A/N: Hello! This is a fast update, right? It's a little reminiscent of the old days when I was updating daily haha. I'm powering through these chapters despite needing to do work IRL, but whatever. We're so close! And now, I can actually respond to the reviews! Thanks to everyone who's left feedback!

misalex3030: DUDE, I can't even explain how happy your reviews make me. I'm sorry for making you cry at work, but I'm so glad you still find this story so compelling after so long. I just wanted to say thank you for continuing to follow along after all this time and for appreciating the work I've put into developing the characters. I really do appreciate it more than I can possibly express.

wishfulthinker93: Hello, hello! I'm amazed at how quickly you've gone through the story haha. The idea of a werewolf POV is interesting, but I don't think there's room for it in this installment with the upcoming chapters. I'm sorry! I'll keep the idea in mind though for the next story - I'm sure I can fit it in there somewhere. Thank you so much for the reviews and critiques though! I really love the feedback ^^

SMGF1: Thanks so much! And it seems like trouble keeps coming their way, doesn't it? More trouble brewing now too...

Sweetbutteri: Hahaha I'm sorry? I suppose that's a good critique to receive, right? These chapters should be coming faster than usual, so I hope you can keep up!

MaeveDevine: Hello! It's so good to hear from you again! Thank you so much - I definitely put a lot of thought into how my OCs fit into the original canon without disrupting it too much, so I'm very happy that you appreciate it! Thanks so much again!

DontTellMeImWrongBitch: AH RE-READS! I'm so happy! I was worried that the stories were too long for people to want to go back and re-read them, so I'm really, really happy that you have! Thank you so much, as always!

BeastlyBeauty: Ah, your reviews are so thorough and meaningful! The greatest compliment is hearing that one's characters have resonated with the reader, so I'm incredibly flattered and humbled that mine have taken hold of you. It's really cool that you're thinking that far ahead in regards to Tonks. She will most definitely play a role in Rowan and Remus' dynamic, though I obviously am rooting for Rowan heh. As for the Lupin children names - YES. You're reading my mind. No spoilers yet though - that's still a ways off.

And I'm so glad someone is feeling for Mina! She's one of my favorite OCs, though other readers don't seem to be empathizing with her much. I'm really glad that her vulnerabilities in the last chapter were appreciated. I'd played with the idea of her going rogue in contrast to Sirius, but it just didn't seem to fit into her character in my mind - I feel like she's the strict justice-for-all type who would rather die a painful death than betray her friends, even in the face of madness. I have a major girl-crush on her. Is that weird?

As for the timeline, I fucked up. I realized it about 20 chapters ago, but I totally screwed up the timeline by inserting an extra year in there when outlining the plot. I realized what I'd done after it was too late to fix it, so Harry will only be three months-old when Voldy comes a-knockin' instead of a year and three months. The mistake really bothers me, but the thought of going back and changing everything makes me want to strangle something. So the mistake remains. Sorry -_-

REVIEW MEEEEE!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 62: Of Diverging Paths

There is a specific ache. It comes with being within reach of something, or someone - something close, something lovely. One must know love to know this bittersweetness. It's just at the tips of one's fingers, but when one reaches for it, the fingers fall through it like air. Then it vanishes. One can hear it, but it's like a ghost on a different plane, like a spirit from the next realm. It can whisper against the cheek, but even when one feels it enter his or her lungs, nothing returns but a sharp gasp of emptiness.

That's what the Potters were now.

They had been gone for two weeks now. It was chilly, mid-October. Rowan had gone back to see James and Lily twice more before they left, rolling around on the floor with little Harry, doting on him incessantly. They didn't pack anything away - it'd be too suspicious. They simply gathered a few necessary belongings and left the rest to gather dust.

She and Remus spent all of Saturday with them, their last day in the real world. They'd spent it in the park, laying in the grass and enjoying the crisp orange autumn. Rowan thought back to the year before and how they'd all cheered and laughed at the Burrow, covered in pumpkin seeds and pulp. She couldn't believe how quickly time had passed. She couldn't believe what they'd lost and gained. She hoped time without them passed just as swiftly until they were back home with her in London.

As she left that evening, James and Lily held her so tightly that she thought she might simply fall into them and spirit away into the night as well. She held Harry closely to her chest, cherished his weight in her arms. He'd grown so much already in just two months - how much bigger would he be the next time she saw him? She ran her hands over his round face, over his chubby, tiny hands. She wanted to ingrain every small gurgle, every sleepy smile, into her memory. It'd be the only piece of him she'd have for a while.

And so the Potters disappeared without a trace, just like they were supposed to. She knew where they were - she could go to Godric's Hollow and see the Potters' old house - but she knew it'd look just as abandoned as before. She knew that no amount of magic could help her enter it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see James and Lily, even if they were right in front of her. She almost wanted to go, just for the faintest chance that they saw her. The thought was surprisingly painful.

And so she'd thrown herself into her work, once again. The next lunar cycle was still two weeks off - on Halloween. The last two experiments had been successful. If things continued this way, she could publish at the beginning of next year, just as planned. She wanted to feel excited - Amrit and Lescos clearly were - but she just couldn't muster it with James and Lily suddenly gone. And with the remaining mourning amongst the Order members, who would celebrate her successes with her now?

She and Remus had made up, in a strange, quiet way. They'd talked, sort of. And they'd apologized to each other, sort of. But nothing had been resolved. Remus had resigned from his position at the I.C.E. and was now looking for another job, half-heartedly, and Rowan admitted that perhaps there was more to his submission than she could understand.

But even so, it didn't make it any easier to accept. Both he and Isaac were so ready to turn away from the injustices heaped upon them, but she still couldn't come to terms with it. She couldn't accept that things had to be this way, and Remus seemed to sense it, avoiding her eye at strange moments of silence. It was painful, watching his dark, shameful expressions re-emerge. She wanted to suffocate them, to stop them in their tracks, but at the very thought, she felt her throat begin to tighten, as if sickened by an acidic taste from memory. She didn't know how to face it, not again. She wasn't sure what had stopped them before. She could only hope that Remus arrived at the same conclusions as he had a year ago, the ones that had brought him back to her.

"Biscuits for you."

Rowan saw a slender hand enter her frame of vision, placing a delicate plate of chocolate biscuits onto the table, followed by a cup of steaming black tea. She looked up to see Alfred sitting down across from her. He smiled at her.

"You looked like you could use a snack," he said kindly.

Rowan nodded and smiled blearily, blinking dumbly. She grasped the cup of tea and relished its warmth. "Thank you. I definitely needed this," she said gratefully before taking a careful sip. It was hot and very strong. She felt a shot of heat burst from her chest. She hummed with approval.

"I put a bit of your Pick-Me-Up Potion in there," Alfred said, nodding to the tea. Rowan closed her eyes and sighed deeply, savoring the dopamine that seemed to ooze from the back of her throat as the tea scalded its way down. Alfred let out a soft breathy laugh.

"You doing okay?"

Rowan nodded and opened her eyes. Alfred was smiling quietly at her, but there was a trace of concern there. "Yeah, just been a little restless as of late. It's just been hard... you know," she said softly. "How's Julia? Have you seen her at all?" she asked carefully.

Alfred sighed and leaned forward onto the table, resting his chin against folded hands. His eyebrows furrowed together. "She's been by a few times, but not much more than that. She's obviously not in a right state. Your mum's been trying to keep her occupied, but obviously there's not much she can do," he explained lowly. His expression darkened. "I still don't understand why she didn't just go with them. It doesn't seem right for her to stay behind. She could lose her mind any day now at this rate."

Rowan nodded. She didn't understand why Dumbledore didn't let Julia go with James and Lily either, but he'd recommended that she stay. It will look too suspicious if she were to disappear as well, he'd said. Better for her to remain here and continue on as if all is well.

But all was not well. Rowan's godmother was on the brink of instability. She'd finally been able to start moving on with her life from John Potter's death after James and Lily had married and had truly been happy after the birth of her grandson, but now, she was completely alone. No matter how much time Carole spent with her, it wasn't the same as having her family. It seemed unnecessarily cruel.

Ding. Dong.

Rowan jerked up at the sound of the doorbell. Alfred frowned and stood from the kitchen table.

"Who...?" he mumbled as he moved to the foyer. Rowan heard him stepping quietly through the halls and opening the front door. There was a greeting of male voices, but she couldn't discern them. Her breath caught for a moment, and she pulled out her wand for good measure. She knew she was probably being paranoid, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful.

But no shouts came. Rowan could hear Alfred inviting the men in, followed by a series of footsteps. The grip on her wand loosened, and as the kitchen door re-opened, she looked up to see two of her colleagues entering with Alfred.

"Evening, girlie!" Lescos greeted heartily. Rowan perked up with surprised and stood.

"Lescos! Isaac! What're you doing here?" she babbled dumbly. She stepped forward to greet them, and Lescos clapped a giant hand to her shoulder. She staggered slightly under its weight but grinned up at him. Isaac smiled softly.

"We both have some news for you. We went to Amrit's to see if you were there, but she said you were doing research from your home laboratory today. Neither of us could wait until tomorrow, so we decided to simply come see you here," he explained softly. His head then cocked slightly. "I hope that is all right," he added.

Rowan nodded and smiled. "Of course, it is! Please, sit down!" she invited eagerly. She looked around to see Alfred already placing a couple of new cups down on the table, pouring them tea - always effortlessly efficient. He then moved to retreat, but Isaac stopped him.

"No, wait," he called suddenly. Alfred stopped jerkily and looked up, surprised. Isaac also looked surprised by his interjection. He frowned slightly then cleared his throat. "Please," he corrected, "I am sure Rowan would like you to hear this news as well. Better for you to hear it now rather than have her retell it later."

Alfred frowned as well but nodded, maneuvering carefully back around to Rowan's side of the table. He sat down quietly and didn't say anything more. Rowan glanced awkwardly between them. Lescos watched them curiously but said nothing.

Finally, Isaac cleared his throat again and continued with his original intention:

"Are you ready to reconstruct the apothecary?"

Rowan's eyes widened. "Wha-" she gasped. Her lungs filled rapidly. "Really?" Isaac nodded stoically, staring at her in that heavy way of his. Before she could stop herself, she was nodding enthusiastically.

"Yes, of course!" she exclaimed. "How? When do we start?"

Isaac smiled softly at her enthusiasm. "I have found an official in the Department of Building who is interested in helping you hire contractors and writing up all of the necessary property documents. We can begin the documentation as soon as Monday. He has already scouted the site and believes that with the right construction company, we can have the apothecary rebuilt as early as February, possibly sooner if we begin right away."

"But that's so soon!" Rowan marveled. "How...? I don't understand how that can be-" she sputtered. She shook herself mentally. "Yes! Let's get started right away!"

Isaac smiled gently and slid a crisp yellow folder across the table to her. She took it gratefully and opened it to reveal a series of dense documents.

"Read through those over the weekend and compile a list of any questions you may have. I will arrange a meeting on Monday for us and my acquaintance, and he will go through the procedures for us to begin," he said. Rowan nodded dazedly, eyes skimming through the heavy legal language. She was suddenly very grateful she would have Isaac there with her. There was no way she could understand half of this clearly. She looked up and smiled whole-heartedly at the older man.

"Thank you, Isaac. Really, I don't know what I'd do without you," she said genuinely. He regarded her fondly and nodded before turning to Lescos. The large man beamed and puffed out his chest proudly.

"My turn!" he declared. Rowan smiled sheepishly at the giant man. He leaned forward almost conspiratorially, mustache twitching with excitement. "So you know how you mentioned needing to go to Hungary? Something about those flowers of ol' Belby's, right?"

Rowan leaned forward as well at this. She saw Alfred frown from the corner of her eye - whoops. She hadn't told him about this plan of hers. She would have to deal with it later. She nodded for Lescos to continue. He grinned.

"Well, I just so happen to be from around that neck of the woods."

Rowan's eyes widened for the nth time that afternoon. "Seriously? Why didn't you say something before?" she asked incredulously.

Lescos' grin widened even farther. "Yup! Ya see, I haven't been back to the motherland since I was a wee lad, so I don't know much about it and wanted to make sure I could really come up with something before gettin' your hopes up, but I've got a distant relative or two still back in the old country, and they're willing to put ya up if you're still interested in going."

Rowan's mouth gaped slightly. "You're kidding," she breathed. Her mouth stretched into a broad smile. "Lescos, you're amazing! I can't believe you've done all this for me!"

Lescos nodded happily, obviously very pleased with himself. He absorbed her praised with his chest thrown out, large chin held high. "Aye, aye, girlie. And I was thinking - obviously, you'll have a hard time getting around alone - not a whole lot of English once you get into those mountains, and I haven't exactly been back in a while..."

Rowan nodded eagerly at the implication. Her smile broadened into an excited grin, which Lescos returned. "... So I was thinking the Professor and I would come with ya! What do you think?"

Rowan clapped her hands together with glee and nearly squealed. "Are you kidding? That'd be fantastic! Merlin!" she exclaimed. She imagined that glowing field of flowers, the sea of flowing green and white blossoms. Her chest tightened almost painfully. But then her smile faltered.

"But the apothecary..." she breathed. She looked to Isaac. "And the paper - how can we possibly go if no one is here to look over my apothecary? And what about the potion?" Her chest deflated. "There's no way I can leave after publishing either - not without anyone here to administer it properly while I'm away. And if you and Amrit are with me..." She nearly sighed.

"It does not have to be right after you publish. You and Lescos can leave at anytime," Isaac said quietly. Rowan looked up at the calm man. He was smiling gently at her.

"That's right. Those flowers ain't going anywhere," Lescos said, grinning teasingly at her. "We can go whenever you're ready, whether that's right after you publish or after you find someone who can take over in your stead or whatever. We have time."

Rowan rolled the words over in her head and nodded slowly. It seemed so far off still. The flowers were so far away, like another phantom just beyond her reach. There were so many of them, it seemed. She suddenly felt slightly disheartened, but as she gripped the folder of documents in her hands in front of her, her stomach loosened slightly - at least there was one thing that wasn't so distant.

"Are you ready, Peter?"

He wasn't. Peter's entire body shook violently, like an otherworldly cold had overcome him. He couldn't seem to steady his hands.

He, Sirius, James, and Lily stood in the dark drawing room of Potter Manor. It was the first he'd seen of them in two weeks. Lily held Harry in her arms, cradling him against her chest as if to shield him from her. Good, he thought. Yes, protect him from me.

He felt himself nodding dumbly, but he could barely even comprehend the question. He didn't know how he'd gotten there, how his fortune could have unraveled so tragically. He wasn't sure how Sirius had already revealed the Potters' Secret - how else could he see them now? He wanted more than anything to run away, to throw himself at their feet, but each time he opened his mouth to speak, the Tongue-Tying Curse Bellatrix had placed on him would force his tongue down his own throat, and he'd sputter and gasp breathlessly.

"Hold out your wand arm."

Peter trembled. His wand hand gripped his left forearm, which burned beneath the long sleeves of his robes. He looked between Sirius and James searchingly, as if hoping the command hadn't come from either of them. But Sirius simply stared hard at Peter, eyes glinting. James nodded solemnly. Peter's lips shook, as did his hand as it rose from his side. He held it out, palm up, and as Sirius raised his own, Peter clenched his eyes shut.

He gasped in pain as he felt a cold, sharp blade slide against his palm. It stung, open and fresh for a moment, before a hot wetness began to pool slowly in his cupped hand. He kept his fingers squeezed together tightly, as if trying to save his precious blood.

He then heard the soft whisper of the blade against another palm. This time he did let out a soft whimper. It wasn't his hand, but he felt it all the same. It hurt even more, if possible. His left arm stung, as if the newborn monster there could smell the cut flesh.

There was a drip. Then another drip. The small line of blood in his hand began to accumulate. He opened his eyes and nearly whimpered again. Sirius' hand was held over his, fingers flexed and stretched wide. The taller man's blood fell in steady drips, falling in a slow rhythm into the crevasse in Peter's skin.

Drip. Drip.

"I'm going to begin now," James whispered. Sirius nodded, his eyes fixed on his own hand. Peter couldn't move. Lily moved towards James with Harry still clutched to her chest. The infant slept soundly. She leaned against her husband's shoulder slightly, lips pursed tightly.

"Sanguinis in corde meo, et fratres mei..."

From the tip of James wand smoked a golden haze. It floated and twisted in rhythm with the steady candor of his voice until it enveloped both Sirius and Peter's hands. It was warm - almost hot - but Peter shivered as a chill crept up his spine. It threatened to burst from his mouth sourly, but he swallowed it back.

Suddenly, the steady drip of Sirius' blood stopped. The blood pooled in Peter's cupped hand was now significant, perhaps a tablespoon. He tried desperately not to look at it, but it held a noticeable weight, a heavy burden. It felt cold. James continued to chant quietly, the soft glow of the haze still swirling slowly around them.

Then, there it was. It was a soft red light. It swelled at Sirius' palm, sliding slowly from the slit in his skin. Sirius' face glistened with exertion, teeth grit harshly. His breath came loudly, labored. His chest heaved visibly. Peter could see a muscles in his neck twitch as the heavy dripping red light pulled ever downward, like a gooey trail of oil. It inched closer and closer to Peter's hand. The small pool of blood in his palm began to quiver in resonance with this pulsating light.

He didn't want it. He didn't want it! He could feel his chest draw back, but his palm remained outward. He couldn't seem to move it, but he desperately wanted to. He needed to get away from this!

Please, he despaired mentally. Please don't give me this burden! You don't know what you're asking of me!

"Don't move, Peter!" Sirius barked. And with that, the light touched his palm.

"No!" he cried out. Heat burst from his hand. His entire arm felt like it was on fire.

"Come on, Peter! Keep going!"

Tears trailed down Peter's face. His mouth hung open, gaping wildly in a silent scream. It burned. It burned. Somewhere in the back of his mind - was it his? - he heard high-pitched laughter, terrible laughter.

Finally, something broke. There was a sharp flash of blinding light, and the golden haze imploded. It snapped against Peter and Sirius' hands with a clap, and with another final cry of pain, his legs seemed to snap beneath the weight of this new burden. Both men slumped to the floor, chests heaving.

The heat lingered in his arm. He could barely feel it. It lay limp next to him. He realized numbly that his cheeks were coated with salty tears, but he couldn't wipe them away.

What had he done?

Suddenly, he was being hauled to his feet. The ceiling swung low and then he saw a pair of bright brown eyes burning into him. He was then against a hard chest.

"Thank you," the voice whispered. James gripped him tightly. He couldn't move to embrace his friend back. He wasn't sure if it was because of his arm.

Then he was being spun around to face another dark-haired man. "Sorry, mate," Sirius said gruffly, hugging him gruffly as well. "You did good, Pete. You did it." He then turned to where James and Lily were, but his eyes trailed over them vaguely, unfocused. He smiled sadly, and Peter realized that he could no longer see them - their Secret was now his.

The tears came again. How could they be so naive? How could they truly believe that? Didn't they know they'd just signed their own death warrants?

Somewhere, faintly, a pair of red eyes glowed within him. He couldn't respond to his friends' praise. He simply bowed his head and swallowed down his grief. Beneath his robes, his left forearm burned.