"I don't get it Remus!" Holly said the next day in her office. "How could he get into the castle undetected? It's like there's a secrete passage that I don't know about. I know of six. But five of them have caved in, and one leads to Hunnydukes and he wouldn't be able to use that one. I feel like I'm missing something." Holly ran her fingers though her shoulder length hair in complete frustration.

"How do you know about the passages?" Remus asked.

"Fred Weasley came in here an hour ago telling me about them. I don't know why either, it doesn't seem in his character to do something like that."

"Isn't it obvious?" Remus' mouth formed a smirk, sitting down on her desk where she was sitting behind.

"What?"

"He's got a crush on you."

"What! Oh Remus, I think your losing it."

"No think about it. He's always coming in for help, he keeps asking me, as discreetly as he thinks he being, about you, and he came in here and told you about those passage
ways."

"Oh dear. What do I do? He's a student. This isn't right."

"Tell him your married."

"To who? You? Oh, because that would go over well."

"Dead men don't tell any tales remember?"

"I can't lie like that."

"You'll figure out something. This will probably pass in a little while anyhow."

"Hopefully."

"If not, he's what a 5th year? Only two more years until he graduates, and you two can run away to Paris and live happily ever after. Or if you can't wait that long, summer break is a what a month off?"

"Your horrible Remus Lupin!" she smacked him on the arm. He just laughed, she couldn't help but laugh too. She stared at his arm.

"What?"

"You know all the times I was with him, I never though to look on him arm for the mark. Now that I think about it, I don't ever remember seeing it before." she shook her head, not wanting to take that path of conversation.

"So you really don't have any ideas of how he got into the castle?"

"No. It's not like he could just waltz in here without anyone
noticing."

"Unless he used his Animagus form." Remus said casually.

"His what form?" Holly saying as if she heard him wrong.

"Oh god, you don't know do you?"

"Know what? Remus, when I asked you "Do you have any further information on Sirius Black?" That would include him being an Animagius!"

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew!"

"Well, I didn't! Tell me everything you know about this right now." she said in her 'taking no prisoners" voice.

"Ok. Well, he transforms into a big black dog…" Remus continued to tell her every last description of their former friend, including when, and how Sirius accomplished it, and that James and Peter were Animagi too, what forms they took, and how they would come along with Remus on the nights he had to transform.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"I think that's it." he said an hour later.

"What's that in your pocket?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You really need to learn how to lie to me." she grabbed the parchment out of his sweater pocket. "This is amazing. Where did you get it?" It was a map. But not just any map. It showed the entire castle, and everyone in it.

"I…uh…made it…" realizing that he'd never win this battle Remus gave up.

"You made this?" she said astounded.

"Yes. And James, and Peter, and uh…Sirius." he dropped his voice when he mentioned Sirius. Holly gave him one of those "why didn't you tell me about this sooner looks.

"Mind if I keep this for a while. I'll give it back, but if he's around I can get him. Remus, you have no idea what big break this is for me."

"Your welcome." His watched went off. "Well, I had better get going, I've got a class to teach." he finished his tea and began to leave, and paused at the door. "And I believe you have a torturing session with Mr. Fred Weasley."

"Shut up Remus!" she threw an ink well at him, he left laughing to himself.

Holly walked over to where the ink well had smashed against the wall and cleaned it up, just as Fred walked into the room.

"Is everything ok Miss Thane?"

"Yes, everything is fine, I was just having a friendly chat with Professor Lupin." Holly hurried over to her desk and hid the map she took from Remus. Fred looked over to see what she was doing and he grinned. "So Mr. Weasley, what are we going to work on today?"

It was rather late, and all Holly wanted to do was go to bed. But something about that map just seem to get her into a trance and she just couldn't put it down. It was like a book she never read. She was just about to put it down when something caught her eye.

"Can't be." she looked closer. Out side of the grounds, near the Whomping Willow were two names that just jumped out. The one made her heart jump with joy, she had finally found him. After all those months Sirius Black was hers to bring in. But the other. "Peter Pettigrew", just took her by surprise. Why would Peter's name be on the map, he was dead. But Sirius' name got closer to ones that she knew she had to protect. "Harry Potter", "Ron Weasley", and "Hermione Granger".

Holly grabbed the cloak she had draped over her chair, made sure her wand was readily available and she took off into towards the Whomping Willow.

She stayed near the Forest to hide her own protection. She knew she had to stay out of Black's sight, but even unarmed she knew what Black was capable of. She didn't see anyone, she cursed silently for not brining the map with her. These were mistakes she couldn't afford to make, she couldn't even believe she made this one. She saw something go flying into the air, it was Harry, and Hermione, in a losing battle with the Willow. Holly ran towards them to help her, but something grabbed the back of her cloak and she went down, hitting her head on the ground, making everything go black.

"Fifteen years in the bounty hunter business buisness and what takes you out? A tree." a mocking voice said from what seemed like the beyond. Holly opened her eyes, and they slowly slid into focus. She knew that voice. Hell, she knew that face. Holly shot up to her feet and reached for her wand. She was in a hidden corridor on the grounds of the school.

"Damnit Black, give me my wand." she said fiercely.

"He doesn't have it Mrs. Thane." Hermione said from behind her, the young woman handed Holly her wand. "You dropped it." Holly immediately shielded herself between Black and Hermione and Harry.

"Holly please, listen to me."

"No."

"Holly, you have to understand what happened. I don't have
much time." Black pleaded, and told her his entire story rather quickly. How he had convinced James to let Peter be the secret keeper instead, how it was Peter who betrayed James and Lily instead, how Peter had transformed himself into a rat and had been living with the Weasleys' as a pet the whole time, and how he got away, and if that if she asked Remus he'd back his story one hundred percent.

"Forgive me, but somehow I don't believe you." she said coldly.

"Mrs. Thane, he's right." Harry looked at her, and moved towards Black, Hermione did as well. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Harry's eyes, Lily's eyes, Lily's voice inside her head, saying that everything was going to be ok, was back. Her heart turned and she knew he was right. Her heart was in her thought.

"Sirius." she said breathlessly. She just stood there, completely in shock, and on the verge of fainting. She finally ran to him and just held him, and vice versa. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"For what? Marrying that dolt Avrik?"

"I never married him."

"How do I know you didn't?" she held up her hand that wore his ring.

"Oh, I guess I should have told you about that."

"Tell me later. We've got to get you out of here." she ran a hand over his left arm, outside of some dirt, it was completely blank. She smiled. It was then she realized that something wasn't right, when the supposedly executed Hippogriff Buckbeak, standing impatiently. She looked at him. His eyes were dancing again. "Will you ever forgive me?"

"Always Evans. Pettigrew had everyone fooled." He kissed her forehead, her heart broke a little more. Sirius said a quick goodbye to the kids and climbed onto Buckbeak.

"I'm coming with you." Harry and Holly said at the same time.

"No you both are not. One, Harry you have to finish school. Two, Lovely, you work for the Ministry, the one time you actually want to run away with me, you can't."

"I don't work for the bloody Ministry. I'm a free lancer. I can if I want."

"No. They'll be after me, you can help me this way by giving them false tips. You'll have fun with that. I'll be in touch. I love you both."

"Love you too Siri." and he flew off into the night, towards the full moon.

"Remus." she whispered, where the hell was he?

"He's ok. We know all about Professor Lupin. He's deep in the woods."

"Ok, you two I want the full story."

"Umm…we got to go." Hermione said as the clock began to strike.

"What? No, you two have a lot of explaining…."

"Tomorrow. We promise." Harry said running after Hermione. The only thing that distracted her was a long painful wolf's cry to the moon.

"I know exactly how you feel Remy." she said to the moon, and took off after the kids.

She followed them towards the Hospital Wing, where she saw Dumbeldore, Snape and Fudge, the Minister of Magic.

"Evans! Where have you been!" Fudge yelled at her. "You were supposed to catch Black!" he looked pissed, she would have been too, if it weren't for the fact that she was swept up with everything she had come to believe the past twelve years was a lie, and the only man she had ever loved just away on a Hippogriff.

"I tried Sir, but I was unable to apprehend him."

"She's lying! I know she helped him escape! Just like Potter! They helped Black escape I know it!"

"Oh, why don't you run along and play with your Chemistry set Servie." Holly shot back, she didn't appreciate his attitude. He was right, but there was no reason why Fudge had to get involved, yet.

"If you call me 'Servie' one more time…"

"You two stop it." Dumbledore said calmly. "No, last time I checked Harry and the others were inside the Hospital Wing, and the door was locked, now if you open the door, you'll see that they are still there." Dumbledore walked over the giant doors and opened them. He was right, Harry and Hermione were standing next to a very confused looking Ron, who was lying in a bed with his leg in a cast.

"This isn't possible!" Snape shouted.

"Your fired Evans!" Fudge shouted, taking his pent up frustration out on Holly.

"What! I don't work for you! I haven't in twelve years!"

"Well…well…" Fudge stammered.

"I think we all need to get some rest and re-evaluate in the morning. Black is gone tonight, and I don't think we'll find him tonight. He's smarter than that." Dumbledore said calmly, his blue eyes dancing.

"Goodnight everyone." Holly said first, walking out of the wing back towards her room. Once she was well out of sight, she ran. For no reason.

"Now that I sit back and think about all this it makes perfect sense." Holly said in Remus' office the next day, helping him pack up. "I'm still finding this all hard to believe, though. I believe it. But it's hard."

"I know. But it's the real deal. If I didn't see it with my two eyes, there is no way I would have believed it myself." The room was filled with a warm silence as Remus' jazz recorded played.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked.

"I've got a place. Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know, there's some stuff I've got to take care of up north." Remus raised his eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm going to close up my old office, and move closer to Harry. Just to keep an eye out for him. Who knows. Dumbledore might have a few jobs for me to do though, outside of the school."

"Your giving up Bounty Hunting?"

"No. Well, kind of. It's more like, feeding false information to the Ministry about Sirius, under different names of course, I've saved up enough money, where I don't have to get a paying job ever again, or at least a while. That's not going to happen though. I hear their looking for a new bartender at the Leaky Cauldron…."

"Holly…"

"I'm just kidding. Their actually looking for a male bartender. Hey Remus you could…."

"No."

"Oh, your no fun. That reminds me. Here." she held out the map she took from him. "I told you I'd give it back."

"Me being no fun, reminded you of the map?"

"Yes." there was a knock on the door, and then Harry stepped into the room.

"Ah, hello Harry." Remus said cheerfully. Harry looked bewildered.

"Is it true? You can't leave, you're the best teacher we've had!"

"I'll give you two a moment." Holly said quietly and walked out into the balcony that was just off of Remus' office. She could hear Remus explaining to Harry why he had to leave, how Professor Snape let his secrete slip and the angry letters would be here tomorrow morning. There were some things said, she couldn't hear, because they were said in a low voice. Finally Remus grabbed his briefcase and walked out, the rest would be sent to him, once he got a place to live.

"I think I know what to get you for Christmas Remus." Holly smiled, looking down at the briefcase she had gotten him so many years ago.

"I like this one. I'll see you soon?"

"Of course. Once I get back from up north, you'll be sick of me."

"Just be careful." He gave her a quick hug goodbye.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Well, just watch out for those trees, they can be a handful."

"Shut up Remus. I'll see you soon, I'm leaving later today."

"Until then Evans." Remus walked down the steps and left the class room. Harry came out of Remus' former office and stood there with Holly for a moment.

"Evans?" He asked.

"Harry, I think we need to have a little talk."

"Ok."

"Let me explain the full way before you jump in ok?"

"Ok." He looked confused.

"I'm related to you…"

"Really! That's so cool! But wait, I thought I didn't have any other living relatives than the Dursleys."

"You don't. I'm related to you by marriage, not by blood. My stepfather was your mother's brother. So, really your mother was my step cousins. Technically. In reality, she was like my sister."

"This may seem a little strange, but I really don't want to go back to the Dursley's…"

"Oh Harry. As much as I would like you to not go back with the Dursley's I can't let that happen. However, I'm going to be moving to that area, hopefully, so I can maybe take you out for lunch once in a while, so you summer won't be completely miserable?"

"Yea, sounds great. Do you think you could tell me about my mum and dad then?"

"Of course. Matter of fact, would you like a picture of them? I've got one of them in my room."

"I would, thanks."

"Anytime Harry."