Disclaimer - You know, you'd think someone who wrote 51 chapters of a story would be able to come up with something original here, but... No. So, once again I say - Usual.

Chapter 51

The next morning's mail brought with it news that set the school buzzing with more rumors, stories, and theories.

Remus unfolded his copy of The Daily Prophet and immediately went slack-jawed by the front page news. "Guys, take a look at this." The others joined him on his side of the table and read over his shoulder.

Death Eaters out in force.

Leaves Ministry Confounded.

Last night, large groups of wizards and witches who appear to be followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were out in force. These wizards, known as Death Eaters, had been seen prior to last night, but never in such numbers. It was originally thought that they were only a handful. However, last night's display leaves many wondering exactly how many there are.

Parades of these Death Eaters and their sympathizers made their way through the streets of London, terrorizing muggles who were unfortunate enough to be caught in their path. Many muggles had to be hospitalized and the Ministry of Magic had much to deal with in the way of mass memory modification charms. Fortunately, none died.

The muggles were caught for sport and dangled like marionettes - men, women, and children alike. Some were put under the Imperious curse and forced to behave in a very undignified manner.

It seems whenever the Ministry closed in on a group of Death Eaters and their supporters, they would disapparate and reappear somewhere else. However, evidence indicates that this was not, in fact, the work of one group jumping from location to location, but rather many groups operating at the same time.

Perhaps as disturbing as the number of Death Eaters and their supporters involved - some estimates being as high as 100 - is the organization of the group. As haphazard as the groups appeared to be, the Ministry was only capable of capturing five witches and wizards, and it is uncertain whether they were actually involved or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When added to the increase in werewolf activity in and around London – this reporter is reminded of the attack and murder of the Lupin family over the summer months – and recent sightings of Giants, Dementors, and even Inferi, one must wonder what exactly the Ministry of Magic is doing to keep its citizens safe.

Another article on page one spoke of a meeting between the Minister of Magic and the Prime Minister of England, in which the two assured each other they would be working to keep panic at a minimum and sharing resources to keep threats under control. The Ministry of Magic announced that it would be releasing pamphlets on safety, and contact information for sightings of magical creatures as well as the reporting of suspicious behavior.

At supper, it was announced that special lines of communication were being set up so that students could contact their parents. This was mostly to reassure those from muggle families, but all students were welcome to use them. A good majority of the student population took advantage of the service offered, most knowing their families were safe, but wanting to hear words of comfort and reassurance.

A few days later, James whispered conspiratorially to his comrades, "I think we need to do something fun. Something to lighten the mood in the castle."

A week later, letters were sent to every student in the castle (surprisingly including the Slytherins) telling them that on Friday, November 24th, they were to arrive at supper prepared to party. The Marauders took the wizard radio they had nicced from Filch their first year, and put a spell on it to magically amplify the sound. Then they set it in the rafters of the enchanted ceiling. This was a tricky feat considering the ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky and it was hard to find the rafters. They moved the tables out of the way, but left them lined up in a row along the wall. Peter, who was on the best terms with the house elves in the kitchen, was sent down to them to put in an order for punch, appetizers, and finger food. They were hesitant at first, but Peter made a convincing case about how Professor Dumbledore, who usually handled change-of-menu requests was very busy with all of the recent developments.

Students and teachers alike looked around in confusion at the changes made to the Great Hall. The Marauders arrived just after the doors opened (they had to leave and get ready themselves), and they started the music. The amplified radio blared music that reverberated against the walls, making it very difficult to hear. But as more and more people showed up, the sound deadened some, and became more tolerable.

When Professor Dumbledore arrived, he glanced around at the Great Hall and picked out the four Marauders from the crowd. He looked at each of them in turn. They stood, nervously wondering what he would do. They grinned broadly however when, with a subtle swish, the lights went out and were replaced by flashing, colored lights. The charmed ceiling also changed and it appeared as though fireworks occasionally burst overhead.

"You really shouldn't encourage them," Professor McGonagall said, trying to sound stern and disapproving.

Professor Dumbledore simply looked at her and smiled. "One day soon, Minerva, they will be unable to throw off their worries with something as simple as music and lights. Let them hang on to their innocence a little while longer."

Most students assumed that this was a school-sanctioned event; but whether they knew the truth or not, a good time was had by all. Remus and Aden watched for a while before deciding to take a walk. Peter and Gwen, who had had a nice time at Hogsmeade together, hung out by the food table. They danced very little, since Peter was not a dancer and preferred to watch.

Sirius and James, being the overconfident white-boys that they were, danced their hearts out and made fools of themselves doing it. It just added to the fun for them, however. They even had a contest between them to see who could dance with the most girls. Sirius somehow managed to coerce a Slytherin to dance with him. James' proud moment of the night was getting Lily to agree to dance. She seemed in an unusually festive mood and agreed without much hesitation. It was a fast song, so she figured she was safe. Hayden was none-too-thrilled, though, to share his girl with anyone, and he quickly whisked Lily away from James.

During one slow song, Sirius headed toward the food table for a drink, but was intercepted by Daly.

"Dance with me," she said in a tone that would not allow for a refusal.

Sirius obliged. "I haven't seen you much lately."

"No. You know, I really thought the class workload would get slightly easier after the OWLs but it didn't really. I ended up practically locking myself in my room to study," she said by way of explanation. "Are you seeing anyone?"

Sirius grinned. "Never had trouble saying what's on your mind. No. I'm not. You?"

"Not currently. What about Gillette?"

Sirius was a little surprised Daly knew about Gillette. "No. We're just… good friends."

"Ah," she replied. "And Jazelle?"

Sirius cocked his head to the side. "Jazelle?" Sirius and James had had a nice time with Jazelle and her friend, Violet, at Hogsmeade, but that was about as far as things went with them. "No."

"When are you going to ask me?" Daly asked with a grin.

Sirius laughed. "Like I said, I haven't seen you around."

"Well, I am now."

"How about next Hogsmeade visit?" Andromeda's cryptic warning from a while back ran through Sirius' mind. He had since heard rumors about Daly from other guys she'd been out with – what a "good time" she was. Sirius really wasn't all that interested in going with her, but he figured it was a public enough place, and he could set up the usual afternoon rendezvous with the guys. That way if things weren't going well, at least he'd have company.

"Good. This is my seventh year. I was beginning to think I'd miss out on my chance."

"Chance at what?"

"At you, of course."

Sirius just shrugged. He prevented further conversation by pulling Daly closer, making it awkward to talk face-to-face. She seemed satisfied with this, as she rested her head on his shoulder, remaining quiet until the dance was over. As she walked away, she smiled coyly and said, "Hogsmeade."

Sirius smiled politely back as she left.

"What was that all about?" James asked.

"Looks like I have a date for the next Hogsmeade visit."

"Really?"

"With Daly?" Peter and Gwen joined them.

Sirius nodded.

Peter stared after her. "I've heard rumors about her."

"She's very nice," Gwen interjected. "And she's a great friend."

"Ah, Gwen," Sirius said jovially. "So sweet. So innocent. Peter hasn't been doing enough to corrupt you."

"Perhaps more than you think," Gwen joked back. She had learned in the short time she'd been dating Peter that the best way to deal with his friends was to joke with them.

"Ew! Gwen!" Sirius covered his eyes with his hand.

"Bad mental images," James added, with his face scrunched up in disgust.

Gwen blushed. "I didn't mean… Oh never mind…" She dragged Peter away to dance. He looked back at the guys, grinning like an idiot.

"Where'd Moony head off to?" Sirius asked.

"I think he and Aden went somewhere."

Sirius sniffed and wiped the corner of his eye. "Our little furball is growing up so fast."

- - - - -

Remus was enjoying the walk along the lake with Aden. He was often amazed both at how comfortable they were in silence, and how easy it was to talk. No matter how much time they spent together, they never ran out of things to talk about. He had learned a lot about her over the past few months. She was very smart, as he knew, witty in her own geeky sort of way. She was immeasurably patient, and she was strongly tied to her family. They were the most important thing in her life. And Remus liked that about her.

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Where were you on Monday?"

Remus' stomach did a nasty flip. Monday had been a full moon. He knew this conversation would eventually take place, but he hadn't found a good way to handle the topic yet. "I wasn't feeling well."

They took a few more steps before Aden spoke again. "Is there anything you want to tell me? I mean… do you… do you have a… disease or something?"

Remus almost laughed out loud at the question, but decided that would not be the best response. "Would it matter?"

"Yes," Aden said, so quickly that Remus was taken by surprise, and he stopped to look at her. "I mean… if you're dying or something, that would be good to know," Aden clarified, realizing that she had probably come off a bit crassly.

Remus did smile at that and said, "No, I'm not dying."

"Oh good," Aden responded. They started walking again. "Is it… contagious?"

Yeah if I bite you. "Um," Remus again tried to think of the best way to answer the question. "Not likely."

"Oh." Aden pondered this answer, not sure if she really liked it or not. "But it's possible?"

Remus sighed. "There's always a possibility, I guess." Well, if things ended tonight, at least she didn't know the true nature of his "disease." "But, with the right… precautions… it's not likely."

Aden blushed, thinking Remus was talking about precautions during sex, which was not something they had even discussed at this point. "So what is it?" she asked.

Remus was silent for a few more steps. "I'd really rather not say, to be honest."

He saw the hurt flash in her eyes, but Aden surprised him again by saying, "I hope you'll trust me enough one day to tell me." She had surmised that Remus had been deeply hurt in the past by rejection, causing him to guard himself so carefully. So she pushed just a little at a time, hoping that one day, the door would be open enough for him to let her in.

Remus turned to Aden and put his forehead to hers. He felt a twinge of guilt that he wouldn't yet let himself trust her and that she knew it. But he was grateful that she still wasn't walking away. "Thank you," he whispered.

After a moment, they stepped apart. "We had better be heading back," Remus suggested.

Aden nodded and they walked back in amiable silence. As they got close to the entrance to the castle, Professor Slughorn came out with his wand lit.

"Ah. Miss Wallace, Mr. Lupin." Slughorn cast an unreadable glance at the two of them. "You're heading back inside, I take it."

"Yes sir," Remus answered.

"Good. Good. I'm off to," Slughorn cleared his throat, "bring other young couples back inside." He winked at them, then whistled loudly as he went. He was not going to sneak up on any snogging couples with how loudly he was whistling, which was probably the point.

Remus walked Aden back to her common room before heading to his. It was only ten o'clock, but the teachers must have decided that it was time for the unsanctioned party to finish. Fortunately for Gryffindors, the party-makers were in their house, so it simply moved and scaled down. By the time Remus arrived at the common room, music could be heard and Sirius was out fetching butterbeers.

At midnight, Professor McGonagall entered the common room and, turning off the music, told the students it was high time they settled down and went to bed. A few of the first-years had not wanted to miss any of the excitement and so had fallen asleep in various nooks and crannies of the room. They were gently nudged awake by older students and sent to bed.

The Marauders stayed in the common room a while longer. Sirius and James ribbed Peter about Gwen and then turned their attention to Remus to find out about his evening. He told them about the conversation with Aden and how close she was to knowing about his furry little problem.

"She's a keeper," Sirius said. "No doubt about it."

Remus shook his head at Sirius' comment, but it made him smile, too. "Yeah."

"So when are you going to tell her?" Peter asked. He had a knack for asking awkward questions.

"I don't know," Remus frowned.

Sirius was lying back on the couch with his eyes closed. "On their wedding night," he snickered and was promptly hit by a pillow, making him laugh more.

"Come on. Let's go to bed," James said.

Sirius opened one eye. "Are you asking me this time?" James shook his head and hit Sirius' foot. "Carry me," Sirius moaned.

"You get your own arse to bed," James retorted.

"You're just bitter because I danced with more girls," Sirius smiled.

"I'm not at all bitter. Quality over quantity," James smiled wistfully.

Sirius rolled his eyes and explained to Remus, "He danced with Evans."

"Ah. Well, come on lover boy. To bed." Remus patted James on the shoulder, and gently nudged him toward the stairs.

- - - - -

A/N - Thanks again for the wonderful and encouraging reviews. Thank you all. Thanks also to those who've added me to your favorites. Awesome! Thanks. Thank you too to Mom, mei mei, and Sifi who act as sounding boards, tell me when something needs work and help me when my mind is blank and I'm in need of ideas. Love.

Oh, and for those of you not too into Aden - Don't worry, there won't be too many more conversations with Remus about his "problem." She has to find out eventually, right?

Nonair - Thanks, as always, for your lovely review. :) Sirius always has a lot going on, doesn't he? Remus too. I think it helps make them such interesting characters. But you're right. When someone does have the... strength to stand up for what's right, there isn't much compassion for those who don't. And Sirius does have his own issues with a bit of anger and a bit of crazy thrown in the mix.

I'm also glad you like "my" Snape and that he's consistent. I know I don't focus on him much, so I'm glad he's true to character when he does appear. Wow! "Brilliant." I'm flattered. Thank you!

Thanks again for the review.