A/N: Hey, y'all! I'm back. :) Thanks to all my readers/reviewers, follows/favorites. You guys are the best. So, this chapter is still Remus' perspective, but next chapter will be someone else's. Also, to anyone who got the Les Miserables hints last chapter- you are officially one of my favorite people. It's one of my favorite musicals. But, not to worry, I'm not taking the plot. XD

I'm sick in bed, writing this for you. See how much I care about you all? Don't say I never did anything for you. ;)

Enjoy!

Waving Through A Window (Dear Evan Hansen)

Chapter 2

The next morning, Remus woke up early, as he always did. It wasn't even dawn yet, but Remus was used to getting up early for work. In fact, he threw himself out of his bed, thinking he was late, and woke up Alice in the process. He apologized profusely once he had realized that he was no longer in prison, but Alice just waved away his concern.

"Oh, Remus, it's fine, really, I was going to be up in a bit anyway." she assured him. This did not fool Remus, however, because there was no hiding the bags under her eyes. He felt so guilty. She had obviously had a rough night, and he woke her up at an ungodly hour. He tried to decline breakfast, but Alice wouldn't let him leave until he had eaten something. This had woken Augusta, which only made Remus feel worse. Then Augusta told him to sit down and eat, and then she woke Frank up.

Remus had, on the first night he had stayed in their house, woken everybody up early.

Way to go, Lupin.

After breakfast, Frank took Remus to the cemetery, to Hope Lupin, nee Howell's grave.

Frank stood behind Remus, hands stuffed awkwardly in mis coat pockets. "I'll, er, leave you alone for a moment."

Remus shook his head, eyes never leaving his mother's headstone. "It's okay, Frank. Go to work. I remember my way around town."

Frank bit his lip, uncertain. "I dunno, Remus. A lot has changed since you've been here last. You're sure you can find your way back?"

Remus nodded. "I knew those streets like the back of my hand. I can find my way."

Frank sighed. "If you're sure." Frank paused, then continued. "I know you want to look for a job today, but wouldn't you rather enjoy your first few days of being free first? A job can wait."

Slowly, Remus shook his head. "Frank, for the past four years, I've done nothing but work. I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

His answer seemed to sadden Frank, but his friend didn't protest. "Alright. I'll see you this evening, Remus. Stay safe."

"You too."

He listened to Frank's footsteps grow quieter, until he could no longer hear them. After a moment of intense silence, Remus spoke.

"Hello, Mum."

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, and he sniffed loudly. Voice breaking, he continued. "It's been awhile since I've seen you last. I'm fine. I know you're wondering. Did you know Frank was married last year? His wife, Alice- I don't know if you met her- is a wonderful woman, very kind. They're good for each other, I can already tell. Don't worry about me. Although, you've always worried about me anyway."

He paused, biting his lip. What was he supposed to say? He was talking to a hunk of stone, rambling meaningless things to it. He angrily wiped his face with the back of his hand. Why her? What had she done to deserve such a hard life- or a son who couldn't help her, who was arrested, leaving her to die alone? The guilt of this consumed Remus. On some level, he knew that this wasn't his fault, that sometimes things like this couldn't be helped. He had saved lives by stealing the bread, but he'd never see his mother's smiling face again, or hear her bell-like laughter. He had missed it so much.

And now, it seemed, he'd continue to miss it.

"I- I love you, Mum. I'll make you proud, I promise. I'll come back soon."

Remus stood, unable to remain in the cemetery any longer. The grief was crushing him, as was the knowledge that this dreary space was the only place he'd be able to be near his mother again. Remus wrapped his shabby coat more tightly around himself as he hurried towards the exit. He wiped the remaining tears from his face and took a shaky breath. Today, he'd get a job. Tomorrow, he'd build a stable life for himself. One where he'd never have to resort to stealing again.

Well. That was the plan, anyway.

Remus sat in his fifth interview of the week. His would-be employer, a Mr. Reynolds, peered at him over his spectacles sadly.

"Mr. Lupin, you appear to be a very bright young man-"

Remus straightened excitedly. Finally-

" -however, I cannot overlook your criminal record."

Remus slumped. "Please, sir, my family was starving, I made that choice out of necessity-"

Mr. Reynolds sighed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin. But you have applied here as a teacher, something I'm sure you are highly capable of, but the fact remains that parents will not like having someone with your history teaching their children."

The hope was quickly draining out of Remus. "Please, sir, I need this job. If there's any way I can change your mind-"

Mr. Reynolds shook his head. "Mr. Lupin, I'm afraid that I cannot employ you. You're academic achievements are impressive, but the time you spent in prison blemishes your good first impression. I can, however give you a good bit of advice."

Remus leaned forward eagerly.

"You must stop looking for work in the academic field."

Remus reeled back, shocked. "I'm sorry?"

Mr. Reynolds sighed again. "Mr. Lupin, it is to my understanding that, thus far, you have only applied for academic jobs- as a teacher and private tutor, is that correct?"

Remus nodded hesitantly.

"Well, to be frank, Mr. Lupin, you will have no luck being employed in those fields. You're best bet is... somewhere a bit more taxing."

Remus wilted. "You mean manual labor. A factory job, or something."

Mr. Reynolds nodded sympathetically. "Yes. There are a few places I can recommend to you, who might be willing to overlook your past. That is the best I can do for you, I'm afraid."

Remus nodded. "Thank you, sir." he said quietly.

Mr. Reynolds smiled at him kindly. "Give it a few years, Mr. Lupin, when you've had time to build a good name for yourself. Try again then."

Remus nodded, standing. "Thank you again."

"Of course."

Determined to stay out of the factories, Remus attempted to find another job. Three weeks went by, and Remus had no success. Occasionally, he could get the odd job running errands for somebody, but a couple of coins a week wasn't much to go by. Any money he did make, he gave to Frank and Alice, who always protested loudly.

"But Remus!" Frank had spluttered the first time. "It's yours, you earned it-"

"And I am currently draining your own money supply by living off of your earnings." Remus responded flatly.

Frank crossed his arms stubbornly. "Things I am only too happy to give you."

Remus held out the three knuts he had made that day. "Money I am only too happy to give you."

Frank frowned. "I won't take your money, Remus."

Remus looked at his friend desperately. "Please, Frank. It's all I can offer you."

Frank sighed as he took the money. "This is it. I won't accept anything else from you."

Remus smiled sadly. "Until my next payment."

Frank scowled. "Things will get better."

Remus laughed humorlessly. "One can only hope."

Now, however, unemployed and living off of his friend's generosity, things were looking bleak.

Remus walked through the front door of the Longbottom's house in poor spirits. It had been another fruitless day of job searching.

Augusta was in bed with a migraine, and Frank was still at work. Alice wasn't usually home when Remus got back, so it was a surprise when he found her in the kitchen.

He froze in the doorway. "Alice?"

She turned, a hand over her heart. "Oh, Remus! You scared me." She pulled out a chair. "Come on, sit. Want some tea?"

Remus shook his head. "No, I couldn't-"

Alice smacked the seat of the chair. "Sit. Tea."

She left no room for argument. Gulping, he lowered himself into the chair, looking at Alice warily. "Yes?"

Alice busied herself making the tea, and glanced over her shoulder when it was nearly finished. "Sugar?"

The price of sugar flashed through Remus' mind. "Er, no thank you."

Alice smirked, reading his mind. "Two lumps it is, then."

Remus sighed, knowing that protesting was useless. No doubt Frank had told her about his sweet tooth. Merlin, how he missed chocolate. But it was simply too expensive to get now, even for the middle class.

Thanks a lot, Riddle.

When Remus was very young, about a week before his fifth birthday, Remus had been diagnosed with influenza. His father, Lyall Lupin, had been worried that he might not make it much longer. So he had worked for three entire days straight, without sleep, taking other people's shifts at his job as a city guard, so he could pull together enough money to buy his son a small bar of chocolate. Miraculously, Remus survived, and to this day, Remus swore it had been the chocolate.

Unfortunately, Lyall Lupin had been declared MIA two months later.

Alice sat down, placing a cup of tea in front of Remus. She brought her own to her lips, and took a sip. "How's the job hunting going?"

Remus took a long drink. "Not bad."

"Liar."

Remus sighed. "I qualify for many respectable jobs- good jobs- but I can't get any of them because of my... history." He sighed, looking down at his cup. "Someone suggested manual labor. A factory job. But I... I worked in the mines for so long, and I swore I'd never go back to long hours breaking your back for little or no payment." he all but growled, glaring down at his tea. Then his shoulders sagged and he felt the anger that has bubbled up so quickly drain away. "But now it seems I don't have a choice."

Alice frowned, thinking. "Don't give up. Give it a few more weeks. Then, if you still can't find anything-" She leaned towards him, smiling. "Look harder."

Remus shook his head. "It's been nearly two months. I can't keep living off of your generosity."

Alice sighed. "Listen, Remus, you can do what you want, but Frank and I really don't mind. And I know that you feel like a burden, but did you ever think that Frank feels like he's repaying you this way? For all the years you spent in the mines, that could easily have been Frank right alongside you. But you saved him from that. He thinks of this as paying a debt."

Remus looked bewildered. "I don't need payment for that."

Alice laughed. "I know. But Frank doesn't think you're a burden. Neither of you can see it, though. It's what makes you so alike."

Remus grinned a little. Then he straightened his shoulders. "How about I look for three more weeks? Then, I'll get a factory job, or something."

Alice stuck out her hand. "Sounds good to me. Deal?"

Remus shook it. "Deal."

Remus strode through the busy streets of Riddle's Empire, glancing around nervously. Alright, so maybe it was actually called Hogsmeade, but Riddle's Empire was turning out to be more accurate.

Every day the streets grew more dangerous. The city guards, which had once been a force of good and a source of comfort to the citizens, had been overrun by Riddle's men. Very few were safe anymore, so people avoided going out after dark- and if they did venture outdoors after the sun set, it wasn't alone.

Riddle believed in perfection and order. If someone or something didn't match his vision of a perfect world, they were... done away with. Every man, woman, and child were afraid to come home to find the Dark Mark on their door- a paper flyer with a snake and skull on it. This meant that the occupants of the house had been arrested, or worse.

Luckily, Riddle mostly left the poor alone- his iron fist held mostly the middle and upper class. He seemed to realize that the poor were needed to do the most unpleasant jobs in the city- and that desperate souls gave him more manpower.

Riddle ruled mercilessly, and silenced any voice that spoke against him. His forces- the city guards and most of the upper class families- had been dubbed the Death Eaters, a name that Riddle had not discouraged. Remus found himself hoping that, if the Order of the Phoenix did indeed exist, they would do something soon, before it was too late.

Distracted by his thoughts, Remus didn't notice the young woman until he had crashed into her.

They both fell to the ground, the laundry the woman had been holding landing on the muddy ground. Remus' eyes widened- they had been white.

"I'm so sorry!" Remus gasped, scrambling to save the now-ruined sheets from the worst of the mud.

"I wasn't paying attention- oh dear- I just- they're ruined." he sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. He stood up, sheets in hand, and offered his free arm to help the woman up.

She took his hand, looking mournfully at the dirty linen. Lips pressed into a thin line, she tried to take the laundry back. Her green eyes looked livid, and Remus winced.

"Please," Remus began. "Let me pay you- I'm sure I have some coins here somewhere-" He dug around in this pockets, coming up with only a small handful of knuts. His heart sank. This wasn't nearly enough to pay for what he had destroyed.

He glanced at the woman, taking her in. She had brilliant green eyes, and long red hair twisted into a loose knot at the base of her neck. Her pale skin and pretty features did nothing to make her less intimidating, though. "I- my name is Remus. I can get more to you next week," he said, pressing the coins into her hand. She looked surprised. "I'm sorry I don't have enough at the moment."

The woman blinked, then shook her head. "No, I can't take this. It was an accident. Besides, I can wash these again- I'll just get paid a bit later than usual. Besides- you look like, well..." She trailed off awkwardly.

Remus cleared his throat. "Like I need it more?"

Her eyes widened, and she quickly said, "I didn't mean to offend-"

Remus shook his head. "It's alright. You're probably right." He frowned. "I am sorry I cost you your paycheck."

The woman smiled. "No worries. I work for Lady McKinnon. She's very understanding."

Remus nodded. "If you're sure."

Her eyes sparkled. "I'm Lily, by the way. Lily Evans."

Remus stuck out his hand. "Remus Lupin."

They shook.

"I must get going now," Lily said. "Have a nice day, Remus."

Remus inclined his head. "Thank you. I hope your day is pleasant as well."

The two parted ways, and Remus didn't expect to see Lily again, except perhaps in passing.

Little did the two of them know that they'd be seeing a lot more of each other in the months to come, and not under pleasant circumstances.

A/N: Sorry about this chapter. It was difficult to write. I'm having trouble not rushing the story, but I'm so excited to get all my ideas down. XD Tell me what you think of this chapter. Also, the rating may change. The Harry Potter series is supposed to be eight and up, so I think that K+ is ok... But in later chapters, if you feel the rating should change to T, please PM me. Thanks!