Like The Rain

Chapter 3

For a while after Sirius left, Harry sat in the garden, staring up at the tops of the trees, watching the clouds move in and out from behind them. Ah, Hermione's right. We need to have fun this summer. I mean, we're together and hopefully safe from Voldemort here.

"So stop brooding, Harry," he said to himself.

Then, he got up and walked briskly into the house to find Ron. He went upstairs and found him still asleep. He walked quietly over to him and thought about yelling in his ear as Ron had done to him earlier, but decided against it. Ron would most likely try to hit him if woke up suddenly.

"Ron? Oi! Ron, wake up!" he said loudly and prodded Ron in the face with his finger.

Ron stirred and his eyes fluttered open. They landed on Harry and he sat up and rubbed them sleepily.

"What? Can't a guy get a little sleep around here anymore?" he asked angrily and yawned.

"Nope," Harry said mischeviously, and grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him out of the bed. Ron landed on the floor with a loud *thump* and glared at Harry. "Now come on, let's do something."

"Fine, fine. Have it your way. But what is there to do?" Ron asked, standing up and rubbing his rear.

"I don't know?" Harry answered. "Let's go ask Sirius. He should know. Do you want to see if the girls wanna come?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean, if they want to."

They walked across the hall and knocked on the girls' door. Ginny answered, sniffing a little bit as though she had been crying.

"What's wrong, Gin?" Ron asked immediately with big brother concern.

"No- nothing," Ginny answered, rubbing her eyes. "I- just have a cold or something. Nothing serious." Though they could tell she was lying.

"Uh, d'you wanna do something with us?" Harry asked her, very quickly.

She seemed startled by this invitation. Harry and Ron, asking me to do something with them?

"Er- no. I think I'll stay here. You know, sleep off this cold," she said. Wait! What are you thinking Virginia Weasley? Harry Potter just asked you to do something with him and you say *No*? What's wrong with you? Nothing is wrong with me, she answered herself.

"Are you sure, Gin?" Ron asked, worry in his eyes. "You gonna be alright?"

"I'm sure, Ron. And yes, I'll be alright," she said. "Is Hermione going?"

"Well, we haven't asked her yet. Is she in there?" Harry asked.

"No. I think she went to the study to read," she answered. "Well, see you in a bit." And she closed the door before she broke down into tears again.

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"Wonder what was really wrong with her?" Harry asked Ron as they were walking down the stairs towards the study.

Ron just shrugged his shoulders, and continued down the narrow steps. They found Hermione emersed in a huge book labeled *Mysterious Charms: 1765-1850*. She didn't even seem to notice the guys walk into the room.

"Ahem. Hermione?" Ron asked, a little cautiously. Hermione usually got mad when she was interrupted from reading.

Hermione's head snapped up and she jumped a little bit.

"Hmmm?" she asked.

"We were gonna go ask Sirius what there is to do around here," said Harry. "Wanna come?"

Hermione glanced from her book to Ron and Harry a few times. She seemed to be deciding which to do, stay there and continue reading, or go with them and probably get into some kind of trouble. She stared at the book for a few seconds then looked up.

"Alright, then," she said, and stood up. "I think Sirius went into the kitchen."

She dog-eared the page she was on and put the book back on the shelf. Then she brushed past Ron and Harry and led them into the kitchen. Sirius was standing by the counter, reading a large recipe book and holding his wand. He was wearing an old apron that said *Kiss The Cook* in bold red letters.

"What are you wearing?" Harry asked, laughing, when he saw Sirius. Ron was chuckling to himself behind Harry.

Sirius looked down at the apron and shrugged.

"It was the only one Remus had," he said simply. "Besides, I think I look rather dashing in it, don't you think so?" he asked them.

Behind Harry, Ron snorted audibly with laughter. Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Anyways," she started, but was cut off by a very loud *thump* from above.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at the ceiling, wandering what it was. Sirius, though, took off into the hallway and they heard him running up the stairs and then heard his footsteps above them. They heard some mumbled speech and more footsteps. Then all was quiet again. They heard soft footsteps outside the kitchen and a second later Sirius entered again, looking very worried and somehow tired than when he left. The three teenagers gave him a curious look. He looked up at them and gave them a weary smile.

"Just Remus. Fell," he said shortly, and they knew not to push him into telling them more. "Anyways, what were you getting ready to say Hermione?" he asked.

"Er- oh yeah. What is there to do around here?"

"Hmm.." Sirius thought. "Well, off to the East a little ways, there's a river with a wide and deep pool where we used to swim as kids. And then off to the West there's a small pond where you can go fishing. Other than that, there's really not a lot, considering you guys can't really go anywhere far. Oh wait, and there's another clearing, a little ways to the North where you can play a little bit of Quidditch."

Harry's eyes lit up at these last words and he smiled at Ron. Hermione groaned. She just knew that's what they were gonna do now. She had never really fancied Quidditch, and had only gone to the school games to watch Harry play. She had only played once, and she had been terrible at it. She groaned again as she recalled the memories. Ron looked at her and grinned, obviously remembering that game, too.

"You don't have to go, 'Mione," he said. "Remember last time we played? How horrible you were at it?" he teased.

Hermione's jaw clenched and her muscles tightened. Ron had hit that nerve again. He knew how much she hated it when he made fun of her not being good at something. And yet he still did it. The nerve of him.

"Hmph," she said haughtily. "Of course I'm going. And I just didn't try that day. It was my first time playing," she said, matter-of-factly.

Harry grimaced. Oh no, he thought. Not again. They'll be fighting for weeks now. Hermione stood there, glaring at Ron. Ron was staring at his feet.

"Ahem," Harry said, breaking the silence. "Shall we go now? Sirius, do you have a broom Hermione could borrow?"

"Yeah, sure. It's in the shed in the garden. Afraid it's only a Comet 260, though. It's been a while since I've been on a broom," he answered.

"That's alright, Sirius. That'll do just fine," Hermione said, and stalked out back to retrieve it, while Harry and Ron went upstairs to get their brooms.

After the teenagers had left the kitchen, Sirius glanced at the ceiling, wondering what could possibly be wrong with Moony. He said he was fine, that he just.. fell. But something's definately wrong with him, he thought. I'll write Dumbledore again and keep and even closer eye on him. Can't be too careful these days....

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Remus was laying in his bed, tossing and turning. He was asleep, wishing for once he wasn't. He kept seeing her. Well, in a sense it was her. She had the same fair face, same long, dark brown hair. So much hair. It was all over the place. But somehow, she was different. She kept whispering. Whispering his name. *Remus..* she would coo, and run her hands through his graying hair. *Don't be afraid. Come with me, Remus.* Come with you? he asked. Where? Then she was slowly slipping away. He grabbed at her hands. Tried to hold on. But she was slipping away like water through his fingers. Wait! Come back! he tried to yell, but no words came. Light was suddenly flooding his vision. He couldn't see her anymore. He could only hear her voice, fading into the distance, *Don't be afraid..* And then she was gone altogether. Remus awoke with a start and tumbled out of bed. He tried to stand up, but his legs gave out on him, and he tumbled to the floor once again. He heard hurried footsteps, coming closer to his room. Then Sirius burst through the door and rushed over to him, helping him to his feet. Remus sat down on his bed and looked up at Sirius with grateful eyes.

"Are you ok, Moony?" Sirius asked, voice full of concern, and sat down next to him on the bed.

"Hmm.. yeah. I'm fine, Padfoot. I just- fell. That's all. Nothing to worry about," Remus tried to reassure him, but Sirius didn't look convinced. "I promise, Sirius. I'm fine. If something's wrong, I'll tell you. You know that," he tried again.

Sirius still looked unconvinced, but didn't push further. Remus looked tired enough as it was.

"Well, if you say so," he said relunctantly. "Do you need anything?"

"Just a- walk. Yeah, a walk would do me good. I think I'll go for one," and he tried to stand up once more. His legs gave out again and he sat back down on the bed heavily. "That is, after my legs have gained some more strength. I'll sit here for a bit, then go for a walk. I promise I'll be fine, Sirius," he said again, when Sirius gave him a skeptical look.

"Well, alright. I'm going to go finish trying to make dinner. Be careful when you go walking," he said and slowly went to the door, glancing back at Remus on his way out. If only he would let me help.

After Sirius had left, Remus sat on his bed, remembering his dream. It had felt so, real. It was like she had actually been there. A sudden breeze startled Remus out of his thoughts, and he glanced at the window. I don't remember leaving the window open, he thought. Maybe, just maybe... no, it had to have been a dream. You're being ridiculous. He then tried once more to stand and found that this time, his legs supported him. He slowly walked to his dresser and grabbed his wand and cloak. Even though it was summer, he still found it to be a bit chilly outside. He walked downstairs and out the front door, pulling his cloak tightly around him. He then looked both East and West, trying to decide which path to take. As he looked West, he felt a sudden chill. Not the cold kind of chill, but the foreboding type, the scary type. He looked East and decided that would be the direction he would walk. He took off at a slow speed, following a slightly over-grown path. It's been a while since I've walked this way. And he let the memories of his childhood seep back to him.

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"Hey! No fair!" Ron yelled angrily as Harry darted past him and made another point.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione had been playing Quidditch for about an hour and a half now. Ron, being is over-confident self, had paired Harry and Hermione on the same team, and now they were beating him. Harry had scored most of the points, but Hermione had made a few. She was improving, and she was actually starting to like the game. It's probably only because I'm beating Ron, she thought. The field they were playing in was a large, circular clearing outlined with dark oak trees. The field was a bit over-grown, but the weeds weren't too high. There were two make-shift goal posts, one at each end. Harry guessed the Marauders had played Quidditch here when they were younger--and all together.

"Ha!" Hermione yelled in triumph, as she made her way around Ron and scored yet another point. "And you were saying earlier?" she asked, voice full of sarcasm and taunting.

Ron didn't say anything. He just glared at Hermione and flew back down to the ground. The look in his eyes said he was really mad. Ron hated losing. Harry looked from Ron to Hermione and back again. Uh-oh. They're gonna start again. Better stop this before it starts.

"Where you going, Ron? We've only been playing for an hour. Come on, play a little longer?" he pleaded.

Ron looked back up at him and then glanced at Hermione. Then he shrugged his shoulders and mounted his broom again. Harry shot Hermione a *let's go easy on him to avoid a fight* look. She nodded her head. They played in silence for the next half hour. Harry and Hermione went easier on Ron, and he scored a lot more points, which seemed to lighten his mood. Finally, they all flew back to the ground. They started walking back to Lupin Lodge in silence. Hermione was avoiding Ron's eyes and he avoiding her's. Harry was walking in between them again. They were almost back to the Lodge when Ron spoke.

"I'm sorry, 'Mione. 'Bout what I said earlier," he finally apologized, his pride breaking down. He just couldn't stand it when Hermione was really mad at him.

Hermione looked up and smiled.

"I know, Ron. I'm sorry, too. About what I said on the field," she said kindly.

Harry sighed audibly and grinned. And they all walked the rest of the way in much higher spirits.

*******************************************************

Ginny closed her eyes and sighed. She was very very exhausted. She felt-- stretched. Torn. She didn't know what was happening to her. She could feel something. Something bad. It was coming closer and closer. And she couldn't stop it. Nobody could stop it. It frustrated her beyond anything. What was it? She had to know. She would become sick if she didn't find out. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she closed them again and concentrated with all her might. It has something to do with-- Professor Lupin? she percieved. Something was definately wrong with him. She could feel it in her heart. She reached out, and tried to touch his heart with hers. She bent all of her will on it. But when she felt she was close, she was abruptly cut off. There was a wall around his heart. It kept everything out. But why? What's wrong with him? As she thought, she started to become dizzy and naseous. I need air. She walked over to the window and opened it. She inhaled the fresh air deeply and let her senses wander around the grounds. She felt anger towards the North, and then it suddenly turned to relief and joy. Must be Ron and Hermione, she thought with a grin. Then she felt it again. That foreboding chill. It was coming from the West, and getting closer by the second. She felt another feeling, too. It was coming from the East. And she realized it was Professor Lupin. So, there's one feeling he can't hide. It was a feeling of loneliness. Emptyness. He felt alone, even though he had all these friends living with him. Even though he had Sirius. Ginny felt his pain. Felt course throughout her body. She bent her will on it again. Concentrated all of her thought on it. The Marauders. He misses that. And Ginny was overcome with sadness and pity for the teacher she had come to love and respect so much.

**************************************************

As Remus walked down the path, he closed his eyes and let his memory guide him. He thought about the old days and that sense of loneliness came back. The Marauders were all he had in his younger days. They were his brothers. They accepted him for who he was. They didn't shun him like most people. And then, in an instance, they were all gone. All of that was taken away. He thought he had been the last. And now Sirius was back. And Peter. But they weren't brothers anymore. They were incomplete without James. And Peter was a traitor. And Sirius had been gone for twelve long years. There was still a gap between Remus and Sirius. A gap Remus didn't think would ever be filled. The Marauders were no more. There is no last Marauder, he thought. We all disappeared on that night. Suddenly, Remus felt a very cold chill pass over him. He felt sick, and dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach. When it finally died away, Remus looked up and saw two figures standing above him, dark shapes in the light of the sun. He slowly stood up and shielded his eyes. Standing in front of him was Arthur Weasley and Wren.

******************************************************

Ginny was sitting on the window ledge when she heard voices coming from the North. The trio must be back, she thought bitterly, then remembered they had asked her to go with them. She leaned back into the shadows and curled into a ball, trying not to be seen. Harry, Ron, and Hermione suddenly came into view as they exited the forest and came into the clearing. Harry was walking in the middle as usual, but they all seemed happy enough. They were talking and laughing and Ron was making wild gestures with his arms again.

"And then," Ginny heard him say," he went up like this, "and he made another gesture, "and came down like this," gesture, "and caught the snitch. Isn't that amazing? You should try it tomorrow, Harry. You could probably do it."

Harry just smiled sheepishly and hid his face. Ginny smiled despite her sick feeling mood. He's just too modest. Then Harry's face suddenly turned upwards, towards the window. His eyes met Ginny's and he smiled. Ron and Hermione were too busy talking to each other to notice. Ginny's face flushed and she ducked her head. He must have felt someone watching him. She looked back down again, but they were already out of view. She heard and door close downstairs and was about to climb back in the window when she felt the chill again. This time it was coming from the East, the direction Professor Lupin had went. She froze, one hand on the window sill, the other on the window, balancing herself. Hermione walked through the bedroom and door, face flushed from the walk.

"Hey, Ginny," she said cheerfully. "Is something wrong?" she asked, noticing how Ginny's gaze was fixed on one spot, a look of concern on her face.

"Someone's coming," she said shortly.

"Who? What? If you're talking about coming from that way, Sirius said Professor Lupin went walking in that direction," Hermione explained, matter-of-factly.

"No, it's not him. Well, I mean, it is, but it's not just him. There's two more people. I know one of them. I recognize the feeling I'm getting from him," she tried to explain.

Hermione looked at her very curiously.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I can feel them. Don't ask me to explain it. I can just feel things."

"Do you want me to go get Sirius?" Hermione asked, heading for the door.

"Yeah. I'll come, too," Ginny replied.

She climbed back into the room and slowly made her way to the door. Once out the door, she walked very quickly to the kitchen, closely followed by Hermione. A quick glance said Sirius wasn't in there. She turned sharply around and ran into Hermione.

"Sorry, Hermione," she apologized. "He's not in there."

"I think he's in the study, writing to Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said.

They walked to the study, but still no sign of Sirius. Then they heard voices coming from the parlor and a door closing. They started towards the front of the house, but Sirius came out of the parlor and stopped them from entering it.

"Sorry, girls, but you can't come in here. Tell the guys they can't either," he said, and went on when Ginny gave him a hurt and curious look. "Your Dad's in there, but you can't go see him. It goes against the charm's rules. Something about if kids are involved in the charm they can't see anyone who won't be staying here, or something like that? I'm not exactly sure. But, yeah, you can't come in here. Arthur says hi, though."

"Uh- tell him hi and I love him," Ginny said, slightly confused. Hermione just nodded her head.

"I will. Oh, and dinner will be ready in half an hour, so be ready," and he went back into the parlor. Ginny and Hermione gave each other confused looks and headed back up the stairs to tell the boys, Ginny still feeling slightly sick and worried.

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"So, Arthur, what brings you here? And aren't you the girl who was here earlier today?" Sirius asked when he re-entered the parlor. He was eyeing Wren suspiciously.

Remus had just returned from his walk, closely followed by Arthur. Arthur and Wren had Apparated to the edge of the boundaries of the Lupin Lodge Grounds and Remus had run into them there. Arthur looked very uncomfortable. Not half as much as Wren, though.

"Ahem. Well--Wren here doesn't have anywhere to stay this summer. We can't reach any of her family, and Faye's family had refused to take her in. They uh-" and here he glanced at Wren for a brief second before continuing, "they said it was her fault that Faye had been *murdered*. That if she hadn't run away Faye would still be alive."

"Yeah," Sirius answered, apprehension in his voice. If Arthur was hinting what he thought he was hinting--he should contact Dumbledore.

Arthur seemed to be reading his mind, though.

"We've already contacted Dumbledore. He said it would be best if Wren stayed here. He didn't really tell me why. He talked to Wren in private and then told me it would be safer for everyone. Oh come on, Sirius. It's just for the summer. Remus has already agreed to it if you're up to it," Arthur explained.

Sirius glanced at Remus. Remus nodded his head, and Sirius gave in.

"Well, alright. I don't suppose it could hurt. And if Dumbledore said--but I still want to talk to him," he said.

Arthur heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Sirius. Uh- d'you think I could- uh- see the kids? I didn't get to tell them good-bye this morning," he asked.

Sirius looked at him with sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Arthur. It- goes against the Charm's rules," he said kindly.

"That's alright, I understand. Well, tell them I say hi. Remus, Sirius, Wren," he said and nodded at each in good-bye. Then he walked out the door towards the edge of Lupin Grounds.

Remus and Sirius looked at Wren. She was staring at the ceiling. She had been silent the whole time. Sirius coughed loudly to get her attention.

"I'll show you to your room?" he offered. She nodded and followed him up the main staircase, dragging her luggage behind her.

Remus watched Sirius lead her to the spare room. Then he walked through the house to the garden thinking, this has been a very eventful day.