'Mum!'

'Yes, Nate?'

'It's Halloween in ten days!'

Kit laughed as the care worker smiled.

'We talked today about what everyone was going out as,' she supplied. 'You've never discussed it with him before?'

'Discussed what?'

The care worker looked at Kit confusedly. 'Don't you take him out trick or treating for Halloween?'

'Not yet,' replied Kit the confused expression not fading from her face. 'I think, uh, this will be the year, though,' she added, hitching a smile to her face.

The care worker smiled.

'We're having a party that day, so if he wants to come dressed up, he's most certainly welcome.'

'Great,' Kit smiled, taking Nate's hand. 'See you tomorrow.'

'Bye.'

'Bye, Miss M!' Nate shouted as she waved.

Hermione looked from the clock as Kit and Nate came in through the back door.

'Hi, aunty Herm!'

'Hi, Nate,' Hermione smiled as Kit sighed.

'What's Halloween to the muggles?' Kit asked abruptly, sinking into the chair across from Hermione as Nate ran into the living room to look at Caleb.

'A day to dress up and go around to the neighbours in the dark and get candy,' Hermione replied just as abruptly. 'Well, the kids do that.'

'Is it still the whole pumpkin thing as well?'

Hermione nodded as Remus let himself in.

'It's kind of cold out there,' he remarked dryly, shedding his jacket.

Kit glared at him. 'Trust me,' she said, 'I'd fix it if I could.'

'Look at Caleb, Moony!'

'Wow, he's brill,' he said, looking interested for the umpteenth time. Hermione could not help but let out a derisive snort. He shot her a look. 'What?'

'It's so weird!' she exclaimed. 'You – using that slang!'

Both Kit and Hermione howled with laughter as Remus rolled his eyes.

'You're – you're were – werewolf potion is ready,' Hermione gasped finally, after Nate had successfully climbed up onto Remus' lap, Caleb squirming in his hands.

'What's a werewolf?'

The laughter ceased at Nate's question.

'Well,' Kit began, frowning slightly, 'a werewolf is someone who turns into a wolf during full moons.'

'Are they cool?'

It was Remus' turn to laugh. 'They are very cool,' he smiled.

'Big?'

'Enormous,' Remus corrected.

Nate looked at him in awe, and then turned to look at his mother.

'Can I be a werewolf for Halloween, mum?'

'Only if uncle Moony helps make your costume,' Harry said from the door.

'Daddy!'

Remus looked ecstatic.

'We could buy a brown jumpsuit.'

'And buy fur to stick to it.'

'Sew on, more like.'

'Eee!'

Kit shook her head as Nate ran squealing around the kitchen, Caleb squealing in fear in his hands.

'Where would we get fur from?'

'Isn't that illegal?'

'Hermione, it would be faux fur,' Harry clarified, smiling as he stirred the spaghetti sauce on the stove. 'I'm not letting my kid run around in real fur.'

'We could shave Crookshanks if you did want real fur.'

'Ronald! You won't!'

Remus, Kit, and Harry laughed as Ron cringed.

'Well fine, we won't do that then.'

'Woo!'

'Would a craft store have fur?'

'Probably,' Harry said, turning to look at Kit. 'I'll go tomorrow and find out.'

'Oh, yeah, you work tomorrow night.'

Harry shook his head, turning back to the stove as Remus got up and pulled plates out of the cupboard. 'I'm in from five until one. It's not forever.'

'How are the renovations coming, Remus?' Hermione interrupted.

'Fantastic,' Remus beamed, latching onto the conversation as Kit continued to throw sulky glances at Harry. 'The kitchen, downstairs bathroom, and master bedroom are done, so we're pretty set to live there now.'

'Hee hee!'

'That's great,' Hermione smiled as Harry put Nate into the highchair and Kit extracted Caleb from his clutches.

'No! Caleb needs to eat spazti too!'

'Caleb has his own food,' Kit offered to Nate's beating fists on the highchair tray. 'And you need to be nice while aunty Hermione and uncle Ron are here.'

'And Moony,' Remus added.

'Take it you need a drink?' Ron asked, uncorking the wine bottle.

'Please.'

Ron and Hermione left shortly after supper, praising Harry's cooking. Remus stayed a while longer, helping Harry finish the dishes while Kit put Nate to bed.

'You know,' he said thoughtfully after a minute of silence, 'I did this with your dad once.'

'You and the rest of the marauders,' Harry smiled. Remus grinned back.

'Well, yeah, I suppose.'

They fell into another comfortable silence, vaguely listening to the sounds of Kit reading Nate a story.

Kit laughed lightly as she entered the kitchen. 'Remus, you should go home,' she said softly. 'Back to your –'

'Paint smelling abode,' Remus finished, grinning at the joke from earlier. 'Yes, yes, I'll go then. Thanks again.'

'Anytime,' Kit grinned, shooing him out the door.

But as the door closed behind him, the smile slid off her face.

'Please don't look at me like that,' Harry whispered, throwing the towel onto the table. 'It's one night, and I'll be back before you know it.'

'But I will know it,' Kit whispered. 'I mean, I understand why but – god. Isn't it ironic?'

Harry only looked at her, his green eyes filled with a cocktail of bewilderment and sadness.

'The first time you leave is to – to get the education,' Kit whispered, wiping her eyes, 'just so that you can leave again to work.'

Harry sighed, quickly wrapping her in a hug as more tears spilt down her cheeks.

'I mean, it sort of feels the same,' she whispered.

'I know,' Harry breathed into her hair.

-- 'What are you doing?' Kit yawned as she rolled over to find Harry no longer beside her.

'Packing,' was the response from a grumpy Harry.

Kit sat up. 'Why?'

Harry sighed, throwing a pair of jean into the suitcase. 'If I'm going to work in the Muggle world when we get … well, you know … get to Godric's Hollow … I need this thing called a diploma.'

'Bullsh–'

'Remus is going to take me. He only just came to me last night. You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you, especially when –'

As if on cue, a distant crying began, and Kit slumped back on the pillows, tears in her eyes.

'Right,' she said miserably, turning away from him. 'How long will you be gone?'

Harry shrugged. 'It depends on how well I do … learning the subjects, I mean.'

'Right,' she repeated, the tears in her eyes spilling sideways down her cheeks as she lay there. 'And will there be – well – I mean – girls there?'

'No,' Harry said. 'It's an all boys' private school.'

'Oh.'

Harry shrugged again, snapping the clasps closed on the suitcase. 'I don't want to,' he said at last, wondering if Kit was even awake anymore. 'I want to stay here with you and Nate, but –'

'I know,' she said quietly, squinting her eyes against the sun that had begun to peek through the curtains of the bedroom they shared in Number Twelve. 'Can I come and visit?'

Harry didn't answer, the tears falling back into his throat as he tried to hold them in. 'Remus says that it's highly unlikely,' he said finally, letting the tears fall at last.

'Buggers,' Kit whispered. Harry abandoned his suitcase and moved back over to the bed. As he crawled in beside her, she turned to face him. 'Will you at least be back for Christmas?'

'Yeah,' he said, wrapping his arms around her as the sobs took over her body. 'And I'll write every chance I have.'

'Okay,' she breathed, burrowing her face farther into his neck.

'I'm going to miss you two.'

'We'll miss you more.'

'And Remus has said that he'll stay and sort of fill in my place. I mean, he is Nate's godfather.'

'Okay.'

She pulled her head away a little, and Harry slid down in the bed until they were at eye level.

'I love you,' he said softly, brushing her lips with his own.

'Love you, too,' she breathed.

'I have to go.'

'Bugger.'

Harry smiled, rolling out of the bed. He looked back as he reached the door.

'I miss you already.'

Kit only smiled a watery smile as she watched him leave. –

Sorry for the really long wait, and unfortunately it'll be another long wait for the next update - this is all I have as of yet. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, as I seem to be deprived of cool stuff to write about. Bar scenes and smut are in the works, swimming around in the depths of my head. Thank you SO MUCH for all the support:)