A/N: "Hey all! Just wanted to say thank you again for your awesome support and patience!"—E

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oOoOoOo

"But where is Dumbledore now?"

Severus turned back to Remus, darkness upon his face.

"The headmaster is out," he sneered. "I'm not certain where he is or when we can expect him back. The only message I have for you is to patrol the halls and be ready."

"Ready for what?" asked Dora, crossing her arms.

But Snape didn't answer. He turned away, leaving Remus, Dora, and Bill alone in the corridor. Remus sighed, and looked around the hall. The security around Hogwarts was tighter than he had ever known, and this sudden call-to-arms only made his uneasiness grow by the minute.

"I don't like it," said Bill.

"Neither do I," Remus pulled out his wand. "Let's go."

Over the last few years, Remus had stopped by the large castle on several occasions, but it'd been almost three years since he'd walked the halls like this. It was strange returning here like this. Time seemed to stand still. The corridors and classrooms, the smells and sounds, were so ingrained in his memory from his years as a student then as a teacher, that Remus found himself uncertain amongst the nostalgia. Was he thirteen or thirty-five? Should he be worried being out after curfew, or should he be on the lookout for students who were?

They continued their patrol for about an hour. Remus held his wand out, the blue, pulsating light of the search charm casting the hall in a flickering light. Everything was very quiet that evening, final exams were just a few weeks away, but even the paintings and ghosts they passed were still, something that didn't sit quite well with him.

"I'm picking something up, Remus," said Bill, his eye upon the advanced Sneakoscope in his hand. "Vague, not too sure—"

"Secret passage behind the mirror on the left," answered Remus, yawning. "Been closed up for years, and Dumbledore's reinforced the security also."

Bill adjusted the dials. Then he turned to Remus and grinned. "Heard a rumor you were able to give a breakdown on all the castle's secret passageways."

"Yes," Remus nodded. "But when I told Dumbledore I got the vague impression he already knew about them."

Bill laughed. "In my sixth year, someone found a passageway that dumped you out by the Quidditch Pitch. We used to throw parties in the Faculty box."

"Oh, I went to a few of those!" said Tonks.

"Were you there the night Filch and McGonagall caught us?"

Dora shook her head, smiling. "No, I received the bad end of a jinx and was out of class for a few days. Lucky timing though, didn't you guys end up in detention for a week?"

"Closer to two."

"Ouch."

Remus listened as they talked, a strange jealousy rising up at their interaction. It was no secret that Molly once had hopes for Dora and her eldest son. Only three years apart and with similar interests, it was a likely match.

As winter progressed into spring and then early summer, his relationship with Dora had been as passionate and rocky as ever. After almost a year, Remus couldn't deny the connection he had to the strong, smart woman. Up against so much, she was a refuge, and island. An island with a volcano, perhaps. They'd find the rare moments to get together, falling passionately into one another's arms, only to push back again a while later, their usual fights rising up again.

They'd had another fight just a few days earlier, and it had been one of their longest and loudest ever. All the familiar arguments came up again, his age and lycanthropy, his lack of commitment. Now they walked through the halls together. Dora was professional, dedicated to the work in front of her, but Remus could tell she was still upset with him. Her hair was a dull, mousy brown, her features void of any alteration, and he was surprised by how much her metamorphoses was affected by her emotions.

They heard it before they saw it.

A loud scream sounded from around the corner, then shouting and a sudden explosion. Remus and the others turned and ran. Around the bend found them at the end of a long corridor and a wall of inky blackness.

"What the hell?!" shouted Dora.

"Instant Darkness Powder!" answered Bill as they ran closer. "One of Fred and George's!"

But Remus knew this was no prank, and as they reached the wall of blackness, Ron, Ginny, and Neville stumbled out of the darkness. There were all squinting and coughing, their wands drawn. Remus' heart leapt in his throat upon seeing them.

"What's happened?!" he shouted.

"Did you see them?" gasped Ginny.

"Who—?"

"Death Eaters!" coughed Neville. "Damn, they must have gone the other way!"

Dora looked towards the blackness. "How do we get past?!"

"This way!"

Remus turned to a tapestry along the wall and pulled it aside, revealing a narrow corridor. He lit his wand and rushed in, the others following. "How many are there?" he asked.

"Couldn't tell," answered Ron behind him. "They used that darkness powder before leaving the Room of Requirement—"

"The what—?"

"But I'd guess at least half-a-dozen."

The hall turned abruptly, opening up to a winding stair that ran along the Charms Corridor, leading them to other end of the wing. They rushed up the steps.

"Harry warned us," Ron continued, huffing. "Just before he left with Dumbledore."

"Harry's with Dumbledore?" asked Remus. "Do you know where?"

But Ron didn't have time to answer. They reached the top of the stair and a door. Remus pushed it out and rushed into the hall, almost colliding with half-a-dozen men in cloaks.

"Stupefy!"

Luck seemed to be on their side. The Death Eaters were taken by surprise, and Remus first attacks hit true. However, within moments the hall was filled with sparks. It was a poor location for a fight. The corridor was narrow and had little room for cover. Remus called out to the students, warning them to stay back, but they were already in the thick of it and fighting better than wizards twice their age.

"Why, if it isn't Remus Lupin!"

Remus countered a flash of sparks, looking amongst the Death Eaters for the voice. There was laughter, the sound haunting and familiar. Then Remus spotted him. The man wasn't wearing one of the pitch-black cloaks of the Death Eaters, but a dark brown one that was stained red at the bottom. His face was uncovered also, the hair wild along his shoulders, his mouth in a wide, sharp grin.

"Fenrir!"

The werewolf laughed. "I hear you've been looking for me!"

"Remus! Fall back!" shouted Bill next to him. Remus tore his eyes away from Fenrir, dodging spells as he moved out of the direct line of fire. "We need support!"

"Expecto Patronum!" called Dora.

Harry was right; Dora's patronus had changed its shape. A large silver wolf erupted from the tip of her wand, but Remus didn't have time to process this. Seeing the ghostly wolf, Fenrir laughed and threw back his head in a howl. A dark part of Remus stirred at the primitive sound, but he pushed it aside. But then a second, more familiar, howl filled the air.

Remus turned and looked for the source, and his stomach dropped, horror filling him, as he saw who had answered the call. Near Fenrir, with a wand in his hand and his head back in a deep, guttural howl, stood Rojin.

Remus was rooted to the spot, shock stunning him, as Rojin threw spells. The action was strange and clumsy, the wand horribly out of place in the werewolf's large hands.

"Professor!"

Neville threw his weight into Remus, knocking him aside as green sparks rushed by. The simple sight of Rojin, here, was stunning, but the adrenaline of the battle didn't let him stay still for long. Remus jumped back into the fight, warding off a spell that was again thrown his way.

"Where's Malfoy?" shouted Ron.

"What, Lucius?" Remus dodged another jet of green sparks.

"No, Draco! He let them in!"

"What—!"

"I think they've gone up to the astronomy tower!"

A nearby window shattered, spraying them all with broken glass. Remus shielded his face, and the fight paused for a moment. Neville took the moment's distraction and rushed forward to the staircase leading up to the astronomy tower. However, as he approached the doorway, Neville was suddenly thrown backwards by an invisible force field. He crashed to the stone floor..

"Neville!" shouted Ginny.

But he remained on the floor, unmoving and silent.

"Students!" Fenrir laughed, taking a step forward. "Wonderful!"

"NO!"

Remus shouted, knowing exactly what was on Fenrir's mind, but Bill was closer and faster. A flick of his wrist and Neville's unconscious body zoomed out of Fenrir's reach.

It all happened very quickly. Remus heard a low growl and then a roar. In a flash, Fenrir had crossed the room, spells almost bouncing off him as he rushed forward. Bill's attention was still on Neville as he moved the unconscious boy away from the fighting. He didn't see Fenrir. He didn't have time to put up a shield. Their bodies collided, and, for a moment, it almost looked like they were embracing.

Then Bill screamed.

It was difficult to understand what happened next. Cold water seemed to rush over Remus as he watched Fenrir drop Bill, the werewolf's mouth red and smiling. But right as Remus moved to rush towards them, a sudden, deafening crack sounded from above. He looked up just in time to see the first beams and stones fall. Barely giving himself a moment to think, Remus pulled Ron to the side as the ceiling crashed around them.

When the rumbling of stone ended, a stillness filled the air. Then the low moaning and crying of Bill could be heard. Ginny rushed over the broken corridor towards her brother.

"Bill!"

"Gin, watch it!"

Strangely, the volley of spells didn't come. Moving further into the room, Remus saw that Fenrir, Rojin and the others had gone up the astronomy tower. Dora moved towards the doorway after them.

"There's a barrier! We can't get past!"

"Remus!" Ginny cried desperately. "Help! Please!"

He rushed towards her. Bill was on the ground, his hands red and shining as he held onto what was left of his face. He was shaking, his voice cracking as he moaned in pain.

"We need to get him to the hospital wing!" said Remus. "This is—"

A man in a black cloak rushed passed them, and Remus turned quickly. He almost fired, but then realized it was Snape. The potions master rushed to the staircase, somehow passing through the barrier and up the stone steps with ease.

"Remus!" Ginny cried again.

"He needs medical attention immediately. Bill, can you stand? Can you walk?"

They struggled to get Bill to his feet, when a sudden flash of red passed near them, missing Ginny by inches. Remus turned. Death Eaters stood in the stairway again, their masks cast aside as they began to throw spells their way. Remus raised up a shield, ready to cast his own offensive attacks when yellow sparks passed by him from behind. Remus turned. Rushing towards them was Hermione.

She doubled up their shields as Ginny helped Bill to his feet.

"Did you see Snape?"

"He just passed by!"

"I was outside his office when Flitwick came to tell him about the fighting. But—" She deflected a spell, her wandwork surprisingly fast. "But something's not right. Flitwick's hurt. Luna's taken him to the hospital wing—watch out!"

She shoved him to the side, the curse almost sliding off her. The air was suddenly full of sparks, and Remus looked up to see the rest of the Death Eaters had return to the fight. They were outnumbered, and the Death Eaters advanced on them quickly. Remus grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the line of fire.

"It's done!" Someone called out over the crowd. "Let's go!"

"Don't let them escape!" Remus shouted.

Remus turned on the nearest wizard, ready to throw another spell when he saw it was Snape, followed by Draco Malfoy. The young man's face was very white, his eyes wide with panic. Another window shattered, and Hermione threw up a shield, protecting them both from the spray of glass. However, the moment allowed the remaining Death Eaters to pass them and continue down the hall.

"Help Ginny and Bill!" Remus shouted at Hermione.

Jumping over the debris, he ran after them. The Death Eaters reached the end of the hall and split, Fenrir and Rojin taking a different path from the others. Remus paused for a moment, then chased after the two wolves.

"Fenrir!"

The werewolf laughed. "Come to hunt with us, Remus?"

Remus threw another spell, but it missed, shattering a nearby suit of armor. They turned the corner and Remus followed. His heart hammered in his ears, adrenaline pulsing within him. Then he turned the corner after them, realizing too late the trap he had just rushed into.

"Crucio!"

The spell hit hard and fast, and Remus fell to the floor with a crash, rolling painfully onto the stone. He screamed as fire flooded his veins. Every cell and nerve fought against the pain as every bone in his body seemed to break at once. After a long moment that blurred into a hot, white heat, Fenrir released him.

Remus opened his eyes, looking up as Fenrir walked towards him. The werewolf seemed pleased, Bill's blood still dripping from his mouth, the teeth behind his smile red and shining.

"It's been a long time, Remus."

"I—I thought you didn't like wands?" gasped Remus.

"Usually not," Fenrir looked down at the wand in his hand, twirling it between his fingers in interest. "But some spells do have their appeal, right? Crucio!"

Remus broke and screamed again.

However, Fenrir always liked to play with his food and, after a moment, released him. Remus choked. He had bitten his tongue, and warm wet blood was in his mouth. He clenched his fists, suddenly aware he didn't have his wand. He opened his eyes and looked around. Fenrir stood a few feet away, his right shoe pinning Remus' wand to the ground.

He turned his attention to the other man. "R—Rojin!"

"Oh, yeah," Fenrir laughed again, gesturing to the large man. "I heard you joined his pack—this must be quite a surprise for you."

"Rojin!"

The other werewolf didn't say anything. Rojin was barely paying attention to what was happening. He stood, smiling, as he looked around the room with a strange, childlike curiosity. There was something distant and unnatural in his stance, and behind his amber eyes was vacantness Remus had never seen before.

Remus turned back to Fenrir. "Imperius curse?"

"Does it matter if it is?"

"Yes—"

"You know. You've always amused me, Remus, spending so much time with all these wizards, with your suits and your books. The tame, gentleman werewolf," he pressed his foot harder down onto Remus' wand. "You couldn't believe how much I laughed when I'd heard you were hired to work here. A werewolf amongst all those little wizard babies!"

Fenrir roared with laugher, Rojin oddly echoing alongside him. Remus coughed again, the blood in his mouth thick.

"But of course you didn't even last a year in this school before you let the moon take over! Running wild along the grounds! Nipping at the heels of you students!"

"How do you know—"

"Don't be stupid, Remus. I know everything," he growled. "What did you think would happen when you joined Rojin's camp? That they would listen to you—you—when they have me?"

"I was working to stop you."

"Well, look at the great job you did!" Fenrir shouted, his arms wide, gesturing to the grand halls around them. "It was thanks to your poor work with the packs that the Dark Lord let us come here tonight! A reward for keeping such a good eye on Dumbledore's pet!"

"Dumbledore—"

"Yes, I wonder what he'll will say when he hears that you've failed. That when he sent you to spy on us and convert us, what you were really doing was drinking our moonshine and fucking our girls."

Remus turned to the other werewolf. "Rojin."

"Yes, our young female wolves—our very young wolves. Is that how you like them?"

"Rojin!"

"I bet when you were a teacher you fucked your students too—"

"Rojin!"

The large, blonde man finally looked Remus' way. But as their eyes met Remus saw no recognition there. The sharp intelligence, the drive, and the pedigree of his position were gone. The man that Remus had worked and traveled beside for months, had called his friend, was unrecognizable.

"So, Remus," said Fenrir. "How would you like to die? I've been practicing the killing curse, but I'd be more than happy to tear your throat out—"

"Stupefy!"

The spell glanced off Fenrir's shoulder, and the werewolf stumbled back. Remus lurched forward and grabbed his wand off the floor as Dora rushed beside him, dodging green sparks that Rojin clumsily threw her way.

Remus was soon on his feet, and it was him and Dora against the two werewolves. They had the upper hand, experience on their side, but as Remus countered a spell Fenrir threw at him, he was horribly slow, the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. He dodged a spell and was ready to advance when a wall of blue flame rose between the two parties. The spell was rough and wild, one Remus doubted either werewolf knew how or intended to cast. Coughing and stepping away from the heat, Dora blindly threw spells to where the werewolves had been. Soon the fire diminished, but the moment had given Fenrir and Rojin a head start, and they were making their escape.

"Come on!"

His legs were very heavy and weak, but Remus pushed through the pain. Down another corridor and then a flight of stairs they followed them, just far enough out of reach as to where they couldn't throw spells.

"Is this—?" started Dora.

"Yes!"

They were back at the original hallway. The strange black cloud had mostly vanished, leaving only a dull fogginess in the corridor. Fenrir and Rojin had stopped outside a large wooden door.

"Fenrir!" Remus shouted. "Stupefy!"

The spell bounced off the wood as Fenrir pulled the door open and fled inside. Rojin followed and it was quickly slammed after them. A quick rush of triumph flooded Remus. But as he and Dora rushed forward, the metal handle almost within reach, the door completely vanished.

"No!"

oOo

"You should be lying down."

"I'm fine."

"Remus—"

"Really, the pain tonic's helping."

"You could still go into shock," Dora reached out and took his hand. "The Cruciatus Curse is very serious—"

"I'm well aware."

He pulled his hand from her grip and moved closer to the bed. The dreamless sleep potion eased his pain, but as Madam Pomfrey tried spell after spell, the horrific gashes across his face remained.

"Remus," the witch turned to him, sweat on her brow. "Do you know of any spells I haven't tried—anything that could help?"

Remus shook his head. "You've stopped the bleeding. All you can do now is fight infection."

"You mean—?"

"No, just… just normal infection. Excuse me."

Remus turned away from them, walking over to the other occupied bed. Neville was also asleep, and, thankfully, his injuries weren't as serious as previously feared. Remus watched his old student for a moment, noting how much he had changed in the last year and that this had been the second time he had fought alongside Frank and Alice's son.

The adrenaline from the fight had run out, leaving Remus weak and feeling more exhausted than he had in years. Dora's eyes were still on him as he walked over to the nearby window. He set down his empty potion goblet. His hands were shaking.

God, what was he going to do?

Rojin, his pack leader and old friend, the powerful and intelligent man Remus had known for years, was finished. Even if it was the Imperius Curse on him, there was no way he could ever be acquitted. Werewolves had so few rights as it was. And if Fenrir and Voldemort managed to get their grip on him and his pack, there's no way they would let go. The pack was too valuable.

"I wonder what Dumbledore will say when he hears that you've failed!"

Knots grew in his stomach, his head aching, as the reality settled in. He'd been traveling with Rojin's pack, but it was all for nothing. For months he'd set up rides and broken them down, ripped tickets, and served popcorn. All of it completely worthless work as Fenrir had twisted his influence.

The doors to the hospital wing opened again, and Remus turned to see Harry and Ginny walk into the room. Hermione rushed over to Harry and threw her arms around him. Remus moved forward also.

"Are you all right, Harry?" he asked.

"I'm fine. How's Bill?" Asked Harry, an odd heaviness to his voice as he walked over to the bed. His expression darkened upon seeing the vicious cuts. "Can't you fix them with a charm or something?"

"No charm will work on these," said Madam Pomfrey, her voice cracking slightly. "I've tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites."

"But he wasn't bitten at the full moon," said Ron. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a—a real—?"

They all turned and looked at Remus.

"No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," he answered. "But that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds."

"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron suggested, looking back at his brother. "Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state—"

"Ron," Ginny interrupted softly. "Dumbledore's dead."

"No!"

His outcry ringing through the silent hall, and hisshock was matched in the faces around him. Remus looked from Ginny to Harry, ready for the contradiction. People died in war, but not Dumbledore. However, the contradiction never came. Ginny looked at her feet, tears in her eyes, as Harry continued to watch Bill, his face dark. Remus sat down in the chair by Bill's bed. He put his head in his hands.

"How did he die?" whispered Dora. "How did it happen?"

"Snape killed him."

Remus squeezed his eyes shut.

"I was there, I saw it," continued Harry, his words distant. "We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower… Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs… I was under the Invisibility Cloak, and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him. More Death Eaters arrived—and then Snape—and Snape did it… The Avada Kedavra."

Silence filled the Hospital Wing, Harry's story hanging between them all. Then Madam Pomfrey began to cry. Remus opened his eyes, looking through his fingers to the stone floor and his old, beaten shoes. Harry's words echoed but didn't connect. Snape killed him. His hands were shaking, his eyes stinging as a knot grew in his throat. No, it was impossible.

"Shh! Listen!" said Ginny.

A long, lone cry rose from outside the castle. It was a sound trapped between a wail and a song, and it took Remus a moment to realize it was a phoenix's call. Fawkes. The song had the weight of a millennium, crying out in an old, lost tongue a song as raw and open as the sorrow they all felt. Any shred of doubt in Harry's words was extinguished. Time seemed to stretch around them. And as the song finally tapered, Remus felt himself return to the moment with great reluctance.

Harry and the other students began to describe the moments leading up to the fight. They described how Harry knew something wasn't right as he left with Dumbledore, how they had protected themselves against the impossible, and, yet, impossible still managed to stroll right into the castle. Harry explained that it was Draco Malfoy who let the Death Eaters in, and how carefully everything was planned. He talked, and Remus thought of the small, blonde boy in his third year class, the smugness and the entitlement, and then the young man he'd just seen the in the hall, his face pale and frightened.

Then the subject turned to Snape. Remus remembered Harry at Christmas, singing his old song and insisting that Snape was up to something. What had Remus told him? "It comes down to whether or not you trust Dumbledore's judgment. I do; therefore, I trust Severus." And now Dumbledore was dead, Severus fled with his fellow Death Eaters. Remus shut his eyes again. Even with their future so horribly bleak, looking into the past hurt more.

"It's so obvious now," said Hermione, her voice in a tight whisper. "Snape must have Stupefied Flitwick, but we didn't realize, Harry, we just let Snape go!"

"It's not your fault," said Remus, looking up. "Had you not obeyed Snape and got out of the way, he probably would have killed you and Luna."

Snape had always valued life so little. Remus remembered the smell of dust on the floor of The Shrieking Shack as he lay bound of the floor. I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a kiss for him too. Severus Snape. The teenager from his youth that turned into the Death Eater. They knew he was on Voldemort's side, yet Dumbledore had always insisted upon his innocence. And look what it had gotten him…

The doors of the hospital wing burst open. Remus looked up as Molly and Arthur rushed into the room, followed by Fleur. McGonagall hurried to meet them but they rushed forward to the bed. Remus and Dora stepped back.

"Bill? Oh, Bill!"

Molly sat at her son's side. Bending over she kissed his bloody forehead, her hands gently patting his red hair.

"You said Greyback attacked him?" asked Arthur, his face pale. "But he hadn't transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?"

"We don't yet know."

Again, they all turned to Remus. Even after all that happened, they still looked upon him as an expert. Oh, how little they understood. He sighed.

"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur. It is an odd case, possibly unique. We don't know what his behavior might be like when he awakens…"

"And Dumbledore," continued Arthur "Minerva, is it true… is he really?"

Remus turned away. He didn't want to hear about Dumbledore again. He didn't want to see any of this or talk about any of this. Remus moved back to the window and looked out, desperate for the view and the distance, but all he saw was inky blackness and his reflection in the glass.

"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks, It's not r-really important," Molly began to sob. "But he was a very handsome little b-boy… always very handsome… and he was g-going to be married!"

"And what do you mean by zat?!" said Fleur suddenly and loudly. Remus turned around. "What do you mean, 'e was going to be married?'"

"Well—only that—"

"You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" Fluer moved closer to the bed, her wild eyes locked onto Molly's. "You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me? Because 'e will! It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!"

"Well, yes, I'm sure," Molly stuttered. "But I thought perhaps—given how — how he—"

"You thought I would not weesh to marry him? What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave… And I shall do zat!"

She pushed Molly aside, taking the bottle of ointment from the older witches' hands and began to dab at Bill's wounds. Nobody moved. Remus had heard of a Veela's temper before, but he also knew Molly Weasley.

"Our Great-Auntie Muriel," said Molly after a moment, her voice strangely soft. "Has a very beautiful tiara—goblin-made—which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."

"Thank you," said Fleur stiffly. "I am sure zat will be lovely."

A moment later they were both hugging and crying, the tension cut in a wave of cries and laughter. Everyone looked at one another in disbelief, all except Dora, who was looking straight at Remus. Her eyes were dark and filled with tears. Remus turned from her.

"You see!" she hissed, walking over to him. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

"It's different," Remus couldn't believe Dora was saying this now after everything that had happened. He shifted, avoiding her gaze. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely—"

"But I don't care! I've told you a million times—"

"And I've told you a million times that I am too old for you, too poor… too dangerous."

Molly stepped closer, smiling at them. "I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus."

He frowned. "I am not being ridiculous. Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."

"But she wants you, and, after all," added Arthur, gesturing to Bill. "Young and whole men do not necessarily remain so."

A twinge of guilt registered deep in Remus' core at this. He rubbed his eyes.

"This is… not the moment to discuss it," he stammered. "Dumbledore is dead."

"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world."

Dora smiled at him, her hands upon his chest. No, this wasn't the right time for this! Remus tore himself from her grasp and moved back to the window again. A heaviness bore down upon him, almost unbearable, pressing into his muscles and bones as well as his spirit. One night. All it had taken was one night and everything had changed again. Dumbledore was dead. Fenrir had control of Rojin and thus more than half of the werewolves in England. Their footing in the war against Voldemort had just shifted, their side dealt a very serious blow. And yet, as Remus stared out into the blackness, trying to avoid his own scarred reflection in the paned windows, a strange calmness began to grow within him.

The more he thought on everything that had happened, the more Remus began to realize how insignificant it really all was. Perhaps that was the true curse of time? No matter how hard you worked and planned, how much you tried to judge the future based on what you knew of the past and present, at the end of the day it made no difference. Time moved forward as it wished, and the people it touched were made meaningless.

"You can't change the past, Remus. Time doesn't work that way."

As always, her voice was in his head. But now, perhaps, Remus truly understood her words. Time was fluid. Past? Present? Future? Remus looked across the room. Hermione stood with Ron by Neville's bed, talking quietly. Both were still covered in dust from when the ceiling fell, and Ron's left sleeve was singed and his arm newly bandaged. Hermione shook her head, running her hands through her hair in that familiar way, and Ron took a step forward, his hand moving to rest on Hermione's shoulder. Time. It was all one in the same. It couldn't be changed. So why was Remus trying so hard? What was he really trying to accomplish?

"I'm sorry."

Remus turned around. Dora was behind him, her eyes damp.

Why was he fighting himself? Hermione took from him, again, and again, and again, but Dora? She gave. And not just her body and her heart, but her future. She wanted an eternity with him, and while Remus knew the weight of that promise and idea, there was a simple honesty about the gift she presented him. She cared about him and as the days that stretched before them, no matter how limited they were.

"No," Remus sighed, stepping towards her. "Please, don't be sorry."

His hands wrapping around her, and Dora fell into his embrace. Remus closed his eyes. God, she was warm, so soft and solid, so completely perfect in this moment and in his arms.

"Dora," he whispered softly, tightening his grip. "I do love you."

He could feel her smile. "Oh, really?"

"I know, I know… I've been terrible, treated you terribly. But with everything going on," he sighed, hoping his words could due her justice. "Everything falling apart like it is, you've remained so beautifully strong, the only constant in my life… How could I not love you?"

Remus pulled back, his hand coming up to grip her chin. Dora looked at him. Her eyes were tear filled again, but this time it was happiness. He leaned in, kissing her softly.

"I love you, Dora."

"Say it again, please?"

"I love you, Dora."

"One more time?"

Remus smiled too and kissed her again.

"I love you, Dora."

oOoOoOo

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A/N: "Big changes are on the move! Again thank you and please feel free to review!" - E