1 August 1993 

Celeste was usually on time whenever she had to go somewhere. However, today was not that day.

How she let the time slip away from her, she had no idea, but out of all the days she had to leave, she supposed it would happen today. She was scrummaging to gather everything she needed in her purse, then double-checking to make sure it was all there. After that, she put on a pair of flats and dashed for the door.

The cool, crisp air hit Celeste in the face as she stepped outside. She went down the steps and began to walk down the pavement of the village she resided in.

Living close to the Pyrenees in southern France was a thought that never occurred to Celeste. Then again, if it hadn't been for what happened almost twelve years ago, then maybe she'd still be back in England. But for what it was worth, being a matron at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic became a job she grew to love a lot, not to mention the view she got every day was simply beautiful, even though she still missed England every now and then.

When Celeste got to the edge of the village, she took another look at the mountains before making sure no one else was around. She kept going until she reached a point where she was completely alone. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on her destination before Apparating to Montpellier.

The familiar sight of the city gave Celeste a relief as she made her way out in the open streets. She only came to Montpellier for one reason and it was always around this time of the year. Her purpose as to why she came here was sitting at a table outside the café down the street, the same one she happily never wanted to stray from.

It was five years after everyone went their separate ways when Celeste received a letter from Philibert, asking to meet up. It seemed out of nowhere, but thanks to the Potions professor for trying to set them up, (even though neither of them had the heart to tell her that Philibert was not interested in women), the two always planned to meet up halfway at the same café once a year to catch up since then, and it was always the same friendly atmosphere she missed when being around him and the other Runaways. While it was a risk to see Philibert, the two of them didn't think catching up once a year was a terrible thing to do.

"Philibert!" she called out, waving to him with a smile on her face.

The man turned his head and grinned back when he saw Celeste crossing the street. He stood up and welcomed her with open arms. "Salut, Celeste."

Celeste gave him a hug, squeezing him tightly for a moment before pulling away. "It's so good to see you, Philibert. Ça va?"

"I'm alright," he replied. "You?"

"The same," she answered as the two sat down across from each other.

"I got you some coffee," Philibert stated, motioning at the mug in front of her. "I figured you wanted the same drink as...well, as last year." He added a chuckle.

"It's amazing how well you remember," Celeste said, taking a sip of her espresso.

"I also got us some scones as well." He paused as he was clearing his throat, then continued. "So, how's Beauxbatons?"

Celeste let out a sigh. "Well, you know how it is with new wizards and witches. They always want to attempt different spells, which lead to many injuries."

Philibert shook his head, laughing. "Merlin, the children must learn the hard way."

"That they do," she replied. "Anyway, are you still in Marseille with your mother's family?"

"In the same old pub, yes," he answered, taking a scone from the plate between them. "I still have the same drunks that stumble in and out with different women every time. Nevertheless, as long as it's away from any attention being put on me, I'd say it's a good deal."

"It sounds rather boring, honestly," she admitted.

"Yeah, well, it means that I'm still safe," he pointed out. "As far as I'm concerned, we're all still safe after twelve years, don't you think?"

Celeste was quiet for a moment as she took a bite out of her scone, then nodded her head. "It's been a long twelve years, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has." Philibert took a sip of his espresso. "From what I've read in the papers, Em's doing well in Romania, along with Dirk."

She softly smiled. "I'm glad they're both happy. Lia seems to be doing fine as well back in England, with being an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. Her name comes up a lot in the papers."

"Anything about Di?" he asked.

Celeste shook her head. "No. Her and Davey Gudgeon are doing a good job at keeping away from the public eye." Pausing, she looked down at her espresso and scone. "Maybe those two needed some time alone. I mean, when Marlene died--"

"Yeah, neither of them were the same," Philibert stated. "They really loved her."

"It's amazing how much pain comes with loving someone," she said. She could say the same when her mum died during her seventh year, and it really broke her heart knowing that she was gone forever.

"So is that why you never told Remus Lupin how you really felt about him?" Philibert retorted in a joking manner.

Celeste widened her eyes. "Phil--"

"No, don't you 'Phil' me. You know how much I don't like that nickname to begin with. Anyway, everyone knew--"

"But was it the same way we all knew about you and Sirius before you two actually told us?"

Philibert's smile faded as he put his head down, breaking off a piece of his scone. "No, I guess it wasn't."

Celeste gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry. We all know how much he meant to you."

Philibert nodded his head. "You know, I think about him all the time, about Sirius." He huffed a sigh. "I just..." He shook his head. "Like you said, it's been a long twelve years."

There was a moment of silence as the two continued with their coffee and scones. Celeste's mind went to Remus and wondered what he was up to now. As far as she knew, he was still in England, but there was no mention of him the night the Potters were murdered or when Sirius was arrested.

Suddenly, as if it was fate or merely just a coincidence, Celeste spotted the familiar face of Sirius Black on the front of the copy of someone's newspaper from another table that was left behind.

"What the hell?" she mumbled in confusion, standing up to go grab the paper. Sure enough, she took a long look at the moving picture of Sirius, then skimmed the article to see what was going on. "Merde."

"Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" Philibert questioned.

Celeste rushed back to the table, handing the newspaper to Philibert. "It's Sirius. He's escaped from Azkaban."

With wide eyes, Philibert went over the article on the front page, to which his expression turned shocked and concerned. "Merlin's beard. This happened last night."

"How do you think he did it?" Celeste inquired. "I mean, it took him this long to break out. Why do you think he decided to do it now?"

Philibert shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. Unless there's some motive there that only occurred to him now." He placed the paper down in front of him, letting out a scoff. "I can't believe he did this. He's really out of Azkaban."

"Where do you think he will go?"

"I don't know." All of a sudden, Philibert gave Celeste a look of worry. "What if he goes to look for me? What if he goes to my old house in England and freaks out that I'm not there?"

"Okay, Philibert, just relax," Celeste said in an attempt to calm him down. "Look, we don't know where he's going or why he broke out in the first place."

"I think being locked up for a crime you didn't commit for the last twelve years is enough of a reason to escape."

"Do we actually know that he didn't do anything?"

Philibert exhaled. "He didn't do it. I know him well enough that he wouldn't do such a thing."

Celeste, knowing she and Philibert would butt heads on the discussion, decided to drop it. She never knew if Sirius was truly innocent, but maybe everyone would get the truth now that he was out and ready to tell everyone what happened. Not only that, but the Runaways could finally know what they witnessed that night.

"What if we went back?" she blurted out. "Back to England, I mean."

Philibert raised his eyebrows. "You mean, pack up and go back home after almost twelve years?"

"Well, it sounds mad when you put it that way," she told him. "But I wonder if now is the right time more than ever."

He couldn't help but shake his head and let out a laugh. "Right, like I haven't heard that one before."

There were times that, despite enjoying being in France, Celeste did think about going back to England if it was safe enough to do so. Then again, when would anywhere in the world be completely safe? Up until Sirius' escape, Celeste was unsure if there was anything to go back to. On top of that, Celeste was content with her life at the moment. Overall, it was a conflicting choice to make, and one that she couldn't take back.

"Maybe I'm just not thinking this all the way through," Celeste admitted. "It's a big choice to make."

"One that you've been toying with for how many years again?"

"Oui, oui, I know," she said. "Still, it's an idea."

Philibert scoffed. "If anything, we should just stay put in France unless something else comes up. I mean, if we really want to move back--"

"Are you considering it?" Celeste asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure, honestly. It's been so long that just imagining going back might complicate things for everyone." Pausing, he let out a sigh. "Still, a part of me misses being in England, along with the friends and memories I left behind."

Celeste nodded her head in agreement. "Me, too."

After a couple more hours of talking about other things regarding their lives, even if the subject of Sirius Black was still on their minds, the two decided to part ways once they realized the evening was falling upon them. They bid each other goodbye, going in different directions and not looking back.

When Celeste arrived back in town, she hurried her way back to her home before the streets began to get busy. She was relieved to finally be in a quiet atmosphere once she shut the front door and planned to stay inside for the rest of the night. She took her shoes off and went to the kitchen to make herself some soup. While she was turning on the stove, an owl flew outside the window in front of her with a letter clutched in its beak.

"Whose owl is this?" she questioned, opening the window. "And who is sending me a letter this time of the day?" Letting the owl inside, Celeste waited until the bird stood still on the counter before she took the envelope and opened it.

Dear Miss Rhodes,

I hope you are doing well. It has been a while since we last spoke. I am writing to you on the matter of Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, as I understand you and your friends knew him very well, and regarding his breakout, I'm afraid this means you and your friends are back in danger.

On that note, I have already contacted the Headmistress of Beauxbatons and requested your transfer to Hogwarts immediately as a Healer alongside our matron, Madam Pomfrey, whom I am sure you remember from your school years. Please be ready to arrive at Hogwarts at the end of August so we can go over your new position and housing arrangements.

I hope to hear from you within the next couple of weeks, and safe travels for when you return.

Albus Dumbledore

Celeste dropped the letter once she was finished reading it. Really, she was surprised that Dumbledore was the one to contact her. After her conversation with Philibert about the situation with Sirius and the possibility of going back to England, she wasn't sure if Dumbledore's letter was just a mere coincidence.

Or maybe, in some strange way, it was fate bringing the Runaways and who was left of the Marauders back together, and Celeste only hoped that this reunion would not end badly, for no one wanted history to repeat itself.

~~~~~~~

A/N: TRANSLATIONS:

Salut = Hello

Ça va? = How are you?

Merde = Shit

Qu'est-ce qui se passe? = What is wrong?

Oui = Yes

Annnd here's chapter one with a huge time gap lmao, but it was necessary to the story. Anyway, what did y'all think?

Shoutout to harmonyrules for creating Philibert and for helping me out with the French translations. :)

Comment, vote, more to come soon!

-A