And on we go…

Tragedy and triumph in the last weeks of the war.

After Christmas, time seemed to speed up. The hope of that time, whilst not extinguished, seemed to falter somewhat as the war picked up pace again. They'd been lucky to have a small reprieve during the 'holiday period'; lucky that the Death Eaters preferred a holiday as well.

Remus, Dora and Andromeda were still largely untouched by the dramas unfolding, though they worried when they heard them.

Remus was relieved and unsettled in equal measure when Bill quietly informed him that Ron had left unannounced in the middle of the night to seek out his two friends. Relieved that Ron had decided to search, but worried that something would happen to him. Tonks was hopeful that he would find them.

Then came that day, the darkest hour in many long nights.

Kingsley knocked on the door and proved himself, then went inside. He told them all to sit down and then delivered the bombshell. "Ted Tonks has been found."
They all sat forward. Surely he couldn't mean...?
"Dead. By Death Eaters we think. He put up a great fight. I'm so, so, sorry."

After a while Kingsley left. He had done all he could. Andromeda was inconsolable. Dora retreated to the bedroom. Remus followed, concerned. She was sitting on the bed crying. He opened his arms and
embraced her. "Oh Dora." he murmured. For once in his life, words failed him. But it didn't matter. It was his comforting presence she currently craved.

When her tears had dried (for the time being) she was exhausted. They lay together in silence for a few minutes before she spoke. "Why is it always the good ones?"
It was almost rhetorical.
Remus sighed. "Who knows." he muttered. Dora took their entwined hands and placed them on her now quite rounded belly. "If he is a boy, Remus… we're naming him Edward, right? After Dad."
They'd discussed this lightly before of course. Remus had heard the promise she'd made to her father when he left. But in some sort of reverse psychology, Dora had not mentioned it seriously, as if afraid that by doing so something would happen to her father. Now, however…
Remus sighed. "Of course. I think it's perfect."

Dora sighed. "Together and apart, we are... This damn war."
Remus could not help but agree.

A week after that, in the last days of March, came word (through Bill again) of Harry's...exploits. Remus had been quite shaken by the news they'd been captured. They'd escaped, but at what cost? More and more, the very air seemed to be stretched thin. One more jolt, and something would snap.

Two weeks later came a day that would change Remus forever. He had been lying next to Dora in bed, watching the sun rise through a crack in the curtains. She kept fidgeting. "Can't you sleep?" he asked.
She'd been having difficulty a lot lately. Dora sighed. "Baby's restless." she muttered, stretching. Then she gave a sudden gasp. Remus turned to look at his wife. She winced in pain and grabbed his hand. When she could speak she told him. "Baby's coming. Get my mum."

Remus leapt up. "Now?" he gasped.
Dora gave him a funny look. "No, next week – of course I mean now. Get Mum!"
"Oh hell." Remus muttered, quickly going into the hallway leading to Andromeda. "The baby's really nearly here... I hope everything will go all right..."
Then he stopped suddenly. "Merlin," he breathed, face lighting up, "I'm going to be a father!"
With a new spring in his step Remus hurried on, hearing a giggle from Dora back in the bedroom.

It was a long day. As the dusk approached Remus smiled at Dora. She had been amazing, he decided. All he'd had to do was have his fingers half-crushed – she was delivering new life.

"One last push, Nymphadora," Andromeda instructed. Dora gasped as she did so. Then, quite suddenly, it was over. Andromeda cut the umbilical cord and passed him to the new parents. "He's a boy," she declared, moments before they saw for themselves.

They stared at the baby. "He's perfect." Remus whispered, enthralled. He understood what Arthur had said months prior easily now. And Prongs and Lily's, Alice and Frank's, and all the others' reasons for fighting. Dora stared in wonder. "And he's ours." she murmured. "Our little Edward Remus Lupin."
"Our Teddy."

So the days went by, all tinged gold now with their joy. Summer signalled it was only a month away with a week of balmy days.

It wasn't always perfect; Dora struggled at times with her confidence and her moods. Caring for a newborn was hard sometimes and the war didn't help at all. **

Then May arrived - in a shower of spring rain - with a sense of urgency. After a broadcast Remus couldn't shake the feeling that something had to give soon.

And it did.

** = Thanks to Keirchi (apologies if the name is wrong!) as well as others, I have formed an opinion that Dora struggled with post-natal depression after Teddy's birth. It is quite common. Given how she'd already struggled with depression when Remus was with the wolf pack, and the fact that her Boggart kept "coming true"….war is a stressful, fearful time for anyone. Being a new mother on top of that and practically confined to the house because of the Chief Death Eater and followers forcing much of the Order into hiding would have made it all worse.

Poor Dora.