Raylynx's POV

As dawn approached, I trekked down the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. Poppy had entrusted me with a bag full of medicine, and I carried it in my cloak as I made my way to Remus. I hoped that Remus had been able to make it back to the Shrieking Shack and wasn't lying somewhere in the cold, dark Forest.

When I saw him lying unconscious in the Shrieking Shack, I let out a breath of relief. But when I came closer to him, I noticed the cold sweat dripping from his forehead and the deep gashes running down his chest. And there was yet another scar joining the collection of faint white streaks on his face as well.

For a moment, I simply closed my eyes. You would think that I would get used to seeing Remus after his transformation, after knowing him for so long and having lived with him for some time. But it never felt normal. It felt traumatic, every time. Granted, yesterday night had been a particularly rough night for him.

I knelt besides him and pulled out the vials and bandages from the bag Poppy had given me. I'd never been the best at Healing, but I tried my best to treat Remus. Remus stirred as he felt me dabbing and applying Potions onto him, but his eyes remained shut. He was breathing somewhat shallowly. I sighed. If I was good enough at Cleansing and Healing Spells, I could clean his wounds and stitch them up with my wand, but because I wasn't confident enough that I'd thoroughly cleaned his wounds, I decided it was better to bandage them.

I pondered how I was going to get the bandages around his back when I noticed that Remus had opened his eyes and was now gazing down at me. "Remus, do you think you can sit up a little? I think we should bandage your chest."

Remus pushed himself up, grimacing. But as I started to reach around him, he said hoarsely, "Sirius? Where is Sirius?"

"He escaped," I said. "Snape brought us all back to the castle and Sirius was locked up. Thanks to Dumbledore, Harry, and Hermione, Sirius managed to escape."

"Where did Sirius go?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I don't know where he is now. But he's safe."

"Did I injure anyone last night?"

"No."

He breathed out a sigh of relief. "I was worried," he said. "I was scared that I would hurt someone, or that the dementors would catch Sirius."

Remembering what had happened at the lake, I shuddered. "The dementors nearly did get Sirius," I said. "There were hundreds of them, all gathered around Sirius, Harry, and Hermione. In fact, the dementors might have gotten us all, if it weren't for a..." I paused, trying to recall what I had seen last night.

"If not for a-?" Remus prompted me.

"A Patronus. An amazingly strong Patronus."

"Yours?" Remus asked me.

I shook my head. "No. I think – I think it was Prongs."

"Harry's?" Remus said, surprised. A moment later, he remarked, "Well, he has shown an amazing aptitude for the Patronus Charm. Remember he cast a full-bodied Patronus at the Quidditch match?"

I nodded, though I was deep in thought. Had Harry cast the Patronus Charm? I thought he was right next to me. In fact, if I remember correctly, I thought it was James. Well, they do look so alike - and the Time-Turner opens the door to any number of scenarios, so I suppose it could have been Harry, after all. But still, there was something about that Patronus, that silver stag, that made me think it was James.

"Raylynx, are you all right?"

"Yes. Sorry." I looked at Remus again.

"How did Sirius escape, exactly?" Remus asked me.

"Harry and Hermione went back in time," I said.

I smiled as I watched Remus wondering if he had heard me correctly.

"Hermione has a Time-Turner," I explained. "She took an overload of classes. Professor McGonagall gave her a Time-Turner so that Hermione could get to all of her classes."

"A Time-Turner?" Remus repeated, surprised. "Those are incredibly rare."

"Yes. To my understanding, Professor McGonagall had to write to the Ministry for one."

"So… So Harry and Hermione – they did what? They went back in time - and what?" Remus asked, struggling to make sense of all of this.

"They saved Buckbeak," I explained. "Buckbeak took them up to where Sirius was being kept. They got Sirius out, and Sirius flew away on Buckbeak."

"Merlin," Remus breathed out, quite impressed at the turn of events that had happened after he transformed. "That's quite a series of events."

"Apparently, it's very difficult to save an innocent man," I said, smiling a little wryly. I finally reached forward and wrapped the bandages around his chest.

When I finished, Remus said quietly, "Raylynx."

"Hm?"

"I'm so sorry."

I moved to applying ointment onto the cut on his shoulder. "You're always apologizing, and I never know for what," I murmured.

"For not believing you. For not believing Sirius."

I remained quiet.

"I never truly wanted to consider his innocence. Because it was too painful to think too deeply about what had happened, all that I had lost that day… So, whenever you tried to talk about it, I never wanted to hear it," he confessed, looking at me guiltily. "I know you already know this, Raylynx. You must have thought me a coward."

"And last night, if I hadn't transformed, we would have gotten Peter up to the castle. We would have been able to clear Sirius' name." Remus' voice fell to a tortured whisper, and he buried his face in his hands. "He would have been a free man again. Because of me, he's on the run. Because of me-"

"Remus." I grasped his wrists and pulled his hands away from his face.

He looked at me with a pained expression.

"You saved Sirius last night," I corrected him. "And you helped Harry, Ron, and Hermione to uncover the truth. And through them, Dumbledore now knows. You were the turning point. Nobody would have listened if you hadn't been there."

I wrapped another bandage around his arm, and then I said, "There. I've done all I can, which, unfortunately for you, Remus Lupin, isn't much."

"Come on. Let's get you to Poppy," I said, getting up. I waved my wand and all the vials flew into the bag and then the bag flew into my outstretched hand. I stuffed the vial into my cloak before reaching out to Remus. He took my hand. As I pulled him up, we both felt a soft flutter in our blood, as the Unbreakable Bond and his blood in me hummed within us.

He leaned on my shoulder as we began to make our way back to the castle.

We were silent for most of the walk, each deep in our own thoughts.

But just before we reached the castle, Remus murmured, "It was odd, wasn't it? The night I discovered one of my friends was innocent, I also discovered the other was the true traitor."

He sighed heavily. "I never would have dreamed that it was Peter. He and I were always the ones going along with Prongs and Pads, always getting dragged into risky situations because of their foolish recklessness. To know that he was the one behind Lily and James' deaths, and others – Dorcas and Marlene…"

Softly and sadly, Remus whispered, "Did our friendship mean nothing to him?"

"People do terrible things in the face of fear, Remus," I replied quietly.

"I suppose so," Remus said. Grief was etched deep in his face, but he shook his head lightly and murmured fervently, "But I'm glad… I'm so glad it wasn't Sirius." His arm around my shoulder tightened. "He didn't betray them. He didn't betray us."

"No," I said warmly, "he never did."


After I parted with Remus at the hospital wing, I headed down to the Great Hall. I wanted a drink of water before I finally, after a long night, went to sleep. But sleep, it seemed, was not wanting to see me. There was quite a lot of buzz and chatter in the Great Hall that morning. I assumed the news of Sirius' escape had gotten out. Possibly, the news of Buckbeak's escape had also been widespread.

There were two remaining seats at the staff table, both between Sinistra and Snape. I took the seat closest to Sinistra.

"Heard about Sirius Black's escape?" I said airily, pouring myself some water. I knew Snape heard me, and his lip curled scathingly, but he did not say anything. I almost thought there was something taunting in his expression, though I couldn't imagine why.

"I have heard," Sinistra said, shaking her head. "How did he escape, I wonder?"

"Don't we all?" I replied.

"But that's not all…" Sinistra's eyes dimmed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that that's not all the students are talking about."

I paused.

"It seems that the students have discovered Professor Lupin's er- condition. A few Slytherins found out and they spread the news to all of the other students. I believe that is what's causing this ruckus before us." Sinistra was solemn. "Look," she said, nodding towards the student tables. "Look at how many students are writing to their parents to ask for Lupin to be removed."

My eyes swept the tables. To my fury, I saw that nearly half the Slytherin table was writing letters, but so were a fair number from the other Houses.

"Lupin's… removal?" I whispered.

Sinistra nodded. "It's truly a shame. I've heard that he's a marvelous professor otherwise."

"Not otherwise," I said, nearly reprimanding her. "All of him is a marvelous professor, including the werewolf part of him."

"How?" I demanded. "How did they find out?"

Slowly, my eyes traced over the tables and found a bat-like figure walking down the long rows and exiting the Great Hall. "Snape," I growled. I was up in a flash. I knocked over the water jug. Sinistra called out in surprise, but I ignored her and raced out of the hallway.

I caught up to Snape in the deserted hallway where most of the classes took place. I didn't wait for an explanation. I drew my wand and tripped him. Before he fell completely, I grabbed the front of his robes and slammed him up against the wall. "You pathetic son of a bitch," I hissed at him, spitting in his face. "You told them about Remus, didn't you?"

Snape grinned humorlessly, his dark eyes glinting with suppressed victory. "An eye for an eye," he said darkly. "You take the felon. I take the werewolf."

Suddenly, I felt a hot streak of pain flash across my leg, as though a burning knife had slashed my thigh. I cried out and stepped back. Snape had managed to get to his wand while I had pinned him against the wall. I raised my own wand.

Just then, McGonagall and Flitwick came into the hallway. I heard McGonagall gasp in horror. Then, both she and Flitwick acted so quickly that neither Snape nor I, who were both still intent on pointing our wands at each other, had time to gather our wits. Before I knew it, McGonagall had shoved me into the broom closet in the hallway and commanded a stone statute to guard it to keep me from getting out. Snape was quickly ushered away by Flitwick.

McGonagall would not let me out until I promised not to go after Snape, which took over half an hour. As soon as she let me out, I sprinted away from her and ran to Remus' office. Having been targeted myself, I knew what I would find. Sure enough, all kinds of posters had been slapped on his office door and a few letters had already made their way to him. I could see them stuffed under his door.

With tears in my eyes, I ripped the posters down, violently tearing them away. Then, I got flat on my stomach and tried to fish out the letters. I threw the ones I could get into the growing pile, which I meant to Vanish as soon as I'd collected all of them. But there were a few pesky letters I couldn't drag towards me, no matter how much I stretched my fingers. Finally, I murmured, "Accio letters." I yelped when other, non-related letters from Remus' desks also came flying out through the slit under the door. I nearly lost an eye to the edge of a particularly sharp envelope.

"May I ask what you are doing?" To my horror, Remus had just arrived, freshly treated by Poppy. He had more bandages on his shoulder and a small one on his cheekbone.

"Evanesco!" I squawked, hurriedly pointing my wand at the pile of papers with ripped-up slurs and letters calling for removal. It disappeared immediately.

Remus' brow furrowed. "What in the world is going on, Raylynx?" he asked. "Why are you Vanishing my personal letters?" He stopped to pick up one of the remaining, recently summoned and yet unopened letters, from the floor, grimacing slightly as his wounds protested.

"I imagine it's yet another letter from my old Muggle landlord, asking me to pick up my remaining things before the building gets demolished."

I watched anxiously as Remus turned over the envelope and opened it. He pulled out the letter and glanced at it, expecting to already know the contents of the letter. But then, he paused. He held up the letter again and examined it closely. My heart sank when that ever-familiar mask appeared on Remus' face – that mask he always hid his pain behind.

"Ah," Remus said softly. "I see."

I held my breath.

Remus looked towards the floor and his eyes flickered over the letters scattered here and there. He began to pick them up. I didn't dare to help because there was something about his picking them up, his grimacing as his wounds hurt him, that defied the very essence of his letters – that he was inhuman, somehow, that he couldn't feel the pain because he was a werewolf.

Finally, Remus stood back up. He held all of the letters in his hands. He opened another one, and it contained the same ask: "Please leave Hogwarts. I refuse to have a werewolf teach my children. I cannot believe Dumbledore would allow this. I will be writing to him as well. Please leave while I am asking nicely."

Unable to stand the silence or the detached look on his face, I said, "Remus-"

"How? How do the students know?" Remus asked me, still reading the letter.

In a quiet, regretful voice, I confessed, "Snape. He took the liberty of telling a few Slytherin students and, well-"

"Yes, that would do the trick," Remus said softly. He finished reading the letter and tucked it back into his neat pile in his other hand. He looked up at me. "Well, I'm not sure what you were planning to do, Raylynx. You couldn't have hidden the fact that everyone knows from me forever."

I looked down at my feet, ashamed.

Remus turned and unlocked his office door. I followed him in, though hesitantly. I watched him as he sadly deposited all of the letters on top of his table, which was overflowing with his class notes and graded exams.

In a quiet, hopeful voice, I said carefully, "But you'll stay, won't you?"

Remus didn't answer. My heart sank.

"Remus," I pleaded, "I stayed. I got letters from parents too – death threats even. And Dumbledore got plenty of angry post because of-"

"But you were right," Remus said, cutting me off. "You were right about Sirius, after all. Those letters were wrong."

"Then there's no difference," I ventured to say, even though I knew I needed to be careful with my words. I couldn't pretend to know his pain. I truly couldn't. But I hated that Remus believed these letters. I hated that Remus truly thought of himself that way.

"There is," Remus said tiredly. "These letters… They're not wrong. Parents are right to be concerned. Imagine if I had hurt someone yesterday."

"You wouldn't have," I said fiercely. "And these letters are rubbish. They should be begging for you to stay. If they knew how good of a professor you are…"

But Remus was already shaking his head.

I fell silent, even though I wanted to yell at him. In my heart, I knew that Remus had already made him his mind. Some part of me realized that he had probably been waiting for this to happen from the very first day. Dumbledore's words from last night sounded in my mind: "Werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little..." My face fell and I stood there, looking defeated.

"Raylynx, could you hand me that-?" Remus paused and his voice trailed off when he saw me standing like some deflated balloon. He was a little taken aback.

"I'm sorry, Remus," I said quietly. "I'm so sorry things turned out this way."

Remus shook his head, trying to avoid feeling too deeply at the present moment. Scrimmaging in his mind for something light-hearted to say, he finally joked, "You just don't want to have to sit next to Snape again."

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "You always beat me. I ended up sitting next to that greasy git all year anyways. You were useless in that respect, Remus."

"But don't worry," I reassured Remus. "I'm happy to sit next to him now. I'm going to get my hands on that son of a -"

"Raylynx," Remus cut me off, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I hope you will contain your violence for er- worthier causes."

I knew Remus was trying to keep the mood light, but I couldn't escape the sinking feeling. I really believed that Remus belonged at Hogwarts. He was inarguably one of the best Professors. And speaking more practically, I knew that this was one of the best jobs he would ever get as a werewolf - and he was so good at it, so perfect for it.

Remus passed by to pack his books. He looked over at me and remarked, "You know, Raylynx, cat or human, you look the same when you're upset. I thought I was never going to get you off the grass last night when you were sulking." He grinned at me cheekily. "Were you ever going to tell me about your cat form?"

I smiled a little at this, too.

I watched as he packed his books. "Hogwarts is so much better with you, Remus," I said softly. "Please stay."

Remus ducked his head down so that I couldn't see his face. In a forcibly light voice, he chirped, "I had a wonderful year, thanks to you."

"Have more," I blurted out.

He laughed at this. He straightened up to look at me. He didn't say anything to me, but I understood what he was saying. Let me go. He'd asked this of me before, when he left my house because Order members were threatening me for living with me, and when he left for his undercover mission with the werewolves. And I had asked this of him too, when I left the Order and made an Unbreakable Vow with him.

"All right," I said, even though he hadn't spoken.

Remus gave me a short nod before turning around to continue packing. We were silent after that. I helped him with little things, but neither of us made any conversation. As I sat down to go through some of Remus' notes and organize his exams, I suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness hit me. I had not slept for over forty hours. I tried to keep my eyes open, but they slipped shut.

Remus looked up from packing his clothes to see me nodding off at his desk. Walking over, he carefully slid out a piece of parchment from under my hand. Taking a quill and bottle of ink in his other hand, he sat in the chair across from the now-empty grindylow tank and wrote his letter of resignation.


Later in the evening, Dumbledore arrived. Remus gently shook me awake. I stood up tiredly, wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth as I faced Dumbledore. His eyes twinkled at my disorganized figure, but when he looked over at Remus, his face because somber.

"I have received your letter of resignation. You mean to leave immediately, with no intent of returning," Dumbledore said.

I looked over at Remus, who nodded.

"Headmaster," Remus said, "I feel it would be foolish not to ask – Does the Ministry believe that I was responsible for Sirius' escape?"

"No," Dumbledore said. "The Ministry is convinced that you saved everyone's lives, which, I believe, is nothing short of the truth."

Remus blushed and mumbling, looked away from Dumbledore.

"Professor Lupin, I must say that I am ready to vouch for your position," Dumbledore offered.

"Thank you, but I believe I've burdened you enough," Remus said. "Not just tonight, but since I was a boy."

Remus paused and then he admitted, "If you've heard Sirius' story, you must realize that this is not the first time I've betrayed your trust. I led others astray even when I was just a boy. All this time, you have been protecting me, Headmaster. I don't deserve-"

Remus broke off. Then, he said, slowly and purposefully, "All things considered, I think it is best that I leave. At once."

Dumbledore gazed at Remus sympathetically. Finally, he said, "Very well. I shall send for a carriage." Dumbledore turned and left. I stared morosely at the floor as Remus finished packing up his things.

As Remus made to clear off his desk, he hesitated. He reached out and touched the old parchment before him. Then, he pulled out his wand and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Remus watched as the ink sprawled over the map. He opened it up to find his own office, just to glance at it while it was still his… But to his surprise, he saw a dot dashing up towards his office. It was labeled "Harry Potter".

Only a few minutes later, Remus and I heard a knock on the door. I looked up to see Harry at the doorway. He opened his mouth to greet me when Remus, with his back still to the door, said, "Hello, Harry."

Harry blinked. "How did you…?"

Remus turned. Smiling, he pointed to the Marauder's Map on his desk. "I saw you coming."

"I just saw Hagrid. He said you'd resigned!" Harry blurted out. "It's not true, is it?"

"I'm afraid it is," Remus said, a bit more grimly.

"Why?" Harry asked. "The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?" I motioned for Harry to come into the room. He obliged, and I shut the door behind him.

"No," Remus replied, once the door was shut. "Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives."

He paused, as it just occurred to him what that might have done to Snape. "I imagine that was the final straw for Severus," Remus said thoughtfully.

"Yes, I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard…" I commented wryly.

Harry looked confused.

"Snape – erm, Professor Snape, was the one who told the students about Remus' condition," I told Harry.

"Accidentally," Remus amended. "I believe Professor Snape accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."

I barely kept from rolling my eyes at Remus' forced civility.

"You're not leaving just because of that!" Harry said.

Remus smiled wryly as he took in Harry's indignation. "This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents…" Remus said. "They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Harry."

And then Remus repeated what he told me, "And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you… That must never happen again."

"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" Harry said fervently. "Don't go!"

Remus paused, touched by Harry's words. Speech failing him, Remus shook his head and turned again. He opened more drawers, even though we both knew that most of them were already empty.

"Are you all right, Harry?" I asked him. "You were up against a lot of dementors last night."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Madam Pomfrey gave me a lot of chocolate."

Behind us, Remus said, "You saved a lot of lives last night, Harry." He stepped forward and looked down at Harry. "If I'm proud of anything I've done this year, it's how much you have learned. Tell me about your Patronus."

"How do you know about that?" Harry asked.

"What else could have driven the Dementors back?" Remus said.

"I thought…" I paused as both Harry and Remus turned to look at me. "I can't remember it very clearly, but I thought that Patronus looked like James. It wasn't just any stag. It was your father."

"I thought so, too," Harry said. "I thought it was my father at first. But then, when Hermione and I used the Time-Turner, we were on the banks, sitting and waiting for my father. And then it hit me. It wasn't my father. It was me. And I raced forward and used the Patronus Charm. It sounds ridiculous, but it was like… It was like I knew I could do it, because I'd already done it before. Does that make sense?"

I laughed a little. "Only in the warped reality of Time-Turners, I suppose."

Harry grinned. Then, he asked, "Was my dad's Animagus a stag?"

Remus smiled gently as he nodded. "Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed," he said. "You guessed right… that's why we called him Prongs."

Remus reached over to the last drawer. He pulled out Harry's Invisibility Cloak. "Here," he said, handing it back. "I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night.

"And…" He looked down at the Marauder's Map and then over at me.

"I'll start moving your luggage down, shall I?" I said quickly. I picked up a suitcase and left the classroom. As I shut the door behind me, I heard Remus saying to Harry, "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you back this as well…"

I brought the trunk down the stairs of leading up to Remus' office and then put it down next to the classroom door. Just then, Dumbledore appeared at the doorway.

"Professor Kingsley," he greeted me.

"Headmaster," I said.

Dumbledore looked up at Remus' office, clearly wondering if Remus was there.

"Harry's here to see Remus. I thought I should give them a bit of time," I explained.

"Ah, I see," Dumbledore replied.

We lapsed into silence for a moment.

"You now have proof of what you have always known about me – that I too am human, that I, too, make mistakes. And that being me, my mistakes tend to be egregious," Dumbledore said softly. "I am sorry, Raylynx, for not having believed you before. Or, as you said to me last night – for failing to listen."

"However, I do not think it would be wise for you to let down your guard," Dumbledore said in an even quieter voice. "I am counting on you to protect Harry."

I knew what he meant. He was warning me not to tell anybody, including Sirius, about the Horcruxes, or that Harry was, in all likelihoods, a Horcrux. I nodded. "But you have to reciprocate, too," I said. "Let me take care of him."

Dumbledore looked over at me.

"Whether you agree or not, I'm going to tell Harry that I am, in fact, his godmother, as I have always intended to do, and then ask him if he wants to come and live with me," I said. "Especially as Sirius was fully intending to do so, if Peter hadn't manage to escape."

"You insist on this..." Dumbledore said quietly. He sounded almost sad.

"You promised you would let me do this," I reminded him.

"I did…" Dumbledore relented. "Very well. You may ask Harry to stay at your house over the summer, after he has stayed for a sufficient period of time at his aunt's house."

A bubble of happiness blossomed in my heart, but I quickly sobered as I considered what recent events might mean for Harry. Studying Dumbledore's expression closely, I asked, "Do you think Peter Pettigrew will find his way to Albania?"

Dumbledore's eyes flashed. "A darker chain of events has been set in motion, that much is certain," he said ominously. "Be on your guard, Professor Kingsley."

Dumbledore left me then and made his way up to Remus' office. I heard him say, "Your carriage is at the gates, Remus."

Remus said good-bye to Harry and to Dumbledore, and then he came down to where I was. Remus was holding his suitcase and the empty tank. I picked up the other suitcase, which was full of books.

We made our way down to the castle's entrance. "This is fine," Remus insisted to me. "I can make two trips to the carriage, or the driver will come and help me. There's no need for you to drag it all the way down there."

I smiled slightly. "All right, all right, I get it. You want to be rid of me," I said, putting down the suitcase.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small object. "But there is one last favor I'd like to ask of you, Remus Lupin."

Remus peered down at my hand, where yet another duplicate of my house key lay.

"You left your last place of residence on short notice to come to Hogwarts, because I asked you to," I said.

"That, and they were going to demolish the building…" Remus said dryly.

"Well, yes. Fair point," I conceded. "But there's something else. I've asked um, Snuffles, to come home – that is, to me." I paused, slightly embarassed. "But I have to stay here until the proper end of the term. And I was wondering if you could stand watch. Just in case he… decides to come home."

Remus looked at my hopeful, blushing face.

"If you don't want to-" I began.

Remus set down the tank and reaching over, put his hand over mine. "All right," he said. "I'll do it. I'll be there."

"Thank you," I said fervently, as he took the key from me.

Remus smiled warmly at me. His expression was bittersweet, but there was such a kindness to his eyes. He didn't say anything more, simply nodded at me. Then, picking up the tank again, he walked out and down towards the carriage, leaving Hogwarts behind him once more.


Harry's POV

Exams were finally finished. A small part of my mind hoped I'd just fail the Divination exam. I should have taken Ancient Runes with Professor Kingsley. Ancient Runes seemed difficult, but at least I'd learn something and not be told I was going to die every other week.

I sighed. Even though exams were finally over, and Sirius had escaped, Professor Lupin's leaving had cast a gloom over my mind. And then, there was Peter Pettigrew – still free, and undoubtedly trying to find safety under the patronage of his master – Voldemort. In connection with that, Professor Trelawney's prediction had been looming in the back of my mind.

It had happened during my final exam. I'd been peering into the Orb on Trelawney's desk, making up stuff about Buckbeak. Finally, she had said that I could go. Relieved that my exam was over, I picked up my bag and turned to go when suddenly-

It was as though Professor Trelawney had gone into a trance. Her voice was not at all misty, the way she normally faked it. Instead, it was loud and harsh.

"It will happen tonight."

I had turned around, startled to see that Trelawney had gone rigid in her armchair. Her eyes were starting to roll. She spoke again in that same disturbing voice: "The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will set out... to rejoin... his master!"

And then, that was what had happened. Peter Pettigrew had escaped and now, he was sure to be looking for Voldemort.

I'd asked Dumbledore about it. Dumbledore, too, had said that he thought it was a real prediction. That opened a floodgate of worry in my mind. I couldn't help but feel that it was my fault. Peter Pettigrew had escaped because I stopped Sirius and Lupin from killing Pettigrew.

Dumbledore had insisted that I shouldn't think like that. He had told me that I had done a very noble thing, in saving Pettigrew's life. But it if helped bring Voldemort back to life, how could it be a noble thing to do?

Frustration and anxiety merged inside my head. I couldn't understand why Dumbledore was so calm.

But then, Dumbledore had said something that did genuinely calm me down. "I knew your father very well, both at Hogwarts and later, Harry. He would have saved Pettigrew too, I am sure of it."

And I had confessed to Dumbledore: "I thought it was my dad who'd conjured my Patronus. I mean, when I saw myself across the lake… I thought I was seeing him."

It sounded stupid, even now. But Dumbledore hadn't laughed. Instead, he had said, "You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him. How else could you produce that particular Patronus? Prongs rode again last night."

Professor Kingsley, too, had known. In Lupin's office, she had said, "I thought that Patronus looked like James'…" She had identified the specific Patronus of my father… Not for the first time, I wondered how well she knew my father. It was clear from hearing Lupin's story and from the Marauder's Map that Sirius, Lupin, Peter, and my dad had all been very close friends.

Professor Kingsley had said that she'd played Quidditch with his father. But I got the feeling that that she had been much closer to my dad than just as fellow Quidditch players. There had been that time, when they were having breakfast together in the Leaky Cauldron, when she had told me about my parents when they were all at Hogwarts together. I wish I had asked her more about my mum.

And then, I wondered what Professor Kingsley's relationship was with Sirius. My entire memory of the events beside the lake were fuzzy because of the dementors, but I remembered opening my eyes at one point and turning over. I thought I saw Professor Kingsley using her own body to physically shield Sirius. She had been crying… I had tried to call out to her, and seeing me, she had reached for me…

Finally, there was a totally selfish reason that I was feeling depressed. I couldn't help but feel utterly disappointed at the fact that I had to go back to the Dursleys, instead of to Sirius. Come on, Sirius escaped! You pulled off something that was practically impossible, I chided myself. What more could you ask for? And yet… I had been so ecstatic, so hopeful, that I could finally leave the Dursleys and live with Sirius - the man who had been my parents' best friend. Short of having my real dad back, it would have been the best thing. But that possibility had died when Pettigrew escaped.

Summer break was approaching too quickly. To me, Hogwarts was my home, and leaving it was depressing.

"Harry?" I looked up to see Ron coming into the dormitory. He held up a note. "Professor Kingsley's asked to see us."

"Why?"

"No idea," Ron replied. "She asked Hermione, too."

Sure enough, Hermione was waiting downstairs for us in the common room. We set off together.

"You don't think I've failed my Ancient Runes exam?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Oh yeah," Ron said sarcastically. "And she's called in me and Harry, who aren't taking Ancient Runes, just so we can bear witness to your failure."

Hermione shot Ron a dirty look.

"You don't think it's about Sirius?" I asked, keeping my voice down, even though my heart started to race.

"No," Hermione said immediately. "I mean, there's been nothing in the news. The Ministry would have reported if anything happened to Sirius. They're desperate to look like they're on top of things."

We arrived at her office door. I raised my hand and knocked.

"Come in."

The three of us filtered into her office. Ron, the last to enter, closed the door behind him.

"Hello," Professor Kingsley said, getting up from her desk. "I'm sorry to interrupt your time off."

She looked us over. "Ron, how's your leg?"

"Oh, all better," Ron said.

"Good." Professor Kingsley said. Then, she paused, as though she didn't know how to say what she wanted to say.

Ron and I glanced at each other nervously.

"All right. I've some big apologies to make," she said finally. "To Ron… and to Hermione." She clasped her hands together anxiously.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Why, Professor?" she asked breathlessly. "Are you going to fail us?"

"No, of course not," Professor Kingsley responded.

She exhaled and then said, all at once, "Ron, I'm sorry for attacking you all semester. And Hermione – I owe you a new pet."

Ron eyes' widened. "Attacking me? You've been attacking me, Professor?"

But Professor Kingsley was gone. Instead, a very familiar orange cat had replaced her. My jaw dropped. Crookshanks looked up at us and mewed apologetically. She looked particularly nervously at Hermione. Hermione gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth. Then, Crookshanks transformed back – into Professor Kingsley.

Besides me, Ron was sputtering. "You- You're-"

"Yes, I'm also an Animagus," Professor Kingsley said. She turned to Hermione. "I'm so sorry. Hermione, please forgive me."

"How? Why?" Hermione said in a shocked voice, looking up at Professor Kingsley with astonished eyes.

"When I heard that Sirius escaped, I knew he would want to see Harry. But he might not approach Harry if he saw me near him. So, I had to take on another form," Professor Kingsley tried to explain. She cautiously put her hands on Hermione's shoulders, pleading with Hermione to understand.

"Why did you want to see Sirius?" Hermione asked.

"Because I thought he might be innocent," Professor Kingsley replied. She smiled a little grimly as she said, "I'm sure you've heard the rumors of my mad attempt to get Sirius a trial."

"Well, yes," Hermione admitted.

"How'd you know?" Ron asked me. "I mean – why'd you think Sirius was innocent?"

"She wrote it all out in her pamphlets," Hermione answered in my stead. "How he didn't have the Dark Mark and how his wand's last spell wasn't an explosive spell…"

Professor Kingsley nodded.

I had been silent all this time, but only because I was thinking on my own. There was something about her story that reminded me of this summer… "Wait a minute," I said. "You were there. In Diagon Alley. I met you at the Quidditch Supplies store."

Professor Kingsley nodded. "Yes. I transformed into Crookshanks and waited in the Magical Menagerie, hoping a Hogwarts student would pick me as their pet. Imagine my surprise when the three of you walked in."

"Did you know?" I asked abruptly. "Did you know when you saw Peter…?

Professor Kingsley shook her head. "No. I admit I felt an overwhelming curiosity towards Peter, a sort-of pull… I think I instinctively knew that the rat felt familiar. But I didn't know it was Peter. Not until Sirius explained everything in the Shrieking Shack."

Her gaze fell to Ron and she said, "I caused you a lot of grief this year. I owe you a very sincere apology."

Ron just stared at her, open-mouthed. Finally, he said, "Is there no one we can trust?!"

"Ron," Hermione chided him.

Ron shook his head. "I'm never letting another animal sleep in my bed, no way."

"I'm sorry," Professor Kingsley repeated. "You all got caught up in things... Events that happened before you were even born. But I knew I had to see it through. I knew I had to confirm for myself that Sirius was innocent."

Slowly, Hermione nodded. Then, she flushed. "But then, you heard me… saying things in my dormitory."

"What d'you say?" Ron asked, interested.

"About how I- I punched Draco and how I called Trelawney a fraud."

Ron guffawed.

Professor Kingsley looked up at the ceiling and played dumb. "I can't hear anything you're saying, Hermione."

I grinned.

"Well, that's what I wanted you all to know," Professor Kingsley said. She sighed. "I really am sorry."

"I can't pretend I'm not shocked, but, well... I think I understand," Hermione said, though her hands were still clasped together in surprise.

Ron shrugged. "As long as you're not out to get me anymore, Professor."

Professor Kingsley smiled and shook her head. Then, she looked over at me. "Harry, could I have a word with you alone?"

I nodded, though I felt a bit apprehensive. The more I got to know, the more I wondered who she really was. If she was Crookshanks, and Crookshanks had been helping Sirius this whole time, then she knew Sirius was innocent even before Lupin did...

Hermione and Ron left, looking curiously over their shoulders before shutting the door behind them.

Professor Kingsley gazed down at me, reading my skeptical expression.

To my surprise, Professor Kingsley said, quite bluntly, "You don't trust me, do you?"

"I – er-" Taken aback, I was unable to formulate a clear response.

"I know," she said quietly.

"It's just that… I don't really know who you are," I said awkwardly, trying to explain. "I mean, of course, you're a Professor. But then you do things for me – like teach me to cast a Patronus or stop Snape from expelling me. And even before you became Crookshanks at the Magical Menagerie, you kept running into me in Diagon Alley." I paused. "You said you were on business, but-"

"You're right. I was keeping an eye on you," Professor Kingsley admitted. "But I didn't wish to be intrusive."

"And then, you recognized my dad's Patronus…" I murmured. "You knew it wasn't just any stag that night."

Professor Kingsley sighed and looked down at her hands. "Yes. I did recognize your specific Patronus last night… It was remarkable. I could have sworn I was hallucinating."

There was a long silence – not awkward, but thoughtful.

I could tell Professor Kingsley was weighing what to say. Finally, she said, "The truth is, Harry, that I was close to your parents. Both Lily and James. Lily was one of my best friends since day one at Hogwarts, rather like you and Ron. And James became my friend throughout the years."

"And Sirius?" I asked, dimly remembering the way she had thrown herself on top of him to protect him.

"Also friends," she said.

Then, she stepped closer to me. Looking down at me, she said, "Harry, this might sound odd to you… and you're feel to say no, of course. But I would like to take up Sirius' offer to you, since he can't follow through on it just yet."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I would like for you to come and live with me."

I was stunned.

"Only if you want to," she said hastily. "And I realize you might not want to- what with me being a Professor and all."

Unable to stop herself from speaking nervously, she continued, "But I did get Dumbledore's permission. Of course, you'd have to go back to the Dursleys for at least a little while. But if you – if afterwards, you'd like to come and live with me…"

She paused, a little breathless. "Um…"

"Dumbledore said I could?" I asked, blinking furiously.

"Yes."

To be honest, I didn't fully understand why Professor Kingsley would ask me to come and live with her. Sirius made sense – He was my godfather, after all. But why would Professor Kingsley ask me to come and live with her? I realized that she had been close to my parents, but even so, this seemed beyond that. But anything was better than the Dursleys.

Professor Kingsley blew out a breath. She seemed to be making a difficult decision in her mind. Finally, she knelt down in front of me and put her hands on my shoulders. She looked directly into my eyes. Then, she said, "Harry, I'm your godmother." Before she had even finished her sentence, I saw tears form in her eyes, wetting her lashes.

My own eyes widened. "But- But Sirius is-"

"Your godfather, yes," she said, nodding. "But it was during the war, and we knew that any of us might die the next day, and so Lily and James appointed Sirius as your godfather and me as your godmother."

Suddenly, things began to clunk into place.

"It was always you," I realized. "From the very beginning. You used to leave birthday presents for me when I was really young. Uncle Vernon used to get so mad. And when I went over to Mrs. Figgs, she'd sometimes say that an old friend of my parents had asked that she buy cake for me… And when I fought Quirrell over the Sorcerer's Stone. It was you that was holding me, and you brought me up to the Hospital Wing…"

"You're my godmother," I said, awed.

"Wait," I said, the words spilling out of my mouth, "was the Nimbus also you?"

She nodded. She started to say something, but I still had a thousand questions in my mind.

But the most important one burst out of me before I could even think it through.

"But then, why didn't I grow up with you? Why didn't I live with you? Didn't you want me?" I asked, trying not to show that I was hurt.

"Of course!" Professor Kingsley said, almost angrily. "I wanted you to come live with me from the very beginning. But Dumbledore-"

She cut herself off. She took a deep breath and said, "The Headmaster thought it was best if you grew up with a more- a more normal family. He didn't want you to get caught up in the madness of the Wizarding World, given- given that you were…"

"That I was what?"

"Well," she said, and I sensed that she was choosing her words very carefully, "given that you were famous for stopping Voldemort."

Her voice was genuine and heartfelt as she repeated, "Harry, please don't think that I never wanted you. I always did. I always saw you as my godson."

"But even when I came to Hogwarts, why didn't you tell me?"

"I meant to. But when you came to Hogwarts, everyone was talking about you. Between Quirrell and the Chamber of Secrets, everyone was talking about who you might be – the Chosen One, some new Dark Wizard, the Boy who Lived – and I had hoped, maybe foolishly, that we would develop a more natural and meaningful relationship. I wanted to approach you – as you, not because of your reputation, and I hoped that you would feel safe with me – as yourself. Perhaps I didn't do a good job. You didn't take Ancient Runes, after all."

"Oh," I said, embarrassed.

Professor Kingsley cracked a smile. "But you see? I wanted you to come to me because I could be someone more than just 'a professor' or 'a guardian'," she said, trying to make herself understood.

"I'm sorry," she said miserably, and tears started to cloud her eyes again. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you as I should have been."

My mind was buzzing. So I had had not one, but two, godparents. This whole time- I had had two godparents in this world. And one of them had always been with me, been by my side the whole time, waiting for me to come to her. I hadn't even known.

"Well, like I said, um, the offer's open, if you want to take it," Professor Kingsley said, and smiled bravely at me. "But I understand if you don't, Harry. I'm not trying to pressure you, I just want you to know that you have that option."

"Oh, and fair warning," she said, smiling more easily now, "I'm not as much fun as Sirius."

"But we can still do fun things together," she assured me. "We can prank Professor Lupin all summer, for starters."

When she said that, I suddenly saw her as a person, not just a Professor, and not just someone who had been protecting me. I saw her the way I imagine my mum and dad saw her - someone who was very young at heart, a bit mischievous, and uncertain about herself. It was at that moment that I believed her - that she wanted to take care of me and that she meant it when she asked me to stay with her.

Abruptly, I asked her the same question I had asked Sirius: "When can I move in?"

Professor Kingsley's face broke into a bright, beaming smile. "I'll arrange it with Dumbledore so that you can come around as soon as possible," she promised. Then, she reached over onto her desk and plucked a photograph off of it.

"Here," she said, handing it to me. "That's how I remember your mum and dad."

I stared down at the photograph. A woman with red hair was brandishing a carrot – no, not just brandishing it, but beating a man on the head with it. The man had his arms over his head, but I could see make out his glasses and his incredibly messy hair… My heart thumped. But the photograph… She – Lily, my mum – seemed angry.

"But aren't they fighting?" I asked.

"Yes, yes they are," Professor Kingsley said, smiling gently. She softly put her hand on my head. "And that's how they fell in love."