53. Time Heals Everything

It had been four months.

Four months since he sparked this fire. Four months since he infiltrated the ranks. Four months since his ambitions were noticed. Four months since he began his mission.

Colton Bayard slipped down the streets of Diagon Alley, the sharp March wind tearing through the few shoppers out and about. Hovering beneath a sign reading Knockturn Alley, Colton smirked as he slid down to the dark path. Colton's haggard appearance certainly blended in on Knockturn Alley. His skin faded to a pale, pasty glow, and his face appeared sullen, as if he had aged ten years in this short time. His honey eyes shrunk with a blood-shot glow.

Colton strode past the ominous shops, a newfound vigor in his step. As he walked further, a figure came into view. The man leaned against an ancient brick wall, adorned in a black cloak. He waited beside a door, checking his wrist watch with annoyance.

"I've been waiting," the man behind the cloak hissed.

Colton snorted. "Poor, poor Snape. Left in the cold all by his lonesome," he scoffed. "Whatever shall the big-bad Death Eater do?"

Forcing open the door, Severus ushered Colton inside, leading him to a cramped, dark room. A lone table stood surrounded by chairs, with a light hanging overhead. Severus mumbled under his breath as he and Colton took seats at opposite ends of the table. He pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing his long, hooked nose and sharp black eyes straining through the darkness.

"So then," Colton started, his arms folded upon the table's surface. "I suppose you have a message for me?"

"That I do," Severus said flatly, yet the chill in his voice soon melted away. "But first, how are you, Cole?"

"Fine, thanks," Colton snapped.

"It's clearly been affecting you, though," Severus said, "I mean, I've seen some lethal poisons do less damage than -"

"It's a price, Severus," Colton said. "A price I don't mind paying."

"You really think its worth it?" Severus rolled up the sleeve of his robes, revealing his Dark Mark. "This is worth it?"

Colton's mouth nearly watered as he store down upon the brand. "You have no idea."

Severus shook his head as he retracted his wrist. "I don't get you, Cole."

"Most people don't. But enough with the formalities," Colton ordered. "Let's get on with it. You have a message for me. From whom?"

"The bloody Queen of England," Severus grumbled sarcastically. "Who do you think? My master."

"And?" Colton prompted shortly.

"He is satisfied with your work," Severus divulged, "With the Prewetts."

Colton felt himself smile triumphantly. "Go on."

Severus rolled his eyes, visibly irritated by Colton's arrogance. Colton chose to ignore this action. "He originally wanted your mission to end after their assassinations."

"And...?"

"I'm getting there!" Severus snapped. "Merlin, you haven't changed a bit since Hogwarts..."

Colton flinched. He dared not think about Hogwarts now. He had been on top of the world then. A pampered little prince of one of the most prominent pureblood families. The king of Slytherin. And how he fell; denied by Voldemort, thrown off his throne, nearly ruined by his own rash action.

That was in the past. His future and his future alone was all that mattered, and that future lied with Voldemort.

"He wishes for you to stay in your current position," Severus instructed. "And to report back to me with any information of interest."

"And how do I do that?"

"We'll come to you," Severus instructed.

"And by we you mean...?"

"The Dark Lord will not be paying you a personal visit, Cole," Severus said. "Not until something big."

Satisfied, Colton rose from his seat. Stopping before the door, Colton left his back to Severus. "Soon then."

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...I'm so happy to hear everything's going well at ACE. Territory rights for goblins, eh? I honestly have no idea what that means, but good job getting it for them!

I hope I can come visit soon. Things are getting really hectic over here, with the first issue coming out in a few weeks. Crunch time, you know? So give everyone my love, especially the parents-to-be. A boy, eh? Lily was so excited when she wrote me, she said she went out a bought a bunch of blue little pj's. I wish I could have been there!

Oh, and could you tell Mora I said to go with the second one? I know, that sounds vague and all, but its for your birthday present so...surprise! And please remind her to keep me posted on all Adam-related news. Am I seriously the only one counting down the days until he puts a ring on her finger? I mean, it's been what, four months? Times a'wasting!

All my love,

Emmy

Reamus let out a small chuckle as his eyes scanned over the parchment. He knew this was only a letter, a piece of fancy American stationary with a few words scribbled out in ink, but to him it felt like so much more. It was like he could hear Emmeline's voice in his ear, her laughter as she thought of Lily, her hint of sarcasm, her aggressive tendencies towards pushing Mora's relationship towards wedding bells. He could practically feel Emmeline beside him, the warmth that followed her, the flowery smell of her hair, the twinkle beneath her dark mahogany eyes.

Throughout the years, Emmeline's presence had a somewhat similar affect upon Reamus Lupin. When he found himself near the brunette of his dreams, an array of emotions swelled within him. There was fear, of course, of saying something wrong, doing something so bloody stupid he would come across as an idiot to her. There was anticipation, fueling the army of butterflies battering inside his stomach. There was excitement, electricity that flowed within him as the very sight of Emmeline.

And, of course, there was the emotion that blazed out over all others.

His never failing, iron clad, bloody frustrating self control.

He loved Emmeline. He wanted to just shout it out, to climb upon the tallest tower Hogwarts had to offer and just wait it out. His thoughts always found a way back to her. Emmeline was practically a part of him, a part he never wished to part with.

But Reamus was always able to give himself reasons to stay away. To stop him from ever divulging this dangerous truth to her. To protect her.

Reamus Lupin was a werewolf. A full moon howling, fur sprouting, lethal werewolf. Reamus' lycanthropy plagued him in more ways than one. It was burden enough that once a month Reamus lost control. That his life, his values, his heart slipped way, shadowed by the feral tendencies of the wolf. He lost everything, and ever time he underwent the transformation, he feared the next morning he would awake to a new world. A world where his actions as the world had dire consequences; when it finally claimed the life of someone Reamus cared about.

It won't let that happen, Reamus would tell himself. I won't let myself hurt anyone...

But it had happened so many times in the past. Reamus could not count the scrapes, bruises, and even scares his friends wore; each a painful reminder of their devotion to him. They risked life and limb to keep Reamus under control, but how much longer could that truly last? How long until the wolf became truly unleashed, until it killed...

And whenever Reamus' thoughts would drift to Emmeline, he forced himself to think of the wolf. Think of losing control, the pure, unadulterated danger. And then to think of Emmeline caught in the middle of it.

Ruled by his fears, Reamus suffered in silent agony. His plight unnoticed and his love hidden. He kept it up for years, never giving into his feelings at Hogwarts, nor after their graduation. Reamus forced himself to live with Emmeline, to spend each and every day with her, and to never tell her the truth. It was excruciating.

You have to do this, Reamus would say. You have to protect her.

Yet Reamus knew he would never intentionally hurt her. He loved Emmeline with every fiber of his being, how could that ever turn wrong?

You're a werewolf! His guilt would scream. A monster! A freak of nature who puts everyone he loves at constant risk. You could never do that to Emmy. To destroy her life like that.

And now she was gone.

Now Emmeline had sailed away. A new job, a new life, far off to the other side of the world. And Reamus had let her go. He watched her make plans, watched her pack - hell, he bloody helped her pack- and then he watched her march out the door. He did nothing to stop it.

Now four months had passed, four torture-ridden months. Sure, things were constantly changing within his friends. Lily was getting bigger by the day as she and James prepared for the baby. Peter, although seemingly unchanged as he continued to work at the family store and look after his mother, grew more sullen with each day. Mora and Lily made their first big step at the hospital, no longer interns but healers. Mora's escalating relationship with Adam Prewett left Sirius more envious, and the two roommate's relationship had turned suddenly sour. And of course, the five of them (save for Lily, considering he was pregnant and not in the midst of battle,) were still in constant struggle with the Death Eaters.

Yet the months had not been to kind to Reamus. Sleep had turned into a luxury, and a luxury Reamus was unaccustomed to at best. A certain spark seemed to fizzle away inside of him. He wasn't locked up in his room or anything, playing cheesy romantic records and moping. No, Reamus went through the motions of his life, went to work, spent time with his friends, fought for the Order as if everything was business as usual.

But Reamus knew he was far off from business as usual. Something was missing, broken beyond repair. A hole settled within Reamus' heart, and he exactly where it came from.

And at night, when he dreamed of her face, her laughter, her occasional pout, he felt that hole tug deeper and deeper.

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"I tell you for the last ruddy time, I DID!" Sirius boomed in the cramped corridor.

"And I'm telling you, YOU DIDN'T!" Mora shouted back. Even clad in pajamas, hair askew, and tooth brush held menacingly within her fist like a weapon, Mora felt a certain ferocity in this argument.

This was ridiculous. Mora knew that well. After all, this topic caused a lot of frustration between roommates, as it was a common grievance when member of the opposite sex lived together. But it should not have been the catalyst to yet another Ashford-Black screaming match.

Sirius stood beneath the doorframe of the bathroom, his arms crossed against his chest, and his snarl unmoved. Beyond him Mora could still spy the toilet seat up, the very cause of this latest blow out. Whether Sirius had put said seat down or not started as a simple, bitter remark. And now, the roommates found themselves in yet another heated fight.

"So what, you're telling me I imagined doing it then?" Sirius mocked, his gray eyes flaming with fury.

"No," Mora said through clenched teeth, "I'm telling you that you're a bloody liar."

Sirius laughed. "Of course. Cause Mora bloody Ashford can do no wrong..."

"Stop trying to change to subject!" Mora snapped. "Just admit you did it -"

"Not a chance."

"-Or get out of my way." But as Mora tried to push past Sirius to retreat inside the bathroom. Sirius pushed his arm across the entrance, resting it against the opposite end of the door frame. "Don't make me hex you out of here, Black."

"Like you could," Sirius scoffed. "You know, it's really annoying when females like you pretend to be -"

"AUGGGG!" Mora shouted. "Why do you do that! Why are you such a pig?"

"Cause I'm male," he stressed bitterly. "Every other guy feels the exact same way."

"Poor, thick headed Sirius," Mora tutted. "I hate to break it to you, but not every guy is such a narrow minded prick."

"Oh please. Such a bloody double standard," Sirius grumbled. "When a guy doesn't hold the door open for a girl, he's a prick. When he doesn't protect her from an on-coming cruciatious curse and get hit instead, he's a prick. But when a guy tries explaining this to a girl, he's a prick!"

Mora shook her head. She knew this conversation was no longer about any guy and girl. "I'm just as strong as you, Sirius. You know that."

"Of course I bloody know that!" Sirius snapped.

"So what the ruddy hell is wrong with you?"

Sirius mumbled to himself, his words meant for his own amusement. But Mora could hear the gist of them. "What was that?" she growled.

"Nothing," he muttered.

"No, Sirius," Mora demanded. "Say it. SAY IT!"

"I SAID!" Sirius shouted, "That I bet if Prewett had been the one telling you that you weren't as strong as him, you'd jump into bed with him."

The moment the last of Sirius' words rang out, Mora wrenched her fist back, letting it collide with Sirius' jaw. He stumbled backwards, his jaw revealing small drops of blood. Sirius looked back to Mora, the fury in his eyes smoldered away behind his sudden confusion.

"YOU GIT!" Mora screamed. Tears began to spurt from her eyes, yet she no longer cared. "YOU STUPID, STUPID GIT!"

Sirius did nothing, instead retreated a step back within the bathroom, still cradling his jaw. "How dare you!" Mora shouted on. "Why can't I get this through that thick skull of yours? I HAVE NOT SLEPT WITH ADAM!"

Sirius felt as if the wind had just been knocked out of him. "What?" he choked out.

"That's right," Mora carried on. Tears splashed down her face, and her eyes burned red from crying and anger. "I haven't shagged Adam! Happy now?"

"You-You haven't?" Sirius asked.

Of course, these are the words Sirius had dreamt of hearing. Of course, he loathed the very idea of Prewett even looking at Mora. The thought of them dating caused nausea to sweep over Sirius. And the fear of Prewett and Mora together like...that, was certainly his worst nightmare.

This wasn't just fueled by Sirius' jealousy. His pure, ranging envy of someone as unworthy as Adam Prewett. Prewett had the one thing in this world Sirius valued above all others; Mora's love. That is, he assumed so. They had been together for months, yet Sirius had never heard the two use the word love. Not when he stopped by the house, so unwelcome to Sirius, nor during Order hours, which again seemed extremely unwelcome to Sirius. He heard things like I love spending time with you, or I really care about you, but those three words Sirius dreaded the most had not yet been uttered. Which was a shred of small comfort Sirius hung onto.

But Sirius' animosity towards Prewett was not based in jealousy alone. The day they were moving Emmeline's things out of the house, and Prewett made one, awful joke, Sirius vowed to split him away from Mora at all costs. Sirius and convinced himself then that Prewett and Mora had already shagged, the thought of which absolutely crushed Sirius. It also sent a flame of anger raging through him. He joked about scoring with Mora. Mora, who had been hurt without reason beside her tie to Sirius. Mora, who deserved nothing but absolute happiness. Mora, who had nearly been raped.

Sirius pushed the thought Colton Bayard out of his mind. The one person Sirius hated more in this world than Prewett certainly had to be Bayard. But this wasn't about Colton, and Sirius refused to let himself be blinded by those memories at the moment.

Dragging himself back into the current moment, Sirius felt confusion take its immediate toll.

"What?" He managed to eventually say. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not ready!" Mora boomed."Because I'm not ready and Adam understands that!"

"You...you told him about Colton?"

His name burned through Sirius' mouth, searing away at his bewilderment.

"I didn't have to," Mora said, using a hand to smear away vigorously at the tears staining her face. "All I had to say was I wasn't ready, and that was that. He's not like other guys. He understands - understands me! He's willing to wait for me."

Mora's calm explanations melted away, and the anger flared once again behind her pink-glazed eyes. "But you," she seethed. "All you ever do is belittle Adam! He makes me happy, Sirius! He makes me feel...feel happy! Is this what you want, Sirius? Do you want to do this to me? To keep me miserable?"

"I'm just trying to protect you, Mora," Sirius said softly. "That's all I've ever done."

Mora shook her head. "Protect me," she echoed. "I'm a big girl, Sirius. I can protect myself. I have been for longer than you know, it's about time you give me some credit."

With this, Mora shoved Sirius one last time. As he crashed to the floor, Mora sped away, leaving the door the bathroom ajar. Sirius found himself sprawled across the icy cold tiles of the bathroom, the sound of Mora's bedroom door slamming sending another chill down his spine. For the first time in months, Sirius felt truly afraid. He had pushed Mora too far.