The silence pratically reverberated. Rose scanned the room, eyes alighting on Harry. She took a step forward. "Harry." she said softly "I haven't seen you since... well, for a long time."

Harry smiled in greeting "Hello Mrs. Snape."

She smiled slightly "Just Rose, please. Anyways, I'm reverting back to Ms. Lupin."

"Oh."

Rose scanned the room, searching for something to say. Finally, she noticed her daughter. "Katerina Rosella Black, what are you doing here?"

Kat smiled impishly, and Harry could finally see her resemblance to Sirius. "Well, right now I'm standing, although a moment ago I was introducing myself to a most fascinating young wizard." she said, indicating George, who, to Harry and the rest of the room's shock, blushed.

She actually laughed at that. Then she realized something. "Katerina. What were you thinking, apperating here? You left your siblings home alone!"

She grinned, exactly as Sirius used to "Actually, as you left after me, you left them home alone"

Her mother looked furious. Kat grinned again "Mum, we're all safe and sound, and I'm not missing my nose, so introduce me to these nice, red headed people. Well, at least most of them are red headed."

George laughed a thing he had not done since Fred's death. Rose shot him a look." That isn't the point! You-"

"Are ever so clever for tnot splinching? Why, thank you, mom! How very kind. But, seriously, mum, I understand that you're mad, but now alls well that ends well, right?"

Her mother smiled grimly "You sound like your father." Her smile flickered for a moment, remembering, and she turned to the rest of the room. "May I introduce my irrepressible daughter, Kat. She's a year older than you, Harry."

Harry barely gave the girl a look. He could not help himself; he was glaring at Rose. She gave him a deep, piercing look. "How about you and I talk in private, Harry"

"That would be wonderful, Mrs. Snape."

"It's Lupin. I've decided to go by neither Black nor Snape. It'd be too complicated."

Harry followed her into the next room. Then he turned on her. "How could you leave me? You're my godmother!"

"Yes. But there was the blood bond to keep you safe. Dumbledore offered, but I couldn't. I was trying to accept that Sirius had just left me, and Kat was troubling me again. Again, I do wish so… Dumbledore offered me the same chance again, on your 11th birthday… but at that point it was out of the question… with you looking so much like your father, but having your mother's eyes… and again the blood bond to keep you safe... it was a difficult time for all of us. Dumbledore understood, though… Dumbledore offered it to us again, when Sirius escaped, offering me a hidden home and a new identity, but I could not leave. You see, the twins had just been born, and we were having a hard enough time. We simply could not take on an extra responsibility. In fact, we had just sent Kat off to live with her aunt and uncle, but raising even a family of six as opposed to five on a teaching salary was simply impossible. It will be a great relief when we send the twins off to Hogwarts. And as for little Teddy, I quite simply do not know what to do. He is my responsibility, unless you choose to take him. It seems I am the final marauder, and you, Kat, little Sev, Sandra, Toby, and Teddy are the last marauder's descendants. It's quite sad, truly. We all had such large plans… I expected to be wed to Sirius for the rest of my life; James and Lily thought the same. Poor Pete was planning to propose to Kate, and Remus… Remus and I were attempting to find a cure for his… problem." Here she irritably wiped her eyes

Harry stared at her, speechless. Finally he spoke. "Why did I never know you existed?"

"I told my husband and brother never to mention me to you. Remus did a good job, as he rarely spoke to me after my marriage, and I have a feeling you and Severus never had a heart to heart."

Harry looked away. "That's an understatement. But why?"

"It would complicate things. I tend to make things worse for people."

"I see. You were part of the Order?"

"Yes."

"How much did you know, about what Sna- your husband was doing?"

"Very little, actually. We thought it was safer that way."

"One more question. What are you going to do now?"

"Actually, I already have an answer for that. I am the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."