The door to his office firmly closed, Remus Lupin hesitated. He had learned long ago that bothering Harry without an immediate problem to be solved, was not the smartest idea.

He raised his hand to knock and hastily brought it down, losing his confidence. What, exactly, would there to be said to Harry Potter? That he just wanted to chat?

Knocking quickly, Remus stepped back, allowing the door to open. Harry looked tired and worn and a little agitated to be bothered so early in the morning.

"Yes?"

"Hello, Harry, may I come in?"

There wasn't an answer. Harry simply stepped aside and allowed Remus to walk into the dimly lit room. A fire was crackling in the corner and, though it was ninety degrees outside the castle, it was a bone chilling forty degrees in the room (or so Remus guessed).

He shivered and brought his robes close against his arms.

"Cold?" Harry asked, striding over to the windows and drawing the long, heavy drapes back, revealing a breath-taking view of the small village of Hogsmede.

Remus squinted and stepped out of the way of the unforgiving light.

"A bit," he admitted.

"Is there something the matter? The kids? The wife?"

"No, everyone's healthy," Remus said.

Harry nodded, though he didn't look very interested. He was at his desk, sifting through his papers, looking for one in particular.

"So, why the visit?"

"Can't I come to see you?"

"I suppose," Harry replied evenly. "I wouldn't see why, though. I've heard I'm not the best company." He handed Remus the paper he had been looking for. "She has very good penmanship."

Remus glanced down at O his oldest daughter received on her last essay (the one Harry had given them to be handed in, to be delivered via owl, by July 1st). He couldn't suppress a grin from spreading across his face.

"Artemis on the other hand-"

"That's not why I came here, Harry," Remus interrupted. Harry raised his eyes to Remus's and nodded.

"Then why are you here?" he asked coldly.

Remus wasn't sure how to explain it to him without getting hexed all the way back to London. The truth of the matter is that since Harry was eighteen years old and had asked Remus to stay away, Remus had done so. They hadn't spoke in a number of years, about four now.

Tonks had come home a few nights ago, fuming mad. She had discovered that Harry and he were not in constant letter-tag, as he had claimed.

Although he hadn't exactly lied (his letters were sent out and Harry always did send them back), Tonks was still so furious she promised him that he would be spending his nights on the couch in the den unless he made amends and spoke to Harry.

True to her word, that same night when he went to go lay in bed, it flung him out into the hall. The door shut and sealed. He was forced to go to the den couch and sleep. As he was too big for it, it was not a comfortable night at all.

As he surveyed Harry, he quickly measured his words.

"Well?" Harry snapped.

"I came to speak to you," Remus began cautiously, "on the suggestion from Tonks."

Harry's frown cleared and he came Remus a contemptuous look. "Well, wasn't that so sweet to think of me? I should like to thank her next time I see her."

"And when exactly would that be?" Remus snapped. "I don't believe you've seen her in six years! Or has it been longer? Eight, perhaps? Ten? Twelve? How long, Harry?"

There was no answer.

Remus took a moment to calm down. "I just thought-"
"What did you just think? That I would come running back to everyone? That I could just-" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "That I could just forget everything that happened?"
"It wasn't anyone's fault, Harry!"

"I've never blamed anyone, Lupin!"

"The hell you haven't!" Remus bellowed. "You blame yourself for everything! The War, Dumbledore's death, Malfoy, your parents-You blame Ron and Hermione for what happened to Ginny-"

"Don't you talk about her, you here me? Don't you dare say her name in front of me!" Harry was suddenly on his feet, his eyes wild.

Remus took a moment for Harry to calm down.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry, nothing was your fault!"

Harry didn't answer.

"I messed up," he snarled. "I made a stupid mistake! The…ultimate mistake."

"It could have happened to anyone-"

"Not me," Harry snapped. "Not me. I should have been more careful….I should have realized. I can't…I just can't, alright?"

Remus nodded. He watched Harry for a moment before turning sharply and striding out of the room, shutting the door on his friend, his family.

Harry sat in his chair for a moment, his breathing erratic and uncontrollable. How dare Lupin come here and speak to him so! As though he was expected to put it all behind him and forget everything that happened to him! How dare they do that to him!

He slumped against the chair and closed his eyes. For the first time in almost nineteen years he allowed himself to think about what happened. He allowed his mind to go back, to return to the night it happened.

OooooooooO

It had been slow for weeks. There were no attacks, no sightings, nothing. It made everyone nervous. Harry had been pacing the floor of Headquarters, Sirius's old home. His thumb had been about gnawed off when a crack to his left sounded.

"Well?" Harry asked before he even turned around.

"There's definitely going to be an attack." It was the voice of Draco Malfoy. Although it had taken a lot of persuasion from almost everyone, Harry had finally realized that Malfoy could be of some use to him. He had an Unbreakable Vow with him, allowing him to work for them but never to reveal their secrets and, most importantly, not to betray them.

"Where?" Harry barked.

"Some muggle neighborhood outside of London," Malfoy said. "It's where the Mu-Hermione lives."

Harry's head snapped around sharply and he stared hard at Malfoy. "Fine," he said, frowning. "Go get everyone. Let everyone know and have them meet me there."
"Should you go out alone? What if-"
"Just go!" Harry snapped.

"I don't know where the new Headquarters is!" Malfoy fired back.

Harry paused and reached for a quill and paper. He scribbled down the address and the password. "Make sure you read it before stepping inside."

"Sure thing," Malfoy said giving Harry a smile. "Well, I'll be off now." Harry nodded and made for his wand. "Oh, and," Malfoy said. Harry looked up. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Harry disappeared.

As he arrived at the sight of the forthcoming attack he immediately saw that something was off. He frowned and glanced around, completely perplexed. Had Malfoy gotten the wrong address?

"Shit," Harry swore, looking around. He was completely stunned. Was there some way he could have betrayed them? How? He would have been killed, right?

As fast as he could, Harry tried to Disapparate. He tried for several times before he realized someone had placed a charm over the hood of the neighborhood. He would be able to leave magically. He had been sent into a trap.

He started off in a run that soon turned into a sprint as he realized he had given Malfoy the address to where everyone was. They would be sitting ducks, completely unprepared for an attack.

His mind raced as he sped off down the street. What would he find when he got there? Would there be anyone left? Anyone still alive?

As he got to the old, run down neighborhood, he saw the Dark Mark hovering over a giant lot, where the house was magically hiding. He nearly stopped, nearly panicked. With a strength deep down inside of him, he quickly strode up to the edge of the lawn.

"Tabby cat," he whispered. The house began to appear. As the door come into view Harry grabbed the handle and turned it. It opened with a creak and revealed a dark hallway.

Using all the remaining strengths he had, Harry quickly stepped inside. The light from the outside did nothing to illuminate the dim settings of the hideout.

As he came around to the kitchen, nothing seemed wrong. He almost would have thought that no one was home if it hadn't been Ron and Hermione's second anniversary party tonight. They were expecting their second child.

The banner over the kitchen archway read: Congrats, you guys!

Harry swallowed hard, his entire body pulsing with adrenalin. He that something was off. Something had gone wrong. They had already been here…or, they were still here. Somewhere.

He walked along the hallway silently. He almost walked right past the meeting room, but his show had landed on something that crunched under his feet. He stopped and looked down. It appeared to be a small chunk of glass.

His hand deftly reached for the meeting room door and he slid it open to reveal complete destruction. He stepped inside.

The table had been blown to pieces. Papers were strewn across the room. A window was completely shattered. The walls were littered with scorch marks from misaimed spells.

Who was here? Who had been here? Who was still alive? Who was hurt? Ron? Hermione? Mrs. Weasley? Ginny?

He couldn't think of anything but her face as he stepped out of the room.

"I'm so glad you could make it." It was the silky-smooth tones of Draco Malfoy. "We really appreciate it, Potter."

"You bastard," Harry snarled, turning towards the voice. "Where are they?"
"I'm sure I haven't the slightest idea who you're talking about," Malfoy said, look unconcerned.

"Where are they?" Harry repeated. He raised his wand for an attack, but it froze feet from Malfoy.

"Up-bup-bup," he parroted. "That isn't very sportsmanship-like, is it? Hexing me completely out of the blue like that."

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Avoid the Unbreakable Vow."

"Oh, Potter, are you really that daft? Haven't you seen it yet? Must we explain EVERYTHING to you? Honestly, this is the man we all expect to save the world. He can't even see when he's been led into a trap."

Harry glared at the person before him.

"Just a moment now," Malfoy whispered, his eyes dancing in the moonlight. He was look at the clock. Suddenly it struck twelve midnight and Malfoy's face began to change. It become longer and aged and he grew an inch or so.

No longer was he the Malfoy Harry had been in school with, who had been entrusted by the Order. It was now Lucius Malfoy who stood before him.

"Versatrium," he said simply, brushing off the sleeves of his clothing. "I must say, I thought a little more persuasion on your part would have occurred. Luckily for me, though, it hasn't."

"Where are they?"

"Dead."

OooooooooooO

Harry Potter awoke with a gasp. His body was shaking and his cheeks were wet. He hastily brushed aside the tears and got up, suppressing the urge to burst everything in his room.

McGonagall had expressed her deepest wishes that he no longer do that anymore. Not after last time when a reporter snuck into school dressed like a student and started asking students what it was like to be taught by the 'great Harry Potter' or how Harry felt so many years later.

Reluctantly Harry sat back down and grabbed a pile of essays he wanted to get graded. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses and slowly started the work of meticulously crushing every student's hope for an O.

"Rubbish," he snapped, throwing a paper onto the stack of graded papers. Complete crap. He snatched the next paper and began reading.

As a surprise to him, it was a bit amusing. The author had made a few interesting comments and certainly seemed to have a lot of confidence as a writer. He never looked at the names before reading an essay, lest he have an opinion of what he was reading already.

When he got to the end of the paper he mulled over it for a moment before deciding to give out his only O that day. O's in Harry Potter's classes were rare and dearly coveted. October Lupin was known for charming the pants off of him when it came down to essays. She couldn't defend herself if her life depended upon it (and it did), but her written words were perfect bliss to Harry.

When he looked up at the name he felt a cold, sinking feeling in the bottom of his stomach. Kate Weasley's name was proudly printed across the top of the paper.

He angrily tossed it aside and onto the floor.

He had not spoke to Ron and Hermione in over ten years. There had been a point in his life when the thought of not speaking with Ron and Hermione was completely painful. Now, however, it hardly ever crossed his mind. It make a bearable separation.

After a moment he picked it up, dipped his quill in some ink and angrily slashed an A across the top of the paper. Satisfied he moved on to the other papers.

OoooooooO

Miles away, Kate Weasley was just waking. After struggling to fall asleep after her sister left the room, she had tossed and turned all night, until three a.m. when a drought her mother kept in the bathroom finally did it's job.

"Kate Weasley, come down and get some breakfast before it gets cold! I mean it young lady, there won't be any left for you!"

Kate groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. The sunlight was giving her headaches and she didn't really want to get up yet. She was quite content under the pillow.

Kate!" Hermione bellowed. "Down. Now!"

She rolled out of bed, landing hard on her knees. Grumbling angrily she stomped down the stairs and into the sun-filled kitchen.

"Thank you," Hermione said, handing her a dish of food. Madelyn was already sitting down, moodily chewing her way through some pancakes. The tension in the room was evident. Hermione never so much as glanced at her eldest daughter, nor did Madelyn pay any attention to her mother.

After Hermione exited the room, heading towards the bathroom, Kate turned to Madelyn curiously. She nudged her sister, only to receive a glare.

"Are you two still fighting about your grades?"

"Yup," Madelyn snapped. "Apparently nine of them weren't enough for Hermione, oh no, she expected twelve of them from me. Absolutely ridiculous, isn't it? I can not even begin to fathom what kind of person can't be happy that her daughter gets nine O.W.Ls? Seriously."

"Oh," Kate said, scrunching up her face. "It isn't like that and you know it."

"Yeah," she replied, "well, she sure doesn't show any kind of support for me."

"Mad, you told them last week you wanted to be a back-up dancer for Circe. You should have known they were bound to react just a little bit, now didn't you?"

"Yes," Madelyn replied sheepishly. "I only said so to push mum's buttons, but really, she just went off on me for ages it never ended."

"Dad didn't seem to mind," Kate pointed out thoughtfully. "He might be the one to lean on for support, even if he acts as though he doesn't like the idea."
"Yes, well, dad is a Quidditch player. He isn't exactly the greatest scholar in the world, either."

"True," Kate conceded. "Very true."

OooooooooooO

Hermione Granger-Weasley silently fumed as she folded the clothes the Muggle way. She couldn't believe Madelyn. Wasn't she the least bit concerned for her future? God knew it was all Hermione worried about. Max hadn't exactly been much to worry about. He got good grades, missed only one O.W.L and had a steady job.

After falling out with his girlfriend he had moved back in with them after she cursed the door handles and charmed the doors to lock at the sight of him.

Hermione sighed and leaned her head against the laundry room cupboards.

Well, at least I've still Kate to look forward too, Hermione thought to herself. And it was true. As of yet, Kate showed all signs of being a straight O student, as she had gotten them from the moment she stepped foot into the school.

Hermione picked up the clothes basket and walked over to the den couch. She set the basket down on the floor and flopped onto the couch. As she thought of Kate, her sleepless night pouring over a report and the stifling heat caused her to slowly drift off.

She dreamt of the day Kate was born.

"Hermione, darling, you can do this, it's going to be okay," Ron was saying into her ear, holding onto his hand as though he were petrified to let go. Her entire body was racking with pain. She let out a scream and held onto her head.

"What's going on?" she sobbed. Neither the other pregnancies had been this tough, nevertheless this absolutely painful.

She closed her eyes. When she opened them she turned towards Ron, seeing only a blurred vision of him.

"I think there's something wrong with the baby, Ron," she whispered to him, slowly starting to panic. He shook his head wildly.

"There isn't anything wrong," he snapped. "It's just a bit more painful this time."

"A bit more painful is it?" Hermione snarled. "Well, thank you so much for your input. What would I do without you? Oh, besides not have the immense pain literally in my ass."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm a pain in your ass?"

"Let's not fight, shall we?" Hermione snapped as another contraction rippled through her. "Where's Ginny?"

"Down the hall."

"What about-?"

"With your mother-"

"Mrs. Weasley-?"

"Granger-Weasley," Hermione corrected.

"Yes, pardon, Mrs. Granger-Weasley? Hello, I'm Medi-Witch Klarke. I'm going to be delivering your baby tonight."

"Oh, hello."

"Now, I'm going to need you to push when I tell you too, alright?"

"Yes."

An hour of pushing later Hermione was about to pass out. She was utterly exhausted and it just plain old HURT.

"One more good push and you're going to have a baby, Hermione," the doctor called from over the blue sheet. Hermione was too tired and the doctor saw this. "Talk to me, Hermione. What are you gonna name her?"

"Kate," Ron and Hermione said together.

"Do this for Kate, Hermione," the doctor said looking right into her eyes. "She's counting on you."

Hermione let out a sob and sat up, gripping her husband's hand. She pushed with all her might, willing the baby to get out.

There was an immense relief from within her and the doctor cried, "It's a girl!"

OoooooooO

Hermione sat up as though startled and held her head. She hadn't thought of the day Kate was born in a very, very long time.