[A/N: I apologize in advance for the amount of dialogue here. Before I knew it I'd written nine pages of people talking, like whoa.]

Here Lies Dobby

A Free Elf

That's what his headstone read, though it wasn't stone. It was a piece of drift wood that we'd fashioned into one. All the same, Dobby was dead and it sucked.

Harry had dug his grave by hand and buried him in a spot near the garden.

I was standing next to him while he looked at his grave. He was really sad. I hadn't seen him this depressed in a very long time.

"He saved my life a couple of times," Harry said.

"I remember, he also almost killed you and nearly got you expelled from school," I said. "He is. . . He was sweet though."

"It's not fair," Harry said.

"None of it's fair. Things haven't been fair for a really long time," I said. "It's like you said though, things are going to keep getting worse before they start getting better."

"I don't think I'll manage if they keep going like this," he said.

"I know," I said placing my hand on his shoulder. "Which is why it's good we're here for now. We can take a breather from the horcruxes and the Hallows and regroup. Kassia came out and told me that Sirius, Dana, Veronica and Remus are here."

"Remus?" Harry asked. "I was such a dick to him the last time I saw him. He probably wants to punch me in the face."

"All three of us were in the wrong for the way we behaved that day—mostly him though. I'm sure he knows that. And he doesn't hate us. He can't. He loves us like his own children after all," I said.

"Are you really going to stand there and tell me you don't feel the slightest bit guilty?" Harry asked. "You, who are the queen of regret?"

"I do feel guilty," I said. "But I reckon he does too."

"And what about Draco?" Harry asked. I groaned. "Sore spot?"

"I'm avoiding him," I said. "Why else would I sit outside with you and watch you dig a grave?"

"Maybe you're a little morbid," Harry said. I shrugged. "You will have to talk to him eventually. You did make a kid together and she is inside of the house."

"I saw her. She's a giant now," I said. "And she has all of her fingers and toes so I'm assuming Draco hasn't failed at being a father."

"You have to talk to him. Everyone else has forgiven him for what's happened except for you," Harry said. "Ron told me once that he and Sirius were cool and everything."

"How did he win Sirius over?" I asked.

"Got him out of Azkaban when they found us in Grimmauld," Harry said.

I sighed. "I'm just going to end up screaming at him."

"We're all perfectly aware of that," Harry said. "I'm sure he knows it too. He did try to kill Dumbledore after all. It warrants a scream or two."

"Are you going to talk to Ginny?" I asked.

"Why? So I can make out with her and then have Ron and Bill kick my ass? No thank you. I'll stick to avoiding her like I did in the summer. You saw what happened on my birthday," Harry said. "We can obviously not be trusted around each other."

"And what about Draco?" I asked. "In regards to Ginny I mean."

He sighed. "I think maybe they were in the wrong place at the wrong time for us to show up. I doubt that they'd ever do anything."

"What makes you so doubtful?" I asked.

"Because I'm Harry Potter. Who moves onto Draco Malfoy when they're mad about me?" he said.

"You smug bastard," I said.

"Oi!" We looked over to Veronica and Sirius running up to us.

"Are you going to stand out here all day and come in to say hello to us?" Sirius asked taking Harry into a hug as Veronica hugged me.

"We were discussing important stuff," I said.

"Important stuff like what?" Sirius asked.

"Like, will Hannah ever speak to Draco Malfoy again?" Harry said.

"And can Harry actually hold a conversation with Ginny with making out with her," I said

"I already told you the answer to that question was no," Harry said.

"And I already told you I will speak to him. I just don't feel like it at the moment," I said.

"Well, I'll tell you this, for once, he actually is behaving like a decent human being. He really stuck his neck out for me and Dana by getting us out of Azkaban after the two of you decided to take a stroll through the Ministry of Magic in October," Sirius said. "You should talk to him. All he talked about at Christmas was you and how much he misses you and how much he loves you."

"That's all Draco ever talks about. He needs to find a new topic of conversation," I said.

"I thought you liked being the center of attention," Veronica said.

"Do not," I said.

"Liar," Harry and Sirius said in unison.

"Maybe if Draco weren't so horrible at being my boyfriend I might not mind him missing me and loving me so much," I said.

"Do you not miss him and love?" Sirius asked.

"Nope," I said.

"Liar again," Harry said. "Is that why you sat up crying about him in the tent all those evenings?"

"Well, at least I didn't stalk him the way you talked Ginny," I said.

"How could I stalk Ginny?" Harry asked.

"With the Marauders Map. You're a long distance stalker," I said.

"Well at least I'm not in denial about Ginny," Harry said. "You're so deep into repression that I bet if Pansy were here she'd feel sorry for you."

"And that's enough of that," Veronica said. "It's good to see things haven't changed between the two of you. You're still keeping that sibling rivalry alive and well."

"In the meanwhile, however, I'm sure there's another person inside who'd love to see you. He goes by the name Remus Lupin," Sirius said.

"How'd he manage to get under the impression that you guys hate him?" Veronica asked.

Harry and I exchanged glances and then looked shamefully down to our feet.

"We heard he got into a bit of a row with you guys but he won't go into details. Only that it was about that whole business with Tonks and you weren't pleased about it," Sirius said.

"Something like that," I said. "I may've told him I never wanted to see his face again."

"Wow. And I thought you only said horrible things like that to me," Sirius said.

"He was leaving his wife and kids. What was she supposed to do? Give him a handshake?" Harry asked.

"It's not like any of us condoned what he was doing either," Veronica said. "And Tonks was so angry. Almost threw a chair at him when he showed back up. It was brilliant—really sad and terrifying, but brilliant. And Kaitlin went through it too. Her mum was in the hospital, the man who raised her is a mad raving lunatic who put her there, and Remus was just gone. She was staying with me and Danielle at the time. All she did was cry in her room for days. She was on the platform to Hogwarts by the time she worked things out with him."

"So, your anger was warranted," Sirius said. "We know how much Tonks and Remus mean to the two of you. Especially Tonks. We know she's your favorite."

"We just don't like to see her upset is all. She's too happy for other people to bring her down," Harry said. "You know, and she's been like a mother to us since she came round, but that hardly has anything to do with it."

"And we know they worked things out and everything is fine now, which is what we wanted to happen in the first place, so we're not angry," I said.

"Then go talk to him. Sulky Remus is not fun to be around," Veronica said. "And he's in a bad state enough as it."

"Why? What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"Tonks' father was murdered," Sirius said.

"Heard about that," I said.

"It's bad enough he was murdered. It was how we found out that's made it horrible," Veronica said. "Bellatrix Lestrange has a sick sense of humor, so when she found out her sister's husband had been killed she sent her a package."

"A package?" Harry asked.

"Ted's head, in a box," Sirius said. I clasped my hands over my mouth in horror. "Tonks was round her mother's house that day so she saw it too. Poor girl didn't talk for two days. It's only been about a week since it happened. She's doing all right now, but can't imagine things have been easy for him at home."

"And then there's Kaitlin," Veronica said.

"Janessa hasn't died has she?" I asked.

"Goodness no," Veronica said. "Kaitlin's just come home from Hogwarts. She flunked out or something."

"They've been taking all the registered werewolves and putting them on lockdown at the Ministry of Magic every full moon and the conditions, Remus tells us, are horrible. No wolfsbane potion allowed or anything. Remus grew up without it so he can manage fine, but Kaitlin isn't used to transforming without so her body's had a difficult time adjusting without. She keeps getting sick and kept missing classes and apparently Snape to her to leave," Sirius said.

"Things really have gone to shit haven't they?" Harry asked.

"Not all of them. Two new babies on the way after all. That's something to celebrate," Veronica said.

"Two?" I asked.

"Oh! You haven't heard about Emily yet!" Veronica said.

"Emily and Fred? Really?" Harry asked.

"Yes sir. She's due in September," Sirius said.

"Well how about that," Harry said.

"Any other life changing events I should know about?" I asked.

"None that I can think of," Veronica said.

"I guess we really do have to go inside and face everyone don't we?" I asked.

Harry nodded.

888

"This tea tastes like butt crack," Kaitlin said as I peered into the kitchen where she sat at the counter with Remus.

"It does not. Stop being so dramatic," he said.

"I am not being dramatic. This literally tastes like butt crack," she repeated.

"Butt crack, Kaitlin?" Remus asked.

"Not a butt cheek. Not an entire butt. It tastes like butt crack," she went on.

"Have you ever tasted butt crack?" Remus asked.

"I have in my mind and it tastes like this tea," she said. "Hot, steaming butt crack."

"That doesn't make any sense," he said.

"You know, what doesn't make sense is that you're making me drink butt crack tea," she said.

"It is not butt crack tea," he said.

"I know, but you keep saying 'butt crack' and it's really funny," Kaitlin said.

"You know," I said stepping inside, "you can get pregnant through butt sex."

Kaitlin looked over at me and smiled. "Oh, really?"

"Yep. You'll just have a crack baby," I said.

Kaitlin laughed. "That was brilliant."

"Tonks told it to me. She's a nutter," I said.

Kaitlin abandoned her tea and came over to the door to hug me.

"I have missed you so much!" she said hugging me. "Seriously, the depth of my missing is outrageous. It's mostly been me and Danielle. Everyone else is either insane or mopey. We were the only two balanced people at Hogwarts. And do I have stories to tell you about Hogwarts. For instance Natalia Drake is a total slut now."

"What? No way," I said.

"Way. She tried to hook up with Neville. Then Bree, you remember her, the Slytherin girl, came up and cleaned her clock. It was excellent. Bree is totally not the kind of girl I would put Neville with but they are always tonguing each other."

"How gross," I said.

"Indeed," Kaitlin said. "What else? I'm sure you've heard Emily is pregnant. The whole school thinks Ginny's a slut for 'hooking up' with Draco, Pansy dumped Marius Drake because he is actually a raving psychotic, and Neville is a total badass now. He told Miss Professor Carrow to fuck off and die. He got tortured right there in front of us in the middle of Muggle Studies and then he got up and told him he tortures like a bitch. It was epic."

"Neville? Really?" I asked.

"Yes," Kaitlin said glancing back to her dad. "But I will tell you about it later. I'm certain you two have some catching up to do."

I looked to Remus and nodded.

Kaitlin hugged me again and walked out into the living.

"Harry Potter, you have five seconds to get over here and hug me before I roundhouse kick you in the face!" Kaitlin shouted on the other side of the door.

I giggled as I stood awkwardly in the kitchen with Remus.

"You're sure she's yours?" I asked.

"Yes, though I have a hard time telling as well sometimes," he said.

"And how long until your next one gets here?" I asked.

"Four whole weeks," he said.

"Excited?" I asked. "You should be."

"Horrified, but thank you," he said.

"You know. . . I don't hate you. I never hated you. I was really angry but I couldn't hate you. And when I said I never wanted to see you again I obviously didn't mean it otherwise I wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now. And you're not a coward. I mean, it was cowardly to run away like you did, but I know it must've been terrifying deciding to come back and try to fix things. And you're still, like, my dad and all that. You always have been. And even though you're not actually my dad, you still are like my dad and I heard tell that kids get into tiffs with their parents all of the time. And between you and me I got way angrier with Sirius about how he acted when I got pregnant than I did with you. I know that's selfish and horrible and everything but, it's so-."

"I get it, Hannah," he said. "It's fine, I understand."

"Good, because I had no idea where I was going with that last thing," I laughed. "But really, I missed you, like all of the time. And I hate how we left things when I saw you last."

"I deserved everything you said to me that day, Hannah. Every single thing," he said.

"No you didn't," I said.

"Yes, I did. I was insane to do what I did. I might not've come back if the two of you hadn't talked some sense into me," he said.

"I am very good at talking sense into people," I said. "It's when people try to show me sense that I run into trouble."

"You've done all right so far," he said.

"Right. . . We're all going to pretend that I didn't get pregnant then?" I asked.

"Mira is lovely even if she was unexpected," Remus said. "And you shouldn't regret her at all."

"I don't regret her," I said. "It's her father I have feelings of regret toward."

"Ah, so the war wages on between the two of you," he said.

"Unfortunately," I said. "Running about in the wilderness hasn't exactly put me in a forgiving mood."

"Have you seen him with Mira yet?" he asked. I shook my head. "We all sort of pegged Draco as not being all that brilliant and being irresponsible and being a massive coward because that's the way he always has been, even when you were together. But when he was here over Christmas it was like he was a completely different person."

"Draco always seems like a different person when he's trying to atone for something," I said.

"You don't understand, Hannah. You have to fight to get his attention away from Mira. He knows just how to get her to sleep. He knows when she's hungry or needs her diaper changed or if she's bored. He's an incredible dad," Remus said.

"He should be," I said.

"Remember how you kept telling Draco he needed to grow, to be responsible, to start getting things right the first time instead of apologizing for it later—Mira has definitely helped him morph into that person," he said.

I groaned. "Why does everyone want me to forgive and forget and to pretend nothing ever went bad between us?"

"You don't have to get back together with him, Hannah, but you do have to move on from what happened. You can't keep back peddling to that night. You have to look at it and realize that Draco made a bad decision, but he didn't hurt anyone because he didn't want to, because ultimately he finally realized you were more important," Remus said. "And maybe he realized it too late. But he did eventually and you can't keep punishing him when he's trying so hard and doing so well at making things right. Besides, you need to talk. You need to be able to get along because you're parents now and it won't be good for Mira if you can't even manage a 'hello, how's the weather?' to him."

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't be like that, Hannah. I know you're angry because Draco was completely awful to you, but you have to look at it from Draco's perspective," he said.

"I'd look at it from his perspective but I can't really imagine what it's like to live in a constant haze of stupidity," I said.

"That was not so kind," he said.

"He wasn't so kind to me either," I said.

"Give him a chance. You'll see he's changed," Remus said. "Really changed."

At that moment Draco burst into the kitchen running around frantically.

"Have you seen the bottles?" he nearly shouted.

"What?" Remus asked.

"The bottles with milk in them that I use to feed my kid. You're going to be a dad in month! Get with the program Lupin! Have you seen them?" he asked.

"No. Afraid I haven't," Remus replied.

"Kassia said she brought them and now I can't find them and Mira's going to wake up soon and she's going to be hungry and if she doesn't have a bottle then we're all going to hear about it," Draco said. He looked to me and pointed. "I know you hate me and that you don't want to speak to me and that's fine and I know you've been out of the parenting game for a really long time but you have to help me find those bottles for your daughter."

I nodded. "Okay. . ."

Draco ran out of the kitchen and left me standing there with Remus.

"Completely different person, see?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I do see."

[Chapter title credit to John Sebastian for the song "Welcome Back Kotter".]