A/N: I bet you weren't expecting an update this quick :)

I worked realy hard on this chapter, though I'm on vacation. Once again, it's not my best chapter, but it does its job. I apologize if it's a bit depressing for the season. It turned out way longer than I expected, because I was going to merge it with the next chapter, but then you would have a really, really long chapter...and since you've all been so patient lately, I decided to post this one. I'm rambling. Okay. Gotta stop. But I will say I'm more satisfied with this chapter than the last two chapters were crappy, and I apologize. If I have time, I'll go back and fix them up.

Once again, big hugs to those readers and reviewers! Special thanks to Monks and Salim271, pinocchio, windstar, Kates Master, Kates Master's Sister, and 3-legged Dog. Thank you all so much, and have a happy holiday season!

(By the way, over 200 reviews! You guys are AWESOME!)

December - March, 1974-1975

Choices

"'Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!" James sang loudly.

"James, will you shut up?" Remus groaned. "Your bad singing is giving me a headache."

"Actually, James really isn't that bad," Peter piped up.

"Thank you, Peter," James beamed.

"I don't know what is wrong with your ears today, Peter," Remus sighed. "James is killing me."

"Well, I'm saying that he's not bad in comparison to Sirius," Peter laughed.

As if on cue, Sirius burst into the room, beaming madly and holding four cups of merrily fresh eggnog. "JINGLE BELLS, GOBLINS SMELL, SNIVELLY LAID AN EGG!" he blasted at the top of his lungs. The tray in his hands seemed to shake from the volume. It was a wonder that the glasses didn't break.

"SIRIUS! SHUT UP!" Remus roared, laughing. He, James and Peter each took a cup of eggnog from Sirius.

"You're welcome," Sirius said.

Remus took a sip of eggnog. "Thanks."

James grinned at this. "Okay, Remus, now I see your point. If my singing was as bad as Sirius…"

"You were a bit better," Remus grimaced.

"My tortured ears," Peter groaned.

"I'm insulted," Sirius said, pretending to scowl. "I would never have sneaked out of that house to be here if you guys were going to put down my beautiful, heartfelt songs."

Remus choked on his eggnog.

"We apologize, Padfoot," James said, grinning. "Please, sing us another song."

"James," Remus and Peter groaned in unison.

"Just kidding," James said, throwing up his hands.

The four friends were sitting around the Potter dining room, drinking eggnog. It was Christmas day. James's parents, however, were out for the day, as they had some business to attend to. But they promised the boys that they would be back soon.

Peter yawned widely. "I can't believe you made us get up so early, James," he groaned. "And still no presents?"

"Later," James said. "I just wanted eggnog."

"And you sent me to go and get it," Sirius laughed. "I feel like a servant."

"You beat Heda to it, she was the one that offered to bring it in," James shrugged.

"Where is she now?" Remus asked.

"Making tree-shaped pancakes," James grinned. "They're my favorite."

"Can we open our presents now?" Sirius groaned. "God knows how long I've waited."

"Haven't you heard, Christmas is for giving, not receiving," Remus said, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

"I'm a Black," Sirius said, grinning mischievously.

"Excuses, excuses," James laughed. "That's not a good excuse anymore."

"Says who?" Sirius asked defiantly.

"Says us," Peter grinned.

"You've grown out of being a Black," Remus said.

Sirius stretched his arms. "That…is the best Christmas present I could ever have."

Remus, James and Peter grinned appreciatively.

"Well, I kept you all waiting long enough," James grinned. "Let's go check out those presents, shall, we?"

Cheering, Remus, Sirius and Peter followed James to the Potter Christmas tree. As usual, it was decorated in all its splendor… ornaments made of goblin gold hung merrily from the branches. Sparkling orbs flashed rainbow colors. There were also what looked like a couple of hand-made ornaments, including a gingerbread man and a lump of dough. On the very top of the huge tree was a brilliant diamond angel ornament, which was glistening and flapping its crystal wings while winking at the four boys.

"You made these?" Sirius asked James. He picked up a lump of dough that was hanging limply on the tree.

"Yes," James said defensively. "I was five."

"Are these edible?" Sirius asked interestedly.

Remus groaned. "Stop thinking about food, Padfoot."

"Oh wow, are those for us?" Peter asked excitedly, pointing to a huge pile of wrapped presents under the Christmas tree.

"All yours," James beamed. "Dive in."

With a Tarzan-like yell, Sirius indeed dived into the pile of presents. Remus and Peter soon joined them, and the three boys started to tear up the wrapping paper as if their lives depended upon it.

"Oh wow, thanks James!" Remus beamed. "I've wanted this book since forever!"

"That's great!" Peter squeaked, holding up a model of a rat that looked impeccably like him Animagus form. "It's a mini-me!"

"Oh wow, Andros the Invincible!" Sirius said, awed. "I thought you wanted this card, James."

"You still remember?" James laughed. "We ate through literally a hundred chocolate frogs, but we still couldn't find that card. But I did get you into collecting, Sirius."

"So you finally found one?"

"Yup," James beamed. "And I'm giving it to you."

"Why?"

James shrugged. "At times, it just reminds me of how we met. Keep it, Sirius. I think it'll serve as a strong bond between our friendship."

Sirius grinned. "Thanks."

After the presents were all torn open, the four friends sat on the living room floor together, drinking more eggnog. "I can never get enough of this stuff," Sirius beamed. He took another sip. "So yummy."

"So, Remus, how's you and Faye?" James asked, grinning mischievously.

Remus reddened immediately. "Uh, we're good," he said slowly.

"Don't give us that," Sirius laughed. "Come on. Have you snogged her yet?"

Remus shook his head. "And I'm glad, because I want us both to be ready."

"Really?" James asked.

"Really," Remus anwered.

Sirius clapped Remus on the shoulder. "You're a big man, Moony."

"Especially on full moon nights," Remus grinned.

They all laughed.

"While we're on that subject of dating," Sirius said, grinning at James. "Are you and Marcella going out?"

James choked on his eggnog, and then coughed. "No," he said.

"I heard you were," Peter said interestedly.

James shook his head. "Nah. Peeves was chucking water balloons at her, so I drew out my wand and told him to stop it. Then he spiraled around the school, singing –"

"Potty lurves Greeny," Remus finished, grinning. "We know. The whole school knows."

James groaned. "Great. So everyone thinks we're going out?"

"Yep," Peter said.

"Great," James groaned again.

"Hey, that's nothing to complain about," Sirius said airily. "Marcella's hot."

"It's not that," James said, rolling his eyes. "We're good friends. I heard from her that Lily was worried that we were going out. I need to talk to her again when she gets back from vacationing in Mexico."

"So it all comes back to Lily, eh?" Peter grinned.

James reddened immediately. "I am over that girl. Over her, okay? OVER!" he said forcefully, slamming his eggnog down on the ground.

Peter looked taken aback. "Yeah, okay, over her…"

"Calm down, mate," Sirius said, alarmed.

"We know, James," Remus said. "We were just kidding."

"Okay," James snapped, now mad at himself for yelling at his friends.

There was a silence.

"On a lighter subject," Remus grinned. "I got Faye a bracelet for Christmas."

"Let's see," Peter grinned. "Do you have it with you?"

"Yeah," Remus said.

"Is it pwetty?" James laughed.

Remus withdrew from his pocket a velvet box. He opened it, and inside was a pearl bracelet with interchanging purple and white pearls that glsitened in the lights of the Christmas tree.

"That's great," James smiled. "Where did you get it?"

"My mum gave it to me to give to her," Remus said, smiling. "She said that it was the one that my dad gave to her on Christmas a long time ago, and she wished me to give it to Faye."

"That's really special," Peter said softly. "That's one-of-a-kind."

"Like she is," Remus said, closing the box gently. "Do you think she'll like it?"

"She'll love it," James beamed. "You old sap, you."

"Absolutely," Peter nodded.

All this time, Sirius was staring at the ceiling, transfixed.

"Sirius," James said. "Snap out of it."

Sirius turned, startled. "Oh crap."

"What?" Remus frowned.

"I didn't get Nora a present."

"That's smart," Peter said.

"Oh shut up, Peter," Sirius scowled. "What am I going to do?"

"Steal a bracelet from your mom?" James suggested.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Sirius said. "Should I?"

"I was kidding!" James said, laughing. "Wouldn't your mom kill you?"

"Probably," Sirius shrugged. "But if she doesn't find out she'll never miss it."

"How about you make her something? From the heart?" Remus suggested. "I made Faye a card to go with the bracelet."

"I'm not that creative, Moony," Sirius groaned. "Plus, I'm too lazy. I'll just get her a box of chocolates."

"Sirius, don't you think she might like something…I don't know… that's more personal?" Remus asked carefully. "Maybe more than a box of chocolates?"

Sirius shrugged. "Nah. She likes chocolates. But you're right. I'll buy her a card."

Remus looked at James. They exchanged exasperated looks.

The lock clicked on the door just then, and James's parents stepped into the room. "Hi kids," they said. The snow outside blew in frosty flakes, and some blew into the house before Heda could shut the door.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Remus, Sirius and Peter said.'

'Hey, mum and dad," James grinned.

"We were just opening our presents," Peter said.

"Did you like them?" Mrs. Potter asked as Heda helped her off of her coat.

"Very much," Remus beamed.

"Thank you," Sirius said sincerely.

James noticed that his parents were very subdued, and looked on the verge of tears instead of being happy at the holiday season.

"You're welcome," Mr. Potter said in a strained voice.

"Dad, what's wrong?" James asked quietly.

The whole house seemed to be scolded into silence. Heda silently headed back to the kitchen, but the Marauders all had their gaze unwaveringly upon Mr. Potter.

"Should we tell them?" Mrs. Potter whispered.

"I think it would be best if they found out from us," Mr. Potter nodded.

"What's wrong?" James asked again.

"James, Remus, Sirius, Peter… you probably realize that Voldemort is getting serious," Mr. Potter began.

Peter winced at the name.

"These killings are getting more frequent now," Mrs. Potter continued. Her face looked worn, well beyond her years, and James realized that his parents were getting older. This battle was draining the life out of them.

"As much as I hate to say it, we're in a war," Mr. Potter said quietly. "There's no fine line anymore between what's good and what's evil. I'm sure you've learned about the unforgivable curses; the Imperius curse is giving the ministry a huge headache as of right now."

"And they can't tell the difference between truly imperiused people and liars?" Remus asked quietly.

"Correct," Mr. Potter said.

"And Voldemort," Mrs. Potter said as Peter shuddered. "He seems to have a special way of killing at the jolliest time of year. The Dark Mark was found over two doors today."

"Anyone we know?" Remus said, shaking.

"The first house was the house of a certain Bertram Aubrey. I believe he goes to your school. He, his mother and his father were killed were both killed for being half-blood."

James hung his head and felt a stabbing sensation at his heart. He didn't even apologize to Bertram when he accidentally hit him with a head-swelling charm.

Remus closed his eyes.

"And the second house was the house of your friend, Marcella."

Remus's eyes shot open in horror. "Marcella?" he croaked out. Peter was shaking in fear.

"The Greenwald family," Mr. Potter nodded, voice strained.

"James," Remus said, trying to remain calm. "The family was in Mexico, right? So they're all okay?"

James shook his head, face pale. "Not all of them," he whispered. "She went with her dad and little brother. Her little sister stayed home with her mother."

Sirius stared in horror. "So her little sister and her mother…"

"Dead," Mr. Potter said tiredly. "I doubt she knows the news yet…"

"I have to write to her," James said frantically. "She has the right to know."

"She will know, son," Mr. Potter said. "She'll hear from her family soon enough. Give her time."

"I have to write to her," James said determinedly. With one last look at the rest of them, he turned and raced up the stairs to his room.

"I'll go with him," Remus said. "I want to write to her as well." He followed his friend up the stairs.

"I-I have to go home," Sirius said, still in a daze. "My parents might find out I was gone."

"Me too," said a pale Peter. "I promised my mom I'd be back soon…"

"Well then goodbye," Mrs. Potter said, trying to smile. "There's floo powder by the fireplace."

Sirius nodded, and headed to the fireplace before Peter. He grabbed a handful of power, threw it into the fireplace, and watched as the green flames shot up. Then he stepped into the fireplace, shouted the words, and felt the spinning sensation engulf him.

He fell onto the floor in his room, but didn't bother to get up. Sirius crawled over to the nearest wall and leaned against it, shaking his head. He thought of Marcella's laughing face, and dreaded seeing her reaction to all this when she came back to Hogwarts. Wasn't Christmas supposed to be merry?

Voldemort had ruined it all. He had ruined all these families. He had ruined Bertram Aubrey's family, he had ruined Marcella's.

Sirius closed his eyes, chest heaving heavily.

"How long is this going to last?" he whispered to himself.

The 'welcome back' feast at Hogwarts was more subdued than ever before. Families had gone before, but never had a killing that harmed one of the castle's own students. Black banners hung in memory of Bertram Aubrey and in the memory of Marcella's family. James remembered when his grandparents died, and still could not imagine the pain Marcella was going through in losing both her mother and her sister.

"Today, we are here to mourn for the loss of two important families to us," Dumbledore said gravely during his speech. "First, Bertram Aubrey. He was a loyal person, and a good man. He was a brilliant addition to the Hufflepuff house. Remember him. Remember this war."

The Hufflepuff table was subdued. Almost everyone seemed to be in tears.

"Secondly, we mourn for the loss of Marcella Greenwald's immediate family, as in her mother and her sister. She has lost a part of her life. We will give her the courage to go on."

Across the table, James could see Lily comforting her friend.

"This isn't a time that will be easy," Dumbledore continued. "This war deprives us of hope. This war damages our community. This war can destroy us as people. But remember; you all have choices to make. Unity will make us stronger. If we can stay together, we can strengthen the power we have over this war. Thank you, and good night."

With a bow, Dumbledore stepped down and sat back in his chair. The students of the great hall got up as one and headed back to their dormitories with heavy looks on their faces. The Marauders, however, stayed back. James wanted to talk to Marcella.

They found her crying onto Lily's shoulder in the hallway as they walked out of the Great Hall.

"Marcella," James said quietly, approaching where the two girls sat against a wall. "Can I talk to you?"

"No, you can't," Lily snapped.

"Excuse me," James said to Lily coldly. "Are you Marcella?"

Marcella let out a renewed sob.

"See what you did, Potter?" Lily said angrily. "Leave her alone. "You don't know what she's going through."

"And you do?" James said sarcastically.

"More than you," Lily snapped.

"I lost my family in this war," James whispered, his voice deadly. "I'd be damned if I didn't know what she's going through."

Lily looked as if she had been slapped in the face. "I forgot," she said, not looking at him.

"It's easy to forget when it doesn't happen to you, isn't it," James said icily. Lily winced.

Marcella let out another sob. "Lily, it's okay," she croaked out. "I'll talk to James."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked her.

"Yes," Marcella said, as firmly as possible. "Go on. I'll meet you back at the dormitory."

Reluctantly, Lily stood up. Remus, Sirius and Peter went with her back up to the common room, while James sat down beside Marcella.

"How are you holding up?" he asked her.

She looked up at him, face full of tears. "Obviously, not too well," she said, cracking a smile.

James smiled back sadly. "It must be painful."

"It is," she said. "My mother was a great woman, and my little sister…she was going to go to Hogwarts with me in a year." She shook her head, crystal tears dropping on the ground. "I miss them so much," she whispered.

"I can't even imagine," James said hollowly. "I lost my family to this war, but as much as I loved my uncle, aunt and cousins, they weren't my mother or my father."

"You miss them, don't you."

James sighed. "Every single day."

She nodded. "I'm missing them right now."

"Well, look on the bright side," James said. "You, your father and your brother are still alive."

"I guess I can call that a bright side," Marcella sighed. "Still alive… how long is this war going to last, James?" She shook her head sadly. "I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take. It seems that each new day brings more tears than joy, more deaths than births, more hate than love. I look for the day when it'll be all over…but will it ever end?"

"It will end," James said, trying to sound confident. "We'll see the day when this'll be all over. We'll see Voldemort dead."

"I sure hope so, James," she said softly. "I don't want to lose anyone else. I can't afford it." She let out a humorless laugh. "I worry more about Lily than I do my own safety."

"I know how you feel," James said.

She looked down at her knees. "Do you?"

"There are people worth dying for," James said simply. "There are people you can't imagine living life without."

She smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

They sat in silence for a while.

"We're both lucky," James finally said.

"How do you figure that one out?" Marcella said, half-laughing, half-sobbing.

"We have our friends," James said, smiling. "I have Remus, you, Sirius and Peter. You have Lily and the rest of us. I know things get tough…but I pulled through because of them. And we'll help you too. We promise."

"Thank you," she whispered.

They both sat in silence for a while longer, looking from the walls to the window opposite them. The tangerine sunset glowed and basked the castle in its glorious light. Green hills glowed, and the sky was calm.

"You're right," Marcella finally breathed. "We are lucky."

"You will be meeting with your counselors to discuss your various career choices," Professor McGonagall said. "Fifth years of my house, you will be meeting with me."

James and Sirius exchanged a high-five.

"This is not a matter to be taken lightly," Professor McGonagall sniffed, nostrils flared. "This meeting is very important, as we will be discussing your O.W.L.'s in your career. They are coming up, you know."

Sirius chose that moment to let out a big yawn.

The class laughed, and McGonagall looked angrier than before. "Sorry," Sirius shrugged. "Duty calls."

"Honestly, it is important," Remus said as the four friends walked out of class. "It cinches the career path that you choose. In order to get into your required N.E.W.T. classes, you have to pass –"

"We know," Sirius said, cutting Remus off. "I don't need this career advice thingy. I know what I'm going to be."

"An auror?" Peter asked.

"Precisely," Sirius beamed.

"You never cease to amaze me," Remus grinned. "Do you know how much extra work you would have to do to become an auror?"

"How much?" Sirius asked.

"Years," Remus sighed. "Do your research, Padfoot."

"Eh, I've got time," Sirius shrugged. "I think it'd be fun, actually."

"You're mental," Peter stared.

"I've been told that," Sirius grinned.

"Oh, hey, look!" James said, pointing to the bulletin board where a bunch of students were crowded around. The four friends headed over to it, pushing through the hoards of third years.

"The next Hogsmeade trip is next weekend," Sirius read aloud, grinning. "Perfect. The day after our Career Advice meetings. From dull to fun. This is gonna be a great weekend."

"It gives me a chance to give Faye her Christmas present," Remus said. "We've both been really busy, but now's our time."

"Oh, I should give Nora her present too," Sirius said.

"What did you end up getting her?" Peter asked interestedly.

"A box of chocolate and a card," Sirius shrugged. "I'm a man of my word."

"You certainly are," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

Next weekend came in a blur. James could hardly even remember his week back, except for a couple of Quidditch practices. He was convinced that his team was the best in the entire school and that they could kick anyone's butt across the Quidditch field.

He had a meeting with McGonagall at three o'clock that Saturday, and went down to her office accordingly. He arrived two minutes early, but was invited to sit down anyway.

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall nodded at him. "How are you?"

"Good," James replied. "How are you?"

"Fine," McGonagall said curtly. "Now, let's get down to business." She pulled out the papers containing his information. "Do you have any idea what career path you are to choose?"

"I want to be a Quidditch player," James said easily.

McGonagall didn't look surprised, only disappointed. "A Quidditch player," she repeated.

"Yeah," James grinned. "I think it'd be a cool profession."

"It's not all about the fame," Professor McGonagall sighed.

"I know," James said. "It would be nice to make lots of money and be recognized, though."

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said, looking intently at him. "Not many Quidditch players go professional, and even if they do, not many are paid well or well-recognized."

"But I love doing that," James protested.

"Yes, but have you thought about your future enough?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you start a family, you'll want to provide support for them," McGonagall said. "A Quidditch player is simply not practical. You won't know the career bumps, and it's a very unstable job. One moment, you could be at the top, and the next you could end up in the poor house."

James seemed to deflate a bit.

Recognizing this, McGonagall softened a bit. "Of course, if that is the career path you choose, the best luck to you."

"Professor, what do you suggest?" James asked.

McGonagall looked thoughtful. "I had a meeting with your friend Sirius Black a while ago. He told me that he wanted to be an auror, and he would always stick by that pathway. Have you thought about being an auror?"

James nodded. "I have thought about it…but I don't want to do it."

Professor McGonagall looked surprised at this. "May I ask why?"

For the first time in this career interview, James looked pained. "It's all those late nights. All that work. Never seeing your family for more than an hour at a time. My parents are aurors, Professor. I see what they go through. I don't want to put my future family through the same ignorance. I'm not saying what my parents did was intentional, because I know they're not," he added. "I know they love me. But come Christmas time, when we're supposed to come together as a family, they're rarely there for me, always out there arresting another murderer."

McGonagall looked at him with an odd look of understanding. "Alright, Mr. Potter, no auror then."

"Is there anything else?"

Professor McGonagall surveyed him, and then looked back down at the papers in her hands. "You have a great mind, Mr. Potter," she said at last. "You have passed all your final exams in the past four years with either full score or over full score." She paused. "But you have accumulated over a hundred detentions."

James could not help but grin at this.

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste," McGonagall said, looking back up at him from her desk. "You would be throwing it away if you become a Quidditch player." She paused. "Have you thought of going into the Ministry?"

"That idea never occurred to me," James said honestly.

"Well, maybe you should think about it," the professor said. "Politics is not as boring as it sounds. You could also work for the Daily Prophet; I know they always look for new reporters. You have plenty of choices, James."

"That's not a bad idea," James said, nodding. "I'll look into that."

"You'll need top O.W.L.'s on most of your exams then, especially practical ones like Transfiguration and Charms… though I daresay you're having no problems thus far."

"Thank you," James said, grinning.

"You'll also need to work hard," Professor McGonagall added sternly.

"I know," James said easily.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Remus Lupin came into the room. "Hello, Professor," he said.

"Remus," James beamed, standing and giving his friend a high-five.

"Hello, Mr. Lupin," Professor McGonagall said. "Please, have a seat. Goodbye, Mr. Potter," she added as James walked out the door. "Think about it."

"Bye," James waved to both of them. "I will."

The door swung shut, and McGonagall faced a very nervous-looking Remus. "Hello, Mr. Lupin," she said.

"Hello," Remus said. "H-How are you doing?"

"Good," Professor McGonagall said. "There's no need to be nervous, Mr. Lupin."

"Okay," Remus breathed.

She took out his papers from her desk. "You, along with your friend Mr. Potter, have attained some of the highest scores Hogwarts has ever seen." She gave him a rare smile. "But I prophesize you won't want to be a Quidditch player?'

Remus let out a laugh. "No."

"Have you thought about your career path, then?"

"Yes," Remus replied. "I actually have two. I'm choosing between a healer and – and a teacher."

"A healer and a teacher," Professor McGonagall repeated.

"Yes," Remus said. "My Aunt Mae was a healer, and she helped me through my condition the whole time she was alive."

"So you would like to be a healer in honor of her?"

"In a way," Remus nodded. "But I think a profession that helps recover people makes a great impact on my mind."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Tell me about your other profession choice."

Remus laughed sheepishly. "I actually would very much like to be a teacher. If I can educate people to do what's right, to defend themselves, that would be well worth my time." He looked up at the professor. "It's something I've considered for a long time."

Professor McGonagall nodded, with a sense of pride. "Well then, you'll need the very top scores on your O.W.L. exams," she said. "Both of those professions require a lot of work, and a lot of dedication. Certainly, you'll need to go into N.E.W.T. level with Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and most definitely, Defense Against the Dark Arts. I recommend, of course, Astronomy, Muggle Studies and Arithmancy, but though they are not required, it makes a difference on accepting into training."

Remus nodded, trying to remember this information.

"Well, if that is all, you may go," Professor McGonagall said.

Remus stood up. "Thank you, professor."

"Mr. Lupin," the professor said. "You've grown stronger from the boy I met on the first day of school."

"I have?" Remus asked.

She nodded. "I wouldn't say I've had no doubts. Though I doubted your friendship with Mr. Potter, Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew, they seemed to have made you stronger and better. Standing before me is someone I see as loyal, someone honest. Through your disabilities, you've hung in there." She nodded again.

"Thank you," Remus said, feeling guilt shoot through him when he thought about the illegal Animagus transformations. But he didn't regret it. Like Sirius said, it was too late for them to turn back.

"You're welcome," Professor McGonagall said.

Remus opened the door. "Goodbye, Professor."

She nodded once more. "Goodbye, Remus."