Disclaimer: No money is being made or received for this work in her playground of characters.

Chapter 15 -- Admissions and Guilt

"Harry?" Rowan knocked on the door. She found him sitting up, holding hands with Ginny, while talking to Ron and Hermione. He met her gaze and beckoned them into the room. "I was afraid you would already be asleep."

"No, I sleep enough. We were just talking. Please come in."

The adults entered the room. Rowan dragged a chair over to sit near him. Ginny, sensing what was coming, gave them a little room. "Harry, I… need to talk to you."

"I wanted to say thank you for helping them find me. Ron told me about your map. It sounds amazing." He smiled at her.

"Yes, well, uhm…" her eyes left Harry's and met Remus' for a moment. He gave her an encouraging smile. "You see the thing is… Oh man, this is hard Harry." He waited quietly while she tried to find the words. "No matter how I say this, it will be wrong, so I am going to say it as fast as possible and then you can ask questions at the end. Would that be okay?" He nodded with a grin.

"You see Harry, I was appointed your God Mother when you were born. I was… married to Sirius and… when Lily and James were killed, Albus took you away from Sirius. He, well, he lost all sense of reason. His mother found us after he was sent to Azkaban. I could not fight her. She was too strong and the death eaters were still very much looking for a leader. They chose her. She… threatened me… vowing to take the children and rear them in the way a Black should be raised… I panicked and after having my powers bound, I had Albus use a memory charm. I was taken to Texas and left there with new memories. I left you here … I am so very sorry." She felt the sting of tears as they left her eyes.

He eyed her wearily. He looked at Remus as he reached for her hand. "Rowan?" She seemed not to hear him. "Rowan?" he repeated louder. "Look at me for a moment," she stopped long enough to meet the green gaze, "I know." He said simply. "Ron, Hermione, and Ginny told me. They also told me what you went through in order to bring me back. I don't hate you Rowan. You came back when it was necessary. And if what Ginny tells me, you have been looking for an excuse to talk to me for a few days now." he continued to smile at her.

"You don't hate me?"

"Nah, too much effort; some day though, I want to hear better stories about my mum than Remus is willing to tell me." She reached and hugged the man in front of her.

"You'll like my son. He'll remind you of Sirius, but blonde. My daughter though… she would have made a perfect marauder." Her eyes twinkled through the remaining tears. "Oh, but they don't know yet. I would like to be the ones to tell them. At school, I will still be Professor Black, at least until we unbind their powers. But, let me tell them, okay?" They all agreed. She left with the other adults, once again impressed with a man by the last name of Potter.

Everyone left for a moment so Harry could ask Remus something. Remus walked out of the door a few minutes later, flooed to Grimmauld Place and returned with Harry's photo albums. The rest of the evening was spent with Rowan and Remus pointing out who everyone was in the pictures.

The baby pictures were, as Harry suspected, Harry and Neville. The third boy was Rowan's son, Mason. The little girl was Madison. She told a few stories about watching James, Frank, and Sirius be directed by Remus as to how to change a diaper; without the use of magic. They finished the evening as Harry fell asleep. Setting the photo albums in their seats, the adults left Ginny, Ron, and Hermione to tend to Harry.