The familiar stinging of a healing charm woke Remus up in the early hours of the morning following the full moon.

"You're getting good at that." His voice was raspy as it usually was following a transformation and his throat was sore, but overall he had certainly felt worse. He opened his eyes, blinking as the sun poured in through the dirty windows of the shrieking shack, to see Sirius kneeling beside him on the bed, and James and Peter had already gone.

"Thanks." Sirius smiled almost modestly as he carefully tapped his wand on Remus' ribs, healing a shallow wound that crossed down his left side. Remus hissed at the slight discomfort the spell caused and Sirius winced. "Sorry."

Remus shook his head. "Don't be. It hurts when Poppy does it too. I'm used to it." Sirius hummed disapprovingly before bending down to press his lips to the spot where his wand had just been. "Hm… that part is a little different than the way she does it, though."

Chuckling softly, Sirius moved to lie back down beside him. "I would hope so." He shifted their positions, spooning Remus from behind and nuzzling his hair. Remus was quiet, leaning back against his boyfriend's warm body and enjoying the feeling of his hand slowly running up and down his side.

"Have you ever thought about doing that?" Remus asked as Sirius' fingers skimmed over the freshly stitched wound.

"What, kissing you?"

Remus snorted and rolled his eyes. "No, idiot." He followed Sirius' fingers with his own, tracing over what would probably be a new scar. "Healing. You've got a knack for it. You should talk to McGonagall about it in your meeting."

He felt Sirius shrug. "Not really. I mean… I suppose I haven't really thought about it that way before. It's just something I wanted to know how to do for you… We won't always be at Hogwarts and you won't always have Pomfrey to come along and fix you up. What about you?"

"What about me?" He asked. Sirius didn't respond and Remus sighed. "Sirius, you know it's pointless for me to even think about it. No one's ever going to hire me. It's a waste of McGonagall's time to even have a meeting with me. I'm not-"

"You know, the only person that doesn't treat you like a human is yourself, Remus," Sirius said irritably.

Remus felt his cheeks go warm and his chest tightened with guilt. There was a silence between them for a moment before Remus sighed and moved to lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't feel human," he muttered.

Propping himself up on his elbow Sirius cupped Remus' face, stroking his cheek with his thumb. His stormy grey eyes gazed down into Remus' still bright, wolfish yellow ones and he sighed. "I'll have to fix that then, won't I?" He didn't wait for a response before he covered Remus' lips with his own in a loving kiss.

—-

The Great Hall was mysteriously quiet when Sirius arrived, already halfway through breakfast. Students were huddled together at their tables talking in hushed voices, some holding copies of The Daily Prophet.

Taking a seat beside James, Sirius looked around the room, straining to hear bits of conversation.

"What's going on?" He asked, frowning as he noticed how empty the Gryffindor table was. "Where is everyone?"

"It's been…" James hesitated for a moment, messing his hair with his hand. "It's been a rough morning." He slid a copy of the Prophet over to Sirius. There on the front page was a picture of a large skull with a snake through its mouth hanging high in the dark sky among the storm clouds.

BODIES OF MISSING MUGGLES FOUND DEAD – A WARNING TO ALL MUGGLEBORNS AND THEIR ALLIES

"It happened just outside the town Mary's family lives in," Peter said grimly. "She knows some of the… the victims…"

Sirius' eyes scanned over the article quickly. The Death Eaters were threatening to come after muggleborns and their families. He shuddered and placed the Prophet back on the table.

"This can't really be happening," he muttered, looking across the hall at the Slytherin table. They too were gathered around a copy of the paper, which was blocking their faces. Sirius had an odd suspicion they weren't very contrite. Shaking the thoughts of his brother and cousin from his mind, he looked back to James.

"Shouldn't you be off with Mary if she's upset, mate?"

An odd expression came over James' face and he shoved his eggs around his plate with his fork. "Well I offered, but she said she just wanted her friends… so the girls went up to their dorm." He sighed. "I don't really know where Mary and I stand right now. Things have been a little off since we all went out the other night."

Sirius and Peter exchanged knowing looks, but neither of them felt it was the right time to vocalize their opinions of James' relationship.

"How's Moony?" Peter asked, sensing a change of subject was in order.

"He's alright. Seems like it was an easy moon for him. He wasn't bloodied up too bad, just a little sore." He put some eggs and toast on his plate, though he wasn't feeling very hungry. "Got him to agree to go to Career Counseling though."

Both James and Peter looked relieved.

"Good," James sighed. "He's got to stop putting himself down because of something he has no control over. He's much more qualified for nearly any job than half the nutters in this school."

Peter nodded in agreement. "Besides, with his grades and being a Prefect, he's got a great transcript. So he may need to take a day off once a month to recover, big deal… I'm sure Dumbledore could put in good words for him and find him something."

"Yeah, I know," Sirius muttered, feeling a little irritated. "But try explaining that to Remus. You know how stubborn he is."

"Well, at least you got him to agree to talk to McGonagall," James replied, standing up and gathering his things. "And speaking of which, I've got to get going."

"Good luck, mate," Peter called after him.

—-

Career Counseling was honestly Minerva McGonagall's favorite day of the year. It was exciting to see the students she had watched grow from timid eleven-year-olds who couldn't grip their wands correctly into confident and strong witches and wizards, each with their own spectacular and unique set of skills. Hearing their ideas for the future, and helping them decide which path to take to achieve their goals, was exactly what made being a teacher so wonderful for her.

Though she had to admit, this year didn't feel quite the same as the past. All of her students seemed to be on edge and she knew it was because of the darkness threatening their world, inching closer and closer each day. Dumbledore himself seemed sure there was going to be a war, and that it was coming sooner than they thought.

Minerva, however, was trying to remain positive. She had to, or else she feared her students, and possibly herself, were going to lose hope. And without hope, they didn't stand a chance.

A steady knock on her door caught her attention and she didn't bother to look up from the papers that littered her desk. "Come in."

The door opened and she peered over the rim of her glasses with a smile. "Ah, Mr. Potter. Excellent. You may have a seat."

The boy sauntered over to the desk with his usual lopsided grin, plopping down into the seat across from her.

"Morning Minnie."

She raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed and sat up a little straighter. "Good morning, Professor," he corrected himself, though the smirk on his face didn't flinch.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter." She didn't even try to hide the amusement in her voice. "Ah, here we are." She pulled out a folder containing all of James F. Potter's academic history. "Now then, you'll be quite pleased to hear, Potter, that there have been several scouts from various professional Quidditch teams who have come to Hogwarts specifically to see you play." She found the list of names and contact information. "The Appleby Arrows and Puddlemere United have been particularly-"

"Professor." The interruption made Minerva look up from the list to the student in front of her. No longer did James Potter wear his confident smirk, as she imagined he would when told that his team, Puddlemere United, wanted to sign him after graduation. Instead, he looked very serious, and far past the age of sixteen. His hazel eyes met hers and he was no longer a boy at all, he was a man. "As… as elated as I am to be given that sort of chance…" He struggled to find the words he wanted. "I don't think that being a professional athlete is the right future for me."

Minerva watched him in silence for a moment, waiting for any sign that James wanted her to convince him otherwise. "It's always been your-"

"My dream." Potter nodded, eyes downcast on his lap. "But… I'm a pureblood wizard and, not to brag or anything, I'm a very skilled one at that." The hint of a smirk ghosted across his face. "I don't think that it would be right of me to waste that in times like these, do you?" He met her eyes again, holding her gaze strongly, almost daring her to lie to him and tell him he was wrong and that he wasn't in danger.

With a sigh, Minerva slipped the list of athletic contacts into the back of James' records. "Very well, Mr. Potter. What were you thinking of instead?"

And without any hesitation or doubt, James Potter confidently announced, "I'm going to be an Auror."

—-

Minerva never liked to play favorites among her students, but she couldn't deny that Lily Evans was a very special case.

Exceptionally bright and kind, but also not one to let anybody or anything get in her way. There was no doubt in Minerva's mind that the redhead would go far in whatever she wanted to do with her life, and she was very eager to hear what she had in mind for the future.

"You've got nearly perfect marks all around, Miss Evans," Minerva said as she looked at Lily's records. "Of course, you excel mostly in charms and potions. Have you put any thought into working as an apothecary?"

Lily didn't say anything. In fact, she seemed uncharacteristically distracted with her green eyes staring off out the window and a slight frown on her lips.

After a moment, she looked back at the Professor with a serious expression. "May I ask you something, Professor? Honestly?"

"Of course."

Again there was silence as Lily thought about how to choose her words and her eyes darted back to the window. "This man…" she said carefully. "The one that's calling himself the 'Dark Lord' or whatever he is… If what the Prophet has been reporting is true, and he's after Muggleborns like me… do you really think I even stand a chance at making a life in the Wizarding World?"

The question startled Minerva and she stared at her student with her mouth agape. "Miss Evans, I assure you that whatever may or may not be happening in the world right now, you are one person in particular that I wouldn't bet against."

With a wry smile, Lily shook her head. "That's very kind of you, Professor… but if people are really afraid of this man, don't you think they wouldn't want to cross him by hiring the wrong sorts?" She sighed and looked down at her lap. "...I have no formal education in the muggle world and the Wizarding World is turning against people like me. I can't help but feel a little hopeless."

—-

Minerva didn't think she would ever be so pleased to see the cocky grin on Sirius Black's face as he entered her office. It seemed that most of her students were becoming more and more pessimistic about the future as the day went on, but Sirius sauntered into the room looking as confident as ever.

"Afternoon, Minnie."

She gave him a look of disapproval, but unlike Potter, he did not correct himself. Tilting his chair back on two legs, Sirius waved his hand before she could even begin to speak.

"No need to waste time, Professor. I have top marks, ambition, and natural talent coming out of my ass-"

"Sirius," she warned.

"Sorry." Sirius smiled apologetically. "Anyway, I already know I'm going to be an auror."

"An auror?" Minerva repeated, giving the boy a skeptical look.

Having expected words of unhesitating approval and praise for his nobility, Sirius frowned. "Well… yes." His confidence faltered and he swallowed thickly, attempting not to seem overly put off.

Pressing her lips into a thin lip, Minerva continued to stare at the boy across from her. "This isn't just because Mr. Potter also wishes to become an auror, is it? And you think it would be fun to continue in your training as a pair?"

Silver eyes narrowed on her and his eyebrows lowered angrily. "No, it's not just because I want to stick with James." His fists clenched around the arms of the chair he was straining to remain seated in. "What, you think I can't handle-?"

"I think that being an auror takes a lot of self-control, Sirius," Minerva said calmly, her eyes flickering to the boy's fists. "And it also means listening to authority. I know these are things you sometimes struggle with, but it would be a matter of life and death as an auror."

"I know that," Sirius growled through his teeth. He glared at her. "You don't think I can do it?" His voice dripped with challenge.

"Sirius, you know I think you can do whatever you set your mind to." She answered simply. "You have proved that over and over again in your time here. I just want you to be prepared for what will be asked of you if you pursue this career. It's not about whether or not I think you're skilled enough, you most certainly are. I just want you to do it for the right reasons."

Sirius' expression softened. He loosened his grip on the armchair and his shoulders sunk as he took a deep breath in. "I... I want to protect people." His voice cracked as he uttered the words. "Something bad is coming, I know it is… and I want to be as prepared as possible to protect my friends… I don't want people to hear my name and think of me as nothing but another status-obsessed pureblood, elbows deep in the dark arts. I want to help rid the world of everything my ancestors helped create… this bloody caste system that's been fueled by hate and ignorance of anyone different…" He glanced up, finally meeting Minerva's gaze. "I can do that, Professor. I know I have trouble controlling myself sometimes, but… this is what I'm meant to do. I'm meant to keep my family – my chosen family – safe. And I have what it takes."

—-

Peter Pettigrew was fidgeting nervously in the chair as Minerva glanced over his files.

"I'm not particularly good at anything," he muttered. "I'm not naturally talented like James or Sirius and I'm not smart like Remus-"

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that, Mr. Pettigrew," said Minerva, looking over the brim of her glasses at the boy. "You're a very bright young man, perhaps just differently than your friends. There's nothing wrong with that. You've never had bad marks, except in Potions and even those aren't abysmal."

Peter chewed his bottom lip, looking completely unconvinced. "I'm alright at things I suppose." He shrugged heavily. "It's mostly because I follow their lead, though."

Minerva placed the boy's folder on the desk and sighed. "Not everyone is a natural-born leader, Mr. Pettigrew. Nor does everyone have to be. Your talents seem more along the lines of support, which is also very important you know. The most powerful people in the world would be nothing if they didn't have a strong support system behind them."

"I guess I never thought about it that way…" Peter said, frowning thoughtfully.

"You know, as troublesome as the four of you may be, I cannot deny that the things you've done over the years have been anything but clever. Can you honestly tell me that you've had nothing to do with any of it?"

The corner of the boy's mouth twitched up and he laughed quietly to himself. "No, I cannot."

Minerva smiled. "You're just as valuable as any of your friends, Mr. Pettigrew. Don't you forget that?" She picked his folder back up and flipped through some of the papers. "Have you considered maybe a job at the Ministry?"

—-

Never in all her years of teaching did Minerva McGonagall think she would be happy to be through with career advising. She was cleaning her desk off, preparing to lock up her office and get a few minutes of peace before dinner when there was a knock on the door, so soft she almost thought she imagined it.

"Come in," she called, not looking up from the mess of papers she was attempting to tidy up until she heard the door open and click shut. "Remus," she said to the boy standing there. "I…I wasn't expecting-"

Remus' hand found the doorknob again. "That's alright, Professor," he said softly, eyes downcast as he turned to leave. "I won't waste your time-"

"No!" Minerva called, so quickly that the young werewolf paused what he was doing and stared at her. "No, dear. I meant to say that I wasn't expecting to see you here today. I wasn't sure you'd feel up to it, I thought we could schedule something later in the week, but by all means, Mr. Lupin, have a seat." She gestured to the chair across from her.

Again, Remus hesitated, his bright eyes lingering on the door for a moment before he slowly let go and walked across the room to sit down.

Before Minerva could speak, Remus took in a breath. "Professor, I… I do think this may be a waste of your time," he said carefully, eyes firmly on his lap as Minerva pulled his files and began looking over his grades. "There is no future for me, I've accepted that. No one's going to hire a mon-"

"Mr. Lupin, that is quite enough," Minerva said sharply, her nostrils flaring. "I will not tolerate such negative remarks towards one of my most promising students, thank you very much." She flipped through some papers. "I know that it certainly won't be easy-"

Remus snorted and rolled his eyes. "Easy? Nothing in my life has ever been easy, and it's only going to get harder."

She had never heard the boy speak in such a hard tone. "Remus-"

"You don't need to sugarcoat it for me, Professor. I know what lies ahead for someone like me." He laughed coldly and shook his head. "It was a waste to even allow me to come to Hogwarts. I'm useless, a charity case. They'll take one look at me and turn me away. Especially now… with this man trying to recruit all the wrong sorts to follow him… how long until he goes after dangerous creatures? People will see me as a weapon to-"

"That is enough, Remus!" Minerva snapped once more and Remus' mouth immediately shut.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing from you. You should be ashamed of yourself for feeding into such horrible thoughts. Your time here has absolutely not been a waste. Not to you, and not to any soul you have come in contact with during your time here. Do I make myself quite clear?" Remus' cheeks went pink and he looked down again, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Staring at his lap, his eyes blinked several times as he tried to formulate a response only to open his mouth without a sound. Minerva slowly exhaled, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Now then, you may not realize it, but you do have many different options. Close to top marks, a prefect, an outstanding record of tutoring…"

The conversation was very one-sided as she gave her opinion on different careers that he could look into. Remus nodded quietly along with everything she had to say, but Minerva could see the doubt in his eyes even as he smiled and expressed his gratitude.

"Remus, you can have just as good a future as anyone else. More so, because you've fought hard for it already. I hope you know that you can always come to me for assistance." They both stood and she walked him to the door.

"Thank you for your help, Professor," he said politely as he opened the door to find James, Sirius, and Peter waiting in the hall.

"Of course, Remus," she replied softly,

She watched as his anxious expression was masked with a forced smile at his friends, and the four boys took off in the direction of the Great Hall.

She wasn't feeling very hungry all of a sudden.

Hey guys! Sorry about there not being a chapter last week. To make up for that, I'm posting the next chapter right after this one.

Anyway, I hope you guys are still invested. You can find me on Instagram at Via889Fanfiction or my Gmail at via889fanfiction. You can also find my podcast The Marauders (Olivias' Version) on which I read this fic to my friend at themaraudersoliviasversion.