Greetings! Sorry for the late update – yesterday I went straight from school to wrok to piano lesson to band practise, and didn't get home til ten…and then I couldn't get on a computer.

I have a laptop! This is the first chapter of many to be posted from it! Much yeyness!

I'm also going mad. And I mean unhealthily mad. Today at work, I was suddenly struck with the thought… "if (and it's a big if) I ever get married, I'm not going to make people sing boring hymns. I'll have Bohemian Rhapsody instead." Sometimes I worry even myself…

Anyway! Many thanks for all the reviews! Keep it up! The people who's reviews made me love them even more than my beautiful new machine (but not quite as much as my even more beautiful new hens) were: Mei1105, raining flowersPHEONIX39, Elocin and seikinoko.

Dedicated to Mei1105 (Tash), who left for uni yesterday…which, while meaning she is on the same land mass as us up north, also means she has left her other thirds behind

Enjoy!

Wooo! Have just discovered the liney things are working again! Even more yeyness!


Remus leapt to his feet for the second time, hurrying out of the room and back out through the door they had entered the house by. It wasn't necessary, but manners amongst the wizarding community genrally dicated that a person apparated and disapparated outside peoples homes.

He appeared behind Mrs Jenkins garden shed, a spot she had shown him especially, so that he could come and go without arousing serious suspicion amongst her muggle neighbours. Remus let himself in, ignoring the dogs' usual ecstatic greetings and taking the stairs two at a time. The album was in a box under his bed, containing items he'd hauled around with him since his school days – a gryfinndor scarf, a copy of Hogwarts; A History, scraps of parchment covered in notes or prank plans, one showing a far more detailed plan of the Slytherin common room than ever made it to the marauders map. Old notes, passed between the friends in class, even his very first Hogwarts Letter. Bits and pieces that, from the time he moved out of his parents house to his current location, had gathered in a beaten up cardboard box that he kept promising himself he would clean out. But when it came to it, he could never quite manage to. Its amazing how attached a person can become to the top of a butterbeer bottle.

Looking at the box, Remus made to grab the album, before suddenly changing his mind and hoisting the whole box up. As an after thought, he grabbed the 3 little wooden carvings off the shelf. Suddenly hearing Mrs Jenkins feet on the stairs, boding the 15-minute conversation that would follow, he disappareted.

His reappeared right in the middle of the Potters sitting room.

"Sorry." He apologised. "I was aiming for the front door, but it's a bit tricky when your not focused properly."

"I see." Said Lily, wide eyed and evidently not seeing at all. But then again, it's not every day that a man quite literally appears from no-where into the middle of your sitting room.

Remus set the box down next to the low table that was in the middle of a room, pulling back the tatter tabs.

"This is my box of old school stuff." He explained. "When I moved out of my parents, I put anything from Hogwarts in here, and I've lugged it round with me ever since."

James looked at the mass of papers and books and stripy scarves. There was a lot of history here. And they needed all of it.

"Start at the beginning." He said grimly. "Tell us everything."

Remus smiled, albeit a little shakily, and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I first met you both on the first September, 1969." He began. "On the Hogwarts Express - that's the steam train that you catch to go to Hogwarts. It leaves at 11am from Platform 9 and ¾, Kings Cross Station."

"9 and ¾?" Interjected Lily disbelievingly.

"Yes. To reach it, you had to walk through the wall between platforms 9 and 10. I was late getting on the train, so I had to walk almost its entire length to find an empty carriage. Along the way I met another boy, Peter Pettigrew. He was a first year, like me, and neither of us could find a seat. Those two traumas alone were enough to make us friends, so we searched the entire train together. Eventually, we found empty seats in a carriage right at the back. The only two people sitting there were also first year, also boys. A moody looking, messy aired black haired boy-"

"I bet that was you." Lily said, poking her husband. Remus grinned.

"Nope. That was Sirius Black. James was sitting across the carriage from him, trying desperately to strike up a conversation. So me and Peter piled in, introductions were made, or grunted, in Sirius's case, and we fell to conversation."

"What about Lily? Where was she?" James asked, looking at his wife.

"We met Lily later. Sirius and you got into an argument about Qudditch, and-"

"Qudditch?" Interrupted James, frowning. Remus sighed. He had never thought he'd see the day when he had to explain to James Potter what quidditch was. Then again, He'd never thought he would see James Potter again either, so perhaps today was a day for seeing things.

"Quidditch is a wizarding sport. Its played on broomsticks – just like the ones in your pictures." He added, seeing Lily's open mouth. "The rules are complicated, but basically there's 7 players, four balls and three goals at either end. You and Sirius both felt very passionately about it." The smile on Remus's face spoke of years of memories, and both Lily and James had their mouths halfway open to ask more, before Dumbledore spoke.

"I think it's best if we let Remus tell his story first, perhaps a little more briefly. You could ask questions later."

The rest of the room nodded, and Remus continued.

"Anyway, I guess the two of you were making a pretty load racket, because three girls from the next compartment suddenly appeared in the doorway. One of them was you, Lily. You shouted at Sirius and James to shut up, and Sirius shouted back, and then you shouted back and disappeared again. Sirius was fuming on about bossy girls, but James had a sort of dazed look on his face." Remus' smile had taken on an evil edge. "Peter asked him what was wrong, and after a moments silence, he said 'I think I'm in love'."

The entire room erupted with laughter. Dumbledore had managed to restrain himself to a chuckle, while Lily was on the verges of hysterics. Both Mark ad Cam, while slightly more reserved than Lily, were laughing heavily, and James sat in the middle of it all, looking very put out.

"I never said that!" He protested, when the laughter had quietened a bit.

"You did. And you repeated it at least once a day for the next seven years." Said Remus, chuckling.

"Seven years?" Questioned Lily, slightly calmer.

"That's how long we were at Hogwarts for." Explained Remus. "And almost how long it took James to persuade you that he wasn't always a big-headed, self-centred idiot, as you were fond of calling him."

"And was he?" Asked Lily eagerly.

Remus tilted his head on one side, thinking.

"Some of the time." He admitted at last, and there was another explosion of laughter.

"So what was Hogwarts like?" Asked James, evidently keen to move the conversation on.

"Indescribable." Said Remus simply. "It just is Hogwarts." He frowned, trying desperately to find the words he knew Lily and James needed to describe the place they'd spent so long, and failing miserably.

"You said you were one of James's best friends." Said Lily, seeing the mans problem. "Who were the others?"

Remus smiled. "The other two who were in the carriage that first train ride. Sirius and Peter, Sirius especially. He was by far your best friend."

"And what about me?" Said Lily quickly. She could see the question in James's eyes, and the fear of having to answer it in Remus'. That could wait.

"Same again, the two girls you met on the train. Liz and Jane. The three of you were the bane of our lives." Remus said, smiling. "Jane was always quick to anger – she drove Sirius and James mad a lot of the time, and spent the rest of the time goading them. And Liz…" For a moment, Remus's voice caught. "Liz was the quietest of the three of you. Half the time you forgot she was there. But she was. Always there, whenever she was needed."

"What were Sirius and Peter like?" Asked James quietly, seeing the sadness in the strangers face and guessing the cause. This Liz had obviously meant a lot to him once. Emphasise on the past tense. He'd picked the right topic to bring Remus out of it though, for he smiled again.

"Chalk and cheese." He said with a grin. "Peter was quiet a lot of the time. He wasn't the smartest, but he meant well. Looked up to you and Sirius like you were the sun and moon. You and Sirius you were the leaders. Both of you trying to lead the other, it was like a tug of war half the time. Sirius was…well, Sirius. He was quick to anger, had a massive temper if you annoyed him. But he was loyal, fiercely so. Never betrayed a friend."

Dumbledore was the only one who understood the sadness in Remus' eyes at that final comment, although they all saw it.

"Why don't we see the photos?" Said Cam quietly, trying desperately not to feel out-placed as the stranger talked about friends and memories of two of the beings she held dearest that she knew nothing about.

Remus nodded, reaching for the album. Its once red cloth cover had faded to a deep brown, and bits of it was hanging off in places, but both Lily and James were gazing at it as though it were the crown jewels. Remus flicked through it, searching for the picture he wanted.

"This was our last day." He said, showing them the page. Lily and James leaned forward eagerly and took the album.

And stared.

"The pictures are moving." Said James at last, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"Wizard photos do that." Explained Remus quickly. "Don't worry, you get used to it."

James nodded slowly, still gazing at the photo. Seven teenagers crowded together, three girls, four boys, a lake visible in the background, a tree just behind them. A messy haired boy was leaning against his trunk, an arm around a red headed girl. Next to them sat another boy, also black haired, but with a much more elegant look, which was somewhat spoiled by the fact that he was flicking what looked like water at another girl, lying the other side of the pair by the tree. Her hair was a dark chestnut brown, reaching down almost to her waist, and her eyes were dancing with light. Behind her sat a blondish haired boy, laughing at his friends' antics, and in front of her sat a brown-haired boy, a book in one hand, although he had long ago given up trying to read it. The final figure lay stretched out across the front, golden blonde hair falling past her shoulders, her head propped up on her arms by the reading boys knee.

"That's me." James said slowly, pointing at the messy haired boy. There was a look of wonderment on his face as he took in the sight of…well, himself.

"Yep." Said Remus, waiting for further reaction.

"And that's Lily. And…" There was a pause as both Potters looked between Remus and the photo.

"That's you." Said Lily at last, pointing to the reading boy, the adult version of whom nodded.

"So that's…Sirius, and that's Peter." Said James, pointing at the correct figure in turn.

"And that one's Liz, and that one's Jane." Finished Lily triumphantly.

The Potters turned the pages, studying the pictures intently, seeing the faces of friends and enemies, strange creatures and unknown places, all of which had once been familiar and known to them. And they waited for the moment when Remus would tell the story behind a particular picture, and one or the other would begin to remember the events leading up to it. But it never happened.

They moved away from the album as the school years ended, instead unrolling and smoothing out the scraps of parchment, reading out scribbled notes and lists, James staring in wonderment at his own handwriting making out words he had no memory of writing.

Finally, Lily threw down her scrap of parchment with despair.

"Its useless." She cried angrily. "I keep thinking I should remember, recognise the places and the people, even the handwriting. And I can almost feel it, but its just not there." She sat back on the sofa, impatience and annoyance in every line of her features.

"Remember what Naomi said, Lily." Interjected Mark. "It took that girl many minths to even begin to regain her memory."

"Patience, Lily." Said Dumbledore softly, smiling fondly at the woman he knew to be anything but.

"You say that as though you have said it to me many times before." Said Lily. "And I am sure you have. But I can't remember any of them. My mothers name, my fathers…even my own child." She looked up suddenly at Dumbledore, her face red with emotion.

"You are a wizard, and Remus claims you to be a great one. Surely there must be something you can do that the hospitals don't know of."

Dumbledore sighed, and suddenly looked very old. He appeared to be thinking something over, weighing up options.

"There is something," he said at last, speaking slowly. "There is something we could try…though it has never been done before, not to my knowledge."

Lily and James both sat up straighter.

"Is it quicker than months of trawling through photos and bits of paper?" Asked James.

"It is."

"Then why the hell did you not tell us before?" Lily's redheaded temper got the better of her as she turned on the old headmaster.

"Because it has never been tried before, because I know nothing of the consequences. And there is more at stake here than simply your memories." Dumbledores tone had taken a slightly dangerous edge, and Remus suddenly realised that the past hour had been as trying for him as for anyone.

"There is a boy, somewhere in this country, who deepest, most secret desire is nothing more than to see his parents, to know them as more than their friends memories. I will not ruin that chance for him anymore than I will for you. I am concerned of the affect this method could have on your mental well being, even possibly your physical."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "20 years." She spat bitterly. "20 years of nothing but a black nothingness, and you say you hold the key to it. I don't care about your concerns. Give me back my life."

Dumbledore regarded her calmly. "You are prepared to do it?" He asked sadly. "Both of you?"

The Potters nodded as one.

"The consequences? Remember, not all your memories will be good ones. Could you live with that? If your memories bring back to you dark moments, moments you wish to forget again, if they bring you thoughts of a time in your lives when you were not the people you are now…could you handle it?"

James looked at the two men seated across from him.

"You knew us." He said slowly. "You knew an us we know nothing of. Do you think we'll think that? Do you think this us is so changed from the then us that we'll be torn in two?"

Remus studied them both for a moment.

"No." He said softly. "I don't think so."

"Then we'll try it."

A sudden bang from another room broke the atmosphere. Lily leapt to her feet with a cry of "Jack!" and ran from the room. The others all stood up, looking at the doorway Lily had disappeared through, where now stood a rather dishevelled looking girl. Remus recognised her as the one that had opened the door, and he wondered if the bang had anything to do with the flour that now covered her from head to toe.

"Jane…" Said James with a sigh, approaching his daughter. There was something in his voice that told Remus this was not an unusual occurrence- a tone of what-did-you-do-now was evident.

"Sorry dad. I was looking for something in the cupboard, and I slipped on the egg that Jack broke. The flour just sort of fell when I grabbed the cupboard to stop myself falling off the counter. Jacks a bit of a mess too."

James closed his eyes, a look of pain crossing his face, making Remus smile.

"Go and have a shower, and change your clothes." He said, leading her from the room.

Dumbledore turned to the remaining people in the room.

"I shall fetch what I need, and return. I should be back shortly."

He disapparated with a pop, the situation seeming to have gone beyond the call for common courtesy. Remus looked over at the strangers, both of whom had sank back down into their seats, looking a little more than slightly shocked. He smiled grimly at them.

"You look as bad as I feel." He said, trying to broach conversation.

The woman smiled back, but it was emotionless, devoid of feeling.

"Same." She said. There was a pause, during which Remus copied his companions and sat back down.

"I always thought…well, hoped, really, that someday someone from their past would turn up. I just never thought it would be this…well…this." Mark said after a few minutes.

Remus nodded. "Its strange, seeing them again. It took me so long to convince myself they really were dead, weren't ever coming back…for weeks afterwards I kept expecting one of other of them to turn up at meetings, or come over to borrow something. And they never did. Didn't help that we had no bodies to bury, no closure."

Cam watched the man in front of her, complete stranger though he was, and saw years of pain and sadness that went beyond his age. It was a skill she had always possessed, reading peoples faces as well as any book, something she'd passed on to Lily and James as they re-learnt how to live, and it often came in useful.

"And now seeing them again, friends with people who are complete strangers to you…with no memories of you…" She hazardered, and struck gold.

"Dumbledore warned me about this, when I went to see him earlier. I guess I didn't believe how different it would be."

Cam and Mark waited, giving him time to collect his thoughts.

"I thought…well, I don't know what I thought. A flicker of recognition maybe. Something."

Cam glanced at her husband, but Mark was always much more comfortable in physical matters that he could fix with his own two hands, and seemed uncomfortable with the obvious distress of the man in front of him.

"What happened to them?" She asked softly, watching Remus's face carefully.

"Who?" He frowned, confused.

"The friends in the pictures, the ones you were talking about."

Remus sighed. "Liz was killed maybe two weeks after we thought Lily and James were. Voldemort was gone but the wizarding world was still at war with his followers, and she was murdered during an attack on her home. Jane cut off all contact with us and the wizarding world altogether some 6 months before, and I don't know what happened to her."

"And the other two?"

"Sirius was wrongly imprisoned for 12 years, believed to have led Voldemort to the Potters. He escaped, and spent two years on the run. He was killed four weeks ago. Peter…the Peter in those photographs died soon after they were taken."

Cam frowned. Remus's tone told her there was more to this than he was telling, but he obviously wanted to go no further, and she would not push him. Yet. Instead she thought of the other man, the one that had been so close to James.

"Fate is a cruel mistress." She murmured softly. "A breach of four weeks. It would be better if it had been years."

Remus grimaced. "It is cruel in more ways than one. The day of his murder was the day the Ministry of Magic finally realised he was innocent. He was officially pardoned two days later."

Cam closed her eyes, looking pained.

"So your all alone." She said after a pause, making Remus start. Rarely had anyone read him so well. Then again, the occurrences of the past 12 hours had shaken him in so many different ways; it was unsurprising that he was not as guarded as usual.

"Not always. I have friends, people I've worked with on one thing and another, a family that is forever willing to give me a bed for the night and more food than I could ever eat."

"But none of that can ever equal people you spent your childhood with, 7 years of shared memories."

Remus bowed his head, not bothering to deny the plain truth.

"You're a very perceptive woman, Mrs…" Remus trailed off, suddenly realising he didn't know these peoples names.

"Jones. Cam and Mark Jones." Filled in Cam. "And I know I am. It's a useful talent. Some of the time, anyway."

"You said you had often hoped of Lily and James finding their past." Said Remus after few minutes' silence. "That can't make it any easier, knowing there's so much of their lives you know nothing of."

"And finding it's so different from any of the scenarios we pictured? I'm not alone in my perceptiveness, Mr Lupin."

"Remus."

"Very well then. Remus. It will take some getting used to, I admit. Its a lot to think about."

Remus hesitated, remembering Lily's stories of her older sister.

"You wont…ignore them, or…I don't know…block them out because of it, will you?" He ventured slowly.

Cam looked shocked.

"Lily and James are our friends." It was her husband who answered, however, specking slowly and quietly. "We have no longer have children of our own, or any close living relatives. They and their children are all those things at once, and so much more. It would take more than this to make us turn our backs on them. Especially when they will need us most. It would be a lie to say the next few days shall be easy on them."

Cam smiled warmly Mark, before turning to Remus.

"My husband is a man of few words, Remus Lupin." She said in her welsh lilt. "But when he speaks, it would take the hounds of hell to make him back on his word."

Mark nodded his agreement, and the three lapsed into silence. It was a comfortable silence, despite the fact they were practically strangers to each other, the kind of silence bought on by the thought of a shared goal. The three were now comrades, going into battle against an unknown foe. And they had made it their duty to make sure every one came out alive at the other end.


And so another chapter finishes….And I can officially say the next chapter is THE chapter. Three guesses as to what happens. So review! And I'll post next Monday!