Farewell

The silence of the night was broken as the great oak doors at the Entrance Hall creaked open slowly, as though it was reluctant to let anyone slip through it, away from the safety of the castle.

April started when she saw something moved in the shadows.

"Where are you going?" came a familiar voice and a figure stepped forward, his features partially illuminated by the moonlight.

"Severus," she acknowledged the Potions Master.

His eyes swept to the trunk she was carrying. "You've decided to leave? Running away from your problems, Miss Flamel?"

"I can't stay. You know I have to leave sometime."

"I also know that you've made a very foolish decision. Come with me and we'll tell the headmaster everything."

She gasped, horrified. "You promised, Severus. You have to keep my secret."

He looked at her thoughtfully. "Are you certain that's for the best?"

"Yes," she answered quietly. "Everyone will be better off if I stay far away."

"I doubt it. For one, I don't think that boyfriend of yours will take well to this."

She looked away. "Actually, he was the one who asked me to leave."

"He did?" Snaper looked surprised.

"Yes, he did. Although I must admit that I did something to make him to act this way."

He narrowed his eyes. "I can't say I agree with what you're doing."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Everyone has choices."

She stood still, blinking back tears that were threatening to spill over. Then she took in a deep breath, and injected some false cheerfulness into her voice. "Just remember to pass the package to Remus, okay? Oh, and would you hand him a letter too? I thought of stopping by the owlery, but then the letter will reach him too soon."

"Perhaps you need help with your memory, Miss Flamel. I'm certainly not your messenger boy."

"But you'd help, won't you?"

He growled. "Give it here before I change my mind."

She slipped a note into his outstretched hand, before taking a step over the threshold. "Take care, Severus. I'm glad Albus paired us up to train the Slytherins. I just wish I had more time to get to know you better. We could have become good friends. But we are friends now, aren't we?"

The ice melted away completely from his eyes. It was the first time someone had said such words to him.

"Miss – April," he croaked.

She turned around, with a smile on her face – the first one he saw on her that night.

"He doesn't make empty threats. You'd do well to watch your back." He took in a breath as though the words were causing him some effort. "If you get those letters again, let the headmaster know. Or," he paused. "If you prefer, you can let me know."

"Thanks, Severus." Her voice was filled with emotion. She started to leave. Then, as an afterthought, she turned back and gave him a quick hug.

Before he could react or utter a word, she had slipped through the oak doors and left the castle.


Snape and April were not the only ones awake that night. Back in the Gryffindor Tower, Harry was still tossing and turning in his bed.

"Can't sleep?" Ron whispered.

Harry sat up. "You too?"

"Nah. I dozed off." He yawned loudly. "Just woke up a second ago."

"Did I wake you?"

"That's okay."

Harry heard the rustling of sheets and was not surprised to see the blurry outline of Ron at the foot of his bed. Ron sat down at the end of the bed as Harry put on his glasses.

"Let's talk," Ron hissed.

"Here? Now?"

In the near darkness, Harry sensed rather than saw Ron roll his eyes.

"It's late," Harry said as quietly as he could. "Why don't you catch some sleep and we'll talk tomorrow?"

"The common room," Ron hissed as he stood up, motioning for Harry to follow.

As soon as the boys reached the foot of the staircase, Ron turned around and regarded his friend gravely. "You look as though you've not slept for ages."

Harry looked away. "It's only tonight."

"Last night too. I heard you."

"You heard me?"

"You were changing your position every five seconds. Don't you know your bed creaks?"

Harry mumbled an apology and Ron waved a hand impatiently.

"What's up, Harry? You've been acting strange for these past two days."

Harry remained silent.

"You're still thinking about the dementors?"

Harry looked up sharply, surprise evident in his eyes.

Ron sighed. "So Hermione's right after all."

"I see you two have been talking about me," Harry said dryly.

"We can't help it, mate! We're worried about you. You've been behaving like a walking corpse lately."

Harry shook his head slowly, made his way to the nearest couch, and sat down.

Ron quickly followed. "The dementors are gone. You should be happy!"

Harry stared down at his hands for a few moments. "I saw them. My parents. This time, I did not just hear them. I saw them."

"Harry…"

"It was bad, Ron. It was horrible. I thought I wasn't going to make it."

"But you did! You lured every one of those freaks right into the Great Hall where we took care of them." Ron said comfortingly.

Harry ran a hand across his face wearily.

"What happened to your parents was not your fault. You must know that!"

"I do, but –"

"Even if they were not protecting you, they won't have escaped You-Know-Who."

Harry nodded.

Ron decided to change the subject. "Sirius seems to be taking it pretty well. He was practically skipping around Hogwarts when I saw him yesterday."

"He was going to propose to April."

"REALLY?"

"Shhh…not too loud!"

"Right…sorry. Did you say he's proposing to April? That's great! You'll get a godmother soon!" Ron said enviously.

"Yeah. I'm glad things are turning out right for him."

"It's good that the dementors didn't get to him this time."

Harry shook his head. "He was rooted to the spot and I had to drag him away before they came too close."

"That bad?"

"I think they affect him more than anyone else. He has been to hell and back."

Ron hugged a pillow across his chest, and leaned forward. "Then why did Dumbledore ask him to go?"

"He didn't. Dumbledore asked me."

"Huh?"

"He asked me. Actually, Dumbledore offered to go with me."

"Then why –"

"Sirius heard about it and was absolutely furious. He threatened to take me out of Hogwarts. There was even a point where he threatened to lock me in his office."

"Then –"

"When he realised he couldn't stop me, he insisted on joining me. Dumbledore, Remus and I tried to dissuade him, but you know how stubborn he could get."

"Just like you," Ron chided. "Hermione almost fainted when we realised what you were doing. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because you would have insisted on going with me, just like Sirius."

"And what's wrong with that?"

Harry's mouth twitched. "You know, it'd help to know the Patronus Charm."

Ron rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Let's get to bed, shall we?" asked Harry as he stood up and stretched.

"You feeling better?"

"Yeah, it helps to talk about it. Thanks."

"You know you can always tell Hermione and me stuff, right?"

"Yeah, stuff. Everything but dementors," Harry teased.

"You snob! Just because…"

"Shhh!!!!!!"

"Oops, forgot again. Anyway, I was saying…"

"Quit it, Ron. Let's catch some sleep."

"Race you to the room!" Ron remembered to keep his voice low, but created a din as he ran his way up the stairs.

Harry smiled after his best friend. Things weren't so bad after all.


At breakfast the next day, Remus stared at Sirius as the latter shoved another mouthful of the sandwich into his mouth. "Hey, man, you're eating like there's no tomorrow," he joked lightly, an amused smile on his lips.

The only reply was a grunt from Sirius who continued eating.

Remus leaned back into his seat and sighed. He wished he had his friend's appetite now. But the only breakfast he could stomach was a few sips of his tea. The full moon was still more than ten hours away but he was already feeling its pull, and more of his canine self. He knew the next forty-eight hours would be difficult – the transformation would be painful as always, and his energy level would be at a low after he resumed his human form. But things are easier now, he reminded himself. Since his reunion with Sirius, his friend had been keeping vigil by him as Padfoot on the full moon nights, while Snape's Wolfsbane helped to lift a burden off his shoulders as he no longer had to fear that he might hurt anyone in his canine form.

His thoughts were soon interrupted.

"You want more of this?" Sirius uttered his first words of the day, and proceeded to empty the pitcher of pumpkin juice into his goblet.

"Slow down, Sirius."

Sirius ignored him as he continued attacking the food.

"You know, I just realised I've not seen you eat for ages. It seems that your appetite has grown since," Remus chuckled. "What have we done to deserve the honour of your presence this morning? I thought you've fallen into the habit of having all meals in your private quarters, with your fair lady!"

Sirius dropped his fork and lifted his goblet to his lips.

"Speaking of which, where's your meal companion? She's sleeping in today?"

"Shut up, Moony!" Sirius slammed his goblet onto the table so hard that its content spilled. Before Remus could say another word, Sirius had pushed back his chair, stormed past the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, and made straight for the exit.

Remus shut his opened mouth and decided to follow after his friend, but was blocked by the Potions Master as soon as he rose to his feet.

"I believe there is something you need to collect from me," Snape said with his trademark sneer.

"Later, Pro –"

"If I've not miscalculated, you need it today."

"Yes, but – look, I'll drop by your office later. I need to rush somewhere now." Remus' gaze returned to the exit. He had to go after Sirius. Something was not right, and he had to find out what it was.

"I regret to inform you that I'd be very busy for the rest of the day, Professor Lupin," Snape drawled. One look at his face and it was plain that regret was the furthest thing from his mind. "Unlike some people who has the irresponsible habit of taking time off at his own whim and fancy, I actually have classes to attend to."

Remus knew Snape was referring to Sirius and felt he had to defend his friend. "Look, Sirius –" he began.

"Of course, he has a fool who's always more than willing to clean up the mess after him," Snape continued, looking meaningfully at the werewolf. "I must insist that you come with me at once."

Remus watched helplessly as Snape swept away from the staff table and had no choice but to trail the billowing black robes.

"Are you planning to go away on a long trip?" Remus asked in surprise when Snape placed three vials of the familiar liquid onto his desk.

Snape smirked. "Not unless you know something I don't, which I doubt."

"Then why are you giving me three months' supply at one go?" Remus suspected that the Potions Master was hoping to minimise all contact with him by giving him three vials of Wolfsbane, but quickly dismissed the thought as he recalled Snape's look of glee and superiority each time he handed over the concoction. It was a monthly ritual he was almost sure Snape delighted in, something that gave the Potions Master a chance to gloat and remind Remus of his, well, abnormality and dependency on the ex-Slytherin.

"These are not brewed by me."

A mixture of surprise and skepticism crossed Remus' face. "You couldn't have bought them off the shelves. You're the only one who know how to brew the Wolfsbane...unless you decided to set this as a class assignment?"

"You really believe that any student can handle this potion? I tell you, not even the Know-It-All Granger comes close."

"Then –"

"If you would take your leave now, Professor Lupin. I have more important things to attend to."

"Severus, will you tell –"

"Professor Lupin," Snape snapped, obviously displeased by the familiar way Remus was addressing him. "If you would take your leave now…" He trailed off, choosing to let his glare convey the rest of his message.

"Very well, Professor Snape. Thank you." Remus managed a polite smile before making his departure.


Remus was back in Snape's office the next morning.

His transformation the night before had been most uneventful. He had wanted to speak to Sirius all day about his peculiar behaviour, but the latter managed to remain elusive until a couple of minutes before the moon was out. Then, Sirius had transformed into his animagus form and curled up in a corner of Remus' quarters, refusing to budge or even move. By the time Remus woke up in his human form, there was no trace of Sirius or Padfoot.

Sirius was not at breakfast that day. Thinking that he must have resumed taking his meals with April at his private quarters again, Remus decided to focus on another nagging issue – if Snape was telling the truth yesterday, who had brewed the Wolfsbane for him?

"Severus, who prepared the potion?" He wasted no time in asking as soon as he came face-to-face with the Potions Master.

"Have you no clue at all?" Snape answered with an air of superiority.

Remus thought hard. Snape had already ruled out the students. Neither had he purchased the Wolfsbane. So it must be someone in Hogwarts. As far as he knew, none of the Professors and staff members were skilled in potions.

"Dumbledore?" he ventured a guess. Although he never knew the headmaster to be an expert in potions, the elderly man constantly surprised with his wide knowledge across many wizardry fields.

Snape snorted and began to walk away.

"It couldn't be Madam Pomfrey, could it?"

Another snort from Snape. "She administers potions, not brew them."

Then inspiration struck Remus. "Was it April?" He recalled that she had been spending an awful lot of time with Snape recently. And she did mention once that concocting potions was a lot like alchemy.

Snape retraced his steps and stopped in front of Remus. Then he withdrew a crumpled piece of parchment from his robes. "My messenger obligations are finally fully fulfilled. It would have been sooner if some people use their brains a little more effectively." He shoved the note into Remus' hand and waited expectantly.

The werewolf smoothed out the parchment and began to read:

Remus,

I'm sorry. I did not mean to leave without first saying goodbye, but I could not summon the courage to do so. You might have found some way to stop me, and that is not something I can afford.

You should have received or even taken the Wolfsbane by the time you're reading this. I hope I got it right. Severus said I did, and I had to take his word for it. I know how much you hate relying on him. I bet he doesn't make it pleasant for you each time you had to ask. I meant to make more, much more, to surprise you. But I ran out of time.

I will always be grateful for your friendship. Please forgive me for my sudden departure.

Take care of yourself.

Your friend,

April Flamel

He paled, almost to the same shade as Snape's usual colour. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I have better things to do with my time," Snape glowered.

"What – what does this mean?" he asked shakily.

"She left."

"Left? What do you mean left?"

"As in gone. Out of Hogwarts," Snape snapped impatiently.

"But – but why?"

"You'd have to ask that friend of yours."

"Sirius? What has it got to do with Sirius?"

"From what I know, it has everything to do with him."

"They've had another one of those quarrels?"

Snape did not reply.

"She must have left in a fit of anger. There's nothing to worry about, she'll be back once her anger subsides." He noticed Snape's mocking look, and suddenly felt the desperate need to cling to some hope. "She'll come back, will she not? She always does. Each time she stays away, she never fails to return."

"Did she leave you a farewell note each time she was gone?"

Remus shook his head. "Are you implying –"

"I'm not implying anything. I'll leave you to figure out for yourself." Snape said as he hurled Remus out of his office.

Remus decided there were only two ways to find out – subject Sirius to a round of questioning or get the answers from April. He suspected that Sirius would not be forthcoming with the answers, so a trip to the Flamel Fortress seemed to be the obvious solution now.


A/N: Have you seen Remus lose his cool? Watch out for that in the next chapter!

peachgirl1608: Yes, poor Sirius is upset… :(

fra: I'll not spoil the suspense for you!

ice-cold-star: I've reviewed your joint effort. Will you gals be continuing?

ANNE79: She can't marry him because…I'm not telling ya! LOL

Savoy Truffle: Sirius is not an abusive boyfriend. I love him too much to make him one!

tenniStar514: Glad you liked the last chapter.

OutofAzkaban: This chapter is as sad as the last?

padfoot1979: You'll find out…

Diosa Alexia: Don't be angry with April! She has her reasons!

an-angel36: Yes, something's up but it may not be what you think it is! ;)

phoebe666: You want me to heal his broken heart? I'll consider…

Lil Lupin: Hope you're still sane! LOL

Summerkins: Don't die on me!!! It'll all be explained, I promise!

Nora's magelet: is this chapter making you cry too?

lildarkkitty: The happy stuff (not necessarily Sirius/April) will come a few chapters later, I promise.

Sirius-Hotness: I'm so glad that you've grown at least a little attached to April! :)

NunnyaBuiznes: You'll find out why eventually...

moe: Yes, there's a reason behind her actions.

funkysuperstar: Thanks for reviewing. I'm always glad to hear from you!

Sallymander: Don't cry! Suddenly, I'm reminded of the song "Cry Me a River". Poor Sirius…

Ren: Your friend must be very good-looking if he's like Sirius!

potts: She didn't give Sirius a reason, but she told Snape! LOL

elvesmagic010: I'll not slap you…unless you decide to stop Last Chance!

uNoeWho: You'll find out why.

Lupin123: Welcome to my fictitious world of Harry Potter! I've included the scene between Harry and Ron in this chapter, as your welcome gift! :)