They were wonderful promises, but it wasn't to be. Remus would not have the chance to make a mysterious and dignified early exit from Hogwarts, and Sirius would not get the opportunity to prove he would follow his Moony anywhere.
Later - after the war was over and everything else was over too - Remus would wonder whether things might have gone differently if he and Sirius had left school then. Perhaps they could have kept each other closer, or by removing themselves they could have kept other people safer.
Anyway. It didn't happen, and it did no good to dwell on.
For years and years afterwards, once the agony of all those funerals and obituaries and memorials and speeches had faded, Remus would be left with memories of his last months at Hogwarts, when they had been stupid and naive and indescribably happy without even knowing it.
Wednesday 29th March 1978
The weekend passed quietly; there was homework to complete and quidditch to train for and an enormously complicated prank to plan, and Marlene did not make a move in any direction.
Sirius and James reported that she attended quidditch practice, and played as well as she ever had, but hadn't spoken to them. Mary said she was still upset, but that she hadn't made her mind up whether or not to tell.
They were well into the next week by the time Marlene finally decided to approach Remus again. She caught him alone - which was rare, these days.
He was tidying up the Charms classroom following a revision session, just before the Wednesday 'inter-house-prank-planning-co-operative' meeting. Usually Chris helped, but he was down with a head cold, and had taken the afternoon off. Remus had half wanted to call off the group altogether. It all seemed so futile; learning and learning and learning - for what? To pass an exam, get a good mark, and then? If Greyback didn't kill him before he was twenty then he would still be unemployable. But everyone seemed to like the study groups, and he hated letting them down.
She entered the room smelling of herbs from the greenhouse - rosemary and sage and rich earthy soil. He turned, and unconsciously backed himself against a wall.
"Hello." He said.
She stood still for a while, staring at him in total silence, before replying.
"Hello. I'm furious with you."
"I know." He nodded, trying to be understanding, "I think that's fair enough. Are... um. Are you ready to talk about it?"
"No." She shot, folding her arms. She glared at him, and he averted his eyes, like a supplicant begging forgiveness. He heard her fidget a bit, and sigh impatiently. "But Danny says I have to."
Remus consciously avoided smiling, but couldn't ignore the flood of relief he felt at those words. He looked up again, carefully.
"You've spoken to him properly, then?"
"Yes. He said he tried the murtlap essence combined with muggle TCP, and he's healing faster. And you were right about taking a sleeping draught."
"It's the best thing, I've found. For healing." Remus replied, warily, averting his eyes again. She made him feel so ashamed of himself.
"Everyone knew except me." Marlene said. She was leaning against the opposite wall now; the whole room between them, the jumble of chairs and desks. "Even Mary."
"She worked it out, I didn't tell her."
"I always thought you were weird because you were queer."
He frowned a bit. Was he weird? He didn't say anything, he couldn't think of anything that would make it better.
