Hey guys!

So, officially, I have completed the story with 50 chapters. That means after this one there's only 9 chapters left. All the parts of the story that I really wanted to get to are included in these chapters, and I tried my best to wrap things up while still leaving open the possibility that if I found inspiration again, I could come back and continue. I really, really hope that everyone is satisfied.

katiek121, thank you my dear! :D

Starrya47, I don't know if Remus's human feelings translate fully into Moony, just because Moony can't really experience complex emotions. But he and Padfoot are definitely bonding a lot on these full moons. :)

QUESTION FOR MY READERS: Since I have all the chapters ready, would you rather I just blast them all out at once or keep to a regular schedule to the end (not that the update schedule is very regular now, but you know what I mean)? It's up to you guys. Let me know what you think.

Either way, enjoy this chapter and I'll see you again soon. Love ya!

~SXS

FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER AN.


Lily peered around one last corner, holding her lit wand out in front of her. It was early November, and she and Remus were on Prefect patrol. "This one's all clear," she said.

"Let's head to the third floor then," Remus said, leading the way to the stairs.

Lily yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "I hadn't realized how many late nights there would be, being a Prefect."

Remus hummed lightly. "I guess being a Marauder has some advantages. Namely that I'm used to staying up late and traveling around the castle from our prank set-ups."

He was met with an eye-roll, though there was also an upward twitch of lips. "Especially this year. I can't believe what you've been letting those idiots get away with."

Remus was amused by the fact that Lily didn't seem to think he was as much a part of those pranks as James or Sirius. "What can I say? I owe them a lot." A fond smile spread over his face as he thought about the mischief they had already gotten up to since the school year had started. Over the last two months they had been thoroughly exercising their creativity and freedoms. One day everyone's shoes sprouted wheels and became glued to their feet, causing quite a few hallway accidents. On Halloween, anyone wearing a costume was transformed into the creature or character they were dressed as. Most recently, they had turned the grounds into a miniature golf course, providing everyone with balls and putters so they could play a round during their lunch break. It was the first time that anyone had enjoyed one of the schemes the Marauders had cooked up.

Lily looked at Remus with a softer gaze. "They wouldn't think you owed them anything."

"Of course not. But I have reason to feel that way." He didn't think he could ever stop feeling grateful for everything his friends had done for him. Though there had only been two full moons since the start of term, having Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail at his side had made a world of difference. He couldn't remember anything that happened during those nights, but he hadn't accumulated any new scars, and woke up only feeling a flu-like ache. It was fantastic. So, while he was liable to let them do whatever they wanted anyway because he couldn't say no to Sirius's puppy-dog eyes, he especially wasn't going to stop them now.

"Oh, come on. You're not a charity case, Remus. Just because of your…"

"Furry little problem," Remus filled in for her. "Don't worry, that's not why. Just trust that I have a personal debt to repay for all eternity." She wouldn't really understand unless he told her the truth, but he couldn't reveal that his friends were secretly Animagi. He felt a lot closer to Lily after spending time together as Prefects, but it was best not to involve her in their illegal activities.

As the pair approached the stairs, they spotted another duo further down the corridor, who stopped and turned back when they heard footsteps; Severus and the other new Slytherin Prefect. The latter tugged on Severus's sleeve to get him to continue, but he resisted. He was staring at Lily, and for a moment she thought he might come talk to her. But in the next second he was frowning and turning away, following his fellow Prefect around the corner and disappearing.

Lily's face fell as she stared at the spot where her friend had disappeared. "He's been acting so different lately…" she murmured, without moving her gaze.

"How so?" Remus asked. As far as he could tell, he was still the same grumpy, standoffish person he'd always been.

Lily sighed, and then started off in the direction of the third floor again. "He's just…He says things that shock me sometimes. Like sticking up for Mulciber and Avery after they attacked Mary and Peter. Or talking like he believes that Muggle-borns and half-bloods aren't worthy of magic. Like a…" She trailed off, but Remus didn't need her to finish the thought. "He's always had prejudices, but never like this. Never where he was talking about Muggles being 'put in their place'. I thought it was because he's been hearing too many conversations in his common room, but sometimes I wonder…"

A pang of sympathy touched Remus's heart. While he wasn't fond of Severus these days, he knew that the boy and Lily had been incredibly close from before their days at school. Especially being that Lily came from a Muggle family, it must have hurt deeply to listen to her best friend talking this way. "Is he trying to fit in? Slytherins tend to be cruel to anyone in the House that doesn't follow their lead."

"That's what Regulus was saying," Lily admitted. "But then why would he keep saying those things in front of me?" Remus was at a loss to explain that. His fellow Prefect then shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to just dump all this on you. But when I try to talk to Mary or Alice about it, they tell me I should just stop being friends with him."
Part of Remus wanted to agree with that. He'd given Severus multiple chances to show that he wasn't as horrible as his friends thought, but he hadn't proven himself. He had to wonder what had made Lily like him in the first place, and why she stuck with him when he was turning into something worse.

"I don't mind listening," he said, not sharing his thoughts out loud.

To this, Lily smiled. "Thanks." She waved her hands in front of herself, as if trying to erase the gloomy mood. "Anyway, I don't want to think about it right now. Let's talk about something else." She seemed to think over what a good subject for discussion would be, then hesitated before asking, "Speaking of Mary…Did anything ever happen with that person that you were pining after?"

Remus flushed a deep scarlet, not sure if this was the way he wanted the conversation to turn. "Um, no…"

Lily could tell that she had possibly overstepped the boundaries of their budding friendship and bit her lip. "Sorry. I've just been curious. I haven't seen you with anyone since Mary so I wondered if you'd ever tried to pursue it. We don't have to talk about it, though."

"No, it's fine," Remus said. He supposed they could talk about it without him being too specific. "They don't feel the same. I think I mentioned that to you."

"How do you know?"

Remus half-smirked. "Call it a hunch."

Lily gave him a small smile in return. "You might be surprised. Wouldn't you rather know one way or another?"

"Not really," Remus said. "If they didn't feel the same then it would always be uncomfortable."

"But if they did, then you would both be happy," Lily pointed out. "And the longer you wait, the more time you waste that you could have been together."

Remus raised a brow. "Do you read romance novels?"

She waved a hand, ignoring the question. "I'm just saying, it could be worth a shot. If you don't try, then you'll always wonder."

Remus sighed now. They'd finally made it to the third floor and he started peering around corners for students out after curfew. "You might be right, but I still wouldn't risk it. I'd rather not lose the friendship." It wasn't until the words had passed through his lips that he realized that he'd said a bit too much. Lily, being quick witted, wouldn't have missed the fact that he'd seriously narrowed down the possibilities of who he was secretly fancying just by saying they were a friend. As he'd predicted, her eyes widened marginally, and he tensed.

"Oh…No, Remus, this doesn't have to ruin our friendship," she said.

A breath of relief. Maybe he hadn't said too much after all. "It's not you," he clarified.

"Oh." Lily's cheeks tinted just a bit pink. "I knew that." She cleared her throat.

Remus grinned. "Don't you know that James would have my head if I ever tried to compete with him for you? Even if he claims that he's given up."

"Is that why he hasn't been such an annoying berk lately? It's been nice not having him staring at me like a piece of meat."

"I'm sure," Remus chuckled. "I don't know how long it'll last, though, so I wouldn't get used to it."

Lily pursed her lips. "Too bad. He's scoring more points this way." Remus's eyebrows rose at this. The fact that James was scoring points at all was a miracle. He'd have to tell him to keep it up. "Anyway, if it's not me, then is it Anjanette?"

Remus had to hold back from smiling, thinking about James's insistence about that particular relationship someday coming to fruition. "No." He really didn't want to give her anymore indirect hints, but she was coming dangerously close now to the truth.

"No? Then who…" She frowned in thought. "You don't have any other female friends, right?" Remus remained silent, dread settling in his stomach. He could see the cogs turning in Lily's brain. Thankfully, however, it seemed the idea of him possibly being attracted to someone of the same sex didn't cross her mind. Why should it? It was just as abnormal as his being a werewolf allowed to study magic. "I'm stumped."

"Then allow me to take this chance to change the subject," Remus said and followed up quickly before she could protest. The last thing he needed was her to start thinking outside the box. "Have you been in to see McGonagall yet?" The fifth years had been steadily meeting with their Heads of House since the start of term to plan their paths for their last two years of school. With O.W.L.s looming ahead, it was important to know what grades were required in each subject to move forward towards N.E.W.T.s and thus have the qualifications for a job after graduation.

The red-head nodded. "I went last week. It was rather helpful. I wasn't sure what sort of careers there were in the wizarding world, outside of what we've been exposed to here at school."

"You've decided on something then?"

"Yes. And ironically it's something that I already knew about." Lily tilted her head a bit with a smile. "I'd like to be a Healer. I want to maybe learn a little Muggle medicine too, and use it to fill in gaps for what magic hasn't been able to help yet."

Remus was impressed with this idea. "That sounds fantastic."

Lily's cheeks tinted pink. "Oh stop," she said, waving a hand. "I just wonder if I'll actually be allowed to change the standard practices. I can't have been the only person in history to think about doing this, and yet the Healers still use magic for everything."

"Times are changing," Remus said. "For better or for worse. They might wind up being grateful to have alternatives where magic fails."

"Yeah, I suppose," Lily murmured. She was quiet for a moment. "Pretty scary, what's been going on lately." It seemed they couldn't stay away from depressing topics tonight. "Sometimes I forget that it's waiting for us. When we're here it's like we're in a bubble."

"I think Dumbledore wants to keep it that way," Remus said. "He doesn't want anyone to panic."

"But shouldn't we? Shouldn't we be learning more Defense, and more protective spells? Shouldn't we not be allowed to believe that the outside world is just as safe and cozy as Hogwarts?" She did have a point. They were going about business as usual, and the only talk of the Death Eaters happened when kids would open their morning Prophet.

"Dumbledore must believe that they'll be able to get a handle on this before most of us will graduate. Otherwise I'm sure he'd be doing everything to make sure we were prepared," he reasoned.

Lily frowned deeply, her vibrant green eyes clouded with worry. "I hope you're right…" There was a short silence where they momentarily split, checking a few of the classrooms and alcoves before reconvening. "What about you? Have you had your meeting?" she asked as if there had been no interruption.

Remus shook his head. "I'm scheduled to speak with her next month." He was not looking forward to it.

"Do you have any ideas of what you'd like to be?"

The tawny-haired boy took a long time to answer. "No…" The career meetings had brought up an issue that he hadn't thought of before, or perhaps he had purposely ignored. While he had no doubt that he'd be able to pass all his O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s with flying colors, no amount of good grades could change his condition. "I have no idea what I could do."

"I'm sure McGonagall has already thought of solutions for you," Lily said, having a pretty good idea of Remus's train of thought, though even she seemed uncertain about the possibilities. "That's what the meeting is all about." He didn't say anything in response to this, not wanting to seem like a total pessimist, but he truly expected to be told that he had no future.

When Remus still didn't respond, Lily said, "You know…Anyone who wouldn't hire you because you're…Well, they'd be foolish. You're much more than your condition."

"You say that. Sirius, James, and Peter say that. Sometimes it's just hard to believe when most of the world would disagree," Remus said, unable to hide the bitterness in his tone. The other Gryffindor bit her lip, and he sighed. "Sorry. I'm just being realistic."

"I know." Lily looked at him with sympathy. "I wish you were wrong."

This made Remus smile ruefully. "So do I. But you learn to live with it." The crushing disappointment was hard to get past at times, though.

There was another lapse, and the pair started to walk back to the common room, having completed their assigned patrol area. As they approached the Fat Lady, however, Lily spoke again. "What will you do? If it comes to the worst."

Remus glanced out the window, at the half moon looming over them. "Live in a cardboard box, begging for pennies." He smirked a little. He knew it wouldn't actually come to that. His parents would be more than happy to let him live at home forever, but he hated that he had to rely on them. They had worked so hard to provide for him, and been so supportive of him, that they didn't deserve having to take care of him for the rest of his life. He was so grateful for them, but it just wasn't fair.

Lily could tell he was trying to lighten the mood, and she let a small smile form on her lips. "If you give me the address of your alley, I'll be sure to stop by." They shared a giggle, enough to wake the Fat Lady who looked at them with annoyance. They gave the password and headed inside the empty common room.

.:~I~S~S~:.

It was only a few days before the end of the term when Remus finally found himself heading for his career talk with McGonagall, during a break in lessons. While his feelings about his prospects were still negative, some part of him was curious as to what the Transfiguration professor might have to say to him. Surely, she must have thought about it ahead of time. What kind of advice could she possibly offer him?

He knocked on the door to her office. "Come in," she called from the other side, and Remus let himself inside. McGonagall was sitting at her desk, scribbling something down on a piece of parchment. She glanced up over her square spectacles. "Good to see you, Lupin. Have a seat." She gestured to the chair across the desk from her and Remus did as she said. McGonagall set her quill aside and peered at Remus with her hands folded. "I'm sure you've been anxious about this conversation."

"I suppose that's one way to put it," Remus said dryly.

McGonagall removed her spectacles. "I won't sugar-coat the truth, Mr. Lupin. Given your situation, it's going to be difficult for you to find steady employment."

Remus felt his heart sink. Even though he'd already known this, hearing the words said directly to him made it feel more hopeless. "Then what am I even doing here?" he asked, voice a bit surly.

"Hearing a job offer," McGonagall answered calmly. Remus's mouth opened slightly, then closed, and he blinked at her in surprise. "Professor Dumbledore and I have discussed this thoroughly. If you are interested, we would be more than willing to have you as a professor. There are a few professors planning to retire before and soon after you graduate, thus there will be positions to fill."

Remus was still stunned by this incredible generosity. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything at this moment. All I would like you to do for now is think about it. If you decide that teaching is not something you would like to do, we can discuss other options that will work for you." McGonagall placed her glasses back on the tip of her nose.

Remus took a moment to collect himself before quietly murmuring, "Thank you, Professor."

McGonagall's thin lips curved up into a rare smile. "You're very welcome. I'll see you in class."

With that, Remus stood from the chair to leave, still thinking about the incredibly kind offer he'd just received. It would perfectly solve his problem of finding an understanding and accepting employer. But there were still doubts in his mind. Dumbledore already sacrificed so much for his sake, breaking laws, giving him endless exceptions, and now willing to essentially support him for the rest of his working life. It felt like he was cheating. Besides that, if he turned out to be a terrible teacher, what was he going to fall back on?