Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world are the property of J K Rowling
Chapter 37: A Close Call
5th February 1994
Albus Dumbledore headed back to his office. He had been pleased when the French minister's wife had been taken ill, as it had meant that he had been able to get back to Hogwarts earlier than expected. He called out to one of the portraits as he entered his office. "Frances, has anything unusual happened since I've been gone?"
Frances Montgomery stared coolly down at Albus with her green eyes. "There's something been going on in the Room of Requirement. The house-elves haven't been able to get in."
Albus frowned. "Do you know who's been using it?"
"Professors Lupin and Snape," Frances told him. She did not, however, tell him about anyone else. As a portrait she owed her fealty to Albus but she disliked the corrupt headmaster, and would do anything she could to thwart him in his efforts. She also knew that if she had said no, Albus would more than likely have asked a different portrait and she didn't want that to happen. She watched as Albus threw floo power into the fireplace and called out Remus' name.
After a few minutes, Remus appeared. "Is something wrong, Headmaster? It's rather late and I was just getting ready to go to bed."
"This won't take long. Can you please step through?" Albus asked politely.
Remus cleared his mind before complying. As he stepped into Albus' office, he was surprised to see a portrait of a woman wink at him.
"I believe you were using the Room of Requirement today." Albus watched Remus' face for his reaction.
Remus now knew why the woman had been winking at him. "That's correct. Severus and I were using it to try and work on a new formula for Wolfsbane."
"Why not use Severus' lab? It should have had everything you needed," Albus pointed out.
"It doesn't have some of the rarer materials we required, and it was simply easier to use the room's conjured up versions rather than trying to obtain the real thing," Remus lied easily.
Albus felt the tension leave his body. "That's fine. It's just that the house-elves were having a problem accessing the room."
"We locked it due to the volatility of some of the ingredients we were using." Remus knew that he would have to warn the others that the room was being watched.
"Thank you. That will be all." Albus watched as Remus departed from his office. He wondered if he should summon Severus but after checking the time, decided against it. He looked back up at Frances. "I think it's time that Professor Lupin had a change of portrait in his rooms. Please let Sir Folger know that he is no longer needed in the Professor's rooms and that you will be taking his place," Albus ordered.
Frances hid her contempt for the headmaster as she nodded before disappearing.
When he got back to his rooms Remus not surprised to see the green-eyed portrait waiting for him. "Hello."
"Hello, Professor Lupin. I wanted to let you know that Albus is probably going to place a guard on the Room of Requirement but that you shouldn't worry about it too much," Frances informed him. "I can deal with whomever he chooses to guard the room, if you ever need to use it again."
"My name is Remus, and why would you warn me?" Remus had never known a portrait that had deliberately disobeyed the Headmaster before and was quite suspicious of the portrait's motives.
"I'll explain in a moment. I know you probably don't trust me." Frances began, only for Remus to agree with her. "But I swear that my allegiance is to your son Harry."
Remus watched amazed as the portrait seemed to expand for a few moments before glowing silver and resuming its original size. "What was that?"
"A portrait can choose whom they wish to pledge their allegiance to. I've chosen to pledge mine to Harry. As a former headmistress, I still owe Albus fealty but for some things my allegiance overrides that," Frances explained. "My name is Frances Montgomery. Your son, Harry, is actually one of my descendants through his mother's side. I know Lily Evans is supposed to be a Muggle-born but she's actually descended from a line of squibs. My children were all born squibs and, as far as I know, so were all of their descendants until Lily came along. I don't know how or why she managed to avoid this fate but I'm glad she did."
Remus frowned. "So Nia's a squib?"
"Who's Nia?" Frances had never heard of her before.
"Lily's sister," Remus clarified.
"Oh, Petunia." Frances didn't hold with the use of shortened versions of names. "Yes, I believe she's a squib. After so many squibs in the family I'm surprised that all of her children turned out to be magical."
Remus was intrigued. "So if your descendants were all squibs, how did you find out about them?"
Frances smiled. "My sister's children were all magical. They, and their children's descendants, have kept me abreast of what's happening in the world, and they provided me with up-to-date knowledge about my own descendants."
"So Harry and the other children have relatives they don't know about?" Remus sat down as he waited for Frances to respond.
"They do, but after all these years they're very distant relatives. Sadly only one attends Hogwarts now." Frances sighed. "I haven't yet had a chance to speak to her alone."
"Who is she?" Remus wondered who the children's distant relative could be.
"Katherine De Montfort. In fact I believe she's a good friend of your daughter Aurilia. I was extremely pleased to see that one of my descendants made Slytherin." Frances looked proud. "I too was in Slytherin."
"Now why that doesn't come as a surprise?" Remus grinned cheekily at the portrait, who laughed.
"I like you, Remus." Frances looked amused. "I should tell you that Albus has asked me to take over Sir Folger's spot in your rooms."
"I think I'd like that." Remus had a feeling that Frances would be an extremely interesting portrait to talk to.
"Good. I think I'm going to enjoy your company." Frances smirked. "I will, of course, have to tell Albus a few things about what you're doing, but don't worry. I'll be very selective."
Remus yawned. "I'm sorry, Frances, but I need to let the others know that there might be a problem with using the Room of Requirement."
Frances shook her head. "Don't worry about that for the moment. Your friends have all left the room and gone their separate ways; I checked before coming here. So go and get some sleep and I will see you in the morning." Frances closed her eyes.
"Goodnight, Frances." Remus walked into his bedroom and shut the door, conjuring up a bed to lie on so that he could keep an eye on Harry and Hermione.
February 14th 1994
Draco spotted his mother's owl, Gilligan, making its way towards him. Absently feeding the owl a piece of bacon from his plate, Draco pulled off the letter that was attached to its leg and ripped it open.
"Oh Merlin!" Draco gasped as he read the note.
Harry swiveled to face Draco. "What's wrong?"
"It's Mum." Draco was pale.
"What's happened?" Luna, who was sitting on the other side of Draco, put her arm around him.
"She's pregnant," Draco blurted out.
Luna dropped her arm and burst out laughing. "Draco, for a minute there I thought you'd had bad news."
"It is bad news. What if the baby ends up being like Matthias?" Draco closed his eyes, missing the glare that Pansy sent his way. "Oh Merlin, I feel sick."
"It's a bit early to worry about that just yet, Draco." Harry stole Draco's last piece of bacon. "It's only going to be a tiny thing. You'll love being its big brother."
"Just think, it could turn out like me." George slapped Draco on the back.
Draco just moaned in answer.
Harry laughed. "You'll get over it."
"You wouldn't be laughing if you got news like that," Draco pointed out.
Harry just grinned. "Ha! That's unlikely to happen to me."
Luna frowned at Harry. "I'd be careful if I was you, Harry. You never know what might happen."
Harry pulled a face at her. "I think I do. Mum and Dad are divorced. They're hardly likely to be telling me that I've another brother or sister on the way."
Luna just smiled secretively and went back to her breakfast.
Harry shook his head at Luna and looked across to the Slytherin table. The white rose he had sent Hermione was now propped up against her goblet, as she engaged in conversation with Daphne, who had obviously been sent a bouquet of red roses from Fred. Harry could only just make out Daphne's face above the mass of long-stemmed flowers. Harry hoped that Hermione didn't feel too let down in comparison.
Over at the Slytherin table, Hermione was pleased with the single rose that Harry had sent her. Her friend, however, thought differently. "He only sent you one rose? That's it?"
Hermione picked up the rose and inhaled its delicate aroma. "We're just friends, Daphne, unlike you and Fred."
Daphne's face broke into a grin. "They're wonderful aren't they?"
Hermione knew that she would not have wanted anything so ostentatious but politely agreed with her friend. "They're very lovely."
Daphne beamed but then her smile slipped away. "What about Felidae? Didn't he send you anything?"
Hermione had received something that morning. "Of course he did; a yellow tea rose bush was waiting for me in my parents' rooms." Hermione didn't tell Daphne that things between her and Dae had actually been quite strained since she had found out about his background, and the rose bush had been more of a conciliatory gesture than anything else.
Daphne was satisfied with Hermione's answer. "Good. I'd hate to think he was slacking off already."
Hermione wished she could tell Daphne about her annulment. "I'd hate it too."
Hermione then maneuvered the conversation back to Fred, taking Daphne's mind off both Harry and Dae.
Fable House
Nia yawned as she made her way to the kitchen. She had made the most of Scarlett staying at Lily's house to lie in. As she pushed open the kitchen door, she spotted a beautiful pot filled with white violets. Picking up the note propped up against the flowers, Nia opened it.
'For a special lady. I'd be honored if you'd join me for dinner at seven. Grim x'
As seven o'clock got nearer, Nia became more and more anxious. She had no idea know why, she and Grim were just good friends. A crack signaled Grim's arrival. She was shocked when he walked into the kitchen. "You're wearing a Muggle suit."
"So I am," Grim responded. "Are you ready to go to dinner?"
Nia picked up her coat and bag. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Grim winked. "If you'd like to take my arm."
Nia looked nervous. "We're apparating?"
Grim knew she was far from fond of wizard transportation, and had always refused pointblank to use apparition before, preferring to floo if she had to use any form of wizarding transportation at all. "We need to. I'd hate for you to get your dress dirty. I promise it won't hurt. Just take a deep breath and close your eyes."
Nia shakily placed her hand on Grim's proffered arm. "I'm ready."
"Just trust me." Grim squeezed her hand and thought about where they were going.
Nia gasped as she opened her eyes. "But how did you know?"
"A little birdie told me." Grim smiled at her.
Nia could scarcely believe it. As a small child, her parents had taken her to York on a day trip, where Nia had fallen in love with the city. She had returned several times on her own since then. "Where are we eating?"
In answer, Grim led her up to a restaurant Nia had never been in before. "It comes highly recommended. We can have cocktails on the top floor and then we're booked to eat at seven thirty."
Nia settled for a glass of white wine before dinner. After they'd finished their meal, Grim turned to Nia. "Would you like to take a stroll?"
Despite the time of year, the weather was fairly clement and Nia was excited to be in one of her favorite childhood haunts. "I'd love to."
The two of them walked quietly through the streets until Grim came to a hotel. "I've booked us into a suite for tonight. I've arranged for us to take the train to Edinburgh tomorrow, and we can floo back home from there."
Nia did not quite know what to say. "That's very kind but…"
Grim knew what was bothering her. "The suite has two bedrooms."
Nia blushed. "I'm sorry."
"Come on." Grim took Nia's hand and led her inside.
Nia was surprised at the opulence of the sitting room they were led into. "It's lovely, Grim."
Grim walked over to the wet bar where a bottle of pink champagne sat on ice. "Would you like a glass?"
Nia nodded. "Thank you." After drinking some of the champagne, she sat down. "I don't mean to be rude but why are you doing this?"
Grim cleared his throat. "I think a great deal of you, Nia, you know that."
Nia reached across and squeezed Grim's hand. "I do of you too."
"Nia, I want to marry you," Grim told her.
Nia was shocked. "But I'm, but I'm…"
"…a very special person, with whom I've fallen in love." Grim reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet roll. "I didn't even realize it until Lupin came round on New Year's Eve and told me that you and the children were in danger from Pettigrew. It was then that I knew that I wanted to marry you. Nia, I want to take care of you for the rest of your life."
Nia stared in amazement as Grim got down on one knee. As he unfolded the velvet roll, Nia was shocked to see that it contained the most incredible pink diamond ring. "It's beautiful." Several tears fell down Nia's cheeks.
Seeing Nia's tears, Grim was worried that she would say no. "I understand if you think it's too soon."
Nia shook her head. "It's not that. It's just that no-one has never done anything like this for me before."
Grim knew that Nia's marriage to Lupin had been one of convenience for the sake of Harry and Dudley but he didn't know much about her first marriage. "Didn't Dudley's father propose to you?"
"Not exactly. We just sort of fell into it. Both of our parents more or less presumed we'd get married and before we knew what we were doing, we were married and Dudley was on the way." Nia smiled apologetically. "To be truthful, I don't really think that my failed marriages are exactly a good topic at this moment."
Grim nodded understandingly. "You might be right."
Nia took a deep breath and held out her left hand. "Grim, I'd be delighted to become your wife."
Grim slid the ring on to Nia's finger, watching as it resized itself to fit her, before gently kissing her on the cheek. "I'll make you happy, Nia."
Clearing his throat, Grim got to his feet and grabbed the bottle of champagne. "More champagne?"
Shaking slightly, Nia nodded. "Thank you, yes."
After topping up Nia's glass, Grim sat down next to her. "Nia, I want to do this properly. If you want a large wedding, then a large wedding we'll have. If you don't, then we won't."
Nia felt herself fill up again. "I don't know what to say."
"You've said the most important thing, and that's yes." Grim knew that he would have to send Lily and Luna something nice for their suggestions. Luna had been ecstatic when he had told her that he was going to ask Nia to marry him, and she had suggested doing it on Valentine's Day. When Grim had nervously approached Lily, she had told him about Nia's favorite haunt and had laughed off his worries about it being too soon after Nia's divorce. Lily was well aware of how Nia felt about the bear-like man, even if Nia had not wanted to admit it to herself.
Feeling a little overwhelmed, Nia stood up. "I think I'm going to retire to bed." She wondered if Grim expected to share the room with her.
She need not have worried. Grim stood up and kissed her hand. "Goodnight, Nia. Your nightclothes should be in the left-hand bedroom, and there's an en-suite bathroom off your room."
Nia headed into the bedroom Grim had indicated and closed the door, before leaning back against it. She looked down at the beautiful ring that now adorned her left hand and smiled. She really had had no idea that she was in love with Grim until she had seen his panicked look when he thought it had been too soon. Humming softly to herself, she made her way into the bathroom.
19th February 1994
Harry looked up as the post arrived. He spotted Hedwig flying to his dad who removed what looked like one letter of many. She came next to him and rubbed her head against his hand, making him smile. He took his letter from her, fed her a little bacon and watched as she flew to Dudley, then Aurilia and finally to Georgiana. Remembering Luna's warning of a few days earlier, Harry felt a little apprehensive as he ripped open his letter. After reading its contents, he got up and stalked out of the room.
Hermione watched Aurilia open the letter that Hedwig had delivered, only for a small frown to grace the girl's face. "Is everything all right, Auri?"
"Mum's getting married again," Auri briskly informed her. "Will you excuse me?"
Auri got up and followed her brother out of the Great Hall. Over on the Gryffindor table, Hermione could see Georgiana happily passing her letter over to Seville to look at. Obviously Georgiana had no problem with Nia's news. Hermione left the table and went in search of Harry.
Remus finished reading his letter before getting up and walking over to his son, who appeared far from surprised. "Dudley, can I have a word?"
Dudley followed his dad into the teacher's side room, looking a little resigned.
Remus shut the door before addressing Dudley again. "You already knew, didn't you?"
Dudley nodded his head. "Luna told me when we came back to school that Uncle Grim was going to ask Mum to marry him."
"Don't you think it might have been nice to give the rest of the family a heads up on what was going on?" Remus had been more than a little taken aback to get his letter.
"I promised Luna I wouldn't tell anyone what she was going to tell me. I didn't know she was going to tell me about Mum and Uncle Grim," Dudley said, defending his actions. "You've always lectured us about keeping promises."
Dudley was right, he had. "And I'm glad you remembered that. I'm sorry. It was just a bit of a surprise I hadn't expected." Remus knew that he had been wrong to try and blame his son. "I need to go and find Harry and Auri. I don't think either of them took the news too well, if their hasty departures from the Hall were anything to go by."
Just as Remus was turning to leave, Dudley put out a hand to stop him. "Are you all right, Dad?"
Remus had been a little surprised by the speed that Lovegood had proposed but it had hardly been a big shock to him. "I'm fine, Dudley. I had a feeling your Mum and Grimstock would eventually get together, and I'm pleased for them both."
Placated, Dudley left the room and returned to where Luna was waiting for him. Remus left the room by the back entrance and went in search of Harry.
Harry stormed up the corridor, not really looking where he was going. The next thing he knew, he found himself on the floor after cannoning into his Muggle Studies teacher. Harry looked up, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Professor."
Anna easily pulled Harry to his feet. "That's quite all right, Harry. Can I help you with something?"
Harry shook his head and promptly burst into tears. Anna put her arm around him. "Come on, let's go to my rooms where you can tell me what's bothering you."
Harry let Anna lead him off and soon the two of them were seated in her rooms. "So, Harry, would you like to tell me what's wrong?"
Harry passed her the letter. He had no idea why but he felt he could trust the Professor. Anna skimmed over its contents, barely holding in a gasp at the news contained. "Nia is getting married again?"
Harry's head shot up. "You know my mum?"
Anna could have kicked herself. "Remus has mentioned her before."
Harry was unable hide his dismay. "She's only just gotten divorced from Dad. I can't believe she'd do this."
Anna took Harry's hand. "Harry, your mum has probably been lonely. I know she and Remus only got divorced at the end of last year but their marriage had been over for a while, hadn't it?" Rumors about the divorce had flown around the staffroom whenever Remus had not been there, but had eventually died down.
Harry pulled his hand away and, getting up, walked over to the window. As he did so, he spotted a pair of silver and glass unicorns set back on Anna's cupboard. Ignoring Anna's plea to come back and sit down, Harry walked over to the cupboard and picked one of the unicorns up, turning it over in his hand. "Where did you get these, Professor?"
Anna closed her eyes before answering, "I think you know exactly where I got them, don't you, Harry?"
"They were a birthday gift from me and Dudley, weren't they?" Harry put the unicorn down before angrily confronting his former nanny. "How could you have just disappeared like that? Mum called the police when we couldn't find any trace of you. Do you have any idea what she went through?"
"Sit down, Harry." Anna patted the sofa next to her.
Harry ignored Anna's gesture. "You lied to us. We thought you were a Muggle, and you were really a witch."
"And you were also a wizard masquerading as a Muggle. You could say that your family also lied to me."
"I suppose." Harry knew that she had a point. "You spent all those years living like a Muggle. Why?"
Anna looked lost in her thoughts for a moment before finally answering. "My father's pretty well off, and I was able to do Muggle charitable work for him. But I finally decided that it was time to stand on my own two feet. That's why I took the job with your mum. I only intended to stay for a year but I fell in love with all of you and ended up staying longer than I should have."
"So why did you leave?" Harry kept his distance.
Anna knew she could never tell Harry the truth. "It was time to move on."
"I wish you'd stayed." Harry had missed his former nanny. "I don't understand why you came on holiday with us and then just disappeared."
"I did something of which I wasn't proud." Anna's voice came out as barely a whisper. "My father arranged for me to get away. When this position at Hogwarts came up, I jumped at the chance. I never expected to see you and Dudley here."
"Why didn't you tell me who you were when I first started here, or that day in class when you thought I was upset by your eye coloring?" Harry demanded.
Anna ignored his questions. "Why did you recoil during that first lesson, if it wasn't because of my eye color? I don't believe it's because you felt unwell, despite what you told me then."
"Because I saw the bite on your neck. Combined with your eye color, it threw me for a moment and..." Harry's voice trailed off as he suddenly realized something. "Your bite. Where did you say you got it from?"
Anna tried to keep her voice calm. "I told you, a neighbor's cat did it."
"I don't believe you. You've been marked by a werewolf, haven't you?"
Anna tried to hide her shock that Harry had worked it out. "What makes you think that?"
"Because I recently did a little research on werewolves." Harry had done the research after Remus had told him about marking Dae as one of his pack. Like any other Ravenclaw, he had hated that there had been a gap in his education.
"And what did you find out?" Anna tried to sound casual as she responded.
Harry recited almost verbatim from the book he had read. "That, in their human form, werewolves use a bite predominantly for two things, apart from killing: to mark a member of their pack, and sexually as a mark of possession to mark the one person they consider to be their mate for life."
"Ten points to Ravenclaw." Anna was impressed, notwithstanding the situation. "Did you find out anything else?"
As Harry had used the Room of Requirement for his information, it had provided him with information that he was certain his dad wouldn't have wanted him to have seen. "I did, but I'd rather not discuss that."
Watching Harry redden, Anna guessed that the other information Harry had found was sexual in nature, so she let the subject drop. "I quite agree."
"Professor, the thing that you weren't proud of. What was it?" Harry hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.
"It doesn't matter now; it's just something I'd rather forget about." Anna wasn't about to tell Harry about her and Remus.
Harry felt queasy, particularly as Anna was avoiding his question. "It wasn't sleeping with a werewolf by any chance, was it?"
"It's none of your business what it was." Anna, however, was unable to meet Harry's eyes as she answered.
"Was it Dad?" Harry asked quietly.
"No," Anna lied.
Harry watched as a blush crept up Anna's neck and flooded her face. "I think you're lying."
Anna stared down at her hands, as her usual capableness seemed to flee in the face of Harry's accusation. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do," Harry sneered. "How could you do that to Mum? She was supposed to be your friend. Some friend you turned out to be."
Anna hid her hurt at Harry's words. "As your Professor, I think you owe me a little respect."
"But this isn't about you being my professor. This is about you sleeping with Dad," Harry snapped at her. "I never expected to find out that you were just another one of Dad's women."
Anna hoped that Harry was just trying to hurt her. "Women?"
Harry smiled almost triumphantly. "He didn't tell you, did he? Dad wasn't faithful to Mum during his entire marriage. He's slept with more women than he can probably remember."
Anna felt faint. "But…"
As he watched Anna's hands start to shake, Harry felt a small shaft of guilt, which he ignored. "Don't tell me you thought he loved you?"
Anna tried to hide her tears as Harry's barb hit home. "It's none of your business what I thought."
Harry could see that Anna was trying hard not to cry. "You really did think that, didn't you?"
Anna felt her façade begin to crumble at Harry's words, and she finally admitted that it had been Remus who had left the mark on her neck. "He marked me. What was I supposed to think?"
A knock at the door startled the two of them. Anna wiped her eyes and opened the door to reveal Remus. One of the third years had told him that Harry had gone off with Professor Jameson, so Remus had decided to try Anna's rooms to see if they were there.
From the tear tracks on Anna's face, Remus knew that there was something more happening than just Harry being upset over his mother's letter. "Can I come in?"
Anna stepped aside, allowing Remus into the room, where he immediately headed towards Harry, who looked very upset. "Harry, what's wrong?"
Harry backed away. "Don't you dare touch me!"
Remus swung on Anna. "What's going on?"
Anna pulled down the collar on her blouse, making Remus gasp as he swiftly put two and two together. "Johanna?"
When Anna nodded, Remus just knew that Harry had found out about them. "Damn!"
"I'd say that that just about covers it." Anna sat down, her legs shaking precariously.
Harry turned angrily on his dad. "Something else you forgot to tell me about, wasn't it? That you'd screwed my nanny! Anyone else you missed telling me about?"
Remus growled low in his throat. "Watch your mouth, Harry."
Upset, Harry ignored Remus' warning. "Why should I? You slept with her when Mum was in the hospital."
Remus stared incredulously at Anna. "You told him when it was?"
Harry had actually been guessing but he went white as Remus' words sank in and Anna further confirmed it.
"Of course not," Anna retorted. "He spotted the mark the morning after you gave it to me."
Harry glared at Remus. "You should've told me."
"And what exactly did you expect me to say? I told you I'd been unfaithful to your mother; I didn't have to tell you with whom. That was my business alone." Remus was starting to get irritated with Harry's attitude. "I've been brutally honest with you over the last few months but you can't expect me to tell you everything."
Deep down, Harry knew Remus was right and that Remus couldn't tell him everything but he still wished Remus had been the one tell him about Johanna rather than finding out like this. "But you and her…"
Anna stood up and put a hand on Harry's arm, which he roughly shook off. "Harry, it was just the once, and we both know it was a mistake."
Remus backed her up. "Anna's right. It was a mistake, and one I'm sure we'd both rather forget about."
"I'll bet it is. I expect poor Mum would like to forget about all of your mistakes as well." Harry just wanted to lash out at someone; his anger at his Mum's wedding news and his discovery about Remus' sleeping with Johanna was too much. "You can both go to hell. I'm sure you'll find plenty to do there together!"
Harry turned to leave only for Remus to move swiftly across the room and grab his arm, spinning Harry around to face him. Harry looked up into his dad's face and gulped. Remus' eyes were now a vivid amber, and Harry realized that he had pushed him too far.
Remus walked Harry backwards until he was leaning up against the door. "Harry Remus Lupin, you will apologize to Anna right now, and then you will go to my rooms and wait for me. Do you understand?" Remus' voice came out as a low, almost vicious growl as he fought to control his temper.
"Yes, Sir."
"Move!"
Harry stalked furiously over to Johanna. "I'm sorry, Professor."
Anna didn't believe for one moment that Harry was sorry at all, but under the circumstances she didn't labor the point. "Apology accepted."
Harry refused to look at Remus again as he left the room before angrily making his way towards Remus' rooms.
Remus shut the door and, with Harry gone, he directed his unabated fury towards Anna. "You were here all this time and you didn't figure that I might like to know?"
"It was none of your business. So we slept together. Big deal!" Anna stood her ground, even though she was quaking inside. "It's not as if you really cared about me anyway."
Remus could smell Anna's fear as he stepped closer to her. "What makes you think that I didn't care?"
"The fact that you've never been faithful during the entirety of your marriage to Nia."
Remus knew then that Harry had told her about his serial infidelity. "That doesn't mean to say I didn't care about you. Hell, I even had a detective trying to find you."
"My father never told me that." Anna was a little surprised that Mack had kept the information from her.
"Why would he?" Remus was a little confused as to what Anna's father had to do with anything.
"I told him about us after the Christmas you were in the hospital; he just said that he'd deal with it and arranged for me to disappear," Anna admitted. "Why did you come looking for me?"
Remus answered honestly. "After seeing you when you picked up the children to take them to Florida, I knew that I still wanted you."
"But you don't anymore, do you?" Anna already knew the answer to her question and held up her hand. "Don't answer that. Look, Remus, I left in the first place because I couldn't deal with being in the same room as you."
Remus had surmised as much. "I can understand that but why did you wait until after the Christmas vacation to disappear; why not do it after you first left?"
Anna swallowed hard. "Because at first I thought that putting some space between us would be enough. But after seeing Nia that Christmas and realizing how she felt about you, I couldn't forgive myself for what I'd done to her. I also knew that if you'd asked me, I would've done it again. So after I returned from the vacation with the children, I decided to run and hide."
Remus felt his temper beginning to abate at Anna's confession. He was still curious about her father though. "So you got your father to set things up for you. Exactly who is your father? As you never seemed to want to discuss them, I presumed that you were estranged from your parents."
"I wasn't estranged from them. Life was just easier if I didn't discuss them." Anna wondered if she could avoid telling Remus who her father really was.
Remus recognized evasion when he heard it, and he persisted in his questioning. "And your father is?"
"Macallister Jameson." Anna cringed as she watched the penny drop.
"But he's a billionaire." Remus knew all about Jameson. He was famous in both the Muggle and wizard worlds. Despite being a pure-blood, he owned multi-million pound Muggle companies as well as some major magical companies, including Charisma. "Why the hell were you working in the first place?"
"I needed some independence. I'd been working for charities which were linked with my father up until I started working for you and Nia." Anna filled Remus in on what she had already told Harry. "I only intended for it to be short term but people have a way of getting under your skin."
"I know what you mean." Remus grinned ruefully at her. "It's hard to believe that I ever thought you were a Muggle."
Anna shrugged. "It's not as if you saw a lot of me until you took the job that brought you closer to home."
"You didn't attend Hogwarts, did you?" Being a year younger than Anna, Remus was sure he would have remembered her. "At least I don't remember you."
Anna shook her head. "I didn't want anything to do with the world that had killed my mother. I'd always been curious about Muggles and made up my mind that I wanted to live like one. My father, of course, refused to let me attend a Muggle school and hired both wizard and Muggle tutors for me. He knew that my mother's death wouldn't always affect me so badly."
Remus asked next about Anna's mother. "What happened to your mother?"
"She was killed by Death Eaters." Anna could still remember the day her father had come home and told her at her mother had been murdered. "It made headline news. You might remember."
Remus frowned as he tried to recall something that might have made the headlines, but with so many Death Eater deaths, no-one stood out. "What was her first name? I might remember then."
"She actually went by Selena Gregory as she refused to take my father's name." Anna's mother had been independent and wild, refusing to follow tradition.
Remus was shocked. He hadn't connected Selena Gregory with Anna. Her death had made headline news for its barbarity; something that, at ten years of age, had stuck in his mind. Also, she was infamous amongst the Death Eaters as being You-Know-Who's first lover, something he felt unable to tell Anna. "I'm sorry that you had to lose your mother at such an early age."
"It was a long time ago, Remus." Anna changed the subject. "I can't believe I tried everything to escape from the wizarding world and ended up looking after a wizarding family masquerading as Muggles."
"Nia's actually a squib." Remus could see he had surprised Anna. "Everyone else is magical though, including Nia's sister, Lily."
Anna had been astounded to read about Harry being Lily Black's son. "It came as a bit of a shock to find out that Harry was actually born a Potter. I don't think he particularly looks like James Potter or Lily Black for that matter, except for his green eyes."
"Actually, when he wears his hair short and puts on glasses, he looks a lot like James Potter. However, with his long hair and contacts lenses, unless you knew who his birth father was, you'd never guess he was a Potter." Remus himself had been surprised at the resemblance when Harry had had his hair cut short.
"And I certainly wouldn't have guessed that Jamie Potter was his twin." Anna began to relax as she and Remus moved on to a more neutral topic.
"What do you think of Jamie?" Remus didn't really like the boy but had held off saying anything to any of the other teachers, except Minerva and Leo, because most of them thought that Jamie could do no wrong purely because of something he did as an infant. He hadn't bothered asking Severus as the Potions Master thought that most of the students were idiots anyway.
Anna answered honestly. "Professionally, I think he could do better but slacks off because of who he is. Personally, I don't like him."
"I'm glad it's not just me being biased." Remus smiled crookedly at her.
Anna felt her stomach flip over at the sight. Ever since she had started at Hogwarts she had done her best to avoid Remus, and she had missed seeing him smile like that at her. "It's not, believe me. If he did half as well as Harry, he'd be a good student."
A silence fell between the two of them, as both were lost in their thoughts. Remus was the first to speak again. "So, how do you want to play things between us now? Do we go back to being casual colleagues, or do we try and start to build a new relationship as friends?"
Anna mulled it over for a moment before answering. "I think I'd like to try and be friends. It's not as if I'm pining over you anymore. I'm actually engaged to be married."
Remus raised an eyebrow. "Muggle or wizard?"
"Muggle. His name is Mark Jacobs and he works for my father. We've been dating for just over a year now." Anna pulled a chain from around her neck, which held her engagement ring. "I don't wear it because I've got no wish to answer questions about my private life."
"Does he know what you are?" Remus knew that some Muggles found it difficult to deal with being married to a magical person.
"He does, and he's fine with it." Anna did not, however, tell Remus that Mark had walked out when she first told him and hadn't returned for almost two weeks.
"I'm pleased for you." Remus tilted his head. "So does he know what you really look like? In fact, do I know what you really look like?"
"My hair is colored reddish-brown using Muggle dye. It's normally the natural blonde it was when I worked for you. My nose looks different because I had a Muggle nose job. I didn't particularly like my nose anyway and it was an easy way of changing it permanently." Anna grinned. "To be honest, I didn't have to change that much. I didn't really need to; it was enough to fool you as my evading detection up until now proves."
Remus frowned as he realized she was right. She hadn't changed much, just enough to hide who she really had been. "Why change at all? You obviously didn't know I was a wizard."
"I didn't want to be walking around Muggle London and bump into you," Anna started to tell Remus, only for him to gently run a finger down her nose. "Please don't, Remus."
Remus pulled back his hand. "You were in love with me, weren't you?"
"At the time, yes, I was, which is why I couldn't risk running into you. I was afraid of what I would do. I even went as far as hiding my scent."
"You knew I was a werewolf?"
Anna nodded. "I should've realized it when you were able to hold me immobile on the night you marked me. With my inherited lupine abilities, most men would've been unable to do so." She knew that Remus and the rest of the staff had been filled in on her background after she had started teaching at Hogwarts. "It was only a few days after you'd bitten me, when the mark didn't fade, that I made the connection about what you were."
"And you weren't afraid?" Remus was well aware of how most wizards viewed werewolves.
"To be honest, a little," Anna disclosed. "However, in all those years I'd worked for your family, you'd never harmed me or anyone else as far as I knew. Having a werewolf for an ancestor also helped."
Remus was curious. "How did you manage to hide your scent?"
"A potion. My father has plenty of Potions Masters. He got them to make it for me, together with a very mild emotional suppressant," Anna told him. "I stopped taking the suppressant a while ago, and I can now stop taking the potion to hide my scent; it tasted absolutely foul."
"I expect your father wasn't too happy when he discovered I was joining the teaching staff," Remus correctly suspected.
"That's an understatement. I had to beg him to let it go." Mack had been furious and had threatened to have Remus removed permanently. "When Christmas came and you hadn't bothered me, he finally stopped ranting."
"Will he object to our becoming friends again?" Remus had a feeling he already knew the answer to the question.
"Probably, but if I don't tell him, he won't know." Anna shrugged. "Anyway, it'll be nice to have a friend to call my own. I get along well enough with the heads of house except for Pomona, but everyone else pretty much avoids me."
Remus knew why. "That's because they think you're a half-blood who teaches Muggle studies. Despite the fact that a large percentage of half-bloods and Muggle-borns attend here, some of the teachers are still prejudiced against them."
Anna was disgusted. "But that's ridiculous. Some of the brightest students are Muggle-borns or half-bloods; look at Harry, and Justin Finch-Fletchley."
"I feel the same way but I can do little to sway their ideals." Remus put his hand on the door knob. "Speaking of Harry, I think I've left him stewing for long enough now. I really need to go and deal with him."
"Remus, don't be too hard on him. He was really upset about Nia getting remarried. Finding out about us must have been really unpleasant for him." Anna still felt the need to protect Harry, despite his appalling behavior of earlier.
"I understand that, but he's got to learn that he can't just run off at the mouth without thinking." Remus pulled open the door. "Perhaps we can get together and talk again once things with Harry have settled down."
"I'd like that." Anna felt a small pang as she watched Remus leave. In spite of her engagement to her fiancé, she had badly wanted Remus to kiss her when he had touched her face.
Remus set off for his rooms thinking about Anna. He was amazed that she had managed to avoid discovery for so long. Reaching his door, he pushed her out of his mind, as he needed to focus fully on his son.
Harry jumped up nervously from the sofa as Remus walked in. Once his anger had abated, he had become worried about what Remus would do. It had taken some doing to stay sitting in the room, when all he had really wanted to do was run and hide. He knew, however, that his punishment would have ended up being a lot worse if he had.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I shouldn't have been so rude to you and Johanna."
"No, you shouldn't have." Remus could see that Harry had been crying. "Harry, I can't just let this go."
Harry hung his head. "I understand."
"I'm stopping your Animagus lessons." Remus knew this punishment would bother Harry more than anything else he could have imposed on him.
"But…" Harry's voice faltered as Remus looked fiercely at him. "Yes, Sir."
"Harry, sit down." Remus' voice became gentle as he took a seat next to Harry. "I know finding out about your mum getting remarried must have been a terrible shock for you."
"I don't want her to get remarried to Grimstock," Harry admitted. "I thought that they were just friends."
"Our marriage has been over for some time, and so I'm glad she's going to be taken care of. I think Lovegood will be good for her." Remus could see that Harry still believed otherwise when he said nothing. Remus decided to deal with the other white elephant in the room. "Harry, about Anna…"
Harry interrupted. "I hate her. She pretended to be Mum's friend while she was sleeping with you."
Remus tried to shield Anna from most of Harry's anger. "It wasn't her fault. I took advantage of her."
"She could have said no," Harry persisted. "I'm dropping Muggle Studies."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Remus was not about to let Harry's academics suffer for something he had done. "You'll continue with your Muggle Studies class until the end of fifth year, after which time you can decide if you want to drop it."
Harry pouted. "I'm not going into the same classroom as her."
"You expect me to treat you like an adult and tell you everything that's going on, don't you?" Remus asked.
Harry could see where Remus was going with his question and was powerless to do anything except agree. "I do but I still don't want to have anything to do with her."
"I'm sorry you feel that way but the matter is non-negotiable." Remus was not about to back down on the issue. "As an adult, all I'm asking you to do is to be polite in her classes and do your schoolwork. I'm not asking you to take tea with her. You don't have to like her to get by in her classes."
Harry knew that he would have to continue with Muggle studies whether he wanted to or not. "Yes, Sir." Harry decided that he needed to put some distance between him and his dad. "Can I go now, please?"
Remus nodded. "If you see Aurilia send her to me."
"Okay." Harry pulled open the door and headed out of the room.
Remus sat back against the sofa. Finding out that Anna Jameson was in fact Johanna had come as something of a surprise. He was finding it difficult to reconcile the capable and slightly stern Muggle studies teacher with the pretty, vivacious blonde he had slept with. Worse, he knew that he was still very much attracted to her.
Deciding he needed a drink, Remus looked at the time and groaned, it was only ten in the morning. Thinking to hell with it, Remus poured himself a large Scotch, only to be denied his escape by the sound of his daughter's voice at the door.
23rd February 1994
Harry woke up in the infirmary to see Hermione sitting next to him. "What happened?"
"You fell off your broom when Dementors invaded the pitch." Hermione felt sick as she thought about the sheer numbers that had suddenly appeared.
"But I thought they were supposed to stay outside the grounds." Harry tried to sit up and failed.
"Don't move, you hurt your back when you fell." Hermione put a hand on Harry's shoulder to prevent him from rising. "You must have been overcome by the Dementors. The first we realized that you weren't safely out of the way was when I heard Professor Jameson scream. Your father was nearly overcome by Dementors trying to save you from smashing into the ground."
"Dad nearly died?" Things between Harry and Remus were still somewhat strained.
Hermione looked grim. "He did. If it hadn't been for Dudley protecting him, then he probably would have. Dudley couldn't cast the Patronus Charm so…"
"What's the Patronus Charm?" Harry knew he had heard of it, but he was unable to remember what it did.
"It's used to drive away Dementors; it's the only way you can stop them." Hermione had already asked Remus about it. "It's notoriously difficult to cast."
"How many teachers were able to cast the charm?" Harry wondered if all the teachers had been capable.
"Only a few: Professor McGonagall, Professor Jameson, Papa, and your father. In fact, it was Professor Jameson who kept the Dementors away from you as you lay on the ground; she saved your life." Hermione had watched from a distance as Dementor after Dementor had backed off from the determined professor.
Harry shut his eyes for a moment. He had been so rude to Anna, yet she had now risked her life to save him in spite of his behavior. "Thanks for telling me."
"I thought you might like to know." Hermione was aware of who Anna really was as Harry had told her.
"So if only four teachers used the Patronus Charm, how did Dudley manage then?" Harry was unable to see how Dudley could have helped without using the charm.
"He used his beater's bat instead and smashed out at the Dementors that were attacking your dad. It bought Papa enough time to help them." Hermione had felt helpless as she had watched her father deal with the Dementors that had started to surround Remus and Dudley.
"Did anyone get hurt?" Harry felt awful that Dudley and his dad might have died because of him.
Hermione's face fell. "Dennis Creevey from Gryffindor, and one of Auri's friends, Katherine De Montfort. The Dementors got hold of them. There was nothing anyone could do to save them."
"Where's Auri now?" Harry was concerned about his sister.
"She's staying with your father, along with Astoria Greengrass. Papa gave them permission to do so as they were both really upset about Katherine." Hermione knew that normally her father would have taken care of the girls but because Auri's father was a teacher, and Astoria had not wanted to be parted from her friend, he had let Remus take care of them. Daphne had been almost hysterical at nearly losing her sister and it had taken the combined efforts of Fred and Hermione to get her to calm down. She was now sleeping in their room after being given Dreamless Sleep potion.
"I wish I could've done something." Harry hated feeling so powerless. "But no, I'm the idiot who passes out and everyone has to risk their own lives to save me."
Hermione squeezed Harry's hand. "It's not your fault that the Dementors affect you that way, Harry."
Harry wished he could remember the Dementors coming on to the pitch but the whole memory was just a blur. "I need to learn how to do the Patronus Charm. I can't keep on passing out."
"What's the last thing you remember?" Hermione asked.
"I was just reaching for the Snitch when I started to shiver. I felt as if I'd fallen into a bucket of ice." Harry shuddered as he remembered what he had heard just before he fainted. "Before I fell off my broom, I could hear a man laughing at someone who was screaming, and that was the last thing I can remember."
"Do you know who was screaming?" Hermione guessed it must have something to do with the other Harry.
"I've no idea." Frustrated, Harry slapped the bed. "If I knew the Patronus Charm, I might've been able to do something."
"But you didn't even know that there were Dementors on the pitch to be able to cast the charm," Hermione pointed out.
"I know that, but I felt the same coldness as when I was affected by the Dementor on the Hogwarts Express. I think the cold is a good indicator of a Dementor's presence. If I can at least use the Patronus Charm, I might stand a chance of being able to overcome the Dementor's effects," Harry argued.
"I know what the Charm does and how to cast it theoretically, but I don't think I can do it." Hermione didn't quite meet Harry's eyes as she told him.
Harry knew Hermione too well and guessed at what she had done. "You tried it, didn't you?"
Hermione confessed. "Yes, but nothing happened. I focused on a happy thought, something that's needed to cast it. Your father told me about it when he came and kept me company for a while." Hermione had grilled Remus on the spell. "Your father said that I can only produce a Patronus if my memory was extremely happy."
"What's a Patronus?"
"It's a silvery representation of your positive thoughts. Your father showed me the wand movement and told me the recitation for the spell, but I still didn't manage to produce my own." Hermione had been fascinated by the silvery animal that had run around the ward before nudging Remus' hand and disappearing. She had been too frightened to pay too much attention when the teachers had been battling the Dementors. "Your Dad's Patronus is a coyote, which is known for its cunning, being a shapeshifter, its use of Light and Dark Magic, and its creativity."
Harry grinned. "Don't tell me, you looked it up?"
"Your dad wouldn't tell me what it symbolized, so when I took a break I dropped by the Library." Hermione indicated the pile of books that lay on the table next to Harry's bed. "It certainly suits him."
"So what's the incantation for the charm?" Harry was determined to master the charm despite Hermione's failure.
"You have to incant 'Expecto Patronum' while focusing on your strongest happy memory." Hermione had picked the day that her baby brother had been born.
"I wonder what Dad thought of." Harry wondered if he should ask him before remembering that he was not really speaking to Remus.
Hermione blushed. "I actually asked him. He said it was far too personal, and explained that some people will reveal what their thought is and some won't."
Harry scratched the idea of asking his dad. "I don't think I'd better ask him then. What did you think about?"
"The day Dominic was born." Hermione frowned as she began to think over what other memory she could possibly use. "Obviously I need something more powerful. Any ideas on what memory you would use?"
"Meeting Maman for the first time," Harry lied; he already knew that he would be using his memory of the first time he had kissed Hermione in the swimming pool.
"That's a good idea." Hermione then fell silent as she pondered what memory she could use instead of her original one.
Harry interrupted her musing with a question about the Dementors. "So why do you think the Dementors invaded the pitch in the first place?"
Hermione looked around the room before casting a privacy spell. "Papa thinks the Dark Lord has taken control over them again, and that the Ministry is powerless to do anything about it."
Harry knew that Dementors were supposed to be Ministry controlled. "Haven't the Ministry worked out that something is wrong?"
Hermione shook her head. "Papa said that the Minister and Albus had a lengthy meeting, after which the Minister said the invasion had something to do with the excitement of the crowd inciting the Dementors to attack."
Harry was about to respond to Hermione when they both heard the door opening. Hermione hurriedly dropped the privacy spell as Neville, Georgie and Seville walked in. Georgie broke away from her friends and rushed to hug her brother. "Harry, I thought you were going to die." Harry could see she was trying not to cry.
Harry put a hand on Georgie's face. "I'm going to be just fine. It takes more than a fall to kill me off."
Georgie gave a watery smile. "Did Hermione tell you about Auri's friend and Dennis?"
Harry stroked Georgie's hair away from her eyes. "She did and I'm sorry to hear about them."
"It could have been Auri or Astoria, and not Katherine." Georgie was still trying hard not to cry. "A Dementor had all three of them backed in a corner. It picked out Katherine."
Harry went white. He hadn't realized how close his own sister had come to not making it. "I'm sorry for Katherine but I'm glad it wasn't Auri."
Georgie did too. "I feel so horrible being glad but I can't help it."
"It's perfectly normal to feel like that." Hermione moved around the bed to enfold the girl in her arms. "Let it out."
Georgie gave a small howl and collapsed into Hermione's embrace.
"Georgie saw what was happening and tried to get to the girls, Nev stopped her, although she almost bust a gut trying to pull out of his grip," Seville said, well aware that Neville would never tell Harry. "Professor McGonagall managed to get your sister and Astoria to safety but it was too late for Katherine."
Neville looked uncomfortable as Harry held out his hand. "Thanks, Neville."
Neville stepped forward and shook Harry's hand. "It's what anyone would've done."
Seville continued with her storytelling. "That's not all Neville did. When the match first started, Jamie Potter was mouthing off about you being a crap flyer and only being able to be a seeker by using someone else's broom. Georgie told him off, so he called her something rude. Neville punched him in the face."
Neville went red. "He shouldn't speak to girls like that." He had gotten a detention from Professor McGonagall but it had been worth it.
Harry suspected that Neville had something of a crush on his little sister. "Thanks for looking out for her."
Neville brushed off Harry's thanks. "It's okay. I know you'd do the same for my sister."
Hermione kept her arm around Georgie, who was still crying, although less violently now. "I think we should leave Harry alone to get some sleep."
All four of the children headed towards the door, only for Harry to call out. "Nev, can I have a minute with you?"
Neville told the others he would be along shortly. He had a feeling that he knew that Harry was going to say. "This is about Georgie, isn't it?"
Harry got straight to the point. "Do you like her?"
Neville sat down. "I think so but I'm really confused. I thought that I liked Hermione but I've never wanted to defend her like I did with Georgie." Neville flushed. "She's so sweet and thoughtful, and I care a lot about her."
"Right now I think she's too young to have a boyfriend who's as old as you." Harry winced as he realized how much like his dad he sounded.
"I agree. I'd feel the same as you if it was my sister we were talking about." Neville's statement mollified Harry. "If I still feel the same about Georgie in a couple of years, then I'll ask her out but until then I'm just going to be her friend." Neville was in no rush to get into another fiasco like his abortive engagement to Hermione.
Harry was thankful that Neville was being so understanding. "Now if I could just get Auri to think like that about Draco, I'd be a very happy brother."
"Auri is rather intense about him, isn't she?" Neville grinned. "I don't know why but Auri comes across as being more able to take care of herself than Georgie does. I couldn't see Auri needing Draco to defend her. She's definitely not the fragile type."
Harry smiled back. "No, she's not." Harry's smile slipped a little. "Then again, Georgie proved today exactly why she's a Gryffindor."
Neville looked proud. "She was fearless. She didn't think about herself, just about Auri."
"Thanks again for stopping her. I don't know how I'd have coped if she'd died." Harry's tone was grave.
"Think nothing of it." Neville heard the door open.
Hermione came back in. "I just wanted one last word with Harry."
Neville took the hint and shook Harry's hand again, before leaving. "I'll be up to see you tomorrow."
Hermione waited until Neville had gone. "I almost forgot to tell you. Your dad said to say that he'll be by in the morning."
"Tell him he doesn't have to do that and that I'll be fine." Harry had no idea what to say to Remus; he was still angry at him over Anna but he also felt guilty that Remus had risked his own life to save him.
"Harry, you can't be mad at him forever." Hermione had been initially shocked when Harry had explained to her about his dad and Professor Jameson. She knew that Harry had been from happy with her when Hermione had told him that she thought that Remus had been right to punish him after the way he had spoken to his dad and Professor Jameson.
Harry refused to back down. "I know that. I just don't want to see him right now."
"I'll let him know." Hermione let the subject drop. "By the way, Ravenclaw won the match."
Harry was puzzled. "But how?"
"Apparently you had the Snitch in your hand when you were brought into the hospital wing, so Madam Hooch declared Ravenclaw the winners. You should've seen Ginny Prewett's face." Hermione had not like the look the girl had worn on hearing the news. "She really wasn't happy."
Harry was thrilled until he realized something. "I've just thought. I was riding Draco's Firebolt when I fell off. He's going to kill me."
Hermione put his fears to bd. "George grabbed it, the broom's just fine. Draco was more concerned about you."
Harry relaxed. "I can't believe we won."
"Well, Ravenclaw did. I'm a Slytherin in case you've forgotten." Hermione jabbed Harry in the shoulder making him recoil. She was instantly contrite as Harry turned white. "I'm sorry, I've hurt you."
"It's nothing," Harry lied; he had felt a sharp pain shoot down his back when Hermione had prodded him.
Hermione ignored him and walked across to Madam Pomfrey's office where she knocked on the door. "Madam Pomfrey, I think I just hurt Harry when I prodded him."
Poppy frowned and got up. "I can't leave you students alone for a minute." On reaching Harry's bed, she ran her wand over him. "You haven't done any lasting damage. I'll just go and get a pain relieving potion and something to help you sleep."
Harry hated taking potions. "Thanks, Hermione. I thought you were supposed to be my friend."
"I am." Hermione felt bad about hurting him. "I'd better get going, it's almost curfew. Can I come and see you tomorrow?"
"I'd like that."
Poppy appeared behind Hermione. "He'll be free to leave by Tuesday morning as long as you don't do him any more damage."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey." Hermione squeezed Harry's hand before fleeing.
"Now then, open up." Poppy turned to a resigned looking Harry who obediently took the vials from her and swallowed them. Poppy watched as he fell asleep. She was just glad that she hadn't got a ward full of injuries after the Dementor attack. After checking that her other patients, two second years suffering from a bad cold, were all right, she headed back to her room, only to have to come back out after ten minutes when she heard the door to the ward opening.
Remus stepped inside. He had been dismayed when Hermione had told him that Harry still didn't want to see him and had decided to come up and see his son anyway. "Poppy, how is he?"
"He'll be fine. He just needs some rest," Poppy informed him. "Come into my office. We can have a cup of tea."
Remus followed her in. "Would you like something stronger? I expect your day has been pretty awful."
Poppy declined. "I'd like to after today's events but think I'd better not."
As headmaster, Albus had had to explain to their parents what had happened to Dennis and Katherine but it had been Poppy who had had to watch as they were shown the soulless shells of their children in order to be able to say goodbye. Thankfully Alice Longbottom had come from St. Mungo's to end the children's lives but it had still been hard on Poppy and she had been unable to watch as Alice had administered the Killing Curse on both of the children, and Alice had been upset herself.
"Why don't you get some sleep? I'll take care of Harry and your other patients." Remus felt sorry for the nurse. "Hermione's offered to stay with the girls, which means I'm free to stay here until morning."
"I'd appreciate a few hours sleep." Poppy thanked Remus and started towards the door. "Call me if you need me."
"I will," Remus reassured her before calling for a house-elf to get him a book. Moving into the ward, he sat down by Harry's bed.
Harry awoke the next morning to find Remus asleep at his bedside. Harry felt a little guilty as his dad looked terribly tired. Remus opened his eyes but said nothing.
Harry therefore spoke first. "Thanks for saving me."
"I'm just glad that you're all right." Remus didn't attempt to touch Harry as he couldn't deal with another rejection.
"Hermione told me you ignored the Dementors to save me and nearly died." Harry wanted his dad to hug him but didn't know how to ask without losing face.
Remus shrugged. "I couldn't just let you fall."
Harry then realized that Remus should have been with his sister. "Where's Auri?"
"Hermione stayed with her and Astoria." Remus didn't reveal that he had actually been in the ward all night. "I should actually get back. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'll be fine." Harry told Remus, who got up.
"I'll see you in class then." Remus left the hospital wing, wishing he could reach out to Harry but, like his son, didn't quite know how to achieve his wish.
26th March 1994
Peter watched as the red-haired woman talked with a dark-haired boy. He guessed that the boy must be Sirius' eldest child. He waited until Lily eventually shepherded the boy off to bed. Only once Lily was alone, did Peter transform. "Hello, Lily."
Lily blanched and reached for her wand, only to find it missing. "Get away from me."
"Please, Lily, I need you to listen to me. I didn't give you up to You-Know-Who." Not wanting to seem threatening in spite the fact he was holding her wand, Peter backed away from her, only to bump into something warm. He slowly turned around to find Sirius standing there, a cold look on his face. Peter spoke hesitantly. "Sirius, please…"
Having expected to be joining a meeting of the Alliance, Remus stepped through the fireplace to find Orion weeping in Lily's arms, and Sirius leaning over them. "What's wrong?"
Sirius looked across at Remus. "Pettigrew broke in." Sirius nodded towards the sitting room.
Remus walked in to find Peter's body. He had obviously been involved in a duel of some sort, and unfortunately for Peter, he had failed to be the victor.
Remus re-entered the room he had just left. "What happened?"
Lily looked over her son's head. "I'd just sent Orion to bed when Pettigrew appeared and tried to tell me that he hadn't given me up to You-Know-Who. He had my wand. He must have thought that Sirius was out." Lily's voice faltered as she remembered the look on Sirius' face at the sight of the man who had helped to kill his best friend and her first husband.
Sirius took up the story. "I told him to put down the wand, and that I was going to take him to the Ministry. He refused and opened fire on me. We were in the middle of a duel when Orion came back down; he'd forgotten his book. Pettigrew turned on him. I was afraid for my son, and so I used the Killing Curse on Pettigrew."
"We need to call the Aurors." Remus marched towards the fireplace, only for it to flare up and for Minerva to step into the room, quickly followed by Dae.
Minerva immediately realized that something had happened. "What's up?"
Remus outlined what had transpired. "Pettigrew. He tried to attack Lily and Orion. Sirius had to kill him, but he used an Unforgivable Curse."
Dae scowled at Sirius. "Why didn't you just stun him?"
"He turned a wand on my son," Sirius snarled. "And I'd do the same again if it came down to it."
Dae sighed as he held out his hand. "I'll need your wand and for you to come with me. We can get this sorted out at the Ministry."
Sirius passed his wand over to Dae who slipped it into his pocket. He turned to Lily. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Dae pulled Remus aside. "Can you send Pettigrew's body through after Black and I go through?"
He then addressed Minerva. "It might be a good idea to obliviate Orion."
Minerva walked over to Lily and whispered into her ear, so Orion wouldn't hear. Lily as rather unhappy about the idea of obliviation but she didn't want Orion to go through the same thing that Scarlett had. Nia had eventually agreed to her daughter's obliviation, but only once it had become apparent that she wasn't getting over what had happened.
"If I agree, I want Sirius to do it," Lily told Dae.
Dae pulled out Sirius' wand and passed it to him. "I'd like it back when you've finished."
Sirius knelt down before Orion. "Orion, look at me please."
Orion lifted his head from his mother's shoulder and Sirius spoke quietly. "Obliviate." Orion shook himself a short time later. "Mum?"
"It's all right, honey. You were having a nightmare, so I brought you down here. Do you want to go back to bed?" Lily gently rocked her son as she spoke.
Orion shook his head, so Sirius slipped out of the room and returned with a small vial. "Orion, can you drink this for me?"
Orion had had Dreamless Sleep potion before, so he downed it as he was told and within a few moments was fast asleep.
Sirius let out a deep breath and passed his wand back to Dae, before lifting his son out of his mother's arms. "He'll sleep until the morning. I doubt he'll remember even being awake. I'll just pop him in bed and I'll be straight back."
By the time Sirius came back into the room, Peter's body was floating in front of the fireplace. "Shall we get this done then?" He turned to Lily. "Close the fireplace after we leave."
Dae addressed Minerva, who had been talking quietly with Remus. "Can you inform everyone that the meeting has been cancelled?"
Minerva nodded and stepped into the fireplace before disappearing. One-by-one, Dae, Sirius, and finally Peter's body followed her. Once they had all left, Lily spoke a few words and the fireplace glowed slightly before resuming its usual appearance.
Lily's face crumpled as soon as she had finished, and she offered up no resistance as Remus pulled her into his arms. "I thought he was going to kill me. I should've transformed but I was so frightened I couldn't think straight."
Remus felt bad that he was unable to tell her that Peter hadn't been a threat but he couldn't do that without telling her what he was. "It's going to be all right now."
Lily wept, feeling safe wrapped in Remus' embrace. "I don't know what I would have done if he'd hurt Orion."
Remus maneuvered Lily across to the sofa and sat her down. He moved over to the drinks cabinet and poured her a large brandy. "Drink this."
Lily did as she was told, the drink immediately having a calming effect. "Thanks. I'm so grateful you're here."
Remus poured himself a drink and sat down by Lily. "Do you want me to stay until Sirius gets back?"
"Would you?" Lily wasn't normally a nervous person but the evening's events had unsettled her.
"I wasn't planning on doing anything else, and no-one's expecting me back." Remus had told Albus that he was going to see his daughter and wouldn't be back until the next day. Leo had agreed to cover any problems that arose. He was just glad that Cassie, and Scarlett, who was staying with Lily and Sirius, hadn't come down when Peter had been there. "I'd planned to return to see Scarlett in the morning anyway."
"Then you can stay the night." Lily was glad that Remus didn't have to get back to Hogwarts. Lily took a sip of the brandy that was left in her glass and shuddered. "I think I'll get myself a glass of wine."
She poured herself and Remus glasses of wine and sat down. "I think I need to talk about something other than Peter Pettigrew. So tell me, how is Jamie doing at school?"
Remus made a small moue. "Do you want me to lie or give you the unvarnished truth?"
Lily frowned at his options. "The unvarnished truth."
Remus was hoping she would go for the unvarnished version. "He's a troublemaker. He's had more detentions than any other Gryffindor except his best friend. He's constantly rude to Harry and his friends. In fact, Neville Longbottom gave him a black eye last month when he swore at Georgie for defending Harry."
"At least I can count on you for being honest." Lily hated the thought that her son was making a nuisance of himself. "How are his grades?"
Remus pulled a face. "Consistent but only at an acceptable level. I've talked to another teacher about him and she feels the same. He relies on who he is to get by."
Lily was disappointed but not surprised. "He's definitely guaranteed himself a talk with Sirius when he returns home from school. How's Harry doing? He's not said much in his letters, just that he's okay."
"Academically he's almost top of his year; only Hermione Snape ranks above him." Remus knew that while Harry was doing well academically, he wasn't so happy in his personal life.
"How's his Animagus training coming along? He hasn't mentioned it for ages." Lily had enjoyed talking to Harry when she had been instructing him, and had felt a little left out since he had reverted to lessons with Severus.
"It's not," Remus informed her. "I stopped him from doing it last month as a punishment."
Lily groaned. "Don't tell me I've got two troublemaking sons."
Remus shook his head. "I'm partly to blame for this one. We had a bit of an argument after he found out about Nia remarrying."
Lily could tell Remus wasn't telling her everything. "And..."
Remus ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Harry found out that his Muggle studies teacher is actually his former nanny, and he threw a fit when he discovered that I'd slept with her while I was still married to Nia."
"How did he find out?"
"She's the one I marked," Remus admitted. "Having already seen the mark the day after I gave it to Anna, Harry put two and two together, and unfortunately came up with four. It didn't help that he found out on the same day that he received a letter from Nia telling him about her forthcoming marriage."
Lily wasn't very happy with Remus. "So you're punishing him for being upset?"
"No. I'm punishing him for being rude to his professor and using inappropriate language." Remus then told her exactly what Harry had said.
"I think you should cut him some slack, Remus. He'll resent you if you don't." Lily knew too well from experience what that was like. "I've had similar problems with Alicia and Jamie. Then again, after what you've told me about Jamie, I wonder if I haven't been too soft on him."
"Perhaps, but I think fame has a lot to do with it." Remus didn't want Lily to blame herself for Jamie.
Lily decided not to dwell on Jamie. "You mentioned Hermione's doing well academically. How's her Animagus training going?"
"Hermione's doing extremely well. She's actually found her form." Remus remembered how excited Hermione had been about it. He had been there, waiting to talk to Severus, when Hermione had dashed out of Severus' study wanting to tell her mother.
"What is she going to be?" Lily was pleased that she had had something to do with it, even if it had only been at the initial stages.
"A dog." Remus grinned. "I think she was hoping that she'd be something cute and fluffy."
Lily knew that Remus was grinning for a reason. "What type of dog?"
"A Doberman pinscher. Needless to say she wasn't too happy until Severus found a book on them for her, which explained that they reflect great nobility and temperament. When he also told her that they are considered to be determined, fearless and loyal, she went from being a little down to one very happy young lady." Remus smiled as he remembered how Hermione's face had been transformed from despondent to thrilled.
"I'm pleased for her." Lily returned to the subject of Harry. "Please reconsider dropping Harry's punishment. He's gone through enough. Don't you think that the fact that Hermione got there first is punishment enough for him?"
Remus had always found it hard to say no to Lily. "I'll tell him he can resume his lessons when I get back to school tomorrow night."
Lily beamed. "Thank you."
A sharp crack signaled Sirius' return. He walked into the drawing room to find Remus and Lily chatting together. "The Ministry isn't going to charge me with anything. They've declared it to be a clear-cut case of defense of a family member. In fact, I think Fudge is overjoyed that he has some good news to give to the public after the Dementor debacle at Hogwarts."
Lily felt thankful that the Ministry wasn't going to prosecute Sirius. "I didn't think they would do anything, but I was still concerned."
Remus watched as Lily got up from the sofa and slid her arms around Sirius' waist.
Bending his head, Sirius tenderly kissed Lily, savoring the feel of her body against his own, before relinquishing her lips. "Are you okay?"
Lily smiled lovingly up at him. "Remus fed me a brandy to calm me down and then filled me in how Jamie and Harry are doing. It helped to take my mind off what had happened."
The couple was so involved in each other that both of them missed the look of pain that had flitted across Remus' face when Sirius had kissed Lily. "If you'll both excuse me, I'll be off."
Lily turned around, pulling free of Sirius' hold. "But I thought you were going to stay the night. Scarlett will be upset if she doesn't see you."
Sirius slid his arm back around Lily's waist before backing his wife up. "Lily's right. Let's have a drink together. It's not like I couldn't do with one after this evening. One of the house-elves can get a room ready for you."
Not wishing to seem ill-mannered, Remus relented. "I give in. I'll stay."