Hey people =) Sorry for the delay! I got a new laptop, and it was tiring to transfer all my stuff from my old one into this one. =/

It is a bit of a sad chapter, so bear with me =)

Disclaimer: S. Meyer and J. K. Rowling own it all. All I own is Vivi.

Chapter 10

We all walked out of the castle's grounds and into Hogsmeade in silence. Vivi and Dora were next to me, walking so close our shoulders bumped. The Cullens were trailing behind us, and Luna had tagged along.

"I'll apparate to Mum's." Dora whispered. "I need to see Teddy. Be with him." She said lowly. I nodded.

"I know. Just, just don't tell mum about Vivi yet. It's going to be shocking enough when you arrive without Remus; I don't want to overwhelm her." I said just as lowly.

"Sure." she replied.

"Luna?" Vivi called. "Do you have a place to stay? Where's your father?"

Luna walked over to us, matching our sullen stride. "Daddy's still in Azkaban, I think. Hermione said our house exploded." She explained.

"Do you think she could come with us, Belly? Until her father's released?" asked Vivi.

"Of course." I looked behind me for confirmation. Edward, Carlisle and Esme nodded their heads. "We have plenty of space. You can stay as long as you need, Luna."

She nodded.

We reached Hogsmeade soon after, and I noticed wizards starting to come out of their houses to celebrate. I didn't feel like celebrating so many lost lives, though.

Dora pulled Annie and I into a quick hug before apparating to Mum's. She left wordlessly.

I walked down the street, nearing the Shrieking Shack, and grabbed a piece of wood that was lying on the floor. I silently cast the Portus charm once again, and asked everyone to touch it. Thirty seconds later, we had all landed inside the Cullen's living room.

I got up – I always fall when traveling through portkey – and motioned for Luna and Vivi to follow me.

"I'll lend you some of my clothes, if that's okay?" I directed my question to Luna, since Vivi would have no problem with it.

"Sure." She replied. I grabbed three sets of pajamas, and handed one to each of them, keeping the last one to myself.

"Luna, I'll show you to your room. You can shower and sleep there." I said softly, walking with her down the hall, to the guest room. I showed her where the towels and shampoo were, and went back to my room when I saw she was all set.

"I don't want to be alone, Belly." Vivianna whispered, taking my hand in hers once I was close enough.

"It's okay, sis. Why don't you take a shower in there," I pointed to my bathroom, "while I use Alice's, and then we'll sleep here, okay?"

She nodded, going into the bathroom. I followed her, showing to her where everything was before heading towards Alice's room. It was empty, thankfully.

I took a long shower, letting everything just wash away. I was too exhausted to cry, too tired to mourn.

The water started to turn cold, so I turned it off, quickly drying myself and putting on my pajamas. There was a shy knock on the bathroom door, so I grabbed my dirty clothes and stepped out of the steamy bathroom.

"Bella," said Alice. "You won't be sleeping with your hair wet. C'mon." She grabbed my hand and dragged me to my room, sitting me down at the vanity and looking around.

"Alice." I called out. "I'm going to dry my hair in one second. We don't have electricity, remember? I can do it with one hand." I motioned for my wand, which was sitting on my bed.

"Right, sorry." She said sheepishly. "I'm just... I want to help you. I can't stand seeing you like this, Bells." She frowned.

I sighed and walked to her. "Alice," I said softly, "I really appreciate everything you have done for me, for us. But I've lost friends tonight. I'm still processing it all, but I'm so exhausted, I can't even think." I told her.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around me and pecking my cheek lightly.

"I'll send Edward." She whispered.

Two seconds later, I had a different set of arms around me.

"Bella." My name sounded like a prayer on his lips. "I love you." He simply said, bringing me closer to him.

"I love you, too." I replied, resting my head on his shoulder. "Is it okay that Vivi stays here with me tonight? I... I don't think she's doing very well." I whispered to him, hearing the water shut off on our bathroom.

"She's not." He informed me. "She needs you, and your family right now." He said.

"I know."

"We'll be there for you every step of the way, Bella. I promise you."

I merely nodded, closing my eyes and breathing him in. His scent always managed to calm me down. "I'm going to check on Luna."

He nodded, kissing my head before walking me to her room.

"Luna?" I called, knocking on her door softly.

"Come in." She replied just as softly.

As I walked in, I could see her sitting by the desk, just staring ahead. "Are you okay?" My voice didn't seem to go higher than a whisper.

"Yeah. I'm okay." I nodded, letting her be. "Thank you." She said so softly I wasn't sure if I were supposed to hear it.

I walked over to her, giving her head a kiss, "sleep tight." I said, walking out of the room.

As I got back to mine, I saw my sister almost mirroring Luna's. I sat down on the bed next to her. "Let me dry your hair."

She just nodded her response, still staring ahead. I did both hers and mine in a matter of seconds, before grabbing her hand and intertwining our fingers.

"Let's get some sleep. We'll talk later."

She just nodded again.

"I love you." I whispered, kissing her temple and getting up.

As we walked to the head of the bed, I heard a sniff and a very low 'love you'. I just made her lay down before doing so myself. Once we were both tucked in, she turned to me, resting her head on my shoulder and sighing; her eyes closed and she was asleep almost immediately.

I stayed up for a few minutes, my eyes fixed on her face. It was still surreal to see her again, to be with her again. Soon, my exhaustion took over and I fell into a restless sleep.

Nightmares haunted me. I kept seeing Fred's body and then Remus'. I remembered Voldemort's face, snake-like and plain horrifying.

I woke up a few hours later with a start. I was sweating cold and gasping for air. I couldn't even calm myself by saying it was just a dream, because it wasn't... it had all happened.

I looked out the window, and saw the sun still up. I didn't want to move, as to not wake Vivi up, so I gently called for Edward, knowing he'd be able to hear me.

He was in the room just seconds later.

"What's wrong?" He asked, kneeling down near my head.

"Bad dream." I said as a way of explaining. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Three-thirty."

So it wasn't so late. I sighed, looking down at my sleeping sister. I didn't want to wake her up, but we needed to eat, and go visit Mum.

"Annie?" I called softly while running my hand through her hair.

"Uh?" She woke up, looking around the room before relaxing. "What?" She murmured, her voice still filled with sleep.

"We have to get up; you need to eat, and we need to see mum."

She nodded, closing her eyes and sighing.

"Annie, I'm serious."

She nodded again, burying herself deeper under the covers.

"Vivianna!" I called a bit louder, laughing at her. She still didn't move, so I got my secret weapon.

Tickling her.

"Okay, okay, I'm up." She hiccuped; she was laughing too hard.

"Good." I replied, getting up as well. I had just remembered Edward was still in the room, so I obviously blushed at our little banter.

"I'll leave you guys to get changed." He said chuckling. "Esme has some food downstairs."

I nodded so he could know I understood and he left.

Annie was already going through my trunk, looking for something to wear. When she found it, she skipped to my bathroom. I just got a pair of jeans and a lose shirt and changed quickly. When the bathroom was free, I went in to brush my teeth and hair.

"I'm going to see if Luna's awake." Vivi informed me.

Three minutes later, a sleepy Luna walked in with Vivi tagging along.

"Morning." I greeted her, handing her a toothbrush. "Let me just get you something to wear, and you can use my bathroom to freshen up." She just nodded, her eyes almost closing.

We were all ready in ten minutes. I could smell food, so we all went downstairs, almost running into the kitchen. Esme was busy attending something on the stove.

"I hope you girls are hungry." She said, turning around. We nodded enthusiastically. "It's almost ready, why don't you take a seat and I'll be right there."

"Okay." I replied.

Luna looked around. "Nice house. Do you have it protected from wrackspurts?" She asked in her dreamy voice.

Vivi and I snorted while Esme, and Carlisle who had just walked in, looked at her. "From what?" Esme asked.

"It's nothing, Esme." I dismissed it before Luna could get into one of her explanations.

Esme merely nodded and went back to plating our food.

"When you girls are done, I would like to check up on you all, if that's alright." Carlisle asked.

"Yes, of course." I replied.

"What are you?" Luna said at the same time.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Carlisle Cullen." He said, offering her hand for her to shake, which she did enthusiastically. "I'm a muggle doctor. I just want to make sure you girls are alright." He explained.

"But what about your kids?" She retorted.

"Luna, they're vampires, remember? They can't get hurt easily." Vivi reminded her.

"Oh, that's right. Is that why I can't see wrackspurts around them?"

We both nodded to her, our lips tight so we wouldn't laugh.

Esme set a plate full of spaghetti in front of each of us, and we dug in almost immediately. I was so hungry.

It took us ten minutes to finish it all.

"It was delicious, Esme, thank you." I said. Esme beamed back at me, truly glad we had enjoyed it.

With our stomachs full, we walked into the living room, where everyone else was sitting. I went to sit by Edward, and sighed when he wrapped his arm around me.

Carlisle checked us over for any injuries, but we were all fine.

It seemed like they wanted to ask us something, but didn't know how. I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk about what had happened though, so I interrupted.

"We should go to mum's." I said. "Luna, are you coming with us or would you like to stay here?" I asked.

"Can I stay?" I nodded. "I have to write to my dad."

"You can use Lynx if you want." I offered. She nodded.

"So, I'm not sure what time we'll be back, or if we're getting back today, so don't worry." I informed them. I didn't know how long we would take to catch up; we would have to be back by tomorrow, though. The funerals were the day after tomorrow, and I wanted to be mentally prepared for that.

"Okay." Carlisle replied for them all. Vivi got up, and I turned to Edward,

"Try not to worry too much, okay?" I whispered, brushing some hair out of his face. "I'll be back by tomorrow at the latest." He nodded, brushing his lips lightly in mine.

"I love you."

I replied, pecking his lips once more before walking over to Vivi.

"We should take a portkey. I don't think I'll be able to take you by Side-along Apparition." She nodded, handing me her hair clip.

I waved everyone goodbye as the usual feeling of being grabbed by a hook took over, and seconds later we were standing one street away from mum's place.

As we got closer, I could feel my sister get more nervous.

"It's going to be okay, sis." I told her. "I just hope she doesn't faint or anything." I tried to lighten the mood. It worked, she chuckled lightly before nodding.

We both took a deep breath as we reached the front door. I opened it slowly, walking in and closing the door as Vivi passed by me.

"Mum? Dora?" I called out. Dora came to greet us and lead us to the sitting room, where Teddy was.

"Mum is upstairs. I'll go get her." She said.

I had already picked my nephew up, sitting down and putting him on my lap.

"Hey, little guy. Auntie Bee missed you." I said in that stupid baby voice everyone seemed to acquire near children. I gave his little head a kiss before looking to my left side. "And this... is your Auntie Vivi. How about we say hello to her?" The month-old baby just looked at me and gurgled. "I'll take that as a yes." I chuckled.

He took one look at her and his hair changed color. I wouldn't know if he did it on purpose or not, but it was now bright blue, a contrast from the pale yellow he had just minutes before.

"Hi, little man." Vivi greeted quietly, extending her hand a bit so she could touch him. He grabbed her pointer finger and wrapped his little hands around it, and Vivi was sold. "He's adorable." She whispered.

"Would you like to hold him?" I asked. She looked at me scared. "Just make sure you support his head and body with both your arms, and you're fine." I showed the way I was holding him and she nodded, mimicking my position. Once he was settled in her arms, he looked at her once before yawning and closing his eyes.

"I love you." She whispered, kissing his head lightly and rocking him very gently.

"Isabella." I heard Mum's voice, so I looked up. She was standing by the doorway, so I got up and ran to her. "Oh, my baby, I'm so glad you're okay. I was worried sick when Remus and then Dora left; I knew you would be there, too." She said, breaking the embrace, but keeping me near her by grabbing my face gently. She caressed my cheeks with her thumbs before saying, "I love you."

I replied with a heartfelt 'love you, mum', before we both cried in each others arms. I was just getting caught up with all that had happened; it hadn't really sunk in yet, though.

"Mum, there's something I have to tell you." I whispered, wiping my tears away. She hadn't noticed Vivi sitting next to Dora. "We found Vivi."

At that, my mother let out a loud gasp, and looked around the room, her eyes finally resting on my little sister. Annie handed Teddy back to his mother and got up. I stepped away to give them their privacy, sitting back on the couch next to Dora.

"Hi, Mum." Vivi greeted, her head hung low.

"Vivianna? I thought I had lost you. Oh, baby, come here." Mum replied, opening her arms. Vivi took the invitation, running to her just like I had done minutes before.

I could hear I missed you's and I love you's, but nothing else; they were whispering to each other, catching up on time lost.

We stayed there for dinner, and eventually went to our old rooms for some sleep. We would be going back to the Cullen's tomorrow afternoon, to get ready for the service the day after.

I was having a very restless sleep again; I wonder when I would be able to had a dreamless night of sleep and be able to actually rest. I just sighed, looking up at my ceiling. Sometime later, I heard my door open and my sister walk in. She climbed under the covers and wrapped an arm around me, going back to sleep almost instantly.

This wasn't unusual; when we were kids, she would always come to my room when she had bad dreams. I believe her recovery would be much harder than mine.

Mum made us breakfast in the morning, and offered to go with us to the services. We all agreed to it, needing all the support we could get.

When we got back, Luna had informed us that her father would be meeting up with her at the funerals as well, so she would be staying another day. She absolutely loved Teddy as well; that boy was a charmer already.

When we woke up the next day, I could feel the gloomy atmosphere. I dressed in my school robes, and Vivi did the same, lending Luna one of hers. My sister had packed a few of her things from Mum's.

As we approached Hogwarts, I could feel my heart tighten. Everything was eerily silent, not even the owls were hooting.

I could see many caskets positioned side by side near the Forbidden Forest. Dora had informed us that they would all be buried here, in Hogwarts, where they had all valiantly fought for our freedom.

Edward put a hand on my shoulder, a subtle hint that he was there for me. Mum had her arms wrapped around Vivi, and Dora was holding on to Teddy tightly. She was trying to be strong, but I could see how hard it was for her to hold herself together.

We reached the opening, and Dora went straight to Remus' side. Luna spotted her father and ran to him.

Many people were around, paying their respects or saying goodbye to loved ones. I could see the centaurs by the entrance of the Forest, standing tall in respect.

I spotted the Weasleys right next to where Dora was standing and made my way to them.

"George." I greeted him first. Ron and I were sort of best friends, but I still got along better with his siblings than him. I guess our personalities clashed.

"Bells." He called back, giving me a tight hug. "How are you?" He asked.

"I'm going. How are you?" I asked back.

"I'm... I don't know. It's like it hasn't sunk in yet, you know?" I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

"It'll get better; it won't ever heal, but it will eventually get better." I said sincerely. He just nodded, giving me a hug and going back to his family.

It was so hard, doing this. How could I comfort a friend, when I had lost many people close to me as well? I just shrugged; I was going to do my best.

I greeted all the Weasleys, even Percy, with a hug, before reaching for Hermione and Harry.

"How are you guys doing?" I asked softly.

They both shrugged at the same time. "It's... it's hard, you know?" Mione said.

"Yeah, I do know. I haven't been able to sleep properly." I told them truthfully.

"Me neither." Both of them replied. We looked at each other, all three of us with no words to say.

"Hey, can you guys just wait a second, I'll be right back." I left them and walked to my big sister.

"Dee? Let me have Teddy for a bit. I can see you trying to stay strong for him, but you have to let go, too. I'll keep an eye on him, okay?"

Her eyes were tearing up, and she nodded. With trembling arms, she handed me her son, and whispered a 'thank you'. I just nodded, knowing she needed the time for herself.

I went back to Harry and Mione, who were joined by Ginny and Ron.

"Guys, this is Teddy, my nephew." I introduced him. The girls were on him immediately, cooing and saying how cute he was. I guess he noticed the attention, for his hair changed from black to green in a second.

There were no smiles, though. It was a bittersweet reunion for us.

"Your godson, Harry." I said softly. "Would you like to hold him?" He looked at me alarmed.

"Maybe some other time. What if I drop him?"

I was going to say that he wouldn't, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. Guys and babies just wasn't a good combination.

We caught up for a while, Edward joining us a while later; Harry thanked him and his family for helping us out when they could have just disregarded it. Edward responded the same way he did when I thanked them.

Eventually, we split up, each of us going towards our families. Dora reclaimed her son; I could see her eyes red from crying, but she was more collected now.

A few minutes later, McGonagall called attention, and we all sat down on the chairs set up for the occasion.

"We are here, today, to mourn and honor the souls of these brave witches and wizards, who have given their lives for us; for our freedom and a better world.

"They have all fought valiantly. They stood by our side through it all. Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, former teachers, members of our community; they have all given their lives for a noble cause."

I noticed how she didn't mention Slytherins, even though Crabbe had died too; his reasons were far from noble, though.

"Fifty-four people died in the Battle of Hogwarts. It is only just that they all be buried here, where it all happened, like the true heroes they are.

"Let's all raise our wands in respect for all who have died protecting us."

Everyone stood up, raising their lit wands towards the sky; their faces were all somber.

Silently, each casket was closed, and they were laid to rest for ever. Families went to the front to write on their loved ones' tombstones. Dora handed me Teddy before going out there. I took her hand in mine, and walked with her.

"You are not alone, Dora." I whispered. Vivi and Mum walked along with us.

Dora got her wand and scribbled 'Remus John Lupin – Beloved Husband, Father and Friend' and his birth and death dates. She shed a few more tears before composing herself and taking Teddy from my arms.

"He's finally at peace." She murmured.

The Cullens walked forward and paid their respects as well; they had grown found of my brother-in-law. Esme went straight to my sister, comforting her. Edward pulled me to him, letting me cry on his shoulder.

I saw Alice dragging Jasper away, but didn't blame her. The emotions today would be too much for Jasper to handle.

Emmett stepped up and picked my little sister up, setting her on his hips as if she were a little child and cradling her to him, letting her cry on his shoulder. Carlisle went to my mother's side, comforting her as well. I noticed Rosalie look a little lost, as if she wanted to do something but didn't know what.

As the sun set, we all slowly made our way back to Hogsmeade. The Express was set to take us to London in an hour, and we didn't want to miss it.

The ride was long and silent. No one spoke a word, and the silence was only broken once we got to King's Cross, by Harry.

"Bells." He called out. I looked at him and waited. "Is it... may I visit you soon?" He asked.

"I already said you could, Harry." I reminded him gently.

He nodded, pulling me in a hug.

"It's going to be alright, now, Bells. It's going to be alright."

I nodded, hugging him just as tight.

"Look after Teddy for me, and I'll see you soon sis." He said.

"I will. And we'll see each other soon, brother. I love you."

He replied to it before crossing the barrier. I grabbed Edward's hand and walked towards the wall as well, just walking through it with no explanations.

"Cool." I heard him whisper, and chuckle.

Once we got home, the events of the day finally caught up with me. I quickly made my way up, not wanting anyone to see my breakdown.

Someone followed me up, but I didn't dare look who it was. My eyes were already red from crying earlier, but now they also burned from unshed tears.

Once I was inside my room, I broke down. I slid down the wall, my knees bent as I hid my face in them, sobbing.

So many people I knew were dead. Friends, acquaintances, teachers. Dead because someone wanted power.

"Shhh, Bella. It'll be okay, baby." Edward whispered, sitting down next to me and picking me up, pulling me on his lap. "It'll be okay." He kept whispering, running his hand through my hair as he tried to calm me down.

I cried myself to sleep that night, and woke up in Edward's arms, laying in bed.

I had no nightmares that night.

I knew it would be a long road to recovery, but I was willing to take it; I wanted to finally be able to live my life without fearing every step I took. I wanted to live free of worries.

For the first time in years, I felt safe. Remembering Harry's words, I sighed.

"It's going to be alright now."

And it finally would.

How was it? Too sad? Rowling never mentioned what happened after the battle, besides the whole epilogue thing, so I made up what I thought would happen.

I'm not sure if it's finished yet. Should I write a sequel, or just keep going with this one, adding a year in Hogwarts or something like that?

Reviews would make my day!