Hello! I'm glad that the last story is over because I need change. Hopefully, this story will be the best, as it will be the last.. maybe.. (:

Anyway, this story is going to be set up a bit differently. First of all, the point of view is changing from first to third. The reason for this is because since Darcy and Lupin aren't going to be together for some of the story, I want to make sure that I'm including both of them in here. It'll be like two stories – Lupin's story and Darcy's story.

So this is just the opening introduction to the story. I hope you enjoy it!

ONE TOO MANY GOODBYES.

Saying goodbye proved to be harder than she thought. She was absolutely miserable and wanted nothing more than to stay at the Dursleys', where she would be safe and she wouldn't have to risk her life anymore. Darcy Potter spent most of her time locked in her room, staring at the walls or out the windows silently or reading her father's potions book alone, which didn't bother the Dursleys' at all. Harry tried to stay away from the bedroom, often times sleeping on the floor in the living room or when he did sleep in the bedroom, he took the floor more often that not.

Harry didn't fail to take notice that Darcy was depressed and he tried to act more cheerful around her, desperately wanting her to be her normal, outgoing, happy self again. Darcy tried her hardest to put on a smile whenever she was around her little brother, but it was difficult and she was sure Harry understood quite well, for he had suffered a great loss at the end of the school year as well. She was proud of him for acting like he did; she never could have done it.

Darcy was looking through the many editions of The Daily Prophet that she had stuffed in her trunk, sitting cross legged in the middle of her and Harry's bedroom. She pulled out the Marauders' Map that she kept and her teacher robes. She sorted out the trash from the rest of her stuff and threw all the things she didn't need away – the newspapers and the robes.

In the middle of folding and repacking her clothes, the door opened slowly and quietly. The floor creaked and Darcy jumped. She turned around to see Petunia standing in the doorway. Darcy raised her eyebrows and continued folding her clothes, sorting out some books that she might need to bring.

"Darcy." Petunia said in a hushed voice. She looked around nervously as if she wasn't supposed to be talking to her niece. Darcy turned around again and heard the car door slam outside her open window and Vernon scolding Dudley loudly. Petunia swept over to the young lady in the middle of the floor and patted her shoulder gently with her bony fingers. "I – I don't know where you're going," Her voice was quiet, but still a bit harsh. "But be safe."

"No promises," Darcy whispered.

"You must be angry with me," Petunia continued. Darcy had turned away from her again, listening carefully. "But I assure you, you and your brother are not the only ones who lost someone that night. You look so much like her…"

"I'm sorry for everything I've done to you," hissed Darcy. "You won't have to put up with it for much longer."

Petunia's long fingers grasped Darcy's shoulder and then released her. Petunia turned away, hesitated, and Darcy heard her footsteps get further away as she left. The front door opened and closed, and then she heard the car doors slam again. The engine started and Darcy stared at the window until she could hear the car no more.

New, heavier footsteps were now running up the stairs and Harry appeared in the doorway, exactly where Petunia had stood seconds before. Darcy took her time in packing. Harry had finished the night before, eager to leave the next day.

"You still aren't done?" Harry asked, sounding a bit breathless. Darcy shook her head and Harry glanced at the trash bin in the corner of the room. "Why'd you throw all this out? Your robes -?"

"I won't need them. Why would I travel around in robes?"

"I guess that's fair." Harry noticed that Darcy had packed a lot of Muggle things, but only clothes. As she packed her last pair of jeans in, she placed the Marauders' Map gently on the top, closing her trunk and locking it. Harry suddenly regretting packing his Hogwarts robes and red and gold tie. Darcy had simply thrown her own robes out. "Are you sad?"

"Sad about what?" It was a legitimate question; there were plenty of things for Darcy to be sad about.

"Leaving," Harry replied simply and Darcy shrugged. Harry had taken a seat on the twin bed placed in the corner of the room.

"But I'm still sad."

Harry kept quiet. He had honestly no idea what she was going through. He had to break up with Ginny, but his relationship with her was nothing like Darcy's and Lupin's. They had been on and off for about three years and Lupin was one of her best friends.

Harry was going to be with Ron and Hermione until they finished the mission Dumbledore left them. Darcy could call both of them her friends, but seeing as they were about four years younger than her, she had a hard time confiding in them like she did in Lupin, Tonks – her best friend - or Snape – who had not only betrayed her, but everyone else who trusted him. Her main source of happiness was gone and she was going to be away from the people she loved for a while. Well, the man she loved.

Darcy's heart was heavy with guilt, though. She had caught up with Snape, had the tip of her wand in his back, her brother yelling at her to kill him – but she couldn't and didn't. Part of her wished she had killed him; he had killed Dumbledore, another person who cared deeply about Harry. But the other part of Darcy knew she wasn't going to do it. She would never be able to hurt Snape. Despite what everyone said about him, he was good to her. He helped her, he saved her, he watched over her, and he made sure she was taken care of all the time. How could she kill a man who had done nothing but care about her?

Harry stood up from the bed and it creaked again. He walked over to her and kissed the top of her head. "Darcy," he breathed. "I know what you must be feeling. But what you did at the end of the school year won't just be good for you – you helped Lupin. You don't know what the Death Eaters would do if they found out you two were together."

"I've got to bring this downstairs," Darcy said and she lifted her trunk, dragging it across the bedroom and letting it fall down the stairs, something she would have been murdered for doing if Petunia was still around. Harry bit his lip; she could have used magic, but she didn't. He refrained from saying anything. She and Harry walked into the pink sitting room where his trunk and Hedwig were already sitting. Darcy sighed. The owl that Harry had gotten her in her last year had become sick. She wished she had it back; it would have been a great companion. Darcy sat down on her trunk and breathed out slowly. "Are you ready for this?"

"I've kind of got to be," he told his sister hesitantly. "Are you ready for this?"

Darcy smiled slightly. "Are you scared?"

Harry nodded. "Terrified." He swallowed. "But I've got you and Hermione and Ron."

Darcy stood up again and walked around. She opened up the cupboard under the stairs that Harry used to sleep in. She walked around and touched the wallpaper gingerly with her fingertips. She sighed. Why was she so reluctant to leave this horrible place where she was raised?

Someone suddenly knocked at the door and Darcy turned around and answered it. As she opened it, a large man greeted her with a bone crushing hug. "Darcy!" Hagrid shouted, lifting her off her feet. "Great to see you again! Where's Harry?"

She pointed to the living room and walked Hagrid inside. It wasn't just Hagrid who entered, though. Ron and Hermione followed. Hermione hugged Darcy tightly while Ron, his hands deep in his pockets, placed a light kiss on her cheek. Fred and George came bouncing in next, hugging Darcy at the same time; Bill walked in with Fleur on his arm and Bill hugged Darcy – Fleur kissed both her cheeks. Another red headed man whom Darcy had never met approached her and held out his hand.

"Name's Charlie Weasley," he said with a smile. He was a short, stocky man with large muscles on his arms. "Younger than Bill, but older than Perce. Been in Romania. That's probably why you haven't seen me around before."

Darcy nodded. "Darcy Potter. Older than Harry. I've been at Hogwarts working so that's probably why you haven't seen me around before."

Charlie winked and walked over to Harry to introduce himself. When Darcy looked up towards the doorway again, an even shorter man with a bald head walked up to her. He had an air of arrogance and Darcy raised her eyebrows.

"Mundungus Fletcher," he spoke loudly over the low muttering. "You must be Darcy Potter."

Darcy nodded and he walked away from her.

Mr. Weasley was next to enter, along with Kingsley. She received a handshake from Kingsley and a hug and kiss on the cheek from Mr. Weasley.

She glanced towards the front door again and saw the most familiar color of pink – Tonks had strode into the house, clinging tightly to Lupin's hand, who followed her close behind. Her hair was her favorite shade of bubble gum pink and it was Tonks who met Darcy's eyes first. There was slight pity in Tonks's eyes as she looked at her best friend – or was it ex-best friend now?

Darcy's eyes shifted to Lupin's and they stared at each other for a moment. Lupin had barely changed. His hair was a bit greyer than it had been, but other than that, he looked the same. Darcy, on the other hand, looked tired, as if she had undergone a transformation like Lupin's. Her eyes were dark and a bit sunken in and her skin was pale. Her waist was significantly smaller and Lupin assumed that it wasn't just due to the fact that her aunt and uncle nearly starved her every summer.

"Well, go on!" Charlie boomed over the now silent room. He was staring directly at Tonks. "Tell them the good news!"

Tonks opened her mouth to protest, but everyone nodded for her to continue. Slowly, she held up her left hand and Darcy's eyes flicked to the gold band around her ring finger. "Remus and I are married," she said, smiling. Lupin's smile seemed forced, but Darcy felt her world crash around her. "So sorry you all couldn't come… It was a quiet wedding…"

They would never be together again. Lupin was a married man and Darcy wouldn't dare interfere with that. She didn't dare cry – not in front of everyone. She knew what she was getting into. She already knew that she didn't have to time to care about what Lupin was doing. All that had to wait until Voldemort was dead and the war was over.

Before anyone could say anything more than 'congratulations', Mad Eye had burst through the door. "We'll have time for a cozy catch up later!" he growled and everyone turned to face him. "Since Pius Thicknesse has gone over, we cannot connect this house to the Floo network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. You're also still under the Trace, Potter –"

"I'm sorry," Harry interrupted. "What -?"

"The charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens – it's the way the Ministry finds out about underage magic!" Mad Eye continued gruffly.

"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked cautiously.

"We're going to use the only means of transport left to us, the only ones the Trace can't detect. Brooms, Thestrals, and Hagrid's motorbike."

Darcy narrowed her eyes. There were so many flaws in the plan, yet no one had said anything.

"Now, your mother's charm will break under two conditions," Mad-Eye looked at Harry seriously. "When you come of age or you no longer call this place home. You and Darcy are never planning on living together with your aunt and uncle again, yes?"

Both Darcy and Harry nodded.

"Now," he continued, his hands behind his back, his magical eye whirring around the room. "There will most likely be some Death Eaters patrolling the skies. So, we've given several different houses every protection we could think of. They've all got some connection with the Order: my house, Kingsley's place, Auntie Muriel's – you get the point.

"Harry, you'll be going to Tonks' parents house, Darcy, you'll be going to Muriel's. Once you're within the protective boundaries of the protective enchantments we have placed on the house, you'll be able to use a Portkey to the Burrow."

"We're going to different houses?" Darcy asked. "But – won't they only go for Harry when they see him flying around? They won't care about anyone else."

Mad Eye chuckled darkly. "I forgot to mention the key point. There will be eight Harry Potters moving through the skies tonight, each with a companion going to a different safe house."

From inside his cloak, Mad Eye withdrew a flask and Darcy's eyes widened. Harry immediately began to protest.

"No!" Harry shouted. "No way!"

Hermione shrugged. "I told them you'd take it like this."

"If you think I'm going to let everyone risk their lives for me – including my sister, who Voldemort would be happy to kill –"

"Because it's the first time for all of us," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"This is different! Pretending to be me –"

"Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry," Fred grinned, looking at Darcy quickly. "Imagine if something went wrong and we ended up a specky, scrawny git forever."

"Everyone is overage, Potter," Mad-Eye raised his eyebrows. "They're all prepared to take the risk."

"Wait!" Darcy shouted. "I haven't heard this plan before and –"

"But you want to protect Harry, don't you?" Lupin said softly from the corner of the room. Darcy turned around and licked her lips. She nodded, finally defeated and Hermione walked right up to Harry, plucking some hairs from the back of Harry's head.

She dropped them in the open flask that Mad-Eye was holding and he swished it around quickly. "Okay," Mad Eye cleared his throat. "Fake Potters line up, please. All together."

Mad Eye handed the flask to Fred, who passed it to George, to Mundungus, to Fleur, to Darcy, to Ron, and then finally, to Hermione. As Darcy gulped it down, she wanted to throw up immediately. She cringed, along with the others and she felt herself grow suddenly taller, her hair turning jet black and shrinking. She ran her fingers through her new hair and squinted, not seeing right. Darcy looked around saw eight Potters standing around her.

Mad Eye Moody nodded. "For those of you who need smaller clothes, I've got some here and vice versa. Don't forget the glasses. There are six pairs."

Everyone began stripping down quickly, having no problem showing off Harry's body. Darcy, Fleur and Hermione blushed a bit while taking off their bras.

"The pairs will be as follows," Mad Eye exclaimed. "Mundungus, you'll be with me. Arthur and Fred –"

"I'm George!" said one Potter to Darcy's right. "Can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry?"

"Sorry, George –"

"I'm only yanking your wand – I am Fred!"

"Enough messing around!" yelled Mad Eye. "The other one – George or Fred or whoever you are – you're with Remus –" Darcy felt a bit disappointed. "Miss Delacour, you'll be with Bill on a Thestral. Miss Granger with Kingsley, also by Thestral – Ron, you'll be with Tonks and Miss Potter, you'll be with Charlie."

"On a broomstick?" Darcy asked nervously. "Please, couldn't I ride a Thestral? I can't ride a broomstick!"

"I'll take good care of you, Darcy," Charlie smiled, but Darcy wasn't sure. She smiled weakly back at him.

"And you're with me, Harry," Hagrid sighed happily. The real Harry turned around to look at the half-giant. "That all right? We'll be taking the motorbike because broomsticks and Thestrals can't hold my weight, you see…"

"That's great," Harry replied.

Everyone shuffled around to pair up with their companion and Darcy walked up to Charlie. "I'm not a good flier – I hate flying, actually."

"How about this," Charlie began. "You can ride in front and I'll ride in the back. I'll steer and you can defend us if there do happen to be Death Eaters waiting for us up there."

Darcy shook her head. "Still nervous."

"Trust me," said Charlie reassuringly. "I was captain of the Quidditch team when I was at Hogwarts. Do you really think Mad Eye, who knows you can't fly, would put you with an inexperienced flier?"

"I – I suppose not."

"There you have it!"

Over by George, Lupin was staring intently at Charlie, his nerves jangling. He wanted to be with Darcy – he wanted to protect her. George suddenly spoke from the corner of his mouth. "Don't act so jealous." George smirked and Lupin's cheeks flushed a deep red.

Lupin raised his eyebrows to his hairline and stared at the Harry next to him, who was actually George. "What are you going on about?"

"You could be with her right now if you hadn't married Tonks."

"I had to – you don't understand."

"I'm sure. She's like my sister," George said quietly. "And I made her a promise the year you two met each other. I remember it – we were all at the Burrow for Christmas break."

"And what was the promise, exactly?" Lupin looked back at Darcy and Charlie. Darcy was now laughing at whatever the Weasley was saying, but it was odd – he felt a bit uncomfortable watching another Harry.

"If you ever hurt her, Freddie and I would hurt you."