Disclaimer: (I've been forgetting this!) I own Sarah, Michael, Nolan, all those people, yes, and the plot. Anything you recognize, quite sadly, is not mine, but J.K. Rowling's

A/N: Alrighty, all, here's the very last chapter…yes, you heard me – the last one!! However, there will be an epilogue, so don't get too worried by the ending. This particular chapter is dedicated to cesa – I know exactly what you mean about not always reviewing! I have to admit I often find myself in the same boat – so the fact that you did review really meant a lot to me! In fact, everyone's reviews mean a lot to me – it's great to know that you're reading and hopefully enjoying my story!! But for now, do enjoy the latest and longest instalment of Chemistry for Werewolves, 101!

On with the Story!

Chapter 21: Developments

Harry sighed as he lay down. He'd had a hard day – nothing had gone quite right for him in any of his classes, resulting in several assignments and one detention – and then he'd received word from Sarah that Emily had been in a small car accident. Later on he'd found out that she was actually okay, but his obviously deep concern over a girl he'd sworn that he had no feelings for was clearly making Ginny more than a little bit uncomfortable. Ugh, Gin, we went over this… he grumbled to himself. Ron wasn't being any help, as he was of the opinion that if Ginny was upset, Harry was in the wrong.

Groaning into his pillow, Harry closed his eyes, glad for the sleep that played around the edges of his consciousness. Strangely enough, though, it never completely overwhelmed him, held at bay by the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something important.

"Oh, shit!" he sat bolt upright. Don't want to go there, now – drifting off without clearing my mind…not a good idea. Feeling grateful that he'd caught himself in time, Harry closed his eyes, beginning his nightly ritual.

A few minutes later, however, they shot open, bright, startling green glowing eerily in the dark room. "Oh, no…" he said, slightly in shock.

"Shaddup, Harry, some of us are trying to sleep here…" Ron groaned grumpily, whilst Seamus settled for throwing a pillow at Harry's head. This, however, was exactly what Harry needed - the impact the pillow had startled him back into action and within seconds he had shot out of the room, racing as his life depended on it.

Very soon, the now panting teenager rushed to a halt in front of the stone gargoyle, calling out the name of every sweet he could think of. On his seventh try, it moved aside, and he quickly ran up the steps, not bothering to knock as he burst into Dumbledore's office.

"Professor!" he gasped out, staggering over to a chair. "Professor – Deatheaters…attack…on…"

Dumbledore, who had been in the midst of reading some official looking documents looked sharply up at him before quickly reaching inside his desk to say something into a small triangular object. "Mr. Potter?" he asked, the absence of twinkle in his eye betraying his otherwise calm and serene voice. Harry, however, seemed to be too out of breath to complete whatever he was trying to say.

"Attack…Grim…Grimmau…"

Dumbledore did not need Harry to finish the sentence, but rose to his feet and headed straight for the door, pausing only to look seriously back at Harry, who was lying exhausted on a chair. "Thank you, Harry. I must impress upon you, however, the utter importance of you remaining where you are until either I or a member of the Order returns."

Harry, too tired from his mad dash to do anything other than agree merely nodded his head. As Dumbledore left the room, he let his head droop on to the arm of the rather comfortable chair. Now, sleep was finally taking over.

Many miles away from the castle in Scotland, Remus Lupin, who had previously been trying to fall asleep with no success whatsoever, also sat bolt upright in bed. Frowning, he listened carefully, not moving. His keen ears picked up Sirius' snoring, Molly and Arthur's light whispering, and Moody's paranoid mutterings. Above him he made out that the other Order members were most probably asleep, or very close to it. Below, however, he heard mutterings – and smelt scents that he knew were not any he previously recognized. Heart thumping, he apparated to Moody's room.

"Quick, Alastor, look downstairs, will you? I think there are-"

"Deatheaters!!" Moody exclaimed, causing Remus to shush him. "They're moving upstairs – quick – wake up Sirius and the Weasleys – I'll get the rest!"

Remus nodded curtly and quickly moved on to the other rooms, waking and alerting their occupants.

"H-how did they get in?" Molly asked, the terror clearly visible on her face. Sirius, however, looked absolutely livid.

"Ooh, I know who, my darling cousin Narcissa, that's who … they're bloody bastards, they are, my entire family, the lot of them!"

"Sirius!" Arthur hissed, trying to calm his wife. Remus inwardly felt as shaky as Molly looked. He knew there was no way out of the house – if there were plenty Deatheater's, it'd be like shooting fish in a barrel. And knowing Voldemort, he'd probably sent enough to try any kill as many Order members as possible. Damn!! He inwardly groaned. We just had a meeting tonight – a good half of us are here! Suddenly his ears picked up the sound of voices on the landing.

"Moony?" Sirius whispered, instantly noticing the subtle stiffening of Remus' back.

"Shhh," and a gesture to quiet down were all the response he got, but it was enough. Wand out, he moved past Remus to the door, beckoning to the Weasleys to get behind him. The room they were in was about three doors down from the stairs; whoever was outside would soon be there. They could hear people muttering in the room next door, which had thankfully been unoccupied. A light hiccup from Molly broke the silence of the darkened bedroom, momentarily drawing everyone's attention to her.

She looked both apologetic and terrified; the muttering behind the wall had abruptly stopped and footsteps were heard coming their way. If it hadn't been for the horribly nerve-wracking anticipation of what they all knew was coming, Remus would have laughed out loud. Sirius was clutching his wand tightly, looking every bit as eager to go out and blast a few Deatheaters as he did years ago, when they'd just graduated from school and were all eager to do their part in the fight. He settled for raising an eyebrow at him instead, but with their only source of light being diffused moonlight, the man who was nearly jumping out of his skin beside him did not see the expression on his face.

The amusement quickly left him when the footsteps distinctly stopped outside their door. Remus could hear the heartbeats of the three with him, almost feel them thumping against their owners' chests as the doorknob slowly turned inwards after a cold "Alohamora". He waited with baited breath, dreading the inevitable; but a blur rushing past him told him that Sirius was unable to wait.

Padfoot, you idiot – you know better than to…but…horror dawned on him as he heard Molly's voice come very clearly through the night. "Expelliarmus!" she cried, disarming the Deatheater in front of her. There were more behind, however, and she would have gone down had not Arthur jumped in front of a stunned Remus and Sirius, casting an effective but quickly weakening block around them. Sirius and Remus looked at each other, mutual understanding passing between the two before charging out into the shadowy hallway, stunning left and right.

It appeared that the others who had been on that floor had already come out after hearing Molly's disarming spell, and the landing quickly became crowded. Remus was throwing out hex after hex, desperately trying to avoid hitting a fellow Order member. There were too many of them in the hall, and a few had already found themselves backed into one of the bedrooms as a result, with no place to go. But, Remus reasoned as he duelled with a largish looking Deatheater. If I can get one of them with their backs up against a wall…

A flash of brown hair suddenly distracted him. Momentarily taking his eyes off of his opponent, he saw the woman beside him fight off a couple of Deatheaters with her bare hands. "Wand!" Remus shouted at her, ducking to avoid the curse that had been thrown at him when he'd looked away. "Use your wand!!"

The woman, however, paid him no attention, taking on a third wizard whilst still battling the first two. It was then that Remus noticed the signature MI5 jumpsuit she was wearing. The realization struck home like a thunderclap. Sarah. She'd left the Order almost two months ago, but she still knew how to get in to the old house. What is she doing here? He thought, forgetting about the person he was fighting as he made his way over to her, determined to help. But before he reached his destination, a curse caught him in the back, hurling him across the hall and threw an open door where he crumpled against the far wall upon impact. Sharp pain exploded in his ribcage and left arm as he attempted to move after a few seconds, almost surprised that he hadn't been finished off as he lay there. Listening carefully, he realized that his opponent must have been sidetracked, and shakily began to get to his feet. Coughing up blood as he did so, he had taken no more than two steps when he heard "Crucio!" from just outside the door. Flinching in expectation of mind-shattering pain but finding that none came, he looked up, only to see Bill Weasley fall through the doorway, screaming in agony under the curse.

"Stupefy!" he yelled, feeling strangely detached from himself as he heard his voice sound so very far away. He followed it with a few other more permanent hexes before turning to the young man lying on the ground. Dropping to his knees, any sense of detachment fled when he turned Bill over in his arms. Only the signature earring along with the Weasley hair said that the man was Bill. His face was covered in blood from a nasty gash on the side of his head, and the sight of broken white bone sticking through his leg caused Remus to shut his eyes for a moment. Quickly feeling for a pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief at finding one, despite its weakness. Suddenly the very woman that had caused him to end up crumpled against a wall seemingly flew into the room, moving towards them.

"I saw him fall…" Sarah murmured, her unspoken I saw you fall hanging in the air between them.

"He's alive…but we need to get him somewhere that's not quite as crowded as out there."

Sarah nodded. "Can you carry him?"

Remus bent down towards Bill and gathered him into his arms, wincing at the sharp ache in his left arm as he did so. "Rem...Remus…" Bill groaned, his face contorting with pain.

"Take it easy, Bill, just hang on for a bit." He looked reassuringly down at the redhead. A pang of jealously sprang up in him as Sarah bent down and kissed Bill's bloodied face.

"We're going to get you out of here, all right?"

Bill began to nod his head at her, but stopped when the effort was clearly too much for him. Sarah, who had turned towards the fight outside now beckoned to the two men before stepping out into the fray.

Remus quickly followed her, ducking now and then to avoid stray curses. Managing to reach the stairs without any real trouble, he was about to head up them when he noticed Sarah heading downstairs.

"What?" he hissed at her, trying not to draw too much attention to them.

"Remus, trust me on this. It's worse upstairs…and we need to get Bill medical attention. Just…trust me!"

He stared at her for a second, trying to wrap his brain around her dubious logic when he suddenly found himself dodging a curse that he was sure was sent specifically at him. Confused, he tried to get hold of his wand as he unsuccessfully searched the fight behind him for the caster. Sarah, however, seemed to have other ideas, and leap-frogged the railing onto the stairs leading upwards, placing herself between Remus and the Deatheater he now saw at the top.

"Go!!" she told him, pulling out a gun. He quickly cooperated and started to make his way down the stairs, only to find himself in the centre of yet another fight. Jostling Bill slightly in his arms so that he could at least cast a good disarming spell, he deliberated momentarily as to the best way forward, searching for a gap. Finding a possible pathway, he started forward, now trying his best to ignore the horrible pain in his arm from where he'd been thrown earlier. Jumping over a body on the ground oh no, that's not a Deatheater…Mundungus? No… he paused to look backwards, scanning the way he'd come for any sign of Sarah.

A sudden, heart-wrenching cry of "Tonks!!!!" jolted him back to the fight in front of him. He snapped his head around just in time to see Tonks fly backwards thanks to a curse that looked as if it had been meant for him. She landed horribly on the ground after catching the side of her head on the sharp corner of a hallway table, a large pool of blood quickly accumulating beneath her. Charlie Weasley rushed forward, clearly horrified. "Tonks," he was muttering, picking her up and holding her close to him despite all the blood. "Tonks…no, come back…Tonks!! It's not funny! Tonks!"

Tears were now gushing down his face as he held her body, oblivious as she was to their surroundings. Remus maintained his own presence of mind enough to stun the Deatheater who was advancing on the two. Several hexes went past his head, and it was soon clear that at least on that particular floor, all the Deatheaters had been defeated. Not soon enough, he thought bitterly, as he helplessly watched Charlie cry over Tonks' dead body. Pain engulfed him as he remembered that horrible time when he'd thought that Sarah had died – how he'd thought he'd never see her again. Never talk to her, hold her, see her smile at him, kiss her…when he'd thought she was so utterly and irrevocably gone…

"Remus!!" a hand on his arm brought him out of his thoughts. "Remus, I'm here, I 'm here right now, alive, and well, but if we don't get Bill some help fast, he won't be." Sarah was staring earnestly up at him, the tears at her friend's death belying her calm, commanding voice. He nodded and she led them down the hallway towards the front door, stopping just inside. "I'm fast, I have guns, and I'm not carrying anything. So don't come out until I give the all clear – not unless you absolutely have to."

"Sarah," Remus was more than a little confused. "When did you come down the stairs…I looked for you…"

"Hey, I managed, and I'm here. Now stay put!"

Opening the door, and slipping out, Sarah soon found herself beset upon from all sides. Just behind the thick wood, Remus heard several curses, including the beginning of more than one Avada Kedavra's before the owners of those voices were silenced by a few gunshots. Before he knew it, Sarah had reopened the door and he'd fairly run out.

"Quick!! We need to get past the anti-apparition wards…at least…can you apparate to St. Mungo's?"

Remus nodded curtly at her – the pain in his ribs was coming back at him as he tried to take deeper breaths to run. "It should only be just a bit further – out of the square."

"Duck!!" Sarah yelled, firing off three shots in rapid succession. A bolt of red light streaked over their heads, and Sarah fired one last shot. Chest heaving, Remus stared into the darkness, trying to see if there was anyone else, but it appeared that the last had been taken down. Sarah looked at Remus, and they were off again, running to the edge of the square as fast as they possibly could.

"All right, then?" Sarah asked him, as he paused to catch his breath.

"Yes…we should be fine."

Sarah smiled wanly before bending down to kiss the unconscious Bill. "Get better." She whispered to him. Nodding to Remus, she began to walk away, back towards the house.

"Er…thank you!" Remus called to her, mentally kicking himself the moment the words left his mouth. Sarah, however, kept on walking, making no response as she made her way up the steps of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Remus looked down at Bill, and took a deep breath, apparating to St Mungo's. But just before his surroundings disappeared, his ears caught a faint "…I don't hate you…" on the edge of the wind. Arriving in the emergency ward and immediately surrounded by medi-witches and wizards, he wasn't certain if it had been a figment of his imagination. Still, as he watched the bustle surrounding Bill, he felt his heart lift a little. Maybe, he thought to himself, just maybe.

Remus walked briskly through the light, gentle breeze, enjoying the warm June air. Across the London street that he walked on, he saw a mother and her teenage daughter, enjoying a lunch on a bench in the park there. The girl had short, dark brown hair, so dark that it almost looked black, all spiked up in numerous directions. Remus grinned as he looked at them. The daughter reminded him of Harry, whose hair had gotten nothing but messier over the year. He's coming home, soon, Remus mused. Both he and Sirius had been overjoyed to learn that Harry would be spending the summer with them, at Remus' cottage. Remus had immediately thanked Dumbledore profusely, whilst Sirius had shamelessly lectured the venerable old man that it was "About friggin time" that he let Harry come and stay with them. Dumbledore, however, had been mightily amused rather than offended, something that Remus was very grateful for.

As he watched, a small gust of wind suddenly caught a piece of paper the mother had been holding, causing both women to spring up after it. The wind, however, seemed reluctant to relinquish its new toy and led them further, until it suddenly dropped to the ground at the feet of another woman lunching at the park

She laughed and picked it up, handing it out to the two of them, who gratefully accepted it before turning back to their own lunch. Remus, however, had now forgotten about them, all his attention focussed on the young woman sitting alone. It couldn't be…But even as he thought it, she looked in his direction, not seeing him, but long enough for him to see that she was, in fact, Sarah Brenton. Remus stared at her for a few more moments before ducking his head and hurriedly walking on. She'd been long gone by the time he'd returned from St. Mungo's, to the horrors of the aftermath. Moody and Sirius had reassured him that she, unlike Tonks, Mundungus, Emmeline Vance and a whole number of other Order members was quite alive and well, but that she'd left as soon as every Deatheater was accounted for. That had been three months ago, and he hadn't heard from her since. Harry, Sirius, and Bill, who made a full recovery, all received regular letters from her if she wasn't away on a mission, and told him that she was doing fine, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough, not to see her.

Funny, he thought to himself, as he slipped into a dark alleyway to apparate unnoticed back to his cottage. I once said that I'd be happy as long as she was happy, even if I never saw her again. Sighing with frustration at his inability to move on, he opened the door to his home, calling out to Sirius as he stepped inside.

"Hi," his friend greeted him, face covered in grime. Remus frowned at him.

"Do I even want to know what you were doing?"

"Nope!" Sirius replied cheerfully, making for an odd sight as he grinned at Remus, the whites of his teeth and eyes contrasting with his messy black hair and dirty face. "How was your day?"

"Fine." Remus replied shortly, thoughts of Sarah filling his mind again. "Look, I'm feeling a little tired…don't wake me up, all right? But don't burn my house down!!"

Sirius attempted to look innocent, but failed miserably, a look of pure delight in his eyes. "I would never!!" he huffed. Remus rolled his eyes at him and went down the hall into his room. I'll be lucky if he's still in one piece…

The next day, Remus went back to London, retracing his steps of the previous day at lunchtime. As he rounded the corner, the park came into view, and his pulse quickened as he scanned it for any sign of her. His face fell in disappointment as he realized that she wasn't there. Well, I've been here before, and she hasn't been there. Maybe it wasn't her, maybe…his stomach gave a little lurch as Sarah walked into the park, sitting at the same bench she had the day before. Suddenly his mouth was very dry, and he found himself momentarily immobilized. Just walk over there, Remus, he told himself. Just walk over, and say hello, say …anything!

But his legs betrayed him, and he found himself ducking his head and walking away, back to the dark alley and apparating away. The next day, he went back, and the same thing happened, and the next. Sirius was by now extremely suspicious, as Remus would come home, say 'hello', and then go to his room, shutting the door and not coming out until the next morning. On the fourth day, when Remus was getting ready to go out again, Sirius stopped him at the door. "Just do it, Moony. Whatever you're trying to work up the guts to do, just do it already. Please, you're driving me insane. And that's saying something – I spent twelve years in Azkaban, and six months goodness-knows-where. Just do it!"

Remus had stared at him, mouth opening and closing, more than slightly unnerved by how well his friend knew him, until Sirius had simply shoved him out the house, shutting the door firmly behind him. And now, Remus stood at the edge of the park, staring at Sarah. She'd looked up as he was crossing the street, recognizing him, but didn't get up to leave. Remus had felt encouraged by this, and held her gaze as he walked up to her.

"Er…hullo." He finally said, blushing furiously as he did so. Sarah dropped her gaze to the ground, blushing as much as he was. Remus could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he looked at her. She looked the same as he remembered, if not prettier. It looked as if she'd been getting a fair bit of sleep lately, as she looked rested, her skin clear and her cheeks tinged pink as she blushed.

"Do you…do you mind if I…sit down?" he asked her, tripping slightly over his words. Sarah looked up at him rather shyly, but nodded, smiling slightly. Remus sat down beside her, and, at a complete loss for words, suddenly found himself reliving memories of Hogwarts, when he watched James and Sirius ask out countless girls, always so confidently and full of charm. Charm, right, I can do this…

"Dinner with me?" he suddenly blurted out, and Sarah looked up at him, in shock. "I mean, that is…I'd appreciate it…if you'd have dinner with me, sometime." Right, that was the antithesis of charm, nice going, Remus.

He watched hopefully as Sarah's shock faded away, only to have his heart sink as she bit her lip, looking apprehensive.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea, Remus." She said, softly. Remus closed his eyes for a moment, but then nodded and smiled at her.

"Of course, that's perfectly alright."

"No…you see…it's just that…I went through a pretty nasty break-up about 5 months ago, and if there's one thing I learnt, it's not to get into any sort of relationship when you're still not over someone, and, I'm not over him, so…"

Remus looked at her, not sure whether he should be jumping for joy or crying. Still confused, he got up – she had, at the very least, made it clear that she didn't want to see him at present.

"Well, of course, I understand. Thank you…for being so honest." He smiled at her, and Sarah smiled up at him, but her eyes looked both relieved and upset.

"Well, take care then, Remus."

"You too, Sarah."

Remus turned and walked away, not pausing to look at her even when he'd crossed back over to the other side of the street. He let his feet carry back to the apparation point, mind swirling with conflicting emotions. Arriving home, he was greeted by a rather eager looking Sirius, who steadfastly headed off any attempts on his part to simply disappear to his room.

"Well?" he demanded, after sitting Remus firmly down on the old sofa. "What happened?"

"She said no." Remus replied, sounding slightly dazed. "She…didn't want to have dinner with me."

Whatever Sirius had been expecting, this had not been it. "She?" he quizzed. "She? What…you've…just forgotten about Sarah? But…I don't understand!"

If Remus had been thinking clearly, he would have laughed to see Sirius so dumbstruck. "No, I haven't forgotten about Sarah. She was the one who said no."

Sirius sat down heavily in the seat beside him, obviously trying to process the information he had just received. "Ah," he managed a few minutes later. Suddenly, he appeared to pull himself together and sat up straight, looking officially at Remus. "Well, its clear that…clear that…bloody hell, she said no? I don't get it…I mean, she asks for you…"

Remus turned to look sharply at his friend. "She asks for me?"

Sirius looked guilty. "Yeah, in her letters. She always asks how you're doing – nothing big, but every single time, she asks if you're all right – but she says not to tell you." He sighed, looking at Remus. "I don't know, mate, I thought that meant, you know…"

"Hm." Remus agreed, before standing up.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, looking slightly put out.

"To my room." Remus replied, already moving towards the door.

"What?" Sirius said. "I only just got you back!"

"You'll live, Padfoot. I need to think for a while."

Sirius stared after him, deep in thought. Why'd she say no? he mused, perplexed. Why would she say no?

The mystery of why Sarah turned Remus down soon faded from Sirius' mind, and outwardly, it looked like Remus was no longer giving it thought as well. Harry arrived, much to the delight of the inhabitants of Lupin Cottage, and soon all were pre-occupied with making sure that Harry had, for once, an enjoyable summer. Both men enjoyed teasing him to no end at his birthday party, at which time his girlfriend, Ginny had met the famed Emily, and Harry had been beside himself with worry as to whether or not the two would get along. Remus, however, who had met Emily while on an Order mission, predicted that the two girls would actually take a liking to one another, which, to Harry's immense relief, they did. It was short-lived, however, as the two joined forces to see who had the most embarrassing story about him to tell.

But summer had ended, and Harry had gone back to Hogwarts for his final year. The atmosphere had been extremely tense at Halloween, but now, with Christmas was only a couple of weeks away, it seemed as if they were at the very least going to be having a quiet, Voldemort-free Christmas.

"Merlin, Moony, are you blind? You've been ploughing down little old ladies as if you can't see a thing! Come on, earth to Remus."

Remus turned to look at Sirius, annoyed that he'd interrupted his musings as they walked through a very crowded Diagon Alley, but the look of pure joy at finally being outside again thanks to the capture of Peter Pettigrew two months prior was simply too much for Remus and he grinned at him instead. "Sorry, Sirius," he told him, looking not in the slightest bit apologetic. "Look, why don't you pop into Quality Quidditch supplies for Harry now? I have to head into Flourish and Blotts."

"Ugh…" Sirius shuddered at the thought of the bookstore. "I'll tell you what. You're going to end up taking hours upon hours in that store, so when I'm done with Harry's gift, I'll head home and meet you there. Sound good?"

Remus protested that he would not spend hours in Flourish and Blotts, but Sirius merely grinned before walking off towards the packed Quidditch store. He shook his head and chuckled, turning towards the not quite so full bookstore. Once inside, he made his way over to the section he wanted, picking up an interesting looking book and leafing through. He quickly became engrossed in it, not noticing when he was almost knocked over by a rambunctious group of boys.

"Hey, slow down there, lads!" called out the storekeeper, before presumably turning back to a waiting customer. "And what can I be helping you with, dear?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you had this book in stock?" a woman's voice came. The sound of paper being pushed across the counter floated over to Remus, who had turned around as soon as he heard the voice.

"Aye, I think we do have one in the back, lass. Right fine Christmas present this'll make! May I ask who the lucky person is?"

"Oh, it's for my godfather," she said, and Remus could hear her smiling as she spoke. "He loves this kind of thing."

"Well, let me check, then."

"Thank you." she said, and turned towards Remus as she waited. Surprised honey brown eyes met his, a small smile forming on her face as she looked at him.

"Remus!" she said, hesitantly stepping forward.

"Hello, Sarah. Getting all your Christmas shopping done?" he gestured towards the numerous bags that surrounded her.

"Well, it looks like you're doing the same." She smiled at him. "So, how have you been?"

This is it, Remus, this is your chance. You might not see her for another six months, Remus, you can't take that risk.

"I'm fine, actually. Christmas is looking good so far, and I'm feeling well…"

"That's great! And… I heard the good news about Sirius…that's fantastic."

"It is, it is," Remus agreed. "Makes him much easier to live with, believe me!" He smiled at Sarah, feeling strangely euphoric as they talked easily, as if it had only been a couple of weeks since they'd last seen each other. "I take it you've been keeping well?"

"Yes – I actually just got back from Spain…had a wonderful time there."

I knew that, Remus thought. I read all about it in your letter to Sirius. He was feeling so good, though, that he decided that he might as well ask her.

"Look, Sarah, I was wondering…if you're free tomorrow night…you know I can make a mean lasagne…would you liked to come to dinner?" For a second, his heart soared as Sarah's eyes lit up and she smiled at him, before suddenly biting her lip and looking down. Remus was abruptly reminded of that day in June, when after finally working up the courage to approach her, she'd rejected him. He tried to smile at her, but failed, and so simply said that he wished her the best before turning to leave the shop.

At her anxious sounding "Remus, no!" he turned to look at her. Sarah was standing in front of him, looking rather shy.

"It's just that…not that I don't want to…um…if you're not busy now, maybe we could have some lunch? Catch up?"

"Now?" Remus asked her, trying his hardest to keep the eager-schoolboy sound from his voice.

"Well, yes, at last, as soon as I get my book."

Remus stared at Sarah, transfixed, as she looked back at him extremely self-consciously. A soft 'ahem' from behind them, however, broke the spell and Sarah whipped around to face the storekeeper.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, lass…"

Sarah turned back to look at Remus, who simply moved over to her side, and began to pick up some of her bags.

"If you're going to buy that huge thing," he indicated the large old book the man in front of them was holding. "You're going to need some help with these."

Sarah smiled exuberantly at him before turning back to the storekeeper. "No, it's quite alright, thank you. Is that the book?"

Remus and Sarah found themselves having a very enjoyable lunch, chatting away and filling each other in on the various going-ons of their lives since that January. Both already had a fairly good idea of what had been happening thanks to their mutual friendships with Sirius and Harry, but, as Remus noted whilst looking contentedly at the lively young woman in front of him, he had missed simply talking to Sarah – hearing about her life from her, and not a second-hand source. Soon, however, she was telling him that she had to go, and he looked at her in dismay, not sure whether or not to ask her out again.

"Oh, of course…I should probably get home too. Mind you, Sirius is probably still in Quality Quidditch Supplies, either staring at a broomstick or chatting up some young thing who is unfortunate to come under his 'charm'."

Sarah laughed. "Ah, yes, the incorrigible Mr. Black. So, you all finished with the shopping, then?"

"Yes, actually," Remus replied, then stopped. Maybe, maybe if I say… "I wanted to get it all done – although I have one small thing left to take care of…but I need to go into London to get that, so I'm making a trip of it and going to see an art exhibit at the gallery an old friend of mine has just opened on Tuesday afternoon."

"Really?" Sarah said, after a small pause. Remus knew she'd caught his meaning when she continued. "That sounds lovely…where is this gallery?"

Inwardly grinning, Remus pulled out a piece of paper and wrote the address down for her. "Alright then!" She smiled at him, pocketing it and standing up. "It was really nice seeing you, Remus."

"You too, Sarah, you too." She smiled as she walked away with her bags. Remus watched her go feeling better than he had in months. And maybe I'll see you again.

The euphoria he'd felt at having lunch with Sarah had soon evaporated by the time Tuesday rolled around. Standing in the small but elegantly decorated upstairs gallery in his best suit, he tried his very best to appear casual, but evidently was failing miserably, as the first thing out of the proprietor's mouth was "So, who is she?"

Remus did his best to look shocked and confused, but simply ended up smiling sheepishly at his old landlord and friend from years ago. "Just…someone…I care about." He told him, wincing at how incredibly clichéd he'd managed to sound. His friend simply grinned, before patting his back and moving on. "Ah, young love." He shook his head, chuckling. "Good luck with that, son."

Remus smiled back gratefully, and, resuming his 'casual' air, attempted to wander around the room and actually look at the rather lovely paintings displayed on the walls. After frequent and numerous checks towards the entrance, he'd finally managed to become interested in one when a hand on his shoulder made him turn around.

"Sarah," he croaked out, as his mouth had suddenly dried. "Sarah, you came."

"Oh, you know I love art." She told him, looking very seriously into his eyes.

"Of course," Remus stammered. Sarah was dressed in a knee-length green dress that clung to curves that Remus remembered all too well. "Do you like it?"

"It's very nice." Sarah said, smiling now.

"Yes," Remus agreed; neither was looking anywhere even remotely close to any of the 'very nice artwork' displayed all around them. "It's very nice."

A/N: So? Are you happy? Yes? No? Review and let me know!!! -Laren