Silence. It was all Harry heard. It was suspicious enough as it was, especially since Barty had came earlier on and then disappeared. But that had been the only sound Harry had heard last…Barty's retreating footsteps.

He wanted to laugh. The look on Barty's face when he had punched him had been priceless…but then…it had turned…. turned to something darker, pleased, and almost…happy.

Harry frowned to himself. Whatever Barty had been thinking, it hadn't been good. That was for certain. He just wished he knew what was going on downstairs….

He slowly stood up, and made his way across the room, heading towards the door, deciding he needed to get out of this room.

But something made him freeze. What was that?

It sounded like humming at first, and as Harry listened more carefully, he could make it out as chanting….

He raised his eyebrows in fear and confusion. The Death Eaters had to be the ones doing this. This was no rescue mission for him. He should stop dreaming…stop hoping.

Besides, would he go with his rescuers if they came to get him? Would he break the deal he had made with Voldemort… If he did, he could almost see the future deaths of those he loved and cared for.

He shook his head furiously, trying not to allow tears to well up in his eyes.

It was true though…he wouldn't go with them, even if they did come…even if they did find him…

He sighed to himself, breaking the silence in the room, before reaching out for the door handle and turning it.

A small, sharp zap erupted from the handle, and Harry pulled his tingling hand back, mouth open, eyes wide as he stared at the thing.

The handle had just zapped him. Talk about unusual…

He cautiously moved his hand back, and quickly grabbed the handle again, desperately trying to open the door. But to no avail. In an instant, his hand was shocked, and he gasped with pain, frowning.

Okay, that wasn't normal.

He warily took a step back, almost expecting another harmful beam to come out and attack him. He stood for a moment watching it, before heading forward to grab it yet again…

The words of Albus Dumbledore suddenly entered his head, and he let his hands fall to his sides.

"Anyone can make a mistake. A fool insists on repeating it."

He grimaced at himself. He was now a fool. No change there.

He tilted his head to the side, not allowing past memories to access his mind, before running a hand through his hair and sitting back on his bed, head in his hands.

Voldemort or the Death Eaters must have put a spell on it. They must be doing something they want to keep a secret from him.

He rubbed his eyes, feeling himself sweat at the same time. He felt nervous. Something was happening.

"The first day at Hogwarts was the most nerve-wracking of my life…everything from the train to the castle itself…"

Remus paused as Sirius frowned at him.

"But it can't have been! You were friends with us!"

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, turning away.

"Look, I don't think I can do this…I'm not sure if-"

Sirius bit his lip, and grabbed Remus.

"No," he said slowly, "Please...carry on…I wont interrupt…"

"That much. I wont interrupt that much." He added, then he flashed that boyish grin of his…but for once in his life, Remus didn't give a small smile back. Instead, Remus cast his eyes downward.

"As I was saying…even when I met you and James…and Peter, it was still nerve-wracking…if anything, worse. By meeting you, I had just endangered myself…If you had found out what I was…who I am…"

It was Sirius's turn to sigh. He gently punched his friend on the shoulder, in a light manner.

"We did…and you didn't endanger yourself. Just imagine, if I hadn't met you…who would have forced me to get good grades in lessons? If you hadn't, I wouldn't have made it in the world."

Despite himself, Remus gave a small chuckle and nodded slightly, causing Sirius to grin even wider, and sit up more straight, like a lost puppy now found.

"…Making friends with all of you was…fantastic." Remus admitted. "But I couldn't ever relax. I was in constant fear of you discovering me. The consequences would have been disastrous. I wasn't just quiet because I was shy, or liked reading a lot…it was because I was afraid. But, the good thing was, you all seemed to take me for granted like that, and that kept me reasonably happy…"

"Reasonably?" questioned Sirius, smile drooping slightly as he thought about his friend, and how the happiness Remus had always seemed to have, had never really occurred to him as fake.

Remus nodded, not making eye contact. Just staring ahead.

"When I was around all of you, I always seemed to notice that you and James were the main two. The pranksters. Peter noticed it as well. But it didn't bother me. Just having you lot as friends was…a privilege."

Sirius frowned.

"That's not true! It wasn't just me and James, you were always involved…always…"

He trailed off as he collected memories, piecing them together, trying to see what Remus could see…

Okay, maybe he and James had been the ones who pranked people, but Remus and Peter helped…they…they had…they had helped…

With a heavy heart he realised, maybe it was partly true…maybe him and James had been a bit like that…but not completely, surely…He didn't notice Remus watching him with a knowing expression on his face.

"…See?"

Sirius slowly nodded, flinching at the sound of the cold tone of voice coming from Moony.

Remus nodded as well, feeling a little satisfied with the outcome of Sirius's thinking, but not completely finished.

"When I disappeared every month, I guess it was natural that you guys got suspicious….I mean, of course it would be, I was best friends with the Marauders at the time. If I had chosen any other group, maybe it would have been different….maybe no one would have noticed…"

Remus quietened, then carried on.

"But the point is, you researched me…like a book. You spied on me…and I have to say, even though I didn't notice, it doesn't mean it was right."

Remus gulped down the harshness he was spreading to Sirius, who was looking incredibly guilty.

"When you finally confronted me…it…it was a nightmare…I could see the world crashing down around me. I couldn't believe that after all we had been through, you had finally realised. I wouldn't believe. I didn't want to think that way. But in the end, I did, and I instantly thought you would leave me…or go and tell someone else. But you didn't…it was a dream…It really was…"

Remus closed his eyes, and Sirius smiled sympathetically at his friend, feeling happier about the fact that he could have been such a miracle for Remus.

"The weeks after that were the best of my life. Even though you knew, I had nothing to fear. But then, you started to ignore me…cast me out…I thought that you finally had started to hate me for what I really was…"

Sirius frowned, and started to speak.

"We could never hate you Remus. Never."

His words hung in the air for a while, as Remus took them in, before starting to speak again.

"When you showed me that you were Animagus…it was…brilliant. I finally felt like I belonged…and now, even though I didn't want you to come, you still forced your way in, and made me even more happier than I was. I transformed with friends. I didn't feel so…lonely."

Sirius smiled at him, not noticing how Moony's eyes were getting darker and darker.

"We went on like that for a while. Until you let it slip to Snape that I was a werewolf."

Sirius froze, now remembering past events. He shakily started to begin to talk, but Remus stopped him.

"Snape almost got killed that night, thanks to you. I almost killed him. I wanted to forgive you at first, but whenever I looked at you…I couldn't stop thinking about the promise you had made….to keep my secret."

"I'm sorry, Moony." Sirius choked out, feeling upset.

Remus shrugged off his comment.

"Even James and Peter were angry. The group started to split, and, even though I was furious at you, I could see how this was affecting our friendship. The way the Marauders worked. I felt like I was the cause, and after a while, I couldn't not forgive you. You made it clear to me that you were sorry. I just didn't ever feel like I could trust you again, no matter how much I wanted to."

Remus didn't dare look at Sirius, who had flinched at every word said, and slumped his shoulders, guiltily.

"We finally left Hogwarts…our home for our childhood years. So many memories…so many things and places, and even people we knew…all gone…because we had to leave. And we couldn't ever come back. It would never be like it was before, no matter how we wished it was. We had to grow up."

Sirius tilted his head to the side, taking in the atmosphere around him.

"It was hard for me as well, Moony. Hogwarts was and always has been my home. But here we are, again, back."

Remus shook his head.

"Its different."

Sirius raised his eyebrows at him, then turned to look at the lake, allowing Remus to carry on.

"James and Lily moved to Godrics Hollow. Peter got his own place, and so did you and me. You even bought a motorbike…But we didn't spend much time at our places…it was James's place that we counted as home. And then Lily had Harry. Which just made it even better. We all took time off work to see him, watch him learn and grow."

Remus smiled at his past memories of Harry's face, and Sirius found himself also smiling at the same thoughts.

"Just like his father…" Sirius muttered under his breath, eyes glimmering slightly.

"…James wanted you to be his and Lily's secret keeper. It was fine with me. I couldn't compare with yours and James's friendship. But when you decided to swap with Peter, I couldn't help but feel curious as to why. But none of you would say. Whenever I managed to take time off work and come over, you all acted agitated and tense around me…apart from Harry of course. I didn't understand. I didn't know that you thought I was the one who was-"

"Remus! Please, don't say. We were sorry. We shouldn't have ever suspected you…it was wrong…"

"But you did." Replied Remus, sighing, "You did, and none of you trusted me anymore. I found myself becoming more distant, whilst Peter got all the more closer."

Sirius clenched his fists in anger, and Remus found himself gritting his teeth.

"When James and Lily were killed, I thought that I was in some kind of nightmare. Peter had been killed as well. You were the one who had been charged with the murders. I refused to come back to reality. Two of my friends were dead, and the other sentenced for life in Azkaban. I was alone again. I had no one. All the good memories from our past felt like stabs in the stomach whenever I dared to think of them. It was like hell. I couldn't trust anyone anymore, and I became more distant."

Remus shivered, and swallowed his emotions, not wanting to relive them. In a moment, he realised he had an arm around his shoulder. He turned to meet Sirius's cool grey eyes, watching him intently, waiting for him to carry on.

"I…I…didn't ever mention my past to anyone. I had to be interrogated, asked questions about you, James and Peter. They wouldn't leave me alone for weeks. But it made no difference. You were charged with their murders, and I had to sit by and watch you vanish from my life, just as…. just as James, Lily, and Peter had."

He tensed for a moment.

"I was alone for years. I forgot or tried to forget all about you. It scared me when I thought about you, because I knew my anger would get the better of me. In my eyes, you were the traitor, and you were the one who had ruined my life."

Sirius sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"My life had been ruined as well, Moony. Peter had framed me, and no one knew. If I told anyone they didn't believe me. I was cooped up in a dark cell. The only things that kept me alive were thoughts of revenge on the little rat…and seeing Harry and you again…"

Remus smiled slightly at his friend, but looked away, as sudden as the smile had came.

"I know. But back then, I didn't know…I was finally offered a job at Hogwarts. Defence against the Dark Arts. It felt like my first day at school all over again. It reawakened me to thoughts of my past. Of the happy times I had shared with you, Peter and James. I didn't want to go back originally. But Dumbledore tempted me. I learnt that Harry was there…and I instantly felt guilty about not seeing him. It spurred me on to going there…and I accepted. Eventually."

Remus stopped, searching through his thoughts, whilst Sirius averted his gaze to the ground. It had never occurred to him what Remus might have been through while he had been gone. He had suffered, but Remus had suffered just as much. He sighed as Remus continued.

"I met Harry on the train. At first, I went into shock. Harry looked exactly like James. I thought I was reliving past events…But when I got closer to him, I could see there was a part of Lily in him that not everyone else could see at first. I taught him, and helped him, and one day, I caught him in the corridors, the marauders map in one hand, and his wand in the other. Snape had found him. Harry gave me the map, and told me the person he had seen. Peter Pettigrew. I refused to believe it. It had to be wrong. There was no way it could have been right…but then again, the map never lied. And then…one day…the night of my transformation, I glanced the map, seeing your name on there…."

Sirius chuckled.

"Must have been a bit of a shock for you, right?"

Remus didn't laugh.

"Yes. It damn right was. I followed Harry, mostly in confusion…when I finally found all of you in the shrieking shack…I felt like killing you. And so did Harry. But then the truth made itself apparent. Everything came out, and, although Pettigrew got away that night, Harry learnt the truth…"

Remus coughed slightly, his body wracking as the small fit shook his form. Sirius tightened the grip round his friend's shoulders, and leant forward, his face worried.

"Harry wasn't the only one who got something out of that day, Remus."

"…oh yeh?"

"I got you back."

Harry's eyes snapped open, and he casually looked around, before realising where he was.

Crap…he had only closed his eyes for a second...

He sighed and stretched, not bothering to get off his bed. The handle was jinxed. He couldn't get out.

He yawned and tried to stifle it with one hand, whilst the other groped around on the beside table for his wand. His fingers finally clutched the small stick-like form of his wand, and he pulled it closer to him, feeling safer now he had it beside him.

Safety wasn't exactly going to help him now…

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then sat up in fear, hearing a knock on his door. He slowly turned his head as the door opened, and raised his eyebrows as a Death Eater entered, face concealed behind a mask, motioning for him to follow.

It was time for him to see what had been happening downstairs.

He swallowed nervously, and let a heavy breath escape him. He had to try and calm down. This was his fate. He couldn't be scared of it.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed, and stood up, not caring about the creases in his black robes. But just before he left, the Death Eater turned and pointed at something in his room.

He frowned, and turned as well, only to see the direction of the Death Eater's finger was pointing towards the silver mask.

The mask.

He looked at the Death Eater, who remained in the same position. Getting the hint, he walked over to the mask, and slowly, he picked it up, hating the cool sensation it gave him when he touched it.

"Put it on."

The Death Eaters gruff voice broke the silence, and Harry hesitantly placed the mask on his face, hating himself for it.

Something horrible was in store for him…The atmosphere felt strange… He ignored the nervous fluttering of his heartbeat and took steady breaths, trying to calm himself down, as he followed the Death Eater into the uncomfortable blackness of the night.

Authors note: Okay, heres the chapter for the week coming. I have a massive geography essay I need to get working on, and, although I find you guys important, its also important for me to get my target grade. My teacher wants everyone to reach their grade, otherwise they have to go back and do it again...after school. And it just so happens I got an stupidly high target...So, do you see my point? If I dont do it, I will have to take more time off from writing for you lot, and I love writing, so I have to give myself time. Even if I dont actually want to...

This chapter was mostly about Remus and Sirius, so I'm sorry if I disappointed any of you. I found it important to get some of the stuff about Remus out into the open, otherwise I would never get round to it. I havent checked it for grammatical errors, so please don't have a go at me, lol.

The next chapter should be in a week. In fact, it will be between 5-8 days...most probably. Not too much over a week. But I will try and get it written for you. I dont like to keep you waiting. I have the same experience myself for a lot of stories on here.

Wish me luck on my horrible essay! I hate volcanoes...OH! And before I forget, review, review, review...please. I have a target to reach 100 reviews. Hopefully, it will happen...But if not, I can live with 90... : ) Hope you liked this chappie! Until next time...

x X x gothlyssa x X x