A/N: Written for a competition over on LJ for the AU team. Could not have been nearly as good—or would not have been nearly as long—without remuslives23 or planetgal471. (Many thanks, ladies!)

Disclaimer: You know the drill: not mine, belong to JKRowling and her minions, have no money worth suing for...

"The gaze of the wolf reaches into our soul."—Barry Lopez

"To look into the eyes of a wolf is to see your own soul—hope you like what you see."—Aldo Leopold

We—the Order of the Phoenix—were completely outnumbered that night in September. James, Lily, Peter, Remus, and I were only three months out of Hogwarts and still learning the Art of Magical Warfare. Alastor Moody had been training us since the end of June, drilling and testing us until we were as weak on our legs as newborn Thestrals. We'd been in a few fights during that time. Nothing could have prepared us for this, however.

The Death Eaters had decided to attack a family in the heart of London. The husband was a half-blood who worked as an Obliviator; The wife was a pure-blood who was the Wizarding ambassador to Belgium. In recent months, the ambassador had begun to use her position to speak out against the Death Eaters' attacks. Voldemort had chosen to make an example of them.

They lived in a neighbourhood crowded with tall, several-storied buildings not far from streets crowded with shoppers, theatre-goers, and diners. When the first spells flew through the air, people scrambled, screaming and panicked, for shelter. We had prepared for the probability that Muggles would be in the area: Lily, Remus, Peter, and Gideon Prewett were in charge of protecting those who couldn't protect themselves from the Death Eaters' fury. The rest of us were to attack the Death Eaters and keep them from completing their mission.

A flurry of spells that were meant to paralyse, Stun, and kill me soon separated me from the rest of the Order. At first, I was so busy countering spells that I didn't notice that I'd been isolated until I found myself hiding behind a car, panting for breath and sweating heavily, despite the cool autumn air.

Maniacal and all-too-recognisable laughter rose above the whining and whistling of spells. I ground my teeth together in frustration. It was Bellatrix who had me trapped. My cousin. My mad cousin.

"Poor widdle Siwius! Won't you come out and play?"

"Fuck off, Bella!" I shouted back as I threw a Stunner at her.

She spat out a word and I swore, seeing my own spell bouncing back at me. I dodged it, but another spell came from seemingly nowhere and slammed into my shoulder, driving me out of the shadow of the car. Bellatrix screamed triumphantly and I heard her shout, "Crucio!" Pain like I've never known smashed into me. Every nerve was aflame; every muscle was contracting, making me contort in ways that a human body should never be pulled.

Over my screams, I heard shouts and explosions...

And then suddenly, the agony disappeared, leaving me sweat-drenched, aching, and limp with exhaustion. The night air was like ice against my skin, soothing and comforting, and I let my cheek press against the cool, wet cobbles of the street.

"Dammit, Sirius! Move!"

It was James' voice, fraught with worry and tension, but I couldn't obey him. I couldn't even budge when I heard Moody's curse-laden order: "Move your bleeding arse, Black!"

Suddenly, a face appeared above me, and though I couldn't tell from that angle, I knew the eyes were blue and full of concern. "Sirius, can you—?"

Remus' question was interrupted by an orange flash. I couldn't see what was coming, but Remus whispered, "Shit!" and let himself drop onto me. A fiery ball flew over us with an eerie whistle. It dissolved into nothingness almost immediately after it passed us, but, from the heat emanating from it, I didn't doubt it would have fried us to a crisp had it hit.

I looked up into the slight glittering that was Remus' eyes and smiled. "You know my rule against shagging my friends, Moony."

It was a weak joke, and completely inappropriate, but tense moments seemed to bring out the worst in my sense of humour.

Remus gave a snort of amusement. "Can you walk?" he asked, casting a quick glance around us.

"Not with you on me," I replied.

"Arse. Let's go." He waved his wand, muttered, "Protego," and then stood, pulling me to my feet and then pressing my weak body against his to keep me upright.

There was an alley—maybe a dragon's-length away—and Remus started to help me in that direction. A Death Eater, probably thinking we were an easy target, rushed out from the shelter of a doorway. With amazing quickness, Remus threw a Stunner at him and I saw the masked figure fall bonelessly to the ground.

Another Death Eater—bloody Bella's husband, Rodolphus, I think—suddenly scurried out of the alley we were heading for and aimed his wand at us. Remus yelled, "Protego!" again as the spell streaked toward us. The purple line of light dissolved into sparks that showered the area around us in a ten foot diameter.

Rodolphus threw another spell at us. I weakly flicked my wand to turn it aside. It passed by us, but just barely.

"There!" Remus shouted, shoving me toward the recessed doorway of an electronics shop. "Go!"

I started to stagger in that direction. Rodolphus fired another spell at Remus who deflected it. Then, I heard the beginning words of a spell and pivoted to look at Rodolphus in shock. The spell was one of Dark magic, something I'd read about in books. It was something that was probably as old as Merlin himself. And my cousin's husband was aiming it at me.

Time slowed to a crawl.

I saw something green, tinged with blue, uncurl from Rodolphus' wand. It swirled, nebulously, in the air between him and me. Then, as if sensing the caster's intent, it surged toward me. I could only stand there, staring at it, unable to move.

I glimpsed motion from the corner of my eye. Suddenly something smashed into me from the side, shoving me into the doorway. I crashed into the door and spun around just in time to see the turquoise light completely engulf Remus.

He froze, as if every muscle had locked into place, and then he fell to the ground.

I heard Lily scream Remus' name, and the fight was renewed with incredible vigour on both sides. I launched myself in my friend's direction, not caring if Rodolphus would be standing there waiting for me. Fortunately, he wasn't; someone had forced him back into the alley again, leaving me time and space to see to Remus. He was starting to move, trying to get up on his knees.

"Remus!" I gripped the shoulder of his jacket and tugged at him.

He turned his head to look at me, baring his teeth.

I jerked my hand back. Under the weak light of the streetlamp nearest us, I could see that his eyes were not their usual blue. They were golden: the colour that belonged to the wolf that lived within Remus.

And then I heard the grumble deep in his chest.

"Oh, bloody hell," I whispered.

He was glaring at me, slowly turning on his hands and knees until he was facing me.

"Remus," I said quietly. "It's me, Sirius."

There was no recognition in the amber eyes. Hell, there was no comprehension at all.

I was vaguely aware of the sounds of Disapparition, but I kept my eyes on the man in front of me. "Remus, say something. Talk to me."

He snarled and my mouth went dry.

"Moony! Padfoot!" James' voice made me jump. I hadn't noticed the pounding of his shoes on the pavement.

Startled, Remus crouched until his chest was almost scraping the concrete, turning to look at James with another warning snarl.

I threw a hand up in James' direction. "Stop, James!"

The volume of my order brought Remus' attention back to me and I hurried to speak more quietly, more soothingly. "It's just James. He's worried. He didn't mean to startle you."

"What's happened?" James gasped.

"It was Rodolphus," I said, trying to keep my tone level. "I think we're going to need Moody, James. Could you, please?" I smiled at Remus. "Right, Moony? Maybe Moody can get you straightened out."

James, smart man, didn't question me at all. Instead, he slowly backed away until we both saw some of the tension leave Remus' body. Then he turned and ran, pausing to yell to Peter and Lily, both now approaching, to stay clear of us.

For the next couple of minutes, I didn't stop talking. I could tell that Remus was uneasy and confused. His eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings and the people standing just outside his comfort range. He did allow me to shift closer to him, and I found that encouraging.

As Moody approached, Remus raised his head and I saw his lips curl away from his teeth.

"No, Remus! It's alright!" I said, stealing a look at the Auror.

He did not look happy in any way. "What spell did Lestrange hit him with?" Moody demanded gruffly.

Remus bristled at the tone and started to edge away from Moody—and also away from me. Without thinking, I reached out and lightly gripped his arm. "No, Moony. Stay."

I should have known better than to grab for him. His reaction was typical of any wounded animal caught in a trap: he yelped and then lunged forward, burying his teeth into my forearm. I was wearing my leather jacket, but it still hurt like hell.

I yelled, startled, and I heard Lily shout, "No! Don't!" just as Moody raised his wand and fired a spell to knock Remus back. He rolled over into the street, and the Auror shot off yet another two or three spells in quick succession, finally ending with a Binding spell.

"You didn't have to do that!" James protested angrily. "He was out!"

"But I don't know for how long," Moody pointed out gruffly. There was worry in his eyes when he turned to me and asked harshly, "He didn't break the skin, did he?"

I shuddered slightly at the thought. Granted, I couldn't become a full werewolf, because Remus wasn't transformed, but who knew what the affects from a bite from a non-transformed werewolf would be? I'd spent seven years with Remus. I knew how the full moon affected his health, his emotions, and his psyche. I wasn't anxious to experience it personally. I pulled the sleeve up to see how badly I'd been bitten. There was an impressive red semicircle on either side of my forearm, but my skin was, fortunately, intact.

A Muggle police car, no doubt dispatched because of the noise of the fight, turned the corner, its lights flashing blue and red. It lit up the area much as the spells had been doing only moments before and a chill ran down my spine.

Moody cursed and then started issuing orders. "Everyone back to headquarters. Black, Potter, grab Lupin—but leave those bindings on him, you hear me? I'll deal with the Muggles. And Evans? Get Dumbledore—tell him it's an emergency."

Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix was located near the Rotherhithe area of London, which once had been an area full of busy docks. The large brick building was owned by an Order member's brother—Elphias Doge's, I think. He'd once used it as a boarding house for dockworkers. Now, the dockyards were mostly closed and the boarding house was rundown and shabby. It was perfect for our purposes: it was out of the eyes of wizarding London and was completely inconspicuous. It had an enormous dining room that served well for Order meetings and several bedrooms upstairs made it convenient for anyone needing a quick nap or medical attention.

That night, six of us crowded onto shabby settees and worn armchairs in the small lounge to hear Edgar Bones' diagnosis of Remus' condition. Bones wasn't a Healer, but he knew more about Dark magic spells than anyone. It seemed inevitable that Dumbledore and Moody would ask him to come to headquarters to look at Remus.

"The curse is an incredibly dangerous piece of ancient Dark magic that attacks a person's mind," Bones said, referring to a piece of parchment upon which he'd taken some notes. "How much of one's personality and memories are erased depends on the strength of the caster and the strength of mind of the recipient."

"Can the damage be reversed? Will everything come back?" James asked. His hands were clasped together so tightly that his knuckles were white. Lily was standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders, her knuckles just as pale. I noticed that Peter, sitting at James' left hand, looked as sick as I felt.

Bones was a blunt, matter-of-fact sort. He didn't believe in equivocation or sugar-coating the truth. He certainly didn't try now. "Sometimes the memories come back, sometimes they don't. And there's no telling which it will be in any particular case. And there is absolutely no precedence whatsoever for a werewolf being struck with this spell. There's no way anyone can predict what's going to happen to Lupin. He might get his humanity back, he might not."

Frankly, I'd always thought Edgar Bones was a son of a bitch.

"So, what can be done?" Lily's voice was quiet, but in the silence that had fallen after Edgar Bones finished talking, it seemed overly strident.

The Headmaster folded his hands together. "Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything we can do but wait." He looked unusually grave.

I closed my eyes. It didn't change the words, but it kept me from seeing the looks of disbelief and horror on the faces around the room.

"There are potions we can give him to help blunt the damage and encourage memory retention," Bones said. He added warningly, "Don't expect much from them. If he's lost his mind completely, it's gone, and there will be nothing we can do to get it back."

I heard a curse word and it took me a moment to realise I had uttered it myself.

"What do we do with him while we wait?" Peter whispered.

I hadn't thought of that. If the wolf had taken over, there were a limited number of places where Remus could stay, and his tiny flat—right in the middle of a Muggle neighbourhood—wasn't one of them.

"Can't he stay here?" I asked. "We've already got him settled in upstairs."

Moody looked thoughtful, but Edgar Bones cleared his throat. "There may be some members of the Order that will be uncomfortable with having a feral werewolf on the premises."

"He's not feral. He's—" James began to protest.

Dumbledore raised a hand to stop him. "I think we may have to consider him as such until he comes to his senses. From what you all have told me, and from what I've discerned, there are only the thoughts, the feelings, and the instincts of the wolf available to him. We will need to find a place for him that is secure."

"His mother hasn't been the same since his father died," Lily said softly, her hands clenched tightly into fists of helplessness. Her voice shook when she added, "She'll never be able to handle him in this state."

"Could we set him up in the Shrieking Shack?" Moody asked, looking at Dumbledore.

"It's hardly liveable for anyone who will be staying with him. And he will need someone to stay with him."

I couldn't bear to hear any more. I pushed my chair back and got to my feet. "I'm going to check on him."

"Don't release him from those ropes," Moody warned me as I walked out.

I said nothing. I thought that would ultimately be better than telling Moody what I was really thinking about what he could do with his warning.

We had cleared out a bedroom on the second floor and had reinforced the walls and doors so that Remus couldn't break out, even if he did somehow manage to break the bonds that Moody had placed on him. Tapping the keyhole with the tip of my wand, I heard a soft click and the door swung open... I walked into a scene straight out of a Muggle horror movie.

Remus had awakened and had been trying to free himself of the magical bonds around his wrists and ankles. He couldn't know that the ropes were actually strands of magic, not something that he could chew through. He had been gnawing at the bonds, taking chunks of his skin when he couldn't get his teeth around the ropes. Blood was all over the damned place—and him.

"Bloody hell!" I gasped. I didn't stop to think of myself. I only thought of stopping Remus from chewing his own hands off. I sprinted toward the bed, yelling, "Don't, Moony! Stop!"

He raised his head and snarled at me through blood-smeared lips. "I don't care what Moody says," I muttered as I drew my wand. "Relashio!"

The bonds disappeared, and Remus' eyes widened as he regarded his torn and bloody wrists. I muttered a few quick Cleaning spells to get the blood off his face, wrists, and hands, and the sheets of the bed.

"We've got to heal those," I said. He growled as I extended my hand toward him. "Come on," I coaxed. "Let me see."

He raised one wrist to his lips and lapped at it, just like a wolf, and my heart broke. This was Remus, one of the most gentlemanly blokes I knew. He was usually polite, well-spoken, and intelligent—and there was nothing left of that.

Moony's suspicious golden eyes were still fastened on me, and he completely ignored my hand. I knew he was waiting to see what I would do next.

"Oh, hells," I sighed. I didn't know what to do. The wounds needed healing—preferably before anyone else came upstairs and saw what had been done. "They're calling you feral. They consider you a wild animal. You're not!" I emphasised the last word just a little too strongly for his comfort. His lips twisted into an uncertain scowl and he retreated until his back was against the wall.

"You're not an animal," I repeated more quietly. "You're in there somewhere. But where?"

He growled softly at me.

"I can't even bloody talk to you!" I whispered. I'm not ashamed to say my voice cracked a bit and my eyes filled with hot tears of frustration. "How can I convince you to come out from behind the wolf if you can't even understand me?"

And suddenly I realised that there was something I could do. There was one way that I could communicate with the wolf.

I took a deep breath and, keeping my eyes on Remus', I transformed into a big, black dog. I hoped it would seem familiar to Remus, or at least to the wolf that had taken over. After all, the wolf and the black dog had spent many moonlit nights romping through fields and forests.

Unfortunately, my hopes were all for naught. Remus' eyes widened in shock at my transformation and he yelped. He couldn't go back any further because of the wall, but he was making a valiant attempt at pushing himself through it. His feet propelled him backward and then up, until he was standing on the bed, his hands scrabbling for some kind of handhold. I had no doubt that if those long fingers of his could have found cracks or niches, he'd have been working his way to the ceiling.

I laid my chin on the edge of the bed and whined softly. He slowly tilted his head to one side in such a Remus–like way that I couldn't help but be amused. I backed away from the bed, wagging my tail. He watched as I slowly lowered myself onto my belly and flopped onto my back in canine submission. I stayed that way for a full minute until I sensed some of his tension ease. Then, slowly, I rolled over, keeping my eyes on his chin. I knew from years of experience with the wolf that if I stared into his eyes it would be seen as a sign of aggression.

After another minute, I rose to my feet and rested my chin on the bed again. He was still staring at me in disbelief and astonishment. I woofed softly and then whined.

After what seemed to be an interminable amount of time, he slowly lowered himself to his knees. I didn't move as he leaned closer to me and tentatively buried his nose in the fur above my ear. I heard the snuffling and felt the warmth of his breath. His wounded left wrist was right in front of me. It was almost as much canine instinct as desire to get Remus-the-wolf to accept me that I let my tongue gingerly touch the wound. He tensed, but didn't pull away, so I began to lick at the blood and the torn flesh.

While I worked, I noticed the subtle shifting in his muscles as he relaxed further. I heard him whimper very, very softly right before he rested his head against mine. Another minute or two later, I felt his other hand touch my side. His fingers combed through the longish fur there and then the weight of his arm gently fell across my spine.

I waited a moment and then smoothly transformed back into my human form. He stiffened and started to pull away. I hurriedly wrapped my arms around him, whining in my best canine-like way.

He went limp against me.

It was at that moment I knew what I had to do.

"Sirius, you can't!"

James was always so supportive of my plans and schemes, but this one made him wonder for my sanity. Or so I assume, from the fact he said I was 'mad as a hatter and dafter than a pixie' when I first told him what I'd decided.

"Yes, I can. I have to."

"But —"

"You can argue with me all you want, but it's not going to change my mind."

"We need you here!"

"Moony needs me more."

James couldn't argue with that, I knew. They'd been arguing about what to do with Remus for almost half an hour when James had decided to trudge up the stairs to see what kind of mischief I was making. He had found Remus and me lying together on the bed, our arms wrapped around each other tightly. When Remus had seen him, he had growled deep in his chest and moved away quickly, hiding behind me. That had clarified what I'd already decided: because of my Animagus form, I was in a unique position to help our troubled friend.

"Are you truly committed to this course of action?" Dumbledore asked me, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

I nodded firmly. "He needs me," I repeated.

"It may take months for him to recover," Moody pointed out. "Are you willing to make yourself his keeper for that long?"

"It doesn't matter," I shot back at him, not bothering to hide a rather wolfish snarl of my own. I couldn't understand why no one seemed to accept that my plan made sense. "He saved my life. I owe him."

"What if he doesn't recover?" Moody persisted.

"I can't believe that he won't," I said. "I need to believe he's there, behind the wolf. And I'm going to pull him back."

James and Lily brightened at my firm conviction. Peter chewed his lip with uncertainty. The others looked sceptical.

"Do you have a place in mind?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"No," I admitted. Then I barked out a curt laugh. "I'd only got as far as realising I'm responsible for him."

"He's dangerous," Moody suddenly growled. "What if he turns on you?"

"He won't," I said.

"He ripped his own wrists open trying to chew the bindings off! How do you know you won't find those teeth ripping into you?"

"He won't," I stated again, more insistently. "He trusts me."

"How can you bloody tell?"

It was at that point that apprehension set in. No one outside of the four of us mates—and Lily, of course—knew about our Animagus abilities. I couldn't tell Dumbledore, Moody, or Bones about my canine form; not without causing trouble for James and Peter. We risked a year in Azkaban because we weren't registered. "I just know," I finally said.

Both Dumbledore and Moody gave me long, searching stares, and, though I wanted to squirm beneath the weight of their piercing eyes, I didn't.

The Headmaster's eyebrows lowered slightly. "Sirius, please remember you are among friends here. There are none here who wish you harm. We are merely concerned with making certain that both you and Remus will be safe and content in this arrangement. Surely you must see that a little truth will go a long way to reassure us and provide the justification we need to prove your sincerity in your assertion that he trusts you."

I licked my lips nervously. "Isn't my word enough?"

"Considering the state of the wizarding world at this time, no one's word is enough," Moody snapped.

I glanced at James. He was looking at Lily but I was surprised to see that she had her eyes on me. I raised an eyebrow in mute question. She turned her gaze to James and they had some kind of nonverbal conversation that ended with them both smiling gently at each other.

We then looked at Peter, who was already nodding resolutely.

James turned to me and smiled. "Show them, Padfoot." Or maybe he said, "Show them Padfoot." I still don't know. At any rate, I took a deep breath to calm myself then reached for the energy I would need... then I transformed into the dog.

Dumbledore and Moody had seen many odd things in their years. That was probably the only reason why they didn't react, beyond highly raised eyebrows.

"Very impressive," the Headmaster finally said. "Are you aware of the penalty for being an unregistered Animagus, Sirius?"

I slid back into my human form. "Yes, sir, I am."

Moody scratched at the side of his jaw, snorting with faint amusement. "Only you, Black, would have the Grim as an Animagus form."

"Am I to assume that you've already shown Remus the dog?" Dumbledore asked. At my nod, he went on. "And what was his reaction?"

"He was startled at first, but he accepted me."

The Headmaster looked over at James and Peter, the question in his eyes.

"What the hell," Peter sighed. Within seconds, he had shrunk into a rat.

"Well, Potter?" Moody gestured at James, who smiled.

"My form isn't quite as convenient for indoors," he said. "I'm a stag."

"Well, now those ridiculous nicknames make sense," Moody commented. He looked at me and snickered. "Padfoot."

"We'll talk more about this later," Dumbledore promised, motioning for Peter to return to his human form. "And while I cannot condone the lack of registration, I will admit that I am impressed at the skill you three have shown," he smiled gently at Peter, as if he knew the number of hours that Peter had struggled, "and the persistence. I know the transformation requires much preparation and fortitude. Congratulations."

"Now, about Lupin. Where are we going to hide him?" Moody asked, bringing our focus back to the present situation.

Dumbledore stroked his beard gently. "I have an idea," he admitted slowly. "Sirius, do you speak French?"

A friend of Dumbledore's owned a small cottage outside Arles, France, and he had previously offered it to Dumbledore for whatever purposes the Order might have need. The Headmaster assured me that it was big enough for two. There was even a cellar that, with the right spells, would contain a transformed werewolf during the full moons.

I hurriedly packed my belongings, knowing that I'd probably forget things I would desperately need later. Clothes, books, groceries... I miniaturised everything until I could fit it all into one large suitcase, and used a Shrinking Charm on that suitcase as well. After a last look around, I went out to the street where my motorbike was parked.

As I got ready to swing my leg over the seat, there was a crack of Apparition behind me. I turned quickly, raising my wand in readiness.

"Hold on, Padfoot! It's me!" James said. He held up a small suitcase. "I packed Remus' things for him. Merlin, he's got a lot of books!"

"That's because he won't let us buy essentials like clothes and food for him on his birthday and Christmas," I replied with just a touch of bitterness. "I'm heading back to headquarters. Want a ride?"

He grinned. "Why do you think I came here instead of going straight there? It will be a while before I get to ride her again."

A sudden thought occurred to me and I ran my hand over the seat of my bike. "I won't be able to take her with me."

"Who are you talking about?" James asked, but almost before he finished asking the question, he shook his head. "Never mind. I know. I'm sure Dumbledore will let you keep her at headquarters. There's that gardening shed out back."

"No, I'm not leaving her there. Fabian Prewett wants to get his hands on her." I took a deep breath. "Will you take her? I know you'll keep her safe."

"If I take her, Lily will have a bloody cow, mate."

"It's not like you're going to fly her around town every night! C'mon, James. As a favour to me."

He sighed and ran his hand over the back of his hair. I noticed it didn't even take him twenty seconds to give me an answer, even though Lily's wrath was legendary. "All right. I'll do it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You sound a little too eager, Potter. Maybe she'll be better off with Fabian Prewett after all."

He laughed, but didn't dispute me. Instead, he slapped me on the back and motioned to the motorcycle. "Let's get going, Padfoot."

We took the long way around London. I couldn't help but feel a sort of finality to our little tour, as if I were giving myself a last chance to look at places that had meant something to me at one point or another. The enormity of what I had agreed to do was sinking in. I'd be alone in another country with Remus, who certainly was not going to be much for companionship, much less pleasant conversation. With a lot of luck, we'd be back within a month. I think I knew even then that it would be longer than that.

When we finally pulled up in front of the building that served as the Order headquarters, we dismounted and stood staring at each other silently.

"Will you understand if I just leave you here?" James asked, his voice cracking.

I nodded, tears threatening to form in my eyes. He threw his arms around me and I hugged him back just as tightly.

"Bring our sarcastic, clever, stick-in-the-mud back to us, Sirius," James whispered.

"I'll do everything I can," I vowed. I wiped my eyes on his shoulder and he pulled back sharply, craning his neck to look at the damp patch.

"You're not wiping your snotty nose on my jacket, are you? Stupid prat."

I chuckled through my tears then sobered. "Promise me you'll kill Rodolphus the next time you see him, alright? If I find out that you had the chance to kill him and didn't, I'll rip the antlers right out of your head."

He nodded. "If I don't get him, I'll make sure we save him for you. Or Moony."

"Moony's not the vengeful type," I reminded him.

"He might be after this." James smiled sadly. "Stuck with you for who knows how long, in France of all places? He'll probably recover quickly just so he can get away from you."

"Gods, I hope he does," I said softly.

James held his hand out and I clasped it firmly. "Take care of yourself, Padfoot. And come back as soon as you can."

I nodded, unable to say anything else.

We hugged one last time and then I watched him drive off on my motorbike. It was the only time that I wondered if I was doing the right thing.

My boss just told me that they've noticed I've been depressed and unusually stressed and has suggested (nicely) that if I don't get myself together, I should consider another job. A review might lift my spirits just a tad...