A/N: I AM ALIVE! Yes, I am. I am so sorry for the long wait for this very short chapter. I have not had a computer, nor access to one that I could have enough time to write a new chapter on. But now I have a new (used) computer to update with! I have to give a HUGE shout out to excessivelyperky! You are an amazing friend and the reason this chapter was able to get so quickly after getting a new computer. You are wonderful, and this chapter is dedicated entirely to you!

Dumbledore was at his wit's end!

He had been busy with running the school, but the absence of his phoenix hadn't gone unnoticed. The first year it was easy to hide Fawkes disappearance, since he was known to be an independent phoenix. So just saying that he was out hunting, or doing what he wanted was easy, at first. Now, he was having trouble staving off the questions. He wasn't sure what to do. Fortunately, his reputation was such that no one tried to question too closely, especially when he gazed at them over his half-moon spectacles, making them feel as if they were doing something wrong by questioning him.

"The bloody bird must have shed his compulsion charms thrice over by now," Dumbledore grumbled. He was pacing around his office, with the previous headmasters watching him. Knowing what Dumbledore had done, but being bound by the magic to be loyal to the current headmaster, there was nothing they could say to anyone aside from Dumbledore. And time had shown that Dumbledore would not listen to anything they said, so they just stayed silent.

A knocking on the door stopped his pacing. Cursing himself for not paying attention to the monitoring charms to let him know who was on his stairs, Dumbledore sped to his desk to sit down, and then called out for the unknown person to come in.

"Ah, Minerva, my dear, how can I help you?" Dumbledore questioned his Deputy and Transfiguration Professor.

"I was wondering if you had heard anything of the Potters? I haven't heard from them since… J-James..." Minerva stuttered over her former pupil's name, still getting choked up thinking about his death, even after almost a year.

Dumbledore allowed his head to drop. He was truly upset at the loss of James, but not for the same reasons as Minerva was. James and Lily were supposed to die together, leaving him control of young Harry. While no action had been taken by Voldemort as of yet, Dumbledore was still convinced that either Mr. Potter or young Mr. Longbottom were the child that the prophecy spoke of. Unfortunately, after the death of Sirius and James, Frank's wife, Alice, put her foot down against Frank going on any more raids. And Augusta, Frank's mother, supported her daughter-in-law. They were hidden; Albus supposed at Longbottom Manor, but he couldn't remember where it was located. That could only mean that Augusta had probably redone the Fidelius, and knowing that stubborn old maid, she probably made herself the secret keeper. Augusta had never fallen into worshiping Dumbledore, unfortunately for him.

And she was a true lion when it came to protecting her family. Dumbledore would have admired that strength if it wasn't working against his overall plan.

"Albus?"

"I'm sorry, my dear," He muttered. "The loss of Mr. Potter, along with Mr. Black, still hits a little too close to home. But to answer your question, I have no heard from Ms. Evans, and any owl I send out cannot seem to find them. I have to say that I am rather surprised that she has not responded to the stories in the Prophet."

"What do you think it means, Albus?" Minerva questioned. "You don't think that…?"

"As I haven't heard anything from Voldemort, I highly doubt that he has managed to find them. I am assuming that after Mr. Potter's death, Ms. Evans must have recast the Fidelius," Dumbledore reassured Minerva, while wondering who she could have used as a secret keeper. Mr. Pettigrew was still missing, and Dumbledore wondered if he had been found out. Not by the Potter's, because they obviously would have approached him with that information. But, Voldemort was not known for his patience, and Albus couldn't help but think that Mr. Pettigrew was a casualty of that temper.

"You-Know-Who has been rather quiet since we sent out that rescue team, don't you think?"

"Yes, and it worries me for what it might mean," Dumbledore confided, a bit lost in thought. "It has been several months, and while I am happy that nothing has happened, it has me fearing that Voldemort is planning something bigger, not wanting a repeat of the loss he suffered. He may be a terrible wizard, Minerva, but there is no denying his brilliance."

"I hope her and that bairn are alright," Minerva sighed, her scottish accent becoming more pronounced. "Why haven't you sent Fawkes out to her? Or to Mr. Lupin? I am sure that where ever Lily is, Remus is not far behind. But I haven't seen Fawkes in a while, come to think of it. Where have you been hiding him, Albus? We could all do with some of his wonderful singing to cheer us up in these dark times."

Dumbledore grimaced at her mention of Fawkes, not unseen by McGonagall. "You know phoenixes, Minerva. I can't tell him what to do, or where to go. I am positive that he will show back up when we need him most," Dumbledore finished in his best grandfatherly voice.

"If you say so, Albus," McGonagall replied, not entirely convinced.

Something she said earlier resonated within Dumbledore. "My dear, did you say Mr. Lupin was with Ms. Evans?"

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least. Lily was always closer to Remus while they were in school. After all, he was Prefect with her and they were both so studious. I only wished it had rubbed off more on the other ones. And now that J-james and Sirius are gone, I would wager that Remus has all but a permanent sticking charm on him, attaching him to Lily and young Harry. They are all the family he has left, after all. But, without being able to contact Lily to ask her, we won't know."

"Thank you, Minerva. You have just given me a wonderful idea." With that, Albus reached into his desk to grab a fresh piece of parchment.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing, Albus?"

"Writing a letter to Mr. Lupin in the hopes that it will find it's way to him, and he can then relay a message along to Ms. Evans." Dumbledore didn't even look up from his desk, and McGonagall took the hint.

"I will leave you to it, Albus. Please send Lily my regards." With that, she turned back to the door and left the office.

Albus finished the rather short letter, and left his office shortly after McGonagall to head up to the Owlery, hoping that this letter would find it's target.

Severus watched from near the door as Remus drank down the steaming goblet filled with the potion of Severus's design. He watched apathetically as Remus made a face at the taste of the potion after finishing the goblet. Severus allowed a small smirk to cross his face at the thought that sugar rendered the potion useless. The smirk disappeared when he thought about the wasted batch of potion that turned to tar seconds after the sugar was stirred in.

"Remember, Lupin, I will be watching and keeping track of how long it takes you to transform, how long you sleep, how long to try to escape, etc. I need to make complete notes before I can send this off to be patented."

"It's not a problem, Severus. If we have to do more tests without the potion in my system, that will be fine. I want this to succeed as much as you do. I know you don't believe it, but this potion gives me hope," Remus smiled in Severus's direction. "It already makes the transformation more bearable."

"Stop being so sappy and just get on with it," Severus barked, before leaving the room and shutting the door. He then hit it with every locking and security spell he knew of, not wanting a rampaging werewolf on the loose in his house.

Walking to the adjacent room, and looking through the charmed one way wall, Severus prepared himself for a long, sleepless night of watching one of his worst nightmares come to life. Fawkes trilled softly to him, flaming in to keep him company during the night. The bird had taken a liking to Severus, to his consternation, and liked to spend a lot of time in his company. While he would never admit it, Severus appreciated the phoenix sitting with him on these nights. Settling down in his chair, he couldn't help but think back to the months ago when he received Lupin's positive reply to his request for help.

Severus watched as Democles flew back through the open window in the kitchen with a letter tied to his leg. Against his wishes, his heart sped up in anticipation of what waited within the letter.

"That's a good boy, Democles. Go take a well-deserved rest. I might have another letter for you to send out, but that can wait until the morning," Severus said softly, as he gave the owl a grateful scratch. Democles leaned into his master's fingers, before taking wing and flying to his perch in the corner, tucking his head under his wing when he was settled.

Sighing softly, Severus prepared himself for the worst and opened the letter. He was surprised to see how quick Lupin agreed to help him, though he didn't know what he was helping him with just yet. But he was willing to hear him out, which gave Severus great relief. But, he wanted to bring along Lily. The thought of that sent pains through Severus's chest. Did he really want to see Lily? Would Lily insist on bringing Potter with her? The letter only mentioned Lily and Potter's spawn. Why would Lupin feel the need to invite them along?

Crushing the letter in his fist, Severus was tempted to bag the whole operation. What made him think that Lupin would be willing to help without inviting a whole bloody party to the event? Why did he even reach out to Lupin in the first place. Surely, he was better off putting an advertisement in the Prophet looking for werewolves?

Sighing, Severus reined in his temper, knowing that Lupin was his only chance. Better the werewolf he knew than the one he didn't. And, after scanning the letter again, it's not as if Lupin was demanding Lily come along. He was just asking, so Severus did have the right to refuse. And, if he was honest with himself, he did want to see Lily again. Just to make sure she was safe. Severus still had nightmares about Dumbledore getting his hands on her.

Groaning, Severus's head fell into his hands. Why did he torture himself so? He knew Lily would never leave Potter. She had his brat for Merlin's sake! But he still couldn't resist her. He still couldn't say no to seeing her, if only for a second. And if it meant putting up with Potter, he would, for her. Always.

Placing the crumpled letter down and grabbing a fresh piece of parchment, Severus paused, thinking of the best place to meet. Somewhere on the muggle side, that was for certain. He didn't venture into the wizarding world unless he had to. He knew both sides of the war wanted to use him. He wasn't about to become anyone's pawn. Thinking a loud, noisy place would be best for not being overheard, Severus was thinking a place such as a muggle pub or restaurant would be best. Sighing, Severus began the letter.

Remus Lupin,

I do have to say that your affirmative response has surprised me. I would think that meeting in the muggle world would be safer, and more convienant, for both of us. I was thinking the restaurant located right off of Main Street on the left side in London. The reservation will be under Prince. You may bring Lily if you wish. The smaller the group, the better, so as not to be remembered, though. The reservation will be for six o'clock tomorrow evening. I will see you then, and will explain what is needed.

S.S

Satisfied with the letter, he tied it to his owl's leg. "Fly safe, my friend." Severus gave Damocles a scratch, and watched as he flew out of the open window. Once he was out of sight, Severus turned around to get ready for tomorrow evening.

He would never admit it, even under duress, but his heart was pounding. He wasn't sure how to feel about meeting with Lupin and, possibly, seeing Lily tonight. Hoping they took the hint and left Potter and Black at home with the whelp. He had been waiting for about 15 minutes now, though he had expected that, showing up a half an hour early. He knew Lily prided herself on her punctuality, and fully expected her to show up early, if she was coming, that is.

"Yes, we are here to meet someone. Yes, we have a reservation. The name is..." He heard a deep male voice trail off, and couldn't bring himself to look yet.

"Prince."

She came.

With that, Severus stood up, pulling out the chair across from him. Finally, he glanced at the couple walking his way.

She hadn't changed, was Severus's first thought. From her hair to her eyes, she was still the same Lily he knew and loved. Age and stress had caused a couple of lines to show on her face, but she was still beautiful. His second thought was that she brought the brat with her. Lupin was holding the toddler while Lily was carrying the bag that held only Merlin knew what.

"Severus!" Lily gasped loudly, before running to give him a hug. He stood stiffly, before reaching around to pat her on the back. She leaned back and had the audacity to giggle at him! She started talking rapidly as she took the baby from Remus and sat down.

"Oh, Severus, you haven't changed. You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you. I have missed you so, and we have been so worried about you. I couldn't help but worry with everything going on, and then with James..."

"Yes, how is Potter? I see he understood the need to keep our meeting as small as possible. Was he too busy to watch his child as well?" Severus broke in, before Lily could start again. But, he couldn't help that he did something wrong, for when he mentioned Potter, Lily's face went white, and her eyes started glistening wetly, while Lupin's gaze went to the table, as if the tablecloth was the most fascinating article ever.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Lily murmured. "Obviously, you don't know." She paused to take a deep breath, before meeting Severus's curious gaze. "James and Sirius both died. Remus and Sirius were captured, and held prisoner. Wait, let me finish," she said, holding up a hand when Severus opened his mouth to speak.

"When we finally found where they were being held, James went to help his friends, as I knew he would. But there was a struggle. Both James and Sirius were killed in the battle."

"James died protecting me," Remus whispered, still looking down.

A moment of silence passed. The waiter came to ask what they would like to drink, then left to get them water as requested, along with a high chair for the toddler. Severus cleared his throat, then turned back to Lily, thinking that Remus's request for Lily coming along made sense now.

"I cannot say how sorry I am for your loss. I know you loved him, and as much as Black and I didn't get along, I would have never wished that kind of death on him. You have my condolences." He placed his hand on her arm, while she sniffled and wiped her eyes of the couple tears that made an escape. Harry seemed to sense his mother's melancholy, for he was very quiet.

"Thank you, Severus. So I hope you don't mind me coming along with Remus and bringing Harry with me. I just hate being away from Remus now, not knowing if he is safe or not. And I have been worried about you, though I am so relieved that you left when you did. I couldn't imagine my worry if you were still in his ranks."

"Yes, well," Severus said uneasily, not sure how to respond. Fortunately, Remus seemed to sense this, and spoke up.

"What is it that I can help you with, Severus? I have to say that the curiosity has been plaguing me," Remus remarked, taking a sip of his water. At that point, the waiter came back to take their orders, and Lily got Harry settled into the high chair.

"I think it's best to wait until our food has arrived, so that we may talk a little more privately."

With that, they fell into a conversation that was not exactly comfortable, but wasn't terribly awkward as well. Lily would ask questions of Severus, which he would answer and then ask some questions in return. Remus would make a remark now and then. A chuckle or two could even be heard coming from the table a few times.

After their food was delivered, Lily went around helping Harry with his, while Severus waved his wand discreetly, putting up a mild privacy spell, just enough to discourage others from bothering them, or trying to listen in.

"I am not sure how to come out and say this, Lupin," Severus started, "but I believe that I have come up with a potion that may help with your lycanthropy."

A/N: And I will end with that. I know it's short, but it's better than nothing. I am trying to go back through my story, to tie up some loose ends that I have left open. So far, I have felt that my story has been jumping around all over the place. I was just so excited to get a computer back that I wanted to get a chapter out first thing, but hope from here on out, I can take a little more time so that I can focus on the story and try to answer all the unanswered questions that I have written into the story. So I am going to take the time to reread it, so I can try to get the feel of where I would like to bring this story. I know the ending I want, but the journey of getting there is what I have to work on.

Thanks again to excessivelyperky! She is amazing and continually offered her support and help in what ever way she could. She is what gave me the drive to finish what I have started! P.S. If you're reading this, it means that the different OS is compatible enough to work! YAY!