A/N: We have reached the final story in this series. That's actually crazy to me. I feel like it was yesterday that I was deciding to reupload this series, and thinking that it was going to take a whole year to get it all out there, and now I'm on number 7, thinking "how is it already October?!"
This is story number 7 in this series, so if you are interested in reading the others, you can start with number 1, which is called This is Home.
The upload schedule will be the same as the previous ones (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), and the rating is M, like the last one, for swearing and mildly explicit scenes.
There is something a little bit different with the contents of this story. There will be 21 regular chapters, but in between a few of those chapters are going to be 3 kind of mini-chapters, which I'm calling Interludes. You'll understand when I get to them, but basically they're insights into what's going on in a different part of the story. They're all very short, but I felt they were necessary this time around. There will also be an Epilogue (of course), and then I have a couple of other things I'll be posting at the end: a Post-War Timeline, and an Epilogue Outtake. There will be more descriptions on those when we get there.
All right! Now that all that has been taken care of, it's time to present you with the final story of this series. Happy reading!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the earth
It's a brave new world
This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars
Chapter 1 – The Cabin in the Woods
"Lucy."
Lucy Jones stirred at the sound of her name being called softly. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and snuggled into the warm body she was leaning against.
"Lucy—"
"We'll be pulling into the station in nearly five minutes," a different voice interrupted.
Lucy sighed resignedly before peeling her eyes open. She was tucked safely under the arm of her boyfriend, Jeremy Whitlock, while her other friends were packing up their belongings, ready to get off the Hogwarts Express.
"We're almost to London, sleepy head," Jeremy whispered into her ear before pressing a quick kiss onto the top of her head.
"I don't want to get off the train," Lucy mumbled. "If we don't get off, it'll take us back to Hogwarts, right?"
Jeremy chuckled above her but didn't reply.
Lucy felt her chest constrict when she thought back to the last six years she'd spent at Hogwarts with her friends. She had been the only American invited to attend Hogwarts when she was eleven years old. They had been the best years of her life.
While there, she had made friends with Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and the famous Harry Potter. The four of them proved to be quite the trouble-making team. They did everything together, and even through the bad times, they were still best friends.
In Lucy's third year, she found out that her real parents had been James and Lily Potter, which made Lucy Harry's twin sister. She had to keep this information a secret at first, but at the end of their fifth year, Harry was told the truth—along with the rest of the world.
At the end of their fourth year, Lord Voldemort had returned to full power. Harry had defeated him as a baby, reducing him to almost dead. The evil wizard had tried many times to return to his body, and when he finally succeeded, he tried to murder Harry once more. Harry managed to get away and alert the Wizarding world about Voldemort's return.
However, the Ministry of Magic chose to not believe Harry's testimony. For a full year, they refused to acknowledge the truth of what had happened. Only after Voldemort broke into the Ministry and was seen by the Minister of Magic's own eyes did the Ministry finally apologize to Harry.
Things were finally looking up, with the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix working together to defeat Voldemort. Then, tragedy struck: Albus Dumbledore, leader of the Order, was murdered by Severus Snape. They had thought that Snape had been on the Order's side, but he had betrayed them all.
Lucy was finding it hard to believe that they had just buried Dumbledore that morning before getting on the train to go home. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she pulled away from Jeremy.
"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked immediately.
"Nothing," Lucy answered. "Just—thinking about this morning."
Jeremy nodded solemnly. Then he turned to his bag to make sure that he had everything packed away.
Lucy watched him for a few moments, feeling grateful that he was there with her. She had met him in their first year. Jeremy had been sorted into Slytherin house at Hogwarts, so when Lucy and Jeremy had begun their friendship, it sparked a bit of controversy. Gryffindor—the house Lucy belonged to—and Slytherin didn't always get along.
They had started dating in the middle of their fourth year, after the Yule Ball. They had been together ever since, with the exception of a few months between their fifth and sixth years, when Lucy was trying to protect Jeremy from his family. Jeremy's father was a Death Eater, and Lucy was certain that he wouldn't approve of his son dating Harry Potter's twin sister.
Once Jeremy had turned seventeen, he had decided to defy his father's beliefs, and he and Lucy had gotten back together. Then, that morning after the funeral, Lucy had offered to take him home with her for the summer. There was no way that he'd be able to go back to his parents' house, and as far as Lucy knew, he didn't have anywhere else to go.
"I still don't know how you're going to explain to Mrs. Weasley that you won't be staying with us at the Burrow this summer," Hermione Granger said lightly, glancing over at Lucy.
"I… I hadn't thought about it yet," Lucy replied, frowning. "I just wanted to help them."
"Will she make a big deal over it?" Sally-Anne Perks, another of Lucy's friends, spoke up.
Lucy had met Sally-Anne during their first year when they were both sorted into Gryffindor. They had been dorm mates and friends for the past six years, although they had only really grown close in the last year. Sally-Anne was afraid that her Muggle father wouldn't let her return to Hogwarts the next year after everything that had happened and was still happening, so Lucy had offered to bring her home, as well.
"Maybe," Lucy answered.
"Maybe?" Ron Weasley echoed with a chuckle. "She'll go mental. She'll go on and on about how dangerous it is for you to be on your own."
"We won't be on our own," Lucy said. "Remus will be there, too. I mean, it's our house."
"You know my mum by now, Lucy," Ron shot back. "She doesn't fully trust anyone but herself to take care of all of us."
"He's got a point, you know," Harry Potter said. "She and Sirius kept having rows about me two summers ago, remember? Even if she trusts Lupin, I don't think she's going to let you go without some sort of fight."
"Well, she doesn't need all of us and two more mouths to feed under her roof all summer," Lucy said. "Although—you two are going home first, aren't you?" She looked between Harry and Hermione, both of whom were nodding.
"Just for a little while," Harry said firmly. "Dumbledore said I only had to go back to the Dursleys once more. Hopefully I won't have to wait around until I turn seventeen."
"Bill's and Fleur's wedding is the day after your birthday," Ron informed them, "so you'll have to be with us before that."
"What about you, Hermione?" Harry asked. "How long will you be staying with your parents?"
"Probably not very long," Hermione answered. "I just need to take care of a few things there before I meet up with you all again." She seemed to avoid the rest of their gazes as she spoke.
Lucy glanced over at Jeremy, who shrugged.
~LJ:TW~
The train started to slow down, and soon it was pulling into King's Cross Station. Lucy and her friends gathered up their things and got off the train. They joined the crowd, which was slowly moving towards the barrier between the magical and Muggle worlds.
Finally, Lucy and the others were able to pass through the barrier. They began the search for Arthur and Molly Weasley and found—unsurprisingly to Lucy—not just Ron's parents, but also Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Alastor Moody. Ginny Weasley—Ron's younger sister, and Harry's now ex-girlfriend—was already standing with them.
Mrs. Weasley began to fuss over the rest of them, hugging Ron, Hermione, and Harry tightly before greeting Lucy.
"Mrs. Weasley, you remember Sally-Anne Perks from a few summers ago?" Lucy asked, gesturing to her friend.
"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said. "Yes, dear. How are you?"
"I'm all right, Mrs. Weasley," Sally-Anne said. She had been with Lucy at the end of the summer before their third year, and she had ridden with all of them over to the train station to leave for school.
"And my boyfriend, Jeremy?" Lucy added, pointing to Jeremy.
"Yes, yes," Mrs. Weasley said, looking confused.
"Well, they didn't really have anywhere to go," Lucy explained. "And I was wondering," she continued, turning to look at Remus, "if maybe we could come stay with you, Remus. You know, at Sirius's house."
"What do you mean, stay at Sirius's house?" Mrs. Weasley said flatly.
"The house that he left to Remus and me," Lucy clarified. "There was no time for me to ask about Jeremy and Sally-Anne, but I figured—I have my own house—"
"But you're just children!" Mrs. Weasley burst out.
"Jeremy and Sally-Anne are both seventeen," Lucy pointed out, "and I will be, too, at the end of July. Besides, Remus will be there to keep an eye on us—won't you?" She turned to her pseudo-uncle, hoping she wasn't wrong.
"Of course I will," Remus said. "There's no need to worry, Molly. You have your hands full with your own children—not to mention Harry and Hermione when they come to stay with you."
"That's beside the point," Mrs. Weasley snapped. "I promised your parents that I would protect you," she went on, staring at Lucy. "Last summer, I told them that we would always look out for you."
"I know," Lucy said. "You'll still be looking out for me, but I can't ask you to take Jeremy and Sally-Anne in, as well. They have nowhere to go, and I'm not making them go back to where they won't be wanted—" She took Jeremy's hand tightly in hers. "—or where they won't be allowed to leave again." She glanced over at Sally-Anne.
Remus let out a low chuckle, and Lucy turned to him. "You remind me so much of your father," he explained. "Your grandfather used to say that James would have brought home every single one of his friends if he felt that they needed someplace to go."
Lucy smiled before looking back at Mrs. Weasley. "I really do appreciate everything you've done for me," she said to the matriarch of the Weasley clan, "and I love you all very much. I just can't ask you to take in two more mouths to feed."
"Molly," Mr. Weasley spoke up, stepping up to his wife's side, "Lucy and her friends will be all right with Remus. After all, Tonks is staying there now, too, and—"
"What?" Lucy, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny all interrupted.
"Yes, I've moved in with Remus," Tonks replied, beaming. "I'm sorry, Lucy; I know the house is technically yours, too—"
"Don't be sorry!" Lucy quickly cut in. "Sirius was your cousin, after all, and if this means you're with Remus—"
"That's enough jabbering," Moody finally spoke, looking annoyed. "We're here to see Potter and Miss Granger off to their families. Now, let's move."
No one dared to argue with Moody, and soon enough they had spotted Hermione's parents through the crowd. Hermione said her good-byes to everyone, and Lucy was surprised to see that her friend seemed a bit tearful.
"Don't worry, 'Mione," Lucy said as she hugged the other girl tightly. "We'll see you soon."
"I know," Hermione replied. Then she whispered, "That's not what concerns me." Before Lucy could ask what she meant, Hermione pulled away from her and followed her parents from the train station.
Harry was next. He had finally found his uncle and aunt, and he was also passed around as everyone said their farewells.
"Be safe, Harry," Lucy said to her brother. "I know Dumbledore said that you'd be safe at your family's house as long as you could call it home, but still… don't try to take too many risks, okay?"
"Our family's house," Harry corrected her teasingly.
"Yeah, yeah," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes. "Go on.… We'll see you soon."
Harry smirked at her before turning and joining his family.
"Lucy… are you ready to go?" Remus asked.
Lucy looked around at her friends—her family. She smiled. "Let's go home."
~LJ:TW~
Mrs. Weasley was crying when she left with her husband and two youngest children. Lucy felt bad that she was making Mrs. Weasley upset, but she also didn't feel like she had a choice.
"We'll Apparate," Remus said to Lucy, Jeremy, and Sally-Anne as they walked away from the train station. "We just have to find a secluded spot, so no Muggles will see us.…"
He and Tonks led the way a little further before finding a dark, deserted alley. Then he waved his wand over Lucy's, Jeremy's, and Sally-Anne's trunks, transporting the luggage ahead to the house.
"Lucy," Remus said, offering her a hand.
Lucy took it, and then she grabbed Jeremy's. Next to them, Sally-Anne joined hands with Tonks. Remus and Tonks both turned on their toes, and the five of them were plunged into the darkness that was Apparition.
They appeared in front of the little cabin in the woods. Lucy took a few deep breaths, glad that she had finally gotten used to Apparating. She saw Jeremy and Sally-Anne gazing at the cabin with interest.
"Welcome home," Remus said simply.
"We'll have to add a few extra rooms, Remus," Tonks said as she walked towards the house. "Right now, there are only two bedrooms, you know," she went on to the others. "One bathroom, too. But if you're all going to stay here, we should probably get you three your own bathroom."
"Constructing an entire new wing of living space?" Sally-Anne spoke up. "That can't be easy magic."
"Luckily, Remus seems to have a knack for building spells," Tonks said, smiling.
Lucy couldn't help the grin that grew on her face. Tonks looked happier than she had in about a year, and Lucy was glad that Remus had finally braved his feelings for the young woman. Lucy hadn't realized that the pair had feelings for each other until the night that Dumbledore had been killed, but things seemed to be going well for them so far.
The five of them reached the cabin, and Tonks led them into the cozy front room. The sitting room, dining room, and kitchen were all open to each other. From the front door, the kitchen and dining room were to the left, with the living room directly ahead. To the right, there was a hallway that headed to the two bedrooms and one bathroom that Tonks had mentioned.
"Speaking of living quarters," Remus said, his tone sounding careful, "how many—erm—how many bedrooms will you need?" His face flushed, and he refused to meet Lucy's gaze.
It only took Lucy a moment to realize that her uncle was feeling embarrassed about asking if she and Jeremy were going to share a room. "Oh," she said, glancing at Jeremy, who was looking as confused as she felt. They had been together for a while, but they'd only just started to be physically intimate. Lucy couldn't decide if it would be inappropriate for her to share a bedroom with Jeremy at this stage in their relationship, but this was also her home.
"It's all right if you want to share," Tonks supplied after a few seconds of awkward silence. "Like you said to Molly at the train station, you're all adults now—or nearly, anyway. It's not our place to judge your choices."
"Thank you," Lucy said, feeling a rush of gratitude towards the witch. She looked at Remus and asked, "How would you feel about it? Tell me honestly."
"I—I feel like I'm in a very difficult position," Remus said. "I promised Molly that I would look after you, and there is no way that she would let the two of you share a bedroom. Also, your parents were some of my closest friends, and it almost feels as though I'm betraying my promise to them to look after you if I let you share a bed with your boyfriend. However," he went on, seeming more hesitant, "I can't pretend that I didn't—er—have my fair share of—sharing a bed with someone at your age—and so did your father—"
"Please, stop," Lucy moaned, putting her hands over her ears. "I don't need to hear about your teenage conquests—"
"They were hardly conquests," Remus scoffed. "I had a girlfriend for a few years—from the sixth year until just before your parents…" He had to stop and clear his throat for a moment. "As for James—well, I won't say that he wasn't popular with the ladies—"
"No, no, no," Lucy chanted, shaking her head. "I don't want to hear about how often my father got around, thank you very much." She sighed and then added curiously, "What about Sirius?"
"Sirius had one girlfriend the entire time I knew him," Remus answered. "They were together on and off for the first year or so, and then they finally decided to be exclusive. They were very happy together, until…" He heaved a sigh.
"Until what?" Lucy pressed, intrigued.
"Until she and her entire family were murdered during the first war," Remus answered quietly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Lucy gasped, her heart breaking for her godfather all over again.
There was a moment of silence before Tonks softly cleared her throat. "We should get back to deciding how many rooms we need to add to the house," she reminded them.
Lucy turned to Jeremy and asked, "What do you think?"
"Honestly?" Jeremy questioned, and Lucy nodded. "I think we should share. I know that even if we had separate rooms, one of us would end up going into the other's room every night. Might as well save ourselves the trouble."
Lucy gave him a small smile before looking back at Remus. "I guess we'll be sharing, then. Two bedrooms, please, and I think we can all handle sharing one bathroom between us." She glanced between Sally-Anne and Jeremy, who were both nodding in agreement.
"Two bedrooms it is, then," Remus said, rolling up the sleeves of his robes and pulling his wand out. He paused and added, "Not a word to Molly about this, though; agreed?"
"Agreed," the other four chorused.
~LJ:TW~
It didn't take Remus long to add two bedrooms and another bathroom onto the cabin. When he was finished, though, they realized that they didn't have any furniture to put in the rooms. Remus and Tonks spent the greater part of the evening furnishing the new rooms, and it was quite late before Lucy and Jeremy were finally able to lug their trunks into their bedroom. It was a modestly-sized room, with enough space for a double bed, two side tables, and a wardrobe against the far wall.
"So, which side of the bed do you want?" Lucy asked, feeling nervous for a reason she couldn't explain.
"Doesn't matter to me," Jeremy said with a shrug. Then he flopped down onto the bed and rolled over between the sides, testing it out. Eventually, he settled on one spot on the bed with an exaggerated sigh of contentment.
"Found your side, then?" Lucy questioned, shaking her head but smiling all the same.
"This one will do," Jeremy confirmed before reaching up and grabbing her arm. He gently tugged her down next to him and added, "As long as you're okay with sleeping right here next to me, of course."
Lucy laughed. She brushed his hair off his forehead, marveling at the softness of it, and stared into his eyes. They were light and danced with mirth.
"All right, I guess I can sleep here," Lucy said. Her smile dimmed, and she went on, "Are you happy that you came home with me?"
"Are you joking?" Jeremy said. "Of course I am. You have no idea how much better it is to be here… with you."
"It's hard to believe that we buried Dumbledore this morning," Lucy said quietly. She swallowed the lump that seemed to grow in her throat at the mention of the funeral. "How did things get so fucked up?"
"You-Know-Who," Jeremy answered, taking a turn to run his hand through Lucy's hair. "Blood purists thinking that they're better than everyone else—and now they have someone they can rally behind."
They laid together on the bed for a few minutes in silence, cuddling together in each other's arms. It felt nice to be able to lie together on a bed; Lucy realized that they had never enjoyed such a comfort before. They had always used a nest of cushions in an empty classroom.…
Lucy's face heated as she thought about their more intimate moments, and Jeremy shifted to look at her in confusion and concern. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes, I—I was just thinking," Lucy replied.
"About?" Jeremy prodded.
"About the times we spent together in those empty classrooms," Lucy answered in a whisper.
"Hmm," Jeremy hummed. He smirked down at her and went on, "Those were some good times, wouldn't you agree?"
Lucy rolled her eyes playfully but nodded.
"We could make some more good memories right here in this bed, too," Jeremy said, his voice taking on a husky tone.
Lucy put her hand gently on his, which had been inching its way towards the hem of her shirt. "I agree," she said slowly, "but not tonight. I just can't—it doesn't seem right after what happened today." She looked up at Jeremy warily.
"Okay," he said, surprising Lucy. He smiled gently down at her before cupping her cheek with one of his hands and kissing her softly.
"I have to admit that I expected you to put up a bit of a fight," Lucy said after he pulled away.
"I'm not that much of an asshole," Jeremy argued.
"Hmm," Lucy said. "I suppose you're not." Jeremy flicked her nose, and Lucy batted his hand away before saying, "C'mon. Let's get ready for bed."
~LJ:TW~
A/N: This story picks up right where the other one left off. I will give you a bit of a warning: most of the action in this story is at the beginning and the end. You'll see what I mean as we go.
When I think of Remus adding extra rooms onto the cabin, I imagine the third Halloweentown movie (Halloweentown High) and Marnie's mom using magic to add the rooms for the exchange students at their house.
Love the conversation Lucy has with Remus about how many bedrooms they'll need. I especially enjoy the little insight to his past, along with James and Sirius. I think Lucy craves information about her parents and, by extension, their friends.