The moon was pearly white, more so than usual. Its pale glow was painfully beautiful, and yet was his worst enemy. He howled in the moonlight, a sign of his pain, and his loneliness. Remus was trapped in his own mind, in his own worst enemy. And yet here were his companions; Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, all by his side. There was another, a female scent, as delicate as a lily flower. He had not smelled her animal scent before; this presence was new to him. And yet he was completely relaxed. Somehow, this felt right. The cold, lonely nights were warmed by his loving friends.
A sudden confusion took over him, clouding his mind. He was in a delicate trance, wistfully daydreaming about nothing, before he heard a voice. "Walk into the light Remus….. Go home, with your friends….. Go to Hogwarts….. Be happy…."
For a second, the wolf's mind was taken over by Moony as the wolf was alerted to a foreign presence in its mind, but then Remus, having heard the words 'Hogwarts' and 'home', remembered what they were supposed to do. As he headed towards the light, his friends in toe, he howled at the moon as he thought "I love you son".
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Several voices could be heard chanting complex charms as a steady glowing sort of bubble spread across the house. Darkness was settling at a rapid rate, and the adults were preparing to complete the ritual that would send the time travellers home.
By the porch door, the elder Harry stood along with the marauders, Lily, his younger self and Teddy. He could see Remus getting a little edgy, so he supressed any negative thoughts or feelings he may have had as they prepared to say their final goodbyes.
"Teddy" said Remus. "I'm honoured to have such a wonderful son. I'm sure that in the time that we have together in your childhood, I will be the happiest man alive."
Teddy couldn't speak properly as he hugged his father for the last time. "I'm so glad I met you" he whispered.
"Come on kid, you better go upstairs hey?" said adult Harry gently. His godson nodded and took one last look at Remus and his friends.
"Oy, you lot, take good care of my dad" he said, pointing at the Marauders, before turning away. His heart felt strangely fuller as he walked inside. A part of him was whole again.
"Your turn" said adult Harry to his teenage self. The boy had few words to say, instead pulling his parents and his godfather in for a warming hug. "I love you all so much" he said shakily.
"Harry, my boy" said Lily. "We're so proud of you".
"You have to be my proudest achievement" said James, smiling tearfully. "Well, that and getting Lily to go out with me" he added jokingly, causing everyone to burst out laughing.
"Listen, whatever happens to me in your time, I'm still your godfather" said Sirius. "Even though I may not have been there your whole life, I still care, alright kiddo?"
Teenage Harry nodded, smiling through his tears, before turning to Remus. "Don't ever doubt yourself Remus; you were the best defence against the dark arts teacher we ever had" he said, causing the man to hug him tightly.
"You're a good kid Harry" he said, before letting him go. He had taken his wolfsbane potion not long ago, but he was fighting an internal battle to keep the wolf supressed for a little while longer, just so he could say his goodbyes.
"One last thing" said Harry, turning to Peter. "Your friends love you, don't forget that. They would do anything for you. Find the goodness in your heart. You'll know what to do when the time comes." Peter nodded wearily.
With one last look back at his family, Harry walked away, ready to join his friends. He had been blessed with the most wonderful opportunity, and he would never forget it.
There was only the six of them left, and although it pained him to say it, Harry did not have time for long goodbyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but James interrupted him.
"You've done a fantastic job, and even though we won't remember this, I'll be safe in the knowledge that when my son is born, he'll be the most wonderful baby alive."
"I hope you know how much we'll love you" said Lily. "We'll make sure your year with us is incredible".
Harry smiled joyously as he nodded at his parents. He would always appreciate that thought more than anything.
"Oy Harry!" cried Bill. "Watch out!" He was pointing next to Harry, at Remus. Bill had sensed with his heightened senses what Harry had not; the wolf was coming. Remus was about to transform.
"You lot quick, down your potions that Hermione gave you, now!" he cried. The four of them did so without hesitation, and because there was nothing else for it, Harry grabbed Remus' vial and emptied it down the man's throat.
"Everyone, activate your disillusionment charms, now!" ordered Bill. There were several cries from around the garden, and soon no one could be seen, heard or smelled except for Harry and the five teenagers. Remus' eyes had gone black.
"Transform all of you, now!" shouted Harry before activating his own disillusionment charms. He felt a tingling sensation as all his senses disappeared from the outside world. He had no scent; he could not be heard or seen, only touched, like an invisible object. With that thought, he moved quickly out of the way and joined the rest of the adults who he knew stood by the far fence. He quickly joined hands with the nearest person, and once he felt everyone's magic connect, with all the strength he could muster, he cried "Homeo Portelis!" and felt the beam of sizzling blue light join forces with several others to create a dazzling portal.
He let the remaining adults who had not created the portal take over as they focused on the memory wiping. He could not hear them, but he could tell by the look in the eyes of all five animals that they were having their memories erased. A momentary sadness engulfed him, before he regained concentration. The animals suddenly moved towards the light, ready to go home. He knew the confundus charms must be working. 'Not long now' he thought. The wolf took one last look at the moon before letting out an emotional howl, filled with love and sadness. The light expanded, blinding everyone in the garden. It was all Harry could see for several seconds, excruciatingly bright light, before it vanished into thin air.
Darkness settled peacefully back into his vision, and he could hear several popping sounds as the people around him cancelled their charms. When he looked up, the animals were gone.
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Christmas 1976 –
A blinding white light filled Gryffindor common room, so bright that it was all that could be seen for a few moments. Then, as quickly as it had arrived, it disappeared.
The five people in the room were very confused. Sirius had reached towards the package and torn it open, but then what? Something stirred in the minds of the sixteen year olds, but they couldn't quite reach it.
Remus was very anxious. Had he felt the wolf, just moments ago? Surely not he thought to himself. The full moon wasn't for another three weeks! Chastising his anxious behaviour, he settled down to enjoy Christmas morning with his friends. No one really knew what that light did, but what they did know was that they all felt indescribably happy.
