Well, hi! This is the final chapter of 'Just Friends' and I can't decide if I'm glad it's over or not… Either way, I had fun writing this. Excuse all the grammatical errors because it's 1:30 in the morning and when I reread this tomorrow, I'll fix them all in the morning after I sleep a bit longer. I hope you all enjoyed this story and the next one will be coming out ASAP.

JUST FRIENDS.

"Hey, Darcy!" called Neville.

"That's Professor Potter to you," I teased and he smiled. I looked him over carefully. His temple was bandaged and his lip was split, but he looked healthy and alright. I smiled back. "What's up?"

"Are you – are you coming back to Hogwarts next year?" he asked me and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. We were walking to the Great Hall for the last dinner feast of the year.

"Maybe," I shrugged. "Professor Snape said 'we'll see'."

"I want to thank you," he continued. "I learned more from you than I have in any other class before. You really believed in me – you thought I really could do it."

"You can do anything you want, Neville, if you keep practicing," I told him.

"Well, I – I Stunned a Death Eater the other night," he grinned proudly and I patted his shoulder. "I did it! I Stunned quite a few, actually, and disarmed one."

"That's great! I'm glad you're safe, Neville."

"Well, I hope if you come back next year, you'll continue the D.A.," Neville said and I chewed on the inside of my lip. "I had a lot of fun in there. I made a lot of friends."

I sighed and looked at Neville. "Yeah, yeah, and if I don't come back next year, I'm putting you in charge, alright?"

"No!" he protested, but I laughed and he smiled. "Put Harry in charge or Hermione! They're so much better than me!"

"Neville, I was only joking," I chuckled.

"Right," he said nervously.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Umbridge was gone, so the seat next to me was empty. Lupin filled it for the last breakfast feast the next day. I finished the Daily Prophet that my owl always brought to me and I folded it closed. I sighed happily and Lupin nudged me. "You did a good thing," he told me. "You really were brave."

"I'm just glad they've got the right story," I said. "They've even got an article dedicated to how I'm a down to earth person who's stronger than I look. That's a breath of fresh air."

"I'm happy for you," he whispered, kissing my cheek quickly.

I leaned over to Snape, who was on my other side, and I showed him the front page of the paper, where there was a picture of me and Harry, the headline above it reading, "You-Know-Who Returns".

"Did you read it yet?" I asked Snape with a smile. He stopped eating and took the paper out of my hands. "It's definitely something different."

He examined the front page and then opened the paper to the article with me in it. He read it over quickly and closed the paper again. "So the Prophet is on your side again?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Finally."

Snape began to hand the paper back to me, but I pushed it away, shaking my head.

"Keep it," I told him. "You'll need something to remember me by this summer."

Snape scoffed and I snickered, turning back to Lupin. "You know," Lupin said. "I still don't understand why you're so nice to him."

"Because no one else is nice to him," I answered with a shrug. I lowered my voice so Snape wouldn't hear. "I've told you before, he's not that bad of a person."

"You're not going to leave me for him, are you?" Lupin teased. "You seem to have a thing for professors, yeah?"

"Not funny!" I retorted, but we laughed all the same.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I gently knocked three times on the door to Tonks's and Lupin's room. I knew Lupin was in my room so Tonks and I would be alone – he didn't know I was going to talk her.

She opened the door and looked surprisingly nice and put together. She didn't look upset or sad at all, really, and I was impressed. Had I suffered a break up with Lupin, I would have looked like the walking dead. "Hi," I said quietly and her eyes widened. I think she was generally impressed that I had finally made the first move and was the first one to speak to her. "Can we chat?"

Tonks nodded, although not as enthusiastically as she usually would have done. She led me in and we sat down on the couch. "Do you want something to drink? Or eat? You hungry?"

"No, thank you," I replied and looked away from her. I felt guilty and my heart beat faster. I was never really good with apologies. "Thank you for coming to the Ministry. You really did a good thing – you saved my life."

"I didn't," she told me. "I believe you could have made it out there alive – I was just there to make sure."

"Well, you've got more faith in me than most people." I smiled weakly at her and she returned the same, small smile. "Look, Tonks, I don't normally do this –" I stopped, not knowing where I was going with that speech. I simply looked at her, sighing sadly.

"Do what?" she asked after a short pause.

"Say I'm sorry. Say that I'm wrong."

"Wrong about what?" she shook her head. "If you're talking about Remus, then I have to agree. We came to an agreement, Darcy, about you. You're in need of protection more than I am. You need someone who will always be by your side, protecting you when you're in danger, and backing you up one hundred percent no matter what you do."

"But that's the thing," I said. "Everyone needs someone like that. I've got Harry. In my life, there are more important things that come before love –"

"Nothing is more important than love, Darcy." Tonks stared at me and pursed her lips. "Love should come before everything. It's the reason you tried to save Sirius. It's the reason Remus went to save you. It's the reason he, Mad-Eye, and I are here. It's the reason Snape brought you back to Hogwarts. We want to protect you because we love you."

"But what about –"

"Nothing, Darcy. It's love that's keeping you safe at your aunt and uncle's house. It's love that is keeping you safe from Voldemort. Love is everything – without it, we are nothing. Without it, we can't overcome half the things we could if we did love."

"I don't –"

"I'm not mad at you. I don't hate you. I won't hold a grudge against you. Quite the opposite, actually," she continued. "I like you a lot and I think we could be great friends. But our situations and lives are much different and while I put myself into danger lots of times, it's nothing compared to the danger you are constantly in. Everyone feels, including myself, much better if you were to have someone around who could save you when you need saving."

"But I've got Harry! I feel guilty, Tonks!"

"Don't feel guilty," she smiled weakly again. "You've done nothing wrong. And we both know that Harry's only a child. He's grown up much faster than usual, but he is still only a child – a fifteen year old boy. A child who can't always come running after his sister. He can't protect you like you think he can."

"And what about him? What about his love? Shouldn't he need a protector?" I asked angrily. "I don't need a protector – I don't want Remus around if he only feels obligated to protect me. I want him around because he loves me and I love him."

"Harry's got you! And what's the difference, really?" she sighed. "He loves you, Darcy, and it's because he loves you that he wants to protect you. He doesn't want to see you hurt or dead. Did you see what he did at the Ministry? God, he nearly cried and I've never seen him cry before!"

I was silent. I stared at her. I never expected anything that mature to come out of her mouth. Annoying, loud, obnoxious Nymphadora Tonks was giving me the best advice that I had ever received in my life. "Are you sad?" I asked, but I wanted to take it back because it sounded so stupid.

"Sad?" she grinned and looked away for a moment. "I suppose I'm a bit upset, but I don't want to see you get hurt, either."

"And you're not mad?"

"No, I'm not mad." She breathed in deeply and then exhaled through her nose. "If you're wondering why I didn't just leave him when you two were, er – reunited, it was because I did love him. I do love him and I think I always will. He brings out the best of me and I'm always so happy around him, but it's not the same with him. Darcy, you two bring out the best of each other and whenever you're the topic of conversation, you can see his mood lighten immediately, almost like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He's so much more relaxed…

"But like I said, I do love him. I love him a lot, but I know he doesn't feel the same way about me. It's sad, yes, but I know that I'll love again. It would be cruel to keep the man who truly loves you away from you. I'm not that kind of girl, Darcy. I couldn't do that to you. We're friends."

"Friends," I repeated under my breath.

"And if you're ever in trouble and one day, Remus isn't there to save you, I'll save you. I'll always be here if you need me." She smiled, despite the sadness in her eyes. "That's what friends do."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I walked back into my quarters, tears slowly rolling down my cheeks. Lupin was waiting for me and he took me in his arms, wrapping them tight around me. I swallowed and breathed in. "Tell me you love me."

"I love you."

"Do you mean it?" I asked. "Do you really mean it?"

"Of course I do. I love you, Darcy."

I looked up at him. "Why are you with me? Why are you with me right now?"

"Because I – I love you!" he said, obviously confused. "What's going on? What's wrong? I don't understand –"

"I just want to make sure you're with me for the right reasons," I whispered, burying my face in his chest and staining his shirt with my tears. "I don't want you to be with me if you feel you just have obligations. I don't want you with me if you just feel that you have to protect me. I can protect myself."

"Darcy," he chuckled to himself. "You're mine, love. You're mine. It's not the fact that I feel obligated to protect you, but more the fact that I want to protect you. If anything were to ever happen to you, I'd go mad. Absolutely insane. I want to protect you because I love you. Does that make sense?"

"I love you."

"And I love you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As I stumbled off the train on Platform 9 3/4 , Lupin followed me off to make sure I got to Vernon and Petunia alright. I didn't want him to come – I didn't want to have to make introductions, but he insisted, so I let him.

As I walked up to my aunt and uncle, heaving my trunk, exhausted, Vernon's eyes widened. "What happened to your head?"

I had forgotten that I removed the bandages. One deep gash still remained on my cheek from where Lucius Malfoy's spell had hit me and there was a nasty, greenish colored bruise on my temple, from when he had thrown me to the ground. I touched it. "I fell," I lied.

Lupin scoffed. "Fell? Your niece took on several Death Eaters! And survived!"

Vernon stuttered and stammered, spit flying everywhere. "Death Eaters? What the ruddy hell are those?"

"Don't worry about it, Remus –"

"Who are you?" Vernon asked again, eyeing up Lupin and I knew from my uncle's sneer that he did not approve of Lupin's shabby clothing.

"You mean – Darcy, didn't you tell them…?" he looked at me and I shook my head. Harry glanced at me and smirked, knowing Lupin needed to stop. I sighed and closed my eyes. "I'm Remus Lupin, her ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and –" When he saw me shaking my head and the deep dislike in my uncle's face, Lupin cleared his throat. Were we even official boyfriend and girlfriend material? "We're just friends." I squirmed uncomfortably. He stuck out his hand and gave Vernon a firm shake.

"Pleasure." I knew that Vernon despised him already. Petunia, hiding mostly behind her husband, looked me over carefully, eyeing my wounds and then looking quickly at Lupin.

"Darcy, don't you tell them anything?" Lupin asked quietly and then he turned to my uncle and aunt again. "Don't you realize what your niece and nephew have been doing, sir? Ma'am? Did you even know that Darcy returned as an intern for Professor Snape? Did you even know she graduated?"

Realization flickered in Aunt Petunia's eyes and she looked at me sternly. I looked at Harry. I wanted nothing more than to just go home and sleep – even if it was on the floor.

"Of course we knew!" Vernon lied, his face turning purple.

"Stay in touch, won't you?" Lupin asked, touching my shoulder. "You'll write?"

Vernon heard this and snorted. "There will be no owls flying near our house! I don't want to raise suspicion!"

"Suspicion?" Lupin cocked an eyebrow.

"Just forget about it," I replied. "I'll try to send you some mail. I'll see if Max can find you. I'll send you the address to the –"

"Oh no you won't!" Vernon added when he overheard us speaking.

Lupin and I were at a loss for words as we stood there in a comfortable silence, staring at each other. Finally, he breathed quietly, "Am I allowed to kiss you goodbye?" He smiled. "I don't think I could make it a whole summer without a goodbye kiss."

I glanced back at my brother, who knowingly nodded and he began dragging his trunk towards the gateway, distracting my uncle and aunt, leading them towards the Muggle world for yet another summer.

"Come with me," he whispered, grabbing my hands as soon as they were out of view. "Come back to London with me."

"I can't," I frowned. "You know that… I have to stay with Harry."

Lupin sighed. "One day?"

"We'll see," I replied. I put on my serious face and bit my lip. "Promise you won't leave me. Promise you'll wait."

Lupin smiled. "Only if you promise to not leave me for Snape."

I scrunched my nose. "Someone's jealous, hm?" I asked and Lupin shrugged, his face turning slightly red. "You've got absolutely nothing to worry about. But I've got to go before the Muggles leave without me…"

"I'll see you next year?"

"Three months."

"Seems a long time to wait."

"Will you be able to make it?"

"I'll do my best."

I smiled at felt my face heat up as he leaned forward and kissed me on the crowded platform.