Author's note: This is the chapter I had been dreading writing. When I finally did write it, it hurt a lot. If you have read Deathly Hallows, you'll know why. If you haven't, then don't read this chapter. It's full of enormous spoilers. Gigantic ones. Anyway, as I come to the end of this fic, I would like to thank everyone who had read and enjoyed it, with special thanks to albe-chan for all of her kind comments!

Teddy Lupin was an "easy baby". He rarely cried, and his parents were surprised to find that his nappies were not as disgusting as they had expected. There was one small problem. He was a Metamorphmagus, just like his mother, so every time his parents left him, they would return and he looked like a completely different baby. Tonks and Lupin had at first been startled when they put Teddy down for the night, and when he cried for his next feed he was as black as Kingsley Shacklebolt. They soon became used to this, though, especially with the support of Andromeda. She had some amusing stories to tell about having a Metamorphmagus child, too:

"I took Nymphadora to the park, once, when she was about two," she said, "I turned my back for one minute, then when I looked again I had no idea which child was mine. I had to sit and wait for all the other parents to take their kids home so I knew which one was mine. They learn to control it eventually, though, and pick a form that they like."

At least there were no other children around for Teddy to get mixed up with. Not yet, anyway, though Lupin was desperate for more.

"Not yet," Tonks would smile, "I've only just had this one. Let's give it another year at least. Do you have any idea how taxing it is being pregnant then squeezing a person out of a very small hole?"

With all that was going on, Lupin almost forgot that outside there was a war raging. When Teddy smiled for the first time, there seemed to be nothing in the world but happiness and hope. Lupin was thrilled that he had been there to witness it, with Tonks by his side. He now understood how James and Lily had felt: when Harry had been born, they had spent most of their lives in hiding, but Lupin never recalled a time when they were not smiling. They had one another, and they had their child, and that was all that mattered. He wished they could see everyone now; they would be proud of their son, and thrilled for Lupin. Sirius would be happy, too, Lupin thought, to see him living a conventional, normal life that had been denied to him for so many years.

The couple even began to make plans for "when all this is over". They would take Teddy to the seaside, they would teach him all about his namesake, perhaps they would sometimes leave him with his grandmother while they went on romantic holidays. Both were confident that one day it would all be over, and a new world would be forged full of cheer and light.

A stark reminder of the evil that lurked outside of Lupin's happy little sanctuary came one evening in the form of a Patronus, cat-shaped, that spoke in Minerva McGonagall's voice.

"Hogwarts will be attacked by Voldemort tonight. Harry Potter is here. We will fight."

Lupin knew what he had to do. This was it, this was the night that would decide, once and for all, whether good or darkness would triumph. This was the night that Lupin must fight to secure a world fit for his young son to grow up in.

"I'm going with you," Tonks said firmly. "They're going to need as much help as they can get!"

"You can't," Lupin replied, feeling a chill descend upon him. He could not put Tonks in any danger, and there was a high chance that all present could be massacred if the wrong side won. It would be better to have her safe at home with Teddy and Andromeda than to be needlessly murdered. He tried his best to explain this to her.

"Remus, I know you're trying to do this out of some kind of chivalry, but I should be there."

"Please, Dora, I love you too much to let you do this! I can't lose you, I can't." Lupin was shocked at the desperation in his own voice. Perhaps Tonks was, too, as she nodded.

Lupin kissed each member of his family and hoped desperately that he would see them again. Andromeda wished him luck, and said she would see him soon. Teddy gurgled, and Lupin looked into his eyes for what he hoped would not be the last time. He held his child, breathed in the sweet, powdery baby smell and kissed the soft blue hair. Finally he turned to Tonks. He held her close, and felt quite unwilling to let go.

"I love you so much," he murmured. Finally, he walked out of the door, looking back at his family, then he turned and Disapparated.

Remus Lupin was in quite a quandary. The confidence he had experienced at the beginning of the battle was starting to wane. He was still alive: that was a good thing, but he was beginning to become tired. Everywhere he turned, there were more Death Eaters, each as bloodthirsty as the last. Lupin saw his old foe, Fenrir Greyback darting around, attempting to savage the Hogwarts students. He subdued the monster with a Body-Bind Curse, and was then attacked by several of the enemy at once.

He was now in his old classroom. It looked completely different, now: full of Dark objects, it had an aura of evil rather than education. Initially, Lupin thought he was in a better position, as there was now only one Death Eater to duel. However, he soon realised he had underestimated the skill of Dolohov. The wizard used a sheer brute force approach: he fired off curse after curse, leaving Lupin with no option but to use defensive magic. Aberforth Dumbledore dashed past, fired a jinx at Dolohov, but to no avail. The Death Eater continued to hurl Dark curses at his quarry.

Lupin grew so tired. He did not think he would survive this attack. His reflexes were slowing down and it was growing harder to deflect the onslaught. Just when he thought he was done for, he was saved:

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" came a female voice. Dolohov fell to the ground, paralysed, and Lupin saw Tonks standing in the doorway.

"W-what are you doing here?" Lupin stammered. His knees were trembling. Although Tonks had just saved his life, he was terrified that she had put her own life in danger.

"I had to come. I had to be with you. I had to help."

Lupin grabbed her in a tight hug. "I love you, Dora. Thank you."

"There's time for that later," she said with a smile. "But now we have to win this battle!" Tonks applied all that she had learned in her Auror training. The two perched behind the door, Stunning any Death Eaters who passed. Occasionally, one or the other would run outside to take out any others nearby. Lupin felt glad now to have Tonks by his side. She was an exceedingly capable fighter.

Finally, though, a Death Eater broke through. Bellatrix Lestrange.

"My dear little niece!" the witch cried. "How wonderful. I see she's bought her filthy little husband with her."

Lupin raised his wand, but Bellatrix ignored him. Instead, she circled Tonks. Tonks fired a curse at her aunt, and Bellatrix cackled in delight. Soon, the three of them were engaged in a duel, though Bellatrix still seemed to ignore Lupin, except to deflect his spells. She did this easily; she was an experienced fighter. All of her energies seemed to be concentrated instead on Tonks.

"I'll teach you some manners, you little half-breed bitch. That's no way to greet your favourite aunt. Crucio!" The curse missed Tonks. Lupin gasped with relief.

"You're just acting like such an evil bitch because Voldemort doesn't want to fuck you," Tonks taunted. Lupin couldn't help but smile at his wife's defiance. Here she was engaged in a battle with Voldemort's first lieutenant, who happened to be her own aunt, and she was making barbs about Bellatrix's sex life. It was funny, strong Tonks all over. Lupin felt a little leap of love for her.

The smile was soon wiped from his face. The comment had enraged Bellatrix, and both he and Tonks saw the change in her. Before, she had been attacking them for sport; now it had turned into something much deeper. Earlier, they may have survived the confrontation, but it was clear now that Bellatrix would not stop till both were dead.

She raised her wand and pointed it to Lupin. "Now I'm going to kill your dirty werewolf husband." Lupin raised his own wand to defend himself, and Tonks had hers poised to protect him.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" cried Bellatrix. Lupin saw, with horror, that she had changed the aim of her wand at the very last second, that the curse had hit Tonks in the chest. Lupin watched with horror as the woman he loved fell slowly to the ground. It was like history repeating itself. He had watched, two years previously, as the same fate had befallen Sirius, as he had fallen backwards so slowly. Lupin thought he felt his heart breaking as he watched his wife die. She shouldn't have been here. The future they had planned was slowly collapsing around him.

He was dimly aware of the sound of laughter, but it became more and more acute. Lupin realised it was Bellatrix, the woman who had torn away both of his great loves. The grief was replaced by cold, hard anger. He raised his wand and pointed it at Bellatrix, who was distracted by gloating over the death of Tonks. How could anyone gloat about the loss of such a sweet, loving person? Even now, Lupin felt the world grow a little darker. Bellatrix had to die for what she had done, and Lupin would be the one to end it. Because of her, Teddy would grow up without a mother, Andromeda would lose her beloved daughter. Lupin could barely imagine what a world without Tonks would be like—all he knew was that it would be a dark, horrible place. Bellatrix had to die.

"AVADA-"

The curse was never finished. After her death, the Body-Bind Curse that Tonks had placed upon Dolohov was lifted. Dolohov had seen his opportunity and sent a Killing Curse into Lupin's back.

Lupin died with Tonks on his mind. He died fighting evil, he died fighting for a new world for his son. He died avenging the woman he had grown to love above all others. He was a senseless victim of Voldemort's forces, just as heroes such as Fred Weasley and Colin Creevey had been. None deserved to die, but all had played their roles in establishing victory. All had been fighting for a force much stronger than darkness: that of love.

At the age of eighteen, Teddy Lupin felt that he had lived a fairly happy life. He was distressed, of course, at having never known his parents, but he grew up so surrounded by love that he was never lonely. There was something bothering him today, though. He had had an argument with his girlfriend, Victoire, and told his godfather, Harry, about it. Harry had replied, "True love isn't always smooth. Ginny and I broke up once. Ron and Hermione were pretty turbulent. Even your dad tried to leave your mum once." When he pressed for further information, Teddy had been met with a wall of silence.

He had heard so much about how his parents had loved one another dearly, and therefore he couldn't comprehend why his father might have left his mother. He decided he had to ask his grandmother.

Andromeda had not lost her beauty, despite her face having grown wrinkled and her hair streaked with grey. She visited the graves of her family daily: Ted, Nymphadora and Remus, all laid side by side, though she had taught Teddy that death was something that made you feel sad, but you must always remember all the good things about the person, and how lucky you were to have known them. Teddy felt unlucky that he had never known his parents, or his grandfather, but until today believed that he had known everything about them.

"Gran," Teddy said, "Harry told me that Dad left Mum once. Why did they do that?"

"Oh dear, Teddy," Andromeda replied, "it's a long story, and you must promise me that you won't think too badly of your parents after I tell you this. I think you're old enough to hear it now. The fact of the matter is that they did love each other, but there were a few obstacles. Now, did Harry ever tell you about a man called Sirius Black…?"