Dum Spiro Spero

Chapter 1

Summer of 1993

A black dog, both scrawny and matted sat outside a small village where prying eyes would not notice him. He watched as a witch with dull dirty blonde hair pulled into 2 long plaits walked alongside a lanky scarred wizard. Small smiles were on their faces, but they lacked any sort of joy. The dog laid down on his paws, his eyes never leaving the witch. A small whine left his mouth.

Evalyn and Remus went into town for some light shopping. The two had stayed living together since that miserable night. They were each other's crutch. Evalyn helped heal Remus after the full moon, while Remus helped with the bakery until they were forced to close a few years ago. Business had slowed considerably since many people didn't trust Evalyn anymore. However, despite their close friendship, one thing always came between them. Evalyn refused to believe Sirius Black was guilty. Remus, although he wanted to believe in him, the evidence showed the betrayal. After a couple years, they stopped talking about it. For a while, it would end in screaming matches and slammed doors.

The heat of the summer was becoming unbearable. Evalyn gripped at the locket and chain around her neck. The stares she received were always unsettling. Regardless, she gave kind smiles and waves to anyone who looked her way. A young wizard was passing out newspapers, the sound of whispers filled the air. It felt like the walls started to close in on her as the stares seemed to intensify.

A tug on Remus' tattered sleeve alerted him to her discomfort. His heart cracked seeing the anxiety slowly building. The smallest smile came from the witch. He placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to her ear, "Go home, I can get the rest, it's fine." The dog let out another small whine at the sight. She hurriedly gathered their bags and gave Remus the rest of her money.

"Thanks Rem, I'll see you in a little while." And with that, Evalyn disapparated before knowing what the commotion was about. Remus, who was still getting looks of pity, decided to go check it out. As he got closer, the picture on the front page made him go cold. His former friend, plastered all over the cover, 'Escape From Azkaban' written in big bold letters across the top.

Instead of finishing the shopping trip, he decided he needed to go back home and talk to Evalyn. There would only be two people that the prisoner would go after. The werewolf grabbed the newspaper and disapparated.

When Remus showed up not even 10 minutes after she did, Evalyn knew something was wrong. Seeing the troubled look on his face only confirmed it. "What's wrong?"

She walked over to him, and he opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him. He simply held the newspaper, face down, out to her. Evalyn raised her eyebrows curiously and grabbed it from him. A million thoughts raced through her mind when she hesitantly flipped it over. Her eyes were glued to the picture that was taken shortly after his arrest.

Remus waited for her to show any sign of a reaction. He watched as she stared blankly at the newspaper. Two steps forward was all he took before she dropped the paper and ran to his arms. Her body shook as she sobbed into him, gripping the back of his jumper. He was unsure whether they were tears of joy, sadness, or even anger, but he would never ask. Remus would just hold her, and if she decided to talk, he would listen.

After a moment, she pulled away, summoning a box of tissues. Avoiding all eye contact, she muttered "I'm going to bed." He watched as she padded to her room, closing the door behind her gently. Bundling herself up in her covers, she reached for the one thing that would bring her comfort over the years. Her locket. The first few years, it constantly warmed around her neck every night, showing that Sirius still had his. Over time, it died down to every once in a while. The occasional alert always gave her reassurance that he was still alive, and at least partially okay. Her shaky fingers were clamped around the locket and she whispered out into the still evening air "Where are you love?"

Meanwhile, Sirius laid in an a small chilly cave, huddling in stolen clothes to try and keep warm. He stared off into a starry sky, clutching his own locket, warm from her signal.

The next morning, Remus and Evalyn packed in silence. Once Evalyn closed her trunk, she sat on her bed. A light knock rapped on her door before it was slowly pushed open. Remus gave her a small grin, though his eyes were filled with worry. Evalyn laid back to look at the ceiling since she already knew what this conversation would be about. "You know you don't have to look at me like that Rem."

The bed shifted as he sat down. He laid back next to Evalyn and joined her staring at the ceiling. "I know, but I can't help but worry about you. How are you holding up?" And it was true, over the years of being there for each other, he grew protective over Evalyn. Their bond would never come close to hers with James, but he held a platonic love towards her like no other. No matter her stance on what happened, he would always worry about her.

"Well you already know how I feel, but you should also know I won't do anything stupid like trying to find him. That's the first thing people suspect that I would do." She fiddled with the sleeve of Remus' jumper.

He tried to not look in her direction since he knows she hates the pitiful looks thrown at her. "He might be the one to find you first. That man loves you with his entire soul, I don't believe anything would stop him from getting to you. I just want you to be safe."

Evalyn finally looked over to him, "I will be, and if he does, I will let you know as soon as possible.  Thank you for looking out for me." Her hand squeezed his in a friendly manner.

Remus' gaze met hers, and he gave a toothy smile, "I got your back Evalyn."

Her eyes lit up at the words, "You always have Mooney."