Due to the mixed reviews on the last chapter of Rise of the Protector, here's a small side story that will hopefully answer some questions that many have been asking.

Bedtime Stories

It was the sensation of uneasiness that abruptly snapped Harry to the world consciousness, like it always did. Blinking repeatedly, it took Harry a moment to realize what or more precisely who woke him. He knew it annoyed his wife but he couldn't help it. He had always been able to sense when his son needed him and his son knew it. That was the only reason there was a hesitation before the screaming began.

As carefully as possible, Harry found his glasses on the bedside table and slid them on as he carefully maneuvered out of bed. Moon light filled the room, giving Harry plenty of light in order to walk around the bed to the bassinet where his son was awake, staring up at him with the intense blue eyes he had inherited from his mother while chubby arms reached out for his daddy. With a big grin on his face, Harry picked the infant up and grabbed one of the already prepared bottles before walking over to the rocking chair that stood by the large window overlooking a perfect view of the full moon.

With as much caution as one could manage with their hands full, Harry sat down and repositioned the baby to begin feeding him. "What do you do when I'm not here, little man?" Harry asked softly. "I surely hope you don't drive your mum mad." The baby just stared at Harry as he continued to suck his bottle. Harry took the opportunity to look out at the moon. "He would have loved you, you know that? And I know you would have loved him. Even after four years, it's still hard to think that he's gone."

Harry started to rock back and forth although it was more for his comfort than the baby's. "You're named after him," he added. "Your grandfather took his first name so I gave you his second. Evan John Potter. It was the least I could for all that he had done for me. Trust your grandfather to name his son after my three fathers, Remus James Black." A grin spread across his face. "I still can't say it seriously. Your grandfather is going to have his hands full with him but he should know better than using the names of three Marauders on one kid."

Evan squirmed slightly forcing Harry to reposition him. "It's the full moons that are the hardest. They will always remind me of your Grandfather Remus. You see, once upon a time there was a little boy who was cursed by a mean man to become a monster every full moon because the boy's father offended the mean man. The boy lived in fear for years knowing that he would never be accepted by those around him if anyone knew about the curse. That is one of the biggest problems with our world, Evan. People focus on the curse that shows itself once a month instead of the man who controls it the rest of the time."

Harry let out a sigh as his gaze returned to his son who was still staring at him intently. "As the little boy got older, he became one of the first werewolves to be accepted to Hogwarts," he said softly. "At Hogwarts he met two extraordinary boys but he was still afraid to tell them what he held inside. He was afraid they would reject him so he lied about where he went every month but that didn't last long. His friends found out about the curse and decided to help. They helped the boy in every way possible. For the first time in a long time, the boy was happy. He had friends that saw him for who he was, not what someone had done to him."

Pulling the bottle out of his son's mouth and holding it up to the moonlight, Harry could see that there was only about an ounce left. Waves of annoyance hit him. Looking down, Harry smiled as he saw Evan reaching up for the bottle. "I can see you have my patience," he said as he returned the bottle to Evan's mouth. "Back to the story, all right? Well, the boy grew up during a hard time. Bad men were hurting people so he did the only thing he could do. He and his friends fought against them. They truly believed that nothing could hurt them as long as they stuck together.

"Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. They were betrayed and, in a blink of an eye, their lives had changed. For years, our hero lived away from the world he loved so much because there was really no one left who accepted what he was. He came back to teach at Hogwarts and protect the son of one of his friends (who we will call James) from his other friend who was believed to betray James .We'll call him Sirius. Despite the stigma and discrimination, our hero fought to remain a part of 'his nephew's' life and even became a partial guardian when Sirius was proved to be innocent of all charges. For the next four years, they worked together to help their charge through all of the trials that came their way."

Noticing that the bottle was empty, Harry set the bottle aside and repositioned Evan in order to burp him. "Together, the three of them stood strong against the Ministry of Magic, the press, unique powers, Death Eaters and the Dark Lord Voldemort himself. They organized an army and defeated the largest threat to the wizarding world in fifty years." A small burp escaped Evan's lips causing Harry to smile. "Good boy," he said quietly. "Just one more, all right?"

Harry didn't have to wait long before another burp filled the silence. Grinning, he repositioned Evan in his arms and rose to his feet. It was strange how the smallest things now gave him the biggest feeling of achievement. As quietly as possible, Harry walked over to the bassinette and carefully put Evan back in it. Evan let out a soft cry of protest but settled down when Harry projected a few calming waves.

"Now," Harry whispered as Evan's eyes began to droop. "This is very important, Evan. You need to know that your Grandfather Remus was the strongest, kindest, most understanding man I've ever known. He never gave in, even when the curse started to overtake him. He fought to be with us as long as he could. He helped me a lot when I started training and I know he helped your Grandfather Sirius when your Grandmother Jocelyn entered the picture. That was just the person Remus was. He always helped people."

A hand rested on Harry's arm causing Harry to turn and see that his wife was indeed awake. Her dark blue eyes seemed even more intense than normal in the pale moonlight. Her long, dark brown hair was pulled back in a loose braid with a few strands framing her oval shaped face. A soft smile graced her full lips allowing Harry to know that she had been up for quite some time.

"He's sleeping, Harry," she said quietly. "Come back to bed."

Harry was about to turn to walk around the bed when he was suddenly pulled forward, landing with a flump face first on the bed. "Anna!" he exclaimed in a whisper as he moved to his side of the bed. "Do you want to wake Evan?"

Anna laughed quietly as Harry made himself comfortable. "With that bedtime story, I have a feeling he's off dreaming about his grandfather," she answered plainly as she moved closer and rested her head on his chest. "Or his Daddy."

Harry absentmindedly started playing with the free strands of hair that had fallen out Anna's braid. "He could be dreaming about you, you know," he countered.

Anna shifted her body so she could look into Harry's eyes. "Harry, please," she said with a smile. "I know Evan adores you. He has a connection with you that he probably will never have with me. To him, you're the one person who can understand him just like he's the one person who can really understand you."

Harry frowned in confusion. He really didn't think a two month old baby could be that aware but stranger things had happened in his life to force him to keep an open mind to anything.

"Harry, I think we need to consider the possibility that Evan may be empathic like you," Anna said carefully as she enfolded her hand with his.

Harry shook his head confidently. "No, it doesn't work that way. I checked before Evan was born. Empathy and healing can't be passed from parent to child. It's an anomaly in the magical development—"

"—that starts when the child is still in the womb," Anna interrupted patiently. "I know, Harry. I researched it too. It's not supposed to happen and we really won't know for sure for at least a few years but the signs are all there, especially when he's around others. He's more in tune with the emotions around him than any baby I've ever seen."

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose underneath his glasses. "I think you're seeing too much into this," he said seriously. "My empathy didn't surface—"

"—until you were in a safe and loving environment," Anna interrupted. "Harry, think about it. Your relatives forced your to suppress who you were and what you could do from a very young age. You were born with your 'anomaly'. It just didn't surface one day out of nowhere."

"I know," Harry said in a resigned voice. "I guess I just hoped that Evan would be able to avoid everything I went through. I hated feeling like I was a freak."

Anna gently slapped Harry's arm. "You're not a freak!" she hissed. "Yes, it will be difficult being surrounded by a castle full of teenagers but he has years to get his ability under control so what happened to you won't happen to him. Think about it, Harry. You have your empathy and healing under control now. My emotions don't overpower you—"

"—I thought that was just because you were special."

"—and you're able to be around everyone at the hospital without letting it get to you," Anna continued stubbornly. "Harry, just trust me on this, okay?"

Harry let out a sigh as his eyes slowly closed. Of all the things he wanted to pass on to his son, his empathy had certainly never been one of them. "You know, I have a feeling that Remus is laughing at me right now," he said idly. "After everything I put him through with my empathy, I suppose he would feel it was important to pass on everything I know."

"It sounds like good advice," Anna said as she lowered her head so it once again rested on Harry's chest. "I really wish I could have known him better. The more I hear you talk about him the more I feel like I missed out on something truly remarkable."

Harry smiled. "I think everyone who met him feels the same way," he said soothingly. "He was a brilliant man but he never made you feel like an idiot. He just gave you a look and you knew that the answer was there. You just had to look for it. He had that look when he met Jocelyn and when he met you."

Anna looked up at Harry hopefully. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "After you left he told me never to let you go. At the time, I thought he meant as a friend since that's all we were but when we started dating…"

"Do you think it was his inner wolf?" Anna asked curiously. "With his heightened senses, perhaps he was just able to pick up on things like a wolf. They rely on their senses when finding a mate…"

"I suppose it's possible," Harry said thoughtfully as Anna's head lowered once again. "We should really get some sleep. Evan will be up again in a few hours."

Anna nodded against Harry's chest. "You have tomorrow off, right?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," Harry answered immediately. "We have the family picnic tomorrow. Sirius wants to wander around Central Park with R.J. again. Personally I think he enjoys the looks on everyone's faces at the sight of Padfoot walking with a twenty-month-old child holding the leash."

"Just so you know, Joyce mentioned that they were trying for another baby so, if they say anything about it tomorrow, try to be reasonable," Anna said casually.

"I was reasonable when we found out about R.J.," Harry protested.

"Harry, you burst out laughing."

"Sirius was projecting!" Harry said defensively. "It's not my fault I picked up on his giddiness. I swear I'll be completely reasonable this time. Besides, I think it would be good for R. J. to have a little brother or sister. No child should be raised alone. It's just too lonely."

Anna let out a sigh as she snuggled closer and Harry could pick up a hint of exasperation mixed with a splash of tiredness. Letting out his own sigh, Harry took off his glasses and set the on the bedside table. Thinking back, he still couldn't believe how much had changed in the past five years. He had lost one parent only to gain another. He had gained a baby brother, a wife and even a son—the family he had never believed he would ever have.

He had also gained quite a few friends but none of them would ever replace Ron and Hermione. He still kept in contact with them and they even visited each other as often as possible. Hermione loved her job at the Ministry while Ron finally became reserve Keeper for the Chudley Cannons. They were currently taking things slow although it was well known that Mrs. Weasley was putting the pressure on them ever since she met Evan a month ago.

In all honesty, Harry never thought he would the first of his class to be married and have a child. He had to wonder if his parents felt the same way when he had been born. He had started to think more and more of his parents with each event in his life. Had they felt like he did when he got married? Had they had the same fears when they first found out they would be parents? Had he been anything like Evan when he had been a baby?

That was the question Harry wanted answered more than anything. He knew Anna was right. Evan didn't act like a normal two month old baby. He was more reserved and certainly more alert to his surroundings. One thing was for certain, though. No matter what, Harry was determined to help his son so his life was a lot easier than Harry's had been. Evan's life was bound to be difficult enough once everyone found out who his father was.