The darkest black nights still end with the first ray of dawn, no matter how terrible the darkness is. But before that dawn, those who survive that darkness are the ones who get to see the light spreading the horizon.

Survival is imperative.

Survival was the reason Regulus had to choose between his love Eleanor and his brother Sirius. It was a tough choice and to that day, he felt that he was responsible for Sirius's death. But there hadn't been much he could do back then.

It was hardly a choice.

The Order suffered irreparable damage after the Death Eaters' attack on their headquarters. But just like a phoenix, they aimed to rise from the ashes again.

However, for the time being, all of the survivors had to go into hiding. They were broken up into pairs of two members and sent to safe spots where the Death Eaters wouldn't be able to track them.

James and Lily were sent to Godric Hollow where they had to be kept under even strict protection as their newborn boy Harry was rumored to be the Chosen One. Alice and Frank Longbottom were also sent to their old family home away from Britain however, Bellatrix Lestrange ransacked their house and tortured them brutally.

The other pairs that were broken up and dispatched included Remus and Esmeralda, Regulus and Eleanor, Peter and Mary Macdonald along with the rest of the members.

Reg and Elle had been sent to Sheffield where Eleanor's relatives had some property but it was made sure first that the Death Eaters wouldn't be able to trace them there. Remus and Esmeralda were also closer to them.

For the next few months, the Order stayed discreet, and almost no contact was maintained between the surviving members out of precaution so that they would not be traced.

Only the Longbottoms had to contact Dumbledore due to the extreme situation they had suffered and the Headmaster looked to it that they were both sent to St. Mungo's while Neville and his grandmother were taken into protection.

Life was proceeding in dull monotony along with the constant fear of that temporary peace to end. They all hadn't even gotten time to recover from the grief of losing their loved ones, especially Remus and Regulus.

Regulus had lost his brother while Remus had lost his closest friend.

But that was not the only loss they had to deal with. Fate had a lot more in store for them. Yet the temporary peace they were in was slowly edging to a lot of destruction and chaos with every passing day.

It was the night of the full moon so Esme had come over to Reg and Elle's place. Remus now had to bear the full moons alone and though they had managed to smuggle some wolfsbane for him earlier, they were running out of stock and so transformations for him would be even harder.

On the full moons, a distressful wolf howl could be heard for miles, calling out for his old companions and friends who he used to have for company during his transformations. None of those friends could come to him at the moment and the one he was closest to was six feet under.

That night too the wolf howl broke the silence as Esme sat by the window, looking out to the distant forest where Remus was suffering. She knew how hard it was for him but it hurt her not being able to do anything to help.

The war had torn them all apart but for those who already had bleeding wounds, it was even worse.

A thin hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up to see Eleanor. Her sister had brought her a cup of warm tea and a shawl, knowing she was sitting in the cold.

"Thank you," she mumbled, taking the cup from Ellie.

"Are you okay?" Eleanor sat down beside her, noting the sad expression on her face.

"Yes... But he's not."

In the months they had been living together, Remus and Esme had gotten close. But she was unable to fill all the voids that were left in his life due to the war.

Seeing him get worse in health and mental state with every passing day was hard for Esme too. He was one of the kindest and sweetest men she had known and yet he was suffering horribly both due to his lycanthropy as well as losing his friends.

Eleanor gently wrapped her arms around her thin frame, resting her head on her elder sister's shoulder. Esme sighed softly, pulling her close as well.

They had no idea when the war would end and perhaps it would have been easier if they were out on the battlefield because that temporary hiding they were in was far more depressing than putting their life on the line every day.

"We wish to do so much, Esme, but we can't," she mumbled softly, "if I had known this bitter truth earlier, I might never have gone back in time... Perhaps things would have been better if I let it all take the original course. But... I couldn't bear to lose you two... I took my risk and here we are all, paying the price."

"There's a price for everything, Elle. Everything. And you're not the one to blame for what turns this war has taken. The one responsible for it is still at large... I wonder when it will all come to an end or if it even will have an end in peace..."

That thought was morbid, to say the least, but true. They had no idea what the future would bring for them but so far everything had been bleak.

Silence engulfed them except for the occasional wolf howls coming from the forest.

Regulus was not at home right then as he was close to the forest, keeping watch over Remus. The four of them knew danger lurked at every step and together they were trying their best to keep their existence hidden from the Dark forces.

By morning Regulus returned with a rather worn-out Remus. He was heavily injured as with no wolfsbane to keep him sane during transformations, the werewolf side in him had gotten more violent and self-destructive.

Esme looked after him and brewed him a potion to help him go to sleep. But there wasn't much they could do. They were living in the wilderness, far from Healers that could have patched him up properly.

Recovery would take time and in Rem's case, it was more difficult as by the time he would recover, it would be another full moon all over again.

They had no idea how long that cycle of despair and pain would resume. Neither did they know how much capacity they had left in them to endure it.

Little did they know that the temporary safety they were in was about to be obliterated. But it was necessary for the war's end to come.

Some sacrifices had to be made and couldn't be prevented.

***