"How are you feeling?" Sirius asks, as he and Remus are about to leave for Hogwarts. Over the last few days, Remus had hardly eaten a thing, and he had gone for long walks by himself. Sirius had tried to give him some space, but it had been difficult, because he just wanted to look out for him, and take care of him.

"I'm scared to go back," Remus admits. "The last time I was there, I…," he begins, but then he stops himself. Sirius grabs his hand, and gives it a squeeze.

"I know," he says, and he lets out a sigh. "To go back to the place where you've seen those things happen, where… But think of the good times you've had there. That was our home, remember?" Sirius asks, and Remus nods and flashes a small smile. "It is going to be a home to so many other students, and they are going to make memories there, make friends, learn about themselves, perhaps find love... Like we did."

"I know."

"And I'll be there with you, every step of the way," Sirius says. "I may be a little furry at times, but I'll be there," he adds, and Remus lets out a small chuckle. Sirius brings up his hand, and brushes the hair out of Remus' face. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

"I'm going to be sick," Remus says, as he takes a deep breath, getting ready to step into the castle. The large black dog nuzzles his nose into his hand, and Remus can't help but smile. "I…," he begins to say, but then a young boy comes up to him, looking nervous. Most students aren't arriving until next week, but some had arrived a few days ago, to help getting some of the damaged classrooms ready for a new year.

"Hello, sir," the boy says. "is that your dog?"

"It is," Remus says, a big smile on his face.

"May I pet him, sir?" the boy asks.

"Yes, he won't bite." Remus smiles, and the boy kneels down to start petting Sirius. Remus tries not to laugh, because he knows that Sirius loves the attention as a dog, he always has. But then, he had always loved the attention as a young man as well.

"We have a dog at home, his name is Goofy. My little brother named him. He's a Labrador," the boy rambles on. "I'm really going to miss him."

"I can imagine," Remus says, as the large black dog rests his heavy head on the boy's shoulder, the boy giving him a big hug.

"What is his name, sir?"

"His name?" Remus asks, trying to come up with something, because people can't know that Sirius is alive. Even having him here, like this, is dangerous because some people will recognise him. "Snuffles."

"Snuffles?" the boy laughs, and the dog stares up. Remus can see an annoyed look in his eyes, and tries not to laugh, as he nods.

"Well, it's more of a nickname. His real name is Padfoot."

"That's a great name, sir."

"Thank you."

"You have a lovely dog, sir," the boy says, as he gets up, brushing the hairs from his hands. Without saying another word, the boy turns around and walks off. Remus looks down at Sirius, and sees him still looking annoyed.

"Oh, please, you love the attention," he laughs, and he pets his head, before continuing on to Minerva's office. When he gets there, he knocks on the door, but there is no answer. So he wants to turn around and leave, but then the door opens, and Minerva appears, looking stronger, more determined, than ever before.

"Ah, Remus," she says, and when she notices the dog next to him, a small smile appears on her face. "When you said you were bringing a pet, I was hoping it was indeed... Come on in," she says, as she steps aside, to let the two men enter into her office. "Sirius, I…," she begins, but she stops herself, as the dog turns into an older, still gaunt-looking, version of the man she used to know. "Come here," she says, and she gives him a big hug. "I don't know how this is possible, and I don't want to know. I'm just glad that you are back. The both of you."

"How does it feel to be back?" Sirius asks, once they have entered Remus' office.

"Odd."

"Good odd?"

"Just odd," Remus says, as he looks around him. The office had looked very different the last time he had been here, but it hadn't gotten damaged too badly during the battle. It makes him feel uncomfortable, like it should have been damaged. Like he should have gotten damaged. Like he should have died.

"Remus…," Sirius begins, because he can see the pain in his eyes. It makes him feel physical pain to see it, and for just a second, the image of the teenage boy he used to know, flashes through his mind, happy, laughing until the tears were rolling down his face. All he wants, is for Remus to be that happy again. He doesn't know what to say though, so he simply goes up to him, and pulls him into a tight hug. Because what can he say? How can he make things better, when he himself feels changed, damaged, by all the things that have happened. By all the things that he has seen. How can they ever go back to how they used to be, when they are not the same anymore?

"Are you sure it is safe?" Remus asks, his face an odd, grey-ish pale colour. Tonight it's a full moon, only days before the start of a new year at Hogwarts. Remus had known that the timings would be like this, and that he would most likely still be weak during the first few days of the year. But he wasn't going to miss the beginning of the year, Sirius wouldn't let him. But the thought of transforming into the wolf again, now that he isn't in control of it anymore, back here at Hogwarts, when there are students around, it makes him feel sick. Because what if he gets out? What if he hurts someone, or worse, kills someone? What if he kills them all?

"It is," Minerva confirms. "The students are aware of your…"

"Condition," Remus interrupts, and she gives a little nod.

"They will stay away from your office."

"What if they don't?"

"They will," Minerva confirms, and by the look on her face, Remus can tell that she has put something in place, perhaps some kind of protection spell, to keep both students, and Remus safe.

"But…"

"Remus, I do not have time for this. I would not have let you come back if I thought you were a danger to the students. Now please," Minerva says, and Remus gives a small nod, before leaving her office. He still feels sick to his stomach, because what if he is more dangerous than Minerva knows? Will they be able to stop him before he hurts someone? Will they be able to kill him before it's too late?

When he enters the hallway, leading to his classroom, he finds a group of students, all huddled around the dog, who is enjoying all of the attention, and who has, over the last two days, been a replacement for all the pets the students have had to leave at home.

"He is the best, Professor Lupin," a girl says, a big smile on her face. Remus gets the biggest smile on his face, and nods.

"He is." He smiles, as the large dog looks up at him.

"Ehm, professor?" an older students asks, looking nervous. "I don't mean to offend, but… It's a full moon tonight, is it not?"

"It is," Remus answers, his heart beating fast. The last time he had worked here, Severus Snape had told everyone about his condition, and he had had to leave because of it. Because no one wanted someone like him to teach their children. This time people know, and although Minerva had explained to him that people don't care much about that kind of thing anymore, not after everything that has happened, not after a war, it still makes him feel anxious. What if people still look at him like he is a monster? What if they are scared of him?

"Is there anything we can do to help, sir?" a girl asks. "To make it easier for you."

"We can look after Snuffles for you," the older student says, and Remus can't help but smile.

"Oh, wow," he says, a weight having been lifted off his shoulders. They don't look at him like he is a monster, not at all. "I really appreciate the offer. Thank you. But I can… I can manage. Thank you."

"And Snuffles?" the girl asks.

"He is being looked after. But thank you," Remus says again, and he flashes a grateful smile. "I should ehm…," he says, and he looks over to his classroom.

"Yes, of course. Good luck tonight, Professor," the older student says, and he steps to the side to let Remus through. Remus gives a small nod, before getting into his classroom, with Sirius following him. Sirius doesn't change back though, not until they have entered the office, and have locked the door behind them.

"Where are you staying tonight?" Remus asks, as soon as Sirius has changed back, a nervous look on his face. He hadn't thought about it before, because he had been too nervous about the students. But now he realises that Sirius has nowhere to go, and he can't stay here, because it isn't safe.

"With you," Sirius answers, as they walk through the office, and enter the bedroom.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I will kill you," Remus says, as he goes over to the corner of the room, to check the place where he is planning to be shackled to the wall tonight.

"You have no idea, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How pathetic you are," Sirius says, and Remus looks at him, an offended and hurt look on his face. "When you're the wolf, you're not a… you're not even really a wolf, wolves are beautiful creatures, are they not? You are this skinny, sickly-looking, pathetic version of a wolf."

"I am?" Remus asks, not sure how to feel about this. He had never actually seen himself when he had transformed, so he had formed a picture of himself in his head, but he hadn't imagined himself to look the way Sirius has just described him. He isn't sure why, but it makes him feel embarrassed.

"You are not dangerous, Remus," Sirius explains. "I keep telling you. You have this idea in your head that you will kill people, but you won't."

"Look at what happened when I forgot my potion, on the night you came back to Hogwarts. I could have killed Harry and his friends, I hurt you…"

"So you hurt someone, once. In how many full moons?" Sirius asks. "And you were upset that night, your mind was all over the place. Other than that one time, you have never, not once in your life, hurt a single person, when you were a wolf."

"Because I make sure I can't get out," Remus says, getting annoyed, but when a mischievous smile appears on Sirius' face, he just gets confused. "What?"

"I made sure you were safe at the Shack," Sirius explains. "But once you changed, I came back in. At first you would growl and try to scratch me and all that, but… After a few months, when we were friends for longer, you didn't even look up. You let me come close, you let me sit with you."

"You did what?" Remus asks, his heart racing. Because all this time, he had thought that he had been at the Shack on his own, with Sirius staying outside, to make sure he wouldn't get out, and to make sure he would be safe. But to know he had come inside, that he had risked his life? That changes things.

"That's how I know that somehow, somewhere, you are still in control, even if you don't know it. It is still you in there, because the longer we knew each other, the closer you let me get."

"When I changed back that one time, and you were already there, sleeping next to me…"

"I lied," Sirius admits, flashing a shy smile. "I told you you hadn't just changed back, that you had actually been asleep, but… I messed up, I fell asleep, and didn't go back out in time before you changed back and realised I was there."

"I could have killed you."

"But you didn't. You are not dangerous, Remus. I have been trying to understand this, ever since you told us. That's why I stayed with you every full moon, I studied you, and I talked to you, hoping that it could make you come back, control it, you know? But I never managed to do it. Then once we all managed to be Animagi, and we first took you outside, you still weren't with us, not really," Sirius explains. "You were there, but you," he says, bringing his fingers up to his head, "You still weren't there. But the next time, in the morning, you remembered us being there. You remembered what you had done that night."

"I did," Remus says, trying to process what Sirius is telling him.

"You can control this thing, we have seen that it can be done, somehow," Sirius says, "And I'm not going anywhere. Because you are not a danger."

"Why haven't you told me any of this before?"

"Because I never did figure out how to help you. But this time, I'm not… We are going to fix this," Sirius says, a determined look on his face, and Remus can't help but smile. "So no, I am not going anywhere, I am staying with you tonight. And even if you were to make me leave, I would simply come back in, once you have changed."

"I don't think you'd be able to, I am fairly certain that Minerva has put up a protection spell around the office."

"Well, I would be able to get in."

"Your magic is stronger than Minerva McGonagall's magic?" Remus laughs.

"No, but I can be very persuasive when I want to be," Sirius laughs, as he comes up to Remus, and puts his hands around his waist.

"Oh, really? Should I be worried?" Remus asks, as he wraps his arms around Sirius' neck, pulling him closer.

"Maybe," Sirius laughs, and he gives him a kiss. "Don't worry, Moony. I am not going anywhere, with anyone. I love you. You do know that, right?"

"I love you too," Remus answers, a shy smile on his face. Sirius gives him another kiss, before letting go of him. "You didn't just say those things, about me not being dangerous, just to be nice, did you?"

"Fuck off, Remus."