All characters are property of J.K.Rowlings, this writing is for my own enjoyment.

Notes: This contains *SPOILERS* to OOP. This story begins during the end of Harry's fifth year, after the battle at the Ministry of Magic. Remus is contemplates a friend's death.

Chapter 2: Endurance

"Have patience, and endure." ~Shakespeare

It had been a long day at Number 12 Grimmald Place and the members of the Order as well as the students of Hogwart's were beginning to retire for the evening. Many of the witches and wizard's had already disapperated to back to their homes which were scattered throughout the United Kingdom. However, the Weasley's and a few others, with permission from Leia Lestrange, had decided to stay that evening at the Black homestead for convenience's sake.

Remus had spent most of the evening discussing wizarding politics with Shacklebolt and Vance, but now, as he walked the hallways of Grimmald Place in hope of locating an empty room, his mind wandered back to Leia. She had been extremely quite most of the day, retiring for a long time with Dumbledore in secret conversation. The result being, she would move into Grimmald Place and provide the Order a base of operations.

It seemed that her days as a muggle were at an end, however, from her blank expression, Remus couldn't tell if she were happy or sad about the sudden change of events now effecting her life. He had wanted to speak to her, question her about her relationship with Sirius, but by the time he was able to free himself from Shacklebolt, he learned that Leia had already retired for the evening to Sirius's bedroom.

As he turned the corner of a dark hallway, a blade of yellow light cut the darkness. This was Harry's room, Remus remembered, as he made his way to the slightly opened door and knocked before entering.

"Hey Remus," Harry replied barely looking up from the photographs that lay scattered around his bed sheets.

Remus hadn't meant to come up here to the fourth floor, but sometimes his feet led him to where his mind wandered.

"Hello Harry," Remus answered, casually leaning against the door frame, "Can I come in?"

Harry's green eyes darted to Lupin, and then back to waving photograph, "Sure."

Remus meandered around the bed, leaning over the photo Harry had in hand, "That was taken on our graduation day from Hogwart's." Then smiling to himself, as the memories of his own school days warmed his soul, "We had all recently received our apparating licenses and it had become a habit of your father and Sirius to pop into the Evan's home and," he sat down on the edge of the bed, and stroked his chin, "and how should I say, steal some of your mother's more personal belongings."

"What?" Harry's eyes widened.

"They'd find her undergarments and decorate the common room with them." Remus stated, leaning back into the bed smiling.

"Wasn't she mad?" Harry asked, looking back at his parent's smiling faces in the photograph.

"She was livid! Of course that only happened twice before Lily enacted revenge by immobilizing James's and Sirius's under shorts throughout the castle stairwell," Lupin laughed aloud as he remembered Sirius and James running through the halls casting moblilizing spells on their shorts and then yanking from the air.

Harry looked shocked and then laughed slightly.

"They were always playing pranks on one another." Then taking the photograph from Harry's hand, he stopped smiling and added seriously, "They loved each other very much; very lucky your parents." Remus turned his pale blue eyes back on Harry as he put the photo back into the boy's outstretched hand.

"Tell me more." His face glowed with joy; an expression that Remus hadn't seen him wear since the death of god father.

"What do you want to know, Harry?"

Harry turned to him fully and asked with utmost seriousness, "Am I like my father?"

Remus was quiet for a moment as he pondered the importance of the question. "Yes and no." Harry bit his lip in anticipation. "You're just as good a wizard, if not better. You're both the same on the quidditch field and in the classroom. But I'd say you're probably more mature than James was at your age."

Harry wrinkled his brow, "Really?"

"You're both interested in chasing a snitch, but when it comes down to it, you're also ready to do battle with You-Know-Who. James didn't have to face that responsibility until he was much older." Then pausing he added frankly, "It changes a man to face death."

Harry flushed and looked away, realizing that Remus had called him a man. And internally, he began to realize that he was no longer the innocent boy that had lived under the stairs at Privat drive or the child that had saved the sorcerer's stone. There was a long silence between them.

"Harry, something's been on my mind."

Surprised, he turned to look at his favorite professor. His light brown hair was a little more speckled with gray and slightly overgrown. His still young face, hollowed by too many nights of beastly transformation contained eyes the color of silver glass. With worn gray trousers, scuffed wingtips and his crisp oxford shirt missing a button, there was something about Remus Lupin that was like come home to the Burrow. He was shabby and dog-eared, but he was proud. From the inflection in his voice to the manner of gentlemanly gestures, there was pride.

"I know that Arthur and Molly are going to be your new guardians, but I wanted to know," his voiced tensed, and he inhaled unsteadily, "I wanted to know, do you still need a father?"

This was the first time that Harry had ever heard Remus become nervous, but he was touched by his offer none the less.

"No, but thanks" he smiled ever so slightly at his old professor; realizing that Remus Lupin was one of the best persons that he had ever met. "I never really thought of Sirius as a father anyway."

Remus nodded and put a hand on Harry's shoulder, "If you ever need anything. Anything that you can't go to Arthur and Molly about, I am here for you Harry, as a friend."

Harry nodded and looked back down at the photographs of this smiling parents on their graduation day and then back at Lupin, "Thank you, Remus."

*****

As a teacher, he had played the role of mentor, lecturer, friend and even father on occasion. It was as easy as changing hats when providing the support that students needed for academic and emotional development. And even though his offer to Harry had been sincere, the thought of being an actual father shook him to his very core.

Lost in thought as he wandered down the main staircase and though the second floor hallway, his head knocked against a hard scaly object, "Lumos."

A blue Cornish Pixie floated above him apparently as stunned as he was, "What are you doing here you little devil?" Remus asked the dazed pixie.

"Immobilize!" Cried a feminine voice just beyond the door of Sirius's bedroom. Without invitation, Remus pushed open the door to find Leia Lestrange standing with hand on her hips and surrounded by at least seven full grown floating pixies.

"Umm, hello," Remus called, "Need a hand?"

Leia's stormy blue eyes turned on him suddenly, and she laughed. It was a dark, arrogant laugh; a joyful, knowing sound that reminded him so much of Sirius. "Yes. To say the least, I think I need a hand."

Remus showed her how to trick the pixies into a jar and then after punching some air-holes into the tin, he added, "Pixie pickup is on Wednesday."

"A professor and a pixie plumber," her pink lips curved into a grin, "You're quite a talented man Remus Lupin."

Somewhat taken aback, he politely replied, "Thank you Ms. Lestrange."

Leia crossed her arms, allowing a pointed finger to trace her lips, while she pondered his worn, wolfish appearance. "Remus Lupin. Such an appropriate name for a werewolf; going on Roman myth that is."

Stepping back instantly away from her presence, his pale eyes widened with surprise. Lycanthropy wasn't something one casual mentioned in the wizarding world.

"Well, you certainly know a lot about me, Ms. Lestrange." He answered calmly, subduing his shock. Pale eyes becoming icy, he decided to light his own fire, "And yet, I know nothing about you. Odd isn't it?"

She looked at him silently for a moment and walked away. Picking up a black clutch purse, she took her wand from under her arm, and placed it into the small leather bag. Her back still turned, she began to speak, "You're correct Remus Lupin, I know plenty about you, but it isn't from malice or spying for my mother as you may suspect."

Lupin crossed his arms, and coolly awaited her full reply.

"I'm sorry. That's not how I should have started." Turning back to him, she usher Remus toward two chairs that were seated in front a crackling fireplace. Blue eyes piercing his skin, "Please have a seat Remus, I guess I have some explaining to do."

Lupin didn't budge. He was swaying between curiosity and guilt. Then shaking his head, "I was out of line Ms. Lestrange," he picked the jar of pixies off the floor and turned to meet her intense gaze, "I think it's been a long day for both of us."

"Wait," she quickly advanced upon him, grabbing his arm tightly. Her expression softening, "I have offended you and I'm sorry. Please hear me out and I think we'll understand each other much better."

He wanted to say no, and leave the room, slamming the door on his way out. How dare she talk about his lycanthropy so matter-of-fact! Just because she was complete gorgeous didn't mean that she could take liberties with him. They were strangers, for Merlin's sake.

Calming his temper and with reluctance, he answered truthfully, "It's not that you've offend me Ms. Lestrange, but that," he place the jar of pixie's on the table. "Well, it's just Sirius and I were very close. At least I considered us very close, and suddenly I learn that he's been hiding a cousin from me, the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange. I suppose I'm wondering what else he's hidden from me."

Leia bit her lip, "Oh dear," rubbing her palms along the back of a winged chair, "That's not it at all! Please stay. Please let me explain."

He took a seat besides the fire, and she the opposite. Her long black hair glistening in the red flicker of the flames, her cameo skin glowing orange, "This is very difficult for me, even after all these years."

Remus wrinkled his brow in confusion.

When finally her thick lashes flickered up, her eyes rung with obvious misery, "You see Sirius and I were very close as children and as we became older, our friendship grew much deeper. We were both outcasts from our families, and despite our difference in age, we grew to understand each other in a way we thought no one else could."

Remus twitched with realization. What was she saying?

"And after a while, Sirius and I became more than friends and cousins." Leia added quietly, hooding her eyes beneath black lashes, "We also became lovers."

Unconsciously, his jaw tightened. So many things that didn't make sense before now became crystal clear.

"I was sixteen and he was twenty-one. He used to talk about you and James so much; you were his family," then smiling slightly, "I began to feel as if I knew you as well."

Remus steadied his voice, "How long did this affair continue?"

"For two years, until the incident with Pettigrew. We wrote for a while, but then his letters stopped coming. My parents were convicted of torture." She turned away from him and cast her eyes into the fire, voice course with painful remembrance, "It was all so awful."

They were both silent as minutes ticked by.

Lupin broke with the final question, "Why? Why didn't he tell us?"

"For Merlin's sake, were" she sighed, "first cousins! That's not accepted whether you're a wizard or a muggle and we were both too ashamed to let anyone that knew us in on our dirty little relationship."

Remus studied his shoes, feeling embarrassed that she felt the need even to tell him about their situation.

"Secondly, the Potters treated him like he was their own son. He was so proud of their friendship and trust, he didn't want to shame them." She looked back into Lupin's face. "Do you understand?"

His pale eyes reflected the flames like a mirror, "I understand."

"We tried to stop," voice low and tears welling in her eyes.

Remus leaned forward and took her hands in his. "Leia, I'm not condemning you or Sirius. I remember what times were like back then."

He was certainly surprised, but he was not disgusted or offended by their actions.

Tears spilled down her soft cheeks, "We were so young, and so alone in a family of monsters."

"Shhh," Remus hushed. This time getting out of his chair and kneeling in front of her, he caught her limp body as she instinctively fell into his arms. "Shhh," he whispered, cradling her in a chaste embrace. "I know. I remember."

He stroked her black hair until the crackling flames, fluttered into dying embers.

***** Hmmm...Does Tonks have a chance? Maybe... Please review. ;) Lyra

FYI: I could no longer continue Secret Gardens because it failed to remain true to Rowling's characters. i.e. The death of Sirius Black.