A/N: We're not done yet, guys. Three more to go. The time line is a little off in this one compared with the last one – but I wanted to keep all the stuff with Sirius and Moody together in the last chapter. Just imagine all of this happening simultaneously with the action from the last chapter.

I do intend to write another story after this one is done, but I'm still working with a very preliminary outline. Hopefully, I'll be able to post it before the end of August. I'll give you an update on that when I post the last chapter of this one.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

I don't own Harry Potter.

Profound Grief

Dear Mrs. Dursley,

From what your sister has told me, I feel it is safe to assume that you have never met her child. Allow me to introduce you to your nephew, Harry Potter. As you can guess by his sudden appearance at your house, Harry has lived through the horrific experience of losing his parents.

Both your sister Lily and her husband James were killed last night by Lord Voldemort. As I stated in my last letter to you, he was the most feared dark wizard our world has known for a great deal of time; it is not surprising that Lily and James fell victim to his murderous campaign. They had fought against him and won several times in the past; while it is certain that they fought as heroes this time, their efforts were not enough to save their lives.

They were, however, able to save their son. Lily in particular assisted in this process; her death caused a magical reaction that protected Harry when Voldemort attempted to kill him. Harry is currently the only known person to survive the curse that Voldemort used against him – the same curse that stole his parents' lives.

It is safe to say that Lily sacrificed herself to save her son. The magic that she used to protect him is not unheard of, but it is one that Voldemort detests: love. It placed a protection into Harry's very blood that will keep him safe from Voldemort, if you are willing to help Lily complete the spell. What I am saying, Petunia, is that Harry will only be safe if you take him into your home as one of your family. As long as he can call your home his own, he will be protected. By taking Harry, you will ensure that Lily's sacrifice will not have been in vain, and her son, your nephew, will survive.

This is what I am asking of you: that you take Harry, and that you raise him as your own son. While he has a very special protection of his own, you and your family, too, will be protected. I will make is my personal mission to see to it that no harm befalls you. As I told you on the occasion of our meeting, I do indeed have the power to do this.

Take Harry, Petunia, raise him as your son, and prepare him for what lies ahead of him. He is a very special little boy for many reasons, not the least of which is that he is a part of your family. Remember that, and raise him as a son who would make his mother proud.

If you have any problems with Harry, you can contact me. However, I am sure that you will discover, as I have, that he is a very easy child to love. The best of luck to your and your family.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Dumbledore read over his letter to Petunia for the third time, then made his way to Privet Drive. Hagrid would be waiting, and he knew that that the task ahead of them would be anything but easy. Leaving Harry Potter to live with his mother's relatives – people that he knew wanted nothing to do with the magical world – was a difficult decision.

Even so, Dumbledore knew that it was the right decision – the only decision. Lily and James had told him that they wanted Harry to go to Petunia Dursley. Although they had made it very clear that she was their last choice for Harry's guardian, it had, indeed, come to that point. Those they would have had raise him were gone or out of the question. James's mother was gone and Sirius was . . . completely out of the question.

Dumbledore sighed as he thought of it. If only James had listened to reason, if only he had been more suspicious . . . Dumbledore knew that he himself was very trusting, but James had refused to admit that Sirius was even worthy of suspicion.

With effort, he moved his thoughts away from Sirius Black. What was done was done and in the past. There was no way to change it. The only thing left to do was to make sure that Harry stayed safe – and, as he had written in his letter, sending the baby to Petunia was the best way to make sure that happened. He would be safe with her, and, once he was old enough, he could leave her to attend Hogwarts, where Dumbledore could ensure his safety.

"I'll keep him safe even before then," he murmured to himself. "No little boy will ever know such protection as he will."

He took the Put-Outer from his pocket, and began snatching the light from Privet Drive. The time was coming for him to do what he must, and he did not need witnesses.

Olivia pushed her hair back from her face and checked her watch yet again. It had been over five hours since Sirius had left. While she was sure that telling James that his mother had died wasn't an easy task, she had hoped to hear from him before this. She was starting to worry. If they were right, if Voldemort had gone after Mrs. Potter because he believed her to be the Potter's Secret Keeper, how long would it be before he realized that Sirius was, in fact, his key to finding them? He was in grave danger, and he was out flying on his motorbike as though he was invincible. She shook her head. Sirius had always thought himself invincible. It was the drawback of being unusually bright.

"Have you heard?"

Olivia jumped as a wizard she had never seen before ran in Mrs. Potter's front yard, his face lit with an insanely happy smile. She stepped forward to take care of this intruder.

"Sir, you're going to have to step back," she warned. "This is a crime scene, and we're currently in the middle of an investigation –"

"You can put a stop to it!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot. "There's no need to investigate You-Know-Who's crimes anymore! He's gone! Gone!"

"What?" Olivia asked with a frown. "What are you talking about? How can he be gone?"

"I don't know," the man said excitedly. "I don't know what happened, just that it had something to do with the Potters – their son, Harry, he's the one who made him go – but he's gone!"

Olivia's face drained of color. "What?" she whispered. "Harry Potter . . . what?"

The man grinned. "That's right, Harry Potter destroyed the Dark Lord!"

"But how – he's just a baby – what are you talking about?"

The man laughed joyfully. "I know! It doesn't make sense, but it's true, I'm sure of it! Can't you feel it? Doesn't your soul just feel lighter now that he's gone?"

The man shocked Olivia by hugging her, then ran off to tell the other Aurors what had happened. As though in a daze, Olivia began to walk away from the house.

"What is he talking about?" she muttered to herself. "It isn't possible – Voldemort can't even find them. They're in hiding. How could Harry . . .?" She trailed off. "I need to find someone who knows what's going on."

She began to run around the house and yard, looking for Moody, but none of the other Aurors had seen him. Those that had heard the news were already jumping around and cheering; none of them had waited for official confirmation. They believed this nameless man's story without hearing any further details.

"Doesn't anyone know where Moody is?" Olivia finally yelled, her temper exploding. "The man never leaves an assignment until it's complete! He has to be here somewhere!"

"He was summoned away," Anne, a fellow Auror, said. "He left about fifteen minutes ago."

"Summoned away?" Olivia repeated. "Where did he go?"

"He didn't say," she replied. "He just said for us to carry on with our work, and that he'd be back as soon as he could."

"Damn him!" Olivia exclaimed. "I'll find out what's going on one way or the other!"

Moody was gone, Sirius was MIA and had never told her how to find James and Lily, Peter was never any help, Dana was in France, Dumbledore had a school to run . . .

That left her with the one person in the world who would never believe this ridiculous story without hearing it from Dumbledore, Moody, or another high-ranking Order member. The one person who could always be trusted to act with caution. The one person who would help her find the answers she was so desperately seeking. Olivia closed her eyes and Disapparated.

"Good lord, Olivia!" Remus exclaimed as she Apparated into his living room. He dropped the book he had been reading as he jumped up from his chair. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Have you heard the rumors?" she asked by way of greeting.

"Rumors? What are you talking about?"

"You haven't heard anything?"

"I live in the middle of nowhere," Remus replied, his expression quite bemused. "If it's not huge, I don't hear it."

"Well, this is huge," Olivia said grimly. "You'd better sit back down."

Remus resumed his position in his recently vacated chair. "Have a seat yourself."

"I can't," she said, beginning to pace. "I'm too worked up."

"So I see," Remus replied. "Do you want some tea or something before you start?"

"No, I don't have the patience for it right now," she said quickly. "Remus, did you know that James's mother was killed?"

"What?" Remus replied, horrified. "When? How? What happened?"

"We think that it was Voldemort," she replied. "We think that he thought that she was James and Lily's Secret Keeper."

"Oh, God," Remus whispered, twisting his hands together. "James is going to be crushed. Does he know yet?"

"Sirius went to tell him a few hours ago, but I haven't heard from him yet."

"So we don't know how they're doing."

"No," Olivia said. "Sirius was pretty broken up, I can tell you that much."

"Of course," Remus murmured. "She was like a mother to him, and if she was killed because they thought she was their Secret Keeper . . . well, Sirius is bound to feel responsible."

"Yeah, he wasn't making much sense before he left," Olivia said. "But, Remus, we can get back to that . . . there's more."

"More?"

"More," Olivia said. This time she knelt down in front of him, looking up at him with worried eyes. "I want you to tell me that there's no way that what I'm about to tell you could possibly be true."

"Well, I need to know what it is first," Remus replied.

She drew a deep breath. "I was at Mrs. Potter's house, helping with the investigation, when this man came running in. He was a wizard, dressed in his robes and all. He started screaming that Voldemort was gone."

"Gone? How can he be gone?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Olivia said. "This man said that Harry had destroyed him."

"Harry," Remus repeated. "Our Harry? James and Lily's Harry?"

"The very same."

"Impossible," Remus said, brushing the news aside with a wave of his hand. "The only way that could have happened is if Voldemort could have found them, and we both know that Sirius would never betray them. And even if that did happen, how could Harry destroy Voldemort? He's just a baby."

Olivia exhaled and grabbed Remus's hands, squeezing them tightly. "Thank God. Thank God you agree with me. I knew you would. I knew you wouldn't believe this insanity."

"But I wonder what would make that man think that," Remus mused. "I mean, hardly anyone knows how much danger they're in . . . hardly anyone knows they've gone into hiding. Why would he think that Harry could destroy Voldemort? Why not say Dumbledore or someone more . . . well, an adult."

"I don't know," Olivia said, pressing her hands against her eyes. "None of this makes any sense."

A flash of light filled the room, and a golden phoenix feather fell down on Remus's coffee table. He picked up the parchment that accompanied it, handing one piece to Olivia.

"There's one for each of us."

They both read silently for a moment, then raised their eyes to look at one another.

"Does yours say the same thing mine does?" Olivia asked.

"To get to Dumbledore's office as soon as possible?"

"Yes."

"Let's go. We can Floo from here into his office," Remus said, standing up. "Maybe we'll be able to get some answers."

Olivia climbed out of the fireplace in Dumbledore's office first. She straightened up as she stepped out of the hearth, and brushed the soot off her robes.

"Good evening, Olivia," Dumbledore said. "How are you?"

"Agitated," she replied. "The rumors . . . it's as though everyone has gone insane, Professor."

"Yes," he said slowly, folding his fingers together. "It is as though the very world itself as been turned, isn't it?"

Olivia frowned, beginning to feel worried. She was sure that Dumbledore would instantly put her fears to rest. She was about to question him further when Remus appeared in the grate.

"Hello, Professor," he said as he climbed out of the fireplace.

"Good, you're both here," Dumbledore said, giving them a sad smile. "Have a seat, both of you."

Remus and Olivia exchanged a glance, then took two chairs that were side-by-side in front of Dumbledore's desk. He looked at them for a long moment.

"Olivia tells me that she has heard something of the news that has been flying about tonight," Dumbledore said at last. "Remus, have you heard the same?"

"Only what Olivia told me," Remus replied. "Just that Harry has destroyed Voldemort . . . I can't believe that it's possible. For one thing, he's just a baby. How could he do such a thing? And, more importantly, Sirius has been protecting James and Lily though the Fidelius Charm. How could Voldemort even find them?"

"Very logical arguments," Dumbledore said slowly. "Unfortunately, in this case, logic will not help us."

"What?" Olivia asked suddenly. "What do you mean? Professor, please, tell us what's going on! We can't get in touch with Lily and James, Sirius has all but disappeared . . . I can't stand not knowing the truth anymore!"

"The truth," Dumbledore sighed. "I ask you both to prepare yourselves. What I am about to tell you will not be easy to hear. I thought it best that you heard it from me before it appears in all the papers tomorrow."

Olivia and Remus exchanged a look. Each of them saw their own fear reflected in the other's eyes. Olivia held out her hand and Remus grasped it firmly.

"We're ready," he said, looking directly into Dumbledore's eyes. "Just tell us."

Dumbledore drew a deep breath. "You've told me, Remus, that you both have heard that Harry destroyed Voldemort. That is not simply an idle rumor. It is true."

"How is that possible?" Olivia asked, her voice rising an octave from its normal level.

"Earlier this evening, Lord Voldemort went to James and Lily's house," Dumbledore said gently. "He – he murdered both James and Lily, and attempted to murder Harry –"

Dumbledore's voice stopped at a cry from Olivia. She had released Remus's hand as both of hers flew to her face.

"How is that possible?" she cried again. "There's no way he could find them – James and Lily – they can't – they can't be – he couldn't have –"

Remus looked at her for a moment. He was gripping the arms of his chair so hard that his knuckles were completely white. He looked back at Dumbledore, his lips shaking slightly as he spoke. "Are you saying that James and Lily . . .?"

"James and Lily have died," Dumbledore said softly. "We have moved their bodies to St. Mungo's mortuary until funeral arrangements can be made . . . in light of all that has happened, I think it would be best if the two of you were the ones to make those arrangements."

"The two of us," Olivia repeated as though in a daze. "What about Sirius? Shouldn't he help us with that? They were his best friends, too."

"Sirius is in no position to assist with anything related to the Potter family," Dumbledore said a bit harshly.

"What are you trying to say?" Olivia asked.

Remus's eyes widened. "He was their Secret Keeper . . . no one could find them unless he told them how to . . ."

Dumbledore looked at Remus and nodded. "He led Voldemort to the Potters."

Any color that remained in Remus's face drained out of it; even his lips lost their color. He dropped his head into his hands.

"No, no, no, no, no," he moaned. "How could he do this? He was their best friend . . . their best friend . . ."

"No," Olivia said harshly. "No, Professor, you must be wrong . . . you must be . . ." Tears began to fall quickly down her cheeks.

"Olivia," Dumbledore began softly.

"You must be . . . Tell me you're wrong, Dumbledore! Tell me you're wrong!" she shrieked.

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said, his own eyes softening with the tears that wanted to fall. "I wish I was wrong, Olivia. I wish there was another way. But all the evidence shows . . . James and Lily told all of us a week ago that Sirius was to be their Secret Keeper. They told all of us that they trusted him."

"Of course they did," Remus muttered, lifting his head from his hands. "When had he ever done anything to prove himself less than trustworthy?"

"You both know that we've had a spy within the Order for some time now," Dumbledore began. "That person was passing Voldemort information about the Potters . . . he made it possible for the Death Eaters to attempt to kill Harry on multiple occasions. The information that this person possessed made me believe that it was someone very close to them, someone who would know the small details of their life."

"You think Sirius is the spy," Remus said hoarsely.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. I do."

Olivia gave a cry, and brought her hands up over her face again. "Where is he now?" she asked desperately.

Dumbledore sighed. "You have brought us to the next part of our story," he said. "Sirius, so it would appear, tried to run for it after handing the Potters over to Voldemort. Unfortunately, a friend guessed his intention, and tracked him to London."

"A friend?" Remus repeated with a frown. His eyes widened again. "Not . . . Peter?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said heavily. "Peter Pettigrew chased Sirius into London, where he attempted to corner him."

"Oh, no," Remus murmured. "Peter could never duel . . . even at Hogwarts, we could never teach him any but the simplest jinxes . . ." He looked up at the professor. "Tell me he didn't try to take Sirius on himself."

"I'm afraid he did."

Remus dropped his head into his hands again. "Sirius didn't – he didn't –"

"Peter was killed in the course of the battle between the two, along with twelve Muggles."

"Twelve Muggles?" Olivia exclaimed. "What happened to kill all those people?"

"It was a very powerful curse that Sirius used to kill Mr. Pettigrew," Dumbledore said.

"He killed all those people with one curse?" Olivia cried.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "As I have said, it was very powerful. All that could be found of Peter was a finger."

Remus doubled over. "Oh, God," he moaned. When he looked up again, he was rather green. "And now Sirius is . . .?"

"In Azkaban," Dumbledore confirmed. "I have already given my evidence to the Ministry that he was the Potters' Secret Keeper. I believe it is their intention to keep him in Azkaban without a trial."

Olivia gave a cry, but did not speak. She buried her face in her hands.

"Peter is gone . . . James and Lily . . ." Remus murmured. "Professor, what happened to Harry? You said that he defeated Voldemort . . .?"

"It would appear that Voldemort attempted to kill him," Dumbledore said slowly. "But, for some reason, his Killing Curse did not work properly. My best assessment of the situation is that it hit Harry, but rebounded, striking Voldemort."

"Harry is dead, then, too?" Olivia asked dully, raising her head to look at Dumbledore.

"No," Dumbledore clarified. "Harry is alive and quite well."

"Where is he? Do you have him here?" Remus asked at once. "I'll take him, Dumbledore. He's lost his parents, his grandmother, his godfather . . ." He trailed off, then swallowed hard. "I'll take care of him. I'll make sure that he is cared for as Lily and James wanted."

"Ah, Remus, you know that I would love to let you have him, but I cannot," Dumbledore said, his eyes reflecting his sorrow. "Harry has been sent to live with his aunt."

"With Lily's sister?" Olivia shrieked. "No, Dumbledore, you can't! You can't possibly let him live with her! The woman hates Lily – there's no way she'll take care of Harry as she should!"

"She is the best one to have him," Dumbledore replied gently. He looked at both of them for a long moment. "It is my belief that Lily died to save Harry. Her death put a magical protection in his blood – a protection that can only be sealed if he makes his home with others who share that blood."

"Petunia's the only family that Lily has," Remus muttered. "And so Harry must remain with her?"

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "But it is not an impossible situation. He will remain with her, yes, but he will come to Hogwarts when he is old enough, and join our world again."

"But can you really trust that woman to care for him?" Olivia spat. "I lived with Lily for years, sir, and heard more than enough about her sister to know that she's not exactly a fan of magic. She's not going to tell him that what he can do is normal, or that he'll be going to Hogwarts one day."

"She will raise him as she sees fit," Dumbledore replied. "If she doesn't tell him about magic, that means that he will come to Hogwarts as his mother did, finally realizing that his odd abilities are magic and that there are many others just like him in the world. And, Olivia, I don't believe that you would deny that Lily was an exceptional witch, or suggest that her lack of knowledge about the magical world before coming to Hogwarts was a problem for her."

"No," Olivia sighed. "Lily is – was – one of the most powerful witches I've ever known."

"Exactly."

"But what about the next ten years?" Remus asked. "I know that Harry will be fine once he comes to Hogwarts, but what about the time in between? How do we know that he'll be safe?"

"I will be watching over him," Dumbledore said. "In addition, one of the Dursleys' neighbors is Arabella Figg, whom, of course, you both know. I've already spoken with her, and have been assured that she will do all in her power to keep an eye on Harry."

"So, that's it, then?" Olivia asked dully. "Lily and James are dead, Peter is dead, Sirius is in Azkaban, Harry has been sent to live with Muggles . . . Any other dire news for us, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore looked at her with a miserable smile. "No, I believe that you have summed it up exceptionally well, Olivia."

Remus looked at Olivia for a long minute, then turned back to face the headmaster. "Is it all right with you if we go home now?"

"Certainly," Dumbledore replied. He looked between them. "However, I do wish to give you one piece of advice: Stay together. Neither of you should be alone right now."

Olivia turned with effort to face Remus. "Will you come back to my house with me?"

"Of course," he replied.

He stood slowly, and helped Olivia to her feet. She barely looked at him as she crossed to the fireplace.

"Thank you, Dumbledore, for being the one to tell us," she said as she seized a fistful of Floo Powder.

"I wish there was another way," he said sadly. "I wish there was nothing to tell."

"So do I," Olivia replied.

She tossed the glittering powder into the grate, and was gone in a swirl of green flames.

Remus Flooed into Olivia's darkened flat right behind her. She was still trying to beat the soot off her robes when he stepped out of the hearth. She looked up at him with misery showing on her face.

"How did we come to this?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Remus replied.

He turned to look at the mantle, and picked up a picture of all of them at James and Lily's wedding. He looked at Sirius, who had one arm around James's shoulders and the other around Olivia's waist. As he watched, Sirius grinned up at him, then winked and tickled Olivia's side. She began to laugh, and struggled to get away from Sirius, finally collapsing against him. The others laughed at them, and waved up at Remus, their faces reflecting happiness and joyful anticipation of their bright future. How did we come to this? How had they gone from these friends who had celebrated together at one another's weddings to this horrible mess of lies, deception, and murder?

"How is any of this possible?" Remus murmured. He put the picture back in its place, and turned to Olivia. "Do you want me to make us some tea?"

"No," she said calmly. She turned her back to him. "I don't think that I can handle it right now. I'd probably smash my cup without even realizing that I'm using magic."

"Right," Remus replied. "Well, do you want to talk, then?"

Olivia shook her head wordlessly, still facing away from him.

"Liv?" Remus asked gently.

Without warning, she began to sob. Horrible, heart-wrenching sobs shook her body and tore from her throat with such force that she didn't think she'd ever be able to talk again. Unable to breathe normally through her tears, she began to take gulping breaths.

Remus crossed the room in an instant, and crushed her against him. She turned around in his arms so that she could hug him, clinging to him as though it would keep her alive. Unable to control her tears, she continued to sob into his chest, knowing that his arms around her were the only thing keeping her on her feet. He cried with her, bowing his head to let his tears fall into her hair, his own body shaking with the sobs that wracked through him.

"Oh, God, Remus," Olivia sobbed. "I've lost everything – everything . . ."

"Liv . . ."

"No, I have," she insisted. "I've lost my best friends . . . Harry is gone . . . I've lost Sirius . . ." The sobbing began again, and she buried her face in his chest.

"Hold on, Olivia," he murmured through his own sobs, holding her so tightly that she could barely catch her breath. "You have to hold on . . . I'm still here . . . you still have me . . . we still have each other . . ."

They stayed locked in one another's arms, sobbing hysterically for what felt like forever. When they had finally managed to calm down a bit, Remus put his fingers under Olivia's chin, tipping her face up so that he could look into her eyes.

"Let's sit down," he said.

She nodded, and they moved to the couch together. Even after they had sat down, they remained curled to together, unable to break the physically connection of touching another living person.

"Oh, God, Remus," Olivia sighed again, pillowing her head against his shoulder. "What are we going to do now?"

"Olivia, I meant what I said before," Remus said softly, brushing at her hair. "We still have each other. We'll always be friends . . . I think we're really going to need one another now."

She nodded against him, but remained silent.

"And we have Dana," Remus added. "We haven't been completely ripped apart."

"Dana's so far away," Olivia said in a small voice.

"Not that far," Remus replied. "Think of all the times she's come home. Distance isn't that horrible, is it?"

"I suppose not," Olivia sighed. "Can we not talk about this anymore?"

"Sure."

She sighed, and snuggled even closer to him. "I just want to stay like this, Remus. If we stay like this, we don't have to face anyone else. We can stay in my house, all curled up together on my couch, and pretend that no one else knows what's happened – that no one else is celebrating Voldemort's demise, never thinking of the destruction that was left in its path. We can just be together and mourn alone."

"We need to tell Dana."

"She doesn't need to know yet," Olivia replied. "Let her have a little longer to think that everyone is fine."

Remus nodded, and kissed the top of her head. "We'll stay like this, if it's what you want."

"Thank you," she sighed.

Remus tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer. She closed her eyes, letting herself fall into the comfort of his embrace.