For Every Action...

Dumbledore, Remus, and Sirius sped through the hallways. Classes were due to dismiss any minute, and braving the corridors was a task on any day. They entered Dumbledore's office just in time. From behind the doors, they could feel the rumbling as hundreds of students left their classes. The Headmaster led the way up the stairs and waited for his company to sit before he assumed his place.

"I can't begin to fathom how you're feeling right now, and I extend you my deepest sympathies. I too am grieving, but if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me. While the memory of your friends' deaths are still fresh, I need to discuss some things with you two."

Sirius crossed his arms and Remus set his face in a cold expression.

"Again, I can't imagine the intensity of your pain. I'm mourning them, but I know how very close you were. Yet there are issues we must deal with now, I'm afraid. It may not feel like it, but it's best to discuss this rather than put it off. Please, I won't take long."

Sirius loosened his grip on his arms. Remus kept his guarded appearance but nodded.

"The Potters' memorial will be held tomorrow, in the late afternoon. Portkeys have been scheduled to take us there, for I do not want either of you Apparating." Apparation was difficult even in the most focused of states, but the results of Apparating while under emotional stress were disastrous. "As I said earlier, Aurors and Hit Wizards are actively searching for Pettigrew, and when they catch him there will be a trial, and undoubtedly Azkaban. Unfortunately, it is very likely that you both will have to serve as witnesses. Now that you know the facts that face you, please allow me to introduce a theory."

Sirius glanced to Remus, whose gaze was trained on Dumbledore.

"I have exhausted every possible line of reason for Voldemort's disappearance, both likely and not-so-likely. Seeing Harry just a few minutes ago solidified an idea I've been entertaining since early this morning. It is my belief that Lily's love is what saved Harry." Sirius's brow furrowed.

"How would that work? James loved Lily, but she still died."

"Sirius, he knows that, he's Dumbledore. Could you just let him speak?" Remus rubbed his eyes, both out of fatigue and refusal to meet Sirius's pain-filled stare.

"It's all right, Remus, I know you both must have questions. Yes, Sirius, James loved Lily deeply, but it is not simply love that can save one from the Killing Curse. Sacrificing your own life with complete altruistic desire can invoke a magic that is so primitive, yet close to impossible to summon. Taking all of this into account, it is my opinion that Lily sacrificed herself for Harry, and protected him with a love that repelled Voldemort's curse. When it rebounded, it destroyed his physical shell, but could not extinguish his soul, what little is left of it, altogether. The most feared wizard in years was defeated by a Muggle-born."

"Harry's not immortal, now, is he?" Sirius questioned.

"No. Lily's love shielded him during this incident, and her mark will remain in his blood forever, but he is still as mortal as you and I. Remus, do you have any questions?

"Oh, no," he said, coloring slightly. "It's just...one person's love can save another from death. I'm in awe." He turned his head, studying the wall beside him.

"Well, if there are no more questions, I don't believe I have much more to say at the moment. Shall I walk you back to the hospital wing?" Remus was in mid-nod when Sirius objected.

"Actually, if it's not a problem, could Remus and I talk alone? Perhaps outside?" Remus raised an eyebrow but waited for Dumbledore's response. He looked mildly surprised, but agreed, asking them to arrive back in the hospital wing before lunchtime. They exited the office without Dumbledore, and Remus spoke as soon as the door swung closed.

"What's all this about?"

"I need to talk to you and I don't feel much like being moderated by our former Headmaster." Remus reluctantly followed him down corridors, stairs, and finally the Entrance Hall doors. "Where shall we go?"

"Wherever you feel like, as it's you who needs to speak with me." They strolled towards the lake for some time before Sirius broke the silence.

"What the hell is this about, Remus? It's just you and me now! We've lost two of our best friends to Voldemort's side in one day, although I suppose we'd lost Peter some time ago...we've switched our old roles- you the pacifist, I as the instigator." There was silence. "Remus?"

"I'm not trying to instigate anything. Yes, we have lost friends, and I'm mourning them. I just found out today, remember?"

"Sure, I remember! I was the one who found James!"

"You found James?" Remus whispered. "That's just awful, Sirius, I'm so sorry...was it bad?"

"The house was a mess: fire, roof blown off, the most unimaginable shit you've ever seen, and he's buried underneath it, this huge support beam right across his chest. He was staring - that's not the way I want to remember him! I want to see him laughing, playing Quidditch, holding Harry and kissing Lily, not like I found him. He was so cold, and I couldn't help him." Tears escaped him eyes and he brushed them away quickly. They continued walking, and after a while Remus tentatively patted Sirius's back.

"It's all right. I know you wanted to help him. At least now you can raise Harry."

"That's just it! How the hell am I supposed to take care of a baby? Sure, I've always played with him, but Lily and James were there to take him when he started to cry. Then last night everyone wanted to keep him from me. First, Hagrid refused to let me take him, and then Dumbledore came to my bloody flat and dragged me and Harry here. I'm not even sure I'll get custody of him! And if I do, what do I know about parenting?"

Remus shrugged. "I could help you, you know. I mean, most of the time. I really don't think I'd trust myself around him in the days leading up to the full moon, but I can help at other times. Speaking of which, could we sit down? I'm dead tired."

Sirius nodded and sat down right where he stood. "Thanks, Remus. Let's just get through tomorrow first, eh?" They sat in silence, when a question Sirius had been harboring for some time voiced itself.

"Why'd you stay away? That's why I thought- I mean to say, er, you were ever around towards the end. What happened?" Remus gave a half-smile and shook him head.

"My transformations were getting bad again. James felt obligated to stay with Lily, which I understood. He couldn't go cavorting around with a werewolf when he had a family. I didn't tend to have the company of you or Peter, so I was alone. I didn't feel comfortable around anyone in the week before the moon was full, and it was even getting to be too much while it was waxing just after first quarter. On top of that, I was being blackmailed- oh, it wasn't signed, but I knew whom it was from. 'Werewolf, give us the information we want or your little secret may land in the Daily Prophet,' malarkey like that. I thought it best to distance myself from the group so as to not put you all in danger. I knew you suspected me, so I pulled away."

Sirius began to disagree, but Remus cut him off.

"Don't lie to me, Sirius. I know that's what you thought, and I can't blame you for thinking that. My actions must have looked guilty, and I suspected you, too. I'm sorry." Remus studied Sirius, who looked sheepish.

"Well, I found out about that. I overheard your conversation with Dumbledore."

Remus did not seem pleased at that statement.

"Look, I didn't mean to, I was giving Harry a tour and I heard you."

Remus smirked. "A tour of the hospital wing?"

"I was showing him the sights!" Sirius protested. "You know, where we visited you, James's old bed, how Snape had ended up in the ward...."

He didn't continue with the last topic. They had never really discussed what happened the night Sirius had sent him to meet Remus in the Shrieking Shack. Though both men tried to act as though they were nonchalantly taking in their surroundings, neither made any strides toward lessening the awkwardness of their situation

"Remus, I-"

"No, it's all right. We'll just talk about this later, I guess."

Remus had no desire to continue discussing what Sirius's motivations had been five years ago. He certainly wanted to know why, but couldn't take any more solemn confession. He allowed his thoughts to drift back to his Hogwarts days, steering them away from the almost fatal prank.

In the beginning of their first year, Remus never imagined that he would make friends. He also had no knowledge of a 'Lord Voldemort,' and would have wracked his brain trying to recall who this fellow was. As his friendship with James, Sirius, and Peter solidified, the inquiries began. There was always a why or a who or a what waiting for Remus when he returned after the full moon. When he finally revealed the truth and the initial wariness wore off, he was surprised at how well they took it. He would have been suspicious were he not so overjoyed. The bonds formed with the secret had linked them for eternity. Sirius liked to say they simply knew too much about each other to sever the ties.

Hogwarts was the perfect place to be sheltered from the outside world. One could cancel Daily Prophet subscriptions, focus on House Points or Quidditch, and follow the teachers' example of smiling through the darkness. Innocence and ignorance became interchangeable, or so most believed. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs devised their own way of avoiding reality. They would not act innocent; instead, break as many rules as possible while pretending not to have seen the headlines. Their families sent them care packages of half-truths, but they knew better. Towards the end of their time at Hogwarts, the groups' prankster façade masked late night discussions in their dormitories. Hushed whispers replaced the sounds of slumber, and fed the fire of their act. If the others wanted laughter, then they would have it. Attention shifted from Dumbledore's frequent meetings to how often Severus would find himself humiliated, the whole school craning their necks to see the most recent humiliation of a Slytherin.

It was as safe as it was dangerous to ostracize a member of Slytherin house. Nearly the entire school, and even a number of teachers shunned them. You-Know-Who's house, they whispered. No one worthy can ever come from there. At the same time, these students were rumored to be the ones Voldemort selected personally, so who would willingly instigate a fight with one of them? The little game James and his friends played was more serious than any one cared to believe. Pranks became scathing, violent, and escalated to the events of a balmy May night under the full moon. After Snape's brush with death, open hostility cooled for about a week, though lengthy hateful glares remained. The atmosphere of the school versus the Slytherins made lions, badgers, and eagles feel safe, but laid a barrier of thorns the serpents dared not cross. While suspicion loomed outside, they took shelter in the danger. Time would tend to the macabre garden, but in neglect the briars flourished. So was the predicament today, and no one displayed the desire to uproot what was rotten in the system.

Alienating what threatened them had worked in the short term, but now they were reaping the ill-sown crop. Remus and Sirius's former schoolmates turned away from the side that had never wanted them, and were welcomed by Slytherin's most infamous student. Because of Voldemort, their futures had been fixed by a whole society befre their first day of classes began. Now both dark and light were in disarray, one without a leader, the other with a vanished nemesis. For Remus and Sirius, discussions of politics and hypothetical ponderings lost all meaning. They sat and watched the giant squid, inwardly comforting the other with his mere presence.

"Moony?" Their thoughts washed away as the present time returned. "We have to be strong tomorrow, for Harry. Babies pick up on this sort of thing, don't they?"

Remus picked at a scab but seemed to acknowledge Sirius's statement.

"He already knows. You saw him before, he's sad. No matter what anyone does, it won't change the facts. He'll remember this forever. It's our job to let him know that he is still loved and that we're there for him. If we can do that, it won't change what's happened, but I guess we'll have done what James and Lily would have wanted." Silence ensued again, brought on by the rush of memories, but that was unavoidable. "Sirius, are you ready to go in?"

They met each other's eyes and knew it was time to return. Walking back to the castle, they spoke few words. Commemorating their fallen friends, and cherishing what had been renewed, was enough to fill the emptiness.