Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides my two characters and this plot. The great J.K. Rowling owns everything else.

Author's Note: Hey, guys! I'm SO sorry for the many million years that had to pass before this chapter came out! I just didn't know how to make the story go the way I wanted it to…but now I do! Hooray! Let's hope I update sooner this time, I'm seriously hoping that I will as well! I need a boost…and that's something I can get with a ton of reviews! (Hint, hint!) Anyway, thanks for the reviews and believing in me! I hope you're still reading my story and had not given up on me! You guys rock! And, by the way, the answer to the last poll was: Rewind by Jan Page. Enjoy this new chapter!

Past The Highway:

The chilly air of autumn slowly and patiently made a frosty turn as winter knocked on the door. The students packed the last of their shorts and sandals in their trunks, trading them in with parkas and sweats. Laughter rang in the hallways and snowballs were hurled. Every moment witnessed on the grounds was a picturesque one. Snow flakes littered the ground in bunches, massing up, becoming snowy blankets of heaven. Hogwarts had turned into a winter wonderland.

However, not everyone was in a jolly mood. Not everyone was in the mood for snowball fights or midnight kitchen raids. Remus Lupin; ace Marauder, bookworm extraordinaire, best friend and classmate, loved by many, seen as a shy, kind, caring guy…was broken. His first love was gone, but that wasn't all. He…he had killed her. He had murdered her with his own two hands.

No matter what anyone said, no matter how hard anyone begged to explain to him that it wasn't his fault, he knew the truth. He could see it. They just didn't know it. They didn't know his secret. And those who did, his friends, say it wasn't his fault either. But he knew it was true…it didn't matter if he was in a different state of mind, it didn't matter if he was brainwashed even! Remus Lupin believed that he had killed Melissa Rovers and he wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon.

"Remus," whispered Lily lightly, as she softly placed her hand on his shoulder. Remus hadn't been the same since Melissa passed away. Of course, none of them had been…but he had changed the most. He almost completely shut his friends out and lost all focus of the real world. His grades were slipping and…he was scaring her.

"What," Remus replied gruffly, shrugging her hand away, moving closer towards his bed's headboard, making the distance between them bigger.

"Remus…I know about y-your problem."

This grabbed his attention. He swerved around; his eyes wide like those of a deer awaiting his doom with an upcoming car. If possible, he would have backed away further, but he was already at the furthest point in which he could go.

"H-h-how? W-what?"

Remus' mind was racing at the speed of light; he couldn't believe what she had said.

Lily cleared her throat, slightly scared and doubtful, doubtful if this was the right thing to be saying. "Yes. Remus, I've noticed you always leaving…you always either visiting your sick mother or…o-or leaving school for some reason and it always happens to be at the same time each month." Remus sucked in his breath; he felt his heart stop. "Remus…a-are you a…well, a werewolf?"

The silence in the room was deafening and a knife could indeed cut the awkwardness. Lily nervously twirled her hair around her finger. She was afraid of Remus's reaction towards her finding out the truth behind his many lies. And Remus? He couldn't believe it.

"H-how?"

"What?"

"How did you figure it out?"

"Well, I was working on my Divination homework, which was making a moon chart. And, well, one thing went to another and I noticed one time that you left on a full moon and got a bit suspicious. So…" Lily looked a bit embarrassed. "I kind of kept tabs on you for a while."

"Oh." Remus sighed, silently happy that none of his fellow Marauders had accidentally let out his "furry little problem". Ashamed, he let out another sigh and lay back on his bed while staring up at the canopy.

"Oh, Remus, there's nothing to be ashamed of! It's just a minor setback. And you've been doing so well! Don't be ashamed about being a werewolf, ok?"

"No…n-no, that isn't it."

"What is it then," asked Lily, concern crowding in her eyes. She could see impatience and anger start to take over Remus, he was starting to tense up. "Oh no. No, Remus, you don't think that because of-"

"Yes, I do! It's because of me that she died, Lily, why can't anyone else see that? WHY CAN'T THEY JUST STICK ME IN AZKABAN FOR WHAT I'VE DONE?" Remus let out an angry breath of air and grabbed a pillow, harshly placing it above his face. Then, started suffocating himself.

"Remus? REMUS! Let go…LET GO OF THE-OF THE PILLOW!" Lily finally got possession of the pillow and hurled it at the ground. "Now listen to me, Remus Lupin, I know you're hurting right now, we all are. But I think you should stop blaming yourself for what's happened. It's not your fault that Melli…that Melli left us and you should stop thinking it is. You were not in your state of mind. You were not thinking right. Wake up! Now look at yourself. Go to the mirror and see yourself." Lily dragged Remus up from his bed and forced him to stand in front of the full-length mirror near the bathroom. It was amazing how strong she was.

"Now see that? Look what you've become. Now if Melli was here right now, how do you think she'd feel?"

"If Melli was here right now, I wouldn't be in this mess."

"You know what I mean, Remus. You've lost a ton of weight in almost two months and I don't mean it in a good way. This is not good weight loss. You've lost control of your schoolwork and you've almost thrown away your future! Remus, even Peter is getting better grades than you at this moment. Does this not bother you at all?"

"If Melli isn't with me, I don't have a future."

"Now listen to me, Remus…the first step to recovery is realizing you have a problem. I know this hurts, it hurt us all…but Melli is gone." Remus cringed, his body going stiff and tense. "She's not coming back. She'll always be in our hearts, but she's not going to come into Transfiguration tomorrow like she was just five minutes late. Now I want you to realize this."

Remus looked away, tears started crowding in his eyes. He didn't want anyone to see him cry. No one had seen him cry and he wasn't going to start right now with Lily. However, Lily did notice a droplet of sadness fall down his cheeks and gave him a silent hug. They stood together like that for about five minutes before Remus began to wipe his cheeks and act, for the first time in two months, like himself again. And how did he start? He smiled.

Lily grinned, wiping a few tears of her own out of the way before starting back towards Remus's bed where her book bag lay. As she started for the door, she turned around and realized something.

"Oh, Remus! I almost forgot…" Lily started rooting through her bag and found a small purple book, which looked a lot like a diary. "Mr. and Mrs. Rovers gave this to the headmaster, to give to me, to give to you…Melli's diary."

Remus gasped a little as he reached for the small book and looked it over, every square inch of it.

"Yeah, her parents had already looked through every page when they realized that she wrote a lot about you in there." Lily gave Remus a sad smile. "They thought that you would like it, since you and Melli shared the same feelings for each other. And I personally can't think of a single person better to give it to."

The two teenagers shared a small smile before Lily left for the girls' dorms, leaving Remus with the mere memory of his first love and the diary in which her lively soul's footprints would forever remain.

"Your mother helped me in a time when no one else could." (A/N: from POA movie)

A few days later…

"There's going to be a ball!"

"Really!"

"Isn't there always?"

"UGH! Not ANOTHER ball!"

"Oh, shut up, Dean. We're going to this one and that's final."

"But Laura-"

"Shut it, we're going!"

A notice had been posted in each Common Room about the upcoming Winter Ball. As usual, all the girls were excited and overjoyed. And, of course, as usual, all the boys were…well…not.

"Janette already has a date," sighed Janette happily as she seated herself at a seat in the Great Hall for supper.

"And why is Janette referring to herself in third person," asked Alice as she helped herself to some peas. The girls had come to supper early to get a head start with dinner so they could retire early to their dorms to look over dress catalogs. Lily hadn't gone proper dress shopping in years, Alice had left her only good dress at home, and Janette's dresses were all a size too small. These excuses gave them all a good excuse to go all out and use up most of their money in hopes of finding the perfect dress.

"It's just fun. Sue me if I want to act crazy at times," sighed Janette happily as she scooped some chicken onto her plate. "So aren't you wondering who the mystery guy is?"

"Who is it?"

"Dennis Rovman."

"Who the hell is that?"

"You don't know him? Where have you been, Alice? He always sits at the back of the classroom in D.A.D.A.! Now do you recognize him?"

"Still have no clue. Hey, Lily," Alice said as she poked Lily in the rib.

"Ow!"

"Do you know who," Alice looked inquisitively at Janette.

"Dennis Rovman."

"Right. Do you know who Dennis Rovman is?"

"No idea. Is he in our year?" Lily wiped her hands on her napkin and happily glanced at Janette for the answer.

"Oh gosh," Janette sighed, "Of course he is! He sits at the back of the room during D.A.D.A.! Please don't tell me that you don't know who he is."

"No clue."

"URGH," grunted Janette as she bit into her chicken.

"Whoa, Hoovers, save us the killing spree, please."

"Back off, Black, she's feeling frustrated," remarked Lily, as she sent another happy look at Janette who grunted and looked away.

"Someone's not feeling very feminine today."

"Why don't you go stick your head up your arse, Black," Janette politely suggested as Sirius plopped right next to her, ready to feast.

"Now that's my girl!"

As the rest of the girls, Sirius, James, and Peter began to eat, Remus sighed.

"You guys notice that this will be the first ball without Melissa, don't you?"

Everyone looked at each other uncertainly, not knowing what to say. They were slightly shocked that Remus had spoken, for he hadn't spoken much since the death. No one knew of Remus's talking to by Lily either. No one spoke, until…

"To Melissa," Lily raised her glass as if for a toast. With silent conversations and blank faces the others raised their glasses and proposed:

"To Melissa."

Author's Note: I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please press the little "go" button and REVIEW! Here's the latest poll:

What's my favorite song right now?

A) "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton

B) "Crash" by Gwen Stefani

C) "The Riddle" by Five for Fighting

D) "For You I Will" by Teddy Geiger

Good luck and thanks for reading! Please review!

-complicated123