November, 1981,

'YOU BASTARDS, WHAT DID YOU DO?' Sirius screamed, holding Harry close to his chest. 'REMUS!'

'Wands down. We have the werewolf.'

As soon as the spells ceased, Sirius pulled down Remus's Protego shield with a quick swish of his wand and hurried over to his friend, who was lying amidst broken wood and debris from the crash. 'He'd better not be dead, you bloody motherfuckers! He'd better not be dead or I'll kill every last one of you!'

Sirius's free hand fell to Remus's chest immediately, searching for a heart beat and finding one, much to his relief, steady and stable. His relief was short lived however, because his eyes immediately fell upon Remus's shoulder. Part of the broken banister had pierced through Remus entirely and was now jutting out, bloody, jagged, and sharp, much too close to his heart. 'Merlin…'

'Are you alright Mr. Bla-'

'Don't come near me!!' Sirius cried, whipping his wand out immediately as a warning. 'Thompson, if you know what's good for you…you will take these aurors and leave immediately, do you understand me?'

The other aurors around them raised their wands immediately at the threat, but Adrian Thompson put a hand up, signaling that spells were unnecessary. 'Black, we need you to give us that child.'

Sirius's arms tightened around Harry, whose crying was yet to stop. 'Under what grounds? Explain yourself. Who ordered you to come here?'

Thompson straightened, taking on the stance of a well trained auror. 'We've received orders from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We are to take this child into the Ministry's custody until the Department deems it safe enough to release him into a safer, more secure place.'

'Safe? You just tried to kill him!'

'We apologise. We needed to disarm the werewolf for safety.' Thompson was determinedly trying not to look at Remus's crumpled and bleeding body, trying to pose as apathetic and carry out his orders. Sirius remembered that Thompson had once been John Lupin's partner, and was quite fond of Remus.

'That werewolf was trying to protect me from your men's pathetic spell casting,' Sirius spat. 'Fuck your orders and Crouch! I'm not giving up my godson to that bloody murderer.'

Thompson kneeled beside Sirius, coming closer to speak so that only the two of them were part of the conversation. 'Look, Sirius, I like this as much as you do, yeah? But I'm under specific orders that I cannot disobey under any cost. There are rules and-'

'Don't talk to me about rules, Thompson,' Sirius snapped back, making sure he was loud enough for everyone to here and be intimidated enough to back down. 'I know that rule book by heart, and I can name at least twenty that you have broken standing right here. Attacking an infant, injuring an innocent, entering without a warrant, misuse of spells, should I continue?' Sirius smirked cruelly when he saw Thompson and the others' faces ashen. 'Remember this: I'm a Black and a senior auror. Disowned or not, I can take you, Crouch, and this entire Ministry down with a snap of my fingers. Do. Not. Mess with me.'

'The Death Eaters have already attacked the Longbottoms because they couldn't reveal the child's whereabouts!' One of the aurors cried; Sirius recognised him as a sophomore in the academy, but didn't quite know his name. 'They're enraged with Voldemort's death! You can't possibly fight off so many! We-'

'That's enough, Bradely!' Thompson ordered harshly, and the sophomore returned to his position, looking disgruntled but not speaking any more.

'Voldemort's dead?' Sirius asked, his rage taming down to confusion. 'How? Who…?'

'We weren't told,' Thompson replied stiffly. 'But it has something to do with the child. From what we know, the boy survived the Killing Curse-'

'That's impossible!'

'-the curse was deflected,' Thompson continued, ignoring Sirius's disbelief. 'Voldemort is dead and the Death Eaters have gone rampant. All aurors have been ordered to spread out and capture them. So I suggest you do your duty and surrender the child to us. We will then contact a suitable healer for Mr. Lupin.'

'No,' Sirius replied immediately. 'This is what you will do. You will leave and go back to Crouch. Tell him you've completed the fucking mission. Your orders are to keep Harry safe in the Department, am I right? Well, I'm part of the DMLE, so you can consider your job done.'

Thompson gritted his teeth. 'Black…'

'That is an order, Thompson; from Sirius Black, second in command to Auror Alastor Moody, Division Three. Leave and make sure none of your men here inform Crouch of this loophole.' Sirius glared at all five aurors, standing erect with their wands clasped to their sides. Amateurs: all of them; their shoddy and aimless spell work and the fact that Remus was able to hold them all off for so long on his own proved the fact. 'I recognise some of these men…or should I say children? Anyone even dares to open their mouth and I'll have them relocated to bloody Kenya, am I clear?'

The aurors looked at each other and Thompson nervously, confirming that Sirius had been right to think that the DMLE was a having a shortage of men, and were starting to resort to trainees. He looked at Thompson challengingly, surprised to find that rather than looking intimidated, Thompson seemed almost contemplative. Sirius had a feeling he was going through the suggestion quite thoroughly, and figured that any partner of John Lupin had to be a decent enough bloke.

His wand still pointed towards Thompson, Sirius looked over all the aurors again, eyes narrowing when he found a woman, fidgeting slightly among the others. Her stance was very different: unsure and unsteady, her wand pointed at a wrong and unprofessional angle, her legs positioned awkwardly. Sirius's eyes moved to the buttons of her sleeve, finding crosses engraved in red on the surfaces of each. 'You're not even an auror, are you?' Her stumbling gave away to Sirius's suspicions and he heard Thompson and a few others groan. 'You're the site Healer. Good. You can stay and tend to my friend here.'

The woman looked to her leader uncertainly. 'Sir?'

Thompson sighed heavily. 'I can see why Moody chose you as Deputy, Black. You're too perceptive for your own good.' His eyes met Sirius's and then fell to Remus. 'Go ahead, Tennyson. You heard Black. However, you are to watch over this house and its residents. Any sign of suspicious activity, you are to contact us immediately.' He nodded in encouragement when the Healer seemed hesitant to step forward. 'The rest of you: apparate to site ten on command.'

'But, sir!'

'Our mission is complete, Auror Bradely,' Thompson said firmly, his voice bordering on harsh. 'Apparate on my command.'

Sirius watched them all Disapparate, sighing in relief and muttering a silent 'thank you' to the empty air in front of him. Now that the threat was gone, all the adrenaline and anger seemed to rush out of him; and he slumped against the wall from exhaustion. Running his hands through Harry's soft, unruly hair, he tried to soothe the crying child in his arms. Sirius tried to keep Remus's battered body out of Harry's vision as he hid his godson's face within his shoulder and muttered quiet reassurances that he didn't believe himself. 'Shh, love, they're gone now…'

Sirius felt Healer Tennyson staring at him, but couldn't meet her gaze because of the stinging in his eyes. He turned his head to the side of Harry's head instead, so that all he could see was the jet black of his godson's hair, and all he could hear were the hiccupping sobs against his shoulder. 'Remus…how is he?' Sirius whispered, glancing at the clock and feeling even more tired when he saw that it was nearly three in the morning.

Sirius heard Tennyson smile through her words. 'He'll be fine, I promise.'

XxxxX

Remus woke up when the first rays of sunshine hit his face through the window. Eyes scrunched up and head throbbing, his right hand came up to shield his eyes from the unwelcome onslaught of light. He groaned in contentment when someone volunteered to close the drapes, all but ready to go back to sleep and forget about the dull pain coursing down his spine. His hand fell away from his face, settling on his chest which felt oddly large and…lumpy?

It took a lot of time and disjointed thinking for Remus to realise that there was a warm, breathing weight on his chest, and it was making the oddest whistling noises.

'I hope you don't mind. He fell asleep and I didn't want to take him to the other room. Since you had to stay on your back anyway…I let him lie on top of you.'

Hearing Sirius's voice dispelled the last vestiges of Remus's sleep, and the werewolf opened his eyes tiredly to find Harry slumbering on top of him quite comfortably, thumb in his mouth and the other hand clutching the blanket on top of them tightly within his fist. Remus felt the corners of his lips tug in a smile and he rested a shaky hand on top of the child's head. 'Is he okay?' he asked, looking at Sirius briefly.

Sirius nodded, and Remus noticed that he had large, tired bags under his red rimmed eyes. 'You were brilliant, Moony,' Sirius said softly, sitting down on a chair beside the bed and rubbing the day old stubble on his face. 'I've never seen you fight like that before.'

Remus's fingers ran through Harry's hair. 'And you? Are you hurt?'

'I-' Sirius seemed shocked at Remus's question, though Remus couldn't understand why. 'I'm fine,' he replied, smiling weakly and looking down at his feet. 'You're the one that's hurt…sorry.' Sirius buried his face in his hands. 'The Healer says your back will heal completely in an hour, but you'll need to take Blood Replenishing Potion for a few more days.'

Remus frowned in confusion. 'What about the aurors?'

'Dumbledore talked to the Ministry. A few of the aurors are guarding the house now. News of Voldemort's defeat has spread, so Harry's protection is top priority,' Sirius replied, his voice muffled through his hands. 'So far, they've caught eighteen Death Eaters, all around London. The Death Eaters aren't likely to come to a town as small as this and none of them know where you live, so we're safe for now.'

Remus felt his head begin to throb harder. 'I don't understand.'

'James and Lily are dead, Moony,' Sirius whispered, his voice cracking. Remus felt his blood run cold. 'Harry…I don't know how, he survived the Killing Curse. I can't tell you the mechanics, but Dumbledore says it was some sort of ancient spell that Lily might have used. I…that's all he told me before leaving. He says he'll explain once he gets back and that I might have to give up Harry…'

Remus swallowed, his hand resting on Harry's back possessively. 'Harry doesn't have anywhere else to go. We can't-'

'I won't,' Sirius replied with determination, looking up at Remus fiercely. 'He's my godson. I have the legal right to take care of him, and even Dumbledore can't take that away from me.'

Remus nodded weakly. 'I still don't understand how…' His throat closed up at the last minute, and Remus looked away from Sirius's sad, drawn out face.

'Me neither.'

Sirius burst out laughing.

XxxxX

'Voldemort is not dead,' Dumbledore said gravely after a long period of silence which both Sirius and Remus were given to contemplate last night's ordeal. 'No matter what everyone else says, my boys, you must remember that Voldemort is not dead.'

'I assumed as much,' Sirius replied tiredly, looking briefly at Harry in Remus's arms.

Neither of them had let Harry alone for even a second out of (perhaps) irrational fear of being attacked again. While both exhausted, Sirius more than Remus, neither allowed or trusted anyone else to care for the child and took turns instead.

'Is he going to come back?' Remus asked, worry etching deep lines into his face.

Dumbledore nodded. 'Eventually. We must all remember that Voldemort was beyond a human being. He survived that Curse…barely…he is but a shadow of himself…an entity that exists but nothing more. For now…' Dumbledore sighed, adjusting his half moon glasses, and Remus noticed that the old professor looked just as weary as both of them, even more so. 'He's biding his time, I feel, gaining his strength…and there will be a time when he returns.'

'Then we'll be prepared for him,' Sirius interrupted, his eyes bright and defiant. 'We'll fight.'

'I'm afraid it's not as easy,' Dumbledore conceded, 'but we all agree here that young Harry's safety is top priority…which is why I'm asking you to entrust Harry's care to the Dursleys.'

'No.' Both Sirius and Remus chorused vehemently.

'I understand your concerns, but-'

'Professor, please,' Remus said softly, hating to go against the man who had practically given him his life, hating having to disobey him yet again. 'Please. Harry is safe here with us…Sirius is his godfather…'

'Besides, what will those muggles do when a situation arises?' Sirius retorted angrily. 'They have no weapons, no magic. They can hardly keep themselves up straight; what can they do for Harry?'

'They can provide blood magic,' Dumbledore replied calmly. 'Lily Evans sacrificed herself for her son, and this sacrifice resides in her blood. The same blood that runs within her sister, Petunia Dursley…'

Sirius's expression tightened.

'While with the Dursleys, Harry will be protected from all Dark Magic until the day he turns seventeen. No one can touch him there. However, with you, Sirius and Remus, it is only a matter of time.' Dumbledore looked at the two of them, his blue eyes piercing into their very being, prying into their conflicted emotions and thoughts. 'You can try and protect him, but what guarantee do you have that you will succeed?'

Remus's eyes met Sirius's, and he knew they were both thinking the same things. As Dumbledore had mentioned earlier, Harry's safety was their only true concern, and sending the child off to the Dursleys seemed to fulfill that purpose most effectively. But there was also a matter of attachment and protection, of emotions, and for Sirius and Remus, it was mostly a matter of losing the only family they currently had left.

'He will grow up away from the Magical World, away from prying eyes and the constant uproar that will follow him everywhere he goes.' Dumbledore looked at Remus here specifically, and Remus understood that it was because only he truly knew what it felt like to have other people interfere in his life against his will. 'There will be no pressure of being "the boy who lived", no false pride that comes from it. He will be of pure heart, as his parents once were…'

Remus's jaw quivered at the mention of James and Lily, and he looked away from Dumbledore to his feet in an attempt to control the rising emotions within him. There was an throbbing in his chest – strong and fast, sharp and hard – and he unconsciously kept Harry close, as if putting pressure on his heart would ease the pain.

'I understand that it is hard for you and as sole guardian of Harry, Sirius, this decision is yours to make,' Dumbledore said softly, leaning closer on the edge of his seat. 'If you are to decline my offer, I'm in no position to refuse you. However, I ask you to put Harry's well being to mind…'

Sirius looked at Dumbledore, his grey eyes sombre and sad as he struggled to speak. Remus realised that, for once, neither of them could find the right thing to say; neither of them could weigh the pros and cons, nor consider other alternatives in fear of losing Harry to them. Somehow, inexplicably, everything that had happened in the past few hours tied down the soft whistling sounds of Harry sleeping in Remus's arms.

'You have two weeks to decide,' Dumbledore said finally when the silence had stretched too long. 'But, Sirius, you must stay in this house, within muggle communities. Your flat was raided last night, so you are not to return there under any circumstances.'

Sirius didn't look very surprised, and Remus realised that the Animagus must have predicted the attack in his flat beforehand to have come to Remus last night.

'Remus, I want you to put up all of John's wards back again, and carry on with your daily life as if nothing has happened.'

Remus nodded in affirmative. 'I'll do my best, Professor.'

Dumbledore smiled, getting up to leave. 'Please make the right decision.'

XxxxX

Sirius couldn't sleep…hadn't slept in two days.

No matter how hard he closed his eyes, no matter how tired and exhausted every part of his body was feeling; he couldn't shake of the discord in his mind and there was certain tightness in his muscles that refused to relax. His joints ached, sudden bursts of electricity that ignited every time the vision of James and Lily's prone and lifeless body swam behind his closed eyelids.

Sirius turned on his side, curling up into a tight ball and hugging his knees to his chest. He pressed his face deep into the pillow, willing himself not to cry and repeating a mantra of "be strong for Harry". It was a mantra he'd been training himself into for the past two days, because he knew that once this resolution broke, there would be no end to the flow of tears and the sheer anguish of his loss.

So he focused on Remus instead. Remus, whose voice he could hear through the door as he sang softly to baby Harry. Sirius had been struggling to get Harry to sleep for nearly two hours before Remus had volunteered silently to take over.

'So lift your eyes if you feel you can…'

Of the two of them, Harry was currently the most energetic – playing with lopsided toys that Sirius transfigured for him and crawling all over the house in joy. Sirius wondered if Harry remembered any of it, if a child of his age understood the complications of death and his parents never coming back again.

There had been scarce times when Harry had cried for 'ma' or 'dad', when both Sirius and Remus didn't know what to do. But Harry was a happy child mostly, and he had perhaps adjusted to the new situation better than any of them had.

'Reach for a star and I'll show you a plan…'

Remus said it was because Harry still considered himself to be in a safe, familiar environment with the two of them around – 'Moo' and 'Pa'foo'. But then, what would happen if Sirius decided to send Harry off to the Dursleys? What then? Would Harry cry for hours and hours, calling for his parents and having no one comfort him? Would Lily's sister buy him silly toys to make him feel better? Would she turn into that black, hairy dog that Harry loved to hug and cuddle with? Would she sing to him in the middle of the night – soft, melodic lullabies that soothed his soul and rocked his body into a peaceful slumber?

'I figured it out…what I needed was someone to show me…'

And Remus…would Remus ever talk to him after this? The shared responsibility of taking care of Harry, the guilt and sorrow over their best friends' death – once all that washed over, would Remus ever look at him again? Dumbledore had claimed to understand Sirius's situation, had told him that losing the right to protect his godchild was difficult but necessary. But did the Professor really understand? Did he realise that by giving up his godson, Sirius would also be giving up the fragments of his life that made him whole? Did he realise that losing his godson would also mean losing his very existence?

'Lost in love and I don't know much…'

'I don't want to be selfish, Prongs,' Sirius whispered quietly into his pillow, 'but I don't want to lose Harry…or Remus…I don't want to lose them…'

'Was I thinking aloud and fell out of touch…'

'Tell me what to do,' Sirius pleaded softly, his throat feeling constricted, 'just tell me what you think is right…'

'But I'm back on my feet and eager to be what you wanted…'

XxxxX

'Sirius?'

Remus had thought Sirius was asleep, but judging by the dark circles under the man's eyes, it was obvious he been having a hard time. Remus didn't blame him; he himself hadn't been able to sleep, which was why he had volunteered to put Harry to bed. It had been a good way to occupy his mind from the plaguing thoughts of losing James and Lily and the decision Sirius was likely to take regarding Harry.

'Moony…' Sirius whispered, resting his head against the door frame as if in unspeakable pain. 'Moony…I…'

'Sirius, are you alright?' Remus asked with concern. He patted Harry's back comfortingly when he felt the child shift in his arms. 'Is something wrong?'

Sirius shook his head slowly. 'Remus…I want to…I need answers…I need to go…now…to…to…'

Sirius's words faltered, but Remus understood regardless. 'Yeah. Yeah…me too…,' Remus confessed, looking into the grey depths of Sirius's eyes and finding his own soul mirrored there. 'We can go now…'

Sirius's eyes widened in surprise. 'Together?'

Remus nodded solemnly. 'I think so. We can't apparate, but…Dumbledore left us a Portkey…for…' He swallowed heavily before continuing, '...we can use that…and take the bus tomorrow…'

When he'd agreed to go with Sirius, Remus had mostly been afraid that the journey would be too violent and end up waking Harry from his much needed slumber. However, to his surprise, there hadn't been a stir from the child despite their hurried and almost desperate need to wrap up warmly and leave Lupin Cottage.

During the Portkey ride, Sirius and Remus had formed a tight circle with Harry in between, their arms linked together in a protective embrace and their heads bowed down to rest delicately on each of Harry's shoulders. Their combined weight had also acted as an anchor, keeping the trio from toppling over as they appeared on in Godric's Hollow in a rush of wind and swirling clothes, right in front of what once used to be Harry's home.

It looked exactly how Remus had left it the other day, as he hugged and kissed James and Lily goodbye. The grass underneath them was bright green even in the dark, and there were even a few flowers sprouting from the bushes around the house. The only sign of their loss, of James and Lily's sacrifice was the large, gaping hole on the side of the house that once used to be Harry's room.

'They've arranged the graves,' Sirius whispered softly as he disentangled from Remus and Harry.

Heart beating fast, Remus turned to the graves not far from where they were standing – side by side and hollow. James and Lily would rest here tomorrow, Remus realised with horror. His best friends would be lowered down to these identical dark chasms, never to come back. They would leave, just like that, without a single goodbye; they would leave and all Remus would have of them would be memories and monuments of all the times they'd shared.

'Prongs hated closed spaces,' Sirius commented, fingering the epitaph engraved artfully onto the headstone. It was dark to be able to read them, but as Sirius's fingers looped and circled over the words, Remus clearly read 'James Potter'.

Remus didn't question Sirius's actions as he climbed into the grave and lay there on the ground on his back, eyes closed and hands rested on his stomach as if he were really dead. Instead, Remus sat down on the grass above, leaning against the side of Lily's headstone and watching the slow rise and fall of Sirius's chest as it matched Harry's and his own rhythmic breathing.

'I'm going to give him up,' Sirius said after a long time, waking Remus up from his trance. 'If it means Harry's going to be kept protected, I'll let Dumbledore take him…' He looked up at Remus, his grey eyes looking tired and worn. 'His safety is all that matters to me right now…'

Remus shifted, moving his numb limbs to a better position and adjusting Harry so that the child was wrapped more securely within his jacket.

'It's not what you want, is it?' Sirius asked in reply to Remus's silence.

'No,' Remus admitted quietly, looking up at the night sky. The stars shone bright above them, and Remus wondered if all those fairytales about your loved ones watching you from the heavens were true. 'You don't want it either…'

The wind blew serenely, gently caressing their faces as if in comfort. 'No…'

Remus closed his eyes. It was the right thing to do, he told himself silently, as he turned to rest his cheek against the cold stone. The decision would bring closure and purpose to James and Lily's sacrifice. Remus only wished the twisting in his guts wouldn't make it so painful to let go.

'I wish I would wake up,' Sirius said wretchedly.

Five minutes later, Remus found him fast asleep.

XxxxX

'Where do you think you're going?'

Elphias frowned at the man glaring down at him. 'T' the funeral,' he replied, holding back the 'obviously' when he noticed the shiny, silver auror badge on the man's chest. 'I travelled all the way from Stepney t' get 'ere, so would be really nice if you'd let me through.'

'Let him go, Hobbs,' a voice called out from behind the rather large auror that Elphias wished wasn't breathing so heavily on his face. 'That runt wouldn't harm a fly.'

'Oi!' Elphias cried, feeling indignant at having been called a runt and looking past the auror's shoulder with great difficulty to see Kingsley Shaklebolt smiling merrily at him. 'You!'

'You're late, Dodge,' Shaklebolt commented in his deep voice. 'The ceremony was over an hour ago. Most people have left by now.'

Idly, Elphias wondered if the entire Auror Force was chosen based on size alone; one seemed to be progressively larger (enormous) than the other. 'I ain't here for most people,' Elphias replied, shooting Hobbs a dirty look before moving past him. 'Is Remy still 'ere?'

Shaklebolt nodded. 'He's with Black, towards the end,' he directed, pointing to his right, beyond the never ending rows of white chairs.

There had obviously been a lot of people who had come to pay their respects; Elphias had heard the news on the radio that many were migrating from different parts of the world just to attend the funeral. It also explained the tight security around the entire area and the scores of flowers that lined the Potter memorial. There was even a special dedication to James from the Quidditch team he used to play for; Elphias couldn't quite tell because he'd never been into much sport apart from dueling.

'Devastated, the poor chaps,' Shaklebolt commented sympathetically, 'I've never seen Sirius this upset, not even after his own brother died.'

Elphias had tried to make it in time for the proceedings, but being an unregistered, non-existent entity didn't help matters at all, especially when all the apparating channels were jammed and Portkeys being near impossible to order without approval of the Ministry. He had truly like James and Lily Potter; they'd been kind to him and they'd always loved Remus a lot. Elphias hadn't known them too well, but remembered how much they'd supported Remus and made him happy, which was all that mattered really.

'Wha' abou' Remy?' Elphias asked, standing on his tip toes in search of Remus and Sirius. There were two cloaked figures somewhere towards the end, and Elphias assumed it was them from the blue baby carriage that stood in front. 'Is he o'right?'

'Lupin's always been strong,' Shaklebolt replied ambiguously, invoking even more confusion and questions in Elphias's mind.

'Bloody...when will them gits learn t' always give a Cockney bloke a straigh' answer?' Elphias grumbled to himself as he stopped by the Potter's grave to pay his respects before walking to where he thought he'd spotted Remus and Sirius. 'Didn' come all the way t' listen to no philosophy...mad, abnormally huge bloke...'

Elphias recognised Remus immediately, even from a distance. Even though his head was bowed down to conceal his face, choppy brown locks longer than Elphias had left them; he knew Remus by just his presence. Remus was trembling slightly; Elphias reckoned it was a bit cold and the werewolf's jacket had always been a bit threadbare.

There was a slight guilty pleasure of being able to see Remus again after such a long time, even though Elphias wished the circumstances weren't so upsetting. Unknowingly, he built up his pace, wondering how he was going to talk to Remus after such a horrid ordeal and what Elphias could say to ease the pain the werewolf must be feeling. He stopped abruptly, however, when he noticed that Remus's trembling hadn't been from the cold at all.

Small, pearly teardrops collected at the end of the werewolf's nose, falling down his chin and cheeks like the soft drizzles of April. Remus was saying something; Elphias could see his mouth moving but wasn't close enough to hear.

'Remy...'

A shaky hand reached up to Remus's cheek, softly brushing away his tears, and only then did Elphias remember that Sirius was also standing beside Remus, looking just as red eyed and tear stained. Sirius was speaking as well, perhaps in response to Remus's own despaired murmurings and Elphias could just barely make out the words, 'I'm sorry' form on the man's lips.

They'd reconciled, Elphias realised with a smile and perhaps a hint of jealousy. Judging by the way they were standing close and speaking softly with each other and the way Sirius's hand lingered on Remus's cheek in an exaggerated caress, it was quite clear that the two of them were back together again.

Visiting Remus could wait, Elphias decided, as he duly kept his distance and watched as Sirius's hand now settled on Remus's shoulder. Elphias was obviously not the person Remus needed right now, and the young blonde was more than willing to let him be for now. After all, there was certain amount of satisfaction to be gained in watching Remus turn into Sirius's arms as they embraced slowly, arms encircled tightly around each other and foreheads resting on shoulders.

'Let me just say goodbye to Remus and Sirius, Arthur. They might even need help with young Harry and I-'

Elphias grabbed Molly's Weasley's hand suddenly, pulling her back. 'Oi, where d'you think you're goin'?'

Molly spluttered indignantly, 'Well, I never!'

XxxxX

In occasion of my birthday a few days ago (you may wish me :D), I decided to write and post the next chapter extra quick. I hope you guys liked it. I brought Elphias back! But he's short term really...just to liven the mood up a little and end the chapter at a lighter note since the rest of it is mostly angsty and slightly depressing. I really didn't want recurring thoughts of woe and losing your best friends even in the funeral, so...that's the end result. Anyway, this chapter was...a lot of emotions...so I hope I got them right and well into character. If I haven't, you're always welcome to tell me your version...:D. Oh and the song Remus sings is unfortunately not composed by me but Air Supply (Lost In Love).

Anyway, thanks for all the lovely reviews and I hope my replies reached all of you since my account's been giving a lot of trouble lately. And here's my reply to all you lovely anonymous people:

the person who left a dash: Lol. Looks like I gave you a screen name. Anyway, should thank you for reviewing so many random chapters. I really enjoyed reading them cuz I don't think I've revisited those chapters in quite a while. To be honest, one of my fav chapters is the 39th. I know it's probably the saddest, but it was just such a challenge to write because my style of writing always focuses more on character emotions and reaction rather than the actual plot itself. For ch 20, I agree with your understanding of James because I've always seen him as the righteous one; someone who's always trying to set things right and defending what he truly believes and cares for. I wish I could talk to you more really, but ah…the limits of space. Ayame-Paradise: Thank you, my love. The happiness is coming, as you've probably noticed towards the end of the chapter, after a good, sufficient amount of angst unfortunately. ...: Unfortunately, most of this chapter was sad too, but I hope I didn't make you cry. MoonyIsTheMan: Well, your b'day present came earlier than expected, but Happy Birthday! Now it's your turns. :D I hope I had more talented sentences in this chapter…the idea makes me fell oddly…hyper? Ecstatic? Special? Shoshoni: Well, hopefully, you got all your answers regarding Moldy and everyone. I kept most of canon in terms of Voldemort and stuff and just tweaked some of the finer details, you see, so that Remus and Sirius were still together. Hope you liked this chapter even more!! WoodlandAristocrat: Very true, and your statement is proved true in the last scene where Remus and Sirius hug. Am I the only one going silly over that? It signifies the beginning of a relationship!! Yes, the romance! Ainek: Sirius is a wanker, I wholeheartedly agree, but he's a well meaning wanker. He knew Remus was never going to forgive him, he didn't expect it, but he did what he thought would protect him really. And of course I'm not going to suddenly change the story to all round fluff; that's ridiculous. I mean, how will Remus suddenly forget everything, but I can't also deny the fact that a shared tragedy will bring them somewhat closer and more civil to each other. The one night stand thing…I don't think with everything happening, Remus really has time to sleep around. But really, it was fun to read your review, so see you next time!! Nic: Lol. I hope you had a sufficient dose of tortured Remus (with tortured Sirius for free!) in this chapter. Jay: The makeup sex will come. One step at a time. I love that sentence in your review though. The one about death…it sounded so…poetic. I could never come up with something like that! Mk: Yeah, I did mean it as canon, and I also saw it in Sirius's point of view who sort of didn't really know what had happened and was just trying to piece things together at the moment. He wouldn't exactly think of the Dark Lord's death, so I figured….yeah…hope you liked this chapter!! Zenna: I love you too. You are probably the only one who hasn't wanted to kill me, express their disbelief at James and Lily's death, or physically maim me (okay, so no one wanted to do that). Cheers! A Person: I updated!! And this time my ending is not aimed to kill. :D This chapter did deal with death, but it also somehow showed how Sirius and Remus work together seamlessly I think. Hope you enjoyed reading it and it was worth the wait!! Michele: Lol. The romance is starting, I'm sure you've noticed. I tried not to make thinks too emotional…but I had to put in a few tearjerkers here and there to create the feel of losing someone. So…we had Remus and Sirius's angst point of views for most of it except the end. Though I have to admit my favourite was writing the scene where Sirius lays himself down on James's grave. Ah well, hope you liked it. Cheers!!