At precisely seven-thirty, Remus heard a clattering in the fireplace and out popped Moira, her red hair glowing against her black robes as she began wiping the soot from her clothes.
"Remus," she commented, "you really need to have your chimney swept." She smiled broadly.
Lupin stepped forward and clasped her hand warmly.
"Moira, I'm glad you're here."
"Well, of course. I mean, you have all my stuff."
"No, I mean here. England. Hogwarts."
"I think you knew from the moment you showed up that I-" She stopped mid-sentence and listened. Remus strained to here Sirius' footsteps upstairs. "Is he here?" she asked.
Remus nodded, and at just that moment, he became aware that Moira's attention was no longer on him, but trained on the foot of the steps. He turned and discovered Sirius standing there in exactly the same fashion as Moira: silent and frozen, unsure what exactly to say.
"Sirius," she said quietly. Remus wasn't sure if it was a whisper or a gasp, but it certainly wasn't laced with the venom he had heard previously in his name. He noticed their eyes were locked as Sirius crossed the room and grasped her hand in his own.
"It's good to see you, Moira. It's been a very long time." His voice, too, was soft, causing Remus to feel out of place.
"A very long time. You look surprisingly- well."
"Thank you. You too." They both smiled. Though their conversation was short and sterile, Remus heard much more in the words than were said. He wasn't even sure if they were aware of his presence.
"Would you like something to drink?" he asked. The words seemed to break their trance.
"Yes, please," Moira said. Remus retreated to the kitchen to fetch wine and glasses.
Some hours later found them pushed back from a well-eaten meal, sipping freshly filled glasses of wine and reminiscing on days of old. They laughed about old teachers and old friends. Sirius and Remus retold stories of their antics with James. They spoke nothing of the events of the past fifteen years, until the evening was finished. Then, they solemnly raised their glasses in a toast to their fallen friends.
"To James and Lily," Sirius pronounced. "They truly were the best of us."
They sat silently for several long moments until Moira spoke.
"I'm sorry, Sirius, that I ever doubted you," she said, looking at the table.
"It's all right," he said laying his hand over hers. "Were I in your position, I would have doubted me too." His fingers played absently over the pink scar encircling her ring finger. The mark of the ring he had given her.
The movement caught Remus' attention, as every small movement between the two had throughout the evening. He wasn't sure what either was thinking, but he could see that their bodies quickly picked up the old habits of their feelings toward each other. They way they sat, the way they smiled, even the way they spoke to each other mirrored perfectly the past.
Remus felt his heart sink in the realization.