Summer's arrival brought bright blue skies, lush green countrysides and the end of the year feast at Hogwarts. Seventh years were sad to be leaving, but they were simultaneously excited over what their future would hold. Teachers and faculty were always teary-eyed by the graduating class' departure, but they were just as enthusiastic about the new group of first years that they'd get to spend the next seven years getting to know. It was always a bittersweet event at the castle.

This year marked the first in almost fifty that Albus could not preside over the feast. He was too weak and feeble, and even a Sonorus spell wouldn't help his meek voice to carry in the colossal Great Hall. Minerva stepped in, instead, and offered remarks to bring the school year to a close, putting on a brave front as she usually did when it came to her ailing husband.

Remus and Ginny had been rather quiet around each other since the night of her creative way of bringing up having children with him over a week ago. They'd all but refused to discuss it with each other. Hermione had tried more than once to broach the subject with her friend, but the redhead had quickly told her to drop it each time. Severus had had no better luck with Remus.

"Headmaster would like to see you and Lupin in his chamber after the feast," Severus quietly informed Ginny as he leaned over her shoulder. "I've notified Lupin of this already." He despised playing messenger between Weasley and the wolf, but he would not refuse a request from a moribund Albus. He owed the man his very life.

When Severus returned to his seat and rolled his eyes disdainfully at Hermione over having to pass along the messages, Ginny sighed and looked down at her plate. She knew why their presence was requested and she dreaded the talk she knew Albus would give them. It made her feel like a child all over again. And Albus would be right in whatever he said, of course. Damn Remus for being so unreasonable!

Albus did not attempt to hide his increasing frustration from the importunate couple sitting across the desk from him. He'd tried to be understanding. He'd tried to be patient. It was time to be brutally honest before it was too late.

"What is the matter with you two?" he asked angrily, though his quiet voice did not reflect the storm brewing behind his tired blue irises. "You haven't so much as even smiled at each other in over a week."

Both looked away from the other in frustration, but neither answered him.

Albus' eyes narrowed from behind his half moon spectacles. "That wasn't a rhetorical question."

Ginny finally turned towards Remus. "You explain it to him," she snipped with a wave of her hand towards Albus. "It's your hang up, not mine."

Remus glared at her, offended by her audacity. "That's a lie," he argued. "You were just as unsure as I was."

"Was," Ginny emphasized, crossing her arms. "I'm not anymore."

"So, all of a sudden, you have no concerns?" Remus asked accusingly with a shrug of his shoulders. "Just like that."

"I didn't say that I didn't have any concerns," Ginny replied, raising her voice. "I just said –"

"Enough!" Albus exclaimed, immediately coughing from the vocal exertion. He reached for the glass of water on his desk and took a few sips to soothe his throat. "The two of you have been to hell and back, so I understand the emotional frustration. I also understand your lycanthropy poses certain issues, Remus. What I don't understand is why you both are taking out your fears on each other and acting like children."

"He's being unreasonable and using his condition as an excuse," Ginny hastily explained, derision obvious in her voice. "Just like he always does."

"I am not!"

"Remus, please," Albus soothed, barely able to lift his frail hand in a gesture to briefly quiet him. "Ginny, why do you think he uses that as an excuse?"

"Because people have coddled him and treated him with kid gloves his entire life," she answered in exasperation "So any time he's unsure of something or doesn't want to do something, he reverts back to the lycanthropy."

"And you don't think that behavior is justified?"

Ginny glanced at Remus, who looked quite angry, but she was apathetic towards his white knuckles and constricted pupils. "Not usually, no," she replied briskly. "He's only transformed twice in the past twenty-five years. The Wolfsbane is obviously a highly effective potion for allowing him to lead a fairly normal life."

Albus nodded. "And those are very good points," he agreed. "But what if something happened to Severus and he was unable to brew that potion?"

"Then I would brew it."

"Have you discussed that possibility with Severus?"

Ginny bit her lip. "Not yet," she answered. "But I will. I need to know for my son, anyway. Remus seems to forget that I'll have to deal with this whether he's around or not."

"Another valid point," Albus agreed, peering over the rim of his spectacles at the couple. He wished he didn't have to bring up a horribly painful time in his previous student's life, but he had no choice at this point. Their relationship was on rocky ground and he had to do something. "Remus, have you told Ginny about Livia, by chance?"

Remus' mouth dropped and his eyes enlarged at the mention of a name that had not been spoken for over twenty-five years. "Albus!" he exclaimed, sitting forward in his chair and gripping the armrests. "You promised we'd never speak of her again! How could you?"

"I think that it's time Ginny know the justified origin of your fears," the headmaster stated calmly.

"Albus, please," Remus pleaded, covering his face with both hands. "Please don't do this to me. Hasn't living with it all these years been torture enough?"

"Would you prefer that I tell her?" Albus asked, watching as Remus stood up and walked over to the window, looking as if he'd cry any moment. His silence told Albus that he was not going to tell her. "Very well then. Livia was a grade behind Remus in school. They became friends in his second year, but they didn't date until his sixth year." He glanced over at Remus and saw that his eyes were closed. He knew the revealing of his past would hurt him, but it was necessary to save his future. "They were very much in love," Albus continued, looking back to Ginny. "She was aware of his condition and that the potion helped considerably. She was not scared of him." He noticed Remus was shaking his head, but he continued. "Everything was going along fine until one full moon evening when they used the Marauder's Map to sneak out of the castle and go to Hogsmeade. Remus didn't take his potion with him. On the way back, they stopped for some - hormonal activity, we'll call it - and subsequently became quite engaged in their special time together, forgetting about the full moon shining above them." Albus paused again to see Remus hang his head. "Unfortunately, Livia didn't make it back to the castle that night."

Ginny gasped. "He…attacked her?" she asked, shocked by Albus' story.

"I bit into her jugular vein," Remus spat as tears slipped from his eyes at the painful memory. "I killed her. I loved her dearly in human form, but I killed her viciously in wolf form."

Ginny was momentarily silenced. She knew that he'd never intended to hurt Livia, but without his potion, he'd transformed and lost control. She'd never considered that his past could hide something so gruesome. "She couldn't run away or apparate or use her wand?" she finally asked, her voice quiet.

Remus snorted and shook his head as he wiped tears. "She trusted me," he cried. "The last thing I remember hearing in my human state was that she wasn't afraid because she knew that I loved her. A lot of good it did."

"What happened afterwards?" Ginny asked curiously, turning back to Albus and fighting her own emotion.

"I protected him, of course," Albus answered. "After I removed his DNA and all other traceable evidence of him, we devised a story that they were both attacked by a werewolf in the Forbidden Forest."

"And there was no investigation?"

"Her parents tried, understandably, but they did not know of his lycanthropy and dropped the case quickly," Albus explained. "And I did promise Remus that we would never speak of that horrible tragedy again, and we haven't, until right now."

Ginny turned towards Remus again. "Why didn't you have that memory obliviated so you wouldn't remember?" she asked. "You didn't attack her on purpose. You couldn't help it."

"Tell that to her grave," he muttered snidely. "I don't ever want to forget what I did. I need to remember what I'm capable of so that it never happens again. I was young and stupid and allowed things to get out of control. We never should have stopped like we did. I should have known better." Anger exploded within his gut and made him want to destroy everything in the room. "I should have known better!" he exclaimed, slamming the wall with his fist. He turned around and slid down the wall, unable to stop the next round of tears that fell from his eyes.

Ginny started to rush towards him, but Albus stopped her. "Let him be," he instructed. "I broke my promise because I thought it was more important for you to fully understand why he uses the lycanthropy as an excuse. It's a very valid excuse, Ginny. In his transformed state, he's as dangerous as any other werewolf out in the forest. He can kill you or anyone else around. It's a virtually impossible burden to be forced to shoulder, but he's done it for years and quite successfully. He does everything he can to keep those around him safe and, unfortunately, sometimes that means being a little paranoid and unreasonable."

Feeling like the biggest bitch in the world, Ginny dropped her head in shame. If only she'd known what had happened, she would have understood his behavior and wouldn't have given him such a hard time. Dammit.

"And I would love nothing more than for you two to welcome a healthy biological child into the world," Albus continued. "And you can try, but you must be prepared to terminate the pregnancy if the baby will suffer. I would strongly suggest adopting. There are many beautiful children in the local magical orphanages that would love to have you two as parents."

"Minerva mentioned that, too," Ginny said, not looking up. "But I didn't say anything to him because I was so upset. I didn't think it would matter."

Remus leaned his head back against the wall as his tears slowed in intensity. He was emotionally drained at being forced to relive that tragic event in his life. Now Ginny would be reminded of Livia every time she looked at him. He loathed that fact, but at least she would finally understand his hesitations and fears. Merlin. What had he ever done to deserve this?

"Would you be open to the possibility of adopting, Remus?" Albus asked gently.

He silently nodded.

"Well, I think my work here is done then," Albus commented. "I'll just go on up to my chamber. Stay here as long as you need to. I'm sure there is a lot to discuss." He flicked his wand so his chair would levitate up the stairs (that he could no longer climb) so he could offer them some privacy. He feared the demise of their relationship was inevitable if they couldn't get past this and he wouldn't leave this world peacefully if he hadn't tried one last time. They were on their own now.

Remus and Ginny remained where they were for a couple minutes following Albus' departure. Both were embarrassed and ashamed, but neither wanted to discuss Livia any further.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ginny's back still faced him and her head was still hung.

Remus sighed heavily at the question that he had no answer for, but that he knew she would ask. "And what was I supposed to say?" he replied, eyes fixated on the ceiling.

"I don't know," Ginny answered with a shrug that he didn't see. "I just wished I'd known. It would have helped me to understand why you react the way you do sometimes." She turned around in the chair to face him. "You loved her. I can't imagine how devastating that must have been."

With his head still resting against the wall, Remus lowered just his bloodshot eyes to meet hers. "No, you can't," he agreed, and then returned his gaze to the ceiling.

Pregnant silence filled the space between them again as each searched for something to say.

Remus felt betrayed, but he knew that Albus wouldn't have broken their twenty-five years plus of silence if he hadn't thought it was absolutely necessary. It didn't stop shame from flooding his mind knowing that Ginny was now aware of his abominable past. He supposed he wouldn't blame her if she wanted to end their relationship. She wouldn't have been the first.

Ginny scanned the hundreds of books on Albus' shelves, but she saw none of them. She should have known that there was some valid reason for his behavior. She should have been more understanding. She felt like a selfish bitch and, if he didn't want to be with her, she wouldn't blame him. She certainly wasn't proud of her behavior.

"I'm sorry for springing the children bit on you like I did," Ginny apologized. "I shouldn't have done that. I guess I was just excited because I'd finally reached a decision and I thought you would be excited, too."

Remus lifted his head from the wall when he looked at her. "I'm sorry I made the comments about fate," he apologized. "I am very thankful fate brought you to me, even if the circumstance wasn't ideal."

Ginny smiled a little, hoping they still had a chance. "You are?" she asked. She'd been beginning to think that he regretted their relationship and it had been weighing heavily on her heart.

His expression softened. "I am," he confirmed, gentleness finally returning to his weary eyes. "How could I not be? I love you, even if I haven't acted like it lately."

Relief pooled in the pit of her stomach and radiated through her like warm rays of sunshine. "So, do you think we should consider adopting?" Ginny asked. "It does sound like the right solution for our situation."

He nodded, hopeful that they could put this issue behind them permanently and stop arguing. He hated arguing. "Yes," he answered, nodding. "I'd like that."

She stood and walked over to him finally. "Let's go then." Ginny extended a hand to help him up. "We apparently have some adoption research to do."

As the couple left the headmaster's office hand in hand, an old man smiled in the shadows.

A couple weeks later, Ginny found herself back at the campground where she'd lost Neville a year ago. It certainly didn't seem like a year. It felt more like yesterday in some ways. It was difficult for her, but she didn't want to miss the time with her family and figured she'd have no problem staying busy.

"You okay, Baby?" Molly asked, putting an arm around her daughter as she unpacked her bags. "We all would have understood if you'd wanted to stay home this year." Everyone had been pleasantly surprised when she arrived at the campground with Remus, William and Malachai.

Ginny offered a small smile and nodded. "I'm okay, Mum," she reassured her. "I talked to Neville's portrait before we left, which helped immensely. And William has so much fun here. I didn't want him to miss out on spending time with the family."

"It was a good idea to bring Malachai," her mother noted. "Keeps him occupied with something positive."

"It was Hermione's idea initially," Ginny explained. "She thought if Malachai went with William to family gatherings, he wouldn't fight with Elizabeth and Eliza so much."

"Never misses a thing, that one," Molly commented, shaking her head at Hermione's shrewd problem solving ability, whether something simple like providing a successful distraction for William or more complex like working with Harry and Ron to defeat Voldemort like she had a few years ago. "How is Sabine, by the way?"

"Almost seven months old," Ginny answered. "And already trying to crawl. Hermione told me the other day that they're considering adopting, too."

"Really?" Molly asked surprised. "Never thought I'd see the day when Snape had three children running behind him. But why adopt? Hermione can obviously have healthy babies."

"Sabine did her in." Ginny couldn't help but laugh, remembering the middle name chosen for her; Malaise. French for 'difficult'.

Molly laughed, too. "I guess I was fortunate. All of mine were easy," she remarked. "And you and Remus are still adopting, yes? I think it's such a wonderful idea."

"We're waiting a few months before starting the application process," Ginny explained. "But we're definitely doing it. Since we made the decision, we've gotten along the way we used to. All that worry and pressure was taking its toll on us."

Molly kissed Ginny's cheek. "Love will always see you through," she quoted, squeezing her shoulders. "Now I'm off to find Richard and Emma. Richard has been walking Fleur silly and I'm sure Tess would like a reprieve from the constant bottles and nappies."

Ginny smiled and shook her head as her mother left. She'd never known anyone to love children the way she did. She was a wonderful grandmother and Ginny looked forward to adding a sixth grandchild to her list, certain it wouldn't be the last in their large family.

As the group lounged around the crackling fire the last evening, two owls arrived with a handful of envelopes addressed to all who were in attendance.

"It's from Harry – "

"And Cho," the twins announced, as everyone began tearing open the envelopes.

"It's a wedding invitation," Ron added after reading the contents. "Blimey. He's finally doing it."

"Good for him," Arthur said proudly. "We'll make a respectable man out of him yet." He was extremely happy for the young bloke that he'd always thought of like a son.

Everyone laughed at his comment since Harry had been known for his intentional avoidance of the matrimonial club since graduating a few years ago.

"Their date is only about a month away." Ginny pointed out, noticing that they were wasting no time. "And it's at Hogwarts. No big surprise there." Many weddings had been held there over the years.

"There's no better place for one," Remus chimed in, giving her a wink. "Maybe we should have ours there, too."

Everyone fell silent as they watched Remus and Ginny in anticipation.

"What?" Ginny asked. What was he talking about? They weren't having a wedding. Wait -

Remus knelt in front of where she sat and pulled a tiny hinged box from his pocket. "I thought, perhaps, if you said yes, that Hogwarts would be the perfect place for our wedding," he explained, opening the box to reveal his grandmother's diamond ring. "Will you marry me, Ginny?"

The redhead stared at Remus for a few moments, completely in shock at what he was doing and saying. There was really no question in her mind, though. She loved him and knew there would never be another for her. After discussing children, it seemed the next natural step. Granted that was backwards from what most did, but she didn't care.

Ginny smiled and then laughed in giddiness. "Of course I will," she answered while her family applauded. Remus kissed her before slipping the ring onto her finger and waiting just a moment for it to self-adjust.

"I know we've had a rough time as of late," Remus said quietly, holding her hand. "But I love you. We'll adopt a child and raise William together and be a happy family. It's all I've ever wanted, but until recently, I had been too scared to pursue fully. If you can be so brave facing my condition, then so can I."

They kissed again before being swarmed by her family congratulating them.

"Nice segway," Arthur complimented, shaking his hand. "I was wondering when you'd do it. Our trip was almost over."

"You knew?" Ginny asked, eyes wide.

"Of course," her dad answered. "He asked for your hand a month ago and told me that he planned to ask sometime over the camping trip. He said he wanted to make what had been a bad place into a happier place."

Ginny beamed at Remus. "That he did," she confirmed, hugging him. "That he did."

I know in JK's version, Remus and Tonks had Teddy and he suffered no lycanthropy repercussions, but let's pretend in this version that it's not known and viewed as quite dangerous for a man suffering from the disease to procreate. We'll revisit, though... *wink*

Thanks for reading, as always!!