Mirrorverse

~~Mirrorverse~~

~~Chapter Twelve: Righting The Wrongs~~

'Come on, Harry, it'll only take a few moments, promise,' James pleaded.

Harry looked at James skeptically, his green eyes flashing with suspicion. 'All right, James, what's this all about? Why have you brought me to this place?' he asked.

'Nostalgia?' James said with a slight grin.

Harry scoffed at him. 'I don't recall any fond memories of the library, James, in fact I have few memories of this place at all, and not one of them is good. Now tell me what this is all about or I won't go another step,' he said crossing his arms over his chest.

James stopped and looked at his brother, taking in every detail of the man he once knew. Gone was the shyness, hesitancy and innocence that Harry once held, replaced by a darkness that crackled round him like flames. Once warm green eyes now were cold, calculating, and harsh. Where Harry was once a bit on the pale skinny side, he'd grown into a muscular, well kept, healthy looking man. His glasses had long ago been abandoned by using an eye correcting potion, and where once smiles would have creased his lips, only scowls and frowns took it's place. He mentally sighed at how many changes had taken place in the world over all in the last fifteen years, and how hard and cruel life had become for almost everyone under his brother's dictatorship rules.

Which was why James had been secretly helping the Resistance for years now, nearly from the beginning really. He had been devastated when Riddle was killed by Harry, but had to admit that Draco had effectively taken the man's place, and had helped out quite a few refugees by now. Draco had been very successful in getting those sought after mages out of what was left of the Wizarding World, sending them to the Muggle world whenever possible. James himself had seen to things on his end by placing some key Resistance people inside the castle to keep him posted of what went on. So far things had been working nicely, but Draco's latest plans had him worried.

James didn't know why the book he'd given Draco yesterday was so important, but obviously Draco did. Whatever the case he'd promised the other man that he'd bring Harry to the library at Hogwarts tonight, and he had every intentions of doing just that. He was skeptical that Draco's plan would work, but he had to give the man the benefit of the doubt, for everyone's sake. James wanted the darkness ended just as much as Draco did, and any good idea at this point would be acceptable, he just prayed to Merlin that this new idea would work as Draco said. If Draco was right, even though he was being vague on things, come tonight the darkness would end.

'James, I'm warning you now, this better not be a trick,' Harry said cutting into James's thoughts.

James sucked in a quick breath of air and let it out slowly, then turned to look at his brother, a smile now on his face. 'Ye have little faith, dear brother.'

'In you?' Harry snorted. 'None. Now what is the reason behind this little 'trip to the past'?' he said coldly.

James feigned a scowl. 'Now if I told you, Harry, it would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it.'

'I hate surprises,' Harry spat out.

'Please, Harry, just indulge me...this one time?' James pleaded.

Harry shook his head and sighed, throwing a dark gaze at James. 'Fine. But if I find this was a trick, you're going to regret it, brother or not.'

James silently groaned and prayed yet again that Draco's plan would work, but on the outside he just nodded his head, flashed his brother another quick grin, and continued down the hallway to the double doors of the library. Stopping outside he hoped that everyone was in position; he'd smuggled Draco and a few others inside the castle earlier today, using heavy shielding spells at that since Harry's magic could trace nearly everything that went on at the castle fortress.

'Well?' Harry said impatiently. 'Are we going to stand here all night or what, James? I have people to question yet tonight, so I don't have time for loitering,' he said, a strange dark glint in his eyes as he apparently was already thinking of what he was going to do to the victims of today's 'questioning' session.

James nodded then pretended to fumble with the large brass handle, knocking it loudly against the door itself to alert those inside. 'Err...sorry, door's a bit stuck,' he said sheepishly, then a moment later finally opened the door and stepped inside. 'Whew, been a while eh?'

'Yes, quite,' Harry said dryly and stepped inside the library to glance round. 'Smells awful in here,' he then said wrinkling his nose.

'Dust and mold from years of being shut up and unused no doubt,' James said stepping inside to peer round. He thought he saw a slight movement off to his left but didn't let on, only kept walking ahead, grateful that Harry was following him. 'Seems like yesterday this place was your secret meeting grounds eh, brother?'

'Why the sudden interest in the past, James? If I were you, I'd let the past stay buried. Doesn't do anyone any good to bring it up now,' Harry muttered bitterly and stepped into the centre of the room.

As he did that James turned round, spotted something behind Harry and then said in a heavy tone of voice, 'Because sometimes...sometimes the past is all we have, brother. And now it's time to take that past back.'

Harry didn't even get a chance to respond to that as someone suddenly shouted out, 'Petrificus Totalus!' from behind him, and down on the ground he went. 'Bind him, James!' the person's voice said quickly.

James nodded and taking out his wand he quickly muttered a binding spell and watched as thin snake-like cords wrapped themselves round his brother's body. When that was done he added on a spell that would take his brother's voice away temporarily, just in case Harry got free somehow. Whilst Harry wasn't tied up silencing him would have been impossible to do, Harry had major shields round him as protection. Then there was also the fact that to cast that spell you needed a wand, and Harry had made sure that only a few select people had one by passing a law that anyone but his officials that were found with a wand were executed on sight. James however was allowed a wand of course, and right now he was grateful for that since even after all these years he still didn't know all the things his brother was capable of, considering Harry rarely used a wand these days himself.

Nodding now at the person who'd spoken, he kneeled down next to his brother and said, 'I'm sorry, Harry, that it has to be this way. It's time for this to end though, and it ends now.'

'Cheers, James, I'll take it from here,' Draco said as he stepped from the shadows, Remus and Severus behind him. As James got up Draco took his place, kneeling down next to Harry, a sad look upon his gaunt face. 'Oh, Harry,' he whispered, 'I've waited years and years for this day.'

Harry could only stare at Draco through his binds, a look of surprise and something else, perhaps even a bit of recognition, flowing through his emerald green eyes. Draco however wasn't going to tempt fate by releasing the Petrificus yet to let Harry speak, and to be honest he didn't want to hear Harry's voice, not yet, not here or now. He had a good feeling if he did he wouldn't be able to do what he had to do, and time right now was of the essence.

'Severus, draw the circle now,' Draco said.

'Yes,' Severus said in a raspy voice, and not even looking at Harry took a piece of broken white chalk from his pocket and began to trace a large circle round the five of them. When it was done he stepped inside the circle, tossing the piece of chalk to the floor.

'Draco?' James said nervously, unsure of what to do next.

'Step outside the circle, James, or you might get caught in the spell,' Draco said.

James nodded and stepped outside the circle, a worried expression clearly in his eyes. 'Are you sure this'll work?'

Draco shrugged. 'In theory it should work, there's no way to really know for sure though. We weren't there all those years ago when the real Harry did this, but from my calculations...it should work.'

'What about your wife, Draco? Your children? Does Lily know she may never see you again?' James asked curiously.

Draco sighed and nodded slowly. 'She knows, James, and she understands. Listen...I know I'm asking a lot here but...if anything should happen and this fails...'

'Don't worry, I'll make sure they're safe, Draco. Just don't fail, all right?' James said quietly.

Draco chuckled weakly and nodded, then stood up and went over giving James a tight hug. 'Cheers for being there for us all these years, and for everything you've risked,' he said with a hitch in his voice.

'Hey, keep it together eh?' James said, a hitch in his own voice, 'Go on, Drake, do it.'

Draco smiled for a moment and then with a nod at James turned back round to face Severus and Remus. 'We're going home, do you remember home?' he asked them quietly.

'H-home?' Remus said, a strange light glittering in his brown eyes.

'Home...' Severus said, a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. 'Potions?' he asked curiously.

Draco grinned and nodded. 'All the potions you could ever want to make, Severus. Home, where you were once a master at making them, where you can be free again, all of us.'

'Free, really...free?' Remus asked, an urgency in his voice as he looked helplessly at Severus.

Severus went over and put his arms round Remus's thin body, holding him closely. 'I don't remember ever being 'free', but...I think...I remember that once...we were able to love each other...and not be...afraid...' he said softly.

'Love...I'd almost forgotten what that was,' Remus replied softly, tears in his eyes now. 'Will...will you still want me when we go to this new home, Severus?' he asked in a small voice.

'Always, I will always want you, Remus...my Remus,' Severus whispered as he hugged his lover tightly. Looking at Draco he said, 'You promise us in this new home we'll be free?'

Draco sighed a moment, knowing that neither of them really did understand the concept of 'home' anymore. Last night when Draco had talked to them about what the plans were for tonight they only seemed to understand that it was a 'new' home they were going to, that it wasn't really where they had originally come from. He only wondered now what was going to happen when they did get home, what would change...and what would remain the same. More to the fact, if they would remain the same, as broken and hesitant and shy as they were now. Turning to look down at Harry it was now with a hardness in his eyes, he couldn't help for a moment to feel angry at what this man had done to him, to all of them even, over the last fifteen years.

Kneeling down Draco looked at Harry, noticing how time had changed the boy he'd loved into the man he'd come to nearly hate. Whilst he had to scrimp and save, steal and beg for food, Harry was denied nothing. Whilst Draco's robes were threadbare, Harry's were resplendent; green and black silk that screamed how dear they must have cost, and were made just for him and him alone. Whilst he and his wife had to use cheap stolen candles to sew and cook by, Harry had servants and house-elves to cook, clean and cater to his every whim. For a moment Draco's rage almost took over and he wanted to hurt Harry as he'd been hurting all these years, but the rational part of Draco knew that it really hadn't been Harry's fault, at least not 'his' Harry's fault.

Taking a wrapped package from his frayed robe he gently tipped it until a book fell out on top of Harry's chest, making sure not to touch the book himself. Looking up at Remus and Severus he beckoned them to step in on each side of him, and he gently took each of their hands in his. He noticed that they shivered at his touch, and once again his rage threatened to boil to the surface, knowing that it was Harry that made them this way, but now wasn't the time for anger, he knew that. Making sure his grip was tight on their hands he looked back down at Harry, noticing not anger, but something else in the other man's eyes.

'You remember this book, don't you, Harry,' he said in a thick voice. 'Y Llyfrau Y Gan Melltigedig', The Book of the Cursed. It's what brought us all here fifteen years ago, and what I've been searching for since. You tried to find it, I know that, but you didn't thankfully. I know if you had you would have destroyed it like you did all other books, and with it all my hopes and dreams. You didn't find it though...I did, and now I'm going it to use it to get us home.'

'Do you remember home, Harry? Our home, where we were born? Do you remember that we once loved each other more than life itself? Do you remember the Summer before we came here, the cruise we took? Do you remember the way you would hold me, touch me, make me feel alive and needed?' Draco said with a despondency. 'I do. I remember everything, Harry. I remember how I loved you, how I needed you. How your lips felt on mine, and how good it felt to be making love to you. I've tried to hate you all these years for what you've done, not to just me and my family, but all of us. I couldn't really hate you though, how could I? All I ever wanted was to have your arms back round me, holding me, to be back in your bed wishing that we were back on that ship, and that none of this had ever happened.'

'I don't know what will really happen once we all touch this book, but it can't be worse than what's been all these years. I want you back, my love, more than ever,' Draco semi-whispered now, and nearly laughed when he finally saw a look of understanding in Harry's eyes, in fact even a look of pure sadness. 'It's time then...let's go home...'

With saying that he took Remus and Severus's hands and touched them to the book, and as he did that a huge flash of pure white light surrounded all four of them. A wind kicked up from nowhere and began to howl, and the sounds of voices echoed round the library. 'Take us home!' Draco then cried out, and in a moment's time the light grew so bright that James had to close his eyes against it.

The next time James Potter looked up the room was empty, and not even a fleck of dust was even stirring. Only the chalk circle remained to show that anything had taken place at all. James was surprised but didn't want to analyze it at the moment and began to head for the door, a sound however alerted him that something wasn't right, and turning back yet another bright flash of light filled the room. Before he could do anything however something hit him in the head throwing him backwards against the wall and he blacked out.

****

'Think he's dead or something?'

'Him? Nah, he's too annoying to be dead. Oi, Jamie? James Michael Potter, get your arse up, we're going to be late!'

James groaned as he felt someone poking him, and tried to brush away whatever it was that was now annoyingly sharp. 'Hey, quit that, Harry!' he said with a scowl.

'Harry?' a voice said curiously. 'Hell man, will you wake up already, you're dreaming again. Don't let her here you say things like that though, she'll have a row if she thinks you're dreaming about some bloke instead of her!' the voice chuckled.

James shook his head and opened his eyes, nearly doubling over as he saw who was speaking to him. Looking up at the person he realised he was on the floor, and taking a quick glance round he also realised he was still in the library, but not as he'd last seen it. 'What's going on? S-Sirius...is that...you?' he asked now puzzled.

The boy who James had been speaking to rolled his eyes and stood back up. 'Ah, he's all right. Come on, Jamie get up, we'll be late for Potion class, and you know Jigger will take points for that. He hates Gryffindors as it is, and us four in particular,' Sirius said feigning a groan.

'G-Gryffindors? Jigger? Potions?' James repeated dumbly as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

'Do you need see Madam Pomfrey, James? It looks like you hit your head,' another boy said hesitantly.

James turned at that voice, astonished by what he was seeing. 'P-Peter?' he stammered, shocked by the small boy he was seeing.

'Yeah?' the boy, apparently Peter, asked curiously.

'Maybe he does need to see her, he looks dazed to me,' another boy with brown hair said as he peered at James curiously.

James blinked and rubbed his eyes, groaning again as he tried to stand up only to get halfway up and fall back down on his bum. Looking back up at the brown haired boy he said weakly, 'Maybe I should umm...see her...err...Remus?'

Remus shook his head and helped James get up, keeping one arm round the other boy's waist to balance him. 'Look, I'll get him to Hospital Wing, you two head on down to class. If Jigger asks where we are, and no doubt he will, just say James had a fall and I took him to Madam Pomfrey all right?'

'Sure, Moony, no problem,' Sirius said with a nod. 'Come on, Pete, let's go. Last time he took off ten points for being late, and we're already down fifty for yesterday's prank.'

'Well I told you not to put that dung bomb in Severus's cauldron, Sirius,' Remus snapped.

'Greasy git deserved it, Moony. He was looking at you funny again,' Sirius muttered.

'I can handle Severus Snape, Sirius. Just leave him be all right? Haven't you done enough to him?' Remus muttered.

Sirius stared at Remus a moment, then shook his head. 'You know if I didn't know better I'd say you two were having an affair or something, the way you're defending him lately.'

'Err...perhaps you should just leave it be, Sirius,' Peter said hesitantly, and looked at Remus worriedly.

Ignoring Peter, Sirius just kept looking at Remus. 'Are you?' he asked.

'Am I what, Sirius?' Remus asked impatiently.

'Having something on with Snape?' Sirius demanded.

Remus sighed and just shook his head. 'If I was, do you think I'd really tell you, Sirius?' he replied, then began to lead James towards the doorway, only to be stopped halfway there.

'Tell me the truth, Remus. Are you having something on with Snape?' Sirius demanded angrily.

'Look, this isn't the time for this- ' Remus began only to be cut off.

'This is damn well the time, Moony!' Sirius argued. 'You're not leaving here until you tell me the truth. What is it between you two? Out with it, yes or no?'

Remus didn't even get a chance to respond when a voice out of nowhere replied for him. 'That depends.' Three of the four boys nearly doubled over in shock as a figure came out of the shadows and walked over to them, a person they knew all too well.

'Severus?' Remus asked hesitantly, questioningly even.

'What's going on? What are you doing here, Snape? Following us round again?' Sirius said angrily and stepping forwards as if to shield Remus from the Slytherin boy.

'Be quiet, Sirius,' Remus snapped and pushed Sirius out of the way. Looking at Severus now he seemed unsure of himself, nervous even. 'Severus?'

'I believe Black asked you a question, Lupin. Do you intend to answer him...or should I?' Severus said keeping his gaze centred on Remus.

'What...what do you want me to answer?' Remus asked quietly.

'I want you to answer him truthfully,' Severus said. 'Are we or aren't we having an 'affair' as Black so nicely puts it. Or...is it something else that is going on between us?'

Remus didn't even notice that James had suddenly left his grasp and was standing on his own, looking at all of them with a strange expression. Nor did he notice that Sirius was looking at both him and Severus with a scowl that had even made Peter cringe. He seemed completely oblivious to everything but the black eyed stare from the boy that was standing half a metre from him. 'I don't know what to answer him with, Severus,' Remus said hesitantly.

Severus stepped in until he was directly in front of Remus. 'Lies or truths, Remus, which is your option now?' he said softly.

'What the hell is going on here already? What are you two talking about?' Sirius asked angrily, his gaze shifting from Remus to Severus. 'Remus?'

Remus broke his gaze from Severus and looked at his friend of near seven years and he sighed. 'Sirius, you know that I love you like a brother. You and James and Peter were my first friends here, the first people not to shun me or try to make me feel worthless once you found out what I am, but you can't give me what I need now.'

'I don't understand, what is it we can't give you, Remus? What do you want us to do? You know we'd do anything for you. What is it that he could give you that we can't?' Sirius asked puzzled by all this.

Remus lowered his gaze a moment, then looked back up at Severus, a strange gleam in his eyes. 'Love,' he said in a half whispered voice.

'Love? Are you saying...you're not telling me that you love this greasy git? This...this Slytherin who's our enemy incase you'd forgotten?' Sirius demanded.

Remus didn't break his gaze, and suddenly he smiled. 'No, never my enemy, Sirius, and I reckon that is what I'm saying to you. I think. Am I...Severus?'

Severus looked at Remus and then he did something that surprised the other three boys, he smiled back at Remus and nodded. 'I dare say that in that instance, you are completely right, Remus,' Severus replied.

'I think I'm going to be ill,' Sirius muttered.

'I think it's wonderful,' Peter said with a happy sigh. 'I wondered if you two would ever tell anyone.'

Remus blinked then looked at Peter in shock. 'You mean...you knew?'

'I've known since err...a while now, yup,' Peter said with a nod, then grinned. 'I caught you sneaking out of the dorm a few times, Remus, so I decided to ahh...well follow you one night,' he said sheepishly.

'How?' Severus asked in astonishment. 'How did we not see you that is?'

'Oh, I have my ways,' Peter said with a grin and winked at Remus.

Remus couldn't help it and laughed. 'Pete, you're unbelievable, you know that?' he said. 'I figured James wouldn't notice being as caught up with Lily as he is- '

'Lily? Lily Evans?' James said cutting in now, still trying to make sense of what he was hearing and seeing.

'Oh honestly, James, everyone knows when to leave you two alone,' Remus said chuckling. 'Ever since you two got engaged we're lucky you still even have time to talk to us as much as she keeps you on a leash.'

'Err...right...I ah...I knew that,' James said, feeling a bit sickened by the thought that suddenly he not only wasn't where he should have been, but had a 'fiancee', who was a women to boot.

'Oi, I think we really need to get you to Madam Pomfrey, James, you're looking quite pale now,' Peter said sympathetically.

'I don't like this, not in the least, Remus,' Sirius said angrily, and glared at the Slytherin boy, completely ignoring James' plight.

Remus turned to look at Sirius, a determined look on his face. 'You know what, Sirius? I really don't care if you do or don't. I've been trying to keep this from you of all people because I know how much you hate Severus, but I'm growing really tired of it. I'm tired of sneaking out of the dorm because of you, tired of pushing Severus aside because you might find out. Well now you know, so now I have no intentions of hiding it any more,' Remus said angrily, then turned to face Severus. 'If that's all right with you?'

Severus came over and put his arms round Remus and said, 'That's all I ever wanted, Remus. No more hiding, no more lying, no more pretenses.'

'You're both daft, you know that? What will people think? They're going to hate you for this,' Sirius argued.

'I don't give a flying fig what people think about it, Sirius,' Remus replied. 'Severus and I have had an understanding every since we were children, since the day I was bitten, and since day he needed something from me, something I was more than willing to do for him in return. I love him, and I don't care who knows it, and from now on everything will be just as it was meant to be. Don't you think so, James?'

James looked at Remus, the boy who up till this moment he really had known nothing about, other than he was a werewolf. He wasn't sure yet what was going on, but oddly strange memories began to filter through to him, and he had a very good feeling that something incredible had happened when Draco had touched that book.

James hadn't been thrown into a new 'world', but rather he had been taken back to a point in time in which history had altered itself, in his own world. A time in which there was no 'Harrison Seth Potter' or 'Draco Malfoy', or at least wasn't yet, or maybe never would be. He didn't know how it had happened, but he had a slight suspicion that somehow the book changed his world to somehow match the world Harry and Draco had come from. Making his world similar if not perhaps the same as the world they had come from. Whatever the case was James didn't care really, all he knew was that this world didn't have the darkness, and anything else he would gladly accept in it's place.

Fifteen years of being friendless, of kow-towing to his brother had somehow been erased. No, not even erased, but maybe never had been or would be at all. He'd been brought to a time in which he was young again, when he had friends, even a fiancee apparently (though that thought still make him a bit ill, he had a sudden feeling he would grow to accept it well). Looking at the people in the room, noticing that even they were so very different than what they had been, he could only wonder if perhaps this was really a dream. He would miss Lucius he was sure, but he had a good feeling that there was also going to be plenty of things now to keep his mind occupied, and odd ghosted memories of these 'things' made him feel like he'd suddenly come home after all.

'James? You in there?' Peter asked and poked James in the ribs.

James didn't even complain about getting jabbed in the ribs, instead he asked, 'You know what, Remus?'

'What, James?' Remus asked curiously, his arms now firmly round Severus's waist.

'I reckon you're 100% right. Everything from now on is going to be just perfect.'

'James, you're not seriously approving of this...relationship...of theirs, are you?' Sirius asked in astonishment.

James looked at Sirius and couldn't help but to grin at the other boy. Walking up to him he put his arm round Sirius's shoulder and said, 'I think it's time to find you someone to love as well, Sirius Black.'

'Oh great, now I know you've gone daft, James Potter,' Sirius said glancing round nervously. Only two people in the room however noticed a flickered gaze suddenly falling on Peter for a moment before Sirius looked away quickly. 'Me...in love...with someone...utter rubbish...' he muttered.

'Yeah, James, I think you're right. Time we set him up with a nice girl, don't you think?' Remus said with a grin himself.

Peter however said nothing, only stared at Sirius a moment, then looked away, edging towards the door. 'We're going to be late you realize,' he said suddenly, as if anxious to get out of this conversation quickly.

'So what, I'll take the points,' Remus said with a shrug. 'What do you think, Severus? Perhaps a Slytherin girl for him?' he joked.

Severus chuckled. 'Why not? I believe that Fiona Parkinson is available- '

'Hell no!' Sirius said backing away in horror. 'All right, I give! I won't say another word about your relationship, Remus. Just...er...don't ahh...I think we should go now, come on, Pete, let's hurry,' he said and not even bothering to look over his shoulder headed out of the classroom, Peter trailing after him.

Remus laughed and shook his head. 'He hasn't a clue we've known that he's been bedding Peter for months now. Poor, Sirius, besotted and too afraid to do anything about it.'

Severus chuckled. 'He'll figure things out soon enough that you can't run forever. Love is a very finicky thing eh?' he said.

'Sure is,' Remus said with a contented sigh and leaned into his lover's arms. 'I'm just glad it chose you when it's arrows struck.'

James rolled his eyes and headed himself over to the door of the library. 'On that note I take my leave, gentleman. Sappiness isn't my cuppa, thanks,' he grinned. With saying that he headed out, thoughts of a particular red head now firmly planted in his mind.

Remus watched his friend go, a strange expression on his face. Turning back to Severus he said, 'Something's different with him, did you notice?'

Severus nuzzled his lovers neck, distracted by that for a moment. 'Hmm?'

'Sev, didn't you notice that when he woke up, something wasn't right with him? I don't mean just hitting his head either,' Remus said with a slight frown.

'His blood smells the same, Gryffindorish as usual. Your's is just lovely however,' Severus said huskily, and then sighed happily as he gently sank a pair gleaming fangs into Remus's neck.

'Severus!' Remus said in exasperation, though he didn't move away from his lover's embrace until Severus had taken his fill. With a contented sigh as Severus finished up and was gently licking away the last drops of blood he said quietly, 'Didn't you notice anything about him though?'

Severus sighed and looked back up at Remus for a moment pensively. 'Yes, there was something a bit different in his aura. What it was though I couldn't exactly tell, but it wasn't his usual colour. What was it that made him black out anyway, I didn't see it. I only arrived when he woke up.'

'It was a book, a rather thick one at that,' Remus said, and stepping away from Severus's embrace reached down and picked up the book in question.

'Where'd it come from?' Severus asked.

Remus shrugged. 'No clue. I was over there- ' he said pointing at a spot a metre away, 'when James gave out a yelp. The next thing I saw...well...don't laugh at this but...if you ask me the book came out of nowhere.'

'Remus, books don't just appear from thin air like that,' Severus said skeptically.

'I know that, Severus,' Remus said crankily, 'but I swear it to you, that's what happened. I saw what looked like a flash of light, then this flew out from nowhere and smacked James in the head. Next thing I know he was out cold, and you saw the rest.'

'Well if you say that's what happened, then I believe you, Remus. Put it back on a shelf somewhere's and leave it be, we really should get to class,' Severus said, then walked over to the door of the library.

Remus didn't even bother to look at the title of the book and slipped it onto a shelf, promptly putting it out of his mind as he walked to the door to join his lover. 'You do know that once we step out this door, life's going to get a bit more difficult for us I reckon,' he sighed.

Severus looked at Remus then reached up and took his lover's face in his hand. 'Life is difficult on it's own merits, Remus, but together I think we'll overcome anything thrown our way. I love you, that's all I care about. Since the day you became my blood servant and promised yourself to me I have loved you,' he said softly.

Remus sighed happily and smiled at Severus. 'I love you too, Severus. I don't ever want to lose you. I worry all the time that Malfoy and his goons will try to take you from me.'

'Never,' Severus said firmly. 'I promise you here and now that I will never go to them, not now, not ever. When we leave Hogwarts in June...we're going away.'

'Away? Where?' Remus asked puzzled.

'As far from here as possible. I was thinking about...America,' Severus said hesitantly.

'America?' Remus asked in astonishment. 'Why? What's there?'

'It's not so much what is there, but what isn't there, Remus. No Malfoy, no Voldemort, no chance to be corrupted. We'll find a nice small town where there are few wizards, if any, to worry about spotting us. Well find some work, and we'll be happy, I hope we will be anyway,' Severus said.

Remus smiled and nodded, then threw his arms round Severus's neck pulling him down for a kiss. When they parted Remus whispered, 'I don't care where we go, Severus Snape, as long as we're together. Let them say whatever they want, come June you're mine and I'm never going to let you go.'

Severus grinned and brushed Remus's lips with his own, then hugged him tightly. 'Somehow I have the feeling this is the start of a perfect life for all of us, Remus Lupin,' he said quietly, then taking Remus by the hand the two of them left the library, closing the door firmly behind them.

In a shelf in the library a book suddenly began to glow. Rising off the shelf it had been placed on, it floated over to a gate that opened on it's own, then made it's way over to a shelf in the very back. The gate closed itself, and the book settled down on a creaky, dusty shelf, awaiting the next time it would be looked for. Somehow though it knew that it wouldn't be seeing the boy with the mussy black hair again, but that he would live a long and happy life with his friends and future family. The book also knew that this world was fixed now, and that everything was where it should have been all along.