Disclaimer: Not mine…None of it…*sighes*

A/N: RL/SB SLASH! You've been warned!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Through Two Lifetimes *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Before the Beginning

~*February 24, 1970, 10:30 A.M.*~

"Aurora Mizuki! What is burning?" I rushed into the peach-colored kitchen to find my older sister, Aurora, wide-eyed, facing the stove.

"Angela's bacon…" Her blank expression stayed, as did her position. I ran toward it, turning knobs and frantically pulling the skillet off the stove.

I sighed and rolled my eyes as Angela, the youngest of the Mizuki sisters, walked in. Her long blonde hair was pulled tight in spongy rollers, and her bright eyes looked slightly swollen from sleep. She was only sixteen. The bright purple pajamas hung on her thin frame; two bright blue slippers stood out against her outfit. At the sight, she rushed to the counter where the skillet was, panicking as she blew away the smoke.

"What happened? I asked you to watch these, Aurora!"

The eldest laughed. "Right, like I know what to do." She flipped her red hair over one shoulder, smirking. Her lucid blue eyes sparkled with mischief, for we all knew that she cooked well—very well, actually. She yawned, and retreated to her room, and within seconds we heard the radio blaring.

I rolled my eyes again. "Never leave anything to Aurora," I advised my younger sister. She nodded, still waiting on the smoke to clear.

"They're done!" Angela called, smiling again. "No burns! Not a one!" Her smile brightened, "And now, I must finish breakfast!" She dashed back to the stove, working quickly and very efficiently. I marveled at the blonde sight a moment more, then sauntered down the long hallway to my room.

Unfortunately, I had to pass Aurora's.

"AURORA! TURN THAT MUSIC DOWN!" No response. "AURORA MICHELLE MIZUKI!" Still, there was no response from the being within. Groaning, I turned on my heel and went to work—real, Divinity Sister work.

I am one of the four Divinity Sisters, women—related-by-blood sisters—which provide a little divine intervention when someone's life isn't following its planned course. We had been off for a little while—it seemed everything was going all right—but now, after about a year, things were too quiet. I entered a chamber across the house from Aurora's room. Sweet silence greeted me here, and I was enjoying every second of it.

The room was large, covered from top to bottom in deep crimson. Scattered lamps with darkly colored shades provided dim lighting. A large cauldron-like pot stood in the middle of the room, filled with a silvery liquid. Three chairs faced it, and another was in the far corner. Our fourth sister, Alicia, had gone off to live a "normal" life, and none of us approved. But she was happy, so I suppose we were as well.

I sat down in my chair, one covered in bright pink with little pink necklaces and such dangling from it. I closed my eyes, breathed slowly and deeply, then looked into the pool of silver.

"Seratium." A picture of a promising-to-be-attractive young man appeared. His honey-gold hair fell in sections framing his slender face, fell in locks down his neck. Amber-toned eyes peered out sleepily, almost dreamily. As little as possible was told to me then.

"Name: Remus Lupin; Age: 10; Immediate Future: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry attendant; Current State: Miserable, brother will be taken too soon. Life must be fixed to run at a generally pleasant level immediately, before too much damage is made."

"To start Hogwarts School, when?" I questioned, listening and taking notes intently.

"September 1, 1971."

* * *

~*March 3, 1971, 1:15 P.M.*~

Remus Lupin rolled over on his double bed and sighed. Things were going completely wrong. For the past year or so he had felt like someone was watching him, even when no one in the room noticed he existed, much like normal. He gazed lazily at the ceiling, following the patterns in the tiles. Nothing happened anymore.

A while back, his brother had died in an indescribable accident. His entire family, including all the second- and third-cousins he had never known, was still grieving. All, that is, except Remus. He had never been close to his college-age brother, especially when he was no older than ten years.

He brushed away a strand of honey-toned hair and stood to close the mini-blinds. Light poured through, blinding the young child. He shut the blinds and collapsed again onto his bed. Maybe some sleep…Yes; sleep will cure it all. His breathing became shallow, and his dark amber eyes fluttered closed. Dreams, nightmarish things, attacked him, making him restless.

When the town clock chimed one o'clock, his eyes flew open. There had been darkness in this dream, and odd creatures that glided across the floors and drained a place of its happiness, of all real life… And cells like in a prison, where people were held against their wills and glared at him in pure hatred. Finally, he had come upon a nearly empty cell. The only being within was calm looking, but his troubled blue eyes told of his fear, told of the wrong committed against him.

"Please, Remus, you have to believe me!" He shouted, grasping the bars, his knuckles turning white. "Please! It was—"

"I know, I know." Tears sprang to the young man's eyes, and he reached out to touch Remus' face. He shunned the man, and tears were in the yellow eyes when he finished. "What am I to think of you, when this has been placed upon you?" And with that, he left the young man with the violent eyes pleading for him.

"Remus, please! I swear! It was him! It was—"

And it was then that Remus J. Lupin awoke, tired and wondering.

~* August 31, 1971*~

"Hmm," I wondered aloud. A new spell, an age-defying spell, was described in the book that sprawled out on my lap. It turned the user to a younger age, as told by the number you add. Of course, one had to be careful. You must say the age you want, not how many years you want off. Quite complex, yet oh-so-simple. Perfect. I had to try it—tomorrow, this Remus J. Lupin started Hogwarts School!

"Yokianum-eleven!" As soon as the words escaped, a bright white-blue light engulfed me, and I emerged as a young and nervous eleven-year-old with a mission.

"Perfect." I muttered, and collected my things. The Hogwarts train left at exactly noon the next day and I had lots of work to do.

~*September 1, 1971*~

"Come on," Yelled a man in a blue suit. "Come on! This train's leaving!" He yelped above the noisiness of the children, trying to draw attention.

There were several hundred children on the train, seated among old and new friends, talking animatedly. Finally, after searching the entire train, I came upon the largest compartment and found the only person I was looking for—Remus J. Lupin.

"Hullo!" I said cheerily, striding in front of the light-haired boy. "I'm Akai Mizuki, a first-year. All the compartments are full, mind if I stay with you?"

He blinked a bit rapidly, as if absorbing all this information. "Hi, I'm Remus Lupin. And no, I don't mind at all if you stay."

*