Legacy and Sirius had finally purchased their own home, just outside of London. They had arranged to have everything delivered and set up, and were at the Burrow for the summer. Bill's fiancée, Fleur Delacour, was also there, and Legacy seemed to be the only woman who actually got along with her. Ginny and Hermione had taken to calling her 'Phlegm' behind her back. Fleur was delighted with 'leetle James', and made any excuse to spend more time with him. Legacy was in the kitchen helping Molly make dinner one evening while Fleur was off entertaining James, and Molly and Legacy were having a little spat.

"I just think they're rushing into it, is all. They've only known each other a year!"

"Sirius and I only knew each other for a year and a half before he proposed. Not even that long, actually."

"I know what this all is – with You-Know-Who returned and all, people are rushing into things that they'd normally take time to consider. It was the same way last time, people eloping left right and center."

"If I recall correctly, I think that you and Dad did much the same thing." Legacy reminded her.

"Arthur and I were made for each other, so there wasn't much point in putting it off, now was there?"

"They're both adults, Mum. They're more than old enough to make their own decisions. And she's not stupid, she was a champion for the Triwizard Tournament." Molly was unable to make a response, because Fleur stepped into the kitchen just then.

"Legacy, your leetle boy, I think 'e is 'ungry." Legacy took James from the other woman, and the boy was fussing.

"It's very likely. Thank you, Fleur." Legacy smiled brightly at the other woman.

"Eet was no trouble." Fleur looked at Molly before speaking again. "Might I 'ave a word with you in private?"

"Of course, it's no trouble." They walked out of the kitchen, and Legacy looked around. "You haven't seen Sirius, by any chance, have you?"

"I think 'e is with Monsieur Lupin." She said rather uncomfortably. Fleur hadn't quite gotten used to having a werewolf living under the same roof as her yet.

"At least Remus will probably keep him out of trouble." The two girls headed up to Fred and George's old room, where Legacy and Sirius had been sleeping. Fleur waited until Legacy was nursing James before she began to speak.

"I 'ave noticed something while I 'ave been here."

"What's that?"

"I am embarrassed to say zis, it sounds childish, but eet seems like you are zee only woman 'ere 'oo likes me at all, and I was wondering eef zair was something I 'ad done to provoke zis reaction." Fleur blushed.

"I think it's mostly the Veela in you that's making Ginny and Hermione slightly jealous, and since everyone knows about it, there's probably some thoughts that… that Bill is rushing into things, being somewhat… 'bewitched' by your appearance." Legacy said, trying to be tactful.

"But zat is not true!" Fleur wailed. "I love Bill!"

"I know that." Legacy said, patting her knee. "But I can't change their minds, and I've tried to."

"I will 'ave to try 'arder, zen." Fleur declared.

"I think that they'll come around in the end, it's just that most of the people here don't know you very well. To be completely honest, I don't even know you that well, but I know enough." James was fussing again, so Legacy finished nursing and began to burp him. "I know that you are an honest woman with a good heart, and I think that Bill made a wonderful decision when he asked you to marry him."

"You are very kind." Fleur said, blushing again.

"If it makes you feel any better, my mother hates Sirius." Legacy said. "They've never gotten along." Fleur had been told who Legacy's mother was. She, Fred and George had been the only new members that year, and Fleur had been the only one who hadn't known, so Legacy had told her. It was only right, seeing as all of the other members had been informed the year before.

"I guess zair is zat." Fleur said, smiling slightly.

"My parents are likely to kill my husband on sight. At least you don't have to worry about that." Legacy reassured the other woman.

"Eet is a bit odd that you refer to zem so openly like zis." Fleur said, shaking her head. "Eef it was me in your place, I would not say anything about it."

"A good friend told me that you can't let things you are unable to change dictate your life, so I figured it was better to openly acknowledge it than to try and hide it. This way, all of the cards are on the table." Fleur looked confused. "That means that there aren't any secrets, and my willingness to share with the Order may allow them to trust me more. Like Remus." Legacy explained, and Fleur nodded.

"I appreciate you taking zee time to chat about my leetle fears."

"I'm deeply touched that you trust me so much to come to me and be open about your insecurities."

"You are zee only one 'ere zat I know. Ees it so odd now?"

"Yes, because we barely spoke to each other. The only reason we ever met was because of chance." Legacy peeked out the window. "Mum's probably got supper ready now. I'll go round everyone up, and why don't you go see if Molly needs a hand?" Legacy asked, and Fleur smiled as she stood up.

"Yes, I will go and 'elp."

When Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys went to Diagon Alley, the Blacks stayed at the Burrow with Bill and Fleur. Legacy was very glad to see that Sirius seemed immune to Fleur's Veela charm.

"I 'ope zat our children will be just as well be'aved as leetle James is." Fleur gushed.

"As long as we don't let Fred or George around them very often they will be." Bill said.

"Are you kidding? I'm having them over as often as possible." Sirius said. "Nobody ever gives them a chance because everyone expects them to misbehave." James squawked loudly, changing the subject. Legacy picked him up and went to change his diaper before nursing him and laying him down for a nap. When she returned, Bill and Sirius were exchanging stories about Hogwarts. Fleur was simply nodding at every other sentence, so Legacy spoke to her instead.

"So how old is your sister?" Legacy asked, and Fleur launched into speech. Legacy was regaled with stories of France, Fleur's school and family. Legacy had to interrupt to ask the other girl to speak English again, but it wasn't very often. Legacy had lost track of what time it was, and was startled when Molly opened the door.

"We're all back. Did you enjoy yourselves?" Molly asked.

"I know we did." Legacy said, patting Fleur on the knee.

"I cannot believe zat you let me go on all day." Fleur said.

"You needed it." Legacy stood and looked over at Molly. "Do you need help putting dinner together?"

"I think

Molly, Arthur, Sirius and Legacy accompanied the students to King's Cross station. Arthur had gotten cars from the Ministry, and there was even a car seat for James. The Aurors said nothing, but they glared at Sirius from time to time, and didn't speak to him beyond what was necessary.

"I don't know if they'll let you become an Auror, Legacy." Sirius murmured, and she looked at the Aurors.

"I see you've noticed their less-than-friendly reception." Legacy said wryly.

"It's hard not to." Sirius said. "But I'm beginning to doubt whether they'll let you join up, being my wife and all."

"Then it's their loss, isn't it? And there's going to be plenty of time for them to change their minds. I wouldn't start until James was at least two or three years old."

"I don't want you to put off your life on our behalf."

"I seem to recall having a conversation very similar to this one before, don't you?" Legacy asked, and Sirius smiled. "Besides, I don't think that they can really afford to be choosy right now, do you?"

"I guess not, but what if everything comes out? You know," Sirius looked around and dropped his voice to a whisper, "about your parents."

"The Order knows about it, and they don't seem to have a problem trusting me." Legacy said, and Sirius sighed. "Let's not talk about this now. There's always time for it later." Sirius nodded as Harry walked up to them.

"I need to talk to you two and Mr Weasley privately." Harry murmured, and they followed him. Harry told the three of them about how he'd tailed Malfoy. "I think he's replaced his father as a Death Eater." Harry finished, and Arthur frowned.

"I don't think that You-Know-Who would –"

"That's just it, isn't it? We don't know what he would or wouldn't do." Harry said, interrupting Arthur.

"I think it's a viable theory." Legacy said. "He might be having the same trust issues with a certain someone that some of us are, and having a second set of eyes running around wouldn't hurt. If nothing else, this might be punishment for what happened at the Ministry. I don't think that we should discount it just because it seems unlikely."

"I have to agree with Legacy." Sirius said. "We have no idea exactly what he's capable of, so we need to be prepared for the worst, don't we?"

"I guess. I'll go search the manor again, but I don't think we'll find anything." Arthur clapped Harry on the shoulder and walked away. Legacy waited until he was out of earshot before speaking again.

"Use the Marauder's Map. Keep an eye on him." Legacy said. A whistle blew, and Sirius pulled Harry into an embrace.

"Don't forget to write to us." Sirius said, and Harry nodded before running to board the train. "He's got good instincts, that one." He added, and Legacy nodded.

"Let's just hope that those instincts don't get him killed one of these days." She shifted James onto her other hip, then she followed Sirius back to the cars to go home.

Molly tried talking them into staying longer, but Legacy politely refused.

"We need to get our home sorted out. You can come for visits whenever you'd like to, however." Legacy said, and she meant it. Molly and Fleur needed to start getting along. None of the men appeared to notice that Molly disliked the other woman, and the only way that was going to change was if the two of them sat down together and got to know each other, and actually spent time together. So the three of them left, after Legacy also extended the invitation to Bill and Fleur, and went to their home. It was a large, three-story Victorian-style building. It had six bedrooms and five bathrooms, and a wrap-around porch. The master bedroom had an attached bathroom, a balcony, and a walk-in closet. Nearly all of the other bedrooms also had an attached bath. All of the furniture and appliances were brand-new, and they'd had it all delivered. The kitchen was a large room with plenty of counter space and an island in the middle of the room, as well as a sliding door leading onto the porch. The pantry was behind a door in the kitchen with a few steps leading down into it. The dining room boasted a wooden floor and a table large enough to seat twelve, with a chandelier hanging overhead. It had taken a lot of talking on Legacy's part, but she'd finally convinced Sirius to bring it with them from Grimmauld Place. There were no bedrooms on the main floor, they were on the second and third levels. The living room had a large window in it, and enough room for well over a dozen people to sit comfortably. They cast numerous spells on it to help keep it safe – Anti-Muggle spells and the Fidelius Charm among them. Dumbledore had been made the Secret-Keeper for their home, as well. All of the Order members had been let in on the Secret, and there was a small house-warming party with the available members a few days later. That was when Legacy and Sirius heard about Harry's mishap on the Hogwarts Express from Tonks.

"He'd followed Malfoy under his Invisibility Cloak, and he must have been noticed, cause when I found

Harry, he was on the ground with a bloody, broken nose, under his Cloak." Tonks paused for a moment before continuing. "Snape met me at the gate. It was supposed to be Hagrid, but apparently he was busy."

"But Harry's fine, right?" Sirius asked, and Tonks nodded.

"Yes, I healed up his nose and he got up to the castle safely enough. I bet it surprised that Malfoy boy to see him, though."

"That's good." Sirius said, nodding. "By the way, do you know if the Auror's Office is accepting new candidates at the moment?"

"I don't think that they'd take you, even with your name cleared. Bad blood, and all." Tonks shook her head. "I don't know that you'd get a job in the Ministry at all, actually."

"I wasn't asking for myself." Sirius tilted his head towards Legacy.

"I told you that I didn't want to even apply until James was at least a year old." Legacy said.

"I'm just testing the waters. It's good to find out if they'll even take you." Sirius said.

"I don't know that they would. They're looking for people, don't doubt that, but she's the wife of Sirius Black, and the daughter of… well, you know." Tonks flushed slightly.

"We don't have to tell them that part. We can tell them the same story that the rest of the wizarding world knows." Sirius argued.

"I can ask around if you want." Tonks offered. "But I can't promise anything."

"I would appreciate it." Sirius said, smiling.

A few days later, and owl arrived for Legacy from the Ministry.

Legacy Jones

It has come to our attention that you would like to seek employment within the Ministry of Magic as an Auror. If you would like to set up an appointment so that we can evaluate your abilities and acceptability as an Auror, we would be delighted to speak with you. Please send a date and time with this owl.

Gawain Robards

"They used my maiden name." Legacy said, handing the letter to Sirius.

"It must have been a mistake." Sirius placed the letter on the table. "I think that you should do this. I know that you wanted to wait a while longer, but I think that this would be good for you."

"You're right. I do want to wait."

"I can take care of James. We could go back to the Burrow, so that Molly's there all the time." Sirius tapped the parchment with a finger. "We don't know how long this offer will stand." Legacy sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Only if you're sure. And remember, if I do get accepted, I'll likely be working longer hours than even Arthur is right now."

"I am sure. That's why I suggested that we go back to the Burrow. Molly would love to have company that's not Fleur." Legacy grabbed another piece of parchment, a quill and an ink bottle and wrote down an acceptable date and time before sending the owl back.

"Well, let's get ourselves packed up."

Molly was very glad to see them, and was excited for Legacy.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get it. You did wonderfully on your OWLs." Molly reassured her.

"I never did do my NEWTs, though." Legacy said.

"But you were in the Triwizard Tournament, and faced down You-Know-Who. Harry's the only other person who can say that he did that." Molly said, patting her arm. "Arthur speaks highly of Mr Robards."

"They used my maiden name." Legacy said. "Here, read it." Legacy handed Molly the letter.

"I'm sure it was just a mistake, dear." Molly said.

"I'm not so sure." Fleur came into the kitchen and they changed the subject. When Bill and Arthur came home that night they were both very happy for her as well. When she showed Arthur the letter he frowned slightly at the name, but didn't comment on it. Legacy cornered him later to ask him about it.

"Why do you think they used my maiden name?"

"Well, when you two were married, Sirius was still a wanted criminal. Did you ever send the Ministry a copy of your marriage certificate?" Arthur asked, and Legacy shook her head. "See? That's all it is, just a mistake. Go in a bit early with a copy of it and get that sorted out before you go and see Robards."

"How long do you think it will take?" Legacy asked, and Arthur shrugged.

"It might take a bit longer with yours, so I'd go an hour or so early. And if it's finished faster than you think, then it never hurts to be too early, right?"

Legacy's appointment was at ten in the morning on October seventeenth, and she arrived at nine via Muggle transit. She entered the Atrium and registered her wand and arrival, and was directed to the first Department, for the Minister for Magic and Support Staff to register her marriage. After arriving, she asked a few more questions and was directed to the Junior Undersecretary to the Minister, Percy.

"Damnit. Just what I needed." She sighed and headed to Percy's office. Upon arrival he wasn't there, so she sat down at the desk to wait for him. She waited for ten minutes before he and Rufus Scrimgeour arrived.

"And make sure that we have all the – Weasley, it appears as though you have a visitor." The two men had entered the office and hadn't seen her right away. Percy looked over at her and his face fell slightly.

"Legacy. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Percy said, and Legacy scoffed.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. This isn't exactly how either of us were planning on starting our day."

"Legacy? Legacy Jones? The young woman looking to apply at the Auror's Office?" Scrimgeour said, looking her over. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He offered his hand, and Legacy stood and shook it.

"Thank you, sir. But it's Legacy Black. I actually came down here to sort it out before meeting Mr Robards."

"What's there to sort out?" Scrimgeour asked, and Percy sat behind the desk. Legacy handed Percy her marriage certificate before answering.

"I was married just over a year ago, and I forgot to send this in. I hadn't realized that it was necessary, and only found out when I received the letter from Mr Robards." Percy looked over the certificate and nodded.

"It all appears to be in order, Legacy. I'll get this done right away." He slipped the certificate into a folder. Legacy looked at her watch, and saw that it was nine-thirty.

"I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I have an appointment to keep." Legacy told Scrimgeour, and he smiled.

"Down with Robards? I'll walk with you, there's something I needed to speak with him about anyway." Legacy nodded and stepped out of Percy's office.

"I take it you know Weasley?" he asked, and Legacy nodded. "What's with the cold reception?"

"He broke his mother's heart out of pride, and he refuses to make amends." Legacy said. There were very few people wandering the halls this time of day.

"I hadn't realized that you were married." Scrimgeour said, changing the subject. Legacy reached into her purse and took out a small photo-wallet.

"This is my wedding day." Legacy said, flipping through to the photo. "And this is my son. He was born in May."

"And you are how old?" Scrimgeour asked.

"I just turned nineteen, sir." Legacy said, putting the photos away.

"And what does your husband think of this?"

"It was actually his idea that I apply. He doesn't want me to put my life on hold for his sake." They reached the lift, and Scrimgeour gestured for her to enter first.

"That's very noble of him." He said, entering behind her. He pressed the button for the second floor, and the lift began to move.

"That's what I thought, as well. I hadn't wanted to apply until James was a year old, but he wanted to at least test the waters. That's why he asked Tonks to ask around on my behalf." The lift stopped at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Legacy stepped out of the lift.

"It's down this way." Scrimgeour gestured down the hall, and Legacy stepped in beside him. "Nymphadora Tonks?"

"Yes, sir. I met her after I joined the Order of the Phoenix last summer."

"You and your husband are both members of the Order?"

"Yes, Sirius and I both joined. Sirius was in the original Order as well."

"There were a few questions I wanted to ask you about him, if you don't mind."

"It doesn't look as though I have much of a choice." Legacy said, and stopped to look up at him. "Let's see if I can't save us both some time. No, I don't know how he escaped Azkaban, I've never asked him. Yes, I actively hid him from the Ministry. Yes, I've always known it was him, he was never dishonest with me. I haven't been bewitched in any way, and neither has Dumbledore. Dumbledore trusts him, so that should be enough for you. Does that answer your questions?"

"I understand that Dumbledore trusts him. I've heard all of the evidence that proclaims his innocence, and to be honest, I'm surprised that nobody looked it over better."

"Don't try to butter me up. The Ministry was looking for a scapegoat, and Sirius filled that gap quite nicely. That's why no one looked deeper, and that's why he was thrown into Azkaban without a proper trial."

"Why haven't you ever asked him about his escape from Azkaban? I'm surprised that it wasn't one of the first things you asked him."

"It would have been rude, for starters. And since then, the last thing I've wanted to do was remind him about that place."

"You must have theories."

"If I do have any theories, they will stay theories. And I'll not stand for anyone from the Ministry questioning me, or him. He's been through enough, let him enjoy his family."

"I can't promise anything."

"Then be prepared to suffer the consequences." Legacy said, and started walking again. Scrimgeour walked slightly behind her, and didn't try to engage her in further conversation, for which Legacy was grateful. When they reached Gawain Robards' office, the door was open and the man was sitting behind the desk.

"Oh, do come in, both of you." Robards stood, smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jones." Before Legacy could correct him, Scrimgeour started speaking.

"I think that she'll do just fine. She's loyal, forthright, and sharp. By the way, she just registered her marriage certificate. Mrs Legacy Black, this is Mr Gawain Robards, Head of the Auror's Office."

"Black, eh?" Robards looked her over. "Well, sit down here, and we'll look over your school records." Legacy sat down in one chair, and the Minister sat in the other. Robards flipped through some papers on his desk. "Outstanding OWLs in nearly every subject, Exceeds Expectations in Herbology. Triwizard Tournament in seventh year, so no NEWTs. But your teachers say that your marks stayed the same throughout your years in school. We all know what happened during the third task, so there's no need to revisit that evening. You were also Head Girl your last year. Your teachers all liked you, they say that you were a pleasure to have in class." Robards reached for another stack of papers. "Dumbledore says that you're a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and that you were here earlier this year, when You-Know-Who was tearing up the Department of Mysteries." Robards dropped the stack and leaned back in his chair. "There anything else you like to add to that?"

"I don't think so. Were there any other questions that you had for me?"

"Not many. Says here you didn't know who your parents were growing up. Care to shed some light on the subject?"

"I was raised in a Muggle orphanage until I turned eleven and had my first year at Hogwarts. Nearly every summer after that has been spent with the Weasleys at their home."

"So who are the Joneses?"

"Jones is a surname given to female orphans by the Muggle government when they have no surname of their own." Legacy informed him. "The orphanage was given two pieces of information – my first name and my birth date."

"All right. Sounds good to me." Robards glanced at another parchment. "Says here that the only male Black still alive is Sirius Black. He's your husband?"

"That's correct. Mr Scrimgeour and I have touched on that subject already."

"That so?" Robards looked over at Scrimgeour, who nodded. "Well, if it's good enough for him then it's good enough for me."

"Are there any other questions?"

"Just one." Robards stood and handed her a folder with a stack of parchments inside. "When can you start?"

"I wasn't expecting this. I'll have to speak with Sirius before I can make any promises, but I would like to start as soon as I can." Robards nodded and reached for a canister on his desk before offering it to her. Legacy looked inside and saw Floo Powder.

"You can call him from here. We can step outside for a moment." Robards stood and left the room with Scrimgeour on his heels. When the door closed, Legacy cast a Muffliato Charm before calling Sirius. Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table, alone.

"Sirius, do you have a moment?" Legacy asked, and laughed as he jumped. He looked around the room before finally noticing her in the fire.

"Hey, how's it going?" He asked, kneeling on the floor.

"Can they hear me on my side at all?" Legacy asked.

"I don't know for sure. Everything's ok, right?" She told him everything that had happened, and he was happy for her. "I think that you should accept it right now, and not worry so much about me."

"It's not just you and me anymore. We have a son now."

"Exactly. And as an Auror, you can do more to protect him than you could as just an ordinary citizen."

"It's three years of training."

"I know that. And besides, we want to space children out, don't we? Have them a few years apart?"

"We haven't ever talked about having more children."

"What, you think we're done after one? I know I still want more."

"You're not the one pushing them out." Legacy said, laughing. "But I want more, too."

"I think that you can do this. You're more than capable of it."

"I just wanted to talk to you before making any decisions, that's all."

"You have my full support, Legacy."

"Thank you. I'll see you tonight." Legacy pulled her head out of the fire and stood. She walked over to the door and knocked before opening it. "Mr Robards, I can start tomorrow if you'd like."

Legacy wasn't the only one in training at the moment. The others were all people that she'd gone to school with. Since Voldemort was on the loose, training was being condensed. Each of them were learning at their own pace, and Legacy quickly outstripped the others. Legacy was enjoying the training, and the feeling of learning again. The topic of her parentage hadn't been raised again, and Tonks, Shacklebolt, and Mad-Eye seemed content to let that knowledge remain private, for which she was very thankful. Legacy heard about the incident with Katie Bell in Hogsmeade and the cursed necklace, and the necklace came through the Auror's Office in the hopes that a cure might be found for Katie. The girl had been very lucky. She'd barely touched it, and that had saved her life. James was six months old and growing fast. Legacy felt guilty about leaving James and Sirius alone, but she consoled herself with the fact that Molly and Fleur were also there. Legacy beat Arthur and Bill home every night, and the two of them were exhausted when they got home, only fulfilling necessities before going to bed. The Aurors had made three 'Death Eater' arrests, and Legacy knew that the men arrested were as far from being Death Eaters as a person could be. She raised this point with Robards, and he told her that the Aurors were 'doing their best'. Legacy was disgusted and wanted to quit right there, but Sirius talked her out of it.

"They'll figure out soon enough that these guys aren't Death Eaters, you'll see." Legacy doubted it. The only thing that she would accomplish by making a nuisance of herself was to get herself fired, but she made sure to raise this point in conversations whenever she could. As it turned out, she didn't get very many chances for conversations with people outside of the Order very often. Once the other trainees had learned that she was married, the men had nearly all stopped talking to her, but the women warmed up to her upon learning that she had a son. However, when it was discovered who her husband was, they nearly all ignored her. She didn't let it bother her. After all, she hadn't had many friends while she was in school, either. Legacy ignored the whispers that stopped when she entered a room, and the icy stares that she received from the other trainees. Sirius stopped by quite often with James, and the three of them would have lunch together.

"I doubt any of these people ever saw today coming." Legacy said, smiling.

"The day that Sirius Black could show his face in public? I agree." They were at a Muggle restaurant, and weren't getting as many odd looks as they would have at the Ministry. Most of the Muggles seemed to have forgotten about Sirius Black and his prison escape, but the man sitting across from Legacy barely resembled that man anymore. There were times when his gaze darkened, and Legacy knew that he was thinking about his time in Azkaban, but those episodes were growing further and further apart as his time out of the prison lengthened.

"That's part of it. But I was also thinking that people never thought that you would ever settle down and start a family." Legacy said. James chose that moment to babble nonsense at his parents, and Legacy smiled. "I think James agrees that you made the right decision here."

"Of course he does. Neither of your men could deny you anything." Sirius said, and he laid his hand over hers. Legacy smiled across the table at him, perfectly content.

Legacy was very glad for Christmas. The trainees had all gotten a few days off, and the Weasleys and Harry were all at the Burrow, as well as Fleur, the Blacks, and several other Order members. It was James' first Christmas, and everyone was determined to spoil him rotten. Remus was attempting to fulfill his godfatherly duties in a responsible way, and Sirius teased him endlessly about it.

"Come on, Moony, lighten up a little." Sirius said, nudging his friend.

"I am trying to fulfill a responsibility here, Padfoot."

"That's our job. Your job is to teach him to live a little." Sirius and Remus didn't get much further into their discussion before Fred and George interrupted them.

"Moony, and Padfoot?" Fred asked quietly.

"If that's true, then who were Wormtail and Prongs?" George asked. A pained look flitted across Sirius' and Remus' faces before they responded.

"Peter Pettigrew." Remus said.

"And James Potter." Sirius added. Fred and George were silent for a moment before begging for the story behind the Marauder's Map. The two men regaled them all with the story, and there was much laughter and a slight amount of sadness. But whenever the silence stretched out too long, Sirius took up the tale once more.

"We graduated Hogwarts together, and we all attended James and Lily's wedding… and you all know the story from there." Remus said, completing the story. The silence lasted only a moment before there was a knock at the door. Molly hurried over to open the door, only to find Percy standing there, with the Minister for Magic standing right behind him.

"We were in the area, you see, and Weasley wanted to stop by and say hello to you all." Scrimgeour said, and Legacy didn't believe it for a moment. Percy looked like he would rather be anywhere but there at that moment, and Fred, George and Ginny appeared as though they were willing to do almost anything to get him out of there. Molly was sobbing and trying to lead Percy further into the house. Scrimgeour was looking around the table at everyone sitting around it. "I'll let you catch up, and maybe one of these young people who are done eating can show me around." He made a show of choosing someone, as though there were people with their hands in the air or something. "How about you? You don't have any more food in front of you." He pointed at Harry, and silence descended around the room. No one pretended to believe that he had failed to recognize Harry. As Harry stood, Sirius made to stand, but Legacy stopped him and shook her head. As Harry and Scrimgeour left and Molly tried to persuade Percy into eating something, Sirius leaned towards Legacy.

"What was that about?" Sirius murmured.

"Do you really think that we would learn the Ministry's intentions with Harry if you'd gone along with them?" Legacy replied quietly. "We'll learn more this way. Trust me. And he's the Minister of Magic, as well as a former Auror. He's not going to let anything happen to Harry on his watch, especially not with all this 'Chosen One' nonsense that's been floating around."

"You're right. It's just that I worry, you know? Now that we can finally spend time with each other legally and all that, I just don't want to let him out of my sight."

"How do you think I feel about you?" Legacy teased him. Before Sirius could reply, Percy's plate of food exploded in his face, throwing bits of food all over him. Percy glared at his siblings but held his tongue, trying to wipe some of the food off his clothes. Not long after that Scrimgeour returned with Harry, then he and Percy took their leave. Fred, George and Ginny immediately launched into an argument over which one of them was responsible for Percy's exploding food. Sirius looked ready to start pumping Harry for information, but Legacy told him to wait. After dinner, Harry and Sirius went into another room to talk, and Legacy helped Molly with the dishes. Molly wasn't speaking much, it had obviously hurt to have Percy in her arms again, but to have him treat her like a stranger. Ginny was sitting at the table entertaining James, and Fleur was trying to help with the dishes, but she was failing rather abysmally. Sirius and Harry came back to the kitchen and rushed over to help.

"Since you ladies helped to make the meal, I think it's only fair that we help clean up." Sirius said, rolling up his sleeves. "You haven't had much chance to socialize. Go on, Harry, Ginny and I can take care of this." Ginny stood up and handed James over to Legacy before taking over from her mother at the sink.

"Are you sure?" Molly asked. Her voice was watery, as though she was fighting tears.

"Of course I'm sure. You need to put your feet up, Molly, you've been on the go all day." Sirius smiled and ushered them out of the room. They went into the living room, where a few guests were still socializing. Fleur went over to Bill, and Molly sat down and took up some knitting. Arthur sat beside her, and they spoke quietly together. Legacy sat beside Remus, who smiled.

"He's bigger every time I see him." Remus said, and Legacy smiled.

"That's because you're never around." Legacy gave her son to his godfather, and James babbled at him.

"Is he actually talking yet?"

"Not that I know, and I'm pretty sure that Sirius would send on owl immediately if something that monumental happened."

"I heard that you started Auror Training." Remus said, and looked from the boy to her. "It's good to see that you're not cooping yourself up in the house."

"It took Sirius a while to talk me into it, though. I hadn't wanted to start for another year or so." Legacy leaned back in her chair. "It's good to see you again, Remus. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, I've been underground. Almost literally."

"What's that mean? You're not on the run from the Ministry, are you?"

"Not yet." Remus said dryly. "No, I've been living among my fellows, my equals."

"You mean werewolves?" Legacy asked, and Remus nodded.

"Most of them are on Voldemort's side already. Dumbledore wanted a spy, and here I am… ready-made." Remus said bitterly, and Legacy put a hand on his arm.

"They're not your equals. I've heard about Fenrir Greyback. You do your best to contribute to society, unlike some. You try harder than most that don't have your… furry little problem."

"That's what James used to call it, too." Remus said, smiling. "People were under the impression that I owned a badly behaved rabbit."

"You know what I mean."

"I have to try harder though, don't I? Dumbledore took a big risk, hiring me on at Hogwarts. Most people wouldn't have given me that chance."

"That's just old prejudices. Anyone who thinks like that isn't worth your time anyway. You're a good wizard, and a good man. Any woman would do good to land someone like you."

"Well, thank you." Remus said, flushing slightly. Silence fell between them for a moment.

"So, how's the werewolf conversion going?" Legacy asked, and Remus shrugged.

"It has been difficult gaining their trust. I bear the unmistakable signs of having tried to live among wizards, you see, whereas they have shunned normal society and live on the margins, stealing – and sometimes killing – to eat. They think that under Voldemort's rule they will have a better life. And it is hard to argue with Greyback out there."

"I don't know much about the man himself, if he can even be called that. He's a Death Eater, and a werewolf."

"He regards it as his mission in life to bite and contaminate as many people as possible; he wants to create enough werewolves to overcome the wizards. Voldemort has promised him prey in return for his services. Greyback specializes in children… bite them young, he says, and raise them away from their parents, raise them to hate normal wizards. Voldemort has threatened to unleash him upon people's sons and daughters; it is a threat that usually produces good results." He paused for a moment before saying, "It was Greyback who bit me. My father had offended him. I did not know, for a very long time, the identity of the werewolf who had attacked me. I even felt pity for him, thinking that he had no control, knowing by then how it felt to transform. But Greyback is not like that. At the full moon he positions himself close to victims, ensuring that he is near enough to strike. He plans it all. And this is the man that Voldemort is using to marshal the werewolves. I cannot pretend that my particular brand of reasoned argument is making much headway against Greyback's insistence that we werewolves deserve blood, that we ought to revenge ourselves on 'normal' people."

"That's disgusting." Legacy said, feeling ill. "How can he think that way? He was one of those 'normal' people once, he had a mother and father once."

"Not much is known about how Greyback came to be a werewolf, actually. He doesn't speak of it. I think that much the same thing happened to him when he was a child, and that might be why he thinks that way that he does."

"I understand that werewolves can be dangerous, but since the creation of the Wolfsbane Potion, that danger has been nearly obliterated. People can be stupid at times."

"Both are true, but you must remember that the Wolfsbane Potion is difficult to create, and many of the ingredients are very expensive. With most werewolves jobless and uneducated, it is nearly impossible for them to ever lay eyes on the potion."

"Sometimes I just hate people. As long as their life and their little world is doing fine, they don't care about the other problems right under their noses."

"Of course. If people don't want to see something, then they won't. Or else they just say that 'things have always been this way, why should I change now?'"

"It's disgusting." Legacy said, shaking her head.

"Well, there's nothing that you can do unless you become the Minister of Magic."

"I don't know if it's even possible for a woman to become the Minister, and with Sirius as my husband, I don't know if they'll ever accept me for that. And if my parentage ever becomes common knowledge, I would likely be ostracized the same way that you are."

"I don't think it's impossible for a woman to become the Minister, but I must admit that I've never heard of it happening." James began squawking, and Legacy reached for him.

"I recognize that sound. He's hungry." Legacy covered her chest with a small blanket before she began nursing her son. Remus stood and stretched, then looked at his watch.

"I should be heading out soon." Remus said.

"Make sure you stop to see Sirius before you leave. He's in the kitchen." Remus nodded. "It was good seeing you, Remus. We'll be here for quite a while, if you ever want to stop by, and you know where our house is, too."

"Good night, Legacy. I'll see you around." Remus left the room.

A few days after New Year, Harry, Ron and Ginny went back to school. The Ministry had arranged a one-off connection to the Floo Network to return students quickly and safely to school. Legacy was at work, as were most of the others, so Sirius, Molly and James were the only ones at the Burrow. Legacy was completing her training faster than any of the others, and it appeared that what normally took three years to complete, she would finish in a year or so, maybe even less. With Legacy, they had decided to forgo the character and aptitude tests, having taken into account how well she'd done during the Triwizard Tournament. She was beginning to trust the Aurors that she hadn't known upon the start of her training, and beginning to let her guard down somewhat. They seemed to accept the fact that she was married to Sirius, and hadn't commented on it, and weren't even pursuing the mystery that was her parentage, to her knowledge. Tonks stopped by once in a while to visit or to have lunch together, and sometimes she came along when Sirius brought James for lunch. Tonks had appeared to be ill nearly all year, since the fight at the Ministry. She'd been having trouble with her Metamorphosing, and she seemed older and much more serious and purposeful. Harry had told them that Snape had said that she had a new Patronus, which meant that something had happened, and Legacy was determined to find out exactly what it was. So one afternoon in February, when the two women were in a near-empty café for lunch, Legacy decided to ask her.

"Tonks, is everything ok? We've all noticed, and Harry mentioned that your Patronus has even changed." Legacy asked, and Tonks sighed.

"Before I answer your question, I want you to tell me something. I want to know how you met Sirius, and how you two fell in love." Legacy put her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together.

"An odd request, but I think I can do that. It's a good thing that I didn't have exams that year, because I would have done poorly." Legacy proceeded to tell Tonks the whole story, with details that she'd not told anyone else. She told Tonks about all the new emotions she'd felt even just after meeting him, and throughout the year. How she'd opened up to him, and how he'd opened up to her. How she'd helped him break into the Gryffindor common room. The concern and worry that she'd felt for him the day she couldn't find him at the Shrieking Shack the next time she'd gone to visit him. How she'd discovered she was in love with him with the help of the Boggart. How she'd attacked Snape to keep Sirius safe. How Pettigrew had escaped. How she and Harry had used the Time-Turner to help Sirius and Buckbeak escape. How they'd finally confessed their love for each other. And finally, she told about how Sirius had sent her the promise ring. "After that, it was nearly torture to have to spend so much time away from him, after having had him so close for a year. I'm glad that Dumbledore was able to get him at the school for and after the Yule Ball. Although, considering that Sirius was used in the second task, I don't think that it was entirely Dumbledore's idea to keep Sirius at the school after that. Anyway, Sirius proposed the night of the Yule Ball, and helped me prepare for the third task, and then that night we left the castle together to warn people about Voldemort's return. You know what happened after that, you were at the wedding." Legacy smiled at the other woman.

"That's beautiful, Legacy." Tonks said, smiling in return.

"I think that I've earned the answer to my question now." Legacy teased.

"I'm in love with Remus." Tonks said shortly, and Legacy smiled broadly.

"I always told him that he'd meet the right woman someday." Legacy said, and Tonks shook her head.

"The problem is that so damn noble and self-sacrificing. He keeps on telling me that we'd never work because he's too old, and too poor, and using his… condition as an excuse."

"I'm so sorry, Tonks." Legacy said, and out a hand on Tonks' arm. "There's nothing that you can do except not give up. He'll come around eventually, you'll see."

"But what if he doesn't?" Tonks asked, and tears filled her eyes. "What if he never accepts it, and I spend the rest of my life pining away for a man who won't ever be with me?"

"I guess that's a risk you'll just have to take." Legacy said, feeling useless at the moment.

"He told me that he loves me too, and I think that just makes it worse." Tonks said, and put her face in her hands.

"That makes it better." Legacy said, and Tonks scoffed. "If he didn't feel anything for you, it would make it difficult for you to convince him to do anything. Since he loves you, it might make this easier. He can't deny his feelings forever."

"You're probably right." Tonks sighed. "It's just that it feels like I'm never making any headway with this, and that's why I've been acting oddly all year. And knowing that anything could happen to him, being where he is at the moment, doesn't help any either."

"I understand feeling that way. When Sirius was on the run, I was worried sick. I was so relieved to see him."

"How is Remus doing? Does he look well?"

"He's a bit thin, but he doesn't look any worse for wear."

"How is his assignment going?"

"Not so great, from what he was saying. Others got there before him, and he hasn't had much luck in showing them the better path."

"I can't exactly blame them, though, for not wanting to come over to our side, after what the wizarding world has done to them." Tonks said, and sighed. "Thanks for talking to me. I really needed that."

"Anytime, Tonks. You're my friend, and I want to see you happy." Legacy replied.

"It's probably about time we got back, isn't it?" Tonks said, standing. Legacy reached into her pocket and dropped some coins on the table, then stood and followed Tonks back to the Auror Office.

On Ron's birthday, he had accidentally eaten some candy laced with a Love Potion, and Harry had taken him down to Slughorn's office to get him treated. After that, Slughorn had opened a bottle of mead and Ron had been badly poisoned. Harry had thankfully grabbed a bezoar and shoved it into Ron's mouth, saving his life. Arthur and Molly had went down to the school as soon as they heard, and were still there. Legacy hadn't heard about it until she'd gotten home that afternoon. Ron was going to make a full recovery, according to all accounts, which was good to hear.

"But there's something funny about all this." Sirius was saying, sitting at the kitchen table with Legacy and Arthur. "The necklace, too, was supposed to end up being given to someone else. But neither of them ended up getting to whomever was supposed to receive them, right?"

"That's a scary thought." Arthur said.

"This person isn't worried about other people getting hurt in their attempt to reach their victim." Legacy added.

"Both attacks were meant to be fatal, and they weren't due to pure luck." Sirius said, looking around the table. "Who do we all know at Hogwarts that someone would want dead?"

"That's easy. Dumbledore." Arthur said.

"Or Harry." Legacy added. "He's just as involved in this as Dumbledore is, isn't he?"

"Just to be safe, I think that you should be careful about what you eat, and where, and with who." Sirius said to Legacy.

"Why me? I'm one of the safest people out of the lot of us."

"What if Voldemort changed his mind about you?" Sirius asked, and Arthur shuddered. "Maybe he's decided that you're a lost cause."

"I don't think he's ever given up on something after he's been denied it once or twice. I don't think he's going to kill me, he's arrogant. If anything else, he'll try to turn me."

"I think Sirius is right here, Legacy." Arthur said. "And even if he isn't, it's better safe than sorry, right?"

"Fine. I'll check for poisons before I eat or drink anything, and I won't accept packages from strangers." Legacy said, looking from Sirius to Arthur. "Will that suffice?"

"For now, yes. Until it becomes clear who the intended victim is, we all need to be careful." Arthur said.

"Or until this person is caught." Legacy added, and the men both nodded.

"Legacy, leetle James, 'e is crying." Fleur swept into the kitchen, carrying a squalling James. Legacy took him from the other woman.

"He's just looking for attention, I think." Legacy said, looking him over. Just to be safe, she tried nursing him, but he didn't latch on for long.

"He just misses his mum." Arthur said. He was only teasing, but it still made Legacy feel like a horrible mother. Her son was ten months old, and she barely spent any time with him. After her Auror training was completed, hopefully that would change. She held James close against her, and his fussing stopped.

"I'm so sorry, baby." She whispered into his hair. James settled against her chest, contented. Legacy rubbed his back, and he fell asleep shortly. Legacy had missed being with her son, but she hadn't realized exactly how much she'd missed it. She went upstairs and put her son to bed, then stood beside his bed, just watching him.

"I thought you'd be up here." Sirius said, entering the room. "Is everything okay?"

"No, nothing's okay." Legacy said, tears filling her eyes. "My son isn't even a year old, and I spend more time in a day away from him then with him. I feel like a terrible mother."

"You're a wonderful mother, Legacy, and a wonderful wife." Sirius stepped behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. "You're not doing anything wrong. You'd probably go crazy sitting in here all day, though."

"Maybe a little bit." Legacy admitted, smiling slightly.

"Come on, I can help you to think of something else." Sirius murmured into her hair. Legacy turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing his mouth down to hers.

Legacy took Arthur and Sirius' words to heart, and made sure to cast a spell before eating, checking for poisons. Mad-Eye gave her some tips to avoid being poisoned, and she put them into practice. She got some odd looks from others at the Ministry, but Legacy didn't mind. She wasn't about to let James grow up without a mother. There was little bad news from the school from that point on, other than the fact that Hagrid's pet Acromantula, Aragog, had died. From what Legacy had heard about the spider from Ron and Harry, it didn't sound like it was actually much of a loss. Legacy had missed a period, and she wondered if she was pregnant, but she didn't linger on the thought. She was nearly finished her Auror training, and she wanted to complete it before summer came. She wanted to be able to get out and fight, not spend her days cooped up in an office. She pushed herself just as hard as she had when she'd been learning to become an Animagus, and it didn't go unnoticed. She had bags under her eyes, but she wasn't losing weight, at least. Molly made sure that Legacy was well-fed. Legacy missed another period in May, and considered telling Sirius about it, but she didn't want to raise his hopes and have it turn out that she wasn't pregnant. On the twentieth of June, Legacy was called into Robards' office. Legacy was slightly nervous. She racked her brain, but she couldn't think of anything that she'd done wrong, but her trepidation grew regardless. The door to Robards' office was open, but she tapped on the door anyway. He looked up at her and smiled. Legacy saw that Scrimgeour was in the office as well, and she swallowed her fear. What was the Minister doing here? Was he here about her?

"Come in, Black. There's something we wanted to discuss with you." Robards said, and Legacy nodded before stepping into the room. "I haven't spoken to you much since you arrived. I hope you don't think it too forward of me to call you Black."

"No, that's fine. It's just something that I'm still getting used to. Most people call me Legacy, and I think you and Mad-Eye are the only ones that actually call me Black."

"That sounds like him." Scrimgeour said, smiling.

"What did you need to see me for?" Legacy asked, drawing their attention back to the reason she was there.

"No beating around the bush with you, huh?" Robards said. "Well, you're not in trouble, if that's what you're thinking."

"That's good to hear." Legacy said, and she smiled, relaxing.

"Usually we have a big ceremony for this, but seeing as you're the only one that's ready at this point, having the Minister here will suffice. I'll put up notices around the Auror's Office, and tell the other Department Heads about it, and then everyone who needs to know will know." Robards said, then pulled and envelope out of a drawer on his desk and laid it on the desk top.

"Know what?" Legacy asked.

"Why don't you open the envelope and find out?" Scrimgeour said, and Legacy walked towards the desk. She saw that the envelope had her name on it – Legacy Black was written on it in a small, tight script. She opened it and a silver badge was inside with some papers. She pulled out the badge, and embossed onto its face was DMLE in blue letters. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She looked from the Minister to Robards, waiting for one of them to speak. When neither of them did, she decided to speak.

"Is this what I think it is?" Legacy asked quietly.

"Well, that depends." Scrimgeour said. "If you think it means that you're one of the youngest full Aurors we've ever had, then yes, it's what you think it is." Legacy sank into the chair across from Robards, completely shocked.

"I hadn't thought that I'd be completed this already." Legacy said, and Robards chuckled wryly.

"We hadn't thought that anyone would be completed already. But you proved us all wrong."

"Inside the envelope you'll also find paperwork that needs to be filled out. When you get here on Monday, you'll have your own cubicle set up. Please bring that paperwork back, completed, as well." Scrimgeour said, and Legacy nodded numbly.

"You all right, Black?" Robards asked.

"I don't know." Legacy said honestly. "I wanted to finish for so long, I pushed so hard to get this done. My son just turned a year old, and I haven't seen him hardly at all this year. And I found out this morning that I'm pregnant again. I haven't even had a chance to tell Sirius yet."

"Well, congratulations. We'll do what we can so that you can have more time at home. I think there's a work-at-home program that mothers with young children and pregnant women can do." Robards said. "You don't have to stay the rest of the day. Please get that filled out over the weekend, and don't forget your badge on Monday. You still need to come in, at least until we get this all sorted out."

"Thank you, sir." Legacy said, standing. Robards stood and shook her hand.

"Please, just call me Robards."

Legacy returned to the Burrow, and Sirius, James, and Molly were all in the living room.

"Legacy, you're early today." Sirius said, standing. "Nothing's wrong, is it?" Legacy shook her head and help up her badge. "You got it!" Sirius shouted, and swept Legacy up into his arms. "Molly, she's and Auror!"

"That's wonderful news!" Molly said, smiling.

"There's something else." Legacy said, and looked up at Sirius. "I'm pregnant."

"You're sure?" Sirius asked, his smile flickering on his face.

"Yes, I found out this morning. I used that spell Molly taught us."

"Two things to celebrate!" Sirius said, smiling broadly. His smile faltered a moment. "It's too bad that Remus can't come."

"Why don't we celebrate tomorrow night? I've got this paperwork to fill out, and I want to get it done before I forget about it."

"We can do that." Sirius said, and Legacy raised a brow at him.

"That means you can't say anything until then." Legacy said, and Sirius groaned. Legacy laughed and pressed a kiss on his lips before going upstairs. It didn't take long, it was just about personal affects and beneficiaries. Sirius was downstairs playing with James, and Molly was out in the garden. Legacy made a spur-of-the-moment decision, and sat down to write Sirius a quick note.

Sirius, I'm going to go visit Remus. The full moon was last week, so the werewolves shouldn't be much danger to me. I won't shift back until I know that it's safe. I'll not be long. I love you.

She left the note on a pillow, then but the envelope with her badge and paperwork on the desk. She walked to the window and shifted, then launched herself into the air. It felt as though it had been ages since she'd flown, and when she thought about it, she realized that it had indeed been quite some time since she'd been in her eagle form. There wasn't much use for it anymore, and she still hadn't registered herself as an Animagus with the Ministry, and neither had Sirius. She flew north, because that was where Remus had said that the werewolves were. It took a bit longer than she'd originally thought it would, and it was twilight before she arrived at the caves that Remus had said he was at. She saw a group of people around a fire, and landed on a tree nearby so as to listen in on their conversation.

"I still think that we should kill the wizard." A large male was saying, and a female shook her head.

"He's one of us. That's our most important law, remember? No werewolf shall raise hand or claw or tooth against one of their brothers or sisters." She said, and some of the others nodded. "Even Greyback is abiding by our laws."

"Times change. Those laws were written centuries ago, and I think it's time that we had some new ones." The male growled.

"He hasn't done anything wrong. He was raised away from us, and doesn't know the laws, and even so he's been nothing but polite." The female said.

"What, you like the weakling or something?" The male said, sneering.

"No." She shuddered. "I could never mate with one such as him. He's a weakling, as you say, and I would never take a wizard as a mate regardless."

"Then why can't we kill him?"

"Because it would be wrong. Don't you have any self-respect? You would kill someone in their sleep?"

"Of course not. I'd at least challenge him."

"You can't do that. You can only challenge the pack leader." The female said. "And we all know how it would turn out if you were to challenge me." The male growled and rubbed his side.

"Fine. I'll leave the wizard be. For now." The group fell into silence, and Legacy wasn't impressed. She hadn't learned anything. She could fly past the caves all night and still not find Remus. Just as she was about to give up, she saw him walking through the trees. It appeared that he'd also been listening in on them talking, and she waited as he snuck away. When she felt that he was far enough away for it to be safe, she left her perch and flew towards him. He entered a small cave, and she dove in behind him. Remus finally noticed her, and his eyes widened.

"Legacy, what are you doing here?" He whispered. He stepped back towards the entrance and looked around. Legacy shifted into human form and stretched.

"I came to see you." Legacy responded.

"Go further into the cave. You can't be seen." Remus whispered, and followed her in. "I've cleared out most of the rocks, so it should be safe enough."

"I can't see anything." Legacy whispered. "I can't even see you." Remus put a hand on her elbow and guided her further into the cave.

"We should be safe enough now." Remus lit his wand. "What are you doing here? It's not safe."

"Your kin don't seem to like you." Legacy said, and Remus chuckled.

"You listened too, I take it?" He asked, and Legacy nodded. "I haven't had any luck convincing them that they shouldn't listen to Greyback. They're all either too scared to go against him, or else they agree with what he's saying. I have to admit, I never really thought I'd have much of a chance."

"So why do you stay? Your life is in danger."

"I don't think any of them would go against the pack leader."

"That one male seemed to think otherwise. What if it gets to the point where he doesn't care what she thinks? Or if someone challenges her, and wins?"

"She's one of the strongest werewolves I've ever seen. I don't think any other would have a chance against her." Remus frowned down at her. "But you changed the subject. You still haven't told me why you're here."

"I finished my training. I'm full-fledged now." Legacy decided to be extra careful about not throwing around the word 'Auror', just in case someone was listening.

"That's good to hear." Remus said, smiling. "But I don't think you'd come all the way out here just for that."

"I'm pregnant." Legacy said, and Remus' smile grew.

"That's wonderful news! Congratulations!"

"Thank you." Legacy said, smiling in return. "And there's a few other things. Sirius misses you, you know."

"I know. He's one of the only friends I've ever had."

"And I spoke to Tonks." Legacy said, and Remus rubbed his face.

"How is Tonks doing?" He asked softly, not looking at her.

"There's some trouble with Metamorphosing. Tonks has completely changed. Where there was laughter, there's severity now." Legacy put a hand on his arm. "You love her, don't you?"

"Of course I do, how couldn't I? She's a wonderful woman, and needs someone better than me." Remus snapped.

"She doesn't want someone else, Remus. She wants you. She's not doing well, Remus, and neither are you. That's the reason you haven't come back yet, isn't it? You don't want to run into her."

"Yes. I don't want to hurt her."

"You're hurting her by ignoring her. She's in Hogsmeade most of the time, and hardly ever stops at the Burrow. I see her at the Ministry all the time, and Robards is always on her case about work performance. She's not doing well."

"What do you want me to do, Legacy? I can't be what she wants me to be." Remus said, throwing his arms into the air. "I'm a werewolf. I can't provide her with what a woman needs."

"Only because you're scared." Legacy said. "You're scared that if you open your heart to her, she'll change her mind later and hurt you. But that's what life is about. Sometimes you get burned. But I don't think that's going to happen. I think you need to give her a chance."

"Look at you. The youngest person in the Order, and you're giving all of us older folks advice." Remus said wryly.

"Not Mad-Eye. He's given me a few pointers, though." Legacy said.

"I don't think he'd even listen if you tried giving him advice."

"I think that you shouldn't stay here. If our pack leader asks, I'll vouch for you."

"You may be right. With Greyback here, some of them are growing restless, as you may have seen." Remus dimmed his wand and took her elbow again. "Let's get you out of here."

"It would mean a lot to Sirius to see you tomorrow. That's when we're sharing the news with the others."

"I'll do what I can." Remus said. "Wait here. I'll make sure the coast is clear. You should shift, though." He released her elbow and she heard his footsteps as he approached the mouth of the cave. She shifted and hopped forwards. She saw him wave her forwards. She leapt into the air, and paused beside him a moment before leaving. "Good night, Legacy."

The sun was just coming up when she got back to the Burrow. Sirius had apparently tried to wait up for her, because he was sleeping in a chair in the living room. She smiled then woke him up.

"Legacy?" He murmured sleepily. He opened his eyes and saw that it was her, then jumped out of the chair and wrapped his arms around her. "What the hell were you thinking?" Sirius demanded. "Just taking off into a den of werewolves, with no idea what the situation was!" Sirius grabbed her shoulders. "You shouldn't have done that! What if you'd gotten hurt?"

"No one but Remus even saw me." Legacy said, trying to calm him. "I was careful."

"Sometimes careful isn't enough, Legacy!" Sirius shouted. "I was worried sick! The only reason I didn't tear out of here after you was because I knew that I'd never catch up to you. But believe me, I was tempted to simply Apparate over there."

"I'm glad that you didn't. They're already considering killing Remus. You showing up wouldn't have helped."

"What do you mean? Is he in danger?" Sirius asked. Legacy told him what had happened, only withholding information about Tonks' and Remus' feeling for each other.

"So it wasn't such a bad idea, me going out there." Legacy said.

"Just promise me that you'll never do anything that reckless ever again."

"What if I do it with you?" Legacy teased.

"Well, I guess that's fine." Sirius said. "I'm sorry I freaked out on you. I was just worried."

"That's fine. I guess I deserved it." Legacy said, yawning.

"You must be exhausted. Come on, I'll get you to bed." Sirius took her hand and led her up the stairs. James was standing in his crib and babbled at them.

"Looks like someone is already up." James had been weaned for a while, but still enjoyed to lay in his mother's arms from time to time. She lifted the boy from his crib and held him close.

"I'll take him downstairs and get him some breakfast." Sirius offered, stepping towards her.

"In a minute." Legacy murmured. She held her son close, reveling in him. She'd missed a few of his milestones while undergoing Auror training, and it had hurt. James wrapped his arms around her.

"Mum." James said, and tears filled Legacy's eyes.

"I wish I could have been here for all his milestones." Legacy murmured, and Sirius wrapped his arms around his wife and son. "It's going to be different with this one." Legacy put a hand on her womb. "I'm going to see all of them."

"We both will." Sirius promised. James was now wriggling, wanting down. Legacy put him down, and he took a few unsteady steps before falling on his rear. He only laughed, then crawled out of the room. "I'll let you get some sleep." Sirius kissed her before leaving the room, and Legacy changed and crawled into bed, falling asleep nearly immediately.

When Legacy woke, the sun was high in the sky. She guessed that it was about one or two in the afternoon. She dressed and went downstairs. She saw Sirius standing in the living room talking to someone. Sirius saw her and smiled, waving her into the room. His companion turned, and a smile crossed his face.

"Remus! I'm so glad that you made it!" Legacy exclaimed, smiling broadly. "Did you have any trouble?"

"No. It's not like I advertised my intentions to leave." Remus said. "The pack leader stopped to see me last night to warn me that the others might be out for my blood, and I took that as another reason to leave." Remus said.

"Well, that was certainly nice of her." Legacy said.

"Wait, the leader of the werewolves is a woman?" Sirius asked, dumbfounded.

"What, you don't think that women can make good leaders?" Legacy teased.

"I'm not saying that, I was just wondering. They're werewolves and all, so I assume it's a strength-based hierarchy. How does a woman gain power in there?"

"Don't underestimate women, Sirius. After all, in most species, the woman is larger than the male, and that's true for werewolves, too." Remus said.

"How long have you been here?" Legacy asked.

"I haven't been here long. When are the others arriving?"

"It'll be a few hours yet." Sirius said, then looked at Molly's clock. Bill, Fred, George, Charlie, Percy and Arthur were all pointed at 'work'. Charlie was still in Romania, and Percy was still not talking to the family, so no one was expecting either of them. Fleur was also at work. Legacy gave Sirius a quick kiss and hugged Remus before stepping into the kitchen to help Molly.

"I invited Tonks as well, I hope that's not going to be an issue." She said, nodding her head towards the other room.

"I don't think so. Did Tonks tell you?" Legacy asked.

"She didn't need to. Whenever someone mentions him, it's obvious." Molly said. "Have you talked to him about it?" Legacy cast a Muffliato charm before telling Molly what she'd withheld from Sirius the night before, as well as the conversation she'd had with Tonks. "They're just being stubborn. Mark my words, they'll be married before the year's out." Molly said sagely.

"You're singing to the choir here." At Molly's confused look, Legacy explained. "I'm agreeing with you. It's a Muggle saying." Molly shook her head, and Legacy stepped forwards to help, but Molly stopped her. "This is a celebration for you and Sirius. I'm not about to let you help."

"If you say so. I'll go and see what James is up to." Legacy found her son outside, trying to chase the garden gnomes. Sirius and Remus came outside, and they spent the afternoon chasing the gnomes towards James, and de-gnoming the garden. James fell over in fits of giggles as gnomes flew through the air.

"I wonder if our house is going to be like this one day." Sirius said, looking around.

"Filled with love and laughter, with magic hiding around every corner? I hope so." Legacy said, smiling.

"You're not the only one." He replied. The rest of the Weasleys arrived at nearly the same time, and last was Bill and Fleur. Everyone entered the kitchen, and somehow Tonks and Remus had ended up sitting next to each other. Legacy looked at Molly, who winked conspiratorially at her. Legacy shook her head.

"What's up?" Fred asked, looking around the kitchen.

"Don't keep us in suspense." George added.

"I have two pieces of news." Legacy said, standing. She had pinned her badge onto her chest, and Tonks was the first to realize what it meant.

"Oh my Merlin!" She shouted. "Congratulations!"

"I was made a full-fledged Auror on Friday." Legacy announced, and the others shouted their congratulations.

"So what's the other one?" George asked.

"I bet she's pregnant again." Fred teased, smiling.

"Who told you?" Legacy asked, mock-pouting.

"Told me what?" Fred asked.

"I'm pregnant." Legacy said, smiling. Cheers erupted around the table.

"You two trying to beat Mum and Dad?" George teased.

"When are you due?" asked Tonks.

"Sometime around Christmas, I think." Legacy said. Everyone congratulated her, although Fleur's congratulations sounded somewhat stiff, and her smile didn't reach her eyes. Legacy made a note to ask her about that later. There was laughter around the table, even from Remus and Tonks. Legacy sometimes caught one of them staring at the other, but she appeared to be the only one who noticed besides Molly. Everything beyond those walls was forgotten as they all enjoyed each other's company. After dinner they went to the living room.

"Do you know what it is yet?" Bill asked, and Legacy shook her head.

"We didn't find out with James until he popped out. We want it to be a surprise." Legacy informed him.

"Aren't you even the littlest bit curious?" Remus asked.

"I know I am." Sirius said, scooping James up off the floor. "But we decided that we don't want to know until they actually arrive."

"Are you thinking of names yet?" Tonks asked.

"We didn't pick out names last time, but we were able to decide on a name quickly enough." Legacy said.

"What if it was a girl?" Molly asked.

"I honestly have no idea what we'd name a girl." Legacy said. "If I named a daughter after every single female that I know and love, it would be a long name. Then I wouldn't be able to decide on a first name. I'd feel like that might cause tension among my friends."

"I don't think so, but it's a valid theory." Tonks said. James was falling asleep, and Tonks needed to be back at Hogsmeade in the morning. As Tonks walked towards the door, Legacy subtly ushered everyone else but Remus from the room. She couldn't force them to talk, but she could try, at least. She could hear voices from the other room, and smiled to herself before heading upstairs.

It wasn't long after that night that she heard from Dumbledore. She, Tonks, Remus and Bill were going to be on guard at Hogwarts. Sirius wanted to come along, but Dumbledore insisted that it was just a precaution, and that nothing was going to happen, so Sirius reluctantly agreed to stay behind.

"If something happens, I'll be there as fast as I can." Sirius promised.

"I know you will. Take care of James." Legacy said, and kissed him.

"Take care of yourself. And this one." Sirius said, rubbing her belly. James tugged on Legacy's pants.

"Mum?" He asked, and Legacy picked him up.

"Mum's going out for a bit. She's got to make sure that other little boys and girls are safe, too. Take care of Daddy, and be a good boy." She handed James to Sirius before walking out the door. She Apparated to Hogwarts and sent a Patronus up to the castle to let them know that she'd arrived. Snape was the one that came down to unlock the gate for her.

"Ah, Mrs Black." He said, tapping the chains around the gate with his wand. The gates opened, and Legacy stepped onto the grounds. The gates clanked shut behind her and the chains snaked back through the bars. "You know your way from here, I take it." He said, and turned to leave.

"Severus, wait." Legacy said. He turned back around. "I know that you and Sirius don't get along, but that doesn't mean that we have to be like that."

"You attacked me." He said bluntly.

"You were going to hand an innocent man over to the Dementors." Legacy replied. "And I loved him. I wasn't going to let anything happen to him."

"Is there a point you are trying to prove here?"

"I don't see why there's a reason that we can't be friends. Or be civil to each other, at the very least." Snape didn't say anything. "You can't tell me that you wouldn't do anything to protect the people you love." At that, Snape flinched slightly.

"You have me there." He took a deep breath. "I don't think that your husband will approve of you even speaking to me, however."

"Love isn't about one person making all the rules. It's about compromise."

"It's not like that with everyone."

"That's the way it is. If it's not like that, then it's not love."

"We should move on." Snape said, and Legacy nodded. They walked up to the castle in silence. Tonks, Remus and Bill were in the Entrance Hall. "I will return to my office." Snape said, and left before they could respond.

"I'm surprised that Sirius let you come." Remus said.

"It wasn't easy to convince him." Legacy replied.

"So we're supposed to patrol?" Bill asked, and Tonks nodded.

"Just like any other night that Dumbledore's been away." The four of them split up to patrol separate parts of the castle. Legacy wandered through the castle, and eventually bumped into Ron, Ginny, and Neville.

"Hello, Legacy. What are you doing here?" Ginny asked.

"Dumbledore's gone, so Remus, Tonks, Bill and I are on guard duty at the castle." Legacy replied. "What are you three doing up? Where's Harry and Hermione?" Ron explained that Harry was with Dumbledore, and that he thought that Malfoy was in the Room of Requirement, trying to find a way to let the Death Eaters into the castle.

"Anyway, we've been here about an hour. Hermione's down at Snape's office with Luna." A moment later, a door appeared on the wall. Malfoy came out of the door holding what looked like an arm. He snarled and threw something into the air. The air turned black, and Legacy couldn't see anything.

"Don't cast any spells!" Legacy shouted. "Keep your wands down!" The four of them made their way down the hall, trying to get back into the light. By the time they did, Malfoy was gone. "I think that Harry was right. Malfoy's definitely up to something."

"We have to find out where he went." Ginny said, and Legacy nodded. She led the way down the corridor, and they found Remus, Tonks and Bill.

"Malfoy's up to something. I found these three outside the Room of Requirement, and Malfoy threw something in the air to make it dark. We have to find out where he went."

"We haven't seen anything yet." Bill said.

"Then let's get going." Tonks said, pulling out her wand. The seven of them ran through the castle and found Malfoy minutes later. He was with a group of people, and Legacy recognized a few of them as known Death Eaters. One of them bolted up the stairs, and Ron pointed at him.

"Those are the stairs to the Astronomy Tower!" he shouted. One of the Death Eaters cast a spell at him, and Ron ducked. Legacy pushed the students into cover.

"We want to fight too!" Ginny protested.

"You can fight, just stay low!" Legacy said, and cast a spell at the Death Eaters. The other three guards were fighting the Death Eaters. Looking around, Legacy knew that she and the others were outnumbered. She tried to stay in cover as she fired spells at the Death Eaters. She saw Bill go down, but she couldn't get to him. She watched as Death Eaters made their way to the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Neville run towards the stairs.

"Neville, don't!" Remus shouted, but it was too late. Neville had reached the bottom of the stairs and bounced off of something, and he was launched backwards. Legacy ran over to him. He was rattled, but nothing was broken. She looked around for Bill, but he hadn't gotten up yet. She saw him lying on the floor, but she only recognized him because of his flame-red hair. His face had been torn open. She rushed over to him, but her spells weren't working.

"Dammit!" Legacy growled. She looked around and saw Snape. He made his way across the room and up the stairs to the Tower. The barrier that had repelled Neville didn't affect him. Remus ran after him, but he was thrown backwards. Legacy decided to get Bill out of harm's way before rejoining the fight. She grabbed him underneath the arms and dragged him out of the room, leaning him against a wall. It wasn't as easy as she'd thought it would be, Bill was a bit taller than she was. When she returned, she saw that Remus was up, and appeared to be fine. There were still a few Death Eaters that hadn't gone up the stairs yet. There was one standing at the foot of the stairs, throwing hexes at anything that moved. Legacy looked for the others, and saw Ginny and Ron protecting Neville, who appeared to have been injured. She rushed towards them.

"Where's Bill?" Ginny asked.

"I put him in the other room. He'll be safe enough there. Did you see what happened to him?"

"Greyback." Ginny growled.

"It's not the full moon. Bill's going to be fine." Legacy said, then turned to Neville. "What happened to him?"

"We don't know for sure." Ron said. "After he charged at the barrier he got back into the fight, then someone must have hit him with a spell."

"I don't want to risk hurting him more. We'll have to wait for Madam Pomfrey." There was an ominous crumbling noise, and Legacy looked up. Cracks were spreading across the ceiling.

"That idiot hit the roof with a hex!" Ron said, glaring at the Death Eater.

"Ron, help me with Neville." Legacy grabbed Neville's shoulders, and Ron grabbed his feet. Together, they carried Neville out of the room, and put him beside Bill. Legacy left Ron and Ginny there, then rushed back into the room. Half the ceiling had fallen in, and it appeared that the barrier on the stairs had disappeared.

"Come on!" Tonks shouted, running towards the stairs. Snape and Malfoy came down the stairs, and headed out of the castle. The Death Eaters appeared right on their heels, and the fight was back on. Legacy was trying to stay out of it as much as possible, but it was getting difficult to do. Snape was shouting something, but she couldn't make out what it was. Suddenly the Death Eaters were running out of the room. Legacy let the others chase them down, instead taking Bill and Neville up to the hospital wing. Hermione and Luna were already up there with Flitwick.

"Legacy, where are the others?" Hermione asked.

"They went after the Death Eaters. We've had a couple injuries." Legacy explained. "Someone get Pomona. I don't know what to do for Bill." Legacy laid Neville in one bed, and Bill in another. Remus was the next to arrive in the hospital wing, then Tonks. Madam Pomfrey was doing the best she could for Bill, but there wasn't much to be done. Legacy sat down on a chair and waited for the others to arrive. Dumbledore wouldn't be long, she thought, he would have seen the Dark Mark over the school and would have everything put to rights soon enough. She looked up when Harry and Ginny entered the hospital wing.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Legacy asked, and Harry's face fell.

"He's dead. Snape killed him." Harry said numbly. Harry told them what had happened. He and Dumbledore had just gotten to the Astronomy Tower, and Malfoy was waiting for them. He'd Disarmed Dumbledore, and not long afterwards, the Death Eaters he'd brought into the castle had arrived, and began to egg Malfoy on. Snape had arrived last, and Dumbledore had pleaded with him, and Snape killed him anyway. After everything that Dumbledore had done for him, Snape had killed him. Part of Legacy felt as though this was some kind of sick joke; that Dumbledore was going to walk through the door at any moment. But another part of her knew that Harry wouldn't joke about something like this for all the gold in Gringott's. What were they going to do without Dumbledore? He'd been the only person that Voldemort had ever feared. She felt hopeless, like there was nothing left to do but give up. The others were telling Harry what had happened while he'd been chasing down Snape.

"Molly and Arthur are on their way." McGonagall was saying. Legacy wondered if Fleur was coming with them. She looked up as the older woman walked towards her. "Sirius is coming as well."

"Thank you." Legacy said, and the woman nodded and walked away. She didn't have to wait long, a few minutes later the doors to the hospital wing burst open, causing everyone to jump. Legacy barely registered that Molly and Arthur had indeed brought Fleur; she only had eyes for Sirius. He was trailing the others, and rushed over to her once he saw her. He was carrying James. She stood and walked towards him. "It's good to see you." She wrapped her arms around him and their son, and he held her tightly.

"I'm glad to see that you're all right." He said. "I was worried sick."

"Mum!" James shouted, and grabbed a handful of her hair.

"Mum's happy to see you too, James." Legacy took him from Sirius and held him close.

"And what do you mean by zat?" Fleur shouted, and Legacy jumped. She turned and saw that Fleur was glaring at Molly. "What do you mean, 'e was going to be married?" Molly raised her tear stained face, looking startled.

"Well – only that –"

"You theenk Bill will not weesh to marry me anymore?" Fleur demanded. "You theenk, because of these bites, 'e will not love me?"

"No, that's not what I –"

"Because 'e will! It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!"

"Well, yes, I'm sure. But I thought perhaps – given how – how he –"

"You thought I would not weesh to marry 'im? Or, per'aps, you 'oped?" Fleur said, her nostrils flaring. "What do I care 'ow 'e looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my 'usband is brave!" Legacy looked from Fleur to Molly, waiting to see how Molly would respond.

"Our Great Auntie Muriel has a very beautiful tiara – goblin-made – which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair." Molly said slowly.

"Thank you. I am sure zat will be lovely." Fleur said stiffly. And then, both women were crying and hugging each other. Legacy smiled, relieved that Fleur had finally been accepted by Molly, but sad that it had taken Bill being mauled by Greyback to accomplish this. Remus didn't know how bad the side-effects could be of this, seeing as it wasn't the full moon, but he was sure that Bill would likely have some wolfish traits from now on. Remus stepped back and Tonks walked up to him.

"You see!" She demanded, glaring up at him. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

"It's different. Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely –"

"But I don't care either, I don't care!" Tonks said. "I've told you a million times."

"And I've told you a million times," Remus refused to meet her eyes and stared at the floor, "that I am too old for you… too poor… too dangerous…"

"I've said all along that you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus." Molly said over Fleur's shoulder.

"I am not being ridiculous. She deserves someone young and whole." Remus said adamantly.

"But she wants you." Arthur said with a small smile. "After all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so." He gestured sadly at his son, lying between them.

"She also deserves to be able to make her own decisions." Sirius said. "She's made her choice, and she's willing to live with it."

"This is… not the moment to discuss it." Remus said, avoiding everybody's eyes as he looked around distractedly. "Dumbledore is dead…"

"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to know there was a little more love in the world." McGonagall said curtly, just as the hospital doors opened and Hagrid walked in. What little of his face wasn't obscured by his hair or beard was shaking and swollen; he was shaking with tears, a great spotted handkerchief in his hand.

"I've… I've done it, Professor." He choked. "M – moved him. Professor Sprout's got the kids back in bed. Professor Flitwick's lyin' down, but he says he'll be all right in a jiffy, an' Professor Slughorn says the Ministry's bin informed."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I shall have to see the Ministry when they get here." McGonagall had a few more orders for Hagrid, then took Harry to speak to him privately. When McGonagall, Harry and Hagrid left the room, silence fell on those remaining for a while.

"They'll probably toss around the idea of closing the school." Remus said, breaking the silence.

"I don't think that they will. It's unlikely that all of the students will return next year, but they're not going to close the school." Legacy said.

"But we have to face the facts. With Dumbledore gone, Hogwarts isn't as safe as it was before."

"Are their homes any safer? Even those with magical parents?"

"Probably not."

"Hogwarts has enchantments on it that normal houses won't. This is the safest place for students to be."

"Let's just hope that parents can see that, too." Remus said, and it was silent again. Not long after that, Hagrid returned to send them all off to bed, and to offer beds to the non-students, if they would like them. Fleur had declared her intentions to stay with Bill all night, and Madam Pomfrey had allowed it. The rest of them had also decided to stay, and Hagrid showed them all to guest quarters.

A few days later Dumbledore's funeral was held at the school, where he would be laid to rest. Madame Maxime flew in from France, and a delegation of Ministry officials had arrived, including Fudge. There were a lot of people there, and Legacy didn't recognize a lot of them. The Centaurs and Merpeople were even in attendance, and all of the members of the Order of the Phoenix were in attendance. Some parents had come to collect their children, so not all of the students were there, and all of the teachers were there. The Merpeople began to sing a strange, haunting tune full of sorrow. Legacy didn't understand the song but she understood the meaning behind it. Hagrid walked down the aisle between the chairs, carrying Dumbledore's body. It was wrapped in purple velvet adorned with golden stars. Legacy felt tears run down her cheeks but paid no attention to them. Hagrid placed his burden upon a table and went to his seat in the back, next to his half-brother Grawp. A short man stood in front of the table and began giving a speech.

"Mum?" James asked, touching her cheek.

"Shh, James. This is a quiet time." Thankfully, he seemed to understand and sat quietly. She kissed the top of his head and held him tightly. Sirius reached around and rubbed her back. She looked and saw that his face was lined with tears as well. When the man finished his speech, he went and sat down. Bright white flames erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table. They grew higher, obscuring the body. White smoke spiraled into the air, making strange shapes. When the fire vanished, in its place was a white marble tomb. The Centaurs sent a volley of arrows through the air in respect before they vanished into the forest. The Merpeople had finished their song and slipped under the water. After a few moments, the people around them began to speak amongst themselves. James was wriggling in her arms, so she set him on the ground and he began to walk around. She and Sirius stood together in silence, watching their son.

"This has to end soon." Sirius murmured, and Legacy looked over at him. He was still watching James. "I don't want to raise our children in a world where we have to fear for our lives, and theirs. I hadn't realized exactly how big of a risk that James and Lily were taking when they got married and had Harry, but now I do. I don't know how they hid their fear, but they did."

"There's not much that we can do. Harry won't tell us anything about the lessons he had with Dumbledore, beyond the fact that they were necessary if we want to see Voldemort die."

"I know, and it's killing me that I can't help him." Sirius sighed. "I failed James and Lily, I don't want to fail their son." Legacy slid an arm around her husband.

"You didn't fail them, Sirius. You were only doing what you thought was best."

"And look at where we are now. James and Lily are dead, and Voldemort is still in power."

"The wizarding world had a respite. If James and Lily were alive, I don't think we would have had that. We would never have met. There's a lot of things that wouldn't be the same if you'd been the Potters' Secret Keeper."

"I guess there are." Sirius leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I hadn't thought of that." They fell back into silence. James was very interested in Grawp and Hagrid, but Legacy was able to direct his attention towards one of his toys instead. She trusted Hagrid implicitly, but she wasn't so sure about Grawp. People were slowly trickling away, but the students, teachers, Order members and Ministry officials were mostly still there. Some of the students had left to finish packing their things. Legacy frowned slightly as Scrimgeour headed in their direction.

"Ah, there you are. I had wondered if you would be here." He said.

"Why wouldn't I be here? I had great respect for Dumbledore." Legacy replied. She felt James tugging on her robes and looked down.

"Mum!" He was holding something in his fist, and she knelt to inspect it. She smiled when she saw that it was a particularly shiny stone.

"That's wonderful, James. Are there any more?" She asked, and he wandered off again.

"That's your son?" Scrimgeour asked.

"Our son. He just turned one." Sirius had stepped beside Legacy. "I don't think that we've been officially introduced yet. I'm Sirius Black." He extended a hand, and there was a pause before Scrimgeour shook it.

"Rufus Scrimgeour." He looked up at the sky before speaking again. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"There's no need to beat about the bush. We all know that you didn't come over here just to make small talk. What do you want?" Legacy asked brusquely.

"All right then. What do you know about the night Harry went with Dumbledore?" Scrimgeour asked.

"I assume that it had something to do with the fact that Harry's going to kill Voldemort." Sirius said, and smiled slightly when the Minister flinched. "Harry hasn't said anything to me that he hasn't told you. Dumbledore gave him his orders, and he's following them to the letter."

"That doesn't help us now. We need to know what they were doing out of the castle."

"Why do you need to know? All we need to know about that night is what Harry's told us. If Dumbledore told him not to speak of it, then he had a good reason." Legacy said.

"What might that be?"

"He would have hoped for the best and planned for the worst. If this had something to do with this 'Chosen One' nonsense, then it stands to reason that Dumbledore wouldn't want everyone to know about it. The man's never steered us wrong yet. At least respect his final wishes." Sirius said.

"I'm not going to get anywhere with the two of you, am I?" Scrimgeour asked, scowling.

"It's unlikely." Legacy said. She looked over his shoulder and saw Robards. "I see someone that I need to speak with. Good day, Minister." She picked up James and walked away, Sirius right behind her. "I cannot believe him. Trying to pump us for information at the funeral of the greatest wizard the world has ever known."

"There's not much that we can do to prevent that from happening. Things are going to get a lot worse." Sirius said. Legacy sighed and handed James to Sirius.

"I need to speak to Robards for a moment, and then we can leave if you want."

"I thought that you had all of your things set up for working at home?"

"I don't want to work at home. I want to resign." Legacy said, and Sirius grabbed her arm.

"Why are you resigning? I thought you liked it there." He asked. "Is something wrong?"

"With Dumbledore dead, we have to assume that it won't be long before Voldemort has his hands on the Ministry, in one way or another. I can't continue to work there and put everyone else at risk. We'll have to go into hiding."

"I understand. I'll let you go deal with him." Sirius said. Legacy smiled and walked over to Robards.

"Black, it's good to see you. That's your husband and son, then?" He asked, peering over at Sirius.

"Robards, I need to speak with you about something rather important. Privately, if we can."

"Come along, then." Robards walked down to the lakeside, and Legacy fell in beside him. "Are you resigning?" He asked, and Legacy looked over at him. "I'm not surprised. You have a young child with another one on the way. You won't want to be in the line of fire, directly or indirectly."

"I'm glad that you're taking this so well." Legacy said. "I was expecting you to try to convince me to stay on."

"No, not from me." Robards sighed. "Well, just in case I die, I'll leave a letter of recommendation for you to rejoin the Aurors at your earliest convenience. It's a damn shame we couldn't keep you, though. You've been one of our better recruits."

"I'm sorry, Robards. But I promise that if I'm still alive by the end of this, I'll go back to being an Auror."

"That's good to hear." Robards extended his hand, and Legacy shook it. "It's been nice knowing you, Legacy."

"You as well… Gawain."