Remus arrived back at the capitol a month later. It hadn't been easy getting the Knight Bus to come back to the planet but he had managed. To his surprise some of Dumbledore's contacts were at Leaky when he arrived. They called themselves the Order of the Phoenix and they had resolved to carry on without Dumbledore. They secured safe transport back to the capitol for him and the cure.
The trip still lasted weeks and he spent most of it trying to cope with the loss of Sirius and failing. He had only just got him back. It wasn't fair. He felt like the universe had betrayed him. But at least he had the cure and as long as he had that there was still some hope.
A shuttle dropped him off in front of the palace where he met a handsome dark skinned man he was told ahead of time was named Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Hello, Mr. Lupin. I believe you have something for me," Kingsley said. He had a commanding and yet calm air to him that really appealed to Remus.
Remus slowly walked over to Kingsley and pulled out the vial and set it in his hand. Kingsley looked at it and smiled, clearly pleased.
"You could've just taken it yourself," Kingsley said.
"My lover died for this cure. I would never besmirch his memory by wasting it on myself," Remus said.
"Nevertheless, I'll be back with a vial for you as soon as we can replicate it. We'll have our best people on it," Kingsley said. Remus just nodded. Suddenly, something on Kingsley's body beeped and he pulled out some goggles from his pocket and put them on his head, walking away from Remus for the moment. In a moment, Kingsley seemed very excited about something and then pulled off the goggles and walked back to Remus.
"Mr. Lupin, I have some good news. The war is over. Voldemort is dead," Kingsley said.
Remus smiled and said, "That's amazing. What happened?"
"It was Prince Harry Potter! He defeated him… though sadly it appears he has perished too, though we haven't exactly found a body," Kingsley said. The happiness Remus felt quickly dissipated. Lily and James son was dead. Sirius's godson was gone. Remus had hoped this war would spare him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin but I must go now. There is much to do. I will be in contact!" Kingsley said then got onto the same shuttle Remus had just got off of.
It was two months before Kingsley returned on the night of a full moon. Remus had hardly left the cottage since then. All the pain was too much for him. Sirius gone forever. Harry dead as well. The only ties he had to the beautiful years with his friends before the war broke out were now gone.
"Hello again, Mr. Lupin," Kingsley said.
"Hi. Call me Remus if you like," Remus said. Kingsley smiled and extended a hand that had a vial of the cure in it.
"I believe this belongs to you," Kingsley said. "And from what I can see it's just in time." Remus merely nodded.
"Well, I'll let you take it in privacy. I must go. It was good seeing you again, however briefly. I am sorry it took us this long and until this moment," Kingsley said.
"It's okay," Remus said. "I've lived with this all my life."
Kingsley smiled and said, "Goodbye, Remus."
"Goodbye," Remus said and shut the door.
After the door was closed Remus sighed. He then walked over to the kitchen sink, opened the vial and poured it down the drain. Remus was no longer interested in being cured. In truth, without Sirius the only thing he had left was the wolf and when he transformed it was the only time he didn't feel pain.
Remus knew that someday he might transform and never be able to transform back. While he waited for the Knight Bus on the werewolf planet he talked to villagers who told tales of older werewolves who eventually changed and never changed back. They ended up running off into the wilderness. In truth, most died early deaths as most people's bodies weren't strong enough to handle the transformations beyond middle age.
Remus left the cottage and headed back up the path to the palace. Once inside the palace he went back to the throne room and removed his robes. As the transformation began Remus though of Sirius. He pictured himself in warm and in bed with Sirius, both of them healthy and happy. He would do this every transformation knowing that one day it might be his last thought.