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I'm procrastinating on my research proposal so here's another chapter! I hope you enjoy!

Dementors.

Those FUCKING Dementors.

They just couldn't help themselves, could they? The vile creatures. How many times had she and Jones gone over the fact that they are supposed to stay away from the students since they arrive a little more than 36 hours ago? Nearly a million. And yet, those FUCKING Dementors had knowingly stormed and search the train, using the students as their own personal feast 10 miles away from Hogsmeade station, so that she and Jones could not interfere.

How in the BLOODY HELL did the Ministry expect two Aurors to control these creatures when so much young optimism and excitement was all around them at all times? They were barely able to keep them in line at Azkaban, and those prisoners were nearly all miserable.

Adalyn cursed under her breath as a large gust of wind blew some of her loose curls from her pinned back hair into her eyes. The putrid cape she was wearing blew off her shoulders now hung lopsided off of her body as she attempted to get the hair out of her face.

This STUPID FUCKING uniform…

It was rare that Aurors actually wore their ceremonial uniforms. Usually, it was something they wore at honor ceremonies, when they received their badges, and at ceremonial funerals. However, an order had come through that morning stating that the Minister demanded their introduction to the school to be formal as they were representing the Ministry at a dire time. But why they ever picked this horrendous ensemble was beyond her.

It was absolutely absurd looking. Almost as if whoever designed and approved it had been drunk off their arse at a fashion show. While the high-waisted Khaki trousers, white blouse, combat boots, and black braces were halfway decent, it was topped off by the absurdity of a waist-length emerald green cape. She looked like an old-timey archeologist who was sent to be in a bad remake of the Pirates of Penzances.

She stopped, yanking the cape back on straight, accidentally crumpling the letter in her hand as she did so.

Dammit.

Adalyn smoothed it out and kept walking towards Hogsmeade station. Remus's neat writing staring back at her, causing the pit in her stomach to grow once more. Guilt and panic began to take over her again as she picked up the pace.

The students were arriving today. She and Jones had spent most of the day at Hogsmeade station ensuring security. Only about thirty minutes ago, Professor McGonagall had sent word for Adalyn, informing her that Harry had taken ill on the train. She had nearly sprinted to the castle, only to be presented with the letter Remus had sent to the school, stating what had happened on the train.

The Dementors had had a strong effect on her nephew, causing him to feint. Thank MERLIN Remus had been there.

Fine… Harry was fine… that's all that mattered.

He was still her nephew and godson. She had made a vow to protect the boy minutes after he was born, and she had failed him in that up until now. She would be damned if he was in the same country and she failed to protect him again.

The moment she had laid eyes upon him, she knew she would die protecting that boy. Lily and James had asked her to look after him if something happened to them, and as soon as it had, she had been forced away from him….

Her mind wandered back to that moment nearly 13 years ago now.

Adalyn paced the living room of her brother's small Godric's Hallow home, trying to ignore the cries of pain coming from her best friend down the hall. She could hear James's words of encouragement and the midwife witch trying her best to soothe her, but Adalyn could feel her friend's horrible pain, cringing for her friend.

… what women went through to bring life into this world.

"Ads," a deep voice said from the couch quietly, "You need to sit down. You are going to wear a hole in the carpet if you keep that up."

Adalyn sighed and wheeled around, turning to look at her boyfriend… well… now, fiancé, with near despair.

"Sirius, how you can sit there?! Don't you understand what is going on in there?"

Sirius raised a dark eyebrow at her, disappearing it into his elegantly messy curls.

"Well," he said sarcastically as he leaned back on the couch, stretching his arms out on the back as he did, "Last time I checked, Lily is having what's called a… baby."

Adalyn rolled her eyes and spun to look at him in indignation.

"Do you even know what happens in childbirth? A lot of things can go wrong… let alone what Lily is even going through."

Sirius sighed and dropped his head to the side as he stared at her. Adalyn felt herself melting slightly under his stormy-grey gaze. That smile that made her tremble split out over his face as he leaned forward, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him.

Adalyn groaned, not wanting to submit to the things he knew made her melt, her stubbornness winning her over as he did.

"Adalyn," he told her in that sultry, smooth voice she could never get used to, "I love you. But you seriously…"

"If you say pun intended," Adalyn threatened as she faced him, "I will curse you."

Sirius grinned in response as he grabbed her other hand, "… you seriously…"

"I hate you," Adalyn responded, making Sirius chuckle lightly.

"…worry too much," Sirius finished.

Adalyn looked at him darkly as he pulled her closer to him so she was standing square in front of him, looking him square in the face.

"You know that Lily found the best midwitch in the country," Sirius told her, "She has Prongs in there with her, and she had read nearly every single book on childbirth in the magical world that exists."

"Yeah, she made me read them with her," Adalyn told him as she allowed herself to be pulled down next to him on the couch.

"Then you know, she's in good hands," Sirius told her as he put an arm around her, pulling her tightly into his side and kissing her temple as he breathed in the scent of her hair.

Adalyn shut her eyes and allowed her body to melt into his. Her left hand found his other, intertwining itself as it rested on his leg, making him smile that annoying smirk he wore when he knew he had won a fight with her.

"I'm more worried about James in there to be honest," Adalyn confessed, "Merlin only knows he'll be a prick…"

Sirius snorted loudly, "Prongs will be fine."

Adalyn looked at him as if he had officially lost his mind.

"Have you met my brother?" she asked, making Sirius frown at her in offence, "Or seen how he had 'flirted' with Lily the first 6 years of our schooling?"

Sirius smiled at her, cockily.

"Please, Lily loves him…"

"Lily nearly killed him during those first 6 years. The only reason she didn't is because she's too smart to leave witnesses."

The smile on Sirius's face, faded, realizing she was right.

"Exactly," Adalyn said darkly as she laid her head on his shoulder, allowing herself to be pulled even more into his side and intoxicating scent.

"James can handle himself," Sirius said, more to himself than her, "He mainly just enjoys pushing her buttons…"

"They are married now, Sirius," Adalyn told him, "I doubt his goal is to try to still pull her pigtails."

"You overestimate your brother's maturity."

Adalyn snorted with laughter, causing Sirius to laugh as well.

The pair fell into silence as they listened to Lily's cries and James's encouragement.

"I can't even imagine what its like," Adalyn said after a moment, toying anxiously with fingers in his lap, "the amount of pain…"

Sirius stiffened and looked at her as if she had lost her mind, "Since when are you afraid of a little pain? There are potions that help with that!"

"Since Lily told me childbirth is essentially the equivalent of pushing a watermelon out of your vagina."

She could feel the horror of the image take over the man she was leaning on.

"Yeah," she muttered closing her eyes, "Not judging me now, are you?"

… It was nearly 3 AM. She was so tired…

"The thought of it is worse than it is, likely," Sirius told her after a moment, "You'll be amazing when its ours."

Adalyn stiffened at his words, sitting up to stare at a now confused Sirius.

"What?" he asked.

"When," Adalyn asked, feeling herself smile at him, "Its ours?"

Sirius shifted uncomfortably blushing for one of the few times she had ever seen it happen, "Well, yes," he told her in an uncommonly shy voice, "I didn't propose as a joke, did I?"

His fingers traced the elegant ruby ring she now wore on her left hand. The same ring that made her smile whenever she laid eyes on it.

Adalyn felt herself smile at him as she looked up.

"I just," she started, slightly nervous all of a sudden, "I just… I don't know… never assumed you wanted a family."

Sirius's head snapped up, looking at her with a sharpness she wasn't used to seeing, "Why would you think I wouldn't want a family?"

"Sirius," she said, softening, knowing exactly where his mind was leaping, "its not why you think."

"And what do you think?" he asked, squirming to pull away from her. However, she refused to let him move.

"Because we both want to be Aurors. Because of the Order," she told him firmly trying convince him that his family and blood was the last thing on her mind. A hollowness suddenly took over her as the other thing on her mind took over, "Because of my so-called 'gift'."

His eyes had been dark until he had sensed her discomfort at the mention of her 'gift'. His eyes softened towards her.

"Ads," he said softly as he shifted to face her, "You know that doesn't change anything."

"It does, Sirius," she told him, "You know it does."

He looked her dead in the eyes, his stormy grey searing into her bright blue eyes.

"Only 4 people in the world know about my gift," she told him in a quiet voice, "I have to keep it that way, and you know it…"

"Of course I know that!"

"You also know the risk I have passing it on!" Adalyn told him in a harsh whisper she was barely able to get out. "Why in the hell would we risk passing it on when we know what Voldemort would do to get it on his side!"

Sirius ground his teeth, looking at the ceiling in frustration with her.

"Ads," he said in a firm, yet confident voice, "I know you worry about that, but you keep forgetting that James and Lily have the exact same probability of passing it on as we do."

"I'm the one it was passed to, Sirius," she told him in exasperation, "Me! Not James!"

"Its not guaranteed!" he told her firmly, "We've done the research, Adalyn. You, me, Lily, and James. You know it's not passed to every generation…"

"It's also not supposed to be passed to females!" Adalyn told him in distress, "And look at me!"

"Look at me!" he countered, causing Adalyn to look at him in confusion, "I'm a Black, marrying a Potter!" he told her grinning, "The worst blood traitors of the lot."

Adalyn laughed slightly as she rolled her eyes and allowed herself to be pulled into his arms once more.

"Not to mention you chose to fall in love with the Whore of Gryffindor," she added.

Sirius let out a growl, pulling her tightly against him.

"Don't call yourself that."

Adalyn laughed bitterly to herself.

"Too late," she joked, "Its already carved into my arm, so I think the nickname stuck."

Another low growl emitted from Sirius's chest as he pulled her closer.

"I told you, I will make Bella pay for that one day."

Adalyn ran her hand up her fiancé's chest, knowing what marks lie beneath the thin t-shirt he was wearing.

"Not if I make her pay for what she did to you, first," she told him darkly.

They fell into silence once more as took the comfort each other gave, listening to what was going on in the other room.

"Look," Sirius said after a moment, shifting so he could look at Adalyn, "I love you. I promised you the world when I gave you that ring, and I plan to do everything in my power to keep that promise."

Adalyn ground her teeth together, trying to keep herself from crying at his kind words.

This fucking man always knew the way to get her weak at the knees… it made her angrier than she could put into words.

… the only person who could ever do that…

The corner of his mouth pulled up in a smile as he took in her face.

… git fucking knew the effect he had on her…

"Yes, I want a family one day. Yes, I've never admitted that… to anyone. But its because I only want one with you. The woman who I know would cancel out all the Black in me."

Adalyn scoffed and rolled her eyes, biting back tears as he smiled at her even more.

"Our kids," he continued, putting a gentle hand on her face as he forced her to look at him, "will have that risk of your gift being passed on. But even if they do get it, Voldemort won't be an issue. We will have taken him down by then."

Adalyn scoffed and looked at him once more.

"He won't," he told her firmly, "And even if we don't," He continued, "then we will teach them. Teach them like your father taught you to control it. He did a damn good job if you ask me."

Adalyn felt tears prickling her eyes as she tried her best not to melt towards the man in front of her once more.

He smiled at her, sensing her surge of emotion as he pulled her tightly in his arms once more, burying his face in her hair.

"I'm in no hurry love," he told her softly, "We don't have to start tomorrow. We have our whole lives ahead of us."

Adalyn sniffed and pulled him tightly to her, burying her face in his neck.

"You're a git," she told him disdainfully.

Sirius laughed before looking deadpanned at her and saying, "No, I'm Sirius."

SLAP.

Adalyn sat up and smacked him on the chest before laughing at the horrid, yet typical joke he told.

Sirius laughed, smoothing her hair out of her face as he looked at her.

"There you are," he told her, causing her to frown at him, "I'm sick of seeing you worried and stressed all of the time." He paused and took her in for a moment, "Its nice to see a real smile on your face."

Adalyn reached up and brushed a hand over his unshaven face.

"I love you," she told him, "More than you could ever know."

Sirius's grey eyes darkened with lust as he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his, kissing her softly, trying to convey every single feeling he felt for her in the kiss. He grinned into her lip, as she felt a whimper escape her. It wasn't long until the desire to be closer overtook them and Sirius pushing her down onto the couch, hovering over her as he ran his hands up her body, trying to feel every inch of her. Adalyn groaned, arching into his touch as he kissed her.

… she could never get enough of this man…

Before she could sink further into his ministrations, the hall door opened, and her twin brother burst through, looking exhausted, but extremely happy, causing them to spring apart in surprise.

"A boy!" James announced happily, "It's a boy!"

James's face fell as he looked at his stunned best friend half lying on his sister, both staring at him in slight shock.

"Were you two making out on my couch!?" James asked.

"Congrats!" Adalyn said jovially as she pushed Sirius off of her, getting up to hug her brother who was still looking at his friend in shock and betrayal.

"How's Lily?" Adalyn asked, trying to distract her brother, allowing time for Sirius to get up.

"Fine," James said as he still stared at Sirius.

SMACK

James jumped at Adalyn smacked him in the chest.

"We're engaged, James!" Adalyn told him, "And happy. Disgustingly, absurdly, happy. Also, living together, with your blessing, I might add. Get over it and show us your wife and son."

"Right," James said as he turned, bitterly, "I'm just not used to it being shoved in my face."

"Well, don't walk into room, unannounced!" Adalyn countered.

James turned and stared at his sister.

"Its my house!"

Adalyn shrugged and walked past him down the hall towards where Lily was. James just stared at Sirius, who was scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Adalyn paused in the hallway seeing a guilty look on Sirius's face.

"Sorry mate," he told James slightly ashamed, "Kind of forgot where we were."

The two friends had an unspoken rule since Adalyn had begun dating Sirius- treat her well, and don't let James ever catch them doing anything they wouldn't do in public. The first was a no brainer. James trusted Sirius more than anyone else to treat his sister well and with the respect she deserved… not to mention he knew Adalyn could handle herself if she wanted revenge. James had watched their friendship bloom into so much more and knew how much they truly were made for each other. While this obviously hadn't sat well with him at first (partially due to the circumstances that they got together and how he had found out) he had known deep down that their late-night talks, bickering, protectiveness of each other, and friendship had been leading to more. The second unspoken rule was very much the one that they all tried to keep to out of respect for one another. No brother wanted to see his sister all over his best friend, even if he knew they were made for each other.

"Its fine," James muttered as he followed Adalyn down the hall, Sirius trailing right behind him.

"How's Lily?" Sirius asked in an undertone, watching as Adalyn walked into the room a few feet away from him, "Ads was nearly beside herself."

"I can hear you," Adalyn told them loudly as the Midwitch passed them, bustling around with the clean up.

"That why you had to make out on my couch?" James shot back at his friend ignoring his sister.

"Hey," Sirius told him, slapping him on the arm lightly, "I learned from you always trying to calm Lily once the two of you started dating when we got into trouble."

James turned to look at his friend before laughing out loud and ruffling his hair.

"Okay, touché Padfoot, touché."

Sirius laughed and put a hand on his friend's shoulder and slapping him in the chest lightly before walking into greet Lily. He sent Adalyn a wink as they walked into the room, making her smile once more.

"Hey Momma," Adalyn smiled as they strolled into the room where an exhausted, yet happy Lily Potter now lay. James pushed past both Sirius and Adalyn, going to his wife's side to take the newborn baby up into his arms.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked as he walked over and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, "Because you look stunning."

Lily rolled her eyes slightly, looking over at Adalyn.

"This is how he pulled you? With this BS charm?"

Adalyn laughed as she kissed and hugged her friend as well.

"He at least has more game than this dickhead," Adalyn said motioning her brother, "And you married him."

Lily laughed before she looked at Sirius.

"I'm exhausted. This little bugger put up one hell of a fight." Lily looked over at Adalyn standing up to see the baby. "Thank you both for being here."

"Like we would have missed it," Adalyn told her.

"Sorry the others couldn't have been here too," Sirius added as he walked over towards James, his fiancé, and the baby.

"He decided to arrive on a full moon," Lily shrugged, "I'm just glad Remus finally told Marlene so she could be there too."

"Practically had to force it out of him," James inputted as he moved the blankets out of the baby's face so his sister and best friend could see his newborn.

Adalyn looked down into the bundle to see the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. He was pink and perfect, with thin dark hair already on his head. He gurgled and opened his bright green eyes, confused by this strange new world.

"He's beautiful," Adalyn breathed, reaching a hand to move the blankets even more, her fingers brushing his soft skin.

"He really is, Prongs," Sirius said from close behind her, running a hand up her back instinctively as they stared down at the baby.

"You want to hold him?" James asked, looking at Adalyn.

"Of course!" Adalyn said as she gently took the infant from her brother. He felt so tiny in her arms.

She felt Sirius step closer to her and she habitually looked up at him, smiling before looking back down at the baby in her arms.

She felt eyes on her. She glanced up to see Lily watching her, a knowing smile on her face that meant that she was definitely going to hear about this later. She glanced up at her brother, glad he was too infatuated with his new son to notice… especially after he caught them making out earlier.

Adalyn glanced down at the baby again before looking back up to her brother.

"I wish Mum and Dad were here to see this," she told him, "They would be so proud. He's gorgeous."

"Yeah," he told her quietly, "I wish they were here too."

Adalyn gave her brother a small smile as she felt Sirius's hand rubbing her back and her brother look past at him. She looked back down at the baby, knowing Sirius was wordlessly telling the twins how much he missed their parents too. He had considered them more of parental figures than his own horrid family. Their parents had looked after him when he had finally left home after he was nearly killed over the summer between 5th and 6th year.

She swallowed the tears that were threatening to erupt at the amount of emotion around her.

"Did you guys decide on a name?" she asked, trying to change the topic.

"Obviously, its 'baby Prongs'," Sirius said jokingly.

James laughed before he pulled a serious face, "I tried that one, the wife wouldn't go for it."

"Prongs Jr., then?" Sirius suggested, looking at Lily.

"Uh, no," Lily said flatly before looking at the bundle and softening, "Its Harry. Harry James Potter."

Adalyn smiled down at the bundle, swaying slightly to soothe the baby, "Hi Harry," she told him gently, "I'm your Aunt."

"That's…. also why we wanted you two to meet him before the others," James said as he walked over to sit on the bed next to his wife, grabbing her hand.

Both Sirius and Adalyn looked up from the baby at the pair in slight surprise.

"We wanted to ask the both of you to be Harry's godparents," Lily said smiling.

"You're shitting me?" Adalyn asked before she could stop herself, "Us? We've pretty much instantly killed the three house plants you gave us."

"You mean you killed them," Sirius argued as he took the baby gently from her arms and looking back up at James and Lily, "But you meant to asked Moony and Marlene, right? Because you are asking the girl who genuinely thought that plants drank milk as seedlings."

Adalyn smacked Sirius in the arm making him jump slightly and Harry gurgle.

"Oi! I have the baby!" he told her firmly.

"Says the man who once told me that anything too weak to feed itself would rightfully die!"

"That was third year and I was joking!"

Lily laughed and hit her husband playfully, "Told you they'd react like that."

James laughed at them.

"I mean I am reconsidering now that I am thinking of all the stupid things you have done, Pads."

"You mean the things you did with me," Sirius pointed out, grinning as he bounced Harry gently in his arms.

James grinned and tapped his nose before pointing at him.

"Of course," Lily said as she rolled her eyes lightly at the antics in the room, "Of course we would ask you two! You both are our best friends and those we trust most in the world. If anything were to happen to us, we know that you both would love and cherish Harry just as much as we would have."

"Nothing is going to happen to you two," Adalyn told her firmly.

"There's a war on," Lily smiled at her sadly, "While Sirius will quickly become his Uncle… that is if you ever get a move on planning your wedding..."

"We just got engaged barely a month ago!" Adalyn argued with her, grinning as she did.

Lily had been pretty much planning their wedding since her and James had gotten engaged nearly 2 years ago now. If Lily ever wanted a career, wedding planning could definitely be on that list along with nearly anything her heart desired based on the number of NEWTs she received.

"Despite that," Lily continued, "We want the both of you to have a large role in his life."

"We'd be honored, Lil," Sirius said in a quiet voice.

Adalyn turned towards him, remembering their previous conversation and feeling the emotion radiating off of him. He caught her eye momentarily, confirming what he had said earlier.

He wanted a family… with her. Their own family. This was the first step. Their first member… godson and nephew.

Adalyn couldn't help herself. She broke her eyes from her fiancé and looked down at the baby in her arms, feeling her ovaries beginning to explode at the sight of him holding a newborn.

"You two about to start making a baby on my bedroom floor?" James asked them, causing Lily to hit him once more.

"Ow!" James complained, looking at his wife, "You didn't walk in on them making out on our couch! Now they are making eyes at each other!"

"They've been making eyes at each other since 5th year!" Lily argued, crossing her arms.

"We are right here!" Sirius told them.

"Don't argue in front of my godson!" Adalyn chastised as she leaned down and stroked Harry's soft face, causing him to grab her finger.

It was in that moment that she knew she would do anything to protect this tiny thing. All she wanted to do was help him find his way in the world. This tiny piece of some of the people closest to her, James and Lily. How was it possible to love something so much when you barely laid eyes on it 5 minutes ago.

"That's a yes?" James asked her.

"Like we would have ever said no," Sirius said as he a gazed down at the boy in his arms, "I'd never let anything happen to him. Ever. Not if I can help it."

Adalyn stumbled over an exposed tree root in the dirt path, snapping herself out of the memory. She caught herself and stopped, shutting her eyes and regrouping before continuing on her way.

She had to stop remembering. She kept getting hung up on the good times… he had betrayed all of that.

How in the hell could he have said that to that perfect little innocent baby and then thrown that all to hell? He had been planning on handing him to Voldemort all along! They had known there was a spy in the Order by then.

Why hadn't she announced it was her Voldemort wanted from the start? That would have distracted him from the so-called prophecy? If she had, maybe James and Lily would still be alive? She should have never listened to Dumbledore and her brother/friends rationale that Voldemort didn't listen to facts. She should have just exposed herself as the one he truly was after…

Yet, he knew. He knew she had been the one Voldemort wanted all alone, yet she had been spared. It didn't make sense… none of it made sense.

"Potter! There you are!"

A voice brought her out of her thoughts once more.

"Jones," she greeted shortly, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he responded as she quickly pocketed the letter, "Just ran one more lap. Students should be here any minute now. I was just coming to see where you had gotten off to," he told her as they both started towards the station once more, "The Dementors really boarded the train?"

"Yeah," Adalyn told him darkly, "Like the ministry expects us them to listen to us when its essentially a whole blown feast of good feelings for them. How did you hear anyway?"

"Hagrid told me," Jones said as he nodded towards the large form of the Hogwarts game keeper leading a large group of skeletal looking horses, all pulling the carriages towards Hogsmeade station. "He showed up only a few moments after you were summoned," Jones continued.

Adalyn wasn't listening. She was too busy staring at the Thestrals. While initially frightening to look at, she had always thought they had an odd sense of beauty about them, causing her to typically stare whenever she laid eyes on them.

"I've always thought them to be oddly beautiful as well," Jones said, following her gaze.

Adalyn turned to stared at him, slightly taken aback.

"You can see them?"

"You're telling me you can't?" Jones asked.

"Yeah, of course I can," Adalyn stuttered, trying to regain her confidence, "I just…. Well, the way you phrased it made it seem as if you have always been able to see them."

"I have," Jones shrugged as the reached the platform, stopping to look back at Hagrid and the carriages," Well, since I was at Hogwarts at least. I'll tell you, it gave me quite a fright my first year. I'm pretty sure Hagrid had to spend nearly ten minutes just trying to calm me down."

Adalyn turned to look at him, shock running through her.

Eleven? He had been eleven and able to see the thestrals? One has to witness death in order to see them. It was part of their job as Aurors to do that, but at eleven?

"Who…?" Adalyn began to ask before the whistle of a train signaled the Hogwarts Express was rolling in.

"Guess its time!" Jones said, ignoring her question as he waved and hurried off to is agreed position.

Adalyn watched him go as Hagrid hiked up to the platform.

"Alright, Adalyn?" the gamekeeper asked her with a smile.

"Yeah," Adalyn said smiling, "You?"

"Better once the students get into the castle," Hagrid told her, a dark look overcoming his shaggy face, "Dementors on the train… Dumbledore isn't going to be pleased."

"None of us are, Hagrid," Adalyn told him as the students began exiting the train, "Right, I've got to go. See you in a bit, Hagrid!"

"Right!" Hagrid said more cheerfully. "First years! This way!"

Adalyn walked down the platform, keeping an eye out for anything unusual or unfamiliar. She doubted Black would have boarded and waited until he was at Hogwarts to unleash his sabotage, but she didn't trust her past knowledge of the man at the moment.

She looked at the wave of students emptying the train, suddenly feeling so old.

Babies… they look like Babies!

"First years!" Hagrid called over the crowd, "First years, this way!"

Adalyn felt students' eyes on her, whispering.

"Is that an Auror?"

"Why are there Aurors here?"

"Sirius Black! Obviously!"

"They haven't caught him yet?"

"Please move towards the carriages," Adalyn called, trying to get the students quickly off of the platform and into the safety of the castle, "As quickly as you can, please!"

"Adalyn!"

Adalyn turned to see a grinning Harry coming off the train towards her. A bush hair girl and tall red-headed boy quickly following him.

Adalyn felt herself smile at the boy.

"Harry!" she smiled at him as she quickly walked over, looking over the boy and dropping her voice to a quiet whisper. "Are you alright? I heard what happened on the train."

Harry blushed slightly, looking ashamed. "I'm fine, I swear," he told her. "How did you hear about it anyway?"

"She must have received the letter I sent ahead," said a raspy voice near the train.

Adalyn looked up from her nephew and his friends to see Remus Lupin staring back at her, a sad smile playing on his face.

"Remus!" Adalyn breathed.

"You know Professor Lupin?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"We were friends at school," Lupin told him as he approached the group.

"We still are," Adalyn told him firmly.

Remus's warm, brown eyes met hers. Fatigue, sadness, and something else Adalyn couldn't place swirling inside of his gaze. He looked older, much shabbier, and far more run down than when she had last seen him, informing her that the last years could not have been easy on the man.

"You three had better get on the carriages," Lupin told Harry after a moment of heavy silence, never taking his eyes off of Adalyn, "You three don't want to miss the feast."

"Right," Harry said as he looked between his Aunt and new professor.

Adalyn wanted to speak, to invite her nephew and his friends for tea later, but she couldn't find her voice. She was frozen, staring into the eyes of her oldest friend.

She heard Harry and his two friends wander off, leaving Lupin and Adalyn alone.

"Reems," Adalyn began before Remus held up his hand, stopping her.

"I owe you an apology, Ady," he told her, "I… I didn't reply to your letters. I…"

"Save it," Adalyn said as she felt herself tearing up.

He didn't hate her…

"I was hardly friend of the year," she told him quietly as she walked forward and flung her arms around him, pulling him tightly to her.

Remus laughed lightly and hugged her back.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you," he told her quietly.

"I missed you so much," she told him as she kissed his cheek and pulled away, "You look like hell, Moons."

"You're one to talk," he countered to her.

Adalyn laughed.

"I didn't know you were back in the country," he told her as they began walking, "Luckily I overheard Harry talking about you. Otherwise I would have fainted when I saw you."

"I just got back a few days ago," Adalyn told him, "And since when are you faint of heart, Lupin?"

Remus laughed at her.

"Look," Adalyn said as she looked over her shoulder at the students still exiting the train, "I have to ensure security here and I'm sure you need to get to your new office and the feast, but can we catch up after the feast?"

"Absolutely," Lupin told her, "I'll come find your office then, shall I?"

"I'd better come find yours," Adalyn told him as she looked past Remus, her eyebrow raised.

Remus turned to see the other tall handsome Auror flirting unabashed with a giggling group of 7th year girls.

"I have pedo over there as a roommate," Adalyn told him darkly before giving him a wave and heading off in the direction in which they had come.

Remus looked over at the other Auror, laughing slightly at the scene before shaking his head and heading off to find a carriage of his own.

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