The Last Marauder

Hogwarts

Harry really didn't remember anything about last night's incidents when he woke up the next morning. Sirius told him what had happened but Harry just stared at him in disbelief. He had reacted rather untouched when Sirius revealed Dumbledore's guess about the cause of his pain.

"Harry, you do understand what I just told you, don't you?"

Harry nodded. "I understand only too well Sirius. But what do you expect me to do? Break down, cry my heart out, blame the gods for burdening me with this? What would be the use of it, it would not change a single thing. I have to accept it. Can you help me with my trunk? It's rather heavy."

Sirius shook his head. There was still a lot about his godson that he didn't understand.

They heaved Harry's trunk down the stairs, Harry took Hedwig's cage and Sirius apparated him to Kings Cross Station. They passed the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ and Harry let out a deep sigh. As much as he wished to go back to Hogwarts, he knew that Sirius actually needed somebody around him to prevent him from falling into his depressions again. He felt Sirius' hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, it'll all turn out all right. Just remember to tell Dumbledore immediately when your scar hurts again or when something else unusual happens."

Harry nodded.

"And you take care of yourself Sirius, promise me."

"I will, don't worry about me. You take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay."

Sirius pulled Harry into an embrace to say good bye.

"I love you Harry. Whatever happens, I love you."

"Love you too Sirius."

They let go and Harry boarded the train. He soon found the compartment in which Hermione, Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus had already made themselves a home. He entered and his friends greeted him. Soon the train started his journey and Harry waved good bye out of the window until the platform was out of sight. He knew that he was behaving childish but all the years before there had been no family of his to bid him good bye and his bond with Sirius had become very tight over the summer. Despite or maybe rather because of all the pain they had been through together.

He sat down again and tried to get rid of his thoughts in a conversation with his friends.

Soon they forgot time as they sat in the middle of a huge pile of chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott's every flavour beans, cauldron cakes and iced pumpkin juice. They talked about Quidditch and their holidays, about anything but Lupin's death and the recent Death Eater Attacks. Harry was glad about it. He had decided not to tell his friends about his breakdown the day before. Ron would only tell him to go to Dumbledore, which Sirius had already done, and Hermione would lock herself in the library in an attempt to find out the reason for his fit. They would only be concerned about him and treat him as if he was about to break and Harry simply wanted to let his life become normal again. And if the train ride was foreshadowing, it would be possible to live normally again.

But whoever was in charge of fate at that moment didn't allow this situation to last forever. Close to the end of their train ride, they had already changed into their school robes, the compartment door slid open and Draco Malfoy entered, as usual accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Now look what we got here." His drawling voice made Harry angry as he remembered their encounter at Diagon Alley. "What exactly are you celebrating in here? The fact that all of you survived so far? I wouldn't count on that. The Boy Who Lived, a mudblood, the son of a muggle-loving fool, a squib and two nobodies. I wouldn't bet on all of you surviving this year."

Ron got up. "Sod off Malfoy!"

"How very inventive Weasel. But I don't remember asking for your opinion."

"Neither do I remember inviting you into our compartment. Move!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll make you!"

"Now that should be interesting. If I were you, lucky old me that it's not like that, I would be careful. I would not cross the wrong people, not at times like these."

Harry felt the urge to interrupt before Malfoy would say something he'd soon regret. He didn't want to spend his time fighting with that insufferable prat if it could be avoided.

"How is your eye doing Malfoy? Was Daddy very angry that you ruined your robes while crawling in the mud? And if I remember right you were bleeding rather nastily the last time I saw you. I hope I didn't give you a scar. Now leave if you don't want to repeat our last encounter. Don't you have a life of your own that you need to sneak around us all the time?"

Malfoy's ears had turned slightly red.

"That is a score that will be settled soon Potter, believe me. But you're right, I don't know why I waste my time with scum like you."

He turned around and left, gesturing his dumb bodyguards to follow him.

"Crawling in the mud? Is there something you didn't tell me?" Ron asked while taking his seat again.

"I met Malfoy at Diagon Alley the day I did my shopping. He said things he shouldn't have said and before the two idiots realized I had given him a black eye. It was worth Goyle beating me up afterwards. And McGonagall came and saw it, you should have seen their faces. It was great. Of course, Sirius was frantic that I had been brawling."

"How is Sirius doing?"

Hermione hit Ron on the leg immediately after he had said those words and he covered his mouth with his hands in a helpless gesture.

"No Hermione, it's okay. He's not doing as bad anymore as he was shortly after Lupin died. But still, I don't like the idea that he is alone nearly the entire week. He has a tendency to fall into depression if he's not distracted. He doesn't take care that much of himself these days."

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"If there's anything we can do, just let us know okay?"

"Yeah I will. Thank you."

The train slowed down and they went off at Hogsmeade station. As usual, first thing they saw on the platform was the huge form of Hagrid the gamekeeper.

"First years over here! First years over here! Oh 'Arry! Good to have you back here!" Hagrid beamed at Harry and his friends but suddenly a look of serious concern crossed his face. "Ye know Harry, if ye wanna talk or sumthin, ye know where ta find me. Okay?"

"Okay Hagrid. Maybe you should take your first years to the castle now before the Giant Squib gets hold of them."

Hagrid took that reminder of his duties serious and headed towards the boats, but not without making Harry, Ron and Hermione promise to visit him during their first week at school.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville got into one of the horseless carriages that brought the older students towards the castle. Harry sighed loudly.

"That's exactly what I didn't want to happen."

Ron looked at his friend.

"What do you mean mate?"

"That people start treating me as if I was made of glass. I can't stand that."

"Harry, you know that Hagrid likes you a lot. He doesn't want to see you hurt."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I think it's a little late for that. But now, let's talk about something else if you don't mind. There's a big feast coming up and it's our first day back at Hogwarts. We should be enjoying ourselves."

The tension in the carriage lifted a little but still Ron and Hermione were eying Harry from time to time with deeply concerned looks.

The four friends went into the Great Hall and took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table. Soon the Great Hall was filled with students and the Sorting Hat was placed on the three legged stool in front of the teacher's table.

Much to the surprise of the students, this year it did not break out into a cheering song but remained quiet while the first years were led into the hall. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"When I call your name you will seat on the stool and place the hat over your head. It will decide into which house you will be sorted. After it has reached his decision, you will sit down on your house table so."

The group of first years looked intimidated at her as she unrolled a piece of parchment and started reading out the names.

The sorting took quite long and towards its end Ron was shifting uneasily in his chair. Harry bent towards him.

"What's up?"

"I'm starving. I want to eat. Don't you think that this year the sorting lasts extremely long? That stupid hat is thinking over and over again before it declares something but I want to eat now."

Harry suppressed his laughter. That was Ron, always thinking with his stomach.

Finally, the last first year was sorted into his house and Dumbledore rose. Harry realized that for the first time, his headmaster appeared to be as old as he really was. He had dark rings under his eyes and there was no sparkling in his eyes as he made his welcome speech. That sight did not leave Harry untouched.

"Welcome students to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have a few announcements to make before I will leave you with your dinner."

Ron sighed loudly at his side but Harry was so focussed on Dumbledore that he didn't even hear it.

"Like every year, I have to remind you that the Forbidden Forest was not named like that without reason. Students are strictly forbidden to enter.

And now it is time to welcome a new member in our teacher's body. Miss Arabella Figg was so kind to take the vacant position of the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Please give her a warm welcome here."

Hesitantly the Great Hall broke into applause and many pitiful gazes turned towards Harry. After all, Lupin had been a very popular teacher and most of the students knew that he had been a close friend of Harry's godfather. Harry shook his head and tried not to notice. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Recently, our world has been going through very dark times and still is. I hope that the protection provided to you on the castle grounds will enable you to continue with your lives as normal as possible. But I ask you not to neglect the fact that outside the castle grounds there are dark forces at work. They deny every virtue that we try to teach our students here. Recently we have had to learn the lesson that what we long considered guaranteed, freedom of thought, equality, choice of friends and other items like that are gifts that have to be protected and defended.

A lot of people suffer from great losses since the Dark Lord has gained power again and we here at Hogwarts are not excluded. Some of you might have lost people they knew during the recent attacks and now I want you all to take a moment to remember a person we all have known and liked very much.

I ask you to remember your former Professor Remus J. Lupin who was cowardly murdered because his attitudes and virtues stood in the way of those against whom he fought.

I want you to remember him for what he was: a man who never gave up despite the setbacks fate provided for him in his life. A passionate man who fought for what he considered to be right. Having lost him leaves a huge gap amongst us."

Dumbledore bowed his head and the teachers and most of the students followed his example. For some long silent moments they paid respect to Remus Lupin.

However, low giggles could be heard from the Slytherin table and when Harry looked up he saw that Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson were fighting hard not to laugh. Next to them, Malfoy whispered his own speech in honour of Lupin and though Harry was no expert in lip-reading he caught the words 'lunatic', 'monster' and 'filthy scum'.

Harry suddenly felt the urge to run over to Malfoy and beat him senseless but he resisted. He would not give Malfoy the satisfaction to take notice of what he did.

Dumbledore sat down again and the food appeared on the tables before Harry could change his mind about beating Malfoy up immediately.

The Great Hall was unusually quiet after Dumbledore's speech. Lupin's death reminded a lot of people that the death of somebody whom you cared about was not as far-fetched as it seemed during times of peace.

After the feast, Dumbledore rose once again and bid them good night before they were lead to their houses by the Prefects. Of course, Hermione was a Gryffindor Prefect and after Harry had resigned from his Prefect duties only weeks ago, Seamus Finnigan had become the other Gryffindor Prefect much to everybody's surprise.

Harry and Ron bid Hermione good night in the Common Room and climbed the staircase towards their dorm. Harry undressed and put on his pyjamas but no matter how hard he tried, he could not fall asleep. Dumbledore's speech had brought up painful memories.

Harry realized that so far he had not really mourned for the friend he had lost. Of course, Sirius' state had been more important than his own grief but Harry realized that he could actually feel the gap Dumbledore had spoken about. Harry had known Remus for three years now and though he knew that his friendship with that man could have never competed with the strong bond between Remus and his godfather, he had considered Remus a friend. And now he was dead.

Harry sighed heavily and just before he finally fell asleep one single tear dropped out of his eye and ran down his face.

He had actually prayed for his nightmares to stop now that he had experienced what they could do to him but judged after the confusion in his mind he knew that the next nightmare would not be far away.