A/N: Well, I thought a lot about this chapter, let me tell you that first. I really did not know whether I should include a part with Remus and Sirius. So many people have complained about the slash in this story that I really hesitated. Finally, thought, I decided to put one in. I don't consider it to be slash at all (it could easily be taken as just two close friends in my opinion) but if it makes you truly uncomfortable, you can feel free to skip the first scene. I just don't want to hear any complaints about it. Everyone else, enjoy!
Long after Professor Dumbledore had left, Remus just sat there in his chair and stared at the man on the bed. Physically, Astrum didn't look even remotely familiar. He had very nice dark brown hair and sparkling brown eyes, and if he had just been a stranger on the street, he would have said that the man was fairly attractive. Not as handsome as Sirius Black, certainly, but cute enough to attract more than a few girls (or boys). He didn't understand why Dumbledore had called him all the way to Hogwarts just for the purpose of meeting this man. Although it was relatively easy to Floo, the short journey had exhausted him, and he'd been dragging with fatigue until Astrum reached out and put a hand on his arm.
The wolf had responded instantly. That prickly feeling just under his skin had actually lessened for the first time since Sirius's death. Even the pervasive exhaustion, the feeling that he just wanted to lay down and sleep forever, had been swept aside by a small but powerful jolt of energy. Remus narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering who the man was and why he'd been able to have that effect on him. No one should have been able to do that - except for Sirius, of course. Which meant there was one very obvious conclusion to be drawn. But that was impossible, and Remus didn't even want to let his mind go there. Because he'd already lost Sirius twice, and he knew that losing the man for a third time would break him completely. There would be no coming back or hanging on. So he stood up... or tried to.
"Let go of me," he ordered when the man's hand tightened on his arm. The words came out much shakier than he would have liked, and he frowned slightly, frustrated, as the wolf fought him as well, demanding that he sit back down.
"I can't," said Astrum sadly, a look of regret flashing into his eyes. "You're dying, Remus. Oh Merlin - I should have seen this coming, but I didn't. I'm so sorry. I should have come to you months ago, no matter what the cost was. It never even occurred to me since I wasn't really..." He trailed off and shook his head, seemingly unable to finish speaking. Instead, he sat up and reached for a wand that was sitting on the nightstand. Remus watched him pick it up, feeling like he was a distant observer as the man pointed the wand at himself and uttered a long string of unfamiliar Latin words. Light fizzled over his skin, causing Remus to squint. His jaw dropped when the light finally died away and Sirius Black looked up at him with a sad smile.
"Sirius?" he whispered, truly stunned. His legs gave out from underneath me and he fell back onto the chair, staring at his oldest friend and mate in awe-struck silence. "But... what... how... you can't be. This can't be happening." He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head frantically. "Oh my god, this is it. I've finally lost it."
"It is happening. Remus, look at me," Sirius commanded.
Slowly, Remus did. He drank in the sight of his friend, his mate, taking in the healthy tanned skin and the long black hair tied neatly into a loose ponytail at the nape of Sirius's neck. The taller man looked healthier than he had since his escape from Azkaban. His body had filled out a little more after several months' worth of good food and proper rest, and the deep lines in his face had smoothed out considerably, those his silvery blue eyes still held a look of someone that had been both haunted and hunted. A hesitant smile quirked his lips, and he reached out gently to cup Remus's cheek. The wolf howled in triumph at the reaffirming touch of its mate. Remus froze in the action of pulling back.
"It's really me," Sirius repeated. "I can prove it to you. We met in first year on the train, but you didn't become friends with James and me until you hexed Dorothy Dumspin and we got blamed for it. I fucked everything up in sixth year when I sent Snape after you." He cast around. "My… My animagus form is a grim. I can transform if you want. Just - I'm so sorry, Moony. I wanted to tell you, but Dumbledore made me promise that I wouldn't. He had me swear a wizard's oath that I would never do or say anything that would allow people to know that Chance Astrum is really Sirius Black."
"How..." Remus said through numb lips, feeling faint. "I don't..."
"The portkey," said Sirius, still wearing that sad, wistful smile.
Remus jerked backwards like he'd been slapped. Amber eyes widened as the full implications of those two words settled into his mind. After Arthur Weasley's attack the year before, Albus Dumbledore had issued every member of the Order of the Phoenix a special portkey. It could be activated by either the wearer or the person who had created it - i.e., Dumbledore. The portkey had been designed to take the wearer to a safe, undisclosed location where they could stay until someone, likely Dumbledore or another trusted member of the Order, could come help them. However, the portkey was also special in that there was no physical sign to indicate that it was being used, nor was there residual magic left over. Very powerful, very rare, and it had never once occurred to him that Sirius might have used it to escape his fate.
"But... you fell..." he said dumbly. "I saw you."
"I started to," Sirius agreed, grabbing his hand again. "At the very last second, I managed to spit out the word to activate the portkey. It took me to this house on the other side of the world. The veil, or maybe the spell Bellatrix hit me with, or both, left me feeling sick, dazed, and disoriented. I was half dead by the time Dumbledore came along and found me. While I was still out of it, he had me swear an Oath to make sure that I wouldn't let anyone know that I was alive as long as he kept acting in Harry's best interests." He studied Remus's expression and shook his head. "Here, Moony, look."
He set his wand down and closed his eyes. In the time it took to blink, a large, familiar dog with shaggy black fur had replaced Sirius Black. With a joyful yelp, the pup bounded forward and licked Remus's face from chin to forehead before backing off with what could only be described as a smug smile. Seconds later, he was back to Sirius Black. Remus stared for a few moments, mind processing the information at an extremely slow pace, before he realized that it was true. Sirius was alive.
"You've been alive all this time..." Remus whispered. It was kind of like there had been a curtain around his thoughts all that time, and now suddenly, he could see and think clearly. Rage swept through him, pushing aside the shocked numbness. "That bastard!"
"Moony, stop!" When he would have jumped up and stormed out, Sirius stopped him. "That won't do you any good. Dumbledore only accept you into the Oath because you were dying, but I know he's going to come back to make you swear an Oath before he'll let you go." He clenched his free hand into a fist. "I'll loose my magic if I tell anyone."
"I won't do it," he said instantly. "He can't make me."
Sirius glanced up and regarded him with longing. "If you don't, then he'll Obliviate you," he said quietly. "The wolf won't forget that I'm alive, but you will. You'll suffer even more horribly than before because you won't understand what the wolf wants, and it will think you're actively denying yourself. Is that what you really want?"
"No, what I really want is for none of this to have ever happened!" Unable to sit any longer, he jumped to his feet and strode across the Hospital Wing to the door. Without even bothering to reach for his wand, he drew his fist back and punched the door hard. It barely made a dent, and his fingers began to ache almost immediately, but he didn't care about the pain.
"Remus!" Suddenly, Sirius was there, wrapping his arms around him from the back. Remus struggled against him for a moment, seething with the desire to find Dumbledore and make him pay. "Remus, please. Don't do this. You don't understand how strong Dumbledore is. He could destroy you. I don't want you to die. I need you. Please."
The obvious misery in his mate's voice was what got through to him. Remus stopped and took a deep breath, his whole body shuddering, before he twisted to face Sirius. There were actual tears in Sirius's eyes, which shocked him. He could count on one hand the amount of times in his life that he'd seen Sirius cry. For the first time, it really hit him that he and the wolf weren't the only ones that had suffered. Silently, he reached out, bringing his arms up around Sirius's waist and clinging to him almost desperately. This time, there was no keeping the tears of his own back as Sirius embraced him in return. How many times he had dreamt about this happening? And now that it was, he could hardly believe it.
"You're really here, aren't you?" he mumbled, shivering slightly.
"I'm really here," Sirius promised, rocking him gently back and forth. "I'm really here, Moony, and I swear to you that this time, I'm not going anywhere."
NIR
Long after Harry stopped speaking, Ginny sat on his lap and stared off into space at nothing in particular. The words of the prophecy rang through her mind, reverberating around her head until she thought she'd scream. Harry was tense beneath her, though he no longer appeared to be on the verge of tears. His hands were now clutching onto her hips so tightly that it had actually started to hurt, but she didn't really mind. Her hand was still absently rubbing his back in a motion meant to be soothing, but she'd lost all of her focus when it came to making him feel better. Nothing could be done about something like this.
Ginny didn't know a lot about prophecies, but she did know that a lot of witches and wizards held them in high esteem. Dumbledore had obviously believed in this one, and so had Voldemort, to the point where the two of them had been willing to fight over it while placing poor Harry in the middle. She could feel herself beginning to get angry, and it was an actual struggle to keep herself from climbing off of Harry's lap and going to find Albus Dumbledore so that she could shake him and demand to know what he'd been thinking. How could he have kept something like that from Harry for so long? And how dare he tell the boy on the night that Sirius had died? What kind of cruelty was that?
"Gin? You okay?" Harry asked, sounding a bit uncertain.
"What?" She turned and looked at him in surprise, then blinked and nodded. "Oh, yes, I'm fine," she said. It took a concentrated effort to keep the venom from surfacing in her voice. "I was just wondering why Dumbledore never bothered to tell you about the prophecy before. Surely it would have been better for you to have known why Voldemort kept coming after you."
"He wanted to give me a normal childhood," he answered bitterly. "That's what he said... when I asked him once."
The rage built until she was grinding her teeth and her fingers actually spasmed in the desire to reach for her wand. Dumbledore was a powerful wizard who was held in esteem by many, but sometimes she couldn't even begin to fathom what went through the man's mind. "A normal childhood?" she repeated, the words a complete mockery in light of what Harry had lived through growing up. "After you grew up with the Dursleys?"
His lips twitched with the parody of a smile. "Somehow I don't think he ever quite grasped the concept that the Dursleys were a less than loving family. He seemed to think that putting me with them was still the best decision."
She switched to chewing her lip, the pain helping to keep the lid on her fury, as she searched Harry's jade green eyes, wondering what he was thinking. Speaking of Dumbledore no longer appeared to make him angry, but wearier. It didn't help that he was clearly exhausted from a poor night's sleep. With effort, she forced herself to let go of the anger for the time being and instead began running her fingers through Harry's curly black hair. His eyes closed and he gave a soft sigh as his head tilted unconsciously into the touch, like a kitten seeking more contact. Ginny smiled to herself, realizing that he looked a bit like a little boy.
"You're not alone, Harry," she said softly into his ear. "As long as I'm here... I promise that you'll never be alone. Don't forget about me and Hermione. We're both standing behind you."
"Don't want you to get hurt," he mumbled into her shoulder, sounding exhausted. "Voldemort... he's been hunting me because he believes that I'm the one who can bring him down. That's the whole point of that bloody prophecy. Anyone who associates me is putting themselves into the line of danger, especially you and Hermione. I want you two to be safe. Dunno what I'd do if something happened to either of you..." He trailed off as a blush lit Ginny's cheeks. She drew back hesitantly, wondering if she really heard that tone of caring in his voice, or if she had just imagined it.
"I can't promise you that we won't get hurt," she replied at last. "But I can promise that I'll do my best to keep safe, and to do the same for Hermione. As long as you promise that you won't try to drive us away. You can't keep us out of this war, Harry. This is our home, too, and it's our right to fight for it, regardless of whether you are Voldemort's specific target. This prophecy... It might mean that the end of it will be up to you, but I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that I'm with you every step of the way."
Harry's grip on her tightened even further, if that was possible, and he sighed in agreement before relaxing his arms ever so slightly. She could feel him beginning to drift back into a hazy sleep, no doubt brought on by exhaustion. The way the two of them were positioned meant that it was nearly impossible for her to climb out of his lap without waking him up; he had his arms wound around her waist, and she was sitting with her back to the arm of the couch, her side against his chest, and her legs drawn up underneath the warmth of Harry's robe. Not that she really minded cuddling on the coach with him, particularly after seeing the state he'd been in when he'd called her on the mirror. Merlin but he'd nearly given her a heart attack! The last time Harry had looked so upset had been the night that Sirius died, and she'd been petrified someone else had died.
"You idiot. What am I going to do with you?" she murmured, her voice filled with affection. Gently, she brushed a strand of hair away from his scar and tenderly kissed the inflamed mark, just lightly brushing her lips across the heated skin. Dumbledore and Voldemort were both such bastards, she thought, pulling back a bit. How could they put so much onto the shoulders of one sixteen-year-old boy? It hardly seemed fair that Harry had to walk around with the fate of the world on his shoulders.
But no, he wouldn't be alone, not if she had anything to say about it. Just saying the prophecy out loud to someone else appeared to have taken a huge weight off of Harry's shoulders. Ginny sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, watching his chest rise and fall. In some ways, Hermione was really very right about Harry's hero complex: he seemed to not only have the desire to save everyone, but felt the need to take everything on himself even though it wasn't necessary. Hopefully, it would be a habit that she'd be able to break him of. There was no need for Harry to carry so much stress around. It would kill him long before Voldemort got the chance to.
At some point, she was vaguely aware of drifting off into a light doze. Harry made a surprisingly warm and comfortable pillow, and she was tired from everything that had been going on. She was never very sure of how long they slept, but eventually, she became aware of soft whispers and stifled giggles. Prying open eyes that burned, she realized that Hermione was sitting beside them on the couch, very pointedly not looking in their direction as she scribbled on a piece of ivory parchment. There were also other students in the Tower who were doing a much worse job of pretending not to watch. Many were outright staring. Ginny blinked heavily and flushed when it occurred to her how the two of them must have looked.
"Harry, wake up," she hissed into his ear, rubbing her eyes. Harry stirred slowly, coming back to the world with a faintly puzzled look. He looked up at Ginny and gave her a slow, private smile that made her heart skip a beat.
"I guess we fell asleep, huh?" he asked sleepily.
"Yeah, we did," Ginny said, wishing that the sweet, innocent look could remain in his eyes. It killed her to watch Harry come back to himself. He visibly shut down as he caught on to the fact that they had a whole host of observers. His hands quickly withdrew from around her waist, allowing her to prop herself up on the arm of the couch instead of leaning against him. She sighed, missing his warmth, and tried to smile. "Did you... sleep better? No..."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Not this time around."
Hermione's head rose, and she glanced at the two of them for the first time. "Did you have a vision last night?" she asked quickly, sounding more alert than she had in weeks.
"I think so. It was a bit too gruesome to just be a regular nightmare," he muttered, conscious of the fact that several Gryffindors were straining to hear their every word. A well-aimed glare scattered the majority of them, but being that they were a group known for being brave, a few stuck around just for the hell of some extra gossip. He dropped his voice. "It was Voldemort. He was destroying a muggle village."
"Did you tell Dumbledore?" A cross look shot across her face when Harry shook his head. "Oh, Harry. I know you're having problems with him right now, but that's no excuse to avoid telling him something like this. All those people..."
Harry stared at her, looking insulted. "Do you think I just let them die? Merlin, Hermione. There no point in telling Dumbledore because they were all dead by the time I woke up. Voldemort made sure of that." He stood up so quickly that he nearly flipped Ginny over the side of the couch. She caught herself just in time. "I'm going to go get ready for class."
"Shit. I guess I buggered that up," Hermione mumbled as their friend stormed away.
Ginny shot the girl a surprised look, unable to remember the last time she'd heard Hermione swear. "I'm afraid to say that you did," she said wryly, watching Harry's retreating form. Running a hand through her messy and tangled hair, she sighed and stretched. It felt like it was way too early to get up, and she really wished that all of the Gryffindors would have pissed off for another couple of hours. Sleeping in Harry's arms always left her feeling safe and content, and those weren't emotions that she had the chance to experience all that often.
Hermione sighed as well. "I guess I'll go try to smooth it over. I didn't mean it like it sounded." Grimacing, she rubbed her nose, leaving behind a smear of ink. "I just meant… I know that Harry's been having so much trouble with Dumbledore lately, and you know how he can be about his visions…"
"I know. I think Harry's just a bit tired. That vision really rattled him," she confessed, sliding down into the spot of warmth that Harry had left behind. He hadn't actually told her much about the vision, but what she'd heard had been enough to know that it must have been terrifying. "I'm fairly certain that by the time Voldemort let him go, it was too late."
"God." Hermione looked sick. "I'm going to go make sure he's okay."
She swept her roll of parchment into her bag and stood up, swinging it over her shoulder before she headed up the stairs to the boy's dormitories. Ginny watched her go with a raised eyebrow, realizing that Hermione must have been truly worried to have not considered that she might run into Ron up there. Gradually, she became conscious of the weight of several stares on her back, and glanced around in time to see most of the students in the room looking away. Rolling her eyes, she got off of the couch and walked back up to her own room. Her roommates were all gone, and apparently a house elf had already been through, because the mess her bed had been in earlier that morning had been neatened.
It only took her a couple of minutes to get dressed in a skirt and a top before she slipped her robes on. A quick run through her hair with a brush and she was ready; she was too worried about Harry to put much effort into her appearance for a regular school day. That reminded her, however, of just what would be happening that night: Harry's date with Susan. Slowly, she placed the brush back on her nightstand and sat down hard on the bed. Somehow the date had completely sipped her mind, but now there was no way to avoid thinking about it.
"I don't want to think about it," she muttered out loud, scrubbing her face with the palms of her hands. She was tired and hungry and had a bad headache from lack of sleep, and the last thing she wanted to think about was Harry possibly finding a girlfriend. Why couldn't she be happy with the friendship that she had with him? Why did she have to want something more?
"Ginny?" Hermione pushed her head into the room. "Are you - what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she answered, standing up and forcing a bright tone. "How's Harry?"
"He's alright. We're going down to breakfast," Hermione replied, frowning slightly. Her eyes studied Ginny closely, but she made no more comment, for which Ginny was grateful as she followed the older girl out of the bedroom. Harry was waiting for them downstairs in the Common Room, and the three of them left together. Once or twice, she glanced at Harry out of the corner of her eye, wishing that she could determine whether or not he'd been thinking about Susan. But Harry's face was pretty much blank, with no clues.
Professor McGonagall stopped them at the entrance to the Great Hall. "Mr Potter, I'd like it if you could go visit Professor Dumbledore," she said briskly. "There was a small... incident... last night, and he wants to know if you know anything about it. He's going to be waiting for you in the Hospital Wing so that Madame Pomfrey can check your scar." She glanced at Harry's forehead, where the red, inflamed scar tissue was standing out starkly against the paleness of his skin.
"I'll come with you," Ginny said, instantly forgoing the thought of breakfast, even though her stomach was growling. She inwardly cursed herself for not having taught Harry a little more about mental shielding before they met with Dumbledore. His mind would be open to the man. That would have to be rectified and soon.
"That's not necessary, Miss Ginevra," Professor McGonagall replied. "You and Miss Granger – "
"I want her to come." Harry looked up at the professor and frowned. "I won't go unless Ginny comes with me."
For a brief moment, Professor McGonagall and Hermione both looked astonished. "Mr Potter, you are hardly in a position to be making such demands," she said slowly, glancing back and forth between Harry and Ginny. "But I suppose as long as Miss Ginevra is willing to make up the class time that she might miss, it would be alright if she goes with you just this once."
"Thanks. Come on, Ginny." Squaring his shoulders, he turned away from the doors and started walking towards the Hospital Wing. Ginny ran after him and fell in beside him a couple of steps later. She waited until they'd turned a corner before she cast a subtle glance in his direction. He was staring at the ground, looking tired. It was clear that the last thing he wanted to do was talk to anyone, especially Professor Dumbledore, about the vision that he'd had. Her heart squeezed painfully, and before she'd registered the movement, her hand had reached out and slipped into his. Harry started at the touch and turned to her with a surprised look.
"Don't worry, Harry. Remember what I told you this morning," she said softly. "I'm here with you. It will be okay."
Anxiety and worry melted away into an affectionate look, and Harry tightened his grip, not letting her drop her hand. "Thanks, Gin," he said quietly, not seeming to mind that they were walking through the castle holding hands.
"Anytime," she replied breathlessly as they reached the Hospital Wing. The first thing they saw when they walked into the room was Professor Dumbledore standing beside Remus Lupin and Chance Astrum. Dumbledore was holding his wand out, and Ginny had just enough time to see a glowing ball of bluish-colored magic twine around his hand and Remus's before it vanished. At nearly the same moment, Madame Pomfrey bustled out of her office and went straight over to Astrum with a foreboding look.
"You will drink this, and I'll hear no more of your protests," she said threateningly.
Astrum scowled in reply but obediently took the vial that she was holding out. He downed the glowing green liquid without a word, but made a disgusted face as he handed it back. "There, it's gone. Happy?"
Madame Pomfrey arched an eyebrow. "I will be happy when I see the back of you exiting my Wing," she replied. "Now, hold still." Her eyes narrowed in focus as she performed a couple of spells over his body. Ginny recognized the one that glowed a soft blue when it settled over the man's skin, like dust. Astrum grinned smugly when he saw the blue color.
"See? All healed. Now can I go?" he demanded.
"Honestly, you're worse than a child!" Pomfrey muttered, though there was a touch of fondness in her eyes. "I'll have one more potion for you to take, and then yes, you may go." It was hard to tell who sounded happier about that fact. She turned to Remus. "And you, Mr Lupin. What's this I hear about you not eating and sleeping properly?"
Remus winced, looking fairly sheepish. "I'm sorry, Poppy," he said, somehow managing to sound a bit like a boy who was being chastened by his mother. "I've been having a rough go of it for the past few weeks. But I'm feeling much better now." His arm moved unconsciously, and Ginny noticed for the first time that he was clinging to Professor Astrum. She frowned, curious, wondering why Remus had never mentioned Astrum before if they were such good friends. But then again, surely the man had had friends outside of the Marauders?
"I'm going to give you some potions as well," she said in a tone of voice that dared him to argue. "And you. Mr Potter!"
Harry jumped and his hand tightened even more around Ginny's. It was obvious that he hadn't realized that Pomfrey had noticed them. "Err... yes?" he asked weakly.
"Come here and sit down on the bed. I've purchased a salve for your scar that will help with the pain and swelling," she said, bustling over to one of the cupboards at the other end of the room. Harry and Ginny looked at each other, and then Harry walked over to the bed the furthest away from Remus, Astrum, and Dumbledore, dragging Ginny along behind him. He perched on the very end, looking uncomfortable and like he'd love nothing more than to run away. Ginny leaned against the bed and his shoulder, trying not to look at the three men in the room. It was easier said than done. She felt awkward ignoring their presence, but soon it didn't matter, because Dumbledore grew tired of the game.
"Harry," he said, walking over to the two of them. Harry tensed slightly but lifted his head, though he didn't meet Dumbledore's eyes. He stared at a point somewhere over the man's right shoulder. "I'm told that you had a vision last night. Is that true?"
"Yes, though I have to wonder how you found out," the boy said flatly.
"That is neither here nor there," the headmaster replied easily. "What's important is that you tell me exactly what happened."
"You want to know?" Harry asked, a note of cold bitterness ringing strong through his voice. "Voldemort and his precious Death Eaters slowly and surely killed every last one of those people. They laughed when the children cried and thoroughly enjoyed it when the parents couldn't deal with the deaths of their babies." He was actually shaking, and his grip had grown so tight on Ginny's hand that it had become painful. "Not a fucking one of them stopped or even had the human decency to care. Only when they were absolutely certain that they'd squeezed every last drop of blood out of the town did they set everything on fire, like it didn't even matter. And through it all, that fucking murderous bastard just stood there and laughed, and he held me there so I had to watch." Finally, he met Dumbledore's eyes. The usually warm emerald orbs were like cold stone. "That's what happened, Dumbledore. Forgive me for not running to your door so that you could drop a bunch of fucking useless platitudes on my head."
Dumbledore's jaw firmed. "I understand you're upset by what you saw, Harry, but I must ask that you do not blame me. Voldemort's actions are nearly impossible to predict, even with the aid that's open to us." He gave the boy a significant look. "We're doing the best that we can."
Rage flashed in Harry's eyes, and seconds before he would have really let go, Professor McGonagall appeared at the door of the Hospital Wing like an unknowing angel of mercy. "Headmaster, the Minister of Magic has arrived. He wants to speak to you," she said, sounding rather strained.
"Of course, Minerva. Harry, I do hope that if you have any other visions you'll come speak to me," he added, blue eyes stern. Ginny dropped her free hand onto Harry's shoulder and squeezed warningly. Harry remained silent as Dumbledore turned away and strode towards the door of the Wing. The second that he was out of sight, Harry twisted and brought his arm up around Ginny's waist, pulling her body towards the front of the bed, so that his head was pressed into her waist, like the world was too hard to face anymore.
Ginny looked down at the top of his head and felt a wave of unbearable sadness mingled with anger. She moved her free hand from his shoulder to his neck, wishing that there was something she could do or say to make him feel better. But she was highly conscious of the presence of both Astrum and Remus, and she didn't dare say anything with the two of them around. Remus had always been an avid supporter of Dumbledore, and Astrum was a wild card; no one really knew who he would follow, but it was safe to say that it was not a student that he barely knew. No, in this they were alone.
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