Hogwarts, Sixth year…

Sirius tucked the Marauders Map into his back pocket and entered the abandoned Charms classroom to find Remus fast asleep on a table, dusty tome and parchment beneath him and a quill held loosely in his hand. Ink was dripping down onto the parchment, and Sirius sighed, slowly removing the quill from Remus's grasp before it ruined the little homework that the werewolf had managed to do.

This was happening more and more often. Sirius would watch Remus toss and turn in his bed at night, trying and failing to get a good night's sleep; and by morning he'd be walking around the school like the dead, with bags the size of Europe underneath his eyes. There was something troubling the werewolf and Sirius had wanted to confront Remus a long time ago, but was held back by James who thought the werewolf needed some space. Well, fuck James. Sirius knew Remus hadn't just fallen asleep on his homework; he'd probably passed out from exhaustion.

'Moony,' whispered Sirius, stroking his cheek gently with the back of his fingers. He didn't want to disturb him, but Remus would only wake up later with a painful crick in his neck. 'Moony, come on mate, get up.'

Upon hearing Sirius's voice, Remus's back suddenly stiffened and his eyes shot open, pupils heavily dilated and iris a frighteningly light shade of amber.

Sirius moved back a little but did not remove his hand from Remus's cheek. 'You fell asleep, Moony. Come on, we'll take you to bed.'

Remus's eyes settled on Sirius and his posture relaxed. He let out a small yawn and lifted his head, blinking a bit to get his eyes adjusted to the light. 'What time is it?'

'Its eight thirty, Moony, and you're tired.' Sirius moved his hand to Remus's hair; brushing away the stray strands only to have them fall back in place again. 'It's a weekend tomorrow, you can complete your work then.'

Remus waved his offer off. 'No, no, I can finish this tonight.'

Sirius eyed him warily. 'Moony.' When Remus ignored him, he huffed exasperatedly. 'Fine, but at least finish it back in the dorm.'

Remus nodded, stretched, and stood on his feet. Immediately, his knees buckled underneath him and only Sirius quick reflexes saved him from crumpling to the hard floor.

'That's it, Remus. You're taking the day off. Your grades are impeccable,' he chided angrily, helping Remus up on his feet. 'One night of skipping homework won't hurt anyone, most of all you.' He half carried, half walked them out of the classroom, ignoring the soft moans of protest.

'Honestly, Padfoot, I don't want to sleep.' The sentence was punctuated by another yawn, and Remus finally gave in and rested his head on Sirius's shoulder, letting his friend guide him through.

Sirius growled. 'No, Moony, you want to sleep. The problem is that you can't because there's obviously something bothering you.' Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius thought he saw a figure lurking in the shadows, watching and following them. His hold on the werewolf tightened possessively. 'Now, you either willingly tell me what's wrong, or I'm going to beat it out of you.'

Remus smiled weakly, eyes drooping a little. 'You know I'd kick your butt, Padfoot.'

There it was again. Someone was bloody following them around! Sirius shifted his posture a bit, so that he had both Remus and the lurking shadow within his line of sight. 'Don't try to change the subject, Moony.'

Remus nuzzled Sirius's neck, inhaling his scent. 'Mm…honestly, Padfoot, there's nothing bothering me.'

The figure still hadn't come out of the shadows, but its techniques were anything but inconspicuous. It mimicked every move they made, eyes glittering maliciously in the dark. It took some time for Sirius to figure it out, but he knew that hooked nose anywhere. Snape. The bloody, good for nothing, nosy bastard. Sirius would take care of him later. Right now, Remus was first priority. 'Don't lie to me, Moony. You know I hate that.'

Remus sighed, restraining himself from kissing Sirius's neck. They were still in the corridors after all and though it was usually quite empty at this time, it wasn't smart to take chances. 'Look, just drop it, okay. I don't want to talk about it.'

'I don't care,' replied Sirius, after whispering the password to the Fat Lady. That bloody bastard wasn't going to follow him in there. A few of the people in the common room looked up when they entered, but turned back to their work just as quickly. There was nothing incriminating about their positions – it was a friend helping another, and everybody knew how sickly that nice Lupin kid was.

'It doesn't concern you.' Remus's tone was meant to be harsh, but came out wrong as he let out another yawn while climbing up the steps.

'Anything to do with you is my concern. We're supposed to be friends, Moony - no secrets, no lies.' He took off Remus's shoes and helped him into bed before joining him under the covers.

Remus's arms encircled the black haired boy's waist, as he snuggled into the pillow, whimpering contently when Sirius began stroking his hair. 'Some secrets are meant to be kept.'

'And some are meant to be told.'

Remus sighed, defeated. 'I told my parents - about us.' He watched as Sirius's eyes widened with shock. 'I didn't tell them about you. Just that I was going out with another boy.'

Sirius rested his forehead against Remus's, kissing his nose lightly. Inwardly, he was beaming. Sirius knew how special Remus's parents were to him and telling them proved that he actually considered their relationship important. 'I wouldn't have cared if you had mentioned my name, Moony, You know that.'

'I know,' mumbled Remus sleepily, closing his eyes and snuggling deeper.

'How did it go?' Judging by the silence that suddenly took over, Sirius was probably going to dread asking the question.

'Dad can't stand the sight of me anymore…' said Remus offhandedly, trying to sound like he didn't really care, like it didn't matter.

Sirius knew better. Five years of living with the boy had taught him to look for the right signs and right now, the very way Remus's body sagged was indication enough to how upset he truly was.

Sirius's own father hated him, so he didn't really have much say on the matter. But then again, unlike Remus's situation, the hatred was quite mutual. 'Maybe,' he tried, wanting desperately to rid Remus of his anguish. 'Maybe you just caught him by surprise, and he didn't know how else to react.'

Remus shook his head, long hair rippling across the pillows. 'He wouldn't even talk to me.'

Sirius ran his hand against Remus's side affectionately, finally settling at the hip. He hated this. Hated it when Remus was miserable because it made him feel the same way, even though he didn't give a rat's arse about what people thought of him. 'Remus,' he whispered against the werewolf's hair, causing it to fan with every breath. 'Do you want to…' He took away his hand and looked into heavy lidded amber eyes. He didn't want to say it. He didn't, but he also knew how important John Lupin was to Remus. 'Do you want to stop this…?'

Remus's answer was immediate, devoid of any hesitation. 'No. It wouldn't make a difference.'

Relief washed over him, and he instinctively grabbed Remus's chin and kissed him hard. The kiss was mostly one sided, since Remus was already half asleep, and Sirius knew he was being selfish, but he didn't know what he would do if he had to let his friend go. 'Its okay, Moony,' he said after a long time. 'It's okay. It doesn't matter, yeah?'

But Remus had already fallen asleep, breathing slowly into Sirius's chest.

Sirius didn't know what kind of person John Lupin was. He had seemed nice enough when they'd met over the summer, and the Potters seemed to have a special sort of respect for him. However, that wasn't enough to reassure Sirius that he was going to reconcile with his son some day.

If Remus's parents were anything like the Potters, then it was only a matter of time till his father caved in. If they were otherwise, then Sirius didn't care. He'd make Remus forget, take him far away and never have him see his father again. That would teach the old bastard to hurt his friend that way…

XxxxX

'Just tilt his head a bit, Mr. Potter. I don't want him choking on the medicine.'

James slowly lifted Remus's head off the clean white pillows, holding it there, as the Hogwarts matron forced a foul smelling potion down his throat. Remus, himself, was still asleep or perhaps he was unconscious. The latter was a greater possibility, given the ordeal he went through last night.

'That should do it. Now, ease his head down,' instructed Madame Pomfrey. 'Slowly, that's it.' Once he'd finished, she looked at him sternly, hands on her hips. 'Now, since you insist on staying here, Mr. Potter, please make sure Remus doesn't turn his head too much. He needs more blood replenishing potion and I need to go out a bit to restock the supplies. I'll be right back.'

James nodded and sat down on the bed beside Remus's left hand, his eyes raking over his friend's pale form. He might as well have been dead and no one would be able to tell the difference. Only a few hours ago, Remus had been drenched in blood, body mangled and broken. James had never been so scared his entire life and for one moment, he had thought that Remus was truly dead. How could you do this, Sirius?

Anger flared up in him again, as his mind reeled with the events from last night – Snape had found out about Remus. Despite James's best efforts, he'd been too late. The wolf had seen that greasy haired git, and James's had seen its rage at the loss of its prey. He'd known from that very instant how that rage was going to be channeled; he'd sort of expected it in some ways, but actually having to see Remus's shattered body after it all had brought the world crashing down on his head.

James could only hope that Snape would have the smallest ounce of humanity left in him to forgive and forget or at least, keep quiet about Remus. If he didn't, then it was the end of the Marauders and most importantly, it was the end of Remus - permanently. If that nosy bastard decided to report any of this to the Ministry, then even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to do anything against it.

Snape was in Dumbledore's office right now, along with Sirius. James hated waiting, hated this anxious feeling in his stomach. He needed to know the verdict, the final decision, but Dumbledore had strictly refused his presence and dismissed him after hearing his version of the night's events. Sometimes, that old man was a right arse.

James broke out of his reverie when Remus tried to move a little and whimpered in pain. Relief washed over him, as he placed a comforting but firm hand on his friend's shoulder to still him. That had been the first sign of movement Remus had shown since they'd brought him back from the Shack.

'Relax, Moony,' he whispered gently, even though Remus could not hear him.

James's eyes shifted to the infirmary doors, as they slowly creaked open. Sirius. New found fury coursed through his veins, drowning any sort of remorse he'd felt earlier. This was entirely Sirius's fault. Had it not been for the rotten bastard, they would have been in bed right now, retelling their adventures with the wolf.

'How is he?' Sirius's voice sounded tired and hoarse, complimenting the worn out look on his face. Had James been in a better mood, then he would have sympathised with him.

Unfortunately for Sirius, James's anger was only growing by the minute. 'Back to finish the job, are you, Black? Couldn't kill Remus last night, so let's do it today, eh?'

The reaction was immediate. Sirius covered the distance between them in two quick strides and grabbed James by the collar. 'Shut up, Potter. Shut the fuck up, before I-'

'Before you what?' James asked, pushing Sirius off him roughly. 'Before you manage to kill me too?'

Sirius's fists clenched at his sides, fingernails digging hard enough to draw blood. 'No one was supposed to get hurt! It was a joke! A stupid mother fucking prank!'

'Of course, and who better to use than your. Pet. Werewolf?' He punctuated each word with a push to Sirius's shoulder. 'Your own personal freak show?'

Sirius grabbed him by the back of his neck, thumb digging painfully into a vein. 'You don't know anything. Nothing!' he snarled into James's face.

'All I know is that you're doing a mighty fine job of living up to your name, Black!' James spat.

Both boys' fist raised threateningly above their heads.

'Guys?'

James and Sirius's heads whipped around to face Remus who was struggling to sit up and staring at them with wide, questioning eyes. Their hands dropped, and both attempted fake smiles for the sake of their friend.

'How do you feel, Moony?' Sirius asked, moving to sit beside him and stroking his cheek with his thumb.

'Like I've been run over by a hippogriff,' Remus chuckled and then frowned. 'You guys weren't there last night…did you get into trouble? Are you okay?'

James smiled at his friend. This was Remus. Remus who looked like death warmed up and probably felt like it too, but was still more concerned about them than he was for himself. 'We're fine, Moony. But I think,' He shifted his gaze from Remus to Sirius. 'That Sirius has something to say…'

Remus turned towards Sirius's mortified face with a puzzled expression.

'Say it, Sirius,' said James, threateningly. 'He'd rather you tell him than Dumbledore.'

Remus put a reassuring hand over Sirius's. 'What's wrong, Padfoot?'

Sirius shook his head, eyes carefully avoiding Remus's face.

'Come on, Padfoot. Remember, no secrets, no lies,' said Remus, tapping mischievously on Sirius's nose.

'Some secrets are meant to be kept,' whispered Sirius, looking down.

'And some are meant to be told…' smiled Remus, obviously enjoying the conversation.

James's gaze bore into Sirius's head but didn't seem to have any effect on him because Sirius was still staring determinedly at his and Remus's entwined hands. Finally, James took it upon himself to explain. 'Someone was there in the Shack last night, Remus… Snape to be exact.'

Remus's eyes widened and his hold tightened on Sirius's fingers. 'Did I-?'

James shook his head. 'No, we got him out before that…but…he knows about you, Remus.'

Remus's face, if possible, paled even more.

'He won't tell, Moony,' said Sirius quickly, squeezing Remus's hand for reassurance. 'Dumbledore made sure of that. It'll stay a secret…no one's to know about it.'

Remus relaxed visibly but there was still a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. 'How did he know? I mean, how did he know how to get in? It's practically impossible…'

'I told him.'

Remus let go of Sirius's hand as if stung. 'That's not funny, Padfoot.'

'He's telling the truth, Remus. He told Snape,' said James, eyes softening as he turned to his friend.

Remus, wide eyed, shook his head disbelievingly. 'No.'

Sirius ran his fingers through Remus's brown hair. 'Remus, it-it was meant to be a joke…'

Remus simply closed his eyes, not shooing away Sirius's touch but not welcoming it either. He took a deep breath. 'I want to be alone, please.'

'Remus-' pleaded Sirius.

'Please…' Remus whispered in a pained voice. 'Please, just leave...'

'Sirius, just go,' snapped James, watching how Remus's form was slowly crumpling.

Had it been anyone but James, Sirius would have fought back until he got his way. But if there was one thing Sirius had for his black haired friend, it was respect. James knew what he was doing, he always did. And if Sirius's absence was the only way things would be better, then so be it.

The door swung shut as Sirius left, and James put a comforting hand on Remus's shoulder. 'Go away, James.'

James turned slightly and wound his arms around his friend, ignoring the weak protests and placing a firm hand on the small of Remus's back to make sure he didn't move away. Exhausted, Remus stopped struggling against his hold and slumped against James.

'I'm just so tired, Prongs…' croaked Remus, resting his forehead against James's shoulder. 'I'm tired of trying and failing every single time. I'm tired of people hating me and abusing me for what I am. I'm tired of fighting for every breath I take, James. I just want to let go…I want it all to end…'

James grabbed Remus's face with both his hands and lifted it to look into his shining amber orbs. If there was any way to read into Remus's emotions, it was through his eyes. The distress it held, the sheer anguish was enough to kill him, but here was Remus, still breathing, still strong, but on the verge of breaking. Tears shone in his eyes, threatening to fall, and James quickly swiped them away with his thumbs before they could spill. Remus nodded, understanding the message sent to him through that small gesture. Remus would not cry. James forbade it. He didn't deserve so much pain; he didn't deserve to cry for something that wasn't even his fault, especially not for that deceitful bastard who called himself a friend.

'I know you're tired, Moony,' James said gently, as Remus leaned into his shoulder again. 'But I'm asking you to stay. Can you do that? Can you fight for the people who do care?'

XxxxX

James stopped in front of the infirmary door to make sure his invisibility cloak covered every inch of his body properly. It was past visiting hours, and Madame Pomfrey would not be happy to see him, even if he was carrying chocolate – that was sure to make Remus smile. The chocolate had actually been a gift from Peter, who had been eager to come along but was refused by James. Someone had to keep an eye on Sirius, after all, and James was far too angry at him to humour him or even look at him at the moment.

He was about to push open the doors when he heard loud footsteps and quickly moved out of the way, to lean against the walls.

'You should have informed me earlier, Dumbledore. If this happened last night, then I should have been the first to know.'

James recognised that voice from last summer. It was…

John Lupin emerged from a corner, walking agitatedly towards the infirmary. It was obvious through his posture that he wanted to run there but was barely restraining himself for Dumbledore's sake.

James figured Dumbledore must have informed him about last night. His presence didn't really come as that much of a surprise. If there was one thing James knew about John Lupin was that he loved Remus to bits. At first glance, James had figured him to be a hard pressed and stoic man, but one had to look deeper to see that he was actually quite funny, very loving, and slightly possessive of the people he cared about. In some ways, he reminded James a bit of Sirius.

Last time James had seen him, he'd been smiling and joking around with his parents. However, unlike then, his hair was now unkempt, barely covering a badly healed scar over his eyebrow. There were bags of exhaustion below his eyes and the blue of his irises were lined with a deep red. It was exactly how Remus had looked when James had left the hospital wing earlier today. The semblances between John Lupin and his son were simply striking.

Dumbledore's cloak swished erratically as he lengthened his strides to keep up with Mr. Lupin. 'I assure you, John, your son is perfectly fine, and I understand your concern, but I had matters to resolve first. Not to mention, you were on an important assignment.'

'My priorities are different from yours, Dumbledore, and I'd appreciate it if you respected them, as I do yours.'

James quickly moved out of the way, as Mr. Lupin leaned against the infirmary doors but didn't go in. He thought he saw the Headmaster peer towards his direction suspiciously, but the gaze was gone as soon as it had come.

'Albus, about the ministry…' John Lupin said shakily, looking at Dumbledore with a worried expression.

'They know nothing, John, and the boy will not tell…I've made sure of that.'

James leaned a little closer to hear better. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop and that he should be going, but this was about Remus, and James was his best mate.

John sighed heavily, running a hand through his already untidy hair. 'How did this boy know in the first place? I thought you had this secret well hidden, Albus.'

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. 'One can only guess, John. But as far as I know, Mr. Snape has always harboured a particular disliking for Remus and had taken to following him around for quite a while now.'

James frowned. Why hadn't Dumbledore just told the truth?

John looked through the small glass window on the door. 'He's so pale…'

'He's lost a lot of blood, but he's been in good hands.' Dumbledore rested a hand on his shoulder. 'Would you like to go in?'

John hesitated for a second and then nodded. James quickly followed them through the open door, making sure the cloak didn't get caught anywhere.

Remus was already awake when they entered, swallowing some potion or the other Madame Pomfrey must have left him.

'Hello, Remus. How are you now?' asked Dumbledore compassionately, settling down on a seat near his bed.

Remus swallowed and nodded, putting the vial down on his lap. He glanced towards his father and looked down again quickly. Perhaps it was just James's imagination, but Remus didn't look too happy to see Mr. Lupin.

'I think you know what happened last night, Remus,' continued Dumbledore, taking the vial from Remus's hand and placing it on the table.

Another silent nod. Remus didn't even bother to look up.

If Dumbledore noticed Remus's attitude, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he simply folded his hands on his lap. 'Well, in my haste, I seemed to have neglected your opinions, Remus. I've done what I can, but the final decision is up to you.'

'I want to go home,' said Remus at once, and James had to stifle a cry of indignation with his hand.

Dumbledore frowned, adjusting his glasses. 'Are you sure, Remus?'

Remus looked up at the Headmaster with wide sorrowful eyes. 'Please...'

No, you idiot! You can't go now! James wanted to beat Remus's head with a stick. What about us…the Marauders…?

Dumbledore sighed. 'Very well. We'll send your things to you by tonight. You can go home with your father now.'

Remus threw a hesitant look towards his father and nodded, staring at his lap again.

Dumbledore smiled and turned towards Mr. Lupin. 'John, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to talk to Remus alone for a while.'

James was sure John Lupin was going to say no, and he looked like it too. But in the end, he muttered a harsh 'fine' and walked out, James trailing behind him. He didn't think he could listen to anymore rash decisions Remus was going to take. It was insanity as it was.

James quickly threw of his invisibility cloak in a corner and walked towards John Lupin's rigid figure. 'Mr. Lupin.'

Mr. Lupin startled and turned towards James. 'Oh, James, it's you.' He smiled. 'I can't thank you enough for what you've done. Dumbledore told me and if there's anything I can do…'

'There is,' cut in James, dumping the stash of chocolate he was carrying into Mr. Lupin's hands. 'I want you to bring Remus back.'

XxxxX

mad.hot.love.: First of all, Thank you for taking the time to review. And lol…you make crying sound funny. It's okay…my sis is really emotional too. I remember watching titanic with a box of tissues. I thought the movie was too mushy for my tastes, and Leonardo Di Caprio could have easily been saved if Rose had the decency to move her fat arse a bit instead of spreading out like she owns the damn plank. ShaMak: John isn't a bad father. He wants what he thinks is best for Remus, but he doesn't understand that he's not exactly helping the situation. Lykaios Nyx: Sorry, the suggestive eyebrows didn't work, but he was comforted by Sirius…before the damn idiot decided to mess things up even more. Psychosomaticaddict: Well, in any case, I'm glad my writing moved you. It's really humbling when someone mentions that they cried in one of your sad scenes or something like that. It assures you of a job well done. Tyleet27: so, which other fan fic made you cry? Can I have the name? And again, it's great to know my writing touched you…and wipe away those tears…things will get better…I'm the writer after all. BlackMercifulFaerie: Hopefully, I've updated fast enough to save that heart of yours. Sorry, I tend to make incredibly lame jokes early in the morning, but it's also the time when I work best. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Well, technically, you can't actually enjoy it, since it's sort sad and all, but you get what I mean…FangQueen13: Aw…this chapter's even sadder. I really make Remus's life hell, don't I? Muppetmadness: I hate homophobes too. I don't understand how people can accept a guy who's willing to shoot you in the head, but not someone who's perfectly nice but of a different orientation. Black's Crystal: Ah…the ending had to be done…makes it more dramatic for the next chapter…which by the way, is even more angstful than the last. jka1: You must think I'm a horrible person to make Remus's life even harder in this chapter. Don't worry, you've pretty much thought right. Rainingwaters: Aw…thanks…I love it when people tell me how moved they are by the sad scenes. Luermide: Don't worry, I'm not old enough to go into the complicated terms or research as a whole. In fact, I think I'm younger than you. As for Laritus, I think you're doing an excellent job on your own. Lovemoonyforever: I give Moony a hard time, don't I? Well, you won't have to worry about John Lupin much longer. Just think about Sirius now. LunasStar: Hm…you won't have much luck with my profile. This is my first story. The rest were written by my cousin, Shaggy Dog…who's decided to retire. Anon: Thanks…small words of encouragement are what truly brings a writer up. Dodo-chan: Sirius won't need to beat some sense into John…but I think someone needs to beat up some sense into him. As for a happy ending…I don't know. I don't actually have anything preplanned. sola-bola: Well, you got the heart breaking bit right. I'm angst queen…I can't help it. I live off other people's sorrows. Shit, I should join the mafia or something. Padfootslittlegirl: oh, don't worry about that bit. He will…in time. VG Jekyll: Well, that bit would have actually been quite dramatic, but I don't think Remus would allow it. And John Lupin was an auror…he'd break Sirius's neck. Websurffer: Very nice scene…but that would also mean the end of my story…and the start of fluff…and I cannot have happy characters! Yes, I am insane…but insanity plays a very important part in story writing. That's why Albert Einstein came up with so many cock and bull thesises. Lady Molko: I agree with you. I hate people who hold prejudices too, be it against race, culture or orientation. It makes want to punch them in the face. Ginny9089: Can I ask you a completely irrelevant question. I get that Ginny is probably one of your fav characters…but are you born in 1989 or 1990. Just curious. Oh, and thanks for reviewing. jean kitsune: Oh, you only have the tip of the ice berg. I have a younger brother as well, who's only two years younger. (my sis is five years older). I love the guy like hell, I really do, and we're really close and we use to play fight all the time. But now, he's growing up so fast…his hands are like freakin dustbin lids. They knock the breath out of you even when he pats you gently. Soirdethundernoir: Well, no, he's not. He just loves Remus a lot and it's the 70's and he knows how people are going to treat him if they found out. KawaiiMegami86: I agree with you. Canon does have something against the Marauders. And we have to remember that Remus is still new to all this…it's still a little hard for him to accept that he's in love. Freakanature: This story gets sadder by the minute, doesn't it? Ah well, say la vie. Anyway, I noticed you reviewed for nirvana, and just wanted to say that the credit doesn't actually go to me, but to my cousin Shaggy Dog. Momentum is actually my first story. Hpfan4life1313: Yeah…I like puppy pining too. It's so cute how they try to deny their feelings but can't help but be miserable when they're not together. Littlefreeze: John's a good man…he just needs some time. MagicalWinry: Yes, he does. Unfortunately, 'siri' is too busy mucking things up even more. HJWG: Yay! I still have no idea what that means, but YAY! It makes me feel like doing a little tap dance, and I don't even have any shoes on. Serpent91: Glad you like it. Keep up the constant reviews. And tell me, if there's ever anything confusing about my story and I'll fix it. Queen of the Paperclips: lol. I'm afraid this chapter is full of angst, but it gets happier, I promise. Just that things can't always be fluff and butterflies you know, because well, I want to keep things as logical as possible. Messr-Paddifoots-love: Yay! New reviewer. Welcome to the ship…I hope you enjoy your stay…and don't worry about John, he gets better, eventually. WhiteWolfCub: Hey, no one likes prejudice. But we can't fix the whole world to our liking and sometimes, we've just got to grit our teeth and take it all in. Yurikitsune: Yes, unfortunately, I was born sadistic. You can't blame me. After all, I share my birthday with Hitler…something must have passed off. LiquidAlchemist: Thanks for all the nice comments…keeps my spirits high. And don't worry about Remus's dad. We all know what a softie he is. Leanna: Well…um…guess I'm in no position to comment about Sirius not screwing things up. I kind of put that whole scene in the last chapter to make this one a little more dramatic. Puts more feeling into it, see? Fyr's shadow: I just make Remus's life even more hellish with each progressing chapter, don't I? God, I need to lay off him. Annieboo92: Unfortunately (or fortunately…depends on how you see it really), this chapter is even sadder. Nate: I don't know if you've reached up to this chapter…but I think by now, all your questions have been answered and perhaps a few more have been raised. Fazkleto: The noises I made when I read your review was more of a squeal really…but that's a good thing. Congratulations…you've managed to convince my parents that they are indeed parenting a mentally ill child. (that too is a good thing…really!) Remo: Don't ask questions, love, just read and all will be answered. And yeah, I tend to have big time gaps between each scene. It wouldn't do if everything's happening at the same time. Faery Goddyss: Sorry, no mpreg…I'm a science student and magic or not, I stick to common sense. And you can vent off in your reviews as much as you want…I do it too…it's funSpikesDreamer: Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out…hope u like this chapter. Ciao!