AN: Hi! Sorry this is kind of late, but I somehow managed to delete this chapter while posting it. Twice. And I kinda lost the will to live at that point. Hope you enjoy.

PS. This is grammatically perfect after my sister got fed up of reading all my mistakes :)

As Hallowe'en approached, Rose was confused by the general air of excitement that even the oldest students carried. "It's always been celebrated by a feast," Ron explained when she asked him. "But after You-Know-Who was killed on that night it's celebrated even more."

Well, Rose thought. This certainly explains Remus' behaviour of late. As Hallowe'en approached Remus had been acting more and more depressed and he'd avoided Harry like he was contagious. It said something about how much they'd meant to him, that he was still mourning his friends after ten years, but Rose knew that grief didn't fade nearly as quickly as tales would have you imagine.

Later that evening, she knocked on the door to Professor McGonogall's office. "Miss Potter," Professor McGonogall said. "This is a surprise, what can I help you with?" The blonde teen loitered uncomfortably near the door.

"With Hallowe'en coming up, I was wondering about Harry's parents," she began. "Is there some kind of memorial or something? I reckon Harry ought to see it, and it might do Remus some good; he's been acting depressed of late." And she more than anyone ought to know what depression looked like. Professor McGonogall sighed and took her glasses off, waving Rose into a chair.

"There are their graves of course, but no, as far as I am aware, there is no memorial for them." Rose frowned.

"You mean while the whole Wizarding World was celebrating Voldemort's -" she ignored Professor McGonogall's flinch, "-downfall no one thought of those who died to make it happen?" she thought of Remus with his grief and guilt and depression and Harry with the Dursleys and his nightmares. "Nor the ones they left behind?"

"I am afraid not," Professor McGonogall said. "Albus assured me that Harry would be well taken care of and Remus was investigating the Werewolf colonies at the time; no one could find him." Rose nodded.

"Then you won't have any objections to Remus and Harry and I missing the Hallowe'en feast?"

"Of course not," Professor McGonogall said. "And you are quite right Rose," she added as the girl made to leave. "We should have thought of them, of all of those who died, but especially James and Lily."

"No," Rose said quietly. "You should have thought of those who lived. Why bother the dead? They don't care anymore, and nothing we can do can touch them, but you should have thought about Remus and others like him." The door closed behind her, leaving Professor McGonogall with her thoughts.

Rose managed to catch Harry just as he was coming out of Herbology and pull him over to one side. "Hallowe'en's coming up soon," she said softly. "I was gonna skip the feast to sit with Remus, but you can still go if you want." Harry hesitated for a second and Rose waited patiently.

"I'll go to the feast," he said finally. "I ... I didn't really know them, you know? So I feel kinda strange mourning them. You might get through to Remus more without me there as well." Harry had also noticed that Remus had been avoiding him of late. He was eleven, not stupid. "Besides," he added with an impudent grin, "I've never been to a Hallowe'en feast before." Rose grinned back at him.

"Of you go then," she said, still smiling. "Or you'll be late for Transfiguration again." The boy's eyes widened dramatically and he took off down the corridor after his friends.

On Hallowe'en, Remus was sat in an armchair near the fire, his head in his hands. He'd given up even trying to function normally. This very night, ten years ago, he'd been sat in his dingy little flat waiting for Sirius to come back from visiting James and Lily; it was too close to the full moon for him to be out and about, and with all the work he'd been doing for Dumbledore recently he'd been drifting away from his old friends. He knew Sirius suspected him, but Dumbledore had him under a vow not to tell anyone what he was doing. He'd waited up all night till he eventually fell asleep. He hadn't known anything about it until the next morning when the Aurors came to take him in for questioning. In that one night Remus had lost what remained of his family. James and Lily and Peter were dead, Sirius was in Azkaban and little Harry was with his muggle relatives.

The door opened softly, bringing Remus back to the present. It was Rose who had entered the room, she had a peculiar scent that was a mixture of Harry, old books and potions and a unique scent that put him in mind of Lily, although he couldn't say why, and she walked much softer than Harry did. To his surprise, she sat on the floor by his feet, resting against his chair. Remus didn't know what to think.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the feast?" he asked, his voice muffled by his hands. He felt rather than saw her shrug.

"I asked Professor McGonogall if I could skip it. I've never liked Hallowe'en much and I don't like crowds." She was reading a book, he noticed, an old one from the library. She seemed content to sit there and read, but Remus was aware that it was the closest she'd ever come to him. He didn't know what to think.

Remus took a deep breath and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. He wasn't going to cry over this. Lily and James and Peter had died ten years ago. He'd cried enough tears over them to last a lifetime. He wasn't going to cry over people who'd been dead for ten years.

(Even if they had been his family and even if they had been murdered by his best friend and even if he hadn't got to say goodbye and he now had to care for their son who reminded him so much of them that it wasn't even funny and even if he spent one night a month tearing at his skin and frantically searching for his friends because Moony still didn't understand why they weren't there and even if he felt a need to apologise to a girl for things that weren't even his fault but she kept saving him even thought he was too battered and too old and didn't deserve it and hewasn'tgoingtocryoverthisagainhewasn'tgoingtocryoverthisagainhewasn't-)

Rose turned a page in her book and shifted slightly, resting her head against his leg. Hot tears crept down Remus' face as he shook slightly, leaning forwards to try and muffle his sobs in his hands.

After a while, he sat up and took in a deep breath. "What are you reading?" he asked, his voice steady even if it was slightly hoarse.

"The tales of Beedle the Bard," Rose replied. "Apparently they're fairy tales that every child in Wizarding Britain hears, so I thought I'd read them. He reminds me a bit of the Brother's Grim, but more child friendly."

"Have you ever read the Brother's Grim?" Remus asked.

"A couple of times," she shrugged. "I used to have a copy but I lost it." Remus opened his mouth to say something, and paused. Rose looked up. "What is it?"

"A ... it sounds like some kind of commotion, coming from the Great Hall." Remus frowned. "I could swear I heard screams and Albus shouting." Rose stood and placed her book on the arm of her chair.

"We ought to see what's going on." She headed towards the door.

"Rose ..." she paused as Remus walked towards her and drew her into a hug. He could feel how tense she was, so he let go after only a few seconds. "Thank you."

(Thank you for saving me and thank you for being here because it made a difference and thank you for taking care of Harry and thank you for trying to live in this world that you don't belong it and thank you for caring)

Rose shrugged. "You lost everybody important to you that night and no one cared. Someone ought to."

They were almost to the Great Hall, which had students pouring out of it, when Remus heard a scream. His head whipped round and he stared. Even distorted by terror he would know Hermione's voice. Rose had clearly heard it as well because when he turned to tell her she was three steps ahead of him and gaining fast. He'd known she was quick, but not that quick. Remus had caught up with her by the time they reached the girl's bathroom and they entered side by side and then froze in unison. A troll. A bloody mountain troll. Hermione was cowering under the sinks, Ron was bunging bits of debris at it and Harry ... Harry was hanging from it's fist. Of course. "Distract it," Rose said to Remus. She was holding her snitch in one hand. As soon as he started throwing spells, she winked out and reappeared next to Hermione, grabbing the girl's shoulder. Then they both reappeared next to Ron and whisked him away to a safe spot behind Remus. Rose winked out again, leaving Ron and Hermione cowering behind Remus. She reappeared in the air next to Harry for a fraction of a second and then both of them were safely out of the way. Remus began to throw spells in earnest, hitting the monster with at least six stunning spells followed by a sleeping spell. That seemed to be the final straw and the creature toppled over backwards.

It was at this point that the Professors appeared.

"Well I never!" Professor McGonogall said. "Lupin, Potter, Bla-Weasley -" only Remus and Rose caught her slip, but Rose didn't know why he flinched, "- Granger, explain yourselves."

"It - it was m-my fault P-Professor," Hermione stammered, surprising all of them. "I - I went to the t- toilet in the m-middle of the feast."

"We knew that she wouldn't know about the troll," Harry said, jumping in seeing that Hermione was white and shaking and unlikely to be able to explain any more.

"So we came to tell her," Ron added.

"We would've told a teacher, but we couldn't find one," Harry said earnestly, trying his level best to copy Rose's 'innocent' face. (It didn't work so well on him, possibly because Professor McGonogall used to see a similar one on his father's face.)

"And Percy had buggered off," Ron added under his breath.

"We didn't expect the troll to be here, see," Harry continued. "We thought it was in the dungeons."

"I heard a commotion in the Great Hall," Remus added. "So Rose and I came to see what the problem was, and then we heard Hermione scream."

"I'm sure this is all terribly important," Rose said, breaking in. "But I'd like to take Harry, Ron and Hermione to the hospital wing. They've all had a shock and I want to make sure they aren't injured."

"Of course," Professor McGonogall said. "Severus, go with them. Professor Quirell, Lupin and I will stay here and inform the others that the troll has been found."

Getting the three of them to the hospital wing was easier said than done. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the fear began to sink in. Ron was stark white and appeared unable to speak and Hermione was trembling so badly she could barely walk. Harry appeared the least affected, but he clung to Rose like a leech and refused to let go of her, burying his face in her arm like a child every time she tried to make him. Eventually Rose made them all gather round and used her portkey to take them to the hospital wing.

All three of them were given calming draughts and sleeping potions and Madam Pomfrey said she'd keep them in the Hospital wing overnight in case any of them had any problems they'd overlooked. (For three first years who didn't know any of the spells usually used to subdue a troll they'd survived surprising unscathed.) Rose perched on Harry's bed – as he wouldn't let go of her even in sleep – and looked at the sleeping children. "What I want to know," she said softly, "is how a mountain troll got into Hogwarts in the first place. I thought they were supposed to be stupid?"

"They're almost terminally stupid," Snape agreed. "Someone must have let it in."

"Who? I know you know," she added, eyes narrowing as Snape shook his head.

"Telling you would only put you in more danger," he said softly. "I have my suspicions and I'm taking care of it. Keep an eye on your brother though, and watch out for Quirell." That last was said so softly Rose barely heard it, and when she looked back to ask him to repeat it he was gone. She scowled. She hated it when people didn't tell her things to try and protect her, but she'd do as he said, for now.

Quite a short chapter, but I wanted to show the impact Hallowe'en has on Remus.

Thanks for reading, Catkin Thief :)