Starting a muti-chapter fic...right before finals. Genius.

Clearly I'm not very smart, so the possibility of me owning Harry Potter is fairly slim, eh?

UPDATE 4-19-09: I uploaded the wrong one, this is revised slightly.

Walking away from the mourners, Harry wistfully thought of his invisibility cloak, and the foolish decision he had made not to bring it along with him. Granted, it would have been fairly strange to the crowd to hear a speech coming from apparent nothingness, but it would have been at least comforting to hold the fabric in his hand and know that he could slip away without notice once the funeral became too much. People coming up to him to congratulate him on his so called victory over the Dark Lord was hard to handle on a normal day, but at a funeral seemed cruelly unwarranted.

Instead, he moved slowly away from the crowds, toward someplace he could think to himself. As he did he loosened his neck tie and rubbed his neck, trying to sooth the tension that was building there. These funerals for the fallen had been bad enough, particularly those close to him like Fred- whose funeral was, up to this point, the hardest to endure. He remembered standing beside a catatonic Ron as he deftly comforted Hermione, trying to do the same think for an equally distressed Ginny and feeling as if nothing would be right ever again. This one, however, was the worst. This one was Remus Lupin's funeral.

The man had not only been a mentor of Harry's- the man who had taught him invaluably- but he was the final one. The last Marauder remaining. With Remus Lupin fell Harry's only living link to his parents. Saying goodbye to a man he loved so was difficult, but saying goodbye to that link? Damn near impossible.

He positioned himself beneath a tree, away from prying eyes and felt the sting of tears. For a flickering moment he succumbed to them, allowing them to fall quickly and quietly as he balled his fists in an equal force of rage that came with this loss. He felt his knuckles scrape against the bark of the tree as he leaned upon it, forcing the tears back down inside him.

His isolation did not last long, however, as the somewhat clumsy footsteps of Ron Weasley approached him. When Ron reached him, the two stood in silence for a moment, neither sure what to say when so much grief and loss was filling the air between them. Ron's hands shoved deep into his pockets, eyes averting Harry's. He knew Ron was merely trying to think of something to say to comfort his best friend. Harry knew the feeling well, he was unable to think of anything either just a few days prior when it was Ron who was forced to bury his brother.

"They're about to read his will, Harry. He's left something for you." Ron managed. He nodded his head and followed his friend back into the crowd, a few paces behind.

After the reading, in which his few possessions were predictably given to his wife and, with her passing, they're son, Harry once again found a chance to be alone. In his hands he turned over a note Lupin had written for him, which was accompanied by a box not to be opened until after the letter was read.

In the precise handwriting of Remus Lupin Harry's name lay atop the envelope. He was having trouble opening it. Something about it screamed finality. That his friend was truly gone. Looking up he knew Ron stood right outside the door, both insuring no one disturbs Harry yet simultaneously informing Harry he was not alone, not really. With a sigh, he tore open the note carefully and read:

Harry,

Years ago you came to me with concerns regarding your father and whether he was truly a good man. I know deep down you know this to be true, if not from what you have heard from myself and Sirius the by what you know in your heart. However this doubt led me to realize something very important about you, Harry. About something you are missing.

Children should have their parents around them as they grow up. They should be able to learn of their family from their own mouths and should be able to admire them from personal incidents. You should have been able to witness firsthand the good in your father. It is with great sorrow that I know you never had that chance and never will.

Knowing this, there all I could think to do was make a feeble attempt to rectify this situation as best I can. With the help of many others who contributed, I have done all I could think to do. I know this is by no means a good enough substitute to that experience, but I hope enclosed you will find some answers.

Remus

Harry felt his heart ache at reading his friend's name on the slip of paper. His words, formed a knot in Harry's stomach. He turned to the box beside him, still perplexed as to what it held within. Carefully he grasped the top and opened the heavy cardboard. Eyes wide, he lifted the contents out of the box and sat it in front of him. Just a fingers length away was something most unexpected.

He watched the familiar silver liquids of a myriad of memories swirl before him from within a pensieve.

Before I continue I should let you know that I am BY NO MEANS and expert on the whole timeline thing. I know the general order of things regarding the Marauders era i.e when they discovered Remus was a werewolf, the Shrieking Shack incident, the fifth year incident, Sirius moving in with James, and etc,... HOWEVER- if there is anything absolutely dire that has to be in the timeline OR you know of a website with a good, detailed timeline, please let me know. I want to follow cannon pretty closely. Alas, there were more than six people attending Hogwarts during that time, so I have to do OC's, but I promise they will be kept to a minimum as I abhor them.

Despite my finals coming up I'm pretty sure I will be able to update at least once a week since I've written a few things ahead of time. It's not a promise, but not a flat out lie, either.

If you know of a good website or just important things to include please just let me know and maybe review too?