The final year was busy as most of the group worked hard to finish up their entire school career.

Lily and Lupin worked the hardest, both intending to go back to school for different reasons. Lily wanted to go back to school in Muggle London since she still had her own goals, and Lupin planned on getting qualified to teach.

Severus and Potter had plans to sell their potions off, so they didn't put as much effort into their schoolwork. Peter didn't put any effort: he didn't tell Willow why, but he seemed pretty confident about not needing it after school ended. Sirius and Willow put in an obligatory effort, but nothing beyond that. Willow had plans to work with Potter and Severus and their potions. A flash of memory of two identical red-headed boys and a shop went through him.

Willow put most of his focus on his relationship with Sirius and trying to ignore the guilt he felt about it, which was easier every day.

It was toward the middle of the year when Willow found out what his dog and rat dreams were about.

Willow looked down at Peter horrified.

"I kept you as a pet for over a year! How can you be okay with that?!" Willow just about shrieked—they were in the shrieking shack, so it wasn't a big problem. Willow, Lily, and Severus were hidden behind a magical barrier that would keep them safe from Lupin, who wanted them to know about his werewolf side.

"It's fine, you didn't know. Besides—" the boy paused, looking cautiously at Sirius, who (surprisingly) smiled comfortingly at him—"I liked being a rat. More than I like being human. I think, I'd like to be a rat most of the time," he admitted. Willow was surprised, as were Lily and Severus, but Potter, Lupin, and Sirius looked like they already knew.

"I'm surprised you didn't know," Sirius admitted while they waited for the full moon to rise.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, eyeing the boy with a frown.

"Well, Willow already knew Remus was a werewolf," Sirius told her, rubbing the back of his neck.

"He did?" Both Severus and Lily looked surprised as they turned to the red-haired boy. Willow flushed and shrugged.

"I suspected back in second-year, and he all but confirmed it when they left us alone for basically the entire year," Willow told them, refusing to look them in the eye. They would have continued, but Lupin warned them of the rising moon.

Before their eyes, Peter, Sirius, and Potter turned into a rat, a dog, and a stag respectively.

It took a minute longer before the full moon's effects hit Lupin and he turned too.

Willow was amazed, but also had a feeling like he had seen all this before:

A large looming figure howling at the moon, leg throbbed in pain, long black hair falling down a strong back as a man protecting him, a large rat scurrying away, a hospital bed and the reminder that he couldn't help anyone.

Willow pushed the thoughts from his mind when Sirius yipped happily and jumped around like an excited puppy. Seeing the other boy as a small black puppy was different and he felt the wrongness, but he also felt relieved, this boy was not a starved grim growling angrily at the world.

Potter and Peter helped Lupin stay calm while Sirius ran around excitedly until they all fell asleep.

With everyone asleep, Willow was left alone with his thoughts, unable to sleep, Severus and Lily curled together and into his side. He stayed awake until the sun came up and Lupin changed back, now curling into a pile surrounded by the animals that were their friends.

Willow just lay there, trying to forget the world, still unable to fall into the blissful peace of sleep.

"This is it," Willow commented, looking at his sister. They would be leaving on their train soon. For the last time.

Lily was now happily engaged to Severus, who proposed on the last day of actual class, kneeling outside her classroom after the last class let out. Willow and Sirius had plans to move into a small flat in London, helping Potter sell some products he created over the school year (including a hair tonic to tame wild locks).

Lupin would be going back to school to be able to teach at Hogwarts, and Peter would be living with Willow and Sirius as their pet rat. Everything was planned. Willow just wished it didn't feel so empty.

"Yes," Lily agreed before following him onto the train.

Getting off the train for the last time was bizarre.

The first thing that happened was Willow and Lily being waved down by Billius Weasley, followed closely by a family of five that looked painfully familiar.

"Hey, Evans! Look, over here!" Billius cried as he waved and struggled past the crowds to get to them. Lily ended up grabbing Severus and Willow grabbed Sirius as the twins made their way to the older redhead.

"Evans, this is my older brother Arthur and his wife Molly. Their children, Little Bill—sadly not named after myself, I'll get him to realize my name is great soon enough; little Charlie, my little dragon hunter; and baby Percival, isn't he cute?" Bilius babbled, holding out a baby that had the same bright shade of hair as Willow himself.

Willow was startled when he felt the hot tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Willow?" Lily asked quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Willow looked at her blurry face feeling helpless, the tears refused to stop.

"He was adopted," he heard Bilius whisper to his brother, "he get's very emotional around families," the man finished matter-of-factly. Willow ignored him, handing the cage that held Peter to Sirius and taking the baby in his arms.

He brushed the red hair out of the baby's face and saw an overlay of a man's face, black glasses falling off his nose as he looked up at Willow with a pinched face. Willow blinked and was looking at the peaceful face of a sleeping baby.

"He's beautiful," Willow choked out before handing the baby back. Forcing a smile on his face, Willow crouched before Bill and Charlie, the latter of the two still glaring at his uncle.

"Hello, my name's Willow," he introduced, holding out his hand. Bill, ever the responsible one, took his hand and shook. He was adorable this young, nothing like the scared and dead man in his dreams. Willow ignored that thought.

"I'm gonna be a goblin when I grow up," Bill told him professionally. Willow chuckled.

"Of course. What better career than Goblin?" Willow asked as seriously as he could. Bill grinned at him.

"You'll need to learn goblin speak, and maybe French," Willow continued, which made the boy's smile vanish, "but I think you can do it. You're a smart kid. I can see it," he finished, earning an even brighter grin.

With that, he turned a bit to Charlie, who was looking a bit giddy.

"I want to train dragons!" he exclaimed happily, his eyes bright. Molly made a sound of exasperation.

"Oh? Well then, I do hope you wear the proper protection, don't want you to get singed on the job," Willow told him. Molly did not look happy about that.

"You know, I'm sure you could become known as the safest, most amazing dragon trainer on earth if you try hard enough," he told him. Charlie grinned up at him, his little face making his heart hurt.

"Yeah!" Charlie cheered, quickly joined in by Bill, who was just as happy about being able to be a goblin. Willow stood and lost his breath. Arthur and Molly stood before him, both shorter than him but still large presences.

"Well, now how are we going to comfort them when they realize they can't do any of that?" Molly asked, looking down at her kids sadly.

"As a mother of seven, you learn that with these children, anything is possible," Willow heard floating in his memories.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. You have a few years yet Mrs. Weasley," Willow told her kindly. She smiled up at him and readjusted Percy in her arms.

"We just came as a favor for Molly's parents to pick up little Gideon. Old chap is an adult now. Small Ravenclaw in your year, know him? Gideon Prewett."

Willow froze when he heard that, fleeting memories of his mother telling him about his troublemaking uncle's Fabian and Gideon Prewett who got into trouble they couldn't get out of.

Then it was gone and he was standing before the family of redheads, looking at a boy a year or so older than him who was scanning the crowds behind him before stopping, grinning, and waving at someone.

"This is Arthur's brother in law, Molly's brother Fabian. He came with to pick up Gideon." Looking behind him, he noticed another red-headed man making his way over, waving just as frantically as the one before him. Severus and Lily started talking to Molly while Sirius and Potter (who had wandered over after saying goodbye to his parents) took Arthur aside to ask him about Merlin knew what.

So, Willow was left talking to Bilius while Fabian and Gideon greeted each other. It was pretty domestic and he would say so later as well, but it was good. In fact, it was perfect.

And, that was all for this story. I am saddened. So, I've written the outline for the sequel. It's basically how the series would go with a little interference from Willow. Pairings for sure, Willow/Sirius and Severus/Ron.

The other pairings are up for debate, Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny pairings are in a poll on my bio. They are all straight so there's that.

I'll be rereading some of the books, so it'll be a while before the sequel comes out. Please vote!

I hope to see you guys for the sequel!

Mars