Harry had finally convinced Hermione and Ron that he did not want to talk
about his dream and they finally let it be.
"What do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?" Harry asked lazily.
"I want to get a job at the Ministry." Hermione said.
"No, you want THE job at the Ministry."
Hermione blushed but she didn't back down.
"I'd like to become an Auror, but I'll probably end up with a desk job that pays just enough to feed and clothe my kids."
"That's depressing. What about you Harry?"
Harry thought for a moment. "I'd like to go out into the world. I don't want to start work right away, I don't want to have to settle down with two kids and wife the minute I get out of Hogwarts. There's a whole great wide open out there. I want to see it."
"Do you want kids?" Hermione asked.
"Yes." Harry said without thinking about it at all. "I want kids, I want a big family so if I die they won't end up out there on their own. There's nothing worse than being alone."
"I don't know." Ron said, "There have been times when all I wanted was to be alone."
"Would you trade your mother and father and brothers and sister for what I got?"
Ron swallowed. "No, no I don't think I would trade them for anything."
Harry nodded, "I figured as much."
"Well come on Harry, I mean it's not so bad once you got out of the Dursley's. I mean you have Sirius and Remus who would give their lives for you, you've got Hagrid and McGonagall who totally have a soft spot for you. There's my Mum who went into coniptions and actually screamed at Dumbledore when the Dursleys died, she really does see you as one of the family. And there's Dad who see's you as one of the family too, he yelled at Dumbledore to let you stay at our house and then he yelled at Dumbledore again to let me stay here."
"But I have no REAL family."
"That's the thing Harry, WE are your real family, we'll do as much for you as a real brother and sister would, Mr and Mrs Weasley would be the same as parents and Sirius and Remus are like favourite, eccentric uncles. It really is a big, demented family Harry. Maybe blood isn't as thick as people once thought."
"I still wonder what happened to me rea-my biological family. Aside from my mum and dad I mean."
"Well they clearly died, I mean if they aren't here they're dead..."
"Ron, shut up, just shut up." Hermione said. "Maybe Lupin knows."
"He didn't know all too much about my Dad though."
"And Sirius doesn't know much about your Mum, have you noticed that? I mean Sirius knows all about your dad so Lupin must know all about your Mum."
"That's a stupid idea Hermione, what makes you think that?"
"Oh shut up Ron, I'm going to go find Lupin." Harry got up and left the common room.
"What now Potter?"
"Do you never sleep? You are always here, always."
Snape looked at him wearily. "What do you need Harry?"
"Lupin, will you take me to where ever he is?"
Snape put his book down and he and Harry walked to Lupin's office.
"Yes?"
Snape jerked his head towards Harry. "He wanted to speak to you."
"Oh, alright Harry." He looked at Snape. "I'll walk him back down when we're done."
Lupin shut his door and gestured towards a chair. "So, what's going on?"
"I wanted to know a bit about my mum, I've asked Sirius about her but Hermione thought that you might, you might know a bit more about her than he does, seeing as you know, you weren't as close to my dad or whatever..." Harry trailed off, he was rambling and he knew it but he didn't care.
Lupin smiled.. "Yes, Hermione would have suggested that."
"Er-what?"
"Hermione attended Hallow's Hill Primary School, the same school that your mother attended and that I attended." Lupin paused to let Harry digest this.
"You're Muggle-born?"
"No, my parents wanted me to get a Muggle education anyways, especially after I was bitten by a werewolf."
"So you knew my mum before my dad did then?"
"Absolutely."
"So what happened to her family?"
"Her parents were already well into middle age when they had Lily. Your grandfather died in your mothers fifth year and you grandmother died when you were about six months old. Nobody knows what happened to your mothers twin brother, he disappeared when they were four."
"Mum had a brother?"
"Yes, I'm not sure but I think he would have turned out to be a wizard as well."
"Was he killed?"
"May have been, as I said, nobody knows for sure what happened to him."
"How come you started hanging out with my dad if you were friends with my mum first?"
"I wasn't a very popular kid, the Maradaurs gave me the opportunity to be part of a group, although I never stopped being friends with your mother."
"Did you, did you ever go out with her?"
Lupin laughed softly. "Never."
Harry had the feeling this subject made Lupin uncomfortable so he didn't pursue it. "Why didn't my parents make you secret keeper?"
Lupin shrugged. "If they weren't dead you could ask them."
"Hey, Lupin?"
"Yes?"
"I had this dream the other night, I was in this ballroom and all these ghosts were in it, Ron and Sirius and my parents and then they disappeared and Voldemort appeared. D'you think it means all those ghosts are going to be killed by him?"
Lupin sighed and massauged his forehead. "Yes. Yes Harry I think that that is exactly what it means and there is nothing you can do for it but wait until it's your time to fight. Don't worry about the future now."
Harry sat, stunned. He had told Lupin about the dream expecting reassurance. What he got was the very painful truth.
"I'm sorry Harry. I shouldn't have been so blunt but that dream is very blatant about what is going to happen. You can't fight it Harry, there's a great wide open out there, enjoy it. People die Harry. They die, some of them die horrbly and some don't, but they die just the same. I suggest you forget about the dream, forget that whoever was in the dream is going to die and just get on with your life. I'm going to die one day and I know it, I just tuck it into the back of my mind and move on. That's what you need to do."
"Oh." Was all Harry could think to say.
Lupin smiled. "Harry, I think it's time you go back to the common room, okay?"
Harry nodded and they walked back to the common room. "Harry..."
"Yes?"
"Don't worry."
"I know. I know."
"What do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?" Harry asked lazily.
"I want to get a job at the Ministry." Hermione said.
"No, you want THE job at the Ministry."
Hermione blushed but she didn't back down.
"I'd like to become an Auror, but I'll probably end up with a desk job that pays just enough to feed and clothe my kids."
"That's depressing. What about you Harry?"
Harry thought for a moment. "I'd like to go out into the world. I don't want to start work right away, I don't want to have to settle down with two kids and wife the minute I get out of Hogwarts. There's a whole great wide open out there. I want to see it."
"Do you want kids?" Hermione asked.
"Yes." Harry said without thinking about it at all. "I want kids, I want a big family so if I die they won't end up out there on their own. There's nothing worse than being alone."
"I don't know." Ron said, "There have been times when all I wanted was to be alone."
"Would you trade your mother and father and brothers and sister for what I got?"
Ron swallowed. "No, no I don't think I would trade them for anything."
Harry nodded, "I figured as much."
"Well come on Harry, I mean it's not so bad once you got out of the Dursley's. I mean you have Sirius and Remus who would give their lives for you, you've got Hagrid and McGonagall who totally have a soft spot for you. There's my Mum who went into coniptions and actually screamed at Dumbledore when the Dursleys died, she really does see you as one of the family. And there's Dad who see's you as one of the family too, he yelled at Dumbledore to let you stay at our house and then he yelled at Dumbledore again to let me stay here."
"But I have no REAL family."
"That's the thing Harry, WE are your real family, we'll do as much for you as a real brother and sister would, Mr and Mrs Weasley would be the same as parents and Sirius and Remus are like favourite, eccentric uncles. It really is a big, demented family Harry. Maybe blood isn't as thick as people once thought."
"I still wonder what happened to me rea-my biological family. Aside from my mum and dad I mean."
"Well they clearly died, I mean if they aren't here they're dead..."
"Ron, shut up, just shut up." Hermione said. "Maybe Lupin knows."
"He didn't know all too much about my Dad though."
"And Sirius doesn't know much about your Mum, have you noticed that? I mean Sirius knows all about your dad so Lupin must know all about your Mum."
"That's a stupid idea Hermione, what makes you think that?"
"Oh shut up Ron, I'm going to go find Lupin." Harry got up and left the common room.
"What now Potter?"
"Do you never sleep? You are always here, always."
Snape looked at him wearily. "What do you need Harry?"
"Lupin, will you take me to where ever he is?"
Snape put his book down and he and Harry walked to Lupin's office.
"Yes?"
Snape jerked his head towards Harry. "He wanted to speak to you."
"Oh, alright Harry." He looked at Snape. "I'll walk him back down when we're done."
Lupin shut his door and gestured towards a chair. "So, what's going on?"
"I wanted to know a bit about my mum, I've asked Sirius about her but Hermione thought that you might, you might know a bit more about her than he does, seeing as you know, you weren't as close to my dad or whatever..." Harry trailed off, he was rambling and he knew it but he didn't care.
Lupin smiled.. "Yes, Hermione would have suggested that."
"Er-what?"
"Hermione attended Hallow's Hill Primary School, the same school that your mother attended and that I attended." Lupin paused to let Harry digest this.
"You're Muggle-born?"
"No, my parents wanted me to get a Muggle education anyways, especially after I was bitten by a werewolf."
"So you knew my mum before my dad did then?"
"Absolutely."
"So what happened to her family?"
"Her parents were already well into middle age when they had Lily. Your grandfather died in your mothers fifth year and you grandmother died when you were about six months old. Nobody knows what happened to your mothers twin brother, he disappeared when they were four."
"Mum had a brother?"
"Yes, I'm not sure but I think he would have turned out to be a wizard as well."
"Was he killed?"
"May have been, as I said, nobody knows for sure what happened to him."
"How come you started hanging out with my dad if you were friends with my mum first?"
"I wasn't a very popular kid, the Maradaurs gave me the opportunity to be part of a group, although I never stopped being friends with your mother."
"Did you, did you ever go out with her?"
Lupin laughed softly. "Never."
Harry had the feeling this subject made Lupin uncomfortable so he didn't pursue it. "Why didn't my parents make you secret keeper?"
Lupin shrugged. "If they weren't dead you could ask them."
"Hey, Lupin?"
"Yes?"
"I had this dream the other night, I was in this ballroom and all these ghosts were in it, Ron and Sirius and my parents and then they disappeared and Voldemort appeared. D'you think it means all those ghosts are going to be killed by him?"
Lupin sighed and massauged his forehead. "Yes. Yes Harry I think that that is exactly what it means and there is nothing you can do for it but wait until it's your time to fight. Don't worry about the future now."
Harry sat, stunned. He had told Lupin about the dream expecting reassurance. What he got was the very painful truth.
"I'm sorry Harry. I shouldn't have been so blunt but that dream is very blatant about what is going to happen. You can't fight it Harry, there's a great wide open out there, enjoy it. People die Harry. They die, some of them die horrbly and some don't, but they die just the same. I suggest you forget about the dream, forget that whoever was in the dream is going to die and just get on with your life. I'm going to die one day and I know it, I just tuck it into the back of my mind and move on. That's what you need to do."
"Oh." Was all Harry could think to say.
Lupin smiled. "Harry, I think it's time you go back to the common room, okay?"
Harry nodded and they walked back to the common room. "Harry..."
"Yes?"
"Don't worry."
"I know. I know."