"The doorway has opened," Dumbledore said. "It's time for you to return to your own time."

"What?" gasped Hermione.

"We must hurry," he said.

Remus started to move forward, his arm still around Hermione's waist.

"Remus, we have to talk about this," said Hermione quietly. She allowed Remus to help her begin to ascend the stairs. They followed Dumbledore and Sirius followed them, but their progress was slow because Hermione was still very weak. "You can't seriously mean to let me go?"

Remus didn't answer, but he did pull her a little tighter against him.

"Remus?" she questioned, her voice breaking.

He stopped and pulled her into a tight hug in between the second and third floor staircase. She buried her face in his chest and gripped his shirt with both her hands. "I don't want to lose you," he choked out. "But I don't… There's just no other… I don't know what the right thing to do is." The realization of what he was about to do suddenly hit him. He had actually brought Hermione to Hogwarts to send her back to her time.

Since they began dating all those years ago, losing her was the one thing he had feared. He always knew that the possibility of her leaving forever loomed in their future. But now that he was faced with it, it seemed like a foreign concept. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that she wouldn't be here tomorrow and it made him feel like someone had punched him in the stomach over and over again.

Dumbledore was already halfway up the staircase when they stopped and he turned around and looked at the couple. "Remus," he said quietly.

Remus looked up and Dumbledore could see that he was in agony. "Yes, I know," he said tightly and began leading Hermione up the stairs again.

For her part, she was too miserable and weak to stop him. Before she was quite ready they were facing the doorway. She stared at it and clung to Remus. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the doorway. It looked like any other door in the castle. Nothing in particular marked it for the powerful magic it embodied.

"Give us a minute," Remus stated rather than asked.

Both Dumbledore and Sirius moved to the far end of the hallway so Remus and Hermione could have some privacy.

"If you think I'm putting one foot through that doorway then you're mistaken," Hermione began immediately.

"Hermione," Remus began.

"Remus, how can you even think I would leave you and Nathaniel?"

"I know this is hard, but it's the only way." Remus couldn't look her in the eye as he said it. He hated himself, but if it meant she wouldn't spend the rest of her life in Azkaban then he would do it.

"Hard?" she asked, feeling a little hysterical over her husband's near emotionless state. "Hard? No, it's impossible. There's nothing left there for me."

"Your whole life is there," he replied, unconvincingly.

"My whole life is here," she said, pressing her hand against his heart. "It's here with you and our child."

He took her hand in his and pressed it to his lips. "I love you so much. You are my best friend and my wife and the only reason to get up every morning." He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "That's why if you stay you'll ruin our lives."

Hermione started sobbing.

Remus couldn't stop the tears as he continued. "If I had to live every day of my life knowing you were dying a little every day in Azkaban then I couldn't go on. But if I knew that somewhere you were happy… even if I couldn't be with you…" he couldn't continue. His heart was broken and there were no words left.

They held each other and cried for a long time, neither one of them able to take the next step.

At some point Dumbledore approached and Hermione looked at him, her eyes burning with anger and accusations. His own eyes were filled with guilt and sorrow. "I am sorry, Hermione," he said quietly.

Hermione turned all her attention back to Remus. "Please don't let Nathaniel grow up thinking the worst of me," she said.

"I won't," he promised.

"And remember even though Voldemort's gone for now, the Death Eater's aren't. They might still come after Harry or Nathaniel."

"I'll make sure nothing happens to either of them," he replied.

She nodded. "Let your mom help you. He'll need a mother."

"He has a mother," Remus said, his voice tight.

Hermione wiped at the moisture on her face. "She loves you both and she was a wonderful mother to you. I want him to know that feeling."

"He will," promised Remus.

"But don't let her spoil him," she added.

He shook his head. "Not too much."

Hermione smiled and started to take a step back, but another thought entered her mind. "And whatever you do, don't let him up on a broom before he's ten!"

Remus smiled. "We'll see," he said.

Hermione bit her bottom lip. "Well, use your judgment," she compromised.

Then she put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "We didn't have enough time," she whispered, achingly.

"A lifetime wasn't going to be enough time to love you," he answered. He held her back and tried to memorize how she felt and smelled and looked. Finally, Remus kissed her very softly and let her go. He forced himself to take a few steps away from her. "I love you," he said softly.

"I love you," she mouthed back, unable to get any sound out of her mouth. Then with one last look, she turned her back to him and faced the doorway.

Dumbledore whispered instructions to her. "Just walk through the doorway and shut it behind you. The rest will take care of itself," he told her.

She nodded and stepped forward. Her hand was on the door handle and she paused. Then she turned and pushed past Dumbledore. Remus met her halfway and she threw herself back into his arms. "I can't do it," she cried. "Please don't ask me to." Remus couldn't disagree. As soon as she had touched the door, he had thrown himself forward to stop her.

"I just can't leave you and Nathaniel," she continued, getting a hold of her emotions. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "There has to be another way."

Remus nodded fast. "Yes," he agreed eagerly. "We'll find another way."

"Remus," said Professor Dumbledore sharply. "You are both at risk as long as she stays. I would not put it past Barty Crouch to indict you as well."

"I'm willing to risk it," he shouted.

"What will happen to Nathaniel if you do?" asked Professor Dumbledore. "I know this is difficult for the two of you, but you knew there were risks when you married. You knew this day might one day come."

"You said I would have a choice," said Hermione. "This is my choice."

"If this was the right thing to do," added Remus. "It wouldn't feel so wrong."

"Hermione, in less than twenty-four hours you will have lost your chance to return home forever," said Dumbledore quietly.

"This is my home, now," she said firmly.

"Hermione…"

"I think you want me to go through that door because you feel guilty about how things turned out," she accused, interrupting him. "Your future self sent me without asking me, without explaining even in a small way what I was supposed to do. You took all my choices away from me. I won't let you do it again."

Hermione was in the middle of her rant at Dumbledore when Remus and Sirius noticed they were no longer alone.

"What's she doin' here?" growled Hagrid. He had walked in with Harry when Hermione had begun yelling at Dumbledore and looked none too happy.

Hermione whirled around.

Remus stepped between her and Hagrid. "She's innocent, Hagrid," he said.

"She was James and Lily's secret keeper. No one else coulda told You-Know-Who where they were," he insisted.

"It wasn't her, Hagrid," repeated Remus. "It was Bellatrix Lestrange. She used Polyjuice potion to pretend to be Hermione."

"That's crazy," said Hagrid.

"Wait a minute," said Sirius suddenly. "What are you doing with Harry? Where's James?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid. "Professor McGonagall told me I was to take Harry to Hogwarts."

"Where is Minerva?" asked Dumbledore.

"She was with the Lupin's when I left St. Mungo's with Harry." He told Professor Dumbledore.

"My parents are at St. Mungo's?" questioned Remus.

Hagrid nodded. "They seemed upset to me."

Remus groaned. "McGonagall didn't tell them Hermione had been sent to Azkaban, did she?"

Hagrid shrugged. "Dunno. All I was told was ter bring Harry to Hogwarts."

"And you have no idea where James went?" asked Hermione, her voice tinged with worry.

Hagrid ignored her.

Hermione frowned. "Hagrid, please. He's hurt. He shouldn't be wandering alone in the middle of the night."

"Well," began Hagrid gruffly. "If my wife had just been murdered and my son was motherless, I'd be hunting down the people responsible and bringin 'em to justice."

Hermione paled.

Remus turned to her. "Hermione…"

"Remus!" shouted a voice from the distance.

"That sounds like," began Hermione.

"My mother," finished Remus.

Then they each heard their son. He was crying, filling his lungs over and over. As one, they went running. "Mum," Remus yelled out.

"Remus," she answered loudly. Hermione and Remus met Mr. and Mrs. Lupin and Nathaniel halfway down the hall. They were all talking at once.

Mr. Lupin managed to make himself heard above everyone. "Moody and Crouch are on their way," he fairly yelled. Everyone froze.

"Why?" asked Remus. He looked accusingly at his parents. "Why would they be on their way here?"

"They know you rescued Hermione from the Dementors," said Mrs. Lupin. "They suspected you were coming here to get help from Dumbledore."

"We only came here hoping to head them off," said Mr. Lupin. "We had to warn you if we could."

"Then you know and you don't think she's guilty?" asked Remus uncertainly.

"Of course not," said his mother fiercely. She went to Hermione and handed Nathaniel over to her. Hermione cradled her son's head and pressed him to her own face. His tiny pudgy hands rested on her cheeks and he began to calm. "How could you think we'd believe our daughter-in-law was in league with You-Know-Who," she chastised Remus.

Remus could only smile, "sorry, mum," he murmured.

"The three of you have to get out of here," said Mr. Lupin. "I don't think I've ever seen Barty Crouch so angry." Mr. Lupin turned to Dumbledore, who had joined the small group along with Sirius, Hagrid, and Harry. "He's not happy with you either," he said to Dumbledore. "He said if he finds out you're involved he'll arrest you himself."

Dumbledore accepted this news with an impassive face.

"Right," said Remus, feeling the weight of everything settling on his shoulders. "We'll be off then." He put his hand on Hermione's waist and pushed her gently forward.

"Wait," she said, her voice sounded tortured. "We can't do this. We can't do this to Nathaniel." She looked pleadingly at Remus. "We're being selfish."

"If you leave," he said firmly, "then everything that is warm and good and gentle will be out of his life. We've made our decision. Now you let me figure out the rest."

Hermione stared in his eyes and then down at their son and she nodded. She wasn't a person who ever gave up control, but she found she didn't have anything left in her. It had been such a long journey and she was so tired. And when she felt her son in her arms she knew nothing else mattered.

Remus turned to his father. "I don't know where to take them, dad," he pleaded.

Robert Lupin looked over his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson and felt very angry. Remus shouldn't have had this burden when he was still so young. But he was also proud of his son, standing there with a wife and child and prepared to do anything to protect them. "You can't run forever, son," said his father. "Maybe we can reason with Crouch, get him to examine the evidence."

"The evidence has already been examined," said Bartemius Crouch as he appeared quite suddenly before them. If Hermione hadn't known better, she might have believed he apparated. Moody was beside him and both their wands were out. "Based on Dumbledore's testimony alone we had the authority to send her to Azkaban."

"Things may not be what they appeared," spoke up Dumbledore, stepping forward.

"Was she or was she not the secret keeper?" asked Moody.

"She wasn't," Remus spoke up, maneuvering himself in front of Hermione and Nathaniel. "It was Bellatrix Lestrange. She was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Hermione for the past three months."

Crouch scoffed. "That is highly unlikely."

"Why?" demanded Remus.

"Because she lived with all of you all that time," he said simply. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that she lived with Moody's two best Aurors and was made secret-keeper by Albus Dumbledore himself and no one ever suspected she might not be who she was. For all we know," Crouch continued addressing Remus directly, "she's using the Imperius Curse on you right now."

There was silence in the room. "Hermione, there is nowhere to run that we can't find you," said Moody, speaking for the first time. "Hand over that child to Remus and give yourself up."

"You're not even willing to listen," she said. "I've been trapped in Lucius Malfoy's home for nearly six months while I had to endure knowing what they planned on doing to my family. Lily Potter is dead because of them. And all you care about is closing the case. You don't even care if you bring the real people to justice."

Crouch laughed cruelly. "And now she's blaming Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy is from one of our most respected and prominent families. How dare you accuse him?"

"We Lupin's may not have as old a family name as the Malfoy's, but we are still respected in our community," said Mrs. Lupin, stepping forward. "How dare you accuse our daughter?"

"You're lucky we don't charge your son as well," roared Crouch, finally losing his temper. "Both of them are subversives who've already shown a disregard for the laws of our community. Believe me, if there was even a hint of evidence that implicated him, he'd be sharing a cell in Azkaban with his wife."

Daphne Lupin pulled out her wand in a flash. "How dare you threaten my son," she yelled.

"Your son is nothing but a werewolf," Crouch roared back.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Lupin stepped in front of their children. "If you want to take her, you'll have to get past us," said Mr. Lupin, much more calmly than his wife. They had both drawn their wands.

"And me," Sirius spoke up, taking a position next to Mr. Lupin.

"And me," said a voice behind Moody and Crouch. James had arrived and he looked awful. He was pale and breathing hard.

"James," gasped Hermione and she started to move forward, but Remus grabbed her arm.

"Potter, what are you doing here?"

"Stopping this," he answered, breathing heavily as he crossed the room and stood next to Sirius.

"It's your wife she murdered," said Crouch incredulously.

"Voldemort murdered my wife," shouted James. "Hermione saved my life and she saved Harry."

"Perhaps she felt guilty," said Crouch.

"Perhaps she didn't do it," answered James. "You've gone too far this time Crouch. We've become no better than the Death Eaters, handing out punishment before we even know a crime has been committed."

"A crime has been committed," said Moody. "A crime against you and your son. Harry doesn't have a mother thanks to that filth."

"Hermione's the closest thing to a mother he'll have now," answered James, his eyes flashing, "thanks to Voldemort."

"This is ridiculous. I'll arrest all of you if you don't stand aside," ranted Crouch.

"Then you'll have to arrest us all," said Mr. Lupin, "because we won't stand aside."

Hermione thought her heart would burst with love for her family and friends who were all willing to risk everything for her.

Finally Dumbledore stepped forward. "I think we are at an impasse," he said calmly.

"There is no impasse," screeched Crouch. "You will all step aside and hand the girl over to us."

"Now Crouch," admonished Moody. "There's no need to lose control. We must appear reasonable."

"I am reasonable," roared Crouch.

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "I'm glad to hear it. Then let us strike a bargain. Hermione Lupin will remain here at Hogwarts for the time being while you investigate this new evidence. If at the end of your investigation you still find evidence of her guilt then we will turn her over to you for a full trial before the Wizengamot."

"That will be acceptable," said Moody, stepping forward before Crouch could say anything.

"And how do we know she'll remain here and not be allowed to sneak off in the middle of the night."

"Don't you doubt Professor Dumbledore," roared Hagrid, jumping forward. Hermione squeaked, wanting desperately to rescue Harry from Hagrid's arms. Harry immediately started crying when Hagrid shouted. Hagrid rocked the baby with more gentleness than anyone thought possible at the moment, but continued to glare at Crouch.

Either Crouch was braver than most or dumber, but he stared levelly at Hagrid before turning slightly toward Dumbledore and nodding once. "You are responsible for her," he said firmly. "When I return I expect her to be here."

"I will be," Hermione answered for Dumbledore.

Then Crouch and Moody both pocketed their wands and walked away from the group, leaving the castle.

Remus practically swept Hermione off her feet in his massive embrace. The tears that fell down her face were ones of pure relief. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin stood close by, holding each other and beaming. When Remus finally released her, Hermione's eyes went to James. Sirius, Dumbledore and Hagrid were all surrounding him. He was leaning against the wall, with his eyes closed. Hermione handed Nathaniel to Remus and walked slowly toward him. He opened his eyes when she was directly in front of him.

"Thank you, James," she said softly.

The control that James had been exercising seemed to break in that moment and he began to cry. Hermione's arms immediately went around him and they both sank to the floor. It was gut wrenching to watch the grief pour from him, but Hermione held him close, rocking him slightly and letting him cry.

After a long time, when he had finally cried himself out, she helped him to his feet. "It's been a long night. It's time everyone went to bed." She led James to the hospital wing and everyone followed. The hospital wing was thankfully empty.

Hermione put James to bed and drew a curtain around him. Then she took Harry from Hagrid and used Remus's wand to transform two of the other beds into cribs. Harry fussed when she set him down, but she didn't pick him back up. After Harry was in his crib, she took Nathaniel and put him in the second crib.

Then she hated herself for doing it, but she went to Hagrid and asked, "Do you think you could go down to the kitchens and see if the house elves could bring up some food and two bottles of formula for the boys?"

Hagrid nodded and quickly hurried away.

Hermione turned and faced everyone who was left. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything you all did tonight. I know each of you had your suspicions at some point, but I… I am so thankful you chose to believe me in the end."

Remus beamed at his wife and stepped forward and pulled her into a massive embrace. "We love you, darling. You never have to doubt that."

"You're all welcome to stay at Hogwarts tonight," said Professor Dumbledore. "But if you'll excuse me, there's something I must do." He turned to Hermione. "Will you join me?" he asked.

Remus held her a little tighter, but she patted his arm gently. "Of course," she answered. "No, you stay here," she told Remus when he began to follow her. "Feed the boys when Hagrid gets back."

"Hermione," he began.

She took his face in her hands and smiled gently. "I'll be right back. I promise."

Remus released her reluctantly and Hermione followed Dumbledore out.

"I'm not going back," said Hermione when she and Dumbledore were finally alone.

Dumbeldore nodded. "You've made that decision clear. I won't try to change your mind."

Hermione wondered why they were apparently headed back to the seventh floor.

As if reading her mind, Dumbledore continued to speak. "For your own piece of mind I want you to make the decision alone without anyone around." They arrived together back in front of the doorway. "I will leave you alone now," said Dumbledore. "Make this decision for yourself, Hermione," he said gently before leaving.

Hermione stood in front of the doorway and stared at it. The air was thick with magic, but silent and she was grateful. For the first time she was able to feel her emotions properly and think clearly. She couldn't deny the part of her that missed her parents and the life she had left. She missed Harry and Ron, but she also discovered that the ache she used to feel when she thought about them wasn't there anymore.

Neither of them would ever be replaced in her heart, but when she thought of Remus and Nathaniel, waiting for her below, she knew what her decision must be.

Loving Harry and Ron had prepared her for the next loves of her life. When she thought of Remus, her heart still fluttered with excitement and love. And when she thought of Nathaniel, she thought her heart would burst with love. She had been given such a precious gift and she couldn't just throw it away.

Hermione put one hand on the door and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "Goodbye," she whispered. Then she turned her back on it and walked back to her boys.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The next morning, Hermione awoke very slowly. She felt warm and comfortable and she didn't want to move.

"Good morning," said Remus, kissing her temple softly. Hermione realized why she was so warm and comfortable. Remus was spooned tightly against her with one warm hand splayed across her stomach. She stretch and turned in his arms so they were facing each other.

"Morning," she answered softly.

He stroked her hair gently. "I forgot how beautiful you are first thing in the morning."

She smiled and shook her head.

"No, I mean it," he insisted. "Your hair is all wild and your eyes are so bright and relaxed." He leaned forward and kissed her nose. "Beautiful."

"Some nights I would dream you were holding me and when I woke up the pain of you not being there was almost unbearable," she told him.

"It'll never happen again," he promised her. He smiled wickedly. "I can't wait to get you alone. It's been so long since we made love and I want you so badly."

A flicker of pain crossed Hermione's face.

"What is it?" asked Remus, his voice full of concern.

"Nothing," she answered quickly.

"It's not nothing," he said and he wiped a lone tear that had fallen down the side of her face. Hermione hadn't realized she'd started crying.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I know I don't have a right to be upset, but the idea of you and Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus, I just want to kill her. I hate her so much and I…"

Remus tightened his hold on his wife and put his finger over her mouth. "I never slept with Bellatrix," he told her forcefully.

"But…" she started.

"Hermione, I never had sex with her," he said firmly. "Not once. She kicked me out of our room. I didn't understand then."

"But she told me," interrupted Hermione. "When she would come for the Polyjuice potion she would tell me how you doted on her and… and…," she couldn't finish because Remus kissed her firmly on the lips.

"You are the only woman I've ever been with," he told her. "And you're the only woman I'll ever be with."

"Oh, Remus," Hermione sighed happily and she melted into his arms.

They lingered in bed a long time, enjoying the feel of each other, even as they longed for more. Finally, the world could not be put off any longer. Nathaniel and Harry both woke at the same time and demanded attention. They each attended to one boy, letting James sleep as long as he could. Hermione knew today would be a long day for him and she was in no hurry for him to start it.

As she rocked and fed Harry with Remus beside her with their own son, she realized just how blessed her life truly was. There would be much to deal with in the coming weeks, but Hermione knew they would get through it because they had each other.

The end!

A/N: It's finally over. I've taken more enjoyment from writing this piece than any other piece I've written. I have to say that this has truly been one of the most rewarding writing experiences I've had. Fan fiction is so much more than just a copy of another person's genius. It is a tribute to that genius. I can't thank you all enough for your encouragement. I hope I didn't disappoint.

A/N 2: For those of you who wondered where I got RAB's middle name from, I have to confess it isn't anywhere in the books as far as I can tell. I am deducing that is what the middle name was because that was the name of Sirius's uncle who gave him money when he left home and JKR tends to give her characters family middle names, for example Ron BILIUS Weasley and Harry JAMES Potter.

A/N 3: Do you want an epilogue? First day at Hogwarts perhaps? Only teasing, it's already half written. I'll try and post in a week. The epilogue won't have anything to do with the plot though. The story is complete. I know some people are begging for a sequel, but I have to admit I'm a bit exhausted creatively. I'm not sure where I would go from here. Maybe I'll revisit one of my other stories or I do have a small idea for something new, a trio centered fic picking up where HBP left off. But you're the reader, what do you want to see?

Oh and by the way, if you've never reviewed before will you please review now? I am intensely curious as to exactly how many people actually were reading this fic. Thanks!