Author's Note: For the final time in this story, I do not own Harry Potter. That honor belongs solely to J.K. Rowling. Thanks to her, I was able to create this story. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my lovely and dear sister on her birthday. Em, I know it's not the most uplifting chapter but it's my final birthday gift to you. Happy 16th Birthday! Enjoy this chapter everyone!

Epilogue

The bitter November air was biting into any exposed skin of Remus Lupin, but he didn't feel it. All he could feel was the pain in his chest as he stared at the four headstones in front of him. They were gone, forever. Never would he hear their laughter, never again would he see their faces. They were only memories now. However, there were three names that were not on a headstone: one because he was locked away and two because they were suffering a fate worse than death.

A year ago, Alice and Frank were on a mission for Dumbledore when they were raided by Death Eaters. The mission had been compromised. Bellatrix Lestrange was there and tried to get information out of them. They refused to give in so she tortured them into insanity. Their son, Neville, was only a few months old and lived with his father's mother now since Mr. Lenns had died a few weeks earlier of a heart attack. Both Alice and Frank were in St. Mungo's in the permanent living quarters. Sometimes Remus thought it would've been better if they had died like the names of those before him.

Lindsay O'Riley: October 24, 1960- February 28, 1979. Remus still remembered Peter's reaction when James and Sirius told him. First the Death Eaters murdered her parents and then they came for her. James and Sirius had put her in a safety home with two armed Aurors. The Death Eaters burned the house down so quickly that no one could escape. At first, Peter was in denial but he soon realized they wouldn't lie to him about that.

"No…NO! Oh Merlin, it can't be true! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER! You said she was bloody safe!" Peter shouted.

"She was with the two best Aurors in the entire department," said James soothingly, "There was nothing they could do. The blaze took to the house too quickly. I'm sorry mate, I really am."

Peter just fell into the couch and stared at the blazing fire, tears streaming down his face silently. It wasn't until after the service that he spoke to James or Sirius again.

Ever since then, Peter hadn't been the same. He was much quieter and more prone to angry outbursts than before. Lindsay had always kept him calm when he got upset but without her, he was like a ticking time bomb.

That's probably why he went after Sirius, Remus thought as he looked at the name beside Lindsay's. Peter Pettigrew: September 11, 1960- November 1, 1981. He knew there was nothing in the coffin six feet under because there was nothing left of his friend. The only piece they found that was recognizable was his forefinger, which the Ministry gave to his mother along with an Order of Merlin First Class, as if that would help her get over losing her only child and husband in a two month span.

James Potter: March 27, 1960- October 31, 1981. Lily Potter: January 30, 1960- October 31, 1981. He was still in shock about that day. October 31st, Halloween. A day of fun and a few laughs that turned into a quadruple murder. Lily and James had gone into hiding a few months before when Dumbledore told them Voldemort had been searching for them. Using the Fidelius Charm, they had gone back to the village James grew up in and hid with their son, Harry. Sirius was their Secret Keeper. When Dumbledore said the Death Eaters were after Alana as well, the two were more than willing to have Al and David join them with their daughter, Alexandria.

They shouldn't have trusted him! He wasn't right after Alana broke up with him! Remus thought bitterly as he looked to the right of the Potters grave.

Alana Tortelli: November 21, 1960- October 31, 1981. David Ratcliff: May 18, 1958-October 31, 1981. Why Alana wanted her maiden name on her tombstone, Remus didn't know. It was in her will and Remus was going to respect his friend's last wishes. Still, he would have thought that she would want to use the name of the husband that lay beside her below the hard ground.

Yes, Alana had married her landlord David Ratcliff. Remus was still unsure of what happened because he had been away on business for the Order while it all happened. What he did know was Alana and Sirius continued dating after Hogwarts. One day, she broke up with him and announced she was getting engaged to David. It was a huge shock to everyone, except for Elizabeth of course. She probably knew everything as it occurred.

Remus remembered going to the wedding. It was in a huge church with many guests and the total opposite of what he had expected of Alana. Then again, he had always thought she would marry Sirius and not her Muggle landlord. David had known she was a witch before he proposed and was fine with it. Remus had met David before the wedding and found him to be a very nice man with a heart of gold. He had been the same height as Alana with blonde hair and blue-grey eyes. Sure he was handsome, but he really didn't seem to be Alana's type. Remus remembered mentioning this to Elizabeth one day.

"I know he's not like Sirius, but that's what she really needed," Liz had said as they sat on the couch together one evening after going out for dinner, "It wasn't working out between them."

"They seemed so much in love though."

"Before you left, yeah they were. However, things change in six months," said Elizabeth quietly.

Remus paused before asking tentatively, "Do you still feel the same way for me?"

"Of course I do Remus!" she said immediately and with a tiny smile, "I'll always love you."

Tears filled his hazel eyes as he turned to the final gravestone. Elizabeth Tortelli: November 21, 1960- October 31, 1981. How could he have let her slip through his fingers? The Aurors had come to his house the night of the Potters and Ratcliffs death and he knew something was wrong. Kingsley Shacklebolt was the one who plucked up the courage to tell him the story. He told Remus how four of his friends died at the hand of Voldemort, how one had betrayed the others and another friend tried to confront him but died, and how his fiancée was attacked by that monster.

The only thing Remus could remember was being unable to breathe. He then found himself waking up in Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts. The Headmaster tried to calm him down, but Remus could not be soothed.

"THEY LEFT ME!" he screamed, "All of them, they're all gone!"

"Remus, you must not let grief consume you," said Dumbledore softly but sternly, "None of your friends would want you to spend your life grieving."

"How could Sirius do that? They were his friends! He loved Alana for Merlin's sake!"

"No, what he felt for Alana was not true love, it was obsession. And that was his downfall. If he truly loved her, he would have let her go without wanting revenge. Remus, I know you are upset but please believe me that it will get easier as time passes. Time will heal these wounds. You must be strong, if not for you then for those around you who are grieving."

Yes, there were many others who were grieving but even more were rejoicing. Voldemort was supposedly dead, killed by his own curse. Baby Harry Potter, barely a year old, had defeated the darkest wizard since Grindelwald without lifting a finger. Rumor was that the spell just bounced right off his forehead. No one knew where Harry was now, except Dumbledore but he was not talking. As for baby Alexandria, no one knew about her at all. Remus was the only one left alive, besides Dumbledore and a few of his closest confidents, who knew the Ratcliff's were staying with the Potters that night. Remus had asked to take Alex, but Dumbledore said she was already with her closest relatives in America: her grandparents. Remus was shocked and angered, arguing that Alana hated her parents. How could he have sent her there? He would never see her again if she was in America!

"She will be safe there from any remaining dark wizards who may know of her existence," said Dumbledore calmly.

"The Tortelli's treated Al and Elizabeth horribly! How can you expect them to treat their granddaughter differently?"

"They will find it in their hearts to learn to love," the old man said simply and Remus laughed bitterly.

"They have no hearts," he spat, "How could they ignore their daughters' own funerals?" Remus fell into a chair and put a hand over his face, weeping quietly. "When does the pain die?" he asked woefully as the tears fell harder.

"In time, Remus. Only time will heal your wounds." said Dumbledore, putting a hand on the young man's shoulder as his own tears were caught in his long white beard.

Remus wasn't sure he wanted the wounds to heal because as time passed, he would forget the little details. Their laugh, their smiles, their voices…but did he really want to remember? He pulled out a worn photograph from his pocket and held it in his shaking hands tightly as the wind threatened to blow it away. It was the picture Lindsay had taken after their N.E.W.T tests. There they all were, laughing joyfully and without a care in the world.

He took a shuddering breath before falling to his knees and crying, shoving the picture into his pocket so it would not become wet with his tears. How could he continue on without them? Without his Elizabeth? It wasn't fair! Life had been cruel to him before Hogwarts and he thought he finally had a chance at a normal life. He used to have great friends and was going to get married!

If there's a God, why does He enjoy screwing my life? Remus thought desperately as sobs racked his frame.

She wouldn't want you to live like this, Remus, another voice said in the back of his mind, Elizabeth would want you to go on living.

Remus stopped his crying and looked at the grave of his fiancée. It was true; she had always wanted the best for him and constantly told him she wanted him to be happy. And, he realized as he wiped his face on his sleeve before the water froze to his face, if Elizabeth had to die it was better that she did the same day as her sister. Liz probably never knew that Alana was dead before she died too. It was better that way; Liz would have taken the news of her sister's death horribly. This way, she didn't not have to suffer from a grieving heart.

Remus rose to his feet and waved his wand. Two bouquets of white daisies were placed in front of Lindsay and Peter's graves, two of white lilies were placed in front of James and Lily's graves, and two of white roses were placed in front of Alana and David's graves. He stared at the cold stone where Elizabeth's name was carved and waved his wand again. A single red rose appeared and he placed it on top of the frigid curved stone.

As he stared at the graves, Remus knew he could never come back here. He wanted to remember his friends when they were alive, not imagining them rotting in a wood box six feet under his shoes. Remembering the past would hurt of course, but it was the only way to keep the spirit of his dearest companions alive. Remembering the past would help Remus get through the day. Remembering the past would allow Remus to tell their tale, the tale of the Marauders. With a shuddering breath that caused mist to cloud in front of him, the young man who had aged years over the past few days brought a hand to his lips and placed it on the top of Elizabeth Tortelli's grave.

"I'll never forget you," he whispered and turned around, walking away.

Author's Note:

Dear Readers,

What a fun ride this has been for me! I hope you all have felt the same way. If you remember me saying in my first A/N, this was my first ever fanfiction that I wrote long before I knew these sites actually existed. Being able to publish it for you all and receiving the praise from my fans has truly made me the happiest person in the world. That is why I would like to take this time to thank my most faithful reviewers: Lone Fairytale, Duskfire1954, and madscientist128. You three have been absolutely amazing and I'd like to thank you first. I'd like to also thank WisdomEyes, Amy aka Luke, Rue-the-Marauder and arisasira for their reviews as well. All of you make my day when you review.

Now to talk about the sequel to this, which I know some of you have been eagerly awaiting…hopefully. I have to make a few slight changes but I hope to have the first chapter up by next week or at least once Thanksgiving is over. Don't worry for those of you who don't have me on author alert because I'll be telling you when I post it after this chapter in an Author's Note. It will be slightly AU, as you could probably tell by this epilogue, but will follow the stories. For the first two, it will be almost exactly but as time passes, it will start to turn away a little bit. I, however, do not take the dialogue straight from the book so hopefully it'll still be interesting and fun to read.

Finally, I'd like to send a huge shout-out to my little sister on her 16th birthday. Em, hope you enjoyed today and that you liked your final birthday gift. Love you hun!

Well, that's about it really. I think this A/N is long enough, don't you? Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart and I hope you do realize how much I love and appreciate your support. You're what keep me going with my stories! Please take the time for a final review and if you have any further questions, feel free to PM me. Thank you!

With love,

silvermoony77