Hi there!

It's been a little over a week, but the next chapter is finally here! Unfortunately, the rest may not come as frequently. It seems fanfic doesn't pay (who knew?) so I must get a day job (sob!). I will try to update as frequently as possible, though. Promise.

BTW: Thanks for all the reviews, they keep me writing. And, oh yes, for all those who hated the L/K thing, so did I but like I said, I had to do it. I figure after that the character has no where to go but up!

Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Nope, nope, and nope.

Chapter 14: A Grim Reminder

The sunny days of summer dwindled, while the first month of the school year passed, punctuated by another full moon. Remus, feeling a little less ill since starting a regimen of wolfsbane, instead found himself struggling with a different kind of pain.

Seeing Harry for the first time on The Hogwarts Express had been quite a shock; a shock that did not lessen each time he saw him. On the contrary, it was as if James himself lived and breathed every time the young boy walked into a room.

Even more disconcerting for Remus were the bright green eyes that peered out at him keenly from the boy's familiar face. They held the same fire as Lily's had, the same intensity and intelligence.

Remus found teaching the boy was akin to torture but he learned to soldier through. Being James and Lily's friend, he had an obligation to protect the boy. It's why he agreed to return once more to the hallowed halls of Hogwarts even though the walls, the desks, the grounds, the rooms all reminded him of the happiest time of his life.

Despite his feelings, there was nothing he valued more than teaching. It was the only thing he still enjoyed, especially since his personal life was once again in shambles.

Remus had spent the last three years in and out of work since being forced to resign his post at Beauxbatons. Although only two people in France had known his secret, it turned out it was one too many. The resident healer, Mlle Colbert, Remus had rightly guessed, had feared him and threatened to expose his status as a werewolf unless he resigned. He left France that June with a glowing letter of recommendation from the headmistress, Madame Maxime, who was truly sorry to see him go, but more embittered by the experience.

And then there was Hestia Jones.

When he returned to Britain, Hestia seemed understanding, much to his chagrin. It meant he'd really have to do what he'd been putting off – end things with her once and for all. Fortunately for him (and his cowardly ways), she gave him the speech about 'growing apart' and 'wanting different things' only a few weeks later. It seemed being attached to a man who went from professor to no prospects in such a short time put a damper on her feelings towards him. They ended the latest chapter of their relationship amicably, which, to him, was a relief.

Being out of work and out of galleons once more, Remus did the only thing he could. He went to work in the muggle world, earning just enough to get by. He also struggled with increasing pain and loss of self – control during full moons, mimicking how he felt in his daily life.

It was a low, lonely time for him. The only solace he had were Kali's letters.

She had begun to write to him soon after leaving Beauxbatons and continued steadily for a year, until her grandmother was arrested and charged. The friendship they'd begun at Beauxbatons, though tenuous, had developed by owl post. He looked forward to the letters, took comfort in them, so it was disheartening for Remus when it stopped. He had only received a handful of letters from her since, each of them vague and distant.

But now, despite the state of things, Dumbledore had given him another chance to fulfill his potential. He was determined to teach the students of his alma mater all he had learned about Defense Against the Dark Arts. Being a werewolf, he had an advantage; he was a dark creature himself and had come face - to - face with many others during his time in the Order. Even though he could hardly regale his students with his harrowing tales, he could teach them practical skills. And even though he couldn't tell Harry all about his adventures with his father, he could still teach Harry what his father hadn't been able to.

He could fulfill the promise that Sirius threw away.

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Since his escape, Sirius had traveled from the middle of the North Sea through frigid waters, across Britain to see Harry at his relatives', then to London and finally to the village of Hogsmeade, arriving just in time for the start of fall term. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to see Harry again since appearing before him as Padfoot.

It killed him to know Peter was so close to him, in the castle in Gryffindor Tower. From the The Daily Prophet clipping he kept in his pocket, he knew the red - haired middle - aged couple with the gaggle of children had been Gryffindors; he recognized them instantly though he couldn't remember their names. The black – and – white photo from the newspaper also told him that the boy with Peter the rat was about Harry's age, and, after overhearing a few key ministry members talking outside The Leaky Cauldron, he learned that he was Harry's mate. The only thought that eased his mind was that Remus was also in the castle, no doubt watching over James and Lily's son. As long as he was there, Sirius told himself, Harry would be safe.

Sirius spent his days hiding in the caves on the mountain, and skirting the village looking for any opportunity to get closer to the castle, but being a burly, black dog wasn't much better then being Sirius Black. Most villagers gasped when they saw him, or shooed him away, fearing he was a bad omen. Only a handful of witches and wizards laid out scraps for him, and the meager meals couldn't satisfy the aching hunger he'd been feeling for a dozen years.

One night, soon after the full moon, while Sirius wandered the edge of town in search of food and information, he noticed a young woman that caught his eye and aroused his curiosity. She was alone, walking down a side street towards a row of cottages. There was something about her that was at once familiar and oddly intriguing. She didn't look particularly friendly; in fact, she had a regal coolness about her that reminded him of his mother. He didn't know why, but something told him to follow her. So he did.

She lived in the last house at the end of the lane. It stood slightly apart from the others, as if shunned by the rest of the stalwart cottages, banished to the end of the line. Beyond the house was a patch of field, grown wild and abandoned over time, the edge of the forest to one side and the base of the mountain on the other. It was a house he imagined a hag would live, or some similar outcast and he imagined she was being punished for something she did in the past.

Sirius watched as she entered her home and lit candles, making the small house look alive. Curious, he snuck into the back garden and peered in through a window. The young woman, who held a somber allure, put on some music and disappeared into another room. He knew it wasn't a wireless but a record player, just like the one Remus had given him years ago when he moved out on his own. The music, too, was so familiar, and mesmerized by the melancholy notes, he laid on the back steps, curled up and promptly fell asleep.

Hogwarts, March 10, 1977.

"Go on, open it!"

Remus tore the wrapping off the birthday present patiently as his mates sat around him in the common room of Gryffindor Tower. It was his seventeenth birthday, the last he would celebrate at Hogwarts and he wanted to enjoy it. Lily sat on James' lap, watching him with anxious anticipation as he slowly unwrapped her gift. Tearing away the last scraps hastily after Sirius, losing patience, lunged for him, he held up a record.

"How's he going to listen to that here, Evans?" Sirius asked irksomely as Remus smiled and thanked her.

"He can play it when he goes home," she snapped, looking guilty moments later.

Sirius jumped up and plopped himself down beside Remus on the sofa. "What's it anyways?" he asked, pulling it out of Remus' hands to examine it.

Remus braced himself.

"Evans, are you trying to tell our mate here something?" he said with a smirk.

Peter, curious, got up, walked around behind Sirius and peered over his shoulder.

"Pink Moon?" he read aloud incredulously.

"It's a great album," Lily said earnestly.

James, Peter and Sirius all eyed each other briefly and then burst out in raucous laughter. Remus turned scarlet.

"You lot are so immature," Lily said, not really sure why they were laughing. "If any of you had a sensitive bone in your body, you'd be able to appreciate good music."

The three boys looked at each other once again and began to giggle furiously, as Remus rolled his eyes and warned, "Don't say it, Sirius!"

Sirius tried to look innocent as Lily realized that they were thinking and blushed.

"You, Evans, have a cruel sense of humour," Sirius said through fits of laughter.

James, seeing Remus' hurt expression, and sensing the tension coming off Lily, reigned in his laughter.

"Play nice, children," James chided them, a little anxious.

For James, dating Lily while being friends with the others was a delicate balancing act. Lily and Sirius had never gotten along, ever since he pulled a prank on her the first week of First Year. She seemed to view him as an arrogant jerk (which hadn't helped James' cause over the years), and little had changed since. Then there was the matter of Remus' secret. It wasn't his to tell, but he always felt a little guilty for lying to Lily once a month when Remus would disappear.

"Mine next," Sirius asserted, thrusting a badly – wrapped present into Remus' hands.

"It's the only one left, Sirius," Peter said, rolling his eyes behind the excited boy's back.

Remus, on Sirius's insistence, had opened his other gifts first. Peter, as usual, had given him a bag of chocolates and James had given him a book entitled The Wizard's Guide to Women, in honour of his reaching the age of majority, and because, according to James, after the debacle with Hestia Jones, he needed it.

As they watched him quickly tear away the wrapping (he didn't want to provoke Sirius again), their eyes widened as a leather briefcase was revealed. It was tan brown with a fine grain and attached at the top was a gold plaque that read, 'Remus J. Lupin, Professor'.

Remus was stunned.

"Doyoulikeit?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"Um, uh," he stammered, truly shocked, "it's…it's beautiful."

Sirius looked genuinely pleased.

"Hey," James chimed up, "I thought we agreed, no extravagant gifts." They had all agreed not to spend galleons on presents for each other particularly because, while James and Sirius came from wealthy families, Peter and Remus did not. He was rather annoyed with his best mate, not only for breaking the rule, but also because he'd wanted to get Remus something better. He deserved it.

Peter seemed more peeved than his mate, but didn't say a word.

"Lighten up, mate!" Sirius scoffed. "It's not like you or I will ever be 'professor'."

"Hey, how 'bout me?" Peter said, sounding hurt. "Don't I rate?"

"As a professor?" James asked amusedly, "get serious, Wormtail!"

As soon as James said it, he realized it had been a mistake. Peter forgot he was being insulted and froze, as did Remus, who forgot about the expensive gift in his hands, and Sirius, who forgot about making his usual pun.

"Wormtail?" Lily asked, brows furrowed, watching their reaction.

"Yeah," James said hurriedly, trying to sound nonchalant, "it's just a nickname."

"Yeah," Peter chimed in, trying to be helpful, "I had a…pet worm, you see, and…it had a really long tail."

James groaned inwardly, while Sirius snickered, and Remus tried to suppress a smile.

"Uh, huh," Lily said suspiciously, eyeing each of them in turn.

James, desperate to distract his girlfriend from his little slip, suddenly jumped up, causing Lily to spring off his lap. "That's it for presents, then, come on Lily, let's go!"

"Wait," she said, perplexed by her boyfriend's odd behaviour, "why are we running off?"

James searched his mind for a convincing answer. "It's a…surprise," he said, sounding unsure.

Lily seemed to melt. "For me?" she asked sweetly, forgetting her suspicions. The others rolled their eyes, amused by their mate's power over the prefect.

James led Lily away by the hand, disappearing through the portrait hole. Sirius had a look of disgust on his face.

"What do you think he's going to do?" Peter asked, as he sat in the armchair the couple had just vacated.

"He'll think of something," Remus said, still amused, "he always does."

Sirius threw a balled – up wad of wrapping paper at Peter's head, hitting him square in the face.

"Hey!" he protested, "what was that for?"

"A pet worm? Really?!"

"So," he said defensively, "it's possible!"

"Except for one thing, genius," Sirius responded, looking put out, "worms don't have tails!"

"Padfoot, wake up!"

James?

"Get up, you lazy git! It's a great day for Quidditch!"

Sirius jumped up, blinking his canine eyes and searching for James in vain. Realizing it was only a dream, he began to notice his surroundings.

Oh, shite.

He was still on the back steps of the house he'd been peering into the night before. The sun, hidden behind a row of clouds, was beginning to set. Worrying how long he'd been asleep, he started to head back through the garden towards the back gate when something caught his eye.

He noticed the young woman from the night before sitting on a bench under a large tree, watching him with interest. Frozen, he looked back at her. She continued to stare at him, her face unreadable as he stared back at her with large, glowing eyes. Minutes passed as neither girl nor canine moved. Her piercing stare disconcerting, Sirius began to panic. Suddenly, she stood and began to approach him warily.

Sirius, sensing her fear, did the only thing he could think to do. He bolted.

Days later, as he wandered the outskirts of the village once more, determined to put a newly – formed plan into action, he spotted the woman once more but this time she wasn't alone.

He almost hadn't recognized his old mate, but his distinctive, wolfish scent gave him away. Sirius was shocked by the look of him. He looked haggard, worn, old. It saddened him to think about the monthly pain his friend had to endure, which, by the look of him, had obviously worsened over the years. It was the only way to explain how a thirty – three year old man could look at least a decade older. But his empathetic thoughts were fleeting, and soon he was again focused on figuring a way to execute his plan.

He followed the pair at a distance as they walked back to the tiny house. Fortunately for Sirius, they did not enter the cottage but instead moved around to the back garden. A small, round table and set of chairs had been placed by the back door on a stone patio.

Remus sat down and waited as the young woman went into the house and came back with a large pitcher of iced tea and two tall glasses on a tray. Sirius noticed that she didn't use magic but carried them out by hand. Hidden behind a bit of overgrown shrubbery, he listened as they spoke in clipped tones and short sentences. There was a tension between them that he found curious, as Remus had almost always gotten along with people. In fact, he remembered vaguely, his mate had always been the peacekeeper.

"Have you seen Dumbledore lately?" Remus asked the young woman.

"He was here a few weeks ago," she said, pouring him another glass. "He told me all about the Halloween Feast. Apparently it's quite a thing to behold."

At the mention of the feast, memories of years' past came flooding back into Sirius' mind.

"Yes, it is," Remus answered, oddly tense. "The whole student body looks forward to it. There's a different surprise each year."

Sirius didn't hear the rest of the conversation. The mention of the Halloween Feast (his personal favourite), gave him an idea. He only needed a few things to make it work. As he sat in the bushes, watching his old mate, he suddenly knew what he had to do.

The next night, three days before Halloween, Sirius made his way back to the house at the end of the lane. As he approached, he noticed it was dark and silent. The young woman obviously wasn't home. He considered breaking in but thought better of it. He couldn't be sure what kind of security charms the cottage had placed on it, after all. Instead, he walked around to the back steps and laid down, waiting for the young woman to return.

As the night approached the witching hour, he heard the sound of a door unlocking followed by the glow of light from the windows. He jumped to his feet, peering into the window just to make sure she was alone, and then began to scratch at the door with his front paws. He could hear her approach the door from the other side and began to whimper.

The young woman opened the door slowly and looked down at him suspiciously.

"What do you want, dog?" she asked him.

Padfoot bowed his head low and continued to whimper.

"Guess you're not a Grim then," she said as she bent down and patted him on the head. He raised his head and barked, as if to say 'no'.

"You must be a stray." She stood up straight. "Come on then," she said, slapping her thigh, "get in here, you must be hungry." She turned and entered the house, Padfoot following close behind.

"First," she said, reaching up onto the highest shelf of a bookcase in the lounge, "I need to do something."

Padfoot froze as she extracted a slim wooden rod from between a neat row of books and walked towards him. At first he thought she was going curse him but realized, as she kneeled before him, she was cleaning his fur. He felt a tingling sensation from nose to paw as the mud, dirt and debris vanished and his black coat became shiny once again. He had a fleeting thought about what this magical bath would do to his human appearance as she stowed her wand back on the bookshelf and disappeared into what he assumed was the kitchen. She came back out quickly, a plate of chicken pulled off the bone in her hand.

After finishing his meal, Padfoot perched himself by the fire, watching the young woman stealthily. She disappeared and reappeared moments later with pillows and a warm, old blanket which she laid out like a bed on the hearth.

"I hope you've done your business," she said, "or it's the first and last time you'll be in this house." She laughed at herself. "Look at me, talking to a dog."

Padfoot watched as she checked the doors and walked towards the bedroom door. Stopping, she turned and with a wave of her hand, extinguished the candles throughout the room.

"I think I'll call you Snuffles," she said unexpectedly, and then entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Sirius waited patiently, listening to the slight noise she made as she got ready for bed. An hour later, all was still. After pressing his canine ear to the bedroom door and making sure she was asleep, he quietly transformed back into his human form. It was a relief to be himself once more but he realized, as he stretched his limbs, that now wasn't the time to stop and enjoy it. He made his way to the back door and slowly unlocked the back door. He reached outside, under the steps and pulled out a bundle of clothes, all stolen from the wash line of various backyards in the neighbourhood. He quickly dressed, then went straight to the top shelf of the bookcase and retrieved the young woman's wand.

"Finally," he whispered to himself as he held the short, wooden stick in his hand. Although it wasn't his, it felt good in his hand; it made him feel whole.

He smiled to himself at his first success and, distracted by details of his plan (now set into motion with the acquisition of a wand), he failed to notice that he was not alone.

Yes, it's a cliffie, sorry! Don't hate me but I had to do it. I needed to fill in the blanks for Remus & Sirius (and stick in a flashback just for fun) but worry not, the next chapter is all about daddy Pads and his spawn.

Tell me what you think, don't be shy. Just please, no flames, fire freaks me out!

Coming Soon: chapter 15: untitled - where Sirius and Kali finally meet...

Just a note: Pink Moon is an actual album, seriously melancholy, by Nick Drake (who committed suicide, so that explains it) and, yes, that's what she was listening to. Also, the tee Kali wears in the last chapter is indeed a Nirvana tee.