Remus is an Arian heretic. That is his tragedy.

I'm afraid I don't give you a wedding, but you do see a little of the Potters' married life before tragedy strikes.

Thank you so much! Just for the record: yes, I finished this story two years ago. I have since made some changes to bring it into line with post-DH canon, but the version you are reading is intended to be both complete and definitive. It is told in four parts, and you are now half way through the first part.

You are right about the MacDougals. They are not bad people in the sense that the Death Eaters are bad, but they are the ultimate ostrich types. Some of their reasons are explained in the early chapters, although most readers have probably forgotten by now. Most of Malcolm's family was murdered by Grindelwald so he just wants to keep away from dangerous people. Bethoc was born a Macnair and she is reacting against the Death Eaters and other criminals in her own family. Their son Kenneth just doesn't think. All of them are highly disturbed that Ariadne knew better before she was four years old.

This is basically the point that JKR is making with Professor Quirrell. The very frightening idea of the disembodied man hiding in the turban is presumably a metaphor for not allowing anyone else to do your thinking for you.

Thank you. The moral ambiguity is certainly a tough one for the fanfic writer here. I had to find a reason why Severus deserved it (just WHAT did he do to Mary MacDonald? The clue is in the canon portrayal of Mulciber) but at the same time, that does not justify the way James took the law into his own hands. As for Sirius, I like to think he was careless rather than deliberately murderous: I hope he was guilty of nothing worse than failing to think through the consequences of his words, since that was bad enough. But, yes, he is certainly more the rebel than the righteous warrior at this stage. Peter is just pathetic, but it's obvious why his friends don't notice this, and Remus is outrageously passive. I don't blame Lily for wanting to have nothing to do with any of them at this stage! Thanks for understanding my story.

As I explain in a later chapter, it's a risk to expel certain students during a time of war: it's just inviting them to run off and join the Death Eaters. So Dumbledore, frustrating master-puppeteer that he is, tries to reform them in-house. I don't know why he keeps on so many mediocre teachers, but there is a definite pattern there. Of the long-servers, only McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout are really excellent on the job.

Hold on to the idea of Ariadne as the person with the moral compass. Unlike Remus, she has no personal motivation for living a life of lies, so she charts a very different course from him.

Perhaps that's why even this little Paradise is sheltering a rat...

Thank you. Some readers have found the timeline difficult, but if you check the dates under each chapter heading, you should work it out. As for the dialogue, I just think about real people.

This isn't really a "Marauder" story, but thanks for saying that this one measures up. I'm well aware that there are thousands out there and that some of them are good.

Thank you for persevering with a story that began outside your comfort zone and for taking the trouble to tell me what you think. And thank you too for understanding what the story is about.

Yes, of course they should have put Greyback to the silver bullet. The problem was, they never caught him.

It could be argued that Remus had a better childhood than Sirius. At least his parents loved him, which is a huge protective factor.

Thanks for reviewing.

Thank you! She has to carry the whole story so I am glad she has already started to "work" for you.