In the weeks after his parents' close-call, Remus had spent hours with Gwendolyn Abercrombie. She understood better than any of his other friends what he was going through. At times he would feel guilty about being so emotional considering that his family was still alive while Gwen had lost her four cousins last year. She, however, didn't seem to think this made such a difference.

"You still get the feeling that you're not safe in your home," she said. "Just because your parents got lucky doesn't lessen that feeling."

Remus looked at his feet. She was right. "It's just not fair that you lost family and I didn't."

"Don't do that Remus," she shook her head. "None of this is fair. Don't make yourself feel guilty. It'll only make it worse. This is not your fault."

He looked up at her kind blue eyes and smiled slightly in thanks. She shrugged as if it was nothing. He was so grateful that she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"You're amazing, Gwen," he suddenly said. "How can you be so calm about this?"

She laughed. "Me…Calm? Did you see me the night Annabelle's family was killed? I was a complete mess."

"We were all a bit batty that night," Remus said; remembering that dramatic night last April.

"It just takes time, Remus," she said. And then looking down at her hands, her eyes glistened. "I still cry sometimes and Annabelle…well…if it weren't for Owen and now the baby, I don't know what she would be like, even now."

"But why does it have to happen?" he leaned back against the sofa. "Why do we have to be so scared all the time?"

Gwen didn't answer; the tears were now falling down her cheeks. She wiped them away softly; breathing slowly.

He looked over at her. "Thank you Gwen," he said. "For listening to me."

She smiled at him. "You know I don't mind, Remus."

He nodded, "but it's still nice to have someone around who knows what its like."

"I know," she said. Then she sighed, wiping away the last of her tears. "It's just nice to have someone around. Sometimes I feel rather lonely, you know, with everyone around us madly in love." She made a face.

Remus smiled. "I know. James and Sirius are bloody impossible."

"I'm living with the pregnant woman," Gwen made a gagging noise and a rude gesture. "Why Dumbledore just won't let them live in the same room is beyond me."

Remus laughed and shrugged. "Which room exactly?"

She shrugged sarcastically. "There's got to be somewhere where these ridiculous married students can live. I still can't believe she's actually going to have a baby. I've never even had a serious boyfriend. I'm beginning to feel about five years old."

Remus nodded. "James is going to propose, you know. Don't say anything."

"Not another one," she rolled her eyes and then laughed. "No, I think that's wonderful."

Remus smiled again. "It does make me feel a little insignificant."

"Honestly," she sighed and leaned back against the sofa. They sat next to each other and stared at the ceiling. "Is there something wrong with us, Remus? Is there some reason that everyone else in this bloody school is going to get married and we're sitting here being bitter?"

Remus pursed his lips. Well, he did have a reason. "There's nothing wrong with you, Gwen," he said.

She shot him a half-smile. "You're not too bad yourself, Lupin."

He shrugged; still looking at the ceiling. She sat up.

"Come on Remus," she said. Then distorting her features to make a hideous face, she said in a wheezy voice. "You don't look like this, now do you?"

He glanced at her; raising an eyebrow and trying not to smile. "Well, no wonder no one will marry you."

Her face melted into a false look of offense. "How dare you, Remus Lupin."

She slapped him playfully on the shoulder and leaned back against the couch, smiling. After a moment, his own lips curled into a smile.

"So when's the fool going to do it?" Gwendolyn asked.

"After Easter holidays," Remus answered. "He wants to get it down perfectly. He even asked Sirius if they could have practice sessions. Sirius laughed in his face."

Gwen laughed her short, squeaky chortle. "It is sweet that he's so obsessive."

Remus raised his eyebrows at her. "Sweet……but…"

"Nauseating?" they said at the same time.

They laughed for a second before Remus stopped suddenly.

"I shouldn't be making fun of James and Lily," he said; looking away. "They're two of my best mates."

Gwen pursed her lips and sighed. Then, throwing out her arms towards Remus as if presenting him as a prize on a game show, she said in a mock-announcer voice, "Ladies and Gentlemen, more unnecessary guilt."

"Hey," Remus looked back at her, somewhat sharply.

"You know James and Sirius would be ribbing you so much worse than this if you were on the verge of getting married," she tilted her head.

Remus shrugged. "True."

"Then stop being so dramatic and noble," she made a silly face at him. "We get enough of that from all those bloody Aurors at the Ministry."

"They've just been there for me when I needed them," Remus said. He shifted in his seat a little.

Gwen nodded; leaning back.

"I wouldn't want them to think I was ungrateful."

Gwen laughed. "I seriously doubt James would think you were ungrateful if he found out that you and I, two bitter single people, were mocking his unbelievably romantic relationship to make ourselves feel a bit better."

Remus finally smiled. "Alright," he said. "But we can't tell them."

"Well, obviously."

Peter watched this whole scene from across the common room. He was sitting by himself; pretending to study his Transfiguration notes. Remus had been spending most of his time with Gwendolyn lately. Peter was trying hard to remind himself that Remus had gone through something she knew about, but he felt a little abandoned. It wasn't just Remus. Sirius and James had suddenly moved on to other things – namely Lily and Dorcas. Peter had been spending more and more time alone; much like the first few months of first year before he had attached himself to James' side. He hated it. Of all times, this was when the Marauders should stick together. There was a war going on, wasn't there? Peter knew he needed the protection of friends if he was going to make it through.

He glanced over at Remus as Gwendolyn made that stupid face and scowled a little. The loss of Remus' attention was, of course, nothing compared to the loss of James'. Peter worshipped James. There was no better person in his eyes. Plus, he was popular. Peter wished more than anything that he could be like James, but he knew that he lacked the talent, the courage, the charisma that James had. He had contented himself over the past six and a half years by making himself James' biggest fan. In return, James had taken him under his wing and brought him in as one of the Marauders: albeit the 4th one. But Peter hadn't cared. With James, Sirius, and Remus around him, he had been part of the most powerful group of students at Hogwarts. No one had teased him the way they had in primary school. Well, Sirius had, but that was different. He had friends.

Now, James was with Lily, Sirius was with Dorcas, and Remus would rather talk with Gwendolyn than Peter. And the pranks were over. The thing that scared Peter even more though was the thought that once they left school, James and Sirius couldn't protect him anymore. They wouldn't be the most powerful anymore. The one-two punch of James and Sirius' run-in with the Slytherins and the attack on Dorcas had shaken Peter to the core. Being a Marauder did not save you from the danger anymore. In fact, it put you directly in its path

.Remus and Gwen's disgust grew throughout April as more and more people announced their engagements. Moira O'Neill was wearing a massive sapphire from Robert McMillan. Davy Gudgeon and Veronica Smethley announced their engagement a week after Moira and Robert. A week later, her family was attacked and the two left school for good. People whispered about the horrible children Evan Rosier and Victoria Avery would have. Dorcas didn't say a word almost the entire day she had found out about her attacker's engagement. Days after Myles Ackerley's sister was put in St. Mungo's, he and Isabelle eloped.

As N.E.W.T.s grew even closer, the 7th years began to actually consider what they were going to do in two months after school had ended. Adelbert Harper, Cade Bradley, and Baxter Stebbins had told the entire school that they would be off to the Auror academy next year. According to Dorcas, Cade's Potions note would probably make that impossible. The Appleby Arrows had come to the last few Quidditch matches and shown an interest in a few students, including James. It was rumored that William Seymour had already been recruited.

Easter holidays came and went quicker than anyone had expected. Lily spent it with James and his mother. It was in those two weeks that James' decision to ask Lily to marry him was driven home hard. His mother had given him the emerald that had belonged to his great-grandmother Potter and that matched Lily's eyes perfectly. James couldn't contain his excitement.

Sirius spent the holiday with the Meadowes' in Kent. He finally met Urania and, to Dorcas' great surprise, did not burst out laughing when she introduced herself. Although he had ducked into the loo immediately after shaking her hand and emerged ten minutes later with tears running down his face.

"Allergies," he said. Dorcas rolled her eyes.

Her parents were both at work most of the time. Both of them held high positions in the Department of International Magical Cooperation – a rather busy organization at the moment. Her brother and sister-in-law only came for a few days before they had to head back home where Milton, a member of the Chudley Cannons, had a match. Therefore, Sirius and Dorcas had the house all to themselves almost every day.

"It's great, isn't it?" Sirius smiled; his arms wrapped around Dorcas on a sunny mid-morning near the end of holidays. "James just won't stop grinning."

"Yeah," Dorcas said. "It is wonderful. They'll be really happy."

He squeezed her closer to him and she closed her eyes in the comfort of it all.

"Sirius?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think is going to happen after school ends?"

He nuzzled up against her shoulder. "I haven't really thought about it. I guess I'll go work at the station with James. We'll be in charge of it, you know."

Dorcas took a big breath. "Yeah, you told me. But I meant, what's going to happen with us?"

Sirius shrugged and kissed her neck. "Don't know. I haven't really thought about it. Why?"

"No reason."

"Ok," he kissed her again and Dorcas hesitated. Then she turned, smiled softly, and kissed him on the lips.