Disclaimer: See Prologue

A/N: Ooh, angst…

The next photograph made Harry's heart flutter. He recognised St. Mungo's at once. He recognised the very ward in which the picture had been taken. The same ward that Arthur Weasley lay in as they spoke was also the focus of the picture.

Like Arthur, Lupin was incredibly frail but he smiled at least faintly as Sirius wrapped an arm around him, sitting on his hospital bed.

"What?"

Lupin sighed. "You've heard of Molly's brothers?"

Harry nodded. Certainly, he knew of them. There were very few who hadn't.

Sirius smiled fondly. "They and Remus became practically inseparable and we used to call them the Justice League Squad to piss Moony off."

For once, Lupin did not object to his friend's vocabulary. "We were assigned a lot of work together and our luck ran out one night. I was incredibly lucky; incredibly."

August 1981

There was still no sign of movement; only the laboured, shallow breaths and occasional groan. They were signals of his pain and yet, to Sirius who had taken on the unlikely role of Guardian Angel, they were signs of hope. They were signs that Remus was alive and that was more than enough for now. So what if he was the spy, they would deal with that when he woke up.

Lupin spluttered and rose slightly, wincing as he did so. He groaned and fell back on his pillow, his eyes dull and barely open.

He gasped for breath and stared at the ceiling for some time before he appeared to make sense of his world. He shot up, ignoring the crack that made even Sirius wince, and turned to his visitor.

No sooner had he done so than he was engulfed in huge arms that almost squeezed the life out of him and surrounded by the smell of coconut hair conditioner.

CLICK!

"Sirius?"

Sirius nodded. "Well if I'm Antonin Dolohov back for revenge, then this is one hell of an elaborate disguise."

Lupin managed a faint smile. "Why am I in Mungo's?"

Sirius cleared his throat and fiddled with the edge of the bed linen, staring at the floor. This was a story that would take some telling and Lupin had the strangest feeling that it involved an attempt at baking potatoes.

"Well, Remus, you remember what you were asked to do Wednesday night?"

Lupin frowned. Wednesday night was certainly familiar. Yes, Wednesday night he was supposed to be watching the home of a suspected Death Eater.

In a flash of green light it all came back to him. His eyes darted across the ward. "Where are the Prewetts?"

Sirius shook his head. "Don't you remember anything, Remus?"

Lupin frowned again. It was almost tragic. The spell was obviously one of Dolohov's own devising. Whatever it was had slowly shut down the internal organs. Heaven knows what it had done to the once brilliant mind. Sirius took comfort in the fact that at least his friend could sit up unaided. He wasn't a complete vegetable.

"I know what you're thinking, Sirius," snapped Lupin. "I'm not stupid, alright? I just can't remember."

Sirius faked affront. "Just when did I say that I thought you were stupid?"

Lupin sighed. "I could see it in your eyes. You thought you'd be feeding me mashed suede, didn't you?"

Sirius shook his head. "You don't like suede. I was going to go for carrots."

This forced a smile but Lupin's original question was not soon forgotten. He had cottoned on by now and was desperate for information.

"Where are they, Pad?"

Sirius wrung his hands. "I…Remus, they fought like heroes. Everyone said so. I mean, Lily was there and-"

Lupin blinked rapidly. "Lily was there? No, Lily doesn't come with us. Why would Lily be there?"

Sirius bit his lip. Why was this left to him? He'd only botch it up. The only person who could do a worse job was Peter and he was nowhere to be seen these days anyway.

"Remus, you sent a Patronus."

"To Lily?"

Sirius nodded. "We don't know why but it's become pretty clear that you were ambushed. We don't know why they picked Wednesday when you'd been there all week. We don't know who made up the party. All we know is that at ten minutes to eleven on Wednesday night, you sent a Patronus telling her goodbye and she freaked out. We all knew where you were and by the time she got there, Fabian was dead. Gideon told her to take you and go because you'd been hit by Dolohov and he didn't recognise the curse. That was the last we ever saw of him. I don't know how you managed to survive it, Remus, really I don't."

Lupin sighed. So they were having this discussion again and just when he thought Sirius had put it behind him and realised that his suspicions were paranoia. He shrugged. "I don't know either, Sirius. I suppose I was lucky."

The man who sat opposite him now was almost unrecognisable as the same man who had hugged him and taken a photograph of his waking. Sirius' back was straight and he had lost all friendly demeanours.

"So how did they know you'd be there?"

Lupin raised his eyebrows. "Are you trying to suggest that I betrayed my friends?"

Sirius shrugged. "I just wonder, that's all."

Lupin was tired of his moodswings. He shook his head slowly. "I would rather die."

"You very nearly did."

"Sirius, I have had quite enough of you keeping me up in the air. What the hell is going on?"

Sirius shushed him. "The nurse said you weren't to be strained."

"God knows why she let you in then."

Such was Lupin's sarcastic nature that it was extremely difficult to determine whether he was serious.

Sirius shrugged. "I wanted to know what was going on. I'm worried about you. Aside from that, someone needed to tell you about the Prewetts and James and Lily aren't able to leave their own house at the moment."

"Don't say it as though it's my fault."

"You're getting awfully defensive, Remus."

"Oh, fuck you."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Why Lily?"

"I beg your pardon?"

He resumed his seat. "Why ask Lily to go? Why not ask someone who could have saved Gideon too? Or was Lily even supposed to save your arse?"

"I said goodbye to Lily because she's the only person who gives a shit whether I live or die."

Sirius stood, staring down at Lupin. "She's not, Remus. Really, she's not."

And with that, he was gone. Only then did Lupin allow himself to sob into his pillow, muffling the sound. He desperately wished that he could remember the exact reason for his loss.

Perhaps it was for the best. After all, some horrors are better forgotten.