The Marauder's Tale [MOONY, WORMTAIL, PADFOOT, & PRONGS]

XXVI. Moving On

"Well, that was intense," Sirius muttered as McGonagall left the common room.

"I'll say," Remus replied. "What do you make of it?"

"She's worried," James said. "She's really worried about us, and about what this is doing to our world."

"If someone like McGonagall is worried, where does that leave us?" Peter muttered.

"What do you mean?" James asked with a frown.

"She's one of the most powerful witches alive," Peter clarified. "If You- Know-Who has her scared, where does that leave the rest of us?"

"What about Dumbledore?" Sirius asked. "Is he afraid of Voldemort, too?"

"I don't know," Remus said thoughtfully. "I can't imagine how he would be. Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard our world has seen in centuries." He paused, mentally debating whether or not he should continue. In the end, he chose to voice his thoughts. "If Dumbledore is afraid of Voldemort, I don't see how we can ever win this war."

They all fell silent, considering Remus' words. James glanced around the room, wondering how everyone else was faring after McGonagall's speech. All their fellow Gryffindors were doing the same thing they were - breaking into small groups to discuss what had just occurred. They were speaking in hushed tones, their faces showing the strain of what had happened that week. The tension in the air was heavy, adding to the stress of the room. For the first time in his life, James thought that he understood the expression about being able to cut the tension in the air with a knife.

"I can't stand to be in here anymore," Sirius said suddenly, jumping to his feet. "This is worse than the bloody library. I have to get out."

"Where do you want to go?" Peter asked.

"I don't know," Sirius replied.

"The Room of Requirement?" Peter suggested.

Sirius shook his head. "I need to get out of this castle."

"I don't want to go down to the Quidditch pitch," James said. The sting of losing the match was still painful.

"No, I'll bet tons of people will think to go there," Peter said.

As if to confirm his words, several students rose to leave the room, muttering about the Quidditch pitch.

"You're turning into Sirius," James said in an attempt at a joke. "You know, being able to say something will happen just before it does."

"If that's the case, I should have top marks in Divination," Sirius said, "and we know that's not true."

The others smiled faintly. Remus' smile faded the quickest, and he looked thoughtful again. He looked as though he couldn't decide if he should speak or not.

"I know a place where we can go where no one will bother us," he said at last.

"Where?" Sirius asked eagerly.

Remus bit his lip, then continued. "The Shrieking Shack."

His friends looked at him as though he had lost his mind. For a moment, he felt annoyed.

"Come on, now, you all know it isn't haunted."

"Yeah, we know that," James said. "It's just - are you sure you want to be there when . . . when you don't have to be?"

They understood. For Remus, it was like becoming friends with them all over again. They truly understood, and they truly cared about him. He knew he could be completely honest with them.