The last thing Sirius remembered was James's body, no longer stone but flesh, slowly floating towards the water surface, away from danger, and away from him. He was very sorry to have put James in the depth of the lake when he needed a bed and remedy potions most; he watched James choke and struggle for air but he knew that, in the end, James would be safe. Peter and Lily were waiting for him. The world was waiting for him. Sirius only prayed that James would reach the surface before his breath ran out so that he would be safe from the water and in turn, come back to look for him and Remus.

It was a very hard decision to make – he had to choose which one or two out of the three of them to save. He could've dropped James and Remus and come back after a second ingestion of Gillyweed, but he knew that the longer they were in water, the more danger they would face, not to mention the petrification spell that Pinky cast could lose its effect any moment. He could've moved just one of them first, but that would mean leaving either one in the dark of the lake, which was the last thing he wanted.

But there was no time for him to decide. As his gills disappeared, he was even more vulnerable than James and Remus in stone form, but there was still a significant distance between his current location and the water surface. It was clear to him that there was no way he could make it in time…

But maybe they could, the last functioning cells in Sirius before he drowned whispered. There's a way…

His eyeballs slid listlessly to the side. In between blurred and clear visions as his lens managed to focus, the two Galleons that guided him and dispelled evil glowed against the dark, one shining through Remus's stone robes, one in his hand.

'The Galleons will lead them to us,' he murmured. 'They will.'

A swish of his wand lifted the petrification spell on James, and with another flick, he cast it upon himself and slipped the Galleon into James's pocket. As the stone-turning spell crept up his feet, to his trunk, and to his arms, freezing him gradually, the gagging sensation and pain eased. It was almost a relief, like dying.

'Good luck, Jamesie-boy.'

Then blackness enveloped him.

White ceilings, later afternoon sunlight, drawn-up curtains, soft speaking voices.

'He woke!'

There was loud cheering and then someone shook him gently.

'Master Sirius! Master Sirius!' A little hand squeezed his. Sirius blinked wearily as Pinky's small face came into focus. 'Oh Master Sirius, thank Merlin you've come back unharmed… ' Large tears rolled out of glassy big eyes, and Sirius just wanted to comment that there was some leaf-like thingy attached to her eyelashes. 'Pinky is so sorry, Pinky should've had let Master Sirius go down alone…'

'Oh,' Sirius remembered. The Lake, the mermaid, the Galleon; he sat up abruptly and snapped his head left and right, only let out a cry of joy when he saw James and Remus each lying on a bed on either side of him. And then he widened his eyes when he saw Lily on the bed across from his, who smiled tiredly, her face slightly too ghastly and hair dripping with water. Peter was originally sat between James and Sirius; he spun around and immediately conjured a glass of water for him.

Just as he wanted to ask what had happened, the door to the wing was spun open by no other than Albus Dumbledore.

'Headmaster,' Pinky bowed at the old man, who returned a polite smile at the elf, thought it did not reach his eyes. 'I asked Pinky to let me know as soon as you woke up,' he explained. 'Sorry if it came as a surprise, but there is some serious business that I need to discuss with you. Pinky, if you please.'

The elf climbed up on a couch that Dumbledore had conjured. 'It started when Pinky was cleaning at the kitchen after dinner. Pinky was mopping the window, and suddenly, I saw two familiar figures running towards the Great Lake. Pinky's been at Hogwarts since the Masters were here, and Pinky could say – no offence – that some trouble was bound to happen.'

'So Pinky decided to follow them because the Great Lake was a dangerous zone to walk at during the Tournament, that Professor McGonagall had warned us elves about. It was Masters James and Remus. They stopped under the yew tree at the back shore of the Lake, and they looked like they wanted to stay there all night, so Pinky stayed as well –' she shot a frightened glance towards Dumbledore, who smiled at her encouragingly, ' – until something went very wrong. Someone in a black robe jumped out of a bush behind them all of a sudden, a wand almost sticking up Master James's throat. It happened so fast that I was not prepared to think of better ways. Had it not been the delay, Masters James and Remus would have…'

'And what caused the delay?' asked Dumbledore kindly, his piercing blue eyes never leaving the elf.

'Pinky didn't catch that, Pinky is sorry,' she lowered her head. 'It gave out what sounded like a growl, but Pinky isn't sure. It appeared almost as the same time as I did, and apparently, the person in black robe saw it too. He was caught off-guard, and perhaps he panicked, he dropped the Masters into the Lake and fired a spell at Pinky and that thing. Pinky dodged it, but had only enough time to petrify Masters Remus and James before they sank.'

'What about the other creature?' asked Sirius desperately.

'Pinky didn't see it,' she shook her head. 'It disappeared.'

Dumbledore looked grave. He stroked his beard repeatedly, but his mind was obviously somewhere else.

'Please tell us what happened to you, Mr Black,' Dumbledore gestured towards Sirius after a while.

So Sirius told them about the lake. He deliberately left out the bits about what the mermaid conjured; it was too painful to recall, not when the people concerned were right here in the same room as him.

'Somehow, Pinky's tracking spell was lost after about an hour,' Lily picked up from where Sirius left off. 'And the next minute, we saw James struggling in the water. He held a glowing Galleon, and told us it's got a twin and was possibly in Sirius's possession. We knew he was in trouble then, but the Gillyweed we had was only enough for one more person.'

'So you took it,' Sirius looked at Lily right in the eye. Suddenly her tiredness and dripping wed hair made sense.

'I did,' she said simply. 'It wasn't easy to locate where you were, but since James came out alive, it made sense that where he was de-petrified wasn't a deep region. So with the help of the glowing Galleon, I found you and Remus.'

'Meanwhile,' said Dumbledore, 'Mr Pettigrew came to me and asked for help, just when I was planning to return to the castle from the Tournament. It was very lucky that he ran here. I would've been gone already had he arrived later.'

'What about the Task?' James interjected as Dumbledore's words jogged his memory. 'How's Harry? Did he …?'

'Harry did an excellent job,' Dumbledore smiled, this time he seemed truly impressed. 'It showed that, not only was he a very competent Hogwarts champion, but also a kind-hearted boy. Maybe he'll tell you more about it when he comes.'

James cried out proudly, and Lily looked relieved.

'While we indulge in the joy of Harry's success, there is one thing that I would like to draw your attention to,' the Headmaster's former grave air resumed. 'Mr Lupin, may I ask why you and Mr Potter were out of the castle after curfew?'

It was very clever of him not to address James but Remus instead. Through years of mischief making, Sirius had discovered that Remus had the tendency to give in to his conscience and tell the truth when they were caught. Not that he was incapable of lying; in fact, he was an excellent liar; yet his very weakness what that he was susceptible to guilt.

James shot a pleading glance at Remus, who was holding a level gaze with the Headmaster. 'I wanted to have some fresh air. It was too stuffy inside.'

'So you went out with Mr Potter to the shore of the Lake, when the whole of Hogwarts ground was, I believe, open to your access?'

'Yes,' Remus looked down at his hands, remorse clearly visible on his face. 'I shouldn't have asked James along.'

'Why not Mr Black?' Dumbledore asked calmly. Remus's cheeks coloured a little. 'Or Mr Pettigrew?'

'I – I, I had something to talk to James about,' he blinked rapidly. 'Something, you know, concerning my… relationship. So Sirius couldn't come.'

James's mouth formed an 'o' shape, while Dumbledore seemed to be regarding Remus with a knowing glance.

'I see,' the old man's expression betrayed nothing. 'Nonetheless, this is a very important issue that concerns all of you, no matter what your reason for breaking curfew was,' said Dumbledore. 'It has occurred to me that this was an unnatural event. And by unnatural I meant it was planned and targeted specifically at you.'

'How come?' James cried. 'It was a spontaneous decision! Unless you're saying we're under constant surveillance?'

'It's unlikely, given we have placed anti-surveillance spells around the school cast by myself,' replied Dumbledore calmly. 'But it is possible. Or, more likely, we have Death Eaters breaking in and lurking around the school.'

Peter gasped. 'You don't mean…'

'This might not even be a recent event,' admitted Dumbledore somberly. 'I have more than one reason to believe that the attacker didn't just break in yesterday. Therefore, from now on, you must not wander in the castle in non-lesson times. You must return to this makeshift dormitory immediately after class while your professors accompany you on your way back. All activities not held in classroom or the dormitory, like Hogsmeade trips, the Third Task, will not in any way involve you, doing research for the contestant included,' Dumbledore said as he fixed them with a pointed look.

'But Harry –' Sirius protested.

'Your status as time travellers renders you extremely dangerous, if I have to be blunt,' Dumbledore raised his voice, not in the way like he was screaming, but rather like he used a Sonorus that magnified his voice. 'Dangerous in the sense that any changes occurred to you will affect all of us in the current world, and possibly, history itself. Even if Harry suffers any harm during the Task, you are not allowed to go to him but stay in the dorm. I'm sorry.'

The Marauders and Lily looked at each other, a cloud of doom loomed over them. Even after Harry, Ron and Hermione's visit, the doomed feeling was only more stifling than before.

Peter returned to the Room of Requirement just before curfew(accompanied by Madame Pomfrey), Lily and James fell asleep soon after he left. As tired as Sirius was, something was bugging him at the back of his mind. The whole afternoon, Remus had not spoken directly to him, save for polite exchanges and gestures of gratitude. Sirius supposed that meant nothing; after all being turned into a stone was not entirely a pleasant experience.

He turned, while lying on his back, and was surprised to see that he was not the only one awake.

'Moony?'

Remus jumped. 'What?'

'You've been awfully quiet.'

'Tired,' said Remus. He didn't sound like lying.

'There's something on your mind,' Sirius remarked. 'I've known you since first year. You look like when we asked where you went after the full moon before we figured out your furry little problem.'

Remus fidgeted with the hem of his nightshirt. He remained silent for a full minute before deciding to reply. 'If,' his face was buried in the shadow so that it was very hard to see his expressions, 'you could choose again, would you still choose James over yourself?'

'Yes,' Sirius said slowly, but firmly. 'James is my brother. I'd die for him a million times over.'

'James is lucky to have you in his life,' said Remus quietly. 'Not many people are willing to sacrifice themselves for others. He deserves it.'

Sirius could hear the smile in his voice, however small it was. 'He does,' he grinned, but then he thought of Harry, and his smile disappeared. 'I only hope that, while he… still has time, I'll do anything… anything at all for him. He's got Lily and Harry. They need more time together.'

Remus nodded somberly. Neither spoke for a long time, for Remus continued to play with his shirt as if there were suddenly runes on it that demanded his immediate attention, while Sirius's gaze landed on James, and then Lily across the other side of the wing. Night was still and quiet, the only thing they could hear was the occasional buzzing and humming of bugs outside the window.

Suddenly, a new understanding dawned upon him. 'He's got Lily and Harry waiting for him,' Sirius whispered into the night. The lake rescue was an act out of pure instinct; he never thought about the reasons behind – it proved that he was willing to do anything in exchange for James and in extension, for Lily and Harry. Yet somehow, he figured out there was more to it. 'But you, you would be lonely in the lake. Even if you had to be a statue in the lake forever, at least you'd have me by your side.'

Remus turned very slowly. 'How d'you mean?'

'I never told you what happened with the mermaid,' said Sirius, his voice wavering a little as he recalled the events in the cave. 'I saw you, cold and shivering after what probably was a full moon. Then I saw James, lying on the floor… d…' he could never bring himself to say 'dead.' 'But then,' he spoke shakily even after the pace of his breath evened, 'I was thinking, is living really any better than dying when all you have is gone?'

'Maybe –'

'Don't you understand, Moony?' Sirius's throat tightened. 'James and Lily were gone when Harry was one. Peter too. And I… as good as dead. Harry is thirteen this year. There were twelve years in between. Don't you understand? Twelve years. A hundred and forty-four full moons. What would you have done to yourself without us? What would I have left without memories of you? Wha–'

'You escaped, and I've always been transforming like this,' Remus cut him off, as if he could no longer bear to hear the rest of Sirius's sentence. Sirius could see his fists curled and uncurled through the sheen of tears in his eyes. 'Besides, werewolves rarely live past the age of thirty if they don't let themselves loose like Greyback,' he said, almost too stiff and rational for Sirius's liking.

'Don't tell me you've never noticed we are up to something behind your back,' Sirius bit back a shout. He would have been screaming already if they were not at the Hospital Wing at midnight. 'You said there was no cure –'

'There isn't,' said Remus vehemently.

'I don't deny it,' Sirius snapped and looked around furtively, hoping he had not roused James and Lily. He was feeling the beginning of a headache; they had been on this so many times before that it had not been brought up for a fair amount of time. 'But you never open up yourself to any alternatives! You never believe we can help you! Do you really think we came to the future for nothing, now that I'm telling you this after it's been kept secret since we started practising?'

'How?' Remus's tone was icy, but Sirius could tell there was a spark of fire under the ice.

'Werewolves only attack humans, but never other animals. We'll be those animals, and in fact, we're almost there. Soon we'll be joining your transformation and keep you from hurting yourself – no, I don't want to put up a fight in the dead of night about how illegal and unwise this is,' Sirius held up a hand and smiled bitterly, 'on the contrary, I have never been more motivated after knowing that we'll not be around for long.'

'But it is illegal, and extremely dangerous,' Remus whispered, his expression flickering between extreme surprise, happiness and sadness.

'The future tells us that we didn't die from Animagus transformation,' said Sirius wryly. 'And if you're worried we'd be caught… Well, I already did.'

Remus's chest rose and fell heavily. Light and shadow danced on his brown curls as slight trembles took over him.

'I just think,' Sirius's tongue felt very numb, 'if you have to suffer all alone, then I'd suffer with you. We're already the only ones left in the future, and… and if because of me, you ended up being a statue in this world, then I'd become one, too.'

Remus bit down on his lip as colour started to taint his wan cheeks. 'Sirius…'

'I'd die for James,' Sirius stared down at his own hands, his voice barely a whisper that he wasn't sure if he was talking to Remus or himself, 'but I'd die with you.'

The buzzing outside the window grew louder; occasionally there was a distant bark of dogs, or a roar of unknown creatures from the Forbidden Forest. Sirius did not usually like quietness, but now he was grateful for it with three of his beloved friends (Lily included) lying beside him. Just as he wondered whether Remus had fallen asleep already, there came an almost imperceptible sigh from the other boy's bed.

'I'll remember that.'

And with that, Sirius drifted off.

A/N : I was inspired to write 'I'll Remember That', a very short fic which revolves around this particular quote:

" 'I'd die for James,' Sirius stared down at his own hands, his voice barely a whisper that he wasn't sure if he was talking to Remus or himself, 'but I'd die with you.' "

This is not necessarily a sequel, just a spur of emotions when Muse struck. Appreciate if you could check it out ;)