A/N: Wow, I didn't expect such outrage on behalf of Aidan! I had no idea he was so well-loved. Well, I am sorry that he had to die, but it had to happen. Unfortunately, he won't be the last character we have to bid farewell.

Leela74: Those were really good questions! I actually had to think about the answers for a minute! Let's see . . . Lily, James and company are about 21 now. Lily and James will be 22 when they die. They've been out of school for three years. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you the death count – it'll make the rest of the story too easy to guess! I have to keep some things secret!

Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone! This chapter is a bit shorter than most – it was going to be part of the last chapter, but I decided to split it. I hope you like it!

I don't own Harry Potter.

To Keep Fighting

James watched as Lily brushed a strand of red hair back from her face, giving her easier access to attach a pearl earring to her ear. Feeling his presence at her back, she focused on his image behind her in the mirror. James tried to smile at her, but failed.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Lily shook her head, causing both of her earrings to jump. She turned from the mirror, and smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her black skirt. "How many times are we going to have to do this?" she asked.

James shook his head. "I don't know," he answered honestly.

"I can't do this anymore, James," Lily sighed, her eyes filling with tears. "I can't go another funeral for another friend who was killed by Death Eaters."

"We have to go," James said, reaching out to touch her cheek. "We have to be there for Dana. She needs us now more than she ever has before."

"I know that," Lily replied, blinking back her tears. "I want to be there for Dana. You know I do. I just – I just wish it didn't have to be this way. They were so happy. They had just found out about the baby. All their dreams were coming true. Why did this have to happen to Aidan now?"

"Why does it have to happen to anyone?" James asked. He pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head. "Maybe I'm just being selfish, Lil, but if something like this had to happen . . . I just thank God that you and Harry are safe."

Lily shuddered as she wrapped her arms around him. "I don't know if it's selfish or not – but I feel the same way."

James held her tightly for a moment, then kissed the top of her head again. "Come on. We need to get going, or we're going to be late. We still have to take Harry to my mum's house before we go to the church."

Lily stepped out of his arms and took a deep breath. "All right. I'm ready."

Aidan's funeral was one of the saddest events Lily had ever attended. Dana looked completely lost and alone, despite the family and friends who had gathered to support her. She kept her hands clasped over her still-smooth stomach as though trying to guard the baby sleeping inside. Tears streamed down her face as the minister spoke of Aidan as a wonderful son, brother, husband and friend.

After the service had ended and the casket that held Aidan's body had been lowered into the ground, the mourners gathered at the church again for the funeral luncheon. James and Lily sat with their friends, talking in hushed tones. Dana was making her way from one table to the next, thanking everyone for coming, and for their support. Remus watched her with concern in his eyes.

"Has she eaten anything?" he asked softly.

"I don't know," Olivia said, shaking her head. "I don't think so." She swallowed. "Really, I don't think any of us are eating much today."

"That much is true," Lily said, pushing her food from one side of her plate to another.

"Yes, but Dana needs to," Remus said, concern tightening his voice. "She needs to eat or she'll make herself sick. Especially now . . . She needs to eat for the baby."

"She knows that," Laura said gently, putting her hand on her husband's arm. "I'm sure that she's taking care of the baby. She's a Healer. She knows what she's doing, and she'd never do anything that could harm her baby."

"I know," Remus agreed, "but sometimes people don't think straight when they're grieving."

They fell silent, contemplating the truth of Remus's words. They finished picking at their food, but none of them stood to leave. They had not yet spoken to Dana.

She finished talking to her other visitors, and turned to the table where her friends were seated. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at them.

"Hi, guys," she said as she crossed to join them. "Thanks for coming."

"You knew we'd be here," Remus said standing to pull her close.

Dana allowed him to fold her into his arms, clinging to him as she struggled to regain her composure. She pulled back at last, and he looked at her with his Healer's eyes.

"How are you?" he asked, the short question that she had heard so many times since Aidan's death covering so much more coming from Remus than it did when asked by others.

"I'm holding up," she said honestly.

"Have you had anything to eat?"

"Oh, Remus, I couldn't eat anything. Not now."

"Dana . . ."

"I know that I need to eat," she said quickly. "I know what's at stake now. I just can't eat here. I promise I'll have a really big dinner tonight."

"All right," Remus said, knowing that her promise was the best he would get from her.

"Believe me, Remus, I'm doing everything I can to keep this baby safe," she said. She took a deep breath. "Aidan is gone. I need to have his baby."

Remus touched her cheek. "I trust you. I know you can take care of yourself and your baby. I know you'll be a great mother."

Dana smiled briefly, then her eyes filled with tears again. "Can I talk to all of you?"

"Of course," Olivia said. "Sit down."

Dana shook her head. "Not down here with all these other people. Come upstairs with me."

Exchanging confused looks, they all rose from their seats and followed Dana up the stairs into the sanctuary. She looked at them sadly.

"You're going to want to sit down."

They obediently took seats in two pews, looking expectantly at Dana, who remained standing. She clasped her hands together to still their trembling.

"Guys, there's something I need to tell you." She paused, and swallowed hard, brushing at her hair. "This is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"Just tell us, Dana," Lily said softly. "You know we're here for you."

"I do know," Dana replied. "That's what makes it so hard for me to say this." She drew a deep breath. "Since Aidan died, it's been like my entire life has been thrown into a free fall. Everything I had planned, everything I wanted, is gone. Everything except our baby. I have to do everything I can to make sure that nothing happens to our baby."

"You will," Sirius spoke firmly. "You're a strong woman, Dana. You'll be a fantastic mother. And we'll all be here to help you."

She took another shaky breath. "I know that all of you will always be there for me. But I . . . I can't stay here, guys. Not after what's happened. First my dad, now Aidan . . . I've lost two of the people who have meant the most in the world to me. I can't lose another. I just can't."

"What are you saying?" Peter asked slowly.

"I have to get out of here," Dana said. "I'm leaving England."

"You can't just leave!" Olivia cried, her eyes filling with tears. "Where would you go?"

"To France," Dana replied. "I've done some research, and it appears that Voldemort has not yet taken over there the way he has here. I'm not going to go to Paris – it's too obvious. He'll pick up his campaign there as soon as he leaves England's borders. But the south of France is beautiful, and it doesn't have the same strategic importance or significance that Paris does. It will be the perfect place to live and to raise my baby."

Lily swallowed hard, trying to blink back her tears. "But to just leave, Dana . . . Are you sure it's what you want to do? Do you really want to be completely on your own like that?"

"No, of course not," Dana said. "But I won't be on my own. My mum's going to come with me. She doesn't want me to take her grandchild away from her. This is the best way for us to hold our family together."

"But what about our family?" Olivia protested. "We've been like family to one another since Hogwarts, Dana. How can you leave us?"

Dana's face fell, and a tear slid down her cheek. "I don't want to leave any of you. You have to understand, I'm not doing this because of you. I'm doing it to save my baby. Can't you see? I can't risk my baby's life." An unbidden sob escaped. "I've lost Kathleen, my father and Aidan to the Death Eaters. I can't lose my baby, too. I just can't stay in this country anymore. It's too much. Don't you see? It's too dangerous!" She covered her face with her hands as sobs began to shake her body.

Peter, who was sitting closest to her, jumped out of his seat, and pulled her close. She leaned against him, crying out her broken heart.

"You understand, don't you, Peter?" she asked.

"Yes," he said in a choked voice. In his mind, he saw Kathleen during their last meeting, when he had told her he loved her at the train station. "Yes, I understand. You have to do anything you can to protect yourself and those you love."

"Exactly!" Dana replied.

Peter nodded. "You have to do what you can to save yourself - whatever the cost," he murmured almost to himself. He tipped her chin up to look into her eyes. "You do what you need to do, Dana. We'll always be here to support you."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I knew you would understand."

"When will you leave?" Laura asked softly. Her eyes were huge in her pale face, and tears fell in silent tracks down her cheeks.

"As soon as I can," Dana said. "I know I have a lot to arrange, but if I wait too long, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it."

"You'll wait until after Christmas, won't you?" Olivia asked, her tears beginning to fall.

Dana shook her head. "I want to be gone by then." She turned to look at Lily, who was crying against James's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Lil, that our babies won't get to be friends like we had planned."

"Don't be silly," Lily said, wiping at her cheeks. "We'll find a way to make it work. We'll plan trips to visit one another. Our babies will be as good of friends as we are. There's always a way to make anything work out."

Two weeks later, they all gathered in Dana's house to say goodbye. Dana had requested that they not give her a farewell party; this was not an event to celebrate. Her friends sat in her living room, looking at the boxes and luggage that stood waiting to be transported to her new home in France. Just looking at them – the boxes and suitcases that contained Dana's entire life – made tears well up in Lily's eyes. She couldn't believe that Dana, her friend of so many years, was leaving them.

Dana came down the stairs carrying her final suitcase. Peter jumped up to take it from her, and placed it in the stack with the others. She gave him a sad smile, which he returned. Ever since Aidan's brutal death, Peter had been particularly kind to Dana. They all were sure of the reason; of all their friends, Peter understood best the grief that Dana was experiencing.

Dana looked around at all of them with tears in her eyes. "I'm going to miss you all so much," she said, catching her lower lip between her teeth.

The softly spoken words were all it took. Lily and Olivia jumped up from their seats and threw their arms around Dana, all three sobbing as they clung to one another. Laura remained seated with Remus, clinging to his hand as silent tears streamed down her face. As much as she wanted to hug Dana, she knew that this moment belonged to the three Gryffindor girls. They had been through so much together, from their first year dormitory to their shared flat. They had seen one another through the small trials of homework and exams, the pain of teenage heartache, the stress of growing up, and the horror of losing loved ones to the terrible evil that shadowed their world. Although they had welcomed Laura into their fold from the day she had started dating Remus and would do anything for her, Lily, Olivia and Dana had always shared a bond with one another that was far stronger than the one they shared with Laura. They were sisters in all ways that mattered.

They finally broke apart, all wiping their tear-stained faces. Dana took gulping breaths, trying to calm down enough to speak. In the end, she gave up and began hugging all her friends silently. Once she had embraced them all, she lifted Harry from his position on Lily's lap.

"You're the one I'm really going to miss," she whispered to the baby. "Your parents and I had such plans for you, Harry. You and my little one would have been such good friends – just like your parents and I are."

"They still can be," Lily said softly. "We'll work it out, Dana. Our babies have to know one another. We can't let them grow up without being friends."

Dana smiled, and kissed Harry's chubby cheeks. "Good luck to you, Harry Potter. I know you'll be a fantastically great wizard. With parents like yours, I'm sure you have amazing amounts of talent."

She gave the baby back to Lily, then hugged each of her friends again. She finally stood back and looked at them, wiping tears from her cheeks and eyes.

"I have to go," she said. "I love you all so much. I'm going to miss you every day."

"Then stay," Olivia said, wiping away her own tears. "Don't leave, Dana. No one's saying that you have to."

Dana shook her head. "I do have to do this. You know why, Liv. Please, don't make it harder than it is."

Olivia stepped forward to hug Dana fiercely one last time. "I know," she whispered. "I'm just going to miss you so much."

When Olivia released her, Dana smiled sadly, looking at each of them. She opened her mouth to speak, but found herself incapable of speech.

"We're always going to be here for you, Dana," Remus said softly. "This doesn't really have to be goodbye."

She wiped her eyes again. "Until next time, then," she said softly.

She turned from them, and waved her wand to charm her luggage to travel to her new home. Then with one last sad smile, she threw a kiss to them all and Disapparated.

All three girls' faces crumpled as they began to sob. For several moments no one spoke as they all brought themselves under control again. Lily finally picked Harry up, and buried her face in his soft body. When she looked up at her friends, she realized for the first time exactly how much they were prepared to sacrifice to help her and James to protect their son.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"For what?" Olivia asked. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"Everything," Lily replied helplessly. "I – this is all – the only reason Aidan died was because of us. Voldemort wanted to get to Harry, somehow he knew that we would be at Dana's house, and he came there to attack us. It wasn't Aidan or Dana that he was looking to destroy, it was us – Harry, James and I. If we hadn't been there . . ."

"Don't think that way," Sirius said harshly. "This isn't your fault, Lils. It has nothing to do with you, or James, or Harry. There is no reason for you to take the blame for this."

"Sirius, you can say that all you want, but –"

"No," Sirius interrupted. "Did you ask to have a son who would be Voldemort's target? Did you ask for your child to be the one to shoulder this insane burden of being the one with the power to defeat him? Did you ask Aidan to try to defend you? Did you tell the Death Eaters to kill him? No, Lils, you didn't. The answer to all those questions is no."

"I know that," she said. "I know that it's not what I willed, and I know that I would love to change the way that things are. But, Sirius, I never realized when all this started how much danger you all would be in."

"You didn't ask for that, either," Sirius said softly.

"No," James said, clearing his throat. "I think what Lily's trying to say is that none of you asked for this, either. All the cards are on the table now, guys. You all know the price of being our friends. If you want to leave us, we're not going to blame you. Dana just got out of England to save herself and her baby. While I don't suggest jumping the border to avoid contact with Voldemort, if you want to spend less time with us, we're completely fine with that. Being our friends isn't exactly an easy thing."

Peter shifted uncomfortably. All the blame and responsibility that Lily and James were so willing take on themselves should fall on his shoulders. He was the one who had told Voldemort of the party. He was the one who kept the Death Eaters informed of the Potters' movements. He was the one who was putting their lives in danger at every turn.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sirius said, looking at James as if he had grown a second head. "We've been behind you this far – we're not going anywhere now."

"We'll always be here for you," Olivia added.

"Definitely," Laura smiled. "You can't get rid of us that easily."

Remus smiled sadly, remembering the children they had been so recently, yet so long ago. "We stick together."

"We're behind you," Peter heard himself echo Sirius's words. He mentally kicked himself. He should be the first to remove himself from their lives. It would make things so much easier for Lily and James. But he couldn't. It was easier for him to continue with things as they were.

It was late when they finally roused themselves from their positions in Dana's empty living room. James and Lily were the first to leave, wanting to put Harry to bed. Remus and Laura left soon after them; Laura looked exhausted. Peter then took his leave, saying that his mother would worry if he wasn't home soon. Sirius and Olivia were the only ones who remained, sitting alone together in the empty house.

"How are you, Liv?" Sirius asked.

She shrugged. "Okay, I suppose. You?"

"Okay," he repeated. He ran his hands over his face. "It's been an awful few weeks, hasn't it?"

Olivia nodded. "I can't believe this is happening. I never thought – I never imagined that I'd have to stay behind without Dana."

"At least it was her decision," Sirius said softly. "Kathleen and Aidan didn't have that."

"No," Olivia agreed. "I suppose I should be glad that she chose to leave of her own accord."

"But you're not."

"No," she sighed. "Maybe I'm selfish, but I want her here with me."

"That's not selfish. She's one of your best friends. You should want her here with you."

She nodded silently, no longer trusting her voice enough to speak. She didn't want to cry in front of Sirius. Not again.

He reached out to run a hand over her cheek. "You look tired. You should get home to get some sleep."

She closed her eyes, wanting to savor the feel of his hand against her face. She nodded slowly. "I am tired," she conceded.

"Do you want me to see you home?"

She opened her eyes to look into his. "It's probably best if you don't."

He nodded. "All right, then."

She stood up, mentally preparing to Disapparate.

"Liv, wait."

She turned back to him with her eyebrows raised.

Ten emotions ran across his face as he decided what to say to her. "Good night," he said at last.

She smiled sadly. "Good night." She Disapparated, leaving him alone in the house.

"I love you," he whispered, dropping his head into his hands.

Olivia made it back to her flat without incident. She could feel the tears pressing against the backs of her eyes as she dropped her wand onto the first end table she saw with a clatter and kicked off her shoes. She collapsed onto the couch, and began sobbing into her hands.

James and Lily's words bounced around in her head until she couldn't think of anything but the danger she was in by virtue of her association with them. She wasn't worried about herself. She was an Auror. Her entire world was about danger, risks and going to battle against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Aside from that, Lily and James were her friends. She would do anything – sacrifice anything – for them. But she was worried about Greg.

Greg hadn't asked for this. When they had started dating, it was because they liked one another and wanted to pursue a relationship, not because he wanted to risk his life due to her friends. She couldn't ask him to do it anymore. Not now. Not when things were so dangerous. Not when there was a very real chance that he could lose his life because of her. She sobbed harder as she realized what she had to do. She hated the idea, but it had to be done. It was the only fair thing to do.

She took a shaking breath, trying to steady herself. She knew what she had to do. Now it was just a matter of doing it.

Lily was sure that if the first Christmas after her parents had died was the most difficult holiday of her life, this Christmas was a close second. Just thinking of Dana, alone with her mother in France, mourning her husband, brought tears to Lily's eyes. But she fought back the dark feelings and sorrow. She had to create a joyful atmosphere for her baby's first Christmas.

They all went out together to find the perfect Christmas tree for their house. James laughed as he watched Lily fall into the spirit of the game; she had confessed before that the tree was her favorite part of the holiday. While James carried the baby, Lily darted around, studying each tree until she declared one to be "absolutely, brilliantly perfect." James looked at the tree critically, cocking his head first to one side and then to the other.

"What?" Lily asked. "You don't like it?"

"I'm just concerned it won't fit in the house," James laughed. "I think you've managed to find the largest tree they have!"

"We'll make it fit," Lily said stubbornly. She gave James a wink. "You can do anything if you put your mind to it."

James shook his head. "All right, all right. We'll get it."

Lily squealed joyfully and bounced up and down, clapping her hands together. "Oh, this is perfect! What do you think of your Christmas tree, Harry? Isn't it spectacular?"

Harry laughed at his mother's childlike display of excitement, bouncing in James's arms. Lily leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"Just you wait until you see it all decorated," she promised. "You're going to love it. And Daddy will be happy that he bought it."

James smiled. "I'm already happy," he said. He shifted Harry to one arm, putting the other around his wife's waist. He pressed a kiss against her temple. "Seeing you happy makes me happy."

She smiled up at him. "I am happy." She took Harry from his arms, and began dancing around the tree with him.

James smiled as he watched them. For too long, Lily had gone through the motions of life with sorrow in her eyes, feeling the pain and heartache of knowing that Dana was so far away, adjusting to life without Aidan. Now, as he watched her dance with their son, James knew that just seeing this much joy on Lily's face made the tree worth every last coin he would have to turn over in exchange for it.

"Are you all right?"

Olivia turned from studying her Christmas tree to give Greg a sad smile. "I suppose."

"Are you worried about Dana?"

"A bit," she replied. "But she has her mother with her, and she's a strong person. I know she can make it through this." She drew a deep breath, knowing that she had to do this. If she didn't do it now, before Christmas, she never would. "I'm more worried about you, Greg."

"About me?" he asked in surprise. "Why? I'm fine."

"Yes," she said slowly, "you're fine right now. But what about next time something awful happens? What about the next time the Death Eaters crash one of our parties?"

Greg frowned. "What are you talking about, Liv? I'm not following."

She drew a deep breath, and sat down on the couch. "Come and sit with me a minute."

Greg obediently crossed to sit down next to her. He took her hand, and looked deeply into her eyes. "What's going on, Olivia?"

"I'm in danger, Greg. I'm in danger every day of my life."

"You're an Auror, Liv," he said slowly. "I've known that about you since day one. Is that what you're talking about?"

"No," she said slowly. "I would be in danger anyway because of my job, but I'm talking about a greater danger. I'm in danger because I'm friends with Lily and James."

He frowned. "You think Lily and James would hurt you?"

"No, never! Listen, this is going to be really hard to explain because I can't tell you everything. But just believe me when I say that Voldemort has chosen them as special targets. I can't tell you why, because I don't want you to be in danger."

"I'm fine, sweetheart. I'm not in danger."

"But that's just it! You are in danger, just by your association with me."

"Don't be ridiculous. How can dating you put me in danger?"

"The same way being friends with Lily and James got Aidan killed. Now, Aidan is just like me, Dana, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Laura – we all knew about this before, and we all agreed to stand with Lily and James. We all promised to defend them. But you – Greg, I can't ask that of you. I know that you like Lily and James, but you're not friends with them like we are. You haven't been there with them from the beginning like we have. I can't ask you to risk your life for them the same way that I'm willing to."

"What are you trying to say, Olivia?" he asked, frowning again.

Tears filled her eyes. "I'm saying that we have to end this, Greg. We have to end this relationship tonight."

He swallowed hard. "You're breaking up with me?"

She nodded slowly. "It has to be over, Greg. I can't put your life in danger like this anymore. I can't – I – we have to be over."

"Liv, don't do this," he said desperately. "I'm not afraid, I can handle it –"

"No," she interrupted. "No, Greg, this is it. I can't do this to you. Please, just trust me and leave me now. Live your life without fear." She ran her hand over his face. "You deserve someone who will love you more than I do, who won't risk your life because of who her friends are. You deserve so much more than I can give you."

He swallowed again. "I love you, Olivia."

"I love you, too," she sighed. "That's why I have to do this." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Please go now, Greg."

He looked at her for a moment, then gently kissed her lips. Then, without another word, he Disapparated.

Olivia brought her hands up to cover her face in one quick motion as a sob escaped. She rocked back and forth, trying futilely to contain the sobs that shook her body.

"That," Laura declared as she and Remus entered their dark house, "was exhausting!"

Remus laughed. "What, you didn't think that chasing the kids around was fun?"

"You know I love my nieces and nephews," she smiled as she dropped her jacket onto the back of a chair. "But can you tell me whose idea was it to change from building snowmen to playing tag?"

"That would be Matt," Remus called after her. She had already made her way into the living room.

"Ah, yes," she smiled from her position reclining on the couch. "He's generally the one who proposes things like that. He was excited about running around with the kids from the first day he became an uncle."

"You did only go one round," Remus said, his eyes filling with concern. He followed her into the living room, and sat down on the floor next to the couch so that his face was level with hers. "Are you all right, love?"

"I'm just tired," she smiled. "Christmas with two families in one day can be a bit much."

"Laura," Remus began. He took a deep breath, and took her hand. "After we started seeing Dr. Hayward, you were so much better, but now . . . I'm worried about you, love. You seem like you're getting worse again. How do you feel?"

Laura closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were full of tears. "Remus, there's something I want to ask of you."

"Anything. You know I'll do anything for you."

"Good." She drew a shaky breath, and laced her fingers through his. "If something happens to me, Remus, and you're left alone . . . I don't want you to stay that way. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life mourning me. I want you to live your life, to find – to find a new love. I want you to get out, to date other girls, to marry someone."

"Laura," Remus said softly, his voice catching.

"Please, Remus," she said, a tear falling down her cheek. "I know that you love me as much as I love you. But please, promise me. Promise me that you won't let yourself die with me."

He looked deep into her eyes, seeing the very real concern there. If promising would make her happy, he would do it. Saying the words didn't mean he had to live up to them later. "I promise," he said at last, pressing his lips against hers.

Laura sighed with relief as he pulled back to kiss her neck. "Good," she sighed. "Thank you."