Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter or any related characters

1981

Things were awkward to say the least. After ten years of friendship, Remus didn't expect this. Sure, he knew things were a bit rocky at the moment; not just for James, but for all of them. He knew there would be a certain amount of suspicion floating around, but in all honesty, he never would have expected such hostility towards him. Remus, missing them, had asked to meet up with James in Diagon Alley one evening. He always tried to make an effort to keep in touch, but their lives were all so busy that that wasn't always possible. He hadn't expected James to bring a hostile looking Sirius with him, but that was how it was these days; James and Sirius were even closer than they had been in school.

They had taken a seat in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron. The place was relatively empty. No one liked to hang around in public these days. There were people drinking throughout the pub, and it was obvious from the look of them that they had no families or loved ones. They were drinking the time away, and not even the threat of Voldemort could stop them. James, Sirius and Remus each had a pint of fire whiskey before them. Sirius' was nearly gone by this stage. He had always been that way though; much quicker.

"So... Err... How's Constance. We haven't seen her since the wedding," James said. Remus had to admire his ability to feign interest, especially when he had Sirius scowling beside him, occasionally letting out a huge, unnecessary sigh. Remus hadn't even realised that it had been nearly two years since his girlfriend had met his friends. He hadn't realised so much time had passed. Though that was hardly an excuse for Sirius' anger. James was always busy, whether it was with Lily, at their home, or completing his last few years of his law studies, and of course he still had to schedule in time for dear Sirius. That boy was helpless without James.

"Oh... Er... She's great. Bit tired, but other than that, she's just excited. I guess we both are," Remus stated flatly. Though, if he thought very hard about it, he wasn't particularly excited. While he loved Constance, he never imagined they would start a family. His condition could be passed on. He knew that, Constance knew that, but for some reason, neither of them saw the dangers until now, until it was too late. Constance was now pregnant. Still, Remus kept his worries to himself, and he was glad he did so. Nothing could upset Constance during her pregnancy.

Sirius hummed a little. Remus wondered if he had wanted to say something supportive as he probably would have done in the past, before thinking better of it. It didn't feel like all that long ago that Sirius was encouraging Remus to propose; now one of his old childhood friends was embarking on a new chapter in his life, fatherhood, and Sirius couldn't even be bothered to say something positive.

"Look..." Remus sighed as he ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "I... I can tell something is going on with you two. You know you can tell me... You know you can trust me with anything. We've been friends for years."

Remus' comment was met with silence. Sirius had a look of steely determination on his face. James on the other hand, looked down to the ground. Remus wasn't sure how to describe his expression. Possibly guilt, or perhaps it was just nerves?

"Yea... We know, Moony. But... There's nothing. Just... We're just worried, is all." James finished, he looked up to give Remus a smile, which he returned. It was half-hearted and quite possibly insincere, but Remus didn't push the matter any further. It didn't look as if Sirius would take too kindly to him if he did.

It was confusing to say the least. Remus' friends had always stuck by him. Stuck by him through things that Remus hadn't expected them to, such as finding out that he was a werewolf. They spent the next few years training to become illegal Animagi, all for him! It appeared that, beyond the safety of the castle, James and Sirius' tolerance wasn't quite as strong. They became distant from him, Sirius more than James. The sad thing was, Remus understood; he had been waiting for this moment since he first stepped foot in the castle at eleven years old. He knew his friendships could never last; he was amazed that they had lasted as long as they did!

"How's Wormtail doing?"

"He's good... Just trying to keep to himself. His mother doesn't like him leaving the house too much," James explained. James and Sirius didn't seem too fond of discussing Peter. Remus often got the impression that they thought it was poor Peter who was a spy. They seemed to exclude him from everything, and whenever Remus brought him up they seemed to brush it off quickly. It was as if they wanted no attention to be focused on Peter at all.

Remus often sent owls to Peter, and often got them in return. He hadn't grown distant from Remus like the other two had. Peter often came to his little house to eat Sunday dinner. Generally, it was Peter who passed information between him and them. James and Sirius learned of Constance's pregnancy from Peter, and likewise, Remus and Constance had learned of Lily's second pregnancy one Sunday afternoon when Peter popped around.

"So... I suppose I should get back."

"Of course, of course," James said a little too eagerly as he stood up quickly, as if in a hurry to get away from Remus.

"Right, well... I guess I'll owl you," Remus said awkwardly. He wasn't sure if his owl would be very welcome in their house.

Remus always tried his best to remain friends, but the other two appeared to want to make it as difficult as possible for him. Constance tried to remind him that they were no longer in school anymore, that they now had their own families, their own children to take care of. A school friendship could never last through that. Remus couldn't help but point out that it seemed to last very well for Sirius and James. Even Peter was always included, from the sound of his letters.

"Well," Constance began tartly. "If they don't want to make time for you, then why are you so worried?"

"They were my friends... Since I was eleven." He wanted to say his only friends, but he didn't want to appear desperate in front of his girlfriend.

"I'm sorry Remus, but people grow apart. You've got more important things to worry about than your precious Marauders right now."

Remus felt a little bitter about this comment. Constance only felt like that as she had never had friends. She had never been at school. All she ever had ever had was her parents, and now him. It was a sad existence. It probably would have been Remus' existence too if James and Sirius hadn't forced their friendship upon him in first year.

But he knew she was right, and with the birth of their son, all thought of James and Sirius flew from his mind. He looked down at his son's tiny fingers and toes and realised that there were bigger things in life than being accepted. They named their little boy Conor. Remus felt it was only fair to name him after the woman who had brought him into the world. He prayed that, being named after her, he would inherit all of her, and none of him. Especially not his lycanthropy.

During the first week of Conor's life, Remus felt incredibly lonely. Though he didn't want to admit it to Constance. He remembered that Harry's birth had been an exciting affair. Everyone had come to visit Lily and James' house, to meet and coddle the new baby. There had been no visitors for Conor, no grandparents to introduce him to. Conor had been asleep for the last couple of hours, and Constance went with him. She was exhausted and took every opportunity she could to rest. Remus was sitting at their little kitchen table. He had been reading up on the genetics of werewolves in the hopes of finding some answers. His eye caught sight of a rather fancy phoenix feather quill that Lily had bought him as a graduation present. He had never owned such a nice quill before, and was had been delighted when Lily presented it to him. He picked it up in his hand and began to closely inspect it. He was proud to say he had kept it in great condition. He only used it for writing special letters, such as job applications. He believed it might bring him a little luck. It hadn't so far, but he always tried to remain optimistic about it.

With a gentle sigh, he picked up a spare piece of parchment. This could be considered a special letter. Perhaps with any luck, he might get a good response.

Dear Lily,

It's been a while since I wrote to you, and I'm sorry. Everything that's happening in England right now, it's been making things difficult for everyone. I hope everything is going well with you and that you're getting enough rest. You'll need it when the baby comes, as I imagine Harry is already a handful.

I met with James a couple of months back. He brought Sirius along. It was great to see them both and see that they are doing well. Although we've drifted apart, their safety means so much to me. Their friendship, and yours of course, has given my life so much excitement and happiness, and I'm very grateful for it.

Anyway, I wanted to write you a quick letter, to let you know how Constance and I are doing. She had a baby boy last week. We named him Conor, after her. Please keep your fingers crossed that he inherits all her good qualities and none of my bad ones. I have never spoken this aloud before, but the idea of passing on my illness makes me feel sick. I'm not sure how I managed to get myself into this situation.

I wish you all the very best of luck, Lily.

Love Remus

Remus read over the letter a few times. It was blunt and to the point. Remus had never been one for talking about his feelings, with anyone. But sometimes he felt as if Lily was able to understand how he felt, even with little words. He had passed off his lycanthropy as a small worry in this letter, but he knew Lily would get the full picture. She would see how it tore him up. She always did, and she always knew what to say. The issue was, had Lily followed the path of her husband and Sirius, and was she now unable to offer the same quality of friendship as she had before? Remus didn't have long to wait, however. The next morning an owl came for him, carrying a letter and a small package. Post rarely came for Remus these days, unless it was from Peter, so he immediately sensed it was from Lily.

Dear Remus,

I was delighted to hear from you! I have missed you so much, and think about you everyday. No matter what is happening out there, no matter how little contact we have, you are always my friend. And I treasure all the memories we have. I know you are a great person, inside and out. You have the kindest soul of anyone I know, and I'm positive that will see you through anything.

Congratulations on your baby boy. Conor is a beautiful name, and I'm sure he will have the best of both of you! There's so much good that Remus Lupin has to give, and don't forget that! I've also sent you a little parcel. It's nothing amazing, I hope you can forgive me. But I can't get out of the house that much, so shopping wasn't an option. James and Sirius go mental if they see me stepping outside for air, even. Those two are far too protective.

Please don't be a stranger. No matter what James and Sirius feel on the issue, you will always be a best friend of mine.

Lots of love,

Lily

Remus scanned over the letter a few times. It was short, but she did exactly what he had expected her to. She addressed all his fears in one short letter, and it made his heart swell. Lily loved him; and she would always love him. He reached for the small package and grinned as he opened it. Two little red baby grows came out. Remus was sure they had been gifts to Harry when he was born. As Lily was unable to get out of the house these days, it only made sense. However, the gesture meant everything to him, especially with Lily having a new baby of her own on the way. Both of the little baby grows were red with Gryffindor written in gold letters across the front. Before, Remus might have found this silly. Forcing a stereotype on his child before he could even walk or talk.

Though when Remus eyed the gold Gryffindor crest, he grinned from ear to ear. His son, his little Gryffindor. Without realising, a single tear slipped down Remus' cheek, and he hastily wiped it away when he felt it.