Diana felt exhausted. And hungry. Which only made her angry. This was not a good combination as they were standing in the middle of the woods.

"I can't do this, Remus! I just can't!" she huffed in frustration. "We've been here for hours!"

"It's okay. You don't have to go on," Remus said gently. "We can just go back inside and forget all about this."

Diana narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Very much, actually, yeah." He nodded his head earnestly.

"Ugh." Diana groaned grumpily before raising her wand at the ready, pointed it mid-way toward the sky, and yelled, "Expecto Patronum!"

Silver lights left the tip of her wand, but before they could form any shape at all, it vanished in mid air.

Diana sighed. This was useless. But it was the condition either way, and there was no backing out.

Two days ago when Remus returned home with a bloody wound in the middle of the night, questions surged one after another in Diana's mind. All he told her was that it had something to do with You-Know-Who.

Secret missions.

Diana had then told him that she wanted to join him and accompany him.

Remus had answered that it wasn't up to him. That there were others.

Secret society.

But one night, Remus had finally consulted the others, asking if Diana could join. They had agreed, Remus told her, but under one condition.

She had to learn how to perform a Patronus charm.

Diana and Remus had been in the woods near the Lupin's house for hours that day, with Remus helping her and attempting to teach her, but it was much harder that she could ever imagine, wearing her out by the time the sun was setting.

Remus had brought chocolates for her, and had made a few sandwiches for their lunch, but Diana still felt hungry and tired.

"Maybe you're not thinking of a strong enough memory," Remus reasoned. "From what I'm seeing, you're doing everything right. The wand movement. The spell. And you have the determination. You just need a happy memory."

Diana thought on it again. Her childhood didn't consist of any happy memories.

     Then it was Hogwarts. So many wonderful days and nights, spent with Layla and Regulus. Of course Diana felt happy then. But now thinking about those memories only made her ache. She hadn't seen Layla in months. And Regulus... he had joined the Dark Lord.

     The best memories of Diana's life was the ones shared with the boy standing beside her. The one who always smelled of chocolate and old books. The boy she loved.

But she feared the future. She feared losing him.

     "Here," said Remus, taking out his wand again. "Watch me again." With that he closed her eyes for a moment, pointed his wand forward, and said, "Expecto Patronum!"

    Right at that moment, a silvery figure burst from the tip of his wand, taking the form of a majestic wolf.

     Diana watched it with awe, but she couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment on Remus's face every time he conjured it.

     "Now you try," Remus encouraged, nodding at her.

    Diana took a deep breath, focusing on her happiest memory.

     But with a difference this time.

     The memory hadn't happened to her yet. It wasn't a memory, to be precise. It was a happy feeling she ached for day and night.

     She held the image in her head, waved her wand and echoed, "Expecto Patronum."

     To her surprise, a shimmering figure materialized before her, little by little, the silver light taking shape. And then, at last, there it was –

     A fox, swift and graceful.

     Remus laughed in joy and happiness, watching the fox hopping around in the sky. "You did it! You finally did it!"

     "I did it," Diana whispered, a smile painted on her lips. She couldn't believe her eyes.

     Flushed with success, Diana practiced the spell repeatedly under Remus's guidance. As the sun ascended in the sky, they lost track of time, enchanted by the magic in the woods.

    Hours passed, and the sky grew overcast. A distant rumble of thunder echoed through the woods. Remus looked up at the darkening sky, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "How about a little challenge?"

    Before Diana could respond, raindrops began to fall, turning the forest into a symphony of soft drumming. Remus twirled his wand, casting a protective charm over them. "Race you back to the house?"

     "Oh, yeah?" Diana grinned. "What does the winner get?"

     "The loser's dinner?"

     "Hey, that's not fair! I'm hungry!"

    "ThreeTwoOne GO!" Remus began running before Diana even had the chance to know what was happening.

     "CHEATER!" She yelled after him before she ran forward in a helpless attempt to catch up with him.

      Knowing there was no way she could win this race like this, Diana came to a stop, grinning. She closed her eyes and the next moment she Disapparated, appearing a few feet ahead of Remus. She immediately began running again.

     "OI! NO MAGIC!" Remus yelled after her, both of them breathless from laughing as they kept running.

      "NO RULES, LUPIN!"

     Next moment however, Remus did exactly what she did, Apparating in front of her and then kept running across the woods, trying to avoid bumping into the trees.

     Their little game went on and on, Disapparatint and Apparating in an attempt to win the race.

     Diana was getting closer and closer to the edge of the forest, running underneath the rain as she laughed, that suddenly Remus Apparated right behind her, catching her off guard as he briskly wrapped his arms around her.

    "Hey! Let go!" Diana laughed as she breathed for air, but Remus held tight to her, laughing along, and then turned her around so she was facing him, still in his arms. He backed her away in a quick motion until she was slammed into a tree trunk.

     The rain was pouring, soaking them wet. Remus locked eyes with, both of them out of breath, panting for air. His eyes wondered down, landing on her pink lips.

     "What were you thinking of?" he asked, eyes still on her lips. "The memory you chose for the Patronus."

     "It wasn't a memory. Because it hasn't happened yet," she said. "It was hope... a hope of something happening."

     "What was it?"

     "Us," she whispered. "Us together. Happy. Laughing with no worries. Loving with no fear. Surround by our friends. I was thinking of a feeling."

    Remus smiled as he looked at her, taking her in, memorizing her face like his favorite poem.

     And then, before he could control himself or say anything else, he leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips.

     He pulled back briefly. "I love you."

     She smiled. "I love you more."

    She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him back into the kiss.

***

Dripping wet, Diana and Remus made their way back to the house. Even though they dried themselves with a swish of a wand, Hope still insisted on making them a hot bowl of soup, so they wouldn't catch a cold.

     Diana slept soundlessly that night. She felt at peace, after only god knows how long.

     But that peace was short lasting when someone began quietly shaking her awake. It was Remus.

    "Why are you up?" Diana yawned.

     "We need to go," he whispered. "You're in."

***

That night, as the moon hung high in the sky, Remus and Diana Apparated to the hidden location of the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters. The atmosphere was tense yet determined as they entered the secret space where wizards and witches gathered to fight against the rising darkness.

     As they navigated through the place, Diana's eyes widened at the sight of familiar faces and some she had only heard of in whispers. The room was filled with a diverse group united by a common cause.

     Remus introduced her to the members, and her gaze caught on a figure that made her heart skip a beat –

     "Layla?" Diana suddenly gasped, disbelief written on her face.

     Layla smiled wordlessly, and then ran forward, bringing Diana into a hug. The two friends embraced, the reunion charged with the weight of the circumstances they found themselves in.

     "Layla, what are you doing here?" Diana said breathlessly as they pulled away. She hadn't even gotten a chance to acknowledge the rest of the group, as if they didn't even exist in that moment.

      "Actually," said a familiar voice. Diana turned to see Albus Dumbledore speaking. "That is no longer Layla Miller."

     Diana frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

     "I had to make a new identity for myself," Layla explained, a sheepish smile on her lips. "I go by another name now?"

     "What name?"

     "Dorcas Meadowes."