Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I am so thrilled that a few of my old faithful reviewers from last time found me again, this is fantastic! Your kind words mean so, so much to me. I am so sorry it has taken me this long to get back to this story, but I promise that once I upload all that I've written, I'll write more!

Chapter 2: Year's End

Severus Snape was still beyond livid. He had hardly slept, and when he woke up, all he wanted to do was hex somebody into the next century. He joined his other Slytherins at breakfast, but instead of sitting at the staff table, where that stupid mongrel Lupin was sitting, he sat at the head of the Slytherin table. Immediately, the people around him started to talk.

"Look at Professor Lupin," Blaise Zabini exclaimed. "What's wrong with him? He looks so tired."

"And his clothes are so shabby," Pansy Parkinson snickered. "He looks like he's been in the forest all night!"

"As a matter of fact, Miss Parkinson," Snape said silkily, satisfaction dripping from every word, "he might as well have been. In case you don't know, your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a werewolf."

xxx

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down to breakfast all in a good mood. Harry was the happiest of all. As they walked into the Great Hall, they chatted amiably. Ron was still thankful that he hadn't had to deal with Madame Pomfrey the night before when it came to his broken leg. Remus had desperately wanted to be a healer when he'd graduated from Hogwarts, but his lycanthropy made that dream never come true. But he'd learned all the healing spells he could, so when Sirius in dog form had broken Ron's leg, the DADA professor had easily fixed it.

The Gryffindors' moods changed, however, when they sat down at their table. There was chatter all around them from the different houses, and you wouldn't believe the things they were saying.

"He's a werewolf!"

"Professor Lupin's a werewolf!"

"Monster!"

"How could Dumbledore do such a thing as to hire a werewolf?"

"I told you Dumbledore's the worst Headmaster the school's ever had," drawled the voice of Draco Malfoy. His two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, nodded their heads in agreement.

"How on Earth did they find out?" whispered Ron.

"I bet you it was Snape," said Hermione. "He was so angry last night. He probably told the Slytherins to get revenge on Sirius and Remus for not getting into trouble."

"Foul git," said Harry angrily.

As classes passed that day, everyone kept mentioning Remus's condition; the hallways were chock-full of rumors.

"I'd better stay away from him," Lavender Brown whispered to Parvati Patil. "Or he'll bite me. I thought he was so nice."

"Well, Professor Trelawney did say we had to watch out for savage beasts," whispered Parvati back.

"Would you two shut up?" Ron scowled.

"Don't be rude, Ron," said Lavender crossly.

After classes were over, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to see Hagrid. They knew the gamekeeper was probably devastated over Buckbeak's death. Sure enough, when they arrived, Hagrid wouldn't let them in at first. But when he finally opened the door, saying, "Oh, it's yeh three," he had red, puffy eyes and was holding a handkerchief.

"Are you all right, Hagrid?" said Hermione in a concerned tone.

"No," sniffled Hagrid. "Beaky's gone. That foul executioner Mcnair killed 'im!"

"I'm sorry, Hagrid," Harry said. "I'm sorry we couldn't help."

"It's not yer fault," said Hagrid, blowing his nose; it sounded like a foghorn. "Sit down, all of yeh. I heard abou' Sirius Black gettin' free. I just want to tell yeh three that yeh could've been killed! What were yeh thinkin' out here on the grounds las' night? It doesn' matter that it was abou' me, yeh three shouldn' have bin out there!"

"I know, Hagrid," said Ron, "but we had to come and see you."

"Bollocks," said Hagrid. "Not when there's a mass murderer on the loose. I know it was Pettigrew now, but still, yeh three were very stupid to do that." He plopped tea and rock cakes down in front of them.

"Dumbledore was there when Beaky passed," Hagrid continued. "Great man, Dumbledore ... great man ..."

"Yes, he is," Harry agreed.

"So, arry," said Hagrid, "amazin' turn of events las' night, eh? You gonna go live with Sirius Black now? Never woulda thought he was innocent. He was in the street, laughin' like a maniac after that explosion. He looked as guilty as sin."

"Maybe he was laughing," Hermione said, "because he couldn't believe what had happened, that Peter Pettigrew had fooled him. Some people laugh at situations when they're not at all funny, but they feel better laughing because they know if they don't, they'll start crying."

"Good point, ermione," said Hagrid. "Knew Sirius Black back in the day. Always hangin' around with Potter, Lupin, an that Pettigrew imp. Always causin' trouble, but they were fine lads. Lupin's resignin', you know. He's a werewolf an' all, an' now everyone knows what he is because Snape told the Slytherins, he thinks it's better if he doesn' teach here anymore."

"No!" Harry exclaimed loudly. "He can't leave, he just can't! He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!"

Ron and Hermione also looked crestfallen at this news. "Wonder who we'll have next year," muttered Ron. "A vampire, maybe?"

xxx

After they had gone to visit Hagrid, Ron and Hermione told Harry he should go and visit Sirius on his own. They figured that because they were godfather and godson, the two needed time to themselves. So Harry said goodbye to his friends and went to Professor Lupin's office to ask him where Sirius was rooming.

When he got there, he saw Remus packing things into a battered trunk, the same trunk he and his friends had seen on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the year.

"Hello, Harry," said Remus as he looked up from his packing. "How are you today?"

"Very well, Professor, but I wish you weren't leaving," said Harry sadly.

"I know, but parents won't want their children being taught by a werewolf," Remus said gently. "And after all, you'll be seeing me sooner than you think. Sirius and I talked this morning, and …" His face suddenly grew wary, like he didn't want to say anymore.

"Come on, Professor," Harry encouraged.

we decided that I'm coming to live with both of you too. My living conditions at the present time are … uh … not the best, and Sirius offered to house me as well. I promise I won't get in your way, though."

"Oh, that's great!" Harry said happily, his spirits lifting. "You won't bother us, you can stay as near to me as you want! You're the best Defense teacher we've ever had, and I would've been upset not to see you anymore."

"Ah, thank you, Harry," Remus said, touched. "Now, are you looking for Sirius?"

"Yes."

"Well, he's staying in my living quarters. Professor Dumbledore fixed up an extra bed for him to sleep in. If you'd like, I'll take you there."

"That'll be great," Harry said. He followed Remus into the office and then to another door. They walked into a nice living room with a fireplace. Sitting on the sofa was Sirius Black, reading a book called 500 Pranks to Play on your Rivals.

"Oh, Sirius," said Remus laughingly. "Not reading that book again, are you?"

"Yep, I am," said Sirius. "I want to get back at Snape for telling the Slytherins what you are. Actually, I want to do more than prank him; I want to get him fired!" he said, anger starting to come through.

"Sirius, pranking him or firing him isn't going to help. I appreciate you sticking up for me, but we're not school children anymore. We're adults. You and Severus somehow have to get past this rivalry."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to be the one to reconcile," muttered Sirius. "Oh hi, Harry!"

"Hello, Sirius," said Harry.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" asked Remus. "How about you, Padfoot?"

"Coffee for me, Moony," said Sirius. Harry agreed to tea.

When they were all sitting down and drinking it, Harry said, "Hey, Sirius, did you sleep well last night?"

"I slept wonderfully, Harry," Sirius answered. "And I actually took a shower. Do you know how long it's been since I showered? And it's the first time I've slept in a proper bed in ages."

"I'm sorry, Sirius," said Remus sadly. "I was so stupid to think you would ever betray James and Lily."

"Don't be sorry, Remus," said Sirius, his eyes looking haunted from Azkaban. There was a little bitterness in his voice. "The rest of the wizarding world believed it, so why shouldn't you?"

Harry looked uncomfortable; the subject was getting a little heavy. Sirius and Remus noticed this, and decided to talk about it later.

"So," said Harry, "Professor Lupin tells me he'll be living with us, too!"

"Yes, he will," said Sirius, a smile breaking through. "It'll be like old times, won't it Moony?"

"If you think I'll put up with pranks from you, Padfoot, then you're wrong," Remus laughed.

"Oh yeah?" Sirius taunted, grinning.

"Yeah!" Remus answered. "And Harry, there's no need to call me "Professor Lupin" anymore. I'm no longer your professor, so please just call me Remus."

Harry smiled. "Okay, Remus," he said.

Harry and the two Marauders spent the next few hours talking about all kinds of things. Harry shared his experiences of the past few years; things like the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets. Both men were amazed.

"What is Dumbledore thinking, letting my godson go into danger like that?" Sirius said a little angrily. "You're only a boy! You could have been seriously hurt or even killed!"

"I know," said Harry, "but don't worry. I made it through all right. It sure was interesting."

"I bet," Sirius scowled. "I think I'll go have a little chat with the Headmaster."

"No, don't!" Harry pleaded. "It wasn't his fault, it was the three of us who got involved. Last year Hermione was petrified towards the end of the year, so it was left to Ron and I to try to figure things out. And we couldn't just let Ginny die in the chamber."

"You're so much like your father, Harry," Remus said fondly, nostalgia in his eyes. "He would never let things just happen on their own if he knew someone was in danger."

"You have your mother's spirit too," said Sirius. "I was seriously going to kill that little rat last night until you stopped me."

"Well, as I said," answered Harry, "I don't think Mum and Dad would have wanted their friend to become a killer, even if you were killing a bad person."

xxx

As Harry was making his way back to his dorm after eating dinner with the two Marauders, there was nobody in the halls except for one person. Going in the opposite direction was none other than Cedric Diggory. Harry was going on autopilot, so he almost bumped right smack into him.

"Hi, Harry!" Cedric said. "What's up?"

"Not much, Cedric," said Harry. "How about you?"

"Oh, nothing. I heard about last night. Isn't it amazing? Sirius Black innocent and all? I heard you're going to live with him also."

"Yes, I am. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Yeah, that should be interesting. I just have to say this to you, Harry, I'm still really sorry about the match. I tried to get Madame Hooch to do a rematch, but she wouldn't have any of it."

"Don't worry about it, Cedric. It's just a game, and you won fair and square. The rest of the team will just have to see that."

"Yeah," Cedric grinned wryly. "I've noticed they're holding a bit of a grudge, but I'm not taking it personally. Quidditch is a very competitive game."

"Yeah, it is."

"Harry," Cedric said earnestly, "I think you're a very nice person. I would like to extend to you the hand of friendship."

Harry was very flattered by this; he'd never heard someone speak so formally to him before. "Thank you," he said, his face turning red. "I accept."

"Good," Cedric said. "Why so embarrassed, Harry?"

"Uh ... never heard it said like that before," said Harry.

"Oh," said Cedric, smiling. "I guess it's my dad rubbing off on me. Anyway, I wondered if you'd like to hang out sometime, maybe meet with some of my mates. I know there're a lot of people out there that like you just for your scar, but when I played against you this year, I got to thinking about the person you really are. I can tell that you don't like all the attention."

"No, I really don't," Harry said, cheeks flushing again.

"I also needed to say that I never once suspected you were attacking students last year," Cedric said. "How could a second year be doing such a thing? And you seemed too nice to suddenly attack people."

"Uh, thanks," Harry said.

"Okay, I gotta go," said Cedric. "See you around, maybe?"

"Yeah," answered Harry. "See ya, Cedric."

xxx

When Harry arrived in the Gryffindor common room, he told Ron and Hermione about his conversation with Cedric.

"He's such a duffer," said Ron immediately. "Acting all formal like that. He doesn't have any brains."

"Ronald!" exclaimed Hermione, scandalized.

"He's not a duffer," said Harry defensively. "He told me we could be friends. I don't think he's stupid at all."

"Well, I'm glad you made another friend," said Hermione, a smile on her face. Ron grunted in acknowledgement, making her frown at him.

xxx

The week passed quickly after that. As the days went by, Harry spent more and more time talking to Sirius and Remus. They started telling him stories about the Marauders in their days at Hogwarts. There had been a time, they said, when Peter Pettigrew had been a decent person, just a boy growing up in the wizarding world. They liked to remember the good times, and Harry loved hearing more about them. Aunt Petunia told him nothing of his parents, and it was nice to finally hear someone say that James Potter was not an unemployed, lazy layabout.

The leaving feast passed in a happy blur, with Hermione going on at Ron because he heaped so much food onto his plate and then stuffed his face full of it. "Ronald!" she chastised when he talked with his mouth full. "Remember your manners!"

"You're no' my mu'er, ermione," Ron mumbled. He was trying to say "you're not my mother, Hermione." Hermione gave him a "don't-be-so-darn-rude" look.

By that night, they all had their trunks packed and were ready to leave by the Hogwarts Express in the morning. Harry woke up the next day feeling better than he had the last two years on the day of leaving, because he knew he'd only have to put up with Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley for one more week. Then he'd be going to live with Sirius and Remus.

As they got onto the Hogwarts Express, they waved goodbye to Hagrid, who was standing at the station. Harry had already said his goodbyes to Sirius and Remus. Even though Remus had resigned, he'd stayed at the school with Sirius until term ended. He didn't show his face in the Great Hall after the morning everyone had found out about his lycanthropy, however.

"Bye, all of yeh!" boomed Hagrid. "See yeh next year!"

"See you, Hagrid," said Harry. He noticed that Hagrid's spirits seemed to be a little better since Buckbeak's death. He was glad that the gentle man had a smile on his face. He could still see some sadness in his eyes, though; he had really been attached to that hippogriff, and Harry couldn't even imagine how much Hagrid hated looking into the smug face of Draco Malfoy every Care of Magical Creatures lesson.

The train pulled out of the station, and the trio talked, read, and played Exploding Snap all the way home. Ron also beat the other two horribly in wizard's chess. He played Hermione one round, and Harry the other, since he was the chess master. Hermione then buried her nose in a book, and read the rest of the ride.

Dumbledore had informed Harry that he had let Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon know that Harry would only be staying a week in their home this summer, and after that, he'd never be back. The Dursleys had never hurt him terribly, just neglected him, but little did he know what they had in store for him when he came back this summer.

When they arrived at Platform Nine and Three-quarters, they got their trunks off the train, and Harry got Hedwig's cage. "Maybe you could get an owl now," Harry said to Ron. "After all, you don't have a rat anymore."

"That's true," said Ron. "You know, it was all over the Prophet, about Sirius and Pettigrew. That's why everyone knew about it the next day."

"Yeah, I saw the article," interjected Hermione. "That woman Rita Skeeter wrote it; she's disgusting. She's still saying bad things about Sirius even though he's innocent. Unfortunately, most of the wizarding world agrees with her because they like her writing."

"Well, Cedric didn't," said Harry. "He seems sensible about it."

"Well, at least Diggory's got something right," said Ron.

"Would you please stop harping on about that, Ron!" exclaimed Hermione sternly. "He's not stupid! Just because he's in Hufflepuff and he won a Quidditch match against Gryffindor doesn't mean he's dumb!"

"All right, all right, whatever you say, mione," sighed Ron. Hermione held Crookshanks in her arms, petting him. "I'm sorry about the whole Scabbers thing," Ron then said. "Crookshanks was right all along."

Hermione looked at him with a forgiving smile. "I'll forgive you this time, Ronald," she said jokingly.

They saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waiting for their family, and everyone exchanged greetings when they crossed the barrier. Harry saw his Uncle Vernon, a sneer plastered onto the fat man's face. The horsey-faced Aunt Petunia was also there, along with Dudley.

"Let's go, boy," snapped Uncle Vernon. "We've waited for you long enough."

"All right, I'm coming," Harry sighed. "Bye Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Percy, Fred, and George."

"Bye, Harry!" everyone chorused.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't," said Fred.

"Which means do anything!" said George.

"Oh, you two," Mrs. Weasley said. "Can't you ever be serious?"

"Nope," said Fred.

"We live to joke," said George.

"See you soon, Harry," said Hermione, hugging him. "We'll keep in touch. Send an owl when you're with Sirius and Remus, okay?"

"I will," promised Harry.

"See you later, mate," Ron said, pounding him on the back.

"See you, Ron."

"LET'S GO!" snarled Uncle Vernon, and not wanting to annoy the man any further, Harry followed him out of the station. Before he knew it, the Dursleys and Harry were in the car driving to 4 Privet Drive.

Harry had no idea what he would face in the next week. He didn't know that this would be the worst week of his life, that his emotional state would change completely. He didn't know what trick Vernon Dursley had up his sleeve, but it would change him forever. He'd never be the same Harry Potter again.

As they pulled into the driveway, Harry got out of the car and followed his aunt and uncle into the house. "Go to your room," Vernon said angrily, and Harry did. "Just you wait," Vernon taunted. "During the next week, I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

Harry just shrugged, but he had no idea how right his uncle was. Throughout the rest of his life, he would never forget.