Tighter

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Summary: Sometimes parents just need to hold their children a little bit tighter, a little bit longer.

James Potter had arrived home late, so late that his wife and son had already been asleep for several hours. Instead of creeping into the bedroom he shared with Lily, he instead crept into the nursery where eleven-month-old Harry slept. James simply leaned over the crib and watched as his son dreamt, probably about pulling the cat's tail or rolling around on the floor as his Uncle Padfoot licked him. Maybe he was even dreaming about his mommy and daddy.

James sighed and reached down, gently ruffling the mess of dark hair that was already nearly as unruly as James' own hair. James knew that he would not be sleeping tonight, at least not without a dreamless sleep potion. He could still picture the horrors of earlier in the evening, when he, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had been called upon to help defend muggle London. Innocent people were dead on the streets, not understanding what was happening or why.

Muggles could not be expected to understand. They did not know that the most dangerous wizard in the world wanted to exterminate their entire race. They did not know (and James had to admit that even he did not know before tonight) that part of Lord Voldemort's vendetta against the muggles was the extermination of children.

James felt physically ill as the images of the demolished day-care center came to mind. He had to lean against the crib to keep from collapsing he thought about the shattered, broken bodies of the small children, whose eyes had been wide and fearful as they died. He could hear their cries and screams of terror as the Death Eaters pursued them, tortured them. How he wished that he had been able to reach Bellatrix Lestrange and strangle the life out of her...some of the children...her victims...had been scarcely older than Harry...

James opened his watery eyes to peer down at his son, who was now away, disturbed from sleep by the sobs that had escaped from his father. Harry whimpered, his glorious green eyes tugging at his father's heart. James reached down, picked up Harry, and held him tightly to his chest.

"I've got you, Bud. You're alright," James told the boy, "As long as I'm here, you're going to be alright."

And it was true. As long as James Potter was alive, he would keep his son from suffering that same, horrible fate as those children in the daycare. He would give everything and anything to keep his boy safe...even his own life.

Remus Lupin was amazed at how one tiny being could change everything about him. Every thought, concern, and worry that Remus had held before was different now, all focused on a tiny boy with blond...brown...er...red...hair and innocent brown eyes that remained constant (for now). Remus simply stared in awe at Teddy Remus Lupin. All of his thoughts were now centered around the baby boy in his arms, ranging from 'when is the next feeding' to 'what are we going to do when he starts practicing magic' to 'will I be there to see him grow'?

The last was the most important question, the one Remus asked most often, only followed by 'what if he's like me?' Surviving the war seemed like a fool's dream now, in light of how badly things had turned. Sometimes he wondered how he could have been so foolish, to bring a child into this mad, mad world.

But he never regretted it. Never.

When he was holding Teddy, he felt better about himself. He didn't feel like a monster; he felt fierce, strong, and protective. This tiny boy, whose hair was now a shade of turquoise, brought out the best in Remus. Remus clung to that feeling, that elation. It made him want to be better for Teddy. He wanted to be happier, healthier, and stronger. It made him want to fight anyone who tried to take it away. If he had to fight in this war, he would fight for Teddy, for his future.

And just as the thought left his brain, Remus heard a POP and then Dora calling for him. He rose, carrying Teddy into the living room, where Kingsley Shacklebot stood next to the fireplace in front of Dora and Andromeda.

"Kingsley," Remus greeted, though not as exuberantly as he had the last time Kingsley had came to visit. On that occasion, the pleasant wizard had come toting a large blue balloon and a teddy bear; not the tense lines of worry on his face that he brought with him today.

"Harry has returned. Hogwarts is threatened. We need you," Kingsley stated. Remus saw Dora shudder in fear. He stepped forward and he was afraid that she would crumple, but she remained on her feet. He stopped in front of her.

"Take Teddy. I must go," he told her. Tears filled her eyes.

"I know," she said, holding her son tightly to her body, "I love you."

"And I love you," Remus told her, "No matter what, stay with Teddy."

"Remus, I can fight with you-"

"No!" Remus said so violently that Teddy whimpered in protest, his hair turning a shade of ice blue, "Dora, you must stay with him. He needs you here."

"Remus, we need you here-"

"Dora, I'm fighting this war for you and him. I need to know that you are both safe," he stated, kissing her before he turned kissed Teddy's fringe of blue hair, lingering just a little longer before he pulled away and stood in the fireplace with Kingsley. He fingered a piece of paper in his pocket; a photograph of his son. He would keep it with him. His son would always be part of him. Remus was doing this for Teddy.

As she watched her husband go, Nymphadora Lupin clutched her week-old son tightly to her, never wanting to let go of the reminder of her husband. She wanted Remus to stay, or at the very least, she wanted to go with him and fight by his side. She knew, in her heart, that they could do anything together. They created Teddy, a healthy baby, despite having a werewolf father. Surely if they stood side by side, they could survive this world for their son. They could give him two parents. Teddy would not have to lose his father...

Nymphadora paced, clutching Teddy all the while for the better part of an hour and a half. Every fibre of her being was telling her to go get Remus and bring him home. Every cry her son let out was a knife to her heart, reminding her that Teddy could be crying like this for a very long time if Remus fell.

Suddenly, she could take no more. She clutched Teddy to her and kissed his little head, lingering for a long time before she summoned the strength to pass him to her mother. It took everything in her to walk away from him, but she reminded herself that she was doing this for him. She was going to bring his father back with her. They were going to survive this war and be a family...together.

Molly Weasley held her daughter tightly to her, savouring in each breath she heard escape from Ginny's lips. It had been close, so very close. The words Molly had shouted still echoed in her head:

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Bellatrix Lestrange had fallen. Molly Weasley, kindly housewife and mother, had done what many more talented and powerful witches and wizards had failed to do: kill the woman who had tortured the Longbottoms to insanity, destroyed a daycare, and killed many good people, namely Sirius Black and Nymphadora Lupin. In fact, after the battle ended, Charlie had remarked:

"I didn't know that you even knew that word, Mum."

But there was no other word for Bellatrix Lestrange, who in many ways was more evil than her master, and at the time, Molly had felt a sick sort of pleasure at seeing Bellatrix fall. Never again would she prey upon another innocent soul. Never again would she tear another family apart.

Molly looked up when she heard her husband sigh. He looked older than she had ever seen him. Everyone did, now that she thought it. Everyone in this hall had been aged overnight by the battle that changed everything. Her own children looked older, even as they gathered around her and Arthur, looking for comfort as they had when they had been small and frightened of monsters and bad dreams.

Bill and Fleur sat together, tightly holding onto one another. Bill was almost pressed right up against Arthur's side. Ginny had her head on her mother's shoulder as Molly gently rubbed circles on her back. Percy was on Molly's other side, reluctant to leave his family even to go get a drink. He had only just returned to them. Charlie was across the table with his head in his hands. Ron, Hermione, and Harry hovered nearby, all three glancing over at them. Though he was with his best friends, Ron looked reluctant to follow them out of the hall.

And George was next to Arthur, staring blankly at a knot on the wood table. Molly just wanted to hold him and never let go. Molly and Arthur's grief was great, but she knew that George's grief for his twin was far greater. Fred and George had been constant companions since the womb. She could never remember a time when the two of them quarrelled; there just wasn't one. They were brothers and best friends. Now one was gone and the other had been left behind.

Molly noticed that Arthur had his arm around George, holding him tightly. Arthur must be feeling the same as her; needing to hold on tightly to the remaining children that they had. When Ron, Harry, and Hermione returned, she hugged each one, nearly suffocating them, because she needed them as much as they needed her.

Sometimes Harry James Potter hated his job.

The part that made it all worthwhile was when he got to return home to his family. As he dragged himself in through the front door, he noticed something odd. The house was silent; very unusual for the home to three young children and one part-time teenager.

Harry immediately felt his skin stand on end, fear making dark thoughts race into his brain. Just this morning, he had investigated an incident involving a cursed toy at a muggle toy shop that left several children wounded and ten killed. Harry pushed back the thought and drew his wand, creeping carefully through his house. He made his way to the kitchen, where his family should have been having dinner.

"SURPRISE!" little voices cried, making him jump as he crossed into the room. The next thing he knew, he was being tackled by his three children as Ginny and Teddy laughed.

"What is all this?" Harry asked, finally getting to his feet, holding four-year-old Lily in his arms. There were balloons, streamers, and even a cake.

"It's Daddy Day," Lily told him, placing a loud kiss on his scruffy cheek, "Ow, Daddy, your face is prickly!"

"Daddy Day?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. Father's day was a long way off. It was December, for crying out loud.

"Mommy said you had a hard day at work so we should have a Daddy Day," seven-year-old James explained earnestly, "I drew the letters, Dad, see?"

"That's great, James," Harry said, but his eyes weren't on the large banner draped along the wall. His eyes were on his wife, who was standing with an arm on Teddy's shoulder.

"We read the paper," Ginny answered his unasked question, "I told them that you were going to have a bad day and they wanted to do this to cheer you up."

Harry was touched. He couldn't believe that his children knew that this was exactly what he needed after this horrible morning. He loved everything about their surprise, from James's carefully drawn letters ('Happy Daddy Day') to the cake, which looked like the kids had had a hand in that too.

"Cheered up yet, Uncle Harry?" Teddy asked, leaning over sample a bit of icing on the cake.

"Teddy, that's for Daddy!" Lily scolded him.

"Well, Daddy's here, so I think I can have a bite now," Teddy told her. She glared as good as four-year-old could glare.

"Can I?" James asked, lighting up. Harry suspected James had been asking this all day.

"Go for it," Harry said, setting Lily back on the ground. Before Ginny or Harry could do anything, all of the kids tore into the cake with their bare hands. Ginny didn't know if she should scold them, but the look on her husband's face spoke volumes. He was laughing, delight in his eyes as he watched the kids cover themselves in chocolate cake and rainbow icing. She almost considered making him give them a bath afterwards, but decided that if seeing his children act like baboons made him happy, then she could live with it.

Later that night, all of the children sat in Albus's bed, listening as their father read to them. Even Teddy, who usually complained that he was too old for stories, easily complied as Lily dragged him into the room with her. When it was over, Harry tightly hugged each of them a little harder and a little longer than what was normal, something that Harry's quiet middle son immediately picked up on.

"How come you gave us extra hugs, Daddy?" six-year-old Albus Severus asked. Harry blinked and from the doorway, Ginny wondered how Harry would answer.

After thinking for a moment, Harry said, "Sometimes parents just need to hold onto their kids a little bit tighter and a little bit longer."

"Why?" Albus asked inquisitively, always curious.

"Because we love our kids more than anything else in the world and we never want to lose them," Harry answered.

"You could never lose us, Daddy!" Lily giggled, throwing her arms around Harry. He hugged her closed and then pulled the three boys to him as well, holding his children as tightly as his father had held him, as tightly as Remus and Nymphadora had held Teddy, and as tightly as Molly and Arthur had held their children.

The End

AN: Upon hearing about the tragic shooting in the United States, this idea bounced into my head about how parents deal with all of the ugly in this world. This is dedicated to those people in United States still reeling from the horror inflicted upon an elementary school at the hands of a psycho.