Carry You Over To A New Morning

Valerie left him, the door falling shut behind her with an oddly final-sounding snick. Remus stood for a while, looking at the mauve-toned wood of the door she had left through. It was over, then: four years spent in laughter and in, softly, love. He thought, inexplicably, of Sirius as he pulled on his trousers and fumbled with the clasp of his wristwatch. He looked up when the door opened.

'All right?' Marlene asked, catching his eyes.

'Yes,' said Remus, and was a bit surprised to find that he was smiling when he added, 'I'm fine. Valerie's left me.'

Marlene, who had stepped into the room, looked at him with raised eyebrows. 'Did she? You sound quite chuffed about it, too.'

Remus stared at her.

'You do,' Marlene said, looking at him knowingly. 'You sound like a weight's been lifted.'

'Maybe it has,' said Remus thoughtfully, shrugging his shoulders. 'I don't know. I'm –'

'You're going home with me,' Marlene interrupted. 'I'm putting you to bed and you're not allowed to move for the next couple of weeks,' Marlene finished for him, smoothly.

Remus groaned. 'That sounds great,' he said, sarcastically. He looked around the room once more to make sure he hadn't left any of his belongings, then pulled on his coat and grabbed his large and awkward Hogwarts trunk.

'Cheer up,' Marlene said, with a grin, holding out her arm for him to take in preparation for Apparition. He took it wordlessly, nodding when she exclaimed, 'Home bound!'

She Apparated them out of St Mungo's and, a breath later, they appeared in the apartment he would once again share exclusively with her. It was freezing; he could feel the cold of the wooden floor seep into the soles of his feet through his shoes. He put down his trunk and then looked up and saw Alice, who was beaming at him from the sofa. Despite the initial cold, the flat smelled amazingly, comfortingly, like Alice's shepherd's pie, which was really one of his favourite things in the world.

He didn't realise he'd said that out loud until Alice winked at him, getting up from the sofa. 'Thought you might like some. Welcome home, Remus.'

'Thank you,' Remus responded fondly, leaning into the hug she was giving him.

'And now that Valerie's gone and dumped him, he'll need an extra helping,' said Marlene.

'Subtle,' Remus told her, while Alice drew back. Alice gave Marlene a stern glance, which didn't seem to impress her too much, and then looked back to Remus. 'Are you all right?' she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

'Yes,' Remus responded. 'I'm fine. It wasn't too unexpected.'

'No, not too unexpected,' said Marlene wisely. 'I mean, Black was probably cheering you on from the corner.'

There was a silence as Remus looked at her, his brows furrowed. 'What?'

'Sirius,' Marlene repeated. 'He nearly bowled me over as he left, so I assumed he was in the room with you.'

Remus opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the sound of the oven, which cheerfully beeped. Alice followed the sound into the kitchen while Remus looked at Marlene, trying to decide if she was having him on. She looked genuine, gazing back at him with impassive eyes. 'Sirius wasn't there,' he said, eventually, carefully almost. 'I was alone with Valerie.'

'He seemed to be coming from your room,' Marlene said. 'Like I said, he was in a hurry, so I don't think he saw me.'

Remus frown deepened. 'Maybe he was there to visit someone else.'

'Maybe,' Marlene agreed, reluctantly.

'Right, who wants something to eat?' Alice called from the kitchen. For the moment, the matter was forgotten for the rest of the evening.

Over the next few days, recovery felt slow. Remus had little energy during the day and he was quick to feel tired after even the smallest of physical efforts. Healer Martin came to visit him after two weeks, and explained, calmly, that this was to be expected. It had something to do with the way they'd treated him, trying to prise a dangerous illness away from where it had become entangled with his foremost magical core; his brain. Recovery was going to be a long process. She didn't know how long it would take exactly for him to return back to normal, but she hastened to assure him it could very well be soon.

In theory, Remus understood. As the days wore on, and January turned into a stormy, chilly February, his understanding gradually turned into annoyance.

Remus had no idea what had happened to Sirius in St Mungo's the day of his release, but he did know that Sirius had not come to visit him once. Logically, he knew it would be hard for Sirius to get away just as his N.E.W.T.s were starting, but for some reason, he still found that he was disappointed. He had looked forward to Sirius's visits when he had been in hospital, and the last time he'd seen Sirius, Sirius had hinted at nursing him back to health. Maybe Remus's somewhat abrupt admission of guilt had turned him off? Or maybe he had been hurt over the fact that Remus didn't want to come stay with him at his new flat? Whatever reason Sirius had, it was keeping him away, and Remus had to try very hard not to be too upset at his absence. He had tried to write to him, once, but the owl had returned with the letter unopened, so Remus had not tried again.

Progress was slow, but he was getting gradually better. Marlene and Alice had been amazing friends – taking turns watching him during the first few hours of the day, to see if he needed any food or help. In an enthusiastic mood, Marlene had even once suggested she could help him shower, but he'd rejected her offer firmly. These days, he could do most everything without help, even if he did get quite tired. His magic, sadly, was still rudimentary, even if he practised it daily.

When he woke up on an early March morning, two months after his operation and a few days before Easter, he found Alice sitting by his bed. It was Saturday, which meant it was her day off. When she noticed he was awake, she greeted him with a cheerful 'Good morning!' Remus responded in kind, a bit groggily as he sat up and tried to shake the sleep away.

'Would you like anything?' Alice asked him. 'I made breakfast.'

Indeed, Remus could smell eggs and sausages and freshly brewed coffee. His stomach gave an unpleasant churn. 'Maybe later. Thanks.'

Alice peered at him from over her sewing. She'd always been extremely deft with a needle, and had hand-sewn most of the pillows in their flat. Concluding that, apparently, Remus was only just tired, she smiled, and said, 'I was wondering if you felt up for a little trip today.'

Alice served on several committees, and knew everyone who was anyone in the wizarding world. Since Remus had been ill, she had taken to inviting him to go with her on what she would call "a little trip". Remus suspected it had started as a way to get him to go outside, but it had grown into something they did almost bi-weekly. The trips were varied in length and in purpose. Alice had taken him to an art gallery that was doing a showing for charity. She had taken him to Bath, on a trip to an old house that was being converted into a magical orphanage. And once, memorably, she had taken him to a bakery that was in the running to be the preferred supplier for a high tea that she was hosting. Together, they had sampled an endless amount of sugary, miniature cakes, which were so tiny he could fit two in his hand. Alice's trips were always a lot of fun, albeit unpredictable.

'Where to this time?' Remus asked her, his interest piqued.

Alice smiled mysteriously in response to his question, which did nothing to deter the thrill of adventure Remus felt at her proposition. His sense of adventure was always something that had gone neglected when he was still in school, most times overruled by his Ravenclaw sensibility. Alice, who was a Gryffindor through and through, had never had such scruples.

Remus looked at her, paused a moment, and then said, 'Give me five minutes to get dressed.'

The smile Alice gave him in response was beautiful.

Fifteen minutes later, they were out of the flat. Alice walked at a pace that was brisk, and Remus had no choice but to fall into her step. He had been roped into eating some breakfast, and Alice had even packed him a lunch in her bag, his protests that he was not five years old and she need not treat him as such falling onto deaf ears.

It had been a while since he had been out of the flat, and the air was crisp and wintry. He followed Alice through unfamiliar streets as she crossed Hyde Park. Despite living in London, Remus had never spent a lot of time exploring the city, preferring to sleep or catch up on research on his days off from St Mungo's. This meant that when Alice took another turn, Remus stopped pretending he knew where he was at all.

Alice kept up a steady stream of light conversation, and he attempted to respond in kind, although he could not help but wonder where they were going. He followed dutifully as Alice ducked into a magnificent stone archway and down a cobbled path, past rows of houses. After a minute or two, she stopped in front of a bright blue door, and rung the bell expectantly.

It only took a few seconds, but then a girl with soft, wavy auburn hair opened the door. She smiled broadly when she saw Alice, obviously recognising her, and then turned to Remus, holding out her hand. Her eyes were stunningly, blindingly green. She was wearing a light grey dress, the sleeves of which were pulled away from her elbows by golden buttons.

'You must be Remus! I'm Lily Evans. It's nice to meet you.'

Remus echoed her sentiment as her name locked itself into the back of his mind, almost naggingly. The name seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. They followed Lily into the house, and she took their coats, hanging them on a stand that was standing in front of the staircase.

Once they had taken off their shoes, Lily showed them into the living room, which was bright and comfortable. They sat down onto a striped sofa, which sagged comfortably under their weight.

'Tea?' Lily asked promptly, who had remained standing.

'Oh, yes, please,' said Alice.

Remus realised some response was expected of him, too, when they both looked at him. 'Er, yeah, tea would be fine,' he said, clearing his throat.

As Lily left to go into the kitchen, he looked around. The house was airy and light, although obviously old; most of the furniture was outdated. There was a white stone fireplace, the mantle of which was decorated with ornate, silver pictures and two crystal vases, filled with white hyacinths and springy yellow crocuses. Compared to the decor, Lily seemed exceedingly modern, and Remus wondered if this was her house, after all.

At that moment, Lily returned from the kitchen with a tray filled with a basket of freshly baked scones and stone jars filled with strawberry jam and clotted cream. 'It's quite a walk,' Lily said, 'and I thought you might like something warm.' There was something Northern in her accent, a touch of Mancunian, although it wasn't overtly present. Remus wondered if she had made a conscious effort to stamp it out, or if it had happened naturally, wearing out over time.

In minutes, both Remus and Alice were outfitted with cups of steaming hot tea and a scone each, Remus's being almost smothered in clotted cream. It tasted wonderfully and Remus wondered if she had baked them herself.

'We're here because Lily has been thinking of becoming a Healer,' said Alice, interrupting his thoughts.

'Really?' As he put down his scone and swallowed the sip of tea that had been in his mouth, Remus studied her. She was sat in one of the cream-coloured chairs opposite the sofa, the fabric of her dress coming to just above her knees, exposing long, shapely legs. She couldn't have been more than sixteen.

'Yes,' Lily said in response, that same broad smile she'd shown him at the door present on her face. There was something compelling in her smile, an element of warmth that made Remus feel very comfortable, for some silly reason. 'I'm in my final year at Hogwarts and I'm just not sure what to do with myself. So I thought becoming a Healer might be a good idea.'

'It's certainly one of your options,' Alice said kindly.

As time went on, Remus began to realise that it was not a conversation for which it was imperative that he was present, although being of a higher rank than Alice, he could sometimes answer the more technical questions. Despite this, he found that he enjoyed himself. Lily Evans was a bright girl, and showed an aptitude for Potions in the field that even surpassed Alice's. Remus had just reached over to the tray on the table to grab another piece of shortbread, when the front door of the house opened.

'Evans!' came a cheerful voice Remus couldn't quite place, as the door banged shut. The greeting was followed by an awful amount of racket as someone took off their coat and bumped into what sounded like every piece of furniture stood in the hallway. 'I'm home! Are there still some scones left? Because you know how –'

There was a pause, and then James Potter appeared in the doorway of the living room, cheeks pink from the cold. His hair was sticking up oddly in the back. 'Oh, hello, I didn't know you'd invited Alice and –'

The rest of the sentence died in his throat when his hazel eyes landed on Remus. There was a comical pause during which Remus tried to tell himself that Disapparating out of Lily Evans and James Potter's living room was incredibly impolite, while James Potter looked like he was trying very hard not to make something explode.

'Alice is here,' said Lily, with that same smile. Remus saw for the first time that there was a touch of mischief to it, hidden just in the upper corner of her lip. He wondered, then, how much he had been had by Alice, who couldn't look any less smug if she tried.

Then, inevitably, there sounded a familiar voice. 'All right, you've gone really quiet, Prongs, so either she's already given away all the scones or you're eating the last one, so I'm coming in!'

And Sirius Black entered the living room. His hands, which had been busy untying the red scarf from around his neck, froze in the air and his mouth fell open as his eyes glanced from James, to Lily, to Alice, and finally, inevitably, to Remus.

Remus, meanwhile, felt his cheeks burn softly as he hastily got up from his seat, the shortbread falling down onto the plush, ornate carpet. 'Hi,' he said, eventually, unable to suppress the shy, happy smile that broke out on his face.