Chapter 13:

"Come on, Harry!" Ginny cried, pulling her boyfriend's hand. "I want to get to Madame Rosmerta's before there's a line and we won't be able to have that meal together!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Gin, calm down. Everything will be fine," he said. "Stop worrying."

"Stop worrying? Harry James Potter, this is our first date in public and you want me to stop worrying?"

Paling at the use of his middle name, Harry wisely shut up and let Ginny drag him wherever she pleased. They entered into the Three Broomsticks and Rosmerta gladly sat them at a private table in the back. Nearby they saw Bianca with another brunette woman with glasses.

"That must be Eden McCollugh," Ginny said. "Mum said she and her brother were just instated into the Order. She's a healer and he works in the Ministry. The transportation department I think. He's the one that found out that Kiki was being held captive at Malfoy Manor."

Harry nodded. He was worried when Dumbledore had canceled classes the previous Wednesday and had gone to the Lupins to see what the matter was. When no one answered in the room, the painting that guarded the private entrance to the chambers had informed him that they lady of the rooms had mentioned going to the hospital wing.

Sure enough, Harmony was in the hospital wing, sitting by the bedside of a very pale Severus Snape. When Harry had asked what was going on, Harmony had shot Severus a look then invited Harry back to her rooms. There, she told him that Kiki had been kidnapped by Fudge, as well as another woman. When both had been returned by that evening, the whole story (save for the true identities of Riley and Eden McCollugh) had been told.

But Harry was starting to feel that the woman looked very familiar. "She reminds me of someone," he said, looking at her. "The way she holds herself, and just the way she looks."

"Her eyes, they are so blue I can see them from here. I'm trying to place where else I've seen them," Ginny said. "But we are not here to analyze Miss McCollugh, we are here to celebrate us."

Harry nodded and lifted his butterbeer, which Rosmerta had gladly put on the table. Ginny followed and they clinked glasses, saying, "To us!"

Bianca and Eden were starting to become close friends, especially after realizing they were in the same year. "So you were a Ravenclaw?" Eden asked, taking a sip of her butterbeer. Bianca nodded. "You know what, we probably had some classes together."

"We probably did. Tell me, was it hard having Professor McGonagall as a teacher?" Bianca asked.

Eden made a yes and no motion. "It wasn't so bad, but that's cause I think I inherited the great at transfiguration gene from both of them. I think McGonagall knew that and was impressed with my abilities, but still wanted me to push harder."

Bianca laughed as the two women continued to eat and talk, oblivious to the scrutinizing glances being sent by six familiar faces.

It was at dinner that Ginny and Hermione began piecing the puzzle that was Eden McCollugh to them together. They were watching her and Bianca talk with the Lupins at dinner, which Dumbledore graciously invited them for. But they were especially focused on the interaction between Eden and Professor McGonagall. The two girls gasped as realization dawned on them and they told the boys they had something to discuss in the Room of Requirement later.

Hermione wheeled around to face the five other people in the room. The room had generously provided them with comfortable couches and they were all using them. "I have figured out why Eden looks so familiar. She is related to McGonagall. It's obvious; the two women have the same hair color and body build. Even their manners are the same if you watch carefully. The only thing different about her are those eyes."

Ginny said, "They are familiar. Hasn't anyone else gotten that feeling?" The others murmured their agreement. "The only question is why they are familiar?"

"They remind me of Dumbledore's," Luna said, dreamily. Everyone turned and stared at her, especially Hermione.

"Luna," the Gryffindor said, "I could KISS you! That's it! She's Dumbledore and McGonagall's daughter. We know she's not married, so McCollugh must be a way to throw off Dumbledore's enemies."

"Though Fudge seemed to realize it," Harry said. "Why else would he kidnap her?"

Neville shook his head. "Fudge is too stupid to realize that. One of his followers must've discovered it."

"Daddy said that it was common knowledge Fudge relied heavily on Dumbledore throughout his entire reign as minister, up until the return of Voldemort two years ago," Luna interjected.

Ron shifted nervously. "Yeah, my dad mentioned that too. What do you think it means?"

"I think it means that at one point Fudge must've dropped by Dumbledore's during the summer for some advice," Luna said.

"And must've found out that Dumbledore and McGonagall were married," Hermione finished. "And then discovered that Eden and Riley McCollugh were really Eden and Riley Dumbledore!"

"Dumbledore probably swore Fudge to secrecy—after all, considering Eden's and Riley's ages, he and McGonagall must've been married for quite some time. We know why he would make McGonagall keep her maiden name and have their children different last names, but Fudge might think that everyone had figured it out." Harry leaned against his hands.

Ginny's went to intertwine hers with his. "I'm surprised we're the first to figure it out. I'm sure rumors like that would be passed down from Hogwarts generation to Hogwarts generation."

Hermione shook her head. "We're kinda the first class since Eden and Riley graduated to really see them. Others wouldn't be able to put two and two together beforehand and their classmates probably either respected them too much or feared their supposed parents' wrath too much to gossip."

With that, the six friends left for their dorms before Filch could catch them and assign them all painful detentions. After all, the man was a sadist.

Harmony hated the fact she couldn't stand for so long in her class anymore. Nor could she keep her balance on her desk, either. That's how she had managed the year prior to this. She would walk around the classroom or sit on the desk, but her classes didn't mind.

And the twins were starting to kick! Four little legs kicking with so much force, she swore she was going to be sporting black and blues on the inside of her stomach. Remus loved to feel the little feet kick, while Harmony just wanted to somehow bind their forming legs together.

Luckily, the twins seemed to know when it was time for their mother to be awake and when it was time for her to sleep. They never seemed to kick as much at night, just the occasional reminder that they were there while she slept. Whenever Remus became Moony, he lay near her or near her stomach so the wolf could feel his "litter" kick. Harmony always smiled at this sight.

November started her fifth month and Kiki's fourth. "Finally, I can stop staring down Bobo," Kiki said, sipping tea with Harmony one morning. "And look—it's before eleven thirty in the morning and I'm drinking tea! And I ate breakfast!"

"Good for you. Now if only I could see my feet, everything would be better!" Harmony said. "Tell me, has it begun?" She hoisted up a foot so Kiki could see.

The other woman examined it closely. "Your shoes match, including the swollen ankles," her friend said.

Harmony groaned. "So that's what's been killing me the past few days!" she said.

Later that night, she plopped down on the couch next to her snoozing husband. The jolt of the couch moving didn't seem to wake him as much as the landing of his wife's feet on his lap. "My ankles are swollen," Harmony pouted. Remus smiled and began to massage her feet. His wife began to purr a bit as she leaned back and got comfortable.

After he felt her feet were massaged enough, Remus walked over to the fireplace and ordered two hot chocolates from the kitchen. Within minutes, the house elves were able to bring up the two mugs. Remus smiled as he brought a cup over to his wife. "Chocolate craving that needs to be filled?" he asked, handing her a cup.

"Ooh, a pregnant woman's best friend—hot chocolate!"

"Don't you mean chocolate in general?"

"I guess." The two clinked mugs and began to carefully sip the hot liquid in comfortable silence.

Severus looked up to see his fiancée padding towards the door at midnight. "And where do you think you're going at this time of the night?" he asked.

"To the kitchens. I'm hungry," came his reply.

Severus sighed and grabbed Kiki's arm, bringing her back to the table. "That's what Hogwarts' has house elves to do," he said, gently. He walked over to his fireplace and turned towards Kiki. "What do you want?"

"Mmm…tortilla chips with spicy salsa sauce!" she decreed. "And I have the unexplainable urge to play 'Scrabble.' You wouldn't happen to have a board around, would you?"

"What's 'Scrabble'? And is that natural for pregnancies?"

"'Scrabble' is a board game where you use words to gain points. It's long and tedious but I have the urge to play anyway! And no, I don't think it's natural," Kiki explained, practically bouncing.

Severus shook his head as the chips and salsa appeared on the table. Kiki dug right in as her fiancé continued grading his essays. "Sev?" The man grunted. "I love you."

"Wow. I get you salsa and chips and suddenly you love me? I should do it more often then," he teased. Kiki laughed. "I love you too." Kiki smiled and leaned over to kiss him. When they broke apart, Severus declared, "Merlin, that salsa is spicy!"

A look crossed Kiki's face and Severus panicked. "What? Is it too spicy? Am I going to have to send it back?" he asked. Kiki shook her head and reached for his hand. She scooted closer towards him and placed his hand on her stomach, which was still remotely flat. A few minutes later, Severus felt something hit against his hand. His eyes grew wide as he knew what that meant. "She—she kicked!" he sputtered out.

Kiki nodded. "And that means that she is also a creature of the night, like you," she said. Severus smirked and attacked Kiki's weak spot, causing her to dissolve into giggles. A searing pain up Severus' arm soon broke them from their little game…

"Ugg, the smell is so awful around here," Bianca declared, scrunching up her nose. "It smells like rotten eggs or…"

"Or badly burnt things?" Oliver added for her. The other woman nodded. The field was scorched completely, and most of the animals had fled into the surrounding forest. A few bodies lay here or there and Bianca watched as Eden fluttered about them, checking for any injuries.

Different Order members walked along the field, trying to identify everyone injured and making sure no one had died. Moody reported back to Remus and Severus, who had remained after the Deatheater revel, shaking his head. "Eden says most of the injuries can be handled by her and Poppy, but feels bad overloading the school nurse like that," he said. "We're going to have to take them to St. Mungo's, even though we aren't sure how many on staff there are secretly in cahoots with Fudge."

"Any dead?" Hestia Jones asked, coming up from behind, covered in soot from the burning houses.

Moody nodded. "The owner of the house the Deatheaters attacked. He's a muggle, so we'll have to let their police officers deal with him," Moody said. "We were lucky that Severus contacted us so soon. Apparently the muggle who owned this house didn't realize he bought it off a former Deatheater by the name of Ogden. Eventually went crazy in Azkaban and took his own life. But he had some very important documents regarding many of the Deatheater's flow of money."

"We can freeze their assets," Remus said, realization dawning on him. "What did you do with the information?"

"Sent them on ahead with Bill and Sirius. I'll see you two later, okay?" With that, Moody clunked out of sight and apparated. Bianca, Oliver and Eden all began transporting the injured to the hospital while Hestia levitated the deceased back inside his house. She said a goodbye to Remus and Severus before apparating herself.

Severus slid against the charred garage. "Just to think, one minute I'm feeling my unborn child kick and the next, I'm being ordered to kill some old man," he said. "It makes me sick."

"This war alone makes me sick," Remus agreed. He offered a hand to his colleague. "Come on, it wouldn't do to make the mothers of our children to wait. Yours is probably pacing the study already since she can't come out and help."

Severus allowed himself to be pulled up. "That's Kiki for you," he said with a smirk. "Has to be involved with EVERYTHING."

That night, Sirius was surprised to find Bianca still at Grimmauld Place. "Hey, thought you would go home," he said. "Arthur and Molly did, with Bill and Charlie."

Bianca shook her head and leaned against his chest. "I just wanted to stay here…with you," she murmured, breathing in his scent deeply. He wrapped his arms around her and nodded.

"I understand. Too much instability and we cling out to the only stable things we have. Remus and Harmony cling to the other and their unborn twins. Severus and Kiki do the same with their unborn child. Molly holds onto her family—even the hope that Percy will eventually see the error of his ways and come back."

"Fat chance."

"You hold onto me, and I hold onto to you. Simple as that," Sirius said.

Bianca lifted her head. "My, when did we get so philosophical?" she teased. He smiled back and then leaned down to kiss her. When he broke the kiss, he could tell she was starting to get tired. Her head drooped a bit and she kept her eyes closed. With one fluid movement, he gathered her up in his arms, extinguished the candles and began walking towards his room.

Bianca was a bit dazed when she awoke, not really remembering anything. Then the night before came back in full force and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to lose the mental pictures. She dug her face further into her pillow as someone rolled over and hugged her close. She then remembered she had spent the night with Sirius and relaxed into the embrace.

"What's this?" they heard Molly screech. "I leave for one night and this happens?"

Bianca cuddled closer to Sirius and kept her eyes closed. "Molly, what do you mean?"

"You and her in the SAME BED!"

"Um, yeah. Sometimes boyfriends and girlfriends like to share the same bed when sleeping nowadays, Mol." Bianca gave a little giggle which she stifled in Sirius' shirt.

"You are lucky there are no children in the house. Could you imagine the ideas that this would give them?"

"What ideas? Molly, Bink and I are completely dressed. We have been all night," Sirius explained, pushing the covers back. Bianca shivered as her skin met with the cold November morning air. Quickly, Sirius returned the covers over her. "See?"

She heard Molly mutter something indecipherable and storm out of the room. "So, decided to feign sleep while I went through the Spanish Inquisition, huh?" Bianca cracked open and eye to see a smiling Sirius. "So, what type of girlfriend does that make you?"

"A smart one," Bianca replied. "After all, I did decide to date you." She cuddled up more towards Sirius' warmth.

He in turn sighed and sunk deeper under the covers."Damn straight," he muttered. "Might as well stay here as I'm in the doghouse with Molly."

"Kiki once said you were always in the doghouse."

"Did she now? Well, I'll just have to thank her when I see her next."

The subject of this past conversation was currently sitting at her desk in the ministry, humming slightly off-key. And she was getting further and further off key as the song progressed. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and threw her stress ball at the sleeping Tonks. "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey, Dora!" Kiki sing-songed.

"What?" Tonks lifted her head, to reveal that she had dropped every aspect of her look. "Where am I? What are you doing here?"

"What is the meaning of life?" Kiki asked back, teasingly. "You fell asleep at the Ministry. I'm here to start my shift. And as your supervisor, Dora, go home. Get some sleep." Tonks yawned and nodded, gathering up her papers to leave for the day.

Ace passed Tonks as she was leaving. "She was still here? Must've been busy clearing up that muggle-deatheater incident. Did you hear about it?"

Kiki nodded. "I heard about it alright. Shame that the man had to die alone. It isn't right," she said, patting her belly unconsciously.

"You're not showing yet," Ace commented. "My sister Erin started to show around now."

"My mother said she always had small babies. But trust me, she kicks."

"She? You know for certain it's a girl?"

"No. Apparently you can't perform that spell until the fifth month. But I have a good feeling it's going to be a little girl."

"Ahh. Anyway, umm, I've been in contact with Dumbledore and he wants me to come to this unplottable house. Any idea?" Ace asked, his voice low.

"It's not unplottable, it's under the fidelius charm. Did he give you the address with his own handwriting?" Ace nodded. "Then just show up and you'll see. I'll most likely be there." Ace nodded again, knocked Kiki's desk and continued to his office. "Another member of the Fans of Fawkes," she mused.

A/N: The whole thing with "Scrabble" and the Tostitos/dip is a family joke. My mother and Lexygrl's mother play Scrabble together while eating Tostitos.