Love Can Be Found In the Darkest of Places (A Marauders FanFiction)

Chapter 23: Returning to Hogwarts

Some of the following dialogue is directly from the Prisoner of Azkaban movie and I take no credit for it!

Present Day

"So you're absolutely sure that you want to do this?"

Marcus and Rose were standing to the side of the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9 ¾. It had just arrived, and students of all ages were flooding onboard. Rose snapped out of it and realized that she had been staring at the train in silence for more than several minutes and was clinging to Marcus' hand so tightly that he winced.

She loosened her grip and sighed. "Sorry. Yeah. I think I am."

Marcus put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a worried look that she'd come to know all too well over the years. "You can say no, you know. If it's too hard for you. But I think maybe...maybe it could be good for you, Rose."

She didn't know how Marcus did it. How he stuck around with her when he knew she couldn't return the kind of love that he was giving her. She loved him, but even after twelve years the damage was still too great for her to be entirely romantically functional.

Remus chose that moment to appear by her side, trunk in tow. He hugged her tightly and then shook Marcus' hand. "Are you ready? Train's about to leave."

Marcus wrapped his arms around her tightly and pressed his lips against the top of her hair. "I'll see you soon." He kissed her, and then disappeared back through the wall from where they came from.

Entering the first empty compartment they could find, Remus and Rose sat opposite each other. She stared out the window at the families waving to their children, and remembered the way that her mother would run after the train until it was out of sight.

"I never thought I'd be on this train again," she said almost fondly as she looked over at Remus.

He smiled at her. "I'm glad you're here, Rose."

--

Rose and Remus were so exhausted that it only took moments for them to drift off to sleep, each of them leant up against the window. Rose became faintly aware that others were entering the compartment, but made no attempt to look up at them.

"Who d'you reckon they are?" one voice asked.

"Professors R.J. Lupin and Rose M. Garland," another answered.

"You know everything. How is it she knows everything?"

"It's on their cases," she said simply, taking a seat next to Rose's now semi-alert figure.

"Are they really asleep?" a third voice asked.

"Seems to be. Why? What is it, Harry?"

Harry. She cautioned a peek at the boys that were sitting by Remus, and had to stifle a gasp. Harry's likeness to James was remarkable. She wondered if Remus was awake.

--

She felt guilty for listening to their conversation while she drifted in and out of sleep, but she couldn't help herself.

"Let me get this straight," Ron said. She'd learned all their names by their voices now. He was one of Molly and Arthur's children. "Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to come after you?"

"Yes."

"But they'll catch Black, won't they? I mean... eventually?" Hermione asked, her voice full of worry.

"Sure. Of course, no one's ever broken out of Azkaban before and he's a raving, murderous lunatic..." Rose's stomach churned at the mention of Sirius.