A/N: To understand this chapter fully, Read my story: The New Defense Professor

Chapter 25: Explanations

At the Ministry of Magic, a redheaded man about the age of 33 walked in. He wanted to clear up a rumor he had heard, and he knew just the people to talk to, and the person who would take it the best.

"Hello." The witch at the front desk said to him. "How may I help you?"

"Hello. I'm here to see Mr. Remus Lupin." The man said.

"He's about to go on break, sir." She told him. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No. But he knows me. Can you page him?"

"Of course. May I tell him who is visiting?"

"Peeler. Harold Peeler."

"Professor Peeler! Where have you been!"

"Miss. Turner? From Ravenclaw?" Harold Peeler asked as he recognized the woman.

"Yes. Well, actually Mrs. Cliff now."

"Ah yes. How is Geffory?"

"He's fine. How about Miss. Westley?"

"Well, now she's Mrs. Peeler, but she's fine."

"That's wonderful. Well, I won't keep you waiting for Mr. Lupin."

"Thank you."

0000

In the Department of Magical Creatures Department, Remus was looking through a stack of papers. Spica came in with two cups of tea.

"You look tired." She told her husband's friend as she handed him a cup.

"Just a little." Remus told her. "Nothing like from before the cure."

"You miss them don't you?" Sara said as she walked in referring to Harry and Ginny.

Remus nodded.

"Well, Sara and I are on break." John said as he entered the room

"I'm about to go on break myself." Remus said.

"Mr. Lupin." Maria Turner Cliff paged.

"Yes?"

"There is a visitor here to see you."

"Who?"

"Professor Peeler."

"Professor Peeler? It can't be. Send him up." Remus said.

"You don't think…" Spica started.

"I don't know any other Peelers." Remus told his friend's wife.

"What ever happened to him?" John asked

"That's right. You didn't hear him and "Miss. Westley" talking." Spica asked him

Just then, Harold Peeler walked in.

"Hi Guys. Miss me?" the man asked

"Harry?" the older adults asked.

"Well, I guess you can call me that if you want. After all, we are all adults."

"When did you get back?" Sara asked as she hugged him.

"Just a few weeks ago. I just needed to clear up a rumor. Is…?"

Sirius interrupted as he walked in. "Hey Moony! When do you have break?"

"I'm on break right now Padfoot." Remus smiled. "But we have a visitor."

Sirius turned to see his defense teacher who had only aged 14 years.

"It's about time you showed up." Sirius said as he hugged him.

"What can I say? The sights of Italy and Albania were too much to leave."

"Have you seen James yet?" Sirius asked him.

"Not yet. I came here to see you guys and to clear up a rumor. Is Dumbledore…gone?"

There was a moment of silence as the Marauders and Maraudettes nodded.

Harry sighed. "He's going to be missed."

Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "He already is."

"Where IS Mr. Potter?" Harry said.

"Would you believe HE'S the new McGonagall?" John told him.

"Oh boy." Harry said. "He probably knows I'm back."

"Why do you say that?" Spica asked.

"I have kids at Hogwarts now."

"Yeah. I guess the name "Potter" would stand out a bit nowadays." Sara said.

Harry quickly turned to her.

"What?!" he asked.

"Harold James Potter. We know it's you." Sirius said in mock scolding.

"Before he…we had Dumbledore remove the memory charms." Remus explained

Harry went over to the wall and started banging his head.

"How did you guys know that their was a charm?" he finally asked.

"Because this idiot," Remus said pointing to Sirius, "Wrote this."

Remus handed Harry the old DADA book by H.J.P. that the author had given to Remus. In Sirius' sloppy handwriting read:

Professor Harold J. Peeler, the author of this book, is really Harry James Potter from 1998.

–Sirius Black, 1977.

"Why did you write this?" he turned to Sirius

"So that life could make sense again." Sirius said to him.

0000

At Hogwarts, everything went smoothly. James thought the day would never end because he planned to meet his wife at Hogsmeade after the last class which was his daughter's. When the NEWT classes ended, you would think it would be the students running out of the classroom. Instead, it was James.

Just before he was out the door, he noticed he was being followed.

"Hermione?"

"I've missed them too." She told him. "I fire-called Ron last night and told him that I needed to meet at Hogsmeade today and that it was vital."

"I told Lily the same thing." James told her.

"JAMES!"

"HERMIONE!"

Lily and Ron were running towards their spouses.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked.

"We have two new students." Hermione told him.

Ron gave her a look

"You had me skip Quidditch practice for that? You have many more new students every year."

"Not all of them are named Tara and Taran Potter." James told him.

Lily and Ron starred at them opened mouthed.

0000

"MASTER HARRY POTTER! YOUS HOME!"

Harry was being attacked by our favorite sock-loving house-elf.

"Hi Dobby." Harry managed to gasp as he was tightly squeezed by a hug by the overexcited house-elf. "I missed you too."

"Cheating on me with the house-elf?" Ginny teased as she came down the stairs.

Harry gave her a look.

"Can Dobby get Master Harry Potter anything?" Dobby asked while letting Harry go.

"No thanks Dobby." Harry said. "The kids are at school, so we just want quiet."

"Alright Master Harry Potter. Just let Dobby know if he can get yous anything." Dobby said before leaving the couple alone.

"Whew. That's over." Harry said plopping down on the couch.

"Harry? Didn't you hear what you told Dobby?" Ginny said seductively. "The kids are at school."

Harry caught on with what she was saying. She sat in his lap and they started kissing passionately.

Before it got to the point where'd I'd have to raise the rating,

KNOCK KNOCK

The couple groaned.

"Think whoever it is will believe me if I said that "we weren't here"?" Harry asked.

"WE'RE NOT HOME!" Ginny tried.

"NICE TRY!" Hermione's voice called from behind the front door. "BUT I DIDN'T GRADUATE TOP OF MY CLASS TO BE FOOLED BY THAT TRICK!"

"Guess not." Ginny told her husband.

"About how dead do you think we are?" He asked.

"About as dead as Dumbledore if the rumors are true."

"They are." He told her sadly.

Harry started to raise his hand before remembering something.

"Oh yeah. They know."

"What?"

"Professor Peeler and Miss. Westley."

"Oh Merlin."

Harry waved his hand to open the door with Ginny still on his lap. The door opened to reveal Ron, Hermione, James, and Lily.

"Where the bloody hell have you two been this time?" Ron asked as Lily ran up to hug her son and daughter-in-law.

"According to your kids," James stated, "Italy and Albania."

"They're right." Harry said. "The kids spent the whole time in Italy while Ginny and I traveled back and forth."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"There was suspicious activity in Albania. We saw Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle,…" Ginny started.

"At least you guys are safe." Lily interrupted. "Don't ever do this again."

"We'll try not to Mum." Harry told her.

"Do the others know?" James asked.

"I went to the Ministry to clear up the rumor about Dumbledore." Harry explained, "So Sirius, Remus, Sara, Spica, and John know."

"That leaves Melissa, Jennifer, Rigel, and the rest of the Weasleys." Lily said.

0000

That weekend when all the adults showed up,

"I can't believe you're back!" Melissa said as she hugged Harry and Ginny.

"Sorry we were gone for so long." Harry apologized as the floo system activated.

"GINNY!" Molly Weasley came running up to her daughter to give her a famous Molly Weasley hug. She was the first in a long line of Weasleys to enter from the fireplace

"Hi Mum." She said. "Sorry if we worried you."

"Well, you're a grown woman now, and have a brave husband who is devoted to you, so,… my baby's grown up." Molly said before she started sobbing.

"Mum." Ginny groaned. "We've been through this when I got back the last time, when Harry and I announced our engagement (A.K.A. twice on the same day), on my wedding day, when I announced I was pregnant, AND after the twins were born."

"I understand Molly." Lily joined Molly in the overprotective-mother-realizing-the-baby-isn't-a-baby-anymore-cry

"I think they're trying to make us feel guilty." Harry whispered.

"So, what was Italy like?" Jennifer asked.

"It was good." Ginny said. "We had a friend from last time who looked after the kids while we were in Albania."

"So you left the kids in Italy?" Arthur asked.

"Yes. That way they were close, but far from the fighting." Harry explained.

"Where in Italy?" Hermione asked.

"Bari." Ginny informed her. "It's on the coast of Italy closest to Albania."

"We took a small trip to Romania once after we stopped the Death Eaters, but Charlie was visiting England at the time. We left a message with someone." Harry said.

"Who was it?" Charlie asked.

"Richard." Ginny said.

"Oh. When I got back, he had been severely injured." Charlie told them.

"Is he alright?" Ginny asked in horror.

"Last I heard, he was waking up from his coma." Her brother said.

"That's good." Harry said. "At least he survived."

TBC

It wasn't even all humans that showed up. The ghost had come to pay their respects to the old headmaster. Centaurs emerged from the forest and even the squid surfaced.

"Dumbledore was really popular." Vega whispered noticing the squid.

Just then, there was a sound. Unearthly like the phoenix song she heard in the memories, but different.

"There." Colin pointed to the lake.