Disclaimer: You can rest assured that if I owned any of the H.P. rights, I would not be sitting around composing free-to-the-world fan fiction.

Author's Note: Ah, the last chapter. How bittersweet. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed producing it, and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next part of the installment of the trilogy! It has been tentatively entitled "The Cottage in Hogsmeade" and will take place approximately during the same time period as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Again, thank you for reading!

While You're Waiting… I again recommend you check out these sites, especially if you're interested in help on your own fanfic. The Harry Potter Lexicon has more information than you can shake a stick at, and The Pensieve has awesome artwork that was a constant source of inspiration. Enjoy!

---

"Padfoot?"

Sirius jolted out of his reverie and pushed up on one elbow. James, silhouetted by the light from the kitchen, strolled into the dark garden, a goblet of pumpkin juice in each hand. "Thought you might be out here," he said, flopping down onto the cool grass next to Sirius and handing him a drink.

"Just fancied some stargazing," Sirius lied, taking a sip. The iced pumpkin juice, perfect for a hot, still night such as this one, flowed deliciously down his throat. "Though I can't seem to do it anymore without wondering whether or not Mars is unusually bright for this time of year."

"Damn Astronomy," James joked back and Sirius forced himself to laugh.

They fell silent, each absorbed in his own thoughts. A night breeze played over Sirius' face, teasing his hair, but he could not appreciate the tickling sensation. He took a deep breath and narrowly resisted letting it out in a frustrated sigh. He should be lighthearted, if nothing else—their ordeal was over. Now was the time to relax, to breathe again. Yet try as he might to focus on the sweet, fecund scent of Mrs. Potter's garden, his mind was miles and miles away—atop the hill in Mistford where Lynx Anthony Hellsing, age twenty-two, had been laid to rest.

That was the last time he'd seen Ani. The Marauders—including the recently returned Peter—and their families had been among the last to leave the funeral. Sirius watched as Ani stood brave and silent between her parents, her arm entwined through her remaining brother's. Her glorious eyes had remained dry throughout the proceedings, glossing over only as she tossed a final white rose onto the casket.

Sirius hadn't wanted to leave her, but knew that the family needed to be alone to grieve. Throughout the funeral he had stayed as close to Ani as her own shadow, unable to make himself sit down in the pews with the others. He had caught Mrs. Hellsing opening her mouth as though to protest at one point—she relented, however, at a look from Ani to Sirius' grim satisfaction. She'll just have to get used to having me around, he'd sworn, and later wondered dimly where the thought had come from.

"Still thinking about her?"

He glanced sharply at James, who was carefully avoiding his eyes. Fishing for a denial, he started to shake his head, but then stopped. It's not like he hasn't figured it out yet, he reminded himself. Let's face it, Black; he'd have to be an idiot not to see how you look at her.

"Yeah," he admitted, surprising himself. He flopped back onto the grass, James watching him carefully. "I wasn't expecting to see her or anything, but I was hoping she might at least send Ghost around, at least telling me that she's okay."

"You could always send her a note yourself," suggested James.

Sirius shook his head so vehemently that his friend laughed. "Pride's a nasty beast, Sirius," James reminded him. "If you want to talk to Ani, you should send her an owl on your own."

He made a vague brushing motion. "It's not really that important," Sirius attempted to lie. "I figure she's got a lot to handle right now."

James shrugged. "Just a suggestion," he said nonchalantly. Sirius nodded vaguely.

They were quiet again when James cleared his throat cautiously. Sirius, still reclining on the grass, pushed up to a sitting position and gave his friend a sideways glance. "What's on your mind, Prongs?" he asked.

"I was just wondering," James began, "when you were planning on going back to London."

Sirius felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and instantly forced himself to take a deep breath. A storm of guilt descended upon him. He'd been imposing upon the Potters' hospitality for far too long, and it was only a matter of time before Maurus Black descended upon them and demanded that they release his son to receive his proper punishment. He was amazed it had gone on as long as it had—but then, that was Mr. Black's way: he would let Sirius think he'd almost escaped, and then swoop down and destroy him.

It isn't fair to the Potters, he told himself. They didn't ask to get involved in this war between Blacks. "Soon, I reckon," he said aloud to James. He tried to laugh but it came out sounding dry and feeble. "I mean, can't stay here forever, can I?"

"Says who?"

He fell silent, looking at James out of the corner of his eye. His best friend seemed to be struggling internally and when he finally spoke, it was in the fashion of one who was anticipating a blow. "Look, Sirius," James said evenly, studying his hands as he spoke. "This whole mad episode has really gotten me thinking, you know? I've been talking with my dad lately and, well…" He shook his head. "We all have to protect each other, Sirius, because there are people in this world who don't give a damn if we live or die. Ani lost her brother learning that and, well—" He leveled his gaze with Sirius' firmly "—now that I know that I'm not going to lose my brother because of it."

Overwhelmed, Sirius didn't speak. James rushed to continue, unable to see Sirius' face in the dark, "So the point of all of this is that you're staying with us whether you like it or not, Black. Dad and I will tie you up if we have to, but you're not going back to London. And don't even make me bring Mum into it." He glanced at his friend. "Got it?"

Sirius nodded, a lump in his throat. "Got it," he said thickly.

James sighed in satisfaction. "Good."

Another silence, this one heavy with unspoken words. Sirius knew he ought to say something, express his gratitude to James, tell him that he, too, thought of him as the brother he ought to have had. But James broke the silence first.

"Couldn't go back to Hogwarts without you in top form, Padfoot," he said briskly. "I'd be bored to tears."

Sirius laughed. "Don't worry," he said in a low voice, unable to keep from grinning. "Marauders stick together. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

James lifted his goblet and tapped it against Sirius'. "Cheers," he said, grinning back, and they both drained their goblets.

---

"Remus! Come downstairs, you have a guest!"

Frowning absently, Remus sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Who could that be? he wondered, marking his Hemingway with a slip of parchment and heading for the stairs. The Marauders have been over here entirely too often for Mum to call them guests, and it's not registration time.

Remus dashed down the last few steps and into the study, where his mother sat in a rocking chair with a square of needlepoint in her lap. She looked up and smiled at him, sweeping a lock of graying hair out of her eyes. He smiled back. "Who is it?" he asked her, tilting his cheek down to accept a kiss.

"A young lady to see you," Mrs. Lupin replied, her eyes twinkling behind her glasses, and Remus felt his chest constrict.

Squeezing his mother's shoulder, Remus turned and walked towards the kitchen. For the first time he became aware of two voices—a clear soprano and a young, burbling tenor—in quiet exchange in the kitchen. He walked in and paused in the doorway, an unstoppable grin spreading over his face. Ani was seated at the kitchen table, her hair bound atop her head the way it had been when he'd seen her in the garden at Bath. Her back, which was smudged with Floo powder, remained to him—her attention was wholly focused on Remiel, who was introducing her to Elliot, his fluffy custard-colored Puffskein.

"Remus got him for me in Hogsmeade for Christmas!" Remmy chirped happily, stroking Elliot between the eyes. Ani laughed as the puffball made content, crooning sounds. "We named him Elliot because the first thing he did when he got here was rip of one of Remus' poetry books and make a nest, and the poet's name was Elliot, so we though it would be a good name, since he liked it so much." He noticed his brother then and looked up and beamed. "Right, Remus?"

"That's right," Remus chuckled good-naturedly. Ani turned and smiled at him as he said, "It was only a first edition that Dad had gotten me for my birthday one year… no great loss."

She laughed appreciatively—how long must it have been since she laughed like that?—and rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

Remus crossed the room as she stood up and, unable to stem his happiness at seeing her, reached out and gripped her hands tightly. She squeezed back, looking up at him with gleaming eyes. "Do you want some tea?" he asked after a long moment, finally dropping her hands.

"No, thank you," she declined. She hesitated. "I was thinking we might take a walk instead?"

"Sure," Remus said. He gestured to the back door and paused as Ani turned to face Remmy once more.

She stuck out her hand, which Remmy accepted and shook solemnly. "It was very nice to meet you, Remiel," she said, her free hand reaching up to stroke the curtain of sandy hair affectionately. "I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

"Bye, Ani," Remiel said, cradling Elliot close to his chest. He released her hand and walked over to Remus. "She's fun," he whispered loudly, "and pretty. I like her a lot." He grinned broadly at Ani once more before leaving the kitchen, his Puffskein chirruping happily in his arms.

"What can I say?" Remus asked Ani with a smile. "He's got good taste." She blushed and smiled, and together they walked out of the door into the backyard.

Moonflower Cottage, where the Lupins lived, was on the outskirts of a small village, wreathed by great hills. Half a dozen paths, worn by centuries of footfalls, crisscrossed out into the hills and forest beyond. Remus, who had walked each path so often that he could tread the way in his sleep, took Ani down his particular favorite. They were quiet, enjoying the warm day, until they got to a large bowl-shaped meadow filled with wildflowers. Here, his stomach twisting, Remus reached out and touched Ani's arm gently. "How are you doing?" he asked quietly.

Ani sighed and settled down onto the ground, sitting on a large flat rock. "I'm still kind of stunned," she admitted honestly. The words came out rushed, as if she had been waiting to share them with someone. "If I go out into town, I walk into Lynx's restaurant and wonder why he isn't behind the counter, or why I can't hear him shouting out orders." Remus nodded, sitting down before her, tucking one long leg up to his chest. "And then I come home and I see my mother looking miserable and Dad looking weak and Rion with his face like a storm and…" She shook her head, a few free curls dancing around her face. "I just don't see how we'll get past this."

"You will, though," assured Remus. "It just takes time."

She nodded. "That's what Lil keeps saying," she told him. Her expression lightened. "Lily has been just great to me. She's practically moved in to look after my parents and me. I'm quite grateful to her." She sighed. "I just don't know how my parents are going to be when we go back to Hogwarts."

"I'm sure they'll miss you, of course… but they know that you belong at school, and that you'll be safe there," Remus pointed out. "In fact, I'll bet you'd be safer at Hogwarts than anywhere else in the world."

"You're probably right," Ani said.

They were quiet for a few moments. Remus, uncertain as to what to say, began to pick bits of clover out of the ground, weaving them into a long chain. He finally tied the ends together to make a necklace and slipped it over Ani's head, smiling uncertainly at her, hoping to ease her out of her mood. She fingered it gently and grinned at him. Remus felt his spirits lift.

But when Ani spoke again, her tone was far from light.

"They killed Blythe, you know," she informed him softly. "They thought it would get Dad to talk. He had to watch them do it."

Remus sighed and nodded heavily—so much for a lighter conversation. "I kind of figured."

She nodded and ran her fingers through the grass absently. "Her grandmother's dead, and her mother didn't reply to the letter we sent her by Muggle post. Mum and Dad didn't know what to do about the funeral—no body—" Remus cringed and Ani glanced at him apologetically. "—Sorry. Anyway… they just decided to put up a headstone for her on our plot, next to… next to Lynx's." She sighed. "They were in love… they wanted to get married. In the end, it would have been that way anyway. It just happened too soon."

"At least they're together," Remus said quietly, uncertain whether or not the emotional edict was really what Ani needed to hear. Her eyes glossed over, but she quickly shook that away and nodded her head. He went on. "And perhaps, horrible though it is, it's better that way. No one would want to be without the person they loved best." Then, before he could stop himself, he looked steadily at Ani and added, "I know I wouldn't."

The luminous, beautiful golden eyes looked up at him and Remus' heart skipped a beat. They were full of so many things he couldn't have named—and then, he saw with a gentle pang, something he recognized all too well. But at least it's not unexpected, he reminded himself.

"Remus…" Ani began, her voice velvety but heavy with regret.

He held up a hand, cut her off in midsentence. "I know," he said quietly. "And it's okay. Really." He smiled at her. "Sirius is my best friend… you couldn't have picked better, really."

Ani leaned forward and grabbed his hands fiercely. "You have been there for me more than I ever could have asked you to," she said sharply, eyes bright. "You have done nothing but help and protect me, and I am so grateful for it. I could not have asked for a better friend than you've been to me, Remus." Her voice, so controlled thus far, shook ever so slightly. "I never, never want to lose that."

Ah, a little voice in his mind sighed ironically. The best friend card, how sweet. That and a shilling will buy you a biscuit.

Shut it, you, he snapped back. He looked at Ani, who seemed immobile from worry, and squeezed her hands reassuringly. "Not a chance," he told her. "You're an honorary Marauder now, Ani… you're stuck with us all."

The light in her face and the kiss she placed gently on his forehead were worth the rejection. Remus smiled back at her and got to his feet. "Come on," he said, tugging her up to join him. "Let's go a bit further. There's a great old oak tree up ahead. I think you can see all the way to London if you climb high enough."

"Lead the way," Ani said.

They walked for a while in silence again, but this time it was companionable, not weighed down by sadness. A strange happiness filled Remus—he was safe. Ani was safe. James, Sirius, Lily, Peter… they were all safe. They had shared an experience that would never leave them, but they had survived. If they could get through this, Remus felt sure they could get through anything.

With this deep happiness came resolution. He looked down at Ani, lovely, lovely Ani. She cares about you, he told himself. You, all the way through. If you're going to tell her, it's now or never.

"I want to tell you something…" he said cautiously, "something I don't tell many people." She glanced up at him, curiosity written all over her face. He pulled in a deep breath and took the plunge.

"When I was really young, I wandered away by myself into the woods…"

---

Last stop.

Ani managed a semi-graceful stop, for once, at the Potters' fireplace. She emerged cautiously and brushed the ash from her bare shoulders. The Potters' kitchen was empty, and the house seemed still. She swore inwardly. It would be just my luck that they aren't home.

Still, she lifted her voice and called out, "Hello? James? Is anyone home?"

The house was quiet, and Ani sighed in discouragement. The summer was slowly dwindling—it would be several fortnights before she would return to King's Cross station to climb aboard the Hogwarts Express, and frankly, Ani could not wait that long to see Sirius again.

In respect for her brother's death and her family's grief, Ani had stayed close to home ever since the funeral. Indeed, it was just easier to stay at home reading in bed or playing chess with Rion. And it kept her parents at ease. Her mother—Bless her heart, Ani thought sadly—would whip around from time to time, eyes wide, sick with fear, to see if Ani and Rion were still close by. And many nights, when Ani crept downstairs for a glass of water, she would find her father sitting alone in their greatroom, staring unseeingly into an empty fireplace. Nights like these, Ani would go and sit by his side, silent, until she could stay awake no longer.

"I should have protected you all better," he said on one such night in a voice leaden from grief. "I never should have joined that damn Order. Not when I had a family I should have been looking out for."

"Don't be stupid," Ani had replied swiftly, and her father looked at her in surprise. "You were trying to protect us from the most dangerous thing out there," she reminded him. "Lynx knew that, Mum and Rion and I know that."

"Two innocent lives were lost because I wanted to help save the world," Mr. Hellsing said back, and Ani cringed at the bitterness in his voice. "My own son."

Ani had stood and walked over to her father, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck and kissing the white hair. "And how many more will be saved because you chose to fight against Voldemort?" she asked him quietly. "I love you, Dad, and you did the right thing. No one would dare tell you otherwise."

She went to bed then, and the next morning, her father went to work for the first time since his return. His face, still lined with grief, seemed clearer now. He smiled at her as he headed for the fireplace and squeezed her shoulder. "You're very wise, Ani," he told her softly. "Thank you."

Lily, of course, was over almost all the time, which kept Ani from going stir crazy. But even her best friend could not keep her from longing for someone else entirely. In the end, it had been Lily who had suggested that Ani make a trip to visit Sirius—much to Ani's intense surprise.

"You didn't see him after Lestrange took you, Ani," Lily said when Ani questioned her. "I did. He might still be a bit of a toerag, but he's a toerag who cares very much about you. In the end, that's all I ask for."

So Lily had consented to sit with Ani's family while she made rounds to all the Marauders. She had stopped first at Remus'—And what an eye-opening experience that was, she thought now, still amazed at the story Remus had told her—and then secondly at Peter's, to thank him for attending the funeral. Then finally, her heart clamoring, Ani had gone to the Potters' to see James and Sirius.

And now no one was home.

Since no one was there to witness her disappointment, she allowed herself a mild fit of swearing. Finally finished, she reached into her pocket for her bag of traveling Floo powder, when a voice sounded through the house.

"Who's there?"

Her heart leapt into her throat. "Sirius?" she called out, leaving the kitchen, heading for the source of the sound. "Are you here? It's Ani."

There was a great clatter and suddenly Sirius appeared from around a corner. He looked as though he'd been napping: his usually impeccable hair was slightly ruffled, his T-shirt and jeans a bit wrinkled. Ani felt herself go weak. She'd never seen a more attractive sight in her life.

They stared at each other for a long moment, black eyes locked onto gold, until Sirius finally spoke.

"Hello, beautiful."

It was too much. Ani launched herself forward into his waiting arms, twining her fingers into his hair, pressing her lips in a desperate kiss against his forehead. He lifted her up and wrapped his arms tightly around her, then kissed the length of her jaw and neck once, twice, half a dozen times. Finally he sat her back down on the ground and claimed her face in his hands before claiming her mouth with a searing kiss.

"God I've missed you," Sirius whispered when he finally pulled away. He stroked her hair and looked down, concerned, into her face. "How are you, Ani?"

"I'm wonderful, now," she replied, turning to kiss the palm of the hand that cupped her face. She looked around. "Where's James?"

"He and his parents went into London for the day," answered Sirius. "I told them to go on without me—I've personally spent enough time in London this summer."

They both laughed and Sirius ran his hand over Ani's hair. "Really, Ani," he said gently, "I've been going bats worrying about you. How's your family? How are you?"

"It's hard," she admitted, "but we're getting by. It's just something we have to deal with, day by day." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry I haven't written… It's just that I didn't know what to say, and what I wanted to say, I wanted to say in person."

"What did you want to say?" Sirius asked. He moved a fraction of an inch closer.

"I wanted to thank you," Ani said softly, "for everything that you've done for me. You and James both. I couldn't have gotten through this without you lot, and I just wanted you to know how grateful I am."

"It's nice to know that the Marauders are good for getting you out of trouble as well as into it, isn't it?" he teased, and Ani laughed. Sirius went on, less flippantly, "You don't have to thank me, Ani, and I know James would say the same thing. You're our friend. Of course we'd want to keep you safe. It's what friends do for each other."

"Besides Lily, I've never had friends like you, James, Remus and Peter before," she informed him, smiling. "I think I got the pick of the bunch, though."

"Funny," Sirius smiled back, leaning in and kissing her lightly once more. "I was thinking the same thing about you."

Feeling as though she'd won a thousand Galleons, Ani flashed another grin at Sirius and pushed back to an arm's length. "I'd never have thought," she began, a laugh rising up inside of her, "at the beginning of this summer that I'd finish it off snogging with Sirius Black."

He laughed enthusiastically and pulled her back against his chest. "Get used to it, darling," he said charismatically. "You'll be doing it for a good long time."

"Chipper," Ani replied, and closed her eyes to be kissed once more.

The End