his companion from staying in the Common Room any longer. With an incredible stroke of luck, it was not, as Shelsher had suggested, the boys' dormitory that Domville headed towards, but the portrait. As James clambered out behind Domville, he was grateful to whichever listening deity that he didn't have to wait until both boys had retired from the Common Room so he could slip away undetected.

Drawing the Invisibility Cloak tighter around himself, James scurried down a set of stairs and made a bee-line for McGonagall's office. He stopped to dodge behind a suit of armor when one Lily Evans returned from her night rounds, yawning hugely into her hand.

James tried to ignore the urge to turn around and follow her back to Gryffindor Tower but couldn't stop the silly grin from spreading across his face. With his eyes still trained on Lily's retreating back, he grasped the handle to McGonagall's office and shoved it open with a squeak.

Lily whipped around with her wand out, all signs of exhaustion wiped from her face. Her green eyes darted down the hall and James, silently cursing himself, quickly slipped into the room. He dared not close the door for fear that he may give away his position. He pressed himself against the wall next to the doorway, breathing hard and waiting for Lily to tuck her wand back into her pocket and walk away like a good little girl.

He nearly had a heart attack when Lily's head poked through the doorway, a mere foot from where he stood. Her wand came next as she lifted it high and muttered "lumos." The light from her wand tip washed the inside of McGonagall's office a pale, blue hue.

She stood, waiting.

He stood, trying to ignore the itch that had started under his nose at the most inopportune moment. She was so close he could reach out and touch her.

Lily eventually relaxed and withdrew her wand, killing the flame and turning sharply on her heel. James took the chance to bury his face into his arm and sneezed loudly. A muffled honk came out from under the Invisibility Cloak.

Once he was sure that Lily had gone, James peeled himself from the wall and pulled off the Cloak when he reached the fireplace. He ignited the fire with his wand and, groping about the mantelpiece, retrieved a handful of glittering Floo powder and tossed it into the fire. The flames instantly burned a bright green. James carefully folded up the Cloak and stepped into the grate.

He was going to pay an old friend a visit tonight. There was some personal business to be discussed.

In his haste, he did not notice, however, a pair of wide, green eyes watching from behind the doorway as he yelled out the address of Remus's house and disappeared in a whirl of soot and flames.

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His entrance to the Lupin household tonight was much like that of his first. James dropped from the grate with a bang and toppled out, hacking and violently waving the soot clouds from his face. Straightening up, with one hand clamped tightly over the lower half of his face, he threw on the Invisibility Cloak and scuttled over the wooden floorboards like a mouse.

The living room opened up to a winding corridor and a set of stairs crawling up to the second floor. By memory of his previous visit, James knew the kitchen was somewhere down the hall to his left. The bathroom was to the right. He craned his neck and squinted up at the stairway. The darkness in the house was so thick that it shrouded the stairs in shadows, making them look as if they led to a black expanse of nothingness.

James swallowed, in part because of a dry throat from his travel, as well as from a sense of nervousness. The sight of their small party here hung in his mind, adamantly contradicting the heavy silence now surrounding him. He groped through the darkness and felt his fingers brush cold wallpaper. Goosebumps ran up his arm. Hardly able to see a foot in front of him, it was rather difficult to imagine having once spent hours laughing under the same ceiling and walls that reflected the warm, gold light from the glass of their Butterbeer bottles. In the dead of night, the place felt…plain creepy. And not just any kind of creepy. It was unnerving.

The air whispered through the corridor, slipping into rooms and crevices.

Almost if it were trying to speak of some dark, hidden secret.

James shuddered as he pressed his back against the wall like he had done in McGonagall's office and scooted warily along the structure. He kept his hand out in front of him against the surface to guide the way.

It wasn't long before his fingertips bumped into the first doorframe.

Kitchen, he reminded himself.

He counted as he moved along and found the second, unidentified door. He fumbled for the doorknob and pushed. Something fell out and hit him on the head. Cramming his fingers into his mouth to keep from squealing in pain, James jumped when the same something clattered loudly to the floor. Holding his breath, he bent and reached for it tentatively and was struck with a wave of relief when his hand came in contact with the long, thin handle of a broom. He picked it up and examined it. Just an ordinary household broom. Stuffing the offending object back into where it came from, James concluded confidently that the "room" could only be a storage closet.

He proceeded with his crab-walk down the passage, continuing to scout first with his hand. Just when he was about to wonder where it would end, he felt his fingers passed over an odd bump on the wall and the hard surface against his back vanished into thin air.

James couldn't quash his cry of alarm as he fell backwards and crashed into what appeared to be a metal bar, as it gave a low hum upon contact. He squirmed into a sitting position and groped around for support, finding a railing. The sharp, ice-like sensation that met his hands confirmed his conjecture-it was indeed metal. But what the hell was it doing here? And where the hell was "here" anyway?

He peered down the metal staircase that spiraled downwards, swallowed by the sea of darkness. A flicker of purple light emerged at the bottom of the strange cavern and James was able to see that the area dropped deep into the ground-below the house. By the peculiarly blinking dot of light, he could barely make out the bottom of the expanse.

Instinct told him to stay away, but the purple glow of light was…awfully fascinating. It glittered and bobbed in the distance as if it were performing some ancient, ritual dance. It called to him, beckoned him closer…

James felt his mind being wiped like a clean slate, and he stood up. One foot found its way on the first metal plate forming the staircase. Then the other. He slowly descended into the darkness, eyes fixed on the single, purple gleam. It looked so nice…

His feet pattered across the floor of smooth, rock slabs, echoes bouncing off the walls and climbing up the deep well. He was now close enough to identify the light as a twisting, purple flame. It wiggled and waved in such a friendly manner at him, James couldn't refuse to approach.

He stepped up to the raised, rock platform were the flame burned brightly and rested his hands on the cool edge. Yes, it was so very friendly…it would be so nice to just reach out and…touch it. Caress the pretty creature. It looked more soft than fiery…almost like a furry little animal. A slow, absent grin spread across James face. Yes, he was quite sure that it was tame…

A scream rang out. It took a moment to register in James head that it was his own voice, shrill with agony.

He wrenched his hand out of the purple fire and was knocked backwards by an overwhelming metallic stench crowding in on him from all sides. It smelled as though something had died and had been sitting around rotting for weeks.

Stumbling backwards towards the staircase, James felt his heel kick something hard that spun and slid across the floor. He whipped around. It was a broken chair leg.

The leg collided into the remnants of a couch, its stuffing exploding from the gashes in the cloth and strewn about, resembling a poorly gutted fish.

James felt his heart jump into his throat. The tangy odor clawed at his lungs and made his eyes water. He turned and sprinted for the staircase, slipping in some moist areas and tripping over other pieces of furniture. As he dashed up the staircase, placing as much distance as possible between him and the flame, it suddenly came to him. He knew what it was-he'd learned about it just today. He cursed himself for falling for it and realizing what it was far too late. But what was such a flame doing in this house?

The glints of light flashed off the surface of the steps and revealed deep grooves carved into the metal, almost as though some ferocious creature had tried to claw its way up the staircase.

James bolted out of the cavern and slammed his hand against the wall, frantically looking for the odd bump that had opened up the wall. His fingers scrabbled and his breaths came in ragged gasps. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears-

"James?"

He jumped like a scalded cat and spun around to face one anxious Sirius, hovering over him. He opened his mouth to tell him he didn't mean to snoop into the cavern, throwing an edgy look over his shoulder and letting his jaw fall slack.

The wall had closed.

Oh, good sweet Lord. James looked as though he might weep. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

"James…you all right there, mate?"

"Yeah. I'm good now." James breathed, wiping cold sweat from his brow. "I was just-startled."

Sirius looked concerned.

"Really." James stooped and picked the Invisibility Cloak off the floor to avoid meeting Sirius's eyes. "I'm okay now. I am."

Sirius didn't look too convinced, but he didn't press the matter further.

"Tea?" He waved a translucent arm at the kitchen. "I'm assuming you have something to tell me." One corner of his lips lifted in a small, crooked smile as he eyed the Cloak like a familiar old friend.

"Yeah, sure." James folded up his trusty partner-in-crime and trailed after Sirius.

"Don't make too much noise." Sirius cautioned as he floated to the cupboard and opened it, pulling out a copper kettle. "I don't need to sleep, but Remus certainly does. He's got school tomorrow."

James snorted as he took a seat at the table, lifting the chair so as not to scrape it along the tiles. "My, my, my, Mrs. Black. Aren't you the perfect little wife?"

"Up yours, Jamie." Sirius said affectionately as he placed a mug on the counter. "Are you sure you're all right? Mind you, you were making a real racquet in the hall."

"Don't change the subject, Mrs. Lupin."

"Mrs. Lu-HEY!" Sirius spun in midair.

"Shut up! Remus needs to sleep."

"You're one to talk." Sirius rolled his eyes and flung a teabag into the mug a bit too hard, making it skid across the countertop.

"That's right." James wore an expression of immense smugness. He laced his fingers together and propped his chin on the tent they formed. "So, my pretty one, when are you confessing?"

Sirius dropped the kettle.

James watched with fascinated amusement as Sirius made a highly difficult acrobatic dive and caught the kettle in his arms before it clanged onto the sparkling tiles. He looked a bit pale, if that could be said of a ghost.

"Potter, what the fu-"

"Please." James held up a hand to stop him. "Don't even try. It's so obvious."

"What are you talking-"

"Do you really want me to say it?" James leaned into his chair and draped an arm over the back.

Sirius replied by plopping the kettle onto the stove rather forcefully and glaring at it.

James shrugged. He decided to say it anyway. "You love Remus."

Sirius whirled around, a protest on his lips and his index finger jabbing in James's direction. He clenched and unclenched his jaw, then spun back and ignored the other boy.

"I knew it. You do love him."

"So what if I do?" Sirius watched the kettle sullenly.

"So, tell him." James lifted his arms, making it sound as easy as spreading butter on bread.

"I can't, you idiot." Sirius waved him off, anger and frustration wrinkling his brow. "I'm a goddamned ghost for fuck's sake-"

"And that's all the more reason to do it."

Sirius stared at him as though he were crazy. "You're crazy."

"So I'm told." James shrugged dismissively.

"I can't tell him anything. I mean-what's the point?" Sirius stared off into a corner of the kitchen. "What could I offer him? I wouldn't even be able to hold down a normal relationship with him-provided that he…that he feels the same way."

The kettle began to give a low whistle. Sirius, still gazing off pensively into the distance, stuck out a hand to drag it off the stove. His hand sunk into the copper.

James winced before he could stop himself. He coughed into his fist and did his best to remain nonchalant.

Sirius snapped to attention and looked absolutely disgusted with himself. He yanked his hand away and, as he successfully drew the kettle away this time, mouthed "see my point?" to the other boy.

James pondered it for a moment. "You know," he said thoughtfully. "We could probably make you solid..."

Sirius gave a dry laugh as he poured hot water into the mug.

"We can." James insisted. "We've mastered Animagi transformations, created the Marauder's Map, what's there we can't do?"

"Reviving the dead is a different matter, Jamie. It's playing God-"

"I'm not talking about reviving you. That would be pretty stupid, considering all the things that could and would go wrong. I'm saying we transfer you to a new body."

Sirius paused. "Are you going to go dig a grave?" He eyed James suspiciously.

"No." James put his hands on the table and leaned forward, a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "I'm going to make you a body. I've already done some research on the subject and it's confirmed to be a much safer and trustable method than bringing you straight back from the dead."

Sirius couldn't find anything to say, so he settled for gaping.

James raised an eyebrow. "What, you didn't think I was joking around, did you? I just got you back. D'you think I'd do anything less?"

Sirius cast his eyes to the floor. "I wasn't…expecting this. Somehow it doesn't seem right."

"What doesn't seem right?" James said sharply, standing from his seat. "You think getting a new body isn't right? Are you saying your death was right? That it was absolutely fair? That you deserved to be taken away? Are you telling me it was fair for us to bear such a loss?"

Sirius opened his mouth but James silenced him.

"The war was thrown upon us without our consent. If you had been an Auror, if you had been fighting amongst the ranks of the Ministry, if you had died a warrior's death, I would be able to do nothing than mourn you. But that wasn't the case.

"You were but a student at Hogwarts who ran off to stop the Muggle hunt and ended up being cursed to death by your own family. At your funeral, your mother-if I can even call her that-wailed about you being a pureblood traitor, your father looked utterly repulsed, and the few guests they invited acted like it didn't matter. Tell me: how was any of that fair to you? The simple presence of your ghost now is solid evidence that none of this had been right or fair. Or you wouldn't have come back, right?"

Sirius couldn't lift his eyes to meet James's.

"It was obvious you loved Remus even while you were alive." James's countenance softened. "You didn't think I would miss those furtive looks you threw his way, did you? I saw the way you admired him. I knew you wanted more than just watching him from afar and I knew why you never did anything."

James smiled sadly. "You're as loud as the devil himself and you flirt outrageously, but when you find someone that you really love, you get horribly quiet and shy. Don't blame you about Remus, though-there was just something about him that made him feel unapproachable. I felt it too.

"You deserve at least a chance at happiness, Sirius. You've never even lived a real life for your past seventeen years, what with growing up in the shadows of a Death Eater family upholding pureblood traditions. For Merlin's sake, you were raised solely for the purpose of becoming a 'well-bred Black' with a network of connections and enough money to buy a whole damn country. You never had a say in anything."

There was a long moment of silence as James waited for his speech to sink in.

"It's not just me. Remus can't afford to lose you either. I don't know if you've noticed, but ever since you showed up, he's really come to life now. He's lost the whole "I'm-going-to-die-tomorrow" look and he's actually talking to me and Peter and he's happy. Where do you think you'd leave him if you didn't try-didn't tell him how you felt? I know there's something there."

"What if I scare him away?" Sirius sounded hoarse.

"If he wanted to be scared of you, he would've disowned you a long time ago. And…if it comes to that, just blame me, okay?"

Sirius finally looked up.

James smiled softly. "If anything goes wrong-the confession or the 'make Sirius human again' plan-you can lay the blame on me. I'm selfish, and admitting to that flaw is a small price to pay to have you back in flesh and finally happy."

Sirius looked stunned. He quickly turned away, scrubbing furiously at his face, and fiddled with the mug.

"Now, if you don't mind, little wife-in-training, I'd like to have my tea."

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Earlier that morning, Remus woke to a pair of flying boxers that landed squarely on his face.

"Wakey, wakey! The sun is shining, the magpies are squawking, it's time to get up and go to school!"

Remus made a noise like a wounded animal and rolled onto his stomach.

Sirius paused in his digging through the closet. "Remy, don't you have anything besides black and brown robes? I think this calls for a trip to Diagon Alley."

Remus grunted. The boxers fell to the floor.

Sirius turned to check on him and clucked his tongue when he saw the discarded clothing. "You get up right now, Remus Lupin. Breakfast is ready and you'll be late if you don't get your bony arse out of that bed this minute."

"Make me." Remus gurgled into the pillow.

A short silence followed.

Then Remus felt his mattress sink with the weight of someone crawling across the covers. He turned his face a little to give himself some air and grinned. He could feel Sirius's cool breath on his warm neck.

"Remember that you asked for this." He whispered huskily into Remus's ear, upsetting the messy strands of honey-colored hair.

Remus felt nudging against his sides and he wriggled, laughing. Sirius was trying to tickle him through the covers.

"Nice try, Sirius." He murmured, curling deeper into the sheets. "But you'll have to work harder than that. I am the King of sleeping-in and the Sand Man's most faithful slave. I sleep as though my life depended upon it, which it does and which you are rudely interrupting. You evil, evil man."

"Evil, am I?" Sirius smirked, black eyes twinkling like twin gems of obsidian. "I'll show you evil, then."

When Remus felt Sirius's fingers slipping right through the covers and through his pajama top to wreak havoc upon the bare skin of his sides, his eyes popped open and he yelped like a puppy who'd just had its tail stepped on.

He leapt up, cracked his head against the headboard, attempted to stand on the squishy mattress and stumbled into a bed post.

"You must admit: I make a damn good villain." Sirius snickered as he watched Remus wrestle his way out of the curtains enclosing the bed. He swooped forward and caught Remus as he fell backwards off the mattress.

"Good morning, my Sleeping Beauty." Sirius greeted him, winking.

Remus brought the back of his hand dramatically to his forehead. "Alas! My Prince Charming! I am ever so delighted to see you outside of my dreams, but I must have you know, you were much more handsome in them-"

Sirius let his princess slip through his arms. Remus hit the floor with a surprised squeak.

"Where has your gentlemanly breeding gone?" He accused from the ground.

"I am most sorry, love." Sirius gave such an exaggerated bow that his nose was in danger of touching the tips of his toes. "You see, my arms aren't quite as solid as they used to be."

"Liar." Remus rolled onto his stomach and crawled to his feet unsteadily. Sirius offered him his arm, but he only batted it away. "I fear taking another fall, my prince."

Sirius laughed. "It seems I have injured you beyond physical measures, dearest. Allow me to make up for my despicable mistake by accompanying you to the castle. How very fitting, don't you think?"

By now, Remus had been around Sirius long enough to know when to and not to take his words at face value. Unfortunately, now was a true moment of gravity. That didn't mean he needed to lay off the medieval wordplay, though.

"And what noble things shall you do for me at the castle?"

"Oho! Excellent question, my sweet!" Sirius drew himself up several feet in the air, clasping one hand to his chest with great valor. "I shall protect you from the bitter, the wicked, the sly, scheming Count Malfoy!"

"But that is much too dangerous for you!" Remus exclaimed, twirling as he entered the bathroom. "I have guards to do that job."

"If you speak of the noble Lord Potter and Pettigrew, I'm afraid they are not enough protection for one as fair as yourself."

"Lies and slander." Remus sang, pulling a brush through his mussed hair. He winced as the teeth of the brush snagged on numerous knots. This was his painful morning ritual.

"It is truth." Sirius plucked the brush from Remus's fingers and began carefully combing it through his hair, loosening the knots with his fingers. "You handle a brush as a knight would handle his lance. Any more of this yanking and you shall resemble a flea-riddled dog."

Remus scowled and grabbed at the brush, but Sirius deftly evaded.

"This is exactly why-" Sirius bowled along. "I should be there to protect you not only from the dreadful Count but from yourself as well. Lord Potter and Pettigrew cannot keep their eyes on you at all times, but I can, for I swear upon my honor that I shall remain with you no matter what."

"And you'll promise not to run around hexing other students into sweet oblivion?"

"That too, love."

Remus crossed his arms and stared at Sirius's reflection in the mirror. "Fine, then. I'll trust you."

"I can only say," Sirius smiled as he returned the brush to the counter and lifted Remus's hand to lay a gentle kiss on the back, "that you have laid you trust in the correct place, lovely one."

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

"You have most definitely laid your trust in the correct place, love." He assured Remus again as Remus-or rather, Sirius possessing Remus-stepped outside of the Hogwarts' castle gates into the nipping wind for Care of Magical Creatures with Professor Gilbett. James was grinning like a madman, delighted to have both his old best friend and his new best friend mashed together in one body and sitting through grueling lessons with him together. Peter had been indulging Remus-and sometimes Sirius-as a bipolar patient. It was not without reason, though. Remus's usually courteous self would occasionally burst out in raucous laughter or unexpectedly play a little joke here and there. Because of Sirius's frequent lying, Peter soon gave up on trying to tell them apart. James found the whole situation to be highly amusing. By the end of their third class, he had officially dubbed Remus and his possessor Dr. Jekyll and Hyde.

"I think I should take over for this class." Remus dictated.

"Just a while longer," Sirius replied in his mind. "You can still attend the lesson from where you are now. It'll be less of a strain on you physically."

The trio-and Sirius-approached the rest of the class. A crowd of Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and Slytherins were gathered in front of Professor Gilbett, stamping their feet and puffing into their hands. Lucius, Bellatrix, and Augustus were among them. The Professor herself was wrapped securely in a thick robe and a scarf that was evidently a multi-colored patchwork of cloth. She was a little old lady with her graying hair pulled back into a tight bun. Despite her grandmotherly appearance, she was sharp, strict, and not anywhere near senile. And she did not bake cookies or knit. Today, she was standing rigidly beside a large crate, waiting for the entire class to arrive.

When the last of the stragglers had caught up, Professor Gilbett clapped her hands twice. "Gather around!"

The class complied, more than eager to huddle from the bitter weather.

"I know we're all cold." She began.

"Freezing." A Hufflepuff girl shivered.

"Popsicled." Ellery added.

Knox rubbed his pink nose. "My nose is going to fall off-"

"Enough with the whining!" Professor Gilbett silenced him with a wave of her small, mittened hand. "Fortunately or unfortunately for all of you, today's lesson will provide some heat to us. Now, I want you all to pay close attention."

She reached into her crate and pulled out a glass jar. Within the glass walls, a small, purple flame glowed brightly. A few of the girls "ooh"ed.

"Look into the fire." She instructed. "And tell me what you see."

The students obeyed, some even shuffling closer in hopes of warming themselves while pretending to try and get a better look.

"I see…" A boy with mouse-brown hair muttered, squinting hard at the jar. His eyes widened and a glazed look came over them. "I see…happiness."

"Me too…" The girl in pigtails next to him agreed, staring intensely into the flames as well. "It's…beautiful…"

"It is quite nice." James agreed, a lazy look coming over his face.

Peter was completely taken with the purple fire and took a step forward. Remus, finding Sirius distracted as well, snatched the opportunity to take back his arm and use it to yank Peter back. He stared at the fire grimly. He knew what the purple flame was and what it was for. Personal experience had familiarized him with that particular magical fire. Of course, it was natural for the rest of the students-even the studious ones as well-not to know it. It was not a very popular sort of flame after all.

Indeed, upon looking around, Remus noted identical expressions of hypnotism on every face.

"You're quite the tease, Professor." A sharp voice cut through the silence.

Remus whirled around and was surprised to see Ellery Shelsher's dark eyes trained on Professor Gilbett, wearing a slightly bored expression.

The Professor smiled her approval and drew a whistle to her lips. She blew on it the same time she tossed a black veil over the glass jar. The shill cry of the whistle pierced the eardrums of the students and they jumped back in pain, covering their ears in unison. The dazed look left their eyes and they all looked around at each other, confused. Some even looked disappointed.

"What you've just experienced," Professor Gilbett announced, "is the effect of the Flames of Dissentia, also known as the Fire of Aphrodite. Mr. Shelsher, would you like to explain the phenomenon that just occurred to us?"

"My pleasure." Ellery gave the Professor a small nod. "We were hypnotized. The Flames of Dissentia are a special type of fire that draws the observer in. It creates a sense of comfort, warmth, and security. Once you look into it, it becomes very difficult to look away again. If you do manage to tear your eyes from it, you may even feel a sense of great loss."

"Very true. Take ten points for Gryffindor, Mr. Shelsher." Professor Gilbett said. "Who can tell me the uses of this flame?"

The class looked around at one another again. Remus knew the answer, but he was smart enough not answer for his own sake. He peeked at Ellery out of the corner of his eye, waiting for the Care of Magical Creatures expert to reply. But Ellery only yawned and looked away.

Smart boy. Remus thought appreciatively.

"No one?" The Professor asked. "Good. You're not supposed to know this. The Flames of Dissentia, as Mr. Shelsher had informed us a moment ago, is a hypnotic flame. Five centuries ago, this very flame was used to poach and tame magical creatures. Hunters used to leave jars of this fire out in the forest and animals would be lured by it. They would then return the next morning and collect the fire-and the animals that followed it out of their homes. It was not uncommon to see Unicorns, and occasionally Centaurs transfixed by this fire. It's potentially strong enough to tame even a wild werewolf.

But for obvious reasons, the Ministry has outlawed use of this fire. With the Flames of Dissentia, illegal poaching of creatures would be only too easy. At some point, humans even began using it on each other for personal gain, earning it the name "Aphrodite's fire." When looking upon the flames, our senses are lured into a false state of euphoria and security-something love often does."

The class watched Professor Gilbett in awe as she put the jar on the ground and pulled out a potted plant from her crate. "You may want to cover you ears for a moment." She advised, grabbing the plant and giving it a hard yank.

Several students gasped as the ugly head and body of a Mandrake emerged from the soil with a pop. But before it could open its mouth and begin a blood-curdling wail, Professor Gilbett unveiled the purple flames and held the Mandrake up to the glass.

The oddly-shaped plant-child swiveled its eyes to the fire and abruptly closed its mouth. After a moment's deliberation, it reached out with both dirt-covered arms and hugged the jar, gurgling like a real, human baby.

Professor Gilbett left it there as she reached into the crate yet again and pulled out a Blast-Ended Skrewt the length of a foot. Even at such a small size, the Skrewt had already developed its hard armor and quite an amount of firepower. The professor dropped it next to the jar and it, too, crawled up and watched the fire quietly instead of attacking the horde of people staring at it.

"Now, listen up!" Professor Gilbett snapped, holding up a cage in her small arms. Within the metal confinement, copious, striped fur balls with bushy tails squeaked and crawled over one another.

"Guinea Weasels." The professor explained. "I'm going to release them in a moment, and I want you all to catch them and bring them back with the Flames of Dissentia and a calling whistle. Split into groups of six and come get your materials!"

The students shuffled forward and began lining up for their supplies. Remus gave Sirius a little mental poke. He stretched and began following the other pupils, James and Peter in tow.

As they got into line, Lucius walked past with his two bodyguards flanking him on either side and holding their materials. He smirked at them and swept away.

Sirius muttered a string of colorful words under his breath that made Remus blush furiously.

Lucius stopped and turned, lips pursed into a thin line and doing a very accurate impression of Professor McGonagall before she was about to reprimand a student.

"Goodness, Lupin. I didn't think you were capable of such vulgarity."

His lips curved downwards into an ugly frown when he saw Remus narrow his eyes. "No words are vulgar enough to describe you, Malfoy." He spat.

"And only a dirty, lowlife animal would use such language in its fit of jealousy." Lucius retorted, fixing Remus with his most superior glare.

For a second, Remus looked as though he had been slapped across the face. But the moment left as quickly as it had come and before anyone had quite realized it, Remus had crossed the distance between himself and Lucius.

He buried a fist into the front of Lucius's robes and brought their faces an inch apart. Bellatrix and Augustus quickly fumbled around their supplies for their wands, but James and Peter already had theirs drawn and aimed at the chests of Lucius's two cronies.

"To someone with his nose held so high in the air he can't even see the ground before him, an animal I may be," Remus hissed, "but dirty and lowlife I am not. I'm not the one who spends his time bribing his marks and playing on the wrong side of the field in the war. Keep that up, Malfoy, and I promise you won't come out in one piece. Just pray that your hooded pals get to you first."

Remus released Lucius's collar roughly and stepped away. Lucius glared daggers at him, but said nothing. His platinum blonde hair was slightly disheveled and his face was a light pink. He straightened his robe-front with a jerk, turned on his heel and walked rapidly away, an expression of fury etched into his pale features.

"What the hell do you think you're waiting for?!" He snapped, when Bellatrix and Augustus just stared, flabbergasted. They hurried after him as he retreated, clutching their possessions.

When they were out of earshot, James slapped Remus on the back and gave a low whistle. "Sweet speech, Sirius! Pretty damn menacing, even for you."

Remus turned and smiled sweetly. "You've got it wrong, Jamie. That last part wasn't me. It was Remus."

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

The rest of the day passed peaceably for Remus, or as peaceably as it could get with James congratulating him and Sirius agreeing loudly in his head-sometimes in his person. Peter acquired a newfound admiration for Remus as well.

It was in the middle of lunch that James suddenly dropped his chicken casserole and made an odd noise.

"Hippogriff toe in your casserole?" Sirius sniggered, spearing another ravioli with pleasure.

"Sirius." James looked at him with wide eyes. "Remember our last Project?"

Sirius groaned. "Plant identification for Herbology? God, that's going to be a pain in the arse. We're supposed to differentiate between poisonous and nonpoisonous species-you know, if I can remember this, you ought to pay more attention in class-"

"No! No, no, no!" James waved his fork at him. "Not that thing! The other thing. That other Project. The Project we created, remember?"

Sirius made Remus take a bite at the ravioli and give James a look of uncertainty.

James bent his head closer and lowered his voice, checking to make sure that no one was listening. "The Project we were working on before you kicked the bucket on me, remember? The Map."

Comprehension flashed across Remus's face, courtesy to Sirius. "You mean you've still been at it? Are you finished-"

"That's the problem!" James got that excited gleam in his eye again. "Based on theory, it should be up and working normally, but there's been a couple of kinks Peter and I just couldn't work out."

Sirius looked crestfallen.

"I want Remus to help." The gleam in James's eyes grew to a frightening degree. "He's got brains that would sell for millions of galleons on the black Wizarding market! It'd be perfect!"

The real Remus wasn't too sure what they were trying to involve him in, but he had a feeling it was probably illegal in some way or another. If not illegal, they were probably going to end up breaking a hundred rules along the way.

Too bad it was a flurry of glee that lighted Remus's face and not the skepticism Remus was truly feeling. "God, Jamie, you're bloody brilliant! Why didn't I think of that sooner?"

James sat back with a smug grin, oblivious that Peter had just made away with the rest of his casserole. "Well? What's it going to be then?" He was addressing Remus.

Sirius waited expectantly. "Is this…illegal?" Remus looked concerned. "Are people going to get hurt?"

James and Sirius both shot to their defense immediately.

"It's absolutely safe." James promised. "It's almost like a quill and parchment sort of project, only more creative."

"Yeah, and it will definitely benefit us in the future." Sirius nodded.

"No carnage?" Remus was still a bit uncertain.

"Paper and parchment." The two of them solemnly swore.

Twenty minutes later in an empty classroom protected by an assortment of charms, James pulled out a regular-looking piece of parchment and "solemnly swore that he was up to no good."

Remus groaned. He had a feeling this would happen. Sirius, on the other hand, was almost rubbing his hands together in sheer exuberance. Remus thought it ought to be illegal for one to be so happy about causing trouble, but he still turned his attention to the piece of parchment and watched with amazement as where James's wand tip had touched it, a network of lines shot to cover the paper and form a miniature map of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Upon closer inspection, there were even tiny colored dots moving across the parchment with names labeled under them. Remus peered at the second floor Charms classroom-where they were now-and couldn't stop a rush of excitement when he saw four dots clustered together, each respectively labeled "Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew."

His excitement died when the dots on the map flickered and vanished. Remus found himself groaning along with Sirius.

"See? That's the problem." James rubbed a hand through his forever-tousled hair. "The dots won't stay on the map. I haven't been able to figure out what went wrong."

"What spells did you use?" Remus looked up with the air a scientist at work. James pulled out another piece of parchment from his pocket with the list of charms and spells. Remus took it eagerly and perused the scrawled handwriting, nodding from time to time. He stopped at the bottom and frowned. "That last spell-did you use it to stabilize the tracking system?"

James gave an affirmative.

"That must be why." Remus pushed back some stray locks of hair and looked up at James enthusiastically.

"It conflicts with the spell up here-" He jabbed a finger at spell number thirty-two. "If you get rid of that, the map should work."

"But we need to keep that." James protested a bit protectively over his hard work. "Otherwise the ink will bleed right off the paper."

Remus didn't seem to have heard him as he laid the map down on a desk and pulled out his wand. Tapping it against the parchment a few times, he muttered something and drew back in satisfaction. "This should take care of it."

James and Peter shuffled up to take a closer look and beamed in surprise. The dots were back on the papering and no longer flickering. James pulled Remus into a playful headlock, mussing up his hair to match his own.

"You-are-bloody-brilliant-"James shouted between each ruffle. He suddenly pulled away and looked at Remus gravely. "For your much appreciated contribution, I feel it is necessary to reward you."

In his head, Sirius gave his agreement. Peter also nodded fervently.

"From now on," James began, sounding rather like a minister, "You shall officially hold the title of Remus Lupin-Marauder and Mischief-maker of the Gryffindor Quartet."

Sirius gave a deafening whoop in Remus's head. His face split into a wide grin. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt the need to chide himself for allowing such misbehavior, but the cheerful faces of his friends and the surge of joy he felt with them washed the thought away. The simple gesture of acceptance made Remus absolutely giddy. He felt as though he'd eaten a whole box of Chocolate Frogs by himself.

So this is what it feels like to belong. It was…incredible. It was like a bud of fire igniting in the pit of his stomach and spreading its warmth to every finger and toe, across every inch of skin-it made his mind a bit hazy. Remus marveled at the feeling, dazed.

"C'mon," James grabbed Remus's elbow and stuffed the map back into his pocket. "This calls for a celebration."

He dragged the other boy-Peter huffing and puffing behind them-up to the third floor, skidding to a halt in front of the statue of a one-eyed witch with a large hump. James tapped the statue's back with his hand and whispered "Dissendium." The hump opened up to reveal a passageway large enough to fit a person.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." James winked and dropped inside the hole, beckoning the others to follow. Remus climbed in after him and felt himself slide a ways down. His hands reached out and touched hard, packed dirt. Remus quickly shifted away when he heard Peter drop into the tunnel and began feeling his way forward. It was relatively dark and damp, with hidden tree roots tripping him along the way. The tunnel eventually began to rise and gave way to a set of worn, stone steps that lead-

"To a trapdoor." Remus wondered. He had to shield his eyes when James lifted it from the other side and a bright beam of light shot down the passageway.

"Hurry up." He chirped, holding the door open for Remus and Peter as they crawled through.

"Where are we?" Remus surveyed what appeared to be a cellar room with boxes and crates of every size stacked around the place.

"Take a guess." James smirked, cracking open the top of a crate and lifting out a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans.

Remus looked both stunned and impressed. So this was what they meant by the map benefiting them. "Dare I suggest Honeydukes' cellar?"

"You may." James grinned as he and Peter grabbed the ends of a box and hauled it to the trapdoor.

"Then isn't this blatant stealing?" Remus peered at them, a small frown on his lips.

"Think of it," James panted, groping for the handle of the trapdoor, "as borrowing with an indefinite return date. And-" he cut in before Remus could protest, "-if I remember correctly, we promised you no carnage. Nicking some sweets in celebration of your inauguration was never mentioned in the deal."

Remus laughed and shook his head in defeat. He walked around to pull open the trapdoor for a wheezing James, who thanked him with a salute and began descending the steps.

When Peter set his foot on the first stone step after James, the doorknob to the cellar rattled. Remus spun, alarmed. He could hear a key being inserted into the knob. "Hurry up!" He hissed to Peter.

The knob jiggled again. The key was retracted from it. The person on the other side of the door hummed as he turned the knob free and pushed.

"Come with us-" Peter began but Remus let the trapdoor fall shut and dove behind a stack of crates labeled 'Cockroach Clusters.' He dodged just as the door swung open and the man walked in with heavy steps, whistling loudly. His heart beat frantically in his chest like a bird against its cage. He waited with baited breath as the footsteps neared until he could hear the whistling almost directly above his head. The crate at the top of the stack that he was crouching behind slid off. The man grunted, shuffled, and headed back to the door, steps falling like thunder.

Remus waited until he heard the door swing shut and the lock click back into place before he peeked out from behind the tower of Cockroach Clusters.

All clear. Sirius informed him, and gave him a mental thump on the back for his quick thinking.

"That was a bit too close for my liking." Remus grimaced as he pulled open the trapdoor once more and lowered himself inside.

Ah, but tis the life of brave, noble Marauder.

Remus rolled his eyes and ignored him, feeling his way through the tunnel and wondering if James and Peter had already made it safely back with their box of stolen goods.

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Snape was strolling down the third floor corridor, breathing a bit hard from escaping Filch for the third time that day. The man had been loonier than usual, lunging out at students in the hallways and demanding that they return Mrs. Norris. Just a short while ago, he had jumped in front of Severus and grabbed him by the shoulders with alarming strength, asking where he had hidden his beloved cat. It had taken all six and a half years of Severus's Wizarding-training to shake off the rabid caretaker and sprint away. He found himself slowing to a stop to catch his breath on the third floor when he turned the corner and saw Remus Lupin fall from the back of the statue of a one-eyed Witch.

Another loony, was the first thought that came to mind, but he only glowered and continued walking, proceeding to ignore the other boy altogether. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Remus clambered to his feet and patted his robes. He looked up to see Severus and offered him a tentative smile.

Severus scowled in return.

Remus fixed him with a look of horrification, as though he'd grown a beak. It took a moment for Severus to realize that Remus was not directing his stare at him, but at some point beyond his shoulder. He turned in bewilderment with a swish of his cloak and snarled.

Filch was pelting down the corridor Severus had just traveled and was heading straight for them, arms outstretched and eyes bulging rather repulsively.

God damn FUCK. Severus whipped out his wand. He'd had enough of this wild goose chase; if Filch was going to keep up his pursuit, Severus would show him the consequences of irritating a trained wizard who didn't particularly care for detentions.

A hand closed around his wrist and another yanked his wand away. Severus spluttered, about to round on his second offender, when he felt himself being yanked backwards into the deserted classroom next to the one-eyed Witch.

Remus threw him inside, slammed the door shut and began casting protective charms with Severus's wand. Severus was too stunned to move from the floor.

When Remus had finished barricading the door, he was panting almost as hard as Severus had when he'd escaped Filch's grasp.

"Here." Remus tossed Severus's wand back to him. "I'm pretty sure we're safe, but you'll want that anyway."

Remus collapsed on the floor next to him, panting and wiping sweat from his face. Severus turned himself away and felt a nerve twitch under his eye when a loud crunch shook the door. That must've been Filch.

He was proved correct a moment later when fists could be heard banging desperately on the door and Filch howled like a wolf. "COME OUT! COME OUT! I KNOW YOU HAVE HER! GIVE HER BACK! GIVE ME BACK MRS. NORRIS!"

Severus snarled.

"We don't have her!" Remus shouted, clutching his wand before him.

"LIES! ALL LIES! I KNOW YOU HAVE HER IN THERE! YOU WOULDN'T BE HIDING IF YOU WEREN'T HOLDING HER HOSTAGE!"

"You heard the bloke!" Severus barked. "We don't have your stupid cat!"

Remus whipped around to stare at him, surprise written all over his face.

Severus tried to ignore his look. "And we wouldn't be blockading ourselves in if it weren't for your unending harassment." He added for good measure.

"LIES! LIES…lies…" The banging died down to a forlorn scratching at the door. "Where is my pretty? My darling Mrs. Norris, who would take you away from a poor bloke like me."

Severus snorted.

Remus chuckled.

They both watched the door in silence until the scratching and the wailing disappeared.

Remus hesitated. "Do you think he's still there?"

Severus got to his feet and headed for the door. He wrenched it open and felt a relief he did not visibly show. "He's gone."

He watched as Remus breathed a sigh of relief and climbed up from the floor as well. "Sorry about earlier." Remus gave him a small, apologetic smile as he passed him to the door. "I know you meant it as self-defense, but the detention wouldn't have been worth it."

Severus said nothing.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in class then." Remus turned and left.

Severus wanted to do the same, but he remained rooted as the other boy walked away rubbing his shoulder, sore from the barrage of spell-casting. He wasn't sure what to think. He knew James Potter would have framed him, just for the hell of it. He knew Peter Pettigrew would have deserted him. And Sirius Black-if he were still around-would have blocked him outside the door with Filch.

A month ago, he would've expected Remus Lupin to pull a Peter Pettigrew. A week ago, he would've expected him to mimic either James Potter or Sirius Black. Today, he thought he was screwed.

He was wrong on all three counts. And, as he swept away to the Slytherin Dungeons to ensure that Filch wouldn't find him a fifth time, he supposed he didn't mind being slightly off the mark this once.

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

"I suppose I don't mind being wrong this time." Remus popped a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

You were lucky. Sirius countered. He could've done a lot of things to you. Snape is more than capable.

"He's a competent wizard," Remus agreed as he admired James perform a particularly low swoop on his broom to wave to him, a jelly slug hanging from his mouth. Sirius made a noise of humorous disgust. Peter was chugging along like a toy train, four feet in the air.

They were outside on the Hogwarts' field, enjoying the last bit of dusk before the sky turned a complete pitch black. Remus lay next to their crate of sweets, slowly savoring his inauguration and watching James and Peter soar about on their brooms. Well, James was.

"I don't think he's inherently evil though. Just a bit closed off." Remus concluded, reaching for another Bean.

His face says otherwise.

"Looks can be deceiving." Remus smiled knowingly.

"Rem!" James executed a perfect landing behind Remus, just barely scraping Remus with his feet as he passed over him. He swung his leg off the broom and handed it to him. "Give it a try."

"What?" Remus dropped his bag of Flavored Beans and rolled over to stare at James.

"C'mon, give it a try." James repeated, grinning. He was a little breathless as he plopped down in the grass beside him and grabbed a package of Cockroach Clusters. "Get some exercise and stop hogging the food."

"But I've never ridden in my life!" Remus exclaimed fearfully, putting a protective hand over his beans as James made a grab for them. "I skipped every riding lesson in first year by telling them I was sick."

"You passed up flying for the Hospital Wing?" James was incredulous. "You, my friend, have been missing out on the best part of life."

There was a lot that Remus had missed out on, yes, but zooming around sixty-feet in the air on a flimsy stick with some hay attached at the end? No, he would say that wasn't one of them.

Try it. Sirius persuaded in his mind. I'll guide you.

"No, Sirius." Remus protested, but he felt his limbs defy his will and pull himself into a standing position. As Sirius used Remus's hand to take the proffered broom from James, the tousled-hair boy beamed up at him.

"Bet you can fly better than Peter." He encouraged. Remus gave a dry laugh. "Go easy on him, Sirius."

Remus watched as Sirius positioned the broom in front of him and threw a leg over it.

"The key to good flying," Sirius imitated Madame Hooch, "is to keep a clear, focused mind and know exactly what you want to do. Think of the broom not as a separate piece but as a part of yourself."

That's difficult. Remus complained. Sirius just threw back his head and laughed.

"You're a top student. This should be a pretty easy concept to grasp. Anyway," Sirius continued, "just point the broom handle where you want to go. Oh, and keep your hands on the broomstick at all times unless your name is Potter or Black."

Sirius kicked off the ground and sailed into the air like a bullet. Remus shrieked and demanded that they land immediately.

"Calm down," Sirius chuckled, slowing down by a modicum. "You're safe with me."

Remus continued to make noises of panic and fear for the next ten minutes until Sirius agreed not to go above fifty-feet in the air. And because Remus fiercely refused to see "just how much greater Sirius's loop-de-loops were compared to Jamie's," they were confined to flying figure eights just high enough to brush the treetops with their feet. Sirius leaned backwards on the broom and craned his neck to face the sky, now dyed several shades of deep purple. For a while, they were content to simply stare at the vast expanse above them in silence.

"Can't remember the last time I did this." Sirius murmured.

Remus tore himself away from the view. "I'm sorry."

He sounded so sincere that Sirius had to smile and shake his head. "I'm happy now-flying like this with you."

Another interval passed in silence, before it was broken by Remus.

"Sirius?" He asked timidly. "Could you…could you tell me what happened?"

"My death?" Sirius cocked his head to the side.

"Yes. You don't have to talk about it-I was just curious-"

"How about I show you?" Sirius murmured softly.

And before Remus could object, they were dropping like a boulder to the ground. Remus screamed and squeezed his eyes shut, expecting certain death. When he didn't feel the crunch of his bones against the ground, he opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of a dark room. He twisted around and could see rain pelting the windows, could hear thunder rolling in the sky.

Where am I?

A flash of lightning streaked past the window, illuminating the room long enough to allow Remus a glimpse of a boy standing on the stairs leading down to the room. A glass lamp flickered to life in the boy's hands. The light threw sharp, jagged shadows over his features, making his dark eyes glitter.

He had black eyes and black hair like Sirius. In fact, he looked a whole lot like Sirius. He had the same thin face, held himself in the same posture, and even shared the same dark scowl. At this moment, the dark scowl was directed at Remus.

"Sirius." He said quietly.

"Regulus." Remus heard himself reply coldly, though he wasn't aware of speaking. Then it hit him: he must be seeing this through the eyes of someone else. Of Sirius. Then this must be Sirius's memory.

"Looking for Mum and Dad?" Regulus leaned on the banister.

"Where's the Muggle hunt." It wasn't a question.

Regulus stared long and hard at him, studying his face before straightening up. "I'll tell you-only because you didn't hand me over to Dumbledore."

"That's Headmaster Dumbledore to you." Remus heard himself snarl.

Regulus shrugged. "Remember the little mudblood girl I was practicing the Cruciatus on?"

Remus felt himself bristle. "Don't tell me-"

"That's right." Regulus looked bored. "I didn't get her because you stopped me by breaking my ribs-"

"You deserved it." Remus heard himself spat.

"-and now Mum and Dad are going to pay her house a little visit."

Horror washed over Remus.

The scowl on Regulus Black's face turned to a malicious smile. "You can go if you want, but don't blame me if you come back looking like this-" He parted the front of his silk bathrobe with one hand and revealed a heavily bandaged chest and stomach.

Remus felt rage surge through his body and blind him. The next thing he knew, he was soaring through the icy night air on a broomstick. He spotted a house in the distance with bright flashes of green and red light exploding over it. He quickly descended, landed roughly on the grass, and threw aside the broom. Then he was hurdling through the trees, panting, praying, hoping-

A Stunner shot past his nose. Remus felt himself shoot one back at the attacker. He heard a scream and knew the man had fallen. Rushing to the man's side, he tore the Death Eater mask from his face and placed it over his pale, sweaty features. He snatched up the other's wand as well and sprinted in the direction where his attacker had come from.

He burst out of the brush to see the house in wrecks: windows were broken, doors were unhinged, and parts of the walls were either scorched or blasted open. Remus looked around and saw two men and a woman clad in pajamas and bathrobes, waving their wands in battle against the hooded figures of the Death Eaters. A frightened girl was cowering behind the porch, clutching her little brother. Both were openly crying in fear.

Remus pulled his own hooded cloak tighter around himself and made for the children. He needed to get them out of here first.

Suddenly, a short, pudgy Death Eater emerged in the doorway behind the girl and her brother, dragging in one hand what appeared to be the family dog and cackled wildly. The hooded figure swayed-probably intoxicated, Remus guessed.

"Latimer!" The girl screamed, letting go of the little boy with one hand to grab the creature.

The Death Eater lashed out with his foot, kicking her in the face. She fell, letting go of her little brother who jumped up with a frightened wail and ran down the porch.

"Tommy!" The girl cried.

The woman clad in her bathrobe who was busy warding off a fresh wave of spells directed at her turned at the cry, her heart-shaped face the very epitome of terror. "Beatrix! BEHIND YOU!"

Remus lifted his wand and cursed the Death Eater, who howled in pain and clutched at his eyes, dropping his wand and staggering into a patio table. As some of the nearby Death Eaters turned in surprise, Remus dashed for the girl, scooping up Tommy as he ran.

"I'm here to help you!" He shouted as Beatrix struggled against him. "Take your brother and leave! And the dog! Get away from here!"

The girl stopped thrashing to turn her tear-stained face on him. "I c-can't! My parents-"

"I'll take care of them! Go!" Remus shouted. He pulled the wand he'd taken out of his pocket and thrust it in her shaking hands.

"Nobody's going anywhere." A cool, female voice said from behind them. Remus turned. One word ran through his mind.

Mum.

The woman standing a few feet away had her mask off and her wand drawn. On either side of her stood two other masked figures, poised for battle.

Remus shoved Tommy into Beatrix's arms and shielded them with his body. "Move." He snapped.

The pretty face of Mrs. Black twisted into a wry smile. "Make me."

And Remus did. He lashed out with his wand, again, again, and again. But the raven-haired lady blocked them all down with a flourish of her arm.

"You call that spell-casting?" She laughed-a high, cold sound. As if to demonstrate her point, she flicked her wand at Remus and he felt the lower half of his mask explode, cutting into his cheeks. He hurried to cover his bleeding face. He couldn't afford to let her know who she was attacking.

"Please."

Remus turned to look behind him.

"Please." Beatrix whispered, staring up at him with Tommy in her lap and clutching the stolen wand in her hand as though it were a foreign object. "Please don't let them kill us, please. I can't die-I can't. I've g-got to attend Hogwarts, I've got to t-take care of Tommy and Latimer and Mum and Dad-"

A spell whizzed dangerously past Remus's head. He whipped around, clenching his teeth under his hand.

"Where are you looking?" Mrs. Black drawled, arms crossed over her chest.

I can't let them die.

Mrs. Black lifted one hand lazily. Her lips parted to form a curse.

They have something to live for. They have a family. A future.

Her lips formed the first word. Her wand arched, as if in slow motion, in a half-circle.

My pointless existence for their future.

Remus leaped off the porch as the red lips formed their second word and the wand obeyed their command and a jet of bright green shot from the tip. Remus slashed his wand in a diagonal line downward and he felt a wild, grim satisfaction as a gash sliced across her chest, sending an arch of blood spraying through the air.

Then the Avada Kedavra hit him.

He felt his hand slip away from his face. The mask fell. He felt the drops of her blood splatter on his skin. He saw her look of horrified shock as he hit the ground, and he would've smiled if he could have. Somewhere in the background, he heard Beatrix's strangled cry.

Seems a pretty fair trade to me.

And everything went dark.

Someone was calling him, from very far away. Their voice was so soft, it sounded as though they were standing a Quidditch field away.

"Remus…"

He groaned.

"Remus, talk to me. Wake up."

He didn't want to move.

Then he felt a sharp slap across the face.

Remus jumped up and his eyes snapped open. He was lying on Hogwarts' grassy field, shaded by the night sky. James and Peter were peering into his face, twin looks of worry decorating their features. Then he remembered what happened. The girl. Mrs. Black.

"Beatrix!" He gasped, trying to get to his feet. "Beatrix! Where is she? Where did she go!"

"What are you talking about, mate?" James grabbed his shoulders and wrestled him down. Peter grabbed his flailing legs. "Calm down!"

"NO!" Remus thrashed harder, shoving at James. "MOVE! I NEED TO FIND HER! AND TOMMY! THE DEATH EATERS! THEY ATTACKED HER! THEY-"

"STOP THAT!" James bellowed into Remus's face, panic wrinkling his brow. "There are no Death Eaters here!"

"Yes! Yes, there are-" Remus struggled into a sitting position and tried to point in the direction of the house. He found himself pointing at the Forbidden Forest. A few hooded figures were watching them from the very edge of the woods.

James followed his stunned look and sought them out with his Seeker eyes. He cursed, whipped out the Marauder's Map and tapped it. The lines of ink spread across the parchment and three dots by the Forbidden Forest read "Lucius Malfoy," "Bellatrix Lestrange," and "Augustus Rookwood."

He relaxed. "It's just those idiots."

But Remus wasn't listening. He was grasping his head between both hands, calling frantically for Sirius-

Talk to me! What happened to her?!

Sirius was silent.

Please, tell me she's okay! Sirius, don't ignore me!

James pulled Remus's hands away and forced his chin up. "Breathe." He commanded.

Remus took a shaky breath.

"Now, exhale."

Remus let the breath out.

"Good." The look of alarm lifted from James's face. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Remus instinctively reached for his face. His fingers met smooth, unscathed skin. "I guess not…what happened?"

"You fell off your broom." Peter squeaked, still looking rather alarmed. "You were just flying with your head thrown back and all of a sudden you faltered and fell."

Remus rubbed his temples. It was all too much to take in.

"C'mon," James put an arm around his middle and lifted him up with Peter's help. "Let's get you to Madame Pomfrey's."

"I don't want to."

"And I don't care."

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Lucius turned and stepped into the forest, a look of glee pasted on his face. "Looks like the top student of Hogwarts can't even do something as simple as flying a broom."

Bellatrix and Augustus chuckled as they followed him.

They walked until the woods parted into a clearing where the moonlight spilled across the bare ground. Two hooded men were standing at the edge, apparently waiting for their appointment. One of them stepped forward into the moonlight and lowered his hood. "Lucius." He said.

"Father." Lucius replied, giving the man a respectful bow. He nodded towards the other hooded figure. "Mr. McQuillen. It's a pleasure to see you again."

The man grunted. He stepped into the moonlight as well, removing his hood and displaying a badly scarred face. An eye-patch covered what Lucius assumed was once a functioning, right blue eye. No matter. The piercing stare the left one delivered more than made up for the loss.

McQuillen rubbed the stubble on his chin. "You've got quite a son there, Octavius. And those other two are?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange and Augustus Rookwood." Lucius replied smoothly.

Bellatrix pulled down her hood and looked up at the two adults with admiration, pushing her black hair behind on ear. "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance." Augustus murmured the same and bowed deeply.

McQuillen gave them both looks of approval.

"Well, then." Octavius drawled. "To business."

Lucius's face split into a smirk and he nodded. "Please follow me, gentleman."

He led them through the clearing, into the thick woods, and continued to walk for several minutes until they reached another clearing. This one was unlike the first, however. Here, the trees surrounding the area arched their branches to form a network above the clearing and blocked out the moonlight. In the middle of the clearing was a gigantic hole that looked like it might have been made by a monster of some sort.

"This is where it lives." Lucius gestured to the hole.

"Lucius suggested this alternative to me just today." Octavius spoke. "It appears that he discovered it today while attending Care of Magical Creatures."

"The professor turned loose a batch of Guinea Weasels and the students were required to capture them with specific materials." Lucius elaborated. "Ours escaped into the forest and lead us to this beauty."

"Lucius believes that using it will make the plans of penetrating Hogwarts' defensive wall much easier."

"What exactly lives in there?" McQuillen stepped up to take a closer look.

"Careful," Lucius warned. "It's quite vicious."

"And how do you plan on taming this "vicious" creature?" McQuillen fixed his one, lightning blue eye on Lucius's grey ones.

Lucius beckoned to Bellatrix and Augustus, who stepped up with two boxes in their arms. Augustus opened his and pulled out a petrified Mrs. Norris with disgust. Bellatrix took out a glass jar containing a bright, fiery purple fire.

McQuillen instantly snapped to attention. "Is that what I think it is?" His deep voice held an air of excitement.

"Aphrodite's Fire." Lucius smiled triumphantly. "The very flames that will put the plan into action and make the attack on Hogwarts a success."

A/N: IT WASN'T ME, IT WAS THE INTERNET. I came home on Friday and found my internet as dead as cold turkey. It stayed that way for the rest of the night and I couldn't post this up, as many times as I tried. TT I'm sorry, guys. But at least it worked today. And I hope the fact that this chapter is the longest yet will have made up for the lost time. I have a few questions for you though, my pretty ones: 1) I want to know if anyone feels that I'm giving Peter too little of a role. I wasn't trying to but it feels like I'm neglecting him. 2) What did you think of Ellery and Knox? If you liked them-or, well, didn't hate them-I'm thinking of bringing those two back a few more times (it gets tough dragging out new characters every time). That's all. Oh, and uh, in real life, I'm having semester finals next week, so chapter eight will be postponed to either next Sunday or next Monday. I'd rather write GitB than study, I assure you, but I can't afford to fail Calculus. weeps bitterly My math skills are just barely able to fill a teaspoon. Sometimes, I even wonder how I got into that class, gahahahahaha:'D Well, thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter (I got a real kick out of writing it) and see you all next time!

Toodles,

Raenef