Harry and Minerva sprung into action without hesitation, they both ran for the fireplace, and Harry threw some floopowder in "Hogshead Pub!" he said and jumped into the green flames. Minerva was right behind him. They arrived in one of the back rooms of Aberforth's Pub, the same one they had been in on their way to their mission. The two ran for the door which they knew was leading to the alleyway in the back, from which they could apparate.

"I have no fucking idea where they live!" Harry said, remembering just now.

"I'll take you there," Minerva said and took his hand, but before she could apparate, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"We'll make it back safe, okay?"

"Of course," she answered with a small smile and then apparated them to the street where the house of Edgar Bones was.

Upon their arrival, they immediately had to duck a stray Killing Curse, spells and jinxes were flying everywhere, and people of the Order and Death Eaters fought each other. Harry couldn't believe that Voldemort himself was there, duelling none other than Dumbledore himself in the centre of the fights. Minerva and Harry immediately joined the fight. Half of the house was demolished, doors and windows blasted away, and Harry spotted at least three people on the ground, if injured, knocked out or dead, he didn't know.

Harry sent curses after the cloaked figures, and for a moment, the two had an advantage on them since they hadn't seen them coming, but it didn't last that long before Harry and Minerva were engaged in fights. Minerva took on two Death Eaters at once, and Harry managed to knock out another Death Eater before he was stopped by Antonin Dolohov, whose mask was gone.

He had fought that man often enough in his old-time, but this younger Dolohov proved to be an even more significant challenge to beat. They both send curses and hexes at each other at a neck-breaking speed, both determined to kill their opponent. With every second the duel lasted, Harry saw the hatred and madness grow behind the Death Eater's eyes. He wasn't used to duelling someone so on par with him regarding his abilities. Maybe that was how Harry could beat him, provoke him until his madness overpowered his concentration and focus, so he would make mistakes. One mistake was all Harry needed.

"That's all you got, Dolohov?" Harry taunted with a grin on his lips, and he could see the snarl on the older man's face, as well as the maddening twinkle, intensify.

"After you, I'll wipe out your whole filthy bloodline, Potter!"

"If you continue like that, I have nothing to worry about!" Harry shouted back, and Dolohov's eyes almost bulged out of his face in rage. Nobody had ever taunted him that way. He was one of the most feared wizards on this planet, he was one of his Lord's most loyal servants, had killed countless people who had stood in their way. No one dared to speak to him this way ever!

Dolohov lashed out, and Harry recognized the wand movement; it was the curse that had almost killed Hermione. He dived out of the way just in time, felt the heat of the invisible blade that would have cut through his body like butter on his back. But as he was still falling, he pointed his wand at the Death Eater.

"Ossium!" the spell that broke every bone in the body part it hit, hit Dolohov in the upper leg, and he screamed in agony as he collapsed. Harry rolled off and quickly stood on his feet again, only to see another Death Eater grabbing Dolohov and apparating away. "Fucking coward!" Harry screamed and sent a Stunner at the back of a Death Eater, who was about to attack one of the Prewett twins and promptly crumpled to the ground.

Before Harry could make one more step, though, something big crashed into him, they tumbled over the ground, and Harry's wand was wretched out of his hand as he tried to raise it. The only thing he saw was a wild mane of hair and the stench of old blood, sweat and dirt; he knew that smell. It was Greyback. Harry tried his best to fight him off, but Greyback was too strong, he felt the werewolf's hot breath against his neck while his long nails dug into his skin.

"You reek of that animagus whore... I'll guess I'll have her for dessert!" the beast of a man growled, but before Harry could try anything else to fight him off, Greyback was blasted off him and through the air, over the heads of the other fighter's, landing somewhere out of sight. Harry looked up and saw Minerva running towards him.

"Are you okay?!" she asked, worried, as Harry quickly got up.

"Yes, thanks to you, can you summon my wand?" he asked, and then both ducked another killing curse. Minerva quickly waved her wand, and only a second later, Harry caught his wand when it came flying towards them from a few yards away.

"Let's stay together," Harry suggested as he wiped some blood away from his neck where Greyback's claws had pierced his skin. Together, they continued the fight against the Death Eaters, tuning and walking around each other, knowing each other's moves so well it looked like they were dancing. The two managed to capture three Death Eaters and kill another two, but before they could continue their fight, a powerful blast of magic knocked everyone off their feet.

For the second time that night, Harry was slammed to the ground, hitting his head pretty hard. Despite the dizziness and pain throbbing through his skull Harry turned and looked to where the source of the blast was. He saw Dumbledore, who had been able to stay on his feet if only barely, thanks to a powerful protego around him and Voldemort screaming in anger before he vanished. With their leader gone, the few remaining Death Eaters decided to flee like their Lord before they were also captured or killed.

Everyone who was able to move got back up on their feet. Harry saw Dumbledore hurrying inside the house before he turned to look at Minerva at his side. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm alright," she answered, but then another voice already called their names.

"Minerva, Harry, thank Merlin you came. This would have ended a lot worse if not for the two of you," Dorcas Meadows said as she hurried towards them.

"What happened, Dorcas?" Minerva asked, wincing as she pressed her already bandaged hand to a cut on her forehead.

"They were celebrating little Morgan's birthday; those fucking madmen got notice of it and tried to wipe out the entire family. The wards kept them away long enough for Edgar to contact us and get most of them to safety; luckily, Dumbledore wasn't far away. This would have been a bloody massacre…" the witch explained to them as they looked around. It seemed most of the bodies in front of the house belonged to Death Eaters.

Harry saw how Sturgis helped one of the Prewett twins up, while Moody and the other twin, Giddeon if Harry wasn't mistaken, walked around the battle site to every Death Eater. They checked their identities and, if they were still alive, proceeding to tie them up so they couldn't harm anyone and then be locked up in Azkaban.

"What are the casualties?" Harry asked grimly.

"Caradoc was pretty badly wounded; we moved him inside earlier. We don't know if they can save his leg. I saw Emmeline run inside, she's taking him to St. Mungo's. Fabian's pretty roughed up, Benji, Simon and Carmen too, but they're going to be alright again. Edgar's parents and older brother are dead; they tried to hold them off as long as possible. They also killed Martin and Amy," Dorcas ended, and Harry closed his eyes for a second.

He had only met Martin Abercrombie and Amy Robins on his first official Order Meeting back in September, but the small, pixie-like Amy with the spiky hair reminded him a great deal of Tonks. One hell of a witch, with a heart of gold and a little bit hyperactive. Martin had been a bear of a man with a passion for plants; if not for his stature, when he talked, Harry could have mistaken him for Neville.

Harry didn't pretend like he was heartbroken or inconsolable about their deaths, he didn't know them well enough for that, and it would be wrong and dishonest to their memory. He was sad they were dead. They had been extraordinary people who gave their lives for others, making the ultimate sacrifice, so others could live. They would fight on for each and everyone, so their deaths were not in vain.

Back in his old time, Harry didn't know all the witches and wizards who had died before Voldemort had tried to kill him as a baby. He had only seen some of them on a picture once; now, he had talked to them, heard their voices and their stories. Harry was even more determined to end Voldemort, not only for the people who would die in the future but for those who had given their lives and had been forgotten.

"The Ministry will be here any second now! Everyone who should not be seen here, better leave now," Moody's voice echoed through the night and pulled Harry from his thoughts. He felt a smaller, softer hand slip into his and looked at Minerva, who then squeezed his hand.

"Let's go," he glanced up again towards Albus, who, coincidentally or not, had stepped out of the house and looked at them at the exact moment and nodded, telling them quietly that they should go and they would talk once the situation was resolved.

"Alright," Harry agreed, and this time it was him who apparated them back to Hogwarts. They arrived in front of the school gates, where it had begun to snow. Thick snowflakes were falling from the dark sky, whirling around in the cold wind.

"Do you want to walk back to Aberforth's and floo, or walk up to the school?" Harry asked her, and Minerva didn't have to think long about it.

"Let's take a walk; I think we both need the time," she said, and Harry nodded, but he did transfigure thicker travelling cloaks on them both, as getting sick was something neither of them needed right now. They walked quietly next to each other for a while before Harry spoke.

"I'm pretty late with that, but how's your head?" he asked and looked down at the cut on her forehead, which had stopped bleeding but still looked pretty bad.

"A light headache, but apart from that, I'm fine, and you? For a second, I feared that I was too late when that werewolf attacked you," Minerva said, and Harry pulled down the collars of his cloaks so she could see the scratches at his neck and collarbone.

"Yeah, you saved me from being mauled or, in the other case, some pretty nasty wounds, which are a pain in the arse to heal. I'll ask Poppy for some cream or paste tomorrow," he answered and watched how Minerva frowned a little.

"He wasn't even changed...I never heard of a werewolf attacking people in their human form like that."

"Yes, normally they don't, but Fenrir Greyback is a special son of a bitch-"

"You know him?" Minerva interrupted him for a moment. She had recognized the werewolf as the one who had found her at the Avery Manor. But Harry had never indicated that he knew the werewolf. Harry nodded grimly.

"I do...I dealt with him on a few occasions as an Auror. Greyback is the vilest creature I ever knew...his hatred for wizards runs so deep he developed a plan to overthrow the Wizarding World. He wants to infect so many people that they can rule over the wizards, use them to feed and as their entertainment... what's really sick is his idea of achieving that. His favourite prey are children, his philosophy is to bite them young and raise them away from wizards and nurturing their hatred for them," Harry told her quietly and saw the shocked expression on her face.

"Oh my god...how could anyone want to put someone through that? I mean what Remus has to go through each month- I-" Minerva didn't know how to continue that sentence.

"I know. I don't know if Remus knows, but it was Greyback who bit him...as revenge for something Remus' father said. I don't know if Greyback was always like that or if he is just the product of years of being an outcast and hated for what you are once a month, for being denied even existing. There are ones like Remus...but Greyback is also not alone. Many seek revenge for what we put them through. Who knows what would have become of that quiet, polite boy if he too, had been denied going to Hogwarts and finding friends."

"You're right, that Greyback is like he is, is probably our own fault, but our kind changed their ways of thinking only slowly. It'll probably take years to change the way we see and treat werewolves."

"Yes, that's why it's not public knowledge that Greyback exists. If people knew...they would hunt werewolves down even more so than they already do," Harry said and then laid his arm around her, and Minerva laid her head on his shoulder. In an attempt to change the subject, Harry thought of something to say when a question popped up in his head he had always wanted to ask her.

"By the way, I always wanted to ask you if you knew that James, Sirius, and Peter became animagi to be with Remus on these full moon nights?" he asked, and Minerva couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh please, you don't really believe they could have achieved that without a little help? I saved their arses so many times over the years I lost count, and without me, they would be still trying to this day. Funnily enough, they knew that I knew, so all they had to do was ask, and I would have helped them," Minerva said, and Harry shook his head with a grin on his lips; he should have known.

"Of course you have," he answered and pressed a gentle kiss on top of her head. They continued to make their way up to the school, and once inside, they disillusioned themselves to avoid being seen and have questions thrown at them, with which they did not want to deal with right now.

"Do you want to stay in your own quarters tonight?" Harry asked quietly when they neared his.

"Only if you want me to," Minerva said, and Harry smiled.

"I would never send you away." they entered his quarters, and both quickly got out of their cloaks. "I'll get something to get us patched up again, you can also take a shower if you want," Harry said after he started a fire in his fireplace with a flick of his wand to warm up the place.

"I might actually accept your offer," Minerva said, and Harry showed her to his bathroom and took some towels from the cupboard and then the small first aid kit, so he could tend to his wounds while Minerva showered.

"Do you want something to change into? I could lend you something."

"That would be nice... if it's not something left by an old flame," Minerva answered, and Harry smiled.

"Sadly, I can only offer you my own nightgowns. Do you want a pink one or blue with small flowers?"

"I'm sure you look flattering in both, but I think a shirt and some shorts will be enough," Minerva told Harry and then pulled him down to kiss him. Not wanting to break their kiss and leave her just yet, Harry summoned a shirt and some boxer shorts with a wave of his wand while they kissed.

"I love you," Minerva murmured against his lips as they parted but was still pressed against his body.

"I love you too, so much," Harry answered and pressed another small kiss on her lips. On any other day, he would have asked her if he could join her under the shower, but today was not the day for that. It felt wrong after everything that had happened that night.

"I'll wait for you," he said after another kiss and then left the bathroom so Minerva could take her shower. Once outside, he undressed and searched for the wound gel he had for emergencies. It wasn't the right thing for wounds inflicted by a werewolf who wasn't transformed, not that it would have helped any better if he had been in his werewolf form, but it was better than nothing.

Once he had put some of the soothing gel on his wounds, Harry dressed in some pyjama pants and shirt and decided to make some tea. Only a few minutes after the tea was ready, Minerva walked out of the bathroom, dressed in his shirt and boxer shorts, her long black hair still wet and laying over her right shoulder. She really looked stunning no matter what she wore.

"I made some tea, it won't be as good as yours, but I tried my best. Here you go," Harry said and handed her a cup, which she accepted with a smile.

"Thank you," she said, and Harry then raised his wand and pointed it at the cut on her forehead.

"Crescente," he said and watched as the skin grew back together.

"Thanks again," Minerva said as her fingers automatically traced the spot where the cut had been moments earlier.

"No need to thank me, I might be no healer, but during or after missions, we had to patch each other up pretty often," Harry said as they walked over to his couch to sit down.

"I can imagine…" Minerva then sipped at the tea and had the decency not to say anything, as the tea was not nearly as good as when she made it, and Harry was glad about that. At least it was getting them warmed up again.

"No matter what we do, there are so many of them... it's like fighting the Hydra. For one severed head, there will be two new ones. And we lost so many that lately nothing feels like a victory anymore." Minerva whispered after a few minutes of silence, looking outside the window at the falling snow.

"I know," Harry said and laid his free arm around her and pulled her closer to him, "But we'll make sure they didn't die for nothing, Mina." Minerva laid her head on his shoulder.

"Was it like this in your time?" she asked quietly, and Harry sighed before he answered.

"Yes and no...for the first year after his return, he kept low, he took advantage of the fact that Fudge refused to believe he was back and gave him free rein. If Fudge didn't practically lock people up who believed Voldemort was back or denounce them...maybe everything could have been different. But Tom had one year to gather followers and rise to power with only the Order trying to stop him while the whole Ministry watched. When they finally admitted he was back, it was too late. It was chaos, pretty much like now, people dying left and right."

Minerva looked up at him with a shocked expression. "Fudge did what? Why wouldn't he believe anyone who said-" she paused for a moment before she continued, "V-Voldemort was back? Who would claim that if it wasn't the truth?" Harry squeezed her shoulder gently to let Minerva know he acknowledged her saying the name.

"For a long time, I didn't understand either, but the answer is quite simple, he was literally scared out of his mind. He didn't want him to be back and thought that maybe if only he refused to believe Voldemort was back long enough that...Voldemort would simply disappear. His main targets were Albus and me… I think I don't have to explain that my fifth year wasn't very enjoyable when almost the whole school thought I was a psychopathic liar.

The worst part was that for one whole year, people thought that Cedric died by accident...that it was just bad luck or he wasn't good enough for the last Task. I could forgive them for thinking I was a stupid attention-seeking lair, but that they dishonoured his memory; that's something I can't forgive. He could have grabbed the bloody Trophy again and disappear, but he stayed to fight because I broke down because of the pain in my scar. I'd be dead if not for Cedric...and they simply choose to forget him," Harry said quietly.

"You remembered, you made sure that there was at least someone at school who knew how Cedric died. That it was not an accident or his lack of skills," Minerva whispered and laid her left on his hand upon her shoulder.

"Sometimes it feels like that was not enough," Harry answered quietly, "Voldemort's angry...it won't take long before he attacks again, he won't let people believe he was stopped when he tried to wipe out a single family," he added and felt Minerva nod.

"And we're going to be there to stop him." silence fell between them once more, and they simply drank their tea, enjoying the close company of the other they so desperately needed after what happened this night. Long after their empty mugs had been levitated to the coffee table, and with now only glowing pieces of burned wood left in the fireplace, Harry felt how his eyelids grew heavier with each passing moment.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Harry whispered, but there was no answer from Minerva, craning his neck a little and glancing down showed him that Minerva had already fallen asleep. Harry got up with a small smile and gently lifted her in his arms to carry her bridal style to the bed, on which Harry carefully laid her before joining her, throwing the covers over them both. Only a moment later, Minerva turned and snuggled against him for warmth, and with a smile, Harry laid his arm around her and closed his eyes.

Finally, Christmas break arrived, and Harry couldn't be more thankful for it because he might have gone mad next. The past weeks since the attack of the Bones family had practically flown by. The days directly after had been filled with fearful whispers and many students coming to the teachers for advice and someone to talk to. To tell them that they were worried about their families. So none of them had much time for their everyday work, not to mention Harry and Minerva were also training the Marauders and Co.

The people on the staff who were also in the Order, namely Minerva, Aurora, Leonard and him, had to find the time for two Order Meetings and one mission. There would have been more work for the Order to do, but the four of them and enough work as full-time teachers and therefore, most of the Missions were done by other members.

So with everything that was going on, Harry was more than glad to have almost three weeks off, three weeks in which he only had to grade some homework and prepare some of his lesson for when the break was over. There was one massive headache announcing itself behind his eyes, and Harry was more than glad that it was an acceptable time to dismiss his last class for the day and this term.

"Alright, I think none of us will be disappointed when I end the lesson now. After the break, I want three feet of parchment on Werewolves, their origin and how society treats them, as well as a sketch of a werewolf and a normal wolf with the differences between them highlighted!" Harry announced to his fourth-year class, who were now torn between being happy that the school day was over and annoyed by the amount of homework.

"Oh, stop it, I have to grade seven classes of homework and am I complaining?" he said and then added with a friendlier tone and a smile, "I wish you all a nice Christmas with your family, and please stay safe."

"You too, Professor Potter!"

"Have a nice Christmas, Professor Potter!" many of the students said at the same time, or something along the way, as they packed their things and hurried outside. When the final student quickly run from his classroom, Harry slumped down on his chair, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, enjoying the silence for a few minutes.

"You ended the lessons early?" He grinned without opening his eyes.

"To hear that from the witch who didn't end a lesson early, since she was the assistant Transfiguration Professor and only responsible for first to third years," Harry teased her back and could practically feel the glare she threw at him.

"I was not an 'assistant' Transfiguration Professor! Albus and I shared the position, you baboon," she shot back, and Harry laughed.

"Am I a babbling and bumbling baboon?"

"What?" Minerva asked, confused, and Harry opened his eyes to find her perched on his desk, her arms crossed and one of her eyebrows arched at him. Harry got up and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to her lips, once a glance over her shoulder had told him the door was closed.

"For the Yule Ball in my fourth year, you tried to teach us how to dance because you wouldn't let us and I quote: Ruin Gryffindor's good name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons. Then you made Ron dance with you in front of everyone. It was brilliant," Harry told her between kisses and couldn't help but grin against her lips.

"I said that?"

"Mhm-Hmm." Harry made, and Minerva laughed.

"If that was all I said, then you couldn't have been so bad," she said and looked up at him.

"Well, you don't know what you said once that lesson was over," Harry replied, but before he could continue, there was a faint jingle of bells over their heads, and they both looked up only to groan.

Right over their heads, a mistletoe had grown out of nowhere and was floating over their heads. The past week these things had appeared all over the school at the most unfavourable times, in a school full of hormonal teenagers. Meaning the halls were full of snogging teenagers. Both Minerva and Harry suspected Albus behind these mysterious mistletoes because that was just something that would amuse him.

"Let's just ignore it; when are you leaving?" Harry asked her. Minerva had told him she would spend this year's Christmas with her family since nobody from Gryffindor stayed at the school over the holidays. At first, he wasn't so keen about that, because he would have loved to spend the holidays together, but maybe she wouldn't spend all of the holidays with her family, so there was still a chance for them to spend time alone.

"The day after tomorrow, I want to get most of the paperwork done before I leave," Minerva began and paused for a second, debating whether or not to actually say the following words, "Since you already brought up the matter, I- well...you said you would spend Christmas alone, so I thought, maybe, you want to come with me?" Minerva asked, trying to conceal her nervousness. She had never introduced a former boyfriend or partner to her family, mainly because her former relationships had never been anywhere this serious, despite the relatively short time Harry and her were together.

"What? Accompany you to your family?"

"You don't have to! I-I just thought you might-"

"I don't want to intrude. It's your time with your family, Mina," Harry said; he really didn't want that, she didn't have to invite him just because she thought he was lonely.

"I wouldn't ask you if you would, Harry, it's alright, but you don't have to come," Minerva said, honestly meaning what she said.

"Well, if you're sure you want me there, then I'd love to go with you," Harry answered and smiled at her, and Minerva immediately smiled back.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Okay, I have to warn you though, my family is crazy," Minerva said as she slid off his desk and turned to walk towards the door. Harry was about to ask if she knew who he was related to, as he could not imagine that a Christmas with James and Sirius was quiet and peaceful, when they both hit an invisible wall.

"What the-?" Harry asked and turned around only to walk into the same barrier after a few feet.

"What is this? Why-" but at the same time, they heard the bells around the mistletoe jingle again.

"Oh, for fucks sake! He did not!" Harry cursed loudly and rolled his eyes while Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear I will make sure that man doesn't get any sherbet lemons for the rest of the year," he added, knowing that it was a great punishment for the sweets loving old fool.

"Make that two," Minerva said, annoyed, "Well, you don't have to be a genius to figure this out." now, a small smile played around Harry's lips.

"Really? You want to tell me?" he wiggled his eyebrows at her, and Minerva grinned.

"I'd rather show you."

"Even better," Harry murmured, and then Minerva pulled him down in a fierce kiss. His arms quickly wrapped around her and pulled her as close to him as he could while the mistletoe dusted them in fake snow. But before the kiss could turn even more heated, loud cheering and whistling made them jump apart. Near the door, and until that moment hidden by the invisibility cloak were James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily and Marlene. Harry didn't even want to know how they fit under it or how long they stood there.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Harry almost yelled at the still celebrating students, who were actually throwing confetti.

"We finally got you to kiss!" James said with the broadest grin possible on his face.

"And all it took were three hundred enchanted mistletoes!" Sirius added.

"You're responsible for that?" Minerva asked in an almost Mrs Weasley like manner.

"Yes!"

"Good job, apart from the fact you were three months too late for that, you brats!" Harry told them, and a second later, their cheering stopped, and they all stared at them in shock. At their faces, both Minerva and Harry had a hard time keeping from laughing out loud, though Minerva couldn't suppress a giggle.

"Wait, what? You- you two are actually-?" Lily stammered, and Harry couldn't help the short laugh that escaped him.

"Yes." they both answered.

"By Merlin's old wrinkly balls, you've got to be fucking kidding me!" Sirius said, but before anyone else could say anything, the doors to the classroom opened, and there stood none other than Dumbledore himself.

Whatever he wanted to say, he seemed to forget about that for a second upon the strange sight before him, Minerva and Harry still under the snowing mistletoe, his arm around her waist and six students covered in confetti.

"We'll talk about this later," he said before he grew serious and looked at Harry, who knew right away something had happened.

"I finally found Chronos, Harry!"

Hello,
Yes, I'm alive. I actually hope there is still somebody left that is or wants to read this story! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but since I'm a frontline worker in the healthcare system, there wasn't much free time. Also, there was a bit of a writers block there.
I'm confident I can update more frequently now (not weekly, but also not a year in between chapters), and I hope you still want me to continue.
I would love to hear what you think about this chapter, so please leave me a review! I hope every one of you guys and your families are healthy and that it stays this way!
Also, I'm going to edit/ read over the previous chapters so you can actually read them. I apologize; I'm not a native English speaker and didn't have a decent spellchecker or writing assistant back then.
Yours
Patti