A/N: Did I mention it was my Midterm Marathon week? Nope, don't think so. Well, it's Day 2 right now, and we're coming up on Halloween, so time for some Sirius Black angsty discussions between Sariah and Remus.

And I think I might have messed up the timeline a little. Does anyone remember if Harry's Patronus training came before or after the Halloween scare with Black, because I honestly do not remember? If it does . . . whoopsie.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Prisoner of Azkaban

~ Remus Lupin ~
"How is Harry's training coming?" Sariah asked.

I didn't answer for a long moment, trying to figure out how to respond. The actual answer was: no. I had not yet approached Harry with an actual date, trying to rest after the transformation and then get caught up in all the schoolwork and . . . well, it had sort of started slipping from my mind. I would keep the promise I had made to him, because I kept my promises, but for now I wasn't actively working towards anything.

Finally, I swallowed my bite of pumpkin pastry. "No, not yet, Sariah."

She raised an eyebrow at me and threw back her long hair, making the lights from the fire sparkle in her dark hair. It was long, like she always had it, and for some reason it had me remembering the fiery little girl from our student years and –

And, well.

She hadn't changed.

"Why not?" Sariah pressed, too almost sickly sweet in warning of her about to pounce on me.

"I . . ." I looked away. I really didn't have a reason. Except . . .

"It's Sirius, isn't it?" Sariah asked quietly, her eyes darkening. "You hope that he hasn't realized that you were friends." She sighed, tucking her legs to her chest and resting her chin on them, a childish pose I hadn't seen her adopt in many years. "I seriously doubt that Harry will bring it up, Remus. For one thing, Dumbledore, Severus, McGonagall, and I are the only people who knew, and I highly doubt any of us will tell. For another, he's generally noted to be a quiet, well-mannered kid. You say so yourself."

I rested a hand next to hers. "It's not just that, Sariah. I need a boggart."

She blinked.

I grinned at her, waiting for the inevitable splutter of "What?" to break the silence between us. Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . –

"What? Why do you need a boggart?" she asked, clearly bewildered.

"I was speaking to Harry, earlier, after our first set of lessons. I stopped him from facing the boggart, on the assumption that it would transform into Lord Voldemort," I explained, seeing her inevitable, tiny flinch at the Dark Lord's name. Which wasn't surprising; she had been brought up to fear the Dark Lord's name and never speak it, although she at least was kind enough to never reprimand me for speaking the name as others tried to. "But he told me that when he faced it, before I interceded, his first thought was, not of Voldemort, but the dementors."

Sariah tilted her head, thinking. "He fears fear itself?"

"Exactly."

Understanding lit her eyes, and she leaned close to me, resting against my side and closing her eyes. "So you need a boggart to practice this Patronus Charm on," she finished. "I see. . . What is the Patronus Charm anyways?"

"It's a defensive spell, tailored specifically for dementors. It creates a . . . guardian, I suppose, formed on the basis of a very happy memory. And when you cast it properly, it is able to drive away the dementors because it cannot feel pain and the dementor is feeding of it, not its host." I brushed a hand along her hair gently. "But it's very advanced magic, Sariah, well beyond Harry's level. I'm not sure if I should subject him to a taste of hope if he cannot perform it."

Sariah frowned slightly, her eyes going distant. "Are Patronuses silver? And animal-shaped?"

"Yes. Why?"

"The Professor used it. I think. At the Quidditch stadium. I remember him sending a silver phoenix spell at the dementors. I thought it was just a repelling spell."

"It is. But for dementors."

"What's the incantation?" Sariah asked curiously.

I opened my mouth to tell her when there was a frantic knocking on my door. I reached for my wand instinctively, and then recalled myself and shared a look with Sariah. She shrugged; she clearly had no idea why or who was calling. Stowing my wand safely in my pocket, I released her, stood, and picked my way carefully to the door.

"Professor Lupin?"

It was Percy Weasley, the Head Boy. That didn't bode well.

"You're needed outside the Great Hall, sir," he explained immediately. "All the teachers are needed."

I blinked. "It's Halloween, what on Earth is going – "

"The Fat Lady is missing. And it is indicated that Sirius Black is responsible, and possibly still in the castle. A search of the castle is needed, immediately," Percy promptly answered.

I froze at the mention of Sirius's name. It had been so many years . . . and yet, here, still, Sirius had the power over me – over us. Yet to have the nerve to come here, to attack the Fat Lady, to invade Hogwarts, all in the name of a dead Dark Lord as he attempted to kill an innocent thirteen-year-old student?

He had sunk far indeed.

"We'll be along," I said, and then shut the door firmly in his face.

Then I leaned against the door and tried not to faint.

"Remus? Remus, what's wrong?"

"We're needed in the Great Hall," I mumbled when I sensed she had come up to stand beside me.

"Why?"

I took a deep, shuddering breath. "Sirius Black is in the castle, somewhere. He attacked the Fat Lady." The words were flat, monotone, and they sounded so . . . unnatural. Alien. I felt completely detached, like I was not the one saying them, someone else was, but they were said with my voice and . . . and gods, would things never work out well for the four of us Marauders?

Sariah inhaled sharply as though I'd kicked her. "What on Earth is he thinking?"

I didn't answer.

~ Sariah Alycone ~
The search of the entire castle took up most of the night, and by that time I felt as though I'd walked the entire length of the entire castle, even though I'd really only searched the third corridor and part of the fourth, but my feet ached and my teeth ached from all the time it had spent clenched as I jumped at every shadow.

Not my best hour.

It didn't help, either, when Snape started yammering about Remus again.

"Remus wouldn't help an intruder – a murderer – into the castle," I snapped finally, after Dumbledore had moved away.

Snape surveyed me with glittering black eyes. We still didn't get along well. At all.

"Perhaps you are a bit close to the situation."

"And you aren't?"

His eyes flashed. "I am more of an impartial judge than someone like you, who is blind to his every fault on the account of – " he sneered " – love."

"I can't believe – "

"Sariah."

Remus's firm voice stopped me in my tracks as he materialized by my elbow. He slid a careful hand over my own, nodded once to Snape, and proceeded to drag me away. Gently, but forcefully; clearly he had known that I wasn't going to be getting into any good if I was yelling at Snape, although I wasn't certain if he had heard our entire conversation.

"How much did you hear?"

Remus's face softened, and he came to a stop, turning to face me. "All of it."

"Gods, I'm sorry, Remus."

He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, his eyes soft. "It's all right, Sariah. It's not the first accusation, and it probably won't be the last. And you and Severus are perhaps too close to this."

I sighed as my anger crumpled. I was just overtired, and he was right; Snape and I were both perhaps a tiny bit too close to the situation to judge it effectively. But still – Remus would never help Sirius break into Hogwarts, never. That, I knew I was not wrong in.

Remus tilted his head. "Some tea?"

"Yes, I can already feel a headache coming on."

He laughed and pressed a chaste kiss to my forehead, hugging me once before releasing me and moving towards his chambers. "Then tea it is."

After a long moment, I said quietly, "How do you think Sirius got in?"

Remus shrugged. "I have no idea. But he's gone now."

My greatest fear: "Do you think he'll stay away?"

Remus halted so abruptly that I crashed into him, and whirled around, eyes fierce in the darkness. "He won't touch Harry. Or you. I won't let him, Sariah, I swear it," he said firmly, voice echoing in the dark corridor and sending shivers down my spine. Remus hid his werewolf nature well, but sometimes – like now – he couldn't help but display it.

"I know."

He relaxed. "Good."