A/N: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy this one; I planned on writing this bit for Bubble-gum Pink Moon early on when I started it, but I decided against (obviously), so I'm glad that the Quidditch League allowed me the opportunity because it's been sitting in my head for a while now. The next chapter of said fic is nearly done, should be posted really soon for you guys. Anyway, enjoy!

The Second Wizarding War Has Begun

The shock was still running through his system, but Remus Lupin forced one step after the other. It was a Muggle neighbourhood and he could not Apparate directly before the door of his first visitor. Thus, he came via magical means as close as he dared — in a deserted alley around the corner — and walked the rest of the way. A whole hour had gone by from the moment Sirius had told him about the return of Voldemort and despite the fact that they had spent that time catching up and at times even laughing over shared memories from many years before, Remus was scared for what lie ahead of them at that moment. Everything from the first time round was returning to him. How they lived in fear, how he could not leave his home without holding his wand tightly in his hand and looking behind himself to see if any Death Eater had targeted him or, later on, if Greyback had decided to have some sort of revenge on him.

Dumbledore had asked him to infiltrate his pack, search for members that might want to leave and fight for a better life for lycanthropes. Would he ask again? It had been some of the worst months of his life, living in the Underground, having to hunt to eat, fight to keep his food. He had lost even more weight back then. Though if some meat on his bones had been the only thing he had lost, he would have been so, so happy. Order members who had considered friends would simply disappear one day to never be seen again and up to this day, no one could say for sure what had happened and where they had ended up. Short two years after graduation, he had lost his mother to cancer, battling for longer than she should for believing that tomorrow was a day worth fighting for.

'Who knows when they'll find the cure,' she used to say with a smile that took away all his insecurities, 'I just need to stay alive until then.'

If only the positivity and optimism had been enough for her … Remus wished he had inherited those. Instead he was much more like his father, like the man who had locked himself in his office while his wife died in hopes to find something to cure her and lost a significant amount of her last months. For a split second, Remus wondered how Lyall Lupin was doing nowadays. Much better without his sick son to look after, that much he was sure of. In a tribute for her, Remus still believed. Tomorrow was a day worth fighting for. Even if today society shunned him from every spot he tried to have, tomorrow it might not and the only way to know for sure was to fight for it. He knew he would feel even worse if he died the day before the Wizarding world finally accepted lycanthropes as a legitimate part of it.

Barely a year after his loving mother was taken from him, James and Lily perished too early as well and in less than twenty-four hours he lost Sirius and Peter. The first for the Dementors and the latter for the betrayal even though he did not know that back then. It had been a year he would rather forget. If he could, he would just take those three hundred and sixty-five days and wipe them away from his life. But how could he? When every following day reminded him of what had happened, of how he would be a man without the ones he loved the most from that moment onwards.

Finally, he arrived at his destination. Remus cast a quick glance to the number four and sighed before knocking. Harry had had quite a good place to stay growing up. If only his aunt and uncle were half as loving as James and Lily had been towards him, he would have been in Heaven. The smell of cabbage invaded his nostrils as he waited. Cats meowed as he heard his host approaching the door and opening it.

'… Hello,' she said, narrowing her eyes.

'Mrs Figg,' he cleared his throat, 'do you remember me? My name is Remus Lupin, I was in the Order.'

'Oh, yes, yes, of course.' She nodded and for a moment he thought she was going to mention his condition. 'You were one of the friends of the Potters.'

'Yes, I was. May I come in?' he asked.

Mrs Figg nodded once more and stepped aside to make room for him. Remus entered, looking around to make sure he would not step on one of her cats.

'Sit, sit,' she gestured to the sofa where surprisingly, only one of her cats was resting. 'What brings you by?'

'Um, Dumbledore,' he answered. It was just easier to accept the Headmaster's words than one of her old comrades of the Order. 'Do you mind if I Silence the house while we talk?'

Mrs Figg blinked a couple of times, certainly realising that the matter of his visit was serious and smiled rather awkwardly. 'No, not at all.'

'Silencio! Have you heard the news about the Diggory boy? Cedric?' he began.

'No,' she shook her head. 'Don't hear much about wizards here, you see …'

'He was —' There was no easy way to say it. Remus sighed. 'Well, he was murdered. Voldemort. He came back. Thanks to Harry we knew just now and Dumbledore needs your help. He's gathering the Order together again. He needs you to keep an eye on Harry when he comes back for the summer. He appreciates what you have been doing all these years, but now is ... closer eye than ever.'

Remus saw his own shock upon her features. No one would be safe with the Dark Lord around. Least of all Harry. Slowly, she nodded once more.

'Thank you, Mrs Figg,' he added politely and stood up. 'I won't bother you any longer. There are other members that need to be warned … He'll probably send some wizards to help you in any case.' As in he definitely would. There was no use on a Squib watching Harry should an attack happen. With her shock, Remus did not wait for her to open the door and did it himself, ending the charm he had put as they began to talk.

So much easier than talking to the Vances. Emmeline had not been the easiest to see the truth. It took him quite a few arguments and the mention that Dumbledore would not be gathering the Order together again if he didn't know for sure that Voldemort had returned. He understood her reluctance however. Remus remembered the fear they lived in. He wanted to keep believing that they could keep living in this so-called peace. The perception of the return of the Dark Lord far in the future was so much better than the fight, but in truth they had no choice. Voldemort was here and he would do everything in his power to rid the world of the disease that was the presence of Muggles. And much like the threats he had received in the past, there was only one way to protect those human beings. Killing him.