So this is it, everyone. This is the final chapter! We made it! It is, once again, all Remus' POV. I hope you enjoy it!

Part Six

As Remus – in his Rabastan disguise – passed through the second floor corridor on his way to the Slytherin common room, he attempted to walk in a manner he expected Rabastan would. He was from a pureblood family very closely related to Sirius' in both blood and mannerisms. He tried to embody the way Sirius acted when he had first arrived at Hogwarts. He threw his shoulders back, held his head high and took wide steps. He thought – hoped – he exuded the kind of aristocratic arrogance he had seen in Sirius on more than one occasion.

As he entered the entrance hall, he spotted a Slytherin he would have hated to meet on any other occasion – Regulus Black. He smiled to himself as he neared the boy. "Black!" he called in a mildly demanding tone.

Regulus turned sharply, looking annoyed. When he saw who had called him, his face softened slightly. "What is it, Rabastan?" he asked, sounding merely indifferent.

"I'm looking for my brother," Remus said, standing before Regulus in his tallest stance. "Have you seen him?"

Regulus looked at him curiously. "Don't you have class right now?" he inquired.

Remus laughed as cold a laugh as he could manage. "You have not answered my question, and that is not your concern."

Regulus shrugged. "He's in the common room." He paused, and Remus was sure he saw his eyes roll. "Would you like me to get him for you?"

It almost pained Remus to see Regulus submit to his every whim. Did all the purebloods tied to the Black family treat him this way? It was no wonder Sirius had gotten away from it all. It was as though the youngest Black were nothing more than a servant to his elders. But Remus could not let the opportunity slip past. "I would certainly like that, Regulus, yes."

Regulus nodded once before turning towards the dungeons. Several long and tedious minutes later, he returned with Rodolphus. He nodded once more to each of the Lestrange brothers before returning to the dungeons alone.

"Don't you have class?" Rodolphus Lestrange inquired as he peered at Remus with scrutiny. His arms were folded defensively across his chest, his eyes narrowed accusingly.

Remus nodded but waved the comment aside. "I've discovered something important," he said, trying to convey the honesty of the statement through Rabastan's eyes while simultaneously maintaining his Pureblood demeanor. He took a step closer to Rodolphus. The boy still looked very angry. Remus greatly regretted not doing further research on the relationship between the two Lestrange brothers. At this point, he decided it would be easier for them both if he got this conversation over with swiftly. "I have heard things, Rodolphus," he said quietly, "Things you will not want to hear."

Finally, Remus appeared to have gained his 'brother's' attention. Rodolphus studied him with a look of frustrated curiosity. "What things?" he inquired warily, an eyebrow cocked skeptically.

"Rodolphus," Remus began, trying to sound crass and caring all in one word. How exactly does a Lestrange experience a heartfelt moment? He was sure they were not common. He creased his eyebrows in sympathy, while keeping the rest of his composure hard and cold. "I come to you as your brother. I have heard things about Bellatrix." Remus said carefully. "Things I would never have believed had I not seen them for myself." He paused, waiting for a reaction. Rodolphus simply looked angrier – and more skeptical. Remus had to make him believe this. "She is being unfaithful," he declared boldly. "I have seen it myself."

Immediately, fury exploded on Rodolphus' face. He grabbed Remus by the collar of his robes and roughly shoved him into a wall. "You lie!" he spat into Remus' face as the air around them crackled with magic. Remus' heartbeat doubled as he was pinned to the stone. He had not anticipated a violent reaction, though he certainly should have. He held his wand tightly in his pocket – just in case. A small part of his rational mind wished he had allowed Sirius to come.

Looking directly into Rodolphus' eyes, trying to imitate the anger he saw in them, he cried, "I swear it! I have seen her!"

Slowly, Rodolphus released him. He almost looked like he meant to apologize. Instead, he paced several steps away from Remus, his hand covering his eyes. "I should not have lost my temper," he mumbled to himself before coming to a stop. It was clear to Remus that Rodolphus Lestrange saw himself as a mentor to his younger brother. He never intentionally hurt him. Remus was thankful for that. Rodolphus returned to Remus, looking at him calmly. His voice was dangerous when he spoke. "If I learn that you have lied to me, Rabastan, you will be sorry."

Remus swallowed hard, but nodded in response. Rodolphus nodded once in acknowledgement of his brother. It was sad, even for Remus, to watch a man as strong and as feared as Rodolphus Lestrange lose his composure. Remus was confident that this side of Rodolphus was seen by no one else. His hands scrubbed down the sides of his face as he mumbled under his breath for several seconds. When he eventually turned his attention back to Remus, his expression was pained. For the first time, Remus looked at him and saw a human being.

"What do I do, Rab?" Rodolphus inquired desperately.

Remus is relieved. He can work with this. "Get your own proof," he advised. "See it for yourself then confront her." Rodolphus did not speak for several moments as Remus explained and fabricated the tale of how he found out about Bellatrix and what he saw. He advised Rodolphus to skip his eight o'clock Potions tutoring and instead go to the Transfiguration classroom – in which Remus himself was discovered weeks ago. He explained that he himself saw Bellatrix there just last week; that Bellatrix betrayed Rodolphus on several occasions while he is occupied elsewhere. Rodolphus listened adeptly, though Remus could see the anger and frustration brewing just under his skin. When Remus finished, he explained to Rodolphus that they will speak of this no more. Not until after the confrontation, for Rodolphus must see Bellatrix for himself and no one can know that he is aware of what she is doing.

Fearing Rodolphus' state of mental health at that moment, Remus did not mention who it was that Bellatrix was sleeping with. He does not want Rodolphus to murder Lucius Malfoy prematurely. Before taking his leave, Remus placed a firm hand on Rodolphus' shoulder. It is the best comforting gesture Remus can administer without raising suspicions.

Both men left the Entrance hall in opposite directions, Rodolphus heading back to the dungeons while Remus excuses himself back to class. He knew it would not be long now before he turns back into himself. He will be Remus Lupin again by the time he reaches the Gryffindor Tower. The entire way there, he felt very confident that his plan would certainly work. Though, he never imagined he would leave the conversation seeing Rodolphus Lestrange as a real person with emotions and a heart. It was a strange realization. Even the craziest of the Purebloods weren't entirely mad. That was not to say that Rodolphus was not mad. Remus was more than sure that someday Rodolphus would be responsible for terrible deeds, and Bellatrix would be right there beside him the whole way. Remus was not revealing Bellatrix with the hope that she and Rodolphus will split. Things like that just didn't happen to Purebloods. Remus was merely hoping to humiliate Bellatrix and make her life a little bit harder for a while. He grinned widely at the thought.

It was then that he realized his facial muscles were slowly moving upon his skull. He was in mid-transformation back into himself. And he smiled the whole way through. This first phase of his revenge plan had gone flawlessly.

"Sirius! Please bend down! You're a lot taller than me and there's not a lot of room under here!" Remus begged as he and Sirius made the slow descent to the Transfiguration classroom. It had not been easy to convince James that Sirius had more important places to be than Quidditch practice tonight. He was certainly not receptive to the idea; the fact that he was not informed of what Sirius would be doing didn't help matters. As Remus and Sirius left the Gryffindor Tower, they were both sure James thought they were going somewhere for salacious reasons.

They were currently one corridor away from the Transfiguration classroom, and it was nearly eight o'clock. Remus was very confident that Bellatrix and Lucius would be there. He was more than confident that Rodolphus Lestrange would be on his way to see for himself if the accusations against his fiancée are true.

Sirius glanced sideways at Remus, careful not to move the invisibility cloak. "What do you want to bet Rodolphus knocks Malfoy out?" His eyes glazed as he viewed the scene in his head. A smile appeared on his face. "This might be the best thing that has ever happened." Remus chuckled at him, rolling his eyes.

He quickly sobered as they came to the mouth of the corridor they were searching for. Pushing Sirius to the side quietly, Remus began, "You have to be silent, Sirius," he said, holding a threatening finger in his face. "You have to stay by my side no matter what. Taunt her later, Sirius. I mean it." Sirius nodded, but Remus was still wary. He could be such a rash person at times. He couldn't ruin this. Remus had worked too hard. Subtly, he kept his wand pointing towards Sirius through the pocket in his robes. Just in case.

They crept up to the doorway of the Transfiguration classroom. The door was cracked. From what Remus had gathered, that was always a sign that Bellatrix and Lucius were within. She didn't even bother to close the door. Remus shook his head at her foolish assumptions of invincibility. She was in for a very rude shock. He smiled at the thought. He pointed through the crack; Sirius followed his finger.

"That's revolting," Sirius whispered as he glimpsed Bellatrix atop Lucius Malfoy's lap. He covered his mouth as though he might vomit. Remus only nodded, placing a silencing finger over his lips before dragging Sirius away from the doorway. They would watch the events unfold from the other side of the corridor – a safe distance away from the fight they were sure would ensue.

Several minutes later, they heard someone turning the corner at the end of the corridor. Sure enough, it was Rodolphus Lestrange. He already had his wand out and he looked angrier than Remus thought possible of a person; he looked murderous. The closer Rodolphus got to the doorway, the more nervous Remus became. He wasn't sure what was making him nervous. Was it the fight that was sure to come? Or was he nervous for Rodolphus – for what he was about to view? He watched with bated breath as Rodolphus stalked to the doorway. Angry magic crackled around him in a violent symphony. Remus swallowed hard. He knew what was going on behind that door, though he couldn't imagine what was going on inside Rodolphus' head. Something big was coming – something bigger than Remus had anticipated. He glanced sideways. Sirius was grinning like an idiot. Seeing him forced Remus to relax. He had done this for Sirius; it was all for Sirius.

As Rodolphus reached the doorway of the Transfiguration classroom, the crackling reached its crescendo and the door blasted open. Remus jumped at the crash as the door slammed into the stone wall. From within, there came a great shriek. Rodolphus loomed in the doorway. Around him, Remus could see Bellatrix's horrified face as she tried to remove herself from Lucius' lap without making the situation any more scandalous. She was failing miserably. Sirius' smirk grew.

"Rodolphus!" she shouted, as she finally unseated herself. She attempted to straighten her skirt, succeeding only in making it look worse. Remus watched as Rodolphus slowly made his way towards the pair. He silently pointed his wand directly at Lucius Malfoy's throat.

Lucius, who had simply looked baffled before, now looked as though he were about to die tragically. A part of Remus didn't think that was too far off. Quickly, Lucius threw one hand into the air as a way of warding Rodolphus off, while his other hand dug in his pocket for his wand. He was nowhere near quick enough. Rodolphus let out a strangled yell before slashing his wand through the air violently. Lucius flew into the air, his hair flowing behind him in a white cloud. Seconds later, he was thrown across the room. From where he stood, Remus could not see him, but he heard the telltale crash and thud that suggested he had been slammed into the wall before falling to the floor. There was no way he was getting back up anytime soon. A small part of Remus' mind feared Rodolphus had killed him. He waved it off as nonsense. No one could kill someone while still in school… Right?

Rodolphus turned his murderous glare onto his fiancée. She did not look scared or shocked. In fact, she looked angry. Very, very angry. Remus would never, ever understand the Blacks.

"What the fuck was that?" Bellatrix screamed at Rodolphus, pushing him hard in the chest. She had her own wand out pointed threateningly.

Rodolphus simply scrubbed a hand down his cheek, painful emotion clear on his face. He lowered his wand. "How long, Bella?" he asked, his voice strained.

She snarled at him, pacing away from him. "What does it matter!" she hollered when she was on the other side of the classroom, her back turned. "I have to marry you."

Rodolphus visibly slumped. "Is that all this is, then? An arranged marriage." Bellatrix nodded stiffly. "Fine," Rodolphus replied quietly, his demeanor turning to fury once more. He stalked over to her, grabbing her by the throat, his wand tip placed at her temple. "Have your fun, Bellatrix," he snarled, "But your sister will hear about this." He wrenched his hands away from her and turned sharply, storming to the doorway. Bellatrix had not moved an inch. He looked back at her once before whipping around the corner of the doorframe and out of Bellatrix's line of sight.

Remus watched him stalk down the hallway. He felt a great deal of pity for Rodolphus Lestrange at that moment. Rodolphus had been trying to make the best of a situation that was so much less than ideal, and Bellatrix had thrown it in his face. Bellatrix Black was truly as cold as they came. As Remus turned his gaze back to Bellatrix, he found the one thing that seemed to affect her in any way. Her face looked incredibly pained at the last words that dropped from Rodolphus' lips. It was clear that she cared for her sister; the knowledge that she was sleeping with her sister's betrothed was certainly not something she wanted to reach Narcissa Black. She looked horrified as she slumped to the floor, her wand clattering by her side. Remus didn't want to see anymore.

Quietly, he tugged Sirius' arm under the cloak, pointing down the corridor in the opposite way of Rodolphus. Sirius nodded once before taking the lead. When they were two corridors above, they took the cloak off.

"How can she be so awful, Sirius?" Remus asked immediately, looking at his lover in confusion. "How can anyone be so awful? I think Rodolphus really loves her. You should have seen him last night when I spoke to him as Rabastan. She just doesn't care."

Sirius looked down at him sympathetically. "It's not in her nature, Rem. They've been engaged since birth. It has nothing to do with love as far as she's concerned."

Remus was still upset. "I meant to get revenge on her for what she did to you. Instead, I feel like I just hurt Lestrange."

Sirius hugged him close. "Don't worry about that. Lestrange has known it wasn't going to be a great marriage. I don't think he expected her to be cheating on him – least of all with Lucius Malfoy – but he's not an idiot. He grew up with Purebloods. He'll be fine, Rem." Remus nodded as they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. As they passed through the portrait hole, Sirius added a precarious side note: "Trust me, Rem, this will result in humiliation for Bellatrix. It's gone perfectly. You just wait." Mischief glinted in his eye as he looked back at Remus quickly, winking.

Remus watched with amusement a few days later as Rodolphus Lestrange sat pointedly several seats away from Bellatrix Black at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. In the days since the blowout between the two Slytherins, Sirius had successfully convinced (brainwashed) Remus that what he had done had been for the best. Now Rodolphus knew what Bellatrix was doing. It was likely that Narcissa Black knew what her sister had done as well, and Bellatrix was miserable because of it. Somehow, the more Sirius had said it, the more Remus had believed it. Now, when he saw how flustered Bellatrix looked as her fiancée blatantly avoided her, he couldn't help but smile at his handy work. Not to mention the thoroughly bruised appearance of Lucius Malfoy; it was like an added bonus.

He watched curiously as Sirius gently let go of his hand under the table and stood from his seat. He gave Remus a brilliant, devilish smile and a not-so-subtle wink before he proceeded to the Slytherin table. Faces followed him the whole way, most as curious as Remus'. The Slytherins, he could see, were not happy about the intrusion. Remus was sure it was not only his jaw that dropped when Sirius casually plopped himself down next to Bellatrix. A great smile was on his face – a perfect contrast to her glare. Knowing this was what Sirius had been talking about as they walked to the common room on the night Bellatrix had been exposed, Remus quickly found a vacant seat at the Ravenclaw table near Bellatrix and Sirius. At this point, over half the students present in the hall were watching. Remus was sure they were all wondering who would start shooting curses first, Sirius or Bellatrix. Remus prayed to Merlin it didn't go that far.

Sirius was looking at Bellatrix intently, a smile poised nonchalantly on his face. Remus could tell that Bellatrix's jaw was clenched hard in anger. Her lips hardly moved, but Remus still heard her. The entire hall had fallen silent in anticipation for the exchange between the Black cousins. "What do you want?" It was clear that she was fighting a losing battle to keep herself calm.

Sirius' smile broadened. Finally, he spoke. "Where's Rodolpus?" he asked casually, leaning over the table as though he owned it.

Bellatrix's face glowed red with anger. "What do you want?" she repeated, her composure beginning to crumble.

"Oh, that's right!" Sirius stated dramatically, slapping his hand on the table eccentrically, "You two had a bit of a row, didn't you?" He could be described as nothing but amused as Bellatrix's fist clenched dangerously around her wand. She did not reply. Sirius had no problem pushing her further. "I hear Lucius was involved in that, was he not?"

Remus nearly choked on the air he was breathing. He could not believe Sirius had gone there. He now had no doubt in his mind that curses would fly before this was over. Bellatrix turned towards Sirius slowly, making it quite clear that her wand was aimed straight at him. He did not flinch as she spoke with venom. "You know nothing."

Sirius laughed openly – loudly. Every single set of eyes in the Great Hall turned at the noise. He stood from the table gracefully. "I know more than you think." He looked from Bellatrix to Lucius, who was seated at the opposite end of the table trying very hard to become invisible as the conversation turned to include him. Sirius raised his eyebrow suggestively as his gaze met once more with Bellatrix's. She jumped to her feet furiously, pointing her wand directly at Sirius' chest. "You know nothing!" she cried again. At her movement, Remus could no longer stand by. He stood as well, taking his place beside Sirius, his wand raised threateningly. At this Bellatrix laughed madly. Remus ignored her, his wand arm never wavering.

Sirius came to stand between them, looking at Remus meaningfully. Remus understood that Sirius wanted to fight this battle alone. He lowered his wand, but he did not return to his seat. He would be ready to defend Sirius if he had to. As Remus backed off, Sirius turned back to Bellatrix. "Now," said to her confidently, "I think we can call ourselves even." He laughed loudly as he walked away from her, Remus following slowly. As Sirius passed the Ravenclaw table, he shouted back to her mirthfully, "Be more discrete, Cousin. The general population does not take kindly to adulterers." Remus watched in awe as the jaws of the Hogwarts student body crashed to the floor in surprise and realization. Sirius had simply walked away from the havoc with his head held high and a grin planted firmly on his face. Remus was astounded by his confidence in such a situation. It was the Black in him, Remus knew for sure. He couldn't have loved that fact more as he and Sirius exited the Great Hall, their hearts and souls lighter than they had been in months. Remus could not help but break into a grin identical to Sirius'. Finally, Bellatrix Black had gotten exactly what she deserved.

And there it is, it's all over. I hope you enjoyed reading the story, even if you don't feel like dropping a line to let me know. It was great to write and I'm so happy with the completion. Thank you to everyone who read it all the way through!