Chapter 18 – Even the Smallest Person can Change the Course of the Future

"So glad to see you back in one piece, Harry", Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm glad to be back, although I haven't really seen anyone yet. I still haven't seen Ron, Tonks, Remus, Hagrid, or anyone really." Said Harry, smiling.

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes disappeared and Harry could feel his smile fading.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I forgot that you don't know." Said Dumbledore, looking away as though he didn't plan on continuing.

"Don't know... what?" Harry asked fearfully.

"Harry, you might want to sit down" Dumbledore said softly, as if Harry were a small child. Harry sat down on the cold floor, and watched as Dumbledore brought himself to kneel at Harry's level. He put his hand on Harry's shoulder before speaking the words that Harry never wanted to hear for the rest of his life...

"Hagrid's dead."

- - - - -

Hermione was sitting in her bed, rocking Elizabeth gently back and forth, desperately trying to think of a middle name for her. She was staring in wonder at her child's bright green eyes when she heard a scream of anguish and complete sorrow come from the hall. Surprisingly, the disturbance in the quiet did not startle the baby, but Hermione was sure that her heart had stopped beating.

Stopping to make sure that Elizabeth was safely tucked away in her bassinet, Hermione cautiously entered the hallway.

Harry was on his knees in the hall, tears streaming down his face for the first time in months. A group of people was standing near him. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who had heard Harry's blood-curdling scream. She saw Dumbledore next to Harry, whispering words of comfort that she couldn't hear.

"Albus?" she asked nervously, silently inquiring at the state of her husband.

"He'll be fine." Dumbledore replied quietly.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, crossing the short distance to sit at her husband's side.

"I told him about Hagrid." Dumbledore said, as Hermione began slowly rubbing circles on Harry's back to comfort him as he sobbed quietly.

"I fear I may do more damage, as that isn't what I needed to tell him." Albus said.

"What did you need to talk to him about?" Hermione asked, embracing Harry.

"Perhaps it would be better if I waited until he has calmed down before I add something new to this mess," said Albus, looking up at the people around him, "Thank you for your concern, but I believe we have this under control now."

The few people there nodded or shrugged and then walked away.

Harry, in the midst of calming down, removed his glasses and rubbed his face, embarrassed about his emotional breakdown in the hallway. Dumbledore, knowing that he was no longer needed, quietly slipped away, unnoticed by either Harry or Hermione.

"I can't believe he's dead, 'Mione..." Harry said, burying his face into her shoulder.

"Did you know?" Harry asked, looking up at her. She nodded and he looked slightly betrayed.

"How?" he asked, voice barely audible.

"It happened a few months ago, while you were... gone. Right before we came here." Hermione said, trying to not relive the pain.

"Remus was with him at the time, but no one else saw what happened," she said, leaning back against the hard stone wall and pulling her knees to her chest.

"Maybe I should ask Remus." Harry said, noticing her discomfort.

"No, no, don't do that. He's just started forgiving himself. I'll tell you." Hermione said, as Harry moved himself to sit next to Hermione, squeezing her close to him.

"It was about four months ago..."

Flashback

Hermione was sitting in her house, thee one she had lived in for so long with Harry. She was sitting in his favorite chair. The old brown leather one with the many rips and holes that she had begged him to get rid of, or at least fix the holes.

"The holes make it more comfortable," he had said with a grin, "I like them."

She clutched her stomach, and cried. Everyone had given up that Harry was dead, but not her, not yet. Just as she wiped her eyes and got up to go to the kitchen, she sensed that someone had gotten past the wards Harry had set up long ago.

Grabbing the nearest heavy object she could find, she cautiously walked towards the library, the only room in the house with a fireplace.

She jumped into the doorway of the library with a yell that would have made her burst out laughing if the situation had been less serious. When she saw what was there, she let out a sigh of relief and lowered her weapon.

"Remus?"

Lupin looked from his spot on the floor at the sound of Hermione's voice.

"Hermione? Why do you have a rolling pin?" Remus asked with confusion. Hermione looked at her 'weapon' and laughed.

"I thought there was an intruder." She said defensively, tossing the rolling pin on the nearby chair.

"So... you were going to ... bake him... to death?" Remus asked, eyes still red from the recent sorrow that had brought him here in the first place.

"Don't make jokes, I was scared. Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here? Dumbledore said he would send an Order member incase of emer... wait, is something wrong? Is it Harry?" Hermione asked, sinking into the chair where her 'weapon' lay forgotten.

Remus came over to sit in the chair across from Hermione's. He put his face in his hands, overcome with grief. Hermione, full of concern for her old professor, reached over and put a hand on Remus' knee, to relax him.

"Professor, please tell me what's going on." Hermione said, calling him professor to make him answer her.

"There were too many. I couldn't ... There was nothing I could do." He said, looking up.

"Too many what, Remus? You are scaring me." Hermione said with fear in her voice.

"It was an ambush. I was there, with him in Diagon Alley. Looking for Harry. They just came out, and they ... they killed him, Mione. They just killed him. Right there!" Remus said; face falling back to his hands. Hermione had become more and more nervous as he had continued and was afraid to ask who.

"Remus, tell me, who was killed?"

"Hagrid. They just killed him. Right there. Just killed him." He repeated, over and over.

Hermione sat there, numb, absorbing the news that one of her favorite professors and friends, was dead.

End Flashback

"Because of me?" Harry asked, sounding the worst she had ever heard, "He died because he was looking for me? This is all my fault."

"Hagrid's death is no one's fault except Voldemort's." Hermione said. They sat in silence for the longest time until Harry broke it with a smile.

"A rolling pin, Mione?"

- - - - -

"You know something."

Silence.

"I know you know something. Just tell me. I can handle it. Harry thinks that everyone he touches dies, but no... it's me. I can handle it." Remus said.

"You were right about her eyes, Remus. There is something special about her. It has occurred to me that we may not have been correct, about Harry." Dumbledore said. He was still feeling badly about having to be the one to tell Harry that Hagrid had died, and he still hadn't told him about Ron.

"What do you mean, Albus?" Remus asked.

"Well, I don't mean that he has no part to play in the destruction of Voldemort, but that his daughter may play a bigger part than we previously expected." Dumbledore said, the tips of his long fingers pressed together.

"What do you mean by that? Is something going to happen to the child?" Remus said, unable to say her name, fearful that the name would come out bitterly.

Dumbledore turned to the werewolf, a small smile on his face, "I do not pretend to be a master at Divination. That, is Professor Trelawney's area of expertise. But no, I do not believe that anything unfortunate will happen to Elizabeth."

There was a pause, where both used the interesting view of the floor as an excuse to not say what was on their minds.

"Have you spoken to Harry at all?" Albus said, removing his glasses for a moment to clean a spot on them.

"I've told you this before, Albus. I don't feel comfortable talking to Harry right now." Remus said stiffly.

"I will not judge you. Only warn you that bitterness and contempt are what lead to hate. And hate is exactly what we are fighting. Be careful, Remus." Dumbledore said, before standing and leaving the room. Remus sat alone for at least half an hour. His mind was going through all the crazy ideas he could possibly think of to save his son's life, but none were reasonable. Most included storming Hogwarts Castle and demanding that the Death Eaters release Ewan, but those ideas always ended with Remus dying a horrible death. And he wasn't any help to the Order dead. For now, he would just have to deal with controlling his anger towards Harry, and surviving day by day.

A gentle touch on the shoulder startled Remus out of his thoughts. Hermione had left the sanctuary of her room, leaving Harry and Elizabeth a few minutes to bond, and was now sitting next to Lupin on the couch.

"Harry's back." She said simply.

"I know."

"You don't seem happy." Hermione said, frowning slightly.

"I've got other things on my mind, sorry." Lupin said, crossing his arms, and leaning back into the soft fabric of the couch. He felt bad about speaking so angrily about Hermione, but that was how he felt.

"Tell me about it?" Hermione asked, hoping that she could help her former professor feel better. Remus sighed, giving up and falling back into the memories.

"While Harry was gone, the Order placed a spy in the midst of the Death eaters. Basically, to protect Harry and find out the weak spots in the system so we could get Harry back." Remus began, "That spy... was my son."

Hermione gasped at the news. She had never known that Lupin had been involved with anyone, let alone that he had had children.

"I never knew you were married, Remus." Hermione said, unknowingly causing Remus to flinch at the memory of his late wife.

"Yes, I was. But unfortunately, she passed away about 7 years ago." He said softly.

"Oh, Remus. I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Said Hermione, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"It's alright, Mione." He said, "There's more though."

"Okay. Go ahead." Hermione said, nodding.

"Well, Ewan – that's my son – spent the last couple months in direct contact with Harry. And just the other day he found out that Harry was supposed to be sacrificed. So just today, when the team of Aurors infiltrated Hogwarts, Ewan took some Polyjuice Potion with one of Harry's hairs in it. He's taking Harry's place in the sacrificial ceremony and he's going to be killed."

Hermione had held her breath through the last part of Lupin's story. Sadness overwhelmed her, and she didn't know what to do.

"I don't know what to say, Remus. Is there nothing that can be done? They can't save him? I'm sure Dumbledore could think of something." She said.

"No," Remus said, shaking his head, "I've been talking to Dumbledore and there is no possible way to save him."

"That can't be possible." Hermione said, scooting over to sit closer to Remus. After a pause, she asked, "What was her name?"

"Whose name?" Remus asked, not really paying attention anymore.

"Your wife's." she said quietly.

"Rhoswen." He said with a happy sigh, remembering his beautiful wife who had accepted him, even after she had found out that he was a werewolf.

"That's a beautiful name." Hermione said, smiling. She sat there, imagining what this woman must have looked like, until a light bulb went off in her head.

"Remus! I have a brilliant idea!"