Disclaimer: Same old drill as before.

CHAPTER 9

Remus woke up warm and peaceful and felt some arms around his middle. He turned around slightly to see that Si was still fast asleep, and had his head rested slightly on Remus' shoulder.

He moved to try and get up but Sirius just gripped harder and muttered something. "Strawberry flavoured ones." (A/N: My friend Ravens idea, can you guess what she means, //wink, wink//) "No Remy stay, please…but I don't wanna behave."

"Um Si?" Remus said, nudging him slightly.

"What?"

"We have to get up."

"But strawberry flavoured…" Si's face fell, "Oh I was dreaming"

Remus nodded, while standing up. "C'mon get up." Sirius's arms wrapped around him tighter.

"No. You're gonna stay here. With me."

With extraordinary strength he pulled Remus down so he was sitting almost on Sirius' lap. "Are you trying to seduce me Mr Black?" Sirius planted his lips on Remus'

"Maybe. Mr Lupin."

Remus stroked his nose, and kissed him, and muttered into his lips. "Is that free house still on offer."

Sirius gave him an evil smile and kissed him again.



James woke up next to Harry's bed, on the floor. His leg hurt for some reason and when he looked at it he realised he had a carpet burn. He moaned loudly. Why on earth did he have a carpet burn? Then he realised what information he had found out the day before. How he had found out he was going to die. 'Probably didn't sleep well.' A stifled yawn that sounded from him answered that.

Rubbing his eyes he reached over to get his glasses from the bedside table. Slowly he made his way downstairs to the common room after getting dressed limping slightly because of his leg.

Neville Longbottom was the only one there and he was sitting at a table doing some homework, and James sat next to him. "Hey Neville."

Timidly Neville leaned over to him. "Are, you know Sirius and Professor Lupin…you know an item?"

James suddenly had an idea for a ridiculing nickname for Remus but then thought that he and Sirius might get the wrong idea so thought against it.

"Yeah, I'm pretty certain." James chuckled slightly, "well I did walk in on them kissing so…"

Neville glared at him dumbstruck, "oh," he said slowly. "Look I know you probably want to spend time with Harry, but until he wakes up…are you any good at Transfiguration?"

Helping Neville with his homework did keep his mind away from other things. But the problem was he wasn't a very good teacher. "Rem's the teacher not me, sorry Neville."

At that point Remus and Sirius came through the portrait hole giggling like a couple who'd just had sex in the bushes. James' realised he didn't want to know. But he did raise an eyebrow at Neville pointingly, who nodded, James wasn't too sure if he understood.

"Um Rem, could you help Neville with his Transfig essay?" before he could get an answer he went upstairs.



Remus looked at the parchment on the table that lay before him, and bit his lip. "Ok Neville, lets give this a shot." He pulled over a chair and sat down Si followed suit.

"Transfig, not my best subject. But potions is my worse. Dear God am I hopeless."

"He is." Sirius mouthed. "I'm better at this though James is the best, but he can't teach for toffee."

"Bet you don't know the theory Si. He can transfigure very well, he can teach you that, just don't transfigure yourself. He did that once and he couldn't get back. He was stuck like that all day."

"Thank you for bringing that up Rem."

Neville smiled slightly "You were the best teacher we've had for Defence. And we've had quite a few."

Remus went beetroot.

At lunchtime they all had to go down to the great hall, Remus was expecting it to be like court Marshall but it wasn't. In fact Dumbledore was impressed at Sirius' skill and was talking to him about it smiling. Then Dumbledore addressed all four of them.

"Couldn't have expected any thing less from you lot. Becoming Anamagi at fifteen must have been an achievement." He had a twinkle in his eye. All of them looked at each other strangely.

Remus saw James look at Harry, James looked so lost and distance Remus thought that he might actually cry. But James kept his calm by taking in deep breaths. "James?" Remus asked. "Are you all right?"

Slowly James shook his head, biting his lip, and sunk his head into Remus' head.

"It isn't me you should be seeing. It's Harry."

James smiled his thanks at Remus and before Dumbledore could say anything he ran off to Gryffindor table. "Trust that boy." The headmaster muttered.



James ran up to where Harry was sitting. "A word please. Just before I go, in private." Harry smiled sweetly.

"Yeah sure." The two of them walked out of the hall and found a quiet spot.

"I'm sorry" they both said simultaneously.

"For what?" Harry asked.

"Just for being here. Being such a burden on you."

Harry shook his head. "You're not, don't you understand? I finally know you. Your not some voice in my head and stories told round the campfire. You're real! Not just a figment. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Don't be." James timidly reached for Harry pulling him into an embrace. "Look how weird it would be if I didn't know. I'd be off in a jiffy thinking I'd see you again."

Harry smiled slightly. "Aren't you scared?"

"Does the word petrified mean anything to you?" James laughed. He held Harry closer to him, feeling something. A bond everything didn't seem to matter anymore, life death whatever it was. Slowly James pulled away. "I guess this is it."

"Yeah I guess so."

"Be brave Harry, always." Then James turned to go.

The ritual Dumbledore did was a relatively simple, it was sending some one forward that was difficult, sending them back was on the over hand much more difficult. While Dumbledore did the ritual James just looked at Harry and harry just looked back smiling slightly, then a blur of light and the were back in Gryfindor common room.