Hey, second chapter. I was astonished by people following my story. Especially the great reviews! You all are so great already! Thank you! Critique kindly but voice what you think. I hope I did a good Remus, that is how I envision him myself. Kind and frazzled, his weakness is desperately wanting to be liked and you'll see that as the fanfic progresses. I also see him seeing too much good in people just like Albus, which is something that is going to clash with Severus. This took a bit of time, I wanted to publish this on Monday but I really struggled in some aspects of this chapter. Sorry for droning on, I am sure you wanna read this.

I don't own any of the characters I'm writing or making any money. Strong language warning. I'm starting with a Remus point of view before going back to Severus, I will probably have a lot of those throughout the story. I'll warn you when I do.

Remus had no idea how he had ended up in his parents home, or how he was suddenly twenty-four years in the past. The first thing he had done when he had woken was panic, wondering where Nymphadora and Teddy were.

"Dora? Teddy?" he questioned softly in a whisper.

He sat bolt upright, looking wildly around the room. Expecting to see the plain bluish walls in St Mungos, where else would he go if he had survived the battle? He was surprised to be greeted with his soft forest green walls of his childhood bedroom. This baffled him greatly as he had not had this room in over a decade. He gaped, looking around at the worn walls full of pinholes from the posters scattered about it.

He remembered dismantling it when he had decided that he couldn't keep burdening his father with his dangerous presence. Many tears were shed at the time, his mother gone and his friends accompanying her. So how the hell had his room become this again?

Remus slowly shook himself out of his blankets. "Nymphadora..?" He called softly as if this was some kind of illusion. To make him feel at home, and then pull the rug underneath him.

He waited with bated breath, only to be met with silence.

Nothing.

No Nymphadora yelling at him for using her full name. No Teddy crying for attention.

What the hell was going on? Where was his family? As far as he remembered that Nymphadora's mother, Andromeda, had Teddy and he was safe. So where was his wife? They had been battling at Hogwarts when he had lost sight of her, and then he had started to duel Antonin Dolohov. He was a skilled dueler and Remus had been trying his best to fight against him, but he had proved too powerful for him. Too sadistic. It wasn't like he was a skilled dueler himself. He used his magic for hiding his family and defending, he hadn't used his time to perfect and hone his duelling skills. It proved a nearly fatal mistake, he supposed, and he knew he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

He grumbled as he rubbed at his eyes only to look around again as if that would solve his problem. When nothing changed he took a tentative step forward only to be distracted by a slight glare of light. Remus turned, confused when he caught sight of his worn mirror. He let his mouth fall open in starstruck horror when he found his features to be young with fewer scars than he ever remembered it to be.

Remus walked forward, his steps cautious and slow. He ran a hand down his face, amazed by the lack of his small and less noticeable flaws. The scars he had gotten over the years when he had been alone in his transformations and his grief were gone as if they had never even happened.

He ran his finger delicately across the largest scar down his face and over his nose. He moved to the one that ran down one side of his lips, deforming them at the edges. He had always hated it because all the scars added up, and he felt like he was completely deformed. Not even seeing Alastor Moody's face helped his self-image, the man had gotten those scars doing something admirable. Remus only had the scars because he was a werewolf, that wasn't admirable. It just showed how he maimed and self-mutilated when he transformed into the beast.

Remus sighed, his body creaking as he let out the air in his lungs. He looked away and ignored those thoughts as he tried to make sense of the situation. He wasn't an adult anymore, that much was obvious. He could only speculate his age though, he didn't exactly remember what he had looked like each year he had been alive. It just grouped in his mind and blurred as the years went by.

If he could figure out how old he was maybe it could tell him how old Nymphadora was. He had quite the number of years on her.

Where was his calendar? He always had a calendar to keep track of the moon cycle.

Remus searched in his trunk and came up dry. He was sure he had had it in there. He spent nearly a half an hour looking for it before he spotted it atop his desk. He'd simply turned red in embarrassment, wondering how he could have overlooked it so easily.

"Idiot," he muttered to himself as he picked it up and settled in his desk chair. He looked at the days crossed out and soon found the date and could only gape at it. It certainly wasn't May second anymore. The date was July 10th. How was it July 10th?! He would have just put it as he was in a coma for over a month, but that didn't explain his sudden teenage appearance or the fact that the full moon had been on the 4th. He would have transformed then, and he was sure he would've woken up for that.

He closed the calendar to check the year when he nearly fell out of his seat. "Merlin!" he cried out loud, "it can't be!"

How the hell had he gotten this far back? How was it possible?

It was 1974, and he distinctly remembered it being the 90's.

Remus set down the object and slowly rubbed his hands up and down his face. It meant that he was in his fourth year at Hogwarts, he was a fourteen-year-old boy, and his wife was an infant. Nymphadora Tonks was a mere infant! She was barely a year old. It meant that Edward Lupin didn't even exist, his son didn't exist.

It also meant that James, Sirius, and Peter were still there. Alive and breathing.

He let out an exasperated sigh, not knowing whether to be ecstatic or confused. He had his best mates back, that was the best thing anybody could have ever given him. It also meant that the first war was already looming. Did he have to go through it again?

Remus stood up when he realised something. He could change the way things had gone, he could save his friends. He didn't have to be alone again. He didn't want to be alone, living over thirteen years isolated and wandering. He now had the chance to change things, it wasn't something he was going to let slip away.

He knew he was going to have to start planning soon, now, but he didn't know where to start. He knew he was going to have to change Peter's mind about joining the Death Eaters so that he wouldn't betray them as he had before. He could not hold this Peter accountable for the actions of the Peter that didn't exist at the moment. He would have to keep an eye on him though, he wasn't sure how much he did trust him anymore. Not after everything.

He would have to build up his skills better so that he could go against a crazed and deadly Death Eater, he wasn't about to just let himself die because he wasn't fast enough to throw up a protego.

He could also try and build up his potions skills, he was terrible - he came to an abrupt stop in his thoughts when he pictured Severus' robes billowing out of his quarters, a snarky attitude being thrown into them, after giving him his wolfsbane.

Snape! He would be a good asset in the war, he realised, but he wasn't exactly sure how to go about doing that. If he was honest, the Order needed him. He had prevented a lot of things from going awry with his cunning thinking and his information.

He would have to find a way to get him to join the Order before considering the Death Eaters. That was it! If they could get rid of the desire to join them for him maybe they could avoid him becoming a traitor this time around.

He knew there was a good man deep inside the snarl and bite, but he was locked up and had rarely seen the light.

Remus sighed for what seemed the twentieth time the past hour, maybe he was wrong. Severus had betrayed the Headmaster once, who was to say he wouldn't do it again? Albus Dumbledore had trusted the man more than anyone that he had seen. He trusted Albus' judgement as Severus had proved several times he was a brave and intelligent man.

He didn't know how Severus had killed Albus. He still didn't understand how he could have done it after everything they had done.

He wanted to change that, he knew they could use more people skilled in potions for when the battles finally broke out. When the war finally broke loose.

He wasn't sure how he was going to convince a teenage Snape to join the Order instead of being tempted by the dark magic You-Know-Who would have to offer. The only person he knew who could have the chance to pull Severus on the right path was Lily, and she had tried as hard as she could before her friendship had ended with him.

That was it, he was going to have to get Lily and Severus to stay friends! It was the only chance they had to pull him into the Order. He was sure of it.

Lily was a good friend of Remus' even before she had finally given James the chance. She was a good friend to sit and quietly do homework with, and he had even studied with Severus before he had become friends with his best mates. He was quiet and snarky, but he wasn't cold-hearted.

He had a lot to think about. Remus was going to have to find a way to make his mates be more civil towards Snape. Why would he want to join when they were going to? He probably wanted to hex their faces off.

He wasn't making a good case already, was he? How the hell was he supposed to do any of this?

Remus had no idea how he was going to get James or Sirius to give Snape a reasonable glance. It wasn't like they listened to his advice most of the time. If he could get them acting nice, just civil, to him, he was sure Peter would follow suit. Then he would have Peter to mould and shape into a better man.

Guilt was already setting itself into his chest, and he took a deep breath. How was he going to do any of this? How could he just think to manipulate them like that, he had no clue.

If he couldn't, what was going to happen? God, he was foolish, he was sure of it.

He just needed more time to think, that was it. He could get this plan in action, he could.

Remus hurriedly grabbed his journal, opening it and began scribbling inside it. He couldn't back down if he had some sort of idea of how his ideas would be for the greater good. He would be a coward if he couldn't think of something, he would have the chance to change the fate of the war. If he didn't get some sort of plan what good would it be to send him back?

He was just a cowardly boy who desperately wished everyone liked him. He hated to admit it, but he needed to toughen up this time around or nothing was going to change. If nothing changed, he was going to find himself in the battle of Hogwarts again. Fighting someone he knew he was going to lose against.

Remus shuddered to think of that happening. He shut his journal once his train of thought ended, and clambered towards the door. He needed some air to get his thoughts sorted.

He left his room quietly, a trail of doubt being left behind him, travelling downstairs while taking in the home he was so familiar with. It brought an ache to his heart as he realised that he had been homesick for a very long time. He made it to the bottom of the stairs when he was bombarded with his father's voice.

"Finally awake I see!" he exclaimed, appearing from behind Remus. He had probably followed him down without Remus realising.

He jumped, spinning around to face him. He could only take in his father's younger face with surprise, it wasn't as wrinkled with worry and stress. Lyall had always been stressed over things regarding Remus and that had not changed. Though what his father had been stressed about when he had last seen him was going to be very different now. They had all been stressed and scared as the second war raged on, and hiding only added to it. He wasn't about to let his father be whisked away to Azkaban for once loving his mother, so he had done everything in his power to hide him away with the rest of his remaining family.

"Remus? Are you alright?" his father's voice asked, snapping him from his deafening thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry, had an odd dream," he lied with a murmur, wondering if he was lying or not.

Lyall nodded, patting his arm comfortingly. "Alright," he spoke up as he slid around Remus, "well let's go help mum with breakfast. I think she is making your favourite."

Remus stopped in his step, gobsmacked. All of his earlier thoughts just seemed to dissipate. His mum? He had almost forgotten about her because it hurt him to think about her. He blamed himself for her weakening health because she had to worry about his well-being.

"A, Aubergines?" he questioned with a shake to his voice.

This made his father turn around, giving him a concerned look. "Yes, fried aubergines with a rasher of bacon and eggs...are you sure you're alright, lad?"

"Yes," he answered, hurrying past Lyall and into the kitchen before his father could say anything else. He wanted to see his mother, he needed to see her. He wouldn't believe she wasn't gone until he saw her.

He stopped in shock when his mother came into view, she was brewing the morning coffee just like she always did. He had always tried to get up with her so he could help out and spend the early hours of the morning with her. They always talked about and shared anything that came to their minds, even if they were minuscule.

Her name resonated inside him as he stared at her. Hope, it seemed like she had taken that with her when she left all those years ago.

She turned, sensing his presence. "'Lo Remus, how did you sleep?"

"Mum," he murmured with a voice full of tears, unable to keep his emotions in check.

Hope stared at her son, confused to see his eyes brimming with tears. "What's wrong, Luv?"

Lots of things, but he couldn't tell her that.

Instead, he just shook his head. He headed right towards her and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Remus," she said, hugging back and soothingly rubbing his back, "did you have a bad dream?"

Remus could only nod, knowing he was lying once again. Though doubt began to creep in his mind and he wondered if everything had just been a bad dream. Some sort of sick and twisted dream.

Severus found he regretted getting dragged in Holiday with the Evans. He found himself subjected to scrutiny from Petunia more times than he could count.

She wasn't as bad as his mother when he had asked her after promising Lily. She had made him listen to her do the dishes in silence for a painstaking ten minutes before turning to him. He didn't mind waiting, her menial task only reminding him of the contempt he held for his father. He wished that she would just pull out her wand and finish it in seconds. His father was nowhere near the home. Severus vaguely wondered if she was afraid that he would show up randomly and beat on her for using her wand.

Severus' mind wandered, having pleasant fantasies of his father going missing never to be seen again. How free his mother would be, and maybe this time she would find her strength and truly care more about him. He could only scoff quietly to himself, he could wish all he wanted but nothing ever came true for him. He just had to wait for the next summer to finally be rid of his father. Good riddance.

"Why?" Had been the first thing she had asked since the silence began, she didn't give him much of a glance and turned back to her next task.

"They've invited me," he replied calmly, but inside he was growing irritated now. He never remembered it being this difficult before, she was usually glad to get him out of the house.

She turned to stare at him, wiping a plate with a rag. He could see the thoughts swirling around in her eyes, but he didn't pry or try and see them. She would probably beat him with a spoon if he tried that, and he didn't want to return to Lily covered in bruises and explaining why he can't go on holiday with her.

Swiping out her wand, she flicked it and the dishes began to dry and put themselves away. "Shirt," she ordered plainly, "off."

Severus stared at her, happy she had finally decided to use her magic, but not registering at first why she had ordered that. She took it as defiance rather than confusion, giving him a slight glare. He didn't get time to question it when she waved her wand again, his shirt flying off of him.

"Mum!" he cried with annoyance, his wand in his hand and pointing at her out of reflex, "what the hell?"

"Cheek," she said with a flick to his forehead. She snatched the shirt from out of the air and set it down on the table. Ignoring the way his wand was pointing at her she dug in the cupboard and brought out her potions sack. She came back over to him and inspected his chest and back while he sat fuming.

"If you're going," she started, rummaging and pulling out the bruising balm, "be quiet and obey me, it won't make you explode."

He had the urge to roll his eyes but refrained. He had forgotten about the lingering bruises on his body, it wasn't like he cared that he had them in the first place. Severus sat quietly and let his mother work, silently wishing that he was of age and didn't have to listen to her. She didn't take much care of him in the first place, he could only wish she did.

When she finished she put his shirt back on, much to his irritation, and gave him a simple nod. What took him for surprise was when she pressed a light kiss to his forehead before going off to do another task.

It was enough for him, and he soon found himself settled in the Evans vehicle feeling cramped and nauseous. They didn't once question the way his nose now sat crooked and slightly swollen, and he assumed that Lily had told them not to. He could always fix it with a swipe of his wand and forget the whole ordeal had ever happened, but he knew that the crookedness gave him an upper hand to many situations. It showed he had fought, even if in truth he had just been beaten, and he could play it off like he had won a fight and it was his trophy. He had done it in the past to intimidate the weakest of people. It wasn't like he cared what he looked like.

He hadn't been in a muggle vehicle in years, and he had not planned to ever be in one again. He was sick the whole ride, trying to refrain from sicking up. He would have stayed silent if Lily had not kept pulling him into the conversations, which he replied with short and polite answers. He would keep his snark for Petunia and wouldn't dare direct it towards the Evans.

When they had finally arrived, he had promptly been dragged around everywhere by Lily. Who had decided that he needed to see every bit of the seaside town she could think of. She took him to stalls and even made him try on a few things despite his vocal disliking of it. Though he would not let her think about buying him anything. They were somewhere in-between Blackpool and Liverpool, he didn't care to recall the name, and Lily found it the most interesting place. He wasn't even sure why, but he enjoyed her enthusiasm and giddiness. It was refreshing.

It had only been dampened by her sister's constant remarks at him, which would annoy both him and Lily. Though he wasn't the one who showed it.

"I don't know why mummy and dad let you of all people come with us," she remarked in the evening after the day's events as they all sat and waited for Mr and Mrs Evans to return with the fish and chips. Severus had a few pounds saved up that he brought with him after sorting them from his galleons; he wasn't about to let Lily's parents pay for anything for him if he could help it. So when they left the shop he left a few quid as a tip without them noticing.

"Tuney, stop it," Lily snapped back before Severus could answer, "can we just enjoy the holiday? Is that so much to ask for."

"I would enjoy it if he wasn't here," she sniffed, ignoring them for the rest of the evening. He refrained from talking, knowing he would lash into her without control. He refused to let his control slip and would wait for the right moment to say something cold.

The encounter left him wishing to pull out his wand and say a simple Silencio on the blonde so the trip would be more enjoyable. The thought of her not even being there made him smile only to have the gears in his head start turning as another thought came to mind. He may not be able to improve his relationship with Petunia, but maybe he could think of something to help lessen the contempt between the two sisters. It was what Lily deserved, he could see how it affected her when Petunia held her with contempt. He didn't care what she thought of him, but it truly affected Lily. He could see the slight frown and dip of her eyebrows when Petunia made harsh comments at her, the sadness only building up in Lily's eyes.

He began to contemplate it as they headed back towards the place they were staying, he was confined to the couch, but it was honestly more comfortable than his bed at home. It was soft and reminded him of the time he had fallen asleep grading on Minerva's couch in her office after a particularly swamped day. She had offered him some tea and company, and he had taken it. When he had woken up he found himself wrapped up in a thick red blanket. The memory pained him but brought a small smile to his lips. She had been a sanctuary to him when he had first started teaching at Hogwarts, but how easily it had gone to hell hurt to think about. It wasn't like it was to ever occur again. It spurred the thought of how alone he had been the last year he had been at Hogwarts as the new Headmaster.

Severus could only shiver at the memories, unwilling to relive them. They were too fresh of wounds, and they were going to sting when he found his way back to Hogwarts for his fourth year. He chose to mask it so he could focus on the memories of the day instead. He was supposed to be in a better mood, he wanted to be. He sat on the mentioned furniture and listened to the conversation until he was pulled in unwillingly.

"How's today been for you all?" Mr Evans asked when they all settled down, he sat at the table stirring a cup of tea.

"Wonderful, dad!" Lily gushed as she sat down next to Severus, "me, Sev and mum found the most brilliant things in the shops."

Petunia rolled her eyes at her comment, earning a glare from her parents and Severus, Lily frowned. "Well I had a great time with dad," she stated with a sniff, "we found all sorts of jewellery and pretty things."

"What about you, Severus?" Mrs Evan asked, making sure he was not excluded from the conversation. He wished to be despite her efforts to keep him from being the awkward outcast in the room.

"Wonderful," he calmly replied, then adding in as a slight tease, "Lily thought I had to try on everything though."

"Hey, you looked pretty good in that turtleneck!"

"I must agree with Lily, Severus," Lily's mother giggled slightly, "you did look quite handsome."

Severus' ears pricked as his eyebrows raised in surprise before he could stop them. The rest of his face is still hidden behind a mask. "I suppose," he mumbled, not used to compliments. He certainly never got them. He was used to being called greasy and ugly, a dungeon bat. It was different to hear anything positive from two people he never thought he would see again.

"Well, I'm glad you are all enjoying your time," Mrs Evans said, standing up and moving towards the window. They all stayed silent for a few moments before she exclaimed, "the stars are beautiful on the sea, let's go and see them on the porch."

"Oh, stars!" Lily gushed, getting up and trying to drag Snape to his feet. Her parents were the first ones out the door, urging them all outside, but Petunia seemed to be scowling to herself and staying put where she was.

"In a second, gotta grab something," he dismissed, realising this was the chance he had been looking for for the plan he had been formulating for the past hour. She didn't dwell on it long as she gave him a slight pout and punched him on the shoulder.

"Hurry up," she complained before following her parents outside, not willing to miss spending her time gazing at the dark sky.

The second that she had gotten outside, Severus turned towards Petunia. He wanted to insult and throw snark at her for her treatment of Lily but refrained. That was not part of his plan.

"And what do you want?" Petunia snapped when she realised that his eyes were on her, "come to steal one of my blouses to wear for your own since your mum won't give you any?"

Severus narrowed his eyes when he remembered the insult she always hurled at him from earlier in his childhood. He smirked, stating, "I'm not going to drop a tree branch on you for sticking your nose in private conversations."

The comment made Petunia scowl, her face reddening in anger. "Sod off," she hissed, turning away from him. He had struck a nerve and drove a thorn into it.

"Pardon? That is not the ladylike language I am accustomed to hearing from you," he dug, but not deep enough to make her storm out and end the conversation.

"That's not a very manly haircut, is it?" she retorted, sending daggers in his direction.

Severus bit his tongue to keep from snapping back, instead, focusing on catching her off guard. "It hurts Lily for you to hate her like this."

She spun around to face him, the colour draining from her face. "How dare you-!" she spluttered, a scowl on her face.

"You'll always come first," he said with a shrug, stretching absentmindedly as he thought of what next to say and deciding he couldn't sugar coat it, "magic isn't just waving a wand around, there's those that look down upon those who are born from muggles. Me, Lily, just about anyone with any sort of muggle relations at all."

Petunia stayed silent as she took in his words, anger knitting itself in concern. She stared at him, trying to discern his words. "There is?" she questioned in a voice barely audible, and if it wasn't for Severus' good hearing he wouldn't have been able to catch it.

"Yes, it is," he shrugged, he wasn't about to lie and say it was lessening when the Death Eaters were gaining and growing every single day.

"Is she..?"

"Yes, many aren't like that, but they are there."

"Like, like racists?"

"Yes…" he had nothing else to say to her, so he turned to walk away.

"Wait!" she said, "teach me about that stuff."

Severus turned slightly, eyeing her out of the corner of his eye. "I think Lily would be overjoyed if you asked her," he stated, "I'm sure she'll make me step in and explain the stuff she can't."

With that he left the room, wondering if what he had revealed to her was truly the right thing to say. Wandering outside, he came to stand next to Lily who was leaning off the railing with a starstruck look in her eyes, quite literally.

"They're so beautiful," she said, giving him a slight glance, "look at the horizon."

Severus looked, though he could not see the beauty she saw. The stars weren't all that beautiful to him. He turned to stare at her instead when he noticed Petunia slip outside. He looked at her as she stepped up right next to the other free side of Lily.

He smirked in satisfaction, turning to stare back out at the dark sky.

The Holiday lasted for a few days more, where Lily had taken Severus to the beach where they did about everything she wanted to do. They had searched for shells, which Lily had kept all of them despite her insisting he takes a few as souvenirs. Even Petunia had joined in, even if Severus wasn't that happy about it, and the three of them had made a castle of Hogwarts, where Lily had promptly been ecstatic to tell her sister all about it. It had practically been a teenage retelling of Hogwarts A History of Magic. His plan had worked after all, but it seemed to spark some civility between him and Petunia. Which was an added surprise for him, never in a million years had he thought Petunia Evans would be nice to him. He hadn't even said much to warrant her kindness.

Then as soon as it had started it had ended. Summer seemed to take the same steps, and Severus soon found himself readying for Hogwarts faster than he had expected to.

On the last day of their summer break, he and Lily sat quietly under their tree, enjoying each others' company in silence.

"Sev?"

"Lily?" he reflected, glancing over at her. She dug through the satchel she had brought with her.

"So I know how you didn't want any of the shells we found," she started, pulling out a small box, "but Tuney and dad got an idea and I helped to make you something."

"Pardon?" he asked, "what do you mean? It's not my birthday, you don't have to get me a gift."

"But I wanted to, it's like a friendship token," Lily argued, shoving the box into his hands, "Tuney had to wrap it up precisely because she didn't like my colour scheme."

This hadn't happened before, he thought. He would've remembered something like this clearly, it wasn't often people gave him gifts.

"What colours was it?" he asked teasingly, gently turning the wrapped box in his hands. It was green with a purple bow.

"Green and pink."

"I apologise," he smirked, "but I agree with Petunia. That is a horrid pair of colours."

"Berk," Lily grumbled, "open it! Come on, it matches mine."

"Matches what?"

"Just open it!"

Obeying, Severus gently tore at the paper and set it down next to him. Opening the box, he found a small shell connected to a long chain. Pulling it out and inspecting it. It was a scotch bonnet shell that they had found together. He smiled, though it was more of a smirk than anything. He had never expected something like this. He ran his finger down the shell, taking in the texture.

"Put it on," she urged as she pulled her necklace out of her shirt where she had hidden it. It was the same type of shell, but a different pattern and size.

He brought it over his head, and let the shell sit against his chest. "Thank you," he expressed, knowing he was going to cherish the gift for the rest of his life.

"We both got one to remember how good of friends we are," she explained, a large smile on her face, "you're my best friend, Sev."

"As you are mine."