"Itty bitty baby!" the blonde woman teased, her once stunning blue eyes now alight with a wicked kind of madness that had only grown over the past fifteen years, "What would the Mrs. Think if she could see you now? D'ya think she'd realise what a fool she was?"
"Don't talk about Tonks like that!" the weakened middle-aged man gasped, struggling for breath after being held under the torture curse, "She was a better woman than you'll ever be!"
"Talking back to your captor, that's not very smart is it?" she glared, "Crucio!"
He tried so hard to hold his pain in. He thought of Teddy, and of Harry. He tried so desperately to focus on his family but eventually the pain and realisation that he may never see them again became to much. He let go of his pain, in a howling scream that no-one but himself and the mad woman could hear.
Cross-legged on his bed, he flicked silently through the photo album Harry and Lauren had given him for his fifteenth birthday. It began with pictures of his parents, although they were not together at that point. Pictures of The Marauders in school although Peter Pettigrew had been skilfully removed from those. It moved on to photos of them all grown up. There was Sirius and Tonks on his flying motorbike, and a young but tired looking Remus nursing a baby Harry. A few snap shots of his parents and friends at random Order meetings. The torn-up snapshot of himself that Harry told him his Dad always carried in his pocket, and that it had been in his pocket the day he died. Then it moved on to pictures of him and his grandmother who had passed away when he was six. Finally pictures of Harry and Lauren's wedding where he had been a page-boy. And the latest one of him, James, Sirius, Lily and his girlfriend Arisa, taken only a month ago.
"What are you looking at, Teddy?" Lily asked, standing in the doorway, teddy-bear in hand.
"Just photographs Lils! Wanna come see?" he asked the small girl.
"Yes please." She ran across the room, and dived on his bed. He lifted his arm, allowing her to snuggle into his side and rest her head on his shoulder. He flicked through the photographs once again, explaining to her who each person was, and what they were to her or her family.
It wasn't long before the brother and sister duo had fallen asleep. The album lay on his chest, open at a picture of his father and himself, one of the few of only the two of them.
His messy black hair whipped at his shoulders as he knelt at the grave of his heroes.
James Potter, Lily Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. He's organised for them to have their own special memorial as well as the one in Hogwarts Grounds for everyone. He wanted them all to stay together, and he needed somewhere that was special for him and those who had been close to them.
"What am going to do? What should I do?" he asked, seemingly no-one, "This is so confusing, Remus could be alive. It's so amazingly wonderful, but terrible at the same time. It'll mean I'll have a father figure again and it'll mean Teddy will have his real father, but at the same time it'll turn everyone's worlds upside down. Sometimes I wish I wasn't the boy-who-lived, sometimes I wish I was just Harry James Potter with my beautiful wife and wonderful kids. With my parents, and my godfather. And my best friends, within which Remus is most definitely included."
Lauren saw her husband. She watched from a distance and not until she saw him fall did she go to his side.
"Baby, it's okay. I promise, everything will work out." she tried to comfort him as his tears fell.
"I want to believe that, but I can't. Everything seems so messed up right now, and it's the twins first year of school, Teddy starts his OWLs, Lily is gonna be so mad that she's not allowed to go to Hogwarts, and now Remus or Tonks or Ron, or Ginny might be back. Any of them. My friends who I had to say good-bye to." he cried, releasing his emotions in a single outburst.
"Shh, everything is gonna be fine!"
A few days letter, friends and family gathered at the Potter residence to celebrate the twins birthday. Twelve was a very big deal to them. They were in a word, hyperactive. Guests included the much loved Fred Weasley who arrived with his wife, Maria, and two daughter Alyssa and Jaye. Next to him was the equally loved George who arrived with his son Mark. An array of Hogwarts teachers ranging from the ageing Professor Flitwick to the new Professor Madeline Devine. The Weasley clan from Molly and Arthur to Charlie, Bill, Percy and their families. Hermione and Draco Malfoy who had gotten married three years after the war ended. Lauren's parents, who were quite intrigued at the magic going on, Linda and Frank. Then Arisa Lee, Teddy's girlfriend of three months.
Both muggle and wizard party games were played, and by the time the cake was ready to come out the kids were exhausted as were Harry and Draco who'd insisted they could run around with the young ones.
"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy Birthday James and Sirius, happy birthday to -"
The rest of the song was cut off by a goat patronus appearing requesting Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. Both men sighed, apologised to the birthday boys, and apparated straight to the Ministry.
Lauren Potter sat with Hermione waiting patiently for news on their husbands. Hermione was almost used to this, Draco was still called away quite regularly, but Lauren found it difficult. Despite Harry being a teacher and not an Auror, on special cases he was sometimes asked to help and she couldn't get used to not knowing where he was ad what he was doing.
Teddy and Arisa had taken James, Sirius, Lily, Mark, Jaye and Alyssa all outside to play 'Shots' They set up make-shift goals and played football with Teddy being the goalie. Being muggle-born, Lauren insisted that her children have some sort of a muggle education, which involved teaching them her favourite sports.
Two loud pops signalled the return of Harry and Draco. Panting slightly, they met their wives, and hugged and kissed them.
"What's going on?" Lauren asked. Hermione nodding to show, she too, wanted to know
"We recovered the bodies. It was Narcissa." Harry began.
"My mother it seems has gone slightly mad with her husband being locked up in a cell for a crime he didn't commit and her son marrying a filthy mudblood, at least that's what she said before Harry stunned her." Draco continued.
"Was anyone alive?" Hermione whispered.
"Yeah, Remus Lupin and Ginny Weasley." Harry replied.
The adults whirled at the sudden voice in the doorway.
"My Dad's alive?"
Second chapter! Thanks to the one person who reviewed. You kick ass. Thank you also to the two people who added this story to their alerts and favourites!
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