Author's Note:

Reviews and Comments: To Leapyearbaby29: Yes, Flint as in Marcus Flint's father. Unfortunately, James and Lily do not have a magical painting. Harry and his friends never came up with any Marauder names, mostly because I never chose any that I liked well enough to impose on them. To Jmcglynn522: So happy you're back! I think Padfoot the puppy came at just the right time. And wow, you just think everyone is a spy LOL. To PurpleLotus: Thank you so much for your kind words! To RhiaLynn: I never even realized that I created a fourth wall name in Rex Higgins, but you're absolutely right! I love My Fair Lady and I never even made the connection! He's a year younger than Tonks, but sure he can look like a young Rex Harrison or a young Henry Higgins — you're choice lol. Thank you! I like delving into different characters to tell one big story. As to Padfoot, how could I resist? It was such a good way to bring Sirius back in some way, even if it's only a reminder. Thank you! To kyciona: Everyone should be love with the adorable little Padfoot.

To akshutalankar: The puppy looks suspicious? I can promise you, he's just a normal puppy who needs love and wants to love. To Tiyaxoxo: I did consider having Ginny win, but in my eyes, Harry was always the better flier, Ginny is the much better player and I felt that needed to be taken into consideration. There will be some memories eventually, but not anytime soon, I'm afraid. To Dianne (Lasagnelady): Don't fret, the eyes on Harry were just that of the puppy and he means no harm. Thank you for this "whenever I see a chapter update, I make sure to be alone and just immerse myself in the story, because my face would all be goofy smiles, tears, laughter, frustration, and just any emotion remotely possible, and my family gets confused when I show so many emotions lol, so I read alone in my room. Thank you for this masterpiece!" To Wolf's scream: Shoes are important, don't mock the shoes LOL. Why would Harry run from the panther? Lady Godiva loves him.

To Lolikiano: Thank you. Hinny will get some alone time at Hogwarts and yes, it will be steamy. I really love the first reunion scene I wrote with Theo/Blaise/Draco so I hope you enjoy it. As to Draco, he still has a rough road ahead of him. To speedsONEandONLY: Do you realize that you always write Zambini instead of Zabini? At first I thought it was a typo, but it's all the time LOL. As to the bet, it will be changed slightly due to a few factors: 1) Neither of them have actually seen each other naked yet (aside from Ginny's glimpse in the treehouse before fourth year when Harry was learning how to become an Animagus) and 2) Naked in public, not ideal, but I think everyone will enjoy how the final showdown goes down. As to how much did Blaise see — everything — full frontal Theo pushed up against the window and Finn behind him kind of everything LOL! Remadora definitely knows how to have fun and they could totally teach a class. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: No, the puppy isn't Regulus nor will the puppy kill them, but that would be a twist indeed!

To kittikatlova: Theo will not be dropping out of school, though being away from Finn will be difficult for him. Lady G is a bit jealous of the puppy, yes. As to Hinny, they aren't ready for more yet, but they will be getting steamier, don't you fret. To tim2604: Thank you for your kind words, that conversation between Harry and Ginny was important for many reasons. To mslyon: A week? Damn. Thank you! To pottermum: Thank you! To Adalehiedis: It would be great if puppy Padfoot clawed at Bellatrix LOL. To .X: Harry will be going down on Ginny soon. To Queen Raja: Thank you for loving Remadora, they never get enough love in my opinion. To libs614: Thank you! And yes, the question of Theo's past and Finn keeping him calm when he sleeps will return. To Caskettbbalways: Thank you so much for those incredible words! To coloredwords: I hope sixth year will still have some surprises for you!

My posting schedule: Once a week.

Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN:

Ron stood outside of the Victorian home where the Grangers lived, rocking on his heels nervously. Hermione had sent him a letter asking him to come by for the afternoon and he'd eagerly accepted, but now that he was here, he was starting to feel anxious. He needed to tell her how he felt, but the words kept getting stuck in his throat.

She'd denied him before and despite his attempts at getting her to talk about it, she was so insistent that nothing could ever happen between them. He knew what his brothers would say: To grow a pair and tell her how he felt. But he wasn't suave like they were. He didn't have the right words. Most of the time he just managed to stick his foot in his mouth before he'd even realized that the words had left it.

Fred had Apparated him here straight from the shop and he would be taking the Floo home. His dad had helped the Grangers set up their Floo network last summer so that Hermione could come and go to the Burrow whenever she felt like it (only to the Burrow, that is). Ron took another slow breath, staring down at his old trainers and the holes in his jeans before he knocked on the front door.

Mr Granger opened it with a smile. "Ron! Lovely to see you. How's your summer been?"

"Good," Ron told him as he stepped inside the house. "How was Spain?"

"Lovely. Hermione says that you found yourself a summer job?"

Ron nodded. "Yes, sir. My brothers opened a joke shop and I'm helping run the register."

"Good for you! I like to see young people taking initiative like that. Come on inside! Hermione was just finishing up with Crookshanks. Seems he found his way into the neighbour's garden and ended up covered in manure! He's not liking her very much at the moment," he added with a chuckle.

Ron nodded and followed Mr Granger into the living room. Mrs Granger came in a moment later and offered him some of her fresh lemonade, which he accepted. He took a seat on the sofa and had just taken a drink of the lemonade when Crookshanks hopped up into his lap and burrowed himself between Ron and the corner of the sofa, glaring daggers out of his ugly scrunched face at Hermione.

"Don't give me that look," Hermione said sternly, her eyes on the cat. "You did this to yourself."

Ron chuckled as he shifted Crookshanks. "I see you annoyed your cat."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He was covered in manure! He even got it in between his paws! It was a mortifying bath experience for the both of us. Then I used Mum's blow-dryer and he kind of accepted that."

Mr Granger laughed. "Sounds like he was just out having a good time." At his daughter's look, he smiled. "Anyway, Mum and I are heading out, are you sure that you'll be all right?"

"Dad, we'll be fine. We're going to order takeaway and watch some films."

Mrs Granger smiled. "There's money in the kitchen for you. If you need us, Dad will have his pager on him and I have my mirror."

Hermione nodded, smiling when both of her parents kissed her cheek and within a few moments they were gone.

"Where are your parents off to?" Ron asked.

"They have a fundraiser dinner for children who don't have access to dental work. They raise money to provide braces and retainers and things."

"What are braces?"

Hermione smiled at him. "It's these metals bars that cover your teeth to help straighten them."

Ron grimaced. "Who would be barmy enough for that?"

She laughed and moved to sit next to him on the sofa. "It's how Muggles fix their teeth." She moved to pet Crookshanks, but the cat hissed at her. "Guess, he's still mad at me then."

"He'll get over it," Ron assured her.

Hermione nodded, her eyes on his and he couldn't help but notice that her eyelashes looked fuller than usual - wider - and they seemed to curl around her brown eyes in a way that made him want to stare into her eyes even more than usual. He caught himself and looked down at the cat, who was snuggled up against him as if they were best friends.

"Um, sorry I couldn't see you the other day when you stopped by, but we were heading out to the pub. Charlie was in town and Fred had this idea of doing a Weasley brothers night."

"That's all right," she told him. "It was kind of last minute and then we had Ginny's birthday. How is Charlie?"

"Good," Ron said. "He's back in England for the next bit. Mostly, that is. He'll be here for two week intervals as he works with other dragonologists and the Wing Guards."

"Really? I'm glad that he's getting involved in that."

Ron nodded. "It's nice to know that we'll be seeing more of him, at least for a while anyway."

Hermione smiled and stood up. "I agree. So, I was thinking that we could order takeaway and have it delivered and we can watch a film or two."

"That sounds good," Ron told her. "What are we going to watch?"

"Dad says that we have to watch Lethal Weapon 1 and 2. He says that because you appreciate the Die Hard films, you'll love these. And Mum says that we have to watch Romeo and Juliet. It's a new adaptation where it keeps the Shakespeare but is modernized, she says that I'll love it. You'll probably hate it though so let's just stick to the action ones."

Ron shrugged. "Well, why don't we start with the one your Mum recommended and then we'll end on the action films?"

Hermione shook her head. "It's okay, Ron. I won't make you suffer through Shakespeare."

Ron only gave her a look. "It's fine. Let's get food and start it up."

"Really?" she asked in surprise. "It's a love story."

"That has a dark ending, I know," he told her. "Let's give it a go."

"Wait — you know the story?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "I don't live under a rock, you know. Shakespeare is one of the most famous wizards in history."

"He was a wizard?" Hermione exclaimed in surprise.

Ron gave her an amused look. "You didn't know that? He was and really famous in both worlds. He tossed in all sorts of Muggle rubbish with his spellwork, but some of it is close to the real thing. Dad said that he got into trouble and had to change some of it because the Wizard's Council felt that he was walking the line between flaunting the magical world and hiding it. Anyway, I don't know a lot about his work, but I know this one is about two teenagers who fall in love and are bloody prats and don't check their facts before offing themselves. Yes, the forbidden love is all romantic and whatnot, but honestly, facts are important."

Hermione laughed. "Oh, Ron, you're missing the whole point of the story."

He grinned sheepishly. "Am I?"

"It's about the love story, yes, but it's about the fact that love brings them together, that their love for each other can take away the hate that they are supposed to feel as enemies. It's about bringing people together and unfortunately, they ended their feud due to the death of their children, but in the end it was about lessons learned. I still think it's a beautiful and tragic story."

"Well, you didn't go and off yourself when you found out Viktor was gone? Why? Because you're not a madwoman!"

Hermione stared at him a moment. "Or you can argue that they chose death because it was easier than living."

Ron made a face. "Fair point. Anyway, there's lots of fighting so, I'm in."

Hermione still seemed surprised, but she got the VHS ready to go before she turned to him. "I was thinking about ordering Indian food, but I also kind of want Thai."

Ron grinned. "You know I'd be fine with both."

She smiled and grabbed the phone. He watched her as she began to order. Her bushy brown hair was somewhat tamed, but still haphazardly hung to her waist in big curls. She was wearing cotton shorts in a light blue that hugged her bum in a rather spectacular way and gave him an eyeful of her nicely tanned legs. He noted with interest that her bare feet had dark pink on her toes. She wore a white v-neck tee and when she reached up to stand on her toes to get the takeaway menu, her shirt rode up a little, revealing her tanned flat abdomen. He wondered how much of her was tanned and that made him wonder if she'd lain in the sun topless. He knew that in Spain it was pretty normal, and the thought of her lying on a beach naked made him both incredibly aroused and angry at the same time. He didn't want anyone to see her topless. He wondered if her breasts were the same golden tan as her stomach, if her nipples were pink like his or darker like her hair. He shifted himself on the sofa and swallowed as he listened to her rattle off a list of different dishes from both places before she hung up.

He should say something, he thought. No, he should just get up and go across the room and kiss her. Those brown eyes met his and he swallowed.

"Shall we start the film then?"

Coward, he thought bitterly when he did neither of those things. "Yes, the film, that sounds great."

Hermione pushed the tape into the VCR and turned on the television before she took a seat next to him on the sofa. Neither of them said anything as the reporter began to recite the prologue of the infamous play with the news report title saying "Star Cross'd Lovers." The scene shifted to introduce the characters and Ron moved slightly. She paused the film and he realized that his palms were sweating, which he found rather mortifying.

"What's up?"

"Well, I... I wanted to tell you something," Hermione said.

Ron's eyebrow rose. "What's that?"

"When I was in Ibiza Town, I had a lot of time to think about things."

"What kind of things?" he asked. Was this it? Were they finally going to talk about it?

"And when I met Dario —"

"—Dario?" Ron interrupted, his heart stopping.

"Yes, this lovely bloke and his twin sister Daniella. I spent time with them and they were lovely."

Ron scowled. Dario. Just his name sounded more posh than he did. What was it about foreign blokes that stole her attention? What was wrong with good old English blokes? Why wasn't he good enough? What did they have that he didn't?

"Ron are you even listening to me?" Hermione asked, breaking through his thoughts.

"Yes, Dario, lovely bloke. Did you snog him?"

She blanched. "I — yes, but we —"

Ron held up his hand, defeat coursing through him. "I'm glad. I mean, this weird fluke thing between us, it's best to just forget about it, right? Obviously you had no problem and I had a great time at Goldstein's party. I even met this girl there named Chardonnay. Too bad you missed it."

Hermione's eyes flashed hurt for a moment and guilt swarmed through him. "Oh. Well, I... I'm happy that you had a nice time."

"Me too. I'm glad that Spain was so insightful for you."

Hermione jumped to her feet. "I'm going to grab some more lemonade."

She hurried off out of the living room and Ron buried his face in his hands. How had he cocked that up already? He had always been able to tell her everything. It was what he loved most about her: How easy she was to talk to, how well she listened. Dario, he thought with a grimace, of course she had met someone in Spain. He was probably fairy-tale-prince-handsome and not some lanky ginger idiot who kept shoving his foot in his mouth.

Hermione came back with two tall glasses of lemonade and he thanked her.

Tell her. Kiss her. Do something, he thought. But instead his words were none of those things.

"So, want to get back to this film?"

She nodded and sat next to him again. "Yes."

And when the movie started, he slowly relaxed next to her, losing himself in the story, but he couldn't help but notice how lovely she smelt. And when she shifted her legs under her on the sofa, he may have let his gaze linger a little bit longer than necessary on the tanned skin, the pink toenails, the little silver ankle bracelet she wore with an otter charm dangling from it…

The music of the movie pulled his attention from her and he turned back to the screen, trying not to curse himself for not being enough of a Gryffindor to speak his mind. The movie was just getting interesting when the doorbell rang and Hermione jumped up to get the food. She returned a moment later with two bags of Indian food. They had just finished taking out containers of butter chicken, biryani, dosa, tandoro chicken, lamb kabobs, and samosa when the doorbell rang a second time. She came back again a moment later with two more bags. These ones contained spicy green papaya salad, red curry, pad thai, fried pork and chicken, and fried rice.

"Hope you're hungry," Hermione said. "We may have gone overboard on the food."

Ron chuckled. "Leftovers are always good."

She nodded and went into the kitchen to grab utensils and plates. Then they were mixing and matching and trying a bit of everything and Hermione put the film back on. When it was over, they were still picking at the food.

"So, other than making new friends, what else did you do in Spain?" he asked carefully, hoping his voice sounded casual.

Hermione smiled at him. "Museums and book shops, of course. I read on the beach and took walks. We went to a dance club one night. It was fun and a much needed break. With Sirius and... every year seems to get more intense, doesn't it?"

Ron nodded. He couldn't argue with that point. "It does seem that way. But at least we're one step closer with the diadem being gone."

"Wait — what?"

"You don't — shit! I'm sorry, Hermione, I forgot that you didn't know. Neville and Luna found it!"

Hermione's eyes widened as he told her the story.

"Professor Lupin just thinks that we're waiting now?"

"He says that there's nothing else we can do and I reckon he's right. We have to wait for Voldemort to make his move."

"That's not very reassuring," Hermione responded.

Ron nodded. "No, but it's all we've got."

Hermione looked pensive before she nodded. "I suppose it is."

Ron moved to pick up the tape that said Lethal Weapon. "Let's not talk about Voldemort anymore. Shall we give this one a go, then?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes, lets. I think you'll enjoy it."

When she settled back next to him, her head resting against his shoulder, he let out a soft sigh. Even if he was a coward, having her next to him was pretty great, and he would take it in any way that she let him.

Even if it killed him.

~ ASC ~

Harry woke with Padfoot curled up on the pillow next to him and he couldn't help but smile. The puppy was so cute and the fact that he was the spitting image of Sirius' Animagus only unnerved him a little. The fact was, the familiar sight was oddly comforting and he felt like he belonged with him.

Zee had done a full check on the puppy after he'd finished eating the first night. She'd performed a few spells to make sure he was healthy and for their peace of mind, made sure he was a puppy. Zee guessed he was about nine weeks old and he had obviously not been well taken care of. Harry gave him a bath and they'd laughed as he made a mess of the bathroom. And Zee had bought food for him the next day. Harry had pulled out Marauder's old toys from the closet and Padfoot had run towards them.

Lady Godiva only continued to watch the puppy, cooly. She spent her days lying at her mistress' feet as if in constant protection. Padfoot barked playfully at her and she gently swatted him away. When he began to chew on her tail, she gave Harry a look that plainly said: Get this thing away from me.

Zee picked Padfoot up, holding him in her lap and he licked her face happily. Then he rested his head over her stomach as if fascinated.

"Can he hear the babies?" Harry asked, watching as the puppy sat stock still with his ear on her stomach.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Zee told him. "Animals are very attune to mothers."

He nodded. "I'm glad I found him. I like the idea of you having extra protection."

Zee smiled fondly at him. "Darling, I'm fine. We're very well protected here, as you know. Sirius put every protection known to man on this place to keep you safe."

"Still," Harry said. "With the babies coming and all."

Zee had gotten even bigger over the last month. It looked like she had a small cauldron under her shirt. Remus hadn't been lying about the weird cravings either. The other day he'd come downstairs in the middle of the night for a drink of water and found her eating dill pickles dipped in ranch dressing and drinking a tall glass of chocolate milk. She was always snacking and lately her moods had been a little up and down. Twice he'd found her crying for no apparent reason and once she'd dropped a plate in the kitchen and swore loudly and violently enough to almost make him blush. It was endearing, the way it drifted between English and Russian with the occasional Gaelic slipping out.

And the most incredible thing was that he'd felt the babies move. It was a strange flutter that had moved under his hand and it was weird, but amazing and he'd been fascinated and terrified at the same time.

Plus there was the whole magic thing.

Now that she was at twenty-one weeks, her magic was starting to do weird things. When she attempted a simple cleaning charm, it was much more powerful than usual and not only had she cleaned the dishes, but also hit the wall and surrounding area so that it all sparkled.

And Harry swore that the twins were doing magic. They'd stayed up late the other night watching a film and Zee had fallen asleep on the sofa. She must have gotten a chill, because she was sleeping soundly, but he'd watched in amazement as the thick throw from across the room levitated to her and snuggled around her as if she'd willed it. Another time, she'd been humming and the wireless had turned on. When she'd asked him if he'd done it, he'd said no.

And then there was the nursery.

Harry hadn't expected Zee to want his opinion on so much of it, but she couldn't seem to make up her mind. The guest room was a good size and was usually reserved for Remus and Tonks or one of Harry's friends when they stayed over. It was now going to be the nursery and Zee wanted to make it baby animal themed which he thought was adorable. The guest room had a spiral staircase in one corner of it that led up to the attic. Sirius had left the attic full of storage and they had never really used it, but Zee wanted to make it part of the nursery: A playroom of sorts. With Remus and Tonks' help and surprisingly Kreacher, they started to paint the room. Zee painted everything a nice base white and explained how she wanted the walls to be different murals to make it full of animals, magical creatures, and an enchanted forest. She wanted the ceiling to be the sky, both day and night. She wanted it to be partly charmed to look like the real sky and partly painted.

Zee found this warm and cozy sink-into-me rug for the centre of the room in a soft grey. She wanted to add baby animals to the walls and Harry thought it was a great idea. They went to Gringotts and Harry showed Zee the Black family vaults. She kept insisting that she shouldn't be there, but she changed her tune when Harry brought her into one of the vaults that was full of old storage and she saw the baby furniture. There were three cradles carved with the Black family crest made of solid oak with matching cribs. He told her that Sirius had once explained that one of his great-grandfathers had commissioned them for his three daughters when they were all having babies at the same time. Sirius had made sure that every piece of furniture he'd stored away had been safe: Curse and hex free.

Zee asked Kreacher to return the furniture to Black Cottage. There they also found a matching dresser in the same oak and an old wooden chest with the Black crest carved into the top that Zee thought would be perfect for the room.

Harry told her that Dean and Luna were the most creative people he knew and she immediately launched into a million questions about their talent. Harry sent owls out to both of them asking if they'd be interested and when they both answered yes, Zee clapped her hands in excitement.

Remus brought Seamus and Dean over the next afternoon and Luna came from the Burrow's Floo. Zee immediately ushered Dean and Luna upstairs to talk ideas. Harry urged Seamus to sit with him.

"Drink? They're going to be up there all afternoon."

"Whiskey?" Seamus asked, a cocky grin on his face.

"No," Remus said coming out of the kitchen. "I have to go to Hogwarts and get some things ready. If you need me I'll have the mirror. No drinking, you two."

Harry said goodbye before he got them two glasses of pumpkin juice and urged Seamus into the back with him. They went up to sit on top of the pirate ship in the sun.

"So, you're going to be a big brother."

Harry nodded, his eyes on the cottage. "I am. It's kind of amazing and surreal."

"I can see that," Seamus said. "Zee's excited."

"Very," Harry admitted. "When I mentioned that Dean and Luna had artistic talent, she practically jumped through the roof. She wants to do murals and paintings all over the nursery. According to Tonks, she's nesting and this is completely normal."

Seamus chuckled. "Good on you for being so calm about everything. I don't know how I'd feel if me mam had another baby."

"You have sisters though."

"True, I am the youngest and the apple of my parents' eye."

Harry snorted. "Well, I wouldn't go that far."

Seamus grinned. "I would. Kathleen is getting married actually. She visited this summer to make the announcement."

"That's the sister that lives overseas, right?"

"Yeah," Seamus said. "She lives in New York and she's marrying an American Auror. My parents are happy for her, but I think still a bit sad because it means she'll be living out there permanently and Dad was hoping she'd be moving back. She's been there since she left Hogwarts. She's thirty."

"And what's your other sister's name?"

"Darcy. She's twenty-three and is happily working in me dad's pub."

"You're close with them?"

Seamus shrugged. "Not really, the age difference is too vast I reckon. I mean, by the time I was born, Katie was already off at Hogwarts. And by the time I came to Hogwarts, Darcy was in her sixth year and she was a Hufflepuff so, she wasn't around much. But when I needed her, Darcy was always there of course."

Harry nodded. "The age difference is going to be sixteen years, practically seventeen so I know it will be big, but I want to be there for them."

"Then you will be," Seamus said simply.

Harry snuck a look over at him. "How does Darcy feel about you and Dean?"

"She was staying in New York with Katie and Jason, that's the name of the American, so she wasn't around for my whole coming out thing, but she's cool with it. When she came home this summer, she stared at me for a full minute before she said: Was anyone actually surprised when you came out?"

Harry chuckled. "I wasn't."

Seamus grinned. "Well, you walked in on me giving Dean a hand job so, I don't reckon you were too surprised when I admitted I liked it."

"You and Dean seem happy."

"We are," Seamus told him. "I am happy and I feel guilty for feeling so happy when the world is quite honestly - going to shit."

"Well, you still deserve to be happy," Harry said. "I've been trying to learn that myself. We miss Uncle Sirius a lot around here and now with the twins and the nursery and… sometimes I feel guilty, too."

Seamus nodded. "Hey, did you hear Neville got punched in the face at Goldstein's party?"

"Yeah, he told me. He was defending Hannah."

Seamus grinned. "Our boy's stepping up in the world."

Harry snuck a look over at Seamus and laughed. Sometimes, it was the little things that made him remember that it was okay to be happy. The world was getting dark, but one needed to find the light amongst the darkness.

~ ASC ~

Dean and Luna spent the next four days working with Zee and combining their creative talents to build the nursery. Harry had to agree, it looked pretty amazing. The wall with the spiral staircase was painted a light blue and the carpet on the stairs matched. The underside of the stairs was made to look like an enchanted forest; merged into the mural on two of the walls was a dragon swooping down over the forest where unicorns, nifflers, fwoopers, occamys, bowtruckles, phoenixes, horses, deers, wolves, dogs, elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, and panthers could be seen around the waterfall, the forest, and the watering hole. A kelpie swam in the water with brightly coloured fish and the sunlight came in through the trees. The last wall was merely painted green with flowers and leaves and birds on it. The cove moulding was painted white and made the ceiling really pop.

Dean had taken over the ceiling himself and merged night and day with a painting of the sun and moon that looked so life-like that Harry thought it was enchanted. He had even painted the Canis Major and Orion constellations. Zee explained how she wanted to enchant it so that it twinkled and shone like the real sky, but that she wasn't sure how to do it as good as she wanted.

The answer came the next afternoon when there was a knock on the front door and Harry pulled it open to find McGonagall standing there.

"Hi, Auntie Minnie."

She gave him a small smile. "Harry. How was your summer in America?"

"Brilliant," he told her, stepping aside to let her in.

Padfoot barked in glee as he ran towards her, tripping over his own feet, and face planting into the rug.

"This is Padfoot. I found him out on the beach."

"He looks just like…"

"I know," Harry told her, bending to help his puppy and pick him up. "He answered to Padfoot straight away, too. Zee and I are already in love with him."

Padfoot licked Harry's face before he eagerly let McGonagall hold him.

"He's sweet," she agreed, scratching him behind the ears. "I'm sorry that I haven't been by."

Harry shook his head, accepting Padfoot back from her. "It's all right. I know it's… I get it."

McGonagall shook her head as he led her into the living room. "I was going to pop by the week you two got back but I… I miss him and the thought of coming here… I can't imagine how much you must be missing him."

Harry nodded. "I do miss him, but Zee and I have been focusing on… wait, you don't know?"

McGonagall gave him a look. "Know what?"

Zee chose that moment to come down the stairs. "Harry, I want to make a window seat under the window in the attic and we can build shelves all along the one wall, what do you think?"

"Sounds perfect," Harry told her.

"Minerva, I didn't know that you were coming by," Zee said brightly.

McGonagall's eyes were glued to the now obvious bump under Zee's shirt. "Zahira…"

Zee smiled and nodded. "I am. Twins, if you can imagine. He left me a gift, Minerva." She placed her hands over her stomach before she continued. "One I will cherish."

McGonagall took a step towards her. "Twins?"

Zee took McGonagall's hands in her own and placed them over the baby bump. "Harry was able to feel them the first time the other day. Not much, just a fluttering. I'm due in January."

McGonagall swallowed. "I'm so sorry that he won't be here to raise them with you. He was an incredible father to Harry and he would have loved these babies so much. Did he know?"

"Yes," Zee told her. "He wanted you to be their grandmother, if you'd like that is."

Her eyes filled up with tears. "Oh!"

"I was going to invite you for tea on the first Sunday in September and ask you officially if you hadn't come to visit beforehand. Harry and I just needed to get away after everything and… I want you to be involved, Minerva."

McGonagall smiled. "I would be honoured. He was… the son of my heart."

"I know," Zee said. "He always said that you were the mum he wished he'd had. Come on upstairs, I want to show you what we've been working on."

Harry followed them upstairs and stood in the doorway as Zee showed her the nursery.

"Oh, it's beautiful," McGonagall exclaimed. "I love the animals!"

"Me too," Zee said. "Baby animals always works as a theme and see, Harry found these in the Black vault, they have the family crest on them. Luna painted little owls around the edge of this crib and Gryffindor lion symbols over on this one. And here, see where the tree is painted into the wall? Ted Tonks is going to build a shelf that looks like this tree is coming right out of the wall. We're still working on the specifics of it, but it will fit right under the stairs here and the branches will be like the closet where we can hang some of their clothes. And this cage here, I want to fill it with flowers that dangle and hang down over the tree."

"It looks wonderful already. You have some amazing ideas."

Zee beamed. "I want it to be a little enchanted forest I suppose, something that looks as magical as it feels."

"You can let some bowtruckles live in the tree," Harry suggested. "They're gentle and it would be cool to see how the twins would like them."

"That's an idea," Zee said, looking pensive. "And I have this beautiful photo of a thunderbird flying overhead that I could hang over here. I have tons of photos of animals from my trips over the years."

"Do you know what you're having?" McGonagall asked.

Zee shook her head. "I have my guesses, but no. We decided that we want to be surprised."

"It looks lovely. The ceiling is gorgeous. Is that… the Sirius and Orion constellations?"

Zee nodded. "They are. It seemed fitting. I want to enchant it to look real and move like the night sky, but I can't seem to get the enchantment right."

McGonagall pulled out her wand. "Filius and I take care of the ceiling in the Great Hall every year, I'd be happy to help."

Zee's face lit up as she watched McGonagall brandish her wand and the ceiling became enchanted, the clouds and the stars moving across as if they were real. "Oh, it's perfect! Thank you! Harry, sweetie, what do you think?"

Harry grinned. The sight of Zee bouncing in happiness told him that even if he hadn't found it enchanting, he would have told her so. "It looks amazing. The twins are going to love it, Zee."

Talk soon returned to the furniture Zee still needed and she led them up the stairs to the attic room which was slowly being transformed. Harry had to duck as the ceiling was fairly low for his height, but Zee and McGonagall could stand up no problem. Zee was already outlining bookshelves to be on the one side of the sloped ceiling and how she wanted the one wall to be a chalkboard for them to play and draw on. She could set up little tables and chairs for them and suggested adding some of the stuff from Harry's old playroom/classroom to spice it up.

"It's marvellous, truly," McGonagall told her. "It's perfect."

"Not quite yet," Harry said. "We need to make sure we hang up that poster Uncle Siri has in the workshop, the one of the motorcycle engine, and maybe a few posters of his bikes."

Zee grinned widely. "Absolutely."

McGonagall chuckled. "That would be perfect. Harry, I bought you a little something for your birthday as well. I left it downstairs."

The three of them headed down and Zee headed into the kitchen to make tea for them as Harry took a seat on the sofa next to McGonagall. She passed him the small box and he took it curiously. When he lifted the lid he found himself looking down at a large ornate iron key. There was a carving of a lion rampant on the end of it.

"A key?"

She nodded. "It's been in my family for about three hundred years. I want you to have it."

"What does it unlock?" Harry asked curiously.

McGonagall smiled. "We've never found out. The thing is, that key is made of iron and it's rumoured that it was given to someone in my family as a good luck charm. The sign of the rampant lion is supposed to encourage bravery and courage. The saying goes that all who hold the key of iron are protected with the strength and endurance of iron, with the bravery and the courage of a lion, and with the protection of the king. It might be fanciful, but my father always swore that the key brought him good luck and every time something particularly good has happened for me, that key has been on my person. If anyone needs a little luck, Harry, I thought you should have it."

"That's — wow, thank you."

McGonagall accepted his hug. "You'll keep it in your pocket then?"

"Always," he assured her, sticking it into his pocket straight away as Zee came back into the room with a tea tray and some biscuits.

"Zahira, tell me more about your plans for the nursery," McGonagall said, pouring the tea for her.

Harry grinned as Zee's face lit up as she began to talk more about the nursery. He listened with half an ear, scratching Padfoot behind the ear as he drank his tea. When the Floo ignited, his eyes widened in delight when his girlfriend popped out.

"Ginny!"

"Hi, Harry," she said, hugging him tightly. "Oh, hi, Professor."

"Miss Weasley," McGonagall said with a nod.

Harry took Ginny's hand in his and they left McGonagall and Zee to talk babies as he led her out into the garden. Padfoot followed in excitement and Ginny fell to her knees to greet the puppy.

"And who is this little darling?"

"Padfoot," Harry said quietly. Ginny's brown eyes met his and he nodded. "I found him on the beach the night after I showed you Clevedon Court. He looks just like Uncle Sirius in his Animagus form."

"He's beautiful," Ginny said, rubbing Padfoot's belly.

They left the dog to run free and headed into the treehouse. Since the weather was nice, Harry led her up to the pirate ship so that they could sit in the sun, but under the shade of the tall oak tree.

"What brings you by?"

"I missed you," she admitted.

Harry put his arm around her and when she rested her head on his shoulder, he smiled. "I've missed you, too. Zee has been gung-ho on this nursery idea. But the guest room looks great."

"Luna said that she came over to help?"

"Yeah. I mentioned that Luna and Dean were the two most creative people I knew and the next thing I knew they were both coming over here to help work on it. Dean's work is amazing. He painted murals on the walls and Luna did the finishing touches and painted lions and owls on some of the furniture. It looks great."

"How has she been feeling?"

"Good," he said. "She's thrown herself into the nursery design which I think keeps her busy. Work has been good too. She said that they've been expanding the Magical Menagerie and the animals are all extra tender with her as they know she's carrying babies. Padfoot seems to know too. He likes to sleep with his head on her belly."

Ginny smiled. "And you?"

"I'm a little sad to leave her when I go back to school," he admitted. "I don't like the idea of her being alone."

Ginny kissed his cheek. "Softie."

Harry chuckled. "I know your Mum will check up on her as she's nearby and I know she can take care of herself, but it's the first time she's going to be alone in the house since Uncle Sirius died."

"Zee's a strong woman, Harry. She'll be all right."

He nodded. He knew that she was right, but he still felt like he needed to worry about her. "I felt the babies move the other day."

"You did?"

He grinned widely. "It was weird. I mean, if she hadn't told me that it was them moving, I don't know if I would have felt it. It was more like a flutter under my hand, but still cool."

Ginny kissed him. "You're going to be such a good big brother."

Harry smiled. "I hope so. I love how great your brothers are."

She rolled her eyes. "Annoying meddling gits is what they are."

Harry tugged her up into his lap to kiss her again. "Well, that's true." His lips found her neck, soft kisses down the base of her throat and she let out a soft sigh.

"I can't stay long. Charlie is coming to dinner tonight as he's back in England and Mum needs my help," she told him as his lips stayed on her throat.

"So, you just popped by to tease me then?" he asked, his eyes twinkling at her.

Ginny slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "Pretty much."

She hopped off his lap and held her hand out to him. "Walk me to the Floo?"

Harry took her hand and jumped to his feet before he tugged her back into his arms to kiss her. One hand cupped her waist and the other fisted in the back of her hair as his lips took her under for a long, slow, deep kiss that left her breathless.

"I'll walk you to the Floo."

When he kissed her goodbye he reminded himself that it was only a week left until they returned to school and then he could spend more time with her. But he still wished she was still in his arms.

~ ASC ~

Blaise had tried to wait, but it was already well after ten that morning and he had the meeting with his lawyer at noon. He knocked hesitantly on Theo's bedroom door and a moment later the door opened magically. He made his way across the living room suite and up the steps to where Theo's bedroom resided and where Finn had gestured him forward.

Finn was lying in the big bed, clearly naked beneath the sheet, Theo's dark head snuggled soundly over his lover's abs, one hand on Finn's thigh above the sheet. Theo was snoring quietly, his face innocent in sleep and Blaise smiled.

"Sorry to interrupt," he began but Finn shook his head.

He watched the fae wave his hand and a little privacy shield erupted over Theo. "I don't wish to wake him. He's very comfortable and deserves to sleep as long as he wishes."

Blaise nodded. Finn's golden hair was tousled and he couldn't help but notice his rather fit form and he thought that if he swung that way, he would definitely be letting this man do things to him. Finn's fingers were gently stroking Theo's hair as he stared at him.

"What do you need, Blaise?"

Blaise cleared his throat. "Sorry, I'm leaving. I have a few things to take care of in Italy that need my personal attention, not to mention that I'm meeting my lawyer at noon, which in Italy is in one hour. We go back to school in four days and I need to get them done. I want to go home and set some things in order for my return at Christmas as well."

"And you didn't tell him before today so that he wouldn't talk you out of it," Finn said simply.

"Basically," Blaise said with a grin. "Tell him I'll meet him on the train."

"You'll be safe there?"

Blaise smiled at him. "Yes. I'll be fine, but he'll worry just the same."

Finn nodded and Blaise left, closing the door firmly behind him. He needed to return to Italy and he did have things he needed to do. The biggest one being that he had to speak to his mother and he knew that Theo wouldn't agree with him on that.

~ ASC ~

Theo woke slowly, the feel of Finn's skin under his face making him nuzzle in gently. When he opened his eyes, he smiled at the sight of Finn's morning erection pointing straight at his face. He turned his head to look up at his boyfriend.

"Someone's awake early."

Finn only raised an eyebrow. "Hard not to be when someone keeps shifting further down my body and rubbing my thighs in his sleep."

Theo grinned slowly. "That's not intentional, though a lovely added bonus." He moved further up towards the front of the bed to kiss Finn. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Finn said, tugging him back for a long kiss.

Theo sighed against him, snuggling back into his arms. "We should stay in bed all day."

Finn's hands gently ran up and down his back in a comforting rhythm that made Theo snuggle closer. "I could agree to that."

Finn's hand slid lower, down over Theo's bum and around to rub his own morning erection and he let out a slow sigh.

"This idea is sounding better and better," he murmured as Finn stroked him.

Finn chuckled. "I thought so." He kissed Theo softly. "I want to please you."

"You always please me," Theo assured him. He reached between them to hold his boyfriend's length in his hand, stroking softly. "I think it's my turn."

But neither of them made any effort to move. They simply snuggled close, stroking each other lovingly. Finn's lips moved over his throat and shoulders and down his chest slowly. His lips brushed over Theo's nipple and he let out a soft sigh. Finn's tongue darted out, stroking the peak as it hardened under his ministrations sharply and then Finn's warm mouth engulfed it to suckle. Theo's breath hitched and then Finn was moving to the other nipple to do the same. He flattened his tongue against the peak, his tongue licking in quick succession and Theo felt the sensation between his legs.

"Finn…"

Finn only kissed his chest, up over his shoulders, down his arms, lifting his arms to kiss the soft skin underneath. His lips continued to move down his body in soft open-mouthed kisses that made Theo's skin tingle until his head was between his legs. Finn lifted Theo's leg, ducked his head and gently kissed his balls. The feel of that warm mouth planting soft wet kisses over and over again on his sack was enough to make him whimper. And then he was kissing his way back up his chest and kissing Theo's lips.

Theo kissed him deeply, rolling him onto his back to take charge and began to kiss his way down his boyfriend's body. He loved how soft his skin was, how it tasted. He buried his face between Finn's thighs, kissing him tenderly as Finn panted beneath him. And then he slid up to suckle his nipple before he kissed him again.

Finn's hands slid down Theo's back, kneading and stroking, and moving down to cup his bum. The kiss deepened as they ground against each other, stroking skin on skin as they snogged.

Theo placed a chaste kiss on Finn's lips before he stared down into his beautiful green eyes. He smiled at the sight of Finn's swollen lips and he sat up, his hand flat against his boyfriend's chest.

"What is it?" Finn asked.

Theo only shook his head and carefully moved up his boyfriend's body, turning around and placing his length against Finn's cheeks.

Finn only made a soft moan before his mouth opened and his hand guided Theo's cock into his mouth. Theo's breath hitched a moment, the room quiet except for the sounds from Finn as he sucked him. Then Theo carefully stretched himself out across Finn's body and took his boyfriend's cock into his own mouth. The sensation was enough to drive him wild. Finn's fingers clutched his bum, pulling him down closer to his face and Theo tried to concentrate, but the pleasure consumed him. When Finn's mouth let him go and his tongue began to glide along his length lazily, he was able to focus more on what his own mouth was doing. The taste of Finn was enough to make him want more and soon they were both moaning as their mouths worked each other. Theo came first, moaning in ecstasy with his mouth still wrapped around Finn's cock. Finn's finger teased his arse as he came and it was only a moment more before Finn let go.

Theo swallowed every drop as Finn cried out beneath him; when his body finally stopped trembling, he rolled off to lay like the dead. It was only a few moments before Finn was sitting up and crawling on top of him to kiss him deeply.

"I love how you taste," Finn told him, kissing his throat. "I love how you feel in my mouth."

Theo smiled against his lips, kissing him deeply. "I can say the same."

Finn kissed him again. "I can't believe you go back to school in a few days."

Theo pouted, the sadness coming over him in a wave. "I'm trying not to think about it. I'm going to miss you so much."

Finn smiled. "I'll miss you, but it won't be forever."

"You'll stay here?"

Finn shook his head. "No, this is your home. I'll return to Tara."

Theo frowned. "I want it to be our home, Finn."

He reached out to stroke Theo's cheek. "Then one day it will be, but for now, I will not stay here and sleep in this bed without you. Tá grá agam duit, Theo."

The Irish words warmed him all over and he smiled widely. "Tá grá agam duit, Finn." He leaned in to kiss him. "Let's not talk about it anymore, we still have four more days until I have to go back."

Finn pulled him close and held him tightly. "That's plenty of time."

Theo didn't agree with that sentiment, but he couldn't help but think about Finn's words. One day this would be their home together and the thought sent a jolt through his system. He would miss Finn, but he knew that the distance wasn't going to stop their relationship.

They were stronger than that.

And when Finn's fingers gently ran along his arm, he only smiled at his boyfriend. Sometimes he still couldn't believe that he felt this happy and he wouldn't change it for the world.

~ ASC ~

Blaise arrived in Sicily and the house elves immediately took his trunk upstairs. He looked around the entrance hall for a moment before he headed out into the courtyard. She was lying in a tiny white bikini lounging in the sun.

"Mamma," he said quietly.

Bellarosa Zabini merely tilted her sunglasses down to look at him. "Have you made your decision?"

He let out a slow breath. "What are you doing?" At her perfectly arched brow, he sighed. "We both know that you don't believe in all of this pureblood stuff. You've never wanted to see changes in the world… you couldn't care less."

Bellarosa gently stroked the tattoo on her forearm. "Your father did."

At Blaise's wide eyes, she nodded.

"He thought that the Dark Lord would bring about a new world. One where those who were pure of blood would get the life they deserve. But as the Dark Lord became more and more powerful and started going on about killing Potter, he started to question him. I had joined because Antonio had and I would have done anything for that man."

"But you don't agree?"

Bellarosa stared at the tattoo. "Once you take this mark, he can find you. I know you think that I was behind your father's death, but it was his followers. Antonio had gone with the Dark Lord that night to keep watch when he killed the boy. When he fell, well... Antonio ran. We went into hiding and Abraxas and Titus found us in Italy a few years later and they killed him. I made it look like an accident so that no one would ever... he wanted to keep you safe."

"And why did they let you live?"

She snorted. "I'm very desirable, no?" At his look, she smiled. "I think you know by now that I can talk my way out of most situations. I won't force you to join, il mio bambino. But you need to know where I stand and why."

Blaise nodded. "Draco took the Mark, didn't he?"

Bellarosa titled her sunglasses down to look at him. "You're not Draco, Blaise." She stood up and wrapped her towel around her waist. "I'm heading back to England. When you make a choice, no matter which one it is, I'll be around."

"And if it's still no?"

His mother turned to look back at him. "You'll officially be a man in December, il mio bambino. I cannot force you to do anything you do not wish to do. Oh, and Blaise? You know I always liked the flat in Rome more than this place. Ciao."

Blaise watched her walk away feeling incredibly confused. The only thing he did know was that his mother had basically confirmed his fears about Draco and he didn't know what to do with that information. He would be returning to Hogwarts in four days and until then he just needed to think. He needed time to think about his own future, his own decisions, and he needed to do so without Theo chirping in his ear.

He had a lot to think about.

~ ASC ~

Tonks left the Ministry, waving goodbye to Higgins before she headed down the block to the bakery. She wanted to surprise Remus with chocolate cupcakes tonight and the Muggle shop had some of the best baked goods she'd ever eaten. She wanted to enjoy a bit of cake with her husband before he headed back to Hogwarts. Tonight was the first night of the full moon and she knew that he would be feeling extra randy.

Work had kept her longer than she'd hoped and she knew that she wouldn't make it home in time, but she would be there for him when he came up in the morning and she would have chocolate cupcakes waiting for him. Harry should have arrived at the cottage by now and she knew that Remus was both anxious and nervous for him to be there. He'd missed the last two months due to losing Sirius and to being in Georgia, and she knew that there was no way that Harry would allow himself to miss another one.

The last bite of the August heat still danced in the air, but she could feel autumn approaching. She blended in easily among the Muggles in her torn denim jeans, black and green dragon scale boots, and her black Nirvana tee shirt with one of Remus' green dress shirts rolled at the elbows. She wondered if she should pick up some pie as well when the chill ran up her spine.

Her hand went to her holster, gripping her wand as the man in the long cloak and hat walked towards her. Something about him made her nervous, but when he passed her without a glance, she let out a slow breath. But she kept her eyes peeled.

Someone was watching her.

Tonks stopped by the lamp post to glance around, to get a feel for the Muggles moving to and fro at the end of the workday and her eyes narrowed when she saw the figure in the long cloak and hat pull a struggling child into the alley. With the missing children from the month before, who still had yet to be found, she moved forward immediately. She didn't hesitate. Wand out, she stunned the man as the child screamed. Then she sent a Patronus to Higgins, giving her location, and hoped that he hadn't gone too far.

"It's okay," Tonks whispered. "I'm here to help."

The man groaned from the ground, making her turn in alarm. The stun should have been powerful enough to knock out an ordinary wizard. His hat fell off, revealing a large gruesome scar down the left side of his face and the child cried out in fright, running out of the alley. Tonks made no effort to go after the boy, instead she pointed her wand at the man and put her boot on the man's stomach to hold him in place.

"Who are you?"

He spit at her and she pushed her boot down harder.

"You were following me. Who are you?"

His strength surprised her as he jumped to his feet, throwing her backwards and he slammed her back against the wall. His hand gripped her neck to hold her in place and she gasped for breath as he pressed his nose to her with an evil grin.

"You're Lupin's whore."

Tonks kicked out with her feet, trying to gain momentum, but he was strong. He knocked her wand out of her hand and let his tongue trail along her cheek, squeezing her neck harder. She gasped, seeing spots coming and going before her eyes as she tugged uselessly at his hands.

"Do you keep him leashed?" he hissed in her ear, his tongue dipping inside. "He thinks he's safe, but we both know what kind of monster he truly is, don't we?"

Tonks struggled in his gasp, kicking out, but he pinned her back against the wall, his hand tightening on her throat.

"I've been hoping for a chance with you. Hoping you would come to the aid of the child and you did… all Aurors are the same, trying to do good, trying to stop the big bad," he scoffed. His rancid onion smelling hot breath on her face only made her gasp more desperately. "Oh, don't worry, you won't black out. Not yet… I haven't applied enough pressure for that."

His long sharp fingernails raked over her stomach, ripping through her tee shirt.

"I think it's about time Lupin was taught a lesson. And what better way to show him why leashes are bad than to turn his whore into the same monster he spends so much time muzzling."

Tonks' eyes widened in fear as the man licked her again, letting his tongue trail over her eyelids, down her nose and over her cheeks before he smiled cruelly. The moonlight shone over the alley at that moment and he began to transform before her eyes as he snarled.

"Tell your house trained puppy that Fenrir sends his regards."

She made to move, but he shoved her back against the wall, his nose pressing into her neck as his body shifted and moved. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and as the wolf's hot breath sat against her neck, fear rushed through her. His teeth flashed, sharpened to points, the tip of them scraping along the side of her neck and then he was suddenly thrown back.

She choked for breath, collapsing to her knees. She grabbed her wand, but Higgins already had stunned and then petrified the wolf.

"Fuck, Lupin! I got here as fast as I could!" Higgins exclaimed, his eyes on the brown wolf in the alley.

Tonks nodded, appalled to see that her hands were shaking. "Let's get him to the DMLE. You need to call the WCU so they can transfer him safely."

Higgins nodded and sent a Patronus out. They both kept their wands on the wolf and when he made to stir, they both petrified him again. It was only a few minutes before two officers from the WCU showed up.

"Good capture," WCU Officer Davis exclaimed. He pulled a silver net from his belt and tossed it over the wolf. "It's the safest way to contain them."

"Bring him to the DMLE dungeons. We need to speak with him as soon as the moon sets. It's of vital importance," Tonks demanded.

Roberts, the other officer who had responded, only nodded. "We have no problem with that as long we get to speak to him afterwards. Neither of you were scratched or bitten?"

Tonks shook her head.

Roberts nodded. "We'll meet you at the DMLE."

Tonks watched as Roberts and Davis hooked the silver net together to hold the unconscious wolf in place and pulled out their prisoner transportation portkey. Once they were gone, Higgins grabbed her arm.

"I don't want you Apparating alone."

When she didn't protest, he put his arm around her and the two of them landed in the DMLE. Higgins pushed Tonks into a chair and alerted two officers about the Werewolf Capture Unit officers bringing a wolf into holding to be interrogated before he knelt down before his partner, taking her hands in his.

"Hey, it's okay."

"I'm okay," she told him, her voice hoarse. "He didn't hurt me."

"Higgins get your partner to St Mungo's for a full work up," Kingsley exclaimed from behind her. "You can give me your report after she's been cleared."

"Yes, Sir."

"King, I'm fine. I —"

King only stared her down. "Dora, until you have the all-clear, I don't want you back here."

Tonks nodded. The fact that King had used her first name was enough to tell her how serious he was. She let Higgins take her to the hospital. The wolf had torn through her shirt with his nails as if it had been paper, but he hadn't touched her skin. She was relieved to see that as much as she knew it had been deliberate on his part. The healer checked her out, spending extra time examining where his teeth had scraped her throat.

"He didn't break the skin. As long as the wolf's teeth or nails don't get into your bloodstream you're safe," the healer assured her.

The healer went on to tell her that other than a few bruises, she would be all right. The damage to her throat was minor and while it would be tender for the next few days, there wouldn't be any lasting damage.

When she saw Higgins pacing the waiting room, she smiled. "I'm clear."

He stared at her a moment before he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "You sure?"

Tonks nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm sure. I want to know about this wolf."

"He was stalking you?"

"I think so," she admitted. "I want to know who he is. He mentioned Fenrir."

"Greyback?"

"Yes. He must be one of his followers."

Higgins hugged her a moment longer before he let go. "You sure you're up for it?"

"Yes. Rex, I'm fine."

He stared at her a moment before he nodded. "You scared me, Lupin."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for getting there as fast as you did. You saved my life."

Higgins put his arms around her, hugging her close again. "Saving the life of your partner warrants coffee privileges, right?"

"Don't push your luck, I'm still your superior."

He grinned. "How about I buy you a strawberry danish?"

"How about you stop stalling and take me back to the DMLE so that we can get my report done."

Higgins sighed and nodded. "Okay, if you're sure then, let's go back to work."

~ ASC ~

When the moon rose that evening, Harry ran straight at Remus when he finished transforming. In his Animagus form, he tackled his father who let out a howl as they wrestled across the floor. Harry pinned him to the ground, but Remus was faster and knocked him back. The wrestling continued for most of the evening, before Harry finally licked the wolf's face close to dawn and snuggled in. The wolf conceded and let the Tamaskan cuddle up against him, the wolf's head resting over his.

Harry woke in the morning to the feel of someone scratching him behind his ears. It was so pleasant that he almost didn't want to change back. Then there was a soft pat on his side and he heard his father's knees crack slightly when he stood.

Harry noticed his father had been awake for a while as he was wearing pyjama pants.

"Breakfast?"

Harry nodded and changed back into himself. "I'll make it. You go take a hot shower."

Remus draped an arm over his shoulders. "Thank you for coming last night."

"I won't miss another one, I promise."

"Still no on school nights."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm still coming. I won't let you sit up alone."

Remus' eyes softened. "I'm supposed to take care of you."

"You do," Harry said. "But I became an Animagus to be with you."

Remus kissed the top of Harry's head. "You're an incredible young man, Harry. I'm proud of you."

Harry shrugged. "I don't want you to be alone. Uncle Sirius wouldn't want it either. I'm sorry I missed the last two, I should have been here."

Remus shook his head. "No, you needed that holiday and the first one was just after Sirius… you were where you needed to be, Harry."

"And I was last night as well."

Remus smiled. "Yeah, you were."

They headed into the kitchen and Harry was surprised not to see Tonks anywhere. After checking supplies, he decided to make the breakfast hash that Flo had made and began to scramble eggs and grill up the rest of the ingredients.

"Nymphadora isn't here?" Remus asked, moving around to crack eggs into the bowl.

Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't see her."

Remus frowned. "I wonder if something came up on one of her cases. You didn't see a note around?"

Harry shook his head again. "No."

As if she knew they were talking about her, a Patronus sailed into the kitchen explaining that she'd been held up at work and wouldn't be home for a few more hours.

"At least you know she's at work," Harry said.

Remus nodded. "She's had some tough cases lately, but it's been a while since she worked the whole night."

Remus moved to help Harry make breakfast as opposed to taking a shower and they blared Billy Idol through the wireless as they cooked. They made three big bowls of the breakfast hash and were just adding in the spices when Remus placed a warming charm on the breakfast for his wife.

He and Harry ate theirs, talking about this and that and the upcoming school year. Harry was yawning by the time they finished and Remus urged him to head home and go to bed.

Remus was feeling tired himself. He hugged his son and sent him off through the Floo before he made his way into the bathroom to shower, wondering how much longer it would be until his wife came home.

Tonks was wondering the same thing.

By the time she finished telling Higgins about the incident and finished being interrogated by Kingsley, dawn was rising. She followed Kingsley down to the dungeons to interrogate the wolf and the sight of him stretching naked in his cell made her pause. The guard tossed robes at him and he only smirked in response.

By the time she returned home it was almost eight in the morning and she was drained.

They'd interrogated the man for two hours and all they learned was that his name was Bael and he was part of Greyback's pack. He refused to say anything more outside of spouting mantra on how the Ministry had put leashes on the wolf packs. He claimed that the Ministry was puppy training wolves to make them like pets and that when the Dark Lord took over, Greyback would lead a wolf army, tearing off the muzzles of those who had submitted, and bring all who didn't follow him to their deaths.

Her hands were still shaking a little when she got to the front door. She knew exactly how her husband was going to react to her day.

Remus stuck his head out of the bedroom when she came inside and smiled. "Hi, I was starting to worry about you. Harry and I ate breakfast and then he took off to go home and sleep. How does —" His eyes darkened as he trailed off and she knew he'd caught a whiff of her because in seconds, he was marching towards her and putting his hands on her hips. "Who touched you?"

"Remus… I'm okay."

"I can smell him on you!" he hissed, his whisky eyes glimmering in rage. "Who was it?"

"He called himself Bael," Tonks began slowly. "He's a friend of… Greyback's."

Remus turned around, slamming his hand into the wall so hard that the two picture frames fell to the floor with a loud crash.

"Remus…"

She told him quickly, hoping that if the words came out fast that they wouldn't linger between them.

"Remus, Rex got my Patronus and he came in time before he could hurt me."

"Damn it, Nymphadora! He wasn't going to bloody hurt you, you know that? He was going to fucking turn you!" Remus exploded, his eyes full of rage. "He was going to turn you to be like me as punishment because I…"

Tonks grabbed his hands, squeezing tightly. "I love you. You're nothing like that monster who tried to hurt that child today, who threatened me. And if he had turned me, you would have helped me through it. Would I be a monster to you?"

"No, I…"

Tonks pulled his face down to hers and kissed him deeply. "I am yours, Remus Lupin. They can want to hurt me as much as they'd like, but I will always be yours. Greyback was doing it to taunt you."

"He blames me for bringing the wolf packs into the Ministry, into the alliance," Remus whispered.

Tonks kissed him again. "You're an incredible man and by bringing in the wolf packs you've helped open our world to be something that it always should have been — equal. We're not there yet, not truly, but we're on the path and that's what's important, Rem. I'm okay. He didn't hurt me."

Remus tilted her chin, trailing his thumb over the finger-shaped bruises that were forming on her throat. "He did."

"I want a shower. Come with me?"

He let her lead him into the bathroom and watched as she stripped down before he did the same and stepped into the large shower behind her. She put on all of the jets, letting it hit her body in every direction and Remus put his hands on her shoulders. A small bruise was forming on her left hip and another on her tailbone, but they were minor in comparison to the finger shaped ones on her throat. He bent his head to kiss each bruise tenderly.

"If it wasn't for your connection with me, he wouldn't have attacked you."

Tonks ignored this and kissed him softly. "I have a dangerous job, Remus. You don't know that." When he made to protest, she wrapped her hand around him.

"Nymphadora, will you just listen to me for a moment?"

"I love it when you take out your professor voice."

She slid her hand along him as he began to harden and she smiled.

"I just want to talk to you about the seriousness of what… Nymphadora," he said sternly when she began to suckle his nipple.

Tonks grinned mischievously up at him. She knew that with the full moon, he would be easy to distract. If her thoughts drifted for a moment to the wolf in the alley and his reactions to the moon, she pushed them back. She wouldn't let the monster in, not now, not when she was with the man she loved, the man she craved.

"You can spank me later, Professor. Right now, I want you to fuck me so hard that my bruises get bruises. I want you to make me yours. To mark me and to take all trace of Bael off me."

Remus looked like he was going to protest, but her mouth was back on his nipple and he seemed to make a decision. He pinned her back against the wall of the shower as jets hit them from all directions and lifted her. She made to wrap her legs around his waist, but he pushed them down and knelt before her. She waited for the feeling of his tongue, but instead, he turned her just slightly, spreading her with his fingers and the jet hit her. The shocked pleasure of the water pressure had her crying out as he kissed her thighs, her stomach, her hips as the jet did naughty things to her system while his fingers slipped in and out in a maddening fashion. The orgasm tore through her quickly and she screamed his name, listening to it echo across the bathroom tiles like a mantra. Then he stood, pinning her harder to the wall, his cock pressing against her stomach and she whimpered.

"Yes… please… shag me, Rem! Fuck me so hard!"

Remus lifted her again and in one motion was deep inside of her. She groaned at the impact of it, feeling so full and so complete. When he began to kiss her face, his lips trailing over every spot that Bael had licked, she knew that he understood. She knew that the other wolf's scent was on her and that Remus was replacing it with his. His hips pistoled hard into her, slamming her back against the tile again and again. His thumb rubbed her slowly in opposition of every thrust and she could feel it building again, feel it coming over her like a wave.

When Remus' lips pressed the mark under her breast, the connection made her see stars, made her see into him; just like that moment when she'd bitten him, when he'd marked her — the pleasure consumed her. She could feel the heaviness of his balls trying to last with every thrust, could feel the slick warmth of her walls as they gripped his cock, feel the warm pleasure it gave him as his cock was taken in by her over and over. The feeling of him moving in and out faster and faster, the feel of her clit under his thumb and then his lips moved away from the mark to suckle her nipple and it crashed.

She was back to feeling herself, feeling the pleasure he was giving her and as his thumb pressed down, she felt it hit her like a hurricane and she let go. It seemed to be what Remus was waiting for because she felt him thrust hard and he tossed his head back as he emptied himself inside of her.

"Dora, Dora, Dora," he chanted as he came.

Tonks pulled his face to hers and kissed him deeply as they groaned against each other and then they were sliding down to the floor of the shower, panting and holding onto each other. "I love you," she whispered as she kissed the pulse in his throat.

The jets continued to pour down on them, the hot water steaming and Remus kissed her shoulders.

"I'm sorry."

"If you're apologizing for that incredible shag, I will hit you."

He chuckled against her shoulder. "No, that was… incredible, yeah. No, I'm sorry I made you a target."

"Remus —"

Remus shook his head. "I'm beyond the point in attempting to push you away. I love you. You're my everything and I want to protect you and knowing that another wolf… that Fenrir might be after you in order to punish me is —"

" — Not for one second your fault," she told him.

He nodded. "Doesn't stop it from feeling like it is."

Tonks kissed him softly. "I'll have you know that I had plans of getting those chocolate cupcakes from that bakery you love for us to eat in bed this morning, but well, things were derailed. So, instead, why don't you help me to my feet and wash up and we'll have toast and jam before I ravage you again?"

Remus kissed the tip of her nose. "Harry made you a bowl of breakfast hash."

"Even better," she said with a smile.

Remus kissed her forehead and when she closed her eyes, his lips trailed over her closed eyelids, her nose, her cheeks, her chin, and gently over her bruised neck. "I want to put some balm on your bruises first."

"Softie," she said, laughing when he stood up, tugging her with him.

He rested his forehead against hers as the jets hit them. "Promise me you'll be extra careful."

"I promise, Mr Lupin."

Remus' lips touched hers and she melted into him, sighing against his firm chest. When he let go she picked up the bar of soap and smiled.

"I'll wash your back first."

He smiled at her and nodded and she knew that they would be okay.

End Author's Notes:

(Italian) il mio bambino = my baby

(Irish) Tá grá agam duit = I love you

I hope everyone in Canada had a great Canada Day last week and those in America enjoyed their holiday as well.

Bad news — this will be the last chapter for a few weeks. My Beta needs time to catch up on editing and I can always use the extra time to get more writing done. I apologize, but I promise that I will be back to weekly updates again soon!

Thank you as always and please review!