August 11/12, 1995.

"Good luck. I'm sure it will be fine."

Sirius' good spirits stayed until at least four days after Harry had arrived, which was a new record since they'd come to live at Grimmauld Place. He finally had his Godson around and that made even cleaning the house bearable. It was a good thing, Remus thought, since he himself wasn't around much. A bit unsure what to do with Voldemort not out in the open, he had taken to going to the Ministry with Kingsley everyday, passing the time at the Auror's office until it was time for his guard duty at the Department of Mysteries. Odd as it may sound, he liked the situation during the first war better. At least then they had something to do instead of walking around on tip-toe, careful not to get noticed by anyone.

Adding to their troubles was Harry's upcoming hearing. Both Remus and Sirius had gone to the extensive Black library the evening after Harry had come to Grimmauld Place, and they had researched various books about wizard law. Remus had done it mainly to reassure Sirius and to put his friend at ease, but he couldn't deny feeling rather relieved himself when they found out that there was no real ground for expulsion. Harry was allowed to use magic in self-defence, which had been the case.

"So try as they may," Sirius summarised, "they can't make Harry anything."

"And they certainly can't make him leave Hogwarts."

"Quite right."

Sirius leaned against one of the bookcases, having just put one of the law-books back. The flickering light of the candles cast shadows on his cheeks which were still too hollow for Remus' taste.

"Hey Moony," he said hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"There's something I need to tell you..."

Remus looked up from his book, alarmed. Sirius' tone did not hint at good news. "What?"

"It's about Monster. You see – "Sirius suddenly began rattling to get the difficult subject out of the way, "– Molly was cleaning out the drawing room this morning, and she was sweeping under the sofa, when she found, uhm. A nest of dead Puffskeins."

Remus looked horrified. "Was Monster one of them?"

"I couldn't really see," Sirius said somewhat lamely. "They looked as if they'd been dead for quite some time, and, well, Monster's been gone for more than a week now. And they were all custard-coloured..."

Remus got up and began pacing. "What happened to them?"

"Molly threw them away before I could interfere," Sirius said.

"She threw away my pet!" Remus now definitely sounded agitated. After a moment of thinking: "and what a stupid way to die too!"

"I know." Sirius patted his friend's back. "I know."

"And now I don't have anyone to feed my breadcrusts to." Remus let himself be patted. He couldn't really comprehend what he had just been told. "He was a gift from Hagrid."

"Sorry."

"And he helped me fix a childhood trauma too."

Sirius had been sympathetic until this point – he now burst into laughing. He tried to force himself to calm down. "Sorry," he hiccoughed, "but that just came out... weird..."

"It's no laughing matter," Remus said, trying not to join in Sirius' infectious laughing. "It's true."

"Deeply sorry," Sirius said, his breath wheezy for laughing. "My condolences. Let's go downstairs, drink Firewhiskey and forget this sad, sad matter."

Remus sighed. "I suppose so. And don't go telling me I should just buy a new one."

"Of course not. That would be impossible, since he was one of a kind."

"Indeed."

Fortunately, Remus was quite busy the next days, because it put his mind off his lost pet. Not only was he busy with Order meetings and guard duty, but he also once helped Molly, Sirius and the children repair a grandfather clock that had developed a nasty habit: shooting bolts at unsuspecting passers-by. Sirius had found it out after it had nearly beheaded him.

The respite was only short, however. The day before Harry's hearing, another mystery was added to the ones already troubling Remus.

He had once again followed Kingsley to the Auror Headquarters, although he wasn't really sure why. He had guard duty again this evening, but he wasn't looking forward to it. He'd much rather stay at Grimmauld Place to ease Sirius' mind for tomorrow. But duty interfered.

They just got out of the golden-grilled elevator on the second floor when someone leaped on Remus from behind and wrapped himself around him.

"Thank Merlin, you're alive!"

Remus spluttered and wrestled himself free. He turned around. Romulus, now officially declared the most annoying younger brother in all of Great Britain, beamed at him.

"Romulus!"

"Where were you?!" Romulus shook his elder brother gently. "We've been looking all over for you. Mum's turned your house upside down because she was sure she'd find you bound, gagged and murdered in the cellar. We haven't heard from you for ages. And suddenly you turn up here, in the Ministry, in the company of – of –" Romulus only now realised who was standing next to Remus, "– Kingsley Shaklebolt?"

"Friend of yours?" Kingsley inquired.

"My brother," Remus said. He glared at Romulus.

"He looks like you," was Kingsley's comment.

"If only," Remus sighed dramatically. Romulus put a hand on his heart.

"Really," he said, "I'm hurt. Is that the way you talk about your beloved brother?"

"Looks like it, doesn't it?"

"Anyway, as I was ranting – where were you? I haven't seen you all summer, not since May. That's not like you. And the last thing I heard anything about you was when Mum came over last June and thought you were – "

"Yes, okay, I know," Remus interrupted loudly. What was it with relatives and spilling things you wanted to keep private?

"So you're not?"

"Not what?"

"Gay?"

Remus flinched. He turned to Kingsley. "Do you have brothers?"

"Only elder sisters," the Auror said. "I think I should be thankful for that." The corners of his mouth twitched.

"You remember that time," Remus asked Romulus, "when you were three and I was six and I put you upside down in the waste bin because I wanted to get rid of you?"

"Vividly."

"I could do it again."

"I think I should get to work," Kingsley interrupted. He left, rather hurriedly, Remus thought.

"Speaking of work," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story," Romulus answered. "What are you doing here?"

"Probably an equally long story."

Romulus took his brother by the shoulder and turned him slightly away from the elevators, creating a sense of secrecy. "Remus, there's something I need to tell you."

"Is it important?"

"Pretty much."

"Julia's not having another baby, is she?" Remus frowned.

Romulus rolled his eyes. "What do we look like? A pair of fu – err, a pair of rabbits?"

"You wanted to say fucking rabbits," Remus pointed out, grinning. "How appropriate."

His brother scowled. "Not funny. And not true either. It's something completely unrelated."

"What?"

Romulus looked around, a bit nervously. It only increased Remus' curiosity. "I can't tell you here. Can I meet you... tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow I'm busy. Day after that?"

"Sure. You know, uhm, that old cafe in Diagon Alley, next to Flourish and Blotts?"

"Of course."

"See you there at three?"

"Sure. But don't you have highly important Ministry work to do then?"

"No, we're not particularly busy at the moment." Romulus took a deep breath, as if he was bracing himself for something, but only added; "at this time of the month."

"Okay. See you on Friday, then."

"Yeah, see you then."

"And be there. Or I'll send Aurors with big dogs to go and look for you."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, trust me. Now go work."

He showed his brother off to the elevators, then walked through the Auror's Headquarters to Kingsley's cubicle.

Hours later, he was still at the Ministry, but now on the lowest level, the ninth. He sat wrapped in Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak on the floor. He was completely alone.

Of course, he could stand being alone. He had been alone for most of the past, well, decade. And he hadn't been a very social person before that either.

But there was something very spooky to the Department of Mysteries. The long corridor leading towards it was lit by torches which cast a flickering, eerie light. Although he had stood guard here several times for six hours at a time, Remus had never before seen anyone here. It was so quiet that he could hear himself breathe. After a few hours, the long, dark corridor, with no exit in sight from where he was sitting, always gave him a feeling of being trapped, of being buried. The rest of the Ministry – the rest of the world for that matter – didn't seem to exist down here.

It gave him plenty of time to think. About what was behind the door behind his back – mysteries? What kind of mysteries? – about Sirius, Harry, Voldemort. About the prophecy. And he occasionally tried to imagine what the world would be like after this war. Who would be dead and who would be left to mourn them? Would Harry meet the same fate as his parents? Would he himself be still alive then..?

He was always glad when, after six hours, the next person came to relief him of his guard duty.

Gloomy. That was the atmosphere in Grimmauld Place when Remus arrived there around a quarter past twelve. Almost everybody had gone to bed, except Molly Weasley. She was rummaging about in the kitchen, trying to pretend she wasn't worried.

"Where is everybody?" he asked. He began making himself some sandwiches.

She distractedly stroked a lock of red hair behind her ear. Her forehead had lines it hadn't had a couple of months ago. "The children are in bed," she said. She took the cheese out of the fridge for him and continued: "Kingsley Shacklebolt has stopped by for a few minutes too but he's gone home. Sirius is upstairs, but I don't think he's sleeping yet."

"I hope nothing serious happened?" Remus inquired. "Especially a with certain someone?"

"He's finally seen sense," Molly said darkly. "Now he's trying to get some sympathy by acting the poor beaten dog."

Interesting metaphor, Remus thought, but he thought it wiser not to say it.

"I'm sure everything will work out fine," he said, patting her shoulder.

"I don't know," she sighed. "Sometimes it feels like having another teenager in the house."

"Sirius can sometimes give you that feeling," Remus admitted, "but he really cares about Harry, and he's trying to express it. Sadly, it's in a way that's not really useful right now."

"See, you understand," she said. "The rest is just trying to... to vilify me!"

"Nobody's trying to vilify you," he shushed. "Everybody's just anxious because of Harry's hearing and because we don't know what Voldemort's up to. Now – "He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder again, "– I'm going to see what Sirius is up to, I'll probably have to tie him down to get him to calm down, but that's a risk I'll have to take."

Molly smiled weakly. "If only tomorrow's over," she said.

"Exactly. That's the spirit."

It turned out that Remus didn't need to tie Sirius down. Amazingly enough, his friend was rather calm and collected. He just couldn't sleep. Inconveniently enough, he showed this by pacing around Remus' room so that Remus couldn't sleep either. He continuously drifted in and out of sleep, and every time he opened his eyes Sirius had moved to another spot.

Around five in the morning, Sirius couldn't contain himself any longer. He shook Remus, who had just fallen asleep again.

"Wake up," he said. "C'mon Moony, wake up."

"Whatizzit?" Remus asked blearily. "Hearing already begun?"

"No, not for another four hours. Want to come down for breakfast?"

Remus glared as best as he could with a sleep-heavy head. Because he had only slept for short periods of time, he felt more tired stepping out of bed than in it. Sirius looked no better: his already hollow eyes had dark shadows under it.

"Oh how I hate you," Remus said, "let me count the ways."

"No time for that, c'mon."

Ten minutes later, they were downstairs, in the kitchen. Arthur and Molly Weasley were already there, just like Tonks. Molly was making a large pot of coffee, although she didn't look as though she'd need it; she seemed wide awake.

Tonks yawned widely as she greeted the two new-comers. "M-morning," she said. "Sorry. Been up all night."

"'s okay," Sirius said. He sat himself down and accepted a mug of coffee. "We haven't slept either."

"I have," Remus said gruffly. "But you kept waking me up." He held his mug under his nose, hoping that the mere scents of the boiling hot coffee would bring him to full conscience.

"How was everything at the Ministry?" Arthur asked Tonks. She stifled another yawn before she said: "alright. Nothing really important happened, I think. We spend most time just walking about and doing paperwork." She yawned again. It made Remus want to do the same, but he managed to control himself.

"Nothing fishy?" Sirius inquired as Molly sat herself down with her own mug of coffee.

"No, not really. Or, wait – there was this Auror, Scrimgeour – "

The door opened, and Harry came in. Molly immediately jumped to her feet.

"Breakfast," she said. She pulled out her wand and summoned the necessary things.

Sirius didn't jump to his feet or show any visible signs of nervosity, but Remus could feel his friend tense.

"M – m – morning, Harry," Tonks said. She yawned widely. "Sleep all right?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

"I've b – b – been up all night." As if this wasn't clear enough, she yawned again. "Come and

sit down..." She drew out a chair, and with doing so knocked down another.

"What do you want, Harry?" Mrs Weasley asked, impossibly awake and busy. "Porridge? Muffins? Kippers? Bacon and eggs? Toast?"

"Just – just toast, thanks," said Harry. He seemed to be wanting to be somewhere else.

Remus decided to continue the conversation, to assume something of normalcy. To avoid thinking of the hearing. "What were you saying about Scrimgeour?" he asked Tonks.

"Oh... yeah..." she said. "Well, we need to be a bit more careful, he's been asking Kingsley

and me funny questions... and I'll have to tell Dumbledore I can't do night duty tomorrow, I'm just t – t – too tired." Tonks yawned, she just couldn't help herself.

"I'll cover for you," Arthur promised. "I'm OK, I've got a report to finish anyway..." Tonks nodded sleepily. Arthur turned to Harry. The boy now had a plate with marmalade-covered toast in front of him, but he had only taken one small bite.

"How are you feeling?" Arthur asked. Harry shrugged. "It'll all be over soon," Arthur told him bracingly. "In a few hours' time you'll be cleared." Harry still didn't say anything. "The hearing's on my floor, in Amelia Bones's office," Arthur continued. "She's Head of the

Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and the one who'll be questioning you."

"Amelia Bones is OK, Harry," said Tonks. "She's fair, she'll hear you out."

Harry nodded, still wordlessly.

"Don't lose your temper," said Sirius suddenly. "Be polite and stick to the facts." Remus looked at his friend. How much of this advice came from your own experience? he wondered.

Harry nodded again.

"The law's on your side," Remus added quietly to the other's words. "Even underage wizards are allowed to use magic in life-threatening situations."

Molly Weasley had made a comb wet and was trying to straighten Harry's hair. "Doesn't it ever lie flat?" she asked, forcing the comb through Harry's hair. The boy shook his head.

Arthur checked his watch. "I think we'll go now," he said. "We're a bit early but I think you'll be better off at the Ministry than hanging around here."

"OK," said Harry. He got to his feet, the plate with toast forgotten.

"You'll be all right, Harry," said Tonks reassuringly, and patted him on the arm.

"Good luck," Remus said. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"And if it's not, I'll see to Amelia Bones for you..." came Sirius. Remus gave his friend a reprimanding glare, but Sirius didn't see it – or pretended to.

For the first time this morning, Harry smiled, albeit weakly. Molly gave him a motherly hug. "We've all got our fingers crossed," she said.

"Right," said Harry when she had let go. "Well... see you later then." He walked out of the kitchen, and shortly after that Remus heard the front door close. Harry was gone.

"I'll just go to bed, then," Tonks yawned. She put her words into action right away.

"What are you going to do?" Sirius asked Remus. Remus shrugged.

"Don't know. Stay here, I think." After a moment of silence: "and you?"

Sirius made a sound between a snort and a laugh. "Same."

Silence.

They had all sat down again. Molly was fidgeting with the cuff of her dressing gown. Sirius continuously turned his mug around and around. Remus stared blankly at the wall opposite him, picking the rim of his nails. The ticking of the clock on the wall seemed awfully loud.

After half an hour of this, Sirius got abruptly to his feet and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Remus asked.

"To the library."

What, voluntarily? said the voice in Remus' head that sometimes spoke with Snape's voice. He had a moment of debate about whether he was going to stay with Molly or go after Sirius, but he decided to do the latter. Molly could manage herself, and he wanted to know what Sirius was up to.

Apparently, Sirius had decided to pull all the books out again and check if the law hadn't changed in the past days. Remus waited in the doorframe for his friend to speak.

"You are absolutely sure there isn't some loophole they can catch him with?" Sirius asked. He was leafing through a book as he spoke.

"Absolutely sure," Remus said. He came to stand next to Sirius. "Clause Seven of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery makes it very clear that he was allowed, and pretty much ordered, to use magic to save his life."

"Good," said Sirius restlessly. "Harry will go to Hogwarts."

"Yes."

"Fudge can't stop him."

"Fudge can't make him anything, unless he ignores the law, which he can't possibly do."

"Good. You worried?"

"Not really. Not for expulsion anyway."

"No, me neither." Sirius laughed. "After all, what can they do to him?"

And he began pacing again.

Of course, all this fretting and worrying turned out to be in vain. As usual, afterwards nobody really understood why they had been so nervous – it was obvious the Wizengamot hadn't had a leg to stand on.

Arthur had dropped Harry off around noon. The Weasleys had positively jumped on him.

"I knew it!" yelled Ron. He punched the air as though he had just won a Quidditch match. "You always get away with stuff!"

"They were bound to clear you," chimed in Hermione. The colour was slowly coming back in her face, which had looked sickly pale all morning. "There was no case against you, none at all."

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering you all knew I'd get off," Remus heard Harry say. He grinned; it was all too true.

Molly was wiping her tears of joy on her apron. The twins and Ginny could apparently only vent their happiness with noise: they were dancing around the kitchen, chanting "he got off, he got off, he got off..."

"That's enough! Settle down!" Arthur tried to calm his children, although he seemed to say it more for show than because he meant it. Sirius looked ready to join the chanting, until Arthur adressed him.

"Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry –"

"What?" said Sirius, grin gone. Remus immediately switched his attention to the conversation, although it was hard to hear through the noise.

"He got off, he got off, he got off ..."

"Be quiet, you three!" Arthur said again. "Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine," he continued, "then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," Sirius assured him. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet waiting for me in Bethnal Green. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner –"

"He got off, he got off, he got off ..."

"That's enough – Fred – George – Ginny!" Molly snapped, but to no avail.

The lunch was messier and noisier than Remus had never seen at Grimmauld Place, but it was also the most cheerful one. Fred, George and Ginny never stopped singing, now not only out of joy but also to annoy their mother. Sirius wore the stupidest grin on his face, looking proudly at Harry.

"Of course he'd get off," he said.

"Naturally," Remus replied, smiling himself.

"No doubt about it."

"Not a chance in the world that he wouldn't."

"Wouldn't dream of it, that he wouldn't."

"Of course not."

"Fudge didn't have a leg to stand on."

"Sirius, eat something before you faint," Remus said, ladling food on his friend's plate. But Sirius was too giddy to eat anything.

"I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening, to celebrate with us, you know," they heard Ron cheerfully tell Harry through the twin's singing.

"I don't think he'll be able to, Ron," his mother said. She put a plate of roast chicken down on the table and shot an annoyed look at the twins and Ginny. "He's really very busy at the moment."

"HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF."

"SHUT UP!"