Hello Everyone! I hope you liked the changes I made for the last chapter. Here's the poll results so far:

Remus: 4
Severus: 2
Sirius: 6

Also, there's only a bit of time left to submit an answer to the poll. Now, on with the chapter.

Occasionally, I sent letters. Occasionally, I stopped by and watched them, not telling them I was there. Occasionally, I sent Howlers to their houses. Nothing worked. I'd left later than the older Remus had said I would, so Lily's class work didn't suffer, but that was the only thing that was different from what the older Remus had told me. Peter drew away from his friends, he was hardly ever with them, Remus was even quieter than before, hardly ever speaking, Sirius and James didn't play any more pranks, didn't make any jokes, Lily didn't smile or laugh. None of them smiled or laughed anymore. Ginny was worse. She hadn't gone home, she'd grown to close to the others to do that. She'd stayed, and suffered with the rest. Ginny had lost her spark, her eyes were dead. Ara often whined to get to her, but I always shushed her. One time, they'd saw me, as I was leaving. I stopped, but didn't turn. They'd see my eyes, they'd see how much it hurt to leave. My voice would stay steady, but my eyes would give me away.

"Ella." That one voice broke my heart. A strangled whisper, as if a prayer. I swallowed heavily.

"Yes." I confirmed, still not turning.

"Ella." Another voice made me turn in surprise. Severus. I knew that they were all having a meeting at Lily and James' house, but I didn't know he was here. That was weird, James, Sirius and Severus getting along. They all looked at me in confusion, hurt and pain. Except Ginny. She looked at me in understanding. I knew what she was going to do, and I hated it.

"Ella." She said. The others backed away ever so slightly so she could be closest to me. I guessed they'd elected her as speaker. "Ella, I..." I knew then, that she'd done something forbidden in the letter I'd given her.

"What did you do?" I asked. She flinched, then lowered her shirt from her shoulder. I gasped and stumbled back.

"Ella."

"I told you no, Abbigale." She flinched back into Remus, who steadied her without a word.

"I don't care." I blinked. She had never told me that. Not caring what I'd said. Everyone had always depended on me for my input, my knowledge. No one had ever said that, and meant it like she did.

"We have too, Puella." I flinched at the cold use of my full name coming from James' mouth. He never called me that, only Ella or Wolfpaw. I looked away and nodded.

"If that's what you want, I will oblige. See you at the end of the war, if we all make it that long." I pulled the Marauder signature from me wrist and threw it to James. He caught it, surprised. I kissed Abby's cheek, then spun away.

"Ella, what are you doing?"

"Leaving."

"Why?"

"Don't you remember the Marauder code? 'If or when there is such a time when one Marauder is no longer welcome in house or group, another will name the Marauder something else except for their common name, a playful name, or their nickname.' My common name is Ella. James has spoken. I'm leaving now."

"No!" I turned to see James thinking hard. His face lit. "Wolfpaw, Wolfpaw, Wolfpaw! Ella, Ella, Ella!" I hid a grin at his obvious exhaultation. I rolled my eyes.

"Had to think about that one, huh Jamie?" He flushed.

"Not everyone memorizes rulebooks, Els." Sirius said, affection clear in his voice. I grinned lightly.

"You'd have to know them to break them, Siri." His face lit in the first grin I'd seen from any of them since I'd left two months ago. I sighed in sadness.

"You're not back to stay." Remus commented, his first words since I'd come. The others looked shocked, like they hadn't even considered the possibility. I nodded.

"You weren't even supposed to see me today. I check on all of you, every once in awhile. I send letters and howlers also, in case you hadn't noticed. I have to be the one to end this, and I can't take you all with me."

"You were there." Lily whispered. "At our wedding, you were there. I heard Ara, but I thought I was imagining it." I looked away and nodded.

"I wouldn't have missed it. Ara misses all of you so much. Everytime I bring her she purposely makes some sort of noise to see if you'll come check and find us. I shush her, but the damage is already done."

"Damage." I flinched at the cold tone.

"Damage. Up until this point, I'd done it secretly and I hadn't wished for you all to know that I was here." I confirmed.

"Ella. Don't." I looked to Ginny and sighed.

"It's..."

"It is not. How many are left, Ella? How many?"

"I've got four of the five. One's left." She sucked in a breath.

"It's almost over." She whispered. I nodded.

"It's almost over."

"Three years left. Merlin, you did it!" My eyes narrowed.

"No, I haven't. I've gotten four, there's one left, plus I've got to kill him. The last one will be easy, but I've still got to kill him." Ginny nodded, but still looked exhaulted.

"What are you two talking about? Four of five? Three years? Last one?" I paled at Remus' voice. It was a voice I recognized from my third year. I glanced outside and gasped.

"Abby, transform now." I whispered. She did so without question. "Everyone else better do so as well." I said before transforming. That was when the moonlight hit him. The clouds had been moving away from the moon when I glanced outside. Everyone transformed as he did. The Marauders had obviously taught Severus, who flew around the room in his raven form. Lily was a doe, Ginny a fox. I howled and Remus did so as well. 'Pack brother,' I said in wolf language. 'I mean no harm, neither do the others, but you must curl up and lay down until the moon goes.' His eyes narrowed and he sniffed me. He sensed no harmful intentions.

'Why do you ask this of me, pack sister?' He asked.

'Our pack mates could be hurt and the prey will run if we give chase tonight. Let us go another night." He nodded and curled up. I turned to normal at the same time as Ginny and we put a strong sleeping spell on him. One of us wouldn't have been able to do it alone, but together it worked and he fell asleep. The others transformed back. "I've stayed too long. I'll see you when this war is over. If I don't survive, just know that I love you all. If that does not satisfy you, a package will be delivered to each of you upon the event of my death. If I die, the package will be delivered. I ask that you not open the packages at the same place, as each of you will have something that belongs to you and only you. Tell him for me, will you? Also, tell him, I'm sorry. I can't explain now. At then end, if I'm still alive, maybe." Before anyone could object, I transformed and leaped out the window. I apparated to France, and then to my home. They wouldn't be able to check the records of Apparition in France, so I was safe.