A/N: Yeah, I cried again over this one. I'm turning into a water park. Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone, and thank you for all your support! I love you all!

I don't own Harry Potter.

Search for Understanding

Petunia pulled herself out of bed as she heard the water start in the shower. She would make breakfast while Vernon was showering; hopefully, Dudley would wait until she was through before screaming to be released from his crib.

She pulled on a robe over her nightgown, and left her bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. After pausing to look in on Dudley, who was still sleeping like an angel, she made her way downstairs, into the kitchen.

The milk bottles were sitting on the counter, waiting to be put outside. She gathered them up, and opened the door. She bent down to put them on the doorstep, and jumped back, shrieking so loudly that she scared a bird out of the tree in the front yard.

She set the milk bottles down just inside the door, and then walked back toward the doorstep with trepidation. She hadn't been imagining things. The baby that she had seen upon opening the door was still there. Awakened by her shriek of surprise, he was now crying. Without thinking about it, she bent down to pick him up.

"Hush," she murmured. "Where on earth did you come from?"

She looked back down, and saw the letter that accompanied him. She recognized her name on the front of it, written in green letters.

"No," she gasped. "No, it can't be."

Her eyes flew back to the baby in her arms. His black hair was sticking up in a thousand different directions, and his face looked oddly familiar. Even so, she was sure there was nothing of her family in his little face. There was no way he could be her nephew . . .

Then he turned his head to look up at her, and she saw his eyes. She gasped again. It was as though she was looking into her sister's eyes.

"My God," she whispered. "You're Lily's Harry, aren't you? What's happened to her? What happened to your mother?"

She bent down again to pick up the letter, and carried both it and the baby into the house.

She went straight into the living room, where she sat down with Harry in her lap, and began to read the letter. As she read it, her eyes grew larger and larger. When she had finished, she read it again. Finally believing some of what it said, she looked at Harry.

"Well," she said softly, "isn't happened, then? Your mother finally got herself in too far with all that magic. She finally got herself killed. I knew it was going to be nothing but trouble when she married your father. I knew it – I knew something like this . . ."

To her great surprise, Harry looked up at her with wide eyes, his expression reminding her of her sister when she had been scared as a little girl.

"Mummy?" he asked. "Daddy?"

She sighed. "I suppose you're going to miss them, aren't you?"

"Mummy?" he asked again.

"Mummy isn't here, Harry," she murmured, surprised by how hard it was for her to say the words. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. Despite all her words against Lily, she had been her sister. Petunia had never expected her sister to come to a good end – not after she went to that freakish school and took up with that horrible Potter – but she had never wished her dead.

Tears filled Harry's green eyes, again reminding Petunia forcibly of her sister's face. This time the picture that appeared in her mind's eye was of Lily the last time she had seen her, when she had been heartbroken over their parents' deaths.

"Mummy?" he whimpered.

"Hush," Petunia said. "Mummy's gone, Harry, and . . ." She trailed off and swallowed again, looking back at the letter she still held. "I suppose you're going to stay with me from now on."

"Petunia?" Vernon asked, still tying his tie as he came down the stairs. "Who are you talking to?" His eyes widened as he saw the baby sitting in her lap. "Who's that?"

Petunia looked at the baby, then up at her husband. "This is my nephew, Harry Potter," she said as though in a daze.

"Harry Potter? Your sister's son?"

"Yes."

"What's he doing here?" He narrowed his eyes. "They aren't here, are they?"

"No, they . . ." She took a deep breath. "Well – they're dead, Vernon."

"Dead? What happened? Spell gone wrong?"

"They were killed," Petunia said stiffly. "By an evil . . . one of them."

"Oh," Vernon said, frowning. "So what's he doing here?"

"This letter says that . . . that Lily wanted us to raise him."

"Didn't she have any friends of her own kind who could do that?"

"I – I guess not."

Vernon shook his head. "I don't know, Petunia . . . Is he like them?"

"I suppose," she replied with a shrug. "They both were . . . had those abnormalities. But, that doesn't always mean . . . my grandparents were like them, too, but my parents and I are all normal."

Vernon nodded. "Do you think there's some way that we can . . . I don't know . . . make sure he's normal, too?"

"We can try," Petunia said. "I don't know much about it. But, Vernon, I want to keep him. My parents would have a fit if they knew I sent their grandchild to an orphanage."

"I suppose you're right," Vernon said stiffly. He could never deny Petunia anything related to her parents, not after they had died on the day he had married her.

Petunia paused for a moment, looking out the window. "And, besides, how would it look to the neighbors if we just shoved our nephew out on the streets? We can't let everyone think the worst of us."

"Fine," Vernon said grudgingly. "We'll keep him. But we're going to do our best to make sure he turns out normal, Petunia. I don't want one of them in the house."

"I know," she agreed, balling up the parchment bearing Dumbledore's words on the subject. "I don't want another reminder of that life hanging over me all the time. He's going to be just as normal as Dudley. We just won't let him ask questions about his past."

"If he wants to know what happened to his parents, we'll tell him they died in a car crash," Vernon added. "That's a plausible story." He crossed to look down at the baby. "And it'll explain that scar on his forehead. What do you suppose that came from?"

Petunia shuddered. "I don't think I want to know."

"Good morning, Mum," Dana smiled as she walked into the kitchen.

"Bonjour," Mrs. Morgan smiled. "Is Laura sleeping in today?"

"She hasn't started screaming yet, so I'll take that as a yes," Dana grinned. "It's about time. That girl needs to learn that Mummy doesn't think that getting up at five every morning is a good idea."

Mrs. Morgan smiled. "You were the same way, you know. I don't think you slept past dawn until you were a year old."

"Ugh," Dana sighed. "I don't think I'll make it that far. Six months is quite long enough."

Mrs. Morgan laughed as she went outside to get the paper, leaving Dana to pour her coffee. She looked up from adding milk as her mother came in with an odd expression on her face.

"Are you all right, Mum?"

"Yes . . . Have you heard from any of your friends from home recently?"

"Not since before Lily and James went into hiding," Dana replied. "Why? What's going on?"

"Well, I'm sure it must be wrong . . . I mean, I'm sure they would have told you . . ."

"Mum. What does that paper say?"

Mrs. Morgan put the paper down on the table. "It says that Harry Potter destroyed You-Know-Who."

"What?" Dana exclaimed. "No, Mum, that doesn't make sense . . ."

"I know, baby, but that's what it says."

Dana snatched the paper up and began to read, thankful that her mother had insisted they keep receiving the Daily Prophet in English. There was no way her limited French would have allowed her to take in this entire story. As she read, her eyes grew wider and wider. Halfway through the story, she sank down into a chair.

"No," she said jerkily. "No, it isn't possible. No, there's no way . . . there's no way."

"Dana, what does it say?" Mrs. Morgan asked.

Dana looked up at her with tragic eyes. "It says – it says that Lily and James have died."

"Died?" Mrs. Morgan repeated. "How is that possible? You said that they were going into hiding – that Sirius was their Secret Keeper . . ."

"I know what I said," Dana replied. "And I know what they told me. But this paper says that Voldemort went to their house, that he killed James and Lily and tried to kill Harry . . . but Harry escaped."

"How is that possible?" Mrs. Morgan asked, jumping slightly at the sound of the Dark Lord's name on her daughter's lips. "Harry's just a baby! There's no way he could live through the Killing Curse."

"I know, but that's what it says," Dana replied. "It says that he tried to kill Harry, but something happened . . . Harry lived, but You-Know-Who has vanished . . . Harry defeated him."

"Dana, none of this makes any sense at all!" Mrs. Morgan replied. "Can you honestly tell me that you believe a word of it?"

Dana didn't reply. She thought of all the times that Lily and James had moved, of the way they had always been a special target of the Death Eaters, of all the measures they had taken to protect their son. What if . . . what if this was somehow, in some sick, twisted turn of events, true?

Dana looked at the clock, thankful that it was her day off from the hospital. "Mum, can I leave Laura with you?"

"Of course, Dana, but where are you going?"

Dana stood up and crossed to take the Floo powder from the mantle. "To get some answers."

Stiffness.

Remus had never felt so stiff in his entire life. The entire left side of his body felt as though it would never move again.

He opened his eyes with difficulty, and looked down. He was on Olivia's couch, curled up into an awkward position. Olivia was there with him, still sleeping, using him as her personal mattress and pillow. What was he doing here? Why was she lying against him like that?

As though in a flood, the events of the previous night came pouring back over him. He and Olivia had gone to Dumbledore's office . . . Dumbledore had told them about James and Lily . . . about Harry . . . about Peter . . . about Sirius . . .

Remus brought his free right hand to his face and rubbed his eyes as though in doing so he could rub out the truth. Was it possible that yesterday morning he had awoken to the happy, freeing thought that James, Lily and Harry were safe? Was it possible that only yesterday afternoon he had still counted Sirius as one of his friends? How could so much change so quickly?

He shook his wrist to bring the face of his watch into view, sighing as he saw the position of the hands. He had only managed to sleep for three hours. It was better than nothing, and, hopefully, it would get him through the day.

Olivia stirred against him, burying her face in his robes for a moment. She breathed deeply, expecting in her sleep-logged mind that she would smell the familiar scents she associated with Sirius. But her senses were assaulted with scents that had nothing to do with her fiancé. Confusion reined for a moment as she tried to sort everything into its proper place. Where was she? Who was she sleeping against? When she looked up, her eyes were startled.

"Remus," she breathed. "What happened? Why are you . . .?" She trailed off as the memory of the night before washed over her. "Oh, God," she moaned. "It's really true, isn't it? They're really gone. It wasn't all a horrible nightmare."

"I'm sorry," Remus sighed, pulling her close again. "It's real. We're living the nightmare."

Olivia began to cry again, burying her face in his shoulder. He held her close, letting her cry. He felt his own emotions well up inside him again. He was too tired to fight anymore. He was too stunned to be the strong one. Still holding Olivia and stroking her hair, he let his own tears slide slowly down his face.

The fireplace jumped to life, ending their moment of shared grief. Dana came flying out of it, her eyes wide with terror.

"What the hell is going on?" she cried. "What's this rubbish the Prophet is printing?"

"Dana," Olivia began, unable to control her sobbing. "Oh, God, I didn't think you'd hear this fast . . . we should have been the ones to tell you."

Dana looked at them, barely taking in Olivia's words as the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. She sank down to her knees, shrieking as she began to cry. "Oh, God, what's happened? What's happened to us?"

Olivia jumped up from the couch and the shelter of Remus's arms, and ran to her friend. She fell down to her knees next to her, and pulled her into an embrace.

"They're gone," Olivia sobbed. "James and Lily are gone. Peter's gone. Sirius . . ." She was unable to continue; sobs shook her body.

Dana raised stricken eyes to look at Remus, begging him without words to tell her that Olivia was wrong, that this entire story was an elaborate hoax. He nodded, trying to control his own tears.

"It's true. Sirius sold them to Voldemort."

"Oh, God, no!" Dana screamed. She clung to Olivia as she began to sob.

Remus got up with difficulty, amazed that Olivia had managed to bounce up like that after sleeping on a couch in a crunched-up position. He made his way across the room, and pulled the girls to their feet. They both reached for him, and he held them close. The three of them cried together in a many-armed hug, drawing strength from one another.

When at last they had calmed down, they sat down together in the living room with the steaming mugs of tea that Dana had insisted where necessary. Remus and Olivia told her all that Dumbledore had told them the day before, about Sirius's betrayal, about James and Lily's deaths, about Harry's miraculous survival, about Peter's attempt to take Sirius on by himself.

"He was so stupid," Olivia muttered. "He should have known he'd never stand a chance against Sirius. Sirius was always more powerful than he was."

"Grief makes people do stupid things," Remus sighed. "None of us can say that we would have done things differently if we had known what had happened earlier."

"But we would have been more equally-matched against him," Olivia said angrily. She buried her face in her hands. "How can you think that you know someone so well, then find out that you didn't know him at all?"

"We'd all like to know that," Dana sighed, running her hands over her face. "So many years . . . We've been friends since we were little kids. How could we have gone so long without realizing . . .?"

Olivia's face crumpled again, and Dana hastily changed her track.

"Has anyone made any funeral arrangements yet?"

"No," Remus replied. "Dumbledore said it's up to us."

"Peter's mum will probably take care of his funeral," Olivia said. "I think we just have to plan something for James and Lily."

"When are we going to start on that?" Dana asked.

"Whenever you girls want to," Remus replied. "We should probably do it sooner rather than later . . . it'll give us something to focus on. I think we all need that, or we're going to go insane."

Dana nodded, and rose to her feet. "Let me go home and get my schedule, then we'll try to work something out. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Olivia said. "Listen, why don't you go spend some time with Laura and your mum? Come back tonight after dinner, and we'll work out all the arrangements then. All right?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Dana replied. "How's eight o'clock?"

"Great," Olivia said dully. "We'll see you then."

Dana hugged them both again, then disappeared via Floo network. Once she was gone, Olivia turned to Remus.

"Do you want something for breakfast?"

"I'm not sure I could eat."

She gave him a reproachful look. "Aren't you the one who always says it's vitally important to eat?"

"All right, all right, let's eat."

They worked together to make breakfast, but, despite their best efforts, the food was barely edible. They picked at it anyway, knowing that even if it had been prepared by the most talented of the Hogwarts house-elves, neither of them would have wanted to eat it. Finally, Remus pushed his plate away.

"Liv, I'm sorry, but I just can't eat right now."

She sighed, pushing her own plate away. "Neither can I."

"Listen, is it all right with you if I run home? I just want to shower and change, and then I'll come back."

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked, looking at her intently. "I won't leave if you don't want me to."

"No, Remus, don't be stupid," she replied. "I'll be fine for a couple of hours. You're right. We both need to shower and change after spending all night in these clothes, and I know you don't have anything here to change into. Just go home, and take your time."

He stood up slowly. "I'll be back in time for lunch, all right? We can not eat together again."

A ghost of a smile flitted across her face. "I'd like that."

He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you soon."

She grabbed his hand, and looked up at him with teary eyes. "Thank you, Remus, for . . . for everything."

He squeezed her hand. "Thank you, too."

When Remus stepped out of his fireplace, there were two people sitting in his kitchen. He jumped back, nearly falling into the grate again.

"Oh, Remus!"

He barely had time to register his mother's voice before she had thrown her arms around him. Drawing a deep breath didn't help; the sobs began to shake his body again as he let his head drop onto his mother's shoulder.

His father crossed the kitchen and put his arms around them both. Locked in his parents' arms, Remus sobbed out all his anguish, wondering if he would ever be able to stop the tears. He thought of what he had told Lily after Laura had died – that if he ever really started to cry, he would never be able to stop. He was sure that he had found that point.

When Remus was finally able to stop crying, he and his parents sat down together. Mrs. Lupin seemed reluctant to let go of him.

"We came as soon as we saw the paper this morning," she said. "Where have you been?"

"With Olivia," Remus replied. "Dumbledore called us in to his office last night, and told us everything . . . He told us not to be alone, so I stayed with her last night."

Mrs. Lupin nodded. "Yes, that makes sense." She swallowed. "How is Olivia?"

"She feels the same way I do," Remus replied. "Completely and utterly lost." He swallowed, feeling the tears well up in his eyes again. "She said it last night, and I told her she was wrong, but . . . Mum, Dad, I've lost everything. Everything."

"Remus, don't talk like that," Mrs. Lupin said quickly. "You still have so much . . ."

Remus laughed hollowly. "Mum, in the past year I've lost my wife, my hope of having a family with her, four of my best friends, and any chance of ever seeing Harry again. What exactly do I have left?"

"You have us," Mr. Lupin said, reaching across to take Remus's hands. "I know things are tough, Remus, but so are you. You're the strongest person I've ever known. I know you can battle through this."

"Battle through to get to what on the other side?" Remus asked bitterly. "My friends are gone, I don't have any hope of ever having a decent career . . . What exactly is it that I'm battling for?"

"You're battling for yourself," Mr. Lupin said urgently. "You're battling because you don't know how to stop fighting. You don't know how to give up, Remus. You don't know how because you've never done it before. You went to Hogwarts when we thought it was impossible, you kept your friends when you were sure they'd abandon you. You got married when no one like you had ever done it. You set the standard, Remus, you always have."

"You have to fight, Remus," Mrs. Lupin said in a low voice, grabbing his arm. "Watching you fight all these years has always been an inspiration to me. Don't you dare give up now."

"We've never given up on you," Mr. Lupin said. "Don't give up on us."

"You still have Olivia and Dana, too," Mrs. Lupin said. "And, as I recall, Dana wants you to be a very active member of her daughter's life. How would your Laura feel if she knew that you had given up on the little girl that bears her name?"

Remus looked away from them, unable to meet their eyes as he admitted the weakness he felt. "Do you know how hard this is for me?"

"Yes," Mr. Lupin replied. "I know that it feels like an impossible task. But I also know that if anyone can make the impossible happen, you can."

Remus rubbed his hands over his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears that had started to fall again. He stood to his feet, surprising both of his parents.

"I need to take a shower," he muttered.

"Go," Mrs. Lupin said. "We'll be here when you're done."

He nodded, and made his way to the bathroom. Standing under the steady streams of hot water, he thought of all that his parents had said. They were right, of course. He had never given up before. But he had never had to fight on through so much tragedy, either.

But he would try – for them. He could never ask them to sit by and watch him destroy himself from the inside out. After all they had done for him, after all they had sacrificed for him, he could never put them through that.

After the longest shower she had taken in years, Olivia shut off the water. She dried off and wrapped herself in a warm bathrobe, then opened the bathroom door to go to her bedroom to get dressed.

She stepped out into the hall, and jumped when she realized that voices were drifting toward her. Holding her robe closed with one hand and her wand in the other, she made her way down the hall silently.

She rounded the corner into the living room, and her wand dropped from her hand. "Mum? Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Where else would we be?" Mrs. Alexander asked, crossing to enfold her daughter in her arms. "How are you, darling?"

"I – I – How do you think I am?"

"Olivia, darling, please don't get snappish," Mrs. Alexander sighed. "We came to make sure that you're all right."

"And to gloat?" she asked, pulling back from her mother to look into her father's eyes. "Have you come to tell me that I should have listened to you all along, Dad? Have you come to tell me that I was just a stupid, love-struck little girl to ever think that Sirius Black could have been a good man?"

"Olivia, I never said that," Mr. Alexander said. "I know that I never supported your relationship with him, but I would never think of you as a stupid little girl."

"Oh, right, and you're just heartbroken that this happened, I'm sure!" she screamed.

"Do you think that this is what I wanted for you?" Mr. Alexander asked quietly. Sorrow crept into his eyes. "I never could have imagined this heartbreak in your future."

"But, anything to get Sirius away from me, right?"

"Olivia, you're being unreasonable," Mrs. Alexander said. "Your father hasn't said a word against Sirius –"

"Where you there when I told him that I was going to marry Sirius?" Olivia asked. "No, you weren't – you were off with John, trying to get him to convince me that Sirius wasn't right for me. Well, when you left us alone together, Dad told me that I was making a horrible mistake, and that I'd regret it!"

"I should never have said that, Livie," Mr. Alexander began.

"And what did John tell you? What did he tell you both?" Olivia yelled, ignoring her father's words. "He told you that he had worked with Sirius for a long time, and that he thought that he was trustworthy! He thought that Sirius really did love me!" A mirthless laugh escaped her lips. "Look at that! It wasn't just me who was fooled, it was John, too! Does that make it better? Does that make me a little less of an idiot?"

"Olivia, please," Mrs. Alexander begged with tears in her eyes. "Please, just let us speak – just listen to us –"

"I've listened enough," Olivia replied. "I've been listening to you ever since I started dating Sirius back at Hogwarts. I can't listen anymore. I need to get dressed."

She stalked off down the hall to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

After his shower, Remus felt somewhat refreshed. Dressed in clean robes, he went back into the living room. His mother jumped up when he came in.

"Do you want some lunch?" she asked.

"No, I promised Olivia I'd eat with her," he replied.

"Okay," Mrs. Lupin said.

Remus crossed the room, and pulled her close. "Thank you," he whispered.

She hugged him tightly, hoping that he had found a way to come back to them.

Remus pulled away, and looked at both of his parents. "Thank you for being here," he said softly. "I just want you to know that I won't give up. I'll – I'll battle on, like you said."

Mr. Lupin smiled, and hugged him. "I knew you would."

Remus detached himself from his parents. "I'd better get back to Olivia. She'll wonder what's happened to me."

"Remus, if you need anything . . ."

He nodded. "I'll come to see you soon, I promise."

Then, with a hint of a smile, he Disapparated.

When Remus Apparated into Olivia's living room, he was surprised to see her parents sitting there. He tried to smile, but failed.

"Hello," he said. He glanced around the room, but could find no sign of his friend. "Is Olivia home?"

"She's in her room," Mrs. Alexander said quietly. "She wasn't very happy to see us."

Remus nodded silently.

"Can you try to talk to her, Remus?" Mrs. Alexander asked. "She won't listen to us . . . we're worried about her."

"I'll try," Remus replied.

Taking a deep breath, he walked down the hall to Olivia's bedroom. He knocked on the closed door, knowing that she had probably put about ten locking charms on it.

"Go away!" she yelled.

"Liv, it's Remus," he called back. "Can I come in?"

There was a moment of silence, then the door opened. Olivia stood framed in the doorway, looking even more haggard than she had when he had left her that morning.

"Are they still here?" she asked dully, opening the door wide enough for Remus to step inside the room.

"Yes," Remus said, closing the door behind him. "They're worried about you, Liv."

"Only because they know that I'm angry with them," she replied.

"Why are you angry with them?"

Tears filled her eyes. "Because they were right," she whispered.

"About what?"

"They told me to stay away from Sirius," she said, her tears beginning to fall. "They told me not to trust him, that he would break my heart, that he was trouble, that he came from a bad family . . . I told them, over and over, that he wasn't like the rest of his family, that he was different, that he loved me . . ." She dissolved into tears.

Remus crossed the room to pull her close. "He did love you," he whispered.

"How can you say that?" she asked, pulling back to look at him. "How can you even think that?"

"Because it's true," he said. "I saw the way he looked at you, Liv. I saw the way his face would light up when you came into a room. I saw the way his heart broke when you broke up with him, and I saw the way it came back together when you guys started dating again. I saw how excited he was about your wedding." He paused and swallowed before continuing. "He may have been living a lie about everything else, but, Liv, I'm sure that he really did love you."

She buried her face in his shoulder and cried. Remus remained silent, holding her until the spasm of tears was spent.

"I need to go talk to my parents," she said. "And we need to get ready for Dana."

"That's right. I forgot she was coming back."

"Remus – I don't think I can handle making funeral arrangements today."

"We can do it another day," Remus replied. "Should I tell Dana to come tomorrow instead?"

"No, I still want her to come – but there's something else I want the three of us to do tonight."

"What?"

"I want us to go to James and Lily's house."

"Liv . . ."

"No, Remus, I think we really need to do it. I think it will help us all."

He sighed. "All right. If you think it will help."

"I do. I really do."

When Dana Flooed into Olivia's flat with her schedule book in hand, she was shocked to see both Remus and Olivia wearing cloaks. She brushed the soot from her robes, looking at them in confusion.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking from one to the other.

"We're going on a trip," Olivia replied, her expression making in clear that she would not take no for an answer.

"Where are we going?" Dana asked.

"To James and Lily's house."

Dana looked to Remus as though hoping he would refute Olivia's statement. He cleared his throat.

"Olivia thinks it will do us good to see it," he said slowly.

"How are we going to find it?" Dana asked.

"I've already gone to see Dumbledore," Olivia said. "He told me where it was."

"Was?" Dana repeated.

Olivia nodded. "It was destroyed when Harry defeated Voldemort."

"Liv, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes," she said fiercely. "Here's the address. Come on, let's go."

They all knew that the house had been destroyed. Even so, none of them was prepared for the sight that met their eyes as they Apparated into what had been James and Lily's front yard. Remus stopped dead, Olivia sucked in her breath quickly, and Dana grabbed Remus's hand, squeezing it so tightly that he was afraid the bones would break.

"Good lord," Dana whispered. "Did all this happen when he tried to curse Harry?"

"That's what Dumbledore said."

Olivia shook her head. "They would have been heartbroken to see their house like this."

"What exactly did you want us to do here, Liv?" Dana asked.

"I don't know," Olivia said, moving forward. "I guess I just wanted to see what was still here . . . what had survived . . ."

Dana released Remus's hand and followed Olivia into the wreckage of the house. Remus, too, stepped forward, tripping over some small object. He stopped and bent down to examine it.

"What is it?" Olivia asked.

Remus swallowed with difficulty. "James's mirror," he said, looking at his reflection in the small pane of glass. "I gave him and Sirius these mirrors when we were at Hogwarts – you can talk to one another in them."

"Oh, I've seen Sirius use his," Olivia replied. "He says it's one of the most useful gifts he's ever gotten. He and James –" She stopped abruptly, and pushed on through the ruins.

Remus slid the mirror into his pocket, and straightened up. He followed the girls forward.

"Guys, look at this," Dana said.

Olivia and Remus crossed to join her where she was kneeling. She looked up at them with teary eyes.

"Harry's stuffed animals," she whispered. "Here's his lion . . . his dog . . ."

"Doggie Sirius," Remus murmured. "He loved that toy. Sirius gave it to him for his first birthday. It's a really good replica of Sirius's Animagus form. Harry took it everywhere."

Olivia gave a cry, and stumbled away. Something crunched under her foot, and she jumped back. She looked down, and saw that she had stepped on a picture in a broken frame. She picked it up, and gasped.

"What is it?" Dana asked.

Olivia's eyes filled with tears, and her voice died in her throat. Dana and Remus rushed over, and saw the picture in her hands. Dana put her arm around Olivia's shoulders, letting her collapse against her as she dissolved into tears.

Remus took the picture from her, looking at it wordlessly. It showed James and Lily with their arms around one another, grinning at the camera. Sirius was next to them, laughing as he tossed Harry up into the air. The baby was shrieking with laughter, clearly having the time of his life. Olivia stood next to Sirius, looking up at him with an adoring smile.

Remus sighed, and put the picture into his pocket next to the mirror. He couldn't explain it, but he wanted the picture to remind him of the times when they had been happy and whole. He looked back over at the girls. Dana still had her arm around Olivia, trying to comfort her.

Olivia pulled away from Dana with a cry. "How could he do this to us?" she screamed.

"Liv," Dana began.

"Sirius Black, you are a bloody bastard!" she shrieked. "They were your bloody best friends! When were they not there for you? When? What did they do to deserve this?" She took a gulping breath.

"Liv," Remus said, starting forward."

"You said that you loved me, Sirius!" she screamed. "You said you'd love me forever! What did I do to deserve this? How could you do this to me?"

She wrenched the diamond engagement ring from her finger. "I hope those dementors suck the very life out of you, and I hope your soul rots in hell!" she screamed.

Before Remus or Dana had time to stop her, she flung her engagement ring into the rubble of James and Lily's house. She collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled to catch her breath. Dana grabbed her and dragged her to her feet again. She held Olivia's shoulders tightly, trying to keep her standing.

"Olivia, listen to me," she said clearly and loudly. "This was a bad idea. We can come back another day and go through their things. We're leaving now."

Olivia's face contorted as she struggled to stop crying. Dana looked at Remus.

"Get her out of here," he said quietly. "I'll follow you."

Dana nodded. "Grab my arm, Liv. I'm going to take you home."

Olivia nodded, and did as Dana instructed. Once they were gone, Remus pulled his wand from his pocket.

"Accio Olivia's engagement ring."

The small piece of jewelry flew toward him, and he caught it, putting it with his wand in his pocket. Somehow, he thought that the day would come when she would regret it if she had lost her ring forever. The ring safely in his pocket, he Disapparated.