A/N: Hello! A little muse to entertain you this week, without all the crazy symbolism of last chapter. When JKR speaks, I listen, so when she mentioned the connection between Lily and James and Remus and Tonks I had to draw on it, even if I'm slightly in denial about the death thing. So this is a little exploration of Tonks's feelings-with Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom, it had to have made her think. It's unbeta'd again, my fault entirely, I'm sorry. Thank yous go out to all readers and reviewers!

Godric's Hollow

On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,

Lily and James Potter lost their lives,

Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever

to have survived the Killing Curse

This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left,

in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters

and as a reminder of the violence

that tore apart their family

DH, chapter 17, page 272 British Edition

The plaque outside Godric's Hollow has never lost its poignancy, even though Tonks has seen it more than once. She came for the first time when she was sixteen, after reading 'October 31st', a short book describing the Potter family and its tragic fate. At least, she thought it was the first time, until her mum said in passing a couple of days ago that she and Ted took their daughter when she was seven, to watch it being unveiled and to lay a bouquet of flowers for their heroes. She does not remember it.

Another time, Remus took her to this village. It was what would have been James's 36th birthday, and they were taking Snuffles along. Tonks had been quite moved that Remus asked her to come with him, though at first she thought it was because of Snuffles, and she got a lump in her throat when he gripped her hand in his grief.

Now, everything has changed, but the figures of Lily and James, and of course their son, mean more to her than they ever have before. She is suddenly in their position; not only is she a member of the Order of the Phoenix, she is having a baby. What had they thought when they found out they were having Harry? James probably hadn't had quite such a nervous breakdown, but, to be fair, there were differences between him and Remus. As for Lily, she had probably loved Harry from the moment she saw her positive pregnancy test. There is no way of knowing this for sure, of course, but there is more than a little evidence of such love, and Tonks feels the same way about her baby. Though it's slightly impossible at this time, she still being pregnant, she would die for her child in a heartbeat.

The smiling faces of the statue are enough to bring tears to her eyes. These two, in their brief time, were an ideal mother and father. And even though they had such little time, they had passed on so much to their son, including, Tonks thinks, an instinct for the right thing.

People have been carving messages into the plaque, even more so recently. It must have looked awful the first time anyone did it, but the idea has quickly caught on. She recognises the handwriting of some people she knows. But Tonks does not want to read them all, she wants to add her own message. Though Harry will be the only one reading it, Lily and James deserve it too. If it weren't for the three of them and their sacrifice, her own family wouldn't be quite so complete.

She produces a small knife from her pocket-one her mum uses for crafts. With one hand on her rounded belly, she carves a message into the surface;

Harry, my son or daughter owes you one father, and I thank you for him, and everything else. Keep going, I'll always admire you. Love, Tonks xxx